Koyuki, the Necromancing Foxkin

CHAPTER 348: Rose

The door had barely closed after Gronir when it opened again. My friends and other undead came back into the room.

"Welcome to the team!" Helena said.

"You are now a proud member of the Dread Claws of Nyx." Skadi added.

"What?" The confused vampire asked.

"Meow." Nyx stated.

"Me…" The vampire frowned. "Why do I feel the urge to say 'meow'?"

"Don't worry about it." Hatsumi told her.

"How do you feel?" I asked the new vampire.

"A bit confused and overwhelmed. It is not as oppressive as I had feared." She said. "What happens now?"

"You need a name." Cassie said.

Hatsumi winced. "Do you have a name you like?" She asked.

"Something dark and mysterious perhaps?" Cassie inquired.

"Rose. I saw a rose in the hideout and it was pretty." The vampire stated.

"A great name." Hatsumi encouraged her.

"Ok, Rose it is." I confirmed. "So, what would you like to do, Rose?"

"First, here, have a drink." Hatsumi handed her a small bottle.

"What is that?" Rose asked.

"It is a blood potion I made for Hatsumi." Cassie explained. "I can make them for you as well."

"It's a nice treat and it should help you recover from the binding." Hatsumi said.

Rose took the bottle and opened it. She sniffed it first, then took a small sip. Her eyes widened and she downed the whole thing. "This is great!"

"I do great work." Cassie said, smugly.

"So, I am still allowed to drink blood?" Rose asked.

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"The link will provide you with sustenance so you don't need blood but you can still have those potions as a snack. They can also help you heal after a fight. You are not allowed to just bite random people but you can absolutely drink anyone attacking us." I explained. "Further, it is important that you do not attack people just because they are rude. Generally do not kill anyone unless it is necessary and try to incapacitate attackers, if possible."

Rose nodded. "As you wish, Mistress."

"You don't have to call me 'Mistress', you can call me Koyuki." I said.

Rose nodded.

"So, what do you want to do?" I asked.

"I have options?" Rose asked.

"Yes. You are bound to me, so your behaviour reflects on me and you can't just wander off. However, you can attend some classes here at the academy. I would encourage you to train and learn magic, and fighting, but I am not going to force you to. You can also visit the library, or borrow some books from Skadi, if you are looking for entertainment."

"I have great books." Skadi stated. "I can also recommend a book featuring a vampire maid."

Hatsumi nodded. "It is a great book."

I sighed.

Rose looked at Hatsumi. "You are a maid? You feel strong." She touched the small bite wound on her neck. Or the place where it had been, there was no longer a trace of it.

"I am a spellblade. That is not a path for you right now but it could become an option in the future. I serve Koyuki as a maid but also as a bodyguard. She is getting attacked a lot and we need to keep her safe."

"I serve as her butler and driver, but all of us are her guards as well. Do not underestimate the cats, they have slain many enemies." Kaito stated.

"Should I be a maid as well?" Rose asked.

"That is your decision. We can get you an academy uniform and you can just visit some classes, learn some magic and decide what you want to do." I told her.

"I can provide fashion advice." Garm's left head stated, while showing off his bowtie.

Rose stared at Garm. "Can I pet you?"

"Naturally." Garm replied while both heads nodded.

"He is really fluffy." Helena said.

"Meow!" Yoru complained.

"So are the cats, except Nyx. Although her bones can feel strangely soft at times." I added.

It was a lovely sight, seeing Rose pet Garm, who was a really good boy. It helped Rose to relax as well. She was still a bit tense, which was understandable. Her future was unknown and I had to make sure that she felt welcome in our group.

"So, what sort of powers do you have? The same as Hatsumi?" Helena asked.

"I do not know what Hatsumi can do." Rose replied. "I am not sure what I can do. I am physically stronger than a comparable human, I suppose. My bite seems to be my main weapon. When I slew the ritualists I mostly consumed their blood. Once my fangs piece someone I can paralyse them."

"Our fangs are a great weapon." Hatsumi agreed. "You can use them to poison, to control and to kill opponents. They can also help you raise undead. You can inject necrotic mana into your enemies which allows you to reanimate them once they die. You can even create another vampire that way, in theory. However, that is a much more complicated process and I suspect you might need to grow some more to achieve that. It is also not something you are allowed to do without Koyuki's consent. Besides your fangs you should have some power over blood. I use blood magic to form blood claws in battle."

Rose looked at her hand. "I am not sure if I have any blood magic."

"Technically every vampire has a death, water and earth affinity. Earth and water are needed for blood magic and you do have a core as a tier three. However, not all vampires are equally strong and their core size varies, just like with a living mage. Their talent varies as well. That means you can do magic but it might not be your strength, the only way to find out is to try. Also, training helps, no matter how much talent you have." I explained.

"All the undead here have inborn powers." Kaito stated, while frostfire formed around his hands. "We also have mana strengthening our bodies. Hatsumi has maximised and optimised that aspect with her spellblade runes. She can still perform magic as well but she was created from the corpse of a grand mage. While not all of that power was retained she has become a very powerful undead with a sizable core, a core which is still growing, I believe."

I nodded. "All undead can grow and evolve over time though but it is normally a slow process. Sadly we don't know much about your body. Did they use a mage? Did they need a ritual because their corpse did not have enough magic? Honestly, I would have loved to study that ritual but it sounds evil."

"Weak vampire or not, you are still a vampire." Skadi pointed out.

"Yeah. Vampires are considered rather dangerous." Cassie added. "Especially since you can use weapons and armour. At worst you would be a stronger, more durable soldier with a killer bite."

"We should do some sparring, after you have recovered." I suggested. "For now, let us show you the academy!"