PART 1:
Arline glares at Omir, refusing to let Graupner go as the twins stare at the man they thought was dead. Arline says she won't release the man who made the golem, but Omir takes the fall for that, saying it was a distraction while he did a ritual and it would've been shut down once the ritual was completed.
Dipper speaks up, accusing Omir of doing everything to help his company, but Omir says the company has nothing to do with it. Mabel interrupts Dipper's guessing and asks for answers, Omir agreeing to tell them everything provided Arline drops Graupner. Arline hurls the Warlock at Omir's feet, Omir ordering his apprentice to stay behind him and shut up, slapping him hard when he tries to refuse.
Dipper asks Omir who he really is, Omir saying that he is the original Warlock. Arline steps back at this, telling the twins that someone called Warlock is the one person her Master was never able to defeat. A pained Omir agrees that he and Arline's Master had issues, mentioning her father before Arline furiously cuts him off, her family evidently a sore subject.
Omir says that he now goes by the title of Sorcerer, with the responsibility to recover a long lost relic from the past. He says that there is more to the universe than science theories, that Magic is real, although there was once much more available. He says that all the 'fairy-tales' about magicians were true, and still are, but the number of magic users today is extremely low in comparison.
He says that something caused the depletion in Magic on Earth to happen, conjuring a ball of light above his palm. He says that hundreds of years ago people would see that and ask how long it took him to master the spell. Today, however, people would ask where the wires are, Omir commenting that it's a miracle anyone today believes in Magic.
Putting out the light, he says that he is the last true member of the last Great Council of Mages, a position that allows him to claim a stone that has been lost for the past 600 years. Mabel tells him that she and Dipper found the rock by accident, Omir mentioning a ward and a reverse-finding spell. Dipper says the latter is impossible, explaining to the girls that if someone was actively looking for the rock, they would never find it if the spell was working properly.
Omir says that Graupner was able to help him find it by some sort of reverse-searching spell or something that was helped by the stone leaking Magic into the woods for who-knows-how-long. Mabel asks why the stone is so special, Graupner saying it's the most powerful magic conduit on Earth before Omir glares at him, making him shut up.
Omir says the stone the twins found is called the Starkissed Stone of Conservation, and he's been looking for it for a very long time. Arline and the twins ask him why he didn't just ask someone to help him find it, wondering why he caused all the damage to the town. He says he needed to get people to leave so no one would get wind of what he was doing. He says that if people suddenly discovered Magic existed, the world would dissolve into chaos. He's been around for 700 years and he's seen it happen, and he didn't want to take any risks, claiming that the life he is bringing back is worth more than the two-thousand lives of the people in town.
The twins ask him what he's talking about, but he says he can't tell them anything else. He does offer them the chance to help him, stunning Arline and the twins and causing Graupner to snap, accusing him of working with the enemy. Omir grabs him by the collar and pulls him close, yelling at him for picking fights with the twins and delaying the mission before hurling him back.
Omir turns back to Arline and the twins, who refuse his offer, Dipper showing the scar he has from their first encounter with the Warlock. Omir insists, but they still refuse, readying themselves for a fight. Omir tells them to leave, stunning them for several seconds. He says that nothing he told them could hurt him, and there's really nothing they can do to stop him, so they might as well leave.
Arline refuses, saying that after everything Omir has done to her and her family, she's not letting him walk away. Omir starts to refuse, but Arline lights her entire body on fire for several seconds before directing the flames to her hands. Omir agrees to stay and tells Graupner to leave, but Arline throws a fireball at the wall of the pit, telling him to stay put. Holding something under his hoodie, Graupner moves back and the twins block the ramp out of the pit as Arline and Omir prepare to fight.
Omir pulls out a staff of pure white light and slams the end into the ground, causing the floor of the pit to move deeper and deeper into the earth, the walkways far above them. The fight begins, Arline attacking and Omir blocking lazily, not fighting back in any way. Arline throws a fireball at him but he ducks aside, the fireball aiming for Mabel. Arline deflects the fireball before it hits her, Omir impressed with her level of ability before she attacks again.
