Waxmite
Waxmites are a small gastropod species found deep within Razhea Capita's Underworld. With no skeletal system, these slug-like creatures can squeeze into gaps less than two centimetres in width. They are the size of a razhean, possessing a pair of long, hook-like teeth that allows them to swallow prey five times their size.
These animals cope in an almost pitch-black environment. Light rarely reaches the Underworld; most creatures navigate using other senses. Waxmites can sense the smallest of vibrations, allowing them to pinpoint the location of prey.
Waxmites get their name from the thick, waxy mucus they trail behind. While it is risky, a small handful of people in the Underworld gather this mucus and sell it in the form of candles. When set alight the mucus releases endorphins into the atmosphere.
Apex Predators
It is almost impossible to escape a hungry swarm of waxmites. These animals squeeze through the tiniest of gaps and slither at speeds of up to thirty miles per hour.
Luckily it is hard to achieve those speeds when navigating the Underworld, as there are abandoned buildings, giant structural pillars, and crumbling platforms to navigate all at once.
Waxmites have no predators thanks to their excellent defense strategies. Firstly, their bodies are almost entirely made of a poisonous fat, fatal if even touched. Secondly, if any predators get too close to a waxmite, they vibrate their jaws and create a shrill clattering sound, which can cause minor tremors and dislodge broken infrastructure hanging high above the Underworld.
Scary slug bois. Imagine thinking you're safe and one of those things just squeezes through the gap under your door.
Explore Etrea | March of 31 Tales
I bet homes in the Underworld are some of the most secure on the planet xD
THE SKY IS BURNING, THE WORLD IS DROWNING. THERE IS NO ESCAPE. THE SLUGS COME FOR US ALL. SUBMIT.