SCP-8451

Byㅤ basirskipreader

Published on 19 Feb 2024 04:53

破釜沉舟, 鲤跃龙门, 樂不思蜀

by basirskipreader

Item #: SCP-8451

Special Containment Procedures: Access towards SCP-8451 is to be protected (see Addendum — Internal Threats for more information). Maintenance of SCP-8451 is to be done every half-cycle, and after each operation of SCP-8451, selected D-Class are to clean up any residue of the operation.

Description: SCP-8451 is a modified BZ Hominid Replicator, designed to replicate the brain processes of various hominid species.

Replication is done through various MRI and neural imaging scans of the brain (or the hominid species' equivalent to the Homo sapiens brain), along with a thorough biofluid, muscle, fat, and hormonal analysis designed to recreate the exact formulation of the subject's body composition. X-ray imaging is also performed to store a copy of the hominid species' skeletal structure, alongside a chromosomal analysis to determine the hominid species' sex.

The specifications for SCP-8451 were copied and modified from similar Mekhanite structures, used by descendants of Bumaro to transmit information between each other, alongside Sarkic religious rituals designed to keep machines operational for at least 2 centuries. Various other devices are required to keep SCP-8451 operative; as these materials have become rare over the years, supplemental parts with a compatibility rate of 90% have been used as a substitute to the original parts. As of YEAR, 50% of the parts of SCP-8451 have been replaced.

SCP-8451 is kept in Religious Relinquary 8451, a Site designed to protect SCP-8451 from various metaphysical, religious, and physical threats from both outside and inside the Foundation. RR-8451 is thus reinforced with 30 meters of a beryllium bronze-electrum alloy, alongside 100 FGM-148 Javelins, 50 Phalanx CIWS, 50 Sarkic-engineered artificial viruses, 1 large thaumaturgic disabling automated incantation TTS , 2 large high-altitude reusable EMPs, 30 teralitres of paralyzing neurotoxin, and other similar devices. Throughout the history of RR-8451, there has been 3 activations of its defense mechanisms.

The wooden dummy in front of me sits still, taunting me as I try to remember the new spell I developed. I grip my staff, and close my eyes, but the next thing I know, my back is lying on the floor, dummy towering over me, hand outstretched. I reach out to grab the dummy's hand, but the door to the training room opens, and Jose waltzes in, claws clicking on the wooden floor, topless, showing off his recent full-body tattoo.

"Failed spell?"

"Be thankful your dummy isn't destroyed."

He walks across me towards the dummy, the little pouch for his tools attached to his hip jingling in the training area. He flips the back of the dummy up, and starts fiddling with the magic tattoos in its back.

"Ah man, ya did tens of damage ta' my baby!" he squawked.

"Ehehe… sorry about that. Have you tried making better dummies?"

"Repair material's expensive he'e — I'd die than buy 'em in here."

He pauses. "Hng. That'ha great idea. 'ait."

"Oh no."

He runs out of the training area, but comes back with a small karambit in his left hand, quickly fixes the training dummy, and puts it aside. The dummy glows with a cerulean sheen, and Jose Arroz Montalban, the worst fighter of the Montalbans, assumes his fighting position.

"Checked healing cost — should be fasta' to just heal"

I back away a bit, holding the staff across my horns. "Noo, noo. I do NOT want to—"

I blink. A small dink echoes in the training area, and Jose is right up against me, karambit against staff, beak about to stab my snout.

"Sta'p talk. Just fight. Ya' 'ave bad breath."

He somersaults back a few hooves away from me, as I sign a spell to form an earthen box around me and him, so I can hit him easily with my staff. Jose takes the time to carve an intricate tattoo on his left wing, while gauging the square I have trapped him in.

He launches himself against me, while I sign another spell to form another wall, but he is faster than I thought he was, and his tiny body slams into my chest. I get knocked back, and it was enough for the wall I was forming to collapse into a pile of dirt. I swing to the right of him, but he zips around my lumbering frame, and hits my right horn. My head rings from the hit, but I manage to sign a reinforcement spell and breathe in to stabilize myself.

I then rush towards him, signing a spell to sharpen my staff while inhaling the stale air around me. Jose does slight backhops as I swing my staff right, then left, then right again. He carves a healing tattoo on his right wing, and bolts at me. I swing to my right, but once again, he zips around my large body, slams in my left side, mounts my back, and carves a tattoo on my snout as I lose my balance and fall. He hops back before I fall on the ground, and looks at me as I get up again.

He carves yet another tattoo — I can't see what it is — and somersaults off the wall to slam himself against me. I anticipate the move, however, and swing my staff to my left using both hooves, signing another spell as I do to harden my staff.

