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A few months ago, if someone had told Wilbur that the solution to all of his problems was to sell himself as a living blood bag for vampires, Wilbur would have thought that person crazy. Mostly because a few months ago, Wilbur didn’t even know vampires existed. But still, he wouldn’t have thought anything good could have come from deciding to be a supernatural creature’s food source.
And yet, it had been the greatest decision he ever could have made.
It hadn’t been a hard sell when two mysterious men approached him out of nowhere. He had gotten into an argument with his father, and ran. He had little money to his name, and he was struggling to find work. He had been desperate – that had been obvious to anyone who took even an idle glance in his direction. It was obvious that he’d be willing to accept any offer that kept him off the streets and fed.
Vampires lived in colonies. That had been the first that had been explained to him. Vampires lived in colonies, in dens kept out of reach from human civilization. They didn’t want vampire hunters trying to kill them every day, so they tried to avoid hunting and killing humans. Instead, they kept some in their dens and colonies, as Feeders.
It had been an offer made to Wilbur. Become a Feeder of the Las Nevadas Colony. They’d provide him with food and shelter, he’d be allowed to enjoy the amenities that came with the Las Nevadas den. All he’d have to do is agree to provide them with some of his blood every once and a while, when it was safe for him.
Most people, if they were smart, would have turned down that offer instantly as a potential scam or something that was likely to result in a brutal, painful death. But Wilbur had been extremely desperate and lacked any real sense of self preservation. So it hadn’t really been a hard decision, Wilbur quite literally had nothing to live for, so he just agreed.
But fortunately for him, it hadn’t been even half as bad as he had originally expected it to be.
Las Nevadas was apparently a modern colony, they did things different from most colonies. Most colonies kept vampires and humans pretty separate, the Feeders were only supposed to stay in their quarters, the feeding areas, or were escorted to wherever a vampire wanted or needed them to feed. In the Las Nevadas Colony, the Feeders were allowed in most places when they weren’t providing food.
The Las Nevadas Colony was loaded with plenty of things to do. A conservatory for gardening, an art studio absolutely filled with different arts and crafts supplies, a music room that Wilbur adored, a room that reminded Wilbur of nightclubs, an arcade and a gaming room. But Wilbur’s favorite room in the whole building was the library. The library was massive, with a bunch of cozy little reading nooks scattered around that he adored.
It wasn’t hard to find times when the library was empty, which made it perfect for what Wilbur wanted to do. Tarot readings. When he joined the colony, he was allowed to keep everything he brought with him, which included his tarot cards. Vampires were surprisingly spiritual, they believed that the creation of their species was because of their patron deity the Goddess of Death. Wilbur spent hours studying her myths and legends, including legends that involved her consort.
So Wilbur decided he wanted to practice some simple and fun tarot spreads. For starters, he wanted to do a daily tarot reading. Or, rather, a nightly tarot reading. He didn’t often do one of these, but he wanted to try one just to warm up. It was a simple two card spread, the first card was for that day’s energy and the second card was what Wilbur needed to be aware of to navigate the energy. Given the situation he was currently in, Wilbur wasn’t expecting anything too interesting.
So, he was surprised when after he shuffled the cards, the first one he pulled was Death.
Typically the most feared and misunderstood card in the tarot line up, Death was actually a card of transformation, change, and transition. It’s a card that encourages one to let go of that which no longer serves them and embrace the future possibilities. The changes might be sudden and unexpected, but they would be a beautiful and welcome change.
But it confused Wilbur because he couldn’t think of anything that was currently holding him back. Since he moved in with the coven, his life had been the best it had ever been. He was happier and healthier than he had been in a long time. There was nothing he felt like wasn’t serving his best interests, nothing he felt like he needed to let go of.
Maybe the second card would help him understand what he needed to let go of?
The second card would be able to tell him what he needed to keep in mind to navigate this change. So Wilbur closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and placed the card down on the table. When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted with the sight of The High Priestess.
“Seriously?” Wilbur narrowed his eyes at his cards, “Are you trying to mock me?”
