Renner walked around her near identical copy, inspecting her duplicate critically. While she would visit Nazarick, Venosa would pretend to be her in her place, responding to whatever came up. The succubus had watched her for weeks and could imitate her to the smallest of mannerisms, learning what Renner could and would do in as many situations as she could.
"Remember if things go south, pretend to be tired and lock yourself in my quarters." Renner gave the last instructions.
"I have been doing this longer than your last three reincarnations combined. Don't patronize me, girl." Venosa hissed, using her expressions to the tee, including how she bent her toes.
"I am not patronizing you. These things… its a force of habit to assume incompetence," Renner bowed her head slightly, "I tend to forget there are areas in which you're far superior to me, I apologize."
"It is not my fault you were surrounded by a bunch of morons most of your current life. You should know better now that you serve Nazarick." Venosa huffed.
"You are right," Renner replied. The slight provocation of her ally was yet another tactic to grow closer. If she showed weakness here, there was another opening for her to be approachable, after all, and slight absent-minded arrogance was something Venosa expected of her.
"At least you admit it. Just in case, are there any visual cues you can notice?"
"Hmm, it does feel strange to see this. I never practiced my mask in front of a mirror. No, I don't think so," Renner remarked as she leaned in closer, observing the face that was and wasn't hers simultaneously.
Venosa grinned in response, "Perfect. Have fun. Nazarick is a wondrous place."
"Thank you," Renner responded with her natural smile, turning to face the empty part of the room.
The opening of a gate signaled that it was time for her to meet the Gods in their home. Renner took a sharp breath and stepped through. The scene instantly shifted as she found herself in a brightly lit meeting room. Rows of magical lights gave a warm and welcoming feeling, in contrast to the bones and dread she expected for a realm holding a God of Death. The room was painted in light colors and there was a round table with six chairs in the middle.
She instantly noticed two figures occupying chairs. One was a half-elven girl with a bored expression, playing with a strange, colorful cube. Renner estimated her physical development close to hers but there was no clear way to discern the girl's actual age, as half-elf lifespans were varied, to say the least. And if she was connected to the Gods, perhaps even more so. Her exotic appearance with black and white hair split right in the middle of the head and eyes of the same color on the opposite sides were sure to give a lasting impression on anyone looking at her.
The other was a young woman with a blonde bob cut and a predator's gaze slouching in the armchair sideways like a lazy cat. She was clad in armor Renner could only describe as obscene and barely covered the woman, not giving any impression of actually serving as armor.
"Greetings. I am Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, the Apostle of Trickery, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She curtsied.
"Clementine, the Apostle of Murder. You must be one messed-up cookie, Princess. I heard even Lord Demiurge is impressed by you." The blonde woman grinned from ear to ear.
Renner just smiled back knowingly, her gaze settling on the elven girl who seemed uninterested in anyone around her.
"Don't mind Antilene. She isn't the most social person. Don't piss her off though. We called her certain death back in Slane," Clementine explained.
"You both are from Slane Theocracy? How interesting," Renner perked up at the opportunity to find out more about her peers. Information was the weapon she was the most proficient with after all.
"Black Scripture. I was the ninth seat and she was the extra seat. " Clementine happily gave away the secrets that only a select few knew back in the Slane.
Renner took a seat opposite the pair, a faint pleasant smile plastered on her face. "I see."
"You're not supposed to tell that to everyone," Antilene grumbled without looking up.
"Naah, the plan is to share everything and see if any apostles falter and needs to be replaced. Besides, Renner makes me look like a good-natured person so she wouldn't care!" Clementine let out a laugh.
"Oh, I already knew the demon invasion was a false flag operation. I do wonder if Neia knows." Renner put hands in her lap and straightened out, "Might I ask what else is to be revealed today? It seems you have a better grasp on workings within Nazarick."
"No idea. My Lord just told me all the apostles and apostle candidates are meeting today and we are forming our little social group. Antilene isn't even considered an apostle yet." Clementine nudged the elven girl.
Antilene shot up slamming the Rubik's cube with a thud, making Renner jump in her seat and Clementine almost fell out of her chair as she reeled away. "I will be an apostle," She hissed. "I just need to become more social."
"I am sure we can help you. We all share the same goal and it seems to me that all apostles are young women," Renner offered.
