Euphemism: (Can Lelouch derive any essence or whatnot from the thoughts of his fangirls?) Yes he can, though he would gladly do without it.
Dislaimer: I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.
This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.
Black As Night - Act 2
{●}
From within the depths of Lelouch's soul-structure Seyrun breathed out a sigh. Not that he really needed to, being incorporeal and all that, but old habits die hard. He may existed only as a consciousness using Lelouch's senses to interact with the outside world without being able to control the lad's body, and had his own body only inside dreams, but he still worried. After all his life now depended on Lelouch, and while the lad had, despite his eccentricities, a healthy survival instinct...his absurd luck often put him in situations that would have given Seyrun a hearth attack, were he still capable of having one.
Seriously, meeting four Unquestionables and a Yozi, the Demon City at that, in less than five days?
For a demon such as him, who pursued his ambitions with great care to never attract the attention of Citizens and above, meeting the Kings and Queens of Hell was a terrifying experience. The most he dreamed of was being recruited by a Citizen after his own organization grew large enough, and he would have been fine with that: war is eternal in Malfeas, and good skills are valued by everyone. With a bit of luck he could have left a great legacy behind.
Until he was selected to carry an Exaltation. Well, his stupid boys were still there with him so his ambition didn't become impossible, just in need of a bit more of guile and patience. He was an Anuhle, he had plenty of patience.
"Hehehe..."
"Mmh...mmh..."
"Mh?" Seyrun strained his hearing. "What's this...music?"
"Ciao-o-o!"
Hearing a voice from behind he turned around by instincts, not yet realizing such a phenomenon should have been impossible in his condition.
"By the Ebon Dragon's whiskers!"
Not that it stoped Seyrun from being surprised.
A Britannian Noble who was up to many illicit businesses, and was paying the police to look the other way. The security around his villa was heavy, but success would give Zero a huge publicity boost. It was what Lelouch created the Black Knights for. It was also a good method to separate the worthy from the trash, testing his men in a grand baptism of blood...though, those reports of demon wards in the Noble's villa made the Fiend wary he could be a Dragonblooded or have one in his service, but that just meant he was probably hiding something valuable. Leouch had the Anuhles for anything supernatural, and if push came to shove his last resort would be Milly and Akio lying ne-
"Boooosssss!"
He put down the pen. "Seyrun, there is no need to shout. I hear you pe-"
"Do the lucid dream thing. Now."
Lelouch frowned at Seyrun's voice. If he didn't know any better, he would say the demon overwhelmed by so many different emotions he could not decide on which one to fall into. But surely...? "Is it necessary? I haven't finished yet."
"You need to see this yourself."
Okay, that was worrying: what could have spooked Seyrun so much?
To Lelouch's relief C.C. left while he was working. Skipping his usual rituals altogether he lied down on his bed, closed his eyes and used his most successful technique to quickly fall asleep: reciting Shakespeare's Othello from memory, imagining he was back in the garden of Aries Villa where he first read it.
It worked like a charm, and when his nose catches the smell of flowers Lelouch opened his eyes to find himself in the garden, sitting at a table for afternoon outside tea parties. He closed the book and put it down. "Alright Seyrun, what did you want to show m-"
"Papa-a-a!"
Something collided with his sternum, sending the ex-prince tumbling and rolling on the grass floor until he stopped, supine and with a weight on his chest.
"Papa is here! Papa! I finally meet you Papa-a-a!" Hearing the young and chirpy voice he never heard before Lelouch's eyes snapped open.
There, sitting on his chest was a slim, young girl the same age as Nunnally with a smile that made her resemble a cartoonishly cute mouse, wearing a purple sailor uniform. She had long, tidy white hair with a pale blue, purple, pink, green, and yellow tint...that moved. On closer inspection he noticed it was not the tint that moved but the hairs themselves, quivering from top to bottom like the surface of a waterfall. A moment later he realized they were not hair at all, but rather a liquid like opalescent quicksilver.
However, the most glaring proof of her not being human was the eyes: the pupils were concentric rings of golden, red and orange switching color between themselves like a neon light, the lack of any ordinate rhythm in the process causing a sort of sting in his eyes.
