A/N: Hello guys. Welcome to chapter 5 of A Double Kills The Devil's Sins.
-Third Person P.O.V.-
Tatsumi's attacker stood over his prone form, waiting for him to awaken. It had waited for hours to see if he was the one he had been looking for, the one he needed. The figure was resolved to wait all night if it had to, but it knew that it couldn't stay once dawn approached. It observed its surroundings, quietly curious about this cruel world it found itself in, but it knew that its time was growing too short to partake in one of its hobbies. So, it suppressed the urge to observe the people in their homes and continued to wait. Minutes were ticking by, transforming into another hour before the cycle repeats itself.
As it continued its silent vigilance, it wondered how different this boy would be compared to the others that were chosen. Some had awoken in mere minutes after being pierced by the arrow, while a couple of others had taken a few hours. However, this boy was by far the longest wait it had to endure so far. Which could be a good sign... or a bad omen. Before long, the hours were ticking away, its hope dwindled and disappeared before being replaced by despair as the darkness of night began to give way to the morning sun as it dispersed many of the shadows. The figure moved away from Tatsumi to avoid the hated light and fumed that it had lost so much time watching the young man.
'Another dead end. I thought this one might've been different. Damn it all! Morning is already here and this boy hasn't woken up yet. I must make my exit.' It said to itself, before submerging into the shadows, as they were made of water. Missing the fact that moment after its departure, Tatsumi woke up.
-Tatsumi's P.O.V.-
A terrible pounding in my skull was the first thing I felt as I opened my eyes. The light of morning doing no favors for my attempts to nurse this mother of all headaches. I tried to recall what happened but found most of them to be murky and unclear, and the ones that were clear seemed impossible if not fantastical. Like the sensation of having m6 soul forcibly pulled out of my own body, or a figure in black that held the face of my soul in a vice-like grip.
"The hell happened to me?" I asked myself, I got up and used a nearby wall to support myself. Time passed and I could feel my headache fading a little before I started to walk around, not having a particular destination in mind. Just hoping that I could find my friends soon. As well as find out just what the hell had attacked me.
-Third Person P.O.V.-
It was near high noon. The Capital was buzzing with activity. Bargains were being struck, the naive being swindled, the experienced haggling like it's nobody's business. Most of the population was generally minding their own business. Although many rumors about a string of deaths that have occurred recently have put everyone on edge, well, even more so than usual.
Sayo and Ieyasu were quite haggard from their fruitless search for information. Though, throughout the entire walk, Ieyasu was quite vocal about it.
"This sucks!" Ieyasu exclaimed as he pulled at his hair.
"I know… for the hundredth time… I KNOW!" Sayo shouted, and no one could miss the death glare that she was sending Ieyasu's way. Causing the few observers who took any modicum of interest in the duo to turn their heads and continue walking.
"But I'm serious. We've been walking for hours on end with no sleep. And what have we found? Nothing, not a single thing." he complained.
"Look, all we can do right now is to keep pushing forward. Who knows, we might be close to finding something." Sayo said, trying to sound encouraging, though Ieyasu could tell it was a bit forced.
But before Ieyasu could object or call her out, two guards had passed them by. They were about to write the guards off as unimportant until one of the guards spoke.
"What can you make out from these recent deaths?" The first one asked. This immediately caught the pair's attention, and after quickly glancing at each other, they made a silent agreement to follow them.
"Not much if I'm being honest, they started about a week ago and only six bodies have been found, there could be more, but I wouldn't bet on it." The second one said.
"You think it's Night Raid?" The first one questioned.
"Not likely, while it's true that the attacks have been proven to occur at night. The victims are completely random, with no pattern whatsoever. Unlike Night Raid's targets, which are mostly made up of the upper class." The second one explained before continuing, "But that's not the strangest thing."
"What's the strangest thing?" guard number one dared to ask.
"The strangest thing is that the victims have no marks to indicate how they died, not even a single drop of blood. It's like they just dropped dead." guard number two stated with a grave look on his face. This shocked both Ieyasu and Sayo as they spared a glance at one another before focusing back on the guards.
