Snakes and mages kept pouring into the main hall. Orga pummeled furiously through wave after wave of enemies. Erza looked around her. Whenever an enemy was knocked down, another took its place. She liked a good fight but this was getting nowhere fast.

"You guys carry on, we will hold them back!"

A twin dragon roar broke through the mass of bodies and the group hurried to cross it before it filled again. They took a moment to catch their breath once they were in the corridors.

"There's more at the end of this," Rogue panted out with black eyes.

"Can you sense Starlight?" Minerva asked.

The dragon slayers focused but shook their heads in the end.

"I can feel that she's here, but there's too much going on to pinpoint a location."

"Then we keep looking," Juvia said encouragingly. With a nod, the four moved forward.

The sounds of the fight in the main hall could be heard all the way to where Vladimir was. His mistress had told him the invaders would ultimately make it past her minions, so Vlad wasn't surprised to hear footsteps approaching. He retreated to a blood stain on the wall to watch his mistress' babies in action as the Sabertooth wizards entered the snake pit.

The first one in was the blonde dragon slayer. Vlad watched his face contort in disgust at the room full of snakes.

"Uh... Juvia!"

A pale girl rushed to his side. Blue eyebrows came together for a second. Her arms lifted to the side, followed by a tidal wave that flushed the snakes against the wall when she jerked her arms across. Vlad had to admit he was impressed at the sheer amount of water she summoned out of thin air. The snakes jerked frantically to surface and attack, but the waves mimicked her hands circling in front of her. The water that enveloped them began boiling as it rushed inescapably fast around the room. As she was busy cooking them alive, one managed to escape. The water mage was too distracted controlling her maelstrom to notice the snake sneak up from the wall above her. Unfortunately, right before the snake got to bite her, hands made of shadows took hold of it. A quick snap later, the snake hung limp from them. The water mage looked with wide eyes at the dead snake in the shadow dragon's hands.

Vlad saw the two exchange cryptic smiles and decided it was time for him to step in. His long legs kicked dead snakes out of his way as his body emerged from the wall. He took a look around the room. "You have made such a mess, dear," he said, his eyes roaming the cadavers and entrails decorating the floor and walls. When he looked forward again, three pairs of hard eyes met his.

"You're the one that hurt Rufus!" Sting yelled. His chest expanded as he took in a deep breath in preparation for a roar. The couple at his side readied themselves as well.

"Is he, now?"

The unnerving voice came from behind them. At the sound of it, the three mages before him stopped all they were doing. The sudden change in their attitude interested Vladimir very much, especially considering they were all talented wizards. He heard confident steps echo on the walls and the three wizards stepped back to let them in. A chill went down Vlad's spine at the sight of her. He stood petrified under her intense gaze. His mistress was a frightening woman but the one in front of him was... terrifying. Absolutely, unashamedly terrifying.

Vlad was in love.

"I am," he purred arrogantly with a widening smile.

"Leave us," she said to her guild mates without taking her eyes off him. Vlad had never understood what people meant when they talked about butterflies in their stomach. He vaguely registered the other mages bowing their heads and leaving over the feeling of bat's rioting inside him. But he refused to look weak in front of her. His shoulders and back straightened, showing off his impressive build.

"Do they have to? I do enjoy foreplay on occasion... "

She arched an eyebrow at him and the hairs on the back of his neck stood. "Oh, don't you worry. There will be plenty of that. I simply don't want them to witness my less pleasant side."

This is her pleasant side? His heart screamed.

He adjusted the tie around his neck and fixed his cuffs. Claws protruded from his fingertips and his canines dropped as he did so. "Very well then."

She gave him a blood-curling smile. He watched smitten at the claws that emerged from her own hands and the tattoo that began taking over her the right side of her face. "I should know your name before you die."

"Lord Vladimir Alexander Colburn," he bowed, "and yours, my lady?"

"We shall see if you're worthy of it."

