Jojo had continued to run, following footprints left in the soft mud, and he wasn't all that happy—despite this not being all that taxing on his body. After all, he had survived Lisa Lisa.
What had truly ticked him off, however, was the fact that he was practically defenseless while carrying the still-unconscious blond youth. Thanks to Kars, he was a hand down—despite the bleeding having been stopped through his forced use of Hamon. He'd managed to congeal it and push it through his vines without much hindrance—a technique inspired by Caesar's water glass move, which he'd flaunted back during their first meeting.
It helped that Hamon could act as an absolute conductor for the solidification of liquids—as he'd learned during that damned oily climb. Joseph still shivered just thinking about it.
"Stay close to me or you'll get lost," came the voice of Satotz, ringing out through the mist—clearly from the northeast.
"Ah, finally," Jojo sighed in relief.
He kept moving, strides steady. But with each step, something felt... off.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Ah… wait," Jojo muttered, coming to a stop.
In front of him stretched a large chasm, barely visible through the thick fog. And yet, he already knew—the voice had come from a direction it shouldn't have. It came from the way they'd begun the run.
That couldn't be the real Satotz. There'd be no reason for him to turn back—and if it was him, why had Jojo only heard the voice, but no faint footsteps or squelch of mud?
The answer hit him.
It was a deception.
"Stay close to me. Caw!"
A black raven flew overhead, crossing the chasm. Its voice was identical to Satotz's. It had mimicked him.
"Ain't gonna get me that easily, stupid bird. I've beaten a bigger bird than you—and a far ruder one too," Jojo gloated.
What he didn't notice was the patch of dirt beneath him giving way—collapsing suddenly and causing him to fall.
"Ahhh!"
As he plummeted, a faint shimmer appeared below—pointed and sharp. A metallic spike of some sort.
Jojo twisted his body mid-air, forcing his weight to one side and narrowly missing the spike. Using his legs, he wedged himself between two equally sharp and smooth metal spires. He channeled Hamon into the soles of his feet to avoid slipping.
Simultaneously, he felt a shift on his right shoulder—
"Ahhhhhh—!"
A youthful voice screamed.
The boy who'd been unconscious on Jojo's shoulder had just woken up—nearly causing them both to fall to their deaths.
"Oi oi! Calm it—you're gonna get us both skewered! I'm not ready to be a kebab yet!" Jojo barked.
"Ahh! Sorry—how did I get here? What's happen—"
"Yeah, well, calm down and stop moving. You kinda passed out in the tunnel, and me, being the gallant and brave hero I am, picked your sorry ass up and carried you through it. As of now, we're in a bloody mess—one wrong move and we're dead.
Oh, and it's the next phase of the test. We gotta find the main group and cross a finish line or something. What's your name, kid?"
"Ahh, I see. Thank you—really, I don't know how to repay you… but thank you.
My name's Diego Brando."