Flesh Pests

Ironclad Bloodsucker

Foetid marshlands are notorious for their abundance of swarming vermin and ravenous parasites, but perhaps none are as pernicious as the Flesh Pest. Closely resembling a tick, the Flesh Pest feeds in a similar fashion. It clings to the exposed hide or skin of its prey, clamping shut its barbed mandibles so that it may not be shaken free. Then, it begins to slowly chew through its host's flesh, hence its name. This, of course, causes severe discomfort for the afflicted creature, as well as providing an ample spawning ground for further infection.

The most abhorrent trait of the Flesh Pest, however, is how difficult it is to remove. If not quickly attended to, the parasite will develop a metallic carapace over its body so that it cannot be pinched or tugged free. This is known as its "Citadel Phase". It achieves this feat by extracting iron from the blood and combining it with other fluids within specialised glands on its thorax. Although the admixture is not as resilient as iron, it still provides ample protection to the Flesh Pest in most instances. Other animals which generally feed on ticks cannot remove a Flesh Pest once it has reached its Citadel Phase. Thankfully, as the Flesh Pest engorges itself on its host, it reaches a point from which it cannot consume more mass. Without the inflow of iron, its armoured carapace weakens and disintegrates.

After consuming an adequate amount of flesh from its host (a portion typically no larger than a few grains of rice), the parasite will detach. Often, they will seek another location on the same host, though this is perilous; the host will certainly be aware of the Flesh Pest at this point and will likely be waiting for it to adjust its position. However, if the Flesh Pest attached was a pregnant female, it will release its eggs into the tiny crevice left behind. The mother will remain in place, shielding her offspring from predators, until they hatch. Protecting the eggs requires the mother to starve herself as she cannot reach more flesh, nor can she move in search of it. As their mother dies, the larvae will scramble from the wound to feed elsewhere on the host.

Monstrous Symbiote

The vast majority of creatures consider the Flesh Pest to be a vile parasite, but there is an exception to this rule: Trolls. Courtesy of their natural ability to rapidly regenerate from injury, Trolls rarely suffer from the feasting of Flesh Pests. Furthermore, the constant replenishment of meat means that an attached Flesh Pest can remain attached to one point for the rest of its life, massively reducing the risk of predation. This also greatly benefits the Troll host. Since they can support such a large population of Flesh Pests in a perpetual Citadel Phase, the Troll effectively gains a suit of armour. Huge swathes of the host's body will be covered in small, overlapping steel plates. Whilst this may inhibit the host's movement to a slight degree, the protection that it affords empowers the already formidable Troll into the apex predator in most ecosystems.