The Templar's Oath
By AlaskanGreyWulf
I in no way claim copyright over these characters, or settings, or Diablo 3.
And now on with the story :)
Chapter 1
Kormac heaved as he lifted the armor from his shoulders, as much as they were toned, shapely and strong, the templar's will was outmatched by his body, and the latter would eventually give. He moved forward to the wooden human torso that stood straight up in front of him, heaving the armor onto the dummy and standing back to admire the blood stained masterpiece. He reached out with his thick calloused fingers, running his digits over the fine curves, digits and metallurgical prowess that went into designing the fine steel, leather and wool that held it together. It wasn't simply a object, an item, it was part of him, it saved him countless times, and each time was marked by a jagged permanent indent in the breastplate.
He turned away, looking around the tent he was staying in, it felt as if for the first time in the last few days he could breath without forcing himself to exhale, as if that breath were his last. He had seen some amazing things in his times with the order, but what he had seen recently, they changed him, for the better. He continued to dismantle the armor from himself, the bracers, the shoulders that weighed heavily on him, till his shell stood there in front of him, in a blood stained mess.
"Well, well… there is human under all that after all…" A voice echoed out from behind him, he knew who it was and he cringed slightly. It was Lyndon of course, the other third of the trio that followed the Nephalem halfway across the world, and from one end of heaven to the other. He couldn't pretend he didn't feel animosity towards him, after all he was a scoundrel, However, the Templar felt a kinship with him, albeit a strange one, they fought alongside one another, they killed enemies together, they followed each other into the gates of hell and here they were.
" I could say the same about you…" Kormac said with a smirk as he spun around to look at the entrance of his tent, he saw the dark haired mans standing there, holding two wooden bowls, and even though the Templar would have normally wretched at what pungent smell emanated from the bowl….he was damn hungry. He moved foreword quickly, reaching out for the bowl and spoon and following Lyndon out into the burning evening.
It was quite a sight as they stepped out into the drafty dusk. They were currently camped outside Bastion's keep, after Azmodan fell in battle with the Nephalem the armies of hell panicked, they had no leader, and quickly the disorganized mess of demons and monsters were either mopped up in battle, or retreated back to their hell portals and wherever else they crawled out from under. He couldn't imagine what kind of state Hell was in currently, he shuddered at the thought.
" Its finally over…" Lyndon sighed, sitting down on a chest that sat outside the Templar's tent, no doubt his share of the treasures the four of them collected over the nights and days of crawling through dungeons. Kormac shrugged his shoulders as his shaking fingers dipped the spoon down into the oily swirling soup, bringing it quickly to his mouth, and swallowing the spoonful, all the while burning his tongue in the process. "Ah…." He raised a finger to his mouth, then stared down at Lyndon. "It will never be over, if theres any one thing I know. I know that evil will find a way to rear its ugly head, once again."
Lyndon dropped his spoon in his bowl and lowered his head, shaking it till the loose tendrils fell around his face. "Can we be positive about ANYTHING?" he asked sarcastically, ripping apart a piece of hard bread that rolled about haphazardly in his bowl. "We tore our way in into a Skeleton King's castle, we dragged our heels till our blisters had blisters, and crawled waist deep in demon shit to get to our enemies in these god forsaken tower…" The Scoundrel stood quickly, and raised his arms outwards, stew sloshing over the bowl and hitting the ground with a splat. "…oh… and lets not forget, crawled the highest towers in HEAVEN itself to bring down the most terrifying creature known to man….how about we lighten up?"
Kormac shifted from one foot to the other, looking at Lyndon then back down to the ground, where the stew was mixing nicely with a fool of congealed demons blood. " We didn't bring down Diablo….the Nephalem did…" he said softly, then shot a glance to the scoundrel whose arms fell to his sides, and replied sheepishly "Well….we….we damn sure helped!" he retorted before sitting back down on the ground.
The stone face of the templar finally cracked, and a smile came to his face "Yeah, I guess I have to give you that.." He replied, bringing the soup back to his mouth and returned to inhaling the hot meal. It wouldn't last long however as his eyes flickered upwards to catch a sight that, if were less of a righteous man would have gotten the best of him and killed in battle,
It was Eirena, the sorceress that had come across time and space to meet with the Nephalem and by some cosmic force, was thrown in all of their fates. He still remembered the first time his eyes laid upon her, she was so sweet, almost innocent, but the hardened days, the hope lost, and found and burned down again, he knew it took a toll on her, and it hurt him.
"Oh Gods, not this again…" Lyndons voice cut through the small day dream that was running through the templars head, which only succeeded in giving the rogue a dirty look. "Look Kormac, why do you drive yourself crazy with this seductress? Look at her, and look at you-" The Templar interjected quickly "What about ME?" he would asked, bending down and putting a hand on his knee so he could look at the scoundrel eye to eye.
