10/10 The Proposal

Ser Artaghh would steadily crunch away upon the powdered snow up the great heights of the mountain, idly puffing away at his corn cob pipe as clouds of minty smoke were steadily released from his arcanium lungs. Despite the ambient chill of the frigid north, beads of sweat still lightly trailed down the bald, burn scarred visage of the old knight. Yet, a missing toothed smile held upon the peasant swordsman's face as he plodded along, not a care in this world or the next holding him back from his evening stroll.

Approaching the snowy ramp upwards, the knight would blink steadily as his remaining eye fell upon Nyphadora standing alone amidst the snowfall, his smile widening instinctively at the sight of his lady of Dawn. Decades had passed since the fall of their beloved city, the commander of old had long been worn down by the trials of age and entropy, and yet still here remained a living beacon of the beauty that Artaghh's true home had represented in the flesh.

Pacing up beside the queen of faes, the old knight would cross his burn scarred, bandaged arms over the black plate of his cuirass, nodding steadily as he joined Nyphadora in staring into the distance upon the cold mountain top.

"Here I was expectin' I'd have'ta wrestle a snow monster or fist fight some penguins on my annual stroll up the mountain. Was real prepared like for it. I didn' expec'ta see the mos' beautiful lady on the island, though I ain' complainin' trut' be told."

(Artaghh)
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Every limb was armoured, a nearly endless source of mana sprouting wings upon her backs; the world around her threatened to distort at any time, and yet there she stood ever so peacefully- gaze settled on the darkening horizon.

It was only when an old, yet familiar voice spoke out that she seemed to react, her head turning to face the old Knight with a smile creeping up on her lips, "Well, well~ It would seem my trusty Knight is still around, what a pleasure."

As he joined her, her gaze returned to the distance, a little snicker escaping her, "Am happy to see you are alright."

"Has age been treating you Just, my old friend?"
(Nyphadora Ingress)
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"Treatin' me be'er now tha' yer in my sights, Lady Nyphadora. Feelin' real springy. Could ge' used'ta this."

Ser Artaghh would offer Nyphadora a wide, warm grin as he shut his remaining eye, scratching at the back of his head with one of his burn marred fingers with a light chuckle. When it reopened, his mystic's eye would flick between the distant horizon and the fae queen's visage with a sense of contentment as he enjoyed the setting sun.

If he imagined hard enough, it could almost be the beckoning forth of another coming dawn over the city he'd called home. A distant memory now, but one he would never let go.

"I didn' expect'a grow old, ya know? Our city....we were at war as long as I could remember, every day held the possibility tha' it could be my last. Yet here I stand; old an' bald, half arcanium, an' e'eryone else is gone. Left me behind while they go'ta die gloriously."

The old knight would frown briefly, remaining eye staring upon the distant view once more before he'd sigh, a sad smile trailing once more across his visage as he set a hand lightly upon the fae queen's shoulder.

"Still go' ye' though. Ye' haven' left me behind yet. How's bein' the tallest fae there's e'er been treatin' ye'? My view ain' half bad, I cannae deny."

(Artaghh)
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 It had been so long since Dawn had been destroyed, and yet there were still lingering feelings of regret within her- The crown jewel she herself had created, and she had failed in defending it. At least, she took pride in using the remains for growth.

The destruction had led to her ascension after all. A true Necromancer till the end.

"Ha! Well I wouldn't have allowed you to stay dead anyways~" She snickered, "And I will never die either." Head turning to face him again, the smile still ever present on her lips.

And then she laughed, "But am quite satisfied with my new height! People take me much more serious now~ Satisfying!"

"So do you live nearby, mm?"
(Nyphadora Ingress)
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 "I can imagine worse fates than trailin' behind ye' fer an eternity, I'd get'a admire ye' til my eye falls ou' once an' fer all.. I did always dream'a bein' a skeleton, fillin' ma rib cage wit' crossbows, an' surprisin' some'a our enemies in a Huang tea house. Simpler times, those. "

The old knight couldn't help but smile in the presence of Nyphadora, even in spite of the grimness of the topic at hand. The fae had always been a pillar of support and a beam of sunlight even in the darkest times Artaghh had faced in Dawn, and she alone these days could share his memories of his beloved home in earnest. An irreplaceable era of the knight of the Green Hill's life.

"I'd be aroun'ta make sure ye' ne'er die a'course. Be a real shite knight if I couldn't protec' my sworn lady til ma bones are dust. Nae tha' ye' need protection, bu' I'd do it anyways on principle. Old bones or no. "

The old knight would flash a wide, missing toothed grin to Nyphadora as he beamed at her, the warmth of his mystic's mana filling the air as the pair admired the horizon on this cold night upon the mountain. He'd bark lightly in laughter at her final inquiry, amusement spreading across his face.

