Shindig with Demons

The morning was warm with the summer heat already rolling in with the clouds. The air was crisp even with the heat creeping up. It was a chill that made your lungs feel icy and any sudden wind would make you shiver.

"A great day for witch hunting if you ask me!" Stan gave of a hearty laugh before getting back to shoving what looked like knives into a bag.

"Great way to ruin the atmosphere Grunkle Stan" Mabel mocked. 

"Oi, dont give me attitude young lady, For your information I am the money handler on this trip and if you want that ice cream I was going to get you."

"Of course Grunkle Stan, you are the best Grunkle I have EVER had, well actually your one of the only Grunkles I have, But that means nothing cause you are the best at it!"

It was like watching a family movie from a distance and Dipper couldnt help but smile. It was such a warm moment despite the fact that they were going to go out and kill witches, or at least pieces of a witch or something. By the time they were finished packing whatever they needed it was already an uncomfortable hot. Not sweltering but enough to make your spine sweat. It didnt help that the truck could barely hold three people, let alone four. The truck was still bent up and out of shape, a door missing replaced by what seemed to be a metal bar.

"We need some sort of safety so that we dont get pulled over." Is what Stan had said. It looked safe from the right angle, but the thing wouldnt hold the weight of a small horse. Dipper Tried not to lean on it too much but with the vehicle being over packed it was somewhat difficult. 

"Where are we even headed! And why didnt one or two of us sit in the back of the truck!" Dipper felt the looming edge of the seat right next to him. threatening to send him rolling onto the cracked croncrete that made up most of the towns roads.

"Because that is more illegal than having no door. You and Mabel can move to the back once we're out of town. We cant be pulled over with the cargo we're holding." Ford had a map awkwardly opened while Stan drove. The map seemed to be quite old and Dipper felt a dip of uncertainty. He had been in the woods sure, but by the sound of it they were going pretty deep this time. 

The buildings got thinner as they made their way to the exit of Gravity falls. Excitement and a bit of fear both help Mabel and Dipper. An adventure meant, well adventure, but it also meant dangers of the unknown. Dipper was mostly worried about the unknown part, but Mabel seemed to just be filled with excitement. Her sweater of choice was a dark purple one with a star. She had said she wanted one of her least favorites to go out adventuring in. 

When they got to the sign leading out of Gravity Falls, Dipper and Mabel got out and jumped into the back of the truck. The metal was hot so the both had to sit sort awkwardly, trying to avoid contact with the solid magma. But even then, it was so much better than sitting in the truck in each others personal space.  The wind also felt nice, hot or not.  

The shade of the trees that passed were also pretty nice. The air was filled with bird song, lifting the vibe up a few notches. Dipper leaned onto the side of the truck, using his hat as a shield for his arm and stared at the road rolling past. It was a picture perfect moment.

They turned off the main road onto a dirt road. It was bumpy, but not too bumpy. Branched threatened to swiped at them, but were always just too short to reach. The trees opened up to a small field filled with wild flora and insects. The truck made its way through the plants, following an overgrown path. When Dipper turned to Mabel she was in wonder. Her eyes were filled with happiness and seemed to be taking in the fresh air.

When they got the the other side  of the opening the crew was greeted by a looming mountain, that didnt seem to be there a moment ago. They all got out of the truck and stood in front of the towering cliff. A thin train lead all the way up, winding up and through the rocks. 

"Uh, Grunkle Ford, why is there a mountain here?" Dipper looked up, covering his eyes from the sun that just barely peaked over the edge. 

"Well, ill assume you mean why theres a mountain here that wasnt here and I wont need to go into detail of how mountains are made. This is the mountain of trolls, who are very intelligent creatures despite what books say. Its hidden by magic so that troll hunters dont get to them."

"Troll hunters?" Mabel raised an eyebrow and looked at Ford with concern. "Grunkle Ford, we're not here to.."

