WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.199 --> 00:00:04.930 The year is 1630, and the city of London is bustling with new life. 00:00:04.930 --> 00:00:08.920 The streets are filled with people going about their daily lives, cramming into housing and 00:00:08.920 --> 00:00:14.050 businesses, and struggling to accommodate the rapidly increasing population, which has 00:00:14.050 --> 00:00:16.500 more than doubled in the previous 50 years. 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:21.289 Among the new citizens of London is a dark figure who keeps to himself, a man in long 00:00:21.289 --> 00:00:26.490 black robes and a beaked mask, dressed like the plague doctors of the Black Death centuries 00:00:26.490 --> 00:00:27.490 before. 00:00:27.490 --> 00:00:33.600 The figure that will one day be known as SCP-049 has come to London town to embark on the next 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:38.620 chapter of his life, and his ongoing quest to solve the ills plaguing humanity. 00:00:38.620 --> 00:00:42.579 Though one might expect his appearance to make him stand out, most of the citizens surging 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:46.449 through the city streets have far more important things on their minds than what the man in 00:00:46.449 --> 00:00:47.960 the mask might be up to. 00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:53.629 So, he has managed to carve out a little sanctuary, an empty warehouse where he rests and works. 00:00:53.629 --> 00:00:58.010 When curiosity gets the better of him, he slinks down alleyways, avoiding crowds and 00:00:58.010 --> 00:01:01.019 listening for any whispered secrets he can catch from the shadows. 00:01:01.019 --> 00:01:06.310 It is on one of these outings that he hears tell of Henry Percy, also known as The Wizard 00:01:06.310 --> 00:01:10.761 Earl, a mysterious researcher of science and the occult held in Martin Tower in the Tower 00:01:10.761 --> 00:01:11.990 of London. 00:01:11.990 --> 00:01:16.830 A man of wisdom and curiosity, pushing the boundaries of scientific study? 00:01:16.830 --> 00:01:20.780 That is just the sort of man that the Doctor has been hoping to meet and learn from here 00:01:20.780 --> 00:01:22.310 in this great city. 00:01:22.310 --> 00:01:27.070 The Plague Doctor swiftly abandons his sanctuary and makes his way to the Tower of London, 00:01:27.070 --> 00:01:30.290 where he makes swift work of the guards that would bar him from entry. 00:01:30.290 --> 00:01:35.510 He does not enjoy harming innocents, but alas, some sacrifices must be made in the pursuit 00:01:35.510 --> 00:01:38.490 of greater knowledge and understanding. 00:01:38.490 --> 00:01:42.930 Leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, the Plague Doctor makes his way into Martin Tower. 00:01:42.930 --> 00:01:49.340 "Excuse me, sir, I apologize for the intrusion, but as a fellow academic, I wondered if I 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:51.149 might speak with you..." 00:01:51.149 --> 00:01:55.840 But as he enters the chamber, the Doctor finds that his polite introduction was wasted on 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:57.320 an empty room. 00:01:57.320 --> 00:02:01.659 Wherever this Wizard Earl might be, he is not in his designated quarters. 00:02:01.659 --> 00:02:05.369 Fearing the worst, the Doctor searches for signs of a struggle, for bloodstains on the 00:02:05.369 --> 00:02:09.470 floor or overturned furniture, but everything appears to be in its rightful place. 00:02:09.470 --> 00:02:12.380 Where, then, could Henry Percy have gone? 00:02:12.380 --> 00:02:16.450 The Plague Doctor explores every inch of the tower, searching for any clues that might 00:02:16.450 --> 00:02:18.730 point him in the direction of the missing man. 00:02:18.730 --> 00:02:22.870 He inspects every item on every surface, pulls every book from every shelf. 00:02:22.870 --> 00:02:26.920 But as he pulls one particular book from its spot, the bookshelf appears to pop loose from 00:02:26.920 --> 00:02:28.500 the wall like a door opening. 00:02:28.500 --> 00:02:33.860 Indeed, it is a door, revealing a dark, winding stairway just beyond its secret opening! 