After the festivities ran dry, Shauna's party was invited out onto the water, or, well, the next day at least. The traders were intrigued by the disappearance, and figured that they might be able to curry favor with the duchess if they help shine light on things. And, naturally, Tule would be there too. Well, it was his suggestion after all, so it would be strange if he weren't.

So goes the series of events that brings Shauna to the present, throwing up off the side of the trading boat because she's seasick. Lakesick. Whatever.

She'd never been on a boat this size before. Well, it's not that big, but it's still big enough to throw off her sense of balance. Is is the size of the boat or the size of the waves that gets you queasy? She can't remember, she doesn't know, she doesn't care, she just wants to stop throwing up.

This is torture. Abject torture. Why did they agree to the encore, she wonders. This just isn't right. It's such a bad way to cap off the party last night.

And what's worse, Tule is nowhere to be found to complain to.

She feels another one coming, and gets ready to hurl again, but nothing comes out. She's running on empty now.

"Shauna! Come here, we hung up a hammock!" Zero says.

"A hammock...?" Shauna responds, half delirious.

"Yes. Come over here and we'll lay you down in it."

"Okay..."

She does as she's told, stumbling for half the way there, and sure enough, when she's lain in the hammock, her nausea goes from 'unbearable' to 'just bad enough to be noticeable' in a matter of seconds.

"Here."

Igni hands her a cup, which she looks at curiously.

"Water."

Ah.

Better than running on empty. Shauna accepts the cup and empties it sip by sip. Igni takes it back once it's empty.

Slowly, being rocked by the hammock and with a borrowed hat covering her face, she drifts off into a nap.

"Sleep tight," Max says.

----------------------------------------

"Shauna! Get up!"

Shauna's consciousness is brought back to reality by a yelling voice, and moments later, she's forcibly pulled out of the hammock by very strong hands.

She opens her eyes. It's Max.

"What's going on?" she asks, from a kneeling position on the deck.

"We got lost in the mist, and now there's a sea monster!"

"A sea monster? Aren't we on a lake?"

"Don't ask me that! Look for yourself!"

She stands herself up and looks over in the direction he's pointing. Sure enough, she sees a giant sea monster. And the horizon is flat, sky meets water. Like the ocean. Like they're out at sea.

"What? Where?"

"Don't ask! Do!"

Shauna nods. It's do or die. There's no point in acting confused.

Roar, rumble, splash. A small chunk of railing gets ripped off of the front of the boat and sets it into a back-and-forth rocking motion, almost but not quite making Shauna lose her footing.

"I'm never going fishing again!"

"Zero! Don't blame yourself!"

Zero holds onto a mast with a death grip, standing on a fishing rod, presumably to not lose it.

"What are our combat options!"

Igni yells out to the boat's crew. Most of them are too scared to do or say anything, but one of the speaks up as the boat's rocking gradually calms down.

"This is a freshwater vessel! There's no piracy on Great Lake Foxmere, we don't have cannons or anything like that!"

Oh dear.

"Guys, what do we do?"

"I don't know!"

"Never again!"

"Figure out how to run away?"

Igni, Max, Zero, Shauna, in that order.

Running away would be good, since the crew doesn't have anything to fight back with. But how?

"Does anyone know how to steer a boat?

"Where's that fisherman?"

"Who?"

"Guys, stay focused! Fight or flight, which one is it going to be!"

"Flight!"

"Okay! Get the captain! He's in his cabin!"

"Why is he in the cabin at a time like this?!"

"It misted over, we got lost, and he had to go look for different charts!"

"We what?!"

"It doesn't matter, just go get him!"

Fine, Shauna thinks. She then kicks off her socks and boots—she's more acrobatic barefoot—and bolts off under deck. The boat rocks again on her way through the halls, and she ends up rolling into the walls once or twice. When she gets to the captain's cabin, the door is locked from the inside.

"What? No! Why did he lock himself in?"

She yells.

"Captain! Captain, open up!"

No response.

Hit by an adrenaline rush, she shoulder-bashes the door, over and over, to no avail. Not a single edge of it budges. It's airtight.

