Classmancers - A MOBA Esport Story - Part 3

Vol.17 Ch.16: Nia and Ben, the Dysfunctional Duo

Geh, I couldn't get the kill... Nia puffed her cheeks. I would have nailed it, if it wasn't for that meddling dragon form.

With the target out of reach, Nia had no choice but to leave the lane empty-handed. And, on the way out, she was shot by criticism.

"Do you mind explaining what exactly were you doing?" Yuel demanded.

"G-Gufu..."

"That's not an answer."

Geh, so I'm not gonna wiggle my way out of this one, am I? Nia grumped. Well, of course not. It's Yuel we're talking about...

She was half-prepared for this outcome all along. It was obvious as day that Yuel will chew her out in case she fails to deliver results.

I thought I'll dodge all of this if I score a kill, but no dice. Gufu...

"So?" Yuel asked again. "What was this play supposed to be?"

"A gank, duh." Nia played dumb.

"Yes, it was a gank. Or at least, it was something that vaguely resembled a gank."

"Why 'vaguely'?" Nia made a face. "Didn't you see how I snuck up to him? He didn't see it coming at all."

"Yes, and neither did Ben. You didn't bother to inform him or anybody about that little plan of yours."

"That's..." Nia had no retort against this. The sense of guilt has been needling her the entire time. She knew all along that it wasn't ideal to keep hush about this play, but she believed that the end justified the means in this case.

"Since you kept quiet about the gank," Yuel continued. "Ben couldn't get there in time to help you secure the kill."

"I-I'm very sorry," Ben apologized. "If only I realized what was happening sooner..."

"It wasn't your fault," Yuel said. "Nia was supposed to give you a heads up about her plans."

"But, I'm on her team, so I can see her position at any time," Ben argued. "I was supposed to notice her approaching and respond accordingly..."

"That's just how Nia is." Yuel sighed.

At this point, Yuel had no choice but to come to terms with the fact that Nia was almost supernaturally good at erasing her presence. So good, that even her teammates sometimes forgot about her.

Even I'm a little guilty of it this time. Yuel thought. I was so preoccupied in the lane that I couldn't spare a thought to Nia's position. That's how I only noticed her rotation when it was already too late.

It was a truly peculiar situation. With any other Jungler, the teammates were expected to be aware of the Jungler's position almost 100% of the time. However, when it came to Nia, failing to notice her plans was par for the course. She erased her presence from the minds of both allies and enemies alike.

Yuel was usually able to keep tabs on Nia at all times, but the rest of the team wasn't as proficient at that. Therefore, Yuel made it clear that Nia always had to inform the team whenever she was planning to gank. But...

"Why didn't you tell anybody about this gank?" Yuel demanded.

"I..." Nia opened her mouth and then closed it.

"You found a great opportunity there," Yuel continued. "You two could've converted it into a kill if we planned this gank properly. You just had to say the word."

"I thought the gank might fail if I say something..."

"That makes no sense. Why would you think such a thing?"