"Hey, you good-for-nothing donkeys! Don't you have a shred of shame teaming up on two innocent girls like that?" Ishaan sneered, clearly enjoying himself.
"You know, Ishaan," Aaron replied with a smirk as he tossed another log onto the fire, "you really shouldn't be so rude and disrespectful. I mean, come on—donkeys have more sense than to pick on defenceless girls. Maybe you could take a few notes from them!"
The bandits finally turned their eyes on them, a look of disdain etched across their faces.
"Who the hell are you, snooty-nosed kids? What are you doing in our neck of the woods?" one of the delinquents sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Looks like some lost tourists wandered in, AWWW!!! How tragic. But since you stumbled upon us, why don't we have a little chat?" the other added, cracking his knuckles with a menacing grin.
"Great, just what I needed—walking cliques," Aaron muttered, disappointment clear in his voice.
Ishaan's eyes lit up with a fierce intensity. "Come on, my hands are itching for some action!" he said, bouncing on his toes like a dog ready for a walk.
"Enough of this chit-chat. Let's wrap this up," Aaron said, determination replacing the doubt in his voice. In unison, they charged forward, ready to face whatever came next.
Aaron stepped in front of the girls, placing himself calmly between them and the thugs. His posture was loose, almost disinterested.
Ishaan's eyes locked onto the leader. "Come on," he said, smiling. "I'm begging you."
The first thug lunged.
Ishaan moved like lightning—sidestepping with surgical grace. He grabbed the man's wrist mid-punch and twisted it sharply. There was a dull pop, then a yelp. Ishaan struck his opponent twice—in the neck and the gut—dropping him before the others could even react.
Another thug came from behind. Ishaan ducked beneath the swing, spun low, and swept the man's legs out from under him. As the attacker hit the ground, Ishaan landed a palm strike to his temple—silent, final.
Meanwhile, a third man charged at Aaron.
Aaron didn't move until the very last second.
Then, with the slightest shift of his weight, he turned sideways. The attacker's momentum carried him forward. Aaron raised one arm like a conductor guiding a note, gently redirecting the man straight into the brick wall.
The impact echoed. The thug groaned and slid down.
Another grabbed a broken pipe and ran at Aaron, roaring.
Aaron tilted his head, calculating. As the man swung, Aaron caught the pipe under one arm, twisted his hips, and used the thug's own force to spin him into the trash heap nearby.
He didn't even break a sweat.
Back in the middle of the alley, Ishaan caught the last thug's arm mid-punch, grinned, and delivered a precise strike to the underside of the elbow. The man screamed. Ishaan finished with a low roundhouse kick to the knee that dropped him hard.
Silence fell.
The girls peeked around Aaron's shoulder. The attackers lay scattered and groaning across the wet concrete.
Aaron turned slightly. "Are either of you hurt?"
One of the girls shook her head, wide-eyed. "N-No."
Aaron gave a slight nod, already scanning the shadows beyond.
Ishaan walked over, rolling his neck. "Well," he said brightly, "this city's got a pretty charming welcome committee."
Aaron didn't smile. "We're done sightseeing for the day."
Then, Ishaan grabbed the hand of the younger girl, and Aaron gave a princess carry to the eldest one. The girls were visibly still shaken and shocked at the same time.
"Well, one of you can't run, and one is still shaken. Well, introduce us later, for now let's leave before even more problems arrive," said Aaron and dashed.
"Sigh…. You will always be the awkward guy who doesn't know what to say, huh?" Ishaan followed.
And just like this, the epic tale finally begins.