{audio, december 4th, afternoon.}

[courtmagic]

[thankfully the network is online, so he doesn't have to communicate his wishes in a string of hopefully sent emojis. instead, he can speak into the watch, calm, direct. not betraying the tiredness that comes from having just spent the better portion of a day, a whole night, and the entire morning on this project.]

Something relating to this supposed king was brought to my attention. There is a spell of great, ancient power written in the walls of his cell in runes. It's a very elaborate, highly dangerous form of teleportation, but there is a section that still eludes me despite my best efforts - the final outcome of the work. Unquestionably, if this can be figured out, we have a better chance of figuring out where in this ocean he should be.

A few more sets of eyes and minds should do the trick, if you understand things about arcane energies and magecraft well beyond your common tricks and illusions. I'd appreciate the help.

[there's half of a stifled yawn before the feed cuts out. he hadn't been able to stop, once he started - once Merlin actually got to work, he was going to get things done.]

[[ooc: plotting comment.]]

Comments

[courtmagic]

[in answer, he reaches for one of the piles, plucking out some sheets with unerring exactness, laying them out before Waver. this copy is the original, in neater copy than the ones Merlin's generated over his hours here. the page is dense, and half indecipherable, confusing and complicated.

it's more than alright to look over his shoulder - in fact, he'd encourage it.]

The spell on the walls. It's not just teleportation, Waver - this would cause a rift in the universe. Able to take you between planes, places, farther than a usual spell - but it would kill you if you didn't succeed. That's the sort of magic we're dealing with here.

[this is, of course, based on his best guesses, but that and hard work felt solid enough to speak as truth.]

I got handed this about two days ago. Another of our Circle contacted me, wanted me to see this and analyze it. While I would do it for anyone, I don't know if I think it's pure curiosity driving her - she's the sort to get what she wants.

[a pause.]

Her name's Ilde. Blonde, dresses in dark colors, has an odd and powerful pendant she's wearing. I think she wants my neck snapped, my heart in a box, or my body in chains, but it's not the clearest.

[teratias]

[Waver's eyes are on the parchment, skimming, and then his fingers start to run over it all from instinct. He can see a few connections that have been missed, but he doesn't have the time to grab a writing impliment. Not yet.]

We've always been dealing with that kind of magic though, I expect that's actually how this world hopping works. Same concept, smaller scale. This is more...more like zooming out.

[Terrible theory, but.]

So she's an actual Clock Tower kind of mage, or you really inspire some strong reactions in people. But let's put aside her motives right now and work on the spell components we have in front of us: if this can cause a rift, is there anything that suggests rift repair? Counterspells and the like.

[courtmagic]

I don't know if that's needed, given the lack of a passage that would indicate the rift being permanent instead of collapsing after the energy supply runs out - unless this is what's been causing the troubles in the world through alterations in the energy fields. That's why I've needed people to come and pool their knowledge, so we can deduce where this corridor was supposed to lead from the cell in the first place.

[turning his head away, Merlin forces himself to not yawn. no. he's still fine.]

But since it's been so impossible to decipher, that's why I need you. I want you to go down to his cell and to compare what I have up here to what's on the walls. Just to make sure we're not missing anything or that she's decided to make my life a little more difficult.

[and he retrieves a second copy of the runes, only this one is more annotated with his thoughts by contrast to Ilde's spotless original. after a second, he picks up one of several pens that have been around. what can he say, the merfolk have been generous when he was so sweet in asking for material.]

Take these, and if you find anything or have any breakthroughs, write it all down. Bring whoever you want to come with you - it's not as though this is a big secret, since I've talked about this in public, and it is a bit of a swim away. But you're the only one in the bunch I can trust to act as accurate eyes and ears.

[teratias]

[Waver nods once, taking this as seriously as he's taken any assignment in his life. This is up there with the Holy Grail War itself, maybe even above it at this point. This is about entire planes, not one simple cup. (Rider had said there were greater fights, hadn't he?)]

Okay. I'll go, and I'll make sure everything's accurate. [He'll add his own notes too, but that will be a surprise for Merlin when Waver gets back, loaded down with too much in his arms.

Speaking of, he's going to start grabbing supplies now.]

I'm going to go alone, if there's a trust issue then no one else needs to know about your suspicions. And uh.

[...well, might as well say it.]

Thanks. For trusting me.