C-AHG04 (Oct 31, 2017)
Puzzle
“AHG”
See: CD-AHG03 | 3 Words
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: I reckon a read of any of the ones in this chain of receipt would do.
Clue 2: What does AHG stand for?
Answer and Explanation
Answer: A Halloween Gambit
Explanation: AHG stands for "A Halloween Gambit".
Summary of Receipt
They fail. Crow was able to complete his ritual. Thankfully, 53 came in as backup and managed to rescue 134 and 224, but still. Crow and his three elites - Friday/Weekend, Yaga and Midnight (metminwi) - did a ritual to collect demonic, or black, blood. Yaga then did a ritual to summon the House on Dracula Drive, also known as the gated community in Open Doors. It’s a gateway between worlds that opens every Wednesday; see CD-CEA02 for more info. Anyway, with the House unsealed, Crow, Midnight and Friday can all head to the Flipside on Wednesdays as well as their usual rules. There’s presumably more the House can do, but those are still a mystery to them. 8 plans to help 224 recover and then figure out what to do next.
Transcript
CAFE AND DINER RECEIPT FROM 10/31/17
THE OWNER
RECEIPT: HALLOWEENGAMBIT04
STATUS: CLOSED
Well. This is the long flight back. I guess technically, it’s November now, but for record-keeping purposes, I might as well just file this as the 31st.
We failed. Well. Lost the battle, not the war. Al Crow was able to complete his ritual, which I’ll get into in a bit. I know right now you’re all worried more about 224. She’s ok. Or will be ok. She’s alive and with us at the very least. 134 is ok too. He was being... possessed is a strong word. He was being persuaded by one of Crow’s friends. Ah, where to start... I guess I’ll start with that. We now know Crow’s other two unknown demons.
Miss. Yaga, not a terribly creative name, I know. I’m tired. She is, somewhat obviously, a Baba Yaga. A powerful witch. Or, well, reborn witch. Her gimmick is she can come back to life if her bones are thrown in a special cauldron. At least that’s what ex-71 said. Not only that, because she’s a witch and not a demon, she can be either Flipside or Otherside easily. Not sure if- well, no strike that. She can go between the Flipside and Otherside when she wants to now. I’ll get more into that in a second.
Mrs. Midnight, again not a great name. Also known as Mètminwi, or Master Midnight, he is a boogieman known most to the Haitian people. He’s a tall, slender figure whose terms let him “take” those who stay up past Midnight. His “taking” thing boils down to altering the mindset/behavior of those up past Midnight. Like what happened to 134. No clue how we deal with him yet, as those terms are pretty loose.
And of course, you all have already been acquainted with Mrs. Weekend, AKA Friday. To my knowledge, this is Crow’s main crew. So what were they trying to do anyway? Well, to start, we still don’t know their endgame. This was akin to their first step towards whatever it is they are trying to do. So, first off, they were using flies to collect “black blood,” also known as demon blood. They had, I don’t know, I’m not good at measurements, like two Gatorade coolers worth of black blood. They then used 134 to lure 224 here to use her. But first, they had 134 gather the rest of the supplies and dig these long channels in the ground. Next, as midnight (the hour, not the demon) approached, they poured the blood into the channels, and then I think they must have injected 224 with some of the black blood as well. Then she, well, you know. Lost control. Miss. Yaga then chanted out something along the lines of “hellish gate betwixt the worlds unveil your hidden door once more.” Among some other, you know, ritual stuff.
Then, well, that’s when their ritual came to fruition. The channels of black blood solidified into what looked like two roads intersecting with each other. And where they intersected a house, a whole house, sort of phased into the Flipside. And then the front door opened, and out walked Al Crow, Friday, and Midnight. Thankfully, 53 did get my message and was able to get us out of there. Perhaps a few minutes too late, but that’s not her fault. In any case, ex-71 recognized this house. I guess it’s called “The House on Dracula Drive” or something like that. It’s a gateway between worlds that used to open every Wednesday. It was sealed by the original Cafe and Diner. Well, not intentionally. Dr. Crow, the at the time current owner of the house, died inside it, which sealed it. Until now. With the house once again open, it means Crow can come physically Flipside. It also means that Midnight and Friday are freer to come Flipside assuming it is Wednesday. I’m sure the house has more significance than just that, but it’s still a dangerous tool, especially in Crow’s hands.
So, the Cafe is going to stay closed today. And probably every coming Wednesday for the foreseeable future. I know we’re in two different time zones, but it’s still a pretty big risk to take. Plus, I don’t fully understand how this house works. For the time being, I think it’s tethered to the ritual location. Still, Friday could easily reach us within a day. I’m not sure what our next move is. If we have a next move. For now, for today, I think the best thing we can do is rest and get 224 back on her feet.