[@Xavier Bloodbayne]

[i]It was a good thing Auz had cleared his mind, otherwise he'd have probably been too confused to react immediately. As it was, his senses were fast enough to keep up with his body. He slid his right foot back, twisted his body sideways, and leaned away, all in the same, fluid motion with nearly flawless mechanical skill. Nearly. It had been a fast surprise attack, after all, there was little chance of Auz getting out unscathed. A normal stab would have glanced off of Auz's breastplate as he turned himself to the side, but at these speeds steel was but a paltry defense. A groove was gouged over Auz's right pectoral, biting into flesh and reaching the bone. Instead of shying away from the pain, Auz darted a blurring skip forwards along the outside of Xavier's extended weapon, paying careful attention to spacing to ensure that he could keep his opponent in slashin' range. Were Auz to get close enough, then with his left foot leading and his right crushing a furrow into the ground with the forces exerted, his raised sword would spite the air with its speed, literally whistling as it seared a horizontal arc for the base of the front of Xavier's neck. Auz wasn't hitting like a bantamweight anymore. From this point on, the intensity of his attacks would be of such magnitude that even a monster like Xavier might feel the old reaper looming behind him, a pair of bony hands massaging his shoulders. At any rate, this meant that Auz was reaching his blade over Xavier's own, but due to his superior acceleration, it'd be a nigh improbable feat for the blood-manipulator to bring his long right weapon up in time to guard. Mayhaps he could shorten his sword just as effectively for close combat, but even then the timing would be tighter than a triple granny knot.[/i]