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A gentle breeze urged the grass to dance and tickle Blue’s ankle as he stood at the gaping maw of a cavern. Red had just discovered it and asked Blue to come explore it with him and Blue had jumped at the offer. He chugged a healing potion, inwardly wincing at the unfamiliar tart tang, he had just brewed this batch so he was certain the ingredients were fresh. He brushed it off with a shrug as Red called his name and started to inch his way down the craggy hill into the opening of the cave.
His boots clicked on the unblemished stone, the small platform was bathed in sunlight, burning away all the shadows that wove homes for monsters. Red was up ahead, at the edge, staring out wide eyed into the empty expanse, the soft crackle of bones and low growls echoed from below.
“This is so cool.” Red gasped out breathlessly, eyes still fixated on the inky darkness, “I can get some water so we can jump down-” He leapt to his feet, vibrant excitement bouncing off him in waves, only for Blue to snag the back of the bandana around his neck and yank him back.
“Or, we can dig a staircase.” He said, gesturing to the cave wall with his pickaxe, “Ya know, so we have an easy path out.”
Red stared at the wall for a moment, “Oh, right.” He pulled his pickaxe off his belt and bounced it from hand to hand, “I keep forgetting we have to get back out as well.”
Blue laughed, “Yeah, unless you want to live in a cave full time.”
Red glanced back out at the inky expanse, like something was calling to him, “Maybe I do.”
They started to chip away at the stone, resounding cracks split the air as they worked. Blue aimed higher while Red dug lower, they worked in tandem, making sure not to scuff or scrape the other.
They hadn’t gone very far when Blue started to feel a faint buzzing in the nape of his neck. He tried to ignore it but the more he mined the worse it became. He exhaled heavily and slowly when a sharp jolt shot down his spine and forced his vision black and hot, pins and needles jabbed all over his body and his knees almost gave out. He slammed his pickaxe into the stone in front of him to stop himself from falling, gripping the handle so tightly he feared it would break.
He choked out a gasp as the buzz screeched around his ears, hot pain shooting throughout his entire body. Every sense was muffled and mute like he was drowning but still desperately clawing towards the surface.
A hand on his shoulder yanked him from the water, grounded him, but also sent shockwaves of fire coursing him.
“Blue?” Red gripped his shoulder tightly, panic swirling in his eyes. He dropped his pickaxe and grabbed Blue’s arm with both hands, like he could help hold him together.
“Blue are you alright?” He asked, voice laced with shaking worry.
Suddenly everything was gone, the water, the panic, the electricity that nearly knocked him over- all of it was gone. Except the buzz in the back of his neck.
Blue took a deep breath, the air prickling his lungs as he loosened his grip on his pickaxe, forcing himself upright. He wouldn’t be able to play that off.
“Y-yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He cleared his throat, his muscles felt taunt and weak, like he didn’t have control over his fingers.
“You don’t look okay!” Red said incredulously, eyes scanning him up and down like he was going to shatter at any moment, “What the hell was that?” He let go of Blue’s shoulder, “I thought you were dying!”
I did too.
“I-I’m not sure.” Blue said, looking away, he pulled his pickaxe from the wall, “But I’m fine.”
“You honestly can’t expect me to believe that.” Red said, biting the inside of his cheek, “I’m not an idiot.”
“I didn’t say you were.” Blue pointed out, trying to force his nerves down, “It’s just that I am feeling fine, perfectly fine, and I want to hang out with you.” He smiled sheepishly, hoping it came off as genuine, “Let’s keep going.”
“I don’t think we should.” Red wrung his hands, “I don’t- if you… if that happens again- we don’t…” He trailed off with a sigh, “What if… that happens again?”
He knew he should’ve turned around and gone home, he had no idea what that was or if it would happen again.
Blue kept the smile plastered to his face, “It won’t. I’ll be fine.”
It wasn’t a complete lie, he was feeling better- he should be well enough for one mining trip at the very least. The only thing that remained was the buzz in his head, like a taunt.
But it was nothing. He was fine.
Red stared at him, face scrunched up like he was trying to solve a puzzle. After a moment he sighed, grabbing his pickaxe again, “Only if you’re sure…”
“Positive.” Blue said, taking a deep breath, “I want to do this with you.”
The pair continued digging down with little problem, small bouts of rambling trailed after them down the tunnel. Blue could feel Red’s occasional glances at him and had to bite his tongue to stop himself from commenting on them. They finally broke free close to the bottom, peering out across the sea of monsters meandering lazily.
Blue drew his bow, fingers curling around the worn wood as Red lit another torch, a soft flickering glow illuminating the walls. Before Blue could blink, Red had latched the torch to the wall,pulled out his sword, and raced into the sea of monsters.
He jumped, scrambling to get his grip back on the bow and started to pick off any skeletons or creepers he could spot, covering Red when needed. He got lost in the momentum, leaving Red to his own devices as he waved his sword around, wildly yet articulately, slashing and jabbing.
The monsters were taken care of with little trouble. Blue helped Red light up the torches, snagging a few of his stray arrows from the ground as he did.
