"PRIVATE PRATFOOT! MOVE IT!" The nimble halfling sargent bellowed.
A slightly larger, and more stronger the most halfling came around the rock bend lugging the supplies for the rest of the squad. "Aye sir!" He said shifting the weight a bit and then redoubling his efforts to keep up with the rest of the squad formation. Percy wasnt a front line solider like the rest of his squad, he was the squads supply dealer, and tender to the wounded. That wasnt to say he wasnt useful in a fight. Indeed Percy kept himself in top shape, he wasnt as fast as other halflings of his squad, or as nimble by a long shot. But he made up for that with a keen mind and brute strength.
He studied much of military history along there travels during there off hours of engagements against the Wolf soliders. The wolf army was a band of barbarians, a collect mixture of halflings, humans, and gnomes that roamed the land they were in. Percy belonged to the Dragon army, the sixth battle group as it were actually. They specialized in quick hard strikes from mid range. And unlike the Wolf soliders ingrained discipline and weapon focus into all there units.
Percy though had failed to meet the standards of swift feet as the rest of the battle group had. And as such was regulated to more mundane duties. When required he stepped up to covering his fellow squad mates but otherwise avoided the front line actions.
Finally the army settled in for the night knowing that the next day they would enter a strong hold village of the Wolf army. If they could break the strong hold and send them running the general said then the fight would end.
Percy slept troubled some though that night torn over the orders that all the army had received. "Kill them to the last! Men, women, children! Show no mercy!" His sargent had bellowed to his squad.
Then as was expected the following morning as first light the Dragon army went in full bore. Percy for once due to the large number of Wolf soliders was near the front lines actually fighting instead of more mundane work. He held his own though against the Wolf soliders
Percy ducked under another blow from the large human soliders and came up with a precise arc for a stomach cut. He then slit the throat of the fatally wounded man and continued onwards with his squad.
As the fighting died down Percy was around some rubble carefully sweeping it for any Wolf Soliders. During the fight a low mist had rolled into the area near where percy stood it wasnt enough to obscure his vision though so he pressed on through the rubble. Instead of a wolf solider Percy found a pair of children huddling together. They were both human and from the dress children of the Wolf Army. "...Pl..please dont kill them." Another voice near by said in a feminine voice. Percy glanced that way and saw a dieing woman also a wolf army solider more then likely. "Th..*coughs* just children please? Kill me if you must but...*coughs again* let them go?" She said in a pleading tone.
Percy stood torn his kukri's both in either hand. He had trained to wield such blades in a two weapon grip during more relaxed fighting. Now though he found himself torn between duty and honor, and following orders. "The woman is right these were just children, they hadnt even fought in the battle. And all she had done was likely look over them." He thought.
The woman coughed weakly again as she watched percy. "..Please. ..halfling, spare them..." She said.
Percy looked down torn again between his orders and what he had seen the Wolf army do to other people. Rape, pilage, destroy, murder. He had seen them do all these things. It was all he knew, the army life. His parents had joined at the same time to fight the Wolf army so long ago, and married and had and bore him into this life.
Discipline, honor, right, and justice, and obidence to your orders was drilled into him for so many long years growing up. Now for the first time in his life he was faced with a choice such as this. "...Please, have mercy?" The woman said again.
Percy finally glanced about to see if any other were nearby of his squad. There were a few elves and humans nearby but none where they could see him. He sighed then and sheathed his kukri's. He then pulled out some bandages and begun treating the woman's wounds. The proved to weak to resist even if she wished. So Percy did what he could. Then moved to the two children silently and motioned to them some. "..come on, I wont hurt you, come on out." He said. The children finally did so and moved to the woman's side.
All three looked at him waiting as he stood and turned again, obviously still fearful that this was all a ruse. "...Will you...spare us halfling?" The woman asked a little stronger now.
Percy sighed some. "...Aye, go on get out of here. Head east over the river, however...." He said with a pause looking at each. "..Give up your ways woman, and disuade your children from this path as well, that is my asking price of your mercy I show here to----" Percy was cut off by a shout.
"WHAT THE HELLS?!" The sargent bellowed coming up over the ridge and obviously seeing what was going on and heard what was said.
Percy turned eyeing the sargent a halfling like himself not quite as strong but far more nimble. "Sir!" He said.
The sargent came down the rubble closer, "...Your orders were to kill all Private! Why are these three still alive!?" He said. The three Wolf survivors cowering now in fear.
"Ple...Please halfling, mercy, these children they didnt even fight! And I was just there keeper." The woman weakly said. "take me and do with me as you must, but spare the children please..."
The sargent drew his own short swords and smirked some. "Mercy? Mercy like you showed others of the Dragon army? Or the villages you showed your 'mercy' to? No woman, no no mercy for you or your brats." He said moving past Percy.
"Sir! no, this is not right!" He said. Putting a strong hand on the Sargents shoulder.
He spun around on Percy. "STAND DOWN PRIVATE! You are bordering on treason here!" He said his eyes bellowing out there anger.
Percy took a step back torn again between his orders and what he knew was right. "These children and the woman wouldn't hurt anyone. The Dragon army has finally won there is no reason to kill them sir!" He said, this time drawing his one kukri and shield ready to defend himself and making his choice.
"So...thats your choice hmm? So be it..." The sargent said then came at percy in quick action.
Percy parried away his first attack and tehn the offhand second. And the two backed off again. "Stop this foolish action...private...and do you duty!" The sargent said "KILL THEM!" He said dropping his guard and pointing to the three survivors.
Percy gritted his teeth, anger having always been one thing that got to him at times. He knew in a direct fight he couldnt win against the Sargent and took his chance sliding in and delivering a heavy blow to the other halflings rib cage. "NO!" He said drawing it back and out then.
"URK!" The other halfling said, dropping to his knees with surprise on his face.
The low rolling fog by this point had started to entwine down the rubble around them, Percy turned to the three. "..Go...heed my warnings though, if I find out you sullied my mercy, I shall not be so mercyful." He said the fog now wrapping around his feet some.
"Thank you mister halfling thank you!" She said gathering to two little ones and slowly making there way out of the area.
"You...*coughs* ....killed me..." The sargent said.
Percy sighed some sheathing his kukri after wiping the blood off. "Because what you did...sir...was not with the honor of a Dragon solider." He said walking out towards the rising sun through the now bit thick fog. He turned back before entering the fog bank. "..I'm sorry brother..."
Darkness soon broke over Percy and when he awoke he found himself in a different place then where he was before. The air smelled cleaner and not tainted by the scent of death that had been around him as he entered the fog bank. Up ahead he saw the low glows of a fire and other people.
Gathering himself he made his way forward, Percy had nothing left really of his former life. With talking with the people known as the Vistani and a few others that he ran into a short time later he knew he was not the first to become lost and placed here. Barovia had a standing army of some renown as well as other countries near by that also were known for there prowess in battle. Percy had always studied the opposite armies of where he traveled. It allowed him to often find the weak link in there combat. Here though there were no foes, no orders to follow, no family to tie him down. He was more or less on his won. He had few skills other then combat. And fewer still ways to earn gold in this land.
Sitting down at a table in an inn called the Ladies Rest he began to outline his plans for the immediate future.
1. Gather information about this land
2. Work on combat skills to defend both myself and others if need be
3. Obtain at least one silver steel kukri, preferably two, if possible also seek out an enchanted one.
4. Obtain a Steel Full plate armor lined with worg fur for best protection and a Steel Oak large shield.
5. Obatin the neccassary gold for the above lists of 3-4.
Satisfied for the moment of his goals he sat back in the chair, reading a book on the brief history of Barovia.
