Goshawk | Ep. 28

0:00Greetings listeners and welcome back to the White Vault Gosshawk. I'm K. A. Statz, writer and creator of the White Vault, co-founder of Fool and Scholar Productions, and personal spokesperson for our Patreon. Our company is tiny, independent, and almost entirely funded by listeners, so if you find value in the stories we tell, please consider checking out our Patreon. You are what makes us possible, and in the world of large companies and podcasting giants, we endure. as always to learn more click on the link in the show notes or go to patreon.com slash fool and scholar now we return again to the chill of the white vault starting or growing your own business can be intimidating and lonely at times your to-do list may feel endless with new tasks and lists can easily begin to overrun your life so finding the right tool that not only helps you out, but simplifies everything as a built-in business partner can be a game changer.

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2:24Maybe those things won't kill us. As a lady may not either. But I'll die of starvation in this cave if we go any slower. We're just taking our time, being cautious. And once we know we're safe, I have some protein bars you're welcome to. Really? Fine. Once we get out of the caves, it's the cold that'll do the job. One problem at a time.

2:53Hey, Mr. Kidlat. Just Kidlat. Okay. You go and rescue people, right? Have you ever had to tell someone's family that they didn't make it? Yeah. A couple times. How do you do that? Tell someone that... The love isn't coming back. As a professional, I'm direct but understanding. I give people space. It's not my place to grieve with them. Sometimes I'm viewed like a killer. Like I'm the one who took their someone away. But for you, for your sister, that's different. It's your grief. and when you tell others, you'll unlock a new part of that grief. It'll be difficult, but you'll be relieving yourself of carrying a burden that needs to be shared.

4:01Guess I gotta live through this first. One problem at a time. Exactly. You're getting the hang of it. I just... I don't want her or me to be more girls who go missing. If I don't make it, just make sure our family finds out. We didn't run away. We wouldn't do that. Of course I would. But it won't be needed. Do you hear the hum, too? Yeah, I have for a while. I heard at first when I was alone. It seems to be around where the stones have that glow. Right. You mentioned seeing that. Can I ask what it means? I can't really tell you, even if I knew everything. Right. Do you still have a radio or satellite phone?

4:58Can we radio them from Cape? Will it work, you think? At least then, they'll know we're alive and in here, and maybe we can get out of here faster? I can check the radio. But down here, odds are we won't reach anyone. But the lights are working, so at least the interference is behind us. Give me a second. We'll try, but the radio might be too loud.

5:27Dragana, Ify, this is Kidlat. Are you there? Over. This is Kidlat. Are you there? Over. Maybe they can hear us, but can't respond. Even if she can't speak. If she had the radio active and heard me, she'd click back.

5:51Nope.

5:55Guess I'm not supposed to ask about that either? Come on, let's get moving. We're not too far from the next section. You know, I'm impressed you went this far into the cave on your own. Seems like a stupid thing, really. Not that you gave me a choice.

6:17There's that smell again. Wait. We should have passed by the bones a while ago. We did. This must be a different section. Maybe we took a wrong turn. We're turning around. Come on. There aren't too many passages in here. We'll find the gate, but keep an ear open. We're lucky this isn't the more developed site. Those places are built for those creatures to move around in. Here, we have the advantage because we're smaller. So, those creatures are always big like that? As far as I know. But usually, I only see them when they're still statues. What does that mean? I'm not gonna answer that one either.

7:04Goodbye.

7:13White Vault Gothug

7:43I don't know.

8:07Here? Is this a fucking joke? I'm already going mad. I have my own as well. Wait, wait. I didn't bring them with any intention to harm you, only to protect ourselves and to do as they asked. Here. I have one. Here. I found it earlier. Well, no, I didn't find it. It was just there once I got Dragana onto the old tarp. What are these things? Jason had these too. He gave one to us, put it on the church porch. Said it was a gift. Where'd that one go? Then he didn't know you were a family member? Or maybe he did and thought the artifact was aligned with his cause? With Jason gone, we can't know. What happened to him exactly?

8:57How was he acting? Did he say anything we should know? When we first got here, he pretended to be helpful and we thought he could get us out of here. but he tricked us and he killed Mika by drowning her in the lake it was like some switch had flipped and he started trying to convince us to join him in some kind of important work which mostly meant trying to kill us he also had one of those creatures pretend to be me and dragged a man named Louis out to the lake and he was digging like the creatures are and kept saying he was helping and that we could help eventually he killed himself by diving into the lake but he must have killed a lot of people before that too those graduate students you were asking about I have never seen them here it was just me and Adele until I called Dragona And what about the other woman?

10:05Adele, is she family? No, she's just a normal teenager. Teenager? How? There's a child here? Believe me, she doesn't want to be. It was her and her older sister, Mika. We ran here together. There were these two men, Louis I mentioned earlier, and a bastard named S. And my friend Jean, he's gone now, too. And which family are you from? Is there one in Russia, Drogana? Two. Yeah, well, my mother is a first-generation Russian immigrant to Canada. And I guess it's from her, so probably one of them. Yes, it passes through the mother. And your surname? Officially, I have my mother's. It's Helenova. But I use Telno professionally.

