Hello all you happy Reviewers out there.
As many of you can probably tell, this is yet another idea I'm posting in order to clear up some space in the ol' noggin.
Enjoy.
Code Devil: Zero's Awakening.
The Library was dark, filled with the scent of dust and old paper, the kind of smell only found in places that hadn't been inhabited for some time.
Unsurprising, really, not many people would risk their lives to find this place, the journey alone had been the death of many an inquisitive mind, enough so that any who made the attempt were written off as dead the moment they left civilisation behind.
It was therefore a credit to the young man's abilities that not only was he standing in this hallowed place of learning at all, but that there wasn't a scratch on him, his white bodysuit, which bared his shoulders for maximum freedom of movement, a stark contrast to the dark, dusty bookshelves which towered over him. In one hand he held a sheathed katana, at least three shaku long and sealed within a blue sheath, while the other held a book up to his emerald eyes.
'Not this one…' he muttered, his expression unreadable as he returned the book he was examining to its proper place on the shelf, his emerald eyes already turning to its neighbour even as his ears picked up the sound of approaching footsteps in the shadows "I know you're there." He called out "Either come out or go away, I'm not in the mood for games."
"Your senses do you credit." The stalker, a man as it turned out, applauded, stepping into the light, revealing a tall, well-dressed man of western origin, European stock unless he missed his guess, dressed in the clothing of a noble, a book held in one hand, his long red hair curled around his strong, aristocratic features as he eyed the younger man "Forgive my intrusion, it is so rare for me to find anyone else here."
"Are you the Librarian then?" the young man asked, not taking his eye off the man even as he continued to examine the shelves, returning each book he picked up almost instantly to its proper place.
"You could say that." The man admitted, lips quirking cryptically as he continued to advance, his eyes lighting up as he espied the book in the youth's hands "It would appear you're interested in the old texts," he noted pryingly "a rarity in one so young…perhaps I can be of assistance?"
"I'm fine, thank you…" the youth countered, his expression carefully neutral as he continued to search the shelf with his free hand, his stance calm, though his grip on the Katana seemed to tighten briefly.
"Might you be looking for the Book of Ancient Legends?" the red-clad man pressed, his cryptic smile widening ever so slightly as the teen's rhythm paused for the briefest of seconds, before returning to his vigil "The tales of the Demon Warrior Akasha?"
"That's not what I'm looking for…" the youth countered, returning the book he was holding to the shelf, perhaps a little more forcefully than he'd intended, as the entire bookcase seemed to rattle briefly "Please leave."
"No? A pity…" the man pressed, ignoring the teen's obvious discomfort, or perhaps even taking some perverse enjoyment out of it "Such an interesting tale it is…to think a Devil, one of the strongest in Hell's Army, would turn on his own kind for the sake of humanity…"
The youth said nothing, as he'd heard the old tales a hundred times since childhood, if not more.
"A truly fascinating tale…" the redheaded man noted, turning the pages of the book in his hand tenderly, as if fearful of bending the pages "Alas, it ends too soon, for while there are as many legends of Akasha as there are Stars in the sky, it has been many years since the Dark Knight walked the lands."
"Sealing off his powers made him mortal." The emerald eyed youth pointed out, his expression calm, as if commenting on the weather "He chose to live as a mortal for the rest of his days…"
"Indeed," the redheaded man noted, eyeing the youth with that calculating stare "Such a waste…all that power, the power of a GOD, and he cast it aside so easily." He smiled "Then again, it would not be the first time a woman led a man to destruction."
"What do you mean?" the youth wondered, frowning in confusion as he turned to regard the man before him for the first time, noting the red of the man's eyes with some trepidation, the trademark signs of one who dabbled in dark magic.
"Do you never wonder, boy, why it was that Akasha turned his back on his own kind?" the redheaded man pressed, his tone insistent "Why would a Devil, of power equal to their Emperor, if not greater, side with humans, who since time immemorial have reviled demons and all associated with them? People have debated the matter for years, but the answer is quite simple: He was entranced."
