The jungle was quiet, too quiet some would say. Normally, one might hear various sounds, from very small insects, through small animals that might seek refuge in small holes, to even big predators. However in that section, everything was so quiet, it was as if most animals, from tiny to huge have vacated the area out of fear. Looking around a strange looking woman, who looked like a strange cross between a human and a spider, Isabel de Trestia, knew very well why it was so quiet.

The Countess touched one of several crushed trees. Crushed might not be the exact word, like many other in that section of the jungle, it was like it had been pushed aside, bent and broken, so that a creature that was obviously too big for such a closed jungle could pass through.

“Good, it doesn't look like this tree has been like this for too long. I think we are starting to get close to our young troublemaker. Artemis, Diana, come on.”

The two women she was motioning to follow were somewhat similar to her but not exactly. The two of them managed well enough to mimic a sort of human-like figure for their bodies, but unlike the Countess, whose face was unmistakably human, theirs were definitely insect-like.

“Ugh, is this really such a great idea, mistress? Look at the claw marks on that tree! Do you think that is something just the three of us can hunt?”

Artemis, who just spoke had her own peculiar appearance. While some might think of spider when they look at the Countess, Artemis' less human characteristics were more likely to make people think of a wasp. Her carapace was mostly black with a few orangeish parts without any hair.

“Boo, stop being such a downer, you're only afraid because you have no idea what we are up against, which is half the fun. You always whine when we get to hunt something different.”

Diana, who responded to Artemis, also invoked in people the idea of a wasp, but in a much flashier way. Her carapace was a shining green that could put many jewels to shame in its beauty.

“You two. Feeling nervous and not up to it is not good, Artemis but then I'd rather not have you, Diana, be too excited about this new, exciting and dangerous Dragon that seems to have only recently ascended and end up killed by it. This is not a joke nor is it optional, you know that very well. Dragons should be eliminated as fast as possible, or do you want to live with a new Old Chad?”

The two of them gulped at hearing the name Old Chad mentioned, the oldest, greatest and deadliest of all dragons. There was none in the Wildlands who had never heard the tale of the terrible Sand Leviathan, who roamed the desert which marked the frontier between the Empire and the Wildlands. Sure, one could cross the desert many times without ever seeing the giant being, but every single person who witnessed him, up close or from afar, and lived had nothing but awe and fear to report. If nothing else, he was a living warning against letting dragons live once they emerged from a Pool of Reorigination.

“Well, it is better to hunt dragons as soon as possible, before they get too cunning and experienced.”

“I'll make sure to not die so that I can tell my tales to the young ones.”

Both Artemis and Diana seemed more focused now that they were reminded of the gravity of what they were undertaking right now. This was no ordinary prey that they were stalking. It was something that had survived the changes caused by the Pools, it was something that had become unimaginably more powerful, but which had not found reason in its heart. Only hunger and the desire to live, like so many other beasts. But the world at large was not prepared for such a creature with such power, such vitality and such hunger that is not tempered by an ounce of mercy or restraint.

“Yes, being like that is better when we are after that kind of creature.”

So they silently track the dangerous creature. It doesn't take long for them to start hearing something. It is not the normal sound one would hear in the jungle, but instead it is the constant and extremely deep breathing of a huge creature that is asleep. They haven't even seen the creature, but the three of them stop. There is something important to be done before they approach the Dragon any more: Traps, many of them, spread in every direction. The three of them know that they must make the most of this opportunity. As none of them has any idea how often this Dragon needs to sleep.

The Countess knew very well what kind of traps she wanted to make. A thin, almost translucent silk started being secreted near the base of her thumbs. Some would say that it looked remarkably like spider silk, but that wouldn't be exactly right, as her threads, even when they were made as thin as she was making them right now, were extremely strong, much stronger than any regular spider thread.

So she weaved webs and other kinds of traps in the trees and on the ground. Invisible, deadly and unbreakable. She might have admonished her two subordinates to take this more seriously, but she couldn't help getting excited as she worked. Perhaps it was the arachnid instincts she had, which were added to her own once she ascended and became something different that just human? Not good. She might work even better in that state of excitement, as her spider instincts intermingled with the feelings she knew were there when she was a human. Before she realized, she had grown two more pair of limbs, as she usually did when she intended to use the silk secreted at bottom of her waist. However, instead of using it to weave more silk, she used these new limbs to touch herself in various places, trying to calm down the now very much sexual desire she felt as she worked hard to lay traps for a potential prey.

