The Ex-StormBlitz Monsters

Zeph returned to base, geared up, and healed up. Now, he was more than ready to defend Bot.

[Though, it's not like I'll need to do much.] He thought. [I'm sure that scrub gonna run away like a pussy the moment I get over there.]

"I'mma scare him away real quick, then I'll join y'all in Top," Zeph informed.

"Sounds good," Raymond approved. "Just be careful."

"Huh? Careful with what?"

"Don't underestimate Gunz," Raymond warned. "He's a league above everybody else in Stratus when it comes to fights."

"Wait, are you telling me he gonna stay and fight?"

"It's possible. That entire split-push is a very aggressive play. I won't surprise me if they try to keep it going even with you there."

"So basically, ya telling me they gonna underestimating me." Zeph grinned. "Fine by me. If he stays, I'mma freakin' destroy him!"

"Didn't I just ask you to be careful?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful," Zeph promised. [Man, Ray is so pushy this game. It's like he's actually acting like a captain for once. I wish he was like this back when Bruce and the gang were causing mayhem. Taurus could've had such a strong team of seniors. Oh well.]

This was no time to cry over spilled milk. Zeph had to wrap things up in Bot so he could join the offense in Top.

[We gonna win this game soon, I feel it. So, I wanna be there when it happens.]

Just a few more pushes and Stratus will crumble, and Zeph definitely was going to take a part in making that happen. But, before that, he had to deal with this pesky Gunslinger.

"Hey look, he's running away," Zeph said.

The Gunslinger was backing away, no doubt planning to flee the scene. But, then he just stopped, right outside the Golem's area. He didn't escape any farther. The guy straight up stopped there and waited.

"Okay, maybe he's staying after all," Zeph grimaced. For the better or the worse, Raymond's worries came true. [This bastard is totally looking down on me, isn't he? Time to teach that scrub a lesson!]

Zeph dashed forth. He ignored the enemy minions invading the Golem's area and went straight for the big fish. This Gunslinger gonna regret his arrogance! He's dead meat!

[Come over here!] Zeph hurled his axe. Once it connects, he'll pull the chain back and drag that arrogant Gunslinger into the Golem's area. [One ezpz kill coming right up!]

"Nope!" Lars rolled aside while staying inside the Golem's area.

"Damn, making me work for it…" Zeph clicked his tongue.

This would have been a great time to become Berserk and go all out on that Gunslinger's ass, but Zeph didn't have enough Rage meter for that. He spent almost all of it during the recent fight in Top.

[All these minions are almost dead too, so I can't farm much Rage from them.] Zeph couldn't find any shortcuts for turning Berserk. So, he had no choice but to fight as a regular bruiser, without the explosive strength of Berserk mode.

[Meh, it's fine. I got the Golem on my side.] Zeph fearlessly charged at his opponent. [If you ain't gonna leave peacefully, then I gonna make you leave! Dead or alive, your choice.]

But, no matter how intimidating Zeph considered himself to be in this situation, his opponent didn't flutter.

[Okay, here it comes.] Lars took a deep breath and sharpened his senses. His next play will be critical. It gonna expose what kind of player Lars was today.

Was he still the reckless brat who didn't know how to gauge risk? The kind of fool whom the enemy baited into every little trap? Or, did he grow up since then?

[I'm not the same I used to be and I'mma prove it, here and now!] Lars moved along the outer ring of the Golem area, maintaining as much distance as possible from his foe. All the while, he continued firing at the Golem.

All his shots were locked onto the Golem's forehead, he didn't spare a single bullet for the Berserker. But, it's not like he didn't want to confront his opponent, it's just that he couldn't. If he hit DragonMaster even once, the Golem dude would go bonkers. [Let's not do that.]

And so, Lars avoided direct confrontation and continued running in circles around the Golem's area. But, that couldn't last forever.

"Gotcha!" Zeph finally cornered his foe.

The damn Gunslinger has been running away the entire damn time, yet he insisted to stay inside the Golem's area and keep shooting the Golem. That's taking cockiness to a whole new level.

[But, I finally caught up.] Zeph grinned. [It's your own damn fault you didn't scram while you had the chance.]

Now, Gunz had no choice but to retreat from the Golem area and start running for his life. At least, that's what any sane player would do...

"What the-!?" Zeph exclaimed. Instead of evacuating the premises, Gunz continued moving around the border and shooting the Golem without a single care in the world. It's as if Zeph was air for him.

"You piece of...!" Zeph darted at the guy. [You think you're a big shot because you used to be on StormBlitz or something? You gonna regret this one big time!]

Zeph darted at his foe, axe at the ready. He gonna end that bastard's whole career! But, the opponent was more than ready.

[Here comes!] Lars grinned. [C'mon, don't be shy. Come at me, yo!]

The Berserker caught up with Lars and stretched his arm. A swing was coming! So, it was time. Combat Roll!

