『EXECUTED』

『FIRST BLOOD!』

These messages appeared outta nowhere on Bruce's screen. One moment, Zeph and Dylan were delivering a hot gank in Top. The very next moment, Zeph kicked the bucket and Dylan fled the scene like a pussy.

The fuck happened over there? Bruce was too busy with his own shit on lane, so he didn't catch all the details. But, there was one thing he knew for sure. Zeph and Dylan done fucked up.

"Yo Zeph, my guy," Bruce called out. "What are ya doing dying to a DK? Are you throwing the game, huh? Huh!?"

Bruce's anger transmitted clearly through his tone. Everybody heard that criticizing yell. But, Zeph didn't respond.

"Hey! Ya hear me? Heeeeeeey! Earth to Zephy Zeph!" Bruce shouted. "You fucker, are you asleep or something? ZEPH!"

"Ah, sorry, I put you on mute, haha..." Zeph laughed awkwardly.

"Watcha doing muting your cap, dumbass?"

"Oh snap," Zeph realized he should've come up with an excuse instead of telling the truth. "Eh, I needed a moment to think about stuff."

"It would’ve been great if you started with that 'thinking' thing before dying, ya know."

I knew this shit was coming. Zeph sighed. This was the reason he muted Bruce in the first place. Bruce was good at praising those who did well, but he unleashed hell on anybody who did poorly. Such was the harsh environment in this gang.

"The fuck you doing feeding a DK?" Bruce ranted on. "It gonna screw us all if he snowballs!"

"Yeah, sorry," Zeph didn’t argue back. "That DK is something else. I can't beat him."

"What's with that weak talk?" Bruce demanded. "Are you're throwing!?"

"I'm not throwing anything," Zeph said. "That’s just how things are. Sorry, but I don't see myself beating that guy. He isn’t an ex-StromBlitz player just in name, the guy knows his shit. I can't outplay him."

"Watcha wussing out about? StromBlitz or DerpFlitz, it doesn't matter. He's just a middle schooler like us. Nothing you can’t handle."

You can only say that because you haven't fought him yourself. Zeph retorted in his head.

"Tch, whatever," Bruce clicked his tongue and turned to Bryan. "Alright, B. Looks like it's up to us to carry this team. Let's wreck these fuckers!"

"You wanna attack?" Bryan frowned.

"Yeah! Let's beat the living crap outta these scrubs! I've been lying low till Lv.5, just like ya asked. Now, let’s go ham on their asses!"

"Hah," Bryan sighed. To think that Bruce actually agreed to play tame for once, but then that bullshit in Top happened. Thanks a lot, Zeph. Then again, it was probably a matter of time anyway.

Frankly, Bryan wasn’t keen on the idea of assaulting their lane opponents. Judging by how things went last game, it was clear their opponents were pretty damn good. It was hard to tell which side was stronger, but these enemies definitely posed a challenge. They weren’t the types of opponents to challenge recklessly without an advantage.

Therefore, Bryan preferred to proceed slow and steady. He wanted to gradually build lane advantage and reach mid-game in a good state. Their lineup favored the mid-game much more anyway. The enemy was all about the early-game this time, including their pick for Bot.

Impaler was stronger during the early-game, whereas Pirate went online during the mid-game. So, it was best to be patient here. Once mid-game hits, Bruce will unlock Pirate’s full strength and it’ll be time for a counter-attack.

That was the best game plan here. It did imply they’ll have to play defensively and probably surrender some lane control, it’ll be worth it in the end. Bryan even convinced Bruce to follow that plan. At least, that's what he thought...

Bruce played tamely for a while, as if following Bryan’s game plan. But, in truth, he was like a ticking bomb. The whole time, he was searching for an excuse to throw that defensive game plan out of the window and go all-in. He only held it in until now because he was waiting to reach Lv.5 and unlock Kraken.

Now, that Bruce finally got his Kraken, he thirsted for kills like as always. And, Zeph's death served as a great excuse to seek revenge on the enemy. Sigh.

"We gonna go hard at them in the next wave," Bruce declared.

"What's the plan, exactly?" Bryan asked.

"Plan? We ain't need no plan against these scrubs!" Bruce proclaimed. "I'mma just go in there and kick that chick's ass. You cover me and all that."

