Now that a key factor has come into play, there will certainly be an influx of dangerous competitors that the rest have to watch out for. For this particular individual, this is more than a factor. It's a golden opportunity, in both wiping the floor with the competition, and for spiteful vengeance…
A Few Days Later..
After a good amount of time had passed since the beginning of the first stage, things have certainly been tense for everyone competing. Surprisingly, nobody has been eliminated in the first couple of days. But this only means people have been doing well surviving as well as probably gained strong alliances with others.
One of those not currently in an alliance of sorts was MacArthur, who has taken the challenge of the race alone. A ballsy decision, but unsurprising for someone like her. It was currently sundown, and the sky began to turn dark. So, she decides to take camp next to a cliff wall.
"Well well well. What do we have here?" MacArthur smirked.
The young police cadet was currently collecting berries from a nearby desert shrub. And she's got some pretty ripe ones of abundant yield.
"Blackberries. Just as I thought. I knew my sense of smell wouldn't let me down." MacArthur smiled. "Now to stock up. I don't know when I'll encounter a town or care package again."
After collecting a hefty load of berries, MacArthur walked back to her campsite while savoring the berries with every bite. She properly stores her supplies next to her resting horse before lying down next to a lit campfire.
"Let's just hope I get an actual sleeping bag before I reach a forest of sorts. Lying on the ground will not be as fun there." MacArthur stated.
Just as she was about to go to sleep, a slight rumbling sound was heard nearby. She perks up to see that the noise came from behind a nearby boulder next to the cliff wall.
"Ugh, what was that?" MacArthur called out. "Is someone behind that boulder? I warn you that stalking a police officer is a very punishable offense."
Nothing else was heard. But deep down, MacArthur knew someone was nearby, and she's not willing to back up from a fight. The police cadet held her right arm over her side, almost like an American cowboy.
"I'm warning you, ya bastard! Come out with your hands up!" MacArthur ordered. "If it's you, brain freeze, so help me if I end you here and now!"
Suddenly, a shadow was seen leaving from behind the boulder. This was what caused MacArthur's instincts to trigger.
"You've underestimated me, Josee!" MacArthur yelled out.
A swirl of silver spiritual energy gathers in MacArthur's hand, forming into something that resembles a revolver. A metal frame covers the top of the long barrel, under which is a cylinder. It had no sights, and a large sphere was embedded in the frame between the hammer and the barrel.
"I've gotcha now! Emperor!" MacArthur exclaimed.
Four quick shots were fired from the revolver, which was a Stand MacArthur called the Emperor. The bullets quickly pierce their target as some blood was seen spilling.
"Whoa. Head on." MacArthur commented as she recalled her revolver Stand.
Curious to see what she actually hit, she quickly approaches the boulder and takes a look behind it.
"Well, this does not look good." MacArthur stated as she saw the sight.
What she hit seemed to be a small colony of rats, and while all the bullets killed their targets, the remaining rats fled from the scene.
"The ones I killed were running in the same position. These rats seemed to be running from something before I killed them." MacArthur noted. "Something definitely made a bit of noise here. If that's the case…"
MacArthur turned around the boulder and noticed a strange oddity in the rocks behind the boulder. An odd circular cavity was formed within the rock. And the cavity was lined with char marks. From the char on the rocks and the faint hint of smoke in the air, this almost seemed like…
"...an explosion?" MacArthur raised her eyebrow at this.
Suddenly, a faint metal sound was heard, and a small glint caught MacArthur's eye. Immediately concluding this was a trap, the cadet sprung into action.
"Emperor!" MacArthur yelled out as she summoned her revolver Stand.
The cadet quickly fired a shot, which knocked the incoming projectile out of trajectory. Said projectile landed on the sand, which turned out to be a knife.
"Whoa. Never seen that tried on me." MacArthur commented.
"I would say expect the unexpected in a race like this, but we both know you won't be in the game long enough for that to happen."
MacArthur quickly perked up in surprise upon recognising that voice. She looks ahead to see someone she didn't want to encounter at all. With the brunette ponytail and a pink outfit used in the winter, this was her sworn enemy, her rival.
"I know Jacques keeps trying to tell me that knife throwing shouldn't be a contingency plan whenever we find ourselves in difficult tournaments, but I just couldn't help myself." Josee was seen sharpening another knife. "And why would I? In a race as grand as this, against my worst enemy."
"You…" MacArthur eyed her rival down. "And what are you up to? I thought you'd be busy looking for colder climates."
"I've had just about enough of your snarky comments. Maybe if I send you to the Spectator's Suite, you'd actually shut up." Josee rolled her eyes.
"Just shut it, popsicle stick. Emperor!" MacArthur yelled out.
MacArthur summons her gun Stand and fires with a gunslinger's speed. Josee, being able to see the gun and the bullets, manages to dodge to the side, avoiding the shots.
"So you can see my Stand. Is that why you're gunning for me now?" MacArthur asked.
"Yeah. That's why. And I would've preferred if you weren't a Stand User when we encountered each other for the first time in this race." Josee stated. "But it won't matter. Let's see whose resolve is stronger."
"Heh, resolve? You've gone all philosophical while I wasn't looking?" MacArthur asked.
"Whatever. I don't expect someone of your brains to know about it." Josee rolled her eyes at this.
"So you are a Stand User from the way you dodged the bullets." MacArthur stated as she smirked. "But I guess that won't be an issue."
"What are you talking about?" Josee asked.
