Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins 4

Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins #4 is the fourth issue of Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins and the fourth issue of Vox Machina Origins Volume 1. It was written by Matthew Mercer and Matthew Colville and the art was done by Olivia Samson. The cover art was produced by Tess Fowler and Tamra Bonvillain. The issue was published by Dark Horse Comics on October 18, 2017.

The issue follows

Publisher's summary
''The sinister Iselda has kidnapped Vax, and Vex must swallow her pride to ask for aid from the other heroes. But when they refuse, Vex decides to retrieve a friend outside of town. . . but not before Keyleth catches up to her and pledges to help.''

Facing Iselda
After trapping Grog in a floating green bubble, Keyleth, still in Minxie form, has lunged at Iselda and has her pinned against a wall, forcing her to use her swords to parry the druid's claws. Scanlan watches in awe, suggesting that they don't need Grog in the battle. Just then, however, Iselda's form transforms into smoke and rematerializes behind Keyleth and stabs her in the back, dealing enough damage to force the druid to revert to her half-elf form. As Keyleth slumps to the ground, unconscious, Scanlan runs back to Grog, aware that they need him. As Iselda stands over Keyleth's unconscious body, Tiberius asks for her attention, and threateningly asks her not to eviscerate one of the few friends he has found in Stilben, and casts a spell that propels a glowing purple rope that wraps itself around Iselda, allowing Vax to land a dagger in her back and Vex to fire two arrows that find purchase. Iselda manages to force her way close enough to Tiberius to grasp his hand and casts a melee damaging spell, breaking his concentration and knocking him out.

Meanwhile, Scanlan is inspecting the bubble entrapping Grog, who yells at Scanlan to let him out, who frantically tells Grog that there are limits to the magical power of music. Scanlan hears laughter behind him, but he only has enough time to turn around before getting struck zapped by a bolt of lightning, almost knocking him out. Vax and Vex, still standing, go to flank Iselda while she taunts them by calling them brave, little othlir. Vex releases an arrow after arrow while Vax engages her in melee combat, and they land a few hits on the boss, forcing her to take a healing potion. She breaks the vial on the ground, causing a burnt Scanlan to moan over how he hates it when enemies use their treasure before he has a chance to steal it. Iselda continues to mock the adventurers, comparing them to children on a playground and takes out an acorn that she drops onto the ground before smashing it with her foot, sending out a cloak of magical darkness.

As the others struggle to continue the fight in the dark, Scanlan thinks to himself that he is going to die with Grog and a group of "assholes", and finds himself wishing that they had a healer and missing his partymates Arnicor and Thurista. He thinks of Thurista's Wand of Daylight, and suddenly remembers that he has it with him, prompting the bard to say the wand's command word (Light!) and shower the room with magical sunlight, revealing a surprised Iselda standing over the unconscious body of Vax, raising her bloody swords above him. As Vex calls out for her brother, Scanlan proudly declares his magic item. Iselda only glares at him before Lustran Zethtat makes a surprise appearance by creaking a nearby door open to ask Iselda if the fight is over yet. At the sight of Zeth, Vex points at him and yells "You!". Iselda can only react with a simple "Shit." before grabbing the alchemist by the collar and dragging him and herself to the mirror. Vex tries to run after them, but charges headlong into the now-mundane mirror, smashing it into pieces.

As Vex'ahlia sits, groaning in pain, Scanlan yells at her to get her attention back to the party and he walks over to an unconscious Vax and heals him. Vax sits up, rubbing his head, and spots the broken mirror, and realizes that Iselda was allowed to escape. Scanlan, taken aback, vows to Vax that he will make the rogue look like a "cockbag" in the story before storming off to heal Keyleth. Keyleth thanks Scanlan, who tries to hit on her, but Keyleth does not register, as she notices the unconscious body of Tiberius and goes over to revive him, to the bard's disappointment. Scanlan walks over to Grog, who is still afloat in the green bubble, and asks Grog to "unfuck" himself. As if on cue, the bubble suddenly pops and Grog falls to the ground and happily thanks Scanlan, who starts to tell Grog that the bubble's duration likely ran up, but gives up and accepts his friend's thanks.

