Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is to be kept in a standard humanoid containment cell. It is to be provided 12kg of unprocessed mammalian meat daily. SCP-XXXX is not to be provided with any way of producing markings, illustrations, or writing in its vicinity. Personnel are not to respond to any attempts at communication.1
Description: SCP-XXXX is a large, ungulate, facultatively bipedal predator. Its mass and height at the time of its containment were 142kg and 243cm respectively. The anomaly is a large hunch-backed humanoid with a long prehensile tail. It possesses two eyes, beneath which are a series of symmetrically arrayed spiracles which allow for the intake of breath and highly acute olfactory sensation.
SCP-XXXX’s limbs are covered in a dense carapace composed of a combination of aromatic polyamides and chitin. It has two multi jointed forelimbs which terminate in curved retractable claws. When fully extended, they measure from 9 to 22 cm long. Two long, heavily branched antlers are present on top of its head, measuring ~50 cm from the base to the tip.
SCP-XXXX’s tissues are severely atrophied and many of its vital organs are either incomplete or absent: MRI shows that its major blood vessels converge upon an empty cavity in its chest, approximately where the heart would be in a mammal of similar stature to the anomaly. Many of its connective and muscular tissues are also missing, meaning that its left arm has significantly poorer motor coordination and strength than its right, and in many places its bones are exposed to the open air. A putrescine smell exudes from the entity’s flesh.
Addendum XXXX.1: Investigation
Throughout February and March of 2019, a number of ritual murders occurred throughout the Bossekop borough of Alta, Norway. Victims were brutalised, surrounded by thaumaturgical paraphernalia, and left at the location of their deaths. Police investigations were consistently unable to identify a suspect or locate the weapon used to eviscerate the victim, causing the killings to be flagged as potentially anomalous.
Document XXXX.29: Forensic report, “Linnea Kristiansen”
Date: 16/03/19
Synopsis: The victim was discovered by her husband and two children in her home, in the second storey study. Kristiansen’s belongings were undisturbed and no valuables had been displaced from within her home. There was no sign of a struggle.
Death occurred approximately 8 hours prior to the corpse’s discovery, around midnight. Neighbours did not report hearing anything unusual around the estimated time of death. The victim was killed when a flat bladed object was inserted into the sternum and dragged downwards, resulting in disembowelment. The murder weapon was a coarsely textured triangular blade measuring at least 16 cm long. Examination of the edges of the cut discovered the presence of keratinous residue. Both details are consistent with those of prior murders.
The victim’s abdominal cavity was lined with alchemical salt.2 Thousands of small runes were drawn upon the inner surface of the abdominal pleura, seemingly burnt into place with a heated metallic object. Cross-referencing of short passages with translated thaumaturgical texts indicates that the ritual was designed to summon an entity from across dimensional barriers. Given the small scale of the sacrifice, as well as the crudeness of the ritual, it is unlikely that the entity could have possessed a volume great enough to survive transit from its home dimension to ours.
Forensic techniques produced no viable fingerprints, foreign bloodstains, or traces of fabric. However, investigators reported a persistent aroma of candle wax and spices, in spite of the fact that no residues of such could be found.
Four rows of parallel cuts were found on the victim’s arm. The first row had one cut, the second row had three cuts, the third row had five cuts, and the fourth row had seven cuts. Some cuts were seared by intense heat and others were ‘marked’ with a horizontal cut across their centre.3
Notes: From 2012 to 2014, Alta suffered a spate of murders which were very similar to the one outlined above. The Foundation was not involved in the investigation. The local police force were successful in apprehending the killer, a wealthy landowner and abstract mathematician known as Tobias Ihle. Ihle testified that he challenged each of his victims to a game which, if they won, would allow them to preserve their lives. However, there were no known survivors of his game. His estate was passed down to his daughter, Cattryn Ihle. Interrogation of Tobias Ihle did not elucidate his reasons for committing the killings, and he was committed to an insane asylum in 2015. He died in 2016 from a myocardial infarction.
