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<•>
"Stop! You're hurting me!"
Ethan nearly stops.
That's Will's voice, not the voice that comes out when the Mind Flayer or Vecna speak through him. It's his voice.
But he can't stop. He doesn't.
He knows whether or not that's really Will speaking to him, he can't stop. He has to get the parasite, the leech, out. From beyond the burning, bright light, he can see his friends begin to lure the giant Spider Flayer to another tall canyon in preparation of a coordinated attack. He needs to get it out of him before they strike. He wants to avoid Will being in more pain than he has to be.
Ethan screams, pushing more energy into the blast. Shit, he looks like a legendary Pokemon releasing Hyperbeam on a frail shadow Pokemon. He feels bad, he really does, he can barely stomach doing this to Will, but he has to.
"You're hurting me!"
"Get out of my Will!"
With synchronized groans growing into yells, the two boys fall to the ground at the final blast. A boom of energy erupts, causing a small shockwave to rock the planet. It nearly sweeps the teens on the ground off their feet. They share looks before looking back at the mountain where they saw Ethan run off with Will.
Ethan pants, sweat trailing down his back, beads falling down his forehead. He struggles to push himself off the ground, weak, feeling like he's entirely out of energy. He can't push himself up. His arms tremble every time he tries to just push himself up. He can't even feel his legs, and before he knows it, he can't feel his bad hand either. He falls face first into the dirt, drained, battered, and bruised. In the heat of the moment, it seems adrenaline had kept him pain free, but now, he feels it all.
He closes his eyes, just wishing to rest for a moment. His eyes flutter, fighting exhaustion.
He refuses to sleep, he just... needs a moment.
<•>
"Why can't he see us?"
Max turns her head over her shoulder to respond to the younger kids, "Because Mr. Whatsit isn't the only one with magic powers."
In the corner, resting on a bench criss-cross applesauce, sits Kali. Her eyes are shut tight, blood pouring from both nostrils. Her eyes move frantically under her eyelids. Across from Max, hiding just behind the secret wall, is Jaeden. He holds his fists tightly clenched, ready to fight back if he needs to, dialed in to the max. If Vecna makes even one wrong move, he's going to swoop in behind Max to help El.
In all fairness, he has her in a Darth Vader chokehold. If it looks like she needs help, he's giving it. He's powerful, more powerful than they'd like to admit, especially with these kids in his possession.
