PART 1:
The twins and Yuki and sitting in the back of Stan's car, Stan and Soos in the front, the five of them heading to the Gravity Falls Convention Center for the Business Convention. Stan drops them off so they can figure out if any hotel chains or anything are planning on moving in, and if so, get dirt on them so they won't come. He tells them he doesn't want anything crazy to happen while he's gone before leaving.
The four of them enter the Center, hundreds of booths set up, from small local businesses to elite companies. Soos and Yuki go one way, the twins going the other direction. Once they are alone and mostly out of sight, Dipper brings up Wendy and the conversation they overheard a week ago. Dipper is paranoid that Wendy's secret is Stan's brother/Portal level of bad, but he has no solid evidence and no hints what so ever about what she could be hiding. Mabel says she thought Wendy trusted them, Dipper realizing he ruined Mabel good mood.
Telling her they can talk about Wendy more later, they attempt to continue the mission Stan assigned them. As they leave, they bump into Arline, both surprised that the other is there. The twins tell her Stan sent them on a mission before asking where she has been the past week. She says she has been busy, but Mabel points out that she said she's on vacation and shouldn't be busy. Arline notices something behind the twins and rushes off, telling them they should probably leave since there's nothing exciting at the convention. The twins turn to each other, Mabel confirming that Arline is hiding something from them.
At another part of the convention, Soos just got a free sample from a Meat Cute display. He mentions Melody coming to town, Yuki saying he would like to meet her. Soos laughs and explains the meet/meat joke, Yuki eventually getting there and laughing. Soos compliments him on how much he has picked up on ont Earth, and Yuki says he still hasn't understood some other things, like why people try to make money off of life-saving medicine and technological developments.
A yell from nearby has them turn and see Pacifica run up to them. She says that she didn't know Yuki was into business, Yuki saying that while he knows about it, he really isn't all that enthusiastic about it. Pacifica's parents hear this part and come up behind their daughter, darkening the mood. Yuki mentions them being in charge of the Talent Show, Mrs. Northwest saying he's smarter than he looks for the clothes he is wearing. Pacifica tells her parents not to be mean to Yuki, but her father tells her not to talk back to them, asking Yuki to forgive Pacifica. Or he tells him not to forgive her, which he thinks will be better in the long run.
Yuki disagrees, saying Pacifica was being nice to him and trying to prevent her parents from being mean to him, even going so far as to call them snobbish. Preston steps close to Yuki, trying to threaten him with his taller height, and asks if Yuki knows who he is. Yuki, recognizing the height difference as an intimidation tactic, is not threatened. He says that he knows more about Preston than the family thinks, detailing everything from what their employees are paid, to things they have at their mansion, to how many lies they have told, and even what Preston likes for breakfast.
Yuki tells the stunned family to have a good day before turning around, Soos clapping him on the back. Shocked, Pacifica's parents leave to find someone named Omir, their daughter still staring at Yuki. She asks how he knew all that stuff about her family, and he lies that he had to do a report on America's richest families back in Japan. Pacifica bursts out laughing, telling him how amazing what he did was, saying that she wants to she her father's face again. Yuki says she'll remember, telling her she is smarter than her parents, causing her to blush and stare at him.
Yuki is concerned that her blushing means she is sick and starts trying to get her to feel better. Pacifica turns away for a few seconds to get herself together before turning back to him, asking why he and Soos are there. Yuki explains about Stan being paranoid other companies will overpower him. Pacifica say that makes sense before mentioning Zander Maximillion moving into the Gleeful's old home a few days ago. She reveals that her parents asked Zander for a favor and she has to take music lessons from him. She is not happy about it, but Yuki tells her that it is a good opportunity to make herself better, and if it makes her parents happy, that's just a bonus. Happier, she leaves, Yuki telling her it was nice to see her again before she runs away.
Soos laughs at Yuki's obliviousness before the twins show up, telling them about Arline acting weird. Realizing that Arline wouldn't come to a convention like this for no reason, and the twins' ability to find trouble, they realize that something important is going to happen soon. They decide to split up and start trying to find someone suspicious, and put a stop to whatever it is they might be planning. Saying to catch up with the others if they find something, Soos and Yuki head in the direction Pacifica went while the twins head in the opposite direction.
Unfortunately, they don't see anyone that doesn't match the standard business suit appearance, except for themselves. They don't even see Arline again. Mabel does notice some security guards blocking off a hallway near the bathrooms, and says that maybe whoever Arline is after is in the closed-off parts of the building, like the kitchens or something. The twins decide to go into the bathroom and try to find air vents leading into the blocked off hallway.
