Kendra heard the sponsor intervention before she saw it. The hammer in her opponent's hands began to ring, and a wall of packed stone rose behind the siege fighter until it closed off every route except straight through him.
"My patron has given us a proper field," the fighter said, setting his shield at the center of the narrow lane.
"You mean a wall so you do not have to turn around," Kendra replied, lowering her stance.
He came forward with the shield first. The tower of metal forced her back two steps, then his hammer struck over the top with enough force to crater the stone where her head had been.
Kendra let Ironhide Mantle harden across her shoulder and took the shield's next shove rather than dodging wide. The impact bruised through the skill, but it brought her close enough to see the weakness in the weapon.