Conclusion: There is no conclusive evidence that the murder of Kristiansen or any of the prior victims was anomalous in nature, only that the perpetrator has convinced themselves of the existence of magic. However, the presence of genuine, well-mixed alchemical salt indicates that the killer is at least somewhat aware of the reality of thaumaturgical practice.
Cattryn Ihle, as the sole living descendant of Tobias Ihle, would appear to be the most likely perpetrator of the murder of Linnea Kristiansen. The possibility that she possesses genuine occult powers cannot be discounted. Her role in the killings must be elucidated.
MTF Gamma-76, who had overseen the investigation up until that point, was tasked with abducting Cattryn Ihle from her manor. A summons for inquiry was not delivered due to concerns surrounding her potential response to scrutiny.
Document XXXX.30: Ihle Manor Raid Summary
Date & Time: 19/03/19, 1:33am
Participants: MTF Gamma-76 (“Wolfsbane”)
- G76-1, Team Leader
- G76-2, Second in Command
- G76-3, Designated Marksman
- G76-4, Medic
- G76-5, Rifleman
- G76-6, Support RiflemanEquipment: Anomalous resistance was expected. All members of the team were issued unmarked body armour. G76-1 and -2 were issued ballistic shields and shotguns. G76-3 was armed with a designated marksman rifle. Other members of the team received carbines and handguns.
Objective: Detain Cattryn Ihle.
0133: All members of Gamma-76 disembark from their transport vehicle some distance from the manor. They proceed on foot, progressing through the woods.
G76-1: -5, take the rear. Keep a tight formation.
G76-5: Noted. Sorry, captain. My nerves are shot. Feels like someone has their eyes on me.
G76-4: Guarding murder victims overnight will do that to a person. Let me know if you need a sedative.
G76-2: Advise that you save this for later. We’re coming up on the objective.
0153: Ihle estate comes into view. A tall iron gate prevents access to the premises. Gamma-76 climb over the fence and approach the manor. A number of rooms throughout the second-storey are lit. G76-3 points out that the study’s windows are dark. Access is gained to the study via ladder. The window is removed from its frame with a glass cutter.
G76-1: -3, take overwatch. Making entry.
0154: Gamma-76 enter the study, which is uninhabited. Speech from a neighbouring room is audible.
Male 1: … don’t know who did it. It doesn’t even seem like they want to know.
Female 1: They’re probably afraid of finding out. They must imagine the killer as some kind of demon.
Male 1: You don’t think the police will give her any trouble, do you?
Female 1: I’m sure they’ll have their suspicions, but Linnea was her friend. They’ll need to respect her boundaries.
G76-5: Someone needs to shut them up.
G76-6: Couldn’t we leave them alone?
G76-4: Can’t risk it. They could find the window or notice the boot prints in the carpet.
G76-1: -2, -6, secure them for transportation.
G76-2: Right. Catch and release.
G76-4: More work for the amnestics team.
0156: G76-1 motions for the team to sweep the floor. G76-6 follows G76-2 to the room where Male 1 and Female 1 are situated. On the count of three, they open the door and enter the room at low-ready. Male 1 and Female 2 are seated in front of a fireplace in what appears to be a long-uninhabited master bedroom. G76-2 raises their hand.
G76-2: Stay calm, we’re not here to hurt you. I’m with the police. Is Cattryn Ihle in the building?
0157: Male 1 steps back. Female 1 places her arm in front of him, shielding him from G76-2’s weapon.
Male 1: What- what do you want with her?
Female 1: Crooked pigs. They’re going to string her up.
Male 1: (swallows) You need to leave, now.
Male 1 reaches for his phone. G76-2 immediately steps forward and raises their pistol.
G76-2: Keep your hands above your waist. I want you to kneel, and put your hands behind your head with the fingers interlocked.
Male 1 anxiously complies. Female 2 refuses to do so. G76-2 gestures for G76-6 to apprehend Female 1. Female 1 raises her hands while G76-2 moves forward to secure Male 1.
Female 1: What do you think you’re doing? Get off him!
G76-2 forces Male 1’s hands behind his back. He convulses, apparently in pain.
