Eli found himself rocketing through a vortex of mist and electrical currents. Unlike the soul-gate he had travelled through to arrive in the Living World, it became evident that this soul-gate would not bring him to his destination instantaneously. Instead, he was being drawn through a winding tunnel of blue, and his gut was wrenched by the high speed at which he was travelling. I… can barely take this. I don’t even want to know how Sarah is managing. After a short time, however, his pace began to gradually slow. The swirling of the mist-tunnel slowed as well, until eventually, everything had stopped altogether.
The mist dissipated to reveal Eli’s fellow Sentinels standing around him. It did not take Eli long to identify where he now stood: the Chamber of the Judge. He had arrived safe and on his feet; the rock at the center of the chamber glimmered just a few meters away from where the Sentinels were now gathered.
“We’ve arrived, folks!” Philip announced. “That means we’ve completed our mission.
Only problem is…” He scanned the chamber with concerned eyes. “I don’t know what to do next. No one is present, and without the Judge, our options are somewhat limited.”
Indeed, the Chamber of the Judge seemed completely vacant.
“Well, why should anyone be here?” Jack pointed out. “We were fortunate enough to return, but all the other Sentinels are sitting ducks right now. Don’t forget that every Sentinel available was mobilized for this mission.”
Victor wandered away from the group, peering around the boulder and studying his surroundings carefully.
“I’m not sure if we’re safe here, either,” Victor stated. “We know that the Outlaws can infiltrate this place somehow. They could bear down upon us at any moment.”
“I don’t sense any, though,” Philip reported. “They aren’t near.”
Eli frowned, skeptical of Philip’s claim. I’m not certain that his abilities are effective.
He can’t seem to sense Mary very well. Then again, perhaps I am just crazy…
An awe-struck Sarah squirmed free from Ana’s grasp and scurried toward the great rock; she placed her palm on one of the glowing gems, mesmerized.
“It’s so beautiful,” she murmured.
Jack took her hand gently and led her away from the rock.
“You shouldn’t touch that, dear,” he told her. “This is a revered object that only high-ranking Sentinels make contact with. In other words, it is extremely important.”
“Indeed it is!” exclaimed a voice from above.
The group of Sentinels looked to the top of the rock to see a short man with glasses standing at the top; Eli immediately recognized him as the one who had directed the groups of Sentinels through the portal into the Living World. So, he must be a chieftain… The man hovered down from atop the rock and landed gracefully before the Sentinels.
“I cannot say how joyous it is to see so many of you return! Not all hope is lost! How did you ever manage to come back?”
Philip stepped forward to greet the Sentinel.
“Ah, Vlad,” he said, shaking his hand. “It’s very good to see you too. We actually lucked out – I happened to have a piece of a soul-key with me, and my friend Jack had the complimentary piece. We met up and managed to open up a soul-gate. We did encounter some Outlaws, however, and one fellow from Jack’s group was killed.”
Vlad’s smile quickly faded, his face hardening.
“Yes, although I am elated to see you all,” Vlad began. “we have much to attend to at the moment. The Judge was assassinated by Outlaws, which is why we could not provide you with an opportunity to flee the Living World. While those of us who remained here managed to ward them off, our situation is perilous. Not only are we short a leader, but it also means we are going to have to reimplement the security standards we had in place back when Outlaw activity was commonplace. Weapon provisions, Sentinel training, assigned security guards – it all must return immediately. Daniel!”
At the shout of the name, another Sentinel appeared through one of the gates on the perimeter of the chamber. Eli was also able to recognize him as one of the Sentinels who had sat atop the great rock with the Judge; his dark gown was what had allowed Eli to identify him, but otherwise, he seemed unfamiliar. He looked as if he could not be any older than twenty-five; he was thin, broad-shouldered, and blue-eyed.
“Daniel, a few of our brothers and sisters have returned!” Vlad shouted enthusiastically.
“Would you please accommodate them with some fortress keys? I have some work I need to do.” As Daniel walked solemnly over to the group and began to distribute some strange, crystal spheres, Vlad held out his hand in front of Philip. “I see you still possess the remnants of the
soul key,” he observed. “I need you to give them to me right away. If I can just alter their properties a bit, I should be able to use them to open up soul-gates in the Living World, allowing the remainder of our forces to return here.”
“Oh yeah,” said Philip, handing him the halves of the key. “You’ll want to watch your back, though. This place is a prime Outlaw target now that we have the Saint with us.”
Vlad’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped; he shifted his gaze to Sarah, who was clinging to Jack.
“Y- you have retrieved the Saint?” Vlad stammered in disbelief. “This is tremendous news. We truly are a prime target for Outlaws - we must assemble our defense forces immediately!”