As she finished her work, she was reminded by herself why she did not have any male personal guards. If at that moment she had any male in her sights, there was nothing that would be able to stop her from pushing that man down and having her way with him and, honestly, with the way she was, she couldn't guarantee not ripping the man in question into shreds as she got too excited. No good, she had to calm down. She went back to the same place where she had separated from Artemis and Diana, then sat down to meditate and calm herself. Surprisingly, the dragon's breathing was a pretty good pacemaker for meditation.

Diana and Artemis were in no way surprised to see that the Countess was the first to be finished with her preparations. The two of them were breathing heavily, though not because of overexertion.

“Come on, Mistress, I know you always tell us that patience is the most important and that traps are important, but I can barely hold myself, can we just go? I need to sting something!”

Diana had her wasp wings fluttering behind her, almost producing a sound with merely their vibration. Excitable by nature, she could hardly hide her feelings, and a small point of a stinger could be seen poking out from the end of her wrist, as well as other parts of her body. Mandibles could now clearly be seen on the sides of her mouth.

“I also... Might be reaching my limit.”

Artemis was much better at hiding her excitement, but even then, it was painfully obvious the she needed something to attack. The two of them were predators, and it was taking a lot of will for them to keep their instincts in check.

As for the Countess, she had managed to mostly calm herself down, enough to perceive a difference in the breathing of the dragon they were about to hunt. She opened her eyes, all of them, not just the ones she had when she was a human.

“We should be moving, I think our dear troublemaker might be nearing the end of its sleep, and hopefully its life. Just please, remember to let me go in first, I'd hate to lose either of you.”

She lightly brushed the faces of the two of them as she passed them, walking towards their intended target. It helped calm down the both of them.

“Yes!”

The two answered in unison and followed her.

It didn't take long for the three of them to find the dragon, and when they did, each one of them was paralyzed with momentary fear as they beheld the sleeping monster. The entire creature was hairless, yet its head could only be approximated to that of a large feline, like a lion or a leopard, but large bull-like horns adorned it, and its teeth were not hidden even when its mouth was closed. The scaly and grayish skin recalled a reptilian, like a crocodile, yet it was gleaming, like a well-polished metal, rough and yet impossibly smooth. Its incredibly muscular limbs were quite balanced, not being overly long or short, indicating an overall balance of body not unlike a wolf's, at the end of these limbs a cruel set of flawlessly sharp claws could be clearly seen, clearly being the origin of the deep cuts they had seen on the broken trees the creature had left in its path. On its back, small spikes became much more numerous, wicked, barbed things, giving the illusion of some sort of a carapace, like a turtle would have, yet that same unnerving feeling of impossible smoothness persisted when looking at it. Its tail was lying in front of the creature, a large, muscular thing with a point that had a form wouldn't be strange if it was seen in a mace, with one small addition: It's point was like a spear, ready to pierce any of the creature's enemies' hearts.

It had made somewhat of a pseudo refuge for it, by piling up broken trees around it, in a comical fashion, like a child making a castle out of a sofa's cushion. Except, who could laugh at that terrible being that announced its presence by crushing anything that is in its path? None of the three who were there dared to do that. Instead, having their instincts sobered and sharpened to a fine weapon, they prepared themselves to confront this walking disaster which they could not allow to continue living.

“Both of you, flank it. I'm going through the front, waking it and trying to make use of its confusion to grapple it with some of my thread. Again, wait for me to start it before jumping in.”

Saying that, the Countess slapped her palms together, almost as if in prayer, and indeed, in one corner of her mind she did fervently pray that they would find success, for failure was too terrifying to think of. Then, separating her hands, a thick thread could be seen dangling from her hands, slowly but steadily growing longer. Her other limbs started bundling and holding the thread, so that it would not needlessly trip its maker, but also so that it could be unleashed in a single moment.

It was an almost serene scene, the human-spider there calmly and silently walking up on two legs to the monster that seemed to be made of other monsters, her steps forming an inaudible rhythm with the breathing of the monster she intended to attack. When she reached touching distance of it, the world seemed to stop, as if its creator had stopped to admire that single moment. Then, that which seemed frozen in a painting or a photo started to move as if the very concept of motion had intervened.

“Wake up, its time to die, ugly bastard!”

The creature immediately stood up and even before roaring snapped at the Countess, however, she was prepared for it. Dodging back while trowing the thread she was in her hands, she quickly then jumped on the dragon's back. The scene looked like she had just put reins on the creature and intended to ride it. At almost the same time, Diana and Artemis charged from opposite directions, stingers completely showing on both their palms.

“Take this! Let's you deal with my venom!”

