In The Dark | Krobus (Stardew Valley)

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"Stay back!" you thundered with bared teeth, swinging your sword in the dimly lit, cramped caverns of the Stardew Valley mines. Nearly a hundred levels under the surface, with no one to hear your screams, a slime projectile hampered your escape as you tried to limp away from any monsters.

Blood gushed from your head in sync with the beating of your heart. Sharp pains in your side stormed as your chest pounded, threatening to break free from your rib cage. There were three shadowy figures awkwardly ambling at you with malicious expressions etched on their complexions. With phantom limbs, they reached out to grab you, to which you weakly swung your sword once more.

Your arms grew heavy and exhausted. Anxiety grew solid in your chest as the hold on your sword was slackened and slippery from the sweat storing on your palms. You looked back to run, your tired legs staggered frantically as fast as they could.

Your stomach further plummeted at the rocks blocking the exit. With your energy and health depleated, burning hot tears beaded the rims of your eyes as you reached for your pickaxe. A pair of dark, phantom hands harshly clamped down on your shoulder and yanked you back with a ferocious force. You let out a helpless yelp, following a shriek of anguish as you tried to reach for the ladder.

"(Y/N)," The dark figure spoke. Before your eyes the shallow ceiling expanded and the pain in your side disappeared. The shadowy figures blurred into one familiar one. Your roommate, Krobus, who you had grown close to recently wore an expression that was as concerned as you'd seen a shadow person muster.

"Krobus," you said, putting your hand up to your face, feeling it soaked with sweat and tears. As you spoke, you became more aware of the rawness of your throat, indicating the less than silent sleep you had woken from. The bewildered look Krobus gave you filled your gut with guilt and dread.

"I am confused," said Krobus, somewhat tilting his head to the side. "You are angry?"

You blankly stared at him for a second before responding. Despite your forlorn voice, you tried your best to reassure him. "No... no, it's just a bad dream. Sorry if I woke you."

Krobus withdrew, repeating the word "dream" under his breath several times. "Your dreams are frequent and they induce anger?"

His effort to understand made you feel worse."Um... well, Krobus, I know you want to understand humans... but I don't feel like taking about it... okay?"

To say Krobus was perplexed was an understatement. However, he complied and nodded. "Okay (Y/N). May your rest be more peaceful, then."

"Thanks," you muttered.

You were thankful he hadn't pried further. After growing so close to Krobus, you'd realized how friendly and caring he is. Unlike his fellow shadow people, whom have escorted you to the brink of death several times. However that only meant you had killed many of them in turn.

Wheher it was meeting the business end of a few shadow people, or successfully heaving in victory over their lifeless body, your interactions with them always left a bad taste in your mouth.

Even so, his friendship with the monsters was a flaw you could handle. You figured if you told Krobus about the nightmares, he would resent you. This, what he doesn't know won't kill him. Krobus was too important to let something like a little childish nightmare get in the way of your friendship.

The next several nights you had experienced the same terrors. All while, Krobus remained a worried witness, unsure what to do. It seemed there was no helping you and it frightened Krobus. From what he knew about humans, sleep was very important and typically a peaceful ordeal.

Only, your sleep cycle became more and more disarray and chaotic. You'd been staying out later than usual, stumbling in at 1 am every night, followed by restless sleep.

You fretted over your receding stock in stone and gems, your pickaxe unused and leaning against the wall of your closet. Added stress of going back into the mines fueled your lack of sleep. But when you did, you found yourself plagued by horrible images and vivid memories of your own blood spewing from your cracked skull.

Krobus would watch in fear as you tossed and turn, sobbing in your sleep. You gripped your sweat-soaked bedsheets like it was a life source. Every so often, the terrors would become so severe, that you'd jerk awake, sometimes screaming with a tear-streaked face hyperventilating.

These episodes only worsened as the weeks went by. Krobus was awakened by thrashing and pain-filled cries ricocheting off the walls. You looked so terrified as you slept, almost more animated than when you were awake. Krobus didn't know much about human behavior, but his intuition told him this was not normal.

If that wasn't bad enough, you'd wake up with dark circles under your half-lidded eyes. Krobus noticed you were more on edge around him in the early morning. As if he had tried to kill you in your sleep.

"I read in a book that frequent night terrors may be a result of a stressful event," said Krobus, trying to confront you about the sleepless nights. "It is not normal for humans, I think we should discuss-"

"I'm a farmer, Krobus," you interrupted him. "It's a stressful job."

Krobus tried to reason your logic, but still found no solution to your problem. This particular night, though, would prove to be the last night before you decided to get help. Of course, that could only mean things got ugly.

You sat up, weeping from your nightmare. Ghosts, whispered taunts in your ears as slimes held you down to the floor. There was so much blood matted on your hair and skin, you were sure your entire circulatory system was comprised of adrenaline by now.

Meanwhile, Krobus watched you stumble through the house, muttering nonsense to yourself over and over. Your voice was erratic and paranoid and your forehead was sleeked with a layer of beaded sweat. There was a tremble in your step.

He approached you from behind, and tried to tap on your shoulder to wake you up, under the impression you were sleep walking. Only, to his surprise, you quickly turned and had thrown a punch square in his center, knocking him back, leaving him confused and hurt. You tackled him, pinning the shadow person to the ground.

"(Y/N), you're hurting me!" Krobus squirmed to his feet.

"Krobus!" You cried, panic and regret forming in your gut. "W-why would you sneak up on me like that! You scared me!"

"We need to figure out what is bothering you or I am going to tell Dr. Harvey." Krobus demanded and slammed his foot onto the floor.

"You can't," you said with worry. "You... you'd be putting yourself in too much danger."

"If that is what it takes to make you feel safe, I have no options left."

"Krobus..."

"I have been experiencing a foreign emotion ever since I began living with you," he confessed. "I am unable to identify it, but even so, I would not trade this feeling for anything else."

"Krobus, I care about you, too." You looked down, averting your gaze. "But I have to handle this myself."

"You don't have to," Krobus replied thoughtfully. "I'm here for you, and I want to help."

A flood of relief toppled you over. "Okay..." You took a seat on the sofa, Krobus sitting next to you. He listened intently as you communicated

"My mining expeditions... Slimes, dust spirits, skeletons, and even s- shadow people, Krobus. I fought and killed them. It fucked me up and I thought I could ignore it. I didn't think- Krobus, you mean a lot to me and I know you'd never hurt me but I get so scared..."

"You can trust me, (Y/N)," Krobus scooted closer to you. "Why did not tell me sooner?"

"I thought you'd hate me," you acknowledged. "After all, I... I fought and killed so many shadow people. I cared about you too much to let the nightmares get in the way."

Krobus exchanged a hug with you.
"I could never hate you, (Y/N)."

"I'm so glad we're friends, Krobus. Even if we come from completely different worlds, I couldn't ask for a better friend."

"Likewise."

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The End

a/n

sorry if this is cringe asf