Their eyes locked and he wasn't sure, as they ran towards each other, if he was running to kill or fuck her. Regardless, he was going to get that name.

They're close, mistress.

She glanced at the child being circled by Yin and Yang. She had no doubt the twin snakes wouldn't let her down when the time came. The less reliable piece of the puzzle was pacing around the room. "Are you sure about this, Gray? I don't like disappointment."

He stopped to look at her. "I'm sure. Leave her to me. Just make sure you fulfill your end of the bargain."

"It will be slow and painful, but Rogue Cheney will die."

Gray smiled at her. "Then all that's left is to wait."

She smiled back. "And wait we shall."

Sting stopped dead on his tracks. He sniffed the air to their right. "This way."

They jogged down the corridor on the right. The castle was a like a maze; without their enhanced senses, finding Starlight would be impossible. After several more turns, they finally came across a tall, wide set of doors. Sculptures of Medusa adorned them.

"Ready?"

The three looked at each other. Juvia nodded at them, followed by Sting and Rogue. Between the three of them pushing, the doors parted.

The room was longer than it was wide. At the far end, a massive marble throne sat the green haired woman.

"Welcome," she mused. She didn't get up, only stared them down from afar with a cocky smile.

"Dah!"

Sting spotted Starlight some feet farther back than Amy. Two snakes hissed as they circled her. Sting was momentarily relieved to see she wasn't harmed. However, he filled with rage at her terrified expression.

"Starlight, honey, it will all be okay. Just stay right there, daddy will get you in a second," he shouted for her to hear.

The child hugged her knees and nodded quickly.

The adults turned their attention back at each other.

"I wouldn't lie to her this early in life, Sting. It could develop into psychological issues later on, you know."

Sting growled at Amy's comment. "How could you? I knew you were bitter, but this? You couldn't have fallen any lower."

"So harsh," she mockingly pouted at his comment. "But you shouldn't blame me. No, this is your doing."

Juvia stepped out from behind them. "Give us the girl before this escalates, Amy."

The green haired mage's face twisted with hate at Juvia. "Oh, but I want this to escalate. You see, I'm quite ready to get rid of you. Plus, my babies have grown very attached to their new toy. What kind of master would I be to take it away from them?"

Amy stood and took a couple of calculated steps towards them. Juvia readied herself.

"Fine. But don't think you'll fair better than last time."

The dragon slayers caught a new scent before Juvia heard the steps approaching her. Before Rogue got the chance to say anything, it was too late.

"I don't plan to find out," was all Amy said as Gray stepped between her and Juvia.

At the sight of him Juvia stopped walking and backed away. "G-gray? What-what are you-?"

"I've come to take you home, darling," he said. He stretched his hand out at her and she recoiled. Her head shifted between Rogue behind her and Gray only feet away.

"N-no." They heard her whisper frightfully. Gray took another step in her direction, but, instead of backing away again, she swallowed hard and shakily took a fighting stance. "I'm not going anywhere with you. Get out of my way."

Gray's fake smile dropped to show his true colors. "If that's how you want it."

A wall of ice sprung from the ground separating the two from the rest of the room. Rogue could almost make out the shapes behind it, but his attention was called back to Amy by Star's quiet whimpers. Amy had taken advantage of the distraction to attack Sting. As their fight began, Rogue felt torn. Juvia was trapped with Gray, but he needed to get Star out. He ran towards Star with a lump in his throat.

Minerva dug her claws in his chest and swooped between his legs. She used her magic to pull her foot up and twirl her body to land properly some feet away, as well as to push his head down to follow the pull of her claws. Her attacked worked perfectly, with his body folding over itself and slamming onto the ground. Sort of. Instead of the satisfying thud she wished for, there was a splash of blood. The blood quickly reassembled itself into the man she'd been fighting with. He pulled himself to a standing position and examined his clothes.

"I liked this suit," he sighed. "If you wanted me to take it off, you should've just asked..." he mused mischievously.

