Bariton slipped back into his inn, and slept peacefully. He prayed the party had already got Lanostiv ready for the hundreds of people leaving the church in one moment. As the sun rose, he moved quickly and swiftly to keep up with the people.

  The old innkeep was paid a few hundred gold, and Bariton simply winked as he said, “Ah, just allow the change to pay for the next customers.” Bariton didn’t get to hear the old lady’s thanks before he was on the way again.

  The way the sun shimmered down into the many rivers that populated the city on the lake was brilliant; he definitely understood why Brightness’s Delight chose Lanostiv as her primary base of operations as a god.

  And he quickly moved from inn to inn, leaving donations of absurd numbers. He was over 10,000 gold less rich, but the inns were now giving out free rooms to anyone who dared come in. He went to the Sanctuary to check in on Clara’s work; and found her healing mass crowds.

  The borders of the city weren’t unguarded, but they were letting in steady traffic. Bariton was on top of the church, and Clara looked up at him. When the bard waved; the eyes of the people followed her gaze.

  Clara chuckled lightly as Bariton leaped from the top of the building, following through with one to two flips as he landed on his feet not even a meter away from Clara. The complex air manipulation pulled off flawlessly to avoid even disturbing the dust on the ground with his landing.

  The two let out a light laugh as Bariton finished his trick, and then he looked into Clara’s pink eyes. She cleared her throat before beginning her report, “The entire church is supposedly here; but I doubt it. Pallad went back to join Shammus in a full inspection to ensure a lack of damages.”

  Bariton thought for a moment, but decided to ask the question on his mind, “And what of Judine?” Clara took a pause in her assessment as she pondered Judine’s part in this web of plans and ploys. The attack would probably be on the next day for a full days worth of time of battle available.

  “Well, she’s dealing with the paperwork of the legal idea of this many evacuees. You may have greatly sped up the speed of the people leaving the church; but you also practically ruined Judine’s day paperwork-wise.”

  A small pang of guilt hit Bariton’s heart as she spoke. But Clara continued on. “But, it also made it possible for us to attack when there’s one day left on the quest instead of just mere hours. For that, I’m thankful.”

  Bariton grinned at the second part, and Clara punched him in the shoulder letting out a light laugh. “I’d recommend you rest well tonight; I’m going to go pay our good ‘ol judge a visit! Then I’ll get Shammus and Pallad up to speed that we are jumping Insanity tomorrow!”

  Bariton ran off, feeling the wind in his hair. He found the courthouse pretty quick, and landed atop a balcony ignoring the shouts up from guards to tell him to get down from there. He knocked on the window frame as lightly as he could.

  Judine was inside the grand hall, with banners showing the five first adventurers, with the primary of them being Lanostiv himself; the founder of this nation. It was a nice room too, with the wooden desk being made with expert crafting.

  And when Judine looked up at Bariton, he waved. He waved to his teammate and she opened the door to the balcony. “What are you doing up here?” Judine stepped over onto the balcony, and waved off the guards still trying to tell Bariton to get down.

  They looked confused for a second under their steel helmets, but Bariton had slightly more important matters at hand. “Well, I’m here to let you know that tomorrows the day. And I’ll help you a little with your paperwork I guess.” Bariton added in that last part randomly, and it seemed Judine knew that.

  But she just sighed. “Alright, fine, come inside.” Bariton happily followed the judge, as she sat back down at her desk. Bariton pulled one of the chairs from the side to sit across from Judine, the brilliance of the sky outside the building reminded him of a time he was weak.

  And now he was strong, and, “You basically just need to forge my signature.” Judine told Bariton what to do in simple terms and expanded from there. “These are just documents regarding that there was a disaster and every single person belongs here.”

  Bariton nodded as Judine continued, Bariton already began to forge her signature from one already signed paper. “And of course, the bureaucracy of Forsivo is genuinely just terrible, so I need to sign every single one of these by hand. For every civilian.”

  “Isn’t this city meant to be a bastion city in case the rest of the nation falls? This feels redundant and counter productive.” Bariton responded as he signed many papers, not really reading any of them. Judine gave him a stack of things that needed signatures and so he’ll add ‘em.

  “Yes, it is in theory.” Judine sighs as she continues signing her own signature on the massive stack of papers. Bariton was moving as fast as he could while still keeping the massive control required to perfectly forge Judine’s signature. “But in practice that’s impossible while staying secure. Nobles vs. commoners and all that, you know the stories.”

  “Of course I do.” Bariton finished his stack and moved to the next. This one would fall even faster since Bariton could now move at the maximum speed the pen and paper could handle. “Still dumb.”

