Author's Note: Alright, I've gotten most of what I needed to do done now, though I won't be updating nearly as fast as what I did with my first story. This one is a prequel to Slayers Reconcile, and takes place a few days before the very first episode of Slayers. Along with explaining what happened to Lina during the six months seperating her rather messy (and combustive) breakup from Dameon Black and Naga, and her meeting with Gourry, this will also give explain how the Dragon Fang's got a hold of a few certain relics. I'm especially excited about this one because now I get to introduce my favorite OC for Slayers. I am a bit worried though, because I may have unintentionally made him a Mary Sue/Gary Stu, so any suggestions about how to take care of that will be highly appreciated.

Disclaimer: *while wearing hard hat* I do not own Slayers, it is the property of Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. Although it would be awesome to own the Slayers franchise, I do not; and there is no reason to be sad about what I cannot change. *L-Sama appears out of nowhere and smacks me in the side of the head with her shovel* Owww…. Wow, I didn't see that coming.

Slayers Learn

Chapter 1: Not Crispy, But Definitely Dead*

The young priestess and her master crested the hill and looked out over the countryside, their destination in sight at long last.

"We're almost there," the man said.

His apprentice said nothing.

The man was of average height, with a swordsman's sturdy build, but wore a black sorcerer's robe with gold trim. At his side was an impressive-looking hand-and-a-half sword, and around his shoulders was a long cloak which matched his robes. His features were strong and handsome; and his gray eyes were sharp and piercing like a hawk, though they were also filled with wisdom and kindness. A scar from a battle of long ago had been cut halfway across his sharp chin. His hair was long and spiky, and pulled back into a long ponytail; the ebony strands were naturally highlighted by the white streaks of age.

The girl, who was about fourteen or fifteen, had long red hair which was pulled back into a braid, and bright green eyes. He face had soft, cute features, and her body was quite petite. She wore the white robes of Ceipeed: a light, modest dress-like garment with flowing sleeves.

The two travelers continued down the long, dusty road, slowly making their way towards the city of Magnum. The pair had spent many long days on the road to the birthplace of the legendary sorcerer Lei Magnus. Their purpose was a biennial sorcerer's conference to which the master had been invited to attend as a guest speaker. It was also to aid in a special training regime for the young apprentice.

It was about mid afternoon, and only five miles from the city gates when the travelers suddenly found themselves surrounded by a gang of vicious-looking bandits.

"Heh, heh, heh, look at what we have here, boys!" the bandit chief laughed. "A couple of rich-looking travelers! And one of em's a cute little girl to boot! Boy, did we get lucky or what!?"

The other bandits chuckled evilly at this.

The girl in priestess robes looked up at her master with a question in her eyes.

Guessing easily what the young girl was asking, the master replied by shaking his in a negatory gesture.

He then turned to face the bandit chief and said, "Here now, Master Bandit. Why must you steal from us? Why can't you get an honest job like regular law-abiding folks?"

"Heh, and why would we ever want to be law-abiding citizens who do honest work?" the chief bandit replied. "We've got a pretty sweet gig right here: Maximum pay at minimum work, we don't have to pay taxes or get drafted into the army, we get to hack people's limbs off whenever we want, and we get our choice of pretty girls."

The young woman cringed in revulsion as the bandit chief settled his hungry gaze upon her and licked his lips.

"But there are so many rather nasty negatives," the middle-aged sorcerer argued, "No permanent home, you're always on the run from the law, you get hanged if your caught…,"

The bandits scoffed and rolled their eyes.

"…And you never know when you'll run into Lina Inverse."

That got their attention.

In fact, it sent most of them into a blind panic.

"Li-Lina the Bandit Killer!?" one robber yelled.

"The Enemy of All Who Live!?" exclaimed another.

"Noooooo! Don't let Lina kill meeeeee!" screamed a third.

"Yep, that's the one," the man replied with a chuckle.

After several minutes, the bandit chief finally regained control of his men (and his own composure) and then laughed. "Oh, come on! Haven't you heard, man? No one's seen Lina Inverse in almost six months! Some people have even been saying that she's dead. And as for that, I hope it's true. That little flat-chested witch has caused so much trouble for my kind…"

"You know," the sorcerer interrupted, "You might want to be a bit more careful about what you say. You never know when you'll run into Ms. Inverse."

The bandit chief spat. "Yeah, sure. You know, that's about one of the worst bluffs that I've ever heard. Now, are you and Little-Miss Evil Eyes gonna hand over everything that you've got, or what?"

Puzzled, the sorcerer glanced down at his apprentice, who was indeed glaring at the head bandit murderously.

The sorcerer put a hand upon her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. At this, the girl reluctantly began to relax.

At last, the sorcerer sighed and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that if you want anything from us, then you'll have to either ask nicely, or take it by force. And I warn you: If you choose the latter, then you may not live to regret it."

The bandit chief spat again, then snarled, "You're in no position to make threats old timer-,"

"Old timer? I'm only forty-five. I'm not old!"

"-And my boys and I are getting bored of this pointless blathering. Let's get 'em lads! It's pillage and plunder time!"

With that, the bandits charged with swords waving and half-sober voices bellowing.

"Hmph, idiots," the girl finally said with an eye roll. "Oh well, you warned them."

"That's right," the man agreed with a resigned sigh, which was belayed by a battle-eager grin. He grabbed his sword.

There was the sound of steel scraping steel as the hand-and-a-half sword was drawn from its sheath. Then the blade began to whistle and sing as it cleaved through the air. A splash of crimson mist and several strangled cries filled the air. Bodies fell to the floor, and weapons dropped to the ground, followed by the sharp clack of a sword returning to its sheath. One dozen strokes had fallen, and twelve highway men had been felled.

And the pair continued on.

To Be Continued…

Secondary Author's Note- The title of this chapter is a reference to the first chapter of my original Slayer's fan fic Reconcile for those of you who have not read it or who don't remember.

Sorry for chapter being so short. The next one will be longer, I promise.