Female 1: Hey!
Female 1 wrestles for G76-6’s handgun. Startled, Male 1 also begins resisting G76-2, who has to work to control him.
Female 1 succeeds in disarming G76-6 and turns the weapon on them. G76-6 retains a grip on their weapon and half-racks the slide, causing a cartridge to be caught in the ejection port and jamming the gun. The trigger is pulled in the commotion but a round is not discharged.
G76-2 throws Male 1 to the ground and slams the butt of their rifle into Female 1’s head, causing her to let go of G76-6’s pistol and fall down.
G76-6: I’m sorry, she surprised me.
G76-2: It happens. I heard a click; did she try to shoot you?
G76-6: Sorry, lieutenant. I think I forced her finger into the trigger.
0158: G76-6 and G76-2 work to restrain and gag Male 1 and Female 1. Female 1 shows trouble breathing. G76-4 is hailed to provide assistance. Meanwhile, G76-1 and G76-5 enter Cattryn Ihle’s bedroom. The nightlight is on but Ihle cannot be found. G76-1 sweeps the room while G76-5 takes overwatch by the door. G76-1 looks under the bed and notices Ihle hiding underneath. G76-1 drags her out from beneath the bedframe; she quickly surrenders. G76-5 restrains her.
G76-5: There’s Sleeping Beauty.
G76-1: 2-6, prepare for exfil. Cattryn Ihle, you are under arrest for the murder of Linnea Kristiansen.
Ihle: Please, I had nothing to do with it. It’s- my father was- I know how it looks but you have to believe me. Why would I do something like that? Linnea was- she and I know each other.
G76-1: We only want to figure out what you know, and then you’ll be home free.
Ihle: Wait! What do you want to know? I’ll tell you anything you want to know, just let me go!
0200: G76-1 and G76-5 force Ihle to stand and descend the ladder with her in tow. Male 1 and Female 1 are also transferred to the team’s truck. G76-1 declares mission success.
End of transcript
Addendum XXXX.2: Discovery
Document XXXX.31: G76-6 Body Camera Footage
Date & Time: 19/03/19, 2:09am
0209: Gamma-76 ride in the back of an armoured vehicle back towards Site-197, some 180 km South of Ihle Manor. They follow the same route which they took to reach Ihle Manor. G76-3 is driving.
0213: G76-6 reports trouble unjamming their pistol.4 They hand it to G76-2, who clears it on their behalf.
G76-2: You need to practise your drills.
G76-5: You know, that jam probably saved someone’s life tonight.
G76-4: This entire operation was overkill. Why didn’t we just send a police summons?
G76-1: For most witches, bloodlines are everything; the apple never falls far from the tree. And three officers lost their lives trying to apprehend Tobias Ihle.
G76-4: There’s no way. He was sixty and glaucomic when they had him done.
G76-1: He set traps throughout his house. What started as a raid turned into a week-long siege.
G76-5: How’d they get him in the end?
G76-1: They convinced him that he had the upper hand: they started making concessions, ceding to his demands, getting him in the habit of agreeing with them. He got careless. Then he got caught.
G76-4: Devils do love to gloat.
0315: The truck stops under an overpass. G76-3 reports a dead moose on the road. G76-6 volunteers to move the body. G76-4 states that G76-5 should also disembark, since two people would be unable to move the carcass. G76-5 produces a coin.
G76-5: Heads or tails?
G76-4: Heads.
G76-5 flips the coin. The result is tails.
G76-5: Tails. You got it wrong, that means you go.
G76-3 keeps the engine idling and the headlamps on. A dense mist occludes visibility.
G76-6: (Shivering) What is this thing doing here?
G76-4: Must have crawled. Probably mauled by wolves.
G76-6: They hunt this late at night?
G76-4: Starving ones, maybe.
Both attempt to lift the moose by its legs but find it too heavy to shift. G76-4 sighs, exasperated, and steps back to light a cigarette.
G76-4: This one’s an adult. That’s a little unusual.
G76-6: How can you tell? It’s got no antlers.
