Warm… He felt warm and safe. Archie curled up tighter in the soft wool covers, gently nuzzling his pillow. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this cozy. Well, it doesn't matter now. So far no one in the mansion has bothered him thus Archie's sleepy mind decided to simply enjoy their warm bed. And yet… Something nagged the illager. With a frown, Archie felt like he was forgetting something. Something really important…

Realization hit the illager like a falling anvil. Archie does not own a bed and he is not in the mansion. What happened last night flashed through his mind. The banishment, the wondering, the village, the Hero.

THE HERO!

Jerking up from the covers, forgetting the warm bliss it gave. Archie wildly looked around the unfamiliar room. Fear gripped his mind as his eyes darted around. On any other occasion, Archie would have found the place to be nice. The room was primarily made out of dark oak planks, shelves dotted the walls, a potted brush in a corner, and yellow carpet lined the floor. Light streamed in from a tall window, heating the room to a cozy degree. Leaning forward, Archie could only see leaves from the dark oaks meaning he's somewhat high up from the ground. Looks like he's not climbing out the window. Which is probably a good thing, Archie doubted his climbing abilities… Looking back into the room, Archie noted an oak dresser sat at the base of the bed the illager rested on. On top of the dresser is an open book and a yellow candle next to it. Crawling toward, Archie curiously looked at the book. There was some kind of writing on it, with a 'hrm' Archie sat back down, frowning. He wished he could read…

Deciding that now is the best time to see if he could leave quietly, Archie gently slid off of the bed and onto the carpeted floor. Pleased he didn't make a single sound, Archie slowly crept forward and towards the door. Holding his breath, he pushed the door as lightly as he could muster, not wanting to risk the door handles to squeak. Mercifully, there was no sound and soon Archie stood in the halls of this strange house. Red and blue checkered carpet ran across the short hall, Archie spotted more glowstone embedded in the walls, and there were some potted plants lining the walls. With no sign of the house's owner, Archie timidly shuffled down the hall and towards a set of stairs.

All seemed to go according to plan, Archie actually felt hopeful. Perhaps he could just slip back into the forest, far from the Hero and the village they guarded. He could take his chances with the mobs, at least they can be slow and dumb. Landing on the ground floor, Archie turned a corner and all hopes of a quiet escape disappeared. There, sitting on the living room couch, is a villager. Archie recognizes the villager as Yumi, the one who ordered the iron golems. Why was she here?! Archie quickly turned and started his way back up the stairs, mind racing to come up with a different plan. Hopefully Yumi didn't see him.

"Oh! You're awake!"

Oh Nether… Archie flinched, turning his head to look over his shoulder and at the villager. Yumi had got up from the couch, arms folded into the sleeves of her long robes. She held a soft smile, which confused the illager.

"You've been out for so long, I was getting worried!" She said. There was a beat of silence, the villager cleared her throat, then straightened her back. "Oh, how rude of me, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yumi! Yumi of the Squid Coast village."

She bowed slightly. "And you are?"

Another beat of silence, Archie didn't say anything. He stood stock still, holding his hands against his chest. Breathing in deeply, Archie croaked out in a shaky voice.

"Archie…." Yumi's smile turned into a worried frown.

"I am not here to hurt you, I promise." She said gently, hoping to calm down the frightened illager. Archie hummed nervously, swallowed thickly before slowly lowering his hands. He reminded himself that this a villager, pacifists by nature. Plus if she really wanted to hurt him then she had plenty of opportunities to do so. No, his main worry was…

"W… Where's that Hero?" He asked, glancing around. So far he has not seen the hero anywhere in the house. Not knowing made the illager nervous…

"She's outside." Replied Yumi, nodding her head towards a set of double oak doors at the far end of the room. Archie leaned over to one side and past Yumi, spotting the doors and the tall windows beside them. From where he stood, Archie can just see a figure standing in front of the doors. Once he saw the wolf helm, his heart began to race and his breathing picked up a notch. Seeing Archie's distress, Yumi quickly began to shush the illager in a gentle tone. She walked slowly towards him, Archie's eyes snapped towards the approaching villager. He sucked in a breath and held it.

"Hey hey," Yumi murmured, kneeling down and placing her hands on his shoulders. Archie stiffened, chin tucked in and shoulders raised. "Valkory is NOT here to harm you. She's here to watch you."

Surprised at Yumi's words, Archie held out his breath. Watch him? Watch him do…. What? Sensing Archie's confusion and hoping to further calm him down, Yumi continued.

"Our hero has convinced the village to allow you to stay!" Yumi exclaimed with a smile. Whatever train of thought that Archie crashed at Yumi's words. That Hero, Valkory, convinced a whole village to allow him in? "Of course there are some villagers that are nervous about you so to ease their fears, Valkory will be watching over you and to ensure that you won't cause any trouble in the village."

