//------------------------------// // Chapter 29: The Nugget People // Story: SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Nugget Run Horizon // by Jojoleopard //------------------------------// Summer Shine was the first of her friends to run across the smoking groove in the cavern, heading towards the huge melted wall. She could already hear voices coming from within and that was not a good sign. On their way here, they had found dead miners along the way, along with a swathe of destruction, which was likely the work of Dolfy Horner, the leader of Weather Alternate. It had taken them some time to get through Fegel Zwei Base. There hadn’t been anymore Stand users there, but there were plenty of regular people. With guns. They had to take it slower, trying to avoid getting shot, but once they found the elevator, it had been a straight shot down to the cave system they were currently in. From there, it was a matter of following the bodies to the Nugget temple, where they were now rushing through. “We need to hurry, we can’t have much time left!” Summer urged her friends before leaping through the melted wall. Almost immediately, she was greeted by a repetitive chant of voices and then the ground under her feet shook violently. Summer would’ve fallen if Pegasus Forever hadn’t caught her, stomping its hooves into the ground to steady itself.  “The arrival of more humans. Expected.” Summer looked up to the center of the room where four beings now stood, each of them striking a different pose. Their eyes were all locked on her. The four beings were all thinly-dressed people, standing taller than Summer, their skin dark and glossy. Each of them had bushy hair, reminding Summer of lion manes. What caught her attention were the horns on their heads. She was immediately reminded of all the statues on the way in and she knew exactly what these people were. They were too late. “You must be the ones the fool mentioned.” The Nugget Person with green hair gestured to the wall where Dolfy Horner lay slumped against. “The ones who stood up against his people and emerged victorious. You would be more fitting to see the ‘new world order’.” “New world order? You’re going to do what this man wants?” Summer spread her legs further apart and pointed a finger at them. “Do what he wants?” The Nugget Person looked at her comrades and smirked without moving her eyes. “No. His goals are beneath us, beyond your pitiful human desires. No. No stone will be left unturned. The world has been reduced to fodder for the pigs in our absence.” “The world will be remade. Rebuilt from nothing.” The male Nugget Person walked forward, brandishing his muscles. “Its surface will be wiped clean, free from the pest of humanity. The right to rule had been stolen from us before your time. The humans rebelled, turning against us for all the advancement we taught them, wanting to rule themselves.” “Things have not been well under the rule of humans, have they?” The Nugget Person with red hair crouched down, resting her arms on her knees. Summer watched the Nugget People and looked aghast. They had traveled all the way to Germany to stop them from reawakening, to stop the end of the world they believed would happen. And they had failed. Now, the Nugget People stood in front of her, alive and well, ready to enact their greatest fear. She remembered the nightmares she had of her mother being unable to stop an unseen enemy. If she did nothing now, that would definitely happen. She had to do something and she had to do it fast. “Pegasus Forever!” She attempted a sneak attack, sending her Stand out in a swift punch. Pegasus Forever galloped towards the Nugget Person with green hair, but before its punch could connect with her face, a flaming aura burst forth around her, turning her skin darker and her eyes, hair and horn brighter. She was no longer standing there and Pegasus’ fist missed her. Instead, she was now behind Summer’s Stand and from within her, a ghostly figure emerged, grabbing Pegasus’ fist with a dark clawed hand. Golden light poured from jagged lines on its face, resembling eyes and a mouth, looking something like a demented jack-o’-lantern. It bent low and rammed two curled horns protruding out of its head into Pegasus Fantasy’s face, knocking it back, at the same time, yanking on its arm to pull it back only to throw it over its shoulder. Pegasus’ impact cracked the ground beneath them and Summer dropped to her hands, pain searing all across her back and head. “Weak. And that ridiculous human lost to you?” The Nugget Person looked at Dolfy as he began to stir. “Take heed, young fledgling, by no means are you a match for us, not today. But at least you have proven more durable than him.” The fire around the Nugget Person died down and her Stand disappeared as she stepped back to join the rest of her kind. “You are all beneath me. And I shall sully my hands no longer.” She raised both arms high, then curled them behind her head. “I am Mhagmea, the final ruler of the Herrakries. You at least deserve to know the name of the future ruler of the world before the end. But