The old convertible pulls to a stop under the shade of a palm tree in the heart of Mexico. Four travelers rest, free from the scorching heat of the sun. Their self-proclaimed leader, George "Jorge" Joestar, digs around in the trunk and pulls out a glass bottle.
"Boys! I've got tequila!" Jorge says as he pours out a glass.
"No thank you," the older gentleman with the cane, Dio Brando, says. He studies a large, unfolded paper map of the area.
Jorge's twelve-year-old son, Joey, grabs the glass of tequila and takes a sip. He coughs before taking another sip and finishing the glass.
"Marzie, how close are we to this temple?" Jorge asks.
"Less than an hour away, by car," Mario Zeppeli replies.
"That's good. The sooner we can check out these ruins your pen-pals found the better."
"Masters Dire and Straizo are more than mere pen-pals," Mario says. "They are wise warriors who passed the art of Hamon down to me."
"Uh-huh," Jorge says before sipping his tequila. "So, what's so scary about this temple again?"
"I have explained this to you before, my friend," he says.
"You have, but I do this thing where I don't pay attention to conversations that aren't especially interesting."
"The fact that Erina raised such a rude boy continues to astound me," Dio says, still looking at the map.
"You know, I'm pretty sure you've said that before," Jorge replies.
"Hence the word continues," Dio says. "Mr. Zeppeli, if it isn't too much trouble, could you please explain our mission, again, for my less than intelligent nephew."
Mario sighs. "Millenia ago, there lived a race of powerful night creatures that waged war on mankind. A powerful order of monks was born from the need to fight them-" he begins.
"Skip ahead to the good parts," Jorge interjects.
"My father, a sailor and archeologist, met these monks in his travels, but decided against training with them. Instead, he travelled to London, where he befriended Robert Speedwagon, Dio Brando, and your father Jonathan Joestar. After discovering the Stand Arrow, our fathers founded the Speedwagon Foundation, an organization dedicated to protecting mankind from powerful ancient artifacts-"
"I know the story of the Speedwagon Foundation."
"Three years ago, I learned of these monks from my father's diary and travelled to train with them, befriending Masters Dire and Straizo in the process."
Jorge begins to interrupt but Dio hits him in the shoulder with his cane. "Shut up and pay attention, I don't want Mario to have to explain this again," Dio says.
"Three weeks ago, Master Dire discovered ruins containing artifacts he described as terrifying. He wrote a letter to me, assuming that the Speedwagon Foundation could be of some assistance. I wrote him back, asking for more information, but he never sent a reply. I fear that Master Dire may have perished."
"Or the letter got lost in the mail," Jorge says.
"No," Dio says. "The Nazis are here. That can't be a coincidence. Something must have happened to Dire's group, something bad."
Joey slowly raises his hand. "Yes, young Joseph?" Mario asks.
"What I don't understand is how the Germans could have learned about this temple Dire found," Joey says.
"The current home of the Sendo Monks is Air Supplena Island, an isle off the cost of Venezia," Mario says. "It is possible that the Italian government learned of Master Dire and Master Straizo's journey to Mexico and informed their German allies. The German high command has a notable obsession with the supernatural."
"Okay, I think I understand everything now," Jorge says. "Here's the plan. We find the Nazis, we get rid of the Nazis, we save your friends, and then we go to this temple and check it out."
"Such brilliance," Dio says.
"Shut it. Do you know which way we need to go to get to the town that Dire sent the letter from?" Jorge asks.
Dio points at a mountain range in the distance. "The town is located near that ridge, about ten miles from here," he says.
"Great, let's go!" Jorge says. He hops into the driver's seat and turns the key. The engine groans and clatters before returning to silence. Jorge winces and turns the key again. Nothing happens. "Uh-oh."
Jorge walks to the front of the car and pops open the hood. "Everything looks fine," he mumbles.
"Maybe we are out of gas?" Mario says.
