“Got one of those for me?” Rufus asked. Again.

Adion didn’t answer and just stared at Rufus while they kept on walking.

“I thought I was stupid for spending so much money on plums,” Adion said, “And yet this is the third time you’re asking for one.”

“How was I supposed to know Ishina plums were so much more delicious than the ones I am used to? And they’re just so refreshing in the summer heat.” Rufus said, wiping the sweat off his brow.

“Yeah, yeah,” Adion said, handing Rufus a plum. They were pretty expensive, but not enough to put much of a dent in Adion’s current wallet. He had eaten them back home in the Remori manor from time to time, and when he saw them being sold all the way over here, he bought a bunch to bring on the journey to the Outskirts.

He had a period during his grandfather’s training that he couldn’t really enjoy eating them. But now it was memories Adion looked back at fondly.

I wonder how the old man is doing. Hopefully, he, Aiden, and Ailera have kept each other company.

“Ahh, delicious,” Rufus said, biting into the plum, “Don’t worry, Adion, it’s my treat next time we come across someone selling them.”

“It’s fine,” Adion said, “I’m glad you like them.”

“It seems we are here,” Benji said from in front of them.

“That’s Lermen?” Rufus asked, squinting his eyes to make out the outpost further down the small dirt road.

The group left Dorbarta the day after the auction and made their way to the Outskirts. Benji had decided on an outpost named Lermen, and it took them a few days to travel there on foot. They could have hired a carriage and gotten there faster, of course, but no one thought walking for a few days was so bad.

“Yep,” Benji answered Rufus, “It’s supposed to be a lot of middle to high Silver beasts half a day north of here. I think it will be a good place to settle down for a while. We can always move somewhere else if we’d want to, of course.”

“Seems like a nice place,” Sahra said as they got closer to the outpost.

Lermen looked much like the many outposts Adion had seen before. It was the size of a small town where Adion guessed about 5,000 people lived. The outpost was surrounded by big wooden walls with a few stone structures placed at even intervals.

“It will feel nice to stay in one place for a while,” Sahra said, “It feels like all we’ve done is travel for the past year.”

“Will you be alright, Lomin? I know you came to Shiora to travel after all,” Rufus asked.

“A journey doesn’t have to involve traveling all the time. Some of the most thrilling journeys can take place in just one place,” Lomin answered.

“I guess that’s true,” Rufus shrugged.

The group entered the outpost and made their way to find a good inn at Benji’s instruction.

“We’ll leave our baggage in our rooms and then head to the Outskirts Guild and take a look,” Benji said, “We might find there are some interesting missions other than simple beast hunting. It could be a nice little change of pace. Otherwise, it might be good to socialize with the Outskirters here so we don’t miss out on any important information about the place.”

Everyone agreed, and it didn’t take long before they booked a room each at the local ‘Outpost Inn.’

The group then made their way to the Outskirt Guild to look for missions.

“Nothing that’s enticing, really,” Benji said as he looked through the mission board.

“Well, something might show up,” Rufus said, “Hunting beasts isn’t bad either.”

“I suppose,” Benji said, “You guys want to get some drinks? We can start going out for hunts tomorrow. It would be good to get to know the place a little first from the other Outskirters.”

“Haha!” Rufus laughed, “Now that’s a great idea.”

The Outskirt Guild reception worked double as a tavern, so Adion and his teammates ordered some drinks for everyone and took a seat at a long table, next to some other Outskirters.

“Hi there,” Benji said to the three Silver mages already there, “I’m Benji, and these are my teammates: Sahra, Lomin, Rufus, and Adion. Sorry for intruding.

“No problem at all,” A blonde man in his late twenties responded. He was a peak Silver mage, “I’m Mashi. This is Tella, my girlfriend, and this is our friend Kelv.”

“Nice to meet you,” Benji said with a smile, “We just got to Lermen just now. We have been down by Wender previously. How are things up here?”

“Well, we all like it,” Mashi said, “The beasts are plenty, and lately, a lot of family clans want to go on expeditions deeper into the Endless Forest. We went on a mission like that two weeks ago, and it was really exciting. Paid well, too.”

“Oh?” Benji said, “That sounds interesting. I hope something like that comes up again.”

“I’m sure it will,” Mashi said with a polite smile.

“By the way,” The woman named Tella said, “Why do you have a Bronze mage in your team? I mean no offense, I just got curious.”

