With a hunker down order passed through Wildwood, it was time for the Bunker Busters to return to their namesake. Daniela worked with whatever mysterious project Rommel and Devon were tinkering away with, while Samuel pushed his Skills and skills to the maximum. The blonde would singlehandedly grow an acre of harvestable food during the morning, and spent the afternoon tending to his Attuned plant experiment.

The people of Wildwood were bitten by the workaholic bug, seeing the Trainees, Guard and even us the outsiders working to protect them every waking moment. Several of the kids, barely in their teens, exploded with newfound Gifts. Magic ran rampant through the town and I wasn't sure if it was a result of the sheer volume of it now drifting through the air, or just how many people were displaying arcane inspiration to young impressionable minds. On the second day after the planning meeting, I watched a dwarf and elf playing chase when the earth attuned dove into the ground like it was water to avoid a lunging touch. Immediately after, the chasing air attuned double jumped, stepping on the air as if it was perfectly solid. As if they hadn't just unlocked their own Skills, the two continued skirting the day's responsibilities.

While I worked the test room like a man possessed, the amount of life around me kept me grounded. Burning out would not do anyone any good. So, I worked with the various crafters and gave a very simplified lecture on Item Creation. As had become habit, I made an effort to become completely unavailable to Samuel's complete chagrin. Serves him right for being so approachable. I laughed at the thought as I snapped the last Infusion into my latest creation.

The flash of heat as the weapon stopped changing barely registered on my face as I stared at the sets of equipment I'd constructed. Three days of work, gone in a flash, but I had five bruiser sets of armor. My eyes roved over the other creations that had been added to my blueprints.

Three Tanker Armors and two Cowls. Enough to shift the strength of five squads noticeably or one significantly more. Arrayed with them were the six shields, and four hatchets I'd created. Thanks to my efforts, the town of Wildwood was actually almost out of low Quotient Fire Infusions. With the bulk of the gear I planned to create completed, I turned to the three sets of items that had been haunting me throughout my work.

Jolene's alligator head, the femur from one of the Life Attuned Tendrils we'd fought, and a set of Q3 Earth Deer Antlers. While the alligator head had no outline, the font the Implant marked the femur and antlers with was tinged slightly green. I wasn't sure if that was some kind of perception issue, but I doubted it. Bec had been very deliberate in what it copied from our memories to program the Status into our Implants. My best guess was that these were 'Uncommon' Materials. If I recall correctly, that ice heart back home was also like this...

Shaking my head, I focused back on the three components. Nothing directly was coming to mind for either the gator head or the set of antlers, but the more I stared at the femur, the more I realized that I didn't need to change it. The club was roughly twenty inches long, with the hip socket and knee joint thickening to about two inches. The ball joint was what gave me the final push to commit. Without delaying anymore, I cleared my workspace and went to fish out several earth Infusions.

With deliberately smooth motions, I carved down around the ball joint, leaving three ridges that could have easily been confused for bone spurs. The actual head of the femur I flattened slightly, goosebumps running up and down my arms at the grinding of diamond-visualized Infusion edge and flaking bone. Nonetheless, I kept going. It was a rough chiseling job, but the club head was the best it was going to get. With the last of the Q1 Infusion in my hand, I roughened the surface of the femur while picturing a low grit to improve the grip of the weapon from the smooth bone surface. My hands flew along the surface, working the thread all along the length and stopping at the knee joint. I then took some of the fire hound leather bindings I had, wrapping them around the bottom half of the femur and welding them in place with a fire Infusion.

I contemplated adding more to the rough weapon, but I didn't want to accidentally compromise its structure or spend many more resources when I didn't even know what Infusing a weapon with a Life Infusion would do. So without delay, I grabbed the Q3 Life Infusion from the cubby on my workstation and unspooled its Pith thread. Gold blazed between my fingers as the thread manifested. I didn't even wait to have the full length extracted, and pushed it into the club. Just like one of the many healing Skills I'd seen the Guard and Samuel use, the bone glowed with an internal light. The shadows in my workspace vanished as I watched the material go from bleached white to an aged yellow tone. The red of the fire bindings faded to a pale pink and the edges curled up into themselves.

When the last of the Pith entered the weapon, a pulse of physical exhaustion flowed through me unlike any other Infusion. For a brief second, under the glow of the still changing weapon, I could see the bones in my own hands muted against my Limestone Skin. At that point the weapon started to grow. The femur itself stretched by about five inches, somehow maintaining its thickness. The club head I'd carved grew to the size of a fist, elongating the head back to more of a hammer even as the spurs I made condensed with newly-grown osseous material. The leather bindings regrew fur, joining together as if they were a whole, perfectly circular pelt healing.

The light dimmed before my eyes focused on the first Life Attuned Item I'd created.

