Silhouette

Maggie was very giddy as she signed the papers that would cement her place as one of Silhouette's employees - the shadow man himself sitting in front of her, on the other side of his desk. Thankfully the paper of her contract was white rather than the typical black that occupied the entire office, and the pen he had given her to sign it was made of red plastic. She was not ashamed to say she bumped her knee on what she presumed to be a flower pot when coming in because how was she supposed to see anything in a room like that? And Silhouette hadn't seemed mad about it, so it was fine. Yeah, it was fine.

"It's a pleasure to have you join the team, Maggie. I figure it would be best if you spent the rest of the day exploring the facility and meeting your coworkers. Techlord, Decanov, and our rune expert will have a meeting with you tomorrow to see how to best mass-produce your creation."

"Don't you want me to come up with a better design first?"

"It will be part of your discussion. Your group will coordinate and work together to create a base technical body that can then be easily enchanted following your design. Techlord will come up with a base body, Decanov will enforce modifications to make it easy to produce and assemble, and our rune expert will work with you to adapt your original enchantments and fix any oversight or mistake there may have been we couldn't detect during initial testing."

"Right, so we'll figure out how to go from a prototype to a finished product first. I don't think we'll be able to do it in one day, sir."

"It's no problem. Your different colleagues have various ongoing projects of their own, so coordinating them like this is complex. Tomorrow is merely about you agreeing to the course to take before going back your separate ways. Besides, don't underestimate their prowess. While I do not plan for it, I wouldn't be surprised if you did end up with a finalized base body for your product by the end of the day, leaving you free to experiment with our rune expert as you please."

"If you say so, sir... So... Today is tour day?"

"Precisely. I'd do it myself, but I have matters to attend to. Instead, I'd like another of our employees to handle it. He vouched for your application, even before you presented your application. Rather, he vouched for someone who matched your profile."

Maggie was very confused.

"I'm very flattered, but... I don't think I know anyone who works for you... I mean, before I joined."

Silhouette cleared his throat.

"James, come in."

"James?"

The door to the pitch-black officer opened, revealing a person standing in the doorway. At first, Maggie thought them blocking the light like that was the reason she couldn't tell what they looked like until she remembered that, despite everything in the room being black, there was enough light for her to see the non-black stuff normally. Then her brain caught up and she realized that she could see their blue jeans and grey shirt, it was only their body that was so dark that it could only be considered a silhouette, much like her new boss' namesake.

Speaking of, she could tell her boss formed an arm or a tentacle to gesture to the newcomer. She couldn't see the appendage per se, but she could feel and hear how it had displaced the air.

"Maggie, meet James. James, Maggie. That being said, I think you already know her. James, I'm trusting you to give her a tour of the facility and introduce her to the rest of the staff. Except for the Infused, of course."

"Right away, sir. Will that be all?"

"Do take the time to show her her new workshop, and note down the list of equipment and supplies she may need."

"I'll make sure to, sir."

"Wonderful. I wish you two a wonderful rest of the day. And James? Feel free to take it easy once you've fulfilled your obligations. I think Maggie having a friend today is more important than you filling some paperwork."

"Thank you, sir."

"You'll pay it back. Now shoo, I have work to do."

Maggie was essentially on autopilot as she got up from her seat and joined the newcomer outside, missing the way a thin strand of shadow connected his foot to the darkness of the room until the door closed behind her. No, she was far too busy considering who this man could be. It was right on the tip of her tongue...

"A shadow man called James... Wait, JamesIsInTheDark? From HardCored?"

The man raised a hand to scratch at the back of his head, ruffling his hair.

"Yup, that's me. It's nice to meet you in the flesh, Magic."

The young woman's eyes widened as she pointed at him.

"Your mystery boss was Silhouette all along!"

"Yeah... Sorry about all the mystery, but I signed up when he was way more paranoid. I'm still under some NDAs you don't have, though thankfully we renegotiated when he started hiring new staff and he promised we'd do it again once we've got a union running."

