The twins stared at the person before them, drinking in the realization that he had spoken directly to them. Wearing simple slacks and t-shirt, Graupner Kinley, the Warlock, stood before them, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. No smile punctuated his glare, and he tilted his head to the side, staring at them. "So, the Pine twins are fans of Montana Jeffreys," he hummed, "At least there's something in the world you have good taste in. Certainly wasn't sweaters."
Her fists tightening, Mabel growled, "What are you doing here, Warlock?"
Dipper felt his skin prick as he watched their enemy roll his eyes. To be this close without fighting for his life felt wrong. There was something perverse about being feet from Graupner Kinley and not throwing a punch. With a look around, Dipper realized that there was still not combat. Graupner would not, nor Dipper, would try ruining the fragile peace they had though. He'd just have to play along. He nodded to the Warlock, "You're a big fan, aren't you?" Dipper said, nodding to the posters of Montana Jeffreys posted on walls all around them.
Graupner squinted. "What's it to you?"
Mabel growled like a dog, but Dipper quickly said, "Reference. With how we've met this summer, it's good to know that, somehow, you're still a human," Dipper said, putting a hand to Mabel's shoulder. She reduced her growling mildly.
"Shut up, girl," Graupner snapped at Mabel, and then glared at Dipper, "You two know I'm not human. A lich doesn't need the comforts of mortality."
Mabel blinked. "A lich?" she asked.
Dipper nodded to her, "He claims he's one now," Dipper turned back to their advisory, "If you really are a lich, then you'd have done the phylactery ritual."
Graupner's cheek twitched as his eyes widened. "So, you know a thing or two about the process," he said.
"I've looked things up about it all summer," Dipper stated, "Mostly on how to cure it."
The Warlock chuckled. "Why? You think you're going to cure me?" he asked. Dipper bit back the desire to retort. He had plenty of great things to reply with, but any of them could set off the already hot-headed man. Besides, the less Graupner knew about the twins and their little family, the better. He didn't need to say anything about Wendy.
Dipper decided on his reply, and merely said, "Not exactly."
"Ohh," Graupner sneered, "Don't think you can just put that under a rug and expect me to forget about it," he said, taking a step closer. Mabel and Dipper stayed their ground as the Warlock walked right up to them. Only a foot away, he looked into Dippers face, taller than the fifteen-year-old. He continued, "I know more about that little issue of yours than you think."
Dipper felt sweat grow down his hands and palms. He dedicated every fiber of his being into maintaining a poker face of iron will, but the Warlock continued.
"I know about Wendy's quote-end-quote problem," he said. Dipper let in a sharp breath. Graupner sneered, "Don't be so surprised," and he looked to Mabel, who was focused on her brother now, "Before he was erased, Steindorf could just tell when you weren't alive; when you were undead. Only the most practiced and powerful of undead could have deceived him. Wendy lit his radar of undead up like a flare, and told me the moment he had met the girl."
"So?" Dipper snapped, a feeling of embers rising in his throat, which felt dry.
"Temper, Pines," the Warlock smiled, "You seem so defensive for someone who's willingly befriending a ticking time bomb."
Mabel asked, "She's a what?"
Graupner chuckled. "What? Didn't you two know?" he asked, rubbing his shoulder-length blond hair, "You two are idiots then. Claiming you're looking for a cure, but don't even-"
"I know what you're talking about," Dipper said quietly, his very being dedicated on revealing nothing.
"Then, girl," Graupner turned to the sister, "You should know that Wendy, the person you know her? It'll fade. A wraith slowly loses themselves as they lose their color – going mad, and growing hateful. Soon, her eyes will lose their color, becoming a silver as time passes. A lich, like myself," Graupner grinned, "Doesn't have to worry about that. But Wendy-"
"You keep saying you're a lich," Dipper quickly spat out, "but I don't think I remember you ever mentioning the ritual. Seems awfully convenient, to just claim you're something when the only difference is a simple, small ritual that anyone could perform." The Warlock turned slowly back to Dipper, his eye filled with anger. Dipper, his anger guiding his words, added, "Or, is that just a title to make yourself think like you're not like Wendy? Above her in your own conceited way?" Dipper asked, glaring into the face of the man he once beat to the ground furiously.
The Warlock's hands twitched. Mabel and Dipper both took a wide step back. At the moment, a fight could break out: the exact thing they had been trying to avoid. The twins were ready, but the crowds around them seemed undisturbed. They walked by, three figures in the middle of the hallway in a standoff. Graupner glared at them, holding his hand open, ready to palm a ball of fire, surely...
Then he took a long sigh, and his hand fell to his side. "You don't know anything about me, Pines. But you do know your Wendy. I'm sure you catch her watching you sleep, longing for it herself? Or how she watches you eat and drink?" he replied coldly, stretching his hands absent-mindedly.
Mabel and Dipper exchanged a glance. He hadn't attacked.
"What's wrong with you?" Mabel asked, "You're mad enough to think about attacking, but wont?" she pointed out, "Which is definitely out of your character."
Dipper nodded, and added, "Agreed. You never show restraint."
Graupner snarled. "And I may not yet, if you keep pestering me with these questions!" he snapped. "You two just ought to consider whether or not you should remain friends with someone who will endanger you," he warned.
"Like you care!" Dipper hissed, refraining from a shout.
"For you? You're right, I don't," Graupner laughed, "But I do know that a wraith is worth more than a person. Wendy is valuable, and her living 'friends'," he said, using his fingers to physically quote the word, "Will hold her back."
"Never," Mabel declared, "We encourage her, and support her, and love her!"
The Warlock laughed. "You really think that'll help someone? Encouraging, and reminding them of love?" he asked with snark.
Dipper proudly said. "Yes. Those three things have literally saved the world before."
Graupner opened his mouth, looking between the two of them. With a shake of his head, he clearly decided it better not to reply. "I don't care what you two think I'm doing here, but as far as I'm concerned, you will bring trouble to mister Jeffreys."
"We only bring trouble because you chase us with your stupid-goon-heads!" Mabel barked.
"Shut up!" The Warlock snapped. Dipper and Mabel glared daggers back, but the spellcasting maniac pointed to them, "As far as I care, I'm starting nothing while he's here," he said, then pointing to the posters. "I'm calling a ceasefire."
"You whaaaat?" Mabel said, her head tilting to the side.
Graupner glared at her again, "Just because I don't want to ruin this summit for mister Jeffreys doesn't mean I won't fight back though. As far as I care, as long as you two leave me and him alone, there will be no... fire," he warned them his eye daring them to try otherwise. "But, and I swear this with all my soul-"
"If you have one," Dipper remarked.
The Warlocked clenched his teeth and leaned forward again, "-That once this is over, and if I even think you're nearby, I will wrap up what was started in the Pine Barrens. I'll bring back the heat. The fires will spread. I will send my men and women in. You two?" he warned quietly, stepping back, "You will die."
With a heavy look to the two of them, Graupner Kinley turned and stepped down the hallway. As he moved, Dipper and Mabel spotted several figures in their suits, following closely behind their master. They had been watched closely from the beginning. The twins followed only with their eyes, their focus on the dangerous man so casually walking away, through the crowd.
"Damn it," Dipper growled.
"Damn him," Mabel corrected.
"He's totally in control here," Dipper scowled, and turned to his sister with a pained face, "And we can't change that. We try anything around here, and he acts. We try anything and he goes berserk."
"Maybe," Mabel nodded, patting his shoulder with a gentle hand, "But, tell me brotholomew," she said with a growing smirk, "Has that ever stopped us?" she asked as Dipper stared at her. "Anyone with power or status stopping us from doing what we wanted?"
Her smile was a steadily infectious one. Dipper found himself grinning, and said, "Not once, ever."
"Dang straight!" she cheered, "We're going to talk to hot grandpa Jeffreys no matter what grumpers Graupner says!"
Dipper's cringed. "Don't ever call him a 'hot grandpa' again please," he pleaded. Feeling inside his pocket for the familiar phone, he lifted it up and dialed for Soos' number. A quick nod between the twins confirmed they would move to the side of the hallway. There, they looked towards Graupners last known location as Dipper pressed the device to his ear.
The phone answered, "Sup dawg."
"Soos," Dipper said, "Is Wendy and Ford with you?"
"Yup!" he said, "We've been looking for you outside. Dawg, where are you two? We lost track of you once you got in line."
"We ran into trouble," Dipper grumbled, "Graupner spotted us and we had a pleasant chat."
The sarcasm soaring well above Soos' sweet, gentle soul, Soos hummed, "Huh! I wouldn't think he'd be so nice to just chat with you two."
