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.
The roar sounded again, shaking the ground to its very core. Her ocean eyes darted to the source just in time to see it burst into the village. It growled menacingly, its bright green eyes full of hatred and hunger for blood. The ravager was a monster she never dared fight up close unless absolutely necessary. Its skin was grey and leathery, with two long outstretched horns that stuck out from the sides of its grotesque head. The mouth was large and wide, with teeth that could crack through any man's bones with the snap of its jaw. As if that wasn't terrifying enough, it was at least eight feet tall and nine feet long. On its back was a hefty saddle that allowed for a rider to lead it into battle. River drew her bow and aimed at the creature. Again and again, she drew back the string and released the arrow into the open air until the beast cried out in alarm and fell dead with a thump onto the floor. Meanwhile, Wood occupied himself with targeting the men that attempted to reach them. He had fought this group of rivals before over territory, but never expected them to invade one insignificant village. The question of why they would do such a thing was repeated in his head, but he knew he didn't have time to dwell on it. Suddenly, a loud crash came from the very front of the church. River turned her head just in time to see an axe-wielding man swinging at the locked oak door. She was just about to shoot him when Wood had the same idea. His crossbow shot a strong arrow right through his head, causing his axe to drop on the gravel below. Just as his blood stained the dirt, the next wave began to start with the dreaded sound of the horn's cry.
"There's two of them!" River exclaimed as a pair of ravagers bursted into town. "We can't take them from here..." She trailed off as an idea came into her mind. Turning to Wood, she said, "I'm going to do something crazy! If I die, I need you to promise the villagers will be safe!" Her potential lover stared back at her, "What do you mean?! What're you going to do?" He asked. River crawled up and stood on the other side of the wall, as if preparing to climb down. "I'm going to save my people." Her gloved hands gripped the cobblestone firmly as she swung down, sliding off of a nearby straw roof before catching herself before she could fall off of it. Wood looked down from the Church, eyes wide with both confusion and worry. He didn't know what she was planning, but he knew that he'd keep her promise. Loading his crossbow with another arrow, he continued to shoot at those below. As for River, she ran across the roofs of each house, her feet light and quick. Each step had a risk of falling through the wood beams beneath her, but it was a risk she was willing to take. She grew closer and closer with each action, until the beast was less than a few feet below. The pillager on its back rode with ease, having no trouble as it smashed through barrels, chests, and market supplies. Each piece of the village seemed to tremble back into nothing but splinters and rubble while it wreaked havoc. Now standing on a rooftop of a burning building, she ran and leapt as far as her legs could carry her. Flying through the smoke below, she landed right on top of the ravager's back. It let out a roar of surprise, a roar loud enough to shake the entire valley.
The pillager whirled his head around, and immediately scowled upon seeing her. He quickly cocked his crossbow and aimed the arrow at her head. She reacted just in time, deflecting it with the edge of her blade just as she always did. River thought about throwing a dagger into his chest, but realized she had a question that was worth the risk of dying. Arrow after arrow he fired. However, he knew he was running out, and therefore grabbed the axe that was slung over his shoulder to finish the job. That was when she took her chance. She drew her bow and threatened to release the arrow straight ahead. "Who are you, and why do you attack us?!" She shouted, more like a demand than a question. The man glared at her as he swung, refusing to speak. As for the ravager, the beast seemed to understand that she wasn't supposed to be there, and for that reason it began to run even quicker through the village in an attempt to fling her off. River didn't give up. She grabbed onto the saddle of the animal and drove a dagger straight through it to keep it secure. "I ask you again! Who are you?!" She yelled, slicing the edge of his axe with her blade. Just like that his weapon was no longer usable as the sharp iron piece fell onto the moving dirt of the earth. He looked up at her with hatred before deciding to throw himself off. River cursed to herself as he did so. With a strong swing of her sword, she singlehandedly drove it into the skull of the monster, causing it to crash into a nearby building that just so happened to be the church.
The building tilted slightly from the impact, but it wasn't enough to completely demolish the sturdiness of the structure. Heaving, the creature groaned with a final roar before falling into the dirt as nothing but a lifeless monster. River slid off of the beast, landing on her feet with ease. Her lungs released the air she was holding in earlier, and she did well to pause. However, she couldn't rest for long. "AH!!!" She couldn't help but scream as the second Ravager began to charge in her direction. Its eyes were angry at the sight of its dead companion. River would've ran, but she knew that outrunning it was out of the question. It was too fast for that, too cunning. Therefore, with the walls closing in around her, she backed up against the cobblestone behind her and held her sword in front of her. Her eyelids squinted shut as she prepared to die. Dying would mean waking up in her bed all the way back home. It would mean she'd have to come all the way back to repay the villagers for the damage done. Her heart sank when she realized dying meant the raid would be as good as lost thanks to her recklessness. Suddenly, all of those thoughts faded into oblivion. Her eyes snapped open once she heard the ravager howl in pain. She watched as a large wooden spear was driven directly into its forehead, so strong that it caused the beast to whimper and shake. Before it could slam into her, she climbed onto another nearby roof. Above the church came a loud cheer. She recognized the voice to be Shane's, giddy and joyful as he called out to her, "FOR NOTCH! For Cadia Village!!!" Looking up at the rooftop, she saw him wave his fist in the air with pride. Letting out a nervous laughter, she quickly stood. It was relieving to know that the priest survived, but one question remained in her mind: where was Wood?
