[IC] The SCP Foundation - Chapter 1: Trick or Treat

[Metastachydium]

Cecily turns to stare at Benjamin quite blankly for a second before blinking in a manner quite incredulous. No? she says very slowly, as her gaze flicks right and left to scan the tight space (incidentally confirming that Hank's at least alive; that's good). She makes a vague squirming motion. This is The Mist slashficked into Children of the Corn and the bees are trying to eat me. she states with utmost conviction, the pitch of her rising all the way. Geez. I'm ****ing missing death row back home, I thought we ****ing outlawed torture at some point! her eyes shift from Benjamin's face to that of a guard faster than she believed is possible. What do you want from us?!

[Plaids]

Dr. Kalispell Hagerty

Dr. Hagerty follows Jame's lead and taking aim and firing hoping to dispatch some of the obstacles in their path.
Hoping to sway William Dr. Hagerty intersperses pleas between rounds.
William, I know how it feels to lose your home and community. You want nothing to do with anything else. But recreating your home won't bring it back. Stand down and we can help you get what you lost back. Just like SCP is doing for me and Maribel.

[JeenLeen]

5404 really didn't want to risk killing Lily's mom where Lily might see. Hopefully one of William's people moved her somewhere safe, but findable, in the house. As he gears up for a fight to enter the house, he's surprised to find Fink and Hagerty negotiating. He stays tense and ready to jump between them and an aggressive action, but decides to stay quiet.

Even if Hagerty sincerely believes the SCP will help her and her ghost-SCP-whatever, 5404 trusts their altruism too little for him talking to help at this stage. But he won't muck it up on purpose. Did that cat really run off? And the psychopath precog... did he really go for help or just escape? Dang.

[hand ax ranger]

With the dead reassembling themselves it could be well assumed that one would become fearful and disheartened. But Kuzmo is not such an easily dissuaded individual. He just undead similar to that stemming from The Shades of his home reality.

"Hmm!" He snorted "You expect me to be merely defeated by necromancy? I've slain the living dead of all forms, even clearing lines of ravenous ghouls at the Battle of Broken Horns."

He bats the head off the bearded man, then keeps amputating limbs from the stumbling corpses and kicking and slapping them into the distance.

"When I put you in you're place, I'll tell of it."

This did however leave an effect..... now he missed his dear friend Macalki, who'd been there at the battle by his side.

[WindStruck]

The Rumble in Blumber

"Bah!" The entity growls and grumbles, but it seems to be fighting even more pathetically (in Kuzmo's eyes) and bantering no more. Though Kuzmo keeps hacking the villagers down and dismembering them, they do seem to keep reanimating. At one point a stray hand leaps at his face, attempting to gouge his eyes. Still although no more divine powers seem to be utilized against Kuzmo at this time, the zombie/villager hordes slowly close in, as they outnumber him 50 to 1.


The Fear in the Big Blue House

”We ain’t here for Lily,” James says as he blasts another villager with his gun. “Just William.” He aims the gun at Lily’s “mother’s” head and racks another shell. “You wanna come out and talk, William? Or you wanna watch your neighbors and loved ones die over and over? Either one’s fine by me. Your choice, William. But there will be more of us next time. And I’m nice compared to some of the people that will come after me.”

"You're talking to him!" One of the standing villagers barks, apparently growing more angry as you continue gunning the bodies down.

"You think you can scare me with your big government talk? You all are nothing but worthless thugs and bullies!"

The entity laughs, "I dare you all to come. Send your armies in! I welcome the opportunity to make you pay and put you in your place!"

With merely an angry snarl, James is suddenly flung against the adjacent building, his skull rattling, and pounded again, dropping his gun. Thomas leaps in to try to interfere, only to be on the wrong end of this entity's ire instead. He's suddenly frozen in place, being floated off the ground, and his limbs begin to to be pulled back and stretched, pressure bending them in the wrong ways.

Hoping to sway William Dr. Hagerty intersperses pleas between rounds.
William, I know how it feels to lose your home and community. You want nothing to do with anything else. But recreating your home won't bring it back. Stand down and we can help you get what you lost back. Just like SCP is doing for me and Maribel.

The villager turns to Dr. Hargerty and snarls, "What do you know about loss?! You took everyone and everything from me!!"

