Hardhead

  Scavenger

  Deep within the labyrinthine structures contained within the Dregways, there was a pit, dark and deep, forgotten by time and the denizens of the tunnels. Yet within this dark hideaway a small creature resided, unlike anything else that lived upon the face of the earth, a living blob of flesh in the most literal sense.

  It’s body was a sore shade of red, no skin covered its exposed flesh which seemed to stick to the surfaces around it like gum. Dirt and rock gathered upon it’s glistening red body, forming a thin barrier against outside threats.

  ‘What am I?’ the creature thought as it rolled around the confines of the pit aimlessly, shapes flashing in it’s mind.

  Humanoid silhouettes obscured by shadow, backed by blinding white light. It’s most recent memories, yet as it focused on them a sharp pain surfaced in it’s mind. ‘hurts’ it couldn’t piece the fragments together, it’s memories were a frantic mess of shapes and colours with nothing binding them. It became grossly aware of several things.

  ‘I cannot hear, I cannot see’ whilst observing it’s capabilities it touched against something soft and wet, running with a liquid that was soothing to the touch ‘but I can feel’, it urged it’s amorphous body forward, concentrating a sliver of it’s flesh into a thin tendril like feeler to run over the object. It was warm, the liquid tasted like iron ‘Blood’.

  The Blob felt something as it’s feeler tasted the blood, a hunger which had surfaced inside it. It needed to eat and luckily, fresh carrion was right in front of it. Instinctively the blob moved over the fresh kill and sat atop it, it needed to eat and it’s body responded to that need, adapting and forming a mouth.

  Tentatively it nibbled away at the body and before it realized it had devoured the whole carcass, bones and all. It’s body swelled with the new flesh it had devoured, growing larger.

  ‘Need to see’ it willed, a simple command that once more, it’s body responded to. A single eye formed, it’s pupil a dark pink. New sensations flooded it as light beamed in from above.

  It observed it’s surroundings. The hole it called home was around 30.ft deep, scaling to an edge that cast little light into the depths of the pit. It had no limbs to climb so it once more began to exert it’s will ‘I need arms’ yet this time it’s body did not respond, instead a sensation of hunger filled it once more. ‘More food needed for arms?’ it questioned itself as if it’s body was a separate being.

  It looked around the pit, there was nothing else to eat amidst the dark. Yet there was small holes in the wall, paths potentially leading to larger caverns.

  ‘I could wait,’ it looked up ‘maybe more will fall’ it thought optimistically but a gnawing feeling caused it to shake the idea ‘no, must look on my own’ it stated to itself, moving towards one of the holes.

  It squeezed it’s ooze like flesh through the tight space, an uncomfortable journey but it made it through eventually. Stopping just before moving out of the hole, pushing it’s eye to peer into the cavern ahead of it. ‘I can’t hear, can’t fight either. Need to be careful, need to be stealthy’.

  Scanning the room it was faced with an open cavern, illuminated by bioluminescent fungus which lined the floors giving an otherworldly blue glow to the shadowy cavern. It looked up, barely illuminated were the stalactites of the room. Hanging from them, just visible were bats ‘Too high to eat, not a threat though. Fungus could be dangerous’ it assessed what it could see.

  With another scan it noticed that the rocks in the room seemed to shift unnaturally, moving as if they were alive. A word came to it’s mind as it looked at them ‘elementals, tough’ it turned it’s gaze across the room as it spotted a small creature skittering in the dark ‘rats, perfect’ it had found it’s prey.

  But a problem became very evident to the Blob as it sat in the hole, it’s body was squidgy and soft, with no weapon except it’s teeth. It’s only strength was that with it gathering debris upon it’s flesh it blended with the rocky surroundings perfectly.

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  ‘Need to play to strengths’ it surmised beginning to devise a plan ‘need to bait rat, then crunch’ a simple but terrifying idea.

  It spread a small part of it’s body out of the hole, opening it’s mouth wide, it receded it’s jagged teeth into it’s gums. It had created the illusion that it, itself was the hole. Then, it pricked it’s own flesh upon a jagged rock, dripping it’s own blood inside it’s mouth. The smell wafted out, sure to attract scavengers, all it had to do now, was wait.