now, Souyul, finish this.” “Su-Sushi, you must get up now.” Dolfy groaned and pushed himself up against the wall. “The Nugget People, they plan to destroy the whole world. This is not the plan I had for us all. You must fight.” “Yes, fight. I would like to see you try.” The one called Souyul walked forward. She had red armbands above her elbows, hanging down like banners behind her arms. On her forehead were three painted dots, likely some kind of ritualistic marking. “I will rip your soul from your body. And I will grind your body into dust. You will beg for your life, but I will not give you reprieve.” Before Summer could right herself, there was a yell from behind her and a shield and two fans flew out from the entrance, spinning towards Souyul. A skeletal Stand spun around in the air behind her, then swiped what looked like some kind of shovel at the projectiles, knocking them away from itself and its master as Boney M and Spandau Ballet leapt out of the previous room, catching their weapons. “Sushi, we’re here!” Prism hopped over Gipsy’s shoulders, dropping to a roll before rushing to the aid of her best friend, with Coldplay in tow. Fuchsia and Bushido appeared behind them, ready for battle. “Five of you,” Souyul said, licking the corner of her mouth. “I like the odds if you think you can win.” “Make that six! I will not let you wipe out all of humanity, even the pureblooded!” Dolfy Horner stepped out beside them. “Dragonforce, melt them all!” His Stand roared into existence, curling downwards as a giant dragon head rose up above it. Bushido and Gipsy recalled their Stands as Souyul’s Stand spun its weapon, its robes swirling about its body. It had a tall squarish hat and it didn’t seem to have a body, but that didn’t stop a cackle from coming from its mouth. When Dolfy’s attack was ready, Dragonforce leaned in and its giant dragon head breathed a wave of flames, scalding the entire room before them. Summer had to take a step back from the intense heat, but the Nugget People didn’t even waver. Instead, Souyul’s Stand spun its weapon in a circle and the flames were absorbed into the weapon, much to Dolfy’s disbelief. “Im-impossible. Impossible!” Dolfy stomped a foot repeatedly as the flare in the room cooled. “That’s my most powerful attack!” “And it will be your last.” Souyul grinned. “Grave Digger, finish it.” Her Stand pointed its weapon forward, then cut it down to one side. Faster than the eye could see, a wave of orange flashed from its weapon, slicing right through Dolfy’s legs, cutting his right leg from the knee and his left from near his waist. “Aaaaagh!” Dolfy fell to the ground and bounced on his back. “My l-legs!” Blood burst out from his wounds across the floor. Summer dragged him away from the frontline as Prism and Fuchsia took a stand against the enemy. Souyul, the Nugget Person, wasn’t even the most muscular of the four, but the team knew better than to go in there confidently. They had to be careful, more careful than they’ve been on their journey here. Fuchsia thrust her arms to her side and her Stand formed over her limbs, hardening over her skin. “Wait, when could you do that?” Prism moved her eyes between Souyul and Fuchsia. “Is that actually your Stand?” “Now’s not the time. Eyes front.” Fuchsia groaned. “Fuch it all. Face the enemy.” “Yes. Face the one who will bring your end. I, Souyul, Keeper of the Dead.” She lifted one knee up and slid a finger down her calf before pointing down to the ground with the same hand. “It was my duty to ferry the souls of humans to the next life. And I will continue to do so, but this time, you won’t like where you’re going.” “We’ll see who’s going to the afterlife!” Prism put her hands together, resembling a flower. “Coldplay, do your thing!” Coldplay mimicked its master’s movements, then began absorbing heat from Souyul and the surrounding Nugget People. Souyul didn’t quite pick up what she was up to immediately, but the drop in temperature was easily recognized and she looked at her hands and began to wriggle her fingers as frost built up over their tips. “With your body temperature lowered, your movements will be slower!” Prism let out one sharp laugh. “You won’t be able to dodge our attacks so easily now!” “Now’s our chance. Move in!” Bushido said and drew his sword. Boney M spun in a circle, then tossed its shield forward as Spandau Ballet jumped over it, throwing both its fans in arcs to Souyul’s sides. Fuchsia threw herself forward, rushing right up to Souyul with Celldweller boosting the strength in her legs, already swinging a kick right for her gut. Without even moving a muscle, Souyul’s body turned darker and her eyes, hair and horn burst into flames just like Mhagmea had done earlier. To Prism’s disbelief, the frost had immediately evaporated and her Stand swooped around her, skilfully parrying Boney M’s shield before swiping its shovel up and down, knocking both of Spandau Ballet’s fans from the air. But it was not fast enough to defend itself or its master from Fuchsia as the armored girl’s kick sank into Souyul’s abdomen. The Nugget Person doubled forward slightly, her