The staff hits Jose. I hear a small crack, then I see Jose across me again, this time with a bruise on his left wing — how is he moving this fast? He carves another healing tattoo on his right wing. I focus my sight, and I see his right wing is covered in various healing and speed tattoos, alongside a larger one that I don't recognize. I try to sign another spell, but this time I feel a sharp, warm, metal knife stab my snout. Some blood drips down on the floor, and my sight is blurred. I can't see what he is carving on his left wing, and I'm running out of breath — wait, why am I running out of breath?

I go on the defensive, with one goal in mind — figure out why am I getting very tired against him. Jose, meanwhile, seems to have figured out that I'm playing safe, and has started engraving strengthening tattoos on himself, while using the walls to launch himself against me. I sign a spell to form yet another wall in front of him, and the wall goes up in time for Jose to slam on it, but he manages to break through, and I tank his hit. It still hurts a lot, and I feel like my horns are about to break, but I managed to steady myself, and resume analyzing the tattoos on his body.

Jose, meanwhile, has managed to run out of space on his right wing. He has now started carving on his left wing, although curiously he doesn't touch that arcane tattoo he carved — I wonder what it does? While he is carving a healing tattoo, I charge in to interrupt him, but he hears my lumbering steps and decides to use a strenghtening tattoo instead to block my hit. I hear a small crack, and the intricately tattooed portion of his left wing now has a little bruise on it. I take another deep breath to steady myself for more signing, and that's when it hits me. Or, more accurately, Jose hits me, with the karambit carving the same intricate tattoo on my body as he activates it.

To test out my theory, I sign another spell to whip up a wall strong enough to block any hit as Jose carves yet another strengthening tattoo and charges through me. He breaks through yet again, and slams in my body, but I now know what he is doing; while he is on top of me, about to hop off, I grab his talons, sign for the earth to give me strength, and slams him on the ground. His spine cracks, and blood bruises around his back.

Before I can celebrate my most recent victory over him, however, he recovers, scrambles up my chest, lightly slashes my eyes using the wind, and somersaults away, as I run out of breath and the earthen box crumbles around me. In th e rubble, I see the blurry figure of Jose walking back towards me, tattoo guide in left wing, and karambit in another, as I pass out.

"Hey. Hey. Tsit, di, san'. Chan Seh-kai, ya there?" a nasally, sing-songy voice floats in my ears.

I moan at him. "Choan. Not Chan."

"Good, good. Ya' still alive. Ain't got lasting dam'ges."

He turns me around, as I open my eyes and find myself lying on a floating rock. Jose is wearing a funny-looking hat, with a robe wrapped around his muscle-y chest. The carvings he did while we were training have all but disappeared, and I feel a little chill down there as I realize that I am naked.

"Where are my clothes?"

"Dress 'eavy. Stripped ya t' carry ya back 'ere."

I realize that I am in his temporary dormitory.

"Did you keep them, at least?"

"Yep! Ya' really heavy — alm'st br'ke my back. Turn 'round."

I flop around to expose my broad, furry back towards him, as I feel that cold karambit stab at my body once more, and my muscles relax and feel lighter.

"Oough, you play dirty." I tease him.

"Many times I tell ya — trapping me, an air user, is a bad idea."

"Hey, it worked out last ti— ooh!" I yell as he carves another healing tattoo on my back.

"Stay still. 'und sit up straight."

I sit up straight, and he carves a more intricate healing tattoo on my right thigh, his beak jabbing my other thigh as he does so. "First of all, yeah. I was trying to take away the air in the box. You already lost when you trapped yourself in there. Second of all, you tried analyzing my tattoo when you should have been stalling against me as I made sure I took my time to run out of tattoos to carve on my wings. Most other fighters like me would just chain giant tattoos that flow into each other to quickly take down fighters like you."

"Okay, okay, I get it." I lightly tap his beak. "React more, think up a plan in the start, and use my body more. Does not mean I like it. Also I still won before that." Jose finishes carving another healing tattoo, this time on my shins, and goes back to carving another healing tattoo on my left thigh.

"Last time, I deliberately 'eld back." he whispered. His breath tickles me. "Ain't even str'ngest in my family, and ya can't even beat me."

"Come on, you know I suck at fighting your type… blame my bod—" I complain as he jumps up on the floating bed, and snaps my snout shut.

"Shush. I'm just hearing a bull that ain't adapting t' the envir'nment around 'em. Yain't getting the grand prize at this rate."

He jumps back down to the bamboo floor. "Dress 'p. New less'n. Still 'ave a cycle left t' train."

"Do we have to?"

"Finish this less'n, and I'll let ya pick dinner."

"All right, lets go training, then!"

"—go training, then!"

"then!"

"then!"

"then!"

"then!"

"then!"

"then!"

"then!"

"then!"

"—then!"

[ERROR: SCP-8451 CORRUPTION. FALLBACK TO BIOS MODE TO PRESERVE DATA.]

