Under the craftsman's guidance, Altaïr inserted the sword into the shield, activated the mechanism, transforming the weapon into its axe form, and swung it boldly a few times.
"Whoa! This is great, Isis, you should try this! It feels more powerful to swing than the Long Sword!" Altaïr said excitedly.
"The Charge Blade's center of gravity is further forward compared to the Great Sword and Long Sword, so it feels very solid in hand," explained the Wyverian craftsman, who was familiar with the characteristics of every weapon.
After swinging it around wildly for a while, Altaïr disassembled the great axe, returning it to the large shield and sword mode.
"You seem to like this one?" Isis asked with a smile.
Altaïr's breathing was slightly heavy. "Huff... Yeah, I guess. The sword and shield mode allows for both offense and defense, while the axe form is powerful. If I had to choose among defensive weapons, I'd probably pick this one, but..."
"But?" Isis tilted her head.
A trace of helplessness appeared on Altaïr's face. "This weapon demands almost as much strength as the Great Sword or Hammer, and its stamina requirements are even higher. I don't have your absurd physical capabilities. I'm confident I could use the Charge Blade well, but with my high-frequency combat style, my stamina might not keep up. It could affect me in prolonged battles."
"I see."
"Your turn. Try it. I think you'll like it," Altaïr said, handing the sword and large shield to Isis.
Isis first tested the sword and shield mode, then activated the mechanism to switch to axe mode.
Altaïr raised an eyebrow. Unlike him, who needed the craftsman's step-by-step guidance, Isis switched to axe mode quite smoothly. Had she used a Charge Blade before?
She gripped the axe handle with both hands, swinging it wide and forceful a few times. After pausing briefly, she suddenly released her left hand, switching to a one-handed grip on the handle.
Altaïr felt a chill watching. Holding a heavy weapon with one hand? Aren't you afraid the axe might slip and fly out?
Clearly, he was overthinking it. Though her movements slowed with the one-handed grip, Isis's swings remained stable, without any sign of strain.
After a moment, she stopped, switched the weapon back to sword and shield mode, and twirled the sword in her left hand with a flourish.
Noticing her expression seemed subtly troubled, Altaïr couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Don't like it?"
"It feels... still a bit too light," Isis said quietly.
"..."
This left not just Altaïr, but even the craftsman and Sajji nearby, speechless.
Are you even human?
Isis quickly added, "I mean in the sword and shield mode! Especially the sword part. The axe mode feels very solid!"
"Alright," Altaïr said, turning his attention to the remaining Lance and Gunlance.
Those were the two heaviest weapons of all.
"Try the Lance first," the craftsman suddenly spoke up. "The Lance and Gunlance are similar in weight, but the Lance focuses on thrusting attacks with very few swings, so it demands more stamina than strength. The Gunlance combines thrusts and smashes with extensive shelling actions, requiring the user to handle recoil, so it demands more strength."
Altaïr equipped the Lance, tested it briefly, then put it down.
As the craftsman had said, the Lance didn't require exaggerated strength, his power was more than sufficient to wield it.
However, this weapon was too "steady," arguably the most defense-oriented of all weapons, bar none, which clashed severely with his combat style.
Not considering it.
Isis also set it down quickly after trying it. While her fighting style leaned toward stability, the Lance was so steady it made her feel as if she couldn't fully exert her strength.
Not to her liking.
"Only the Gunlance remains." Altaïr looked at the final weapon. "I won't bother testing it, I doubt I'd like it much."
"Why's that?" Isis asked curiously.
"The Sword and Shield uses an arm shield, the Charge Blade employs a large kite shield, both types I can accept. But the Lance and Gunlance both feature larger, heavier tower shields.
Though this type of shield offers superior defense, it significantly compromises mobility. I'm afraid I couldn't adapt to it."
"Alright, let me give it a try." Isis stepped forward and picked up the Gunlance.
"Woah!"
"What's wrong?" Altaïr couldn't help asking when he saw Isis's pleased expression.
"The shield feels similar to the Lance, quite weighty. But why does this Gunlance feel so much heavier than the Lance?" Her tone carried unmistakable delight.
