I returned to the classroom while Gronir prepared a proper test for my new undead.

“So, what is going to happen?” Tom asked, as I returned.

“Gronir is looking for a proper opponent to duel my armadillo. He needs someone strong so my pet can go all out. And someone with enough control not to destroy my armadillo.” I responded.

“He could fight it himself.” Tim mused.

“He is a necromancer. Fighting it with his own undead would not be ideal. They don’t have enough control to go all out, without destroying each other. And with the blood powers it will be more interesting to see a fight against a living target.” I said.

“Can we watch the fight?” Tom asked.

“Uh, Probably? I don’t think Gronir would object.” It was not my decision to make but I had no problem with an audience. Actually, I would not mind showing off my creation.

Gronir returned with a big smile. “I have found the perfect opponent! We can test your creation right now. Follow me, students!”

Leo seemed unhappy that nobody cared about his skeleton. Tim and Tom were excited as we followed Gronir. He led us to the practice area outside, where Irene was waiting.

“You do keep things interesting, Koyuki. Let’s see what you have created.” Her smile looked dangerous.

“Please don’t destroy my armadillo!” I pleaded.

“Ah, don’t worry.” She reassured me.

Irene was wearing a robe and carried a staff. She stretched as my armadillo entered the fighting area.

“I expect it to go all out. Tell it to kill me.” Irene instructed.

“Uh… ok, ma’am.” I responded. Irene was a veteran and a grand mage. I suppose that is why she was chosen. There was no way my minion could actually win.

The armadillo deployed its frozen blood armour and formed a tail blade. Then it charged.

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Irene was not a spellblade. Yet she seemed rather capable with her staff, as she parried the blade. I did notice her skin changing. Was there a very thin layer of ice on it?

After the first exchange of blows, Irene went on the offensive. She unleashed a cone of fire from her hand. The blood armour began to melt. I was getting worried, but she stopped before my undead’s defence broke. Then Irene threw a vial on the ground. It looked like blood. The armadillo pounced at it.

“It used its mana on defence, the blood will help it recover so we can continue testing.” Irene explained. “Also, I am not sure what specific order you gave it, but note that it stopped attacking to consume the blood. That means it could get distracted in battle.”

I looked at Gronir. “I sort of just told it to try and kill Irene.”

Gronir nodded. “A tier one undead would simply attack the target no matter what. A tier two will act according to its combat instinct. Essentially, the creature has concluded it needed the blood to continue fighting. Their instincts are not always perfect. You could have ordered your undead to keep attacking until the target is dead. Then it would ignore the blood. Understanding your undead and giving the correct orders is very important.”

Meanwhile, the armadillo was back in the fight. And its armour changed. It formed spikes on its back. Which was curious. Next, it raised its tail, like a scorpion. Then it shot its tail blade at Irene.

She used her staff to parry the projectile. But the blade was just the beginning. Next, the armadillo shot all of its spikes. My eyes widened as the spikes, which were ejected in all directions, changed course mid flight and homed in on Irene.

My eyes widened. How did it do that?

A shield of fire formed around Irene and burned all incoming projectiles. Meanwhile, the armadillo charged once more. But its mana was severely depleted. It sacrificed its remaining armour for a larger blade.

“What just happened? Tom asked with wide eyes.

Gronir looked at us. “The first blade it shot at Irene, it was formed with frozen blood. Some of the blood remained on her staff when she parried. The spikes homed in on the blood. Essentially, the armadillo marked its target for a follow up strike. A good instinct, but flawed because it marked her staff. She could have easily avoided the attack by dropping it. That is one of the limitations of a tier two. They do have instincts, they are capable of using certain tactics, but they lack the intelligence to truly evaluate the situation. Still, that was really remarkable. A rather powerful ability. I think we can call it here.”

I ordered my armadillo to stand down.

Irene walked over to us with a grin. “This was fun! You have created a nice little monster there. If you put it against a group of regular soldiers it will absolutely destroy them. Its defence is really solid. The attack is impressive, but it needs to recharge soon afterwards. Unless it kills something it will quickly weaken. Against a mage you should order it to stay defensive and use its attack only on command.”

I nodded. It would be great against a group of weak enemies but mostly useful as a tank against strong enemies. It needed support against mages.

“Can you teach us how to make an elemental undead?” Tom asked. “I want something like that too!”

Gronir stroked his beard. “That is usually not something for a first year. Especially since you lack a dual affinity. I know, Koyuki made something with earth, which she does not have. But she is not the norm. Focus on enhancing for now. You can create a nice undead with death mana alone.”

Tom and Tim looked disappointed. Leo was still staring at the armadillo. His face was unreadable. I wondered if he would try to get an elemental corpse. Well, it was none of my business.

The class was over. I inspected my armadillo. It seemed fine. I used a necrotic healing spell on it, just to be sure. Interestingly, it seemed to recover some mana with it. Did the spell help it replenish its blood? Gronir had already left, maybe I should ask him next time.

While I was busy inspecting my armadillo, Nyx jumped on its back. Suddenly, her eyes glowed. Blood seeped through the cracks in the armadillo’s armour. It formed a box, which was open at the top. Then it froze the blood.

I stared in disbelief as Nyx stepped into the box, then curled up. Did she just command my undead? Command it, to make her a bed on its back?