"He threatened us," Dipper continued, "That if we try anything with Montana Jeffreys, he'd act. Mabel and I aren't pleased," Dipper explained.
Mabel cheered, "But we're going to do stuff anyway, because chaos rules supreme!"
"Because," Dipper corrected, "We need this mission to be completed. If Graupner thinks he can scare us to run off, he's dead wrong."
Soos laughed. "Well, dawg, he is wrong and dead." Dipper glared at the phone as Soos chuckled. "It's funny, you can laugh too," Soos permitted with a cheery voice.
"Har-har," Dipper groaned.
"There you go!" Soos said.
"Anyway," Dipper continued, "We need a plan. Some way to get to Jeffreys without Graupner the fanboy noticing."
"Which would be easiest if we just knocked out the Warlock," Mabel hummed, "But I don't think that works if they can't sleep."
"I don't think so," Dipper said, "I put some wattage through him once, and he just jolted back up a moment later."
"Hehe, jolted," Mabel giggled, "Because he was electrocuted."
"Maybe we can divert his attention away to something else?" Soos suggested. "Like a really good burrito?"
Dipper shook his head. "Aside from a burrito not working because, well, he can't eat anymore," Dipper added, "He's a pretty big fan of Montana. Any opportunity he has to act a hero in front of him, I get the feeling he'd take."
"Senator Pines agrees," Mabel said, and hummed. "Maybe then what we need," she said, looking to her brother, "Is something that he wouldn't expect from us?"
"A really big burrito?" Soos's voice suggested.
Scowling at his phone, Dipper asked, "Are you just really hungry?"
Chuckling, Soos admitted, "Haha, totally am."
Dipper rolled his eyes as Mabel giggled. "I think I have an idea," he said, snapping his figures in the moment, "That sounds really simple and probably fallible, and if Graupner is going to be watching as closely as we think, pretty dangerous."
Mabel declared, "We kidnap Montana Jeffreys and force him to come with us if he wants to live!"
"Uh, no," Dipper glared at her, "That's... just, no."
"Well, what then, smarty pants?" the sister snorted, "We walk right up to him and ask him to help out in broad daylight?" Dipper smiled, causing the brows on Mabels face to rise. "What? Are you kidding me? That was a joke, like, how I say an idea knowing it won't work and get a good laugh outta you!" she said, and then grabbed her brother, "Are you feeling ill? You're agreeing with my bad plans! You must have a fever," Mabel said, putting her backhand against Dippers forehead.
"I'm not sick," Dipper chuckled, "But I do like your idea, with just one minor adjustment."
"What's that, dawgs?" Soos asked.
"Simple," Dipper said. He handed Mabel his phone, and reached under his vest, and found the spine of the book he needed. With one swift motion, he removed the most recent journal, and grinned. "Magic!"
"Aww, whaaat?" Mabel whined.
"It's easy!" Dipper said, "We use some magic to slip past any watching people in view of everyone – of anyone!"
"Dipper, won't he just recognize magic when it's in front of him?" Mabel asked.
Dipper patted her arm, "If I cast it while he's looking, but don't you remember?" he said, "We were just in line with him! And he had no idea who I was until he left, and probably overheard us talking to Jeffreys."
"Oh wow!" Soos exclaimed from the phone, "you not only had a full conversation with the man, but managed to wait in line with him the whole time. What natural peace-seekers you two are!"
"Soos, we had no idea he was there until someone left," Dipper grumbled.
"But the spirit lives inside you," Soos said.
"Dipper," Mabel turned to her brother, "you're sure he won't notice? Like, at all?"
"He... didn't earlier," Dipper sighed. "I, look, I know it's a risk, but maybe trying to be bold will pay off here. If we sneak this one, he's got more eyes to spot us. But if we just ignore trying to sneak and just waltz up to them while being unrecognizable," Dipper pointed out, "It won't matter who sees us."
Mabel crossed her arms and squinted. The tapping of her shoe made it clear that there was much deliberation going on inside her brain. "By the way, Wendy and Ford want to know if you guys need us to do anything. You know, maybe distract them or something?"
"Ohh!" Mabel hopped in place, "Maybe you guys could rig up a trap! Just in case of trouble, we can spring the trap and catch the goons or Graupner!"
"That's not a bad idea, actually," Dipper smiled, putting his hand on her shoulder to prevent her incredulous movement in the nook, "Soos, do you guys think you can find a pretty good spot we can run to and set up a trap if the worst happens?" There was a pause, and a moment of muddled conversation. The twins only had time to glance out the nook once, and checking that Graupner wasn't at the spot they saw before. He was certainly gone, people passing by his spot with ease.
Soos finally answered, "Yeah! Wendy and Ford have some cool ideas, and I think it's time to dust off the old F-F-Fixin' it With Soos!" Soos declared. "Aww," he then added, "I miss that old soundboard keyboard. Just pretend you heard a dude with a deep voice say 'oh yeah', okay?"
Mabel, a hand to one ear, said, "I can feel it in my mind already."
"Okay," Dipper spoke into the phone as he opened the journal, "Soos, get yourself, Wendy, and Ford nearby the mobile that Jeffreys is staying at. You've got a few minutes before he's going to meet us there anyway, so it's your jobs to sneak while Mabel and I do the dangerous walking in the open stuff, okay?"
"You got it dude," Soos firmly replied, "Team trapper-wrappers are doin' business!"
The phone line cut, and Mabel put Dipper's phone back in his jacket pocket as Dipper flipped pages. "Aaand... here!" Dipper said, grinning as he found the pages, "There we go. The Disguise Illusion spell," Dipper read aloud, "A simple, but highly effective solution to being monitored, as long as the user is being monitored physically. I have my suspicions that I am now – oh, old Ford ramblings," Dipper grumbled and flipped a page, "uh... here, as long as the viewer is not touched or physically compromised while the spell is in effect, there are few methods other than magical detection that can tell one such disguise is in use."
"So, we can't fight with this disguise?" Mabel whined.
"Well, we shouldn't have to," Dipper pointed out. At her frown and grumpy sulk, he rolled his eyes, "We can fight, but the idea is that if you disguise yourself as someone taller, larger, or shorter, you don't actually change at all. This could look weird."
"If a certain redhead," Mabel grinned, immediately causing Dipper's eyes to narrow in suspicion, "Tried to kiss you because you made yourself taller and more handsome, she'd kiss nothing?"
Simmering with heat in his cheeks, Dipper grumbled, "You got the point."
"Ohh don't I!?" Mabel cackled as Dipper turned, checking the hallway once more.
"Shut up," Dipper groaned, "Seriously, shush," he added as she continued to chuckle, "We need to consider who we disguise ourselves as. I was in luck that the one guy had a mental break-down at the sight of his own mirror image, but we shouldn't try that again," Dipper acknowledged.
"For the sake of all other mentally unstable folk," Mabel solemnly noted. As they stood in their small locker-nook, the twins spied a pair of walking faculty. They had badges on, declaring their status as working members of the university. Mabel grinned, and turned to her brother, "I think I know what we can do."
"Yeah?" he asked, eying her smirk.
"Yup! And it's some folk that I'm sure Graupner has never seen in his life! And unlife!" Mabel added with a happy bounce. "All you gotta do, is follow my lead, and craft the illusion to the exact parameters that I tell you."
"Okay," Dipper said, his voice shaky at the idea of following artistic instruction of his sister, "I'll... try?"
Emerging from the nook after two utterances of Induo Identitatem Imagini were not the Pine twins, but the spitting images of Constance and Edward Gracy: ghost lords of the Haunted Mansion. They had a much-updated wardrobe on as they stepped out into the hallway and towards the door: wearing dress pants and simple button up shirts with blazers. The image of Edward Gracey, taller than his supposed daughter, looked side to side through a pair of spectacles on his nose. Constance smiled and nodded to people as she passed, beaming with excitement.
"Ahem, Mabel," the image of Edward said, speaking at the edge of the lips and barely moving at all, "Don't try to draw attention."
"What?" the image of Constance asked with a ridiculous nineteenth century posh voice, "I must act casual," she told the paired image.
"Mabel," Dipper's voice hissed, "You sound ridiculous."
"At least I'm trying to act like my voice belongs to the spell you put on me!" Mabels heated voice hissed back, her much more recognizable tone gone with its posh tones. "If we run into trouble, we need to sound like we're not us!"
"I know that," Dipper said as they approached the doors, "But maybe try not to sound you were born when the Graceys were?"
"Well, what should I try to sound like?" Mabel snapped quietly as they entered the bright sunlight.
"I dunno," Dipper shrugged, looking around, and turning right, facing towards the distant faculty building, "Maybe... mom?"