Thomas feels like he's on the verge of being ripped apart!

"The last time you fools came here to 'help', you burned everything to the ground.. Why do I have any reason to trust you? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear this lousy, lying, lowdown, four-flushing bastard limb from limb!" He sneers, seemingly enjoying Thomas's fear and pain and the power he lords over his helpless subjects. But understandably, Thomas probably isn't quite as scared...


Packed Like Sardines

It's an awkward moment riding in the back of a somewhat armored truck, filled with boxes, cramped with 5 prisoners in orange jumpsuits and two armed and armored guards with twitchy trigger fingers. And a few stray nagging bugs.

Taking a headcount, it's Benjamin, Cecily, Hank, Marianne, and Chris left. The others apparently got lost, or ran off.

Cecily turns to stare at Benjamin quite blankly for a second before blinking in a manner quite incredulous. No? she says very slowly, as her gaze flicks right and left to scan the tight space (incidentally confirming that Hank's at least alive; that's good). She makes a vague squirming motion. This is The Mist slashficked into Children of the Corn and the bees are trying to eat me. she states with utmost conviction, the pitch of her rising all the way. Geez. I'm ****ing missing death row back home, I thought we ****ing outlawed torture at some point! her eyes shift from Benjamin's face to that of a guard faster than she believed is possible. What do you want from us?!

There is nothing but the rumbling vibrations of the truck for a while, as the guards apparently choose their words carefully.

"..we want you to remain calm and do as you are told," one says.

"Aww, c'mon!! Bulls**t!!" Chris yells. Guns are aimed slightly more in his direction.

"We aren't stupid!" he says. Then looking apologetically at Benjamin, he says, "Well, most of us aren't. Look, it's obvious some crazy things are going on, so much so that it even freaked out your leader! Now, is there anything we should know to help keep everyone alive, or are you d**kheads just going to keep us in the dark?"

The one who was apparently Robins looked about a little awkwardly, until he finally sighed and said, "Basically, you folks were meant as cannon fodder. The idea of being let go after doing so much time or so many tasks has always been like dangling a carrot in front of a horse. Guess there's no harm in telling you now, since we're all probably dead anyway."

The other guard starts to protest, but Robins continues on, "I really can't promise you much of anything, but if you follow our lead, you may at least live a little longer. Or, I could just put a bullet in your heads now. Your choice."

Hank sighs and lowers his head, muttering, "Jesus Christ..." Marianne's face appears to have turned a shade of green, and looks like she is choking on a frog.

It's then that Hank raises his head, and looks around, as if he had just remembered where he had misplaced his car keys, or a winning lottery ticket. "I think I have an idea."

[MrAbdiel]

Benjamin endures this slight from Chris - either in a display of unusual magnanimity or, more likely, having misheard some part of it and elected not to chase clarity. He's paying attention when the guard gives the grim rundown - exposing the dark nature of the D-Class designation and the meaty fate that awaits them. He swings his eyes over the other prisoners, silent and reflective from this revelation... then locks eyes with the guard...

And winks, and touches the side of his nose; as if to suggest that he, too, is on the inside of some kind of double meaning that does not exist.

This, of course, was a test - and he didn't intend to show signs of despair that might imperil his future advancement.

[Metastachydium]

Calm. Calm? How exactly do you expect… Cecily begins with a wounded indignation (if a squeaky one still), but the much louder Chris interrupts her interruption. And it only gets worse from there. So they are guinea pigs, here to be… What? Fed to the corn? Cecily shrinks back, wearily, feeling the blood leaving her face. She slowly looks around again. It's going just fine. Tom and stupid Cheryl with her melancholy stupid face. Done for, done with. The bullet offered doesn't sound like such a bad deal, all of a sudden. Cecily tries to inhale deeply… And just then, the cavalry arrives. Of course it's Hank. She looks up at the big man with a glint of dubious hope in her eye. What?! she presses out, hurriedly, with the air she just took in. What is it?

[JeenLeen]

I hate this I hate this I hate this

5404 doesn't do much besides winch and yell in pain as he feels his muscles and tendons being stretched, healing slightly, then stretching more over and over again as the entity pulls on him. Worst case, he guesses he'll knit together or regrow if he gets quartered, but the pain doesn't let his mind quite grasp that as a comfort.

