Jack, Rune, and Reina returned back to the Townhall just a few minutes after the sun reached its peak.
Mayor Glaiver had waited. A number of elder wood logs and bunch of lodestones were also waiting there. He had managed to send his subordinates to gather them. They had collected everything except one crucial component... mercury.
Just a few minutes later, Olward arrived. His face was even grumpier than usual. It seemed that his task wasn't that successful.
"That damned contact of mine..." He grumbled. "He's got enough supply. But he's still in Lotogear. Can't ride fast enough to get it here before midnight. It'll arrive tomorrow morning, earliest."
A collective sigh of frustration escaped the group.
Jack swore. "Damn it!"
Reina placed a calming hand on his arm. "It's a setback, Dear. It just means that we need to hunt and destroy the puppets one more time tonight. We can do the modification ritual tomorrow."
Just as she spoke, a runner from the Town Watch found them. Breathless. "Father Greythorn requests your immediate presence at the Church! He's found something!"
Jack, Reina, and Olward looked at each other for a moment. Then they immediately moved. Leaving the Townhall. Going straight to the Church of Redemption just a couple blocks away. Mayor Glaiver quickly followed them.
Once they got there, Father Greythorn beckoned them into the church library. His usually stern face was alight with a rare flicker of excitement. Sir Shellarrow, Lady Orlenna Luther, and Mr. Edgard Spear were already present there. Along with Nick, Alenna, and Harold.
"It's not the full solution. But it's a vital step." Father Greythorn declared. Gesturing to an open, aged tome on the table. Its pages were filled with intricate diagrams and archaic script.
"This is a binding ritual." He explained. "The 'Binding of the First Spawn'. It targets a summoning ritual. It doesn't dispel the summoned beings. But it forces them to appear at their original point of binding. For our case..."
"The cellar!" Jack stated. Understanding immediately.
"Exactly!" Greythorn confirmed. "Carpenter Teakarm's secret cellar. Instead of spawning randomly across town, they will always return there. Let's do it tonight. This ritual requires specific divine incantations, some blessed chalk, candles, and a couple of regular herbs. The church can easily acquire them. We can perform it tonight."
The decision was swift. They would do it. It wasn't a permanent solution. But it would definitely ease their task a lot. They didn't need to hunt the puppets all over the town.
As dusk deepened into night, the group gathered back in Carpenter Teakarm's cellar.
Father Greythorn traced complex symbols on the floor with blessed chalk. Connecting it to the ritual circle the carpenter had previously made. Mayor Glaiver and the three apprentices assisted. Placing candles in some specific parts of the symbols.
Once it was done, Father Greythorn took out and opened his Redemption Bible. He chanted some verses from it. His voice resonated with divine power. The air thickened with latent energy. A sacred counterpoint to the cellar's inherent grimness.
By the final word of the verses echoed, a faint golden light pulsed from the symbols. Followed by a similar glow from Carpenter Teakarm's ritual circle. Settling into the very foundation of the small room. The ritual was complete.
"It should hold." Father Greythorn said. Wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "They will appear here. At midnight."
The transcendent group took up positions in the cellar. Silent and ready.
Sir Shellarrow, Mr. Spear, and Olward stood close to the ritual symbol. Ready to clash in melee combat.
Reina, Lady Luther and Jack were a little further away. Clutching their weapons. Ready to provide mid-ranged support.
Father Greythorn, Mayor Glaiver, and the three Mystic Scholar Apprentices were the furthest. Holding their bible and grimoires. Ready to cast helpful spells.
...
Midnight arrived. The air in the cellar grew cold. An unnatural chill seeped into their bones. Then, from the very center of the chalk circle, four figures materialized.
First, the tall male puppet. Then the slightly smaller female. Followed by the two child-sized constructs. Their wooden faces were blank. But their painted eyes were immediately fixed on the nearest living beings. The group of powerful individuals surrounding them.
"Now!" Sir Shellarrow's voice cut through the silence. Charging to attack with lightning covering his arms. He couldn't use his greatest power, Thunderbird Transformation, in the cellar. The lack of space limited him. But, it didn't mean that he was helpless.
The puppets lunged as a response. Their movements were stiff but surprisingly swift. However, they met an immediate, overwhelming force.
Mr. Spear's eldritch blade flashed. A vertical slash right in the middle. Cutting the tall 'father' puppet in half with a single, empowered strike.
Lady Luther's primal telekinesis magic erupted. Stopping the 'mother' puppet's movement.
Olward, already in his hulking form, used the chance. His oversized fist struck. Breaking the stopped puppet into pieces of wooden splinters, torn cloth, and sawdust.
One 'child' puppet was struck by Sir Shellarrow's lightning arm. Thrown backward. And demolished by Reina's barrage of bullets. From her pair of steamrune handguns.
The last 'child' puppet was also immediately destroyed. It was Jack's shotgun that ended it. A point blank, explosive shot. Instantly ending the threat.