"Mom and I sound alike!" Mabel reminded him.
"Yeah, but you know that you don't look like yourself, so even a little different should be enough!" Dipper said, "I mean, Graupner only slightly recognized my voice when I wasn't even trying to sound different. Just a slightly higher pitch voice."
"Pffft, fine," Mabel agreed only after blowing a raspberry. "What are you going to sound like? Dad?"
"I considered it," Dipper said as they passed by many of the clusters of visitors and groups through the sidewalk. "Hey," Dipper said, his eyes catching something along the side of the recreation building. Mabel turned at his discretion. Stepping out from the side-building with a small detachment of campus security was Montana Jeffreys. Happily awaiting him were his two dogs, one with a tiny cast on its leg. The twins smiled as they watched them move towards the building they had expected.
"Perfect," Dipper said. Mabel whacked his side. "Ow, what?!" he barked.
"Your voice," she reminded him, a different, more mature tone coming from the illusion.
Taking a moment to compose himself, Dipper scowled at her, and then tried his own attempt. "Okay. Better?" he tried. Mabel cringed. "Uh-oh," Dipper gulped, "That bad?"
"You sound like you trying to sound like dad," she admitted.
"Well, I am," he said through gritted teeth.
"Dude, did you take a single drama class?" Mabel said, raising an eyebrow. Dipper's face got red again. "Oh my god, you didn't?" she gasped.
"I focused on – look," Dipper snapped, "Does it sound different enough?" he pleaded. Mabel's head was somewhere between nodding and shaking it side to side. After a moment of a very clear internal struggle, she shrugged. "Great," Dipper grumbled, "I'll let you do most of the talking then."
"Sweet!" Mabel cheered, and marched after Montana Jeffreys and his arranged posse. "I'm great at being an ambassador."
"Try to limit what you say," Dipper said, trailing her, and peeking ahead, "Like, fifteen words or less per interaction."
"Dipper, bro," she turned, putting a hand to his chest, "I've got this," she told him with a firm smile. The brother nodded, taking deeper breaths as they followed behind.
"Excuse me!" a call came out from their side. Mabel turned and immediately halted. Dipper looked as well, and nearly ran into his sister.
"Are you kidding me," Dipper whispered, his lips barely moving as he watched someone approach. To their side and then front as Mabel faced him, was once again Graupner. He held out a waving hand, trying to flag down the twins.
"Hey," The Warlock said, stepping in front of the twins. "Sorry to bother faculty," he said quickly.
"Well too bad – I mean," Mabel cleared her throat, her voice cracking at first, but then she said in a cooler, more leveled voice, "Not a problem. What seems to be the matter?"
"Well, I'm trying to figure out how someone can get a private message," Graupner explained. As Mabel focused on him, Dipper looked past Graupner, and saw some of his personal body guards further towards the back of the recreation center. Graupner continued, "Maybe a note to Mister Jeffreys?" he asked.
"A note?" Mabel replied, here yes cocked in a suspicious look.
"It's just a detailed thank you," Graupner grumbled, his head sinking a little, "I didn't want to hold up the line earlier.
"Well, young man," Mabel said, taking advantage of the situation of the timid Warlock, "We're not typically allowing of visitors to college visitors," she exclaimed. Then Dipper poked her back. She looked back, "What?" she whispered. The image Dipper wore was stiff and nearly frozen as he pointed ahead. Mabel turned, and gasped.
The Warlocks guards had been ambushed by Soos, Wendy, and Ford. A fight between three and three had broken out; it seemed that the guards had noticed one of the three, and attempted to attack. Fortunately, the guards had their mouths sealed with one of three intense grappling from either of the friends. Mabel's mouth fell open as she stared. This was not what they had needed!
"What?" Graupner asked after a moment of stunned silence from the image of Constance the professor.
"Uh-" Mabel stumbled for words. Graupner blinked, and tried to look behind him, but Mabel leapt up, and held his shoulders, "Ah!" she turned him to her, "my bro- my colleague just reminded me! Of something! Very, very important to what you want!" before Graupner looked to her hands, she removed them, recalling Dippers warning about the spell.
"Uh... okay," Graupner said, his surprise slowly mingling with anger. Mabel grinned at him with a wide, painfully stretched smile. She hadn't anything to say. Graupner, growing impatient, heat rising in his voice, asked, "You're going to tell me, right?"
"Yes," she said, glancing around his head. The fight was still going on.
Dipper, trying to sound like his father, added, "She is."
"I am," Mabel said, trying to think as quickly as she could, "I am going to tell you..." she said, losing thought quickly. She let go of her hands as soon as Graupners upper lip twitched. "Hoo boy," she said, feeling sweat building on her actual face, which was quite the feeling considering her illusion wasn't sweating.
Graupner eyed her, and tried looking back, but Mabel leapt again. "Ahhh- that we can take one lucky visitor to see him directly!" Mabel cheered.
Graupner's head snapped back to her. "Really?!" he gasped, his eye twinkling.
"Really?" Dipper hissed to the back of Mabels head.
"Really," Mabel nodded, "We'll escort you there right now. All you have to do is follow us right there. Don't be distracted, or I guess it's not worth it."
"It– It's very worth it!" Graupner snapped back. "I'll stay with you two if I get to see him again."
"Perfect! No sight-seeing," Mabel told him.
Walking away from the direction of the posse and going the front way around the faculty building, the twins looked over their shoulder at a fight wrapping up. Soos and Wendy were carrying two unconscious figures aside, while Ford laid one down in a bush. They had avoided Graupner noticing the problem, at least for now. If they were lucky enough, there wouldn't be any more interruptions from Graupner, without any more goons to back him up.
Their glances back to the building almost had Dipper bump into a passerby. "Sorry," the teenager said, the same one with spikey brown hair and strong brows. As the twins passed, the teen stalled and looked back. Dipper eyed him for a moment, uncertain to the persons attention.
"You need something?" he asked.
"Uh-" the teen shook his head, "Nope. Sorry. Thought I noticed..." he stared after Mabel and the Warlock, and then spun entirely around, and marched away. Dipper eyed the kid, and only after a moment of ensuring there wouldn't be an interruption from him, he followed his sister.
Around the building they walked, inches from their enemy, until they saw it- the mobile that Montana mentioned. Sitting nearby a heap of containers in a corner of a fenced off section, the mobile was an unimpressive and simple addition to a pretty campus. There was no one in front of the door, but to the side and walking into the building some fifty feet was Montanas security detachment, going inside the main building.
Dipper poked his sisters back, and whispered, "No security for Jeffreys inside."
"What was that?" Graupner asked, turning to the two.
"Oh," Mabel shrugged, "He's just making sure we followed proper security procedure. Great stuff," she added. Graupner gave the two of them a small nod, and approached the mobile.
"So," he asked to the twins, "Do I just knock, or..."
"Go ahead," Mabel said as she and Dipper followed up behind him.
"Right," he said. Clearing his throat and straightening his stance, and with his knuckles, he knocked against the thin door. From inside, there were two barks, but another voice shushed them. A moment afterwards, the door swung inwards, revealing Montana Jeffreys, his eyes squinted at the sight of Graupner and the two illusions.
Eying them, Montana asked, "What's going on?"
Mabel cheered, "This is the lucky visitor visit!" She had a little hop, and tapped Graupner's shoulder, "And he's the lucky visitor."
Montana stared at the three. "I don't remember anything about this," he said quietly.
"Oh, don't be like that, Mister Jeffreys," Mabel said, marching up behind Graupner and pushing him forward. The Warlock began to mumble as he passed his idol, forced inside. Mabel followed, as did Dipper.
Inside the mobile was a small treasure trove. Various gadgets, tools, bags, and maps were sprawled over a few desks that were scattered in the fifteen by forty-foot interior. A pair of dogs, one of which sporting a small cast on its front leg, stared at the twins, their noses twitching. Both dogs looked at Graupner instantly, their ears pulled back and their tails recoiled.
Montana looked at the two faculty, and then Graupner. "What's going on?" he said, a little more forced than before.
Mabel prodded Graupner hard, stumbling him forward. With a big, wide smile, she said, "This fine sir was our lucky visitor to receive a moment with you!" She then added, "With a five minute time limit," she said, her cheerful voice not missing a beat.
Graupner lost some of the sparkling in his eyes. "Five minutes?" he whined.
"Fine, whatever," Montana grumbled. He approached Graupner, finding a chair by one of the desks and pulling it closer. "So, kid," he said, taking a heavy seat, "What's up? I think you asked a question and I met you in the autograph line," he stated.
"Yeah!" Graupner nodded, approaching the old explorer.
