Silhouette

"I'm here live from the Union Headquarters where we were just informed the body presented earlier today by the business owner known as Silhouette has been confirmed to be the Nightsnatcher. Though the creature was seemingly defeated, the Union wants us to remind everyone the curfew hasn't been lifted yet. There is a very real possibility there are more creatures out there. Union researchers are hard at work analyzing the body to identify all of the victims and prepare to take down possible additional threats."

"What else can you tell us about the Nightsnatcher, Sylvie?"

"Although the word has spread it could be an eldritch spawn from the void, nothing on this topic has been made public yet. Families of missing persons should be prepared for phone calls as identification continues. Ah, the Union just released an official photograph of the Nightsnatcher, it appears to match the amateur footage released earlier today by individuals visiting the Hall at the time of Silhouette's visit."

"We have it on screen right now, thank you, Sylvie. What of this Silhouette, is there anything more you could share?"

"He is interrogated as to the circumstances surrounding the situation, such as how he came upon the creature. No talk of criminal charges or vigilantism accusations has come up as of yet, and everything seems to indicate there has been no foul demeanor at play. Already here in the hall people are chanting to celebrate the event and praise him."

"Thank you, Sylvie. I'd like to add the city hall just released a public announcement on behalf of the mayor, thanking Silhouette and announcing a ceremony will be held at a later date. Now, let me ask our guests. Doctor Clay, Mister Marsh, what is your takeaway of the situation?"

"Well, Phil, I think the Zalcienites will be happy to have free reign of their nights once more. I do not particularly approve of the way the Union is handling this, however. This Silhouette has provided a valuable service, yet he is getting swamped down with questions for hours on hand. Back in my day, folks like him would be getting a sack of gold and a pat on the back, not this melodramatic attempt of a show of strength."

"Of course, you'd think that. Back then you didn't even have the wheel, let alone the concept of national safety. The Union is more than justified, this is an individual who is likely involved in the Pillar of Darkness incident. For all we know, he could be the one who unleashed that monster in the first place. Have you seen the man? I'm not sure he even qualifies as one!"

"Oh, easy for you to say, mister white caucasian human male. This is further evidence this is just another case of discrimination by ruling powers, just as the recent debates surrounding robot rights have shown. Why, isn't there something about him hiring such a mechanical individual recently Phil?"

"Nothing confirmed, but fans of one Doctor Ivan Decanov have begun to claim the Draskian may be under his employ."

"Oh! Blame it on racism, of course! Decanov is a known troublemaker with such a history of explosions he's number two on the suspect list after Abrakaboom. If this is the sort of people this Silhouette surrounds himself with, I am even more certain he has skeletons in his closet."

As the human and the golem on TV kept on arguing under the neutral gaze of their dwarven host, the people in the room in which the cathode screen rested continued their activities. A cyborg a thin black metallic body tested one by one the numerous glowing vents on his robotic frame, releasing short bursts of heat of varying intensity. He also busied himself with a glass bottle filled with a dark amber liquid, a thin metal straw plunging into the alcoholic beverage's depths before going straight to the small mask covering the lower half of his scarred face.

While somewhat shorter than average, the other person in the messy room filled with scraps and broken items was even smaller. A young lithe woman with a tank top and puffy pants tinkered away at various projects on the desk before her, swapping which contraption she worked on as her focus came and went, a mad childish grin on her grease-covered bronze face. One of her gloved hands came up to wipe her brow before she sighed and leaned back in the motorized horror she called a chair.

One of her most notable traits had to be her cyan hair and its odd style. It likely was long, perhaps reaching down to the middle of her back, but it had pulled far behind to become flat on her scalp and then tied with a ribbon of some kind, a cylinder as her hand keeping it trapped before it was freed in a capillary explosion, strands going in all directions. Frankly, it was a miracle none of the pieces she played with on her desk had found their way up there.

It was during this pause that she turned her head and her dark brown eyes fell upon the old TV she kept for background noise, and they widened when she finally realized what was going on.

"Say, Sunny, ain't that the dude the Patcher offered a discount for?"

