Taking advantage of the distraction, Jori quickly pushed the sword down and away from his body. In one swift motion, he stood and whirled into a roundhouse kick. He nailed Ausar in the stomach, sending the armored knight stumbling backwards. Jori whirled around and saw Dungcan sprawled face down on the ground with a crossbow bolt in his back. Twenty meters away he saw Iris riding towards them, crossbow in one hand, reins in the other. Arlon and Gusataav were stunned by the sudden turn of events. Jori saw his opportunity and dove for Dungcan's sword. He grabbed it just as Ausar regained his composure and headed towards him.

Jori just managed to get his sword up in time to parry the warlord's swing. Then Ausar delivered an onslaught of jabs, cuts, and hacks, all of which, Jori managed to parry or dodge.

. . .

As she approached the group, Iris jumped off her horse, drawing the long dagger out of the sheath on her back and stabbed at the nearest man. He yelped as the blade pierced his skin and his scream was cut off when another knife slashed his throat. The man next to him was a little quicker on the uptake and managed to dodge Iris's stab. He threw a clumsy, half-hearted swing which she caught, crossing her knives making an X. She kicked the man in the groin and he keeled over. She stabbed at his face until his cries of pain stopped. She looked at Jori, who was managing to hold his own against the black-clad knight. She re-sheathed her dagger and dropped the other knife. She picked up one of the fallen men's swords and ran into the duel.

. . .

Jori swung overhead at Ausar who parried the move, and countered with a horizontal attack. Jori didn't notice the slim figure running towards the fight. He jabbed at the warlord, who just barely deflected the stab, only to be cut on the chest, just below the neck line, in between the plated armor. Ausar stumbled back several steps and Jori took the time to nod at Iris and regain his composure.

Ausar swung at Jori and kicked at Iris, who dodged the kick, while Jori parried his other attack. Iris swung at Ausar who parried the swipe, and dodged Jori's overhead swing. The warlord spun, gaining momentum, and swung horizontally at the two. Iris jumped backwards and rolled, while Jori caught the blow with the edge of his sword, leaving a nasty looking dent. Jori swung overhead, and Ausar parried the blow, stepping out of the way and forcing the tip of the sword deep into the ground.

Iris rushed back into the fight, knocking a blow away meant for Jori's head, and swiping at the warlord, forcing him to back away from Jori who struggled to pull the sword out of the ground.

Iris swung wildly, desperately trying to force the black knight back. She swung overhead at him, and he caught the blade on the edge of his sword. He pushed back, reversing the momentum, sending the sword over her head. With her off balance, and her torso exposed, Ausar thrust the sword into her lower abdomen.

Jori cried out as he saw Iris crumple to the ground. He forgot about the sword in the ground as he ran at Ausar in a fit of rage. He jumped and kicked Ausar, sending the knight back several meters as he, too crashed to the ground on his back. He crawled over to Iris's prone form and cradled her head in his lap.

"Th-that's i-it," she croaked, and then coughed up blood.

"What?" Jori asked, confused by her words and by the tears forming in his eyes.

"T-the s-sword. Tha-that's it," she said and coughed up more blood.

Jori lifted her head to help her breath better. "I- Iris," Jori choked on her name. Even in the day he had known her, he had taken a liking to her, as annoying as she was. "I . . . I'll get it for you," he promised in a hushed voice.

She reached up and stroked his clean-shaven face with shaking fingers. "You do that, pretty boy," she whispered, as she arched eyebrow and gave him a small smile then closed her eyes.

"No," Jori mumbled, as he stroked her cheek, feeling her soft delicate skin for the first time. A tear slipped down his own cheek as he squeezed his eyes closed in pain.

A short distance away, a stunned Ausar slowly climbed to his feet, holding his bruised side. He stumbled towards the Infinity Blade a meter away. He picked the weapon up, slowly adjusting to the pain all over his body. Straightening up, he strode towards Jori and the dead girl.

Jori looked up, anger and fire in his eyes. "You will pay for this!" he yelled at the approaching knight.

With great effort, Ausar shrugged and continued walking towards him. Jori picked up Iris's sword, and slowly stood to his feet. He assumed the Aegis stance and so did Ausar.

Jori attacked with a new fury in his heart, vengeance for a lost friend, for lost possibilities. Left, right, down, right, up, down, all of which Ausar barely parried. Ausar dodged another one of Jori's swings and began his own onslaught, which Jori parried more easily. When Ausar finished his string of attacks, both swung from left to right and caught each other's blades. Both combatants pushed on their swords, trying to break each other's stance.

Suddenly, Ausar kneed his opponent in the stomach and Jori stumbled backwards, dropping his sword. Ausar took the advantage and swung several times at Jori, who barely dodged the attack. Then Jori dove for the sword, meters away. He grabbed it and tried to stand, but Ausar rained down continuous blows, which Jori rolled to avoid.

Finally, Jori was able to get to his feet and resume the fight. Ausar attacked and Jori desperately parried and dodged, but he was wearing out. With one last final swing, Ausar knocked the sword out of Jori's hand, sending it flying. Jori stood exhausted and weaponless, staring at the black knight.

Ausar picked Jori up easily by the neck holding him above the ground. The warlord drew back the sword at waist level and stabbed forward. With a last burst of strength, Jori swung slightly to the side, grabbing the approaching sword by the hilt and twisting it out of Ausar's hands while he twisted out of the grip on his neck. Jori used Ausar's momentum from the jab to spin around and, in the blink of an eye, he plunged the Infinity Blade backward, stabbing the warlord in the abdomen.

"That was for Iris." Jori stated and he knelt with his back to the mortally wounded knight.

"I . . . I am Au-Ausar the Vi-Vile!" he sputtered, "I-I ca-can't be de-defeated by a mere - mere boy!" he fumed.

Jori turned to face the defeated warlord kneeling before him. In that moment, with the Infinity Blade in his hand, Jori realized how close his tormenters were when they called him that cruel name. He was not 'Raidriark,' one of the dead walking, but something more powerful. "I am no mere boy." Jori proclaimed. "I am Raidriar, The God King."

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