Lelouch was about to ask just who or what she was-
"Now, now dear sister. Please get up: that position is entirely inappropriate."
The music started. It was like a slow, puissant concert of soft piano music and wind instruments. At the same time the light in the area dimmed, the clear sky without sun darkening as if dusk had arrived suddenly.
The mysterious girl turned to the side, to address the speaker and pouted. "Do-o-on't wanna!" Lelouch followed her gaze.
For a moment the image was superimposed by another, making him blink. When he re-opened his eyes he realized there were glaring differences: the flawless skin was of the purest white instead of black, while her dress was the color of obsidian. The raven tresses were the same though, if shorter.
The new girl's eyes were closed in concentration as she played an elaborate transverse flute made of black and glowing green bone, the indistinct shapes in the night-landscape behind her giving the impression there were many hidden beings following her music by playing instruments.
There was a flurrying sound, and two small bat wings spread from behind her back. At the same time she stopped playing, even if the background music kept on, her eyes opening to reveal glowing pupils of eerie green witch-light.
With a languid smile the girl walked up to the first one, put her hands under her armpits and lifted her up. Then, keeping a perfect equilibrium even with a thrashing little girl in her arms, she performed a curtsy. "Dear progenitor, please forgive my little sister's unsightly behavior."
"I'm not the little sister! You are! I'm older than you!" The little girl protested with indignation.
"Uh uh uh, you're quite short for being a big sister."
"Wa-a-ah! Meanie!"
"What is this...?" Having finally regained the use of his voice Lelouch stood up. He knew he should be angry, but for some reason he are unable to muster any type of negative reaction towards those girls. "Who are you two?"
Both girls blinked, as if honestly confused by your question. They looked at each other and nodded: the girl in black put down the colorful girl, who quickly went to the former's side.
""We're you!"" They say in unison. ""We're also family!""
"What? You're not making any sense!"
"Now do you get why you had to see this for yourself?" Seyrun skittered down from the wall, shuddering when the little girl waved at him. "This is soooo outside my competence it isn't even funny."
Lelouch pointed at the two girls. "Who are they? Isn't this part of my soul? Shouldn't you and me be the only ones able to access it?"
"Yes. Which should give you an inkling of what's going on." At Lelouch's questioning glare Seyrun elaborate. "Now, I am not expert so I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong, because this is downright heresy. I think...I think your soul budded."
"My soul what?"
"Remember how Yozis and Unquestionables have multiple souls? I think...Cecelyne forgives me." He gulped. "I think that, by taking on the powers of the Yozis, you started a similar process. Those two?" He pointed to the two girls. "They appeared some time after you unlocked your last powers."
"That is correct." The raven-haired girl said, the flute resting near her lips without playing. "I was born from the power of Sacred Ebon Dragon." She blowed a single note. "And mother's love."
"I was born from the power of Sacred Oramus!" The silver-haired girl flailed her arms, jumping from one foot to the other. "And I'm the oldest! Really-y-y!"
"From a human perspective, I guess they're your daughters?" Seyrun shrugged hopelessly. "So...congratulations Boss, you're a father? Is that how humans say it?"
"...Ehehe. I see. Ehehe." Lelouch began to giggle, but both his smile and eyes were hollow. "Excuse me for a moment."
He ran into the palace.
A few moments later there was the sound of something crashing, someone yelling in pain, a wide variety of curses, what sounded a bit like a head impacting wood, another loud crash, loud pleadings for mercy, and silence.
Seyrun stared with wide eyes.
"Papa is funny!" The short girl giggled.
A loud crash came from the palace, curses, yelling, cries of agony, more crashes, the sound of breaking glass, shouting, clashing steel, and finally deranged laughter.
Lelouch crawled back, clothes torn as if someone savagely bit them. He grabbed Seyrun's face and pushed him to his level, staring at him with wide, crazy eyes. "Did you know this would happen?"
"No!" Seyrun protested. Then, more calmly: "I think nobody expected it. It's not as if something like the Green Sun Princes ever existed before..."
