She was distinctly light. There was a soft glow coming off of her that he didn't understand, but he was just grateful that the torture coursing through his body would soon end. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she could take on the entirety of the cultists in the room, despite looking tattered and worn. She lifted her hands towards the cultists, and what could only be lightning flew from her fingers and the wand she was carrying, electrocuting several of them at a time. She was ruthless in her killing, and it was mere seconds after he saw her that he was free from their powers. He punched one in the face, but was immediately shot back as that one too was killed in an instant.

He took a long, steadying breath. The woman walked up to him, her entire body swishing and curling with energy. "Who are you?" she asked, her tone accusing. She clearly didn't trust that he didn't want the transformation to happen. Then again, he wasn't sure he wanted to trust someone who would kill so readily.

"You'll know soon enough. Just help me find my things," he said, hoping that he wasn't misreading the Light, and that this woman was in fact sent as a reward of his faith. She glared at him, but didn't see enough threat in him to leave her eyes from his and start searching the bodies. He looked around. There was no blood, no gore. Just death. "What brought you here?" he asked.

"I'm here to destroy the Skeleton King," she said, shuffling through staffs and tossing them aside. "He's risen again and needs to be permanently destroyed. What are you doing here?"

"I've come to find the tomes of my order. My comrade... he fell to the cultists. Unfortunately, if you want to get to the Skeleton King, you'll have to get through him."

"That should be no issue," she said with the utmost of confidence. She finally stood. "Let's gather your things so you can get out."

He looked her over, a bit more than he should have. She was barely covered in clothes, and her body was toned with the same years of training he had. "Listen, Jondar has most likely already been transformed into whatever these unholy creatures were," he said, waving his hand around at the bodies, "and he already had the power of a templar behind him. There is no reason you should fight alone. If we get my weapons, I can help you."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to have another fighter at my side." She was giving him the same once over that he had given her. "Although you will have to give me a name eventually."

"I need your help first. To know that you are truly not what they are."

"Agreed." She was off running before he could say another word. They climbed to the next story, and he witnessed her power overtake their enemies with ease. As they turned the corner out of a room, the blue glow met them at a gaping hole that went too far down for them to see anything.

"What is that light?" he asked.

"I'm going to find out." she said, destroying the skeletons coming at them without looking up from the hole. Kormac felt deeply ashamed of his own training watching her kill evil with so much ease.

"He's free! Stop him before he rearms!" a cultist screamed. They both looked up just as a bolt of unholy light blasted from the cultist. Kormac charged the three cultists, dodging the beam. He saw a chest beyond them, open with his polearm and armor.

"There's my weaponry!" He heard a now familiar crackle of lightning, and the cultists dropped. He went to the box and started the slow process to getting his armor back on, barely recognizing that the lightning was still going off. When he turned back to where he expected to see the woman, she was crouched, panting in a pool of bones and bodies. She was holding her chest with what looked like a large amount of pain. He rushed over to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She glared at him again.

"I'm fine. I'll be fine. I just..." she stopped and groaned, "I've already used my potions. There were so many undead to get through..." She tried to shove him away, but she barely had the strength. In fact, he wasn't sure she had physical strength to use. Her magic was based on something entirely different. "I can't fail."

This wasn't a phrase of reassurance. This was said as a fact. A pure and simple fact, as the sky was blue, she wasn't able to fail.

"I admire your tenacity, but you clearly need healing. Let me help you."

"What can you do? Does your weapon have some sort of healing properties?"

"I have prayer."

The woman snarled, but that was the very last of her energy, and she collapsed on top of her accomplishments. Kormac placed a hand on her. He recited his prayer, rhythmically as a man who says the words everyday of his life. The glow from the pit grew stronger as he said the words, and he heard the sweetest voice he ever would. "You are not nephylem. But you are necessary. Keep your hope and faith, and you will make it through this trial together."

Kormac, despite his devout beliefs, never for a moment believed that he would be the one casting a miracle. But what he could only understand as his soul reached out through his hand and breathed life back into the woman. Her wounds healed quickly, and she shot up, her eyes opening with the sharp blue glow of the pit in them. It died down within moments, and her own normal eyes looked into his.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"I have no idea." he whispered, "I couldn't even begin to explain to you what I think I... felt. But I know now I was meant to be here. We will work together and defeat this evil. By the Light."

"Then let's go." she said, standing up. She shook herself of the bone dust, and again he had the urge to watch her carefully, seeing every movement of her body. She smirked at him when she caught him, and he looked down.

"My apologies, mi'lady. I've just never seen a person like you before. You exude the Light."

"You're a ridiculous man."

"Excuse me?" He stood up, "I am a templar of the Order of the Light! I am trained to defend against evil, and I am anything but 'ridiculous'."

"Exuding the Light isn't the same as just looking amazing. But I'll let you keep your charade for now."

"We have work to do." he said, resenting her a tiny bit. She was unknowingly suggesting that he was breaking his strict vows and committing a sin by looking at her, but there was no way for her to know that.

"Oh, we do. But you still have yet to keep your end of our bargain. You have your equipment; now what is your name?"

"My name is Kormac. Who are you?"

"I am Dahlia, and it is my destiny to destroy the skeleton king and find the falling star."

"You say everything as though you know it to be the absolute truth. How do you know it's your destiny?"

"Anyone as incredible as me is destined for greatness, Kormac. Now, we should hurry. The cultists are only getting stronger."

"Then onwards we go!"