At the Boarding House Mr. Pitts was sitting comfortably in the living room, quietly reading a newspaper labeled, ‘The Dallanbach Times.’ His socks and soiled boots were resting on the floor next to the fireplace, and his bare feet were propped up on top of two stacked black packs that were setting directly in front on him. As he looked up from his paper, Jacob and Emalynn strolled into the living room.
“Well how was Sentinel Village? I hope you found it to your liking?”
“Whew your feet!” exclaimed Emalynn, as she quickly pinched her nose and stared down at Mr. Pitts’ big bare feet. In a stifled voice she continued, “Well Sentinel Village is wonderful!”
“Ah yes the smell of my musty feet. Actually this room smells just like my cottage now. Nothing like a bit of home sweet home,” said Mr. Pitts, pausing to inhale a long sniff of the stale air. “And I see you discovered Celser Whiff. Your gaseous prank startled my horses while I was unhitching them, but luckily for me before they became too restless my pleasant fragrance calmed them back down.”
“We were only thinking of you,” said Emalynn with a grin.
“And I appreciate your kind thoughts,” he said nodding. “Now before you two head upstairs I have something very special that I want to show you.”
Mr. Pitts folded his newspaper and Jacob caught a short glimpse of the headlines. ‘THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR SENTINEL BUCKBURNE SCURVEY.’ He wondered if a sentinel had been lost in action and wanted to ask, but before he had a chance Mr. Pitts tossed the paper aside and stood up holding the two packs in his hands.
“Lets’ go into the dinning area where we can spread out my special surprises,” said Mr. Pitts showing a cheerful smile.
As they followed him into the dinning area, Jacob noticed that the dining table was cluttered with food supplies.
“Ah yes, Mum has her secret ingredients spread out for tomorrow’s breakfast preparations,” said Mr. Pitts. “But I think there’s still some room for our items.” He tossed one of his packs onto the floor and unlatched the other. Thoughtlessly he turned the pack upside down and dumped the entire contents onto the table, mixing it in with the breakfast provisions.
“Righteoo, the pack on the floor is yours Emalynn and this one scattered over the table is of course yours Jacob. It’s from your uncle; he gave it to me just before we left. Both packs of course contain the beginning tools you will need for apprentice training.”
Mr. Pitts paused, staring at the tabletop as if he were searching for a special item. Smiling, he then reached out and snatched up a carrot. After poking an end into his mouth he snapped off a piece, crunching and munching while making loud smacks with his mouth. In the meantime, Jacob had likewise found himself staring at the tabletop, curiously admiring his new sentinel tools. Grateful for Uncle Clair’s gifts he stretched out his arm and touched the top of an orb with his fingers tips.
“Tha waz yaur fathar’s,” mumbled Mr. Pitts, as he pointed down at it with his half carrot. He took a swallow and then continued. “In fact all this was your father’s. He was a great sentinel and his orb there is a Royal Master’s Orb, only one other like it in existence, and that one’s owned by Clair. With this orb you can go places where other sentinels can’t. And since it’s set to only activate for your fathers aura, there’s no reason why it won’t work for you, since children’s auras radiate identical signatures to their parents’.”
“What about the Enchanted Realm, can it transit there?” asked Emalynn.
“Why yes indeedee it can, even though the realm is sealed off from orb transit, this baby could take you there. But don’t even think about it! Just the thought of going there frightens most sentinels out of their wits. Fact is Jacob, giving you this orb shows my confidence in you, and I trust that you will do the right thing by it. Owning an orb is a very important responsibility usually allotted only to sentinels. Now I want you to promise me that you’ll never transit without my permission.”
Jacob nodded as Mr. Pitts took another bite of his carrot.
“Do I have an orb in my pack too?” asked Emalynn, with her eyes sparkling.
“No, I’mmm forry Emowynn,” he garbled, as he hastily chewed, gulping down another mouthful. “Orbs are actually created by the Book of Galeeky and presented to an apprentice at the time of graduation to sentinel. Jacob is just lucky to get this one early. And, I hate to disappoint you further with bad news, but there’s been a rotten turn of events while I’ve been away; the Book of Galeeky has mysteriously disappeared!”
“Disappeared! What happened to it?” cried Emalynn looking distressed.
“They say a sentinel by the name of Buckburne Scurvey took it. But actually, Buckburne’s a very close friend of mine and I don’t believe it for a second. At the time of its disappearance he was the sentinel assigned to guard the book, and the book along with Buckburne has mysteriously vanished. Buckburne just isn’t the type to be involved in anything illegal.”
“What’s the Book of Galeeky,” asked Jacob, puzzling over their conversation.
“My parents told me that the Book of Galeeky is an enchanted book,” replied Emalynn, “used for testing the skills of sentinel apprentices.”