“What are we going to do with the child?” asked Philip. “We’ve got to make sure she’s as safe as possible.”
“Yes, yes,” Vlad replied. “I would say that she would be safe with one of you, but you will all soon be busy with training and securing the area. As such, I will look after the child. I know of a chamber where she will be safe.” Vlad smiled at Sarah and beckoned her over to him.
“Come along, child,” he said gently. “I have got a nice room for you to stay in. With any luck, you will be back home in no time.”
Sarah cast a doubtful glance at Jack, but after the old Sentinel nodded in encouragement, she scurried over to Vlad. Vlad retrieved one of the crystal spheres that Daniel had been offering from his gown, and he tossed it into the air; it remained suspended above him and rotated rapidly. In a glimmering flash, the sphere disappeared, while a wooden door appeared on the floor below it.
“Well, I had better get to work,” said Vlad, flinging the door open. The passage he had created seemed to lead nowhere; it was merely a metal frame with a door hinged to it. “I have much to do… So many Sentinels are still left stranded in the Living World. The time for their return is nigh.”
The mysterious chieftain lightly nudged Sarah toward the passage.
“Go on,” he prompted her. “It will take you to a comfortable little room. You can rest there – you look like you could use some.”
Sarah did appear a bit exhausted and shaken, which could be expected after the brutal passage through the makeshift soul-gate. With more encouragement from Vlad, Sarah tiptoed tentatively into the passage and vanished from sight.
“Oh, and one more thing,” said Vlad as he grasped hold of the door. “Once our fellow Sentinels have returned here safely, we will cast a vote to determine who the next Judge will be.
Until then, Daniel will inform you of everything you need to know. Bye for now!”
With that, he entered into the passage and closed the door behind him; he vanished along with Sarah, and the door faded away as well. Meanwhile, Daniel finished offering the spheres to the gathered Sentinels.
“Do these function like the one that Vlad just used?” Eli inquired.
“Yes,” Daniel responded in a low voice. “You see, there is a space available in the Void that we use for living quarters. We call it a soul-fortress, and it contains many different terrains within. Each of your spheres will take you to your own personal space in the fortress.”
Jack turned his sphere about in his hands, studying it carefully.
“I remember these things,” he reminisced. “I never got one of my own, though. By the way, doesn’t the Judge have a space in the soul-fortress? If that’s where she was attacked, I’m not sure why you’re giving us access to that area, as it clearly isn’t safe.”
“Well, maybe it wasn’t safe before,” Daniel conceded. “but as I am sure Vlad has already stated, we are going to return to a standard of security that we have not observed in decades. We will soon assign guard units to defend the fortress, just as we have done in the past.
After we have done this, it will be safe.”
“So…” Philip piped up. “I guess that means you’re going to have to give out an awful lot of weapons. We’re going to be pretty busy once we get all the other Sentinels back.”
“Indeed,” Daniel nodded. “In the meantime, however, I do not believe I have anything for you to do, since our next course of action is dependent upon having everyone else present. I suppose you can just take a look at the spaces you’ve been given in the soul-fortress if you like.”
Jack looked expectantly at Eli and Rachel.
“Yes, that sounds good,” he said. “Young ones, would you like to check out your living quarters?”
Rachel, who had not exhibited any significant sign of enthusiasm since Gerald’s death, showed a spark in her eyes.
“Yes!” she chirped. “I can’t wait to see what it’s like.”
“I think you will find them satisfactory,” Daniel told the Sentinels. “They are comfortable, but they also serve as an appropriate training environment, making them perfect in our current situation.”
Eli inspected the sphere he held in his hand; it was surprisingly heavy for its small size, and it glimmered as he moved it around.
“So…” he said thoughtfully. “I just throw it up and wait for a door to appear?”
After receiving a nod of confirmation from Daniel, Eli tossed it lightly into the air. As expected, it started rotating rapidly until a door appeared before Eli; this door, however, was not one of wood like Vlad’s had been. Instead, it seemed to be made of thick bamboo plants, or something of the sort. Eli was a bit confused and hesitant to enter.
“Go ahead, Eli,” Jack encouraged him. “I think the doors are supposed to be different.
They lead to different types of environments.”
Reassured by Jack’s words, Eli eagerly opened the door and stepped into the metal frame.
His surroundings changed instantaneously: He was now in a grassy clearing, surrounded by bamboo forest on all sides. The open space was quite large, and there was a straw hut at the edge of the clearing to his left. At the center of the clearing, there was a strange contraption that sent water trickling down a series of horizontal bamboo cylinders and into a basin in the ground.
