Mimi The Queen

The body was compromised, the spores overwhelming it, while Symbiosis managed to keep the connection to it. The body could no longer see or hear, the creature behind the prismoids taking my bait. The influx of information it was getting through my body was too much for it to ignore. The possibilities too enticing for it to drop the connection. A simple tug on the link, as if trying to pull away was enough for it to take over the upkeep as it tried to sort through all the redundant information.

The true prismoid was a beast floundering, as it felt more connections made to the nearest carriers. The order sent for them to group around the new addition. Argus reported that Richard was still burning the spores, while refusing to leave the room he was in. The mind I was invading did not seem to notice the subtle command and connections sent to the others. A screaming pulse was sent out, but the majority of carriers stood where they were. Only a couple filtering into the wall of fire, to give the illusion of them obeying.

The true prismoid's form was lodged deep within the tunnels of the Underneath. It had spent decades controlling burrowing creatures. Their claws digging through the stone where its spores sensed life to devour. The same carriers that would branch out after their muscles could no longer support the digging. A cycle of digging, and sending out carriers to get more creatures to borrow.

It recalled finally breaking through to the floor of the warehouse. The spores filtering in, and adapting to the new creatures it found. Many getting sick over the course of weeks or months. The expendable thugs ordered to move the goods away, while others died as the spores truly took root in their bodies. The entire place was sealed by a vice leader with the talent to fuse wood together. The true prismoid didn't care, or understand what happened, only that there was plenty of flesh and wood to grow its spores into.

The gang that owned this warehouse were complete idiots, not even thinking to inform anyone about the potential danger. Though this just as likely coincided with the time this place became a dead-zone. The Hive needed to do a bit more research on the history, but what mattered was that I was getting memories from the true prismoid. My influence over its mind was growing by the second, while it continued to send pulses. While it allowed me to feed it whatever information I wanted, without a way for it to tell a difference between what was true or false.

More connections were made through the body, the true prismoid starting to take its first steps. Finally I found the escort, connecting to them and establishing more connections to the carriers through them from the Hive. I no longer needed to use the body to keep it all together. I had more room to work with, and the connections were established much faster. The prismoid will die here, and it will be eaten. The giants were arriving, a few of the blue ones filtering in while Argus spoke to Richard.

I could feel the giants as they became infected. I watched how the true Prismoid used its magic to influence the spores. How it was slowly taking over the bodies, but not the minds, how it was wasteful and let such wither. I kept as much brain matter as I could from the giants, using them to establish even stronger connections. I truly should have just walked them in earlier, instead of risking my body. A mistake that I would not make again.

The minutes passed, while I continued working on creature and the carriers. Slowly creating a believable dream for the true prismoid. It believed itself to fully control the body I regained control off. How I yielded to the fungus, and served it completely. It could feel the limbs moving, while I began to tear into the prismoid and carriers around me. The fungus offering a unique way to combat the hormones that influenced my thoughts. Hearts were torn out and eaten. What was left of the brains were devoured, while spores were burned by the wall of fire. Argus adding her own flames to help Richard keep control over it all.

Hours passed before my body collapsed. I asserted my will over it, forcing it to shift as I controlled the fungus inside it. A healing sting was given, leaving it with only one more today. I needed a way to store more of them, but that would come later. For now I focused on certain spores being destroyed. Where they would linger inside the body, a certain organ to allow their growth. How they would spread over my wings with the multicolored glow. I could finally change my wing color, as well as the color of my elastic chitin. My combat form will become more dangerous, as I work on blending into my surroundings.

I could feel Symbiosis influencing my body's evolution, as much as my control over the spores from the true prismoid. It was unlikely that I could gain the magic to control the spores after I ate the creature, but I couldn't let it fester here either. I would take the chance by devouring it, but my hopes were low. My body woke up ravenous, devouring the bodies of the prismoids that laid there. The spores bursting out with every bite. They were surprisingly delicious.

Richard Adams

Hours passed, the spores burning the whole time. Argus came over, letting a small gout of fire erupt from her hands from time to time. Her fire becoming my own as they mixed. She was still mad at me, but didn't say anything while we sat there waiting. Finally she perked up, "The Queen says it's safe now. She's got control over the spores, and is ordering them to kill themselves."

I raised a brow, "Are you certain?" I could still feel a lot of the spores in the room, and while we did make a dent, I was still worried.