00:02:33.860 --> 00:02:37.590 "Ah, so this is where you have disappeared to..." 00:02:37.590 --> 00:02:42.819 Truly this Earl must be a clever man, a good ally to have in the battle against the Pestilence. 00:02:42.819 --> 00:02:48.200 He follows the stairs down, down, down into a small room in the bowels of the tower. 00:02:48.200 --> 00:02:53.670 It is a sparse, barren room, with only a stack of journals and a large iron door. 00:02:53.670 --> 00:02:58.060 The Doctor spends hours searching for a lock or other mechanism to open the door, before 00:02:58.060 --> 00:03:01.310 turning to the journals left behind by the tower's occupant. 00:03:01.310 --> 00:03:06.580 There, he discovers the instructions for unlocking the iron gateway, directions he recognizes 00:03:06.580 --> 00:03:08.530 from his time studying alchemy. 00:03:08.530 --> 00:03:13.220 Fortunately, he has all of the necessary materials tucked away in his trusty doctor's bag, and 00:03:13.220 --> 00:03:16.470 he is able to effectively perform the esoteric procedure. 00:03:16.470 --> 00:03:20.780 As he dusts off his gloved hands, content with a job well done, he hears the click of 00:03:20.780 --> 00:03:26.280 a bolt unlatching, and the second secret door he has discovered today swings open to welcome 00:03:26.280 --> 00:03:27.849 him in. 00:03:27.849 --> 00:03:32.080 Ever the adventurous spirit, the Doctor picks up his bag and crosses the threshold into 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:35.170 whatever awaits him on the other side. 00:03:35.170 --> 00:03:40.200 As the iron door shuts behind him, the Doctor gazes up into a yellow sky dotted with an 00:03:40.200 --> 00:03:42.690 infinite number of black stars. 00:03:42.690 --> 00:03:47.530 A breeze blows the scent of dried flowers, mold, and the dusty pages of century-old books 00:03:47.530 --> 00:03:49.200 into his nostrils. 00:03:49.200 --> 00:03:53.810 He hears the sound of waves lapping at a shore, and turns to take in the sight of a thick 00:03:53.810 --> 00:03:58.110 black sea washing up onto a stark white shore. 00:03:58.110 --> 00:04:03.450 The world around him is an array of black, white, yellow, and red: the yellow sky reflecting 00:04:03.450 --> 00:04:08.410 in the inky waves, the glittering black stars dancing above garish red buildings, white 00:04:08.410 --> 00:04:13.170 staircases, yellow doors, and black windows made from something like stained glass. 00:04:13.170 --> 00:04:16.670 This strange new place is not empty, either. 00:04:16.670 --> 00:04:20.829 All around him, there are as many people bustling through the streets as there are back in London, 00:04:20.829 --> 00:04:24.020 though their attire is quite different. 00:04:24.020 --> 00:04:27.970 These people dress in a way that feels familiar, that reminds the Plague Doctor of the ornate 00:04:27.970 --> 00:04:30.620 clothing he once saw at the Carnival of Venice. 00:04:30.620 --> 00:04:35.050 The people cover their faces, too, Commedia Dell'arte masks hiding their features and 00:04:35.050 --> 00:04:37.000 giving them a mysterious appearance. 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:41.169 For the first time since the days of the Black Plague, the Doctor is keenly aware of the 00:04:41.169 --> 00:04:43.870 fact that he does not stand out in this place. 00:04:43.870 --> 00:04:45.490 In fact, he blends right in. 00:04:45.490 --> 00:04:50.889 Now, to search for Henry Percy, or anyone else who can offer the Doctor some helpful 00:04:50.889 --> 00:04:52.070 insight. 00:04:52.070 --> 00:04:56.340 Uncertain of where exactly to start, the Doctor decides to simply strike up a conversation 00:04:56.340 --> 00:04:58.020 with a stranger. 00:04:58.020 --> 00:05:02.419 A woman walks by in an elaborate red gown, her feathery white mask almost resembling 00:05:02.419 --> 00:05:03.479 a swan. 00:05:03.479 --> 00:05:05.080 "Excuse me, Madam?" 00:05:05.080 --> 00:05:07.550 The Doctor calls to her, stepping into her path. 00:05:07.550 --> 00:05:10.360 "No time to talk, I am already quite late!" 