The delinquents leader yelled to his team the moment the lights were out. Unlike the other buildings they had countermeasures in place. Quin wasn't the only one with night vision goggles. Even so he was quicker than them. When the lights returned, those after Quin were knocked out on the ground. Issac was right.
With the lights' sudden return it was obvious that less than half of the other group had goggles.
"Even if they dig up their own tools to level the playing field, odds are all their items will be old and in need of repair." Was what Issac had said.
Ours were at least up to date while they treated theirs as toys and acted recklessly with them. Meaning only a few had their own night vision to work with and Quin and Issac still had the upper hand.
The leader realized this and tossed out a bunch of angered demands: "Just throw yourselves at him if you have to! Once he's held down you can attack him with or without light!" With that a new group ran towards Quin.
Quin sighed: "Come on now 'Nate' don't lose your cool now."
The lights continued to flicker on and off at random. Those without direction stumbled over each other and as more members rushed in the room became more of a mess. Quin continued to avoid and put down mostly by getting them to punch each other.
The biggest problem was those wearing the few pieces of the actual game's protective gear. Not only were they harder to knock out but directly hitting the wrong spot could end up hurting Quin more than them. There were only a couple in the brawl. The rest were standing back blocking the path to the leader.
"Guess you're a bigger wimp than I thought 'Nate'. And to think you were acting like a big strong leader." Quin made sure to taunt while running around. If he's ever truly out of breath it was from running his mouth.
"Would somebody kill that insect already?!" The leader's somewhat hurried tone was reasonable. Although not discernible from the middle of it all from his position he could plainly see his own team slowly but surely being taken down. One, then the next, then another.
It took him years to establish a somewhat stable hierarchy. And in just the last few days they not only lost repeatedly but the members kept disappearing after each loss. Whatever plan the park or these guys had would not end well for him.
"Damn!"
And there it was. The look Quin had been looking for. They fought long enough to get them frazzled and angry. Higher numbers didn't matter if everyone on their team thought they were going to lose. Quin only had to look at a few of them for them to hesitate. Those mistakes were his opportunity to attack and get through them. Before long he'd reach his destination.
The extra bright lights flickered once more. The leader backed further into his corner, closing his eyes on reflex. Everyone from the fighting members, the human blockade, and the leader himself were surprised as he opened his eyes to Quins knee not an inch from his face. He didn't even have time to groan in pain before his back hit the wall. His unconscious body flopped to the floor as his nose started to bleed. The room was still.
"Hm. Thought he'd be a little tougher. I even held back."
Not willing to give up those with protection finally started towards Quin. Before they could reach him a quick projectile jabbed them between the spaces in their gear knocking them down in one shot each.
Their biggest guys down the small fry tried to make a run for it. They didn't make it far and in less than ten minutes the rest were all rounded up.
Up in the ceiling beams was Issac who had been not only messing with the lights but taking out extras from the outer ring. The new members pouring into the main room were him guiding them in. The lights were too bright to even catch a glimpse of his position.
Once everyone was rounded up Quin and Issac made their way to the symbol room and collected their proof. On the way in, Quin picked up a familiar looking lock pick from one of the knocked out delinquents.
"That's what I call a perfect victory!"
Issac snapped the picture.
"Nice glasses by the way."
"Shut up."
Cold face as ever Issac put the camera back and left the room. Quin followed him out: "What? I was being serious! Is the style okay? Do you want some other pairs? I think some sort of design would be nice. Oh that reminds me of the time I spotted the hat of my dreams but I totally forgot to buy it. Then I ended up leaving and remembered right after I went through and I ended up yelling in shock and you wouldn't believe what was on the other side!" Quin continued to ramble as they left the building site.
_
On the way back they passed some of the park staff and a few volunteers from town. Quin filled them in and let them know that it was safe for them to move in. Issac found a gm to accept the proof and log their points.
The crowd was smiles and thank yous all around. The group went in to collect the group of downed delinquents while Quin and Issac returned to the inn.
By the time they made it back it was already late into the night. Quin had insisted on completing his list of restaurants before the deadline and dragged Issac along with him. So after about six dinners they finally made it back to their own beds after a long day.
Hard work probably wasn't the right phrase to use here. Although they were all of the same age group both Quin and Issac just had way too much life experience. If anything they've been the ones holding back. That was the exhausting part. But what could they do? Their opponents were just a bunch of annoying kids.