Argus looked back at me like I was a complete dumb ass. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, before gently smiling. "The Queen told me, so it must be true."

I let out a small sigh, "That, or she's been completely infected. You can't trust everyone to tell you the truth all the time."

Argus nodded her head slowly, "I know, I have those memories. I use the others to spy on people, and find out if they lied to me." She crossed her arms, a small frown on her face.

I shook my head, smiling. "Okay, okay, sorry Argus." She just nodded, while I walked through the wall of fire. Just in case. The room was filled with spores, and motes of them still floating lazily on the air current. Dead bodies littered the floor, twitching, or just rotting. The spores turning black, and falling down slowly to make it seem like ash was slowly raining down. I looked around, unable to find Mimi.

Argus walked in behind me, the fire wall separating around her as she had her arms crossed. "Well? Convinced yet?"

I smirked, doing a one armed shrug. "Yeah, where's Mimi though?"

Argus looked around, pointing at a spot in the corner where some black mushrooms appeared to be floating in the air, the tips vanishing before an array of colors filled the space. I saw her sitting there, and had to clench my jaw to keep from screaming. Her joints had mushrooms growing out of every spot, the things growing from under her chitin armor. Her wings seemed fine, especially as she pulled them over herself to turn that part invisible, or into different colors.

The real problem was her head, with black fungus growing out of the eye sockets. They went upwards, not changing color. Her ears had more of the stalks growing out of them, with even more coming out of her nose. It looked downright painful and disgusting. A part of me wanted to puke. Even Argus seemed a bit uncertain now, flames wicking around her robes to keep the spores off of her.

I stepped towards Mimi, very thankful the concentration of spores was down enough to keep us from exploding. I swallowed hard, "Are you okay?"

Argus gulped, "She can't hear you, but the Queen is alright. Her body is damaged, and she's hoping you will... burn the stalks down? She said that she has control over the one controlling the spores. Which means she should be able to remake her body with the fungus inside her."

I ran at Mimi, biting back tears. "You idiot! Why didn't you teleport out when this started to happen!?" I slid right in front of her, not even sure where to start, or even what to do.

Argus appeared behind me, "She said that her body was already compromised, and that teleporting away wouldn't have saved it. The spores were already inside her, and she wanted to make connections to the carriers. She instead found the true prismoid, and managed to take over the important parts of it. Why are you upset? It's just a body, she can make another one in time."

Mimi reached a hand out towards me, and I grabbed it. My fire poured over the stalks coming out of her finger joints, the hand practically molded into a singular claw with the fungus fusing the fingers together. I shook my head, feeling my fire burn into the stuff. "Because it's more than just her body Argus. It's her anchor, something that lets her feel emotions like any other person would. Ask her if it hurts."

Argus let out a soft sigh, "She said it shouldn't matter, the hormones and things she feels because of this body is annoying." Argus gestured to Mimi, while I continued my work. "You already know she can just separate from it, and order the others around, living through them. She might even take over a few of the female bodies Gray has in the sewers."

I shook my head slowly, "How can someone so smart not understand? Mimi, if you do this shit again I won't help you with the other crazy things you want to do. Got it?"

Argus stomped her foot, "You don't!" She paused for a second, her voice sounding less sure. "The queen agrees not to take this sort of risk again. She will send in giants ahead of herself if there is some kind of corrupting force or agent. Are you happy now?" Argus was clearly upset to be the one having to say what we were talking about.

I felt my fire going into her joints, following the stalks under her armor. I felt how it burned into her veins, the embers wanting to continue burning through her. I held her hand in mine, knowing this was going to take a long time to fix. I looked at her face, wincing a little. "Does it hurt? Why won't you tell me that?"

Mimi slowly nodded her head. Argus letting out a small sigh, "She says it hurts, but that this is nothing. She can talk, but her breath will carry spores, and she doesn't want to hurt you since you're so close. Oh, and she's also controlling the giants to burn the rest of the spores."

I just nodded, continuing my work. The minutes passing while Argus started to fidget again. It took her a ten whole minutes to finally talk again. "I'm bored, I'm going back to the brothel. You really should have more faith in our queen, Richard."

I shook my head, while the former giant teleported away. I really did have faith in Mimi, but after seeing this. How she'd let herself get hurt like this... I was starting to have my doubts. There was a long road ahead for us both, and we still didn't quite understand each other as well as we hoped we did. Not if she was going to take risks like this.

