Code Name: Connections (Discontinued)

The Prisoner Will Serve Us Well

A while later, Mumbo woke up to a bright light in his eyes. After a second of his eyes adjusting, he saw that he was in a large underground room with a lamp on his face. His mouth was bound by tape and his arms were tied behind him. He was strapped in a chair his feet were also tied to. Mumbo tried to move more to move the chair, but it seemed that the chair was also tied up.

His wings seemed to have come out of the magic that kept them hidden. They wouldn't be a great use to them, though, as they were tied back with the rest of his body.

As he struggled, he felt a bead of liquid run down his face. It fell down his nose and he could smell the iron. That's where his headache was coming from.

A bit extreme, huh? Mumbo growled in his head. Maybe if he could get his wings out, he could break out. He concentrated but no matter what, his wings were pressed to his back. And his plans were completely thwarted by a cramp in his right wing.

He yelped in pain, but it was muffled by the tape. He bent over and started talking deep breaths through his nose while he attempted to ease his wing. From personal experience, he knew that just magicking them away would only make the pain worse later. He didn't even know if he had enough energy to do it. At least any blood would be practically invisible on his desaturated red wings. Though the feathers would probably look the part of a bloody mess, tangled and matted.

Mumbo thought back to what Xisuma had been talking about. Pearl probably did get these ideas from Ex. Dang it; He should've talked to Pearl more. He should've followed her. He rocked his head back and forth, racking his brain for ways to get out of the situation. There had to be something. A quick check of his inventory showed him that he had been padded down and ripped clean of everything but his clothes. And mustache. That was important.

He raised his head up as he heard sets of feet on the cold stone floor. Two large figures stood behind the lamp. One held an enchanted netherite sword. Mumbo sighed with relief. They had to be Watchers.

He tried to talk, but the tape on his mouth restricted him. The two figures stepped forward and Mumbo stopped moving all together. They weren't Watchers. Technoblade grinned and Squid crossed his arms with a smirk.

"I know, I was shocked when I saw they had netherite weapons and tools, too." Squid pulled his own netherite sword out. "But then I realized that I wasn't the only one who had figured out how to get my hands on the material." Techno leaned forward and ripped the tape off his mouth. Mumbo gasped for air. He looked up again.

"Okay, listen to me!" Mumbo panicked. "I'm just coming for Pearl; I just want to take her home safe and sound! Nothing has to happen, no one has to get hurt!"

Techno laughed, lifting his sword over his shoulders, "As if we'd let you go!" He cackled. "Moon wants us to get some information about what you hermits are planning!" Squid glanced at Techno with a repressed smile.

"What?" Mumbo scoffed. "Moon is Pearl! Are you blind? Moon is not who you think she is!"

Squid felt a twinge of guilt for using this as a petty way to get... wait, what information did they need? They didn't. Squid smiled. "Pearl is dead." He shrugged. "Moon killed her, threw her clothes in a ditch somewhere and sent her body down a river."

Techno's face dropped only for a second before he laughed again. "That is brutal."

Mumbo felt weak. He felt sick. That-that was impossible, Pearl wasn't dead, there was no way, he couldn't believe it, he wouldn't believe it—"You're lying..." He said, hardly any conviction in his voice. "That was Pearl, I saw-I saw her."

"I think I feel bad." Squid muttered.

"Don't. This crook is trying to take away our freedom, our equality." Techno sneered. "It's one less to worry about." He stomped his foot, stopping Mumbo's slight movement, turning it to shaking. Mumbo held his breath and his eyes open. "We can add you to that list." Techno kneeled. "Unless you wanna tell us about your plan."