*grumbles about computer issues* The more things change... I gotta get in the habit of saving my chapters regularly.

Anyway, we're up to the next temple. Please enjoy. Oh, one of the characters has a name whose fantasy novelist reference won't be obvious. Just know it's a reference to CS Lewis.

"So why are you joining us?," George asked his sister. Josuke and Shizuka had already returned through the crack, but Holly had chosen to stay and help out the others. "It's been getting pretty lonely around the house," Holly explained, "I mean, Sadao being away for so long is nothing new. Even now he still has work with the band mentoring the new generation. But now Jotaro and Fluttershy are grown up and their jobs frequently take them overseas. I decided it was about time to get out of the house myself."

She pulled back her collar to reveal her star-shaped birthmark, identical to the one George had. "Don't forget I'm a Joestar too, even if I no longer go by the surname. Isn't it our destiny or something to fight against evil? I think this is just the sort of excitement I need." George sighed. "Well, at the very least you can take care of yourself now that your Stand is properly awakened." The Spirit Tracks started dipping under the water, covering Ticket to Ride in an air pocket that allowed the passengers to breathe.

"The Ancient One certainly thought of everything," Hekkeran noted, "Next stop, the Marine Temple and the third magic well." "The temple is meant to be a sacred site," Zesshi noted, "Only those who have permission from the Scriptures or the pontiffs may venture inside, but only for a few short days. Whoever has been guarding the magic well has been there for far longer. They are either willingly trespassing, or are a member of the higher ups in the Theocracy." "Nigun was a member of the faction working against the Spirit Tracks," Tolkien noted, "There could be others. From what I know of my time among them, they've penetrated all but the highest positions in each country."

"So no traitors among the pontiffs," Gyro noted, "But the other Scriptures might have some. Zesshi, do you think there could be any amongst your own Black Scripture?" "I doubt it," Zesshi said, shaking her head, "The Black Scripture is only sent on the most dangerous missions. It has a very high attrition rate, with very few of us lasting more than a decade. All of us are heroic-level warriors equal to any adamantite-level adventurer, but the roster of the Black Scripture changes so often whoever is in charge of the conspiracy wouldn't bother trying to recruit any of us, since we could be killed at any time."

Inside the temple, the group found themselves in trouble already. Dirt and dust from the air was being molded together, creating large boulders that started rolling at the group. From the way the boulders were chasing them, it was clear a Stand user was involved. "Having trouble, Zesshi?," came a condescending voice. Zesshi scoffed. "Jake Rowling. I should have known." A young man decked out in leather armor and sporting dirty blonde hair appeared. "How do you newcomers like my Stand K-Rock?"

"Someone you know?," Lakyus asked. "He was a survivor of the Sunlight Scripture," Zesshi explained. "And now I'm in a position to restore it," Jake mentioned, "Nigun was a fool who got in over his head and got captured. He relied far too much on his Stand to intimidate, not realizing that any of his little pets could be easily defeated by a strong enough foe." He glowed as his Stand broke up some of the floor. "Now me, I can make good use of my Stand wherever there is earth to work with. Even in this underwater temple, crafted from stone and bedrock!"

He launched the stone pieces, but Starlight stepped in to counter. "Dove and Grenade!" She struck the ground, causing large branches to emerge from the walls, catching the rubble and digging into it. She smirked at Jake's grimace. "Wood parts earth." Jake closed his eyes and stomped the ground, creating a rubble storm behind the group. Holly was the first to notice them, knocking several pieces away with her vines. Gagaran acted as a living shield for most of the group, while Gyro caught a stray piece with his Stand to erode it quickly.

Undeterred, Jake just created another boulder, but Zesshi sliced through it with her war scythe like it was a block of mozzarella. Jake stood there, completely stunned. "There's a reason I'm considered the strongest in the Slane Theocracy," Zesshi pointed out, "Of course, these people I'm with are strong as well. You really had no chance." Jake grumbled. "Dammit... You're ruining my glory. How am I supposed to fight the conspiracy at this rate?" Zesshi blinked. "What?" The group calmed down and talked with Jake. He explained that he was actually here on permission from the Clearwater Scripture, with the intent on freeing the magic well personally.

