AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hoo boy, here's one I've been anticipating for a good while, so much so that I personally feel the stars had aligned for this one. I apologize for this taking too long, but I had been playing Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. I would warn you all about major spoilers for that game, "Like A Dragon," and "Like A Dragon: Gaiden," but I think that was a little obvious from the previous chapters.
Also, I swear, it's a complete coincidence that I finished this chapter the same time the new Helluva Shorts came out. I had been working on this for a while.
Enjoy this omake!
PRIDE RING, I.M.P. Headquarters
*WHAP* *WHAP* *WHAP* *WHOMP*
A simple three-punch combo followed by a swift roundhouse kick. Lincoln repeated that drill on a punching bag in the company's lobby room, as per the instruction of his adopted mother, Millie. While Lincoln had proven time and again since his miscast growth spell that he was a much more formidable warrior, Millie would be damned as a sinner if she let her baby boy become complacent with his newfound power. Even though Lincoln wasn't as enthusiastic about violence as Millie, he was pragmatic enough to understand that having as many options in a fight under his belt was crucial to his survival in Hell, especially since he now had the capability to be out and about.
However, Lincoln was currently working on his drills in his human child form. Millie had noticed how Lincoln was spending a good amount of time in his adult form, which also greatly enhanced his physical and magical prowess, but they didn't translate well into his child form, which meant he would have to essentially start from scratch every time he reverted to his child form. As such, she began a new regimen to train Lincoln as a child to make his growth as natural as can be by drilling him with various physically strenuous activities, whether it involved fighting moves or straightforward exercises, particularly cardio. The cardio part, however, was something Lincoln didn't miss, especially with how it turned out with his family before.
Moxxie also got back into his own routine with training Lincoln in firearms. Just like before, he had simply limited Lincoln's firearm familiarization to the basics in assembling and disassembling weapons, as well as understanding which weapons use which type of ammo. While Moxxie saw Lincoln's enormous jump in proficiency when it came to applying the same firearm discipline he had been slowly teaching him, he wasn't as enthusiastic as his wife to jump right into improving Lincoln's abilities in his child form full steam ahead. In fact, Moxxie very much preferred to take it nice and slow, just like how he was nurtured by a loving adult figure in his childhood before… before.
Lincoln was at the end of his ropes, as he was sweating and panting profusely while hunched over to recover from his strenuous training. "Yup, this is just as hard as when mom and dad made me and my sisters workout non-stop, and I hate it just as much," Lincoln stated to the readers. "Except this time, I don't think I can pull the wool over Moxxie and Millie's eyes the same way."
"Oh, come on, Lincoln, isn't this fun and exciting?!" asked Millie, ruffling Lincoln's hair. "Think about how much stronger you're gonna be when you're all grown up the right way!"
"Well, yeah… but I think I could use a few more breaks every now and then," suggested Lincoln.
"Oh no, mister, you're not gonna cheat your way up just because you can change into an adult any time you want," scolded Millie. "Next thing you know, you start slackin' off and get lazy, just like a certain receptionist." Millie glared behind her at the hellhound sitting at the reception desk, who slowly lifted a middle finger while her eyes were still glued to her phone.
"I'm not trying to be lazy, Millie," said Lincoln. "I'd just like to get through any training in one piece."
"Hey, no pain, no gain," justified Millie, patting Lincoln's back. "It's all part of the growing process."
"Millie, I think three hours of training and drilling is long enough," said Moxxie. "Besides, there are other ways to spend our time off now that business has slowed down."
"But there's no better way to spend time with my baby boy than helping him grow big and strong!" exclaimed Millie, grabbing Lincoln into another one of her vice grip hugs.
"*GRK* Choking! Not breathing!" choked Lincoln, flailing in Millie's hug before his movements started slowing down. "I can… see a light…"
Moxxie moved quickly and placed a car jack in between his wife and adopted son before using it to split the two apart, saddening Millie while Lincoln inhaled extra gulps of air.
"As shocking as it might sound, there are other ways to spend time with our son," said Moxxie, supporting Lincoln as he started taking steady breaths. "Like attending a certain upcoming French musical I'd been planning for the three of us."
"Oh yeah, Phantom of the Opera," noted Lincoln. "I remember Lucy mentioning that she loved it for the gloomy tone and the phantom was one of her inspirations."
"Well, I can assure you it's all that and much more," informed Moxxie. He then turned to Millie while still addressing to Lincoln, "And I believe that means we should wrap up your lessons now so you can clean up and prepare for our outing."
"Hmm…" hummed Millie as she tapped her chin in deep thought. "Okay… but after you pull off the Tornado Finishing Blow!"
"… Ooohhhhh, dang it," uttered Lincoln in horror.
PRIDE RING, Movie Theater
Lincoln didn't know how or why, but he could've sworn he was seeing some strange creatures out the corner of his eyes as he struggled to stay awake in the movie theater. As he was watching a musical in his incubus adult form next to Millie with Moxxie next to her, his barely conscious and possibly deluded mind noticed that nobody else even acknowledged the strange creatures popping up in his peripheral vision. These creatures appeared to look human, but with sheep heads, and they seemed to be waving their arms in front of them at Lincoln, almost as if they were performing some kind of sleep hypnosis on him.
Unfortunately, thanks to his fatigue from the extra training, he was failing to stay awake as more of them popped up at random intervals. Not even another creature, this time a human-like creature with a chicken for a head slamming its cymbals together as hard and loud as it could was able to wake Lincoln up. With the calming atmosphere of the movie mixed with his growing fatigue, even in his adult form, sleep had finally taken Lincoln as he slowly closed his eyes. His head drooped backwards as he slowly fell back into his seat, which Moxxie and Millie noticed.
"Maaayyybe I overdid it on the training," remarked a sheepish Millie as Moxxie was very tearfully distraught that his surrogate son was in no shape to enjoy one of the greatest works of art.