_
Back in his room Issac tossed his sunglasses on the bedside table. He looked at them for a moment then took the mask out of his bag along with a second pair of glasses that Quin had shoved in his hands earlier.
"You need more than one pair," He said: "Take it from a trouble magnet you never know when you'll need an extra. Now that I've seen your lower face I think this shape works best. I've already bought it! Don't say no! I'm leaving! Goodnight!"
He practically threw them at Issac and locked his door after running away. Issac wanted to rest already and didn't bother to break in just to give them back. He placed the new glasses and mask on the bed and sat down.
"Better shape huh?"
Issac reached to the bottom of his bag, pulled out an old pair of sunglasses, and placed them down as well. The shape and style matched that of the new pair; only this pair was old, chipped and dented. One arm was barely hanging on to its hinge.
Issac looked at the two for a moment then quickly brushed everything back into his bag.
"What's with you and buying me sunglasses?"
_
Day 31.
It was finally awards day. Large crowds of people, guests, staff, and participants all gathered in the park's central plaza. The GM's all stood on a stage going up the list and calling the winners up to receive their prizes. They also awarded plenty of mini prizes to any record breakers.
Quin was unsurprisingly called a number of times for the food related wins. Everytime they were called, the crowd went crazy. Everyone acted like their child had won their first prize. It was then that Issac realized that Quin really had befriended every GM like he said. With the amount of photos they took you'd think he was a celebrity.
Eventually the top ten winners were up. For some reason some of the winners weren't present for the event but the park staff assured everyone that they would get their prizes and what they deserve. The reason to separate those two things wasn't known to everyone but the town's people all cheered so everyone else followed along.
No one was surprised when Issac and Quin had gotten first place. Everyone on the staff including the other participants had seen those two in action at least once completing one task after the next. Even so after a few years of trouble the sight of new faces on the winners podium was exciting for all.
After a couple photos with a giant winners certificate Issac was first to drag them out of the celebration. He needed to register their prize money as soon as possible to avoid any problems. Quins luck was nothing to joke about. Only after all was settled with the bank did he relax.
Happy with the added zeros Quin decided to celebrate by revisiting all his favorite restaurants from the past month.
__
Day 32
With the event over the crowded streets and restaurants finally began to die down a bit. Esterfield was known for its events so it wouldn't stay quiet forever but in between breaks was relatively calm.
The amusement park itself would also close down for a couple of days to do a clean up of everything they set up for the tasks. Although closed to the public the park wasn't entirely unused.
Before they started their final raid on the building sites Quin had told Mr. Weston to be prepared. He didn't completely understand but after the first raid Quins plan became clear. If talking wasn't enough they had to be removed forcefully. They needed proof that they weren't invincible, especially to the park they trampled over.
Building after building everyone involved was brought back to the park for holding. Although they could have just as easily put the fear of God into them by fighting, Mr. Weston said that they would deal with the problem in their own 'park' style. Everyone would be given the opportunity to right their wrongs.
To start all the kids were placed on every ride possible. Not as pleasant as it sounds. In between that was a number of involuntary eating competitions. After which they were lined up and individually marked based on the problems they caused. Everyone would then sincerely apologize and promise to do better.
With the agreement of everyone in town and every guardian they could find of course. Anyone who didn't comply was placed back onto the rides and into the competitions. It was a dizzying and sickly loop and a surprisingly fitting punishment for them.
Those who gave in were set up to work off the marks they received. All the park staff and town association had prepared for it. Some would get part time jobs at the town task shops. Others will help around the park during open and off season.
This time the adults will watch them and keep them in line with an iron fist. Most of them were just stupid kids fooling around, trying to have a good time, or following the older kids to be cool. It was a good way to get them back on track without being too lenient or harsh. And accepting punishment was purely their decision. Those who refused the park's rehabilitation were free to continue 'enjoying' the amusement until a better decision was made.
Many of the younger kids immediately noticed the adults were not playing around despite their smiling faces. They quickly decided to pay their debts while that was still an option.
The older kids took a bit of convincing but eventually accepted defeat as well. Most of them were still aching from the fight so the extra suffering wasn't worth it.
In the end all the 'annual hooligans' were thanking both the park workers and town for their mercy. If that's what this was.