“This place is even bigger than I thought!” Red’s eyes seemed to glow in the flickering light as they looked across the massive cavern. Blue could faintly make out the edges of cliffs and cracks in the wall that split off into other paths like roots. The soft babble of running water echoed from farther in the cave along with the scratches and scuttles of monsters still hidden in the shadows.
“I wonder what all is in here,” Blue said, pointedly trying to ignore the buzzing in the back of his head, “I mean, there has gotta be something new, right?” He glanced at Red, who met his gaze with a determined grin.
“Let’s go find out.”
The cave had only gotten more interesting the further they ventured, different ores splattered along the walls like paint, they gleamed in the faint torch light. Huge dripstones hung from the ceiling, like craggly claws reaching out to grab them.
A sharp sense of eeriness coated the cave like a blanket of snow, with every step Blue took he could feel another pair of eyes burning into his back. Shadows with gangly, distorted, limbs trailing after them, waiting for the right moment to strike. Yet it didn’t bother Blue, somehow it was almost comforting, almost. If Red noticed, he didn’t mention anything.
They soon approached a boulder sticking out of the wall, it didn’t match the rest of the stone, it was darker and felt crackled like thick, uneven, paint.
“I’ve never seen something like this before.” Red said softly, brushing his fingers along the stone.
“Neither have I.” Blue said, rapping his knuckles against the rock. He was surprised that it sounded hollow. He put his ear against the rock, ignoring how it scratched and scuffed his ear and knocked again, “I think it’s hollow…like an egg.”
Red wrinkled his nose, “Eggs aren’t hollow stupid.” He twirled his pickaxe around and cracked it into the rock. After a moment of hacking and swinging, dust and debris fluttering around them, he gasped, “Woah! There are crystals in there!” He said, craning his neck to get a better look inside.
“No way.” Blue darted to his side, trying to catch a glimpse as Red cut away more of the rock.
The inside of the boulder was composed completely of glistening purple stones, a few sharp edges against the smooth crystals that shined so brightly they almost sang.
Red ducked inside and Blue quickly followed, the floor chiming and squeaking as he did. Blue ran his fingers over the jagged, cold, crystals and Red grabbed a loose one from the ground.
“These are really pretty!” He said, holding it close to his chest, “We gotta get Orange and Green down here, they’d love these.”
“Definitely.” Blue agreed, he could already envision what they would create with them. Towers adorned with crystals that shined like stars in the right light, chiming from the ceiling and intertwined with lights, the new crisp chime of an instrument waiting intently to be played to its full ability.
He pocketed a few of them to bring back to the surface, they were cold against his leg, clinking whenever he moved.
They continued on, Red dashing ahead, his light laughter trickling through the cave. Blue trailed behind, brushing his fingers against the crystals in his pocket, he could picture his friends excited faces in his mind. The way Green’s smile made the corner of his eyes crinkle, the bounce in Orange’s shoulder when he was inspired. He was excited to bring something back to them-
Suddenly he was in the lava, fire tearing through his limbs, burning through his skin, and pain so heavy it knocked him to his knees. Blue was almost surprised when he collapsed and his hands clapped against solid ground instead of lava. He was dying- he had to be- he tried to breathe but his chest was on fire.
Blue’s eyes darted around wildly, unshed tears blurring his vision, he could only make out the glimmer of light from Red’s torch in the distance as he continued deeper into the winding cave.
Blue desperately tried to clammer to his feet, like a deer on unsteady legs, when another wave of pain slammed him back to the ground. It was like he was back in the nether, back in the lava. He could feel the heat searing his skin, hot blinding pain shooting up his back, burning up his legs.
Black spots blotted out his vision and blood roared in his ears as he forced himself up, a weak cough tearing through his throat. He was dying- he was dying-he was dying. He just needed to get to Red- just get to Red.
His clothes felt like sandpaper, tearing at already raw and ripping skin, he gasped, stumbling forward, hands searching frantically for something-anything- to keep himself upright.
He could barely see, he just kept dragging himself towards the ever fading light.
“Red!” He didn’t recognize the strangled cry that left his lips, the ringing in his ears only getting worse as the world tilted and tipped. He stumbled again.
Blue had only told Yellow about the ‘issue’, he didn’t want the others to know, didn’t want them to worry, but right now he couldn’t breath. The pain was overwhelming and he didn’t care.
Blue could barely hear Red’s worried cry, muffled by the blood roaring in his ears as he stumbled towards the light.
“Blue- stop!”
His foot slipped from the stone and before he could even process it, he was falling and the light was slipping, slipping, away.
The air whipped past him, tousling his hair and slashing at his skin, Blue vaguely wondered if the fall would kill him- if the respawn would stop the pain. He didn’t want to die.
He slammed back into the stone, pain coursing through his entire body, and, for a moment, he was gone. Vision flooded with black and red, ears ringing so loudly he thought his head was going to burst.
Blue could hear the rattle and scuttle of monsters shuffling around him, Red’s desperate, distant cries from above, the soft flow of a nearby river. He knew he had to get up and rolled onto his side but collapsed.
A few tears slid down his face as he curled up on his side, the monsters could get him, he didn’t care. He just wanted to be out of this cave, he should’ve turned around and went home from the very start, he only had himself to blame. He laid there, waiting for something, anything to happen, pain still radiating throughout his body as the sound of wild footsteps drew closer.