James watched over the ratlings as they trained in the newly enhanced gym. While Sam got back to work, James had decided to enlarge the room to be closer to an actual gym's size, although a small one. It did become bigger than the war room, of course, had to make some space for all of the new equipment James had decided to install. It wasn't much, a bigger obstacle course than the old one the ratlings sometimes used, some black stone weights, and more importantly a bunch of simple stone dummies - they couldn't keep on testing weapons in the field or on seats, after all.

Though, thinking about it, the minimalist style of those dummies combined with the shadow infusion makes them look a little me... I should probably change that at some point.

It was as this stray thought passed through James' mind that Sam, still covered in bandages, joined him.

"So... I finished the black prototype."

"Magnificient. Any complications?"

"I, uh... Remember how I said I could probably make a few more?"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to need some new tools first."

"Oh. This troublesome?"

"I don't know what the hell it is you do to things with your shadow stuff-"

"I personally call it 'infusion'."

"-but it makes them much more durable. Usually, I cheat my way through by melting bad metal parts together with only the core of the gadget being worth anything, but since you upgraded everything I had to rough up the tools a bit to make things assemble."

"Is now a good time to mention I can somewhat fuse infused items together?"

"I... I'd have appreciated that an hour ago, boss."

"I haven't tested it with different materials yet, but it's how I made this entire structure, I dug up a basic area then I infused the bricks that constitute the walls of the sewers - strangely there isn't any dirt, only bricks and stones - and then compacted them together to make these rooms."

"Well, I still need new tools, so no testing that out for now. On the other hand, we can test THIS!"

Sam raised his arm to show off the second electrogun he had just finished, this one entirely black.

"Is it charged with a regular battery as I asked?"

"Yup. Not sure how it's going to react though."

"It's why we're testing it."

"I... I mean, that's not wrong, but-"

"Commencing test. Everyone, please evacuate the dummy area."

The ratlings, who were only running around in the obstacle course, still took care to leave the room and stay at the doorframe. Seeing the little rodents' behavior, Sam slowly took a few steps back from James as he aimed at a random dummy and fired.

Much like last time, a small bolt of electricity fired out of the weapon, though this one was white with hints of yellow, purple, and blue mixed into it instead of black. Once it impacted the dummy, electricity encompassed it, running everywhere before stopping after a few seconds.

"Techlord, analysis."

"Eh, it's alright. It's what the other one should have done by default, except stronger."

"Could you put a number on that?"

"I'd say it's two or three times stronger than the default one? Not sure how many shots like that it can make though, since it's a regular battery."

"And compared to our last test?"

"I dunno, the bolt itself isn't that different but I have no idea what the black stuff would do to a living thing."

"Alright, we'll have to test that at some point. Now, pass me the infused battery."

Sam took out the black crystallized battery they had used to power the regular electrogun out of his pocket - or rather a bundle of bandages he had fashioned into a pocket to free his hands, considering his old Techlord suit was no more - and gave it to a black tentacle that James had sent his way.

"Ah, thank you."

Sam looked at his new boss while he exchanged the batteries.

"You sure about this? The black gun packed a punch, just like that thing, the two combined..."

"Better test it now than in an emergency, no?"

James aimed the electrogun once more, aiming at a different dummy to make sure that all damages could be attributed to the right shots.

"Second round of testing. Be ready."

James fired and a bolt of black electricity immediately left the weapon, though this one was much stronger than the last two and seemed somewhat unhinged, wild, closer to a condensed lightning bolt than an enhanced zap. As it impacted the dummy, the bolt somehow became even more chaotic, creating a cage of black sparks that enveloped the poor stone dummy as some even entered the construct, making the stone shake and crack as it began to twist in odd shapes, as though it were a living thing getting electrocuted and its muscles were contracting in shock.

They all were silent, too disturbed by the sight to talk. Surely it would stop soon, right? Anytime now. Anytime now...

"Can I get one like that?"

"No, David. No."

"Oh come on!"

At this point the electricity finally stopped, leaving only a featureless dummy twisted into a pose of pure agony somehow.

"... Uh... Is... Is that thing alive? Because it definitely looks in pain."

"That is a very valid concern, Techlord. Let me check."

James approached the dummy, taking care to leave a certain safety distance in case some aftereffects lingered around. James focused on his sense that allowed him to feel his connection with infused items and confirmed the dummy truly was as lifeless as it had been when he first made it by manipulating infused stone. He did notice however that its internal structure was extremely damaged, whereas the one of the previous test dummy and the seat were only weakened.

James called out to Sam and the ratlings.

"I can confirm the dummy is not alive!"

Sam sighed in relief.

"Oh, great. Accidentally creating life in an experiment is every inventor's nightmare."

Goliath looked weirdly at the bandaged teen.

"I thought it was great?"

"Purposefully creating artificial life is great, because it's hard to do. Accidents, however, are horrible. You have nothing prepared in case it goes rogue, you have nothing prepared to take care of it..."

James joined back with the group as he stored the weapon in himself.

"You know, it doesn't sound that different from the usual accidental conception."