Her colleague's pale blue eyes flickered to the screen before he pulled the bottle and straw away, his mask closing back the small hole it had formed.

"Silhouette, yes."

"Uh. Does that mean that whole Nightsnatcher thing was on him? Ya know, since with the offer and all."

"Maybe. Does it matter?"

"Well, sales did go down. I know you don't keep track of numbers, but Marcus does and isn't all that happy."

Sunburn grumbled something in his throat, what little of it remained, before speaking up.

"He won't do a thing about it. The Patcher is too valuable."

"Yeah, you're not wrong. The monster dude sure knows his way with a scalpel. So... What now?"

"Business as always."

The short woman spread her arms as she yelled.

"Come on! You gotta be curious. This guy did something the Union couldn't."

"Patcher offered a discount rather than ask for help. That tells me all I need."

"Strength isn't everything, ya know."

The usually stern Draskian let out a small chuckle. After a few seconds, the restrained noise broke free and tuned into proper laughter, a sound that could only be described as ominous and threatening at best, especially with the way his cybernetic hand hit his metal knee. It nearly took half a minute he calmed down enough to resume talking.

"Ah ah ah. Oh, that was a good one."

"How many bottles have you had so far? You wouldn't go past an amused grunt usually."

"Enough to find some entertainment in the nonsense you speak."

"Ouch. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

All amusement and any trace of good mood vanished from the cyborg's face at those words. He stood up from his creaky wooden chair and plugged his bottle shut before setting it down on the nearest flat surface, a car door placed over a pile of broken ventilators. He cracked his neck as he stretched his from side to side before turning away, loud steps echoing from his heavy feet.

"Oh, come on! You're not that quick to quit."

"Do not bother a man when he finds joy in his liquor."

"So you're gonna go cry yourself to sleep?"

"No. I'm going to unwind by scorching some robots."

Her pout turned into a smile.

"Why didn't you just say so? Let's go!"

In a room where the only pieces of furniture were a table and a pair of chairs, a living shadow and a humanoid lizard faced one another.

"It followed this mister Valdest, he lured it to an isolated location where he knew you'd be since he trusted you to beat it, and you did just that. What happened to your employee then?"

"He stayed with me for the duration of the clean-up, and then I accompanied him back home. He didn't feel quite safe after the encounter, you understand. Though I believe I already mentioned this quite a few times already."

"Not with me, and we like to check things when we switch who's doing the interrogating. You went through the Legions of the Union and our rookies. I'm the one in charge of the Nightsnatcher case."

"Congratulations, soon it will be over."

"You're awfully confident about that point."

"I wasn't until the mage I hired to appraise the body assured me so."

"Duskenfer, uh? I'm not an expert on the magic stuff, but our guys who are told me he should be trustworthy."

"He is. He has yet to disappoint me in our time working together."

"What did you work on before?"

"Some of this, some of that. I've had him appraise materials I feared could be dangerous, we had a consultation on how to best handle criminal mages, and I asked for his help for a potential exorcism."

"Exorcism?"

"To clear a potentially haunted propriety. There was no need for him to do anything in the end."

"Uh uh. And how did you two meet, exactly?"

"He came to my doorstep. We renovated a building and caught his attention."

"A different building from the one you asked his help for, right?"

"Indeed."

"Anymore you could tell me about that?"

"I fail to see the relevance with the current situation."

"Alright. So, what did you learn about our mystery creature?"

"As I mentioned previously and I have no doubt one of your agents checked in with Duskenfer already, this appears to be some sort of eldritch lifeform. They generally live in swarms but this one got lost and flung into our world somehow. Starving, it became more aggressive than normal."

"And how did you notice it?"

"I told you, I didn't find it. It found my employee, who had the bright idea to go somewhere he knew he could be protected if he truly was attacked as his instinct told him."

"Let me reformulate: how did you see it once the attack began?"

"Oh! Quite simple. I do not see in the general sense of the world. My way of perceiving reality gives me some leeway, thus though its underside was hidden the rest of it wasn't. As soon as it got close enough, that is."

"Uh uh. And how did you take it down exactly?"

