Finally. Here we are, Ch. 27. The adventure in Egypt begins! So, as you all may have noticed, I had gone back throughout the story, updated A LOT. Then ended up with a fried laptop charger. Yet somehow, I managed to update my story five days later than when I thought I would. Not too bad.

I'm sorry for the wait, but I'm happy that I can still continue this story for you guys.

I would put up a link for Preciosa's artwork, but this site hates links. Check out my AO3 page for the link.

Ch. 27
Immigrés

JANUARY 3RD, 1989
11:57
QESM SHLATIN, EGYPT

Egypt.

97% of this country's landscapes consist of nothing but deserts. It is one of the few regions in the world with the least amount of rainfall per year. However, thanks to the blessings of the Nile River and the fertile belt of land along the river bank, food is quite plentiful here. It is a mixed country as well, where various cultures such as the Persians, Greecians, Romans, Islamics and Arabians, joined together with the once ancient Egyptian civilizations.

In this eternal land, where time has flowed for 5,000 years, adventure awaited around every corner. As did danger.

Joaquín and his group were not in any immediate danger, but that did not mean they could put their guard down. He had no doubt that Dio had sent out his strongest after them. At any moment, they could end up ambushed. And yet, for the entire week they had been in Egypt since they arrived, they didn't. Not one assassin made themselves known. It was a miracle, one he knew would be too good to last no matter how he wished otherwise. Still, they were very grateful for their luck.

Travel had been slow as of late. And for good reason. Joseph had contacted the Speedwagon Foundation so as to reclaim their belongings, as well as graft a new artificial hand for him. The call was placed the same day they arrived in Egypt, and the delivery would take about a week. They decided on the coordinates and time for a meeting point, and until then, the group took shelter in each town they jumped, making sure they never stayed in the same place for too long.

Today, they had travelled out to their destination in the desert to wait for the foundation. They were to meet there at noon and retrieve their belongings before they continued on their way towards the Nile, whose bank they agreed to travel along.

"It's no safer than travelling through the desert," pointed out Joaquín to Della as his Preciosa kept an eye on their surroundings, "but at least we won't have to worry about lack of food or shelter."

"So it's a straight shot to Cairo from there," asked Della, who was adjusting her earrings.

"Yep. Mohamed and Noriaki both said they met him in and near Cairo respectively. It makes sense that we search for that bastard around there."

"And if he's not?"

It was a very harrowing possibility. He would be lying if he said he hadn't thought of it before. After a moment of silence, he then said, "The chances of him not being in Cairo are slim. But he doesn't seem like the type to just run and hide somewhere else just to fuck with us. He wants us dead. As much as he wants it done by his men, I know he wouldn't miss out on a chance to confront us himself."

Della flashed him a smile and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. "But we're not gonna let him kill us, are we?"

"I can't guarantee we won't come out unscathed, but we will defeat him"

As he finished saying this, he heard what sounded like a propeller overhead. Looking up, he noticed a helicopter slowly descending before them. Everyone's hair and the sand all around them whipped about by the wind it created. "Look alive, everyone," called out Joseph. "They're here! Give them some room, they're looking for a place to land!"

As they moved out of the way, Joutarou asked his grandfather, "This is the Speedwagon Foundation, right? Same guys your old friend founded who're guarding and nursing Mom back in Japan? Don't tell me we're gonna be travelling by helicopter with them."

"No. Technically speaking, we could catch a ride, but none of the pilots are Stand users. I don't want them getting involved in any attacks because of us."

"So why did they come in a helicopter if we're not riding it," asked Noriaki.

"Because they're bringing backup."

Everyone looked at him in surprise. "Backup," they repeated.. Looking at the descending helicopter, Joaquín had to wonder just who they could possibly bring as backup.

"Mr. Joestar, you called for backup," asked Della curiously. "A Stand user, right? But didn't you say you only have one in reserve?"

"That's correct, Della," pointed out Joseph. " You'll also remember it's the same one with the personality problems. That's part of the reason we had to wait a while, not just for my new hand."

Mohamed, perking up at the mention of the reserve, approached his friend worriedly and said, "Mr. Joestar, it would be impossible for him to accompany us on this trip! There is no way he would help us!"

"Wait, you know this guy," asked Joaquín, his curiosity growing.

"Yes, very well."

"You mean you fought him?"

"I have. I was the only one capable of placating him. He put up a fierce fight, one which I nearly lost."

"Whoa…" Personality issues and a Stand that could give Mohamed a run for his money… Just who is this guy..?

"His Stand is named 'The Fool'," started Joseph. "After the tarot card of the same name. But by no means should you underestimate him because of this."

The only one who seemed to think it was a joke was Jean Pierre, who chuckled at the name. "The Fool, huh," he spoke through his amusement. "Sounds like a pretty dopey card to be named after."

Mohamed looked back at him and simply said, "Be grateful he is not our enemy. You cannot win against him."

