“How did you know?” Jake asked.
An uncomfortable number of people were crammed into the living room, and the door was left open with a guard for the moment just to get enough air in. But nobody wanted to miss out on hearing about this firsthand. Karl was too relieved and pumped up on adrenaline to care about public speaking. He just talked.
“I didn't. I guessed, and I hoped, and I prayed.” Karl watched the Williams family hugging with a smile. They were all listening but neither parent wanted to let go of their daughter and Terry didn't seem to mind in the slightest.
“But the System makes all these life and death rulings. How did you get it to change its mind?” Jake persisted.
“I didn't. I just worked within its programming. Christine gave me the first clue.” The ranger straightened up in surprise as many eyes turned to her. “She pointed out that monster corpses decay, but human ones do not, at least not as quickly and not in the same way.
“You see, I've been wondering about how these new Natural Laws work. It's not as simple as 'putting us in a video game.' We're not walking around as small stacks of pixels, after all. We still see color and detail and variety in the world around us. We sense in near infinite detail, just as we used to. While some things, even things in our bodies, have been abstracted and simplified, it's more than the System changing things and making rulings, more like...like rounding off the length of a house to the nearest foot. The underlying reality is still there, just with a sort of overlay, almost.”
“But how did you save Mr. Williams?”
“I'm getting there. Allow a retired professor one last lecture, hm?” A few people laughed and others nodded.
“All right. The second clue was noticing that health is more than just one number. It's possible for someone to be unconscious, but not dead. Poisoned, but not dead. Cursed, but not yet dead,” he added wryly. “So it wasn't clear how much detail the System uses in describing our health and adjusting it, but our bodies clearly do still have details that the System is rounding off or summarizing, making rulings like a referee.” Karl smiled. “And the referee doesn't have time to pay attention to everything. Nor does it try. If it isn't relevant to keeping score or maintaining the rules of the game, the System is free to ignore it. Which is why human bodies don't decay as fast—we weren't built by the System.
“So when Mr. Williams died, the System...stopped paying attention to his body. My idea was this: if I could change his body while the System wasn't looking, so that his health would round up to one instead of down to zero, and then make the System pay attention again by casting on it, then Mr. Williams would be 'back in the game', as it were.
“As a paladin, I get...” Karl trailed off, trying to think of how to phrase it. “I get a bit of leeway. Just a little bit. I can't break the rules; it's more like getting a fancy lawyer to argue my case. If it can't be done by the rules, it can't be done. But if it can be done...even if it's a stretch...then sometimes, by casting a particular prayer spell, I can squeak out a success within the rules.” He sighed. “But even that much is only possible because the System allows it. The System provided me with that spell.”
He looked around the room, and lightened his tone. “So, I had Alain electrocute me a couple of times because I never got around to learning CPR.” That got a little laughter. “It was the dagger that made the difference. It never would have worked under the old laws; a defibrillator is much more sophisticated than a random jolt of electricity. In that respect the System's simplification worked for us. Basically, even with everything I could think of, it was still a very lucky long shot, and multiple people contributed to it. So don't expect me to manage tricks like this every day!”
“And you didn't even know it was my dad when you did it,” Terry added. “Because you'd do this for anyone. Thank you, Sir Karl.” Her parents echoed the thanks.
Since it seemed like the right time, Karl pointed at her and declared, “This whole 'Sir Karl' business was your idea, wasn't it? I was wondering why everyone was addressing me like that!”
“At this point, I think you've earned the 'Sir', Sir Karl.” This from Chenelle. There was a general murmur of agreement in the room. He looked a scold at her. Traitor. She smiled back at him, unrepentant.
“Hear hear!” Annie added.
“You would say that, you were in on it!”
“It was Terry's idea!” Annie protested.
“What can I say?” Terry replied saucily. “Sometimes you need a seventh level scout, and sometimes you just need a cheerleader.”
“Seventh level?!” Barbara Williams exclaimed, her attention back on her daughter. “And what kind of Rogue are you, exactly, young lady?”
“You're one to talk, Mom! You're a fifth level barbarian! With the crazy screaming and everything!”
“That was necessity! We were desperate!” The mother rapidly changed the subject. “And another thing, what on earth are you wearing, or rather not wearing, daughter? Why don't you have a top on?”