As they talked, the bullets that Josee had dodged were seen zooming over the landscape. While they seemed to be heading in a straight direction, suddenly, they made a sharp turn backwards, heading their way back to the encounter.
"Hmph. Too late." MacArthur smirked.
MacArthur prompted Josee to look behind her. She then finally noticed the bullets from MacArthur's Emperor coming straight towards her.
"Guess you didn't expect this. The bullets are still a part of my Stand!" MacArthur exclaimed.
Stand Name: Emperor
Stand User: Valentina "MacArthur" Escobar
A rare non-humanoid Stand ability in the form of a gun, the Emperor is simple and straightforward. The gun has basically unlimited ammunition and can be fired as quickly as a regular revolver. In addition to this, the bullets shot out by the Stand are able to be controlled by the User, since they are still a part of the Stand.
"Now, I can finally draw out your own Stand! I can finally see what I'm up against!" MacArthur yelled out.
Seeing the danger coming her way, Josee decides to reveal her own Stand ability. She begins to glow a dark purple aura as her energy begins to manifest into her Stand. A pink, muscular humanoid as tall as Josee herself. Its crown is flat and it has two triangular shapes protruding the sides of its head reminiscent of a cat, and it has large red eyes with the white vertical pupils of a cat. And it has dark, studded, leather, forearm-length gloves, mirrored in style by its garter belt-like band around its waist and its ankle-high footwear.
"Killer Queen…" Josee narrowed her eyes.
Josee quickly uses her Stand's hands to block the incoming bullets and dodge the remaining ones. Unfortunately for her, since the bullets are still technically parts of a Stand, her hand gets punctured by the bullets.
"Hggk!" Josee gritted her teeth upon taking the damage.
"Haaaaa!" MacArthur yelled out.
Josee looked backwards, only to get pistol whipped by the police cadet using her Stand. The ice dancer gets knocked onto the sand, and had the Emperor pointed at her.
"Who knew one of my first experiences with a firearm will be with you. Oh, your face looks so damn punchable!" MacArthur threatened. "Back down and maybe I'll shoot your legs to keep you in the game."
"Heh. You think I'll actually go with such a stupid ultimatum like that?" Josee asked while in pain. "Why not let me test out my newfound abilities before the fight is on?"
Josee reaches into her pocket and takes out something small. MacArthur wasted no time in acting out in response.
"Hey! Gimme that!" MacArthur quickly swipes the small object, which was a generic looking coin. "What were you planning to do with this coin?"
"Well, I was gonna demonstrate my Killer Queen's ability before we get the fight started, but I guess you've made my goal a lot easier." Josee dryly stated.
"Huh? What do you mean?" MacArthur raised an eyebrow at this.
"My Killer Queen's ability is simple enough for even you to understand." Josee stood up, summoning her Stand. "You see, whenever my Killer Queen holds something with its hand, the something in question…"
Josee then holds out her right hand in similar fashion to a detonator, and her Stand does the same gesture as well.
"...becomes a bomb." Josee's eyes filled with bloodthirsty determination.
Hearing this, the young cadet's eyes grow wide in surprise. As Josee does the detonation gesture, MacArthur manages to toss away the coin in time. The coin detonates midair, creating a large explosion that shook the area and covered it with heat in smoke.
"Oh man! That was powerful!" MacArthur exclaimed
MacArthur began to cough as the explosion uprooted heavy dust that filled the air. She began to try and get her orientation back when she heard a voice yell out.
"Killer Queen!" Josee yelled out.
The police cadet opened her eyes as she saw Josee coming at her with her Stand out.
"Emperor!" MacArthur yelled out as she summoned her Stand.
But Josee expected this to happen. She grabs MacArthur's right arm holding the Emperor and stops her from aiming at her.
"What?!" MacArthur exclaimed.
"Don't think you're getting eliminated before I get satisfied. I'll make you pay for making me lose the race and deny me a spot at the gold podium!" Josee growled.
Killer Queen lands a powerful knee bash on MacArthur's side, causing her to wince and cough out blood.
"I… knew you were dead set on… winning the race… but… I didn't expect you to stoop this low!" MacArthur growled.
"Oh, did I not make myself clear when I said I'll do anything it takes for the podium?" Josee sarcastically asked. "Even in our time in the race, you still don't know how much I value the thrill of competition, and the drive it takes to win the gold."
Killer Queen began to barrage the living crap out of MacArthur with a flurry of punches. And without a proper humanoid Stand to block this onslaught, MacArthur is left helpless during the attack.
"Now, take this! Killer Queen!" Josee roared out.
Killer Queen stops the barrage to charge an attack, but this just gives MacArthur enough time needed. She quickly summons the Emperor and fires a shot at the ice dancer.
"Oh no, you don't!" Josee yelled out as she took out another coin.
Josee chucks the coin at the incoming bullet, causing it to fly higher and on a trajectory towards MacArthur.
"Killer Queen! Detonate!" Josee does another detonator gesture.
"Emperor!" MacArthur aimed her Stand upwards.
Just as Josee was about to detonate the coin, MacArthur managed to shoot it upwards. This causes the coin to detonate high above the two, covering them in smoke, light and heat.
"Hmph. You certainly think fast." Josee commented.
"Shut it. It's either you or me that's gonna be eliminated first." MacArthur aimed the Emperor at the enemy. "Bring it on."
"My pleasure…" Josee smirked with confidence as she summoned her Killer Queen.
And with that, a new chapter is finished! And I'm finally getting my writing schedule back! With two rivals locked in a battle of survival, how will this fight affect the rest of the game? Stick around and find out!