Legends of Gravity Falls: Blood Runs Thick
Chapter 3: Guardians of the Grave
As the Prime Councilman of the Chosen, Preston Northwest, approached the sacrifices with dagger in hand, a Disciple came running in through the entrance to the stairway up to the surface, and shouted in shock and confusion in warning.
"Brothers, sisters, superiors! We are under attack! The unbelievers brought back up!"
"Enough of this! Kill the sacrifices now, Northwest! Councilors, send all available devotees into battle!" The Grand Harvester bellowed in immediate decree, his impatience reaching the breaking point.
"Yes sir, right away!" The cultists of the Council of the Chosen replied in unison, "Serve the will of the Great One! Destroy those who defy his will!" They added in unison as well, orders for the rest of the cultists present. A voice familiar to the Pines family, Wendy, and Soos called out from up in the giant hole Bill created in the ceiling. It was familiar, but warped.
"Vou vill not vin zhis day!"
The cultists looked up and saw Walter Starnhorst had returned, in his Shadow Form, and had brought the rest of his ghostly guards possessing the knight armor as well as a horde of Native American and Pioneer ghosts, staring down right back at them from the world above.
"Attack, my vriends! Let us end zhis mad threat to our vorld!" Walter ordered.
"In the memory of our ancestors and our sacred land! These defilers will answer to our wrath!" The ghost of the native chieftain declared.
"For friends and family all 'round! Get 'em, boys!" A ghost of a Pioneer frontiersman added in command of his fellows.
"Spirits! We can't fight what we cannot strike! Orders, sir?!" Another Disciple turned to the Grand Harvester and asked in immediate panic.
"I don't care if you need to give your lives for this battle! Serve his will until death and beyond! Hold them off and kill the sacrifices, all of you!" The Grand Harvester commanded as he raised his scythe as the ghostly assailants charged down the hole, Walter in front.
The cultists drew their swords and guns, most of them quickly trying to mount a defense while the ones closest to the sacrifices took aim with their rifles and pistols, but before they could get off a shot, the ghosts were upon them, relentlessly attacking them, knocking and throwing them about every which way. One pioneer ghost dragged Preston away, who had attempted a foolhardy escape. The cultists were quickly becoming overwhelmed, unable to defend themselves against ghosts, enemies they had no chance of effectively attacking. In the chaos, Dipper, the real boy, arrived via the stairs and hurried over to his friends and family.
"Aw man, great to see you, dude!" Soos greeted his younger friend with relief.
"Dipper! You're okay!" Mabel added in an equally relieved tone.
"Should've figured you'd have something up your sleeve." Wendy said with a smile.
"Yeah, totally" The blonde Northwest girl agreed with a similar expression.
"All part of the plan I made with Walter. Let's find a way to free you guys." The boy replied.
"Excellent! Well done, Dipper, I don't think I could have done better myself." Ford commended his young great nephew.
"He totally conned these crazy nutjobs, he learned that much from me!" Stan patted himself on the back, figuratively as he was still in chains.
"Went off just as we wanted it to." Clone Dipper added with his own smile.
The only cultist able to hold his own as the fighting continued around them was the Grand Harvester, whose dark mystical powers and scythe granted him ample fighting abilities against spirits. His eyes were glowing light green again as was his scythe. With a sinister chuckle and matching grin he cleaved and hacked his scythe through the ghosts, severing them in two and consuming their essence, adding them to his collection of souls, a harvest that was nothing new to him. Walter moved to face him while ghosts freed the sacrifices, Clone Dipper, Stan, Ford, Mabel, Wendy, Soos, McGucket, and Pacifica. The ancient vampire, still in Shadow Form, locked blades with the Grand Harvester, who merely gave a demented chuckle at the chaos around them, and the sight of the sacrifices fleeing to the stairway.
"It's a stalling measure, at best. Once the Great One and the Grand Master return, you are all finished. They are on their way back right now."
"Ve vill never stop fighteing. Zhis vorld iz not for your master to control" Walter replied calmly, as if stating a fact.
"It is now, foolish unbeliever, as you soon shall see."
The vile cultist slammed his foot on the ground to force a fallen sword up into his left hand, and before Walter could move to stop him, he hurled it past the vampire and right at the escapees. The spinning blade cut right through Dipper, the real one, who cried out in pain as he fell onto the stairs.
"Dipper!" The rest of the group called out, and ran to his side. Soos lifted the wounded boy up and the group resumed fleeing to safety, albeit leaving a pool of the kid's blood behind, exactly as the Grand Harvester intended.
"Zhat vas a mistake." Walter said coldly as he resumed his standoff with the cultist.
"No... it was exactly what we needed, nothing can stop us. Shall we get this over with?" The Grand Harvester gripped his weapon with both hands, his wicked grin never leaving. Walter solemnly did the same, and the two enemies began their duel, slashing, hacking and clashing their blades back and forth. The two appeared evenly matched. After a few minutes of intense melee, only the ghosts remained around them, the remaining cultists either gone, too badly wounded, or unconscious. At that moment, a terrible darkness came over the central chamber. From the lower levels of the temple, Bill Cipher and the Grand Master had returned. The Grand Harvester cackled again as he and Walter kept fighting, the former knowing full well this turn of events was exactly as planned. Bill merely grinned as his eyes glowed in blue fire.
"Looks like I have the perfect opportunity to test out my new form. Pursue the rabble and do as you will, I will be along shortly." The demented demon told his mortal confidant.
"At once, my lord." The Grand Master replied. Sherman Pines spread his dreaded bat-like demonic wings and took to the sky, flying straight up and out of the giant hole as he drew both of his swords. Bill began charging up blue fire in both his hands as he began to levitate above the ground.