Mimi

The giants cleared out the ambient spores in the warehouse. They went through each room burning everything slowly, while closed doors were left alone. Richard would burn away the spores inside those rooms to prevent explosions as he suggested. I could see him through the eyes of the giants moving around, catching glimpses as he sat beside me. His flames burning deep under my chitin. He wanted to kill all the spores he could.

I gently guided a hand to my mouth after another arm was finished. I felt the flames burn away at the spores inside my lungs, slowly moving as the organ regrew with my natural regeneration. The burnt sections coughed up, while the man just sat there with a worried expression on his face. The minutes continued on, as I felt the spores die. The true prismoid shouldn't be an issue with the dream it was now in, I just needed to make my way to the body and eat all of it.

With my lungs cleared, I called a few giants to listen to Richard, and watch him more openly. I smiled a little to myself, "Thank you Richard." I coughed a little more, a couple pieces of flesh and fungus coming out.

He punched my shoulder, before working on the next arm. The pain scorching, but as gentle as the man himself. "Don't do that again, not ever."

I nodded slowly, "I didn't plan on it. I know how to fight the prismoid now. If a similar creature shows up, then I also know how to respond to them as well. Had I not done this, I would not have gained the knowledge of the prismoid either. I do not regret my decisions, and am happy you came to my rescue."

Richard made a bitter face, shaking his head. "I mean it, you pull this shit again, I will leave the Hive."

I frowned, while laying back against the wall. "Is there a compromise we could reach? What are your motivations for stopping me? I already agreed to not lie to you, and explain my stances and ideas on issues such as these."

Richard let out a small sigh, "I guess we have time, don't we? My compromise is that you can't use people to make yourself new bodies if this one gets destroyed because of what you do."

I paused for a second, considering his words. Was Richard really worth agreeing to this? I let out a small hiss as he charred a nerve. Weighing the benefits, and the fact that I had no idea when Drake would mature, I nodded. Hive members like Pandora were worth the agreement, at least until Richard could be replaced. "I agree..."

Richard rolled his eyes, "You usually argue more, what's the loophole?"

I smiled a little, "You said I can't use people to make a new body to replace one that gets destroyed. Not that I couldn't already have them ready." The fire in my arm burned a little hotter, "Richard, I only have one sting left. Please do not take an arm to prove a point."

He let the heat smolder, "You know what I was going for, but you really do need something to heal more people with. You know what I meant, but you're just going to say I'm being selfish if I can't let you heal more people. I love you Mimi, and it hurts like the curse did, to see you like this. Please, please, don't do something reckless like this again."

He started on my last arm, while I considered his words. These kinds of talks used to last hours while we were training. We talked while Pandora fed from me, and now here we were. "The slaves have been bought, the broken elves with the blood I need. I'm going to put them into a dream state, where they can live a happy life. I need to know if I can make another body like this. There are only two that I can use, while the others are taking to the new connections well. Fresh teachers will help the orphans grow, while knowing exactly what needs to be taught."

"It's good that you're able to do something like that now. I imagine just helping people understand a concept in a couple seconds is useful." He moved flames over my shoulders, starting to work towards my wings. I put a hand to his chest.

"The fungus on my wings are fine. I need to turn invisible for a couple minutes." He clicked his tongue, but moved to my chest instead. He slowly worked his way down to my legs, avoiding the elastic chitin. The idea of inviting him to take me here was interesting, but I refused since he was already upset with me. "It is useful, but young minds are too fragile if all my memories are correct. I will not risk such with them."

"Speaking of orphans, and orphanages. You met Mother Oak? How'd that go?" He was focused on his task, clearly enjoying our idle chatter.

"It went well, she remembered who Alice was. She could see my soul, and I learned a few new things. Sadly, she didn't have many memories about you. You grew like a human, and were only there for a few years. She'll remember you, but nothing that could help me figure you out more. I learned quite a bit about Wyatt though, and her memories helped me understand some of your concepts better."

Richard smiled a little, "Which is why you're not fighting me on the loophole, right?" He continued after I nodded slightly. "I'm kind of afraid of the stuff coming out of your eyes and ears. Do you need it to stay connected with the prismoid?"