"Not all, Lord Tabula's apprentice is a boy. He'll be thrilled to see me." Clementine grinned again, her nearly inhumanly wide smile giving her appearance an unsettling edge.
"I see. Nonetheless, I'm sure we can at least try our best to get along and not get in each other's way. Antilene, I'll be happy to give my insight into the art of communication." Renner zoned in on the elven girl.
Clementine seemed easygoing and talkative, but there was a glint of barely restrained sadism in her demeanor. 'A born killer. Likely a criminal to some degree. Not surprising, considering her affiliation. I need to be cautious around her.'
"Why do you care? What do you want to get from me?" Antilene stared at her without blinking.
"I see a great benefit in getting along with my fellow apostles. Our bickering would not please the Gods, thus I am inclined to help without immediate benefit for myself. Involving the Gods in the conflicts of apostles would only pit them against each other, and that would be against the ideals of being an apostle, which is to serve," Renner answered somewhat truthfully. While the statement was true, she did have an additional agenda in trying to garner favors from other apostles that could be cashed in at opportune moments, something worth far more than all the gold in the world could buy. She could get ahead of others without toppling them over just as easily as using cutthroat methods but at this point, it was more important to build a reputation of her being trustworthy and helpful.
Renner stared back with an easy smile without blinking, mimicking the intensity of her opponent. Her tactic worked flawlessly as Antilene soon glanced away. "Fine. I could use some pointers."
"Excellent. First of all, be mindful of who you talk to and what the expectations of the person are. Here, among equals, there should be very few restrictions. Our goal is to get along for the sake of our masters; by working together we can achieve their goals more easily. That said, it wouldn't hurt to develop organic friendships. I, for example, am curious about the device you are tempering with."
"This," Antilene picked up the cube, "It's called a Rubik's Cube and it is a toy left behind by the players. Lady Buku told me it was popular among them and knowing how to solve one gave one bragging rights. I can only get one side at a time," Antilene explained, perking up a bit.
"Oh my, that does sound interesting. What happens when all sides are aligned?" Renner asked a follow-up question. She too loved puzzles and it could become a common ground between her and the soon-to-be apostle of war.
"Nothing. It's just a toy, nothing more. A way for players to flex their mental prowess on each other. Lady Buku said that more dangerous ones exist, but are stored away in the vault. There supposedly was a player among them who was obsessed with games and puzzles, but he didn't come to this world with our Gods," Antilene explained. Thus far not many had expressed interest in the cube as Mare could solve it within a minute and didn't elaborate on how he did it. Aura was more interested in games requiring physical activity, never considering it an entertainment option.
"Would you mind if I tried? I have never seen such a fascinating toy before." Renner asked.
"Sure. I doubt you'll figure it out." Antilene tossed the cube right in her arms.
The mechanism was rather simple; she could move the parts around easily, carefully observing how the layout of the colors on the smaller squares changed. After a few turns she began to see and trace some movement patterns, from there solving the puzzle was easy. Now she needed to decide if solving the puzzle completely was the best approach.
'I could teach Antilene the solution pattern and bond that way, but it would put us in inequal positions which could lead to resentment, but I can't fail completely either. The best approach would be to match her progress and solve one side while giving glimpses that I'm onto something but not there yet, thus incentivizing future interactions.'
With a plan in mind, she set out to execute it flawlessly. Her nimble fingers moved fast and not even a minute in she solved one side, picking the red color for the task. With a satisfied smile, she now tried to make an impression that she was trying patterns, but they were incorrect. Bigger patches and nearly solved sides emerged and disappeared as her fingers flickered, her smile fading and replaced by intense concentration. Finally she put down the toy with a frustrated sigh, announcing, "I was close."
"The son of Lady Buku could easily solve the puzzle, but he didn't tell me how. But you were onto something. He also used some sort of strange pattern that solved sides at the same time," Antilene commented, seemingly invested in her attempt.
"It does not surprise me that a son of a Goddess could perform such a feat. We, the mortals, could not measure up to such greatness," Renner humbly declared, her inner joy only rising. Another entity that was likely on her intellectual level was revealed to her.
"I'm a godkin, not that it matters," Antilene remarked.
"Oh… does that mean you are a direct desc-"
"One of the six, yes!" Antilene hissed.
