Chapter 16

We are currently in the middle of a Roman Colosseum-like arena. Standing next to me is Liz while Renz and Chu are standing on the opponent's side. Sitting on the arena spectator stand are hundreds of NPC spectators programmed to set the mood by cheering whenever there is blood drawn. This is the custom PVP map that Liz chose, probably with the intent to increase the hype of the battle for her more than one thousand stream viewers.

"You sure this is fair Liz? I know you're skilled but you have a dead weight as your teammate." Renz looked at me pointedly.

Even with all the noise from the spectator NPCs, you could still hear the sound of the players due to the feature of this arena for PVP communication.

"You will be surprised if you keep underestimating her you know," Liz replied.

"Hmph, I'll be the judge of that." He said while smugly looking at me.

It has been a long time since I wanted to kill a single person in PVP this bad but I need to calm down. I'm fairly confident we got this match in the bag if my predictions are correct that is. We have a balanced team composition unlike these two who are both DPS oriented.

As I was ruminating about our chance of winning, a mechanical voice started to count down in leu with the match.

3....

2....

1....

*Battle Start*

After the buzz, Renz and Chu simultaneously made their move. Renz dashed towards me quickly (he's pretty fast) while Chu fired his arrow at me. They both have the right instinct to take down the weaker enemy first for them to have a numbers advantage. Sadly, it didn't exactly go according to their plan.

The arrow Chu fired hit Renz in the back.

Renz

Hp: 91%

The crowd roared at the sight of the first blood even though it happened between teammates while Liz and I stood there, processing what just happened. I predicted this since it was their first time working with each other and they both seem to be 1v1-oriented players, especially Chu, but I didn't think it was this bad. The disadvantage of having two DPS-oriented characters and lack of proper communication from them shows. They also both have the same aggressive playstyle which makes it harder for them to have any synergy.

"What do you think you're doing!" Renz shouted.

"You're in my line of fire, move," Chu replied irritably.

"Tsk! Just, stall Liz while I take care of the newbie."

"You're not the boss of me."

At the rate this is going, I wouldn't be surprised if this transitioned to a 2 on 1 on 1. Also, don't announce your battle plan to the enemy. Look, Liz is already positioning herself in front of me to protect me and counter your strategy. However, that won't be necessary since I can take care of myself and most importantly, I want to kill that guy myself.

'Don't worry about me too much. Just play like how you usually do on your team matches.'

I used the team chat function while the enemy was still busy arguing.

'Are you sure?' Liz replied via team chat.

'Yeah, trust me, I can handle my own.'

She looked at me and nodded, affirming our battle plan.

"Just...! Don't get in my way, okay?" Renz finally said to his teammate as he rushed towards us.

"That's my line," Chu voiced back as he drew his bow and readied his arrows.

They would probably prioritize attacking Liz since she was in front of me. It would be bad if they ignored her and went straight for me since they can be backstabbed by her given how quickly she moves.

Renz was the first one to make his move. He dashed towards Liz and did a quick thrust with his lance at the longest reach possible, making counter-attacks nigh impossible due to the length of his weapon. He has a fast sprint, one of the fastest I have ever fought. I can see why Liz would want him on our team. Combined with his weapon of choice, he can close the gap easily and deliver devastating quick attacks at the enemy. Liz however, was prepared for him. She knows his movements too well since from what I know, they have been playing together for a long time. She leaped away with perfect timing to dodge his attack. As if expecting her movement, an arrow flew straight at her position. That was a very well-executed bow attack from Chu. It hit her body since she was out of balance after her initial dodge.

Lizbeth

Hp: 92%

It was a good attempt, though it won't do anything in front of me. After I saw Chu knock his arrow, I already pre-emptively chanted my heal skill. All that's left is to cast it.

"Heal" I cast the spell.

Lizbeth

Hp: 100%

"Thanks!" Liz voiced out.

It's our turn now, I saw Liz going for her usual rush attack with her rapier skill. I've watched her stream a couple of times over the past week whenever I have free time (using an anonymous account of course) and analyzed some of her habits and attacks. I'm not a stalker though, it is just purely for research purposes and team synergy reasons, no other motives, I swear.

She Shadow Stepped right next to Renz to deliver a strong attack. Renz is probably anticipating her moves too so I threw one of my throwing knives at his head. I have only 4 of them hidden in my robe since it is the most I can carry without slowing me down too much due to my low strength stat.

He could've just ignored it and prioritized dodging Liz's attack since my damage is relatively low compared to hers but his instinct prevailed since it was perfectly aimed at his head. He got distracted by the knife and prioritized dodging it, leaving him vulnerable to a follow-up attack. Liz hit him in his body with a strong thrust.

"Ackk"

Renz

Hp: 71%

"Nice assist Kat!" she complimented me.

Of course, I did my research after all. Doing a combo attack with a teammate is child's play for a former AC champion with how I analyzed your moves based on your PVP streams. Though, it's not like I'm glad that you complimented me for my hard work or anything.

