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[He shakes his head. Words intent to soothe.] No. Just - Tim's been doing a lot, looks like.

[That Spider is in so much pain. Jon watches it writhe in its space outside his heart. It starts a new tactic, trying to put its mouth to the open windows, fangs wide and open to catch whatever it can.]

Okay... okay good. [ Tim's still breathless but genuinely relieved that this? THIS AT LEAST, was not a mislead. MothJon kn- HOLY FUCK THAT IS A LOT OF SPIDER COMING IN. ]

SHIT. SHIT! [ He scrambles back, pulling his side of Jon. ]

Algric! Can you slow it down?

[ New nightmare! New nightmare! Algric feels VERY unfond of spiders now thanks!!

Algric skids forward slightly, keeping Jon behind him and back towards Tim. ]

H-how am I supposed to do that? How is any of us supposed to do anything!?

[ But despite his complaining, he tries to ice over the thing's mouth with the Lonely. ]

[MothJon didn't come in this room for many reasons, the biggest one visible there. The Spider does start to back off from the sudden biting cold, bits of ice clinging to its fangs. The swap in temperature staves off some of the larger spiders that had been crawling to Jon as well. Between the smell of what he was pulled from still clinging to him, and this, Jon's whole head feels off kilter; if he were physical he'd be wretching. Instead, he leans into Tim, absolutely terrified. Tenses at the loud, angry noise that comes from it.]

If I knew that, I would've been able to get myself out ages ago. The Web is too- Too big to do anything about from out here.

[ Good lord that's ... that's a smell. But as Jon leans on him, he still takes that moment to wrap an arm, a soothing stroke down the back because-

God. Algric and Jon are right. What the fuck ARE they supposed to do about any of this. It's so damn big. EACH of their rooms had problems so overwhelming that it didn't look like years of work would make a dent ... in.... ]

You... picked up a detonator, didn't you?

[ Tim says, it carrying over the shrieking and hissing of the spiders. Tim's gaze slowly turns and fixes on the explosives in the pile. A terrible idea coming to mind... ]

What? No I did not pick up a detonator, why would I have picked up a -

[ He fishes a broken cell phone out of his pocket to angrily shake at Tim and. Um.

that'sadetonator.jpg ]

Oh. Um - okay, nevermind, here it is!

[Jon just. Watches that happen.

Even the broken vocal chords can't do anything to hide the dry sarcasm:] Dream logic.

[He looks to Tim, then Algric. Then at the monstrosity that's controlled his life for so many years.]

I think it could work. Just - make sure it doesn't catch the room?

I'll try.

[ And Tim eases Jon to Algric then bolts for that corner pile- and... smears the goop and noxious NOT GOING TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT WAS that was still clinging to Jon on the plastic explosives.

If they think it's a snack, well, it's GOING TO EAT IT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. ]

You ready? Both of you?

[ Tim sounds about as confident as he feels. Which is terrified. ]

[ Algric is happy to be on Jon clinging duty. That’s his favorite.

He nods, holding fast to the detonator. ]

Whenever you are—!

[Jon nods, in unison with Algric.]

Whenever you are.

[The Spider has yet to find the hot one or the cold one to munch on. But it can feel a tension in the room from the threads around. Jon keeps being moved so it can't get a hold of him again without being totally noticed. No, instead it's these two interlopers ruining a well made plan. It moves its head, trying to work its mouth to the open space again and keep Tim in its now minimized sights.]

[ Right, no more delays. As the mouth crashes, open mouth and mandible wide in the space where the windows were, Tim takes advantage of its attention, approaching.

Between the hair and the ichor, the squirming legs... it really is only one shot. Fuck it. Fuck it. FUCK IT. He braces his foot in the webbing itself and as close as he dare, lobs it towards the back of its god damn throat. ]

[ Algric watches, still borderline panicking, unsure if this is the right moment? God what if he fucks it up —

But Tim’s laid the explosives and okay okay he’s pressing the button!! ]

[Jon tenses, ready for whatever will come at the click. And grips onto Algric as the explosion goes off. A wave of heat and pressure taking the room as the Spider is propelled back, away from the momentum. Something in his chest goes tight, catching his breath in his throat even as the bits of spider gore sail through the room and the bulk of its mass fall to the depths outside his heart.

