AN: I do not own Slayers.

Slayers SHADOW

Prologue: Fear

"He he heh. Well done, boys!"

There was a clash of metal against metal as loud voices shouted in victory.

"We managed to clean out another town." A tall, broad shouldered man shouted above the noise. "You boys done good. We've gotten rich offa all these little villages! This was a perfect place to set up base!"

"Yeah, Boss!"Another man said. "Nobody will come out here, ever since rumors of that big monster showed up a couple years back."

A man in a cloak smirked. "They all thought it was the Great Dark Lord Shabranigdo, or something along that line." He said.

"Shut up, Grauss!" The Boss bellowed. "Don't try all of that sorcerer talk on us! Makes me head spin."

The man called Grauss chuckled. "As you wish, Boss."

"There we go. Obedient to a fault, are ya?" The boss chuckled. "Good thing ya are. Those militia? Hah! Ya blew 'em away with one blast!"

"Hmm. That I did." Grauss said. He shook his head and walked away from the reveling bandits. After he went to another room, he sighed and took out a small parchment and pen and began to write.

To Crown Prince Philionel El Di Seyruun

I hope this message finds you well. This letter is encrypted using a spell of my own device that makes the letter unreadable to those who would use it for wicked purposes. I have carried out your instructions and infiltrated the bandit gang known as The Black Axe. While you did not specifically tell me to actually join them, out of necessity I had to. Unfortunately, my involvement in their plans forced me to injure the local militiamen, and I promise right now that I shall give them any aid I can after my work is finished.

As for my report. These men are indeed bandits, and strong bandits, but they are not capable of razing entire villages. They are merely after money and food. Thus, my lead has turned up nothing of interest.

The only clue I have to go on is that those doing the burning are based close to, or perhaps in, Rezo's old tower. These bandits are close, but not responsible.

Whatever is doing the destroying is using a very strange form of magic. The homes are not burned with normal fire. It almost seems unholy.

I will continue to investigate. In the name of Justice, I will find whoever is responsible.

Sincerely,

Gauss

Court Priest

Using a spell, he transported the letter magically to the gates of the palace in Seyruun.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang in the other room. Someone or something had either crashed, or else had cast an empowered Fireball spell. Rushing back, he saw the charred remains of several of the bandit men who had been blasted away. This could only mean that a spell had been cast. Numerous screams and cries came from nearby. Gauss rushed to the source of the noise. He had heard about a young sorceress who had a penchant for destroying bandits and stealing all their treasure, and he silently prayed that it wasn't her. Nevertheless, he continued to rush to the source of the screams.

Bodies were everywhere. Some were burned black, others dismembered or disemboweled. The severed head of one man tripped him, making him fall into a headless dead body, the man's entrails that had been forcefully torn out lying next to the head of the unfortunate bandit. Disgusted, he stood up and tried to follow the sound of fleeing men, and of men dying. He looked around as he ran by, noticing particularly the burned men and those who were both burned and bloodied. There was fire still burning in some spots. What struck him as odd was the color of the fire. It was green. That meant that there was definitely a spellcaster of some kind involved, but he couldn't understand why some of the men had been butchered. The sorceress was merciless to bandits, but not brutal.

Wait. He had heard that traveling with the sorceress now was a nearly invincible swordsman. If the swordsman was anything like the sorceress, he would indeed likely be brutal enough to slaughter these bandits in cold blood. He shivered. His duty bound him to the task of finding out exactly what was happening here, as he was still a member of the bandit gang. He ran, seemingly unable to catch the carnage, as more dead bodies lined the pathway he was now dashing along. Suddenly, there was a terrible cry above him. He looked up and leapt out of the way of a man who was falling directly on top of him, and coming very, very fast. The man landed on his head with a dull crunch. Horrified, he knew he couldn't help him. The man's spine had been broken, his head was now in fragments on the ground, and bloody portions and brain matter were now littering the area.

This was too much. Whoever it was, be it the Bandit Killer or not, was enjoying this bloodbath. He was beginning to get terrified. Never in his life had he seen something so...awful. As a priest of the Seyruun royal palace cathedral, he was mentally trained to handle bad situations, but nothing like this. The instinct of fear was beginning to take over. This was bad. Very bad. If this slaughter wasn't the work of the infamous Bandit Killer, then that mean that a Mazoku was involved. And it likely was the very creature that had been destroying villages and burning them to the ground.

There was a deep laugh.

"Just like mortals to run scared before the might of the Legion." The voice with the laugh said, the sound filling the area with unnatural resonance. "How...delicious."

The legion? What in the name of the lost princess Gracia was that? He was confused. And scared. Did the Mazoku start calling themselves the legion? Terrified further, he realized he was wasting thoughts. The sound of heavy footfalls was now filling the air. He tried to move, but his fear had reached a breaking point. His body wouldn't react, and he fell flat on his stomach. When he rose to his knees, he looked up to the most terrifying sight he had ever seen.

The creature was huge. Nearly ten feet tall, with a vaguely humanoid shape, the creature's skin seemed to glow an evil green color. It had huge, black wings that folded around the back of its body, draping it in a natural cloak. The creature had a large skeletal face on its chest, eyes and mouth of this chest gushing forth an evil, green fire. Its head was adorned with six horns that jutted outwards in the same fashion as a lion's mane. A skeletal face, much like the face on the creatures chest, rested in the middle of the mane-like horns. The creature had a second, reverse knee like that of a horse, and cloven hooves, green armor plates apparently shielding them. Over the creature's entire body covered similar designs of evil armor. A large, cruelly curved scimitar was in its hand, bloodied from the slaughter of the bandits.

Gauss panicked and attempted to crawl away. The creature chuckled lightly, or as lightly as it could. "So I see these bandits still have one left, eh? Perhaps you can be useful."

The creature advanced.

"Elmekia Lance!" Gauss shouted. A beam of light energy flew from his fingertips towards the evil creature. The creature raised a free hand and swatted at the magical spear. The spear shattered, and with it, went Gauss's courage.

Gauss went into complete panic. He tried to get away, but the evil creature was always a step behind him. The creature was toying with him. In desperation, Gauss began firing more Elmekia Lances at the creature, all to no effect. The creature seemed to laugh.

"Hmm, yes, you'll do." He said as he grabbed Gauss's robe. "You're going to be very, very useful to us, mortal."

"Let me go! Please, let me go! Please, I'm begging you, let me go!" Gauss was crying.

The creature sheathed its sword and put its hand around Gauss's throat, silencing his speech. The creature spoke, his voice soft yet terribly insidious.

"Do you fear death? Ha ha ha ha ha..."