Chapter 14: Hidden Enemies and Figures Inside the Cave
In the previous chapter, you read that Ali and Junaid entered the cave, where they found mysterious images.
After that, they saw two paths, and they chose the right one. As they moved forward, a strange sound echoed in their ears...
Now, continuing...
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The Mysterious Sound and the Cave's Glow
As soon as Ali and Junaid stepped inside the cave, they saw a strange light. Where the entire cave was dark, this part was filled with light.
Junaid hurriedly looked around, his breath quickening.
"Ali! This sound... it seems familiar. Did you hear it too?"
Ali closed his eyes for a moment, as if searching his mind for memories.
"Yes, I heard it... and I'm sure it's not from a stranger!"
Junaid pointed to the light falling on the cave walls.
"But tell me, if the entire cave was filled with darkness, then where is this light coming from?"
Ali's gaze shifted to the torches hanging on the walls. He reached out and touched one—it was still warm.
"These torches were lit recently... which means someone was already prepared to bring us here!"
Junaid (panicking): "What did you say? Someone was already prepared to bring us here? What does that mean?"
Ali (in a serious tone): "Look, these burned torches... they must have been lit two or three days ago.
They look new, as if someone placed them recently."
Just then, Junaid's eyes fell on the ground, where fresh footprints were visible.
Junaid (shocked): "Ali! Look at these footprints... someone has been here before us!"
Ali (carefully observing the footprints): "These footprints are fresh! That means someone is still nearby!"
Junaid (with suspicion): "And these are the footprints of two people... Who could they be?"
Sudden Return of Old Enemies
Suddenly, a loud laugh echoed from the corner of the cave.
Mysterious Voice: "Ali and Junaid! How much will you run? Soon, you will be in our grasp!"
Junaid (shuddering): "Ali! Who are they?"
Ali (shouting): "Who are you? If you have the courage, come forward!"
The voice echoed again—
Mysterious Voice: "Talking about courage? Soon, your own courage will answer for you!"
Junaid (provoking): "Those who speak from behind are always cowards! If you really have the strength, come face us!"
Mysterious Voice: "Here we come!"
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Return of the Old Enemies
On a large rock above the cave, two shadows appeared.
When Ali and Junaid looked up, their eyes went wide in shock.
The two men were none other than the spies and soldiers of Ameer Tahir, the ones who had previously attacked Ali and Junaid at the mysterious old man's house!
They were the ones the old man had fought and captured!
Junaid (in surprise): "You two... how did you get here?"
The first soldier laughed loudly—
First Soldier: "What did you think? You could stop us by capturing us?"
Junaid: "But how did you get here?"
The first soldier puffed out his chest, as if he had accomplished something great.
"We are Ameer Tahir's oldest and most powerful soldiers! We never lose! You thought by capturing us, we would just rot away?"
Ali and Junaid exchanged glances. They understood these people were not ones to give up easily.
The second soldier laughed loudly and said:
"When you locked us in that room and left, we found a way!
The ground there wasn't too hard, and we slowly started digging a tunnel."
Ali suspiciously asked:
"But where did the tunnel lead?"
The first soldier smiled and spread his hands, indicating the surroundings—
"That's the game, my friend! This cave is connected to the tunnel we made! That means, we were already here before you, waiting for you!"
Ali and Junaid looked at each other.
First Soldier (taunting): "And those bandits you met? They were also our men!"
Junaid (astonished): "What?"
The second soldier (laughing): "Yes! They pretended to give you the map so that you would fall into our trap! This was all part of our plan!"
Junaid (angrily): "But if they were your men, why did they fight us?"
First Soldier: "Because we knew they were weak, and you would defeat them! That made it easier to win your trust!"
Ali (seriously): "So what exactly do you want from us?"
First Soldier: "We want to capture you and take you to our leader, Ameer Tahir.
You both have been a thorn in our side, and once we take you there, we will give you the finest hospitality!"
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Ali and Junaid Fighting the Soldiers
Junaid (with determination): "Forget it! You will never catch us!"
The second soldier (laughing): "And who will stop us? You can't even wield a sword properly!"
Junaid (smiling): "You're right that we don't know how to use weapons, but you're forgetting that neither do you have any right now, so the fight will be fair."
The second soldier (angrily): "No weapons, so what? We still have the strength to beat you without them!"
Ali (firmly): "Let's see who defeats whom!"
With that, the fight began!
