Silhouette

When the two monstrous flesh creatures emerged from the sewer grate onto the street, they were in luck. Not only was the surface clear of pedestrians despite the sun still shining its light onto the city, but they also weren't far from their original target. While they had genuinely been ordered to investigate the sewers in search of clues, they knew of one spot it resided in.

"Look, brother. That street shouldn't be far from the Penumbral Palace."

"I hear you, sister, but give me a moment. I was just partially devoured by one of the sewers' rulers."

"Yes, yes, complain as you wish. But this is indeed a development we must share with the Biflora as soon as possible."

"I am well aware, sister. The Marked has always been known for her relative neutrality, compared to The Blind and The Horror. Still, at most she tolerates passers-by. Her outright allying with someone is unprecedented, just like her leaving the tainted part of the city. What makes this situation more worrying however is her appearance."

"How so, brother? I haven't noticed anything out of the usual given the reports."

"And that is the problem. She was untouched by the darkness we saw on the rats and the walls. I fear our elemental friend found a way to corrupt beings without making it apparent."

The centipede's flaps on the head opened, revealing a horrified human face.

"Acolytes could very well be compromised without even realizing it."

"If our theory is correct, yes. Which is why I recommend retreating now and reporting to the lord."

"How unusual of you, brother. You usually would argue to charge and gather as much as possible by now."

"A close encounter with the jaws of a magnificent reptile has put out my usual fire, I'm afraid."

The centipede chuckled while the beast of tentacles and eyestalks watched, unamused.

"Being this casual while on duty is uncharacteristic of you as well, sister."

She paused in her mockery.

"Yes. How troublesome. It seems the excitement of this mission got to us faster than usual."

The prehensile appendages of the other nodded in agreement.

"I propose we rearrange the mass now."

"Are you certain, brother? While on mission?"

"If we wish to return to the norm and better decide the best course of action, yes."

She hesitated, scratching at her pointy yet elegant chin with a thin leg with far too many joints.

"Fine. Do you have anything planned so we can synergize?"

"Considering our recent encounters, sister, I think something with wings would do me well."

"Range for you and melee for me, then?"

"Yes, that will do, sister."

"Very well, brother. But first, we should head into an alley."

Only now did the more grotesque of the two monsters realize they still stood in the oddly empty street, in broad daylight. Well, evening light would be more appropriate, but the sun had yet to set.

He grumbled as he accompanied her to the nearest dark spot away from prying eyes. A quick check with all their senses showed there truly was no one nearby who could potentially bear witness to or try to interfere with what would happen next, prompting the two to exchange a final nod before beginning.

The abominations walked into each other but rather than bounce off one another's bodies, the flesh that composed them melded together, flesh fusing with flesh as their robes combined to better cocoon the shrinking orb they had become. It took minutes of rotating and squelching in the otherwise quiet alleyway for the green shell to crack, the flora splitting back into two right as their wearers emerged.

It was hard to say which was which, not just because of their changed physique. The very material that composed them had been carefreely exchanged with no regard for which of the two entities it had originally belonged to. What had once been a centipede of skin and a noodly monster were now a bizarre inflated cuttlefish with wings and a crab with lizard legs and a scorpion's tail. Of course, much like their previous iterations, those new forms were composed exclusively of flesh, though the skin of the arthropod was thick and leathery enough to serve as a decent replacement for chitin.

The car-sized crab's mouthparts opened to reveal the feminine human face beneath, a smirk on her lips as she studied the comparatively diminutive form of her brother, the long yet thin wings helping him adjust his position in the air looking quite ridiculous on top of his ballooned body.

"What an odd choice of configuration, brother."

"I hear you, sister. But know this is infinitely more fearsome than those chitinous forms you enjoy so much. As we are, we lack the resources for you to make them truly efficient."

"Alas. Onto the matter at hand, what should we do now?"

The tentacles beneath the balloon bristled.

"Realigning ourselves has gifted me the will to see our mission through."

"How unfortunate. I mind myself agreeing with your previous mindset. Things have already gone awry once, mindlessly persisting will only bring us to failure. What we have learned so far is already worth reporting."

"But think of how much more we could learn! All we need is an opening, a chance-"

The cephalopod paused as the duo heard something approaching. Metallic footsteps accompanied by a deep voice marked by a Draskian accent. They paused their quarrel as they focused on the passer-by, having an inkling as to their identity.

"Yes, everything is progressing appropriately Mister Silhouette. We should be right on time for the opening day despite your decision to announce it without consulting me first. You are very welcome."