"You know they got a Druid, right? He might pull you at any time."

"Hah! I wanna see him try. I'mma move all over the place. He’ll never catch me!"

"Yeah, sure sounds like a bulletproof plan..."

"I know, right? I'm a genius, haha!"

"Definitely," Bryan rolled his eyes. He knew this pattern by now. There was no stopping Bruce once the guy set his mind on something.

Gotta pray that Druid sucks at pulling. Bryan sighed. Nature's Grasp was a difficult skillshot due to how thin it was. There was a chance Blackhole wasn’t skilled enough to confirm it across long distances. So, Bruce just might get away with his recklessness. Still, it was so needlessly risky...

"Alright, let's do it then," Bryan gave in. I’ll just have to trust him. I know Bruce is a decent player, just not the most stable. Maybe he can pull it off this time. Maybe.

Either way, Bryan had to focus on supporting. He won't hear the end of it if Bruce dies here. Even though it was Bruce’s reckless idea, it’ll be Bryan’s fault if it fails. That’s how it worked. It was an unwritten rule.

Arguing any further was only going to distract them at this point. Bryan had to concentrate 100% on supporting Bruce here.

They've already discussed how to deal with the enemy duo in a case of a 2v2, so it's not like they weren’t prepared. Bryan even picked Aquamancer as a counter to Druid's shield. They’ve been mentally prepared for this scenario for a while now.

Besides, gotta admit, I’m kinda raring to go too. Bryan smirked. The enemy struck out Zeph in Top, so Bryan felt like the team had to repay in kind by killing somebody too. Not to mention, there the debt from the previous game as well. Beat and Blackhole screwed with them last time. Gotta teach these bastards a lesson or two.

"Okay, we're doing this shit!" Bryan exclaimed.

"Now ya talkin'! Let’s go!"

The plan was set in motion. In the next wave, they'll unleash hell on their opponents! They ain't gonna lose a second time to these scrubs! Neither of these guys was from StormBlitz, so there was nothing to worry about.

"If possible," Bryan started. "Try not making it too obvious that we're planning to attack. Just clear minions as usual."

"Haha, we gonna surprise them? Got it!" Bruce gave a thumbs up. He dialed down his aggression and concentrated on efficient farming, without showing any signs of hostility toward the enemy.

In fact, maybe he even overplayed it a little. He was acting a tad too peaceful compared to how he played until now. But, it was fine. That’ll only confuse the enemy more. They’ll never see this attack coming!

As with all waves thus far, the enemy side gained the upper hand. Impaler’s basic attacks were more effective than Pirate's thanks to their defense-reduction property, so Beat took care of the swordsmen faster than Bruce. It usually triggered him, but not this time.

"Huehue. Soon, soon," Bruce smiled creepily at this result. The wave didn’t matter. It was just the appetizer. Soon, he'll move on to the main dish!

With his frontline gone, Bruce retreated to the backline without putting on a fight. He allowed his opponents to advance into his territory for free.

You better be grateful I’m not charing you for this. Bruce lifted his chin. It’s a free tour in Bruceland. I hope you gonna enjoy yo stay, khaha.

Bruce stayed in the backline and barraged the incoming enemy frontline. Once he cleared all the swordsmen, it was time. Attack incoming!

"RELEASE THE-" the Pirate's voice boomed across the area. The Kraken was about to be unleashed!

"W-Whoa!" Vincent jumped in his seat. On no! The mighty monster of the high seas was about to make its entrance! It’ll eradicate everything in its path! Vincent had to get away!

He rolled away before the king of squids had a chance to strike. Meanwhile, Kai remained rooted in place. What was she doing!? They had to get out, or else the Kraken... will do nothing, actually.

"A feint!?" Vincent dramatically smacked his forehead. He completely fell for that one. He didn't possess the necessary reaction speed for dodging Kraken upon seeing it, so he had no choice to rely on the sound cue. It was a waste of a Dodge Roll, but at least he avoided the worst-case scenario.

I had a feeling it’s fake. Kai nodded to herself. The Pirate's loud threat didn't faze her in the slightest. Kai has already proved she could dodge Kraken on reaction, so the enemy would have to be an utter idiot to Kraken her before baiting out her Dodge Roll.

