Gavner felt as if he couldn’t look as his traveling companion was falling off the mountain. Suddenly, the rope became taught, and this was the moment of truth. Gavner held his breath in anticipation, before sighing with relief as he saw the rope hold, and the dark archer and his baby swing toward the window. Gavner grabbed the rope and held it in the window as Black Shadow began climbing it up to the summit.

“Your Majesty,” Gavner shouted, “You must climb this rope to safety with Black Shadow!”

“But how will you escape?” The royal dwarf asked urgently.

“I need to create a diversion,” Gavner said, “For you to escape. I will find other means.”

The dwarf king nodded and looked at Gavner reverently. “The royal hot springs drain into iceberg lake on the South Side of Al Kitar. Godspeed!” With that, King Hronzak grabbed the rope and began climbing to the summit.

With a running start, the vampire leapt over the platform the throne sat atop, and ran to the west side of Al Konvar, and began gouging with his sharp fingernails a large rectangle large enough for himself to fit through. He then grabbed another mighty stone and hurled it at the wall with all of his might. The beautiful polished granite wall was now a crumbled mess, as the wall was now concaved in on itself, and a small hole was visible, but not nearly large enough for his fist to fit through, let alone his whole body. Just then another barrage of arrows came in through the door. Gavner hugged the wall and ducked down as an arrow whizzed directly above him.

“Right,” Gavner said standing up to face the commotion. “Let us party.”

Most of the civilian dwarves had taken cover at this point, and were either ducked down under their seats, or up huddled by the throne. Targeting the army, Gavner picked up a massive solid stone bench and hurled it at a rank of dwarves. It was as satisfying as bowling, watching all of the dwarves crumble under the thousand pound rock. Just then, Gavner saw General Xnias, the supreme commander of the dwarf army (second to Hronzak himself) enter Al Konvar. Shocked, Gavner froze in his tracks. Part of him knew of Xnias’s treachery; however, it still escaped the vampire how one could betray his kinsman and country like so.