River and Wood, A Minecraft Tale

Chapter Seven, The Raid

They ran into the burning half of town. The flames blazed brighter than any bonfire, and stung hotter than any arrow. Cries of villagers echoed through the air. River tried to keep herself ready and alert with every turn, but on the inside she was devastated. Even though this wasn't her home, and she had no resting place here, it felt as if they were destroying a piece of herself when they attacked. The sound of the horn rang through the air. "I need to help the villagers, you fend off the attackers! I'll join you when I can!" River yelled over the commotion to Wood. He nodded before storming off in another direction. Now alone, she ran towards the cries. The air was hot and crisp with smoke as she moved as fast as she could. Luckily, half of the village wasn't engulfed with flames, but that didn't mean everyone was safe. The iron golem looked angry as it stomped on the black rubble that resided on the ground. It swung its long and blocky arms at the men wielding axes and makeshift arrows. She was surprised to see them this close. They looked nothing like Wood at all. Their clothes consisted of grass-stained leather, with their pale arms bare and their scars shown for all to see. Their faces were gruff and serious, and whenever they spoke, they had a certain accent that sounded like they came from the far eastern savanna biome. She also recognized that their faces were painted with the darkish red sap of the acacia trees from their homeland.

"River!!! River..." A voice coughed. She turned around to come face to face with Louis. His apron was dirty, and he had a few noticeable burns on his knees. "Follow me! We need to get to safety!" She hastily rushed towards him, scooping him up before rushing down an ally that wasn't yet burned. At the end of it was the open field of grass that led out onto the untouched prairie. "You need to make it to the river, tell the others to do the same before-" Her voice was cut short as an arrow flew inches away from her head. She whirled around and drew her sword, reflexes sharp and alert as three of the ruffians approached. "Go now!" She yelled behind her before pulling out her other sword as a means to arm herself even farther. Although she wasn't sure he heard her, she could hear the scampering of his feet on the dirty graveled floor. With that reassurance, she twisted her body and deflected two more arrows with both of her blades. The men grunted with frustration and tried to corner her, only to be surprised as she used the walls of the two buildings to her advantage by leaping off of them with ease. She swung her sword so fast, it would've looked like a flash of light from afar. With pure muscle memory, they lay on the floor in a pool of their own blood. As soon as they were dead, she once again heard the sound of the dreaded horn echo the valley along with an inhuman roar. Her pupils shrank in terror. After all, that wasn't just any roar... that was the sound of a ravager. Frantically, she put away her swords and drew her bow and arrow. Turning around, she dashed through the streets in an effort to find higher ground. She paused once she saw the tall tower of the village church. The cobblestone building couldn't burn even if it wanted to, therefore it was perfect.

Bursting through the oak door, she was met with the horrified gaze of Shane, the village priest. He held a long wooden stick in his hands as if it were a spear he could defend himself with. His eyes fell to relief once he realized it was her rather than a pillager. "River! Thank Notch, I thought you'd never show up!" He exclaimed, hand over his heart. "No time! I need to get to the roof! Lock the door!" She ordered, climbing the latter of the building. Shane did so without question, hands shaking as he fumbled with a ring of keys. She climbed as fast as she could, feeling as if she had no time to breathe as long as the village was in harm's way. Her fingers slammed against the trap door once she reached the very top of the building. Using her elbow, she pried open the door with a harsh push. The piece of wood might as well have been a pile of splinters after that. As soon as she stood up, she gasped and held a dagger in front of her in an effort to defend herself only to realize that the person she saw was none other than Wood. It took her a moment to realize this, as he now looked much rougher than before. His hood was still over his head, but he had a gash across his cheek along with a few burns on his knuckles. His eyes were serious and dark, just like the eyes of a killer. She could tell he would have bruises later knowing that he likely fought his way through the first wave of the raid. He appeared to have the same expression of surprise, but was replaced with relief once he realized it was her. "How'd you get up here?" She asked, panting. "What? Did you think I couldn't climb a wall? That beast is already rampaging through the countryside!" He cocked his crossbow as she grasped her bow firmly in hand. Luckily she had enchanted it before the journey. Thanks to that, it had a stronger release and the arrows had the whopping perk of lighting its unlucky victim on fire.