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Jonathan Joestar With the sand having turned to muddy, wet clay, it was impossible to continue digging until it either dried back out or someone was able to return it to its previous, dusty state. And so, Jonathan and his workers set about repairing the torn up campsite to a more presentable, and functional, state. Afterwards, he utilized his skills in the Ripple to treat necessary wounds, able to soothe pain and turning critical, deep wounds into much more manageable shallow ones.

It is now night time, and despite the blistering heat of the day, the desert is now as cold as a tundra in the middle of winter.

Jonathan sits in front of a bonfire set up to keep the temperature reasonable, contemplating the strange beetle ornament that had been found, as well as ruminating on the day's events -- particularly in who he had all but gotten confirmation was now after them. It wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation, the large man supposed.

This must be what it was like to 'face the music', so to speak. But that could wait until morning, hopefully.
Arcadia 'How to dry out a desert' is one of those things that sounds extremely weird just because it is something you don't really think about. Most people only know them as hot and dry places, and not realize they reach nearly the same extremes in cold during the night as they do heat during the day.

Which is the kicker. Sure Arcadia could find a number of ways to use her magic and area coverge techniques to help dry out a portion of land. But not in a way that could also contend with the rapidly cooling temperatures as well. So it's still something that is going to have to wait until morning. As much as she herself hates waiting. There's not really any other options.

The sphinx is also one of those beings that doesn't require things like sleep to keep operating for a long time, so at least she can spend that wait standing watch over the camp, as a good guardian should. Especially when they know someone is out to stop the operation.
Gilgamesh      You know that guy who brings his own snacks and drinks to a party because 'they're way better than the crap you've got?'

     Gilgamesh is the prototype of that guy. And like all prototypes, he's way more powerful than the things that came after him.

     Take his giant Japanese-style hot springs. Instead of sitting around an open bonfire the King of Heroes is relaxing in a literal hot spring he pulled out of the Gate of Babylon and plopped down in the middle of the mud. Or, well, no, he plopped it down in the middle of the *sand*, because he *also* brought a Noble Phantasm that apparently turns water to sand in an instant. It's probably the prototype of the Staff of Moses or something, who cares. The end result is that the area immediately around his hot spring has a solid base to work with, so he just dropped it down and has been lounging in it ever since, leaning back with his legs kicked up on the other bench like a jackass. He's not inviting people inside. He's just. There.

     Take also the smell of the meat cooking in the Ancient Babylonian Magic Pressure Cooker on the side of his hot tub. It's delicious. It's warm and aromatic. It smells like all the right mixes of all the right meats, the best cuts of steak you ever had. It is straight up mythological. It mingles with the honey-sweet smell of more of that ambrosiac peach wine, the wine of countless Heavens to which he has journeyed and returned. It is mouth-watering.

     He is of course not sharing any of it.

     Instead he is sipping from a golden goblet that is probably a Noble Phantasm in its own right because literally everything in his Gate is some kind of obnoxious hyper-magical artifact, playing on his phone like he's at a five-star hotel instead of a dig that just turned deadly and muddy.

     After a while, he says, "I'll turn the mud back to sand in the morning. I abhor sitting and waiting for my treasures, especially if someone might come and steal them. This is a boring adventure and I'd rather it be over with as quickly as possible."

     "I'm still not going to lower myself to digging, though, when I have useful dogs to scratch about in the mud for me."

     Beep. Flick. "Damn."

     "Why is it that every time I field Iron Man, they target him down immediately? My Luck is higher-rank than that."

     Someone looking over his shoulder would find him playing the Avengers gacha offhandedly.
Revali Revali sits by the fire.

He's got his bow out on his lap, and is re-stringing it and cleaning it, along with the rest of his kit. A couple other bird people have shown up with extra supplies and an extra tent, and they seem to be sticking around.

"So how much did this 'Dio' beat us to the punch by, do you figure?" he asks. "Are we going to get there and the arrows will be already gone?"

Occasionally, he glances over at what Gilgamesh is cooking (and not sharing), but doesn't speak up.
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz is by the bonfire, with a far lower-tech blade out, it looks a heck a lot like a Japanese Katana but it's different enough to call into question if it is. She has a whetstone out which she's sharpening the blade with rather intently.

"I sometimes wonder if I'm getting too old for this I'm getting closer to 30 every passing year. We also need to take into consideration your workers will be targets for whoever is coming after us over this."

She glances over Gilgamesh and Revali. "Good question Revali."
Jonathan Joestar "The situation is somewhat complicated. Technically speaking, he hasn't beaten us to the punch. In some ways, it's the opposite...there are still some things concerning the matter I'm not sure about, but ... "

Jonathan trails off while speaking to Revali, staring into the flame. Eventually, "He doesn't know where they are either." he affirms.

Looking over to Gilgamesh and his lavish set-up between the hot spring and the delicious smelling food, Jonathan nods. "Much appreciated, King Gilgamesh. Rooting around in the dirt is much preferable to mucking around in mud."

Jonathan grimaces in response to Crys, before speaking. "I don't believe they'll be targetted specifically, beyond infiltrators like that 'Mariner' .. but as far as the enemy is concerned, we're all expendable. Still, I'd prefer if we could protect them."

It's obvious that the danger he was putting everyone in was bothering him, yet, he had the resolve to continue with his intentions regardless.
Arcadia A laugh comes from the Arcadia's position at the comment about ages. "You think 30 is -old-? What you from, mideveal Europe?" Don't mind the sphinx, that's just another frame of reference she personally doesn't have. "It's a good thing the equipment and supplies didn't get trashed in the conflict." Some of the workers were roughed up from when she tossed them to the ground to get them out of the lines of ice-projectile-fire, but that's better than being dead right?
Damocles The cold and water doesn't seem to bother Damocles, who has spent a while consulting notes and cross-checking things in his own attempt to investigate things.  What exactly he's investigating isn't entirely clear, since it doesn't seem immediately connected to their next move, but he's here of his own accord anyway.

He does help out here and there with healing people when asked, though he's reluctant to do so, and cautions people that 'this will feel a little weird'.  Chaos magic isn't really good at the 'healing people' thing, and while it works, it's a bit of a stretch to do.

He does take a moment to interject when the subject of their enemy comes up, though.  Without looking up from his notes, he says idly, "You know who this guy is, right?  Why don't we just cut out the middleman and go after him directly?  Plenty of time to hunt for arrows after we've popped the Squidlord.  Also, who is he?"
Yuuki Kuran A bonfire! How fun! It's so homey, coming in from the cooler night air to sit by the fire, though the chill is not something Yuuki minds overmuch. The dampness, however, is pleasant to heat away with the fire, and she leans her hands close to the crackling radiance.

"Jonathan, you used a very interesting power during that fight - it was quite beautiful! You called it 'Hamon'. What is it?"

Before he has a chance to answer, she continues. "Though more than that, your use *of* it was exactly what was needed - it appears my faith in your abilities was well placed."

Yuuki gives a gesture towards Gilgamesh, beckoning him over to the fire. "Gilgamesh, all who can see or hear know your riches and glory. Is there no value in sitting besides the fire and speaking amongst those of merit? Aren't you the least bit curious about Jonathan's 'Hamon'?"
Revali "If he's got people like that, I'm fine fighting them a few at a time... and making them come to us," says Revali, as he re-holsters his bow.

"And if he's got more people like that, then we know what to watch out for... unexpected things. Like a rainstorm in the desert."
Yuuki Kuran "How do you really 'watch out' for the unexpected? That just sounds like paranoia, and paranoia is so /tiresome/ when you have to be paranoid about everything, all the time." Yuuki complains lightly.
Jonathan Joestar Jonathan shakes his head. "It's not that easy. Rather, it's been a game of cat and mouse for some time now ... he's been treading with caution. The fact he made a move at all wasn't unexpected, but is telling."

This is all he says to Damocles for some time, seeming to consider how to answer the second question he'd posed.

Blinking full eyelashes, Jonathan folds one arm over his knee. "You flatter me, miss."

After waiting for her to finish addressing Gilgamesh, he leaves the Rhinoceros Beetle ornament in his lap to use his other hand to make 'lecturing gestures'. "Hamon of the Sun ... some also know it as Sendo, or 'Hermit Path'. Even I don't know precisely how long the practice has existed, but I learned it from Baron Zeppeli, who in turn had learned it from monks in Tibet."

Pausing to allow the information to digest, he then elaborated, "Through controlled breathing techniques, the practice allows one to produce an energy similar to sunlight, a ripple propogating through the bloodstream to the rest of the body. The precise nature of that energy however, is 'life' ... not necessarily one's soul, but their vital spirit. By 'creating' more of it with the breathing technique, it adds onto the life energy of the practitioner. Master Ton Petti, as an example, is over one thousand years old, and yet he hardly looks a day over sixty."
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz nods "My species was made to be expendable, so I get how that mindset would apply to all of us." She looks to Arcadia for a moment there's a very unkind look on her face.

"For a Newman it is old. I'm on anti-ageing drugs very powerful and costly ones. We have genetic issues we tend to burn out fast given our rapid maturation." She keeps sharpening her blade.

"Why do you think I burn through my pay as I do? I may not live long enough to spend it if I don't."

She doesn't seem angry or sad, she's just expressing something she's long accepted. "So I'll keep going leave what story I can behind."

Damocles gets a response out Crys.

"I would favour going after the head of the dragon too."

She also looks back to Jojo humming.

"I'll do what I can, on that front. It might be best to just throw me at something I am a hunter after all."
Sumiko Mikoto yawns a little, wiping some sleep from her eye as she sits at the bond fire.  She did get a chance to rest and took advantage of it.  Not because she is lazy, but to better save her magical reserves for a more important moment.  The day was long, the travel was hot, and the company they got on arrival was bad.  

As people discuss the attackers and Hamon, Mikoto listens for a bit before she speaks.  "That kind of sounds like chi, though I don't really understand the concept myself, given in my world it's just fake.  Instead, it's magic, and you need an evil talking cat to make a deal with to get it out of you."

She rummages for something to drink, something strong.  Before sitting down with a hot beverage and taking a sip.  "As for the other guy, he COULD have been just trying to mislead you, though he spent far too much to have that happen, and was obviously able to pay attention to what was happening here.  He could just be waiting for you to find it and then take it from you."
Haguro "If someone really wanted to target us, then they'd want us to become paranoid. To never rest. Then all they would need to do is wait for us to let our guards down." Haguro wraps a bandage around a arm as she stares into the fire, contemplating recent events in this desert full of crazy people with rain and teleportation powers of some sort.

Jonathan's explanation of his Hamon ability gets a raised eyebrow from Haguro, though, as she listens to story of the thousand year plus master. "If that's the type of person we're not even seeing involved in all this, I can only imagine what sort of people this Dio would be hiring to oppose you."

A beat, and then she crosses her arms lightly. "Like the ones from earlier. They'll likely wait for us to let our guards down if we take our time, but we can't be paranoid about them forever... Will these arrows be able to help us against him?"
Arcadia Arcadia stretchs her wings for a moment and then settles back in her spot. "They probably didn't expect there to be so much 'outside help' or they could of used a lot less obvious method. This felt 'overwhelm with unusual circumstances' more than a strategic strike."
Zero Kiryu Resting among Yuuki's personal accessories is a twist of natural ornament-- a thin vine around her wrist, thorns pointing outwards, small red blossoms blooming along it in a pattern suitable to make it appealing to look at. One moment nothing is out of the ordinary, and the next there is a man there, standing at Yuuki's side.

Zero Kiryu is dressed for work, minus a coat. He's wearing a black vest, white button-down with red tie, black slacks, and some rather more I-kill-people-for-a-living black shoes.

There is a butterfly sitting on his head.

"Why," Zero wonders aloud towards Jonathan, as if he stood among them all a moment before instead of merely appearing after these words were already spoken, "does 'life force' most closely resemble solar power, exactly?"

His only greeting to Yuuki is a casual mussing of her hair. Judging by his sudden appearance though, they were probably in communication to start with, somehow.
Damocles You see, my boy?  The 'energy of life'?  Essence of spirit?  It doesn't matter how far you go.  In the end, it always comes down *to Chaos*.

Damocles ignores the whisper in his head for the moment, but does jot down some notes about that.  Jonathan evading his questions is also pretty telling, but he decides not to push the issue.  This isn't his show, and certainly not his problem, and he doesn't want to try making it either. Still, a life in the Imperium does make one pragmatic.

