Removing the Jungler

"So," Vincent started. "How would you like to cook TheLegend? Do I charge in and freeze him solid? Or, do we lure him in and close off his escape options?"

"Hmm," Kai frowned. A difficult dilemma.

With the Lumimancer out of the picture, the Pirate went on the defense. He stayed far in the back and ran away at the first sign of danger, even when it was just Vincent advancing a little to farm the bowmen. TheLegend barked loud as if he was all that, but right now he was playing like a scaredy-cat.

With the classes Kai and Vincent played, there were two common ways to pressure a defensive foe. Vincent could buy Blink to get in and freeze the Pirate. Then, Kai will follow up with the classic Iron Maiden + Impale play.

That might work, but it first required Vincent to recall and buy Blink. In addition, the cowardly Pirate will have to overextend a little more for this attack to work. If they freeze him near his tower, it won't help them whatsoever.

The other line of play Vincent suggested was luring the Pirate to the frontline. A common way to achieve that was by pretending to retreat. However, it was questionable whether the Pirate will take the bait. In addition, to make the retreat look convincing, Kai would have to slow down her farming and potentially miss some last-hits. It wasn't exactly the kind of payoff she was hoping for after they successfully eliminating the enemy Support. They earned lane advantage, so gambling it away like this didn't sound inviting.

On top of all that, the enemy Jungler was a Lionfolk. In both lines of play, there was a chance the Lionfolk will jump on them. They didn't have any solid counter-plays if that happens. So, both ideas were risky.

"For starters, we should eliminate the Jungler," Yuel said all of a sudden, as if he read Kai's mind. "He didn't come across as a strong opponent, so Nia can handle him."

"Me?" Nia blinked. That came out of left field.

"Yes, you. Their Lionfolk is camping around Bot, most likely waiting for Kai and Vincent to push and overextend. You should be able to take him out if you sneak up to him."

"But, my Izuna isn't up yet."

"It will be by the time you get there."

"Ah, yeah, probably," Nia nodded. "Ok, I can try."

"Just make sure to go for the full setup with Imperial Spear."

"Got it."

"He should be hanging somewhere around here," Yuel circled an area on the mini-map. "Go into stealth as soon as you approach this area."

"Ok." Nia set off.

"Are you sure she can take him out by herself?" Kai asked. "The guy is healthy as a horse, so a simple gank won't finish him off."

『She'll at least keep him busy while you do your thing.』 Yuel replied with a direct message.

"Huh, is that so," Kai nodded. In other words, Yuel told a white lie to mobilize Nia and make her gank the Lionfolk. Unfortunately, that's how they had to handle this girl sometimes, she was a difficult one. Unless somebody told her she could achieve something, she might never think it was possible.

"Nia will eliminate the threat of being ganked by their Lionfolk," Yuel continued, this time out loud. "I recommend using this time to either push hard to try killing their Pirate."

"Indeed, a marvelous plan!" Vincent made noise. "Shall we charge in and smite him down? Or, shall we reel him in like a siren and make him walk toward death of his own volition!?"

"I doubt either will work," Kai shook her head. "That bastard isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's still a competitive player. He knows a thing or two. These basic tactics probably won't cut it."

"Mhm, indeed," Vincent nodded. "My Information Blackhole detects that our target erected formidable defensive protocols. It won't be easy to hack through them."

"Yeah, everybody and their moms can tell that," Kai rolled her eyes. [Damn, time is ticking and we haven't come up with anything yet. How do we make that scaredy-cat to come out?]

"Kai, can you handle that Pirate in a 1v1?" Yuel asked.

"Huh? Of course," Kai lifted her chin. "That bastard got nothing on me!"

"Vincent, do you agree with that assessment?"

"Yes, of course," Vincent nodded. "At first, I was a little worried. However! Beat sealed away her Pheromone Buster for now. Therefore, she can tap into her Rhythm Reader ability as usual to destroy the opposition!"

"Okay, then I'll have one unconventional plan for you," Yuel shared. "That Pirate appears to be rather simple-minded, so it might work on him. It's a little risky, but your side has the advantage now, so you got some leeway to try things."

Yuel laid out the tricky plan. It took into account everything he figured thus far about TheLegend's playstyle. If Kai can defeat the guy in a pure 1v1, she'll score a kill here.

"Oh! Such a devilish plan!" Vincent snickered. "As expected from the one and only Chessmaster!"

"Yeah, that's a good one," Kai nodded. "Let's do it."

The next minion wave arrived. This was their last chance to exploit the 1v2 situation before the Lumimancer returns. However, precisely because it was a 1v2, TheLegend played like a wuss and refused to take more than three steps outta his tower area.

To force this bastard to come out and fight, they had to prepare a juicy bait. And, Yuel just supplied them with a great bait idea.

"Time to put your acting skills to some use," Kai said.

