Turned out it took half a week for the Entity to resurface after giving Daniela her Trait. When the woman finally exited the crystal, the Entity stated that its influence was being tested regularly by smaller ant groups. Other than that, it mentioned nothing else for three days.

As for the last person to really engage with the Entity, Daniela appeared shaken by the change she'd experienced. While Samuel's Trait manifested at will and mine looked like a poor tan unless you ran your hand over me, hers was distinctly noticeable. A set of gill-like flaps outlined in red-tinged skin had formed on either side of her neck. The red extended down her neck and out of sight into her chest and back. Radiator Gills she said they were called. The trait had ended up overbanked according to her, which supposedly let her handle changes in internal temperature much more easily by expelling heated air.

When I complained about how much more diverse my friends' Traits were compared to my own, they reminded me that I could possibly have died had my skin not been muting some of the damage from the Blaze Ant. They didn't hear much more from me on that topic.

Thanks to the Entity's comment about encroaching ants, we started a watch rotation just in case its influence was breached somehow. While Ben had insisted that we conduct a proper watch rotation, I insisted on simply flipping my sleep schedule. My uncle refused to leave the task to me alone, so we split the evenings so that the others could work throughout the day unimpeded. Considering what the others did, they benefited more from the daylight.

During my night shifts I took some time to appreciate the sheer magnitude of the sky. Most of the other time we'd been outside past dark something had been trying to kill us, we'd been unconscious or we hid away before the stars and the moon came out. Thanks to the Entity, it was at least mostly safe for us to look outside through the half open door of the vestibule.

The moon sparkled like a giant star, but after some consideration I realized that those were probably fragments of other Metier Crystals. Was there Dreg on the moon? That was both a pointless and daunting question, but it managed to wiggle itself into my mental list regardless. After several minutes of quiet time in the presence of celestial bodies, I got to work.

The first thing was to take stock of what we'd accumulated thanks to the raid. As a result of Ben's efforts, we'd gotten everything catalogued. A total of 25 - Q0 plates, 27 - Q0 Infusions, 3 Q1 plates and Infusions from the slightly bigger ants, as well as the Q3 Stinger and Infusion of the Blaze Ant. It wasn't an inconsequential amount compared to what we'd amassed before. While everything was still of a low Quotient relative to my current level, my efforts had been rebutted with those 'poor' materials.

I was sure part of my issue was lack of practice. After less than a month, I couldn't expect to be an expert at an entirely new skill that required entirely new pathways I wasn't even aware humans could have. Regardless of the reason, while waiting for further assistance from the Entity, I churned through infusing plates and manipulating threads as much as I could. That particular aspect had been the only thing the Entity said I would probably manage without using my Quotient and reserves to brute force the process.

My control had improved so much, in conjunction with my increased mana pool, that I even managed to Infuse two plates at a time. It was extremely uncomfortable and left me coiled up on the ground, but grew less intense the more I practiced. I took that as an improvement.

And so, on my thirty-fifth plate, the Entity chimed in. "It appears you are almost passable at manipulating those Pith threads."

Considering how concentrated I'd been on winding the threads as tightly around the chitin plate as I could, it was a wonder I didn't jump and hit the stone ceiling again. Instead I grit my teeth. The mana drain ramped up, but the Infusion finished almost instantly.

"You could have waited a minute," I said, setting the chitin down on my workspace with a sigh.

"I apologize that I've not had as much time as we'd wagered. The stronger you have all become, the stronger the threats around you seem to dislike that. Countering them has taken a considerable effort."

I waved my hand dismissively in the air. If all I had to endure from the Entity was a fright here and there, it would be a bargain to have it protect us. "You are doing what you need to to keep us safe. I'll work with what I've got."

"Indeed. I believe it is time that we increase that repertoire of things at your disposal."

"Do you have enough time?" I asked. My voice came out in more of a whisper than I wanted, revealing my unspoken optimism.

"Should do. I've surged my influence further and nothing tested against it. It is back to a passive state, you are present and we have the rest of the evening. Unless the insects and other denizens of the night decide to give me a break, this will be all I'll be able to manage until you return with more Dreg. If I did not think Infusion could strengthen you more than I could protect you, this would not be an expenditure I would make."

