Ahoi Worm

Full Description

Found in an amazingly wide range of colors that vary from a painfully electric orange to a bruised hue of murky brown, these repellent organisms are completely flattened in shape, allowing them to wrap their infinitely flexible forms over the bodies of many species of aquatic creatures that are much larger than them such as fish or turtles. A highly useful function, this phenomenal stretching ability of the Ahoi worm enables it to latch its numerous orifices on the nearest living thing within reach and drain the unfortunate creature of blood until its voracious appetite is sated. To ensure that its host does not resist, its numerous feeding holes release a powerful toxin that is strong enough to immobilize a large crocodile for the duration of a few hours straight. Once this is accomplished, it burrows into the flesh of the immobilized prey with the aid of a vicious little spike that projects from its underside, and begins the process of depositing a large clutch of eggs in the cavity it has created. Then it detaches itself from the dazed animal and floats away, leaving its victim to recover from the ordeal.

But the eggs hatch following a period lasting no more than a couple of months. Upon doing so, they follow the example of their parents and attach themselves to the insides of their erstwhile incubator until they finally succeed in draining it of all its blood. After this fatal act of paratisim, they leave the wizened husk of the unfortunate animal though its rectal cavities.

The Ahoi worm is not native to our world. In the early stages of their aggressive campaigns of conquest against their closest neighbors, the Quarsooth encountered these ravenous invertebrates in the course of establishing a military base on Ahoi, an obscure swampy little planet that orbits their home-world. Intrigued by the worm's interesting habit of sustaining itself, some specimens were collected for the purpose of research. The results that arose from the eager effort channeled into this project, proved to be extremely satisfying for the Quarsooth. Enthralled by the ability of the worm to paralyze large animals, one of their brightest armourers devised the idea of using it at a tool to capture the precious host bodies of other sentient beings rather than resort to slaying them in a wasteful manner with lethal weapons. The result was a steel pistol that contained a hollow inner tube filled with fluid that housed an Ahoi worm. When the trigger was squeezed, the worm would be propelled outwards from the nozzle with great force, flying with great accuracy towards the target. Once contact was established, it would obey its natural instincts and release its toxin into the quarry, rendering him easy prey for capture.

To prevent an infestation of the host from taking place, an antidote was developed that would slay both the eggs and the parent. But that was no great loss, considering that these asexual things were able to breed quickly in laboratories.

The worm enabled weapon remains as the mainstay of the Quarsooth, though there is less need for its use now, given the policy of peaceful domination that they currently pursue.

Additional Information

Updated: http://www.strolen.com/content.php?node=2279

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