PRIDE RING, Stylish Occult
Today was the day he would spend time with Loona upon her request, and she had decided on shopping at her favorite store, Stylish Occult, once again. Ever since the Ono Michio mission in which his company received triple payment, Moxxie and Millie had also received a considerable payment (although Lincoln suspected that part of it had to do with Blitzø's injuries), and they had decided to try to set aside some of their wages from here on to provide Lincoln some allowance. They especially felt this was necessary since Lincoln was growing up, and now that he could walk out and about, he needed some spending money for anything that might catch his fancy. After all, he is still an unpaid intern at I.M.P.
Loona was looking through various clothes until she happened upon one particular dress, which she took to the fitting room. As for Lincoln, he was browsing the dark poetry section. Now, Lincoln wasn't particularly one for dark and gothic poetry, attire, and products, but every time he visited this shop, whether with Loona, Octavia, or both, he would notice the various poems on the shelves, which reminded him of Lucy and thus made him start feeling homesick. After seeing the prices of the poems, as well as receiving enough allowance from Moxxie and Millie, Lincoln searched for the best poem he could find that wasn't secretly some supernatural artifact or incantation to trap others into demonic deals.
However, he wasn't searching for a poem to satiate his homesickness. In reality, he knew that Lucy's birthday was coming up, and though she wasn't particularly fond of the Loud family's type of birthday celebration, Lincoln was still going to miss her upcoming birthday. At the risk of sounding full of himself, Lincoln was sure that things would get too gloomy back home, even for Lucy's preference, due to his absence. Therefore, while he still wouldn't show himself to his family until he could truly break his curse, he did want to at least leave a birthday present for Lucy, probably make it from an anonymous source. After all, Lucy was the one who tried to warn him about a horrible premonition that fateful day where he was taken from his home with no way of knowing if he could ever return. Though that premonition still came true, Lincoln felt he owed her for trying to help him, especially since he not only managed to survive, but also received new blessings, ironically in the form of demons.
"I wonder if I can start looking for more gifts for the rest of my sisters down here," Lincoln pondered to the readers.
"Yo, Linc! Check me out!" called out Loona.
Lincoln was pulled out of his line of thought as he turned to Loona, only to be gobsmacked by what he saw: Loona was wearing some kind of white bridal gown, including a translucent veil, but also had fake (or real?) blood dripping under her eyes, her mouth, her hands, and parts of her dress.
"What do ya think?" Loona asked while posing.
Lincoln stared for a few seconds before uttering a reply, "Morbidly pretty…"
With a bashful smile, Loona suddenly grabbed Lincoln by the wrist and pulled him towards her, in which she spun him around so the both of them were facing her phone she held in front of them for a selfie. The fact that Loona was wearing a bridal gown while Lincoln was wearing a black suit and both of them were holding each other close by the waist made the two look very intimate for the selfie, which both Lincoln and Loona blushed upon realization.
"Hey, you really think it's a good idea to post that where anyone can see it?" asked Lincoln as Loona typed away on her phone. "Like, Blitzø?"
"Pfft, let him whine," said Loona dismissively as she posted her selfie. "As long as fatty and his bitch are around, Blitzø can't do shit. I mean, what's he gonna do? Talk your ears off?"
PRIDE RING, I.M.P. Headquarters
"Me and my big fucking mouth…" groaned Loona as she laid her head on her desk with a bottle of booze next to her.
Indeed, Blitzø was making good on his promise that if Lincoln in any way seduced Loona, he would expect a very stern talking to about how to behave around a lady. Of course, that wasn't Blitzø's initial intention for repercussion, but Millie had her favorite halberd at the time he issued his warning. As such, Blitzø had brought Lincoln into his office where he was currently an hour into his reprehension of Lincoln's action today while Lincoln was slouching in his chair across Blitzø's desk after long tuning out Blitzø's lecture to the point it sounded like one of those high-pitched phone gibberish he'd hear in cartoons.
'I wonder if now's a good time for me to get drunk for the first time,' Lincoln mentally said to the readers.
PRIDE RING, Stolas's Mansion
Lincoln's lesson with Stolas was almost done for today, in which he learned additional spells he could use both on and off duty. Just like with Millie, Stolas felt it imperative that Lincoln learned new spells in his adult form so that he may practice and master them in his child form in order to promote his growth in his natural talents. Lincoln had already mastered a great number of spells, most of which he'd been translating to flashcards for child self to use. Lincoln had even volunteered to learn some spells involving botany and astronomy, both of which were Stolas's specialties and hobbies, both to help his teacher during and outside of their lessons, as well as gain any knowledge he could share with Lucy and Lisa, respectively.
"You know, I wonder if Lucy actually knows about Stolas and thought about being a part of one of his legions," Lincoln wondered. "As for Lisa, I can't wait to see her face when her mind gets blown by the demonic knowledge of the stars."
"It sounds like you have many plans for your family once you're free of your predicament," noted Stolas, though he, like Octavia, was confused as to who his student was talking to. As far as he was aware, it was just him, his daughter, and Lincoln in the vicinity.
"Like you wouldn't believe," said Lincoln. "But then I have to think about what I can't expose them to in order to keep them safe."
"Such is the nature of the occult," sighed Stolas. "The oldest double-edged sword in existence. Although I can't help but be interested in that gothic sister of yours."
"What, are we not good enough for you?" asked Octavia, playfully offended.
"Oh, come now, my little owlet, no one will ever surpass you," reassured Stolas, pinching his daughter's cheeks and making her already regret her joke. "But you can't tell me you're not also interested in a human with abundant knowledge in the supernatural who also shares your taste in gothic artistry."
"… Shut up, dad."
"Well, if you ever want to be associated with Lincoln's sister, you could always wed Lincoln and officialize your relationship with his rather large family," Stolas suggested suggestively while nudging his daughter with a wink.
