Chapter 28:
Kitezh the Invisible Phenomenon
Webs hung all around the branches in the woods. It was like a laser game, except one wrong move would practically kill you in a not-so-fun way.
A dragon with a spider’s abdomen was on the ground. Upon closer inspection, it actually had incisors like a rodent. Its teeth splayed apart. Kitezh assumed it meant it could spray out flames without moving its jaw.
On her right side was a large brown spider up a tree. Its long, thin dragon tail swept the ground. With how sharp the end was, it cut through the invisible sap with ease.
“They’re two monsters working together. However, it doesn’t mean they have fully adapted to each other’s bodies. Now that both of them are here, it actually puts me at an advantage. Though it would require making the right moves for this to work,” Kitezh thought to herself.
Kitezh looked at the dragon tail scraping the ground. It was cutting through the tree sap. This visual gave Kitezh an idea. She thought back on what happened in the funicular tunnel.
“A dragon can get stuck in spider web. That dragon creature from before was seemingly stuck in the air, struggling. What if that dragon had its wings caught in the web back there? If the dragon parts can get stuck in the spider web, I can try to get them caught in their own traps.”
She saw the dragon creeping closer. It splayed its mouth open.
"I can't plan something right now, though. I've got to fight this thing right now."
Kitezh trudged carefully away from the dragon through the sap. She made sure she didn’t hit a spider web.
“Hurrrrgh,” breathed the dragon.
“It's ready to attack.”
Kitezh looked at the dagger in her hands.
“I'll be the one who strikes first.”
Kitezh crept to the side of the dragon unseen. She gritted her teeth and lunged straight at its side. She was certain to make a direct hit at its vitals.
"HA!" yelled Kitezh, swinging her arm down into the dragon.
However, the sap from the ground dragged her down, making her embarrassingly face-plant against the dragon’s body. Nevertheless, using all the strength she was given…
SHANK!
“ROOOOAAAAAR!”
She stabbed the invisible dagger into the side of the dragon. The dragon spun its body around.
FWOOOOOSH!
The dragon splayed open its incisors and shot a straight spitfire. The webs that covered the forest caught on fire and melted like lava. Embers and smoke flew up as they burned the wooden branches of the trees.
However, Kitezh was nowhere in sight of the dragon.
“If I can’t properly fight with the sap at my feet, I might as well use it however I can. I can fasten my body tightly to the side of the dragon by using the sap, and it can’t throw me off.”
The dragon tried to fight that claim, as it started twisting its body around, trying to knock Kitezh off its body.
At first, Kitezh thought the dragon was just futilely trying to fling her off. Then suddenly…
SMACK!
“OW! UGH!”
Something ripped Kitezh off the dragon. Blood started pouring out of the side of her invisible body, creating her outline. She saw that the spider with the dragon’s tail was moving erratically.
"The dragon wasn't trying to shake me off. The dragon can control the tail attached to that spider's body. It was actually swinging its tail to slice me off its own body," thought Kitezh.
Kitezh was in pain, but had to get up. She turned the blood invisible, but knew it wouldn’t help much.
"I've still got my dagger. This sap stuck the handle really well to my palm."
She put her hand in the ground and scooped up some of the invisible sap. She rubbed it on the side of her body where her shirt would be. The sap acted as a quick seal.
"I'm going to bleed out again, which would make my invisibility useless if enough blood is spilled. still, the less visibility, the better."
Kitezh had realized how far she was flung off from the dragon, as it was hunting her down again.
"I've got some distance. I need to try and get this thing trapped in its web. Though I need to attract its attention to the web first."
Kitezh saw one of the spider webs. She grabbed a handful of sap and tried a similar "sap glove" trick from earlier. She purposely put her hand coated with sap on the spider’s web.
She jerked it around to get the spider’s attention. She could see the entire web system vibrating in the woods.
The spider was clearly agitated. It climbed quickly to one of the spiderwebs and began to traverse it like a squirrel running on a power line.
As it was running, its tail was moving in a way to avoid contact with the web, swaying around in the air.
"Of course it's smart enough not to catch its tail on the web."
Kitezh’s plan was halfway complete. Now she needed one more monster’s attention.
“Hey, stupid dragon! I’m over here!” shouted Kitezh, as she left her hand visible and waving.
“GROOOOAAAAAH!”
The dragon saw the hand and was startled by Kitezh’s shouting. It was turning around and ready to attack.
CRACK!
“HIIIISSSSSSSSSS!”
