River and Wood, A Minecraft Tale

Chapter Three, Mercy?

     "P-Please, sir. I-I have a c-child! I-I don't wish you trouble! T-There's nothing v-valuable for y-you to take." Attalla pleaded, looking up at the fearsome pillager. Stone, scar on his eye still healing, only laughed and taunted. "Spare me your stuttering tongue before I decide to cut it off myself!" He threatened. Attalla's voice cowered in the back of his throat as he gulped. Before Stone could threaten him any farther, Wood approached him. "We didn't come to torture a wanderer, we came to capture the girl." He turned his head to look at Attalla. "I believe you call her your hero."
                "It doesn't matter what they call her, she needs to die! When I see her I'll-" Stone began, but was cut off by his brother. "Revenge is the least of our worries. You weren't even supposed to come, brother, so I suggest you stop making hollow threats." He stated sternly yet calmly, his hood making his green eyes glimmer with warning. Huffing, Stone knew he was right. If their father knew he were here, he'd get branded as lower than dirt faster than he could blink. "She'll be here soon enough." Wood reassured him, cocking his crossbow. "Besides, I'm curious to see just how brave this woman-this... inferno really is." Just then, an arrow flew passed his head, barely missing his hooded cloak by centimeters. The mens' eyes widened as they rushed to fighting positions, frantically searching for the source of their attacker. However, another arrow never came. The only sound was the voice of a very determined woman. "I'll put the next one between your eyes!" She called out to them from the other side of the river. Stone gritted his teeth, "You're outnumbered!" He yelled back. "You can talk all you wish. All I want is my friend back!" She stated, drawing her bow as she stepped out into the open clearing. All the while, her eyes darted around her surroundings just in case they decided to ambush her. That's when Wood stepped forward, his stern eyes staring their way into her blue ones. For a moment, she paused. A wave of an emotion she didn't know came over her. Maybe it was his hood, or his facial features, but something about him felt... different. He looked strong to her, also mysterious. The idea of an arrow through his chest suddenly felt wrong. As for him, he also seemed to pause, as if taking in her appearance as well. Her blonde hair, her shaded eyes, and even her bravery intrigued him. Why was she oddly beautiful? Trying to push his thoughts aside, he called back to her. "If you surrender now, your friend will go free! You have my word, his freedom for your capture." Wood said, crossbow aimed at her chest. His voice was even sturdier than she imagined.
                That's when she laughed out loud, causing irritated and confused expressions to grow onto the pillagers' faces. As soon as her laughter died down, she looked back at him, "I don't know if you know who I am, but the day I surrender to the likes of you will be the day I die." She tossed her bow down to the ground and drew her sword. Wood, although ready, wished she didn't say that. "Your move, honey." She winked at him. Although she noted flirting with him was out of the question, she couldn't help but do so. Smirking, she began to walk across the river's aligned stones. Wood felt his heart rate get faster. As for Stone, he took this a challenge. "ATTACK!!!" He yelled. Everything immediately erupted into chaos. Arrows flew at her from all different directions. She twisted and twirled rapidly, boots moving with flexibility, avoiding their piercing sting. Wood shot at her as well, but missed every single time. Upon reaching the land, she leapt into action! With her iron sword, she slashed the first pillager that came at her with an axe right on his shoulder. She deflected another two arrows with the blade of her sword before making a dash towards her dear friend, Nutella. With the swipe of her sword, she slashed the ropes that were binding both of his wrists. Surprised, he quickly stood up, looking back at her as if to question what his next action should be. "Get out of here!!! GO!" She shouted, deflecting more arrows while sending the tip of her blade into the chest of an unlucky man that tried to stab her with the edge of his bow. She promised herself to ask Notch for forgiveness after the fight was over. Killing was not in her nature, but whether she liked it or not, it was essential. In the heat of the fight, she briefly saw her terrified friend obey her command. Attalla darted back across the river, his feet splashing the water as he ran towards the forest. As she twisted and dodged, she realized she had to get out of there as well. She didn't like to admit it, but what the axe-wielding man said was true, she was outnumbered. And this time, she didn't have the element of surprise. However, she also didn't want to run. Running would mean cowardice.