Terry glanced down at her pale bra. “Well sorry for being in a hurry to come save your life Mom.” She got a wicked grin on her face. “Actually, I didn't have a top because Sir Karl tore my other one off this morning and I didn't have time to change.”
“What?!”
Karl glared at Terry, who smirked. You little minx.
“He gave me these leggings, too!”
“Excuse me?” Murray Williams put in, looking between his daughter and the paladin.
“They were just spare clothing!” Karl defended himself.
“Why did you have spare clothing from the Shop anyway, Sir Karl?” Terry asked. Then her eyes bugged out. “Oh my God. Oh my God, you bought them for yourself, didn't you?” Karl fumed as she stood up and nimbly jumped up onto the back of the sofa, twirling around. “Check it out, everybody! Sir Karl bought these for himself!”
“The Shop said they were pants!” Karl shouted in annoyance. The room roared with laughter.
“Forsooth, my paladin sense is tingling! I must away to the rescue!” Terry continued, striking a ballet pose.
“I am going to send you to scout Alaska, you little troublemaker!” They could barely hear each other over the laughter filling the room. Karl looked at her parents and demanded, “How did she get like this?” Both parents instantly pointed at each other.
“Told you,” Terry reminded him. “Also, my charisma's up to twelve now, so I'm not feeling any of the shyness I used to have.”
Her parents both looked alarmed at that statement.
**
Once Terry had bought a shirt from the System and drawn a map and lists of marsh folk troops, and the newcomers got a chance at the bathrooms and a snack, the combat classers reconvened in the den. They updated the list, having gained a healer, two warriors, and a mage, all fourth level, in addition to Murray Williams the fourth level druid and Barbara Williams the fifth level barbarian. It was not quite noon.
“You know, I'm used to Fridays seeming long, but this is getting a little ridiculous,” Doug commented.
“And we've got multiple hard fights ahead of us before the day is out,” Karl added. “Chad, do you have an updated battle plan for us?”
“Roughly. Still placing the newcomers, assuming they're willing.” There was general assent, except for one of the warriors, who had just realized he was fifth level, was feeling stressed and begged off, saying he needed a break. Karl warned everyone that newly fifth level people tended to have some emotional issues as they adjusted to the System, and to allow for that when dealing with each other.
Karl then explained the plan to use the old mill for a permanent Safe Zone. “I want to deal with the hobgoblin fort first, for multiple reasons. First, the fort is nearing completion and we want to take it out before it becomes a lot harder to do so. Second, I don't want to create the Safe Zone with entrenched enemies on two opposite sides. Third, it gives us a little more time to learn to work together before tackling the birds, which I think will be a tough fight.”
Karl turned to the cheerleader. “I have a two part mission for you, Terry.”
“Okay, I'll go to Alaska, but I'll need a good coat.” Terry's mother hissed something to her, which Karl ignored.
“The first part, young lady, is a final scouting run of the fort. Determine if the layout has changed, and if their numbers have grown significantly since last report. The second part is trickier, and I don't want you to attempt it unless you can find a way to do so from relative safety.”
Terry was paying attention now. “What is it?”
“I want you to attempt communication with them.”
“What!?” Michael shot to his feet. “You can't be considering--” Karl didn't let him get any further, getting to his feet as well and shouting over him.
“I will consider all sorts of crazy things, which is half the reason half of these people are alive right now! I don't expect it to work, I fully expect to be forced to kill them to the last goblin, but I want that information, Michael! I will learn every trick, game every part of the System, and seize every advantage to protect these people! There is an entire world full of monsters for you to kill, Michael! If I have a temporary truce with a few of them, you damned well will go kill different ones until I give you the go ahead! I fully support your vendetta and most of the people here share it, but I will not allow revenge to come before survival of the children! Is that clear?”
A silence descended on the room, and the hall outside as well. Everyone was staring at Karl, but Karl kept his eyes locked on Michael's. Eventually, finally, Michael looked away and nodded.
System notification: Your skill in Righteous Presence has increased (2-->3).
“All right. On the assumption that the hobgoblins can't or won't communicate, we need to be prepared to take them all out. Either way, we neutralize the threat. Tell Jake that I need him working on ways to fight lots of birds.” Jake was out by the shop pedestal, explaining things to people, reading help files, and monitoring his auctions. “If at all possible, I want us to have the permanent Safe Zone set up before nightfall. Terry, get me that report as soon as you can. Good hunting.”
