Plot
The battles went on at the gate.
Sam watched as some puppets came out of the academy grounds. They are far larger and they are much more vague in terms of appearance. They are clearly inspired by the humanoid structure, but they don't have a particular species one could attach to them.
They just looked like the puppets.
As soon as they appeared with their long staves in their hands, they stuck those spears into the ground. The black sludge started decreasing in pit. It is travelling through the ground and entered these puppets through these staves.
It seems like the usage of the sludge has not ended yet.
There is more in store for them. Then the puppets stopped moving for a second. From what Sam could see, they are made of more stone than metal. As for why they are considered puppets, they are not made of a single unified piece of stone. Instead he could distinguish the components separately.