"Entranced?" the youth repeated, staring at the man in understandable confusion, tilting the head to the side, as if hoping he'd heard wrong "You mean…he was under a spell?"
"Indeed…" the redhead continued "A most devious spell, though not the sort you seem to be thinking of." He shook a finger "No, it was a more commonplace spell, the same spell that drove Adam to eat of the Fruit: The Charms of a woman."
"I don't have time for this…" the youth muttered, shaking his head in disgust as he turned his back on the redhead once more "Keep your rumormongering to yourself…I have no time for baseless rumours."
"You would be wise not to turn your nose up at rumours, my boy…" the redhead countered, his tone smug "After all, it is said that only one with the blood of Sparda can open the barriers between worlds…where the power Sparda so readily cast off remains."
The youth paused, his shoulders, which had been tense since the man's arrival, relaxing, ever so slightly, as he turned to regard the older man with one emerald eye.
"Go on."
Early morning, May 8, 2004, Area 11 (Tokyo)
"And that's Checkmate…" a young, cultured voice declared, a slender hand moving the Black King piece to claim it's opposing twin on the white side. The speaker, a tall, thin young man in his early twenties, sat back in his seat, his hands folded across his lap as the shocked whispers broke out amongst the onlookers, his ebony locks framing his regal features, which were currently leveling a coy smile at his opponent, an older man dressed much like he was, in the uniform of Area 11's Public Security Section 09, which consisted of a black muscle shirt over a pair of fatigue pants and combat boots "Another game, sir?"
"Gods no…" the older man chuckled good naturedly, shaking his head even as the other onlookers muttered to themselves in disappointment "You're something else Lelouch-kun, I haven't had a challenge like this in years."
"I'm always open for a rematch." Lelouch offered, smiling politely at the chief, only to glance up at the clock, frowning as he got to his feet, grabbing his utility belt, to which was holstered a standard issue .45 caliber automatic pistol, along with several spare clips of ammunition, and wrapping it around his waist "Though I'll have to cut it short for today…I have an appointment."
"Not like you to turn down a challenge Lamperouge." A redheaded officer called Tamaki called out, his tone mocking "What's the matter? Got a hot date lined up?"
"Something like that." Lelouch admitted, smirking to himself as he pulled on his blue, bulletproof trench coat, the trademark of Section 09, before marching out of the changing room, through the busy halls of the main office, nodding at Nina the receptionist in passing, before stepping out into the busy streets of Area 11, wincing slightly in the sunlight.
Like many of the other Areas, Area 11 was built on the remains of the nation that, at one point, had been called Japan, which like all the other great nations of the world, had been decimated millennia ago by what was being tentatively referred to as 'Judgment Day', the day the Devil Emperor V.V led his legions of horror into the human world, seeking to conquer and destroy.
Humanity fought back, of course, if there was one thing humans were good at, it was reacting to violence with violence after all, but they were simply outclassed, both in strength, and in numbers, for the realms of the underworld were not like the realms of the living, and the denizens within were rarely vulnerable to the weapons of man.
It was a war that had lasted two Millennia, two thousand years of suffering and terror that would've made the most bloodthirsty dictator roll in his grave. Slowly, but surely, the humans began to lose ground, their major cities wiped out, the species driven almost to the point of extinction, for what V.V could not control, he destroyed.
But then, just as the world was on the verge of collapse, just when it seemed there would be no salvation, someone from the Underworld woke up to justice, and stood up against the legions of V.V, for the sake of the human race.
His name was Akasha, a Devil Knight of unfathomable power, power enough to rival that of the Emperor himself, so much so that even BEFORE his rebellion, there were rumours that V.V feared the Dark Knight more than anything else.
With his sword, Akasha shut the portal to the demonic realm and sealed the evil entities off from ours, sacrificing his own demonic powers to do so. From that moment on, he quietly reigned over the human world, and continued to preserve harmony until his death.
