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The Hunter and the Templar	By : BurneHazard Category: +A through F > Diablo III Views: 6471 -:- 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.

Chapter List
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            As they topped the stairs, they came upon the same corruption that had tainted the Heavens every step of the way. Only, the moment she stepped upon the residue, something about the way the corruption had spread struck her as odd. It was not quite the same as the rest. No unusual crystals were present but something about the taint seemed...smoother. The floor was stained dark but they did not walk over raised bits like before. And here, it formed spikes like rails along the sides of the walkway.
            "Shandra, wait," Kormac said, causing her to pause even though she kept scanning the area around them for danger. "Before we face that abomination, there is something you should know."(1)
            Her glowing eyes turned toward him as she listened.
            "When we first met, I thought you unfocused and corrupted by revenge," he admitted. "I was wrong."(2)
            Blinking a few times, her rising ire faded as he stepped closer to her and made certain she was looking into his eyes as one gauntleted hand reached out to take one of hers. "You are more honorable, more disciplined, than anyone I have ever known."(3)
            Taken aback by the sheer blatancy of such a confession--even though she had heard him speak about Lyndon--floored her. Killa cleared her throat, "It is nothing but choosing where you will fight. Do not let your fears pursue you. Turn and face them. Fight them."(4)
            He began to smile behind the shadow of the faceplate but she could still see hints of it through gaps. "I will."(5)
            He gave her hand a squeeze then released it. Suddenly feeling awkward, the hunter turned to move on, thankful that the hood concealed the burning of her ears and cheeks, and disguised what was visible of the blush thanks to the red dye of the fabric. But even so flustered, she was unable to forget or ignore the sense of danger ahead. Ready for a trap, she had a split second of warning.
            "Jump!" she snapped as she vaulted forward.
            Kormac moved a moment too late. Spikes snapped upward from the ground as the illusion vanished to reveal the familiar web coating the floor rather than stained stone. The spikes slammed into the templar's body and sent him flying backward only to crash into more rising spikes. They closed like a pincher, trapping the templar in a nightmarish cage. He struggled against the tight grip as Killa got back to her feet and headed back toward him.
            "I've been trapped!" he growled, straining against the immoveable objects. Sagging the two inches he could move, he forced his head around to look at her. "You'd best go on without me."(6)
            Ignoring him, she reached out to test one of the spikes. It did not give. Gripping it tighter, she tried to force it to bend toward her in hopes of breaking it. Not even an inch was gained as it remained locked in position. Growling, she tried with both hands as he pushed. Nothing. It did not budge. And she found her rage rising again as she glared at the trap.
            "So, this is where the journey ends," Kormac said as he settled. "Regardless of how, it has been an honor fighting by your side, Shandra."(7)
            Although part of her was raging and screaming that she could get him out if she just took a little more time to try, she knew better. Time was one thing she did not have. And she refused to be too late again. Her hand slid through the cage to reach his neck given his helm was wedged against the top of the trap and gave no quarter for her to touch his face.
            "Though I don't often join with others, your friendship has meant much to me."(8)
            Their eyes met. And once more, for the last time, they understood what had not been spoken aloud. Those beautiful green eyes glistened with a hint of tears and she leaned in to press a kiss to the cold metal of his helmet. It was the only place she could get close to his mouth. His breath was warm where it passed through the visor to wash across her lips and cheek. She made herself pull back and smile.
            "I swear to you, Kormac of the Templar Order," she said as she backed away, never breaking eye contact. "Diablo, the Prime Evil, will fall this day. If by my hatred, my pain, my blood, my life, or my death I can bring him down once and for all...I will."
            Shock entered Kormac's eyes at the close familiarity of those words as the hunter continued to back away. Then he saw something in her eyes that made a cold fist grip his heart. He had seen that look before on others.
            "I was made for this.(9) And I will gladly fulfill my purpose!"
            She turned and broke into a run as he found his throat constricting and preventing him from calling out, calling her back. By the time he could swallow, she was too far away for him to bother. And it only made the fist crushing his heart tighten as he tried to make himself breathe around the pain. Struggling against the cage again, he thrashed like a mad beast before growling.
            "Tyrael! I could use some help!" he called back.
            "I figured as much," came a familiar, smooth voice. "Walked right into another trap? Honestly, templar...didn't we already talk about this?" Lyndon asked as he took a vial from a pouch on his belt and tilted it over one of the bars to see if it had an effect. The liquid hissed and popped, eating slowly into the stuff. Humming with false cheerfulness, the scoundrel worked his way around the bars holding the templar.
            "Kormac," Lyndon said as he poured the last of the liquid in the vial over the base of the bars. "Do you...have a funny feeling?"
            "What do you mean?" the templar asked as he gave the first treated bar a hard shove. It cracked but did not yet move.
            The scoundrel paused and straightened, looking toward the stairs the hunter had vanished up. "I...just have this strange feeling..."
            A little give permitted the templar to sink down enough he could turn his head to look to the thief standing at his side. He saw the worry and strange, saddened resignation on Lyndon's face. Suddenly, he felt his stomach sink as he looked in the same direction.
            "...like you're never going to see her again?" Kormac finally asked.
            Neither said another word as they stared after her. But both understood they could not follow her as much as they each might have wanted to. All they could do...all the world could do...was wait to see if the day would come, or if they would fall deeper into eternal night for all creation.

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Author's Note:
            Well, we're almost to the conclusion. This has been fun and challenging to write. Even though I'm well aware I have a lot of editing I could or want to do, and I did leave out a lot of small pieces of plot, I have to say that currently I'm happy how this entire journey has turned out. I'll be taking a bit of a break to take my time on the next chapter. I want to take it seriously and figure out how to make it feel...as powerful as it was when I first reached Diablo on the initial chain of the game. There's still a lot I want to put into the next chapter so I'll be working on it little by little.
            This will give you readers time to catch up and add your comments on this story. I feel I stuck too close to the dialogue and events but given the game itself, well...as I said, still happy with how this turned out. And I can't wait to see how the ending will present itself. Even if I have an idea what I want to do--so far very little in these chapters has gone to plan. So it's an adventure even for me as I write.
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The Hunter and the Templar