"Alright, well.  'Defenders advantage' only works if you, you know, set up some kind of defenses.  If we are going to let him attack us, we should set up some surprises for him.  Also, Squidlord already put one infiltrator in our group.  Good bet he's got more.  Wouldn't be a bad idea to look over everyone you brought with you again and see if any of them, I don't know, have octopus eggs in their brain or whatever."
Sumiko Mikoto points towards Damocles with her pinky, "Cult guy has the right idea, we should probably make sure there aren't any other infiltraitors in our ranks, or at least ones that aren't contained so we could lead the Squid guy into a ambush."
Jonathan Joestar Jonathan nods in Mikoto's direction. "It's a possibility. However, it'd be exceedingly difficult for someone else to utilize the 'flesh buds' we saw earlier ... regardless, we'll just have to deal with whatever he, or anyone else, throws at us." he concludes, more so to Revali than her at that point, as they'd raised a similar concern in the vein of their attackers.

"That is almost certainly his plan, however, Miss Shimizu. As he doesn't know where precisely the arrows are, once they're uncovered is when he'll send his ... how do modern people say? His 'A-Game'."

Before he can respond to Haguro, Zero Kiryu appears, shocking Jonathan. However, with the many bizarre things he's seen and experienced, he gets over it fairly quick. "Did you just come from a ... no, nevermind. I'm afraid I don't truly have a good answer for you."

Briefly addressing Damocles again, he frowns. "The Flesh Bud, when you know what to look for, is fairly obvious ... but, it's impossible to remove without causing the subject severe brain damage. Even so, I plan to have everyone checked tomorrow before they go to work."

Turning to Haguro, he frowns before looking conflicted, and finally, he sighs.

"They might. But, it's more important to keep them out of his hands. Especially if my worry regarding 'Dio' is correct."
Gilgamesh      Gilgamesh swims forward slightly, leaning and draping his arms over the forward part of the hot tub. "Of course I am. It's interesting. It's a human power born of human desire to excel." He makes one of those 'tch' noises at something and drops his phone. It disappears through a hole in space. That turns his full attention over to Jonathan, other than his goblet and the Ancient Babylonian Magic Pressure Cooker Noble Phantasm.

     "And it's not that I don't like sitting around a fire! I just don't have any intent in spending my night sitting in the mud. I like mud perfectly fine. Mud is adjacent to clay. It makes a fine building block if you fire it. It's just a poor seat!"

     "I can hear and ask questions fine from here."

     And, indeed, he does actually listen, to his credit. He does in fact give Jonathan his attention over his drink, watching the man as he makes motions and explains the premise. Zero asks a question. Jonathan doesn't have an answer. Gilgamesh waves his goblet.

     "The sun gives life to plants. The plants give life to beasts. The beasts give life to men. They all give life to the soil, which the sun stirs to give life to plants. Why would it not look like sun?"

     "It's a very human thing to do, to harness the life that exists within you to do miracles." Gilgamesh actually sounds sort of proud of it. "A very human power, born of human consumption."
Yuuki Kuran "A breathing technique. Ah! I believe I've heard of such abilities before. The word they used..."

Yuuki gains a far off look. "Respiration...? Yes, like breathing. And you say you used this life-power to be able to force away the rain like that?"

Yuuki makes a serious face. "The whole--" She exhales a breath. "'Koooh'" she imitates, though it lacks the particularly powerful intonation that Jonathan had used before. "--affair. Ah! Zero, you missed the fight. He used his breath to restore his vitality after it was frozen by the power of a 'Stand user'. Which is all to say:"

Yuuki raises a finger towards Arcadia. "I don't think so either, Arcadia. That's a little disrespectful of Jonathan's enemy. If you remember, one of them 'created a rainstorm', and the other had many powers 'only useful within rain' but were quite dangerous. This was certainly a strategic strike! Were we not here - or if Gilgamesh's wine hadn't cleared Jonathan's throat - I expect that the minions of this shadowy rival of Jonathan in his quest for the Arrows would have taken him hostage, or simply killed him when things got too narrow. Really, it's a credit to everyone's skills that they couldn't make more use of the situation!"

"But I do not think disrespecting the cunning of this 'DIO' will help our search."

To Jonathan, Yuuki shows her bracelet while gesturing to Zero. "Oh, Jonathan, this is my bodyguard. His special ability is to smell threats and monsters. He should be able to help your search greatly - at least when it comes to DIO's minions."
Rean Schwarzer Rean's sitting by the fire with (nearly) everyone else, pulling his school blazer closer around him. He'd switched to more apt clothes for the weather once it got cold, though it only kind of helped. He listens to Jonathan's explanation of Hamaon and nods. "It sounds a bit like an Eastern art from my world, though I don't know much about it. Fangshu or something like that."

Rean turns to Zero, and shrugs. "Maybe it's symbolic of growth?" He asks. "Also, when did you get here?" It seems he knows Yuuki, though given the casual headrubbing, so it's not a hostile question.

Finally, he asks a Jonathan a question of his own. "And this 'Stand' power...Are they all that specific?"
Yuuki Kuran "He hides in my bracelet when he's being moody." Yuuki answers Rean's question as if this is the most normal question in the world. her hair responds to being fuzzled or rubbed by going completely mussed and falling over her face.

She blows on the loose strands faux-petulantly.
Touta Konoe     There's one person who hasn't join the campfire to sing the 'campfire song' song, and oddly enough it's the guy who would have loved to do it with no regrets in his heart. The spikey-haired (junior ((cause we have more than))) vampire. The young man had opted after the last attack to stay on watch during the ordeal from early. Hes still being charismatically un-Touta like while he holds that card in his hand a bit a distance away from the others. Is he missing much....? Maybe? He already knew plenty about Jonathan's Ripple...He had experienced just how painful and effective against vampires it was during the MECC. So the only real thing he might have missed was something about Dio...Which, well he heard enough of about that during the confrontation from earlier. For now, he's just trying to keep his mind on some things, and off others...
Sumiko "Not trying to sound like a suck-up, but Director Kuran has the right of it.  Just because we're strong doesn't mean the enemy is weak, it just means we were stronger, or that they didn't prepare for what we brought to the table.  I am sure NEXT time he won't, and like Jojo says, bring anything less than his full might to get what he wants."

Mikoto thinks on all of this for a moment, considering.  "Might not have any more plants, now that we suspect it.  Maybe someway to view from a distance?  Or maybe there is a signal he's waiting for...these things tend to be flashy.  There is something we don't know.."

"Rean, it's rude to just question people about where they came from, especially those who use it to tease the boss and can get away with it," she says, giving the bean a hard time as is usual.  Breaking up the thinking with some light-heartedness.  

"So what is even this Dio's motivation?"
Zero Kiryu "Speculation. I wanted to know if there was a completely known explanation of this energy form. Your idea is a natural conclusion, though, I agree." Zero replies to Gilgamesh, with the faintest shrug.

"Thank you, anyway. I'm Zero Kiryu. Hunter, bodyguard." He adds, to Jonathan.

Though he failed to answer Jonathan's wonder at his appearance, he does address Rean's with a simple, "I was always here."

This is provably not true, but there's no sense that he's actually lying. Yuuki abridges the explanation, which elicits a small smile-- something that has become rather more common lately.
Rean Schwarzer "Uh...OK." Rean says to Zero and Yuuki's explanation. He then just shrugs at Mikoto's teasing. "Alright." He says, a light smile on his face. He then leans back a bit, looking over in Touta's direction. The other boy's staring at that card again. The temptation to go talk to him about whatever it was is strong, but...
Jonathan Joestar Nodding in agreement with Yuuki, Jonathan looks to the flower-man in shock. "Ah..what an incredibly useful skill! I'm more than happy to make use of it. Thank you."

He then parts his lips and takes in a deep, powerful breath. His chest expands. "Kooooooh!!"

Creating ripple inside of his body, Jonathan decided to demonstrate, invisible waves of Hamon radiating from his body. "Hamon is transmutive by nature. It can take a form like lightning, flame, or any other number of things ... but water and oil are two of the best conductors of Hamon energy. I charged the rainfall with 'negative type Hamon' while hurling a condensed liquid missile of 'positive type Hamon' at Blackmore. This caused an effect called 'Life Magnetism' which caused all of the negative-charged Hamon to be sucked into the positive-Hamon, forming a single blast in the blink of an eye."

To show what he meant, he charged two pieces of parchment he took from his pack, one with each type of hamon and folded them to each make half of a miniature paper glider. Through the magnetic effect, the pieces fit together perfectly, making something as hard and sturdy as a wood glider model despite it being paper machet of a sort.

"The King's explanation sounds rather plausible..yes, now that I think of it, sunlight has always been worshipped by humans as a giver of life. From that perspective, it makes perfect sense."

Jonathan then addresses Rean, "Sometimes, yes. My .. descendant, Josuke, his Stand had the power to restore anything. Simple in concept, but with many clever applications. Stands generally follow a set of seemingly arbitrary rules..no, rather, a pattern. That Mariner, his Stand was an automatic type. Because he had no control over it, it was able to apparate at a long range, most likely so that Blackmore could make his way here undetected. Moreover, the closer a Stand is to the location of their user, the greater the effect of their power. When the storm intensified into a monsoon that displayed more abilities, it was because he came closer to the battle."

Jonathan pauses to let everything he said sink in before addressing the elephant in the room. He looks down, shamefully. "Dio is ..."
Arcadia Arcadia has gone back to her quiet watch for the time being, but she is certainly still listening to the conversations. Collecting information is one of her secondary protocols after all.

But Crys gets her attention again, even if the unkind look goes over her head. "Oh? Interesting." She tilts her head a little to the side, as cats do when they're actually curiously. "I too was created for specific purpose, but under more... appreciative circumstances." The sphinx decides to leave it at that. After the little infodump on Newman's even she realizes it would be bad form to point she doesn't have issues like aging and genetic breakdown to worry about.
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz looks to Jojo for a moment nodding

"Concord medical might be able to do something about it if we're lucky. Still, it would take them out of play either way."

She'll finish up with her sword and banish it and the whetstone back to her storage system. She gets up from where she was sitting stretching as she does so. She listens with some interest for Yuuki and Jojo.

"If the first two minions he sent after the dig? Were like that? We are going to face even more dangerous foes from here on out."

She watches as Jojo gives an example of his breathing ability and that gets her watching intently.

"Clever and the King of heroes has it right even for the people of my homeworld."

The notes about how stands work seems to be something Crys has taken note of. She also thinks a bit more as Arcadia finally replies and Crys seems to think she gets it.

"I'll bet your makers did a better job than mine in that case."
Sumiko Mikoto gives Touta a side glance, a frown turning to her face.  They all have to face their sorrow in different ways, but she wonders if he's holding onto his a bit overlong.  Then again, she could just be worried about her adopted brother.  Rubbing the side of her head, she remembered a time where she didn't have to care, things were much easier, but...like the things in her life, he's her possession, and thus she had to make sure he's ok.

"Actually, that makes a lot of sense.  Really, all energy on the planet in one form or another comes back to the sun being the source.  From heat energy to chemical energy and so forth.  We consume plants, who take it from the sun.  Kinda makes you think how small we're all in the greater scale, eh?"

"Hm, I wonder if that is how all powers come to be eventually too.  That'd be an interesting field to dive into."
Damocles Damocles jots down a couple more notes.  Transformative power, positive and negative.   He has a lot of questions to ask, but he saves them for now.  This isn't a lecture on magical theory, so best not to derail it too badly.  There will probably be time for that later.  Joestar also mentioned a thousand-year-old monk somewhere.  That person would likely have a different perspective.  Might be worth talking to him as well.

He makes a second note to ask about positive and negative Hamon.  That has some implications he wants to explore more later.

He also jots down a new note as Gil explains things how he sees it.  Damocles's perspective is a little different, more rooted in the nuance of particles and energy generation as a whole, but what Gil says fits perfectly with what he said earlier about 'common knowledge of the world'.  Damocles really needs to track down a wizard from Gil's world who can explain that phrase in more detail. 

He'd ask Gil, but he's certain the only thing he'd get explained is exactly where he can shove his curiosity.  Men like him never explain anything, they only degrade those who try and ask.
Gilgamesh      "No," Gilgamesh says bluntly about thinking about how small he is in the greater scale, "Because I am the King of all the world, whose story will persist so long as mankind's does."

     That's all he has to say on that topic. Instead, he says, "So as Hamon is something that works with the power of the world, a Stand is something that violates the world's rules. Is that right?"
Arcadia Arcadia considers that for a moment. "I am very specialized due to my role, and the nature of The Line itself. Even the originators would have difficulty recreating such craftwork a second time." It's the nicest way she can say she wasn't intended to be mass produced without it actually sounding insulting, even it is still a little braggy. That's just in her nature. A sphinx is just a cat with wings after all.