"Don't have to tell me twice. Give me a minute to recover my mana and we start." I cleared my station of everything except for Daniela's Wolf Fangs and several of the Infusions I had available in the workstation cubbies. By the time I was done, being as meticulous as was reasonable, my mana was back at 100%.

"Not hard to guess what you've chosen to work first," the Entity said matter-of-factly. "However, we will start with the pelt you acquired from the Tendril. Manipulating Infused Materials will be the first step, and practice, for creating Infused Items."

Not questioning the direction of the lesson, I sifted through the loot crates to retrieve the pelt. I stretched out the maroon and hot rod red hide on my workspace. The fangs went on either end to keep the thing from coiling back into the roll in which it was stored. It's information manifested in my eyes as I looked it over.

A half smile crossed my face as I recounted the battle and how we'd managed to make it out.

"Good. As this object has been Infused, that means it is subject to be shaped by mana. The thing that was keeping you back from completing this is your control of the threads. That is to say, you need to control threads that are already part of the object. This process happens naturally to a certain extent, as the nature of the Attunements integrates with the object being Infused. It is the same process that leads to the formation of Traits or Dreg Afflictions.

"What I will have you do is pour as much of your mana as you can manage into a specific section. Our goal is to split the pelt into strips which you can then use for further crafting. As your testing efforts have shown, damaging Infused Materials is exceedingly difficult. Along that same vein, forceful manipulation in what is… human techniques risks the irreparable destruction of the material. However, convincing the material that it should change form is possible with mana and more Infusions.

"Take one of the Quotient 0 Infusions, stretch its thread lengthwise down the pelt and focus on the Infusion acting like a cutting edge. Do not be frugal with your mana."

After that extensive explanation, I mechanically did as instructed. It failed immediately. Sure enough the mana flowed out of me, pinched the Infusion and layered on top of the pelt. The moment I tried to command the thread into the already infused material, it rebutted itself like a fiery whip. Literally. The thread took on the physical manifestation of a red hot line of fire as it snapped and struck the stone workspace. A black char mark was the only thing to indicate its passing.

"Do not try to meld them together, you are using the power of the Infusion to change not to empower."

Frown deeply set, I grabbed another infusion and held the thread with my mana. It was a bit like how I imagined telekinetic powers would work. Mental hands that were there, but not really, held the two ends of the Pith thread and pressed it against the pelt. Instead of flicking or manipulating the thread as I'd been doing, I pictured a garrote . I wasn't actually killing anyone or strangling anything, but the visualization worked. The thread made contact with the pelt and parted the material instead of trying to join it.

The result was lackluster. Some of the hairs on the pelt drifted off, turning into ash, but the hide itself was unperturbed.

"Very good, now you surge your mana through the thread and use it to splice the material," the Entity said from behind me.

My stomach clenched in anticipation of the gut-wrenching pain that would follow. Mana flowed through me and into the thread, causing the red glow to flare into pure white until it winked out. The Infusion was spent. While I hadn't managed to cut all the way through, the pelt's two halves were hanging on by less than two inches. The discomfort of channeling large amounts of mana was overshadowed by progress in a new skill.

The Entity remained silent as I worked through six other Infusions to get the pelt cut into eight, long, inch-wide strips. At the midpoint, the pelt had produced a roughly three foot strip with shorter sections for the rest. As I looked at the longest strip over, I was surprised by the slight change in description of its information.

I wasn't familiar with many leatherworking concepts. Bindings, as I understood it, were just a type of strap that was used for any number of things. That the Entity had picked up on that was impressive and showed just how engaged it was with its own system. Before my thoughts had time to wander, the Entity got my attention again.

"Wonderful. Once your mana recovers, you will be able to start working on getting an Item made. The only instruction I might be able to provide for this next portion is that you need to try to visualize as strongly as you can what you'd like the Infusion to change about the material. Bonding, cutting, shaping, shaving, molding. All of these things can be done. The Infusion you select, as well as your personal mana, will affect how this process works. Earth Attuned infuse differently compared to Fire Attuned for instance."

"How do you know all of this?" I asked, trying to internalize the information the Entity gave freely. Considering it was a sapient rock, and didn't appear to have any particular Attunement unlike Blobby, I didn't know how it could know all of this.

