Expanding Horizons

Julius and every other barbarian were confused as to why the queen wanted him.

"It seems like you want a war." Julius's father did not stand down regardless. He was not about to let his son be taken away by a race known to be merciless to their foes.

"Oh, you misunderstand me. I mean, can I take him to be my disciple?" Tenebrea chuckled as she realized that she was misunderstood.

Anastasia by the side just face palmed as she expected something like this to happen as her queen was too unpredictable and quite ditzy.

"Queen Tenebrea, May I ask why you want Julius? If you had asked for Ragnar or any of the others, I might have understood, but why him?" Floyd's father asked

"Oyy tree dweller, don't look down on my son," Julius's father barked at Floyd's father.

Floyd's father just had a bitter smile on his face as he looked at Julius and then the queen again.

"Oh, well, he's special, and if he follows me, his name will resonate across the whole Daemon continent, maybe even the world." Tenebrea shrugged as she bragged.

"Those are big promises, Queen Tenebrea. How do we know what you say will happen?" Vollen spoke this time around.

"I was once a scary story told to spook naughty kids. I was a household legend, and I became a legend because I was bored. This time I'm vengeful, and I have a bone to pick with an extremely ancient being, so when I say everyone will hear about him, you best believe his name will be everywhere" As Tenebrea spoke, the air chilled a bit. Though they were at the gold rank, they still couldn't help but feel fearful. Meanwhile, Julius by the side had his eyes glimmering as he thought of what Tenebrea said.

Everyone was silent as they stared at Tenebrea and then Julius's father. He was in thought until he looked at his son, and he instantly lost the bloodthirsty, warmongering expression he always had. It was replaced with one of love and affection as he stared at his son.

Julius had lost his mother at an early age, so it was only him and his father. That's why his father always made sure he was happy, even after he found out he didn't have the earthly attribute. His father cheered him up and encouraged him.

"Father, I want to follow her. I want to go out into the world and explore. I want to make you proud and prove that the wild boar tribe is the greatest "

"Haha, well said, but I am proud of you no matter what," Julius's father laughed

"You'd have to do more than just explore."

"I guess we also need to put in more work, guys."

The other tribesmen from the mammoth, leopard, and armadillo all laughed and jeered but were all happy and also proud of their little Julius.

"Greetings, Master." Julius walked up to Tenebrea and bowed. Maverick, the wild boar, also came and bowed.

"Oh, this is quite the delight. You have a war hog."

"A war hog?? What do you mean, Queen Tenebrea?" Julius's father asked, as he was always stumped by the appearance of this creature and the fact that it only listened to Julius.

"Well, war hogs are beasts of destruction. They are mystically formed for reasons I don't know yet, but all I know is that they mature upon bloodshed and get stronger from battles. A fully matured war hog can destroy your clan in less than a day, even with the four of you trying your hardest." Tenebrea stared at Maverick like she had found a jewel, while the barbarians stared at the huge pig with apprehension.

Maverick just had his head up, looking like a proud noble. Julius was baffled that his best friend, who had accompanied him for a very long time, could actually grow up to be very strong.

"Oh, buddy, we are going places. People will shiver when they hear the tales of Julius and Maverick. Hahaha" Julius hugged Maverick by the neck with starry eyes, as everyone had odd expressions while looking at the odd duo.

"Well, I guess it's time we leave." As she spoke, she stretched her arm, and on it landed a black crow. She said a few things to it, and after she was done, the crow flew off.

"You can go to the vampire castle if you are in need of resources. There will be equal trade, and I have sent a message that the barbarians are now an ally of the vampires."

"Let's go" Tenebrea returned to the carriage, and behind her was Scarlet. Ana took the position of coach driver once again while Julius mounted Maverick, and they were off.

Boor and the other tribesmen looked at the departing carriage and the barbarians all felt that the next time they saw them, they would be a lot different.

As Julius sat on the boar outside, he heard Tenebrea's voice, but it was clearly not coming from the carriage. It felt like it was coming from him.

"Calm down. I am using a special skill called telepathy. It allows us to communicate by using our minds."

'So if I think about anything, she might know my thoughts?" Don't think dirty thoughts! Don't think dirty thoughts! BOOBSSSS!!!! Shoot' Julius was sweating buckets as he felt his master might think he was a dirty minded barbarian.

"Do not worry, I cannot read your thoughts; I can only hear whatever you want me to hear. It is practically like talking, but we are using our minds." Tenebrea had a feeling that Julius was worried; she could hear his thoughts.

" Oh, okay, Master." Julius sighed in relief.

"So master, what exactly am I going to learn from you?" That was the question Julius had on his mind for a while now.

"Well, seeing as you just unlocked an ability that I know a lot about,

Julius was shocked, but he acknowledged what Tenebrea said silently. They rode for many hours in silence until Anastasia signaled them to stop.

"Let's stop to rest here, and her majesty will also commence your training," she said.

Julis just nodded as he hopped down from Maverick. He stood obediently at the carriage door as Tenebrea got out.

"Go rest for now. We will begin your training when it gets dark." She commanded

Julius just nodded. Scarlet followed behind, as she also knew her training would continue at the same time. They rested for a few hours until Tenebrea walked out of her tent and informed them it was time to train.

"Before we begin, Julius, what ability do you think you unlocked?" Tenebrea asked

"Umm, I thought it was a rare ability. Maybe shockwave? Or force?" He giggled nervously as he scratched his head.

"Well, you are close. The ether ability is the sound ability. It is one of the rarest abilities and is easily underestimated. People would think those with the sound ether ability might be able to just hear better and shout real loud, but it is more powerful than that." Scarlet was also listening to the lecture, as she was also surprised. She would have felt that sound just made a person very vocal.

"Sound can be gentle, like a soothing melody, but it can also be fatal. Sending a certain pitch can be undetectable. There are other implementations, and I will show you how." Julius was excited to learn. He had seen how his friends trained with their earthly abilities, learning tricks and combat implementations. He would be lying if he said he was not jealous, but they were his friends, and he was happy for them. He had always wished he had abilities too, but fate was a fickle mistress. Now he had one, and he was going to learn to the best of his abilities.