"I believe there is an extra gas can in the trunk," Dio says.
Jorge runs around to the back of the car and pulls out the gas can. It's empty. A small hole sits in its side. "Well, shit," Jorge says. "The gas can got hit by a stray bullet when the convoy stopped up and all of the gas dripped out."
"It seems we will be walk," Dio says with a sigh, holding his cane.
"I have a better idea," Jorge says.
"I don't think you can fix a car so it doesn't need gasoline to run," Dio says.
"No, we're abandoning the car," Jorge says. "But, I see no reason for all of us to walk."
"Then what do you suggest? Piggyback rides?" Dio asks.
"Not quite," Jorge says. His Stand, Black Ice, appears next to him. The Stand points its palms at the desert and unleashes a tremendous blast of cold, creating a road of ice. Black Ice strikes the car with its icicle claws, cleaving off the hood. The hood of the car lands on the road of ice. "We can use this hood as a sled."
"And how do you plan on moving this sled?" Dio asks.
Jorge looks at him and sighs. "Fine," Dio says. He sits down on the sled, takes a deep breath, and summons his Stand.
Dio's Stand is a tall, golden man. Once, years ago, the Stand was a powerful, muscular warrior. But, the years have been cruel to Dio, and his failing health has carried over to his decrepit Stand, which is covered in cracks and hunches over, supporting itself with an ethereal cane.
Joey and Mario join Dio and Jorge on the sled. Dio's Stand leans down, grabs the sled, and charges forward. Once the sled had gained enough speed, the Stand disappears.
The sled slides down the icy path. Jorge creates ice as fast as he can. Eventually, the sled overtakes the path of ice. The sled skids out on the sand, throwing Jorge's group into a large sand dune.
Jorge crawls to his feet and wipes off the sand. "Okay, that could have gone better, but we're all alive," he says. "Probably."
His companions sit up. They see a walled village, less than a hundred meters away. A red flag hangs from a belltower in the center of town. "Well, we're in the right place," Jorge says. "Now to figure out a way to sneak in and not get caught."
A pair of German men stand outside the village wall, their guns resting on their shoulders. A girl, twelve at most, approaches, carrying with her a large sack of crops. The soldiers yell at her and aim their guns. The girl drops the gun and starts crying.
The soldiers laugh. One turns and says something to his friend in German. He laughs even harder. The girl doesn't know what the man has said, but she knows that it must be horrible.
"Good afternoon, kind soldiers," Jorge says as he approaches the town gate. He holds a glass bottle in his right hand.
The soldiers scream at Jorge and he raises his hands over his head. "Easy, gentlemen, I'm not going to hurt you," Jorge says. "In fact, I brought you some tequila to help quench your thirst. I know it can be hot in this desert sun."
Before the soldiers can fire their guns, they feel their throats tighten. They drop their guns and scratch at the wire strangling their windpipes. The wires, created by Mario Zeppeli's Stand, do not snap.
The men collapse and Mario steps over their bodies. "You are safe now," he says to the girl.
She looks down at the bodies, looks up at him, and runs into the village screaming. Jorge sighs. "Just once, I'd like someone to swear a life debt or something when I save them," he says.
He grabs the guns, throwing one to Mario. A squad of German soldiers charges at the gate. Jorge raises a wall of ice with his Stand. "Are you ready?" Mario asks.
"Always," Jorge replies.
The two men run in opposite directions, Mario going left and Jorge going right. Jorge creates a staircase of ice and scales the wall. Mario pulls himself over with his wires. As the two men rise over the village wall, they turn and unload on the Nazi soldiers stood in front of the frozen gate. The bullets tear through the Nazis, killing half of them in a moment.
The two men throw their depleted rifles over their shoulders. Jorge's Stand appears and throws a barrage of icicles at the Nazis. Mario pulls himself towards the Nazis with his Stand and quickly strikes each of them, knocking their guns out of their hands. The soldiers try to fight back, but discover that they are unable to move, their limbs tied together by ultra-thin wire.
