The masked man swung his machete, aiming for Frizz's shoulder, but Frizz managed to evade it at the last second, taking several steps back. Another swing came immediately after, this time from the other masked man.
Frizz barely avoided the attack again.
The two masked men momentarily paused, checking behind if there were anyone else, but they could only spot three of their accomplices groaning on the ground.
The whole ordeal confused the two, still registering how their members were incapacitated. However, they had a job to fulfill, and that took precedence.
Frizz ran at the opportunity, putting some distance between himself and the two masked men. They followed, though they lagged slightly.
(I could run away, but they'll just come back for me and my family. I need to act now!)
After gaining a considerable distance, Frizz stopped and turned to them. "Let's see if this idea works." He held out both hands, mentally picturing a gust of wind to telekinetically push them back.
*Fwoom!* The air howled, an invisible force, sending a telekinetic force towards the two masked men, who were hit head-on. The impact felt like a powerful shove, causing them to stumble and fall.
"It worked! It works!" Frizz exclaimed, laughing and invigorated as he sent another telekinetic push.
"The hell!?" A masked man shouted, falling on the asphalt road as the other landed on their bottom. They tried to stand back up, but the continuous force prevented them.
They rolled and tumbled, unable to stand upright due to the consecutive pushbacks. Both men were in fear. They didn't know what was happening. All they knew was that their target was responsible.
"Stop!" The masked men pleaded while covered in dirt as they rolled on the road. Frizz didn't listen, ignoring their pleas as they were sent back farther.
(If I were in your position, begging you to stop, you'd torture me even more, and one of you would probably record the whole ordeal too, enjoying and savoring every moment.)
"I'm not going to stop! Who knows how many pleas or begs you have mocked and ignored!?" Frizz's eyes landed on a slope off the road. He had noticed it earlier, and it wasn't a huge fall.
(The fall won't kill them, but it's enough to incapacitate them.) Frizz maintained the push, guiding them towards the edge. However, a sudden ache pulsed through his head and chest, forcing him to stop for a moment.
[System]
« Telekinetic overload. »
Tapping mana reserves: Disallowed.
"The hell!? An overload!?" Frizz yelled, clutching his head. The pain wasn't severe; however, it was enough to incapacitate him.
⟐
The attacks paused, causing the two men to scramble to their feet and spot their target, who was clutching their head, seemingly disoriented. "It's a chance!" They both declared.
"Let's bail." || "Let's fight." The two of them added, having different ideas of the opportunity.
"What the fuck do you mean by 'fight,' Anton!?" The other masked man argued. "If he can do that, what else can he do!?"
"True, but whatever it was, he can't keep doing it forever." The masked man pointed at their target, still reeling from pain. "Look behind us. The other three are slowly getting back up."
"Backup is coming. Let's push on while we have the advantage."
The other masked man conceded as the two charged, picking up their machetes as they ran past them.
⟐
Frizz's confidence waned, spotting the two approaching fast. He held out both of his hands, trying to deliver another telekinetic push, but nothing came out.
The two men approached him, raising their machetes. "WAIT!" Frizz cried as the two swung their machetes, one aimed at the head and one aimed at his right abdomen.
*Thwack!* Their strikes connected, but they could feel something strange. For them, it felt like hitting a hard rubber tire. Frizz's force field managed to absorb the attacks but still recoiled from the force.
He fell to the floor, holding out his right hand. "No! Wait!"
*Thwack!**Thwack!* The two swung their machetes again, aiming at a different body part.
"AGH!" Frizz cried out. The image of being hacked to death terrified him. Tears were welling up in his eyes. "STOP!" "HELP!" He loudly yelled, hoping for someone to intervene.
"What the fuck? Why isn't he bleeding?" One shouted in frustration, swinging another powerful blow with all his might. *Thwack!*
"STOP!" Frizz cried out. *Thwack!* The machete bounced off from the force. "Ah, shit!"
Frizz saw an opening from the corner of his eye and tackled the masked man to the floor.
