Jonah watched Erin's body convulse, powerless to help. She let out a cry, then went still.

Server Log: Serendipitous' brain activity has ceased, but she is currently incapable of logging out. Please select a memory backup.

A window appeared in front of Jonah with various dates all suffixed with the words "memory-snapshot.yaml". There was at least one a day.

"Why is this happening?"

Server Log: There is no existing protocol for the current situation. In its absence, manual intervention is required. Game admins do not have authority over memory data, so the decision has defaulted to the host.

"What did that guy do to Erin's headset?"

Server Log: Unknown. It has created an anomalous scenario. Select a memory snapshot to continue.

The window wouldn't go away. He wasn't sure what to do. As far as he could tell, Erin had just died in the real world. Doing this memory thing would put her in his position, trapped in the game. What if she'd rather stay dead? It wouldn't even really be her, just a backup built from her brain. He couldn't make that decision for her.

As he sat in indecision, the choice was taken from his hands.

Server Log: Defaulting to most recent snapshot.

"Motherfucker!" cried Erin, bolting upright. "What the hell just happened? I feel weird. And where did the cave go?"

"Um..." Jonah said. "Maybe you should see this," he shared the video she'd shared with him.

"I'm still alive? How? Did he just not get the dosage right? But I don't remember this."

"I think... you did die. Afterwards, the server loaded your memories into the game. Last backup was a few hours ago, so the you that's here wouldn't remember."

Her eyes were wide. She appeared to be doing the mermaid equivalent of hyperventilating.

"I can't log out. Fuck, how is this possible?"

Her eyes scanned something he couldn't see. "Huh. Apparently I can still connect to the internet."

"I'm messaging Valens. They can't just get away with this!"

"I'm... sorry for your loss I guess?" Jonah said awkwardly. "It asked me which backup to load. I didn't even know if you'd want... this, so I didn't choose one. It defaulted to the newest."

The membranes on Erin's eyes were quivering. "I guess we're in the same boat now," She said. "You're stuck in the game and I guess I'm stuck in your brain."

"We're gonna need a bigger boat."

Erin actually giggled, though it was a slightly hystical sound. "Aside from all the asshole players it's not a terrible life. God knows I've spent more time in game than out some days."

"Life, or afterlife?" Jonah posed rhetorically. You're not going to age in here. Apparently I won't either in whatever state I'm in. Eternal life was on the brochure, though they were a little light on the torture-related details."

"I'm not even really here, am I?" Erin said. "My soul, if I had one, has already moved on. I'm just a digital clone."

"For what it's worth, I'm still glad you're here. I don't know if I could have handled all this... alone." He put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You changed your name when you got here, right? Not Jonathan, but Jonah, swallowed by the sea. Well I'm not really Erin anymore. I'm not just Serendipitous. How about... Serin?"

"Okay, Serin." He nodded. "What do we do now?"

It was at that point that a harpoon shot into his shoulder, driving him back from Serin.

Action Log: You have taken 20 damage from Dunderthighs.

"Oh, right."

Pulling the greatsword from its sheat on his back, he engaged the propeller and swam forward.

"Excuse me, existential crisis in progress!"

Serin's voice rant out, morphing into a sonorous scream that made the water pulse around them.

"Ocean of Death! Draw your last breath! What lurks below? What is this glow?"

His charge sped up with the Sirens song buff. He raised his left hand as he swam and fired a arm blade at the female with the harpoon gun. An armored figure superimposed themselves, and the blade ricocheted off. A pair of lightning harpoons whipped by both of them into the abdomen of Dunderthighs. She doubled over, dropping her weapon.

Meanwhile, Jonah was viciously raining blows on the tank. They had two bladed panels on their arms that worked for either attack or defense. They were only holding their ground by using both arms to hold back each strike, and couldn't get one free to attack. Left, right, top, bottom, the blows kept coming.

That was when they engaged their first ability. Lightning blazed across their arms, electrifying the blade-shields. When Jonah's next attack struck the guards, he was blown back. The tank advanced, slowed by the water but accelerated by a propeller on his back.

