Summary (TL;DR)
The episode dives into Vax and Vex’s past, revealing how their bond formed in the face of hardship. Vex’s tragic death leads to a desperate Vax making a deal with the Matron of Ravens, sacrificing himself to save his sister. The true power of the Deathwalker’s Ward reveals itself as Vax faces Purvan Suul, the previous champion, and emerges victorious. Zahra and Kashaw’s internal conflict over the Vestige leads to a dangerous test for Vox Machina, culminating in the defeat of a monstrous creature summoned by Zahra. Vax confronts his new reality following the pact with the Matron, while Vex remains trusting and supportive. Anna Ripley’s sinister reappearance hints at escalating threats for the party.
A Deal With a Raven
The episode opens with a flashback of young Vax’ildan (Vax) sneaking through a small wagon encampment until he finds his twin sister, Vex’ahlia (Vex), who had been abducted by bandits. The twins alert a guard accidentally as they try to escape, but when breaking into another wagon, they discover a gravely injured bear in terrible agony. Vax puts the bear out of its misery, while Vex frees a small bear cub and decides to take it with them.
“What are you going to do, raise a damn bear?” Vax asks Vex.
“Sometimes, you have to embrace what’s in front of you, not fight it,” Vex replies as they make their escape.
In the present, Vox Machina is devastated by Vex’s death. Zahra and Kashaw (Kash) arrive, initially annoyed that the party had found the Deathwalker’s Ward, until they see Vex. When Pike is unable to heal Vex, Kash offers to resurrect her, despite Zahra’s protests. However, they are in the temple of the Matron of Ravens, and her influence overpowers their magic. At that moment, Vax has a vision of the Matron – the mysterious dark-haired woman he had seen in previous episodes. Just as the Matron is about to take Vex’s spirit, Vax yells, “Take me instead, you raven bitch!”
The Matron seems to take Vax up on his offer, as he ends up wearing her Vestige. Vex wakes up with no recollection of what happened to her. Grog very bluntly explains to Vex just how lifeless she was, but she takes it in stride. Scanlan confronts Zahra and Kash for leaving the party, but they deny it, pointing out that if they were truly leaving, why did they come back to save Vex? Later, Zahra quietly scolds Kash for helping Vox Machina, as she wants the Vestige and won’t stop until she has it.
The New Champion of The Raven Queen
As the group leaves, Vax spots a mural depicting the gods of Calamity. He’s drawn into a vision where he watches the gods witness a violent battle. He sees a sphinx resembling Osysa’s mate and an armored figure, before being jolted back to reality.
Vax returns to his vision, where he’s confronted by Purvan Suul, the original champion of the Matron. The two engage in a fierce battle, with Vax at a disadvantage. During the fight, Vax has a vision of a young Vex saying, “Whatever happens, it’s out of our control”. As Purvan raises his sword to strike, Vax stands still with his eyes closed. The sword passes through Vax, but he’s unharmed. Purvan drops his sword and kneels before Vax, declaring him the new champion. The Matron suddenly appears and touches Vax with her finger, causing his armor to light up with glowing runes and lines.
Back in the tomb, Vax wakes from his vision, horrified by the danger his friends face.
Attack of… Whatever Crawled Out of Zahra’s Locket
While Vax is consumed by his vision, Zahra and Kash engage in a heated argument over the ownership of the Vestige. Zahra believes it belongs to the Slayer’s Take, while Kash disagrees. The disagreement takes a dangerous turn when Zahra unleashes a giant, one-eyed tentacled creature with the power to turn its enemies to stone. Zahra believes if Vax deserves the Vestige, he can easily defeat the creature.
One by one, the members of Vox Machina are petrified by the creature until only Vax and Kash remain. Frustrated, Kash jumps into action and tries to save the others, while Vax attacks the creature with his newfound powers. Despite Zahra’s efforts to bring the creature back under control, she is also turned to stone. Vax attacks the creature with his newfound powers, while Kash frees the others. Everyone watches in amazement as Vax flings his dagger in the creature’s eye, killing it.
After the battle, Vax confronts Zahra and Kash for their actions. Zahra explains that they couldn’t risk the Vestige falling into the wrong hands, but ultimately admits that Vox Machina has proven themselves to be worthy of it. However, before they can fully apologize, the temple begins to crumble and the group is swiftly transported back to the lake as water floods in through the cracks.
Later, Percy apologizes to Vax for causing Vex’s death, but Vax doesn’t want to talk about it. Percy persists, leading to a punch from an angry Vax. Meanwhile, Vex and Zahra reconcile before Zahra departs with Kashaw. As a gesture of goodwill, Zahra gives Vex her locket, which is capable of storing creatures in a pocket dimension, making it perfect for Vex’s pet bear, Trinket.
Vax experiences another vision, this time of a dying man in a cottage, with the Matron of Ravens reaching for him. As she pulls a golden thread from the man’s chest, a flash of a skull’s face sends Vax back to reality. Vex touches his shoulder, showing concern for his behavior. Vax explains the deal he made with the Matron, but Vex is confident they will find a solution and that nothing has changed. However, Vax knows otherwise, especially considering his latest vision implies a connection between his life and the Matron of Ravens.
Unnoticed by the twins, Anna Ripley observes them through a scrying orb. The scene concludes with Ripley walking towards the burning ruins of Westruun as a dragon flies overhead.
“Those Who Walk Away” is the fourth episode of the second season of “The Legend of Vox Machina”, and is available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
