Once upon a time, there was a man.
That man had regrets... many regrets. Certain situations, certain events that he had lived through—he would have given anything to change them. He regretted actions, gestures, and words, some of which gnawed at him from the inside, constantly reminding him of the shadows of his past.
However, that man faced them. He faced his regrets, no matter how heavy they were. He confronted his demons, not without pain, not without struggle. Every sleepless night, every burning remorse, every bitter memory became a trial he forced himself to overcome.
He got back on the right path. At first, he wavered, hesitated, stumbled many times, but he never stopped. He understood that the past could not be changed, but the future still belonged to him. So he got back up, stronger, more determined. He forged his mind through hardship, sculpted his ambition through pain, until nothing could stop him anymore.
Now, he had the means to achieve his ambitions. He no longer wanted to be forgotten, nor erased by time. He no longer wanted to be just another man among so many others. He aspired to greatness. To be admired. To be respected. To be himself…
Because he had known the abyss and had returned from it.
…
Placing my book against the smoldering Nether stone, I took out a piece of meat and bit into it, savoring the juicy beef.
I had been searching for resources in the Nether for hours. To do so, I had simply traveled through open areas, carefully avoiding the monsters. Along the way, I had found a forest and had to fight Nether pigs, huge beasts with powerful tusks. One of them had even sent me flying through the air.
Luckily, I had diamond armor, because getting launched like that had been quite the experience.
After that, I searched everywhere, the walls, the ceiling, and beyond. I had mined a lot of quartz and gold. I hadn't checked exactly how much I needed, but I believed I had enough to create a portal to another world.
I had also found some glowstone! That would be really useful when I started building larger structures.
Anyway, I had already gathered a good amount of materials. Even though it had been dangerous, it was worth it... but there was still something else I had come to find, ingredients for potions.
For that, I needed to find a damn fortress!
Leaning against the wall, I stood up, my eyes now accustomed to the dim light, scanning the horizon. Lava lakes stretched as far as I could see. Floating structures and scattered islands made up most of this infernal landscape.
Massive lava falls, thousands of blocks high, cascaded straight down into the giant lake below.
*Sigh.*
"Alright, let's do this…" I muttered to myself as I set off in a chosen direction.
…
The Nether's ground cracked beneath my steps as I advanced cautiously, my gaze searching the glowing horizon. Finding a fortress here was like looking for a needle in a goddamn mountain of lava. But I had no choice.
Each step echoed in this silent hell, disturbed only by the distant crackling of flames and the sinister trickling of lava seeping from the walls. My breathing was shallow; the heat was unbearable.
I climbed a ledge, placing my hands on the scorching rock to pull myself up. Once at the top, I surveyed my surroundings. Still nothing. Just emptiness, fire, and those damn wandering Nether creatures eyeing me from the shadows.
Then suddenly, a piercing sound made me tense.
*Screeeeech!*
I gritted my teeth. Another Ghast. I looked up and spotted it floating in the distance, its pale body swaying slowly like some spectral abomination. Its large, yellow, bulbous eyes locked onto me with unnatural hostility.
And then…
*Hissssss.*
I saw its deformed mouth open wide, an incandescent sphere forming within.
"Shit, not again!"
In a swift motion, I drew my bow and pulled back the string. I didn't have time to dodge, I had to take it down before it fired.
*Fwip!*
The arrow shot out at lightning speed.
The projectile struck directly in its disgusting eye.
*Screeeeeeeeech!*
Its agonizing scream pierced my ears as it collapsed into a rain of flames and charred flesh.
I stood still for a few moments, catching my breath, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Goddamn it… I'm so sick of these things."
Shaking my head, I straightened up and continued my journey with greater caution.
Time passed. I walked, again and again, zigzagging between rock islands, leaping over fiery chasms, avoiding the Nether creatures lurking in the shadows. The environment was torturous, the heat unbearable, the air unbreathable.
I had no idea how much time had passed. Hours, maybe.
But just as I was beginning to lose hope…
I saw it.
There, in the distance, through the infernal haze, a massive silhouette emerged.
Dark towers. Sinister arches. An imposing structure rising from the depths of hell.
A Nether fortress.
Finally.
A shiver ran down my spine. I approached slowly, breathing heavily. The entrance gaped before me like a hungry maw, ready to swallow me whole.
I tightened my grip on my sword.
"Let's go, baby!" I shouted, excited by my discovery, as if to mask the fear gnawing at me due to my inexperience.
And without hesitation, I stepped into the fortress's darkness.
…
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Where the outside hell had been scorching and noisy, here, silence reigned. Only a few distant echoes resonated through the dark corridors. The black stone that made up the fortress absorbed the light, making the interior even more oppressive. The air was heavy, saturated with the smell of ash and sulfur.
I moved slowly, sword in hand, each step echoing ominously on the tiled floor. The corridors were vast, but the overwhelming darkness reduced my visibility. A few burning torches dotted the walls, casting distorted shadows on the massive arches.
A crossroads. I paused, scanning the different paths. To the left, a staircase led up into an even darker passage. To the right, a long hallway stretched endlessly. Ahead, a slightly open door revealed a larger room.
I chose the latter.
Pushing the heavy stone door, I entered a chamber with cracked walls. In the center stood an old, dust-covered chest, and beside it, a crafting table.
'What the hell is a crafting table doing here? I've never been here before. Maybe it's a natural spawning thing of the fortress? I don't remember this in the original game…' I wondered, intrigued.
I crouched and cautiously opened the chest. Inside, a few gold ingots, a saddle, and… an iron horse armor. A smirk formed on my lips. Whoever had lived here before… they were long gone, and I was going to make the most of it.
As I closed the chest, a dry clicking sound echoed behind me.