Minerva had to admit she was enjoying their interaction. He'd managed to surprise her once or twice but she adapted quickly. Since, he'd had trouble keeping up with her attacks. She paced around the room as he took off the torn fabric. His pale skin showcased the five wounds her claws had left on his chest. The sight the dark, rich crimson liquid rolling down the contrasting pale skin made her smile.

He smiled as well as he studied her. As she seemed to like what she saw, he brought his hands behind his head and rested his body against the wall to give her a better view. "The Lady Minerva Orland..." his voice sang with admiration.

She tilted her head slightly at him and he smirked. Her reputation betrayed her. "A master of spacial magic; daughter of the ruthless Jiemma Orland, former master of Sabertooth. Rumor has it-" he pushed off the wall and began pacing. "-that you were far more deadly and sadistic than your dear father..."

He put his hands in his pockets and dared look up at the ceiling for a bit. "That is, of course, until you returned to Sabertooth a domesticated kitten."

Minerva had figured out how to beat him already, but she let him finish. Perhaps there was a point to all his rambling. She watched him stop and turn to face her. His eyes began at her toes until they met her eyes. She couldn't quite make out what he was thinking. Either way, he leaned back on the wall. Curiously his index finger scooped up a drop of blood that had trickled down his chest. After examining it closely, he held it in the air above his palm. His eyes met hers again. "If only things had been different."

"You mean, if you hadn't nearly killed someone I think of as a brother and abducted my goddaughter?"

Her feet carried her to stand only a few feet from him.

"If you're talking about the blonde, I'm afraid I can make no sincere apologies. I enjoyed every second. Just as I'm sure you've enjoyed toying with me as well. Or did you not miss this feeling?"

She controlled the spaced around the drop of blood and brought it to hover above her own palm. She understood what he meant. Regardless, he needed to die.

Her eyes glowed at the blood in front of her. He looked into the dark green pools, memorizing as much of her to memory as he could. She was so close now. And he could feel it. He could feel the anticipation rolling off her in waves. She was holding back, if only to enjoy that feeling for longer, but it would be over soon.

"There is something you must know, however."

He fucking hated snakes.

Sting was still feeling a bit drowsy from the first attack Amy landed. It seemed every hit was laced with some poison or another. He knew if he wasn't a dragon slayer, he would be dead by now. Rogue seemed to be having trouble getting through Amy, as well. Whenever he made any progress toward Star, new snakes were summed to distract him. Sting released another roar that Amy smoothly dodged. He briefly wondered if she'd been practicing for this.

His tone made her pause. It was different from the teasing one he'd had the entire time. His light silver eyes hinted at remorse. "The child..."

He looked away for a second and Minerva almost believed he truly did feel guilty about it. After a moment he shook his head and met her eyes again.

"Amy doesn't plan to lose tonight. If I'd known, I wouldn't have brought the child here, but it's too late for that so it falls on you now."

Her claws wrapped around his neck tightly. "What does that mean?"

He fucking hated snakes.

Rogue had to fight Amy's magic snakes in shadow mode, as grabbing them with his hands was useless. It was as if they were made of green shadows themselves. It wasn't as difficult as it was tedious. The concerning part was wasting his magic like this. Shadowing Starlight would require a lot of magic and a lot of concentration. He tried to save as much magic energy as he could, and continued on with his slow progress.

"The blonde- Rufus, I gather?- he managed to cast a protection spell on her. It isn't particularly strong but it does burn whoever touches the child. At first Amy had wanted to raise the child in her image but that no longer seems like an option. That's why, if things don't go tonight as Amy wishes, she's instructed her most venomous snakes to inflict a fatal wound. When you're done with me, you must go straight to the child. There will be a white and a black snake by her side, waiting. But be careful, if they see you coming they will bite her and she... she will die."

"Ahhhh!"