Something was caught in the spiderweb that caused a tree to break a branch. The spider’s dragon tail was caught in it.
"I guess my shouting really startled the dragon’s main body. It swung its tail down instinctively in surprise while the spider was in motion. Of course, it would try its best to avoid the web. Though the dragon was also momentarily distracted. With my hand attached to the web, I was able to pull it against its tail."
As the spider tried to bolt towards the source of the vibration, the dragon tail twirled the spider web around it like it was a noodle. The dragon could feel it and was now trying to recklessly flick it off. What Kitezh didn’t take into account for in her plan was how fast things unfolded.
The tail snagged on the web that she was connected to, flinging her into the air. If she were visible, she would appear like a human cannonball. Though just like a human cannonball, she screamed through the air.
"AAAAAAAH!"
SPLAT!
“What just happened? Ugh, I need to get up."
Kitezh tried to lift herself from the ground. However, she could feel the skin on her left hand stretch when she pulled it away from her chest.
"Oh shit, this sticky stuff is on my chest!”
Kitezh was thrown into the spider web she was holding. She planned to free her hand using the sap, but now she was in serious trouble. She tried using her hand to pull the web off in a panic. However, she realized too late that now her other hand holding the dagger was not stuck on her chest.
“God damn it! It’s like crazy glue that doesn’t harden.”
SNAP!
Kitezh heard something that sounded like a rubber band. The end of the dragon’s tail was like a thin razor, and sliced the web trail, freeing it. Though the tail still had webbing wrapped around the tail itself, making it appear like it’s waving a white ribbon.
"I can't fight like this. If I can't use my hands, I'm basically done for."
However, just like how she was covered in sap, she realized she could make the most out of this situation, too.
The spider was noticing more vibrations in its web again. It chased down the source of the disturbance. What it found was a helpless Kitezh, who had purposely wrapped herself in more of the web. The spider made its move on the easy target.
“HIIIISSSSS!”
The large spider revealed its fangs dripping with venom. Kitezh looked at the spider. She put on a brave face, but still prepared for the worst.
CRUNCH!
“OW!”
The spider sank its fangs into the ball of web. However, Kitezh only felt a slight prick.
"And now, I am free!"
As the spider tried to pull out its fang, Kitezh made her move. She turned everything that she was in contact with invisible. First, herself, then the web she was wrapped inside, then the spider itself.
"Just like a small glove, I could use the nature wound as a giant bag encased with spider web. When the spider thrusted its mandibles through the web, the sap and sticks inside acted as a crumple zone. However, with the tip of its fangs right at my chest, I had something to cut through the web fastening my hands to my shirt."
The spider eventually pulled its fangs out. Only half of its body vanished, with its dragon tail still completely visible.
The spider was ready for its next attack. Kitezh couldn't see it since its head was invisible, but it was ready for another bite. At the same time, the dragon with the spider abdomen showed up again. They were both able to coordinate with each other.
"I only turned the spider half invisible. Its tail is still visible, so I can see where it's attacking. It looks like it's ready to swing it at me."
Kitezh tried to push herself out of the debris-encased web. However, she could see the end of the dragon's tail getting closer. It was swinging like an axe, slicing up the ground. Kitezh was fumbling to get out, desperate to save herself.
"That tail can cut through my cocoon, and it's definitely going to slice me in half! Damn it, I need to get out!"
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
A loud, high-pitched noise was emitted from the mountains.
“HIISSSSSSSSS!”
“GROOOOOOAAAAAAAAR!”
The spider and dragon both responded by flailing around to the noise. The dragon, in its state of unrest, began spraying fire in the area.
“What the hell is going on? Where did that noise come from?”
The dragon spat out fire through its incisors, setting trees on fire. At the same time, the dragon tail of the spider was flailing around, knocking into things in its path until it eventually got stuck on the ground, right near Kitezh.
To the dragon, it just saw its own tail floating and stuck on the ground. The dragon pointed its mouth at its own tail to burn the web off to free it. Its front incisors opened and spewed out flames.
FWOOOOOOSH!
“HIIIIIIIIIKHKHHKH”
Kitezh heard the screech of a spider, but it made weird clicking noises. Ashes were spewing out of the invisible spider.
"Back when that spider sank its fangs into me, I turned the web cocoon and spider invisible. That invisibility spread throughout the web network. When that weird high-pitched noise was emitted, the dragon must have caught its tail in the invisible web when it was swinging it around. The sharp tip must have missed it. Without realizing the spider was invisible, the dragon ended up setting the spider on fire, trying to free its tail from the web."
