The decision settled in Xen's processors, solidifying from a desperate hope into a concrete plan. An Energon staff. Crude, potentially dangerous to himself, but a weapon nonetheless. A tool to face the skittering unknowns lurking in the maintenance tunnels. He couldn't just keep finding locked doors; it was time to try and build a key, or at least a prybar.
First, materials. He reviewed his mental list: a sturdy shaft, conductive wiring, insulation, and crucially, a low-grade Energon crystal fragment as the power source/emitter. The crystal meant a trip back to the hazardous crusher site, but he might find the other components closer to his crevice shelter.
He mentally consulted the detailed map overlay generated by his Lvl 2 wide-area scan, specifically focusing on the 'green zones' nearby and tagged materials. His INT 11 allowed him to quickly filter the data.
There were several potential candidates for the staff body – sections of pipe, sturdy rods, pieces of reinforced conduit – visible within a short distance. Wiring was trickier; most detected wiring was tagged as degraded or low-conductivity.
He decided to start with the staff body. His map highlighted a [POI: Discarded Structural Rods (Material: Plasteel Composite - Moderate Integrity)] about fifteen meters away, in a relatively stable sector he hadn't searched on foot yet. Plasteel composite sounded promising – likely strong but hopefully not overly conductive, potentially reducing the need for extensive insulation near the handle.
He exited the crevice, Energon tanks nearly full (EN: 145.5/150), moving with purpose. The short journey to the structural rod location was uneventful, traversing familiar, stable scrap. He located the pile easily – several lengths of dull grey, meter-long rods, maybe 3 centimeters in diameter, partially buried but mostly intact. They looked like support struts from some kind of framework.
Scan target: Plasteel Rods.
[Scan Analysis: Plasteel Structural Rods (Qty: ~4)] [Composition: Carbon-Reinforced Polymer Composite (Plasteel) - Moderate Strength, Low Electrical Conductivity] [Condition: Minor Surface Scratches/Abrasion - Structurally Sound] [Dimensions: Approx. 1 Meter Length, 3cm Diameter]
Perfect. Strong, about the right length and diameter to wield comfortably (for his size), and importantly, low conductivity, making it a safer base for an energy weapon. He selected the straightest, least scratched rod. Using [Micro-Manipulation], he carefully worked it free from the surrounding debris. It felt solid and balanced in his grasp, surprisingly light for its apparent strength.
Now for wiring. His scan hadn't revealed ideal candidates nearby. The wiring cluster in his own crevice was low-grade, and the bundle in the 'Entanglement Zone' near the circuit boards looked like a hazardous mess to sift through. He decided to expand his search slightly, performing a localized scan focused on conductive materials in the adjacent sector.
Scan target: Adjacent Sector. Focus: Conductive Materials / Wiring.
The scan returned several hits for generic degraded wiring, but one caught his eye: [High-Conductivity Power Cable Section Detected (Material: Silver-Trace Alloy Core / Heavy Polymer Insulation) - Length ~2 Meters - Condition: Severed Ends, Insulation Nicked but Intact] located tucked away under a large piece of hull plating about 20 meters further out. High-conductivity core, heavy insulation – much better than the junk wiring.
He secured the plasteel rod across his back using a temporary makeshift strap fashioned from a strip of durable fabric scavenged nearby (a non-inventory item just used for temporary carrying).
He then navigated towards the power cable location, moving cautiously into the less-scanned territory. He found the cable exactly where the scan indicated – a thick, black cable, surprisingly supple, with clean cuts at both ends as if deliberately sectioned, though the heavy insulation was scuffed and nicked in places. He performed another quick scan.
[Scan Analysis: High-Conductivity Power Cable Section] [Core: Silver-Trace Alloy (Excellent Conductivity)] [Insulation: Quad-Layered Polymer (High Dielectric Strength - Minor Surface Damage Only)] [Status: De-Energized / Functionally Intact for Conduction]
Excellent. This was far better than he'd hoped for. He coiled the two-meter length of cable. Now, inventory management. The pipe/rod was too large for his current inventory slots.
He could carry it externally for now. The cable, however, might fit. He needed a slot. The [Spent Energy Casing (Type B)] felt like the least essential item compared to the Type A casings (having two identical items might be more useful for analysis later?).
Inventory. Discard item: [Spent Energy Casing (Type B)] x1.
Yes.
He stored the coiled cable. Now for the most dangerous part: retrieving a power source. He needed one of the Low-Grade Energon fragments from the crusher site. There was no other known source nearby.
He checked his map, plotting the quickest relatively safe route back towards the area dominated by the relentless CLANG... thrum... of the ancient machine. He activated his [Audio Dampener] as he approached the hazard zone.
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The journey felt faster this time, armed with knowledge of the terrain and full energy. He reached the cover of the familiar I-beam near the impact zone without incident, the rhythmic pounding of the crusher filling his audio receptors despite the dampener. He scanned the debris field where the crystals lay scattered.
