The [Crude Energon Staff (Poor)] felt simultaneously substantial and fragile in Xen's grasp. He took a moment within the relative safety of the crevice to examine his handiwork again – the plasteel rod, the somewhat securely bound low-grade Energon crystal at its tip, the makeshift trigger wire near the insulated grip. Durability 15/15. Jolt: 8-12 Electrical Damage, 1 EN cost, 15% Malfunction chance. It wasn't elegant, but it was the only weapon he had, born from necessity and his newly unlocked [Improvised Assembly] Lvl 2 skill.
His target was clear: the Maintenance Tunnel entrance near the fused scrap mound, where the coolant trail vanished and the Cyber-Vermin skittered. He needed to investigate that trail, and that meant dealing with the inhabitants. His health was full (HP: 100/100), but his Energon, while significantly better than before the level up, was far from full (EN: 104.0/150). He had barely enough for maybe seventy Jolt activations if he used no other skills, and that wasn't factoring in the constant drain of movement or essential system functions. The margin for error was thin.
Caution was paramount. He reviewed the route on his HUD map, noting the hazards. Stealth was essential.
With his movements hopefully muffled, Xen slipped out of the crevice. The fifteen-minute journey back towards the tunnel entrance felt different this time. The path was familiar, allowing him to move with more confidence in his footing, but his internal focus was entirely on the destination and the potential threats. He held the staff ready, not menacingly, but prepared. Every flicker of movement in his peripheral vision, every scrape of metal on metal from the surrounding heap, drew his immediate attention. His audio receptors strained against the dampening field, listening for the tell-tale skittering.
He reached the fused scrap mound without incident, the only cost the steady drain on his energy reserves from the dampener.
He took cover behind the large gear sprocket again, peering towards the dark, meter-high opening partially choked with debris. The faint pulse of cool air from within carried the unpleasant, musky scent of the vermin more strongly now. And yes, beneath the wind's sigh, he could clearly hear them – multiple instances of faint skittering, clicking sounds echoing from just inside the darkness. They were there, active. The coolant trail residue was still visible on the ground, leading right past the blockage.
He needed one last look before committing. System, scan tunnel entrance, focus bio-signatures and structural integrity.
[Scan Analysis: Tunnel Entrance Vicinity (Depth ~5 Meters)] [Structure: Reinforced Durasteel Pipe / Rockcrete Casing - Minor Stress Fractures Detected - Debris Blockage Unstable] [Hazards: Loose Debris at Entrance (Minor Obstacle), Uncertain Stability Beyond Scanned Range] [Energy Signatures: Trace Coolant Residue Signature Persists Deeper. No Active Energon Sources Detected.] [Bio-Signatures Detected: Small Technovore Class (Cyber-Vermin) - Qty: 5 Detected within scanned range - Current State: Active/Foraging/Alert?] [Air Quality: Poor - High Particulate Matter/Vermin Musk]
Five confirmed within just the first few meters, potentially alerted by his approach despite the dampener. And the debris blocking the entrance was unstable. This was even riskier than he thought. But turning back now, after coming this far, after building the staff specifically for this... felt unacceptable. He had to try. Maybe he could take them out one by one?
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Gripping the staff tightly in one hand, Xen took a final simulated breath and began to push his way carefully through the loose rocks and twisted metal at the tunnel mouth. Some pieces shifted precariously, rattling down into the darkness within, but the main blockage held. He squeezed through.
Darkness. Absolute and profound. His low-light optics flared, painting the world in shades of faint green and grey. He was inside a circular pipe, maybe 1.5 meters across, the curved walls slick with grime and moisture. The air was thick, stagnant, heavy with the vermin musk and the smell of decay. Sounds were sharp, immediate – the drip of water further in, the scrape of his own feet on the debris-strewn floor (muffled, but audible to him), and the much, much closer skitter-click-chitter of the tunnel's inhabitants.
He held the staff low, sweeping it slightly, ready to react. He took a step into the tunnel proper, moving away from the unstable entrance debris. Another slow step. His optics adjusted, revealing more detail: dangling wires overhead like dead vines, patches of corroded metal on the walls, the faint iridescent streaks of the coolant trail leading deeper into the black.
He’d moved perhaps seven meters in when his audio sensors registered a sharp chitter-click directly ahead, followed by the rapid scrape of claws on metal. He froze, staff coming up.
A low-slung shape detached itself from the shadows by the right wall, maybe five meters away. Rat-sized, six metallic claws digging into the grime, segmented body plated with dull chitin and scavenged metal bits, multi-faceted red eyes glowing dimly as they fixed on him. Its mandibles clicked, emitting a high-pitched hiss. It sensed him.
No time to wait. Activate [Jolt]. Now!
He didn't need a full lunge, just a quick step and thrust. He felt the trigger wire under his grip as the crystal tip of the staff touched the vermin's flank.
CRACKLE!
The sound ripped through the confined space, unnaturally loud. A vivid blue arc leaped from the crystal, slamming into the vermin with palpable force. The tunnel flashed blue for an instant.
The creature let out a horrible, choked screech, its body convulsing spasmingly. Its red eyes flickered and died. Smoke or steam hissed from the contact point on its scorched plating. It collapsed in a twitching heap.
Xen stood panting (a pointless reflex), the staff humming faintly, residual energy tingling in his hand. The smell of burnt chitin and ozone filled the air. He stared at the carcass. His first kill. Relief warred with a strange sense of violation. He forced himself to analyze.
Scan carcass.
[Scan Analysis: Cyber-Vermin Carcass - Small Technovore - Deceased] [Materials Analysis: Chitinous Exoskeleton (Poor Quality - Minor Electrical Damage), Basic Bio-Neural Network (Fried), Trace Ingested Metals/Polymers (Common Scrap)] [Loot Detected: None]
<+2 XP Gained! (New Creature Analyzed)> XP: 147/250.
Nothing useful on the body. But the encounter itself yielded good XP.
His brief sense of victory was shattered by sound. The CRACKLE of the staff and the vermin's death screech had echoed deep into the tunnels. Now, from the darkness ahead, came an answering chorus – dozens of sharp clicks, agitated chittering, the undeniable sound of many small bodies scrambling over scrap metal, moving rapidly towards him.
He had eliminated one, but he had unequivocally announced his presence to the rest of the nest. He gripped his staff, its single low-grade crystal seeming woefully inadequate as he stared into the oppressive blackness, listening to the approaching swarm.