“Now just a minute,” Barbara put in, “Terry is our daughter, and a fourteen year old girl. You can't just order her to go risk her life, alone, again, when we've only just found her!”
“Mr. and Mrs. Williams, I feel I must point out a few things. First, Terry is now a combat veteran with more experience than anyone else here, including me. Second, she is extremely, nay inhumanly skilled at what she does. I honestly think she will be in close to zero danger. And third, that headstrong young lady you raised has already taken the matter out of our hands.”
Belatedly the two realized that their daughter was no longer on the couch with them, and looked around in surprise.
“As I said, she is very good at what she does.”
**
Terry returned in under an hour. She headed straight to the den, grabbed the map of the hobgoblin fort, and quickly made a few changes. “Timetable has moved up, guys.” She passed the map to Karl, who glanced at it and handed it to Chad. “If we're going to use that gap in the wall in our attack, we have to go now.”
Chad spent about six seconds looking things over, then nodded. “All right, let's move people! Get your gear and form up in your teams outside.”
Karl once again dumped everything but weapons from his inventory, then loaded up with a few new ones from the donations pile that had sprung up. “Why do you have so many different weapons, Sir Karl?” someone asked.
Before he could reply, Terry cut in, “Have you seen that really old movie about the seven samurai? I forget what it's called...” Karl squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment, then shook his head and went on with his packing. “Anyway, there was this one guy who had a fighting style where he set up a whole bunch of swords before the fight and just kept switching. Sir Karl fights like that, only he doesn't just use swords. This way he has the right tool for whatever crazy idea he thinks up next. It's Inventory Fu.”
A few moments later when he was standing near her, he leaned over and asked quietly, “So?”
Terry shook her head. “I don't know if they're automated, brainwashed, or just ornery, but there was no hint of hesitation, no matter what I tried. I wave a white flag, they attack. I stand still and wave, they attack. I walk up and catch their arrows, they don't stop shooting and grunts come out. They always attack on sight.”
“Catch their arrows...?”
Terry materialized a large handful of arrows into her palms. They weren't bloodied. “Didn't let them hit me once. You'd think that would at least give 'em pause, but no. I think these guys are gray to me, at least the little ones are.”
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Karl felt his brow furrow. “Gray to you?”
Terry waved a hand impatiently. “Too easy. Like I won't even get experience for killing them. We live in a game now, Karl, learn the lingo. Anyway, I think the grunts will be a cakewalk, it's just the jolly green giant we have to be careful of. That guy took down a BBD...but then again, so did we.” She shook her head. “I still can't believe Mom went toe to toe with that thing. Those claws hurt like a--” Terry abruptly clammed up.
“I thought you said you didn't actually fight the first BBD, young lady?” Terry tried to blow it off. “That was two days ago. Ancient history.” She looked away guiltily for a moment. “Anyway, the point is, the hobgoblins won't negotiate.”
Karl sighed and nodded. He hadn't really expected anything different from the 'peace talks', but he had needed to know. “By the way, once the scouting phase is over, go ahead and focus on protecting your parents, at least until we need you for the boss monster. I know you haven't really seen them fight yet.”
Terry sighed, looking at her mother and father across the way, forming up in a different group. “They grow up so fast...” That make Karl shake with silent laughter a moment, then he slapped her arm with the back of his hand. “Ow! Watch it with the paladin strength!” Karl raised an eyebrow and she grinned.
“How did you get so...?”
“Ballsy?” Terry grinned, then paused and got a thoughtful look. “The System has done a lot of things, but for me personally? The absolute best thing in the world is being fourteen, and having the confidence of a twelve charisma and the knowledge that I'm a badass.”
She shook her head. “I was always kind of aggressive, but...I was always afraid, you know? Like, being a kid is terrifying, and turning into an adult without an instruction manual is even more terrifying. I was scared of losing my friends if I said or did the wrong thing, I was scared of boys liking me, I was scared of boys not liking me...God, I want to smack my younger self and say, 'get out there, girl! They're all at least as scared as you are!'”
Karl hadn't thought about it that way. He wondered how much his own charisma of nine was changing the way he interacted with the world. His thoughts skipped to Chenelle briefly; then he put that aside, again, to deal with later.
Chad had formed four attack groups, each with a mix of classes and levels. Chenelle and Michael were escorting three low level fighters. Karl and Doug were the other heavy hitter warriors, and Chad put them in his own group. Despite only being third level, Chad had the most strength of the three; together they would be a hammer to crack difficult physical defenses. They had Alain and Christine along for ranged damage.