His body flew across the room and hit the ground loudly. She'd have no time to enjoy killing him, she needed to warn Rogue. With one angry move, she tore him apart drop by drop. In a few seconds, Vladimir was millions of droplets suspended in the air around her. She hesitated for a moment. This was too quick. Her fingers snapped and the blood disappeared.

She took a calming breath and began running, hoping she'd be able to catch up to them in time.

Juvia took a couple more steps back. She could only faintly hear the fight on the other side of the wall. As much as she wanted to call out for Rogue to come for her, she didn't. He needed to get Starlight out this goddamned place and somewhere safe. Gray took off his shirt as he walked towards her. Juvia swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to act brave. There was no one coming. She needed to save herself.

"If you come with me now we can just forget this ever happened, Juvia. Just take my hand. It will all be okay, I promise."

She didn't buy that one bit. From the look in his eyes, taking his hand was the last thing she should do. She assumed a fighting stance and looked him straight in the eye. "I'm never coming back. We are done, Gray. The fact that you showed up here, helping her, just further proves there is nothing left of the man I thought I loved."

He hid behind an ice shield before her water could cut through him.

He's getting close, Mistress.

Should we do it now?

Not yet.

As you wish, Mistress.

Sting had lasted longer than Amy anticipated. No matter, she thought, the venom will get him soon enough. She knew if she'd used Yin or Yang's venom it would've been over quickly, but they were special. Their bodies only produced so much in a given period, and she had the one in their bodies already reserved for someone else. For now, the others' poison would do. It was slower, but she could see the blonde dragon slayer starting to sway weakly from it. She dodged another roar he sent her way with a smile. The more magic he spent on her, the less his body would have to fight the poison.

Common, common. Minerva was about to just blow the whole damn place and its stupid labyrinth of a layout to smithereens when a tiny sparkle shone in her eye. It was light reflecting off a drop of water on the wall. She smiled and followed the path with restored confidence.

Rogue heard a thud and his breath caught. He glanced behind him to see Amy kick Sting's unconscious body to the side. He feared the worst but Sting's stubborn heartbeats and soft breaths reached his ears.

"Just you and me now, stud."

Star was just feet away from him. Her big eyes tearfully looked up at him in desperation.

"What is it you think you'll get out of this exactly, Amy?"

Her head tilted and she smiled that slimy smile Rogue so hated. "At the very least, I'll get your little friends off my back. My empire is expanding, you see, and I dearly miss my hometown. But you're not asking the right questions here, Rogue. Don't you care about what I want?"

Amy pouted and fluttered her eyelids at him. He chanced another look at Starlight. The snakes next to her were too close. His sensitive ears could hear Juvia fighting across the wall; at times he heard muffled screams. He made his voice as sweet as he could. "What is it that you want, Amy?"

A smile returned to her lips. "I want to rule. I want the king and the princess kneeling in front of me begging me to spare them. I want the power to do anything and everything I wish."

She walked to stand closer and looked in his eyes. "And I want you to be at my side for all of it. Think about it, Rogue. You and me. We'd be unstoppable."

Her eyes shone with delusion.

"You could've just asked Amy," he took a few steps forward. "You didn't have to go through all this."

She didn't know how but in their struggle he'd managed to corner her. As he neared, he shot ice darts that she avoided by turning to water. But before she could solidify again, he took hold of her wrist. Juvia screamed in pain as her hand turned to ice. The freezing temperatures traveled up her arm until she finished turning back into flesh and blood. He was inches from her now, his wicked smile mocking her screams as he iced her arm to the wall.

"This is where it ends my darling, Juvia," he whispered as he kissed her cheek. His own fist began turning to solid ice and lifted in the air for a better impact.

"You're wrong," she said. Water pierced his heart and flooded his insides. "It ended a long time ago."

Blood mixed with water poured out of his chest as he stumbled back out of her reach. But it was too late. The water flooding his lungs came out in choked coughs and gurgles. Juvia forced herself to watch the gruesome sight. He struggled to freeze the wound to no avail. He stopped moving soon after.