"Captain...! Why aren't you piloting the boat! Why are you locked away down here!"

No response.

"Captain..."

She looks for another way in. Are there any portholes in this boat's individual rooms? She glances across the hall, through a door into one of the crew rooms, and sees a sliver of a porthole around the corner. Good. A plan is already forming in her mind. Maybe she can scurry around the outside of the boat, down the side, and break into the captain's cabin via porthole.

There's no time to waste. She runs back up top deck and leans over the railing above the captain's room—sure enough, there's a porthole, and it's half underwater.

Wait.

Half underwater?

She looks closer.

The porthole's glass pane is gone, and the room's full of water.

But—

"No—!"

She dives overboard, arms first. Nobody stops her.

That was a mistake.

I don't care, she thinks in response.

The porthole is just barely big enough for her to squeeze through. And she does, with difficulty.

She finds the captain treading water, still alive and kicking.

"Shauna!"

"Captain! What happened here!"

"The porthole started leaking when the boat got hit. I closed the door until I could fix it, but—"

"The windowpane broke in?"

"Yes."

"Captain. Can you fit through the porthole with me?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm too big and chubby."

"Oh no..."

A couple of options fly through Shauna's head. She could use a bomb to blast a bigger hole in the wall, one he can fit through. But it might kill them. They don't have enough room to take safe distance. And they don't have time for her to carefully hack away at it with an axe, which, of course, she has in her inventory.

None of her last-ditch survival tools can do her any obvious good here.

Before she can think of anything else to try, a tentacle crawls in through the porthole, looking for something to snatch. It must be part of the sea monster. No, of course it's part of the sea monster, what else could it be?

"Captain, stay back...!"

Shauna puts herself between the captain and the tentacle and equips a dagger to try to fight it off with. Hopefully. But to no avail. Every jab she makes at it does nothing but make it more and more angry, and soon enough, it latches onto her waist and pulls her into the porthole.

That's right. Into.

Smash.

Smash.

Smash.

It pulls so hard that the entire boat starts tilting over, and cracks form around the porthole, letting in even more water. More and more of the captain's cabin floods and Shauna is pulled entirely under water. Under the salty, salty water.

Every time her body slams against the wall, she doesn't just endure wounds grave enough to kill a full-grown man. She also loses more and more of the little air she's got left in her lungs, and her dagger is long gone.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Your health is low. If you have any potions, or food, you should use them.

No shit, she thinks, obviously unable to eat or drink anything in a situation like this.

She can't even feel anything anymore. Her body is nothing but a giant blob of half-numb pain.

Smash.

Her mind slowly goes dark as it runs out of oxygen, and, before too long— dead.

A corpse held in death grip by an angry sea monster, shaken around ruthlessly like a stick.

With your death, the prophecy has been broken. Reload a save or start a new game to bring hope back to this doomed world.

Current save count: 18

Current reload count: 0

Load New Game Quit

An endless void.

A timeless void.

Nothing but endless plain color and her own undecorated self.

Well, she thinks it looks more like a gradient than a flat color. And there are some clouds too. And an endless ocean far, far below them. Or, at least, that's what she wants to see, what makes sense to her. So it's what this 'place' decides to show to her.

"Where—"

"Are you?" I call out from behind her.

Without turning herself, she turns her head to look at me.

"Who—"

"Am I?"

She nods.

"Well—"

Ah. Right. I have to explain it in—

"No. You don't." She shakes her head.

"What?"

"I can tell what you're thinking too."

I guess that makes sense. It's not like this is a real place. It's just—

"A place far beyond space and time, outside of reality, showing me whatever I want to see?"

"Yeah."

"So what's going on? What is this text I'm seeing? Aren't I dead?"

She already knows. But she wants to hear it. To be sure.

"Yeah... You died. So you have to reload. Or start over from the beginning, in a new place, as a new person."

"...Or give up."

"Like that's an option," I say.

"Right on."

"So—"

"I'll wake up right where I last slept, right? At the time I fell asleep? If I 'reload'."

I nod. "That's right. You're good at this."

"I could tell what you were about to say to me."

"But of course."

"I don't want to turn into someone else."

