SuShi's Bizarre Adventure: Darkness Manifest

by Jojoleopard

Episode 13: I of the Storm

Thunder and lightning broke the clouds above and one snaked its way through the skies towards them, buzzing with power as it glowed from orange to white-blue near its tip.

Leilani dived to the side, but called up Jellyfish as it stretched its tentacles over the group, wrapping them into a shield-like structure just as the lightning hit. The shock boomed across the expanse, then dissipated through Jellyfish’s tentacles as the ground underneath it tore apart, shattering like glass.

Leilani winced and grabbed her arms, but remained standing. Smoke wafted off her skin and parts of it had cracked.

“What was that? The lightning’s attacking us now?” Ocellus watched as the clouds above reflected the orange glow of the lightning.

“Subterra Shiver,” a voice boomed among the clouds. “You return.”

Pain immediately coursed through her mind and Subterra grabbed her head as she fought to keep herself from falling flat on the ground. Everything spun around her as her mind processed the voice she had just heard.

“I know this voice. I know it…” she said to herself. “But where have I heard it?”

Visions of a boat came to mind, followed by lightning and destruction of a forested area.

“You remember, Subterra. You have faced this before.” Crafteon’s face appeared in front of hers. “This time, you will end him.”

“Subterra, what is it? Who is doing this?” Ocellus asked her, holding an arm under her to support her.

“Enemy… Stand master,” Subterra said as she regained strength in her legs. “I of the Storm.”

She remembered that name well. He was one of TWI’s hunters, other people she had turned that would scout others to join her cause, or bring those who attempted escape back to her.

“His name is Sejnnd E. Beaches. He’s from a faraway land of the north. We need to get under cover quickly,” Subterra urged the others. “This Stand can-”

A bolt of lightning came arcing out towards them, striking the ground and calcifying the dirt beneath into a crater.

“Do that?” Ocellus finished.

“We already knew it can use lightning. It’s been doing it all night.” Shiho narrowed her eyes as Curtain Call faded in next to her, clutching the cloth around its shoulders with both hands. “But I’ll show it a thing or two. I’ve had enough with enemy Stand users.”

“What do you plan on doing?” Ocellus challenged. “If you run in there hoping to beat him up, you’re gonna end up zapped.”

Leilani held up a hand. “Jellyfish can absorb quite a bit of electricity from its attacks. I could get you closer, but there’s only so much I can take.”

A group of lizards scurried under their feet, hoping to find cover from the brewing storm.

Above, the clouds parted slightly and they caught sight of a being enveloped in electricity, arms outstretched. It had a single large eye in the center of its head and underneath it, a smile too wide with satisfaction.

“Come back now and I won’t have to use I of the Storm to destroy your friends,” it said as the eye flipped back, along with part of its head. Inside the Stand’s head was that of a bald man with two nose rings, one on each nostril. “All of you know not what you fight against! You fight for the destruction of our world, you hope to see its end sooner than later!”

“That’s because TWI wants to destroy everything as we know it.” Subterra pointed a finger at him. “I can’t be a part of it.”

“Our world’s leaders are the reason everything is headed for destruction! It is because of them that people all over the world suffer. The poor who can’t afford a thing, the animals who are losing their homes to human density, the air destroyed by continuous pollution, there will be no end until the leaders of the world change. And only Princess TWI can do this!”

“Good grief, he’s a nutcase.” Shiho drank from her flask. “Look, even I know you can’t just kill the one’s in charge, even if they’re pricks. There are other ways to do this.”

Sejnnd scoffed and closed his Stand’s face back over his. “What, like how your precious Crusaders Foundation and Weather Alternate are doing? Those fools back in Berlin were one of the reasons our world has been going downhill. Wake up! The people in power are just playing antics on us, and I’ve, no, we’ve had enough!”

“You wake up!” Ocellus swung an arm through the air before balling her hand into a fist. “This is not the way!”

“It is the only way! TWI is the only hope our world has for a brighter future! Even dunderheads like yourselves can see that the state of affairs cannot continue like this!”

A metal spike flew through the air and I of the Storm dodged to the side before grabbing it midair, stopping it in place. Curtain Call was already readying a second spike, turned from a rock on the ground.

“You throw metal at me?” I of the Storm laughed.