11:08So, the small statues are connected to these creatures, too? These are a different kind of creature. Less physical. They mess with your mind more so than usual for these things. They get in your dreams, and they'll keep you from... They're bad news. But because of the family luck, that doesn't happen. It does to me. It might have been so in the past, but now the luck has partially abandoned us as well. After what we witnessed in Cairo, we don't believe the system works anymore. Whatever it might have been, it's failing. And if you never knew about your family and the sites, you never would have directly benefited from the luck to begin with.

11:52Perhaps indirectly through your mother, though, if she was still part of the work. So what does that mean? Was it my fault? What would have been your fault? Sheen's death? Or Mika's? If it wasn't the family Luck that stopped it from being me, then... It was just... The normal God-doesn't-fucking-care Luck. Even we don't know how it works. But... I'm sure Dragana has explained that it was never your fault. Right. Dragana, these artifacts are the evolution of the Guardians. Thankfully, they are... Stop. I'm not like you, so only tell me what I need to know to fix this or get the fuck out of here.

12:38Of course. I apologize. There are two factions of the Guardians now. Some are still on our side, while a new group has turned against the traditional cycles in hopes of starting something new. The new Guard has fewer artifacts, we believe, but perhaps more Guardians. Or at least guardians emboldened to attack outside of site locations. They may not have many artifacts on their side, but they have something new. Dr. Amelia Murray. Who's that? I don't know her or that family name. The Other. You may not know her. I met her once, and even then it was barely so. She was there at the Svalbard site over ten years ago, and that's when she disappeared.

13:22Apparently she's been with the Guardians since then, and they've made her into something else. Fucking oily orca skin under her own. Whatever she is now, it's not human. She's their ace. The Guardians protect her, but she's strong on her own. So what do we do? Or what are you planning on doing? Why bring those things here? If this place is really becoming a new site, then we need to get the artifacts to the antechamber. Or where the antechamber will be. When we get them there, they'll attack the Guardians who have sided with the new Guard, and we can regain control over the fissure location. Stop the plan before it has time to form.

14:13So Old Guard is just the old ways, and the new Guard is all the murdering and the Murray monster. Really inventive lot, you family types. This is no time for pity. I've been trying to figure out how to change this shit for over a decade. And I've been stabbed twice today, so I'm going to be petty when someone shows up to tell me that the change that's finally come about is worse than the original bullshit. So sure, why not? Let the artifacts kill them all. At least the number of fucking monsters will drop instead of us. with enough of the artifacts here to help. We can also hope that the Guardians' two-week-to-win will bend and return to the status quo.

14:59Dragana, are you okay with this? Does this sound right?

15:06And what about a possible end to all this? There's no way Linnea up and die just to leave everything up to chance. Or worse, her mother. No way in hell. Exactly, actually. Linnea had been working on a possible solution to ending the cycles. She had the report prepared, and when she died, we were given access to it. Though the required path forward would devastate a lot of people and the planet. More than all of this? Lini and I had been collecting data on the Fisher sites for over a decade Though nothing ever went as far as this place And once everything starts changing, she goes and dies So you did like her I'm confused No, but she was competent and I thought we shared the same goal Her death means things are going to get a lot worse And she doesn't have to suffer through it with me or do the hard part of figuring it out.

16:12And I never thought I'd be working to put things back the way they were. I don't think it's ever gone back to as it was. Not after this. We don't know that. So you get the creepy carvings to somewhere and what, that's it? We go home? No, I don't think so. Whatever Dr. Murray is It seems it took them over ten years to get her that way To make her If they think she is important If she is part of this new guard We'll need to get rid of her Good That's what I wanted to do anyways What? Do you mean to kill her? I did suggest that earlier If it's her or us, of course Plus, she stabbed me. And I'm an eye-for-an-eye kind of woman.

17:07You still have to get to her. Where is she? Is the Sidon here or back outside? She's never left the lake. Even after it emptied. Yeah, and I don't see her leaving that lake. Not if that's where the first doors are coming up. Would she not be left unprotected? or at the least less protected once we release the artifacts in the antechamber? Oh, good idea. Good timing. You just said she wasn't even human. How are you going to kill her? We've brought guns, though we would like to hold onto them for personal protection. I've got my own guns. Well, Kiblet has the shotgun. Still, I don't think that will work.

17:54We also brought some explosive materials with us, just in case. But I don't know how to use them. These? Oh, no. No idea. I can handle that part. If it's not something I'm familiar with, I will work it out. I have a small quantity of explosives I brought myself which can be used to set it off. Kidlat also knows a bit if needed. What did you bring? Did it come with any accessories? Well, I'm not sure. I'll just show you. So you get to Dr. Marie. when we get to the antechamber. After. And don't make it sound so simple. What? So this is the plan now? No, no, no. We leave. We get Adele and Kidlat and we get the hell out of here.

