After advent, a Vice immediately begins feeding on the hormones excreted by the Host, preferring those present in high amounts during advent. Vices use these hormones for a wide variety of processes, most commonly contributing to the growth of its core during the larval stage and serving as the energy source of Branch initiation and subsequent augmentation and germination as it matures.
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The Vice’s network is its central energy management system, but it only begins establishment in early adolescence. In the larval stage, Vices are passive feeders, subsisting on hormones as they pass by the core. Some classifications, such as Beta Vices, have altered biology that help them feed more efficiently in this stage. Larval Zeta cores in particular are known for being able to attract hormones, acting more as a magnet than a static trap. Additionally, the --sigma subclass is capable of feeding on any and all hormones, even extending its palate to other bodily secretions, such as plasma and interstitial fluid. Learn more about these biological differences in Classifying Vices.
In order to fully grasp a Vice’s energy management, the core’s importance cannot be understated. The core is essentially the Vice itself, a pulsing, fleshy mass of intricate systems and mechanics. The core is the primary resource hoard, yes, but it is also the control center, directing resource distribution, prioritizing functions, and using its network to monitor environmental conditions.
In adolescence, a Vice will begin to establish its network throughout the Host’s body, using its tendril-like tracks to ensnare hormones over a broader surface area and feed more efficiently. These tracks gradually seek out hormones, often expanding to congregate around high-traffic areas such as the brain stem and pituitary gland.
While a core is dense enough to sustain Branches in its larval stage, it relies heavily on its network in adolescence and maturity, which allows it to perform multiple functions at once. Vices use their network to transport energy and resources to and from the core, fueling Branches, increasing their monitoring capabilities, and even scouting for potential rumina. In addition to the role it plays in feeding, the network is also the path that the core expands along during augmentation. The core can only expand so far until germination progress is required to guide its augmentation.
While the majority of energy is stored in the core, the network is also able to hoard pockets of energy to further fuel Branches and augmentation. These pockets are typically stored in junctions in the network where the VN has branched in many directions and grown a thick outer layer of protection. VG cannot be released from junctions, but in return, these energy pockets are shielded from AV or other immune responses.
In summation, Vices cannot thrive without their network. While the core is the powerhouse, the network is what allows the core to expand during augmentation and set the stage for dispersion. The network and all its capabilities are explored in further detail below.
Once a Vice reaches adolescence, it will begin to establish its network, a mycelium-like collection of tracks that branch throughout the Host’s body, originating from the Vice core. These tracks are densely-packed vitiumnexa (VN) that transport hormones and VG.
New tracks are extremely fluid and easily damaged but become thicker as the network becomes more established. While the primary purpose of tracks is to monitor surroundings and send nutrients back to the core, it is also the nutrient-rich path that the core expands along during a Branch. Tracks typically follow blood vessels and are able to phase through the endothelium to ensnare passing hormones.
As the network grows and new tracks branch off of older ones, these junctions begin to form a thick, calloused outer skin that shields the VN and VG inside. Though not impenetrable, it takes much higher concentrations of AV to damage these junctions, and as a result, Vices tend to hoard VG and hormones in these areas, often causing extrusion and drape blights. These are most commonly found adhering to ligaments and surrounding joints. Because of this, well-established networks can present as joint pain and bodily fatigue, even going so far as to restrict range of motion in extreme cases.
Tracks are not limited to the Hosts body and often extend beyond the body to monitor external conditions. These external tracks are known as stolons. Common Vices with low threat levels typically do not have a stolon, but those with a higher threat level can have multiple.
While the network is predominantly internal, as a Vice matures, it can have a handful of tracks outside of the Host’s body—called stolons—that can extend up to a quarter mile in extreme cases. These external tracks do not interfere with the environment and cannot be interacted with, unless one wields a patch. New stolons are generally sparse and used primarily to monitor their environment for potential Branch triggers.
Most Vices have one or two stolons at a time. While VG is small enough to phase through our pores, as a concentrated stolon that also contains a VG barrier, they require larger orifices to enter the environment, such as the ears, nostrils, or mouth. Stolons are not felt by the Host, nor are they painful or uncomfortable at this stage due to their sparse makeup. But as the Vice matures and stolons become more established, these can begin to hold a presence. For example, Hosts have reported an uncharacteristic tautness to their mouth or an inexplicably stuffy nose.
In addition to monitoring their environment and scouting for potential environmental triggers, in some classifications, these stolons also spend their time hunting for a suitable organic mass to infect and establish a rumen, an external energy reserve.