"What was that," he barked, taking a hold of Mohamed's robes. "You better watch your mouth, you bastard! You trying to act all high and mighty again?"

"I speak only the truth. Now why are you holding me like that? You are not trying to hurt me, are you?"

"Guys, cut it out," barked Della. "It's landing now!"

The helicopter's blades slowed down as it had set foot on the ground. The pilot's door opened, and two men in light blue uniforms stepped off. The first was a light-skinned Spanish man with hard eyes, the second a paler man with a long jaw and a wide smirk. They both wore black caps with a golden wagon wheel on it, above which read "SPEEDWAGON".

For guys who aren't Stand users, they sure look pretty tough, thought Joaquín as they greeted his grandfather politely.

"Mr. Joestar," said the Spanish man, shaking his only hand. "A pleasure to see you're all safe."

"I appreciate you both coming out here, Arturo, Paulie," Joseph said gratefully. "I take it there were no complications along the way?"

Paulie, the long-jawed man, shook his head as he opened the back door. "None. Although we had some minor turbulence along the way. So your helper might be a little, er… feisty. Just be very careful."

As they spoke, Joaquín looked over their shoulders into the helicopter's back seat. All he could see was a bunched up blanket near the window and nothing else. The back compartment looked to contain their suitcases and bags, showing no room for a Stand user to fit in there. Where was he?

"Hey, guys," he asked the two men, who turned their attention to their charge's grandson. "Are you sure neither of you are Stand users? Cause I don't see anyone sitting in the back."

"Oh, he's there all right," said Arturo, pointing to the back seat. But try as he might, Joaquín saw nobody there.

"Where? What're you talking about?"

"He's right there in the seat."

"So then where is he," asked an amused Jean Pierre, as he approached the helicopter. "Is the bastard a midget or something? Hey, come on out here!" He then started to pat the seat inside, which immediately made Arturo panic.

"H- Hey, watch it!"

The Frenchman made a disgusted grunt and pulled hand off, showing that he had put it in something clear and sticky. From where Joaquín stood, it looked like drool.

"Be careful, please! The ride here was turbulent, he's in a bad mood!"

"Don't get too close, Polnareff," warned Joseph, just as worried as the pilot. "I told you, he has personality issues!"

"I told you, you will not win," calmly added Mohamed.

And their worry was justified when the blanket rustled and came rushing at Jean Pierre. Something black and white slipped out from underneath and immediately jumped onto him, barking furiously.

It was a dog. Specifically, a slobbering, hair-biting, and very unruly Boston terrier.

No way..! There's only one dog who acts like this..!

"A dog," asked Joutarou incredulously as Jean Pierre flailed with a face-full of dog. "Don't tell me, it's this dog?"

Della squealed excitedly and bounced on the balls of her feet. "Oh my god, he's so adorable!"

Joseph shook his head and harrumphed. "You say that now, but you'll be singing a different tune if he gets a hold of that bush of yours. And yes, this dog is the Stand user of The Fool. That little bastard loves to pull on hair when he can reach it. We don't know where he came from, but we found him in New York. Since no dog catcher there could capture him, I sent Avdol to find and finally capture him. And his name is-"

"IGGY?!"

The dog stopped biting and turned around to look at Joaquín. For a brief moment, their bright, fierce blue eyes locked upon one another. The dog named Iggy's stub for a tail wagged hard as he jumped off the disgusted Frenchman and ran straight at his former friend.

"IGGY," Joaquín happily exclaimed again, kneeling for the oncoming dog. He was then tackled with such force that he was knocked backwards, his hair now caught in Iggy's gnashing teeth. He didn't mind this one bit, simply hugging him and laughing joyously. He missed his friend, who had gone missing for quite some time, and here they were reunited in the middle of an Egyptian desert. "Oh god, I missed you so much, boy! Where have you been all this time?"

"You know this dog," asked Joseph incredulously

"Of course I do!" He sat up and rested Iggy on his lap, who tried to reach up and reclaim some hair to chew on. "I took a trip to Brooklyn one day and met him in an alley. He's got this really powerful Stand, and we fought and I lost… I'd always come visit and feed him. He's got this weird craving for anything coffee flavored. Especially gum. He might be a pain in the ass, but Iggy and I became really fast friends."

His grandfather let out a bemused chuckle, going up to him and patting his grandson's head. "You look like a little kid getting a puppy for Christmas," he stated. "I can't believe you actually know him."

"Yep. I can't believe Iggy's joining-" He stopped when he realized something Joseph just brought up. "Wait a minute… Abuelito, you said Mohamed caught him?"

"I did, and it wasn't-"

"You sons of bitches!" Joaquín set Iggy down, his joy replaced with annoyance. "So you're the reason he went missing! He's been gone for almost half a year, I nearly got arrested for interrogating the pound! Damn you, Abuelito! But…" He turned to Mohamed. "How did you catch him? His Stand's almost indestructible."