"DAAAAD!" shouted Octavia, pulling her beanie so far down that it covered her entire head and face.
Lincoln took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly before asking "… Stolas, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and say you're joking, but why do you insist on that kind of joke?"
"Honestly? You becoming royalty just sounds very appropriate for some unknown reason," Stolas responded, shrugging sheepishly. "It's as though you are either related to royalty or destined to be one."
"AHA!" Before Lincoln could even ponder a response to dodge the fact that Stolas hit the nail on the head with his statement, he and the Goetias turned to the source of the exclamation and saw that, to his surprise, it was Blitzø, who poked his head out of a nearby trash can before jumping out entirely. "See?! What'd I tell ya, intern?!"
"What the—? Blitzø?! You followed me here?!" shouted Lincoln.
"Good thing too, otherwise this rich asshole would've hooked you up with his daughter to get to me! And he's trying to expand his family with yours! Fucking called it!"
"Blitzy, how could you think so shallow of me?" said Stolas with faux indignance and his hands on his hips. "If I wanted you more than our monthly rendezvous, and I do, I would simply ask you out on more frequent get-togethers. How does Friday night sound?"
"Someone just fucking kill me," Blitzø and Octavia mumbled, the latter from her beanie.
PRIDE RING, I.M.P. Headquarters
"Yeah, that about sums up the past few days," Lincoln yawned into his phone.
"Oh, dear Ozzie," said Verosika worriedly. "Sounds like you really need a day off."
Lincoln currently laid exhausted on his bed in his room, conversing with Verosika. It had only started out with him getting a text from her, almost conveniently as he entered his room before collapsing on his bed. Of course, he didn't think too much of it, for he had spent the whole day with his coworkers, teacher, and friend, for better and worse. Unfortunately, the "worse" aspect of his day left him so fatigued that he felt it not only exceeded his parents' workout craze scenario, but also exceeded the combined experience of that, the time when he and Clyde were stuck in the wild, and the time he and his family were stranded on a deserted island. The time that he and his whole family caught the flu, though?
'Ehhh… close enough,' thought Lincoln.
"A day off sounds awesome," mumbled Lincoln, already feeling himself drift to sleep. Even the nap he took at the movie theater earlier today wasn't enough. "Too tired to enjoy it right now."
"Well, don't you worry. The girls and I will come up with something for you."
"Great… can't wait to… hear… *SNORE* *SNORE*" As Lincoln trailed off in his last word, his hand drooped, followed by dropping his phone next to him as he collapsed into deep sleep.
"Linc?" Verosika called through the still activated phone. "Lincy? Shit, that company's running you ragged."
A few days later…
"I do hope you enjoy your time with Verosika!" Moxxie called to Lincoln as he was holding back Millie, who was struggling to break free to stop Lincoln from crossing a point of no return. "Don't forget to call us if you run into any trouble! And let us know how it goes!"
"Will do, Moxxie!" Lincoln called back, waving back to them. "See you all later!"
With that, Lincoln entered a diamond-shaped portal summoned by Verosika Mayday herself. This would mark the first time Lincoln would enter the Lust Ring, something Millie was very adamant against, hence her feral reaction and behavior. Of course, Verosika guaranteed that Lincoln would only enter the portal directly into her home in order to avoid any of the… mature sightseeing, even though he would be spending a day with Verosika and her crew in his adult incubus form.
LUST RING, Verosika's Mansion
As Lincoln stepped through the portal to meet with the popstar herself, he felt a sudden sensation not too dissimilar to what he felt when crossing the Wrath Ring overwhelm him. He felt the same heat rising from within from when he entered the Wrath Ring, although the heat mostly derived from the high temperature of that ring, whereas the Lust Ring was cooler and slightly raining. In fact, the heating sensation was similar to what he felt whenever he saw Verosika or any of her succubi crew members.
"Nice of you to come, Lincy." Speak of the devil, no pun intended. He turned to see Verosika, only for his face to blush so crimson that he could almost pass off as an imp. There she was, wearing a dark blue strapless mini-dress that glittered brightly as though they were stars in the night sky, along with long pink-lined white gloves and thick black pantyhose. Upon noticing the light blue hearts on the breast area of the dress, Lincoln could only surmise that Verosika was really toeing that line between sensual and sexual, the latter of which he still has yet to understand.
"I feel like I'm getting so close to falling into that rabbit hole that I'm never gonna get out of, and that scares me," Lincoln whispered to the readers. He then turned to Verosika, regaining as much composure as he could before replying, "Thanks for having me over."
"Anything for you, Lincy~" sang Verosika, giggling.
"You look really pretty, V," blurted Lincoln. He may be in his adult form, but for some reason, he felt like he was more susceptible to Verosika's charms than when he saw and thought about her in his child form. Granted, Lincoln was more of a braindead idiot when Ms. DiMartino was a substitute teacher for his history and P.E. classes, but he'd like to believe he didn't know any better at the time. Plus, she was able to charm so many other boys not just in his own class, but also in previous classes, according to his sisters. In fact, now that he thought about it, he wondered if Ms. DiMartino was secretly a succubus in disguise.
In any case, Lincoln still couldn't fully compose himself when he was presented with the lovely sight of a beautiful succubus, hence his blunt comment. Thankfully, Verosika was flattered, evident by her blush that was somehow apparent despite her pink skin.
"Why, thank you!" Verosika responded ecstatically while placing her hands on her face like a smitten high school girl before gazing at Lincoln sultrily with lidded eyes. "And you're looking really handsome yourself."
She noticed how he was not wearing the dress suit he usually wore for his internship, but rather wore a T-shirt, button down vest combo with an open V-neck, giving Verosika a lovely partial view of the pecs his adult body was conditioning, and black ripped jeans that Loona got for him at Sytlish Occult. Combined with his hair still somewhat smooth as his child form's hairdo but also mostly ruffled, Lincoln really pulled off the look of a very mature-looking young adult with a little bit of the wild streak that Verosika found very enticing. Of course, she wasn't the only one.