Synapsis fired in my mind as I held the weapon. The word 'amplitude' got me fairly excited, since it was the same type of Trait that the Stinger Staff had. If there was a pattern, then the Genesis was Life to the Singe's Fire.

"No sense waiting to test it!" I shouted to myself. Before I knew it, I was facing the wetland not far from the road. 's spell chain formed around my hands until it touched the club. It got sucked up into the head of the weapon, spinning gently there as the brown mana was tinged with gold and green flecks. A mad grin split my face as I focused on a tree in the distance. The earth condensed, leaving a sizable divot in the muck, before the point struck the tree. The impact sunk into the wood as I expected, but the point of contact immediately bloomed with vines lined with thorns. They snapped around the target without direction from me, but did a fairly good job of keeping the target stuck in place -- if it was mobile. I glanced to the corner of my vision.

"Yes!" I cheered, pumping my fist as I twirled the club in hand. I wasn't sure if the 'uncommon' categorization was necessary to make an Amplitude Trait happen, but two for two was a good start. Getting up to four for four would be the best way to confirm that particular hypothesis. Giggling like a madman, I returned to the test room. The few Wildwoodians and the crafters I spotted on the way scurried out of the way as soon as they saw me, but I was in a world of my own. Creating was so much fun!

My wheels spun slightly slower once I did lay eyes on the Materials, but I decided that hesitation would only stop me from making something. Humanity was in dire need of any gear they could get their hands on. Deliberately leaving Jolene's Materials for last, I focused on the set of antlers. I wasn't sure how pre-Fall hunters used to identify different bucks, but I had to warrant a guess that the rack was from a four-point. The top of the deer's skull, and a pair of antlers that grew up and out into four points, were what had condensed from the drop. Just thinking of how many obstructions the earth deer had caused, both offensively and to cover the escape of the Tendrils, brought me a headache. "Headache huh..."

Muse fiddling away in my mind, I knew just what to do with the antlers. First, I scrounged the material crate for any more chitin plates I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, only two of the head size sections had made it through my armor crafting extravaganza. Instead of letting that take the wind from my sails, I dug deeper until I came upon a water gator skin. There were a few rips and tears from what I assumed were wounds on the creature, but it would work. No, it will improve it!

My hands were a blur as I used Earth Infusions to slice through the tough scales of the alligator, manipulated a Q2 fire Infusion to weld the flesh back and formed a skullcap of sorts. The inside was terribly rough, so I used some of the leather bindings I had left to cushion the inside. Making a deliberate effort to leave the rough, spine scales of the gator long along the back of the skullcap, I secured the deer skull to the top before using more leather bindings to strap it in place. It wasn't pretty, but it looked properly attached. To finish it off, I used yet another Q2 fire infusion to weld the two chitin plates to the skull and to the cap, forming stiff sides for the helm. A test fitting of putting on the thing proved it was snug, but I didn't feel confident it wouldn't fly off at the first hit considering how top heavy the antlers made the armor. So, I used one of the many sections I'd forced Sam to provide me with for the armor to make a chin strap. With the construction complete, I thumbed the earth Infusion in hand. It was one of the ugliest pieces of gear I'd made, but if it worked, it could boost my abilities to unknown heights. The thread snapped between my fingers before pushed it into the helm.

A sound like wood ready to buckle under pressure echoed inside the test room. Brown light flowed over the surface of the helm. I took several steps back, interposing my shield between me and the piece of armor. Peeking between the top legs of my H-shield let me see as the whole helm seemed to shrink visibly. The scaly skullcap flowed up from the back, encasing the base of the antlers, while the maroon chitin flowed up to cover the upper jaw in a thin layer of chitin. The chin strap compressed, going from a fleshy, dried length of plant matter to something more akin to pinky-thin fibrous cordage. As an encore, all the shades of the helm toned down, going from maroons to a deep mahogany.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had the helm in hand. Somehow, it wasn't top heavy anymore, and instead was balanced right along the bottom of the chitin plates, helping itself to stay on my face. Even if the outside had shrunk, it was more like going from a regular t-shirt to the sport fits we wore for exercise in the Bunker. Before I slid it on my head, its information flicked by my Implant.

I wasn't sure why the Quotient had dropped from 3 to 2, but it was also the most radical change in design I'd seen out of the Items I'd created. The first shovel I made was a close second, with the way its metal edge changed, but the Helm had had its matter redistributed to make it easier to wear. Yet another mystery to try to uncover about the whole Infusion process. Regardless of how silly I might have looked, I was back outside to test my new piece of armor.

I moved away from where I'd tested the life club and focused on getting another poor tree. The spell chain snapped from my hands straight to the antlers as soon as I funneled magic into the Item. The helm vibrated, but didn't release anything. I tried to cast my Skill normally and sure enough it manifested the spike, piercing the tree. When I tried to cast the Skill again via my helm, the vibration kicked up a notch and I saw the spell chain that had been circling the antlers trigger.