"Luck, I suppose," he said with a shrug. "Or perhaps the lack of sand. However, here in Egypt, where the sand is far more abundant, The Fool is a force to be reckoned with."

"Then let's put that to the test," growled Jean Pierre, trying to fix his mangled hair. "You stupid son of a bitch! It's time someone taught you a lesson! Come on! Chariot!" Silver Chariot flourished himself and his blade into existence. And while Iggy did not bat an eye or raise the hackles on his back, he clearly felt threatened. The sand around him started to swirl. Everyone but the Frenchman backed away, including the pilots.

The sand gathered and formed something rather large, growling, and mechanical. It looked like some bizarre toy of sorts. The golden, dog-like front legs were wrapped in wires. It had crimson wheels for hinds. And mounted on its dark blue body was a golden, tribal, beast-like head with red-tipped white feathers framing it.

"So this is The Fool," muttered Joutarou to Noriaki.

"I know we met that orangutan on our way to Singapore," said his friend, "but this dog…"

"He's not gonna stand a chance," announced Joaquín, who had tangled with Iggy enough to know how this encounter would end. Silver Chariot's blade swiped against The Fool, only for the beast to split apart into the sand that formed its mechanical body. Before Jean Pierre could pull away, his Stand's rapier was caught in the reforming body of his opponent. There was no escape for him. With his prey caught, Iggy immediately tackled the Frenchman and resumed his hair munching.

"Told you guys. His Stand's made completely out of sand."

Despite his usual stoic wall, Joutarou looked somewhat impressed. "It's strong, yet it looks so simple. I doubt even I could hit it."

"You're not gonna get a chance. Trust me, I tried punching it with Preciosa and the same thing happened to me. I even used my hamon. You can't exactly channel it into sand. Through sand, maybe. But I still lost. Over and over.I guess that's part of how he came to respect me."

Jean Pierre continued to flail and cry out for help amidst the biting and farting, another of the dog's bad habits. Feeling he had enough, Mohamed asked Arturo for Iggy's favorite treat. He was handed a pack of coffee-flavored gum, from which he pulled out a single strip. Iggy stopped his assault again, nose snuffling as he could smell the gum from afar. His nose was stronger than any other dog Joaquín met. He watched as he excitedly gamboled over to the fortuneteller.

"M-Mr. Avdol, hide that box before he sees it," hurriedly warned Arturo.

It was too late. Iggy was cunning as he was rambunctious. With one, swift leap, he swiped the entire pack out of Mohamed's hand and began to tear into his bittersweet treat.

"That rascal may love the flavor of coffee chewing gum," said Joseph, "but he'll never let his guard down to anyone."

"At least take the wrapper off first," muttered Mohamed, annoyed by Iggy's trickery and lack of manners.

"There's no way this dog will help us," pointed out Noriaki.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Joaquín reassured as he knelt down to pet the dog. He paid the human no mind as he chewed messily. "I'll take care of him. As long as I'm around, he's not gonna bite anyone elses' hair but mine."

While the dog was distracted, the pilot took a quick moment to help mount a new artificial hand on Joseph. Once he made sure it was functioning properly, they unpacked the helicopter. Everyone was reunited with all of their original belongings they had left behind since their adventure in Benares. All of their clothes had been cleaned up as a bonus. They also received food, water, and medical supplies that would last them through their trip.

They had also bought a new Polaroid camera for Joseph to use with his Stand. Should be easier this time than using a TV, Joaquín hoped, recalling that tense moment. He was soon ripped out of his thoughts when his grandfather announced they were going to take a photograph to commemorate their adventure. Joaquín joined the others and smiled as one of the pilots shot the photo. A moment after it was taken, they were given the developed picture.

There he was, standing with his arm around Della. Beside her were Noriaki and Joutarou (stoic as always), and next to Joaquín stood Mohamed. Kneeling in front of them were Joseph and Jean Pierre, the latter playfully holding the former's chin up. In the elder's arms was Iggy, placated by the gum he was chewing. In that captured moment, they did not look like adventurers, but one mixed, happy family.

This picture's definitely something I'll never forget, he thought happily as he tucked it away.

After taking the picture, the Speedwagon employees bid them all farewell and a safe journey. But as their helicopter's blades started, Joseph stopped them from leaving. "There's something I must ask you before you go," he said, his voice a mix of worry and somberness. "It's about my daughter…"

Everyone turned to Arturo, who looked at them all with a worried, furrowed look. It was clear that whatever news he had was not good at all.

"What's Holly's condition? Just give it to me straight."

After a moment of hesitation, Arturo bowed his head and said, "Of course… It pains me to say that… her condition isn't good at all. Her vitality is severely exhausting, and her life is still in danger… According to the on-site doctors' diagnosis… she only has two more weeks…"

The shock was felt through all of them. Only two weeks. Damnit, there's barely any time left… We have to hurry, now more than ever…

"We also have some more information, sir," he continued. "We've sent some of our men to scout Dio's whereabouts in the city of Cairo. According to their reports, about two days ago, nine mysterious men and women gathered at a building suspected to be Dio's hideout and then departed."

