04x11 - Let the End Begin

[bunniefuu]

[emotional, dramatic music playing]

[snarling in distance]

[breath trembling]

[Grog] You see, Pikey?

You and me, we're best buddies.

And we always will be.

[Pike sobbing quietly]

Well, Pike.

It's time for your answer.

[music swelling]

[screaming]

-[screaming fades]
-♪♪

[dramatic music playing]

♪♪

♪♪

[distant rumbling]

[Vex] Thar Amphala,

festering beneath our home
this entire time.

Guess I wasn't paranoid.

Okay, game plan.

Find Pike, shut down the Whitestone Orb

and leave the Whispered One
and the rest here to rot.

But how do we know where Pike is?

-[pained groaning]
-Vax!

-Are you okay?
-[Vex] Vax?

[coughing violently]

[screaming]

-[pained groaning]
-[dramatic music playing]

-[Vex] What's happening?
-[Percy] The blight.

It's spreading!

[Vex echoing] Brother! Brother!
Brother! Brother! Brother!

♪♪

[Vax] Wait.

Is that...

[exhales, groans]

Holy sh*t. Are you all right?

She's there.

Wh-Who? Where?

[Vax] Her thread of fate.

I see it.

I see all of yours.

[Percy] Pike? But how?

Everything is different here. Clearer.

This blight is a gift.

But the Matron said you would die
if you faced the Whispered One.

We can't trust it.

As long as it helps us find Pike,
I say we use it.

Look again. What direction?

Straight ahead.

Wait.

There's something else now.
Something dark.

A severed strand, moving quickly.

Behind you!

[gloomstalkers snarling]

-[screaming]
-Vex'ahlia!

[dramatic music playing]

[chuckling menacingly]

[screaming]

[screaming fades]

[quiet, emotional music playing]

[Pike crying quietly]

Grog, I am so sorry.

I've been a terrible person.

And worse, a terrible friend.

I wanted to help, to heal, but...

all we've done is cause more pain.

So many lives were destroyed
in Vox Machina's wake,

and I let it happen.

They're so obsessed
with their own sh*t, they...

forgot the ones they fight for,
like you.

And Scanlan.

And me.

[sniffling]

Everyone thinks I'm perfect little Pike,

just always guided by the Everlight.

Except I'm not.

She left me.

And now...

now's your chance, Everlight.

Do I do the right thing
and let my best friend die?

Or trust the Whispered One to heal Grog?

And Pop-pop, and maybe the whole world.

Which is the holy path?

Go on, guide me, please!

-Answer me!
-[thunder crashing]

[sobbing]

[emotional, dramatic music playing]

[thunder crashing]

[Pike continues sobbing]

That's what I thought.

I can't choose a path if they all lead
to the same g*dd*mn place.

[Delilah] Vox Machina is here.

[Gideon] Everything
has transpired according to plan.

But what about the healer?

We need her blood for the ritual.

Delilah,

have I seen you through so much

for you only to doubt me
in this final hour?

Never. I have unending faith.

We have something stronger than faith.

We have hope.

And for your sacrifices,
you will receive what has been promised.

Your beloved Sylas.

But for now, patience.

Besides, our animal friend
has things well in hand.

[exciting, dramatic music playing]

[gloomstalkers snarling]

Keep the others at bay, my pets.

[gloomstalkers snarling]

Vex!

[Keyleth screeches]

[pained snarling]

[snarling]

Damn it!

[Vax straining]

♪♪

[Keyleth screeches]

[Percy] Pardon me!

[Keyleth screeches]

[Vex straining]

[Vex screaming]

-[Vex screaming]
-[Vax] No!

[Vax straining]

-[Percy] We've got her!
-[Keyleth screeches]

-[Beastmaster] Gloomstalkers, to me!
-[gloomstalkers snarling]

[blades ringing]

[exclaims, spits]

[growling fiercely]

♪♪

[thunder crashing]

[Keyleth screeches]

[Percy] I've got you, love.

Percy.

Wait, where's my brother?

[snarling]

[Vax groaning]

[gloomstalkers snarling]

The Whispered One restores all.

[sharp cracking]

Pets, tear this raven apart!

Matron, I could use your help here.

[snarling fiercely]

[dramatic, percussive music playing]

Now that's more like it.

Wait.

That's new.

[pained shouting]

[snarling]

[gasping painfully]

[straining] W-what is happening?

[exhales]

[thunder crashing]

[Vex] Brother!

Thank the gods.

I thought I lost you.

Careful.

He'll spring back any second now.

Actually, I don't think he will.

I saw something.

[crunching]

Shadowstone implanted in them.

It must be how
the Whispered One keeps them alive.

And you saw it?

Through his clothes? Under his skin?

The Matron wasn't k*lling me
with this blight.

She was preparing me for this moment.

And if your daggers can k*ll them,
we can fight our way to Pike.

Still, we'd have get through
those beasts first.

[gloomstalkers snarling in distance]

I may have a solve for that.

[pained gasping]

The animal tamer.

My connection to him has been broken.

But that shouldn't be possible.

Unless he's dead.

I thought you could grant us eternal life.

My daughter...

Will be brought back.

As well as any of you who fall.

After my ascension, all is possible.

If you ascend.

We still lack the blood of the divine one.

And now, Vox Machina is here.

Pike is small, weak.

Let's just k*ll and drain her ourselves.

Narash-thrada!

[straining weakly]

I love you all,

but we cannot strip Pike of the choice
the gods refuse her.

