Weakling…

Worthless…

"You need to leave… NOW!"

Exiled…

Homeless…

Those words circled around Archie's mind, over and over they repeated. Staring down at his feet, the small illager slowly walked down the gravel path that led deep into the dark oak forest and further away from his tribe… His family… Archie scowled as he hugged his chest. Family… Families are supposed to look out for each other, to protect one another. Yet they casted him out without hesitation, rather believing a clearly lying Thord instead of listening to his pleas.

It wasn't his fault that a hoard of zombies decided to attack Thord's patrol party. Archie remembered being sandwiched in the middle of the group, trying his best not to get thrown to the ground while also keeping up. As far as he was aware, no one really kept watch for hoards. Plus no one expected that red headed hero to show up out of nowhere to pick off the survivors! Archie grumbled quietly to himself, scowling at the ground as he walked.

A sudden strong wind caused Archie to pause. He shivered in the cold, pulling his thin coat around him tighter. Looking up from his feet, the small illager realized he is very lost. He swallowed thickly, a cold sense of dread washed down his spine. His eyes darted around, swirling his head this way and that, trying to find any sort of hostile mob. The forests here are thick and they blocked out the sun, it is common to find zombies and skeletons taking shelter here.

Licking his lips nervously, Archie decided it was best to keep moving. The sky started to grow dark and Archie knew it's a death sentence to stay out at night… As the sky's colors changed from brilliant pinks to red then to a dark blue, the small illager's pace picked up in speed. He needed to find shelter, any kind of shelter really. A nook on the side of a small hill , a hollowed out tree trunk, or even a hole in the ground. Anything that'll shield him from the monsters that crept in the night.

Archie began to slow down, panting hard. Leaning against his knees, Archie glanced around him. Honestly he felt like he had gone nowhere. He's still in the forest, still surrounded by tall dark oak trees, and still exposed in the dark. The only difference is now his feet hurt and his legs trembled from his running. Straightening his back, Archie pondered on which way to go. He needed to make his decision soon and fast. As the illager scanned the forest for any possible threats, Archie paused then squinted. In the darkness, he thought he saw a small flicker of yellow. Hope sprang up in his chest. That could very well be a torch and when there are torches there is either shelt or a path that leads to safety.

With renewed vigor, Archie quickly weaved through the thick overgrowth and towards the light. As he grew closer to the light, Archie quickly discovered that it was no torch. Slowly down to a stop, Archie stared up in wonder. The source of the light came from a gold and yellow block embedded in the ground. It glowed warmly, glittering curiously in the night. Archie couldn't help him but to reach out and touch it. Lightly stroking the curious block, the illager discovered that it felt like stone. Glowing stone?

"Huh…" Archie mused, retracting his hand. He had never seen a block like this before. Looking up and away from the ground, Archie glanced to his sides then softly gasped. There were more of these glowing stones, all embedded in the ground and in a straight line. Sudden there was a groan behind him, startling the small illager. Whipping around, Archie feverishly looked around the area. For a moment Archie had forgotten why he was there, having been so enthralled by the curious stone. Another groan erupted from the darkness, this time closer… Breathing in sharply, Archie picked the right side of the glowing path and bolted in that direction.

Luck seemed to have favored him that night. The path he ran on began to shift from dirt to brick. Archie didn't have the time nor the correct mindset to admire the golden glow of the brick path. All this meant to him was that he is on the way to possible safety. The forest around him started to thin out and hope grew in Archie's chest. Soon the forest gave out to a sizable clearing and Archie forced himself to stop. The path had led him to a village.

High brick walls encased the village, protecting the denizens from the nightly monsters. Archie could just see the tops of the wooden roofs behind the wall. Near to his left, the walls opened up to an arching gateway. The dark oak gates were wide open, allowing just about anything to wonder into the village. For a brief moment, the illager thought about turning back. Villagers were the kind of people his kind enjoyed preying on. Their pacifist nature made them perfect targets for pillaging. The only real experience Archie had with villagers was on the raids he was forced to go on. He tried his best to just steal and take things and avoid harming anyone.

