A stocky dwarf stepped out of the barracks, peering out into the blistering hot sun. He was wearing light armor in the style of those worn by mercenaries, mostly covered by a plain, brown cloak. A battleaxe rested by his side and reflected light onto adjacent buildings. He glanced around the camp, noting familiar sights and sounds. He had been there for almost two years, training his body and mind. This was no normal military training camp though. This camp produced one thing and one thing alone: Mercenaries.
Those without the willpower to survive were quickly removed from the camp. New recruits ran laps around the camp for hours at a time, giving them the endurance found only in the strongest of regular soldiers. On particularly difficult days, the medical trainees would walk the course, reviving those who had passed out from the day's exercise. Clothes were issued by the camp, and had iron weights at regular intervals. With each passing month, more and more weight was added to their clothes. The average soldier carried about fifty pounds, giving them the strength of those twice their size. Soldiers could be tested at any time, and if the instructor decided that a student failed, they would be kicked out. With constant testing, the swarms of people who came to the camp were quickly cut down to fewer than one hundred new recruits each year.
The dwarf walked slowly through the center of camp, battleaxe bouncing at his side. He wore a foul expression as he considered the message he had received that morning. The captain of the camp's warriors, of which he was one, had pulled him aside at breakfast and told him to report to the Commander's Quarters. The dwarf couldn't understand why he had been summoned. The only reason why people were sent to the Commander was to kick them out of camp, but the dwarf had passed all of his tests. He sighed, watching the other warriors train. He saw a small group of them playing the camp variation of "Duck Duck Goose." The tagger would get one attack on the goose, and, if blocked, would sprint around the circle hoping he wouldn't be killed. Behind them was a game of Soldier Chess. When two pieces met, however, they would fight until one soldier could not continue. Over in the corner was Battleship. A wall separated the two teams, who, while keeping their torso and lower body perfectly still, threw axes and knives over the wall at each other. He watched the medical trainees scurrying between games. They were the busiest people in camp.
The dwarf entered the command building, eyeing close to a dozen other soldiers. They were all of the other captains. A jovial gnome walked up to him. "So you too Tordek? I thought I was going to be kicked out, but look at who's here! This is the crème of the crop." At that moment, a burly old man strode through the doorway. The soldiers briskly stood at attention, bodies as stiff as the wall they stood by. This was the base's commander. "At ease, and follow me," he told them.
He led them into a room with one large, wooden table. "Sit down," he ordered. All of the captains sat down, their attention on the grizzled old man in front of them.
"You all know," the old man said, clearing his throat, "that bands of mercenaries come by here on a regular basis, choosing the best to replace their fallen comrades. The last two wars have encompassed the entire continent, decimating the number of mercenaries. Those bands that were not affected by the war are now up to their ears in work, and have no time to come here for new members. We have made the decision to form new mercenary bands purely from this camp. And you will lead them. For those of you unfamiliar with the necessities of a band leader, information will be on your bunks by the time you return. You will also be selecting new camp captains to replace you. Dismissed!"
The room was silent. Everyone had known that mercenaries were scarce these days, but no one could have predicted that it was this extreme. There was no precedent for what the commander had done. One by one, the new leaders left the building and headed to the barracks to find out what they needed to do to prepare for their first journey as a mercenary.