The System's Hold Over Me

Frizz sighed as he tossed a pebble; he was bored due to the long wait. He glanced at the uncovered window of a house; he could see Mina inside mingling with her friend. He sighed even harder; he had waited for an hour now, and he was getting drowsy. (She better have a good explanation for this.)

The door of the house finally opened, and Mina stepped out, waving goodbye to her friend before heading toward him. Frizz folded his arms, glaring at her as she approached. She seemed to notice, and her expression soured into a glare of her own.

"What? You offered to walk me home." Mina scoffed and smirked.

"That I did." Frizz turned his gaze away from her. (Damn bitch.)

Mina brushed off her pants and patted her bottom, aware of Frizz's annoyance. She glanced at him, noting that he was deliberately avoiding looking at her as she adjusted herself.

"A question, why didn't you call the police?" Frizz inquired, causing her to raise a brow.

"If I did call them, what can they do? Take a profile description and then leave?" She said in a sharp tone, almost mocking.

"Then, the night watch?" Frizz suggested.

"The night watch here in this town is even more useless, just a bunch of retired security guards, firemen, and old people with nothing better to do," Mina replied scornfully.

"That's not true; their presence and patrols deter most thefts." Frizz corrected her. "They're also first responders in fires, emergencies, and floods."

Mina's brows furrowed, clearly uninterested in Frizz's defense. "What about drug dealers?"

Frizz hesitated, unable to come up with a counterargument. He remained silent.

"Exactly," Mina said with a shrug. "Maybe what you say is true, but they're doing nothing about the drug epidemic. For years, all they've done is patrol the streets, telling disinterested teens not to do drugs." She paused, her expression darkening. "Sure, they'll act when it comes to teenage gangs, but what about the real drug gangs? They don't do shit. Every time, they just say it's 'out of their payroll.' That's their go-to excuse."

(She really is affected by this.) Frizz mused as he listened to her ranting. (I really should keep her away from them.)

"You're right, I yield. Let's not argue." Frizz put up his hands, signaling to end this conversation. Mina sighed as she walked away.

"Just one last question though," Frizz asked as she followed Mina from behind. "There are a lot of service vehicles around, from motorcycles to scooters. Why don't you take a ride home?"

"I need the money," Mina declared bluntly; she didn't like the question.

Frizz didn't pry any further; he knew that money was tight for her and that she provided for her whole family since she was the eldest. (You should never skim on safety, though, but it's her business.) He mused.

"It's an almost twenty-minute walk. Keep up," Mina declared.

Sixteen minutes later...

Frizz glanced at his watch; it was 10:04 pm. He turned to look behind him now and then; he felt like someone was stalking them. "Maybe it's just my paranoia?" he whispered to himself. The road ahead was getting dimmer; the street lights glowed, but they were too far apart to provide a brighter road.

As they neared a dirt path, Mina broke off from the road and stopped, turning to wave Frizz over.

"Is this where you live?" Frizz asked as he cupped his hands near his mouth, his hands were cold.

"Yes, only a few minutes walk from here," Mina pointed at the path.

Frizz scanned the area; there was no one around, and aside from the occasional vehicle, it was quiet.

"I'll walk on my own from here." Mina paused and hesitated before adding. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome," Frizz replied, noting the hint of hesitance in her voice but choosing not to comment on it. He turned back toward the main road, eager to get home.

Mina observed him with a pensive look as he faded into the distance. "Should I tell him the truth?" She asked herself as she headed home, her opinion of Frizz slightly increasing.

*Clack!* A pebble hit the post of a streetlight. "What a long way home." Frizz sighed as he kicked another pebble. "It's almost an hour-long walk."

However, Frizz slightly smiled; at least he managed to walk Mina home safely despite how much they disliked each other.

(I guess it's mutual; she wants additional protection for at least a day, and I want additional xp.) Frizz paused. (Oh, and keeping her out of this business. It's my fault she got into this mess.)

