Pallad stepped forward towards his next target. A cult went after some young hunter, leaving said hunter traumatized and wounded to a point that the Saintess had to heal his throat to allow speech once more.

  And they were from a dungeon break some eight or so years ago. Those years were actually tough on the adventurers guild, and paladins and even some unawakened had been required to fight monsters and clear dungeons that year.

  Some were clearly missed. Including this one, Pallad actually found the dungeon broken monsters quite quickly. His typical flail was a trusty one, blessed by Brightness’s Delight herself. They were weak to light damage as most Shadowing Voices based monsters were.

  And Pallad loved it, they were practically vaporized from the massive amounts of power he wielded at level 75. The Paladin had continued to swing, killing cultists left and right. He wondered how in the five hells they could have survived for that long.

  54 - Temple

  Pallad and Bariton walked through the forest, laughing all the while. It was a nice time to be there. They found a temple, made of marble and overgrown after what seemed to be ages of no use.

  The vines latched onto the pillars like something who’d refuse to let go. The doorway was covered in other vines that lowered down to the floor. The plantlife didn’t have to be cut as Pallad pushed them aside like a curtain.

  Bariton bowed down slightly with a light muttered thank you; and walked inside. Pallad joined him in the dark building. The presence of the moss, plantlife, and even various mosses was great here, but the air was clean.

  Atop the throne was a statue of a cracked man, a god that Pallad hadn’t recognized. The eyes stared down on them, and the statue spoke. “Welcome to my palace, Bariton and Pallad.” The voice was awfully gray, without any emotion other than hospice.

  Whether it was a fake hospice, Pallad couldn’t tell. Bariton seemed to be uncomfortable though, which put a tension in Pallad’s back as it straightened. He faced the god’s statue, as it moved. The stone fell off the body, and the temple filled once more with light and with life.

  “Please do not be afraid; neither of us mean harm to one another.” The god spoke up, the stone falling to reveal a gray skin that was just as cracked. The stone didn’t fill in the cracks in this god’s body.

  Pallad felt his own life force fall into the god’s body as the temple had finished changing. The vines had rotted away and turned to mere dust that blew out the door with an inexplicable wind.

  The life force drain was light. Had he not been as high a level as he was; he would’ve joined the plant life though. And it appeared Bariton knew that as well with how he took a step back. The god didn’t step forward to reclose the distance, but his eyes glared at the pairing.

  “Hm, I understand. I can’t help but take life as the god of death.” The god quit glaring, as he looked around the palace that’s refilling how it probably looked in the past, the marble returning to its white gleam.

  There were gold highlights as well filling in the pillar’s ridges. The gold was probably stolen from the temple a while ago, and the god of Death sat down upon his throne once more, and the lifeforce drain upon Pallad definitely weakened as some distance was placed.

  Pallad looked back at the god of Death as it spoke some more, that’s when Pallad noticed that he was built like a doll as well. “I am but a puppet of my divinity, the name is Unfortunate Ends. I’m here to help Kishtan just ever so slightly in preventing your deaths in the training.”

  Bariton retightened after finally relaxing from a minute ago. Pallad spoke up against this god while Bariton seemed to shake, “Prevent our death?” He was simply repeating the most important thing Unfortunate Ends had stated.

  “Yes, as the god of death, I am capable of preventing all forms of death; with an exception of those caused to the soul itself.” Unfortunate Ends paused, as though letting Pallad soak it in before he could ask why Sornid had not been saved. “I am not a god of life, I can only undo death when it is more natural.”

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  Pallad’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he seceded a defeat. He couldn’t let his emotions control him, as he tried to find his words. He wanted to shout out at the god, to bring Sornid back.

  But he knew deep in his stomach that it was pointless. That it was worthless. It wouldn’t make him feel better, and it wouldn’t fill the absence of Sornid back in. Pallad shuddered as he took a deep breath in, feeling the coldness of the air.

  Bariton however, stepped forward and punched Unfortunate Ends in the face, while yelling. Pallad actively held him back while Bariton continued screaming. “You can’t bring Sornid back, can you? You are a false idol, someone who doesn’t deserve the throne he sits on!”

  At this, the god simply nodded. “Indeed I am. A false idol, a person turned into a god due to unfortunate circumstances. As will be the same for you. As was the same with most gods.” The god didn’t move at the punch, but Bariton was looking more pale.

  Pallad pulled Bariton back, who only muttered a small thank you. “I think I needa lay down though...” Bariton mutters weakly as Pallad dragged him over to the other side of the wall, where the pull on his lifeforce was so light it wasn’t even noticeable.

  And then Pallad stepped closer to the god, and that’s when he noticed that it was exponential. “When will Bariton get well once more?” Pallad had hundreds of questions, but he had to get the most important out of the way first.

  “Next time he sleeps, the life force drain isn’t permanent unless I will it so. This palace will also return to its more… natural state once I am done here. I offer you five questions as my plausibility allows for now.” The god stares at Pallad through the same green eyes, with slits similar to that of a feline’s.

  The god stays completely still, as Pallad contemplates his next question. There were many things that could be asked, but then… Something felt off about Bariton whenever he used his glasses. Especially since he could’ve sworn they had lenses one moment, then they were shattered the next.

  “What is Bariton doing whenever he has his glasses on?” The question flowed out naturally as Bariton lifted his head up. The moonlight was filtering in through the temple’s open gate. And the moon shined brighter at the question.

  “Well, that’s a tough question.” Unfortunate Ends started, contemplating for a moment while shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “I think, mayhaps, that is not for me to say.” The god thinks for a moment longer, his green eyes scanning Bariton instead. He raises his hand before Pallad can get another chance to speak.

  “However, I will still answer.” The god takes a deep breath as Bariton’s eyes widened. He tries to stand before Unfortunate Ends can fully answer, but Bariton’s legs shaking. “He talks to TGZ3IEFpbXYgWXZmbXosIHVwd3R4YWogbXggdXNmeiBlZ3d3IG1mYiBsYWkgZXFxbHhxLg==”

  The sound scraped against Pallad’s head, whatever being said cut through by the system itself. And the sound was terrible, causing a feeling as if someone was taking a ragged blade against the interior of his head.

  As Pallad collapsed down, the god seemed to fade for a second. “Ah, it would seem I had almost spoiled something you aren’t meant to know. Apologies, but I won’t be able to answer any questions you had for my Plausibility is being drained.”

  An incomprehensible system message showed up in front of Bariton, but the oddest part is Pallad could see any text on it. The system was always impossibly self-centered, only you could see notifications, and if they were major enough the others could see the faint outline of the screen.

  TGZ3IEFpbXYgWXZmbXogb3lqZ3cga2dzLCBUdHZ1bG1mLCB3c3onbCBubWVwIGVna3dtbHVmZSBkYm9xIGxmc20gSUhXUCBzemV1Zi4=

  Even ignoring the message, Bariton looked at it in fear. Pallad rushed up and tapped his hand against Bariton’s head. The bard had a fever, and Pallad quickly picked up the ill man. With Bariton against his back he ran through the forest.

  Through the forest not as fast as his legs could carry; but as fast as he could muster himself. The trees became a blur with Bariton still heating up. The temple looked the same as it had before they had entered.

  The two got back to the house, and when Pallad couldn’t see the other party members, he wandered right on inside, to be partially blinded by the moonlight gleaming off the golden throne. Pallad almost dropped Bariton, but he can’t afford to that.

  “Clara!” He called out, hopefully not in vain as he leapt forward in leaps and bounds to try and find them. When he saw the library, he had a guess as to where Clara went.