A weary old man with battle scars remained vigilant at the entrance to the mines. Adventure's Guild no longer had the members it once had, where people had either passed away or moved on with their lives. Yet, someone had to slay the monsters in these tunnels lest they find a way out of the mountain and into the valley. Marlon wished he didn't have his missing eye or a bad leg that could be the end of his adventuring days.

He stood over a ladder that would lead to the first levels of the mines, but he never dared to go beyond that. The old man knew that his age had caught up to him and there wasn't much he could do about that beyond passing down his knowledge to the newcomer sent by Mayor Lewis. His latest actions in Pelican Town was enough to earn his attention and direct his skills towards something far more productive.

Marlon waited several hours for the foreigner to arrive, but he remained patient with the farmer. After all, the young man had crops to take care of before making his way here. There was that one girl who wanted to be in these mines, but her parents were doing everything they can to change her habits. It wasn't his place to say anything about her desire to be in danger, but it's been a long time since he had seen that kind of spirit around these parts.

Farmer Alexei had entered the tunnel with a duffle bag hanging from his shoulders. It looked like he made preparations for his baptism of fire against the monsters. That was good to know that someone was ready for what lay ahead. He reached his hand out to the old man with a smile. "Are you Marlon?"

The veteran shook his hand and returned the same expression. "That's me. Are you ready to go down there?" It was a difficult decision for anyone to make, because once he goes into the deep he may not return from his travels.

He nodded his head. "Yes. Is there anything I should know about the first few sections of the mines I have to clear out?"

"The most common creature in those tunnels are slimes. They are generally easy to dispatch once you get a hang of things, but since you're new here I would be wary of them." Marlon explained. "Is that easy for you to understand?"

"So how does one kill a slime if they're just pure mass?" Now he's asking the right questions.

"Slimes generally have some sort of 'core' behind their slimy layer. You'll have to get a couple of good swings into their bodies before they stop being sentient and die." Speaking of swings, Alexei needed a weapon before he climbed down the ladder. Reaching for his side was a scabbard containing an old rusty sword that was just as old as he was back in his days. "Before you go down there, I think you'll need this sword for your own protection."

The offer was denied as the young man unzipped his duffle bag and pulled out a sheathed saber before his eye. "No need to hand me a sword, I have my own."

Marlon was surprised at this revelation. He assumed that a farmer such as Alexei wouldn't be carrying a weapon such as that in this day and age. "You have your own sword? How did you get one?"

There was a small smile from the farmer as he pulled his blade out from its sheath. The scabbard had gold embroidered into its skin while the saber's handguard carried a unique design he had not seen before. Clearly, its craft was well-designed by the people who made them as he swung his blade into the nothingness around him. "Before I came to Stardew Valley, I was a cavalry officer in my homeland. It has been a long time since I wielded this sword."

"How long?" He was genuinely curious to know more about this man.

"Perhaps not long enough. The last time I rode into combat felt like ages since then," Alexei returned his sword into the scabbard before he tied it to his belt. Then he reached into his duffle bag once more to pull out a rifle of a foreign design into his hands. "I suppose I'll find out once I get down there."

There was something to be impressed about the young man, but Marlon did well to hide his expression. Now that he was ready for combat, he had to make sure he was ready for the other matters within these tunnels. "That's good you're ready for a fight, but there is more to those tunnels than that. Did you at least have some food with you and some tools in case you get hungry or need a quick exit out?"

The farmer nodded his head. "Lewis mailed me on what to expect. I got some stir fry and my pickaxe just in case."

"Good, I suppose that's all I can do from here. If I think you are doing well in the mines, I might invite you over to the Adventurer's Guild. Perhaps you might find something there worthy of your efforts."

"I might visit once I'm done with this."

There are some things that will never change. "First, you have to prove yourself before I invite you. Then you will be welcomed."

He seemed to understand was asked of him if he wanted to join the Adventurer's Guild and so he managed to zip his duffle bag and walked towards the ladder. Marlon stepped aside and watched as another soul climbed deep into those tunnels once more.

When Alexei disappeared from the entrance light, the old adventurer walked towards the cave entrance with a hope that this farmer would survive his first encounters.

Torches were planted into the walls of stone where the light can be maximized. Whoever planted these torches down, the former cavalry officer could appreciate their placement. It had been a while since he used his rifle, the only time he did have it out was to clean it. Now his habit had finally come to fruition with a fine weapon in his hands. Alexei pulled back the bolt and retrieved his magazine from his pouch as he loaded his self-loading rifle with fresh ammunition.

Silence filled the darkness as he walked into his only path deep into the mine. On the other side of the tunnel, there was a torch above another hole and ladder in the ground. Hopefully, there wouldn't be a waste of time. Then he saw movement and heard a squishy sound approaching him. There were two masses of green slime that was moving towards him; however, he noticed their eyes focusing their full attention upon him as their 'cores' were revealed. One of these green slimes had an antenna attached to the top of their heads as they slowly jumped towards him.

Alexei raised his weapons and looked down its sights to get a decent chance at killing them. When he was able to see one of them land on the spot, the trigger was pulled. With one shot fired, a bullet casing jumped out after the rifle recoiled from its firing. By the time the bolt returned back to its position, the weapon had done its work when a slime exploded violently from its death. Satisfied by the result of his first monster kill, he turned his gaze upon the second monster - pulling the trigger once more. After the slime was killed by the second shot, he walked forward towards the hole in the ground.

