From Silk Funnel To Glass Cone

Down at the base of the sky bridge were weaves of white web that spiraled into a funnel. A spider would use it as its home and as a trap to ensnare its meal. With a strange spider that could fly and snatch victims with its claws, it was more like a food pantry.

Jadwiga and Marigold were both stuck in the sticky web. Their struggles only get their limbs entangled even more.

“Come on, we were so close. Why the hell are there flying spiders attacking us now? This is cheating!” Jadwiga juvenilely complained.

“At least I have my wand. Though I couldn’t get it off my hands anyway after you put disgusting web on it!” yelled Marigold.

Jadwiga clenched her left hand. She darted her eyes at her backpack. She could see little threads moving about on the side of it, and pulled out a redite stone.

“Hold still, Marigold, I think I can cut us out.”

“What do you mean by ‘hold still’? As if I can move in this stupid web!”

The threads put the redite into Jadwiga’s left hand, and they squirmed back to her backpack. She could squeeze the redite, but her powers also required her right hand to act. However, her right palm was trapped in the web.

“I can’t use pantomime to use my hand like a gun. I need another way to use a stone on a web,” thought Jadwiga. “How about…”

SKRRRR!

Jadwiga pantomimed smashing the web surface with her fist. It caused the redite to rip a hole through the side of her.

The weight of Jadwiga caused her body to sink and roll over to the newly formed hole in the web.

“HIIIIISSSSS!”

“Jadwiga, the flying spider thing is back! I think it’s going after you for destroying its web!” warned Marigold.

“I think I can at least bend the web so I can sink myself lower into this hole!” replied Jadwiga.

SKRRRRR!

Jadwiga’s body tore a large hole in the web. Her body was starting to dangle as her entire backside was still attached to the web.

“Jadwiga, if you hide like that, the spider will-“

“HIIIIIIIISSSSSSSS!”

Marigold looked up and saw the mandibles of the spider’s head and the pitch-black eyes spotted on its face.

SHANK!

“AH!”

Marigold yelped as the spider sank one of its sharp fangs into her arm.

“My wand. I can use an electric spell on the web. Though this spider is flying. I think it doesn’t want its dragon parts to get caught in the web, so using an electric spell on the web won't do anything. Electricity wouldn’t be effective on the dragon section anyway. More importantly, I don't want Jadwiga and me to get electrocuted. I’ll have to try an ice spell,” thought Marigold.

ZAP!

Marigold shot an ice ray from her wand. Since she couldn’t move her hand, it pointed straight up at the top part of the web funnel.

The entire web turned glassy. It was encased in ice that spread all around the cone-shaped web. Though it was much icier at the top, creating a shiny dome. Down at Marigold’s level, the web was only slightly chilly.

SHANK!

“AAAAH! AHK!”

The spider struck its mandibles into Marigold’s upper chest. It began to pump venom into Marigold’s body.

Marigold’s eyes widened as she could feel her body freeze up. The venom was paralyzing her body.

As the spider kept its fangs against Marigold’s chest, she could see its lower body begin to bend. While the main dragon thorax was floating above her body, its abdomen pressed between Marigold’s legs.

“IT’S GOING TO LAY EGGS IN ME!” Marigold panicked in her mind.

From that realization, being completely paralyzed and the spider on top of her, she could only do one thing.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

The spider paid no mind to her screaming. It only saw a squirming body to shut up. It only thought of pumping more venom into Marigold and preparing her for what’s next.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

“HIIIISSSSS!”

The spider suddenly yanked its fangs out of Marigold and screeched. Its body convulsed. A rattling noise was heard from the icy funnel. All of it occurred after a loud, high-pitched noise was emitted from the mountain.

“What the hell just happened. That noise just now was even felt by the spider. Could it be… AH! WHISTLE MOUNTAIN! I’M IN THE SWEET SPOT!” Marigold thought, unable to properly speak those words out loud.

Marigold looked above as the ice web began to settle down.

SHANK!

“AHK! AHK! JA-JAD-AGH!”

