BRIEF STORYLINE The Spectral Knights are outside searching for roots or herbs in the ground for Merklynn, and after having much conversation, they agree that they are all scared of Darkstorm's power of Decay, which can turn their victims into very frail old people. So interested in how to stop becoming old, that Arzon summons the Bearer of Knowledge, to defend against this decay magic. The Bearer of Knowledge explains a solution, which are these flowers at an Eternal Spring which can turn back time, and turn you young.
So the Spectral Knights set out for Shadow Mountain where the Eternal Spring can be found, however the sly Reekon overhears their conversations and tells Darkstorm. Darkstorm lays out a battle plan for the Darkling Lords and it features Leoric getting jumped from the power of decay gargoyle/dragon. He is now a physically weak old man, leaving a really bad problem for the other Spectral Knights.
The Darkling Lords don't take any chance and travel to the Eternal Spring to destroy it before the disheartenend Spectral Knights come. They come across a giant centipede, and Cravex whips out his power of fear on it, and it then attacks the Spectral Knights. Leoric bravely turns into his lion totem, and distracts the centipede and saves the baby centipede.
The Spectral Knights are devastated when they find the Eternal Spring is gone thanks to Cindarr's power of destruction. However, they hope to find another area in the cave which might have the Eternal Spring water or flowers. Leoric is really done in the dumps by this. Feryl supports tired Leoric and stays guard of him, while the rest go in search of more. However, the Darkling Lords take them prisioners, apart from Ectar who has walked further ahead.
Thankfully Feryl and old Leoric save the day when the Darkling Lords come out of the cave. Darkstorm is restrained and told to reverse the decay spell on Leoric. If he doesn't, the Spectral Knghts threaten to throw him in the Dagger Assault's magical dungeon. He obeys their commands in defeat. In the end, Ectar returns, delighted he's found some Eternal Spring water but Leoric is already back to normal. What Leoric does learn about being old, is, your body may be weak, but you learn the value of wisdom!
REVIEW: A good episode that covers a serious worry amongst people in growing old and frail. The initial scenes of the Spectral Knights pulling up roots and getting paranoid of Darkstorm's power of Decay, are mixed, meaning some good parts and some bad parts.
The story develops with the Bearer of Knowledge telling the Knights of a way to avoid oldness, telling of magic flowers and spring water that brings youth somewhere on Prysmos, in a good section. Nice surprise when the Darkling Lords overhear and ambush the Spectral Knights, which leads to Decay getting used on Leoric. Admidst the action, we have some unfunny dialogue of Feryl calling Mortdredd a bug, and Mortdredd frustratingly replies "It's beetle, not bug!". In the finale of this action scene, Leoric is morphed into a very old man by Darkstorm's power of Decay is edited sharply and leaves a chaotic and very worrying cliffhanger for our Spectral Knights.
Leoric's voice actor Neil Ross does very well giving an old man feel to Leoric's voice. When old Leoric tries to counsel with the Wisdom Owl, it seems to be rude and straight-forward to him, telling Leoric he is old...and stupid. A good scene, despite the somewhat shrewd comments by the owl, the ending does try to justify it's spoken words, as Leoric learns from this statement, delegating that he must use his untouched wisdom.
The action between the Darkling Lords and the giant Scorpion-like monster is good, as Cravex uses his power of Fear to get it to spew its violent wrath onto the Spectral Knights. Another well done scene is the Spectral Knights facing up to the fact that Leoric may never be young again, and the mood of the group is realistic. Close-ups of Leoric's distraught old face shows the tragedy of this event. In an even more cruel twist, Cindarr wrecks the spring of Eternal Youth, and Leoric is even more depressed now. A really high suspense cliffhanger follows when Cravex tries to tip Feryl and Leoric(in his animal form) over a cliff, near the spring.
When Ectar tries to search for more of the Eternal spring water inside the cave, the scene is dissappointingly edited. When the Darkling Lords ambush the Spectral Knights in the cave, although it is mostly lacklustre, it does start imaginatively with Lexor in his armodillo form rolling into the scene, tripping up one of the Spectral Knights. Good action, though when old Leoric manages to push a giant boulder down a cliff, into the Darkling Lords path.
One of the best moments of the episode is Leoric finally turning to being young again, by Darkstorm, against his own will. The music is very fitting, and its mood changes as Leoric changes physically. The nice ending leaves a good lesson and advantage in being old. The tale of this episode is, although you wll be old and frail sometime, you will in exchange receive wisdom through your vivid life experiences. THE POWER OF THE WISE GETS A: 3/5 RATING.
