Asher stopped in front of the lead harvester.
He looked down at it, calm and focused.
"Retaliation only matters," he said, "if the ones behind you are stronger."
The harvester stayed still. Its systems were damaged, but not fully dead. It was still trying to calculate a way out.
"You don't understand the scale of this operation," it said. "Poison origin is only one resource. Many domains are being accessed."
Asher's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then you made a larger mistake than you realize."
Behind him, the Ivy Queen stepped closer. The domain was fully active now. Roots pulsed with restored poison flow. The air itself had become hostile to anyone not recognized by the domain.
"Who are your handlers?" Asher asked.
The harvester hesitated again.
Its armor flickered as internal fail-safes activated, preparing to self-erase.
Asher noticed immediately.
He placed a hand on the harvester's chest.
"Don't," he said.
The fail-safe stopped.
Not because it was disabled.