They both slammed their stingers into the creature's side, but the effect was not was expected. From her vantage point of the dragon's back, she did not hear it roar in pain as expected, instead, both Diana and Artemis grunted from the pain of having their stingers shattered. Things weren't going to well. The dragon started struggling under her while trying to chew on her thread. Chewing wasn't doing it much good, but the Countess could not ignore the fact that the surface of the dragon's back was just as smooth and slippery as it looked. She tried to kneel to get a better grip, but all she was managing to do was get her knees as scratched as her feet from the small and sharp spikes. No good, she wasn't that strong, she had jumped on the dragon's back expecting for it to be at least slightly affected by some venom. Before she could get thrown off in a bad position, when the dragon swung its head, she used the momentum jump off and let go of the thread. The dragon was completely free. It roared in triumph.

“Fuck, I didn't expect that. I Think one of my arms is broken.”

Diana whined as they tried to creature some distance between them and the dragon. Apparently, after their failed attack, she didn't manage to completely dodge the swing of the dragon's tail that went for her. As they ran, the dragon crushed everything in its path to pursue them.

“Focus, we need to bait it to my trap zone.” That was their second tool: The traps they had painstakingly left behind. “Forget stinging it for now. Try your best to at least scratch its hide with your mandibles while I do my best to distract it.”

The Countess spoke as calmly as she could. That might be the first dragon the two of them were hunting, but for her it was the sixth. She wouldn't allow that thing to live in her lands. No fucking way.

“Yes, mistress.”

Artemis obediently answered and separated from them. The angered dragon hesitated for a moment, but decided to go after the two who were running away among the already broken trees. The countess smiled as she spit a small amount of web mixed with poison at the dragon's eye and got a hit. It roared angrily at that, but not as it it was in pain. Could anything affect that damn thing? As it scrubbed off the web on the ground, the Countess cut a fine thread nearby, making a boulder swing in and smash directly on the dragon's side. Oh, perhaps she could hear a tiny amount of pain on the creature's voice now as it fell to its side? Immediately, Both Diana and Artemis jumped on it, trying to scratch and bite on it, but not looking very successful. It didn't take too long for the tail to come swinging back, almost grazing the dragon's own back. This time the two of them dodged in time, jumping in the air. The dragon attempted to pounce on them, but the two briefly took flight, before once again hiding in the jungle.

“Keep your eyes on me, ugly boy.”

The Countess spit web and poison at its eyes again, but this time it easily avoided it. At least she had its attention, as planned. She lured it into the jungle, so she could take it to the next trap. At least having to break trees to move around somewhat slowed it down. It didn't stop its angry, possibly hungry, growls, as it pursued her. It didn't take long for a loud crash to be heard as one of its front legs fell on a pitfall. As expected, when it pulled its paw out, there was no blood. It probably crushed the spikes put there. At least there was a good amount of web stuck to it. Enough that the dragon, irritated, stopped and started frantically waving its paw around in frustration, trying to get the sticky web off. When it tried slapping it against a tree, the tree got stuck to its paw. It roared in obvious frustration, leaving a good opening.

“I'm paying you back for my arm, you piece of shit!”

The three of them made use of the opening, closing in and trying to wound it. The dragon, with four things to pay attention to, was getting confused. It tried to pierce Diana as she tried to bite through its thick hide, but when she deftly dodge it, the tail's tip pierced through the dragon's foot. It immediately pulled out.

“Good one, Diana!”

Seizing on the opportunity, the Countess, bit down as hard she could and injected as much venom as she could manage on the dragon's foot. It howled in pain like nothing she had heard before, not even the other dragons she had hunted. Its movements completely changed. With a speed it had not shown before, it hit Artemis squarely in the back with the tree trunk stuck to its paw. And bolted away.

“No, you don't!”

Artemis tried to give chase, running after it. The Countess had a bad feeling about it, so she shouted.

“Stop, Diana!”

Diana immediately stopped, and at that very moment, the dragon's tail swung down as it fled. If she had not stopped, she would certainly have been crushed by it. The dragon kept running, but she did not give chase to it. It was after all, an order from her mistress.

“Are we going to leave it be? Won't it grow into something even more dangerous?”

It wasn't her place to question the Countess, but she wanted to hear the reasoning. The Countess answered in a somber tone. As she checked on Artemis.

“Just the three of us are not enough to kill this dragon. Luckily, or unluckily, this one seems to be quite the sensitive one. Oh good, she's breathing. It might be hard to wound it, but wounding it seems to affect it greatly and puts it on the defensive. Chasing a dragon with a tail like that is very dangerous. I don't like it one bit, but seeing how skittish and resistant this thing can be, this might call for a Grand Hunt.”