[@Xavier Bloodbayne]

[i]Auz was no bundle of nerves, but a polished warrior with hundreds of years of experience in killing. Perhaps if the trick had been attempted earlier on when the difference in speed was greater, it might have surprised him. 

Auz by now knew that his foe had a tough hide, but not an invincible one. He also had learned that his opponent could harden parts of his body at will. Such a foe walking towards a sword with his chest bared? A ploy. Then again, Auz had no qualms about walking into a sword swing. He had lives to spare. It was worth it.

Under the new circumstances of Xavier's split second bum rush, Auz screwed in his heels and bent his elbows right before the longsword met its target. Sword hit metal. Xavier's cleaver swung. Auz's blade glanced up the chest and plowed towards the jugular notch, following the contours of the body like a well-aimed uppercut, the swordsman's arms fully extending. It was one thing to turn away from a stab aimed at the chest from a human standing four feet away. This time Auz was 58% faster and his sword could very well have been allowed to reach flesh before any evasive maneuvers had been made. 

Xavier's defences could likely follow the blade's path, but Auz was using two arms for this stab, not one like before. It had some extra spice on it. Perhaps not a killing blow, but if it was further deflected by blood or metal it might sever one of Xavier's sternocleidomastoid muscles, those tendon-like fibers forming the neck's entrance, the ones you can feel at the front of your throat if you turn your head.

Regardless, Auz took the cleaver to his midsection, armor rending and blood flying. His purple-red intestines hung out in heavy, sopping loops. Ribs were snapped, abdominal muscles sundered. It was pretty gnarly.[/i]