Chapter 20: Raid
Part 1
A/N: For your convenience, I'm going to mention right off the bat that this chapter, after the first few paragraphs, will be narrated from a third person's perspective. That'll be it, for now.
...
"We are being attacked!" Sebastian declared. They turned toward Emily and Gordon and commanded them to ensure all citizens take shelter. They then addressed us.
"You two! You have brought this upon us! The least you could do is support us! Now, go!"
The stakes sunk in. The fact that so much was at risk made me all the more motivated to defend this town that had stood as a pillar of support to me, in a way. Rana and I exchanged glances, and nodded confidently. Talos marched toward the upcoming army, with unwavering determination. That was our cue to go.
...
The pair followed the golem to the eastern border, in order to ensure that it wouldn't get overwhelmed. Steve hadn't seen Talos in combat before. Even though he was trying to focus on both fighting the enemy, and not hindering his teammates, the living robot's strength wasn't easy to ignore.
The pillagers that were unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of the golem's pummeling fists, were thrown upwards and backwards by almost four blocks. That being said, this wasn't a one-sided fight. The enemy didn't seem to be using a real strategy as far as Steve could tell, yet their sheer numbers more than made up for that. The roar of battle made it difficult to concentrate, too.
In the end, despite the fact that this portion of the raiding army was eventually decimated, the fight was still far from over. Foes were continuing to swarm in, from all cardinal directions. Because the trio was preoccupied with only one side, they were at risk of counting many casualties.
'Should we split up? Wait, if we do that, we'll be easy targets... Continue focusing on one side at a time? That would be the safest tactic for us, but what of the civilians? Won't they be in danger? Perhaps we should...'
"Retreat!" Steve exclaimed.
"Where?" Rana asked.
"To the center of the town! We should control the damage there!"
Due to the lack of enemies in the immediate vicinity, Talos would automatically head to an area that contained threatening activity. This allowed for the duo to recover from their injuries quickly, before running back downtown. The rest of the pillagers had made it there a few moments prior...
-Meanwhile, in the library-
"Alright, everyone... I know things might look bleak, but don't worry; everything will be fine. We'll be safe, rest assured."
The adult couple was trying to soothe the children of their fears, keeping the desperation out of their voice. They were one of the few townsfolk that had been out and about when the bell started going off. In response, they took shelter in the closest building they could find. It was a lucky find, too.
The cozy atmosphere of the establishment, created by the wooden floor and walls, the softness and warmth of the red carpet, and the smell of the leather covers of the books that were lined up on the shelves, all helped bring comfort to the trapped villagers.
...
Until the door slammed open, and an earsplitting, maniacal laughter filled the room.
"A-HAHAHAHAHA!"
Through the doorway, a malicious illager brandished a shiny, iron axe. His outfit consisted of a dark gray, partially buttoned jacket, with a black shirt underneath, and dark blue pants that loosely resembled a jester's, with horizontal stripes of a lighter blue that matched his wicked eyes. If one were to pass by such an individual on the street, they would probably assume he was a complete lunatic.
He took one step forward, and the now-terrified Cornelians huddled even more in the corner by the window. The snickering illager reached the middle of the hallway, his axe grinding against the wooden floor. His preys were whimpering.
Inexplicably, the axe wielder stopped, waited for a brief moment, and walked back toward the door.
"Ah, right...How uncivilized of me..."
He gently closed the door behind him, and resumed his advance.
"Now, then...Where were we?"
It was unfortunate that this man was the last thing the villagers ever saw. The children were sobbing, but the vindicator didn't pay them any mind. Instead of putting them out of their misery, he instead chose to let them wallow in their grief.
Now that that was over and done with, the vindicator stepped up to the lectern and snatched the book that was resting on top of it. When he stepped down, he saw a figure standing in the doorway.
"You...You animal! Monster!"
It was another pesky villager. They wore a black apron over a brown cloak, and an expression filled with horror and hatred.
"Y'are gonna pay for this!" they continued.
"Monster? Please..." Arching his axe forward, the intruder introduced himself.
"Vincent's my name and swinging axes at a hundred blocks a minute with the specific intent to inflict harm upon my enemies, is my game! Man, I'm good!"
"W-well, ya could be named Mackenzie, for all I care; I-I'm gonna beat you all the same!"
Vincent stared ahead for a few moments, before erupting in a fit of laughter.
"Good one!" he started. "And how are you gonna do that?"
Gordon drew a glimmering, iron sword and got into a defensive position. The plunderer's smile faltered momentarily. That didn't last long, however.
"Oh? Someone's ballsy! Go on; show me your moves!"
The blacksmith drew a deep breath and took a step back. As they raised the sword with the intent to attack, it slipped from their grasp and clattered on the floor. The weapon shrunk down, and began slowly spinning, like any other item or block would when dropped.
The bitter truth was that it was physically impossible for a villager to use a weapon. And Gordon had never resented that fact more than in that very moment. Always having to rely on someone else for defense... What sort of curse was this?
