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Description

I think I brought this up in a previous Slime entry before, the idea of hybridization between Slime types. At the time of writing that, I was not really aware of any notable hybrids. For sure, there can be individual Slimes who take on a variety of adaptations, but that is only one being. I was thinking more on an actual population of hybrids, where there are enough of them that we now must consider putting them down as a new Slime type. What was wondering before has now become reality, as I have recently learned about the Armor Eaters. I will admit: they scare me, but in more than one way.

Armor Eaters are a hybrid type of Slime, and so far they are a very rare type. I don't need to do much to describe them, just tell you that they are a fusion of Metal Slime and Flayer. Take the dark metallic pseudobody of a Metal Slime and contort it into the shape of a Flayer, and you pretty much have an Armor Eater. The only other noticeable difference is that they no longer build their bodies with bones, but metal armor and weaponry. Blades, poles and various iron chunks are cobbled together into their slime, creating that iconic pseudobody that Flayers possess. Even in spots where there isn't metal weaponry, they form those spikes that Metal Slimes are known for. When all of this is combined together, you get a horrifying creation that has both ultimate defense and offense.

In my Metal Slime entry, I made mention that Metal Slimes do not target people who have metal objects on them. I instead suggested that something else does. This is it. Armor Eaters are ravenous for things forged from ores, no longer caring about getting it in its raw form. It wants armor, it wants weapons, as they help keep its deadly frame together. It stalks anyone carrying these objects, and unleashes a hell of blades and spikes to bring them down. Slimy limbs sprouting countless knife blades, spiky tendrils shot out to spear and reel in prey. Grinding orifices and a frame of spines that collapse atop of prey and shreds them. When tangling with an Armor Eater, there is no safety. Fighting is almost impossible without magic, as their slime is armored by the metal powder and their heart is hidden amongst the mess. Lightning magic is the only real hope to bring them down, zapping their metallic bodies in hopes of frying the heart.

While Metal Slimes were unsociable beings that preferred to keep to themselves and spear those who got too close, Armor Eaters actively hunt metal carrying prey. And since wolves and deer don't normally have that kind of stuff, that means they target man. So much so that they tend to be found where armored folk usually dwell, like abandoned dungeons, ghost towns and other places where people go to slay beasts and gain treasure. They also target isolated dwellings and areas where there isn't enough people to put up a proper fight. When they attack, it is bloody and messy, as they shred opponents and then absorb the metal and gory paste. Often nothing remains after an Armor Eater takes its prey, just a bloodstain and countless scratches upon the earth and stone. There really isn't much else to say, save for that these Slimes are extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. Though the sightings have been rare, each one has carried a body count. Every Armor Eater ever spotted and slain has killed at least a dozen people, and some we may never truly know the number of souls they claimed. They are ravenous and they can take down a team of explorers and tomb plunderers with ease. Running into one without proper planning and weaponry means death, plain and simple. They are a terrifying type of Slime, but their bladed forms aren't what scares me. It's what this means for the future that leaves me worried.

Before learning about Slime hybrids, it was just a theory in our heads, that perhaps one day they would start combining different adaptations and strategies. But with Armor Eaters showing up enough now that we could call them a type, that theory is now coming true and the prospects are grim. Armor Eaters are incredibly powerful and insanely dangerous, calling for immediate eradication when they are discovered. They kill many and fill even more with fear, and there is no doubt that these terrors are starting to affect all of Slimeblend. Slimes already are hated by most of the public, seen as either a nuisance, a pest or perhaps target practice for the cruel. They are banned from many towns and villages, and people act like they are garbage eaters that are moments away from stealing your goods or straight up eating you. There are indeed scary types of Slime out there, like Flayers, Leg Eaters and Bamboo Snipes, but something about this feels different. Armor Eaters change the game, and show that this species has so much potential, and I fear that the public will see that potential as a threat. The terror that the Armor Eaters may be directed to all Slimes, and may convince others that this entire species is capable of so much death and destruction.