From the sky, lightning shot down, hitting Curtain Call’s latest spike. The blast of electricity sent the Stand flying back into a fern, while Shiho slid along the grass and back down to the beach.

“He’s too high up. Forest Rangers can’t reach him.” Ocellus began looking around for anything they could use.

“I will bring you back to TWI, Subterra Shiver!” Sejnnd shouted down, his voice barely audible above the growing thunderstorm. “And together we will make a better world for everyone!”

“Everyone, or just people who you think deserve it?” Subterra shouted back. “What about a better world for the people you plan on killing? Don’t they deserve a better tomorrow too?”

“People who don’t want to save this world have no place in TWI’s world!” He pointed a finger down at them. Above, the clouds swirled into a vortex. “If you were not important, I’d kill you here right now. But because TWI wants you alive, I will settle for your friends.”

Lightning shot down from the swirling vortex, tearing up the ground around Subterra and the others as two deer ran by, rushing for the other side of the island. Ocellus called up Forest Rangers, which began tunneling through the ground as they worked to give them some shelter from I of the Storm’s attacks. Leilani had Jellyfish raise up its tentacles in a net, forming an umbrella-shaped shield over their heads as Ocellus worked.

With nothing else she could do, Subterra had Crafteon spread its darkness up, hoping to at least block his view. It would never reach him, but it was better than nothing.

More lightning zapped through Crafteon’s shadows, aimlessly striking the area around them. Those that got close were absorbed by Jellyfish’s tentacles, but with the storm above them stronger than ever, I of the Storm had more firepower than Jellyfish could take and it started to show as Leilani fought to remain standing on her two feet with each strike.

With none of their Stands capable of flight or range like I of the Storm and Sejnnd, there was no real way of reaching him up in the sky.

“We need to move. We can’t stay here!” Subterra waved to the others.

“When lightning strikes, the air gets superheated to hotter than the surface of the sun,” Ocellus said. “I’d prefer not to take a direct hit from this Stand, if it packs that kind of power. Not all of us have Stands like Leilani.”

“I don’t think… I can hold it much longer.” Leilani rubbed her arms; her skin was already getting flaky and charred. “We need a way to get him down here.”

Shiho got back up, her jacket torn and blackened around the edges. She struggled to get on her feet, but she did so nonetheless. “I’ll get him down. Curtain Call has the precision of a baseball pitcher. Just keep him looking at you.”

“Just… no metal. I thought you were smarter than that.” Ocellus looked like she was ready to push a palm into her own face. “You’re lucky to have survived that.”

“I’ve survived worse.” Shiho cracked a kink in her shoulder and growled. “Subterra, keep your shadows up.”

“But how will you see where he is?” the younger girl asked.

“Because I have eyes on him.” Ocellus nodded before smiling. “When Shiho threw the spike earlier, she made sure the fool would catch it. Forest Rangers is already up there with him, watching his every move. There are not enough of them up there to take him on, but I’ve got his position.”

“And that’s more than enough for me.” Shiho cracked her knuckles and her shoulders, then motioned with her head to Curtain Call.

Her Stand swiped its cloth over a pile of rocks and when it passed, each one was now a bowling ball of a different color.

“Where is he?” Shiho asked as Curtain Call picked up its first bowling ball.

Her Stand pulled its right arm back behind its head, holding the ball on its palm while its other hand pointed forward with all five fingers, keeping it in a straight line from its shoulder. It tucked one leg behind its body, then bent forward on the other.

Lightning continued piercing the shadowy veil above them, and with the next strike, Leilani could no longer keep Jellyfish up and she released its tentacle net, dropping to the ground panting as her arms smoked from the continuous strikes.

Ocellus picked her up and moved them back as she spied through the eyes of her Stand. “Ten degrees to your left.”

Shiho shoved her hands in her coat pockets and nodded. With a powerful yell, Curtain Call took a step forward and let the ball loose, sending it through the air so fast that it looked like space was bending around its launching point. It passed through Crafteon’s shadows in a blink and lightning stopped raining down.

“Nice try, but you won’t be able to hit me!” They heard from Sejnnd on the other side. “The game’s up. I will have Subterra back for Princess TWI!”

“He can keep trying, but we’ve got your back, Subterra.” Ocellus gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Twenty-six degrees right. Two up.”

