River and Wood, A Minecraft Tale

Chapter Seventeen, The Final Battle

AN: Just throwing it out there that none of the pictures above each chapter are mine- I do however, usually have a chapter at the very end of the book with fan art that I HAVE done myself. With that said, let's get back to the adventure!

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River seized her moment and hastily got on her feet again. She never smiled so widely as she saw Wood's familiar gaze. Sword in hand, she caught her enemy off guard by slashing one side of his robe. The evoker hollered at the sudden motion. It gave her enough time to run towards Wood and recover her stamina. "It-It took you long enough! What's he doing here?" She asked him, looking over wearily at Stone. Wood nodded and reassured her, "He's with us now." Stone scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say. After all, he had nearly killed her more than once. River looked at him awkwardly, recognizing him from the outpost she had destroyed not too long ago. "Alright... Well, the dragon gets its energy from the crystals. If we destroy the crystals, we destroy the dragon. He... he broke my bow though- I won't be able to hit them without it!" She explained. Wood smirked, "A bow and arrow? Is that all? Try this on for size-" He tossed her an extra crossbow, which she caught with both hands. River stared at the new weapon in front of her. She had used a crossbow before, but never in a battle like this one. "Thank you!" She beamed. "Don't thank me yet. You take out the towers, and I'll distract him." Wood said firmly. "What about us?" Stone asked, motioning to the rest of the men. "Distract the dragon. Once all the towers are out, River will rejoin you in the fight. I'll hold the evoker off as long as I can."

"River? Is that her real name?" Stone looked at her curiously, although his question wasn't answered verbally. She nodded proudly. "I'll do everything I can." She told both of them. Wood placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'll find you when it's all over. Be careful, and don't do anything reckless." He warned. "I won't." She placed a small kiss on his cheek, causing both their faces to turn a shade deeper. Stone was about to say something when a blast of magic missed them by inches, burning with flame as it crashed onto the ground. Their eyes widened, and like always, Wood threw himself protectively in front of her. "GO. We'll cover you!" He told her, turning his attention towards the enemy he once called father. River heeded his words and sprinted off again, crossbow in hands. The dragon's roars rocked the earth to its core as it nearly broke her eardrums. Behind her, she could hear the commotion of the Evoker regaining his strength. "I SUMMON THE ARMIES OF ANCIENT OLD- TO TIMES OF WITHERING BUILDERS BEHOLD- I SUMMON THE ARMY OF THE DEEPEST DARKEST DEN! I SUMMON THE ENDERMEN!!!" The evoker shouted, the light radiating from his palms turning dark purple. Wood and Stone stood their ground, but both were unsure of what was going to happen next. A sound, almost like thunder boomed in the black sky. Faint flecks of violet danced on the floor around them, and as if originating from this enchanted darkness creatures began to rise from the ground. The creatures were tall and thin, as black as coal with inhuman eyes that stared into a person's soul like daggers.

As they rose from the earth, the evoker grinned psychotically. For a moment Wood ignored this. "DON'T LOOK THEM IN THE EYE!" Wood shouted over it all. "It's no use... they're under my control now!" Their former father said, cackling. River heard the commotion as she continued to run. Aiming for the third tower, she missed the first time due to an Enderman that teleported directly in front of her. It shrieked deeply before swinging at her with its lengthy arms, mouth opening wide passed its jaw. The motion stunned her, but she quickly regained her stance. Cocking her crossbow, an arrow shot through its heart, causing it to let out a screech of pain. River then reloaded her weapon once more and aimed for the tower again, this time successful once the arrow hit its target. Wood could see her out of the corner of his eye, silently telling her to hurry. Stone drove his axe through another Enderman as the rest of their tribe fended them off one by one. Slash by slash, their inhuman sounds echoed the dimension along with the horrid stench of their blood. Wood dashed through combat, killing anything that wasn't an ally. His days raiding villages and looting villager homes seemed to have prepared him for this moment. As agile as he was, each movement was perfect and strong with the best form greater than any soldier. Upon reaching the evoker, he slung his crossbow back and gripped both of his daggers- one in each hand. "STAND DOWN!" Wood yelled firmly, glaring. "Or what?" The evoker answered, clapping both his hands together. An array of spikes shot through the ground, almost piercing Wood if he hadn't rolled out of the way. "I HAVE AN ARMY OF ENDERMAN! I HAVE THE DRAGON! All you have is a girl playing dress-up!" The sorcerer laughed.