“So, can you do it?”
“It…will be difficult, but I believe so.”
Annelise placed the object in front of her. Her customers today were a trio of teenage boys. While the two following him were unfamiliar to her, the one who had made the request she knew of through his mother. Todd. Or Ted maybe. They didn’t talk frequently, but from their discussions she knew enough to know he was a little shit. While the two behind him chuckled quietly to themselves, he sat watching with an asinine grin plastered across his face, clearly waiting for her to claim some reason why his request wasn’t possible.
She exhaled slowly. She had difficulty with linking objects to specific people, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her fail. Concentrating, she touched her right hand to the object, then lifted it. A thin strand of a color without a name connected from it to her hand. Once she had brought it high enough, she spiraled out with her hand, creating the base. Ted looked at his two friends as they laughed a little louder. It was understandable, to them she was just making stupid hand gestures. She would be vindicated soon enough though.
Using both hands now she began to draw the spell. The colors flowed from her palms as she drew thicker segments, her fingers for those that required more precision. Drawing another line from the central base, she made a second base, drawing a smaller spell around it. Once she finished, she leaned forward, and whistled loudly. As the spell’s colors were tinted with the sound, Toad’s friends burst out laughing yet again, with even the ringleader himself having difficulty containing it.
This part would be the most difficult. Binding it to him. She had in the past attempted to use both hair and sweat, but neither had taken quite properly, and she had no intention of asking for blood, no matter how reliable it might be. She needed something else, something that was inherently his, but not exposed long enough to the world outside to have been tinted by it. After a moment of thought she drew a third base above the main spell, and quickly drew it out. She pointed to the point where she had drawn it.
“Lean forward, exhale here.”
After a moment composing himself, Turd leaned forward and breathed into the spell, even as his lackeys continued cracking up. As the spell tinted, she prayed silently that it would work, and created a fourth base connected to the third. This would be the trigger for its effect.
“When I point to you, make whatever sound you’d like it to respond to. Ask you friends to be quiet until then please.”
She waited for them to quiet down before drawing out the last spell. Triggers were fairly uniform, making it the easiest part of the spell. As she finished, she pointed to Turd (good enough). Still grinning like an asshole, he clapped twice. Once she confirmed the spell tinted, she drew a second line from the fourth back to the third, then the third back to the first, then the second to the first, and finally the first to the object. With the connections complete, the spell flowed into its new receptacle, overlaying its own color. She sat back in her chair and waited a moment to ensure that it set properly.
Now it was time to test it.
She clapped twice. No response, which either meant the spell didn’t recognize her as its owner, or she had botched the trigger somehow. However, even if it didn’t recognize her, it didn’t mean it would recognize Turd. She motioned for him to try. The three watched eagerly, their moment approaching. Turd clapped twice.
From the table in front of her, his keys whistled in her voice. As their jaws collectively hit the floor, she beamed from her side of the table. Turd clapped again, and once more his keys whistled for him.
“Now then, you wanted to never lose your keys again. You’ll find them much easier to locate now. As agreed, the price for this spell is $35. Keep them away from vinegar and the spell should hold, but if your keys begin doing anything other than whistling, bring them back to be immediately.”
Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: All objects comprising SCP- are to be kept in a locked storage container on Site-17. Two guards are to be kept on duty at all times to prevent accidental use.
Description: SCP- is a toy pirate set composed of:
- One black tricorne styled hat with an image of a skull stitched onto the front. The hat will adjust its size naturally to fit the head of whoever wears it. (SCP- -1)
- Two red bandanas. (SCP- -2)
- One blank piece of tan cloth. (SCP- -3)
- One plastic cutlass styled sword. (SCP- -4)
- Three plastic flintlock pistols, which makes the sound of a fired shot when the trigger is pulled. (SCP- -5)
The objects were discovered via standard telephone keyword monitoring, when keywords "Dr. Wondertainment" were heard. The call was tracked to its origin, and a box containing the anomalous items was retrieved. Class-C amnesiacs were administered. The back of the box identifies the items as a Dr. Wondertainment product, and gives the following description:
Yo ho ho! Are you kids ready for an adventure? Then Dr. Wondertainment has one for you! Introducing the Captain Boldheart* Adventure Pack, by Dr. Wondertainment! Everything you need to go on a rip-roaring adventure with friends as Captain Boldheart and crew! Can you survive the dangers of Dumagumo Island and find the buried treasure? Or will the evil Captain Dreadbeard beat you to it? You decide!
