472. The Ogre and the Hex ~Blutmondes~

"The what now...?" asked Luz.

"I want the four of you to hunt down a serial killer. Wesen-related," said Nick.

"Uh..." said Amity. "'Four of us?'"

"Bring Anne and Sprig with you. You could use some muscle for this one," said Nick.

"What kind of enemy...?"

"Two crime bosses who have been conspiring with each other to hunt down and kill Wesen targets. They could be hitmen, of course, but we're thinking that these guys are unauthorized by the Maharlican Government. So... make sure you survive this. Siegbarste and Zauberbiest. They own some kind of organization. That organization is illegal as hell, known for human trafficking and downright murder and genocide, and I want you two to bring it down."

"Alright," said Amity. "So... You're sending me and my girlfriend, a couple of teenagers, to try and arrest an Ogre and a Hex? The Ogre isn't a problem since we have Boonchuy... But the witch...? She could warp reality to tear us both apart. Miguel hadn't taught us yet how to defeat Hexenbiests. Let alone a Zauberbiest."

"What's a Hex? Isn't that just a witch?"

"No... There is a type of Human that can do magic naturally without Eldritch training or Glyphs, and those are called Hexenbiests. There are more females than males and the males are called Zauberbiests. They're a race of dangerous individuals. Some are on our side and most aren't," said Amity.

"How do we beat one?" asked Luz.

Nick sighs. "You could ask my wife for advice."

"Why? Is she a Witch Hunter...?" asked Amity.

"No... That's what I am. And I only hunt down the bad ones."

"Okay... Who's this wife of yours you'd like us to speak with...?"

Later...

"This place is giving me the chills..." whispered Anne, as the four walked out of the elevator into their house, which is a sort of Loft.

They enter Nick's house, which is full of high-tech gadgets and weapons hanging on the wall. The walls are practically bolted in and thick so that not even Siegbarstes can break into their house, having a very thick Adamantium outer layer that protects the house.

They see Adalind, who drinks some tea on the table. She looks like she barely aged, unlike Nick, who had obviously gotten older and gained gray hair. "Welcome to my fome."

"'Fome...?'" smiled Luz.

"It's a sort of home and fortress. It's practically my castle where I keep the people I love safe, haha!"

"You guys seriously need some daylight in here," said Sprig. "Really bad for your skin."

"Trust us... We prefer the darkness," smiled Adalind.

Luz, Amity, Anne, and Sprig all stood in front of Adalind.

"So, I heard my husband sent you," said Adalind, who is a beautiful blonde woman wearing a beautiful business suit.

"You're an Attorney?" asked Anne.

"More or less... Boonchuy, right...?" asked Adalind. "And an Amphibian... I heard about your world in the books... Huh... And I can sense magic between the two of you..." She squints her eyes, staring at Luz and Amity. 

"Oh... Haha! Yeah! She's my sweet potato! Girlfriend! Haha!" Luz puts her arm around Amity.

"No... Not that... A Sorceress and a Witch Demon. Where'd you both go to? Hexside? Heard that place is amazing!"

"So... you're the Captain's wife... *whistle!* How'd he land you...?" asked Anne.

"I do not get this...! Haha!" smiled Sprig. "Human sexual attraction... Weird!"

"Don't tell me..." said Amity, gulping.

"Figured it out yet...?" Adalind then Wahrewoges into a Hexenbiest. Her face rots. Her skin turns zombie-like and rots, decaying into flaky gray flesh. Her pupils and irises disappear. Her lips disappear, only showing her teeth. She hisses at the four.

Luz, Amity, Anne, and Sprig all scream in horror upon seeing Adalind. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!!"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Sprig faints and drops to the ground.

"You're a Hexenbiest!?" asked Amity. "HE MARRIED A HEXENBIEST!?!? ISN'T THIS HERESY!?!?"

She woges back. "That isn't stopping us."

"Sorrs! No offense! But...! You aren't afraid he'll one day just decide to cut off your head!?"

"In the first few days... weeks... or our relationship... I used to think that. But I learned to love him for just the way he is. And he isn't like that. He's a really good cop to Portland, Grimm to Maharlica, husband to me, and dad to our kids."

"Two hybrids!?"

"Well, the other one isn't his."

"HOW ARE YOU STILL... ALIVE!?!?" asked Amity. She begins hyperventilating.

"Breathe, Sweet Potato. Breathe..." said Luz, as she activates an Eldritch Glyph and warps out a paper bag for Amity to breathe in.

"Oh, wow! You combined Glyph Magic with Eldritch Magic! Now, that's what I call art!" smiled Adalind.

