Goshawk | Ep. 29

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 foolandscholar. Now we return again to the chill of the White Vault.

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2:46The White Vault. Gosh Huck.

3:44I know. It's not her. Why cover my ears? You don't need to hear it. And you don't need to know. We need to go and not that way. Stay on task and... Those bugs. Stop worrying about the bugs! I'm worrying about everything. Let's go this way. We're going toward the light now? Just for now. Better that than toward the creature. And we need to find a new path. And the glowing cracks, you've seen those before, right? That's not new? Yes and no. Usually they aren't just cracks. They glow usually. No more questions. It's interesting how different it is, though. It's the natural state of the place. Nothing built or sculpted.

4:37Uh, Kid Light, I think I'm going to worry about the bugs. Go faster, move, go. They're there, too. This way. Hurry up! It's narrow shit! Stop moving! Don't push me! Spots! They are leaving! Go! Go! The passage closes in! We can't... Go this way! It's a swarm! Cover your path! They're there! Stop! Move back! Shit! Shit! Something's got me! Go back! Run! There's a shotgun! Go back! Oh, stop your wailing. Dragana! Four, seven. Two, two. Two, Elven, Novisad. Oh, my God. I'm just going to die. I'm not going to die. Pull us out of here. No way I'm pulling anything. But you can. Glad to see you alive.

5:44You sound terrible. Little assistance here? Let me help. Is Adele in there? Adele? Adele? Ippi! I'm here! Take off your packs and slide them through first.

6:06Adele, where'd they go? Packs? You're gone.

6:15Finding you didn't take long at all. Who are you? What are you doing here? Adele, we're gonna get you out of there. Okay? Hold on. They're members of the families. Here to solve this problem so you don't have to. Just get out of there so we can get you on your way. Good. Get me the hell out of here. There's no way for us to turn around, and there are guardians in here.

6:44I'm moving

6:51Thank you Adele, Adele, I'm here Give me your pack, then move towards the crowd I can pull you free There are things in here, Abby Hate to tell you, they're out here too But we'll deal with them together and get out of this Come on, grab my hand

7:16I was so scared. Me too. Now let's get out of this place. Can we please? Yeah. Yeah, these people brought snowmobiles and we can finally get back to civilization. You're going home. How the hell did you find us? We thought you found us. This is the main shaft. We thought you were looking for a way back to it. We were, but I didn't think we were having much luck. The rocks fell right in the entrance we'd used. You alright? How's your chest? You sound a lot better. Not good, but better. Yes. Who knew that getting stabbed was a cure for being stabbed? Still hurts like hell. What? Our newest arrivals include the doctor.

8:04He's helped me out, but I'm not sliding down a mountain anytime soon. Was that an option? Don't I know you? Dragana said you're from one of the families, so yeah, I think you might. Did you ski in the Hidaka a couple of years ago? Every year. That tourist? That was you. Taking readings of the Iwai site. Yours, I assume. Yes. Then Dragana was there as well? Not 15 meters away. But I escorted you away from the site. and left her there to do her work unimpeded. There were lights, and one of those monsters pretending to be meek again, and there was this whole swarm of creepy bugs. I don't want to talk about it.

8:51Let's just go. Wait, the bugs, were they like this big, stone gray, shaped like weird beetles? Yeah. And when they hit the floor, they clicked too, like stones. Chagana, those bugs, the guardian ones. That's what they saw? Crawled all over us at some point. Is there guardians? Any bites? Stings? No. No? I'm glad you made it here, and that we found you. But we're cutting it way too close, far too often. How did you find us here? First we backtracked to where I had found the door I thought you might have used, but the far side was blocked by rockfall, and the dust was still settling. I couldn't open it before, but now it's impossible.

9:35Oh, yeah. There is. Was a trick to it. Well, after that, we went further in along the main tunnel. We were only searching for a few minutes after seeing the door been blocked. Then we heard voices, and it didn't sound as loud or wicked as the creatures. I don't think this cave system was all that big to begin with, and it looks like the mining made it a bit more interconnected, but thankfully not expansive. Maybe not in this mining section. But in where we were, the natural granite caves are complex and go a lot deeper. That being said, the passages are very small, since it's granite. It's a tight squeeze in some places.

10:16Even Adele got stuck earlier. I fell right into a gap in the rocks. It was terrible. I'm sorry to hear that. It's good to meet you, Adele. I'm Tis, and this is Koski. So go back to the stonebugs you saw. If the books are guardians, they might have led you to the exit purposefully. What? Why? Neither our family. Why help them at all? Excuse me? If they think you'd be helpful. Or if they're carrying something helpful. We swatted them all away. Hey, what? Oh, that thing. An artifact. To add to our battalion. Oh, that was the one Jason put on the church porch. We never picked it up. How did it get in your pack?

