Graupner Kinley stood before the trio, holding his hands together as he laughed. Surrounding him were hundreds of the Lycanropes; werewolf-shaped plant monsters under his control. Standing in droves that made even Dipper's number-savvy mind numb, they bared their root-like teeth and snarled. Back-to-back, Mabel, Dipper, and Arline glared back.
The twins, in their facing the horrid man, each had a good chance to stare at the face. The eye-socket without an eye had a small, diamond shaped red stone for an eye, which moved in unison with the still functioning eye. Inside the socket, horrible scarring and tissue damage laid bare to the world. Just like the skin around the eyelid, now missing, tears and permanent bruising circled the dark center.
"I can't believe this worked so well," Graupner roared with laughter, "Just as planned! To think he could actually predict you all so well... hysterical."
"Yeah? Well so much for your plan!" Mabel shouted back, tensing her fists tightly, "Because now we're here!"
"And you're going to be stopped for good!" Dipper agreed.
Graupner whistled, holding a hand back in mock fear. "Oh no! The heroes think they can kill a Lich?" he placed the back of his hand on his forehead, "Ohhh! Oh!" He laughed, "God," he lowered his hand, scoffing, "You three are really just too stupid."
"What's stupid about us finally cornering you?" Arline demanded.
"For starters, thinking that you have me ccornered," Graupner lifted a finger, "Because, frankly, I think I'm not the one who's back is to the wall. Secondly," he lifted another finger, "Thinking that you coming down here wasn't part of my master's p-plan."
The three stared at him, even as the masses of Lycanropes shifted and spun around them. Twisting and moving about one another as one sea of plant-bodies, they shifted in place as they circled Mabel, Dipper, and Arline. Those above, still waiting on the metal bridges, leaned further down, bearing their horrible faces closer.
"Don't you get it?" Graupner grinned as he tapped his gnarled staff absentmindedly with the tips of his fingers, "Think, idiots, think! Really give those braincells of yours a try, I know you're not used to it, but now is a great time to try."
Cackling at his own joke, Graupner explained, "Everything, every single thing we've done has had a purpose! Remember? The spider summoning flute; it brought a new sense of fear into the town! It was going to drive away tourists from stopping by more often, limiting the help from the outside. After all, who would want to visit a town where giant spiders attacked frequently?"
"To separate people away from town?" Mabel repeated.
Graupner ignored her, his red eye glowing. "When I attacked the convention, it was just to allow my master to grain the real authority, and reason to deny any business ventures to spread to this region! Without it, he had no reason to oppose the decisions of the other heads for that convention, " Graupner sneered, "With tourists slowed and business slowed, all he had to do was ensure the town would fall apart on its own."
"That's... why you brought down the phoenix!" Dipper gasped, "You knew people would realize what it was! And want to fight over it!"
"Exactly," Graupner sneered, "Visitors gone, business gone, all we had to do is force the state of mind to go from unified to broken. With the death of the phoenix, we only got a crack... but it was enough. People were no longer interested in helping one another as much as they would have been."
"You're wrong," Arline whipped her head to the side, able to look at the Warlock from the corner of her eye, "People have helped one another! They're fighting for their town now, up above!"
The Warlock rolled his eyes, the stone leaving a glowing trail that lingered in the air for a quick moment. "Yeah, whatever. So they are a tad more resilient than we expected. That's why we made these," he opened his are to the side, beckoning to the Lycanropes around him, "Vicious-Vinous."
"Mabel quickly commented, "Lycanropes. Such a better name than loser 'Vicious-Stupidous'.
Graupner opened his mouth, a vicious snarl on his lips. Then he stalled, blinking. Mabel's comment confused him, to say lightly. He continued, seeming to ignore her comment. "With the town still intact with their morale, we came up with a new plan: take it down by force. There wouldn't be any outside aid, not with my bombs set off a few days ago," he sneered again, "Which, thank you for that. I was afraid the timer would go off before then."
"Funny, the only one you got was your master," Dipper pointed out, his words lashing to Graupner.
The Warlock rolled his eyes. "Got my master? Please. All he had to do was 'appear' to be in danger. Fooled you three, it seems," Graupner added. "Finally, with just the other day. Plants, with werewolf essence magically infused into it from the unknowing donor, Jacob Fulbrow, became our Vicious Vinous."
Dipper said to the side, "Explains why they all suck," to Mabel, who grinned in response.
"Oh, yes, that's right," Graupner added with a snap of his fingers, "You all beat it, sure. But you were late to finding myself and my master. By the time you showed up, we already destroyed the charm surrounding the stone in the forests." The three glared at him, and his smile grew. "Oh, what? Forgot that detail? Did you think we were just putting on a light show? For now on, the Starkissed Stone of Conservation can be found by anyone. With, or without, a tracking spell."
"Which means... the near war you started with all the species in the woods," Dipper tallied, "The giant Lycanrope-"
"Vicious-Vinious," Gruapner cut him off.
Dipper was undeterred, and bit on the name, "Lycanrope, and... and the attack now, they were all made to distract people!?"
Graupner smiled, and nodded. "You know, Omir once said that the greatest lesson he learned from the paths is that the best way to win an objective is to avoid the fight altogether. I like the fighting part, but can't lie if he's right. Yes," he clarified, "Right now, he's going to get the stone, and complete his mission."
"Why?!" Dipper asked, "Why does he want all this happening? He told us he didn't want anyone else hurt! Why do all this now!?"
To their amazement, Graupner shrugged. "Why should I care? All I know is the night before he started this, three years ago, he started muttering in his sleep. Now he's determined to save his precious 'golden soul'. Whatever."
"You're his apprentice!" Mabel gasped, "Don't you care what he's up to!?"
"A good apprentice should," Arline added.
"I'm only that – an apprentice," Graupner snarled bitterly, actually spitting the ground before him with a spasm of light from his rock-eye. "I was never a partner. Always a student. He never gave me what I wanted. Choice – no, power. What should I care when I'm just a second best to someone like him? He still won't give me what I want."
Mabel, refraining from her desire to shout at him, calmly suggested, "Maybe it's because you treat everyone around you like this?"
Graupner flinched. "I treat people like this because people treat me like this!"
Dipper roared, "We never treated you like this!" pointing his uninjured hand at Graupner. As the Warlock's eyes widened at the scarless skin, Dipper reminded him, "All we wanted, in the beginning, was to know what you were up to! You were the one who knocked me out, threatened Soos, did literally everything this summer to be the worst!"
Arline barked up at Graupner, "You think you're not a partner!? Being a student makes you a partner!" Arline barked at him, "You learn as he does!"
Graupner stared at her, and then to Mabel. With their own previous experience with one-eyed enemies, they saw the vicious jealousy inside his mind. Yet he pulled back, his eyes closing as he leaned on the staff. "Whatever. Either way, he never trusted me."
"Wonder why," Dipper quietly muttered to the three.
Graupner, his energy dropping slightly, grumbled, "It doesn't really matter. Not anymore. Not now. Not... for you three," he slowly smiled again, looking to the ceiling high above, "After this is all over, he'll finally trust me enough to really teach me spells I want... and then I will one day become the master, and he... a corpse."
"You're already a corpse," Mabel told him with a small shake of her head.
"No matter what you do, you can't change that," Dipper added.
"Mind, and body – one big stinker," Mabel furthered.
Graupner growled, "And soon, you three will be too," and leaned the staff forward. "Dead, I mean. Not a stinker. That part was stupid."
"You're stupid!" Mabel pointed at him.
The Lycanropes advanced. Stepping closer as one fluid motion, the space between the trio and the many bodies of sharp claws and teeth began to shrink. Graupner's red eye sparkled small speckles of red light and his other eye twinkled maliciously as he called the order. "Kill them!"
"You'll what, dude?" Soos asked.