"Well, I…uh…er what I mean to say is, you know…" He would say, a nervous laugh escaping him. "Your uh…don't you have celibate oaths and what not?!" Lyndon would finally spill, which made Kormac reel back for a second, that was right…his order, who he was. He was forbidden to certain pleasures of life, and women were one of those pleasures. His eyes moved back to the body of the female who was currently helping the wounded and lame as they laid out over what looked like a endless battlefield, bodies on top of bodies, on top of demons. It seemed to him they could never find all the slain, it would take them months to find every last one, and years to rebuild to its former glory.
"Look, I didn't mean it like THAT…" Lyndon said empathetically. Kormac waved a hand at him, and shook his head in dismissal. "Don't worry, your right….it couldn't work, how would…I mean…the order. After this I will be most likely raised to a higher position, and held in even more scrutiny over my actions. " He frowned, that crooked look on his face more closely resembled what he looked like on a day to day basis, miserable.
"So your not going to leave the order, even after all of the…. well you know…the things they did to you." Kormacs eyes didn't move from their position, fixated on Eirena, who to his dismay turned her head and looked directly at him, he averted his eyes, but not before catching the wave she sent his way. He should have known, she was a magic user, she probably could hear the two of them with whatever witchcraft she used.
"I don't know yet…if I leave, all that I worked for will have become for naught, however…. I don't know wether my conscription into the Order was sanctified, I am not sure if I could forgive the order for such transgressions on their own soldiers, and after all the things I have discovered since…" His fingers reached up, reaching for the glass tube that hung around his neck, inside was a rolled up scripture, another relic found on their long adventure.
Before the Templar could continue, the familiar sound of clanking and clanging of armor made his head rise, and that of Lyndon as well. There before them was a group of men, swords in scabbards and holding weapons of choice, as well as a mismatch of armor that they must have collected from fallen soldiers across the battlefield. Kormac set his bowl down, and moved foreword, holding out his arm as he saw they were headed towards the plains.
"Whats going on here, no one is supposed to leave…" He would say with some authority. "Sir!" One of the half dozen or so men would call back, holding a parchment in his hand. "Word came in there was a rogue group of Fallen congregating within a old barn on a farm a few miles away, we were ordered to go take care of them…." The Templar frowned, he hated sitting idly by while fighting was done. The soldier could see this and shrugged his shoulder. "We don't mind if you come along Sir, the company of one of The Order would be welcome within our ranks!" The other men cheered in agreement, which brought a grin to the Templars face. "Right….well, let me grab my things and I will be behind shortly!"
The Templar turned to Lyndon, a newly lit fire invigorated him, battle would always take his mind off troubles. "Are you i-" He stopped and frowned, the crate was bare except for a empty wooden bowl. "Lazy bastard…" He uttered, as he opened the flap into his tent, one day he would teach that Scoundrel how to live with some honor and pride.
A few minutes into him squeezing back into his armor, he would hear a voice at the door, a soft familure voice. "Ello?" It rang out with a accent not known in these parts, and it sent a cold chill up his spine, he stood for a moment, unknowing how he should answer and simply replied with "Come in…."
Swinging past the furs and leathers that covered the entrance of the tent was her, Eirena. She stood there, hands clasped in front of her, and eyes averted downwards. "Kormac…." He said, barely above a whisper. "Yes?" He would reply, holding that spear in his left hand, and his shield in the other, his mind running simulations of what it could be that she would want of him, only to be disappointed when she uttered. "Is there….trouble?"
He cleared his throat, his persona coming back to him and shrugging those massive shoulders dismissively. "Just some Fallen, however nothing we cannot handle, theres no need to wake the Nephalem for a few of these creatures. We will be back in time for breakfast…" The Templar said, hefting the spear in his left hand.
"Its just that…" She began, looking upwards. "Perhaps you should stay behind….I say this only because… there is a fear in me. I felt it first when the soldiers approached you before, and well. I think its a sign, you shouldn't leave. I think something horrible wi-" A laugh cut her off guard as the Templar shook his head. "My dear girl, I am a soldier of the order. Think of all that we have been through, Diablo, Azmodan….the prime evils of the hells are all defeated and gone…. what have we to fear from a couple stragglers?"
He would move foreword, and past her, catching whiff of those western oils that she used that caught him off guard….it was alluring to say the least. "Please….." He would whisper, as he passed her up, he stopped before closing the entrance behind him. "Come now Eirena…I will be just fine, I have come too far to fail now…" He chuckled and shook his head. "Eirena…take care of the dying…they need you more than I…"
With that he would gone, and from the corners of her eyes, tears began to fall. He reached up to wipe them, and was struck with pain. A vision that would take over her sight, a blinding light, and then the same sight she had been experiencing since she had met the Templar, but only now felt the nerve to do something about….now that they were so….close. "No…" she said to no one in particular. The she turned to the entrance and whipped over the entrance. She would need her staff, her visions were never wrong, and she would not let this one come to fruition….
[end chapter 1]