Elijah awoke in Onstwedde to the quiet chirp of spring birds, his wristpad still dark but his mind buzzing. After forging a self-quest manifesto, streaming unscripted, and healing with Mira's cohort, he was ready for Act II's comeback phase. He whispered to himself: "Time to rise." Without Interface prompts, he set his own mission:
"Quest: Win Without Kills."
Assembling the Underdogs
Elijah posted an open call on Zero7 Academy's Discord: "Looking for four players to form a new scrappy team—support-focused, no ego, all heart. First match: Saturday night." Within hours, five responses pinged in:
Irene "EchoPulse" van Dijk, 17-year-old analyst and mini-cohort veteran, eager to learn advanced comms. Jamal "GearShift" Cooper, a mechanical prodigy whose aim was lethal but team sense needed work. Sofia "WaveRider" Nakamura, a support main who lived for perfect smokes and flashes. Luca "LowPoly" Jansen, a creative streamer with map-design sketches and endless enthusiasm. Elijah "Zero7" Kane, taking a support role for the first time.
That afternoon, Elijah hosted a video meetup. He greeted them warmly, sharing his recent burnout arc. He laid out the "Win Without Kills" challenge: to secure a Ranked Victory in StrikeLine 3 while recording zero kills—only assists, utility placements, and objective plays. Their first task: pick roles and practice communication.
"EchoPulse," Elijah said, "you'll be our strategist and comms officer—track rotations and call timings. WaveRider, you're primary utility—smokes, flashes, mollies. GearShift, focus on cover fire and trading when needed—but no kills. LowPoly, you're our map guru—hover cams and drone pings."
They agreed, energized by the clarity. Elijah concluded: "I'll be your support anchor—revives, resupplies, and relay every call." The group cheered.
Support-Role Drill
They logged into custom mode on Tower Ruins, practicing support drills. Elijah timed resupply runs: drop ammo packs under fifteen seconds. WaveRider choreographed smoke dances at A-ramp. EchoPulse mapped optimal camera placements to spot flanks. GearShift ran cover-fire drills without firing lethal shots—focusing on distractions and body blocks. LowPoly coded a simple HUD overlay that tracked each assist.
After ten runs, the drill board lit up green:
"Sub-Quest Complete: Support-Role Drill – +1 Teamwork."
Their confidence soared. They were learning to move as one.
First Ranked Push
Saturday night arrived. Elijah queued Ranked with his new squad—team tags gleaming "Phoenix Vanguard." His HUD was off, but internally he tracked Focus 92, Stamina 7, Confidence Transcendent, Teamwork 100. His support mindset replaced his carry instincts.
Round 1: Phoenix Vanguard faced Steel Legion on Citadel's Shadow. WaveRider's smokes split defenders; GearShift's cover fire pinned two; EchoPulse's callouts prevented flanks; LowPoly's drones revealed the bomb carrier. Elijah dropped two revives under fire. They won 6–3. Elijah's kill count: zero.
Round 2: They fell 4–6 when Steel Legion predicted the A-split. But Elijah's calm comm saved a post-plant retake—no kills, but four critical flashes and an ammo resupply.
Round 3–5: They rallied with a vale of support plays—six for Ultra Resupplies at his count—and secured rounds 6–4, 6–5, and 6–2.
When the match ended, Phoenix Vanguard had won 4–1. Elijah checked his screen: "0 Kills / 14 Assists / 2 Revives / 1 Victory."
"Sub-Quest Complete: Win Without Kills – +1 Confidence, +1 Teamwork."
He exhaled, realizing victory felt sweeter when shared.
Coaching "GearShift"
Still riding the high, Elijah self-assigned the next goal:
"Side-Quest: Coach Another."
He tapped Jamal's shoulder in the voice channel. "GearShift, you're our mechanics ace. Today, I'll coach your positioning to maximize assists. After that, you coach one new streamer for a duo queue."
They jumped into Ravenfall custom server. Elijah guided Jamal through "support passage routes"—covering choke points, setting up crossfires, and using non-lethal grenades to delay entries. After five runs, Jamal's assist count doubled, and his kill count remained zero by design.
That evening, Jamal went live with a rookie teammate. Elijah sat in chat, offering tips. By the end of their session, Jamal's duo had climbed three ranks. Jamal turned to Elijah on mic: "I get it now—support can carry."
"Sub-Quest Complete: Coach Another – +1 Focus, +1 Confidence."
Debrief and Next Steps
After midnight, Elijah gathered the team on video. They reviewed highlights: WaveRider's perfect A-smokes, EchoPulse's spot calls, GearShift's cover fire, LowPoly's helpful map overlays, and Elijah's flawless revive runs.
He presented the new team manifesto excerpt:
Support is Victory: A zero-kill win is as valid as a slaughter. Shared Spotlight: Celebrate every assist and revive. Next Quest: "Play Support Role" – record 30 assists and 10 revives in Ranked matches this week.
The team cheered. Elijah felt his spark grow into a steady flame.