Misunderstood Destinies (2)

"You can do it! You're stronger than he could ever dream to be! Just let yourself have it!" Jargos told her

Layla clenched her fist in the sudden mental strain it was taking to hold him. The white aura turned white and mixed with the black as a result. Within moments, the mage blacked out. Layla wasn't sure if he was dead or not, but it caused her to take a step back for a breath of air.

Jargos held her steady, supporting her

"Easy there"

After catching her breath, her eyes returned to normal. "I'm fine... I'm fine. The more I pushed the more he pushed back. I don't know if he's dead or not."

"I can't tell, but I know you've beat him good" He chuckled as he supported her while she caught her breath

"Dark Magic and Light Magic are equally powerful, but his knowledge of it is greater than mine. I'm just glad that he blacked out before I did." She walked over to the mage and checked his pulse. "Faint. Very faint. Suffocation by magic."

"Alright, so what do we do with him?"

"Well, either I could try to tap into his magic while he's weak and see what I could access or we could finish him off now. As much as I hate violence such as that, he's a large threat. For all we know, more of his kind could be on the way here."

"They're on their way, I can smell them. We should try to get information"

Layla nodded. "Search his bag. I'm going to see what I can find out." She sat down on her knees and put the mage's head in her lap. Forming a symbol with her hands, she touched his forehead. She closed her eyes, concentrating. "His magic is powerful, and thus I'm unsure as to how much I'll be able to find."

Jargos began to search the bag, but found nothing more than a few flasks of some liquid and a half eaten sandwich

After a couple of minutes, Layla removed her hands and stood up. "He's hard to crack, but I managed to find a small amount that may aid us. He's part of a guild of some sort. They've been planning an attack here for some time now. From his memory, I could hear a voice that said something along the lines of attacking both Zeiza and Darkwoods because of our interference. Looks like our deeds around Garlan has spread like fire."

"I see. Do you know what are in these flasks?"

Layla observed them. After taking a brief whiff of the scent, she stated, "Potions, no doubt. Smells home-made, and those are sometimes the most powerful potions."

"I wonder what they do. But we have no time, we must hurry"
Jargos started heading in a south easterly direction

Layla grabbed the bag, having a feeling the potions would come in handy later. She rushed off in pursuit with Jargos.

After about ten minutes, Jargos stopped and began sniffing around. He grinned, then roared out

Layla stopped next to Jargos. She could sense a nearby presence. "They're here. I'm sure of it now."

Jargos nodded, then turned and began to try and pinpoint them. He could count dozens of individual scents, and soon he charged at a tree and leapt into the air to tackle a figure coming into view

As one approached from behind, Layla immediately locked into combat with a Mage from behind. She smiled darkly as she caught his hand before he could land a blow.

"I've got to hand it to you. You did catch me by surprise. Play time is over." She grabbed his arm and flipped him onto the ground.

Jargos ripped into the Mage who was using an illusion to hide, then charged into the next one who dropped his illusion and came into view. Soon, dozens of mages were appearing and attacking

As Layla tackled a couple more that came her way, she stated, "Remember, they are mages and thus use Magic only. If they use Magic only, then what item would come to your advantage? Use your blade and merge it with your magic, Jargos. It'll give you the upper hand."

"Oooh, yeah!" Jargos drew his blade and ignited his fire magic. His fur and runes were ablaze and his sword began to glow red hot. He made a shimmer of heat around him, holding his blade in his right hand and made a mini-sun in his left. A grin came across his face as he charged and scorched his foes

Layla quickly grabbed her staff nearby and used it as defense before she was slashed by an incoming angry Mage. Beams of Dark Magic were sent her way and she deflected them quickly. Her staff had worn down quickly, as it soon was broken by the blasts. "Great. I'll be looking for a new melee weapon on our next visit to Garlan."

Jargos had immolated most of his foes, and went to help Layla. With her weapon broken, she would need it