Before him, still standing above Wendy, Omir lowered his head as he looked to Soos and Stan. The dark eyes twinkled; a form of truth visible from his mind. Stan, far behind Soos and poking the end of a rifle out from the twins' room, glared down. He was certain he could get a shot in before Omir moved. Yet he had thought that previously, and still hadn't been able to bring the Sorcerer down yet.
"I'll restore your friend. Uki-Dohth," Omir repeated.
"But you can't," Soos pointed out quickly, "He was cursed and stuff!"
Omir gladly explained, "Conventional healing is impossible. The curse of blackflame is a dangerous, but simple one," Omir stated, and took a step closer to Soos. "I can lift the curse. Made by my apprentice, and taught by myself, I know it very well. Trust me," he said, as Wendy rolled away from him, and slowly started to stand.
"Trust you!?" Stan shouted from above. "I'd sooner send a welcome card to the gnomes!"
"Which means no," Soos restated, "We don't really trust you."
"You should," Omir said, his grin leveling out, "At least this one time."
"Really?" Wendy coughed as she stood, "And how does that work? We trust you to always break and blow things up?"
"Or trust you to send your maniacal apprentices after us!?" Stan added.
Omir's gaze lifted to stan, yet he did not turn his face upward. Weary and tired, the ancient spellcaster sighed and then spoke. "You should trust me because I've always chosen the path of least resistance, which means I am willing to work with you."
"Hah!" Stan laughed, his gun aimed straight at Omir now, "And how does any of this seem 'least-resistancy' to you?"
"You've practically gone out of your way to hurt people!" Wendy shouted.
"Not to mention, kind of blow-up town," Soos added.
"Yet it still stands," Omir pointed out, "Along with you all. Let me be clear – I am a powerful man," he said easily, flexing his fingers, "With wealth, social power, and most importantly, magic. With very little effort on my part, I could have leveled this town for good. Bought it all through illegal means, and then bulldozed it to the ground and then personally sought out this stone," he lifted the shimmering orb.
He lowered the stone, and continued. "Yet, I did not. I avoided the conflict, the real conflict, knowing it would only extend the issue. I've worked in the shadows, protecting the masses, and myself, from a battle that would end lives. Even now," he turned half way, pointing with his staff back at the trees, "The battle in town, I made note to have Graupner not kill or harm a single person. Captured, rounded up, and restrained. Then I will return, and appear to save the town. People return to their lives. I shall rebuild their homes, their town. I gain the stone... and what comes with it," he finalized, "And no one dies."
Stan stalled, the grip on his gun faltering. For a guy he currently had no problem shooting at again, he made a whole lot of sense. Stan knew how it was to act out of sight, from beyond other's views- how efficient it made things. Sure, this man, this Sorcerer, was their enemy, but Stan almost felt sympathy for him.
"Well, even if you think you're helping people dude," Soos suddenly blurted out, "Look at what you'll do to people just to get what you want!" he also pointed to the woods towards town, where echoes of screams and explosions shook the air, "That's not happy sounds I hear! More like 'oh no, I'm in mortal peril', kind of screams dude!" Soos took a few long breaths, staring at Omir. "You want to say you're a good man? Well, I don't think so, dude."
Omir's eyes lost some of that sparkle. He quietly told Soos, "I may not be a good man, but I'm certainly a practical one."
Wendy made the first move. As best intuition could serve, she struck just before he finished his last words, right where he would be distracted and in thought still. She rushed forward, and swung with her axe. Omir, turned to her, and flexed out his staff, stopping the attack by meeting handle with the tip of his white weapon.
Soos roared and ran forward, and jumped. He would reach around with his arms, and as he did, he wrapped them around Omir. The old man's arms fell to the side, and he stumbled forward. Wendy stepped aside just as they tumbled past her. Omir flipped, actually using the weight of Soos to his advantage. He let Soos fall to the ground as he leapt over him and tumbled midair.
Stan had his target now, and no one to get in his way. As Soos staggered up to the side, Stan took his first shot. Omir had flicked his gaze back to Stan quickly, and saw the attack coming the moment the trigger was pulled.
He stepped aside, letting the bullet slam into the earth. Stan re-adjusted and fired again. This time the staff spun, swatting away the large caliber bullets easily. Wendy snarled and rushed into combat again, uncaring of the bullets. "Keep shooting at him!" she shouted.
"No problem!" Stan barked back, and fired.
With the staff occupied from swatting bullets, Wendy was able to get swings in. The first two made not contact, yet the third would. Omir was fast, but he could not, as it seemed, become incorporeal and avoid the harm altogether. To avoid Wendy's axe, he tossed up the stone. Flying into the air now, Soos watched the stone soar, and moved to catch it.
With his other hand free, Omir caught Wendy's axe, gripping it tightly. As Stan fired another round, which he continued to parry, he whirled around, pulling Wendy with him. With might to match her Father, Omir threw Wendy into the air at Stan as the trigger was pulled again.
"No!" Stan shouted.
The bullet struck Wendy's back.
Her eyes widened, and she fell to the ground in a slump.
"Wendy!" Soos shouted.
In his momentary worry for Wendy, Omir took advantage, and swung the staff towards Soos- too far to make contact yet. A gust of wind blew him back, and Soos slammed into one of the few columns supporting the overhang by the porch. It snapped, and Soos rolled to the ground, groaning as he bared his teeth. Rubbing at his shoulder, Soos mumbled, "That'll leave a mark..."
The with only two hands to hold, Omir had dropped the stone. It was falling, just to his side. Without turning to glance at the object, Omir thrust out the staff like lightning, and caught the rounded stone with the end of the staff. Grinning to himself, the Sorcerer lifted his weapon and allowed the stone to roll back into his hand easily. Omir turned up to stare at Stan, who had just started to re-load his gun. This time, the Sorcerer scowled and shook his head.
"When will you three learn," he grumbled, and pointed his staff to the window. A blast of red light shot out, and Stan ducked inside as a short, concentrated blast incinerated part of the window. "If you will not help me, fine. I'll see myself..."
Omir stalled, seeing a red-headed figure stand up, slowly. Her eyes a fury of green that caught the light of the sun brilliantly, Wendy glared at him, her teeth bared.
"That... hurt," she breathed.
"Right. Undead, silly me," Omir pointed his staff to her, "Let's just end that, shall we?"
A ball of yellow light burst out from the end of the staff like a bullet. Slamming into Wendy's mid-section, she slid back, holding to her feet as the force imbedded itself into her. Burning away at a hole in her plaid shirt, her toned midsection showed injury. Omir stared, shock in his eyes, as the burns closed up rapidly.
"No..." he shook his head.
"I'm not any normal kind of undead, you bastard," she sneered, lifted her axe from the ground, and ran at him.
"A wraith!" Omir yelled.
His posture instantly changed. Before Wendy could reach him, he lowered the stone to the ground. Taking both hands to his staff, he barged forward, and whirled the long weapon overhead. Wendy stalled, taken aback at the sudden aggression. Omir struck out first, extending the staff like a whip against her arm. CRACK!
Her arm bent horrible aside. Wendy screamed as bones broke, and she staggered aside. No more a second had passed before she shook her arm, glaring at the Sorcerer, her arm mobile again, seemingly unhurt. Omir continued his assault, undeterred with her unnatural abilities and endurance.
Again and again, he struck Wendy; delivering punishing blows against her body. Arm, shoulder, hip, knees, Wendy buckled and fell, and would get back up and continued to fight. The more frustrated Omir grew, the faster Wendy got. She was gaining speed, as inhuman levels of adrenaline pumped through her body. The heart that should not be beating furiously worked, faster and faster without the limits of mortality and human stress limits.
Omir was now surrounded by a blur of a girl, red and green rushing around him in wrath. He would strike her occasionally, attempting to trip or wound her further. Now Wendy was on the assault- she was the aggressor.