"Nigun disgraced the Sunlight Scripture by siding with those that would risk our world's ruin for power," he clarified, "I had hoped to restore the Scripture by gaining some glory and rebuilding, leading the Scripture personally on behalf of the Theocracy. I knew from reports of the other temples that whoever is behind the disappearance of the Spirit Tracks was sending one member to each floor of the temple. But one person seemed to be missing from this temple, so I thought they must be out on an errand. I decided to wait here in ambush. When you people showed up, I thought it must be one of you."

"Maybe it was actually Kaire who was supposed to be here," Gyro theorized, "Her Stand didn't need her to be around the monsters she could control in order to use them." "But Kaire was killed while we were dealing with the Forest Temple," George noted, "Which left this area wide open." Zesshi sighed. "If you really need this to rebuild the Scripture, then follow us." Jake nodded as he got up. "Sorry for the misunderstanding. At least now I know you can handle yourselves in here."

"Your Stand is pretty strong," Evileye noted. Jake smirked. "I've been developing it since I was a boy. What about you? I realize Zesshi doesn't need a Stand, and your reputation as one of the strongest is well-known. But that still leaves me curious." "I do have one," Evileye clarified, "But it's not meant for combat. You see, when I was a child I was kidnapped by a cult. They were experimenting with these stone masks. Pulling certain spines off of them to see what effect they would have."

"I thought my Hamon was acting weird around you," George noted, "But you still seem to have your humanity." "The spine at the top of the mask was removed in my case," Evileye explained, "That and the fact that I had the mask forced on me caused me to try and maintain my human side. Of course, even then I had my Stand. But it wasn't until after I became a vampire that it really dawned on me how useful it could be. It's called Walking on Sunshine, and it renders me immune to solar energy. As a human it really didn't do much, but as a vampire it means I can walk around in the sun without turning to dust."

The group made their way up to the second floor. "So what else can we expect in the temple?," Zaryusu asked. "I didn't get the chance to look very hard," Jake replied, "But there's only been evidence of one person coming and going from the temple. Kaire, no doubt." "Giving how Calling All the Monsters worked," Starlight said, "It's likely she was important to the conspiracy's plans in its early stages. What with Down by the Station being swarmed with monsters, she may have used her Stand to gather them."

"But there were multiple members of each species," Hekkeran pointed out, "And Kaire could only control a member of a monster species once. After that the whole species would be immune to her Stand." "Maybe there's another Stand capable of copying those monsters," Holly suggested, "Like how my husband's Stand let's him multiply himself endlessly." Tina whipped her head in the direction of the door. "Everyone down!" The group ducked as spectral serpentine dragons collided with the wall just above them.

"Very fast," came a female voice as she emerged from the darkness. She was dark-skinned and wearing a dancer's outfit. "I am Se-Ese. I believe you may know my sister Edstrom?" "Is that someone important?," Zesshi asked. "I believe she was a member of Six Arms," Lakyus explained, "Succulent mentioned their names when we were preparing grave markers." Se-Ese seemed confused. "Why would you need to rely on someone else for her name?" George sighed. "Were you under the impression that one of us killed her? We were doing operations elsewhere when she and five of the other Six Arms members were killed."

Se-Ese sighed. "I see. I was hoping joining this group would help me find my sister's killer. Well, no matter. I'm still under orders to prevent you from progressing further." She began to glow with energy. "Imagine Dragons!" Three serpent dragons emerged from energy and launched breaths of fire, ice, and lightning to attack. Zaryusu and Shasryu were able to block the ice and fire with their respective Stand, while George was able to hold off the lightning using a Hamon barrier. However, the dragons were also circling the group, likely with an intent to crush them in their coils.

