Chapter 77 is PART 1:
After some exposition about the Paths and the students thereof, we cut to a group of them on the roof of a building in Jacksonville, intently watching the nearby hotel, the Guardsman surrounded by eight of his students. A nearly-bald man comments that 'they' have been sleeping for an hour now, and if something is going to happen, it'll happen soon. The youngest of the group, a kid with a guitar case, asks if they are sure something will happen, a red-haired woman assuring him it will.
The kid questions how they found out about the Warlock's plan, nearly-bald Rushtar telling the kid, whose name is revealed to be Drew, to focus on the task at hand and stop asking questions. However, the Guardsman offers a kind-of answer- he knows a woman in the north who saw the events of the summer and was able to give them warning about Omir Steindorf and his actions returning Bill to the real world. Drew asks how the kids they are watching can help them stop Bill, a dark-skinned bald man asking how Bill could do such a thing if all he can do in control dreams.
The Guardsman says people go crazy without dreams just as five vans pull up to the front of the hotel, thirty men and women with a badge on their chests stepping out. The Guardsman tells his students the badge-wearing people are brainwashed members of Kinley's cult, telling a suited, black-haired woman that the Warlock doesn't want to take any chances, so thirty cultists for four people and a pig isn't too out of the park. Maureen, the red-haired woman, expresses anger about hitting brainwashed people just before a bright light washes over them, the students looking up to see two helicopters piloted by the badge-wearing cultists aiming searchlights at them. Not seeming to notice the helicopters, the Guardsman calmly brings out his black spear and gives his students the order to move in.
In his Abuelita's home with his late Abuelita cleaning up around him, Soos again tells Kelly no deal, not wanting to make another deal with a demon. Kelly tells him she wouldn't be able to be in the memory they are currently in unless he wanted what she offered, telling him he has a pure heart. She says that that is one of the reasons she was able to find him- she's had trouble getting through to humans before, but now she is able to appear to anyone who is vividly remembering something.
She says her job was to find him and that she would have left immediately afterward had he not wanted what she could offer. She says she can change the present by influencing the past, something she knows Soos wants, but Soos refutes this, comparing her to Bill Cipher. Kelly says she's nothing like her brother, revealing there are more than just the two of them before telling Soos he has the potential to change so much if he just asks her to do it.
Kelly begins to grow and go away, telling Soos his friends are and will continue to be in danger because he never took her deal. Fire surrounding them both, Soos sees a bronze object depicting a pair of hands reaching out to grab a flaming four-point star. He then wakes up, Wendy standing over him in concern. She points to where light is coming through the window, telling him choppers showed up a minute or so ago and have been flying around since. Soos asks Wendy to look check out the hallway, Wendy reporting six guys with guns outside their door as Soos wakes the twins up. Soos has just enough time to realize Kelly was right before the door crashes open.
Wendy quickly takes out the first man to enter, everyone else taking cover and/or grabbing weapons. Tag-teaming, they take out two more people, Soos continuing to pummel a third, wanting to honor is promise to keep the others safe. The final two come in, Mabel asking Dipper to help her take them out. Dipper instead starts trying to do something with the Journal, leaving Wendy to help Mabel take out the last of the gunmen.
They examine the damages done to the room and Wendy's clothing, Mabel commenting on Dipper not helping before they pull Soos of the guy he hasn't stopped hitting yet. They tell Soos they are all okay and Soos relaxes, pointing to something on the gunmens' clothes. Wendy pulls a pin off of one of them, showing them all the image of two hands holding fire. Mabel guesses it's an alien cult, Soos snatching the pin from Wendy's hands, recognizing the symbol from his dream.
He tells them he has a bad feeling about the thing, Dipper suspicious but unable to get answers as they hear footsteps coming down the hallway. They all hide, ready to fight again, but a familiar voice calls their names, the four of them calling his name in turn. The Guardsman enters the room, six of the people from the attack on the twins' parents appearing in the hallway behind him. A kid with a guitar asks who Zander is as he and two women, one with red hair and the other with black, follow the Guardsman into the room.
After ensuring the helicopters are distracted by Rushtar and someone named Nadan, The Guardsman tells Drew, Maureen and Rin to handle the unconscious people, the three students still outside the room moving to secure the hallway while the Guardsman talks to Soos, Wendy, and the twins. He tells them the unconscious people are brainwashed members of Graupner's cult before Dipper and Soos ask Zander how he knew to get there when he did. Drew reacts to hearing Zander's name, but the Guardsman tells him to get back to work, not happy about being called 'Zander.' Dipper rolls his eyes at this as the Guardsman tells them he got a tip-off that they are being tracked, though he doesn't know how it is being done.
