Chapter 105 : The rising shadow (Patreon)

Somewhere in the slums of Zalcien stood a building in a relatively good state. The runemaster known as Runar had elected to turn it into his domain, so the building now housed manufacturing facilities where his men produced runic items they would later either use themselves or resell. As they worked on these various floors, Runar managed the operations from his office, situated on the roof of the building where it was exposed to the open air, protected from the weather and occasional assassination attempts by a runic shield invisible unless it was hit or overcharged.

And James was going to blow it up.

Taking his usual Silhouette form, James stopped focusing on the building in the distance to instead take in the people surrounding him. The entire Shadow Commando, all twelve of them, stood behind him, the usually goofy and merry bunch now more severe than ever before, to the point they could rival the infused in formation next to them, the dozen of magically charged humanoids led by two former runic mages and of course Fluorine and Loedycan, the goblin and wolfman that were undoubtedly the strongest of the infused, and to the side Techlord was on his own, sitting on a crate that had been behind in the dark alleyway the group had decided to hide in for now, and laying against the same crate was a very familiar weapon with an idiotic name. Some Mischief members were hidden in the shadows and ready to act, and though James was confident only twenty of the rats had left the sewers at his side, there were now thirty of them.

They all had upgraded their gear, the Shadow Commando for example now wielded weapons much like the electrorifles Barry and Larry used in their shop, though at James' demand, Techlord had modified these weapons such that they were both capable of firing dark lightning but also regular and infused bullets, just in case Runar had some kind of enchantment ready to nullify electricity prepared after what had happened on the Black Block. Those brand new shiny weapons weren't the only new thing the group had received, they were now all outfitted with infused armor made with a mix of metal and plastic, as well as cloth which, once filled with James' energy, had turned into something akin to kevlar, and to top it all off, each one had a small electroshield included in the torso, ready to block a few attacks via the power of electromagnetism and whatever science Techlord was coming up with. They also each had a belt on which were securely strapped on a small mace and a knife, just in case. They had all also been given the closest thing to a riot control shield Techlord had managed to make, a slightly curved panel of black one-way-through glass with a handle, and for now, each member of the Commando had chosen to keep those attached to their back.

The infused thugs had similar equipment, though they were given the prototypes rather than the final designs, Techlord hadn't had the time to finish making everything for everyone, and James had decided that the emotionless puppets weren't as important as his employees. The two runic mages still wore the hooded robes they had when James first corrupted them, but Techlord had added a few plates of metal and plastic to protect their vitals better whereas their grimoires and feathers had been upgraded by James to the best of his abilities, in the hopes improving the catalysts would enhance their magic. Much like everyone else present bar James, they had received masks to protect their faces and avoid gas attacks, and whereas the Commando and the infused thugs looked like elite soldiers, those two could easily be mistaken for ghosts of some kind. Hurray for psychological warfare? At least James had managed to convince Techlord not to paint theirs white or give them a skull pattern.

Fluorine and Loedycan had also gotten a few upgrades, following their demands after their encounter with Speareau. The small goblin now wore a tight black leather and cloth outfit, a mix between what James would expect of an assassin, a martial artist, and a wizard. The gloves and toed shoes of the outfit had each been given a small dark green gem, embroidered on the back of the hand and over the top of the foot respectively, James had Larry and Barry buy these catalysts supposedly particularly effective for acid magic from his tattooed neighbor and technically landlady. James had shoved his shadows into them, of course.

Loedycan, on the other hand, had been given a leather harness with metal plates, not unlike a gladiator's outfit, after the wolfman had stated that the gear of the Commando would be too hot with his fur for him to fight optimally. With how dark his fur and the metal and leather of his attire were, it was hard to distinguish the two, and James wouldn't fault anyone for mistakenly thinking most of the armor was a natural part of the wolf's body. The mask covering his lupine visage was very distinct from the others, but ultimately followed the same pattern of a metal frame and a large black glass visor. There was a final addition to Loedycan's equipment, gauntlets with articulated fingers with a surprise at the tip, with a flex of his muscles the wolfman could release more of his natural claws and, once they emerged, they pressed onto something at the tip of the metal fingers that released blades. Not only did this system allow him greater range, but it also could easily be concealed. Techlord had considered making something similar for Loedycan's feet, but his digitigrade legs ended the idea.

