C-HWL02 (Feb 5, 1996)
Puzzle
“Mrs. Boone heard howling around Baltimore.”
Research | 2 Words
Clue
Hover over the clues if you require!
Clue 1: Look for her location first - where's the Natural State? More accurately, what are the 'Aux Arcs'?
Clue 2: It's a mountain range, which should clear things up.
Clue 3: Which cryptid in the Ozarks howls?
Answer and Explanation
Answer: Ozark Howler
Explanation: That's who Mrs. Boone is.
Summary of Receipt
26 draws near to Boone, and mentions that she isn't really deserving of the Mrs. title - her howls just kill humans. Thankfully, 26 brought earplugs. In any case, 26's main concern is Mrs. Middletown, who clearly seems to be absorbing the powers of cryptids. She'd done so (temporarily) in the past, but now it seems she's figured out how to strengthen herself permanently. And Boone's 'Death Wail' would be very useful.
Transcript
RECEIPT #002
FILED UNDER: CAFE-HWL
DATE: 2/5/96
EMPLOYEE #26
I’ve almost made it to the Ozarks to capture and return the Ozark Howler back to the Esterskald, where it belongs. I know the “Mrs.” title makes it seem a bit scary, but it’s just a big friendly bear. More or less. Actually, I’m pretty sure Howlers are the Cryptid reincarnation of some bears. Though, unlike our normal fuzzy Flipside friends, Howlers… well, they howl. They have been known to howl so loud that it can kill a person. Don’t worry, I’ve brought my earplugs, and once I get to a town, I’ll stock up on plenty of fishy treats to lure the Howler toward the portal at the Devil’s Promenade.
Thankfully, if the patrons on our message board are correct, the Howler was last heard around Neosho. That’s only like 30 miles out from the portal to the Esterskald, so getting the big beasty there shouldn’t be too hard. If the Howler had come to the Flipside closer to St. Louis… well, I think I would have had to find another portal! Usually, though, Howlers find their way back to the Otherside pretty easily on their own, but it’s really not the Howler I’m worried about. It’s Mrs. Middletown.
We know that Mrs. Middletown has been… I don’t know, “absorbing?” powerful cryptids to gain their powers. Mrs. Middletown, in the past, has been known to temporarily take on the powers of other cryptids, but it was always fairly weak and required a constant physical connection to the cryptid to do so. But now? Now it seems like she’s found a way to use her chimerafication powers to add to her own strength more permanently. I’m hoping that there is some way to reverse this process and bring back all the cryptids she’s absorbed. Even the Death Wyrm. But, for now, I fear a Howler’s Death Wail makes for a tempting target.