The party gathers in the center of the room, and Keyleth asks what happened to the alchemist. Vax figures that the alchemist was bait to lure them all down into the laboratory. Scanlan, frustrated, asks who the rest of them are. Keyleth tries to introduce the twins, butchering their names while they watch without amusement, and Tiberius introduces himself and Keyleth, and Scanlan introduces him and Grog as folks interested in "enlightened self-interest". Tiberius cheerfully extends a hand to the twins, announcing that he is Draconia; Scanlan, who is looking on the ground for something, tells the twins that they can safely shake his hand. The bard finds what he was searching for; the acorn Iselda took out earlier, and discovers that she had unscrewed the acorn, cast Darkness on the seed inside, and screwed the top back on. Vax interrupts in, asking for the book, but Scanlan refuses and challenges him to stab him. The rogue complies, to Scanlan's pained irritation and Grog's amusement. Keyleth steps between them, healing Scanlan and suggests that they can hunt Iselda down together. Scanlan rejects the idea, noting that they only survived because they had gotten lucky; Vax agrees, and the twins start to leave. Keyleth tries to reason with them, saying that their assistance would be good. As they slip into the shadows, Vax concedes that their assistance would be helpful, but Vex disagrees that it would be something good. Grog shines a lantern to where the twins disappeared, only to reveal an empty corner, leaving Scanlan in awe at their dialogue. Iselda sssss Tiberius suggests that the remaining four of them join forces, but Scanlan declines and he and Grog leave. Tiberius comments that Scanlan is a strange one, but Keyleth comments that she kind of likes him. Tiberius notes that she likes everyone, which the druid denies is true.

Iselda's revenge
Iselda returns to Zeth's manor, where the Mirror of Translation taunts her by reminding her that a group of insects beat her. Iselda drinks a healing potion and reminds the Mirror that everything is going according to plan, but the Mirror calls her out on her lie. Iselda reminds the Mirror that she promised them, the Myriad, a foothold in Tal'Dorei and that she intends to follow their timetable to transfer hold of Stilben from the Clasp to the Myriad. The Mirror offers to help, but Iselda, knowing the price of accepting such a deal with the magical item, refuses, noting that either way, Stilben will be under their grasp, she will advance in rank, and they will be equals. The Mirror disagrees that they would ever be equals, reminding her of her failure to kill the adventurers in the alchemy laboratory, but Iselda claims to have "mastered them easily," but she needed to get Zeth to safety to "protect the network". The Mirror envisions the next fight being more fun, but Iselda, holding her bloodsoaked sword in view, remarks that there will not be "a next time" before licking the blood on her sword and, as if she now knows who the blood belongs to, appears to summon a live image of Vax'ildan on the Mirror.

Meanwhile, Vax and Vex are walking through the streets of Stilben while arguing over their mission. Vax suggests that they need help. Vex sarcastically suggests the "idiots" they encountered earlier, who, along with anyone else who would be foolish enough to help them, she doubts would be of any help. As the twins enter a building, Vax asks her why she is fighting him on the matter, to which Vex explains that she is she afraid the only reason Vax is determined to complete their mission is that he believes he can always count on her, and that he will push the matter anywhere because he believes that, no matter what, they are "in this" together. Vax confirms his belief in both, to which a saddened Vex decides that it is up to her to leave. Vax calls out to her and admits that he just does not want to fail, but an unmoved Vex only tells him to get used to failure. Just then, Iselda jumps out of a nearby mirror, grabs Vax, and pulls him through as a shocked and distressed Vex calls out to him. The mirror turns solid right as Vex runs up to it, slamming her fist against it and cracking the surface. The image of a smug, cackling Iselda appears in an adjacent mirror, prompting Vex to call her a "bitch" and a "fucking hag" as she grabs the mirror and smashes it against the floor, screaming her brother's name.

Vax is tossed into a cell with iron bars, filled with nothing but hay and dressed as a prisoner. An operative of Iselda asks if she wishes for torture