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The Hunter and the Templar	By : BurneHazard Category: +A through F > Diablo III Views: 6473 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Diablo III (3) and all content therein is the property of Blizzard Entertainment. This story is for entertainment purposes only and I make no money from writing it.

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            The darkness bled with dim light ahead. The passage was short enough. When they arrived at its end, she did not stop to look around. Moving forward as the heat and ambient of torment embraced her once more, Killashandra only paid a quick scan to their surroundings. However, there was no sign of ambush or attack just yet. The stairs here were not quite as worn and had sharper edges. Either few passed this deep or what did pass did not always require the steps.
            Shutting out the groaning from the giants as best as she could, she trained all her senses on stabbing through the dark taint filling the very air around them. It served to make her quite aware of the one source of purity and light not three feet away from her back. Every step he made was heavy and solid. She could hear his harsh breathing, feel it as if it were beating against her bared back. And for a moment her focus became the man behind her so she could hear his steady heartbeat.
            Only now did she understand the grave mistake she had made in coming here. But she was too far gone in the hunt to care about mistakes. A swarm of tormented stingers was coming. Crouching on the stairs, she drew her bow and loosed her arrows into their midst. Here, right before her, was proof her concerns were not baseless. These demonic things had at one time been human. Their bodies twisted and broken by the demons they were sacrificed to, corrupted and empowered. Now they were demons as well. How she knew this...she did not care.
            It would not be her fate! A new surge of hatred caused her arrows to burst into flame, breaking apart to drive deep into the swarm and devour them from the inside. The screeching cries of agony and their own anger and fear made her smile in the shadows of her hood. She said nothing, but in her mind she was laughing. It felt so good to return the pain these beasts had caused her, caused all humans they mutilated, attacked, murdered, tortured. The dark fire was raging higher inside her.
            "Your presence...pleases me. Every step brings you closer to my embrace,"(1) came the sultry voice again.
            Although she knew it was meant to be seductive, enticing, it brushed over her without more than making her notice just how heavy the power within it was. She felt the weight of the power against her but it was unable to touch her. It did, however, touch the presence of light behind her. Pausing, she felt the dark caress stroke over his aura as if she could see it within her very mind. Anger surged as she turned to look to Kormac.
            He had frozen, eyes wide behind the slit of his helmet. Although he shook himself free of the magic the disembodied voice was weaving, her anger grew. Light flared as he began to murmur to himself and her anger did fade--minimally. He was still resisting. And this time she chose to ignore the dark thing twisting inside her. She had something to kill now. And that voice would be silenced.
            Suddenly there was a screech from above and to the side where two stone paths rested in mere yards from one another. Spinning around, the hunter saw several...women coming toward them. But they were not women. Their milky white flesh was flawless, their breasts and bodies bare. Their legs and arms were kissed with a familiar shade of purple-pink melting into black about their hooved feet and clawed hands. Blackish purple hair was held out of their faces by curling ram's horns and great bat-like wings came from their backs.
            Eyes narrowing, she loosed the first bolt at the one diving at them from above. She shrieked with the red-laced arrow struck her abdomen. Black spread outward as the succubus thrashed in the air, flight interrupted as agony set in. She tried to rip the bolt free only to have it crumble to charcoal and embers in her grasp. And still the thing devoured her insides like a hungry beast as her hair and wings burst into flame.
            Her fate went ignored by the hunter as she darted forward for a clear shot across the divide at the others that were coming for them. Several twisted, burning things scampered up over the edges of the pathways to join them. These blazing ghouls were faster and almost frenzied compared to the succubi. They became her primary targets as her arrows drove one back and scattered the other two.
            "Your screams of anguish will sound so sweet."(2)
            A sense of trouble made her spin toward the new voice. It came from the direction of the light at her back. Even as she loosed another arrow to send the ghoul leaping at her flying over the edge in an explosion of burning flesh, she saw Kormac frozen upon one knee. But the succubus that had tackled him from behind had forced his head around and gotten close enough to kiss him through the opening of his helmet.
            Rage consumed her as she bolted forward. She did not fire another shot. Rather, she left the bow in her hand as the other drew a symbol in the air. The succubus screamed as a fire-tainted black wolf leapt on her, capturing her neck between powerful jaws. Bone crunched as the beast's unnatural claws raked multiple furrows deep into her back as if trying to gut her from behind. She released Kormac and Killa was suddenly right there between them, shoving one of the daggers she used to ward off close attacks down above the demon's ribs into her heart.
            The force was so strong her hand followed the blade into the flesh, slamming into the succubus's chest and forcing her backward. Screaming, the demon thrashed. The wolf sprang away and the hunter brought one foot up to press against a voluptuous hip and shove the dying body off her hand and over the edge. For just a moment, there was a cooling note of satisfaction cooling her rage.