His students done moving the unconscious people to the bathroom, the Guardsman tells them to pack up their things, as he and his students are escorting them away from the hotel. A minute later, they are all walking down the hallway, Drew and Maureen shocked when they are able to find out the Guardsman likes music. His students go down first to make sure the coast is clear, allowing Zander to finally take the Guardsman mask off and be angry at the group for telling his students about one of his identities.
He promises that, while he may keep secrets from them, he's on their side, Dipper doubtfully asking how he knew where they would be and when. Putting the mask back on, the Guardsman says he has a friend up north who can see things, and except for one time before this, he has been able to use her advice to stop problems before they start. Dipper notes that the mask goes on when he's hiding something, Zander admitting that he's not wrong, but he needs to protect his friend and not tell them about the... situation.
More than a little concerned about the cryptic message, this conversation stops when they all get on the elevator. Dipper asks Zander why he's been so busy recently, Zander saying that he's been collecting Starkissed on other countries while simultaneously working to stop Graupner's cult, the Rising Grasp. Mabel comments that he needs a break, Zander shaking his head before Wendy tries to bring something up with him. However, the elevator opens, and their conversation is forced to be put on hold.
The Guardsman leads them out of the elevator, passing two dozen unconscious figures on their way outside. Six of his students around him, the Guardsman tells Maureen to get Nadan and Rushtar, the woman calling the latter and telling him to bring the bus around to pick her and the others up. Zander follows the group as they head towards their vehicles, telling Dipper to follow the bus to a safe location. Helicopters closing in as the bus drives in front of where they are parked, Zander climbs into the back of Dipper's car, giving the order to drive.
Chapter 78 is an AUTHOR'S NOTE. Chapter 79 is PART 2:
Dipper responds instantly, flooring the gas, the four vehicles heading for the highway. Zander takes off his mask, telling Dipper that he wears it to protect himself and his people. He places the mask back on as one of the helicopters flies ahead of them, the hands and flaming star painted on the side evidence that it is part of the Rising Grasp. Mabel questions how Graupner has helicopters, Zander reminding her about Omir's company being liquidized as the second helicopter starts keeping pace with Dipper's car, light pouring down.
Mabel sticks her head out the window and yells at the helicopter to leave them alone, ducking back in as Graupner opens the door. Red-stone eye gleaming, Graupner calls into the helicopter, which flies away for a minute. Dipper asks Zander what he knows about Graupner, but Zander's information is limited to what happened this summer. On an overpass, they notice two motorcycles and a truck coming at them from below, and Dipper is unable to avoid as the truck rams into his side of the car. He hits the breaks and swerves so the truck is now in front of him.
Zander tells Dipper to get back in front of the truck, Dipper glancing at him as he says his students will handle the truck. Dipper's eyes off the road, he doesn't notice the truck had stopped in front of them until Zander grabs the wheel and wrenches it to the side to avoid the truck. Dipper takes the wheel again, glancing behind him to see Wendy taking down one of the motorcyclists who had come up beside Soos. As they pass the now-stopped bus, the other motorcycle pulls up to Dipper's car, the driver aiming a gun at them. Luckily, Zander throws the door open and kicks the bike away from them, the driver and bike falling to the pavement.
Dipper complains about losing one of his mirrors as he watches behind them, the bus pinning the truck against one of the highway dividers. Their good mood is killed when a suped-up garbage truck barrels onto the highway at them, a man bungee-corded to the top, maniacally reading from a scroll into a microphone. As he says things about magic being great and powerful and those who stand in the way of its return will die, the truck goes after Wendy, who desperately tries to avoid it. The bus crashes into the truck, giving Wendy the chance to get away. Unfortunately, the truck hits the bus in turn, and the bus is sent crashing down onto its side.
The Guardsman wrenches the door open, standing mostly outside the still moving car. Insisting he checks on his people, the Guardsman tells Dipper to get off the highway and survive until he and his students catch up. He leaps out of the car and starts running back towards the bus, Soos, Wendy and the twins continuing on, still being trailed by the two helicopters... and six more trucks, coming up behind them. Dipper sees signs for a state park, and the three vehicles head down the small forest road, well ahead of the trucks.
They all park, Dipper telling the others that, as long as they stay mobile and stay together, they should be able to outlast Graupner's cultists. Unfortunately, when the first truck starts down the path, Waddles freaks out and starts running deeper into the forest, Mabel and Soos chasing after him. Dipper is about to follow but stops when Wendy says she's going to be bait to keep the cultists distracted. He tries to say no, but Wendy insists, running away after Dipper agrees.
People with flashlights start chasing her, but a few head towards him, and he quickly runs to where Soos and Mabel are standing in a creek with a tree in it, Waddles apparently underneath the tree. Dipper tries to convince her to leave Waddles behind, but Mabel insists on getting him out. A new voice gets their attention, one of the cultists excited about how Graupner will react when he shows up. He jumps at the three, but they deal with him in a heartbeat, Dipper realizing they are basically sitting ducks in the creek. Mabel again insists on staying with Waddles, and after Soos offers to stay with her, Dipper agrees, running away from the creek as three more cultists show up.