Jo and Tabitha had Valerie the druid, Tam the warrior, and...Annie the first level healer? I guess she found what she wants to do. Good for her. Tabitha in particular was looking a lot better, perhaps partly from being in an all female attack group. The Williams family and a couple of their former party members made up the fourth group.
Chad started with the three scouts: Jim, George, and Terry. Their job was to clear out as many goblin and hobgoblin archers as possible. Once they were found out, Terry's job was to protect the other two until reinforcements arrived. She had warned them that that might include throwing them over the wall if necessary. Apparently she'd worked out the rules for 'falling damage.' Karl suspected a bit of schadenfreude was involved, remembering Terry's first tumble from her bedroom window three days previous.
The groups formed up out of bowshot range, the scouts vanished, and several minutes later, a big plume of green smoke from one of Jake's alchemical devices let them know it was time to advance. They were still peppered with arrows on the way in, and lost one of the first level warriors to a critical strike despite Chenelle's quick reflexes. Karl was glad to see that she didn't hesitate for long before her group continued forward. This is war. People die in war.
For just a moment, Karl imagined a very likely alternate world in which he had been just a little bit less lucky in his first three fights, and had died alone in his house without ever having met any of his neighbors. It could so easily have turned out that way. Karl supposed that having a knack for miraculous escapes might be a requirement for the paladin class.
They circled around to the gap in the stockade, to discover that the hobgoblins were making a frantic effort to throw the last few logs into place and finish the wall. Chad nodded, and the three of them charged full tilt at one of the logs, hitting it in three different places.
While the three of them were strong, they were not yet strong enough to punch through a solid tree trunk. They did, however, knock the bottom out from under it, and the log fell outward, slamming down and forming an obstacle to completing the wall. Looking at the sharpened end they had just struck near, Karl whistled. If the point had been already seated in the ground, that would have hurt, a lot. More to the point, the shove wouldn't have worked, which is why Chad had ordered the charge right away.
They immediately found themselves under bombardment from rocks and other projectiles as several hobgoblins ran up to attack. The humans scrambled to their feet. Christine's arrows came so fast so often that Karl wondered if she had just leveled. The group pushed forward to draw defenders away from the gap; the other groups were able to fight their way in behind them.
At his level, Karl no longer found a hobgoblin challenging; it was just that there were so many of them. He also had to stay ready to heal Alain if the mage got hurt at all; he didn't have the same safety margin Chenelle did with her more powerful healing spells. As planned, the lower level fighters focused on clearing the smaller goblins while the more powerful humans took out the hobgoblins.
Tam fell; Valerie's and Annie's healing couldn't keep up. Christine switched targets to take the pressure off Jo and Tabitha's group, peppering their foes with arrows. They'd decided that it was okay for Tabitha to burn the fort if necessary; since the hobgoblins had cleared a lot of nearby trees, they had a decent chance of preventing the fire from spreading to the woods. Even so, the pyromancer was using restraint, carefully aiming her flamethrower hands while Jo defended her and the others.
Two people dead, out of twenty attackers. Both low level. Karl scowled. We need to find more careful ways of helping beginners to level. Humans are an endangered species, and we can't spare anyone willing to fight. Even as he watched, Annie got hit, but instantly glowed white from one of Chenelle's spells.
Then the big hobgoblin came out. Karl had been expecting another Hobgoblin War Chief, but this was a Hobgoblin High Lord, and clearly an uncommon spawn. Even bigger than the war chief had been, it hefted a huge double-bladed axe, just as Terry had described. Karl's group headed for it immediately.
A huge roar came from the creature, and in the middle of it, and nearly drowned out by it, an answering roar of a shotgun, twice. The creature barely flinched, then turned to look up. Above it on the wall, Jim was reloading his weapon. Imagining the next few moments, Karl lunged forward in a sprint and threw all of his momentum behind his short sword, which barely penetrated its shin. The goblin lord ignored him, just as it ignored the scream of Barbara the Barbarian—Oh my God, why did I not notice that until just now?