I thought about it, before shaking my head. "I'm connected to the giants, and other hive members that feel to the fungus. I'll infect a few more giants to make certain the connection is fine, but for now I probably need to use my last sting to regrow my eyes and heal my ears. I'll do it after the true prismoid is dead and devoured."

Richard nodded, "Do you plan on making extra bodies for Pandora?"

I tilted my head, "What do you mean? She isn't in danger, but that is a thought. If Cheshire betrays us, then she is in a very dangerous location. Give me a second." I sent messages to Pandora, who happily responded back. We agreed to try moving her to a vampire body in the sewers, but it didn't work. I tried again with other bodies, all with the same result. Pandora herself wasn't able to leave her body.

"You're frowning, what's up?" Richard finished one leg, and began working on the last one.

"I can't move her, and she can't move herself. She's not fighting me Richard, but her soul won't accept a new body..." I felt a strange cocktail of emotions going through me, as I started to try more things, but nothing worked.

Richard just gently shook his head, while I was able to copy Pandora's mind. I wouldn't lose her information, and experiences, but I could lose her. She wouldn't be able to come back if she died. If her body was destroyed, she was gone. Richard put a hand on my shoulder, "Then she's more like the rest of us. Mimi, you're crying."

I could see the black tears running beneath the fungus. Richard gently cleaned it up with his fire, while I went through all the potential problems this could cause. More berries were assigned to her, and Pandora was to have an escort when she made it back to Cheshire's warehouse. Night had arrived, and Richard was finished with his task. "I'm going to go devour the true prismoid. Do you mind cleaning the rest of these rooms?"

Richard huffed, "What did we just say about taking unnecessary risks?"

I lowered my head, "I'm having older giants move into the tunnels. The concentration of spores is not enough to cause an explosion. There is a basement, that was breached in a room close by. With my new evolutions, I should be fine against the spores, unless I'm drowning in them. If I take any damage, I will retrieve you. I need some time to think."

Richard nodded, "Alright, treat your body like you would Pandora's is all I'm asking. Now that you know she can't come back."

I let out a slow breath, nodding at his words. "If I don't come back in an hour, or if you finish with cleaning the other rooms. I would like for you to follow after and protect me. The tunnel itself should lead into the Underneath, and I'm curious as to what else we might find down there. Likely the river of the Underneath, but who knows? We'll sadly have to give up this warehouse after we're done."

Richard shrugged, "I guess we're going out through the other tunnel tomorrow?"

I nodded, before leaving him. The realization that I couldn't save Pandora if she died, hitting me harder than it should. I hadn't checked, I wouldn't have checked were it not for Richard. I moved into the tunnel, the giants making a wall of fire as the continued ahead. The rock of the tunnel turning black from the heat and scorched spores.

I figured we could make Pandora a new body if her current one got destroyed. Make her a better one, given how weak her current one was. She wasn't a fighter, only slightly stronger than a person. More on par with a vampire, but far weaker than a fiend. She could make a lot more silk, and yet if she were in a fight and died, that would be the end of it. None of my previous plans for making her stronger could work now. She had to grow and adapt her current body without dying. She wasn't afraid, and she knew the risks I took. I needed to set a better example.

I spent the short walk to the true Prismoid, simply sending messages and talking to her. It was comforting to know what could happen, and having her promise to not be as reckless as I had been. It was interesting to see how she was developing, and impressive that she already bent Jacky to her service. She was a little monster, just like me. Yet, her heart was clearly Richard's. She was starting to understand things from a different perspective, always hungry for food and knowledge.

My mood was lifted, and the giants spread out to allow me past them. More filtered into the tunnel, creating walls of fire in case I made a mistake. The true Prismoid was before me, easily the size of a fiend, or perhaps even more. The tunnel didn't allow it to enjoy its full height. The creature itself was glowing in many different colors, its gray fungus more like flesh that moved and pulsed. It had not broken free of my mental control, nor did it react when I tore out a chunk of its body.

The spores of the creature was a danger to the Hive, and no body else could eat it. The best way to get rid of it, was merely burning it, or eating every last bite. I began carving in, eating bite after bite, bits of fungus falling in heaps behind me as I burrowed into it. The spores no longer burnt me, as I controlled whatever touched me. The creature itself unaware of my intrusion as I kept it from feeling any pain. It took minutes to find the heart, and with it I began my feast. The creature was simply delicious.