"Well, what do you think?"

"Cool."

"Very nice."

"Maybe scary?"

"Goliath, scary good."

Back in his lair with the ratlings, James had tried to improve his humanoid form's appearance. Before they left to go back to their home, he had interrogated Larry and Barry about the dangers of the surface. Their answers weren't what he hoped for but better than he expected.

After a good while spent pondering while the ratlings watched cartoons, he decided that he couldn't spend his entire life down in the sewers. Or, well, theoretically he could but it wasn't the life he envisioned. Granted, he hadn't been prepared to become a shadowy mass of whatever in a world straight out of a comic book but hey, life always catches you by surprise. Like his death.

The plan was simple. First, he had scouted the sewers, again. This time he carefully checked every entrance and exit, making sure to remember where they were, which paths were the best to go from to another, and finally, maybe the most important part, where they led on the surface.

Unsurprisingly the answer was almost always "a run-down alleyway". Well, that wasn't exactly the truth. Most openings, such as sewer grids and some manholes, led to what might have once been a regular street. The problem here was the term "once". The roads were still usable but they were incredibly damaged, the pavement looking more like the rocky ground of ancient ruins than the pavement of a modern city.

The sidewalks were no better, covered in trash and improvised extensions to the surrounding buildings, buildings that more often than not had been destroyed and were now repaired with scraps and odd ends. James was still shocked by the sight of a house made out of bricks at its base, then metal plates, then wooden poles linked by netting. Anyone could see what the people at the top were doing, which probably was just watching over their surroundings judging by the woman with goggles James had seen.

To complete the streets' sad style, platforms had been set up between many buildings, including bridges that crossed the streets and left the roads in a sinister shade more often than not. Really, the surface looked more like a bunch of improvised post-apocalyptic fortresses set up next to each other than an actual place within a city. If he had to hazard a guess, James would say that having superpowers probably made gang wars even more destructive than they already were, but also gave some of the regular folks a fighting chance in some situations. A bunch of guys with guns wasn't as intimidating when you were made out of jello, based on an encounter he had spied on.

Seeing the state of the slums let James know that, for the near future, keeping their home in the sewers was probably for the best. Sure, they were tons of dangerous creatures, but they were just animals. They worked alone or in small packs and stuck to their territories. People? People were far too unpredictable to live near right now. Not that he would give up on living in a society, no, but it would be better if it was in a safe neighborhood, or a place where no one had the means to threaten him and the ratlings.

So, why would he go to the surface if it was in such a state of disrepair and so potentially dangerous? Well, there was a simple, clear, and understandable answer: he was bored. The Internet, sadly, lost some of its appeal when you were an affront to the laws of nature and you had no clue about the pop culture of the world you resided in. There was also the fact that after what he experienced, sitting all day along behind a screen lost its charm. Plus, it didn't feel right to live right next to this massive unknown, he needed to investigate and study it if only a little.

Hence the current situation: he was trying to design a suitable humanoid form for surface exploration.

His current humanoid form wasn't that great, it was basically a head on a torso that became a tail that went into the ground where it became a puddle of darkness. Practical, simple, and comfortable. The problem was that it was too simple.

Right now he was trying something different yet similar, he had kept the whole head and torso and tail approach but with some modifications, the tail didn't go straight into the ground where a puddle formed but instead widened into a flat foot, making him look like he was emerging from a pool of tar. He had also added some shoulders, they rose above his neck before falling back to join it, making his torso look like an arrowhead. As for his actual head, he had reworked it to give it a pointer chin, to make it feel more natural than his old pure oval shape.

"You think it's scary Goliath?"

"Looks like bad guy from Captain Cyan."

"Yeah, so cool."

"David, dad is no bad guy."

"Well, I can't deny the pointy chin and spiky shoulders combo isn't the most friendly thing..."

James lowered the shoulders, they were still like spiky pauldrons but less evil ones. He removed the pointy chin, going back to an oval head.

"Hmm... Foot's weird."

"Father, arms?"

"Ah, you are right. Sprouting tentacles in the middle of a crowd probably isn't a good idea."