"I'm quite satisfied wit' yer height too. Far easier'ta admire yer beauty wit' my eyesight as it is. Anyone who didn' take ye' seriously before was a whole fool, an' tha's comin' from the king'a fools himself."

The knight would pause, humming to himself as he gestured his arm through the air, his burn scarred arm shimmering ethereally as he sighed with a sad smile.

"I nap a' the tavern or the tower from time'ta time, good fer privacy. Bu'...nae, I don' live anywhere anymore. These las' decades have jus' been wanderin' for me. Scoured e'ery inch'a the island, bu' I ne'er found a place quite like Dawn. When ye' have a true home in yer life, it's...impossible'ta replace I suppose."

(Artaghh)
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Another little snicker, "Yes, you would make quite the Undead- surely you would scare some children though~"

Her smile faded a bit as he continued however, "Ah, I understand what you mean… No place quite like home, yes?" A sigh escaped her, eyes wandering off for a moment-- before she returned her attention to him with some excitement.

"Well my dear knight~ Shall we go take our mind off of things and see just how strong you still are, hm?" A hand beckoning towards the open fields, "A little dance?"
(Nyphadora Ingress)
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"Why, my dear, I already scare children~"

Ser Artaghh would release a hearty chuckle as he allowed the mirth to banish the coldness and grimness of the discussion topic with simple contentment in his chosen company, the knight's remaining eye hanging upon Nyphadora's visage with joy and amusement.

Crossing his right, burn scarred arm over the black plate of his cuirass, the old knight would bow theatrically, perhaps just a bit excessively for the queen of faes benefit, before raising his right hand and extending it to Nyphadora with a wide, toothy grin.

"Couldn' imagine anyone else I'd rather dance wit', Lady Nyphadora. I apologize tha' ye mus' suffer ma poor foot work."

(Artaghh)
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 Nyphadora Ingress exclaims, "Aha!"
 Ser Artaghh would ignite his pulsating shroud of dense, rich mana as he danced across the snow fields with the queen of faes, the steady patter of powdery snow the quiet symphony as the pair zipped back and forth in an exchange of roles decades after the fall of Dawn. Where once Nyphadora had been the delicate one and Ser Artaghh the robust knight of stone, so age had now worn down the once-commander's legendary durability as Nyphadora's ascension had banished her frailty.

Yet, this didn't seem to bother the peasant paladin in the slightest. Weaving back and forth across the battlefield as he zipped through the cracks in the spirit realm, sending forth his condensed might and kinetic force at the queen of faes without relent or resistance, the old knight's remaining eye held upon Nyphadora with iron focus not as some dangerous opponent to be feared, but as the most beautiful dancing partner he'd ever had the privilege of sharing a show with.

Yet, his reserves in old age were limited even as a master energy magi, and before long Ser Artaghh fell to one knee before Nyphadora, heaving steadily from his arcanium lungs as sweat idly beaded down his burn marred forehead. Yet, when his one eyed visage rose to take in her form, a smile as wide as he'd ever managed was spread joyously across his face.

Knelt before the queen of faes, the old knight would dig idly through the seams of his green cloak before removing a silvery strand of metal, weaving it about with an idle twist of his hands before the soul steel would find itself steadily forced into a permanent form.

That of a simple, glimmering ring. One now presented to Nyphadora from the knight's kneeling position beside another dredged out bundle....that of a massive pile of emerald metal.

"Lady Nyphadora, will ye' marry me?"

(Artaghh)
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 The energies of Worldscape filled her with untold power; hellstorm raged around her, tearing asunder anything that dared to get closer- and with the more powerful strikes of lightning, even the ground itself was torn apart.

And whilst it was not as big of a challenge as she had imagined, the old Knight was still by all means impressive. Whilst every clash seemed to be his loss, his tenacity and quick-thinking was swift to give him plenty of opportunities.

"Truly a seasoned warrior~"

But soon enough, victory was hers- and as he was on his knee, she approached ever so elegantly, a smile still curving her lips. And then the unexpected happened; whilst it was true that one should always expect the unexpected, this truly was…

Far out there.

His proposal had caught her entirely off guard, her smile not exactly faltering but more so, it seemed as though she simply froze in place. Put on pause for a moment or two, before it finally resumed with but a "Huh?"

Eyes glanced down to the glimmering pile of emerald metal, she rather swift to accept it as the smile grew a bit wider.

"Of course! But what is 'marry' again?" A tilt of her head.
(Nyphadora Ingress)
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[19:19] "Pffffft. Why ain' I surprised? Bahahahahahahah! "

Ser Artaghh would plant his black blade into the snow as he forced himself up steadily to a standing position, dusting the drift off of his nyeshk plate and the green cotton of his cloak before his remaining eye would meet Nyphadora's own, a wide, missing toothed grin held warmly and implacably upon his face as he sighed in a sense of joyous amusement.

