Free the End

41 [Cover Me With Diamonds]

TW // gore

I yawned.

Sapnap noticed. "Look alive, Dream, we have work to do."

"Look alive?" What does that mean?

"Yeah, pay attention, stay awake, whatever, just help me finish this roof."
We were making a big floating ceiling outside the house for a trap.

We haven't slept in a few days. I didn't notice as much in the mines but now that I was using more energy, I felt tired. I walked backwards, jumping to place the cobblestone. "Can you tell me how this works again? I don't think I get it."

Sapnap glanced at the setting sun. "Sure, so we need these specific drops for potions. Phantom Membrane. But you can only get that from killing a phantom, and they only spawn at night after you haven't slept for three days, according to you."

"What?"

"You told me at the start. Anyway, since we've been mining forever I figure this is the best time for hunting them. If we sleep, they won't come."

I watched him start a wall around the floating roof, but more than ten blocks outside the perimeter. He just placed top blocks, so we could see under but most things couldn't get through. He only had to do three sides since the house was on one.
I was going to help him, but he told me to add a block under all the edges of the roof so it curved downwards.
I started doing that while also sneaking glances at him.
"Yeah but that doesn't explain this thing we're building."

"I'm building a wall so other monsters can't get to us while we fight, and you're adding a brim to the trap.
They fly in, attack us, we stab them, they try to go up but they're stuck and we stab them to death. Easy peasy."

I mentally added the phrase 'easy peasy' to the list of weird-things-that-don't-make-sense-but-maybe-I-can-ask-about-later.
"Why don't they just fly under the brim and escape, and won't they be hard to hit if they're flying?"

"They can't go down again, and they're big."

"Oh." That doesn't seem to make a lot of sense but neither does the floating roof, so what do I know.

"What do they look like?" I asked.

"Well I'm used to blocky-lookin heads with big eyes and wings, but since it's more 'realistic' then it'll probably be scary."

Comforting.

"I actually don't know how they hurt us," Sapnap continued. "They just run into you and you're hurt. So maybe they bite, or sting, I dunno. They have tails."

I was finding it impossible to picture this monster, but it probably doesn't matter because I'll see one soon when it tries to kill me.

Sapnap finished the wall and ushered me to the most sheltered part under the big roof.
It was tall: if I jumped I could almost touch the ceiling, but it felt pretty safe. The wall was far out from the roof though; I asked why.

"It has to be far so they have space to come in," Sapnap said, putting a few torches on the ground.
The last of the light was fading from the horizon.
"Get out your sword and shield," Sapnap said quickly.

I did, and put my armor on from my backpack.
"Are these monsters strong?" I asked. "Like, is this really dangerous?"

"It'll be fine with this cover; we can hit them before they hit us and that drives them up, so you might not get hurt at all.
Definitely get food close by though, just in case, and blocks."

I put on my helmet last and the cool chainmail thing slid over my skin, completing the set. I felt pretty protected now that I was covered in diamonds, but it made me think of George.
"How do you think George is doing?" I asked, slightly nervously.