The Devil Within 3 - (JoJo, Diavolo!SI)

While the job itself sounded fabulous - going out to find ancient relic in Northern Africa and getting paid to do that - the situation is a far shadier one than I had imagined.

I was familiar with the fact that there was a whole lot of bureaucracy when it comes to Archeology, but I didn't expect this friend that asked for me had done enough skimming for work-related rights to pretty much set up a slavery business in Egypt. And I was... well, one of the so-called 'trusted managers' of this whole endeavor. Thank God I wasn't planning to stay beyond what I was looking for.

Hell, the pay wasn't even worth it. I can't buy shit with the equivalent of 1000 Dollars a month (if the project goes well, because due to a contract's clause says that it matters if this makes a profit puts a big IF when it comes to getting paid), and I knew the Arrows were what truly mattered.

Months went by, and I grow a bit weary as the heat was unlike anything I had seen before. I was Sicilian in the previous life, which made me somewhat familiar with the African heat, and yet this body had grown in the far colder Sardinia. And the sun here was literally scorching.

Had to use wet cloth over my head to keep myself from getting a heat stroke. And I had to assist multiple times when less-lucky workers fainted on the chore of digging into the sand. The worst part was the fact we weren't doing this to find a specific artifact - this was a little scam ran by this 'friend' (who I had started to genuinely loathe) that wanted to cash in on lousy insurance laws to make money at the expense of others.

The sheer amount of maddening glee I felt when I found the damn box with the arrowheads was massive. I took great care in hiding it from the rest, a task made easier as managers were able to smuggle items that were deemed 'unimportant' with ease. I was lucky enough I never did this until it came to the box.

The operation had a camp nearby where tents had been placed down and everyone had their own. I got to mine, sitting down with the box and glancing at the arrows. It took me a while to recognize each of the arrowheads, and I smiled as I prepared a plan on how to deal with this-

The truth was I didn't know where Dio's Manor was, and how protected it currently was. Also, I had gone out of my way to not pierce myself with the Stand Arrow to avoid causing Enya the Hag to notice I was 'suspicious' and aware of its power. No, I had to play it clever. I planned to sell three of the five arrowheads, keeping the regular Stand Arrow and the Requiem One.

With that in mind, I went to bed and prepared my last few days of work without getting caught deserting the camp. No, I had to prepare my stuff as calmly as possible and check the best viable 'secret' path out of the country. It didn't help we were nowhere near the sea, but deep near Cairo. That being said, this location helped getting a meeting with Enya.

The short hag was haggling her stuff, looking regular over the other merchants and yet eyed me and my box the moment we approached her.

"Oh my, if it isn't a young man with ambitions that comes for guidance."

Her 'mystic' bullshit was always weird, and right now it was unnerving. How much can she look into one person? How much can she read off from their aura? These factors and more could easily determine a potential success of outright failure if I proved to be too 'good'.

"Hm?" I feigned ignorance, mustering my English to return her words. "What are you on about, madam?"

She offered a ugly smile. Politeness goes a long way, and aloofness sells the act of being 'ignorant'.

"The box with the relics. I can sense their power."

It took me much to appear curious and greedy. It wasn't a novelty, and I knew enough about Stand Powers that I knew the users of this Part would be hardcore wrecked by what comes after Part 6.

"And what are the relics, if you can sense them?"

Smugness exuded from the woman's grin. "Arrows. Made of unusual material."

It was 'convincing' enough for me to show them to her. She cackled, a disgusting noise that almost had me scowl at her. She was too busy eyeing the arrowheads anyway, eyes wide open as she was mesmerized by those.

"These arrows, they can provide powers beyond your wildest imagination," Enya admitted giddily. "I can tell you more, but I wish to... buy them."

"I would like to keep some," I rebuked, sounding unsure but then smiling. "I can give you three."

She nodded, a bit disgruntled that she couldn't get all or four. She paid for them a lot nonetheless, and she then provided me the expected spiel about what a 'Spirit' would be like and their potential, and also the loose explanation on 'Fate and Gravity'.

"That being said... I have another offer for you."

And that is what I was looking for. An opportunity to strike.

"An offer?"

She nodded, fishing a business card that said 'Lord Brando and Associates', showing a phone number and even address. I was a bit surprised that Dio had gone out of his way to do this, but perhaps it was his minions that did this without any input. It made their situation more legitimate, I guess.