Archie owlishly blinked at Yumi, slowly his body relaxed. While he is still spooked by the Hero's presence, hope trickled into his heart.

"Sh-she really did that? For me?" He managed to ask, playing with the hem of his shirt. Yumi nodded, removing her hands from the illager's shoulders. Carefully folding them back into her sleeves, Yumi got up from the ground then strode towards the door. Archie sensed that the villager wanted him to follow yet he hesitated. Going outside meant facing the Hero and that's the last thing he wanted to do. Yumi stopped just before the doors, she turned to see Archie still staying at the base of the stairs.

"I promise you everything will be ok. You will be ok. So long as you're under Valkory's watch, nothing bad will happen." She soothed, her tone warm and comforting. "Afterall, you're in her house."

Archie jumped slightly at this new piece of information. Glancing around, the illager just assumed the place belonged to a rather fancy villager. Truly if this Hero wanted his dead, she would not have allowed him to sleep in her haven. Seeing the logic behind Yumi's words, Archie took a deep breath, straightened his back, then padded over to Yumi. The villager smiled happily. There was a brief moment of silence, perhaps Yumi allowed a moment to pass so that Archie could brace himself, then the villager opened the double doors.

Sunlight briefly blinded the illager, Archie raised a hand to shade his eyes. He blinked then froze when he spotted the hero a few yards away. There, the Hero from last night stood guarding the front door of the house. Valkory, upon hearing the doors creaking open, turned around and curiously looked over at the duo. Archie couldn't decide if seeing the hero in the sunlight made things better for him. She stood a whole block taller than him. The hero held her head up high and proud, her great hammer resting on the ground with her hands firmly placed on the top of the hilt.

Valkory nodded at the two, turning completely around to face them. She tilted her head to one side, her eyes resting on the small illager. Well, eye. In the sunlight Archie noticed her right eye is covered up by a dark grey cloth. Blinking hard, Archie forced himself to break eye contact. Archie, then, began to notice a few new details, such as her dark red hair poking out from the bottom of her helmet. Her right arm is completely covered by leather armor and her left lower arm is wrapped up completely with a white cloth. Wolf skin wrapping around her shoulders, covering her chest, hips, and all of her lower part of her legs. The clothes under the skins had many patches and stitches. Archie eyed the scars that poked out from her left arm wrappings, he could see a slash and a bite mark. He idly wondered if a zombies had bitten her.

"Good morning." Yumi grinned, walking boldly towards the hero. Archie stayed rooted to the spot at the door post and watched in amazement as the villager got right up to the hero. "I take it you slept well enough?"

The Hero nodded, smiling softly at Yumi. Valkory didn't say anything, just tilting her head towards Yumi and gave her a questioning look.

"I slept fine, thank you for asking." Yumi answered the Hero's silent question. Valkory breathed out a quiet sigh, seemingly satisfied before she turned her attention towards Archie. He shuffled slightly, his breath caught in his throat. Seeing his discomfort, the Hero raised a hand then taking a step back. Archie relaxed slightly, just ever so slightly. The two being stared at each other, one fearfully, the other curiously. Yumi glanced at the both of them, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Uh… Hi?" Archie managed to croak out, raising a trembling hand. The hero nodded but not saying anything. Confused, Archie glanced over at Yumi, with a pleading look. The Hero realized her mistake with a frown. She tilted her head back, exposing her throat, His eyes widened as he noted the scars. The Hero then ran her fingers down her neck. Pulling her hand back she made a dismissive gesture. Archie starred in confusion. Yumi smiled sadly, leaning forward and towards Archie.

"Valkory is mute." The villager exclaimed. Archie's eyebrows shot up, mute? He quickly looked back at the hero's throat. The Hero shuffled, seemingly uncomfortable with Archie's gaze on her scars. She tugged on her wolf pelf up, hiding her neck, before turning to the side. Valkory nodded towards the village then glanced up at the mid morning sky.

"I suppose you're right." Yumi commented, "We should get going."

Valkory is the first to move, walking towards the dark oak gates and pushing it open. She stepped out of the court yard, turning her head to look into the forest. Yumi was the second to leave the yard, standing in front of the Hero and turning around to look at Archie. Swallowing, the illager slowly made his way out, body stiff and his hand tightly gripping his shirt. He pasted the gates and now stood awkwardly in between the hero and the villager. Valkory turned to look down at Archie, blinking slowly with her one eye, her hammer neatly by her side. Archie stared up at her, intimidated by her presents. Then she did something that surprised the illager. Looking away, Valkory took a few steps away from Archie, turning around and walked towards Yumi, stopping just shy of standing beside her. Now Archie stood alone in front of her house. The hero slowly extended a hand towards the village, palm up and relaxed. At first the illager didn't know what to make of this, the gears in his mind grinded away before it clicked. Valkory is giving him an option.

