They oddly bonded quickly through their destruction of Jondar. Despite how Kormac spoke, Dahlia was quick to understand that it had wounded him to kill one of his own. They sat on the stairs just down from where the battle had occurred, catching their breath and preparing themselves for going deeper into the cursed cathedral. He couldn't feel the hand that she put on his shoulder because of the armor, but when he looked over to see her comforting smile, it was all there. She knew the feeling. At some point, she had had to do the same thing.

"He was a traitor. He needed to be put down." Kormac said, looking away.

"Many have fallen to the evil that's come from this star. That's why we're here. We have to put an end to this."

"You're right. We have no choice."

"No one has a choice when it comes to destiny." Her voice was again resolute. She flipped her hair gracefully, glancing quickly back up the stairs before letting her eyes settle once more on Kormac.

"How are you always so sure?"

"Kormac..." she laughed a little. "You should know. Your order is your sureness."

"It's true. My order is the defender of the Light, and we are all that stands against it. But you are alone here."

"I have always been alone. This is no different. My master hand picked me from my village when I was small. He took me from my family and trained me my whole life. He assured me of my destiny, so when I saw the star, I knew I had to come here."

"Why did your master not come with you?"

"Because he's dead already." Dahlia stood up. "We should get going. The dead will continue to rise until we find this star."

Her strange optimism about the situation forced Kormac back up. They fought their way through hoards of undead and cultists, sometimes monsters they couldn't even comprehend. He could see the Light flash in Dahlia every once in a while, and she changed her strategy as though the angels themselves were speaking to her about what she should to do. He had no argument against her being destined for glory. He could only think about the voice he had heard earlier, and how easy it was for him to heal her, even from afar. This was Dahlia's destiny, however. He could only watch as his entire concept about human capability change right in front of him.

Dahlia was patient with him as he checked the bookshelves for tomes of his order. She even searched with him, and he couldn't stop her from reading whatever she found interesting. They both filled their packs with books that seemed important, agreeing to return when the troubles ended. They had no idea that they would only come back years later, far different people than they were now.

They spoke little during the quiet times they had to search after clearing out the undead. Their alliance was too new, too unsteady for them. It was clear to Kormac, however, that Dahlia's physical strength was limited, and she was weary from carrying so much. It was a complete contradiction to how he had been trained, seeing her kill with such ease and yet have so much trouble with hauling books around.

"We should go back," she finally said.

"We can't go back! We're floors deep into this expedition and we've already seen the ghost of the Skeleton King taunting us. There is no way I am walking all the way back to town."

"I... have a way." She breathed shallowly. "We can return here, right here, afterwards." She pulled a crown out from her pack. The blue magic swirled around it, and within a few seconds there was a bright blue portal with New Tristam right behind it.

"Anything could follow us through there."

"It will close behind us and recreate a portal in town for us to reemerge through to here. And no one in town will be stupid enough to walk into the portal." She looked at him with dark eyes. "Please."

She was exhausted, and there was no way for Kormac to fix that with whatever magic he appeared to have. He sighed as he strained with his need to complete the mission. But somewhere within him he knew he couldn't destroy the Skeleton King himself.

"Fine. But I fear the hours we spend resting could cause havoc. Who knows how close the star is to destroying everything?"

"I can't fight like this," she growled, "We both had to walk weeks to get this far. Sleep is imperative."

"I said fine." They walked through the portal together, something Kormac expected to have a sensation. However, they were just there, and he could see where they just were.

Dahlia dragged herself to the blacksmith, quickly identified as Haedrig. She dumped everything that wasn't books in front of him. "I have materials for you. If you wouldn't mind making something more suitable for my companion than what he has, I would be in your debt."

"You've already paid that debt," Haedrig said, rummaging through the small armory she had placed before him. "I'll have it done by morning."

"Perfect." She smiled graciously. And then she passed out.

Several people rushed forward, including an old man and a young woman. They looked at Kormac accusingly. "What happened?" the woman asked.

"We've been fighting for hours. Too many hours." He set down his pack and realized how exhausted he felt. "We need places to rest."

The old man smiled, holding himself up on his cane. "Feel free to use the spare space in my home." He gestured to a house.

"Thank you... uh..."

"Deckard Cain. This is my niece, Leah."

"Deckard Cain? Of the Horadrim?"

"The very last," Cain said sadly. Leah put a hand softly on his shoulder.

"Come Uncle. Let's get some rest as well."

Kormac picked up Dahlia and their bags, bringing everything to the small home. It was a welcoming sight after fighting with evil all day. He slowly stripped himself of his armor and set it in the corner with everything else. Leah brought the few spare blankets and food they had.

"Please, don't deprive yourselves," Kormac said.

"Dahlia saved my uncle's life. She can have whatever we can give."

Dahlia stirred at the smell of food. Kormac helped her sit up so she eat. He considered how many acts of bravery and kindness she had already done for this town, and he couldn't imagine what she had done just to get this far. When she had had her fill, she looked over at him and smirked. "I'm surprised we made it. You're much smaller without your armor."

"You were easier to carry than the books. I wouldn't talk about being small."

"As you wish, Kormac." She snuggled into the blanket. "Let's rest. In a few hours we have our greatest challenge yet, and I'm ready for this all to be over so I can get to that star."