The Ludicrous Escapade Pt.3

We're All in This Together

"I see... so the Boom Boom family is the real culprit." Mountain Tim had just finished listening to the little recap you all had given him. He had also briefly told you how he had been following a murder suspect based on hoof prints. "If I hadn't noticed and approached you instead, all of us would have died. Let's get further away." He climbed up the rock formation that his rope was still looped around the end of.

"So... you have one of these Stand things, too?" Gyro could see the proof with his own two eyes.

"You have one as well?" Mountain Tim gestured to the Zeppeli's remaining steel ball.

"That's just a part of my technique." Corrected Gyro. "There are many parts of the human being that are still a great mystery."

"I see..." So Mountain Tim turned his eyes to you. "But (Y/N), I know for certain that you possess such an ability." He had seen Yoshikage next to you earlier. "You must've been cursed by the Devil's Palm as well, I presume."

"Devil's Palm?" You had never heard of such a thing. "I got my Stand when someone I share around three drops of blood with stabbed themselves with an arrow."

"What...?" Mountain Tim hadn't heard of something like that happening before either. He'd have to ask you to elaborate on it later. "Then I suppose I'll have to explain what I mean. When I was 16, in 1875, I was in an army unit assigned to venture into unmapped parts of the Arizona desert. We got lost and wandered for days searching for water. It was an area the local Indians referred to as the Devil's Palm."

"Compasses were useless and quicksand shifted the ground. The landscape would change on the regular with Devil's Palm traveling miles throughout a day. According to legend, the area formed when a shooting star crashed, destroying everything and cursing the land." Mountain Tim's grip tightened around his rope. "My troop died off one by one, until one day I woke up and a little bit of dew had gathered on my rope. That was when I realized that my body had absorbed the rope. It and I had become one. I was the only survivor."

"You know..." You had noticed some interesting similarities. "The arrow I was talking about was actually made from a meteor. Anyone who came in contact with that meteor would either get sick and die or would instead develop a Stand."

"Interesting. Then perhaps there is some truth to the legend."

"So... if we could go through the Devil's Palm and survive, would I be able to develop a Stand of my own?" Johnny really felt that having an ability of his own would be a lot more useful than his broken gun.

"Perhaps..." The magnetic pull began to weaken as Mountain Tim continued with his climb.

"Hey, keep it up! Keep moving further away with your rope!" Gyro wanted the cowboy as far away as humanly possible. "Looks like the only way we can continue is to find those creeps and beat the shit out of them."

"Nope. There's no need for that." Everyone jolted in surprise, having not noticed L.A. sneaking up on all of you. He had just finished drawing something in the sand with his finger.

"It's them!" Johnny could see Benjamin Boom Boom approaching with two horses behind him. Andre was nowhere in sight, probably dead already.

"There's no need to find us or distance yourselves. The only direction you can go is closer to each other..." L.A. looked back to his father for confirmation. "Right, daddy?"

Benjamin took a step toward the group. "Do you need help, L.A.? Can you cut his rope by yourself? That bastard Mountain Tim's rope?"

L.A. looked up at the cowboy, "Eh?! I'm not so confident..."

It was then that Gyro lunged forward with his steel ball. At the same time you had Yoshikage make a break for L.A.'s face. But the attempt was made too late. Something was wrapping around all of your bodies and pulling you together.