WARNING: This story contains scenes of plant vore and detailed digestion. If this is not your thing, then stop reading now. You have been warned!

Disclaimer: I do not own Wildstar. Wildstar is the property of NCSOFT and Carbine Studios.

The Nature of Science

Minion... A dangerous but essential job to the Chua science community. It not only saved real scientists from having to perform mundane tasks, but also served to weed out the stupid and unworthy. If one wanted to make it big as a Chua scientist, it was like a rite of passage; One where failure often meant a painful death.

Zelix had always dreamed of being a scientist; What Chua didn't? He just needed to survive his employment as a minion and he'd be kicking it with the big wigs in no time. His heart fluttered in his chest a little as he approached the assignment board. As long as he was assigned to one of the more reasonable (by Chua standards) masters, he should be okay. His eyes scanned the display, which listed who each minion had been assigned to.

Finally he spotted his name... His ears drooped and his heart sank as he read the name of the scientist he would be serving, Nefarious Maximus. Being a minion was never a safe job, but Nefarious had a particular reputation for "losing" his minions. Some Chua looked at Zelix and shook their heads, already seeing him as dead. Others outright pointed and laughed at him while a few breathed sighs of relief knowing that they would not be serving under Nefarious.

Zelix cursed his luck. The odds of serving under Nefarious were 86,315,200 to 1. He only had two options now. He could abandon the position, but that would mean living a life of humiliation and shame. Or he could face an almost certain demise at the paws of a mad scientist. Zelix wasn't ready to give up on his dream just yet. He would beat the odds; He would survive Nefarious; And then he would get revenge on all those naysayers who said he would never amount to anything!

With renewed determination, Zelix stomped off. He made his way through the twisted metal corridors of the building, heading for Nefarious's lab. He didn't know much about Nefarious outside of various rumors he had heard. One such rumor stated that Nefarious had genetically engineered an amphibious bio-weapon for the Dominion, while another rumor said that he had wiped out an entire village of Lopp on a distant planet. Zelix had never put much stock in these rumors; He was a Chua of science, he believed in facts and figures. But there was one thing about Nefarious that was fact; Every Chua that had ever entered his lab was never heard from again.

Finally Zelix reached a pair of large steel doors. He pressed a button on a small intercom beside the door.

After a few moments of static, a voice came through "What you want?! I'm busy!" Nefarious's voice bellowed through the intercom.

"Zelix, reporting for duty." Zelix responded, hardly phased by Nefarious's less than hospitable welcome.

"Oh?" Nefarious replied, taking on a much more interested tone "Wait there! Be down soon." he instructed.

Zelix waited for about a minute before the sound of servos and gears could be heard and the giant doors began to slide open. Standing on the other side of the door was a diminutive, red furred Chua with large furry ears. The Chua looked Zelix up and down while stroking the goatee on his chin.

"Good, you just in time. Come in." Nefarious instructed.

Zelix obeyed, entering the scientist's lab, the large steel doors sliding closed behind him. It was nothing like Zelix expected. Where as most Chua labs were full of metal, electronics, and tools; Nerfarious's lab was full of soil plots, lamps, and plants. Not the kind of thing a Chua normally liked. Though Zelix did have to admit, it was a rather impressive collection of species. Plants from all over the galaxy lined the soil and walls. They entered a section of the lab that seemed to be dedicated to the flora of Nexus. Plants from Wilderun seemed particularly prominent.

"Why you have so many plants? What good are plants to Chua?" Zelix questioned.

Nefarious stopped in his tracks and for a moment Zelix though he might have crossed the line by questioning Nefarious's research. But Nefarious just turned around and gave him an unsettling smile.

"You lack imagination." Nefarious stated "Tell me, what do Aurin love more than anything?"

"Nature?" Zelix answered hesitantly, wondering if this was a trick question.

"Exactly!" Nefarious exclaimed "Now imagine look on stupid Aurin faces when nature turn against them!"