I honestly hate to think about it, and even hesitate to write it. It is like we are standing before two roads, each stretching into a different future. One leads to something so horrid and cruel, that I would wish to call it out and warn others of it. But there is a part of me that feels that the mere act of mentioning this road may only bring attention to it by the wrong people. Even now I am sure someone is taking my words and twisting them into some wretched excuse for wholesale slaughter. "Chlora says they are dangerous!" they would point out. "She says they kill people and know no mercy!" Spineless cowards. Wretched weeds that steal and twist the words of others because their own ring so hollow and false! I hate it. It drives me mad. But what else can I say? Armor Eaters exist, and who knows what else the Slimes will be able to create. To me, there is wonder in the ingenuity and adaptability, but I see the dangers they pose. As a dryad, a metal eater doesn't scare me that much, but a lot of people will be afraid. And fear can force many to do horrible things. At what point will people say "enough?" When will the public turn their views on Slimes from "pest" to "scourge?" I have already seen how the dragons have fared with such a reputation, and I fear it may be turned onto the Slimes next. Never would I want a species to stagnate or stop, as growth is always inevitable and needed. But the Slimes are unknowingly treading a very fine line, and I don't know what to do about it. Can I even do anything about? Can anything I say or write fix this sort of thing? Or am I just doomed to make it worse? Will my words inevitably be used to excuse atrocities, will my findings just encourage more death? I don't know. I don't know and it upsets me. I just want to study species and show the world the wonders of nature and all the things it holds. I wish it were that simple, but I cannot be that naive. What I find and tell shapes people's opinions, even if they listen to my words or not. And sometimes it feels like saying nothing may be better than saying anything at all, lest I give the worst people ammunition against a species that doesn't deserve such hate. But silence cannot fix things, we can't just close our eyes and pretend they don't exist. The Slimes are evolving, they are learning new things and creating new forms. We cannot deny it. Yet, I see this growth headed in a dangerous direction and a cynical part of me thinks no good can come from it.

I am rambling at this point. Forget it. Quills down. I don't think there is anything else I can reasonably say, and I may have already said too much. I will let Eucella decide if this useless entry should be put in or not.

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

Editor's Note: Though serious editing is needed in this entry, I can't really make the call if this should go in or not. I feel this is something that you know best. However, my expertise does tell me that someone needs a break and a breath. Lets arrange a visit to the tea gardens and we'll figure this out. We deal with this stuff together, no need to fight this alone. - Eucella -

------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I was gone away for so long, lets do another! Wooooo! Slimes!

Description

I think I brought this up in a previous Slime entry before, the idea of hybridization between Slime types. At the time of writing that, I was not really aware of any notable hybrids. For sure, there can be individual Slimes who take on a variety of adaptations, but that is only one being. I was thinking more on an actual population of hybrids, where there are enough of them that we now must consider putting them down as a new Slime type. What was wondering before has now become reality, as I have recently learned about the Armor Eaters. I will admit: they scare me, but in more than one way.

Armor Eaters are a hybrid type of Slime, and so far they are a very rare type. I don't need to do much to describe them, just tell you that they are a fusion of Metal Slime and Flayer. Take the dark metallic pseudobody of a Metal Slime and contort it into the shape of a Flayer, and you pretty much have an Armor Eater. The only other noticeable difference is that they no longer build their bodies with bones, but metal armor and weaponry. Blades, poles and various iron chunks are cobbled together into their slime, creating that iconic pseudobody that Flayers possess. Even in spots where there isn't metal weaponry, they form those spikes that Metal Slimes are known for. When all of this is combined together, you get a horrifying creation that has both ultimate defense and offense.

In my Metal Slime entry, I made mention that Metal Slimes do not target people who have metal objects on them. I instead suggested that something else does. This is it. Armor Eaters are ravenous for things forged from ores, no longer caring about getting it in its raw form. It wants armor, it wants weapons, as they help keep its deadly frame together. It stalks anyone carrying these objects, and unleashes a hell of blades and spikes to bring them down. Slimy limbs sprouting countless knife blades, spiky tendrils shot out to spear and reel in prey. Grinding orifices and a frame of spines that collapse atop of prey and shreds them. When tangling with an Armor Eater, there is no safety. Fighting is almost impossible without magic, as their slime is armored by the metal powder and their heart is hidden amongst the mess. Lightning magic is the only real hope to bring them down, zapping their metallic bodies in hopes of frying the heart.