G76-4: Look at the size. And beyond that, antlers don’t equate with age in the first place. It’s just a myth among trophy hunters.
G76-6 kneels to inspect the moose’s wounds. Deep puncture wounds are present along its neck and upper torso. Both antlers have been broken off at the roots. The animal appears to have been exsanguinated some time ago; its injuries are ringed by hard crusts of black, foamy blood and the flesh is spongy, indicating the passage of postmortem rigidity.
G76-6: Are you sure we’re on the right road? This moose has been dead for a while.
G76-4 does not respond. G76-6 looks behind them but is unable to locate G76-4. G76-6 activates their radio.
G76-6: (Inaudible; the sound of the engine suppresses G76-6’s speech)
G76-1: -6, you’re being drowned out.
G76-6: I’ve lost visual contact with -4. Is she with you?
G76-1: Negative. Disembarking now. -3, keep the engine running.
0316: G76-6 notices an amber glow in the dark, beyond the range of the truck’s headlamps. They approach and find it to be a burning cigarette, surrounded by flecks of blood. As they watch, several more droplets fall from above. They inhale deeply and look down, as footsteps approach them from behind.
G76-2: (Affirmatively) -6.
G76-1, -2, and -5 form a ring around G76-6. They do not appear to notice the cigarette. G76-2 snaps their fingers.
G76-2: -6?
0318: G76-6 briefly shuts their eyes, racks their rifle, and looks up. The other members of Gamma-76 follow suit. G76-4’s corpse is barely visible through the fog. It is entangled within wires, hanging from the bottom of the overpass. A deer antler, pruned of its branches, has been shoved through its neck. Blood is pooling within their boots.
G76-2 shouts in distress. G76-6 looks back down. A triangular, keratinous object has been inserted into G76-2’s back and is poking through the front of their abdomen. G76-2 rapidly recedes into the fog, and the outline of a large humanoid entity covered in a reflective carapace is briefly visible. However, the light from G76-1’s flare reflects off the mist, meaning that visibility is too poor to maintain contact with the entity. G76-5 opens fire in the vicinity of where G76-2 was.
G76-1: Hold fire.
G76-1 throws the flare ahead of the team’s position. It lands several metres away in the grass, placing the humanoid entity from earlier between Gamma-76 and the lightsource. This silhouettes its figure as it leans over G76-2. G76-1 and G76-5 open fire. The entity runs deeper into the darkness before G76-6 can acquire a target. G76-2’s body is seen lying in the dirt, with numerous bullet wounds across its torso and neck.
G76-5: Shit! Captain, we should hardpoint at the APC.
G76-1: That isn’t advisable. We’re cut off.
G76-1 leans into their radio. G76-5 faces in the other direction to G76-1 and aims at the horizon.
G76-1: -3, I have no visibility.
G76-3: Understood. Thermals on.
0319: G76-5 pulls G76-6 inward, forming a loose ring in the middle of the field. G76-6 is visibly shaking.
G76-3: I’ve acquired -1 and 5-6. No sign of the threat. Can you provide a visual profile?
G76-1: Large, chitinous humanoid. Pronounced lumbar arch. 2-3 metres tall.
G76-3: Movement in my line of fire. Matches description. Twenty metres distant, on your right.
G76-6 steps towards the truck and prepares to break into a sprint. G76-1 grabs G76-6’s shoulder and forces them to desist.
G76-1: Don’t. Look at where we’re standing. We have the truck’s headlamps on our East and the flare to our West. If it approaches from either direction, it will be silhouetted by the light.
G76-3: Hostile is moving in my direction. Closing: forty, thirty!
0320: A gunshot is heard from the truck. The muzzle flash of G76-3 firing from the cabin window is briefly visible.
G76-3: Shot drew blood, struck it in the flank. It’s approaching from the windscreen-side now. I’ve rolled up my window.
Two loud blasts are heard. The truck’s lights oscillate up and down.
G76-3: I’ve lost suspension on the left side.
