Terrifying flying killing machines; the panther-sized dragonflies of Etheria
Description
The Devilfly is a terrifying beastly demon created by the Allfather Demon using the Stone of Creation, modelled straight after nature’s most successful predator, the humble dragonfly, an insect with a hunt success rate around 95%.
Scaled to the size of a panther, with a wingspan hovering around three meters, razor-sharp legs, a thick carapace, and the bite-force of a crocodile (truly terrifying with their razor-sharp, serrated mandibles the size of daggers), the devilfly is a true force to be reckoned with.
The devilfly has an internal gas bladder inside its abdomen (filled with 1.5-2L high-pressure gas; 75% methane, 20% hydrogen, 5% hydrogen sulfide), a digestive organ used to process the toxic fungi it eats, but also making it an excellent firework if ignited. Due to the hydrogen sulfide, the resulting explosion burns a brilliant blue.
Behaviour
While an individual devilfly is already exceptionally dangerous, what truly makes them a city-killer is their habit of swarming in groups of a thousand of more, absolutely overwhelming any unsuspecting creatures. This swarming behavior happens when there’s a lot of unfortunate creatures the devilflies see as a food source.
They hunt by using their immense speed and maneuverability to strike prey (such as bats in mid air), grabbing onto their prey using their six legs, before biting the head off.
Diet
Despite the terrifying stats, the devilfly is functionally an opportunistic omnivore, feasting on all manner of small to medium creatures, from large bats, grotesque rat-like scavengers (not to be confused with the sentient Ratlings), and unlucky lesser demons, such as ratlings, arachnoids, etc, but primarily eating the toxic fungi that grow in the caverns of Etheria.
Misc
The minotaurids use the devilflies as as a prime food source (due to them having a decent amount of meat), a coveted meal among the species, equivalent to what seafood is for us humans.
While Boneborn typically are sent to deal with the devilfly nests if they go out of control, with their immense bite force, even boneborn risk having their bones cracked by its powerful mandibles.
Lifespan: 40 years
Population: 10,000,000
Length: 110-160cm
Wingspan: 2.5-3.5m
Weight: 45-65kg
Top speed: 30 m/s (108 km/h) (cruising speed around 15m/s or 54km/h)
The World Stones 