"Right, you were talking about him for a while... Wait, were you his first employee?"

"Nah, that goes to Larry and Barry, and then Techlord. Still your senior, but not his first guy."

"I mean, that still makes you one of his first guys, that gotta count for something. What's your job anyway?"

"Eh, I'm sort of an assistant. The boss has a ton of paperwork, and he loves handing it off to other people if he can. Don't get me wrong, he does a ton of work, but... Yeah."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"I mean, doesn't that make you some kind of right hand-man?"

"Oh, no. If anything, Techlord's the second in command, though he's usually busy working elsewhere. The way Shades Of Penumbra works, every division is mostly independent and only has to report to their boss who then reports to Silhouette himself."

"Oh. So, Mesker's the one in charge of the magic division?"

"No, Mesker is just the boss' friend and occasional consultant. The closest thing to a magic division head we have is that rune expert, and she's... She's good at what she does, but he doesn't trust her. Remember the whole Runar thing we discussed in the chatroom?"

"You mean... She's one of Runar's?"

"She's their representative since the boss took over. So, the best permanent member of the crew when it comes to magic, but not reliable leader material. Hey, maybe you'll take the spot."

"What? Don't be ridiculous!"

"Why? You weren't involved in a plot to kill him, that's a point in your favor. It's surprising how many members of the staff don't check that box."

The two stared at each other in silence before chuckling and resuming to walk.

"Man, you almost had me."

"I mean, he could still do it, but yeah, I doubt he'd give so much responsibility to a young newcomer - no offense."

"Oh? No issue with an old one taking the post?"

"I meant it more in a 'having experience as a leader' way. Silhouette doesn't care one bit about what or who people are, so long as they don't make trouble and bring results. Well, so long as they aren't evil too, but that's a given."

"Really?"

"I mean, Larry, Barry, and Techlord all come from the slums and they're doing great. I know everyone looks somewhat normal here, but things get weird in the other locations."

"Hiding the weird people away?"

"It's more so that weird people tend to hang out in unpopular spots in the first place. You should see Techlord's kid."

"He has a kid? Ah, conscious machine stuff."

"Not really. The kid's nice, but you would get a heart attack the first time you see them. They're... Mesker calls it an amalgamation of leftover curses, flesh, and broken tech. They have their armor on 24/7 now. They tend to stay in another location, he's not sure they're ready for the city yet, but Silhouette has clarified he wouldn't be opposed to their presence."

"So you know the other places?"

"I think so. I mean, I know the ones I've been told about, and I have to juggle with a lot of paperwork from them."

"So... Is it true we have a place in the Sunken City?"

"I thought most people didn't think it was real?"

"Normies, sure. They'd rather not believe there's a massive underground world beneath their feet filled with monsters and Villains. So, can you tell me or not?"

"Well, since you signed the contract, sure. Yeah, there's a place down there. Security is almost better than the one here, too. That's Techlord's main workshop, which also doubles as his home."

"Oooh... Let me guess, old abandoned factory, given new life once more? Techno would love that kinda stuff."

"Nope. Haunted orphanage. It's not just Techlord's place, he has to share."

"Wait, haunted? As in, with ghosts and stuff?"

"Yup. They're part of the payroll. Well, they don't actually get paid, but the boss and the folks down there take care of them and help fix stuff."

"So... Are we talking 'dreadful apparitions, barely holding on to their humanity' ghosts or 'normal people but transparent and who can walk through walls'? Because if they don't get paid..."

"Yeah, it's the former. It's... It's a spooky place the first time around, even after all the renovations. They're harmless, at least to us, but they are pretty eerie. Kids are cute once you get used to them. Just gotta be mindful of how you act and how they feel, the boss says that when he first went there, he could feel their cries clawing at his soul, and I don't think that was a metaphor."

