From gigantic, indestructible, self-regenerating
reptiles, to enormous, tentacled, telepathic organisms, it should come as no surprise that
the SCP Foundation has gone head to head against a lot of large-scale aggressors - or LSAs
- in its time. Naturally, a creature of heightened size and
aggression can often prove challenging to contain, and the threat these LSAs pose is
often far too big to ignore. But anyone familiar with the Foundation will
tell you, they’re not above using any methods necessary to keep these creatures contained:
huge vats of molecular acid, impenetrable cells, disposable, D-Class personnel, even
other SCPs. But what other SCPs could possibly be big
enough, and tough enough, to handle some of the Foundation’s biggest and baddest? Meet SCP-5514, otherwise known as “The Dragon
Slayer.” While it might sound like something out of
an anime, SCP-5514 is a massive robotic mech designed to take on the worst other SCPs can
throw at it. For any who are unfamiliar with the term,
a mech, or mecha, usually refers to an upright-standing machine or automaton controlled by a human
pilot. What distinguishes a mech from a vehicle,
is their often-humanoid shape, standing bipedally, and they are often hundreds of meters tall. All of this is true of SCP-5514, and in fact,
given that it requires a trained member of Foundation staff to operate it, the mech itself
requires very little in the way of containment. Only members of Mobile Task Force Eta-5 are
trained and authorized to pilot SCP-5514. This is one of the SCP Foundation’s specialized
units, specifically designed to deal with the threat of Large-Scale Aggressors, much
like SCP-5514 itself. But SCP-5514 wasn’t discovered or captured
by the Foundation to use for the containment of LSAs, nor was it stolen from a foreign
military or found buried under the ground. Then, where did it come from? And who built it? Working with the Global Occult Coalition and
the government of Hy-Brasil, an anomalous island off the west coast of Ireland, the
Foundation themselves constructed SCP-5514, using various anomalous methods and techniques. In 1988, a Foundation site was destroyed by
an unidentified LSA, highlighting the inadequacy of the current defenses against these larger,
more damage-resistant creatures. The Foundation, the Coalition, and Hy-Brasil
formed a joint operation, The KEY Project, and examined SCP-2406, an automaton ninety-three
meters tall, thought to be created by ancient Mekhanites. Together, the KEY Project opted to create
their own, similar machine, viewing it as the best way to defend against further incursions
with Large-Scale Aggressors. The construction of SCP-5514 began in 1990. The intention of all parties involved in the
KEY Project, including the Foundation, was that The Dragon Slayer would be deployed in
the event of an attack by an LSA. It would arrive at cities under attack and
immediately engage Large-Scale Aggressors in combat. Building of the mech continued at a consistent
pace for eight years. However, it was the occurrence of SCP-5391,
and subsequent intervention by the O5 Council, that accelerated the creation of The Dragon
Slayer, by any means necessary. On June 30th 1998, a number of seismic disturbances
were detected, including tsunamis, tremors, and volcanic activity both underwater and
above-ground. What followed was the appearance of multiple
Large-Scale Aggressors, which would soon become designated as SCP-5391. The exact kind of scenario that The Dragon
Slayer was being built for had already arrived, and the mech was still far from completion. While the Foundation and its allies deployed
forces to drive the enormous creatures back to the oceans, something needed to be done
to bring SCP-5514 into the fight, and fast. The O5 Council authorized the use of anomalous
materials in the continued construction of The Dragon Slayer, both to speed up the process
and have it ready for deployment, but also to give the mech every advantage against the
abundance of Large-Scale Aggressors from SCP-5391. As a result, SCP-5514 was designed to incorporate
features and technology far beyond that of any conventional, military-grade weapons. The first hurdle: How do you power a machine
the size of SCP-5514? Naturally, with the most gigantic nuclear
furnace there is… the sun. More specifically, a perpetually-stable, miniaturized
sun known as SCP-037. Even though it’s only got a diameter of
two inches, this little sucker is better than premium fuel. The surface temperature of SCP-037 is around
five thousand Kelvin, generating plenty of energy to power the SCP-5514 mech. Stored in The Dragon Slayer’s chest, this
mini-sun is kept stable by sub-dimensional portals that vent excess energy off of this
plane of reality, stopping the mech, its pilot, and anything around it from melting. In fact, SCP-037 produces so much juice that
only one percent of its energy output is enough to fully power SCP-5514. Now, that’s the power source sorted. But how do you solve the weight problem? Given the sheer size of SCP-5514, it would
be easy for it to be cumbersome, and potentially cause catastrophic collateral damage to its
surrounding area. Well, the mech’s weight is a problem for
somewhere else, a whole other dimension in fact. Much like the excess heat from its power source,
various heavy portions of the SCP-5514 mech have had their weight shunted off to a tiny
pocket dimension. It was ensured, during the creation of the
mech, that this alteration was perfectly calculated so that SCP-5514 wouldn’t lose any mass
or density, so it operates as if it were only a fraction of its actual weight. Of course, being weightless makes flight a
whole lot easier. Oh did we forget to mention that? SCP-5514 can fly as well. This “feature” actually became a part
of the mech completely by accident during the construction of SCP-5514, when an attempt
to regulate the mech’s internal circulation of air led to it having its own gravity field. This allowed SCP-5514 to fly, without the
aid of any turbines or other means. While this was an unintentional mistake, no
attempt has ever been made to correct it, for fear that could lead to SCP-5514 being
grounded permanently. Naturally, going up against creatures so large
