Jack grinned.
"A better hunter." He said. A predatory glint was in his eyes. "I gave it a new direction. The same general purpose, but with much better objectives. This one isn't an innocent targeting killer. It's a repurposed hunter."
He turned to the others. Explaining his modifications further. "I fused the four entities into one. Consolidating their existence and power. This new form is faster, stronger, more perceptive, and more agile. And instead of existing for just one hour after midnight, it will persist for three."
The group exchanged bewildered glances. Non-verbally throwing out the same question... Strengthening the puppet would just make their task harder, wouldn't it?
"How about its targets?" Reina prompted. Knowing her Jack's way of thinking.
"Its targets have changed, of course." Jack confirmed. "Carpenter Teakarm's core wish was to protect Mirebarrow from the Cult of Purity. I can't change that. He made a terrible mistake in how he went about it though. This, I can fix."
He knelt before the catman puppet, which tilted its head. Its mercury eyes were tracking his movement. "This puppet will no longer hunts innocent teenage girls. It now hunts those affiliated with the Cult of Purity."
He explained further. "Any individual, man or woman, who possessed strong enough aura of Purity Cult will be its target. It will find them, harass them, and if possible, neutralize them."
Before anyone could ask, Jack gave additional information. "I know that not everyone with such aura is guilty. That's why it will ignore those with small taint of the aura. Since they might be victims instead of cultists."
A stunned silence filled the cellar. Father Greythorn's eyes widened in realization. Then they narrowed in a mixture of apprehension and wary understanding. He didn't really like it but he didn't protest. It was much better than the previous situation.
Sir Shellarrow stroked his beard thoughtfully. "It was actually not bad." He said.
"You… you turned a terror into a... vigilante." Mr. Spear finally uttered. A note of disbelief in his voice.
"Precisely." Jack said, standing up. He caught Reina's eyes. A shared understanding passed between them. "Think of it as inspired by that famous 'vigilante' of Lonestone City, Racer Jack. He hunts down scum, right? This is just a more… well, darker version. With more specific targets."
He gave a subtle wink to Reina. A private joke. Racer Jack, after all, was one of his own carefully cultivated personas.
Olward chuckled. "I like that one, Boy. Anything that targets those damned cultist is acceptable in my book. Pity it's just the ones from Purity Cult."
"Actually..." Jack responded with a wide grin. "I also include the cultists from Undeath Sect and Circles of Wealth in the target range. Programming this puppet to think that they are Purity Cult's associates."
"Nice one!" Olward laughed. "What about Sacred Destination Sect? Those crazy guys were the cause of that cockroach-men invasion, remember? Or the Night Salvation Association? They are also a nasty bunch."
Jack shrugged his shoulders. "The programming is based on aura. I've never met living members of Sacred Destination Sect. I don't have any idea what their aura feels like. And Night Salvation is a mixed-up group. Every member has a different aura."
"Targeting three types of evil cultists is already great." Mayor Glaiver said with wide, relieved smile. "With the current situation where the Royal Faction are suppressing the illegal groups, their retaliation is a great danger to a small town like ours. The puppet will help a lot in reducing the threat."
Sir Shellarrow nodded. "And at least, the innocent girls are no longer in danger."
Olward chuckled. "Teakarm's curse will continue. But now, it is in our side."
The small catman puppet stood unmoving. Its indigo cloak was a dark silhouette against the flickering lantern light. Inside its wooden shell, a new programming hummed. A new directive was being digested.
But then...
Its head was suddenly snapped to one direction. Its mercury eyes glowed silvery color. And then, it vanished into a puff of smoke.
"It detects a target." Jack commented. "That direction!"
He didn't linger. Quickly moving towards the stairs. Followed by the others right away.
Rune zipped ahead. Her body was pulsing with a vibrant, sapphire glow. Showing the direction the puppet had taken.
They scrambled up and out of Carpenter Teakarm's house. Emerging into the crisp night air of Mirebarrow's North District.
It was well past midnight. The streets were mostly deserted. Save for the occasional distant clang of a factory's steam machine.
Rune's glow intensified. Pulling them to the south.
They moved fast. A motley group of transcendent people. Following the luminous fairy with grim determination.
Rune led them through a maze of dimly lit alleys and residential streets. The initial burst of teleportation from the puppet had put distance between them. But Rune's tracking was relentless. Her sapphire glow shifted. Pointing steadily southeast.
They crossed the Central District into the Southeast District. A residential zone where the houses were a bit grander and the streetlights were slightly brighter.
Then, Rune flared a brilliant, urgent red. Hovering by a house with a shattered window.
From inside, the sounds of a struggle reached them. Muffled but distinct. A sickly white light pulsed from the broken pane. Casting grotesque shadows on the lawn.
Jack kicked the door and burst into the house. Inside, the small catman puppet was a whirlwind of motion. Locked in combat with a man cloaked in dark, heavy fabric.
The cultist was tall and broad-shouldered. He moved with a surprising agility for his build. He held an-ordinary looking cane. But it pulsed with the same nauseating white light they had seen from outside.
