Escape From The Fiery Chimney

“Just like a chimney, the funicular tunnel is a long tube going up. The smoke fills everything from where it starts, all the way to the top. That starting point is the descending funicular.”

Jadwiga explained this with a muffled voice, as she covered up her mouth and nose.

“If we want the highest chance of survival, we need to go down as quickly as possible,” Jadwiga added.

“We got rid of all the spiders, so i-it should be fine to go down,” Marigold mumbled.

“Marigold, do your electric spells normally cause fires like this?” Jadwiga asked.

“It shouldn’t have caused a wildfire like that. Maybe I accidentally hit one of the lamps inside of that car going down, but that fire spread way too fast.”

“Roooooooargh”

A low roar echoed up the tunnel.

“What the hell was that? It sounded like it came from below,” said Jadwiga as she went down the steps of the funicular.

She peered through the window, trying to make out the image through the smoke and light.

“Ragh!”

Suddenly, a large, scaly head with big eyes and sharp teeth lunged towards the funicular.

“It’s a dragon!” cried Jadwiga.

“Shit, I’m certain that thing breathes fire!” yelled Kitezh. “That thing was probably clever enough to hide inside the descending funicular to catch someone by surprise.”

Kitezh looked outside the window Jadwiga was watching, and confirmed that a slow, bobbing dragon head behind the smoke.

“Damn it, looks like down is not an option either!” Kitezh snapped.

BANG!

The funicular suddenly shook. The girls saw large, spider legs gripping the outside of the windows.

“Spider legs? I-is that a live spider?!” Marigold squealed.

The legs clumsily tiptoed to the front of the cabin.

BANG! BANG!

Something big was smashing the front of the car.

FWOOOOSH!

CREEEEEAK!

A small fire broke out at the front of the train, followed by the front being ripped open as if a giant can opener was tearing the top.

The monster revealed itself with the fire at the front. The head of the dragon peered down, followed by a torso of a giant brown spider body.

“What the fuck is that thing?!” shouted Jadwiga.

“IT’S DEAD!”

ZAP!

Marigold immediately shot a lightning spell at the dragon-spider hybrid without a second thought.

The dragon’s head flung backwards, as the spider legs scattered, attempting to grapple anything around it. The monster seemed to be stuck in that strange pose while in mid-air.

“IT CAN FLY!”

ZAP!

Marigold shot another electrical spell at the air. However, she didn’t make direct contact. Instead, the electrical spell ran a current through the railing on the ceiling, creating a blue trailing light that was visible through the black smoke.

The electricity surged through the dragon’s head. The hybrid monster vibrated its head as its legs scrambled.

“Okay, now it’s dead, I hope,” Marigold said, readying her wand for another attack.

GRRRRRRRN!

The cabin rattled. The funicular itself was slowing down.

“Come on, what more do we need to kill?!” Marigold whined.

“Kah! Kah! I don’t think it’s another monster. If we’re slowing down, that could only mean one thing. Our car is the one getting heavier! With the fire explosion from the descending car, it must’ve sprung a leak.” Kitezh explained.

“We’re going to be stuck here?! Ahak!” Marigold coughed.

“If the other car runs out of water, we’re the ones going backward. We won’t pick up enough speed to get back to the beginning, though. Ahk! We’re going to die here, especially with that!” exclaimed Jadwiga, pointing to the black smoke billowing through the hole created by the dragon hybrid.

As their car started slowing down to almost a standstill, Jadwiga had an idea. They needed a way to make the descending car much heavier.

Jadwiga looked at the black smoke and remembered the electrical surge Marigold created on the railing on the ceiling.

“Alright, you’re going to need to trust my plan. Just do as I say,” Jadwiga announced to the others.

“Can we get some idea of what’s going to happen to us first?” asked Kitezh.

“Really rich of you to ask that after leaving me in the dark and lying about your plan. Now let’s see how you enjoy trust issues,” Jadwiga retorted, as she searched through the supply box of the funicular.

She pulled out a crowbar and tossed it at Kitezh’s feet.

“Marigold, it’s hot at the entrance. Try to freeze it down.”

“Right!”

Marigold blasted ice magic at the gaping hole of the funicular. White steam started to counter the black smoke coming inside.

Jadwiga grabbed her grappling hook out of her backpack, and shot it through the hole.

“Marigold, I need you to use your light magic again to keep track of you. I’ll be back quickly,” said Jadwiga.