"Pfft! Hahahahaha! Welp, that's a shame...Time's up, bucko!"
With a cackle, Vincent sprinted down the hall and toward his target, who had now been standing just outside the library. As he was about to lower the edge to strike his victim, he found that his attack had fallen flat. It had been intercepted by a shield.
"Steve!?"
The man's eyes were just visible under the gold helmet, shooting daggers at the illager. Although the stunt was successful, Steve had underestimated the strength of the blow. His shield shattered upon impact. Despite the fact that he had been using that shield for a very long time, the man was still surprised.
"Finally! An actual battle! Heads up!"
With a mighty swing, the vindicator delivered the first direct hit at his opponent's ribs. Steve yelled out in pain, before retaliating. He knew he couldn't withstand too many hits like that, so he gathered his focus on the enemy. Vincent, on the other hand, seemed relatively unfazed.
No longer in possession of a defensive tool, the human had to be extra cautious. The movements of the illager packed strength and ferocity but were nowhere near as methodical or planned out as a wither skeleton's. While that could be interpreted as unpredictable, in actuality, it was closer to sloppiness.
As a result, the man could block the axe swings with his sword, by pressing the flat side against his left palm. While that was an effective defensive technique, it wasn't doing him any favors in terms of offense. Neither combatant could land a hit on their enemy.
Vincent grew more persistent, as well as more irritated the longer the fight drew on, striking in a more manic manner. The blades clanged deafeningly at each hit. The two fighters began to grow tired. They hadn't strayed far from where they had started, which prevented the vindicator from attacking any other villager, a fact that gnawed at him. What were those idiot comrades of his, doin-
"Ow! You son of a-"
Steve was just about to go for another hit, but Vincent jumped backwards. The distance between the two kept growing bigger. Steve was planning to pursuit the axeman, until he was stopped by the call of a voice.
-Meanwhile-
Rana and Talos had stuck together, pushing back the hordes as best they could. Their focus was to minimize the casualties as much as possible, by guarding the entrances to the occupied houses.
Steve had insisted he go ahead and protect Gordon and the other villagers, who were in immediate danger, while she should defend the iron golem while it was rampaging. The two had agreed to reunite in front of the church once their tasks were completed.
And so, Rana was trying to pull through. The pillager archers posed a significant threat as a group, but weren't too overwhelming individually. As the duo dispatched another intruder, they turned their attention to where the next squad would be. Shortly, they spotted a bunch of bandits that was heading toward a distant house.
That house must've had villagers inside. They had to protect them!
Rana ran with the intent to prevent the slaughter of the civilians, but when she passed by an alley, she felt something hit her on the back. It didn't hurt, but it was still unpleasant. Despite her best attempts to shrug it off and continue running, she realized that doing so, was proving to be quite the feat.
Every step took tremendous effort, as if she had anchors tied to her ankles. Looking to the right, she noted that the golem was facing a similar issue. Although it wasn't very fast to begin with, probably due to its heft, it had slowed to a crawl. What was happening to them? Why were they so sluggish?
"My, you're persistent, aren't you?" a voice called from behind.
Before Rana could turn around, she got hit in the back again. This time, she lost her balance, and fell face-first on the ground. That hit hurt quite a lot, leaving a lingering, burning sensation.
A pair of dark gray boots passed by in front of her, before stopping abruptly.
"It's nothing personal, honey, but I can't let you ruin our plan so easily. But don't worry; I'll make sure you don't get hurt... at least, any more than you already have, that is." The attacker's feminine voice had a hint of sympathy, and its tone was almost motherly.
Rana raised her head to get a better look at the one who was teasing her. From bottom to top, this individual was wearing a dark purple cloak and a black, pointed hat, with an emerald placed on the front. Her skin color was paler than a villager's as well as an illager's. She had a beauty mark on her long nose. Her eyes were a mystifying magenta color, and she had a unibrow.
The outfit, in conjunction with the probability that she had something to do with her speed being lowered, made Rana suspect she was a witch. That train of thought had derailed inside her head, as she watched in horror the house in which the raiders had entered, go empty...
She screamed out in denial and attempted to get back on her feet. Every movement felt like an ordeal, but the witch wasn't looking at her at the moment, so if she could just gather her strength, then maybe-
"Did I say you could get up?" The offender was lazily bouncing a potion bottle up and down in her hand, that contained a purple liquid. Rana was probably going to get hurt again, and she was in a completely defenseless position. Talos was sluggishly heading for the nearest enemy, which in this case, was near a house to the right. There was nothing that Rana could do in this situation, so she just lowered her head to the ground again, and braced for impact.
*Crack*
"There! Now, it'd be especially beneficial if you'd just stay put."
As the witch was just about to grab another bottle, she found herself unable to move her hand. She spun around instantly, only to come face-to-face with...
Emily, who was squeezing the offender's wrist like a vice grip. Their gaze held a certain kind of hostility, that clashed with their usual somber look in a way that was unfamiliar both to Rana, as well as the witch.
"Oh, long time no see, dear sister."
