35 Winter 521
It was late in the day, after Moritz had finished his work for the day, that he went once again for a run. Though he was a bit tired from his daily exertions it made more sense to him to do it then rather than before work, as he would then be sweaty and tired for his daily labors. Instead he did it after work, when he was already tired, which- the Kelvic reasoned- meant he would train all the better and not affect his work.
He kept relatively contained in his exertions, simply doing laps on a short span of the beach back and forth near where numerous people could see him. If he was more confident in his abilities he might have gone further or explored while running, but he felt it was better to do it here where he was not alone and did not have to worry so much about a wild animal since it would have to pass others to get to him.
Focusing on his task Moritz ran barefooted, one wood then the other padding along the grains of sand, kicking up a small bit with each push of his foot as it struck the ground and he moved forward. Relatively inexperienced he was still practicing with his form, trying new ways and seeking out the best method for his work. He also focused on his breathing, though quickly enough after running was taking in big gulps of air and finding he could never get enough of the stuff...
As he was focusing on this and beginning to turn he saw a person running towards him, and realized after a few moments it was the same scaly lady from before who he had met while running. They had not talked or interacted, but he felt a bit safer with her near. Focusing on her for a moment he considered her skills, and almost at once felt a wave of combat pressure off of her. He did not even need to take a moment or two, it was instantaneous for him to ascertain one thing. She was much stronger than him.
In the back of his mind he could feel his own combat presence, and comparing it to this woman's... His own was just sad, pitiful, and inadequate.
Perhaps it was this distraction that caused Moritz to not notice the small odd bulge sticking out from the sand, or being a bit unnerved by her strong presence. Whatever the reason Moritz was running when his foot connected with something under the sand, tripping him up and sending a surge of pain into his foot as it had connected with the hard surface.
"Gaaaah!"
The Kelvic fell with an odd noise, landing on the relatively soft sand. After tripping he rolled over onto his rear and pulled up his foot to hold it in his hands, letting out a gust of air between his teeth as he tried to ward off the feelings of pain. He also felt his toes and foot, squeezing and pressing, but did not feel anything to bad, so was fairly certain he hadn't broken anything. Instead he focused on breathing, willing the pain away. And in time it did fade, though this likely had little to do with his willing.
While he was still sitting he heard footsteps on the sand nearby, and looked up to find the scaly lady above him.
"You alright?" the woman asked simply.
WC: 577
