Frozen Tears (OC x Stardew Valley Sebastian)

10- Rescue Mission Pt. 2

"Like, down into the mines?" Sam asks, bewildered. I nod.

"Yeah. We need to go get her. No one else is going to." I look to my mom and then to Linus. He nods.

"I'll go with you," Linus volunteers. 

"Be careful, okay?" Mom says, audibly nervous. I put my hands on her shoulder and smile.  

"Don't worry, Mom. We will be back soon," I assure her, and she smiles at me. Sam breathes in deep and then lets it out.

"Alright, yeah, let's go get her." We look at each other, and then to Linus, and together we move towards the door to leave. My mom says a few more words of caution and we assure her we will be fine. Together, we travel upwards towards the mine. 

It's starting to get dark out and the chill sends a shiver up my spine. I'm anxious; I've never done anything risky like this, but I suppose I don't really have a choice. 

There's a layer of awkwardness between us all as we walk towards the mine. Linus doesn't usually talk to me when I am outside. It's weird, now, to be planning a rescue mission with him. I wonder why he's taken a liking to the farmer?

Sam clears his throat. I look to him.

"What do we do if we can't find her? Or, if we do, and she's not okay?" He asks, slowly, as if he doesn't want to hear the answer. I look down at my feet. I don't want to think of it.

"Then we try again tomorrow," Linus answers, but he only answers Sam's first question. I'm grateful for his response. I don't know what I would have said. I don't want to think of it. 

We cross the bridge to get towards the entrance of the mine in a straight line. Linus leads us. We stay quiet, a film of anxiousness encasing each of us. Neither Sam nor I have been down here before. It's been closed off since I was young. Before the boulder was in front of it, I'm sure Linus went down there from time to time. He seems like the type that would adventure into the caves for fun. 

I wonder what he does all day. He's got a nice little setup with his campfire and his tent, but still...

As we enter the cave, my eyes immediately find the elevator. Faintly, I see it glow. Sam, however, is not so quick to realize. He's a himbo and I love him for it. Or, maybe, he's a golden retriever boy. Maybe even... a mix of both.

"Do we have to take the ladders down?" He questions. I look at him and raise my eyebrows. 

"No, dude, look." I point to the elevator. 

He chuckles a little. "Oh, right, yeah." 

Linus takes the lead and guides us to the elevator. He presses the down button. There's dirt under his fingernails. 

It makes a little beeping noise, a hum, and then a moment later, the doors open. I look at Sam and he looks at me as Linus goes inside. We turn from each other and walk in as well. Linus is inspecting the buttons, and then says, "She's in between floors ten and fifteen most likely."

I look at him, surprised. "How do you know?" I ask. He clears his throat and stands up straighter. The scent of rust is strong in here.

"Well, when you go down five floors, the elevator starts to work. Every five floors there's a door for it. The last one powered is ten. She got to level ten. She would've come back up through the elevator, but assuming that she's down there, she's past level ten. Does that make sense?" He explains, his voice rough.

Sam tilts his head, and I can tell he's feeling awkward. "Yeah, kinda," He says. It makes sense to me. Linus is about to press the button for level ten, but he hesitates and pulls his hand back.