A wet growl shattered Archie's thoughts, causing him to jump and turn back to stare into the dark forest. His only two options were to either go back into the forest or try his luck with the villagers. Perhaps he can plead his case with them, show them he means no harm, and maybe, just maybe, they will allow him to stay? Honestly at this point, Archie would be happy just to huddle next to a torch in the dirt. Anything to keep the monsters away.

Another groan, this time sounding closer. This caused the small illager to lurch forward and towards the village's gates. Hugging himself nervously, Archie peered through the gates, looking around the silent village. Given that it's well into the night, all the villagers had tucked themselves into their respected houses. Archie counted that as a blessing, he didn't want to startle anyone into ringing the village's alarm bell before he could plead his case. As gently and quietly as he could, Archie slowly walked through the brick path. As he crept towards the closest house, Archie heard some heavy footsteps. Freezing, he turned to his left just in time to spot the hulking figure of an iron golem. The massive being of metal walked leisurely through the village, it's long arms swaying with each step. Yet Archie held his breath, he knew that it's on a patrol. Iron golems were the defenders of villages and will lash out at any threat. Luckily for the small illager, the golem had not spotted him and continued on its patrol. Only when the golem rounded a corner and disappeared from sight did Archie release his breath.

Quickening his pace, Archie hurried over to the nearest building. He stood staring up at the door that led into the house. Archie fidgeted, picking at the hem of his coat. He knew this was a bad idea, one that would backfire almost at once yet the small illager didn't know what else to do. It was either hope that this villager would be willing to listen to him or go back to the mob infested forest.

Taking a deep breath, Archie raised his fist and firmly knocked on the door. He felt his heart beating against his ribs as rustling could be heard within the house. A moment later, light filled the room as the inhabited lit a torch. A curious face peered through the window next to the door. For a brief moment, Archie saw the face of a villager woman. Her eyes widened at the sight of him and she quickly opened the door. For a heartbeat, the two just simply stared at each other. Eager to keep the woman from screaming, Archie grinned what he hoped was a harmless smile. He slowly raised a hand up in innocent greeting, doing his best not to tremble.

"Sorry to bother you." He said, "But I'm stuck outside tonight."

A beat of silence. The villager blinked owlishly at him, thinking he is simply the product of her sleep deprived mind.

"You don't belong here." She said, her tone confused. She raised an eyebrow as she eyed him up and down. "You must be lost."

"I am lost." Archie replied, shifting slightly. "I don't have any idea where I am."

Holding his hands together, he braced himself for the worst. Despite that, he felt hopeful that maybe this could work out. After all the women had not started screaming in fright at the sight of him. The villager squinted at him, unsure if he's not a figment of her imagination. Turning her head slightly, the villager said in a careful tone.

"We're in the village on the Squid Coast. Where…"

Archie didn't hear the rest of what the villager said. His mind went blank when she said they were in the Squid Coast Village. The village that a particular hero lived near. A hero that his tribe tries to avoid.

Oh… Oh No. Archie tensed at the realization that somehow he wandered into that Hero's territory. His breathing became labored and his heart thundered in his chest.

"Hey? Hello? Are you listening?" Came a voice. Archie blinked hard, remembering he had awakened a villager. She still had a look of confusion, her eyes flickering over his face. Archie didn't bother trying to conclude his fear.

"W… We're in T-The Squid Coast?" He stammered, gripping his hands so hard he felt some of his fingers going slightly numb. He hoped beyond hope that she was just playing a cruel joke on him. Surely not...

"Yes?" The villager replied slowly. That's all Archie needed. The woman gasped in surprised as he quickly shoved his hands down to his sides and turned sharply.

"Ok! Sorry to wake you! Thanks and Good Night!" Archie squeaked before bolting towards the gates. Coming here was a mistake.

"Oy! Stop!" He heard the village sound behind him. Archie had no plans on stopping any time soon. Archie sprinted as fast as his tired legs could carry him, he'll risk dealing with the monsters. Surely it'll be better than enraging a protective hero. In his panic, Archie didn't hear the ringing of a large bell. All that mattered to him was leaving the village as quickly as he could.