Frizz stopped walking to look at the sky. "What if they'll target my family too?" he contemplated; it was a thought that he didn't like to imagine. The target that he has on his back grew; the drug dealers that he pissed off were now looking for vengeance.

A sudden chill went down on his back. He's sure that from now on the days will get harder and harder. (How do I get these people off my back?) He mused as the beating of his heart increased. The fear that he had been suppressing finally burst, causing him to breathe erratically due to panic.

Frizz continued to walk towards home, silently hoping that this night would be uneventful. Suddenly a man came out from the foliage and blocked his path.

"Huh?" Frizz froze.

Then another came out, then another, then another, and then another. Five men wearing black bandanas blocked his path, and they were roughly eight meters away from him. They were slightly illuminated by the blinking streetlight. One of them unsheathed a machete, and then all of them followed.

Frizz's heart beat even faster; he was in danger. (They're here to k-kill me, those machetes; they're here to hack me to death.) He gulped as he took a step back. (They're going to hide my body.) His already cracked calm exterior shattered and transformed into one of utter fear.

Frizz wasn't acclimated to this; he was used to his enemies either being the ones surprised by him or actively not trying to kill him. "Mama..." He instinctively murmured.

One of them, the one in the middle, raised their machete and pointed it at him. "Frizz, right?" they asked in a rough voice.

Frizz couldn't speak. His body was frozen in fear.

"It's him; look at him, he's shaking," the masked man on the left declared.

"Indeed..." Another one on the far left agreed.

The middle one unraised their machete. "Baron sent his regards; this time you'll be the one flying." Three of the masked men laughed. "That's what he wanted me to say, though we have no idea what that means, but it's funny."

"You didn't actually think that you'd get away right? Not a lot of people fit your description." They point the machete again at him.

"Stop talking to him; let's do our job," the one on the far right declared, clearly tired of the tirade.

"Right... Force of habit."

Frizz put up his hands, signaling a surrender. "Please, you got the wrong guy."

"That's a lie, and remember, each lie is one finger hacked off."

[System]

Defeat the hit group: 0/5

Rewards: Enough experience to advance.

(Enough experience to advance...) Frizz couldn't believe what he was seeing; his system wanted him to fight these five armed men. (Frick! HOW!? They have machetes!) He cursed at his system.

The middle one stepped forward while the remaining four just watched.

"If you surrender now, we'll target you and only you. We'll leave your family and that girlfriend of yours alone." The masked man 'pleaded' to Frizz.

(Like hell, I'll believe what you say.) Frizz mentally remarked as he kept his eyes on the masked man. (I got no choice but to fight.)

Frizz spotted several small rocks in the distance, just on the side of the road and behind the four masked men. He focused on the rocks and made them float and spin. He imagined the rocks being on a slingshot and made them 'stretch back' as far as he could.

"That a yes or a no?"

Frizz's whole body shook in fear, and he opened his mouth. "Fuck your men and fuck Baron, and most especially fuck you r*****."

"I gave you a chance," the masked man charged. (Now!) The rocks hurled at great speed, hitting three of the masked men in their backs and bottoms. "GAH!" "AHH!" "AGH!" The three of them exclaimed in pain. The man on the far right wasn't hit; the rocks were hurled past them.

(Shit, I missed one of them.)

"What!?" The one who wasn't hit yelled, causing the charging man to suddenly stop and look back. Three of them were on the ground, reeling from the pain.

"The fuck?" The man cursed as he looked at Frizz and looked around. "There's no one around but us!"

"Fuck it! Anton! Come here now!" The man charged at Frizz with his machete; another man closely followed.

"GOD GIVE ME STRENGTH PLEASE, HELP ME BEAT THESE UNHOLIES!" Frizz roared with a mix of desperation and fear.

[System]

[Righteous Fury] activated.

"Tag!" The man closest was highlighted.

"Tag!" The one far behind was highlighted.

Fueled by desperation and fear, Frizz braced himself. "Shiiiiiiit!" he bellowed as the two men rushed toward him.