The violent end of Robert Blaine cast a long, cold shadow over Miskatonic University, but the cryptic note left by “Keith” demanding a meeting spurred Professor Lilian Neill, Teddy Harris, Sophia Picado, and Peter Goodman into immediate, intensive action. The group spread out across Arkham, hunting down leads and bracing themselves for the confrontation scheduled for near midnight.

The Students Vanish

The most immediate and unnerving discovery confirmed the group’s deepening fear: the returned students were gone. Checks at the Dorothy Upman Hall revealed Clarissa Thurber had cleared out of her room completely that morning, leaving her perplexed roommate relieved but unable to offer any clue as to her destination. Simultaneously, Peter and Teddy confirmed that Jason Trent had also vacated his lodgings overnight, taking all his belongings. Terrence Laslow’s disappearance had already been confirmed following the chaos at Blaine’s apartment. The coordination of these departures, particularly after Blaine’s death, suggested a calculated retreat rather than panicked flight.

Contradictions and Intelligence

Lillian and Sophia made a crucial visit to Professor Learmonth, hoping to glean some academic perspective on the strange events. Learmonth confirmed that Harry Higgins, exhibiting peculiar geological insights far beyond his established curriculum, had been “most insightful” regarding the Pasqualium mineral. More startlingly, Learmonth noted the pronounced shift in Higgins’ manner of speaking, whose usual Irish brogue had been replaced by a distinct, heavy German accent during their recent interactions. Learmonth revealed that Higgins had scheduled a private meeting with him for 6 PM the following day (August 28th), presumably to discuss the anomalous mineral further.

Meanwhile, exploiting a rare moment of availability, Lillian successfully petitioned Dr. Henry Armitage at the Orne Library. She reported her observations regarding mutilated texts and showed him the disturbing imagery of “flying creatures,” prompting Armitage to concede access to an unusual item: a copy of Indigenous Legends of Vermont.

Concerted Preparations

The small team immediately began pooling their resources and intelligence. Peter Goodman was quickly drawn into the mission, his status as an unknown factor offering a crucial advantage. He was tasked with reconnaissance, leveraging his hunting knowledge to scout the infamous hill. He reconnoitred the location of Old Wooded Graveyard, a site steeped in local lore concerning the hanging of Goody Fowler back in 1704. Peter, acting quickly and methodically, chose a concealed vantage point near the north side of the cemetery where he could observe the hill’s summit. Armed with his rifle and ammunition, he proceeded to infiltrate the grounds significantly earlier than planned, determined to cover the party from afar.

Sophia and Lillian, meanwhile, made preparations that reflected the lethal reality they faced. Sophia secured vital survival tools: a shotgun (retrieved from the expedition gear), flashlights, and a flare pistol. Lillian also armed herself, not just with expedition equipment, but with a stout rock concealed within a handbag. The group was keenly aware of the high risk; Lillian, recalling the terrifying speed of the events in Vermont, flatly refused the notion of meeting the agitated figure alone.

Teddy Harris spent the hours leading up to the rendezvous consumed by intense, nervous energy, largely pacing around his apartment and drinking coffee. He relied heavily on a singular psychological ritual: obsessively humming the lyrics to HMS Pinafore, specifically “We Sail the Ocean Blue”. Teddy believed this manic singing had saved them previously and was a source of energy and power required for defense, viewing it as a necessary superstition, like that of a sportsman before a big game. While preparing for the encounter, he focused on ingraining factual details gleaned from his earlier research, reading notes and newspaper clippings that identified Keith Clark (the assumed identity of Block) as the primary suspect in a devastating 9-year-old triple murder in Vermont,. For his gear, Teddy ensured he had only the necessities: a coat, a torch/flashlight, and his notebook for documenting events, consciously choosing to rely on his unique ritualistic preparation rather than carrying a formal weapon onto Hangman’s Hill.

A Confession

As 11:15 PM approached, the trio made their tense ascent into the ancient burial grounds. The humid air of Arkham was heavy with a thick, swirling mist that clung low to the ground, reflecting eerily off the beams of their flashlights. Precisely at the appointed time, a figure appeared. He was immediately agitated, demanding to know why Lillian hadn’t come alone. She persuaded him that a woman coming out alone wasn’t prudent and that the others could be trusted. Block reluctantly climbed the hill to them.

The figure confessed his identity: he was Keith Clark, the missing father from the Vermont murder case, whose brain occupied the body of Roderick Block. He revealed the horrifying truth that the creatures who had murdered his family were highly intelligent, paranoid, insect-like entities called the Mi-Go, who forced him into service before replacing his consciousness into Block’s body. He desperately warned them to flee, exposing Terrence Laslow as a mi-go agent called Jarvis. He began warning of another…

The Descent into Chaos

However, the moment of revelation was instantly shattered. The agent, Jarvis (Laslow), suddenly appeared near them, almost materialising at Clark’s shoulder. Jarvis, holding a menacing silver tube-like device that looked “gun-like, but not gun-like,” levelled it directly at Professor Neill.

In the immediate shock of the attack, Teddy Harris, driven by extreme fear, erupted into a state of temporary madness. He began singing “We Sail the Ocean Blue” at the top of his lungs and violently swung his flashlight, believing the manic noise would save them as it had during the previous attack in Vermont.

As Jarvis paused, demanding they silence the maniacal student. Teddy threw his flashlight, hitting Jarvis on the side of the head. Clark/Block seized the opportunity, producing a revolver and firing wildly at the mi-go agent. Clark screamed a desperate “RUN!” and fled, disappearing instantly into the darkness. Capitalising on Jarvis’ confusion, the others pursued, though Sofia was a few paces behind. The careened down the hill, flashlight beams bouncing off trees, headstones and the roiling mist. Peter Goodman, observing the sudden violence and the arrival of two more hostile figures (Harry Higgins and Jason Trent) approaching, did not hesitate. He sighted his rifle from his hidden vantage point and fired a single shot, dropping Harry Higgins who instantly fell into the pervasive mist.

The confrontation ended with a final, horrific report. Clark/Block, stumbled to the ground and was rapidly overtaken by the others. Seeing that Jarvis was closing on him, Clark shouted his final, anguished words, “Avenge and family,” before putting the gun to his own head. The resultant gunshot confirmed that Keith Clark, trapped in a stolen body, had chosen suicide rather than fall back into the hands of the alien conspirators. Left with only the echo of the shots, the surviving investigators remained hidden in the cemetery: Sofia, Teddy and Lilian having regrouped and Peter still in his hide. Jarvis and ‘Trent’ returned to the stricken ‘Higgins’. “Quick, grab Ludendorff. We have to go.”, Jarvis instructed. They each bent into the mist and grabbed an arm, taking Higgins/Ludendorff with them.

The investigators waited until they were sure they were in the clear, for now at least. They made their way to the rendezvous point: Mrs. Gate’s boarding house where Lilian lived.

The body of Roderick Block lay in the cemetery, the dank mist concealing it for now. The mind of Keith Clark… well, who knows where or if his consciousness exists.

Until next time,

Owen