Agatha The Bloody

My heart skipped a beat when I felt the connection to my sister was severed. We prepared for this, and she should know not to accept any connections while out there in the open. I could tell the situation was unfavorable just from how many of the dolls we were losing. Still it was all a distraction if we could get ahold of the mother of death.

Our hostage stopped bleeding, as he quietly sniffled in pain. He was no use to us if he died, a final chance to make the mother drop her guard. My dear sister didn't know I would fall so low, but I couldn't afford to let her die. At the very least Gertrude would be safe. I could even lie, telling the mother a method for curing the curse, while we fled into hiding. It should be easy enough to relieve the pain for a couple days, before the curse came back even stronger.

I closed my eyes, listening through all the ears I gathered over the years, so many of them hidden in the areas around our home. The dried eyes giving me a few glimpses into everything happening outside. Each warehouse falling, while the best dolls fought the vampires outside. If it weren't for the fact that they had dread stingers like the mother, I would have thought the Leeches were conspiring against us. Even if the mother fled, a few words to them would make them curious enough to keep an eye on her. Death was absolute, but failing here only meant going into hiding.

If we really needed to, we could enter a coven with a wisp mother, or siren. We were old enough to become crones at this point. Gertrude was going to need new pets after all this anyway. We just needed to survive the night. I switched between the connections, noticing something strange. The magic beetles were slowing down, many of them turning around and gnashing angrily. I switched to the area with the dolls, and even the vampires seemed upset about something.

Then I saw her, my sister dragging the body of the mother through the alleys as she hurried. I was relieved she was fine, and overjoyed to see she didn't actually kill our target. I connected to the head dolls one after another ordering them to keep the vampires busy. Telling them the streets to deny them on. We had to keep Gertrude safe to end this war! A smile crept on my lips, the boy still had some use for keeping our target in line. The wards should keep the beetles from crossing our threshold, so the vampires were the only issue we had.

The beetles completely abandoned the warehouses, allowing the few forces we had left to fortify. The dolls wouldn't be capable of dealing with the wave that was going to surrounded the safe-house soon, but they were pulling in closer keeping the vampires at bay. A couple were even killed, before Gertrude finally crossed the threshold after ten long minutes. I finally let out a sigh of relief as she slammed through the door, breaking it from the hinges with her girth.

She threw the mother into a wall nearby, her fists clenching and unclenching with fury. She was panting, and looked exhausted. I ordered the dolls to retreat and take up a defensive position. At the very least they could buy us a few minutes to escape through the tunnel we had dug. Gertrude wouldn't be happy, but it would take us to another safe-house that would teleport us top side. Amulets were prepared to keep the bugs away, and a sizable force of homunculus were waiting for us if needed.

Gertrude waddled towards the mother, "Why should we kill her now? Why shouldn't we end this?"

I shook away the stupor, as I rushed towards the monster. "Because if you do, then everything we lost would be for nothing! I know you're angry sister, but you need to calm down!"

Gertrude flung a table into the wall, the thing turning into splinters. "She killed them! She killed the fiends I raised since they were cubs!" Gertrude wailed, "You said they would be fine! Now they are dead!"

"They should have been! We have the bugs coming to take the mother of death back! We cannot waste our time bickering! Please! You have to believe me when I say that I would never sacrifice something so precious to you! I wouldn't have even if it meant my death! How did they die sister? Please, talk to me!"

Gertrude wailed as she looked at the boy. "Let me eat him! I'm starving sister! Let me hurt her in the same way she hurt me!"

I had to jump in front of Gertrude to stop her from entering the room, "You can't! We need him to break her! If you kill him now, our boys would have died for nothing!"

Gertrude wailed in pain and grief from her loss. The two fiends meant the world to her, almost as much as me. To lose them both in a single night was a huge blow. I rested a hand on her arm, "Please, be calm sister!" Gertrude wrapped her arms around me, lifting me up in a hug. Then I felt another pair of arms wrapping around us both.

"I got you~" The mother of death's voice was low and angry. Gertrude wouldn't have missed her moving, her senses were always sharp! Panic filled my mind as the gnome cap I soaked in the blood of virgins lit up. The enchanted silk and wards I put on it all activating at once. I felt a connection forcing its way through all my mental barriers, like an unstoppable river.

"G-Gertrude h-help me." I struggled using all my focus with the wards to try and keep the connections away.

Gertrude held me closer to her, "I am sister, just let our dear sister remind you of our coven."

I became more terrified, biting into Gertrude's skin as my nose started to bleed from the effort. The mother could pull off my cap at any time, to make me weak enough to surrender. Instead, she did the unthinkable, working her way through the barriers as if to say nothing could save me. No matter how much I prepared, no matter what omens, or visions were seen. This was the only outcome. The prophecy said no matter what we'd get what we desired! This wasn't right! I didn't want this!