Jadwiga held her breath and flew into the hole. Jadwiga was in the thick smoke, above the funicular. She kicked herself backwards so that she was on top of the funicular. Thankfully, due to it slowing down its ascent, Jadwiga had no issue with getting on top.

She felt around the ceiling for something.

SMACK!

Jadwiga felt something sticky on one of her hands. She knew this was one of the spider webs. Her palm was stuck, but knew this was no issue for her.

Jadwiga felt around with her other hand, until she felt what she needed. The railing that Marigold shot at before.

The railing had an open slit for the rope holding the funicular car. It was exactly what Jadwiga was looking for.

Jadwiga pointed her hand like a gun, and pointed upward.

SPLAT!

The spiderweb on Jadwiga’s left palm disappeared, and was shot at the rope inside the railing.

SPLAT!

SPLAT!

Jadwiga repeated this two more times. Once this task was complete, and she jumped back inside the funicular.

“AAAAAAAAH, HAAAAAAA, AAAAH, AHK! KAH! KAH!” Jadwiga hacked up a coughing fit.

“Jadwiga, KAH! KAH!” wheezed Kitezh.

“G-grab on, AAAAH, TO ME! Kitezh, hold on crowbar with both hands, AAAAAH! AHK! Marigold, hold on wand with both, AHK! KAH!” Jadwiga gasped as she was running out of breath.

Kitezh and Marigold held on to their items. First, Jadwiga fastened Marigold to a rope belt and flew up on top of the funicular together. Jadwiga felt for Marigold’s hands and felt the wand she was holding tightly. It was still lighting up as Jadwiga had instructed earlier. Jadwiga pressed the wand against the spider web on the railing.

Jadwiga jumped back down quickly, fastened Kitezh to herself the same way, and flew to the top of the car again. She felt Kitezh’s hands and felt the crowbar. She put her crowbar against another spiderweb spot on the railing.

Finally, it was time for Jadwiga to execute her plan. She reached for her backpack and grabbed a kunai.

“If this doesn’t work, all of us are dead. I CAN’T FUCK IT UP NOW!”

SHANK!

Jadwiga pantomimed a cutting gesture. Something shook below Jadwiga’s feet.

She took out her grappling hook and shot at the third spider web spot on the railing. Thanks to Marigold’s light, she did not lose track of where it was.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH!

ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“ONCE YOU SEE LIGHT, PREPARE TO LET-“

BAM!

“OOOOOW!”

“RUN OUT OF THE SMOKE NOW!”

All of a sudden, Kitezh, Jadwiga, and Marigold were all out into the light. They were out of the tunnel. They all ran away from the smoke flowing out from the tunnel so they could finally breathe fresh, clean air.

“Kah, kah! M-my wand! It’s on the ground! But what happened?!” exclaimed Marigold, as she looked up.

She saw that she was at the top station of the funicular.

“Kah, kah, kah! The funicular was connected by a rope that went along the railing on top of it. I connected you and Kitezh on the rope with the spider’s web, and those stick-like objects were you holding.” Explained Jadwiga

“Eeeew! My hands have disgusting spider web goo on them now!” complained Marigold. “But, how did we get up here?!”

“I used my pantomime ability. I use the kunai to pantomime cutting a rope. It disconnected the entire funicular car and the rest of the rope. Both funicular cars are tied to the same rope. Both try to counteract each other’s weight. However, since there was only one funicular car connected to the rope, its weight caused it to free-fall down. For us, it became a really fast upward zip line.”

“Huh. You really are a fast thinker, Jadwiga. Sorry for not telling you about our plan.”

“It’s whatever. I understand Kitezh not wanting to trust me. Right, Kitezh?” Jadwiga asked, looking around.

“Kitezh, where did you go?!” cried Marigold.

Both girls looked at the station again. They could see the cloud of smoke still coming out of the tunnel and shrouding the station ominously.

“Kitezh must be on the other side of that smoke screen. Let’s find her.”

“GRAAAOOR!”

“AAAAAAH!”

Marigold screamed as she saw something crawl out of the smoke screen. It was the large dragon head spider body hybrid from the tunnel. It had made its way out and wants its revenge.

“Marigold, let’s get this thing. I’m hoping Kitezh is doing alright,” said Jadwiga, unaware of Kitezh’s situation.

“Eheheh. I’m fucking dead,” Kitezh hysterically laughed to herself, as she saw what was in front of her.

A large spider monster with a large dragon’s tail. The tail had three, bladed, feather-like appendages at the end, almost like a peacock. The intimidating form meant it was ready to kill.