Personally, Lelouch believed it was all a load of crock, thought up by some crackpot Cultist, as there were no traces that this 'Akasha' ever existed. Far more likely that the collective nations of the world had simply gotten into a pissing contest with one another, and had used their, now outlawed, nuclear stockpiles in a bid to bring the argument to a close.
Not that it mattered now, the world was a better, if smaller place, the surviving Areas more interested in maintaining the status quo than testing the waters, lest it turned out there be sharks waiting for them.
Which is where Lelouch, and the other members of Public Security Section 09 came in. Officially billed as a 'Public Security' organization, it was in actuality the counter-terrorist network and anti-crime unit for Area 11. Its operatives were allowed to act with or without government consent as they are almost unknown to the public eye. They had access to some of the best hardware in the country, allowing them to keep abreast of almost any problem, be it petty theft or illegal immigrants, dine and dashing or drive-by shooting.
Lelouch had joined the department in his teens, one of the youngest recruits to ever wear the blue and black, and despite that, had quickly risen to the rank of Lieutenant thanks to his quick, analytical mind and his ability to take command under pressure. He had singlehandedly taken down the so called Association to Promote and Preserve the TRUE Japanese Culture, which turned out to be little more than a racket for Slave Traders and Drug Pushers, most notably the highly addictive Refrain, and the Lakeside Hotel incident, where he'd successfully led a crack team of agents to take down the ex-military group that had taken the hotel hostage.
"Yo, Lelouch!" a voice called out, the Lt. looking up to see a young man in a mechanic's uniform waving at him from the parking lot, where he was kneeling next to the Lt.'s ride "All done for the day?"
"Rivalz." Lelouch greeted with a smile, the two had known each other for some time, even before Lelouch transferred to the Academy "How's the engine?"
"Purring like a kitten." Rivalz grinned, wiping off his fingers and patting the gas-tank of the motorcycle and sidecar lovingly "Though you gotta take it easier on her man, this thing's a classic, remember? You just can't GET the parts anymore."
"I'll keep that in mind…" Lelouch noted, smiling to himself as he trailed a gloved finger over the handlebars of the machine, only to pause as his cellphone went off, the Lt pulling it out and snapping it open without looking at the name "Lamperouge."
"Big Brother where are you?" the voice of an angel implored over the speakers, more concerned than upset, though the Lt. still grimaced as if struck "You said you'd be back in time for lunch."
"I'm sorry, Nunnally." Lelouch offered with absolute sincerity, as he could never lie to his younger sibling about anything "I lost track of time at the office, I'll be home soon though. How was school?"
"It was alright." Nunnally admitted, the younger Lamperouge's tone more at ease now that she'd confirmed her elder brother was FINALLY on his way "Alice-chan won the track meet, I came in second."
"That's my girl." Lelouch smiled, ever the doting older sibling, much to Rivalz amusement, as the elder Lamperouge couldn't have looked prouder even if she'd come first "We'll have to celebrate tonight, is Sayoko there?"
"Mmhm, she's cooking dinner right now." Nunnally confirmed, the sound of a distant voice emerging from the speaker for a moment before she returned "She said she's making Curry for lunch."
"Sounds delicious…" Lelouch chuckled, though internally he winced, as Sayoko, while the pinnacle of housekeeping and loyal to a fault, liked her curry to have a 'little kick' to it, which meant that anyone who dug into it unprepared was likely to be rushed to the burn ward at the hospital. However, before he could ask his sibling to try and curb the caretaker's zeal, he felt a shiver race down his spine, his head snapping towards the centre of the city almost instinctively.
"Lelouch?" Rivalz wondered, the grease monkey eyeing the Lt. with a look of concern as he continued to stare off into the distance "Something wrong?"
Lelouch said nothing, simply continued to stare off into the distance, as if half expecting something to appear on the horizon, his lavender eyes set in a scowl that could've frozen nitrogen, only to look up as the radio attached to his hip, went off with a sharp burst of static.