"LINCY!"
Lincoln turned to see the rest of the succubi in Verosika's crew rushing towards him. In no time, they all huddled up against him in, causing Lincoln to release steam out his ears. It didn't help that all of them were wearing various sorts of dresses that was barely appropriate for a casual outgoing but also seemed so minimal that all it would take is one little slip and they would immediately be indecent.
"Baaaaaahhh…" Lincoln trailed off, his mind racing a million miles per minute. Any longer and he would've fainted, something Verosika anticipated as she came to his rescue.
"Okay, girls, I think he's had enough," said Verosika after giggling at Lincoln's expense. "We're trying to give him a fun time, but not at this ring's level. He's not ready yet."
"Oookaaayyy…" said Apple sadly as the rest stepped away from Lincoln. Verosika then stepped in to wrap an arm around his shoulder, mainly to hold him upward in case he fainted.
"So, Linc, what's been troubling you lately?" asked Verosika. "I can only imagine you have your hands full with that shit-tastic company."
"Honestly, it's not really much of that," confessed Lincoln, to everyone's confusion. "The hard part is actually what's been happening off duty." And so, Lincoln relayed all that happened recently, from Moxxie and Millie training him harder in his child form that left him so exhausted to enjoy any other activities, his extra time spent with Loona only for Blitzø to follow-up with mind-numbingly infuriating lectures, and his lessons with Stolas along with free time with Octavia somehow derailing into awkwardness at times when the former made some offhand comment or joke about Lincoln marrying the latter.
"Hehehe, well, g-good thing Prince Stolas was just joking, eh?" said Apple nervously.
"I don't know…" said Kiki thoughtfully with a smile. "Duke Lincoln Loud… that sounds oddly appropriate. Aren't any of you curious to see our Lincoln as royalty?"
"Ehhhhh… I'm not all that interested in royal duties!" Lincoln quickly intervened. 'I'd rather not have a repeat performance of the last time I was royalty.'
"In any case, it sounds like you need to get out some more," suggested Verosika. "And I've got just the idea for a day out."
"Lay it on me, V."
"Normally, we'd love to take you out to see the rest of this ring, but I think we've already long established that you're mentally too young for that right now," explained Verosika as she and her fellow succubi led Lincoln inside her mansion. "Still, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves in here."
Much like what he had witnessed on the Tokyo mission when Verosika hired his company for a hit, Lincoln saw a lot of the same luxurious amenities inside her mansion, including a snack bar, large jacuzzi, and extensive entertainment systems that Lincoln couldn't stop himself from drooling over with his jaw dropped. Yet another reminder for Verosika and the succubi that despite the fact that Lincoln was in his adult incubus form, he was still a child at heart, figuratively and literally.
"Should I assume from your expression that you like what you see, Lincy?" asked Verosika rhetorically, closing Lincoln's jaw with a finger.
"And then some!" replied Lincoln ecstatically after finally gathering his bearings. "And I thought I'd seen everything at Stolas's mansion!"
"You know, you could always crash here any time you want," suggested Coco suggestively, leaning onto Lincoln. "Maybe make it permanent?"
"Thanks for the offer, but I even had the chance to stay with Stolas and I chose not to."
"Right, your coworkers…" said Kiki, disappointed. Verosika had told the rest of her posse with Lincoln's permission the story of his first magic lesson with Stolas, and just like the popstar herself, everyone else was just as surprised that Lincoln turned down the extravagant, luxurious upper-class life in favor of the company of some imps and a hellhound running some low-end business.
"Yeah… plus, I'd rather not have a repeat performance with the last time I got caught up with the high life."
"Ouch, should I ask about the story behind that?" asked Verosika.
"It's fine, and it actually has to do with how I came up with that formal jerk impression during that mission. It all started with winning a contest for one limo ride…"
"… and so we all drove off after spraying Tetherby with mustard," finished Lincoln, to everyone else's amusement.
"Man," said an awestruck Coco, "I'm having trouble imagining you being that shallow."
"Yeah, kinda sounds like your ex, doesn't it, V?" asked Milky.
"Well, thankfully, Lincy here is nowhere near as bad as that fuckwad," replied an annoyed Verosika before turning to Lincoln with a reassuring smile. "Especially since you actually patched things up with your sisters."
"Yeah," said Lincoln sheepishly. "Still, I learned my lesson that day. I'd rather not leave my coworkers in the dust the same way."
"But you gotta take a break every now and then, right?" asked Kiki. "From what I'm hearing, you've been passing out dead tired recently."
"Well… you're not wrong about that," admitted Lincoln, scratching the back of his head.
"Lucky you, we've got some fun activities lined up for you today," said Verosika. "Do you like dancing?"
"Well, it's not my most favorite thing in the world, but I definitely played plenty of dancing games," replied Lincoln. "Heck, I even have a funny little story involving the Sadie Hawkins Dance at my school, which involved Ronnie Anne."
"Ooh! Do tell!" demanded an excited Verosika. Her fellow succubi gathered around, also excited to hear another of Lincoln's story, especially since it involves another girl they now heard about for the first time. Verosika, on the other hand, had already heard about Lincoln's first two kisses with her, and she was always eager to hear more about her, especially her relationship with Lincoln.
Lincoln, Verosika, and her succubi crewmembers were all laughing at the snack bar as Lincoln regaled his tale about how he told one little lie to avoid a dance with Ronnie Anne based on an assumption in order to spend time at an arcade, only for his sisters to buy his lie and create an even worse situation due to a misunderstanding. Once again, Verosika found herself enjoying her time with Lincoln so casually, despite her desires for something more… adult-like. Even just a simple moment of light vulnerability shared with her strengthened the connection she had with Lincoln, which she not only greatly appreciated, but also made her eagerly anticipate that sweet, intimate moment with him in the future.
