[color=goldenrod][u][h2]Aliseth[/h2][/u][/COLOR][hr][COLOR=#C0C0C0]Guard Tower or something[/COLOR]
[hr]
Time and fate, these two things danced around in the guards mind as he circle his foe, heavy metallic boots crunching the snow underfoot and the familiar weight of steel hanging comfortably in his hand.

It had seemed like forever ago that Abel was slain, beheaded before his very eyes, since he gave chase and fought off that blight born. 
Since he ran into Zeph who was [b]supposed[/b] to be there helping him.
Since the lockdown and altercation with Elio and the guard who disobeyed directives. 

But all of that, that was all only the previous day. 

Even his early walk with Elara, the princesses handmaiden, that uplifting chat, seemed like too long ago. Just the memory of that sapped the tension from his muscles and brought the hint of a smile to his lips. The comfort he had felt in her presence. The stimulating distraction of her conversation. 

Before those thoughts could pull him into complacency, he attacked. A sudden lunge forward, strength exploding from his rear leg. Steel sweeping out in a wide horizontal arc before him, then the direction and momentum quickly changed. A powerful diagonal cut back down upon itself etching a new deep score amongst the many already crisscrossing the training dummies wooden skin.

It didn't end there, the sword shot back up in a defensive guard, blocking an invisible attack as he shift his weigh and stance. From there a small flick of his weapon preceded a side step and single hand thrust where the tip of the blade hit the centre of the dummies wooden chest with a resounding 'thunk'. 

A duck, a weave and a spin saw the blade cutting along the back of the supporting pole where his enemies legs would be before he stepped in close with an upward slice, dragging the weapon up the full length of the dummies back. A heavy kick ended the assault, shaking the wooden structure and nearly sending him back onto his ass. Unlike a human, the dummies thick support ran deep into the ground.

Aliseth took a breath, raised his sword, and then the dance continued. The blight had brought with it all manner of powerful Magic's, abilities and foes. He had to be ready. Time and fate would not wait.