                And so she kept fighting, her sword becoming red with the dried blood of her attackers. In an effort to confuse them, she subtly began to angle herself towards the woods. Trees provided safety and she could easily confuse them enough to get away. Now, there were only six pillagers left, two being Wood and Stone. "Is that all you got, girly?!" Stone yelled, throwing a smaller dagger that was hidden on his belt towards her head. To his surprise, she caught it right before it could hit her. "Not at all." She replied, throwing it back towards his leg. He howled in pain as it sunk into him. Sure, it wouldn't kill him, but it would definitely take a very long time to heal. Falling to the forest floor, he cursed. As for Wood, he made eye contact with her before she decided that the battle was over. Taking off behind the trees, she ran. Wood, eager to follow, trailed closely behind her. After a while, he realized that he hadn't expected her to be so quick! And so they went. The farther they ran, the more the oak woods faded into the darkness of the deep forest. Dark oak trees began to surround them as well as overgrown mushrooms. Her endurance was strong, but even she never ventured this far beyond the river's edge. To slow her down, he drew his crossbow and aimed it at her shoulder. Since she couldn't hear his footsteps, she didn't bother to deflect the arrow that pierced through her. Crying out, she tripped on a fallen branch, giving him time to approach her. She turned herself around the first chance she got, holding her sword in front of her like a shield. As for him, he kept his crossbow in front of his chest just in case she was to try anything funny. Thinking fast, she hurled a rock at him with her other hand. It hit him hard in the center of his chest just below his chin. However, it only caused him to stumble back, giving her the perfect moment to stand up. Now alert of one another, they began to circle the forest clearing they were now in. "You're certainly determined." She mocked, wiping away the small drizzle of blood from the arrow in her shoulder. "Don't waste my time with talk. Come quietly, or I'll-"
                "You'll what? Hit me with another arrow? Pssh! I've had way worse. Besides you would've killed me already if you wanted to. Let's face it, you NEED me alive!" She interrupted him, still trying to be in a playful move despite her intense pain. "You're the one picking the fight, not me." She defended herself as she sliced another one of his arrows in half. "You picked a fight when you killed my brethren." He said back, a little emotionless. "Only because they picked a fight with the villagers." She argued. "What makes their fight yours?" He pressed. "Because I picked a fight with the fight they picked and so I picked to fight the fight they needed me to fight." She claimed with a tired smile, leaving him to tilt his head in confusion. "Tell you what, you put down your crossbow, I'll put down my sword." She offered. "Then perhaps we can settle this."
                Wood raised an eyebrow, pondering to himself what he should do. After all, he could kill her... she was right there taunting him like a child. Then again, he found himself hesitating. Why did he hesitate? He didn't know. All he knew was that this was going somewhere interesting. "Alright, Inferno. On three, we toss our weapons aside." His answer made her shocked that he actually took up her offer. "One... two... three." She tossed her sword onto the grass as he threw his crossbow down as well. Once again, she was bewildered that he didn't lie to her by keeping it. Just then, her suspicions decided to come in another form. Wood ran towards her and just like that, the two were fighting again with their bare hands. They struggled for a while. He slammed her against the trunk of a large dark oak tree but she tripped him and before they knew it they were tackling each other on the ground. Because of her shoulder, he was easily able to gain the upper hand and this didn't last forever. Pinning both of her wrists to her sides, Wood held her down. This time it was his turn to let his lips curl into a smirk. "I admit, I didn't think you'd be so easy to take down." He said. She couldn't help but blush slightly for a reason she didn't understand. He was so near, she could smell the forest-scented leather off of his chest as it kept hers grounded. "You can't get this close to me without telling me your name." She managed to say. "It's Wood." He said shortly, as if it held no importance. "Struggle anymore, I just might push that arrow even farther in..." He eyed the arrow that was still sticking out. "Wood? What kind of name is that?" She asked, completely ignoring his threat. "What kind of name is 'Hero'?" He replied. "Well, what kind of name besides 'Inferno,' would you call me?" She rolled her eyes. He didn't have an answer. For him, he didn't know what to do. He was instructed to catch her, but wasn't told what to do afterwards.
                "What're you staring at?" She asked, now a little scared for her life. Although, in this world, she knew she would come back if she died, but she also didn't want to feel any more pain then she needed to. Normally something like death would be permanent, but somehow, someway, she always came back. After too much pain was inflicted, her world would go black and she'd wake up in her bed with a full memory. At first she thought it was magic, but then she learned it was simply the way of the creator, Notch. Wood gave her an expression she couldn't read. "Nothing." He lied. In reality, he couldn't stop himself from admiring her eyes. Maybe it was foolish, but that was the truth. He had never seen anyone like her before. He was so used to seeing plain green eyes, but hers... hers held so much light. "Can you let me up, then?" She asked. "If I did, then you'd run." He said. "Then how long are you going to keep us here?" She asked, looking at her hat that had fallen onto the ground a few feet away from them. Wood thought for a moment, "That depends." He stated. The arrow in her shoulder pressed against the floor, causing her to grimace slightly. "You're a skilled fighter, but your recklessness will get you killed." He said. She chuckled, "Talking talking more talking, and more chit chat. Why is your kind always trying to cut off my tongue when you're the one taking up my time with talk? Either kill me or release me! I don't care which at this point but if I had to pick I'd say- pretty please don't stab me with another goddamn arrow." She said the last part a little quick, not knowing herself if she was trying to be amusing for her sake or convincing for his.