Maggie winced at the thought. Sure, ghosts fell under the magic category, what she loved, but... Well, most folks preferred not to think about their immortal souls for a reason, and the undead had a nasty reputation for a reason. Not every undead went feral or bloodthirsty, but there was a valid reason they had to report to visit a therapist regularly to check on their mental health.

"Yeesh. So, the Sunken place is... The place for the bizarre?"

"It's... Well, the boss calls it the bridge between the regular business and our shop in the slums. It just so happens a ton of people want out of the slums but don't want to deal with the difficulties of living in the actual city."

"Right. Wait, does that mean most of the employees don't have-"

"Everyone's here legally. I mean, they may not have been born in the good parts of the city with proper IDs, but they're still citizens. But yeah, Blake Black makes sure everyone gets their papers."

"Uh. Cool. So... They won't resent me for, you know, not being born there? I heard they're not usually too fond of... Well, people born on the right side of the city."

"Oh, no. Well, some may be a little jealous, but not actively mean. They care more about living well now than being mad they had to struggle before. That being said, if you ever feel harassed, send me a message and I'll notify the boss."

"Silhouette? Not human resources?"

"That's part of the admin jobs that still need to be filled. But don't worry, he cares about that sort of stuff."

"Well, if you say so."

As they talked, he walked her through the facility. He waved off the presence of the Infused guards, explaining they were a very exclusive group that did not meddle with other employees and stayed focused on their job, reassuring her that them not saying a thing was a good thing. He did spend some time showing the offices, but both ultimately agreed she wouldn't be spending too much time there. And, while her future workshop was in the same building, the area was still mostly empty. Sure, there was some furniture and basic necessities, but that was it. The space was explicitly meant to be adjusted and customized by its user, one of many identical small yet functional ateliers prepared to welcome the various new employees regardless of their specialty. Speaking of...

"Am I the only new employee today?"

"Yup. Boss thinks welcoming the creatives one by one is more... Welcoming. So, one new person each day for the next week. Well, two weeks, and we're also closed on weekends, but you get what I mean. Anyway, he liked your stuff a lot, so he wanted you to be the first one."

"Wait, he thinks I'm the best?"

"One of the best. His personal favorite, but there are others. To be fair, I don't think he hired anyone he considered middling. Anyway, the other inventors, magical or technological, will occupy the other workshops. Decanov set up the walls so they could move, so you can combine your rooms if you want. Useful for collaborations or if you don't mind sharing in exchange for more space."

"What if two people want to collaborate but there's someone else in the middle?"

"No idea. Maybe agree to move your stuff? Might be best to put your equipment on wheels, to easily move it."

"Have you met the others?"

"I read their files and Silhouette's notes. Don't worry, you'll be indifferent at worst. No bully or jerk on the team."

"I mean, that's nice, but I was more curious about how our stuff will mesh."

"Ah. I'm not sure. I mean, I'm not a creator like you guys, so I don't know how well everything would work together. You would know better."

"Bah, I'm sure we'll figure it out. I'm the best wizard on Silhouette's payroll after all!"

"Don't you mean witch?"

"Wizards are scholars, witches deal with potions and hexes."

"Magicians?"

"Usually a word for entertainers, real magic or not, but some real fancy shmucks use it sometimes to say they're the top mages around. Still, not as popular nowadays since street and party magicians claimed the title. Rumor says the OG one did it out of spite."

"Uh. Illusionist?"

"Same boat. Fancy entertainer magicians or mages specialized in illusion magic. They are equally mad about the name claim, and there too rumors say the one who started the trend is a normie who wanted to troll them."

"Okay, I get wanting to stick it to pompous mages who think they're better than everyone else, but what did the illusionists do?"

"Don't ask me, I told you, it's just rumors. But I wouldn't be too surprised if it was for a similar reason. Old wizards are pricks."

"Magic really is tragic, uh?"

They laughed together as they left the office building to head back to the shop. It was time to introduce her to the rest of the crew.