Goshawk | Ep. 30

10:22Travis Vengroff:Yeah, we saw it. In the games.

10:25Iffy Talno:Look! Right! Outside!

10:35Travis Vengroff:Stop!

10:43Travis Vengroff:They can fucking fly! Of course they can. They can be fucking trees now, too. Get back here. Behind the rocks. Come here.

11:17K. A. Statz:You really shouldn't go around threatening other people's kids. It is not a threat. It is an offer. I can reunite her with her father. Graham may have gone through that door, but after what he did, there was nothing left. He's gone. Fully. And while Eerie wasn't there for that, she knows it too. Whatever you promise her, or any of us, it's not real. You think that, do you? Do you have any idea what happens in that light? Wait a bit longer, let them build, and I will shut up.

12:00K. A. Statz:A pistol. You knew that wouldn't work. I'm not a patient person. It wasn't for you, really. Damn, you're strong. Why did you come back here? You think you can stop this? That you can make any difference? Do you think the fucking families would let you do whatever the hell you wanted? They don't care about you, or me, or any of your grand plan. They only care about themselves. And you're disturbing their routine evils. and they've brought bigger players than themselves to the board. The elders. The elders are just using them. First the families were offerings themselves, then they were servants, these Piper parasites.

12:56K. A. Statz:And now they will be offerings once more. All of that, the old ways, the stagnation, it's over. The elders will come to see it soon. I don't know how much of you is still human, but certainly enough that you don't feel everything that they do. They let them die. The elders, artifacts. They let all those family members amassing Cairo, and all it took was two dedicated realists and a guardian willing to die to get rid of them all. Even if it remained asleep, even if the world stayed this way, the usefulness of the families has run out. Elders are powerful enough to bring their own sacrifices. That Marion girl was proof of that.

13:49K. A. Statz:Came right to us, wading into the waters. Not that the elders knew what we were planning. If you hadn't stabbed me, I bet I could have beaten you. Now that your pets are away, strength is great. But you're just some paper-pushing desk jockey at heart. I'm sure you think that. Oh yeah, you don't have a heart anymore, do you? I've never been in this for the families. Damn them, right? We agree on that? Great. Sure, some are nice people, but most made their choice. And they know what they're doing. And they know what the price of their luck is. We're different. I've always had shit luck. So I make my own.

14:49K. A. Statz:And it's still shit. What are you doing? Buying time. What's that then? Explosives.

15:13Travis Vengroff:Don't... Get up. We're nearing the exit. I can't.

15:20K. A. Statz:I think I've lost blood. Too much.

15:30K. A. Statz:I can't... I can't think... Just...

15:37Travis Vengroff:Just get to the snowmobile. I'll drive. You can sleep. Just get there. That's the goal. Hey! Stop! Don't go any further! Back away! I don't know you're real. I don't know. We're not friends. Now hide, quickly.

16:01Travis Vengroff:Were you able to do it? Set them on the guardians? We think so. We certainly caused a fight. I think the artifacts won. We won. I don't think we would have escaped otherwise.

16:14K. A. Statz:What happened? Why aren't you gone?

16:17Iffy Talno:Are you okay, dear? We're not okay. There's a flying one of those things out there. It's too big to get in the cave, so it's just blocking the exit. You look sick.

16:29K. A. Statz:I got hurt. But we're leaving. And I can get better once we get out of here. Thank you for worrying. But just focus on you. Koskier, do we have anyone with us still?

16:46Travis Vengroff:No. We free them all in the Ossia area.

16:54K. A. Statz:That was it? I thought that was a boulder. Oh yeah, that's it.

17:00Travis Vengroff:And we've been hiding here since it landed.

17:05Travis Vengroff:Is it construction from her? No. That was explosives. So, then... Jakana?

17:19Iffy Talno:uh, uh, Dragona did it. And it flew to the lake. We need to go. Now. She's right. I'm next to you. Wait! This! This! This! The Delta was here with me. Can you climb over the rocks? Kid last!

17:42Travis Vengroff:Help me. Get her free. EY, EY. Stop. She's under it all. She's not coming out. Kim, I...

17:59Of course.

18:00Travis Vengroff:Come on. Before that flying fucker comes back.

18:04Iffy Talno:Are you okay? We need to go.

18:10Iffy Talno:I didn't think it would come down like that. The whole area's been shaking intermittently for hours. More was bound to collapse. I'm lucky. Thanks. Where's the lady? We're going. Wait, where's the lady? Is she... in there? Yes. She pushed me. She wasn't... I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Do not be.

18:42Travis Vengroff:I don't believe she would have survived enough along. Her injuries were more severe than she thought.

18:49Iffy Talno:That doesn't mean we leave her. Look over me. We can dig her out.