Her focus also drifts back to the main conversation as it begins to turn more to things it seems like JoJo didn't want to talk about indiscriminately.
Jonathan Joestar Somberly, Jonathan realized that he'd only spoken of Dio Brando once before. Just once, in the past two years, and even then it was only by necessity -- when people he'd asked to enter his mind in a 'psycho dive' to retrieve research for him happened across an unfortunate event. The unresolved conflict between them left emotional pressure that built quietly in the back of his head ever since their confrontation had ended in a stalemate as their world intergrated with the multiverse.

"Dio is my brother. He was adopted by my father when we were both boys, as a favor to Dio's birth father, a beggar who'd saved my father's life, supposedly."

Needless to say, Dario Brando was not such a kind man. But that wasn't relevant to the topic, and frankly, getting into that can of worms wasn't something he was interested in pursuing at that moment. "Using the power of an artifact I had been studying, the Stone Mask, he transformed himself into a Vampire and, ever since, we've battled back and forth to some extent. It's pointless to ask 'why' he wants the arrows, if he's allowed to hold their power for himself, nothing good will come of it."

Jonathan nods to Gilgamesh, affirming, "That's right. Stand power ... at least, the kind that can be awakened by the Bow and Arrow do not come from this world."

"And Dio's stand ... if he awakens it, will be the most terrifying of all."
Haguro Violating the world's rules... Come to think of it, the rain DID go upwards before. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw someone break things even more egregiously than that..." Haguro frowns as she rubs her head lightly, finally taking a seat by the fire and letting the heat seep in while listening to Jonathan speak about Dio. "... I can only imagine what Mister Joestar's brother would be capable of, then. If he's a vampire because mask and has one of these Stands of his own, perhaps..."

She taps a finger to her chin. "... A Stand that protects him from the sun and stakes?" She guesses, shaking her head after a moment. "That'd be too obvious. But if this Bow and Arrow are truly that fearsome, should we destroy them? Or..."

She glances over at Yuuki and Zero for a moment, then turns back to Jonathan. "... Have you heard anything about the risks of using them on people?"
Yuuki Kuran "You do this..." Yuuki begins, looking between Zero and Jonathan as if the former would have some insight into the latter. "... this thing, with your chest, when you use Hamon." She tries to puff up her chest similarly but she is drawn by a scribblehanded trashrag artist, and Jonathan Joestar is drawn by a man with a powerf pen for pectorals.

It's *just* not the same.

"Stand, and Hamon... Is the tentacles that that one man erupted into, is that also a power? Or... a curse?"

"Still, I can see why you'd train in this Hamon power. It's versatile! And, at least to me, a little 'dreamy'."

"Stand power doesn't come from this world? And a mask that turns you into a vampire!" Yuuki's eyes are starry.

"Is this why you became interested in archaeology, Jonathan?"

Haguro asks a very interesting question!
Yuuki just smiles at her. It's a very blank smile.
Revali "... So not anyone can use this bow and arrow?" asks Revali.

"Also, I should have asked earlier... is this a literal bow and arrow set, or just an artifact that resembles such?"
Damocles Damocles jots down a couple notes.  Stone mask...Those guys were wearing masks.  That must be connected to the Stand.  That's something to keep in mind if they ever encounter another one.  Vampires?  That's a broad term.  He's seen a lot of range on what a 'vampire' can be.

"Wait, not 'of this world'?  So where do they come from?"

Also, he's the brother.  That explains a lot.  Like why they don't just go put some rounds through his vampire face.  Unresolved family issues.  Damocles never found out what happened to his own family after he 'left'.  Likely they were hunted by the Inquisition and murdered.  One day he'll return to that place and find out. 

Not today, though. 

"You're not planning on actually using these arrows, are you?  We're looking for them so you can get rid of them, aren't we?"
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz seems to get the gravity of what Jonathan is sharing ith them from the look on her face. She thinks for a moment wordlessly as she listens to the tale he has to say. Once he's finished she will speak.

"This is why you want to get the arrows first to deny Dio a chance to add to his already formidable power from his transformation into a Vampire. I'm in to keep this out of his hands if we can do it."
Sumiko "Or it'd kill him," Mikoto puts out there, trying to be helpful. "But yeah, that's a gamble we probably shouldn't try and play," She admits.  Taking another sip of the hot drink there wasn't much she could say right now.  Though dwelling on Dio being a member of the family.

For a strange reason, that makes her blood boil, "So he was family and he betrayed family?  What scum."
Zero Kiryu Zero nods towards Jonathan. He sweeps his attention along his mental radar for a moment, then returns to the here-and-now. He seems about to explain something-- but thinks better of it. His eyes turn towards Yuuki for a moment, then cut away. On the subject of sun-as-life, he says, "It's a plausible explanation. I don't have a reason to doubt it. I was just wondering if the association was concretely known, and if any exploration of the subject had occurred. The notion of positive and negative life force and solar energy is an interesting one, but we can talk about it more later."

"What do you want to happen with regards to this Dio in the greater scheme of things? Are you emotionally attached? Do you want him disposed of, or is his continued existence a matter of personal interest to you? And how does that relate to any subordinates he has?" He asks, bluntly.

He gives Yuuki a rather funny look, but says nothing audible to her.
Touta Konoe     Finds himself speaking with Mikoto for a bit. It's a brief yet to the point discussion. Though he does try to nip it in the bud. Not like he thought this was a good time to talk about funerals or stuff like that. Not when there had just been deaths right here in this place. Besides this was Jonathan's (bizarre) adventure, it'd have been rude to bring up his problems now. So he cuts his chat short and sweet, "Yes, yes, whatever you say sis~.

    He looks back towards the group at this point, he was still reluctant to immediately head over towards the fire cause of- cause guarding. Though when he notices Zero there's a bit of a moment of excitement that springs up, "Hey! When'd Zero pop -" He silences himself quickly though, recalling during that last moment that he could recall Zero's voice trying to say something over the comms. He's pretty sure it had been directed towards him, but now...Well, it'd feel weird to talk to him now. Yes, especially when he's busy. Yes. No reason to bother him, yes..."
Jonathan Joestar Jonathan chuckles. Yuuki was very good at helping with the atmosphere; it lowered his stress, even just a bit. One day, you might get a collaboration artbook, then you can do it too.

"It's a very real set, yes." he answer Revali before steepling his fingers. "Allow me to start from the beginning. I learned of Stands, and the existence of the Bow and Arrow from Josuke, my descendant from over one hundred years in the future. We come from..alternate timelines, I think. Or rather, my 'world' ceased to be 'his world' at the point where mine was integrated into the multiverse. That's the only way I can make sense of things. But, he was able to deliver me crucial information .. regarding Dio, the Bow and Arrow, and my own death. In his world, Dio wound up trapped in a coffin at the bottom of the sea, which was brought up in the modern day ... and at some point afterwards, he awakened a Stand with a terrifying power. It was only through the combined efforts of my grandson, his grandson, and a group of Stand users that he was defeated. Should he obtain their power here, he will use it to raise an army of loyal servants, utilizing any means necessary, including those flesh buds ... a technique he developed with his vampiric powers to brainwash unwilling subjects and force their compliance."

"As for the arrowheads themselves ... I already mentioned they were made by a rare and unique metal ... the mineral used was a meteor that came from outer space. And I have reason to suspect that what allows it to grants humans to awaken Stand power is in fact a virus or bacteria that was carried to this planet from space. Those who do not possess a special trait, rather than awakening new powers, will be given a painful and untimely end instead. Humans that possess this trait are exceedingly rare, and so ... "

Jonathan trails off, not feeling it necessary to continue. It went unsaid that death was ten times as likely. "I will kill Dio. It'd be a lie to say that I do not care for him. We were raised as brothers ... and no matter what the terrible things he's done, I cannot truly hate him. However ...not only to serve justice, though it shames me admit it ... it is also to satisfy my own anger."

Baron Zeppeli. Dire. Father. And all the suffering he put upon the people of Windknight's Lot. The utter disgrace and dishonor he forced upon Blueford. "It's unforgiveable." he mutters, mostly to himself.
Zero Kiryu "About three minutes ago. Hello, Touta." Zero replies to Touta, not at all missing his attention even through the myriad of things going on right now.
Arcadia Arcadia absorbs all of that information. She doesn't have much to say afterwards, but what she does is hopefully enough.

"Family love a sacrifice to war; the only means to settle a score.
Death is the answer for one unable to atone; but a matter you need not bear alone."

Sphinx as she is riddles would be rude and obtusive right now, so she settles on a short and succulent bit of rhyme instead.
Revali "Ten times as likely to die than to awaken powers... got it. We'll let someone besides myself handle the artifact, then."

Ah well. Revali will just have to find new magical arrows inside some other theme. He's committed to seeing this through, regardless.
Gilgamesh      Gilgamesh's eyes focus on Jonathan's for a long, long moment. The crimson of Gilgamesh's eyes, silhouetted against the light of the warm bath, is an eerie, otherworldly, faerie sort of image. It's a faerie sort of *gaze*, the sort that knows more than it probably should and has a disturbingly otherworldly quality to it, something alien looking in at you through the mirror or the forest.

     But what he says is all too human.

     "Is it pleasant or unpleasant, knowing your own death?"

     Gilgamesh's fingers drum on the edge of the water. "Would you avert it, and avert the future your descendants will have, for your own sake? Or would you let it fall upon your shoulders and die? That you will kill Dio doesn't answer the question."

     "After all, you could kill Dio and die in the process. Your existence is not scribed in stone. Your life is not scribed in stone."

     He shrugs, then. A sword emerges out of thin air in front of Jonathan. "You're human. To be human without anger for things that hurt you, for things that caused you pain, is to be something other. Forgiveness isn't the absence of anger, and mercy isn't the absence of anger, though countless people think it is. Killing a man is not a wrong in and of itself; it is a wrong when it crosses against the law, but a service when it is done to protect it."

     "Or, of course, where I am concerned, my gods-given right, but that is neither here nor there."

     The sword hangs there in the air, dangling tip-downwards for Jonathan to see his own reflection in. A sword that would be the building block of legend and Gilgamesh is using it as a mirror for Jonathan to look at himself in. "Tell me. When you look into your eyes, do you see yourself truly able to strike the final blow?"

     "Knowing that that final blow will cost the future your children will build?"
Haguro Is that a good look she's getting from Yuuki? Haguro looks somewhat uncertain, but she smiles back regardless. Mikoto's comment on the risk has the cruiser tapping her chin again. "If we truly need a test subject... I can do it. I won't stay dead as long as I'm in water, anyway." She offers. "Although if there's no test to see who it'll work on besides 'shooting them and hoping they don't die'..."

She rubs her neck lightly, going quiet again while listening to Jonathan's explanation about Dio's circumstances. She finds herself closing her eyes closer to the finish of his story, and eventually she plants her hands on her knees as though she's come to a decision.

"So we'll need to get you two in the same place, then. Suppress his powers, bind him, or at the very least get him into a position that you can finish what needs to be done." She goes quiet after that, and she doesn't speak up after Gilgamesh's question.

That's something for the Hamon-wielder to answer, not for her to decry. She does, however, look intensely uncomfortable after hearing it.
Sumiko Mikoto takes a sip of her drink, letting her thoughts fall to her own parents.  Once more to the final time she saw them.  She tries to fight the queasiness in her stomach. Another sip following the first, to try and calm herself down.  Between this and conversation on the radio, she's getting her hackles raised.  

Gilgamesh interjects to Jojo, which causes her to go silent for the moment.  Haguro comments about testing it and she shakes her head.  "Yeah, but I can't die.  Being a...a...thing you know, has its advantages."  There is a pause, "Also what if you somehow got infected with grimdark?"
Crys Gattz Crys gains some more respect for Jonathan as he explains what he learned about his possible future. He could have done nothing or said nothing, here he is going to act on the warning that Josuke gave him. She's making more mental notes as Jojo gives them more useful information.

"Dio would have no problem feeding people into the wood chipper to find the few that break the blades. Given he's a vampire now I get it there's no saving him and he has to be stopped."
Damocles Damocles focuses on more practical matters then the esoteric questions raised by this explanation.  "Okay, metal either gives off a space radiation or is infected with a space virus that kills 90 percent of people, gives 10 percent magic powers."  Yup, nothing Nurglish about that. 

"So, what is the plan?  And, umm..."  He glances at the golden scarab they recovered earlier.  "Would...that happen to also, be..you know...?"
Jonathan Joestar It was a question Jonathan had asked himself several times since discovering his fate. This is the first time, of course, anyone had given a real voice to those thoughts by confronting him. Jonathan stares at himself in a the mirror, thinking back to Zeppeli. He'd known he would die, to some extent ... and yet, he still went through the motions. Because it was his destiny, as ordained by Ton Petti's life reading technique. He allowed himself to die so that Jonathan could live, and receive Zeppeli's final ripple ... all of his accumulated life energy, his Deep Pass Overdrive.

