บท 14: 14. Temple of the San Diego Grimms
"We're here," said Ricardo, as the three tried to catch their breath. "Northern Cordilleras, AKA, Apayao," said Ricardo, as they reached a forest away from civilization once more. "Careful, there. This territory belongs to warrior tribes that practice headhunting. They aren't savages, perse. They're actually pretty okay people. Just don't offend them."
"Why are we here, Ricardo?" asked Arthur.
The three then reached some sort of mountain they have to climb with stairs circling it.
"Whoa..." said the two.
"Welcome to the Temple of the San Diego Grimms," said Ricardo.
"Grimms built this four hundred years ago in secret. You see, the Spaniards never fully conquered the Cordilleras, so the Spanish Grimms who hunted the Aswangs decided to have families with the people of the Philippines and build a Temple here. Here, Grimms can practice Hamon." said Ricardo, entering as they meet a tribe of people wearing colorful clothes of red, yellow, and black who all spend time planting rice on beautiful and wide rice terraces while climbing the twirling stairs. The people wave at them in a friendly manner. Guards are shown with swords and bows guarding the Temple. It is shown that people use Hamon for their daily lives. Some are using it to climb cliffs. Others are using it to age vegetables faster. Others are using it to train. Others are using it to become stronger in hunting and blacksmithing.
"The San Diego Grimms were once a tribe of thousands of families, but were reduced to less than a hundred," he continued. "Two of which are the JoJos and the Zeppelis who act as one of the last few families of Grimms in the Philippines. The San Diego Grimms were named such because they mostly lived in San Diego. They had been living as secret rebels against the Spanish Government, who were being controlled by the Vampires, or Aswangs, as we call it. The San Diego Grimms made peace with the Cordillerans and became part of their Federal Empire. In a sense, the San Diego Grimms are an unofficial sub-state in the Philippines. The tribe in the mountains is actually now mostly comprised of Grimms nowadays. They practice the art of Hamon. What makes the JoJos and the Zeppelis outsiders is that you did not marry into the tribes of the people of the mountains, rather, you married into the lowlander's families: The Ilocanos."
"What does Damaso want, even?" asked Arthur.
"He wants to apparently enslave all of humanity in service of the Aswangs so that they may multiply... Or worse... Destroy all people," said Ricardo. "He wanted to keep it that way for another thousand years... but then Crisostomo Ibarra came along. Now, Damaso wants to bring fascism to human society as a whole. He's planning to make the Philippines into a more powerful country and conquer the whole world."
Arthur looks around.
"What if Filipinos thought more about others than themselves? Like these people here," asked Arthur.
"You're the epitome of the Filipino 'pagiging makasarili' attitude, Arthur," said Ricardo. "You exist, Arthur, only for yourself and yourself only. Fix yourself, Arthur."
"Tch-..." said Arthur, annoyed by Ricardo's constant pestering.
"You! Wimp!" shouted Ricardo, pointing to Ventura.
"Yes, sir?" asked Ventura.
"Be useful and listen instead of looking at the women!" shouted Ricardo.
"I wasn't-!"
"You were, actually," said Arthur.
The two reach the temple and are in awe to see that...
...there is a giant hole in the middle of the room.
The two ran towards the hole.
"Whoa!" they both said, leaning on the railings of the well, as Ricardo approached both of them.
The two stared at a large pillar that acts as a fountain of oil. The oil falls to the bottom and sucks the oil back to the top of the pillar as it flows down once again.
"Amazing, is it not?" asked Ricardo.
"Yeah!" said the both of them.
Immediately, Ricardo pushes both of them down into the well.
The two scream as Ricardo watched sadistically.
"Get out or die!" yelled Ricardo. "What will it be?!"
"DID YOU JUST PUSH US DOWN INTO THE DAMNED WELL?!!!" asked Arthur, furiously.
"Pretty much," smiled Ricardo, tipping his hat to them, turning around, and walking away.
"GET BACK HERE!!! YOU WON'T LET YOUR ADOPTIVE CHILD DIE, RIGHT?!!!" asked Arthur.
Ricardo immediately left the temple.
