Lina Inverse, a powerful and avaricious sorcerer, wanders the globe taking things from criminals she encounters. Her most recent victims, a gang of robbers, lie in wait in a wilderness, thirsting for vengeance. Lina is ready to easily smash her would-be assailants when the swordsman Gourry Gabriev unexpectedly appears. Assuming Lina is a damsel in distress, the naive yet noble guy attacks the brigands in an attempt to save her. After dispatching them, the oblivious cavalier chooses to accompany Lina to Atlas City. Despite her dissatisfaction with the notion, she accepts his offer.