章 33: 33 - Play your role

[Ding! As the commander is defeated all currently summoned tanks are returned to the void]

Merlin's eyes snapped open as he heard that notification from the system

"Eh..?"

Merlin was unable to understand, every single part of him knew that his neck had been snapped by the wanderer, he could clearly still feel it now, the last thoughts that had gone through his mind were that of uncertainty, fear, and a tiny bit of relief, but now even though he was confined in the darkness around him he felt that he was very much alive, though he wouldn't be for long as the temperature was about minus 30 degrees celsius, he was already shaking from the cold, he quickly reached out and tried to find a way out of this cold confinement, he started by trying to feel out the soundings and quickly realized something grim

'This is the inside of a coffin…'

He began knocking on the top of the coffin as he yelled

"Help me! Some please help me! I am trapped!"

As time passed his resistance gradually lessened before he could do nothing but shiver from the cold as he felt his body begin to shut down he closed his eyes and just before his conscious slipped back into the void a notification from the system echoed out through his mind

[Ding! Achievement unlocked: Freeze to death once]

Merlin woke up again with a set, he wanted very much to believe that all this was a dream, but the biting coldness told him something else

"Help! Help me I am trapped, please, somebody!"

He kept yelling, pleading for someone to notice, for someone to help him out of the freezing coffin, though all too soon all he could do was shiver in the cold as his body began shutting down once again he muttered

"Please…"

Then as his consciousness began to fade the notification from the system sounded out

[Ding! Achievement unlocked: Freeze to death 2 times]

Merlin's eyes snapped open again, as he began shivering again he called out

"Help me!"

After yelling himself horse he realized, there wasn't anybody that could hear him, by now all he could do was freeze, as he began feeling the call of the beyond he asked

"...Why...Won't...You...Let...Me...Die..?"

[Ding! Actors are only allowed to leave the stage once they've played out their roles. Do show us your best performance and most importantly. Play your role.]

…

Merlin's eye snapped open again, as they did he began silently hitting the lid of the freezing coffin, by now he had accepted that pleading and crying wasn't going to get him out of his current situation

*Thud*

So he hit the lid of the coffin

*Thud*

Again

*Thud*

And again

*Thud*

Until about half an hour later he was too cold to move, then he began muttering

"Play your role… Play your role… Play your role…"

As he kept muttering the same sentence he desperately attempt to keep sane, those 3 words were all that anchored his sanity, after all, it had been a very long time now, he was no longer afraid of death, he embraced it as he closed his eyes and felt his consciousness slip once again

[Ding! Achievement unlocked: Freeze to death 50 times, Death's coldness magic unlocked!]

…

*Thud*

"Play your role..."

*Thud*

"Play your role..."

*Thud*

"Play your role..."

*Thud*

Jane might not be able to recognize Merlin anymore, his hair had grown long and there was a frighteningly strong will that could be felt from his otherwise hollow eyes as he muttered while he hit the lid of the coffin

"Play your role…"

*Thud*

"Play your role"

*Thud*

As his arms began freezing again he stopped hitting the lid of the coffin for a bit as he muttered

"Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role… Play your role…"

Then he stopped speaking all of a sudden, or more accurately he stopped breathing as the system notification sounded out in his dimming consciousness

[Ding! Achievement unlocked: Freeze to death 937 times]

…

Merlin's eyes snapped open, he found himself inside a Centurion Mk 3, he quickly sat up and looked around, in the dim light he spotted Jane laying next to him, his eyes began watering as he reached out with trembling hands and brushed her hair away from her face, her eyes stirred before she opened them and blinked twice, then she saw Merlin and showed a sweet smile as she sat herself up, then she reached out and pulled him into her embrace as she spoke ever so gently

"Wake up Merlin"

Merlin's eyes snapped open again, the first thing he saw was the lid of the coffin, he weakly repeated the same words that had kept him somewhat sane all this time

"...Play...Your...Role…"

As he spoke those words he felt something he had not felt in about 2 months, movement, he closed his eyes and felt the movement of the coffin, it felt like it was being unloaded from a carriage…

"Bring it inside!"

""""Roger!""""

The 4 strongmen carried the coffin inside the building, the coffin was soon brought to a central room where a mage sat on a chair and studied his notes soon he was interrupted by the coffin that was laid down on the ground by the 4 strongmen, then the officer that also was present asked the mage

"Is the headreader ready?"

The mage nodded and pointed over to a large obviously magical instrument with a circular tube on top of it, the tube that was made of glass seemed to have been perfectly made to fit a human head without wasting space, the old mage spoke

"It's ready alright, what should I be looking for?"

"Technical schematics, the keyword being tanks or tank"

"Roger, then bring me a head so I can get this over with"

The officer turned around and faced the coffin before he ordered the 4 strongmen

"Open it!"

""Roger!""

The strongmen quickly released the hinges that held the cylinder contraption together with a hiss the insulation deflated before it was removed by the strongmen revealing the coffin within, frosty air spread out from the coffin before suddenly a strange metal sound sounded out inside the room as the top of the lid wrapped into a fist imprint on the top of it, the people inside the room all felt a chill before the officer shouted

"ALERT THE CITY GUARD WE HAVE A---"

*BANG*

The lid shut up and away from the coffin, like it had been hit from the inside, then before the frosty air allowed any of the people to see what was going on inside it the mage instant cast a spell that generated a large amount of Spoil in his blood, a fireball shot over and landed on the coffin before the heat difference made the metal coffin crumble, the officer and strongmen gave a sigh of relief before they all turned with nervous smiles towards the mage, as they did the officer spoke

"Thank you for your qui---"

The officer didn't get to finish his praise as his eye socket was pierced by an M5 bayonet that then was twisted half a circle before Merlin pulled out the bayonet and threw it towards one of the strongmen that had turned to flee, the bayonet penetrated all the way to the hilt as it landed in the back of his head before the strongman fell over, the other 3 strongmen exchanged looks before they nodded and all charged at Merlin from 3 different sides, Merlin stood still and soon the 3 strongmen grabbed him and attempted to bring him to the floor, only they could not move him an inch, then Merlin reached out and grabbed two of them by the face before he lifted them up and slammed them down into the floor breaking the backs of their skulls killing them at once, then he turned to the last strongman and grabbed his arm before he managed to flee and instantly slammed him down into the ground, the strongman managed to groan

"Please… I… Have… A… Family…"

Merlin that had been muttering 'play your role' during the entire engagement ever since he had launched himself along with the lid of the coffin and killed the mage with a quick stab of the bayonet finally stopped before he pleased a hand on the neck of the strongman and spoke in a quiet voice

"I wish you a pleasant journey to the void, say hi from me"

Then a loud snap sounded out as the last strongman went limp