NOVEL WEB Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Hey Soul Sister 1
4 Days Ago [09:13:51 am]
Her kicks came as fast as a rocket.
"Ugh!" A direct hit from behind sent Lincoln tumbling on the floor.
"You act like you're invincible." Carmilla Carmine spoke; the bat-like Overlord slowly approached. "Your attacks have power, but their sloppy and your focus in fully on that moment."
The devil-tailed boy got to his feet, unarmed in his IMP uniform. "That's why I came to my first lesson."
"This isn't me teaching. This is you proving you're worth my time." She circled the younger Sinner. "Compared to the huevos I saw the other day, the you now is very,very underwhelming."
Lincoln put his guard up. If he wanted to get strong enough to make it in Hell, he'd need to grow used to fighting without weapons or spells. Seeing his renewed energy, Carmilla charged like she was going to use a frontal attack; but at the last second, she dropped to the ground and did a leg sweep. As their little spar continued, Lincoln was left on his knee, panting.
"Whoever taught you to fight, they did a satisfying job." The ballet Demon lectured. "That is, if your fighting someone of about equal size. Your attempts at getting the upper-hand-" She dodged her head when Link tried to attack with a spike protruding from his tongue. "While clever, are nearsighted and only serve as a last effort at best. Every move should be a continuation of what you did before. You can think ahead past your opponents next move, but you need to think ahead to the I had been a regular human, completely unaware of your existence, you might have gotten the better of me." Her next attack went to the boy's chest.
"Are you... saying I'm wrong to fight unfairly?" Lincoln asked, winded.
Surprisingly, this caused the arms dealer to laugh. "Tell me, Chiquito, how would you define anunfair fight?"
"You you don't know?" He sat the floor for a moment, jesting. "Hm, say as you and I continue fighting, but then suddenly I pull out a gun? Compared to you, someone who doesn't have a gun, my chances of winning just got increased unfairly."
"And you should be at fault for it?" Walking away at short distance, she continued. "If you are fighting with the goal of surviving, then don't give yourself a handicap."
"Uncle Alastor and the others say that, too." Although he's thankful for IMP and many of his friends at the hotel, he didn't always agree with how they handle certain situations. "Señora Carmine, do you believe... fighting with honor has any value?"
"What a foolish boy?" She chuckled. "Of course honor has value, but at the same time it has no value."
"Value but no value?" Link scratched his head.
"Honor drives one to fight for something greater than themselves. It can be one's truest weapon, but at the same time it is one's greatest weakness." Carmilla clenched her fist before the boy. "When you are fighting for the survival of yourself and those you cherish, honor has no value if you die. Therefore, you have the greatest honor by fighting dishonorably!"
Allowing her words to sink in, a moment passed before Lincoln gave a response. "That's hilarious!" He laughed vividly. "Okay, I think I understand. Now here's a different question, what if I just threw a grenade at you?"
The older Sinner shared a laugh. "I would have no excuse to judge, just make sure you can finish me off before I get the chance."
With a smile plastered on his face, Lincoln threw the palm full of blood he had been pooling. The black blood glowed slightly as it got near Carmilla Carmine. In one an instant, the blood detonated like a grenade; as his body moved to his next move, he thought back to his sparring with Millie to prepare with for his first lesson with an Overlord.
Millie is reviewing Lincoln the basics of footwork while exchanging playful blows. "That's it, Sugarcube!" She encouraged. "Like two-steppin', you move with your opponent."
As he continues to keep time with his teacher/coworker, his mind has a vision of someone. Lincoln doesn't know who it is, but he sees a Japanese boy near his age, standing on a beach with foot prints surrounding the boy. The imaginary boy looks up and he has a smile on his face, but eyes as empty as the dead.
The imp woman throws a punch, but Lincoln suddenly vanishes from her sight. Reappearing at her side, he was about to strike his coworker with a twisting palm attack, but Lincoln lost his footing and sent him self tumbling to the floor. Millie ran to check on him, and shockingly found that his feet and right wrist were broken.