Mabel goes in the girl's room quickly, Dipper running into a brick wall of a person coming out as he tries to go in. The guy, an older, dark-skinned man wearing a fancy suit and equally nice bow-tie, apologizes to Dipper before recognizing him from Arline's spider video. He complements Dipper for his bravery, making Dipper uncomfortable, but he responds humbly and politely. The man, shocked at Dipper manners for someone so young, introduces himself as Omir Steindorf, and asks for Dipper's name. Suspicious of everyone but finding no danger, Dipper tells Omir his name before the two part ways.
In the bathroom, Dipper climbs on the counter to pull off the air vent. The grate falls away as soon as he touches it, three of the four screws already missing. Realizing that whoever is going to cause trouble came this way recently, he climbs into the air ducts. He sees another vent left entirely open and drops into the hallway, Mabel hiding behind a nearby corner.
They start heading down the hallway, looking around corners before walking past. Mabel glances around one and pulls Dipper back, her eyes the size of plates. Dipper peers around the corner and sees a person in a hoodie looking at a scroll. Concerned about his purpose hear considering what he has done before, the twins step around the corner together and get the Warlock's attention.
The Warlock recognizes the twins and grins before shoving the scroll into his hoodie and running away, the twins in pursuit. They burst through doors into the kitchen, the Warlock already halfway across the room. He uses his powers to make everything in the kitchen, from knives to boiling pots of water, fly at the twins. They dodge around the flying weapons as the Warlock backs out of the kitchen, throwing more things at them as they gain ground on him. When even the weaponized ovens do nothing to stop the twins, the Warlock runs out of the kitchen, the twins on his tail.
They follow him out of the hallways and through the main convention area, leaving a trail of destruction for them to follow. He goes through another set of doors and into more hallways, eventually stopping in one with an elevator at the other end of it. He reaches into his hoodie, the twins running at him, but he gets the scroll out before they can stop him. He hits the elevator button and wedges himself in the doorway before slamming the scroll to the ground, deactivating gravity in the entire convention center as the scroll glows blue.
The twins crash into the ceiling, the Warlock conjuring a ball of black flames as they try to re-adjust themselves. Before the Warlock can throw the fireball at them, Arline appears, running along the ceiling towards the Warlock, fire burning on her arms. The Warlock throws the ball of black flame at her, but she deflects it, sending it into the wall. The Warlock takes his hand off the scroll he was holding to the ground, gravity re-activating.
The twins and Arline crash to the ground as the elevator shows up. The Warlock jumps in, Arline climbing to her feet and running at him. The doors close before she can get there, and she punches the doors as the twins stare at her. She turns around and sees their angry and sad faces, a hurt Mabel saying she's not really in town for a vacation, Arline unable to deny that statement.
PART 2:
In the main room, the businesses are recovering from the Warlock's trick, no one hurt too badly. A lot of people think it's an earthquake, but Soos tells Yuki that he knows the difference between an earthquake and what just happened. Yuki agrees with him just as Pacifica runs up, also knowing that what just happened wasn't an earthquake. She asks where Dipper and Mabel are, knowing they probably have something to do with what just happened, Yuki agreeing with her.
He looks outside to see that nothing outside of the center appear to have been affected by the gravitational-lapse as he calls it. He asks Soos if the Warlock's magic could have caused what just happened, but Soos has no idea. Feedback blares over the speakers and everyone turns to the main stage, where the Northwest's are standing with a dark-skinned man in a bow-tie. The man tells everyone that what just happened was an earthquake, and that the Northwest's said everything would be fine and safe, and tells everyone to go back to what they were doing.
Pacifica tells Soos and Yuki that the guy is Omir Steindorf, head of Steindorf and Co, and that he and her parents were the ones who planned on having the convention in Gravity Falls. Yuki watches as Omir and Pacifica's parents argue on stage, unable to make out what they are saying. Soos says that maybe the Northwests planned for something to go wrong, kind of like what happened at the Talent Show, but Pacifica says that if her parents had been planning something bad, she would know about it. Whatever is happening, her parents are not involved.
In the hallways, Arline is trying to get the elevator working again, to no avail. She tries to get the twins to follow her, but they say they won't until she tells them what's up. She says she will explain later, but Dipper yells at her for hiding something from them ever since she came to town. Realizing she won't say anything, Dipper starts to pull a hurt Mabel away.
Before they get too far, Arline tells them the Warlock's name is Graupner, stopping them in their tracks. She tells the twins she lied to try to keep them safe, as what is going on is more dangerous than either of them know. Mabel tells her to level with them, and she starts to explain. When someone joins the Paths, they are given responsibilities to keep balance in the world, otherwise the Paths would fall apart.