"Sure," I replied curtly to hide my diffidence.

Renz distanced himself from Liz to prevent any more damage. He looks at me with relative surprise and irritation. What, didn't expect a healer that can also do combo attacks? Too bad for you I was used to dealing damage back then so it's like breathing for me.

"Get the healer, I'll stall the other one," Chu commanded.

"That's what I proposed we do from the start!" Renz aggravatedly raised his voice.

Renz rushed to me while Chu attacked Liz, making her unable to back me up.

Renz aggressively attacked me, forgoing all manner of defense with his lance, aiming for my head to eliminate me as quickly as possible. How predictable, underestimating a support as usual. I focused my perception on his movements intently as time seemed to slow down, and I dashed toward him. I saw him smirk as his attack was about to hit. I tilted my head to the side just as his attack was about to connect. The change in his expression from a smirk to shock was exhilarating as I got past his lance easily. He has no means of protecting himself now. When I got to the perfect distance, I quickly took out my trusted dagger from my belt and jammed it at his head.

"Ack!" He shouted in surprise as he distanced himself from me.

Renz

Hp: 60%

It didn't do that much damage even though it was a critical hit, but it was to be expected considering the stats and gear difference. Nevertheless, it was oddly satisfying that I got to release all my frustrations from earlier with that attack so it's more than worth it.

"It takes more than playing like a rampaging bull to hit me." I taunted as payback for earlier.

"D-don't get too cocky, newbie, you just got lucky!" He reasoned though I could hear a hint of doubt in his voice.

I'm pretty sure he knows that wasn't just pure luck since he's pretty skilled himself, what a stubborn guy.

He readied himself with a semi-defensive stance, clearly wary of me now.

He did some probing thrusts and swings with his lance to gauge my reactions. It was easy to dodge since he was not fully committed to attacking and prioritized playing safe. I could not counter-attack easily as I did before due to the reach of his lance and because he is skilled in using his weapon of choice. Still, all his efforts were in vain since he could not even land a single blow. We are at a stalemate.

"Stay still newbie! Don't move too much!"

Why the hell would I do that? Though I'm okay with this situation since I'm buying time for something.... it probably is on CD now.

'Shadow step, now.' I used the team chat function while he was regaining his stamina from all his combo attacks.

I then threw one of my throwing knives at his head while he was recuperating from his earlier attacks. He dodged it but I followed up with a slash at him with my dagger. He parried my attack but was distracted enough for Liz to do another sneak attack behind him.

"Ack, not again Liz!"

Renz

Hp: 32%

I didn't let him rest now that he was near me. I pressed the attack until I saw an arrow flying at me. I dodged it but it made me drop my pursuit, resulting in Renz getting the distance he needed from both of us.

Chu went near Renz to protect him from any more surprise attacks. He is doing all he can to keep Renz alive because he knows it will be a repeat of last time if this battle turns into a 2v1.

They are at a huge disadvantage. If they attack Liz, I would just heal her. If they both attacked me, Liz would use the opportunity to deal lethal damage to them. Their best bet is to kill me 1v1 while someone stalls Liz, though it didn't really work out since Renz couldn't even graze me. They will lose the battle of attrition unless they can kill me first.

They probably knew it too so they disengaged to get breathing room and change tactics. Liz let them go since her main objective in this fight is team building, not winning.

They both went silent, probably using the team chat function... about time.

We could've just attacked them in the middle of their planning but I'm quite curious about what they would do to reverse the situation. They would be my teammates after all, so it would benefit me greatly if I could learn all their capabilities.

Besides, Liz also let them talk since it would be beneficial for the team if they started to get along well. The main purpose of this match for her is team building after all, so it's a whole new world of improvement that they are even communicating now due to them being on the back foot. Adversity does promote camaraderie, I guess.

After a short while, they seem to agree on something. They're finally making a play, though Renz seems unsure about their plan.

"Are you sure about this?" Renz hesitated.

"Just go!" Chu pushed Renz hard in his back to make him accelerate towards me.

"Careful Kat, he's coming at you," Liz warned. Arrows flew in her direction cutting her off from immediately backing me up.

"Your opponent is me," Chu exclaimed as he rushed towards Liz to distract her.

"I got this," I replied confidently.

Renz rushed quickly toward me even faster than before. As I was wondering what he was planning to do, his weapon suddenly glowed crimson red and fire enveloped his lance. He's about to use his triumph card. I know this weapon skill; it infuses your weapon with explosive firepower for a single attack. If it so much as grazes me, I’ll be done with how squishy I am. Though I won't let it happen, I entered the state of focus I'm proficient at in an attempt to dodge his attack.

"Hurrah!" he let out a battle cry as he rushed at me.

As he got near attacking range, I was prepared to dodge his attack when he suddenly thrust his lance into the ground in front of me.

"Explosive Lance!" he exclaimed.