"Oh, yeah. Miguel taught us..." smiled Luz.

"You studied under the Messiah!?" asked Adalind.

"Oh! Well... Yeah!" smiled Luz. "After we graduated, we became two of his Apostles."

"Unbelievable! What are you here for...?" asked Adalind. "Would you like some tea? Uh... Cereal...? Ooh! We have Chicken and Dumplings in Milk Soup from last night!"

"I uh... don't like milk! Haha!" smiled Luz.

"I want that Chicken and Dumplings in Milk Soup!" smiled Anne.

"Me, too!" smiled Sprig.

Amity sighs. "Uh... I could have some of that, too!"

Adalind smiles sweetly and offers Amity the meal.

Amity bites into it. Her eyes sparkle as she digs in.

"What about you? Luz, right?" smiled Adalind.

"Do you have anything without dairy...?" smiled Luz.

"Uh... We have steak!" smiled Adalind.

"One, please!" smiled Luz.

Later...

"A Siegbarste and a Zauberbiest?" asked Adalind. "Sounds like an illegal Assassin's Coven I've heard of."

"An Assasin's Coven!?" asked Amity.

"There are covens on Earth!?" asked Luz.

"Yeah... Where do you think Belos got the idea from?" asked Adalind. "There are hundreds of covens in Maharlica made up of Hexes and Sorcerers. In fact, being under the tutelage of Miguel Ibarra means you're under the Apostles' Coven, who practice Divine Sorcery, using magic they gain by praying to Yahweh."

"That's what I've been doing...?" asked Luz, looking at her hands.

"The big leagues are the Apostles of New Israel and the Masters of the Mystic Arts... But Assassin Covens are illegal because of their... practices."

"So... where can we find one of these Assassins' Covens...?" asked Sprig.

"Where do the assassins operate?" asked Adalind.

"Everywhere in Maharlica," said Amity.

"Try the Blutmondes Coven," said Adalind.

"The What...?" asked Luz.

"Blutmondes. It's an illegal organization that is a self-proclaimed coven. Its headquarters are in New York," said Adalind. "This dimension."

Later...

"So... is this the place...?" asked Luz.

They reach a small adorable bakery as a chef walks outside. "Hello, there! Guten tag! What would you want from this humble bakery?"

"Uh... We're looking for the Blutmondes Coven...?" asked Sprig.

He frowns. "You cops...?"

"No...!" smiled Luz, giving a cheery smile.

"Can any of you do magic...?" asked the chef.

Amity creates a Light Glyph midair and warps out glowing orbs.

"Heh..." sneered the chef, opening the door. "Welcome to Blutmondes. You in to sign up...?"

"Just to visit the place is all..." smiled Luz.

He smirks. "In here..."

They enter to see several Wahrewoged Hexenbiests eating Gallenblase and smoking Jay.

Amity, smelling the smoked drugs, gets a bit dizzy.

"Whoa! You okay...?"

"They're smoking jay..." whispered Amity.

"What...?" asked Luz.

"It's a drug," said Anne. "Wesen either smoke it or put it in their bodies... This place makes me sick..."

"Ugh... I don't feel so good..." said Amity.

"First time, hm...?"

The group turns to the man wearing a top hat and suit and a very muscular and tall woman.

"Ah! Welcome, Sorceresses! And... Human and Amphibian. Welcome to Zirkel des Blutmondes! Coven of the Blood Moon! Are you here to inspect this place, officer...?"

The Hexes and Sorcerers activate their magic, staring at the four of them upon hearing what he said.

The Hexes hiss and the Sorcerers activate red-colored Tao Mandalas.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa..." said Anne, holding up her hands. 

"Everybody calm down! It's not like the four of them can do anything... Correct...?"

"How'd you know...?" asked Luz.

"Is it not obvious, Luz Noceda...? I have mastered the art of Telepathy..."

"We can do that...?"

"Yes, and I want you to leave if you won't inspect..." he said. "Now..."

"Or what...!?" asked Amity, still feeling dizzy.

He then holds up his hands and Force-Chokes the four heroes.

"The four of you really think that you can defeat me...?" asked the man. "Along with all of these people...? I am the one they call the Head-Zauber. So, either inspect this place but really just make a false report about it or leave."

"Feels like... We should've... Worn a couple of Magneto hats..." whispered Anne.

"How about not...?"

A woman in the corner removes her hood and takes out her sticks. It's Gabby.

"Gabby!?" asked Anne.

"Hey, Anne!" smiled Gabby.

The man rolls his eyes and tries to strangle Gabby as well. Gabby smiles and shows her Sacred Anting.

