-----E-----

„Wake up, Ethan, I believe it‘s time to check out the program.“

I opened my eyes and sat up, the fire crackled and sparks flew. We took some branches and plants when we were on grasslands, as fuel for the fire at night time.

Vincent and I were the only ones awake, the spiders were sleeping close together while the others slept in blankets.

Without a word, I looked at my programs and found the one called Summon Artifact Wielder Back, and then I ran it. The front of my shield opened up and a holographic map of Slefend and Smittis showed itself.

The name of the program was kind of dull, I didn't really care though, so I didn't change it.

We looked over the map until we found our marker were we are now, and then we found the second marker, likely that‘s were the gemstone is. And, of course, of all the places it could have been in, it needed to be there?

„Smittis, great,“ Vincent grumbled.

Smittis, the place we heard was infested by an insectoid species known as Kypseli. Thankfully, it was not that far inland, but we don‘t know how many there will be.

I glanced back at our marker, we were halfway to Midhaven. When dawn breaks, we would immediately continue our journey there, it should only take us half the day.

I really should have looked over the program alone, now that Vincent knows of the gem, he might do something stupid to try and get it before me. But I need to have the stone so we could go back, but I am not going to bring Vincent along with me.

I glanced over towards everyone, and I noticed that Nia‘s eyes were open, and was intently looking at the map. I quickly closed the hologram.

„Oh, goddammit. Why aren‘t you asleep?“

„My mind just wanted to wake up at that moment,“ she said, still talking like she was half asleep.

She stood up and walked to sit next to me, avoiding Vincent‘s gaze.

„What were you looking at?“

Suddenly, she sounded more energetic.

„Eh, just thinking about where to go next when we are done at Mount Vallow.“

Once we are done looking around in Midhaven, we decided to continue our way to the mountain, it has been a long time since I first acquired the key and map of the vault. And we are finally closing in on the pirate‘s treasure.

„Aha.“

She laid back with her arms supporting her from falling backward and looked up towards the sky.

„Have you ever wonder if people have flown across those stars?“

My eyes darted upwards.

„It‘s a possibility, maybe some people have found a way to venture there.“

„Hey, I have finally thought of a nickname for you.“

„Oh? Let me hear it.“

„Mr. Shield Guy.“

I glanced towards Nia with a thoughtful look.

„You really are bad at names.“

Vincent looked at us as he was carving up a stick, then threw it in the fire. More crackles sounded and the light grew by a small amount, then quickly dimmed.

„You two should get some sleep, I am still on my shift here.“

Vincent took a second stick and started carving it up with his knife.

„You know we will only have less sticks that can fuel the fire, right?“

„Shut up.“

----------

I threw sand across the burned wood, then placed my backpack on our arachnid friend, I still trembled a bit when I rode on it.

A spider was digging through the sand and then stone with its tool-appendages, and then stuck its head down for a few seconds, then emerged with liquid coming down from the mouth.

So that‘s how they get water around here, but people need to dig quite deep like what that one did to get the water. People need to dig quite fast as well so the sand doesn‘t cover back the hole. Disregarding the spider‘s size, they were quite fast.

I walked over to Letya, who was also placing her small pack on her arachnid.

„Letya, I have a question.“

„Hm?“

„How did you find us when we left the tunnel back in Dunwich?“

It has been in my head for a while, but I never thought of asking. Of course, she might have known about it like Nia, but I wanted to ask either way.

„Well. . . I did not just give you the program to run faster, I also sent out the workers on you so I could find you easily, they would send me a marker on a see-through map.“

Creepy, I‘m guessing one of her programs can make her Nanos infiltrate our bodies or artifact and then sends her a marker on her holographic map. I felt shivers run down my spine.

I saw Vincent give Letya a thoughtful look once she told me. Vincent likely heard her and thought of the dangers of what Nanos could do.

I hopped on the spider behind Vincent, then we all moved on to Midhaven.

----------

The sand dunes rose high and low. Tessera‘s light reflected on the sand, almost blinding me if I wouldn‘t squint my eyes.

I only wore a shirt around my chest, the heat was unbearable if I wore my armor. The others did the same, only having light clothing on themselves as we rode through the desert.

Thankfully, there have been no dangers beneath the sand and the travel has been safe so far. Except for the annoying heat, this has been pretty peaceful.

It seems the day is already halfway. Midhaven was in sight. Just as Reve once said, there was grass and a river in the middle of the desert, and just beyond Midhaven continued the desert even further.

Strangely, I haven‘t thought about the day cycle on the planet, I feel like the day is rather quick, the hours here must be shorter than on other planets I have been on. I have never really thought about the hours, likely because I don‘t stay on one planet for a long time, I do stay more on space stations.

Midhaven had walls around it, it looked like it was made out of sandstone. The town was surrounded by greenery and lakes. It was just like an oasis, or it actually was one. The river was going through the middle of town, using sewers to go beneath the walls.

The gate has lizards and human guards, and I could clearly see the size differences with us and lizards. The dynami were much taller than the average human, if I would hold my arm up, then the head of the lizard would be between my hand and elbow.

„Greetings, Jarko, I see that you are still on the guard around here,“ Letya spoke as we rode closer to the gate.

„Greetings to you, Darlen, and greetings to the newcomers,“ the dynami said with a coarse voice and a hint of a hiss at the end.

Darlen? I assume he was addressing to Letya, either it‘s her last name or some kind of nickname.

The lizard pulled out a small notebook and a pencil, he then looked up to us and was ready to write down.

„Names.“

„I‘m Ethan, and he is Vince. .“

The lizard, I believe is named Jarko, gave me a suspicious gaze, and he narrowed his eyes towards me with a hiss.

Letya quickly hopped off of her arachnid and walked up to me.

