Koyuki, the Necromancing Foxkin

CHAPTER 302: Convention, Day 3, Exotic Undead

"Does anyone know what today's presentation is about?" I asked my friends.

"No." Cassie replied.

"An exotic form of undeath: The Mummy." Helena read from a flyer.

I perked up. "Never heard about that, sounds interesting!"

The presentation was held in the same room as before, so we knew the way. My friends decided to join me. I suspected they were not that interested in the actual topic but wanted to get away from our booth.

The room was not full, there were quite a few seats left. Thankfully the people respected the presentation enough to not constantly ask me about vampire spellblades.

In the front was an older man in a yellow robe. Beside him was standing someone covered in bandages from head to toe.

"Why is this person bandaged? Do you think this is the undead?" Helena wondered.

"Could be." I mused.

"Curious." Kaito commented while studying the person, or creature. "There seems to be an opening large enough for the eyes but everything else is covered, even the feet."

Before we could continue to speculate the man began.

"Greetings! I am Javier Dusk and I have spent my life searching for different kinds of undead. What I found in the south is astounding, the mummy!" He gestured towards the creature in bandages.

"They are a unique kind of undead and the result of ancient burial rites. I have been unable to determine from which civilization, but they can be found inside some old ruins in the desert. Underneath those wraps is a type of zombie but they are connected to the fabric. I believe that certain alchemical potions were used in the process."

Suddenly Cassie seemed interested. "Ohhh, alchemy."

"I think that this civilization's way of storing their dead led to the creation of a new form of undeath! Of course, some people think differently." He stared at someone in the crowd before continuing: "There is a theory that these undead were deliberately created. That they are not buried people risen through time but a deliberately created weapon. However, these mummies are clearly found inside luxurious graves. Often even inside boxes, named a sarcophagus. Despite their elaborate design they are not magical."

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It sounded quite fascinating, but why would you go through such lengths to bury someone?

"The wraps are an important part of the undead. Ripping them off does in fact damage the undead, proving that they are a part of the creature. They are more durable than normal cloth and have been reinforced with mana. Some mummies can use them to attack at close range. This does not mean they have an air affinity, they seem to be moving them with telekinesis as far as I can tell."

I had a lot of questions but I did not want to interrupt the presentation. Hopefully there would be time to ask a few at the end.

"Now you might be wondering: How do you combine those wraps with an undead? Clearly they are a fabric and not part of a corpse. The sad truth is, we still do not know. You can soak the bandages in the blood of the corpse. The result, if you succeed, will be a blood mummy. They are different from the naturally found ones and are part of the vampiric undead. Any questions so far?"

I immediately raised my hand.

"Yes."

"Are these mummies tier three? What affinity do the regular ones have?" I asked.

"Ah, I love your enthusiasm! Tier three mummies exist but none are controlled by a necromancer. This is a tier two I acquired inside an old ruin. My mummy has an earth affinity." He replied.

Cassie raised her hand as well.

"Yes."

"What is known about the alchemy?"

"Not too much, sadly. There seems to be an earth element involved. My theory is the bandages were meant to prevent undeath but ultimately failed and gave birth to something new!"

I heard a snort. "They are clearly a designed part to bond with the zombie!" A man shouted.

"That is your opinion! There is no proof for any of that!" Javier shouted.

"What kind of weird name is mummy anyway?" Someone in the crowd asked.

Javier calmed down again. "Ah, the name is actually one of the things we did discover in old ruins. Sadly a lot has been forgotten. These days the desert is only populated by orcs and nomad tribes. Unfortunately neither of them is known for keeping records."

"Aren't the bandages a giant weakness?" Someone asked.

"You would think so, however they can even be regenerated, to a degree. It is a fascinating process and shows that they are truly a part of the undead. Infused with mana they can become blades and block attacks. Just like magical ice far exceeds the durability of regular ice, so do those bandages." Javier explained.

"A sign that they were designed as weapons!" The man in the crowd stated.

"There is no proof of that!" Javier shouted back.

I had more questions but the bickering continued and eventually the presentation ended. We made our way back to our stall while I contemplated mummies.

"A fascinating form of undeath but I feel like the so-called blood mummy has potential." Kaito said.

Hatsumi frowned. "I am not sure. Who would want to be covered in bandages? Do you think a tier three mummy would be happy?"

Kaito chuckled. "I believe most would like their head attached to their shoulders. I, however, do enjoy my existence. I do not envy what others would consider a whole body."

"Why not a burning mummy? Or an exploding one? I feel like you could soak those bandages in interesting potions…" Cassie suggested.

"I believe I would mind exploding." Kaito added.

"Do you think a partial mummy would work?" I wondered. "Like only covering the arms and using the bandages to attack?"

"Do you want to experiment with mummies?" Helena asked.

"Hm. I think we will try to work with Hatsumi's poison for now. We can consider the mummy thing later. I just don't really know enough about them." I concluded.

"You should try a fire vampire with an exploding poison! Imagine, biting someone and they go boom!" Cassie suggested.

"Blood magic can be used to explode someone." Hatsumi pointed out.

Cassie's grin was slightly concerning.