Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Slayers franchise, and am making no money from this fic. I am simply doing this for fun.

"Hey, waitress! Twelve dinner specials over here!" Lina Inverse ordered from her seat at the large table she shared with her friends as she waved an arm. "And make it fast!" She sat back in her seat and rubbed her rumbling belly. "I'm so hungry," she whined.

"So what else is new?" Zelgadis muttered under his breath as he gazed out the window.

"What was that, Zel?" Lina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Have you noticed how deserted the streets are?" the chimera asked, completely ignoring the fiery red head's question. After years of traveling with her, he was more than accustomed to her short fuse and knew how to step around it.

"Huh?" Gourry turned his own gaze to the window to see the last few people on the streets hurrying into their homes--clanking sounds could be heard as locks and dead bolts were slipped into place.

"It does seem a little strange," Amelia said thoughtfully.

"Hey, lady," Lina asked as the waitress returned with two trays heavily laden with food. "What's going on in this place? Why is everyone in this town so jumpy?" She asked as she watched the inn keeper lock the doors, all the while taking the time to notice that aside from them, there was no one else in the inn's tavern.

"No one goes out of doors once the sun has set," the young girl said softly, her eyes wide with fear.

"Why not?" Gourry asked curiously.

"Bandits?" Lina asked hopefully.

The waitress sighed. "I wish it was that simple, but alas...this village is under the curse of an evil sorcerer."

"Oh, how horrible!" Amelia exclaimed.

"What sort of a curse?" Zelgadis asked, completely ignoring the small, yet voluptuous, justice-loving sorceress' outburst.

"The sort that allows the dead to return from the grave," the inn keeper said as he approached the table, dismissing the young waitress.

"Oh, how could anyone do something so horrible?!"

"Why did this sorcerer put this curse on the village?" Lina asked, ignoring the small brunette. Like Zelgadis, she had by now grown more than accustomed to Amelia's justice-fueled rants and speeches and had learned to tune them out.

The inn keeper sighed. "He fell in love with one of our villages' fair maidens, but she did not return his love because of his cruelty. He pursued her mercilessly until she finally went mad and killed herself. He is now punishing us for her death...even though it was his doing." He sighed heavily. "We have sent for help, but none has come yet."

"How long has this curse been in effect?" Zelgadis asked.

"Almost two months," the inn keeper said.

Amelia leapt onto her chair and threw her fists into the air...fire burning in her eyes. "I WON'T FORGIVE THIS! SUCH INJUSTICE MUST BE PUNISHED!"

"Hey, Lina, maybe we could help them," Gourry suggested.

Lina glanced at the handsome swordsman and sighed. "You wouldn't be able to do anything, Gourry...not without your sword of light. Astral attacks like the Ra Tilt won't work because even though they're technically dead, zombies and such are still corporeal. The only sure-fire way to get rid of the walking dead is fire and some seriously powerful holy magic...or else they just keep coming."

"I'm sure I could perform a cleansing spell," Amelia said with a smile.

"We would pay you in whatever way we could if you could lift this curse from our village," the inn keeper pleaded.

At the promise of a reward, Lina's ears perked and she jumped to her feet. "All right, we'll take care of your problem! Just leave it to us...after we eat, of course."


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...Fifteen minutes later; just after sunset...

"Be sure to keep your eyes open," Lina said as she and her party, sans Gourry, patrolled the streets of the village.

"How many undead do you think we'll come across?" Zelgadis asked as he slowly cast his focused gaze through the shadows.

"It doesn't matter," Amelia said. "Justice will and must be served! We cannot allow this evil man's heinous crimes to go unpunished."

Both Lina and Zelgadis heaved long-suffering sighs.

"Yeah, yeah, we hear ya, Amelia," Lina said. "Either way, I don't care...just so long as we get paid for our efforts." The petite sorceress wrinkled her nose. "Zombies are a nasty business and I don't like dealing with them."

Despite her determination, Amelia shivered. "Yeah...same here."

"Well, isn't that just too bad for you then?"

The magic-wielding trio turned towards the voice behind them and looked up to see a tall, hooded man standing on the roof of one of the houses.

Lina grinned. "Whaddya know? The puppet master came out to play."

"Come down from there and take responsibility for your crimes!" Amelia ordered as she jumped in front of Lina and Zelgadis, pointing an accusing finger at the evil sorcerer.

"Oh, you misunderstand me. I won't be the one you'll be dealing with," the sorcerer said with an evil chuckle.

No sooner had the words left his lips were Lina, Amelia and Zelgadis immediately surrounded by a hoard of moaning zombies and cackling, crackling skeletons. The stench of death and decay was thick in the air as the undead army closed in around the three friends.

"Amelia! Zel! You guys know what to do! Zel, help me try to keep them away from Amelia long enough for her to do a cleansing spell!" Lina concentrated a ball of fire into her hands and threw it at the zombies closest to her. "FIREBALL!"