This set comes with everything you'll need to start your adventure! Just put on Captain Boldheart's captain hat, take a look at the treasure map, and you're ready to go! Don't forget your trusty cutlass and pistol though, as dangers lurk between you and the treasure, and Captain Dreadbeard will do whatever it takes to get there first! Got friends who want to come along? No problem! This set comes with two of Captain Boldheart's crew bandannas, and a pair of pistols to match, so your friends can play along too!
*Captain Boldheart, Captain Dreadbeard, and Dumagumo Island are trademarks of Dr. Wondertainment, watch Captain Boldheart on channel DWE coming this fall!
Dr. Wondertainment is not responsible for any injuries up to and including death that may result from the use of this product. Adult supervision is suggested, not for use by children under the age of 4.
The anomalous effects of SCP- manifest when one places SCP- -1 on their head and looks at SCP- -3. Upon doing so, SCP- -3 will begin to show a map of the surrounding area, with a path leading from the point at which SCP- was activated to a seemingly random point between █ and ██ kilometers away. Upon reaching this point and digging 1 meter into the ground, a chest will be uncovered, filled with chocolate coins. Once SCP- -3 has been activated, a number of anomalous entities, SCP- -7, will begin to manifest in the vicinity of whoever is holding SCP- -3, themed around a pirate adventure. Prior manifestations include:
- Stereotypical pirates.
- Crocodiles.
- Mermaids.
- An old man, who identified himself as "The Oracle".
- A giant squid.
- Stone statues of humans armed with spears.
Most of these manifestations are actively hostile toward those holding SCP- -1 and SCP- -3. If either instance of SCP- -2 is worn, instances of SCP- -7 will treat them as targets as well. Entities are capable of interacting with, and at times, damaging, the environment, but appear incapable of directly harming human life. Any wounds that might be sustained as a result of the actions taken by instances of SCP- -7 will not appear, though those who would sustain them appear to believe that they have. Any potentially fatal wound will cause the victim to disappear.
In particular, a figure who identifies as "Captain Dreadbeard" (SCP- -6) will frequently manifest, with the stated intention of stealing SCP- -2, and killing the wearer of SCP- -1, who it will refer to as "Captain Boldheart", regardless of who is wearing it. SCP- -5 is rarely seen without several instances of SCP- -7, which comprise its "crew". While it typically focuses on those holding SCP- -1, 2, and 3, it will indiscriminately attack anyone who it perceives to be allied with them.
The specific manifestations appear to be decided by the environment in which they appear. Sea based entities will only appear where water is easily accessible, and other entities will use existing structures to support the theme of the story, such as a children's playground being described as an "ancient temple". While conventional weaponry has been proven capable of injuring instances of SCP- -6, SCP- -4 and 5 have proven particularly effective against manifestations. SCP- -4 will injure instances of SCP- -6 as though it were a real blade, and "firing" SCP- -5 at instances will cause them to react is if shot.
The active period of SCP- will end when certain conditions have been met:
- When the end point of SCP- -3 is reached and the chest is retrieved.
- When SCP- -7 obtains SCP- -3 and escapes.
- When all those in possession of instances of SCP- -1 and SCP- -2 are "killed".
