Chapter Six: The Keeper of the Tower of Nature

While the Liege Knight and the Ellimist were at the Golem Temple, the other three Knights that had attended the Gathering rode out to the Tower of Nature to gather soldiers to help repel the evil. The Duke of the Sun, the Lord of the Zephyr and the Knight Master of the Crystal were these knights and they were the highest rank of their orders. These men had proved themselves to be strong in battle, in spirit and in mind.

Upon entering the Tower of Nature, each man was greeted with nods and bows. They, however, immediately went to the room of the Keeper of the Tower. Each Tower had a Keeper. These Keepers were all mages, mages that were strong enough to keep the barrier around each one standing. The Keeper of this Tower was a Knight of the Wind and a lightning mage. The Keeper of this Tower was a middle-aged man. His short black hair was dotted with white lines. He wore white robes. He carried no visible wand or staff with him and wore a pointed hat. When the three Knight Lords entered his chamber, he greeted them with a bow and said, "Welcome, my lords. Is something the matter? Of course, something must be wrong. Three Knight Lords coming into my chamber at the same time means something. What is the problem?"
"Are you aware of the evil that is lurking in the forest?"
"Yes milords. I have sensed the evil in the forest. As a result of this evil, my powers have been slightly waning. Do you need soldiers to help you?"
"Actually, we could do that by ourselves. We have come here to ask for your assistance. Your experience with magic may help us locate the source of this evil," the Duke said.
"The leader. Yes. I have not been able to locate them. But, I can tell you this. If we engage the enemy, be assured that the person leading these fiends is not the cause of this," the Keeper said.
"Ah, how would you know?" asked the Lord of the Zephyr.
"My lord, I know this because I already have seen the leader of the army and he has no magic on him, except for the magic that lies in his bow," the Keeper replied.
"You've seen the commander of these forces already and you didn't tell us?!" the Knight Master demanded.
"Patience. I just saw the commander yesterday in my scrying crystal. It is a hunter. However, the crystal was covered with an immense shadow, as if something didn't want me to see them. Yes, it is not the hunter," the Keeper explained.

"I know it is just a rumor, but can it be the Knight of the Dark Maple?" the Lord said.
"It could be. However, his spottings have not been confirmed. Have you seen him?" asked the Keeper.
"No, we haven't. But it might be him. Has anyone gone into the Chaos Realm to check his eternal prison?" asked the Duke.
"Entering the Chaos Realm requires an extreme amount of mana. We cannot waste so much mana on such a trivial rumor. No. If he has escaped, then let him come out of hiding," the Keeper said.
"Very well, you have told us all we need to know," the Knight Master said.
"A word of advice, do not engage the enemy directly. Their numbers are large. Their commander is extremely skilled. He is also enchanted with a dark power, which makes him more dangerous. If you can, kill him. If you don't, he may be a nuisance. But, don't focus all your attacks on him. The zombies are the ground forces and the witches are air forces. I recommend taking a couple of pegasus and gryphon riders with you."
"Yes. We will use every soldier we have. We thank you for your wisdom Keeper. Farewell," the Knight Lords said.
"Yes. Best of luck with you," the Keeper said and he went back to his duties.