Ancient Shadows

FIVE

The time had come to turn Augustus and Walter. There was one major hiccup in their plans. It appeared that in his excitement to reveal the prospect of immortality to the brothers, Rundolph had left out one very pertinent factor. He was embarrassed about this, there had been no attempts at misdirection or manipulation. It was a simple error, although albeit a very important one!

He should definitely have shared with the brothers very early on that less than half of attempted turnings resulted in success. This chance at success depended heavily on a few different factors that could be adjusted easily in their favor. The chief factor when turning someone into vampyr was the ability of the one doing the turning. Rundolph went on to detail how he was considered to be one of the most skilled at this ability. He was even considered more skilled at it than many others much older than he was.

Rundolph commented that he knew another of his kind that was almost three centuries old. This very old vampyr had watched Rundolph turn a sickly old woman into a creature of the night. Turning those who are sick or greatly advanced in years is a great challenge for even the most skilled of turners, he broke down.

Augustus cut in with a most relevant question. He asked Rundolph how many people he had turned? Rundolph quickly assented that the number of people was five. Augustus followed up his first question with the predictable second one. How many people had he attempted to turn? Rundolph was immediate with his answer. The number was seven. So Rundolph seemed exceptionally skilled for an art that had a failure rate of over 50%.

There were other factors that could overall increase the odds of success. Lots of blood was needed on hand. Meaning lots of living victims who would be ready to be fed to the struggling human trying to survive death by becoming a vampyr. Once you started the process you either turned or you died. Well, in both cases you died. But in one case your existence did not end.

The quality of that blood mattered also. The blood of a man or woman in their prime was more nourishing than the blood of an elderly person or the blood of a young child. And of course the mental stability and personal health of the vampire and the one being turned are important. Someone who is not consenting to being turned would be more likely to perish than someone who was giving the consent.

This new development troubled the brothers however. If they were going to attempt to do this they were going to have to accept the very real possibility that one of them would not survive. Would it be worth it to go on without a brother? What if they both were to perish and lose their natural lives for a dream? These problems never presented much of a obstacle for their desires. They would do this anyway and take their chances.

Rundolph was a tall man. He had been turned in his mid 30s. He had his long dark brown hair tied back and away from his eyes. He wore long flowing expensive robes that were adorned with symbols, looking occultish. His style looked like something that a man would have worn two decades before but he pulled it off in a stylish way. He had a short beard. His eyes were gentle and unassuming.

Augustus was already rather star struck by Rundolph. Rundolph only touched on it in the most general way but iniates could find themselves in rapture of their makers. This was an effect of the turning more than anything. It didn't always happen either and the degree of dedication varied from case to case. This state of mind could also dissipate with time.

Rundolph touched on the basics of how the undead would change in regards to sex and a desire to have sex. Augustus wasn't satisfied with a cursory explanation. So Rundolph was obliged to go into more detail about these things. That was understandable considering the forever implications.

Sex was irrelevant to the undead. There was no desire for intercourse or the ability to do it. Vampyr were asexual more or less. Erotic or romantic feelings could develop for another vampyr of the same sex and this not be considered homosexual. This was more so the case for the undead who were older, after a century gender was much less of a factor when experiencing that kind of feelings for another, mortal or not.

The act of drinking blood from one another or simultaneously from the same vessel was the closest thing that a vampyr experienced to sex. It was quite the sensual and erotic experience if approached in that manner. Vampyrs were still fond of kissing and laying kisses on those they loved. Perhaps even more so than mortals.

Walter was to be first, in spite of an argument made by Augustus. Augustus was impatient and saw no reason why his little brother should go first. He argued that his dedication to the task would be lessened for the second person. He railed like a child at Walter but avoided eye contact with Rundolph. Rundolph raised his voice to a ferocious tenor telling Augustus to shut his mouth and stop his whining!

Augustus was shaken. Embarrassed he immediately seized his protests. He offered a quick apology but Rundolph stopped him mid sentence. Rundolph suggested that maybe it was a mistake for Augustus to go through with this. Augustus lowered his head in shame but was insistent they go through with things as planned. Rundolph declared that it would not be Augustus's turn until the next night or possibly a few nights later. As long as it took to make certain that Walter was turned and in good form.

Augustus did not respond and he remained embarrassed like a scolded child. In fact Augustus was not accustomed to being told no or being told how things were going to be. But the power of Rundolph shown itself for the first time. Never had Rundolph acted this way before in front of the brothers. He was under pressure to make sure that he was successful. There were lives at stake. He would not allow a petulant noble to distract him from his task. He believed that he could successfully turn them both and he intended to do so.

Rundolph took Augustus into a library where he might find a way to distract himself. He did not want him around while he worked his craft to turn Walter into one of the undead. He had originally planned to use him to aid him in his endeavor. But after seeing how Augustus behaved he had changed his mind. He would use one of his servants or even a slave before he would use the man child he had discovered Augustus to be.

So with Augustus occupied, Rundolph set about the task at hand. Walter was a good patient, calm and helpful when we could be. It was a simple matter of laying him down and drinking from his wrist almost every drop of blood from his body. Walter at this point thought he would surely die and he felt this. But he did not protest against his natural inclination to do so. As his life force left his body, Rundolph cut his own wrist and put it to the lips of Walter. Walter drank up but Rundolph stopped him after two gulps.

Walter became a ravenous beast. His newly discovered fangs were delicate and brittle. He was not yet turned but he was turning. This is when Rundolph had brought in the first victim. She was a young slave not yet 15 years old. Her delicate skin broke easy under Walter's new fangs. Walter almost showed reluctance in taking the blood of this one, and thus he assumed her life. Her life had to be taken. His dying body craved the blood too much. There was not even time to switch vessels in order to save her. The slightest delay would decrease his chances of surviving death.

Walter was going to die one way or another. It was just a question of whether his consciousness would survive death. So far it had gone well. Rundolph believed things were going well. But Walter had not survived yet. That was yet to be determined and there were still some phases he would have to pass through. More victims and more blood drinking. Watching him like a sick hospital patient hoping for the best.