`Quickly...!` Abel internally confirmed as Maddox was sent hurling off balance, noting the success of breaking through his opponent's defences but also needing to close the distance now.

	The original plan had been to simply use the shield bash to break Maddox's guard - taking advantage of that moment to strike - but somehow his attack had caused the Crimson Knight to lose his footing completely -- the result now meaning that Abel needed to rush towards his foe before he could deliver the following blow. In a sense, his offense had perhaps been slightly [i]too[/i] effective; however, it also allowed him to gauge how to control his attack strength better during the rest of this encounter. There was a possibility that Maddox was not used to guarding against someone with this much speed - resulting in his losing his footing the way he did - or perhaps Abel had overestimated his own strength when he had so much momentum due to normally fighting superhuman foes. Regardless of the reason, Maddox was sent crumbling away from him -- though with Abel's speed the distance would be closed in moments.

	`Damn...!` Abel cursed internally as his blade was guarded -- he had taken note of the way Maddox managed to regain his footing - rather impressively at that - but still continued the offense due to having the advantage. Nevertheless, Maddox had successful defended himself.

	Maddox's immediate sword thrust - a counterattack presumably unleashed in order to try and get out of the desperately bad situation - was well-executed but ultimately still evaded by Abel's unnatural speed, the young man's eyes widening momentarily as he shifted to the left once more to side-step the blade -- he avoided taking risks to his shield's structure whenever possible by prioritizing evasion over blocking when appropriate, preferring to think of his shield as a secondary weapon as opposed to simply a piece of armour. Already recovering from his slash being guarded, Abel had been in no ideal position to launch a counterattack and watched the opponent escape. He would have liked to maintain the advantage and counter, but Maddox had gotten his ground back too quickly for Abel to put himself on the line with an immediate strike. Subsequently, Abel decided to alter his tactics a little.

	"[b]Magicae potentia, defatigatio supplementum.[/b]" Abel whispered as he began the chant of another spell, the familiar magic circle faintly becoming visible around him. Assuming Maddox was unable to interrupt Abel's concentration, the incantation would be completed and his stamina would be fortitude with magic. The goal was to exploit this empowered resilience to carry out feats of overwhelming superhuman speed without wearing himself down from such actions -- this spell's successful activation would allow Abel's speed to become noticeably greater due to not having to hold himself back to preserve his energy.

	Abel did not intend on granting his adversary the [i]opportunity[/i] to break his concentration though -- he was fully capable of engaging in combat while his magic spells were charging; however, he would lose his focus if something went particularly out of his control. Unless he needed to put all of his mental power into preserving his life in a dire situation - or he was knocked off balance and had to recover - Abel's stalwart determination would ensure the incantation was completed even in the midst of battle. Paying heed to his opponent's clockwise circling of his position during the initial moments he started whispering, the young man with platinum blonde hair decided it was time to go on the attack himself this time instead of allow his enemy another chance to take initiative. So far he had mostly been reacting to Maddox - looking for a moment to strike - but now he had the chance to go on the complete offense. He would remain cautious, but his magic would change the tide shortly.

	Piercing hazel eyes burning of resolve; Abel launched himself forward, shifting towards his opponent as his hair moved through the atmosphere behind him like a curtain. He dashed while making sure not to lose his footing - having spent a lot time now fighting with enhanced speed; thus being very good at maintaining his balance and reflexes - as he drew his shield inward towards his chest momentarily and then swiped his right hand through the air in an attempt to assault Maddox with another shield bash. Once again, the goal was to break the defences that the Crimson Knight - who seemed to prefer the safety of blocking over evasion - would presumably put up to guard himself. This attack from the shield - which would [i]ideally[/i] knock Maddox off guard but keep him standing - would immediately be followed-up by a sword slash from Abel's left hand that would come across horizontally from the left to the right, aiming to cut through the armour protecting Maddox's abdomen -- the magic spell would be completed by the time this second attack met its target, promising Abel the path to victory.

[center]~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~[/center]
[hider=Spell Casting]
[b]Fortify Fatigue[/b]
[/hider]
[hider=Active Spells]
[b]Fortify Endurance[/b] (18 seconds remaining)
[b]Fortify Speed[/b] (42 seconds remaining)
[/hider]
[hider=My Post vs. Game Mechanics]
Not too much to say regarding my reactions to your post this time; I've mostly addressed how I'd react to the thrust attack in the last post, and your success rate emphasized it much better this time too. I appreciate you elaborating more on the other explanations too, since it makes things have a lot more context when I take the time to read the dice rolls. On another 'game mechanics' note -- you should assume that my spell will be successfully activated at the start of the next turn if you fail to interrupt my concentration somehow. This is the first time I'm using a spell when you [i]could[/i] potentially interrupt it, so I'm letting you know.[/hider]
[@ELGainsborough]