---
The miss cost Kai precious momentum.
It bought him access.
In the same motion, as Vorak's weight shifted, Kai let go of his spear with his left hand and shot it forward, fingers clawed.
He grabbed Vorak's injured wrist.
His claws dug into the already bruised flesh around the thumb.
Vorak's teeth flashed in a brief, tight snarl.
"Cheating," he said. "Hands are supposed to stay on weapons."
"Everything is a weapon," Kai said through his teeth.
He squeezed.
Bones ground under his grip. Something in the joint popped again, worse this time.
Vorak's fingers spasmed.
His spear dipped.
Kai jerked it.
For a moment, the world shrank to a contest of grips – Kai dragging, Vorak resisting. Sand slipped under their boots; their armor plates scraped.
Vorak let go first.
He released the spear with his damaged hand, switching to a single-handed grip. The movement saved his fingers from being pulped; it cost him leverage.
Kai capitalized.
