Leo smiled as Desmond forced himself back up, despite the very obvious lack of internal composure.
Scoffing, he folded his arms.
"What's next? What's next is you realizing how useless guns are to people like us. You're a Reveur now, Dessy. Pick up a damn weapon."
Desmond huffed in annoyance before turning to his right, studying the arsenal.
He rested his chin on his hand as he hummed in thought.
Leo walked up, standing beside him as he followed his eyes to the barrels.
"No rush. It's best to go with something you'll be most comfortable with. Don't want you regretting your pick when we're out in the field, now would we?"
"Definitely not…" Desmond muttered.
After another round of careful observation, his eyes landed on Leo's sword.
"I think my best bet is just a regular sword like that one. Perhaps a bit smaller."
Leo looked down at his hilt and back up to Desmond before letting out an amused huff.
"I assure you, there's nothing regular about this one here."
The boy's eyebrow raised as his eyes met Leo's.
"In what way do you mean?"
Leo unsheathed the greatsword, which seemed massive in comparison to Desmond's stature.
"This was handmade by an old friend. It's completely immune to melting or damage under high temperatures. I could toss it in the sun and use it the next day."
Desmond's silent admiration of the blade gave Leo a second to reminiscence.
` Old friend, huh. I wonder how Raymond's doing. Well, that's if he's kept himself alive this whole time without me and Casper. `
A slight nostalgia flickered in his chest for a moment as he returned the blade to his hilt, turning his attention back to Desmond.
He took a few steps and dug a curved sword out of the barrel before tossing it to Desmond carelessly.
The boy scrambled to catch the saber without hurting himself in the process.
Finally taking grip of it, he carefully examined the edge and guard.
"Despite the difference in our blade's forms, the fundamentals remain the same. You're ultimately just using a sharpened piece of metal to hit an opponent while avoiding being hit yourself."
Desmond nodded as he attempted to get into an effective stance.
Unfortunately, the boy's childhood stick-fighting matches had given him no real experience in wielding a real weapon.
Leo stared on for a second in dissatisfaction.
He walked up to his side, correcting his stance.
"Hold the blade lower, near your hip. Angle the tip upwards to about chest level. Bend your front knee and let your back foot support your weight."
Desmond stiffened and tensed as he tried to perfect this stance.
"Loosen up. You look like you're going to pop."
The boy suddenly deflated with a huff, looking much more comfortable in his position now.
Leo stood back and smirked with a slight pride in his chest.
"Ah, there it is. This is your Plow Guard. This is a more versatile, instinctive stance. It covers your centerline, allowing for efficient defense and explosive thrusts. Given your current strength, you might not be able to take most Cryptids down with simple slashes. You can make up for that by utilizing concentrated thrusts to break most skin or hide. I would still focus more on the defense side of things though if I were you."
Desmond remained silent, his eyes remaining forward. It was clear he was listening intently.
"Seems like you got a decent feel for it. Now…"
Leo took a step to stand in front of him.
"Stab me."
The boy immediately buckled, stepping back.
"What? Stab you? I… Nevermind, you're literally bulletproof," He said in an exasperated tone.
Leo let out a small chuckle.
"That's the spirit. Now come on, stab me."
Desmond sighed after a moment and took a deep breath.
This time around, he hesitated much shorter before attacking his teacher.
Bursting off his back foot, he lunged towards Leo and aimed the blade just below his chin.
In one swift motion, Leo unsheathed his blade, angled the flat surface to guide Desmond's saber to his right, and utilized both parties' momentum to transition into an Ox Guard.
A split second later, Desmond stood as rigid as a board. His saber several feet behind Leo with an intimidating blade brushing against his Adam's apple.
He stumbled back after a few breaths, his hand shooting to his neck to confirm his head was still attached to his body.
The entire exchange hadn't lasted more than half a second, giving the startled boy almost no time to process whether or not he had been hit.
Leo had dropped his guard and was leaning against his blade now.
"Professor Morwyn isn't so lame now, is he?"
Desmond gulped before shaking his head rapidly, his hand still hovering over the side of his neck.
"That's what I like to hear. Now, let's run some drills."
Just as Desmond began to regain his composure, Caspian appeared from the sidelines.
Leo followed Desmond's gaze.
"Ah, there's our oh-so-busy Grand Reveur, gracing us with his presence."
Caspian stood there with an annoyed expression unignorably present on his face.
"Do you know how many people I just had to calm down? Half of the lobby thought there was a Cryptid break-in."
Leo nervously rubbed his nape as he looked up to see a sizable crater on the ceiling of the chamber.
"In better news, it seems we have a little prodigy here. He basically picked up Channeling on the spot."
Caspian's eyes widened slightly as turned to Desmond.
"Seriously? How exactly did you achieve that?"
"Captain Morwyn hurled a bullet at me."
A small shock hit Leo in betrayal.
Caspian's gaze very slowly returned to Leo.
"... What?"
He put his hands up in defense.
"Hey, it worked, didn't it? The kid can Channel now."
Caspian's eyes rested on him with disappointment. He closed his eyes and breathed, trying to ignore what the two had told him.
"Anyways… I came down here for a reason. There's reports of disturbing noises outside of the East wall. Sort of behind those apartments by the ICF."
Leo thought for a moment before it seemed to click.
"Yeah, I remember what you're talking about. So you're sending my student here on his first mission?"
Caspian shrugged.
"I would've preferred to wait for you to polish him up a bit, but I figure such supposed talent should get some first-hand experience."
Leo hummed, "Fair enough. You ready Dessy?"
Desmond remained silent, his eyes wandering to nowhere. This would be his first time outside the walls.
Just the thought of what was out there gave him a strange feeling. Not quite horror, but more so a sort of morbid freedom.
` A whole world. Out there. Only accessible to people in these uniforms. Only accessible to people with purpose. `
He looked down to his black uniform.
"Yeah. I'm ready."