"What happened, Lincoln?" She asked.
"I... don't know. It was like I was someplace else for a moment, and my body... I'm sorry, Millie. I should have done better."
"No, Child." The imp assassin comforted. "You listened to your instincts, and assassin or not, that is an important skill. Just one piece of advice if you try that again; just a little somethin' my Mama told me." She smiled. "Never fight like you're gonna die. You fight like yer dead, and it's a murder-suicide pact."
Smiling, Lincoln charged towards a growling Carmilla. When the Overlord tried to counter, Lincoln vanished from her sight and left behind a 'Thing' doll from Loo Loo Land. While she was confused, Lincoln whistled from below and attacked. Using the same spinning motion from the palm attack he would have used on Millie, this time Lincoln turned his hand into a fist and sent an uppercut to Carmilla's jaw. It would have got him a win in a sanctioned match, but this is a fight. Following his momentum, the ballet demon jumped off the floor at the last moment, and spin-kicked the white-haired boy into a pillar.
"My, I wasn't expecting that." She became full business as she approached.
Definitely too injured to get up, Lincoln weakly laughed. He was feeling intense pain, but he was strangely content with how he lost.
"Are you... laughing?" She observed; then, putting two fingers in her mouth to whistle, Carmilla summoned her daughters. "Congratulations, you proved that you can lose with honor. Now I have to turn you into someone who can win, just the same." The Overlord's children pushed two carts filled with equipment. "Don't expect the rest of my teaching to be as easy."
Looking at each other, both the boy and the ballerina couldn't help but laugh.
Present
Nobody would suspect three demons would be driving down the California interstate in a red Subaru Outback heading to Los Angeles. Behind the stirring wheel, Jill was keeping her hands at ten and two; Lincoln sat in the passenger seat with his eyes shut and unresponsive; and Martha was lying in the back reading a magazine. More prepared for this excursion, the trio got better clothing; Lincoln was wearing a blue pullover hoodie, baggy jeans, and white sneakers; Jill wore a green sweater-vest over a white blouse, Capri-pants, and red flats; lastly, Martha rocked a yellow and red stripped V-neck, blue jeans, and brown cowboy boots, along with wearing her hair in a fashion that it covered her eyepatch. During the drive, the two adults killed time with banter.
"You have to admit it's funny!" Martha said. "Demons on their way to the 'City of Angels'? Ironic."
"It'll be more funny if me and him ditch you there." Jill responded.
"Why are we goin'? What could be so important there, the boy would have us appear in Reno at night just to drive there?"
"... It doesn't matter." The former teach answered. "Lincoln thinks there's someone in LA that can help him. Who, how, and why aren't are concern."
Martha looked at the boy from the backseat. "He's awfully deep in thought for hours now. What if we're goin' the wrong way?"
Jill showed a folded broacher map. "He wrote the directions and the address here. We won't get lost." Snatching the map out her hand, the woman with glasses swerved the car. "What the-?"
"A map? Who still uses those!?" She laughed. "Either who we're lookin' for is off grid, or Linky is scared of getting hacked?"
4 Days Ago [12:40:12 pm]
The ballet demon is doing paperwork at her desk when her friend, Zestial, arrives.
"Zestial? I wasn't expecting you." Carmilla Carmine stands to greet him.
"Good Afternoon, Carmilla." The older demon bowed. "Forgive mine intrusion, yet I was curious on how hath thy tutelage of the sirrah, Lincoln, progressed."
"Now that you mention it, I should check on him." She headed for the door. "Please, come see."
Returning to the grand hall she left the boy with Clara and Odette, the two Overlords find the devil-tailed boy just as she'd left him. Balance and concentration are the two most important requirements for ballet, but Carmilla's way of teaching is more strict than a standard instructor. Lincoln stood in the 'en pointe' position like the Overlord and her daughters do, but he had to do so while balancing on a broom handle while balancing bowls of water on his head, shoulders, elbows, and wrists. All while listing prime numbers with no more than three seconds pause between, or Odette would strike his stomach with a riding crop.
