Seeing the oncoming shield charge, Janius lowered and braced himself as he normally did. The hint of movement in Kaleeth's body and the flicker of her mace swinging to one side was the only hint that Janius had as to her little extra feature. Without even thinking, Janius adjusted himself to block the blow with his shield and use his weapon wrist to try and grab at the edge of Kaleeth's oncoming shield. The result was Janius being put slightly off balance by having to compensate for the blow, but recovering as quickly as he could by stepping back and reestablishing his guard.

Even if it was telegraphed the way it was, Kaleeth's move was actually slightly clever. Janius' vision was partially obscured by his own shield, so any blows to his lower-left were harder to detect.

Not intending to let Kaleeth remain the sole aggressor, Janius lifted his axe to shoulder height and closed in to strike. While keeping his left side as guarded as his could, Janius swung low to bring Kaleeth's shield down to block it, then attempted to bring his axe up and hook it upon the rim of the shield, keeping her stance low and awkward.