Ali fought the first soldier, while Junaid battled the second. The fight was evenly matched!
Ali attacked with lightning speed, but the soldier was already prepared. He quickly ducked and slashed Ali's eye with his sharp claws!
"Ahh!" Ali's scream echoed through the cave.
His vision blurred, and holding his wound, he fell to one knee, but he didn't give up.
His breath was heavy, and anger coursed through his veins.
He swiftly counterattacked and grabbed the soldier's neck.
As soon as Ali grabbed his neck, the first soldier began gasping for air.
Suddenly, the first soldier scratched Ali's other eye with his claws, leaving another deep wound.
Ali staggered back, and the first soldier seized the opportunity to push him hard, sending him crashing against the cave wall.
Meanwhile, Junaid and the second soldier were face to face.
Seeing Ali in such a state, Junaid's morale began to waver. The second soldier suddenly punched Junaid in the stomach, sending him falling backward.
But Junaid quickly got up and landed a strong punch, knocking two of the soldier's teeth out!
The second soldier, enraged, grabbed Junaid by the throat and punched him hard in the stomach.
The punch left Junaid dizzy, and he staggered, almost falling.
Seeing this, the second soldier pushed him hard, and Junaid crashed into the cave wall, falling next to Ali.
Now, both Ali and Junaid were weakened.
First Soldier (laughing): "We told you from the start, the result of fighting us would be bad!"
The Final Move and Victory
Now, both of Ameer Tahir's soldiers believed Ali and Junaid were unconscious and were about to capture them.
Ali's breathing was heavy. Despite the pain, he slowly moved his hand towards his pocket, as if he was still unconscious.
The second soldier moved forward, about to grab Ali's neck, when...
As soon as the soldier reached out to grab Ali's neck, Ali opened his eyes—he wasn't unconscious after all!
"Now it's my turn!" Ali growled, and with lightning speed, he jabbed a needle into both soldiers' necks.
The soldiers staggered, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"Ameer Tahir... won't... forgive you..." the second soldier muttered, his eyes rolling back.
The next moment, both of them fell to the ground with a thud!
"What... what did you do?" the first soldier stammered.
The second soldier's eyes started to roll upwards, and he mumbled in a deep voice,
"Ali... you... this... you didn't do well... Ameer Tahir won't spare you."
And in the next moment, both soldiers collapsed, unconscious.
After this, Ali woke Junaid up.
Junaid woke up and saw the two unconscious soldiers of Ameer Tahir lying on the ground.
Seeing them, Junaid said to Ali, "What... Ali... did you do this, and how?"
Ali replied, "Yes, Junaid! I wasn't unconscious. I had hidden the needles in my pocket, and I used them to make both of them unconscious. Forget about that...
you're okay, right?"
Junaid responded, "Yes, Ali! I'm fine, but what happened to your eyes?"
Ali said, "During the fight, that soldier scratched my eyes with his claws, and the skin tore, but now, get up, we need to imprison them somewhere so they can't escape!"
Ali looked around and noticed a tunnel near a large rock.
Ali said to Junaid, "Junaid! Look, that small tunnel!"
Junaid looked at the tunnel and asked, "A tunnel? What's your plan for it?"
Ali replied, "We'll tie these two soldiers of Amir Tahir with ropes and lock them inside the tunnel.
Then, we'll roll this large rock in front of the tunnel's entrance.
That will give us some time, but they'll return to their master after a few days. We just need that much time."
Junaid said, "Your plan sounds great, let's get started!"
Ali and Junaid tied the soldiers with ropes and locked them inside the small tunnel near the large rock. Then, they rolled the big rock in front of the tunnel entrance.
Junaid said, "Alright! They're taken care of, now let's move forward."
Ali and Junaid continued moving forward in the cave. After a while, they saw sunlight shining from outside the cave.
Seeing this, Ali said, "Junaid! Look, we've crossed the cave!"
Ali and Junaid stepped out, but as soon as they did, they noticed strange figures on the outer wall of the cave.
As soon as they stepped outside, the sunlight hit their eyes. But their attention was caught by the figures on the outer wall of the cave.
"What... what is this?" Junaid whispered.
What were those figures that left Ali and Junaid stunned?
A poisonous river was ahead—would Ali and Junaid be able to cross it?
What would be Ameer Tahir's next plan?
Would the two soldiers return from the tunnel?
To find out, read the next chapter...
Chapter 15...
To be Continued...