The System's Hold Over Me

Frizz, now content after his substantial dinner, unlocked his electric-bike and mounted it. Just as he was about to roam the city, a pop-up appeared.

[System]

Follow the objective marker.

Stop the carjackers: 0/2

Rewards: 150 Experience

"Two carjackers! What the hell!?" Frizz exclaimed, covering his mouth in dismay. He couldn't believe what he just read, carjackers in this city are known to be armed and dangerous. He spent some time thinking about his next move but ultimately made up his mind. For the first time, he was prepared to deny an objective, thinking that the risks just weren't worth it. "The rewards are nice, but is it really worth the danger?"

"System, abandon quest!"

[System]

Are you sure you want to abandon the objective?

You won't receive any new objectives for three days.

[Yes] or [No]?

Frizz stared at the system prompt in disbelief. (Well, when you put it like that, never mind.) The wait for three days to get a new objective deterred Frizz from abandoning the objective.

"There are only two of them; maybe it's doable if I catch them off guard." He hesitated. "But I've never been in a fight. I don't think I have it in me to hurt someone, even if they're bad people."

Shaking his head, Frizz pushed the thought aside for now. In the distance, he noticed a small, floating, diamond-shaped marker—his objective. A trail of dotted lines guided him to the nearest path.

He followed the path for six minutes, arriving at the outermost section of a hospital parking lot. (Well, at least if I hurt them, they'll be close for medical help.) Scanning his surroundings, he spotted two people huddling over a small car in a dimly lit area.

"Are they trying to pry or pick it open?"

Frizz parked his electric-bike near a tree and picked up a fallen sturdy branch as he slowly approached the two, sticking to the shadows and freezing whenever they glanced around. When he was about twelve feet away, he hid behind a truck, listening to their conversation.

"Hurry up, we're losing time," grumbled the shorter carjacker.

"This is why I prefer motorcycles. Stealing cars is too much trouble," retorted the other, wearing a red shirt.

Frizz scanned the parking lot for possible lookouts. (It looks like it's just the two of them.) He made the sign of the cross, whispering a quick prayer for safety.

[System]

[In Good Faith] activated.

(Once I engage, the 'Reckless Approach' perk should activate automatically. I should probably turn it off, though. I don't like the downsides.) He decided to keep it deactivated and rely on the enrage perk instead. Peeking out from his hiding spot, he observed the tools the carjackers carried.

"A crowbar, screwdrivers... and those bulges in their pockets are probably knives."

Frizz's hands trembled. He had never been in a fight before. Even with the element of surprise, the thought of getting hurt terrified him. He doesn't consider himself a pacifist, but he certainly wasn't confrontational.

"Deep breaths." (Reading about fights is one thing; being in one is another.)

Gathering his courage, Frizz burst from hiding and charged at the two carjackers. Startled by the sudden noise, they looked back and brandished their knives. Frizz gripped the branch tightly and hurled it at the shorter one, striking him in the face and staggering him.

"Shit!" yelled the man in the red shirt as he puts away his knife and drew a small revolver. 

Frizz was about to roar, however the sight of a gun instantly closed his mouth. (A snub-nosed revolver!) Frizz's heart skipped a beat and he froze in place and put up his hands, signaling a surrender.

"That's right, stay back," the man with the gun growled, helping his partner up as they then gathered their tools from the ground.

Frizz took another step back hoping to run away and hide if they were distracted, but the carjacker noticed the shift. "Stop moving, damn it! Stay right there!"

"I'm not moving. Just don't shoot," Frizz stammered. "Just take the car and go."

The shorter carjacker clutched his face, blood streaming down his nose. "Damn it! Shoot him!" he demanded, glaring at Frizz.

"Let's not," his partner replied, aiming the revolver at Frizz's head. "Drop everything! Your phone, wallet, keys, whatever you've got. Now!"

Frizz hurriedly emptied his pockets, dropping his wallet, phone, and even his electric bike keys on the ground. "That's all I have," Frizz said, stepping back.

The shorter man hastily pocketed the items. "Let's get out of here. Screw the car; people are watching." Cutting their losses, they both ran away from the area as soon as possible before the authorities arrived.

Little by little, more and more people approached and circled Frizz, looking at him with sympathy. They all asked if he was okay and that the police were coming here as soon as they could. One woman, holding a phone in her hands, with the flash on. She recorded the encounter, approached Frizz, and put her hands on his shoulder.

"Are you okay sir? Those robbers will be caught soon, I have their faces recorded on this phone. I will turn this over to the police."

Frizz politely smiled at the woman. "Thank you, that makes me somewhat better." He lied.

"Here you can have this and take deep breaths." An older gentleman offered a can of soda, trying to calm Frizz down from the encounter.

"A lot of people are recording, don't worry, they got their faces." The older gentleman assured him. Frizz accepted the soda and smiled at the older gentleman, nodding in approval and gratitude as he opened it. The wails and sirens of a police car could be heard, the police had arrived.

Frizz just stared, into the distance, with a blank look on his face. He couldn't care less about losing his phone, his keys, and his money. He doesn't care about that considering that he just received a miraculous system. What he does care about is the fact that those two carjackers humiliated him.

A single revolver was able to stop him, despite the miracle of his system, he is still vulnerable to a gun. (Whoever you are, you two. I will get you.) Frizz thought to himself. However, that didn't make him feel any better nor did the support of the people around him.

"Wasn't I the main character?" Frizz murmured to himself, a pang on his chest and damage to his ego.