The lights on the vehicle abruptly dim as the entity places itself in front of the headlights from G76-6’s perspective. The entity mounts the windscreen and strikes the glass, achieving partial penetration before G76-5 raises their weapon and fires at it.5 The entity scrambles over the roof and places itself on the other side of the truck, out of G76-5’s line of sight.
G76-3: You could have shot out the lights.
G76-5: Drove the target around the back, at least.
0321: A loud, moist sputtering sound is heard from the truck.
G76-3: -1, what’s that sound?
G76-1: Your engine is stalling. Something must be blocking the exhaust pipe.
G76-5: How does it know to do that?!
0322: The engine stalls and the headlamps turn off. G76-6 loses sight of the squad vehicle. Once again, the entity mounts the bonnet of the truck and begins smashing the window. However, G76-5 is unable to provide fire support. Cattryn Ihle is heard screaming over G76-3’s radio. Two shots are fired from within the vehicle.
G76-1: -3!
G76-3: Nil effect, entity’s forelimbs are armour-
Three loud bangs are heard from G76-3, followed by silence. G76-1 starts to move in the direction of the vehicle before being held back by G76-5, who also lights a flare and tosses it in the direction of the truck so that the Western and Eastern approaches are once again covered. All three remaining members of the team raise their weapons. G76-6 is hyperventilating. The wind and the rustling of vegetation is heard for the next several minutes. It is not possible to distinguish the sound of the entity’s movements from the natural ambience.
0325: A fast-moving reflective object or entity is seen by the Eastern flare. Gamma-76, unable to determine a target, elect to cautiously move in the object’s direction. Footage analysis establishes that the object in question was the helmet of G76-3.
The entity (SCP-XXXX)6 sprints toward the group from the Western end of the field. G76-6 pivots to face the entity as it picks up G76-2’s shield and crushes G76-6’s neck with it, shattering the thyroid cartilage. G76-6 collapses instantly but maintains consciousness in spite of their injuries.
SCP-XXXX drops its improvised weapon and lunges at G76-6. G76-1 places themselves in front of the attack and deflects SCP-XXXX with their shield. However, they are knocked down in the process. G76-5 discharges their weapon at SCP-XXXX, which runs laterally in order to avoid being struck. It is revealed that SCP-XXXX only had one horn at this time.
SCP-XXXX abruptly swerves towards G76-5 and swipes their weapon aside, causing G76-5’s reactionary burst to go wide, before severing G76-5’s arm at the shoulder. It then impales them with its horn and throws them several metres. They land next to G76-6.
0326: G76-1 gets up and fires three rounds at SCP-XXXX’s eyes. The entity blocks them and slashes at G76-1’s torso. G76-1 blocks the attack and maintains their footing in spite of stumbling. They aim again at SCP-XXXX’s head and fire two shots, followed swiftly by a shot to the abdomen. After blocking the former two rounds, SCP-XXXX’s arm is occluding its own line of sight, meaning that it is unable to determine the trajectory of the third shot, which strikes it in the right lung. SCP-XXXX stumbles and uses the momentum of its fall to break into a quadrupedal gallop perpendicular to the direction that G76-1 is facing.
SCP-XXXX circles around G76-1 and then launches at G76-1. SCP-XXXX forces its claws through G76-1’s shield and rips it off of G76-1’s arm, fracturing the limb. G76-1 rolls under SCP-XXXX’s follow-up swipe and fires the last bullet in their magazine upwards at its head. SCP-XXXX succeeds in blocking the attack but is momentarily disoriented by the muzzle flash.
G76-1 reloads their weapon, racks the slide, ejects the magazine, and inserts another.7 They fire rhythmically at SCP-XXXX, which catches each shot on its armoured forelimbs. After the seventh shot, SCP-XXXX desists from its defensive posture and prepares to knock G76-1 down. However, before this can occur, G76-1 fires their eighth shot, which strikes SCP-XXXX in the left eye. Blinded, SCP-XXXX slashes at the space in front of it. G76-1 manoeuvres behind SCP-XXXX and stabs it in the base of the spine.
