A Name is a Soul, One Must Cherish it Always

Quite some time had passed while Droh and Experiment XZ walked together, side by side, occasionally asking questions of the little faun in order so that he could be better informed of the land he now found himself in. So far what he's learned has been rather useful, ranging from information on the Territory Lords to the grandmaster who rules over this land known as Midnight, a place that hadn't seen the light of day in all its time.

According to Droh, there are several species that coexist within this place, the faun being one of the more common ones, only slightly differing from each other by the animal that they share characteristics with. Faun's are seemingly little ape-like creatures that walk on their back two hind legs, just like humans, and they can be found practically anywhere there's civilization.

The faces of the fauns are what cause the biggest concern usually, as they're human-like features have entered the uncanny valley level of realism, to the point where some stories tell of the first fauns who simply stole the faces of tribals in exchange for gold, which led to the birth of their species. Whether this was true or false, even Droh didn't know for certain. They've never been particularly aggressive, but most importantly, they're absolutely not battle ready, relying more on their speed and agility to outrun their pursuers.

From what information he's gathered so far, it seems the most important piece of information is related to the rarity of things such as machinery and functioning electronics, which seem to act as double-edged swords. On one hand, their excruciatingly valuable and having a supply of technology can be very productive to your influence within Midnight, while on the other hand, you're practically painting a target onto your back by flaunting anything even resembling technology.

"So tell me, do these Territory Lords rule over some sort of population, or is it just more of this desert?"

"Oh no, no. There are several cities around Midnight, each of which are ruled by their own lords. In fact, the lords have always ruled over their cities, huge places where thousands gather, since long before I was born. Papa used to always tell me stories of when one lord would be killed, and how another would climb the steps and take their place. It wasn't always the person who killed them, but mostly... Yeah." Droh turned to face Experiment XZ as he continued, "Each lord is in charge of one of the cities in Midnight, so you should be able to find the answers you need there, you just need to continue following the black star, you'll see the city soon."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous? You know, if I was a Territory Lord I wouldn't want random people all collecting around me, any one of them could be what killed me."

"Lords are stronger than that!" Droh broke out into a laugh, "Only the weak have to worry about others in this place. In fact, there are plenty of people here who don't even notice dangers like those giant worms, let alone avoid them like you do!"

"So you're saying only the strong survive, huh?"

"Well, the strong rule, but there are other ways to survive. You can scavenge for the lords in return for protection, or you can even join one of the smaller clans. They don't have much control in this place, but there are plenty more clans here than there are Territory Lords, and these clans are much more likely to accept you. Well, as long as you can be useful to them, that is." Droh reasoned.

'So, there's more out there than just those Territory Lords? I wonder how dangerous those clans are...' Experiment XZ's eyes lit up as his voice picked up, "Wait, wouldn't the leaders of these clans be strong enough to join under the Territory Lords? Why would they choose to live out here away from civilization rather than within the safety of a city?"

"Hmm, I wonder. Maybe it's because they feel as if the lords hold them back? Maybe it's because they're too arrogant and don't like to take orders... or maybe even the lords just don't want to bother with them? I'm sure there's a reason, but whatever it is, you'd best stay clear of any clans. Lords seem to be more orderly... but those clans are just pure chaos, without care for what they do." Droh paused momentarily, as if to add on another point. "There are some clans that live inside the cities, of course, but they rarely place all of their strength in one place. In a city, you're under the lord's control... Outside, you're free to do as you want, mostly."

Having thought things through a bit, Experiment XZ reasoned. "Then what you're saying is it would be more dangerous to get involved with the lords, since they're the ones with true power?"

"I guess, but that's only if you get one of them angry... Which is super hard since most don't even meet people. No, Papa always told me to stay away from the clans. One of the biggest reasons was because, amongst the clans, there were a few who possessed the strength to rival, or on some occasions even surpass the Territory Lords. It's just that the Grandmaster never seemed to recognize those people as their own superpowers on Midnight, so they could never fully situate themselves anywhere for too long."

Experiment XZ sighed in disbelief, "Right, makes sense. Why recognize an outside power when you can simply keep things as they've been going with those lords. Fair enough, note to self... Be careful of everything."

"Hah, that's a fair assessment mister! By the way, what do I call you, weird mister?"

"Sorry to say but I don't have a name, not one that I remember at least."

"No name?" Droh questioned.

"Nope, no name." Experiment XZ stated matter-of-factly, knowing he couldn't simply go around calling himself what the archives had saved as his name.

"Everyone needs a name, mister... If you don't have a name..." Droh went silent for a moment as if puzzled at the notion of being nameless. "Why are you here, anyways mister?"

"Where to begin. Well, I guess I'm here to save my people, I think? Let's just say there are plenty of people waiting for me to come back home with an answer to their question... The only problem is, I don't even fully understand the question."

"Hmph... I see. Well, that settles it."

"Settles what?"

With a smile, Droh explained. "Your name, I've thought of it. You're someone reliable that has countless people praying for your return, right? You're going to save them, right? Then I've got a name for you." He paused for a moment, adjusting his back so as to stand up straight. "Deus."

"Deus? Doesn't that mean something like God? Why that? I'm anything but Godly..." Experiment XZ recalled what he knew from his previous world, where such a name was typically synonymous with a Divine force.

"Gods aren't always all-powerful beings... Instead a God should be someone who is reliable. Someone who knows people are counting on them, and doesn't shirk away from that, even if it puts you in a bad spot. You're someone's God... someone's miracle... So you're Deus."

"Where did you hear about any of that, anyway?"

Droh's apish ears lifted up as his tail started to swing around in glee, "My Papa!"

"Well, Droh... Your father sounds like quite the man."

"Mhm!" Droh hummed with a smile, clearly quite pleased with himself. "My father always used to go on and on about all of that. He's the one who taught me to talk, you know? So a lot of what he said rubbed off on me... He talked about his own Deus quite a bit, but I don't know who it was. All that I know is he never once lost faith in that person, not even until the end... He told me that his Deus would change everything and that I had to just wait and see."

"And what happened?"

"I'm still here waiting."

Experiment XZ, having received the name of Deus from his newly befriended faun companion Droh, continued to walk beside him in silence as everything sunk it. Neither one spoke as the black sand of Midnight continued to seep down further into the earth with each step they took.

Looking up past the nearest wave of sand, Deus's attention immediately fell upon the light that seemed to beam upward into the sky from a distance.

"Oh, we've almost arrived," Droh spoke as his arms stretched out to his side with a sigh. "We should be in the Iron Lord's territory now Deus, so be careful from here on. Let's go further in, see about getting some food first, don't you think?"

"Mhm, that doesn't sound like a bad plan Droh. Right, won't it be weird to go around calling myself Deus? I'd figure people would think I'm just pretentious."

"Hah! No, you should be alright. Names are valuable here. Throughout all of Midnight, no one should find issue with a name like that." Droh reasoned, his ears perked upward as he smiled.

"Well, I suppose there's nothing that can be done if that's the case. Let's go take a closer look."

As Deus said that, both he and Droh began to pick up their pace, moving at almost a full sprint as they headed for the entrance to the Iron City.