"How bad it is?"
"Showing signs of being like an Unquestionable? While I like to believe you have great value as Peer, I find it more probable they'll torture you to death. And then torture your ghost for eternity." He paused. "Or they may open you up to see how exactly it works before doing the torture part."
"Don't worry Papa!" The silver-haired girl's face appeared in front of Lelouch. Upside-down. Somehow, without them realizing it she moved into a handstand between him and Seyrun. "We will protect Papa from the bad guys!"
"Sister is right." The raven haired girl instead was sitting in seiza position to Lelouch's side. "You're our dear progenitor. Now and forever, we're on your side."
Of course. There was no one who Lelouch trusted more than himself.
He would have liked that parts of him didn't take life of their own and resembled girls though!
"Alright. Alright alright alright." He breathed deeply. In out. In out. "I can deal with this. Like everything else. I can. First-" He asked Seyrun, pointing at the girls. "Can their presence be detected?"
"It should be the same as me. Impossible to be perceived unless using machines to manipulate the soul."
"Good! You...Wait." Lelouch turned the girls. "What are your names?"
""We don't have names."" They both said.
He stammered. "What?"
"We were born only recently." The shorter girl replied with the tone of someone stating the obvious.
"As such, our identities are still not clearly defined." The taller girl put a hand over her chest and spread the other. "Dear progenitor, would you do us the honor of naming us?"
Naming them? But it was true he couldn't just refer to them as 'you' and 'the other one'. Calming down Lelouch sit down and began to think.
"I've decided." He spoke up after several minutes. "From now on, your names will be as such."
"Your name is...Anesidora." He said in an affectionate manner while ruffling the little girl's hair.
"While your name is...Sinnihtáre." He smiled at the black-haired girl.
"Kimbery's wrath, I feel a headache coming." Seyrun protested afterwards, the two sisters celebrating their new names by dancing and singing. "What I wouldn't do for a cigar."
"Recall the memory of one." Lelouch deadpanned, trying to ward off his migraine.
"I never smoked a cigar strong enough to deal with what I am experiencing right now."
The annoyance in the demon's voice was what tips the Fiend off. "Oh, really? Let me help." He put one hand on the ground.
"What are yo-" Seyrun's voice was drowned out by the sound of inchoate Essence surging out of Lelouch's hand. Concentrating deeply he visualized the end goal, and tweaked it until the project resonated with the power of Oramus. The local reality twisted, flowing like clay by his will. Suddenly he stood up before pulling his hand upward.
What was left was a pillar of stone, upon which rested a box. He took the latter and presented it to Seyrun. "Here. Special cigars, all for you." He opened it, revealing a row of cigars.
Seyrun hesitatingly took one. "What makes them special?"
"I have no idea." Lelouch grinned at his shocked face before closing his eyes. "See you later."
He willed himself awake. The moment he opened his eyes in the real world the dream dissolved.
Save for the pillar of stone and the box of cigars.
The door of the Survival Game Club opened, and from it Lelouch entered, carrying a bag on his shoulder and a piece of paper in the other hand.
The President didn't stop polishing her gun, instead grinning fiercely at him. "Welcome back, Lamperouge."
"Nice to see you again, Miss Glass." He put the paper on the table next to her. "This is a formal authorization from the Headmaster for me to be part of two clubs at once."
Caitlin Tiffany Glass just laughed like a maniac while Lelouch went to his locker to retrieve his weapon.
"The President bet a lot of money on your return." One of the second-year members, a girl called Maya Kerrigan, cheerfully told him.
"Is that so?"
"Out of curiosity, what made you come back?"
He put the final bullet inside and closed the cartridge. "A lot of reasons."
Like the fact he had yet to win a game against that gun-demoness.
Lelouch brought the cup to his lips and drank the hot coffee, letting his gaze wander around as if annoyed. As such, to any external observer it was only a case that he lingered for a second more on the large villa on the other side of the street. 'What do you think?'
"Those guards are good, but their movements are sloppy. They're only going through the motions." Seyrun pointed out. "There is no real tension. There hasn't been a break-in or other emergency for a long time."