SCP-XXXX suffers a seizure and falls to the ground, where it breaks into pieces. Many of its limbs detach themselves from its body and several organs tumble out of its chest. G76-1 reloads their weapon, draws a knife, and approaches the body. SCP-XXXX’s tail wraps around their ankle. SCP-XXXX pulls itself forward with its right arm and tears out G76-1’s throat. It stabs G76-1 several times in the abdomen before decapitating the cadaver with its jaws. G76-1’s blood boils as it comes into contact with SCP-XXXX. At this point, SCP-XXXX is breathing heavily. A bubbling sound is produced with each inhalation. It reassembles its body by reattaching its limbs at the socket and pushing its viscera back into place.
0327: The light from the flares has largely burnt out. G76-5 has crawled some distance from the fight. SCP-XXXX raises its nose to the wind and then turns in G76-6’s direction. It rapidly limps towards G76-6, when panickedly shifts to one side. SCP-XXXX bypasses them altogether and pins down G76-5.
G76-5: Wait wait wait wait wait- you played a game with your last victim, right? What's the wager? I'll play!
0328: SCP-XXXX growls and uses a claw to carve four rows of parallel lines into G76-5’s arm. One cut on the first row, three cuts on the second row, five cuts on the third row, and seven cuts on the fourth row. G76-5 vomits black tar. A loud ringing noise is heard. G76-5 nods their head profusely and then looks at their arm. Game configuration: 1, 3, 5, 7.
G76-5: I- I take… seven from the bottom row.
All seven cuts on the fourth row blacken as if burnt. G76-5 screams. SCP-XXXX grips G76-5’s wrist and ponders for a moment before leaning in and marking three of the cuts on the third row, leaving two unmarked. Game configuration: 1, 3, 2, 0.
G76-5: T… two from the second row.
Two of the cuts on the second row blacken, leaving one behind. SCP-XXXX marks one cut on the third row. Game configuration: 1, 1, 1.
G76-5: Wait- no no no. Best of three, best of three!
0329: G76-5 draws their sidearm and raises it to SCP-XXXX's mouth. SCP-XXXX instantly closes its jaws around their wrist, severing their hand at the base. It then plunges its claws into G76-5's sternum and pulls downwards to the crotch. The wound emits a flickering orange light. SCP-XXXX pulls a large antler out of G76-5’s chest, then mounts the antler on its own scalp. There is a moist crackle as the flesh at the base of the antler fuses with SCP-XXXX’s body. It steps away as G76-5 exsanguinates.
SCP-XXXX presses its nose into the grass. It begins sniffing. G76-6 picks themselves up and flees North.
Footage captured over the next two hours was unremarkable. G76-6 managed to reach a meat packing facility on the outskirts of Alta, still several dozen kilometres from the greater metropolitan area.
Document XXXX.31: Gamma-76 Radio Transmission
Date & Time: 19/03/19, 4:49am
Interlocutors: G76-6, Cattryn Ihle
G76-6: G76-3, come in. You alive, man?
G76-6 is breathing heavily. Several seconds pass.
G76-6: Come on, come on. Is anyone there?!
Ihle: Hello? Who is this?
G76-6: I give up. I- I surrender. Call your thing off.
Ihle: What are you talking about?
G76-6: Isn’t that monster yours?
Ihle: No! I said I had nothing to do with it. And I’m still stuck in your truck!
G76-6: Christ, stop shouting. I believe you.
Ihle: Can you tell me what’s going on? Is someone coming to pick me up? Please, I can’t see a thing.
G76-6: I-… I was one of the people who broke into your house tonight. We thought you might have something to do with the murders. And whether through cowardice or irrelevance, I’m the last one alive.
Several minutes of silence.
G76-6: Your father, did he ever talk about why he became a serial killer?
Ihle: Before he got arrested, there was a project he talked about a lot.
G76-6: Tell me about it.
Ihle: He said he had a friend. A friend who wanted to come stay with us, and who would help us get our old house back.
G76-6: Your old house?
Ihle: We were living in an apartment back then. My father sold our manor to pay off loans. I only just moved back in on lease.
G76-6: Who was the friend?