18:52Travis Vengroff:No.

18:58Iffy Talno:She's dead. They all were.

19:05Travis Vengroff:EY, the snowmobiles. This way.

19:43Travis Vengroff:The White Vault.

19:57Travis Vengroff:For access to bonus content and to support the creators of this series, which is available for free, visit patreon.com slash foolandscholar and help us bring more stories to life. We hope you'll allow us to entertain you with other stories like Don't Mind, Dark Dice or the Liberty Podcast. This has been a Fool and Scholar production. Thank you for listening.

20:31Iffy Talno:I thought that's what you did last time.

20:35Travis Vengroff:What was I supposed to do? Can I have you a bunny? Hey, kids. Can you come over here? Yeah. Come on.

20:49Travis Vengroff:It's about your mom. What?

20:52Iffy Talno:She's at a conference.

20:54Travis Vengroff:There was an earthquake in Cairo. The hotel where she was staying, it was... It collapsed. What?

21:06K. A. Statz:She's coming home Wednesday. Dad, is she okay? Dad. Dad?

21:15Iffy Talno:She's okay, right? Dad! Tell me!

21:46Iffy Talno:That's... that's the house. That one there. Easy.

21:51Travis Vengroff:Let me get there first. And park.

21:54Iffy Talno:Sorry, sorry. I just... get to go home.

21:58Travis Vengroff:I know. And you're sure you don't need help?

22:02Iffy Talno:No, I can do it alone. I remember what you said, and I practice.

22:11Travis Vengroff:That's good. I know you can do it. But I'm talking about those guys. How you and your sister got taken to begin with. You're okay?

22:23Iffy Talno:I spoke with the cops in America.

22:26Travis Vengroff:That doesn't mean shit. Tell your parents everything. And go to the police here, too. And if you ever need help, you call me. That's my number. Memorize it. You call me. I will. I will.

22:52Good.

22:54Travis Vengroff:And goodbye. Now go home.

23:17Thank you.

24:03K. A. Statz:Kousuke, we have been following your actions with great interest. It appears things went rather awry in Cairo and America. I'm glad our team was able to aid you in the States. Please, sit back down. You look tired. Yes.

24:25Travis Vengroff:I apologize that the situation got so out of hand.

24:28K. A. Statz:Please, do not apologize. Based on your report, the threat of this new guard has been thwarted by your actions. I only wish we had known earlier and that we could have helped more.

24:41Travis Vengroff:No, the assistance was greatly appreciated. But if I may ask, how is our luck? What does the family report?

24:51K. A. Statz:Our blessing is already pulling away. But its absence is not your responsibility. It is a change and a burden we will face together as a family. As all the families must. and your actions have helped us strengthen our connections with the other families. Our bonds to the Sidja and the Volsigna are stronger than ever. Whatever lies beyond those stone doors will stay there for now. But now, thanks to Linia and Volsigna, we know how to kill it. I will meet with several matriarchs in an emergency meeting tomorrow. We have no time to waste and much to prepare.

25:32Travis Vengroff:We'll be creating a terrible future for everyone. So many will suffer. Flooding, famines. We will be the world's villains.

25:41K. A. Statz:We already are, Kosuke.

25:48Travis Vengroff:And without the luck, the Guardians won't just let us do as we wish. They don't want this to end. It's what we just fought alongside them for. We'll be fighting everywhere, all at once. We may not have the luck, but we have generations of wealth.

26:06K. A. Statz:An obscene money buys its own luck. Not that it matters much to you anymore. How are you feeling? I know the transformation can be painful.

26:19Travis Vengroff:Yes. I feel worse every day. My arm no longer works.

26:28Travis Vengroff:I am making my final trip home this weekend.

26:31K. A. Statz:Prepare your affairs before you leave. I hear you never married. A good thing in the end. You will be missed. You have done great work for your family. Please know this. Thank you.

26:58Iffy Talno:I'm K.A. Stats, here with my partner, Travis Vengroff, the creators behind the show. From the very beginning, when no one knew our name, we were thankful. During the growing phase, where we were staggered by our listenership, we were thankful. In the late, determined evenings where the show needed to come out, rain or shine, we were thankful. When we showed the depths of our horror and the fruits of our audio labor, we were thankful. And now, at the end, we thank you once again. The White Vault and Goss Hawk built who we are as storytellers. It grew alongside our lives, careers, and friendships.