Lars rolled out of the Golem area right before the axe sliced through him. But, he didn't roll too far. Rather than rolling away, he rolled in parallel to the incoming attack, landing just barely outside the Golem area.

[Did he mess up his roll?] Zeph wondered as he brought down his arm. His swing whiffed, but Gunz just barely got away from it. The guy's reaction speed was impressive, but the roll itself was garbage. He could've rolled way farther than that.

[Looks like you panicked, kid.] Zeph cracked a laugh. [That's what you get for acting cocky. Karma, bitch. And, now you're dead!]

Zeph had every intention to chase this clumsy opponent. The roll barely got Gunz outside the Golem area, so the guy was still very much within reach.

[I can still whack this guy real hard.] Zeph was convinced. [Maybe I'll even get a kill here!]

That should make up for the embarrassing death he suffered earlier this game, and for his overall lackluster performance today. This one kill right here would be as good as sealing the fate of this decisive final game!

"Here I come!" Zeph darted toward Gunz, fully intent to strike down the fleeing foe. Or, at least, that foe [should have been] fleeing. But, for some reason, Gunz just stood there and spun the hammer of his revolver.

"Huh?" Zeph blinked twice. Wasn't that...?

"It's showdown, yoooooo!" Lars activated Fan the Hammer, which just came out of cooldown. He finished spinning the hammer of the revolver and took aim at the Berserker's head. "Let's do this!"

BAM! Headshot. Critical damage! It was a clean hit. And, thanks to all the Physical Power and Critical Damage in his built, a single headshot deleted 15% of the bruiser's HP.

"What the-!? You're shooting!? In this situation!?" Zeph couldn't believe the bullshit he was seeing right now.

He, an aggressive bruiser, was about to ram into a squishy marksman. And yet, the marksman just stood there without a single care in the world. Even worse, the bastard was actively shooting Zeph, right in the face!

"Boi, you're SO dead!"

"Stop it, Zeph. You better re-"

"You wanna go!?" Zeph roared. "THEN LET'S GO!" He charged forth and closed the distance in just a couple of steps.

BAM! The revolver fired relentlessly. In the time it took Zeph to get close, the revolver already fired a second time.

『CRITICAL』

The red letters popped on the screen. This was the second critical in a row, and each of them dealt nasty damage. Even against a bruiser, these criticals hit like a truck.

[Meh, it's just a flesh wound.] Zeph wasn't too concerned. Berserker was no squishy wuss, he could soak some damage.

All that mattered was that Zeph finally got close enough. Now, it was time to wreck the cocky Gunslinger! Time for Barbarian Slam!

Zeph lifted both axes high into the air. He would've liked to crash these bad bois on the Gunslinger's right away, but it was best to charge up the attack first.

After 1.2 seconds pass, Barbarian Slam will power up and gain a stun effect. That's when it'll be over for real-

BAM! Another gunshot.

[Damn, this broken ass shit fires like a machinegun.] Zeph had just lifted his axes and already ate a bullet to the face.

BAM!『CRITICAL』

[Another headshot!? Damn, not bad.] Zeph thought. Landing consecutive headshots during Fan the Hammer was hard as heck, he knew that from experience.

Bruce once held a dumb contest in the club, in which everybody competed to score the highest number of consecutive headshots with Fan the Hammer. And, Zeph's performance was embarrassing beyond belief.

It was so bad, it single-handedly made him not want to play any marksmen for the rest of his life. So, enemy or not, anybody who could nail these headshots deserved some respect. That shit was cool, no question about it.

Especially, landing three headshots in a row was nasty. If the Gunslinger pulled it off right after Combat Roll, then it also applied a stun… wait.

[Three headshots? After a roll!?] Zeph turned pale. The Berserker's arms turned limp just as the realization hit him.

His Barbarian Slam was abruptly canceled, but that wasn't all. He couldn't move at all. The third headshot stunned him!

"Fuuuuuuuu!" Zeph cried out. [How did I miss that!? God, I'm such a dumbass! I let this fucker tilt me!]

BAM! Naturally, it was another critical hit. Anybody who dared to play Gunslinger had to be able to confirm headshots from point-blank, especially on immobile targets. So, of course, Gunz wouldn't whiff shots like that.

[But, it's okay.] Zeph tried to convince himself. [Everything is okay. I'm still alive and I'm a bruiser. I'm tough enough to eat headshots like this all day long.]

The stun was going to end at any moment and then Zeph will strike back. Any moment now. Aaaaaaany moment.

[C'mon, let me out already!] Zeph started spamming the spacebar. Dodge Roll. Dodge Roll. DODGE ROLL. [C'mon, lemme out! End this damn stun!]

BAM! Another headshot, another 15% HP deleted. Zeph was already down to 25% HP.

Yeah, that's right. A full HP bruiser reduced to 25% in a matter of seconds. #BalancedGame

[But, it's okay. I'm still alive.] Zeph took a deep breath. [I'm right next to the Golem. I can at least make it out alive. This stupid stun just gotta end, then I'll be rolling the heck outta here!]

