Kili raced through the ruined streets of Dale. He heard the sound of toppling stones, and the shriek of an Orc. He followed the noise around a corner, to discover that a lone Orc scout had been crushed under a collapsed building wall. This scene had the hallmarks of a typical Dwarf trap. Dwarves preferred the honor of hand-to-hand combat, but when they had time and control of their tempers, they were able to put their mining skills to great use. Dwarves were masters at mechanical elements, levers and pulleys. With the right tools, a Dwarf could collapse any structure exactly where he needed it to land.

Where was the Dwarf who set this trap? Had it been triggered by the action of the Orc alone? Kili would have to tread carefully.

Kili heard a groan above him, and climbed the short wall to the rooftop. He was rewarded with the welcome sight of a Dwarf from the Company. It was Ori. The decrepit state of the building had caused Ori to lose his footing when he pushed the piece of wall onto the unfortunate Orc scout, and Ori himself had been hit with a stone. Now, Ori was slowly regaining consciousness.

Ori awoke and looked up into Kili's face. "I have gone to the other side! Hello, Kili. It is so good to see you again, though I was expecting Grandpa, actually."

Kili grinned, "You are not in the Great Halls of Mahal yet, my friend."

He grabbed Ori by the coat and pulled him up.

Ori was dazed, "You mean there is a test? No one prepared me for that!"

Kili hurried with Ori to the corner of the rooftop and asked, "Where do you need the Orcs to go for the next trap?"

Ori pointed, "Over there - that alley. Bofur and Bifur will pull the lines on a larger avalanche."

Kili jumped over the alley to the next rooftop for a better look. A still disoriented Ori waited, then turned and spotted Thorin and Fili at the end of the block.

"Look who I found!" Ori shouted with an excited wave.

Thorin and Fili turned to see a lone Ori, Kili having already disappeared from sight.

"What is that fool boy doing drawing attention to himself?" Thorin snapped. "Nori, get after your brother!"

Kili spotted a sizeable group of Orcs. He called back at Ori, "How is the next trap triggered? I don't want to set it off myself."

"Come back here!" Ori called out.

Kili jumped back and Ori was able to give Kili a quick synopsis of the Dwarf plan.

"We need to channel them to any one of three alleys." Ori pointed to building walls weakened to collapse. "Bofur and Bifur have the nearest, Bombur is next, by himself, and Óin and Gloin are teamed up on the West alley. Dwalin and Balin are on the other side of the traps to finish off those that come through. Thorin and Fili will be joining them soon, since Nori and Dori's trap has already sprung. My little trap was just a diversion, you see."

The Dwarves had no idea that Kili and Rhavaniel had prevented the flanking maneuver that would have caught the heirs of Durin on the wrong side of the first trap.

Kili could see that the Orcs had become hesitant. They sent a lone snaga down the alley with Bofur and Bifur's trap.

"The Orcs are too spread out. They won't get enough of them with the trap." Kili told Ori.

Kili took a chance and shot the snaga with an arrow, then jumped over the alley along the rooftops. The Orcs pursued him.

Bofur and Bifur were shocked to see Kili racing toward them on the rooftops. Kili signaled them to be ready, then turned and shot a pursuing Warg. He next jumped down to the alley, as if he had fallen, and limped through the trap.

A large, clustered group of Orcs followed Kili, and Bofur and Bifur were able to spring their avalanche. A piece of wall the size of a city block collapsed on the Orcs with a roar and a rumble.

Safe on the other side, Kili ducked just in time to avoid an ax blow from Nori. Nori and Dori had been in place to attack any Orc that got past that trap. They certainly were not expecting a Dwarf to leap through the cloud of dust. The brothers were overjoyed to see Kili alive.

"We thought you were dead! Where have you been?" Nori asked him.

"No time!" Kili told them. "You have to make sure they are all dead, and check on Bombur. I have to get back to the east side, under the old bell tower. The Orcs have tried to take the bell tower on the cliff and flank you twice from that side. Your defenses are weakest there. Focus on these traps and send reinforcements when you can."

Kili knew they Dwarves' defenses were spread too thin, and feared Rhavaniel would be discovered even if she did stay hidden. Kili turned and ran down the main street of Dale, missing sight of Thorin and Fili by one slender wall.