"Tia! Tina!," Lakyus called out, "I think it's time for you to show your true power!" Tina smirked. "Got it, Evil Boss. Ready, Sis?" Tia nodded, and she back to back with Tina. Tina breathed deep. "Two Become One!" Se-Ese had to shield her eyes as a bright flash erupted from the twin ninjas. When it faded, the two had been replaced with a slightly taller version of themselves. "What is this?" "This is Tina's Stand," the new ninja said, "It merges the two sisters to become me, Tiana." She threw one of her daggers fast enough that Se-Ese couldn't dodge in time, taking a hit to her shoulder. The sudden pain caused her to lose focus, stopping her dragons.

"Tina's Stand works on the idea that identical twins are two halves of one soul," Evileye explained to the others, "It lets her merge with Tia, creating a being that combines their physical attributes, and can even damage spiritual entities such as Stands." Tiana demonstrated by using her short sword to slice through one of the dragons, causing damage to Se-Ese's arm. George smirked. "Looks like this is a classic case of damage of the Stand, damage the user. Tusk Act 1!" He fired his index nails into the other dragons, nailing their eyes and causing visible wounds on Se-Ese's other arm and her neck.

"Damn," she muttered, "I need to finish this fast. Imagine Dragons!" She got the dragons moving again, only to have them wrapped up in branches from Starlight's Dove and Grenade and vines from Holly's Chumbawamba. The effect caused Se-Ese to start to choke as if strangled. She wasn't suffering for long, as Tiana took advantage of the distraction leapt behind the dancer, stabbing her blade right through Se-Ese's throat. She was dead instantly, dispelling the dragons and letting the group move on.

The group soon reached the third floor, where they spotted a little girl just standing in the middle of the room. "Who's this?," Gagaran asked. "I'm Burrow," the child replied. She giggled, and the group noted a sinister tone behind it. "Daddy's Home!" Instantly, a giant armored warrior wielding an industrial drill on its left arm appeared. "Great shades of Bioshock!," George called out. The Stand charged right at George, drill extended to attack. "Hamon Hair Attack!" George erected his barrier, stopping the drill cold.

"Cold Wind Blows!" "Bass Renaissance!" "Call of Justice!" Zaryusu, Tolkien, and Lakyus each launched their Stands in an effort to damage Daddy's Home. The attacks worked, causing the giant Stand to back off, but Zesshi noticed something. "Burrow's unaffected. This Stand must be an independent type." "It must be like Takemikazuchi's Battlecry," Zaryusu theorized, "Meant to be a guardian for the Stand user." Burrow giggled. "Daddy always protects me. Just like he'll protect this world... From the monsters."

That got the group's attention. "So," George said, "Her father is someone in the conspiracy. Sorry kid, but your father..." Tusk appeared in its Act 4 form. "Doesn't know what a true monster is!" "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" Tusk smashed its fists into Daddy's Home, its strength proving more than enough to punch through the armor, causing the larger Stand to topple to the ground and dissipate. Burrow gasped. "Uh oh! Daddy won't like it if I get hurt out here!" She quickly ran through the nearby door. "We can't let her get away!," George said, "We have to find out who her father is!"

Once they reached the fourth floor, they got stopped by a wave of gold coins erupting from the gold. The shockwave came from the fist of a skeletal Stand wearing pirate garb, it's master, a middle-aged man dressed like his Stand, seen nearby. Lakyus grimaced. "The Dread Pirate Anderson. To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?" "I've been offered payment from the ones you oppose," Anderson explained, "Payment up front of course, to fuel my Stand, Sons of Plunder." "Anderson is a notorious pirate and sellsword," Zesshi explained, "He always asks for half his payment up front, so he can power up his Stand, which is rumored to grow stronger based on his wealth."

Anderson chuckled. "Well, the rumors aren't unfounded. Actually, my wealth only affects the shockwave you just saw." "I take it you don't intend for us to get past?," Gyro noted. "Part of my contract is protecting the girl," Anderson admitted, "As you might have already surmised, she's the daughter of one of the higher ups in our little group." Sons of Plunder made to make another shockwave, only to get its hand struck by the knuckle from Call of Justice. "One way or another, we have business at the peak of the temple."