Jim's shotgun had obviously hurt the boss of the monsters enough for it to notice, even if it didn't seem to be impaired in any way. The creature seemed to be growing. It turned, and instead of attacking the rogue directly, punched the wall on which he perched, rattling it severely. Jim managed one more shot before he tumbled off the archery ledge and fell towards the ground. As the rogue plummeted, though, his form started veering to the right, and Karl abruptly realized that the rogue was swinging on a long rope. Ha! Good for you, Jim.
Karl returned his attention to the problem of how to beat this thing. I need something sharper than my sword or somehow put much more power behind it than I can provide. Karl glanced at the creature's axe and the wicked gleam of its edge. Too bad I can't just take his... A vision from his first fight with goblins came back to him, when he was fighting in his garage against the shaman for control of its staff, wobbling while yanking the thing bodily back and forth. If he tried that here, he'd be the one flopping around like a rag doll.
The thing was growing larger, and flashed green briefly. That's not his ability, that's the casters he has for backup. Terry's smart enough to go for those. My job is to keep this thing busy, but how can I do that if I can't hurt it?
Can I suffocate it? Drown it? Poison it? Burn it? Karl desperately tried to think outside the box. His size is a problem. There was a stuttering flash of light on the creature, and it looked startled. Somebody interrupted a spell cast. Here's hoping it fizzled or hurt him.
The hobgoblin lord was growing much larger, and looked surprised, but pleased. Uh oh. That didn't go as planned. Karl's mind raced. How do I turn its size into an advantage? Around him, the fight continued. Several people were now attacking the monster's legs, not just him. How do tiny things annoy me?
Aha. Karl vanished his sword and shield, summoned two orcish knives, ran behind the brute and started climbing up its right leg, driving the knives in as best he could to support his weight. Almost like climbing a tree. A hostile, fast-moving tree that's trying to kill us.
“I thought I told you to stay in your lane, old man,” came a familiar voice from above him.
Come to think of it, this is sort of like a rogue attack, isn't it? Only he knows I'm here.
“Still, as long as you're there, hang on and hold still.” Karl immediately gripped the thing's leg and grabbed a fistful of its fabric, then held still and wondered how this was supposed to help--
Terry's weight abruptly came down on his shoulders hard, then pushed off with even greater force. He had just been used as a launch pad by the invisible cheerleader. Then he turned his attention back to the problem at hand: how best to annoy and distract this thing. I need one of those lumberjack saws. This thing is ridiculous! When will it stop growing?
Glancing down, Karl was horrified to see that huge axe swing down at his party and bite into Alain, expecting it to kill him instantly. Instead he could almost feel the pop of the guardian aura expiring, rendering Alain merely grievously wounded. Karl prayed that Chenelle would see that and heal him before he did die.
His notification light was stuttering like a jackhammer in the corner of his vision. I'm a little busy right now, he thought at it. Then he felt the monster's right hand seize him and pull him off of its thigh, flinging him through the air. As he somersaulted, Karl prepared a healing hands for himself to go off on impact, uttering a brief prayer before he slammed into the eastern palisade of the fort about twelve feet up, and then fell.
The impacts had cost him nearly half his health, more like a third after healing. Wait a second. My total is what? Having a very few moments to breathe as he stood up, Karl opened his notifications. One of the last entries was
Your spell Guardian Aura has been upgraded to Guardian Angel.
He certainly didn't have time to read the help page on the spell, but realized that that meant he had leveled. He'd automatically gained a point of strength and a point of charisma. Quickly he threw both of his free points into strength, raising it to thirteen.
Maybe now I can cut this bastard, Karl thought as he equipped his shield and sword again and charged back into the fray. He could see several people down now, but still moving, as the huge axe raised to sweep again through the monster's foes. Oh no you don't! With an extra, desperate burst of speed, Karl hurled himself directly at the oncoming weapon and interposed his shield.
CLANG.
Karl stopped the axe cold. His legs and arm almost broke under the strain, but instead of being swept aside again, he had actually stopped the blow. The goblin lord looked surprised and they both paused a moment.
Karl examined his situation. His shield had crumpled but not split under the blade of the axe, and in so doing, had wrapped itself onto the hobgoblin weapon, blunting much of its edge. The monster actually failed to get his axe away from Karl on the first tug, lifting him off the ground, and on the second tug Karl let his shield go; it would protect everyone best by continuing to dull one side of the axe.
