Entity Number: 152
Habitat(s): Level 4801
Entity 152, also known as 'Xeroxes', are typically docile creatures that take the form of various products found in Level 480.
Description:
Xeroxes are shape-shifting entities which spend most of their time hibernating among the different products found in Level 480. They primarily prey on the occasional unfortunate Wanderer, though they may also attack the other entities which reside in Level 480.
It is impossible to deduce what a Xerox's true form and size is, since they are constantly changing to hide among new products.2 Some reports claim that juvenile instances are unable to change their form for the first few days that they are alive, stating that they are shrivelled, tennis-ball sized crustaceous creatures, with a darkened orange colouration. Since exploration of Xerox nesting areas in Level 480 is not attempted very often, and the nesting areas themselves are hard to come by, the validity of these reports is hard to verify.
Xeroxes of different heritages do not tend to hide close to each other, or even within the same general area. This is theorized to occur due to territorial conflicts, or fighting that may occur over prey. This makes it so that it is very unlikely to encounter two Xeroxes in close proximity.
Behaviours:
Xeroxes lead a fairly solitary lifestyle which consists of two periods: A hunting period and a hibernation period.
The hunting period
During the hunting period, Xeroxes hide in accessible areas to further increase their chances of being touched by living beings, and they lull themselves into a sleeping state to decrease their overall movement, which helps conceal their true nature.
When they are awoken (Sometimes randomly, without interference), they emerge from their position; screaming loudly to temporarily stun their attacker, and also to attract any entities that may be lurking about to the scene. Their screams have been recorded to reach magnitudes of up to 180Db, which can cause permanent damage, unconsciousness, and instant death to any nearby attackers.
Depending on the number of entities that are attracted to the scene, Xeroxes will react with one of two outcomes:
- If a large number of entities is attracted to the scene, they will go back into their previous position and wait for the prey to either succumb to the entities, or to fight through them. If the prey survives, they will simply stay in their position in wait of a new subject.
- If a low number of entities is attracted to the scene, they will go out of their position, and will assist the entities in killing the prey. If the entities are all killed by the prey, and the Xerox is the last entity remaining, they will flee the scene, retracting their fangs and manifesting more appendages to escape as quick as possible.
In both outcomes, if the attacker is killed, they will wait to see if any other entities contest for the corpse. If none do so, they feed on the corpse and begin the next phase of the cycle.
The hibernation period
Very little is known about the hibernation period as is known about the hunting one. After the feeding, Xeroxes will move themselves to a harder to reach area, such as a taller part of a shelf or an air vent that may be nearby. There, they will produce their offspring.
After doing this, the adult Xerox spends a considerably large amount of time in a state of deep sleep, presumably to recover from producing children, whilst the offspring grow closer to becoming adults. It is currently unknown how the offspring sustain themselves nutritionally, or if they need to at all, and it is unknown how much offspring are produced with each reproduction cycle.
When all the offspring grow up into adults, the parent Xerox awakens from it's hibernation and resumes the hunting period. The offspring do the same thing, and the cycle continues.
Biology:
Physically, Xeroxes are not very strong. Analysis of dead instances have shown that they are made of a brittle, cartilage-like substance. It is extremely flexible, but succumbs quickly to pressure and blunt trauma, and can also change colouration depending on what it touches in the same way a chameleon's skin does.
When a Xerox is alive, it can change the shape of the substance as well, but when the instance is dead, the tissue does not exhibit the same property, remaining instead in the same position and shape as the previous form it had taken before expiration.
According to its needs, this cartilage can be manifested into appendages or wings, and in some reports, gills.3 This means that Xeroxes have a high adaptability to their environment, whatever that may be. This is their only advantage when it comes to mobility, as other than this, they generally lack greatly in it.
A Xerox's primary method of attacking is its fangs. When agitated, Xeroxes release a number of extremely powerful fangs, which can easily puncture human skin. They can also squirt out a sticky, spit-like substance from their mouths, which whilst not deadly, incapacitates any minor agitators that may fall victim to it. When used against larger beings, such as humans, it does not pose any threat and is instead simply a temporary deterrent used when fleeing the scene.
When a Xerox is attacking its prey, it loses the ability to change shape and add appendages. This occurs due to the fact that when attacking, Xeroxes release high amounts of adrenaline, which stiffens their bodies and makes it so they cannot shapeshift. During this phase, Xeroxes are much easier to damage and catch, but are also more deadly to make close contact with.
Perhaps most shocking of all discoveries made from analysis of Xeroxes is that pertaining to their pharynx. The organ is specialised to create the screams that Xeroxes are so notorious for, but if it was used in a correct manner, it would also be able to produce vocalisations and speech. However, since Xeroxes do not have the sufficient intelligence to do so currently, they have yet to vocalise any manner of speech or vocalisations other than screams.
So far, all testing with dead instances has shown no sexual differences, and Xeroxes are considered asexually reproducing hermaphrodites.
Do's and Don'ts:
Do:
- Avoid the products on Level 480, or any places where you suspect Xeroxes may be in.
- If you can afford to fight it, attempt to bash a Xerox to a pulp to minimize the chances of it actually harming you.
- Run away as soon as you encounter a Xerox.
Don't:
- Provoke what you may suspect is a Xerox for cheap thrills.
- Ignore a Xerox that may be following you.
- Let yourself be overwhelmed by entities whilst undergoing a Xerox attack.