Zhang Xiao waited only a short distance away, her wanderings were drawing ever closer towards the room where the siren's whistle came calling from. As she quickly began stepping in that direction, she failed to notice a sudden change in the steps and started to fall, only to be caught by Zaisu, who swung up to catch onto a support beam. To anyone else it might have looked like she had just hung herself but her neck had grown very strong from Zaisu's constant abuses so she was unfazed by his sudden save. "Thank you, I'll try to be more careful, I should not rush so quickly." Xiao placed her feet back down on the ground and continued forward, carefully making the way down towards the room that Lily had summoned her towards.

Xiao saw the new man, someone she did not recognize and quickly began studying the situation. From the way that Lorry and Lily stood, it became clear that this man was something of an intruder, or at least an unwanted guest. Xiao lowered her arms and rested her bracelet against her hips as she came over towards Lily. Her bare chest was cold, but she wanted to keep her hands down and ready in case the man proved to be hostile. Even as she approached, she still didn't understand how to react to the situation. So she came over to the side of Lily and smiled to the older woman pleasantly, "I heard your call. That was the signal for us to gather up, or did I misinterpret this?" She stood up straight in order to try to make up for the fact that she was five feet tall in a group where everyone else had nearly a foot of height on her. "I need to ask for help, when we are done with this gathering."

The question of proof would have likely been painfully predictable even if Michael had not already heard its ripples through one of his trances. While nothing even remotely like his name was to be found, a family crest engraved above what he assumed to be the courtyard's entrance held his mother's name, Acerbi. It was quite obvious that each and every one of these people were foreigners, except for maybe the dog in the rafters, so such a name may have just failed to register in the squatters minds. Before he would have a chance to point that little fact out, he would have to actually figure out which deviation was going to occur, and as such was perfectly ready to surprise the endlessly confident Magician with the fact that nullification doesn't work on a collapsing building. He located and targeted each of the structural weak points necessary to bring down the entirety of the castle and listened apathetically to the Tower's worthless words.

After such words, Michael would have to stand being haphazardly examined by a thief who still referred to his mother's castle as being her own property. With her seemingly blind eyes finally deciphering what a set of tarot cards looked like, she exclaimed a guess at what type of magic he could be; you don't need to be a Chronomancer to use a tarot deck as a catalyst, and the weaver assumption had seemingly no basis. While still attempting to figure out exactly which way this would all work out, the Tower just continued her rambling and ended her statement with the upward inflection that marks a question.

With the comment from the Magician the scenario was set and it was decided that bringing his property down around him wasn't part of it. But since the cards had already been charged with the historical event of the moment, the raising of Persepolis, they needed an outlet and a nullifier was there to provide storage. The cards each returned to their proper places amongst the deck and fell into the Chronomancer's hands, only to be immediately aimed towards the gun toting Magician. "Tell me, what's the stereotypes you foreigners have for Black Magic?" The Ley line nexus that this castle was built on certainly proved its worth when a torrent of energy burst forth from the deck of cards and impacted their invulnerable target.

As the storm of power struck the Magician, Michael walked after the thieving Tower, even after his pained ears desperately wanted to get as far away from her as possible. He would find himself amongst a group of people, a few of which had already been gathered into the courtyard. The next major concern was the revealing of the deception at play to the Moon, as that would confirm specifically what derivation this was.

Isabel nodded along with David's words and then finally shrugged, "You think we could even find our fearless leader in this labyrinth? It was dumb luck I managed to make it out here." Truth be told, she didn't even want to go back within the castle. It was such a pretty day to be spent inside a dead castle. Though, the alchemists probably found a nice large room to concoct their potions and what not. Luckily finding Lily wasn't the issue, though the high pitched magic-aided whistle cutting through the air did cause Isabel to jump a little. She turned looked at their employer, "Looks like we won't be needing to find her at all, huh David?" She said, looking up at the man. Yes, look up. Though she spoke to the man as an equal, he still managed to easily have a foot and a half over her. Truth be told, she was perhaps the shortest there, barring the strange Asian woman who opted to not wear a shirt... She had made up her mind to avoid her until she managed to scrounge a top.

