"To grow. To learn new ideas, cultures, and experiences. Perhaps you could do this here, in the safety of my infernal empire, but conflict creates strength. To ensure that strength prospers as much as it can, you cannot train here my young Demonblood." Anubis says, a serious tone to his voice.
"Then, where will I train, my Patron?" You ask, confused on what Anubis was getting at.
"Your training will not be here, instead you will train out in the mortal world, the realm of humans where you once just recently resided. You will spend a single human year in the human realm, exploring, traveling, and learning. Along with that, you will also be given a list of objectives that you must complete by the end of the year. Once you have completed them within the time limit, your training will be complete and you will truest become a being capable of becoming one of my trusted generals."
"Objectives? What goals will you task for me my Patron?"
"The assignments given to you will consist of only fifty, thirty of them will be relatively simple, ones that a fine demon such as yourself would be able to do in a week at most, however the last twenty will not be so easy. They will be the real trials. Mission dangerous and in some cases suicidal. These objectives will take weeks, if not months to plan out. Due note that you will also be unable to return here nor seek aid from me or my army until you have completed all fifty objectives, you will be on your own, but do not worry. By the end of the year, if you pass, you will be a changed demon, stronger, intelligent, faster, and more powerful than you are now. You will have accomplished feats that even the mightiest of heros and demons would fail at. Then, you will truely become my general and together, along with your other fellow Demonbloods, will rule alongside me for eternity, with every single pleasure and desire you have becoming realized." Anubis said, his voice carrying a hint of an excited impatience as if he could not wait for the moment that happens anymore than you could.
You heartbeat increases at the anticipation. This is what your life was leading you towards. That village you came from only dampened you, treated you almost like a stain, now you'ok have a chance to prove yourself. To prove that you are worthy, that you are worth living. However a single question lingered at your mind as you excitement started to build.
"My Patron, I will push myself harder and harder until I can achieve what you wish me to do, but I must ask, what will happen if I do not manage to comeplete all of the objectives within the year?" You ask.
Anubis growls fiercely and for a second you thought you had stepped out of line, dread builds up as you see Anubis' face contort with pure unbidden rage. His yellow pupiless was eyes glow fiercely and his canines seem to grow sharper and longer. Around you the shadows themselves start to change and twist in unnatural ways, as if they were alive and uninhibited by the light of the chandelier hanging below the ceiling of the pyramid.
Even the ground shakes and rumbles as Anubis begins to speak, every word strained and hissed out. "If you do fail, then you will prove yourself as nothing but a worthless piece of time-wasting trash. If you do not complete all of the objectives, I will personally ensure that your death will be far worse than even everyone in this room can imagine. Do not fail me Umbren. For you won't live to see another night if you do."
The earth begins to calm, and the shadows stop moving as you feel the last of your Patron's rage has faded. You curse yourself mentally for asking such a idiotic question. Why would you even consider failing? Anubis was right, you were weak, not even close to dream of ruling beside him.
"Now." Anubis resumes, his voice more calm and leveled now, as if the rage he just felt had never existed in the first place. "Tomorrow your journey will begin, you will be given the list of objectives as well. I will have to leave soon, I other business I must attend to. I wish you luck Umbren, that is, if Demons even have any."
Anubis holds up his hand, and does a single snap with his clawed finger, a strange yellow light engulfs him and suddenly in a blink of an eye he disappeared, his presence comepletely gone from the Throne Room.
You are immediately ushered into a large changing room by several of the skeletal guards and where you were given a large bag filled with a weeks worth of supplies, several books containing sanguine knowledge, and a few sets of human styled clothes. Putting them on, noticing how well they were customly adjusted to your fur, helping you regulate a stable body temperature.
You close your eyes, reflecting on how quickly your life had changed, and it was still your birthday. No more was the life of an unwanted farmboy yours. Now you were a powerful Demonblood and tomorrow would be your journey to prove it.