Omir continues to just block, Arline getting frustrated and asking why he isn't fighting back. Omir says he needed to see if she was able to continuously keep flames burning, which she could. He says he always studies his enemy, commenting that he knew a lot about her Master before he died, just as he knows she's been holding back. Arline says that before her Master's death, he named her Rising Phoenix, Omir saying that that is impressive before casting a spell on himself, making him appear younger than what everyone is used to.
Agreeing not to hold back anymore, Arline causes steam to rise off her body, Omir commenting that that ability is new. Arline attacks faster than ever, Omir blocking and fighting back for the first time as heat radiates out, raising the temperature of the pit floor. Graupner and the twins watch as Arline grabs Omir's staff, punching him hard enough to shake the ground... and doing practically nothing in the long run.
Sore but unhurt, Omir massages his chest as he complements Arline on her trick, even though it means she can no longer throw fire. She attacks again, Omir hitting her arm and throwing her back against the wall. She lands on her feet, her arm movable but trembling. Omir attacks, Arline going on the defensive as Graupner laughs at her, conjuring a ball of black flame. Mabel moves to attack him, the two ready to fight...
...and Omir's staff crashes into the ground between them. He tells the three of them to stay out of the fight, telling Graupner not to touch his staff before Arline renews her attack. Omir conjures a ball of light and throws it at her, cutting her arm as he conjures six more. He sends the balls of light her way, one grazing her back before she runs directly at Omir. He does something to stop her running at him, the five balls of light hitting her back, sending her to the ground.
She struggles to stand, using Omir to pull herself to her feet as he apologizes to the twins for what is about to happen. Arline headbutts him, sending him to the ground as she conjures a golem-shaking fireball and throws it at him at point-blank range, causing a small explosion. Arline walks out of the smoke to the recovering twins, before turning to a scared Graupner.
Another ball of light cuts straight through her shoulder, causing her to scream and collapse to the ground as Omir stand back up. Using a spell to drag her closer, he begins throwing her against the wall like a rag-doll before throwing her to the ground by Graupner's feet. He attempts to step on her, but she rolls out of the way and back to her feet, punching him in the face hard enough to knock out his eye.
Graupner falls as Arline grabs Omir's staff, charging at him. He hits her wounded shoulder, causing her to drop the staff, which he picks up and slams against her arm, breaking it and sending her to the ground yet again. The twins run in and try to attack Omir, their moves either being avoided or having no effect. Omir emotionally conjures a human-sized ball of light as Arline looks up at him.
He says it's time for her to follow her Master's footsteps and... gets cut off by Arline saying not die. She tells Omir that he Master is alive, Omir commenting that the Guardsman was killed years ago. Arline starts laughing, causing Omir to become furious and throw the ball of light at her. It never reaches its target, a staff similar to Omir's but solid black cracking into the ground in front of Arline, stopping the light ball.
The four still with two eyes look up to the edge of the pit to see a figure in a black hooded cloak appearing to look down at them. Omir says hello to the Guardsman, the Guardsman saying hello back to the original Warlock before taking off his cloak, revealing a trenchcoat, a multi-layered red and black shirt, black gloves, and a silver mask covering his face. He says it's good to see Omir again, the Sorcerer's eyes narrowing as the twins realize just how utterly screwed they are.
PART 2:
Omir agrees with the Guardsman that it's been a while as Dipper stare up at the figure in shock, wondering who's side he's on. Omir says that its been over a hundred years since he and the Guardsman last met, asking him why he faked his death. The Guardsman says it was to help his students avoid his fate, Arline weakly saying Master while looking up at the figure.
As the twins process that bit of news, the Guardsman calls Omir's name change cute before calling him Sefu, Omir firing a beam of light up at the figure from the point of his staff. The Guardsman nonchalantly steps aside, rocks crashing down from the blast hitting stone. Omir says he's given up asking the Guardsman for help, the Guardsman saying that that makes him feel better about refusing.