11:06They move as they wish, and as they can. The short distances are simple enough for them. Jason gave you that? He took a gamble, and it failed. He left it as a gift. Canine in appearance. I don't recognize it. It's grotesque. They all are, but they are our protectors. Their beauty is in their power. Most artifacts still side with us. Perhaps Jason was unaware when he gave it to you. He was never a most clever worker. It tricked him? What? Don't even listen. It's better not to. Tricky is an apt descriptor. Hey, your hands are shaking. Are you okay? Cold. Relieved That we found her And him

12:09I'm still pissed You'll be pissed until you're free Then it sticks around as a long Smoldering anchor But now that we've found them Maybe with some help from their family luck We can get you all out of here I know you weren't just looking for us So what's the plan? Glad to see you still have the shotgun, Kid Lutt. You're going to need it. Sijor or EY, give Kid Lutt the key to one of the snowmobiles. You said you have two. So these three will just need to fit on one. They'll make it work. That way, you two will still have a way out. If all goes well. We get to have a snowmobile? Great! Let's go.

12:54I can drive a snowmobile. Where is it? And how do we get out of this cave? We'll leave soon. Hold on. Keys. Where is it? Take the northern passage. Stay on the main mining route. Looks like it goes straight through, probably built to avoid bringing stone all the way around the small mountain. Some portions still have old rails intact. Follow them out to the woods. It's not a large mining section. Most of the cave is natural, so it's easy to tell if you've lost the main track. Once outside the cave, the snowmobiles are about two kilometers away. We mark the trees with red tape, and the snowmobiles are mostly yellow.

13:31There's extra gas in both. Take whichever one that key works for. We can leave. We can go. Finally. Dragana? I'm not going with you. Take the girls and get them out of here. Thought so. She's not leaving? Now we need to find you both a way to the antechamber. I can help with that. We saw plenty of light and heard the hum in those caves. Electric interference, too. If he can't go through the lake, then those caves are the best bent. And I think it's best you to avoid the lake. Then we have a lead. I... I don't know what you're thinking. But you can't go in there. It's not just bugs. Those monsters are in there as well.

14:17I just said that! Then where you avoided is where we must go. The Guardians will be working near the antechamber. and we will have more protections than you. The hum, the lights, and the bastards. Looks like you found your way in. Are you serious? You'll die in here. Don't you worry about them. Just worry about yourself. They know what they're going into. They've been in this their whole lives. Whether they knew it or not. When I was drawing the Guardian's attention away from the cave, I ran by the lake. The door that emerged wasn't there anymore. Looks like it was pulled down into the stone beneath.

15:00But the rocks were all there, jumbled in the ice. There's a lot happening, and I don't know what it means. We've experienced a lot of tremors. Do they usually move? I have no idea. There's no record of how the sites were originally formed. So, if what we originally saw emerging from the drained lake was a new door, then the antechamber is beneath the lake, and while we didn't go down into the cave, there were certainly passages leading to the lights. This is granite, and these caves are made from massive slabs of granite that were deposited atop each other during glacial movement. The passageways through the stones will be wildly variable in size, so even if you see the light, you may not be able to pass through.

15:51Thankfully, as we found out, the guardians are also too large to fit through some of the passageways. I think you can find a way to the antechamber if that's really your goal, but don't let the mining section of the cave fool you into thinking it'll be a straight shot. What? Who gave Dragana more explosives? Those explosives? Evie, what's going on? Dragona knows what she's doing, and you're... You're not going to be anywhere near that when it goes off. Don't worry about it. Enough. It's not safe for us to wait around here any longer. It's time to go. Just how far in did we get when I was unconscious?

16:37Oh, um... I found a tarp about five minutes in, then dragged you on that for another five, maybe less. And there was that voice, and that artifact showed up. And then we backtracked in search of Adele and your partner, then came back in, but we didn't go far. Adele, how did you even get here? To this place? Do you live nearby? That was a whole different, terrible story.

17:11I'm not even American, dammit. I'm sorry. I have a daughter about your age. I bet your mother's worried sick. Yeah, I know. I have to tell her, too, when I can. If I can. You'll get home. Once you get the snowmobile, it's a lot shorter for driving you think to reach people again. You'll get hot chocolate and something fresh to eat sooner than you think. Just stay alert. There are people out there and not everyone is looking to help you. Oh, I'm very aware. Right, let's go. It was nice meeting you. I hope not to see you again and let you get to the snowmobile and drive out of here quickly and safely.