As he did, one of the two dogs, Nadia, approached Dipper, sniffing the air. Dipper eyed the animals' interest, only then wondering if the illusion spell would affect his scent. Dipper eyed the animal as it sniffed at his leg and shoe. After a moment, it eyed him closely, squinting at the illusion.
Graupner continued, "Well, I, uh... I just had more I wanted to thank you for. And... ask... I guess."
"I told you before," Montana shook his head, "You don't need to thank me. You got yourself through whatever you had to get through. You're here now not 'cus of me, but because of you, kid."
"No!" Graupner declared, running a hand through his hair, "You're- you- when your stories got published in the comics and novels for the first time, I didn't have anyone to look up to! My dad was... well, you knew him," he grumbled, "Great help he was, growing up."
Montana chuckled. "I'm sure he, well, meant well. Didn't mean he did a good job."
"Well, aside from him," Graupner grumbled, "No one really thought I'd be good at anything. Like, anything!" he declared, "I hated school, I didn't like sports... I mean, I wanted to learn computer science, but I hated the teachers," he sighed, "And I was told again, and again, that I wouldn't get anywhere. I kept-"
"Kid," Montana reached out and held his shoulder, as the voice of Graupner was growing shakier, "Take your time. Sit," he said, and kicked out a chair for Graupner.
"T-thanks," Graupner stammered, and sat down. After a moment of panting, and the dog Nadia smelling Dippers pants again, the Warlock continued. "I needed someone to look up to. You were that person," he said.
"Hey, you said that Omir was there," Montana pointed out, "Sounds like you had some people to rely on."
Graupner scowled and looked away. "He... taught me a lot, yeah," he grumbled, "but he and I never... clicked. He always said I'd change the world. But… I dunno. Nothing ever really bothered him. It never felt like anything I did had weight. I guess living in someone's shadow who's that important and powerful like that, is just... ugh. And the nightmares," he sighed, and turned to Montana again, "I used to get these dreams. Dreams of… bad stuff. And weird dreams. Dreams of a burning comet, of green fire... they scared me to death... then," he said, and smiled, "I'd just pull out your stories and read myself back to sleep. You never made me think I had to live up to you; just see you as inspiration."
"Don't worry about it," Montana shrugged, "Far as I'm concerned, I'm just happy to know that my stupid stories got people through some hardship."
"R-Really?" Graupner said, a smile spreading across his face.
"Oh yeah," Montana nodded, and then laughed, "You gotta remember kid, I didn't intend on making stories to make money or to inspire people. It was just a convenience to what I did. I experienced craziness, so instead of bottling it up, I had a friend write about it. I just thought it'd be some extra cash and nothing else." He gave Graupner a smile. "But knowing it can help people is... pretty neat."
"Yeah!" Graupner was beaming once again, "Your stories taught me to embrace that kind of fear! I started trying to manage that nightmare, you know? Now I'm the one in control. I'm better, now." he said. Nadia sneezed gently, and Dipper stepped away from the dog, feeling sweat across his neck. Graupner sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Sorry, that's probably too much, huh?"
"Eh," Montana shrugged, "I've heard much worse from fans before. Don't sweat it, kid. I mean, good for you – besting your own nightmares."
"Yeah! I sort of embraced whatever it wanted, and now... now I'm feeling better," he said.
"Well, hey," Montana shrugged, "If I helped someone get over a nightmare, sure, that sounds cool. Listen though," he patted the kids arm, "Just remember what I told you in the meeting, yeah?"
"Uh-" Graupner stumbled for reply.
"When you're up against something, ask 'Is it worth it', okay?" he said.
Graupner took a moment, and nodded. "Yeah... I can do that. I can try," he said, and stood back up. "I should probably get going, huh?" he said to Montana, eying the twins, and Nadia, who was staring at Dipper with an unusual intensity. Graupner sighed, "I hope we meet again," Graupner said, and stepped past the twins, and out the door.
"Seeya around, kid," Montana called, standing up himself. As soon as Dipper strode over to the steps and closed the door behind Graupner to lock it, Montana grumbled. "Okay, I want an explanation. This is my private place, my place of solitude. Why are you suddenly sending in kids who want to gush over me?" he growled. "There wasn't any deal like you two were talking about!"
Nadia turned to Montana, and said, "Monty, something was wrong with that boy," she said, and then looked to the twins, "And these aren't who they look like."
"What?" Montana said.
Diana, the dog in the cast, finally stood up and approached, "I thought I smelled something funny. Like... people I knew, but you two don't look like people I know," she said.
"Dang it," Dipper grumbled, "So it doesn't mask smell."
"That's not a problem," Mabel said, turning to her brother, "Graupner doesn't get smells, he just looks at people with a big 'ole," she screwed up her face with the angriest scowl she could manage. The twins turned back to Montana, who stared at them. "Oh, right," Mabel eyed her brother, "we should probably-"
"Yeah," he nodded. The two reached up to the sides of their illusions faces, and pulled away at the magic. The Nadia leapt back as the faces peeled and crumbled away, revealing Mabel and Dipper, and Montana rolled his eyes.
Nadia and Diana the dog gasped and said at the same time, "It's the children from may!"
Montana grumbled, "Great, the two of you can do it now."
"Yup!" Mabel cheered. Dipper gasped, and stumbled to the side, holding onto the wall for support. She spotted his near collapse, and held him by the shoulders. "Dipper?" she asked quickly.
"It's– it's just a lot out of me," Dipper said, breathing heavily. "One was pretty tough, but then we had to do two for twice as long. I'm... exhausted," Dipper groaned.
"That's okay," Mabel patted his back, "We completed the mission, didn't we? Oh!" and she leapt away from Dipper to Montana, who leaned back at her energy, "We're here for that key!"
Montana eyed her, an eyebrow raised as he studied her antics. Though perturbed, he did nod. "Right."
Diana spoke aloud from her seated position from the floor. "What do you two want?" she asked, "And why are you able to change your appearance?"
"Magic," Dipper said calmly.
"Magic," Nadia grumbled, "I hate magic."
"Hey-" Dipper started as Montana chuckled.
"They've got reason to," he said, "We've seen our fair share of magic causing us trouble. Anyway," he said, rolling his shoulders as he looked between them, "The key."
"Yeah!" Mabel cheered, "It looks like it belongs in a cute little wooden box with a lock in it?" she said, "The thing is pretty tough too!"
"Can confirm," Dipper said, finally pushing himself off the wall and stepping over to his sister, "We tried breaking it open but nothing worked."
"Even the magic you tried?" he suggested.
Dipper looked to Mabel, who glared at her brother. "Well, we're sort of new to the whole magic thing," Dipper shrugged. Mabel prodded her brother. "Ow. Also, we're not going to use it all the time," he added, casting a mean look to his sister, who fluttered her eyelashes at him with a smirk.
"Good idea," Montana said.
As Dipper scowled, Mabel asked, "Y-you think so?"
"Magic is great for short bursts," Montana explained, "But letting it dominate everything you do is dangerous. Like what's going on around the world now," he said.
Nodding at the statement, Dipper asked, "You really did notice? All the weird things happening?"
"People are noticing," Montana said, turning to a map of the world, "Across the globe, there are strange things popping up that shouldn't be around any more. This morning, I saw a thunderbird pass overhead," Montana declared, and then laughed, "Heck, today it was revealed that people can understand one another, even if they don't know a language they speak!"
"Wait, what?" Dipper asked, tilting his head to the side.
Mabel gasped, pushing her hands into her cheeks, "You mean people can actually speak to one another without spending years living in their cities, like doofuses?"
After a snort from Mabel's comment, Montana told them, "Yup. People started overhearing rude comments in languages that were supposed to be foreign. Hit the news only a few hours ago – last thing I heard before I got on stage," Montana shrugged.
"But that's a good thing," Dipper exclaimed, "Magic is doing something good! Connecting people!"
"I'll give my bro that," Mabel shrugged, "That's kind of cool."
The grizzled man before them shook his head. His eyes shone with a certain warning, and he said to them, "More will come though. I can feel it. Something's throwing the world into a spiral – more and more keeps happening. Thunderbirds this far from their home is weird. Last time recorded history talked about their migrations was in the stone age, I think," Montana added.
"Yeah," Mabel stretched her neck, moving her head side to side, "That's where we come in! We're going to help the world before it overloads with magic!"
"Or do something like that," Dipper shrugged, "Not clear on the plan just yet."
Montana nodded, and turned to the collection of duffle bags on the floor. Nadia followed him over, sniffing the sealed objects as Montana opened up the closest one, and began to rummage around. After a moment, he pulled out a metal hoop with an extensive collection of keys. "Now, wooden box?" he asked them.
