novelraw Chapter 344: Thrall
Chapter 344: Thrall
"How can Hatsumi help?" I asked.
Gronir stroked his beard before answering. "First I need to tell you about thralls."
"Which are illegal to create for a bound vampire." Erik added.
Gronir nodded. "You know that vampires are quite dangerous because they can blend into society. Nobody could ever think a dullahan would be alive and your draugrs might pass for a living from far away, but their skin is clearly dead once you are close. Vampires can look alive, feel alive to the touch and they can even bleed. But that is not the only problem. Vampires feed from the living, and they can control them. It works a bit like your bond with your undead but in reverse."
My eyes widened. "Why wasn't that mentioned in class before?"
"Because young necromancers dream of creating a vampire and using it to dominate others." Erik stated. "You and Hatsumi have been closely monitored, especially after she became a spellblade."
While we were talking a skeleton arrived and placed a bag next to Gronir. He started opening it while he talked: "To create a thrall a vampire needs to drink someone's blood and inject their own mana. It works a lot better against people who do not have magic to fight back. Against a mage you need to exhaust, or weaken them. Someone suffering from mana fatigue would be an ideal target. With their mana inside the mage they can start to bind them. This process does not have to be done at once and can happen over multiple sessions. The result is similar to raising a tier three and failing your battle of wills."
"Blood magic can create a similar result, but it is easier for a vampire." Irene added.
"Yes, those would be called blood puppets." Gronir confirmed. "Anyway, a thrall is essentially bound to follow the orders of the vampire, just like your undead need to follow your orders. Most vampires use that to have a loyal food supply but it can be risky. As you saw with Leo, a thrall can be spotted. He did not behave right, because he is following some basic orders, he is pale, because he has lost blood. There is also a certain taint on his core but you need rather developed magical senses to spot those."
"Um, why did Leo return to class?" Tim asked.
"That is why we assume it is an inexperienced vampire. They likely panicked when they realised they had bound a noble. You can't just disappear the son of a duke. I would assume they just told him to go to class while they use the time to hide, or flee." Erik explained.
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"It is even possible that they did not know much about the bond and its power. A vampire will have instincts but they don't know everything about their own powers." Gronir added.
"I can confirm that." Hatsumi added. "I would not know how to create a thrall."
"Let's keep it that way." Erik stated.
Gronir retrieved a hand-sized crystal ball and walked towards Hatsumi. "Please touch this and channel your mana into it."
Hatsumi complied while Gronir's eyes glowed green. Then he nodded and walked over to the frozen Leo. The ice around Leo's hand melted and Gronir touched it with the ball.
"I can confirm that it is not her mana controlling him." Gronir replied.
"Good." Erik stated.
"Now, here is the interesting thing. In order to track the vampire we could use tracking formation, like we did with your Iron Beak. Setting that up would take some time though. However, in this case we have a faster alternative. Hatsumi can be used as our tracker. As a fellow vampire she can track the bond through Leo's blood. With a bit of help." Gronir said.
"What do you need me to do?" Hatsumi asked.
"I will keep Leo secure while casting a spell on him and you." Erik stated. "Once you drink his blood you should be able to focus on the bond and follow it. We will give you a small vial of his blood that you can use if you lose track. Irene and Gronir will accompany you while you hunt the vampire."
"What about me?" I asked.
"Hatsumi is your vampire and frankly your force of tier three is quite powerful. You can accompany them and provide support." Erik said.
"What about my friends?" I asked.
He paused, then looked at the door. "They are right outside, aren't they?"
"I, um, I might have alerted my other undead and the other cats were with my friends and…"
Erik sighed. "They have all been trained for combat and you do make a good team. Since we do not know if anyone else is compromised, like parts of the city guard, I will trust your team to provide support for Irene and Gronir."
"What about us?" Tom asked.
Erik looked at Gronir.
"They do not have much in terms of combat undead but they know basic death magic spells to contribute to a fight. Their defence is lacking, like most death magic users but they have done reasonably well during exercises." Gronir stated.
"You can join as well then, that means I don't have to worry about gossip until this is resolved." Erik said. "Now, don't be alarmed."
He waved his hands as he began to cast a spell. Runes made from ice appeared along Leo's body, then similar runes formed on Hatsumi's head. "You can bite him now, I have made sure the neck is not frozen."
Hatsumi approached Leo and bit his neck. She took a few sips, stepped back and licked her lips.
"I can feel something." She said. While Hatsumi was concentrating, Irene filled a small via with Leo's blood.
"The link points outside of the academy but not too far, I think." Hatsumi stated. "I will have to get closer to be more precise."
Erik nodded. "Irene, you are in charge while I keep the spell going. I trust you to handle it."
Irene nodded and opened the door, only to stare at my friends, and cats. "Good, you are all here. Grab any weapons you need quickly, we are going vampire hunting."
"What?" Skadi asked.
"A vampire took control of Leo, Hatsumi is tracking him." I explained.
"I have so many questions…" Cassie said.
"I don't see the problem…" Helena mumbled.
My friends were quickly brought up to speed, then we left to grab any gear we would need. It was time to hunt a vampire.