Metz heard his enemy impact the ground near him, his heightened hearing sufficient to pick out the thump of his foe’s gravity-effected weight slamming into the earth even in the midst of the sandstorm. His shot was wide, he knew that even as he fired, so he turned slightly but quickly to re-adjust. To do so he shifted his weight onto the right foot in his crouch, and pivoted, drawing his left leg backwards slightly to support himself. It was this that saved him from being impaled.

The blade cut through the storm in front of him and reflexively he fired his weapon in the direction it had come, the round blasting out into the dust storm as it began to abate and narrowly missing impacting the incoming blade as it hurtled towards its owner. The round would likely catch him in the extended position his javelin-like throw had left him, hurtling towards the side he threw the sword from, but lower than his shoulder. For Metz there was no time for evasion even with his reflexes, save to exaggerate his movements in pivoting, enough so that the incoming blade cut through the flesh of his shin on the left side and missed the bone, shearing through and past him to plunge into the ground behind his circle. The wound was nasty, but superficial, which was of small consolation to Metz who though pumped with Mana still yelled out in anger and pain. 

“You’ll pay for that shit-head.” He yelled, holstering his pistol as its current clip was out of ammunition. He drew the knife with his free right hand and began weaving with his left, preparing the stabilizing spell so that he could reliably trust his left leg again when he put his gravity exaggerated weight upon it. It was strange that his enemy hadn’t decided to engage him in melee already considering his marked advantage, Metz had been planning to activate his circle but the ranged attack had convinced him a rush was unlikely. The dust cloud was already abating, removing the advantage of concealment the swordsman had briefly obtained, he could already make out his form through the dust, so a rush now could see Metz with conceivable time to react, especially if his pistol round sent in response had dealt any degree of damage.