Addendum — Internal Threats: While SCP-8451 is protected from various external threats, the internal threats against both the existence of the Foundation and SCP-8451 has been numerous across its existence. Starting from Cycle 3 with Operation Vulture, a 5-cycle long plot to slowly degrade the internals of SCP-8451, there have been multiple various splinter groups that tend towards a more accelerationist solution towards the modification or destruction of SCP-8451.

As such, the Foundation has decided to implement various RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) and 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) procedures to ensure that access towards SCP-8451 is locked only to those with full read, write, and execute permissions. Said permissions are accessible only to the person who has the 'Administrator' role, a time-limited role only able to be granted towards one user for one hour; once the 'Administrator' role has been given for the day, it cannot be given again until a 24-hour period has elapsed. Entry to SCP-8451's chambers is also protected through a series of biometric locks, designed to take the DNA/RNA/genetic information of hominids entering SCP-8451. Information about SCP-8451 is also on a need-to-know basis.

Preserving SCP-8451 by maintaining the hierarchical structure of the Foundation pre-First Cycle for an indefinite amount of time is impossible; various sociological studies done by Foundation scientists towards the original hierarchical structure of Sarkicism, Mekhanism, and Daevism has revealed that in the second to fifth generation, various splinter factions will arise out of the original structure. Although the Foundation has tried mitigating this scenario (see DEEPWELL SERVER: ANTAROS for a log of attempted mitigations), through double-blind studies on various microcommunities manufactured by the Foundation, a system of ritualized adversarial conflict, that serves to reinforce the structural strength of overall global society, has the least deviation from splinter groups.

[WARNING: CORRUPTION AT 3%. RESILVER DISKS TO PREVENT CORRUPTION]

I rub both of my hooves together, rubbing my snout as a slight dribble of snot runs down my fur. Beside me, Jose hands over a small, white handkerchief, with his mint-scented perfume smeared all over the fabric. I clean the snot off my face, and hand the handkerchief back to him, as he brings out another bottle of mint salve and rubs the oil all over the handkerchief

"Ya' stink. My chest smells like ya musk." he says.

"Hey, it's not my fault."

As we approach the Obsidian Forest, I feel my horns tingle as the elements surrond me.

"Hey… are you sure this is a safe place to hunt?" I ask him.

"Nah."

"…then why did you bring me here?"

"Training."

"Wait, I thought we're hunting for food?"

"Yeah."

"What the fuck do you mean by 'training' th—"

His karambit slams into my face as his cerulean eyes bore in my skull, then points to a brightly-coloured hare, with white fur glowing against the black ground, its red eyes staring at the two of us.

"See and learn." he whispers to me, and before I even blinked, he is speeding towards the hare, who has wisened up to our shenanigans and has started to sprint towards the black pillars jutting out of the ground. With a few quick, light hops — no doubt boosted by his tattoos — he was able to close the gap between him and the hare, overshooting it before placing a small hunting circle on the path of the hare. The hare, unable to pivot away from its path, falls into the circle, being binded by the elemental winds surrounding this place.

After seeing that masterful work of a traditional hunter, I run towards Jose, my loud hooves cracking the smooth obsidian before it reforms itself, as he releases the hare.

"Ooooh, that was very cool! I didn't know you people still hunted like that!" I yell as I tackle him for a bear hug.

"Ah, ah, ah, ya 'eavy, ya 'eavy!" he laughs.

"So, is this food for tonight?"

"Nah."

"Then what was that for?!"

"Dem'nstrate 'unting."

I stare at him.

"I need ya to hunt like that."

"Why? I can snipe those kinds of hare in the Forest from a hill away using the earth — what's the use of doing it the 'traditional' way?"

"Tradit'nal 'unting make ya sense the envir'nment— envir'nment— envir'nment— better, and when yain't've the air t' 'elp ya, it's needed. Very relaxing tuh."

"Sounds like too much work. I'll just trade some food."

I turn around to leave, but an incredibly strong wind pushes me back to him.

"Yain't leaving till the less'n's done."

I groan, and drag my hooves towards the next black obelisk jutting out of the ground

"Fiiine… yes, Master, I will hunt traditional", I smirk.

"Please don't call me Master."

I sit around a makeshift campfire, Jose right across me, as I skin the oddly-shapen wolf I just caught. Beside me are the corpses of two hares, a buck, and a doe, all skinned and ready to be cooked.

"This didn't help me, Jose." I murmured as I skinned the wolf.

"Tradit'nal 'unting's effect's gradual."

He grabs a hare thigh, grabs a stick, stabs the thigh in the stick, and holds it above the campfire. The oily meat of the thigh drops and forms small crackles as the smell of roasted hare wafts around his beak and my horns.

"Days until I can really feel nature 'round me."

The stars above shine bright and loud as the twin moons of our world beam down their moonlight on the two of us.