"Well....when ye' marry someone, it's cause ye' love'm. Ye' give'm a fancy ring, ye' take their name, an' ye' dedicate yer life'ta helpin'm fulfill their desires through good times an' bad. Ye' become their partner, I s'pose, their sword an' shield through thick an' thin."

The knight would scratch the back of his neck, a light red flush trailing across his burn scarred visage in spite of his old age as his view held upon Nyphadora with an expression of genuine joy, if a bit of nervousness from being out of practice. It'd been a long time since he'd played the knight attempting courtship.

"An'...I s'pose I do love ye' Nyphadora. Ye' are my sworn lady'a Dawn. Long as I still go' life left in my old body, I'd like'ta see yer dreams an' ambitions come true. If you'll suffer me."


(Artaghh)
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 As he explained, her eyes remained upon the metal, head tilting an ever so slight bit as she inspected it before finally, her attention returned fully to the Knight.

A cheerful little giggle escaped her, a hand rushing up to hide her face for a moment, "This truly is-- unexpected."

"I am flattered, Artaghh." Her gaze would try to find his, hands gathering behind her as she straightened herself; the wings upon her back dispersed, "And I think, back when Nyphadora still had those feelings, she too loved you."

"But... Am the Queen of Faes now, Nyphadora Ingress." Her smile faltering a bit, "I cannot belong to anyone."

The emerald metal offered back, should he want it back.
(Nyphadora Ingress)
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 Ser Artaghh would smile his wide, missing toothed grin as he heard out Nyphadora's response, her answer not appearing to sadden the old knight in the slightest as his remaining eye met the fae queen's own. Falling to one knee, he'd bow his head as he barked out in mirthful, light hearted laughter as he steadily rose it to meet the visage once more.

"Well a'course ye' wouldn' belong'ta me Nyphadora. Ye' are the queen'a the faes, an' I'm jus' a knight! Tha's jus' ma committment'ta ye' as my sworn lady. "

The old knight would snort, waving away Nyphadora's offer to return the metal before dredging through his green cotton cloak once more, removing two orbs of pulsating mana; one red, one blue, that had sat for so long in the depths of the Dawn swordsman's possessions.

"Tell ya wha', I'll sweeten the deal. The right eye'a Kerafym the great dragon an' the left eye'a Ixchel's avatar if ye'd consider ma proposal."

(Artaghh)
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 Artaghh says, "They're shiiiiny."
 Nyphadora Ingress exclaims, "Hm~ Sure then!"
 Artaghh would offer the pair of eyes, unmatched and unlike anything else in the island, to the queen of the faes.
(Artaghh)
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 {Item} You drop Dragon's Eye x1.
 {Item} You drop Right Crimson Eye.
 Artaghh says, "Ain' an equal trade, yer hand is priceless after all."
 Nyphadora Ingress says, "Aha, my sworn Knight~"
 Nyphadora Ingress says, "Let us go find somewhere less cold."
 Artaghh says, "My lady'a Dawn, ta' see ye' smile is all the reward I require."
 Nyphadora Ingress says, "Must say... These are quite the finds."
 Nyphadora Ingress asks, "How long have you had them? Decades?"
 Artaghh says, "Far cozier. An'....hmm."
 Artaghh says, "Lemme think."
 Artaghh asks, "Must'a felled Kerafym.....twenty years ago? Twenty five?"
 Artaghh says, "The avatar'a Ixchel was a handful after, so maybe twenty."
 Nyphadora Ingress says, "Wow."
 Artaghh says, "Bu' aye, I've carried them on me since the day I recieved them, figured there'd be a worthy use for'm some day."
 Nyphadora Ingress exclaims, "Quite ancient then, mm!"
 Artaghh says, "Mhmm! An' yet..."
 Artaghh says, "Partin' wit'm ta' see yer joy a' recievin'm made it all worth it."
 Artaghh says, "E'ery step."
 Nyphadora smiles.
(Nyphadora Ingress)
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 Nyphadora Ingress says, "Thank you."
 Nyphadora Ingress says, "Anywho... I think I will retreat back to the Worldscape for some rest, mm."
 Artaghh says, "A'course, my lady'a Dawn. Rest well."
 Artaghh says, "*would offer Nyphadora a wide, missing toothed, and very warm smile&"
 Artaghh would offer Nyphadora a wide, missing toothed, and very warm smile
(Artaghh)
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Nyphadora giggles a little, before vanishing in a spark of lightning-- leaving behind but a substitute of herself.
(Nyphadora Ingress)
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 {Item} You picked up Nyphadora Plushie. Dropped by Nyphadora Ingress. .