No worse than her planned knock-out blow would have been for him, he's sure, but even so he has to master the urge to wince. He's been in enough fights and knows just enough battlefield medicine to know what sort of complications can arise from a simple fist to the stomach.

If they've no healers on staff, he'll certainly offer once the fight's over - well, and once he's had the chance to down a magicka potion or two. But for the moment, he takes advantage of the pause to try another sweep. If he can get her to ground...

He's recovered a little magicka already, but not enough to do anything useful with - which means no recasting Oakflesh. So if he can't end this soon, he'll have to fight a lot more defensively than he has been...