tushanshu | Ω video

[Annabeth's face pops up, curls a mess as usual, but considering the turtle developments, she doesn't look nearly as cross as usual?? There's the sounds of water splashing around somewhere in the suite, but she doesn't appear to care.]

It goes without saying that the turtle's health started improving at last. [Because powers! And it's swimming again!] I know various numbers of us were tasked by Evandau into investigations, and I don't know how all the other situations turned out, but Doctor Soranik Natu, Rogue, Percy Jackson, and myself found something probably worth sharing.

We were assigned with investigating a string of robberies initially, but really, the important part is we discovered a series of incomplete archways in several different homes and attempted to recreate one in its entirety.

The whole "world between Life, Death, and Dreaming" thing everyone gets on arrival? Start taking it literally, if you weren't before. Keeliai as we live in it here is the Life plane. The archway opened up a portal of a kind, and said portal took us to the Death plane.

[A blob of water floats across the screen, blurring Annabeth's face, but it's still possible to see her turn around in a huff, and from somewhere off screen there's an "Oops, sorry!" before the water flies off. She continues unperturbed.]

It was basically a version of Keeliai gone awry and ruined, everything rotting away, and we found markings in the form of some kind of blood magic, directly over where the Emperor's Palace is in this plane. Scans proved it to be kedan blood in origin, some of it fresh, and the pattern was being drawn by - you know, what we're here to fight, in a magical attempt to kill Tu Vishan. We were able to wipe the incomplete blood slate clean and stop this part of his illness before leaving the plane. [By 'we' she mostly means Ocean Jesus did A Water Thing.]

Unfortunately, or fortunately, the way in seems to be gone. The archways all disappeared once we got back, as did that particular methodology in creating them. [Melted pins ahh. A pause.] The Death plane is probably where our infamous threat is hiding. Its domain, so to speak.

Tu Vishan's health is picking up, but this - this situation here, with this thing we're up against? It's definitely not over.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

They were the result of our investigation. Actually, one of my teammates already mentioned it a lot earlier. The first girl you talked to? Along with the drugs.

I need to know the signature first, which usually leaves a residue wherever it pops up. Well, at least back where I'm from. I'm not sure if it applies here, but if I know what it is, I can find pretty much anything within a city.

Oh! Okay, Vanessa, right? She explained some of the things you guys found, so don't worry about repeating it, unless there's something in particular you'd like to add.

So if you were shown the location of one of the former archways, you might be able pick up on the signature, essentially? And possibly locate more entranceways, whether active or inactive?

Nothing important enough to be mentioned. She's got the important bits out.

That's correct. I can find everything inside a city, from something like a statue to a particle of dust. If a signature can be found, I'll be able to trace anything that matches it within this place. Can't say it's as effective if it's from the mountains though.

[She could offer some sort of conclusion or thanks, but Annabeth just drops the first part of the conversation.]

I'm not sure if a signature would still be there. We checked all the locations, and all of the archways disintegrated, but it could be worth a shot. And what do you mean by from the mountains?

My magic is strongest when I'm near a city, or just a place with a lot of people. I still have my staff, but it's different than an inherent ability. So if an archway is in the mountains, I'd have a harder time looking for it-- especially if the signature is too weak for me to even notice on a regular basis.

Ah, okay. That makes sense. It seems like most of the magic related to this is focused in Keeliai itself, at least all that we found. So hopefully that's more than just an assumption on my end.

It usually is. For a curse or a spell to work, it's better to have it closer to the target than from a distance. Otherwise, you risk getting it easily intercepted since the hold would be a lot weaker.

Either way, just offering my services out there. It sounds a lot more promising than waiting for the next weird thing to occur.

I've noticed that's a trend with most magic, here or otherwise.

I appreciate it. What's your name?

Basic laws of everything, I figure.

It's Traci. You?

Probably. Mostly, at least. Unless what you're using is meant to work better at a distance.

Annabeth.

Magic rarely works better from a distance.

Annabeth, okay. So anyway, look me up if you need any help. I'll see what I can do.

Unless it's designed to work that way.

I will. Thank you.

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