Otherwise, we are no better than they.

[Pike] My friends are here?

[moaning]

Pike, I... I-I didn't realize...

Where?

[snarling]

[snarling]

Easy boy.

I won't hurt you.

No need to rip my face off.

Are we sure this is a good idea?

Uh... she'll be okay.

[snarling]

Okay, the rules say this only works
on living animals,

and you're... not.

But I'm the Voice of the Tempest, right?

I make the rules.

f*ck me, she's gonna die.

Your friends will be on their way now.

Coming to stop me,
at the behest of the Matron of Ravens,

using them, as the Everlight uses you.

I should go talk to them.

What more would you say to them?

[quiet, dramatic music playing]

They don't know what we know.

That the world endures pain and death
at the whim of their gods.

How many more will your friends lose

before they realize the truth?

Pike, help me put an end to that pain.

♪♪

[purring snarls]

[Vex] Well, I'll be damned.

Our own undead entourage.

Bloody great work, Keyleth.

All we need to do now is save Pike.

What if... what if we didn't stop there?

[Keyleth] W-what do you mean?

I mean, the Matron showed me
where to find Pike.

And how to k*ll our enemy.

Maybe her powers could end
this mad crusade,

k*ll the Whispered One once and for all.

How dare you?

Those daggers don't change
what happened to my father.

Or Grog.

How many of us have to get hurt
before you realize

that "once and for all" doesn't exist?

Kiki, you're always saying
if there is a chance,

we have to try.

For the first time in a year,
there's hope for us.

Please don't throw it away.

Just promise me you'll only save Pike.

Then we can shut down the Orb
and put all of this behind us.

I promise.

[quiet, dramatic music playing]

[rumbling]

[gloomstalkers snarling]

[Priestess] The ceremonial dagger,
my lady.

[Delilah] My lord, are you ready?

[Gideon] Of course not.

For centuries,
I've fought forces greater than myself.

Sacrificed innocent, helpless souls.

Done so much wrong,

all for the chance
to conquer death itself.

How could anyone
be ready for such a thing?

Then how are you so certain?

Like you, I have hope.

[gloom stalker snarling]

[heavy metal music playing]

Let the end begin.

♪♪

Incoming!

[shouts]

♪♪

[stone scraping]

♪♪

[all breathing heavily]

Vax!

[ominous, atonal music playing]

Let's go.

You see?

Hope.

[soaring, dramatic music playing]

[people exclaiming happily]

[shouting]

[Keyleth screeches]

Now we're even.

No. No, no, no, no, no!

It can't be.

Huh?

[Priestess] Seems
the Matron's champion has fallen.

Our job is done.

[g*nsh*t]

Not quite.

[triumphant, dramatic music playing]

[Dark Bard] ♪ Demon's claw ♪

[Delilah] Undying King.

To rise among the gods of Exandria,

you must pledge to those
who bestow this power.

Your children of truth.

Are you willing to see for us?

[Gideon] I am.

To fight for us?

I am!

Then we give you our blood,
to nourish a new body.

[crowd murmuring happily]

[chanting] We are his blood!
We are his blood!

Uthed dras lo kalu thath.

Dwes kalu, varen Thar Amphala.

[crowd cheering]

[heavy metal music playing]

[Vex] Keyleth!

[Keyleth strains]

[groans with effort] They're everywhere!

Heh, you've lost.

The Whispered One will rise reborn.

And the champion's head
will be the perfect ascension gift.

Wait. Something's off.

[grunts weakly]

This isn't the champion.

Where the f*ck did he go?

[dramatic music playing]

I'm coming, pickle.

♪♪

♪♪

What?

[Percy] Aim for the glow!

[chuckles]

[retches]

[groans, coughs]

♪♪

It's a... it's a trap!

No!

No!

♪♪

[panting]

[Keyleth] Stop! No!

This is for my people.

This is for my father.

And this is for me.

[Keyleth shouts]

♪♪

[shouts]

[groans weakly]

My sweet girl.

I'm coming.

[thunder crashing]

Matron, how is he...

[Pike] You can't help him now.

[sighs]

Oh, thank the gods you're okay.

Now, come on, we have to hurry.

[Pike] You're here to k*ll
the Whispered One, aren't you?

To fulfill the Matron's command?

We considered it.

But no fight is worth
losing another friend.

This was all a distraction to find you,

and get you away from this bloody mess.

[Pike] Seems about right.

f*ck sh*t up, beat the bad guy,
take a victory lap.

Never mind the victims
who get left behind.

What?

[Pike] It's what Vox Machina does.

Stay alive at any cost.

Remember? But some costs are too great.

-[thunder crashing]
-[Gideon straining]

[Delilah] Huwesh wuva-des shok lo grath!

[moans in pain]

[all screaming]

Yes!

Yes!

Pike, we have to leave now.

Whatever the Whispered One told you,
you can't listen.

We can take Grog's body.

Maybe the Matron will grant me a favor.

I am done begging them!

Letting the Everlight judge my path,

letting the Matron choose
who gets a second chance.

Don't you see?

The gods don't give a sh*t about life.

Then f*ck the gods.

What about us?

[Pike] After the dragons,

you turned your backs on the world.

You forgot about me
for a whole g*dd*mn year,

and you'll forget about Grog, too.

That's not true. We're here to save you.

We're your friends.

I am not your friend.

I am his blood.

[heavy metal music playing]

[heavy metal screaming]

♪♪

♪♪

Chirp.