"It was disturbing, of course, but ... " Jonathan pauses. "To die fighting Dio .. if that is my fate, then I accept it."

"However, I won't give up, either, even if that means changing the future."

"Ah...the Rhinoceros Beetle ... I'm not sure about it. It seems to be part of a mechanism of some sort."
Gilgamesh      "So even if the future should pay the price, you will still carry on."

     Gilgamesh purses his lips and leans back into the hot tub, swirling his drink idly. The sword disappears, falling down into another sword in space-time. "Even if others should pay the price you will do what you feel you must."

     Gilgamesh sips from his drink. It was probably a test. It's hard to say how well Jonathan did.
Rean Schwarzer Rean takes in a sharp breath. So that's what happened. The fact that they were family made things complicated, and personal. But since Dio was apparently responsible for the squid explosion thing, risking letting him have that AND something as crazy as what his minions displayed /definitely/ didn't sound good. Maybe letting Gilgamesh have all of them was the better move. Smugness aside it also pretty much guaranteed they'd be relatively safe.

"...Mmm." At the very least, it sounded like Jonathan thought it through.

He looks over at the beetle. "A mechanism...like a key?"
Arcadia Mentioning the beetle and it being part of a mechanism perks Arcadia back up, and the sphinx scoots a bit closer to Johnathan to look for herself. This was drifting back into territory she was more familiar with.

"Or a component to a larger puzzle," she agrees with Rean with a nod. "A key, a clue, a tool against a very specific obstacle. They are all fairly common dungeon related obstacles and security methods."
Yuuki Kuran "Yes, but, we know Dio is stopped by the future reality -- normally, that is. But perhaps there wasn't all of us in those alternate timelines either. I would say it would be strange for Jonathan - or Dio - to have the Multiverse complicating everything? Jonathan didn't have the Concord to call on, and Dio didn't have a whole of the Multiverse to pull victims from. In fact, that's foolish."

Yuuki stands up, to turn to Gilgamesh reclining in his absurd bath. "Gilgamesh, that's certainly a rude question. It sounds like a test, but it's not. There's a correct choice: To do exactly as Jonathan has said he will do. Face his future boldly, intentionally. And furthermore, if we even presume anything will be the same, here and now, it's disrepectful to me - since I am involved."

She points her finger accusingly. "And it's an insult for you. You, King of Heroes, get yourself involved in the hunt for this Bow and Arrow. You've already changed his future. Acknowledge that he's made the right choice, at minimum."

Her hand falls. "I don't like the idea of my partners marching boldly towards death without trying to save them. That's the minimum for a ruler, wouldn't you agree?"
Gilgamesh      "I was not asking for his sake," Gilgamesh says finally, and says nothing more, but this time, he does not recant.
Yuuki Kuran "Oh." Yuuki stops short, looking a bit sheepish, her hair waving lightly in the fire-heated air. "I guess that makes sense." She cedes lightly.
Haguro "More than I already have been?" Haguro attempts to joke around a bit in response ot Mikoto's question, although a more somber tone comes in near the end. "... But that's something we can worry about later on. There's other things to focus on for now."

Haguro remains silent as she listens to Jonathan's answer to the question, simply nodding once as though she was expecting that sort of answer. Even Gilgamesh's response sounds suitable, but it's Yuuki's reaction that actually catches the the Cruiser off guard.

Not so much that Haguro actually says anything to follow up on that, but there's definitely a surprised look there. A pleased look, even, moments after that.
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz eems ready to go and see that Jonathan has made up his mind of how to handle this situation. She's ready to help him see it through to the end.
Jonathan Joestar     JoJo hums determinedly.

He was not Baron Zeppeli. Being true to himself, he knew that was the only answer he could give. He wouldn't lament his fate, but he would not simply acquise to it either. To do so was to direspect his potential, and the peculiar ability of humans to change destiny.

"Perhaps. It's hard to tell ... but, I think so. It's definitely supposed to be set into something, you can tell from the scratch marks on the bottom."

The night passes into morning, and, with the ground returned to the way it should be, it's easy to set into work for the day. All the workers are checked by Jonathan and Kiryu Zero for flesh buds, thankfully, no one else seemed to have one. It didn't entirely clear suspicion, but it meant if nothing else that they wouldn't have any more 'head squids' to deal with.

The unforgiving desert sun bore down on everyone there. There was real progress, with the Elites helping out, and shape was being given to the to the ruins, if barely. Rather than what Gilgamesh had described of Carcho .. whatever this place had become was ultimately closer to a castle-town. That much was clear.

Eventually, one of the workers scrambles for JoJo and the Elites. "I ... I found something, I think! It's some kind of dial, we can't dig it out .. it's attached to something strong."

After investigating, the dial in question was surprisingly complicated for the era. It was engraved with simply symbols, twelve of them. And in the center was an in-lay of sorts. "...ah! I understand, I think.."

Using the Rhinoceros Beetle's horn as a tuner, he manipulated the carvings to change the layout of the in-lay, until it was completely clear of metal and stone bits that had been sticking out in it previously. The beetle was a perfect fit, locking into place. The ground vibrated as two stone handles unlatched from the dial. "What on earth...?"

Jonathan had trouble twisting it the dial -- no, rather, the crank. "Kooooooh...!!!!"

But, powering himself to the limit with his Hamon and using his incredible strength, after nearly twenty minutes of effort, it began to twist! After several revolutions, an earthquake struck, sand sucked in like a whirlpool!

...It was an entrance. The crank puzzle was used to open a massive stone door emblazened with the symbol of a man with his back to the sun.
Sumiko Mikoto gives Haguro a smile, "Maybe, maybe not.  We'll chat on THAT later."  Mikoto stands up, heading back to her tent.

The next day, Mikoto frowned, using a shovel to dig at some sand for the hundredth time.  "Ugh, this sand is awful, it's everywhere!  EVERYWHERE." She says as someone screams by to Jojo.  Well, that was probably important.

Moments later, the earthquake and the opening door sucked up sand, causing Mikoto to scramble up and join the others in watching the door open.  More sun symbology...but hey NOW we're at the right action, and not digging in more sand and being HOT.  

With a flash of ~Magical Girl~ Sparkles, she moves ahead.  "Woo, finally we're at the adventure part!"
Gilgamesh      The King of Heroes is, at least, incredibly useful when he feels like being such. All it took was a staff in the morning striking the earth and a loud clap of thunder in the distance, and the mud turned back to sand in a rippling wave, ready to be dug up once again. Convenient, having the powers of the old world on hand whenever you want.

     Too bad he's such a jackass.

     He even deigns to help dig a little this time. The King isn't averse to manual labor. He just didn't want to do any yesterday. Maybe Jonathan's impressed him. Maybe Yuuki's commentary stuck. Or maybe he's just a whimsical golden jerk. Regardless, Gilgamesh digs occasionally over the day, putting superhuman strength to work. He doesn't even bring out any artifacts - he just uses a shovel! An ordinary, mundane shovel.

     Something about getting your feet in the sand.

     He doesn't sweat. Digging isn't real exertion for him, and he literally lived here for all his life he wasn't adventuring. This is familiar heat. Comfortable heat. That, also, is probably why he's deigning to dig. It's...

     Maybe it just feels right to be digging in his homeland.

     To not let other people do all the work when he is the King and should take responsibility for his people.

     Even though this Carcho is not his Carcho, it is still close enough. Anywhere that is Babylon, anywhere that had Gilgamesh, is still his. He is still the King. And this is the land he trod more than any other.

     When the entrance shows up, however, the King shoulders the shovel and just starts walking towards it. "Finally."

     "I had expected this to eventually get more exciting."
Haguro The desert sun is not kind to Haguro. It was refreshing the first day, working somewhere away from the familiar face of the water for so long, but the second day has her a bit more tuckered out. Perhaps it's just from digging more today, or maybe she's still recovering from the last night's attack.

Whatever the case is, her fatigue is mostly forgotten once the anticipation builds up over the reveal of the strange dial. When that earthquake hits, Haguro's quick to move instead of panicking, hurrying around to make sure the workers are on their feet and not getting pulled under! Once it subsides, she goes right back to the stone door to take a look at the door.

"Do you recognize this figure?" She doesn't direct that question to Jonathan specifically, but to the group at large. "Someone looking away from the sun... A vampire, maybe?" Or a demon." She suggests, cracking her knuckles and getting into position to help open that door if brute force is needed.
Damocles Without much else to do, Damocles lends his strength to helping to dig, and then when the sundial is revealed, to studying the symbols.  He inspects the area for writing as well.  There may be some inscriptions that might help understand what's up ahead.

Then the ground opens up and the sand is sucked through.  One day, Damocles will invest some time into spells that let him fly.  He has not yet done so.

Thus he gets pulled down when the sand suddenly shifts.  It doesn't last long, luckily, and when the proverbial dust settles, he stands up and brushes himself off.  He inspects the door, looking at the emblem thoughtfully.  "Hmm.  Okay.  Well, Doctor Joes.  Your thoughts?"
Arcadia No more head squids for the time being. But that didn't mean the potential for farther interruption was gone. As a guardian Arcadia knew this and remained vigilante.

But doing so also at least gave her a chance to recuperate from last night's overwatch. The sphinx had perched herself where she could keep an eye on the ongoing work, be alert for possible intrusions, and take advantage of the harsh sunlight and heat to recharge a bit from last night's fight by using her biomechanical wings like solar panels.

When the entrance is uncovered after the Beetle did indeed prove to be part of a larger locking mechanism Arcadia glides over to join the rest of the group. "Time for the exploration level~"
Zero Kiryu The process of excavation is substantially improved by Zero's presence. His ability to sprout vines that burrow through the earth seems completely unimpeded by the fact that they're in the desert, or that there's no water for them to drink up. The main problem is that it's not very gentle-- he has to take it easy and be directed to avoid causing damage to the ruins. There's a sense that he might be able to wholesale lift and re-assemble them atop those vines, if he had to.

Depending on the scope of the place, anyway. Eventually his vines do seem to reach a border limit and cease to expand.

Briefly, Zero looks like he's considering helping Jonathan as he powers up but-- he seems to simply cede the situation to him. But he /does/ look a bit ill throughout. He doesn't sweat, but he routinely withdraws some kind of medication from his pocket and takes it. It has the regularity of a normal person drinking water from a canteen in this place.

"Joestar. Regarding this... prophetic situation. Notwithstanding that you accept it, I would like to know -- if you're aware: How binding is it? How flexible is it? Is there a point in seeking technicalities, or would you prefer if it was let to lie?" He asks.
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz keeps watch that night after she was done her meeting with everyone else on the team. The next morning after she ate? She would be on watch again keeping alert for new problems. Thankfully so far one of the workers seems to have found something. She takes a look but Johanta is quick to figure out the beetle is a part of the puzzle. She watches with interest as he uses it to work the dial.

"Woah...."

She sees with great effort Johnathan opens the way downward she'll nods.

"looks like it's time."

Now this was her element and it showed.

She will summon the sword she'd been sharpening the day before in one hand and the pistol from the other day in the other.

"All right I wonder what might be sleeping down here. Oh, it's generally what's at the bottom of places like this that are exciting. Horrible mutants, dragons, insane machines or horrors sealed away by a race long dead."

With that she's head s full-on into the ruins.
Touta Konoe     Just like the day prior Touta ends up using Revolution to help move sand from the surface as needed, and this time...He didn't get any on anyone! Seeming to be in somewhat of a more coherent mood. Even with all the sun, and heat, and just everything that's so forsaken about a desert, this vampire kid seems to be hanging on well enough.

    Though eventually as the dial appears, he leaves the spinning alone and just lets Jojo do what he's best at, letting him solve the puzzle. There's a smirk on his face when he finds the trick to the thing so easily that even Touta can't help but chuckle. "As expected from the Joestar. Definitely his area of specialties. He ends up standing side by side though as they start reaching up ahead. Actually doing the most productive thing he's opted to do since being on this trip...Ask a question. "Hey, Jonathan, maybe we should scout out first. Ya know, have vampires deal wit- Hey Mikoto! Hold up!" And now he has to catch up to his sister less something happen to her!
Yuuki Kuran Despite her energetic outbursts and active banter during the nighttime, come morning Yuuki is especially useless. At a helpful intent (but not action) she picks up a shovel and moves some sand here and there, but it's with the direct impression of an 'exhausted playfulness' than actual work.