'Will you come with me to the village?' She silently inquired. Archie was stunned by this, she could easily herd him into the village, forcing him to be under her watch, and yet she's asking him. He studied her hand, relaxed and open, then turned his head towards the dark forest. Valkory is giving him a way out too. He could easily spin on his heels and flee into the darkness. It would be the easiest answer for everyone, he supposed. He could just disappear into the forest, returning to whenever he came from and the village and could all go back to their lives. He'll become nothing but a memory to these people, something they'd grumble or crack jokes about over lunch, and soon forget about. Archie shuttered at the thought about returning to the forest and facing all the dangers. If he goes with the hero and Yumi, he is at least guaranteed some form of housing and protection. Taking in a deep breath, Archie nodded at the hero, stepping towards her and onto the brick path that led to the village. Valkory smiled warmly and yumi hummed approvingly.

"All right, just follow me and stay close." Yumi advised, taking the lead. Archie quickly followed the villager while Valkory lagged behind to guard the two individuals.

Archie picked at the hem of his shirt once more, staring straight ahead and at Yumi's back. His heart hammered in his chest, forcing the illager to take deep breaths as he walked down the brick path. Yumi walked in front of him, staying close. Archie didn't mind her, it's the presence behind him that made him nervous. He can hear Valkory's footsteps, each one sounding heavier than Yumi's. While he is glad that the hero had convinced the village to take him in, she still scared him. Heroes are not put in a great light by his fellow illagers and with good reason. Just one Hero can easily dispatch a whole patrol with little effort. The illager's gaze slowly lowered to the ground, watching the ground pass as he walked. There is not much he can do about the Hero, so Archie just has to accept the fact he is going to see her a whole lot for the next few… Weeks? Months? The small illager realized he didn't know how long Valkory was going to shadow him, he did not like that idea at all.

"Hey," Yumi announced suddenly. Archie jumped slightly then looked up and at the villager. She gave him a soft smile. "We're here."

Blinking, Archie glanced around. Oh, they made it to the village already, and… Archie stood only inches away from the closed gates. A small brush creeped to his creeks, he got so lost in his thoughts, he almost walked right into the gates! Yumi chuckled ever so lightly, stepping forward and pushing the gates open with both hands.

"Relax, everything will go smoothly. With Valkory around, they can see you're not going to harm anyone." She comforted, folding her arms back into her sleeves. Archie breathed out before nodding. Squaring his shoulders, the illager followed Yumi into the village with Valkory tailing behind them.

The village, in Archie's opinion, is beautiful. Compared to the dark and sometimes cramped mansion, the Squid Coast village is much much nicer. Each house is made out of brick and dark oak, big enough to house two villagers comfortably. In between each house were a dazzling array of flowers, most Archie never seen. Blues, pinks, yellows, even purple flowers dotted the free space. All complementing the house very nicely. As the trio walked deeper into the village, the inhabitants quickly noticed the odd bunch. Archie felt vulnerable, hearing whispers and felt stares against his back. In the naked light of the day, Archie was sure, and hoped, that he looked much less threatening. However, he didn't know if anyone thought of him as a threat after he fainted late night… Nether, just the thought alone made him want to find a hole to curl up in, he felt embarrassed.

"Hey Valkory!" "Good Morning Hero."

Archie blinked, hearing a spattering of voices from the bustling crowd. Looking behind him, the illager watched as a few villagers greeted the Hero. Valkory returned each and every greeting with a small smile and a nod, taking care not to miss any villager. While Archie knew that villagers favor Heros and often go to great lengths to keep them around, it was odd for the illager to see how fond this village seemed to be for the local hero. Perhaps Archie was just biased, having never seen Heros interact with villagers before. There was just so much he didn't know about life outside of the mansion or his tribe.

"All right, here we are!" Said Yumi, once again pulling Archie out of his thoughts. The illager realized they made it to the center of the village. A large well rested in the heart of the village, a few villagers crowded around it and chatted away. Archie could also see some children running around and playing, their laughter can be heard above the crowd.

"Here is the centre of the village. I brought you here so you can learn which paths go where." Yumi began to explain, pulling out a hand. She began to point as she talked "Generally speaking to the North is the gates, south is the docks, to the east is where we keep most of our animals, and finally to the west is where most work stations."

Archie turned this way and that, looking over where Yumi pointed. He tried his best to store this important information, he did not want to get lost and end up somewhere not allowed.

"Today I figure we should introduce you to the village then tomorrow we can find you some work to do." Yumi continued, glancing around and deciding where to go first. As Yumi stood there, thinking, a group of children ran past Archie. The illager had to sidestep to avoid being bowled over. One small child in purple robes suddenly cried out.

