"Brando? Why does that sound familiar?" JoJo thought to himself, muttering internally as he slowly got his footing on one of the spikes, still carrying Diego.
"Well, you got any bright ideas to get out of here?" Diego asked, glancing up at him.
"Well, not really... only that the only way out is up. And, well, I can't exactly climb with you on my shoulders—if you haven't noticed, I've only got one hand," JoJo replied.
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Don't worry about me. Don't get it twisted—I appreciate your help, and I'll repay the debt. But I'm not some kid for you to baby. I can climb," Diego answered, reaching for the dirt wall in front of him.
He grasped it confidently, but the moment his fingers dug in, the soil crumbled and squelched under his grip, tearing away the surface in clumps.
"Erm, actually, Mr... I don't think we're making it out of here. The soil's too soft and wet—we can't grab it to climb," he stammered, a bit embarrassed after his proud declaration.
"Welp, we're bloody screwed. And it's Mr. Joestar. Joseph Joestar," JoJo responded.
Both of them fell into an awkward silence, racking their brains for a way out.
"Hey, Mr. Joestar... if you don't mind answering, I've got a question?"
"Fire away. We got plenty of time 'til we starve to death."
"Well... how were you clinging to that spike so smoothly before? I mean, it wasn't just you standing between two spikes. You were like glued to it, moving around like it was nothing. Is that some technique?"
"Well, little Diego, it's a technique where—let's just say—I channel a kind of energy through my body and into objects. Gives me grip. Suction. That sort of thing."
"Ahh... and you can channel it through other objects too, yeah? So how about this—I'll be your left arm. We climb out together. You just channel it through me... well, as long as it doesn't, you know, fry me or something? It won't, right?"
"Not really. Unless you're a walking corpse, you're fine. Hamon's... well, like life energy, in a way."
"Alright, then let's do it," Diego said, as he carefully crawled along Joseph's body, locking his legs around JoJo's left arm.
The fog around them shimmered in a faint golden glimmer as Joseph took a deep breath, focusing. He began channeling Hamon through his own arm and into Diego's body, careful not to overload him. Even JoJo didn't fully understand the side effects—aside from the risk of awakening Diego to Hamon itself.
Squelch.
The soft soil made a compressing sound—but didn't collapse beneath their forceful grip. Instead, it solidified—stiffening under the flow of Hamon, becoming firm enough to climb.
After several minutes of grueling effort, the two finally neared the top of the wall—almost out of the death trap.
But something changed.
Their next grasp didn't sink into the mud—it caught on stone. Rough. Solid.
As they pulled themselves up, they were greeted by a small chamber. At the back wall stood a pedestal, and atop it: a box.
"What's this?" Diego asked, eyes narrowing as he scanned the room and the pedestal.
"Well... I guess it's some kind of treasure? I mean, those spikes don't look natural. So this whole area must've been man-made, no?"