The illager was quarters ways towards the gate when an iron golem rounded the corner of a building. Archie yelped out in both surprise and fear. He had to stop mid run or else he'd crash into the legs of the iron golem. He turned slightly and fell to the ground. Before he could get up to take off again, the massive hulking being reached out and grabbed Archie by the collar. Archie squirmed in it's grip, thrashing this way and that.

"Where do you think you're going?!" The woman snapped, striding her way from the village's alarm bell and toward Archie.

"Please let me go!" Cried out Archie, trying in vain to pry the fingers of the golem off of his shirt. "I just- I just wanted to find a safe place for the night!"

"Lies! The only reason your kind would ever come to villages is to loot and pillage!" She snapped back, crossing her arms and studied Archie. "Where's the rest of them?"

Archie quickly glanced at the gates, seemingly so far away, then turned back to the villager. He saw lights appearing in many windows, everyone in town had been awakened from the bell. Shuddering, Archie knew that meant the hero also heard it…

"I'm alone!" Archie exclaimed, now simply holding the hand of the iron golem. His knees trembled and threatened to give out. Tears stung his eyes. Choking back a sob, Archie pleaded with the woman. "Please please don't let that hero get me! I just- I don't want to die!"

The stern look on her face softened slightly, her brow arched up. Her shoulders drooped then she shuffled where she stood. She opened her mouth to say something, however, a much deeper voice cut through the silent night.

"Then you should not have come here, scum." Turning to his right, Archie saw another villager had joined them. A tall and broad shouldered villager with a wide brimmed straw hat marching over to him. He held an iron hoe in his hands and he held it like a weapon. Archie shrieked in fear, leaning away from the sharp need of the hoe.

"Salah! Put that thing away!" Called out the woman, putting her hands on her hips and giving the man a stern look. "I have everything under control."

The villager, Salah, just snorted dismissively. Standing a yard away, he planted the end of his gardening tool to the ground. Leaning against it, Salah gave the villager woman a look of disbelief.

"It doesn't quite look like you do, Yumi." He said, raising an eyebrow at her. Looking down at the trembling illager. Salah sneered, leaning away from his hoe then lifting it up. He took one step closer to Archie, causing the little illager to lean away the best he could. "He's a squirmy sort. Just back off and let the iron golem take care of him."

The woman, Yumi, scoffed. Turning to completely face Salah, she crossed her arms. Archie's heart beat wildly, his eyes flickering from Yumi to Salah then back to Yumi. Trembling in fear, Archie hoped beyond hope that this could not possibly get any worse.

"Beeeh…."

Archie whipped his head towards the gate, not expecting the groan of a zombie. Seemed like the zombie was attracted by the sound of Yumi's and Salah's arguments. In the warm glow, the zombie shuffled through the gates, arms raised stiffly and it's mouth hanging open. A Nasty thing it is. The Iron golem shifted in it's spot, as if contemplating on letting Archie go to attack the zombie. However… the golem didn't need to.

As the zombie shuffled, the small illager could see… something charging behind it. Archie saw a flash of steel then.

WHAM!

The zombie crumpled to the ground, it's head and neck practically destroyed by a great hammer. As the corpse fell, the owner of the hammer is revealed. It stood hunched over the rotten body, most likely making sure it stayed down. Leaning back as far as he could, the small illager stared at the hunched figure at the village's gates. At first he thought the figure was a rather large wolf, what with it's white grey fur and paws. However as the wolf stood straight up Archie's stomach dropped, a cold wash of dread spilled over him. This was no wolf…

"Ah! Just the Hero we needed!" Called out Salah, leaning back and spreading his arms. Then he pointed at Archie "Valkory! Come get this illager once and for all!"

The Hero, Valkory, turned her gaze and stared down Archie, blinked once then strode towards him. Breathing heavily, Archie could only tremble where he stood. With every step the hero took, the feeling of hopelessness and fear grew. This… This was the hero he heard from Thord's failed patrols. The one whom his tribe collectively avoided at all costs. The being that's going to end his life, Archie was sure of it.