Verosika looked to her succubi crewmembers and noticed they were just as enamored as she was. Much like her date with Lincoln up in Kamurocho, her crew was enjoying the simple moment of learning more about Lincoln as a person rather than an object. Normally, she'd be happy to see her girls and Lincoln all having a good time together with her, but she also noticed how the others were slowly and subtly getting too close to Lincoln. While they weren't making any major advances on him, they were clearly putting some of their most basic skills as a succubus to good use in enticing Lincoln with their presence, closeness, and even their scent. It also didn't help that Lincoln was in his incubus form, and despite emitting so little lust aura that it was practically nonexistent, his appealing looks and charming personality made for a decent substitute.
Now, Verosika didn't mind inviting multiple demons when it came to her more… salacious activities, but after having built up quite the connection to Lincoln not too long after a rather disastrous relationship resulting in what she considered one of, if not, the worst breakup in history, she didn't realize that she was now a little more… territorial. Now seeing that even Lincoln was starting to get a little nervous at the others being in closer proximity, she brought her chair to the other side of the snack bar to sit across from Lincoln and start veering the conversation in a different direction.
"So, Lincy, if you enjoy dancing, you should check out what me and the girls have been working on," suggested Verosika.
"Wha'cha been doing?" asked Lincoln. Verosika answered by pulling out her phone, opening a video clip, and presenting it to him. What Lincoln saw was Verosika, her crew (both succubi and incubi), and the Wild Owlets all lined up on the same stage he saw in the mansion across from the snack bar they were sitting at. They were all wearing crop tops with triple X's on them and sweatpants. All except Verosika were kneeling while the popstar herself was standing until the song started, in which all stood up to begin a synchronized and choreographed dance routine. Interestingly enough, the dance routine didn't contain as many raunchy movements, instead focusing on quick and stylish movements that reminded him of old pop songs with a lot of impressive dance choreography that focused on creating high amounts of energy on stage and within the crowd.
Lincoln couldn't help but be mesmerized, ironically by a dance routine that wasn't sexual in any capacity. "This is amazing!" he exclaimed, much to the others' appreciation.
"Say, Lincy… would you like to join us for another dance?" proposed Verosika, leaning closer to Lincoln, followed by the others.
"O-oh! U-uhhhh…" said Lincoln, sweating nervously. "I-I don't know, I mean… I'm not much of a dancer…"
"Awww, come on, Lincy…!" begged Apple, unleashing her puppy dog eyes on him. "You're such a good singer and performer!"
"I-I-I haaaaave nooo idea what you're—" stammered Lincoln nervously before being interrupted by Verosika, who pulled up a video of his karaoke performance and, to his shock and horror, his performance as Ono Michio. "Wha—?! How did you—!"
"Your hellhound friend," answered Verosika simply. "I've been following her Sinstagram since I hired your company for that Tokyo mission."
"… I really hope Loona is no longer affected by my lust aura," Lincoln said to the readers, much to everyone else's confusion. "She'd be over the moon about this." He then turned to Verosika and said, "Even so, even if I can dance, I'm nowhere near the level you girls are at."
"It's fine, you're not performing for a new music video, so there's no pressure," said Verosika before gaining a thoughtful look as she pondered. "Although, that would be a really fun idea…"
"Verosika…" said Lincoln slightly sternly.
"Oh, right, sorry," Verosika said sheepishly. "Anyways, this is really more of a hobby for us. We also come up with ideas for our future performances and help the Wild Owlets with their new endeavor."
"Wait, they're gonna try to be a dance group?!" asked Lincoln, eyes wide.
"You got it. But we all get together every now and then to just simply dance and have fun, and what better way than some dance choreography?"
"Well, it's good to hear that they're doing pretty well after everything that's happened," said Lincoln.
"You were right about them, lil' bunny," remarked Coco. "They're really not so bad when you get to know 'em." She then hugged Apple closer before noting, "Me and my girl have been having a lot more fun with some of them."
"Coco~" whined Apple playfully, acting like a bashful high school girl.
"Starting to think I'm too young to be in this conversation," said Lincoln cautiously.
"Anyways," interrupted Verosika, "you could try out some dancing with us after getting a little practice." She then pulled out a remote, in which the plasma screen across the room turned on and the floor in front of it lit up like a dance pad, much like the dance arcade games he and Ronnie played before. "And what better way for you to practice than a way you like?"
And just like that, she got Lincoln hook, line, and sinker, for he couldn't resist the simple pleasures of a game system. Lincoln slowly got off his seat and made his way towards the TV and dance pad like it was his siren's call, which was especially ironic due to him not being nearly as swayed by the succubi's attempts to seduce him. Speaking of which, the succubi couldn't help but giggle at seeing the childlike display from their favorite (and only) human resident, some of whom were taking pictures with their phones.
"Well, Lincy," said Verosika as she navigated the menu with her remote. "Ready to flaunt what you got?"
Lincoln sat on a nearby couch after having finished another song and dance, exhausted from physically challenging himself. Much like the video games he's played in Hell, this dancing game was far more challenging than the one he was used to on Earth. Unlike the Earth games, which either involved stepping on the right arrows with correct timing or repeating a few simple poses several times, this literal hellish dancing game forced Lincoln to pull out all the stops by having him execute different dance moves in quick succession with near-pinpoint precision, as though it expected him to be a professional dancer even at the most basic difficulty. However, despite the difficulty, Lincoln had some experience with dancing thanks to his family's antics and was never one to back down from a difficult challenge from a video game.