"That's fucking freaky." number one said, a statement that their eavesdroppers silently agreed on.
"No kidding, and the looks on their faces too? They clearly saw who or whatever did this to them, but couldn't do shit about it." number two remarked.
"Do you think they'll have every one of us look for 'em?" number one questioned.
"Who knows, with all the shit that's been going on, it's hard to make a call." number two responded. This was when the two new gangsters decided to quit eavesdropping and meet in a nearby alley.
Once they were sure the coast was clear, they began their own conversation. "Did we really hear something like that?" Ieyasu asked.
"Yeah, something really weird is happening. You think we should report this?" Sayo questioned.
"Definitely. Besides this could help us win respect for Passione." Ieyasu replied.
As the two were making their way back to the headquarters of Passione. They were about halfway back when they had run into someone they hadn't seen in what felt like forever.
-In the afternoon-
-Doppio's P.O.V.-
So far my info digging has proven to be somewhat fruitful. I've learned that the current Emperor who rules over the Empire, Emperor Makoto, is actually a child. From what I've read and asked, he had won the battle of succession with the help of the current Prime Minister, Honest, and his shrewd tactics.
Not only that, but all the corruption and evil in the Empire can be traced back to Honest. The Emperor was simply being used as a puppet and didn't know it. The news had broken my heart a bit, since, for most of my life, my situation held little difference compared to the young Emperor. Both of us naive, unknowing pawns in the service of evil. Pawns that are easily disposable, when all is said and done, once we are no longer useful. However, it also gave me resolve. The resolve to make sure that the Emperor doesn't suffer the same fate I did. Abandoned by the people who claimed to care about him, and left to rot.
I was starting to become tired of this, and decided that I had done enough info gathering for one day. I made my way back to the headquarters and there to greet me was none other than Sayo, Ieyasu. I was about to greet them until I noticed the presence of a third one I didn't recognize.
"Doppio!" Sayo exclaimed.
"I'm glad you made it back." Ieyasu said with a wide grin on his face.
I couldn't help but smile, though I had to ask, "It's good to see you too, but who's this?"
"Oh, my name's Tatsumi." the young man said. Now identified as Tatsumi.
The name sounded somewhat familiar to me, and I somewhat struggled to recall where I heard that name before I suddenly remembered something and asked, "You wouldn't happen to be the same Tatsumi that they were looking for, are you?"
"Who else would it be?" Tatsumi declared.
"You wouldn't believe it, hell, I barely believed it myself, but we were on our way here when halfway we ran into Tatsumi." Ieyasu explained with a wide grin as he wrapped an arm around Tatsumi.
"I'm glad that you found your friend. By the way, my name is Vinegar Doppio, though I prefer if you just called me Doppio." I said, happy that my new friends had reunited with their lost companion.
"Well, it's good to meet you!" Tatsumi stated as he extended his hand for me to shake. I was going to shake his hand as well before I noticed something. I nearly freaked out, even though it was faint, it was unmistakable. It was a-
"What's wrong Doppio?" Sayo questioned, shaking me out of my shock. I quickly decided to confront Tatsumi as soon as possible.
"Oh, I just forgot to do something, nothing to be worried about at all, anyway, why were you guys on the way here anyway?" I questioned. The first part being a lie obviously, but I couldn't tell them what I planned on doing. Though, I was paying close attention as to what they had to report.
"Oh! Well, we overheard some guards talking about murders that have been occurring lately." Ieyasu announced.
"Tell me everything, don't leave any details," I demanded and without a moment's hesitation, I was told about everything they've managed to find. Although Tatsumi's My mind began to race, trying to put together a plan. "Thank you guys for delivering me this information. I'll report it to the Boss as soon as possible. You two get some rest. Tatsumi, I want to speak to you." I stated. The two had relieved looks as the tension left their shoulders. Without a word, they left to find rooms for themselves.
The two of us stood there, silence dominating the room. I was about to ask my question, but Tatsumi was the first to break the silence, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
I debated whether I should be subtle or straight to the point. Though judging by my impression on the young man however, I decided to be as blunt as possible, "I'll get straight to the point, are you a Stand User?" I asked, trying to make my tone as authoritative as possible.