"Huhuhu," Vincent giggled suspiciously. "Indeed, I shall become the Ultimate Bait! I'm the bait of my sword!"

"You don't have a sword, though."

"Tsk, tsk. This unenlightened peasant," Vincent shook his head.

Before the minions reached the middle of the lane, Vincent ran up to confront them all by himself. This naturally alerted TheLegend and made the guy backpedal.

[Are these fuckers finally coming?] Bruce grinned nervously. [Come, I'll take you on! I'll 1v2 your asses into oblivion!] He threatened them in his head but continued backpedaling. [Come if you dare! Come, bitches!]

Unfortunately, the Cryomancer didn't advance much further. The guy only approached the bowmen and froze them solid. Meanwhile, Bruce's swordsmen were clobbering the guy like he was a punching bag.

"Pft, do you see this dumbass?" Bruce cackled. "The hell is he doing? He's getting his ass beat by these minions."

"Yeah, WTF," Bryan cracked a laugh. "Maybe they're trying to reduce the damage on their minions? Ya know, to push harder and all that."

"I guess?" Bruce shrugged. "Well, since he's this close, I might as well get some shots on him-" A wild Ice Wall appeared! "What the...? What are these guys up to?"

The ice wall stood in Bruce's way, stopping him from interfering with the lane. Even though that suicidal Cryomancer aggro'd all these minions on his ass, he didn't want Bruce to participate in that party. "Heh, okay then. I'll just let the minions mess you up."

Thanks to the vision granted by minions, Bruce could see what was going on behind the ice wall. The Cryomancer continued tanking the swordsmen's hits, while the Impaler snipped the frozen bowmen. It was hard to tell whether these guys came here with a plan or were just messing around.

Eventually, with some help from their minions, the enemy wiped out Bruce's gang. Meanwhile, the enemy's gang was in perfect health because the Cryomancer took all the hits upon himself. What a maso.

So, the enemy won lane control, but at what cost? The minions roughed up the Cryomancer so hard, the guy fell to 40% HP from tanking all that shit. Bruh let himself be royally screwed. Where was his self-respect? Bruce would never let some minions do him in like this. Never.

"Oh, noes! I lost so much HP!" Vincent cried out theatrically. "How could this happen!? Oh lordy, I'm so dead!"

"You don't need to act it out for us, you know," Kai made a face.

"Nay, it's of utmost importance! To fool the enemy, you first fool your allies!"

"Yeah, right," Kai rolled her eyes. "Get going already."

"On my way!" Vincent headed toward the jungle. It was common practice to get out of enemy view when recalling, even when the intent was obvious. Doing so kept the enemy on their toes at least a little bit, since they couldn't confirm that the player indeed recalled.

No matter how confident they were, the "what if?" was stuck at the back of their heads. Maybe the player hid in the jungle and planned to gank? Or, maybe he rotated to gank another lane? If carelessly dismissed, both scenarios would lead to devastating results. Therefore, it applied pressure.

"Yo, Dyl. Are you watching this?" Bruce called out. "It's your chance. Go gank that Cryo boi."

"Already on my way," Dylan rotated toward the area of interest. He has been hanging nearby the entire time, so getting to that dying Cryo was no sweat. He gonna catch that fool off guard!

[He's distracted.] Nia nodded to herself as she observed the enemy Lionfolk from within the jungle.

Until now, the Lionfolk was cautiously moving around and scouting his surroundings. He was rather alert, so it was difficult to sneak up to him. However, all of a sudden, everything changed. It's like he found himself a target and concentrated on it.

[Ok, this is the moment.] Nia took a deep breath and dashed toward the Lionfolk's back. The target was distracted, so the gank had a much higher chance of success. She snuck up to the guy in stealth and delivered a slash from behind!

"Wha-!?" Dylan jumped. "Who!? Where did they- The Ninja!? Shit, I gotta roll-" It was too late. The Ninja already wrapped herself around him and leaped toward the sky.

[Look, I'm all for being hugged by chicks, but this ain't it, chief!] Dylan shouted internally. This shit gonna hurt so bad.

"Vincent, lend her Nia a hand," Yuel advised.

"Yes, of course," Vincent put the recalling plan on hold and ran toward the area of conflict. "This wasn't in your script, but it makes it even better!"

"It sure does," Yuel answered nonchalantly as if there was nothing surprising about this development. Wait, could it be...!?

"So, it WAS part of the plan!" Vincent concluded. "You must have seen this possibility with your Mystic Eye of Future Perception!"

"When did my 'mystic eyes' evolve? I must have missed it."

"Haha, but I'm right, right? Right? You knew this would happen."

"I knew it [might] happen. I don't have enough data about their Jungler, but I assumed he might be the simple type who'll go for an 'easy kill'. I simply made sure my plan was bulletproof against that scenario, that's all."

"Bulletproof? More like, designed to capitalize on this scenario in the best way possible!"