She says that the Paths aren't the only power out there, and the most dangerous other power is the arcane. Dipper says magic isn't too bad, but Arline points out that you are able to bend the laws of physics by using magic, and they are currently dealing with a crazy person who loves the power and destruction he can cause. She says that arcane has no limits, and Graupner Kinley will use that too achieve his goals.
Mabel asks what his goals are, Dipper asking how she knows all of this. She says that part of her job as a Paths instructor is to keep balance in the world, and the Warlock has been challenging that, hurting and scaring people around the country. Arline says she has been tracking his movements, Gravity Falls being his most recent stop. She says there is something in town that isn't anywhere else, but she doesn't know what it is. Her main job is to stop him from hurting people, and if she finds out why he is in town, all the better.
She says she wanted to tell the twins, but was afraid about what might happen after he is captured. The twins laugh off her concerns, saying that with everything they've faced, most of which they faced with less info than they currently have, they can handle anything that happens. She tells them that what is happening is dangerous, but that she knows they can handle it, and the three of them head to catch up with their other friends.
Arline tells the twins not to tell their friends about her being involved in searching for the Warlock, saying he is too dangerous for more people to know about. The twins agree, coming to the decision that the Warlock is going to jail as soon as he is captured, having caused too mush trouble in the time they have known him. Walking into the main part of the convention, they reunite with Soos and Yuki, Pacifica nearby.
They tell their friends that the Warlock caused the gravity flip from earlier, Pacifica joining the investigation when she hears that it's the same guy who sold her the cursed flute. Yuki asks what the Warlock wants at the convention, Dipper mentioning how he said he wanted power when they first met. Arline says that the Warlock is probably trying to use the big-name company leaders to exert his power on hundreds of people while actually only controlling a few. Soos asks what the plan is, Arline deferring to the twins.
They say that they will capture the Warlock and put him in jail. They and Arline will track him down and bring him out into the open, where Soos and Yuki will be waiting to help grab him. Pacifica says if Yuki is helping, she wants to help too, saying Yuki doesn't look that strong. Soos and the twins laugh at this, but Pacifica still insist she help. They tell her how dangerous the Warlock is, and remind her of her lack of experience in dealing with these kinds of things. She agrees to just make sure no one gets hurt, telling all of them, Yuki especially, to stay safe before the groups split.
The twins and Arline head up to the next floor, where manager offices with large glass panels provide a view of the entire main room, and possibly information on those present at the convention. Dipper asks Arline where the Warlock came from, but she says that all she knows about Graupner is that he is not a good person, but is great at magic. The three of them get into the elevator and take it up to the third floor.
Stepping out of the elevator, they are faced with unconscious and bleeding guards. They realize the Warlock must have used their blood for a spell, but they will survive for the time being. Angry now, Mabel takes the lead and opens the doors of the office. An unconscious man is leaning against the wall nearby, the room showing signs of a fight. Looking out the glass windows is the Warlock, a phone held up to his ear.
Dipper says his full name, Graupner Kinley, and he snarls at the twins, telling whoever is on the other line that he's met resistance again. Arline tells him that he is in violation of some magic-users code of conduct from the 1400's. Graupner scoffs at her and starts twirling his fingers around, holding the phone at his side. He calls Arline the last true student of the Guardsman, before telling the twins that he wants them off his back.
He says he has resources under his control now, and tells them to leave so they can pretend nothing ever happened. Mabel mentions the spider attack, but he said the spider was meant to get people out of town so he could complete his mission in peace. Dipper asks what his mission is, but doesn't get an answer. Mabel says that they can't let him hurt people, so they will capture him and take him to jail, causing another laugh.
The Warlock stops twirling his fingers, the things in the room trembling with magical energy. Arline charges the Warlock, but the objects in the room fly together into the shape of a giant hand, slapping her away and sending her crashing through a table. The twins try to go check on her, but the objects in the room have transformed from a giant hand to a golem-like creature, made from half-broken office supplies. The Warlock tells the twins they should have left when he gave them the chance before telling his golem to kill the twins.
The golem pulls its hand back, preparing to hit the twins, but Arline jumps up, arms ablaze, and shoves it out the large windows, sending it crashing to the main floor. She smiles until the Warlock points out that she just released a murderous golem on the innocent people at the convention. She looks through the broken glass as people start to panic, the Warlock smiling at her.
Mabel rushes up to him and punches him across the face, sending him stumbling next to a desk. Dipper tells Arline they can handle the Warlock, allowing her to jump from the broken window to take care of the golem. The Warlock pulls the chains from their first meeting out from under the desk, enchanting them to float around him like a shield while the twins attack.
Mabel charges first, avoiding two attempted hits from the chains before grabbing it on the third try, holding the Warlock in place. Dipper charges from the side and sends the Warlock away, the chains falling lifeless to the ground. Dipper doesn't let up on his assault, punching repeatedly until the Warlock pulls out a knife and Dipper steps back to avoid the weapon.