He almost doesn't want to break the silence that follows. The other small spiders having stopped what they were doing to wait. To see. Only when Jon lifts his head do they all begin to scuttle away, running from the noise and the heat as the bits of recording tape from Jon's scars are burning up. No flame, but scorching from the ends unnoticed.]

Tim?

Edited 2021-07-16 13:53 (UTC)

[ That had been a hell of a pressure wave. Tim hears the Jon calling over the ringing in his ears and picks himself up out of the webbing and the rubble. And then has to try again when the warm wax of his arm buckles. ]

I'm okay.. I'm fine....

[ Just panicking a little. He lifts his head to look at the other two. ]

You two?

I - I'm fine. Are you - are you, Tim?

[ Algric says that, but there are odd cracks all going through him, like an imprint of a web all over him. If you look at them too closely, you can see through him. ]

[Jon sees both the problems on them. The webbing cracks, the melted wax... God. This is his fault. They're like this because of him.

Jon, meanwhile, doesn't even notice his own problem, from before the explosion. The corrosive sickness in the web sack had started eating away at him, fingers almost gone and legs mostly gone. There are acid burns all over elsewhere but he doesn't even feel it right now, curled up against Algric's cold.]

Y-you both should- It wouldn't be good if you stay here much longer.

Tim's managed to get to his feet, and he just plops himself down next to the two of them. He hasn't seen the damage yet.. and his own arm is wrapped and tucked up in his jacket.

"Good god... both of you..." It sounds like it was knocked out of him.

[ That's not an ANSWER Tim. Damn you.

Anyway, Algric takes a moment to get a better look at Jon and. God. Legs mostly missing, no wonder he couldn't get out. Algric just holds Jon close to him, trying not to cry. ]

We'll all go. I'll carry Jon.

[Jon's eyes settle on the both of them, before squeezing Martin's neck.]

Could... Before we go, could I just... Hold you both?

[It feels safe to ask here.]

Yeah..... Yeah of course.

[ He settles in against the two of them, wrapping an arm around both. His chin rests on Jon's shoulder. Squeezing his eyes shut, things could almost feel normal. Almost. ]

Oh, Jon.

[ Algric leans in too, wrapping cool arms around both Tim and Jon. Squeezing his eyes shut as he just breathes this in. ]

[Almost normal.

Jon gets both arms around them, squeezing weakly and resting his head between them both. Takes in a deep breath.

And as he lets it out, the ground falls from beneath Tim and Algric, back into darkness. Jon watches them fall until he's out of sight. And before long, they fall upward, out of the black tar and onto Elias' office floor, the shadows retreating back to Jonah, head back against the chair and eyes wide. Until it all travels back to his own shadows and his eyes clear. He doesn't dare speak yet, but a fury is building.]

[ As they are dropped onto the floor, there's an unearthly scene above. The walls seem waxy and foggy and vitreous and... all of these things and none. They shudder under the weight of what is coming, even as the last words die.

Elias himself is frozen in esctacy, watching from this near sight the birth of everything that will be. A horror untold in any human mind before, personal and yet massive. Welling up from the very collective grime humanity has cobbled together in their petty anxieties.

He can see the world quake and drinks it in, as the Eye opens around him, he begins to sink-

- and the retina tears.

The whole ritual shuddering as the door closes from the force of the Web catching. Even one----- even one missing....

In the mean time, Tim has only a moment in this horrifying sight to pick himself up. ]

Jon!

[ Algric -

Algric scrabbles to Jon's side, staring up in horror at the tableau around them. The door, the pupil, whatever the fuck is going on here-- ]

Jon - oh god -

[ A wild glance at Tim and then Elias. ]

-- We have to kill him!

[The Eye blinks, Jonah coming out of the dazed trance. The room returning to its expensive, gaudy look it had before. As Algric looks him over, the most immediate change is the faintest hint of burn scarring at the edges of his shirt-neck and sleeve. Jonah lowers his head to stare Elias dead on.]

Oh. Don't worry, we will.