  And not long passed before a rat came, cautiously it sniffed the surroundings of the Blob’s mouth, unaware of it’s presence. ‘Come inside. I don’t bite’ it grinned inwardly, watching the oblivious rodent with a predatory glare.

  It took minutes before the Rat had assured itself of safety and stepped into the bear-trap that was the Blob’s maw.

  Crunch

  A Sickening snap of bone and a muffled yelp as the rodent was devoured in one bite by the gluttonous Blob.

  ‘I need more’ it thought, resetting itself to spring the trap again and to do it as many times as it needed. It continued to devour rat, after rat until it’s body spilled out of the hole, which was unable to constrain it any more.

  ‘Need arm’. it’s mind still on the idea of climbing out of the pit despite being in an open cavern.

  The Blob watched as it’s body assembled a thin, mockery of a human arm. It was weak and weaselly, but it allowed it to grab, to touch and more importantly, to climb. ‘Arm, important tool’ it assured itself, now using the limb to drag it’s body along the ground at a quicker pace.

  But as it tested it’s new found appendage it noticed and felt a rumble in the ground. It’s eye settled on a large humanoid creature looming in the main entrance to this cavern. It’s skin was a sickly green, covered in bumps and unnatural bony protrusions. It’s toes and fingers were clawed, two massive fangs jutted out from the under bite of it’s jaw. It’s lizard-like, yellow eyes surveying the cavern.

  The Blob felt an innate sense of danger and with it’s new found appendage it didn’t exactly blend in. So quickly it scurried back to the hole. ‘Troll, too much, very dangerous’ it glared at the lumbering humanoid, watching as the Troll walked to centre of the fungal cavern and began picking the luminescent mushrooms.

  ‘Violent, intelligent… tough’ memories of these creatures flashed in it’s mind. Of their rampages, the fact their flesh grew back no matter how many times you cut them open. A part of it wondered about these memories, but again, each time it tried to piece any more together it was met with overwhelming pain.

  ‘Retreat, for now’ it conceded, squeezing back through the narrow hole it had entered through with much difficulty this time due to the new appendage.

  After a short journey it arrived back in the pit. It peered back up, the walls were lined with rocky bumps and protrusions perfect for grasping. It lowered it’s arm, looking at it ‘small issue, only one arm’ the Blob let out a sigh as it brainstormed.

  ‘If I move through a different passage, I risk new threats and developing too fast. Too much mass and I can’t pass through the holes. There must be another way’ it pondered, looking at it’s arm it noticed the flesh was already coated in a debris and rock. It’s eye widened ‘that’s it’.

  It began picking away at the external shell of debris and dirt it had covered itself in, it’s flesh reluctantly sticking to it before being exposed. Once it had picked a satisfactory amount off, it began to experiment. Using it’s arm, it slingshotted itself at one of the walls and it was pleasantly surprised.

  ‘I STUCK!’ it smiled, happy it’s theory had worked. ‘My body is like gum, only so much of it can remain sticky before it’s fully covered. And…’ slowly as it mused to itself, it felt it’s body sliding down the wall it had stuck itself to ‘it’s not a very strong bond’

  Quickly it reached out and grabbed a rock above, to stop itself from falling. It pulled itself up to a ledge where it could shed again and continue up. It repeated this several times until it got to the top where it heaved itself up to the final edge with an over exerted pull.

  Above, it was met with a tunnel that paved into the dead-end that dropped to the pit. It scanned the area with it’s eye, it was safe. At least, as safe as these tunnels could appear to be. It dragged itself further along the passage. Careful not to make much noise as it did.

  The end of the passage wound out into a very large cavern. Moss lining it’s walls and floor, almost imitating grass it had grown so dense, large mushrooms that stood as tall as trees, a central, large gemstone, shone a dim, moon like glow which cast a pleasant light across the room.

  The calls of all manner of beast and critter echoed off the walls of this gargantuan cavern. It was the perfect hunting ground. ‘Here, I will grow’ It affirmed itself ‘but first, I need shelter, safety’ with that it began skittering around, quickly and quietly.

  It gathered moss and rigid vines. Binding them together it created a makeshift cover for the entrance to the tunnel it had emerged from. ‘The passage will serve as a home for me to rest’. It took a deep breath and deflated against the damp stone of the passage, closing it’s eye to rest.

  And when it awakes, it will continue forward, with one sole purpose. Survival.