"That bastard!" shouted Arthur.
"Wait... Does that mean we might die here?!" asked Ventura, as he hyperventilates. "Oh geez! Oh, God! Oh my, oh no, oh woe is me!!!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Vennie!" shouted Arthur, smacking Ventura in the face. "We just have to use our Hamon to climb the pillar."
"Okay... How?!" asked Vennie.
"Wait... I don't know!" shouted Arthur.
3 days... later...
Hunger and thirst entered their bodies, as they began to shake frantically.
The two have tried several times to climb the pillar, but nothing. They have no idea how to climb the pillar.
"Wait..." said Ventura. "That one time... I stuck to the pillar for a second..."
Ventura charged the tip of his fingers with Hamon and immediately climbed the pillar.
Ventura fell again.
Ventura then removed his shoes and socks... and began climbing.
"Focus..." he thought.
"Hey! Vennie! Tell me how'd you do that!" shouted Arthur. "I need to get up there too and kick Ricardo's sorry ass!"
"It's-!!!" Ventura slips for an inch down. He is already 10 meters up.
Arthur gasps.
"Tch-!" said Ventura to himself. "I can't talk to him now... Arthur... You're on your own... I'm sorry... I need to absolutely put my everything into my Hamon..."
Ventura is now 14 meters up, and Arthur punches the wall.
"I can't blame him!" thought Arthur. "He'll fall if he thinks about anything! So I can't really blame him, can I?! Damn you, Ricardo!"
A dark thought enters Arthur's mind.
"He's in my Stand's range... after all..." he thought. "NO!!! Fuck... I feel disgusting for thinking that... I know that he's a prodigy and all, and I must've envied him, even for a moment... but... he's the only friend I've had in a while... Why would I think such a thing?! Damn it!"
Arthur puts the Hamon into the tip of his fingers out of rage.
"Wait..." he said.
He begins climbing the pillar.
"That's it!" shouted Arthur, as he falls back down to the ground.
Arthur takes off his shoes and socks and begins climbing.
His fingers and toes ache from the pain of being the only body parts holding his whole body.
"Tch-!" he said, grasping for his very last breath. He stabilizes his breathing to control his Hamon.
Now, Ventura is 25 meters up, and Arthur is 18 meters up, and the two are still climbing.
Arthur then sees a crack in the pillar.
"I just need... rest..." he thought. He grabbed the crack, but the crack is revealed to contain a button. Pressing it, the oil bursts out like a fountain above the both of them.
"Damn it, JoJo! What'd you?!" asked Ventura.
Arthur laughed nervously.
Ventura sighs and tries to just go through it... but...
*zzzzzzzzzzzzzt*
The tips of his hair are cut into pieces.
"It's going so fast that... it's like a knife moving at high speeds!" shouted Ventura.
"OOOOOOOOOOOH NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" shouted Arthur upon seeing this.
"Damn it!!!" shouted Ventura. "Look what your laziness had gotten us to, JoJo!"
"No need..." hesitated Arthur. "...to blame me, Ventura!"
Ventura then immediately encased himself with a bubble.
"HUH?!!" asked Arthur, as the bubble floated himself up, but only for a short second. He passed the wall of oil.
Ventura then grabbed back unto the pillar.
Arthur then has an idea.
"JOJO!!!" shouted Ventura, as Arthur immediately used his Hamon to surf on the wall of oil. He then leaps from the wall around the pillar and leaps a few meters above Ventura. They are 14 meters away from the finish line.
Ventura, for some reason, grew tired of Arthur's antics and grabbed his leg.
"Vennie!" shouted Arthur. "What are you doing?!"
"I don't know! It was instinct, Arthur!!!" shouted Ventura.
Arthur ends up slipping, as his vines come out and grab the bars of the railings as he pulled both of them out of the well.
"OVERDRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!" shouted Arthur, as he enhanced his own strength with Hamon.
The two dropped down by Ricardo's feet.
"Enjoyed your little adventure? Now, your real training begins..." smiled Ricardo, as the two sigh out of exhaustion.
It was two days before the two reached the top.
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