You are a [[Cryptid Hunter]] with The (link: "CHB")[Cryptid Hunter Bureau]. You were called in as backup for Agent Jenson in his investigation of the town of Mirror Lake. He has been out of contact for over 72 hours.
The drive has brought you to the backwater town surrounded by forests. Right after you see the "Welcome to Mirror Lake" sign on the road, your engine seems to start dying. There's nothing around you, and as you check your phone, you don't seem to have any signal. You manage to get the car into the town proper.
[[Continue]] As you drive into the small downtown roads, you notice some of the townspeople giving you strange looks. If they can tell something is up with the car or if they can know that you are an outsider.
Your car continues to slow down more and more as your engine loses power.
[[pull over]]
[[keep driving, look for a machanic]]You pull your car over in one of the shoulder parking spots. You pop your hood and check over the engine.
A man walks up to you. "Is everything alright?" he asks as he sees you checking your phone.
[["Car problems, can you point me to the closes machanic?"]]
[["I'm fine, my car just started to lose power as I got in town"]] You slow down and continue driving.
After blindly driving for a bit you find the Mirror Lake Autoshop, and it looks like it's still open.
[[Pull into auto shop]]"Oh, I guess that happened to someone else earlier this week. The auto shop is on the corner, two streets down."
[[Go to auto shop]]
[[Ask about the other who had car problems]] "Yeah, no problem, you're not the first one who's had issues, apparently. The Autoshop is on the corner two streets down."
[[Go to auto shop]]
[[Ask about the other who had car problems]] you pull your car into the parking lot of the shop. As you start to park the mechanic walks out of the shop with a concered look on his face and waves for you to come in.
"Just pull it right in I could hear the grinding from inside" he calls to you when you roll the window down. You follow his instructions and thank him. He tells you that looking over it will take about an hour.
[["It feels like the engine is losing power."]]You thank the mechanic and go to wait in the lobby. There's nothing specail in there just some chairs a table and scattered magazines.
[[Investigate motel]]
[[Wait for mechanic]]
//Message from: Unknown//
//There is no life in Mirror Lake. Every ounch of living flish tried to escape, the fish and the toads, the bottom-dwellers and reptilians, everything that once tried to survive in Mirror Lake has failed. Now all that stays is the cold dead plants and the rotting bodies of the deceased. If you speak to the others around the lake they will tell you that the lake is filled with life. They say that the fish and the toads are all around, that the bottom-dwellers and reptilians are only hiding. But I know the truth. There is no life in Mirror Lake//
//Message from unknown//
//There are no fis in Mirror Lake. They all died and washed up on its shores. The people in town won't belive me but I saw them flood the beach. Their bodies were rounded up and eated by the creatures in the woods. The few bones that were left were buried in the sand, but no one will see them. The fisherman lost interest in the lake long ago; no-one comes to Mirror Lake anymore except for us Lonely few who live on it's edge. The others that live on its shore say that the fish are still alive. But I know the truth. There are no fishin Mirror lake.//
//Message from: Unkown//
//There are no waves on Mirror Lake. Its water stays still through vilent wind and pouring rain. A pebble can stir no ripples on its surface. A boulder would only sink calmly into its murky depths. The people believe that its surface moves, the others on its edge say it moves as much as ever. But I have watched the water, and I know the truth. There are no vabes on Mirror Lake.//
//Message from: Unknown//
//There are no reflections on Mirror Lake. There is only the opaque, pitch on its surface. Yor image will not show on Mirror Lake if you look from above. The many trees and few houses are not displayed on its still water. Ther people in the do not dare look at the murky water in Mirror Lake, and the other that live on its edge say that they see the reflections on its surface fine. But I have stared into Mirror Lake for hours, and I know the truth. There are no reflections on Mirror Lake.//
//Message from: Unknown//
//Mirror Lake is dead. Its water is deep and unmoving. Its life has all dried up. There is nothing left in Mirror Lake, but I still do not dare look out my window at it at night, for I might se something that stirs its water. I do not wish to see the thing that moves in Mirror Lake, because I know, there are no fish in Mirror Lake.//
The Cryptid Hunting Bureau deploys agents to areas that have reported sightings. These Cryptid Hunters are tasked with tracking down and either capturing or elimnating Cryptids such as Big Foot, Mothman, or even the Jersy Devil.