“You mean all our tests will be taken out of one book?”
“No not quite like that. Buuuuurrrrp—Oh excuse me,” apologized Emalynn, holding her hand to her mouth. “My dad said that when the book’s pages are opened apprentices are drawn into the book and experience sentinel testing as if it were lived. He said that all knowledge of the sentinels is contained in the book and that with the book we will be tested as we progress through the stages of becoming a sentinel.”
“That sounds like fun. Rather than paper tests, I would do a live action test any day,” approved Jacob with a nod.
“Your exactly right Emalynn,” added Mr. Pitts. “The Book of Galeeky is also tied to an enchanted stone seal that’s purpose is to carry out two magically appointed tasks. The first task is to administer to applicants two specific tests that qualify them worthy to become sentinel’s apprentices. However due to serious injuries experienced by many of the applicants, this sort of testing by the seal was discontinued some eight years ago. Those that failed the seal’s tests at that time were punished by the seal with hideous curses.”
“Eeeeuh! Was anybody ever turned into a frog?” asked Emalynn, making a sour face.
“Well yes indeedee, some actually were. I believe there is one such person living in your boarding house now,” answered Mr. Pitts, waving back with his carrot. “There were so many sad tragedies in the past that we will never allow it to happen again. Testing by the seal has been banned. Now, the second task of the seal is to locate the Book of Galeeky when it goes into hiding. The Book of Galeeky is impossible to steal, as it is in sort, considered to be alive. But when an attempt is made to filch the Book, it protects itself by orbing to other dimensions and hiding. Only the seal can then locate the secreted book when used by a sentinel or an apprentice that has previously past the seals’ tests. Any person attempting to use the seal without first passing its tests would of course be severely cursed.”
“Then no worry, you can easily recover the Book of Galeeky,” said Emalynn.
“We could if we had the seal, but it also mysteriously disappeared seven years ago.”
“So what’s going to happen to us without the book of Galeeky? I hope you’re not sending us home. Mom and dad were so excited about my training and if I went home now, they’d be so disappointed!”
“Nobody has said anything about sending you two home. I’m sure we’ll all manage somehow.”
“What do you think could’ve happened to it?” asked Jacob, as he studied his new orb and unthinkingly punched a few buttons to watch it light up.
“Be careful with that Jacob,” suddenly warned Mr. Pitts, “you could end up anywhere in the vast dimensional realms.” Mr. Pitts then popped the remainder of his carrot into his mouth and chewed, “I righwy don’ noo wha happen’ chew it, boot sume say ichs Lor Tarda doin’.”
“What?” asked Emalynn, sounding irritated with his constant chomping.
Mr. Pitts hurriedly chewed his snack and again swallowed in haste. “Some say it was Lord Tardab,” he mumbled, wiping his mouth with the backside of his hand. “He’s one of Lacsar’s generals.”
Watching Mr. Pitts munching a carrot made Jacob hungry. He looked over the scattered groceries searching for something to eat and saw an orange next to a gray plate. Reaching out over the piles, he scooped up both items.
“Who do you really think is behind it Mr. Pitts,” asked Emalynn.
Jacob jammed his thumb under the orange’s thick skin and began to peel it away, sloppily dripping juices onto the plate.
“Well there is one thing that I’ve learned over the years as a sentinel,” replied Mr. Pitts, “and that is that you should always be very careful when jumping to conclusions.”
A thin thread of juice squirted Jacob in the face and he rubbed his eye with the palm of his hand.
“Wrong conclusions,” continued Mr. Pitts, “are easily made and can have disastrous consequences. That’s why I’m holding back on any judgment until more facts have been unearthed, and why you Jacob should be more careful. That’s not a plate you’re using, it’s a sentinel netters used to capture dark warriors. A netter should be handled with care, as they’ve been known to accidentally discharge on occasion and trap their undisciplined sentinels.”
Mr. Pitts picked up a netter in his hand and held it up striking a pose with his right foot placed forward. “You throw one of these babies over an opponent’s head, and a golden net will burst out immobilizing them tight in its bindings. You’ll find that these gadgets come in quite handy when you’re in a real pinch.”
Embarrassed for showing his ignorance, Jacob quickly used his shirtsleeve to wipe off the spilled juice from the netter. He felt beholden to Mr. Pitts for his warning. For sure his bad luck could have set the thing off and he would have been trapped inside a netter, scared and humiliated. Hoping to redeem himself he carefully placed the netter aside and gripped a tube shaped item rounded at the ends. Slowly he raised it up, being careful not to set it off, knowing full well that like the netter it too could equally be dangerous and sensitive. “Golly, this has got to be a powerful weapon. What’s it do Mr. Pitts?” he asked curiously.