While Vices are capable of storing small amounts of excess energy in the core, it is typically a limited amount and best suited for initiating standard Branches. The circumstances that result in a rumen are simultaneously calculated and hinge on luck; for this reason, rumina tend to be relatively rare. Though, as Vice intelligence continues to trend upward, rumina are becoming more common.
Vices use stolons—elongated, external tracks—to scout for energy-rich organic matter, most commonly in the form of freshly deceased vermin. If detected, the stolon will attach to the mass, which prompts the core to send a small, but steady stream of VG through the stolon to colonize the mass and act as a beacon if the connection is lost. Stolons, during this time, remain flexible and do not funnel out too many resources, as the Host is likely to stray outside of the stolon’s reach, causing it to detach. If the Host returns to the designated radius of where the beacon was set, the Vice will attempt to reattach.
If a Host remains within the radius for roughly two weeks—though, this time frame is flexible between classifications—the Vice will begin funneling excessive amounts of VG to colonize the mass and begin altering its form to mimic the core and become a rumen. Because the tissue is not alive, a new Vice is not created; rather, a non-sentient “copy” of the Vice is established. All auxiliary stolons are re-routed to the rumen to reinforce the attached stolon, creating a singular track that is much more rigid and less likely to break. In extreme cases and in instances of higher traffic, this dense stolon can be seen with Parsing Goggles or even with the naked eye. Note that some Vices are able to camouflage their network, including their stolon, known as --omicron Vices. Some Hosts are even able to feel the stolon in the form of a stuffy nose, blocked ears, or sore throat.
Over time, and as more resources are deposited, the rumen begins to resemble its core, becoming a pile of dark, pulsing flesh that emanates the smells present at advent. Long-standing rumina have been known to develop simple eye-like growths that help monitor the goings-on around them. While these growths do not literally “see” they do help monitor environmental fluctuations and can sense movement or changes in light and temperature. Bone, teeth, and nails from the original carcass are likely to shift within the rumen as it grows and are sometimes visible in its thick outer skin. In extremely established rumina, these organs can sometimes begin to resemble those of the Host.
Rumina are not ambulatory, though larger masses tend to pulsate as they internally redirect their energy reserves. Some have also been known to stretch or contract in response to stimuli. They are not sentient like the core, and information is not stored in rumina.
A rumen is created as an external energy reserve that can be used to supplement feeding, but they are most commonly used to fuel explosive core growth during an advantageous Branch. When the Vice initiates a Branch near an established rumen, the Vice core will “suck” the contents of the rumen into the Host’s compromised body using the stolon. It tends to enter the Host’s system through orifices, such as the mouth, nose, or ears. This transportation can be interrupted by those outside of the Branch by summoning a patch to destroy the remaining rumen or sever the stolon.
Most Vices that do deign to establish a rumen do so multiple times throughout their life cycle, with more mature Vices being able to manage multiple rumen at once. All rumina must maintain connection to the core through its stolon, and any disruptions in connection can trigger the rumen to begin disintegrating. While this stolon is not rigid in a literal sense, the further a Host strays from an established rumen, the more strain the stolon puts on a Vice’s network, and by extension, the Host’s body. This is often observed in complaints of exhaustion, inexplicable body aches, and lack of motivation. The closer the Host gets to the stolon’s limit, the more inexplicable pain and exhaustion is inflicted. Sharp headaches and aching joints are common complaints.
If the Host strays too far from the rumen, the stolon will snap or detach, rendering the rumen temporarily unusable. If the Host returns to frequenting the area where the rumen was established—and not too much of it has disintegrated—the Vice can reattach the rumen to its core using its stolon.
When a rumen detaches from its core or if a rumen is destroyed, a burst of VG is released, the frayed stolon and disintegrating rumen spewing VG into the environment. Because there is no longer a drain on their system, Hosts often feel a sudden, inexplicable increase in energy that, in some cases, can be disorienting or nauseating. The increased level of VG in the surrounding environment tends to agitate or excite Vices nearby, often spawning rogue Branches. This process floods the surrounding environment with VG and aids in the reproduction of Vices.
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Throughout a Vice’s life cycle, growth can be monitored using regular VG Management Scans (VGMS). These scans inform agents of the core density and size and can highlight any Vice activity between Branches or treatment.
Learn MoreIn the event of a located rumen, a Branch Administrator can facilitate both the detachment and destruction of a rumen. These fleshy masses can cause rogue Branches, inexplicable illness and unease, even electrical outages. Site cleanup will also commence after the rumen’s destruction.
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