This time, Curtain Call picked up two bowling balls, one blue and one yellow. The Stand let them fly, aiming one a little more to the right. But it didn’t stop there, it kept picking up ball after ball and Ocellus started pointing and giving her Sejnnd’s location through Forest Rangers. Unfortunately, he was just as fast, constantly avoiding each projectile as his Stand’s smile widened. Electricity coursed through its fingers and it began catching the bowling balls and tossing them back down after charging them with power.

“It’s not working!” Subterra squeaked as a ball landed close to her feet, sending a quick jolt through her toes.

“It will.” Shiho nodded, unfazed by the enemy’s skill. “There’s more to this than just chucking balls at him. I’ve been preparing something else.”

As balls rained down around them, Curtain Call had gotten to work again, turning sticks and stones into rope. As it tied the rope to the rest of its bowling balls, Forest Rangers formed into its singular body and began swatting returning balls away from them.

“Because there are some of them on I of the Storm,” Ocellus began explaining. “I can see on the other side of Crafteon’s shadows. As I of the Storm returns them to us, I can see exactly where they’re coming from. I’ll keep us protected for now. Hurry it up, Shiho!”

“Don’t rush me.” Shiho scowled, but Curtain Call held up part of the rope in its hand. “It’s done, anyway. Time to bring this sorry sack down.”

“Neigh!” Curtain Call yelled as it spun around and released its payload into the air.

All the bowling balls followed, joined together with rope and as they sailed through the darkness, Sejnnd saw it coming and pointed down at it. “I of the Storm’s eyesight is second to none! I thought you would have learnt that by now!”

He caught the first bowling ball, but the momentum of the rest swung around him, spreading the rope out to reveal a whole network of rope between each bowling ball. The net enclosed around him and the combined weight began to pull him down from the sky as two bowling balls clashed against his privates.

“Oohhh!” Sejnnd bent down and gasped.

Once he was low enough, Subterra was able to have Crafteon’s shadows sneak up and grab him, yanking him down further. It was there that the shadows morphed, utilizing Crafteon’s ACT2 ability. Before Sejnnd’s very eyes, the shadows took on a human shape and soon, a bald man with a large belly stood before him, standing at least a whole meter higher than him. The only clothing he had on him was a ragged pair of brown shorts.

“N-Nei, Pappa.” I of the Storm’s face folded away, revealing Sejnnd’s own terrified face.

“You saving the animals again.” He brought out a broken piece of bone and prodded his gums with it. “Both you and your brother, you take after your mother. That is why I had to eat her. Now it seems I must eat you too.”

“Nei, nei! Stay away from me!” Sejnnd’s Stand dissipated and he began crawling back on his bottom. “Don’t touch me!”

But the large man did not heed his words and grabbed both his arms, pulling him off the ground easily.

“You’re not real! You can’t hurt me. I have a Stand now!” Sejnnd punched him in the gut, but his father didn’t even flinch. Instead, he pulled one arm to the side and bit down, splashing blood up into the air above them. “G-G-Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Tasty meat…” the man grinned.

With a yank, he threw Sejnnd clear across the space, sending him tumbling down the grassland and sand into the flowing water.

Sejnnd inhaled a mouthful of water and began coughing, partially because the water was invading his lungs and partially because the water tasted foul from all the pollutants and chemicals in it.

“What was that?” he choked out, ejecting seawater as he did so. “My father’s been dead for years! How did…” Sejnnd’s face paled. “It must be the power of an enemy Stand. But it can’t be Sunfast’s or that green woman’s…” His face grew even paler as something occurred to him. “Unless one of their Stands changed somehow. I must get this information back to TWI before-”

“Before what?” someone said just behind him.

He turned just in time to see a purple fist plow into I of the Storm’s single eye, launching it back from the shore to a deeper part of the water, submerging him for a second as he kicked his feet up, pushing himself to the surface.

Shiho Sunfast stood before him with Curtain Call behind her back, its fist still smoking from where it had punched his Stand and by extension, his face.

“I’m not afraid of you. Feel the full force of I of the Storm’s ultimate power!” He raised both arms at his sides, ready to call down the fury of the sky.

“Not if I have something to say about that.” Shiho narrowed her eyes. “Curtain Call!”

