The first hit came before Kaiden could reassert his footing properly.
The guard's kick slammed into his ribs, the force of which rippled through muscle and armor alike. A second blow followed in the form of an upward punch, aimed at his jaw. Kaiden caught it in his palm, but the impact still jarred his hand. Then came a second kick, low and fast, driving into his side.
This wasn't a man anymore.
The strength pouring out of him was unnatural in its entirety, wild and unstable.
It felt as though the guard had jumped from the might of an average human to that of a level forty awakened in the span of a heartbeat.
Kaiden's feet slid half a step back as he blocked the next wild flurry. The guard's eyes were bloodshot, and his mouth twisted open in a snarl. Strings of spit clung to his teeth while his words were replaced by guttural growls. He struck again and again, heedless of pain or defense, the kind of frenzy that came when the mind no longer ruled the body.
