SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Twilit Curtain Call

by Jojoleopard

Chapter 26: The Abyss of Noir Desir

Tenacious D and Cajole Joyride were eventually dragged right up against the portal, and it was in that moment that Cajole found the strength to fight back again. As his Stand’s body was dragged up into the air, its wheels touched the ground again and they began to run in the opposite direction, giving him some space to deal with the tentacle once more.

However, it still proved to be ineffective and he could not dislodge the tentacle. “It’s no use! I can’t get it loose!”

“Face it, this is the end for you, blue.” The man leaned out of his portal and smirked. “I suppose since you’re going to die, I’ll tell you my name and why I’m doing this. My name is Grandeur Black, strongest member of Die Die Riches apart from our leader, Duckie Deluxe. You see, the world, it’s getting worse and worse by the year. No, by the month. In a year’s time, there could be nothing left. The rich take what they want and live in their luxurious mansions while the rest of us have to fight over the scraps you leave behind. Tell me, is that okay in your eyes, blue?”

“No, it’s not!” Cajole yanked and yanked, still trying to free his Stand. “But that doesn’t give you the liberty to just kill people like that! What do you think will happen if the world leaders all vanish? You think you’ll do a better job in their place?”

“We certainly will!” Grandeur Black picked at his nose. “The rich only care about their wealth and health. You don’t see them helping us as things get more and more expensive. Forty dollars for a simple plate of pasta? That’s too much! With Die Die Riches in charge, we’ll reduce all the prices worldwide! The gap between the poor and rich will fall and we’ll all pull through this world together.”

“It doesn’t work like that!”

“I didn’t expect you to understand. You’re one of them. You’ve had everything you’ve ever wanted in life, haven’t you?” He tapped a finger against the portal’s edge. “Have fun in my realm. They’re going to love picking through you.”

As the tentacle began to pull again, a blue baton shot out of nowhere, smacking Grandeur in the center of his forehead as he tumbled back into his portal. Noir Desir looked up as Runaway swooped down in a roll, catching the baton as it bounced back into its hand. As Runaway began charging, Noir Desir made the decision to close its portal, slicing off the tentacle midway as it disappeared from view.

Cajole and Tenacious D dropped to the ground and his Stand tossed the still writhing tentacle off its arm before it melted into a pile of goo by the roadside.

“Uncle Cajole, you alright?” Skyburn was by his side, helping him up. “I came as soon as I saw that portal and the enemy Stand.”

“Skyburn, am I glad to see you.” Cajole brushed a hand over his head. “I thought I would’ve been a goner. The enemy, Noir Desir, can open portals wherever it pleases to some dark dimension. The things in there can harm a Stand, so I don’t think you want to be trapped in there.”

“How do we stop him? Do you have a plan?” Skyburn kept his back against his uncle’s as they looked around the red smoke-covered street. “We’ll have to take him out of his portal.”

“Easier said than done.” Cajole recounted his failed attempt, only to have grabbed one of the tentacles inside. “But with two of us around, there’s a better chance of coming out of this on top.”

“His main target is the president,” Skyburn said. “But if he wants the president, he’s going to have to get through us.”

“Agreed,” Cajole grunted. “How’s everyone else holding up?”

Skyburn kept his back to him and said, “They’re taking care of the other activists without Stands and they’re helping to get people away from this. At least, last I saw, that was what was happening. Then I saw you in trouble and I came over.”

“I hope Josher and the others are faring better.” Cajole made a sucking sound with his teeth. “Wait, do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Skyburn turned his head slightly.

“Back!” Cajole spun around and kicked him forward as a portal appeared between them.

Noir Desir threw a fist out and caught him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground before ducking back into the portal and vanishing. Skyburn attempted to help him up, but then another portal appeared over him as Noir Desir threw blow after blow at him. Runaway materialized and deflected its attacks with its batons, but just as it tossed one of its batons at the enemy, the portal closed as its baton flew into the air before falling back into its palm.

“This guy is too slippery,” Skyburn exclaimed as he and Runaway surveyed the area, looking and listening for any sign of a portal. “How are we supposed to get him if he can just pop up anywhere?”

“I tried listening for it, but all that got me was Tenacious D’s arm getting attacked by that squid thing…” Cajole grumbled. “We’re gonna have to be smarter about this.”

“If these things can hurt Stands, there’s no way this ‘Noyer Deser’ can just walk amongst them like that,” Skyburn said as Runaway spun its batons around its body. “There has to be something differentiating it from us. If we can find that out, maybe we can flip the tables on this Stand.”

Cajole thought about what Skyburn had said. It was indeed a bit unreasonable to think that one Stand could be so powerful as to control a whole alternate dimension. It made more sense that all it could do was open doors to this outer plane. And if it could only travel between worlds, then it must have some kind of property that kept it from being attacked by the creatures in the other world.

But what was it?

There was the hum again, and the static came sooner than they realized as a portal appeared below Cajole’s feet.

“W-Woah!” He dropped in and would’ve disappeared completely if not for Skyburn grabbing his hand with Runaway before pulling him out.

Just as his legs passed the portal’s rim, two tentacles with hooks lashed out and wrapped around both Cajole’s ankles. They dug into his skin and blood began dripping into the portal, which then began floating like bubbles. Gravity didn’t seem to work the same way down there too.

"Hey! Get Off!" Cajole barked as he kicked out to dislodge the tentacles, but he only served to lodge them deeper in his skin as they raked down.

“It’s no use. Just surrender and enter the void!” Grandeur Black reared his ugly face out again. His smile looked especially wide with his bright red lips against his pale face. “You cannot defeat the rulers of the depths. When I first discovered them all those years ago when I first gained my Stand, I tried to destroy them. They cannot be destroyed. They can never perish!”

