Panic Falls

A/N: This is sort of a jump-chain, and won't be terribly heavy on mechanics. What mechanics do get used will come from the Cypher System because I have the books on hand.

This is this character's 15th life; the character sheet is here.

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“The world you’re going to has been specially selected for its low difficulty. This is, after all, your first solo mission. ...

“Remember, the Eagle Installations are important. They’re what’s keeping you coming back, after all, and you wouldn’t want to die forever this time would you? ...

“Try not to be boring.”

Your eyes open for a brief moment after the briefing. The planet is below you, approaching fast. You barely have time to scream before you impact.

Sometime between impact and resurfacing, you manage to swim to a nearby wreck. You pant softly as you lay down on the deck. Snow falls around you.

When you’ve caught your breath, you sit up against the edge of the boat. The tablet in your bag blinks and you slowly pull it free. The screen flashes blue twice, then green, then loads up the summary of your mission.

Spoiler: Summary

Mission Parameters: Locate main Eagle installation, Activate power, Reinstate Eagle authority

Location Notes:

• One of the most important people on the planet is going to be in a bio-hazard [ERROR] arrival. This must not be stopped through your action or inaction.
• The drop location is over water, by a city called Afton Bay. The Eagle installation is either in the city or [ERROR]
• [ERROR] cannot be trusted. Do not allow them into the Eagle installation.
• There is a small drop of money and identity papers within the sewers of the city, under [ERROR].

Other Notes: You managed to be boring on the last one. Do better this time, or we can find an even worse death world for your next visit. - This world has superheroes and villains and rogues, and you’re none of these. Make sure they don’t find out.

You roll your eyes and shove the tablet back into your bag. “Course this fucker can’t even avoid errors in text, he could barely string a sentence together.”

When you stand up,there’s an outline left behind, slowly filling in. The wreck you’re on is a ways out from the land. Jumping between wrecks to the dock is slow and you slip several times, though never into danger. The city lights are muted.

Now that you’re on land, and technically in the city, you take stock of your belongings.

Spoiler: Inventory

• 1 canvas messenger bag containing:
  • 1 waterproof phone (no service)
  • Phone charger (USB-C)
  • 1 pair of wireless, waterproof headphones
  • 1 tablet, marked with a stylized forge, given to you by your… employer
  • Wallet, empty
• Clothes, specifically:
  • Old purple hoodie, zip-up
  • Pink t-shirt with white crown and glasses
  • Black pants
  • Old black sneakers
  • 1 set of keys, unknown use
  • 1 set of lockpicks

You sigh and look around. A flash of colour on the nearest roof catches your attention, a rich purple disappearing over the edge into the swirls of grey and white. You slowly pull your headphones on. The mp3 player in your pocket is old - a relic of one of the previous worlds you’ve been thrown into - but it stills works and right now that’s all you need.

MALUS: +1 to DC of all rolls when without music​

In the distance, you see someone flying across the sky. They don’t seem to be in a hurry. Your eyes follow them for a moment, then catch on someone else, running across the rooftops almost as though there’s no gaps between them. Another figure follows closely behind on a floating board. Down an alley near you, you can hear a motorcycle roaring through the streets. An opening to the storm drains catches your attention finally.

You stride through the snow. The two on the roofs notice you just as you slip into the drain. The music shifts. With no idea if they’re following you or not, you pull the drain shut and spin, dashing down the path.

Left, right, up a ladder, first right, second left, through a maintenance tunnel, out and to the right. You have no idea where you are, but you find a decorated room soon enough.

The floor here is covered in boxes. Over the door you entered through a carving of a storm cloud covers the wall. The other doors have their own carvings - a skull to the left, a bird to the right, and a broken wall straight ahead. The walls themselves are coated in spray paint murals.

Where could this stash your damnable employer left for you be?

[] Search the boxes. He’s not that clever.
[] Towards the bird - you are supposed to be looking for an Eagle Installation, after all.
[] Skullward! Death means nothing to you anymore, after all!
[] Broken walls; who knows what boundaries they meant.