Thread:ThisIsXenon/@comment-32460917-20190603090203/@comment-32273133-20190603151029

Clay’d never run this fast in his life.

Everywhere he went, he was the slow one:  in the Ennead, he could barely finish the runs Hester would make them do; in the modern sect, he had to stop partway through a 5k that the trio convinced him to run with them because he collapsed. He’d never liked to run, and with the rib-crushing device he never took off, he barely had enough breath to anyway.

But right now, the adrenaline and the fear kept him going. He’d outrun the rain at this point, but he knew it was headed this way, and it would make it harder to hear later. He called Calidi’s name.

''What did that goddess tell him? '' Clay had no idea if she’d “patched up his mind” like she said or put new ideas in there. ''I’ve got to get there in time. I know how to treat gunshot wounds.'' But not to the head. His chest tightened at the thought. ''Do not panic. You do not have time to panic. You don’t know if that’s where.... ''He shuddered.

The terrain grew rockier, and Clay thought he could see a person up ahead.

“Calidi!”

As he burst into the clearing, he saw Calidi and immediately tripped, and landed flat on his stomach at Calidi’s feet with an audible “oooof".

///Clay’s grand entrance:  faceplant