The Suzerain Enterprise

"Fog’s breaking up," Gary observed.

"It wasn’t going to last forever," Rebecca remarked.

"Chong’s dead," Buddha said.

Suzerain checked the farthest door and came back to Gary’s window position.

"They’re moving up from the west, but they’re holding a line on the south," he told them all.

Rebecca countered with another silent lightning discharge. Someone was sent flying. After the person struck the ground there was an explosion, followed by a zigzag series of others. The ground- shaking blasts drew a ragged line across the Leng formation.

"Move now!" Suzerain shouted. The black leader jumped out the first floor window, his energy pistol ready. He had no way of knowing the blasts had wiped out five of the enemy. None of them did.

The others rushed out under Manfred’s directive. The two who had been shot were carried. One person held the legs, while someone else took the shoulders of each.

Gary swung his mini gun west. He triggered off a short burst and caught two Leng in mid run. Parkas and bellies were ripped open. They took a few steps, then dropped. He was suddenly disarmed when a gun blast punctured three of the five barrels. The impact staggered the Texan. He recovered, examined his weapon, then threw it aside, disgusted.

"Never liked it anyway," he grumbled.

"Rebecca, are you ready?" Suzerain asked.

"Join us. You don’t want to be left behind," was the response.

Buddha aimed her lustre wand. One blast made some one in the southern sector fall. In turn, the falling one seemed to trigger a trio of explosions.

"Know what I think," Buddy said to no one in particular. "Maybe they planted mines so if we tried going south, we’d run into a minefield and Leng guns."

"Why are they standing in the middle of their own trap?" Buddha questioned. "It doesn’t make sense."

"These are the Leng," Gary replied. "They don’t have to be logical, just devoted to their gods. Look, we better get going before they encircle the building with mines.

"Rebecca, you ready?"

"Everybody’s here in a huddle, except for you people," Jesse said. "Looks like you nailed six of them."

"How many more?" Denise asked.

"Many more," Trevor Kaiser answered. "The Leng will conjure whatever they need to get us."

"Thanks for the cheery input," Suzerain said to him. "People, I figure they’ll pick us off before we get to the top. We gotta reduce the odds - now."

~~~~~~

The Leng woman waited as she looked into the green multifaceted stone. The enemy, led by the taller black man, floundered in their approach.

The real curiosity was the brown-haired spell thief. The white woman confiscated as many spells as she found. The Leng Woman, her clothes silver gray, her hands, face, and booted feet dyed silver gray, waited for this Western witch. The high, stiff collar of the gown encircled her ears. The shoulder pads were thick, and the low cut of the gown attempted to exaggerate her small bosom. In her long, tapered, silver fingers, she held the silver basket in which the football sized, green gem rested.

The Leng Female was not alone. She had conjured two others, just as she had called upon other inhabitants before them. The flowing beard was the first notable feature of one. From head to foot, the silver bearded face was the only exposed flesh. Just like the gem-holding female, the male was silver.

The other was humanoid, with an alligator shaped head. It wore silver, overlapping plates ending mid thigh, and it carried a shield. The edge of the two foot wide, silver circle was rune-inscribed. Its center contained a large green stone surrounded by a slow moving circle of knuckle sized transparent stones. The shield held death.

The silver woman smiled to herself and visualized the stench of boiling urine as the white thief’s eyes rolled up white. All she needed was one chance. The Leng had always made sacrifices, she thought to herself, licking her lips and caressing the emerald gem.