„Ethan, how much do you know about dynami?“ She asked in a whisper.

Now that I think about it, not much. Did I do something wrong here? I was just telling him our names.

„Not much, why?“

„You need to tell your full names, or it would just be disrespectful.“

„Why would it be disrespectful?“

„I‘ll tell you later, let me handle this,“ Letya finished and started telling our full names to Jarko.

„ . .And that kid over there is Nia. . . um, what was your last name?“

Oh god, would it be even more disrespectful if Nia says, „Unknown-Name“?

„Oh, it‘s Un. .“

„Unara!“ I quickly interrupted.

Everyone stared at me. Nia gave me the biggest confusing face around.

„Nia Unara? Alright.“

Jarko wrote down her name, he then put away his notebook.

„Welcome to Midhaven,“ he said and stepped aside, allowing us inside.

As Vincent was steering the arachnid, Jarko spoke to me.

„Shield, it would be best for you to learn our customs. If not, you would just end up in the ground.“

He then walked to his post.

Shield? Why didn‘t he just call me Ethan?

„Let‘s go to the tavern, I think it‘s best that I tell you about the dynami for those who don‘t know much about them, you would just end up dead otherwise.“

Even she says we would die without knowing about them, I guess I will listen then.

----------

„Why did you just suddenly name me Unara?“ Nia spoke up first as we were taking our seats.

„Sorry about that, but Unknown-Name would likely make him angry, so I quickly decided to think of something.“

Nia puffed out her face and put her feet up on the table and tipped the chair a bit backward as she crossed her arms.

„You could‘ve chosen something else than Unara.“

She sounded annoyed.

„What? You wanted me to name you Unkwara-Namara or something?“

„That just doesn‘t even make sense! And you say that I give out bad names!“

„Okay, let‘s stop here,“ Ivona interjected.

Just before she stopped us, I saw Nia go for her grenade, but then crossed her arms again.

„Back at the noble‘s quest selection, I heard your name was Unknown-Name, I thought it was just some prank you were doing,“ Letya said.

„I don‘t tell strangers my last name.“

„What about me?“ Reve walked up to us with drinks, of course.

„Sorry, but not even you.“

Strange, she doesn‘t even tell her last name to Reve.

„Can we get back to business?“ Vincent said, irritated. Vincent was the only one that didn‘t take his seat, he just leaned back against a wall.

„Yeah, we should do that, Letya?“

„Okay, good. Dynami, they are really respectful to the parents of their people and us humans. So most of the time they refer us with our last names, but if they use your first, then it means that they are insulting you.“

„Interesting, so our first names are basically just curse words for them?“

I sipped the drink Reve gave us, I didn‘t even ask what it was, but I did know it was alcohol.

„Yeah, so if you don‘t tell them your full names, then they would think that you are here with ill-intent.“

„Does even the Dynami Empire have this?“

„It‘s in the dynami culture from way back so, of course.“

When I am talking to lizards, will they always call me Shield? Maybe I should have chosen something else.

„So, that Jarko guy, is that his last name?“

„Yes, but in the middle is their clan names.“

„Clan names?“

„Jarko‘s full name is Arth Simuluna Jarko, so his clan is part of Simul, there are other smaller clans in this country and are free to move around, but Simuluna is the main clan around here. And no, the Dynami Empire‘s lizards don‘t have Empire as their middle names.“

I was just about to think about that, it would have been strange to have a name such as Empire in the middle.

„Then what is their clan name?“

„It‘s the name of their sovereign leader, Mallako, and . .“

She stopped talking because Vincent suddenly spewed his drink all over the floor. We all stared at him.

„Sorry, that name just reminded me of one asshole that Ethan and I hated a bunch. I am pretty sure it isn‘t the same Mallako, but if it was then I would have lost my cool.“

Oh yeah, Mallako, it was just some arrogant bastard that we once needed to deal with when we were done with our artifact hunt on a distant planet that was just rock and lava. And that planet was completely destroyed when we were finished recovering the artifacts there. And Mallako was our dealer, but he didn‘t want to give us the right amount of cash that the artifacts were worth. And just like what Vincent said, that sovereign leader is likely not the same Mallako.

„Anyways,“ Letya continued. „The Dynami Empire have the clan name of Mallako, and if they find a dynami without one, he would be brought to execution.“

That Mallako is really serious, I already hate him as much as the other Mallako.

„What about Mallako himself? What‘s his clan name?“

„The leaders of the clan use their title, so Mallako‘s full name is Thisk Sovereign Mallako. Oh, and just so you know, male dynami always ends with –ko, and with females, it‘s –ki.“

Thisk Sovereign Mallako, that‘s a name I will try to remember. I feel like Nia will maybe sometime blurt out 'This' Sovereign Mallako, I'm pretty sure she would say something like that.

„I think I got it. Basically use the first names of dynami to pick a fight, but use the last for friendship. Then there are some clan names with the name of a country or the leader.“

„Good, now that you all are familiar with their names, don‘t screw it up.“

„I‘m going to refill my drink, Ethan, you want more?“ Reve asked as he stood up.

I didn‘t even notice that I finished my drink, when did I drink it all?

I glanced towards Nia besides me, she was whistling and looking up towards the ceiling.

„Nia!“

„Hm?“ She was trying to act all innocent.

„Did you just drink what I had?“

„Nope, Mr. Shield Guy, I have not drunk it. . Yet.“

„Yet?“

Nia sighed and pulled out a container that had the alcohol in it. She actually didn‘t drink it, but she was likely going to later on. This troublemaker, maybe I should‘ve named her something ridiculous back at the gate.

I took the container from her.

„Don‘t start drinking when you are like thirteen, and could you find a nickname that is better than Mr. Shield Guy?“