Dang... need to end this...
5404 bites off his tongue and spits it out, holding his mouth open so the creature can see it regrow. Maybe it'll let go if it sees he's not quite human.

[Esprit15]

James groans. Getting thrown was always so much worse than falling. Harder to land right, and it bruises the ego as much as the body. ”Last folks… when was that? Never heard of people burning things down.” Not that he would blame them. His brain rattles as he gets up. “Last group that came here from us was just supposed to investigate. Why’d they try to burn it down?”

[Plaids]

"The last time you fools came here to 'help', you burned everything to the ground.. Why do I have any reason to trust you? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear this lousy, lying, lowdown, four-flushing bastard limb from limb!" He sneers, seemingly enjoying Thomas's fear and pain and the power he lords over his helpless subjects. But understandably, Thomas probably isn't quite as scared...

Dr. Hagerty- SCP Scientist
Thankfully William had unknowing chosen to threaten the most resilient member of the party. Thomas wasn't at risk of any serious bodily harm. Fink seemed to still be capable as well. Though the invisible forces lifting and contorting Thomas were still a problem.

We do what good we can despite of who we are employed by. We talked to Olheim and he told us you are sick and need help. Ripping Thomas to bits won't be helping you bring anything back.

A freshly removed hand catches Dr. Hagerty's attention as propels itself back towards the maelstrom of blades emanating from Kuzmo. The hand hops forwards propelled by its flexing wrist. Each pogo hop leaves a fresh spurt of blood in an absurd macabre display.

Looks like guns won't be a working solution against these villagers. Luckily there was restraining foam available.
Dr. Hagerty addresses Thomas as she tries to help him.
This should keep you in one piece for a bit. Fink can shoot you out later.
Dr. Hagerty tosses a restraining foam pod towards Thomas aiming for his limbs and avoiding his head to avoid an agonizing asphyxiation. She then begins to push Thomas should the foam hit its mark and subsequently harden.

She tries to inform Kuzmo of her discovery and her need for magical consultance.
Kuzmo, these villagers and staying down and we are having trouble with William's psychokinesis, magic, or whatever it is. What can we do stop it? Before realizing the lizard forgot his communicator.

Gesturing to Fink Dr. Hagerty motions him toward the house.
While 5404 has William distracted let's get to that house.

*EDITS* Removed communication to Kuzmo but kept the attempt. Added extra communication between Fink and Thomas

Spoiler: Restraining foam Intent

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The idea is to put Thomas in a hard shell so he is kept in one piece. I was thinking Fink could shoot the foam to free Thomas later or have Kuzmo smack it with the pommel of his swords. Either way Hagerty is going to push Thomas towards Lillie's house.

[MrAbdiel]

Benjamin's beady eyes swing to Hank as he announces his idea. The road before him bifurcates.

Down one path, he can attempt to get in on the ground floor of this idea and, later, attempt to insinuate in some way that it was his idea, or at least contend that he came up with the same idea. In Benjamin's experience, insisting without showing doubt was very often enough to make people go along with a claim even if they had seen countervailing facts with their own eyes.

The other path was much the opposite - become the plan's foremost immediate sceptic, even sabotaging it if necessary, for the payoff of later basking in the radiance of those forced to acknowledge how clever he was for seeing failure so presciently. Both plans had merits and flaws; but one thing was certain: if anyone was getting out of this alive, they would do so with a reason to thank Benjamin and put a gold star on his record. Ultimately, he takes the second path.

"An idea? How could you have an idea, dumb-dumb? You haven't been told anything about what's going on? All he's told us is that we're cannon fodder. Is the idea 'try not to be cannon fodder'? Everyone has that idea."

[hand ax ranger]

With the fake god finally shutting his mouth the Hulking mystic looked all around at he dead surrounding him. He wasn't all that concerned as he had handled worst in his home-realm. Bands of trained, well funded nmercenaries. Hordes of ravenous flesh eaters. Gargatuan beasts intend on death and mayhem. These were not threats.... they were pests. As fun as it had been to slash and burn them all it was time to end this game.