18:03Koskir? Yes, I'm ready.

18:09Well, good luck. Martin, leave your chores. The faster you get those things to the antechamber, the sooner I... Well, you know. We know. We'll head in through here, where we found Adele and Kidlet. Remember, to get to the snowmobiles, take that passage to where we entered, then follow the red tape. I got it. Thank you. Oh, wait. One more question. Were the trees okay out there, near the snowmobiles? When we were there, the trees were just trees. But there's no nowhere now. Goodbye. Stay safe. Turn on your light for now and stay close. Once we see the glow, we'll turn them off. Wait, so they're really just going to go in like that?

19:01Right now? What are they even trying to accomplish? I am so confused. Believe me, a brief meeting with the families is the best type of meeting. the families. I don't know how long it will take them to get to the antechamber, so I need to get out to the lake and prepare. Kidlet, take good care of them. They're your job now. Not this. You make sure the girls get home. I'm an adult, Gerana. Are you now? When I was your age, I thought the same thing. Look where that got me. But really, I still see so much of that little girl from over a decade ago. And I also see a lot of your father and his penchant for heroically terrible decision-making.

19:55And Adele is a kid. So it stands. Kidlet, don't fuck this up. I won't. Dragona, wait. Please. Let me help you. I... I don't want you doing something if you won't come back. Kid Lat can get Adele home without me. No, you need to come with us too. She, Dragona seems like she knows what she's doing. The reason you called her here is because she knows what she's doing. And you know who this for is better than Kid Lat or me. We might need you. Please, Iffy, I'm not just leaving for me, I'm leaving for Mika. You should leave Brigitte while you still can. Ify, I can't make you leave with us, but you should.

20:45We don't know what waits between here, the end of the mines, and the snowmobile. If anything happens, we'll need more help, not less. If not for yourself, then for Adele. Please, Ify. Dracana. What did I say about Amelia? You wouldn't let her be the one who killed you? Exactly. Go. Come on. Let's get out of here.

21:49The Beatles, they're here. I've never seen anything like them before. Guardians, moving. We must assume they're on our side, given how they helped Adele. Forgot his name already? I have a lot on my mind. Like that poor hotel girl. Not even family untrapped in a place like this. I wouldn't even want my daughter at our... At our own site. Light, off now. Is this the light? A version of it. In our site, the walls are carved with glyphs we don't fully understand. And the recesses glow. Here it just cracks in rock. But it still means we're getting closer. The antechamber can't be far. We must have hoped that it's accessible to us from here.

22:41How are you feeling about Jason being gone? I did not know him well enough to mourn him. And it sounds as though he was wholly mad by the end. Whatever this new kind of madness is. Rocks moving. Perhaps the construction of the antechamber? Or any of the other halls. Stay here. I will go look and come back. I'm leaving it back here.

23:29There are several active guardians carving out a cave just beyond that restriction. They have black stone pillars they've lined up against one of the natural walls. but I don't see any indication of the primary door yet. So, it's not the antechamber. Based on what my family reports about sites, and the report from Linnea, every site has shared characteristics. Structurally, each has several chambers what appear to be mandatory. An ossuary, a statuary hall, and an antechamber. When studied, all these chambers appear to predate the man-made additions to the sites in some manner, but some have man-made modifications dated long after their original construction.

24:08Either way, they were made before the families or anyone was there to modify them. So, what do you think this is? I would guess the Ossyria. These Guardians don't seem to care about their statue form, at least not now. Again, it means we're heading in the right direction. The antechamber can't be far, and the passages should be large enough for us to pass through if the Guardians are able to do so.

24:36What's wrong? The antechamber is generally through the ossuary and is filled with guardians. We can't pass. Good. Like we said, we don't need to destroy the site. We need to control it. The artifacts wanted us to bring them here to deal with these traitorous guardians. Those are them. And the antechamber is near enough that an attack should draw all of them. Right. eliminate the soldiers and take the castle. How would you like to proceed? Quickly, before they notice us.

25:19Get ready. We'll need to run. If we can, in here it would almost be impossible. We can't turn back now.

25:34Mamari Gamisama, it's my pleasure to be here. Please, please give me your strength. You are here, I've come in all the way. Thank you for the work of us. I've been asking for what I've done. I'm sorry. I've got to do everything for my own skills. You have a bled.

26:06Let's do it, Jess. Now.

26:14Diss, move!