Slime Ball
Slime Balls are an extremely cute invasive species adored and despised across the Fractured Skies. Although their island of origin is unknown, in the last century they have appeared on every island that receives even moderate Sky Ship traffic.
Capable of reproducing at an incredible rate, most societies view these creatures as pests that, if left unchecked, could eat an island to death in a period of months. Unfortunately, once introduced into an environment, they prove to be almost impossible to completely destroy. Novice adventures on every island often cut their teeth hunting for Slime Balls, managing their ever-exploding population.
Slime Ball primary mode of motion is bouncing, which they do quite well. They can also crawl along surfaces, even vertically, but this is much slower than their bouncing.
The only way to truly kill a Slime Ball is burning them with fire, freezing them with cold magic, or blasting them with electricity.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The average Slime Ball is roughly 0.3 meters wide, and a little under 0.2 meters tall. While perfectly circular in a vacuum (or when jumping), gravity distorts their shape, squishing them slightly.
Their bodies are comprised of mildly acidic slime of varying colour. That colour is determined by the environment in which they live and the things they consume. Slimes that eat mainly grass on islands like Plenty tend to turn green, while slimes who absorb ash and soot on islands like Molten Heart tend to turn grey and black. Very occasionally, extremely rare golden Slime Balls can be found (although the conditions which cause this colouration are currently unknown).
The only feature of their body is a small flap which resembles a cartoonish exaugurated cat mouth. These "smiling cat mouths" conceal a small pocket of air, with which the slime is somehow able to produce a "nyum" noise. The evolutionary purpose for this feature is the subject of furious academic debate. Additionally, Slime Balls let out a noise from this pouch that sounds suspiciously like burping.
Biological Traits
Sometimes, Slime Balls which develop in extreme environments gain unique powers that distinguish them from other members of their species. For example, Slime Balls on some islands with fire Elemental Attunement have been known to explode upon death.
Genetics and Reproduction
Slime Balls notoriously reproduce faster than rabbits, and do so via mitosis. Once a Slime Ball has consumed enough material, it divides in two, producing a second, identical Slime Ball. The time necessary to gather enough materials for this process varies due to access to food to consume, but a well fed Slime Ball can divide about once a week.
Alternatively, more insidious method of reproduction of the Slime Ball occurs whenever one is killed. Unless properly cleaned, the ruminants of a slain Slime Ball, if left on easily consumable edible matter (say grass, fabrics, or meat), will slowly start to regrow into one or more Slime Balls (based on how much edible material is available). This process takes roughly six to seven hours. Many adventures have woken up from a long rest to find a few fully grown Slime Balls in the place of yesterdays dirty clothes (along with all their other garments).
Growth Rate & Stages
Slime Balls grow very quickly, often in proportion to the amount of food available.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Slime Balls are hyper omnivores, consuming any biological mater and converting it into fuel. Given enough time, they can dissolve anything organic (although this process can take a number of hours or even days).
Slime Balls will often pick up small bits of non-organic matter to carry with them. What carry seems to be somewhat intentional, as they can easily expel any foreign object from their bodies at will (often spitting them out of their mouth-like pocket). The trinkets they pick up are often gold coins, shiny rocks, or little metal tools. Rarely, you might even find a potion vial hanging suspended in their porous bodies.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Slime Balls seem to congregate together, both for hunting and for social reasons. Researchers have often observed groups of Slime Balls (which are called "drips") crirping "nyum"s at each other while engaging in playful tackling. Bouncing off of each other seems to be the most common form of affection for Slime Balls, which also happens to be how they attack their prey.
Slime Balls have some kind of subservient relationship to Slime Kings, a variant of their species that is produced when exactly twelve Slime Balls merge together. The specifics of this relationship are unclear.
Domestication
Some people view Slime Balls as adorable creatures to be protected, not annihilated. The Slime Preservation Society, founded on the island of Skyhome by the heir of a wealthy merchant, is dedicated to the preservation of Slime Balls across the Fractured Skies. The group fervently opposes the "kill on sight" stance of most Sky governments, deeming the continued extermination of these creatures as an ongoing genocide.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Slime Balls can be harvested and converted into an effective acid.
Average Intelligence
The intelligence of Slime Balls is a matter of furious debate. They seem to have some kind of social structure, but also show little to no problem-solving abilities. As a species, they are completely driven by their need to eat and procreate (like any other animal). Occasionally, when in the presence of a Slime King (a larger, more aggressive Slime Ball) they tend to act a little more aggressively and use more strategy when they attack.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Slime Balls lack any kind of traditional sensory organs, but somehow are able to perceive anything within a nine meter radius around them. Outside of that range, however, they appear to only be able to sense loud noises.
Lifespan
Unknown. Assumed infinite.
Conservation Status
No. No. Absolutely not. Kill on sight, dear Titans. They will eat the world.
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