Solo Hard Learned Lessons

[Ritz]

Timestamp: 85th of Fall 512 AV

The Kelp Bar seemed far away and distant by now as Ritz ran after a male figure that had roughly taken her backpack from her shoulders. Cursing at him with many colorful words as she makes her legs take longer strides to try and catch up to him.

"Give back my backpack you crazy sailor!" She shouted as loudly as she could. Panicked at the possibility of losing the only means to live in the city. But also becoming more angry by the minute as she kicks her running up a notch. The sailor had long legs too. And he was sure using them. But so did she, despite her short height. A desperate thought of turning into her wolf form did come across her mind several times, but at the same time she could not afford to leave behind the only set of clothes she had. What if someone else came by and took them? Shaking it off, she would just have to continue her chasing. The long curly black strands of her hair cascaded back as she kept on running. Pushing her body harder, willing it to run faster, wanting desperately to get the backpack back.

"Get back here!" She shouted at the man. He kept running, and so did she. They got to the shoreline after a bit. Ritz out of breath, but refusing to quit. She wouldn't let him get away. At least, not if she could help it. She still shouted at him, hoping desperately he may tire out and slow.

[Ritz]

Ritz found herself running on the sands of the shoreline, and a few times almost losing her balance as she chased the man. But pressing on as she kept up the pursuit. The man looked over his shoulder a few times as if to make sure she was still right behind him. Then an idea struck her after a few times when he did that.

"That's right you crazy sailor... Keep looking back to make sure I'm still right behind you! You'll slow down just a little each time!" She thought. With a simple strategy in motion, she stopped her shouting and just ran after him. If she kept quiet, he would do either two things: Look constantly over his shoulder and end up slowing down, just to see if she was still after him. Or slow to a stop thinking she wasn't behind him. Either way, this fueled her to run even more. Things began to flash in her mind at what she would do once she caught him.

[Ritz]

As the sailor looked over his shoulder, Ritz gained a few steps closer each and every time.

"Almost.. Almost got you.." She thought as Ritz continued to give chase. Slowly moving closer and closer. Now almost at his heels. The man suddenly tossed the backpack ahead of him and stopped hard, turning to face Ritz. She stopped as quickly as she could, but the momentum she had gained made it impossible as she slammed right into him. The impact sent both of them to the ground.

"My backpack! Now!" Ritz shouted, she looked at the man, and then looked up only to see a second person. As a shorter man now held her backpack. He simply smirked at her. The taller man got up and laughed. And now that she took a closer look at them, one of them was the same sailor that had bumped into her back at The Kelp Bar.

"You.. Why?" She shook her head at him while glaring, then lunged herself towards the shorter man, heaving her body up. The shorter man looked at her in horror and turned to run. The other man managed to trip her, but Ritz's hand just barely managed to grab the other's ankle and stop him from running. With whatever strength she had left in her body, she used some of it to pull the shorter man towards her. Making a grab for the backpack, only to feel a swift kick in her ribs on the right side of her. A groan escaping her lips as pain shot through her and surged strongly. But at the same time it only made her angrier. Using both hands, she took the shorter man's foot, one hand on each end, then sharply jerking it in an unnatural angle. And hard enough to hear the snapping of bone. This took a good portion of her strength to do, but she did it to cripple the man enough so he could not escape as quickly. Then Ritz turned her attention back to the taller man as she feels another kick to the ribs. Groaning again as more pain surged into her. This only makes her want to get up, and she did so as quickly as she could. Now face to face with him.

[Ritz]

Ritz didn't make the first but waited for the tall man to make one instead. When he did not, she makes a false lunge for the shorter man, swerving out of the way as this makes the taller one make his move. She backs up as he takes a swing at her. Then she moves forward, crouching down as quickly as she can, her foot aiming for his knees. The crouch was as close to the man as possible, while using her long legs to aid to her foot reaching his knees. The succession of the kick was poor. As the impact of her foot barely grazes his knee as the man jumps out of the way. Ritz uses the brief moment to get up quickly. And just in time as he lunged at her with a fist aimed for her jaw. As she barely manages to move her head out of the way, she slips closer to his side, moving her right leg behind his right leg. Then using her bandaged right arm to wrap around his neck as quickly as possible. Making sure that her grip is tight, and her leg where it should be, her left leg spread a little bit from her right. Her left leg keeping her as balanced as able to. With her right bandaged arm around the tall man's neck, Ritz put him into a headlock and used her right leg to trip him. A move she used in a fight long ago. She uses it now in an attempt to subdue him by trying to use his own size against him.