To hide the spot where his body turned into a shadow to stick to the ground, James created a bunch of tentacles to cover it as well as to serve as his arms. He made six for now, enough to properly hide everything as well as to do most things he might need hands to do. In case he needed more he could always create new ones and use his weird texture as an excuse as to why no one had spotted them before, his weird anatomy making his body too dark to see them.

"What about this?"

"Looks good."

"Very nice!"

"Shame. Evil was nicer."

"Fitting."

"Good, but... Why not go human?"

Blanche's words hit James like a truck. He had been so used to being a blob of darkness that he forgot he could make an actually humanoid body, with legs and arms and fingers.

"It's because... An actual human, no matter how weird they may look, wears clothes. I have none."

"Why not ask the two?"

"Larry and Barry? That's because... If I ask them for clothes, they will assume I need them."

"And?"

"And if they assume I need them... They will assume I have a person with me?"

"And?"

"And... I've got nothing. Alright, alright, I forgot, ok? I was more preoccupied with the possible threats surrounding us than with what I could ask them to buy. I'll think about it next time."

"Silly Papa."

"Father, why not buy now?"

"That's... Also a very good point. I prefer to stick to Larry and Barry buying things for now, though. I don't know anything about the local economy and I don't want to be seen as an easy target for thieves and scammers."

"Scammers too?"

"Yes, they're scammers too, but they're my scammers now. Anyone with half a brain would prefer to create trust with someone that wants to regularly give them money, especially if they're replaceable and their current job won't be necessary for the long term."

"What."

"I need them right now because I can't buy stuff myself, both because I do not look like a person and because I don't know how people buy and sell stuff here. Right now we're getting the person part covered, but in a few months, I'll know how the economy works here. So, in a few months, I won't need Larry and Barry - at least not as much as I do now. It would be better for them for me to grow attached to them and keep them around since I pay them. Hence, in the long term, it's better not to scam me."

"Smart. Are they?"

Ah. Lucille makes a very valid point.

"Maybe, maybe not. You can't predict everything. How will people act is always a mystery, it's why no plan's perfect."

"Which plan?"

"First, we get the bare necessities. Then, we improve our equipment. Then, we expand our operations and secure this area of the sewers why."

"Why?"

"A larger territory means more available space for defenses, in other words, we could handle future threats before they're at our front door. It would also secure a safe passage for Larry and Barry and any person we might want to deal with in the future."

"More territory? Patrols?"

"Yes, you are correct, a bigger territory means will we need to keep watch on it. Luckily for us, I know a pack of rats that would love to be employed..."

"So taking over sewers?"

"No, far from it. The sewers are massive, they run through an entire city. Even just the area under is incredibly large, and there is no doubt a bunch of apex predators who already settled down everywhere. Like, say, a massive scarred crocodile."

"Surface?"

"Maybe. I'd love to be able to live under the sun again but it might be too dangerous. First, we secure a part of the sewers and then we'll look up, alright?"

""Yes!""

Oh, they're adorable. But yeah, they are way too many things on the surface to even think about occupying some of it right now. I could go into a house and kick out whoever's living inside but the local gangs would be alerted and see this as a hostile takeover, and I don't think I'm ready to deal with that yet. Soluble and their two idiots are one thing, but they were a single group, it was just the three of them. Plus I kinda cheated to deal with Soluble, so I have no idea how dangerous they actually were.

"Anyway, now that the idea of exploring the surface with a truly humanoid form is on the table I think I'll just wait for those two to come back. I mean, I like this form, but a simple black humanoid with clothes would probably be more discrete than... Me."

The ratlings nodded. They loved their father but he was undeniably weird, even compared to the stuff that showed up in Captain Cyan.

"So... Nothing to do... Who wants to train?"

"Tinkering to do."

"Just finished grooming."

"Just came back from hunt."

"Would prefer hunt. Kill things."

"No point training alone."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Would Captain Cyan skip a day of training?"

"Yes."

"Episode 23."

"Resting Rose."

"Very nice."

"Meh, villain weak."

"You know what? Fine. No training for you today. But, no phone either."

"No!"

"Please!"

"No. You all have things to do, don't you? Therefore you won't need it, whereas I have a few things to take care of."

The small sapient rodents grumbled as they left to each do something, since someone had made sure they wouldn't be able to watch Captain Cyan.