With a triumphant yell, she spun herself as she leapt out and made her final swing- straight for the neck. Omir, who had just struck at her ribs with a stab, was unable to parry. He lifted one arm hastily and made to catch her arm. Her muscles, now far beyond normal strength levels, pushed hard against his considerable strength.
Sadly, it was not enough. Omir did block the attack. Blood, however, was drawn. Wendy gasped as something drifted down from the axe- a small trickle of blood. She looked up, and she saw the damage.
A small cut, barely large enough to be a cat-scratch laid across his neck. More importantly, the drifting object, was Omirs ruined bow-tie. It fell to the ground.
"My tie," Omir timidly said. "I loved that tie..." he then realized something. He felt the blood trickle down his neck. With a stunned face, Omir Steindorf had come to recognize that someone had actually landed a hit on him. The Sorcerer let out a roar. He bellowed with fury as spit flew from his mouth.
His grip changed in a flash. Instead of her arm, he pulled back and grasped the axe. Terrible trembling white light shone from his grip as a high-pitched whirring started. Wendy was unwilling to leave her weapon behind, instead desperately pulling it from his hand.
The air shrieked, and Wendy's axe shattered at the handle, and the metal head split into two as a shockwave of sonic sound tossed Wendy back and shattered every window in the Mystery Manor.
The red-head struck the ground hard. She was fine, as she could care less about her body's condition, and so she started to stand. Something held her back, and she turned to her arms. Something was reaching out from the earth, grasping her body and pulling down. Then the same stone wraps engulfed her legs. Wendy growled, and then screamed the moment another stone wrap sorrounded her neck, and she felt a horrible pressure against her spine.
"WENDY!"
Soos rushed to her, and began to pull against the stone. He lifted his hands, and smashed down. His weight proved to be a worthy combatant- the stone next to her neck shattered, and Soos made to attack again. The stone only continued to grow, and again her neck was covered.
Soos looked up, and saw Omir holding a hand towards Wendy. "Let go of her!" he shouted, standing to his feet. Omir frowned at them, and then his fingers twitched. Wendy screamed as more horrible crunching came from her body.
From above, Stan's voice warned Omir, "You let her go or I'll pop your brains out from your head you psycho!"
"And then I'll pound you into the dirt so you can see how it feels!" Soos shouted.
Omir, his hand still outstretched, dared them, "Threaten me more," his fingers locked into place, "And while I may not kill her, but I can certainly make her existence a true... hell," he warned them, his tones darkening.
"And you think your apprentice is evil," Stan spat.
"Graupner would have burned you all to ashes by now. Killed the three of you where you stand," Omir warned them, "I am here... giving you three a chance."
"Let her go!" Stan shouted, holding the gun to his body closely.
Omir grinned. "I would reconsider your position, Stanley Pines," Omir grinned, "Or you may be not one, but two employees short."
All it took was Omir's extended finger to twitch, and Wendy's body again cracked. She screamed, tears streaming down her face. From the window, Stan's wide eyes trembled. He had to look at Wendy, even as his gun was locked onto Omir. She was breathing so sharply, her face flushed with red as her cheeks went wet with tears.
He had heard those screams before. Not by stone, but by black fire, from a nightmare a month ago. Wendy turned her gaze to him, and made to speak. Only then did another stone wrapping cover her mouth, and pull her head roughly against the dirt.
Stan closed his eyes, his body shaking. "No more people hurt on my part... no more," Stan muttered to himself, his body sweating as he fought a pressure in his eyes. He looked to Omir, who had his eyes locked on Stan. "Okay," Stan nodded.
"Mister Pines, don't!" Soos shouted.
Omir asked quickly, "You'll let me inside?"
Soos shouted, shriller than before, "Mister Pines!"
Stan, his voice cracking, asked his oldest employee, "What choice do we have, Soos?" He lowered his gun to the ground.
"Very good. I'm glad you've come to your senses," Omir said to Stan, a calming sigh escaping his lips, "Now, I will leave this young lady here, in her stone predicament until I have gotten what I ask for. I hope this ensures my end of the bargain is fulfilled."
"Sure... just... stay down there. I'll let you in," Stan said, leaving the window. Omir smiled and lowered his hands from Wendy.
Soos, still at Wendy's side, lowered himself to her. "Wendy, do you need to breath?" he asked her. Her head was locked into place, and her mouth blocked. Instead, she shook her eyes left and right. "Okay... okay, we'll get you out of there, okay?" he told her.
"You're truly something, Mister Ramierez," Omir spoke up as he too had bent down to his knees, and lifted two things into the air, his torn off bow-tie and the stone, which he cradled in his hand. "You're aware she's a member of the undead, and will one day be a ruthless monster, yes?"
Soos whipped his head back to face the Sorcerer. "She's my friend!" Soos shouted back.
The Sorcerer's mouth fell open a tiny bit as he looked to Soos, scanning the truth in his eyes. "... I empathize for you," Omir said, and stood up fully, "You, of all people. You've placed a lot of care into something that will one day go sour." Leaving the direct vicinity of Wendy, Omir took into his hand the stone once more.
"Well, I'm all about the here and now, you mean jerk," Soos spat, and held a hand on Wendy's shoulder.
As Omir watched Soos with a piercing gaze somewhere between adoration and sympathy, the front door opened again. Stan held the door open, no longer armed. Omir looked to the old man, and nodded. His staff now as a walking stick, he walked past Soos and Wendy, never faltering his gaze to Stan.
"Let her go," Stan told him as he met him at the front door.
Omir gently shook his head. "I will, when I return. Again, consider it insurance that I am not betrayed," Omir reasoned. "Although, I'm still uncertain as to why you continued to defend her. One day she will become a raging, feral monster, and all this love for her will go wasted and-"
A new bellow caught the two old men off guard. Soos had turned and, taking a note from Wendy's book, charged. Omir barely turned in time to see the bull-rush that was Soos charging at him, let alone prepare any kind of retaliation. Soos, with his impressive strength, lifted the Sorcerer off his feet and ran into the room, slamming into against the wooden floor with a crash. Two nearby post-card racks toppled to the floor with more crashes, spilling about the many iterations of Gravity Falls tourism. The stone rolled in front of Omir's face, by Stan's feet. The old man looked from the stone to Soos, furiously attacking the downed Sorcerer.
"Don't you talk to my friends that way!" Soos shouted, and slammed his fists into the chest of Omir. Unprepared, the old man wheezed as again and again Soos fought back, striking the downed spell-caster with fury.
"Soos!" Stan rushed into the room, uncertain as to what to do- help Soos or calm the fight. His mind an opportunist, he rushed for the counter and reached down, pulling up a baseball bat. He was too slow.
Soos was yelling and shouting by the time he turned. The longest employee under Stan's shop was now lifted against the ceiling, pressed against the wooden boards with unseen power.
"Soos!" Stan roared, and rushed at Omir with the baseball bat.
"I wouldn't, were I you!" Omir roared, a large bruise covering his left eye. He stepped directly under Soos with a side-step, and pushed hard.
The boards above Soos warped. As with the stone in the earth around Wendy, the boards around Soos began to obey the commands of the Sorcerer. They wrapped around Soos like water, forming new, living wood that pulled Soos further into the roof. Creaking and groaning, the wood fought to hold Soos rigidly.
"No! Soos, just, I-I'll get you down!" Stan shouted, dropping the baseball bat as he rushed over, pushing aside Omir to better reach up. Soos reached down for him, and the two made contact- catching each other's hand. Stan felt the unflinching power of magic, pulling Soos away and still lifting Stan higher. Soos was being swallowed the ceiling itself. "Let him down!" Stan shouted to Omir.
"Now I think you'll see why you want to listen to me," Omir quietly said.