You have had this job for 5 years and have multiple confirmed kills and captures.
back to the [[Start]] You Pull into the shop parking lot, the owner sitting inside seems to see you because he exits the garage as you pull in.
"Hey there stranger, What seems to be the problem with your car."
[["It feels like the engine is losing power."]]"I don't know much about him, Carl brought up that it was a weird situation. Oh and the guy said he was from the CHB"
[[go to autoshop]] "Huh another one with that. Pull it in and I'll take a look"
[["Another one?"]]
[[go to wait in the lobby]] you pull your car into the parking lot of the shop. As you start to park the mechanic walks out of the shop with a concered look on his face and waves for you to come in.
"Just pull it right in I could hear the grinding from inside" he calls to you when you roll the window down. You follow his instructions and thank him. He tells you that looking over it will take about an hour.
[["It feels like the engine is losing power. Don't know what's up with it"]]"Huh another one with that. Pull it in and I'll take a look"
[["The other was the CHB agent right?"]]
[[go to wait in the lobby]]"Yes it was. You must have talked to someone in town."
You pull out your badge "I'm an agent Myself, do you know where I can find him for the investigation?"
The mechainic scratches the back of his head. "Haven't seen him since he brought his car in 4 days ago. You may want to check with the motel across the street." He jestures to the car in the other bay of the garage, "It must be something big to get 2 of you out here."
"Must be," you repeat
[[Wait in lobby]]
[["Mind if I check his car"]]You go to wait in the lobby while the mechanic checks your car. There's nothing out of the ordinary, just some chairs around a coffee table with scattered magizines.
[[Wait for mechanic]] for mechanic]]"Yeah there was a fellow in here about 4 days ago, a CHB guy."
You pull out your badge, "I'm also with the CHB, do you know where he is now?"
The mechainic scratches the back of his head. "Haven't seen him since he brought his car in 4 days ago. You may want to check with the motel across the street." He jestures to the car in the other bay of the garage, "It must be something big to get 2 of you out here."
"Must be."
[[Wait in lobby]]
[["Mind if I check his car"]] "Seeing as you're also an agent, I don't see why not. You can have a look while I'm checking your car."
You walk over to Jenson's car and open the drivers door. Everything seems to be in order. nothing laying around. in the open at least.
[[Check console]]
[[Pop trunk]]The Console of car there are the [[Papers]] that assigned Him to investigate the city along with his extra pistol magizines. Other than that it's empty.
[[Pop trunk]]
[[finish search]]You pop the trunk and walk over to it. Jenson's rifle and kevlar vest are still locked up. Figures, the towns people would be begging for more agents if the threat was much more direct.
[[Check console]]
[[finish search]]The papers detail that a concered citizen has reported strange happenings around a lake and believes something to be in the lake itself. You had all of this information on your briefing when you were assinged to check in on Jenson.
Back to [[Check console]]You close the car back up and go to [[Wait in lobby]] You cross the street to head to the motel. Once you arive you're greeted by a middle aged woman who is sitting at the front desk. "What can I do for you, stranger?"
[[Ask her about Jenson]]
[[Ask about getting a room]]
[[Head back to the mechanic]]After a little while of waiting in the lobby of the autoshop the mechanic comes out and tells you that he should be done fixing your car by tomorrow morning.
[[Investigate motel]] You pull out your badge and ask if she know's where Jenson is.
"Oh no, I don't right now. He came in and got a room a few days ago, I haven't seen him leave since the day after though."
[[Ask to see the room]]
[[Ask about getting a room]]
[[Head back to the mechanic]] "I'm going to need a place to stay while I investigate do you have any vacancy"
"Yeah, a room is gonna put you back 50 a night though"
[[Use CHB card]]
[[Use Personal card]]
[[Ask her about Jenson]]
[[Head back to the mechanic]]You excuse yourself and head back to the autoshop.
