I had to pick up and carry Khanna past the Fodoron Obelisk because for the longest time, she simply stood there, mouth open, as the strange structure thrummed, sending out waves of unknown energy. Nothing had changed with the obelisk, and I found that both reassuring and a little bit worrying. It was like the thing would continue to hum until the end of time.


    Then we raced across the grass and sands of Beachcliff World to get to the bus.


    I was relieved to see that both Holly and Billie were there.


    Running up to them, they could see something was wrong, and both looked worried. They scrambled out the bus to hug me, both of them…at the same time.


    Holly blushed when she reached out to take Khanna’s hand.


    The huntress looked at it in wonder.


    Billie rushed forward. “We shake our hands. Can you understand what I’m saying? Shake. Hands.”


    She turned and shook hands with Holly.


    I explained the basics while Khanna frowned. It was clear that she didn’t trust the women and touching them was like shaking hands with a convicted serial killer on death row.


    But I didn’t have time for girl drama.


    While I summarized Khanna’s rescue, the professor tried to ask questions, but I made it clear I wasn’t going to give her every little detail. We only had a few hours to get our defenses in place. Once again, I wished for razor wire.


    I had some ideas for traps, and we would definitely sharpen stakes, so if they tried to get over the bus, or if they tried to go around the side, they’d end up getting impaled.


    We had a few rounds left in our plasma weapons, and while I hated using them, I knew there was no other way. As for Khanna, we found a perch for her in a nearby tree. Hidden away in the leaves, she’d be the perfect sniper. She was outside of our main defenses, but she was also very fast and very good at escaping into the foliage. She could fight and then run if things weren’t going our way.


    We also had stone knives and hatchets that Khanna had taken from our escape. They were primitive, but I’d been wanting a blade for a while now.


    The professor’s face was absolutely green with fear.


    Billie was flushed with courage. “We are not going to fucking lose our home to these fucking lizard bitches. So this Enak has a fucking harem? Well, if he comes at us, he’s going to lose a lot of wives.”


    Finally, she could channel her angst and anger into something.


    The real unknown was the magic. We’d experienced a little of Enak’s sorcery, and it had been powerful, and we had to assume that he would simply fly over the bus to get to us. What if he could levitate the other Sleezenaks? That would be a problem.


    But we’d deal with one thing at a time.


    I took a three arrows from Khanna, and left the rest, since that would be her main weapon in the coming fight. The huntress offered to give her spear to Holly or Billie, but I didn’t want them that close to the fight.


    Billie would have her guns, and Holly would be her backup.


    The professor wasn’t a warrior, but she was still useful. She was good at whittling spikes, and we peppered the ground in front of the bus with the punji sticks, half-buried below the surface of the sand.


    We had other traps—piles of rocks along the edges of the bus. The rocks looked stable, but if any of the Sleezenaks stepped on them, they’d find themselves falling to the beach below.


    Holly, Bilie, and I stood on a platform I’d built on top of the back of the bus. The platform was basically a bunch of raw logs, lashed together, and supported by the bus and some big beams set into rocks on the side. I’d piled boulders around them, but if we survived, I’d reinforce them with concrete.


    We had Khanna’s spear, a few other sticks we’d sharpened, and several big rocks that Billie and Holly could throw. We had one plasma rifle with seven charges and one plasma rifle with three charges. Billie had both, and she’d only use them in emergency situations.


    The sun set, and things were quiet. Above us, the light reflecting off the ice in the planet’s ring dispelled a lot of the darkness. Then, we heard Khanna call out from her perch in her tree across the sand from us. “Khanna see them! They are coming!”


    The first of the lizard men broke from the trees, racing toward the bus. They were hissing so loudly that it sounded like one of the bus tires had sprung a leak.


    A few screamed when they hit our spikes in the sand. I loved the sounds of Sleezenaks stepping on our punji sticks. But most of them reached the bus and tried to climb over.


    I fired an arrow, killing one, while Billie hurled rocks.


    The Sleezenaks tried to get around the side of the bus, but the minute they stepped on the rocks, they became part of an avalanche. Hitting the hard beach below wouldn’t feel good, nor would the big boulders that would rain continue to rain down on them.


    A big group of lizard women formed a platform with their bodies, helping their sister-wives climb up onto the bus. One of the lizard bitches raced toward us. In a flash of crimson plasma, Billie gunned her down.