Jose grabs another stick, then starts whittling it down with his karambit

"Ever thought about after— after— after this?" he asks.

"What do you mean?" I say back, roasted buck chest meat in my mouth.

"Things ya gonna do after this, I mean."

"Well, first, I will have a soul transfer in a new body. Preferably something lithe, something that can run for a long while, maybe even hairless. Then I'll probably have a whole celebration with my village, and then… probably a whole new house with you."

"After that?"

"Maybe set up a dojo to teach others the way you're teaching me. Imagine that headline — "Choan Seh-Kai, renowned elementalist, Sets Up Dojo To Teach Future Elementalists With His Boyfriend and Mentor."

"They ain't including that last part."

"I sure hope they do. Anyway, what are you doing with the stick?"

"Carving a luck charm."

I walk over to him and look at his good-luck charm. It has my name on it, with a weird-looking symbol etched below it.

"What does that mean?" I point to the symbol.

He pauses for a bit.

"'Blessings' in Ancient."

"You were taught Ancient?"

"Part'f my family's training."

"That's so cool, I was only taught some to be an elementalist."

"M're than enuff fuh ya."

"Isn't your family mostly record-keepers?"

"Yeah. Yall're mostly elementalists, right?"

"Well… I'm currently the only one after 2 generations — most of my family has moved to trade."

"I can see. Trade is much m're l'crative and safe."

"Hey, I don't get to do this when I'm doing the trade." I laugh as I wave my hands around.

Jose and I stare at each other, me smiling while he looks at me with his beady eyes and beak. He then stands up, and walks towards me.

"Final lesson, bef're final cycle training."

"Oh?" I arch my brow as I stare in his eyes. "What is it?"

Jose offers me his wings.

"Hold my wings. It's a ceremonial dance."

I grab his wings with my hooves, and he leads me in an intricate dance, moving his left claw back and forth as his right claw does as well, while I try to follow along with my hooves. After a few times of repeating the same pattern of moving in a box-like shape, he uses his wings to sweep my body away, and it is as if the weightiness of my body left me for a moment, as I get spinned right around his small lithe body, falling into his wings and chest as I do so.

"Y'ad fun?" he says, slightly out of breath.

"Mmm, yeah." I reply back, my breath forming slight dewdrops on his beak.

I move my hooves towards the back of his head, and—

and

and

and—

—his wings trace down my belly —

—my fur rubs against his back —

the wind of the Obsidian forest flows over my nak

[ERROR: INTENSE EMOTIONAL PROCESSES DETECTED. DEPLOYING EMOTIONAL LIMITERS.]

[ERROR: INTENSE EMOTIONAL PROCESSES DETECTED. DEPLOYING EMOTIONAL LIMITERS.]

[ERROR: INTENSE EMOTIONAL PROCESSES DETECTED. DEPLOYING EMOTIONAL LIMITERS.]

[WARNING: UNABLE TO DEPLOY EMOTIONAL LIMITERS. ROLLBACK TO LAST KNOWN STABLE STATE]

Addendum — External Threats to SCP-8451: Despite internal threats towards SCP-8451 being numerous, they are not as significant of a threat compared to non-Foundation forces that attempt to either sabotage or destroy the operations of SCP-8451. The majority of external SCP-8451 threats are former Foundation forces that defected to non-Foundation forces post-First Cycle, although there are a minority of external SCP-8451 threats who are evangelisitic anomalous religious groups who has claimed that the Foundation as it exists broke the contracts that the Foundation pre-First Cycle has made with said groups.

A full list of all external threats to SCP-8451 can be found in DEEPWELL SERVER: BETELGEUSE, with notable threats listed below for their relevance to future responses to external threats:

CODENAME: OPERATION FIREBIRD was one of the latest major external threats to have severely impacted the structure of the Foundation. Consisiting of various bird-like hominids, it was an attempt to sabotage the operation of SCP-8451 to ensure that corruption rates of SCP-8451 are maintained at around 50% or more, to disincentivize various other hominids in pursuing members of OPERATION FIREBIRD. Before said external threat, it was assumed that the hominids are not as capable in directly impacting the servers where most of the processing power SCP-8451 resides in. Due to the lasting damage caused by OPERATION FIREBIRD on SCP-8451, various background checks were re-implemented within the vetting process for access to SCP-8451. Former members of OPERATION FIREBIRD willing to divulge information were also given top spots within the Foundation alongside protection of at least 3 generations of families, provided loyalty towards the organization. Currently, OPERATION FIREBIRD serves as a template response towards external threats — determine the external threat, offer incentives for defection, and destroy traces of the external threat (what is now internally called the Triple D Plan)

CODENAME: SATURNIILAE was an attempt by Goldbaker-Reinz to hold the Foundation post-Cycle to the contracts the Foundation pre-Cycle has brokered between it and Goldbaker-Reinz. Although there were no physical altercations between Goldbaker-Reinz and the Foundation, most of the external threats came from bureaucratic letters, attempts on bureaucratic sabotage, introduction of various economies that threatened the existence of SCP-8451, and other such methods. The operation lasted for one cycle, from which the Foundation as it exists and Goldbaker-Reinz were able to broker a contract that takes into account the changes that happened towards the Foundation post-First Cycle. Currently, SATURNIILAE serves as a template in factoring pre-First Cycle Foundation contracts, geas, and agreements towards reactions of various surviving anomalous communities towards the post-First Cycle Foundation.