'This means their guard will be low. Good. And the villa is not a Manse. Now, if only I could look directly at this Marquess Anson.'
"He isn't home yet?"
'No. Unless he returns this evening, I'll have to postpone the ope-'
"Hello there!" Someone suddenly sit down on Lelouch's table, in front of him. "What is a cutie like you doing sitting all alone?"
'Cutie?'
He lowered the cup, and looked at the platinum blond woman with a nonplussed expression. "Drinking my coffee." He raised the cup to empathize his point.
"That's boring! See, wouldn't you prefer to do something more...fun?" She bent forward on one elbow while her other hand slightly pulled her tube top down, revealing more of her cleavage. She winked while blowing him a kiss. "Big sister will take care of e-ve-ry-thi-ng."
Every spoken syllable of 'everything' felt like a digit closing around Lelouch's crotch, making him shudder. Then, in a moment of horrifying clarity, he realized what was happening. "Are you...flirting with me?"
"Oh come on." She waved him off. "Like it has never happened to you before."
"..." He stayed silent, his ears turning slightly red.
"...Oh my Lu-God! It hasn't!" She covered her mouth with both hands and giggled. "That's, like, so cute! Kissing?"
"..."
"Holding hands?"
"..."
"Want to have your first time in all of them, and more?" She asked with a husky tone.
Lelouch slammed the cup down on the table and stood up. "I'm leaving."
"Wait wait wait!" She ran in front of him and held up both hands pressed together, as if asking for forgiveness. "Did I make you uncomfortable? Sorry about that, sometimes I get carried away. Can we start all over again?"
He stared at her right in the eyes, hoping to convey all of his annoyance like a spear through her obliviousness. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
"Nope. My room has only a single bed, and it gets lonely without anyone to share it."
'This loose woman!'
He was about to call the police when she looked above his shoulder and froze. Turning very pale she nervously tugged her jacket's collar. "Ooops. Look at the time..Gottagobyecutie!" And just like that she ran out of the bar at full speed, like she had a pack of rabid dogs on her heels.
'What was that?!'
"A female of your species trying a courtship displa-"
'That was a rhetorical question!'
"Oh, hey Zero." Ohgi greeted him. "I gathered everyone like you asked."
"Good. I hope you're ready gentlemen." Lelouch put the rolled up map on the table and opened it for everyone to see. "Because the first official operation of the Black Knights is tonight."
"Which is...?" Tamaki asked.
"A corrupt Britannian Noble who is involved in many illegal activities and is paying the police to look the other way. We're going to storm into his house, find the evidence of his crimes and air it for everyone to see."
"Seriously?!"
"Seriously." Zero's phone rang. He opened it and read the message. "I stand corrected: we're airing the evidence, together with the Noble himself. Because he just returned home."
The clock was approaching one o'clock. Outside the villa of Marquess Anson everything was peaceful, the stillness of the night being interrupted only by an armed guard walking around the perimeter.
"This is the plan. Kallen, Yoshitaka: you will board two of the Sutherlands and stay on stand-by inside trucks positioned near the villa. Hopefully they will not be needed, but it's best to be prudent. The others will hide near the perimeter, waiting for my orders. I will send the security guards to your locations, so that you can ambush them quickly and silently."
"And how are you going to do that?"
"It's simple, Tamaki."
The guard reached a blind zone in the cameras field, and was surprised to see another guard waiting for him, an helmet covering his face. "What's going on? My shift has not ended yet."
"Oh, nothing much." The guard's eyes widened at hearing a voice completely identical to his own, and they widened even more when the helmet was raised and the guard ended up staring at himself. "Just an invasion."
"I happen to be very good at disguise."
Before the guard could react Lelouch took out the Stormwand and fired. The charge hit him right in the chest, unleashing the electrical current into his body. He had a spasm for an instant before falling to the ground, unconscious. Calmly Lelouch took off from him the rifle and other accessories like the radio before an Anuhle appeared and dragged away the body.