Now that Zelix looked around he did notice that most of the plant specimens were either poisonous or carnivorous. What was Nefarious planning? He continued to follow Nefarious into another section of the lab. This section was filled with plants Zelix had never even seen before. Some looked like larger variations of the plants in the previous section, while others appeared to be entirely new species. So this was Nefarious's game; He was genetically engineering killer plants to turn on the Aurin. Although Zelix would have preferred good old fashion lasers and plasma, he had to admit that there was a delicious irony to what Nefarious had planned.

They stopped at a particularly large specimen. Zelix wandered in front of Nefarious as he stared up at the plant before him. It was a massive flower with deep purple petals and a thick stem. Deflated sac-like protrusions grew from various locations along the length of its stem. Zelix's nose twitched as a sickly sweet scent reached his face. The smell made him feel more relaxed and complacent.

"Impressive, yes?" Nefarious asked, drawing Zelix's attentions back to him "Took months of research to create and even longer to grow. Needs lots of food to stay healthy. You have very important job. You will feed my plant."

"Okay, where plant food?" Zelix asked, looking back and forth for anything that resembled plant food.

Nefarious laughed at him "Stupid minion; You not give plant food; You ARE plant food!" he said, a wicked grin forming on his face.

Before Zelix could react, something pulled his feet back out from under him, causing him to fall face first to the floor. Zelix quickly recovered from his daze, to find that he was being dragged away from Nefarious. He looked back and saw that vines had wrapped around each of his ankles. His eyes trailed the vines back to their source and what he found sent a chill down his spine. The large flower had bent its stem down towards him and vines were extending from the center of its petals, the very same vines that were grasping his ankles.

Zelix began to claw at the ground, hoping to escape the tugging vines, but all they did was leave scratch marks on the metal floor. It wasn't until he reached the soil that he actually managed to gain purchase and stop his advance.

"Help!" Zelix yelled at Nefarious.

"And let months of research go to waste? I think not." Nefarious responded without pity.

Zelix's eyes grew wide "You-You can't do this!"

"I can do anything for the sake of science." Nefarious retorted " And your death will provide much valuable data towards the advancement of science."

Frustrated by its lack of progress, the flower released more vines from its maw, which wrapped around Zelix's arms, waist, and tail. With the added force of the extra vines, Zelix was once again on his way towards the flower's maw. Zelix began to spout all manner of insults and profanity at Nefarious, but the red furred Chua was unphased. He simply continued to observe the event with interest.

Soon Zelix was hoisted into the air by the vines, pulling him up towards the hungry plant. But before he reached the plant's mouth, the vines stopped. The flower released several smaller vines that wormed their way under Zelix's clothes. A few moments later, the tearing of fabric could be heard as the vines tore Zelix's clothes from his body.

"Oh?!" Nefarious watched with fascination "Specimen shows remarkable increase in intelligence since its last meal. Has learned to remove non-digestible materials from prey." he said excitedly.

Zelix was not as excited out this development. He didn't like being treated like a test subject; Especially when the experiment involved him being eaten by an oversized house plant. This was made apparent by his fruitless struggles as he flailed around in the air, trying to claw at the vines that were restraining him.

With their job done, the smaller vines retreated back into the mouth, and the plant resumed consuming its prey. Zelix's long tail was first to enter the flowers maw. It was damp and slimy inside the plant's stem, allowing Zelix's body to slide in with ease. Zelix's feet were next, followed by his waist. In one last act of desperation, Zelix pressed his paws against the flower's petals in an attempt to halt his advance. His muscles strained as the vines tugged relentlessly on his waist and feet. On top of that, the aroma that the flower was emitting made him feel weak and lethargic. It wasn't long before his arms buckles are were pulled to his side as as his upper body slid into the plant. With only his head sticking out of the flower petals, he gave Nefarious one last pleaing look for help. But he knew it wouldn't come; Chua were not exactly known for their compassion. Nefarious gave him a sadistic grin and a wave goodbye as Zelix's head was slurped into the flower's stem.