She glanced at David upon the appearance of this such woman, wondering how the pious man would act. Izzy could tell from the way he spoke and what he had said that the man was a religious figure. Strange considering his school of necromancy. Or perhaps because of it. Izzy wasn't a Psychology major, so all of her thoughts were useless conjecture. "You think she even has a shirt?" She whispered to David. The girl was young, younger than Izzy was by a bit. David, again, was looking to be the winner for being the most normal there.

Then, she saw someone else. No one she had saw on the ride, she would have remembered that blond hair. He had followed behind Lily out into the courtyard, and had piqued her curiosity. She looked back at David for the last time and said, "Shall we?" Jerking her head towards the gathering. Barefooted, she stepped out of the stone gazebo and onto the cool grass as she approached her employer. As she spoke, she took her gloves out of her back pocket and began to slip them over her hands. Who knew, maybe Lily would want a demonstration. "Hey boss? You rang?" She said as she approached, her eyes flitted between those that had gathered so far. Lily, Lorry, the naked Asian (who Izzy tried her best to ignore), and the newcomer. Her eyes lingered on the stranger before speaking again, "Hey Lily, who's this guy? I thought there were only eight of us. I don't remember his face from the ride here," she said, giving the man a inquisitive look. Course, she didn't remember many faces from the ride either, but his in particular

As she waited for Lily's response, Izzy kept a suspicious eye on the man. She didn't like something about that man. Perhaps it was the unknown she didn't like. Would explain why she felt suspicious about the man in the rafters too.

Rita held onto her shoulder as she swung her arm around in small circles, seemingly preparing herself for the physical activity. Grasping onto the handle, Rita noted the smooth furnish and style. The castle, or at least this section of it, was quite obviously old.

Before Rita gave an actual tug, however, a shrill noise echoed throughout the castle, making the dark haired alchemist cringe with sensitivity.

"Ugh... D-did you hear that?" Rita said, opening a single eye to look about the room. "I dunno what it is, but let's go check it out. We'll deal with this door later." Grabbing onto Jaida's wrist, Rita pulled the girl along out the room and down the long spiral stairs. However, with Rita's obviously inactive lifestyle, Jaida quickly overcame her until it seemed like Rita was holding on just to catch up.

Arriving outside, the two alchemists noticed that the rest of Lily's comrades had gathered together as they seemed to side against a well dressed blond haired man. The man seemed to be tapping into a larger source of energy that gathered quickly around a deck of cards he was holding. In a bout of surprise however, Rita watched as a black bolt of energy erupted from the deck to strike the man Rita remembered as 'Lorry'. Despite the rather impressive display of power, however, the magic seemed to fizzle against him.

Isabel nodded along with David's words and then finally shrugged, "You think we could even find our fearless leader in this labyrinth? It was dumb luck I managed to make it out here." Now that Isabel mentioned it, David tried to remember how he had reached the outside. Was it left, down, right? Right, left, down? That wasn't a smart move. He'd have find the entrance to the castle and then get back to his room.

Luckily finding Lily wasn't the issue, though the high pitched magic-aided whistle cutting through the air. "Looks like we won't be needing to find her at all, huh David?" Isabel said, looking up at David. David nodded, somewhat in happiness. They would have surely been in trouble if Lily hadn't come along. He turned back towards the railing, looked at the fishes and sighed. Now the truth would be out, and hopefully it would make sense. David would be happier if they were here to protect some Mafia guy. At least that would be realistic. But then again, "Vatican says it is true." David hated quite a few in their brotherhood, but none of them were lunatics. They would never joke around.

Isabel glanced at David and whispered, "You think she even has a shirt?" David wasn't sure how to react. Did Isabel want him to look at a naked woman? He was stumped for a second. Why'd she want him to look at a naked woman? Did she take him as a pervert and was testing him? He didn't look back and carried on staring at the fishes. Also, why was there a naked woman?

"Shall we?" asked Isabel a few moments later and stepped away from the pond and towards Lily. David turned towards Isabel and the others thinking, I'll just ignore this wom-

The very next instant David turned back towards the pond, eyes shut. "Oh God. That's not a woman... that's a kid," he muttered to himself. He wasn't going anywhere near that place. Many in church were taunted as pedophiles, David was too once called a pedophile, and if he was seen with a shirtless girl, that would be end of his life. "Go on ahead," he said to Isabel, who was already a couple of meters away.