"Just let him down! You- you can leave Wendy, I know she'll be fine, but Soos can-" Stan begged, stepping closer to Omir.
"Now you have reason to want to help me," Omir nearly whispered, "Or else... you can say goodbye to this good fellow," he glanced up, and Stan turned to Soos.
"I'm fine, Mister Pines!" Soos told him, forcing a worried grin to his face, "I can still talk and stuff, see? This aint so bad-" he said. Omir sighed, and snapped his fingers. "Uh oh," Soos gulped, and another thick board from the ceiling wrapped around his mouth and face, and Soos could only use his eyes.
"He can't breath!" Stan shouted. "Let him breath!"
Omir shouted, eyes wide, "Then take me to your portal!"
"Please," Stan fell to his knees, clutching at Omir's jacket, "Not them. I'll... I'll let you shoot me once, twice! Unload a gun, magic – whatever you got! Just don't hurt them anymore!" he shouted, "I can't see this again! Not again..." Stan looked down to the ground, no longer able to contain the tears behind his eyes.
The horrible sound of creaking wood that had begun to slow. Stan looked up to Omir, who stared down to the old man, his own brow furrowed. Something resembling sadness was etched in the wrinkles by his eyes. Stan then looked up, hearing rapid breathing. Soos's nose had been freed.
Relief washing over Stan, he fell again to the ground, clutching his heart. Soos wouldn't die... not yet.
"Stay here."
Stan barely heard the Sorcerer speak. He did see the passing footsteps. His eyes followed, and he looked up, watching the old man walk away, towards the hall. Stan was too numb, body and mind, to follow or ask what he was doing. All he really understood was that Soos would live. That was enough for Stan.
Omir departed briefly. Down the hall and to the right he vanished.
Stan finally shot up after a burst of glowing white light emanated down the hallway. Stumbling to his feet, Stan watched the hallway worriedly. Footsteps returned, and Omir presented himself as a much younger man, shocking Stan. Appearing somewhere in his thirties or late twenties, Omir sighed and approached Stan. Before reaching him, he bent down, and lifted the stone, once more, into his hands.
"I honor my deals," Omir said quietly, flexing his hand, the fingers around the black and rainbow-protruding magic stone, "Uki-Dohth will be able to recover in a matter of hours."
Stan's knees buckled. He never had a chance to fall or crash down, as Omir reached out and grasped his shoulders. Held upright, Stan saw as the eyes of his supposed enemy looked into his.
"I am not a bad man, Stanley Pines. I want to help the world, "he told him, a daring, bold conviction in his eyes, "I heal the wounded and can stop others without killing them. I make my deals with the intent of staying true to my end. I am not here to start fights, but to end them... how about you, Stanley?" Omir stated, boring his powerful, dark brown eyes into the old, shaken eyes of Stanley Pines.
"I'm a con man," Stanley said, eyes barely focusing on the man before him, "I've always lied, and cheated. I got through high school copying off of my brother's grades. I made it here scamming people for whatever money I could. I sell people lies."
"Maybe what you need," Omir said with a smile, "Is a change of pace." The Sorcerer patted his back, "You won't regret this, Stan," Omir smiled kindly, "Now... show me to your portal, so I may wrap up this whole mess."
The old, washed-up conman turned up once to look at the first person in his life he considered family who was not of blood. Soos, still imbedded into the ceiling, struggled for comfort, but was not in danger. Stan turned and glanced back to Omir, and approached the vending machine.
He reached out, his fingers pressing against the buttons. He had a new combo, and typed the five buttons quickly enough.
With a heavy sigh, Stan saw the side of the machine pop open. He reached out, the weight of the world upon his entire arm, and he pulled it aside.
Omir's eyes glowed with the light below. Smiling, he turned and nodded to Stan.
"Lead the way."
The two old men stepped inside the descending stairs, leaving behind Soos and Wendy, bound to the magic of Omir Steindorf, the Sorcerer, leaving Soos to watch them depart.
The last of the first wave fell. Lycanrope number thirty-eight collapsed backwards, rigid as a board. Mabel lowered her hand, still extended from the punch.
Around her, Dipper, and Arline, thirty-eight unconscious or broken Lycanropes lay about. The first wave of enemies had been a scramble for survival. Along the twins, numerous scratches and cuts lay on their arms and shoulders. Dipper had a long cut across his cheek he did his best to ignore, and Mabel sported a large bruise on her forehead, when she head-butted an assaulting monster with a proud 'HIIYAA'.
Arline was the least hurt, despite still at handicap. One arm tied closely to her chest, she was restricted to her arm and two legs. This, as it turned out, was more than enough to keep the twins safe, and herself. Two fires blazed animatedly at the ankles of her boots, and one on her still extended arm crackled with heat.
"We need to get out of here," Dipper commented, "Warn the guys at the manor about Steindorf!"
"Sure thing," Mabel sighed, breathing heavily as she shook herself for a moment, "Let's just go ahead and ask these nice monsters if they'll just let us go."
"I think we ask him, and not them," Arline said, nudging her head behind her. The twins turned, staring at the person indicated.
Graupner stared back at them, leaning on his staff as he had watched their fight. As the last of the Lycanropes collapsed, he scowled and stood up.
"Okay, fine," he rolled his eye, and the stone followed path, "so, you can fight better. Big deal," he grumbled, and lifted his free hand up. Black flames erupted above his body.
"Switch places," Arline quickly said. The twins wrapped around her and she scooted between, and she faced the Warlock now, her focus on him. "Give me your best, tough guy!" she shouted.
"Hah!" he roared, and held his hand up higher. The red stone glowed bright, beaming out rays of terrible crimson. The black fire mixed with a purple and crimson, and formed into a churning, flaming ball. "I've got something for you!" he said, as the ball grew larger and larger.
"He's... copying what Omir did yesterday!" Mabel gasped.
"So, you can control some fire, can you!?" Graupner shouted, the ball of black and crimson shimmering to approximately the size of a small car, "I wonder if you can control all of this fire!?"
He pulled his hand back-
The four cringed as a siren went off above. All focus shifted high, high above. Arline focused her eyes, blinking.
"Please be master, please be master," she begged.
Another blast of sound, less piercing and more... instrumental reached them. The four, along with the hundreds of Lycanropes started up as loud, heavy footsteps approached, leading down from the various bridges. A figure, shrouded in shadow was coming.
It stepped into the light of a nearby light.
The trio gasped as a ruffle of jacket billowed against the breeze.
An electric guitar blared as more strings were plucked.
"Zander!?" Dipper gasped.
"ZANDER!" Mabel shouted, "you came back!"
"The heck?!" Graupner stared up, his single eye squinting, "The rock star!?"
Zander Maximillion studied below him, holding his guitar in his hands. From the distance, the trio could merely make out his form, his long blond hair shining against the light, and his expensive and heavy looking guitar. Mabel focused hard, begging to see his face.
For some reason, she thought she saw... disappointment.
"So," he called down, "Did I miss anything?" Mabel saw a smile flipped up on his face as he turned and looked to her. If her face hadn't been dirtied by battle, anyone could have easily seen the heavy blush on her face.
Arline squinted as she looked at him. "You left. What are you doing here?!" Arline demanded.
With a small laugh, Zander admitted, "I'm listening to reason," and played another two notes on his guitar.
"Reason?" Dipper repeated.
Zander nodded, and gazed down, "There's someone here I owned an apology to. Mabel," he said, his eyes turning again to her, "You were right. I'm part of this now, and... you're all my friends." Mabel's body temperature rose considerably. Zander said, his eyes sparkling, "I'm not bailing on you. Not when you need me here the most."
Three slow claps pulled focus back to a certain one-eyed jerk. "Great speech," Graupner called out, gaining Zander's gaze, "A little too heroic for someone who just sings a lot."