“Oh that,” replied Mr. Pitts with a grin. “That’s one of Mum’s salamis.”
Emalynn burst out laughing and Jacob returned her an angry glare. Humiliated he placed the salami down, while Mr. Pitts lifted up his foot and rested it on the edge of the table. Emalynn and Jacob instantly covered their noses as Mr. Pitts palmed up another carrot from off the table and briskly twirled it between his fingers. He then inserted the thin end of the carrot between his red inflamed toes and vigorously began scratching his rash.
“AAAHHHH, what a relief,” he sighed.
“Eeeuuuh,” groaned Emalynn. “You need some anti-fungus spray.”
“NAAHHHHH! Nothing that a good scratch with a carrot won’t fix,” he said as he reached out with his other hand and picked up a tattered book, handing it off to Jacob. “This was your father’s orb address directory. It may be old but addresses never change.”
“Golly, Thanks Mr. Pitts,” said Jacob, placing it back on the table so he could turn the pages with one hand and keep his other hand firmly placed over his nose. He had never seen any belongings of his father’s before and with great interest he gingerly turned through the yellowing pages, looking over the numerous listings of unfamiliar locations with matching orb coordinates.
Mr. Pitts, having finished his scratching placed the carrot into his shirt pocket, and with a single hand he lifted his foot from off the table, dropping it down to the floor. He next reached out and picked up a rigid piece of rope that had one end dyed in a bright red color. Grasping it firmly in both hands, he flicked his wrists and the rope began to expand, extending through the dining room entrance to stop at the far side of the living room. Mr. Pitts next ran the end of the rope over the top of the fireplace mantel, accidently knocking off a set of several porcelain decorations. “Pop, pop,” sounded the baubles as they exploded in pieces over the floor.
“Ooooops—I think I’ll have to add a bit extra to your rent payments this month,” he said, shaking his head regretfully. “Welp even a professional sentinel like me can make a few mistakes now and then. Righteoo, now where was I? Oh yes scalers rope. This scalers rope can extend itself up to two hundred feet, giving every sentinel the ability to easily scale over any obstacle. Yes indeedee, it is quite the ride when it levitates one up and down, or sideways.”
Again Mr. Pitts expertly flicked his wrists and the scalers rope promptly shrank back to its original fragment. Carefully he then placed it back onto the table.
“This stuff is nifty,” said Jacob. “I can’t wait to try it all out.” Enthusiastically he reached down, and without asking he picked up a black handgrip lined with finger grooves. Hoping it was part of his pack he wrapped his fingers around it and amazingly the handgrip molded into a perfect grip to fit his hand. “Wow! This must be enchanted!” he exclaimed and squeezed. At once a clear reddish half dome encased him like a lizard in a bottle.
“Ah yes indeedee,” said Mr. Pitts watching Jacob’s surprised face, “that handle is called a shield, and when squeezed it forms a solid shield of protection. Unfortunately it won’t stop dark energy blasts from Lacsar’s warriors, but for everything else it protects quite nicely. Well here let me show you.” He picked up the salami and began viciously hammering it against the shield, whacking again and again with more and more powerful wallops. “See how strong it is, not even phased by my powerful blows!” he exclaimed. Most unexpectedly, as he clobbered the shield with another wallop, the salami snapped in half sending the upper portion back towards Mr. Pitts’ face. “UGHH!” he cried, as half the salami slammed directly into his chin. He stepped back red in the face, rubbing his chin and exclaiming, “I’m all right, I’m all right! Don’t worry about me, because I’m teadodly all right! It just glanced off me, that’s all!” Red in the face he placed the remaining half of the salami back on the table. “Well I guess I’d better include a salami in with your next month’s rent payment also,” he sighed.
Emalynn giggled, and then asked, “What’s this?” pointing to a small black bag.
“That’s the very last item from the pack, a medical kit designed by the famous Snoitop Rotcod M.W.D. Don’t be fooled by its size, it contains some very powerful healing remedies, potions, magical herbs, and even chocolate mint protection wafers that are used to protect against dark warrior’s black rays.”
“So what’s an M.W.D.?” asked Jacob.
“Medicinal Witch Doctor,” replied Emalynn smugly.
“Correct again Emalynn,” praised Mr. Pitts. “Now wouldn’t you both agree with me that this is a pack fit for a true sentinel?”
After nodding their heads in agreement they began replacing the tools back into Jacob’s pack.
“Now quickly hurry upstairs and get yourselves ready to go,” said Mr. Pitts, placing the last item in Jacob’s pack and snatching the carrot from out of his pocket. Taking a quick bite he continued, “Yez inee-ee, we habe a wonerful nigh ahea of uz.”