Once any of these conditions are met, all remaining instances of SCP- -7 will vanish, along with SCP- -6. Additionally, any humans that vanished over the course of its active period will reappear in the place where they vanished, with no recollection of the period of time between their disappearance and reappearance. In the event that SCP- -7 escaped with SCP- -3, it will reappear inside SCP- -1 within 30 minutes, with the message "Better luck next time!" printed across it.
Addendum 1: The specific manifestations appear to be decided by the environment in which they appear. Sea based entities will only appear where water is easily accessible, and other entities will use existing structures to support the theme of the story, such as a children's playground being described as an "ancient temple". The exception to this rule is SCP- -6, which will appear periodically over SCP- 's active period, and will always appear directly before reaching the end point of SCP- -3. While conventional weaponry has been proven capable of injuring instances of SCP- -7, SCP- -4 and 5 have proven particularly effective against manifestations. SCP- -4 will injure instances of SCP- -7 as though it were a real blade, and "firing" SCP- -5 at instances will cause them to react is if shot.
Addendum 2: Though both conventional weaponry and SCP- -4 and 5 are capable of dispatching instances of SCP- -7, the weaponry used do not appear to directly damage human instances. Instead, they appear to feign injuries roughly corresponding to those they would have sustained and die of their own accord. In one instance, an Agent fired (some manner of fully automatic weapon here) into an instance for several seconds, after which it clutched at its heart and fell to the ground.
Addendum 3: Additionally, SCP- -6 appears to be "unkillable" and is a consistent fixture of all activations of SCP- . Upon injury, it will often retreat, swearing vengeance as it does so. It has been successfully restrained in the past for the purpose of interrogation, but all previous attempts to interrogate it have ended when its crew breached containment, releasing SCP- -6 and escaping. Any attempts to kill SCP- -6 in a situation in which it cannot escape will invariably result in crew interference, and often with "injury" to those involved.
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| Specimen of SCP-XXXX with child |
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Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: A small troop of SCP-XXXX are to be kept in a 10x10x10 meter containment. The interior is to have no exposed nails, screws, rivets, or other removable fasteners. If such things exist inside the room, they are to be hidden as completely as possible before any specimen of SCP-XXXX is placed into containment.
The troop is to be fed a variety of fruit twice daily. They will be allowed a variety of small connecting puzzles to keep them occupied. If they begin to examine the walls, doors, or floor of their containment, their puzzles are to be replaced with a new set. They are not to be given any explosive or flammable material, nor any object that contains either. Any object created by specimens of SCP-XXXX that are deemed capable of causing grievous bodily harm are to be immediately removed from containment. Lethal force is authorized if necessary.
Description:
SCP-XXXX is a species of primate, an adult male of which is 1 meter tall, with fur coloration ranging from white to gray. It was discovered after a police report was intercepted from the town of ███████, ██████. The victim's story was largely disregarded by police, but was deemed to warrant investigation by the Foundation. A team was dispatched to the site in question, leading to Incident XXXX-1, the deaths of 7 Agents, and the capture of 9 specimens of SCP-XXXX. A salvage team was dispatched shortly afterward, restricting public access to the area for █ weeks to facilitate cleanup.
Specimens of SCP-XXXX display no anomalous behavior, except when in the presence of technology. Upon introduction of technology into their environment, they show increased signs of intelligence, along with a fascination with the workings of the objects introduced. If capable, they will attempt to disassemble, reassemble, and rearrange any devices left to them. They have proven very capable when provided with tools, successfully disassembling a car motor within ███ minutes, then reassembling it in only █. They are also capable of creating devices of their own, relying on concepts obtained from the study of human technology to facilitate their own designs.
While typically docile, they will become aggressive if they feel that their work area is threatened, or if researchers attempt to remove any of their creations from their containment. As a result, any researcher attempting to remove any object created by SCP-XXXX for further study must be accompanied by no fewer than two armed guards, and any object created that is judged to be a weapon is to be immediately removed from their containment. Lethal force is authorized if necessary. They have been known to attempt to disassemble walls, doors, security cameras, and any other part of their containment that can be disassembled. This behavior appears to be a result of curiosity, rather than a deliberate attempt to breech containment, however, should such a situation occur, security is to be informed and kept on hand until any damage they have done is repaired.
