What are the attributes that a support should have? Well, one for sure would be, a body build that could absorb a lot of hits. Loki was flung into a tree and flopped to the grass ground. Everything hurt. Everything was not supposed to hurt. He didn't want to move, but a strong hand grabbed his arm and pulled him to stand. The best he could anyway.
Loki was practicing in the Conquest practice field. His training as a support started a few days after Odin announced it. A week of training had already been practiced. He was making absolutely no progress. Odin let go of his arm.
"You have to move quicker while evading the gold fury, Loki. Use your invisibility more to help you." He tried to advise.
Odin had been trying to advise for the longest to him now. His words were only being wasted on him. He wasn't cut out for this type of role. With frustration, Loki eyed Odin. "As a support, I am supposed to tank heavy blows. Such as Tower shots, blows from gold fury and Fire giant attacks. Running around trying to not get hit, can only do so much."
"It can do a whole lot. You. Just need to try. Actually try Loki. I know you have been half hearting your training." Odin's eyes saw throw him and his bluffing attitude towards his role.
He was right. Loki absolutely hated where Odin put him. It was better than not in the games at all, though. Even if it meant him constantly dying in the games. Loki started to walk away.
"Where are you going? We're not done here yet." Odin said.
"For a walk. That's it. Don't worry, I'll be back to my sentence."
Odin had a saddened look in his eyes. Loki was still missing the concept of what he was trying to teach him. The potential that Odin sees in him, he only hoped that he would see in the games.
Loki was walking through the jungle area of the practice grounds. He could see Thor and Ratatoskr practicing sneak attacks on holographic minions. Ratatoskr messed up and alerted one of the minions, as penalty, he received an electric shock from one of the minions that sent him flying somewhere. Loki snickered and kept moving on. He was approaching mid lane. He could hear Sol's frustrated groan. He didn't step in just then. He hid himself in the sidelines to see what had her in a bunch.
"Alright! I'm ready to try again," She said, but Loki didn't see anyone that she was talking to.
She started to use her fire ball ability on the tower. The next second, Loki saw Tyr and Fenrir jump out from nowhere, from separate sides of her, and attempt to attack her. Sol was not prepared. She seemed like she didn't know what to do to avoid the bad situation. She dispersed herself into a fire ball as an attempt to get away, but Tyr was a step ahead and launched in the air in front of her, cutting her escape off. Fenrir was closing in behind her.
Loki sighed. Honestly, how could she not know how to get herself out of a surprise gank? Loki went invisible.
Fenrir was about to attack Sol with his claw, but then she disappeared. The wolf was confused and looked to Tyr to see if he saw where she disappeared to.
"I would look up if I were you two," Loki said from the side of them, just before he disappeared again.
Tyr and Fenrir listened to what Loki said, and could see Sol above them, channeling her energy in her hands.
Tyr already knew what would happen next. "She's going to ult us, isn't she?"
Fenrir tried to run, but it was no use. Her ult was a widespread affect, anywhere she directed it to go. She split rain of fire pulses in half, so that it would hit both Tyr and Fenrir. Fenrir was in smokes. And so was Tyr. It was just a practice. They were protected inside the practice grounds from actually feeling the full effects and power of their ults, but it still stung like a bitch to get hit with. Sol landed. Smiling, she said, "Guess I win this time!"
Tyr was quick to say the reason why. "You were saved by Loki."
Sol shook her head. "He just helped me get out your sights. I did the rest. You guys need to work on dodging my ult by the way. If you can't doge my ability, then you'll always have difficulty avoiding Agni's ult."
Tyr waved her down. She sure was full of confidence after that stunt. "I know. Where's that slippery sneak? He invades our practice, then disappears. I thought he was supposed to be practicing being a support. He acted like a jungler."
"He acted like a support." Odin's voice suddenly jumped in. "You say he saved Sol. And you say he helped you. What he did, was give you an opportunity. Saving and helping are not the only things a support is supposed to do."
Tyr seemed to be thinking about it. "I guess that is true."
"Do you really think this will work, Odin?" Sol asked him. "In an actual game?" She acknowledges that what Loki did a while ago to help her was really good, but, just making her go invisible, may not be enough.
"I arranged a practice game with the Greeks. They will be here tomorrow. To answer your question, wait and see."
Sol pouted. She hated the Greeks. The only bright side about them was their adc Apollo. He was the only thing to look forward to seeing. The rest of those high horses could turn back around. No pun intended for Chiron.
At a bar, loud music was being played by musicians playing violins and violas. Most of everyone inside was clapping and stomping to the rhythm. Loki was drinking an alcoholic beverage by the bar table, looking disinterested. Tyr and Sol were dancing together, going around in circles and then reversing. God. They couldn't dance. Loki took another swig.
"Loki, come dance," Skadi asked of him, putting her hands on his shoulders.
He lightly shrugged her hands off, shaking his head. He, did not care for dancing much. All of the balls he was forced to dance at with other young royal parties was torcher. And the fake smile he had to put on made it hurt all the more. "I don't think you'd enjoy dancing with a statue. Go on now."
He was about to turn his body around to face away from the dancing crowd, but Skadi used her ice ability to coat the seat he was sitting on, making him slide off to hit the floor, hard. She couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry, I didn't think you would fall that hard. But, now that you're up off your butt, come dance with me." Smirking, she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to where everyone else was dancing.
It was ridiculous. Loki just crossed his arms, standing still. He wasn't lying when he said she'd be dancing with a statue.
She stopped a second to give him a mocking stare. "Can you at least wave your arms?"
He abided that at least. She did the same to the sound of the violins. They looked stupid standing still doing that. He laughed.
"You are stupid. I'm sitting back down." He left back for his seat. She followed him.
"And your boring. Have some fun."
"I have fun. All the time."