The High Priestess was a card of intuition, the subconscious mind, the divine feminine and sacred knowledge. The High Priestess showed up in readings where you knew the truth, where the answers you sought were within you. Your intuition was all you needed to find the answers you wanted, since this was a time of heightened intuitive ability and psychic insight. It could also be a reminder to embrace the divine feminine.
Which wasn’t very helpful in this situation. He didn’t know what the change could be no matter how much he tried to understand what his intuition was trying to tell him. No matter how long he stared at the cards, he couldn’t understand what they were trying to tell him. This night would be an extremely important one, and yet Wilbur couldn’t figure out why. He felt like he was missing something important. Something that should have been obvious to him, but he just couldn’t figure it out.
Wilbur debated on trying an oracle spread to further clarify things, or maybe trying to see if the vampires had any rune stones he could use. The vampires were spiritual, surely they’d have at least some methods of divination on hand, if not some tools for magic. At the very least he could get his hands on a bowl of water for water scrying.
He was so deep in thought he didn’t even realize that he was no longer alone in the library.
“Oh, hey Wilbur.”
Wilbur looked up to see Niki approaching. Niki was a vampire, a Sentinel that protected the den, so she was almost always around. Wilbur had seen her patrolling the area when on duty, and he’s played against her in the arcade. Sometimes she even fed directly from him when he was free to feed from. She was always pretty nice and kind to him.
Wilbur offered up a smile, “Hey Niki! On break?”
“For now, my shift starts in about an hour,” Niki hummed, “What are you… wait… are you… doing a tarot reading?”
“Yeah? I’ve been a broom closet witch for years, but since vampires seem to be more open to spirituality and magic, I figured that it would be alright? Is it? I’m not offending anyone, am I?” Wilbur asked.
Niki’s eyes glowed a bright red, “You’re a witch? A practicing witch?”
“I’ve tried to be. I’ve studied mostly the basics; protection magic, spell jars, elemental magic, divination, glamors, magical correspondences, that kind of stuff,” Wilbur shrugged, “It’s not really anything that special, I figured vampires would have more interesting magic themselves?”
“Okay, we need to get you to Quackity,” Niki said, eyes still glowing brightly.
Wilbur was stunned for a moment, “Quackity? You mean the Lord of the Las Nevadas Colony?”
Oh, Wilbur really hoped he hadn’t completely fucked everything up if he was about to meet the actual Lord the entire colony.
“Don’t look so worried, it’s nothing bad,” Niki offered him a hand, “Our entire colony has been waiting for someone like you for a while.”
“In a good way?” Wilbur asked as he gathered his tarot cards back into a deck.
Niki laughed a little bit, “Of course it’s in a good way. You don’t need to worry about anything, just come with me.”
“Alright, I guess that’s fine,” Wilbur said hesitantly as he allowed Niki to pull him up by his hand.
“Great! I think Quackity is in his personal quarters,” Niki smiled, “If not, someone will know where he is. It shouldn’t take too long.”
“Right, in about an hour you need to go on shift, and half an hour after that I need to head to the feeding lounge,” Wilbur said.
The feeding lounge was a luxurious and comfortable area for vampires and Feeders alike. The couches were designed perfectly for maximum comfort when a Feeder allowed a vampire to feed off them. There were also sugary treats on little tables by the lounges, to help with blood sugar levels. They also tasted pretty good, so Wilbur always made sure to grab one even if he didn’t feel like he needed one. The Las Nevadas Colony always took great care of its Feeders.
Niki shrugged, “I think you’re about to find that circumstances have changed just a bit, so you’re probably gonna end up skipping your rotation today.”
“Is that allowed?” Wilbur questioned as they walked through the halls.
“We have plenty of Feeders for a reason, in case of illness or unexpected injuries, so it should be fine,” Niki replied.
“That’s fair, I guess,” Wilbur said, “I’ve never skipped a rotation before. Is this really that important?”
“Let’s just say that witches are really, really important to vampires, and let Quackity explain the rest,” Niki answered.
Wilbur nodded, “Alright. Let’s go then.”