Her voice echoed in my mind, filling every corner. |"The prophecy means nothing, if I can change what you fundamentally desire."| She was in my mind! I forced my eyes to close, going to meet her. My mind was my own! She couldn't beat me there!

*

You seriously might want to skip the deaths. This is the best way I can tell you things are going to get bad. Anyway proceed with caution. I'll have another spoiler at the end so you know when it's safe to read if you've had too much.

*

Death One

I opened my mind's eye, finding the mother of death happily sitting at the table Gertrude threw against the wall earlier. I blinked, focusing everything I had to try and dislodge her, to cast her out. She let out a small yawn, everything about her telling me this was real! I saw Gertrude on the ground bleeding out, her body convulsing. How did this happen!? I bit into my hand, the pain not waking me up. I know the cap was preventing her earlier! I felt it on top of my head, and the realization dawned on me. It was still resisting her!

This wasn't a dream! I swallowed hard, "How?" The mother smiled at me warmly.

"My name is Mimi, you took something from me. The boy you cast out when he was an infant. The Father you cursed, and made spiral into madness while he drank. I understand that the Monster King's influence makes you feel better for making people suffer. So, here we are."

I looked around, moving to Gertrude, trying to find anything that made this nightmare impossible. "How did you do this? Please, if nothing else I must know!"

She slowly rose from the chair, every sound was real. How the wood felt on me knees, how the chair creaked from her weight. The grain of the boards, and even my connections to the dolls outside. When did she have the time? How did she make such a perfect replica of the world?

I shuddered in fear, as my body started to sweat. Every second ticking by, as she approached me with a casual gait. "Are you asking how I hijacked your connections to the dolls to bypass cap? Are you asking if this world is real or fake? How I managed that?" She tilted her head, her eyes glowing silver. "You didn't have a connection with Gertrude after I severed it. When I truly focus, a fraction of a second can seem like years."

I stood up, trying to take a chance, hoping this was all fake. I lunged at her, trying to turn my arms into blades. They bounced off her wings as she gently knocked them away. Then her lower arms grabbed me by the neck, lifting me into the air. "I-I'll give you everything! Please spare us!" I tried kicking at her. Then the other arm tore out my lungs as I felt everything in vivid detail.

Death Two

I was on the ground coughing, looking around at the room. Gertrude was still on the floor, and the Mother was there sitting on the chair again. I felt my chest, to find there was no damage. The death I felt was very real, down to the last breath and heartbeat. I froze when the mother of death looked at me again. "I told you, my name is Mimi." She smiled lovingly at me. The kind of smile that made it clear she was enjoying my struggle.

I blinked, getting to my feet. "T-the offer still stands! Please spare us!"

She tutted, shaking her head slowly. "You do not understand yet. When I really focus, a fraction of a second can seem like years. This isn't about you giving me everything you can. This is about making sure you feel the pain of the curse you put on someone I care about. What exactly happens when you start a war with my Hive. There is nothing you can give me, because I have already taken it."

"T-then why! How are you doing this!?" I started to plead more, but she moved the chair back.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

She strolled towards me, with the same casual gait as last time. I flinched as she put a hand on my shoulder, my body shaking from the anger hiding just behind her smile. "The answer is simple, you're letting me do this. I discovered so many things by taking in the minds of slavers. You see, torture isn't about extracting information or breaking someone to the point they think a certain way. No, it's more than that. Don't worry, I'm not going to make you into a slave, but I hope you'll come to understand what I think true torture means."

I started to speak, when she crushed my windpipe with a single hand. I gasped and sputtered, falling to my knees. Every sensation felt in vivid detail. My heart racing, as I fell over Gertrude convulsing with her as my vision faded to black once more.

Death Three

Light filtered into my eyes again, as I saw a now all too familiar scene. I fell to my knees gasping for air, feeling the sensation as it filled my lungs. The mother... no Mimi was sitting there at her table. She slowly clapped for me, "You're catching on! You see, there was a fatal flaw with your cap. You can't stop resisting me, no matter how hard you try! Resisting in this case means keeping you aware and conscious. Letting me force a delusion on you, where you can't die."

I slammed my head against the floor, "Thank you for the insight! Please make this stop!"

She tutted again, a simple sound that filled me with dread. "I don't know why you're giving up so soon. Gertrude lasted longer than this!" I looked up at her, feeling the weight of her words.

"Y-you made her endure this?" Impotent rage filled me, as my vision became blurry from tears.

She pushed the chair back, walking towards me again. "Yes, I did. After all, I needed practice. I have your memories, and your body will move as I want it to. What is going on here is that your soul is locked inside this dream that I have made, fueled by your cap. I can leave at anytime, but you will be stuck here until you die."

