The flickering blue shard beckoned. It wasn't just a potential fuel source; it was the key, the reward prompt glowing insistently in Xen’s vision promised. Core Stat & Skill System Unlock. Those words resonated deeply with the part of him that still remembered progression bars and talent trees. But overshadowing even that was the raw, physical need echoing from his core systems. The [CRITICALLY LOW!] warning felt like a countdown timer.
Okay, Xen. One step at a time. Or whatever the mechanical equivalent was.
He pushed himself fully upright on the relatively flat piece of rusted plating he'd woken upon. His legs – slender, digitigrade limbs ending in small, stable feet – felt surprisingly intuitive, yet untested. He took a hesitant step forward. His metal foot clinked softly against the plating. So far, so good.
The crystal shard was only a few meters away, a trivial distance for his old human self. But down here, at two feet tall amidst a mountain range of scrap, it looked like a perilous journey. The terrain between him and the shard was a treacherous landscape of overlapping metal sheets, tangled wires like grasping tentacles, and sudden drops into shadowy crevices.
He slid carefully off the edge of his starting plate, landing with a slightly jarring thump on a lower piece of debris.
A point of damage flashed on his HUD. Right. Frame damage. Even minor impacts were costly right now. He needed to be more careful.
He began to navigate the scrap field. Each step was deliberate. His optical sensors scanned ahead, highlighting unstable-looking pieces of metal and sharp edges. A loose sheet of thin aluminum shifted under his weight, and he had to flail his arms for balance, his internal gyroscopes whirring frantically. He skittered across a network of thick, rubber-coated cables, treating them like precarious balance beams. A gap that looked like a small crack from above became a chasm he had to carefully leap across, tucking his limbs in for a controlled landing that still sent a jolt through his frame (though no further HP loss, thankfully).
The journey took minutes that felt like an eternity, each movement requiring focus, each sound – the scrape of his feet, the groan of shifting metal below – amplified in the relative quiet of the scrap heap. The internal hum that signified his operational status seemed to ebb lower with every exertion, the Energon gauge mocking him with its single-digit value.
Finally, he stood before the crystal shard. Up close, it was about the size of his own torso, jagged and irregular, embedded deeply into a larger chunk of unrecognizable machinery. The blue light pulsed softly, casting faint shadows on the surrounding rust. It felt… faintly warm, radiating a subtle energy that made the circuits along his arms tingle.
Okay, System. How do I… refuel?
He reached out a hesitant, three-fingered hand towards the crystal. As his fingertips brushed against its surprisingly smooth surface, the blue light flared.
A simple prompt appeared in his vision. Yes! Definitely Yes! Xen focused his intent on the [Y].
Instantly, tendrils of faint blue light detached from the crystal, not moving through the air, but seemingly phasing directly into his fingertips. The sensation was incredible – a warm, revitalizing flood pouring into his core, chasing away the draining emptiness. It felt like the first gulp of cool water after hours in the sun, like plugging into a power source after running on fumes.
The internal hum grew stronger, steadier. On his HUD, the EN value began to climb rapidly: 4... 5... 10... 15...
The critical warning vanished just as the flow of energy from the crystal began to taper off. It continued to climb, slower now: 20... 30... 40... stopping finally at 46. The crystal shard itself dimmed visibly, its internal light fading to a dull, almost imperceptible glow before flickering out entirely. It looked like just another piece of dull rock now.
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Then, the System messages cascaded in his vision.
<+50 XP Gained!>
His status window updated automatically:
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STATUS: Xen
LEVEL: 1 (50/100 XP)
RANK: Scrap-Tier (0)
HEALTH (HP): 81/100 [Damaged]
ENERGON (EN): 46/150 [Low]
CORE STATS: [View]
SKILLS: [View]
-----------------------------
Fifty XP! Halfway to Level 2 already, just for finding his first meal. And more importantly… Stats and Skills.
With a surge of anticipation, Xen focused his intent on [View] next to CORE STATS. The display changed:
-----------------------------
CORE ATTRIBUTES:
STR (Structure): 5
(Physical integrity, resilience, manipulation capacity)
DEX (Dexterity): 12
(Movement speed, agility, reaction, fine manipulation)
INT (Intelligence): 10
(Processing speed, analysis, learning, hacking aptitude)
VIT (Vitality): 6
(Resistance to non-physical effects, passive repair rate)
ENR (Efficiency): 8
(Energon utilization rate, operational time)
CPU (Processor): 10
(Multitasking, software complexity, cyber warfare defense)
ARM (Armor): 2
(Direct damage reduction)
LUK (Luck): 7
(Probability influence, critical chances, loot quality)
-----------------------------
The numbers seemed low, especially STR and ARM, confirming his vulnerability. But DEX was surprisingly high, explaining the relative ease with which he'd managed the tricky climb across the scrap. INT and CPU seemed decent too. ENR wasn't great, judging by how quickly his reserves had depleted just moving around. He'd need to find more Energon soon; 46/150 was better than 3, but still felt precarious.
Next, he focused on [View] next to SKILLS.
-----------------------------
ACTIVE SKILLS:
[System Interface] (Innate Lvl MAX)
(Allows interaction with System menus, notifications, etc.)
[Basic Scan] (Lvl 1 | 0.0%)
(Active: Short-range scan for object ID, dimensions, basic materials. Cost: 1 EN)
[Audio Dampener] (Lvl 1 | 0.0%)
(Toggle: Reduces movement audio signature. Cost: 0.5 EN/min)
PASSIVE SKILLS:
[Micro-Manipulation] (Innate Lvl 1 | 0.0%)
(Enhances fine motor control with small manipulators.)
[Cybertronian Frame] (Innate Lvl MAX)
(Provides basic structure, transformation capability [Locked], Energon dependency.)
[Fragmented Core Integration] (Innate Lvl ???)
(Residual energies from integrated Spark and foreign components detected. Effects Unknown. Potential ???)
-----------------------------
Okay, mostly basics. [System Interface] was self-explanatory. [Basic Scan] seemed essential for gathering information. [Audio Dampener] could be useful for stealth later. [Micro-Manipulation] likely helped with his balance and careful movements just now. [Cybertronian Frame] confirmed his nature, though transformation was currently locked – another thing to figure out.
But that last one... [Fragmented Core Integration]? Foreign components detected? That had to be related to the dying giant shoving its Spark into him, and those Stargate parts the prompt mentioned. Effects Unknown. That felt both ominous and exciting.
A new notification pinged softly.
Right. Information gathering. With slightly replenished energy and a nascent understanding of his abilities, Xen focused, activating the [Basic Scan] skill mentally. Okay, System. Show me what you got.