King Diorite had left me a lot to think about. He was originally going to kill me, and then he suddenly changed his mind. That alone was already extremely suspicious. I couldn’t imagine what had changed all of a sudden where he’d let me go. Also, his sudden test for me was extremely suspicious. He wanted me to go to someplace within the Deep called the Abyss, where he suddenly wanted me to rescue my girls.

This is what I wanted as well, so I wasn’t going to fight him. Once I had Terra and Garnet by my side, maybe I could have a chance against him. It was probably too much to hope for. I didn’t want to bring them into any danger either, although it sounded like they were already in a lot of trouble. Either way, I looked at it, I didn’t have any choice. Until the situation changed, I was just going to have to do my best.

Once stepping through the portal, I was prepared for anything, but I found myself entering a passageway that wasn’t much different than the passageways I had been traveling through prior. There was the distinct feel of a pathway. The tunnels weren’t rough or random but had flat walls and tight corners that suggested this area was mined out deliberately to function as a pathway through the Deep. I looked to my side to see the zombie queen there, holding me tightly.

“If we’re going to survive, I’m going to need to name you,” I said.

Originally, I wasn’t sure how far I’d end up going with this little girl by my side. She seemed too innocent and needing to be protected. I had originally felt this was a ruse. Her innocence hid her dangerous nature. That was true, but there was also a vulnerable side to her. After taming her, I knew that I would have to take responsibility for her. When I had seen her ripped in half, the sight of it had disturbed me greatly.

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The girl cocked her head slightly and then gave a nod. She neither looked excited nor unhappy. It was mostly saying that I could do whatever I wanted. Other than those few lines she had said to the dwarf king, she had not spoken since. I thought about things for a few moments. Garnet and Diorite were both names of stones. Even Garnet’s previous name was Rubee. It would probably make sense to name her after a stone as well.

“How about… Pearl?” I asked.

She immediately made a face, sticking out her tongue?

“Oh, how about Amethyst?”

She thought about it for a moment, scrunching up her nose, and then shook it.

“Opal?” She shook her head.

“Really? I thought I had one there.” I sighed, trying to think about it more.

When I had named Selena earlier, it had come almost naturally. Maybe I was doing things wrong. Maybe I needed to come with her name while considering the Naming skill. Maybe the name did not come from my mind but came from an impression of the girl.

“How about… Sapphire?”

As soon as I said it, there was a flash of light that erupted from her. It was blinding in the dark corridor. I felt my mana surging forth, although I suppose it was coming from someplace a distance away. I hoped that connection wouldn’t weaken the deeper we got. If it was anything like a slave bond or my Slave Communication, I’d have a problem.

{You have named your tamed monster, Sapphire the zombie queen.}