"What the hell is a Stand User?" He demanded. I suspected he would have a reaction such as that, so I decided to cut to the chase.
I brought forth [King Crimson], in all its scowling glory and Tatsumi…
"What the fuck is that thing?!"
…Gave an appropriate response.
"This is my Stand, [King Crimson], the fact that you gave a reaction when it was brought forth means that you can see it, which proves that you're a Stand User, just like me." I explained, as [King Crimson] continues to scowl at Tatsumi, which did nothing to improve the boy's anxiety.
Then, he began to crack, "I'm dreaming… I have to be-"
I wasn't gonna allow him to spiral down that rabbit hole, so I went to slap him out of it… Well, that was the plan. Instead, I had to quickly withdraw my hand as an arm holding a broadsword came down, cracking the floor and leaving a sizable indent in it. I silently thanked my reflexes for saving my arm.
The Stand soon came into full view, as Tatsumi was left stunned and I was left speechless as well. Tatsumi's Stand was a humanoid, and it did share similarities to [Silver Chariot], although there were many key differences. For one, the armor that encompassed the Stand was asymmetrical, it even looked like it was an empty suit of armor than anything. It was a metallic white color, with the fabrics being colored maroon with gold trims. It had a very draconic motif, with horns on the helmet. The gauntlets and leggings modeled after dragon claws, and even a pauldron in the shape of a dragon's skull. Though the biggest difference was between [Silver Chariot's] rapier and this new Stand's broadsword. Just by looking at it, I could tell that this Stand valued power and durability over speed and grace.
Tatsumi was completely freaking out, spouting out jumbles of words that weren't even in the slightest way cohesive, not that I could necessarily blame him. The Stand was on standby, not moving an inch, and I decided that trying to slap some sense into Tatsumi wasn't a wise move. So I had to opt for the only choice I have available to me, getting him to calm down through words.
"Tatsumi, I know you're freaking out about this whole thing, but it's alright." I said, trying to be as reassuring as I could.
He screamed at me as he pointed to his Stand, "How is this alright?!"
"That is a Stand, your Stand to be precise," I explained, though my frustration was really starting to boil over at this point, "Now are you going to shut the fuck up so that I can continue my explanation, or are you going to keep freaking like a little bitch?"
Tatsumi finally managed to calm down, and replied, "Alright… alright, I'm okay now. Please, continue."
"Thank you. Now, a Stand is the manifestation of your fighting spirit, and embodies your own psyche, to a certain extent. Each and every Stand comes in a very wide array of forms as well as supernatural abilities. Stands follow a very loose set of rules, with no real standard that anyone can truly classify them." I explained before asking, "Now any questions?"
Tatsumi didn't have any hesitation when he asked, "I've got a few but for starters, what rules do Stands follow?"
"Well, Stands are as varied as human minds, so the rules have so many exceptions to them, that it's actually amazing that they're even there to begin with. However, generally, Stands are completely obedient to the User and demonstrate little to no personality. Stands can only be harmed by other Stands, but any Stand can harm any human at the User's discretion. Also, Stands can only be seen by other Stand Users. Finally, the Stand and the Stand User are linked and the damage is shared between them. For example, if your Stand were to die, you would die and vice versa. But like I said, there have been exceptions to these rules. Also, every Stand has one or more special abilities unique to itself." I answered, as best I could.
"Okay, so what does my Stand do exactly?" Tatsumi questioned, as he looked at his Stand with newfound wonder. Like a child, who was told Christmas had come early.
"Well, that, I can't really tell you since it's your Stand and you'll have to figure out and master its ability or abilities. However, from what I can see, it seems to be a short-range power type, the same as mine, as well as the fact that your Stand seems to be one that boasts power and durability but at the cost of speed and agility." I replied.
"Alright, I just have one more question." he stated.
"And that would be?"
"Why did you name you Stand?"
That question caught me completely off guard, and the only thing that came out of my mouth was, "Pardon?"
"Why do you bother naming your Stand if they don't have any personality or whatever?" he continued to question with an inquisitive look.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know!"