CODENAME: ABYSSBOARDS was one of the earliest major threats towards the Foundation post-First Cycle, where a collection of various animal hominids came together to destroy SCP-8451, which they saw as a threat towards their existence. Motivated by various external evangelical anomalous religious groups, it was one of the most successful external threats towards the Foundation to date, causing damages amounting to at least 108.13 terabytes of damaged data, multiple damages towards SCP-8451, and 3 cycles of repairs towards SCP-8451. ABYSSBOARDS ultimately failed in its goals to destroy SCP-8451, however, as the Foundation eventually brokered peace with some of the members of ABYSSBOARDS to establish the ritualized fighting still in place today. ABYSSBOARDS serves as an example of the Foundation post-First Cycle's severe failure to respond to external threats, and thus must not be repeated. There have been other external threats that come close to ABYSSBOARDS, but none as destructive as it.

[WARNING: CORRUPTION AT 5%. DISK RESILVERING IN PROGRESS.]

I sit on the wooden bench, my hooves reflecting off the polished floor, as I stare at the scrying water mirror, streaming the second-to-the-last fight between my fellow earth elementalist sister and a fellow blood brother of Jose fighting against each other. She manages to destroy the wind wall her enemy has built around himself, and is about to deliver the final blow, but a giant tattoo glows on the body of her enemy, and the entire wind around the arena stands still to bind her to her current position, as the referee signals that the winner is her enemy after 10 counts.

"Ya ready?" Jose whispers behind me, as my fur stands up straight and my snout freezes in fear.

"Yeah, yeah, I am." I mutter.

He sizes my body up and down, leans in, and takes a whiff of me.

"Yain't look fine. Yain't smell fine. Nerv'us?" he says.

"Very."

He leans in to give me a hug, but I don't— I don't— I don't— and he lets go. He looks at me with sadness in his eyes.

"Dress up, and prep for the match."

I try walking towards my locker, but my chest tightens and I collapse on Jose.

"What if I can't do it? What if I trip out there? The competition only rolls around ever 2 cycles, and I don't know if—"

"Calm. Deep breaths." he says while rubbing my horns.

Inhale, hold, exhale. Inhale, hold, exhale.

"Yain't forget ya training now, 'ill ya?"

"Yeah…"

"Keep that in mind 'ile fighting. Experience nat're 'round ya and destr'y them. Did that training ruin ya senses?"

"No… no it didn't…"

"Ya better than this."

"…can we have a sparring match? Just for old-times sake?"

Jose looks at the water mirror, seeing that the next match is in the afternoon.

"Sure."

"Can I have a request?"

"Yep."

"Please go all out. Fight until you make my body hurt."

"Ya sure 'bout that? Ya match's near."

"Please." I look at him directly in his cerulean— cerulean— cerulean eyes

"Fine, fine. Yain't blame me if ya hurt."

The sparring arena this time was a small clearing in the nearby bamboo forest; the wind around it whistling through the bamboo grove as the earth withstands the weight of my hooves pounding against the earth as Jose hops on towards the clearing.

"Any rules?" I yell at him.

"Nah." he replies back.

We reach the clearing, me wearing a ceremonial robe, a sturdy staff made from ivory, and nerves running up and down my furred back. The last time I had a no-holds fight with Jose was when I begged him to accept me as his student, and I needed a few sunrises to recover from that. Jose, meanwhile, is now covered in intricate tattoos, his karambit being covered with both a deep shade of red and a brightly-coloured pigment.

"Tap ya staff if ya ready." he says.

I look around the arena, taking note of the elements around me, and with a might swing of my staff, I hit the ground. A massive wall of earth forms around both of us as Jose blinks towards me. Predicting his position, I swing the staff with one arm as I sign and slam my hooves on my sides to form earthen armor on my body. Jose sligtly hops back before my staff connects with his beak, and he charges in as soon as I stop moving, but I quickly sign to make an earthen slab on my hand as his karambit slices towards my snout. Using my body, I sign for the earth to launch me with Jose stuck on me, planning to slam him in the wall, but Jose manages to remove the karambit and somersaults out of the way, towards my exposed back, and charges in, managing to pinprick me with his karambit. I swing around to intercept him, but he somersaults again, hops back, and charges in towards me, aiming for my shoulders. I stop, close my eyes, and try to listen for his approach.

