Author's Note: I apologize for lagging so much on this story, I've had major writer's block these past couple months. Thank you to my readers who have been so patient! Anyhoo, don't worry I promise I will finish this story along with my others. Enjoy!:)

"It is forbidden to kill;

therefore all murderers are punished

unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets"

-Voltaire

Deep within the Obsidian Forest, there stood the dark guild Manticore Paw. Instead of the usual building that most guilds worked in, this one was located in a deep, dark cave surrounded by thick foliage. The nearby villagers knew better than to go anywhere near the place, let alone the trail that lead to it.

A hooded figure quickly walked the beaten path toward the ominous cavern, occasionally looking behind his shoulder. He entered it without hesitation, welcomed by demonic symbols and pictures drawn on the wall. As he walked through the tunnel, he finally emerged into a large clearing. Beat-up tables and chairs filled up the rock grotto with an equally worn bar table located near the back. The walls were covered in the same markings as the entrance, save the huge winged paw print branded clearly above the bar. Huge stalactites with sharp points were scattered across the cave's ceiling, an ignored threat to those below.

There were nearly a couple hundred dark mages mingling with each other, drinking and cackling about their recent jobs. As the hooded man walked through the crowd, he heard snippets of conversation that included recent assassinations and high-end bank robberies. Walking up the stone staircase that lead to the upper rooms, the man picked up his pace as he approached a set of two doors. Without knocking, he barged into the room and removed his hood.

He revealed himself to be a young man near his early twenties with a skinny frame and greasy black hair. His bright yellow eyes glowed eerily in the dim room as he anxiously looked at his master.

"I did everything you asked. No one suspects that it was Manticore behind the kidnapping of the Minell girl. Apparently, the Rune Knights are looking for two suspects that don't resemble Duke or Alexis at all." The head master of Manticore Paw, Markus Henrik, leaned back in his chair as he chugged down a mug full of beer. He was a heavy, middle aged man with wild, dirty blonde hair that curled out in all directions. Markus looked at his henchmen through one buzzed eye as he fiddled with the black eye patch that covered the other.

"It looks like we're off the hook! Erin, it's time for a celebration, give the men a free barrel on me!" he crowed drunkenly. Erin looked at his master apprehensively.

"Shouldn't we be a bit more…suspicious? Forget the Knights, it's been almost two weeks since the kidnapping and Phantom Lord has done nothing!" he said. Maybe he was being paranoid, but wasn't it a little odd that one of the biggest guilds in Fiore had done nothing in vengeance?

"Why would they attack us? The whole thing was coincidental, nothing personal. I'm sure Jose Porla would at least understand that" slurred Markus as he leaned back and forth in his chair. Erin couldn't help but look at him in alarm.

"But he is also known for his temper. It doesn't help that Duke and Alexis attacked his top mage! I knew we shouldn't have picked the Minell's… mumbled Erin.

"Look kid, you need to relax. If Jose was going to do anything, he would've by now. Besides, he wouldn't want to tarnish his 'official guild' reputation. His own fault in the end, really" slurred Markus, as he finished off the last of his drink.

"All I ask is that we bump up security. Maybe gather some guys up to keep watch outside?" asked Erin desperately. Markus gave him an annoyed look as he massaged his temples with one hand.

"How many times must I tell you…"said Markus, as a loud string of yells and explosions came from down the hall. Erin whirled around as his whole body started to shake.

"It's them!" he whispered hysterically. "They've come for us!" Markus gave a frustrated sigh as he got up from his seat and pushed Erin aside.

"Would you quit your worrying? The men always blow shit up when they drink too much" said Markus as he opened the door to meet a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Surprise" growled a menacing voice.

Juvia walked in the rain with her teammates, the Element Four, down a muddy path. Totomaru lead the way with Monsieur Sol right behind, Juvia third, and Aria bringing up the rear. Gajeel was sent ahead to scout the area for any traps or ambushes ahead. He was not going to make the same mistake of being caught off guard again.

After their meeting with Master Jose, Gajeel and Juvia's teammates were ordered to train with each other immediately. Juvia was surprised at how much she had grown in a couple weeks, managing to form new attacks and shrink the radius of her constant rain curse to about 100 feet.

Jose praised her rapid progress, but Juvia took no joy in it. The main reason behind the Phantoms training was only to take revenge on Manticore Paw. The plan was to infiltrate the guild without anyone's notice, including the Rune Knights and the Magic Council. Jose had given them strict instructions to make sure that no law enforcement of any kind interfered.

While the group kept walking, Juvia sensed a presence coming toward them but relaxed when Gajeel appeared out of the bushes.

"Found 'em in a cave just north of here. Sol, can you take us in from here?" asked Gajeel. Monsieur Sol adjusted his monocle as he swayed back and forth.

"Just a bit outside the entrance Gajeel-san, and I will be able to take all of us in, non non non!" said Sol. Gajeel nodded his head and lead the way further into the forest. It only took a couple minutes for the group to reach the dark guild.

"Alright, grab onto me and don't let go. If you do, you will get stuck in the earth below and I won't be able to get you out" said Sol. As the Phantoms placed a firm grasp onto him, Sol used his power of earth to morph him and the others into the ground.

The feeling of her body turning into stone rather than water felt so surreal to Juvia. Her body felt heavier and denser as Sol moved them at a rapid pace. The deeper they went, the more claustrophobic Juvia felt with all the different rock formations surrounding her. Just as her grip on Sol loosened out of panic, Sol slowly pushed them up higher through softer ground.