*Clack… Clack…*
I spun around, my heart pounding.
A tall, skeletal figure emerged from the corridor's shadows. Lanky, clad in dark armor. Its elongated skull, stripped of flesh, stared at me with hollow, empty sockets.
A Wither skeleton.
My grip on my sword tightened. These bastards were dangerous. One hit, just one, and their necrotic poison would course through my veins.
Slowly, I stepped back, trying to keep my distance. But the abomination moved, advancing with heavy steps, wielding a massive stone sword.
It attacked in a sharp arc, slicing through the air with brutal force. I barely parried in time, the impact vibrating through my arms.
I countered. A quick strike to its side, but my blade bounced off its bones as if it were made of steel.
"Oh wow, that didn't even scratch it…" I muttered, analyzing its movements
.
I pivoted, dodging another attack, feinted to the side, then drove my sword directly into its ribcage, shattering part of it. A guttural hiss escaped its hollow maw as it staggered.
Taking the opening, I delivered the final blow to its neck, severing its head.
The Wither collapsed, its body disintegrating into ashes.
And so, I kept going, deeper into the fortress…
A few minutes later, I stumbled upon another staircase, descending to a lower level. A warm breath rose from the depths. The smell of sulfur grew stronger.
I stepped forward cautiously.
At the bottom, the room was different.
Blocks of soul sand covered the ground. Between their cursed grains, Nether warts grew, those twisted, poisonous plants used for brewing potions.
I pulled out my pickaxe and started gathering. The warts came off easily, while the sand beneath my feet seemed to want to swallow me, clinging to my boots.
Just as I finished harvesting, a strange noise made me look up.
A crackling sound. A scorching breath.
There, at the end of the corridor… a metal cage, suspended in the air. Flames swirled inside.
A spawner.
And before I even had time to react, a Blaze emerged in a whirlwind of fire, its floating body illuminating the darkness with an infernal glow.
Trouble kept coming.
The flames of hell.
I froze, my eyes locked onto the floating monster that had just appeared. Its body levitated slowly, its burning rods rotating around its core like the gears of a hellish machine. A deep rumble rose from its fiery throat.
A Blaze.
This was why I had come. I needed their blazing rods for my potions. But damn, these things were killing machines. How many times had I faced them, and how many times had they turned me to ashes ?
No water here to put out the flames. No easy shelter. Just me, my armor, and my sword.
The Blaze rose a bit higher, watching me like prey. Then, in an infernal crackle, it suddenly ignited, sparks of fire bursting around it.
I knew that sign. It was about to attack.
With a leap, I threw myself to the side.
*Fwoosh!*
A fireball shot toward where I had been a second earlier, exploding in a burst of sparks. The heat was suffocating, even from a distance.
I didn't give it time to launch another. I charged, my sword ready to strike.
It floated back slightly, trying to keep its distance, but I was faster. In a swift motion, I drove my blade into its burning body.
A piercing screech echoed as it writhed from the impact. I struck again, shattering one of its blazing rods. Then, with a final blow, my sword pierced it through and through.
The Blaze exploded into a shower of sparks and ashes, its energy dissipating into the heavy Nether air.
Catching my breath, I scanned the smoldering remains on the ground. A Blaze rod lay among the debris. A smirk formed on my lips.
"Onedown."
But I had no time to savor my victory.
*Vwoosh… Vwoosh…*
More flames rose from the spawner.
More Blazes were coming.
I glanced around quickly. This corridor was too open, I was an easy target.
I needed cover.
Grabbing a few stone blocks from my inventory, I hastily started building a small wall in front of me, a makeshift shelter to limit their line of sight. My hands worked fast, placing blocks in a rush as the crackling behind me intensified.
And then…
*Fwoosh!*
A fireball hurtled toward me.
I had no time to dodge.
The explosion hit me square in the chest.
"Argh… Ah, fuck!"
The pain was instant, burning, unbearable. A wave of heat surged over my body, and before I even realized it, my armor was on fire.
Flames licked at my torso, draining my health bar at an alarming rate.
"Aeghh… it's… Arghh, youbastard, I'll destroy you- !"
I let out a cry of pain, stumbling backward, frantically slapping myself to put out the fire, but the agony was too intense. My heart pounded, each second ripping away more of my vitality.
"Shit… shit… SHIT!"
I threw myself behind my shelter, gasping. My health bar flickered dangerously. Then, as if by miracle, the flames died down, leaving me panting in pain behind my wall. My breath was ragged, the pain still lingering, my body burned but slowly recovering, it was something, at least.
I rummaged through my inventory, my fingers trembling. I needed food. Now.
One bite of steak. Two. My body began to regenerate slowly, but the pain was still there, ever-present.
I peeked over my wall. The Blazes were still there, floating, searching for me.
I had to finish this quickly.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my bow and drew the string.
An arrow shot forward.
A first Blaze was pierced straight through, then a second shot finished it off.
Another one…
The second Blaze burst into flames.
Silence.
More Blazes started to appear… and in a vengeful rage, not just against these damn mobs but also against myself and my own weakness, I stood up, ready to farm these bastards.
…
I stood still for a few seconds, my breath erratic, my body still aching from the burns. The scent of charred flesh lingered in the air, and I realized just how close I had come to dying.
But I had done it.
I stepped forward slowly toward the remains. Two Blaze rods lay on the ground, still warm to the touch. I had already gathered plenty, having stayed here for a while, but it had been worth it. I had grown used to the pain, improved in combat, and collected what I needed for future potions.
A tired smile crept onto my face.
It had been dangerous, more than I had expected. But it had been worth it.
Exhausted, my muscles sore and my skin still burning with pain, I took one last breath and turned away from the spawner.
I had enough for today.
It was time to go home.