"I don't know… it just feels right I guess?"
"That doesn't make sense."
I gave a long sigh, before leveling an annoyed glare at Tatsumi, "Look, Stands are given names. Asking me why this is so is like asking me why the sky is blue, or why cats and dogs don't get along. There may be a good explanation for it, but nobody really gives a damn. Just give your Stand a name, it can be anything you want. I don't care. Now we'll continue this discussion some other time, because I need to get this info to the Boss, and I have a feeling that I'm gonna be very busy soon, okay?"
"Okay okay, I'm going." he said, as he quickly exited the room. I gave another sigh of exasperation, I wracked my brain to come up with something halfway decent. Before I decided to simply take a walk while I contemplated all of this. Who knows? Maybe the fresh air and a bit of exercise will kick my brain into gear.
Metaphorically speaking, though I still had to suppress a shudder, because the image that came to mind was Risotto making a few gears in my brain, and making them spin to grind said brain into paste. Disturbing images aside, I left the building and walked with no particular destination in mind, but determined to end it with the killer's body on the floor.
-Unknown P.O.V.
I'm running out of time. I must find a Stand User that is able to house another such as myself. The shadows were able to sustain me for a long time now, but I could feel it. I could feel myself becoming weaker and weaker whenever I emerge from the shadows. Once my time runs out, even they will no longer be able to sustain me as my body deteriorates, and the last vestiges of my Stand User's will that keeps me going will unravel into nothingness.
At first, I believed that anyone could house me. While that was true to some extent, they grew sick too quickly to help mend the damage, and the longer I inhabited their body, the closer death approached to claiming my temporary host. It was clear that I would need a Stand User, one who had an ability that would sustain my continued existence. However, with each one I manage to find, my hopes slip further away. It was clear that all of their talents had laid elsewhere.
Darkness was overcoming the wretched light, and soon night shall fall. "This was it, my final chance. If I failed, my existence… 'I' would cease to be."
-Doppio's P.O.V.-
I walked through the streets of the capital. It was quite relaxing actually, if you didn't pay attention to the various forlorn expressions from the citizens of the Capital. The partially cloudy afternoon was giving way to night's embrace and I had a lot to contemplate while I was walking down the street.
So far, everything has been running smoothly, but that still doesn't mean anything. Passione is barely in its infancy and if we become too reckless, we'll be wiped out just as easily as anyone else. Not to mention these mysterious murders that have been around the Capital. Then there was the matter with Tatsumi.
On one hand, I'm glad Sayo and Ieyasu had found their friend to be safe and sound in this godforsaken place. But, on the other hand, he's a Stand User and a new one at that. I could already feel a headache coming on because I knew I'd have to be the one to educate him on how to fight with a Stand, since I'm the only Stand User with experience, and could teach him. Then there's the manner of how he even got a Stand to begin with, which is without a doubt the work of an Enemy Stand. But what Stand has the power to give Stands to others? And if it isn't a Stand, then the question to ask is, how did a Stand arrow end up here of all places?
My walk led me near an alley, and I looked inside to see if there was anyone lurking inside. Any killer worth even a lick of salt would stick to a place such as these. I can't charge into this blindly, I have to use deduction and reason to figure this shit out. As far as I know, our mystery killer, or Stand, attacks primarily in the evening and at night, the victims never have any physical injuries on their person, let alone fatal ones, yet they still end up dead… wait… WAIT! I know these traits! Something that attacks at a time when shadows are large, victims that wind up as untouched corpses… or as Stand Users from the encounter…
A look of horror grew on my face, as the sun finished its descent to the horizon, and gave way to night. The shadows were now all-consuming as the clouds hid the moon and some of the stars as the people became scarce, likely due to the killings. All the signs pointed to it being the Stand of a capo I knew, or at least that bastard Diavolo had learned, was dead.
"…[Black Sabbath]…"
-Song Start: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Vento Aureo OST: Black Sabbath-
-Third Person P.O.V.-
As soon as Doppio uttered the name, he heard the footfalls. He slowly turned to face the origin of the sound, and walking towards him was the Stand in question. A figure in black, pointing towards him.