While Feeders in the Las Nevadas Colony were allowed to explore most of the areas in the Las Nevadas Den, there were still some areas they didn’t enter on their own. The Sleeping Quarters of the vampires were usually not permitted entry, mostly because the vampires slept in large communal pits – the floor was sunken lower and filled with the best blankets and pillows money could buy. There were also private rooms, but they were there for vampires, and potentially humans, could enjoy privacy.
Of course, there were also the Colony Lord’s personal quarters.
Wilbur had never been to the Lord’s quarters. He had never had the chance to meet the Lord of the Las Nevadas Colony at all. Lord Quackity had been a complete mystery to Wilbur. The Lord had been very busy since Wilbur had arrived. Since the Colony was a much, much younger one compared to others, which meant that the Lord worked very awkward hours trying to make sure everything was sorted. Especially since other Colonies weren’t as enthusiastic about the modern changes Lord Quackity had made.
The hours that Wilbur worked as a Feeder were mid mornings once a month, and he spent most of his time in the library when he could. The Lord of Las Nevadas was apparently a party animal, so when he wasn’t busy, he was determined to have fun and go wild. It wasn’t a huge surprise that Wilbur and Lord Quackity hadn’t crossed paths yet.
Wilbur had no idea what to expect now that he was about to meet him.
Niki led him through multiple hallways until they came upon a large set of double doors. She pushed the doors open and allowed him to walk through. The room on the other side was luxurious and expensive. There was a large bed in the center of the room on a platform. There were lounges to the side, with a coffee table between them as a nice seating area. There was a walk-in closet off to the side. And there was other furniture that Wilbur really, really didn’t want to think about the purpose of.
Two vampires were seated on the lounges. One was tall, and dressed in what looked like a shark themed cloak of some kind, with a bunch of different blueprints rolled up beside him. The other was dressed in a red button down shirt with the top few buttons undone, a bunch of gold jewelry and red tinted glasses. Wilbur had a hunch on which one was the Lord. He expected such an intimidating figure to be taller.
The Lord looked bored at the blueprints, “I appreciate everything you’ve done for this Colony, Foolish, but I am not authorizing a recreation of the Among Us map as part of our den.”
“But it would be so cool! It could double as a laser tag map!” the other vampire, Foolish, said excitedly.
Lord Quackity hummed for a moment, “Okay, laser tag could maybe work if enough people want it. But it does not need to be Among Us themed, nor does it need to be that large.”
“Come on, it would be funny! You turn down so many of my ideas,” Foolish said in an almost whine.
“Okay, last time you wanted to build a temple bigger than multiple castles combined. It would have attracted so much attention,” the Lord countered before his eyes settled on Niki and Wilbur, “Oh, look, it’s Niki! And…”
“Wilbur,” Wilbur greeted, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Quackity.”
“Just Quackity is fine,” Quackity replied, “Is there a reason for this visit?”
Niki looked between Wilbur and the Lord, “Wilbur here is a practicing witch.”
There was a long pause after that statement.
“Foolish, I think we’re gonna have to reschedule this meeting,” Quackity said after a moment.
Foolish immediately gathered his things, “Noted. Nice meeting you Wilbur, see you around.”
Niki patted Wilbur on the back, “I’ll take my leave then.”
Oh great, Wilbur was being left alone with the colony Lord.
It took a moment for them to be left alone, but once they were Quackity gestured over to the lounge across from him. Wilbur took the hint and sat down, trying not to look as nervous as he actually was. The vampire sat up straighter and looked over at him with an expression Wilbur couldn’t read. Wilbur wasn’t sure if that was comforting or not.
“So, how long have you been a feeder for? I haven’t seen you around, which is a bit of a surprise,” Quackity asked.
“Only a few months. I spend most of my spare time in the library,” Wilbur answered.
Quackity nodded, “That would explain why we haven’t met before. And you’re a practicing witch?”
“I’m more of a baby witch than anything, really. I’ve studied a lot, and I’ve tried some protection spells and I’ve experimented with crystals and the elements. Mostly I just do divination. Tarot cards, oracles cards, rune stones, scrying… they’re what I am familiar with,” Wilbur explained.
“Divination is still a useful skill. And you know more about magic than most vampires here,” Quackity replied.
