“So we need a volunteer?” Skadi asked.

  “I would not recommend biting a friend.” Gronir said. I also noticed a glow in his eyes.

  “Can’t your magic identify her?” I wondered.

  Gronir shook his head. “The core of a tier three makes it hard. Tier three undead are very complex. We need to find out about her natural abilities to classify her.”

  “What is the problem with biting a friend?” Cassie wondered.

  “What makes a vampire bite special is their ability to paralyse someone with their bite. They can lock you down through your blood, then inject necrotic mana. They don’t have to do that, they can just bite normally. But that would not tell us much.” Gronir explained.

  “I do have some control over blood. And I think I can heal myself with it.” Hatsumi said.

  Gronir nodded. “You are certainly an undead connected with blood. But that is not a unique trait of vampires. Although you would certainly fall into the greater vampiric family. Let us find an animal we can use. I will send one of my skeletons to fetch something.”

  “If she is a vampire, is there anything important we need to know? Hatsumi said my bond is enough to feed her.” I wondered.

  “Vampires have a special connection to blood. Like your vampiric undead they can use it to heal and to rapidly replenish their mana. They need blood to survive if they are not bound. Vampires are even more vulnerable to light magic than most undead. It is their main weakness. They are also feared because they can blend in with normal people. Once they get close it takes magic to fight their bite. They are incredible infiltrators and assassins. Their physical strength is mostly linked to their core. Like any magical creature their body is enhanced by their mana. Not all of them are mages. Some use their core purely for enhancement.” Gronir explained.

  Hatsumi was poking her teeth with her finger while she listened.

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  “What about the body temperature?” I wondered. “Is that not an easy way to identify them?”

  Gronir chuckled. “Once you touch their skin it might be a bit late. But even that can be changed with magic. Although vampires usually do not have a fire affinity they can simply use a potion to increase their temperature. Or they could pretend to be an ice mage. Cooling your skin in a warm climate or covering yourself in a protective layer of ice is not unheard of.”

  “Do all vampires have ice magic? Blood requires water and earth.” I asked.

  Gronir shook his head. “Remember, while all of them have magic, not all of them are true mages. It depends on the size of their core and their talent. All vampires have the theoretical ability to learn an ice spell. A lot of them will never do that. Vampires have strong natural powers and they tend to rely on those. A real vampire mage will likely use cold and water based attacks, in addition to earth and blood. Most will specialise though. Keep in mind that there are no academies or schools for vampires, at least none that I know of. Free vampires are killed, like monsters. Very few necromancers will have a vampire as a servant. It does take talent and preparation to create one. You did a joint casting with a blood mage, had help from an alchemist, had a really high value corpse, got assistance from teachers and even used vampiric nightshade seeds.”

  He made a good point. Having such a powerful corpse was not a common thing. Then there were my friends. My talent alone would not have been enough. Most necromancers would never be in a situation where they could even attempt to make a vampire.

  “Will there be a problem if I walk around in public?” Hatsumi asked.

  “You will get an identification card stating that you belong to Koyuki. Guards should accept that but they might still keep an eye on you. Adventurers can be a bit more… problematic. Vampire teeth are valuable and there is bounty on any high level threat. Vampires are categorized as a threat. They might attack first, or not believe you when you show them your identification. If they attack you can defend yourself. Koyuki’s status will definitely help you. Oh, and other necromancers might try to steal you, or lure you away.” Gronir warned.

  “Let them try.” Hatsumi could make a very scary face, I noticed.

  But I remembered an earlier conversation with Gronir. “Didn't you tell me it would be really hard to steal a tier three?”

  “Indeed. It would take an archmage to steal her, unless she was willing to change master. That would make it easier to break the bond. But a lot of people have more ego than sense and just assume they can do it. Or they think they can convince the undead. Or they just try to kill the necromancer first. Then they get eaten by the undead, usually.” Gronir chuckled.

  Then the door opened and a skeleton entered. It held a rat.

  “Ah, I think the test subject has arrived.” Gronir said.

  “You want me to bite a rat?” Hatsumi asked.

  “It is a living creature with blood. I want you to bite and do what comes naturally. I shall observe with my magic.” He explained.

  Hatsumi took the rat from the skeleton. Nyx watched it very closely. Hatsumi took the animal, then just bit into it. The animal froze, then it started to change. The fur turned black, the eyes glowed red. When Hatsumi was done we all stared at a zombie rat.

  “She is a vampire.” Gronir stated.

  While we all processed this information Nyx grew. Then she swallowed the rat, right out of Hatsumi’s hands.