Relzania nervously played with her fingers while waiting for Pontifex to return to his office, reminding herself not to address the leader of her nation by name. Once one took upon the heavy duty to become humanity's most devoted servant, his or her old identity was voided to remove all attachments to any status or political affiliations. They were there to only serve the Gods, nothing more.
The waiting room was bright and spacious with hardwood chairs to rest for those who needed it. She skipped this option today and nervously paced back and forth, her boots clicking against the varnished wooden floor.
Pontifex's assistant didn't pay her any attention after the initial interaction, and worked on a letter with sharp and precise strokes of the quill. Everyone was always busy, and today was no different.
The doors to the hall outside opened, and a familiar figure came in.
"Captain!" Relzania stopped and saluted. The young man looked just like someone would after being used as a human trebuchet ball, which he basically had been. His armor was dented and his long dark hair was disheveled beyond human means. He had a cold emotionless expression on his face, staring straight back at her.
"At ease seventh Seat." He waved her off and approached the man behind the desk.
"Ah, captain, on time as expected. I'm sorry, but his excellency is not here yet. The attack on the surface city wasn't the only one." The assistant looked up and flashed a professional smile.
"Vault?" Captain leaned to just side a bit and cracked his shoulder.
"Yes. I have yet to receive details, but it is safe to assume the details can be disclosed only to personnel with the ninth and tenth level security access."
"Of course. And Extra seat?"
"Reported alive. I'm sorry I can't say more at the moment."
Captain let out a small sigh of relief and sat down on the chair, stretching his legs with a crack.
Relzania refrained from asking questions, knowing that if Pontifex was to meet both of them, all the relevant information would be exchanged anyway. The matters of national security were not beyond her security access, she was the most valuable intelligence agent of the Theocracy after all.
With not much else to do, she resumed her nervous pacing as more Black Scripture members arrived; Time Turbulence, Divine Chant, and One Man Army were the only remaining active members. No doubt Strongest Human would be resurrected once his remains were found and Zesshi has yet to arrive, if she was included in the meeting in the first place, that is.
'Zesshi survived as well. Maybe because she wasn't a human, they spared her. Or she was strong enough on her own. But she isn't a full-blood God.' What exactly happened with the vault and its guardian was yet to be answered.
Everyone was silent. The attack was hard to process and small talk likely was the last thing anyone wanted to engage in, as everyone attempted to comprehend what had just happened. Same as her, the other Black Scripture members either paced back and forth or nervously shifted around. Most weren't wearing the artifacts left by Gods since for now all field missions outside the nation were canceled, instead securely stored away.
After another ten minutes of waiting the doors shifted open and Pontifex arrived with Zesshi in tow. The half-elven girl was lacking her usual disinterested expression, but instead was nervously looking around as if expecting an ambush from her teammates.
'She is different. Probably not processing defeat too well.' The previously undefeated extra seat was the one to crush the egos of the Black Scripture members if any started to become too arrogant or felt themselves invincible. Seeing Zesshi without her usual outfit, Relzania guessed that the half-elf girl either got killed or knocked unconscious for her to wear anything else besides the fighting gear she was entrusted with. The only time Zesshi wore casual clothing was on her shopping sprees, and that was only because she needed to keep a low profile and at least blend in with the public to some degree.
"There is no time to waste, let's start the meeting!" Pontifex announced leading the group in his office.
He took his seat in his office chair while Relzania and her team sat down on the sofa, with only the assistant and Zesshi remaining standing. Pontifex's assistant took the recording crystal from her and delivered it into the hands of the former Cardinal of Earth.
Zesshi meanwhile leaned against the bookcase with her arms crossed, which was unusual of her considering she was normally the epitome of neutrality.
Pontifex placed the crystal on the viewing platform that projected its contents in the air for everyone to see. Once the recording had ended, he spoke. "As you see, the monsters stoop so low to accuse our Gods of being fake. This creature was nothing more than a puppet on strings paraded around by the Ruler of Death."
"And who is going to stop them, you?" Zesshi demanded with a sneer.
"Have faith. The Gods have spoken to me and the cardinals." Pontifex stood up and theatrically extended his hands, his voice filled with religious ecstasy growing louder with each word. "They will lead us through these dark times and help us defeat the monsters. For centuries they have been preparing in the heavens for this day. They will come back and succeed where they once failed. And we, as their faithful servants, will guide the Great Six."