A whistle to my slight left.

I slam my ivory stick at that direction, and I hear a small, metallic object bounce off my stick before a slight crack. I turn around to see Jose from a distance away again, but this time his beak is slightly crooked. I sniff the liquid that Jose has applied to my back. My shoulders slightly seize up.

It has an electrifying smell.

I'm on a timer.

I see Jose carving another large, intricate tattoo on his left wing. I sign to make an earthen spear, and throws it at him. Although the spear manages to hit Jose in the left wing, I was unable to prevent him from finishing the tattoo, and the consequences are immediately felt as I feel immense pain in my stomach as Jose manages to rush in and stab me with his karambit. He hops back, repositions his karambit, and prepares to charge in for multiple quick slashes to my eyes. Closing my eyes, I whisper to the elements to help me slow down Jose, and my wishes are answered as I sign to make yet another layer of earthen armor, and Jose's karambit does not manage to slash my face in half. However, I am left without vision, as the earth armor completely blocks out my eyes.

I have to rely on my senses.

I grab for my ivory staff, and sit in a lotus position on the arena. I cannot see Jose right now, but I am willing to bet he is currently looking at me weirdly for stopping in the middle of a fight, but I still try to sense him out. I sign for the earth to be my ears instead — slabs of earth connect my ears to the ground. I hear claw-like footsteps on my front, and I swing my ivory staff at the source of the sound.

I hear a light crack, then small hops away from me.

Still unable to see, sitting in a lotus position, I feel strong wind destroy my earthen ears. Jose is getting desparate. My shoulders are painful to move now, and I feel the timer for how long I can last in this fight slowly edging towards another loss. I cannot use the ivory staff at all, but I reckon that Jose cannot also use his karambit, since his hops are a lot more frequent. I sign for the earth to give me my earthen ears back as they reattach to my horns, and I can feel some small drips of blood as Jose carves a tattoo somewhere longer than he does normally.

He's charging up for a massive attack. I can't move my shoulders.

I lie down on the ground, to hear more from the earth. I sign for the earth to give me strong feet as I feel 3 claw-like hops on the grounds. I smell the scent of mint nearby. I feel something get stuck on my feet, and I quickly sign the earth to propell me against any wall. The earth binds my arms,shoulders, and back as I get propelled towards the arena. My earthen constructions are slowly collapsing, as I feel a massive crack on my feet as I pass out from the paralytic.

"Ey. Ey." a small, bird-like voice chirps at me. "Get up."

I open my eyes to the arena, still on the ground. The armor covering my eyes have been destroyed, but I am still binded in a cross-like position. Jose stands in front of me, carving yet more healing tattoos on both me and him. His beak is severely crooked, and his wings are as limp as a fish.

"Nice j'b." he winces as the muscles and bones reform under his feathers.

"But I lost."

"Ya. Did. N't." he says as he jabs me with his karambit. "Had t' use a recent carving I made. That b'x and l'nch tech? Genius."

"…thanks? I learned that from hunting—" I pause.

"Told ya."

I unbind myself from the earth, as searing pain soars throughout my body.

"Ain't g'nna 'eal ya here." he says, carving another tattoo in my body. I feel my entire body get lighter, and I feel myself get carried by Jose.

"Let's run back. Friend in village can 'eal ya better."

"Jose, after the competition, do you think we can go hunting again?"

He stares at me.

"Yeah, sure."

Addendum — SCP-8451: On [DATATYPE ERROR], 99% of the Foundation's BZ Hominid Replicators mysteriously failed. Theories for the failure include, but are not limited to the following:

Routine maintenance failure

Indirect sabotage by the Foundation

Direct sabotage by extremist groups.

Total electrical grid failure

This was quickly followed up by an XK-Class "End-of-the-World" Scenario, causing the majority of Foundation personnel to believe that these two events are interrelated. In addition to the destruction of the BZ Hominid Replicators, the database storing the genetic data of Homo sapiens within the Foundation was also corrupted during the XK-Class Scenario, necessitating the remaining BZ Hominid Replicators to use data from other animal species to reconstruct hominid features.

As this consitutes a severe breach of normalcy, the Foundation, post XK-Class Scenario, now referred to as the First Cycle, in the interrim period between the total collapse of consensus reality pre-First Cycle and reality being semi-restored post-First Cycle, created SCP-8451 as a final solution to the corrupted hominids being produced by the remaining BZ Hominid Replicators. The creation of SCP-8451 is part of a larger plan to eventually establish normalcy within the world, and as such is designed to run for as long as there are non-hominids present.

