The Segmented Empire

Chapter 4

TW: (None)

  The morning went by quickly, a lot quicker than the boy had wanted. Yes, he will admit, he was excited to start his training, but he didn't expect to already be standing in the courtyard next to his brother with his trainer before him with a sword. Anguish stood in the courtyard, outside of the castle, he had always wanted to finally be beyond the castle walls, and yet, here he was. He felt strangely scared, and he couldn't understand why. The safety he had once felt was no longer in his existence, and the man in front of him surely didn't help.

  "So you're the big bad Anguish huh?" The man asked, who the boy had learned from Scar as being named Rorik

  "U-um, indeed sir, yes.." he stuttered back as a way to answer

  Rorik chuckled slightly, resting the blade on his shoulder and holding out his hand to the boy, "Pleasure to meet you son, your brother here has told me a lot about you, a potion master huh?"

  Anguish hesitantly shook the man's hand, nodding at his question. He wouldn't exactly describe himself as a master at the task, but he had indeed been making potions since he was about 4, and even without knowing that you could tell he knew what he was doing, he reeked of ingredients and the strong smell of slow falling. The man stood straight, pulling the Netherite sword off his shoulder and allowing it to rest in his palm by his side as he spoke to the boys. It was obvious the man was a trainer, the effortless way he moved his blade even out of combat, the various scars upon his body, and the confident way his words left him were the biggest indicators of his occupation.

  He was interesting, but then again, most people the boy talked to were, but Anguish would be lying if he said the man didn't intimidate him. He was piglin brute, tall and strong as most were, though his eyes had a hint of softness in them that only those on good terms with him could see. The boy did his best to relax his body, but still standing cautious. Rorik took note of this, cracking a smile towards the boy.

  "You're a smart one aren't you, not letting your guard down, you'll do well." He chuckled lightly patting Anguish's shoulder and making his way towards the training grounds behind him

  Scar nudged his brother forward, giving him a side smile as if to comfort him in a way. The young prince sighed, following the older man, he was already given a sword to practice with, a standard sword of iron, small enough for his size, but still large enough to do damage if needed, not that he would be doing any. He stepped onto the warped earth, inhaling deeply and making his way towards his now trainer.

  "You ever used a sword before?" Rorik asked, digging through a small chest for something.

  "No, I've never really had to use one.." Anguish replied, playing with the fabric on his training uniform.

  The garment was thin and simple, small shorts sewn perfectly to his stature, a white shirt that was slightly baggy so as to not annoy his segments and a belt that would hold his sword. Rorik turned to him, closing the chest and handing the boy a small trinket, looking to be a necklace.

  "Put that on, it should keep you steady." The older man stated, standing in front of the boy with a smile.

  Anguish was hesitant, but listened to the man, not that he had any reason not to, he surely didn't understand how these things worked. He put the necklace on, admiring it after doing so, it was a simple stabilization charm, he had read about them many times before, a small trinket you'd wear around your neck or your wrist, enchanted to keep you stable as its name suggests.

  "Alright," Rorik said. "Let's start shall we."

??? (POV)

  I stood before the portal, the particles it released slowly drifting around me, engulfing my entire body in heat, the same heat I would feel beyond the threshold of the portal. It was nice compared to the snowy terrain around it, inhaling I checked my bag again to make sure I had everything I needed, a small lodestone compass, some bread and steak, extra arrows, a few fireworks, and my spare pickaxe, I finally exhaled, stepping forward and into the purple glow that was the Nether portal. Stepping out, I allowed my head to stop spinning and let the heat from the dimension swallow my body. This dimension was never my favorite but I will admit, I preferred it to the colder climate I was exposed to before entering. I turned, walking behind the portal and out into the small warped biome beyond the blackstone room that held the portal. I took one final deep breath before spreading my wings and taking off deeper into the dark realm.

  I laid a hand on top of my hat, keeping it in place as I flew, doing my best to not crash into the jutting landscape or lava falls. I had flown through this realm many times before, so it wasn't exactly hard, but it was a fun change from the overworld. Quickly dodging a Ghast, I swooped down onto the flat netherrack terrain, grabbing out my pickaxe. Looking around the area, I made my way towards a small gold vein in the floor, luckily this pick was enchanted with silk touch, so I didn't have to worry too much about the amount of nuggets I'd get without it. I continued to look around, mining any gold that I saw, just as I was about to fly off in another direction, something caught my eye. I turned to it, walking forward to see if I could get a better look, a small Eye of Ender lay on the ground just in front of me, although just as I was about to crouch to grab it, a hard punch landed onto the side of my face, knocking me back and onto the ground behind me. I looked up to see what had attacked me, but before I could look the threat had already left, and it took the Eye of Ender with it.

  1059 words

  Thank you for reading to the end of Chapter 4, I apologize for taking so long on this chapter, I had quite a lot of trouble getting the motivation to finish it, but luckily I was able to do it, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are enjoying the story so far, if you have any tips or criticism for the story, please let me know, I really appreciate it. It'll help me when writing future chapters and stories I make later on, but anyway, thank you for taking time to read this, and have a nice day/afternoon/night.

             - The Author