The Segmented Empire

Chapter 11

TW: (Aggression)

  The land was completely frozen, the wind nipping lightly at the man's face. He was studying the small compass he held in his hand, his ax resting at his side in his opposite hand. A small grunt escaped him as he watched the compass quickly change direction.

"Sir, we found a scrap of fabric, it seems to be from his cloak." A voice behind him sounded.

  He turned to the soldier, strapping his compass to his belt and grabbing the fabric. He examined it closely, burn marks littered the edges showing him the obvious truth.

  "Where'd you find this?" He questioned coldly.

  "We found it on the ground near the forest, sir," the soldier responded, "We believe he went that way."

  The man grunted, letting the fabric fall out of his hands and into the snow below them.

  "The fabric isn't from the boy," He said, his body puffing up in an intimidating way, "But from something that took him."

  The soldier let out an audible gulp, bowing his head slightly.

  "Is there more of this fabric?" He pushed past the soldier, looking into the forest he had pointed to.

  "Yes sir," his voice quivered, "it leads a way out of the forest and into a clearing."

  He lifted his ax, resting it on his shoulder and pulling out his compass once more. He held it up in the direction of the forest, the needle pointing directly forward. He chuckled darkly, turning back to the soldier.

  "We'll follow it, see if we can find anything else that'll help us find that boy." He said, strapping the compass back onto his belt.

  "Yes sir!" He saluted, walking back to the large crowd of piglins.

  The man smirked, following the soldier. He walked through the crowd, finding his way to the front and gesturing for everyone to follow him. He could hear their footsteps behind him as he walked, his fur slowly falling back to normal. The soldier was right, the fabric led him to a clearing of frozen plains. Snow completely covered the ground, crunching under his hooves as he walked. He pulled the compass from his belt again, watching as the needle continued to point forward. His ears perked up at the sound of hissing next to him, he turned quickly, the sight of green filled his vision before an explosion sounded. Panic filled the crowd as they rushed to help their commander, once the smoke cleared they saw him knocked down at the bottom of a crater.

  "Are you alright sir?!" One of them yelled down to him, watching as he sat up.

  "Fucking hell, What do you think?!" He yelled back, grabbing hold of his temple.

  He stood up, checking his body for any major sign of injury. He was lucky to be wearing the armor he had, it had taken the blast full force and left him without a scratch. He sighed softly, beginning to climb his way out of the hole he found himself in. When he was close enough, two of the soldiers who ran to his aid helped pull him up. The man growled, his body puffing up again as he glared at everyone in the crowd. The entire group fell silent, watching as he eyed them all over angrily.

  "Had none of you seen the damn thing!?" He shouted, turning his glare from them for a second to find and pick up his ax and compass.

  "Well..." one of them spoke, "We had seen it, we just-"

  "You just what!?" He cut them off sharply, "Forgot the oath you took before we left the palace!?"

  The soldier bowed his head, feeling his commander's gaze burn through him. He eyed over all of them, the silence filling the atmosphere around them. He growled, walking towards the piglin soldier and putting his ax up to his throat.

  "If I am to die, every one of your heads will be hung from a plaque." He hissed, his voice darkening with every word.

  The soldier shivered, failing to lean himself away from the man's ax.

  "Next time," He continued, "know your place in this mission and prioritize your oath over your fear.."

  He responded with a small "Yes sir.." trying his best to keep still.

  The taller grunted, pulling his ax away and resting it near his side. He looked over the crowd once more, the silence filling his ears. He checked his compass again, making sure it still worked before he set off walking again. The needle pointed diagonally, slowly shifting to the right and into a cave. He snapped his fingers, signaling to the two soldiers closest to him to follow. The three walked into the cave, the others staying behind to watch the entrance. It was a tight fit, making it to where the brute had to crouch slightly to walk anywhere. His ears perked up at the sound of iron striking iron, he held his hand up to signal silence. He listened closely to the sounds of the cave, the sound of mining echoed against the walls. He turned to his left, the swift movement startling the two soldiers behind him.

  "Split up," he growled softly, "find what's making that noise."

  They nodded, heading in opposite directions. He turned to the tunnel in front of him, quietly walking deeper through the small space. The walls felt as if they were closing in around him, the farther he walked the more he had to crouch down. He found himself at a fork in the path, listening once again to see if he could hear anything. He heard footsteps in the left pathway, they were small and gentle sounding.

  He chuckled darkly, "Gotcha~"

  He quickened his pace down the left hallway, passing by different veins of different oars. As he rounded another corner the cave opened up, he stood up fully listening once again. He couldn't hear the footsteps anymore, but he could hear hushed breathing next to him. He turned quickly, holding his ax in an offensive stance. There stood, not the thing he was looking for. A man was still before him, his expression showing obvious signs of confusion. The brute studied him, his eyes widening when he realized who he was.

  "Rorik?" He questioned, "You've gotten big, haven't you."

1047 words

It was really fun to write from a  different perspective for a chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any tips or criticism please let me know, it'll help me write this and my other books in the future! I hope you enjoyed chapter 11 and that you have an amazing day/afternoon/night!

               -The Author