She raised a brow. Loki had left his drink on the bar table, he was about to reach for it, but Skadi slid it away from him as she said, "Annoying people is not accepted as fun."
He reached over and pulled his drink back to him, all while smirking at her. He winked. "It's all the fun I need."
Still dancing in the crowd, Tyr and Sol were looking at Loki and Skadi. Sol shook her head, smiling, "Fate only knows how those two became friends."
"I think it was Fate that made it happen." That statement made Sol laugh. He was right. Otherwise, there would've been no way in hell those two could get along like they do.
Athena treaded in the night light. The path she took was dark, but she followed it with no fear. In the woods, she knew where she was going. She made this walk a hundred times before. Many times with…
The path reaches an opening that led to an area by a lake. A few fire bugs flew around. Her eyes landed on a man that sat near the water, with paper and a pen in his hand. He must be so in another world, because he didn't hear her approaching. Close to him, she leaned over near his right ear and said, "One of these days, someone is going to knock you over the head, Quis." He was greatly startled, jumping in place as he placed his right hand on his heart, breathing in deep.
He looked back at her, sternly, "Athena!" He exhaled, "Stop doing that."
"I have to. I only hope one day me doing this will help your awareness of your surroundings. I don't want you to end up dead."
He 'pfft.' "I won't. Besides, at this rate, you'd be the one to kill me first—giving me all these heart attacks. God." She ignored what he said with a smile, sitting down beside him. He looked at her. "I haven't talk to you since you were invited to that gathering with King Zeus and his right hand gods." He focused back on his paper, eyeing his artwork as if something was wrong with it. And yes there was, because there was a black ink gash across the paper that was not supposed to be there. Thanks to Athena startling him. Actually. He could work with it, he supposed. "How did it go?"
"I was made the new support, Quis." She said sadly.
His entire track of mind that belonged to his art paused. He gave his attention back to his longtime friend, Athena. "Well. That. Is certainly some news." There was a string of confused silence on his part. "I thought. I thought you wanted to be a woman of guard?"
"I do."
"Then why are you…"
"I feel I have no choice really. Zeus is ahead of everything. Even who he wants as guards for our land. He asked me personally to do this support role. How could I refuse, and then so quickly turn around to ask to be a guard of his liege?"
There was another pause between them, before Quis bawled his fist and said, "Could've started with, 'Screw you,'—" He made her laugh. He relaxed his hand as he shook his head with a smile. "I don't know."
"What do you think about this? About me being a support for our people's Conquest team?" She wanted him to be honest. She didn't have much confidence in her abilities to live up to Zeus' expectations. Then there was Artemis' expectations she had to live up to as well. If she messed up really bad… It could ruin things for the rest of the team as well. Being a support, was so much more than being a body to block hits.
"Hm. Athena. You've always wanted to be a woman of guard. Now, you've been given the opportunity to prove just how well you can. I know you will do amazing in the games. I have no doubt about it. You shouldn't either."
Athena took in all his words. They comforted her. He had no idea how much he helped her realize what being a support meant for her. To guard her team. She took in a deep breath. Quis was the amazing one. An amazing bond sibling. Always since day one.
"We're having a practice match against the Norse gods tomorrow," She said, changing the subject.
"The Norse gods, hm? It's not going to be an easy game. Last Conquest games, they were in the championships against us. We won, but I think the only reason they loss was because of their jungler, Loki. He pulled them down. Whatever threw him off his skill last time, I'm sure he's overcome by now." Quis focused back to his artwork, staring intensely at the ugly gash. He grimaced sadly. It would take a lot of effort to make that gash blend into his work.
"Loki…" Athena didn't know him well. Besides the well-known fact that he was a god that only found fun in deceiving others. Loki. The trickster god. With a man like that on their team, it's no wonder they loss.
The next day, Loki knew what was in stored for him. His first try as a support against the Greeks. The last time they faced the Greeks, it was not great. Loki had to let that past go. But.
Inside their Practice Conquest grounds, Loki stared Thanatos and the rest of the Greeks in their face. He was alongside his own team. The standoff between them had an unbearable tension.
It was so hard to let bygones be bygones when all Loki wanted to do, was smack the overconfident looks off their faces. Then Loki noticed. Not all faces were confident, there was one he'd never seen before. A female. She had a stern look, but it wasn't hostile. Loki had a feeling she was just trying to hide the fact she was unsure about whatever role she was playing against his team. Loki sighed. That would make the two of them.
"Thank you for agreeing to this game Zeus," Odin said with much gratitude.
Zeus nodded. "You are welcome. I figured my team could use a warm up feeling anyway." The way Zeus said that last part, sounded like he thought nothing of the Norse's skills.
Odin payed no mind to his tone. "Let's get started then. What side do wish to have?"
"It doesn't matter." Zeus glanced at Artemis.
She caught what he asked in his eyes. She looked away from him to Odin. "Fire side."
"Very well," Odin said.
The two teams went their separate ways, to their own side of the Conquest lanes. A countdown could be heard announcing when the game was going to start. 20 seconds for Loki to think about how bad the game could go, or how unexpected. Loki, Skadi and Sol waited by the damage buff, for the holographic minions to appear. Skadi side glanced at Loki, seeing the sudden determined look in his eyes. She didn't feel a reason to be worried about him being her support then. Not that she expects him to get it perfect in his first game as one either.
"Loosen up Loki," Sol said to him. "We're going to give them a surprise they'll never expect." She smirked, giving him a reassuring look.
Skadi showed him the same. The support they tried to give him almost made him laugh. It was just too funny how they thought he was worried about his performance. Support or not, he was going to give those Greeks a problem to worry about regardless. But. He appreciated Skadi and Sol none the less. Loki half grinned. "A surprise they will never expect, is definitely right."
Let the game begin.