And of course, the teen genius himself had spent a lot of time upgrading his gear. For starters, he had finally finished putting all the light plating he had wished for on his bodysuit, and once that was done, he squeezed in as many gadgets and tricks into the thing as he could. Boots with springs to not only allow better jumping capacities but also damper fall damage, ranged and melee weapons of both electrical and physical types - and James was confident he had smelled something burning while Techlord was trying out his new toys and he was busy - and miniature thrusters on the back, shins, and wrists were but a few of the suit's gimmicks. James had considered asking the teen to make similar suits for the rest of his team, but once he saw how Techlord moved around the training room and switched from one weapon to another, he realized the Commando and the infused probably didn't have the mental capacity required to take full advantage of this sort of gear. Though James still had his doubts about the small lights spread out on the suit, he understood the aesthetic, but even if they could be turned off, they drastically reduced its stealth potential.

Oh well, it's not like I plan to have him around somewhere anytime soon. I can take care of that sort of thing myself.

As the last members of the Commando finished checking their gear, James readied himself to rally the troops, so to speak.

"Is everyone ready?"

They all answered at once in unison.

""Yes sir!""

"Good. Dear employees and loyal servants, thank you for standing by my side today. For too long have we had to endure Runar's lust for power and his obsession with me. Today, we end his operations to cement a peaceful future. With him out of the picture, we'll be free to open a new base of operations in the main city without worry, our chance at prosperity. I cannot promise you will all emerge from this fight unharmed, but those that will still be by my side tomorrow are guaranteed a better life."

James didn't feel like he was particularly good at speeches, but since no one appeared to react, he supposed he just had to be satisfied he hadn't particularly demotivated them.

"Before we begin, are there any last-minute questions? Anything you're not sure to understand about the plan?"

A sole hand rose, a member of the Shadow Commando.

"Are we getting any bonuses for this?"

"No."

"Oh."

"You're getting thank you donuts and, depending on the loot and how well our sales go with Runar gone, perhaps a raise."

The man who had asked the question straightened his back even more.

"I shall bring you their skulls, boss."

"Please do not. Techlord, ready the Techzooka."

The teen hopped off the crate he had been sitting on so far and picked up the glorified metal tube with a handle laid against the wooden container. Techlord took care to turn off his lights before he approached the end of the alleyway, and he did his best to stay hidden while setting up his weapon to have a clear line of fire to the building's ground floor. After half a minute of shuffling and groaning as the teen genius searched for the perfect spot, he finally stopped before taking out an enormous black pearl from the pouch he had strapped to his belt, the orb so large it required him to use both hands to comfortably lift it and place it into the barrel of the weapon after he had placed it on the ground. It was a Core, of course, one James had sent Mischief to fetch to be precise. He had asked them to scout possible Cored beasts in the slums and to bring back the biggest and strongest Core they could find, after which James had of course infused it, but had also ordered his runic mages to improve it with their craft. Oh, it wasn't much, simple runes with limited effects, but put together on ammunition for what had to be the greatest offensive creation of his inventor... Hopefully, it would prove more effective than it had been against Sydakors, which it should since Techlord had supposedly upgraded it.

"Techzooka ready, boss."

"Employees, servants, I want you to remember what you are about to see. I want you to remember exactly what you will see today, so that you may be able to tell the tale as best as you can. Let the slums remember this as the day they all learn that Silhouette isn't another monster to be killed or beast to be tamed, but a power that they all must learn to respect. Techlord, fire at will."

"Plug your ears and open your mouths, everyone, this is going to be a big one. Firing the Techzooka!"

Techlord pulled the trigger, releasing a blast of pressurized darkness behind him that destroyed everything in its path until it was stopped by a wall of shadows James formed to protect the group.

The modified Core flew through the air until it shattered against the building's entrance.

And the day turned to night.

