Training (Charissa)

Charissa had called him a half hour ago, accepting his offer. Kyte told her to meet him at an abandoned warehouse on the docks. He also told her to make sure that she wasn't followed, and even gave her directions on how to make sure she wasn't being followed. Having the Titans up his rear while he hadn't even given Charissa 1% of training would be problematic.

At the moment, the warehouse was filled with punching bags and mats. At level zero training, Kyte would only teach reflexes and combat skills.

He was currently taking out anger on a punching bag in the form of Wushu, making quick jabs and powerful blows meant to show the Shaolin way. In demonic form, his movements were enhanced, and as he finished annihilating an imaginary foe with one last blow, the punching bag snapped off of the chain. He sighed, hooking up another one as he waited for Charissa.

Spoiler:

To be honest, Charissa was a bit nervous.

She wasn't afraid of Kyte of course, but becoming the apprentice of the man DEMONS where afraid of was sort of nerve racking. She cautiously walked into the building, unfollowed, or, at least, she followed his institution.

Charissa walks in as Kyte punches the bag off, but only sets from the shadows after he sets up a new one. "Am I learning to do that?"

Kyte knew Charissa was in the shadows; he had senses better than a wolf's, but allowed her to speak first. After chaining up the next punching bag, he wiped himself off with a rag.

Good, you came.

She asked if she was going to learn how to punch off a bag like that. He chuckled.

When I'm through with you, you should be able to destroy much more than a punching bag.

He looked at Charissa, motioning to a chair.

Please, sit.

Charissa smiled. It was going to be fun, then. She sat in the chair, and looked to him.

"So, now what?" She asked, then straitened her glasses.

(Sorry, couldn't think of much else to write.)

He slightly raised an eyebrow at Charissa's shades, as she asked what to do next.

You can take those shades off.

Besides that, every good lesson starts with an introduction, so I'll try to keep it out of the bounds of boring. I've been around for no less than five thousand years. Every moment of my existence has been spent learning to better myself in combat, whether that be physical, verbal, or psychological. Over the course of your apprenticeship, I am going to do my best to compress my knowledge to help you learn everything I have. After you have a basic know-how of my skills, we will expand them, and, hopefully, you will be as excellent a warrior as I.

Are there any questions you have?

Charissa slowly took off her shades, and then her coat that was way too big for her. She was now exposing her beautiful body, even with her pants and and tank top on.

She doesn't look him in the eye anymore. "Alright, that sounds cool." She said, then stretches her arms. "I don't have any questions, lets get started."

Charissa took off her shades, and then her trench coat. She was wearing pants and a tank top. Kyte didn't seem moved. She wasn't making eye contact anymore, though, saying she didn't have any more questions.

Is there a reason you refuse to make eye contact with me?

He crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

Charissa looked over to his shoulder.

"Well, if I look into your eyes, your soul would sort of... burn, and you die." She said. "If you even have a soul, but I prefer not to take that chance, it's a bad first impression. "

Kyte raised an eyebrow as Charissa said his soul would burn if she made eye contact with him.

I see. A very interesting and useful ability. However, fortunately for you- or unfortunately, depending- I do not have a soul. Moving on from that miscommunication...

To moderate your training, I need to figure out how good your strength and speed is. To help me gauge this, please approach the punching bag.

He walked aside to give Charissa some space at the punching bag. He raised his hands to his midsection as if about to clap, and then put his hands together.

Now, tell me, Charissa...have you learned any martial arts? Even if you were in a class for five minutes, I'd like to know. If I'm going to be your partner and your teacher, I need to know some things about you.

As such, if at any time you wish to know something about me, feel free to ask.

Charissa smiles, and looks him in the eye again.

"That's a relief, though I can see a bit better in the darkness." She said with a smile.

Charissa walked up to the punching bag, and started to warm herself up with punches and kicks, but mostly mid-air kicks.

"Well, I've had no formal training, but my monster truck of a dad thought me a few things. I'm also a gymnast, probably olympic level, but my dad won't let my try out, mostly because I'm a flesh eating demon spawn and a bunch of people from all around the world in their prime look like a buffet to me..."

Charissa giggles, and and continues her assault on the punching bag, before delivering a devastating jumping ax kick to the top of it, with would break bones.

Charissa said she had no formal training, but that her dad taught her a few things. She also said she was a gymnast, and was probably Olympic level. She proceeded to demonstrate her fighting style, which was pretty good, but seemed to rely on midair kicks.

I see. You like utilizing aerial kicks, which is a good strategy. Your legs are one of the most powerful limbs on your body. However, you need to perfect them. You need to make sure that, if your opponent is one with incredible endurance, that they can't block and swing you around. This can happen easily because while you're in the air, nothing is anchoring you.

Kyte thought for a bit, letting the information process to Charissa, before continuing.

I'm going to give you "formal" training. For these first few months, you're going to learn Ninjutsu, the art of assassins, and what people nowadays call "freerunning." I was able to quickly outrun you in the suburban area, and I was purposefully waiting for you. Learning freerunning helped with that. That little running up the wall on the end, though...you'll learn that when the time comes. You will be training every day of the week. Tomorrow I'll have obstacles, dummies, and more training mats here. For now...

Kyte gave her his pouch of throwing knives and stars. He then pulled out some paint, and drew a human body on the punching bag. He marked some spots in red, and some spots in blue.

The blue spots are vital and fatal areas. The red spots are kind of vital, and cause a lot of pain, but bleed a lot. As long as they can't get to a hospital for a few minutes, they'll bleed out.

