The Pillar of Enera

[Book II Chapter 87] ARGON: An Abject Failure

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I can’t really blame Leon. This was outside my expectations.

“What do we do now?” Dorothy asked awkwardly.

Argon zoomed in on the receding orange figure. With the rail gun, it might still be possible… He shook his head. If he was going to interfere, he’d have done so already. Well-played Jenna, your creation lives up to its name. While he hated what it’d come to represent, he had to respected its masterful design.

Instead, he focused on the falling debris and let out a breath of relief. There it is. While it’s almost indestructible, I was still worried for a second.

“Horace…” He said.

“I’m on it.” Replied his number one pilot. The man had been with him the longest and knew his thoughts. Blade Ruin shot off to complete its salvage mission.

An indicator flashed in War Machine’s cockpit, and Argon winced. Might as well face the music. As soon as he opened communications, Ashaya’s voice came blaring in. “Isn’t this exactly what you promised me wouldn’t happen?”

“Our intelligence on Artemis’s range was faulty.” He stated emotionlessly.

“Astrolis shouldn’t have been anywhere near Aery’s airspace!” Ashaya shouted. “Now you’ve delivered one the most powerful mobile armors straight to our enemies. It’s guarantied those twin brats will retrofit it and deploy it against us.”

Argon sighed. “At least it’ll return to its true purpose as an instrument of war.”

“That… Argh!” Ashaya was clearly struggling to contain her rage. “Because of your many talents and the immense combat potential you represent, I have been overly accommodating to your whims. I even let you offend both Astra Skyfell and Samuel Lithorn with your pet project. But this…”

“Not only did you let Astrolis escape, but you also lost one of your prized masterpieces!”

“Temporarily.” Argon interjected. “The black dragon core survived. Nihilister will fly again.”

“That’s a silver lining, I suppose” Ashaya grumbled. “Get it reconstructed ASAP.”

“On that note, I’ll be needing another pilot.” Despite his abrasive personality, Leon’s skills had been exemplary. He’d be hard to replace.

There was a pause on the other side, then Ashaya continued. “So, what do you think of Artemis?”

“It’s as oppressive as we imagined.” Argon replied. “Hundreds of beams which can be fired with pinpoint precision anywhere within its territory.”

“In your opinion, can it be dealt with?” She asked.

“Blocking a single volley is possible. All our shielders together might just be able to manage it. The problem is the subsequent barrages. My guess is that Artemis is capable of firing every couple of minutes. Our current forces can’t endure that.”

When it came to offensive weaponry, the skills of Roskild’s twin prodigies might even have exceeded his own. There was no easy counter for their ultimate creation. It’s only weakness is its targeting system limits its range. At least, that’s what we believed…

“Seems we must give up on surface invasions near Aery for now.” Ashaya stated coldly. “Let me know if you dream up a solution.”

“Speaking of which, have you had time to consider my approach to the dwarves?” Argon pressed anxiously. The opportunity was too good to pass up.

“The Grey King has given the go ahead regarding that matter.” Ashaya responded. “Succeed there, and you might redeem this abject failure.”