Blithe had just set both her hands on her shield to readjust her grip, and so she withstood the shock of the shoulder ram, giving ground with her arms a little, but maintaining her footing. Both her arms were trapped between their bodies, no room to maneuver or stab again. This left Blithe the only option of attempting to push back as hard as she could, ramming her own right shoulder forward into the shield a beat after Gunnaya's momentum was absorbed. She pulled her left hand free of the shield on impact, meaning the shield would likely fall away as the clash finished.
Blithe planned to cut from her upper left to lower center, while stepping back with her left foot. This was a cut and not a swing, the hilt being pulled back and centered to prepare for another strike, limiting the strength of the blow but Blithe was always one to prefer a one-sided victory and not an exchange of deathblows, loath to leave herself open. But, if Gunnaya was not pushed back, there would be no room for such a maneuver, and she would instead attempt a pommel strike along the same angle, while keeping her left hand free to grapple, hand close to her chin, fearing an attack from her right.