"Dio and nine others," Joseph asked in shock.

"It's not surprising, Abuelito," said Joaquín, looking seriously between him and the pilots. "We knew he was gonna have more assassins with him. But the number is a bit concerning, though. So I take it you guys haven't gotten a good look at them?"

"Unfortunately no," admitted Arturo. "That was all the information we could gather. Because none of the foundation's employees are Stand users, any further tracking would be impossible. Even taking photos from afar would prove risky.

"So we definitely have more Stand users," exclaimed Jean Pierre.

"And Dio is still in Cairo," Della pointed out. "So he really hasn't left at all." She then turned to Joaquín and asked, "Jojo, what do you think?"

He stood silent for a moment before speaking. "Well, him still staying there all this time is pretty suspicious. What the hell is so special about that place that he hasn't changed his venue? But that's not important. What is, however, is that we're all on the right path. As for the Stand users, well… still not a surprise. But out of the tarot card users we fought, including Death 13," Noriaki, who had relayed the story, smiled, "the only other ones left are Hol Horse's Emperor and 'The World'."

"That makes me wonder," mused Noriaki. "What if 'The World' is Dio's Stand? Avdol-san, do you know?"

Mohamed, who was still trying to wrap his head around this news, simply said, "I… I do not know… I just do not know… Nine people..?"

"From what it sounds like," started Joseph, "Dio has yet to be fully adjusted to his body. But because he has such strangely great pride, he'll never flee from Cairo. Anyway, it's as Joaquín said: we head straight there."

Joseph bid the pilots farewell, who ascended back into the air and flew off. A feeling of dread washed over them as they packed their car and drove off. Two weeks remained, and now it had been established that nine more Stand users were waiting to ambush them. The stakes were higher than they had been before. But it was by no means discouraging to them. If they could take on at least nineteen, another nine didn't seem too difficult.

"Hey, Monsieur Joestar," whined Jean Pierre beside him. "Why can't you do anything about this?" He pointed accusingly at Iggy, who was sitting in the backseat slobbering contentedly on his gum. "How come this fucking mutt gets to sit up here while we're all cramped up in the trunk?!" Indeed, for everyone except Joutarou were packed there like sardines with their suitcases.

"Just wait until the flavor of his gum runs out," answered Joaquín before Joseph could. "Then we can tempt him with some more back here. Trust me, I know Iggy as well as Abuelito does. It'll work."

"You really do like him, don't you Jojo," asked Della, who sat as comfortably as she could on his lap.

"Of course I do." He watched as Jean Pierre tried to reach over into the back seat, only for Iggy to growl and make him withdraw. "I've always liked dogs. Especially little ones. I would have taken Iggy in, but he's more of a loner. He seems to prefer the streets more than a home." He gave Mohamed a mock scathing look, who responded with an amused smile. "You hear that? When this is over, you guys put him back in New York, not wherever you had- WHOA!"

His sentence was cut of by the sharp squeal of tires and everyone jerking forward. Joaquín held onto his girlfriend before she could end up flying. Iggy, however, was bounced against the back of the driver's seat, but he was too preoccupied with his gum to be bothered by it. "Mr. Joestar, what's going on," said Della worriedly. "Why'd you hit the brakes so hard?"

"L-Look what's up ahead," he shouted as he and Joutarou hurriedly exited the car. The others followed out, and what they beheld was truly awful. It was the Speedwagon helicopter, smoking and resting on its side with its tail and propeller busted and its window smashed. The pilots had been thrown out, one of them lying prone a few feet away, the other pinned beneath the helicopter.

"What the hell happened," muttered Joaquín as they slowly approached. "It just took off almost two hours ago… So why..?

"It does not look as if it were attacked by any type of weaponry," pointed out Mohamed.

"You're right," agreed Della. "It's like it just fell out of the sky… And it looks recent, too… You guys don't think…"

"Everybody be careful," barked Joseph. "There's a great possibility that this is a Stand user's attack!" While everyone tried keeping their distance, Joaquín carefully approached the pinned pilot. "You boys be careful too. Whatever did this might be lurking nearby." Upon closer inspection, they saw that it was Arturo, his face locked in a terrified scream. His hands held onto the side of the helicopter, blood-stained scratches dragging along its side. His nails were also bloody as well.

Joutarou knelt beside the man as Joaquín inspected the scratches. "It looks like he was trying to escape whatever attacked them," he pointed out, noticing just how desperate the marks look. "But it's too late for him."

"Water," muttered Joutarou all of a sudden.

"What's that?"