Thankfully, multiple people - Gilgamesh and Zero especially - have massive excavatory abilities, so it's not like a tired woobie would be much *more* help.

Instead, she elbows Zero at the end of things, as Jonathan cranks open the door with the rod puzzle. "Ooooh, he's very good at puzzles. He's perfect, isn't he?"
Zero Kiryu "Contact, north. Two human, one other." Zero says, over radio and locally. He doesn't move to a defensive posture at all, though.

To Yuuki, he replies, "He's strong. Properties are similar to that of a hunter. Disposition is better-than-average. Makes him more attentive and less catty. Haven't had the time to judge as glowingly as 'perfect'."
Rean Schwarzer Once the sun is up and the sand is dry, Rean gets to digging with everyone else. Surprisingly it's not just him and the workers this time! He's back in the shorts and short sleeved shirt again, no cloak this time. It's hot as heck but he's pretty damn focused on digging. Might give yourself heatstroke there, bean.

THen someone screams. /Thankfully/ it's not for the same reasons as last time. In fact, someone found something! Jonathan gets the door open and people start charging into the ruins.

"Wait, maybe we should-" Rean says, and then sighs. " Well, Let's get moving." He says, and heads into the ruins after the others.
Jonathan Joestar "I don't know about binding, but ... how do I put this? This is just my own feeling on the matter. Dio and I ... our fates are interwoven. No matter what, we were always bound to meet, and we're always bound to fight. It's like gravity." he surmises, vaguely. "Of course, as I said before, I don't intend to let that control my actions. I'm sorry if that answer isn't very helpful to you."

Before he can say anything more to either Kiryu, Yuuki, or Touta, he has to reach his hand out. "W-wait, don't rush ahead! We don't know what's in the chamber!"

And of course, as soon as that's yelled out, Kiryu calmly informs them of a threat. "Darn ... they must've been laying low and waiting for this to happen, they were brought here by the vibration!"

Something soars overhead, casting a shadow as it approaches from the opposite 'end' of the gulf in the desert that the opening had formed, flying over their heads. It's a dune buggy...no, rather.

It's a taco van from 1989 that had been retrofitted into a dune buggy! What was it doing here?

It lands with a rumble behind the group, the large, plastic food along the top bouncing roughly. Almost as if in perfect synch, the passengers disembark unhindered; a silver haired man dressed in a simple rawhide vest, jeans, boots, and wielding a revolver with plenty of ammunition strapped to his belt, his most striking feature is his handsome, middle-aged face and the skull made out of his facial hair. He's not as jacked as Jonathan, but he's far more muscular than Blackmore had been. His compatriot is a high-roller looking man with a strange, pineapple like hairstyle and lots of gold hanging off of his person, as if he were some kind of Vegas stereotype. The final opponent is to say the least, far more shocking.

It's a Kangaroo, but his sharp eyes belay the intelligence of a human being.

The man with the skull-goatee smirks. "Pardn' us," he starts with a deep, gravelly voice. "I'm Ringo Roadagain. We came here to kill you."
Haguro A taco truck arrives just in time! Unfortunately, it's identified as a threat by Zero, and it's all but confirmed when the semi-apparent leader of the trio greets them with a statement about his job.

Haguro smiles, stepping forward with her back to that entrance. "You have much better form than the men from yesterday. Haguro, Vice Admiral of the Luthan Fleet. A pleasure." She greets them with a brief salute, then rolls her shoulders to work some of the kinks out and as a mild form of intimidation.

Or as intimidating as an office-lady looking like a tourist can be while she's sending mixed messages, anyway. "Would you please reconsider? We've killed two of your predecessors already, and further bloodshed seems unnecessary if you're only here for the money." She clasps her hands in front of her as she speaks, twisting her shoulders just a bit for one more crack before leaning forward slightly as if adopting some kind of stance.

"I understand if you can't or won't. No hard feelings if that is the case, but... You know how it is for people like us, too, right?"
Arcadia Several people dart ahead into the ruins ahead. And they think Arcadia is impulsive!... Well, she is, but right now she's in Vanguard mode and that keeps some of her brashness tempered.

Zero points out incoming, human and not, though 'inhuman' isn't really helpful. That could mean so many things. Regardless it gets her attention, and she quickly flits away from the revealed entrance. Dungeon delving is going to have to wait, it's likely her primary capabilities are going to be in greater need.

The sphinx sets on the ground, watching the converted food truck speed by and jostle to a stop. Three individuals, one indeed being 'not human' as it's a marsupial, emerge from the craft. At least they're to the point on their intent. 'We came here to kill you.'.

The sphinx's wings spread, sunlight still gleaming across the pylon panels. The crystals imbedded in her armor shimmer as power flows through her magitek systems, and across the visor manifesting from her headpiece. "You should seriously rethink your choices right now."

Though they probably don't have an actual choice. Be it money or brain squid tumors. This is just polite pre-fight conversation. Get it all out of the way now.

She nods briefly to Haguro. Ready to back you up, Admiral.
Zero Kiryu Zero Kiryu regards the oncoming taco truck with indifference. This seems to be his default outward demeanor to everything, although even /he/ registers a little bit of surprise at the appearance of a /Kangaroo/. He can detect a more powerful mind than is typical of an animal with even a glancing look towards its mental landscape, and doesn't bother probing any farther than that.

The vines that have been sowed through the area as a part of the dig effort respond to his call.

An instant later a massive blossom the size of a car sprouts up, thorns lining its petals positioned like rows of teeth. It snaps up and around the car -- not the men who stepped out of it -- bringing its "jaws" around in a vice and simply attempting to crunch it into a useless pile of twisted metal.

He doesn't explain himself, or follow up with an attack towards the threatening men (and kangaroo) themselves.
Gilgamesh      So that's bizarre.

     The King of Heroes stops.

     "Did you say you were here to kill me?"

     There is a long, long silence. The King does not move. He does not even twitch.

     Finally, his hand goes to his head. His head tilts back. There's a hideous, horrifying grin on his face, and a murderous delight in the one visible crimson eye peeking out between his fingers. His laughter echoes around the battlefield as he looks at the three.

     "Hahahahahahaha!"

     "You!"

     "Are here!"

     "To kill me!"

     "Huhuhahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

     Gilgamesh actually doubles over with laughter. His body bends forward. He's holding his golden abs in his arms. It looks like he might be unable to breathe. He's actually wheezing. There are *tears* in his eyes.

     *Tears*.

     When he finally straightens, he wipes the tears from his eyes with a magic handkerchief from literally nowhere. It wipes his eyes for him. He literally laughed so hard that he needed a handkerchief.

     "Ah. That was amusing. That was really, truly amusing!"

     He spins on his heel.

     "I would normally consider letting you go. It's a shame to kill such a funny jester. But the fact that you know who I am, and yet still come believing you are capable of such a feat....!"

     "Amusing! Amusing, amusing, amusing, amusing, amusing, amusing, amusing!"

     The King turns on his heel and starts walking forward, hand in his pocket. "You're amusing! You're an amusing little dog! An ambitious little dog!"

     "You have my applause! You have my congratulations! There is always worth in trying to climb the mountain that cannot be climbed! Struggle upwards!"

     The King's eyes glow an ominous and terrible red. "Unfortunately for you, I haven't had a chance to play around in much too long. So while I applaud your effort, truly, and applaud your courage, truly..."

     "You're going to die here."
Gilgamesh      He waves his hand. "Don't misunderstand. I don't mean that 'you're going to die here if you don't run away.' I don't mean 'you're going to die here if you don't surrender.'"

     "Whether you surrender or not makes no difference to me whatsoever. You've challenged the King to mortal combat. Now you are going to die. Regardless of your circumstances."

     Snap.

     GATE OF...

     BABYLON

     It's one thing to know what Gilgamesh is capable of in the academic sense. To understand that he's a powerful god-king with a trove of magical weapons is one thing.

     It is entirely another thing when you see the King's full majesty spreading out behind him.

     He drops the shovel on the ground as countless magical weapons extrude from the Gate, following him with every step. They are more than magic - they are mythology itself, the building blocks of every legend known to man. They are the building blocks of stories yet to come, of stories that have not been anchored but will one day revolve around these legendary weapons. They are the birth of every hero's tool, every hero's blade, every cursed axe, every marvel in human history.

     They point from the golden ripples in the air, the golden ripples that fill the tomb behind Gilgamesh as he walks up the stairs without a care in the world, that paint him in a deep and terrible shadow that only his crimson eyes escape from.

     This is the treasury of Babylon. This is what the King of Heroes carries with him.

     "I appreciate it, Dio Brando. Your blood tribute..."

     "But had you simply stayed out of my way, I would perhaps have gotten no more involved than I already am."

     "When I come for you, I may have to steal Jonathan Joestar's killing blow for myself."

     Snap.

     The weapons rain down like they're being fired from a machine gun. Each one tears into the ground with overwhelming force - machine gun *missiles*, machine gun *cannons*, machine gun *explosives*.

     There's no posturing. No waiting. No pausing. No wondering what other people are going to do. The King of Heroes defines a fight. The King of Heroes is a force of nature.

     And over all the sound of the thunder of mythology being poured into the world is the mocking laughter of the oldest demigod in existence.

     "HUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!"
Damocles Damocles watches the arrival of the enemies resignedly.  It was only a matter of time, really.  He did warn people to set up defenses. Oh well.  They'll just have to chew whoever comes out up the direct way.

The group that emerges isn't exactly what he expected, but then again, who knows what to expect around here?  He regards the three for a moment, moving a hand to his chin as he thinks carefully. He listens to the pair introduce themselves, and then looks over to his own group.

"Quick question:  Do these guys have the bombs in their head like the last pair?"  When he gets the answer that they probably do, he nods.  "Well, guess they have no reason to back off, then.  Fight it is."

Might as well go first.  He raises his staff, and as he does, a massive whirlwind of sand is kicked up between where the new arrivals land, and where the heroes are.  The sand is actually just an illusion: no real sand was kicked up, and only obscures vision one way, creating a curtain that shields the gathered heroes from sight, but not obscuring the heroes vision. 

Of course the illusion fades the moment it's touched, but it will buy the heroes at least a second to seize the initiative.
Jonathan Joestar Ringo nods. " 'Course. That's the law of the True Man's World."

The three speak with the group, almost pleasantly, but there's a very thick air of tension rolling in that cut an unsettling diametry. This results in a brief staredown before Ringo rolls his shoulders and brushes his hair back. "So. Here's how it's gonna' go ... we're gonna' duel. A duel to the death...rather than an assassin, I'm a gunfighter. I only fight one on one."

Mystery tree pulls his shades down a little and smirks at the group. "You're thinking, 'why the hell shouldn't we just gang up on you, shit for brains'? Well. You don't have a choice ... because that's the power of my SNAKE EYE CATARACT!"

As he roared the name of his ability, Mystery Tree jabbed a finger out and bent his knees inwards. A giant die appears, nearly crushing Jonathan to death as it drops from the sky and rolls about, if not for the gentleman's spry backflip. "Hn?!"

But, the moment it touched the ground, he became immobilized. That went for everyone else there, too...except for one person. Only one person.

"My Stand is pretty useless on its own..so I work best with a partner. That's why /I'm/ not an assassin...I'm just a sidekick! So long as you're within its effective range, only one of you chosen at random can act! The effect refreshes every 12 seconds....so in other words, you're gonna fight a series of deathmatches at random!"

Ringo smirks lazily again. Downer behind him cracks his fur covered but otherwise human looking hands, flexing the knuckles. "Downer doesn't have a stand, but he's deadly. So if you even think about going straight for Mystery Tree..you'll have to go through him. Now."

Ringo pulls a gun, and fires with the intent of blowing his opponent's head off! "Draw!"
Gilgamesh      The Cataphract doesn't stop the Gate of Babylon.

     But the *King* does.

     Seconds before the blades impact, they vanish in a snap of his fingers.

     "Interesting!"

     "That's interesting, mongrel!"

     The King sits down on a throne that just sort of hangs there, staring at the man. "That's very interesting! Interesting enough that I'll overlook your foolishness for the moment and play your game. It's a funny little puzzle. How to deal with you? How to get around your ability?"

     The King snaps his fingers.

     Something falls out of his Gate.

     It's a sword. It's paper-thin, so paper-thin that it's impossible to see when he's holding it save for the hilt. It looks *filmsy*. But it's also...unpleasant to look at, like it's something that doesn't belong in the world. Of course it doesn't - it's something from a lost era, a weapon that may never have found its way into legend at all, or perhaps the basis of something that the rest of the world doesn't recall anymore.