(Fight Begins)
No words were exchanged, as the Stand lunged for Doppio. He tried getting out of the way, but [Black Sabbath] was faster than he had anticipated. The Stand latched onto his shoulders as a Stand Arrow, pieces of it broken off but still functional, came out of his mouth.
But before the Stand could pierce its intended target, Doppio instantly vanished from out of its grasp. [Black Sabbath] turned around and came face to face with Doppio, who had [Epitaph] on his forehead, and the arms of [King Crimson] by his side. During the silent standoff, Doppio's mind was racing at a thousand miles per hour. Trying to come up with ways to defeat the Enemy Stand.
'Shit! That was way too close! It's a good thing that Polpo informed Diavolo about [Black Sabbath's] abilities, as well as it's weaknesses. Problem is, I can't exploit any of them! The sun is down, and it's way too unrealistic to last for twelve hours, more or less. I-' Doppio's thoughts were interrupted as [Black Sabbath] attacked once again, lunging at Doppio like a feral beast.
Doppio blocked the attempt, but [Black Sabbath's] hands latched onto one of [King Crimson's] wrist. The wrist was starting to buckle under the grip as cracks and spurts of blood appeared on the wrist, and Doppio's own wrist mirrored the damage. [Black Sabbath] extended the Arrow once more, intent on piercing [King Crimson's] arm, but Doppio used the other arm to land a direct blow to [Black Sabbath's] head. While this loosened the grip just enough for the wrist to be able to escape, the damage it received only caused a few hairline cracks to form, much to Doppio's dismay.
"What the fuck!? Was that really all I did?! Granted it wasn't a blow that had all of [King Crimson's] strength put into it, but still." Doppio fumed as a scowl marred his face. However, a strategy was slowly forming in his mind and went on the attack as he charged towards [Black Sabbath] with the arms of [King Crimson] performing a Stand barrage. [Black Sabbath] dodged and deflected many of the blows, but some got through and did a far more considerable amount of damage than the last attack as more hairline cracks appeared on the Stand's body.
[Black Sabbath] retreated into the darkness it drew its power from, which gave Doppio enough time to breathe and to try and come up with a plan, 'Alright, that confirmed my hunch. While [Black Sabbath] is fast enough to dodge or deflect a good portion of a direct assault, it's not fast enough to block all of it. But the real trouble is the damn thing's endurance and power. The fact that it can take [King Crimson's] attacks is worrying enough, and its grip being able to damage me makes it a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention that it can retreat into the shadows whenever it feels like it.'
Doppio used [Epitaph] to see into the future. In the bangs of his hair, he sees [Black Sabbath's] hands around [King Crimson's] neck, with the Arrow poised to pierce through [Epitaph] and into [King Crimson's] head. Doppio began to panic, for he knew what would happen if the arrow found him unworthy of its power. He felt compelled to look up to the night sky for some kind of inspiration when the moon began to peek through the clouds, 'Dmmn it, I have to think! There has to be something I can use.'
However, Doppio failed to notice that when the light of the moon had been revealed, that light began to cast the shadows of the surrounding buildings… and Doppio himself. A hand emerged from the shadow of a building that was closest to its intended target and took hold of his newly revealed shadow by the neck. He began to choke as he looked behind himself to see that [Black Sabbath] had pulled the shadow off of the ground, towards itself, and poised the arrow to pierce it once it fully formed.
-Song Transition: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind OST - Difficult Situation-
The shadow took the form of [King Crimson]; with one hand clenched around [Black Sabbath's] neck, trying desperately to keep the Arrow away from it while the other held one of [Black Sabbath's] wrist, attempting to crush it with it's brute strength. A few hairline cracks appeared on the wrist under [King Crimson's] grip, but the appendage held. [Epitaph's] prediction had come to pass.
Doppio could barely draw a full breath of air. His lungs were screaming for oxygen, but he was forced to ignore it as he tried to come up with a way to get out of this, 'Shit! This is bad. What the hell am I supposed to do?!' He looked up to the sky and saw something that filled him with even more panic, 'Another cloud is going to cover the moon again. If that happens, the ground will be enveloped in complete shadow, which will leave me nowhere to escape even if I use [King Crimson's] ability for more than a few seconds!'