Upon hearing those words, Rana felt so very powerless and insignificant. She didn't know what events had transpired that led to this situation, but it made her feel like a minute, disposable pawn, in a raging game of war. She couldn't even imagine how things would be like, moving forward.
What she wanted most, was to live a happy, peaceful life, not having to worry about problems that she had swept under the rug. Not having to worry about the things that would undoubtedly weigh on her conscience. Perhaps things hadn't changed much, after all, even in a new world...
"Please, leave us alone," Emily requested.
"What? No, "I'm so happy to see you again!"? How cold..."
"Matilda, you're raiding our town... Your town. Don't you feel even the slightest bit of remorse?"
"Good question... Don't worry; I'll be leaving you alone soon. Just need to hold this creature down for a little while longer." She gestured to the collapsed girl. She was about to chuck another splash potion of harming, until she remembered that she had been given specific instructions not to kill the two humans, and the target in question appeared sufficiently weakened.
"Y'know what? Fine. See ya!" With that, she nonchalantly departed toward the church.
Emily walked up to Rana, who was recovering from her breakdown, and helped her up, by throwing her arm around her shoulder. The redhead simply groaned in response. Two potions of harming... Emily had a single potion of healing remaining. They had been saving it for an emergency.
They weren't sure whether or not now was the optimal moment to use it, but in spite of their doubts, they offered it anyway. Rana accepted it with uncertainty. Once she finished drinking the bittersweet potion, she felt a little better.
"Thanks a lot, Emily. Now, I should probably-"
Rana was planning to return to the task at hand, but she was stopped by the sudden call of a voice.
...
Steve directed his gaze to the church, where the voice was coming from. The cacophony of noises caused by the raid, cries of rage, doors slamming open, and screams of terror, ceased instantly. The few remaining pillagers had stopped their rampage, which allowed the speaker to be heard clearly.
On the rooftop, stood two figures, one behind the other. The one in front was on their knees. It took a moment for it to sink in, but Steve eventually realized, that that person, as evident by their green robes, was actually Johnathan. They were looking down at the wracked town.
The one behind them was unknown to Steve, but by the way she made every illager go silent, with just her words, made him think that she was the one behind this operation. She was clad in black robes, with a raised hood that obscured her facial features. All things considered, her voice was distinctly feminine, but that didn't help distinguish her.
Regardless, she began her speech.
"Dear citizens of Cornelia. I trust you know who we are, and what we represent. But, for those few who are either new, or those who simply chose to forget, we are the ones you deemed 'scum'. Even with everything we had done for you, you still casted us aside. And all that for what?
For a warped sense of self-righteousness. Fear and hatred have consumed your core, to the point where you didn't even hesitate to banish people of your own kind, because you couldn't be bothered to understand them... But now, your past has caught up with you."
Steve took a look around. Some villagers had taken a step out of their houses to get a better listen. It was evident that most of them were angry, yet some of them were merely curious. As for himself, he didn't know what to make of all this. All those accusations didn't feel accurate in the slightest. He snuck another glance toward Johnathan's way, and noted the fear in their fatigued eyes. The illager leader kept going.
"In spite of all that, we're willing to forgive you. To give you one last chance... We'll even repair the damage caused to the best of our ability, so that we can both live in peace. That is, of course, if you are all willing to admit your mistakes. If you are not... I'll have to kill each and every one of you, starting with your mayor."
The villagers looked horrified, and yet not one of them spoke up. Was that because of fear, or genuine unwillingness? Steve couldn't tell at this point, and truth be told, he wasn't in the best position to make an accurate judgement. Eventually, a voice did speak up amid the silence.
"Let them go!"
It was Rana. She didn't sound very confident, but her demand was...addressed. The evoker replied.
"Or what? What are you going to do?"
"I... I'll... Uh..." She couldn't think of anything. Saying anything at this point would've been pointless boasting on her end.
"This isn't about you. This is about justice." The illagers that were still standing, howled in agreement.
"So, what will it be?" No one responded.
In the meantime, Sebastian had run as fast as they could to the church's door, deciding to take action themself. As they were about to grab the doorknob, they got hit by a splash potion of poison. Through their coughing, they saw Matilda.
"Whoops, sorry, boss, but this isn't the way to apologize to an old friend."
From atop the tower, the one in black had seen the exchange, and turned her attention back to the Cornelians. She raised her arms, and her hands took a purple glow.
"It seems that you've made your choice. Johnathan, would you like to apologize in your subjects' steed?"
"...We...won't...bow..."
"I thought so. You've always been a nitwit."
As she finished that sentence, what appeared to be giant, gray jaws, sprung up from the cobblestone. The teeth, that didn't resemble any known animal's, closed in on the mayor, slowly and excruciatingly. Their screams, while muffled, were loud enough to be heard from virtually anywhere in the town.
Soon, Johnathan gave in, and was reduced to a white puff of smoke, just like any other creature would. Just like a peaceful animal, as well as a wretched monster. The only thing left behind once the jaw burrowed back, was a lone emerald...