After Lia walked out abruptly the rest of the party decided that was a good sign it was time to adjourn for the night. Rijin took a trip around the ship for a bit before heading down the multiple floors to his room that had been laid out for him. As Rijin began to sort through his belongings and things he felt a strange sensation in the room. A chill of sorts, as if he was close to the touch of death. He looked around the room and saw no one, no reaper, nothing. If he was to believe his perception then there was no one around but something told him differently. From the faint quiet of the room, almost mistaken for a hum, he heard it; an ever so soft voice.

  “Randorin,” it said to him. Rijin did not recognize the voice but knew what the voice was, a Thestral.

  “What is it?” Rijin said, trying not to change his actions. Rijin did not know if Prometheus had some way to monitor the rooms and needed to make sure his guard was not spotted. Thestrals are almost completely undetectable by any normal or magical means but Rijin opening talking to one would give him away quickly.

  “The sentinel sends a message,” the voice said still quietly, as if it was in the back of Rijin's mind rather than a real voice.

  Rijin tried to look busy rummaging through his things, “what message do you bring?” Rijin asked

  “There are reports of a door that leads to the lowest level of the ship. This door has more safeguards than any other room on the vessel,” the voice said.

  “Yes, Prometheus claims it is a storage area guarding magical focuses,” Rijin replied.

  “I have been able to get into every part of this ship except for the last floor. In some of the storage areas I found magical focuses locked away, but not of them enchanted to the level in which that door is enchanted,” the voice said.

  “So then my suspicions are correct,” Rijin said, elated but trying to contain his excitement, “whatever is behind that door…”

  “Is being safeguarded for a reason. Reason enough to make it the most heavily fortified room on this ship. The Sentinel wants you to find a way in,” the voice said.

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  “That is tricky,” Rijin replied, “the council is fragile and new, also I am not made for stealth.”

  “But I am,” the Thestral answered. Rijin understood what he was trying to say.

  “I will see if I can find the way to get inside. This is a large ship, there is sure to be many ways to achieve our goal,” Rijin said, “Where will you be?”

  “Closeby,” the voice replied, “I will make contact again once you have found a way inside.” And with that the pressure was gone, Rijin could tell he was alone in the room; or at least that is what his perception told him. Rijin sorted through his things a little more before leaving his room.

  It had been many hours since the party disbanded so Rijin knew that it had to be nightfall by this point especially with all the revelry coming from a few floors up. Rijin ascended the stairs to Thalassa’s beard, still bothered by the name, filled with drunk sailors singing tunes and drinking heavily. Half the crew if not more had to be here as well as the artisans on the lowest deck of the ship. Rijin was much taller than everyone else here so seeing the party from his point of view was quite the spectacle. There were sailors laughing and toppling over, sailors crying and complaining, sleeping sailors, fighting sailors, pretty much every stage of drunkenness was displayed. Rijin moved through the crowd a bit, most moved out of the way of his hulking figure, but occasionally he had to step over a sleeping sailor or a stubborn one who wouldn't get out of the way. He looked around, trying to see if he could find Prometheus but he was hard to find in the large crowd. Rijin had already found Qrow, slinging drinks from behind the bar and taking people's money to give them special drinks in return. Garus was on the far end of the room singing a diddy about the vastness of the sea with a large crowd that surrounded him including Daedalus who was singing almost as loud as Garus and was spilling his drink all over the people who sat at the table he was dancing on top of. Lia was also drinking and being merry, which surprised Rijin given the days affairs, but she seemed content to be surrounded by a group of other Penzamites that came with her. Prometheus was nowhere to be seen.

  “He must be on another floor,” Rijin said to himself. He walked through the crowd and ascended to the main deck. The stars showed beautifully in the night sky. Rijin had sailed around the coast of Midoku many times enjoying the beauty of the stars above. He smiled a bit as he looked at them and enjoyed the peace around him compared to the chaos just below. The deck of the ship is a large area with only a few sailors walking about at this point. Closer to the stern of the ship was Fuju, just looking off into the night sky. Standing next to the captains quarters stood Varithorn who was focused on something he was carving into a small piece of wood he held. Rijin walked to the door, reaching to open it, that is when Varithorn spoke up.

  “He isn’t there,” Varithorn said, “I came looking for him as well. Figured I would wait here until he comes back.