Relzania nervously gulped and looked around. Most of her peers clearly believed Pontifex with all their hearts, their faces twisting in similar religious fervor. Captain seemed a tad unsure, but he was the type to believe everything the Cardinals said and would fall in line no matter what.
In short, the Black Scripture had become useless, devoted to an unreliable force as their people were slaughtered. Once they were the greatest force known to man, but in the face of monster Gods they were just insignificant specs not worth the consideration.
And then her eyes met with Zesshi's. Both knew what the other was thinking at that moment. 'The leader of the Slane Theocracy had gone mad and the others were ready to follow him in the endless pit of delusions.'
Relzania barely followed the passionate speech about raising armies the world had not seen before, and Gods being reborn in flesh. 'I need to talk with Zesshi. She likely isn't sticking around and I don't want to remain among these lunatics. There is nothing that could stop that angel, and they believe the Dark Gods could be stopped just by chucking more mortals at them. I must find a way to earn their forgiveness.' This thought of appeasing the New Gods rose in her mind again.
Was there even a way for her to not receive a punishment for being in the group that temporarily enslaved the servant of Gods? Her instincts told her she should seek atonement anyway for the sake of her soul. The unseen hand of the Ruler of Death was slowly engulfing the world, and all who tried to oppose this undead God would suffer for their defiance.
Save for the religious speech not much else was discussed besides grandiose military plans and extensive church controls of the populace. She would keep her gear but was warned not to wear it without explicit permission from the Pontifex. Usually, the head of the state wasn't the one to guide Scripture as well, but since Raymond held that position before and a successor had not yet been appointed, he wielded more power than any person within Theocracy has or should.
Once the meeting ended, Relzania walked out with the others and the moment she was sure no one was looking in her direction, she switched directions to follow Zesshi who had gone in a different direction from the rest of the Black Scripture. They, as one, enthusiastically planned to attend a sermon held for all six sects to unite all the worshipers of Gods like never before, and she wanted no part in it.
Catching up to the half-elven girl wasn't hard. Zesshi was walking at a slow pace, nervously looking around and paying attention to shadows in particular. She tensed up even more when Relzania got closer, centimeter by centimeter.
"What do you want?" Zesshi questioned without facing Relzania, her fists twisted into knuckles.
Evidently, Zesshi was paranoid, which she couldn't be blamed for. The tension was getting to all of them, she herself already felt stressed enough. How it felt for the Black Scripture's strongest warrior, she didn't know.
Relzania paused for a moment, remembering how painful the girl's punches were. She never wanted to face them again.
"You met them?" She asked cautiously.
"Why are you asking me? Didn't you watch and record like you always do?" Zesshi asked, agitated. She stopped and turned around, ready to strike.
"No. I don't just randomly snoop on my teammates and I wasn't told to watch you. So did you meet…you know…"
"I did." Zesshi stared her down.
Relzania noticed something she had missed before. Zesshi wasn't hiding her ears anymore. Her hair was intentionally parted to show her elven features. She quickly glanced away to not stare at them in fear of enraging the girl.
"Do they disgust you? Am I lesser?" Zesshi noticed her reaction.
"N-no. I… " Relzania stammered. "I didn't mean to…"
"Then what? Are you trying to pretend that I am not what I am?" Zesshi's tone grew more hostile.
"Antilene, I just wanted to talk. You saw how others reacted. I… need to talk with someone who can still think clearly. We may not be friends, but we are a team, right?" Relzania tried a friendly approach. She had never called Zesshi by her real first name, almost no one did. The half-elven girl was a recluse and had no one she could call a friend, and the human-dominated Black Scripture had all but refused to acknowledge her as a human being, if not for her fighting prowess.
"I did meet them. They are… they are not pure evil." Zeshi lowered her voice to a whisper. "I was spared."
Relzania activated remote viewing to ensure no one was snooping on them and replied in a whisper. "Can we meet in private and talk? I feel everyone is going insane and I don't know whom to turn to. I don't know what is what anymore."
Showing her intentions upfront with an honest confession was the safest approach. Even if for whatever reason Zesshi decided to rat her out, at worst, as a member of Black Scripture, she would be exposed to intense lectures and prayers to remove the confusion and set her on the right path. At least that is what Relzania hoped would happen.
Zesshi shifted around, opening and closing her mouth without a sound and furrowing her brows. She crossed her arms and stared back with her lips tightly pressed together, shifting her eyes around.
"If you don't want to, then pretend this conversation didn't happen. I won't bother you again." Relzania gulped, taking a step back.