Setting everything into its proper place the disguised Lelouch resumed the late guard's patrol. Once in front of the main gate however he made a turn and walked inside the premises, flashing his ID to the guards stationed there. Who just gave him a quick glance before shrugging and immediately forgetting his existence.
While it made his job easier Lelouch hoped not all guards were so lazy, because that would just be an insult to his intelligence.
The dematerialized Anuhles that only him could see took the lead, guiding him towards the central security room while looking out for anything that might result in undue scrutiny. He had to hide a few times to avoid another patrol, but soon he was in front of the security room. He waited ten seconds, giving the demonic spiders time to take position, and then he acted.
"Sir, I have something to report!" Zero said as he walked into the villa's central security room, closing the door behind him.
"Well then, out with it! What is so damn important you had to come in here and disrupt our coffee break?" the apparent head of security barked.
"The villa is under attack by giant spiders!" Lelouch exclaimed, his voice dead serious.
"What!? Don't be absu-" *glomp* he was interrupted as an Anuhle materialized, tackling him from out of nowhere and digging its fangs into the man's throat. As the Anuhles swiftly took care of the guards in the room Lelouch went to the main console to begin his assault in earnest.
First he sent all feeds of other camera watching posts in a loop, so that they won't see anything out of the ordinary. Then he cut off all lines of communication with the outside and emergency systems, sending a message to the nearby police station that it was due to maintenance work being done. It would not fool them forever, but it will be enough.
That done he took out the radio and selected a certain channel. "R-1, are you ready?"
"Zero?"
"No, I am Cornelia Li Britannia." He sneered. "I said: are you ready?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Good." He went through the cameras and found the nearest patrol. Then he grabbed the microphone and contacted them, imitating the head of security's voice. "I saw something move near the alley on your left. Go check it out."
"Yes Boss!" They obeyed the order immediately. Lelouch watched with satisfaction as his men, wearing the Black Knight's uniform complete with beret and visor, gun them down without the smallest noise. Thank the Yozis for silencers.
He repeated the same process many times, sending the guards into ambushes or out of the way as his forces infiltrate the villa. "Is everyone in?" He asked at the end.
"Yes Zero." Ohgi replied.
"Good." He stood up and shed his disguise, revealing Zero in all his glory. "Secure the perimeter. Subdue or eliminate all remaining targets. Make sure nothing that may appear suspicious is visible from the outside. Search everywhere for any document related to what we're searching for." Lelouch adjusted his suit's neck. "I'll go after the Marquess."
"Alone?"
"Don't worry, I'm well prepared." 'And not at all alone.' he mentally added. "You, on the other hand, should keep an eye out for anything unusual. I have no proof, but there is the possibility the Marquess or someone in his employ has special training. I'm talking about special forces, those guys sent behind enemy lines to wage guerrilla warfare. Extremely dangerous even when outnumbered. Be prepared to fall back if needed and notify me in the event of such an encounter. I'll contact you again when everything's clear."
"Alright Zero. Be careful."
He put the radio in his pocket before leaving the room, the Anuhles following after hm. Reaching deeper into the villa he walked into the Marquess' private quarters. 'Nobody's around.' He thought, entering a large corridor decorated with hunting trophies. They were all of dangerous animals like tigers and alligators. 'Perfect.'
CRASH!
The wall on the other side of the corridor shook, plaster falling down like fine powder.
"You were saying?" Seyrun snarked before turning serious. "Boss, I think someone's fighting. And not with guns, but with old good metal."
'Fighting?' It was not one of his men, so the only possibility left was- 'Someone was there before us?'
"It's not impossible."
Uhm. May be troublesome. Or, it may be an opportunity.
Only one way to find out.
Watching his steps Lelouch reached the door at the end and opened enough for him to pass and sneak past it. He found himself on a platform looking down a large hall. Slowly he reached the rails and looked down.
The sight was out of a fairy tale: in the middle of the hall there was a man in a knight's uniform, his large and fit body surrounded by a faint yellow and white light. He was also swinging around an hammer of white stone as big as him like it weighed nothing.
