fandomhigh | Introduction to Personal Weaponry [Monday, second period]

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Introduction to Personal Weaponry [Monday, second period]

The Danger Shop, perhaps disappointingly, looked like a classroom today. Though the big pile of random-looking crap on the floor was new. Chair legs, a couple of complete stools, hockey sticks, two-by-fours, baseball bats, some lead pipes, and a number of things most people actually considered weapons, ~~all of it moddable~~.

"Today we're talking about sticks. And, well, all the things that work pretty much the same way." Max grabbed a six-foot staff from the pile seemingly at random.

"A stick does a couple of things for you. It gives you extra weight, it gives you extra reach, and it gives you something that you can hit harder with without breaking bits of yourself in the process." Max swung the stick in a wide arc to demonstrate.

"All of this translates into hitting harder and breaking things better. You can also take a hit on a stick that you'd never be able to take on, say, your arm." This time Max swung the stick into his desk. Sure it wasn't real, but the sound as the top of the desk cracked and the stick snapped in two was plenty impressive.

"Last week I showed you how a roll of coins can become a weapon, enhancing whatever fighting abilities you already have. Sticks are similar because most things can be used to add weight and reach to what you already have." He gestured at the pile.

"You'll have to adjust slightly to each item to get a feel for how you can use it to your advantage, and that's what you'll be doing today. Everyone pick something from the pile, then pair off and figure things out. You can just discuss technique or strategy, or you can take a few swings."

His eyes narrowed. "I'll be watching, so everyone be careful. There may be safeguards in place here, but that's no excuse to get sloppy about things. So don't even think about goofing around."

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Bruce picked up one of the complete stools and took a few practice swings with it to figure out its weight.

He figured he was probably going to be busting up bars in the future, so he might as well get used to stools now.

Wesley picked up a stick. Oh, this was going to take some getting used to, considering how clumsy he tended to be. Seeing Bruce practicing, he took a practice swing of his own, and ended up whacking himself in the face.

Nice, Wes.

"Would you like to be a pair?" he offered, clutching his throbbing nose.

"As long as you're okay, sure," Bruce said. "Try not to swing at your own face."

"Fair point," he said, then added in a mumble, "It wasn't intentional."

"Have you trained with anything like this before?" Bruce asked.

"No, actually," he admitted. Most of his expertise was in fencing, which he had been practicing since he was a kid. But staffs, not so much. The Watchers' Council would not have thought them useful, thinking them less than flashy. "Have you?"

"Not with a stool, specifically," Bruce said. "But it's really just a club with multiple handles, so it's close enough to what I have used."

"Fair enough," said Wes.

"So - shall we practice, then?"

"Let's see what you've got," Bruce said, shifting his weight to his back foot as he held the stool up.

Wesley held up his stick, dropping into fight stance. Well, this had to be kind of like fighting with a sword, right? "I suppose I'll start, then?" he proposed awkwardly. Raising the staff, he brought it slowly around his head in the direction of Bruce's shoulder.

Bruce raised his stool to block the strike. Then, slower than he would have in a real fight situation, he brought the stool down and thrust it straight forward, aiming the seat at Wesley's chest.

Wesley was starting to see how his staff might be less useful than something as big as a stool. He decided to just move out of the way and off to the side. From there, he took his staff and aimed it in a jabbing motion toward Bruce's stomach.

The weight and momentum of the stool kept Bruce from trying to twist out of the way very effectively. The staff connected and made Bruce shuffle his feet to keep his balance. As he was doing this, he swung wildly at the staff to hopefully gain a little bit of distance.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Wesley exclaimed. He hadn't meant to actually make contact!

The impact of the stool on the staff, combined with his surprise at having actually hit Bruce, forced Wes back a few steps. As he regained his balance, he threw his staff out horizontally across his torso as a kind of catch-all defense maneuver.

"Don't apologize," Bruce said. "I got sloppy."

After regaining his composure, he took a step toward Wesley and swung the stool at Wesley's side, slow enough to still be blocked by the staff if Wesley was ready.

Ready he was not, at least right away, so he ended up getting a stool to the side. He hissed from the pain, even though the stool hadn't hit him with as much force as it might have, had it moved more quickly. He hopped up and down, clutching his side dramatically. Weakling and drama queen? Yep.

"You going to live?" Bruce asked, stepping back.

"Yes, most likely," he gasped. He finally straightened up, trying to be tough, but kept wincing. Probably he looked like an enormous wimp.

"All right," he said. "Let's continue." With one hand still holding his side, he swung the hand still holding the staff low in the direction of Bruce's knees.

Bruce put the stool on the ground and pushed down on it to give him a strong parry against the attack. Still holding onto the top of the stool, Bruce pushed the stool's leg's forward with a kick, so the whole thing ended up swinging in an upward arc at Wesley's legs.

Wesley jumped up to dodge the attack, ending up doing a kind of twirl motion in the air. Badass, he was not.

When he landed, he had the idea that maybe he could do something to damage the actual stool. He hooked his staff between two of its legs, a hand on either end of the staff, and pulled toward himself, hoping he could break off at least one of the legs.

Bruce let go of the stool.

He was wasn't sure if Wesley had a good enoughhandle on the stool to accidentally fling it at himself or if it would drop and he would stumble back. No matter what happened, Bruce was betting that he'd gain an advantage.

Yep, Bruce was right about that. Wes dropped it quickly and staggered backwards. So much for that plan.

Bruce rushed forward, grabbed the stool, and swung it at Wesley's legs with one hand, all in one smooth motion.

Wesley thrust out his staff horizontally, about a foot out in front of his legs, and used it to block the stool. Immediately afterward, he turned it around and aimed in the direction of one of Bruce's legs, intending to knock him off balance.

Bruce gave into his forward momentum and dove forward to avoid the staff. He rolled to his feet and leaned on the stool.

"You pick things up quickly."

Introduction to Personal Weaponry [Monday, second period]

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