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:14.430 She brushes past him, and the Doctor braces for the ill effect of physical contact between 00:05:14.430 --> 00:05:16.139 the two to take hold. 00:05:16.139 --> 00:05:21.360 However, she continues on her merry way, seemingly unaffected by his normally deadly touch. 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:24.610 He watches her go, stunned into silence for a moment. 00:05:24.610 --> 00:05:29.270 The citizens of this strange new place...it is safe for him to touch them! 00:05:29.270 --> 00:05:31.410 Something else catches his eye about the woman, too. 00:05:31.410 --> 00:05:35.970 Up close, it seemed to him that her mask was not a costume piece, but in fact a part of 00:05:35.970 --> 00:05:38.990 her face, much like his mask was a part of his own. 00:05:38.990 --> 00:05:40.199 "How curious..." 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:42.520 He remarks aloud to himself. 00:05:42.520 --> 00:05:46.700 Henry Percy can wait, this is a far more compelling matter. 00:05:46.700 --> 00:05:49.890 "I must uncover more about this land." 00:05:49.890 --> 00:05:54.400 And so the Plague Doctor takes a long stroll through the unusual city, noticing as he goes 00:05:54.400 --> 00:05:59.220 that the geometry and gravity of this place do not play by the rules he recognizes. 00:05:59.220 --> 00:06:03.930 Buildings slant at odd angles, alleyways and corridors appear and disappear as the layout 00:06:03.930 --> 00:06:07.080 of the city seems to shift at random with each glance. 00:06:07.080 --> 00:06:10.860 The people themselves are just as bizarre as the place they occupy, behaving either 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:16.220 uniquely rudely or entirely too familiar, pushing past the Doctor with a glare or tugging 00:06:16.220 --> 00:06:20.449 at his robes insistently, attempting to pull him down an alleyway or into a rapturous bout 00:06:20.449 --> 00:06:23.030 of sudden fevered dancing in a town square. 00:06:23.030 --> 00:06:27.199 He refuses these advances as politely as possible, and carries on his way. 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:32.320 An elegantly dressed couple gives him a friendly wave as they walk by him, not an unusual occurrence. 00:06:32.320 --> 00:06:36.889 What is unusual is where they are waving from, looking down on him from an upside-down staircase 00:06:36.889 --> 00:06:41.560 that they traverse with no trouble, some other gravity source holding them in this reversed 00:06:41.560 --> 00:06:45.699 position as they disappear into a dizzyingly constructed building. 00:06:45.699 --> 00:06:46.699 "Fascinating..." 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:48.729 The Doctor shakes his head in awe. 00:06:48.729 --> 00:06:51.830 Then it occurs to him: he should be taking notes on all of this! 00:06:51.830 --> 00:06:56.169 He opens his bag and digs around for his leather-bound notebook, but can't seem to find it. 00:06:56.169 --> 00:06:59.710 He stops on the street and begins dumping out the contents of his back onto the stone 00:06:59.710 --> 00:07:05.379 walkway: jars of specimens, salves, syringes, and surgical tools all tumble out, but no 00:07:05.379 --> 00:07:06.379 notebook. 00:07:06.379 --> 00:07:09.250 It must have fallen out of his bag somewhere on his journey! 00:07:09.250 --> 00:07:13.370 Or worse, it could have been stolen by one of these flamboyantly-dressed strangers! 00:07:13.370 --> 00:07:17.780 No, no, he mustn't allow his mind to jump to the worst possible explanation. 00:07:17.780 --> 00:07:21.229 Most likely, he simply dropped it somewhere, and he only needs to retrace his steps to 00:07:21.229 --> 00:07:22.229 find it. 00:07:22.229 --> 00:07:26.420 He begins to walk back the way he came, as best as he can find it in city streets that 00:07:26.420 --> 00:07:29.910 seem to warp and change with every moment like the landscape of a dream. 00:07:29.910 --> 00:07:34.529 He approaches dozens of people, but each stranger he speaks to brushes him aside, rushing off 00:07:34.529 --> 00:07:36.350 to their far more important business. 00:07:36.350 --> 00:07:40.550 They seem to look at him with disdain, like something foul stuck to the bottom of their 00:07:40.550 --> 00:07:41.970 fine shoes. 