"Yup. You gave it to the Jersey Devil," Dipper said.
Montana laughed, and hit the side of his head with his palm. "That's what you meant!" he chuckled, "You say local, but we're in New York, kid. Yeah, that was a while ago," he said, and rummaged through the keys. "I gotta ask," he said off-handedly as he searched through them, "How did you even get the box from the old monster? He was really protective of those pebbles."
"Well," Mabel hummed, "We first did a trade for food, and then we just talked to him." Montana snorted. Mabel, half-smiling herself, asked, "What?"
"Reminds me of myself," he said gently. "So, he just gave it to you, did he?"
"Yeah," Dipper nodded solemnly.
"I'll have to go visit the old coot," Montana grinned as he searched keys. Mabel and Dipper had only a moment to look to one another, communicating their sadness with nothing else than their gaze. "Here," Montana grinned, and held up a golden key with an old, frayed hemp wrapping around the handle, "That'll open the sucker."
"Thanks," Dipper grinned, taking the key and pocketing it. "I guess we can be out of your hair now," he added, and looked to his sister.
"Yeah," she sighed, giving the older gentlemen a quick look. "I guess so."
"Hey," Montana stepped up. Looking over to the two kids, he gave them a hand to shake, "I don't really know why you two trust me, since last time I was going to, well, force you to hand me some land, but... I appreciate it."
Dipper and Mabel both reached out, and then looked to one another. Dipper shrugged and stepped aside as Mabel eagerly reached out and shook his hand. "Never a problem, oh rugged adventurer!" she declared, giving the older man a laugh. "We trust a lot of people!"
"Well, not everyone," Dipper said, and reminded Mabel, "Graupner?"
"Wait," Montana stood went rigid, "The kid you two brought in here?"
"Yeah," Mabel sighed, "Sorry, he's kind of a maniac." Montana's face appeared as stone as he stared at the two of them. Mabel didn't seem to notice, as she continued, "Like, he's tried killing us a few times, almost got Dipper once, put a friend of ours into an alien-coma-"
"Sorry, a what?" Montana barked.
"-tried torturing a dragon into submission, used cursed flutes to terrorize the town-"
"Okay, wait," Montana growled at the two of them, "That kid has tried killing you two, uses cursed objects, and you," he pointed to the twins, "Lead him to me!?" Heat rose against the twins, either on Mabel's cheeks or Dipper's neck, but they suddenly felt that responsibility. "So, this crazy kid knows where I am staying. Great," he said, and turned towards his duffle bags, cramming things inside.
"Sorry," Mabel quietly said.
"We didn't know who else could have had the key," Dipper said, stepping alongside his sister, "And we needed your help!"
"Well-" Montana turned, red in the face. He looked to the twins, and some part of that red in his skin fell away. He stared at them, and finally sighed. "How about this," he said, and stepped closer, putting a hand on either their shoulder, "I endangered your lives once. We're fair now."
"Uhh," Dipper looked to his hand, "Not sure how that should work, but-"
Mabel quickly declared, "Deal."
Knock, knock, knock.
The twins spun, looking to the closed door. Nadia and Diana whined and moved away from the door. The suspense was only alive for a moment before the voice came through. Same tone, same voice, and it made Dipper and Mabel freeze in terror. "Excuse me, Mister Jeffreys?" Graupner's voice came through.
"Oh crud!" Mabel hissed quietly to her brother.
Montana chuckled, "Are you two not supposed to be here, or what?" he asked.
"It's Graupner!" Dipper snarled in a whisper. Montana's eyes sharpened, and he looked to the door. "The guy we just told you was crazy?" Dipper reminded him.
"Yeah, I know, we just got through with that discussion. What does he want?" he said quietly.
"Uh," the voice on the outside said after a moment, "I get you'd like to have some alone time, and that's fine. I, uh, just wanted to warn you – I had some... friends? Friends. I had some friends with me," Graupner decided, "And I found out there were jumped. Beaten up," he added.
Montana looked to the twins, who shook their head.
"First," Mabel whispered to him, "Not his friends. Goons. Second, that was our friends who took care of them."
"His goons are crazy too?" Montana growled.
"Well, they are the Rising Grasp or whatever," Dipper explained.
Montana's eyes widened and he looked to them. "The Rising Grasp?" he snapped in a whisper.
"You've heard of them?" Mabel gasped.
"They're on the news," he told the twins, "Terrorists, blowing up buildings!"
The voice behind the door spoke again. "Uh... well, I wanted to warn you, sir. You see, there are these twins, Mabel and Dipper. Pines. You'll want to watch out for them. They're trouble, and people around them get hurt, like my friends," he stated.
Montana started to go for the door, but the twins held him back. "Let go," he warned them.
"He will snap if he sees us," Mabel informed him, her eyes wide as she looked to the door.
"He warned us to stay away from you," Dipper added, "And he'd just start killing if he found out."
Montana stared at them. He looked to the door like it was a path to an early grave. "Well great," he rolled his eyes, "You think if I don't open the door, he'll just go away?" he asked them pointedly. After a moment, the twins shook their head.
"Uh, Mister Jeffreys?" the voice called again.
"Uhh-um," Montana stumbled for words for a moment, "I'm tending to my dogs," he said.
Dipper leaned to Montana, "if he catches us, we can't stop the magic from spreading globally. He'll kill us, and then do whatever other nasty plans he's got in store," he pleaded, "You can't let him get to us."
"Please?" Mabel pleaded.
"Mister Jeffreys," Graupner called again, his voice stern, "Are you okay? You sound, erm, strained."
Darting about the room, desperate for answers, Montana bared his teeth. He forced out, "Nope, absolutely fine, everything is fine in here." The pause from outside seemed worried. Montana added on hastily, "How are you?"
The voice behind the door paused. Instead, the door handle rattled, a locked door trying to be opened. "Uh, are you okay? Are you alone?" Graupner said a bit louder, "Who's in there with you?"
"Just my dogs!" Montana barked. He turned back to the twins, "I think we all need to leave."
"We?" Dipper repeated.
"Like hell am I going to be caught between you two and that guy out there," he said quietly, pointing a thumb over his shoulder as he spoke to Dipper to the door. "He may like me, but if this guy's a murderer, or attempted murderer, I'm going to try getting out of here too."
"Okay, then we flee!" Mabel declared, and ran to a nearby window on the other side of the mobile. Reaching her hands up to the sides, she said, "Boop!" and pushed open the window, "New escape plan!"
"Mister Jeffreys!" Graupner called, "Did I hear-"
"Crud!" Mabel clapped a hand to her mouth, and lowered her volume, "Let's go!"
"What about us!?" one of the dogs barked.
"My dogs," Montana cried out as Dipper ran past him.
"What?" the voice behind the door shouted, "Mister Jeffreys, are you okay? What's going on?! Stay back from the door!" he called out.
"The maniac is going to blow up the door or something!" Dipper hissed, lifting up Diana in his arms. Turning to Montana Jeffreys, he shouted, "Let's go!"
To his credit, Montana Jeffreys was quick to follow suit. Lifting up his own dog in a swoop of his arms, he and Dipper ran at Mabel, who then took a professional looking dive out the window. Taking no pause, Dipper yelled and did the same. Only a moment later did Montana follow after the male twin, and land next to Mabel and Dipper.
"Okay, we go! Now!" Dipper roared, and turned to the left, still holding the injured dog.
"Go! I'll follow," Montana yelled as they started sprinting around the side of the mobile.
A terrible seething sound preceded a blast. Smoke and ember billowed out of the window behind them, making clear the destruction in the mobile behind them. Peeking over their shoulder once, Dipper and Mabel saw a familiar figure peek out from the window, tearing off his eyepatch as he did.
"NO!" he roared, flames spreading in his hands as he watched them run, "How dare you kidnap his dogs!"
Looking over her shoulder, Mabel roared back, "We're not kidnapping them, you stupid frog-man!"
"Frog man?" Dipper asked.
"Heat of the moment," Mabel shrugged as they ran.
Looping around the side, Dipper and Mabel found themselves about to see the distant local parking lot, only then obscured by two figures, which they collided into. Diana yelped and almost fell out of Dippers arms as he stumbled back. "Sorry!" he apologized as the dog gave him a nasty glare.
"Wait, guys?" Wendy Corduroy cried out. Before the previously running trio was her, Soos, and Ford, who both gentlemen had a series of simple tools in their hands, and a lot of rope around their feet.
"No time for traps!" Mabel screeched, who had run into Soos, "Let's skedaddle out of here!" she whooped and ran around Soos.
"We got company!" Dipper added as he ran too. Eyeing the older looking man only once, Wendy made suit to follow.