Wilbur shrugged, “That might be true, but you’re literally vampires. You have all sorts of powers that I could never accomplish. You’re all powerful and talented. I’m a novice in witchcraft.”
“Magic is important to vampires,” Quackity said, as he relaxed back against the couch, “An important role in the Colony is Mystic – most colonies have trouble being taken seriously as one without a Mystic. It doesn’t matter how many Barons, Baronesses, Warriors, Healers, Sentinels, Scribes, Fledglings or Feeders a colony has, without a Mystic most colonies don’t take them seriously.”
“Oh?”
Quackity nodded, “The Las Nevadas Colony doesn’t have a Mystic. Very few colonies want to have any relationship with us, most think we’re taking vampire culture and making it into a fucking joke.”
“So… you want to get a Mystic as soon as possible I’m guessing?” Wilbur asked.
“Right on the money. I won’t make you do anything, I’m not going to turn you against your will. If all you want to do is teach one of the vampires here how to do magic, I’d be happy to do that,” Quackity leaned forward a little bit, “But if you’re interested in becoming a vampire… I’d be more than happy to make you my Mystic.”
With that offer, everything slotted neatly into place for Wilbur. His reading from earlier had been letting him know that this was the big change he’d be encountering. Now all that was left was to decide if he wanted to keep his humanity, or let go of it. That… wasn’t what he was expecting at all. Did he want to be a vampire, to potentially live forever in a colony? Did he just want to train a vampire in magic and witchcraft?
“That… is a lot to think about…” Wilbur said.
“It is, and there is no real rush,” Quackity offered a smile that was all charm, “You can take time to think about it. You can ask whatever questions you need to help you decide. I know this is a lot, but I won’t force you. I won’t let anyone force you into being turned.”
Wilbur smiled in return, “I’d expect nothing less from the Las Nevadas Colony.”
Quackity stood up and patted him on the shoulder, before he walked over to get them both drinks. Wilbur couldn’t tell what it was, something alcoholic maybe? Either way, the glasses and drink looked expensive and the vampire was getting two of them. Wilbur felt a little awkward at the vampire pouring him a drink rather than the other way around, especially given the fact that this vampire was the Lord of the colony, but he wasn’t about to protest.
“You know, I used to be a Feeder,” Quackity said as he handed Wilbur a glass.
Wilbur tried not to sound too surprised, “You were?”
“That was for another colony. It sort of disbanded not long after I was turned. The Lord of that colony was a dick, and he ended up getting poisoned via a Feeder. No one knows who did it or how it happened,” Quackity swirled his drink idly, “I remember how I was treated as a Feeder in that colony. I only got turned because the Lord liked how I looked. When I started this one, I vowed to be different.”
“Vampires can get poisoned via Feeders?” Wilbur questioned.
Quackity offered a reassuring smile, “We do regular check ups on Feeders and rotate them so intensely specifically for that purpose. It doesn’t just protect the vampires, it protects the Feeders too.”
“Huh… Well, that’s concerning,” Wilbur said.
“It’s nothing to be too concerned about, the plant used for that poison is incredibly rare and if one knows what they’re looking for, it’s easy to catch,” Quackity took a sip of his drink.
Wilbur nodded as he took his own sip, “So, um, what would it be like if I did become a Mystic?”
The vampire offered another smile that was all charm, “Wilbur the Baron or Baroness is considered the second-in-command, the Mystic outranks them. They’re the core advisor of the Lady or Lord or Grace of the Colony, and their magic allows them to do a lot to help the Colony.”
“If you were to become our Mystic, you’d get your own private quarters, you’d get whatever witchcraft tools you could want or need, and you’d be in charge of leading the Colony on sacred holidays and during sacred rituals in honor of our Goddess, Lady Death,” Quackity continued.
“That sounds like a lot of responsibility,” Wilbur commented.
Quackity placed a hand over Wilbur’s own, “It wouldn’t be something you’d have to go through alone. Most Mystics get to choose four others to become part of their circle – traditionally, they’re called maidens, since it was believed that only women could properly connect to Lady Death. They’re allowed to go by Mages if they’d prefer that, but most don’t really care. And regardless, will have me. I’ll help you however I can, I don’t care about the rules.”
