Azad and Ellie sat in the dim cave, the air thick with dust and tension. The crumbling walls and the faint sound of distant mobs still lingered in the background. Azad, still reeling from the chaos of their escape, glanced over at Ellie, noticing her arm bleeding where the skeleton's arrow had pierced her.
"Ellie, your arm!" Azad said, his voice full of concern. "It's bleeding pretty badly!"
Ellie waved him off, though her face betrayed the pain. "I'm fine," she muttered. With a swift motion, she grabbed the hem of Azad's shirt and tore off a strip of cloth, wrapping it tightly around her wound.
Azad blinked in disbelief. "What the—hey! Why are you ruining my shirt? Use yours!"
Ellie smirked, ignoring his protest as she tied the makeshift bandage. "Because mine's in better condition. Plus, you owe me for saving your butt. Twice." She tightened the cloth, grimacing as the pain flared, but kept her tough exterior.
Azad grumbled. "Well, don't push me out of the way of a creeper blast next time. I'm perfectly capable of not dying."
"Sure, sure," Ellie said sarcastically, but her voice carried a lightness that cut through the tension. "We can't stay here, though. I'm wounded, and you're... well, let's face it, kind of useless in this state." Her eyes flashed with amusement.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Azad shot back, narrowing his eyes. "I saved you plenty of times too!"
Ellie chuckled, her laughter low but genuine. "The truth is bitter, Azad. But you know what they say—it'll set you free!" She laughed again, though her laughter was laced with fatigue.
Azad rolled his eyes, but the small moment of levity helped him relax. "Fine, whatever. But how are we going to get out of here? How about we mine straight up? It's simple—just dig a staircase and head for the surface."
Ellie stopped laughing, her eyes narrowing as she shot him a deadpan look. "Oh, brilliant. A lava bath sounds like just what I need to top off this day. You idiot, don't you know that digging straight up is asking for trouble? We'll be dead faster than you can blink."
Azad grimaced. "Okay, okay. There is no mining straight up. But we've been here for what feels like days and we haven't found a safe way out. What do we do?"
Ellie took a deep breath, looking around at the gloomy cave. The flickering torchlight cast eerie shadows on the walls, the cracks and jagged rocks reminding them of how close they'd come to being buried alive. "We need to find a way out without attracting any more mobs. I'm not fighting skeletons or spiders in this condition."
Azad nodded. "Agreed. Let's avoid fights at all costs."
They both stood up, grabbing their gear. Ellie led the way, moving cautiously through the darkened tunnels, her eyes scanning for any sign of danger. The cave was a labyrinth, with narrow paths and sharp corners leading them deeper into the unknown. The sound of distant water echoed faintly, but no clear path was visible.
Every so often, they'd come across a mob—a zombie lurking in the shadows, or a spider crawling through a crevice—but each time, they avoided confrontation, slipping through narrow tunnels and staying out of sight. Hours passed as they wandered through the winding tunnels, their stamina draining and nerves fraying with each encounter.
Azad's voice broke the silence after a long while. "We've been at this for hours... and I'm starving. Are we even getting close?"
Ellie's jaw clenched, clearly feeling the same exhaustion, though she refused to show it. "I don't know. But we can't stop now. We keep moving until we find something."
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they found it. A faint light shimmered in the distance—a waterfall, cascading down from above, the water sparkling in the dim light of their torches.
Azad's eyes widened. "Ellie, look! That's our way out!"
Ellie smiled, her relief palpable. "It's about time. I thought we'd be trapped in this hellhole forever." She looked at the waterfall, calculating. "We'll ride the water up. It's risky, but it's our best shot."
Azad hesitated for a moment, staring at the rushing water. "What if something's waiting for us at the top? Or worse, what if we fall?"
Ellie shrugged, already approaching the waterfall. "Then we die trying to get out. Either way, staying here isn't an option." She grabbed Azad's arm, pulling him toward the edge. "Come on. If we don't take this chance, we might never escape."
Azad swallowed his fear and nodded. Together, they stepped into the waterfall, the cold rush of water surrounding them as they began their ascent. The force of the water pressed down on them, but they clung to the rocks, using the momentum to push themselves up.
The climb was slow and treacherous. The water battered them from all sides, but with every inch they gained, the promise of fresh air and sunlight grew stronger.
After what felt like hours, they finally breached the surface. The sunlight blinded them for a moment, and the fresh air filled their lungs like a blessing from the gods.
Azad collapsed onto the grassy bank, gasping for breath. "We... made it. We're... out!"
Ellie rolled onto her back beside him, staring up at the sky. Her arm still throbbed with pain, but the sight of the open sky was worth it. "Yeah... we did. And I swear I'm never going into another cave again."
Azad chuckled weakly, closing his eyes as the warmth soaked into his skin. "Agreed... no more caves. Ever."
They lay there, exhausted but alive, knowing that whatever came next, they had survived yet another ordeal.