"FLARE ARROW!" Amelia and Zelgadis said together.

"Amelia, go!" Zelgadis exclaimed as he drew his sword and hacked off the arm of a zombie that had been about to grab him. "We'll cover you!" While he knew his sword would cause no real and lasting damage on this brand of attackers, he knew it would at least slow his attackers down long enough for him to fire off another spell. "FIREBALL!"

"FIREBALL! FLARE ARROW!" Lina fired off spells left and right. "Amelia! BEHIND YOU!"

Amelia's eyes widened in horror as she turned and fell backwards as three zombies closed in on her. "Eeeek!! FLARE ARROW! Miss Lina! Duck! FIREBALL!"

"Thanks!" Lina found herself cornered by five zombies. "Damn it! There's no end to these things!"

"I can't keep them off Amelia long enough to give her the chance to cast her spell!" Zelgadis cried as he slashed his way to the small-statured princess to provide her with back up.

"More keep coming!" Amelia wailed as she fired off another attack.

"And I can't keep them off me long enough to give me a clean shot at their puppet-master! We have no other choice!" Lina cried desperately after disposing of the undead that had been cornering her, only to be swarmed upon by more. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows--"

"LINA, NO!" Zelgadis and Amelia cried together.

"You can't!"

"You'll blow up the whole village, Miss Lina!"

"Well, what the Hell else am I supposed to do?!"

The sorcerer threw back his head and cackled maniacally. "Nothing! There is nothing you can do. The great Lina Inverse is powerless against me! I, the great Kull, shall be the one to defeat the one who destroyed Dark Lord Shabranigdo, Demon-Dragon King Gaav and Hell-Master Phibrizzo. Say goodbye to life, Lina, and know that after my army of minions rip you and your friends to shreds, I shall add you to my forces!"

"ENOUGH!" a female voice echoed through the area.

All the zombies and skeletons stopped in mid-motion.

Kull stared in disbelief. "What are you waiting for?! Destroy them!" His face reddened in anger. "DESTROY THEM! I COMMAND YOU!"

"Command them all you want, Kull," The female voice said calmly. "They won't obey you. Mine is the only voice they hear."

Kull spun around to find himself face to face with a hooded, female figure. The hood was drawn low over the girl's face, the shadows obscuring it from view. "Who the Hell do you think you are? Who are you to control my minions."

"Your minions?" The girl mused softly. "No, Kull...never yours. They're mine. They were always mine...they will always be mine." She smirked under her hood. "Here, have a dose of plague for your trouble," she said sweetly.

Within moments of the words leaving the girl's lips, Kull broke out in painful, oozing boils and sores. "AHH!" He dropped to his knees and writhed in agony as his flesh was slowly eaten away.

Ignoring Kulls cries of agonized pain, the girl stepped to the edge of the roof. "Those of you long since gone from this world, yet not at peace...go now." She stretched out her hands and the ground opened up beneath the undead who dutifully crawled into the earthen embrace. "Return to your graves and be at peace," she said as she closed the earth over the animated corpses as they burrowed their way back to their resting places. She turned her attention back to Kull who was by now a whimpering mass of peeled and dissolving skin. "I think you've endured enough," she said as she held out a hand--turning the dying sorcerer into dust within a matter of moments.

That done, the girl jumped from the roof, landing daintily on the ground and walked over to the trio. "You guys all right?"

"Thanks to you," Amelia said thankfully with stars in her eyes.

"Who are you?" Zelgadis asked as he eyed the girl suspiciously. She was taller than both Lina and Amelia, but shorter than himself. While he sheathed his sword, he kept his hand on the handle just in case the strange girl attacked them.

"How did you do all that?" Lina asked curiously.

The girl lowered her hood, revealing the sweet, angelic face that had just moments before been hidden...her two, thick braids of golden hair falling over her shoulders. "My name is Nell," she said with a smile. "And to answer your question, I'm--"

"The curse is lifted!"

"The curse has been lifted!"

"We're free!"

"We're free!"

"She did it!"

"She did it!"

"She killed him!"

"She saved us!"

"She's amazing!"

"She's so wonderful!"

"We're saved!"

"Hooray!"

"Hooray!"

"Happy day!"

"Oh, happy, happy day!"

Nell smiled sweetly as the relieved and joyful villagers surrounded her. "Hello, good people. Rest assured that the curse has indeed been broken. You may again walk the streets of your village in safety and without fear."

"Are you the one we sent for?" the inn keeper asked.

Nell nodded. "Yes. Please forgive me for arriving so late, but on my way, I had to save a farming family from a very violent haunting. I got here as fast as I could."

"Lina!" Gourry made his way through the crowd until he had found his friends. "You guys okay?"

"Well, we're alive," Lina grumbled.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Gourry asked with a confused blink of his baby-blue eyes.