  Judine let out a light laugh as she finished her own stack of papers. The final one was Bariton’s duty, and Bariton had finished it just as quickly. Bariton simply nodded at Judine for the task was done, and now he had a day to waste after he told Shammus and Pallad the good news.

  Maybe he’d stall Insanity for that day, or join the evacuation efforts those two were doing. He left the same way he entered, refusing to be normal and use the door. He leapt from the balcony and dashed over the many building roofs.

  Bariton kicked up the shingles, and decided what he’d do for the day, help repair the damage he’d dealt out. And Bariton flew over the wall once again and dashed through the autumnal forest in beautiful oranges, golds, and reds. The leaves falling down from the speed of Bariton’s dash shaking the ground and the trees.

  Bariton finally reached the partially destroyed- No, nearly completely destroyed. Bariton laughed as he saw his handiwork, and Pallad and Shammus both speaking to Insanity. Bariton stepped in as they kept talking. “I apologize Insanity, but we do not have the coherence to keep Bariton on a tight leash.”

  That almost made Bariton stop, but he kept moving in. “What ya talkin’ about?” Bariton’s words were full of curiosity, and Bariton simply just waved at the team as he entered the conversation. Insanity’s eyes snapped to him, the ruby red locking into Bariton’s own blue.

  “Ah, Bariton; we were simply talking about the allegations that you had been the one to destroy the church and lead the people inside out into the woods.” Shammus spoke first of the four, but Pallad clearly had more to add. Shammus nodded at him as Bariton digested the information.

  “However, of course, even if it was you, it is kinda messed up to punish us two for the actions of a member of our team.” Pallad began with Shammus’s permission, and Insanity tried to speak before Pallad continued, getting cut off. “And secondly, there’s a likelihood it wasn’t you, since why’d you lead them into the woods instead of to the bastion city of Lanostiv?”

  Bariton realized what they were playing at in that moment. And so Bariton played along, “Well, I was in Lanostiv all last night.” He let out the lie easily, after all; he had an alibi in Lanostiv. “What do you mean I destroyed the church? What even happened that night?”

  Bariton looked at his own handiwork, scratching his own head to play the fool further. It was honestly great, and still easy to repair. He avoided destroying the core of the building after all; since that’d cause more deaths.

  “Well; I believe it’s terrible what happened, isn’t it?” Pallad began speaking, cutting Insanity off again. Insanity shot Pallad an angry glare which went ignored. “The church was practically made unlivable by a crazy man singing Drunken Sailor, that is, if what Insanity said was true.”

  “Indeed,” Shammus continued the account of actions to the Bard, and he held tight a gleeful giggle as Insanity was cut off one more time. “But, of course this destruction is awfully controlled isn’t it? Isn’t it alike the false flag event that Forsivo is plotting to go to war with Kermany?”

  “Ah, yes! But why do you think it was me that made that attack Insanity?” Bariton tried to give the right to speak to Insanity, but when it was snatched by Pallad again Insanity threw his hands up in the air.

  “Well, supposedly it was a bard, and you are the most bardly bard to ever bard.” Pallad answered Bariton’s questions, which resulted in a thank you and a light bow from the Paladin. Insanity was getting more and more pissed off.

  “But also, nobody else was there other than you Insanity, hm?” Bariton finally forces the conversation to face Insanity, but instead of allowing a response he placed a metaphorical dagger under its throat. “And we can’t use the other civilians if they were really just led off into the woods like that.”

  Insanity bit back his own words, as Bariton kept going, “I mean, imagine the paperwork whoever is currently sitting in the grand judge’s chair would have to do if instead of into the woods this random guy led the people to the main capital.”

  Insanity looked angrier and angrier as Bariton’s smile widened more and more. The joy of this rage was so so so nice. “And to top all of that off, you blame me for this nonsensical crime? Sure, we don’t like one another, but what good would it do me to kill those guys instead of taking them to the safe bastion of the capital, with 3-4 SSR++ adventurers, even if retired?”

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  Insanity was losing ground in his argument, and he wasn’t allowed a rebuttal as Bariton’s team joined in on this attack, with Shammus’s own words. “Indeed, that paperwork would probably ruin that person’s day, and our bard here would absolutely despise that sort of idea.”

  The rage exuding from the divinity was enough to make a sword out of, but Insanity dropped it in the same moment. “So, of course, to make it up to you…” Bariton began once more, and did a little flourish, removing his hat to place it against his chest. “Why don’t we help rebuild your church? Most of the stone still seems to be in the area, but I dunno yet, didn’t assess the damages.”

