Silhouette

James flopped down onto his couch. Marie had dispelled his fears and confirmed nothing would happen to the kids, rats or not, they still weren't vermin. Any exterminator with minimum professionalism wouldn't want to do anything to them. Disregarding the sapience test, they were obviously tame creatures, not wild rodents that posed a threat.

It turned out that outside of cartoons with animals as protagonists, exterminators and animal control folks were just normal people doing their job. Who knew?

With that side covered, the discussion with Polisson wasn't quite as reassuring. The loyal rat had taken James' warnings seriously, but the harm was already done, some members of Mischief had been noticed. Still, they figured out a simple plan to have the furry army leave trails to hint at some migration, planting evidence they had come from further away and had left this part of the city to go back to the sewers. The idea wasn't foolproof, there was a serious risk of this Brutazap fellow noticing something was off, but at least they tried.

If everything went decently well, the man would buy the story they crafted of a roaming swarm simply passing by on the surface, and rather than try and hunt them down he would just keep track of strange happenings in the neighborhood. If everything went perfectly, he wouldn't even bother to investigate in the future, and all possible calls relating to spotted members of Mischief would be waved off with a simple warning to people not to approach until the mammals left. It was optimistic, but hey, James needed hope now and then. He would be more than happy with just leading the exterminator away for now.

Polisson had promised he would look into whoever was leading the squads that were spotted and give everyone involved a reminder of why stealth was fundamental to their survival. James could only hope the elder rodent's discipline would be sufficient. Truth be told, despite having the rats being infused, James couldn't shake the feeling they were more subordinate to their old leader than him. He didn't mind, so long as they obeyed his direct orders he didn't care who had a greater place in their heart.

Well, with the immediate issue taken care of, James was somewhat relieved. He wouldn't fully relax until he was certain the exterminator took the bait, but hey, this was the first time he solved an arising problem without violence. It was worth celebrating. Maybe there truly was no need to worry for once.

His phone rang and James cursed himself for jinxing it. Doubly so when he realized this was the Silhouette phone, not his civilian one.

"Hello?"

"Yo, bossman, Techlord here."

"Techlord, please tell me there isn't a gang war happening down there."

"What? No. I called because your magic guy is here and wanted to report on the space monster you killed."

"I am here, indeed."

"Oh. That was fast. Thank you for the hard work, Mesker, but couldn't you have contacted me yourself?"

"I am Mesker Duskenfer The Third, not some street magician. And I am fairly certain I did lend you a crystal ball indeed, but it appears you failed to notice my calls. How curious."

James was more than thankful for his lack of facial features for once, otherwise he'd be grimacing something fierce. The wizard did give something of the sort, but James had left it back at the shop. He'd have to call Mischief to drop it to Solvent, that way the proxy could notify him whenever he was called. That way, he'd still keep his apartment free of Silhouette's stuff.

"A mistake I will resolve soon. So, what do you have to share Mesker?"

"Good news, I've identified our eldritch invader."

"And the bad news?"

"There are no bad news."

Well, that was a first.

"The biggest difficulty when it comes to identifying eldritch entities is the fact they roam the void. Not only do the extreme conditions of this environment twist all life much more than anything else, not only is it a common ground between the infinite worlds and realms that have and will ever be, but it is also an endless space they are free to explore long past the death of our universe. If an eldritch entity doesn't stay near the place its worldly ancestors spawned from, it is an endless migratory creature unlikely to pass by the same place twice."

"Either you know them, or you know nothing. It doesn't seem all that different from a regular identification."

"Normal fauna only exist on three-dimensional planes. They are not as heavily different from one another, even across continents. Still, the idea of an evolutionary pattern so effective multiple creatures of different origins use it is true to the voidborne as well."

Now, James wasn't a scientist, but he had heard of such a phenomenon before. It was one of those scientific things that became popular online somehow, likely because of the sheer ridiculousness that is the sentence "things keep evolving into crabs". The truth wasn't as colorful, only crustaceans were implicated, but the trend was still interesting.

"Carcerization?"

"In a sense, though much more extreme in its diversity. We call these archetypes."

"And you found the one corresponding to our Nightsnatcher."

"The Herald Of Erasure."

"Ominous."

"Quite. Despite what the use of the singular would imply, the Herald is in truth not one beast but a swarm. It is quite simple, yet undeniably effective. The baseline creature's feeding organ develops a form of invisibility that veils its body from existence, and the various individuals of a school assemble to form an invisible shape of ravenous destruction. Some go a step beyond and weaponize the young, having them stay in the center of the group, exposed. Predators hoping for a quick meal approach and, instead of biting into vulnerable eggs or spawns, they are the ones devoured by unseeable maws."

"This sounds gruesome, yet I fail to see how this is only good news. Shouldn't this mean the rest of the swarm is nearby?"

"To the contrary! These creatures live together and die together. One all alone means it is a straggler, and therefore there are no further eldritch monstrosities in our dear city."

"How can you be so sure? What if others arrived the same way this one did?"

"Well, it isn't impossible, but highly improbable. The tears in the fabric of reality these creatures use to move between our world and the void are not limited so much by size as... Well, they are, but rather than our beloved three-dimensional axis they exist on much more complex standards. Think of it as significance. The Herald Of Erasure is a weakling, and for only to be able to pass through means nothing dangerous could have come before the tear closed. Even dormant, dead, or embryonic forms of greater eldritch wouldn't be able to fit."

