Page 28 of The Warrior's Oath
Korvin sighed, shaking his head slightly. “Please, just walk away.”
In response five of the men ran at him at once. This was no Hollywood fight where each attacker waited their turn. It was an all-out brawl with the intent to cause serious hurt on the man who had just humiliated their leader.
Nyota’s eyes widened with amazement as she watched her protector flash into action. His body moved with the speed and grace of a dancer, but while also dealing with the attackers with the skill and power of motion of a master martial artist.
Elbows blocked punches while feet snapped out, kicking the legs, stomachs, and faces of the attacking group. The elbows that had been defensive shifted to offensive in an instant, cracking hard across the jaws of two of the men, sending them to the ground for an impromptu nap beside their comrade.
“Fight!” a voice down the way called out, drawing a gaggle of onlookers rushing to witness the spectacle.
Korvin ignored it all, singular in his focus on the swarming mass of men greatly outnumbering him. Three were down, but nine remained standing.
“You’re a dead man,” a blue-skinned alien with a scraggly beard and enormous arms shouted as he pulled a wicked blade from his clothing.
The others gave him a little room, not wanting to inadvertently taste his weapon’s edge in his rage. They needn’t have bothered.
Korvin’s hands flowed in a blur, deflecting the attack while trapping the man’s wrist and taking the knife from him as if he were a child. The attacker’s eyes went wide with fear, but Korvin merely threw the knife aside before delivering a brutal punch to his temple, dropping him in a heap at his feet.
The others all attacked at once, eight on one. Korvin spun and parried, blocking and striking, keeping them from landing any blows of consequence. But he was facing dangerous odds, and the likelihood of coming out of this unscathed diminished with every second.
“Break that up!” voices shouted from down the street.
Nyota saw four men in uniform running toward them.
“Shit! The cops!” she shouted.
Korvin turned at her exclamation, a questioning look in his eye. The distraction was enough for two of the men to land solid blows to his chest and jaw. He staggered back, the first flash of actual anger she’d ever seen from him clear in his eyes.
“Enough!” he bellowed, the runes on his arms visibly glowing through the tears in his new shirt.
Korvin punched out in a flurry, his fists impacting each of his attackers with impossible speed and equally impossible power, sending them all flying off their feet into the opposite wall with a massive crash.
The police came to a skidding halt, the sight of the defeated men slumping to the ground leaving them at a loss. They stared at the newcomer with shock and a healthy sense of awe, their weapons raised, but not firing.
He glanced at them, registering who they were through the red haze of battle. Police. And in this case, not a threat.
His chest heaving, Korvin forced himself to relax his fists, taking deep gulps of air, slowing his breath with every inhalation. Slowly, his pulse dropped back to normal and the runes on his arms dimmed their disconcerting glow. Nyota thought it was the first time she had seen him actually look a little tired.
The police captain took a hesitant step forward. “You didallof this alone,” he stated in awe. It was not a question.
“I did. But I did not want this fight.”
“Twelve on one, who would?”
“Indeed,” he agreed, wiping the sweat from his brow.
The captain looked at the downed men, then at the faintly glowing runes visible through Korvin’s ruined shirt. “You know the Chogul technique,” he said with awe. “And you possess the runes for it.”
“I do.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
“Then you are no ordinary Nimenni. You are one of the Bohdzee Guard.”
Korvin merely gave the slightest of nods.
The police all lowered their weapons, each giving him a little bow of respect and deference as they realized who, andwhathe really was.
The captain looked at his officer and gestured to the fallen men. “Call a conveyance to take these fools away,” he instructed, then turned back to the imposing man before him. “We thank you for all you have done for the Conglomerate. I cannot state enough what an honor it is to meet you. May I inquire your name?”