With its meal fully consumed, the plant returned itself to the upright position. A small lump was visible in its stem, gradually descending towards the base of the plant. Nefarious just watched with excitement as the lump descended down the plant's stem. No matter how many times he watched it, it always fascinated him to watch his specimen feed. Nefarious couldn't help but get excited by the thought of the plant melting down its prey into nutrients to fuel its own growth. And the best part was that it would be a slow and painful process for the victim.

Zelix continued his journey down the plant's stem. He was soaked head to tail in a sweet smelling fluid that allowed him to slide effortlessly down the flower's stem. Any attempts to struggle proved futile. He could hardly move within the tight confines of the plant's stem. Finally the vines' tugging came to a stop. Zelix heard a slurping sound in front of him before the vines pushed him forward into a slightly more open chamber. The vines unraveled from his body and retreated back through the opening which squelched shut behind them.

The chamber Zelix found himself in now was slightly translucent, allowing light to seep in, but he couldn't make out anything outside. He looked around the chamber he had been deposited in. It appeared to simply be a sac of membrane used to hold prey. That was when Zelix remembered the sac-like protrusions he had seen along the stem. The plant must have dropped him off in one for safe keeping.

Nefarious watched as the lump was pushed into one of the many sacs lining its stem. It was a sac designed to hold smaller prey, so Nefarious could make out some of Zelix's features quite clearly.

"Victim has entered one of the specimen's digestion sacs." Nefarious recorded into his datachron "Like all previous subjects, victim shows signs of struggling from within." Nefarious continued as he could see Zelix clawing at the inside of the sac.

With more room to work and no more vines restraining him, Zelix decided to claw at the wall of the sac in an attempt to escape. However the membrane proved to be tougher than it looked, his sharp rodent claws hardly leaving a scratch in it. This didn't stop him from trying though. He continued to claw at the walls until he was out of breath. By now the sac had begun to fill with a different kind of liquid. It didn't share the same sweet scent as the fluid from the stem, but rather had a slightly acidic tinge to it. Zelix gasped as he realized what was going on. This sac wasn't simply meant to contain him, it was meant to digest him.

Nefarious watched the sac inflate as it began to fill with digestive juices "Specimen has begun the digestive process. Estimated digestion time: Two days. Will continue to monitor digestion progress to see if it meets expectations." he reported.

Zelix was now submerged up to his neck in digestive fluids, but the level had stopped rising. It seemed the plant had no intention of drowning him. This was a cold comfort though as it only meant that he would have to suffer through the entire digestion process. But how long would that be? Judging by the fact that he didn't feel anything yet, the digestive juices were slow acting. It would likely take him days to digest. He shuddered at the thought. His mind started to panic a little, but he quickly put a stop to it. He had plenty of time to recover his strength and think of a way to escape, he just needed to remain calm and focused.

Despite his dire peril, Zelix spent the next few hours trying to relax. He had to admit, from a certain perspective it was pleasant. It was quiet and warm inside the sac and a sweet scent filled the air. However, after those hours, Zelix found that he didn't feel any stronger, nor had he made any headway in his escape plan. It was almost like something was making his mind and body sluggish. But his impaired judgment prevented him from realizing what it was.

"Hour 6: Victim is likely well under the effects of the specimen's pheromones. Specimen produces special pheromones designed to keep victim incapacitated until digestion begins. However pheromones not strong enough to block pain; Victim will feel everything."

Zelix stewed away in the digestive juices for several more hours. His skin was finally beginning to tingle from the constant exposure to the caustic fluid. This made him wiggle and squirm uncomfortably. His mind knew it was pointless, but he could not stop his body's instinct to escape the irritating substance. Once again, Zelix tried to push against the sac, but he had no strength left and did little more than stretch the membrane of the pod slightly.

Nefarious noticed the imprint of two tiny paws pressing outward from the sac. "Hour 13: Victim seems to be feeling the early effects of digestion. Victim is once again attempting to force his way from the digestion sac. However victim's attempts are proving futile against specimen's membrane. Specimen shows tremendous improvement in elasticity over its predecessor."