SCP-8451 is designed to extract the hominid features of a semi-hominid and use statistical analysis of past Homo sapiens to approximate the human features that the hominid is missing. SCP-8451 then reconstructs the Homo sapiens body through the biological printer module, and using the brain scanning module, copy all the memories of the non-hominid instance to the new Homo sapiens body, while the non-hominid body's materials are used to repair SCP-8451. This new Homo sapiens body is then stored in an exclusive city that approximates society pre-First Cycle. Before the memories of the non-hominid are transferred in the body of the hominid, however, various non-pre-First Cycle portions of the memory are filtered out. Evidence of Veiled activities, including but not limited to thaumaturgy, are replaced with non-Veiled equivalents, to ensure separation between Veiled and non-Veiled knowledge.

As he patches up my injuries, making my horns look good as new, and as the announcer gives me my backstory, he looks at my furry back, and etches a large, sprawling tattoo on my back. He fishes out the good-luck charm, now with buck sinew threaded on it to form a necklace, and places it around my horns.

"Blessing, champ." he murmurs.

"Is there anything wrong?" I ask him. His eyes pierce me, then he turns away.

"Nah. Just… thinking 'bout the journey. Break a leg there, yeah?"

"I won't, but thank you for the sentiment."

I place my hooves on his shoulders. He flinches. I pull him into a bear hug, and turn around to go to the arena. My chest is a little bit wet.

I confront my enemy — the single obstacle that threatens my championship: Tszeh Ta-Si. He is an ice elementalist, with reddish-eyes, blindingly white fur, and ears as large as his head. He is meditating on a puddle of water, and his ears swivel to acknowledge my presence. I bow towards him, and his eyes open, his red glare assessing my body. He bows to me as well, and as the gong echos throughout the arena, I sign for the earth to give me armor as I charge in with my ivory staff to hit him on his arms. He, too, makes a sign to the water, and an arm grows from his back to block my staff. Anticipating the block, I crouch and sweep him off his feet, but he signs to the water, and his hare legs extend to land on the ground safely.

He signs again, slams his hands in the water, and he grows two more arms to hit me. I sign for the earth to form a wall, but the earth absorbed enough water that it does not listen to my command, and I get knocked back by his arms. I try to play more defensively, setting up a wall in front of me, but Ta-Si signs once more, and I look up to see him jump high up and kick my chest. I manage to block it with my ivory staff, before grabbing him and throwing him across the arena. He, however, uses the momentum to ricochet across me and hit me in the head.

My head rings as I see him hop back, dispose one of his arms, and sign to the water to augment one of his legs. I sign for the earth to give me even more armor — the earth complies this time, and wraps my body in large clumps of earth. Ta-Si, meanwhile, has signed for the water to give him a jump boost, and is about to crash into my head again. I quickly sign for the earth to give me a rock, and I throw it at him. Just a few hooves before his legs connect, the rock hits.

He collapses from the air, and I take the time to check him out. He seems to be using the water around as an augment — to win this match, I have to control not only my hits, as he can just summon mor—

A blurry, white figure slams into my body.

I get knocked to the walls of the arena, and I try to get up, but I slip on the water, and Ta-Si manages to hit my legs again before hopping back.

I try to stand, signing for the earth to support me. I sense little pitter-patters on the ground, and I swing my ivory staff hard at the direction. A loud crack is heard across the arena, and I manage to orient myself well enough to see Ta-Si bleeding from one of his feet, blood mixing with the water underneath his paws.

He signs for the water to diffuse the bleeding, and signs again to ask the water to give him speed. I sign for another earthen wall to be built in front of me, and the wall does form in front of me, but he runs up the wall, signs for 2 more arms, and manages to pummel my snout before somersaulting behind my back.

He aims himself, prepping for another hit and run. I sign for another earthen wall to my back, dodging to my right to anticipate the hit, but he manages to pummel me with one of his arms, before somersaulting again and prepping for another hit-and-run. This time, I create another earthen wall to me left, and my horns take the beating from his arms as he prepares his final hit-and-run, before closing in for the win.

He has fallen in my trap.

I wait for him to charge in, pretending I am disoriented from his hits.

He signs for the water to give him speed, and as he is a few feet away from me, I sign for an earthen wall to my right. As the wall rises, I sign for the earth to launch me across the arena. An earthquake disrupts Ta-Si's running as I get launched across the arena, as I sign for more earth to bury him in the box. Finally, as I land on the wall, I sign for the earth to launch me back to the box, and I swing my ivory staff as hard as I can.

I first connect with soft mud and hard earth, then a loud crack, then I feel fur on the end of my ivory stick, but I also feel a massive force of muscle and water punch my chest multiple times.

Ta-Si has managed to anticipate my hit.

The gong sounds again.

Time is almost up.

I reel back from the assault, and I adjust myself as I see Ta-Si sign for the water to cut himself and bleed all over spreading the water thin across the arena floor. He performs sign after sign, and I feel the earth beneath me weft and warp.

