Jonathan searches for Jack but ends up encountering the party.
A day had passed since he last saw the zombie. He no longer felt the intangible connection the two had as master and servant, like the thread between them had been severed suddenly. Jonathan was forced to conclude that Jack was dead.
If that was the case, it meant someone exceptionally powerful had arrived in London. More importantly, that likely meant they were aware of his existence. It was hard to know what to do at this point. The possibility of vampire hunters or even just concerned citizens in a mob had crossed his mind in the past, but being faced with the reality of the situation was another story.
No matter what he decided, he should at least assess the situation firsthand. That was why he stalked the rooftops of London this night, finally having emerged from his hideaway to search for Jack's killer. Cape dramatically blowing in the wind, he overlooked a rowdy pub whose patrons were seemingly throwing a loud and joyous party.
He felt somewhat envious of the men inside, wishing to join them for even just the simple satisfaction of human contact. Unfortunately, his hunger right now meant he couldn't trust himself not to lose grip on his urges, forcing him to merely be an observer.
"Can't you stay a little longer?" he heard someone say as the doors opened. "It's your party!"
"Sorry, I've got business," a familiar voice replied. "Thanks for your help, lads. I'll stop by again soon." Out walked Speedwagon, sighing in disappointment at being unable to collect any information on the vampire's whereabouts.
Struck by the sight of his former ally, Jonathan moved in closer to assess the situation. Despite his whispers, Speedwagon's words were still easy to hear. "No luck. Mr. Joestar, where have you gone? I know if you simply showed yourself, we could convince the baron not to harm you. Prove to him that your virtuous heart is still just as strong as it always has been."
Despite his better judgment, Jonathan was intrigued by these words. Placing his trust in an old friend, he descended to the street, appearing behind Speedwagon. "You've been looking for me?" he asked.
Speedwagon whipped around with a start, relaxing just slightly after recognizing Jonathan's face. "Mr. Joestar!" he cried out. "Yes, we have been! It's such a relief to finally see you!"
"Have you come here to kill me?" he asked sadly.
"Never!" Speedwagon proclaimed. "Others may have saw that as an option, but I always held out hope that you would be just as noble as you were in life. And from the looks of you, you haven't let me down! Ms. Pendleton and I knew you'd triumph over your affliction!"
"Pendleton?" he said. "Erina Pendleton? Why has she become involved in this?" Jonathan was almost panicked, fearing he may have done something to her or his family in his rage that he didn't even remember.
"She was beside herself with worry once the news of your disappearance broke! She's come with me and a man named Baron Zeppeli to try and find you. Though he may wish to eliminate you, I'm sure we can convince him otherwise if I can have him agree to meet you!"
He gestured with his arm for Jonathan to follow him. "Come! We'll face him together. You've got nothing to fear with the indomitable Speedwagon on your side!" He began to walk forward, stopping when he realized Jonathan was still stood behind him. "What's troubling you?"
"This is a mistake," Jonathan said. "I'm a creature of the night. An unholy abomination. I don't have any business consorting with the living like this. The truth of the matter is I haven't managed to overcome this curse, merely subdue it for a time. And to do that, I've had to resort to unsavory methods."
"You can't mean..." he said, mouth agape.
Jonathan nodded sadly. "I told myself that feeding only on the most wicked would somehow be less reprehensible, but I was fooling myself. Taking life just to satisfy my hunger...there's nothing noble in that."
Speedwagon wiped tears from his eyes, firm in his resolve. "You're wrong! The fact that you feel remorse even for the wicked shows that you truly are the most noble man I've ever known! You'd rather starve and suffer than harm another!"
"That won't change what I've done," he said. "I can't face Erina or your acquaintance. Leave me behind, Speedwagon."
He thought over what he was going to say next, realizing it could mean life as he knew it would be over. "If that's how you feel, then...I'll stay with you!" Jonathan was taken aback by this, Speedwagon continuing on. "A human accomplice! I'll find a way for you to eat without harming others. Just the two of us until the rest of our days, living simply without fear of those who'd do us harm."
Jonathan couldn't understand Speedwagon's loyalty or admiration. In his own eyes, he was nothing more than a monster and a criminal, murdering the weak to use as cattle. To Speedwagon, though, he was like the sun, a beacon of hope that even the lowest at their lowest could still retain some semblance of humanity and honor.
Before he could make a decision, Jonathan's vampiric senses picked up the sound of rushing air and an electric-like crackle. He caught the blade of a knife between his fingers, dropping it in pain a moment later and noticing how some strange energy was eroding the parts of him that touched the blade.
