She laughed, slapping his shoulder.  “As probably the last official representative of the park service, I hereby authorize you to make full use of department resources.  In fact…” She paused and tapped a finger to her chin.  “In return for saving my life, I hereby officially grant you ownership of the entire Medicine Bow National Forest!”

A golden glow surrounded them, and chimes filled the air.   Helen hunched down in her seat, looking around wildly.  “What the hell?”

Allistor’s interface lit up with notifications.  Ten thousand experience points flashed up on his screen, along with several golden Fame Point numbers in rapid succession.  A long notification scrolled up in bright green letters.   He waved it aside for a moment, looking at a still-wary Helen.

“What did you just do?”

Confused, she put her hands up and shrugged. “I don’t know?  I mean, what happened?”

Allistor held up a finger.  “Let me read all this stuff.  One minute.”

He pulled up his interface and the notifications.

First was the experience notification.

Congratulations!  You are the first human to secure title to one thousand square miles of territory.  Reward:  10,000 experience points; 350,000 klax; Baron’s Seal

You have earned the Title: Land Baron

By securing land holdings of one thousand square miles or more, you have earned yourself the title of Land Baron.  As a Baron, you have the right to levy taxes on any citizens in residence upon your land.  Further, you may sell or grant portions of your land to those who pledge themselves to your service.  You may not compel any citizen to pledge to you, but those who refuse can be evicted from your holdings.  Further rights and benefits will be bestowed upon completion of the stabilization period.

The next notification was one he’d been waiting for.

Level up!  You are now Level 10!  You have earned two attribute points.

You are now eligible to choose a Class designation.  Available classes are listed in the Class information section.  Recommended Classes based on your current attribute levels may also be found there.  Choose carefully, as the Class you choose cannot be changed unless or until you reach level fifty.

Allistor held off reading the rest as Helen cleared her throat impatiently.   “Um, Helen?  Just how big is the park you just gave me?”

Her mouth dropped open.  “You mean, when I said that… I mean, I was just fooling around!  The system actually gave you the park?”

His grin was so wide it made his cheeks hurt, but he couldn’t stop smiling.  “Yup!  Now, what can you tell me about my new Barony?”