Alter Aeon Online Help

Keywords are:  'thief skill skirmish'

Skill: skirmish                 Lvl 38 Thie  (21%)
                                (important)   Requires: backstab and hide
                                Group: Thief melee fighting skills
                                
                                Speed: slow

Usage:
skirmish <target>

The skirmish skill weds a thief's penchant for fighting dirty with his
natural stealth.  A good knowledge of hiding and a high dexterity are
vital to pulling this maneuver off successfully.

A skirmish is essentially a guerilla tactic.  The thief launches himself
toward the target from a hidden position, relying on his stealth to conceal
his movements before engaging.  After having made the attack, he can
continue to melee or choose to withdraw, hide and try to skirmish again.

The target must already be engaged in combat in order to be the target
of a skirmish, so this skill is typically used in groups.  A skirmish
depends on the target being distracted.  The thief must be hiding
before the attempt and use a weapon suitable for backstabbing.

If in the rare instance you should find your enemy asleep or unconscious,
you can skirmish him with impunity, however, a backstab is usually the
better option against a helpless opponent.