107 Naming (1/2)

”Don't push yourself with that arm,” called out Li to Azhar.

They were both in the fields with Old Thane, clearing out the farm's second harvest of the year. A day had passed since Azhar had gained his new life sensing powers. He had also learned the [Scattershot] skill, confirming that skills that did not rely on gods or entities to be granted were learned through the same requirements present in Elden World.

”It ain't gonna' get better unless I get the muscles workin' again,” replied Azhar as he used a sickle held in his left hand to scythe up a few heads of wheat. His right arm moved weakly, almost as if in slow motion, the fingers laced with trembles as he tried to pick up the stalks he cut.

”Aye, young lad, you've the right idea,” said Old Thane from a little distance away, his scarred hands also busy with harvesting. ”Wounds healed with the body's strength alone will not heal completely lest you not push your muscles and bones to their former glory.”

”Yeah, but we only have so much sunlight left, and trying to use that hobbling arm is slowing us down,” said Li. He shrugged. ”But you're right, old man. In the grand scheme of things, rehabilitating an arm is more important than one harvest out of many.”

Li looked down, feeling the wyrm tug at his pant leg. She had good fine control over her strength, and she used her flatter molars to gently grasp and pull at the soft fabric. He could sense her impatience from her fidgeting and her active stare, but he shook his head.

”We won't be hunting today, Tiamat,” said Li sadly. Taking Azhar's advice, he had named the wyrm. He had a functional knowledge of mythology because so much of it was embedded in Elden World, and he had decided to name her after the primordial Mesopotamian creation goddess, a massive sea dragon who was also considered the mother of all monsters and dragons after her.

”I'd be willin' to fight her to let her vent her energy,” said Azhar, his head peeking through a few tall and golden stalks of wheat.

”That would be helpful,” nodded Li. ”My spells are too dangerous for her to mess around with.”

Tiamat's eyes narrowed as she pulled particularly hard this time in protest, telling Li that she was, indeed, capable of weathering his spells.

”How about this: You beat Azhar today and then I'll show you a spell.”

She loosened her bite and nodded with brimming enthusiasm.

”It ain't gonna' be easy,” said Azhar teasingly, and she loosed a challenging roar in response.

Azhar laughed before saying, ”Y'know, why don't you shorten her name to Tia? It'll sound a whole lot more natural.”

”It's fine to shorten the name like that? It hasn't been a day yet with her having this name.”

”It ain't like puppies where ya gotta say it over days and days to drill their names into their heads. Dragonkin are smart, and her, well if there was ever a genius among geniuses among em', she'd be one of em'. She's just as smart as those legendary dragons up north that can put any scholar down here to shame with their knowledge and wits.”

”Hm.”

”And Tiamat? Where'd ya get that name, anyway, if ya don't mind explainin'?”

”That too, I am curious of, lad,” said Old Thane between deft sickle swipes, stalks falling to his side in droves as bodies must have in his youth. ”Your past, your culture, and your people are all yours to keep to yourself, but it is always a pleasure to know more of it.”

So it would appear that Eldenia had no knowledge of the mythology in Li's planet.

Somewhat surprising, too, because there actually was a boss tier monster called Tiamat in Elden World, but she was a boss tier dragon monster that existed in a high level expansion that had absolutely no place coexisting with the rest of this world.

”It's the name of a goddess,” said Li simply.