     Gilgamesh points it at the man. "Unfortunately, you've already told me, haven't you?"

     Shunk.

     The sword carves into space. Gilgamesh simply falls through.

     A portal appears twenty-four meters away in the exact opposite direction of the party. The King falls out of the portal and lands on his feet gently, his coat settling around him.

     Gilgamesh is, thankfully, loud enough to be heard across vast distances.

     "The obvious solution, then! To leave your radius, mongrel!"

     "Now then."

     The King waves his hand. The Gate reappears. "The problem is this!"

     "You cannot paralyze 'only one person'! The nature of your ability prevents it!"

     "And you cannot paralyze multiple people if we are more than twenty-four meters apart!"

     "And unfortunately for you, I am more than capable of attacking from twenty-four meters away!"

     "So, then!"

     Gilgamesh drops the uncanny sword out of existence. "What will *your* answer be to the Gate of Babylon, mongrel?"
Zero Kiryu Zero... forms several chairs out of vines for those who aren't able to fight, seating himself and resting his fist against his cheek. He focuses briefly on Mystery Tree, and then glances towards Gilgamesh rather intensely. As this is a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure scene, it is probably weirder that he isn't gazing /more intensely/ than he actually is.
Sumiko Mikoto sits on a vine chair. "Seriously, this is the lamest power ever to exist," She complains, loudly. Specifically to let Mystery Tree know she is unhappy.
Arcadia As much as Arcadia hates being forced into a certain pattern of waiting to act.... She is enjoying watching Gilgamesh prove why his greatness is most of the time worth putting up with his arrogant jackass attitude.

Also, a chair is nice. Thanks Zero. Appreciate it. If she's going to be forced to wait her turn, at least it can be comfortably.
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz is just about to go in the tomb or whatever it is but then she hears the sound of something. A machine that shouldn't exist for some time in this world it's a freaking late 20th-century ground craft of some sort. The Van shows up with its trio of likely stand users and a new high stakes battle is about to begin.

"So that's how it is, very well then."

Crys will turn her attention to them as Jojo and the rest attempt talk them down, but given the situation, the enemy is in? She knows how it's going to play out she does not yet attack but she very much is ready to back up Arcadia and Haguro.

"I won't trash talk you but I'm afraid I don't plan to die today to you three."

Then Gilgamesh does his thing and the game is on, Damocles's own actions are noted as well.

She hears the nature of the power they are stuck in, she also finds she can't move she stands there not able to do a thing for the moment, though fate seems to look to be amused a Gilgamesh is the first one who has been picked at random to be able to move and act.

While general muscle from time to time she has ideas outside the box, it hits her. She has an ability she can use to aid the next person to act without moving, or speaking she just needs to focus on them A simple shifta tech but it should give Haugro a physical boost to her strength and attacks.

So all she does is think and focuses on Haugro and mentally lets the tech do its thing.
Jonathan Joestar The bullet races and strikes dirt as Gilgamesh bypasses Snake Eye Cataract all-together. "Hmm...that was impressive. Alright then, Downer."

The Kangaroo nods, telling Mystery Tree off as the cowardly man shrinks back from the King of Heroes. Despite being a marsupial, he spoke with elegance and moved with practiced grace. "This will be good...I'm happy. Usually, I just sweep trash off the battlefield. But you're someone on the level of DIO, probably. Let's get down to business."

The Kangaroo blasts forward with incredible speed, intending to deliver a devestating series of jabs to Gilgamesh's center of mass. Each punch was thrown with enough force and strength to roughly equate to a sword shot from his own Gate of Babylon, a little less.

Ringo in the meantime pulls the hammer back on his revolver. "Alright. Vice Admiral. Draw!"

Another gunshot rings out, as he intends to gun her down with sudden speed.
Damocles Damocles does not sit down.  There's far too much to do here.  Too many experiments to test the boundaries of the magic here.  Gilgamesh already revealed his first question, which is 'what is the effective range'.  Damocles doesn't make to leave it just yet, though.

Instead, he starts to test things.  He stomps the ground lightly.  Tries kicking a rock.  Tries picking up a rock.  Tries hitting a rock with his staff.  Tries gently nudging a rock into another rock.
Haguro When Haguro feels herself able to move again, she claps her hands together and adopts a stance not unlike a certain hot dog-skinned wrestler. "I don't want to appear rude after the King of Heroes already explained his ability, so..."

It sounds more like she doesn't want to get shown up by Gilgamesh, oddly enough. She'll warm up to him one day! Maybe.

"I am the spirit of a warship from World War 2. Among other things like speed and power, I have the weaponry and abilities of a warship. Use that information as you will."

As she speaks, Haguro takes that gunshot right to the gut as shemakes no move to actually avoid it. Some blood seeps through her dirtied working vest and shirt, but she appears to suffer little in the way of ill-effects for the time being between her natural sturdiness and that bolstering power from Crys. She starts glowing an eerie white, though, standing there for a good three seconds to give Ringo some time to process what she said.

And then Haguro kicks forward, hurling herself right at Ringo. Even with her speed, it'd be child's play to dodge and shoot her again if Haguro was herself-sized and hadn't transformed into a warship-sized projectile in mid-flight!

Also, a warship is skidding towards Ringo.
Rean Schwarzer Rean frowns. So they've basically been put into spectator mode. Still that bit about effective range is interesting especially once Gilgamesh teleports out of it. He slowly starts to walk backwards towards the exit, just to gague a response.
Gilgamesh      The Kangaroo comes at him.

     Gilgamesh actually doesn't throw any shade this time. Surprisingly enough. One might expect him to comment on fighting a beast being below him, or on how amusing it is that a kangaroo can speak the human tongue, or how it's clearly the smartest member of the bunch (although that might actually be true). There's no mockery whatsoever.

     Gilgamesh doesn't make fun of things that are dangerous. And he has fought some *very*, *very* dangerous, *very* intelligent animals.

     The kangaroo comes in. Gilgamesh is fast, very fast. He hops backwards as the kangaroo hops forwards. They're a blur of motion as the kangaroo swings and Gilgamesh pulls back to lower the impact and the kangaroo swings and Gilgamesh pulls back. He's taking a beating in his stomach and chest, and it's enough to knock aside sand and blow thunder through the air.

     The rest of the party can probably see shockwaves exploding and vague figures jumping through the air.

     Finally, one of the kangaroo's swings is intercepted by a blade. It fires itself out of the gate into the kangaroo's oncoming fist as the King lands, skidding backwards, leaving three trails in the sand as his hand touches down to stabilize himself. When he straightens, he tilts his head.

     "I'm impressed. Your name was Downer, wasn't it?"

     "Your friend is a coward and a fool, but you're neither. Why do you serve this DIO? Is it simple loyalty? Did he give you your intelligence? No, I don't think he did, did he?"

     "Are you simply waiting for your own chance to face him?"

     Gilgamesh snaps his fingers as he stands, his other hand brushing through his hair. He's got some serious bruises on his stomach. "You mentioned that you think I am almost as strong as DIO, and that you found that pleasant. I agree. I enjoy fighting strong adversaries. Enemies that can challenge me aren't very common."

     Gilgamesh waves his hand. "You also told me his name immediately. The rest of them are much more canny about their master, even though we all know who he is. That tells me that your respect from him is one of a desire to challenge, not a desire to grovel and benefit."

     "You don't have a Stand, do you?"

     "You're simply strong. And you don't want a Stand from him. You want to fight him on your own terms."

     Gilgamesh chuckles as the Gate opens again. "That's commendable. Truly. Unlike your worm friend, you've got a strong spirit. And of course, if I'm wrong, then that's fine. You're still strong. And brave, to walk up to me, thinking that I am only *as* strong as the thing you admire."

     Gilgamesh's crimson eyes glow. "Unfortunately for you, I'm still not taking this seriously."

     "And it will take a lot more than you to make me take it seriously."

     The Gate opens around the kangaroo in damn near every direction. They start firing rapidly, moving to hedge the kangaroo in, to pin his movements, and probably even pin him if he's not extremely focused on just dodging. Credit where it's due - Gilgamesh may be playing with him, but he's playing with him in a manner that's absolutely taking his gimmick seriously.
Jonathan Joestar Ringo smiles a satisfied grin at her. "Wow. Darlin', that's a good one."

His response is placid as he moves one hand over to his wristwatch, which had suddenly sprout an hour hand! Marks indicating different times of day appeared around him, ethereal and ghostly ... while hoses sprouted out of his body to connect to the vaguely humanoid, faceless Stand that materialized over him. It was colored a purplish red, more of a rouge than anything, with golden buttons lining its face in a checkered pattern.

        "Mandom!"

The hand turns back.

Haguro is not a boat speeding towards him, rather, she was standing exactly where she was six seconds ago. Except, unlike six seconds ago, when she was explaining herself, she was now sporting a gunshot wound.

As far as everyone else was concerned, they had seen Haguro begin to speak, and suddenly, a wound appeared out of thin air, before he even shot her. "Time's up." Ringo remarks, holstering his pistol again after cocking the hammer. The giant die spins in the dirt, rolling a new symbol. It's Mikoto's turn.

"W..what?" Jonathan mutters, confused. "B..but...it's only been six seconds...!"
Haguro Wasn't she flying through the air and skidding through the sand a few seconds ago? Haguro looks utterly baffled as she looks at where she thought she would have landed several meters behind Ringo. She clutches a hand against that gunshot wound briefly before lowering her hand, glancing down at the wound and her hand to see if there's any other strange effects beyond getting shot in the freaking chest.

To her credit, Haguro's freakishly durable. It doesn't mean that getting shot in the chest like that doesn't hurt, but it does make staying upright and not keeling over significantly easier.

"... Impressive ability, Mister Raodagain. I hope the die lands on me again before this is over." She sounds calm and even curious, although there's a hint of anxiety already seeping through as she puzzles over how to beat this kind of ability.
Sumiko Mikoto stands up, feeling like she can actually do something.  She flexes her arm and draws the weapon.  Yeah, that feels right.  Summoning some magical power, as the soul gem darkens a little, a strange backpack-like object covers her, with the symbol of Tanya's home country on the front of it.  

"Bye." She says and just shoots straight up as high as she can, trying to put all haste into the ascent before that coward power goes into effect.  She does nothing else but moves straight up as fast as she can.  And hopefully out of the power's range.

This also means, that now she's in artillery striking range.
Damocles There is a mystery afoot!  Damocles decides it's time to do some testing.  He reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a phone.  Even space wizards need phones sometimes.  After playing with it for a bit, he starts a timer. 

Let's see if perceived time and recorded time match up.
Rean Schwarzer So backing towards the door isn't working at all, in fact he just stays put. So he just sits down on the vine chair....just in time for Haguro to get shot without doing anything. "What the-" Rean shouts. Haguro seems..fine, probably because boat ghost, but that shot wound looks pretty nasty. Rean watches Mikoto's turn intently. Maybe there's something that'll happen when she goes.
Jonathan Joestar Downer and Gilgamesh clash with explosive force. And...when a sword is fired from the gate, after repelling it with its fist, the Kangaroo catches it by the hilt. "Yes, that's about correct. I do not have a Stand, nor do I desire its power. Unlike that slug, Mystery Tree, Ringo and I are here to fight. Although, I find his Mandom distasteful, he's a mite better than the other one."

"Would you mind if I used this sword? I understand it can be disrespectful."

In the meantime, Makoto leaves without problem. Ringo holds his hand on his holster and grins. It wasn't a bad idea at all. Mystery Tree on the other hand screams, "NYOOOOOUGH!?!?!?! RINGOOOOO! SHE'S LEFT MY EFFECTIVE RAAAANGE!"

Ringo shakes his head. "I know, you idiot. But she should have killed you ..... it's already been eight seconds."

He reaches for his watch. For Mikoto, she realizes that the range is approximately 15 meters in any direction from where the die lays on the ground. But, suddenly, she's not where she's supposed to be.

She's in her magical girl outfit, since she just transformed, standing on the ground and ready to take off, but Ringo draws before she can, shooting her down as soon as she tries to leave the ground. And then, the die rolls itself again. "Time's up, but it was a good try."

What's that supposed to mean? It was a condescending phrase, but he sounded genuine. And Mystery Tree looked terrified. Damocles might start to catch on, though. Even though it had been a few seconds....his timer read that twelve seconds had passed.

Downer grins. "Excellent. Then ... Koooh....!"

    "METAL SILVER OVERDRIVE!"

