As Sir Zachary came upright with a stomp that sent ripples across the water’s surface, his eyes came forward as the opponent came for him. As if caught in the grips of death the triumphs of his past had loomed before his eyes. The unsavory criminals that succumbed to his valor trembled at the gallows. Hordes of orcs and goblins crumbled at his feet. Even a mighty troll hell bent on tearing down the walls of the city fell before him and his comrades. A patrol of knights were beyond comparable to even the most dastardly creatures in the land. How laughable it would have been for a single knight to have fallen so easy. 

Of course, while he may not have been ready for the kill Sir Zachary was more astute than ever. As the axe came down, Zachary braced himself to meet it. However, it was not the direct block that Zande was hoping for. As the axe came down, Zachary turned edging his shield along with it, pushing Zande’s striking arm directly before him. In a sparse illumination that disappeared beneath the splashing water the axe scrapped against the shield deflecting towards the ground. 

It was at a precise moment that Sir Zachary lurched forward as the axe brushed against his iron shield pushing Zande away from his stalwart defenses. What might be confused as a shield bash was nothing more than a forceful push to allow for some comfortable distance between the two. Under the assumption that Zande was not an acrobat given those extremely cumbersome foot accoutrements and the addition of the hefty axe adding additional momentum to pull him away logical rationale would dictate Zachary the opportunity to withdraw from his staggered position back into a stance competent for combat. 

Once again he stood at the ready.