"Aw man," Soos whined as he rapidly collected the entire winding of rope, and all the tools (an impressive collection), and ran as well.
"Ah!" Ford proclaimed as he ran aside the man holding his dog, "The great Montana Jeffreys!" the scientist beamed, "It's an honor to meet you."
"Uh," Montana looked at the thirty something year old, "Have we met?"
"Before this?" Ford asked, and shrugged, "No idea! I only just arrived back into this timeline recently."
"You just- okay," Montana ran a little faster, passing Soos and Ford, and leaned to the twins, and told them, "You have some weird friends."
"Who?" Mabel asked, craning her head around once again, "Our great-uncle, the undead teenager, or... Soos?" she asked mysteriously.
"What's a Soos?" Montana barked.
"Yo!" Soos waved at him.
Montana, clearly out of sorts, had a silent decision of sorts, and the twins found him suddenly less talkative. As they ran, Wendy spun and was able to fall behind only a few steps as she kept watch. "Guys," she gulped, turning back around to run with, "Graupner's got more bad-guys!"
The other five turned, along with two held aloft dogs. Running from the recreation center, from the buildings across the street, the parking lot nearby, were more of the Warlocks Cultists; cultists of the Rising Grasp. They didn't have their trademark blackened clothing and armor, but their business-like suits certainly followed their mantra of dark outfits. Pinned to each of their breast pockets was a simple token: a pair of hands holding a star, or some similar looking thing.
"They're pretty close," Montana said as he gave a quick glance behind him, "I hope you didn't park far!" he cried out, hoisting his dog in his arms hastily.
"Ehh," Mabel grimaced.
"If by close, you mean the public parking lot across the street," Ford shrugged.
"Damn it," Montana Jeffreys, "This day cannot get worse."
"Well, you have a great speech, sir," Soos said, "I was there for the one you had in Gravity Falls too."
"Oh," Montana Jeffreys said, turning to the man, "Thanks. You and the other six people."
Running as fast as they could without burning all their energy at once, the six plus two dogs made their approach to the parking lot. Looking back once again, Wendy blinked. "Some of the dudes are breaking off!" she cried.
Soos asked, "Breaking off what?"
"She means they're not chasing us," Ford declared, "They're getting their own cars!" he said as he opened the side door to the El Diablo Roadster, "Soos, c'mon!"
Dipper managed into the backseat doors Diana, who whimpered aloud. From Montana's arms came Nadia, who leapt into the backseat as well, with the celebrity. "Drive," he told the twins as they climbed into the front, "I'll call the police."
"The cops?" Mabel asked, twisting in her seat.
"This is the terrorist group, right?" he said, "They can help us!"
"Uhh," Dipper gulped, backing up the car, and turning in his seat as well to see behind him better, "I wouldn't count on cops for stopping Graupner."
"Well, someone needs to know that you're not kidnapping me," Montana decided, pulling out his old cell phone.
As the car slid out, the three looked out the left car windows. Coming at them was a nondescript black truck. Standing on the carrier, eye-socket glowing red, was Graupner.
"I feel really bad for the landscapers," Dipper said, and put the gear into 'drive', and pushed the pedal as hard as he could down. Darting forward rapidly, the simple car sped over the walkway and into a grass divider before entering a roundabout parking spot. Behind him, Wendy and Ford followed suit, narrowly avoiding the oncoming danger.
"Man, Dipper," Mabel said, poking her brother's shoulder, "What's this stuff with you disobeying the road laws and stuff? Getting into my turf, cowpoke," she warned him with a smile.
"Laws be damned if we die for following them," Dipper grumbled, spinning around the road, finally turning southbound.
Behind them, Montana had just made his call. "The Rising Grasp – they're here! In Niagara, New York! Black trucks, and," he looked behind them as the dogs watched him with worry, "Black vans. And a kid in black robes. Just look for a funeral procession with a lot of anger issues!" he roared as the car bounced over yet another curb. Behind them, Wendy and Ford swerved to keep up.
Cheeky grin and all, Mabel snickered, "Well, they'll know what to look for at least. Maybe they can knock him into the river with police brutality," she mused.
"Or not?" Dipper suggested, revving the engine of his car as fast as he could. Only a few moments of his top speed were needed to pass the campus entirely, and they began to drive against the north-flowing river. "I'm still nervous about bringing in the police."
"We gotta get someone here," Montana grumbled, "I'm too old to keep doing this forever. I couldn't imagine going through more than, maybe, three movies worth of adventures."
"I feel that," Dipper nodded, and began to turn onto a road. "Oh crap!" he shouted.
"Language!" Mabel called at him as he spun the wheel to the right, making a sharp turn. Ahead of them had been no more than three more vans, bee-lining for them. Most of the traffic in the area had to dodge and barrel out of the way before getting tagged by the corner of these large black trucks.
"He's got a ton of these guys!" Dipper snapped, and turned again to the left, getting on the scenic highway. "I thought we dealt with most of his forces earlier!"
"Bro, remember," Mabel said, looking behind him, past their caravan of escaping vehicles, "That was only half his goofballs."
"We must have his undivided attention right now," Dipper scowled. "I swear, these guys just seem to pop out whenever, wherever they can. Some car-magic is happening!" Dipper growled, checking in the mirror. The line of Black cars were some hundred feet behind the El Diablo, but any chance the trucks or vans had to make contact with them could be fatal.
It was lucky enough that the highway seemed, for the most part, devoid of others. Each of the three vehicles along the caravan were small, light, and faster than the trucks and vans behind them. Without any sudden streets or turns, the scenic parkway was an ideal racetrack; one that the gang was winning.
A few minutes of the intensive, far-above-speed-limit driving later, Dipper grinned and the grip on the wheel tightened. He saw a turn ahead, to the left- one that would probably allow the caravan to escape back onto the proper highway.
"Hold on- DAMN!" Dipper roared as he made to turn, and stalled. A blockage of six police cruisers had made their way onto the street, rushing towards the caravan.
"Hard right!" Mabel cried as Dipper did just that. Swerving away from the cops, the car skidded against rough terrain against the side of the road. Dipper bared his teeth as he spun back onto the road with a twist of the wheel.
"No escape there," Dipper growled.
As the caravan passed, two of the cop cars moved out into the highway, acting as a personal barricade against the Rising Grasp vehicles. But the vans sped faster, and faster. The cops had gotten out of their own vehicles, and were shouting. No such luck came to the New York officers, who had to dive out of the way as two trucks slammed into the cruisers, sending both the stationary cruisers and the trucks flying off the road. Passing by the stunned officers was the rest of the Rising Grasp forces, including Graupner.
Dipper had watched it all, a shiver running down his spine. "They just crashed into the cops and are still coming. Now what? We can't just fight them."
"Why not?" Mabel said, "We did in the woods last week, or whenever."
"Six days ago," Dipper told her with a huff.
"Wait!" Mabel pointed ahead, "There's a bridge there!" she said, pointing to a large bridge coming on the right, crossing the Niagara river.
Montana leaned forward as Dipper sped up. He pointed, "That's just a train bridge!" he cried out.
"We've driven over worse!" Mabel smirked at him.
"No, we haven't!" Dipper scolded Mabel, who pouted in her seat. "We can't just make the jump with the cars, we'd crash!"
"Then what do we do, huh?!" Mabel barked.
Montana reached forward and pointed. "We can't fight, and if we run, these guys chase. We need to lose them," he decided, "and I think I know how."
"Y-you do?" Dipper asked him, looking through the rear-view mirror.
"Oh yeah. There's a bridge about a mile south of this one," Montana said as they passed the railroad bridge into Canada.
"We'll take that one?" Dipper suggested.
"No, drive past it," Montana ordered.
"What?" Mabel cried out.
"There's an observation tower just past it. I think I have an idea," he said, giving Dipper a look, "But I need you to trust me on this plan."
Dipper looked at him once again in the mirror, feeling his heart pound in his chest as he felt the road rumble through the wheels of the car. There was something hard about refusing a man with as much experience as Montana Jeffreys. So, with a heavy sigh, Dipper nodded.
"Okay. We drive there," Dipper said, and pulled out his phone, holding it to Mabel, "call Wendy and Soos. They'll need to know."
"Roger that, captain!" she grinned, and began to dial.
"So," Dipper said, "what's the plan?" he asked, watching the distant second bridge grow larger from its distance.
As Montana explained his plan, Wendy and Soos were told. The objections of the group were not quiet ones, but as Dipper had felt in his heart, to deny Montana was harder said than done. They would follow through with the plan, since there didn't seem to much else of an idea. But the element of danger was absolute. One mistake could be all it took. It was a plan teetering on the edge of a blade.