that they require their own sub-category means that SCP-5514 needs an equally-formidable
arsenal. So, let’s move on to talk weaponry. Mounted on the mech’s shoulder is a Beowulf-Sigurd
Railgun, an anomalous weapon that also doesn’t obey the laws of physics at all. The Beowulf-Sigurd uses altered gravity to
affect the weight of its targets, causing projectiles to impact with higher velocity. Even the thickest-skinned LSAs wouldn’t
want to be staring down the barrel end of one of those. Big guns aside, the SCP-5514 mech also wields
a Cold Iron Sword. Over sixty-five feet long, this weapon was
contributed to The Dragon Slayer by the Hy-Brasil Royal Court, members of the collaborative
KEY Project that created the mech. Sure, a Large-Scale Aggressor with thicker
hide might take a few extra swings to draw blood, but it will feel those swings for a
long time after, since any wounds inflicted by the Cold Iron Sword will not regenerate. Serving as less of an offensive weapon, the
SCP-5514 mech also features a unique armament known as the Thousand Word Arrows. As pretentious as it might sound, within the
mech are seven poets. Their role is to write and recite poems that
detail the slaying of monsters, and these recitals are then broadcast from The Dragon
Slayer. On the surface, this seems to have no practical
applications during a fight with LSAs, however, the goal of the Thousand Word Arrows is a
form of psychological warfare. The recital of poems telling of the mech’s
victory and the defeat of Large-Scale Aggressors is intended to have the effect of demoralizing
SCP-5514’s adversaries, while encouraging the pilot during combat. Additionally, worn atop the head of the SCP-5514
mech, almost like a hat, is a discus with plasma-coated edges. If The Dragon Slayer needs to deal damage
at range, then it can hurl this disc and recall it immediately thanks to built-in electromagnets. In emergency scenarios, if the Cold Iron Sword
is damaged or dropped and irretrievable, SCP-5514 is also equipped with an additional melee
weapon. Stored in the right arm of the mech is a Holdout
Plasma Wristblade. This superheated blade is strong enough to
cut through almost anything. However, this blade is strictly to be used
as a backup weapon. Finally, should all else fail, one of SCP-5514’s
greatest strengths can also be used as a deadly weapon. The Emergency Sun Vent allows a fraction of
the excessive power from SCP-037 to be released, at the risk of causing massive damage, not
only to LSAs, but also any civilians or structures nearby. It is because of the destructive risk involved,
that this weapon is only authorized to be used as a final resort. And luckily, SCP-5514 is currently undefeated. Since the arrival of multiple Large-Scale
Aggressors as a result of SCP-5391, the SCP-5514 mech has managed to successfully eliminate
twelve of these LSA creatures, either by terminating or otherwise incapacitating them. Given that its completion was fast-tracked
through the use of anomalous elements, SCP-5514’s first combat deployments also served as field
tests of the mech’s operation and its various weapons and features. Arriving in Tokyo overseen by the Foundation’s
own Captain Rosales and Dr. Kaori, SCP-5514’s first target was a creature designated LSA-Wake-02,
as well as several other unidentified large creatures. As the LSA was about to attack Tokyo Harbor,
SCP-5514 was dispatched, its arrival heralded by the Thousand Word Arrows. “Champion! Champion! Exalt in the glory of the Dragon Slayer!”
the poets recited. Surprisingly, the poetry worked. Hearing it had a noticeable effect on LSA-Wake-02,
causing the creature to back away shrieking. With a single throw of the Rounded Recoiling
Plasma, SCP-5514 immediately beheaded Wake-02, damaging a number of the other nearby LSAs
as it retrieved the disk via its electromagnets. Once again, the Thousand Word Arrows cheered
on the mech and its pilot, reciting “The vicious beast’s slain! Gone to those which were once bane!” After dispatching several of the minor LSAs
with its Cold Iron Sword, SCP-5514 became aware that Wake-02 was not fully down for
the count. A second head had protruded from the mouth
of the creature’s first, issuing some sort of retreat call to the remaining LSAs in Tokyo
Harbor. This second head then shot towards SCP-5514,
narrowly missing its leg, but allowing another LSA to close the distance and prepare an attack. Luckily, the SCP-5514 mech’s sword cleaved
the beast in two. The mech began firing on the remains of Wake-02
with its Beowulf-Sigurd Railgun, launching itself into the air and flying towards the
target while bringing its Cold Iron Sword down through the air. With a single motion, SCP-5514 brought the
blade all the way down the LSAs body, from the creature’s head to its caudal fin, gutting
the Large-Scale Aggressor and splitting its entire body in two. After one final squirm, both halves were finally
still. SCP-5514 had passed its first field test. The mech functioned exactly as designed, all
its various weapons and features working in tandem to defeat a creature far too large
and powerful for any conventional force to handle. “And thus, the deed was done! Exalt! Exalt! In the glory of the Dragon Slayer!” the
Thousand Word Arrows called out as the other LSAs retreated. One can’t help but feel cautiously optimistic
about our chances of survival knowing that the Foundation has SCP-5514 as the first line
of defence against huge, monstrous beings that threaten humanity. As the situation with SCP-5391 continues,
the SCP-5514 mech remains on the front line, standing between innocent human beings and
the looming shapes of multiple Large-Scale Aggressors. With creatures that pose such a large-scale
threat, it certainly is lucky that disparate groups were able to put aside their differences
and work together to build a large-scale mech, and because they did, now we have The Dragon
Slayer on our side. Now check out “SCP-5545 - Mysterious Tunnels
In Antarctica - Abnormality” and “SCP Chaos Insurgency Explained” for more incredible
stories from the SCP Foundation!
Articles mentioned in this submission
SCP-5514 - The Dragonslayer (+171) by J Dune, Ellie3, chiifu, stormbreath