"Yield you crazed sailor!" She shouted at him as he reached with his long arms to pummel his fists into her bandaged shoulder. Apparently he thought her shoulder was badly injured. But it wasn't. The bandages merely serving the purpose to cover up the deep scar that ran from her shoulder to forearm. Her bandaged arm kept a hard grasp around his neck. Since he didn't seem to want to yield, she would just try to make him lose consciousness. But her grip could not hold too much longer. The repeated hits she took to her right shoulder was straining her ability for keep up with the headlock. She needed to think of something quick before her strength gave out and possibly release him prematurely.

"Think! Think!" She thought desperately. The shorter man merely looked onto the fighters, as if he'd forgotten he had the backpack. An idea springing to her mind. If she threw the taller man down now, she could reach the shorter man and grab up her backpack. And if she could get to it quick enough. Maybe she could even make a run back to her Inn room where it was safe. Now she needed to figure out if the short man would put up a fight or not.

[Ritz]

As Ritz's strength began to wane, she had to make a move and fast. As she kept the headlock on the taller man, she moved her right knee and maneuvered it to start repeatedly hitting it into the man's back. With difficulty she kept the assault up, hoping it would make him stop pummeling her shoulder. Yes this man was strong, and so was she, when the adrenaline was pumping that is. Otherwise she would not have been able to try the move she did next.

"Eat sand!" Ritz thrusts up hard, and uses her full body weight to slam the man down into the sand beneath them. Her bandaged arm still having him in a tight headlock, as her left fist comes into contact with the left side of the man's face as she starts to pummel him. Her attempt meant to knock him out for a little while as she wails on him. She hears a shuffling of sand and looks up briefly. Realizing the shorter man is hopping away on his good foot. This only makes Ritz panic a little as her left fist wails into the taller man harder and faster. The adrenaline pumping and surging in her body as it shook with each punch. After a moment of this, the tall man seemed to stop pummeling her weakening shoulder as he went still. She stops punching his jaw with her left fist, and quickly checks if he's still alive. Finding a pulse she drops him. Heaving heavily, wildly out of breath. Her lungs hurt from the large amounts of cold air she inhaled and exhaled.

"Get..back..here..with my backpack!" she roared at the shorter man as he hopped away. Her voice was hoarse from the effort of trying to fight with the taller man. Now that he was unconscious, she begins running towards the short one. Her anger still fueling her body despite the severe pain she was in now. A trickle of blood coming out of the corner of her mouth as her right side of her ribs were probably broken. Her right shoulder hurt so badly it felt broken too. Gritting her teeth she willed her body to press on. She ran after the short man, quickly catching up to him. He hadn't gotten very far as she slammed herself into him, knocking them both to the ground. Pulling herself up a little, she reaches and grabs his throat, using her thumb and index finger to put him into a choke hold with one hand, and uses her free one to take back her backpack.

"This is mine, so I'll take it off your hands." She said angrily. The shorter man began to struggle, but she had what she came to retrieve back. And let him go, and getting up to run back to the Inn. She had no intention of staying at the shorelines any longer then she had to. And especially did not want to stick around in case the taller man regained consciousness. She heard the shorter man yelling at her, but Ritz paid him no attention and instead kept going. She learned once more how hard life can be sometimes when you are out on your own. As she neared the Inn, her pace slowed to a severe limp. When the young woman at the front desk greeted her then spoke concernedly towards Ritz, she shook it off.

"I'm fine thanks." Was all she would say before heading off towards the room, leaving it at that. Hoping the young woman wouldn't pursue the fact Ritz wasn't in good condition to refuse help. But with her stubbornness, Ritz hurried into the room and closed the door, locking it behind her.