"Antingero..." he said. "Mistress...? A hand...?"

His partner woges into a massive Siegbarste and tries to punch Gabby. Gabby dodges her punch, jumps to the air, and uses her stick to knock magic into the beast's head.

She keeps on beating the Siegbarste with her sticks.

"How'd you get here!?" smiled Anne.

Gabby spins and tries to injure the Siegbarste by swiping her legs. "Sensed something wrong! Decided to help!"

"Uh... Okay...? Are these guys planning something world-destroyingly evil?" asked Sprig.

"Uh... No... Haha! You were here," said Gabby.

"Oh... cool..." said Anne.

Gabby creates a chain out of her stick and strangles the Siegbarste, proceeding to lean the Ogre's head near Anne's.

Gabby waves her hand and frees Anne by "blessing" her by warping out an Anting and placing it around her neck. "Gimme a hand here, would ya?"

Anne closes her eyes and activates her Calamity State for a very short second, proceeding to knock the Siegbarste down.

She then offers the other trio three Antings.

"You're going down, Baron," said Luz.

The Baron sighs and activates red Tao Mandalas from each hand. "Did you really think that you could get past all of us...?"

All the Hexes and Sorcerers activate their Tao Mandalas, which are all red or white.

Gabby tightens her sticks.

"That's enough..." said a voice in the distance. "I won't let you take these people down... Forgive me... Baron... But these ones... Don't kill them."

"Yes, sir..." said the Baron.

"These two have a leader!?" whispered Sprig.

MABUS walks out of the backroom.

MABUS wears his black armor and cape.

Gabby's eyes widen.

"Who are you...!?" asked Anne.

"Why... I'm her father, of course," said MABUS.

"You will never be my father!" yelled Gabby.

"I thought Miguel was your Dad..." said Luz.

"It's complicated," said Gabby.

"Isn't it obvious? I banged her mother behind her stepfather's back," said MABUS. "I'm Miguel Barchiel Ibarra. You can call me MABUS. I am here, of course, to bring equality to the world by serving Bill Cipher."

"Hard to hear you with all that bitching about equality," frowned Gabby. 

"Feisty one, aren't you, daughter...?"

"You can still change MABUS..." Miguel becomes visible next to the four. "Tada! I was here the whole time!" He warps away from the jays in the room.

"Dad! Why'd you follow me!?" Gabby clenched her jaws.

"Because I won't let my little girl get gaslighted by a version of me who continues to bitch about his life being unfair all the time," said Miguel.

Upon seeing Miguel, the Hexes woge back and deactivate their shields and the Sorcerers all deactivate their shields as well and put down their weapons in fear of Miguel.

"Jesus Christ, MABUS... I'm honestly disappointed in you... Killing conservatives in the United States?"

"They've been WHAT!?" asked Luz. "Why didn't you report any of this, Miguel!?"

"Because MABUS is my responsibility. He's my problem," said Miguel.

"You're just saying that because he's you!" yelled Gabby.

"And why'd you come here...?" asked Miguel. "Sadly, I can't ground you because that isn't part of our culture... Uh... No Xbox for a month."

"WHAT!?!?" asked Gabby.

"Fine. A week. Because we'll be playing that new game you told me about the week after..." said Miguel.

The others turn to Miguel, weirded out. 

"What?" asked Miguel. "We've been bonding, lately."

"Oh, sure. Bond with someone else's daughter, why don't you?" asked MABUS.

"MABUS... Please... Is this what your Anne would've wanted...? Would she have wanted you to do these incredibly horrible things and continue serving Bill...? You killed them but you hated yourself for it. And if you keep doing these horrible things because of how much these people resent you, I'd be forced to -..."

"To what, Ibarra!? To what!? I was abused and molested by my Uncle! Neglected by my mother! After I accidentally killed my sister, she abused me, too! I was fucking bullied! By everyone in my school! They were so horrible! They just liked to throw their hormones and teenage issues at me! That one girl? Maxene!? She bullied me for a year, so I put a fucking pipe in her jaw! That other girl!? Jessica!? She was so horrible to me and practically hit me for fun when we were dating, so I beat her to death! Still keep her teeth in a jar somewhere! That one guy!? Nico!? He bullied me when I transferred because I was the new guy and for one whole year he'd make my life a living hell and criticize me for being wrong for existing! So I crucified him upside-down while he was decapitated on a tree and made my minions criticize his tiny penis for a whole day! And that was funny! How am I the bad guy!?"

"Did... Did you just not hear anything you just said...?" asked Sprig. "Also, 'crucify!?' Pfft! Stoning is better!"