"Part of this is from the knowledge the Entity Clusters have acquired and made available to my Category. Some of it has come from creating the system tied to your Status. Being connected with you all has provided me a significant insight into how mana is changing you and the world around you. My current efforts in that department are... poor. I hope that when maintaining my area of influence is negligible, or I achieve the next Category, more information will become available for me to share."

"That would certainly be helpful. I'm not sure how we'd have made it on the surface without your help and Skills."

"You would have found a way. Thanks to the amalgamation of your memories, I feel fairly confident when I say you three are the personification of the expression 'Rub some dirt on it'. Encountering organisms as determined as your kind is somewhat unprecedented. As much as the Entity Clusters are determined to exterminate Dreg from existence, it is not actually something we believe can be achieved. It is merely part of what we are. Humans do not follow that mentality."

"Seems a bit sad, if I'm honest. Striving towards something, but believing it will always be out of your reach," I said.

The Entity's glow flickered for a moment, before stabilizing. "Yes, I suppose it might appear that way." The two of us lapsed into silence for the next several minutes as my mana regenerated from the 90% dip the crafting had left me at. "I wish you success, Ronan. Should I miss your departure, let your friends know I await your return."

With that, the crystal dimmed into a pinprick and the wave of pressure of its influence flowed through me and outwardly to cover the camp. I didn't comment on the Entity's bout of self reflection, or the implied fact that all the Entities shared a common objective they thought impossible. However, the efforts and strides that we'd made on the surface did resonate with what I'd said to the Entity.

"We can only go so far without help. Surviving might have been possible on the surface, but your help is the key to thriving." There was no response from the Entity, but I was fairly sure it'd heard me. If it wanted to talk it would find a time. But that was for later. Our equipment wasn't going to craft itself.

Looking closely at the fang, and trying to keep the image of a dagger in mind, I wrapped the bottom portion with one of the medium length strips of pelt. The pseudo leather was soft on the fur side, but tough on the inner side, so I put that section on the outside. If I intended to bind it using Infusions, then the grip would matter more where the weapon would be held. The two ends curled away from the fang since they were unsupported and I was fairly sure an actual leatherworker from before the apocalypse would have been appalled at my winding pattern.

Nonetheless, it was wrapped. Where I assumed was the root of the fang, I left about an inch to act as a sort of pommel. Getting the somewhat uniformly thick fang to turn into an actual blade would require some work. How was she even using these things as weapons? While I wondered about my friend's combat equipment decisions, I etched the rough shape I hoped to accomplish into the stone of my workspace. It would be a joke to fix the damage, so I tried to get creative.

The root of the fang was wide, but fairly straight, while the actual portion that would sink into prey had a slight bend to it. The whole thing was about two inches wide throughout and eight long. In an attempt to account for what I knew was my poor skill with modifying Infused Materials, I left the bend as it was and just thinned the top edge. I sketched in some shoulders by thinning the handle area of the weapon. This formed a pseudo guard and made the pommel stand out more. On a whim, I added a slight edge to the pommel as a tiny secondary blade. For maximum possible damage, of course.

The etched shape on my workstation was a total mess. Regardless, it did help me visualize the proportions I was trying to accomplish and the features I wanted to have in the weapon. I laid down the fang over my etch.

"Okay, before I try to shape it, let's bind everything together," I mumbled to myself. "How do I do that?"

The Entity had mentioned that each Attunement, and its corresponding Infusion, would act like the element. And the only thing I could think fire helped bind together was metals with welds. Nothing to lose, I suppose. Could explode in my face, but I don't think that will happen.

Making sure that I had my mana fully restored, I held a Q0 Infusion pinched between my fingers. I pretended that it was the electrode and the workstation was the welding table. My hands shook ever so slightly as I activated and the fiery thread of Pith zipped towards the fang.

My visualization had been right, at least. However, the thread only lasted long enough to 'weld' the pelt about half the length I'd wrapped it so I repeated the process with yet another Infusion. I was quickly losing track of how many materials we had at our disposal, but I was sure Ben would alert me if we were getting low. Possible future shortages aside, the second Infusion disintegrated and the fang's description changed. A change that marked very good news.

The updated information mirrored what I'd gotten from the first real Infusion I'd completed. Which meant the fang was already on its way to an Item. Before I started pumping Pith into the actual fang I needed to shape it. Somewhat. I could only hope that the changes the actual material underwent while being Infused would help smooth out my mishaps. And mishaps followed.