Luckily, or unluckily, they were only a few meters away from him so he didn't need to turn around. Not that he would, but still.

"Hey boss? You rang? Hey Lily, who's this guy? I thought there were only eight of us. I don't remember his face from the ride here," Isabel said. David realized that , yes, they were in fact supposed to be only eight people, including the man in the rafters. He had noticed the blond man when he had turned back. Who was this person?

If this guy was going to fight them, David would be of no use. There were no dead bodies and they already had a Blood magician. So, not getting in the way was the best option to take. But more importantly, who was this guy? Lily had said there were eight possible members, including herself and Lorry. And considering Lily or Lorry did not mind the guy in the rafters, this guy was not in that list of eight. Maybe they found this guy in the time between 'recruiting' David and the plane ride. Had Lily researched about this guy? He surely hoped so or they could have a spy in their ranks. Or this was a game show. A reality show organized to fool him. David smiled. This was actually the best explanation he could come up with right now. "Oh God, let this be a game show," he prayed.

Jaida was in the process of attempting to give a mighty tug on the large brass ring, when the sudden, shrill noise had the woman cringing, with one ear pressing uncomfortably to her shoulder. Gritting her teeth, and peering around the room through narrowed eyes, she was about to make a comment on it when Rita beat her to the punch, grasping her wrist and tugging her out of the room and on down the spiral staircase.

The pair stumbled upon the gathering of the ‘chosen’, with Lily and Lorry standing at the center, facing off against a figure she didn’t recognize. Hmm, there were more people here than she’d originally anticipated. The cards that floated around the stranger figure radiated a unique, pulsating energy that actually put Jaida on edge.

She’d never been a fan of black magic.

She held her breath as Michael finally started to march after Lily, hesitating and standing off to one side, closer to Lorry and Izzy as the angry black magician stalked away.

“So, “ She said to no one in particular, “What stick got rammed up that guy’s ass?”

And not just him, it seemed as though everyone down here was tense about something.

While waiting for everyone to assemble, Lily went over scenarios in her head. She wanted to word things just right, without making things seem too grim, but she also didn't want to sugarcoat anything. They were in this together, for good or for ill. Her reverie was broken as both Isabel and Zhang popped up next to her.

"I heard your call. That was the signal for us to gather up, or did I misinterpret this? I need to ask for help, when we are done with this gathering." piped Xaio. Nodding absentmindedly, the older woman kept scanning the group as they arrived. To Isabel, she held up a finger to ask for a moment. All would be explained once she was sure they were all there. Lily cleared her throat and adjusted her hat.

"I have some news, both good and bad," she stated matter-of-factly. Mentally she winced at the cliché line, but kept going. "You all know that you're here for an important task, but I want to make it doubly clear. We are here to stop the end of our existence. It won't be an easy task...Hell, it'll probably be the hardest thing anyone has ever done, but it's up to us. You all are the cream of the crop, or have the potential to be."

Lily paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "First, a warning. I would say that if you don't think you can do it, you may leave...But you can't. Not because I'm telling you that you can't, but simply that if you leave now, everyone will die. Second, your best won't be good enough. Not on its own. We all have to be the best. 'Cause you see, our enemy isn't just this cult. It isn't just a group of crazy mages with insane power. It's that, as well as a Goddess! I don't mean the empty deities that people worship in temples, but a real being with real, infinite power. Well, nigh infinite, actually. The cult of Caernavon is researching a way to bind their Goddess into a mortal shell. If that happens, they will have access to all her destructive power and it'll all be over. In case none of you have researched into obscure occult gods, Caernavon happens to be the Big Boss. Her weapons are Pestilence, Plague and Death, and believe me, she will know how to use them."

