Zel shook his head. "You're wrong. Since the beginning, this has been my only concern." He lifted his sword to block the strike being aimed down at him, only to find it was a feint. He wasn't quite fast enough to dodge the strike at his leg though, even after he realized what Merideth was trying to do. While it didn't hurt too much, the blow struck hard and threw him off balance.<br/><br/>It took a precious second or two for Zel to recover, and in that time, his opponent was already launching another attack. Zel looked up to see the pole end of Sigrun's borrowed halberd ready to smash into his face. Instinctively, Zel raised his sword to block it, sparks flying as the two weapons collided. Jeez this woman was strong!<br/><br/>Zel thrust back against the halberd and moved to aim a side swing at Merideth's arm. He still was avoiding killing her, but maybe if she couldn't hold her weapon she'd just forfeit... hopefully. Unfortunately, Zel was already getting the impression that she was the stubborn kind.