Sol's giant eye appeared onto the cave floor as it looked at its surroundings. Seeing that they where in the perfect spot for an attack, Sol slowly brought himself and the others through the floor. The group was surrounded by drunk, dark mages, unaware of their presence. As they positioned themselves for attack, Master Jose's last words rang throughout their heads.

Remember, it has to look like an accident…make sure you teach them a lesson they'll never forget…

"Now" whispered Gajeel, as the Phantoms shot out in every direction.

"Roche Concerto!" yelled Sol as he summoned a torrent of gigantic rocks and hurled them toward the enemy. His spell wiped out almost an entire corner of the guild, sending dark mages flying everywhere.

The other dark mages of Manticore Paw looked around wildly, shocked at the unexpected attack. A few braver souls stood on their feet and prepared their magic.

"You'll regret messing with Manticore Paw, you son of a bitch!" yelled a shorter mage as him and three others shot out a whirlwind of fire at Sol. Before the flames could reach him, Totomaru jumped in front and reflected the attack back to the mages with a flick of his index finger. The mages howled in pain as the fire licked the clothes off their skin.

"All fire is under my control" he said with grin. "Your attacks are useless." Gathering all the fire that was left, Totomaru sent it to another batch of enemies and used his super speed to cut them down with his katanna.

On the opposite side of the guild, Juvia found herself completely surrounded, but stood her ground with ease. The wizards threw countless attacks one after the other but they had no effect.

"Water Nebula" said Juvia as she gathered two pillars of water from her palms. Growing them to about two stories high, Juvia twisted the water together into a cyclone and flung it at her enemies. Her attack swept the mages away, destroying most of the bar with it.

Juvia whipped around to attack her next target when she felt a sharp twinge hit the back of her shoulder, causing her to fall to her knees. Juvia gasped as she saw a giant hole on her body, leaving an array of ripples that slowly mended themselves back to her original form.

"Ha! Got ya bitch!" yelled a mage with twin pistols as Juvia grimaced, confused at the pain. The gunman walked up to her and shoved a pistol to the center of her forehead. Before he could pull the trigger, Aria suddenly appeared behind him soundlessly.

"Zetsu" said Aria as he held out his hands. Juvia could hear a string of explosions escape from them as the gunman howled in pain, burn marks appearing across his body. Turning his blinded gaze toward the other mages surrounding them, Aria sent another wave of the invisible attack, knocking down dozens of mages in his wake. Juvia looked up at him in amazement, now knowing why Jose had chosen him as the leader of the Element Four.

"Get up and fight, Juvia. You are in enough trouble already" said Aria as he fended off more enemies. Juvia nodded her head in agreement as she got up and faced Aria back to back.

"Water Slicer!" yelled Juvia as she sent out her water scythes, injuring several mages at once.

It seemed all too easy for Juvia and the Phantoms as they took down mage after mage. The training that Juvia went through with her teammates was finally paying off as they moved like a well-oiled machine.

In all of the chaos, a loud explosion erupted from the entrance to the upper rooms. The master of Manticore Paw flew through the hole and skidded amongst the battlefield. His comrades looked to their fallen leader as he struggled to stand up before passing out. Juvia looked up to see Gajeel grinning form ear to ear.

"Tch and you're supposed to be the master. What a bunch of weaklings" snickered Gajeel. Extending his arm out to the side, he slowly morphed it into a pillar.

"Iron Dragon's Club" yelled Gajeel, swiping away the rest of the remaining mages and knocking down rock pillars that protruded out of the ground. Gajeel leapt down from the balcony and observed the damage that they had caused. Hundred of unconscious mages laid across the cavern, most of them severely injured.

"Looks like we're done here" said Gajeel as he swaggered to the entrance. The Element Four followed behind him and finally reached the cave's entrance.

"Wait, we are not finished here" said Aria. "Monsieur Sol, you know what to do." Sol gave him a knowing look while he fiddled with the end of his mustache.

"Non non non! Such trash wasn't even worth fighting in the first place" said Sol as he turned to the cave. Gajeel gave Aria a questioning look.

"What are you talkin' about? We whipped them good, now let's go home" he grumbled. Aria ignored Gajeel as he gave a nod to Sol. With Aria's permission, Sol held out his hand as his magic gathered at his fist.

"Roche Slide" he said menacingly. The ground shook beneath the Phantoms as they heard the rumbling of rocks collapse inside the guild. Juvia's eyes widened at the tortured screams emitting from the crumbling cavern as she shot Gajeel a fearful look.

"Wanna tell me what the hell that was for?" snarled Gajeel. Aria turned his head toward him as large tears fell down his face.

"Master Jose insisted that there be no witnesses" sobbed Aria. "We showed these poor souls more mercy than the Magic Council ever could. Our master shows such compassion to mere strangers!"

Gajeel looked at Aria in disbelief as he and the other men in Element Four walked in the direction back towards Phantom Lord. Juvia sided up next to Gajeel as she stared after her team.

"What was the point?" asked Juvia in a hard voice. "Why didn't he just do that in the beginning?" Gajeel chuckled darkly as he followed after the Element Four.

"To be the best guild in all of Fiore of course" he said exasperatedly. "If you haven't figured that out by now Blue, you really don't belong in Phantom Lord." Juvia stared after Gajeel as she begrudgingly followed after him, mentally blocking out the calls for help that came from the cave behind her.