She made to attack again, this time with the short sword, Sons of Plunder defending with a cutlass of its own. Anderson grimaced as he struggled against the blade. "Pretty strong for not gripping the blade personally." He then felt a blade pressed against his throat, and noticed Tiana had gotten behind him. "You know," Tiana said, "George mentioned a little something about pirates and ninjas. They tend not to get along." "There's a reward out for your capture," Zesshi noted, "And once you're arrested, your precious wealth is forfeit. Which would drain the power of your Stand's shockwaves." Realizing how close to death he was at that moment, Anderson decided to surrender.

"Fifth floor now," Jack said, "There's seven total, with the magic well on the seventh floor." "And that girl is still just ahead of us," Shasryu noted. "Is the well on the exterior?," Hekkeran asked, "Like it was for the Forest Temple." "Yes," Zesshi said, "It should be peeking out just above the surface. Up until recently, it's light could be seen all across the country." "Feeling left out?," Gyro asked. "My Stand's useless indoors," Hekkeran pointed out, "Once we get outside I can use it anywhere, even if it's not connected to the Spirit Tracks."

The group suddenly scattered at the sound of sudden explosions around them, which detonated into brilliant fireworks. A young woman wearing pirate gear chuckled. "How do you like it? Like a Circus puts on quite the show." Behind the woman was a large cannon, and judging from its bright colors it had to be her Stand. "Name's Applegate," the woman said, "I believe you just brought in my husband earlier. Thanks for not killing him, but I still need to fulfill our contract." She then had to duck as George fired off some of his fingernails.

"That Stand might as well be a glass cannon," he noted, "Good for attacking, but you leave yourself wide open." Applegate found herself having to dodge multiple long-range attacks. "They never mentioned so many long-range attackers!," she complained as comically large waterfalls of tears fell from her eyes. She finally got stopped when she ran face-first into Gagaran's fist, causing her to get knocked out. "It alright if she shares a cell with her husband?" "I don't see why not," Lakyus replied.

At the sixth floor, the group spotted Burrow heading in a nearby door, which was quickly sealed as a mysterious shadowy figure appeared. "I am Barker," the being said in a raspy voice, "And this is as far as you go. Shadow World!" Suddenly, the entire room was covered in complete darkness. George and Gyro were able to get some visibility using their Hamon, but otherwise the room was completely blacked out. They heard Shasryu call out, "Saint Elmo's Fire!" Instantly they spotted the familiar twin fires from his bucklers.

"I'm guessing Barker is some sort of assassin," Gyro noted, "Can you feel him?" "I have a lock on his life force," George said, "But it feels far too heavy. He must be some sort of undead." He spotted a feeling in the direction of where he sensed Barker. He turned off his Hamon long enough to attack. "Zoom Punch!" He felt another life force, which had been right in front of Barker, get out of the way once the light from his Hamon faded. 'Good,' he thought, 'Whoever it was took the hint.'

The punch hit home on Barker, burning him and confirming his status of undead. Gyro followed up by moving in to attack. "A little trick I picked up from my great-granddad. Sendo Wave Kick!" The kick, charged with Hamon, proved strong enough to fully infuse Barker, knocking his head off. The head crumbled to dust quickly, as did the rest of him. With his death, the darkness started to dispel. George confirmed it had been Zesshi who moved out of the way of his attack. "I suspected you shut off your Hamon as a warning," Zesshi said.

George nodded. "The well is on the next floor, right?" "Yes," Jack confirmed, "But at the top is whoever is supposed to be keeping it closed." "The only way to open the well is to kill that person, right?," Holly asked. "You're taking that fact rather well for a former housewife," Lakyus noted. "Our family's no stranger to violence," Holly explained, "More than once I've seen my son Jotaro put people in the hospital, and I'm told he even had to go so far as to kill some of DIO's followers just to save my life." She walked to the now unsealed door before looking back at the group. "This is the sort of thing I have to live with as a Joestar."