I spent one Infusion shaving off the blade using the method the Entity had helped me visualize. It worked poorly. The blazing thread shaved off the material just fine, but I wasn't dexterous enough to get smooth strokes along the bone. The slivers of bone immediately turned to cinder when they separated off the main fang.

Apart from that debacle, I managed to shrink the fang around the handle, but it pushed its mass into the 'blade' and some into the pommel as if someone had carelessly squeezed a playdoh version of it. It was nowhere near the smoother finish I'd aimed for. That whole process had taken another two Infusions and the fang looked even worse by the end.

"What in God's green Earth is that thing?" My uncle called from the door. I'd been holding my head, wallowing as hard as I could about the horror I'd created. There is no way Daniela will forgive me for messing up her fang weapon.

"It's a... dagger?," I said in defeat.

"I do so hope you mean it is a poor attempt at one," he retorted.

"You know manual crafting stuff has never been my forte. That's always been Sam and Daniela's thing. Not even my first attempt at building this room looked as bad as this thing."

"True, but there is nothing that says you can't learn to be better. Plus," my uncle picked up the botched weapon and turned it over. "It still looks salvageable. Can you do more of your Infusion thing on it?"

"If you focus on it, it should show up as 'Insufficient Pith'. If I pump Infusions into the actual fang to complete the Item, it will change with the Infusion I add. I just... I don't know if it will be able to fix the mess I made."

"Well, it's not gonna fix itself now is it?" he said, echoing my thoughts when I started crafting. He handed the fang dagger back, smiling all the while.

"Even I have trouble staying as positive as you. Got a tip for it?" I asked, retrieving a handful of Infusions. Considering the fang was a Quotient 3 material, I suspected it would take a few.

"Survive the complete annihilation of your society and home world. Most other problems seem a tad small in comparison."

I did a double take and turned to my uncle. He was smirking knowingly, forcing a chuckle out of me. Who would have thought he had a dark sense of humor too?

Regardless, I set the dagger down on my etched outline. The initial sketch I'd managed had been bad, but somewhat close to the shape of the fang. In its new mangled state, it looked nothing like it, but I kept that image in mind as I triggered . "If it starts to smoke, or catch fire in general, help me shove it in the basin."

When my uncle nodded seriously, I flicked the Pith thread at the fang dagger. The effect was underwhelming, but notable. The fang absorbed the thread like a drowning man drawing air. The more scratches I'd done to the fang recovered as its surfaced liquified for a split second. The Item still showed as having Insufficient Pith, so I dumped Infusion after Infusion. So many Infusions, in fact, that I had to pause to recover my mana and let the discomfort in my gut pass.

By the ninth Infusion, I was getting a bit nervous. Each additional one caused the Dagger to put out a brow roasting wave of heat. The actual dagger wasn't hot, but when we plunked it in the basin it churned the water into a boil. Some kind of heat aura?

"Is this... Common?" My uncle asked hesitantly.

"I've come to learn that there is no 'common' with Infusing. I just hope for replicable and somewhat manageable. I really hope this takes."

Delaying was pointless. With nine Infusions spent, the Dagger was either going to blow up in my face or give me an Item. And so, I chunked three more Infusions into the dang thing.

The first set of Infusions had softened and smoothed out many of my botched crafting mishaps. The last three gave the dagger the crisp edge a deadly weapon needed. The sheen of the repaired bone turned into a shine as the off white tinged to maroon. The eleventh Infusion sharpened a rose red double bladed edge on the curved blade of the dagger as well as on one side of the pommel. The final Infusion melded my poor leather grip with the bone, alternating rust colored leather and white bone. Then the whole thing flattened and flared with one last slap of heat.

I had no words. Even with my nearly botched attempt at modifying the Materials, the weapon looked deadlier than ever. The blade was easily ten inches now, with a downward flare of bone to cover the top part of the smooth handle. The pommel had even turned out exactly as I pictured it, adding yet another pointy danger to the weapon. It was also the highest Quotient Item I'd managed. Ideas for what needed to be made, how much time I was willing to invest and just what the heck I could actually manage flowed through my mind.

A predatory grin split my face as I held the weapon out to my uncle to inspect. "Now we are cooking with gas."