Vampyre 101: Basic combat (Ruufe)

[Darren Caerdeth]

Today Darren had to forgo his usual activities, which were mainly drinking and shooting people with paintballs. Today he had summoned his fledgling Ruufe to the Crimson Pit for his first real training lessons. The boy had a long ways to go, and Darren actually felt bad about not having started sooner. But as they always say, better late than never.

Darren stood in the middle of the pit as he awaited Ruufe's arrival. Beside him was a padded dummy with two red lights where the eyes would be. The Vampyre stood puffing on a lit cigarette, propped up against the dummy.

Today was gonna be fun...

[Ruufe Shanks]

"Oi, what's that for?"

Ruufe walks up with his hands behind his bed, stretching his back and looking quizzically at Darren's dummy. He leans as far back as he can, stretching his arms overhead before settling his hands on his hips and quirking a brow.

"Funny lookin' eyes."

[Darren Caerdeth]

"This, my man, is your greatest adversary. If you can beat him, you're ready for just about anyone."

The sad part was, the dummy was the most unthreatening site imaginable. However, this was the basics. A sensor was rigged inside the dummy at every major pressure point on the human body. Whenever one of these sensor were struck, the eyes would light up, and a buzz would be heard.

"So go ahead, hit him."

[Ruufe Shanks]

Ruufe stares incredulously. This? His greatest enemy? He walks to the dummy, sizing it up, and then pulls back and hits it in the gut.

[Darren Caerdeth]

The dummy takes the hit and barely budges. Its tolerance of pain is amazing....

"You really put some zing behind that one, didnt ya......."

The cigarette found its way to the floor of the pit, then was smothered by Darren's boot.

"One thing im gonna teach ya today. Power isnt everything. If you'd tried that punch on me, I'd have knocked you out. You're lucky that Bob is more passive than I am. Why dont ya try hitting him right here. And focus on speed more than power..."

Darren tapped toward the back of Bob's gut, where a human's kidneys would be located.......

[Ruufe Shanks]

"Bob?"

Ruufe doesn't get an answer though. Speed more than power? But what for? It's a dummy; it can't move. Why not hit it as hard as he can?

"You don't make sense."

[Darren Caerdeth]

"This is practice. Bob here doesnt hit back, because hes a dummy. In a real fight, people fight back. Hitting some people as hard as you can works, but like I said before, if you'd have tried that punch on me, Ida knocked your block off."

Darren once again pointed to the kidney area of the dummy.

"Hitting someone right here is called a kidney shot, and it hurts like hell, even if its a weak punch. You can do more damage here than you can hitting someone in the face or the stomach, where most people guard themselves the most..."

[Ruufe Shanks]

Ruufe puts up his dukes, deciding it best to humor Darren and do what he says. One day he'll be the Vampyre King, and then he'll be the one doing the instructing. Ruufe throws a fast punch to the indicated section of Bob.

[Darren Caerdeth]

As the punch connected, "Bob's" eyes light up, and a loud buzz is heard...

"Ouch.......he didnt like that.."

The training is corny, but its basics. Basics have to be covered. Ruufe will have all the power he needs in time. Technique is something that cant be gained by being "half eaten". Reaching into his back pocket, he removed a black marker. He then began marking all the pressure points on the human frame. Kidneys, underarms, throat, nose, ears and temple, crotch, behind the knees, and a few other places were all marked.

"If you hit someone in any of these places, odds are, its gonna hurt, even if its a light hit. Take the nose for example. A quick jab to the nose will hurt, and will briefly stun your opponent. Then their eyes will start to water, blurring their vision, usually giving you a free punch or two."

[Ruufe Shanks]

"Oi, so I should hit people in just these spots?"

It seems sort of limited to Ruufe.

[Darren Caerdeth]

"Not just those spots. Those are just a quick way to wear down your opponent. Everyone has a weak point, and if you can spot that weakness, thats the best part of their body to focus on. Mostly, these places, if left unguarded, are good for putting an opening attack."

Darren glanced down for a moment....

"Today, we're covering the basics. In time, you'll be primed and ready to go after more dangerous opponents..."

[Ruufe Shanks]

In time? Screw "in time", now is more like what Ruufe's talkin' about.

"What else is there?"

Maybe he can goad Darren into showing off some advanced stuff...