The pressure on Doppio's neck grew, cutting off his oxygen and forcing him to cough up blood at the same time. He was losing strength fast, and [King Crimson] reflected this fact. This allowed [Black Sabbath] to inch his way closer to piercing [Epitaph], which had an uncharacteristically terrified look on its face. Just as all hope seemed to be lost, Doppio saw that he was close to a wall to a nearby building, which gave him an idea. He reached for the wall, and once he touched it, he managed to weakly sputter out, "Ki-[King… C-Crimson]…"
-Song Change: JOJO's Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind OST - Lotta feroce
Doppio vanished, along with his Stand. Leaving [Black Sabbath] to wildly look around in search of his quarry. Unaware that he was now climbing the wall, with the assistance of [King Crimson]. Many cracks formed as [King Crimson] dug it's finger into the wall as it ascended until Doppio finally got to the rooftop. However, he didn't relax for one moment, as he used [Epitaph] once more, before he looked up to the sky, counting down.
"3…"
The wind began to pick up, the clouds began to hasten their journey through the sky ever so slightly. Only a small portion of the moon remained exposed.
"…2…"
The shadows were starting to blend with the growing darkness, and with the exception of the various street lamps and lights coming from the windows, the shadows had settled over the Capital.
"…1!"
As soon as the countdown was finished, the moon was completely engulfed by the clouds, and [Black Sabbath] reappeared out of the newly cast shadows. It launched itself towards Doppio, which was met by a barrage of punches from [King Crimson]. Just like before, [Black Sabbath] dodged and deflected most of the hits but a few still managed to land, and caused more hairline cracks to appear on its body. However, [Black Sabbath] continued to press on the assault, which allowed it to grab a hold of [King Crimson's] wrists once more. However, Doppio didn't even seem bothered by this whatsoever as he proclaimed "Damn, you're one stubborn cagacazzo, aren't you? Well, I have news for you! [King Crimson]!"
Just like that, Doppio disappeared once again. Before [Black Sabbath] had any time to look around, it received a devastating blow to the head. This caused many more cracks, which were far larger than any that preceded it, to appear where the blow had landed, and even chipped a few shards off of [Black Sabbath]. It was knocked back into the shadows, where it would recover from the damage, and gave Doppio the breather he didn't know he needed.
-Song Change: JOJO's Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind OST - Eremita-
Though this also gave him a chance to think back on the battle and realize a few details, 'I know that I don't have much experience dealing with Stands like [Black Sabbath], but there are some things that just aren't adding up. Its behavior seems way too… human. It felt like I was fighting a person rather than an automatic Stand, and it looked almost desperate to pierce me. If I recall correctly, Polpo said that [Black Sabbath] would say something to the target before piercing him, but the Stand hasn't even said a word. Am I reading too much into this? Or is there something more complex going on behind this?'
Doppio activated [Epitaph] once again, and saw that 10 seconds from now, [Black Sabbath] would appear in front of him before dashing at him, almost completely healed of its injuries with the exception being the last hit it suffered from. Doppio looked to the sky once more to gauge the clouds covering the moon. To his relief, it seemed that they were in the process of parting, allowing just a sliver of moonlight through.
Moments later, just as predicted by [Epitaph], [Black Sabbath] appeared in front of Doppio before charging towards him like a rabid animal. He brought forth [King Crimson] to defend against the assault by grabbing ahold of [Black Sabbath's] neck with one arm, but [Black Sabbath] mirrored the action. Just as [Black Sabbath] was about to bring his other hand to increase the pressure on [King Crimson's] neck, the Stand snatched the appendage in question mid-attempt within a death grip. The two were now at a standstill… and Doppio couldn't be any happier.
"[Black Sabbath], even if what I say falls on deaf ears given the fact that you're an automatic Stand, I'm forced to admit that you've put me through the wringer alright. There were a couple of times where I thought I was done for," Doppio softly remarked, as the two Stands continued to try and get the upper hand on one another, "But… I'm afraid this fight is over. [King Crimson]."