He begun running on the outside of these all, utilizing his fire bolts to start turning them all to ash. As valid as this was though it would take a long, long time. He searched his mind he tried to think of ways to more properly rid his sight of their undeath.

"Might as well cease their attack, it won't do anything but delay me." He says the the sky, though he doubted William would listen.

[WindStruck]

The Rumble in Blumber

Not much to add here. With Kuzmo's abilities, he begins utilizing divine fire and burning the villagers to ash. It's a much slower process than just hacking them apart with his sword, but at least the body parts being burnt to a crisp don't seem to be coming back together any time soon.


The Fear in the Big Blue House

"William", now in the guise of a portly man with a cooked nose snaps at James. "Idiot! I'm not talking about the buffoons you've been sending here the past few years!"

Turning to Dr. Hagerty, he's about as equally rude and aggressive. "I'm sick?! I don't need anyone's help! I just have to fix this! What I need is to be rid of meddling fools like you!"

And with those words he twists Thomas's head off. It makes a rather sickening yet subtle sound. Perhaps William was too busy paying attention to other things, including this seemingly hopeless conversation. Maybe it's likely a man would accidentally bite off his own tongue given the pain wracking through his limbs, but he was already poised to kill Thomas, foam or no foam.

Thomas's head drops to the ground, and his body encased in strange foam is tossed away. But he doesn't seem to realize something rapidly growing out of Thomas's head. Not yet, anyway...

Turning his attention back to the remaining two, he scowls. "Just look at yourself. With one breath, you claim you want to 'help'. And with the next, you're conspiring against me, right in front of my face! DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL!?"

The man slams his arm down, and yet with one motion, it seems a whole swath of destruction emanates from that one line, like a line of land mines exploding in the vague direction his arm swung. The blue house shakes and corners and bits of wood splinter. On top of the fog that surrounds you, now there's plumes of dust.


Packed Like Sardines

Cecily's reaction to Hank was surprised, and Benjamin can't help but rain on the parade. He had a point though. What could Hank possibly know that these guards didn't already know, and then some? Everyone was looking confused, or skeptical.

"There's a church in the town! We need to get there!" Hank looks around, wide-eyed, a certain hysteria that was never noted in him before, until now. The two guards look at each other.

Hank licks his lips and says to Cecily, and Benjamin, and anyone else who will listen. "I know, it must seem crazy. Take my hand. Now more than ever, we need to pray."

[Esprit15]

James tries to shield his face from the worst of the blast. ”Then what are you trying to fix? Seems like you haven’t made much progress on it,” James says as the dust settles. “We’re here because we want to figure out what’s going on. ‘Go away, I’m fixing it’ unfortunately only makes us more curious. But if you tell us, we might be able to be out of your hair. Might even be able to tell our bosses why they shouldn’t send more people.”

[Metastachydium]

While she doesn't literally take the hand, Cecily does grab a handful of Hank's jumpsuit for her own comfort. Which is to say: the words alone are hardly going to make her more comfortable. Pray? That's the master plan? …it's over it's over it's over it's over… she begins to mutter, barely noticing she's doing it. A cold sweat breaks on her scalp and palms. This isn't fair. None of this is.

All of a sudden, however, her body is convulsed by a sudden, violent spastic jerk, as if she were struck by a little, invisible bolt of lightning. Her eyes snap open and she stares up at Hank. Town? The **** are we talking about, there is no town?

[Plaids]

Dr. Kalispell Hagerty

While Fink has William's attention Dr. Hagerty moves towards Thomas's newly liberated head. Gently lifting his with one hand cupping a cheek another she begins to whisper.
I'm glad it was you not anyone else. Try and stay out sight for now. If we need anything done, I'll let you know. I trust you to do the right thing when the time comes.
She turns her attention away from Thomas for a moment.

Sorry Maribel, you have stick with me. William will notice your absence.

Grasping Thomas's hair with both hands she attempts flings his head behind some rubble almost throwing out her back in the attempt as a new body sprouted from his head.
Dangit, he never regenerated that quickly back at headquarters.

Stumbling forward and catching herself with her hands she finds herself at the feet of William's conversing puppet.
My colleague has a point. We don't even know what you want. Perhaps our wants aren't even in conflict and us fighting is counterproductive to achieving both our goals?