18:43Eri. Ify. I don't want you to stay. You, Adele. If we find her, I want you both gone. But this is literally my... Dragonna? Hey, hey, hey, hey, not again. Dragona? You okay? Yeah. Just a terrible thought. This is my life, Edie. I've been doing this for so long, I've gone mad. I've done so much for Graham. But I'm going to do this for him and me. And honestly, I'm not leaving the families in charge of sorting out their own shit anymore. We can do both. We can try to do both. so if we have explosives and get out of here, we can call your helicopter and then drop them on her from above, right? That might work.

19:34You got a helicopter out here. Is that how you made it here? The weather was too bad to land and the lake was glowing. But there's no way to call him back here, not with how things have picked up. And I'm not endangering some poor SOP's life on the off-transit would work. Huh. The湖 was shining. Katita. Geological luminance would indicate that the bottom of the lake is near the antechamber. Possibly, but there are no man-made or guardian-made structures here. Everything is brand new, and they don't follow the tradition of the heart. They just toss people in a hole. You guys brought sat-phones and radios here, right?

20:16Any luck on them out here? Just chanting. And voices. Thought so. If the plan is to send the two young women back through the cave to the snowmobiles, and to get them back north on their own, you should know there are people suffering from the madness making their way here, and they do not care if you are family or otherwise. They set up an ambush on our drive. There's no way for us to know how many are out there. When or if we find Kidlat, he'll go with them. I won't let anyone get Adele. Not again. Can I keep this? For now? Maybe. Let's see if we find Kitlet first.

20:58How's your breathing? Any increased tightness? No. No, but my side feels terrible. Am I able to drink water? It's not going to go in my lungs or something. I don't want to leak. No, please. Here.

21:29You think I'll live, Doc? The hospital? Most certainly. Here, it depends on what you do. And you're very casually holding explosives, so I'm not making any definitive statements.

21:44Smart man. Is Dr. Murray still human enough to speak? Yeah? Would it not be more prudent to get answers from her? To learn more about why this is happening? To stop it from happening again? What do you think she's going to do? Monologue her plans to us? Fuck no! Anytime she speaks, it's in condescending riddles and... Oh yeah, she tries to kill you. No, I'm not waiting. The more time they have to build the site, the more difficult it will be for you to reach the antechamber, and so it will be more difficult for me to get my shot. I agree. If the faction that Dr. Murray serves is causing the events taking place worldwide, we stop her here as soon as we are able.

22:32Okay. Begin with the battle. Then we do it. We attack simultaneously. Agreed. So, do you know how to use those then? Oh, yes.

22:49That's that, then. Explosives. A rather universal answer to a certain set of questions. Explosives have worked in the past to destroy one of these sites. Well, to be more accurate, it mauled the site and closed it up for a while. I don't know if it cracked any of the statues, but I sure hope so. You said statues before, too. The creatures we call guardians are most often seen in an immovable, solid state and appear as large stone statues. In all previous records, they would remain unmoving and imposing when under observation. Well, I've never seen them that way. You talk about the Patagonian site's destruction as though you were there.

23:32I was, rushing down that mountain as the rocks shook free. You worked for Valsigna already by then? You destroyed that site? No, though looking back, I wouldn't have opposed being the one to do it. Huh. No. Someone's suffering from the change, Deadland. What? Again? We're wasting time we don't know we'd have. It's time. Deese is right. We can't stay in here indefinitely. The construction of the new site may involve a lot of changes to the natural and already modified landscape. This mine is no exception. It is not safe. So it's not an earthquake? That makes a lot more sense. It means not known for its quakes.

24:21Help me up. Here. Don't lift this on too much, or the skin will move under the bandages and tape. Yeah, I know. I can feel it. E.D., can I speak with you? Alone? Of course. Don't move yourself. We'll step away. Please. Come. Iri, I don't trust them. Not their full intentions. But I do think they want to stop these guardians. From what I know of the families, they'll do anything to maintain their privileged lifestyle. But I won't trust that they care about getting you out of here one way or another. We get the keys for the snowmobile. At least one of them. And you leave. With Adele? Absolutely.

25:12We're not leaving her behind. and if at all possible it'd be nice to get Kiblet back. But it only gets worse from here on out. We've been running from them so far and you'll keep running. But I'm going out there to stop Emilia and those guys are going to agitate the world's most... gruesome hornet's nest. When that happens, you need to be gone. You have the same pissed off face as your father. I am pissed. Pissed that any of this has happened. It's not just kidnapper assholes in the woods, it's... It's some world conspiracy with monsters and magic. Monsters, yes. Magic? That's a bit far. No one's floating rocks or jumping buildings.

26:08That's not magic, that's the Force. Sounds like magic. I have to find Adele. She's in here somewhere, and I'm not leaving without her. Your dad would think you're being an idiot. But he was the same kind of idiot.