Of course, Lincoln's fatigue also stemmed from the succubi wanting to dance with him for each song, in which he ended up obliging without giving him a break. After seeing Lincoln collapse on the couch, Verosika and the rest felt guilty upon realizing that they had intended to give Lincoln a relaxing day off, only to exhaust him just as much as his work does. Luckily, Verosika had a solution for this.
"Hey, Linc, you wanna try out the jacuzzi next?"
…
…
…
"Say whaaaaa…?" Lincoln trailed off, his brain short-circuiting from what he had just heard.
Realizing her blunder, Verosika quickly composed herself and tried to reassure Lincoln. "For relaxation purpose! You've been tiring yourself out, and we just realized we did the same with the dancing." She walked over to the jacuzzi and turned a dial on the wall next to the tub, in which the water inside began to bubble. "These waters are actually from the Envy Ring, and they aren't just known for its oceans. I'm sure you've heard of hot springs up top, right?"
"Y-yeeeaaahhh…?" Lincoln answered hesitantly.
"Hot spring water on Earth consist of minerals that help relax muscles and can be good for your skin," explained Verosika. "It's the same with this, but even better. It's part of what we use to help our skin."
Lincoln mentally admitted to himself that he was a tad curious about a hot tub, especially since the last time he went anywhere near a hot tub was at a hotel that his parents initially intended to go by themselves, but he and his sisters tried to join in just to avoid going to their Aunt Ruth's house. Needless to say, he and his sister ended up creating a huge mess, thus ruining his parents' relaxing weekend, in which they had to help recreate the hot tub's environment and atmosphere to make up for their mistakes. Of course, his parents did insist to them that that wasn't the main reason why the weekend was ruined, but they'd tell them what really happened when they are all older.
"Well, as long as the water's safe for me, then I might as well give it a shot," said Lincoln, to the others' delight. "I'm kinda curious about why my parents were so eager about a hot tub for a relaxing weekend."
All the succubi, save for Apple, suddenly froze in fear with wide eyes as they realized the implications of what Lincoln had shared.
"Oh!" exclaimed Apple. "That sounds like your parents were trying to—"
"Have a relaxing time together!" interrupted Coco, putting a hand over Apple's mouth. "What better way to relax than with good company?!"
"… I guess that makes sense," said Lincoln, much to the others' relief. How ironic, that with all their suggestions, innuendos, and plans with Lincoln from before, only now after recent events did Verosika mandate to the others that Lincoln's innocence should be preserved until he was a teenager in the middle of puberty.
"But I don't have any swimming trunks," Lincoln pointed out.
Now, Verosika or any of the other succubi would've immediately suggested skinny dipping had this been before Verosika's pseudo-date with Lincoln in Kamurocho, especially since that was the implication behind what Lincoln said about his parents. However, Verosika came prepared with a more appropriate response.
"It's fine, I actually bought a pair for you," said Verosika, pulling out a red swimming trunk. She then continued in anticipation of Lincoln's possible response, "I was saving this as a present for you in case you ever wanted to go to the Envy Ring."
"Oh…" said Lincoln, somewhat stunned by the admission before accepting it, mainly because he was too tired to think hard about any possible implications. "Thanks."
After Lincoln privately changed out of his clothes into his swimming trunk (although he swore one or some of Verosika's groupies tried to sneak a peek), he made his way to the hot tub. Of course, the succubi were enjoying the eye candy that was a shirtless Lincoln in his adult incubus form, for even without the excessive lust aura, Lincoln's physique was still pleasing to the eye.
As Lincoln stepped to the edge of the hot tub, he eyed the bubbling water. If he hadn't been told that this was a simple hot tub designed to help its occupants relax, he would've thought this was simply boiling water or the same type of dangerous boiling water from places like Yellowstone Lake. After a few moments of hesitation, he threw caution to the wind and placed one foot in the tub.
To his surprise, the water turned out to be warm and not boiling as he feared. He descended even further as he felt the warm water drench his swimming trunk, then his entire body up to his neck. Immediately, he somehow felt all the stress in his body and mind flowing out of him as though the stress was some kind of evil spirit being driven out of him and the hot tub was the exorcism, an ironically apt comparison.
"Oh, Lincy~" called Verosika. Lincoln turned to the source of her voice, only to immediately blush a deep crimson. There he saw Verosika on the edge of the hot tub before stepping in, wearing a light-blue bikini skirt, leaving little to the imagination as the rest of her skin was exposed for anyone lucky enough to lay eyes on her. It wasn't just her, though. Lincoln noticed Verosika's succubi crewmembers also stepping into the jacuzzi with their own bikini and swimsuits, all of which were equally as enticing as Verosika's.
"You like?" asked Verosika with a wink, leaning back and stretching her chest outward, emphasizing her considerable bust. Lincoln was now at a complete loss of words, even being unable to stammer his family's signature "bah's" in situations like this. He also felt the same heating sensation rising from within whenever Verosika or her girls committed some enticing actions with their feminine wiles, and now that it was combined with the already hot temperature of the hot tub, Lincoln was possibly experiencing hyperthermia, for the world around him started to get blurry, then dark as he was losing awareness of everything.
Verosika and her groupies watched with concern as Lincoln slowly leaned back, his head falling onto the edge of the hot tub as his eyes were half-closed and unfocused. Were it not for his eyes, the succubi would think that Lincoln was practically sleeping in the hot, bubbling water. Apple even leaned in, poking Lincoln's cheek in hopes of stirring him from unconsciousness.
"… I take it you really like it?" Verosika asked the barely awake Lincoln.
"Yeeeaaahhh…" mumbled Lincoln, his head now slowly slipping into the water.
"AHH! LINC!" shouted the succubi as they quickly gathered to lift him up from the water.
PRIDE RING, I.M.P. Headquarters
"Thanks for the fun time, V!" called Lincoln as he waved at Verosika, who was waving back on the other side of an open portal before it closed. However, after transforming back into his child form upon return, Lincoln was currently caught in the protective grip of Millie, who was glaring at the spot the portal once was.