He runs to where Wendy is fighting cultists in a playground, but before he can help her, he comes face-to-face with three cultists and is forced away from the playground. At the bottom of a hill, he tries to talk sense into his attackers but gives up when it becomes apparent he won't break through the brainwashing. His training pays off, and he is able to take all the cultists down, though he does get a bloody nose in the process.
His self-admiration is cut off by a jet of blackflame coming straight towards him. He hides behind a tree, barely avoiding the blackflame as the Warlock steps out. Dipper gets in a dig about his stutter before having to move to another tree to avoid more blackflame. Graupner tells Dipper he should hide, Dipper responding Graupner shouldn't use magic as he picks up a branch. Graupner takes that deal, allowing Dipper to hit him with the branch three times to get even for what happened to Yuki.
The third hit breaks the branch over Graupner's head, sending him to the ground... until he stands back up just as Dipper is about to leave. Dipper again hides behind a tree to avoid blackflame, pulling out the Journal when Graupner says that he's a Lich, not a Wraith like Wendy is. Dipper says there's a way to beat Liches, Graupner goading him to attack.
Mabel's training ringing in his ears, Dipper is able to avoid everything thrown his way, from blackflame to enchanted knives, and eventually get some solid hits in. Graupner admits that he's gotten better at dodging, but says the Paths training Dipper currently has can't defeat him. Dipper, conceding this point, pulls out the Journal and casts two spells, the first spell summoning a handful of tree spirits. The second spell, Adripio adtonitus, makes sparks of lightning appear on each of his fingertips.
Dipper sends one bolt at Graupner, who counters it with blackflame. Graupner throws more at him, but Dipper dodges, and one of the tree spirits is lit on fire instead. The tree starts attacking Dipper, Graupner laughing that Dipper summoned feral tree spirits. Dipper sends the remaining nine lightning bolts directly into Graupner, practically cooking him, but Graupner is only down for a second before he's back on his feet. Dipper reaches for the Journal again, but is suddenly hit with a wave of dizziness, Graupner commenting that inexperienced magic users usually do as he conjures more blackflame. Dipper tries to attack again but falls to his knees.
Graupner, blackflame ready for the kill, comments that, just like Yuki, Dipper had the chance to run away and not die. Then out of nowhere, Graupner is thrown back, the Guardsman holding his starry black staff in his hands. Graupner throws two blackflame balls, the Guardsman deflecting the first with his spear, then using said spear to pull Dipper out of the path of a falling tree, the second blackflame ball having caused it to fall. By the time they recover, Graupner has disappeared, a helicopter taking off in the distance.
Zander stops Dipper from going after Graupner, reminding him of the mission to save the world. He tells Dipper to find Mabel and his friends, not wanting them to be around when he/his students deal with the tree spirits. Zander asks if Graupner summoned the trees, Dipper lying that that's true before running away, reuniting with Wendy, then Soos, Mabel and Waddles, tree spirits attacking everyone while the Paths students attack both the spirits and remaining cultists. They head back to the cars and get on their way, Dipper thinking through Graupner's claim that he's a Lich, knowing that whatever a Lich is, it will be a long road for them with Graupner still around.
Back in the state park, the Paths students are gathered around the Guardsman, reporting that the seven tree spirits that were walking around have gone back to sleep. Some say it was lucky Graupner summoned uncontrollable tree spirits, but Drew mentions Graupner is able to control magic and blackflame. Rushtar tries to say some magic is different, but the Guardsman says all magic is the same- corruptive. He tells them to get evidence for their investigation, Drew, Rushtar, Maureen and Rin walking away, dark-skinned Nadan staying behind for a minute. Nadan comments about the Guardsman's concern with the spirits, the Guardsman saying the spirits don't seem like something Graupner would use, and nature itself probably wouldn't align with his power. Nadan says that maybe that's why the spirits went berserk before leaving to find a new vehicle, leaving the still confused Guardsman to start planning their future actions.
Cryptograms:
Blf ziv zolmv, xsrow. Gsviv rh lmob wzipmvhh uli blf, zmw lmob wvzgs uli blfi kvlkov.
You are alone, child. There is only darkness for you, and only death for your people.
Migyncgym nby vymn junb ni nuey uly nby ihym qy ufihy gomn nlupyf. Uhx migy junbm qy nlupyf niaynbyl ih nolh xiqh xuleyl pyhnolym qy jlyxcwn. Nbcm cm nby uvmifony iz wigvuncha Guacw- nby Qyuls Junbm.
Sometimes the best path to take are the ones we alone must travel. And some paths we travel together on turn down darker ventures we predict. This is the absolute of combating Magic- the Weary Paths.