Shiho’s Stand roared and dashed forward, covering the space between them faster than Sejnnd anticipated. It threw a stake of wood through his right shoulder, spraying blood behind him as he was knocked off balance. As he was falling towards the water and gasping from the sudden blow of pain, Curtain Call was already on him, delivering punch after punch to his body and his Stand as he was falling.

“Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!”

“Aaaaaaagh!” As his body was propelled further into the ocean, Sejnnd began to sink down, struggling already to keep his eyes open. He reached a hand up, but darkness closed in around him as his body hit the bottom.

I failed you, Princess TWI…

“Shiho, you did it!” Leilani and the others ran over as the woman sat herself down on the shore, letting the water wash over her bottom as the tide came and went.

“About time too.” Shiho looked out at the storm above. It was still thundering, but at least the lightning wasn’t trying to kill them now. She put a hand in her coat, looking for her flask, but then she realized there was a hole at the bottom and her flask was gone. “Good grief. Good thing I always carry spare clothes for emergencies.”

“We still best get out of the open.” Ocellus looked up. “I of the Storm was only channeling the lightning from above. It’s still a rather dangerous threat.”

“Right.” Shiho sighed and got up. “Subterra, does this island jog your memory?”

“Actually…” the girl looked down at nothing in particular. “I think… I think I remember. I remember where TWI’s island is.”

From the encounter with I of the Storm, Subterra remembered months of sparring with him and some of the others. She remembered the big open rooms TWI had put her in to test her might, she remembered her bedroom, small and cold, devoid of anyone else, she remembered the beach and the guardian of the island, and most importantly, she remembered how to get there.

She looked back up at the others. “I need a map.”

---

TWI’s console by her bedside has begun beeping rapidly as she sat there watching the dark skies outside her room. She knew this sound well. Three short bursts of beeps, followed by a single longer one. This meant there was news from outside her island. Good news, she hoped.

Her Stand, Strange World, appeared by the bedside table and pressed the button. Immediately, the beeping stopped, replaced by ragged breathing and growling.

“Speak,” TWI said and waited.

“They killed him. They killed my brother.”

TWI said nothing. This single line told her all she needed to know. Subterra and her allies were still at large.

“I underestimated her.” TWI put a hand against her face. “And I am disappointed. I thought perhaps she would know better, know what was better for this wretched world. Where are they now, Djirt?”

“They are still on Malden Island,” the voice answered. “I need to kill them. I need to avenge my brother.”

“See that you do, Djirt. But not Subterra. You know I need her. If she is returned to me dead, you will be joining her, is that understood?”

There was more breathing on the other end, followed by the clearing of one’s throat. “Yes, princess. I will only make sure her friends die most horribly.”

TWI nodded as her Stand deactivated the device. Thunder rumbled in the sky and her attention returned to the open doors to her balcony. A figure now stood there, hiding in the shadows of her room.

“What is it?” TWI asked, turning her attention from him.

“TWI, is this really how we envisioned things to go?” He took two steps closer.

She grabbed the end of her sheets and squeezed. “It is what it has to be. The world resists our change, but one day they will see the light. They will see the goodness of our actions. They will see I had no choice.”

“I still stand with you, TWI. I always will.” He put a hand on his chest. “But I know you have doubts. Doubts about turning against those who trusted you, about the goal you have at the end.”

“I don’t. I have no doubts. What I’m doing… it’ll change the world.” TWI looked at one hand and curled her fingers inward. Her Stand, standing by the bed, did the same.

“But are you sure-”

“I don’t need this now, Spike. Please.” TWI looked up, but the figure was no longer there. “I know what must be done. And for that, I need Subterra Shiver. I trust my hunters. They’ll find her. They’ll bring her back and they’ll eliminate anyone who stands in my way.”

Strange World lifted a hand and smashed it down on top of the bedside table, shearing it in half.

“Anyone.”

- To be Continued...-

Author's Note:

Stand image over at the group thread!

Comments

[ArcticAce01]

Oh man, getting close to TWI encounter

[Golden_Reflection]

I took my time to read this one, but I'm looking forward to the future here.

Looks like either TWI's conscience is taking the form of Spike trying to convince her to reconsider, or Spike's ghost is haunting her for whatever purpose (we know ghosts exist within JoJo-like settings, thanks to JoJo's Part 4 (depending on how much is being ported from JoJo to SuShi, as SuShi does have new things as with the Nugget People))