Her allies shifted uneasily as her speech went on. Lily frowned slightly, realizing that she was painting a bleak and hopeless picture for them. "Don't worry though! The cultists are only humans, and humans make mistakes. Their first one was letting me in and then not hunting me down when I left. We won't let them make a second. However, in order to stop them, we have to train. They won't be as cohesive as we will. The cultists will be a group of individuals, easily divided...easily slaughtered. We will be one unit, a thresher to their wheat. When I'm done with us, we will be the ones that they will fear!"

Her voice rose in pitch as she neared the end of her pep talk, oozing emotion and confidence. Lily fully believed that this group of eight, maybe nine, could become something more, and she made sure they knew of her faith.

"Today, rest and get set up, because we start tomorrow, bright and early. We'll have to fix up the castle, get supplies, set up training areas. It's going to be an involved task, so prepare yourselves.That's all I have for you."

Lily allowed the group to disperse as it pleased, some breaking into pairs, others alone. After a while, she turned to Xaio to see what the girl needed.

Xiao felt excitement as Lily spoke passionately about their mission. This was just a merc job, something with a really high pay, but something about the way Lily talked, filled with ambition and furor that made her seem attractive. Xiao was also quite aware that Zaisu was feeling amused by the prospects of going up against a goddess. Plague, Pestilence and Death! A triad of destruction that would mean a powerful enemy to crush. Xiao immediately decided that this goddess sounded more like the god of Christianity, bringing death and suffering where ever the followers of the faith went. Disease for natives, sickness and pain for those they met and death for those that opposed them, throw in pedophilia and child sex slavery and the two cults weren't far off. The difference, Xiao thought to herself, is that this goddess is evidently real.

Xiao took a good look at her fellow mages, a random assortment of people from all walks of life, except no blacks. Two asians, a hispanic woman and a room full of white folk. Xiao tuned back in to hear Lily say that they would be starting in the morning, that they would be repairing the castle and beginning to train. Zaisu seemed to perk up at the though of training, roughly scraping across the back of her neck, just enough to leave a mark.

As Lily turned to face Xiao she gave a nod of respect, "I need warmth. The tower I've taken a liking to is going to get cold at night. Could I either get a space heater or could you ask the alchemists to make something I can place on the floor to make it warm up? Italy is much colder than I had anticipated. Xiao gave a half smile to her employer, "Zaisu and I can do some of the heavy lifting if you want, but I'm not a carpenter or a mason. Still, If you need someone killed," Xiao glanced at the man who seemed like an intruder, "then don't hesitate to give me the order."

Lorry got the feeling he incensed the Italian further with his absentminded words, but he didn't particularly care. In fact, he found the man's passive-aggressive demeanor toward him quite amusing, though most things did amuse the Nullifier. Throughout history, many of the occult associated themselves with the mystical quirks such as flowing robes, knuckle bone readings, and tarot cards. At the same time, many wanted to profit off that venture, establishing the well-known stereotype of the fortune-teller by making these quirks a staple of what could have been a simple magician. It was also no secret that most Chronomancers tended toward jobs that their talents suited them for, and many opted for the most obvious- fortune telling. And what better way to attract customers and establish a name than to acquire the stereotypes of the soothsayers of old? Lorry considered the question that Vizi directed at him carefully, noting with some levity his emphasis on "you foreigners" as black magic accumulated around his body like a dark nimbus.

"Black Magicians?" drawled Lorry, "Well, usually I think they are blonde, Italian, and act holier-than-thou most of the time." Almost immediately after, the Chronomancer dispelled his elicited storm of black magic at Lorry, who barely flinched as the cloud struck him with no ill effect. Dissipating quickly, Lorry was left to re-evaluate the Italian's smooth temperament once more. The nullifier did allow the fact that they, apparently, were trespassing on his land, but this plot was of his employer's choice to 'train' his new comrades, and as long as he was getting a fat paycheck, he didn't mind annexing the poor sob's castle.