Their social standing amongst each other appears to be based around both their skill and experience in reconstruction, with the most senior or most skilled builder taking charge of the troop. They also appear capable of intelligent communication with one another, with the group leader often appearing to give out orders to others when working.
Addendum 1: Experimentation shows that they learn almost solely through trial and error, not actually understanding what any part of the objects with which they work does until they take it apart and see how it works. This behavior appears to be compulsory, and specimens of SCP-XXXX have previously been injured or killed while attempting to work on devices that were running at the time.
Addendum 2: The devices created by range from simple and pointless to complex and destructive. While they seem content to build for the sake of it, many of their devices can and have been used as weapons when they feel threatened. It is advised
A small flying device: a blender, several strips of metal, assorted fasteners from other objects.
A catapult: A car motor, a 2x4, several pipes and tubes, a colander, assorted fasteners and other small parts.
A fruit gun: Several pipes, an electric motor, a variety of small metal pieces, and a small piece of fruit (replaced after each firing).
A bomb: [REDACTED]
This last also shows that they seem to have no regard for their personal safety when building. The bomb was manually detonated before security could intervene, killing 4 specimens and injuring the rest. Review suggests that they knew what they were building, but simply didn't care, or didn't think about the consequences of being within such close quarters of the explosion.
They also seem to have Eidetic memory. Given identical materials, they are capable of flawlessly recreating previous designs, with specificity to as great a degree as we are capable of measuring.
Incident XXXX-1:
7:23 PM █/██/██: A police report is intercepted in which the owner of a local scrap yard, ██████ ████, claims to have been attacked by several apes, which had been stealing various items from his property for several weeks. The situation is deemed worthy of investigation, and a team within the police are sent to the site described.
7:41 PM █/██/██: Upon arrival, the team, consisting of Agents █████ and ███ report discovering no less than two dozen specimens of SCP-XXXX, working in an area of roughly 50 m x 50 m. Agent ███ reports his intent to get a closer look at the site.
7:43 PM █/██/██: Agent █████ reports Agent ███ is down, requests immediate support, Code Epsilon.
8:32 PM █/██/██:
I don't know how to properly word the light stuff, so I'm just winging it.
Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Euclid
Note: I would like to request an update to Keter class for SCP-. You don't seem to fully understand how dangerous these things are. While a single specimen, and perhaps even a single swarm of them are simple enough to eliminate, their rapid reproduction, combined with their behavior in the wild, make them a threat to virtually every living creature on the planet. We're still testing, but I'm fairly certain that there is no species on Earth equipped to prey on these things, and if they manage to spread beyond our control, they could do irreparable damage to any ecosystem they come into contact with, not to mention the danger to human populations they pose. We are facing a highly invasive species, and I doubt there's any place on Earth that will be safe if we can't contain them. -Dr. ███
Special Containment Procedures: Specimens of SCP- are to be kept in a 10 m x 10 m x 10 m room with an illuminance level of no greater than 100 lux. All areas surrounding SCP- containment are to be equipped with giving off an illuminance level of 32,000 lux, which are to be activated in the event of a containment breach. Any ventilation leading into SCP- containment will be covered by a grill with holes no larger than 2 cm x 2 cm (4 cm2). Once per day, a live cow will be introduced into SCP- containment, for feeding purposes. In the event that the cow has not been completely consumed after 2 hours, staff are to inform security, who are to decommission any specimens of SCP- visible within containment. Type-C Hazard Suits will be provided for this purpose. (I don't know if a suit that would fit my needs already exists or what, but basically what I'm looking for here is something thick and roughly air-tight. The fear is that they'll slip into the suits and then someone will have a very bad day, especially considering this typically takes place when they're ready to breed)
An area of 20 km is to be monitored surrounding the location of SCP-'s initial appearance, to search for potential infestations. Agents are to listen for missing persons cases, butchered or missing animals, sightings of strange creatures, and reports of unusual sounds. If any of these are discovered, a team is to be immediately dispatched to search for an SCP- outbreak, and to destroy all instances found. Following the extermination of an SCP- outbreak, a 20 km radius surrounding the area is to be monitored for any further instances.
