Ashcraft Minecraft Podcast

Despite the Villagers’ initial reservation about him, Archie managed to find a way to fit in well in relatively little time. The morning after he arrived, Yumi sat him down and listened to the Tale of how he’d been banished from his tribe. Later that day she took him around and introduced him to everyone in the village, one home at a time.In the naked light of day, Archie must have seemed much less threatening to the Villagers. Yumi had found an old set of clothes to dress him in. They were simple but serviceable for Villager clothing, or so she told him. Even so, they were nicer than just about anything he’d ever worn as part of his Illager tribe. Most of the Villagers Archie met seemed kind and happy now. Even ones who’d scowled at him last night. A few of them actually said “Welcome to our Village,” to him.The only real exception was Salah. He refused to speak to Archie at all. Instead, he tried to pretend the Illager wasn’t there as he growled at Yumi. “That thing you dressed up like a doll is vermin,” he told her. It doesn't belong here, and every minute you keep it here, you put the entire village in danger.” Yumi scoffed at him and gestured at Archie. “Look at him. Does he look like a threat to you?”Salah pointedly didn't take his eyes off Yumi’s face. That's an Illager, not a Villager. Only Villagers belong in the village. It's in the name.” With that, he slammed the door of his house in Yumi’s face. She narrowed her eyes at it for a moment, as if she was considering kicking it down. Instead, she turned and escorted Archie away. “Don't worry about him,” she said as they headed back to her place. “He’ll come around eventually.”“What if he doesn't?” Archie couldn't help but worry that the man would do anything in his power to get rid of him.“Then it’ll make him miserable- not you- but there’s nothing you can do about that.”Over the next couple of weeks, Archie did his best to make himself useful. He accompanied Yumi out of her house whenever she went out, mostly because he didn't want to be left alone. Anytime she asked him to do something, he jumped to comply. He wanted nothing more than to please her and to —- as Yumi often commented with a gentle smile  —- earn his keep. Archie wasn't always good at doing what he was asked, but he put every bit of effort into it that he could muster. Terrified that Yumi's mercy toward him could expire any moment, he made up his mind that he wasn't going to give her any excuse to let the rest of the people kick him out of the village. At least, not if he could help it.Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Archie actually felt more useful than he ever had at any other point in his life, and even appreciated. While the people of the village didn’t completely trust him — yet, he told himself  — they treated him better than almost all of his fellow Illagers ever had.Support the show

"Help!" the Villager hollered at the top of her lungs as she hauled on the bell's rope, ringing it loud and clear. "Help!"Until that moment, Archie had held out some insane sort of hope that he'd be able to talk with the woman and get her to see his point of view. He'd planned to just turn around and run like a herd of creepers was after him the moment anything went wrong. But when he went to do just that, an iron golem appeared out of the darkness, cutting off his clearest avenue of escape.The golem reached out to grab Archie, and he squealed in terror. Before the massive creature could crush him, though, the Villager signaled for it to stop, and she stormed up to interrogate him instead."Where are the rest of them?" she demanded. "What's your trick here?"Support the show

 Archie wandered lost in the plains,  distraught over being kicked out of the only tribe-the only family, really -he’d ever known. His entire life he’d worried that no one actually liked him much. That the only ones who even seem like they might tolerate him had only been doing so out of politeness.And now he had proof. When the tribe had been given a choice between Thord and him, they’d thrown Archie to the mercy of the mobs. Given how Illagers prized strength over anything, he’d been expecting it to happen however, But he’d still hoped for something better. Without the protection of the tribe he’d probably be dead within a week.He wondered how he’d go. Would a zombie take him down? Would a skeleton skewer him with an arrow?  Or would a creeper come hissing up behind him and blast him to nothing?As night fell,  Archie did what he’d been trained to do if he was ever caught out alone in the open after dark, something that had rarely happened to him before. It was supposed to be the only way to protect yourself From the roaming hordes of undead mobs that came out at night to claw and tear at the living. So Archie found a hole in the ground -a bit of a depression, really -and jumped into it. Then he buried himself under the earth.He knew he’d done a bad job of it right away. It wasn't like he’d carved out of proper space in the ground below himself and then sealed himself in. He’d just done the best he could, which came down to covering himself with as much loose dirt as he could manage.It didn't take Archie long to realize he couldn't breathe - or at least that the fear that gripped him made it feel that way. Maybe that was the kind of thing that people with proper tools and discipline could manage by making themselves a well protected space, but Archie had neither such implements nor the know-how to use them.Terrified by the tight confines and gasping for air, Archie clawed his way back up out of the dirt and stood there exposed under the night sky. It was a big World, he knew, and he was a tiny Illager. Maybe the mobs would just miss him?He looked around the woods through which he had wandered, hoping perhaps that they could offer him some shelter. In the day, the trees kept the sun off his head, but now, in the darkness, they seemed like they only gave cover in which all sorts of nameless nightmares could hide. He peered around them in every direction, fully expecting death to leap out from behind them.Support the show