"VAL!" The child practically threw herself onto the legs of the Hero. The other children soon called out to the hero. For a moment, Archie held his breath, his mind immediately assumed the worst. Instead, Valkory knelt down, a broad smile on her face. The child in purple let go of her legs and now latched onto her neck, illager let out a breath, watching the children bounce around the hero. Together, they all begged Valkory to either play with them or tell a story. Archie was not sure how the hero could tell stories, considering she's mute, but she must have her ways since one child asked to recount the tale of how she fought a band of witches.

"Children." Yumi called out, having quickly noticed the group. "I am really sorry but Valkory is not here to visit."

There was an immediate cry of dismay that quickly transformed into pleas of just an hour of playtime. Some even hugged the Hero, looking up at her with big tearful eyes. Valkory just smiled sadly, reaching out and gently stroking their smooth heads.

"Later?" Asked one.

"Please! You've been away for sooo long!" Pleaded another.

Valkory made a big show of thinking, swaying this way and that, as the please continued. Yumi chuckled while Archie just stood there in confusion. This must be a regular occurrence. Finally Valkory nodded and the children cheered, dancing around the hero before the group because to trot off to a different part of the village to play in. The child in purple robes gave the hero one final hug then chased after the group.

"You'll meet them later." Yumi trilled, watching the group round a corner then disappeared. She motioned for Archie to follow her. Glancing where the children disappeared, Archie pursued the villager west. For the remainder of the day, Archie learned the places and faces of the village. The west side teemed with villagers working their craft. The illager heard the clanging of smiths, the creeks of looms turning, and splashing of leatherworkers. Yumi guided Archie around, introducing him to the villager's workers. To Archie's greatest amazement was just the warm welcoming. The Villagers had smiled and returned the greetings, some even welcomed him to the village! It boggled Archie's mind that they accepted him in so quickly. Back at the mansion any newcomers have to fight for their worth, his tribe would not take in any slackers.

Yumi made sure to take today as slowly as she could. Archie quickly understood why, he underestimated how large this village was. Rows upon rows of workshops lined the roads with even more villagers milling in and around them. He met many new faces, their names and their occupations. Arylo the cleric, Xu the baker, Byron and Chandra the two smiths, Zuri the shepherd, Felix the librarian, Farouk the tailor, Nanuq the cowhand, and Liam the cook. It was almost too much for the small Illager, and this was just scratching at the surface! There were clearly more villagers to learn about. Yumi assured the illager he got plenty of time to learned about everyone, there is no rush.

As Yumi guided Archie around the village's work stations, Archie would sometimes glance back and watch as Valkory greeted the workers. It amazed him how relaxed she is around the villagers and vice versa. She would extend a hand, taking the workers. She listened to their questions, taking out a well used book from a pocket and writing down answers before leaving. The illager simply could not wrap his head around how comfortable everyone is around Valkory, did they not know she could destroy this place without breaking a sweat? Or how a single strike with her hammer could end them all? No, they all would come to talk to her as if she is an old friend. Archie blink turning back to look ahead, maybe she is an old friend to some villagers.

The trio made a full loop of the west of the village and now found themselves back at the well. Archie stood in silence, blinking rapidly while digesting a mountain of new information.

"I know it's a lot to take in." Yumi commented, watching Archie with amusement. "Which is why I thought it would be appropriate to spend the first few days introducing yourself."

"T-there's more?" Sputtered Archie, leaning back in surprise. Yumi laughed good heartedly.

"Oh of course! Not every villager works here or even has jobs!" She chuckled, hiding her smile behind a sleeve. Archie's head spun at the idea of meeting more villagers, this surely can surely out number his tribe! Movement from his left broke Archie's train of thought. He turned around then jumped slightly as Valkory approached. Her posture was relaxed and her hands empty, the small illager wondered where her hammer went. The Hero thrusted her head up and towards the sky. Glancing up, Archie realized that it was growing dark, had he really spent the whole day talking to the village? And he's not done yet?!

"Oh!" Yumi exclaimed, surprised herself. "Wow, I did not notice the time. Heh it sure does fly by when you're having fun huh Val?"

The hero smiles, responding to Yumi's comments with a slow nod. As the trio began to return to the Valkory's house, Archie milled over today's events. Everyone here was so friendly, they all had some form of smile and greeted him with kindness. It distrubed the illager how relaxed they all were. Shaking his head slightly, Archie glanced back at the village, watching the gates close and barring the trio out. Perhaps they could afford to, having such thick walls and a doting Hero to protect them. The same Hero that opened her doors to him, most literally and metaphorically.

Later that night, after a hearty meal, Archie laid on his back in bed. It still baffled him that a hero, A HERO, convinced a village to allow him to stay and earn his keep. If anything, the hero should have squished him with her great hammer on sight. Rolling over to his side, Archie stared into the darkness as his eyelids slowly closed. Maybe… Maybe this will not go so bad afterall.