Dreg was created by bugcthulhu for the ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest.  Bugcthulhu retains all the rights to Dreg, and the illustration and profile here are adapted from his work.  While Dreg is not an official part of ATOM’s canon, he and the other contest entries posted on this site are considered semi-canonical – the Star Wars Legends to ATOM’s Star Wars.  Bugcthulhu has created many other wonderful monsters and has a pretty awesome blog for monster fans in general, so if you love what gets posted here on Horror Flora, I recommend checking his work out!

Date Discovered: June 30th, 1957

Place of Origin: The Siberian Monster Zone

Notable Stomping Grounds: The Siberian Monster Zone, Echidna Island

Height: 100 feet in frenzy form, 15 feet in resting form

Biology: What exactly Dreg is may forever be a mystery, as the malformed monster suffered the effects of being struck by a nuclear detonation while in the womb of its kaiju mother.  Dreg’s parent was mostly killed by the blast, with what little remained of her vitality being siphoned off into the still growing offspring within her.  Dreg emerged as a tumor ridden fetal organism, but soon proved to be far more deadly than he appeared.

Dreg is what happens when a kaiju’s powers are destabilized.  He grows far faster than is normal for a kaiju, and his metabolism is even more exaggerated, giving him an insatiable lust for flesh.  His growth spurts result in a body that is bursting with energy but lacks any stability, making him a frenetic and violent creature by default.  When he satisfies his uncontrollable hunger, Dreg can reach a massive size and develop into a vicious fighting machine.  However, he cannot recover from damage in the reliable way most kaiju do, and ultimately reverts to his fetal form when combat takes its toll on him.

While the nature of Dreg’s origin makes it hard to figure out his taxonomic origin (many of the monsters made in the Siberian Monster Zone nuclear strike are hybrids, such as The Writhing Flesh and Gorale), it is theorized that he may be some sort of synapsid, like dimetrodon or gorgonops.

Dreg’s powers include:

• Super strength – sometimes far surpassing that of the average kaiju, while other times far below it
• An enhanced but unreliable healing factor – Dreg can recover from most injuries like other kaiju, but often has to revert to a pathetic and weak form to do so
• Immunity to radiation
• Electric blasts from mouth
• Electric shocks from claws

Personality: Driven to violence by his unstable biology, Dreg is far less malevolent than most assume him to be.  Given the option, Dreg would live as most kaiju do, hunting only when he is hungry (and given that hunger is normally a vestigial drive in kaiju, this would not be often) and playfully fighting/sparring with his fellow monsters.  However, Dreg’s insatiable need to eat is almost constant (and often agonizing), which, combined with his monstrous strength and vicious claws, makes his fights with other monsters far more brutal than is normal.

While other monsters in similar situations have developed fairly antisocial personalities, Dreg maintains an almost childlike sense of wonder about the world and all the creatures in it.  Jittery and excitable because of his exaggerated metabolism, Dreg leaps into conflict with an air of joyful enthusiasm, and treats the explosive battles that result from his actions like an intense but ultimately frivolous game.

Also like a child, Dreg tends to sulk when he looses a fight, though in such cases his first instinct is to run and hide as he will always be reduced to his fetal form before he concedes a battle.  While he can be grumpy and temperamental during the immediate aftermath of his losses, Dreg rarely holds a grudge, and is confused why other creatures seem to take their fights so personally.  He is equally confused why they freak out so much when he wins, even as he makes a meal of his opponents.

Dreg’s situation is understandably tragic, and the community of kaiju researchers has toiled for years to find a way to stabilize his condition.  He currently resides at the Echidna Island sanctuary for overly aggressive kaiju, though it is hoped that he might be relocated to a facility where his behavior can become less maladjusted as soon as his biological problems are solved.