The battle was short, brutal, and utterly decisive. The wooden fragments lay scattered on the cellar floor. Twitching briefly before falling still.
"Well..." Olward exhaled. Returning back to his normal form. "That was almost too easy. But, next time, hold back using guns in place like this, Kids. My ears were still ringing from those dumb weapons."
"Sorry, Old Man. But it works." Jack casually replied. Grinning and tapping his gun. "And it's easier with this."
Olward grumbled as a response.
...
The next day, true to Olward's word, the mercury arrived. A small, heavy vial containing the shimmering, liquid metal. It was delivered to the Townhall early in the morning.
Jack inspected it. A satisfied nod was on his face. All materials were now accounted for.
The day passed quickly. Filled with preparations and a quiet tension.
As the night descended upon Mirebarrow, the transcendent group once again made their way to Teakarm's cellar. This time, there was a different kind of anticipation in the air.
Jack prepared the ritual symbols in precise and deliberate movements. Connecting another ritual signs to the original ritual symbol. This time, it was made of a mixture of elder wood's ash and nightshade's extract.
Reina assisted. Pouring liquid mercury in the point where the new symbol contact the old ritual circle. And placing a big piece of lodestone in the center of the new symbol.
Rune zipped silently around Jack's head. Her body was glowing a bright green color. Indicating that the ritual symbols were done correctly.
Olward watched them nearby. Sir Shellarrow, Mr. Spear, and Lady Luther stood a respectful distance. Their transcendent power were ready to be used. Providing perimeter security. Father Greythorn, Mayor Glaiver, and the apprentices were there too. Observing with a mixture of hope and caution.
Midnight struck.
Again, the cold seeped in. And the ethereal shimmer of supernatural energy manifested in the center of the chalk circle. The four puppets reappeared. Perfectly intact.
This time, however, there was no immediate attack.
"Right on time." Jack extended his arms. From his chain bracers, blazing chains of infernal energy erupted. Lashing out with uncanny speed and precision.
The [Chains of Vengeance], his pair of personal artifacts, were activated. The chains wrapped around the 'father' puppet first. Binding its limbs. Then they rapidly snaked out to ensnare the 'mother' and the two 'children' who were restrained by Lady Luther's telekinesis power and Reina's fog magic.
The puppets struggled. Their wooden forms were creaking. But the chains held fast. Imbued with an otherworldly strength. They glowed with hot, fiery flames. Though they surprisingly didn't burn any part of the cloth and wood puppets at all.
"Alright!" Jack informed Olward and the others. "I'll start the modification now."
With the puppets securely restrained, Jack started chanting. Meanwhile, his mind raced through the complex calculations and esoteric knowledge he had accumulated. He was relying not just on the ritual book they found in Teakarm's cellar. But also on his own knowledge and understanding of curses, constructs, and rituals.
He focused on his modification ritual. Linking it to Carpenter Teakarm's ritual wishes. He couldn't completely change the wishes. But, he could use his own willpower to tweak a small... No! He could tweak great parts of them.
Jack realized that as his mind delved deep into the ritual. Only the carpenter's desire to protect the town and his animosity toward the Purity Cult were the core, unchangeable parts. The other details were actually... changeable.
He continued to chant. His mind worked at its current maximum output. Modifying everything he considered necessary.
The chains binding the puppets blazed brighter. A low, haunting melody filled the cellar. Growing in intensity.
The four puppets began to glow with a deep, dominant indigo hue and blazing dark crimson. The color swirled. Coalescing around them.
After a few minutes, the puppets' forms seemed to waver. Softening. Then melting into a single, amorphous mass of wood, cloth, mercury, and energy.
The blazing chains disappeared. Unable to restrain the liquid mass.
The mass contracted. Shrinking rapidly. The indigo glow intensified. Blinding for a moment. Then gradually receded. Where the four distinct puppets had been, now stood a single, much smaller figure.
It was a humanoid cat puppet. No taller than a standing toddler. It wore an indigo hood and cloak, with crimson red lines decorating the borders. Perfectly tailored to its new form.
Its wooden face was still blank. But its eyes was no longer their previous painted color. Now, they seemed to be made of mercury. Metallic silver in color, yet not completely solid.
Rune zipped closer. Her blue glow shifting to an excited green. Indicating her approval of its new form.
The indigo glow pulsed once more. Then faded entirely. The chains of vengeance dissolved. Their work was complete. The small puppet stood motionless.
Jack came closer and spent another few minutes. Whispering low incantations. Touching different parts of the puppet's body. He was re-checking its new core directives. Evaluating its modified purpose, target, and nature.
Finally, he stepped back. A bead of sweat trickling down his temple. "It is done."
The small cat puppet twitched. Then it took a single, deliberate step. Its movements were fluid and graceful. Utterly unlike the stiff, jerky motions of its previous forms.
Olward stared. Wide-eyed. "What in the blazes did you make, Boy?"