Go to sleep

Let that wall crumble!

The massive barrier of mortar and stone that stood before Asheroth shattered and crumbled to the floor, causing a storm of dust to temporarily enshroud his surroundings.

"Taste this."

A bolt of white lightning struck Asheroth in the chest. The magician was pushed back.

"Not bad," said Asheroth. "Why don't you try it too?"

He sent back the lightning bolt and his target managed to dodge it at the last minute.
Asheroth cursed under his breath.

"How did you survive that? I'm sure I hit you!" asked Callar, bewildered.

"Now, how did you survive that?" replied Asheroth. "I was sure I wasn't going to miss."

Another bolt of lightning zoomed at Asheroth. The magician was again thrown backwards by the impact of the lightning strike.

"Got you," said Callar.

"Cut the crap boy," said Asheroth. "I wonder where you get all that confidence from..."

Callar's eyes bulged in disbelief - he would not have believed it if he had not seen it for himself. His opponent had caught the lightning bolt with his bare hand. It looked harmless presently - it looked like an orb floating in his hand.

"Hey, snap out of it," said Asheroth. "Now catch."

Asheroth hurled the ball of energy in his hand at Callar. The young magic-user deflected the bolt and it hit a nearby tree, setting it on fire. Energy crackled through the cool night air as smoke billowed.

Lightning Tower!

A gigantic column of blue lightning descended from the sky and struck Asheroth.

Damn, this kid is strong! thought Asheroth as his knees buckled from the attack. He managed to erect a shield in time, and he was struggling to hold it up. After a few moments, the attack subsided.

"Impressive," complimented Asheroth. "What's your name?"

"Callar, son of James."

"James of the White Cane?" asked Asheroth in surprise.

"Yes," said Callar.

Lightning Tower! Second Strike!

This time, two columns came down upon Asheroth. Each column was thicker and heavier. The attack slowly dissolved Asheroth's shield and finally, the lightning bolts broke through.

Then it was quiet.

"Pity I didn't get your name, sir," regretted Callar.
He was about to leave when he heard Asheroth's voice.

"It's Asheroth."

Callar looked to his left and was terribly shocked to see Asheroth leaning on a tree with a relaxed expression.

"It took me a few years to perfect that clone of mine," muttered Asheroth with a small hint of irritation in his voice. "He was my favourite... Oh well..."

Callar began collecting energy again to prepare for an attack.

"It was pretty rude of you, Callar, to attack me before I introduced myself," said Asheroth as his face turned grim.

Asheroth's hand went into his cloak and he extracted a round object.

Lightning Coil!

Callar generated a large coil of lightning around Asheroth and began to tighten it. Asheroth threw the object in his hand to the floor. It cracked and glowed. Immediately, the lightning coil disappeared.

Without a moment's hesitation, Callar began collecting energy for another attack. However, he could not grasp any energy strands - it was as if the place had become totally devoid of arcane energy.

Then he realised that the object Asheroth threw to the floor was the cause of it. It seemed to absorb arcane energy very quickly. He was rendered powerless. And the only option left was to run...

Or....

"Wait, this means you can't use magic either," said Callar as he drew his sword and advanced cautiously towards Asheroth.

"Wrong," said Asheroth. "Now, be a good boy and go to sleep."

Air Blast!

A ball of compressed air flew at Callar and hit him in the head, knocking him out cold.

Asheroth grunted. "I expected more."

"Yes, so did I."

"Oh, you were here after all, Lady Es-Qara."

"This boy, so young," she commented. "And he doesn't even know about the Power Within yet. But he's here on a mission."

"True," agreed Asheroth. "Something serious is going on. And, we must get to the bottom of this soon. Not knowing what's going on - it's starting to irritate me."

Es-Qara sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Shall I get the guards?" offered Es-Qara. "I don't think you want to carry him all by yourself."

"Oh, that's not necessary. We can teleport, can't we?"

Es-Qara smiled slightly. "I don't think King Crydan can take anymore of your popping out of thin air."

"I'll be careful," retorted Asheroth with a smug expression.

"I wonder what the King is going to say about the wall you brought down."

Asheroth's smug expression disappeared. "I had a good reason to do it."

Then the three people vanished.