"Lincoln, how are you feeling?" Carmilla asked, circling the boy.
"If this is how you feel standing all the time..." Link concentrated on standing up right. "You must be in Hell."
"It requires much pain." She stopped. "For pain is how you become strong." To check water temperature, the ballet demon put a finger in one bowl. "Cold, let's fix that. Clara, if you would."
Doing as her mother instructed, Clara brought over a large kettle of boiling water. One bowl at a time, Carmilla would empty out the cold water and pour in the boiling until it almost spills over; during this, Lincoln took advantage to wiggle his joints. After she finished, she stood in front of her student.
"Do you know what these shoes are made of?" The Overlord pointed the tip towards Lincoln's stomach.
"...Angelic Steel." He answered.
"Indeed, I bet you must wonder why I would use such a valuable metal." She resumed circling like a shark. "As the Number 1 Arms Dealer, I made sure to properly equip myself. To ensure the safety of my daughters and I adopted a style of defense most... natural to me."
"Señora... why tell me this?"
"That move you used on me." Carmilla touched her chin. "That wasn't something your previous instructor taught you. No, I'm wrong... she taught you, but you made it your own?"
"Yes." Link was struggling to stay en pointe.
The ballet demon put the tip of her shoe only an inch from the boy's face, then put it down. "That was what you must do! Take what is known to you, and make it your own!"
Inspiration hit him, Lincoln would have lost balance if not for Carmilla pinching his nose. "Thanks, can I stop now?"
"Hm..." She thought over it. "After I have lunch. Zestial, how about that little place in Uptown?"
Zestial gulped slightly. "Perhaps, yet it would take a bit of time to eat."
"I'm in no rush." Carmilla head for the door, a mischievous smile on her face. "Let's walk, I could use some fresh air."
"You always bring up that affair!" Martha poked her head through the front seats. "That happened in our human lives. I could say, 'This is tasty ice cream', and you would respond with, 'Oh, me and my husband like to eat ice cream before you slept with him.'."
"Of course I always bring it up." Jill admitted. "If I didn't that would mean you aren't a complete bitch!"
"How about this? I met a guy, hit it off with him, we get married, and then you can have an affair with him to make us even?" The one-eyed blonde fake smiled.
"Thatmight work, if you also have a career that my affair could ruin, traumatize innocent children, and leads to the deaths of my 'hypothetical' family and some cops!" The driver looked into Martha's face for a moment, furious.
"... So that's a 'yes'?"
Jill swerved the car, tossing Martha around like a twister. "No."
The woman in the backseat rubs her head, then takes a look at Lincoln. "This kid is still asleep? Either he's dead, drugged, or exhausted."
"Can't you shut up for a little while?" Jill asked, rhetorically. "We'll be in Los Angeles in an hour."
4 Days Ago [7:03:11 pm]
"Mother." Odette asked, hesitant. "I've always agreed with you decisions on matters of business and such, but don't you think how you're training Lincoln is... a little excessive."
Sitting on a chair with a chessboard assembled beside her, Carmilla Carmine enjoyed a glass of wine while reading a book. "Odette, Clara." She spoke softly.
"Yes, Mother." The responded in unison, staying near their parent.
"Have you ever seen battle?" Carmilla flipped a page. "I don't mean the Exterminations, or the countless other squabbles that occur every moment here. A battle is more than conflict, it's a struggle that pushes you to the brink of your capabilities. The Exterminations have never been a battle, from the beginning it was obvious who would lose; nor could a simple fight be a battle, because neither side is fighting for their survival. So, please, my children, have you ever seenbattle?"
Both Odette and her sister thought about this, then Clara gave an answer. "In that instance, no."
The younger Sinners looked away. "I'm sorry, Mother, for my insolence." Odette apologized.
"It's not your fault, Odette, nor is it yours, Clara." The Overlord put her book down to give her daughters a hug. "When a child doesn't understand why their parent takes action it is out of ignorance. The child can't be to blame, they aren't given life with the knowledge of how to survive. No, the fault lies in the parent, whose own experiences should have told them how to properly justify their actions."