            "Oh, you've met my daughters, I see. Are you enjoying their company?"(3) the voice asked again, sounding closer.
            Spitting to the side, Killa merely turned to the remaining demons and ignored a darker desire to take Kormac's mouth and purge it from the foul kiss he had been given. The inner war consumed any part of her not focused on the death to spread in this fight. So she did not notice Kormac's shocked and incredulous look on her back. He did not stand idle for more than a second before using the scarf to scrub the sensation of those full, soft lips from his own, grimacing at the thought of what had given him the kiss.
            "The next time Haedrig makes me a helmet, it's going to have a closed face-guard," he snarled to an unresponsive hunter.
            Even though she returned to the fight, one of her guards had slipped. Unconsciously, she was listening to the agonized moans of the giants around them. They purred their torment to her in ways that made her grow warmer. That thrilling tingle grew. Only it was not just from her loins. It filled her entire body as she listened...savored. The scent of demon blood, feeling it when it managed to seep through the mail of her glove and touch the leather that was almost like her bare skin...it was beginning to affect everything but her thirst for death.
            Their way was suddenly clear and the red faded from her vision. Scanning for any signs of further attack, the hunter moved forward again. Power flooded through her, surging stronger with every gliding step, every slow turn of her head. It bled from her to distort the shadows closest her body. Kormac noticed the odd reactions, readied for an attack. But the shadows returned to being shadows after the hunter had passed. Her wolf had vanished the moment they were out of battle.
            Again, the words he had read returned to his mind to torment him. Lyndon's voice--and Eirena's--entered his thoughts and he once more found he was wondering about the question that they had both asked. What was he willing to sacrifice to make certain the world was saved? What could he sacrifice beyond his life and service? The hunter was prepared and apparently certain the quest would take her life. How could that not be the greatest sacrifice given? It would deprive the world of the greatest hero to walk upon it in an age.
            "It has been some time since I've had the pleasures of a templar in these halls," came the voice again. "All this light from him, so pure, so bright...so tempting."
            One of the giants chained near their current position on the pathways groaned. The sound trailed off like a growl. No, it was a growl. But it did not come from the giant, it came from the hunter. Lips peeled away from teeth, she snarled at the unseen source of the voice. Another type of sensation rose and spread through her chest rather than from below. Part of her identified it with ease before she shoved it away to keep focusing her hatred and rage. Possession.
            Pushing forward without looking back or scanning for more trouble, Killashandra followed the voice. She was positive it was now close enough to be coming from a direction. Kormac struggled to keep up with her as she moved faster, forgetting her caution for lust of the kill. A shallow set of steps connected the end of their path to the one above and she turned toward it only to see a shimmer in the air that was not caused by heat.
            Uttering a curse under her breath, her free hand fell to her belt. The caltrops were freed and set in a wide sweep of her arm. Just as suddenly, the wolf was there on the path above and leaping for something with a snarl. Like a rabid beast it landed on the air and ripped into something that bled. The hulking phasebeast was revealed as another appeared, howling in pain when it stepped into a waiting trap.
            Kormac started to charge forward only to slam into solid air. A third phasebeast was revealed before him and he altered his attack to it instead. The hunter had the fourth already revealed by spinning to unleash a rapid volley of arrows behind her and break the spell cloaking the creature. She missed the smaller forms of several soul lashers bounding amongst the large demons to spring their own attack.
            Weight struck her back and triggered one of the traps she had shown Haedrig how to set up within her armor specifically for attacks from behind. Knives suddenly exploded in a ring around her body. They struck the flayer and sent it flying backward. Twisting, she fired a bolt into the pincushion's slathering jaws. Its skull exploded and she returned her focus to the phasebeasts. Most had already been taunted to face Kormac so she selected another lasher to hit.
            Suddenly, two of the beasts vanished. As another lasher managed to get past her guard and wrap its slimy tongue around her head, there was a dark, large presence at her back. Her free arm rose and she used the spikes on the bracer to slice through the tongue blinding her. Whirling, she started to aim when one massive arm struck her hard enough to send her flying. Thankfully, her motion saved her from being struck by one of the glaives fused to the beast's limb.
            Releasing her arrow, it split into two and arced through the air to bury both halves into the skull to either side of the glaive-burdened head. The beast howled as it fell. But its attack had thrown the hunter over the edge of the stone path and over the void. Kormac had a moment to see her flying form before she fell out of sight.
            "SHANDRA!"
