A dapper man in a dark green suit ran through the street, his remarkable speed and posture not matching his distinguished look, though a closer look at his attire would reveal the way it subtly highlighted his physique. Following on his trail was a woman wearing blue overalls and carrying a large camera on her shoulder, a glowing halo of golden light floating above her curly ginger hair with a second of latency due to her mad sprint.

"Victor, wait a darn second you musclehead!"

"I can feel it, Vicky! This is a big scoop in the making!"

"You say that every time you doofus!"

The reporter just laughed her remark off, his shining pristine teeth almost blinding her when he did that stupid smile of his. She groaned as she pushed herself to catch up to him, but already she could her muscles struggling to keep up and her lungs drawing less and less air with each breath.

"I swear Vic, if we die, I'm gonna kill you."

"Oh, that'd be great news! 'Ghost of camerawoman murders the specter of her former reporter partner'!"

"Can you think with your brain instead of your journalistic ego for a single second?"

"Of course! Otherwise, how else would I know about our guy? You made sure to hit record, by the way, right?"

She grumbled as thought back to why the two of them were here. Victor's informants had passed the word that some new Super was setting up shop in the area, quite literally if what they said was true. Victor had smelled a scoop, as he tended to, and as she always she hated to admit he was right to think there might be something worth sharing going on. The arrival and appearance of this new mystery man matched those of some new local power in the slums, one linked to the pillar of darkness that had sent the city into a frenzy some time ago. Supers putting on a show wasn't new, but the novelty of the phenomenon came from its uniqueness. People were used to metal hordes, explosions, flames, and even rampaging plants, but shadows? No one had dealt with those yet, at least not at this scale.

A new Super in the city opening a store of some sort after coming from the slums was already worth investigating, it was why they were on their way here in the first place, but now? The telltale signs of Abrakaboom making a ruckus were hard to miss, and the fact the mage who rarely initiated fights was attacking this newcomer was intriguing, doubly so when it lacked the usual grandiose and flair of his hits. Not only that but judging by how long this had been going on, it looked like the newcomer actually managed to stand their ground. For now, at least.

Before long the pair reached 123 Blackrose Street, the address their initial target had turned into their domain. A former car factory that had never been fully operational and that the mysterious Silhouette seemingly planned on repurposing. From what they managed to get from their contacts regarding the rumors in the slums, the Super was likely going to produce and sell items meant for self-defense, a market they had both researched for the occasion. Victor needed the information for his interview of course, and Vicky for her part liked to double-check the background of anyone her cousin and colleague messed with. His enthusiasm had led him to try contacting people she'd rather not let him face.

He may have an incredible talent for journalism, but she had twice that in her remarkable ability to keep him alive.

If only her paycheck reflected that.

Now that they stood before the frontmost building of the property, the one sandwiched between two walls connecting it to the neighboring addresses to keep the courtyard they knew lay behind from checking old plans of the place, they both realized the roaring sound of explosions had ceased now. Vicky turned her head in hopes of sharing a look with her partner that would lead them to leave, but alas, her worried eyes only met his ear as he adjusted his haircut before knocking. Her fear quickly made way for annoyance.

They were both surprised to see the door promptly open, a person in black combat gear watching them from the other side, their hand still on the handle while the other held a weapon. It might not have been aimed at them, but if anything it made the message clearer and more worrisome: someone who bothered with trigger safety wasn't a random gangster with no experience.

"Hello there! I'm Victor Vikingson, and this is Vicky Vikingson. We are here on behalf of Zalcien Views on VictoryTV, would it be possible to meet Mister Silhouette?"

The guard stayed silent before slowly closing the door. The reporter and his camerawoman truly exchanged glances this time, though now she was the optimistic one, glad they wouldn't have to deal with armed forces today, while he couldn't keep the disappointment from his face. It might have seemed unprofessional, but she knew their editors wouldn't include this footage in those shown by their show if they chose to keep their investigation in the first place. Well, they were only one of the teams for the news broadcast, it wasn't like they were the stars there.

"Well, looks like we're back to square one. Don't worry Vic, I'm sure they'll understand. Not every piece of news is a scoop."

"Yeah, but... Man, my journalist senses were tingling and everything."

"Dude, neither of us is Cored. You don't have any special power."

"Instinct, Vicky! I'm talking of instinct, not cheating with magic and stuff."

"Sure... Now, can we skedaddle out of here before Abrakaboom decides to split an atom or two?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just..."

The door opened once again, but this time, it wasn't the faceless helmet of a guard that met them. The thing in the doorway was only barely humanoid, and the main reason the qualifier was adequate was the fact there were no other features aside from its head and barely qualifiable torso. It was essentially an oval on a triangle, and yet so much more. The way its shoulders rose into spikes, how its body thinned down until it became one with a pool of undulating shadows on the ground, how even bathed in the sunlight it was impossible to determine any kind of detail or texture, only appearing as a single black mass, like a vaguely person-shaped hole in reality...

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Ah, you must be Mister Silhouette! Victor Vikingson, glad to meet you. I'm here on behalf of Zalcien Views from VictoryTV, would you be available for an interview?"

"Make it quick. I have explosion damages to repair."

"Of course! Say, could we come inside for a bit? It'd be a better backdrop than out in the street, don't you think so Vicky?"

"Yeah..."

"I believe a street will make for a more enjoyable view than an empty store."

"Maybe your office-"

"Here, or nothing."

"Very well, here it is! First, could you introduce yourself to our viewers at home?"

"Is this live?"

"No, but we are recording. We are recording, right?"