"Ha! Did that to the kid who dated my crush to insert dominance! Made my minions stone him while he was naked and I ate his body!"

"Goddamnit, Sprig..." Anne facepalmed.

"No! I'm trying to offer you a better world! A world WHERE NO ONE TRUSTS EACH OTHER!!! A world where no one has to be the little guy because everyone is the little guy in that world! I'm trying to save the world, Ibarra! Can't you see that!? Can't you see that all this horrible shit happened to our world and yours because of their arrogance!? Their actions created us! A force of good and a force of evil. Humans opened Pandora's box! They brought chaos into this world! Because they wanted to see how we'd feel! They wanted to break us to see what we'd become! And they ate their words! Really! I killed all of them! Even their children! Even their dogs... Cats... pet tarantulas... Budgies... Axolotls..." he hissed on the last word. "I don't care that you've caught me, really! I don't care! Because I'll keep going back!"

"Why... Why did they bully you...?" asked Luz.

"Are you fuckin'-!? Because I was weird, Noceda!"

"So was I, actually..."

"See!?"

"But I didn't become a genocidal maniac like you. I found friends, Mr. MABUS. I found people I could care about who understood me. Even the ones who didn't understand me at first came to care and even love me..." Luz smiles and holds Amity's hand. 

Amity blushes. 

"And you're sounding a lot like Belos!" yelled Luz, scolding MABUS.

"Oh, please! I only kill people in my universe! The ones here!? I'll just genocide a few and the ones left will rebuild the new world order and they'll live happily ever after, playing and partying all day every day!"

"Now you're just sounding like The Collector," said Amity.

"You don't get it... You just don't get it..."

"I do! Believe me, MABUS! I've had those toxic thoughts before! And I was bullied! And I was tormented and heartbroken and outcasted! But that doesn't excuse anyone for hurting others for it.It's not too late," said Luz.

He bows his head. "It is. There's literally no one I truly connected with. I go around by people fearing me.Here's an example.You. Zauberbiest. Strip."

The Zauberbiest nods and begins to do so.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! (Oh, Frog...) (What the Heaven!?) (Ew!)(Nice...)" stated the four and Gabby, covering their eyes (except for Gabby).

"We're okay!" yelled Anne. "Please! I have had enough therapy for one lifetime!"

"Fine," said MABUS. "Stop or I'll crush your head."

"Yes, sir."

"I think Luz is right... What do you want, anyway...?" asked Gabby.

"I want respect," said MABUS. "Something I tried to earn but never received."

Probably because of who you are...

"You shut the fuck up, Old Man!!!" yelled MABUS.

"Did... Anyone else hear that...?" asked Anne.

"Frog God? Is that you?" asked Sprig.

Yeah.

"Take that humanity!" laughed Sprig. "Ha!"

I'm also their God. There was never any point in any Religion War in history in any world because I'm the God in every religion.

"Oh... Dang..." said Sprig.

"Okay! Okay! Tell me this!" yelled MABUS. "Why is it that you brought us... A whiny... insane... incompetent... dysfunctional... heartbroken... deranged..."

A little redundant...

"-...insecure... unstable... sensitive... loser like us be the Messiah. One that has no talent whatsoever! One that is absolutely the most boring piece of shit ever! One that you let the universe bully and abuse over and over so that you'd SHAPE HIM INTO A LITTLE SOCIOPATH!!!Him!? The savior!? He HURTS PEOPLE!!! He nearly killed someone! I killed people! We are not the ones for the job! WHY!?!? WHY... BOTH OF US!?!?"

Because humanity doesn't deserve a peaceful Messiah like Jesus was. The moment they saw Jesus, they crucified my son. Both of you are designed to be able to fight. But... MABUS... You are a failure... I gave you too much rage... and hatred... You ended up killing everyone...

MABUS' eyes contract, horrified and heartbroken by his words...

Miguel is supposed to be the replacement. In actuality, there are three Messiahs. Jesus, you, and Miguel. I actually destroyed your reality after you killed everyone and created Earth-777 so that I could bring justice. He is a copy of you. A redo, of sorts... Miguel Ibarra is the perfect version of himself... Not as perfect as Jesus... But perfect enough to be able to fight back.

"So... we're just experiments to you...?" Miguel clenched his fists.

Miguel... No... Because I love you. I love all of you. But that doesn't mean I don't get disappointed... Like... with MABUS... I made you... too much of yourself... And you began serving the Devil. I fed you too many tragedies...

It flashes back to MABUS accidentally killing his sister.

 I wrote your story too horribly... And I must admit... I feel shame for doing so... You, MABUS, are too broken... Fractured... unfit to be the Messiah... So I wrote a new story... A new story where you were better...

