We quickly discovered that Tyrannosaurus rexes were not built for long distances.


    Khanna was behind me on the backseat of the motorcycle, while Billie rode next to us on her own bike.


    Opal said the energy crystals powering our bikes had about 3% of their total charge left. That should give us about 100 miles. It was approximately ten miles back to where Lava World began, so it wasn’t like we were going to run out of power.


    We could’ve made that trip back in no time at all, except the T. rexes with us kept getting distracted.


    The white T. rex gave me a long look. Our World Beast’s brains are seeking rest and food, and we are giving him neither. We have full control over the dinosaurs up to a point. We are moving as quickly and as safely as we can, but we have certain limitations. We are sorry if we did not make that clear."


    At that point, we were paused on a hill, and the sun was setting over New Ireland.


    Billie shot me a glance. "Are you having a chat with your buddies there, Sid?"


    Khanna scowled. "Sid Marshall talking with two spirits now… spirit of beasts and spirit from the Inferness in his ring. Khanna not like any of it."


    I sighed. “I understand that, Khanna. And Billie, yeah, the T-Rexes are having problems keeping up. Sorry this is taking so long, but it gives us more time for the Lava World to cool.”


    "I''m not really worried about the lava," Billie said. "I''m more worried about the Sleezenak being more powerful at night. And Holly.”


    I hated the idea of Holly spending the night alone in some new sector. "We have to hurry. Come on, Jack."


    Reggie’s voice appeared in my head. Stickman, what you are asking us to do is difficult. If you hadn''t helped my friend Green Colony, I would not be doing this, stickman, with your yeasty feet.


    I was glad I had won Reggie''s trust. As for Green Albert, we’d put him in a basket and tied him to the back of my bike. Even after feeding him some nuts, the squirrel was not doing well. He’d lapsed into some sort of strange, almost comatose state. I think it was because he was so scared and couldn’t escape.


    It took a bit, but I got the fungasaurs moving again.


    I asked Jack about Green Albert. Basically, Green Colony was using the squirrel as a stopgap until he could find a larger animal, and then he could take it over and have a true World Beast big enough for a bigger spore colony, which would allow him to become sentient again.


    I almost asked where the Colorspore Colonies had come from, but no, it wasn’t the time nor the place. We had to focus on killing the Sleezenak and finding Holly.


    With the T. rexes moving, I sped, running recon, because I did not want to get ambushed again. So it took us almost three hours to make the crossing. The various suns had started to set, which drove me absolutely crazy. It also fueled my fury, so I was glad when I saw the Sleezenak biker gang camped out at the Lava World’s border.


    When I saw them, I went to turn around, but then I had an idea.


    I drove up until I was just out the range of their slings.


    I then yelled, "Hey! Bitches! Did you guys figure out who your leader is? I hope so because he’s at the top of my shitlist.”


    The biggest Sleezenak marched forward. I wasn''t sure how big he''d been before, but now he was towering above the rest of them. His eyes closed an evil crimson. I knew he also had a shield made from what looked like a car door that had been cut out with a welding torch. That was probably to prevent me from throwing my spear into his chest.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The new shaman eyed me. "I am Onak. I have taken over, and I lead the Sleezenak now. You have bested us again, but now we have the numbers, and you are alone. There is no way you can defeat us. Sakata will bless us, and we will feast upon your flesh, for Sakata enjoys the screams of the thinking creatures that we devour."


    It was a long speech. I wasn''t impressed. "All right, fucker. If you''re going to come and eat me, you know, you are welcome to fucking eat me, but first, you have to catch me." With that, I spun my bike around and went zooming off. I did not go as fast as I could have, because I wanted them to follow me…right into a trap.


    I did have to wonder about Sakata and the Inferness. Was there any truth to that or was it the power of the Inferna crystals that gave the shaman his size and limited immortality?


    "Hey, Opal, is it possible for me to talk with Jack and Reggie from far away? You found them at five hundred meters, which is far, but it’s not like our communication is based on sound. Not sure how you do it, but I need to talk to them. Now.”


    It was such a long shot. But again, my fungal buddies didn’t have ears. They weren’t hearing my voice. At the same time, it wasn’t like I was smelling them when they talked. Opal did all the translating on the fly.


    It took a while, but Opal finally responded. HOSTNAME: Sid Marshall has a query requesting information on the forms of communication that I have with those entities known as White Colony and Black Colony, also known as Jack and Reggie.


    “Yeah, basically. I need to talk to them right now. I want to lead the Sleezenak into an ambush. I can’t tell Billie and Khanna that, but if I could warn Jack and Reggie that I’m coming back, we could set up a trap.”


    Opal wasn’t impressed. Your plan is suspect. On what you refer to as New Ireland, there are no structures to hide behind and the hills are shaped in such a way as to make such subterfuge difficult. Being nocturnal, the Sleezenaks have superior night vision.


    “What about Fry City? We’re close. I could meet the T. rexes and the girls there. Do you think they all left the city to come after us?”


    Answer to query is unknown. Data conjecture available. Prioritizing queries versus actions for HOST’s survival, which is necessary to complete this unit’s primary mission.


    I sighed. “Yes, I know you love your primary mission. Trying reaching out to Jack and Reggie and tell them I’ll meet them and girls in Fry City. Can you do that for me?”


    Opal then gave me a very Opal response. Processing. Processing. Processing. Attempting spore link at a distance. Using quantum thread theory to establish link. Link established.


    Then, unbelievably, I heard Jack. It was like he was standing next to me. Sid! Greetings! We do not see you, but we hear you, both Black Colony and me. We have a limited ability to interact with other colonies, but not at such a large distance.


    "Chalk that shit up to magic, Jackie. Okay, this is what you are going to do. You guys are going to turn to the north and run into the city. Find a place off that main road to hide. I’ll find Khanna and Billie, and then the three of us will lead the Sleezenak into an ambush. You got it? Jack?"


    Both Jack and Reggie answered. We understand your strategy!


    I had no idea what Billie and Khanna would do once the fungasaurs left. Knowing Khanna, she would be glad to get rid of them. Billie would be mystified, but she would keep going east. She knew I would find her.


    It wasn''t long before I saw Billie and Khanna, the gem on the bike glowing in the growing darkness.


    Behind me was the roar of engines. Clouds of smoke and dust choked the sky from the vast motorcycle armada chasing after mer.


    I stopped to talk to the girls for a minute.


    Instead of talking, Billie yelled. "What the fuck, Sid? Suddenly, the dinosaurs just leave, and you’re gone, and we hear the Sleezenaks coming, and I’m shitting my pants and trying to keep Khanna from melting down."


    Khanna had a grim smile on her face. "Khanna not shit or melt. Khanna trusts Sid."


    Billie wasn''t going to let that lie. "I trust Sid too, Khanna. I’m just a little stressed.”


    I kept my voice nice and calm. “We’re going to lead the Sleezenak into the city. That’s where Jack and Reggie are. I can talk to them from far away, and I told them the plan. Sorry there was a communication breakdown. Are we good?”


    Billie seemed a little more relaxed. “Yeah. Good. Fine. But I’m running out of bullets. Holly still has the shotgun, but is it okay if I keep the magnum? I don''t have a magic axe, spear, chainsaw thing."


    I smiled at her. “Well, good thing I do. Keep the magnum.”


    Then, the three of us went tearing away, throwing dirt behind our back wheels.


    The Sleezenak followed us with their shaman in the back, his magical pickax shining like a teardrop of blood.