Darien walked the catwalk that circled the keep.
As a sergeant in the keep's guard force, it was his
responsibility to check on the guards on duty. "When will this
shift end?" he thought. At least this was the last day
of his squad's tour on 3rd shift. Several hours
later, Darien made his last circuit and turned the
duties over to Geveren, the Dwarven outcast that
commanded one of the other shifts.
After shift's
end, Darien returned to his barracks room and removed
his armor, then walked to the bath for a soak.
Toweling off after his bath, he dressed in common clothes
and cleaned his gear before heading to the kitchen
for a meal. He called out as he entered the dining
area. "Elmina, how 'bout steak and eggs?"
"You'll get what I make, soldier boy," the halfling shot
back but returned shortly with a plate of the
requested dish. She harrassed the troops, but always took
good care of them.
Darien ate quickly and then
walked out, nodding to the diminutive head cook. He
reached the courtyard and looked up at the sky, enjoying
the feel of the sun on his face: The nights could be
very chilly in the swamp. He began streching and then
warmed up with some light unarmed combat drills.
Sufficiently warmed up, he drew his sword and began some basic
movements, working his way up to combinations. He finished
his exercises and put up his sword, toweling off the
accrued sweat and wondering what he was going to do
today.
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