Jorge charges forward. Mario steps back and Jorge's Stand shreds the remaining Nazis with its claws. "There are probably more in the village," Jorge says.
Mario looks up at the bell tower. "Allow me to handle this problem," he says.
Mario charges at the tower, his wires wrapping around its pinnacle. He runs up the side of the tower. As he passes the bell he kicks it, sending a loud ringing through the entire village. He swings to the top of the tower and shoots his wires down at the pile of dead Nazis at the gate. He pulls back a pair of rifles and waits.
Occupying soldiers run out from various buildings and look up at the belltower. As they look up, bullets pierce their fascist skulls, fired from the Italian man atop the tower.
Gunshot after gunshot rings out. Jorge sighs and crosses his arms. "Show off," he says.
A bullet grazes the last remaining soldier, a young blond man with a disturbing smile, giving him enough time to fire a single shot at Mario Zeppeli. The bullet strikes Mario in the chest and he falls, tumbling backwards off the tower.
The soldier smiles. Seconds later, he feels a cold claw rip through his chest. Jorge spits on his corpse and runs to the belltower.
Mario dangles from the tower by his wrists. A red blob has formed on his jacket. Jorge rips Mario's shirt open to reveal wire, wrapped around his chest like chainmail.
"All things considered, I think that went very well," Mario wheezes.
The wires holding him aloft disappear and he falls into Jorge's arms. "Easy, I've got you," Jorge says as he gently rests his friend against the tower.
"Do not worry about me, I'll be fine," Mario mutters. "My wires took most of the damage, and my training with Masters Dire and Straizo allows me to heal faster than the average person."
Just then, Jorge and Mario hear the sound of bullets in the distance. "Oh god, Joey!" Jorge shouts.
Dio and Joey hide behind a well outside the village. A soldier, one who had stepped out of the village to relieve himself, is firing at them.
"What can I do to help?" Joey asks, leaning against the slim cover the well provides.
"Nothing," Dio says. He pops his head out for a moment and is almost killed.
"Can't you use your Stand to hit him?" Joey asks.
"My Stand can only move a scant few meters from my own body, not enough for me to get close enough to strike," Dio says. "As for my other ability, I can only hold it for a single second. Maybe two, on my good days, but not after using it to get us out of the car earlier. Again, this isn't enough to close the distance between the well and the gunman."
Dio's ragged Stand appears and snatches the bucket from the well. Dio does some quick mental math before his Stand lobs the bucket at the Nazi. The bucket lands perfectly on the Nazi's head, temporarily blinding him.
Dio runs at the German as fast as his limping legs can carry him. As the soldier begins to lift the bucket, Dio disappears and reappears ten steps closer. Dio's golden Stand flies forward and karate chops the Nazi in the neck, decapitating him.
Jorge runs out of the village and Joey approaches Dio. He hugs his son. Joey fidgets and shoves him away. Jorge glances at Dio, who has fallen to his knees, breathing deep breaths and clutching his heart.
"Are you okay?" Jorge asks.
"I'm fine," Dio wheezes. "Stopping time, it's bad for my heart. It takes a lot out of me now that I'm this old."
Jorge helps Dio to his feet and Joey hands the old man his cane. "Come on, let's get you some rest," Jorge says.
To Be Continued In
Chapter 34: History of the Stone Mask, Part 3
STAND STATS
Name: Razor's Edge
Dub Name: Razor Wire
User: Mario Zeppeli
Namesake: "The Razor's Edge" (Album by AC/DC)
Appearance: Thin silver wires.
Abilities: Razor's edge allows Mario to create ultra-thin, ultra-sharp lengths of wire from his hands. Using this wire, Mario can swing through the air, tie up opponents, channel Hamon, and create weapons or armor.
Stats: Power-C, Speed-C, Range: B, Durability-A, Precision-A, Potential-B