The sword, a nameless noble phantasm begans to glow, sparking with golden lightning as the blade lights up multicolored refractions of red, orange, yellow, and white. With a charge, he thrusts it at Gilgamesh, pressing and ripsoting like a master fencer.
Damocles Damocles pauses his phone, and then casually slips it back into its pouch.  He knows everything he needs to know now.  He doesn't say anything, however.  Instead, he takes his staff, and takes a serene, relaxed pose, holding his staff in front of him, his eyes fixed on the gunman.
Sumiko Mikoto has a plan.  

Unfortunately, she is bad at math.  The shot hits her dead on in the head.  She doesn't even get off the ground and collapses in a heap.  Unfortunately, she is simply unable to do anything against this.
Arcadia The circumstances were strange and different, but in the end this was one giant puzzle. Puzzles and enemy attack patterns were two things that she, despite her often impulsive nature, were very good at dealing with. It was part of the reason she hadn't just tried to bolt off. Powering through a puzzle never accomplished anything. Nor was that a challenge.
It helped when others are filling in some of the pieces as well. Pinapple-head revealed himself there's a range, Gilgamesh proved it by escaping on his turn. Presumably, as Ringo is dueling with a gun, the limits are within his range. Strange things happen on Haguro's turn... Interesting. Presumably this was somehow the man's power. Mikoto intends to do exactly what Arcadia would of done had she acted sooner... Which also fails. Or never happens. Even not seeing/recalling what precisely happened, it's growing apparent it's more than just speed on the gunslinger's side.

Despite her earlier quippiness the sphinx has gone quiet, and observing. She won't call them mistakes, but the actions of others is something to be learned from all the same.
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz sees things have not played out as well as she'd hoped they would but they are not dead so that's good while she htinks of what else she can do to get out of this mess. She watches the King of Heros and his fight for a moment, while she contiunes to plot out what she can try next. Given her heavy focus on melee and some strickery. She's not got many options to interfear or aid her allies. Still she might be able to come up with something.
Yuuki Kuran Yuuki considers this entire situation. Having already forgiven herself for being useless at puzzles, she kicks back, waving her feet in the air. "Jonathan, I'm sorry in advance: if all of the enemies you fight are so cerebral, I fear I won't be any use at all! I'm totally useless at puzzles. I mean, I could ask that man for his watch, but he's not going to give it to me! Then where would we be?" She observes, watching the Kangaroo with some interest.

"That breathing technique... could he have Hamon energy, too? Jonathan, that kangaroo has Hamon! I thought you said you were the only one who trained in Hamon to fight."
Jonathan Joestar     "H..how..?!"

Jonathan seems shocked, before composing himself, sweat dripping down his face. "There's no need to apologize. Rather, these are my troubles you've become involved in ... at any rate, I don't understand either. How is it that a Kangaroo was able to learn a technique such as that?! Unless ... "

Jonathan pauses, grimacing. "...that Downer..could it be that he learned it from watching me ... ?"
Gilgamesh      So *that's* new.

     The kangaroo catches the blade, dancing around his cage nimbly. Gilgamesh raises an eyebrow as he skips backwards again, taking the chance to step out of range before the kangaroo can do whatever it is he's going to do. The kangaroo can *feel* the mythological potentia oozing from the blade in its grasp as it-

     -fills the weapon with the Hamon.

     The blade turns to an iridescent whirl, a shimmering, shining thing that merges power with itself. The kangaroo thrusts forward. Gilgamesh goes to grab it in one hand-

     -and, instantly, fires one of the Gate's weapons directly into his own stomach.

     It's just a pole, but it's a pole that pushes him backwards, sending him away from the blade. He lands, waving his hand. It's sparking.

     It's bleeding.

     The blood of a demigod hits the sands, drunk into it eagerly. Solar light sparks around his hand as a handkerchief appears out of the Gate and wraps itself around his wound. Again, he waves it, then sinks it back into his pocket.

     "So, you also have access to that 'Hamon.'"

     Gilgamesh closes his eyes. "Once again, I'm impressed, Downer. You've truly gone the extra mile to fight this DIO yourself. You've trained yourself into something remarkable, something amazing."

     He clucks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. That's painful. The handkerchief might staunch the flow but the rumble of the Ripple is distracting. The shocks ran through his hand. The twitch of his arm proves that much to anyone watching - every so often the muscles under his coat tense, his shoulder moves in an odd way as if to dismiss some pain.

     "I will grant you the respect you are due."

     Gilgamesh snaps his fingers again. A hilt protrudes out of the Gate. With his good hand, Gilgamesh reaches over and drags the weapon out.

     It is a scythe.

     It is nothing but a simple, metal, scythe.

     But even looking at it, it's easy to tell that it's something on par with everything else in the greatest Treasury in existence.

     Gilgamesh does not swing the scythe. Rather, it's another barrage of swords, axes, and lances, fired out of thin air. Gilgamesh hasn't even moved.

     He taps the scythe on his shoulder, expectantly.
Haguro Haguro keeps rubbing that bullet wound on her chest as she takes a seat finally, watching the twelve second duels intently to try and piece together the puzzle. She chuckles lightly at Yuuki's self-depreciation, crossing her arms after a moment. "You're not the only one feeling like that... What a tricky combination. The timing still feels off, though. But why...?"
Jonathan Joestar "Indeed, I do. It's something I picked up recently ... not even DIO knows I can do this, yet. Well..I'm sure he does now."

Testing the sword with a couple of more swipes while Gilgamesh recomposes himself, the Kangaroo decides to comment. "These weapons are marvels, really. And you ... hnhnhn ... it was good intuition. If you hadn't of shot yourself out of the way with that spear, I had angled this sword to plunge into your heart. Now then."

    "En garde."

Downer dashes once again, moving like a blur that parried away every single one of the Gate of Babylon's weapons flung at him; it was enough to slow him down and precent him from totally closing the distance, but he was within spitting distance of the King now. "I, Downer, will take great honor in killing you!"
Gilgamesh      Gilgamesh chuckles.

     "I'm pleased that you recognized that holding back wouldn't avail you." The King of Heroes' eyes flicker, that brief glow of red. "I'm pleased that you saw fit to reveal a power that you would have preferred to have as a trump card against your true rival."

     "But."

     The King closes his eyes again and twitches his fingers in his pocket. "You're getting far too ahead of yourself."

     Gilgamesh swings the scythe lazily. The Kangaroo is already inside his range. The Kangaroo's blade is about to touch-

     -thin air as he charges *directly* forward into a storm of blades at point-blank range.

     What-

     Gilgamesh, much further away from the kangaroo now, says, "I did warn you, didn't I? The Gate of Babylon contains the building blocks of every legend known to man."

     He tilts his head over at Roadagain. "Your friend...reminded me of a certain toy that I had."

     "As I said. You're getting too ahead of yourself if you think you can kill me."

     "Still, I appreciate that you're making this amusing."
Arcadia "As potent as his power may be, the gunslinger is still at the mercy of who the othe power allows to move," Arcadia finally speaks again, at the conversation between Yuuki and Haguro.

But she is careful not to say if she has actually figured something out or not. Unlike some of the others present she is under no obligation or honor to be so forthcoming.
Sphinxes prefer to keep secrets to themselves until the time is right.
Yet for now, she seems oddly content to watch. Not being able to act on her own is annoying, but she is learning a lot about how weird and breaking of normal concepts of reality this world's powers really are.

"It's all a matter of how long their luck holds out," she adds, a bit more ominously, while gazing directly at the two men. And smiling, just a little.

Will someone else trump them before her. Only time and luck will tell...
Jonathan Joestar Even with all the speed and finesse afforded to him, he couldn't destroy all of the hail of weaponry. In fact, as he turns to face Gilgamesh, he's been skewered by a polearm through the chest, several swords stick out of his gut, and gashes line his face where he'd barely stopped his head from getting blown off. "Hmph."

"This pain...no one's wounded me like this before. Not to prattle on, however, I'm smarter than almost any human being. I train my body with dedication, and as a result, not many warriors of any worth have ever crossed my path. And those that did were nothing on your level, either."

"That said. I've learned something from you. The force you fire those with ... I'd say my fist can produce about as much. Let me show you."

Pulling the spear from his chest with a bloody sound and a gritty look on his face, the marsupial flicked the weapon up into the air before punching the end of its shaft, propelling it like a rocket at the King of Heroes. He quickly repeated the action with the other weapons stuck in his body, tossing several up at once and rapidly firing machine-gun like punches to launch them. "Still, to think you'd have an item giving you a siimlar power to Ringo...!"
Rean Schwarzer And Mikoto's plan doesn't even make it off the ground. In fact she gets shot in the head for it and just lays there.

He can't even move to help her. Not that she technically needs it but watching her just lie there, and Haguro just bleeding out next to him isn't exactly fun either.

Rean gets out of his chair, fists clenched, and watches Damocles act, waiting for his turn to come up.
Gilgamesh      "Ah," Gilgamesh says, "There is your mistake. I am not a human being."

     "I am Gilgamesh, King of Heroes, two-thirds god and one-third man."

     "You are not fighting a man, Downer the Kangaroo. You are fighting the origin of story itself."

     It's a dramatic dance, now, the kangaroo firing the weapons stuck into his body at Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh intercepting them with the Gate. It's a dramatic display of firepower that sends sparks and shockwaves throughout the area as the King moves rapidly away from Downer, jumping backwards, twisting sideways. The few that get through to him - because they have to, there's too many of his own weapons *not* to get through to him, and he has to give Downer more attention than his interceptions simply because Downer is *too strong to ignore* - cut right through his coat, leaving large gashes in his flesh. As usual, he still looks gorgeous, even with the gaping wounds (that's fucking unfair, Supernatural Pretty shouldn't be fair), even with the remains of his coat - and it is remains now - fluttering around him. His outfit's torn to tatters, so he simply tears the remains of it off, laying bare the red magical circuits along his chest. He doesn't stop moving - in fact he can't, because if he does, he'll get hit, and he can't keep moving and swing the scythe. Downer has in fact got him pinned.

     Frustrating.

     But amusing.

     The King's eyes light up. He can't just wait for the kangaroo to run out of weapons, and while he could probably just dump the whole Gate on Downer, not only would that not be *fun* or *interesting*, it might just allow Downer to get more ammunition if it survived. That wouldn't do.

     So the Gate stops raining.

     The scattered weapons disappear in golden sparks. Downer's sword, he's allowed to hold onto - but it's a clear showing that Gilgamesh doesn't need to let Downer hold that weapon at all. It's just respect.

     And novelty.

     The scythe remains slung over his shoulder as something drops into Gilgamesh's damaged hand. He winces and falls to one knee, letting it sit on the sand. It's a heavy block with a handle and a long protrusion, like a hexagon. It's carved with all sorts of lines that make no sense.

     "So you can," he admits, "But I doubt you can fire with this kind of force."

     The hexagonal protrusion starts to spin.

     -oh that's just bullshit.

     It's a magic Babylonian minigun.

     It shoots *magic Babylonian laser beams*.

     Babylon was BULLSHIT.

     And when the kangaroo starts dodging the scythe starts swinging, and time resets, and the bullets go in the other way...

     Still, Gil has to use both hands, and one of those hands is *clearly* damaged. The Hamon is causing him problems, that much is sure, at least with this trick.
Damocles The moment Damocles's name is called out, he's moving.  He's worked out some things, made a few reasoned guesses, and figured out a plan, but it requires extremely precise timing and even more precise execution. 

Once he's called out, he jumps to the side, swinging his staff in front of his face defensively to deflect any shots aimed there.

One.

He lands, and slams the bottom of his staff into the ground, channeling energy through himself as fast as he possibly can.  The most dangerous part of being a Warp Sorcerer is managing how much energy your body can hold.  Slightly too much, and you're lucky if it only kills you.

Two

The Eye of Tzeentch, his Force Staff, acts as an amplifier for magical energy, allowing already potent magical effects to become even greater.  He channels this power through his body, and into the staff, a slight shimmer of energy around him.

Three

Arcs of power form around his body, flickers of white lightning arcing like grasping tendrils in all directions from every point on his armor.

Four.

A crackling of lightning forms around him, a circle of electricity leaping from his feet, to the top of his staff.

Five.

The lightning suddenly all arcs inward, all the power leaping to the top of his staff with a loud, electric hiss.  The smell of ozone fills the air as the lightning engulfs him and his staff with a loud, crackling static.  Then, in a second, it's gone, seemingly contained within the staff, which flickers ominously with contained electric power.

Six

Damocles roars, holds his staff overhead, and charges with all his speed, looking to slam the vaguely crackling, charged staff into the body of the gunslinger.
Yuuki Kuran "Jonathan, I've finally understood your skill! I've found the character of your world that makes you truly amazing!"