“ You can't tell anyone this is my fault!”  Archie said.  “You just can't!”  He’d snatched up a blade of his own,  one too heavy for him to wield properly, although there wasn't much to be done about that. The entire way back to the Illager Mansion, he’d kept well behind Thord, making sure to stay far out of range of the bigger Illager’s spells.He’d paid the price for being too careless around Thord once today already.  He didn't care much to make that mistake again. For his part, Thord ignored Archie's pleas, with the exception of the occasional smug chuckle. Archie knew the evoker would sell him out the moment they got back to the Illager mansion, but he didn't see what he could do about it. He kept begging until his voice grew hoarse, and then he finally gave up.When they came within a bow shot of dimension dash a large three-story building in house most of the tribe – the other villages rushed out to greet them and Archie's stomach twisted in his guts he knew exactly how they were going to take the news of the raiding parties defeat and who they were going to blame if he left them.An idea blazing In his head, Archie set his jaw, braced himself, and raced out in front of Thord. The evoker growled at him as he passed him by, but with his injuries, he couldn't keep up. He barely even seemed to try.The Illager leader - a tall, skinny one by the name of Walda- stepped forward from the pack of anxious people who had gathered for news of the raiding party. Archie could tell by the disgusted looks on their faces that they already suspected how awful the raid had gone. No one ever came back alone from such a venture with good news.“A hero did it,” Archie told Walda. “He came up while we were fighting the undead mobs—and beating them—- and stole our victory!”Support the show

Join our host Asher as he takes you on a journey into Matt Forbeck's amazing book. In this episode Asher reads the prologue.Asher shares his love for Matt Forbeck's book, "The Rise of the Arch-Illager"! If you don't have the book, be sure to pick it up @amazon.ca and join Asher on the journey into this incredible read.Support the show

Join host Asher Baltazar as he reads Minecraft Dungeons: The Rise of the Arch-Illager, by Matt Forbeck.Asher shares his love for Matt Forbeck's book, "The Rise of the Arch-Illager"! If you don't have the book, be sure to pick it up @amazon.ca and join Asher on the journey into this incredible read.Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

When Archie St . Strode back to the entrance of high block , keep Walter stood there waiting to greet him. He appeared past her and checked out his fortress. It seemed to be on particularly good shape, maybe better than ever. You got the Drawbridge down and you've been fixing things up. He said to her I'm impressed, Waldo motion nervously toward the army of husks and skeletons that had followed Archie home. He glanced behind himself to see them fidgeting about in the broad daylight, unsure of how to handle themselves in a world with which everyone could always see them coming. You brought an undead army with you. I'm the one who's impressed. Archie shrugged. As if he'd forgotten, the mobs had been behind him. He had plenty of time to get used to the idea of leading an undead fighting force. He supposed , although he didn't think he would ever become jaded about hanging with the creatures who would try to eat him given even half a chance. We thought you were dead. Walter just said , not taking her eyes off the undead. We held awake in your honor. That was kind of you, but premature clearly Archie craned his neck and tried to take in the whole of the obsidian pinnacle from where he stood. Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

Support the show

Support the show