The air was still and quiet, there were wisps of smoke curling up from the heaps of ruble; there was the deplorable smell of burnt flesh; there were Cror and men strewn around the town; and in the midst of it all lay Begnj. Face up; he lay in the road; still breathing; just still breathing. The morning light shown on his face exposing a huge bruise on his head and dried blood plastered on his face……suddenly the still quiet morning air was shattered by the galloping of hundreds of horses. When the first of the Guardians came through the gate there was a cry of grief and sorrow, followed by silence. After what had happened had sunk in 3/4 of the guardians immediately set of in hot pursuit of the Cror while the other fourth stayed to help the wounded and protect them from any morauding band of crorii who hadn’t had dinner yet. The Guardians ran throughout the city searching for the wounded. Since Begnj fell in the middle of the road there was no trouble finding him and taking him into the makeshift hospital. Carnen who knew Begnj and also knew that Begnj was stationed at Asgoreth searched for him and couldn’t find him decided he was either dead or already in the hospital. Carnen ran to the hospital with a wounded man on his back. He set down the man and looked for Begnj. Was in cot number ten. Begnj was asleep. The doctor had wiped off the blood and bandaged his head.
“Hethsabo, this is my friend. I know medicine and I can take care of him. I would like to have him lodge in my tent.” Said Carnen
“Very well” replied the doctor turning to another patient. Carnen lifted Begnj and took him to his tent. Carnen got a fire going and cooked a chicken he added several herbs and a sleeping potion to the broth. And then dripped it down Begnj’s throat one spoonful at a time, until the whole of it was gone then Carnen lay down to sleep. He woke early that morning and went to headquarters to get the daily ration of food. The h.q. was positioned in the stone walls of the burnt down town hall. Carnen was anxious to here the news about the sacred alter and other sacred artifacts. when he got to the roofless building he stopped and examined it. He had never seen Asgoreth in its former state. the door to the town hall was gone and the walls were cracked and broken in places. Carnen walked in the door and saw ashes and ruble with five tents and a makeshift table in the middle. at the table sat an army commander from Gendor, he was pompous and fat. He sat there with a look of pride and arrogance on his pudgy face. Carnen walked up to him. "sir has the sacred altar been found yet?" he said.
"Yes. it has been found. along with the Sacred Sword, the Sacred Infuos, the Sacred Suit of Armor, and the Sacred Jewel." said the man with disinterest.
"But the Sacred Cup; what about it." said Carnen anxiously.
"The Sacred Cup is nowhere to be found. Now do you have anything worth saying or can I get back to my lunch." said the commander.
"But what about the Sacred Cup" pleaded Carnen
"Smash the Sacred Cup for all I care." yelled the man.
Carnen was petrified. no one dared to speak so badly about any of the sacred objects. Then Carnen un stiffened and leaned over the table ominously. the fat little man paid no attention to him; just kept eating his grapes. With one decisive blow he smote the plate off the table, the grapes disappeared in the muddy ground and the plate clattered on a rock. The commander slowly raised his head; now a shade of purple.
"I don't think you understand 'Commander'. I am a Guardian, sworn to protect the sacred objects. I will not have you speak that way again. I can report you to the head of the Guardians, and have you executed." said Carnen quietly
the man jumped up knocking his chair backwards.
"Seize him!" he yelled, pointing at Carnen.
Four guards drew their swords and rushed at him. The first one fell dead with a dagger in his gut. the others hesitated. It was serious to mess with a Guardian. Carnen struck one in the temple with the flat of his blade and leapt forward, dodged a blow and rushed out the door of the town hall.

Begnj rushed for the chapel with all his strength. A Cror charged him; Begnj dodged its sweeping stroke and slashed its throat. Begnj leaped through the door of the sacred chapel and jammed the door. He ran past a curtain and came into a room filled with sacred objects. Begnj rushed to the sacred alter and knelt. Then he swept away a rug and wiped away the dust. He stuck his finger into a crack I the stones floor and pulled the stone. Half the floor lifted and a deep cellar appeared he lifted the sacred alter and let it down. There was a crashing at the door. Begnj grabbed sacred objects and stuffed the into the cellar. The door came off its hinges with a crash. Ten Cror burst into the room Begnj slammed down the covering and through aside the curtain. The Cror charged him. He dodged a sword blow and slashed three Cror stomachs with one sweeping blow. He stabbed another and turned around. He spotted the window. More Cror were coming. Begnj ran and jumped out the window. His foot caught on the windowsill and he fell head first on the stone pave road.

Asgoreth 10:15 Thursday Night

Begnj fell under the crushing weight of the cror. The battle raged on and the cror were getting into the town and the defenders on the wall were being annihilated and the few guardians who remained fought desperately. The garrison had finely got under arms and rushed out of the barracks towards the walls. The soldiers overwhelmed the cror who had gotten over the wall. The battle looked hopeful and the soldiers were filled with courage. The cror were being beaten off and they started to retreat from the walls when there was a horrible war and every soldiers blood froze in his veins, the courage drained from every mans heart, as they turned to their utter horror they saw at least five hundred cror rush at them from the onside of their town.

