Prometheus stood up and went over to a bookcase that laid against the wall. He found a book on the shelf entitled "secrets within" and pulled it. As he pulled it, the sound of steam valves decompressing filled the room. The bookshelf began to creak before finally opening slowly. Prometheus grabbed the edge and pulled the bookcase open to reveal a passage that led down deeper into the ship. The darkness of the staircase was quickly illuminated by blue glowing stones that hung within lanterns on the wall. Prometheus quickly began to walk down the passage, pressing a block in the wall to make the bookcase move back into its original position. At the end of the staircase he came to what appeared to be a blank wall but it didn't stop his momentum. He walked right towards the wall, pressing another stone on the side of the passage before pushing on the wall itself. Again the sound of steam came forth and Prometheus swiftly opened the door. The room he entered was, to his surprise, well lit, the blue glow of the lanterns filled the room already. Daedalus stood on the far end of the room looking at a broken table and examining some ashes.
Prometheus walked over beside him, "how did it go?" He asked.
Daedalus didn't turn, "it went fine for the most part. That Qrow is a good liar, you could learn a thing or two from him."
Prometheus rolled his eyes, "what did they take?" He asked.
Daedalus reached into his pocket and grabbed a handful of powder, he threw it across the room and it began to form and form until it remade the scene that had been in the room. Memory dust, one of the few spells that didn't require activation since it was tied to actual particles of dust. "As you can see here Qrow took the bag," Daedalus said pointing towards the newly made image of Qrow holding something over by the table, "as well as the Re-Ring that we worked on together," Daedalus pointed to Rijin and Fuju suspended in time passing each other the device.
"Did you get the bag back?" Prometheus asked.
"Of course, who do you take me for," Daedalus pulled out the bag and handed it to Prometheus. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and examined the bag carefully, nothing seemed to be amiss with it.
"Thank heavens," Prometheus said.
"Why was it even out in the first place?" Daedalus asked.
"That unfortunately was my negligence. I didn't think to put it away even though I should have been honest. Even though I should have suspected it, I didn't think they would actually get through the door," Prometheus said.
"Yes, Qrow is better than we thought. What about the Re-Ring?" Daedalus asked.
"No need to worry. It seems to be in much more useful hands with Fuju to be honest…especially if his speculations are correct," Prometheus said.
"His speculation?" Daedalus asked.
Prometheus thought for a moment, "we should speak somewhere a little more secure," he said. He started to walk towards the back wall followed closely behind by Daedalus. The wall looked like any other wall on the ship, especially to the blind eye, but when looking at it closely one could see the wall was truly covered in tiny etchings of different runes. It was something Prometheus had come up with. Most of the time when something was enchanted it struggled to contain the enchantment within it. For a long time many wizards and artificers believed it was because the magic was too strong, or that it was because of the containment issue that had been seen time and time again. But Prometheus had found that oftentime it was due to the size of the rune itself. If many runes were carved onto a surface but only held small pieces of arcane energy, then a wider array of arcane possibilities could be achieved but only as long as the different spells weren't active at the same time. So Prometheus had painstakingly carved runes into each part of the wall, etching out different combinations on such a minute scale that it was almost undetectable. And, because there was not constant energy flowing through. The arcane energy itself was basically invisible.
Prometheus pulled out his metal rod from before and held it out towards the wall. He pressed it against one of the tiny runes and it began to glow, letting off a tiny amount of yellow light. As it did so another rune began to glow, and another, and another, and other until there were small glimmers of light all around the room coming from these specific runes. Then, as the light from the runes dimmed. The wall started to almost dissipate. It began to morph and disappear. The boundary that was once there was now blurred and the room itself seemed longer, bigger even. The confines of the room wafted away like an illusion, revealing the truth underneath. The once wooden room with simple tables and writings morphed into a pristine laboratory. Steel tables and shiny white floors adorned the room. The blue lights illuminated off of the other surfaces to make the room seem incredibly well lit and almost blinding. Instead of simple tables now there were many different work stations with different contraptions and gemstones. The room was a cacophony of magical artifacts and processes; from simple devices like lamps and stoves, to more complex creations such as engines and weaponry. Prometheus had an entire laboratory filled with the ideas and creations of his own idea and design hidden right underneath the veil of the other room. However, the main focus was positioned in the center of the room; a large Golem of stone and bronze knelt against the ground with its head bowed. The entrance to the room had seemingly disappeared, while the spell was active no one was able to enter or leave.
"Fuju told me in unspecific terms that there seems to be some sort of deception going on with this Telluides character," Prometheus said.
"Impossible," Daedalus replied, " Telluides is an Azurite we saw for ourselves."
"I thought the same thing, but if that were the case why would Fuju say anything at all? He is the type to speak out of pocket but never to speak hastily. I get the feeling there is some truth behind what he says," Prometheus replied.
"But if he is an Azurite it doesn't matter," Daedalus said.
"What is the big deal with this whole Azurite business?" Prometheus said.
"They are sworn to the ruling leaders of Midoku. They are unparalleled in combat but are also fiercely loyal as well. Each Azurite makes a pact with the Sentinel and his heir to swear by and go after their code. In doing so, the Azurite signs over a bond of servitude to the ruler; in word and in blood. Azurite's are magically restricted from disobeying or neglecting their leader," Daedalus said."
"What happens if they do?" Prometheus asked.
"Simple," Daedalus replied, "they die."
Prometheus understood a little better as to why some of the others were so willing to believe this Azurite. But instead of providing answers, it only made things more confusing. The people who would have put the spell on the Azurites would have been the archmages, yet an archmage is the one questioning his loyalty. No matter how Prometheus looked at it, nothing added up.
"I think it would be best if we consulted the golem on this," Prometheus said.
"Are you crazy?" Daedalus replied, "we have an archmage on the ship. If you use the golem the amount of arcane energy will basically be a way to say 'hey look what we are doing'!"
"That is why I sent Fuju away," Prometheus said, "he is currently trying to find Garus. And given the fact that I haven't received any sort of message of his return it is safe to say we are in the clear."
Daedalus shook his head, "this is a bad idea. What are you hoping to gain from this? We know Azurites can't lie!" Daedalus said.
"And yet an archmage thinks one did. I want to know how that could be possible," Prometheus said. He walked past Daedalus and rolled up his sleeves. As he walked he was suddenly overtaken with a strange sense of fatigue. He put his hand on the workstation closest to him and took a second to regain his balance.
"Prometheus?" Daedalus said.
Prometheus stood up straight, "it's nothing," he replied, "I just lost my balance. He walked over to the golem kneel on the floor. Near it was a pedestal with three glowing crystals of energy. Prometheus grabbed on and walked toward the golems head. In the middle of the head, where the eyes should be, was a solitary hole. Prometheus readied to insert the crystal into the hole but stopped just before.
"Daedalus," Prometheus said, "is Telluides asleep?"
Daedalus pressed a button in his belt. Smoke came forth and filled a small section of the room. It formed into a small bed with the sleeping figure of Telluides within it.
"It would seem so," Daedalus said, sighing.
"Then we can begin," Prometheus exclaimed as he inserted the crystal into the eye.