Following the crowd out, he relaxed himself against the edge of the door as everyone assembled in front of Crishon. Even as she began speaking, Lorry resisted the urge to shut down and tune her words out. Her words ever flowery and pretty, yes, but the situation she set was grim nevertheless. Her seated assurance that they would prevail was naught but empty words of encouragement as of now. The recruits had potential, but they had to work for it. Lorry, being much older than the lot of them was still considered to be a little bit past the greenhorn stage back at HQ. The speech ended, and Lorry immediately moved to leave, entering back through the doorway and going to his room on the first floor worker quarter's room. Closing the door behind him, he opened the suitcase and took out what few possessions he bothered to bring with him. Most of it was maintenance gear for his tools he usually carried on him, but others were things associated with security. Some clothes were put in the drawers, and he set up a little security system consisting of a couple of motion sensors hidden around the room and a camera. He took out a thin laptop, grinning in satisfaction when he learned that he remembered to charge it. It was filled with lots of incriminating records, all copied from the server back home. He typed in a password, and let his thumb rest on the fingerpad to scan his print. Pulling up some documents, he set about finishing some reports that he would have been doing if he were back at home. It was highly unlikely anyone but Crishon should have the incentive of seeking him out, so he felt safe in leaving the doors and windows unlocked. It'd probably be more suspicious if he did lock it.

After hours of tossing and turning, Lily gave up trying to get any rest for the night. In the two weeks that her group had been 'training', progress was little. There were still pieces of the castle in disrepair, the electricity was faulty, and worst of all, her crew still hadn't improved much! Their abilties may have progressed some, but function as a unit, they did not. Lily had been searching in ever widening circles for a test of some sort for the past couple days, and just the night before, she'd found it. A small hamlet, isolated like the castle, had been taken over by a group of mages. They'd slaughtered most of the inhabitants, using the remaining live ones as playthings and experiments.

Throwing on her traveling coat, Lily strode briskly to the main courtyard and whistled shrilly, once and then again after a few seconds. She didn't much care if she was disturbing their precious night's sleep. If Lily wasn't sleeping tonight, neither was anyone else. She took to pacing and muttering under her breath as the rest started to arrive, making her displeasure known.

"Ok since everyone's here, I'll make this quick. You've not been improving...at least, not in the ways I need you to. So we're gonna take a field trip and get some real life testing done. There's a small town to our southeast that's been taken over by hostile mages. We're gonna take it back. Now, some things to remember while we're there. We are a team, and that means we work like one. Use each other's strengths and cover each other's weaknesses. I don't want to see anyone by themselves, and whatever gods you pray to so help me, if one of us gets hurt because someone else wasn't covering them, I'll make you regret the day of your conception!"

Lily stopped herself for a moment, massaging her temples. The last thing she needed was to get angry and lecture these men and women like they were children, but it was hard.

"In the last two weeks, you've all improved individually quite well, but you're still individuals! The culties are individuals too, but there's more of them then us. In order to counteract that, we have to be one unit. I've said all this before, but you didn't seem to take it to heart. Well here's your chance to prove yourselves to each other. You fight together...or die alone. Suit up and meet me at the flatbed in ten minutes," finished Lily with a growl. The end of the world wasn't going to go easy on anyone, and neither would she. These were grown ass adults, and Lily wasn't about to pussyfoot around to spare their feelings. She couldn't afford to.

As soon as everyone was on-board, Lily slammed the heap into gear and took off. The hamlet was about a seventy miles from the castle, so they had to go pretty quick to make good time. About two miles out, the truck puttered out and died. After a couple minutes trying to revive the beast, Lily gave up and had everyone simply take their gear on the march. It'd be stealthier this way anyways. On the outskirts of the village, Lily stopped them.

"We do this quiet like as for as long as possible. Once the alarm goes up, stick together unless otherwise instructed. Remember, under NO circumstance should anyone get separated. Ok, move out."

The moon shone dimly from behind the cloud cover, providing a decent atmosphere for their work.

Xiao woke quickly from her rest, she had always been a bit of a light sleeper, ever cautious of what lay ahead in the waking world. With no real personal possessions to grab, everything she would need was either worn or part of her, she was quick to descend down to meet her employer. Half expecting the castle to be under attack, Xiao was on guard as she came to present herself before her still generally mysterious employer. These last couple of weeks had been nothing but frustration, Xiao's skills were far behind most of the group, and even as she tried her hardest, she felt inferior to nearly everyone present. Still Lily hadn't thrown her out yet, so maybe there was some sort of role she still could serve.

