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hadriel2017-08-01 12:14 pm
nonscriptum) wrote in hadriel2017-08-01 12:14 pm
[text] there is water at the bottom of the ocean
[Originally, it started out as a well-meaning adventurous foray for personal edification, yadda, yadda, yadda. Time moves so slowly in Hadriel that Nate has been clawing at ways to occupy it, and since he's exhausted the library of any texts that aren't in gibberish it stands to reason he might seek personal fulfillment elsewhere. After waking up with the usual restlessness he considered the wide expanse of lakeside real estate out his window and thought, yeah, a swim sounds nice.
The swim was less than nice.
Several minor explosions and some (honestly) impressive spell-work later sees him soaked to the skin but otherwise unscathed outside of minor lacerations on one arm - there's really only so much you can do when trying to evade a shark with two fucking heads - scribbling quickly in a notebook with the sort of fervor reserved for the truly mad. Lake-adjacent, blessedly on the shore with a towel slung around bare shoulders, he quickly snaps a photograph of his work with his phone and hits SEND TO ALL.
The message is as follows:]
does anyone know what the hell this is
i found it at the bottom of the lake
Attachment: [monster.jpg]
p.s. don't go swimming in the lake
The swim was less than nice.
Several minor explosions and some (honestly) impressive spell-work later sees him soaked to the skin but otherwise unscathed outside of minor lacerations on one arm - there's really only so much you can do when trying to evade a shark with two fucking heads - scribbling quickly in a notebook with the sort of fervor reserved for the truly mad. Lake-adjacent, blessedly on the shore with a towel slung around bare shoulders, he quickly snaps a photograph of his work with his phone and hits SEND TO ALL.
The message is as follows:]
i found it at the bottom of the lake
Attachment: [monster.jpg]
p.s. don't go swimming in the lake
text
hit up a buddy about some enchanted diving lights and then he told me he could just cast an underwater breathing spell on me
worked pretty well even though buoyancy is still kind of an issue
text
I am not surprised that this magic was insufficient for your purposes.
text
[Her sudden lack of wordiness makes him think that the concept of magic must be a really, really bitter pill to swallow for scientist.]
magic saved my ass down there, don't knock it
text
Magic is a word for technology or natural processes we cannot yet explain.
[It is an extremely bitter pill, okay.]
text
tell that to the wizards who introduced a two-headed shark to spontaneous combustion
text
text
the taaco twins, they live in spire 4
text
I will tell them. Thank you.
text -> private text
listen
you're a scientist, right? forensic anthropologist?
private text
Yes, I am. Why?
private text
i think these...creatures. the inhabitants. were tied up down there.
private text
What? Are you certain? How were you able to arrive at that conclusion?
private text -> private voice
The bones were old, I know that much. Haven't been moved in at least a hundred years. But there was this...impression in the sand leading from each creature into the dark, like a heavy rope had been tied around them.
If it was a chain it might've still been down there, but whatever kept them tethered was organic, so it's already gone.
private voice
One hundred years is a rather specific estimate. What are you basing that number on?
[But back to what he found.] So it's possible they were left there to drown. Or if they were aquatic, then perhaps to starve. Or to be food for other creatures.
[She sounds like she is merely listing ideas, but make no mistake, she thinks this is a frightening finding.]
Judging from your conversation with Hope, this was the Null's work. They claim to be rational, but this method of killing-- this seems inefficient. In fact, it is almost... ceremonial.
[Like a serial killer who is proud of their work.]
private voice
[Process of elimination, doc.]
If they were food for other creatures, those creatures would have to be...what, small fish? Or bacteria? The remains weren't scattered like they would have been if something bigger was feeding.
[Nate is glad to see that they're finally on the same page, though.]
...I was kind of assuming a sacrifice.
private voice
[She does not sound offended. It was her mistake, though she won't outright say that at the moment.]
If they were not scattered, then you are right, they would have to be quite small and weak. [It's hard to make assumptions when you haven't seen the remains yourself. >:|
She is about to suggest again that they may have been left to drown, but then Nate says what he does. For a few seconds, there is only silence from her end of the line.
Then, quietly, like she is reining in the flurry of emotions she feels--] That is possible, yes.
The question still remains of whether they were placed there dead or still alive, but regardless, that is a valid supposition. We are dealing with cultures completely alien to us. We cannot rule out any possibility.
no subject
[Strange, yes, and unusual, but similar enough.]
The way this lake has been formed, plus the fact that weโre literally in a cave, makes it look a Hell of a lot like a cenote.
[Sheโs a forensic anthropologist, he doesnโt need to spell out the fact that human history is rife with sacrificial offerings made in just such bodies of water.]
no subject
Yes, it does. [She's a little quieter there, a little somber. Forgive her this slip in professionalism.] In any case, there is no way to know for certain until we look more closely at the bones and where they were found.
no subject
[Heโs sort of joking. Mostly. Not really.]
Iโll help bring up what I can.
no subject
[And she will. This is what she does.]
Thank you for sharing your findings.