Heavy Metal

"What do you think?"

"I'm not sure she'll like the color."

"The color? Why would that matter?"

"Oh, my dear Rusty, you still have so much to learn - one of those things is the intricacies of a woman's heart."

"..."

Rusty stood there, staring at the black wisp of light as it babbled on about something he couldn't comprehend.

"It's fine, Rusty. Just ignore him."

Alexander glanced at the schematics spread before him. The design was for a small suit of armor intended for a monster ant. The focal point was an open-faced helmet with precise openings for Gleam's antennae. But the schematics went further, detailing a full set of armor designed to cover his companion fully.

The metal was thin yet durable, made from twilight steel and offered reliable protection without hindering Gleam's mobility or her ability to cast spells. The primary challenge was that Gleam wasn't present, so making precise adjustments to fit her body was a difficult task. This was why Rusty sought the expertise of Aburdon and Alexander, hoping their insights would help him produce the right dimensions. After considerable effort and collaboration, they had finally arrived at a design that seemed functional but perhaps not very elegant.

Rusty examined the final design once more, ensuring that every detail aligned with the knowledge he had gained from his recent studies. The armor was lightweight yet sturdy, designed to complement Gleam's agile movements. He had even incorporated a flexible underlayer using the same technique that enhanced the Wraith variant's mobility.

Despite the well-thought-out functionality, Rusty found himself hesitating. Would Gleam appreciate this? Or would she reject it entirely? Aburdon's earlier comments about color choices made him uncertain. Rusty had never considered aesthetics when forging his own body - his focus was always on practicality and efficiency. Would Gleam see it the same way, or did she have preferences he had never considered?

"Function comes first. If she dislikes the color, she can request a different finish later. What matters is that it protects her."

Alexander continued, and Rusty decided to go along with him. There weren't many ways to change the color here, as everything was made of twilight metals, and he didn't want to create a lower-quality alloy that would compromise the armor's durability.

Then there was his other project - the high-quality axe schematic. However, one problem arose: it was a direct copy of the axe used by the Red Orc. Rusty had never trained in axe-wielding, as he had chosen to limit himself to a smaller selection of weapons, primarily swords, maces, bows, and polearms.

"Hm… is it possible to change this?"

He held the schematic in front of him, examining it carefully. In theory, he should be able to modify it - lengthen the hilt, adjust the proportions, and make a few changes to transform it into something closer to a poleaxe than a standard axe.

"Adjusting schematics and adapting them to your needs is something every craftsman has to learn. You should give it a try, Rusty."

The words came from Alexander, who had been a master craftsman in his previous life. Though much of his past remained lost to him, he still had a wealth of knowledge to share. Additionally, a strange phenomenon seemed to be expanding his understanding further as he continued to evolve.

Rusty nodded, taking Alexander's advice to heart. He studied the advanced axe schematic once more, breaking down its structure in his mind. Grabbing a blank sheet of parchment, he began sketching the alterations. The axe head needed to be slightly slimmer to maintain balance, and he opted to add a spike at the top for thrusting attacks. Normally, a poleaxe would have a hammer-like counterweight on the opposite end, but he hesitated to alter the design too much, fearing it might reduce the weapon's quality. Instead, he kept the double-axe design and focused on extending the hilt to improve balance.

"How does that look?"

"Not bad… but not quite there yet."

Alexander commented and even Aburdon got involved, his schematic-making skills far surpassing Rusty's. With his guide's help, Rusty refined the design. After using Aburdon's redrawn schematic as a reference, he finally completed his own version. A system message appeared before him: