“I know this might be a little obvious. But I couldn’t help but notice, how fast the little one can fly on his little wings.” Dark Flame responded, once they asked for names.

“And what does that have to do with anything?” Blood Claw asked, trying to suppress her annoyance.

“Well with his little claws, little feet and little beak- Well, it shouldn’t be that hard to find something that describes him.” Dark Flame replied. Within moments, the chamber filled with the murmur of side conversations. Darin glared at him, only to get a smug wink in reply. You scumbag.

“And he has that cute little flame too!” One dragoness crooned, causing Darin to cringe. Many others agreed, leading the conversation in a direction he didn’t like.

“He sings too, so many he’s a bird.” Someone called out.

“A little bird.” Another responded.

“I still like ‘little wing’.” An elder suggested.

“Pocket Dragon?” Dark Flame suggested. Damn you.

“No!” Several elders responded at once. Whew…

“Oh, oh. A song bird?”

“A tiny little bird indeed, with a beak and all.”

“So is he a dragon or a Bardic Bird?”

“Maybe we can call him Song Weaver?”

“Well he has strong fire magic.” Firebrand reminded them. Thank you.

“So a fire bird?”

“Lord of the fiery doom?”

“Little fiery doom?”

“Little Pyro?”

“Let’s name him Inferno.”

“How about Little In-”

“A flaming bard.”

“Drop the bard bit, that sounds like a class, not a name.” Someone reminded them. For the next several minutes, chaos ruled in the council chamber. Tiamat even denounced a few of the worst suggestions. Darin wasn’t able to keep track, as names were tossed about in rapid fire. Thankfully, most of the names were struck down just as fast.

“Enough!” Tiamat roared, as her patience with her children ran out. Once the echos ended, she spoke again. “Stop trying to name the young one for just his size before he has a chance to grow. And stop trying to choose intentionally insulting names.” She growled out. A moment later, the smug expression on Dark Flame’s face vanished.

“He is a child of Shadow and Ember. He flies well and has strong fire magic. He is of very pure blood and a strong magical spirit. Let us focus on these things when we seek a name. Rather than size or slurs.” Firebrand stated, allowing the dais to amplify her voice for effect. The elders looked at one another for a few long moments, before the murmuring returned. Not long afterwords, the calling out of names resumed. This time, the choices were made with greater care. None of them wanted to anger the goddess.

“Swift Wing, would fit him well.” Tome suggested. Being the first to offer a name.

“That’s a nice name.” Blood Claw replied.

“Inferno is fire related.” Called out one dragoness.

“But hardly accurate.” Another replied.

“Pyro is not taken.”

“But that suggests an obsession with fire.”

“Oh.”

“You should have seen him fight though, it was like his very soul was ablaze with fury.” Blue Shark called out.

“Should we name him after his battle skills or blood lust?” Oh dear…

“Ablaze you say…”

“Hey, Blaze is a nice name.”

“Yes, but it’s taken.” Someone replied. The room fell silent for a long moment. Several of the elders drooped their wings and looked down.

“What? What is it?” Darin asked.

“That name. It’s um, not taken anymore. It’s been available for almost a month this time.” Someone explained, a trace of pain in their voice.

“Oh. Oh…I see.” He replied, having the decency to look down for a moment too. So the last name holder died, or was deleted..

“Well it’s not like the name is unlucky or anything.” Vile Fang stated, a little too fast. The murmuring in the room returned, but with an unhealthy tone mixed in. For some reason, he wasn’t looking towards the dais as he spoke.

“Is there something I should know?” Darin asked, growing concerned. Most of the elders found something else to look at, for a few moments anyway. That is, anything but him. That’s not a good sign.

“Well uh. A few different dragons have had that name in recent years.” Firebrand began to explain. But I thought Dragons lived for centuries. “One broke a powerful oath. One tried to defile another god’s temple.” She paused to cringe at that one. “Two of them had a fateful meeting with the dark knight EULA. And the other, well, returned to the eternal sleep without an egg.”

“So it’s a cursed name. Maybe we should find-” Darin began. Trying to look for new alternatives.

“Who better to restore honor to the name?” Dark Flame asked, cutting him off. It set off several excited conversations at once. “The name is unclaimed, and in need to restoration. Who better than one of the ancient sleepers to bring honor back to the once proud name of Blaze?” He asked. Moments later, the room was awash in noise. Almost every elder present was soon discussing the possibilities for the name. With their attention drawn away, Dark Flame shot Darin a smug grin. You bastard. The elders had just about agreed, when it was Tome to called out above the noise.

“Honored Elders.” He began, drawing in their attention. “While the name Blaze itself is good, it is also somewhat jinxed. What say we pair it with another name or title, so that it may be redeemed, without dooming our youngest dragon?” He asked them. It set off another flurry of discussions. To Darin, the best part was that Dark Flame’s expression went from elated to defeated.

“What would pair well with Blaze then, oh wise elders?” Blood Claw asked. The elders began to call out names again, but this time they seemed less painful.

“Little Blaze?”

“No, that sounds insulting.”

“Vibrant Blaze?”

“That’s just kind of weird.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Soul Blaze, Soul Blazer, Blazing Soul?” Blue Shark asked.

“…” No one even deemed to reply, opting to ignore the blue dragoness.

“Savage Blaze?”

“Sounds like we’re over-selling him there.”

“Blazing Inferno?”

“Would you knock it off with the Inferno bit already?”

“Blazing Bard?”

“Oh gods, not you too…”

“Swift Blaze?” Firebrand asked, in a quiet tone, only to be amplified by the dais. The elders conferred with their neighbors a moment, and the consensus seemed to be growing.

“We could just go with Blaze, plain old unlucky Blaze.” Dark Flame suggested again. Darin and several others shot him dirty looks, causing him to sigh and lay down on his ledge.

“Can we agree that Swift Blaze is fitting for this young dragon?” Blood Claw asked the room at large.

“You could get stuck with a much worse name. Trust me on that.” Firebrand whispered to him, as the elders began to voice their consent. He nodded to her and then waited for it to be done.

“Honored elders, by your consensus I-” Blood Claw began, once enough elders had chimed in.

“Ahem.” Tiamat stated, from behind the Den Mother. In response, she actually sighed at her own goddess.

“Would you like the honor then?” She asked.

“My children.” She stated, then paused for effect. “I give you ‘Swift Blaze’, the newest member of our family. He now leaves behind the stage of Whelp and begins the path of Dragon. Welcome him. Guide him. And be sure that he lives up to our standards.” She commanded. That last line, didn’t sound all that friendly, he mused.

“Congratulations, my dear Swift Blaze.” Blood Claw stated, before the wave of well wishers drowned out all else. Darin was excited to see the first system message, and even more excited by the second. After all, it was accompanied by the familiar glow of a level up. Finally!

Quest Complete: Trials of the Nameless.

You have completed the Trials and performed above all expectation. You have thus earned the core name of Blaze, but with lesser addition of Swift. You are currently known as “Swift Blaze”.

You have been upgraded from whelp to dragon. You have gained basic adult rights: You may travel freely in dragon lands. You may leave dragon lands. You may join a guild. You may join a clan. You may take a job. You may seek to court a mate, if one will have you. You now outrank whelps and below.

Congratulations, you have reached Level 4. You have been awarded 2 stat points and 0 evolution points. You have not changed in size.

“That eager to get ahead, are we?” Firebrand asked, after seeing his level increase.

“And it seemed like just yesterday he was a level 2. How fast they grow up and leave the nest behind.” Blood Claw stated, her voice full of false sorrow. For effect she added a few fake sniffles, causing many of the elders to laugh. Once she dispelled the amplification, many of the elders flew down to offer encouragement and well wishing. Dark Flame was not amongst them, as he chose to sulk instead.

“Finally I can go outside. I’ve been wondering what has happened, and it has been driving me crazy.” Darin stated, happy about his new-found freedom. Blood Claw gave him an odd look but said nothing. He focused on the exit to the great woods, but nothing happened. He sighed, gaining him a few odd looks. Maybe that was too vague. Darin focused on the cave’s exit instead. After spending a few moments looking as if he might be constipated, he realized the simplest of details. I don’t know those locations yet. Damn it!

“It’s late at night, Swift Blaze. Why don’t you go to the rumbling rooms and get some rest?” Firebrand suggested, wondering about his odd behavior.

“I’d like to go outside and see the world myself.” He stated, earning him a great deal of laughter from those nearby.

“Oh my, he really is quite eager. He’s only just earned a name and now he wants to travel the world.” Tome stated, his voice rich with mirth. Many of the others laughed with him.

“But I said- Oh, crap. That wasn’t quite what I meant.” He stated, trying to defend himself.

“And what is it you would expect to see, at this late time?” Tiamat asked, giving him a sad look. A moment later, she slipped back into her pool and vanished back into the deep. A number of sad noises came from the elders as she left, many bowed to the waters or mumbled their goodbyes.

“She’s right you know, Blaze.” Blood Claw stated, causing him to blink. “It’s well past dark and I doubt the moons will be visible tonight with the clouds so thick. What do you expect to see, in a world blanketed by darkness?” She asked. His beak fell open, and he failed to find the words to reply.

“The rumbling rooms are the best place for all of us at this hour.” Firebrand stated, causing many other’s to nod.

“Indeed, it took me three hours to fly back in time for this trial. But I am rather glad that I did.” An unintroduced elder stated.

“But-” Darin started to protest, only to be cut off.

“Come see me in the hatchery in the morning, after you’ve eaten. I’ll make sure you start off right.” Blood Claw promised, before starting to walk off. With a sigh, Darin focused on the rumbling rooms. Lets see, take the main exit and turn left at…

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Author’s note: A name, he has a name! I hope you all liked the chapter, and the fact that we finally got to the name. It fits him the best, out of names that came to mind. Sorry but I’m fairly sure that “Dragon god with the flames that destroy all foes” was either taken, or too long to fit in the character sheet. In other news: WOOT! Fallout 4 is out now. Heck yea! See you guys in a couple weeks!

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Okay, okay. It was a bad joke. You can put down the knives now. Um, please? *grins* It’s my twisted sense of humor again, sorry. I’m actually trying to avoid that game for a while, for that very reason. Thank you all for your encouragement and support. To those who left reviews and especially detailed reviews: You rock. I am drawing in on a close to book 1. Which is a little bit funny, because the first ideas I had for this story, would actually be in book 2. Fear not I intent to flow from one to the next, without any major breaks to vacation in the Fallout wastelands.