The thug she was attacking was surprised by her sudden assault and got almost imbalanced by the force behind Evelyn's attacks. He scurried to regain footing and raised his own dulled sword to defend himself and fight back. However instead of trying to attack outright, he stepped in to close the gap between the paladin and himself, sliding a leg between hers and hooking it behind hers. He then pushed on, in an attempt to lock weapons and knock her down, increasing his own chances against a prone target. However he underestimate the young woman's strength and training and soon found himself in a bad position. Cussing he stuck at her body with a fist, hitting her unarmored midsection to give himself time to yield ground and get his defenses back up, his original plan having misfired horribly on him.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Combat</div><div class="spoiler_body">The Thug has taken 19 damage so far.<br/>He attempts to knock Evelyn prone, but fails. His second attack hits her for 4 points of damage. They are still engaged in melee combat but not grappling.</div></div>