Omir starts laughing, saying that the Guardsman acting like he's not hurting is funny, the statement met with silence. He tells the Guardsman that if he's not going to help her, her should go, the twins thinking he means Arline. The Guardsman says that's not who Omir means, the Sorcerer taunting him as he stares at the twins and Arline, who is struggling to stand up.
The Guardsman reminds Arline of her mission to protect the twins, but revenge got the better of her and she can no longer do her duty. She says that she had to try, eventually making it to her feet and shakily standing on her own. The Guardsman says he knows before an impressed Omir comments that he's familiar with people acting on emotion. The Guardsman clenches his fist but gets himself under control, replying that he at least did something, getting a reaction from Omir.
Omir stabs the wall with his staff, making rock stairs come out of the wall, providing Graupner, Arline and the twins with a way out. Graupner starts climbing as the twins support Arline and help her out, Omir conjuring more balls of light and throwing them up at the Guardsman. More rock explodes and the Guardsman begins falling into the pit, aiming for Omir, the fight beginning for real.
As the two fight, their powers shake the earth, making it a struggle for the twins to help Arline climb the stairs. Omir causes rocks to come out of the walls of the pit, the stairs the twins on twisting and warping as he hurls the rocks at the Guardsman. After avoiding all of the rocks, the Guardsman and Sorcerer face each other, glowing spheres above the latter. The two argue about whether magic is good or not before resuming the fight, Omir's spheres flying at the Guardsman.
As they cause another explosion, Arline insists on help her Master, but the twins refuse, placing her on the step so Dipper can wrap her shoulder with his vest. Looking ahead, he sees Graupner watching the fight at the bottom of the pit, getting amusement out of it. Dipper tells Mabel that they need to stop him from getting away or more trouble will be caused. As much as Mabel wants the three of them to stay together, she agrees to help Arline on her own while Dipper chases Graupner, intending on beating him almost to death.
Back on the ground, Omir's spheres have formed a net and trapped the Guardsman, their light eliminating the shadows of the pit, the Guardsman limited in what he can do without shadows or his spear. Omir debates killing him, but says that she wouldn't like finding out about what happened when she came back. The Guardsman says that bringing back the dead using spells comes with terrible prices, but Omir says that he got a tip from someone in a dream three years ago that, with all of the world's magic and the dream-person's power, will allow him to create a new spell.
Omir mentions that the Guardsman threw away his only weapon that could cut through the light net, but the Guardsman says he didn't. The spear in the ground melts, apparently having been made of shadows, and the Guardsman's real spear, a glittery black one, comes out, allowing him to destroy the light net. He charges at Omir, the two staffs in their hands colliding and causing wind to rock the pit. Furious at being tricked, Omir attack, the two sparring and causing more wind to rush past as Arline and Mabel watch from above.
Above even them, Dipper is chasing Graupner, using his anger at all the damage the Warlock caused to fuel him in his chase, intending to get revenge for everything that happened. Ahead, the Warlock throws a ball of black flame at Dipper, forcing him to abandon the stairs and leap onto a floating boulder. Dipper continues climbing, using the floating rocks as stepping stones to go higher and higher. Getting above the Warlock, who has now made it to the spiral walkways, Dipper avoids another jet of black flame, remembering how dangerous it is as he and Graupner continue to climb.
Below, the Guardsman has conjured a ball of fire, which Omir takes and causes to grow to the size of a bus. The Guardsman shrugs and throws his spear at the fireball, causing an explosion of flame to race up and out of the pit. Arline and Mabel take cover in a small cave as the wall of flame races past, cooking and breaking rocks all the while. Graupner and Dipper stop their exchange of blackflame and floating rocks to desperately climb out of the pit, making it to cover at the top just before the flames would have scorched them both. Standing up as newly released rocks fall into the pit, it takes them several seconds to realize they are standing next to each other.
