There were eleven intruders in all, each armed to the teeth with a variety of crude weapons.

Jori's brows drew together as he contemplated the best course of action. He didn't know the skill that these men had with their weapons, and he knew that he shouldn't underestimate them.

"After your first shot, how many do you think you could pick off before they reach us?" Jori asked in a hushed voice. Iris held up two fingers.

"Hmm." That meant three down and eight that he'd have to hold off as Iris fired into them. All he had for weapons was the sword and two daggers that he could possibly throw. That left six.

Jori nodded distractedly. Six was a reasonable number. He glanced at Iris who had her quarrels lined out on the ground. Briefly Jori wondered where she kept all of them, as she didn't have a quiver, but he quickly shook the thought aside.

"Ready?"

Iris nodded. Jori took a deep breath and withdrew his two daggers.

"On three. One. Two Three!"

Jori spun out of cover, drawing back his arm and finding the target in an instant. He whipped his arm forward, sending the blade spinning end over end at the unsuspecting man.

Just as the dagger left his hand, he heard the thrum of a crossbow cord and registered Iris' first shot, already drawing his arm back for the next throw.

Jori's second dagger whizzed through the air, but by now the Liberators were alert and the intended target dove out of the path of the dagger as it clattered harmlessly to the ground. Iris' second shot found its mark and Jori sprang into action.

Bounding down the steps, he jumped the last two meters worth, diving into a roll upon landing. The sound of a sword being drawn echoed around the large room, as he smoothly rolled to his feet. The intruders hesitated for a moment and then charged their assailant.

The first swung a wild horizontal attack, which Jori ducked under. The man's momentum carried him past Jori, exposing his back. After a quick thrust, the man fell, lifeless, to the floor.

The next was a little hesitant, after seeing his comrade so easily killed. Jori took the man's hesitation as an opportunity and gave him a quick uppercut, dislocating his jaw. As the dazed man fell, another took his place. Intently focused on the task at hand, Jori barely recognized Iris' cry of "Behind you!" At the last second, he stepped to the left as an intruder's sword cut the air where Jori's neck had just been.

Grabbing the attacker's wrist, Jori jerked the man forward, impaling his comrade who had been preparing to attack Jori from the front. The man barely had time to recognize killing his friend before Jori's pommel slammed between his eyes.

A bolt whizzed through the air above Jori's head and slammed into the second to last attacker's leather breastplate. Shocked, the man looked down at the quarrel in his chest before falling backward.

The clanks of a hammer on a chisel resonated around the chamber. Ausar stood quietly, his arms folded over his chest. The sculptor grew even more uneasy every time he glanced at the black depths of Ausar's helmet.

Ausar cocked his head to one side as he heard the muffled footsteps descending the stairs. A nervous looking servant appeared, ringing his hands until his knuckles turned white.

The servant opened his mouth, then shut it, not sure if he should speak first. After several moments of silence, the man finally worked up the courage to speak. "Er, Master Ausar, our. . .our scouts have found the technology you were looking for."

The servant shuffled his feet as Ausar waited to respond. He enjoyed making people uncomfortable. "Where is it?"

"It's - it is in Hespern, on the edge of the Ying Peninsula. Shall I gather the troops to conquer the region?"

"No," Ausar said after much thought, "I will go and find this seal myself."

Several seconds passed and Ausar continued staring at the nervous sculptor. The servant continued glancing back at the way he had come, not sure if he should leave. Finally, Ausar turned to him, annoyance written on his body language.

"Well..." Ausar drew out the word, dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, uh yes milord! I shall leave at once!"

A short while later, Ausar emerged from the tower, greeted by the bright morning sun. He walked across the former dam and toward his ship. He relished the feel of the Infinity Blade strapped on his back. Ausar wouldn't dare leave it behind with his servants. One rebellious maid might take it and threaten him with it. That wouldn't be a problem on its own, but rebellion was a disease. If one servant caught it the rest might and that wasn't a chance he was willing to take.

Ausar walked up the ramp to his ship. It was by no means fancy or luxurious, but it served its purpose. He unstrapped the blade from his back and leaned it against his chair. As he sat down, he punched in the general coordinates to Hespern. If he came across any other village, he could hail them for information on the technology.

After two hours of flight, Ausar arrived at his destination. Unfortunately, he didn't come across any other villages. Oh well, I can always torture these people. He approached the large village gates. The village was surrounded by a three-meter-high wall. Not high enough to keep determined intruders out, but enough to deter small-time thieves. The decorated gates had wooden doors and were topped with a slight curve, ending in points at the end.

"Who goes there?" came a steely voice through the door.

Ausar didn't reply but kicked the doors open easily. The wooden beam barring the door snapped under the massive force of his kick. The sentinel on the other side of the doors was caught off-guard and hurled off his feet with the force of the impact. Ausar calmly walked through the gates, not paying any attention to the man moaning on the ground.

Hearing the commotion, several villagers peeked out of their homes and hurriedly ducked back inside after seeing the black clad figure with an ominous looking sword.

"I only need information," Ausar's metallic voice called out, easily carrying over the small town.

At the end of the main road stood what he guessed was a temple. He approached it, his metal boots echoing off the dusty stone road. An old, fragile man stepped out of the temple and began to slowly descend the steps. Small, white strands of hair were barely visible on his bald, freckled head. Seeming to compensate for the lack of hair on top, he had a long, white flowing beard. He slowly made his way towards Ausar leaning heavily on his cane. A young boy came out of the temple after him yelling for him to stop.

"Masuta! Masuta!" The young boy called, "You are too old to be doing this, let me prove myself!"

"No Ko," responded the man, "This one is different from the rest. I have lived a long life; this world shall not suffer if I die soon."

With that, the old man approached Ausar, drawing a blade from his cane. He dropped the cane, and the charade of the helpless old man, and stood upright, readying himself for the fight ahead. Ausar took the Aegis stance, knowing this was not an easy opponent.

"I only want your technology," Ausar said calmly.

"Kissu ji bun no uragawa, kakin akuyaku!" The old man yelled his defiant curse at the black-clad knight and charged.

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