Astaroth frowned as the combat stretched from seconds to minutes. He realized he was only on the defensive and couldn't do much more.
The more time passed, the closer Mel'gaz got to him. His incessant taunting was also annoying.
"Come on, mortal! Give me something more than just a barrier to play with! All this power at your disposal, and you hide behind walls! Don't be a coward!"
Astaroth figured he could fight him mano-a-mano if he wanted to. But then, would he be able to win?
Right now, his best bet was buying time.
***
Back over the hill, almost a mile away, Phoenix had finally reached an area where the pulses of demonic Aether no longer reached. But she was devastated.
"Can I really do nothing? This can't be right…"
It repugned her to be pushed out of the equation like this. Even if she knew she would get stronger, in time, it annoyed her that two players who were weaker than her were unaffected by the pulses.