27:39Iffy Talno:We have found our place in the world through the horrors we craft and share. But stories should have an ending. So here we are. This was a story about everyday people in insurmountable situations overcoming the odds, fighting back however possible valuing the people in their life and coming to terms with the massive breadth of the unknowable And the universe of the White Vault is not built for happily ever afters So we come to cherish them as the rare gems they are Here at the end, we thank you for joining us The White Vault is closing its vast stone doors, but we endure Fool and Scholar Productions has grown And we hope you join us on our other adventures around the world Our newest fiction podcast, Don't Mind Shares mysteries and tales of terror from across the globe And we always have new ideas crawling through our skulls So join us, as travel is now advised

28:53What?

29:00Hey. Hey.

29:03Iffy Talno:Hey. Wouldn't you fucking believe it?

29:12Travis Vengroff:Is everything alright? Ah, waking up, I see.

29:18Iffy Talno:Finally. Hey. Hey.

29:24Travis Vengroff:Hello, Miss Vukovic. You've been asleep for about three days, and you're on an IV, so don't try to get up, okay? Yeah, thanks.

29:35K. A. Statz:Can I get a minute with my goddaughter?

29:37Travis Vengroff:Can I ask you a few questions before...

29:40K. A. Statz:I feel fine enough for a couple of minutes. I just want to speak to my goddaughter, okay? Yeah.

29:46Travis Vengroff:No, please. Go ahead. I'll just let the doctor know that you woke up.

29:56K. A. Statz:Private room. Must be on Val Cygna's card. He was, actually.

30:03Iffy Talno:Did it work? I think so. You'll have to tell me. What happened?

30:12K. A. Statz:I got close enough and Amelia was saying some things about the Guardians. I don't know exactly what she meant, but just some lies. And I was prepping the explosives. She was wearing a great jacket, lots of fastenings. What next?

30:29Iffy Talno:We heard the explosion.

30:31K. A. Statz:I had them prepped in the wet pack, and I clipped it to Amelia's jacket with one of my locking carabiners. She couldn't get it off. Ow. I ran off once she let go. She could tell I didn't have a problem sticking around, so she dropped me. But you did it. I was never meant to survive this. She's dead, though. Right?

30:59Iffy Talno:I saw the pieces.

31:05Iffy Talno:Adele went back home. Kid Lat used some of your connections to get a flight over to Canada. Last I heard, he's driving her to her parents' house. They got checked out at the hospital beforehand. She had a sprained ankle, nothing worse, but... She did such a good job hiding it. Oh, and Kid Latt called just an hour ago or so, checking in. He calls a lot, actually.

31:38Dragona, thank you.

31:42Iffy Talno:I never would have gotten myself out of there, let alone her. We would have ended up in that lake. You don't need to thank me.

31:55K. A. Statz:So Kidlet made it out Good Happy retirement The two family members

32:03Iffy Talno:The Sijia and the EY They said they completed their goal But they both got hurt in the caves

32:12Iffy Talno:During our escape Dees She died In a rock fall Adele Adele rushed after me and didn't notice. I didn't notice either, but Dee saw it and... pushed her. Rox came down. It happened so fast. And the doc? He left with his team just hours after we made it to the hospital. But, uh... He left his contact information. I'm supposed to call him now that you're awake. But what those two said when we met them in the cave was frighteningly true. We might have had some tremors out in Gosok, but there's been shit happening all over the place. Earthquakes, floods, damn volcanoes. Yeah, it'll do that. But we stopped it from being worse.

33:18Right?

33:21Iffy Talno:You did. Them two. It all worked. For now. How did I get here? We got out of the woods, and when we reached the building where they'd hired the snowmobiles, there was a whole team of people waiting there. All these scary-looking types from the EY family. They took Dr. EY away and spoke for about ten minutes before they enlisted Kidlat to drive back to Gosok to find you. They came prepared. Trucks, gear, more snowmobiles. Adele and I were transported here, and about five hours later, Kidlat came crashing through the emergency bay door with you and the whole EY team. It's been a few days, like the nurse said But they said Dr.

34:12Iffy Talno:EY did a great job given the circumstances And you're on a ton of antibiotics for the stab wound Wounds, uh You have some proper stitches now And your left leg and hip broke From what Kid Lat said, it looks like you got thrown by the explosion

34:31K. A. Statz:Ah, that's why I'm on all the painkillers That's nice. But what about the site? Is it gone? The guardians... No. I don't want to know. I'm done. It's over.

34:48Iffy Talno:You know, I don't feel like I can get this cold out of me. Like I'm always shivering. My publishing agent thinks I should get back to work, but... I was thinking of picking things up somewhere warmer. Maybe take a short holiday. Okay, what were you thinking? Southern Europe didn't get hit by too many natural disasters. I'm thinking Spain, maybe.

35:27Iffy Talno:So, once you're less perforated and cracked, Feel like some travel?

35:36K. A. Statz:Yeah, a bit of travel sounds good to me.