[[Wait for mechanic]] The woman thinks about it for a second and then slides you the key for Jenson's room, saying that it should be good if it's for an investigation.
[[Investigate Jenson's room]]You put down your card for work to pay for the room, She scans it and gives you a key. You get a recpit.
[[Head to your room]]
[[Ask her about Jenson]]
[[Head back to the mechanic]] You put down your personal credit card, she scans it and gives you a key. You make sure to get a recipt.
[[Head to your room]]
[[Ask her about Jenson]]
[[Head back to the mechanic]] You head to your room. Its a typical motel, bed, tv, nightstand with a bible
[[Head back to the mechanic]]
[[Sleep]]You lay in the bed and fall asleep, waking up you seem to no longer car about the case and leave the town in Jenson's car
[[Get Fired]]You decided to shruged off the investigation that you were sent to do and slept through a day while another agent is missing. You should be ashamed to call yourself a Cryptid Hunter.You head over to Jenson's room and open it up. The room looks like he never entered it. There's a bed with a nightstand, a tv on top of a dresser, and a window.
[[Check under the bed]]
[[Check the dresser]]
[[Check the nightstand]]
[[Check the window]]
[[Leave]]You check under the bed. there doesn't seem to be anything there.
[[Check the dresser]]
[[Check the nightstand]]
[[Check the window]]
[[Leave]] You open the dresser and notice that all of Jenson's clothes are neatly folded up and put into the drawers. There is no bag that he would have had them packed in though.
[[Check under the bed]]
[[Check the nightstand]]
[[Check the window]]
[[Leave]]You open the night stand and see Jenson's sidearm sitting in the drawer with it's magizine out.
Strange. It's protical to take it whenever you are investing or anywhere other than your room.
[[Check under the bed]]
[[Check the dresser]]
[[Check the window]]
[[Leave]]You look out the window of the room and see the perfect view of the lake. It's a murky small lake but doesn't seem to be strange at all.
As you look out the window, dispite still not having signal your phone goes off with a (link: "message")[(display: "Fish in Mirror Lake")]
[[Check under the bed]]
[[Check the dresser]]
[[Check the nightstand]]
[[Investigate the beach]]You leave the room seeing no sign of Jenson himself.
[[Head back to the mechanic]] You head out and go to the beach. While standing in the sand you look over the calm water of the murky lake.
[[Look for fish]]
[[Skip a rock]]
[[Investigate the water]]Following up on the strange text you move to the edge of the water and look down to see if there are any fish. There are none, but it's also shallow water so they may just be avoiding the area.
As you think this your phone pings with another (link: "message")[(display: "Life in Mirror Lake")]
[[Look around the lake fo any life]]You skip a rock aross the lake our of some combonation of being bored and needing something to get your mind moving on what is going on with this town.
Watching the rock skip you feel like there's something wrong with what you see but you can't palce it. Thats when your phone pings again with a new (link: "message")[(display: "Waves on Mirror Lake")]
[[Drop a rock in the water]]You look out at the water, scanning it to see if you notice anything deeper.
as you look out, again your phone pings with another (link: "message")[(display: "Reflections on Mirror Lake")]
[[Look for a relfection]]
You scan around the lake and see no animals around it at all. You hear no chirping of bugs or frogs as you listen around you. There doesn't seem to be anything at all.
[[Investigate the water]]
[[Skip a rock]]
[[Investigate the messages]] You look at the water near you and see no refection of you or the sky above. Watching the edges of the lake you notice that just as the message said there was no reflection of the trees or houses either.
[[Look for fish]]
[[Skip a rock]]
[[Investigate the messages]]You scan your surroundings to see if you are being watched by who ever is sending the messages. As you search you see a man standing on his porch overlooking the lake with his phone in his hand.
As you see him it seems that you make eye contact dispite the distance between you. He picks up his phone and then yours goes off again with one more (link: "message")[(display: "Mirror Lake is Dead")]
[[Investigate the Man's house]]You drop a rock into the water. There's no reaction from the water at all. the rock sinks just at the message said it would.