My blood runs cold.

I immediately sit in the lotus position.

I close my eyes. I sign for the earth, commanding it to be my body and my senses. The earth encloses my eyes, ears, snout, and horns.

I sense massive movements of water mixing amongst earth. I feel the pitter-patter of Ta-Si's paws as he performs an intricate full-body sign.

He plans to flood me with water.

I desperately sign the earth to be under my command, and as I feel Ta-Si stop moving, I unleash my attack.

I summon great pillars of spiked earth, jutting out of the ground, while making the ground as smooth as obsidian.

I will hunt him like a wild hare, with the earth as my whiskers.

I sense him approach me, with the massive weight of water rushing under the ground following alongside him.

I wait for him to be closer.

I feel a tiny drop of water, then a rain.

As I sense a massive force of wind approach me, I stand up. I hold my ivory staff, then the good-luck charm, and beg for the earth to collapse all around Ta-Si and me while slamming it in where I think Ta-Si is.

A massive crack in the earth sprints towards Ta-Si as an equally strong amount of water and blood slams against my body, and I sign for the earth to strengthen my hold on this earth.

Ta-Si, meanwhile, has also signed for the water to keep him standing, and is signing again for another flood of water to drown me in.

I sign for the earth for a final request — a simple hunting spear.

The earth complies.

I disrobe myself, arch my back, and aim for Ta-Si's head.

I pray to the good-luck charm, and I throw as hard as I can.

Ta-Si notices too late the sharp, solid rock hitting his head.

A massive flood of water collapses on my body as the gong sounds three times.

I have won.

Jose immediately rushes to me, carving a tattoo on me, and carries me away to the championship room.

He holds my hooves.

His wings trace down my back.

"Ya d'ne it, champ. Ya d'ne it." he mutters.

"I-I did, I did."

I'm led by him down a blinding hallway, the texture of the floor being a odd, glass-like substance that morphs under my step. Leaning on his body, limping along the walls, and eyes blurry from happiness, I try to control my breathing.

"W-we can set that dojo up that we've always talked about, Jose."

"Ya, that's g'nna be 'uge, and beautif'l."

He leads me to the championship room. On the center is a massive throne, wrapped in strings and obsidian walls.

"Sit here. Rest f'r me, right champ? This'll make that b'dy ya l've." he mutters.

"Thanks… Jose, are you okay?"

He looks at my chest, then at my face, before looking away.

"S'rry."

"For what? Thanks to you, I'm champion now!"

"S'rry fer aint training ya nuff."

"Hey, lets go hunting in the Obsidian Forest after the body transfer, okay?"

"Yeah."

He binds me to the chair, with large, leather straps.

"Haha, this time I'll be the one chasing the prey, while you're the one trapping them."

He steps into the next room, and returns with a glass of water and a small capsule.

"Drink this. This'll 'elp ya soul 'eal faster."

"Faster than your tattoos?"

"Yeah."

I drink the glass of water and the capsule. Jose moves beside me, placing his karambit against the arm chair.

"I l've you Choan."

"I love you too."

I feel sleepy. I close my eyes. I hear the whir of a great machine around me.

I feel Jose pull out his karambit and—

and

and

and

and

and

and

and—

[SCP-8451 ACTIVATION CODE "iloveyou" DETECTED.]

[PROPER CREDENTIALS. USER D-1O53MN7113N DETECTED]

[COMMENCING BODY-SOUL TRANSFER.]

[TRANSFER AT 5%. TRANSFER AT 10%. TRANSFER AT 25%.]

[PAUSING BODY-SOUL TRANSFER. VEILED PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.]

[TRANSFER AT 35%. TRANSFER AT 55%. TRANSFER AT 75%.]

[MEMORY LOGS BACKED UP]

[TRANSFER AT 95%. TRANSFER AT 99%. TRANSFER COMPLETE.]

—and I wake up, sitting on a massive chair wrapped in wires, with a file in front of me.

…who am I again?

I pick up the file in front of me.

It tells me my name is John Hunter.

I turn around to see my surroundings, but I am surrounded by the chair and a bouquet of wires. In front of me is a mirror, showing my lithe, hairless, sinewy body. My lithe, hairless, sinewy human body.

I hear a door open, and a… mascot? Animal? Whatever it is, it stares at me with its creepy, cerulean eyes for a long, long time.

It coughs.

"Um."

"Excuse me. Who are you?"

"'ello, Ch— J'hn. Called D-1O53MN7113N. Call me J'se. Ere's all ya need t' learn 'bout the w'rld."

[MEMORY REPLAY OVER. ]

[USER D-1053MN7113N HAS REPLAYED THIS MEMORY 23 TIMES.]

[PLEASE INFORM YOUR HCML SUPERVISOR OF POTENTIAL MISUSE OF MEMORY REPLAY]