"No, no of course not. Troll hunters are deceived by the myth that if you have troll blood you can do a ritual to obtain immortality, but that was just a ruse some centuries ago to try and get rid of them since some of the more social ones would destroy crops to try and build tunnels. They dig tunnels to expand their nest. They are basically like bee's, with a queen and such. But since they dig so many tunnels they also know more about this town that anyone of us could ever know. I could only figure out a couple of the locations of where Lena could be, but  some of the others are proving to be complicated."

"Everyone put on your gear, I want to finish this before it gets dark." Stan yelled from the truck and waved them over. Walking over, Dipper looked back up at the mountain and felt his stomach do a flip. He's never had a problem with heights but this was a bit more that just heights in his book. Shoving on the studded shoes and grabbing a walking stick he walked to the edge of the path. The hill at the church had nothing on this, as it being practically a cliff. 

"Last one there cleans the bathroom!" Mabel rushed past him and started climbing, clambering over rocks and over an edge out of sight.

"Hey, get back here Mabel your Grunkles are old! We cant climb that fast!" Stan was scrambling after her, taking his time instead of speed running it like Mabel had done. 

"Guess we better get going huh?" Ford patted Dippers shoulder before heading up the cliff at his own pace. Dipper stalled for only a couple more seconds before heading up. It was worse than he had thought and could feel his legs scream at each rock he climbed over.  When the path finally evened out it only made Dipper want the rocks back. The path turned thinner, forcing you to hug the wall or fall to your doom. The rest of the party was pretty far ahead and made him hurry up a bit. 

An old rope clung to the wall of rock, only supported by loops of iron. It may have been there to help, but Dipper knew better than that and could tell that it was there for mostly a false sense of security. The rope was too old to actually hold anything of his weight if he were to fall and the best that it would do is give him rope burns on his way down. 

Dipper had never clung to something so hard as he did with the rock wall. The path was no thicker than a foot and sloped down a bit. He forced himself not to look down, knowing that it would only make things worse than it already was. He forced himself to quicken his pace, seeing that the other three had turned the corner, leaving him with a fall that would leave his death to be a mystery. 

He saw the turn which lead into a cave. It made him breathe a bit, knowing it was almost over. When he got to the entrance his foot slipped a bit, giving his heart a run for its money and made Dipper scramble into the cave. He shakily stood up and walked deeper, standing in front of a set of several caves. He had been left behind a bit and had no idea which cave he should go through. His anxiety made a motion, swelling his head with doubt and stress. A tug pulled him a bit, almost like a warm hand gripping at his soul. He went through a cave, greeted by the light of a torch.

"Dipper dont fall behind so much, you had me worried there for a second." Ford pushed Dipper forward to the group and lead him into what seemed to be a larger cave. Larger wasnt even the word for it. It seemed to carve the entire mountain. Large mound looking things seemed to take shape as hut, lining the edges of the cave walls, stretching into more and more tunnels. There were small creatures that almost seemed like rocks walking around. One of them walked up to the group with round dull gray eyes. It was about half the size of a grown man his thick arms and a thin torso. They seemed to differ in head shape and skin tint but everything else seemed mostly identical. The one that had walked up to the group stopped in front of Ford and said something in a different language, but Ford just nodded and beckoned the rest of the group to follow. 

The cave walls were carved into a more hall like manner with torches lining the walls. It was by no means cave like and gave off more of a home vibe. The hall lead into another large room, but this seeming more like a lobby than anything. There were several other halls in the room, leading to who knows where. 

"Wow, this is like that one room from harry potter, like when they went to the bank. Its huge!" Mabel bounced around happily taking in as much as humanly possibly.

"Hush kiddo, that could be borderline copy right. This is the main room that leads to the main branches of the royal resources, or something." Stan looked down for a moment, thinking it over.