"When and where? You are not the only one who watches. And if this is a setup I'll make sure there is nothing to resurrect."
"I-I'm not setting you up. We can meet at my home, here is the address-"
"I know where you live. Tomorrow before sunrise. Get everyone out of the way."
Trap or not, having someone on her side wouldn't hurt. Zesshi walked the empty streets alone, only occasionally meeting the guards patrolling. With a hat on her head, she looked like a pale young human woman dressed as semi-nobility, so no one bothered her.
The capital was considered so safe that a lone woman walking in such an hour didn't cause an alarm, for any parties involved. Especially knowing that a lot of people liked to do nighty pilgrimages to the shrines dedicated to the Six Great Gods, since daytime pilgrimages were even more packed.
Her pace brisk and her steps silent, she strode towards her target to talk with Relzania. Both she and the Thousand Leagues Astrologer got along just fine, but interactions between the two were rare to say the least.
'She plans to run and wants me to join her. But where would we go? I can't go to elven lands, that… God took a lot of my power. I would become a plaything for that sick bastard just like mother did.' Her hatred for her father the Elf King resurfaced. The sick monster wasn't above raping his daughter to produce offspring for whatever twisted reason he had done so, even with countless women surrounding him.
'Baharuth? No, they also enslave elves. What is left…Re-Estize and the Council state. I sure as hell am not going to Roble. I guess I can ask Relzania. She…get a grip, making friends is pointless, she can be an ally for now.' In truth, someone to trust would be a welcome change, but it would be foolish for now to make any attachments.
While contemplating her options, Zesshi arrived at Relzania's mansion. She was about to ring the bell on the gates when they swung open, and a head covered in light-born hair peaked out from behind the hedge.
"I sedated my attendant. Come, no one will interrupt us," Relzania whispered, motioning for her to follow.
The only light illuminating the path were the street lanterns, only semi-dimmed against the night skies. Zesshi walked after her peer without making a sound. The feeling of being watched had never lessened since her defeat. At first, she thought it was her people keeping a close eye on her, but if Relzania's testimony of her not doing any spying was right, then the other most likely culprits were the Dark Gods.
Which meant she would avoid implying bad things about them if possible.
Deeper within the garden stood a small gazebo with two garden chairs and a small round table. Both settled down in the seats.
'There is no point wasting time. If she betrays me, I'm positive I can still fight my way out.' Zesshi decided and started the conversation, speaking barely above whisper.
"Which country did you choose?"
"There aren't that many options. I could go to Roble, but I think they will also make those new players angry at some point, so I'm thinking Baharuth." Relzania gave her opinion.
"They keep elves as slaves. So you expect me to pretend to be your property?" Zesshi hissed.
"N-no, l-look if you want for us to stick together then we can choose a country that doesn't have elven slaves. And I am not suggesting that only to have your protection." Relzania hastily corrected herself with a stutter.
Zesshi slouched in the chair with a tired sigh. "Is that how you see me? That I will beat you up because you say something I don't like? I never asked to be the one to break the Black Scripture recruits. Is it that hard to treat me like a normal person?"
"S-sorry, I will try. Do you have a place in mind?" Relzania spoke as if she was a hostage.
Her demeanor didn't change, if anything, she seemed to become even more frightened of the elf.
'Why do I even bother? She sees me as a monster, a freak. However, I need to practice communicating with others if I want to blend in. I'll just ignore that she is about to pass out for now.'
"Re-Estize."
"You want to get closer to Nazarick? If we go there, we'll have to lay low for a while."
"I am a half-elf. What place is there for me in this human-dominated world? You can go your own way after we leave Slane, to human-centric lands. But…" Zesshi paused thinking about how to express a wish for companionship.
"But?"
"I would prefer a friend. And your surveillance skills are useful, so it would be easier to avoid being caught."
"How about we leave the city tomorrow before sunrise? I need some time to covertly pack whatever I need for the road, and gather all the valuables I can carry with me. We can travel together as friends." Relzania perked up and latched onto the offered olive branch.
"It works for me. I'll be waiting for you at the northern gate in the same attire." Zesshi agreed.
For decades she had been nothing more than the Slane Theocracy's feared bloodhound. The idea of choosing her own destiny was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, something she hadn't felt in so long. Getting revenge on her father was unfeasible at the moment, so a new goal in life was needed. What that goal was she could not tell, but survival was a decent first step.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by Lightflan Sluethen, aidan_lo, clagan, Sapphire_Drake, nate051499j6, x4x, fvvck and NuggetLover.
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