Graupner pulls a knife out of his hoodie and attacks, but Dipper avoids that weak attempt, Graupner's lack-of-eye messing him up. Graupner tries to get Dipper to leave him alone, but Dipper refuses until he gets revenge. Graupner causes several more knives to levitate as Mabel yells for help. Dipper debates helping his sister, but Graupner pushes a button and the two begins fighting. As Dipper avoids the knives, they move around the room they are in, another pit behind them with a rusted chain next to it.
Dipper avoids all the knives and quickly lands five of six solid punches and kicks to Graupner's gut and face, sending him to the ground. Graupner asks how Dipper is able to beat him, Dipper saying he's better than him. Another jet of blackflame is fired, Dipper avoiding the fire as Graupner gets to his feet and causes the knives to levitate again, renewing the fight.
However, his fighting skills are not great, while Dipper's are incredible. Dipper steadily wears the man down, eventually taking away his weapons and leaving him on the ground. He tries to crawl away, but Dipper kicks him in the ribs, and Graupner eventually agrees to let Dipper get the revenge he wanted. From normal punches and kicks for everything he did to the twins directly, to striking him in the wound where his eye used to be for everything Folbrow did to them, Dipper gets revenge.
Once he's done with everything done to him and his friends and family, he says that he gets to hit Graupner once for every person that is in town, over two thousand people. In the ensuing beating, it quickly turns from the psychological issues he and Mabel developed from worrying about the Warlock to Dipper getting out his pent up anger from events three years ago.
Dipper pulls his arm back for a nose-breaking punch, but Graupner desperately tries to fight back, throwing Dipper off balance. Dipper tries to grab the Warlock's neck and strangle him, but the Warlock grabs his arms, black fire erupting out and scorching Dipper's arms from elbow to fingertips. Dipper screams and cradles his burning hands to his chest, trying to process the pain and the fact that he has lost the battle.
Graupner gloats over Dipper's pained form, conjuring another ball of black flame to end it all. A voice from the end of the room calls to them, Yuki rushing to Dipper's side. Noticing his burned hands, Yuki turns to face Graupner, reminding him of the deal they made. Graupner says the deal was that he wouldn't harm the twins as long as they stayed out of the way before asking Yuki why he's involved himself again. Yuki says he's there to help the twins, the only family he needs, get away, but Graupner tells him to stop blocking Dipper, intent on evening the score. Yuki refuses to leave, and the two go back and forth several times trying to get the other to go, but both stand their ground.
The Warlock conjures a ball of black fire and hits Yuki in the shoulder, but Yuki continues to stand. Another fireball hits him in the stomach, but he comes back to his feet. Fireballs begin hitting him everywhere, but none hit Dipper again. Yuki falls in front of Dipper, half-melted and mostly burned, when the Warlock hits him with a continuous jet of blackflame.
Yuki glances at Dipper with fury in his eyes, stands up, and punches Graupner in the face hard enough to slam him into a wall. Yuki walks over to Graupner despite the blackflame constantly hitting him. He picks up the Warlock and drags him to the other pit- one without steps. Wrapping the rusted chain around Graupner's neck, Yuki tells him that he lost the right to his humanity before pushing him over the cliff, the other end of the chain held in his hand.
Dipper fails to process what just happened as Mabel comes over to him, she and Arline talking while Dipper moves farther and farther into a tunnel, wondering if it is somehow a trick. Pacifica's screams reach him, and as he sees her catch Yuki, he realizes that it is real. They have lost.
There is no Author's Note. Instead, we go right into the Cryptograms:
Cbxo lc qeb crov lc dlla mblmib. Fear of the fury of good people.
12-15-22-5 1-14-4 24-1-2-22-18-9 6-15-18-5-22-5-18. Love and Xabvri forever.
Ghdwk zloo qhyhu vwrs kdwuhg. Death will never stop hatred.