"Orders?" were the first words to escape her lips as she ran up to Lily, her eyes briefly scanning around the area. She was ready to try to fight off any danger that might present an immediate threat. As the others came to join them, and Lily explained her disappointment in the failures of the group, Xiao hung her head in shame. Xiao wanted very much to not simply be a glaring weakness that everyone else needed to protect, she would rather they simply allowed her to die. The mission seemed beyond any job that Xiao had ever taken before, and at this point she was wholly devoted to it.

Ten minutes was hardly necessary, Xiao simply walked out to the flatbed, took a seat and waited for everyone else to get ready. Zaisu was always around her throat, the only tool she made any use of. The bangle she wore hadn't seen much use, as she had yet to be pressed into drawing power from it. A pool of blood magic energy and she couldn't figure out anything decent to use that power for. Part of her hoped that the situation would be pushy enough, that she would get cornered and she'd be able to motivate herself to tap into her life force. Supposedly there was power there, though she wasn't sure if that was true.

As they walked along the last two miles, Xiao listened carefully to Lily's orders. They wouldn't be too hard to follow, assuming that the situation didn't go badly. If someone died, she was pretty sure that the team would fall into a panic. "Does this mean we will not be using gunfire, at least until the alarm sounds?" It was a rare opportunity for Xiao to shine, she knew how to be quiet and Zaisu was an excellent tool for killing quietly. "Forgive me for asking, but I want to confirm. We are killing these people, yes?" Xiao would be satified with whatever answer she was given.

The unnatural, shrill whistle instantly roused Lorry from his light sleep. He looked at the watch he left on the nightstand, and sighed. Sleep always did come less for people in power. He got up, dressing himself in light clothes as well as his body armor. Clicking his vambrace in place, he belted his swords to his waist and holstered his gun over the rest. He stretched, assuring himself that he could move quite nicely and checked the mirror.

"Lookin' good." He said, his voice hoarse with sleep. Pointing at his reflection, he left the room, closing the door behind him. He wasn't too worried about being broken into, as many of his devices that contained sensitive data would simply self-destruct if anybody but him accessed it. Though it would be amusing to watch a hacker trying to sift through an eternity code trying to make heads or tails of the gibberish. Moving downstairs with sure steps, he occasionally pinched himself to ensure he wasn't zoning out. As professional as he was, waking up when duty called was still a bit difficult for the Nullifier.

As he entered the courtyard, he noticed that he was one of the first. Leaning next to the door once more, he watched his client pace back and forth restlessly. It was evident a lecture was to come. His lips twisted into a little grin at the prospect. As everyone else arrived, the surly look on the sleepless mage's face became more pronounced. She then exploded. Listening to her rant, he supposed he could give her points for going straight to the point. Lorry had been accustomed to working alone or with very few partners that he didn't synergize well with the others. Not to mention that most of them seemed to regard him with ire. Perhaps he wasn't cracking enough jokes. Lorry raised an eyebrow as her pointed comments became more and more stinging. Threats weren't the best way to make people work together. Nor was he so sure that the proprietor of this estate would enjoy taking this. Or Susanoo. Or that fiery bartender.

What surprised Lorry was the sudden call for action. Retaking a hamlet from a bunch of rogue mages. As Crishon described the problem, Lorry mulled over the rationale behind these mages for slaughtering everybody. What the hell was the government doing about this? People don't just dismiss the disappearance or murder of a group of civilians. His visage darkened slightly. The situation regarding these matters weren't much better back home. He didn't object though. A real skirmish is a better motivator than cheap simulations. He got in the truck with the rest, taking shotgun once more. When the truck spluttered out, Lorry sighed and got out. Judging from the distance, they would be two miles away. And they had to march.

About half-an-hour later of marching, they had finally reached the hamlet, where they received orders to stick together, and stay stealthy. Lorry gestured in affirmation. He moved to the front of the group- as a Nullifier, he would easily be able to absorb weaver traps or magical attacks of any magnitude. Since they had to remain quiet, the Sauer in it's holster would have to remain there. he drew one butterfly sword, holding it at the ready as he proceeded toward the village.