"He also Gardens, holds awesome parties, and has great tastes in people!" Mabel yelled at him. Dipper chuckled as Arline sighed and shook her head.
Zander, far above her, laughed. "That ought to give me the edge," he said, giving Mabel a beaming smile. "So... I'm here to give you three a way out."
"What?!" Graupner snarled, laughing viciously at the musician. "And how is that?"
"Easy," Zander shrugged, "I fight you, and your stupid dogs, and they go save the day like real heroes."
"Wait, you're not serious," Arline asked him, glancing between them, especially looking to the fireball above Graupner, "He'll kill you!"
Zander eyed Arline. "You say that like you care."
Arline scowled. "I still don't know what you're about, Maximillion," she told him, "But what I care more about is that someone else could be hurt by him!" she yelled, and pointed her hand at Graupner.
Zander blinked, and looked to the man in question. Sizing up the so-called Warlock for a moment, he grinned. "Eh. I got this," Zander chuckled.
Graupner screamed and threw the fireball above him, straight at the musician. Reflexes to remember, the trio below watched as Zander took to the ledge and handrails of the bridge he stood on, and leapt downwards. Landing to the first bridge he could, the fireball above exploded, splitting the bridge he was atop with a sickening, searing sizzle. Molten steel rained down, striking other metal supports, and even other Lycanropes, who burst into flame.
"See?" Zander said, now only a one bridge above those atop the trio, "He's a lousy shot." The Warlock snarled, veins bulging in his neck and face.
Dipper pointed around them, "But you're also fighting these things!"
"Mmhmm," Zander nodded.
"Zander," Arline asked to him, her eyes connecting with his, "This isn't a great time for a PR stunt. I don't need you to prove yourself to me, or anyone, if that might get you killed. Are you sure about this?"
The musician laughed. "No idea! But hey! I'm inspired now. So, whether you like it or not, I'm doing it."
Mabel beamed up. "I take back everything I said about you. You really are awesome."
"Oh shush," Zander chuckled. Reaching behind himself, he retrieved a large pair of heavy-duty hedge clippers, and gripped them as he let his guitar hand off its straps, around his neck. With a roar he said, "Now, get ready to run!"
Those below stared as Zander made his move. With the heavy clippers in hand, he snapped off the closest wire that supported the bridge. The entire weight of the metal platform buckled, and two more snapped away, freeing the bridge to gravity's control. Zander was now free-surfing down a falling platform, soaring downwards.
A moment later it crashed into the earth, instantly crushing nearly fifteen more Lycanropes as he made his appearance to the battle. Tossing aside the clippers into the face of a Lycanrope, he grasped the handle of his guitar with both ends and swung.
Three Lycanropes were lifted off their feet and throw into the air by Zander, who roared terribly. Now standing between a stunned Warlock and the trio, he turned to his friends. "GO!" he shouted, and spun back.
"Okay!" Arline shouted, and whipped around, "You heard the man!"
"Right!" Dipper said, and made for the still slanted, semi-supported bridge and began to climb it up.
"Zander," Mabel called to him, following Dipper backwards, "Don't get hurt! Please! I'll cry forever if you do!, she begged, and left him to his battle.
Arline was last to start climbing, kicking aside a few Lycanropes trying to take advantage of the twins. She glanced to Zander, swinging with ferocity and speed against the hundreds of enemies before him. "I'm sorry. I might have been wrong about you," she said calmly.
Zander glanced back. His emerald green eyes met her blues. Focus and determination from one another met, and Zander shrugged.
"Do your mission! Keep the twins safe!" he encouraged her with a quick point.
Arline nodded, and hurried up with them. As she too started to climb the heavy slant of the broken bridge, Zander spun around and leapt, slamming his guitar against a pair of Lycanropes, mashing them into plant-goop.
A flare of heat caused Zander to roll to the side. Standing quickly to his feet, fully surrounded by enemies, he looked to his hands. The guitar had been singed and melted away.
"Man, I loved that edition too," Zander said, and tossed the remaining handle over his shoulder, sticking into an eye of one of the Lycanropes.
"You've lost your weapon, Maximillion, if you could call a guitar a weapon," Graupner snarled, traces of the flame from his hand still heating the air. "Just lie down and die like a good boy."
Zander grinned, and pulled at his jacket. It fell from him, revealing his muscular body. Chest bare, he smiled back pleasantly to the Warlock. With one hand reaching around his neck, he withdrew his scarf. Tying it around both his hands, he made a taught weapon between his fists, and he flexed his body, the strange, star-speckled like scarf resisting his mighty body's strength.
He said, with all the pleasantness someone at tea-time might, "I don't think so." Zander bellowed, rushing forward. Roaring with a war cry to make any ancient warrior proud, he took to the battle against the Lycanropes.
The twins made if on the stable section of the bridge before Arline did. More Lycanropes climbed after them, digging their sharp claws into the earth for leverage. Trained well, the twins both lashed out against the attackers before they had a chance to make purchase and footing. Lycanrope after Lycanrope fell to the earth with a resounding crash. Arline finally leapt up, upper-cutting an encroaching enemy as she did.
"Let's go!" Arline shouted.
Mabel and Dipper followed orders, rushing towards the slanted upwards walkways. She dared a brief pause to look down, checking on Zander. True to his word, he spun around constantly, kicking out and punching as he fought for his life. Terror and fear for her friend and ultimate celebrity crush settled in a she watched again and again his life seem to be on the edge, and he battled his way free.
"Mabel!" Arline pulled her away, forcing her to run. "We have to leave him! He asked us to!"
"I know!" Mabel cried, rushing to keep up with Dipper. "He better not die or anything!"
"C'mon! Up here!" Dipper shouted as the continued to rush upward.
Some thirty seconds later, the three made it to the top, by the exit. The bike still laid to rest, the Mabel rushed on the bike, and noticed a small sticky-note on one of the speedometers.
'Go kick butt. -Zander'
Tears of joy welling in her eyes, Mabel turned the bike on, grinning like she had she had been kissed by a god. The two behind her, she blasted the bike forward.
Through the tunnels, Mabel raced. Lights and barren surface blared by her and the trio as they made their escape from Graupners trap. They had a chance now- if only to stop Omir once and for all.
"He better not get hurt," Mabel gulped as she lifted the sticky note and put it into her pocket.
"If there's someone who has always surprised me," Dipper told her, "It's Zander. He'll be fine! He's not dumb... I think," Dipper added quietly.
"If he was able to do that awesome dive into battle," Arline pointed out, "He's okay. We just need to get to the surface and find my Master before he can get to the stone, and help him fight Omir."
"Right," Mabel nodded.
Turning down a hallway, she heard, much closer than she had expected, the yells and cries of battle. Instinct kicked in, and she realized she had found one of the holes leading to the surface. The bike spun, and she blasted down the newer, rocky tunnel.
"Mabel, you ready for more?" Dipper shouted as the sounds got louder and louder.
"Mounted troupe, Mystery Squad Delta is a go!" Mabel declared proudly.
"God you guys," Arline laughed as she patted Dipper's back, "You two never know when to quit being adorable!"
Dipper blushed and shook his head, mumbling quietly to himself. Mabel laughed loudly and found the dirt and rubble that lead to the street- of one of the newer emergence holes. Eyes scanning for least resistant path, she swerved the bike and climbed up the hole.
"Engaging the enemy!" Mabel roared as the bike bounded out of the hole, and flattened a Lycanrope immediately before it.
Gravity Falls was a mess. Every direction was fighting and war. Each of the three scanned around, looking for a direction to escape from, and yet found none. Mabel, gritting her teeth, chose then her best guess.
Straight ahead, into as many enemies as she could.
The bike slammed into three quickly, and Mabel dived the bike aside, avoiding a Manotaur, who was currently completing a dramatic airborne wrestling technique against two Lycanropes at once.
