Koyuki, the Necromancing Foxkin

CHAPTER 356: Preparing for the Trip

The exams were over, we had passed the second year and now we were getting ready for our trip during the break. Before we left there were still a few things to do, like raising the horse I wanted to give Derrick, Helena's brother. So I met with my friends in the mess hall to discuss the trip.

"Kaito has managed to secure a corpse for the undead horse, I need another day or so to raise it." I stated.

"Where did he get the corpse?" Cassie asked.

"I have been looking for a while and contacted the local stables as well as the guards. I simply offered to buy any corpse they had, as long as it was not too damaged. Thankfully there is not a great demand for dead horses so we managed to secure a corpse." Kaito reported.

"Could we get more? We need more options for transportation." Helena asked.

"I can try but there aren't that many dead horses. We have been looking for a corpse for months until we got lucky." Kaito replied.

"Are all of you ready in three days? I have got a caravan we can escort. They are not going to Frost County but they are heading north to the Winston Duchy. Their destination is Granstone, which would be a slight detour but we would only lose a day. If we are not delayed we could arrive at Helena's home on the 37th." Skadi said.

"Sounds good. What about my undead? Did you get a wagon?" I asked.

Skadi nodded. "I managed to get us one wagon; you can probably fit about 10 goblins in there and a few supplies. The driver's bench could hold two more and the wagon has a canvas, although it is quite old and we might have to replace it. Not that your undead cared if they got wet but we might put supplies in there as well."

"I assume Kaito drives the carriage, who will drive the wagon?" Garm asked.

"I can." Rose volunteered.

"That works." I said. "So Rose and Kaito will drive, Bob and Frank can sit next to them, since the driver's benches hold two. Hatsumi could join us inside the carriage while Garm and Chariot ride on top. The cats are going to be inside with us. Am I forgetting anyone?"

"What about your horse? Is anyone going to ride Coffee?" Helena asked.

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"We could let Frank ride it, that way we have a spare seat next to a driver. I could keep them company at times." Hatsumi suggested.

"Good idea, Rose could get bored otherwise. Kaito will have Garm to talk to." I said.

"So, who are we escorting?" Helena asked.

"It is not just one trader, it's an open caravan. It's run by a man called Egon Saltin who does not trade anything himself, he simply organises protected caravans between cities. Normally he has his own guards but they took some losses on the way to Lupos. He has been trying to find a replacement to finish his current trip. If he is stuck here for too long he might have to refund the traders who use his service." Skadi explained.

"So you found someone who is desperate enough that they don't care about an attack from Ilestria." I said.

"Pretty much, he also gave us a good deal with the wagon." Skadi added.

"Speaking of potential attacks, Koyuki, I trust your skeletons to protect my brewery while we are gone. I have some staff now and things are slowly getting started. I will just need to organise regular barley shipments and finalise the recipe." Cassie said.

"It should be fine, I even got my magical skeleton there. Unless there is a serious attack they can handle it and I don't think anyone would spare the resources to hit a brewery." I replied.

We discussed a few more details before we split up to pursue our own preparations. I went to the lab to work on the undead horse and Rose accompanied me. The corpse Kaito had organised was not in great shape but it was whole. Apparently the horse had been sick and died of some disease, however it should be safe for us to handle.

"Hm, there is not that much dead flesh on it. I wonder if we can strengthen it somehow?" I pondered the problem, while staring at the corpse.

"Your draugrs are made by circulating water through them, correct? Putting liquid into it should improve it." Rose observed.

"True. I think I should ask Helena to raise it jointly, it is for her brother after all." I said. "I guess we will start by cleaning it and soaking it overnight. Then we will go for a draugr tomorrow."

"It's a bit big for soaking but we could create an ice tub, we just need someone to maintain the magic overnight." Rose suggested.

"Hm. It's not too hot, which means maintaining some ice should be doable for Frank and Chariot. Otherwise I might have to ask Yoru." I said.

"Don't forget Garm. I think he would not mind sleeping next to it while pouring some mana into it." Rose smiled. "He is a good boy."

"That he is. You know, you don't have to help me clean the corpse if you don't want to." I told her.

"I want to. I want to learn more about necromancy and magic in general." Rose replied.

"OK, let's get to work!" I said.

Cleaning a corpse was not anything glorious but taking proper care before a raising really helped the result. And when I did not have to raise my dead during battle I wanted to put some effort into my undead. Once our preparations were done Garm volunteered to keep an eye on the corpse while Chariot and Frank helped with the boring work of channeling mana into our ice tub.

The next day Helena accompanied me and we prepared a joint casting. She was cycling the water through the corpse as I prepared to raise the draugr. I also focused on some speed enhancements, since we were creating a mount. I also tried to reinforce the undead flesh a bit, since the disease had left its marks on the corpse.

As our spell took effect the brown fur turned grey and I could see blue-green glow in its eyes. After all the tier threes I had created this draugr felt rather easy. The new undead stood up and stared at me, waiting for an order.

"It looks great, I think Derrick will love it." Helena said, while studying our creation.

"Good. Now all we need is a proper saddle." I stated.

We could organise a saddle at our destination though, so it was not anything crucial. That meant I was ready for our trip, all that was left was to pack my things.