                He smiled smugly, "I didn't think you were the begging type." "I'm not begging, I'm suggesting. There's a difference." She defended even though it was obvious she was wrong. Her shoulder ached more than ever. The warm blood that soaked it would definitely stain her clothes. Although she didn't show it, she truly felt scared on the inside. After all, this was a pillager she was talking to! If anything, he'd make her death slow and even more painful than just one measly arrow.  Noticing that he was a little conflicted, she sighed, "Look, I-" "Shhh!" He shushed her, "Something's here." They both fell silent. She obeyed him by not making a sound even though he had clearly loosened his grip on her wrists. At first all they heard were the sounds of occasional birds or insects, but then... then she remembered why she never dared explore this part of the forest. Thanks to the darkness of the leaves and how they shielded themselves from the sun, this was a place where monsters lurked. The cringing sound of skeleton bones filled the air, eerie and crisp. What unsettled her was the fact that she couldn't tell what direction it was coming from until the ugly sound of a spider echoed through the air. "There are at least two jockeys behind those trees..." She whispered, face going white with fear. Jockeys were the worst monsters to deal with. They were the same giant spiders with glowing red eyes, only worse, because they always had a single undead rider that would stalk through the night. The two stared in the direction of the noise. Before either of them could speak, the beasts came into view.
                Wood acted fast and allowed her to stand, but she didn't run once her feet were planted on the ground again. How could she? Her shoulder was causing her so much pain, running felt useless. The spiders hobbled from the shadows, their slim legs thumping against the ground as their red eyes glimmered evilly. Their mouths were large and disgusting, with mandibles that could rip through any type of flesh. As for the skeletons that sat on their backs, they wouldn't have been that intimidating if not for their bows and arrows. For a moment she looked at Wood, curious as to what he'd do but felt a little sheepish as he gave her the same questioning look. Before they could react, the large spiders began to hiss and gurgle, lunging closer and closer from the trees. She acted drew her sword, but before she could think to fight, Wood swiftly seized his crossbow lying on the ground and sent an arrow through its head. The spider let out a piercing cry of agony, but the skeleton only glared as it drew back its bow. Quickly, she grabbed a nearby branch that sat on the ground and used that as a shield. Throwing herself in front of Wood, the act startled him a little, but it didn't stop him from attempting to kill the other spider which was now circling the two like a predator. If she hadn't jumped in front of him, there's no telling how injured he'd be. Now with their backs pressed against each other, they both breathed heavily. "Still don't trust me?" She asked him as the skeleton, now spider-less approached them. Wood groaned a little out of irritation before grabbing a dagger from her belt. Hurling it at the other spider, it fell dead onto the forest floor. Now all they had left was two skeletons. She ducked as an arrow flew in the direction that would've hit her heart and rolled closer to the undead shell of bones. It tried to aim another arrow at her, but she slashed at it with all her might.
                Just like that, its skull was knocked clean off of its head with a loud clank. Looking back at the pillager that fought alongside her, she saw that he had taken care of the other as well. He had left a clean arrow right through its bony-neck. For a moment they just stood there, watching one another as they caught their breath. Sweat dripped from his hooded forehead as she put her hat that flew off back on. "We need to get out of here. There's no telling what else is lurking about." Wood stated, making his way over to her. She held her sword in front of her, tip pointing to him. "I still won't surrender to you. Not now, not ever." Her words held truth. "I said we should go. Nothing more." He said again, beginning to walk off in another direction. Confused, she jogged next to him. "What do you mean?" She asked. "You saved my life back there, so just this once I'll save yours. I'm letting you go today, so we can fight tomorrow. What is there not to understand?" He said through his teeth. She didn't know why, but she didn't want him to leave. She wanted to see him again! After all, how many pillagers show mercy? None! None at all! "T-Then meet me back by the river in five days!" She stammered, rushing to stand in front of him. He crossed his arms, giving her a small side-grin. "Why?" He asked. "B-Because this fight isn't finished! You said so yourself, right?" She said hopefully, looking up at him since he was at least a foot taller. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're trying to play games with me, all mighty inferno." He said the last part sarcastically. "No, I'm not! I just want to see you again." She said truthfully. "You want to see your enemy again? Why's that?" He asked, now a little intrigued. "Because you're different! You didn't kill me when you had the chance and I didn't-" She gasped as he slammed her against another dark oak tree, almost like he had trapped her before.
                "I could do it, you know. I could put an arrow through your reckless head if I wanted to." He chuckled lightly, "Why is it I alone can overpower you yet the others of my tribe can't? I'll tell you why..." He leaned in slightly, until she thought their noses might touch. Her face went a shade darker. "It is because you aren't everything they told me you were." With that he slid her dagger he had taken back into her holster. "S-So is that a yes or a no?" She asked. He finally pulled away and began to walk once again. "I'll see you in five days." He answered, looking back at her.