  Pallad and Shammus agreed with Bariton’s idea, and Insanity was backed into a psychological corner. He framed someone and now they were making it up to him. He had no choice but to accept the help, and Bariton knew that. So did Insanity.

  “Fine, you may help.”

  Bariton’s smile widened ever further as he was accepted to help. Clara and Judine could enjoy their day off before the fight. And so Bariton immediately began walking through the hallways, looking up through where the sunlight poured into the hallways.

  He used a small amount of Geomancy to look through the stone that was destroyed, and more specifically how it was fractured; what kind of hit did what. It was valuable information for both his self control and for repairs.

  Shammus had been doing the same as well; and Pallad was following Shammus’s instruction in cutting out some bricks. Bariton was now stuck ensuring these bricks fell somewhere they wouldn’t hurt someone.

  Shammus and Pallad were both atop the roof, and the great sword cut through the bricks with such wonderful control that the brick’s only damage on the edge cut from the ceiling was from the original cutting process. When Bariton caught them, they felt like air. The stone used to make them was sturdy though.

  He tossed it into a pile, and watched as it shattered, launching up a plume of dust into the open sky. Bariton now noticed how much he’d done to this building. Bariton wandered off as the two kept working on the roof, and he wandered into the room he burnt to nothing.

  Inside, the stone walls that were previously hidden were charred, and Insanity was sitting there, with no look in his eyes. Bariton wasn’t trying to be stealthy, but Insanity hadn’t noticed him.

  Bariton looked at what Insanity was, and it was the torture tools on a metal cart. The fire burnt hot enough to melt the steel to the ground, and yet the tools were practically untouched. That made Bariton’s skin crawl as he looked at them closer.

  They were mythical in quality, and that was the only thing he looked at the status menu. Insanity was clearly stuck in his own mind. The terrifying part is that Legendary is the highest one can get through reforging, and even then that required around 15+ years of use; unless you got a dungeon reward that was already Epic.

  But he wasn’t too curious to learn how. The bloodstain where there was a pile of ash also told a story. Bariton bent down and touched the ash, and found the scraps of charcoal that remained of the wood that once made that item.

  And the blood was still stuck to the stone even as it was burnt. It should’ve been enough to incinerate the bloodstain, and yet here it was. Bariton felt bile build up in his throat as he stepped away from the bloodstain as he connected two and two together.

  Bariton looked at Insanity for the first time since he’d examined the room, and Insanity was looking right at him. Insanity stood up from his previously kneeling location, his eyes an awful pink as his tear ducts were still clearly visible.

  Insanity muttered one thing, “I’m sorry for what I must do tomorrow.” It was quiet, almost enough that Bariton’s own breathing would’ve lessened it. But Bariton swallowed down the bile trying to claw it’s way out of his stomach as he stared down Insanity.

  “No, we’re sorry for how long it’ll take for us to kill Heavenly Dealer of None for you.” Bariton’s words were filled with a strong determination. He was going to free this divinity from that bastard god, as if they didn’t have enough of a reason to become true godslayers.

  Bariton almost places his hand atop Insanity, but the way Insanity flinches away makes Bariton second guess that idea. He instead nodded his head toward Insanity and walked up the charred stone steps. It was odd, how smooth everything was, like a singular gemstone was carved from.

  And Bariton left with a new determination. The party was going to beat Insanity in a meaningful enough way that the floor finished, Kishtan getting to be freed. Nobody won on this floor though. The System knew that as everything fell gray. Bariton was not in the mood for one of these Ruler-foresaken ‘talks’ and rather tried to tear the eyeglasses off. He never got to see himself in the mirror with them on.

  But before he could, a voice rang out inside his head. “I wouldn’t recommend doing that, I connected them to your Optic Nerves.” Bariton stopped for just a moment, a moment long enough to find the door. This one was more odd, being the door to a Linyue style building.

  Bariton let go of the glasses thinking of what it’d mean to tear something out connected to his optic nerve from his head. “Glad you know basic biology. Now please, just enter the door, this is much more tiring.”

  Bariton followed the voice’s pull and slid open the door into what seemed like a palace. The System was sitting atop a throne with his legs crossed. He was wearing what many books depicted to be an emperor’s robe.

  The System beckoned Bariton forward, and the echo of the stone on his boots filled the air just before the silence fell back down upon the two’s speaking. The throne was still raised, and the System had the same precise windows covering his face. There was no potential to see his eyes, but even then it was clear the System was looking down at Bariton.