00:07:41.970 --> 00:07:46.120 It is discouraging, and it seems as if the notebook may very well be lost forever. 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:48.020 But then, hope! 00:07:48.020 --> 00:07:52.090 Amidst a sea of people hurrying to their next destination, the Doctor spots a man in a red 00:07:52.090 --> 00:07:55.770 cloak standing notably still, leaning against a nearby wall. 00:07:55.770 --> 00:08:00.250 The figure looks up at him, eyes shining behind a red mask in the shape of a happy, smiling 00:08:00.250 --> 00:08:05.300 face, reminiscent of the figure of Il Capitano from Commedia Dell'arte performances the Doctor 00:08:05.300 --> 00:08:06.810 dimly recalls. 00:08:06.810 --> 00:08:10.729 He sheepishly approaches the grand figure in the cloak and red mask, explains that he 00:08:10.729 --> 00:08:12.270 is an outsider to this place. 00:08:12.270 --> 00:08:17.060 When the red-masked man speaks, he speaks in a warm voice, but with a distinct air of 00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:18.060 authority. 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:20.090 "Welcome to Alagadda, Sir! 00:08:20.090 --> 00:08:21.790 For that is the name of this kingdom. 00:08:21.790 --> 00:08:27.550 You are fortunate, very fortunate indeed, for I am the Red Lord of Alagadda, Wearer 00:08:27.550 --> 00:08:31.310 of the Mirthful Mask, a chief advisor to the King!" 00:08:31.310 --> 00:08:35.360 Being a man with medieval origins, the Plague Doctor bows deferentially the second he hears 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:37.229 that he’s in the presence of a lord. 00:08:37.229 --> 00:08:41.330 With his knees on the ancient cobblestones below, he begs the Red Lord for assistance 00:08:41.330 --> 00:08:45.990 in finding his precious notebook - The bearer of all his research and valuable scientific 00:08:45.990 --> 00:08:46.990 secret. 00:08:46.990 --> 00:08:51.170 The Red Lord pushes himself away from the wall, standing at an impressive height, seemingly 00:08:51.170 --> 00:08:54.230 suddenly far larger than he had at first glance. 00:08:54.230 --> 00:08:58.740 His face seems to strike a sympathetic tone - As sympathetic as one can be while wearing 00:08:58.740 --> 00:08:59.740 a mask. 00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:04.180 With a grandiose hand gesture and a dramatic stride, he asks the doctor to follow him, 00:09:04.180 --> 00:09:06.360 and begins strutting off down the alleyway. 00:09:06.360 --> 00:09:10.079 The Doctor has come across a person with good manners in this confounding place. 00:09:10.079 --> 00:09:14.540 He follows close behind the Red Lord as the two traverse the unstable landscape, following 00:09:14.540 --> 00:09:19.149 a yellow cobblestone street to a winding black staircase that curls around and around in 00:09:19.149 --> 00:09:23.230 a seemingly eternal spiral before tilting dizzyingly on its side. 00:09:23.230 --> 00:09:27.509 The Doctor hesitates, afraid we will lose his footing, but much to his surprise, the 00:09:27.509 --> 00:09:30.769 laws of gravity seem to shift along with the angle of the stairs. 00:09:30.769 --> 00:09:35.089 It feels as if he is still walking along the same even plane as before, though he can see 00:09:35.089 --> 00:09:39.060 the sights below now jutting out of view at a disconcerting right angle that makes his 00:09:39.060 --> 00:09:40.920 vision swim and his stomach turn. 00:09:40.920 --> 00:09:45.720 So, he turns his gaze onto his companion's back, matching the Lord's every confident 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:46.720 step. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:50.950 He wonders idly where the man is taking him, but decides to hold off on additional questions 00:09:50.950 --> 00:09:52.829 until they have reached their destination. 00:09:52.829 --> 00:09:56.520 The Red Lord comes to a stop at the top of a tall, thin tower. 00:09:56.520 --> 00:10:00.769 He stands before an unusually shiny black door that curls down at the edges like the 00:10:00.769 --> 00:10:02.920 entryway itself is frowning. 00:10:02.920 --> 00:10:06.579 He sweeps his arm in the direction of the door, and beckons the Plague Doctor to follow 00:10:06.579 --> 00:10:08.030 him inside. 