The dragon tail of the spider squirmed about, as if the burning spider was trying to extinguish itself. Since the spider's body was still invisible, it appeared like a big ball of fire.
"Still, that whole setup was risky. If it weren't for that sudden ringing sound, that tail might've sliced through me."
Kitezh looked at the dragon, and noticed its spider abdomen dragging behind. Since the spider's body was burned up, the abdomen on the dragon had become limp.
“Hey, I’m still over here!” Kitezh called out from the ground.
The dragon found Kitezh’s voice. She made her body visible on purpose. To the dragon, she appeared to be lying helplessly on the ground, due to the web being invisible inside and out.
CHOMP!
The dragon instinctively pounced and chomped its fangs down on Kitezh.
"And now I've caught you as well!"
Once again, Kitezh could feel a bit of stabbing of the incisors. However, unlike a spider, a dragon’s teeth can’t easily free itself from the invisible ball of web. To non-spider creatures, the web acts as super glue. The dragon's mouth was stuck shut.
Pressure began to build up in the dragon’s mouth. Kitezh could feel heat building up through the web.
“Urgh! It's going to blast fire and burn up this cocoon. Come on, just keep biting down so I can…”
FWOOOOOSH!
The dragon created a ball of flame on the ground. It pried open its mouth, as the ashes of the web burned away from its teeth. However, Kitezh could not be found.
SHANK!
SHANK!
SHANK!
“GROOOOOAAAAAH”
“You can’t throw me off this time! No spider with your tail to stop me, so I can keep stabbing you all I like!”
Kitezh was free with little mess on her body. Actually, she was experiencing deja vu. She was missing her clothes and cape... again.
Before she wrapped herself in the spider web, she covered her body in the tree sap on the ground, making her body like a cushy, sticky glove. But, all that sap wasn't completely in contact with her whole body. Kitezh's clothing, and her cape especially, acted as another layer under the sap.
After freeing her hands from her chest, she was able to use the dagger in her hand to help free herself. She cut her shirt and cape in a way that she could pull herself out of the cocoon much more easily.
Additionally, with the dragon biting down like a clamp, it actually made pushing herself out much easier.
Now, Kitezh could have a somewhat fair one-on-one fight with the dragon by clinging to it with sticky sap and spiderweb remaining on her body, and stabbing it repeatedly in the back.
The dragon spun around, trying to throw her off its body. But, acting alone, the dragon could not do a thing to stop her. There was no way for the dragon to attack its own blind spot.
"I can keep stabbing it. But still, it's a god damn dragon. This is going to take forever to kill!"
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
“GWAAAAH!”
There was the high-pitched sound again coming from the mountains. It made the dragon yell and press itself to the ground like it was trying to hide from it.
"I have no idea what is that sound still, but I'll treat it as a blessing. It's head is down and incaptacitated. I can go for the neck. HYAAAA!"
SHANK!
"GWAAAAGH AGH AGH!"
Kitezh could see the dark blood spill out of its neck. The dragon began coughing up blood until its body finally went limp. Kitezh pulled the knife out. The blood splashed on her naked body.
Kitezh slowly unstuck herself from the dragon and fell on the sap ground.
Kitezh lay there and put her hand where she still had the wound from earlier. It was bleeding more due to all the fighting, and especially without a shirt.
"Agh, I'm so exhausted. I still need to find Jadwiga and Marigold."
“KITEEEEEEEZH!”
Kitezh's head jerked up upon hearing a familiar high-pitched voice, but it was pulled back down as it was stuck to the sap. It was Marigold and Jadwiga. Though, the high-pitched voice came from Jadwiga. Her voice gets pretty squeaky when she acts childish.
Both of them had torn clothes covered with spider web and were limping toward her. Jadwiga seemed to be carrying Marigold around her arms.
“Kitezh, you’re actually alive? Damn, I seriously underestimated you. And uh, what happened to your clothes? Did a spider eat them?” asked Jadwiga.
“I had to fight two god damn spider dragon hybrid things at once! Oh, but don’t mind me, I fucking kill them both all by myself! Where the hell were you guys?!” Kitezh replied angrily
“Hey! We had to deal with shit up on the bridge! We both almost died!” yelled Jadwiga.
“Well, there’s one of me, and two of you. So, you better have had one hell of a fight up there,” said Kitezh impatiently.
“You thought the two of us were fucking around up there? We almost died up there, too,” said Jadwiga.
While Kitezh was fighting for her life, Jadwiga and Marigold had their own story.
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