The ground in front of me exploded, destroying my balance and damaging me slightly.

Novo

Hp: 89%

How astute, he knows he has no chance of landing a hit on me based on our clash earlier so he instead used the shockwave to damage me, though his play was not entirely out of my predictions so I negated a bit of damage by leaping away before the explosion.

What happened next caught me completely unprepared. He threw his lance at my head. He used the explosion as an impromptu smoke grenade to hide his attack. Nobody in their right mind would throw their main weapon since it would leave them completely defenseless so his move caught me off guard. Shit, this is bad, I'll die instantly if that hits me.

*Whooosh*

I managed to dodge it barely, my heart almost leaped out of my chest at how close I was to dying with that but I'm alive! I survived!

I saw him rush out of the smoke, sprinting straight at me. Wait, what are you doing, you don't have any weapon, why are you rushing at me? This is bad, I'm in no position to dodge now that I'm completely off balance from dodging the lance, he threw at me earlier. As I was wondering what is he up to now, he tackled me to the ground.

Naturally, my experience in playing PVP in CoA is so broad that nothing could ever shock me. I move according to my instinct and experience to dodge whatever attacks the enemy makes. I probably would've dodged it out of pure instinct when I was still in my prime, but it caught me completely off guard with his unorthodox sequence of attacks. He hugged me so tightly that I might have gone red if we weren't so focused on killing each other. Even while stabbing him a couple of times, he never let go of his grip. However, it's only a matter of time before he dies due to my persistent stabbing. Though my arms are also locked in his grip so I can only stab at his stomach, not his head. A ping chimed in the corner of my vision.

*Warning you have been immobilized by player 'Renz' via grappling. Do you wish to log out? *

Look! You even triggered the anti-sexual harassment feature you pervert! I'll be sure to report you later so you will get a suspension warning. Though it probably won't lead anywhere near as drastic as a suspension when the devs look at the replay. I'm just petty like that so I'm still going to report him.

"Let go! Don’t you know, nobody likes persistent guys!" I exclaimed as I continuously stabbed him.

He completely ignored me (this bastard) and shouted at his teammate.

"Shoot her now! I can't hold on for much longer!"

So that was their plan all along. It has many flaws so I can kind of understand why Renz would hesitate earlier but to be fair, it probably was their best bet to win given the situation they're in. I'm also confident I can dodge his arrow or use this bastard as a human shield if worse comes to worst.

"No need," Chu replied coolly.

I was wondering what he meant by that until I realized something. At the back of Renz, there's a bomb ready to explode. Yes, a trap bomb. A sudden memory occurred to me. He must have planted it on his back the moment he pushed Renz at the start to execute their play earlier. We both didn't even notice it until now in the heat of the moment and also because it is hidden well.

Same as my throwing knives, you can equip consumables like arrows and bombs. Not many equip trap bombs in competitive scene since it takes up a lot of weight and slows you down unless you want to do cheese tactics like setting up traps. Additionally, it cannot be thrown like a grenade by the user, limiting its use. It can be a double-edged weapon as well since if your enemy notices it before it explodes, they might just throw it back at you. He must have this on hand for a dungeon run and forgot to unequip it or I might be wrong and he always uses it on PVP. What a sicko. It usually is an uncommon consumable to bring in PVP since it takes at least 5 sec (depending on the craftsmanship of the bomb) or more to detonate after planting it. Also, by the time it is activated, no players are dumb enough to not run away and take the whole blast headfirst. So, in conclusion, very useful for monsters but useless for PVP because of its limitations and nerfs.... unless you make your teammates go suicide bombing that is. Kudos to him for this innovative thinking, it might change the way bombs are used by players. All they need to do is find a believer and eureka, easy suicide bomber.

"What the heck is wrong with you!? Are you trying to kill your tea-!" Liz exclaimed as she saw the bomb.

*BOOOOOOOMMMMM*

The bomb exploded.

Any player would normally live through that, that is how nerfed a bomb's damage is in PVP compared to PvE, another reason why it is rarely used, but my build is anything but normal. The bomb is also the highest grade there is judging by its color. No surprise there though since Chu is max-level after all with the resources of a veteran player at his disposal. Renz is also in the red due to Liz's damage and my continuous stabbing so there is no way he would live through it.

My vision went suddenly black after the explosion. Crimson red words popped into my vision, reminding me of my death. My very first death in this account. Suddenly I came to again, with a front-row seat in the spectators' area where the crowds are. From here, I saw Liz and Chu about to continue their bout.

"That's pretty harsh, he's your teammate too you know." Liz scolded.

"I saw you waiting to back her up, that guy would've died instantly without his weapon, so the only way to beat that slippery girl is to eliminate them both."

Hey! Who are you calling slippery? At least word it better.

Liz sighed "How practical of you. Though team matches aren't all about practicality."

"Results are what matters in the end."

"I don't agree with that. Having fun in the game is what matters the most."

He scoffed at her words and readied his butterfly swords.