Clara looked up. "Then, why are you pushing him so hard?"
"Lincoln is like iron. Strong, adaptable to change, and can endure great pressure, yet that is also his weakness. Iron is also easily influenced, which is why it needs a firm hand to bring out its potential. He's known from the start he could leave at any moment, but he choses to continue when others would quit." Carmilla giggled. "You can call is strength or stubbornness, but Lincoln Loud is not some weak, frightened little boy." She returns to her seat and resumes reading. "Lincoln, what is your next move!"
The three demons look up to observe Lincoln. From the boy's perspective, he is crouching on a glass floor keeping him from plummeting into the sky. Neither of Clara or Odette could believe it, the child was keeping him self suspended using nothing by the strength of his fingers and toes. Not just that, but he had the mental fortitude to play chess with their mother without looking at the board. Requiring not only focus but able to retain information under stress.
"Knight to F5!" Lincoln called from above. "Checkmate!"
Carmilla Carmine and her daughters looked at the board, and he was right. "Congratulations, you win again!"
Link smiled under the strain. "How many games is that now!?"
"Unimportant!" Carmilla shrugged, bitter at her repeated defeats.
"Eleven, I believe." Zestial appeared, looking up with light amusement. "But thou art right, Carmilla. It is unimportant."
"Thank you." The ballet demon remained cold. "Did you get everything together as I asked?"
"All's hath been arranged as thou wished." The ancient demon looked away. "However, are thou certain of this?"
Carmilla smiled. "Lincoln! We're going on a field trip!"
"Hold it a little longer." Jill spoke to Martha in the backseat, crossing her legs. "This next exit takes us into Los Angeles. Just hold it a little longer and we'll stop at a gas station; maybe they'll have some good tacos here."
"Woah, now who's sounding intolerant." The one-eyed woman accused. "I made a little crack about Asians in that Great Wall lookin' dungeon and you gave me shit!"
"I said 'maybe they'll have some good tacos' because we haven't eater in hours... or days? We've been going on so many missions, I'm starting to lose track of time." She rubbed her head. "Furthermore, that was a Chinese pagoda. When we got there, you got the key with a centipede coiling around it after we lured those sex traffickers to that cyber café."
"No, the sex traffickers were from France and thedrug traffickers were from China. England just had a lot of Asians workin' for them." Martha corrected, taking out the keyring to check. "Damn, this thing is gettin' packed. I bet this thing couldn't handle any more keys."
"Amazing what you can achieve by working triple shifts for a week." Jill turned down the exit. "We'll be at a rest stop soon, just try not to piss yourself."
"Hurry up, now I need to piss and I want tacos." She looked to Lincoln, unresponsive. "Maybe we'll get him a soda while we're at it."
4 Days Ago [8:13:22 pm]
"Hurry up, Moxxie!" Millie yelled, running down the streets of the Doomsday District. "That crazy fuckin' bitch is tryin' to kill our boy!"
"I'm coming Millie!" The sniper responded, winded.
"Saying that later tonight, am I right!?" Blitz joked, ahead of the other male imp. "Serious, Mox, we gotta do something to save that kid!"
"How the fuck does he get himself in this shit!?" Loona tracked Lincoln's scent. "He's just ahead, and he's not alone!"
It was a tall building, broken in half and almost completely leveled. From the noise it was clear a crowd was gathered inside. IMP needed to be fast, they were going to try to sneak in but every entry point was blocked by Hellhound guards.
"Shit, guard dogs are always a pain!" Blitz spoke from experience. "Okay, here's what we do. Millie, you go berserker mom and kill as many fuckers as possible. Loona, you just rip apart every one of the fuckers. Mox, you just fire away like a Rambo motherfuker. Meanwhile, I'll look for the boy and kill any cocksucking, son of a-"
"Excuse me?" From the shadows, Alastor appeared before the Hellborn demons. "As fun as I'm sure that would be, I think I have an easier way to get inside." The Radio Demon smiled wickedly and tapped his cane; a second later, the group was engulfed in shadows and reemerged in a luxury skybox overlooking a crowd of demons below. "Hope you won't find this toouncomfortable."