[JeenLeen]

Spoiler: OOC

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Narrator, retcon this away if it doesn't work, but going with this based on your OOC post.
Also, as I think about it, probably not really time for her to retrieve the head, whisper, and throw it before he regrows. And I think he'd be dead until he regrows and thus unable to hear her anyhow.

As Dr. Hagerty grabs Thomas' head and starts to whisper, tissue rapidly grows from his neck down and reforms his body. Thankfully face-down so at least he's mostly covered. He has a confused and groggy look for a moment as she stops mid-whisper. Throwing him into the bushes is quite less of an option now.

He moans out, "I hate dying..." before looking around and realizing he's now in devastation-swept townscape. Then, some wits returning, looks to William's primary host.

[WindStruck]

The Fear in the Big Blue House

Dr. Hagerty furtively whispers to Thomas's head, and whatever figments of imagination she has rattling around in her skull.

Meanwhile, it seems despite all unlikelihood, James has managed to coax some kind of conversation out of this entity that wasn't just tirades or death threats. He looks like he wants to just twist your head off too. But he hesitates and sighs.

"All I wanted was for this town to flourish. I just wanted my granddaughter to live again. But every time - no, every year, something always goes wrong. I must have seen her die a hundred different ways now, from wild fires, to wild dogs, falling down a well, choking, a pitchfork through the eye..."

"Every year I'd try again. I had it down to a science, running the whole town, making sure no freak accidents happened. And then you all started showing up again. Twice now, she's been struck by a stray bullet. Last year, one of your little 'flash bangs' put her in a coma! How do you expect to help me, when I'd bet dollars to doughnuts, you're going to be the cause of her demise!"

It's about then that Dr. Hagerty tries to fling Thomas's head to a remote spot, but she hasn't realized that a brand new body suddenly grew out of it. She can't manage to toss Thomas (or his head) any distance, though she probably does give him a really bad crick in the neck.

While Dr. Hagerty essentially tries to reiterate what James already said, what gets more attention is Thomas's groaning. The villager's eyes widen and jaw hangs slack, as he gazes upon the nude (and more importantly, whole and alive) form of Thomas.

"W-what in the blazes?? How?!"


Packed Like Sardines

Hank gently holds onto Cecily's wrist as she clutches his leg. "No, no, that's not how you do it. You don't worry yourself to death saying meaningless things. You talk to God. Open your heart to him."

The two guards have begun exchanging some furtive whispers.

Spoiler: MrAbdiel

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"Did you tell him?"

"No. Did you?"

"Maybe Wolfram did?"

"That's insane! It's all classified!"

"You just told them they're not getting out!"

"Yeah, one minute ago, cause none of us are!"

[MrAbdiel]

Benjamin listens to both Hank, and the muttering of the guards. This was bad.

People were in danger of not outright rejecting Hank's nonsense and recognizing Benjamin as the smart one, which would be the worst outcome possible. He does the only reasonable thing and makes the opposite arguement.

"Hank's popped a blood vessel in his brain. We're going into danger, and some of us are going to die - some already have. The only chance we're gonna have out there against whatever it is to work back-to-back and fight like hell. I'll take God's help if he's giving it, but I know the bible; and the bible says 'God helps those who help themselves'. So get ready."



As a matter of fact, Benjamin doesn't know the bible; and if he did, he would know it doesn't say that at all. If anything, it's extraordinarily forthright in promoting the idea of beseeching God directly. But it sounds good; like the kind of thing someone who knew what they were doing might say. So he says it, then cracks his knuckles, and lets the truck rumble on towards death, or glory.

[Esprit15]

”Even if I knew, I’d be shot if I told ya,” James says with a shrug. William calming down from his words surprises James, and he at least brings his gun down to a low-ready. “Ain’t got no rugrats of my own, but I get wanting to protect your grandkid,” he says, trying to keep up the conversation.

“Look, ah… is she still safe right now? Because we don’t want to hurt her if it can be avoided.” James looks to the doctor, then back toward William’s current speaker. “Our bosses heard about people disappearing here and weird things happening, so we were sent to investigate. Take notes. Secure the area, contain any threats, protect the local population. But if there’s no danger here… well, we might just be able to take our notes and leave.