I shook my head, as she lifted me up. "This is too real! Please stop!"

She leaned closer, licking at my tears, before grinning at me again. "Why? When your goal was to break me? You see, I want to understand how it feels to break someone's soul. I spared your sister, so you should be thanking me!"

I opened my mouth to speak, only to find her hand dislocating my jaw. I couldn't breathe again! I struggled, both hands grasping onto her forearm, trying to pull back. Her other hand resting against the back of my head. She flexed her fingers inside my throat, my neck bulging, my lungs filling with blood as muscles tore. She was too careful, making certain not to sever my spinal cord. Making this one the most painful yet.

Death Four

I immediately vomited once I was back in my spot. Breathing through my teeth, as spittle and bile clung to my face. I kept my eyes closed, hoping she wouldn't do anything if I just stayed like this. I heard the chair moving and whimpered, putting my hands over my head. Her foot pressing down on them. "There are just so many ways to die, aren't there? So many ways to kill someone that has hurt you. How long before you start counting?"

I felt the pressure of her weight steadily increasing. My hands giving away first, as the muscle and ligaments tore. I could hear the sound of my skull grinding against her foot and the floor. The bile forced into my nostril as she dragged my face across the floor when I thought it couldn't get worse. She lifted me up to see the eye I lost, the smear of blood as half my face and teeth were missing. I couldn't say anything, only gurgling sounds came out as my tongue hung limply. "I promise, it can always get worse~"

She slammed a hand through the top of my head. Thankfully ending it.

Death Five

I shuddered as everything was exactly how it was once more. The sensations still lingering, and there was no way out of this torture. I watched Mimi silently, as she rested her arms on the table. Another chair in front of it, I shuffled to it, desperate to try anything to keep myself from enduring another death. She didn't move, as I took a second to breathe, to try and overcome everything that happened.

Mimi pressed her hands together, causing me to flinch. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you this time."

My eyes went wide, "Really?" I smiled at her, before remembering what she said earlier. I swallowed hard again, "W-what do you mean you aren't going to kill me this time?" I looked at Gertrude's body, half expecting it to rise up. It wasn't my sister, but it was clear the body was supposed to represent her.

Mimi smirked, "Oh nothing~ You just need a break from me making it quick. I'm immortal here, I don't need to sleep, breathe, or anything really. You on the other hand? I replicated your body's needs, and I wanted to test which is worse. Dying of thirst, or dying of hunger. How many times does that need to happen before you cross the line and try to eat your sister's corpse? I promise you, it will taste every bit like she would."

I lowered my head, "You want me to beg for you to kill me then? How much time are you wasting by doing this?"

She leaned back, "Silly, I already told you. When I push my focus to the limits, fractions of seconds become years. Without letting go of control over my Hive, I pushed it to fifty years a second with Gertrude. Now, I am giving you every bit of attention I can afford. Once second might be a hundred years, or it might be one hundred fifty."

I narrowed my eyes at her, "How do you stay sane then? What happens when you leave?"

Mimi tilted her head, "I have copies of my mind before this happened. The memories made here are distributed to them and broken down. Everything that's useless is simply forgotten. Things like this conversation, the redundant information of how much force it takes to break your bones, the feeling of your flesh. Your body will move according to my will, because it is now a part of my Hive. Your mind has been taken, but here is your soul. If I could eat that, then I would spare you from this torment."

"I... I know rituals that allow you to touch souls. You've seen them right? It shouldn't be impossible." I struggled to find the proper words, as my voice wavered.

"I am aware, but I want to eat it without rituals I'd have to practice." She grinned at me. "Besides, there are the gods that pay attention to the passage of souls. Figures that take such away, and that I have yet to see. Until I can see them, until I am certain I could get away with it, I will choose not to. After all, nobody should pick a fight unless they are certain about the outcome."

I nodded, realizing my hubris. The weight of my actions bearing down on me, how I destroyed our gang. How I made my sister endure this, because I was impatient. There was no water in this room to fight the thirst I was starting to feel. How my throat suddenly felt dry. I knew Mimi could read my thoughts, that she was watching every memory I chose to think about in these moments. I might have been able to endure for a couple years, but she was ready to spend hundreds of them here.

The worst part, was that she didn't speak another word to me after that. I didn't deserve more answers than I was given. Each and every death after, was more creative, or slower. Mimi was methodical, knowing exactly what to do, and how to do it. The few times she did speak, I clung to her words as if she was a cruel goddess. She didn't want my worship, nor did she have any use for it. Truly dying was a mercy compared to this. The prophecy was fulfilled, as she gave me everything I wanted. Because, from the bottom of my heart, I only desired to please her in anyway possible.

