The village buzzed, a hum of progress filling the air. Everything smelled like fresh earth and wildflowers. Except for Garrick’s blacksmith shop. Which smelled like hot metal.
Zane’s bronze pickaxe shone brighter than his forced smile. Each step next to Darius made his muscles ache even more. He just wanted a big, soft pillow. Or better yet? No work. No chores. Just nothing.
“Do you ever get tired?” Zane asked, looking at the huge pile of wood and ore they had gathered. “I get the whole ‘save the village’ deal, but my back is filing complaints.”
Darius didn’t blink. “Rest is an illusion. We still have work to do.”
Zane groaned. “Yeah, yeah. No rest for the wicked. Or me. Not even a dream about sleeping.”
As they walked towards their tents at the edge of the village, laughter cut through the sound of people talking.
Lyra. As always, she was the loudest person around. “...and then BAM! The whole field lit up! Crops flying everywhere!” Her eyes sparkled with so much energy it seemed almost dangerous.
Zane and Darius exchanged a look. Half “she’s exaggerating,” half “but we can’t deny the results.” The fields were booming.
“Evening, Lyra,” Zane called. “You seem, uh, extra today. Did something blow up?”
Lyra spun, grin loaded with mischief. “Oh, nothing crazy. Just saving the village. Working miracles. You know, the usual.” She leaned in, voice dropping. “Speaking of miracles, I’ve got a little surprise for you two.”
Zane squinted. “A surprise? Why does that sound like I need to sign a safety waiver?”
Lyra’s grin got even bigger as she whipped out her CaptureCube. The thing pulsed like it was alive. “Oh, Zane, this isn’t just a surprise. This is… an ascension.”
Darius raised an eyebrow.
Zane? Not so subtle. “Ascension? Wait, are we talking new tools here?”
Lyra cackled, activating the CaptureCube.
A flash. BloomBounce2 appeared. Bigger. Energy crackling.
Zane’s jaw dropped. “What the?!”
Even Darius looked impressed. “Fascinating. A major upgrade.”
Lyra puffed out her chest. “Meet BloomBounce2! Stronger, faster, and packed with new tricks!”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Zane shook his head, trying to understand. “BloomBounce2?? Seriously? With an upgrade like that, shouldn’t it have a cooler name? Something like... ‘GlowLeaf’ or ‘LeafDancer’?”
Lyra rolled her eyes. “Oh, Zane, you sweet summer child. When a beast ascends, it doesn’t need a new name. It gets a number! Still BloomBounce, just… better. Hence, BloomBounce2.”
Zane tilted his head. “So, if it ascends again, it’s just BloomBounce3?”
“Exactly!” Lyra beamed. “Sophisticated.”
Darius nodded. “It is a lineage. Like royalty. Lyra the First, Lyra the Second, and so on.”
Zane scoffed. “Wouldn’t a new name be more… memorable?”
Lyra waved him off. “BloomBounce2 tells you exactly what you’re getting. Clean. Direct.”
Zane wasn’t letting it go. “But what happens if it ascends nine times? BloomBounce10? Or are we talking Roman numerals, like BloomBounce X?”
Darius looked thoughtful. “Or back to the start. BloomBounce Alpha. Beta. Gamma. Infinite growth.”
Lyra shrugged. “Or we could do colors! BloomBounce Red, BloomBounce Blue. The possibilities are endless!”
Zane snorted. “Yeah, until we end up with ‘BloomBounce Green Two X Blue Mega Plus.’”
Lyra gasped. “Now that is a name that commands respect.”
Darius nodded. “A name so complex, it would paralyze enemies with confusion.”
Zane laughed. “They’d be too busy trying to pronounce it to fight back!”
Lyra clapped her hands. “Exactly! Confuse and conquer. Oldest strategy in the book.”
Darius even managed a smirk. “A strategic advantage.”
Zane threw his hands up. “Fine. BloomBounce2 it is. But if we need a flowchart for its name, I’m out.”
“Deal!” Lyra said, her eyes twinkling. “The future of naming is an unexplored adventure!”
Darius nodded. “The threads of fate weave infinite possibilities.”
Zane rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help chuckling. “You two are ridiculous, you know that?”
Lyra and Darius nodded, perfectly in sync.
“And that,” Lyra declared, “is why we’re unstoppable!” Mischief danced in her eyes. “Speaking of unstoppable, how about a history lesson on ascensions?” She pulled a relic from her pocket. “LoreKeeper, give us some ancient naming lore.”
LoreKeeper flickered to life. “Oh honey, buckle up. Once upon a time, folks named everything. And I do mean everything.”
Darius nodded. “History is full of stories like that.”
“They started off strong. They had names like ‘StormFang’ for the thunder lion, and ‘ShadowStalker’ for the night panther,” LoreKeeper said. “But then... they ran out of ideas. Fast.”
Zane chuckled. “What then?”
LoreKeeper sighed. “They got lazy. The thunder lion’s cousin? ‘StormFang Jr.’ Then ‘StormFang III,’ ‘StormFang IV’... The night panther’s relatives? ‘ShadowStalker Too,’ ‘ShadowStalker Also,’ ‘ShadowStalker Additionally’... You get the idea.”
Lyra burst out laughing. “Oh, and don’t forget ‘FireWing but Green.’ Pure genius.”
Zane doubled over. “Wait, FireWing but Green? Seriously?!”
LoreKeeper spun. “And when colors ran out, they went for numbers. ‘Large Bird One,’ ‘Large Bird Two.’ It was like they were counting beasts. ‘Another bird? Just add a number.’”
Darius nodded. “I believe ‘Furry Rock’ went up to twelve before they gave up.”
Zane was laughing so hard he could barely speak. “Furry Rock Twelve?! You’re kidding!”
“Wish I was, darling.” LoreKeeper said. “That’s why we use numbers now. Efficient? Sure. Funny? Absolutely.”
Lyra grinned. “And that, Zane, is why BloomBounce2 sticks to tradition.”
Zane wiped his eyes. “At least it’s not ‘BloomBounce but Bigger’.”
Lyra winked. “Give it time, Zane. Give it time.”
LoreKeeper shrunk back to normal size. “Anytime you need a history lesson, just ask. I’ve got centuries of stories waiting.”
Zane smiled. “Thanks, LoreKeeper. That was... something else.”
“Anytime, darling,” LoreKeeper said.
Zane turned to Lyra. “Wait. How did your creature ascend? What’s the secret?”