“You really take care of your own, huh?” Wilbur smiled.
“I refuse to let anything bad happen to those who are under my protection, human or vampire,” Quackity agreed, “And I know we haven’t gotten the chance to really get to know each other, but I do think we could be friends.”
“I wouldn’t hate that,” Wilbur said.
“And you’re pretty enough that I wouldn’t hate being more than friends, regardless of whether or not you choose to become a vampire,” Quackity tacked on with a wink.
Wilbur felt his face instantly warm, “You don’t need to say things like that to convince me to become a vampire.”
“It’s not just words, and I don’t need you to become a vampire to show you a good time. Trust me, if you let me, I could rock your world right here, right now,” Quackity smirked as he gave a quick glance around his room.
Once again, Wilbur was reminded of all the furniture in the room that he (mostly) didn’t want to know the purposes of.
“I think we’re getting off topic,” Wilbur said as he placed his glass down.
“I just asked you to make a pretty big decision for the sake of me and my colony. I think it’s fair for me to give you the chance to get to know me a little better, if you want to,” Quackity countered with an amused tone.
“I’m starting to understand why you added so many private rooms and an entire nightclub to your colony’s den,” Wilbur shook his head, “You’re a flirt and a menace, aren’t you?”
“Oh, I assure you, I only flirt with those that I find pretty enough. And trust me, that’s not that many people, Wilbur,” Quackity grinned, “But if it's too much for you, we could always change the subject. You know, if you have something much more entertaining in mind?”
Wilbur smiled back, “Maybe I do, you’re just going to have to wait and see.”
It had been three weeks since Wilbur had first been given the offer by Quackity to join the Las Nevadas Colony as a vampire. And those three weeks hadn’t been uneventful. Quackity had personally rearranged his entire schedule so that he could spend as much time with Wilbur as possible. He answered every question Wilbur had, and explained anything he could about vampire life.
Quackity had been very, very attentive to Wilbur. He had been giving Wilbur a lot of special treatment since the discovery of Wilbur’s passion for witchcraft. Gifts of jewelry, crystals, herbs, candles and even clothes. He had been worried at first, nervous the other Feeders were going to think something was up and hate him. Instead, he got teased under the assumption that he was in some kind of relationship with the Lord of the colony.
To give credit to the rest of the Feeders, Quackity didn’t exactly help at disproving those theories. He was physically affectionate with Wilbur, called Wilbur by pet names and other terms of endearment, and consistently called their little outings dates. He’s also given Wilbur plenty of reasons to take him seriously in his advances, but Wilbur always turned him down.
At least, Wilbur always turned him down before now.
Wilbur had thought a lot about Quackity’s offer. About what it would mean to become a vampire, to become the Las Nevadas Colony’s Mystic. His reasons to not agree to Quackity’s gestures of courtship had been because of his indecision. Well, he had finally made a decision. He knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was to become a vampire.
He hadn’t told Quackity yet.
Wilbur had no intention of just walking up to Quackity and telling him. The Lord had been waiting in anticipation for weeks now. Wilbur wanted to make it special between the two of them. Quackity would turn him by the end of the night, and Wilbur didn’t want it to just be a normal affair. He wanted to create a moment for him. He wanted to make Quackity feel the way he made Wilbur feel.
So, Wilbur had asked Niki to get him something, without letting Quackity know about it. Niki was a Sentinel, she wasn’t supposed to leave the den, so he knew he was asking her a big favor. But he needed this. He knew this little thing would be something Quackity would like. She had done exactly as asked, and now Wilbur just had to find the courage to finally put on the very thing he knew would make Quackity go wild.
It was a dress. A dress the perfect shade of red. Deep and rich. Simple in design, but it was fitted and cut in ways that would be enticing. All Wilbur would have to do is pair the dress with some jewelry Quackity had brought him, and he knew the other would be unable to take his eyes off of him.
It would be Wilbur’s last night as a human, after all, he might as well go out with a bang.
Also, the red dress would make it easier to clean up any blood.