The first spike got swallowed as a sedimentary rock monstrosity punched clear through the tree, severing it at the base. My usual Skill was a conical spike that condensed the nearby soil in addition to that formed from mana. The Tectonic Rise formed a blade of rock that reminded me more of a rock-made axe head than a spike. The attack took double casts of the Skill to trigger, effectively halving my mana in addition to the drain of the item itself. The results, though, were undeniable as I watched the tree topple onto the and barely shake under the weighty impact. I really need to try this with all my Skills! As much as I wanted to burn the rest of the day testing my new gadget, I still had a promise to fulfill before returning to the Bunker. Plus I'm almost out of mana, even if it didn't feel like I almost emptied my mana pool. Was it because I went through the Item?

Thoughts still ambling, I returned the dead-eyed glare of the alligator skull. Really nothing came to mind, so I played with the skull for a few minutes. Pretending it was talking to me, telling me what it wanted to become. I wasn't at all worried that I was going to hit the Affliction thresholds for my mana and body soon.

When I slipped my hand in the gap where the gator's throat would have been to marionette the bones, I realized I was overthinking it. I could have made a pauldron easily with the skull, but it wouldn't fit Jolene's general fight style. But a gauntlet made of a gator Skull? She definitely struck me as a knock out type of gal.

As soon as the fire was lit, there was no stopping. How would I keep her from getting her hand hurt by the fangs? Suspend a rough glove inside the jaws. Link the upper and lower jaws with... Something. I scurried over to the material crates, spooking the soul out of a poor satyr on the way, and plucked the first water attuned bone material I could find.

Remembering how the Life Infusion had changed the femur, I snagged a handful of them from the Q1 crate. Before long, the bone I’d taken was fused partway down the inside of the jaw like the grip on my shield. I used the last fire Infusion I had to torch cut what looked like an ulna in half. It gave a roughly four inch gap between the deadly teeth, but Jolene's smaller hand would have plenty of space. With the last of the earth Infusions I'd snagged earlier, I worked gator skin into a tube before binding it with the life Infusion into the throat gap. The scales glowed as they crept up the back of the skull to the eye cavities before the Infusion ran out.

The fit was uncomfortable for myself, but the whole thing had a considerable heft to it. Getting smacked by even the incomplete Item would leave a bit more than a bruise. Excited to finish the item, I snapped several water Infusions into the gauntlet. Unlike the femur and the helm, the degraded Infusion wasn't enough to meet the Item's requirements.

With each bit of Pith I flicked into the weapon, the faster the temperature in the test room plummeted. With a frosty pulse, the weapon was complete. Ice crystals formed from my sweat as I let out a misty breath of satisfaction.

I let myself lean back against the strong wall, looking over the weapon on my workstation. The scales had crept a bit further, deepening to an almost black navy blue. The teeth within the jaws had turned to point forward. Each had gained a blue hue that reminded me of the countless videos I'd seen of the ocean while in the Bunker. I really want to see the coast now for some reason...

With that thought, I sagged deeper against the strong wall. I thumped my shield, sighing in satisfaction as the magical warmth conversion pushed back the chill. Just a little nap...

---+---

Several hours, and one panicked discovery by a message girl later, I was resting in the training building. Samuel had rushed over, only to discover that I had done a repeat of my over exhaustion the day Danny had returned. The man didn't even acknowledge the equipment I'd worked on and instead hauled me off to put me in time out till the next day.

I did manage to tell him that I was done crafting for the time being. My meaning came across easily, the blonde letting me recover as he prepared for our departure.

That night was plagued by more flashes of memory from the transfer of Skills. They were disjointed and intermingled amidst my regular dreams but there none the less. When I finally woke up, unable to get back to sleep after the death of someone named Dana, I ruminated on what my meant for me. Not only that, the blueprint system would be invaluable in shortening the time it took to train people to make passable gear. If transferring blueprint knowledge also forced more memory flashes into my mind, I didn't think I would be able to endure it. Thankfully most had just settled into my subconscious, but they still resurfaced whenever I tried to rest.

Breakfast passed quietly and I barely noticed the presence of my friends until they spoke up.

"He alright Sammy?" Daniela asked.

"You know I'm sitting right here, right?" I replied, almost biting into my hand realizing that there was no more jerky there.

"Yes, but are you though?" Sam asked, quirking an eyebrow in my direction.

"I am, really it's just..."

"Spit it out, mud stomp. None of us have time to be your mood dentist. Those self reliance roots are too deep even for us," Daniela quipped.

I felt the urge to snap at her, but it didn't come from me. It was lingering frustrations from the last memory flash. Instead of trying to brush them off, I explained how transferring had affected me. How I planned to try to transfer the blueprints I had, so Wildwood could prepare better while we were gone. My two best friends listened raptly, their frowns deepening as I described some of the memories, even Jolene's more vivid one.

