ORIGIN

The cave was sweltering hot, but Glory had been living in it for so long that he barely even noticed. The fire at his forge was roaring, the coal he had mined carrying his flames well. He stood on his anvil and tapped at a piece of metal with a hammer he had carefully crafted some time ago. It was hard and tough, though much heavier then his original corundum hammer. It did prove useful, though. It was much easier to flatten things out with this.

He was growing weary, though. He had been at it for hours, carefully shaping metal so that it curved to fit his body, and he wasn't even done with the breastplate. It was different crafting armor, much different then crafting tools and decorations. He had spent enough time trying to measure himself, much less actually forging the armor. It would probably look terrible when he finished, but he wanted to do this right.

The metal beneath him was starting to cool so he put down his hammed and grasped it in his leather-covered talons. With a few flaps of his wings, he raised himself enough to hover over the trough and let it fall into the water. There was a loud hiss as it rapidly cooled before he took his back out to rest on his anvil again.

He landed on the ground and carefully stripped the leather gloves from his talons. He would take a break now, yes, he'd been at it for long enough. Perhaps he should work on the lining that would go under the metal. It was a lot more delicate and easier on his muscles.

Gathering the leather scraps he was using to create the lining, he stepped outside of his cave and sat down on the ledge, enjoying the considerably cooler air of Monoceros as he settled down, carefully picking at the leather, trying to weave it into one piece.

The sound of wingbeats didn't distract Glory for a moment. It was merely another bird flying through Monoceros. Or merely the wind. He didn't need concern himself with it. It wasn't until the voice spoke directly in front of him did he look up with mild surprise.

Another bird, eyeing his work, their voice sparkling with interest. He was surprised that anyone would be asking him this. Nobody had shown interest in his work before. After a moment his feathers rippled with happiness and his eyes lit up. "Hello there, my friend! I am merely sewing together this leather. I'm making armor, you see!" He puffed out his chest proudly, showing the piece of work to the bird. "This will go under the metal to make it comfortable to wear and also as another layer of protection."

The second round of questions excited Glory and he was all too eager to respond. "Leather is this stuff! Here, feel it." He held it out to the bird so they could touch the soft surface. "It's very comfortable stuff! Armor is a cover of metal that can be used to protect yourself! It's like a really thick, smooth, and hard layer of feathers that you can take on and off! And protection from evil, obviously! If someone attacks you, wouldn't you rather have their talons bounce of metal then sink into your skin?"

As for her inquiries, he took another moment to respond. It was an interesting concept and one that he would have to explore. But there was one fatal flaw that he voice to the falcon. "Perhaps, but plants wither and die. And they're not nearly as touch as leather." As if to demonstrate, he held down the leather with one talon and tugged at it with his other. It barely stretched at all by his pulling. "See? If you did that with a plant it would rip apart immediately."

So many questions, Glory had to take a second to run each one through. Did he have a student on his hands? So soon after learning how to smith himself? Of course, that wasn't a problem! In fact, Glory really enjoyed being the spotlight of this gembound! His eyes were bright with happiness and he felt rejuvenated again, being around someone that was interested in him and his work. "Well, yes of course it's heavy. That's the point - if it was really thin and light it wouldn't protect you so well, would it? The true art of the smith is finding a good balance between thick and sturdy and light enough to maneuver around. I've been working on my flying with heavy things so I think I'm strong enough now to be able to fly for a little while with armor on! I don't know what else you could use besides leather to really protect yourself and leather won't really do much. But it's better then nothing, I guess." He looked down at the leather and wondered how well it would protect him. It certainly would weigh less then metal, but he liked the idea of the protection that armor would give.

He thought about the bird's suggestion for a moment, trying to imagine different types of vines. "Could be an idea to look into. Although the vines found in this room aren't very strong and they get dry and brittle once they're dead. That wouldn't work so well in crafting. I suppose other habitats would have some better pickings."

He suddenly looked at the bird, realizing that they hadn't actually introduced themselves. "I'm Glory, by the way. What do I call you?"

Glory nodded. "Yes, that's what armor does." He carefully cleared away his leather, setting it aside in a neat little pile to his side. He stood and began scratching in the rock in front of him. It was a rough, messy scribble of a bird with its wings spread, but it was at least recognizable as such. He made small crosses over the heart, stomach, and neck. "These are the vital areas and are mostly covered by the breastplate. It'll be hard to cover the neck, though, since it will restrict head movement. So that's something to watch out for in a fight."

He made a scratching line just over the shoulders and little points on the legs. "If you're shoulder is injured, flying will be almost impossible. And if your legs are hurt, taking off and walking will be difficult. Putting small plates over those should solve the problem. As for the back, well, you don't want anyone snapping your spine." He stood back so Gea could take a look at his mess of a drawing. He wasn't exactly an artist, but he at least knew what he was doing. He had made this same diagram a few days ago in preparation for his work.

He waved his wing absently at their suggestion. "Yes, yes I suppose so. But I still think leather will work the best. And I am using leather and metal together. Leather to make a base protective layer and then thick metal plates over the important areas."