The gentle sound of the flowing liquid was all Eli could hear in this tranquil place, and it felt quite soothing. Looking above, he saw that the sky was cloudy, but he did not find it depressing. The air temperature was moderate – not particularly warm nor chilly; there was a good deal of moisture in the air, though it felt refreshing rather than uncomfortable.
Eli was pleased with the living quarters he had been assigned so far. I didn’t expect this to be an outdoor environment. The soul-fortress must be massive to be able to contain so many spaces such as this one. Eli walked toward the straw hut at the edge of the clearing, evaluating the ground beneath his feet. It’s firm, but it’s not too hard. And there’s a lot of space out here. I would expect that this area would serve as a perfect training ground.
As he drew closer to the hut, he noticed that there was no door – at least no ordinary door. At the front, Eli saw a hole about three feet wide and two feet high; he would have to crawl through it in order to enter. He lowered himself onto his knees and tried to squeeze
through the opening. Without too much difficulty, Eli managed the entrance and stood again once he had entered the hut.
The building in which he now stood consisted of only a single circular room, although it too was spacious. The roof was also about three meters high, so Eli did not feel cramped in the slightest. It was easy to see in the hut, as openings in the far wall allowed some light from outside to enter. A mattress made of some sort of dark fur was positioned at the center of the room. Next to it was a tan chest, which Eli found incredibly intriguing, until he saw what stood at the far end of the room.
Eli stared at a small table with a rectangular case of glass on top of it; inside the case was a captivating katana blade. The weapon had a handle of deep black, and there was a mystical aura all about the blade. Eli approached the table in awe, mesmerized by the katana. I haven’t yet seen a weapon such as this one. In the hands of an able warrior, its destructive potential would probably be tremendous.
While Eli gazed on at the blade, something gently nudged his heel. He looked down to see the crystal sphere he had used to arrive at his living quarters; confused, he snatched it up.
“You forgot to pick this up!” shouted a voice from outside. “You’re not going to want to lose that thing! You’ll need it to return to the Chamber of the Judge!”
Eli recognized the voice as Jack’s.
“What are you doing here?” Eli shouted back.
Jack suddenly appeared in the entrance, and he squeezed into the hut.
“You forgot to close the door when you entered the passageway,” he told Eli, brushing dust off of his jacket. “If you leave it open, it won’t disappear, which will allow others to enter.
I just wanted to let you know that… and I was curious about what your new place looks like.
The best part about these living quarters is that we can all visit each other if we so desire.” Jack let his eyes dance across the room. “So, what do you think?” he asked. “It’s certainly modest, but it will serve its purpose. I like the outside as well.”
“Yes,” Eli replied, a bit distracted. “I like it too.”
Jack came to stand beside Eli and looked down at the sword.
“Well, what do you know!” he exclaimed. “I suppose this place comes fully stocked.
That may be one of the finest blades I have ever seen. You might even want to dispense with that shuriken you’ve got now.”
Eli imagined himself confronting a horde of Outlaws with the katana in hand, slashing through their armor and slaying them instantly; the mere thoughts alone caused him to feel powerful.
“Yeah,” Eli responded. “This shuriken works well, but I think I would be far more effective in battle with that.”
“I guess there is only one way to find out…” Jack said. “Why don’t you pick it up?”
Excited by the prospect, Eli set the glass covering on the ground without hesitation.
Despite his eagerness, he hesitated to pick up the sword – it was as if he did not feel worthy enough to lift it.
“There’s definitely something inexplicable about it,” Jack remarked, apparently sharing Eli’s sentiment. “Regardless, it won’t hurt you. See how it feels in your grasp.”
Eli obeyed and grasped the handle of the sword; beads of sweat formed on his face as he lifted it with both hands. The blade was thicker than those of most katanas, and even so, it still felt heavier than it appeared.
“Good,” Jack encouraged him. “Now, take a few swings with it. The sooner you learn to handle it, the sooner you will be able to use it in battle.”
Eli retreated from the table to lend himself more space, feeling unbalanced by the weight of the katana. How can it weigh this much? He tried to steady himself and gain control of the weapon by holding it vertically, along his center line. Then, he raised it and brought it downward in a practice strike. He rotated his wrists and slashed through the air; he did not possess any knowledge about swordsmanship, so he was not sure how to evaluate a new sword.
“Quit playing around,” Jack instructed him. “Swing like you mean it! You wouldn’t be doing that in real combat.”
Eli tightened his grip on the handle and hacked with as much force as he could. To his surprise, a wisp of green flame was launched from the blade as he drew it across his body, and it flew into the base of the straw wall.
The material quickly ignited, but Jack dashed over to the area that had been struck and stomped out the flame, preventing disaster.
“Put that thing down!” he yelled. “Now!”