Ihle: He said that our friend was somewhere without planes or boats, so the only way that it could get to us was if it cut itself into little pieces and sent itself over in boxes, so my father could stitch it back together. It was a cruel joke.
G76-6: Less of a joke than you’d think. What happened to the friend?
Ihle: Well, when the police were laying siege to the house, I asked him if his friend could help. He said no: even though he’d put together the friend’s arms and body for it, it had run away and abandoned him.
Ihle: I asked him why his friend had left us, even though it had promised to help. He told me: ‘The Devil doesn’t play fair games’.
Loud footsteps are audible in the background, alongside heavy breathing.
G76-6: That helps, I guess. Be seeing you.
Connection terminated.
Document XXXX.31: G76-6 Body Camera Footage
Date & Time: 19/03/19, 5:03am
0503: G76-6 is lying on the ground on the second storey of the meat packing factory. They prop themselves up on a crate. SCP-XXXX’s breathing becomes increasingly audible. It eventually strides into view and growls. G76-6 raises their hand.
G76-6: Hey. Took you a while.
0504: SCP-XXXX steps closer and raises one arm.
G76-6: The game you played with -5. It wasn’t winnable.
A loud whining noise is heard. G76-6 vomits a black effluent.
G76-6: Didn’t think so.
G76-6 coughs.
G76-6: How much of yourself did you leave behind when Tobias Ihle summoned you? How many wagers did it take to get to where you are? How many more will you need in order to feel whole again?
G76-6: You were counting -1’s shots earlier, cutting our escape routes off, taking advantage of our expectations to surprise us. A dumb beast wouldn’t have done any of those things. Not even a human could have put such an audacious plan together.
A second whining noise emanates from G76-6’s surroundings. Once again, they vomit black bile.
G76-6: I propose a fair game! A game that either of us could win. If I lose, you can use me to bring another piece of you to this side of the veil. But if I win, I get to take a single bone of my choosing. It's a fair exchange. You’re up for the challenge, aren’t you?
A third whining noise. G76-6 smiles.
G76-6: The game is simple. Subtract square numbers from 20,000. The person who subtracts to zero and leaves the other player no more valid moves wins.8
SCP-XXXX bares teeth at G76-6.
G76-6: It’s a fair game, I’ll prove it to you. I’ll flip a coin to determine who goes first. You agree that if I don’t know who gets to play on the first turn, then it can’t be rigged, don’t you?
SCP-XXXX leers over G76-6 before eventually flicking its tail, which loudly slams into the ground. G76-6 flips the coin. It lands heads side up.
G76-6: It’s heads. You chose tails, so I’ll take the first turn. I subtract 141 squared, or 19,881 from 20,000, giving 119.
SCP-XXXX growls.
G76-6: There are no rules against having a strategy. I told you that if the first turn was randomly assigned, then both players had equal opportunity to win. That fact? It remains true.
SCP-XXXX exhales and taps its chest two times.
G76-6: I subtract 81 from your 115, leaving 34.
SCP-XXXX is clearly agitated at this point. It taps its chest once.
G76-6: 16 from your 33, leaving 17.
After several seconds spent scratching its body, SCP-XXXX howls and grabs G76-6, slamming them against a wall. A high pitched, apparently sourceless shriek overpowers the audio.
G76-6: I never said what your coin face stood for! I handed you the losing role and you accepted. Now honour your word!
SCP-XXXX steps back and laughs(?). It puts a hand to its ear.
G76-6: Your jaw.
SCP-XXXX’s mandible disappears. G76-6 immediately draws their pistol and discharges it several times into the now-open cavity of SCP-XXXX’s mouth. SCP-XXXX swiftly crushes G76-6’s head with its fists and then collapses.
SCP-XXXX was later discovered still inside the meat processing plant, paralysed from the neck down due to injuries to the spinal cord. Since recovering, it has exhibited a marked disinterest in human interaction.
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"Tiamat Elsen's Sandbox" by Tiamat Elsen, from the SCP Wiki. Source: https://scpwiki.com/tiamat-elsen. Licensed under CC-BY-SA.
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