To tell the truth, James hadn't expected the new and improved Techzooka and its boosted ammunition to be so effective. Oh, he had been absolutely at its performance back in the Sunken City when it had destroyed Sydakors' prison or house, but given Techlord's workload and the short timeframe, James had expected the upgrade would just slightly enhance the destruction and corruption brought by the weapon, not... This.
The pillar of darkness seemed to emerge from the depths of the world and rose high so into the sky that James was sure everyone within Zalcien, and if he wasn't busy preparing himself for the incoming fight he would be worried about the repercussions of that show of force. He knew the risks when he chose to start the attack by firing the Techzooka, but the damage both physical and moral the weapon could do was too important to pass up. Still, as he observed the shadowy energy that had completely engulfed the multiple stories-high building where Runar had made his lair, James couldn't help but have the feeling it wouldn't be as effective as he wished it too. Maybe it was just his experience with Sydakors speaking, but...
James instantly bent in half, narrowly avoiding the sword that cleaved the air where his torso used to be, and before he had the time to form tentacles to seize his assailant the individual in question jumped away from the scene to the window of a nearby building, where it was promptly assaulted by two Mischief members who immediately got cut in half before the figure vanished, leaping away from James could make vaguely make out of what seemed to be a long coat.
Techlord was the first to react.
"What the hell was that?"
"A Runarian knight, I believe. One of the two we don't know much about. Do you think-"
"You wanna know if I could handle it?"
The teen genius dropped the now empty but still fuming Techzooka and did something to his suit, lighting all of the small glowing spots on it once more.
"Now I can."
James nodded as he took in the sight of the two undeniably dead infused rats thanks to his globalized senses. Now wasn't the time to think about that.
"I doubt an assassin would attack if they thought their employer was dead. Which means-"
It was at this point that the pillar of darkness dissipated, revealing that the building was still standing - though it had still been greatly impacted by the attack. The once relatively pristine walls of the edifice were now covered in large black cracks, growing bigger the closer to the ground they were situated, though James was proud to notice even the roof appeared to be on the verge of falling apart or shattering. It wasn't mundane blackness either, instead, the corrupting matter seemed more like a mold, emerging from the damaged stone and cement and slowly spreading to the rest of the structure. James made a mental note that the Techzooka would prove particularly effective in something like a siege, but that wasn't their goal here. They didn't have the resources to wait outside until the place was fully infused to make sure Runar wouldn't stop the process, they had to end things now.
James signaled the others to follow him as they left the alleyway they had been hiding in, emerging into the open area in front of the ruins in the making.
"Techlord, the speaker."
The armored teen took a small black box from his belt and threw it at James who promptly caught it in a tentacle before placing it roughly where his mouth should be.
"Greetings. My name is Silhouette, and I am here to put an end to Runar's numerous attempts against me and mine. If you come and surrender now, no matter your rank and identity, I will let you go. Perhaps I could even offer you a job. If you choose to stay and fight, know that you have given up on the right to mercy."
James threw back the box at Techlord who easily caught it.
"What did you think?"
"Eh, could have been better, could have been worse."
A member of the Shadow Commando commented.
"Yeah, it doesn't have the same impact when you're not messing with the place. Back in the dark temple thingy? That was terrifying."
"Yeah, a speaker doesn't cut it for you boss. Maybe try infiltrating, speaking real loud, and then ordering the Techzooka to fire? Like, a 'behold, my infinite power' kind of thing."
Loedycan's nose twitched before the wolfman growled.
"People are coming."
A few seconds later men and women emerged from the building's entrance - after accidentally breaking the door when they pushed to open it and it fell off to the ground - all dressed in mundane and slightly dirty clothes and wielding types of basic weapons, from knives and maces to pipes and crowbars while passing by machetes and metal knuckles, and none of them appeared to have runes of them, clearly, these were the bottom of the barrel, the sacrificial lambs. Judging by the mix of anger and fear on their faces, James doubted they were here to surrender, though they didn't get to see him.
By the time the thugs left their base, only Loedycan, Fluorine, and the infused were still there. It had been a weird day for them, one minute everything was going as usual, and the next suddenly everything became dark before the writings on the walls began to glow as the place shook like there was an earthquake, then the light returned and a voice threatened them, and finally their boss' voice came from the weird artifacts in the corners of each room's ceiling and told them "the common thugs" to "go out there and take care of it". Many would have refused to go if the next words hadn't been "knights, get ready as well". Still, a few of those now outside had looked out the window as soon as the darkness had vanished and had seen their attackers, so seeing many of them were missing and only a group was left was worrying, to say the least. Sadly for those perceptive few, the vast majority of the twenty people who had followed their leader's orders hadn't noticed the change and just rushed in for a fight. The knights would be here soon anyway, and they could deal with the Cored who manipulated shadows.