Kyte picked up a knife from the pouch he gave her.

Knives are complicated. Start with the stars.

Then, without looking, he lashed his arm out, hitting the "man" directly in the face with the knife.

Charissa nodded in agreement. He said that she needed to perfect her kicks, so that someone with incredible endurance can't block and swing her around, and she agreed with that whole heartedly.

She wiped the sweat trying to form from her brow, and started to do baseline kicks as Kyte talked. They weren't the most fancy kick in the world, but it is famed to be one of the hardest hitting.

She looked to him as he finished speaking, she turned to him, just in time to catch the bag of throwing stars and knives. She listened as he spoke and painted the body bag. She noticed that the places she often went for when she attacked a person where marked in red. In fact, the only thing in blue she went for was the neck. She threw throwing stars at his torso, the widest part of the man. He hit him twice in the chest, and once in the crotch area.

Charissa giggled a bit. "Heh heh... didn't mean to do that..."

She picked up a knife, and threw to at the figure's head, and it hit. On the handle. She burned through to more before she got the man in the head with the knife, next to Kyte's. She threw two throwing stars, and it hit both of his legs. As if by instinct, the second her mind saw something sink into both the legs of her 'man', immobilizing him, she rushed forward and sent her claws into his neck. She then looked up with surprise and pulled her hand back.

"That was instinct I guess, sorry..." She said, then looked to him. "Did I at least do okay?"

Kyte watched her practice kicks for a bit, and after he drew her targets, she started throwing the ninja stars. She did pretty good, four out of five shots, which he was impressed with, considering this was her first time throwing them, to his knowledge. He meant to interrupt her when she started throwing the knives, and she only got one target correctly. One out of three.

He retrieved the weapons, handing them back to her. She explained after she had clawed for the fake man's throat that it was instinct, and asked how she did.

That's alright, but I want you to focus on throwing weapons for now. Assassination in this day and age often means not getting close to your target. Less fun for some, but easier this way. They can also keep an opponent busy.

As for how well you did...you're fairly good with the stars. 80% accuracy. Fairly impressive, if this is your first time using them. On the knives, however, you have a rough 33%. Not too good, but that's why we're here, for you to learn. And there's a secret to throwing knives.

Kyte took a knife from her.

Throwing knives completely straight, like an arrow, is something for professionals to learn. You're going to have to go with turning throws for now. You may think this is all probability to throw it spinning like that, but there's a way for them to stick every time. Seven feet differences for each level.

He motioned her to step back, and stood seven perfect feet from the target, and then, hands on the blade part, threw it, sinking it into the man's neck.

Every seven feet, roughly, is a half rotation. So at seven feet, one half rotation, you want to throw it by the blade. For a full rotation from the closest, of course, you do fourteen feet.

He took another knife and demonstrated that as well.

I don't expect you to have built in measuring tapes for your eyes, so you'll be doing this roughly. You want the knifes to be sticking perfectly horizontally out from the target. If it's slightly upward, Kyte walked to the target and tilted a knife upward a bit to demonstrate, Then you just need to step a little further back. If it's slightly downward, you need to move closer.

Kyte retrieved both knives for her and then crossed his arms, standing next to her so he wasn't in range of the knives.

On an off-topic side note, I told you you'd be coming to practice every day. I expect you to stick to it. However, if for some reason you absolutely can't make it, or, hey, if you just want some hang time, call me. At least let me know that you can't make it, and why you can't make it. Just know if you do, I'll be watching to make sure it's really what you say. Got it?

Charissa smiles, and nods to him.

"Thank you, and got it."

She takes the knife, and after he finished talking she stepped back for him to demonstrate it for her. She made a mental note of where he was standing. She took the knives back from him with a smile.

"All a needed is that explanation. I doubt that you'll be disappointed this time." She said with a wide smile.

Charissa ran to where he was before, then jumped and did a flip. As she was upside down, and facing her target, she threw a knife, and it struck him in the kidney. She smiled, and started to throw the knives again. Thinking about it like that made it loads easier for her, and the closest she came to missing with them was hitting the man in the ankle.

"All I needed to do is warm up a bit, I guess. Besides, it's easy it hit people until they start moving."

She pushed the bag, and it started to swing like a pendulum. She started throwing the stars, and she hit it 4 times with 5 stars.

"Not too bad..."

She looks to Kyte, and nods. "Got it. Beware if I don't come for a couple weeks, I sort of have mommy issues so I may end up in the hospital." She said, giggling.

Charissa thanked him for his advice on throwing knives and stars, and said all she really needed was the tip. She said he wouldn't be disappointed with her this time. He raised an eyebrow.

Charissa, I wasn't disappointed with you. This is your first day of training. In any course, the first day of training is introduction and discussion of the days ahead, along with a few warmup exercises. I'm not expecting perfection. I'm expecting someone to teach. You think I'm going to be disappointed you got 33% accuracy with throwing knives when this is the first time you've learned anything about them? Stop trying to impress me, and start learning. Take your time. I've had since the beginning of all creation to perfect my skills. You aren't disappointing anyone.

Charissa started throwing the knives again, and got a lucky 100% hit ratio. Kyte nodded.

Good job.

Charissa then said it was easy to hit people until they started moving, making the punching bag sway so that she had a moving target, and threw five throwing stars at it, hitting with all but one. An 80% ratio again.

She then proceeded to tell him that she had "mommy issues" and so might end up in the hospital for a few weeks. He raised an eyebrow.

We can't afford a few weeks. If your issues are really that bad, then me and your mother need to have a talk before that happens.