“So how about we help your little girl make it to tomorrow instead?”

[JeenLeen]

Trying to figure out what little he missed, 5404 groans out, "Protect and Contain are part of the creed." It's not quite an honest assessment of the the SCP, but they do protect the SCPs they contain. "If you can stop increasing the spreading area, or explain what's happening, they'll help you keep her alive. Keep others from interferring. That's what they do with me."

He starts to stand, but then realizing his nakedness, looks around for some scraps of clothing or shubbery or something. He hesitantly takes some of the bloody remains of his shirt from his old rent-asunder corpse. Urgh... hate seeing my body dead...

[Plaids]

Dr. Kalispell Hagerty

William protecting Lillie from an annual threat? That wasn't in the mission briefing but it would explain William's behavior.
Dr. Hagerty supports Fink who had provided a much-needed breakthrough.

Annual attacks on the town wasn't in the mission briefing. At least we know what William wants now. I'll follow your lead you've made more progress with William than the rest of us. We will have to act quickly though the festival is only a few hours away. Maybe Olheim can help us protect Lillie.

[Metastachydium]

Seemingly unaware for the most part of Benjamin and the guards, Cecily looks up at Hank with wide, dry eyes, in horrified confusion. But… But there is no town. At the end of the day (and too much of her battered sanity was hinging on this), this trembling mess of a D-class asset formerly known as Cecily Branting is still the owner of that same old chemist's brain; her world, ever decreasing in width and depth, was a simple one, with finite amounts of matter, coming in orderly little bundles, entering or breaking away from a finite number of properly explained and understood combinations. She used to think she can assess the merits of how a hypothetical town or population would hypothetically regulate itself – given some exact parameters. But a town that isn't somewhere past a fog that shouldn't be… To her, that is something occult to the point of absurdity. And the absurdity of Hank's propositions, all too reliant on things he presented as given but that are, to her, intangible could not possibly calm her. This is the impossible happening, beyond reason which is the scope of her understanding. And Hank? Hank is being impossible himself.

Cecily begins to tremble even harder than before. Who is Hank, anyhow? She's with these freaks for unspeakable reasons. What about Hank? And the others. What about them? Is she losing it? Was there ever anything, anything to lose? A panicked whimper claws its way out of her: fear is a place. And here she is, sitting alone, right in the middle of it.

[hand ax ranger]

As fun as the fight here had been for Kuzmo it was getting tiring. In particular, the amount of effort compared to the end result was starting to become a sunk cost,especially magically as he could feel the drain start to fatigue him slightly. Giving an angry growl he turn to the way his allies had went and figured he had covered them long enough and he could return to them.

Perhaps they needed his help even.

Using superior speed, leaping ability and sheer "freight train energy" Kuzmo made a dash for the farm where he estimated them to have headed to for at least a fallback point if not the main target.

[WindStruck]

In Blumber (a town that is not trying to kill you at the moment)

For a brief moment, the puppet's eyes narrow. There's an almost unbroken silence as only the mist swirls around and dying spurts of wind rustle the distant fields a bit.

Finally he says, "I suppose you could try. If worst comes to worst, I'll just have to start over again." Briefly he stands there, seemingly hesitating, before turning around to walk towards the front of the house with the other remaining villagers. "Let's get you a change of clothes."

"I wouldn't say it's attacks. Things just.. happen. Unforseeable things. Things that are just beyond my control, until it's too late. Olheim.." he says with a grunt and grumbles something.

Heavy footsteps are heard approaching fast. He raises his voice, turning his head to the side. "Make sure your lizard pet stays clear. I don't want that thing anywhere near Lily."

More villagers surround the blue house in a protective formation. One calls out to Kuzmo, putting an upright, flat hand in the air. "Hold it!" they call. If Kuzmo doesn't stop, he is made to stop via magical force.

Another villager, a youngish woman heads into the blue home with alacrity. Less than a minute later, she emerges with a rustic pair of pants and shirt and tosses them to Thomas. No shoes are given at this time, but maybe they could procure some from elsewhere later, or just pry them off his old corpse.