One of those bloodthirsty thugs, a woman with a machete, was the first to speak as they passed the now-broken door.
"Oh! Who's the idiot trying to attack Runar's place?!"
The black goblin in front of her kept a perfectly neutral face as it answered.
"Silhouette. Our master announced himself loud and clear a moment ago."
The thug, as though she hadn't heard anything, kept walking and pointed the machete at the diminutive creature.
"And who the hell are you?"
The small shaman flexed its fingers and a ball of green fire appeared in its palm.
"Fluorine, Burning Water shaman."
Seeing the magical flames cooled the thug down. She didn't have a Core, and she knew for a fact she wouldn't be able to handle a mage of any kind on her own. Luckily, she wasn't alone.
"Hoy, you idiots, we have a job to do!"
The thugs that had come with her began to walk forward and yell various profanities, threats, and mindless screams, in hopes of intimidating their opponents. The towering wolfman with his arms crossed next to the goblin growled in response, and the noise died down.
"Fluorine, should we intervene?"
"Negative. Let the others handle it."
The wold nodded before ordering the dozen of black humanoids behind him.
"Infused, execute. Mages, prepare to counter."
The mindless drones all stepped forward as one in perfect unison, and some of the thugs couldn't help but step back in return. Fluorine and Loedycan began to walk forward, completely ignoring the various fighters in front of them as they made their way to the now doorless entrance. The woman with a machete, enraged by the disrespect, rushed at them and a few others copied her action, screaming out their frustration as they readied their weapons to strike the duo.
As soon as they were within arm's reach, Loedycan tore them apart with his metal claws, black flames escaping from them as they slashed and burned away at the flesh. The four thugs that had tried to attack him and Fluorine didn't even get a chance to scream out in pain before they were laying silent on the ground covered in blood and growing black patches on their skin.
The rest of the thugs looked on in horror at the sight, and before they had a chance to think of how to handle the situation were reminded of the dozen or so figures that were here to attack them too. The infused readied their electroguns and fired at their enemies perfectly synchronized, and the most worthless of Runar's men yelled out in pain as black electricity invaded their bodies and fried their nerves, dark energies slipping into them and changing them forever.
As Loedycan and Fluorine were about to step inside, a massive wave exited the building and grew into a gigantic wall of moving water that threatened to cover the entire area and drown the infused. Before the miniature tsunami had the chance to crash down and destroy everything in its path, Fluorine, standing on Loedycan's shoulders, twirled on the wolfman, covering his claws in green flames that grew even bigger when the lupine's own black fire manifested before he slashed in front of him from the ground to the sky, cutting the wave in two, putting the duo out of danger. The infused, some distance behind them, had been prepared for this eventuality: not only had the group made sure to stay behind the duo, making sure they too were in the opening the wolfman's magic-breaking claws would form, the mages also stood in front of the others and formed shields of shadows that blocked the water coming in from the two diminished waves crashing to the side. The thugs that had been injured by the infused weren't so lucky.
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Loedycan, still hosting Fluorine on his shoulders, jumped back from the building's entrance just in time to avoid being impaled by the ivory teardrop-shaped head of the red spear that instead pierced the ground. The white knight holding the weapon scoffed before stepping outside, his voice echoing from the familiar frogmouth helm topped by a red feather.
"Fluorine, Loedycan. I heard your patron's voice, but it is you who stand in my way?"
Speareau spun his namesake weapon as he took in the situation.
"So, you have troops this time. I see you also upgraded your equipment. A little too monochrome for my test, sadly, but a single touch of color could drastically improve it."
Behind his helm, the knight's eyes narrowed.
"But onto more serious matters. You had the decency to offer mercy, so I shall do the same. Surrender now, and you'll get to live. This isn't a scouting mission this time, and Silhouette won't have the chance to save you. Yield now, otherwise..."
Water began to appear and form a trail behind the head of the spear, still spinning, while dozens of men and women joined the knight outside, these all holding at least a runic mace or knife, many also having a gun in their hands, and among them were multiple knights in plate armor and runic mages in robes with quills and open grimoires in their hands.