"Excellent distraction," Dio said smugly. "If you'd kept his attention just a moment longer, I'd have plunged my knife straight into his brain."
With a look of horror, Speedwagon shouted, "Mr. Joestar, it's a misunderstanding! I'd never mean you harm!" It was too late, though, Jonathan leaping into the air to ascend back to the rooftops, both his rage and hunger reaching a peak at the sight of his dastardly brother.
"Dio!" he shouted, dodging out of the way of a Gatling Blades attack to hide behind a chimney. The sound of Dio's laughter was sickening given how obviously he was enjoying the chance to kill Jonathan once again. Even Speedwagon couldn't stand it, calling for their allies and hoping they'd respond in the areas of the city they occupied.
Baron Zeppeli was the first on the scene, landing on the rooftop several feet from Jonathan. He greeted the vampire with a tip of his hat. "Jonathan Joestar," he said, eyes narrowing as he prepared for battle. "We've never met before, but I say this to the mask that awakened you – we meet at last!"
"I presume you're the baron Speedwagon mentioned," Jonathan replied, standing firm despite his predicament.
"Will A. Zeppeli, at your service." He took several breaths prior to his next statement, Jonathan having the courtesy to allow him this time to ready himself. "The dark power you possess must be intoxicating. Tell me, before we begin. How many lives have you taken since you wore that mask?"
"Far too many," Jonathan said. That was the moment they clashed, Zeppeli launching his arm forward to strike Jonathan with a Hamon punch, the gentleman catching it deftly in his hand. "Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!" he declared.
"Mr. Joestar!" Speedwagon yelled, seeing the crackle of solar energy around Zeppeli's fist.
Rather than harm him, though, the Hamon wouldn't connect. Jonathan's hand and arm had turned an icy blue, eventually spreading to Zeppeli's own fist. Instinctively withdrawing himself, Zeppeli's blood was shed as a frozen layer of skin was torn from his body. "What is this trickery?" he shouted.
"I've spent time testing the limits of my body," Jonathan explained. "With complete control of my physiology, I can vaporize moisture from my limbs to freeze things solid. All I've done is prevent the blood from flowing in your hand, stopping your attack. Please, withdraw now. I do not wish to hurt you further."
"This is inconceivable," Zeppeli said, holding his wounded fist inside his coat to warm it. "This man is a vampire created by the mask, yet he still holds back against opponents trying to end his life! Sir, do you mock my abilities?"
"No," Jonathan replied with a shake of his head. "I only wish that there be no more blood shed because of me."
Zeppeli had to laugh at this. "That's quite the claim. Maybe those rumors of your true nature weren't entirely wrong." With a sigh, he added, "Perhaps if we'd met some other way, we may have even been comrades. Unfortunately, it's my duty to defeat you and destroy that accursed mask!"
"Well said, Baron Zeppeli!" Dio called out, having leaped up behind Jonathan while he was distracted. Tossing another volley of knives, Jonathan was forced to bat them away with his hands, sustaining some damage in the process.
Almost on instinct and fueled by his rage, Jonathan's hate-fueled glare turned deadly, two beams of compressed fluid shooting from his eyes toward Dio. "What the devil?" he cried, twisting in midair to avoid one of the beams while taking the second in the shoulder.
Before the battle could proceed further, Erina appeared. She hadn't fully allowed herself to believe the things that had been said up until that point. Some small part of her hoped that they'd simply been confused and were on the trail of a different monster. Now, though, she had no choice but to believe.
"Jonathan," she said, fear, anguish, and many other emotions overtaking her.
With a single look, Jonathan suddenly felt shame greater than ever before. The two locked eyes briefly before he jumped backwards, disappearing into the shadows and escaping Zeppeli and Dio's assault.
Been favoring Phantom Crusade lately since I've been wanting to get to a certain point for a while, so here's a new chapter to make up for it.
Speedwagon finally gets to confess his feelings like he planned to do in the hospital in the main timeline. It was always love at first kicked in the chest, but now it gets to be a supernatural romance. I really do admire just how much of a cool dude Speedwagon is about all that, since he immediately realizes Jonathan's only ever going to love Erina and still keeps being his bro knowing they aren't meant to be.
You can really tell everyone is slowly starting to come to the realization that Jonathan is still a much better person than Dio after these last two chapters. Even in the middle of fighting to the death, Zeppeli has to stop and complement Jonathan for being such a merciful supernatural monster. How do you think that's going to shake out in the long run?
Thanks for reading. Share if you're enjoying. Always remember to make a run for it with your vampire boyfriend.