00:10:08.030 --> 00:10:11.649 Before the Plague Doctor can even mention that the door has no handle or knocker, it 00:10:11.649 --> 00:10:15.090 simply opens of its own accord, as if by magic. 00:10:15.090 --> 00:10:16.220 He shakes his head. 00:10:16.220 --> 00:10:20.540 The Red Lord has already vanished inside, and he quickly follows him. 00:10:20.540 --> 00:10:24.930 The color palette of Alagadda is already quite limited, but this room is stripped of the 00:10:24.930 --> 00:10:27.370 scant bits of bright pigment found outside. 00:10:27.370 --> 00:10:31.950 Not a scrap of red or yellow can be seen here, save for the suddenly garish garb of the Red 00:10:31.950 --> 00:10:33.579 Lord himself. 00:10:33.579 --> 00:10:38.079 The chamber is decorated in black and white, shimmering black velvet and cold, cruel white 00:10:38.079 --> 00:10:42.930 marble- or something like marble, as this material has an eerie icy sheen that almost 00:10:42.930 --> 00:10:43.930 hurts to look at. 00:10:43.930 --> 00:10:49.080 In a large black chair that again curls down at the edges in a melancholy fashion, there 00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:51.200 sits another masked man. 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:56.310 He is clad in black robes, and his pale white mask bears the face of Tragedy, open mouth 00:10:56.310 --> 00:10:59.480 curved into a permanent frown of anguish. 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:03.790 The Red Lord gestures to the figure in the chair, who does not speak, and introduced 00:11:03.790 --> 00:11:06.240 him as the mighty Black Lord of Alagedda. 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:09.730 The Plague Doctor can see the Black Lord's eyes following him from within the holes of 00:11:09.730 --> 00:11:10.890 the mask. 00:11:10.890 --> 00:11:17.149 A mask that members of the SCP Foundation would later refer to as SCP-035. 00:11:17.149 --> 00:11:21.640 The Doctor asks whether the Black Lord can help him find his book, puzzled at this whole 00:11:21.640 --> 00:11:22.640 situation. 00:11:22.640 --> 00:11:26.720 The Red Lord throws his head back and begins to laugh, a warm and genuine sound that nonetheless 00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:28.959 sends a shiver down the Doctor's spine. 00:11:28.959 --> 00:11:33.200 The Red Lord claps a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, giving it a squeeze that feels encouraging 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:37.790 and threatening all at once, explaining that he’d been brought here under false pretenses. 00:11:37.790 --> 00:11:42.050 The Lords already had the book, the Black Lord just needs a favor before he can have 00:11:42.050 --> 00:11:43.050 it back. 00:11:43.050 --> 00:11:46.170 "Thank you for accepting my invitation..." 00:11:46.170 --> 00:11:50.730 The Black Lord speaks, his voice hissing out from the scowling mouth of his mask. 00:11:50.730 --> 00:11:54.550 The Plague Doctor protests, demanding his book, furious at the deception. 00:11:54.550 --> 00:11:56.790 "Oh, you will get them back!" 00:11:56.790 --> 00:11:58.089 The Red Lord laughs again. 00:11:58.089 --> 00:12:02.120 "The Black Lord will return them if you prove yourself worthy of their ownership. 00:12:02.120 --> 00:12:04.310 I bid you farewell, Doctor. 00:12:04.310 --> 00:12:08.130 May your stay in Alagadda be...pleasant." 00:12:08.130 --> 00:12:13.040 The Red Lord sweeps out of the room, leaving the Doctor alone with the Black Lord. 00:12:13.040 --> 00:12:17.250 Silence hangs heavy between the two, before the Doctor asks the Black Lord why he’d 00:12:17.250 --> 00:12:20.170 even want a physician from another world to attend to him. 00:12:20.170 --> 00:12:24.790 The Black Lord wheezes and spit up black slime that corroded the ground beneath him. 00:12:24.790 --> 00:12:26.079 The Doctor shakes his head. 00:12:26.079 --> 00:12:30.120 "I am no miracle worker, only a simple Doctor. 00:12:30.120 --> 00:12:35.680 I struggle to treat the ailments of my own world, I do not wish to disappoint you, but...I 00:12:35.680 --> 00:12:40.430 have failed again and again to cure the Pestilence that plagues my home. 00:12:40.430 --> 00:12:43.470 I do not know if I would have the capacity to cure you." 00:12:43.470 --> 00:12:45.620 The Black Lord's frown seems to deepen. 