"You'll be washed away!"
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On the opposite side of the building, the last of the Shadow Commando rushed up the black ladder directly leading to a window of the second floor. This part of the plan was simple but undeniably effective: while the expendable infused got the enemy's attention at the front, James shapeshifted to allow the others to climb up and take those still inside by surprise. Runar's men would have to fight on two fronts, and James was confident the Knights wouldn't dare bring out their full power inside in fear of their base collapsing on them. The only one James could picture disregarding the obviously damaged state of the building would be Runar himself, James could easily picture the man's office being so enhanced and protected by runes that it could survive the destruction.
Inside, as the last man entered and joined the others doing their final preparation in the corner of the breakroom while a kneeling Techlord kept a lookout from the only entrance, the teen suddenly raised his hand without looking back, the back of it facing the troops behind him. The group stopped breathing as James unfurled from his ladder form to his classic Silhouette persona while slipping inside as silently as he could, idly noticing how the walls were covered in runes, and how many of the symbols were breaking, either by the wall itself cracking and slowly falling to pieces or the runes melting and spreading, like a bad tattoo. Techlord took something from his belt, a small round metallic thing with two a ring attached at the top, and with a flex of his fingers, a small spark of electricity escaped from his gauntlets and entered the thing before he made it roll from the half-open door onto the ground of the next room. He closed the door and then began to count down on his fingers, his hand raised to be in clear view of everyone.
Five.
Four.
A muffled voice.
Three.
"What's that thing?"
Two.
"Did someone drop their-"
One.
A bang echoed across the floor and Techlord opened the door wide and lead the charge, the Commando following closely behind him as James turned into a shadow and followed them from the ceiling.
Beyond the breakroom was a strange sight in a building such as this one, rather than apartments or offices it appeared the floor served as a workshop where dozen of people worked to inscribe runes onto items based on the various tools and materials at their sides while being under the guard and surveillance of more of Runar's men, though these all appeared to be wearing armor and were equipped with swords and shields, they were the knights, not quite to the level of the five Runarian Knights that the runemaster considered his true elite, but still undeniably more skilled and well equipped than any thug, after all, James and his employees had never managed to take one of them down. The dozen that had come to the warehouse with Speareau had disappeared with him, and the duo that served as Pierce Evil's squires, though forced into a standstill by Barry and Larry's weapons, hadn't been injured and they too had left with their leader when he had no choice but to retreat.
Sadly for them and the runic scribes, the room was currently getting filled with thick black smoke, released by Techlord's custom bomb. James' senses let him see through it fine, and the infused glass that made up the others' masks let them see through darkness with no trouble - and as they had already tested, infused smoke too. As the group rushed into the room and began to fire their electroguns at the knights, James made sure to stealthily the young scribe that had picked up the bomb before it detonated and made sure to infuse her now handless arm until the feeling stopped and shadowy flesh grew to cover the exposed bone. It might not have been a grenade, but it was still more than powerful enough to maim or even kill at close range.
The knights and scribes quickly realized they were under attack, doubly so once the electroguns fired and some of them began to shout in pain as dark energies rampaged through their bodies, but none of them had been equipped with runes meant to pierce through such a situation, and the only option they were left with was to fight blindly in the dark while doing their best to hold their breath to protect their lungs. Those covered in metal armor made enough noise to keep track of as they walked through the darkness with their shields ready to protect their heads, but the scribes had no such thing, and the best they could do was hide under the desks of their workstations while fumbling with their tools to come up with something.
Techlord took a good look at the situation and studied how the knights were hesitantly adventuring despite their blindness and were hitting furniture and even walls as they advanced while the scribes were doing their best to stay hidden and reign in their panic, whereas the Commando was perfectly composed and each member made sure to keep track of where the others were and, despite their advantage of being unhindered by the smoke, did their best to still move as silently as possible and weren't firing madly, but instead picking out targets and moving out of the way as fast as possible to avoid Runar's men figuring out where they were.
Satisfied by the way things were going, Techlord whispered, knowing James would hear.
"I think they'll be fine on their own. We should go on to handle the big guys before they decide to go after the small fry."