"My business specializes in self-defense tools. I will let you take a guess."

"Your stuff must be really good to take care of eldritch monsters."

"It wasn't anything planned to be available for purchase, that is for sure."

"Could you elaborate?"

"Zalcien has seen me attacked quite a few times while preparing my company. Though non-lethal, I still plan on making a profit with weaponry. Those are two very good reasons to arm my trustworthy employees with more impactful items."

"I suppose you have the permits for all that?"

"Again, I fail to see the connection to the matter at hand. But yes, a business partner has assured me he took care of those issues while I worked hard with Doctor Decanov to finish preparations. We should be able to open soon enough."

"The name of that associate?"

Behind the one-way glass of the wall, Firefighter spoke the name aloud in the observation room synchronously with Silhouette, though the shadow and Inspector Vanille couldn't hear it, courtesy of the soundproofing.

"Blake Black."

Sarah looked from the ongoing interrogation to her uncle, alone with him in the room. Well, there was also a Legion, but those mindless machines didn't count. The trainees had been told to take the day off and unwind as soon as Silhouette had been brought here, but she had begged her uncle to let her watch once they were out of earshot. It took a while, considering Maledicta was a drow and those were well-known for their hearing.

He had grumbled but ultimately agreed, and she was glad she had insisted. The first part with the Legions and the first cops had been admittedly... She wouldn't say boring, that'd be disrespectful to their hard work, but it definitely got a lot more interesting once the hulking lizard got in. Inspector Vanille wasn't a brute contrary to what her appearance might make one think, and it looked like she even played into her primal physique to fool her interlocutor into underestimating her intelligence. It didn't seem all that effective on this Silhouette, but who was she to know? This was the first time she saw a real investigation, not something on TV.

"How did you know?"

"The crows. A bunch of them showed up when we took him in."

"And crows mean Black?"

"Blake Black. The boy loves to use his birds as spies. They aren't as discreet as more tinkered with stuff, but being all natural is a strength of its own. They aren't quite as obvious to those who underestimate the mundane."

"So they're great to avoid detection from a mage tower's defenses or scans for drones, but not that great for everyday stuff?"

"Somewhat. Sometimes, you don't need to hide. If anything, telling folks you're watching them can be a stronger message."

"I still don't see why you're so suspicious of him, though."

"Really?"

The young woman rolled her eyes behind her domino mask.

"Fine, the whole situation is weird, and I admit being involved with the Black Bank isn't the best look. That doesn't mean he did anything bad. Tons of people use the black Bank, not just criminals."

"You're not wrong. To answer your question, it's like I told you and your friends earlier. When you've been doing this job long enough, you start to pick up on when people are off."

She sighed as she crossed her arms.

"I just don't like the idea of punishing someone who did the right thing."

"Truly? What of Vigilantes, then?"

"That's different. People who barge into dangerous situations without any of the necessary training and sometimes with atrocious ethics. This is just a case of self-defense, and it feels like we're punishing him for reporting it."

A new voice joined their conversation, one that neither expected.

"The girl is right on that."

The uncle and niece duo turned around in surprise to watch the newcomer finish slithering into the room, a large serpentine figure covered with scars and possessing four muscled arms, one of which closed the door as the last of the long thick tail of the Hero passed through.

"Serpent. Didn't expect to see you there."

If the rather unique physique of the reptile hadn't been enough, her uncle's relatively warm welcome sealed the deal. Sarah barely restrained herself from fangirling as she found herself next to Serpent, one of Zalcien's top three Heroes. If Mecha Man's childish personality had diminished at meeting the man, Serpent had no such flaw. While their presence was intimidating, the snake person was a sweetheart even according to the gossip her uncle shared. The smooth baritone voice that left their bare and scarred chest played further into this, sounding closer to the host of a show aimed at toddlers to help them sleep than a battle-hardened gladiator who climbed the ranks of the Union with sheer strength and martial prowess alone.

There was a reason why someone with no power aside from their mutated body could stand equal to the technological genius and magical prodigy of the city.

"Mecha told me you'd gotten too interested in the case."

"Bah."