"Hold 'em steady!"
Manly Dan rushed past the twins on their bike, his axe overhead. The Manotaur and the two Lycanropes turned, and the three screamed in unison as the mountaineer and lumberjack brought his axe down.
One swipe severed the first Lycanrope head, and the second swing severed the other's. the Manotaur, looking shocked at the huge man, started to stand, shaking himself off.
"Huh," Chutzpar shrugged, "Not bad. Could work on your form a bit there, tough guy."
"Coming from you!?" Manly Dan got in the face of the mythical creature, his huge eyes bulging. "Not bad!"
"Aww, thanks homie!" the Manotaur said, patting Manly Dan's shoulder with a loud thud. The lumberjack barely budged. "Wow!" Chutzpar gasped, "You don't even fall over when I touch you! What's your name!?"
"I'm Manly DAN!" the Lumberjack roared, and spun, lashing out with his axe, severing three more Lycanrope heads. "YEAH!"
"Sup! I'm Chutzpar. You need to hang with my posse more!" he grinned and nodded, and quickly punched out sideways, smashing away another enemy, "We'll get you an authentic rite of passage in no time with grit like yours!"
Manly Dan, after splitting a Lycanrope down the middle, roared, "Though that sounds dangerously like hazing, it also sounds RAD!"
The three continued forward, leaving behind the unifying fight of Manly and Manotaur. Around them, there were signs of unity. Gib the Goblin now rode atop Toby Determined, his musket shooting down Lycanropes who attempted to lunge at either Toby or Tyler, who still furiously peddled around. He actually rode next to Mabel for a split second.
"Hi kiddies!" he winked to the three, and turned the handlebars away, letting Toby smack another enemy with his hockey stick.
"YOU!"
Mabel turned the bike to a screeching stop. Before them a pair of well-dressed middle figures stood, one of them with a shotgun trained on Mabel and Dipper. If the air of superiority that came from the voice hadn't clued them to who it was, the well-tailored suits did. Preston Northwest held the gun out, his eyes furiously bulging. He was followed, just a foot behind, by his wife Priscilla.
Dipper, stunned to see them in the ruckus, shouted at them, "The heck are you doing here!?"
Arline, her hand out to hold their fire, added, "And what gives with aiming at us!?"
Preston, his eyes wild and his aim shaky, shouted, "We know you've taken our daughter and thrown her into this mess! We asked Zander if he had seen her, and he said he hadn't! Now," Preston refocused the shotgun to them, "Where is she!?"
"What are you talking about?" Mabel shouted at them, desperate to get the bike going again, "Zander said you threatened to call the police on him if he didn't return Pacifica to you!"
"A low-class lie!" Priscilla snapped.
Preston spat out a single laugh. "As if we would ever threaten another person of status such as Maximillion!" Father Northwest proclaimed. "Now, for the last time, where is she!?"
Mabel turned, looking to Dipper and Arline. Zander's convictions had been... false? These two, the two elite Northwests, wouldn't have dared enter town, especially on a day like this- where it rained plant bodies from the sky. Yet, here they were, searching for Pacifica.
Had Zander not been truthful?
"We don't-" Mabel started.
A terrible, skyborne cry from the crowd turned their attention. High above, a resounding boom echoed from the clouds. A dragon soared down, a glowing light emanating from its mouth. Pacifica, atop the Dragon Magenta, pointed down. Goggles on her face, she rode the dragon into battle as a war-mount.
"Young lady, you get down here this instant!" her mother screamed as Pacifica and the dragon made a pass over a large collection of Lycanropes. A fireball the size of a person slammed down and exploded, tossing charred bits of Lycanrope around them.
"Hahaha, yeah!" Dipper hollared and hooted with Mabel and Arline as Pacifica made a return pass, blowing up more of the Lycanropes with her prize dragon.
Preston roared, "PACIFICA!"
Her father's voice caught her attention. Pacifica steered the dragon towards the clearing of combat nearby the five. Magenta the dragon took up the entire space, forcing other combatants and townsfolk to run for cover. The moment she landed, Pacifica leapt off Magenta, and lifted her glasses, marching towards her parents. Her eyes were hardened, and ash had smeared her face. She was dirty, and cared nothing for it.
Preston stood his tallest, his gun now at his side. Once he saw the state of her face, he winced. "My god, young lady," Preston pointed at her, "You are in big, big trouble!"
Priscilla added, "Huge trouble!"
Preston waved his hand around as he explained, "We could have left town for safety an hour ago. We could have gotten our heads out of this mess, but no! You had to go off and check on your little boyfriend, or whatever he is!" Preston snapped. Pacifica's eyes dangerously hardened, and she looked ready to strike at any moment. Behind her, Magenta grumbled. Preston, however, was deep in his moment. "Now, abandon this idiotic, false hope of fighting for this backwards town, and follow your mother and I! We have an escort just out of town waiting to-"
Pacifica had marched right up to her father, and with speed to shock the trio on the bike, she snatched the shotgun end, and wrenched it from her father. The older man, stunned and shaken beyond belief, watched as Pacifica took the gun, and checked it, breaking open the break-lock barrel.
Pacifica saw one round in the barrel. She looked to her father. "Where are the other rounds?" she asked tersely. He numbly shook, uncertain to what she was doing. Pacifica studied him, and saw a small ammo pouch on his shoulder by a strap. With a loud scoff, she said, "God dad," as she tore that from him too, and wrapped it around her own shoulder, "I'm just saving the town and my entire home. Not that big a deal, gosh."
She needed to say nothing else. With the gun in her hand, she turned from her father and made back for the dragon.
"Young lady!" Preston marched after her, "You will stop this nonsense this instant!"
Pacifica spun about, her eyes ablaze with fury. "Or what?!" Pacifica shouted over her shoulder, "You'll ground me? Put me in charge of re-building the town? Huh!? Want me to organize the relief effort, and fundraiser!? Anything else!?"
Priscilla looked stunned. "That is no tone to take to your father! Apologize immediately, Pacifica."
"Yes, do that," Preston snarled, his eyes also burning, "For these actions, for the state your in, for your inability to do anything we have generously provided you."
Mabel roared from her seat, "You shut up! Pacifica has worked so hard this entire summer–"
"Mabel!" Pacifica snapped, and eyed her friend. Mabel bit her tongue, but still looked ready to bodyslam the Northwests. Pacifica told her calmly, "I'll handle this."
"Handle?!" Preston repeated indignantly.
Pacifica took a deep breath, and sighed. The battle around them raged, and Pacifica took a long, deep look into the eyes of the people who raised her. "Mom, dad, I'm tired. Not of the work you give me, I get that. I didn't at first; I thought it was because working was stupid. But Yuki showed me how much it meant to have what we do, and then things didn't feel so dumb anymore. He taught me about us, about the real us, like the twins did. He let me realize the reason I was so tired wasn't because of all the work you kept giving me, that kept failing because of those jerks who hurt him, but because of you!"
Priscilla gasped, "Pacifica!"
Preston trembled as he glared at his daughter, and said through gritted teeth, "How dare you…"
"You never thought it was enough!" she yelled, "You never let me win, not for a moment. Ever since I decided to save our family from that ghost, you've become the things that haunt me! So, you know what? I'm done! Until you give me even a little credit for anything I've ever done, do whatever you want. I'm out!" She then whirled back around, storming away from
Preston roared, "I'll cut you from the family entirely! I'll do it," spit spraying from his mouth.
Pacifica stalled, hearing the words from her father.
"Preston," the mother's soft voice carried next to the Patriarch of the family, but Preston Northwest held up his hand to his wife.
"No," he insisted, "We are done with these allowances. You are disgracing the Northwest reputation by these ridiculous things! Dating a commoner! Staying the night at a non-sanctioned home inside town! Disgusting! AND NOW THIS!" he pointed to the dragon, "Acting like some stupid white knight! And disagreeing with your father?! The lowest of low!"