But weighed a lot it must have, because his opponent was dodging every blow with great care. Glowing softly with a pale silvery light, an actual cat-woman hybrid with white fur and glowing silver tattoos tried to retaliate by attacking with sharp-looking nails, but her blows didn't seem to be much effective: there were many bleeding cuts on the man's body, but only a few seemed really serious.
'Is that what I think it is?'
"A Dragonblooded fighting a Lunar? Damn straight it is. The Dragon most likely works for the Noble, while the Warden was probably sneaking around until the big guy found her."
Well, wasn't that interesting? For the time being the enemy of his enemy was his friend, and it was likely in both of Lelouch and the Lunar's enlightened self-interest to work together.
"If I may Boss-" Seyrun told him. "I suggest using five of the boys for a simultaneous attack before having them fall back."
'Will it suffice? That Dragonblooded looks quite sturdy even without armor.'
"Even one hit will suffice. Have you forgotten?" The demon chuckled. "Us Anuhles are poisonous."
Oh? Well then, that made things easier.
Lelouch drew his Hellcaster in one hand, while silently giving hand signals to the Dark Green Fangs. From his lofty position above the two combatants he waited a few seconds until his target was turned away from him by the dance of death he was engaged in.
Then he took aim and fired three shots at the unsuspecting Dragonblooded knight's back while he was distracted by dodging the Lunar's latest attacks.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Taken completely by surprise the Knight staggerd as the three bullets buried themselves into his back. His eyes widened in surprise, as did those of the Lunar.
Of course, that was when five Anuhles materialized in a circle around Lelouch's foe and sunk their fangs into his body before jumping back. Satisfied with the result Zero began to slowly descend the stairs, leaving his Hellcaster in clear view as the Anuhles skittered back to stand around him.
Having temporarily forgotten about his previous opponent the Dragonblooded turned to face the Fiend, eyes glowering with hate. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"Me?" Zero put one hand over his chest and tilted his head sideways. "I am sorry to say this, but there is no need to tell you." Under the mask he smiled condescendingly. "After all, the poison is going to kill you in the next thirty seconds."
The Knight opened his mouth, but what comes out was a gush of blood. Panic briefly appeared on his face before he roared in outrage and charged at the black-clad figure, giant hammer at the ready. He took five steps before his body was wracked by a fit of violent coughing, more blood coming out of his mouth. Still, he stood.
Lelouch took aim and shot, blowing a hole through his forehead. He blinked a final time before his body went slack and fell to the ground, the hammer landing next to him.
"Uuh.." He turned to look at the Lunar, who was watching him and the Anuhles with a mix of wariness and worry. "Am I next?"
"It depends." He tilted his head towards the fallen Knight. "Do you work for the owner of this place, as this one obviously did?"
"...No?"
"Then I have no reason to do so." He twirled the Hellcaster once before putting it back into its sheath. "Though, I didn't expect someone else to sneak inside at the same time as me."
The humanoid feline looked at him for a few seconds before seemly reaching a conclusion. She glowed briefly as her body began to transform: her size lessened and the feline characteristics receded, leaving behind a young woman with platinum blond ha-
Lelouch's eyes widened under the mask. 'The loose woman!' Indeed, she was the same shameless one who tried to flirt with him this afternoon.
"Thanks for the save then!" She gave you a thumb up while grinning cheerfully. "Name's Anja. Who are you suppose to be, Mr. Tall, Dark and Mysterious?"
"Boss, you have a mask: it's improbable she recognized you. It's best to act nonchalantly."
'Good thinking.' Suppressing his surprise Zero raised an arm before spreading it to the side, letting his cape flutter. "I am...Zero! The noble that lives here is responsible for many crimes, and I have come to bring him to justice!"
She raised an eyebrow. "Sorry to say this, Zero, but the whole 'superhero' gig isn't going to work well if you use demons as sidekicks." She looked at the Dragonblooded. "Even if they are effective."
"Thank for the warning, but don't worry about me: for public relations, I have my human subordinates that are currently sweeping through the rest of the villa." The eyebrow moved higher. "And I am a revolutionary, not a superhero."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "I told you why I am here, so allow me to pose the same question to you: what is the reason for your presence here?"
