Alphard smiled softly as she walked slowly down Tarbinal’s main street, hand-in-hand with her lover, Kenshin. These last couple of weeks had been filled with utter bliss. First, the bond between Kenshin and Alphard had deepened greatly, finally leading up to Kenshin nervously officially asking her out just before the boss fight on the last floor. She had said yes, of course, and they had spent the next couple of hours talking, during which time she confessed exactly how long she had been in love with him. They had laughed over how they both had the same feelings but had been too scared to admit them. 

Then had come the boss fight. Yes, people had died. More than in any one fight to date, in fact, but both Kenshin and Alphard had survived, as had all of their friends. Yari might be a bit confused right now, but it was surely temporary. Right? Yeah, had to be. In any event, working as a pair, Alphard and Kenshin had attained the highest number of mob kills against the skeletons and had received a small reward called <Material Bone> and a nearly insignificant cash increase. It was a semi-common item used in crafting armor and weapons and differed from normal <Monster Bone> only in a slightly higher durability. The material was put to good use, though, as Kenshin had suggested a peaceful day of shopping. First, they had visited a favorite PC smith who had made them each a pretty good weapon Alphard’s was the [hider=Grim Axe] [img]http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130427201058/avalon-kingdom/images/e/ea/Felicia's_Bone_Axe.jpg[/img] [/hider] and Kenshin received the [hider=Grim Saber] [img]http://www.dundjinni.com/forums/uploads/Eryiedes/Ery_Bone_Katana.png[/img] [/hider]. They had to go test the new weapons, of course, so the couple hopped on the teleporter in Tarbinal’s main square and farmed at a favorite spot over on Floor 22.

Finally, to finish the day, Kenshin took Alphard to a fancy restaurant back on 26 and treated her to a romantic dinner. The soft candlelight and NPC-played music were absolutely enchanting; the perfect ending to a perfect day. They then left the restaurant and walked hand-in-hand towards Tarbinal’s housing district in the hope that they would be able to find Yari, Fitch, and Suto and ask them if there was to be any group training on the morrow. As they walked, Kenshin reached into his pocket and fingered the ring he kept there. He’d bought the slim silver band while they were out shopping that day. He knew that they hadn’t been dating for very long, but he intended on asking Alphard to marry him as soon as he could work up the courage. She looked at him curiously, sensing that something was wrong, but he just shook his head, smiled, and squeezed her hand tighter. She smiled back, which made his heart glow with happiness after seeing all the emotional tribulations she had been through in the past, and pulled him closer. As he wrapped his arm around her, he overheard two Players chatting about the extraordinary circumstances of the 25th floor boss. One of the two, a burly mace user, was commenting on how ‘pissed off’ he was that someone had a revival item and never told anyone. Alphard suddenly tensed, and her hand strayed to the straps of her shield. “I oughta tell them where they can shove their ‘pissed off’. Nero saved somebody, our friend, I don’t care whether or not he hid the item until it became necessary.”

“Now Honey, I don’t think that we need to get involved. People are entitled to their opinion. No need to start a fight if it’s not really needed.” 

Just then, the man’s compatriot, a lean spearman, laughed and said “Yeah, and what a waste of a revival item. Why use it on that [i]bitch[/i] Yari. He could do so much better.” 

Kenshin removed his hand from Alphard’s shoulder and nodded once. “Never mind, we can deal with them now.” Alphard smiled again, this time a sickly grin, far removed from the smile that she had given him moments ago. Unlimbering her shield, Alphard charged forward and pinned the maceman between it and the wall. Growling, she explained her feelings regarding his comments and pressed harder, until the wall behind him emitted the [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/4b/2e/9a/4b2e9aa6a2c6d1468f7641f1b01edcbb.jpg]Immortal Object[/url] warning. When the spearman leapt to his friend’s defense, Kenshin stepped forward and blocked the man’s path. A small tussle ensued, ending with a formal 2-v-2 duel. 

It was over in seconds. Neither man anticipated Alphard’s ferocity or Kenshin’s superb eye for timing. Once their health bars had dropped into the yellow, the duel was declared over, and Kenshin and Alphard walked away 1000 Cor richer. Which took them to the present moment, walking hand-in-hand towards the tavern where the two troublemakers had last seen Yari.