"THIS IS CAPTAIN SHOUGO ASAHINA!" a voice called out, the sound of automatic gunfire roaring in the background "WE HAVE A SITUATION DELTA IN THE CITY SQUARE! REQUESTING IMMEDIATE BACKUP!"
"Damn…!" Lelouch hissed, scowling at the radio, his teeth clenched even as Rivalz paled in horror at the declaration. A Situation Delta referred to an armed outside force running amok in the city, not unlike the Lakeside incident, only this one was worse, as it meant they weren't resorting to hostages, and were instead firing at will.
"Lelouch!" Nunnally called over the phone, her terrified tone snapping the elder Lamperouge out of his thoughts like a slap to the face "What's going on? I hear gunshots!"
"Nunnally!" Lelouch barked, his tone urgent, hoping to drive home the importance of his words to his younger sibling even as he mounted his bike "Listen to me, I want you to stay with Sayoko, do you hear me? Do NOT leave the Apartment under any circumstances. Stay away from the windows, lock yourself in and wait till I come home, alright?"
"Okay…" Nunnally stammered, her tone shaky even as she said it, though Lelouch could tell she was trying hard to be brave for him, Sayoko's soothing tones in the background no doubt helping to bolster her resolve "Be careful, big brother."
"Always." Lelouch promised, snapping his phone shut before starting the engine on his bike, the recently repaired ride roaring like a tiger in response "Rivalz, get inside and alert the chief and the others."
"Lelouch wait!" Rivalz called out, reaching out to the teen desperately, as if to hold him back, but Lelouch was already riding out, the blue haired mechanic looking on in concern as his friend tore out of the parking lot like a man possessed "Be careful…"
Area 11, City Square...
"I repeat! This is Captain Shougo Asahina, requesting IMMEDIATE backup!" the beleaguered Captain urged, yelling into his radio in order to be heard over the sound of gunfire and the screams of dying men.
"Captain!" one of his men called out, his voice tinged with panic as he peered at the man from behind the cover of a parked car "What the hell are these things?"
Now there was the million dollar question, a question that the bespectacled Captain wished he had an answer for even as he barked at the soldier to keep firing.
He and his team had been carrying out an investigation into a probable drug ring that was supposedly taking place in the back alleys of the square. Intel had picked up proof that someone was trading in Refrain, a narcotic that stimulated certain parts of the brain, allowing people to revisit pleasant memories as if they were having a dream.
The problem was, like all drugs, it was cripplingly addictive, so much so that people had been known to waste away as a result of an extended trip down memory lane, too caught up in the past to focus on the present, namely the fact they needed to eat, sleep and BREATHE.
Normally Shougo HATED having to deal with such things, it gave him a bad taste in his mouth to see people in such a state, but he'd gladly take that over the HELL that was unfurling before his eyes.
Marching towards them were several pale, bow-legged figures, dressed in tattered black cloaks reminiscent of the stereotypical western depiction of a Grim Reaper, an image which was heavily aided by the massive scythes they held in their hands.
Now Shougo was of Samurai descent, and so would be the first to admit that a scythe, in the hands of a master, could be a deadly enemy. But even a novice could tell from looking at the wielders that they were clearly hopped up on something, their vacant expressions and off-white pallor said it all really.
It was therefore most disconcerting when the blasted things continued to advance towards them, heedless of the gunfire that was peppering their wraith-like frames.
"DAMN IT ALL!" Shougo cursed, the Captain firing another burst into the enemy, hoping to ward them off, only to cry out as one of them, having gotten within striking distance, lashed out with its weapon, a gash appearing on his chest as he fell back, still firing.
"Captain!" His men called out, those not focussed on the task at hand or currently expiring beneath the scythes of the enemy that is "Are you all right?"
"Never mind me, keep shooting!" Shougo swore, clenching his teeth as he brought his own weapon up, emptying round after round into his attacker's stomach, noting with confusion that, rather than blood, it seemed to be leaking SAND of all things "Dammit! The hell are you?"
