N̶i̶k̶u̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶t̶o̶m̶o̶d̶a̶c̶h̶i̶? part 2 RTSP (Credit if used)

Instructions

N - Spriggiku & Parvancoriku I - Nikalathus K - Charniku U - Tullydomo LORE: Approximately one month after the initial abnormal sightings of these Nikuodomo, the severity of the situation escalated significantly. Red, flesh trenches began spreading across ocean floors at a rate previously considered impossible. Vast expanses of crimson growth became visible from the surface, with masses of organic tissue seeping into coastal sands and tinting surrounding waters a deep red. The spread appeared most aggressive in proximity to offshore infrastructure, particularly oil rigs and other metallic structures. This resulted in widespread disruption to extraction operations, as the flesh rapidly overgrew and compromised critical systems. Consequently, global shortages of oil and mineral resources began to emerge. Analysis of samples collected from Nikuodomo growths particularly at the base of oil rig supports where they met the seabed revealed unusually high concentrations of absorbed minerals. These findings indicated that the living seabed was actively consuming oil reserves and other valuable resources. This development triggered widespread backlash from mining and petroleum industries, as their most valuable assets were effectively being appropriated by the expanding biomass. Journalists and critics frequently described the phenomenon as a form of environmental retribution. Meanwhile, ecologists and environmental activists expressed growing concern over the long-term ecological consequences of such rapid and uncontrolled expansion. Religious responses were divided. Some groups condemned the Nikuodomo as unnatural or unholy, warning against further integration into human environments. Others interpreted their emergence as an expression of divine will. Despite these reactions, public and institutional concerns had little immediate impact on policy. The Japanese government, in collaboration with defence engineers and the Minister of Defence, began actively considering further integration of Nikuodomo into national infrastructure, viewing them as a means of strengthening their envisioned utopian systems. Within a week of global awareness of the Nikuodomo’s spread, researchers identified four new variants within a trench located near Fukushima. This site would soon become known as “Fukushima’s Flesh Trench.” The first two newly identified variants shared many traits with the original Nikuodomo soft-bodied, low to the ground, and drawn instinctively toward metal. However, instead of resembling Dickinsonia, these variants bore closer resemblance to other Precambrian lifeforms, such as Parvancorina and Spriggina. However, unlike the earlier forms, they did not remain passive annoyance. Observed clusters would latch onto exposed metal and begin to tear into it and within minutes, fine, thread-like "spores" were implanted into the damaged surface. These spores spread rapidly, branching outward in web-like patterns, seeding the structure with organic growth. Once established, the spread was relentless. Ships reported hull degradation within days. Offshore rigs, already struggling against the encroaching flesh, found their structural integrity compromised at an accelerating rate. Steel weakened. Systems failed. Entire installations became overrun not by force, but by infiltration. The remaining variants proved far more difficult to classify. Where the first resembled distorted echoes of ancient animals, these seemed to blur the boundary between organism and environment. The first was elongated, almost worm-like, its body anchored to the flesh-covered seabed. At its upper end sat a “head” shaped vaguely like an inverted trapezium. Along each of its four sides rested a single eye, unblinking, facing outward in all directions. At the top, a circular mouth opened and closed slowly, consuming anything in the water. Hair-like structures covered much of its head, swaying gently with unseen currents, extending down to where it fused seamlessly with the living substrate below. The second variant was even stranger. It grew in vast, dense fields entire plains of growth rising from the flesh-covered ocean floor. At a distance, they resembled underwater vegetation, swaying in unison like kelp forests or seagrass beds. But they were not plants. Analysis revealed that these organisms actively filtered decaying organic matter from the surrounding water. Dead tissue both natural and Nikuodomo-derived was drawn in, broken down, and reprocessed. In regions where these growths were dense, water clarity improved noticeably. Biology reports and marine life activity reports revealed that most of the native marine life were not severely affected by the spread, as the flesh regulated their own expansion, preventing total disruption of existing life. (lore is continued in Notes and Credits)