"There's water pooling in his mouth." He turned down to the pilot and noticed that Joutarou was right. When he tilted his head, the water spilled out. But it was more than a simple mouthful. It looked like an entire gallon. And what looked like a dead fish floated out as well. "No… it doesn't look like it was just in his mouth… There's too much of it… It looks as if it's coming from his lungs… there was even a fish in there…

"He… He died from drowning!" Joutarou stood back up, a hand nearly covering up his shocked face. He looked utterly shaken. "In the middle of the desert!" Joaquín never liked seeing his brother like this, because he knew it meant that they were dealing with something very dangerous.

"This is really bad," Joaquín said gravelly as he stood up as well. "We gotta get the others and-"

"Hey, he's still alive!"

He was interrupted by Jean Pierre, who had gathered with the others around Paulie. As he held him up, Joaquín could see how parched and scratched up he was. They joined them immediately, Joseph worriedly asking him, "Paulie, are you okay?! Pull yourself together, man! What the hell happened here?!"

The pilot's body trembled as he reached out to him. All that came out of his mouth was a weak, dry, "Wa… Wa… ter…"

"The man needs water. Someone get him a canteen!" Della handed over a nearby canteen to him, which he took as he raised Paulie's head. "Here. Easy now… Just drink slowly, okay?"

But the minute he realized the canteen was approaching his chapped lips, he began to scream and panic. "GET IT AWAY," he shrieked hysterically. "THE WATER ATTACKED US!" And before anyone could react, the water within the canteen shot out and grabbed Paulie's face. It then pulled it completely off his shoulders and crammed it into the canteen, flying out of Joseph's grip.

"It's an enemy Stand," shouted Joutarou, and everyone jumped away from both the water and the headless corpse. They all hit the deck, making sure that the blood-oozing canteen never left their sights.

"Damnit," lamented Joseph. "Those employees were innocent men! They shouldn't have been attacked!"

"Whoever's targeting us doesn't care about innocents," said Joaquín bluntly. "Did anyone see it?"

"All I saw was its hand," Mohamed answered. "But it is still inside the canteen. I did not see the rest of it come out. Just whose Stand is it..? Is it one of the nine people Dio gathered attacking us..? It has to be… The only Stand left to represent the Major Arcana would be 'The World'…"

"It can't be that."

"What makes you say that, Jojo," asked Della.

"Because Dio strikes me as the type of man who wants to be on top of the world." Preciosa came out and started scanning their surroundings. "It'd only seem right that he'd name his after that card… Shit… Nothing." He turned to his brother, who was doing the same thing through Star Platinum. "Nothing on your end?"

He shook his head. "I can't see anything around us. I was looking out for anything mirrored in our surroundings, like what we faced with the Sun. The user must be operating from farther away. Kind of explains why the Stand's so small."

"Good thinking. But I don't think any of Dio's men would repeat the same mistakes as whoever made them. Besides, we got the Stand right in front of us. We can just strike it while it's hiding. Della?" His girlfriend turned her attention to him. "You think one of your bubbles can hit it from here?"

"Of course," she said with confidence. "Plus, they're pretty silent. That Stand won't know that hit it." The fairy-like All My Love manifested behind her and aimed one of her fists directly at the canteen. A large bubble was slowly blowing at the end of it. But before she could fire it, she stopped. Her user's voice was now anxious and nervous as she said, "J-Jojo..! The Stand..! Look!"

She had pointed over to the canteen, where Noriaki and Jean Pierre were crouching away from. A small puddle had appeared before them, who didn't realize it was there as they were bickering. But they soon did when a watery hand emerged from within, opening up to reveal its sharp nails. They were frozen in place. Everyone was.

And nobody could stop it from swiping right across Noriaki's face.

The youth's name was cried out by all as he collapsed onto the sand and bled. Jean Pierre tried to get him away from where they were, panicking as he did. It became quite clear that the Stand wasn't just hiding among the water in the canteen, but was the water. They were in deep trouble, and they needed a plan.

"Polnareff," shouted Joseph, "stop panicking! Call out your Chariot and protect yourself!"

Before he could, his hand landed on the Stand's puddle. Its watery hand rose up again and prepared to swipe at its next victim. But a beeping noise made it turn its attention away from its target. It was the watch of the headless Paulie, signaling the next hour. Without any warning, it slithered up to the corpse and sliced his hand off. Its sudden change in attacked confused everyone. "What the hell is it doing," muttered Joseph. "It just attacked the pilot… But he's already dead!"

"It's not that," said Joaquín, having taken note of what the Stand aimed for. "It was the watch. As soon as the alarm went off, he went straight for it… Jean Pierre didn't make a sound before it was gonna strike… The only reason it knew he was there was cause he touched it puddle."

"So it is sound," exclaimed Mohamed. "It detects sound and attacks!"

The Frenchman had picked up his friend and was about to slowly get away from the distracted Stand. But the blood from Noriaki's wounds dripped down his face onto the sand. Just the faintest sound of it made the hand turn back around to his former target, poised to swipe again.

