Disclaimer: I don't own Terraria. I only own my OCs.

All rights to Terraria go to Re-Logic.

Rated T for safety.

Chapter 1 - A New Start

The tears were still streaming down his face. His dirty blond hair was dark with sweat.

He couldn't cope with everything that had happened in the last six hours. The despair at losing his family, the exhaustion from running away, and the ever-growing weight of his tools – it was almost too much. Almost.

The temptation to just lay down and die, feed the worms, was overwhelming.

The only thing stopping him was the promise. The promise he had made to his mother, rest her soul, before the pirates came and took her away. And the worst thing was, they hadn't just locked her up in a cell, or made her a slave.

No. They had taken Anita away from life altogether. He had seen it happen with his own eyes.

The acrid scent of burning wood was filling up his sense of smell. His watery eyes could see nothing but smoke and steel and… something red. Very red. And it smelled like iron.

So did her corpse. Their corpses. Everything he had ever known was gone, either burned or lying in piles of rubble.

The only reason Jacob was still alive was because, amidst the chaos and confusion, he ran from the small cottage while the pirates were still raiding the chests.

They took everything. His dad's trusty wooden bow, his sister's jewellery, his mother's life… Gone. Gone like the fallen stars in the daylight.

The captain was the one who had done the deed. Tall and muscular, with a large red beard and a huge hat. A massive cutlass was strapped to his belt. Everything about the man, if you could call him that, seemed big.

A deckhand ran up to him and yelled something at him. Jacob only caught a few words, but he caught the general meaning.

'Pathetic... No resistance... Granny fought better than this...'

The massive man pushed him away and motioned for him to continue ransacking the house.

The parrot on his shoulder squawked noisily.

The captain chuckled and patted it roughly. 'Don't worry, boy, you'll get your share of food. Just don't misbehave.'

His voice was deep and gravelly, grating on Jacob's ears. He swore that, one day, this pirate would burn in the depths of the Underworld.

Even in his panic and sorrow, he had not forgotten to take his possessions – a small assortment of copper tools and a few mushrooms.

He had contemplated drawing his small shortsword and rushing to defend his family, but once he had seen his father being mercilessly cut down, even with an iron broadsword, he thought better of it and retreated out the back window.

He thought of the pirates' crazed smiles. His family's screams. His rational part screamed at him to gather resources, but all he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep forever. Sleep until the beasts came to feed on his scrawny body.

Sleep until he could see his family, healthy and well, in the afterlife.

So lost was he in his grief that he didn't see the traveller until they had collided and were on the ground, writhing to get up.

'I'm sorry sir! I didn't see you there! Please forgive me!'

The traveller was the first to get up. He eyed Jacob with a wary expression and said in a soothing voice

'Don't worry, I won't hurt you. What's wrong? You seem troubled.'

Jacob looked up at him, still on the ground. It triggered another painful memory of his father, alive and smiling.

Short brown hair covered by a green cap, tender hazel eyes, a tanned complexion. It was almost exactly like his father. Even the semi-baritone voice reminded him of his late daddy.

It was too much. He took one look at the man and broke down into tears again.

The stranger recoiled in shock. "I'm sorry, what's wrong?"

Jacob felt embarrassed and ashamed. He made an attempt to wipe his tears and said in a choked voice 'My... my family... they-'

He was assaulted by another wave of grief, causing him to break down again. In public. He supposed he should have felt mortified, but his sorrow overwhelmed him, leaving no room for other emotions.

The stranger knelt down and touched Jacob's head gently. 'Let me guess. Pirates. They... killed your family, correct?'

Jacob could do nothing but nod. The stranger grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet.

'Come on then. I'll take you to my house. Clean you up.'

Jacob stumbled along after the man, his gratefulness finally cutting through his haze of grief. 'Wh... Why would you h-help me? I... I'm worthless, cowardly. I didn't even t-try to help when those... those cursed pirates k-killed my family...'

The man looked back at Jacob with sheer pity in his eyes. 'No. You are not worthless. You are not a coward. You are smart. If you had tried to fight those pirates, you would have been killed. Since you ran, you ensured that your family's bloodline still lives. Your parents would have wanted you to survive. I'm sorry that your family was taken from you, but remember, no matter what anyone tells you, it was not your fault!'

Jacob looked at him, shocked at this man's statement. It had brought back his hope. His will. He needed to survive. For Anita, his mum. For Andrew, his dad.

And for Kinzie. His baby sister.

He gritted his teeth and walked on, his confidence returning with every step. He knew he would never fully recover from his family's death.

But he could damn well try.

They arrived at the small cottage. It wasn't much, about three and a half metres tall, made out of oak wood. The roof was made out of stone bricks, gently sloping down from the chimney. There were a few windows here and there, looking in to a cozy living room.

Jacob had seen and visited much bigger houses, but he knew how much he needed to rest. He would gladly sleep on the floor, if that meant he had a roof over his head, and the ease of mind that no monsters would try to murder him while he slept.

The stranger pulled open the oaken door and gestured for Jacob to step inside. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he proclaimed 'Ladies first.'

Jacob chuckled for the first time in days, and ran inside, ignoring the rub.

The man followed him in, closing the door behind him. 'Well, since we're already insulting each other, I think we should at least know each other's names. I'm Andrew.'

Jacob locked away the information in his brain and replied 'I'm Jacob. Thanks for helping me back there. If you hadn't come along, I might well have just given up and died.'

'Think nothing of it. I'm a bit lonely around here, and what twisted hellspawn would just ignore someone obviously in need of help? It's just custom in this part of Terraria. It's not the law, I could well have avoided you, but, again, who in the Underworld would do that?'

A few sprang to Jacob's mind. His wicked aunt. His bully cousin. And, of course, the pirates. He wanted revenge so badly. He wanted to throw the pirate down a long shaft into the depths of the Underworld, hear his agonised screams as he burned alive in a pool of magma.

Andrew strode towards the kitchen. 'I'm just going to prepare some dinner. Be back in a few minutes - make yourself at home.'

And with that, he was gone, leaving Jacob to his violent fantasies.

He wanted the captain to suffer as he did. To feel what it was like to be overwhelmed by pain. Jacob swore that, if he ever saw that brute again, he would make his short life hell.

And he never broke his word.

'Excuse me, are you okay? You seem to be in a bit of a trance there.' A new voice brought Jacob out of his violent fantasy. He looked over to the hallway, where the voice came from.

The stranger wore a brown coat, topped off with brown shoes and a brown hat. His beard was white, trailing down to his chest. His kind grey eyes gazed at Jacob with a look that reminded him of his grandfather.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. I'm Jacob.'

The man looked at him and smiled warmly. 'I heard. Andrew acts tough, but he's got a soft heart. He told me all about it. I know it never sounds genuine, but I really am sorry.'

Jacob's sadness must have registered in his face, because the man hastily changed the subject.

'I'm Walter. I'm a merchant by trade, but with all the bandits around, I thought it best to just stay here for a while.'

Jacob relaxed at the man's soothing words. 'I'm sorry, I don't have any money at the moment.'

Walter looked shocked. 'Oh no, you don't have to pay anything! I'd never charge someone who went through what you just did! Here, have some healing potion – it'll help you get your strength back.'

He handed Jacob a red bottle. He recognized the shape of the flask and swigged it down. It tasted just like he knew it from his days of training with his dad.

Andrew came through with a platter of roast lamb. 'Anybody hungry?'

Jacob knew then that he could live with them.