"What could have made the tear, then?"

"Something on our side, I'd say. Eldritch entities either are still worldly enough to travel without a tear in the first place, or they are so powerful the opening they made would unleash hordes that would have engulfed this city in death by now. My guess would be Xenocorp sent a satellite into the void some time ago and they just retrieved its mangled remains."

"What if it was malicious?"

"Unlikely. A competent warlock would have not let the Herald escape or would have captured it back much sooner. An incompetent one would have failed to comprehend the creature's existential weight and let in a much larger swarm. Or they could have somehow only made it large enough for a single one, but they'd likely be in its noneuclidian insides by now, likely its first prey on this world."

"Are you certain there is no need to worry? What if it had escaped and the warlock called in more since then to put under their command?"

"A competent warlock wouldn't have let an eldritch beast free for long. If they planned to use The Herald Of Erasure as a weapon, this straggler is a weakness. Now we know what the creature is, and we'd be able to formulate successful plans to take a swarm down."

"But about the rift? What if-"

"The rift is closed, otherwise we'd have an infestation on hand, and the Union has the technology to monitor any major shift related to the void. This tear was too small, but anything capable of posing a threat would be caught nigh instantly. Silhouette, trust the words of a man whose entire life revolves around dealing with demons, entities who are known to exploit the most minuscule flaws: there is no need to worry now."

"... Thank you, Mesker."

"Bah, it isn't worth mentioning. I know better than most the importance of embracing your fear to survive, you simply must remember not to let it overcome you in turn."

"Still, I want to thank you. Perhaps you could give me some more advice during your teachings?"

"Of course. Emotions can be quite impactful when it comes to weaving spellwork. Many mages recommend using them as fuel or the initial spark, but there are risks involved if you try to use too much. If that is your wish, our first lesson could be on this topic. Which reminds me, when would you like our first session to be held? I may not be a busy man, but I still like to know my schedule."

"Well, I would have said tomorrow, but I have something to deal with. Would the day after be fine?"

"Yes, that would work. What of the hour?"

"Would four work?"

"Yes, yes it would. Now, onto the next part of my research. The one you could profit from."

"You've found uses for the Nightsnatcher's corpse."

"Of course. The Herald may be a minor eldritch fauna, but its otherworldly properties are still remarkable to us. As you might have guessed its entire biology is a spatial anomaly when it comes to feeding, and the crystals embedded in its back play a major part in this. At first, I thought them closer to eyes, meant to observe what was behind the creature to replicate it in its maw, and while they do serve this function they are so much more."

"Could you specify?"

"They are this creature's only organs. The body is nothing but a vessel for the crystals to use. They cause the spatial distortions vital to its lifestyle, they draw the energy out of its prey it uses to continue its existence, and they are what the creature uses to perceive the world, not as eyes, but as universal captors. It perceives space, nothing else."

"I'm guessing these crystals could prove quite useful then."

"To say the least. I think even your young friend here could have some use for such materials. The flesh sadly has no use for one such as you, though it could fetch a high price as an alchemical ingredient."

"I'm not his friend, I'm his inventor."

"Yes, yes. Tell me, Mesker, would you be interested in these alchemical properties then?"

"I could find some uses for it, but I think it'd be much more clever to pass it onto the Union. Confirm the death of the Nightsnatcher with its body as evidence, and you'll have quite a lot of fans. Clients might flock to your shop from the news alone, heedless of your products."

"Wouldn't it also bring me enemies?"

"Why? This creature caused a lot of grief. Not to mention, the curfew and fear it brought had a devastating impact on their activities. If anything, I'd expect them to send you gifts and offer favors as thanks. Do be careful with which ones you accept, some of them will have strings attached. There's a reason such an estimated mage as a Duskenfer prefers to stay down here than live up there. The politics are atrocious."

"Would the Union question the lack of crystals? How could I even prove the body does belong to the creature?"

"They will. They have their ways. It might take some time though. As for the dismantling, I see two ways to do it. Either you give them the body as is and tell them you wish to retrieve the crystals once they're done studying it and taking photos for the media, or you remove the materials first and give them the rest as is. You could tell them nothing or craft some tale of needing to remove the crystals to slay the beast, either way, they won't complain. They are used to it."

"How so?"

"Do you think every Hero always brings back everything? No. They all keep a trinket or two, either to use them themselves or put up as a trophy. They'll have their suspicions and won't be pleased, but they won't trouble you for taking the useful parts for yourself."

"Techlord, could you use those crystals?"

"Maybe? I'm used to reverse-engineering stuff, but I don't see how to do that with magic stones. Unless they're Cores?"

"No. These creatures come from a place without Aspects, they have no Corite."

"Yeah, not sure how to handle that."

"Well, I'll just have to call Decanov then."

"You know what? I might figure something out."

"I'll give each of you half."

"Fine."

"Mesker, would there be any possibility of obtaining more without risking an eldritch incursion on the land?"

"Perhaps? I'm a demonologist, not a warlock, but I could make a few crystal ball calls and a seance or two. You would best go ahead with the assumption you will not get another."

"Alright, thank you. I trust you to extract the crystals and deliver them to us. I trust Mischief and the Commando to handle the rest."

"As you wish."

"Thank you for the hard work."

"Yes, yes."

Though James couldn't help but feel like something was missing from the whole void shebang, it looked like things were going well.

But he wasn't about to tempt fate again. No lowering his guard for the next year at least.