00:12:45.620 --> 00:12:48.639 "I am very sorry to hear that. 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:53.250 Perhaps I should keep your notes for myself, then, and give them to an Alagaddan physician 00:12:53.250 --> 00:12:55.250 for research." 00:12:55.250 --> 00:12:57.040 The Doctor's composure breaks. 00:12:57.040 --> 00:13:01.350 He stomps about the chamber, flinging open every door he can find, searching desperately 00:13:01.350 --> 00:13:04.940 for the work he’d spent his extremely long life painstakingly compiling. 00:13:04.940 --> 00:13:08.260 The work that represented his sole efforts in the medical field. 00:13:08.260 --> 00:13:12.690 He stops at a padlocked door on the far side of the room, grabbing hold of its lock. 00:13:12.690 --> 00:13:16.630 The Black Lord suddenly cries for him to stop, but it is too late, the Plague Doctor has 00:13:16.630 --> 00:13:18.709 wrenched the lock free from the door. 00:13:18.709 --> 00:13:22.420 As soon as the Doctor lets the lock clatter to the ground, there is a horrid skittering 00:13:22.420 --> 00:13:26.500 sound, like the legs of a massive metal spider crawling along a wall. 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:31.079 Click, click, click, and then, all at once, the formerly-padlocked door is thrown open 00:13:31.079 --> 00:13:33.810 with such force it nearly rips from its hinges. 00:13:33.810 --> 00:13:38.639 A creature crawls through the opening, a monster with the body of a shiny yellow spider, a 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:44.500 smooth, white, humanoid torso, two long, clawed arms, and a round, featureless orb of a face. 00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:48.790 It lashes out blindly, raking its claws at the Black Lord where he sits on his chair. 00:13:48.790 --> 00:13:52.399 Then, before the Plague Doctor can even try to apprehend it, the monster rips through 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:56.260 the main door of the chamber, climbing out and over the edge of the tower and down to 00:13:56.260 --> 00:13:57.260 the city below. 00:13:57.260 --> 00:13:59.850 The Black Lord shouts for the Plague Doctor to help him. 00:13:59.850 --> 00:14:00.959 "What about the monster? 00:14:00.959 --> 00:14:02.670 What will become of it?" 00:14:02.670 --> 00:14:06.130 The Plague Doctor's mind races, trying to wrap around what he just witnessed. 00:14:06.130 --> 00:14:10.480 But the Black Lord has no interest in the monster - the city guards will take care of 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:11.480 that. 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:12.959 He needs help with his own injuries. 00:14:12.959 --> 00:14:17.430 The Lord groans in pain, a thick black substance leaking from his wounds and spreading across 00:14:17.430 --> 00:14:19.529 the once pristine white floor. 00:14:19.529 --> 00:14:22.490 The Black Lord implored the Plague Doctor to treat him. 00:14:22.490 --> 00:14:26.639 The Plague Doctor remembers his duty to all that suffer from illness and injury, an oath 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:32.070 he once took a long, long time ago, and he opens his doctor's bag, ready to get to work. 00:14:32.070 --> 00:14:36.829 He has no grasp of Alagaddan physiology, no idea where to begin in terms of performing 00:14:36.829 --> 00:14:41.870 any procedure on the Black Lord, but he cannot stand idly by and watch this man suffer. 00:14:41.870 --> 00:14:46.449 He begins pulling instruments from his bag, vials of phosphorescent elixirs and foul-smelling 00:14:46.449 --> 00:14:48.949 tinctures, and begins to improvise. 00:14:48.949 --> 00:14:52.860 He cleans the wounds with gauze dipped in one of his many tinctures, then begins treating 00:14:52.860 --> 00:14:53.860 them. 00:14:53.860 --> 00:14:57.920 The Black Lord's shallow breathing slows to deeper, calmer breaths as the medicine begins 00:14:57.920 --> 00:15:02.600 to do its job, and these positive results spur the Doctor to work faster. 