A knight that was close by apparently heard the muttering since they turned and ran towards Techlord as they swung their blade, adjusting the movement at the last moment as they noticed the lights on the bodysuit, only for the teen to jump over the armored figure and grab onto the ceiling before kicking down their helmeted head with both his feet, the contraptions in his boots that boosted his strength making a dent in the metal as the knight fell onto the ground and stopped moving. The threat taken care of, Techlord let go of the ceiling, plaster falling along with him as he made to bend his knees as he landed. He then began to navigate through the workshop, avoiding any further confrontation while sneaking to the exit, the doorway that led to the stairs, all the while James was following closely behind, hidden in the teen's shadow, and both continued, oblivious to the invisible presence of a three-eyed knight behind them, observing the Commando as he let Techlord pass.
As James and the teen reached the stairwell, they didn't need to stop to consider what to do now. They had already planned for this situation beforehand, they had concluded that attacking Runar in his office directly should be a last resort since the runemaster's last bastion would be filled with traps and countermeasures, ones undamaged by the Techzooka's blast, instead, taking control of each floor of the building would be safer. If they got rid of his men and of his elites, Runar would have nothing left and would be likelier to surrender without a fight James still wasn't sure he could win. The infused were already taking care of the outside and the ground floor while the Commando was taking over the second, which left only the first, the third, the fourth, and Runar's office on the roof. The infused could manage the first when going up, and so did the Commando with the third, which meant Techlord and James would go to the fourth.
At least, they were going to before Techlord's suit formed a magnetic shield that blocked a dagger thrown at his throat before bursting and launching back the weapon just as the teen raised his electricity-covered gauntlets and caught his assailant's hand, covered in thick leather and holding a short sword, as always covered in symbols, including some glowing red.
Based on the method and their attire, James assumed this was his would-be assassin from earlier, recognizing what he had taken for a cloak. The Runarian Knight - for what else could it be - wore a long and open gambeson, the padded cloth able to stop blades hanging down to the figure's knees, roughly where their leather boots began. The assassin had to be the most curious of the knights James had seen in this regard, instead of the heavy plates all of the others had used this one's armor was much lighter and used metal preciously, only small here and there to better protect the joints and vitals, and even their helmet was mostly devoid of the stuff, brown leather formed a dome that protected the head and on top of which was a band of black hair that fell back to behind the head, and from the dome dangled more leather, tied together at the front over the lower half of the face by small cords, only leaving the eyes to be seen. Despite being made only of leather, the armor still gave the knight an intimidating look, especially with the black fur attached to the gambeson's collar and shoulders.
Techlord smirked behind his mask as he looked at the assassin.
"Not so good when people know you're coming, eh?"
The figure clad in leather armor grunted before suddenly overpowering the teen's grasp and freeing their hand and jumping back, their feet attaching themselves to the wall behind them and allowing the knight to crouch with their back to the ceiling before speaking, their voice undoubtedly feminine despite being muffled.
"You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. You pick a fight with us and invade our base? Do you truly expect to leave alive?"
Black spikes suddenly emerged from behind the knight, but she jumped away before they had a chance to reach her, landing in the middle of the stairs to the first floor.
"That kind of trick won't work on me, boy."
Techlord scoffed.
"Leave her to me, boss. Why wait until now to attack? She's trying to gain time."
Through the thin opening in her helmet, a frown could be seen on her face. Not seeing any shadows leave and knowing James wouldn't answer, the teen kept going.
"Go ahead, what's the point of bringing me if you won't let me fight too? Besides, I've got a few toys I still want to test. I'll catch up when I'm done."
This time he saw a black flicker of something going up the wall, and although it could be a bug, he wouldn't bet on that. The knight, for her part, quickly caught on.
"He's here, isn't he? It wasn't a bluff earlier then, he really came himself."
A dagger fell from her sleeve to her free hand, which quickly gripped the weapon.
"Tell me everything you know boy, and I could give you a handsome reward. We're always looking for new talents."
Techlord let out an amused huff as he took on a combat pose.
"What are you, human resources?"
"In a sense. I am Medraw, Runar's trusted when it comes to trade relationships. And who are you, boy?"
Once more he smirked behind his mask, just as the lights of his suit glowed brighter.
"I'm Techlord, inventor extraordinaire, and essentially Silhouette's number two. But more importantly, I'm the guy who's going to beat you to a pulp."
"That's it? That's your best line?"
"Actions speak louder than words."
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On the fourth floor of Runar's base, a beast woke up.
It knew its target was approaching.
And for the first time in this form, with this flesh and these bones, it would get to hunt.
Glapissant couldn't wait.