Arcturios' strike at the head of his foe worked both to his advantage, and not to his advantage: the pressure grip upon his wrist was finally released, at the cost of a glancing palm-strike into his chin. The strike would have undoubtedly caught and broken his jaw had he not quickly moved his head backward in an attempt to evade the attack, but with the forward momentum that his head already maintained, it would not have been possible. But his hand was free, though pained, and that was what mattered. 

He pivoted his entire body in a single spinning arc to gain distance between his foe, though he was attempting to follow closely. He kept momentum with the strike on his chin and spun in the same direction, whirling Balance furiously and at tremendous speed to create a near impenetrable wall of flurry strikes in front of him while he quickly regained his temporarily distorted focus. Gaining distance was [i]imperative[/i]. To his left and slightly behind was the central stone structure of the courtyard, a pavilion of six polished stone pillars. He could easily use the structure as a barrier for which to gain a more reasonable level of distance. He began to slowly back away, giving no indication of his intent. 

His slow retreat to the courtyard centre was replete with a strike, two strikes, three strikes from Balance, nothing more than quick slashes from behind the spinning polearm, not meant to cause serious damage but to keep his opponent on his toes.