Slick

Slicks are one of the most terrifying and infamous inhabitants of The Depths beneath Deep City on Mallikai III. These towering, mutated remnants of the low-caste Sluggo laborers now stand 10–12 feet tall, their bodies twisted by uncontrolled Omega Radiation leaking from reactor cores. Slicks are blind, grotesquely muscular, and possess enormous toad-like maws capable of swallowing a Human whole.

Their name comes from the thick mucus trails they leave behind, which coat machinery, tunnels, and the edges of subterranean reservoirs.

Origins

Slicks were once Sluggo of the lowest caste, forced into the Depths as expendable maintenance workers and reactor laborers. When Omega Radiation spills occurred, many workers were quickly evacuated—but some could not be retrieved.

Those left behind:

• mutated rapidly
• lost their eyesight
• grew massively in size
• developed extreme aggression
• began hunting anything that moved

Within weeks, the first Slick attacks were recorded.

Biology

Slicks are biological catastrophes—unstable but powerful.

Physical Traits

• 10–12 feet tall, sometimes more when fully extended
• Massive barrel-shaped bodies filled with mutated muscle tissue
• Enormous circular maw lined with jagged, irregular teeth
• No eyes—they navigate using sound, vibration, and chemical detection
• Long, powerful forelimbs used to grab prey
• Constant secretion of thick, slick mucus
• Elastic stomach walls that expand to hold large prey

The mucus is:

• acidic
• antimicrobial
• extremely slippery
• able to dissolve certain metals

This makes Slick trails hazardous and often corrosive.

Sensory Adaptation

Slicks are blind but track prey through:

• echolocation-like throat pulses
• vibration sensitivity
• heat gradients
• chemical scent tracking

Their ability to detect living creatures is extraordinarily sharp—even silent intruders rarely escape notice.

Regeneration

Omega Radiation left Slicks with extreme regenerative capabilities, allowing them to:

• heal deep cuts within hours
• recover from burns
• regenerate lost tissue
• survive severe trauma

This makes killing a Slick extremely difficult.

Behavior

Slick behavior is driven by primal hunger and territorial dominance.

Aggression

They aggressively attack anything:

• warm
• moving
• alive

Slicks prefer:

• Humans
• Sluggo
• Troll young (rare but recorded)
• Smaller Depths fauna

They avoid:

• bright light
• sustained high heat
• powerful reactor sound-cycling

Though they fear light less than Trolls, intense illumination disorients them.

Movement

Slicks move with surprising speed, sliding on mucus layers or lumbering in heavy quadrupedal bursts. Their footsteps produce a recognizable thudding “wet impact” that echoes through tunnels.

Communal Behavior

Though not social, Slicks sometimes inhabit overlapping territories near:

• water reservoirs
• steam vents
• flooded machinery rooms

Their proximity suggests opportunistic coexistence rather than cooperation.

Habitat

Slicks prefer areas with:

• abundant water access
• warm temperatures
• minimal light
• decaying machinery
• reactor runoff

Common locations include:

• reservoir edges
• flooded reactor chambers
• collapsed coolant caverns
• abandoned Sluggo work camps

The combination of moisture and warmth allows their mucus to spread and renew easily.

Interaction With Other Depths Species

With Trolls

Slicks and Trolls avoid each other when possible. Conflicts occur when:

• food is scarce
• territorial overlap happens
• Slicks encroach on Troll camps

Trolls can injure Slicks, but rarely kill them.

With Kantikor

Slicks often kill and consume Kantikor, though Kantikor occasionally fight back successfully. Kantikor territory usually shifts away from large Slick nesting regions.

With Surface-Dwellers

Deep City residents fear Slick incursions above all else. Recorded behaviors include:

• attacking unlit scavengers
• entering Grottos during power outages
• dragging victims into flooded tunnels

Bright light or heavy machinery noise typically forces retreat.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Virtually nothing is known. No Slick corpses have been recovered, nor have eggs or offspring.

Theories include:

• Slicks are sterile and immortal mutations
• They regenerate continuously instead of reproducing
• They reproduce in water using unseen larval stages
• Reactor furnaces have destroyed biological evidence

Until a dead Slick is recovered, their life cycle remains a mystery.

Cultural Impact

Slicks are the boogeymen of Mallikai III, used in:

• cautionary tales
• Deep City warnings
• industrial hazard signage
• Sluggo folklore

Many Sluggo consider Slicks “cursed ancestors,” a grim reminder of their caste’s exploitation.

See Also

• The Depths
• Mallikai III
• Sluggo
• Troll (Mallikai III)
• Kantikor