Since the Kraken feint had no effect, the Pirate charged at Kai himself, with the Aquamancer following closely behind. Finally, these bastards decided to make their move. Kai has been waiting to settle this!

"Shield," Kai ordered.

"Right away!" Vincent cast Gaia’s Protection, granting Kai a shield effect.

"Alright, let's mop them," Kai said so, but she actually took a few steps back. As much as she wanted to destroy that pretentious bastard calling himself “TheLegend”, she knew better than to pick a fight in enemy territory. She had to back off to the center of the lane first.

"Hah! Look at her quaking in her boots!" Bruce cackled. "We got this! Hey B, get rid of that shield, will ya?"

"On it," Bryan threw a splash of water at the enemy Impaler.

I'd like to keep this shield, but... Kai bit her lip. She could easily Dodge Roll that predictable Splash, but that'd leave her without a Dodge Roll against Kraken. It’d be like fighting naked. She won’t have anything left to defend herself with.

Therefore, sidestepping the splash was the best she could do. But, it proved futile. The water struck her and washed off her shield.

Tch, she didn't take the bait. Bryan clicked his tongue. He expected the girl to Dodge Roll the Splash, then Bruce would wrap things up with Kraken. But, that girl was smarter than she looked. Damn, these guys are a pain.

But, that's also fine. The girl showed them she understood the importance of saving her Dodge Roll. That was insightful information in its own right. It meant she'll not roll against anything that wasn't Kraken. There was a great way to exploit that fact.

"I gonna shower her," Bryan said.

"Yeah, give that bitch a wash, khaha!" Bruce didn’t object. He wanted to settle this one-on-one with Beat, but he had no qualms about receiving some help. After all, the team's achievements were his achievements, khaha!

"Here goes," Bryan activated Rainfall around the Impaler. A heavy shower poured on the girl. It didn't deal any damage, but it slowed down her Movement Speed and Attack Speed. Now, Bruce should have an easy time tearing her apart.

This is bad. Kai frowned. With the heavy rain beating in her ears, it became harder to pick up the enemy’s sounds. She'll have a harder time reading-

SHOT. A bullet dug into her abdomen without warning.

Damn, they’re acting fast! Kai grit her teeth. It was a difficult spot, but she had no intention of losing here. So, she immediately fired a spear!

WHOOSH. The spear cut through the raindrops and darted toward the Pirate. But, it didn't connect.

"Hah! I can dodge that slow-mo crap with my eyes closed!" Bruce laughed. "How ya like that!?" He pulled the trigger again.

Damn, this Attack Speed debuff is bad news. Kai ranted. But, not all hope was lost yet. She predicted that the enemy's next shot was about to come out, so she just had to sidestep it-

BAM. The bullet pierced her shoulder. No way...

I dodged that! Kai ranted internally. Damn, the Movement Speed debuff is bad news too.

"Impossible!" Vincent exclaimed. What he has just witnessed boggled his mind. Kai missed a counter shot and failed to dodge the follow-up. What happened to her Rhythm Reader!? Did the rain nullify her ability to use her special technique!? This was no good! I have to hurry and provide backup!

Not so fast. Bryan activated a geyser right underneath the Druid's feet, sending the tree guy flying. And, he gonna do it again, since he was using the Overflow version of the spell, the almighty Hot Spring Eruption! He had two more geysers up his sleeve. That Druid won't be getting anywhere near the scene anytime soon.

"My apologizes!" Vincent spoke in mid-flight. "It appears I've run into an obstacle."

"Not like I was counting on you anyway," Kai already started retreating from the rain. There was no point with her Attack Speed and Movement Speed hampered this badly. She couldn't land any hits and she couldn't dodge anything. This was no position to fight in.

Unfortunately, escaping from the rain wasn’t easy either. The slowdown was rough. The Aquamncer built an Lv.3 Chains of Infinity as early as possible, so the raindrops applied two layers of slowdown on Kai’s Movement Speed. It’s like she was moving through mud.

What were her options in this disadvantageous position? How should she fight? There was only one thing she could say for sure: she won’t go down without a fight! She won’t let that Pirate scum kill her!