The portly, middle-aged villager starts talking again. "Alright. Listen here. I'll try an' explain what's going on. But first you tell me what all this is," He gestures at Kuzmo and Thomas. "I thought I'd seen everything, but talking lizard-men with fire magic? Growing your entire body back from your head? And I might have misheard you, but did you also say something about a talking cat? Maybe. Maybe you can help save Lily. First, you tell me what all this is."


The King of Nowhere

King paws and scrabbles along the road, and he even begins hiding amongst the corn for good measure. The mist was thick in all directions, the clouds overhanging dark and sodden. There were even several booms of lightning in the village, deafening to his cat ears. And yet, he hears the booms of thunder and gunfire subside, and the wind slowing down to but a gentle breeze.

Maybe things have calmed down? Or maybe, just maybe, everyone was dead?


Packed Like Sardines

At first, Hank shoots Benjamin a weary look. But the man's expression lightens. "Very true," he responds with a nod. "It's a fine creed, but that isn't in the bible verbatim. Don't think I got an aneurysm or a stroke. In all likelihood, could be.." he shrugs. "But I feel fine, and more saner than I've been my entire life."

"I don't think this is a problem we can solve with guns and body armor and.. whatever else you have in there. Grenades?" He looks at the two guards, who are now tight-lipped and say nothing. Turning back to Benjamin he says, "You certainly sound like a man with a plan. How do you suggest we get ready?"

The man's look is more confident and reassuring than ever. And he smiles, ever so faintly at Cecily. "We'll get through this hun, don't worry," he assures her.

Chris and Marianne have still said nothing thus far, since the revelation that they were all invariably in death row, and Hank may in fact be a loony too. Though they seemed to have recovered somewhat.

[Ameraaaaaa]

Spoiler: ooc

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I'm probably gonna have to bend king's character a bit to reintroduce him back to the game. But it's either that or king doesn't get to participate. Eh i have the perfect excuse.

King was running away when a idea hit him. wait. Given the distance, what am i gonna eat. There's no food for miles!

"well the noise died down. Perhaps the scp guys are alive and i can return to them. Or they are dead. Well lily likes cats. I can be a pet. That works too.

King heads back to the town like he didn't just leave to group to die.

[Esprit15]

”The short of it is that we work for a foundation that searches for the weird and dangerous things that aren’t quite explainable by current science. Kuzmo and Thomas here are two such research subjects. After being found, they are secured where they cannot, intentionally or accidentally, cause harm to humankind. Most of the time that means being captured and stored in a facility, though sometimes it just means cordoning off regions of land. I’m sure something like the latter may be doable for you, if we are able to finish our work here.

“For Kuzmo, we don’t know exactly what he is, beyond what he claims - that in his own world he was a godking, something like our legend of Gilgamesh maybe. Thomas cannot die, and we aren’t sure why. And King is an unaging cat who speaks, and has a sharp mind for what people are thinking.” He didn’t want to explain too much about the foundation, but if he was going to become an SCP anyways, he’d learn eventually. Willing captures happened sometimes, after all.

[JeenLeen]

5404 nods along to the Task Force Leader's description. He's glad they decided to speak more openly than he expected.

"Yeah. That's pretty much it. Those of us who are willing to work with the team sometimes get to go out on field missions. I don't know the particulars like he or my 'mom' does, but everything I've seen and heard makes me think they'd try to keep you and your town, and Lily, safe and protected from outside influence."

At speaking of safely, he glances back towards where the bonfire was being made. Even if he can't see it from here, he's still thinking of it, and what that pre-cog said about a vision related to it.
And if William's some eternal being, what is Olhelm? ...quiet for now.

[Metastachydium]

The chemist's brain continues to pump the chemicals around in a frenzy. Benjamin's words from somewhere in the background cut sharp like knives, those ugly, serrated knives handled by motion picture madmen, horrifying in their cruel impracticality. And Hank's infernal calm, drifting from plan to plan… It's ominous, more ominous even than the thguggishly direct Benjamin. A whirlpool? Cecily seems to remember something, something about these things. A strait perhaps, blue water. Italy? It could be; but it's not a good place.