"Don't try anythin' funny, you fuckin' Radio-faced bastard!" Millie growled. "You better tell us where Lincoln is or I'll-"
"No need to be worried." Strutting towards the window, Carmilla Carmine observed the crowd in cold, disinterest. "Lincoln is in the dressing room getting ready."
"Madam Carmine, although I respect your work, Idemand you release our coworker." Moxxie stepped up and spoke his mind; when the ballet demon looked down on the imp, Moxxie shivered. "I-I mean it. Release... Lincoln, please?"
"Real tough, Fatass." Loona criticized the imp.
"I don't care if you are the kind of boss I aspire to be one day!" Blitz pointed a finger. "Either we're leaving here with my junior partner intact, or I'm gonna-" This time, Alastor quieted the founder of IMP.
"Please, if you think I would allow my precious nephew be brought here if I thought he was in any real danger?" Condescendingly, the Radio Demon spoke to the imps and hellhound.
Millie looked around, seeing more Sinners were here, them being Zestial, Clara, Odette, Husk, and Niffty. "What is this crap!? You puttin' our boy in a death match and placing bets on him!?"
"Only the local Overlords and a limited few are watching this." Carmilla explained. "I told Lincoln before I came up here. He'll go in and fight three hundred Sinners; if he is victorious, my end of the bargain will be fulfilled."
"We heard!" Millie stood on a tall chair to get closer to the arms dealer's face. "You promised any Sinner who takes my boy out a custom angelic weapon for free!"
Carmilla smiled. "I needed to make sure it wouldn't be too easy for the boy." Facing the angered imp woman, the Overlord asked a single question. "Did you train him so bad you believe he'll lose?"
"FUCK NO!" Pointing her finger, Millie didn't let up. "WHAT YOUR ASKIN' OF HIM IS CRAZY!"
"You and I both know what he's capable of." Without needing to release details, Carmilla Carmine showed she knew Lincoln's story. "If I had any suspicion he would lose, I won't have started this."
It was clear, Lincoln would enter that madhouse below and fight for his life. Panicking, Moxxie hyperventilated until Millie held his hand. While their boss and his adopted daughter went to get seats, the imp couple stood at the window to see how everything will unfold. Joining the imps and Carmilla, Alastor stood beside his fellow Overlord.
"Carmilla, you do know if my nephew dies out there,I will kill you?" The voodoo aesthetics manifested on Alastor's person as he looked at the ballet demon.
"I know." She answered, simply. "If he does die out there, I'll give you the knife."
"LA!" Jill was thrilled to finally be in City of Angels. "Just a little while long until we reach our destination. Martha, read the directions."
Opening the map, Martha read aloud. "We gotta go the Metro area. The place were lookin' for is between Silver Lake and Chinatown. Take the surface streets, Then we go to 48..." Her mind wandered as she looked at the still quiet Lincoln. "Should we be worried?"
"I know how to drive, if that's what you're asking?"
"No, I'm talkin' about the kid. He's been quiet as the dead for hours. What did he say he was doin' again?"
Jill recalled what Lincoln told her. "He's meditating or something of the like." She revealed. "I don't really understand how, but he uses a trick he learned from his stage magician hobby. Simply put, he puts himself is a hypnotic trance and retreats into his thoughts"
"Does he know what's happening?" Martha watched the King Piece, confused.
"Kind of, everything happening around Lincoln is like empty noise. Hell, he could be right next to a Gatling-gun and he wouldn't notice." Jill smiled. "It's impressive. So peaceful, able to leave the madness of the world and rest."
Intrigued, the one-eyed blonde considered it. "I think you're wrong." Martha spread out on the backseat. "I think he knows everything that's going on around him. I've been huntin' before, and even critters as fierce as bears don't move about ignorant. You, know what I think? He ain't moved because he has nothing to threat; almost like, he's waitin' for something to catch his attention."