So, as they turned to the right once more, riding down a smaller, narrower street that led to the observation tower, the gang made their plan come to life. The tall observation building came into view directly, and Dipper drove ahead. Wendy and Ford pulled ahead, moving around the many confused and scared tourists. Dippers car sped to a stop, right in front of the ticket booths.
Only a minute afterwards, Graupner and half a dozen trucks and vans pulled up behind the Crescendo car. Graupner stepped down, scowling at the car.
"They're hiding somewhere by the tower thing," he snarled.
"Master," one of the cultists asked as they approached. People around them started to point and scamper off, some screaming altogether at the sight of Graupner and his followers. "Should we destroy their car?"
"Find Jeffreys first," he said, and then pointed to a cultist, "You! Watch their car. If cops come, kill them," he ordered. The person, a woman, nodded and took out a compact automatic pistol. Graupner and the cultists walked past the booths, families and tourists rushing away.
One worker inside the booth said, "Have a magical day," in a hushed tone.
Graupner sneered, "I always do."
The numbers of people collecting by the tower was growing. As Graupner and his goons walked in something of a line, there was little escape for people to go, and more and more collected by the tower itself, which was connected by a large walkway, as the tower was some hundred feet away from the cliff edge. It looked like someone had once decided to build a bridge, and only a third of the way decided to, instead, just build a tower, with half the remaining bridge still out over the water.
By the top half of the actual tower, several security guards rushed towards them. Graupner rolled his eyes. "Kill them," he ordered, and the four cultists followed suit. Screams followed the gunfire as several figures in security uniforms were shot down. People were so tightly huddled around the entrance of the top half of the tower that Graupner had to begin pulling people away to shove himself inside.
Once there, his eyes widened. "M-Mister Jeffreys," he gasped. Turning to face him was an exhausted and roughed looking Montana Jeffreys. "Are you okay?" Graupner asked of him.
Montana opened his mouth, but only nodded. He was panting heavily.
Graupner smiled, and then looked past him. A door on the other side of the building had just closed. Behind the glass barrier, Graupner spied him- Dipper Pines.
"Stay here, or go back with one of my soldiers," Graupner said, walking past him, "I've got a score to settle with Dipper Pines."
Montana stared at him as he did, so out of breath and his eyes unfocused that he seemed like he could barely stand. Graupner looked back once, and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be okay. Get some rest, sir," he said, and walked through the glass doors. Alone now, more people on this side of the glass scattered around him.
Graupner roared into the air, "Dipper!" The person before him was facing away. So he screamed again. "Pines!" When still the person would not turn, Graupner then screamed, "PIIIINES!"
From his scream, the air crackled and thunder broke out. People by the railings screamed as the barriers that blocked the visitors from their perilous drop. The concrete split and the rebar groaned as unseen magic twisted it and warped it to snap. Behind him, Graupner felt the rush and scramble as men and women and children all fled from his sight. They pushed into the interior tower as rats would escape a sinking ship.
Except one person. Dipper Pines, flanked by both of Montanas dogs, stared back at Graupner.
"Won't run?" Graupner asked.
Dipper shook his head.
Graupner pushed away some of his hair that had fallen before him. The wind here was strong. He let a smile creep across his face, a strange feeling befalling him. "You tried this once, remember?" Graupner warned Dipper, stepping to one side, and then to the other, serpentine approach to the teenager. His eyes locked onto him. "Several times, really. Each time you try to solo me, you try to take me one-on-one, how does it end up?" the Warlock grinned. He held out his own two hands and cackled, "How're your hands doing, stiff still?" he chuckled.
Dipper stared at him, watching. Waiting.
Graupner stared back, his revealed stone eye unable to blink, but his other gave a moment to flinch. Dipper was resolute, and the power in his stance, a simple upright posture, was new. He might have a trick up his sleeve, and Graupner stalled his approach. Instead, he looked to the two dogs, who growled at him, baring his teeth.
"Steady, girls," he told them, "I wouldn't hurt mister Jeffreys." He looked back to Dipper, and sighed. "But you... I've been waiting for this," he said, a gentle smile spreading across his face, "To finally end our little struggle."
Dipper finally spoke. "Is it worth it?"
Graupner flinched. It was a dead-on impression of Montana Jeffreys. Leaning away, he asked, "What's with the voice?"
"I asked you a question, kid," Dipper said, and reached up to cup an area just above his head. Grabbing something unseen, the image of Dipper Pines was pulled aside as one would with wet paper mache. Like ashes falling from a burnt, crumbling log, Dippers image was replaced with one of Montana Jeffreys, who stood before Montana, a tired look in his eyes. As Graupner's mouth fell open, Montana asked again, "Is this worth it?"
Graupner stepped back, his breathing becoming irregular. His head reeled left and right, looking around. "If you're here-" he muttered quietly, "Then," he spun around. The edge of the cliffs, a Montana Jeffreys image stood. Just as the one closest to him did, the illusion of Montana Jeffreys was peeled away by Dipper Pines, who stared back. After a moment, his sister joined, and they watched the stunned Graupner. Their eyes made contact with the surprised Warlock, who for the first time, lost all rage when looking at them.
"They tricked you, kid," Montana said, approaching Graupner with soft steps.
"They... they used you?" Graupner quietly asked, turning back with wide eyes, his voice faltering. "How? You're Montana Jeffreys. No one-"
"They didn't," he admitted.
Graupner blinked. "But then, if they didn't use you... then you..." he stared at him, "Helped... them..?" he asked, his voice growing hoarse.
"Yes," Montana nodded, his eye softening. Graupner's lips sealed and his lip quivered. "Kid, you're not just a fan. You're a leader of... whatever the Rising Grasp is," Montana added, watching the distraught man before him. "You would have killed them. Look at who you could have killed if I hadn't shown you who I really was."
"You..." Graupner finally looked up, his eye watering. "You... lied to me."
Sirens filled the air. A helicopter in the distance buzzed against the wind, and Montana took another step closed. "Kid," he said, "You're talented. If you can do everything you, well, did here," he looked around at the destruction, the bent and broken away barriers, "You can change the world. For better. For better for everyone."
Graupner stared at him. In the gaze of the Warlock, there was a missing ability to listen. He heard Montana speak, but his unfocused gaze seemed... lost. He was confused.
Montana spoke again, "Kid, can you hear me?"
"You lied... to me," Graupner said, his voice trembling, but growing in volume.
Montana firmly said, "I tried stopping you from hurting anyone else."
From far behind, guns blazed. Someone was engaging in a serious gunfight. Montana looked troubled and craned his neck around the Warlock. Graupner's eye locked onto the man before him, growing more and more like that of iron. A broken voice then spoke, "I was your biggest fan. You tricked me."
Montana looked back. Behind him, Diana and Nadia growled and began to approach. Montana held out his hand, waving them off. With a pair of whimpers, the dogs obeyed his request. "Yes... I did. I'm sorry. I know you trust me. But it isn't too late for you," he tried again. As the gunfire subsided, Montana finally stepped up to him, only a foot away. "Kid- Graupner," he said again, "You can just surrender. We can help you figure all this out."
Graupner took a sharp breath in and shuffled back a step. "You-"
The old adventurer stepped closer. "I've seen people take the path you're on," he explained, "This doesn't end well. For you. For anyone you're close with. Remember what I asked you?" he took another step, and Graupner half retreated. Montana said, "Ask yourself what is it worth?"
Graupner heard movement behind him. There were the sounds of many running boots. He glanced behind him. A firing line of men in heavy blue jackets and bullet proof armor stood before him. They had their pistols raised towards him. Graupner started to turn, his eye hardening and his stone eye flashing of red light.
"Wait," Montana reached forward and grasped his shoulder.
Graupner paused, but did not relax. "Montana," he said with a terrible, quiet voice, "Let go of me."
An officer by the tower shouted, "Sir! Let go of the man, and move aside!"
"Wait!" Montana called out. The officers remained in place, and Graupner tried to turn again. "Kid, c'mon," Montana tried.
"Don't call me kid, Montana," he growled, "And let. Go. Now."
"Don't do anything that could hurt this chance," Montana pleaded, "C'mon... just let this end. You can make that choice."
The windy, broken deck of the observation platform felt the air grow charged. The officers stared intently. No clear shot could be called, as behind the target was a civilian, and two dogs. A helicopter flew around them, a local news company recording it all. From the distant cliffs, Mabel and Dipper watched.
Far from the danger, and therefore unable to hear the conversation, Dipper whispered to himself, "Just leave him. This wasn't part of the plan," he said.
Looking to Dipper, Mable asked, "Should we go?" Her eyes flickering between her brother and the sight on the tower.
