The first bandit charged before anyone had time to think.
Aok moved instinctively.
He shoved Kui backward with one arm, putting his entire body between him and the sword swinging toward them. The blade cut through the empty air where Kui had been standing only a second earlier.
Aok caught the man's wrist.
The bandit barely had time to react before Aok twisted his arm sharply and slammed him hard into the ground.
The impact was heavy enough to make the dirt jump beneath them.
Another man rushed in from the side.
Aok turned just in time to block the attack with his forearm. The blade scraped across his sleeve, tearing through the fabric but missing his skin. Before the man could swing again, Aok grabbed the front of his clothes and used his momentum against him.
With a powerful throw, he sent the man straight into one of the nearby trees.
The man's back struck the trunk with a heavy thud, and he dropped to the ground.
Kui stood frozen for a moment.