"This is the area in which they hold the main sources of power. The Branch of Science, Police, Social, and Crown." Ford didnt even bother looking at them, focusing on the task at hand. "I havent written in this language in a while.... Im a bit rusty." He seemed to be writing out a form of some sort. They all sat down a couch which seemed to be too small for a normal sized human. Mabel was able to get comfortable but that was only because she was the smallest out the group. 

After about twenty minutes a troll came up to the group and said something to Ford, in which Ford motioned for the group to follow. They went down a long hall way like the rest, but this time the hall walls were covered up in some painting of trolls. They found there way to yet another room which mostly looked like office's. They all walked to the back which held a larger office with glass walls. overlooking the rest of them. 

A taller, thinner troll came up to the group and turned to Ford. They exchanged words before Ford opened up his bag and brought out a map and several other papers. The two of them soon got entranced by their work while Stan seemed to have taken to a couch and stared of into space. Mabel was over watching Ford and the troll with wide eyes. She seemed to be more interested in what they were saying more than what they were doing. 

Dipper didnt want to wander off too far, but something next to the office caught his eye. It was a doorway which lead to what seemed to be library. He doubted they had anything in English but that didnt stop him from wandering off toward that direction. No one seemed to have noticed him leave and as he slipped into the room his eyes immediately went to the window. No where in the entire cave was there a window, but there was one right there, giving off the sunlight of dusk. The room was dusty, each breath he made tickling his nostrils. 

A troll walked up to Dipper, startling him a bit but only making him just slightly. The troll has lightened skin, with foggy white eyes. It seemed skinnier than the others, and its small hands shook lightly. Panic gnawed at Dipper, he had no idea how to speak troll and he really doubted that he could learn in a matter of seconds. But what surprised him was that the words that came out of it, was something he understood. 

"My, what a  young human child." Its voice was soft, but weak. Almost like an old peach in the hot sun. It motioned to the side, where a couch sat in wait. 

"You have many questions, most are not for me but I can answer some that seem to be unanswerable." The troll kept looking forward, its foggy eyes finally making sense.

"Can I ask how you know English?" Dipper didnt want to seem rude, but it was right. He had millions of questions, big or small. But the troll gave a light laugh.

"I know many languages from my past years, many of which have been lost. Now it is my job to oversee this place." It motioned to the library. "Or at least as much as I can see." It gave off another gentle chuckle. 

"Im sorry, I dont want to seem rude, but I dont know which questions I should ask." Most of Dippers wonders were held elsewhere. 

"Then I will answer one that you may not even know you have." The troll turned to Dipper, staring at him. No, staring through him almost. "As the seer, I have the ability to glimpse into the future, if only for a moment. But I can not do it without your word." He thought for a moment, looking over his choices. Dipper had never been one to decline the chance for knowledge, but he never interfered with the motion of time. It always scared him to think about his future normally, actually knowing might be the final K.O for him.

"Uh, sure. Why not." He turned his body toward the troll and looked at it nervously. "Take hold of my hands, child." 

Dipper carefully placed his hands on the others. Its skin was cold and smooth. Almost like a stone from a river.

"I see darkness, and feel fear. A room shrouded in shadow with tendrils of evil gripping at the walls, but there is love at the center." The troll paused for a moment before looking down. "Your future hold dificulty, but you will get through it."

A knock at the door made Dipper jump a bit, making him turn around to Mabel in the door way. "Sorry to bother you bro bro, but Ford says we have to leave like, asap." Mabel looked at Dipper then to the troll questioningly.

"Okay, thank you for uh, reading my future. I dont really have anything to give in return though." Dipper stood up stepped back a bit. 

"I dont need anything, I did it out of wonder not business." The troll said nothing else, turning back the shelves of the library. 

"Come on, Grunkle Ford said like, right now. I dont want him to get mad again. Last time he made us clean his office." The memory made Dipper dread a bit. The place was filled with just junk and Ford was kind of a stuff hoarder.  Meaning it was kind of hard for him to throw things away. 