"I agree, his choice of words was poor. The fact I find you here with one of our trainees does show you're interested, though. Odd, for someone who prefers to be a non-combatant."

"Again, bah. What were you talking about earlier?"

The scaled mouth of the Hero proved surprisingly capable when it came to emoting, forming into a gentle smile as their head turned to look at Sarah.

"Firefly, was it? I agree with you. If we press too hard on this Silhouette, we will send the message that people shouldn't trust us to help them handle the aftermath of incidents they were subjected to."

The human veteran Hero scoffed.

"You think he's innocent too?"

"I cannot say. He is odd and quite secretive, but I do believe him when he says he isn't responsible for the Nightsnatcher and simply was at the right place at the right time to handle it."

"What's your take on this situation, then?"

"We let him go, but keep a close eye on him. Monitor his activities and the people he meets. In the meantime, we openly thank him for his service and reward him for upholding his citizen duty."

"I don't like it."

"Mecha did mention you mumbling something about registering a nemesis for the first time."

While seeing the two veteran Heroes discuss had Sarah hold her tongue, these last few words freed her voice once more out of sheer surprise.

"Wait, that's not how it works."

Serpent smiled once more as they turned towards her.

"Tell me, what do you know of this system?"

"Well, when a Hero is perfectly suited to counter a Villain, they register as their nemesis so that whenever the villain does something, they have a priority warning. Like, say, if a Villain who specializes in making fire robots attacks a bank, the first Hero warned is a hacker with water powers."

Her uncle cleared his throat as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That isn't wrong. It's more than a priority, though. They're also called for investigations, they can act as a consultant when dealing with someone with a similar modus operandi, all that stuff. Powers aren't the only way to counter, too."

Serpent nodded.

"Sometimes the mind is more important. The best example is when dealing with clones. Knowing how the other side thinks is vital. You don't need magnetism to lay low a metal goliath if you know you can just trick him into leaving, or play off whatever moral compass or gimmick he has."

Sarah nodded as she took in the lesson. Their classes hadn't taught them about this topic yet since the Nemesis system was rather niche and generally reserved for more experienced Heroes. Hell, as far as she knew, Zalcien's top three weren't involved in it at all. Mecha Man and Miss Malice were so versatile they could do with any situation. As for Serpent, their physical might was remarkable but ultimately fell short of truly countering any of the city's Villains.

The reptilian Hero continued their explanation, and this time the topic was the one that truly intrigued her.

"Your true interrogation likely isn't on the logistics of it but rather the validity, no? How could Firefighter become the nemesis of someone who isn't a Villain?"

"Yes, that's exactly it!"

"It's simple. It isn't official."

"Pardon?"

The snake adjusted their posture as one of their arms rose to hold their chin.

"The Union often finds itself confronted with situations where individuals or groups have nefarious goals but successfully rid themselves of all evidence. People we cannot legally take down, only watch out for to clean up whatever mess they are preparing. They are part of the unofficial rogues' gallery, a parallel system to the public Villain List. In Zalcien, our biggest contender in that category is undoubtedly Xenocorp. If it weren't for Abrakaboom's rampages, Wicked Witchcraft would be on this list too."

Sarah knew of the company. Everyone in the city did. The science firm had little to no morals, but as far as she knew they had always stayed within the limits of the law, at least whenever it came to things the Union could butt their head in. They likely had some tax evasion going like any big business, but hearing they were on the same sort of level as a cabal of criminal mages? That was...

"You can ask to become the unofficial nemesis of anyone on the list and the Union decides if it's fine or not. Of course, they do have to be on the list in the first place."

That last sentence had clearly been aimed at her uncle, given the glare that accompanied it. Though she couldn't his face behind the visor of his helmet, she had no doubt he had just rolled his eyes in response.

"Knowing Saline, when the cops are done interrogating him, she'll follow your plan."

"I know. I just wished to see what had lit the spark of conflict in your heart."

The hybrid head of an anaconda and a cobra turned towards the glass and looked at the anthropomorphic darkness seated at the table and noticed the lizard humanoid who had been questioning him stood up.

It looked like it was time for the shadow to go.