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:06.920 He seals up each of the wounds, then slathers them all in a glowing green salve to prevent 00:15:06.920 --> 00:15:09.950 infection, if infection even exists in this world. 00:15:09.950 --> 00:15:14.459 When the work is finished, the Black Lord sits up, seeming to be completely recovered 00:15:14.459 --> 00:15:17.329 except for the visible stitches and the tearing of his robes. 00:15:17.329 --> 00:15:19.389 "Thank you, Doctor. 00:15:19.389 --> 00:15:23.370 I stole from you, and yet you helped me anyway. 00:15:23.370 --> 00:15:28.670 Allow me to return this to you, along with my sincerest gratitude." 00:15:28.670 --> 00:15:32.950 He reaches into the depths of his robes, and produces the Doctor's leather-bound notebook. 00:15:32.950 --> 00:15:34.459 "Take it." 00:15:34.459 --> 00:15:37.930 The Doctor snatches the notebook from the Black Lord's grip, and returns it to its rightful 00:15:37.930 --> 00:15:39.640 place inside of his bag. 00:15:39.640 --> 00:15:40.640 "Villain." 00:15:40.640 --> 00:15:42.079 He mutters to himself as he does. 00:15:42.079 --> 00:15:44.610 "Our ways may seem strange to you." 00:15:44.610 --> 00:15:45.990 The Black Lord says. 00:15:45.990 --> 00:15:49.100 "But these are troubled times in Alagadda. 00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:51.600 All is not well in the court of the Hanged King. 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:54.779 There is deception and betrayal everywhere." 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:58.649 "All kingdoms encounter periods of strife." 00:15:58.649 --> 00:16:00.020 The Plague Doctor remarks. 00:16:00.020 --> 00:16:05.620 "If you will excuse me, now that I have treated you, I will be on my way back to my own land. 00:16:05.620 --> 00:16:07.649 I do not wish to stay here any longer." 00:16:07.649 --> 00:16:09.399 "Of course." 00:16:09.399 --> 00:16:11.519 The Black Lord waves him toward the door. 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:15.259 As the Doctor prepares to leave, however, the Black Lord speaks again. 00:16:15.259 --> 00:16:19.170 "Are you quite sure that it is your land, Doctor? 00:16:19.170 --> 00:16:24.710 You look quite like the child of a woman I once knew, long ago, who made the mistake 00:16:24.710 --> 00:16:26.800 of defying the King. 00:16:26.800 --> 00:16:28.670 She had the face of a crow, as you do. 00:16:28.670 --> 00:16:32.839 A mask that was...not a mask." 00:16:32.839 --> 00:16:34.819 "Excuse me?" 00:16:34.819 --> 00:16:36.620 The Plague Doctor does not understand. 00:16:36.620 --> 00:16:38.860 "Were you born in your world? 00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:41.199 Were you a child there? 00:16:41.199 --> 00:16:43.339 Do you remember it that way?" 00:16:43.339 --> 00:16:44.990 The Black Lord asks. 00:16:44.990 --> 00:16:46.880 The Doctor thinks for a long moment. 00:16:46.880 --> 00:16:51.370 He cannot recall ever being anything other than what he is now, a doctor with a singular 00:16:51.370 --> 00:16:52.370 purpose. 00:16:52.370 --> 00:16:54.610 "I...do not know." 00:16:54.610 --> 00:16:58.390 "Perhaps, dear Doctor, this is not your first time in the land of Alagadda. 00:16:58.390 --> 00:17:06.140 And I imagine that, with time, you shall walk its twisted alleys once again. 00:17:06.140 --> 00:17:11.199 Consider that on your journey back to the place you call home." 00:17:11.199 --> 00:17:14.290 The Black Lord laughs, a low, hollow sound. 00:17:14.290 --> 00:17:15.299 "Farewell." 00:17:15.299 --> 00:17:20.740 Eager to be rid of this place with its lies, tricks, and monsters of many shapes, the Plague 00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:22.100 Doctor takes his leave. 00:17:22.100 --> 00:17:24.339 This journey, he hoped, would provide some answers. 00:17:24.339 --> 00:17:29.300 But instead, all he found were more questions than he ever could have anticipated. 00:17:29.300 --> 00:17:33.340 Check out the Dr. Bob Patreon and become a junior researcher today! 00:17:33.340 --> 00:17:38.620 Now go and watch another entry from the files of Dr. Bob, like "SCP-3640 - Escape From The 00:17:38.620 --> 00:17:39.850 House of Mickey Mouse."