She slightly scratched her cheek with one finger, letting Lelouch realize her nails were those of a cat. "Weeell, I suppose telling you can't hurt. Basically, my teacher said he wanted to see if I am ready or some shit like that, and assigned me a solo mission." Her eyes narrowed. "Apparently, the guy who owns this place moved a lot of things from a Wyld zone here, and I need to find out if he'd doing anything unsavory."
"Things from a Wyld Zone? Uhm, I suppose that there is a risk of Wyld taint spreading around, but how would that be useful?"
'Only one way to find out.' "Interesting. I don't believe our goals are mutually exclusive." He spread his right arm forward, pointing to the other end of the hall. "Care to join me?"
"Don't mind if I do." She grinned cheerfully.
"Splendid." Then he remembered the giant hammer and pointed at it. "Do you want that?"
"It's all yours."
He nodded before signaling the Anuhles: two of them lifted the hammer and together with the other three fell into line behind him. Lelouch began to walk away, Anja following while keeping a certain distance.
Smart that. He approved.
One thing he noted as they walked through the rest of Marquess Anson's private quarters was that the man must have a real passion for the hunt, because there were trophies everywhere.
"Is that an elephant?" Anja wondered aloud, staring at the head of the great beast fixed on the wall.
"How quaint." Lelouch scoffed before walking past it without a second thought.
One of the Anuhles walking ahead took a peek behind a corner. "Boss, there are two armed guys guarding a door."
"Must be the Marquess's room." Zero made a signal, and two Anuhles crawled to the ceiling and past the corner. When he heard two muffled cries he turned around the corner, ignoring the two corpses in favor of reaching for the door and slamming it open.
"What the-Aaah!" The man sleeping in the bed had just enough time to wake up before two spiders jumped on him.
Five seconds later they deposited him on Zero's feet, tied up with his own sheets. "Marquess Anson, I presume?" He asked while looking down at him.
"What is the meaning of this?! I will have you hanged for-" He screamed before abruptly stop as Lelouch pressed the Hellcaster's barrel against his head.
"I will ask this just once: where is your study?"
Five minutes later Lelouch was seated at the desk where Anson did most of his work, typing on his computer. When a big window warning popped up he turned to the Marquess. "The password?"
"Go to hell you damn Elevens." He spit.
And then he screamed when Anja stepped down hard on his crotch. "Shut up and spit it out." She sneered, drilling her foot even deeper.
"X-94758-N!"
"He's lying." Zero informed Anja.
She smiled sadistically before raising her leg. The nails of her foot morphed into long, wicked claws.
Anson's face lost all colors. "A-34254-W!"
He typeed the password and hummed in approval when the green words 'ALL CLEAR' appear. "There, was that so hard? He's all yours, Anja."
"Thanks, Zero!" While he was busy raiding the Marquess' digital archive the Lunar raised the noble by the neck of his shirt. "So, tough boy: I was almost killed by that gorilla looking after your stuff, and I am pretty miffed because of it." Her hand morphed into wicked claws. "So, unless you want me to spend the rest of the night removing every single centimeters of your skin, you are going to tell me what you did with all the Wyld-tainted stuff you brought."
Anson stood silent for a few seconds, staring with hate and fear at Anja before his lips slit into a crooked smile. "Oh, that? If you're so curious, what do you say about me showing you?"
"I say: lead the way." Anja put him down. Her hand went back to normal but she took out a knife. "But no tricks."
"Do you mind if I tag along?" Zero removed the USB from the computer and put it into his pocket. "I'm done here anyway."
Pantheon Souls:
Anesidora, the Exuberant Genius: Lelouch's strategic genius given form by the power of Oramus. She looks like Shiro from No Game No Life.
Sinnihtáre, the Eternal Night of Grace: Lelouch's indulgence given form by the power of Ebon Dragon. She looks like Dead Master from Black Rock Shooter.
AN: the Pantheon Souls came from a set of homebrew Charms, and differ from those found in the Broken-Winged Crane in that are available at lower essence. The two (for now) Souls of Lelouch were created by the players of the original SV thread.