Outskirts of Llasa, 41 Days Remaining
Cracking his neck, Jotaro steps out of the winding down helicopter and surveys the surrounding area. The sun is in the midst of setting, but he can still see the snow-wreathed mountains of Tibet forming a wall in front of him. He has to squint at the shining orange reflection of the setting sun behind him, but with Star Platinum's eyes he can spot a small trail leading up a far-off mountain, girdled by a winding river in the valley below it.
The Nu River. From what the guy at Speedwagon Foundation said, we have to traverse that trail until we reach the base camp near the summit of a smaller mountain in that range…A guide would make this less of a pain in the ass.
Jotaro turns to speak with the helicopter pilot, but stops short with a scowl when he sees Joseph still flailing his limbs like an idiot in his seat, eyes closed.
Not having to drag him around would be the easiest thing. Still…
With a pound of his fist on the helicopter door, Jotaro jostles Joseph out of his intense music session. Jotaro points at his own ears, and Joseph removes his headphones.
"Gramps, let's get moving. It's almost night."
"What, Star Platinum can't see in the dark?"
"No, I won't feel my feet in the snow up there. Hurry up." Turning slightly, Jotaro cocks his head to the pilot, who waves in acknowledgement.
We have two days we can waste here. I'm sure the others can make it just fine. We're almost halfway to Egypt.
Joseph hops out and stows away his headphones before he traipses up right behind Jotaro, and gently flicks his ear.
"Why the long face, oh grandson of mine?"
"Can it. We should get there before nightfall tomorrow if we get moving. Grab that pack and let's get going."
"Wait, why do I have to carry this damn thing?" Joseph tugs at the large duffel bag tucked under the helicopter seats, and strains a bit as he hoists it onto his back. "What the hell, Jotaro, why is this so damn heavy?"
Jotaro chuckles a bit to himself, and just walks up the path.
Tibetan Mountains, 1988
Joseph drags his weary legs through the snowy mountain path, having spent the last two hours lagging behind Jotaro as they rushed up the mountain side.
Damn kid making me do all the heavy lifting. Star Platinum could probably lift this with his left pinky…
As he glares at Jotaro, he notices the teenager shivering despite his resolute gait and stoicism. Sure enough, the temperature drop from the sun setting was biting into Jotaro every step they took. The wind chill isn't helping either, and with a burst of speed Joseph overtakes Jotaro and stands in front of him.
"Let's break camp, shall we? I'm utterly exhausted and I'm not going any further even if you threaten to crack my skull in." Jotaro glares him dead in the eyes and tightens his lips together, before finally speaking.
"…Fine. The supplies are in the bag."
Time passes…
Settling into a nook on the path, out of the way of the howling mountain wind, the two set up their small camp under the clear night sky. Jotaro sits with his arms folded in front of the fire, doing his best to maintain an aura of invincibility. Joseph just hums to himself as he eats the rations in the bag. They tasted a lot better than 1930s rations. Even some nice candy packed in there, too.
I wonder why I never see him use Hamon. He's probably just too shy to use it in front of a master like me…
Feeling the cold set in, Joseph rubs his exposed arms to warm them up as he breathes in deeply. The altitude and thin air takes a bit more effort, but a rush of Hamon in his heartbeat warms him back up.
"I gotta say, these mountains are terrible. Even the Alps had a ton of trees. Barely a shrub to light out here." Jotaro is silent, and Joseph hears the faintest of teeth chatter come from his grandson. "C'mon, Japan has to be as cold as this sometimes."
"How the hell do you stay warm wearing that gaudy outfit, gramps?" Jotaro spits out in annoyance.
"Are you that much of a novice you can't even control your breath in the cold? I learned in thirty days with a damn gas mask on…"
"I don't use that Hamon crap."
"What? It's a family tradition! I mean it's just me, my mom, and my grandfather, but still!"
"Yare yare daze…"
"Don't tell me. You haven't even tried?"
"Leave me alone, gramps. I want to get some sleep tonight."
"No way, mister, I'm not letting my pain in the ass training slip by any of my kids. If I had to suffer Hell Climb Pillar, the rest of you do!" Jotaro gets up silently, and goes into the tent.
Fine, freeze then.
Joseph clenches his teeth, and stares up at the sky above him. Stars flood the sky, and the blistering wind smashes against the mountaintops above them. He steadies his breath, and grabs his blanket from the pile of supplies. Stretching his legs, he stands and holds the blanket a short distance from the flame, flipping it when gets warm.
He does this a few times before he's satisfied with the temperature, and then chucks it into Jotaro's tent. Joseph swears he could hear a bit of grumbling, but soon all is quiet besides the wind and crackling fire once more. Sitting once more, Joseph lets his eyes close as he keeps his hands open to the fire.
Definitely more peaceful than my nights in Venice. Or the Alps. I could almost…
Time passes…
A crunch of snow. Joseph jolts awake, but keeps his eyes closed. He tries to feel the vibrations around him, but the snow dampens whatever it is he's trying to sense. The fire has died out, and opening his eyes only greets him with dim starlight to check his surroundings. Joseph gets up as quietly as he can, and puts his ear to Jotaro's tent as not to let the heat out.
He's definitely asleep in there. So who could be…there!
Joseph points in front of him a ways up the trail, and shouts: "Hey, you, shady guy!"
The figure stops in its tracks, and turns around. He had barely been able to make out the blot in the darkness, but still, the figure stopped. Descending, the mysterious figure comes close enough for Joseph to make out some details. The person in question walked with heavy steps in snowshoes, and their back seemed twisted with age as their gait limped down the mountainside. A heavy robe and hood cloaked their body, and they dragged themselves with a walking stick.