A whimper escaped Archie's throat as he leaned back as far as he could. He barely heard his clothes rip slightly and the voices behind him. Every fiber of his being was yelling at him to run away yet the golem's grip was too strong, he could not escape.

As the hero stopped before Archie, towering over him. He could only see her eyes behind the snarling wolf helmet. One brown eye and one white eye. Both were staring down at him and deciding his fate. A thousand terrified thoughts spun around in Archie's head, making him feel dizzy. Was he going to be crushed by their hammer? Would it be quick? Tears fell from Archie's eyes but he didn't look away, his body disobeying him. Leaning back and looking up, Archie's vision became murky.

He fainted on the spot.

Valkory watched the small illager's eyes roll up to the back of his head then go slack. She jumped slightly, loosening her grip on her hammer then leaned forward. Did… Did this illager faint? When the hero heard the village's bell, she thought of the worst. She expected a late night raiding party, or even a large horde of zombies had invaded the village she calls home. Not a tiny illager.

"Oh! Oh dear!" Called the voice of Yumi. Valkory looked up and away from the illager, watching the villager motion for the iron golem to let go. Yumi caught the small grey being before he hit the ground.

"Yumi don't touch him!" Snarled Salah, stepping forward from the crowd. "Just let Valkory take him away."

Yumi shot Salah a dirty look as she knelt in the grass, laying the illager's head on her lap. Valkory decided then to kneel beside her, not wanting to waste the chance to gain a closer look. Yumi glanced at Valkory with a slightly worried look, the hero gently raised a hand. She won't harm him. It would be a dishonor to strike him down while out cold.

The scarred Hero slowly took in the invader's appearance. At first Valkory thought that this illager was a child given his most striking feature about him was how small and thin he is. If he stood up straight, even standing on the very tips of his toes, this illager could barely come up to her lower torso. It was only when Valkory got a closer look when she realized that this illager is in fact, a young adult.

There was a sudden shuffle, causing the hero to look up. Salah had decided to step closer. At the moment, his eyes were scanning the front gates of the village. His posture is stiff and worrisome. No doubt spooked at the idea of an illager in his village. With a deep frown on his lips and a deeper scowl on his brow, the man then turned his hardened gaze on Valkory.

" Valkory... Did you happen to see any more illagers on the way here?" He asked, a worried edge in his tone. "If there's one, there's always more to be found."

Valkory tilted her head to one side, thinking. No... She didn't see any more Illagers on the way back. While good fighters, the illagers are not the most graceful creatures in the overworld. They crash through the forest like a wild boar searching for food. Also their light grey skin are always a dead give away against the dark foliage. Valkory shook her head then ran a hand through her hair and pushed her wolf helm off of her head. Salah hummed, glancing back at the darken forest.

"They must be hiding then!"

The Hero heard a snort beside her and she turned her gaze to Yumi. She had a small sneer on her lips.

"They must be hiding awfully well then." She mused, looking up from the illager resting on her lap. "Far out of sight that even our beloved hero couldn't find them."

Salah grunted in frustration at Yumi's brazenness, crossing his arms and staring down at her. Valkory pursed her lips, glancing at the two. There was a beat of silence, the two villagers staring daggers at each other. The village's Elder breathed out of his nose as his gaze returned to the small illager.

"Well either way, there is an illager here to cause trouble and the correct way to respond is to have it be dealt with by Valkory!" Salah growled, then looked over to the Hero and gave her an expectant look.

With a frown, Valkory began to stand back up. While she feels bad about throwing him back into the forest, it's her duty to protect the village first and above all else. However, before the Hero could so much as reach forward, Yumi hissed disapprovingly. Valkory flinched slightly, blinking rapidly at the stern stare Yumi gave her. The iron golem shifted in it's spot, responding to Yumi's emotions. Valkory eyed the golem warily and took a small step away from the metal being. She may be a seasoned warrior but one good hit from an iron golem could easily end her.

"She'll do no such thing." She declared, resting her hands on the small illager's shoulders in a protective manner. The hero gaped at the women while a murmur ran through the crowd behind Salah. What is she doing…?