*

If you read the above, I hope you enjoyed it. I felt that was enough, since the chapter was getting a bit too long and I think everyone that read it understood just how bad it got for the hags. This kind of thing will only be reserved for those that truly upset Mimi or the Hive. Though hey, if you feel like certain characters killed by her deserve it? Well she had to practice a little, and does need to keep it up in the future.

*

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Mimi

Three seconds passed, and another two after as I finished converting both Gertrude and Agatha. Their memories belonged to the Hive. A wealth of ritual information, and unspoken curses that were never put into practice. I didn't have to make the two suffer as much as they did, but I needed time to sort everything out. Another part of it, was the fact that Agatha didn't have a good way of breaking the curse she put on Richard. That she had been fine leaving him in a similar state of eternal pain.

Connecting to him wouldn't relieve that pain, it would only force me to sacrifice giants as I locked the curse down and got rid it through them. Even sacrificing my yet to be born offspring wouldn't mitigate the curse since it was merely designed to spread and inflict pain to those that connected to the host. I slowly walked away from the two hags, as they went about their orders. The war was over, and while those looking in from the outside would believe that the Fiend's Eye survived. I made plans to slowly overtake every aspect, saving as many materials and documents as possible.

I found myself kneeling before Richard, as he was bound to a chair. He was pale from the blood loss, and quietly sniffling from the pain. My body was attached to him, and wanted nothing more than to take the pain from him. To help him, but it would require time. I hugged him softly, realizing that I was going to spend at least a week trying to fix this. I gently stroked his back, my lower arms undoing his bindings as he groaned in pain. Richard was still in there, buried under the eternal pain. Every nerve in his body probably felt like it was burning, so it might take weeks after getting rid of the curse to move around again.

There were plenty of monsters in the area around the Fiend's Eye. After the curse was lifted, I was going to make an example out of a few when the hags relinquished power to my gang. None of what I needed to happen could just be done overnight. It had to be a quick and efficient transition, with the hags disappearing after I eat them in about two weeks. So much to do, but a busy Hive is a happy Hive. I made plans to spend Richard's recovery beside him, eating my bounty of beast and monster parts. To evolve beside him, while he was at his most vulnerable. To let him understand that we will be hurting together at the very least.

Ah, before I forget. I rubbed my face a little, lifting Richard up and carrying him like a princess. I poked Midnight, my voice shaking a little with grief. |"Nina... they hurt Richard."|

Her reply was instant, |"How? I need you to tell me everything that happened. Are you okay?"| Nina was a good friend after all, she'd be willing to help me moving forward. If only because I was still a scared lost child to her.

|"T-they cursed him. I need time to fix it Nina. I beat the hags, and took their memories, but they made a curse they can't fix!"| A bit of anger, some frustration, and the guilt. All emotions that I kept around the Hive, to really make it feel genuine. Everything funneled through my body, so that it truly felt that way.

|"Are you safe? Please... calm down. I need you to focus. What do you mean by you beat the hags? I need you to tell me everything you can."| She did her best to reassure me.

Tears fell down my cheeks, and onto Richard as I walked outside. The hags ahead of me, explaining that I was the third sister of their coven. That soon they would transform, but due to me being unique they might die. Gray appeared with two bodies, bowing for a second as my body wobbled a little while walking. |"Yes, I'm safe... but Richard is hurt. The hags are on my side now, but they hurt Richard."|

|"What do you need? What can I help you with? Why are you contacting me about this!?"| Nina was getting panicked herself, and I felt some pang of remorse for doing this to her. Though I needed to appear hurt and desperate. I needed to look weak, as if Richard were the only thing keeping me from going on a rampage. To keep him protected, and endear myself to the tribes that would gather the materials I needed.

|"I-I don't know! I don't know what I need Nina. I'm trying to figure it out, but I need to go over the memories. I'm sorry for yelling... does your tribe know of a way to break curses?"|

|"Only if you want him dead... There has to be a way Alice. Can you think of anything? Is there some memory that might help you? An idea you could use?"|

|"I... I'm going home right now. I'm taking Richard home. Don't be afraid of the bugs, please tell the others not to be scared. I don't know what I'll do if someone attacks me right now."|

There was more panic in Midnight's voice. |"I'm telling everyone that you are coming right now. How many bugs are coming?"|

|"What's left of my army... maybe eighty..."|

I felt Nina laugh a little, relaxing just slightly. |"Eighty isn't much you had a lot more carrying the burrow worm earlier today."|

|"Thousand Nina... Eighty thousand."|

|"Oh... okay then. I'll do my best to make sure everyone knows. I'll see you soon, just don't hurt anyone okay?"|

|"O-okay... I just want Richard to get better. I'll try not to attack anyone, if they don't try to hurt us."|