"So what, then?" The former teacher asked. "He's just been sitting back and ignoring us as a joke? I may not know why he does a lot of things, but I know his mind isn't here."
"I don't doubt he's gone somewhere else, Mayberry. I think... he's preparing, like when a soldier is sent out to war they get their minds into a place where the only thing that matters is the battle." Martha sat back up. "He's not restin', he's gettin' ready for battle."
Speechless, the former teacher looked into the rearview mirror. "You know what pisses me off right now?" Jill rhetorically asked. "I think you're right."
4 Days Ago [8:47:10 pm]
This kid is crazy.That was the collective thought of the Overlords present.
Just a few minutes ago, Lincoln was brought into the center of the crowd. Carmilla Carmine declared the conditions of the fight; the white-haired boy would fight against everyone participating until Lincoln couldn't continue. Whichever Sinner beats him will be given a custom angelic steel weapon for free. Outside of that, there were no rules on weapons, time, etc., but before it began, Lincoln made a declaration of his own.
"BEFORE WE BEGIN, I JUST WANT EVERYONE DOWN HERE TO KNOW!" The junior magician yelled with a large smile on his face. "EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU IS A WORTHLESS WIMP! JUST MAKE THIS EASY FOR ALL OF US, GIVE UP AND GO HOME! SAVE YOURSELF THE EMBARRASEMENT OF GETTING BEAT UP BY AN ELEVEN YEAR OLD!"
Mob mentality took over, infuriating the crowd. He wasn't sure who did it, but Lincoln was then shot in the shoulder. "Okay, LET'S PLAY!"
The Sinners participating thought it would be easy, beat up a kid and get free shit. Those who didn't know Lincoln were unprepared for how the boy would fight back. From his body, blades manifested, cutting and slicing demons around him. The most riveting way he used this power, was by having small blades protrude from his fingertips, splitting his nails and attacking like a beast. However, Lincoln wasn't avoiding damage; every time he attacked a demon, two or more would get a hit in. In time, black blood began pooling on the floor.
"We have to stop this!" Moxxie ran up to Carmilla, dropping to his knees and begging. "Please, Ms. Carmine, just stop it!"
"Even if I did, Lincoln wouldn't stop." She answered, her gazes not leaving the boy. "He's attacking like he's going to die."
"No." Millie countered, turning everyone's attention to her for a moment. "He's fightin' like he's dead..." The imp woman smiled, crying prideful tears. "AND THIS IS A MURDER-SUIDICIDE PACT!"
True to her words, Lincoln was not relenting in his attacks. Every opponent he struck suffered a broken bone, a punctured organ, injuries that would kill a human but could only slow down a sinner. When enough of his blood had hit the floor, Lincoln willed it to glow; only instead of combusting, it froze everyone in a close radius in place. Now immobilized, Lincoln had two scythe-like blades extend from his forearms; next, he increased the temperature of his blood until the scythes were glowing red. In a whirlwind of slashes, demons were reaped like wheat.
"Holy Fuck!" Blitz marveled. "He's taking down Sinners like it's bowling! Oh, did you just see that!? I think Link just cut a guy in half, one side burning and the other frozen!"
"This is legit crazy." Loona shivered. "Shit, I think that guy carrying his guts owes me money!"
Standing next to their boss, Husk and Niffty were brought along to see the boy fight. While Husk watched slack-jawed next to a beaming Alastor, Niffty awed with childish innocence.
"Am I seeing thigs, cause right now I feel I should be placing a bet?" The winged-cat took a swig from his bottle. "Motherfucker, remind me never to send him to bed without supper."
"Oh~" The short cyclops' interest was peaked. "Is he a bad boy?~"
"Niff, he's aminor." Husk reminded her.
"Oh..." Niffty was gloomy.
"Haha, Young Man, you never fail to impress!" The Radio Demon praised.