"Yumi, what else are we supposed to do?!" Salah cautioned. "It's an illager and if there's no raiders here, now, this illager WILL come back with one! They cause nothing but death and destruction."

Yumi rolled her eyes. While she's not too fond of the illagers, this one here is different. Not only how small he is but also how he reacted to her and to the village's hero. No illager worth their sugar faints at the mere sight of a hero.

"Really now… That tribe of illagers has not bothered us since Valkory decided to stay." Yumi replied, firm in her tone. She rolled her head towards Salah and gave him a look that said 'how could you forget that?'.

Valkory watched Salah grind his teeth, a soft growl escaping his throat. He disliked how much he had to agree with Yumi. Ever since Valkory built her house just outside of the village and began to patrol the surrounding area, raids have all but stopped. The last eight months have been the most peaceful the village experienced in a long while. Still the villager leaned back slightly, trying to find other reasons to try to get the illager out of his village.

"Besides... He's harmless Salah." She added, looking at the elder and gesturing to the still out cold illager. "Not only did he try to run away from me when I mentioned our location, we all saw how he fainted when Valkory arrived!"

"Well... It could very well be attempting to trick us! Pretending to faint to get our guards lowered!"

"For what? What would a lone illager want from this village that he'd risk his life for?" Asked Yumi, clearly not buying Salah's excuses. She looked down at the small illager, Valkory followed her gaze. Poor fellow is still out of it. So much so that Valkory started to get worried. "Plus he seems like he's doing a pretty good job. So good that he hasn't moved for a good five minutes."

Valkory turned her head towards the old farmer, seeing how rigid he became. She sensed the rising tension between the villagers and that this argument is going in circles. Breathing out, Valkory leaned back slightly, thinking. She needed to find a simple way to please both parties. Which is a tall order… One believes that this illager is harmless and the other believes he wants to burn the village down. The hero mindlessly eyed Yumi's house, an average size home made out of brick and dark oak. Valkory suddenly blinked, an idea forming in her head.

The hero raised a hand and gently waved. Yumi and Salah were still arguing while she was lost in thought. Both villagers turned their attention to the hero with curious looks. Once all eyes were on her, Valkory reached into her pockets to pull out a well worn book with a pen tied to it. Taking the pen from the string, the hero opened the book and began to write. While she is not the greatest writer in the village, Valkory knew how to get her idea across.

The whole village stayed silent, waiting for the hero to write out her thoughts. The scratching of the pen seems deafening in the silence. Finally, Valkory turned the book around for all of the village to see. Yumi leaned forward, reading aloud the message for the whole village to hear.

'Allow me to house the illager. I will watch over him. If he misbehaves in any way then I will take the fault and deal with him.'

Salah straightened his back, looking offended that Valkory even suggested the idea.

"Absolutely No-" Began Salah, however Yumi swiftly and effortlessly cut him off.

"What a lovely idea!" She exclaimed, grinning. "This way we can keep a close on eye him, have the other illagers away, and truly see he's not a threat."

Yumi directed the last bit towards Salah. The Elder let out a loud grunt as he threw his hands into the air, knowing he had lost. It's one thing to deal with Yumi's legendary stubbornness but the moment Valkory sided with her, Salah knew it is best to simply accept defeat.

"Fine!" Salah barked, turning around. "When this all goes wrong, and it will, this is on your head. It's not a question if that little monster will cause trouble here… It's only a question of when."

With that final declaration, the village's elder marched back toward his house. Sensing that the conflict is now resolved, the crowd began to disperse. Valkory felt a pang of guilt as she watched him go, not used to seeing Salah this upset. With a sigh, Valkory looked down at the illager on Yumi's lap. She bent down and gingerly scooped up the small illager into her arms, holding him close to her. He's much lighter than she thought, Valkory barely felt him in her arms. Yumi saw the look on the hero's scarred face, the villager gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It will be alright Valkory." Yumi said, smiling softly. "I promise."

Valkory returned the smile. Holding the Illager with one arm, she reached back and behind her, the hero placed her wolf helm back on her head before turning to the gates. While marching to her house with Yumi in tow, Valkory idly wondered what she got herself into.