Hey, sorry about the late chapter. Personal issues happened a lot last week and stopped me from typing. In this chapter, Keith and Kite have their own issue facing another one of the trio.

Chapter 29: Detonation Road pt 1.

In another part of the city, Keith and Kite were on their own quest to find the enemy before getting to the mansion. Walking along the streets, Kite took notice of all of the people around them and their expressions, looking for any reaction to the duo.

"Keith, careful on how you use your guns," Kite whispered, glancing back at his companion.

Keith tipped his hat to Kite. "Understood, lowkey," he replied. As he was walking behind Kite, something moved out of the corner of his eye. His instincts flared, and he pulled out his revolver, aiming in the direction of the motion. Several people in the crowd shrieked at the sight, and Kite looked back at him with pure shock written across his face.

"The hell are you thinking?" Kite cried out, grabbing Keith's hand and forcing it down. He looked around at the scared crowd, taking a deep breath as he decided what to do. Finally, he continued loudly, "You're only supposed to use that prop when we get to the theater. You might scare people since it looks so realistic."

Kite sent apologetic glances at the people in the crowd. Thankfully, his lie was able to calm the civilians down, and the crowd slowly dispersed.

"Sorry Kite, I thought I saw something moving, and...well, it was an instinct." Keith explained to the annoyed Kite and they walked towards where he saw it, but nothing was in sight.

"Keith, I understand we're all stressed out because of the last month or so. But you can't just draw your gun out of nowhere. Under-" Kite's speech cut short as he registered movement beside his feet, just within his line of sight. The duo immediately jumped back in opposite directions, turning their attention to the threat. They weren't expecting to see a hand-sized snake lying on the ground before them.

"Huh, I guess we're both jumpy," Kite said, turning to Keith, who was now pointing his gun in Kite's direction. Before Kite could say anything, a bullet had already passed by him. He whirled around to see the snake, now headless by his foot.

"He jumped at you," Keith said defensively, putting his gun back in its holster. Letting out a sigh, Kite was about to continue walking when a small sound reached his ears. A familiar sound, and one that sent fear through his body.

"Is that-?" Keith started, only to have Kite tackle him to the ground. An explosion erupted from the snake's body, sending shards of concrete flying through the air.

Keith groaned as he lay on the ground, rubble surrounding him. Kite pushed himself up, and together, the duo looked at the hole. "Fuck me, they have a bomber snake Stand now?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Kite said, helping Keith to his feet. They scanned the area to see that the explosion had scared off all the nearby civilians. "Must be long range. If I had to guess, his Stand probably can't affect anything else, since a snake isn't exactly subtle. Still, we don't know how it works yet, so we have to be-"

Suddenly, Kite was cut off as something wrapped itself around his neck. Though he couldn't see it, his ears still registered a faint beeping noise. He activated Renegades to form a blade from his arm, and in one motion, the snake was sent soaring through the air in pieces. The duo ducked as each halve detonated harmlessly above them.

"Okay, we need to find this prick before he levels the city," Keith said, looking around for signs of the Stand user nearby. He wasn't able to find any clues until something moved out of the corner of his eye once again. Before he was able to investigate, another movement came from a different direction, and another, and another. He whirled around, realizing that nearly twenty snakes had surrounded them.

"He has to be watching us somehow, keeping us at bay with his bombs," Kite said, forming another blade from his remaining hand. Every snake that leapt at him was cut down, but beeping sounds soon filled the air. "Keith, take the bombs out before they detonate!"

"On it! Rhinestone Cowboy!" Keith yelled, summoning his Stand with revolvers drawn. Firing explosive rounds in every direction, the snakes' heads were destroyed before their own explosions could activate.

"I thought so," Kite said with a triumphant smile. Now each of his attacks were targeting the heads of the snakes, who vanished before they hit the ground. Soon, they were out of enemies, and none of them had detonated. "If the head is damaged, then they won't explode."

"That's nice, but we might have a bigger problem than the bombs," Keith said quietly. Confused by his words, Kite turned to see a large mass of snakes shifting around in a humanoid form. Dozens of beady eyes stared out at them with unnerving focus.

"Well, at least that saves us time looking for the Stand," Kite said, readying his blades in front of him while Rhinestone Cowboy took aim with its revolvers.

The enemy Stand looked back at them, cocking its head curiously at the weapons. Suddenly, it swiped at the air, sending a stream of snakes flying towards them. Kite gritted his teeth, swinging at their heads as quickly as he could, while Keith did the same with Rhinestone Cowboy's bullets.

Yet the sheer number began to overwhelm their defenses, and several snakes were able to latch onto their arms. In a burst of force and sound, Kite was sent staggering back, though his suit reduced the damage to his arms. Keith wasn't so lucky; he clutched to his right arm with a pained expression, blood streaming from the gaps in his fingers.

"Kite, the fat lady will be clearing her throat if we don't move," Keith said. Kite shook his head to clear it before focusing on a nearby building. Gesturing to Keith, Kite sprinted towards it, slicing a hole in one of the walls.

The Stand launched more snakes towards the fleeing duo, only for the snakes to be shot dead while they were still massed together. As an explosion rang out near the Stand, Keith held onto his injured arm with a proud expression, then ducked through the opening.


