[ You have a weekly quest ]
"Yes!" Stephen was thrilled to be back in action again. He was strained after a week of endless homework, mind-numbing essays and five-hour-long detention. He needed a break.
Ernestine on the other hand was scowling. "Not necessary, a mission is the last thing I want."
Stephen looked at Ernestine dimly. He was reaching for the [ Yes ] tab.
She slapped his hand off. "G_get your hand off. What's the quest?" She asked quickly and the blue tab popped up.
[ Robbers are advancing toward the Town's square garden...Finish them. ]
"What?" She paled.
"Not this again," Stephen said rolling his eyes. "More thieves? Ah well." He grinned and sped-tapped [ yes ]
[ Quest accepted ]
"Noooooo!"
"Yes!" He cried. "Finally."
"Stephen..." She said softly touching her temple.
"Yeah?" He brightened.
"Could you GET any...sillier?" She asked forcefully with a hand pressed against her cheek.
He shrugged. "Ernie, I'm just looking out for you. There'll just be room for more consequences. Trust me when I say, you don't wanna fail." He said without expression.
Ernestine gazed at him askance. It was hard to take him seriously when he was wearing a fake moustache.
She angrily ripped it off his face. "Get that squirrel off!"
"Ow!" He touched under his nose and his eyes teared up.
"That hurts."
"Good! You just accepted a stupid quest and now I can't weigh the consequences and I'm stuck!" She cried tossing the hair tuft aside.
[ There are minimal consequences. The penalties are usually not life-threatening. ]
Ernie glared at Stephen who whistled, suddenly the school signboard was beginning to look more interesting.
She sighed in despair. "I give up..." She toughened up. "Nevertheless, we need a_"
Her voice trailed when she realized that she was facing the city square garden. She blinked to adjust to the situation. "_plan..." She bit her tongue when she was standing alone now. She closed her eyes and heaved a sigh.
"Relax, we will kill him later."
A few people were strolling around in the bright garden peacefully. Magnolia trees were lining the corners of the park. A man was selling pretzels by the fountain, another man was handing out balloons by an oak tree.
She strolled around the park and Stephen zipped in.
She paled in shock. It happened in slow motion.
Time normalized.
She screamed*
"I'm sorry, I can't." He touched his head laughing.
Ernestine recovered and punched his arm. "I hope you didn't steal them again like I always have to ask_"
"It's mine." He said drily and threw it into her face.
Ernestine fumed gazing at the brown robe askance. "This is revolting." She said while she picked out a lint. She shrugged on the robe. She took out a note card.
"Really? 'The force is strong with this one?' Really!..."
He tested on a Japanese mask. Then a regular face mask.
He was wearing a black hoodie, pants and black shoes. "Stop whining, Krampus. We have a job to do." He hung his backpack.
They split up and moved around.
"This is Velocity to Earth-Girl. What's your position?"
"I'm too old for this." She sulked clasping an old bi-directional radio transceiver.
"Just play along!"
Screech*
"They're not here yet." She said under a hood.
There were nuns in black cassocks entering the park. Two elderly people walked by the gate and a bubbly couple came in with a Doberman in front of them.
Stephen waited to keep a lookout. "Where are they?" He growled.
"How should I know!?"
"Everybody lie down!" A man burst through the sisters holding a gun.
The sisters cried out crumbling. Three more elderly men raised guns subduing the security guards. They knocked them out.
The one who screamed was an old man with faded white hair. He had a skin mask on. He shot a single round into the air for good measure.
ggggggggggg!
eek!
"I need to see those diamonds or whatever in the bag! Do not prioritize your money over your lives."
The criminal roved around putting out his sack to collect wristwatches, ATM cards, necklaces, earrings and purses.
"I repeat, do not prioritize your money over your lives. Do you understand me? There will be some serious bloodshed. Dirk, Search everyone." The criminal said taking off his veil. To his partner who was dressed as an elderly woman.
She nodded and moved around. She took up a woman's necklace in her hand, running her finger through the pearls, she yanked it off her neck and threw it into the bag. "Cheapskate." She muttered walking along the victims who were stifled.
"Well, they came prepared." Stephen muttered from the corner of his mouth.
Ernestine was on her knees. "What do you mean? Of course they did!"
He raised his hands while one was pointing a gun at him. The robber motioned the gun downwards. "Stay down kid." He mumbled through his mask to him.
"Stephen..." Ernestine whispered quivering.
Stephen's eyes flickered when he lowered himself. He lunged. "Ah!"
The robber groaned at his hit, he did not fall over. Stephen seized his weapon and hit the stub against his face.
"Oomph!"
Stephen cried out when he recovered and threw him down.
Ernestine directed a rock the size of a baseball to his head.
Oof!
His head spun sideways at the shot and he went limp. Falling over.
She growled while her hands glowed yellow. The rocks from the square rumbled rising in the air. Sweat dripped down her face as she kept a hold of them.
The main robber looked at the rocks floating in the air and quivered then looked at her in the brown robe in terror.
He held a gun to the hostage's head. "I will kill one person after the other if you don't_oof!"
Stephen swiped a bat at his head.
She manipulated a rock to hit his shoulders, wrist and arms. Breaking them.
ARGGGH!
His eyes came together at the rock coming at his forehead. It stopped halfway and she fired another rock into his stomach and he flew into the pretzel stand hurting. His gun plopped on the floor.
Stephen gazed at Ernestine in surprise and then he ran everywhere, taking their weapons, kicking the back of their knees so they would crumble. He disposed of the guns Shaking.
Ernestine saw that a few of them were retreating. She forced more rocks to hit them and the van. Forcing it to rock sideways. The doors closed. Before some reached.
She fired her fist at the robbers in the distance. They fell on their faces while the earthen floor gripped them tightly. "AHHH!"
The other two scattered.
The police were coming and they puffed hurrying away from the squad cars.
Jason Curry was just stepping out of the large mart. The Superstore. He decided to retire early from work. A ceramic cat toy was in his pocket. and he smiled taking out his keys to open the truck door. "Maybe Stephen would like takeout." He said.
The duo ran into the man by the blue truck.
When Stephen rushed in, the people's movements slowed, he dashed past the roads and lifted his hand. The robber pulled out his gun and gritted his teeth and aimed.
Jason was starting to notice them and he muffled when the gun went off.
BOOM!
Time normalized and Jason stifled keeling over by the car. Clutching his shirt.
"Dad!" He cried out.