Wilbur took a moment to calm himself before he finally pulled on the dress. It fit perfectly, just like was promised, and Wilbur focused on his hair. Usually he kept his long hair in a ponytail, but today he left it mostly hanging loose. He still managed to keep it back and off his neck a bit with a simple crown braid. He picked out his jewelry carefully, picking out pieces he remembered Quackity being particularly fond of.
Once Wilbur was certain that he was ready, he knew where he wanted to go. The conservatory. After a few conversations with Quackity, it hadn’t taken long to discover that despite the other’s reputation for being a party animal, he loved the peace and beauty of the conservatory. The garden was gorgeous, designed to specifically be so even at night due to the flower selection.
Wilbur had seen it in the daylight, when the sun shone through the glass. The beautiful stone seating, the lovely little table, and enough space in the center to set up a picnic or anything one could want to do. It was beautiful then. But seeing it at night? With the bright string lights providing a lovely and gentle glow, and the flowers in bloom all around him, Wilbur thought it was almost magical.
The witch didn’t have to wait too long, the Lord entered the conservatory only ten minutes after Wilbur had entered.
“Songbird?”
Wilbur turned to face him with a smile, “Hello, Darling.”
“Is this a special occasion or something?” Quackity easily took Wilbur’s hands in his own, “I don’t think you’re just someone to get all dressed up for no reason…”
Then Quackity leaned in with a grin, “Unless, of course, you decided to get all dressed up all for me?”
“Something like that,” Wilbur teased, “I think that you’ll find this is a special occasion.”
“Oh?” Quackity tilted his head, “You got a surprise for me, songbird?”
“I’ve made my decision. I want to be your Mystic. I want you to turn me, tonight if possible,” Wilbur smiled.
Quackity’s eyes lit up in a bright scarlet after that, his lips curved into a darkly sweet smile as he gently pulled Wilbur to the center of the conservatory and began to spin Wilbur in a gentle dance. His gentle, clawed hands started to slowly explore Wilbur’s body as the dance started.
“You can’t take back this decision, you know? Are you certain you want to become a vampire?” Quackity asked.
Wilbur nodded, “I am. I know what I want, and I want you to turn me.”
“Alright then,” Quackity leaned in and nuzzled Wilbur’s neck, “You okay with me biting around here?”
“Yeah,” Wilbur said, a little breathlessly, “There is good.”
Quackity pressed a teasing kiss to Wilbur’s skin, “You know how this works?”
“Not really…” Wilbur admitted.
“I need to drink your blood. A lot more than what you’re used to. It might scare you, but I swear it’ll be fine,” Quackity said between kisses, “Then you’ll need to drink some of my blood. You’ll pass out. And when you wake up, you’ll be a Fledgling.”
Wilbur tilted his head back further, “Sounds easy enough.”
The Lord laughed, “Just relax, pretty boy, I’ll take good care of you.”
Then sharp fangs dug right into his skin.
Wilbur gasped as Quackity bit him and drank. It wasn’t the same gentle drinking he was used to from typical vampire feeding. It wasn’t painful, but it was intense. It made Wilbur dizzy, the mixture of venom and blood drinking. Eventually, Wilbur couldn’t even support himself and Quackity gently lowered them both and Wilbur stared up at the ceiling.
When Wilbur felt like he wasn’t certain how much longer he could keep his eyes open, he felt Quackity pulled back. Then, after a few seconds, maybe a minute, Quackity pressed his lips to Wilbur’s own. Wilbur’s mouth filled with blood, his eyes fluttered as he allowed himself to drink the blood. Quackity’s fangs teased his lips before he pulled away again.
“There you are songbird,” Wilbur felt hands running through his hair, “You’re starting to pass out, aren’t you?”
Wilbur made a noise.
“Rest, songbird. I’ll be here for you when you wake up.”
Resting sounded nice. The gentle hands running through his hands felt good. Something pleasantly warm hummed in his veins, almost like a caress that encouraged him to give in and rest. Wilbur closed his eyes and allowed himself to drink off into the darkness. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of someone lifting him up into their arms and carrying him away.