Lincoln had turned the battle into his favor; but in war, should always be expecting the unexpected. Just as he was punching a rat demon in the face, a harpoon punctured his boy right where his kidney's resided. All at once, Link felt himself become enfeebled. On closer look, it was clear the harpoon was made with angelic steel.
"Got 'em!" The Sinner who shot the boy, a pufferfish demon in a fancy suit, praised himself. "Finish him off, Boys!"
The angelic essence had a negative reaction to Lincoln's demonic blood. Taking advantage of the child's weakened state, demons began ganging up on him. At first, the pufferfish Sinner's men formed a kicking circle around the boy; but then other Sinners took them out and began using weapons to finish the job. Finally, a minotaur-like demon grabbed Lincoln by his throat and began pounding his face.
All the time he was getting attacked, an enraged Lincoln tried to pull the harpoon out his body, but being a demon made it impossible to do. More and more anger swelled, he felt a familiar force overcome him. Accepting it, Lincoln allowed instinct to take over. The minotaur stopped for a moment, allowing the white-haired boy to reach for his face. Then, he ripped off the skin surrounding his face, black blood flowed out as something emerged from the body, an imp.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Everyone said, collectively.
The devil-tailed body was now limp and the imp escaped to the ground. "Don't think I'm done here!" Lincoln's voice came from the imp. In an instant the lifeless body full of black blood went off like a bomb; but instead of fire, it was cold. Cold enough that it made a miniature winter in the building.
"How the fuck...? THAT'S LINCOLN!" Blitz pointed at the imp running around the crowd.
When another group of Sinners tried to attack the boy, a hellhound emerged from the imp's mouth covered in black blood. Another explosion went off, but this one became a bomb that turned a section of the building into a green space, filled with plants. Now running on all fours, hellhound Lincoln went after the demon who harpooned him; like a wild beast, he ripped the Pufferfish demon's throat out.
"You know, I got an idea!" Link got to his hindlegs and removed his canine skin to reveal an avian one. He new form was now a Goetia similar to Stolas and Octavia. "This will be over quick." Channeling magic, Lincoln used telekinesis to lift every demon he saw; then, he smoosh them altogether and squeezed the demons into a bloody sphere. As they screamed in horror at having their bodies crushed beyond recognition, Lincoln narrowed his gaze and took deep breaths. "Okay, that's enough."
Lincoln released them and allowed the Sinners to reform. By the time they had finished, Lincoln had returned to his Sinner form and retrieved his clothes. Now that everyone was back to how they were before the fight began, Lincoln addressed the crowd. "Everyone Ready for ROUND TWO!"
Horrified, the crowed tried to escape, but the devil-tailed boy used his spider silk spell to grab them all as they tried to run. Using the shed skin of his Goetia form, Lincoln created a web of photokinetic chains that entangled his opponents. "I'M THE ONE WHO SAYS WHEN WE'RE DONE!"
"This is the place." Jill pulled up to the curb. "Lovely home."
"That new addition is a little weird." Martha opened the door. "Talk about tacky."
"We're here?" The sleeping boy awakes.
"Lincoln, you're finally up!" Jill gave him a hug.
"This is the address you gave us. Now, who lives here that'd be worth the trouble?" The taller woman opened the boy's door.
"It's not who lives here that I'm looking for." Lincoln answered. "However, whodoes live here is someone who can take me to her."
"Her?" The former teacher joined the other two. "The person you came to see is a girl? Is she friend?"
As they walked up to the door, the young King giggled. "No, but I suppose you could say she's like family."
4 Days Ago [11:45:19 pm]
"Tell me, Señora Carmine, did I win?" Lincoln asked, sitting at the top of a pile of incapacitated Sinners.
Gathered at the foot of the heap, the spectators of the luxury box looked at the boy with a variety of responses. Millie, Blitz, Alastor, Carmilla, and Niffty were smiling proud for Lincoln's achievement. Moxxie, Loona, and Husk were too shocked for words, having watched a child turn a crowed of armed demons into an improvised high chair. Meanwhile, Zestial was removing the defeated adversaries with the help of Odette and Clara. Walking up the heap, Carmilla went for another kick, but the junior magician intercepted with his shin.