"JEAN PIERRE, RUN FOR IT," screamed Della, as everyone else started scrabbling onto the car. Jean Pierre ran with his friend being carried, the puddle moving in hot pursuit. It moved far too fast for him to escape, for it managed to catch up and slash the back of his leg to trip him up. Joseph was not going to let him get attacked again. His Hermit Purple shot out before the two feel and caught them, bringing back to their car. The Stand, meanwhile, had dissolved into the sand.

"Looks like we know how this fucker works," said Joaquín as he looked over the side of the car. There was no sign of the Stand. "It can move under the sand and attack whatever makes a noise. From behind or under our feet, we'll be hit before we even notice it… It can trick us and attack whatever noise it picks up... On top of all that, the user's farther than we can see… Puñeta…"

"How is Noriaki," asked Della, who was given the youth by Jean Pierre. Joutarou, as well as Joaquín, looked over her shoulder to their injured friend. Two freshly bleeding lines ran straight down his eyes. "Will he be okay?"

"This is bad," muttered Joutarou, his anger at the situation mixed with worry. "Kakyouin's in danger of going blind. We have to get him to a hospital soon."

"Then we gotta get rid of this- Huh?"

Her eyes were drawn to the side of the car. Sticking his head out of the window was Iggy, who was scrabbling for a moment before jumping out. Before anyone could ask what he was doing, they felt the front of the car starting to sink. The watery Stand had appeared again, trying to swallow them into the sand. The group tried holding onto the car, moving up so that, by some miracle, it would tilt back and free them. Iggy, meanwhile, started to curiously sniff the air.

Joaquín, who noticed this, shouted, "Hey, Iggy! Call out The Fool! Help us out!"

But the dog simply yawned and lied down to sleep.

That damn dog, he cursed in his head. I forgot how stubborn he could get. He wouldn't be doing this if I threw some gum at him…

Suddenly, the front tires were broken off, one of them being slashed up by the water. Without the weight of the tires, they were going to fall back. And hard. Joseph barked for everyone to "Brace yourselves!" as they sudden force of the fall threw everyone off the car and back onto the sand. They all watched as their ruined ride slammed back into place and the Stand slip back underground. They were sitting ducks now that the Stand had more than likely picked up where they landed.

"Nobody move," whispered Mohamed, loud enough for the others to hear. "And nobody make a sound."

Joaquín silently watched as the fortuneteller began to twist off one the golden bangles on his arms. One it was off, he tossed it about a foot or two in front of him. He repeated this a few more times, each one farther, than before but close to the last one thrown. It was with the third toss that he realized what he had planned. Mohamed's trying to trick the Stand into thinking he moved! It can feel whatever's moving on the sand! Damn, that's genius! This'll definitely work!

Once the fifth had landed, they waited with bated breath for the Stand to take the bait. Sure enough, a small puddle was bubbling up beside the last bangle. Magician's Red blazed to life behind his master, who commanded him to drive a fiery fist into the enemy Stand. But the water seemed to know it was being targeted, for it swiftly shot itself away and aimed at Mohamed. Both Stands attacked, a swipe of fire and water clashing before they both disappeared. A moment passed in silence, then…

"Who.. is he…," muttered Mohamed shakily, "it is… so strong…" And the results of the clash appeared in a spurt of blood on his neck. His neck had been slashed, making him fall back in shock. As everyone cried out in horror, the Stand reemerged with its claws ready for the kill. Joaquín could feel his anger slowly starting to bubble up inside him.

There's no way he's going to die… Not for real… We just got him back, and now some bastard's gonna have the gall to actually kill him?! No! I'm not gonna stand for it! I'm gonna fucking kick your ass for even thinking you could!

Without hesitation, Joaquín scrambled to his feet and ran away from the others. He could sense the hand swiveling around and begin to chase him now. Della cried out, "Jojo, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Don't worry," he shouted back. "Just help him out!" He wasn't simply running from them just to draw the Stand's attention to him. He was running so he could take Iggy with him. While they were attacked on the car, he noticed something that made him think. The dog had escaped before they were attacked, even sniffing the air afterwards. There was a reason why he did this, and it was clearly obvious.

Iggy has a strong nose. He knows that someone's trying to fuck with us.

Just as he approached, he could see the Boston terrier tilt his head, then rise to his feet as if to run. But Joaquín had caught up and summoned Preciosa to lift him up and transfer him into his user's hands. "Okay, Iggy," he spoke as he ran, looking down at the confused dog. "I know you know where he is. You wouldn't have escaped if you didn't know. But listen, I need you to sniff him out! We gotta stop whoever's attacking us before we all end up dead!"

He stopped in his tracks and held Iggy on the ground, the dog trying to squirm free. "We don't have time for this! The Stand's gonna catch up to us! Find out where he is, quick! If you do, I'll give you a whole pack of gum!" At the mention of gum, Iggy stopped and started sniffing the air. He looked in one direction and held his nose there. "Is he there? Is the user there, Iggy?"