Ford and Stan were waiting in front of the office, Ford still talking to the Troll while Stan was messing with his watch. Mabel ran up to them while Dipper trailed behind. He thought over what he had just been told. He never really had any interest in his future except the future of his career. The words spooked him a bit. Knowing that something was going to happen tends to startle someone, but he decided that it was best to push it to the back of his mind. 

"Well kids, turns out we are going to be staying out for a while. We're heading back to the truck." Stan turned his attention to them and shuffled a bit close.

"This place has the worst beds you could ever imagine, so we're taking camp in the truck." Stan stood back up and quickly looked around. The trolls couldnt understand them, but for some reason Stan seemed to fear the thought of saying it out loud.

"Wait, you mean we have to climb back down." Dipper visibly shrunk, dread washing over him. His legs were already sore from the first trip up, and the trip down was almost always worse. 

"Dont worry. its not as bad as it seems." Stan gave a laugh and hit Dipper on his shoulder. All that could escape Dipper was a half hearted chuckle. The all followed Ford and the Troll, both of them seeming to be discussing something important. Dipper turned his attention back to the nicely decorated walls. The paintings seemed to have changes, but that might have been because they were walking the opposite way. Still, something gave him the creeps about the paintings, they way they stared into your soul with never blinking eyes. Dipper had always had a hateful view toward portraits, it wasnt the art or anything, but something about the way they were portrayed gave him the shivers.

When they finally got to the exit of the cave, the huge room was much more busy than before. Hundreds of trolls walking around in and out of the huts.

"The trolls are nocturnal, they dont really have a sense of time seeing as they live in caves, but when they do leave the cave it tends to be night. Its softer on their eyes." Ford walked up next to Dipper, who was admiring the bustling group of trolls.

When they headed back out through the exit, the hole to outside was dark and the only light source was a sky stuffed with stars. Each of them took their time on the path, the darkness making it difficult to see anything. Dipper went last yet again, this time not rushing to the end and instead took steady steps. He was glad to find that Grunkle Stan was right, and the way back was much easier.   

Most of the path was downhill so sliding down the path was much easier than climbing it. The thin little piece of land that made the path at the cave entrance was still a pain, but Dipper felt more comfortable going down hill than up. The field at the bottom was glowing with a sea of glittering bugs. At a closer glance, some of the small light bug creatures werent so bug like. Dipper was going to ask about them before he saw that Mabel and Stan were literally making camp in the middle of the field. 

"I mean, I know you said that the trolls had uncomfortable beds, but does this really seem any better?" Dipper walked up to the group, a bit out of breath but much better than before. 

"You haven't even tried sleeping on their beds kid. They are a creature made of rock and you expect their beds to be some sort of soft cloud? Sorry, but no it was not it was indeed rocks and I dont think you want to sleep on rock beds any more than I do." Stan a shrug before going back to setting up some sleeping bags. Dipper remembered being told to pack one, but he didn't realize that they meant they were going to sleep outside. He had nothing against sleeping outside, actually most of his summers were outside, but the amount of strange magical creatures around them made him feel uneasy.

"I think this is great! Look at all those stars! Look Dipper, there's even your sign!" Mabel excitedly pointed at the constellation that spawned his nick name. He felt no ill-will toward the stars, but he couldn't help but dread his odd birthmark.

Dipper chose a spot close to the truck, the grass around him giving off an odd glow. The trees that edged the field of lights and grass created shadows along the skyline. Dipper dared not to look over at the shadows, feeling uneasy in the wide of space. He could help but feel eyes burn on him. The glare wasnt in anyway a threat, but more of an observant. None the less it made Dipper's skin crawl. After everything that has happened he couldn't help but be on edge. 

When he closed his eyes, he felt far from comfortable. The ground wasn't too hard but the glowing creatures that tended to the flowers beside him made bright lights, making him groan in acceptance. It would be a long night.