Analyze
Hunaruan looked out across the fields, his face grave. He sighed in despair. "He may be mighty and great, but in the end he will suffer fate," he murmured to himself. His thoughts were interrupted as a messenger approached.
"Lord Hunaruan," he said, "the spies have returned. Redworn, King of the Redheads, brings at least 10,000 soldiers. This is too great for us, as our garrison only has 3,900."
"Were they caught?" asked Pumperin, who stood next to Hunaruan.
"Yes," answered the spy. "Two died, three survived, one of which is wounded. Now, the Redheads ride with all speed. The spies only made it through a shortcut."
The spy shrieked and fell back. "Look!" he cried. "Redworn and his troops are coming to bring us doom."
Hunaruan looked back and saw Redworn and his at least 10,000 troops. He ran down the old, ruined stairs and onto a lower battlement. He surveyed the ruins of the once-great city. All that remained untouched were the three great catapults.
"Perhaps these will bring us success," he thought. Then he cried aloud, "Sound the horn! Call for aid! Do not despair!"
The horn sounded loudly throughout the ruins of the city as the soldiers ran to their positions on the ruined walls. Some archers took their positions by the three catapults, and others prepared giant boulders to fire through the great catapults. The ruins were full of light as many torches were suddenly lit. Hunaruan gazed out at the setting sun with Pumperin by his side. He sighed and turned to Pumperin.
"If we are to die," he said, "let us die defending this once-great city." Then he ran down the steps and onto the front battlements, ready to face his enemy.
The Redheads had prepared large catapults and lines of archers that were ready. Redworn cried out, "Prepare! Ready to fire!" The archers faced the walls with their bows, but suddenly Nethstel shouted and the three great catapults fired with fire ablaze. The rocks fell, crushing many Redheads. Fire and dust flew through the air. The Redheads ran, and those who could not make it were crushed. Then the Redheads answered with flying rocks and singing bows. The already ruined walls fell apart where the heavy rocks of the Redheads landed. Archers fell from the walls and others were crushed.
"We must destroy their catapults before we are destroyed," cried Nethstel. "Aim for their catapults! Crush them!"
The great catapults fired. Fire hissed through the air and crushed some Redhead catapults. Wood and dust flew through the air, knocking down many Redheads. The Redheads countered with their heavy rocks, crushing many soldiers. The Redheads' rocks were covered in red paint.
"Look," said Pumperin. "They love red so much that they must paint their boulders red."
Nethstel cried again, "Fire the catapults!" The catapults fired, knocking down many Redheads. Hunaruan suddenly cried, "Where are the foot soldiers? The Redheads are ambushing us!" Suddenly, many Redheads fell upon the city, crying aloud. They struck the large gates but to no avail.
"Archers, fire!" cried Nethstel. "Bring the Redheads down!"
Arrows flew, knocking Redheads down. Redworn cried, "Fire the catapults!"
The Redheads suddenly fired their few remaining catapults. Fire flashed, and the great statue of Nubarana the first fell, crushing soldiers. The head rolled, pushing the gate open. It rolled over the Redheads, crushing them. The Redheads began to run, and the soldiers all ran to the gate, fighting the Redheads. But the strong Redheads easily beat down the Rowbins. Nethstel cried again, and the archers fired. Then Nethstel ran down the stairs. He drew his sword and slashed a Redhead down. Hunaruan ran over to the gate. He stood by the gate, slashing down the Redheads that neared him.
The Redheads cheered as Redworn, the Blood King, approached the gate with his heavy axe in hand and many Redheads cheering around him. Redworn swung his axe, knocking Hunaruan's sword out of his hand. He raised his axe to crush Hunaruan, but a blast of flames flew through the air, knocking Redworn down. He dropped his axe and fell. Pumperin ran forward at the king, but Redworn punched him down. Nethstel cried and charged Redworn, who was now up. He swung his axe, but Nethstel slid under it and pierced Redworn's thick leather hide. Redworn fell back, blood streaming from his leg. Nethstel turned to meet a large group of Redheads. He cut one down and knocked an axe out of another's hand, then he stabbed it straight through the gut. Suddenly, a Redhead from behind knocked Nethstel to the ground with his mace. The sound of iron was heard as the mace and helmet collided. Nethstel fell off the bridge and down ten feet into the dried moat. The Redheads had now broken into the city, and the walls were falling. Blood smeared the walls in spots, and soldiers blanketed the ground, both Redheads and Rowbins. The Redheads' catapults were successfully destroyed, but they no longer needed them, for they had now broken into the city.
Hunaruan ran up the stairs onto the battlements. Below was death and chaos. The Redheads began to ascend the stairs, but Hunaruan stood there, blocking their passage. He ran back up the stairs, and then the archers fired, knocking the Redheads down.
"Fire the catapults!" Hunaruan cried. "Fire at the stairs! Block the Redheads!"
The catapults fired in three different directions, knocking stairs down and blocking the Redheads from passing.
Pumperin ran to the stairs and tried to climb them, but they had collapsed.