Startled and perplexed, Eli released the weapon and let it drop to the floor. Jack motioned Eli to step away from it, and he slowly moved closer to inspect it.
“Damn, I should’ve known that blade when I saw it,” he muttered. “The question is: What is it doing in a Sentinel’s living quarters?”
“Wh-what blade is it?” Eli asked nervously.
Jack gazed at the blade with a hard stare. “
It’s the blade of Jay Takashi,” he answered solemnly. “The most powerful and spiteful Outlaw known to Sentinels.”
“Takashi…” Eli breathed. The name seemed familiar to him somehow, but he was not exactly sure where he had heard it.
“He is the bane of all Sentinels – an aberration,” Jack continued. “Legend has it that he is powerful enough to fight one hundred well-trained Sentinels simultaneously. Encounter him alone, and death is inevitable. No wonder this blade seemed so powerful…”
“What are we going to do with it?” Eli asked.
Jack removed his hat and scratched his head thoughtfully.
“I suppose I’ll just have to turn it over to one of the chieftains,” he answered eventually.
“They’ll find a safe place for it. After all, it’s far too dangerous to be left lying around.”
Jack removed his jacket and carefully placed it on top of the blade; he then picked the blade up and wrapped the jacket around it. With Jack now wearing just a dark shirt, Eli could see that he was much stronger than he normally appeared. He was still thin, but muscles rippled beneath his shirt. The old Sentinel looked anything but old.
“Anyway,” Jack began again. “we’re not going to have anything else that we need to do for a while. It will likely take several hours – perhaps even days – to bring back the remaining Sentinels, get a tally of the survivors, and assign them to the new positions that will be established. Fortunately, I have something we can do in the meantime.”
“What’s that?” Eli wondered as Jack slid out of the hut with the concealed weapon. Eli followed him through the entrance and readied his fortress key.
“We’re going to do some training,” Jack told him. “I can tell that we Sentinels are going to need to do a good deal of fighting soon, so everyone must be as prepared as possible. We can have Rachel and Jean do it with us if you want.”
The prospect of being trained by Jack was exciting to Eli.
“Sure, that sounds good,” he said. “Where are we going to do it?”
Jack paused, scanning the clearing thoughtfully and feeling the ground.
“This place will definitely suffice,” he stated. “If it’s okay with you, we’ll train here.
Now, let’s go round everybody up. I have to give this weapon to the chieftains as well.”
Eli nodded and tossed his fortress key up; the bamboo door immediately materialized before him in a blue flare. He opened the door, and the two Sentinels proceeded through it. The walls of the Chamber of the Judge rose around them once more, with Philip and Jedediah standing nearby.
Eli’s fortress key fell from above into his waiting hands, while Philip trotted over to them.
“Finished up with your exploring, eh?” he observed. “Well? What do you think? And Jack, what is that you’re holding?”
“Bad news,” Jack answered quickly. “It’s a powerful katana blade, and I am almost certain it’s the one Jay Takashi once wielded.”
Philip clutched at his heart and staggered back. “
Jay Takashi!” he shrieked. “You mean the Demon Mercenary? The Emissary of Evil?
The One of Nightmares? That Jay Takashi?”
“Unfortunately, there are no other Jay Takashi’s that I know of,” Jack replied.
“What are you carrying that thing around for?” Philip demanded. “And where did you even find it? That thing should be burning in the depths of Hell!”
“It was in Eli’s domain,” Jack told him. “I guess the Sentinel who last used Eli’s key found it in the Living World and somehow found it fit to claim it for himself. But don’t worry –
I’m turning it in right now.”
Jack ended the conversation and headed for one of the gates in the chamber wall. After he knocked forcefully on the gate, it slowly slid open with a prolonged groan; it shut again once Jack had entered.
“Anyway,” Eli said to Philip. “can you tell me where Rachel and Jean are? I’m trying to gather them for a training session.”
Philip pointed to a door frame near the giant rock.
“The girl went to check out her new living space,” he answered. “And the other one – I think it’s Jean – is sitting over there.”
Eli noticed that the petit Sentinel was hunched over in one of the front-row seats facing the great rock. He sat motionless, staring straight ahead. I’ll go fetch him after I find Rachel.
He could probably use some training.
Eli then headed for Rachel’s living quarters, ruminating on the weapon that he had found.
He had been impressed by the strength of Mary and Clovis, yet Jack claimed that this particular Outlaw was far more powerful. Fortunately, Eli believed that it was unlikely that he could still be alive; after all, someone could only have claimed his weapon if he had fallen in battle. It’s probably nothing to worry about. He set his troubling thoughts aside and prepared to enter into Rachel’s new space.