Surprises? Saddaj could do surprises. It was clear already that, due to her speed, no warrior would be able to fight this woman conventionally. But Saddaj was not a conventional fighter. What good is speed when you cannot see to use it? With the desert on his side, wisdom would triumph over haste. So Saddaj struck the ground, hard, with the blunt end of his spear-stave, the resounding thud of metal on rock echoing through the valley. A thick cloud of dust rolled out from Saddaj, making vision inside a large radius of where he struck the ground useless. He gripped his spear-stave in a short-hand position in his right hand, with his left hand out for balance, and ready to enter a long-hand technique if necessary. He watched the area around him, alert. Though he remained still himself, he would have to rely on his ears should the woman attack him. While his clothes, designed with situations like this specifically in mind, would protect him from the worst of the dust and sand, he could still barely see farther than six inches ahead. What little attention he could spare he put towards maintaining the minor sandstorm he had going, so that it wouldn't dissipate unless he released his concentration, and a strong wind picked up.