Yuuki points dramatically at Jonathan. "You have to deal with brain teasers all the time! I couldn't possibly deal! That's the power of your Hamon!"
Jonathan Joestar Ringo places his hand on his holstered gun. He's shot thrice now .. only thee left, he supposes. His next shot is aimed at the head, just as he'd done to Mikoto, but Damocles surprises him. "...close..!"

Quickly, he touches his wrist watch and focuses. And very suddenly, Damocles is back where he'd begun. But ...

            " ... ?!"

Lightning strikes his revolver. Ringo's eyes widen; 'I'm not sure if he's entirely understood, but he has an idea .. more importantly, he left an attack behind hoping to catch me after I rewound time.'

He keeps ahold of his weapon, surprisingly, even as he's electrocuted, leaping off to the side. The watch on his wrist, unfortunately, explodes. "Ngh..."

The gunfighter is covered in burns centered around his arm, now. "Time's up...you got me good."

The die rolls itself again. Rean Schwarzer.

"Mandom can rewind time, but without my watch it'll be hard. It's not as though I can't rewind time without it, of course, it's not part of my Stand. But ... I'm excited ... it'll take me a couple of seconds to activate my ability now ... "

He smiles big at Rean. "I'm excited to see if I live or die today."
Jonathan Joestar "Hah...well, I won't deny that, precisely ... "

Jonathan can certainly understand where she's coming from. "But, to think that Ringo Roadagain had such a power. Rewinding time..? No, he phrases it that way. But from what's happened, I think he's just rewinding our sense of time..or something along those lines?"

Jonathan scrunches his brow. "No, that's not it either.."
Damocles MOMENTS BEFORE: 

Based on what he had observed, Damocles reasoned that Ringo could reset time about 6 seconds, keeping the target in the same condition but resetting everything else.  Thus, any damage you did to him was undone, but any damage he did to you remained.  From what they had observed, he could reset 6 out of the 12 seconds of the duel.  So only the first 5 seconds really counted.

So when Damocles's turn came up, he charged energy for five seconds, and then cast it, not into his staff or his target, but into the ground.

Where it lingered there, waiting for the timeskip, about 7 more seconds.

Once it happened, the lightning blasted out of the ground to strike Ringo.  Damocles had hoped to either kill him, or destroy the source of the timehopping.

While he wasn't able to do that completely, he did give the next person the die choose the window they would need.  He hopes.
Jonathan Joestar Grinning like a savage, Downer dances an explosive serenade with the King of Heroes. He's grateful to be able to keep using such a fantastic sword. "Oh? And what tool ... is that ... !!!"

The incredibly intelligent Kangaroo was able, through experience and intuition to determine precisely what kind of weapon that was. "A laser cannon! A rotary gun! It's both in one. How absurd!"

Using the sword to deflect what he couldn't dodge, he timed himself carefully ... only to realize that this was his limit. He'd been losing blood steadily, and more importantly, he had no way to get around that weapon up his sleeve. He'd been too slow on the uptake.

Rearing the weapon back, the kangaroo punches it at Gilgamesh. The Hamon energy running through it should last long enough to skewer him if left unchecked, at least. Six seconds. The defenseless Downer re-appears in front of a hail of laser fires and is turned into a burning pincushion. He has giant grin plastered on his face however, even as his eyes go white and his furry, smoking body hits the dirt.

    FIGHTER: DOWNER
        RETIRED
Gilgamesh      The blade goes shooting towards Gilgamesh, filled with rippling Hamon.

     He could just let it pass him by. He could just make it disappear. He could open the Gate and catch it within the infinite space.

     He does none of those things.

     The last thing Downer gets to see is his final shot carving across the King of Heroes's face, opening a long, nasty gash in his cheek, a gash that sparks with Hamon energy.

     Then the sword vanishes.

     As Downer's eyes close for the last time, he gets to see that much.

     The King's last show of respect.

     Gilgamesh stands there for a moment before he releases the weapons. They turn to golden dust, vanishing into nothing.
Rean Schwarzer And it's Rean's turn. He takes a breath. Time to finish this.

He immediately rushes in, running at full tilt at Ringo, sword still sheathed. He then unsheaths it as he passes by, and with just a tiny bit more delay than normal, the single strike blooms into many. He's not sure if the timing was good enough to not get rewound on him but hopefully the delay was long enough to still count.

He can appreciate the desire to stick to his own rules with this, at least.
Jonathan Joestar Ringo raises his gun. It can still fire, miraculously -- "Mandom!"

Before, he could activate it instantly. But now. 'Ah. If that boy had been even a second slower ... no. If I had been faster.'

Blood immediately spurts out of a dozen deep cuts lacing along his body. A major artery had been severed. "Good draw."

Ringo smirks, chuckling as blood dribbles down his lips. "Guess I'm not taking a crack at DIO, either. Good draw," he repats. "Good night," he says before looking up, dusk falling from how long they'd been at it. "Good bye."

    Ringo Roadagain dies, standing on his feet.

STAND USER: RINGO ROADAGAIN        STAND NAME: MANDOM
                RETIRED
Crys Gattz Crys Gattz does behold the final fate of Downer, his final act is to score a hit on the King of Heroes.Which is the last thing he sees before death claims the very strange being. There's not much else to say other than a fighter has fallen. Her one good eye darts about as she watches the remaining fights come to their end as Ringo and now too falls.
Damocles Damocles nods in satisfaction when Ringo is taken care of. Elsewhere, the kangaroo thing is also taken down, which just leaves one last loose end.  The sorcerer raises his staff again, lightly tapping it against the stand as he walks, slowly, towards the final foe.

"Now now, don't worry, little man.  We won't hurt you, rest assured.  Your boss, on the other hand...Next time, choose your affiliation with more care."
Arcadia Everything steadily clicking into place. It is truly like a puzzle in ways, the larger picture becoming clearer as more pieces fall into place. Everything said, every other action taken regardless of failure or success, clicks a few more pieces into place. Damocles catches on and cripples the time-turning Roadagain (AHAHAH she just got that name, how clever!), and Rean capitalizes on it to finish the job. Few people realize just how much of a difference a few seconds can make, until those precious few is all they have.

Not being able to act is a frustration... but it's mostly made up for with how much Arcadia is learning about this world, and it's powers that defy what should be bound by reality. Things that will be crucial to consider in the future of aiding Joestar's endeavors.

Knowledge in itself is a treasure. One that is meant to be both kept and shared, but a treasure none the less.

That doesn't stop the sphinx from grinning a broad, fangy grin in the direction of Mystery Tree. Her tail flicks a few times. "Told you all you did was trap yourselves with us~... Tch, after those two -real- men" and one wasn't even a man technically. "you're nothing but a pathetic lump. Without them, your power is only good for what, running away?"

She does still get to enjoy verbally picking at him, until someone finally kills the poor fool.
Jonathan Joestar Falling on his rear, Mystery Tree let out panicked shrieks as he scrambled back. "W-wait!"

He lists off a million excuses under the sun, tears and snot dribbling down his face. Somehow, his pineapple shaped hair remained perfectly styled. "....you know what ... "

He looks to Arcadia, sweat globs coming from every pore. "You're exactly right...it's perfect for leaving you losers in the dust! I'm out of here! If...If I get a new partner, the boss won't kill me! I just need to find someone strong!"

The excessively dressed man bolts for his taco truck, heedless to whoever it was that Snake Eye Cataract was allowing to move.
Zero Kiryu When at last Zero Kiryu sat, he seemed... not bored, exactly. Analytical. After the exchange with Mikoto, his expression changes almost imperceptibly. His vision slides for a moment towards Rean, preparing for the possibility of his own deployment. But it's Damocles who ends up thwarting the temporal trick-- or at least, diminishing it sufficiently that the timeframe in which Ringo can use his ability.

Rean's numbers come up. The hunter sits forward a little, observing the approach. It's familiar. The sort of attack that Ichiru would have used, by his reckoning. It wasn't a style he preferred, but it was of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it-sort.

But it works. Once again, surprise registers on Zero's face-- but he ends up reclining on his chair instead of raising his posture further. One last roll of the dice comes along, and for a moment he considers offering a deal. But Gilgamesh probably wouldn't allow it, and that ability has too many limitations to be truly useful for their purposes. They have strength in numbers, here.

Zero doesn't even get up. He looks at Mystery Tree and wills the many, many plants he has sown throughout the region to begin dispersing soporifics. As he does so, he issues a simple mental command.

Go to sleep.

The powder drifts through the air, concentrating on the man in what is most certainly a lethal dosage even for an extremely hardy human being.

As he quite literally puts Mystery Tree to sleep, he sifts through the surface of his mind in search of... anything useful at all.
Damocles "Well, that's an idea," Damocles remarks to himself as the man suddenly sprints away from him.  Underneath his hood, he smiles a little.  He counts three seconds, and then waves a hand in the air.  Then, in a flash of violet fire, Damocles is gone.

Only appearing, at the same instant, next to the taco truck.  The giant sorcerer leans back against it, putting one arm on top of the vehicle as he smiles at the man running towards it.  "Hey pard'ner.  You lookin' to hitch a ride on my new truck here?"
Arcadia The man was a coward. He was ready to turn as run as soon as luck wasn't on his side. Arcadia, unable to strike, instead just gave him more of a push to do so. To run.

To turn his back on whoever was going to deal with him.

The Sphinx is still grinning as Zero puts the man into a sleep he will never awake from. The final one. With only fleeing from said death on his last thoughts? Yeah, she's okay with this.

Even if it wasn't by her own claws it's a suitable revenge for keeping her from doing anything with his stupid bullshit power.
Jonathan Joestar Gasping, as if it were hard to breathe, Mystery Tree keels over almost immediately. The last thing he sees is the plastic taco upon his vehicle.

The die disappears, and with it, the restrictions it brought. It was an ability that created a different 'dimension' within its effective range of fifteen meters. The rules of that dimension were iconoclast. Only one person within it could move freely at any time. Within this space, so long as the die landed on himself, Mystery Tree was truly invincible.

But, the coward he was, he hated using it for that purpose. Instead, he used it with a partner to give them an unfair advantage.

Zero is able to glean a lot. Downer for example, had no stand, but rather he had such immense talent and intelligence that he was capable of learning just about anything almost instantly, even battle techniques. Ringo Roadagain's stand, Mandom, had the power to rewind time precisely six seconds and had a seemingly limitless effective range. Its only weakness was that Ringo himself required a visual aide to use it effectively, turning back the hands on his watch.

The only other useful thing he discovered was DIO himself. The image of a man with no top on, wearing yellow trousers. Shadow covered many of his features, but his build was identical to Jonathan's.

Strikingly so. In fact, there wasn't a single difference, except ... for the scar around the base of his neck and just above the star-shape birthmark.
Damocles Damocles, ever the investigator, pops into the taco truck once things are in hand.  After a quick inspection, what he discovers is wonderful.  "Hey guys!  This thing is actually a functional food truck."

He opens the side up, pokes his head out, and yells, "Who is hungry?  Because lunch is on me today, and it's tacos!"
Rean Schwarzer And with that, Ringo falls. "...Goodbye."  Rean quietly replies, sheathing his sword again. His attention then turns to Mystery Tree, who continued to be a massive coward. But Zero...knocks him out? Puts him to sleep so hard he'll never wake up? Either way, at least Mystery Tree shut up and his annoying powers were off.

Once everyone becomes able to move again, Rean gets to work on healing people.
Arcadia In the blink of an eye Arcadia is there at the taco truck as well. "We best not let these tacos go to waste!" Which the speeds she can move, those guys were lucky the dice didn't roll on her. Or so she thinks. She got to mock the coward until he died, and now she gets to eat his tacos.

She doesn't -need- to eat or anything. This is entirely to mock the now dead coward for having such an obnoxious power by eating the food he left behind. It's a cat thing.
Yuuki Kuran Yuuki claps her hands excitedly, before sliding them back into her pockets. "Well!"

"That's all sorted, and before my turn! That's good, I'd hate to see if he had another power for if we got through all the duels and hadn't beaten him. Someone had already taken my idea, so I was totally out of them!"

She smiles tiredly. "Luck-y. At least we can explore the ruin - or, rather, Jonathan can. I'm going to get a smoothie. Would anyone else like a smoothie?"
Jonathan Joestar "Ahaha..well, if you don't mind saving me one for later. All of you should take some time to relax, I'll scout ahead. With any hope, it won't be too difficult."

But, sweat dripped Jonathan's face. With such awful realizations, came another unsettling feeling. They were being watched, he knew. Now that he was aware of it...the hare raising sensation at the back of his neck..

DIO was watching him at that very moment. Jonathan's body disappears into the dark of the ruined temple chamber.

    To be continued . . .