  “I thought we had our last talk before?” Bariton asked, wondering why the hell he’d back here, especially twice upon the same floor. He wondered if he was going to be vague just like before or if the System would answer any of his questions.

  “Well, I suppose I did say that hm?” The System didn’t even move, and Bariton could see how his mouth hardly moved like a ventriloquist. “Oh well, the System changes its mind sometimes. And you said the wrong things to that Divinity.”

  Before Bariton could respond, the notification that he was now muted interrupted his breathing cycle for a moment and the System kept talking. “I mean seriously, you’ll save it? It’s like you’re destined to become a god of that instead of music.”

  Bariton tried once more to speak, but something constricted his throat whenever he tried to. The air left without making a sound. “Stop trying to talk Bard.” The voice sounded powerful, and worse it sounded pissed. “Thank you.”

  “Anyways, that’s about all I wanted to say, pretty boring to talk to you instead of the gods honestly.” The System said just before kicking Bariton out of the door. Bariton tried to resist the inert energy, but then one more message appeared.

  [Agility locked.]

  Bariton couldn’t even scream when he was snapped back in place and the notification disappeared. He tried, but only after he let it out of his mouth did the muted one dissipate as well. The sheer power the system held over him had him collapse on the ground.

  It was overwhelming, and Insanity was gone from the stone chamber. It was more of a gemstone with how smooth it was, but it wasn’t tiled. Bariton still found it strange, and when the glass shattered, he tore off the eyeglasses.

  It hurt, sure, to unequip them as eyeglasses, but he turned it back into what it was meant to be. A weapon. He placed the dagger on his hip before leaving the room, and when he left, he saw his party still working on the church.

  And the sun setting. “Hey guys!” Pallad was first to turn, and Shammus looked up from his task after. “We should head back to Lanostiv to get some rest first! I got a room for us already!”

  Bariton walked up to the two, as Shammus jumped down one of the many holes in the ceiling Bariton made that night and Pallad entered through a hole in the wall. The three walked out together, and Bariton waved to Insanity.

  Bariton skipped ahead of the group, “C’mon, we can get there much faster, follow me! I know a shortcut~” Bariton clambered atop a tree as Pallad’s voice rang out behind him. “A shortcut? Oh, please there wouldn’t be an easy shortcut to the capital from here-”

  Pallad’s oh-so righteous speech was cut short from Bariton’s own passing the sound barrier and the treetops. The trees beneath him a blur as he rushed ahead, Shammus stayed close; which is shocking with how Bariton gave no warning.

  “Hm, an interesting Shortcut,” Shammus stayed caught up with Bariton even as they soared through the skies. Shammus didn’t even look partially phased from the speed while Bariton’s breath increased in pace at least a little.

  “Why thanks, I found it out myself!” Bariton leapt one more time to get just barely enough height to clear the walls of Lanostiv. Bariton saw the minor damage he caused and landed in the street about 200 meters within the town. Shammus landed shortly after, and Pallad was third.

  “Nice shortcut hm?” Bariton asked Pallad before walking towards the inn he’d first ordered a single night from. The nice old lady was still there, and she nodded when she saw him and the crew.

  “Alright, I admit it was decent.” Pallad’s answer was short and there was a light growl in his voice. Clearly someone didn’t like breaking the law. The old lady handed Bariton back the room key he’d left in the inn on accident.

  His face almost dropped, but he’d never let the mask slip like that in front of his close friends, let alone a stranger. “Thank you ma’am.” Bariton thanked the old lady and began to move towards the room.

  [Musical Masquerade -> 1]

  Bariton ignored the system message as he opened the door. He was extra careful not to tear it off the hinges, and of course he was successful! The big fight was tomorrow and he couldn’t afford to waste any more energy that day.

  As the door creaked open, Bariton remembered the size of the room he bought. Two goddamned beds. He tried to offer his own sleeping on the floor but Shammus just pulled him into one of the beds and Pallad already took the other before Bariton could even make the offer.

  “Wait no, you shouldn’t sleep on the floor,” Bariton began to protest before he saw Shammus get into the bed alongside the bard. The swordsman had a dumb smirk as he responded with his back turned away from the bard.

  “Who said I was sleeping on the floor? You offered first.” Shammus’s voice was filled with such… matter-of-fact wording, such a grandiose tone that implied that Bariton was actually the reason the two were in this scenario, that Bariton kinda ignored the connotations as he allowed his body to sap heat from his teammate.

  It was comfortable enough for Bariton; he fell asleep in a matter of seconds.