This is my story!
Darkness was falling on the world and I was busy preparing for another night against the horde. Around me, villagers were entering their houses and locking their doors behind them. Soon, the village was empty except for some stray cats wandering down dark alleyways. I opened my chest at the foot of my bed. It was going to be a long night. Reaching in, I pulled out my diamond gear. I hadn’t yet come across any elusive netherite, but the diamond glistened with durability far surpassing its standard hardness. Gearing up, I looked out through my window at the far horizon. The moon was rising and, illuminated by the light behind them, the pillagers became visible. 5, 10, 15 enemies lined up; some on top of Ravagers. Behind them, witches sneered and began fumbling through their pouches for whatever concoctions they had brewed. I held my breath, grabbed up my sword, and raced out of my house. Running to the center of town, I reached out my hand and madly clanged the bell. A raid was beginning!
Villagers looked out of their windows and doorways in fear as the enemies charged down the slope towards the simple wooden huts. I equipped my bow and drew, holding my breath and waiting. A pillager got too close and I exhaled, letting the arrow fly. It found its mark in the pillager’s chest and he fell. I was grateful for the fletcher’s tipped arrows. I grabbed my dirt and built up, gaining a better vantage point, and ducked just as a crossbow bolt whipped past my ear. Looking around for the source, I spotted a pillager hiding amongst some bushes and let loose a volley of arrows, most bouncing harmlessly against the foliage. He snickered and fired again, this time landing the arrow in my right arm. Pain seared up my body and I let out a shout of pain before taking aim once more and firing in his direction. It hit and he fell. Before I could celebrate, however, there came a rumbling of earth and my tower shook. I looked around in fear just as a ravager charged towards me. My tower exploded in bits of dirt as I fell to earth, landing a little bit away from the beast. He snorted and stomped his hoof. I quickly put my bow away and grabbed out my shield and sword. This was going to be a tough battle.
With a low guttural growl, the ravager lumbered towards me, picking up speed as he went. I readied my shield and braced for the impact. He hit and I felt myself pushed backward as I attempted to maintain my balance. The monster took a step back and shook his head, momentarily stunned. I took the opportunity and lunged forwards, stabbing out with my sword and digging the point into its flank. It growled louder and thrust its horns forward. I tried to raise my shield in time but wasn’t quick enough. Both horns impaled me and I fell backward, bleeding heavily. Inside their huts, the villagers gasped and shook in fear. The ravager swayed back and forth, looking for an opening, then began its assault again. I groaned and rolled out of the way, barely avoiding the deadly horns again. However, the beast didn’t stop. It continued in its path and began slowly arcing back towards me. Oh, shoot. I muttered before getting to my feet and preparing. It charged again, this time intending to run me through. I was prepared, however, and leaped up and over it, stabbing down as I went. The ravager bellowed in pain and slid, its momentum carrying it sideways as it attempted to follow my quick movements. I bolted between alleyways wide enough for the beast to follow. I needed to get it out of the village.
Suddenly there came the sound of breaking glass and a chuckle from somewhere close. Fatigue overtook my body and I slowed to a crawl. I pulled out my bow, my arms screaming for me to stop. Ahead was a witch, her hand digging through her pouch once more. I tried to raise my arms but found that I couldn’t move them. Instead, I dipped behind a tree and waited. Slowly the strength was coming back to my body and I raised my bow. I took a deep breath, peered around the trunk, and fired. There came a woman’s scream, followed by the soft thud of something hitting the ground. I looked around and saw the body on the ground, unmoving. Racing past it, I felt the familiar rumble in the ground and looked behind. The ravager burst out of the surrounding woods, trees exploding in splintered wood bits. It looked around madly before its bloodshot eyes found its target: me. It began its assault, trampling the witch’s body beneath its feet and ignoring the tree that I had just hidden behind. It lowered its horns and impaled the trunk, thrusting it back up and behind itself as it charged me. A scream escaped my lips and I dodged sideways, narrowly sidestepping its ferocious advancement. A crossbow bolt sank into my shoulder blade and I let out another scream, unable to find the source. My vision was blurring and darkening at the edges. I didn’t have much left in me. Looking back at the village I saw children hiding behind their parents, tears streaming down their faces. I smiled at them, looking pathetic in my final moments. My leg collapsed and I dropped to one knee, meeting the gaze of the ravager with the crossbowman now riding on top. He chuckled and raised his bow as the beast charged one final time. I stared them down, meeting my end with dignity.
Whatung! An iron arm collided with the creature’s flank and knocked it sideways, making it miss me entirely. I glanced up in surprise and was met with a singular poppy held in the hand of an iron golem. It put the poppy down in front of me and slowly lumbered its way towards the ravager, joints creaking as it went. The pillager fired and the arrow bounced harmlessly off the armored giant. It continued to advance, unaffected by the attack. The pillager panicked and commanded the ravager to charge, before attempting to jump off its back. An arrow to the head put him out of his misery. I dropped my bow and drew my sword once more. My shield, bent and dented in multiple places, raised up and I leaped in front of the iron golem just as the ravager collided with me. The collision knocked me down and I rolled backward. The iron golem’s arms came up and back down with a solid crack over the beast’s head. It reared, stunned once more. Using my backward momentum I stood up and darted forwards. Grabbing some dirt, I towered and leaped off and onto the back of the ravager before raising my sword and thrusting it down into its neck. It let out a gurgle and stumbled sideways, before collapsing and going still. I looked to the iron golem and extended the poppy it had given me. It reached out and took it, before turning back to the village, still under siege. There was still more work to be done.