"What's an old geezer like you doing up in these mountains this time of night?" The figure pulled their hood down, revealing an extremely old man with a bedraggled beard and mostly bald head.
"Ah, this old man was making a pilgrimage of sorts. Forgive me for going past your camp without saying too much, you did happen to be sleeping."
"Yeah yeah, pilgrimage where? This trail doesn't look like a path to Mecca to me."
"Oh, there's an ancient temple at the top of this trail." The man pauses, squinting at Joseph's face, apparently unable to see too well in the dark.
"Hm." Joseph scratches his chin in thought. "Do you happen to know these mountains?"
"Well, yes. I have been quite the world traveler in my day."
"Great! You'll be our guide, we can pay you well once we get there. I'm tired of taking the slow way up this damn mountain. Luck must be on my side!"
"I never…fine. It seems you may not be an experienced climber." A ray of moonshine casts itself onto the trail, illuminating both men's faces. The man studies Joseph's face, and Joseph scans the old man's. A pale of silence hangs over the two. They both speak up at the same time.
"You're…homeless, aren't you?" Another thrum of silence, before it's broken by raucous laughter. The tent stirs, and Jotaro unzips the tent a bit to see out.
"Keep it down out there."
"Oh, Jotaro, I found us a guide."
"Yes, well your helpless friend right here needs help and I can't refuse a puppy in need."
"Great. Be quiet." Jotaro rezips the tent, and Joseph holds out his hand to shake it.
"Alright then, Joseph. I'll meet you back here at sunrise. I'll scout the road ahead so you and your friend can get a safe passage up."
"Sounds good, Mr. Mountain Guide. I'll be glad to let you do the heavy lifting for me."
"You better pay as well as you promise." The man turns and hoists himself up the mountain, noisily heaving snow as he drags himself up.
Tibetan Mountains, 40 Days Remaining
Jotaro listens as silently as he can as the mysterious guide walks up the trail. He focuses, and as the loud, clumsy steps peter out they suddenly fade out completely.
Guide, my ass. He shouldn't be an assassin, though. Unless Jojo…he wouldn't try to spy on DIO again after last time? Hm.
Feeling a wave of exhaustion crash once more, Jotaro drifted back to sleep.
Time passes…
The wind bites into Jotaro's skin as he lingers behind Joseph and the old man guiding them up. A blizzard had been assaulting them since sunrise, but despite that they had been keeping a good pace. The man calls out behind him to both Jotaro and Joseph, fighting the snowy wind for volume.
"We're almost there, you two. There was a camp up top where it plateaus."
"You hanging in there, Jotaro?"
"Just fine."
"Remember, just BREATHE, Jotaro. It's easy!"
"Can it."
"Speaking of breathing, did you two know about the temple at the top of this mountain?"
"No idea, we were just checking in on some business."
It's a dig site, but they never said where they were digging. Let's see what this old geezer has to say.
"It was an ancient order of monks that lived there. From what I know, they changed locations 50 years ago after a bloodbath. Supposedly they practiced some magical martial arts."
"Wait, would this happen to be a temple for Hamon warriors?"
"Ah, yes, that was the name."
"Hm…"
Of course, Joseph has heard of it…but he trained in Hamon in Venice. There's more to this.
"Checks out. Although it seems odd that they found something under…"
"What's that?"
"Oh, nothing. Keep leading on, Mr. Guide."
Stone masks under a Hamon temple. Once we get clear of this stranger I should try and rattle out what Joseph's thinking right now. He seems stuck on something.
Sure enough, Joseph strokes his chin as he fights against the blizzard. The old man hobbles on, and Jotaro watches his feet as they stumble in the snowshoes. No doubt the man is truly that old, but Jotaro can't shake the sound of his footsteps disappearing last night. He watches on.
Time passes…
After a few more hours walking, the blizzard clears as they crest the summit of one of the smaller mountains in the range. Looking down, Jotaro sees the river from earlier still snaking through the valley. In front, there are several tents, floodlights, and pieces of machinery littering the snow covered mountaintop. The place is silent, and the old man stops dead in his tracks.
"Strange…"
"What's that?"
"I saw plenty of those lights on last night as I scouted the trail. But it looks like no one is here."
"Hey."
"What's up Jotaro?"
"I'm going to find a port-a-john."
"Huh, sure. Thanks for telling me I guess. I'm going to look around, come find me later." Joseph dips off to examine the dig site up ahead past the equipment, and the old man hobbles slowly after him. Jotaro stands still, and after they get far enough ahead he dips into a large tent on the side. Sure enough, there isn't anyone there. Scientific equipment, stone core samples, and processed photographs are strewn across the tables and surfaces inside. The tent is strangely warm, and following the source Jotaro finds a small space heater still running. He warms his hands, and continues to scan the room in silence. Finally, his eyes catch something on the floor near him, partially underneath a table. He reaches and picks up a clipboard, filled with notes. They're mostly unintelligible scribble, but the top of the clipboard reads "Video Sample Report".
Turning to lean on a table, Jotaro bumps his elbow on a rather bulky camera sitting on top of it. As he moves in front of it, he hears the shutter close.
Is this…a digital camera? Does Speedwagon Foundation normally leave this kind of thing unattended…wait.
Jotaro picks up the camera, which starts to rapidly take pictures as Jotaro roughly manhandles the delicate piece of equipment. Sure enough, Jotaro finds what he's looking for. A side panel opens up and displays the last image taken, before shifting to another picture as he continues to move it around. A small pad is embedded on the side of the camera, where the panel locks in to. Jotaro punches in the left and right buttons on the pad, and eventually scrolls to right before Jotaro's elbow shows up in the frame.
Let's see…