glowing eyes wide with surprise. Clearly, she had not expected anything to hit her. “Impressive.” But then she grabbed Fuchsia around the ankle and held her there. With a spin, she swept Fuchsia off her foot, holding her high before throwing her out with a mighty roar, sending the girl sailing over her friends’ heads before rolling across the floor towards Summer and Dolfy. “You thought your Stand would slow me down by freezing me.” She twisted the fingers of one hand into a fist. “Herrakries are able to channel the heat within our bodies.” “If only Jojo was here.” Bushido grinded his teeth together. “He knows the most about the Nugget People. Surely they must have a weakness.” “Weakness? They can’t possibly resist our strongest attacks!” Prism wiped a hand down her face and grimaced. “We just have to push harder.” “No, Bushido is right.” Gipsy placed a hand in front of her. “We can’t keep throwing ourselves at them and hope something will happen. We’re already struggling with just a single Nugget Person.” “Fuchsia did some damage. If we try hard enough, we can do it.” Prism pushed Gipsy’s arm away. “They might be able to heat themselves up again, but how about a taste of their own medicine? Coldplay has been absorbing the cold from the room this whole time. Let’s see her dodge this one!” Coldplay thrust both its palms forward, its thumbs pointed up. From between its palms, a ball of orange formed, swirling out of the air like a vacuum, then a single beam flashed out, moving right for Souyul’s forehead. “Grave Digger!” she said, not even attempting to dodge the heat beam. Her Stand glided down, its robes fluttering behind it like a wisp. It stretched its shovel out, placing it between Prism’s attack and its master’s face. The beam hit the shovelhead and disappeared completely, just like with Dolfy’s ultimate attack. “You humans do not learn from each other.” Souyul folded her arms and tilted her head to one side. “Grave Digger, my Stand, is able to absorb any attack and the stronger it is, the stronger my counterattack.” Her Stand’s smile widened and as it soared back over its master’s head, it pointed its shovel at Prism and a wave of heat sliced out of its weapon, cutting through the air right towards her. Prism had been so absorbed in acknowledging her attack had failed completely that she failed to see the attack coming. She only moved her feet now, but she could see it, she was too slow. In less than a second, the attack was going to cut through her midsection like it did to Dolfy’s legs. She had been a fool, thinking she could do something against these Nugget People when Dolfy was unable to do so with his dragon attack. She wanted to turn back to Summer, to tell her best friend in the whole world that she was sorry for being too overconfident, but she knew that there was no way she was going to even get a word out before getting sliced in half. Instead, Prism decided to close her eyes, knowing there was nothing more she could do here. Looking back now, she would’ve taken things more cautiously, as Bushido had said. If she had stopped and took a step back to examine her opponent, then perhaps the fight would’ve gone a whole lot differently. But it was not this day. Prism sighed to herself. But it was not this day indeed. Prism felt a pair of hands against her shoulder and arm, turning her head ever so slightly as her peripheral vision caught sight of a red bandana in her face. Gipsy had already moved before the energy blade had left Grave Digger’s shovel and she had thrown herself against Prism, pushing with all her might. Prism could only watch in slow motion as Gipsy’s mouth opened in silent agony as Grave Digger’s attack sliced clean through her midsection. Her body dropped down on the ground in two pieces, splattering more blood on the ground. “G-Gipsy! Nooo!” Prism got up and yelled, running to her friend. “No, no, there’s got to be something we can do!” Souyul’s flames dissipated and she turned back to her fellow Nugget People. Mhagmea scoffed, then folded her arms and motioned her head to the right. Souyul looked back to Sushi’s group, then shook her head and walked back towards her kind, her Stand vanishing from view. Prism hauled Gipsy’s head up on a knee, holding one of her hands. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry! This is all my fault. You didn’t have to get me out of the way! Why did you do that? I was supposed to die…” Gipsy’s eyes fluttered and blood ran down from her nostrils and mouth, but she still gasped for breath. “Can’t say… I even thought… about it. I was just… protecting a friend. You can… you can do this, Prism. I believe in the fates of… all humans. What I did, I did… unconsciously, but… trust that it was for a reason greater… than us.” “What? No, how can I think that?” Prism shook her head. “All I ever do is mess up and get you all in trouble. And this. This is because of me…” “No, don’t say that…” Gipsy gripped Prism’s hand harder. “There’s nothing more I can do… With Spandau Ballet’s abilities. But you, Prism… There is still much to do. I have no regrets… for what I did. My family… they’ve