Tale of the Twilight Warriors

Chapter five~ A paladins wish, and a jolly man.

     Paladin general Leif was awaiting them on the ground floor, "so what did they say?" He asked, "We are to undergo some training, then seek out something called a nexus for each element" Gabriel replied. "Ah.. training, well i can get you that however i think they want you to undergo some extreme training, meet me at the top of the right tower as quickly as you can i'll show you a place we're the higher ranking paladins train."

Leif dissapiered in a flash of light again, "so we have to walk?" Shadow asked, "i prefer it this way" Gabriel smiled. They walked up the center stairs and hung right, at a moderate pace they walked towords the large gilded door. It had an incription written across it, "when one succeeds a paladins wish, they shall attain a higher power, the tower of trials awaits"

"A paladins wish?" Gabriel felt dumbfounded. "Possibly asension?" Shadow too felt dumbfounded, they walked back down the stairs and looked around for any given paladin who could help.

Only one was in sight he stood up against a marble column, he made no noise he did not move he just exsisted, it seemed he was untouched by time, he haden't moved during the entire time Shadow and Gabriel were within the castle. They approached him and said "hello"

He simply grunted in responce. "I'm curious, what is the paladins wish?" Shadow was quick to the point, he wanted an answer.

He grunted again

Gabriel punched his helmet as hard as he could cutting his hand open but jarring it violently, the paladin still simply grunted in responce.

"Fine then, be an ass" Gabriel walked out of the castle and stormed down the stairs, Shadow was quick to catch up as Gabriel had to slow down because he almost tumbled down the stairs.

"Calm down, we'll figure it out" Shadow said contently "That's stupid, people aught to treat other people with respect" Gabriel huffed. They walked down the stairs which was a considerably easier and quicker job then walking up them although it seemed considerably more hazordous as they were scaling stairs with nothing to prevent one from falling to there imminent death.

At the bottom of the steps, the gates were closed. "What the hell.." Shadow had begun to get frusterated. In the distance a ray of darkness spouted up from the clouds ripping the light from them. "Thaddious is here?!." Gabriel yelled, "We need to get back to the castle and warn the keepers of light!" Shadow had began to run back up the stairs. Gabriel ran back up as well, "What are we to do, we have no weapons, if we need to defend them we are hopeless!" Shadow felt a quick stinge of fear overcome him. It took them ten minuets to full speed run up the stairs, the paladin whom was standing at the column was now standing on the center platform that worked as an elevator. "Wait!" Gabriel yelled, the platform began to sink, Shadow and Gabriel jumped down, there armor forced them to hit the platform quickly, the paladin grunted again. Gabriel looked at his cut on the way down, "powdery gold.. i thought paladins.." The paladin looked up. "never mind" Gabriel knew something was fishy about this particular paladin, powder like paint sat on his knuckles were he smashed the helm.

They touched the bottom, the lights came on "You two have returned, what do you need?" The first keeper spoke.

"Thaddious is attacking the town, we're afraid they might reach you, we have came to you for your orders." Shadow had a cold tone to his voice.

"Yea, and this guy is trieng to pawn himself off as a paladin, but paladins armor is pure gold, it doesn't rattle like that" Gabriel smiled. The fake paladin quickly cast a dark aura spell, his armour faded away into what he truely was, a dark sage. He chanted a spell in the foreign language Thaddious spoke in, every keeper appeared as the room lit up, they quickly began casting spells of light. Before they finished speaking a dark javalin shaped spell struck deep in the eldest keepers heart. The other keepers cried out, a blinding light emitted from them as everything in the castle was overcome by the shining ray. The sage seemed to have disintigrated, as the eldest keeper vanished from sight he bellowed out his last words.