The spider sank its mandibles back into Marigold as she cried for help. Her body began to seize up more from the venom, making her unable to properly say words.

“Ahk… krrrk…”

Marigold could not even scream anymore. She was only stuck with the thoughts of despair in her mind.

“The high-pitched sound rattled the ice above. I just needed to scream again, but I can’t! I need to do something!” she thought.

Marigold couldn’t feel her arms. Her wand rested in her hand. All she could do was think about what it was going to feel like being filled with spider eggs. Her vision began to fade at the sight of the spider injecting her chest with venom.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH”

“Huh… that scream… could it be…”

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

CRASH!

The high-pitched ring that echoed from the Whistle Mountains was heard again. The spider pulled out its fangs and looked up. Before it could attempt to fly away…

BAM!

“HIIIIIII-KRKRKRKRKR”

The icy funnel web shattered from above and came crashing down on the spider. The spider’s mandibles immediately sprang up and curled back into itself. The spider had its eternal rest.

“Jadwiga saved me…”

As the ice fell down, it ripped through the funnel web below, dragging Marigold and Jadwiga down to the ground below.

“The high-pitch sound was actually the whistle of Whistle Mountain. Marigold initially made that discovery. Apparently, the spiders are not completely soundproof. They react to certain high-pitched frequencies. Not only that, but they created a resonance with the icy funnel, causing it to vibrate and shatter. If it wasn’t for Marigold, we both would’ve been dead, or something worse,” Jadwiga thought.

The web helped cushion the fall. However, Jadwiga struggled to crawl out as it was still sticky.

“Marigold, I’m coming to get you.”

“GROOOOAAAAR!”

“Oh come on, you again?!”

It was the dragon with the spider legs from before. It came back for its unfinished business. However, its legs were immobilized. It had fallen out of the tree it was previously crawling on and hit the ground below.

“I think when we stopped that spider, its legs stopped functioning because they were part of the same creature.”

The dragon had enough fight in its dragon parts to keep on fighting, however. The dragon readied its head to breathe fire at Jadwiga.

“I’m… so… sick of you shit!”

Jadwiga slammed her right fist to the ground like she was banging a hammer.

BOOOOOM!

“GROOOOOAAAAAAH!”

“I didn’t use that redite from earlier just to escape. It was actually a trap to blow up you bastards! With the combined power of the yellite, now your body is split into two. Suffer all alone now.”

Jadwiga stumbled over to Marigold, as the web on her body kept pulling her to the ground.

“Marigold, are you still okay?! I need you to use your ice spell again.”

Marigold’s body lay motionless.

“Sigh, I’ll have to do this the hard way.”

BOOM!

Jadwiga used the explosion of the yellite and redite to free Marigold from the web. Her body slammed against the ground, but she was already unconscious.

Jadwiga picked up Marigold’s body and dragged her feet against the ground, trying to figure out where she was and how to get back up to where she started.

Jadwiga then noticed in the distance. A familiar blue helmet was on the ground.

“KITEEEEEEEZH!”

Jadwiga saw the helmet jerk up and then slam back to the ground as if it were being pulled down by tree sap.

Jadwiga and Kitezh bickered with each other about how both of them were too occupied to help each other, bringing both of their stories up to speed now.

Kitezh then looked at Marigold’s body. She saw there were bloody holes on her chest region.

“Oh my God, Marigold! We’ll discuss later; we need to help her!”

“I gave her one of my healing potions. As of now, she should be fine, just unconscious. Though of course, we need to take her into town if we want her to get much better,” said Jadwiga.

“Hey, I see something down there!” called out an unknown male voice.

Kitezh and Jadwiga looked up at the funicular station. They trudged their way to the top, carrying Marigold with them.

At the top was a group of officers. They formed a line of men in navy blue suits.

“That’s them! They were the girls who trespassed and ran the funicular without my permission!” yelled one of the men.

It was actually the guard at the bottom of the funicular station. He was furious with Kitezh’s party.

“Ugh, we need to deal with this bastard after everything we went through? What a pain,” said Jadwiga.