Work Text:
As you may know, SRS has been getting into genetic-modifying and monster creation lately! They've made a few non-living creatures at first, before moving on to the REAL things. They've only ever messed around with plant life.. until now!
Suns always found scugs to be at least a little cute, despite them being slimy, low on the food chain and generally considered pests. But they couldn't help but wonder.. the 'cat' part of slugcats was cute.. but what if they were more slug-like?
this something suns wanted- nay- NEEDED to know. for science!
after working restlessly (because they are an iterator and do not need sleep) in the labs, they did it.
they had created their best creature yet! the most impressive one, too!
after many failed attempts.. the slug was born.
an absurdly slimy, seaweed-green creature with a cream underbelly and a large, gaping mouth with spiraling rows of teeth. this creature only had its front arms, not legs, but that surely wouldn't stop it. (STUNNING/j artistic rendition incoming)
after popping into existence for the first time, it became very clear that the slug was a slow beast (as intended), though they were much faster on their belly. this was because their slime allowed them to glide around much faster. alongside this, they were also able to climb walls. how wonderful! the intended results were indeed the outcome!
but suns quickly realized something: The slug appeared to be unintelligent, lacking the same sentience a slug cat has and mindlessly squirming around the can. also, it left slime on the superstructure walls, which was just unpleasant on its own.
Suns decided that it would be best to maybe see how this creature would interact with others...
...
...
..dear LORD
the slug is a merciless, starved being. hunting and eating everything it sees. its body is mostly made up of slime.. and it seems to be able to regenerate lost parts.. leaving it a hassle to kill.
upon testing, it has been observed that the slug does not discriminate in what it eats. it's been observed to swallow small things whole, like lantern mice, batflies, newly born slugpups..
for larger creatures, it seems to latch onto them with its teeth and bite holes in them until they either bleed out or shake it off. depending on the target, success rate varies.
this creature is not one fit to roam the land, and must remain within the superstructure until further notice.
suns has on multiple occasions caught the thing trying to eat their iterator puppet. it does not seem to realize that the puppet is not a breathing organism and cannot be consumed.
this anomaly worries suns deeply.
to be frank with you, suns isn't quite sure of it's anatomy. sure, they know the basics, but lots of things and why they happen remain mysteries. suns is afraid to look.
the creature is too much of an inconvenience, constantly trying to chew through the superstructure's walls. it would be irresponsible to let it go outside into the world.
suns simply stuffs the creature into one of the test tubes and forgets about it, moving onto bigger, better things.
many cycles have passed since the anomaly was contained. suns is relieved.
they have created many more creatures in that time, though have gone back to mainly plant work.
however, this faithful cycle, they turn to the tubes to find..
nothing.
the slug is gone.
suns is confused, maybe a bit scared. not for themselves, but for the ecosystem.
looking at an overseer, the slug has somehow made it all the way to industrial complex.
oh..
...
how much harm can one creature do, really? it's.. probably fine.
it is NOT fine.
the slug treks through the outskirts and the shrubbery. it can feel a deep, primal hunger in it's non-existent, spiritual bones.
the slug is small, and the world is large and dangerous.
but the slug is hungry, and the world is filled with delicious meals of all kinds.
it grabbed countless batflies and inhaled them, but it was still hungry.
the slug continued slithering through the outskirts. there, it saw a noodlefly. more importantly, it saw her children.
it slowly glided up a pole and reached out, grabbing one of the noodlefly babies and swallowing the thing whole.
the mother noodlefly was understandably pissed.
who is this guy?!
who does he think he is?!
eating kids like that!!
so disrespectful!!!!
she oughta!!! teach him a LESSON!!!
the noodlefly's shnoz turned into the needle many of you are (hopefully) familiar with. she stared at the slug with anger.. why was it just.. STANDING there?!
she charged straight at him.. and the needle went right through, but he didn't seem too bothered.
the slug grabs the noodlefly mother by her head and slurps her like spaghtetti. mm. spaghetti.
but it was still hungry.
it went on.
its eyes landed onto a green lizard.
yes. perfect.
like a leech, the slug attached itself to the lizard and drained it of its blood.
"yo. dude. can you. like. not." ,the lizard asked.
no response.
"freak... BLEUGH-" ,the lizard retched, keeling over immediately.
yes. another feast.
but it was still. hungry.
the slug had travelled all over the regions. it has eaten every type of lizard except for the red ones. it has plucked countless pole plants from the ground and consumed them. it has eaten all insects to be found in this rainy world. it grew larger and larger every day, and the other iterators started to notice. specifically after it broke into pebbles' superstructure and ate about 27 of his total neurons.
something had to be done.
iterators sent out many creatures to hunt this beast, but none have succeeded...
except one.
a strange scavenger who was not even aware of the beast.
it sat near a pool of leeches, telling the scav pups tales and myths.
once the kids left, the scav heard something strange from above him..
the beast, drooling, mouth wide open.. staring down at him hungrily.
"ew what the fuck" ,the scavenger muttered, unamused. he was quite clearly disgusted with the.. THING.
it jumped down and tried to bite him..
but because it was so slow, the scavenger simply gave it a little push. it fell into the leech water, dissolving immediately, leaving the water slimy and contaminated, all the leeches floating to the top.
"...problem solved, I guess", suns muttered to themselves, watching it unfold through the overseer. they felt stupid they didn't think of this sooner, but at least it's dead now...
never again.