As if to answer his plea, the stun let go of him before the Gunsgliner's next shot. Fan the Hammer ended, so Gunz fell back to using basic attacks, with an Attack Speed that was nothing to write home about.

[Yes! Freedom! I'm out!] Zeph hit the spacebar once more. This time, it was gonna get him outta here! Or, so he thought. [What the-!? The button doesn't do jack shit!]

Then, he realized the disheartening truth. There was a red cross plastered over his Dodge Roll skill icon. The utility skill was sealed. He couldn't roll.

[Oh, fuck me. The cripple, I forgot.] Zeph hung his head in defeat. He completely forgot about the other part of the Combat Roll + Fan the Hammer synergy.

Originally, the CC that Combat Roll granted wasn't a stun but rather a cripple. The stun was just a bonus for three headshots in a row.

Being inflicted with crippled while stunned didn't do much since Stun was the stronger CC anyway. But, with each headshot, Gunz continued piling up the cripple effect on Zeph and extending its duration. And, in the end, the cripple effect outlasted the stun and stuck around even after the stun was already over.

Thus, even after Zeph finally made it out of the stun, the cripple still haunted him. It sealed all his mobility skills, including Dodge Roll. In other words, it was impossible to quickly get away!

BAM! Another headshot from behind. Even though Zeph was in the middle of running, Gunz nailed the headshot without batting an eye.

[W-What's with this guy?] Zeph gulped. [Is he using an aimbot or some shit? That's way too many headshots, damn it!]

Zeph's life was hanging by a thread. One more headshot and he'll die.

[B-But, I already made it all the way over here.] Zeph forced a smile. He had already escaped all the way to the Golem, and he was about to reach the base. So, he could definitely still make it out-

BAM. CRITICAL.

『You have been killed!』

"You gotta be shitting me..." Zeph's Berserker bent over and crashed into the ground like a lifeless sack of meat. He was dead. Completely, utterly, and thoroughly dead.

[How did it even happen...?] Zeph laughed at the absurdity in front of him. He came here to defend, his job was easy. He was just supposed to scare the Gunslinger away, that's all. It was a simple task anybody could handle.

And yet, Zeph found himself here, kissing the ground. One moment, everything was going his way and he thought he might even get a kill. The next moment, he was freakin' dead.

"I told you to retreat," Raymond scolded.

"Ah, welp..." Zeph felt a lump stuck in his throat. [Yep, cap sure warned me. I think he also told me to retreat when I was about to charge in. He knew it all, but I didn't listen like a dang idiot. This one is on me.]

Zeph was naive. He should've already known that the ex-StormBlitz players were monsters. He recognized Chessmaster as pro-level material after fighting the guy in lane for four games straight, so he should've assumed Gunz was the same way.

[I guess I just didn't want to believe it.] Zeph smiled wryly.

To think that Stratus had not one, but TWO monsters of this caliber. Was that kind of shit even legal? How was anybody supposed to keep up with these guys? They were insane. That's no middle-school level.

"I just made one mistake..." Zeph cracked a dry laugh.

Yeah, just one mistake. Zeph only fudged up once, but it cost him everything. If he just realized sooner that the third headshot was deadly and that he had to dodge it, then the outcome would've completely different.

"I feel you," Jaiden spoke out of the blue. "Earlier, I tried to take on Gunz. I misplayed just once and he almost ate me alive. If not for Rio, I would've been dead for sure. This guy is a savage."

"Yeah, no joke." Zeph sighed in defeat. [So, it's not just me.] He was disgusted with himself for feeling relieved over this fact, but he couldn't help it.

Even though Gunz just thoroughly destroyed him, Zeph felt a little better knowing it wasn't just him being trash. Gunz was just too godlike. The only mistake Zeph committed was challenging this mechanical god as if they were equals.

"Sorry, Ray. I fucked up," Zeph apologized. "Looks like they gonna take the Golem."

"No, they won't," Raymond stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh? You're already here!?" Zeph exclaimed. He didn't have any time to check the rest of the map during the chaotic situation, so he didn't even notice. At some point, Raymond made it back to the base. What's more, the cap was already about to intercept Gunz!

[How did he get back so fast?] Zeph wondered. [Did he recall as soon as he saw me pick a fight? Yeah, it sounds like something Raymond would do. So, he basically gave up on me right away, haha…]

It stung a little, but he couldn't blame Raymond for this. For those who knew of Gunz's strength, Zeph's ballsy actions looked like suicide. It was frustrating, but it was the truth.

Fortunately, not all was lost. The captain was about to save the day from StromBlitz's monster!

[I'm sure Ray can handle this way better, if anything because he won't underestimate Gunz like I did.] Zeph placed all his faith in the captain since that's all he could from beyond the grave.

If the enemy claims the Golem this push, it'll all be Zeph's fault. So, he prayed from the bottom of his heart that Raymond will be able to put a stop to this critical push...