"INCOMING!" a voice barked out, Shougo and his assailant looking up as the roar of a motorcycle engine filled the air, something heavy ramping up the side of the upturned car, the scythe wielding psycho letting out a cry of horror, or perhaps shock, he really couldn't tell, as a motorcycle and side car descended on it from high, crushing it to literal powder before screeching to a halt. "Asahina! Are you alright!"
"Lamperouge!" Shougo barked, the bespectacled Captain torn between his annoyance at having to be rescued by the younger, foreign Lieutenant, and his relief at his swift arrival "Took your sweet time!"
"Traffic was a bitch." Lelouch countered, whipping out his sidearm and unloading a round into the brain of one of the attackers as it tried to sneak up on him, the creature stumbling back with a shriek before exploding into sand "The hell?"
"No time!" Shougo swore, the Captain assessing the situation instantly, propping himself against the car as he tossed a discarded assault rifle at the Lieutenant "Resume fire! Aim for the heads!"
"Yes sir!" the men responded, the surviving members of Asahina's squad resuming their attacks, only this time, they were aiming specifically between the glowing red eyes of their targets, who stilled their once unimpeded advance to deflect the shots with their weapons.
"The hell is going on here?" Lelouch demanded as he reloaded the weapon, appropriating ammunition from a fallen soldier "What are these things?"
"Was hoping you could tell ME!" Shougo admitted, the bespectacled Captain providing the Lieutenant with covering fire as he reloaded, the two of them picking off any cloaked weirdoes that got too close to their position "Shit! Where's backup when you need it?"
"Wish I could tell you…" Lelouch shot back, firing back into the seemingly dauntless horde even as the last of Asahina's soldiers went down with a scream and a fountain of blood "Shit! Running low on ammo here!"
"I'm out!" Shougo swore, the bespectacled Captain tossing the empty assault rifle aside as he drew his sidearm, aiming for headshots as he glared at his enemy "Die damn you!"
"Get down." A calm voice ordered, the two officers ducking, almost instinctively, as a tall figure in a Section 09 uniform leapt over their makeshift barricade, a flash of steel heralding a chorus of shrieks as the closest attackers dissolved into sand.
"Colonel Todoh!" Shougo called out, Lelouch letting out a sigh of relief as he espied the sword wielding Field Commander of Section 09, Kyoshiro Todoh. Normally, he would have questioned the sanity of someone who took a sword to a gunfight, but this was clearly NOT a gunfight, and in any case, he'd once seen the Colonel slice a bullet in half before it could hit him, so he was hardly going to call the man out on it here.
"You let your guard down, Asahina." The Colonel noted, not looking at the men as he eyed the now wary creatures before him with his hawk-like gaze "You need more training."
"You got me…" Shougo chuckled, only to blanch in horror as several more of the cloaked abominations rose out from nowhere, their weapons lashing out at the Colonel from all sides "Colonel Todoh!"
But Todoh was already moving batting the oncoming weapons aside with the sheathe of his sword, sheathing the blade with one movement, only to draw it in a flash in the next, neatly bisecting an airborne target that dissolved into sand even as he spun, cleaving another monstrosities' head from its shoulders, blocking another strike to his back with the sheathe before spinning, knocking the creature's foot from under it, his sword slicing through it even as it fell through the air.
While Todoh faces down the enemies...
Lelouch and Shougo could only look on in amazement, watching as their Commanding Officer did on his own, with a single sword, what a team of highly trained team of Section 09 Agents armed with assault rifles couldn't.
"Whoa…" Shougo whispered, his eyes wide with amazement even as he continued to press a hand to his chest, Lelouch working to treat his wound in the window they'd been given "I knew the chief was good but this…you can't even see the blade!"
'Actually, I can…' Lelouch countered, but even so, it was a sight to behold, the pair looking on as Todoh, with a roar that wouldn't have been out of place during the battle of Sekigahara, rushed the horde of enemies, his sword a whirling dervish of steel death, the Colonel coming to a halt at the end of the gauntlet, his foes falling to pieces, literally, even as he sheathed his sword.