"Find us to this location tomorrow at night. You will met a man of great value to humanity."

Ironic that she was calling a soulless vampire that. I merely nodded, picked the two arrows I kept and then left with the promise of 'giving it a thought'. I was going to it, but not to make friends. Oh no, that was going to be a bloodbath.

Even if Enya managed to get Dio the arrows at the earliest, he wouldn't be able to use his body and his Stand at peak capacity. The time stop was barely a second when he first used it, so I had an advantage in knowing this tidbit, and also capitalize on it with my future Stand.

For a big minute, I though that I wasn't getting ï½¢King Crimsonï½£. The reason why it was crucial it had to be this or something similar hinged on a specific Stat or two: Strength and Speed. Both of which were meant to be As. While this data wasn't outright telling of matching or beating a specific Stand with similar attributes, it gave assurance that the difference was minimal.

As the Arrow cut into my finger, I felt a sharp chest pain, and I felt like I was having a stroke. Which was ironic since I was 20 at the moment, and in an athletic frame. I fall unconscious in bed, a feverish headache ripping away any effort to endure the pain of acquiring a Stand.

I close my eyes, I felt my consciousness slip and soon I was no longer in my tent. I was standing, fixing my clothes and eyeing my new Stand.

Except I wasn't the one smirking at it. It was a lookalike as I was standing right on the side. I looked down and saw nothing. I was a... ghost? I frowned, my confusion shifting as I trailed after the sosia, the pink-haired man following the right steps to find the address. It was night, it was time to get the plan started.

And the plan goes rather smoothly. Rather than go for an all-out brawl, I take down each threat on their lonesome or in duets where possible. I keep suspicions to a minimum, slipping around with ruthless precision and murder unlike anything I have done up to this are all monsters. Not all, but I was saying this to myself as I pushed through the massacre.

I even get a clean shot decapitating Enya. And then, as I was done with the 'appetizer', I moved to face DIO as he was still in his room before being called for his speech. He is fragile, he had yet to adapt to Jonathan's body. This was the best chance I got at killing him and prevent Pucci from becoming a relevant issue.

The thing is... my confidence dies like I did. Or the other me. I saw my shocked look as I stare at my busted knuckles, mirroring the damage a clash withï½¢The Worldï½£and I was puzzled as the difference between the two Stands should warran't such an onesided defeat. I saw the large punch-sized hole Dio forced onto my other self's chest, with the Vampire standing over me with a smug look while pouring some of his blood over me.

He would vampirize me, he would take my humanity and made me his my knowledge would favor the end of the Joestar Bloodline.

[This is not the Future, but a Vision.] A voice like mine uttered as I tried to grasp what had just occurred, on why my Stand failed to make the difference and... I reached with my unseen hands over my forehead where the voice came from. [This isï½¢King Crimsonï½£'s second ability - Epitaph!]

And I felt it, a pair of tiny lips over a protrusion that felt like a face. Lips that parted as teeth suddenly chomped on the digits.

I howled in pain, and my nightmare was over as I woke up back in bed, sweating a storm and yet no longer suffering the fever. I breathed errantically, trying to make sense of what I had seen in that... vision? A possibility? To guarantee it was true, I tried to summon my Stand and... yes, it was ï½¢King Crimsonï½£!

But there was something I noticed as I looked closer at it. Slimmer limbs and more fragile body. Not as strong or fast as the OG Diavolo's Stand was meant to be. In return...

[Your eyes shall look into the alternative futures!]

In return I had a more powerful Epitaph. One that could go beyond the limits of the original version, and one that played with my preference.

The OG Diavolo was aggressive and shortsighted in his pursuit of anonymity. I was far more methodical and calmer, less aggressive and violent. This factored in ï½¢King Crimsonï½£'s stats and abilities. Which meant... I couldn't kill Dio with how things were.

But was this my cue to leave Egypt and avoid lingering too long to be tracked down by his cult?

...

No.

I had to get something out of this situation. Especially since there were bits of that vision that should, by all means, be valid. Especially when it comes to...

Poaching reliable figures off Dio's clutches that could assist me in my own plans!

AN

SI: I can't kill you, so I will steal your homies!

DIO: WRYYYY! CURSE YOU, PINK ITALIAN MAN!