"Why do you seem so disappointed, Miss Lina?" Amelia asked curiously.

Zelgadis sighed and rolled his eyes. "Because she won't be getting the reward the inn keeper talked about."


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...Back in the inn's tavern...

"So, Nell...what exactly is it that you do?" Lina asked as she put her elbows on the table and leaned across the table.

Zelgadis nodded as he sipped his tea. "I must admit, I'm curious as well."

"Yes, how did you do all that?" Amelia asked with wide eyes. "You made it look so easy."

Nell smiled as she sipped her hot cider, gripping the cup in both hands to warm herself. "I'm a necromancer. What I did was nothing more than child's play to me."

"You're a what?!" Amelia balked.

"A necromancer?" Lina and Zelgadis asked together.

"Huh?" Gourry asked. "You mean you like necks?"

Amelia and Zelgadis both fell from their chairs. Nell stared at the blond, handsome swordsman as though he had just sprouted a second head and horns, and Lina pulled on Gourry's cheeks.

"Necro-mancer, jelly-fish brains! Necro-MANCER! They're sorcerers that can control the dead."

"Daaahh! Okay, I get it, I get it!" Gourry wailed and gingerly rubbed his cheeks once Lina had released them. "So...was that sorcerer guy a necroma-thingy too?"

Nell rolled her eyes as she took another sip of cider. "Not even close. He probably just came across some magical or cursed object and used it to his advantage." She took another warming sip of her hot drink. "There are very few true necromancers in the world...even fewer who can do more than simply control a single corpse."

"Why would you choose such a magical path?" Amelia asked with her nose wrinkled in disgust. "I mean, eeew...it's gross."

"Well, I didn't have much of a choice," Nell said as she averted her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Zelgadis asked.

"She means that it runs in her family," a disembodied voice said.

Zelgadis growled. "I know that voice."

"Why, Mister Zelgadis, I'm so flattered that you remember me," Xellos said pleasantly with a smile as he phased in beside Nell.

"How can I forget? You're a constant thorn in my side."

"Howdy, Xel," Gourry said with his usual, friendly smile.

"Hello, Mister Xellos," Amelia greeted.

"What're you doing here, Xellos?" Lina asked with a combination of weariness and suspicion.

"Oh, I decided I needed a change of scenery and decided to journey with you all again."

"Oh, joy," Zelgadis said dryly.

Nell smiled softly as her violet eyes took in the sight of the mazoku. "Hello again, Xellos," she said softly.

Xellos turned and took one of Nell's slim hands in his and pressed a kiss to it, bowing low at the waist. "Hello again, Nell...still as lovely as ever, I see," he said as he opened his eyes and briefly locked gazes with the lovely necromancer before closing them again as he slowly released her hand and resumed his upright position.

"Wait a minute," Lina said. "You two know each other."

"Our paths have crossed on occasion," Nell said softly. "And Xellos is right...my powers do run in the family. You could say that dealing with the dead is sort of a family business," she said as she averted her eyes. "But I choose to use my powers for good."

"How so?" Lina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I travel to villages, towns and cities and offer my services in dispelling restless spirits and other nasties of the dead persuasion that may be terrorizing people. I don't charge anything, but if the people I save insist on giving me some sort of reward, I won't fight them on it...but I always take less than what they offer...just enough for me to get by."

"Oh, how wonderful and admirable of you, Miss Nell!" Amelia praised and exalted with a bright smile. "How wonderful of you to make such good use out of such a dark gift. Like they say...when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!"

Nell eyed Amelia uncertainly. "Right..." she glanced at Zelgadis. "Is she always this cheerful?" she asked in a whisper.

"Always," the chimera groaned.

"I see," Nell said with a small giggle. "Well, then...I suppose I can deal with that. I mean, if you'll let me, I'd like to journey with you guys."

"Why?" Lina asked.

"Well, I really don't have a set direction...I go basically wherever the road and winds take me...but a journey is always more fun with companions, wouldn't you agree?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"Sure," Gourry said with a smile. "Whaddya say, Lina? Can she come along with us?"

Lina sighed. "I guess so. Besides...it can't hurt to have a necromancer around," she said thoughtfully. "Besides..." she said, noticing how the cheerful mazoku did not seem up to his normal tricks...instead, seemingly content to simply stand beside the lovely necromancer. "With you around, Xellos might be as big of a pest."

"Good luck with that," Zelgadis grumbled.

"Oh, dear, Mister Zelgadis, can't we ever just let bygones be bygones?"

"I'll get back to you on that," the chimera said dryly.

Nell giggled softly after taking a sip from her mug. "Oh, don't worry...I'll do my best to keep Xellos in line," she said with a smile.

Xellos turned his face towards Nell, and smiled down at her as he opened his eyes just enough for the blond to see the violet coloring. "Oh, yes, Miss Nell...I'm sure you will," he said softly. "I'm sure you will..."

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