-Song End-
Just like before, Doppio had seemingly vanished, but he wasn't the only one to do so. The shadows had gone with him. If one were to look up, they would see the moon, in all it's brilliant glory. [Black Sabbath] was completely separated from the shadows. Before [Black Sabbath] had any time to even think, it felt a powerful force push it to the ground. It tried to get up, but [King Crimson's] foot had planted itself on [Black Sabbath's] head in order to discourage any plans of escape.
He released a breath that he didn't even realize he was holding before looking down upon his fallen enemy, "I honestly had my doubts about that strategy even working, since all I saw in my vision was you being exposed to moonlight and not burning away. Which makes sense because while it's true that the moon's surface reflects light from the sun, it only reflects anywhere between three to twelve percent," Doppio explained before pointing a finger towards [Black Sabbath], "That's when I came to the realization that moonlight and possibly artificial light are neutral territories for you, while it's true that you're not writhing in agony, you receive no benefit from being in it either. If I had to guess, your fighting capabilities are now more or less the equivalent of an average human. Which means [King Crimson] has more than enough power to crush your head underfoot!"
[Black Sabbath] started to struggle, trying desperately to escape, but to no avail as [King Crimson] gradually increased the pressure of his foot upon its head to discourage any further attempts. Hairline cracks started to manifest upon the Stand's head. As Doppio was about to finish off [Black Sabbath] and start tracking down Polpo, a weakly voice cried out.
"Please… spare me…"
To Be Continued…
-"Epitaph", by King Crimson starts to play as the end credits roll-
(Verse One)
The wall on which the prophets wrote
The scene begins with a picturesque view of Venezia at sunset. The camera slowly moves to the left as it takes it all in.
Is cracking at the seams
A Seagull or two is calling out, adding a natural noise to it all.
Upon the instruments of death
A boat was soon seen on the water, gliding lazily in the water.
The sunlight brightly gleams
Another boat is soon shown,
When every man is torn apart
The Seagulls continued to call out, but they became quieter.
With nightmares and with dreams
The camera continues to move slowly to the left.
Will no one lay the laurel wreath
The Seagulls soon stop their calling altogether.
When silence drowns the screams?
The scene changes with a wave overtaking the previous scenery, replacing it with a shore at sunset, only showing the sand and waves, which calmly and rhythmically reached the shore, before retreating, and it repeats.
(Chorus)
Confusion will be my epitaph
The scene changes once more as, to be replaced by a tiled road, and a few droplets of blood.
As I crawl a cracked and broken path
More blood starts to drip from an unknown source beyond the camera's view.
If we make it we can all sit back and laugh
The blood continues to drip down onto the road.
But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
More blood continues to drip down onto the road. Increasing the numbers of small puddles on the floor.
Yes, I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Finally, after a certain amount of drops hit the floor, the image of Doppio appears in one of the tiny puddles of blood.
Yes, I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
The camera zooms in towards a smiling Doppio, whose image becomes more clear in the droplets of blood as the camera zooms in. Costa Smeralda slowly appeared in the droplets as well before becoming the new background. The camera continues to zoom in towards the bangs of Doppio's hair, which had a few images in it before going black.
(Verse 2)
Between the iron gates of fate
The seeds of time were sown
And watered by the deeds of those
Who know and who are known;
Knowledge is a deadly friend
If no one sets the rules
The fate of all mankind I see
Is in the hands of fools
(Instrumental: "March for No Reason")
(Verse 1)
The wall on which the prophets wrote
Is cracking at the seams
Upon the instruments of death
The sunlight brightly gleams
When every man is torn apart
With nightmares and with dreams
Will no one lay the laurel wreath
When silence drowns the screams?
(Chorus)
Confusion will be my epitaph
As I crawl a cracked and broken path
If we make it we can all sit back and laugh
But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Crying...
Crying...
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Crying...
-Instrumental Outro: "Tomorrow and Tomorrow"-
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry, I was gone so long, I had to help my grandparents move, and then I got addicted to DOOM Eternal. I swear that game is like the crack cocaine of video games.