The mechanical scientist paused at the entrance to their alleyway, though he was far too focused on his phone call to notice the two creatures watching him from the shadows.

"A visit to your hometown? Now? That seems counterproductive. Idiotic, even. What prompted you to do such a thing? Fine. May you pay us a last visit before you depart, to verify that all is to your liking?"

The abominations got a little closer.

"Already gone? Why did you wait until now to warn me? Ah, yes, I suppose I can forgive you if it was for the sake of my work. May I have an estimate of the duration of this leave? A week? Very well. Rest assured, I will keep operations functional in your absence. Do remember to better manage your schedule in the future."

Ivan Decanov ended the call and placed his phone back in the pocket of his lab coat. The movement led him to look to the side, exposing the sight of two seemingly marine horrific creatures draped in leaves and bark watching him with a nigh frenzied look in their eyes. The pragmatical man raised one of his infamous rectangular eyebrows.

"Silhouette? Gone for a week, you say? Hear this, sister?"

"Why yes, brother. This might make this risky expedition worth reconsidering."

The two monsters of the Hivines advanced as one, prompting the robot to run back the way he came from.

"After him!"

"I know, brother."

The crab dashed madly ahead, its reptilian legs packing incredible power in their oversized muscles. The cuttlefish meanwhile began to release some of its gas, allowing it to reach tremendous speeds. They cared not for the noise they made or the destruction they caused in their pursuit, bricks flying as they hurried out of the alley and after their new target. The robot's sprint was nothing to scoff at either, his heavy stomps leaving shallow rectangular marks on the ground with his soles. The power in his mechanical body would have allowed him to easily lose a human pursuer by this point. Sadly, those weren't humans.

The brother was the first to reach him. Thankfully for the pursued, the cuttlefish's lightness, necessary for his flight, made him easy to push off. More precisely, a backhanded slap of a metal hand sent the cultist into a wall before his lengthening tentacles could do anything.

He returned shortly, and this time evaded the slap. He failed to foresee the elbow slammed into his inflated body, however.

Before the brother could attempt to catch his prey and fail a third time, the sister arrived.

The robot had to leap to avoid the crushing grip of her massive claws, their unarmored form letting bare the powerful muscles granting them their strength. The claws of her reptilian legs tore through the asphalt of the street with ease, effortlessly ruining the footsteps the heavy machine left in his wake. Her brother returned once more, though this time he settled down on her bulky frame. His tentacles adjusted, positioning him to better fire off and catch the fleeing man.

"You can't run, Doctor! Cease this meaningless flight!"

Ivan Decanov had no lungs. His speech was in no way tied to his equivalent of stamina. As such, he could theoretically respond to the demented balloon that had just taunted him. He didn't. He might have loved to hear his own voice, but he was still a genius and as such perfectly capable of realizing the act could still distract him.

Case in point, he had a feeling he wouldn't have turned in time to avoid the high-velocity cephalopod thrown his way if he did entertain the abomination's game.

The brother splatted against the building wall and it was up to his sister to catch him as she turned the corner, a lizard limb grasping his confused body before throwing him back onto her back. The smaller of the two siblings shook himself, his wings flapping about before he had recovered enough to attempt another launch.

Thankfully both for the inflated cuttlefish and his target, Decanov's goal was just in sight. The scientist barged into the frontal shop of the Penumbral Palace as the two silent guards at the entrance turned and aimed their weapons at the incoming monsters. Bolts of electricity and one of the two creatures flew through the air. The sparkling energy harmlessly fizzled out once it reached the crab, whereas the tentacles of the brother brought low the two sentries, wrapping them together before rapidly and repeatedly bashing them against the wall until they stopped moving, and then some more.

The sister had to grab him along once more as she forced her way inside to get him to stop venting his frustration on the unconscious opponents. The black interior of the shop was eery, and the empty shelves didn't help the atmosphere. A few more guards were waiting, but they posed no challenge to the combined might of his tentacles and her claws. The backdoor to the inner court of the facility was wide open and the back of the fleeing machine was still visible even as he ran inside the factory he had entirely renovated.

The cultists spared no time rushing after him, continuing their pursuit and bashing aside any of the guards on their way. At last, they made their way in, and they were delighted to find the building empty of anything but inert machinery and their latest prey. The doctor backed away as they appeared, stepping back to grab some sort of rifle that had been left on a nearby table.

"There is nowhere to run now, Doctor."

"My brother and I merely wish to talk."

The Draskian scoffed as he aimed the black weapon their way, the dark crystal at the end of the muzzle alternating between the two.