            Light exploded from him as a new fury filled him. Suddenly the demons before him were nothing as light flashed along his sword, flared from the crystal upon his shield. Blinded, howling in pain from the sudden holy righteousness in his attacks, the demons fell back. He crushed the skull of one phasebeast and caught the tongue of the lasher seeking his face. Jerking it, he yanked the smaller demon off its four limbs and snared the remaining beast's legs with it.
            In three more blows, the demons were dead. The templar charged for the edge of the path, knowing it was already too late, but unable to help himself. Skidding to a stop and almost going over himself, he went to one knee to prevent following her. The shield rang as he dropped its base to the stone for support and leaned down. While he did not expect to see her--he was surprised by the sudden rearing of one of the giants.
            Scrambling to throw himself backward, he saw the huge metal mask fused to the thing's upper face rise like some unholy tower, filling his sight. Blood was smeared over the almost shield-like rises of metal. The broken and bared teeth were blackened as fire burned within its mouth. Now he could see up close the great bands of metal peeling its lips back from its teeth. They pierced through the jaw and flesh alike to bind the mouth open.
            He almost winced as he heard joints pop and flesh tear. The giant released a moaning howl but continued to stretch its body against the barbed chains binding it. The great head bowed forward. Metal slammed against stone with deafening force. Just as he started to wonder how he could hope to fight this monstrous thing, something leapt up from behind the great metal bulwark sealing its eyes away. The shadow landed in a crouch on the path as the giant sank back down, giving into the unforgiving pull of its chains.
            Panting heavily, Killashandra lifted her head. Anything Kormac might have said fled his senses the moment those burning eyes found his. They were crimson and gold. In them he saw hatred and rage--no, fury--along with a darkness that made his chest seize and stole his breath. It was his sudden heartbeat she heard. Those green eyes were wide with shock and seeing only her. That was more than enough as she began to prowl forward toward him.
            She could hear the harsh breathing, feel the sudden surge of heartbeat, smell him. Oh, and he smelled so good. A mix of metal, sweat, blood, and sunshine. Beneath it all was that maleness she could nearly taste. Nearly...and about to finally taste fully. Her hand rose to grip the chest piece where it curved beneath his throat. Jerking him up, she watched his eyes widen with a spark of something that sent a jolt of desire through her.
            Just as her other hand found the fastenings to his helmet, he took a sharp breath. Shoving the metal thing up, it fell to bounce loudly over the stone. His hair was black with sweat, matted to his head and face. There were smudges of soot and ash on his forehead and cheeks. Sweat still glistened on his skin as she leaned in. One of his hands rose to grip her arm just beneath the armor of her shoulder.
            "Say it again, templar."
            Confusion pushed away that indescribable something in his eyes. "What?"
            "Say my name again."
            "Killa--"
            "No! My. Name."
            Swallowing hard, heartbeat racing, Kormac struggled to remember what he had said. Then it clicked. But he had to stop this--whatever it was. Already he was regaining himself and his control. But not quite fast enough.
            "Shandra."
            Her mouth claimed his. For a split second he froze. Then, the sensation almost floored him. Her lips were not soft. They were not sweet. They were not gentle. She fell upon his mouth like a starving creature as her tongue invaded his in a way that the demon had not been able to due to his helmet's limited access. No, where the demon had carried a soft, sweet, almost cloying presence, the hunter was fire and shadow. He tasted her sweat and something metallic, blood, then her flesh.
            "You're an extraordinary one, aren't you?"(4) came an unwelcome voice.
            Killa broke back with a vicious snarl. How dare that demon interrupt her! This was her--she snapped out of the trail her thoughts were going down. Blinking, the hunter remembered herself and the light in her eyes returned to orange. She chose to ignore what had just happened, just as she ignored the realization enter Kormac's eyes about the encounter. But she was already withdrawing, standing, refusing to look at him any longer so she would not see the shame or recrimination he would have.
            "I have never seen one of them ever respond to anyone else. The poor thing...it nearly tore itself apart to obey your desires."
            Still, the hunter said nothing as she retrieved her bow from her back and notched an arrow. Without a target, she could only fume and move forward again. Kormac retrieved his helmet and pulled it on hastily. His lips still burned with her kiss as he grabbed shield and sword to hurry after her. If he had doubted she was really losing herself before, all doubts had just been removed.
            It did not help him to forget the tingling still remaining upon his lips or her flavor in his mouth. Shivering suddenly despite the sweltering heat, he realized that even just that kiss had nearly made him break his vows. If he had, it would have made him no better than Lyndon. Thinking about the scoundrel, the question again echoed in his mind. And as his eyes were drawn unbidden to the hunter prowling ahead of him, he began to understand. Because he had been returning her kiss...
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The Hunter and the Templar