[X] Gone to Heaven
"The name of your Stand is—Gone to Heaven!"
You blink, staring at the monkey beside you. "Gone to…Heaven? Does that mean something?"
"Not really, kind of thought it up on the spot. Still, cool name, right?"
This guy's getting less serious by the second…
"Steel, you said that these spirits, Stands, grant powers, but I really don't feel any different." You mutter, scratching under Gone to Heaven's chin.
"Stand Powers usually take some time to develop. When you really need it, Gone to Heaven will come in and save the day. But, uh, before that, I think I need to warn you about something…"
Your forehead creases in worry. "What is it? Some kind of side effect?"
A
rumbling noise reaches your ears, and you whirl around. A sound like that this far underground could only mean…!
"You could say that…the tunnel you've been digging seems to have collapsed."
Your blood runs cold. "
What!?"
------------
Cave-ins!
This deadly natural disaster that has claimed countless lives in the world as we knew it, the collapse of a geological formation that has grown unstable: in short, the enemy of all underground explorers!
The nature of this insidious phenomenon is much more subtle than it appears at first glance; to learn why, we will examine Simon's situation more closely!
Jeeha Village diggers emphasize results over safety, because many fail to match Simon's digging prowess: as a result, the average kit for the aspiring digger is a drill and light producing goggles, with no attention paid to safety; as the most skilled of the diggers, Simon is no exception! However, it is his own digging prowess that has, so to speak, dug his own grave!
For while the average Jeeha digger manages to dig only a few meters per week, Simon easily manages that pace in a single day! Simon's tunnel is far beyond that of the other diggers, who lag almost forty meters behind!
But, why did the tunnel collapse? Was this an act of God, a stroke of misfortune, a freak accident? No! It was the result of
Steel's Call!
When Steel awoke the power of Gone to Heaven, he drew out much of Simon's latent
Spiral Energy, diving past it to search for the
energy of Simon's soul: however, what he had not accounted for was the
potential of his latest find. Countless
drills had formed,
spinning against each other in a very particular fashion, before being forced to a halt by the emergence of the
Stand, long thought to be the greatest manifestation of the
Ripple!
In faraway universes, these three powers had never met; here, they finally came together for one instant, causing a spike of
seismic activity that sealed the exit to Simon's tunnel! Here, in Jeeha Village, the village that abandoned the sun for the safety of the earth – only here is the cave-in the leading cause of death!
However! For our hero, Simon, the dangers of the cave-in are tenfold…!
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You start to hyperventilate as Steel tries to reassure you.
"I know the situation looks grim, but you've got your drill! Just get through the rocks blocking your way, and you'll be fine!"
You calm down a bit. Certainly, you're Simon the Digger, so a tunnel collapsing should be no trouble to get through…!
You crawl forward, barely registering Gone To Heaven disappearing in a swirl of golden light as you carefully line your drill up with the first chunk of stone, thrusting it forward and turning the handle as fast as you can. For a moment, your heart leaps as you easily pierce through the first layer, but as a shadow of hesitation crosses over your heart, your drill grinds to a halt, screeching against the stone.
You stare uncomprehendingly. "W-Why? The earth should be soft here, so…"
You yank your drill away from the stone, moving to a different area to dig around it. Once more, after a bit of progress, your drill grinds to a halt.
Your eyes begin to sting, so you slide your goggles on. "Eh? That's strange, I can usually do this much faster…"
You move your drill. Again, it grinds to a halt.
"…So why…?"
Move the drill. Grind to a halt.
"…Why is it that I can't get past this stupid rock!"
The reason, of course, is obvious. You were looking for this all along, weren't you? The same disaster that killed your—
Steel's voice crackles from the radio.
"Calm down, Simon! The drill isn't working, so try your Stand! Even if Gone to Heaven looks weak, it should still have some abilities…!"
Your mind clears a bit. "…The monkey? But, it can't do anything here…maybe if it was a mole pig…"
That monkey was certainly adorable, but it wouldn't be able to dig you out of here. It just didn't have the bulk or natural tools to do such a thing.
Steel's voice grows stern.
"None of that, or you forfeit even the right to summon it! Stands are commanded by fighting spirit, Simon; do you plan to die here!?"
You blink in surprise. "N-no…I won't! Come,
Gone to Heaven!"
In a swirl of golden light, Gone to Heaven manifests, riding a small yellow cloud. It gives off a happy shriek, and whirls to face the stone. It glares
menacingly at the collapsed stone and earth, baring its teeth…
Before promptly toppling forward and falling asleep.
"…Steel."
"…Some Stands do have rather eccentric personalities, but this is the first I've seen such a thing…To think there were such Stands, I still require more training…Er, moving on."
He clears his throat, before his tone grows serious.
"Maybe you should just give up."
"Oi."
"What? It's a serious suggestion. Eventually, someone should notice you're missing and start trying to find you, no?"
"I'm fine with waiting, but it isn't an option here. I have no food, and the oxygen in the tunnel will run out eventually…"
"…Good point. Other than going back to trying to use Gone to Heaven…perhaps you can use your Spiral Energy?"
You shake your head. "I didn't even know what Spiral Energy was a few minutes ago. I doubt I know how to use it…"
"Spiral Energy is typically used by…possessing immense willpower and courage. So…think brave thoughts?"
"…Well, it's better than nothing, but I think there are other options here."
"Well, my life isn't at stake here. What do you think you should do, Simon?"
In the end, you decide to:
[X] Keep trying to unlock Gone to Heaven's powers.
[X] Try to manifest your Spiral Energy. Somehow.
-[X] Brave thoughts?
[X] You can't rely on the supernatural right now. Just keep digging, one step at a time.
-[X] Talking with Steel keeps you grounded. Keep it up to make sure you don't panic again.
[X] We need to go deeper. Keep digging in a new direction, maybe you'll hit the village or another tunnel.
[X] Write-in.
Woohoo, update! Sorry it's late, but updates should be more frequent now.more frequent from now on.