The wall of ice separating Juvia from the rest of the room held. She tried to melt the ice holding her arm to the wall but the process was too slow. She could make out a shape on the floor closer to the entrance, and two still standing farther away. Juvia assumed that meant the twins hadn't managed to get Starlight out yet. The fact that one of them wasn't getting back up added to her desperation for the ice to melt.

After a few more seconds, she decided there was no time for this. She closed her eyes, took a firm hold of her frozen arm, and pulled as hard as she could.

Juvia's pained cry could be heard by even Amy from across the ice wall. Her eyes lit up at Rogue with glee. "Sounds like all our distractions are finally going away."

He smiled through the pain and the stinging in his eyes. He didn't know what was happening on the other side, but Juvia was obviously in pain. He wished he could go to her but it was too risky. The best he could do was hope she lasted long enough for his plan to come through. "Indeed, it does. Finally, we can be together. Just the two of us."

Rogue slowly brought his hand to cup Amy's face so as to not scare her. She looked hesitant to let him so close but gave in to the warmth radiating from his hand. Out of the corner of his eye Rogue saw water crawling up the wall and across the roof. Juvia. She was probably heading to Starlight. He'd need to time his attack perfectly for both of them to get out.

Juvia pooled against the wall a feet few from Starlight and the snakes. The snakes were restlessly shifting their focus between the girl and Amy, and didn't seem to have noticed Juvia forming back to flesh nearby. Her magic was running out and her right arm was more of stump, with sharp shards of ice and frozen blood protruding a few inches below the elbow. Another glance at the antsy snakes told her she needed to get Star out soon. She reckoned there was only enough magic left in her for one more spell. She would need to time this perfectly. She waited a few more seconds, watching Rogue lean in close to Amy as if to kiss her, before Amy was swallowed by shadows. Now!

Minerva ran into the room just in time to see Rogue envelop Amy in darkness. Behind them, Juvia water locked one of the snakes and threw herself over Starlight to shield her from the other's bite. In the blink of an eye Minerva teleported the pair to the entrance next to her. She dealt with the white snake furiously slithering their way before turning to check on them. Starlight hung tightly onto Juvia's neck as she cried loudly. Minerva tried to comfort the girl but she shook her head maddeningly. It was then that Minerva followed Star's eyes to Juvia's rib.

"Minerva...get her out," Juvia whispered. She turned her trembling head to look at Star. "It's okay, sweetie. Close your eyes. It's okay..."

"Juvia," Minerva commanded over Starlight's panicked screams. "Stay with me. Don't close your eyes. Stay with me."

The water mage smiled sweetly at them as her eyes closed. "Juvia! I said stay with me dammit!"

"Sting is stable. Is everyone okay?" Rogue asked as he joined them.

"She's not breathing!"

"I can still hear her heart beat!"

Minerva focused and felt the space inside Juvia. The venom had spread quickly through her body. She tried to concentrate on those particles and pull them back out to the pair of fang marks on her ribs. Rogue whispered Juvia's name over and over as he held her. "It's not working, Minerva! Why is it not working?!"

"Shut up!" She continued for what seemed like an eternity and finally the green liquid began oozing out. When she was done, Juvia still wasn't waking up. She checked again but didn't find any more venom in her. "I don't... understand."

"It's slowing. I can barely hear it anymore..." Rogue cried.

Starlight had been a good girl so far and kept her eyes closed as Juvia told her to. But she opened them now. She wiped her tears and took a deep breath, then put her hands over Juvia's chest. "Juphia, Juphia, Juphia, Juphia..." she chanted through her sobs over and over again. Minerva and Rogue watched her, not knowing what to do. He was about to gently pull her away when her little palms began glowing a light blue. "Juphia, Juphia, Ju-hic-phia, Juphia..."