The blow took Kvothe by surprise, his vision darkened for a few moments and he felt numb though he didn't quite black out. His mouth opened but the reflexive surprised sound was smothered by a strong hand over his mouth and before he could try to react he was pulled into a neighboring room. He tried to struggle but it was difficult, just clinging to conciousness. Everything felt distant, though not quite so distant that he didn't recognize how dire his situation was, and he couldn't even call for help...