Over the next few hours, the tingling slowly intensified to an almost stinging sensation. Bits and pieces of his fur began to fall from his body and float to the surface of the digestive soup. Despite the calming effects of the pheromones, fear and panic began to creep back into Zelix's mind. He was running out of time fast. If he didn't find a way out of here soon, it would be too late for escape. But what could he do? His mind and body were too exhausted to make any attempt at escape. He was about to die a horribly painful death and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

The stinging gradually grew into a constant burning. Most of his fur had fallen out now, save for the fur on his head, which remained above the digestive pool. His skin was turning red and raw from bathing in plant's weak acid. On top of the burning, an itching sensation was spreading across his body. Zelix tried to resist the urge to scratch his sensitive skin, but he just couldn't take it anymore. His rodent claws went to work scratching every inch of his body, but it wasn't enough to relieve the itching. Zelix scratched ever more fervently and then it happened; Zelix cried out in shock and pain as his claws broke through his skin.

"Hour 24: Victim's muffled screams can be heard from the sac. Is likely that skin has been penetrated, exposing fresh wound to plant's digestive fluid. Should not be long until all of victim's skin is dissolved."

Zelix had forgotten about the itching and was now using his paws to try to cover his new wound from the caustic juices assaulting his body. But it was no use, the damage was done and it would only grow worse from here. Over the next couple of hours, Zelix's skin slowly flaked away from his body and dissolved in the digestive ooze that surrounded him. The caustic goop had turned dark red as Zelix's blood spilled from his body. Zelix himself was in excruciating pain as the acid went after his exposed muscles and tendons. He writhed in agony, using what little strength he had left to pound against the sac with the bare muscles of his paws.

"Hour 30: Sac has grown dark with victim's blood. Desperate struggles can be seen coming from within. Victim will likely only survive for a few more hours." Nefarious watched as the struggles within the pod slowly weakened. Nefarious even saw Zelix press his face against the sac walls, an expression of sheer agony plastered on his face.

The pain was driving Zelix mad. His tail and feet had already dissolved down to the bone and the rest of his body would soon follow. He weakly lifted a paw from the acid and stared at it. The fingers were nothing but bone and a few strands of flesh now. He tried to wiggle his fingers, but they wouldn't respond, having no muscle to control them. It was a chilling sensation; One that spread across more and more of his body as muscles were stripped from bone. The pain was unbearable. He should have just drown himself, but that was no longer an option since he couldn't control his body. He could only float in the gruesome stew of his own chyme.

After what felt like an eternity of this torture, Zelix's innards were exposed. Some of them floated out freely into the soupy chyme. Every last shred of sanity had left Zelix. His hopes, dreams, and ambitions were no more. Pain and death were the only two thoughts on his mind now. He didn't even realize at this point that most of his bones had sunk to the bottom of the sac. He was nothing more than a head, spine, and a few loosely floating organs now. One by one his organs failed in the hostile environment around them. Numbness took Zelix's mind as his body shut down and his head finally sank beneath the surface.

"Hour 47: All activity within the digestion sac has ceased. Victim has likely deceased. Specimen performed to expectation, however still has room for improvement. Digestion time could be prolonged and must find way to dispose of bones. But overall, highly successful experiment." Nefarious finished before leaving the plant to finish its work.

Over the next two days, Zelix's head received the same treatment as the rest of his body, melting down into chyme for the plant's consumption. Once the process was complete, the entrance to the sac opened. A few vines entered and dipped into the nutrient rich sludge. The vines began to drink down the sludge, sending it further into the plant to be absorbed. As the chyme was removed from the pod, the membrane grew tighter and tighter. When the vines were finished, they left the sac, leaving a vacuum seal behind them. From the outside, one could clearly make out the shape of bones in the vacuum sealed pod. They were all that remained of the once ambitious Zelix.