For her, "heavy" was never a derogatory term.
"It's a matter of weight distribution," the craftsman explained from nearby. "The Lance and Gunlance have similar weights, but the Lance primarily attacks through thrusting. That's why it tapers at the front and thickens at the rear, this helps maintain stability during thrusts.
The Gunlance, however, focuses more on slashing and smashing than thrusting. Plus, the barrel components for firing shells and Wyvern's Fire are located in the front-middle section, shifting the center of gravity forward significantly. That's why it feels heavier."
Altaïr nodded in understanding, but Isis wasn't listening at all.
She was like a child who'd found the perfect stick, waving the Gunlance around with one hand.
As she swung it rapidly, the sword-like bayonet at the front tore through the air, producing a terrifying whistle that made one's scalp tingle.
Watching Isis's joyful expression, a faint smile appeared on the craftsman's dark face. "Try firing a few shots into the air."
"Where's the trigger?"
"Below the grip, just a light pull. Mind the recoi–" The craftsman's words were cut off by a dull cannon roar, startling Sajji as well.
Without even leveling the Gunlance or bracing for impact, Isis pulled the trigger mid-swing.
The recoil powerful enough to knock an ordinary person off their feet couldn't budge the stable stance she'd developed through Great Sword and Long Sword training.
She continued wildly swinging and randomly firing until the Gunlance's loaded ammunition was exhausted.
"This works great!" Isis exclaimed excitedly. "Though the Gunlance is heavy and hard to swing as fast as a Long Sword, and the inertia from wide swings creates noticeable recovery time, the recoil from shelling just happens to offset some of the inertia! It makes attacks more fluid!"
The craftsman looked somewhat stunned. What Isis described was an obscure technique typically used by more experienced Gunlance users, and she'd already figured it out?
"And this large shield too! Unlike the Lance that needs constant forward positioning, the shield bashing feels much more flexible with the Gunlance!"
As she spoke, she swung the Gunlance aside like a sword, then followed through by bracing the great shield with her shoulder and slamming it forward abruptly.
Altaïr wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him, he seemed to hear a faint vacuum pop from the shield compressing the air.
The craftsman was also at a loss for words. He wanted to tell Isis that, theoretically, the Gunlance didn't have a "Shield Bash" technique.
In contrast, Lance users had a shield charge move, though that was less about attacking with the shield and more about charging forward with the shield raised and lance extended, then using a shield-flipping motion to push opponents away.
However, so-called techniques were essentially skills continuously innovated and refined by generations of users.
Many moves that didn't become widespread weren't necessarily ineffective, they simply weren't accessible to everyone, much like many rumored "Hunter Arts."
Since Isis was strong enough to wield the Gunlance's great shield like that, there was no need for him to tell her "that's not right."
Under the craftsman's guidance, Isis went on to test out Wyvern's Fire and the Wyrmstake Cannon.
The Gunlance's moves weren't as complex as the Long Sword's. After learning some basic techniques, she alternated between various shelling attacks, swings, and shield bashes until she was panting heavily.
"It seems you quite like the Gunlance as a weapon," Altaïr said with a laugh.
"Yeah!" Isis replied, equally cheerful.
Altaïr suddenly shifted the topic. "So, compared to the Long Sword, which do you prefer more?"
Isis's smile froze. To her, the question was almost like being asked, "Which do you like more, Mom or Dad?"
Altaïr couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, it's not like anyone ever said you have to stick to just one weapon, right?
You don't need to give up the Long Sword, you don't even need to give up the Great Sword.
When you feel the need to serve as a heavy frontline fighter, use the Gunlance. When you want more agile combat, use the Long Sword. And once you've solved your issue with poor timing, there's no problem pulling out the Great Sword again."
As he spoke, Altaïr pointed to himself. "Take me, for example. At first, I was forced by my teacher to use the Sword and Shield, but later I found the weapon quite handy.
Lately, I feel the Long Sword suits me well, so I plan to focus more on that. Who knows, maybe when I'm physically stronger in the future, I'll learn the Charge Blade, or even the Switch Axe, another transforming weapon?"