ENTITY NO. 49
THREAT LEVEL
4
Habitat:
On dirty levels, levels where food is abundant, or levels with large populations of bugs
Aggression: 5/5
Hostile to all entities
Intellect: 2/5
Low-level intellect
Danger: 4/5
Life-threatening
General information
The Entity 49, aka the Pink Larvae, are pink larvae, as their name implies. The Pink Larvae are scarabaeiform-type larvae measuring from 10 to 15 cm (4–6 in). Pink Larvae are typically discovered in rotten food or large food items, as wherever you find one Pink Larvae, there are almost always two or more.
When Pink Larvae perceive that a human or entity begins to eat the food in which they are hiding, the Pink Larvae curl up or cover themselves so they can't be detected and then enter the organism of the human or entity. Once inside the organism, specifically in the stomach, they grow and create a cavity. This cavity causes the host intense pain. While in this cavity, they begin to lay eggs.
After a while, inside the stomach, they change color to black, red, or, most frequently, pink, and grow until they are twice the larva's length. At this stage, they are no longer considered larvae and are named Pink Shells. After this stage, they become completely static and remain in this state within the host.
As time passes, previously laid eggs hatch into new larvae. These larvae quickly begin laying more eggs. This cycle repeats throughout the life cycle. At this stage, the host feels an unusual fullness, as if they had overeaten. Their stomach, now nearly full of Pink Shells, causes them to lose their appetite. As the stomach grows abnormally swollen, some larvae leave and move to other organs, except the heart and other critical ones.
While inside the host's body, the larvae and shells are actively consuming nutrients. At a certain point, the vast majority of the host's organism is contaminated with Pink Larvae and Pink Shells, and they will then begin to come out of the mouth, eyes, or even from the pores of the skin of the host. This has an extremely painful effect in the host's body.
Once the infestation has spread to the entire body of the host, the larvae will start to invade the vital organs, terminating the host's life. The skin of the corpse will then develop crusts where the larvae exited and will start decaying rapidly. The body may be barely recognizable, essentially a lump of rotting flesh full of larvae and Pink Shells, in just under two days.
At the moment of death, two or three Pink Shells will uncurl and leave the body, looking for other food sources, and lay their eggs before returning to the corpse. A few hours or days later, all the other larvae and Pink Shells will die because there are no nutrients left for them.
Anatomy
Structurally, Pink Larvae is quite similar to rhinoceros beetle larvae from The Frontrooms. Materially, the only distinction is their capacity to reshape either as a pink-slime-form or as a very dense stone-like structure that provides a host of different visual and physical cues.
They also exhibit a phenomenal resistance to gastric juices and other corrosive environments, making them exceptionally durable as a larva, and it appears their cuticle has layers of chitin bolstered with a keratin-like layered structure, providing them flexibility and durability. This form of an exoskeleton allows them to exhibit physical and biochemical features towards tolerating extreme acidity and basicity pH, as well as various enzymatic activity normally capable of obtaining complete organic tissue decay.
Pink larva displays varying degrees of morphological plasticity patterns of variation: within its set of specialized tissues, autonomous cells modulate to rapidly re-configure their internal and external body structure and switch between soft, amorphous tissue type to a hardened, mineral-based type. This mutability lends evidence to the notion of cryptobiosis, an observable form of life in which a species shifts or suppresses its metabolic systems while under environmental stress.
Moreover, their hemolymph (the insect equivalent of blood) contains antimicrobial peptides and enzymes able to neutralize pathogens, lending them a natural immunity to most bacteria and fungal infections. Similarly, their gut microbiome appears to be highly speciallized, able to process decaying organic matter, while simultaneously shielding them from toxins in spoiled food.
In sum these biological adaptations make the Pink Larvae disproportionately resistant when compared to most known scarabaeiform species.
History
The following document recounts the first sighting of the Pink Larva and possibly its first victims
Do's and Don'ts
Do:
- When observing a larva, take note if it could be a Pink Larva.
- If you feel horrible pain after eating any food you found, immediately locate a medical station.
- Always report any location where there may be a Pink Larva infestation.
Don't:
- Consume any food before inspecting it.
- Enter an infested level such as Level 479 without proper knowledge of Pink Larvae.
Author:Sombra :L
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