"Asahina, Lamperouge…" the Colonel called out, the two officers snapping to attention as he turned to face them, his tone calm, his features professional, as if he HADN'T just gone toe-to-toe with creatures from Hell itself "You two alright?"
"Asahina's a little banged up, but nothing too serious." Lelouch assured the man, still unable to process what he'd just seen, eyeing the piles of sand warily "What the hell were those things? Where the hell did they come from?"
"You just answered your own question there, Lamperouge." Todoh returned, ignoring the curious look the LT. sent his way in favour of eyeing their surroundings "What I'd like to know, is what a pack of scythe wielding Demons are doing in the middle of my city."
"Demons?" Lelouch repeated, the younger officer blinking up at the older man incredulously, wondering if he'd heard right, he'd certainly never known Todoh to crack a joke "You can't be serious sir?"
"As a heart attack." Todoh countered, his gaze never leaving the piles of sand, only to stumble slightly as the ground shook beneath them.
"Oh great, an earthquake?" Asahina muttered, the bespectacled Captain grimacing as he fought to keep his wound covered, Lelouch leaning against the barricade for support, while Todoh maintained his footing, the Colonel glaring off into the distance as if expecting something to appear.
Sure enough, a fissure appeared in the middle of the street, the Section 09 officers, with the exception of Todoh, stumbling as something HUGE burst from the ground in a cloud of smoke and debris, showering dirt and tarmac down like rain as it rose into the sky like the proverbial Tower of Babel, every car alarm in the area going off from the impact.
"What the…hell?" Lelouch stammered, peering up at the impossibly high structure in disbelief as it cast a shadow over them all like some dauntless deity. But it wasn't it's sudden arrival that unsettled him, well, no more than one would expect that is, no, what truly unnerved him was the fact that, somehow, deep inside himself, he felt as if he KNEW the dark tower, as if he'd seen it before.
"It can't be…" Todoh muttered, and for the first time, Lelouch saw the Colonel's composed visage crack, his grip on his katana sheath tightening to the point the Lt. could swear he heard it creak dangerously "How could this happen?"
"Sir!" Asahina yelled, snapping the two men out of their thoughts, the bespectacled Captain pointing in alarm "Look! Up there!"
The men turned, Lelouch flinching as a cloaked figure, far larger than the one's they'd fought so far, landed on the roof of an upturned bus nearby. Unlike the one's they'd seen thus far, this horror was clad in robes as black as night, a massive scythe of glowing blue fire held in one hand, a small bundle tucked under the other.
Lelouch froze, his blood, which seconds before had been pumping so hard he could HEAR it, literally turning to ice as he stared at the figure tucked under the reaper's arm, a small, fragile figure, dressed in a girl's school uniform, her long, as brown hair trailing in waves over her angelic features.
"NUNNALLY!"
And I'll leave off there.
Essentially, this is a Crossver between Code Geass and the Devil May Cry franchice, with a touch of Onimusha and other epic capcom games mixed into the works.
Most of you probably already noticed I based the initial encounter of Lelouch and the Demons from Jacques' (Jean Reno's character) first encounter with the Genma, except with a touch of Todoh brand awesomeness in place of Samanosuke at the end. (Yes, Todoh killed the Hell Prides like Vergil killed the Hell Abyss' in the Special opening)
Won't go to much into the plot, but it's pretty easy to tell who's who in this, if you're sharp enough that is. However, I can confirm that Lelouch IS dressed like Jacques Blanc from Onimusha 3 (Trenchoat, shirt, combat boots etc), only no Oni Gauntlet.
One thing though, while the plot will mirror elements of DMC3, in that Lelouch will be entering Temen-Ni-Gru to rescue Nunnally, the bosses he fight will NOT be from the game, as I'll be borrowing from other Capcom demon based series (such as Okami), and will include 'Devil Arms' appropriate (at least to me) for those characters.
So if you like? Let me know. Have any suggestions? Let me know. I've pretty much decided on which weapons he gets and the bosses, but I'm willing to change my mind if a good suggestions comes up.