He never had a chance to get on the ladder when he heard someone cry out from his left. "Hey, is there anybody out there?!" Someone was shouting for help. When he waited for another cry, a young man was crying out from amongst the clutter of boulders and rocks that were in the way. There seemed to be a cave-in and somebody must have been trapped as a result. "Hello?!"

The stranger's despair had compelled him to reply. "I can hear you!"

"Thank goodness, do you have a pickaxe or something to get us out of here?!"

"Indeed I do," Alexei answered. "Stay put, I'll try to clear the way!"

"Be careful, some of the monsters are hiding as rocks!"

Well, shit. That made things even harder. He hung his rifle around his back as he pulled his pickaxe from his duffle bag and prepared to draw his sword at a moment's notice. As he approached his first rock, his tool was raised before he started to crack at its hardness. Several pickings followed before the first rock in the way had resulted in smaller and irrelevant pieces. When he approached the second rock, he could see it pop off the ground with dozens of orange legs crawling towards him.

Alexei was taken aback by its sudden movement, slamming the pickaxe down upon its shell. However, his reprisal seemed to have done some damage as its shell fell off its back and it seemed to flee in terror without its protection. This emboldened the former cavalry officer to draw his sword in such tight quarters to stab into its vulnerable weak point before it had a chance to flee. His sword found itself back into its sheath as he repeated the work of a miner within these tunnels. He had to get this trapped stranger out of danger as possible - putting more effort into rescuing this man out of here.

When he worked closer, he noticed a torch past the last rock in front of him being held by a scared teenager - who was waving its flame at several large flying bugs. For a moment, his face seemed familiar in his eyes, but there was no time to be distracted by old memories. Rather than picking at the final rock, Alexei pushed it out of the way, clearing a path for the trapped stranger to escape. Then he looked past him to see a girl with purple hair lying unconscious on the ground.

A second later, the bugs steered away from the teen and focused on the lone man without a torch, but he would not allow such monsters to have it easy. Dropping his pickaxe, he drew his sword and took a step forward to unleash his wrath on the large bugs for attacking such easy prey. One bug flew towards him with stinger and mouth open, but an upward swing was enough to split it into two pieces - leaving a purple entrails and blood across the ground.

Two decided to approach him from both flanks as he looked at the one closest to him. Its stinger tried to stab him, but it misplaced its attack when he jumped aside and slashed at it's fluttering wings. With only one set available, it veered out of control and became immobile upon landing. The second bug seemed to be far more patient as it began to make it's run. Unlike the first two, it came in low and steady for his feet. Alexei anticipated it's snapping jaws as he jumped up in the air and aimed its edge on the eager creature. Upon landing, his sword ran through the bug's head as his landing pinned it to the ground, neither unable to fly nor utilize its stinger. It tried to move its head; however, a mere twist of the blade was quick enough to end it's existence in this world.

When he looked back at the two trapped individuals, the bugs had ceased to harass them any further and fled deeper into the darkness. Perhaps the initial killing was enough for them to recognize they were outmatched? He would never know as he walked towards the young man with the torch. "Are you okay?"

He nodded his head. "Yes, but Abigail got hit in the head during the cave-in."

As he sheathed his saber, Alexei reached into his duffle bag and pulled out a stick of dynamite in hand. "Carry her back to the surface, I'll make sure they won't follow us."

"Uh, yeah, I can do that." The stranger placed his torch on the ground and was quick to carry the unconscious girl in his arms. Then he quickly ran towards the cleared path as Alexei followed after him.

The tunnel began to vibrate within the tunnel as the former cavalry officer performed rear-guard action. He pulled out his lighter and sparked the fuze that would only be a matter of time for the explosives to go off.

The farmer sat quietly in his chair as the clinic was now busy with its two new patients from the dangerous time in those mines. Two people passed through that door just for him to recognize Pierre and his wife to express their worries. They had every rightful reason to look for someone to give them any good news. Then they approached him in his seat with Pierre's eyes looking for something to keep him going. "What happened to my daughter is she alright?!"

Alexei let in a breath of fresh air. "I don't know what Harvey will say, but she was knocked out in a cave-in. Thankfully, she appeared unharmed from the looks of it. Her friend seemed to be worse for wear."

Another person had entered the clinic, but he never truly knew this person. "Excuse me, is my Sam okay?"

He nodded his head in response to the mother. To his surprise, she was calmer than usual. "I know we have never truly met, but my name is Jodi. I like to thank you for saving my son."

"As am I," Pierre stated. "Thank you for saving Abigail, you have no idea how much this means to me."

"It's okay," He assured them. "I'm just being your fellow neighbor."

The door into the workplace of the clinic was open as Doctor Harvey stepped out in his lab coat. "Jodi, Pierre, Caroline, your kids are going to be fine. Sam might have a few scratches, but he'll be alright."

Once the expert's voice was heard, the tension in the room had transformed into relief from his neighbors. "I hope this ends everyone's worry about their well-being, but I think I'll have to take my time off." Rising from his seat, he walked past the parents and left the building as he went on his way towards his farm.

When he was halfway between his town and farm, he stopped in his stride and noticed a strange creature waiting in the road. It was unlike any of the monsters he found in those tunnels as he approached it, only to see it's strange form jump in the air. Then as he took one step further, it disappeared in a blink of an eye. Whatever it was, he had no words to describe it.

Author's Note: It is perhaps a good thing I'm going to pause the story for a bit. I'm feeling the plot exhaustion from posting my latest chapters for a single story. There's no problem with that, but it's better to take a break between stories every now and then.