The horn sounded again, indicating that the final wave was coming. On the other side of the village, Wood kept a sharp eye as he stood on the edge of the blacksmith's shop. His crossbow was held in front of him as he watched, preparing himself for the wrath of whatever monster decided to show itself. Just like River, he knew the final wave was always the deadliest. He did his best to usher the remaining villagers towards the river, which was hard because they didn't know whether to trust him or not. If he was honest with himself, his only hope was that she was unharmed. That was when a loud cry echoed the air, causing his head to turn. Due to the smoke from the flames, it was as if the village had a black fog over it. Pointing his arrow into the darkness, he waited, listening intensely. The cry sounded like a woman, he could only silently pray to Notch that it wasn't hers. Just then, something hard and cold was thrown at him from behind. Caught off guard, he tried to fight through the pain only for it to be no use. The glass of the potion bottle shattered on his clothing whilst the effect weakened him, causing his muscles to feel numb. Growling, he whirled around to see none other than a witch! But that wasn't even what had startled him, it was the fact that the old hag was accompanied by River! Anger boiled in his veins once he saw it. River was exhausted, poisoned, and likely as weak as he felt in that moment. The hag held her by her hair, pulling tightly as a means to hold her hostage.
"Such a brave... stupid girl." The witch's raspy voice spoke with a cackle. Her ancient body was adorned with small bones and thin pieces of leather that resembled rotten flesh. All those donkey skins she had draped over her were definitely from the Acacia biomes... The only reason Wood knew what witches looked like, since his Father had trained many in his ways of evil magic. "Where's your leader?!" Wood demanded, trying not to drop his crossbow despite the aching of his body. "Save your breath, outsider." A male voice, old and deep, entered the air. Next to the old hag appeared none other than an evoker, one that looked all too familiar to him. He shared resemblance to his father, only slightly different due to his blue eyes and wild looking robes. Wood scowled, "...Hello uncle. What made you want to attack this village?" He asked. River, although still half-unconscious, looked at him with surprise. The evoker smiled, a grin that was cruel and deceiving. "The tribes are growing restless. I sensed that your father was up to no good, so I came to investigate. Instead of finding the secrets in his work, I found this excuse of a hero." He looked at River, who did her best to remain strong. "What secrets are you after? My father's only mission is to kill her... his black magic has been weakened since your last duel." Wood said truthfully. "Is that what he told you? I can't believe your own father kept it from you!" The evoker chuckled darkly. "Kept what from me?! What do you know?! Why did you attack us?!" Wood asked, finally able to shakily point his weapon at the two. This time his uncle frowned, turning to the witch. From her, he threw Wood a piece of parchment. "I found something of mine, something your father did well to hide from me. Something I think your little hero might've been interested in..."
River hazily looked at the paper, and although in a sickening state, she recognized it to be a map. Wood hastily took it in one hand, only to be confused. When he looked back up at the evoker, only one sentence was said. "That is not from this world... or any world known to us."
"So what do you want of us?" Wood asked. "When she recovers, I want you to go there. I want you both to defeat your father so I can take back the land that rightfully belongs to our people." His uncle stated. "For every day that you don't, your father grows stronger. One day he'll be too strong for you to stop. Think of this raid as a taste of what could happen if you fail." After nodding at the witch, River was flung into Wood's arms like a rag doll. He quickly dropped his crossbow to catch her. The potion effect that held him weak decided to fade. When he looked up, he saw nothing but the now quiet surroundings of the broken village. It was as if the diabolical duo had disappeared into thin air. For a moment all was silent, but then the final horn rang through the air, indicating that the raid was now over. River stirred in his arms, still feeling twinges of pain every now and again. "W-Wood..." She spoke quietly. "I... I have poison..." Those were the only words she was able to say. He understood her clearly, knowing that a witch's poison could be just as deadly as ten daggers that kept continuously piercing the heart. Knowing River's invincible strength, the witch likely had no choice but to use her strongest concoction. Swiftly, he hoisted her up, carrying her bridal style. "C'mon. Your friends will be worried about you." He said to her. "I have to save them..." She said. "But right now, you're hurt." He argued. "Maybe a little..." She laughed silently, only for her laughter to turn into a cough.
Wood kept a frown, but he was glad she was still alive. Holding her felt good... almost as nice as a kiss.