“Haha,” Benji chuckled, “No worries. He’s my cousin, so I want to keep an eye on him. He’s very talented too, not even 16 yet and already a low Bronze mage.”

Still going with that lie? Oh well, it spares me the trouble of explaining.

“That’s very rare!” Tella exclaimed, “I was 17 when I reached Bronze, and I thought that was the level of a genius.”

“Well, there is always someone faster or stronger, I guess,” Benji said, “We heard back in Billford that the young master of the Gratton family reached low Bronze before turning 15.”

“How is that even possible?” Tella asked, shocked.

“They are a Noble family,” The man named Kelv said, “They have access to resources we can’t even imagine.”

“It still isn’t an easy feat,” Mashi said. “If it were, there would be plenty of Bronze mages his age in the Noble families.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I guess,” Kelv shrugged.

The conversation carried on, and the two groups started getting more comfortable with each other as the hours passed and beer after beer went down. Finally, Adion couldn’t hold himself back from asking a question he had been holding in.

“Sorry, Mashi?” Adion said grabbing Mashi’s attention, “That name, it’s Shiorin, no? Are you of the Kuwamin or Sabamin?”

“Sorry,” Benji said, “Adion’s mother is Sabamin, so he’s a little curious.”

“Haha,” Mashi laughed, “It’s nothing to worry about. It’s not like I’m hiding it. I am Kuwamin.”

“But…your name?” Adion hesitated.

“Oh, you speak Shiorin? That’s right, my name means ‘bad,’” Mashi nodded.

“Your name means ‘bad’?” Sahra asked, “Why would someone give their child such a name?”

“You would have to get a pretty long history lesson of the Kuwamin to understand,” Mashi shook his head, “It’s a long story.”

“We have time,” Adion said, curious, “And Lomin really likes stories. He might tell one in return later. He’s a really good storyteller.”

“Mm,” Lomin nodded with a smile, “I’m also really curious if you don’t mind telling. I will do my best to tell a good story myself later.”

“Haha!” Mashi laughed, “Well, how can I turn down the request if I get the chance to hear a story told by a faelin? But I warn you that I don’t know how much of the story is true. Some parts are guaranteed to be fiction. But it does explain the current culture of most Kuwamin.”

Mashi then took a few gulps of his beer and straightened his back, “This story begins long ago, before the Quemerians came to Shiora. And it takes place in a part of the Kuwa Mountains called Duwaban. The Kuwa Mountains are enormous and stretch further than any kingdom, so this Duwaban is something like a kingdom of the Quemerians in a way.

“Duwaban is divided into four parts: west, north, east, and south. But the story begins right before that division becomes a reality. There were much fewer people living there than there are now, as I understand it.

“The people living there at the time all took great pride in their names, because, unlike here, everyone of the Kuwamin had a last name. Families argued about who had the mightier name, and it didn’t take long before some families started changing their names. The Tsuji family, meaning mighty, became a talking point after they changed their family name. After all, what could be a mightier name than ‘mighty’?

“That’s when another family came along and announced that their new family name was ‘Tatsuji,’ meaning something along the lines of ‘very mighty.’ And thus began a period of families changing names one after another, simply trying to outdo the other families in having a mightier family name. People soon realized that this couldn’t go on, and the strongest mages in Duwaban gathered in a meeting to discuss how family names would be decided in the future.

“After many long hours, the mages came out and announced that there would only be four family names allowed. Hidora, meaning west. Kiha, meaning north. Mubi, meaning east. And Shini, meaning south. The families would take on the last name depending on what part of Duwaban they lived in. But the mages had foreseen future issues that could arise if they didn’t get ahead of the problem.

“They decided that no one could have more than two names, a family name and a first name. The first name would be decided on the day of birth and could never be changed. The mages were all pleased with this decision and hoped that it would make things calm down. In a way, it did. No more changing of names took place. But something else started, something that would shape the culture of the Kuwamin in the millennia that followed.

“People immediately realized that there was now only one way to show themselves superior: having a mightier first name. But since they weren’t allowed to change their own name anymore, they had to wait for the next generation. The first baby was born a few months after the change and was given the name Gaya, meaning ‘fast.’

“People thought it was an allright name, nothing too mighty. But that started changing as Gaya grew up. The little boy was always running around, applying his wind element to reach higher and higher speeds. It was then that people started realizing that it wasn’t about having a mighty name, but a fitting one.

