Rustbugs

Rustbugs

rating: +11

11 votes (+11, -0) 5★

rating: +11+x

> Entity Classification

Aggressiveness 3/5 Rustbugs will only attack if provoked, but are very easy to irritate. When aggravated, they will pursue you for hundreds of meters.
Frequency 4/5 Rustbugs are common in the Padlock Passways, which is likely their native habitat. They can be found elsewhere in similar-enough habitats across many levels.
Intelligence 2/5 Rustbugs have very basic intelligence which matches the baseline creature they represent. Their senses, however, far surpass baseline crayfish.
Pritoria Index 3/5 Make an effort to avoid areas in which you can confirm their presence. Be it in the Padlock Passways or otherwise, they present a notable risk.

> Description

Rustbugs, known to the wanderers who have traveled the Padlock Passways, share similar biology and appearance to baseline rusty crayfish. Due to the lack of non-anomalous crayfish in the backrooms, they are often referred to as simply crayfish or crawfish. Rustbugs are territorial creatures. They defend their nests from intruders by charging and clawing at their targets. Once provoked, they are extremely difficult to escape.

Behaviours

Rustbugs live in packs for defense in numbers and reproduction, yet solitary scouts are often encountered searching for food. Mostly found in the Padlock Passways, they congregate in areas with plenty of standing water. Under lockers, inside lockers, and in the ceiling of the Padlock Passways are common nesting places.

Many human behaviors are registered as aggressive behavior to the rustbug which may trigger a response. Running near them (although not advised in their native level) may catch their attention. Making a substantial amount of noise applies as well. Although not always the case, being in a 1-2 meter distance of a rustbug may aggravate it regardless of one’s actions. Given their nature of hiding under, behind, or inside objects, wanderers must be aware of the possibility of aggravating one without knowing.

Although they move very slowly, they will continuously follow what provoked them for a large distance, even out of sight. This distance has been recorded to be about 90 meters on average, but each individual is different, and many will still slowly pursue even when over 400 meters away. Oftentimes, the bigger a rustbug is, the longer it will remain in pursuit. If encountered in the Padlock Passways, using the tiles as a measure of how far you are may save your life. The distance does not apply if you intend to wait it out in a barricaded space.

Biology

Rustbugs share the appearance and mostly the same biology as Rusty Crayfish. One distinct difference between the two would be the rustbug's venom, as well as their strange method of injecting it into their prey via their claws after clamping down on a target. Known as tetrodotoxin, it's the same extremely-potent toxin used by pufferfish in baseline. There is no known antidote, and a single dose of the venom from one attack is often deadly. Additionally, consumption of any part of a rustbug results in the effects of the venom, effectively making the rustbug venomous as well as poisonous.

Rustbugs decompose quickly and release toxic gas. Thus, rustbug remains are a hazard to avoid in themselves. These remains are not seen very often in the wild, as bacteria and any nearby carpet fluid quickly decompose the remains. The Padlock Passways seems to have evolved endemic microfauna to rapidly consume these resources.

The last major difference between rustbugs and their baseline counterparts are their size. Rustbugs are notably larger, being seen up to 9" in length.

Discovery

Rustbugs were presumably discovered shortly after the discovery of the Padlock Passways, their primary habitat. Based on their remains, including journals, it is believed that the exploration party that first entered the Padlock Passways were finished off by rustbugs after most of the group had succumbed to other hazards within the level. Since their original discovery in the Padlock Passways, small numbers of rustbugs have been found in other levels.

> Survival Guide

The ideal defense is to avoid provoking them. By maintaining awareness of your surroundings in the Padlock Passways you can easily spot them from a distance and prevent an encounter by avoiding the following triggers:

  • Approaching within a 1-2 tile/meter distance.
  • Generating excessive or loud noise.
  • Generating excessive vibration, such as by running or jumping.

If you are being followed, or suspect you are being followed, continue traveling as quickly as can be done safely in your environment. Do not attempt to kill rustbugs unless absolutely necessary, as this may alert others nearby. If you are forced to dispatch one, crush it entirely with a single strike from a blunt object. As a last resort, a swift stomp should suffice.

To escape this entity, it is strongly advised to move a minimum of 200 meters away from the point of the encounter. If cornered or otherwise unable to continue fleeing, a valid alternative is to take refuge within a bathroom and wait for at least 3 hours. Note that some individuals may be far more persistent, however, so exit your shelter with caution. Note that the entities are easily outpaced, being similarly slow to their baseline counterparts, and also that sprinting is extremely dangerous in the Padlock Passways. Move quickly to escape, but not at the expense of your footing.

Rustbugs are usually a minor threat when encountered outside of the Padlock Passways, but one should remain wary of their abilities regardless.

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