They used the cover of the night to slip down the steep slate sides of the valley. The criminal organization had trimmed every tree in the area so it was nothing but open ground when nearing the castle. When they reached the edge of the tree line Ace told Maya to follow each of his moves exactly after he had done them. He left Maya at the tree line and cautiously moved closer to the castle. When a searchlight was about to pass over him he quickly got down and hid behind a rock. The rock was low but wide so he laid on his back and waited for it to pass. After it had passed Ace quickly got up and ran to the wall. He gently put all of his fingertips together and covered them with a type of deterioration magic. It allowed him to break the hard stone wherever his fingers touched allowing him to climb his way up the wall.
He reached the top of the wall and looked left and right and there were at least ten other guards on the wall. He quickly dropped down and crouched in the bottom right corner of the castle wall, behind some crates. He took out his knife and transferred the magic over to it allowing him to cut through the stone like warm butter. He pushed out the stone to create a little crawl way for Maya to get in. When Maya finally got through the hole, Ace closed it back up. After looking from the corner a while, a group of two initiatives passed by and were grabbed by Maya and Ace. Ace stabbed the knife into his victim's throat while Maya choked hers out. When hers was unconscious he slit her throat and they both took the uniforms from them then shoved the bodied into the crates and started to make their way to the front door.
The red and black uniforms allowed them to pass by the other initiatives. They both wore face masks and Maya had her hair tucked uncomfortably inside it as well. They passed by numerous other groups of people that were joining the thorns, who of which were standing or sitting on crates having friendly conversations. When they got in they, at first attempted to go straight for the cells. They were stopped by a large member who told them "Where are you going?" The brute asked. "We're looking for the bathroom." Ace said. "Classic. After you join you'll have all the time to look around. Go into the main room, boss is about to give his speech." The brute said before pushing them through a double door into a large room.
In the room were hundreds of initiatives, all waiting for the boss to initiate them. Thorn banners hung from the wall along with torches. There was a stage on the front of the room lit up by tiki torches and guards. Ace and Harley pushed their way to the front of the crowd and blended in and waited for the speech to start and then be over. "Do you think the actual boss of the Thorns will be here?" Maya asked. "Dunno." Ace said. After a while of standing around uncomfortably, a man stepped out and made his way to the center of the stage. He wore a black trench coat with the bottom tattered along with the color and cuff of the sleeves. He had dark purple hair with light streaks on top and blue eyes. He wore a simple black tank top and dark brown cargo pants.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Whores and Sluts! Step right up, come on don't be shy!" The man spoke with a honeyed and orotund voice. "If you want to work for me! You have to follow my rules! Now I'm not going to lie! We're all here to make a quick buck! But in all honesty it's the happiness of my that gets my ass up each goddamn morning! To other workers! The company is god! I bring that same idea to my humble organization right here! I expect you to do the same! Now there are only two company rules you have to follow! First rule, protect the products! You can fuck them boys but be gentle! Second rule, All profits come to me and me alone! I'm an understanding boss but if you break one of these rules!" The man said before quickly pulling out a revolver and shooting the person directly next to Maya in the head in a second. "I shall have you put through much much worse than that! Alright now enough talk! Those pathetic kingdoms want do destroy my life's work! Show them we mean business!" The boss said and all the guards in the room started shooting their guns in the air.
"Let's go." Ace said. Maya and Ace started searching for the cells and when they finally found them, Maya stood at the hallway entrance while Ace searched each cells. The necklace would tell which person was Maya's brother. About four doors down the amulet started to vibrate and Ace pried open the lock and looked in the darkness to see a shirtless man, beaten and scarred and chained to the wall. Ace quickly ran up and asked "Do you remember this?" Ace said. The man's eyes lit up as he tried to grab the amulet but was chained. "How did you? Give that back!" The man said. "No I'm here to rescue you." Ace said as he pried apart the chains with his knife.
"What's your name?" Ace asked before he pried off the final chain. "Azreal." The man said. "Do you know who Maya is?" Ace asked. "Blue hair. Sister. Raskalova." Azreal said. Ace pried off his chains and carried him to the door way where he told him Maya was at the end of the hallway and started to walk with him. He remembered he had left the amulet on the floor of the cell like an idiot and said he'd be right back and went to get it.
He picked up the silver necklace and turned to walk out the door but heard "Peek a boo mother fucker." Before being knocked out cold.