"Mumbo...Whatever Ex and Hels did to you, we can fix it. You know that you don't want to do this.." TFC spoke quietly with a calm voice to reassure the British male, the older hermit stepping forward as he extended his hand towards the Redstoner. Mumbo stepped backwards to distance himself from the group of hermits, his eyes wild and untamed as he studied the people he used to call his friends.
"How can you say that? You don't know what they did to me! What they forced me to do and say! I was just a toy to them, a puppet to use for their plans! They took away everything I knew and turned me into one of them!" Mumbo snapped harshly in response to TFC, the Redstoner reaching into his pocket as he pulled out a small device, a single red button catching the group of hermit's attention.
"I can blow every here into bits, and I won't hesitate to do so!" He snapped at the six, everything about Mumbo was wild and insane. The Redstoner wasn't himself, it was painfully clear to the hermits, but they were unsure if the old Mumbo would ever come back.
"Mumbo..j-just put the remote down.." Scar spoke quietly with his eyes glued to the device, the Brit's thumb shakily hovering over the red button to threaten the group. The Redstoner shook his head.
"You know I can't do that, I'm too far down this path. I can't stop now." He said, Mumbo's voice barely a whisper. Joe stepped in front of the other hermits as he slowly approached the British Redstoner, Mumbo's eyes swirling with a mix of fear and hatred.
"You're doing exactly what Hels and Ex wanted, Mumbo." Joe began to speak with a soft and quiet voice, trying not to startle the insane man. "They knew that they had pushed you over the edge, and even if they're gone, you're still letting them control you.."
"I can control myself! I-I know what I'm doing! I'm SICK of everything and everyone on this STUPID SERVER! I'll blow everything up, including myself, just to put myself out of this pain!" Mumbo screamed as tears rushed down his bloodstained face, his thumb moving to press the red button. Joe's eyes widened, the poet quickly reacting as he lunged for the device.
Cleo, Cub, and Stress joined the fight for the remote, Mumbo raising the device above his head as he used his other hand to try and fight off Joe. Cub kicked the Redstoner in his gut, which caused Mumbo to trip and fall to the ground, Scar, Tin, Cleo, and Stress pinning down his arms and legs to prevent him from moving, as Cub grabbed the remote from Mumbo's hands.
"I'll hold onto this for you." Cub said with a smile, Mumbo growling with hatred burning in his steely glare. Joe placed a hand on the pharaoh's shoulder, though his eyes were locked on the insane Brit.
"You guys should go and find the others, I wanna stay here and talk to Mumbo." He mentioned to Cub, the pharaoh shaking his head.
"No way, he's way to dangerous! He'll kill you!" Cub exclaimed, but Joe didn't seem to care.
"I have to risk it, whatever happened to him, it won't be solved by us fighting. Someone needs to try and get through to him, and it needs to be me." Joe spoke with confidence, his attention turning to Cub. "Go save the others and get out of here, I'll be okay."
Cub knew he couldn't convince Joe otherwise, so he silently nodded his head as he pulled out a pickaxe, breaking through the wall. "Come on, we'll tunnel to the next room over and see if we can find anyone."
The other hermits quickly let go of Mumbo, rushing to the tunnel that Cub began to make. TFC was the last into the passage, the pharaoh sealing off the entrance as he entered. Mumbo was too late to try and chase after Cub to retrieve his remote, the Redstoner slamming his fist against the blocks that prevented him from entering the tunnel.
"H-..howdy Mumbo.." Joe choked out with horror in his voice, the Brit growling harshly underneath his breath as he looked over his shoulder at the nervous southerner.
"You and everyone on this server will die!" Mumbo screamed as he kicked Joe in the chest, the man stumbling backwards, almost tripping into the pool of lava that rested below the cage that Scar had been trapped in.
"M-Mumbo, c-can't we just talk?" Joe said as the Redstoner grabbed him by the throat, lifting the poet off the ground and holding him above the bubbling lava. The Brit laughed maniacally, his wild eyes and crooked smile horrifying to look at.