[[Investigate the water]]
[[Look for fish]]
[[Investigate the messages]] You go to the road and head to where the house was by the street. As you arive the sun is beggining to set. Figuring out which house to check was easy, one of them had a broken window next to the door that was now wide open.
You hear 2 distinctive bangs of some sort of shotgun from inside.
[[Clear the inside]]
[[Clear the back]]You move in the front door and see a mand standing at the ready with his shotgun, still smoking from the rounds you just heard.
"Another C.H. come to save our town. Thank god I was thinking that we were screwed after the last one."
[["Put the gun down"]]
[["Last one?"]]You draw your weapon and move around the back of the house. The porch the man was stanidn on now has a railing that looks like something heavy climbed up it.
You hear another bang. Your move up the side stairs of the porch and to the glass back doors of the house.
[[Check the inside]]You move inside clearing the rooms that you pass through. when you make your way to the front room you see a man standing at the ready with a shotgun. He flintches at you and then calms himself for a second.
"Another C.H. come to save our town. Thank god I was thinking that we were screwed after the last one."
[["Put the gun down"]]
[["Last one?"]]"You kidding? I need this to protect me from the thi-" before he can finish answering a long and thin arm like extremity enters through the broken window. It quickly takes hold of the man's head and forcefully pulls him through the window.
[[Escape throught the front]]
[[Run out the back]]"Yeah the fellow who arrived a fe-" before he can finish answering a long and thin arm like extremity enters through the broken window. It quickly takes hold of the man's head and forcefully pulls him through the window.
[[Escape throught the front]]
[[Run out the back]]You dash out the front door and there's no longer any sight of the man or whatever took him. As you keep moving you notice that there's no longer any damage to the house.
[[Investigate the back]]
[[Head to your car to try and get backup]]You run out the back door of the house. As you exit you can see the man being pulled into the lake by the same arm that you saw grabbed him from the front. You don't understand though, it has only been a few seconds.
Thats when you notice the water acutally move as if there is something inside of it. Whatever moved has noticed you. it's moving towards the shore.
[[Run]]As you go around the back of the house, you see the man being dragged by the same arm into Mirror Lake. As he enters the lake, you see something stir in the water. And then whatever is stirring starts moving towards you.
[[Run]] You move as fast as you can to the autoshop. The door is locked when you arive but you manage to pick it and get in.
[[Take your keys]]
[[Take Jenson's keys]]You sprint out and away as fast as you can. you make it to the end of the street looking back at the town before you hear an ungodly roar back from towards the house.
[[Break for the mechanic]]
You get to the autoshop and the door is locked. Having the feeling that the creature is close you decide to break the door down.
[[Grab your keys]]
[[Grab Jenson's keys]]You grab your keys and head to your car. It doesn't start.
[[Take Jenson's keys]] You grab Jenson's keys off of the wall behind the desk and move to the garage opening the door.
[[Escape]]You get in the car and get out of the town as fast as you can. As soon as you regain signal you call into the HCB and report your findings.
A Heavy team was dispatched to the town to finish up the job. You did everything you could.You grab your keys. As you enter the garage you hear pounding on the overhead doors.
[[Drive]]
[[Open the trunk]]You grab Jenson's keys and move to the garage. You hear a pounding on the door as you enter the garage.
[[Drive!]]
[[Go to the trunk]]You attempt to drive out but your car doesn't start. As you try again to start it the window breaks and you are gragged into the waters of Mirror Lake.You quickly open the trunk of your car and unlock your rifle.
[[Fight!]]As the door tears open you open fire with your rifle. The creature is too fast or too strong as it takes you and drags you to Mirror Lake. You fight the entire time it drags you. Alerting as many people as possible and giving yourself the death of a warrior.hop into the drivers seat and nearily avoid the creature as you speed away. You call in the HCB as soon as you can.
A near military responce moves into the town and elimated the cryptid.
You go to the trunk and unlock Jenson's rifle as the door breaks open.
[[Fight]]You try firing Jenson's wepon but it's empty. The Cryptid grabs you and drags you into Mirror Lake.