MABUS is traumatized by his words. His pupils contract slowly. His lips tremble.

You shot that man... after all...

"What...?!" asked MABUS. "HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT!?!? I CHANGED IT!!! I ERASED IT!!!"

No... You shot that man...

Note: Read the original story on this website: https://www.wattpad.com/user/MASAtheVast. This isn't advertising. This is for context. He was the original... In the original book, he had a different name, and in the original story that I since deleted (I rewrote it), I made MABUS shoot a man.

"Why!?" sobbed MABUS.

Because I thought it was funny...

Author... Please! Don't be rude!

Kidding! Philosophy...

"N-No..." said MABUS. He sat down sobbing. "NO!!! NO!!! I DIDN'T... I DIDN'T MEAN TO!!! *whimpers...* No... I was... I was just trying to prove a point... That's all...You made me this way..." he sobbed. "You made me this way... I didn't ask to be made... I didn't want this... I didn't want to want... I didn't want to experience... I n-never should've existed..."

"Master-..." said Baron, but Miguel grabs his shoulder.

"Back away from him," said Miguel. "Why are you telling us this now!?" asked Miguel, looking up.

Because I want to write a good story. A story where you all suffer. Because I enjoy writing this story. A story where you can't catch a break. I like it. It's fun! Look at this! The views! But it's not about the views! It's about my... enjoyment... of torturing you.

AUTHOR THAT'S ENOUGH!!!

Yes... Sorry... my Lord...

"Uh-huh... Fun..." said Miguel. "MABUS..." Miguel touches his shoulder.

"BACK AWAY!!! Back away... Back away... I didn't mean to kill you, Mom...! I didn't mean to kill her!!! He made ME!!! HE MADE ME!!! HE MADE ME DO IT!!!"

"You're all under arrest," said Amity. She flicks her fingers and warps out bracelets around their wrists. "If you try anything... Miguel, Anne, and Gabby'll uh... Break your kneecaps."

"Yo," said Miguel, waving.

"Waddup," said Gabby.

"'Sup," said Anne.

"NO!!! NO!!! Please... Please, please, please... I hear their voices... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! STOP THEM!!! STOP THEM!!!" sobbed MABUS. "Kaylahahahahah... I'm so sohohohohorry... Oh... Oh, God... I'm a horrible son... I'm a horrible brother... I'm a horrible son and brother... Please... Please... I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" MABUS begins bashing his head into the ground over and over again, as Miguel uses the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to restrain MABUS from self-harming. 

"Had to borrow these from Strange, heheh," said Miguel. "Come on, Mabe... Need a drink?"

"Yeah... no, dude. I need therapy," replied Anne.

"We all do..." said the others.

Later...

Miguel enters Luz's room, proceeding to knock it. "Yo. You called...?"

Luz is placing a cold compress on her neck. "I didn't know you were bullied, too..."

"Oh... Don't listen to MABUS! We didn't have the exact life!"

"Weren't you abused?"

"Well... yeah..."

"Weren't you bullied...?"

"Yep-puh..." Miguel sits next to Luz. "Is it okay if I-?"

"Yeah... I just... felt so sorry for the both of you..." said Luz. "Partly because... before I met my friends... That was my life... I just wonder if I was alone my whole life, too... I'd be MABUS. Or even Belos..."

"Yeah... Or... you'd be me... You're an exceptionally humble kid, Luz. A bit of a people pleaser... But still...! Luz. You don't have to worry about an evil version of yourself out there in another universe... Hell. If you do, welcome to the club. I do warn you, though. She might traumatize you... Like with Finn. Or they... Because Fischbach has like... 30 of 'em? And jack has three... But one's suicidal as hell, the other claims to be his twin, and the last one just videos them."

"What if I became MABUS, though? Infinite possibilities, right...?"

"Trust me... you're a good kid, Luz... You don't have to worry about that because despite all the Calamities, Stands, X-Genes, Magic, fucked up people in general, Calamity-Users, Grimms, Cryptids, Aliens, Rock Humans, and their Fates, what makes you you is you. And you're someone that anyone, even I, can look up to! You have the makings of it in your heart, Luz. And... thus...? Respect, sis."

"Thanks, Miguel," smiled Luz. "Really needed to hear that."

"Now, how about teaching you how to add those Glyphs on biological organisms?!" smiled Miguel.

"We can do that!?" smiled Luz.

"Let's go, Owl Lady...!" smiled Miguel.

Luz's eyes glow gray for a short second.

Note: I forgot to mention that both Luz's irises are rather strange. Both are halved between brown and gray.