Jiral Outskirts
Longirsu
Longirsu did not cease maximal operation of his sensors until they arrived within the perimeter of their home base. Having not voiced a single word during the journey, or given any other commands through the network, he set aside the calculations soaring within his brain as he was let down on solid ground. Hardened eyes with nothing to say targetted Ib for the span of a few seconds, and then he turned away, coat flapping behind him.
The weight of the Shield and Spear should have been nil in these configurations, yet the burden on his arms pulled him into a frantic march which soon saw him surrounded by the bronze entrails of the facility. The incursion was a waste, he argued with himself. No, perhaps not entirely, his mind responsed, louder than his own steps.
The time lost was negligible, but he did not extract the diplomatic march he expected, and they had lost energy and assets to childish arrogation, no matter that more would be easy to procure. Yet, numerous things had become known, if not understood. It did not seem as though the last assailant, who created a opportunity for Americana, was an ally she was aware of, but for their arrival and intervention to be so timely and specific respectively, the dynamic between Columbia and her splinters was almost certainly their concern. Other pieces of information potentially aligned with this, and hypotheses began to form in his head.
Before he knew it, Longirsu had deposited the World Gears at their pedestrals, and no longer felt the foreign spark of mighty antiquity stinging his nervous system, forcefully connected as they were. It had been some time since he had cause to exert himself as he did. Had she not been disabled before committing in earnest, the (theorized) demoness-elemental hybrid would have been a truly risky engagement. Exposing himself was best avoided if at all possible, but the obvious truth the encounter demonstrated, was that the effectiveness of Ib and his machines multiplied exponentially with his presence... and in fact, there was no other who could support Ib as he did.
The timeframe to design a unit of such power was not short in the least. There was also the matter of decision-making. In terms of power, if the objective was to stay at a remove from the battlefield, there was an easy answer. What if he removed the need for automation entirely? Forgo a brain or heart, and build it purely as a tool to be manipulated...
He was no longer walking, but sitting, then. Longirsu's eyes were already adjusted to the dim lighting of his 'office', but the shade brought him no comfort. The light would be worse, so he let it be, and patched himself to Ib.
[Ib. Do you have the samples from the red-haired subject? And comprehensible readings from the energy spike that accompanied the telekinetic attack? I want the former downstairs and the latter prioritized by your wide-area scans.] A second passed. Longirsu could feel his augmented heart beat, an annoying reminder of his own fallibility. [Also, schedule a meeting with the goddess Pauline. She may be amenable to certain proposals after hearing of her sister's pitiful display.]
