Further

"The weak Raiders should focus on backup. And someone treat the one on the ground, ASAP."

At Ruthless' order, 4 of the group fled towards the Raider on the ground. The remaining five, proceeded to approach the enemy in cautious motion. Nova glanced at the unknown 3:

[ Status Window

Name: Veruka Faraye

Status: Agitated ]

[ Status Window

Name: Joseph Smith

Status: Agitated ]

[ Status Window

Name: Mathew Smith

Status: Agitated ]

'All agitated....Well, it's reasonable at this point...What the hell do we do...'

"Red Head, back me up." The selfish woman had a plan: a plan that involved Nova. "You have some crazy eyes." She began to say. "So let me borrow them a sec."

"Borrow...?" 

Ruthless instructed the plan to the team to instil some sense of hope in their hearts. "Y'all understand?"

Three nodded, but Nova stood there, gobsmacked. "That'll get me killed!" 

She dismissed his comment with a wave, then proceeded to approach the bot, reevoked with a new sense of purpose. She walked authoritatively, expecting her minions to tail behind.

And so they did. 

The night air crackled with tension as the group reassessed the dimly lit area. The Mech, it's metallic exoskeleton reflecting the ambient lights, moved with eerie precision towards the Raiders. It's gears whirred menacingly as it detected it's opponents once more. The group, led by Ruthless of course, spread out, taking cover behind sleek, metallic pillars. The air hummed with anticipation as the two sides locked eyes. Without warning, the bot unleashed a barrage of death-threatening beams, forcing the Raiders to dive for cover. The team retaliated with precision gunfire, sending sparks flying as their plasma rounds collided with the robot's armour. The robot, undeterred, continued its advance with an eerie determination. As the Raiders struggled to maintain their positions, the Mech continued to attack with a burst of laser beams that sliced through the air. Everybody ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding the deadly onslaught. In the chaos, one of the Raiders, Mathew, managed to breach the robot's communication protocols, temporarily disrupting its targeting systems.

"Now!" screamed Ruthless, and with and unexpected change of plan, Nova concentrated his direction to his enemy.

'The bot did reinforce itself with stronger level of armour, but at the end of the day, the core is fragile and destroying that will kill it.' Looking up ahead as he drew near, he saw the Mech slowly regaining it's sentience. It cocked it's head towards Nova.

"Y-Y#OU..-/ ARE#.-../DEA#D.....,HOST." 

The man's eyes widened while he could feel a tsunami of chills submerge itself to the bottom of his spine. However, he didn't stop running. He couldn't stop running. Being scared was worse than being dead. Suddenly, a memory ran through his mind.

*'If you are afraid to do something, do it in fear.'*

He had finally reached the bot. He narrowed his eyes.

[Scanning...]

[Liability has been recognised.]

His eyes connected to the Mech's neck almost like instinct. That had it be it. From underneath his trousers, he revealed and equipped his old and dandy kitchen knife. Nova drove the knife down into the weak point of his enemy. It sunk deep enough to cut many wires and to interrupt a lot of cogs. The core was still unharmed. 

"Further!" All his companions around him were depending on him. They roared for Nova to try just a bit harder.

Each and every one of them rooted for victory.

He gritted his teeth, and lifted the knife back out. The final strike tore right down into the body of the Mech and pierced the core. The robot's body deactivated and stumbled to the ground like a ragdoll. Nova went down too, completely exhausted.

As the barrier and the glitch disappeared, the others rushed to assist him. Ruthless, on the other hand, stormed to him, furious.

"I ordered you to dismember it! You destroyed the core! All of that was for nothing!" She lifted him up by the shirt.

Nova, completely drained of energy, blurted out the thoughts running through his mind.

[Mana: 70/100 (Regenerating...)

*50 Mana used.

Mana: 20/100 (Regenerating...)

Eminence has been activated. ]

"I just saved your damn life. Take a hint and let me go."

Almost out of pure instinct, Ruthless dropped the man immediately, and took a couple steps back. Her hand ran cold, shivering mercilessly. She was stronger than him, so why was she afraid?

"Y-You've got a point...I'll let it be." She called One and Two to her side and stood off to the side. After his energy was restored, he looked around for the Raider who passed out. Someone had treated to her well, seeing as she was now up and awake: her head was covered thickly in bandage.

[ Status Window

Name: Homura Uchien

Status: Mildly injured ]

[EoJ Disabled ]

He sighed in relief before joining other people in collecting the valuable resources from the previously killed Mechs.

***

"This'll give me about 5000J..." He looked at the cores in his pouch.

[ Side Quest

Feels like Home: Search for a suitable residence fit for a King.

*Duration: 7 Days Remaining.

*Failure: Death. ]

The foreboding thought ran laps through his mind, yet his will stood taller than any other. He needed some sprout of luck, or else he wouldn't be needing anything soon. 

As he strapped his patch to his side, he left the area. Ruthless, pissed, pops a smoke in her mouth.

"Tail him, Two."

***

In a casino not so far away, a tall, macho man broke down the entrance and ran out of the building, while being chased by a swarm of police.

"Marcel Martinelli! You are under arrest for attempted murder! Put your hands up, or we will be forced to shoot!"

The man was suddenly tackled, and was unexpectedly injected with a nullify drug. His limbs became numb, and the police cuffed him into a police van.

From the top floor of the casino, someone stared down at the action outside his casino. He grinned.

"Another fail. Hm...So...useless." 

He closed the curtains and walked off using a walking stick.

***