[center][i]A sound soul...dwells within a sound mind… and a sound body.[/i][/center]
[hr]

His mind centered as he tapped into the world around him. Taking in his surroundings and especially the actions of his opponent as if the world had begun to move at a sluggish pace. He saw the man take aim and his arm tense as he squeezed the trigger just as Tablurath had predicted. He traced the barrels path in his mind's eye as he enacted flash-point on a small scale.

A normal person would require three tenths of a second just to register the sound of the gun being fired at this distance before they could even start to think about reacting. By the time they had begun to move the shot would have already hit them. Tablurath for his part had reacted to the shot as he had to such weapons countless times in the past. Having cleared the sheath partly just a moment ago, his right hand shot to Serenity’s grip as Metz squeezed the trigger. In the blink of an eye the sound of a bullet striking metal echoed as Khazna’s draw aligned with the bullet's trajectory; intercepting it and causing the missile to fly of course as it partly deformed against the blades surface.

He saw the torn projectile fly off to his left side in his peripheral vision as he continued his drawing motion. The act causing his cape to bellow back from the force of the movement. Causing the dark cloth to dance in the wind as he continued to walk forward. His sword now free of its sheath while it was held aloft to his right side and before him.  Assuming the man processed information at the speed of a normal human, from the Torm’s perspective it would have simply appeared as if the weapon had appeared into the Cardinals hands while the shot simply vanished all together following a blurring of the mans edges.   

No sooner had this occurred, however, did the wind begin to pick up noticeably. Sand was flung into the air as a dust cloud suddenly swept through the area. This turn of events was certainly surprising and the Cardinal wondered for a moment if it had been the work of his opponent. That line of thinking did not stack up however, why would he create such conditions when he obviously relied on ranged combat? Something else was at work here. The wind itself carried no trace of abnormal energy or magic. 

It did, however, kick up one significant sand storm that instantly made sight difficult. Tablurath instinctively switched to heat signatures to keep track of his opponent. The dust cloud posing no difficulty for him to see through. It did grant a perfect opportunity at the very least. Tablurath ran to his left as he began sprinting in wide circle toward his opponent.

Moving at only a third of his full speed he managed to cover the distance in a little less than three seconds. Seeking to arrive at his opponents 2 O’clock just 20 feet away. All the while he watched his opponent’s movements through the sand and dust. He could not assume after all the man did not also possess some means of seeing through the sand. Tablurath didn't release his mibs that now covered Serenity. Knowing they would just be blown away in due course. He stayed low during his run, body tense and ready to move.