"But you already have, a long time ago."

"Yeah. But that wasn't me."

"Not wrong."

"Hey..."

"No need for thanks. I just work here."

She laughs at me.

"I just work here isn't how they say it around here."

"Or anywhere, even."

"Mhmm."

"Well, it's no use waiting," I say.

"I'll be going, now," she says.

"Good luck."

I mean it.

"Thank you."

She means it too.

Shauna understands the system now. Just by having been here. In fact, our conversation was pretty much entirely unnecessary. I only spoke up to amuse myself. It's lonely up here.

That's right. No more confusion. No more doubt. This is all just part of how the world works, no need to second-guess it. And that part of how the world works is—

She 'clicks' the 'Load' button, and then another button, and then...

Save Loaded

"Shauna! Get up!"

Shauna's consciousness is brought back to reality by a yelling voice, and moments later, she's forcibly pulled out of the hammock by very strong hands.

She opens her eyes. It's Max.

"What's—" she asks, from a kneeling position on the deck.

Wait. No.

She stands up and shakes her head. Sea monster attack, right? Glance to the side, over the railings and out to sea. Yep.

"Where's the captain?"

"We got lost in the—," he starts, and then, "Wait, what?"

"Max. Where's the captain? He's top priority."

"Right! He's in his cabin. He was—"

"Looking for charts."

"...Right. Go get him ay-sap! This monster is more important!"

Okay. So this whole scene hasn't changed one bit. She's exactly where this started.

"Thanks. I'll go save him."

She kicks off her socks and boots and jolts off under deck. Max stands there confused about the 'save' part', for just a second, before getting back to helping keep people from falling off deck.

----------------------------------------

"Captain!"

She bangs on the door. This has to happen fast, or he'll trap himself in again. And he's vital. There's no way they're getting out of this mess without him in charge of the boat.

"Yes! Just one moment!"

"Don't touch the porthole! Open up!"

Silence. Rumble.

Damn it.

"Captain! Can you hear me!"

"Yes, I can hear you!"

"Unlock this door!"

"I'm holding the porthole shut, I can't move!"

She bangs her head on the door in frustration. She should've brought Igni. Igni could break down the door in a heartbeat. Wait, no, if the porthole's definitely going to break, this door needs to get *shut* again. This needs to be non-destructive. Damn it.

She looks down at the door from where she was banging it with her head. Wait, is that a keyhole? So it's a keyhole lock, not a slider-and-chain lock. Oh. Oh, of course. The door doesn't even budge when she bangs on it, it can't be a slider-and-chain lock, they're too loose. It could've been a draw bar or a barricade, but she doesn't remember anything like that from the last time she was in there.

She kneels down, takes her hairpin off, and looks close at the keyhole.

Easy does it, don't break the hairpin, she tells herself.

Click. It's a very, very good thing these locks are so simple. Little more than strangely-shaped latches.

Your Security level has increased to 67

Shut up.

Skill level messages disabled

She slams the door in, showing her the inside of the cabin with the slightly-damp floor and waterlogged paperstuffs.

"Captain!"

"Shauna! How'd—"

"Just get out here, now!"

Rumble. Shatter. Splash.

The boat rocks again, flinging the captain away from the porthole, as it blasts open. Tuck and roll... or not, as he not-so-elegantly tumbles across the floor. But he quickly scrambles out the door before the flooding gets too bad, and Shauna pulls it shut right behind him.

"That was close. I'm glad you're safe. Is this door watertight?"

"Yes. Part of my policy, for exactly this reason," he replies, panting.

"I like it." She pauses. "We need you."

"I'll be right up there, just let me catch my breath."

"Shauna!"

Shauna's party comes running down the hallway, yelling her name.

"What took so long?" Max asks.

"The captain locked himself in. I had to break him out before his room flooded."

Max shakes his head.

"I don't get it, but we need to get away from this, this thing, fast, Captain."

"Yes. Let's go."

They start off down the hall, but he stumbles.

"Here."

Max lends the captain his shoulder.

"I must've hurt something when I tumbled."

"Don't worry about it.

----------------------------------------

"All hands on deck!"

