The second man didn't hear the shout as he arrived just seconds later, swinging his blade downward in a reckless arc.
His hands were trembling uncontrollably, and Jeff caught the motion with ease. It was all thanks to Jakol's relentless overhead feints.
Those attacks after those feints had pounded into him for an entire hour, training his body to react instinctively, even without conscious thought.
With a step inward, Jeff deflected the knife with his forearm, redirecting it away from his center. Then he delivered a short, brutal punch straight into the man's liver.
The man gasped and dropped to one knee, paralyzed by the sudden pain, but he wasn't done.
He stepped behind the man, as he grabbed him by the collar, and then swung him around before hurling him face-first into the tree bark.
The knife clattered from his hand, and his body rolled once upon landing before lying still.