"Babies don't have rocket launchers."

"Ah, true. At least I think so? Considering all of the oddities I've seen in Zalcien thus far, I wouldn't be surprised by a baby with explosive powers."

"That's... Yeah, alright, demonkin and the likes are probably a nightmare for regular human parents. So, what now?"

"Well, since these weapon tests proved conclusive, I propose to put back the infused battery in the regular model and a regular battery in the infused model. Then, I'm going to give you the infused electrogun while my other two employees get the regular one. Considering how much trouble they tend to get in and how many more tasks they'll have to soon, a way to defend themselves would be for the best."

"You're going to let me, the guy who's going to stay here for a while, have a weapon and only give them one for two?"

"When you meet them, you'll understand why."

"... Sure..."

"Until then, we should probably do something about you."

"What?"

"Unless you plan on wearing nothing but bandages for the foreseeable future - which you are free to do, by the way - you're going to need a new suit."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be better to wait for the new tools to incorporate them into the suit?"

"Now that you say it out loud, yes, it's probably the wisest choice. No tools for you to work with, nothing for me to infuse... Guess we'll have to wait until those two come back."

Or I could get to the surface and purchase everything myself, but despite all the inspiring good guy speech I don't want to leave him alone with the kids, not yet at least. He seems nice, but if a fight breaks out I'm not sure what would happen. David would probably get rid of what little skin he has left, though.

"How long will that take?"

"A day or so? They're supposed to come by once every week, but depending on how things go up there they don't come around the same time."

"So, what do we do until then?"

"We could..."

"Oh! I know!"

Both of them looked down at Goliath as the enthusiastic ratling raised a paw.

"We could watch Captain Cyan!"

Lucille sighed as she looked at her brother.

"Goliath, don't you remember what we talked about earlier?"

"Yes, but there's nothing else for everyone to do!"

"We could train."

Blanche scoffed at that.

"We can, but not mummy boy over there. What can he do then?"

"I don't know, he could work on some blueprints or-"

James fakely coughed to garner everyone's attention.

"Considering the recent events Techlord went through, this much work in a day will be enough. As our latest addition, I can not let him use the phone, it would be unfair to the members of Mischief who have been curious but were denied, but the rest of you can manage your schedule as you like. If one of you wishes to use the phone for entertainment and he just so happens to be in the room, so be it."

Goliath lit up as a little ratty smile formed on his snout.

"Thank you! Come here Tech, I'll show you Captain Cyan!"

Goliath jumped to take Sam's hand and began to rush into the entertainment room, the bandaged teen having to bend not to lose the rat's paw as he let himself be taken, complaining as he went.

"It's Techlord, not 'Tech'..."

Once the two were out of the room, Lucille immediately glared at James.

"You're too soft with him."

"Maybe. But you're still kids. Plus, it will be good for him to have a friend outside of us."

"What will he think?"

"Sam? I think it'll also be good for him. People who put up a tough facade usually just need a friend."

She sighed.

"Blanche, Foudre, David, what are you going to do?"

"Oh, I wanted to go kill some stuff."

"Oh, disgusting. I had plans to use the phone, but now that it's with those two... Foudre, would you be interested in some martial art training?"

"Sure."

"... I guess I'll be coming with you, David. Real opponents are the best way to improve."

James looked at them all go before he went to the storage area, the place where they stored anything that wasn't money or materials to be used. He took out the infused battery from the infused electrogun and exchanged it with the regular battery before placing the infused one in the normal electrogun - which Sam had placed there when he had taken the second battery earlier.

After that was done, something caught James' metaphorical eye. He formed a tentacle and took one of the two non-infused phones he had left from their little heist on the Blood Angels' hideout. James stared at the black screen, still as unresponsive as ever.

It would be for the best that Larry and Barry also had a phone, wouldn't it? Communications would be much easier...

James stored the phone in his body and left the room to go to his personal one, the place where he meditated and did most of his magic training. He checked via his shadow connections that everyone was still busy and, after seeing that they were, faked taking in a deep breath to give himself some courage.

Better be safe than sorry...

He began to infuse the phone, mentally clenching his teeth as he tried his best to stay awake and conscious.

Being drunk for a bit is fine, but let's hope I won't pass out this time...

In the depths of the murky waters of the sewer canals near the heart of the slums, a bundle of wrapped melted plastic and metal fused to human skin floated in the currents before getting stuck on a red fleshy "moss" patch's extended tendril. The tendril brought the bundle back to the surface and dropped it onto itself, attracted to the human flesh it could sense.

As the bundle fell it hit the ribs of a human skeleton halfway consumed by the moss, any sort of cloth having long dissolved, the only things left on it being a pair of large glasses and a strange amulet, a round copper one with an engraving of a tree which branches formed a hand holding a green gem, the gem being very real and inserted in the amulet.

The bundle rolled a little on the moss patch before more tendrils grew and settled it into place, a bit of human skin touching the green gem of the amulet and another touching the red flesh of the moss.

Time passed in silence.

The gem began to glow.