_____

Firefighter, one of Zalcien's Heroes, was peacefully enjoying the quiet of his break, sitting on a bench in one of the city's smaller parks. He had just finished helping the regular firefighters put out yet another fire born from a barbecue that went wrong, and since the incident was not caused by Super means, they were the ones who had to deal with the paperwork. He may have loved his job of helping out the people of Zalcien, but the man in a red and blue bodysuit with yellow augments over his torso, feet, and hands still appreciated having some time for himself. Hero work was an extremely taxing activity, to the point few in his line of duty managed to form a healthy family life. Firefighter himself had never found the time to get a partner or kids, but he didn't mind, he preferred that over a toxic environment. Plus, he had all the familial love he could wish for with his sister, her husband, and their delightful daughter.

His happy trails of thoughts soured a bit as his niece took center stage in his mind. Oh, Sarah was a great kid, but he was worried about her. He wasn't sure she fully understood what it cost to be a Hero, and from what he learned, her relationship with her fellow trainees wasn't great. She might only actively dislike one of them, but the fact she still put some distance between herself and the others, despite them doing their best to form a friend group and bring her in... Firefighter understood not being a people person, but he still did his best to have cordial relationships with his colleagues in his own way. They were the people who put their lives in his hands and vice versa, there needed to be trust between them. The group had done well on their test, and even the normally turbulent element known as Maledicta had shown up on time and had passed, but that didn't ease his worries. It only meant they going on the field sooner than he would have liked, and they could put themselves in danger.

He sighed. Maybe he could have a word with Mecha Man or Miss Malice to put some kind of tracking on them, just to be sure they wouldn't nose around where they shouldn't? No, that would be a breach of their privacy. Maybe he could ask the higher-ups to add that sort of thing to their suits so that the kids would know about it? At the very least he knew Serpent wouldn't mind giving them so extra training if he just asked for it, the big reptile was nice like that. Maybe one of the lesser-known heroes would be open to taking them under their wings? He knew he probably would be able to, but he had noticed how uncomfortable he had made Sarah when he had dropped by while they were studying. On the one hand, he was proud of his niece for being opposed to favoritism, on the other hand, a tiny part of him couldn't help but be saddened that he couldn't help her as much as he wished to.

He took in a deep breath and emptied his mind, he didn't have breaks like this all that often, so he wasn't going to waste this one worrying about his nice. He could do that on the clock. He closed his eyes and just appreciated the sounds and nature and the admittedly diminished feeling of the wind and sunlight - a firefighting helmet and a Hero suit weren't the best things to feel things on one's skin it turned out, not that he would complain when this gear helped him with noxious fumes. A few passers-by noticed the obvious Super sitting alone on a bench in the park, and although most of them didn't recognize him, they wisely decided not to bother him. Besides, if a Super was out and about without a fight breaking out, it was best to assume they were a Hero on break.

And as always when a Super was on break, they were rudely interrupted by someone doing something stupid. In Firefighter's case, a terrifying howling had him immediately open his eyes and take in the surreal sight of a pillar of darkness rising from somewhere on the horizon and reaching high into the skies, though thankfully not so high that the Hero couldn't see where the thing ended in what he could describe as a geyser of shadows. He was already back on his feet and running to the closest Union hideout to get a ride to wherever he was needed before his mind caught up to his well-honed instincts and habits and called the base to report the disturbance, though by how obvious the thing was, it'd probably be more efficient to just directly report his position and asked if he was needed on site. As soon as his finger hit the hidden button on the side of his helmet and he heard the telltale ding of an established connection, he spoke out.

"Firefighter coming in, I'm the Silversilk Park, I'm on my way to the local hideout. Where does the pillar of darkness come from and what do I need to prepare?"

The obviously artificial voice of a Legion answered him.

"Origin of the pillar located in the slums, in the outskirts of the Black Border region, suspected Super gang war. Rejoin at the Headquarters and prepare to deal with any potential follow-up disturbance."

Translation: Villains are duking it out, we're leaving them alone, but be ready to stop any opportunist who tries to take advantage of the chaos. Just another day on the job.