[Scan Analysis: Raw Energon Crystal Fragments (Qty: 6 Visible)] [Quality: Low-Grade / Impure] [Estimated Energon Yield: Approx. 5-15 EN per Fragment] [Stability: Generally Stable]
Six fragments remained. He only needed one for his project. He identified the smallest, most easily accessible one, lying slightly further from the direct impact zone than the one he'd grabbed before. He waited, timing the cycle.
CLANG! thrum... (Hammer rises) Go!
He darted out again, DEX 13 carrying him swiftly over the ground. He snatched the small, rough crystal fragment, his [Micro-Manipulation] ensuring a secure grip even as sparks showered nearby. He spun and dashed back behind the I-beam just as the hammer slammed down again. Success. No damage this time.
He immediately stored the fragment.
<[Energon Crystal Fragment (Low-Grade)] x1 added to Inventory.>
Inventory full again, but he had all the components he needed. He didn't linger.
He deactivated the dampener (EN: ~138.5/150 after another minute) and began the journey back to his crevice shelter as quickly as caution allowed, the meter-long plasteel rod strapped securely across his back, the vital components stored safely in his inventory. The trip back was uneventful, Xen focused solely on reaching safety to begin his construction.
Back within the dim security of the crevice ([Sheltered] buff active), Xen carefully unstrapped the plasteel rod and retrieved the coiled power cable and the low-grade Energon fragment from his inventory. He laid the components out on the dusty floor. Pipe body. High-conductivity cable. Low-grade power source. Now, assembly.
This required intense focus. Using the enhanced dexterity of [Micro-Manipulation], he first used a sharp edge of existing scrap (since his tool was broken) to carefully strip back the heavy insulation from both ends of a segment of the power cable, exposing the silvery core within. [Micro-Manipulation skill proficiency increased by 0.1% to 0.7%].
Next, the most critical part: affixing the low-grade crystal to one end of the plasteel rod. He examined the crystal; unlike the smooth medium-grade ones, this fragment had rough facets and what looked like faint conductive inclusions. He carefully wrapped one stripped end of the power cable around these inclusions, ensuring good contact, then used more lengths of the insulated cable itself to physically bind the crystal securely to the rod's tip, creating a crude emitter head.
He then ran the main length of the cable down the outside of the low-conductivity plasteel rod, securing it periodically with more makeshift bindings stripped from the cable's outer layers.
Near the base where he would hold it, he stripped another small section of the core wire, leaving it exposed but positioned so his finger could potentially make contact to complete a circuit. He fashioned a rudimentary grip from the remaining insulated cable, wrapping it thickly around the base.
The whole process took nearly thirty minutes of painstaking, focused effort. His [Micro-Manipulation] proficiency ticked up again (-> 0.9%). The final product looked exactly like what it was: a piece of pipe with a rock and some wires strapped to it. Crude. Ugly. Possibly dangerous.
But as he completed the final binding, securing the exposed trigger wire, the System chimed.
Success chance and item quality influenced by INT, available materials, and complexity. Requires physical manipulation.
<+25 XP Gained! (New Skill Acquired through Effort)> <+10 XP Gained! (First Item Crafted)> XP: 140/250.
Xen held the makeshift staff. It felt solid enough in his grip. He pulled up the item description mentally.
[Crude Energon Staff (Poor)] Type: Improvised Melee Weapon (Staff) Quality: Poor Durability: 15/15 Damage (Melee): 3-5 Physical (Blunt - STR Based) Active Ability [Jolt]: On physical contact with conductive target while trigger wire is touched, discharges unstable energy from crystal. Deals 8-12 Electrical Damage. Cost: 1 EN per use. Malfunction Chance: 15% per use (causes minor feedback damage [1 HP] to wielder - LUK influences). Requires: One Hand. Notes: Unwieldy. Crystal is exposed. Handle insulation is makeshift.
It was basic, the damage was low, and the Jolt ability had a significant malfunction chance. But it was his. He made it. A weapon. He felt a surge of accomplishment far outweighing the minor XP gains. He immediately accessed the skill allocation screen. One Skill Point available. Investing further in [Improvised Assembly] seemed logical, to potentially make better things later.
Allocate Skill Point to [Improvised Assembly].
Yes.
<[Improvised Assembly] Leveled Up to Lvl 2! Success chance slightly increased, chance of creating 'Poor' quality items slightly reduced. Proficiency: 0.0%.>
Excellent. He gripped the staff, feeling its weight, the slight hum of the low-grade crystal now channeled through the wires. He looked towards the entrance of the crevice, thoughts turning back to the Maintenance Tunnels, the skittering sounds, the coolant trail. He wasn't suddenly a warrior, but he wasn't unarmed anymore either.