been avenged. All that I wanted in life, I’ve done. There’s nothing more for me now. Maybe… Maybe that’s why I pushed you out of the way. Maybe I felt it was my time…” “No, no…” Prism still refused to believe Gipsy was lying before her, cut in two. “This can’t be…” Gipsy fixed her gaze on Prism and smiled, running more blood down her chin. “Non preoccuparti, Prism. I have lived my life. It had been taken from me when I was young… but I have honored my people… The rest of this journey… you must aid Sushi. You will win this… Believe… that. Arriverderci. Thank you all…” Gipsy coughed up more blood, spraying some over Prism’s coat. She gave her hand one last squeeze and met her eyes as her eyelids began to droop. Prism maintained the gaze, her eyes getting blurry as Gipsy’s hand finally lost its grip on hers, dropping to one side. She shuddered once, a tear dropping down on her friend’s face. “GIPSYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!” Prism cried out. She pounded the ground with both hands and wailed between them. Summer stood from her spot, partially bandaging up Dolfy’s limbs with some spare cloth from her pack. “N-No…” Tears began to flow from her eyes too. Gipsy had been invaluable in getting them here and getting to know her, she had become a good friend as well, and now she was gone, just like that. Bushido clenched his sword’s grip tighter, his head angled down, casting shadows across his eyes. Fuchsia remained stoic, but even her hands started to tremble. “A pity. Really.” Summer and her friends looked up as Mhagmea and the other Nugget People had stepped closer. “A pity humans die all so easily. But this one had fire, giving her life up for another. I honor her sacrifice. Today, you will see another day to live because of her. It is time we move out to see the world for ourselves. The end will come soon enough, so cherish the last few days of existence.” “If you come after us, you will die.” The male flexed both arms, one pointed up and the other one down. “Do not waste your lives further.” “Yes. Do what you humans do before it is all taken from you.” Mhagmea spread her arms wide, then angled them diagonally. “Hear the glory of the rulers of your planet. It is I, Mhagmea, the Final Ruler of the Earth, who will scorch this land anew. It is I who will bring this world into a new era, one without the corruption of humanity. Eortsuh, Carver of the Earth, the one who’d lain the foundation for our very civilization. It is through him that our structures still stand, immortal over the fleeting human constructs.” The male, Eortsuh, stepped to the side, turning his body and lifting his shoulders higher as he touched one finger to his left horn. “Souyul, Keeper of the Dead,” Mhagmea continued. “The one who would ferry the living from this world to the next, all for the greater good of their kind.” Souyul snorted, then ran a thumb across her cheek, then put her legs closer together. “And Lowodda, the Lifegiver. The one who brought life to barren lands, and can easily take it away.” Mhagmea looked to her last companion. Lowodda lowered her head, pointing her three horns towards them. Then she crouched low, placing one hand on the ground. “Behold, the last of the Herrakries, and eventually, the last of all life on your planet.” Mhagmea spun on a foot, then shot one arm straight up, while the other one rested on her hip. “Remember our names well, for they will be the last names you know. Farewell.” Mhagmea’s Stand reappeared and with its clawed hands, it shook its limbs against the ceiling and the earth above them opened up, swallowing all four of them before returning to normal, plunging the room into a dead silence. With the exception of shivering voices and sobs. —--------JO-JO—------ “I command you, bend to me!” Mhagmea lifted her arms, pressing them against the ceiling of the underground tunnel they were in. Her Stand did the same and at once, the ground around them began to shift and fall away, slowly forming into a more structured shape, one that began to rise higher and higher. Parts of the cave’s roof came away, letting in sunlight from the lands outside. One such beam touched Eortsuh’s hand and he stepped back into the shadows with a hiss. Where the sunlight had touched was now stone. Even after years in stasis, he was not used to the sunlight’s effects. Mhagmea pushed the ceiling higher, slowly expanding it out as the earth was reshaped in the way she wanted. Soon, they had emerged from underground as their shelter spread further and further, pushing buildings out of the way as people ran for their lives, avoiding the spreading mound of earth. But being out in the open wasn’t enough and soon, Mhagmea and the others were high in the sky, now looking down at the human settlement below. Standing high above the city was now a towering rocky fortress, complete with temple pillars and thrones at the end, resembling their throne room down below, the place they had become their prison all this time. And it was from this point that the end of the world would come. By her hand. And all things would be born again as they envisioned.