"If you are here, then your origins are not a point of contention for the Gods and I see no reason to not agree with their judgment. I will not pry if this is a touchy subject for you."
"It isn't. But I am not related to one of the Six New Gods." Antilene started to play with the cube again, twisting it around.
'She uses the toy as an item of comfort. It seems bonding over it is the right approach.' Renner observed the elven girl. She seemed to have some anti-social tendencies and was uncomfortable with casual communication.
An awkward silence settled in, which was interrupted by a gate appearing as if on cue. Renner suspected the Gods watched their interactions and at this moment decided to introduce the next element, testing how they interacted to determine who to support, who to discard, and who to eliminate.
Neia emerged from the gate, sharply surveying around and taking in every detail of the room. Renner noted that her fierce demeanor was likely a facade and her body language betrayed intense anxiety as Neia clenched her hands tight and her shoulders were slouched forward.
"Hello, I am Neia." She greeted them and looked over the seats to determine which one was hers.
Renner used the opportunity, stood up, pulled back the chair beside the one she had taken, and motioned for Neia to sit down.
The girl accepted her offer eagerly, clutching to her as the only known element while Antilene and Clementine introduced themselves. She weighed her options and decided that the best approach in her relationship with Neia was honesty, to build the image of a trustworthy second in command. "And I am the Apostle of Trickery. I serve Lord Ulbert."
"Oh, so… now it makes sense," Neia mumbled.
"What makes sense?" Renner inquired.
"That you didn't tell me which God you worshipped. And trickery?" Neia raised a brow.
"Yes. I am not sure how much can be revealed, but I'm sure you will know the full picture soon enough." Renner decided to take a cautious approach for now. If the Gods wanted her teammates to know everything, they would tell her.
"We are supposed to tell everything. The whole demon invasion was planned by Lord Ulbert." Antilene casually dropped the fireball of a revelation as she played with the cube, solving a side once again.
Renner glanced at Neia for her reaction. Things could go wrong very fast as she almost lost her teammates to the false flag operation and might object to such methods, shattering what little fragile trust she had with her new team.
Neia's confusion was palpable. "The invasion was planned by Lord Ulbert?" She asked.
"Yeah. The six are enemies of our Gods and Slane's scum mind controlled my Lord's daughter, and for that, they will be dragged through the mud before being wiped off the face of the world."
"And Roble? We..they worship the four." Neia inquired, her nervousness palpable.
"I don't know. If their leaders are reasonable they might get the chance to join willingly. If not, me and Antilene will have a lot of work to do." Clementine shrugged, balancing a stiletto above her with one finger.
How Ainz's chosen would react to such revelations even Renner couldn't tell. She didn't care for her homeland or even her own family one bit and was more than ready to toss them in a meat grinder for her goals, but Neia, to her assessment, had a morally upstanding and righteous character and could possibly self-implode on learning that all of her and her teammates efforts, and the deaths of thousands, had been for naught.
"So the Gods are testing us," Neia announced.
"What do you mean?" Renner couldn't help but ask for elaboration.
"We mortals had grown complacent. Weak. Sinners. Only by giving us great strife to overcome can we shed ourselves from our sins. If not for this demonic invasion, I would not have known my own weakness. How inadequate I am to carry the God's favor, and yet here I am for overcoming his first trial." Her voice grew louder and more passionate with each word, eyes glittering.
"That is an interesting interpretation, but I think you're right. The Gods are making us stronger by giving us trials." Renner openly agreed with Neia. It wasn't that she found Neia's declarations to be false. There was some truth in what she said, but things weren't as clear set as she believed them to be. The Gods wanted to rule the world and every tool was good to achieve this goal. Of course, side goals like finding usable servants were also set, hence why they were all gathered here.
"Sounds about right. I was tested and cleansed by my Lord." Clementine nodded in agreement.
"I fought them… and died." Antilene joined in.
"My path was simpler. I was noticed by Lord Ulbert and… I guess my mental prowess was tested." Renner was last to share her experiences, finding herself to be an outlier once again.
Four out of six apostles or apostle candidates were already present. Now two more needed to arrive and the apostle council would be formed for the first time in this century.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by fvvck, Sluethen, Stac, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, mfkz_rocker, Omnax,
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