Knowing her cousin was safe, at least for now, Tia rushed back up the stairs, the bright light entering through the open doors almost blinding her. The moment her feet touched the concrete roof heated by the hot summer sun, a bright reflector lit up in the sky.
'So it was really a trap.'
Silent as a shadow, a car-sized grey drone hovered ominously in the air, the sun reflecting on its polished hull. Its four colossal rotors sliced through the atmosphere, yet not even the faintest whisper of wind could be heard.
A pair of massive plasma rifles were positioned beneath its sleek hull, their ominous glow steadily intensifying, accompanied by an electric hum.
Not hesitating for even a moment, the invisible tendrils of force tightly gripped her and launched her sideway on instinct.
'So the guards are already here.'
The sky went ablaze with pulsating bright blue lights. In the blink of an eye, the staircase she had just passed exploded violently, sending concrete shards and scorching sparks of plasma raining down.
A surge of searing heat washed over her, causing her long hair to ripple in the fiery winds that followed.
'If it hits me, there will be nothing left.' Panic gripped her heart as she faced a machine with terrifying firepower.
Without hesitation, she sprinted forward, her resolve unwavering as she refused to look back. She knew that every second mattered, and she skillfully counted the time between the machine's thunderous shots, her mind racing with a determination to survive.
The relentless electric humming of the massive drone's weapons resonated in the air, growing in frequency as they relentlessly recharged.
Beep!
<<<<<<>>>>>>
New mission:
Basic Objective --> Escape the pursuing enemies
Bonus Objective 1 --> Destroy the attacking drone -> 5 X Esper Point
Bonus Objective 2 --> Lose the pursuers in under five minutes -> 1 X Esper Point
Bonus Objective 3 --> Kill at least three attackers -> 1 X Esper Point
Basic Reward --> 2 x esper point
<<<<<<>>>>>>
Ding!
//
New quest: Avoid public outrage!
Every witch should keep good relations with the local government! Escape without causing any collateral damage or killing the pursuing law enforcement agent.
Rewards: 2 x witch point
//
Before she could even analyze the situation, the bright blue lights pulsed again, blasting the roof behind her as she leaped forward, propelled by her telekinetic force, the wind whistling by her ears.
Her eyes widened further as deafening bangs threatened to shatter her eardrums. Muzzle flashes of bright yellow erupted on neighboring rooftops, and a relentless metal hail of bullets whistled through the air, creating a deadly symphony.
'This is police brutality!'
Adrenaline surged through her veins, intensifying her senses as she pushed her limits. The bullets seemed to dance around her as she accelerated, each deflected off their path, drilling holes in the concrete with lethal force.
The raw energy hummed behind her as she reached the rooftop's edge, her heart pounding in her chest.
'It is going to shoot!'
With unyielding determination, she leaped into the air, the street devoid of people blurring beneath her. The world seemed to slow as she defied gravity, rising higher and higher toward the neighboring building, dragged by the invisible ropes of her mind.
The bright blue light flashed behind her. A searing wave of heat surged toward her back, and a sharp, stinging pain spread through her body.
With nerves of steel and lightning reflexes, she landed gracefully on the neighboring rooftop.
"I got her!"
Before she could even catch her breath, a guard in a black tactical suit lunged at her, wielding the hilt of his rifle like a brutal bludgeon, the heavy piece of metal closing on her head, quickly growing in her vision.
Her instincts kicked in, and without hesitation, she countered with a swift, calculated wand wave, her energy lighting the stick up in bright light. A surge of kinetic forces and blazing flames swirled around her, heating up the concrete below her feet.
The flames shot like a fiery tsunami and smashed into the guard's chest together with the physical force of her telekinesis.
"Ahhhh!" Screaming, the burning man flew off the roof, his eyes wide in terror and fear, his skin disgustingly sizzling as he burned to his death.
Using the brief respite from constant barrages of enemy fire, with unyielding focus, she raised her gun and set her sights on the drone's menacing blue-glowing cannon, which was already ablaze with brilliance as it charged for yet another shot.
'I just hope the military is using the good stuff.'
The explosive blast of her weapon unleashed a colossal bolt of blue plasma, the sheer magnitude of its power consuming almost half of the energy reserves.
Like a celestial comet, the plasma bolt soared through the sky, screaming with fierce intensity and glowing with a blinding glow.
In a fraction of a second, the blue light flashed in the sky as the ball of volatile blue plasma enveloped the drone, the pieces of metal falling down. As the plasma dissipated, the burnt black and devastated metallic body was revealed, still red from the heat.
Its gun and one of its rotors were gone, with electric sparks raining down.
'Without the weapon, it should be useless.'
No, one fired another shot. All the guards just stared in horror at the scene.
'So this is why it is a military weapon... it can even damage this drone.'
Just as she wanted to laugh, suddenly, the drone sped up, its rotors howling like small hurricanes as it descended straight at her. In horror, she saw the burning mass of metal quickly approach, the multi-ton weight threatening to squash her as if she were just an ant.