Description: SCP- is a newly discovered species of animal that fits into no known genus of the animal kingdom. It resembles a serpent with smooth gray skin and leathery wings, resembling those of a bat. An adult of the species typically measures 60 cm from head to tail, with an 80 cm wingspan. Its wings have two forward facing digits capable of gripping and equipped with sharp talons. A row of retractable spines exist along the lower edge of its body. Its mouth has several rows of sharp teeth, capable of tearing through flesh easily. They appear to have no eyes, and are very sensitive to bright light, remaining in dimly lit or unlit areas whenever possible. They are nocturnal in nature, and during the day will attach themselves to walls and ceilings in unlit areas using the spines along their undersides. They are easily startled during their rest periods, and if a member of the pack is disturbed, it will release a shrill call, alerting the rest of the pack.
Instances of SCP- typically behave as a swarm, with instances grouping together and collectively hunting for prey. SCP- is carnivorous in nature, and will eat virtually any type of animal, regardless of whether it is alive or dead. Instances of SCP- are nearly always hungry when awake, and will consume any flesh offered to them. When feeding on live animals, instances of SCP- will attack as a swarm, often attacking much larger animals than themselves. They will ram into their prey, using the spines located beneath to attach themselves to it. They will then proceed to consume the animal while still alive, occasionally burrowing into its flesh during the process. Instances of SCP- can consume up to 70% of their own body weight in a single attack, and will continue to feed on a corpse over the course of many nights until there is not enough left to support the swarm, at which time they will seek new prey.
2-3 weeks after birth, specimens of SCP- become capable of reproduction. At this point they will seek a large, living animal of any variety, which becomes the host for their young. Upon finding a suitable host, all members of the swarm will attack and attempt to disorient the creature by latching on, shallowly biting it, and beating their winigs against it. Meanwhile, a single member of the swarm will chew its way through the outer layers of its skin, burrowing into its body. Once the entrance is opened, other members of the swarm will follow through the hole, with as many instances of SCP- entering the body as can be fit. This process is not necessarily fatal, and once there is no more space for the swarm to enter the body, the remaining instances will depart. The instances located within the host will gestate for 2-3 days. Once this period expires, their young become active within their bodies, and will eat first their parent, then the host animal, from the inside out. Virtually all specimens of SCP- have been shown to 3 children.
All known instances of SCP- originated in ██████. Given their initial appearance, the number of instances upon discovery, and location upon discovery, it is believed that they first arrived between ██/██/████ and ██/██/████, which would allow for them to have appeared immediately following [REDACTED]us it is unknown currently whether further instances exist, and simply cannot escape given current circumstances.
SCP- was initially discovered following numerous reports of disappearances and animal mutilations in the area surrounding ████████, ██████. The trail eventually led to a large house 4 km outside the city limits, inside which no less than 150 instances of SCP- were discovered. The initial Agents reporting the find were killed, and MTF Iota-5 was deployed to attempt containment. Although initial containment progressed well, 10 minutes into the operation, instances of SCP- began to flee, breaking through windows and scattering in every direction. It is unknown how many instances escaped, and their current whereabouts are unknown.
Since the appearance of this new species, virtually every animal it has come into contact with has been killed. This has caused severe ecological complications in the ██████ area, which Agents are working diligently to rectify. However, because there is an unknown number of SCP- instances in the wild, attempts to contain the damage has been virtually impossible so far. Testing has begun to attempt to find a species that could act as a natural predator to SCP-, but of the 37 species currently tested, none have been found suitable.