Pacifica slowly turned; her eyes clear of emotion.
"Fine."
Pacifica turned back to her goal and started climbing the dragon. Magenta gave a satisfied shake, helping the blond climb.
Her father was spluttering. "F-f-f-f-fine!?" he demanded.
Pacifica's eyes burned, but grinned at him. "Yeah. Do whatever," she replied, "Kick me out. Sure. I'm okay with that. I have other friends. I ahve other family, "she turned, and looked to the twins. Dipper smiled back, a certain feeling towards her, though briefly, reignited. Mabel beamed, her eyes shimmering.
Preston, looking to his hands, muttered, "B-b-but you are supposed to not want that, Pacifica," Preston muttered, "You aren't acting like an elite! A Northwest!"
Ignoring her father, Pacifica spoke to the twins, "You guys do what you got to do. I'm taking responsibility and saving this town. I mean, I'm good at that now, right?" she asked them with a wink.
"Don't worry about us!" Dipper called.
"Rock it, dragon warrior!" Mabel called to Pacifica, who smiled devilishly back to them.
As the dragon rider took off, leaving two stunned parents in the dust, the twins re-positioned the bike forward again, and sped off, nearly knocking over Preston Northwest as they did. Arline turned and checked on the rich duo as they left, watching them scamper into an alleyway.
"God, she really did rise from a rotten background, didn't she?" Arline asked.
"She's awesome!" Mabel said, roaring her bike.
"Even if she's kind of a jerk sometimes, "Dipper added, "She's still great."
Arline whistled. "Coming from the critical Dipper Pines, I guess she can't be that bad."
"Heh," Dipper shrugged, once again holding onto Mabel securely, "I've been wrong once or twice before. But we know Pacifica too well," Dipper added, glancing up to the sky as the Dragon flew over, "She'll be great in the end."
Mabel chirped and smirked at her brother. "Hey, Pacifica is single again." Dipper glared at his sister. She shrugged, "Sorry. Too soon, fair enough."
Dipper added, "Also – me and Wendy? You forget that?"
Mabel, with a mutter, added, "You never know, just in case something doesn't work."
An explosion ahead turned the three away from the clearing. With a short burst of speed from the bike, Mabel found none other than her two friends, along with Wendy's old comrades, all atop a pile of cars, fending away a cluster of Lycanropes.
"Get off, loser!" Tambry shouted, striking one across the jaw with a loosened lead pipe.
"Swing, batter batter!" Lee shouted as he took a powerful club to another coming enemy, knocking it into the air with his might.
"Looks like you've all got it," Mabel called out to the six, who stopped and spotted them.
"It's those kids," Nate nudged Thompson, who nodded, his mouth open as he heaved with exhaustion.
"Yeah!" Thompson gasped, "Her friends! Wendy's friends!"
"Sup, weirdos," Tambry nodded at them.
"Mabel! Dipper!" Grenda shouted as she waved to them, "We're kicking butt! Don't worry about us!"
"You're sure?" Mabel asked, slowly driving by them, the engine of her pink colored bike rumbling gently.
"Absolutely," Candy gave the trio a quick thumbs up.
"Incoming!" Lee shouted, drawing attention.
Five Lycanropes started to claw onto the pile of cars, trying their hardest to tear at Lee and Nate's feet. As they stepped back, Grenda rushed forward, kicking out twice with impressively high sweeps for her figure.
"No ride for you!" Grenda roared, knocking four of the five aside. The last one managed to leap up atop her, roaring into her face as she fell backwards. "I do it better! RAAAARW!" she screamed, her voice cracking as she punched upwards as hard as her arm allowed her.
Fist ripping out of the back of the monster, the Lycanrope fell limp as Grenda shoved it aside and stood, shaking. She was mildly clawed, but not hurt enough to relent. "GAAH!" she roared, and she held a hand to her throat. "Oh no!" she gasped, her voice changing. "My voice! I screamed too hard again! DAMN IT!" she shouted, stomping on the car with a loud clang.
"Your voice... it's-" Dipper started, hearing the heavy, hard-set tones that Grenda had once always had.
"Magnificent," Mabel beamed at Grenda.
"Thanks Mabel!" Grenda called, her trained, feminine voice entirely gone, and she gave a thumbs up to Mabel. Candy lit a Molotov cocktail, and tossed it at a cluster of approaching Lycanropes, who all promptly burst into flame.
"Go save the day!" Candy told the trio as she lit yet another bottle of clear liquid, the four older teens behind her hollering with the growing flames.
As Mabel revved the bike and the wheels spun faster, Arline called out to them, "Don't burn down the town while we're away!"
Escaping the battles and tightly packed crowds took only a few moments for Mabel, weaving in, out, and around smaller skirmishes. The last person they passed was none other than McGucket, powering up what appeared to be a handheld and body-strapped Tesla cannon of sorts. The smoke passed, and the town began to shrink behind them as the open highway lay before them- the last obstacle for the three before making it back to the Mystery Manor.
"Well, I don't see smoke on the horizon towards the woods," Dipper stated, scanning the sky, "so that's good."
"Yeah," Mabel added, as the din of war behind them settled away and was drowned by the purr of the engine, "That is good."
She turned the bike, and found the highway a long span of trees separated by concrete. Some few minutes ahead, they would be at the Mystery Manor. Mabel gulped, and adjusted her pink glasses as she felt the dawning confrontation approach with each passing meter.
"It'll be okay," Arline told them.
"Who said we're afraid?" Dipper blurted out. Arline leaned over and stared at him, an understanding smile visible. "Okay... a little nervous," Dipper corrected himself, "But... not scared."
"Don't worry about it," Arline said with a brief sigh, "My master is going to help out. He always does. We're going to save the day."
The shaking of the old elevator barely moved Omir. He watched the ascending walls of dirt and stone as he had for the past month or so. He had seen these in his own underground caverns, desperately searching for his own path into this vault. In the end though, he found it by mere diplomacy and holding the right cards.
"Look," Stanly Pines spoke up finally, after a few minutes of silence, "I... I need to know from you: how did you find out about this? It's kind of a big secret," he told Omir. As the once old looking man, now younger appearing adult, started to open his mouth, Stan interjected- "And don't you dare say 'magic'."
Omir scoffed, "It was not a spell, if that is what you mean." He gave the answer a thought, and said with a smile, "It came to me in a dream."
"A dream?" Stan repeated, the bottom floor coming close.
"Yes. Three years ago," Omir explained as the doors opened, and Stan walked ahead, beckoning the Sorcerer to follow, "A voice spoke to me. A muse told me that it saw pity on my many failed attempts at proving my love for... for her," he said wistfully. "He gave me an area of the United States to look, and in return, all he asked was that I do as I wished and attempted to return my precious golden soul back to this world."
"Wait, golden soul?" Stan asked, stopping in place as the lights in the control booth flickered on slowly, revealing the immense, but outdated, technology around them.
"Yes," Omir turned, smiling so happily he could have been a child, "Haddiya. My... my love. And today," he stepped forward, approaching a large panel of windows, "I finally see her again."
Stan sighed. "I don't know, every time I've ever heard the phrase, 'a dream told me' and it's been stuff like this," Stan said as he stepped over, and flicked on a series of switches, "Things always got worse."
"Please," Omir chuckled, "Save your ghost stories. I'm a man of experience. Everything I was promised has so far been true. I stand now before my newest, greatest chance to return to greatest mage this world has ever seen," he stated as the inside lights of the test chamber flickered on slowly, defeating the overbearing shadows with static hum.
The room was a mess. Scars of fire and burned lines in the earth split in all manners of directions. There were fallen support beams and torn chunks of rock and steel alike. Stan's eyes glazed over, seeing the image of the inside chamber, and what had happened three years ago.
