Athena's Bait

Karen and Lua chose to fight against Athena and Average instead of heeding Fiona's advice. It was definitely a suboptimal decision but there was a faint chance they would make it work.

"You're toast, bitch!" Karen barraged Athena with bullets. She completely ignored the fact that the Drow was behind her. Her only target was the foxy Seraph.

Likewise, Lua also fired her icicles at Athena and Athena alone. The duo's sole goal was to take down that Carry ASAP!

But, the enemy didn't take this aggression lying down. Average drilled Karen from behind with black bolts while Athena attacked her from the front. Basically, it was a race to see who'd take out the other's Carry first!

Oh, my roll is finally back! Karen noticed that the pesky cripple status finally expired. Now, she could roll out of this sticky situation and maybe make a break for it.

Nah, it's pointless. Karen dismissed the thought and continued shooting. I bet that damn Drow is just gonna push me back with his ult. He's standing over there on purpose.

After stabbing Karen in the back, Average actually distanced himself a little. He was now a couple of steps behind her, probably expecting her to roll in that direction. And, if she were to do it, he'd smack her back with Force of Rejection.

So, let's not do that. Karen thought. Instead, I can do this! She rolled, but not in the direction Average expected her to.

Instead of trying to escape, Karen went all in by rolling at Athena! And, in the process, she also distanced herself from Average. Two birds with one stone, easy!

Ha! That's what you get for stalking me from behind, stupidface! With this roll, Karen put herself outside the Drow's attack range. The idiot reaped what he sowed, he now had to waste time on getting closer to Karen again. Outplayed like a fool!

But, that dumbass doesn't matter right now. Karen shifted her focus back to the primary target. Athena was on the brink of death at 20% HP, but she was still very much alive.

She's like a damn cockroach! Karen ranted. She was at like 40% when we started and we only damaged her this much. What the actual fuck?

Seriously, what was going on? Athena's combat skills were hardly "impressive". Karen was supposed to mop the floor with that fox!

But, bitch keeps dodging shit! And, she also somehow messes up my flow. Karen ranted. I just keep failing to confirm shots that I should have no problem confirming.

Many things were odd about the way Athena played. It's not like she did anything outstanding per se, but somehow her movements were dodgy and shifty.

One moment, it looks like she's backpedaling, but then she suddenly shoots! Other times, it feels like she's planning to go all in, but then she doesn't! It doesn't make any sense!

It was like dealing with a cockroach. The damn thing just refused to die!

In the time it took to bring Athena's HP from 40% to 20%, Karen fell from 70% to a whopping 20%! From a completely advantageous position, the whole fight came down to the wire!

And, her damn wings are charged up now... Karen gulped. This might be where it ends.

There were four white angelic wings popping out of the Seraph's back. This meant Athena finished charging up her passive. Now, the bitch's next four attacks will come out at lightning speed!

Crap. Karen started sweating. There's no way she would have been able to sidestep that shit even if she were a pro player. The barrage was gonna be insanely fast!

However, there was one way to tank the entire thing. "Lua, ult me!" Karen shouted.

"Y-Yes, right away!" Lua cast Cryo-Freeze on her partner, locking Karen inside thick ice. This should keep her safe for the entire onslaught.

Alas, it was naive to think this would solve all their problems. WHISH! A white beam of light pierced Lua's chest! Then, not even a split second later, another WHISH! A black bolt stabbed her side!

"E-Eh!?" Lua jumped. "T-They're targeting me now!?"

In a way, this was inevitable, considering Karen was invulnerable right now. Still, the enemy shifted gears way too quickly! It's like they knew exactly when Lua was going to cast Cryo-Freeze and mentally prepared in advance.

"W-Wah!" Lua was so startled she struggled to properly aim at Athena. T-Take this! She tried to retaliate but her icicle shot was completely off the mark. Athena didn't even have to do any sophisticated to dodge this one. 

WHISH! WHISH! The enemy duo assaulted Lua again! She was on the chopping block here. Her HP dropped from 100% to 80% in a matter of seconds.

"Damn, seriously...!?" Karen gritted her teeth. They're gonna run all over her at this rate! It's like they've been waiting for this!

Seriously, the enemy's adaptation was stupidly fast. They switched targets in a split millisecond. It was insane!

Or, maybe it's because it's Lua? I swear girl has a talent for getting herself into trouble, haha… Karen laughed dryly in a weak attempt to liven up her spirits. Hint: It didn't work. The situation was far too dire.