"Talk? You want to talk!? You think you can try and reason with me, well YOU CAN'T! Everyone on this server will be dead by the time I'm done with them!" He laughed as he spoke, Joe's eyes filled with sorrow as he locked eyes with the maniac.
"P-..please...you and I both know t-that you don't want this.." Joe choked with a shaky breath, Mumbo's eyes turning even more enraged than they were before. The Redstoner threw the southerner against the ground, pressing his foot against Joe's chest to pin him against the floor.
"You know nothing about me, not anymore. I'm not the Mumbo you used to know, I'm different." He snapped at Joe, the raven haired man narrowing his crazed eyes at the poet.
"B-but do you want to be him? The person you used to be..?" Joe asked the insane man, who was taken aback by the question. He took a few steps back, stunned long enough to let Joe get to his feet.
"It's not to late, y'know.." Joe said as he took a few steps back, no clue what the unstable Redstoner would do next. His hand slightly trembled as he extended towards Mumbo, the Brit's eyes locked on Joe's hand. "You can still stop the traps and end all of this."
"The last time I said I would disarm my traps, I killed my two best friends! I can't be trusted, Joe! My head is split in two, I want to come back, but I know that I can't stop these murderous thoughts! I can't control myself anymore, and I can barely fight this urge for death and murder!" Mumbo screamed with tears running down his face, his eyes filled with hatred, but Joe could tell that there was sadness hidden in his eyes.
"You're giving into your emotions and the things that Ex and Hels put in your head, but you don't have to fight this alone. Everyone is here for you, we all want to help and fix what went wrong.
Everyone was manipulated by Ex and Hels, so you don't have to feel guilty or ashamed of what you've done. Just fight those thoughts for as long as you can, we'll get everyone out of here and then we'll fix you.
So please..." Joe stepped forward, taking Mumbo's hands in his own as he tried to calm the Redstoner's bloodthirsty mind.
"Fight whatever Ex and Hels did to you and let us help you."
Mumbo's eyes were harsh and cruel, but tears slowly rolled down his cheeks, the Redstoner silent as his eyes were drawn to his shoes, unable to look up from the ground.
"H-how many hermits have I-"
"Don't do that to yourself." Joe stated calmly, the southerner taken by surprise as Mumbo wrapped his arms around him. He could hear the Redstoner's shaky breathing as he held back tears, Mumbo clearly fighting the urge to breakdown and cry.
"I hurt so many of my friends," he choked out a weak sob, Joe finding it painful to listen to Mumbo cry. "I could do it again, I'm unstable, I-I shouldn't be around you-"
"Stop that right now!" Joe said as he pulled away from the hug, keeping his hands on Mumbo's shoulders as he looked into the Redstoner's crimson eyes. "Your going to be okay, I know that sounds hard, I know that it feels like nothing will ever be okay ever again, but I promise you, things will get better. Things will turn around and everything will be okay, but you can't just give up, you need to trust yourself!"
Mumbo held back more tears, slowly nodding his head.
"But if these thought take hold of me again I-"
"Will fight it." Joe interrupted him, the confidence in his voice putting Mumbo slightly at ease.
"T-thank you." Mumbo said quietly, the dark crimson in his eyes beginning to shift in his, changing from a blood red to a glittery color, almost resembling redstone dust. Joe smiled at him, the southerner nodding his head.
"Of course, now, can you shut everything off?" He asked as Mumbo wiped his tears on his bloody sleeve, the Brit slightly nodding.
"Y-yes! I can shut it off at my control panel! But we need to get there before any other traps are set off. I don't think I'll be able to sleep with any more blood on my hands.."
"Right. Are you ready to put an end to this, once and for all?" He asked Mumbo while pulling out his blade, the Redstoner's sparkling eyes burning with confidence. The Brit nodded his head.
"Yeah. It's time to finish this."