In response, The Fool swirled to life behind him. But rather than have its normal hind wheels, it instead had gigantic, beastly wings attached to several rods beneath. It looked like some twisted hand glider. The Stand picked up Iggy and began to fly away. This is new. He shouted " Wait for me!" and leaped high enough for him and Preciosa to take hold of the gliding Stand's arm. Just as he did this, their enemy has shot up and nearly took Joaquín's leg.

"Ay, Jesús, that was close… Come on, Iggy! We've got a Stand user to find! Just keep sniffing!"

But it was not an easy task. Iggy couldn't control the direction of his Stand that well, so they were going in one direction. On top of that, Joaquín's weight was dragging them down more than it ought to. Several miles into their flight, he had to tuck his legs as the ground grew closer. At some point, he would have to use Preciosa to get them higher, but doing so would only give them away.

We don't have a choice. We've gotta risk it.

Iggy must have sensed the danger of what they had to do, for he started to nervously fart. "G-Geez, Iggy! Save the tooting for when you bite Jean Pierre's hair again! Just hold on!" Both he and Preciosa took one, brief step onto the sand and kicked off, soaring higher and farther away than they already were. The exhilaration of soaring so high made him want to shout with excitement, but he didn't want his voice to carry.

As if that mattered now. Looking behind him, he saw a cloud of sand barreling towards them. The Stand was giving chase. It wasn't too much to worry about. While it had been able to take down a helicopter, Joaquín knew that it was only because that aircraft made noise. Apart from Iggy's gas, they were gliding silently through the air. There was no way their enemy would be able to properly pinpoint their location.

A good distance later, Preciosa had noticed something with his telescopic eyes. About a quarter mile away, he made out a lone figure sitting in the sand. It was a tan man with dark hair sticking out in all directions, sitting cross-legged and covered in a green shroud. He held a silver cane up to his hoop-pierced ear, his expression one of a man trying to hear the faintest of noises. His eyes, Joaquín noticed, lacked color to them. That was when everything the Stand had done made sense.

He can't see, he realized. This Stand user's blind!

Upon his discovery, Joaquín noticed that there was an odd clacking noise in the air, the sound of grains hitting one another. He also noticed that sand was beginning to fill the air. It didn't come from Iggy, but rather their enemy in hot pursuit. It was deliberately kicking up sand as it chased them, using the noise as a type of sonar. Damnit! He's trying to detect where we are!

A blade of water emerged and shot out in front of him. As he tried moving out of the way, Preciosa threw a punch with his free hand. But it was too late. The Stand flew underneath the fist and sliced Joaquín's shoulder. It even went through one of The Fool's wings, throwing them off balance.

"S-Shit," he growled as they were slowly starting to lose altitude. "Iggy, k-keep us flying! Don't call your Stand back just yet!" They were not getting close enough. The enemy was still too far for them to attack just yet, and if they landed now, they would be sitting ducks for his Stand. If only he had a long-range attack like the Emerald Splash or All My Loves' bubbles, he could strike the blind man easily. But all he had was his oil (which couldn't reach that far) and-

And Iggy.

Everything clicked. He knew what he would have to do. But Iggy won't like it.

"Sorry, Iggy," he apologized as they landed. The watery hand emerged before them and slithered angrily towards them. "I'll give you two once we're done!" Preciosa grabbed the dog, The Fool dissolving above, and wasted no time throwing him as hard as he could. The poor dog spun and howled farther and farther away from him while the hand stopped its impending attack. It then immediately spun around and quickly returned to its master.

Of course, he thought as he watched the enemy's brow furrow from a distance. He's gotta call it back to defend himself. I gotta use that one opportunity to move.

He waited patiently, watching the cloud of sand racing faster than the flying Boston terrier. When they were finally close enough, he used the power of Preciosa's legs to propel himself far and fast. He watched from above as a wall of water formed around the enemy, Iggy and The Fool spectacularly colliding with it. The force of the impact, was enough to knock him backwards and drop his cane. It was at that time that Joaquín landed silently behind him.

"W-What kind of person is he," cursed the man "Joaquín just threw the dog! Damnit! I could have killed him with one final blow!" He then gasped, and his Stand pooled around him like a creeping puddle as he scrabbled blindly for his cane. "Shit! Thanks to me having to catch that dog, I can't confirm Joaquín's position! I lost sight of him! W-Where is… Where is he..?" He found it and swiftly brought the handle to his ear, keeping quiet so as to find out where he was.

But Joaquín was nowhere in front of him, nor was he moving. Neither was Iggy, for that matter. No matter how hard he would try, the enemy would have no idea that his target was standing silently behind him. This was the perfect opportunity to attack. Either he or Preciosa could defeat him in one blow from this position. But seeing this man sitting nearly defenseless, he felt that attacking like this would have been dirty. It just didn't feel right.