The fight with him and his brother again. Possessed by the demon, desperate to split the portal while active, and flood the world with un-reality.
The twins had stopped it, along with the others, at a heavy cost.
They forever lost Stanford.
Omir's eyes widened as he stared ahead. There, past the carnage that dug into the earth, the portal lay for them. Inactive and dusty, it was an idol of past intelligences now gone forever. Omir turned to Stan, his eyes shimmering with excitement.
"Take me inside the room," Omir demanded.
"Look, can't you see the damages!?" Stan pointed, "Nothing good ever came from that thing!" he pointed ahead to the portal.
Omir closed his eyes, took a long breath, and spoke again. With a authority that made Stan tense, Omir demanded, "Take. Me. Inside. The. Room."
Stan stared up at the man, worn and mildly hurt, but still plenty capable. With his own heavy sigh, Stanley Pines moved around the Sorcerer, his body heavy as he neared the door. As he did, the thick metal door, rusted by the welded nails, slid open. Omir grinned, and walked past Stan, who spotted something leaning against the desk.
The desk by the door held a particular object that Stan remembered being a pain in his rear the last time he saw his brother- something made by Fiddleford McGucket. A weapon. Something far more powerful than a hunting rifle or shotgun. As Omir stepped inside, staring at the portal, Stan slowly approached the object, praying it still worked.
"It is not powered anymore?" Omir asked aloud, stunning Stan into a jump.
"Huh!? What isn't!?" Stan asked, trying his best to sound innocent. Omir turned back to him, pointing to the Portal. "Oh. Oh yeah, no. Haven't been putting any juice into it. No power these days."
"Ah. A shame," Omir clicked his tongue once, and turned, lifting the stone up into the air.
From the stone, a burst of electrical energy burst into the air. Arcing with more, and faster, bursts of power, the stone glowed violently. It started emitting rays of light of all intensity, colors, and speeds. Stan held his hands to his eyes as the Sorcerer began to hold the stone closer and closer to the portal.
Out from the field of energy constantly pouring out of the stone, the Portal began to meet with it. The electric tethers found their meeting by the metal construct, and sheer, undiluted power entered the huge device. Stan found his grip by the strange, goofy-looking contraption. A small knob remained on the side, displaying a single phrase inside the device 'three months'. With a loud twist, Stan turned it to 'A Lifetime'.
Stepping inside, Stan pointed the weapon right at Omir.
The Sorcerer had spun to face Stan, his dark, glowing eyes meeting with Stan's. The light of the stone reflected in both their visions, as they faced one another.
"Don't make a mistake again, Stanly," Omir shouted over the power he held in his hands. "I've been very lenient with you."
"If you knew me as well as you knew that portal," Stan called back, "You'd know I'd do anything to protect my family!"
Omir stalled, glancing quickly behind him to see the portal, slowly glowing and emitting light. Symbols along the circle began to crackle and fizz with their own light-blue electricity. "Your point?!" Omir said to Stan.
"I'm ninety nine percent sure whatever you think you're about to do," Stan told him, "Isn't going to be good for me or my family! That means you stop now, or I pull this trigger!"
"Stan, you've already seen what I can do against bullets. Lasers are no different," Omir rolled his eyes, his staff held before him, separating him and Stan.
"This isn't a laser gun, smart one," Stan smirked. "It's a mind-gun."
Omir's eyes flashed and focused on the weapon. He was barely able to read the measurement. The light bulb atop the strange device began to glow brighter and brighter. Stan pulled the trigger, holding steady.
"What the-" Omir barely had time to say.
The device burst out, a ray of shimmering blue, horrible light. Omir roared and thrust out his staff in reply. As the light connected with the white staff, Omir gasped. His entire body was being pushed back, the power of the device seemingly so strong that his physical body couldn't resist it.
"No... No!" Omir screamed, the sound of the laser beam and the stone overwhelming.
"Say... goodbye... to... your memories!" Stan roared, take step by step further into the room, pushing Omir further away, and closer to the Portal.
More electricity shot between the stone and the portal, connecting at a rapid pace. The staff in his hands trembled. Omir strained at the power of the weapon Stan used. His eyes studied the danger in Stan's eyes, unwilling to surrender now. Omir, his teeth bared, he struggled to hold up both the stone and the staff. The arm holding the long, white staff buckled. Omir's eyes widened. The power behind that weapon was nothing to scoff at. Steindorf looked to the stone in his other hand. He saw something he could do.
Omir roared, and he grasped the stone. He then slapped the stone against his staff with a resounding–
BOOM.
The energy he had used to power the entire Portal shot through the staff and traveled up the ray of the gun: a feedback attack. Stan saw the counter-attack too late. Not that he could move; all his energy and strength was dedicated into holding the gun steady as he fought the power of magic in the staff.
The gun in his hands exploded into a fireball of purple and red. The shockwave was enough to send him sprawling backwards, flying through the air as the dirt and stone before him was torched. The blue light faded as the glass panel that separated the control chamber from the test chamber caved in as Stan crashed through it.
Stanly Pines fell to the floor with glass surroundings him, his eyes closed and his mouth open. Still and quite unconscious, he came to rest before the panel, scratched, burned, and beaten.
Inside the chambers, the Sorcerer panted. The stone in his hand crackled with electricity up his arm. His eyes glowed for a moment of bright blue light. He shook his head, sealed his eyes shut, and then opened them with a gasp.
"That... could have... been bad," he sighed, looking to the broken window. A frown came over him, and he slowly turned. "Thank goodness for the stone's power. That could... could have been horrible." Staring at the glass, watching and listening as some of it fell from the shattered panel, Omir scoffed.
"A fool," Omir grumbled, and slowly raised his hand back up above him, towards the portal. "An honest fool, though. He did say he was a con-man," Omir chuckled to himself, and the electricity once again began to pour from the surface of the stone.
With the currents of power racing into the metal and wires, Omir finally lowered the stone to the ground, releasing it from his grip.
A loud whir started, and as the dark circle between the many symbols lit up, a burst of light appeared, illuminating the entire rocky chamber with shimmering light. Omir dropped to his knees, his staff clattering aside.
"It... worked..." he said, his lips trembling. "It actually worked?" he asked himself, and looked to his hands. "All the theory, all the planning, all... all the years passed, looking for a way," he said to himself, "They've meant something! I'm finally there."
Pushing himself off his knees and back to his feet, Omir laughed. He gleefully laughed, holding his stomach with one hand as he let a weight, hundreds of years in the making, slide from him forever.
Several long moments of joyful bliss later, he sighed and wiped away the gathering tears in his eyes. His left hand opened, and his staff soared into it. He placed it against the ground, now vertical with him. Omirs' right hand opened, and the stone before him began to float off the ground.
"Now... to change a dimensional gate into a reality gate..." he murmured, and lifted his open right hand out, and placed the finger tips against the stone. As rainbow light shone out, he closed his eyes. "I will reach into the darkness and find you. Only you... Haddiya."
Last update before the end. This is it, folks.
The dire situation has fallen together, and we're about to see what happens when all the pieces on the board meet. No more delays. Time to hold 'em or fold 'em.
And on a less serious note, some awesome stuff happened too! :D Man, i bet more than a few of you were happy to see our favorite characters kick some butt, right? :) Hopefully you were, because I certainly was.
Also- huge apology for those who have been reviewing and i've not gotten back to yet. I've been super-busy with work, and hopping onto my email has (surprisingly) been difficult. Know that I've been able to read your reviews still (yay smarty-phones!) and have loved them! :) Thanks again guys- I'll try harder to get back to you all. Sory again!
Anyway, I'm off to do some work for a friend. Hope you all enjoyed.
Next week is the last update for Season two. Prepare for 11 out of 10 on the scale of crazy.
-EZB