Beneath The Surface

Act 10 - Will there be another Asta in Kali's life...

Normal text
Thinking
Onomatopoeia

Astaroth's POV
The 10 minutes of recon time passed by very quickly and Astaroth was soon forcefully teleported back to base. Of course, not without having some minor issues added into the mix. Remember how teams were advised to have a healthy balance of frontlines and backlines? Well, Astaroth really underestimated how stupid children could be.

While gathering in base and waiting for the match to begin, the only guy in the team announced, "I'm not tanking for a bunch of useless girls, so I'll be the ADC. All of you just have to support me and I will carry your asses."

As expected, the hot-headed rogue couldn't stand people being morons and she fired back without hesitation.

"Are you an idiot??? Didn't you hear what the prof said??? Do you think having two squishy ADCs makes a 'well-rounded' team??? Use your fucking noggin. If you're brainless, use your ass to think!"

Kali's flames instantly sparked a fuse and screaming ensued. The guy was spitting out every vulgarity he could come up with, while all his weak attempts at a comeback were utterly crushed by the traitor's creative remarks. He obviously wanted to punch Kali but knew all too well that he might have his jaw broken if he really made enemies with a combat-trained assassin. Meanwhile, the meek bunny of a carry was trying her best to calm the situation. Only to be shouted by the guy who didn't dare to pick on someone his own size. Astaroth didn't bother doing anything. Because there's no reason to help flailing creatures that refused to help themselves. Her job was to watch the soap opera escalate by the minute. It's pretty hilarious, seeing these children scream profanities at each other.

"Ummm... Maybe I should go tank support," Freya muttered.

"No," Astaroth said, "pick a mage."

She frowned, "Huh? But wouldn't our team lose in every fight if there's no frontline to soak up the damage?"

And does tanking for a bunch of nimrods win me the game?

What the team sorely needed was reliable damage. The guy's just another bigmouthed turd who wouldn't listen to anyone smarter than him. Astaroth doesn't trust him to do anything remotely well. On the other hand, the actual ADC was a soft-spoken girl who quivered at the prospect of voicing out her opinions. She's definitely not a leader and merely a blind follower. So no point trying to facilitate a bunch of monkeys.

Three people could still win the game just fine. Especially with Kali on her side. Astaroth might hate her guts but she knew the lethality of her skills like the back of her hand. Her sharp precociousness could be seen when they were young, Kali was smarter (battlewise, not in terms of communication skills) than the average kid. She's on the smaller side but through every beating session with Jack and his goons, she grew more crafty, learning all their techniques to the extent where she could return a punch or two. Her mind was as sharp as steel traps. Not to mention with her current skills, she would prove to be a useful asset. Kali would be the hypercarry. Astaroth and Freya's roles are to facilitate her and only her. Even if it meant using the others as bait.

"No point providing shields and heals for the other two. Our job is to only help Akali. She will be the carry. Do you have magic that could ensnare enemies?"

Freya nodded and fished out a small cylindrical item. With a press of a button, the thing extended on both ends to form a metallic staff with glowing hex crystals on either end of the pole.

Hextech artefact.

"My light magic can restrict movements."

Astaroth grinned, "Good. We will need that. So you'll be a damage support. If your lane partner is too useless, last hit the minions and use her as a meatbag instead."