Okay, so, what do we actually do next? Karen knotted her brows. Do I tell Lua to cancel the freeze so I can rejoin the fight? But, then they'll just switch back to me, right? Ugh…

It was so frustrating. The goal was right in front of them, damn it! Athena was below 20%. It should take like 3~4 more hits to finish off that bitch. It was supposed to be so easy! And yet, even with Karen and Lua's strengths combined, they struggled to seal the deal.

Maybe sis was right about and Lua should've retreated instead… Karen bit her lip. Actually, who am I kidding? Of course sis was right. She's always right. I was just stubborn because I wanted this kill so badly. I mean, it looked so easy to confirm!

They came so close. Their target was almost dead. So, why? Why couldn't they just finish the job!? Why was it so hard to kill this damn cockroach!? That frigging Athena didn't even seem that good at the game, yet it was so frustratingly hard to finish her off!

While Karen was racking her brain about what to do next, the enemy duo screwed Lua from both sides. In a matter of seconds, they delivered more than 8 shots on her!

During all this time, Karen was locked away inside a block of ice, unable to aid her brutalized friend in any way. It was maddening!

I should be out there, fighting alongside her! But… Karen knew all too well what'd happen the moment she stepped outside. At her current HP, she'd be no better than a dead man walking. The enemy duo would finish her off in an instant.

Therefore, it was probably better to stay put in this ice block and recover some HP. But, every second she spent inside the ice was another second during which the enemy tore Lua to shreds. It was painful to watch, and no doubt painful for Lua to go through.

"I-I have to run!" Lua's self-preservation instincts kicked in. Her HP dropped to almost 10%, which put her in a critical range. She had to get away ASAP!

At this point, it was clear that she would not be able to strike Athena down. She somehow managed to bring that fox's HP down to 15%, but that's the most she could achieve. This was a good time to call it quits.

"I-I'll retreat," Lua informed as she activated her Dodge Roll, evading the incoming shots while simultaneously creating distance from the two assailants.

"Yeah, I also think you better run at this point…" Karen twisted her lips in annoyance. "I don't see us achieving anything here at this point."

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Meh, it's not your fault. These guys are just too freakin' good at this shit. I wasn't expecting them to do us in like that."

In this particular play, Karen really felt the experience gap between her and StormBlitz's players. It was almost like greenhorns challenging veterans.

And to think that I'm actually one of the veterans compared to the rest of the club. Karen thought. Seriously, how are we supposed to beat opponents who are so many years ahead of us? That's just impossible…

At least, the duo avoided the worst-case scenario of double death. Lua smoothly slipped out of the area with 5% HP remaining.

It was quite the feat. If there was one thing Lua excelled at more than anybody else, it was definitely self-preservation. The girl was on death's door but she was very much alive. She'd probably even beat Athena at Survival Olympics.

The enemy needed like 1 or 2 more hits to finish her off, so it would've made sense for them to chase her all the way. But, neither Athena nor Average left the area. Instead, these fuckers stayed right there and waited for Karen's Cryo-Freeze to melt.

Tch, seriously? She clicked her tongue. Well, it makes sense to prioritize me but that doesn't change the fact it's hella annoying.

Athena and Average stalked the lump of ice like two predators waiting for their prey to emerge from their hideout. Was there anything Karen could even do in this situation?

Well, I can try to shoot for that kill on Athena again. Karen thought. My skills are off cooldown, so I actually have something to work with here. I like this option best.

The fact Karen's Trickslide came online was likely the reason both opponents decided to stay behind to secure the kill. It meant they were wary of what she'd do next. In other words, she still had a chance to make something happen!

Unfortunately, Athena had around 15% HP left, so a single basic attack wouldn't be enough to kill her. Likewise, a regular Trickshot won't quite cut it, either.

I either have to hit her with a Trickshot and a basic, or make my Trickshot bounce at least once before hitting. Bleh. Both options sounded too difficult to execute in a critical situation like this. The two predators were so anxiously waiting for Karen to come out of her haven that they would waste no time in shooting her down.

Let's see here. I can slide to the side, then shoot, and then... Karen tried to simulate the whole thing in her head. On paper, it seemed feasible. But, could she really trust her judgment at this point? Earlier, she was convinced that she and Lua would score a kill on Athena, but look how that turned out. 

Still, that's the best I can do. Karen asserted. I just have to pray Athena won't move much and that my shots would actually hit her.