"Well, now that you're not hanging out with that floozy," started Millie, letting go of Lincoln before quickly stripping him of his casual attire and replacing it with exercise clothing in an instant. "We can spend some quality family time together with a really fun activity I planned out for us: parkour!"
"… Oh nooooo…" muttered Lincoln in horror.
"Um, honey, this is only for fun, right?" asked Moxxie nervously. "We're just having fun and Lincoln will be in his adult form, right?"
…
…
…
"… Millie?" asked Moxxie.
PRIDE RING, Imp City Rooftops
"Come on, honey! You can do this! Just 2 more blocks to go!" cheered Millie as she hopped to another building rooftop with Moxxie lagging behind in concern over their adopted child, still in his child form, who was struggling to pull himself up to the rooftop.
"*pant* *pant* You said that 10 blocks ago!" grunted Lincoln after finally pulling himself up and laying on the rooftop, panting like a dog and sweating waterfalls. All that time spent relaxing away the stress in his mind and muscles, wasted in an instant with this strenuous activity.
TOYKO, JAPAN, Kamurocho District, Western Rooftops
Lincoln had waited until everyone had left the office before he summoned a portal spell to traverse to Kamurocho in his adult form with the translation spell, just in case he encountered someone. Perhaps it was due to visiting the area several times recently, the first time being another significant moment in his life, but Lincoln couldn't think of anywhere else to go but this seedy district. Maybe the city has many different ways of drawing people back to it, and not just with its sights and supposed luxuries.
It was night time in both Hell and Earth, which Lincoln took advantage of by finding a secluded area on one of the district's rooftops in order to just be alone in a fairly open area. Normally, he would be using the rooftop of I.M.P.'s building to stare at the sky, which was therapeutic enough, but today was especially noisy in Hell for some reason. With all the wanton violence and destruction mixed with some adult sounds that Lincoln would rather not think about, he opted to go to the one place on Earth that had been on the back of his mind recently. Kamurocho was still fairly noisy, but compared to the explosions, arson, gunshots, and… the moaning and screaming in Hell, the noises in this district was practically white noise. In fact, it was almost soothing to Lincoln in a roundabout way.
Even though he had no clear idea why he chose Kamurocho of all places, he still took the opportunity to find an area to simply sit back, relax, and watch the night sky. As he calmly observed the night sky, he reflected on everything that's been happening so far. First and foremost, Millie seemed really gung-ho on making sure every single second spent with him was nothing but physically arduous activities that she clearly took delight in, but was really wearing him out, so much so that he was always left with so little energy to spend time with Moxxie despite his efforts to reduce the laboriousness of their activities. If it weren't for the fact that Millie had never once reprimanded Lincoln for any past misdeeds, such as his mishandling of the mall mission, he would've thought that Millie was punishing him with these activities.
Then there was Loona. Before Lincoln screwed up that growth spell, he had spent plenty of time with her, whether it was playing games on a game system that Moxxie and Millie bought for him (even a few games he had a sinking feeling was bought by Blitzø) or shopping with her in disguise. Moments like these felt like he was with one of his older sisters, although he had always enjoyed those moments enough that he didn't view Loona as a replacement for his family, but rather an extension.
However, he had noticed a particular change after the transformation, in which Loona opted to spend more time with him, especially when they were out shopping. Additionally, after overcoming the awkward hurdle that was his lust aura, she seemed to be a little more confident when it came to her interactions with him during their hangouts. Lincoln would've been happy and proud of her for this if he didn't notice that she seemed to want to be physically close to him more than ever despite the absence of the lust aura, which often resulted in those hour-long lectures from Blitzø.
Speaking of Blitzø, Lincoln also noticed another change in dynamic after his transformation. Before the transformation, Blitzø would almost bully him like he does with Moxxie, but to a lesser extent, such as the constant empty threats of pay deductions, verbal jabs at any of his plans that didn't go swimmingly, and interrupting any of Lincoln's stories about his family by guessing outcomes that would portray him or his family to be as vulgar and crude as the demons in Hell. On the other hand, Blitzø would also treat him fairly at times, such as occasionally using his company profits to provide for some of Lincoln's wants and needs or by taking an unhealthy interest in Lincoln's life on Earth, particularly with his siblings.
After the transformation, Blitzø seemed to be treating him differently both personally and professionally. He'd noticed how his boss would take him aside more often to lecture him like a boss, yet he couldn't help but feel Blitzø had some ulterior motive, especially since the lectures usually centered around his time spent with Loona despite everyone constantly reminding Blitzø the platonic nature of Lincoln's relationship with Loona.
Finally, there were also Stolas and Octavia. Before the growth spell fiasco, Stolas simply treated Lincoln as a close student, but even then, Stolas was endeared to him enough that he made sure Lincoln didn't lose himself to his growing demonic powers and influence, especially when he had almost gained his first taste of blood with the D.H.O.R.K.S. agents. Octavia would contribute her fair share of filling the void in Lincoln's life during their hangouts as an older sister figure, which usually consisted of sharing pop culture and entertainment in Hell with him, as well as indulging in hobbies such as playing rock music with an electric guitar she owned and the drum set she bought for Lincoln.
After the growth spell, however, Stolas had not only escalated his lessons due to the vast increase in Lincoln's magical capabilities, but also seemed to be making more comments about Lincoln's future in Hell, which usually consisted of jokes about marrying Octavia. As for Octavia, she seemed to be determined to spend more time with Lincoln, which he couldn't blame her for due to her suffering great distress during the Kamurocho mission involving the yakuza and Octavia's evil mother. Of course, her actions seemed to focus on getting closer to Lincoln, figuratively and literally, hence Stolas's offhand remarks about their future marriage.