The two then went into a playful spar were one would kick and the other would block with their leg. "Are you doing impressions now?" The ballet demon smiled mischievously. "Okay, you win."
"YOU DID IT, SUGARCUBE!" Millie ran up and gave the boy a suffocating hug. "You went out there and you should those bastards how we do it at IMP!"
"Damn, I knew it was a smart idea to bring you on!" Blitz patted Link on the back. "I mean, seeing you rip your own skin off was fucked up. More fucked up when you made it explode!"
"Yeah... that wasa little cool." Loona smiled slightly.
"We're proud of you, Lincoln." Moxxie congratulated, sharing the joy. "Just, please, don't do something like this again."
"Your friends sure know their stuff, My boy!" Alastor appeared next to Link, patting his head.
"Thanks, Uncle Al. Was there any doubt I'd pull through?"
"Not one in my mind."
"Sorry to interrupt the party." Carmilla caught their attention. "I'm a little curious about what I saw. It looked like you became an imp, a hellhound, and something... that is also a hellborn."
Silence hit as the taller demon looked into Lincoln's eyes, but the boy chuckled and responded. "If I told you, would you wanna risk getting attention from what youthink I became?"
Carmilla Carmine chuckled back. "I do not. In any case, I've kept my end of the arrangement. Now, you have to do the same."
Cracking his back while stretching, the white-haired boy didn't look worried. "I made a promise. It'll just... take a little time, Señora." Lincoln then got on the floor and laid down. "Good night."
Surprising everyone else further, Lincoln fell asleep instantly. "Okay, let's get you to bed." Millie picked the boy up and carried him in her arms. "A growing boy needs his sleep."
IMP left with the boy, leaving the remaining demons alone to talk. "They are a most intriguing menagerie. Prate, Alastor, how didst he become acquainted with those Hellborns." Zestial asked his acquaintance.
"Oh, Zestial, it would be foolish to understand Lincoln and his ways." The Radio Demon twirled his cane. "Well, I should be on my merry way. Evening Sir and Ladies!"
Alastor left with Husk and Niffty, returning to the Hazbin Hotel.
"Congratulations, Carmilla, thou hast aided Lincoln 'I reaching ranker heights of power."
"No, Old friend, I haven't helped him reach more power." The Overlord looked away. "He always had that power, I've simply... showed him how to look for it."
"Doth thou regard he shall grow in ability?" Zestial asked, curious to know.
A small smile painted itself on her face. "He knows more than he reveals. If he knows a way to grow stronger, then he will go for it." Carmilla looks to the sky for a moment. "I'm feeling a little inspired."
At the front door, Lincoln knocked three times and waited for an answer. A second later, a woman with puffy, auburn hair answered the door.
"Hello, can I help you?" She asked.
"Good day, Miss." The young boy greeted. "My name is Lincoln, and these are my aunts Jill and Martha. I'm a friend of your son, is he home by chance?"
"No, he left a minute ago, he should be back in a bit. Please, wait inside." The nice woman offered. "Is it only the three of you?"
"No, I actually invited my magister." As if on cue, Stolas opened a portal and entered the human world with his daughter. "And he shall appear. Stolas! Octavia!"
"Lincoln, hope we're not late!" Stolas was happy to see the boy, but got nervous when a human spotted him. "Oh, don't be afraid, Ms. Human, I'm just..."
"It's okay, Mr. Bird-Person." The auburn woman shrugged. "We are no strangers to beings from other dimensions here. Please, join your friends inside for some refreshments."
"How kind. Oh, where are my manners? I am Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia, and this cute, little owlette is my daughter, Octavia!"
Peeking from behind the human woman's legs was a toddler with brown hair and eyes. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Angie, and this is my daughter, Mariposa." Angie lifted her little girl. "Welcome to Echo Creek."