The ice was about to melt. The big moment was upon them. And, considering the high level of the opponents, these mfs probably knew exactly when it'll happen. They were 100% mentally prepared for it.

So, I have to throw off their timing! Karen thought. "Lua, that's it. Let me out."

"O-Okay..." Lua pressed the button, clearly nervous about the whole thing. It's like she was sending Karen to her death.

In truth, it barely made a difference. It was just about a second earlier than scheduled. I hope this will be enough to throw them off. Karen thought. 

A moment later the ice melted, and Karen burst out of it with a Trickslide! The show was on!

In such a cramped area it should be pretty easy to confirm a quick bounce. Karen fired a Trickshot at the nearby wall as she slid forward. The shot hit the wall and bounced right back!

I can't see shit behind me, but these mofos should be after me right now. So, this gotta hit somebody!

Ideally, it'll hit Athena and wipe that bitch out of existence. But, hitting Average would be alright, too. At this point, just going out in a blaze of glory was good enough.

So, who would it be!? Karen turned around after finishing the slide. She saw the Trickshot flying across the area at lightning speed... but it hit nobody.

Average was chasing Karen but he must've rolled out of the way as soon as he spotted the Trickshot coming. But, then what about Athena? Where was that slippery bitch?

Huh…? She's literally nowhere to be found. Karen looked left and right but there was no trace of Athena anywhere in the vicinity. Did that fox slip deeper into the jungle? In such a short time? Nah, that didn't make any sense.

Then, where is she!? Karen had a bad feeling about this, and she was right. WHISH! An arrow of light pierced through her!

That arrow didn't come from her left, her right, her front, and not even from behind. No, this shot came... from above!

"Oh, shit!" Karen realized her mistake. Yes, of course! She's in the air!

Athena used Angelic Grace to take off into the sky. She floated up there, looking down on everybody as if they were no more than worms.

I should've figured. Karen clicked her tongue. In retrospect, this was an obvious move. This damn wench!

BAM! Karen fired a shot toward the sky in frustration! Naturally, it connected perfectly. After all, Karen wasn't some skill-issue player, she had no problem hitting enemies in the air.

Unfortunately, this basic attack wasn't enough to achieve anything. It hit that smug Seraph but then Athena just fired one more shot. Meanwhile, Average also caught up and started needling Karen with bolts. It was over...

『You have been killed!』

"Welp..." Karen had nothing more to say here. She fucked up, plain and simple. What should have been an easy chase to secure a kill turned into a total mess. Athena played them for a fiddle there.

I wonder, at what point did her "bait" had already started? When she retreated into the jungle instead of running to the tower? Or, was it all the way back when Aegis left her alone on the lane? Or, maybe even before that...?

Perhaps Athena has been hatching this plan all along. She might've even allowed herself to get hit in the lane, all for the sake of roleplaying as a "helpless prey" later on.

The main reason we went all was that she was below half HP. Karen thought. So, it looked like a great opportunity to finish her off, but what if that whole thing was staged from the get-go…?

Thinking of it, it felt easier than usual to land shots on Athena in the past few waves. At first, Karen thought it was because she switched from Impaler to Trickshoter, but maybe that wasn't it.

Maybe she let me hit her on purpose…? Karen wanted to doubt that very hard yet she couldn't entirely deny the possibility. Like, it sounds hella dumb and I don't think any sane person would ever do something like this, but…

There was an uncanny gap between how easy it was to land shots on Athena at the start of the day compared to now. It's like the girl underwent a whole damn 360 and suddenly became a pro at dodging attacks. This was actually more in line with how she played in the first two games.

So, did she lead us by the nose all along? Karen wondered. Nah, no way, right? Like, there's no point in doing something like that. It's super inefficient.

Like, what kind of sane person would allow themselves to get hit in the hope to eventually, MAYBE luring the attackers into overextending? That shit sounded backward as heck.

Like, I know Athena can be a weirdo sometimes, but she's still a first-string player in StormBlitz, so she can't be this mentally ill, right?

And yet, that hypothesis became increasingly believable as the game progressed. Ever since this incident, it has become incredibly hard to damage Athena again, just as in the previous games.

Nah, no way. I bet she just adapted to us after that play, right…? Yeah, that's probably all there is to it, haha… To keep her sanity intact, Karen stuck with that common sense narrative. It was simply too absurd to believe that conspiracy theory she came up with…