Iggy whined and ducked with his paws over his head, gazing fearfully at both his friend and the approaching puddle. This seemed to catch the blind man's attention. For a moment, Joaquín swore he could feel the man's eyes widening in realization. His position behind him had been given away just by that gesture of fright. No sudden movements were made, not even as the water slid slowly into the shadow of his leg. No words were spoken in that moment. The two knew what was to come.

"I see," muttered his enemy unironically. "I didn't think you'd be this close… If I hadn't brought back my Stand of water here to guard my surroundings, you would have already struck me from behind…"

"I wouldn't have," admitted Joaquín sincerely. "I don't like cheap shots like this… I'm a fighter… I prefer giving my opponents a chance to fight back.

The man chuckled and slowly held out his cane. "Then I no longer require my cane to detect sound. I'll leave it for now, but when I return, this cane…" He then let it drop. "… will be useful…"

Before it completely hit the sand, Iggy let out a hair-raising yelp. Both Preciosa and the water flew out and struck. A gloved fist slammed into the blind man's chest while the water shot under and merely grazed Joaquín's temple. The blind man was sent skidding across the sand as his cane finally landed. He was left a coughing, shaking heap, his body undoubtedly wracked with pain.

"TOMA," roared Preciosa victoriously before fading back into his user.

"D-Damn," growled Joaquín, touching his bleeding head. "You actually got me good. Don't worry, though… I held back a bit. That blow wasn't fatal."

It wasn't. But the water shooting straight through its user's head certainly was.

"¡T-Tonto! You just used… why'd you do that to yourself?!"

Even as the blood pooled beneath his head, the man smiled and shakily spoke, "Joaquín… you… were considering getting information about the other eight… from me… Joseph… Joestar's Stand… Hermit… could sense whatever I'm thinking… I can't afford to talk about anything… that would be the slightest inconvenience… to him... Heh heh heh…"

There was only one him he could think of. "Dio… But… why do you all swear allegiance to him the way you do? To the point of even dying for him..?"

"Joaquín… I am not afraid to die… not in the slightest… Heh heh… Because of my Stand's abilities… I was never afraid of of it… even as a child… My blindness didn't bother me either… I could win against anyone… Crime and murder… didn't matter to me… I wasn't afraid, not even of the police… That dog of yours… surely he understands this as well…

"But this… is the first time… that I feel from the bottom of my heart… that I do not want to be killed… by that person himself… That man… is too powerful… profound… grand… beautiful… And he… was the first person in this world... who recognized my worth... I have been waiting… for so long… to meet a person like him… I am not afraid to die… however… to be forsaken and killed by him… I couldn't bear the think that…

"Even… the wicked… need a savior of the damned…"

This entire time, Joaquín stood silent, feeling pity for this man. Sure, his heart was as dark as most of Dio's other men, but all he ever wanted in life was recognition. To feel like he was worth something. How many others had felt his pain, only to go to this man and be reassured that their lives had meaning?

"I will… only tell you this… My name is… N'Dour… And my Stand… is based on what may be… the origin of tarot cards… The Divine Geb… The god of the earth… One of the Nine Glorious Gods of Egypt…"

"Nine Glorious Gods of Egypt," he repeated in confusion. "What the hell is that?"

N'Dour cackled, spitting up more blood. His life was waning. "I can only… tell you… my Stand… You beat it… therefore… I impart.. only that… Heh… Joaquín… What kind of face… Yours... is the first… I ever… wanted to see…

"Joaquín… I… pray… for your… luck…"

N'Dour's hand collapsed. He had passed on.

In the wake of this man's death, Joaquín was left with an odd, bitter taste in his mouth. This man… was proud to be who he was… Even though he was an outcast… If I ever met him before any of this, I might have become friends with him. But it's too late for that… Dio… he manipulated him, and turned him into a fanatic like the rest of his men… He's a terrible man… On top of that, there's these Nine Gods we have to worry about, too… Just who are they…?

Man… we've got a long road ahead of us… and little time… For now… I guess I can give N'Dour a burial here… It's the least he deserves…

He spent the next few minutes using Preciosa to dig up a hole to bury the man. As he did this, he could feel Iggy's eyes on him, staring with trepidation and annoyance. "I'm, er, sorry I had to throw you, buddy," he apologized, turning to the dog and giving him a nervous smile. "You got every right to be pissed at me. But it was either us or him… Anyway… Thanks, buddy. You're a good boy."

The praise made him huff, but his little tail wagged appreciatively.

"Hey, you wanna help me dig? There's still those two packs I owe you."

And with that, the two dug up the makeshift grave for N'Dour. Once they had finished burying him, Joaquín stuck the silver cane upon the mound. Only those who knew the man would realize this was where he lied. Joaquín gave a silent prayer and walked off with his dog, hoping from the bottom of his heart that this man would be forgiven in the next life.

~N'DOUR (1963-1989): RIP~