You know, I actually need the phone if we're not training right now. Not that I have to justify myself of course. They can't just spend their days watching a show if they want to become superheroes. Not that I'm comfortable with letting them fight actual villains and not just toads and cockroaches either but if that's what they want, I'll help them. And hey, if it just happens so that only weak thugs hang around the area for some reason, like all the strong guys disappearing in the shadows of the slums, it's all for the better.

James chuckled. Oh, he had no plan on becoming a superhero or a vigilante or even a villain, but he had to train and study this world if he wanted to get stronger. Strong enough to make sure the ratlings would follow their dreams free of danger. Strong enough to make sure none of those maniacs in spandex or mechanical armor will threaten their home and their little family.

I'm going to look for ways to improve my powers, but first thing first, let's go see these rats.

James left the lair, leaving behind him five disgruntled rat children.

The pack wandered in the sewers, looking for things to eat. Their negotiations with the shadow had failed, it didn't want them. Some had rejoiced, others had cried. The old one listened to what everyone had to say, but kept his thoughts to himself. The negotiations may have failed but the shadow had no plan to hurt them, this was already more than they could have hoped for from any other ruler of the tunnels.

Something was wrong. The old one noticed it first, experience and wisdom had birthed a wonderful instinct that right now was screaming at him. They were being observed. Studied. Yet he did not panic, for the gaze of their stalker held no bloodlust, no hunger, no thirst.

"You were harder to find than I expected."

The shadow. It had come back. It had been looking for them. Did it change its mind?

"I wanted to talk with you, but first, may you be so kind as to satisfy my curiosity? You seem incredibly intelligent, all of you, more than should be normal for a rat. Why?"

The old one furrowed his brows. How could he explain? What could he-

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot about the language barrier. There is no point in explaining what I can't understand. Yet."

Oh, good.

"You see, I thought back about your offer. After intense reflection, I decided to accept it - with some rules of my own, if you would be willing."

The old one nodded while caressing his beard with his right front paw, the only one of the pair he had left. They needed the shadow's protection, though he couldn't deny he was afraid of the cost. He would listen, at least.

"First off, this arrangement is purely professional. Those five ratlings are my family, you are not."

The old one nodded again. Reasonable, even preferable. No ruler should grow too attached to their subjects, for they would always lose some, and no subject should grow too attached to their ruler, for they should always be ready to start over if they died.

"Second, you will obey everything I say. If I tell you to only fish, you only eat fish. If I tell you to stay in a tunnel, you stay in that tunnel."

Again, perfectly normal.

"Third... You may have noticed that I am... Unusual. I have powers, powers that I want to strengthen. To improve. To make sure that no threat will be too great for me."

The old one understood the words but not the rule. Of course they had sought the shadow for its powers, its ability to destroy two rulers on its own. If it grew stronger they would be safer. So why did it-

"One of these powers is the ability to infuse something in other things. I don't know what to call it, besides shadows. A part of my soul? Of my essence? My will? Magic? All that I know is that things improve, but they change. I have yet to fully test its effects on a living thing. I want to test it on a willing subject."

Ah, here was the true cost of protection. Scouting, hunting, foraging, obeying orders? Those they already did. The old one's orders and not a ruler's, true, but those were things the pack was used to. The true cost of submission always was new, unusual. And the old one was no fool. The power of installing change in others, to warp them to your image... He had seen its effects. He knew what it entailed.

The old one nodded.

"Thank you. Now, do you have a volunteer-"

The old one stepped forward.

"You seem to be the leader. In case things go wrong, aren't you afraid of leaving your pack without guidance?"

What could he say? That he didn't want any member of his pack to forever be transformed into a monstrosity? He couldn't, and even if he could he wouldn't have wanted to offend the shadow. No, he had lived long enough. They could go on without him. And, if he was lucky, maybe there would be enough of him left to appreciate the sight of his pack's happiness.

The old one stepped forward.

"If you are certain. Well then, I'm going to blanket you with shadows. Let them in."

The old one nodded before being engulfed by darkness. The pack that had stayed silent so far out of respect for him began to cry, to scream, to beg. But it was too late. He had made his choice.

He felt them. Cold tendrils bore into his being, making him appreciate for the first time the warmth of his life, of his soul. They congregated around the core of what made him the old one and began to tap.

He let them in.

All went dark.