Koyuki, the Necromancing Foxkin

Chapter 347: Binding

After the brief interrogation of the new vampire, Gronir studied the ritual circle again and took a few notes, then he destroyed the runes claiming they were too dangerous to keep around. While he did that we sent Kaito to inform the city guard. They would secure the area and search for further evidence. There was also a concern about the secret door and the possibility of a greater hidden network inside the sewers.

It did make me wonder if this secret room had been a part of the thieves guild. While we had taken out their headquarters and arrested some people they certainly had other hideouts. Maybe some of them were now abandoned and used by other groups? The Brotherhood and Ilestria both used the thieves guild so they might know about some of their hideouts. You would think the city guard would know as well after questioning the prisoners but it would be hard to verify if a captive gave up all the information they knew.

Once the guards arrived and took over we made our way back to the academy. We were told to wait in a class room while Gronir and Irene talked to the headmaster. They had the new vampire with them, as well as the still frozen Leo.

"I hope it works out and she won't be destroyed." I said.

"She would be an acceptable addition to the pack." Garm's left head stated. "Assuming her personality fits." Garm's right head added.

"I am curious to see how I measure up against another vampire. I have never met one before." Hatsumi said.

"I do not believe that a profane ritual from the Brotherhood will be comparable to the work of our Mistress." Kaito stated.

"Really?" Tim asked. "If they sacrificed people wouldn't that make for a stronger undead?"

"I have to admit I have no idea about rituals." I said.

"I do not think that raw power alone will be enough to compete with Koyuki's brilliance." Kaito replied.

"Um…" I blushed. Was I that brilliant? Wasn't my large core a big factor as well?

"I am more curious about her personality." Cassie stated.

"She did not seem too unreasonable. I am certainly hopeful that she will fit in, given a chance." I said.

"She did seem a lot more insecure than your undead but she was in a tough spot." Helena said.

"Waking up alone surrounded by hostiles must be rough." I agreed. "I suspect they did not use the original soul, considering that she has no memories of her past. I do wonder where they got the corpse from? Hopefully they did not kill someone for it."

"The Brotherhood is not known for their concern for others." Skadi pointed out.

"True." I agreed.

Our conversation was interrupted as the door opened. Erik, Gronir, Irene, Leo and the new vampire entered. Leo still looked a bit pale and not overly happy.

"Students, this has been a rather problematic event but thankfully it has been resolved. Leo, why don't you tell them what happened?" Erik suggested.

"Ah, yes. I made some connections during the conference and acquired the help of other necromancers. I have been invited to participate in a ritual which would create a vampire. Naturally I was unaware of their true affiliation and that they intended to use a sacrifice. Once I objected they decided to subdue and use me as additional fuel. The vampire broke free and… I believe you know the outcome." Leo said.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Really? The hidden ritual chamber did not clue you in on their nefarious plans?" Helena asked.

Leo looked even more unhappy now. "A ritual would be valuable magical knowledge, it makes sense to protect it."

Erik put his hand on Leo's shoulder. "We are not here to discuss his judgement, or the lack of it. Leo has agreed to fully cooperate with any investigation into the Brotherhood. He has also promised to not seek the destruction of the vampire."

Leo ground his teeth. "Yes…"

"Splendid! Leo will need some time to recover and all of you can leave now, except Koyuki, Hatsumi and Gronir. There is the matter of this unbound vampire to settle." Erik stated.

After everyone had left Erik continued: "Whatever the truth of the matter may be, do not spread any rumours that contradict the official story. That also means our new vampire here will not talk about it, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The vampire replied.

"So, you do not have a name, correct?" He asked the vampire.

She shook her head. "If I had one I do not remember."

"Well, you can settle that with your new master or mistress. So, Gronir, explain again why you believe handing her to a student is better than taking control yourself?" Erik asked.

Gronir stroked his beard. "I admit that I have considered getting a tier three myself again. However, I would want it on my terms. She seems a bit lost and could use the guidance of other undead. I believe Koyuki can provide a better environment and Hatsumi can help to teach her. It will also be fascinating to see the difference between her and Hatsumi, in mana upkeep for example. I am honestly looking forward to Koyuki's analysis of the vampire."

"Is she a new soul or did they use the one from her body?" I asked.

"A valid question." Gronir said. "As far as I can tell from the ritual they tried to create a new one. They tried to force certain traits on her with those runes, I am not entirely sure how well that worked. It also seemed to be a joint casting with one sacrifice. The magic involved was rather advanced, too advanced for what we usually see from the brotherhood. I also believe it was poorly understood. I need to study this further but I believe they might have found some knowledge that they can't handle. If Leo helped them acquire that or if they used it to lure him in, is hard to say."

Gronir looked at the new vampire. "There is also one other concerning discovery that I have made. The ritual used the blood of another vampire, if I understand it correctly. It could also have been an alchemical substitute. However, a vampire who creates another vampire has some control over them. Which is the final reason why I want Koyuki to take over the new vampire. It could help to prevent any links to any other vampire. Mind you, the control link from a necromancer should override any other link but vampires are not completely understood."

"It sounds to me like there is no real chance of her being connected to another vampire and you just want to experiment." Erik stated.

Gronir raised an eyebrow. "I am curious but I also believe that Hatsumi's presence and help will be valuable. She can mimic a more natural link."

"How?" I asked.

"Hatsumi will bite the new vampire while you cast your control undead spell. It will help to solidify the link by binding her as your undead and Hatsumi's subordinate." Gronir explained.

"Half of my mana is used for my spellblade runes, won't I have a problem controlling a tier three?" Hatsumi asked.

"You would not be controlling her directly. The mana will come from Koyuki, you will simply work as an anchor. It will take Koyuki a bit more mana to bind her that way I believe, but she still has some to spare. It will mimic a more natural process and should feel more comfortable for the new vampire." He paused and looked at Erik. "It should also be a more secure and harder to break binding."

"Go ahead." Erik said.

Hatsumi approached the new vampire, who looked a bit nervous. "Do not worry, I am sure you will enjoy working with us." Hatsumi assured her.

I prepared the control undead spell we had learned. I hoped I remembered the runes correctly.

"Will it hurt?" The vampire asked.

"It will feel a bit uncomfortable. Don't fight the link and accept it and it should be over quickly." Gronir told her.

She nodded.

"I am ready." I said, having prepared my spell.

Hatsumi bit the neck and I finished the spell. I found the mind of the new vampire and tried to connect to it. Hatsumi's mana inside her helped as my magic tried to link with it. I could feel the new mind, I could feel resistance, fear, uncertainty. I could try to overpower her, to smash through it, but instead I tried to send reassurances through the link. So far I had not really fought my undead, or forced them into submission. There had been a bit of a fight when I had bonded Nyx but I had been rather inexperienced back then. And Nyx had been drugged and confused as well. The vampire's resistance weakened and I gently pushed through it. There was gasp from her as the link formed.

I was sweating a bit. The whole procedure had used a lot of my mana. I mentally checked the new link and it seemed solid. I also noticed that Hatsumi's link had gotten more expensive. I guess some mana was routed through her to the new vampire.

"Is it done?" Erik asked.

"Yes." I confirmed.

"Good job." Erik stated, then he left.

"I am looking forward to working with you!" Gronir told the new vampire, then he left as well.

Hatsumi was steading the vampire, who looked a bit dazed and confused. I smiled. Hopefully I had made a new friend today.