Corrupted energy blasts shot from the cane's tip. Crackling with malevolent force. Tearing at the furniture and walls. The puppet dodged. A blur of indigo cloak and wooden limbs.
The little automaton was fast. Incredibly so. It would appear, strike with its razor-sharp claws, or jab with its spear-tipped tail. And then, it would vanish in a puff of smoke. Reappearing moments later from a different angle. It was... a ninja-like battle style.
Each of its attack was precise. Aimed at weak points. But the cultist's defense was also formidable. A shimmering faith shield flickered around him. Deflecting each of the puppet's blows with a dull thunk.
The puppet's attacks weren't strong enough. Its claws merely scraped the cultist's protective aura. And the spear-tail glanced off. Unable to pierce the man's substantial magical defense.
It was a stalemate.
The cane-wielder's face was contorted in a sneer of fanaticism. Each of his energy blasts was missing the elusive puppet by inches.
"Purity Cultist, huh? This piece of filth." Mr. Spear muttered. Drawing his longsword. The eldritch knight's eyes narrowed. Assessing the fight.
Jack nodded. The puppet was doing its job. But it needed an edge. "He's too tough for it alone." Jack stated. Already channeling energy. His eyes glowed faintly. "Let's give it a hand."
He raised a hand and pushed it forward. Black, flaming chains erupted from his chain bracers. Lashing out with surprising speed. [Chains of Vengeance] were activated.
The fiery, ebony links coiled around the cultist's right leg. Tightening with a sickening snap.
The man yelped. Startled. His concentration was momentarily broken as he stumbled. The shimmering faith shield around him flickered. Momentarily weakening.
Mr. Spear immediately joined in. His eldritch longsword flashed like lightning. With a swift, practiced movement, he capitalized on the cultist's imbalance.
The blade whistled through the air. Keen and precise. Missing the head. But severing the cultist's right arm at the elbow. The cultist shrieked. A raw, guttural sound of pain and disbelief.
His arm and cane clattered to the floor. Its corrupted white light dimmed a lot.
The catman puppet didn't miss the chance. It used the opening instantly. In a blink, it vanished. Reappearing directly behind the stunned, bleeding cultist.
Its spear-tipped tail shot forward. Imbued with a faint, violent glow. It plunged deep into the cultist's now-unprotected back. Piercing his skin, flesh, and heart with a wet, tearing sound.
The man gurgled. A final, despairing gasp escaped his lips. And then... he collapsed to the floor in a heap. The chains dissolved. And a plume of sickly white smoke erupted from the cultist's body. Swiftly dissipating.
The small puppet stood over the fallen cultist. Its mercury eyes were glinting. It remained unmoving.
"That was... efficient." Olward grumpily commenting. He had watched the whole situation unfold without any chance to act.
"Indeed." Mr. Spear agreed. Sheathing his sword. He glanced at Jack. "It did manage to detect and assault a cultist. Good for us."
Jack simply nodded. "Let's check the house. There might be more."
They entered cautiously. The house was sparsely furnished. It was dark, and smelled of stale incense and something metallic.
In the next room, they found a second body. This one was already dead. Slumped against a wall. A small, clean hole was in his chest. His attire was similar to the first cultist's.
"Two of them, it seemed." Reina observed. Her expression was neutral. "The puppet got the first one before we arrived."
Jack approached the catman puppet. It still stood rigidly. An eerie, silent guardian. As he reached out to examine it, a sudden, familiar notification panel flashed into his vision. Overlaid across his perception of the physical world.
[LEVEL UP!]
Jack paused. It had been a while. He wondered what new traits he would receive. Soon, other lines appeared. But, it wasn't trait he had to choose this time....
[AVAILABLE NEW INCARNATION FORM] CHOOSE ONE:
[DEVIL INCARNATION: CUSTOM DEVIL PUPPET]
[DEMON INCARNATION: CUSTOM DEMON PUPPET]
[FIEND INCARNATION: CUSTOM FIEND PUPPET]
[MONSTER INCARNATION: CUSTOM MONSTER PUPPET]
Jack's eyes scanned the options. Another incarnation? And this time, it was a puppet form. And custom? Did it mean he could build the external appearance. Interesting. He didn't dwell on them yet. He would make a choice later.
The priority was the current situation. He dismissed the panel with a thought. Focusing on the catman puppet. He injected a pulse of his mystic energy into the puppet. Feeling the raw, yet limited magic control he could access within its wooden frame.
He couldn't change the core purposes. He couldn't alter its objectives. But, he could still adjust its behavior programming.
He inputted new directive mentally... [Whenever there is no more target in range, return to the designated cellar base.]
Jack didn't want the puppet to remain on site. Causing a spectacle. Risking any clash with normal spectators who considered it a threat.
A faint, almost imperceptible tremor ran through the puppet's frame. Its mercury eyes seemed to blink once. Then it turned. Dissolving into a puff of smoke that swiftly dissipated.