Free the End

49 [This Boat Has Legs]

Bad flinched but let him do the tough love act.
It worked and George stopped beating at the wall. He flattened himself on the ground and groaned in misery. "Oh my gooooooooooooood."

Bad started making the staircase down as Sapnap watched him.

George peeked over the edge again and clung tighter to the Netherrack. He laid flat like he was on a shaking raft and closed his eyes. "This is so unsafe. This is so bad, oh my god, it's so bad."

Bad pitied poor George but Sapnap apparently did not. He crossed his arms. "Get moving or I'm picking you up again."

"Okay okay," George whimpered, "I'm moving I'm moving!" He put blocks on the lava side like a little railing and started shuffling down, pressing himself against the cliff face.

Sapnap followed and encouraged him continuously.

"How'd you get the saddles again?" Sapnap asked on the way.
Bad explained how he found one in a desert temple and two in a zombie spawner and then left one on poor Roberto when the pillagers swarmed their house.

He led the rest of the way down until they were a few blocks above the bubbling and glowing lava ocean. The steam rose in waves and boiled everything.

George breathed a sigh of relief and Sapnap stared, mouth agape. "How the fuck are you more relaxed next to the FUCKING LAVA?!"

"Hey, language," Bad snapped. He gave George his pick back and a warm pat on the shoulder.

Bad bridged carefully next to the striders and stopped. He was sweating hard, so he took off his chestplate for a second.

"Bad," Sapnap warned.
"Just a sec." Bad was removing his black and red jacket and bandana.
He had just a comfortable black t-shirt underneath, but tied his jacket around his waist and bandana around his head. "Whew, that's better. Now we're matching, Sapnap!" He beamed.

"Great," Sapnap said unenthusiastically. "You should put the chestplate back on though."

George had been standing on the Netherrack bridge and turning his head back and forth. He snapped next to his ear.
"Guys... I can't hear on one side."

Sapnap was closest so he examined the side of George's head. The blood was mostly gone but some dried bits flaked off under his fingers as he brushed them under George's ear.
"There's a wound but it's swollen. You aren't healed yet. Just wait."

George bit the inside of his mouth but nodded. "Yeah, it still hurts."

"Give it time. Hopefully it'll fix itself," Sapnap said.

"Thanks," George said. "Also sorry about up there." He glanced up at the cliff wall. "You're right. I probably would've sat there forever."

"No problem, buddy."

Bad had re-armored and set down a crafting table. Luckily he had ten string in his inventory to make fishing rods.
"Did you just bring everything you own?" Sapnap asked, crouching next to him.

"Just what I thought was important." Bad put his mushroom on the hook of the fishing rod and smiled.

He held out a hand to the side and Sapnap wordlessly handed his over.
"Any other surprises?" He asked.

"No, just basics I think. I told you about the crossbow I added the Punch book to, that's the only other thing I think you don't have. What about you?"
Bad waved his fishing rod invitingly at the striders wandering around.

"Two swiftness pots we can't use because George faints when he runs, but why didn't you use the crossbow against the hoglins?"

"I didn't think of it in time," Bad admitted.
One of the striders' attention caught on the mushroom, and it wobbled closer to them.
"You had a bow right?"