Vicky nodded without moving the camera.

"I am Silhouette. I am an entrepreneur, and this is my shop. It is still being prepared, but soon the inhabitants of Zalcien will be free to purview our wares."

Vicky knew better than to comment on the fact they had found no trace of the necessary paperwork for such a venture. Not only would it risk angering their host, but she was just the camerawoman. If someone had to be stupid and talk about dangerous stuff, it would be Victor.

"What is the name of your store?"

"I initially planned on calling it the Black Boutique, but the reputation of the banking family made me reconsider. A shame, I quite liked the alliteration. Instead, what you see is the soon-to-be Penumbral Palace."

"And what could our good citizens expect to buy?"

"We mostly dabble in items meant for personal safety. Non-lethal weaponry like batons and electroguns, and defensive objects such as electromagnetic shields, for example. We are currently experimenting to provide reinforced clothing, as well. We will also provide a service to recharge batteries, so long as it does violate the conditions of utilization of the item in question."

"I'm sure people will love to know there's one more person out there trying to make sure they are safe. Did anything in particular spark this specific interest?"

"I believe this city suffers from troublesome problems with armed ruffians. I wished to provide its citizens with the means of protecting themselves without also helping its malevolent elements to acquire a more dangerous arsenal. By ensuring every item we sell is incapable of lethal damage, we avoid the escalation of violence most weapons manufacturers cause."

"Aren't you afraid some criminals might still use your products, possibly against the police or even the Union?"

"It is possible. Much like silverware companies cannot guarantee a knife will never be used in a murder, so goes for my goods. But we have taken every measure we could. I am even willing to provide the police the means to disable our products if they so wish, but I for one am much more worried about this ending up in the wrong hands than a mere baton. As for the Union, I doubt Heroes or Villains would face any difficulty with them. Something able to take down such forces of nature should never be obtainable to the masses, for they are tools of war."

A very small grin formed on the reporter's face. Politics have always been a popular topic, and even those interested in this Penumbral Palace would probably pause to take a look.

"That's an interesting opinion, Mister Silhouette. Wouldn't that mean the people have to be fully dependent on the Union?"

"I am in no place to dictate the direction society should take. I simply wish to give those who have nothing the basics to defend themselves. They do not need weapons capable of freezing entire streets to protect themselves and their families, yet those are the bare minimum required to handle those like Sunburn. As for any sort of toxic dependency on Heroes choices like mine cause, there is a reason why the Union is heavily scrutinized by their hierarchy and the government as a whole, is there not? There are undeniable opportunities for abuse of power, but this should be handled by their colleagues and superiors. If those fail to uphold their duty, then the entire organization needs to be cleared out. But those are not matters that should be handled by businessmen like me, nor should the first solution people settle on be to bring out the death rays and doomsday devices."

Unseen behind her camera, Vicky nodded. Loath as she was to agree to whatever a shady dude was saying, she couldn't deny he had a point. Hell, she was certain Victor would be the first in line to do stupid stuff if he got his hands on some of those gadgets. Well, stupider stuff. Like, try to interview Noir Black by bypassing all of his security measures. And she'd have to tag along.

She shuddered, though it didn't affect the recording. She was a professional, she knew how to keep her body language away from her job.

"So, you are of the opinion the Union should be treated as another branch of the police or military?"

"Is it not already their role? After all, the only difference between a Hero and a Cored officer is the threat their target poses. I understand some Heroes do not take part in the capes and cowls game or simply prefer emergency work, but they are still trained to defend themselves against opponents the average cop will never have to face. I am a newcomer to Zalcien and as such am not fully aware of any controversial event, but if there are problems in the city's armed forces what is needed is stricter regulations, not an angry mob armed to wipe out armies."

"Would you be willing to tell us where you come from? It's not every day a new business opens without a local in charge."

"I will not."

Victor frowned a little but kept it at that, and overall stayed friendly.

"Very well. Since you have yet to open, may I ask if you already have a full staff prepared or will you perhaps be looking for new hires?"

"I would be more than happy to welcome new employees, though we are rather careful with who we take on. Those who will manage the shop have already been selected, and they will have the right to veto any they deem unfit to help in the store. For maintenance and research, I will follow the words of our expert, Doctor Decanov."

"Ivan Decanov?"

"The very same."

"You are aware of his reputation, right?"

"I am. The good doctor has yet to pose any sort of problem, and I trust his work. He is currently on contract for only a handful of jobs, but we have talked about the possibility of a long-term position."

"Very well. You mentioned open positions for the store, could you elaborate?"

"Of course. Stocking, cleaning, assisting the clientele, operating the cash register... If things go well, we might open additional locations in other spots in the city, and those would need to be manned too."

"What of the rest of the facility? There is more than a store yet, no?"

"Yes, but I prefer to stay silent for now. Corporate espionage is a blight I would much rather avoid. I prefer to keep my secrets that way."

"Could we see some of your products?"

"I will have one of my employees fetch some. Who am I to deny free advertisement?"

"Oh, in the meantime, could we discuss what just happened? We heard explosions on our way here."

"Nothing of importance."

Vicky rolled her eyes. Nothing of importance? The inhabitants of Zalcien were familiar enough with Abrakaboom to recognize the wizard's work, even as messy as explosions were. If one of the three biggest Villains in Zalcien was interested in this place, there was definitely more than met the eye. Perhaps even things that the Union wouldn't approve of. Terrible things.

Oh well, that stuff wasn't her job. If anyone watching their investigation got themself in a pickle, that wasn't her problem.

She already had one idiot to take care of, and that was more than enough.