He dove to Alain's prone form and cast healing hands, and then Guardian Angel. Oof, that took a lot of mana. Way more than the lower version. Better be sparing with that. He turned to face the monster, summoned his short sword, and flexed his hand, dissatisfied. He found himself wanting to use it two- handed, but it was too small. Dismissing the sword, he summoned the long steel pipe that he had previously only used in leverage tricks because it was too heavy to wield as a proper weapon. No longer.
Karl only had an agility of six, but he'd had it his whole life and knew exactly what he could and couldn't do with it. So despite not having the System skill, he started spinning his improvised staff, slowly at first, then faster and faster, moving closer to the goblin lord, who watched him approach with interest. It kicked a few of its attackers away impatiently and lifted its blunted axe, holding it and eyeing Karl. He noticed that it did wince just before Terry tumbled off of its shoulder, but shrugged it off and waited.
Karl broke into a run; the boss creature swung. Karl knew that he didn't know how to fight. He stuck to the style that had served him so well, especially against more skilled opponents like this one. I may not have fancy moves, but I can damned well put a wrench in the works of whatever you are planning.
So Karl stopped just short of the range that would let him attack the boss, and as the axe swung down, put all of his strength into slamming the axe head further down, causing it to dig into the ground. Again the blade stopped short, partially buried in the dirt, throwing the boss off balance and making it stagger. Karl found the annoyed look on its face very satisfying.
He jumped up on the axe head, then partway up the shaft. The damned axe is growing too? How is this not cheating!? The angry boss monster let go with one hand to grab at Karl, which was what he was waiting for. At the last moment, Karl swapped weapons again, bracing his faithful chopper against the handle to stab the creature in its hand. That is my favorite trick.
The creature roared, then again, then looked around at the battle, apparently only just then realizing that all of the other hobgoblins were dead, and the healing spells he had been expecting would not be coming. The rain of arrows, mana darts, rocks, and backstabbing daggers were finally taking a toll. Letting go of the axe handle entirely, the goblin lord seized Karl in one hand and squeezed his fist, costing Karl most of his remaining health but not quite killing him. With a roar of frustration, the monster pulled back, and hurled Karl into the sky.
Oh.
Oh dear.
He felt a couple of spells land on him in the first moment of flight, and heard a loud crash as if one wall of the fort were being ripped apart. But all of his spells were touch range, so there was nothing more he could do for the others. A frantic glance at his notifications revealed no new spells, only a couple of upgrades.
Karl belatedly realized the lethality of his situation. Yeah, this is game over. This... is not going to be survivable. His heart sank. I'm really going to die this time.
Acceptance settled over him. Well, it was fun while it lasted, Karl thought. Seconds passed and he was still rising. Good arm. You should try out for the Red Sox, bub.
He cast healing hands on himself so he could breathe without pain and enjoy his final moments properly. He smiled; he couldn't help it.
It is so beautiful up here. Jane, my love, I hope you can see this. I'll see you very soon.
Karl tumbled, watching the blue bowl of the sky sweep under his feet, and then the light green of the new canopy over the land, the vibrancy of new life. Even with the System, life would persevere. That felt...right.
He thought about brainstorming for some new miraculous ability that might help him survive this, but suddenly understood how Jane had felt, there at the end. I'm tired. So tired of fighting. Let me enjoy my last moments.
Soaring through the sky was one of the most wonderful feelings in the world, and he couldn't get enough of it. He spread out his body, at first like a superhero, and then like a skydiver when at last he began to come down again.
There's the mill, he thought. That must be the Safe Zone, Walnut Street....is that Oak Hill Road? I could almost see the other Safe Zone from here. Karl cast healing hands a few more times, almost emptying his mana. That's better.
There was so much still left to do, he thought wistfully. So much I should have done... He realized with relief that Terry was carrying the monster core. They could still use it to build the Safe Zone.
I hope they make it. I hope they build the Safe Zone out of the mill, and finally have some safety. There's still so much ahead for them; they'll have to fight the marsh folk army I'm sailing over now...
He thought about Terry, and Chenelle, and Danny, and Doug, and all the wonderful people he'd met. People who had been there all along, if only he'd gone out and said hi. He hoped he'd done enough for them.
I had such amazing adventures. Thank you, Lord. And thank you, System. I hope you are freed someday.
Despite the settings on his interface, a window popped open, blocking his view of the oncoming ground.
System Message: Thank YOU, Sir Karl.
Karl started laughing.
He was still laughing when tremendous force struck him in an instant, and he knew no more.