While Metal Slimes were unsociable beings that preferred to keep to themselves and spear those who got too close, Armor Eaters actively hunt metal carrying prey. And since wolves and deer don't normally have that kind of stuff, that means they target man. So much so that they tend to be found where armored folk usually dwell, like abandoned dungeons, ghost towns and other places where people go to slay beasts and gain treasure. They also target isolated dwellings and areas where there isn't enough people to put up a proper fight. When they attack, it is bloody and messy, as they shred opponents and then absorb the metal and gory paste. Often nothing remains after an Armor Eater takes its prey, just a bloodstain and countless scratches upon the earth and stone. There really isn't much else to say, save for that these Slimes are extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. Though the sightings have been rare, each one has carried a body count. Every Armor Eater ever spotted and slain has killed at least a dozen people, and some we may never truly know the number of souls they claimed. They are ravenous and they can take down a team of explorers and tomb plunderers with ease. Running into one without proper planning and weaponry means death, plain and simple. They are a terrifying type of Slime, but their bladed forms aren't what scares me. It's what this means for the future that leaves me worried.

Before learning about Slime hybrids, it was just a theory in our heads, that perhaps one day they would start combining different adaptations and strategies. But with Armor Eaters showing up enough now that we could call them a type, that theory is now coming true and the prospects are grim. Armor Eaters are incredibly powerful and insanely dangerous, calling for immediate eradication when they are discovered. They kill many and fill even more with fear, and there is no doubt that these terrors are starting to affect all of Slimeblend. Slimes already are hated by most of the public, seen as either a nuisance, a pest or perhaps target practice for the cruel. They are banned from many towns and villages, and people act like they are garbage eaters that are moments away from stealing your goods or straight up eating you. There are indeed scary types of Slime out there, like Flayers, Leg Eaters and Bamboo Snipes, but something about this feels different. Armor Eaters change the game, and show that this species has so much potential, and I fear that the public will see that potential as a threat. The terror that the Armor Eaters may be directed to all Slimes, and may convince others that this entire species is capable of so much death and destruction.

I honestly hate to think about it, and even hesitate to write it. It is like we are standing before two roads, each stretching into a different future. One leads to something so horrid and cruel, that I would wish to call it out and warn others of it. But there is a part of me that feels that the mere act of mentioning this road may only bring attention to it by the wrong people. Even now I am sure someone is taking my words and twisting them into some wretched excuse for wholesale slaughter. "Chlora says they are dangerous!" they would point out. "She says they kill people and know no mercy!" Spineless cowards. Wretched weeds that steal and twist the words of others because their own ring so hollow and false! I hate it. It drives me mad. But what else can I say? Armor Eaters exist, and who knows what else the Slimes will be able to create. To me, there is wonder in the ingenuity and adaptability, but I see the dangers they pose. As a dryad, a metal eater doesn't scare me that much, but a lot of people will be afraid. And fear can force many to do horrible things. At what point will people say "enough?" When will the public turn their views on Slimes from "pest" to "scourge?" I have already seen how the dragons have fared with such a reputation, and I fear it may be turned onto the Slimes next. Never would I want a species to stagnate or stop, as growth is always inevitable and needed. But the Slimes are unknowingly treading a very fine line, and I don't know what to do about it. Can I even do anything about? Can anything I say or write fix this sort of thing? Or am I just doomed to make it worse? Will my words inevitably be used to excuse atrocities, will my findings just encourage more death? I don't know. I don't know and it upsets me. I just want to study species and show the world the wonders of nature and all the things it holds. I wish it were that simple, but I cannot be that naive. What I find and tell shapes people's opinions, even if they listen to my words or not. And sometimes it feels like saying nothing may be better than saying anything at all, lest I give the worst people ammunition against a species that doesn't deserve such hate. But silence cannot fix things, we can't just close our eyes and pretend they don't exist. The Slimes are evolving, they are learning new things and creating new forms. We cannot deny it. Yet, I see this growth headed in a dangerous direction and a cynical part of me thinks no good can come from it.

I am rambling at this point. Forget it. Quills down. I don't think there is anything else I can reasonably say, and I may have already said too much. I will let Eucella decide if this useless entry should be put in or not.

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

Editor's Note: Though serious editing is needed in this entry, I can't really make the call if this should go in or not. I feel this is something that you know best. However, my expertise does tell me that someone needs a break and a breath. Lets arrange a visit to the tea gardens and we'll figure this out. We deal with this stuff together, no need to fight this alone. - Eucella -

------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I was gone away for so long, lets do another! Wooooo! Slimes!