"Hunaruan!" he cried. "Hunaruan!"
He ran forward, his yellow hair flying in the wind, and with a great cry, he brought down a Redhead, and then another. Arrows flew in all directions. The sound of singing now was heard in his ears, and one Redhead hit Pumperin in the back with his red feathered arrow, and he fell with a groan. The Redheads were making their way to the three catapults, screaming and yelling. The catapults fired, crushing Redheads and blowing dust. Redheads screamed as their hair burnt, and fire consumed them. Hunaruan ran up one of the last remaining stairways to the great battlements, where the catapults were firing their huge rocks, crushing Redheads and burning buildings. The city was mercilessly being burnt by fire and being crushed by rocks.
"We must put the fire out before we are burnt," Jonren said.
"Yes!" cried Hunaruan. "But how?"
"Build water carriers," cried Jonren. "And fire them down there."
"Yes!" cried Hunaruan. "Build water carriers."
Then, he looked around.
"Pumperin!" he cried. "Where's Pumperin?"
"I do not," cried a soldier.
"Now we can only hope he'll survive," cried Jonren over the sounds of battle.
The soldiers and Jonren had found wooden water carriers, which they filled with water.
"This is very foolish," cried Hunaruan. "We are wasting our water on our enemies."
"No," said Jonren. "We are using our enemies' water."
"How?" asked Hunaruan.
"I'll go," replied Jonren. "I'll go and get it."
"No!" cried Hunaruan. "They'll kill you."
"No, they won't," said Jonren, pulling a red wig out of his bag.
"Well, go then," said Hunaruan. "Soldiers, take the water out of those carriers."
Jonren motioned to his two friends, who followed him, and they disappeared into the darkness.
Meanwhile, down on the lower levels, Nethstel struggled to stand up. Blood streamed from his head, and he stumbled against the wall. He coughed and slowly walked along the wall, surrounded by darkness. He was moving away from the bridge.
"There's no hope," he thought. "Only the Magnas can save us."
He fell to the ground with his face on the ground and then arose and fell again.
"There's no hope," he thought before losing consciousness.
Jonren and his two friends ran down the steps and opened a small door with a small ramp. Jonren slid down to the bottom, followed closely by his friends.
"Come," said Jonren, pulling out the red wig from his bag and putting it on.
His friends did the same and followed him slowly.
A group of guards surrounded water wagons, discussing the fate of the city while laughing and cheering. Jonren and his friends approached the wagons, and Jonren climbed into one. His two friends began reconnecting the horses to the wagon. A redhead with a surprised look on his face stabbed one of Jonren's men. Full of anger, Jonren threw a flaming ball at the soldiers, killing them. Jonren pulled his wounded friend into the wagon, and the other jumped in. They rode the wagon up the short, bumpy path to the ramp. They got off the wagon and pulled it up as they led the horses. A few soldiers helped carry the water buckets up the stairs, and they poured them into the carriers.
"Put the carriers on the catapults," cried Hunaruan as he ran up the stairs with a bloody sword in hand.
The soldiers obeyed, and they fired the catapults. The carriers broke, spilling water and putting out much of the fire. Water splashed on the city below, and Pumperin opened his eyes, coughing. He arose slowly and began to walk up the stairway, which was now open due to the redheads moving the rocks. Pumperin slowly made his way up the stairs as Hunaruan ran down.
"Pumperin!" he cried. "You're alive! I shall help you."
He grabbed Pumperin's arm and put it around him as they began to walk up the stairs together. Hunaruan looked down at the death and chaos below.
"Where is Nethstel?" he asked. "Have you seen him?"
"Last I saw him, he was fighting Redworn in my place," replied Pumperin.
"You're lucky you're not dead," said Hunaruan. "Redworn might have killed you."
Pumperin collapsed as they reached the top floor he groaned and closed his eyes.
"Where is Benbur?" asked Hunaruan.
"I am here," said Benbur, who had stood up from healing Jonren's friend.
He walked up to Pumperin, sat down, and pulled the arrow out. He mumbled some sad tunes and then healed Pumperin's back, and the wound closed up.
Pumperin arose and looked around.
"I hope I wasn't healed just to die for sure," he said as he looked down the stairway. "Redworn and his men are coming."
Hunaruan looked around at the destruction. Only three rocks remained full of flame, but they could not fire them. Redworn had surrounded them with his men, and the catapults could not fire at such a short range. The remaining soldiers all gathered around the catapults - archers behind, infantry in front. They made a small circle in the small battlements.
"Fire!" cried Hunaruan.
The arrows flew through the air, knocking down many redheads. The redheads charged forward, crying aloud. They crashed into the lines of the Rowbins, and soldiers fell on both sides. Hunaruan charged forward, crying "For Rowbin!"
He cut down a redhead and kept charging. Swords clashed on both sides, arrows flew back and forth, but the Rowbins were falling fast.
Hunaruan ran into the enemy lines, slashing and stabbing. The soldiers followed him, fighting for their lives and their leader's life.