Having escaped for the time being, Keith and Kite rested from the events of the last few minutes. Kite stood by the wall of the kitchen they'd hid in, watching to see if the Stand was following them. Once he was sure they were safe, he turned his attention to the bleeding Keith.

"We need to treat that," Kite said, looking around until he found a few metal spoons lying in the sink. After a quick wash, he placed them on Keith's wounds. Using Renegades' power, the metal fused into his arm, stopping the bleeding for the moment.

"Shit, that hurts," Keith said, holding his arm tenderly. He studied his reflection in the cold metal for a moment, then turned his attention to his companion.

Seeming to guess what was on his mind, Kite said, "Don't worry, Mary can fix it once we get back together for our attack on the mansion." He flicked the lights on, taking their safety as a chance to properly examine their surroundings.

"Don't know how we're gonna get out of this one. Any ideas?" Keith asked him, standing up to watch Kite's back. As he did, his eyes registered movement from behind the counter. "Kite, I think I see one."

Keith drew his revolver, aiming at the counter while Kite inched towards it, careful not to let his guard down. In a swift motion, he turned the corner to see a scared worker cowering away from the gun.

"Keith, put it down. We're fine," Kite said, helping the worker up and smiling at him in an attempt to calm the shaking man. He looked at them both and opened his mouth to say something, just as a snake suddenly leapt from the shadows of the room.

"Kite!" Keith exclaimed, tackling him to the ground. They narrowly avoided the snake, which instead bit down on the young man's nose. He shrieked in terror, trying desperately to pull the snake away from his face. The duo stood to their feet, moving to help him when an all-too-familiar beeping sound filled the room.

"Wait, both of you. Don't move," Kite said, trying to keep them from panicking. Yet it was too late; the noise sped up faster and faster until the snake exploded, knocking the duo. By the time they rose back to their feet, the man's mangled body lay smoking on the kitchen floor. Seeing his body made Kite's eyes widen, and he slammed a fist on the ground. "DAMN IT! That asshole is going to pay for that!"

"Kite, it's okay," Keith said, trying to console him with pats to the back. Before he could continue, something scraped against the far wall. The two slowly turned to see the mass of snakes that made up the Stand, looming above them.

"Rhinestone Cowboy!" Keith yelled, summoning his Stand. It twirled its revolvers in its hands and fired towards the enemy. The bullets made contact and detonated against the Stand, yet it seemed to have little effect. Their enemy only reached its "hand," from which several serpents bared their fangs.

"Keith, there's no use. This thing doesn't even feel it when the snakes die," Kite said, standing up. Despite his words, instinct kept him looking around for a way out. That was when his eyes landed on the gas oven.

"Hey, Keith." Kite said quietly. Reluctant to look away from the monster in front of them, Keith's eyes still followed Kite's. At that moment, he understood, and a smile appeared on his face.

With the blades from his Stand, Kite cut a new hole in the stone wall, as well as a wire from the oven. Keith ran up behind him, taking hold of Kite and firing a bullet into a pan. Anchoring the wall fragment between the oven and Renegades, Kite forced it back into place.

All of this was done in a split second, but they barely had time to jump away before an explosion rocked the building to its core. The duo scrambled away from the rubble tumbling down around them, slipping into a nearby alleyway to rest.

Finally, they were able to sit down and process what had happened. "I...I can't believe we just did that. Ha! Take that, you stupid thing!" Keith said, grinning at Kite, who smiled back proudly.

He slowly rose to his feet, leaning against the wall a bit before standing upright. "Yeah, but we should really get moving to the mansion," Kite said, walking towards the open street with Keith following close behind. The two passed by the rubble of their escape, only to stop in their tracks as sounds echoed against the walls.

The duo looked at each other and then slowly behind them. Their eyes widened as they watched snakes crawl out from cracks between the stones, slowly beginning to reform into a humanoid state. As its head formed, the being turned to look at the two, who stood in disbelief. They'd toppled half of a building on it...and it didn't even seem injured.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. What is this thing?" Keith asked with clear frustration.

The only answer was the slither of snakes against the concrete. As the mass moved towards them, its arm rose in preparation to launch another attack. In response, Keith summoned Rhinestone Cowboy, taking up a position between the Stand and Kite.

"What are you doing?" Kite asked him. "I'm always in front; I can protect you, and your Stand is long-range."

He tried to step forward, only for Keith to hold an arm out to stop him.

"We need to find the user and take him out, but you know I'm no good at that stuff," Keith said turning towards Kite with a big smile on his face. "Don't worry about me. I'll hold em off until you figure out where he is."

Kite opened his mouth to respond, about to retort that Keith was being a reckless idiot. But seeing the look in his eyes, Kite went silent, immediately realizing that nothing he could say would change Keith's mind.

"Alright, but don't die. That's an order," Kite said, running off towards the open street. The Stand launched its attack towards the fleeing figure, but Keith quickly drew his revolvers. With a few shots to the head, the snakes vanished, leaving Keith standing in front of the Stand.

"Your fight is with me, not him," Keith said, pushing his hat up with his smoking gun. He flashed a crooked smile, Rhinestone Cowboy hovering behind him as they stood strong against the snakes.

TBC.


That is it for this chapter. Sorry for the long wait, but I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think of it.