[center][u][h3][color=black]Choices[/color][/h3][/u]
[i]For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of a horse, the rider was lost;
For want of a rider, the message was lost;
For want of the message, the battle was lost;
For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.[/i][/center]
 
There were countless paths to one's future one could take. Often the smallest miniscule decision could have incredible and unforeseen effects on the future. A small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system could - in theory - result in large differences in a later state on a much grander scale. The myriad of possibilities that could transpire, however, could often times be manipulated when just the right push of the right wheel was given.
 
Tablurath had already began spinning those wheels of fate in which his opponent must dance; for this was only the opening act. Strength and power only went so far after all. Khazna was a man quiet accustomed to solving his problems through more than sheer brute force. His ability to read an individual was simply unrivaled. As far as he was concerned at least. Many called him arrogant, but he thought himself as merely pragmatic. He had foreseen nearly every move his opponent would, or could, make before the winged warrior had ever conceived them. Still this was no great feat for the Cardinal- nothing worthy of even boasting. It was simply fact.
 
So when the already perceived moment his adversary began to jerk his body to the left Tablurath of course knew what the Asaran was attempting and judged the direction and trajectory faster than any normal man could hope to comprehend. The reason for his earlier arming of his grenade was born for this precise circumstance. Along with that the need for one of his hands to remain free and near his belt to capitalize on this possibility; now made real. He had judged it right down to the very nanosecond all based on his previous information he had been given on his opponent.
 
His free right hand flashed in a blur of motion, flinging the grenade attached to his belt forward harder than any fastball thrown by a mundane individual could manage. Not toward his opponent or even in the direction he had committed to. Instead it flew into the ring of swords just as the detonator armed itself just a little more than a couple feet to his opponents left. The moment he had let the explosive device go he had followed with a quick snap of his fingers.
 
This combination of events caused two things to happen. One was the quick breaking down of the four swords as they prepared to return to their previous configuration of countless mibs, not a slow process but not an instant one either, just as the mib grenade exploded. The device was non-lethal normally, producing a powerful bang and enough explosive strength to cover a large area in nanomachines. 
 
With the sudden break down of the sword clones, however, the normally mostly harmless grenade sent those still breaking down fragments of each sword clone in every direction. Effectively turning the super sharp blades into deadly shrapnel. The fragments would now be flying with enough force to tear through tissue, iron, and even puncture the very rocks at their feet with frightening effectiveness. They existed for only a few seconds, more than enough time to tear up his opponent considering the near point blank range. On top of that it blanketed the area of roughly 30 feet in a thick black cloud of ash that would render all normal sight useless. Coating the Asaran warrior in more than deadly fragmentation. His saving grace might be that those fragments would return to individual mibs before his wounds had even began to bleed.      
 
Tablurath for his part remained where he was, several pieces of his own pseudo fragmentation grenade dissipating just short of reaching him. Though one did manage to reach him in time to be a real threat, forcing him to intercept with Mercy. The spark of starlhrim metal on starlhrim ignited on his sword's edge. He berated himself for his own carelessness, he realized he had stopped 3.3 inches to close. Normally starlhrim swords, even clones, would be highly resistant to such an explosion and would have come out unscathed. Since they had been breaking apart to return to mibs their weakened resilience had allowed him to spring a trap on his opponent. The nanites left behind by his opponent soon encountering nanomachines to small to hitch any ride on sadly. 
 
He crouched low then retrieved a handful of stones even while the ringing of the explosion was fresh in his opponent's ears, even as he focused on the vocals points of his opponents magical network. He was now within the radius of his own smoke screen, but he had memorized the exact positions of every rock from the moment he had arrived. As for his opponent, well they were currently lit up as bright as a Christmas tree to his aura sensitive eyesight. He doubted his opponent could see in such conditions but only time would tell. The wheels were spinning to Tabluraths tune for now, but it was early enough in this bout for his opponent to change the course to his own favor.        
   
Assuming he was in one piece enough to do so.