“Just you watch, we’ll get you yet!” Runaway dashed in and began swiping its batons at the Stand master. “Everyone has a weakness!”

“Just try and find it!” Grandeur got out of the way as Noir Desir began deflecting Runaway’s attacks, using its palms to push the batons away with each strike.

Another tentacle squirmed out of the portal and lashed at Runaway, but it slid back, then batted it with its weapons. Unfortunately, they were useless against the fleshy form and it wrapped around its waist and pulled it closer to the portal.

“Aha, I have you both now! It is time to join me in the void!” Noir Desir began laughing.

The Stand rose up as it swung both arms at its sides, bellowing hard. Its chest rose up and Skyburn could see a rotating purple orb, swirling and churning with energy just under its chest plate.

Grandeur saw him looking and clapped. “Congratulations! You’ve noticed the power field of my Stand! Yes, that’s what keeps me safe in here. It serves to protect me, but once you’re in here with me, you’ll witness true horror!”

Skyburn looked at Cajole as he fought to keep himself out of the portal. By now, his feet had gone past the rim and was still inching closer towards the tentacled horrors. He was going to have to do something, and he was sure that spinning purple orb was the answer.

As the tentacle pulled him closer and closer to the portal, Skyburn could make out several moving shapes behind Grandeur and Noir Desir. One was at least as big as a bus and he thought he could see rows of razor sharp teeth glinting back at him.

“There’s nothing you can do to defeat me,” Grandeur reiterated. Again. “My Stand can create portals anywhere. I can bring anyone or anything into this void and the creatures in here are invulnerable to Stands. With my power, Duckie will be able to kill all the leaders of the world, starting with the French president. But first, you and your friends will join me here for all eternity.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Skyburn nodded to his Stand.

With a yell, Runaway’s body bent and twisted like it had no bones and it slipped out of the tentacle’s grip. It stood on the appendage, then ran along it towards Noir Desir.

“What?!” Grandeur leaned back in shock, then his eyes widened. “The notes! I forgot it mentions your Stand can squeeze through anything!”

“Got that right, d-bag,” Skyburn said through clenched teeth. “Runaway, you know what to do!”

Skyburn’s Stand jumped over a lashing tentacle and with deadly precision, threw one of its batons like a rocket into Noir Desir’s chest. The projectile impacted against the purple orb and cracked it.

Light began to pour out from the crack as Runaway sped for its target. More tentacles snaked out around Noir Desir and attempted to grab it, but Runaway bent and ducked, maneuvering its body around like a contortionist before it grabbed the enemy Stand’s orb.

“Stop! What are you doing?” Grandeur Black pressed both his hands to his pale face. “You can’t!”

More tentacles began swarming towards their location and even though Runaway could probably avoid getting grabbed by some of them, it wouldn’t be able to do it with so many around. He was going to have to change his plan here.

“In you go!” Skyburn waved a hand and Runaway ducked towards Noir Desir’s core, slipping in through the cracks and disappearing from view.

“It’s… it’s in me!” Noir Desir ran its hands along its body.

Skyburn held his breath as his Stand continued to shrink. The amount of oxygen he was receiving now was miniscule, but it was all going to pay off soon. More cracks began to snake across Noir Desir’s core and bits of it began to blast off, releasing light into the dark world it was in.

“Appy, watch me now.”

Grandeur Black clutched at his chest and began groaning in pain as more bits shot out from his Stand. In no time, the entire core was crackling with light and with one final push, it shattered completely, letting out a shockwave of light that made the tentacles let go of Cajole before recoiling back into the shadows. Noir Desir and its master flew back further into the void as the portal shut behind them.

“No, no, no!” Grandeur clawed at his Stand’s chest in the darkness. “That was the only thing keeping the creatures away! Noir Desir, open a portal. Now!”

His Stand began swirling its hands and the familiar humming began to fill his ears. Grandeur looked around the dark, but then tentacles shot out from every direction, grabbing his arms and legs as the growls of the denizens let him know that they were hungry.

“No! No!” Grandeur struggled. He ordered his Stand to aid him, but all it did was get caught up in the same armada of tentacles and there was nothing more he could do. In front of him, a gigantic creature rose up from the depths as it brandished its five rows of teeth. Its big blank eyes stared into his, showing him visions of burning cities and red flags across the land.

Grandeur knew what this was; it was a future unchanged. He closed his eyes and began laughing. In the end, the world was going to get what it deserved and that made no difference to him now as he and his Stand were swallowed whole, though as the creature’s mouth slammed shut, a sliver of blue escaped Noir Desir, dancing away into the darkness of the void.

---

Cajole whipped out his arms as he fell, binding them with hamon energy before touching the ground, allowing him to get up unscathed.

“Skyburn, you did it!” he cheered as he looked for his nephew, but for some reason, he was nowhere in sight. “Skyburn?”

As the red smoke began to fade and more of the street became more visible, he could see his other friends around, finished with the other members of Die Die Riches and getting citizens to safety, but there was still no sign of Skyburn.

The last he had seen him was when he had sent his Stand through the portal to destroy Noir Desir’s core.

“No…” He looked back at thin air where the portal had once been. “Skyburn…”

Author's Note:

As always, Stand charts are over on the group thread!

Comments

[ArcticAce01]

Oh no..Skyburn

[Roboman3000]

It can't be

[Golden_Reflection]

However, it still proved to be ineffective and he could not dislodge the tentacle. “It’s no use! I can’t get it loose!”

[Golden_Reflection]

Now I've actually read the chapter: Aw man, I hope Skyburn can somehow squeeze his way out of this (haha). This is not the lightest of moods.