"Yes, cap'n!"

Morale has returned, and so have the main functions of the boat. Heave, ho, heave, ho. Sails in full wind. The boat starts to circle the monster fast enough to keep out of its grasp, switching from sails to steam when pointed upwind.

"Are we running or fighting?" Shauna asks one of the crewmates.

"Kid, look around you. Nothin' but endless water. Brinish saltwater. We ain't on Great Lake Foxmere no more, and for all we know it's miles deep as far as the eyes can see. If runnin's an option to ya, you gotta work on yer noggin'."

She tilts her head. He's right. Running can't be her only option, otherwise she'll end up in Davy Jones' Locker some day.

"How are we going to fight that thing?"

"That's up't you four. We're countin' on ya, so don't choke."

But... how?

"Guys, take inventory."

Max, Zero, and Igni nod.

They empty their non-personals out of their inventories onto the deck, ignoring tiny things.

Shauna keeps poking through the pile

"Zero, just to double check, your magic's too weak to do anything against that thing, right?

"Alas, I am much too unskilled to threaten such a monstrosity."

"Ah. ...Ah? Ah—"

She's found something good.

"I forgot we brought bombs." Dying was enough of a shock to make her forget she had them.

"Bombs?!" a crewmate yells. "Can ya throw one down its throat?"

"As a matter of technicality?" says Zero.

"Whaddya getting at?"

"Not from where we stand. And what's more, these detonationary devices—"

"Zero."

"Sorry. These bombs aren't meant for cannon use. Even if you have a cannon stored under deck, we can't fire them. They'll blow up in the cannon."

"Dude, who cares about that. Just find a way to get it done! It's our only good option! We don't have cannons anyway!"

Shauna could keep poking around for stuff, but time is slim, and 'make it go kablooie from the inside' is probably their best bet, unless they brought a scroll of kraken-be-gone. Is that a thing? That should be a thing.

"What's all the ruckus?"

The party turns to the way under deck to find Tule standing there, with an eyepatch on.

"What's with the eyepatch?" Shauna asks.

"It's too bright out here."

"We're being attacked by a sea monster."

"That so," he says, disinterested, or... unsurprised.

He looks down at the pile of random items the party produced.

"Those bombs?"

"They are."

"I get what yer doin'. Probably the only thing that'll work, to be honest. I'll go."

"You'll, wait, what?"

"I've got my skeletons to bury. Send me out on a lifeboat with one of those things and it'll kiss this sea good-bye."

"That's too dangerous!"

"The only danger here is getting capsized. Captain!"

"Yes, Tule! Jeb, lower him in a lifeboat! Igni, restrain Shauna!"

"Aye-aye, captain!"

"Yes, sir!"

Igni hugs Shauna from behind, around her upper arms.

"Igni, stop! He's—"

"Shauna, this isn't the time! Do you want to die?!"

Her memories flash back to mere moment ago, the first time she died. Her whole body smashed to a pulp, so many wounds of so many types that they can't be counted, and, on top of that, drowning...

Not even one more time, even if she can 'reload'. Just remembering it is almost enough to traumatize her all over again.

She stops struggling.

"Igni..."

"Yes?"

She watches Tule board the lifeboat with several bombs.

"I don't want to experience death again."

Igni holds her tighter, afraid that she's talking about watching Tule die, planning on breaking out of his grip at any moment.

"You won't have to."

Shauna shakes her head.

"I don't want to die."

Igni puts on a curious look and loosens her grip.

"So you're not going to try to stop him?"

"No. I'm not."

"...Alright."

Igni finally lets go.

"We need to distract it or calm it down until he gets closer. If we don't, he's going to get hit by a tentacle and go under before he can kill it. What can we do?" Shauna says.

"Could we circle around the other side and have him come from its back?" Max asks.

"No, he needs access to the mouth," Zero responds.

"We could try to get him eaten! That'd be fun!" a random crewmate says.

"Rowan, what's wrong with you!" another one responds.

"...We could wait and hope for the best."

"That's boring."

"This isn't 'that's boring', it's not even rational. It's unfathomably likely that he's going to get swept off before he's close," says Zero.