"Anton!" The other masked man cried out, trying to wrestle his accomplice free.
"TAG!" Frizz shouted, straddling the masked man and delivering a double axe handle strike to their face, making them lose vision for a moment.
"Let go, asshole!" The other masked man kicked Frizz's abdomen.
Frizz delivered another strike and caused the masked man to bleed from their nose. He was about to strike again until he felt a sudden pain in his back. A machete failed to absorb the strike, piercing him.
"AGH!" He cried out from the sharp pain as the other masked man grinned as they yelled, "I felt that! It hit him!"
Frizz felt his force field break, unable to block or absorb anymore. He whacked the machete away and launched himself at the masked man. He hadn't felt this amount of anger and fear, he was cornered and was about to lash out.
"Piece of shit!" The masked man cursed, delivering a punch to the temple, but Frizz barely flinched.
Frizz clutched the masked man's face, digging in his nails and scratching their face. "AHHH!" They screamed as they felt the punctures. He kneed the masked man's groin, chest, and stomach. Despite the adrenaline kicking in, his attacks were slightly held back.
The masked man clutched their face, gasping for air as they instinctively curled their whole body. Frizz unmounted them, seeing that they were defeated, and glanced at the other masked man, slowly getting back up.
A random car passed by, not stopping at the brawl. Frizz charged and delivered a kick straight into the head, effectively knocking them out.
He looked around and breathed heavily; his attackers were on the ground and incapacitated. The entire ordeal almost cost him his life. He glanced at his shaking hands, spotting the bloodied nails as his whole body quaked. He never felt this kind of fear before.
Frizz glanced at the distance and spotted the three masked men approaching. (They've recovered.) The three men closed in on him, ignoring their fallen accomplices.
"Kill him now!" The masked man who lagged behind barked. "Now! Before someone arrives."
Another car passed by as a masked man stepped forward as they were about to execute their exhausted target. *Sheek!* A stab from the back of their left thigh stopped them. "AHHHHH!" The masked man cried in pain.
In their perspective, the pain was sudden. However, for the two behind, it was a different story. The dropped machete slowly levitated and shot straight to the thigh of their accomplice.
The two of them stepped back in surprise, shocked about what had happened. The masked man who was stabbed dropped the machete, holding their bleeding left thigh with a machete embedded.
Frizz held out his right hand and made the dropped machete float, aiming at the right thigh of the masked man on the left. The machete hurled and stabbed their right thigh. *Sheek!*
Another one fell to the ground, clutching their thigh.
The remaining masked man couldn't believe what was happening. They bolted, running away from the supposedly exhausted target. Frizz made another machete float, aiming at the masked man.
However, he stopped since there was no point.
"No... not the ones who gave up," Frizz muttered, allowing the remaining attacker to flee, and looked around. Four of the five people who tried to kill him were defeated.
[System]
Objective Complete.
New Name is now level 8.
Select a perk: [Hardened Exterior], [Efficient Experience], [Fast Healer], [Restful Sleeper].
"Fast healer, now!" Frizz instantly declared upon seeing the perk, not bothering to read the others.
[System]
New Name received [Fast Healer].
Displaying descriptions: The perk user passively heals wounds, injuries, and afflictions at an improved rate. Serious lacerations and fractures may need medical attention but heal slightly better and faster.
"God, I hope this heals my injuries," Frizz muttered, trying to ignore the stinging pain from behind.
[System]
New Perk Acquired: [Pain Suppression] via Milestone.
Achievement: It really hurts.
[Pain Suppression] Description: The perk-user has a moderately increased tolerance to pain. The perk user's pain intensity is reduced.
"Milestone? I'll take it. I need it now," Frizz muttered, limping away from the brawl with a shaken expression. "Please, no more encounters. I can't take it anymore..." he pleaded.
The road ahead was quiet. Frizz clutched his abdomen while the adrenaline slowly wore off. For a moment, he spotted someone up ahead but they instantly vanished. "Just my luck..."