Asgoreth, 10:10, thursday night.

Begnj turned to a guard and said "Go to Gendor and tell them to come immediately to our assistance." The guard turned to go but a cror stood in his way sword held high. Begnj stabbed the cror and slashed another. The guard hesitated begnj turned his head. "GO!" He yelled the guard leaped down the steps and ran down the street minutes later he rode out of the gate on the opposite side of the cror attack. As Begnj turned his head a cror appeared over the top of the ladder, the cror kicked him in the chest he fell back and landed on the ground very close to the edge of the wall the cror leapt over the battlements and kicked him again, knocking him over the edge Begnj grabbed the edge of the wall and held on the cror stomped on his hand with its metal boot. Begnj yelled and with his other hand he pulled out a dagger and plunged into the cror's foot. It screamed and held its foot hopping on one leg begnj dropped down and pulled out his bow he put an arrow to the string. a second later and arrow pierced its heart. Begnj joined a group of archers on the ground and covered the guardians on the wall until he was out of arrows. As he was about to go up to the wall again a cror cleared a area on the wall and then saw Begnj and jumped off the wall rolling on the ground then leaping in the air. its curved sword high in the air, it landed full force on Begnj. The sword missed but the cror with all its armor landed on him.



blackness.

Asgoreth 10:05 P.M. Thursday Night

Begnj took out his sword and ran up the stairs to the battlements yelling as he went. When he got the of the stairs a ladder came out of the darkness and struck the wall latching onto it with two sharp hooks. Begnj raised his sword over his and brought down his sword with all his strength, severing the hooks from the ladder. As he did a cror appeared above the battlements he pushed back the ladder sending ten cror violently to the ground. "CROR!!" he yelled again. A guard from another part of the wall had come up and another was coming from the left. Five ladders had already been planted on the wall and two had been thrown back but the others already had cror at the top. Five guardians were rushing towards the wall swords ready. Begnj stabbed a cror in the throat and kicked it into another who was rushing a guard and they both fell off the wall. Begnj ran to one of the ladders and started defending that part of the wall. A cror cut down one of the guards but a second later was decapitated by one of the Guardians who had just ran up. The other guard was defending himself from a cror when another huge one came up behind him and picked him up throwing him off the wall. The guard fell to the ground with a broken neck. Begnj swerved and caught a cror in the stomach. The huge cror ran at him sword held high, teeth glistening, hate and contempt filling its eyes . Begnj dodged the attack and put out his sword. The cror tripped and fell over the battlements with a scream. The cror were getting a foothold on the wall and the guards were being cut down or thrown off the battlements right and left. The only hope was the Guardians, until the army came: but that might be to late.

Gendor 5:35 p.m. friday afternoon

Carnen ran out the door to the hall and across the street, he turned left and went on a couple blocks until he got to the Watery Inn, he pushed open the door and walked in. He went straight upstairs to his room. Carnen picked up his cloak with the special Guardian clasp. He picked up his pack and ran downstairs, there were quit a few other Guardians going up the stairs. Carnen quickly asked the bar tender four two of loaves bread and a flask of beer. The bartender handed them to him. Carnen gave him the money for the food and the room and walked briskly out the front door. Soldiers and mounted men were everywhere, running around getting their packs and getting into order, ready to go to Asgoreth. Carnen ran out the door and went to the stable and saddled his horse. He mounted and rode down the street towards the gate. As he left the city he put spurs to his horse and along with five other Guardians rode towards Asgoreth.

Asgoreth, 10:00 pm, Thursday night.

It was a quite summer night and there was nothing to make Begnj feel uneasy; but he did. It was stormy and there wasn’t a moon. The Cror and the Crorii had been beaten in a major battle only a couple days ago. But something made him very uneasy. He decided to get up and check on the sentry. He rolled out of his blankets and stood up; he strapped on his sword and picked up his bow; he put on his cloak and clasped it with a special clasp. The rest of the Guardians were fast asleep. He stepped over one of his comrades and jumped the small wooden fence around the house that they were staying at, and walked down the street towards the wall. The wall was twenty feet high and four feet thick. It was weakened by passed assaults and on the outside it was rough enough to climb. The garrison was small and weak and the city was one of the closest to Cror and Crorii territory. When he got to the walls he heard snoring; he leaped up the steps to the ramparts and found the guard sleeping at his post. Begnj spoke. “Guard.” The man jolted awake. “Have you seen or heard anything unusual tonight.”
“N-no sir.” Stammered the guard.
“So what have you been doing.” Said Begnj.
“Oh please sir, down tell anyone I was asleep while I was guarding.”
“All right.” Said Begnj. “I won’t tell anyone, but stay awake. You could have got us all killed.” Begnj said.
He walked down the steps and was about to go back when-ZOOSH, THUD-Begnj heard the clatter of metal and then CRASH the body of the guard fell to the ground beside him. Begnj took one look at the arrow and knew. He yelled at the top of his lungs. “CROR!!!”