New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

The Elf, Galan, was about to attack Astaroth for talking to him this way, but Aberon was quicker.

With the flick of his wrist, he conjured a portal before Galan, and sent him to the other end of the war camp. It wouldn't keep him away forever, but long enough to resolve the issue at hand first.

He then immediately turned toward Astaroth.

"Focus, boy. I told you what to do. I can't do it for you. You must learn, or you will die in this battle."

Astaroth recalled Aberon's words and tried to put them into action, but it was harder than he made it sound. Especially with this massive pressure he was keeping at bay.

Astaroth recalled that Gale had reached some level of flight-capability, last he saw him, and felt a bit of shame at not being able to emulate this. But his magic affinities were all so low that flight was a hard concept to grasp for him.

But, try as he may, he couldn't figure it out. And he was losing the strength contest against whichever mage had shot this fireball spell.

Until the pressure on his mind and body lessened several-fold.

Looking at the fireball, Astaroth saw a thick jet of water pushing against it. Following it with his gaze, he fell on Violette, who was standing on the hilltop, hand extended, helping him push away this attack.

In front of her stood Meat-Shield, his shield raised as he deflected most of the incoming projectiles on her. And what he couldn't catch, Jaxx stood behind, knocking away with his two handaxes.

But this wasn't the only help he was receiving.

Not far from him and Aberon, a bright burning woman was floating in the air, with a gout of fire between her and the massive fireball. But it wasn't flowing towards it.

On the contrary, it seemed like Phoenix was absorbing the flames from the attack and consuming them into herself. The more fire she absorbed, the brighter her flames burned, already starting to tint in bluish colours.

The enormous fireball slowly shrank, before he could push it back. By the time he knocked it back to its sender, it had already shrunk by half its size.

It collided with the ground in the middle of the demon war camp, a mile out, and caused a minor explosion.

But this was only the beginning. Already, demons by the hundreds were pouring out into the field that separated both camps.

The battle had begun.

But something else caught Astaroth's attention, as well as Phoenix's and Violette's. A counter had appeared in the quest log.

**

Bonus Stage Quest: Survival

1) Survive the onslaught for as long as you can, and your party will be rewarded accordingly. (Time survived: 1:28)

2) Kill as many demons as you can, and your party will receive bonus rewards accordingly. (Enemies killed: 216)

3) ???

**

This was it. The last stage had truly begun.

Astaroth grinned like a maniac. This was just his type of quest.

Kill everything that posed a threat, and survive as long as possible. He could do that.

Looking at his melding timer, he saw he had a little less than four minutes left, and kicked himself into gear.

Turning his face toward Phoenix, he shouted, "Grab the others and make sure you survive as long as you can. I'm going to the front!"

Phoenix shouted back at him to wait, but he was already gone.

As soon as he finished speaking, he burst forward, aimed at the middle of the plain separating the camps. The demons were reaching there as well, so he would be the first one in the melee.

But he didn't even make it to the ground, that already his neck tingled. He barrelled to the left, as a blade suddenly swung where he had been.

Standing in the air was now a completely black demon, only visible through the glow of the still-burning demon camp. He had no wings, and no tail, but the horns on his forehead stood straight and reached at least a foot high.

"Strange. I have no recollection of an officer like you in our intel. Where did you sprout from, Ash Elf?" the demon asked.

His suave voice, tinted in curiosity, and much too calm for one that was floating over the middle of a battlefield, grated against Astaroth's mind. He wore tight-fitted clothes, with a sleeveless shirt, and boots that looked made of some kind of tanned skin.

"It doesn't matter where I'm from. Only where I'm going. And that is straight into your camp to murder your kind in swathes," Astaroth responded, suddenly on guard.

"Ha ha ha ha," the demon slowly laughed.

"Did I say something funny?" Astaroth growled.

"Yes. You said you would reach our camp. For someone weak like you, to claim something so wild is indeed hilarious."

Astaroth frowned at him.

That was when he tried scanning him.

**

Demon Lieutenant Colonel Belenos:

Grade: Rare (Zone Boss)

Level: 100

Health: 10,250,800

Mana: 151,410

**

Astaroth felt his heart go cold.

'What the fuck?!' he screamed internally.

It was a miracle he had even dodged the attack coming his way, from these kinds of stats.

The demon, noticing his scan and his sudden angst, laughed another time.

"Did you finally realize how much of an ant you are? Of course, you would lay waste to most of our footsoldiers. But people of your calibre don't get to fight demons of low calibre. You fight officers and die trying."

Belenos charged forth, sword raised, and this time, Astaroth recognized the clear intent to kill in the strike. He barely saw the demon move, and that was with Luna's added stats.

But the attack never connected.

Another blur appeared before him, and a shockwave blasted him back. And now floating a foot in front of where he had been, another person was weapon locked with the demon.

A woman whose traits seemed tired and stretched by age. But Astaroth recognized this old woman.

"General Isarrel?!" Astaroth blurted out.

"Find a target you can take on, soldier! This one is mine!" she responded, not even looking at him.

The demon and she started slamming their weapons together, creating a light show of sparks, and loud clanking. The demon's single longsword clashed with her twin scimitars, matching blow for blow.

Astaroth understood he had no business in this fight, and flew off. He couldn't fight at that level, yet.

But a fire lit up in his heart.

'One day. One day, I will be that powerful. And no one will look down on me again.'