    I fired an arrow and missed, but my last arrows killed sank into her chest.


    Then Enak appeared, floating ten feet off the ground. The ruby on his staff glowed with an evil light. His voice seemed to come from everywhere. “Marked, marked I say. Sakata must feed! Sataka, of the Inferness, must be placated!”


    Like we thought, our little fortress wasn’t going to work against aerial opponents, though it seemed only Enak could fly. An arrow came out of nowhere to pierce the neck of a Sleezenak below him. A second arrow killed another. Our sniper in the tree was doing good work.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Billie shot another lizard chick, while I rushed away from the girls. “Okay, Opal, time to shine. Every stitch of my suit needs a thousand lumens of eye-blistering light.”


    Opal lit me up.


    The Sleezenaks screamed in pain because while we had light from the ice ring, that was nothing compared to the shining beacon of blinding radiance I’d become.


    Slashing left and right with my ax, I killed two Sleezenaks, one after another, before leaping from the end of the bus. I struck Enak and pulled him out of the air. I tried to grab the power crystal on his staff, but then we slammed into the ground, and I was surrounded by the lizard bitches.


    One arrow appeared in a Sleezenak’s neck, while another sank into another lizard bitch’s chest, while a third arrow came out another lizard woman’s eye.


    Khanna was absolutely deadly with her bow.


    I got to my feet and tried to crack Enak’s skull open with the ax, but he blocked my attack with his staff. An invisible force punched into me, and I was thrown back.


    Opal was as surprised as I was.


    Unknown energy detected. Possible Telekinesis. 5X power crystal detected. Unable to retrieve. Possible Telekinesis providing protection.


    A Sleezenak speared me in the back, and though it didn’t tear through the almost magical fabric of the Paraxens, it did hurt like hell. Spinning, I cut down two more Sleezenaks. Their nasty black blood splattering me in the face.


    Khanna had left her perch to join me, her last arrow knocked and ready. “We follow Sid Marshall’s plan. Only one part is defending the ridge. The other part is running.”


    “And hoping to God they follow us!”


    I shouted to the shaman, “Hey! Enak! We’re marked, right? So come and get us!”


    Then me and the huntress went off running down the main trail through the Dinosaur Swamps, toward the Fodoron Obelisk and the walkway behind. I had to pray that Billie and Holly would be okay. I thought they would be, since they weren’t marked.


    Enak let out a loud hiss that set my teeth on edge.  A second later, we had a whole battalion of Sleezenaks chasing after us. Finding us was easy. I lit up the swamps, and suddenly, every insect in a thousand miles came after me. But I was running too fast to get a mosquito bite. There was no way that Khanna could’ve kept up with me, so I picked her up and carried her like before.


    “Khanna hope that bitches are okay,” she whispered to me as we ran. “Khanna maybe want to trust them. If Sid Marshall trusts them.”


    “Sid Marshall does trust them,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean they’re perfect.”


    We sprinted past the Fodoron Obelisk, hit the bridge, and kept going.


    I slowed down to make sure the Sleezenaks could follow us. I didn’t hear any more of the plasma rifle, and I wanted to take that as a good sign.


    I set Khanna down for a second.


    Then I asked my A.I. what she thought. “Opal, do you think all of the Sleezenaks are following us?”


    Answer to query is unknown given the distance and lack of information on their troop count. However, this unit believes that there is a high probability that all the Sleezenaks are in pursuit, given the nature of the mystical mark the shaman believes is on Khanna.


    Basically, she was taking the long way around to saying that she didn’t know.


    A spear went soaring over our heads. Another one Khanna caught and flung back. It went right through the lead Sleezenak.


    Enak was flying over the lizard women with his ruby staff glowing.


    Taking Khanna in my arms again, I went to sprint away, but I’d only taken three steps, when suddenly, vines lashed out and grabbed us. The wooden bridge buckled as a giant tree sprouted to the side of us, the huge branches going to grab us. I figured if those limbs started squeezing us, they wouldn’t stop.


    Grunting with exertion, I broke the vines. Holding Khanna in one arm, I chopped through all of the greenery grasping at us. Once freed, we went speeding away.


    Then I leaped up and over more enemy plants brought to life by Enak’s sorcery.