"I know your sort. You will proclaim my existence heretical whether or not I help you."

"Nonsense, Doctor. The Biflora may wish for a return to a natural paradise, but as my brother can attest, he still understands the sins of machines don't fall on them but their makers. Why, your kind had proven capable of cohabiting and even helping nature."

"As my sister says, you can fit in. Look at all those ships providing sea life a safe haven."

The scientist grunted.

"Sunken ships. Rusting. Decaying."

"Either way, Doctor, we have no ill will towards you. We simply wish to know more about the man you work for. My brother and I have found ourselves quite worried about his operations. Oh, how the corruptive darkness he wields has infected the sewers. A tragedy."

"Indeed, sister. Such a plague poses an incredible threat, not just to nature but to all. None of us wants a repeat of the tragedy that brought low the old Zalcien. Certainly, even you must understand the risks involved, Doctor. Tell us everything."

The robot fired his weapon, a black bolt of electricity almost hitting the cuttlefish if it hadn't just released gas and flung itself out of the way.

"Your damned cult leader is far more dangerous than anything Silhouette may wish to do. Besides, I signed a contract. There is nothing I could tell you even If I wanted to. And with no organic brain to steal and siphon information from, there is nothing you can do.

The open mouthparts of the crab slapped her body as her human face let out a laugh.

"Oh oh oh, Doctor, you are misunderstood. While we could have extracted all that we need ourselves had you not been made of accursed metal, that doesn't mean we can't learn what we want from you. Isn't that right, brother?

"Yes. Some of those who understand the truth of the Biflora's cause are more than capable of tearing the information out of your circuits. Magic curse or not, compliant or not, we will know everything. And it has been made quite clear nothing here can stop us."

Decanov shot once more and the balloon evaded again.

"So you are willing to assault and kidnap me in the very heart of my employer's growing enterprise on the off chance I may know anything about some nefarious plot or worrisome ability he may possess. That's it?"

The brother was ready to reply before his sister caught him in one of her claws, a perplexed look on her face.

"Doctor, are you recording this?"

The Draskian grunted.

"Well, I suppose it was unlikely for you to be this idiotic. We'll have to make do with what's already gathered."

"Doctor, what are you talking about?"

The scientist put down his weapon before turning back to the two monsters, the smaller one now free from his sibling but sharing her confusion.

"Doctor, answer my sister's query. What game are you playing?"

"The one I told him to."

The two abominations's eyes snapped to the ceiling and widened in horror at what they saw. Ambient shadows on the ceiling moved slithered, gathering to form a single mass that dropped heavily down onto the ground, splashing and reforming into a wide-shouldered humanoid frame that stared them down despite its lack of face and eyes. Behind them, they heard the loud clocking of metal on metal and the heavy click of the entrance's locking itself. All of a sudden the empty factory had become a mausoleum invaded by black mist and shambling figures crawling out of the shadows out of sight.

"Two acolytes of the Hivines came to my door not so long ago. Then, I hear word two monsters wearing their robes appear in the sewers nearby. Now, two more creatures with the same clothes but different appearances barge in, pursuing my trusted employee. Am I correct to assume you are perhaps the same two shapeshifting individuals?"

The crab snapped a claw at a walking shadow that grew too close for comfort.

"No need to answer. I can feel it. The black scar you wear. Curiously, only one of you had been marked, and yet you both now bear a fragment of it."

The cultists recalled the wound that strange rat had inflicted. They grew furious.

"You will let go of us, Silhouette."

"As my brother says. You cannot harm us without incurring the wrath of the Biflora."

The dark figure chuckled as twisted serpents swam through the mist.

"I have a feeling he would become my enemy after your safe return regardless. The least I can do is ensure what you have learned doesn't reach him."

She suddenly realized the extent of their mistake. She grabbed her brother and tried to run away, dread in her heart. Before she could even try to bash through the doors that had closed behind them, she felt a soul-chilling cold invade her. She couldn't move her limbs. She looked to the side to see the reason why and terror invaded her. Shadows clung to her like glue, and from them spread black frost that hurried to cover her body, the thin layer further turning to impenetrable black ice.

Her brother fought against her already frozen claw to escape fruitlessly. Soon living tar covered him, in an instant turning to black flames that scorched him yet transmitted no warmth to her. She realized that in her attempt to save him, she had doomed him.

She opened her mouth to scream. Before sound could leave her throat it was invaded by more of that insidious darkness.

Her consciousness faded away.

And yet she still felt the horrible fangs gnawing at her very soul.