Shauna shakes her head.

"Guys."

"What?"

"We just have to do something. We can't just sit here and watch him throw his life away. I don't want to carry that kind of regret. At least if we try, that'll be something. That's what I was freaking out about when he gave his plan."

Silence.

Max speaks up.

"You're right."

"We shouldn't have let him go alone."

"Who's the best swimmer?"

Everyone looks at Igni. Because she's drake-kin.

"...Fine."

"Be careful out there."

"Worry about the boat, not me."

Igni strips off her outer layers and dives offboard to catch up to Tule. Like a dolphin.

She really is the best swimmer, Shauna thinks.

"...Does she even need to breathe underwater?"

"Not for a while. They can hold their breath for a quarter-hour," Max responds.

Shauna nods.

Igni catches up to Tule. He yells at her, but she shakes her head and gestures wildly at him, yelling back. And then, moments later, a tentacle grabs onto the side of the lifeboat, but she rips it off. Tule has a bit of a start, but after processing the situation gets back to rowing right away.

Only a few more yards.

Only a few more feet.

The sea monster is staring down the life boat now, nearly in biting range of its mouth. It seems upset. As it should be.

The monster's mouth opens. Shrieking, roaring. You could play horror music to this.

The Captain yells from his place on deck.

"Igni! Now!"

It's unclear if she hears him or decides it for herself, but either way, she heaves an armed bomb at the monster. And another. Plunk. For good measure, she covers Tule with her body.

It gives off a popping sound. It writhes and it whimpers. And as everyone watches from where they stand and sit, it starts to sink, ever so slightly, before...

Boom.

It goes out in an enormous blast, strong enough to send the lifeboat toppling over, Tule and Igni vanishing below the water.

"Tule! Igni!"

Shauna shouts out from the boat's deck. She's horrified for them. What if they drown? Does she have to save them? Is she going to have to die and do this all over again?

Before she can do anything, Zero puts his hand on her shoulder.

"It is not yet time to anguish."

"Zero..."

"...They're going to be fine."

He misinterprets her meek response as scolding. She shakes her head.

"It's fine. I'll believe. I just got ahead of myself, that's all."

Without delay, Igni's head pops up above the water, with Tule tossed across her shoulders.

Everyone sighs of relief. And so Shauna thinks to herself. She gets a second chance whenever she dies. But... She doesn't want to die. Not once. Not even one more time. She was stupid for even considering it. So, so stupid. Sure, if someone else had this power, they'd use and abuse it, but not her. For her, it's not plan A or plan B, or even plan C but plan Z-and-then-some. A last-ditch stopgap. Her last resort. She repeats it to herself in many ways, drilling it in.

The crew pull Igni and Tule up onto the boat, by rope. And Tule collapses down onto the deck, knee first.

"Thought I was gonna die till that drake-kin lass saved me."

The captain knocks his head backside.

"You were gonna die, you numskull! I thought ya knew that, that's the only reason I let ya down!"

"You... Because you thought I knew I was gonna die?"

"Yes? Did you forget my motto? Personal responsibility."

"...Apologies, captain. Yes, I knew it was a suicide mission. I just got hopeful when Igni showed up. Hindsight and all that noise."

Tule's turns to Shauna's party.

"Thank all ya for comin' out here to kill that thing. It's what's been responsible for all the disappearances. Now, I know nothing 'bout the duchess's son, er, truthfully, he's prolly dead and gone, but killing this thing should be worth something."

"Tule, I have to ask something."

"Yes, Shauna?"

"Did you know this was going to happen? Is that why you came?"

"Aye. But I'm afraid the reason'll have to stay my secret."

That's hardly good enough. But she can't really press the topic. It might be too sensitive.

"...As long as you had a good reason. A real good reason."

The fog gradually builds up around the boat again, cutting off their view of the horizon. And the captain speaks up—it's time to head back. Navigation crew on board, everyone else under deck.

But as Shauna's oh-so-very-long adrenaline rush finally starts to fade out, her attention starts to get muddled, and she can't pay attention. Wait, is she getting seasick again? Oh no. Not again.