“Every parent's dream became to have their child live up to the name they had given them. As time passed, it became the norm for someone fitting their name to have a higher status. But it wasn’t only about having a fitting name, of course. It had to be something difficult to achieve, too. Someone named Gaya, who was slow, was a great shame, but so was someone named Ruku, meaning ‘slow.’

“You had to have a name that had at least somewhat of an admirable attribute. That was the consensus. And you had to live up to that name to the fullest. Making it a risk for parents to reach too high when naming their child. Imagine naming a daughter Urumi, meaning ‘Beautiful,’ and she turns out to be average-looking. It was a tough life for those people.

“It was a lot more common to name a child something that could be controlled, such as Huji, meaning ‘strong,’ then something that can’t be controlled in the same way, like Urumi.”

Mashi stopped talking to take a few gulps of his beer, and Sahra took this opportunity to ask a question.

“This all seems a bit…silly?” She said hesitantly, “I mean, what does it matter if your name fits you if you are a strong mage? Surely that would make all of this perceived status a name gives disappear?”

“I agree that it can seem a bit silly,” Mashi said, “And of course, strength plays a huge role among the Kuwamin. But our names and how we live up to them is anything but unimportant. Even a Diamond mage could be ridiculed and have a lower status than someone weaker. Never so far that a non-mage could make them bow their head, but a Gold or Silver with an impressive name surely could.

“I find it hard to explain to people who are not Kuwamin, but it is ingrained in our bones in a way. As for the story I just told, it is disputed whether it is true or simply something made up to explain the origin of our tradition. I, for one, think it made up, but there are plenty of stories concerning our names, and I believe some of them hold some truth at least.”

“What kind of stories?” Adion asked.

“Well, there are plenty,” Mashi said, “‘The strong Gaya and the fast Huji’ is a classic of two brothers living up to each other's names. We have the story of Honbi, meaning truth. About a man who swore to live up to his rather obscure and not-so-mighty name by always telling the truth, not hiding a thing. He was an outcast as he said some pretty horrible things about people, never holding a secret to himself. However, eventually, people started admiring how well he lived up to his name, and people refrained from asking any sensitive questions out of respect. A story often told to children in the Kuwa Mountains.

“We also have the story of Matesu and Urumi, meaning Patient and Beautiful. Urumi was the most beautiful Urumi born in centuries, and everyone in Duwaban vied for her hand in marriage. No one thought Matesu would stand a chance, as even though he lived up to his name pretty well, it wasn’t a very mighty name. But when Matesu had waited outside her home for ten years, he managed to win her over, showing that even the most unassuming name could become mighty if you live up to it well enough.”

“How interesting,” Benji said, “Though I must admit that I agree with Sahra that I just can’t imagine how a society of mages could function this way.”

“Well,” Mashi said, “You’ll have to go there and see for yourselves, I guess.”

“We plan on doing so,” Benji responded with a smile.

“But how come you are named Mashi then?” Adion asked.

“Ah! That was the point of it all, wasn’t it?” Mashi said, “Well, my father had this idea. He wanted to change a name.”

“Change a name?” Sahra asked.

“Yes, but that is not allowed, so how will he do it?” Mashi asked, “He will name his son Mashi, and make him become so powerful that the word Mashi itself changes meaning, from ‘bad’ to ‘mighty.’”

Everyone was quiet for a while before Sahra burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! Sorry. I am sorry,” Sahra said while trying not to laugh, “It’s just so funny. How are you guys not dying from laughing?”

“I thought it was pretty cool,” Adion said.

“Haha,” Mashi chuckled, “Thank you, Adion. But Sahra’s reaction is warranted, I don’t know what my father was thinking. My childhood was not easy, and I had to leave the Kuwa Mountains when I grew up to get away from it all. But that’s in the past. I can see the humor in it now.”

“I think you should go for it,” Adion encouraged.

“Go for it?” Mashi asked.

“Become so mighty that the word Mashi can no longer mean anything else,” Adion clarified.

“Well, I might as well try,” Mashi said, raising his glass.

The night continued with the two groups exchanging stories, and Adion didn’t return to the inn until late at night. Drunk from both the beer and the atmosphere.

What a fun night. I should train hard in the coming days so I can spare some time for nights like these and enjoy more stories.