“Nyx! You can’t eat my undead!” I complained. “How can you even swallow things? Where did the bones go?”

She looked at me. Her mouth opened and a purple tongue formed. Then she raised her paw and licked it.

“What we witnessed is a devouring.” Gronir explained. “Stronger undead can devour living things. Sometimes they heal themselves that way. A skeleton consuming another skeleton is… not normal. Presumably she ate the magic inside the bones. It’s also possible that she can use some of the material to strengthen her own skeleton, or repair damage.”

“But Koyuki controlled both of them. How can they attack each other?” Tom asked. Or was it Tim?

“You might remember that a tier two undead can act on instinct. Like a cat hunting a rat. Normally those would not apply towards other undead. They only hunt the living. And a simple order prevents such behaviour entirely anyway. The sole thing an undead will absolutely not attack is their master. Unless said master orders it. This is a valuable lesson for all of you. Be careful with your minions and ensure they do not attack your allies. A tier one will do nothing if not ordered to. But if you order it to attack it will attack anything, you need to be more specific. And while a tier two is a bit smarter, don't expect logical thinking.”

He studied Nyx, who did not even have the decency to fake some shame for her behaviour.

“Her behaviour is almost tier three like. A lot of independent thought. But usually tier three undead can speak in some form. And I doubt even our little prodigy here could dominate one yet. I must say, Nyx is an incredible specimen and I am looking forward to learning more. Magic is a field of constant study and discovery!”

“How do undead armies work?” The other twin asked.

“Like any other army, with officers! Keep in mind, most necromancers can’t control an entire army. Usually they just have their own squad. If you have a true undead legion you need to assign people to direct them. It is one of the downsides of a rather mindless army. But you can order your undead to follow the directions of someone else. If you had the power to control more tier threes you could use them. In the end, necromancy gives you an army that does not tire, that does not flee and that obeys without question. You can reinforce it with fallen enemies. There are downsides but also significant advantages.” Gronir explained.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

While that was interesting, my attention was still on Nyx. “Do not attack my undead!” I ordered her. Or maybe I should say, asked of her. I did not use our connection to force her. I might have to eventually, but she seemed smart enough to understand me. I wanted her as a willing companion.

Nyx stopped licking her paw and locked at me. Her tongue disappeared again. She shrunk to her cat size and curled up on the desk.

“The show is over. Back to practice! And good work Koyuki. Since you have completed the assignment you can go early.” Gronir said.

“Yes sir!”

I felt proud. While I did like magic class, being rewarded for a job well done was nice. I did manage to raise my first skeleton! Normal skeleton. Nyx was obviously a special case. Said feline was walking behind me. Now, what should I do with my free time?

My friends were likely busy with their own classes. I could check on my horse. Being stuck inside the academy meant I had no use for him. Thankfully he was treated well by the staff and they took him out regularly for some exercise. Hm, how would Nyx react to my horse? I went to the stables to find out.

“Good afternoon Koyuki, how is school?” The stable master asked. He was an older man named Frank.

“I have an undead now! This is Nyx.” I introduced my feline companion, who was still following me.

“Oh? That is quick for a new student.” He studied the undead. “Animals can get spooked by skeletons. She is small and does not smell of decay, so you are probably fine. But be careful that your horse does not step on it.”

I had a feeling that would end badly for the horse. I went towards the familiar box where Coffee was stabled. I made sure to visit sometimes and feed him some carrots that the academy provided. There was a crate inside the building where you could grab some.

As I opened the box, Coffee stared at Nyx. Nyx sat there and stared back.

“Uh… Coffee this is Nyx, Nyx this is Coffee.” I introduced them. While my undead might be smart, he was just a regular horse. Thankfully he did not seem to mind her presence and instead focused on me. I offered him the carrot I grabbed on the way to his box.

As Coffee munched on his snack, Nyx jumped on his back. He did not seem to care. The carrot had his full attention. I was concerned for a moment but she did not attack. Instead she seemed to evaluate if he would make a good bed.

I stayed a bit longer and we left again. The encounter made me feel better. Nyx had not attacked my horse. She was also getting along with my friends. I could trust her judgement, for the most part. Hopefully she would not eat more of my skeletons in the future. Or maybe I could use some as a treat to reward her? What about living rats? Were there some on the academy grounds? Did they use magic to keep them away? I had to look into that.