"The 'best'? I wouldn't necessarily say so. This scenario invites its own share of complexities."

"Like what?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Yuel said. "Focus on the fight first."

"Roger," Vincent reached the area of interest just as Nia slammed the Lionfolk into the ground.

[This is a great chance to freeze him with my Ice Coffin... if I had one!] Unfortunately, Vincent spent his entire kit on fighting the minions on lane. The only thing left was his ult, Cryo-Freeze, but it wasn't a tool for combat.

Therefore, the only support he could provide was firing basic attacks. It wasn't much, but it's better than nothing. At the very least, it forced the Lionfolk into a rough 1v2 situation. That alone will apply pressure on the guy.

"Damn, they're double-teaming me!" Dylan ranted.

"These maggots keep messing with us," Bruce gritted his teeth. "You better get outta there. Don't let these fucker kill ya, or else we gonna be in deep shit."

"No need to convince me. I'm SO outta here!" As soon as Dylan was back on his feet, he activated The King's Dominion. Lions popped into existence out of thin air and encircled the area, like policemen forming a blockade.

"So long, suckers!" Dylan dashed toward the edge of the blockage. These lions were his pets, so they let him through the barricade no problem. On the other hand, when his pursuers tried to pass, the lions closed their formation tightly. Even a mosquito couldn't squeeze through.

The Cryomancer was totally stuck in there, he didn't have any leap or blink abilities. As for the Ninja, she did have a leap. But, it was a short one and was intended for creating distance, not for jumping over obstacles. Could that skill even jump over the lions? Maybe with optimal positioning. That Ninja chick probably won't be able to pull it off.

WHISH. Just before he escaped the lion barricade, something hit him from behind. The enemy saw Dylan escaping, so they tried to get as much damage on him as possible. Understandable.

[Too bad. I'm already outta here!] Dylan grinned. As soon as he was out, the lions closed the gap and the barricade was inescapable. Or, it should've been...

SLASH. Something sliced Dylan from behind!

"Whoa!? Who!?" He turned around in a hurry. "What? But she was... Oh." He finally realized his huge mess up. The "thing" that hit him before he escaped wasn't some random ranged attack, it was Ninja's Backflip Shuriken! The chick placed it on him like a tracking device and then blinked to it!

"Damn you!" Dylan unleashed Mighty Roar.

"Guh!" Nia shivered a little as the loud roar assaulted her. Even the screen shook a little. Scary.

Maybe it was a bad move to chase here? She was now at close range, in a 1v1 situation, against this scary guy. And, now the Mighty Roar debuffed her too.

[No, it's okay. He's low on HP.] Nia nodded to herself. Whenever she doubted herself, she should always ask what were her advantages in this position. That's what Yuel recommended. It was a good tip. Nia had a bad habit of always thinking about the negatives, so it was a good idea to remind herself of the positives as well.

[I can do it.] Nia continued the assault. Even with the debuff from Mighty Roar, she should be able to beat that Lionfolk in a 1v1.

"Run to your mama already, girl!" Dylan clawed the Ninja girl, but she repaid him in kind with a slash. It seemed like she had no intention of backing away.

[Crap, this is legit bad.] Dylan had to flee, no question about it. Running away from some chick was lame as heck, but what else could he do? He couldn't die here, no way.

"Watcha running away from that bitch?" Bruce criticized. "Kick her ass!"

"I'm too low," Dylan said. "Even a Bronze player can beat me with this HP difference."

"Heh, a Bronze player will beat ya any day if you always run away like a wuss."

"Think you can do this better? Here, take my seat."

"I'd totally show ya, but I'm busy over here too."

"Sure, sure," Dylan rolled his eyes. Maybe he could've turned the tables on this girl if she were a total amateur, but this Ninja was actually kinda troublesome. She even killed Zeph in Top. She was clearly more dangerous than anybody gave her credit for.

Considering all that, Dylan couldn't handle her right now. This time, he had to retreat. But, he'll remember this! Next time, that chick will be dead! Hella dead!

"Tch, he got away," Nia muttered as she gradually fell behind. The debuff of Mighty Roar slowed her down, so she couldn't catch up to the Lionfolk. "Boo. No kill."

[It's all good. The gank served its purpose.] Yuel nodded in satisfaction. "Kai, all green. Their Jungler has been dealt with. He got away, but it's unlikely he'll return to gank you with that HP."

"Alright," Kai answered. "Thanks for the help, Nia."

"Sure," Nia was still pouting about the missed kill, but being thanked felt nice too.

[Now, it's just you and me.] Kai concentrated all her attention on the Pirate scum. Nobody was going to come to save his ass anymore. This was a pure 1v1. That guy should realize that as well, so he'll jump on the opportunity to fight her, expecting her to be some scrub. That's when she'll teach this scumbag the biggest lesson of his life!