Zelriane's strike was more than enough to gravely injure Lystra's wrist. Although the knife was flung out of her grasp by the force of her blow, he felt something collide with his abdomen, pressing uncomfortably against his diaphragm. [i][color=007236]Too fast?![/color][/i] Zelriane thought as milliseconds passed in his brain. He saw it coming. He saw it all with those [i]mysterious green eyes of his.[/i] But this time, once again, he'd been unable to dodge. His body buckled back and his arms cocked back in pain. Within a second, Lystra's kick sent a surge through his entire body, pushing him away from her with tremendous force. His feet skid against the ground, and he fell forward, onto one knee, with his right fist planted firmly in the dirt. With a single heavy huff, hunched over roughly 10 feet from where he was struck, Zelriane felt defeated.

	[color=007236]"There is no pride to be restored in killing you now,"[/color] He spat, staring down at the ground in shame and grasping at the earth. [color=007236]"Kalen,"[/color] He said quietly, standing up straight and regaining his composure, [color=007236]"We are leaving. [b]Now.[/b]"[/color] Kalen looked to Lystra hopefully despite nodding to Zelriane's initial order. There was a spark of hope in his eyes, hope that she could defeat his new master with her newly unlocked power. But neither of them knew just how strong he actually was. Unexpected however, was his following statement.

	[color=007236]"Consider this your victory, landing a single blow, albeit at my own fault for treating you like a [i]rat.[/i]You will not die today, but know, if we meet again, I will not hold a shred of my abilities back. [i]From the start.[/i]"[/color] Just then, a group of nomads rushed onto the scene, stopping short of Zelriane, Lystra, and Kalen. Kalen looked to them and nodded, and within seconds, they were upon their chief, tending to his wound as best they could. Zelriane stared at Lystra intently, or rather, the shield that she wielded. There was no way a mortal could have so much power without some kind of aid. Their souls were frail, and magic was lost to their impudent little minds, or so he'd though. That shield, albeit a valuable artifact for his purpose, was not his to take. Zelriane may have been a number of things, but he was still bound by his code of honor, regardless of how [i]shady[/i] it might have been.