Navvy: Well now, me first Slayers fic…this one will not feature Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, or anyone else from the TV series, just Lina and Nahga, so my apologies for readers who wanted the others. I have only seen 3 episodes of TRY, and nothing else from any of the other seasons, although I have seen the four movies and two OVA episodes. Read and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own, nor claim to own Slayers and any of its characters/places/spells/whatnot. I only own this story and any characters I create.

Chapter 1: Fear in Abundance

A young, thin man huddled in a corner of the near-empty building, shaking and quivering with fear. 'Oh why,' he thought to himself, 'out of all the restaurants on the continent, did I choose to work here?' He resisted the urge to whimper and cry; listening to the horrific noises coming from one of the tables as he attempted to melt into the counter he was hiding behind, he barely contained a sob.

Luckily all the customers had left as soon as it happened, as soon as she came. Oh yes, she was well known. The stories and rumours were everywhere—a demon it was said, she was a demon! The most feared; she was ruthless and cold, evil and violent, cruel and a killer. Renowned for destroying towns, villages, and cities without any effort, or slaying dragons with a snap of her fingers—yes, that was she. She was chaos itself, a horrific power without boundaries or morals…and she was right there in that restaurant.

The grunts and snarls abruptly ceased, and the young man dared to hesitantly peek over the top of the counter. He immediately regretted it, as the pair of blood-red eyes swept around the room and rested on him. A satisfied smile curled the lips of the eyes' owner, and the young man trembled even more. He knew what was coming next, and the sweat poured down his face.

She raised a finger slowly and beckoned to him, confirming his fears. The young waiter gulped down the lump in his throat and stepped forward cautiously, knowing that any mistakes would mean his doom. All too soon, he was standing close to her. He listened carefully as she told him her wants casually, and he scribbled it down hastily. She certainly would not tolerate incompetence. The man rushed into the kitchen as soon as she was finished and spoke with the manager, who nodded nervously and gave out some orders to his workers.

Eventually everything was ready, and the waiter, accompanied by two co-workers, approached the table once again, the horrible red eyes staring at them the whole way. The terrified trio shuffled forward quickly yet apprehensively, and upon reaching her, hurriedly set the large offering before her. Her horrible red eyes glittered greedily, and the three waiters jumped back a few feet as she began ransacking all they had put down.

Suddenly, a hideous cackle echoed just outside the restaurant—one that made everyone in range cringe in horror—and the doors flew straight off their hinges.

'Oh, good God,' thought the young waiter as he and his companions scrambled into the kitchen in terror. 'Not another one!' He had seen the sudden anger in the crimson eyes, and knew the she wasn't pleased with the newcomer.

Shrieks sounded from the dining area, and the waiter huddled in a corner with the other employees. They all cowered together and shivered, hearing her enraged voice, and the unmistakable sounds of fighting; there was smoke coming from the dining area now, accompanied by small explosions. He held back a terrified scream as red liquid spattered on the door of the kitchen. She had obviously dealt with the intruder.

"This is gonna be bad fer business…" one of the cooks muttered frightfully. The waiter, after hearing the door slam, cautiously got up and tiptoed to the door. He looked out into the restaurant, and looked, unbelieving, at the carnage.

0 O 0

The manager of the restaurant spoke rapidly to the officers outside the building. An older man came forward, and just looking at him, one knew he was important; from his crisp, stern look, short, brown hair, neatly trimmed beard and moustache, the clean suit, and right down to the polished black shoes, he was a person who wielded authority.

One of the officers stepped forward. "Mister Gerznit, sir!"

"What happened here?" Gerznit demanded. The officer looked back at the restaurant a moment before facing him again.

"Hard to get any sense out of him," he gestured towards the manager. "Something about a demon-woman, I believe, and a fight. He's yammering gibberish mostly."

Gerznit took a look at the disheveled manager, who kept looking about nervously as though waiting for the culprit to return. He quirked an eyebrow as he noticed some drying red substance on the man's shoes, and nodded to the officer. "Have any of you gone inside yet?"

"No, sir." The officer shook his head vigourously. "We were about to when you arrived. Would you like to accompany us?" Gerznit nodded his reply, and followed the officers in. The manager remained outside, wringing his hands and his eyes darting back and forth.

An officer gave a low whistle as they crept into the room. The restaurant was not exactly fancy, or for elaborate parties, but it wasn't dull either. It must have looked rather nice and clean earlier that morning.

Gerznit stroked his chin thoughtfully. It was easy to believe a demon had done this. Tables and chairs were smashed and broken—some were burnt—tablecloths were torn, and broken dishes were littered everywhere, along with remnants of food. All of it was drenched in red—the same liquid from the manager's shoes. The crimson stains were everywhere; they covered the walls, the floor, and some had even spattered on the ceiling. However, most of it was concentrated on the motionless body in the midst of it all.

"Poor girl," the first officer said with regret, "she didn't stand a chance."

"Who would have?" Another officer whispered fearfully to the others. "I got a description from one of the waiters that served here—he served her. And I'm sure you know who he was talking about."

The group nodded fervently. "Aye, no chance at all, not against her."

"No way."

"And there's nothing can be done about it—she's a terror. Unstoppable."

Gerznit, who had been conferring with one of the officers, turned to them angrily. "You see here, men. She can't be allowed to run rampant like this. Nobody is unbeatable, with the right strategy."

One of the younger men stepped forward eagerly. "You know what to do, Mister Mayor?"

Gerznit grinned, a cold, cruel smile, and tilted his head slightly. "Yes, my boy. As mayor of the city of Vaunsch, I refuse to allow this to continue. I will put a stop to it. You can be sure of that."

With that, Gerznit strode out of the restaurant, determination written on his face as he mulled over a plan. This would stop soon enough.

Navvy: Hope you liked the first chapter. Yes, it's pretty serious…but there's quite a big gag which shall be revealed in the next chapter. Oh, and did I mention the appearance of the heroines? Please review; I love feedback—much like I love chocolate. Yum. Flames shall be used to warm my cold, cold room.