Scrap! Not now! The [Weapon Malfunction] icon burned red on Xen’s HUD. Five seconds. An eternity. Three Cyber-Vermin, enraged and alerted by the fizzled energy discharge, scrambled towards him down the narrow pipe, a wave of clicking mandibles and glowing red eyes. HP: 99.0/100. EN: 125.5/150. [Audio Dampener] active.
There was no room to run, not really. He backpedaled instinctively, bringing the staff up diagonally. The lead vermin lunged. Xen twisted, deflecting claws with the staff shaft (Durability -> 29/30). The second zipped past his guard, mandibles snapping shut on his leg plating, scoring the metal but failing to penetrate deeply. He kicked it away as the third lunged, forcing Xen back against the grimy pipe wall. Claws scrabbled at his chest.
He shoved the third creature off balance just as the malfunction warning cleared.
[Weapon Malfunction Cleared. Discharge Systems Online.]
The three vermin were practically on top of him now, a tangled cluster of hostile intent. No time for single shots. Burst Cone was still selected. Now! He tapped the trigger plate, pouring energy into the attack, praying for success.
WHOOMPH-CRACKLE!
The pipe roared with uncontrolled energy. The wide cone erupted at point-blank range, engulfing all three attackers. Their screeches were cut short as the raw electrical power tore through their crude forms, slamming smoking, convulsing carcasses against the walls. The smell of ozone was overpowering.
Silence fell, heavy and sudden. Xen stood amidst the three fresh kills, ventilation cycling hard. The Burst Cone was devastatingly effective up close. He quickly scanned the remains.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
[Scan Analysis: Cyber-Vermin Carcass x3... Loot Detected: None.]
<+1 XP Gained! (Creature Analyzed - Already Logged)> XP: 198/400.
He listened. The frantic skittering from deeper within was still there, maybe slightly more distant now, but definitely present. Logic screamed retreat. He was damaged (HP: 97.0/100). His energy was good but not unlimited (EN: 120.0/150). His weapon was powerful but demonstrably unreliable (two malfunctions in short succession). The nest was clearly large. Retreating now was the smart play, the safe play.
But something snapped in Xen's processors. Frustration. The constant cycle of discovery followed by hitting insurmountable walls. The feeling of being prey, always hiding, always running. He had leveled up. He had built a better weapon specifically for this. He had won this engagement. Turning back now felt... like defeat. Like accepting limitations he refused to be bound by. He needed to know where that coolant trail led. He needed to push forward, to accomplish something beyond just surviving another day. Even if it was reckless. Even if it cost him dearly.
No more retreating. Not yet. Resolve hardened within his Spark. Forward.
He double-tapped the trigger, switching back to Focused Beam for potential single targets ahead, and advanced cautiously past the carcasses, deeper into the tunnel towards the junction chamber his scan had identified. The faint iridescent streaks of the coolant trail guided him.
He reached the junction after another few cautious meters (EN: 117.5/150 after ~5 mins dampener use). It opened into a roughly circular space, three meters across. The main pipe continued opposite him, dark and foreboding. Smaller, debris-choked pipes branched left and right. Directly overhead, a cracked valve assembly hissed faintly, dripping oily green coolant onto a central floor grate – the source of the trail.
And he wasn't alone.
From the main tunnel ahead, and from the debris choking the right-hand side passage, new figures emerged. Four more of the standard Cyber-Vermin scrambled out, red eyes fixing on him. But leading the group from the main tunnel was something larger: a meter-long, heavily plated creature, like a monstrous isopod built from mismatched armor scraps. Its head was blunt, jaws designed for grinding, and twin yellow optical sensors glowed menacingly. His System instantly flagged it based on hypothetical threat analysis.
[Threat Detected: Cyber-Scrabbler (Medium Technovore) x1] [Threat Detected: Cyber-Vermin (Small Technovore) x4]
Five enemies. One significantly tougher than the others. And potentially blocking his path forward and his line of retreat if the side tunnel group moved quickly. Xen gripped his Projector, the salvaged relay under his thumb suddenly feeling very inadequate. His decision to push forward had led him directly into a far more dangerous confrontation.