"No more plundering people's brains until we figure this out. No, don't argue with me. You can do your experiment with the Blueprints, but no more Skill transfers. If they want the Skill they'll have to learn it the hard way just like with a Gift or our Freeforms. Got it?" Samuel said, pointing a finger in my direction.

I almost argued until I realized I didn't want to experience any more flashes. Should the situation require it, like with Charles and his ilk, I would do it in a heartbeat. For something less life threatening? Big pass.

After getting the heavy part of the discussion out of the way, the two of them updated me on what they'd worked on. We discussed how much the town had improved, how food was already becoming less of a concern for the Wildwoodians, their defenses were stronger with the trainees pitching in to use their Skills for the town as opposed to being fed into Kirby's bottomless pit of Dreg tributes. When we were all talked out, the sun was already filtering through the yellowing vines of Sam's roof patch job. He told us he was going to replace it, so Danny and I went ahead.

The two of us grabbed the crate we'd brought from the town and loaded up with the gear I'd crafted. There wasn't enough space, so my brunette friend threaded all the shields onto her naginata like a deadly bindle.

If the sun was shining, I knew where to find Sarah. Sure enough, the orc woman was already hollering to the trainees as they finished breakfast together. She turned towards us when one of the trainees pointed us out.

"Oh! This must be that Christmas thing all the old folks talk about," she laughed, smiling wide through her tusks.

"Something like that. If Santa gave deadly weapons out like candy," I said, laughing at her visible enjoyment.

I pulled out everything but the Amplitude items. The trainees practically salivated when I showcased the Haze Cloak, Force Dispersal and Scorch Touch. Sarah was ecstatic about being able to outfit so many people and the trainees were even more excited to test run the equipment. Jolene was nowhere to be found, so I asked Sarah to pass on the gauntlet and the gold necklace back to her. The orc woman nodded like it was a serious mission before waving us off. We left the new Councilwoman of New Earth to her antics to meet up with the other councilmen. Irwin was off somewhere, but we found Dylan in their office working through stacks of paper. Even in the apocalypse there is still paperwork. Astounding.

"So, time for you to go is it?" Dylan said, barely glancing our way as he stamped one last paper. "Since I know why you are going back, and that you've come back in our hours of need, I won't try to persuade you to stay. Just take care of yourself alright?"

"You got it, torchlight," Danny said. I was pretty sure I saw Dylan's eye twitch, but the rest of his expression was politician stiff and locked into a genuine-ish smile. While we didn't get along the best, I was fairly confident that Dylan and Irwin were just doing their best to keep the town running. That was something I could definitely respect.

"I left a little present with your daughter, and hopefully the crafters will have a few more goodies for you once they get the hang of their Skills. Keep the lights on," I said.

"Ain't going anywhere," Dylan said, the flame on his head flaring with his determination.

We left the office and started heading for the gate. Early risers and late morning demons lingered about, giving Wildwood a definite lived-in feel even with its sparse population. We waved and spoke some pleasantries with the townspeople that we met along the way. Many asked when we planned to return, but since we weren't sure we just told them 'soon'. Thankfully no one made a big fuss about the whole situation.

Until we met up with Sam at the west gate.

"Wild Guard, attention!" Sarah called out from atop the palisade. The two dozen members of the Guard sans Clara and Oliver, stood flanking the open gate. Roughly lined up behind them, were the many trainees and recently inducted Guards.

"Uhh... Sarah?" I asked, confused by the pseudo military parade.

"The Wild Guard wishes to demonstrate their thanks to the Bunker Busters for their efforts in protecting them and the town of Wildwood!" she yelled out, not meeting any of our eyes. "Present spells!"

Almost sixty spell chains manifested in the air around us. A palpable thrum of energy hit everyone as their passives overlapped. Something akin to the Blessing of Magic gathered around the Wild Guard as they sustained their mana. Wisps of brown energy snaked around people's feet, gold and green wove between all the plants and the grey of the breeze stirred up all the rest of the elemental colors represented around us.

While the people of Wildwood were serious about this show of faith, they couldn't stop themselves from letting their eyes drift onto the spectacle they'd created. From the many looks of surprise, I didn't think they'd practiced the actual spell chain performance. If they had, they hadn't seen this effect before.

Sarah was finally able to snap herself back to her original goal. "Go with the blessing of friends made." Of course, she had to add a cheeky line that left me and my friends smirking. "And stronger, otherwise we'll surpass you."

We waved to the group as we exited the gate. It was hard to describe the feeling in my chest, but I knew then that it was something that was worth repeating. The will to thrive, not just survive, was something we came to the surface with and it was time we spread it far and wide. Threats or no threats, it was time to look to the future.