    I landed on dry land, and again, paused, as more of the Sleezenaks came running. Yes, we were marked, sure, but I wanted to make sure they were following me, especially for this last part.


    Dimming down my suit, I waited. When they got close enough to hurl spears at us, I took off again.


    I reached I-70 a few minutes later. The wide pathway through the redwoods was filled with shadows even with all the light from the many moons. I ran south, Khanna gripping me with terror. “This is the moldy dragon monster’s territory. This is suicide.”


    “No, Khanna, you’re wrong. This is homicide.”


    The Sleezenaks poured out of the ferns and onto the main highway as Jack and Reggie stormed out. They clearly saw me and Khanna, but they also clearly didn’t care. No, both of the T. rexes went running north on their giant legs.


    At first, the night was filled with the sharp cries of the Sleezenaks, but then, a grislier sound followed as Jack and Reggie crunched down on lizard bones, left and right.


    I set Khanna safely down behind some bushes and went back, avoiding Jack’s tail, which was swinging around like a happy Golden Retriever eating his Purina. I picked up a fallen spear, feeling the weight in my hands.


    Enak flew above his wives being eaten by the T. rexes, and I could clearly see him in the glow of the 5X crystal on the end of his staff.


    I hurled the spear with all of my might, muscles glowing from the exertion. The spear went right through him, and he fell out of the sky. He hit the ground, and I couldn’t believe it, but he pulled the spear out of his chest and tossed it away.


    His voice appeared in my head. Sakata has given me eternal life. A simple spear cannot end my power or my heart.


    I ran and jumped and came down on his chest.


    The first thing I did was grab the power crystal, and suddenly, I was filled with an ungodly amount of energy. Opal seemed overjoyed. At first.


    <<<>>>


    Anomalous energy source detected! 5X Power Crystal detected. Utilizing 5X crystal. Charged to 62% of full.


    This unit is 48% away from optimal functionality. Please charge to 100%.


    <<<>>>


    Just like a woman, Opal was never happy.


    Overflowing with power, I hacked Enak’s head off his shoulders. I then cut off his arms and was working on his legs when Jack lunged forward. He was careful not to bit me as he took the shaman’s entire body in his body.


    Then it was crunch, crunch, crunch.


    I didn’t think being immortal would be too much fun when you’d be spending eternity in a dinosaur’s large intestine.


    I left Jack to his meal and returned to where Khanna was hiding in the ferns.


    She pointed.


    Reggie was still killing and eating Sleezenaks. Jack had turned and was staring at me while he chewed on the shaman’s dismembered corpse. It might’ve been wishful thinking, but I was pretty sure I saw both amusement and gratitude in his eyes.


    That kind of made sense, since whenever he saw me, he always ate well. Food can bring people together like nothing else.


    I wasn’t taking any chances, and so we took the long way back to hour home on Lonetree Ridge. Again, I sprinted, as fast as I could, only letting the suit glow enough that I could still see where I was going.


    Returning to our home, I stopped to take in the carnage. Sleezenak corpses littered the battlefield in front of the bus.


    On the battle platform stood Holly and Billie, bathed in the ring’s light crossing the sky above us.


    I let out a yell. “Holly! Billie! We won! We won!”


    They climbed down and opened the bus door for us.


    Then, we were back in the bus, laughing and talking about what had happened.


    A few of the Sleezenaks had stayed, but not many, but Billie had taken care of them. However, she’d used up every single charge. If she’d missed, both women had been ready to fight with their stone knives.


    My plan had worked perfectly.


    Given how nasty Sleezenak blood was, we all had to bathe, but luckily, the waterfall was perfect for that. I went and tossed all the bodies back into the swamp, figuring that the dinosaurs there would take care of the meat. For a second, I thought about eating the dead Sleezenaks, but hopefully we’d never be that hungry.


    We had a celebratory fire, and for the first time, Khanna was going to stay the night with us. It felt like such a victory. I wasn’t sure if we were done with the Sleezenaks or not, but I was pretty sure Enak was gone for good.


    We were clean, riding high from the victory, and we weren’t upset at all when it started to rain. We took shelter in the bus, and I turned, just as Billie gave me a big smile. “I’ll take first watch.”


    I was glad she was taking first watch, but what did that smile mean?