Jonah shook off the daze just as the other reached him. He let out a War Cry right in the tank's face, then swung the greatsword with one hand at the man's left arm while simultaneously firing a harpoon through his right. The greatsword changed off the armor, but the harpoon punched right through, arrested halfway by the armor on the backside.

Jonah pulled back on the sinew connecting him to the warrior. The stun wore off, and the warrior started pulling back, grasping the line. That was when Jonah activated a new ability, Resonant Cascade. A targeted pulse of sonic energy came from his mouth and exploded the arm-blade embedded in the man's arm. It blasted off most of his arm.

Suddenly pulling back against no resistance, dazed by the loss of the arm. The sinew, suddenly free of the blade, whipped around the man's legs, tripping him up. Jonah had received some upgrades recently.

The tank had one trick left up his sleeve. He blasted all the outer pieces of his armor off, broadsiding Jonah with shrapnel and ripping free of the bonds.

Action Log: You have taken 75 damage from Tillian's Blast Armor.

Unencumbered, he moved much faster. Arm-shield crashed with greatsword, and the single arm crumpled in under the weight of Jonahs two arms and radium powered sword. The blow was partially blocked, but Jonah levered his sword up, cutting down and over Tillian's guard. He engaged the propellers and drew back in a vicious draw cut.

Action Log: You have dealt 33 damage to Tillian.

Desperately, the tank backed up, leveling his single arm blade at Jonah. He lunged, and the blade telescoped out. It hit Jonah square, the exploded.

It was then that the third member of the party made themselves know. A swirling cloud of ink engulfed him. Twin lances of pain ran through his back.

Action Log: Igotchufam has dealt 115 damage with Sneak Attack.

"Fuck!" Jonah cried. He was pretty sure that's where his kidneys would be as a human. Whatever was there was plenty sensitive.

Blinded by the ink, he swept whirled around, his greatsword sweeping through where the foe had been. He hit nothing. Kicking desperately, he tried to escape the cloud, heading for Serin's ethereal song.

"Ocean of the dead! Your tides run red!"

Propelled by his sword and his kicks, he shot out of the ink. She was already moving toward him, her hand glowing green with soothing light.

Content not supported

This block is a placeholder for Tasks, which has been officially released on the newest version of Evernote and is no longer supported on this version. Deleting or moving this block may cause unexpected behavior in newer versions of Evernote.

Action Log: You have been healed for 130 damage. Regeneration increased for the next 3 minutes.

Jonah whipped out his remaining arm blade and fired it right at center of mass. It slid into the armor and he detonated it immediately. The figure was blasted back into the cloud.

He swept his arm sinews through the cloud, activating sonic weapons on them. They wouldn't do much damage but they would - there.

Action Log You have dealt 10 sonic damage to Igotchufam. You have entangled Igorchufam.

Hauling backward, he pulled the trussed diver out of the cloud. Reacting quickly, Serin pressed her speargun to his head and blew his virtual brains out with a double spear blast.

They turned as one to the remaining member. He had engaged his dinghey-chute and was racing upward.

"I got this." Serin said confidently. She released her spear gun with one hand and pointed that hand up at the man. A bolt of lightning shot unerringly from her hand to the balloon, and it burst.

Jonah burst away with radium- powered speed. He just ran straight into the falling, flailing human blade-first and his momentum cut the man in two.

Minutes later, Serin said, "I can't believe we're talking loot at a time like this. I just died."

"I think current events have proven we won't get a break to grieve. Also..." Jonah hesitated, not sure if he should say what he was about to say. Fuck it - she was stuck in his brain at the moment. "I think you live for this shit. I saw that look in your eye. You were all the way in. It's only in the in-betweens that it catches up to you."

"I guess you would know all about that," She shot back. "You're just as dead as me, or might as well be."

"That's why I'm the only one who knows what you're going through. And I'll tell you what you told me, in this world we need to grow stronger." He pointed at the loot, "And this is how we do it."

"Fiiiine." she said, a touch of amusement back in her voice. "I'll take the shiny loot."