"I said I'd run after I saw Graupner double back for me!" Dipper shouted, "Except he's not leaving."
"Why?" Mabel asked, her eyes craning.
"Because Montana is talking to him!" Dipper snapped.
"But I took care of the goon, we can go!" Mabel cried, "Dipper!"
Their conversation was too far for Graupner to hear. He felt his lips peel back. A terrible, cruel leer grew onto his face. "So," he started, "I was wrong about you. You're just like everyone else. People. You're just another person! The same kind of people that just use, and use, and use each other. There's no heroes," he said quietly, "No real badguys. Everything and everyone are an opportunity. We're all... just the worst."
"No one used you," Montana said, "Not today."
Graupner looked to the older man's hand on his shoulder. "I said... let go," he said in a deadly tone.
Montana frowned; eyes locked onto the younger figure. "You don't need to do this, just-"
"I SAID," Graupner turned, eyes wide, spit flying from his mouth, "LET GO!" and he shoved his hand against Montana Jeffreys.
A geyser of flame erupted out from behind Montana Jeffreys. Not black, not like the void, and not like the known fires that Dipper and Mabel had seen before. No, this was green. Green and vicious that illuminated the dying evening light in such a terrible howl of sound that Mabel and Dipper both screamed.
His hand still out, Graupner stared, trembling, at what he had done. He hadn't meant to do anything like that. He looked to the person, Montana, before him.
A single, foot wide hole had been singed through the old man. His eyes unfocused. Montana's feet shuffled back as his mouth gasped, but no sound was made. He could no longer breathe. Graupner, staring at what he had done, reached out for Montana's hand. One foot over the edge, and Montana collapsed backwards, slowly spiraling off into the river below. In the single moment of the carnage, Graupner stared at the spot his hero once was.
As Dipper and Mabel screamed, the dogs lunged. Graupner screamed as both took sizeable bites on his limbs, pinning him to the floor. Thrown to the ground, the cops dived into action. The twins, watching all it unfold watched another blast of green fire. Mabel shrieked and the two held each other in the heat that washed out from the distant tower.
"Dipper," Mabel said, her voice cracking. He had turned, pulling her away from the scene. "We have to-"
"We can't do anything else," he cried out, his own voice cracked and broken.
"But Montana-"
"He's gone!" he cried, "We need to go!" he shouted.
Dipper pulled his sister with a strong tug. She relented. Resistance seemed so empty, hollow. Mabel ran with her brother back to the car, where the unconscious member of the Rising Grasp lay. Rushing into the car, the twins buckled, and sped away as the flames spread over the tower.
In the vanishing distance, Mabel turned, staring at the hewn tower. Someone stood within the burning embers, staring after them. "How could he?" Mabel whispered. "Montana wasn't going to hurt him."
Dipper looked back to her, his mouth twitching as he swallowed hard. An aching pain was growing in his throat. One he didn't want to really understand, let along feel. That loss...
"Dipper," Mabel sat back down, her eyes trailing tears, "He just... killed him."
Dipper looked around, driving as best he could despite the immediate wrongness in his brain. "I know," Dipper managed to say. He didn't want to sound so tired, so exhausted. The spell of illusion he had used wore him considerably, but that wasn't what made him feel dead inside. "Call the others, okay?" he asked.
"Huh?" she said.
He sniffed, and looked to her. "We need to converge and get to Zander," Dipper said firmly, finally feeling the burden of the tenseness in his throat rise. He started crying. "We... we need to end this," he added, steadying his voice as his tears fell across his cheeks.
She nodded, and took his phone once again. Looking to the number, she felt a jingle in her hand belonging to something other than a phone. With a slow, shaking hand, she lifted up a single worn looking key. "Look," she said.
Dipper stared at them. The image of Montana handing it to them, that confident grin across his face. He had been so willing to help, even after they had last seen each other as enemies. Dipper pursed his lips and nodded.
"We're going to finish this mission now," Dipper declared.
Mabel looked at him. "So that it's all worth it?" she said softly.
"Yes," he nodded, sniffing and wiping away at his nose, "So that it's all worth it."
His last arc closes, a life for a chance. Boy, let's hope the twins make it work, right? :)
Yeah, it took a dark turn this update, didn't it? Then again, next episode is the mid-season finale, so...
This really should be a pre-cursor to you good folks. Seriously, enjoy the coming fiasco.
BUT- more upbeat things! As promised, this update comes with a few announcements. First, and foremost, the announcement of the next project I will be working on AFTER RtGF closes.
-The Dragon Rider-
Set one year after the events of the summer of RtGF, Dragon Rider will be a crossover involving some of the cast you've come to know and love as they meet a new CHALLENGER- wait- HERO in the beginnings of something much larger. Who's that person? Well, if you've paid attention to my hints throughout the show, you might have an idea who the Dragon Rider might be. (He's a dork).
There is the possibility of it being released in tandem with another series... I'm still on the fence about it. Anyone heard of Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She's sweet, and I think she could make a good new mini-series...
Next up, and less interesting to you all, but I'd like to point this out as a little self promotion, I'm getting a Buy Me a Coffee Page! I'd thought a while about getting a for a tip jar, but monthly payments seem... ugh. Too much responsibility. Not to mention, if I'm a starving artist who aint got no money, I can't imagine you guys are off any better! So instead, I'm just going to have a happy little page for the occasional donations. Like I said, not nearly as cool as the next title to come your way, but I still wanted to put it out there.
Lastly, I apologize if this chapter has a few more errors than the previous updates I've put out. This week was pretty weird scheduling wise, so I often found my editing time interrupted. Still, the next week update is already done, so THAT at least should be pristine! :D
Bob Ross: (Walking in) And that's just wonderful, mister EZB. So glad you could share that with us.
Wow! Thanks perfect human soul Bob Ross.
Bob Ross: (laughs) Not a problem. Why don't we take a moment and paint a little? (An easel gently lowered before Bob Ross)
Oh! that sounds peaceful and not at all violent! (EZB reaches to the heavens. A cluttered mess of art and material crushes him into a messy pile).
Bob Ross: Oh dear. Well, it's EZB, so I guess it's just a happy little accident. (he gives a gentle chuckle.) Well friends, I hope you've enjoyed this update, and from All of us here, (EZB moans in pain) I'd like to wish you Happy Painting, and god bless my friend.
(A terribly edited 80's style series of credit zoom by as the camera focuses on EZB's crushed body)
There was little left upon the ledge: just crackling green flames, and a dark silhouette stepped closer. From the edge, The Warlock stared at the car as the twins sped away on the remaining scenic highway. A shadow crept over his face as he stood, alone in the fire. In the rippling heat, a darkness grew. It was not a shadow, per say, but an emptiness. The fires he created parted as he deliberately stepped through the now empty and crumbling tower. His face, covered with ash, scowled at the sight of his collapsed minion at the edge of the tower walkway. The twins disappeared from his vision, speeding southward.
He reached down, and lifted up the woman with his hand, pulling her almost to a seat. With a pause as he took in a breath, Graupner then said, "Wake."
The woman's eyes shot open, and she looked around. Seeing her master next to her, she then said, "Oh! Master Kinley!"
He stared at her, and dropped her to the ground. "Call Alvis," he said calmly. She nodded. He added, "I'm done. I don't care anymore. I just... don't care."
"I will call mister Leuthar," she confirmed, reaching for a cellphone within her pocket, "What shall I tell him?"
Graupner stepped away, his ears catching the sounds of more distant sirens. No smirk came to his face. No such happiness at the sounds of his enemies. He just glared at the night, and looked back once. The cultist woman flinched, the eye-stone glowing hot red.
"Tell him," he said, his voice deep with contempt, "that we're shifting it all onto Corduroy. I want my promise to Bill delivered. With his help," he grunted as he saw approaching police cars, "This will all be over."
"Understood sir," the woman nodded, and began to dial.
Graupner didn't care what she did. She could die. She could live. He would get the job done with or without her. If she was still there, so much the better. If she died with his fire or a stray bullet, it didn't really matter. She was just being used. Willingly, certainly, but a used piece. He walked towards the oncoming lights, his hands out on either side. With a crackle of heat, two fist sized balls of green fire erupted from his palms, and he then grinned.
"This is a new development," he said, playing with the flames in his hands. He twisted his hands about, feeling the heat spread over his skin. Though the verdant flames kissed and lapped at his flesh, he was unharmed. "No effort?" he asked himself, snuffing the flames as he closed his fist, and then opened them again, watching the fire return, "So it seems." With a satisfied nod, he turned back to the approaching officers. "Let's see how it does with the living," he muttered, and hurled the fire at the closest cop car.
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