Description (Healing Blade Lore)
Staphylococcus saprophyticus are devious creatures that take up residence in the lower part of the aqueduct, often disrupting its flow and causing severe pain to the inhabitants in the water and near the shore. Special molecular transporters on the scales of their lower bodies allow them to thrive in the variable conditions of the lower aqueduct, such as the changing acidity and increasing concentrations of waste near the southern exits, while enzymes in their cells are able to metabolize some of those waste products for energy.
Traveling in close-knit groups, they can find their way to the Southern Dam via multiple routes, but are notorious for swimming up from the Second Southern Opening. They can also travel to Soma’s filtration center, which only serves to further aggravate the ebb and flow of the aqueduct, and can leach into the river systems, where they cause abnormal aggregations of the oxygen-transporting fish.
S. saprophyticus avoid being simply flushed through the aqueduct by latching onto the aqueduct walls with their serpentine tentacles. They are thus not easily removed by Soma’s Noble Sentry, though they are susceptible to the counterattacks of a handful of Apothecaries, including Ciprofloxacin and Ampicillin. Resistance to other Apothecary fighters has arisen, however, likely due to the sharing of genetic material with related Lords. Interestingly, S. saprophyticus often inhibit infections by other Pestilence Agents.