Putting his phone in his pocket, he levitates the knife, several more coming out of his hoodie and floating in the air. The Warlock send two knives at the twins, Dipper dodging one as Mabel picks up a chair and uses it as a shield, the two knives getting stuck in it. Mabel throws the chair at the Warlock, but he dodges and the chair crashes through the windows, knives still stuck in it.
The Warlock takes hold of two of his three remaining knives, the third still floating around him. He starts attacking Dipper, the third knife moving against Mabel when she tries to jump in. Mabel is able to fake-out the knife and stick it in the desk, her actions providing enough of a distraction for her and Dipper to kick him through the large glass windows, him hanging on for life, his knives falling away.
The twins stare at him, noting the similarities between this time and when they first met. The twins tell the Warlock how stupid he was, thinking he alone would be able to defeat them. He laughs at this and lets go with one hand, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out his phone and tells whoever is on the other end to do it. Bright blue light floods the room as gravity turns off. As the twins flail around, trying to control themselves, the Warlock begins floating away from them.
Heading through the main room of the convention center, Soos jumps at the Warlock, but misses. All the while, Arline has been fighting the golem, and has just lit it on fire, causing even more chaos. As Soos air-swims past the flaming golem, the Warlock throws a person in his path, knocking Soos off course.
Soos tells Yuki to move it, the Warlock finding the alien climbing along the walls. The Warlock jumps onto a table, jumping for the door before Yuki is able to get to the table. Turing around to gloat, he discovers the table hurtling at him and moves out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed. Unluckily for him, Yuki was hiding behind the table the entire time, and is able to grab him and send him crashing to the ground.
The Warlock looks up just as Arline defeats the golem, flaming pieces floating around everywhere. He pulls out his phone and tells whoever is on the other side to restore it all. Gravity returns, everyone and everything crashing back to the ground, the people desperately trying to avoid the falling objects. The twins, who had just made it out of the manager's office, notice a falling piece of the stage heading right for Yuki. They yell at him to get out of the way, but Pacifica gets to him first, pulling him to safety before Soos lands next to them.
The Warlock starts running for the door, everyone trying to chase after him, which becomes harder as more people recover and stand up. Just before he makes it to the door, Omir Steindorf punches him across the face, knocking him out cold just before the police arrive. Omir tells the cops to arrest the unconscious man, but the cops refuse, saying all they saw was Omir doing the punching. Arline tells them that Kinley is responsible for the damage, the Northwest's backing the statements. However, Blubs doesn't do anything until the Northwest's threaten to not let him come to their annual party this year.
The cops pick up the stirring Graupner, him glaring at Omir angrily but not saying anything. He yells to the twins that jail won't hold him and their battle is not over before the police take him outside. The Northwest's try to tell Omir that what just happened was an accident, but he says that if it weren't for the twins and their friends, the entire building could have been destroyed. He tells the Northwests that he will tell his fellow company leaders to not move into town before turning to the twins.
As her parents leave, Pacifica says that she tried to get them to leave the building, but they didn't listen to her. Dipper says that the whole convention was to increase business, Omir telling him that the town looked like a good place for big corporations before everything that just happened. Omir is shocked that one person was able to cause so much damage, watching as the police drive away. Arline tells him that his name is Graupner Kinley, but they don't know his motives. Omir decides to help the police in the investigation before leaving the six of them alone.
Pacifica hugs Yuki, making sure he doesn't have a concussion or anything. He says he is fine, Pacifica saying that while he might be okay, others fell pretty hard. She asks them to stay and help clean up and check on people, Soos and Yuki following her, Arline and the twins staying behind. The twins slide to the ground, looking around the mess that was caused. Arline assures them no one died, another of her Paths tricks, and Dipper agrees to let her teach him officially.
They figure that since no one died, they could technically call this a win, but Mabel asks if they really beat the Warlock. Dipper says they did, even if he succeeded in scaring people away, they put him behind bars. He says there is no one left to cause trouble, but Mabel mentions the second time gravity turned off. Dipper realizes she is right, and the two explain to Arline that the Warlock told someone on the phone to activate the spell while she was busy fighting the golem. They confirm that the Warlock only ever used the spell/scroll thing once, which means that there was someone else in the building who activated the spell the second time. The three of them stare at each other as they realize what it all means- the Warlock has help walking around somewhere... and they have no clue who it is.
Cryptograms:
5-22-5-18-25 1-16-16-18-5-14-20-9-3-5 8-1-19 1 13-1-19-20-5-18. Every apprentice has a master.
Exw vhulrxvob, zkdw d qlfh erz-wlh! But seriously, what a nice bow-tie!