And yet: though the entity known as Kuzmo (whose very existence was so far mercifully hidden from Cecily) could conceiveably feel offended by the term, they say there's a deep layer within the head of every man, commonly called the lizard brain. It is a strange, old thing; cunning and primal, a lump of powerful basal urges made tissue – but there is a peculiar kind of wisdom residing in it. The lizard brain scoffs at the hypnotic swirls of circular thoughts, complicated explanations and unlikely rationales; and as the chemist's brain in Cecily tangled itself up in a sticky web of nonsense, the lizard brain quietly awoke to take stock and take over. And to it, Hank is still what he always was; a big heap of friendly, warm flesh, alive and familiar. Despite herself and trembling on, Cecily worms even closer to the man and biries her face into his side, joining the silent chorus.

[WindStruck]

”The short of it is that we work for a foundation that searches for the weird and dangerous things that aren’t quite explainable by current science. Kuzmo and Thomas here are two such research subjects. After being found, they are secured where they cannot, intentionally or accidentally, cause harm to humankind. Most of the time that means being captured and stored in a facility, though sometimes it just means cordoning off regions of land. I’m sure something like the latter may be doable for you, if we are able to finish our work here.

“For Kuzmo, we don’t know exactly what he is, beyond what he claims - that in his own world he was a godking, something like our legend of Gilgamesh maybe. Thomas cannot die, and we aren’t sure why. And King is an unaging cat who speaks, and has a sharp mind for what people are thinking.” He didn’t want to explain too much about the foundation, but if he was going to become an SCP anyways, he’d learn eventually. Willing captures happened sometimes, after all.

5404 nods along to the Task Force Leader's description. He's glad they decided to speak more openly than he expected.

"Yeah. That's pretty much it. Those of us who are willing to work with the team sometimes get to go out on field missions. I don't know the particulars like he or my 'mom' does, but everything I've seen and heard makes me think they'd try to keep you and your town, and Lily, safe and protected from outside influence."

At speaking of safely, he glances back towards where the bonfire was being made. Even if he can't see it from here, he's still thinking of it, and what that pre-cog said about a vision related to it.
And if William's some eternal being, what is Olhelm? ...quiet for now.

"..huh. Explains a lot, I suppose. Especially that cat. Tarnation he's a bastard," the portly villager "William" spits on the ground. Looking pointedly at Thomas, he says, "You honestly don't know how that works?"

He'll lead the group to a different house, one right next to it. He offers some seats with merely an uncaring gesture, but hey, at least it's a modicum of hospitality from a godlike entity who was previously about to end you.

"Now let me try to explain. It's.. been quite a while ago, but I'll try to keep it short."

"Many years ago, we were a small town, but thriving. That is, of course, 'till the Great Depression. Suddenly, no one was buying our crops anymore. No one was selling nothin'. We were just on our own trying to scrape by, except now even after everything'd gone to Hell in a Handbasket, the banks were still after us charging us bills for the property many had already lived on for generations.. and the government.. that damn agricultural department wanted us to burn our crops."

He laughs dryly, hoarsely, in contempt. "Yep, that's right. The G-Man took a swing by here in his fancy car, told us we're the problem, cause too many people are growing corn. We all told him to get lost, and we put fences and barricades up around our lands."

"It was absolutely ridiculous, seeing as we were already planning to keep the livestock, the food to ourselves till this all blew over. We were going to have a fun little harvest festival too. Burn a few crops just for s***s and giggles, stick it to the man, so to speak. It went over really well. The kids especially loved it. Later that night we went to bed.. we woke up in the middle of the night with the fields ablaze and half the town on fire."

"Lily.. she..." the man struggles to hold back some tears, "Ceiling just about collapsed on her. She was trapped screaming in her bed. We managed to get her out, with some burns but.. she took in too much smoke. She just.. she died in our arms..."

"Those of us that were left.. we prayed and prayed something fierce. We'd give up anything if just one of the kids could survive. And then, our prayers were answered. He came. The Lord granted me the power to do what I wanted with this town. But when we first came to, it was only me and Olheim. He reasoned, only the most devout and closest to God might have been left to wield this power..

"I don't know why everyone else was gone. I don't know why it's so hard to just keep one little girl alive for a year. I don't know how that charlatan even stays so faithful, given what keeps happening. Frankly, I don't get it. If it wasn't for what you have seen with your very own eyes, I would have given up on the idea of God long ago."