As he finished processing his observations, Lincoln stood up and made his way to a secluded area in order to summon a portal back to Hell, but as he turned a corner, he bumped into what felt like another person and fell to the ground. Recovering from his daze, Lincoln looked up and saw a large man wearing a thick dark green parka, camo-patterned trousers, and black boots. However, what Lincoln noticed the most from this man beyond his fists almost as large as his shaved head was his sharp and piercing gaze. In fact, this man's gaze reminded him so much of the yakuza Go, and although this man wasn't as huge as Go, he was clearly someone who had seen the lion's share of combat and thus was not one to be trifled with.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going!" Lincoln apologized.
"Hey, no problem," the man replied. He extended a hand to help up the white-haired foreigner, which Lincoln took. "You okay?"
"Yeah, thanks. I didn't realize anyone else was up here."
"Sounds like you're looking for some alone time here, huh?" surmised the large stranger.
"Heh, you guessed it," said Lincoln lightheartedly. "You too?"
"Yup. And I don't blame you," said the stranger with a smirk, pulling out a cigarette, lighting it, then taking a puff. He then walked over to the edge of the roof, leaning on the railing. "This city can be a bit too much."
"Yeah, you said it," Lincoln agreed albeit half-lying. "But really though, it's not this city that's been getting to me lately."
"If I ain't being too nosy, may I ask what?"
Lincoln paused for a moment as he pondered on how to properly word his answers, walking up to the railing to lean on it a few feet away from the stranger. The easy solution would've been to tell the stranger that he's not comfortable sharing personal matters, especially since this man looked as intimidating as hardcore yakuza like Go. However, this man was not only courteous and amicable, but he also gave off the air that he was someone you could trust despite his outward appearances. In fact, Lincoln couldn't dispute his observation that this man seemed to resemble some of his demon friends in Hell; blunt and brutish, yet containing compassion equally as powerful.
Taking his chance with a deep breath, he explained carefully, "I guess you could call it home problems. It's my, er… coworkers. And a few other friends. I feel like they've been running me ragged recently."
"Home problems at work?" asked the stranger, perplexed by the wording.
"Funny enough, it's not much to do with work. It's actually a lot to do with my free time off. See, my coworkers… they're also kinda like my family. So I actually spend some of my time off with them."
"Huh… that's a new one I've heard of a civvie," noted the stranger. "I've only heard of that kind of gig from yakuza."
"Well, they're not your usual kind of workers, but I promise they're not yakuza or mafia or anything like that," said Lincoln after a slight chuckle. "Anyways… before, I spent enough time with them and I've come to know them well enough that I enjoy being in their company. But… I feel like recently, ever since I started looking like this, they've been trying to do so much more with me that I'm practically being more overworked on my free time than while I'm on the clock."
"Heh… how's that for irony," remarked the stranger with a chortle. "So you're practically being pulled at from all sides by your coworkers and friends?"
Sighing deeply, Lincoln then continued, "One of my coworkers likes taking me on a running route like I'm practicing for a triathlon. Another takes me on a lot of shopping spree, which results in the boss lecturing me for hours about dating another coworker, even though that's far from the case. Another wants to share all the works of art he likes with me, but I'm usually so worn out that I end up falling asleep. And that's not getting into my friends outside of work, and they all like to spend more time with me in their own way."
"Hmm… sounds like you're spending a great deal of time with your friends, but not enough for yourself," the stranger concluded.
"It's not that I don't want to spend time with them, but…" trailed off Lincoln hesitantly.
"… But you're not spending enough time doing what you want."
"… Yeah…"
The stranger took a drag on his cigarette before exhaling a cloud of smoke. After that, he then said to Lincoln, "I feel like I'm still missing some context, but from what I'm hearing, it sounds like you've finally become a man who can enjoy more things in life that you couldn't as a kid."
'Oh, if only you knew the truth,' thought Lincoln.
"They've been waiting for you for a long time," the man continued. "Now you can do so much more and they wanted to share the best of their world with you. But they're overloading you. You should be enjoying these things one at a time at your own pace. Or at the very least, a nice and slow pace. Instead, they're ignoring what you really wanna do as you're growing up."
"Huh… I never really thought of it that way," Lincoln commented. "Any advice on what to do next?"
"Well… I wouldn't ever advocate talking back to your elders," said the man. "But you seem like a man with your head on straight. So right now, if this keeps up, you really need to put your foot down."
"Pfft… easier said than done," moped Lincoln. "How could I after they've taken care of me for so long? I mean, I wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for them."
"That's good and all, but if they don't stop what they're doing to you, then they're only smothering you. Not just that, but they're only using you as a tool for their convenience. You need to remind them that you're their friend, not an asset. Otherwise… you'll end up being too devoted… and pay a heavy price…"
Lincoln looked to the ground as he pondered on this stranger's words. It's not often that Lincoln would trust the words of a stranger, especially if that person was missing some context in Lincoln's life, yet this man ended up giving him some advice that gave Lincoln a lot to think about, and he wasn't even asking for anything in return. He was just one of the few people who may seem rough on the outside, but was kind and compassionate enough to help another person down on their luck with no ulterior motive. As Lincoln compared earlier, this man seemed to be more like the few demons he'd come to respect and appreciate.
"I guess I'll think about that if it ever gets really bad," said Lincoln. "Thanks for the advice."
"Any time," said the man, now smiling.
"Oh, where are my manners?!" exclaimed Lincoln. "My name is Warren Dean."
"The name's Saejima," replied the man now named Saejima. "Taiga Saejima."
"Thanks, Saejima. Actually, if you don't mind me asking, what's got you coming up here for some alone time?"
Saejima paused, ruminated for a bit before answering, "Work shit, believe it or not."
"Dare I ask what about?"
"Well… I can't say much, but I actually work for a security company," answered Saejima.
"Oof, I can already imagine how stressful that can get, especially if you're working in or near a city like this."
Saejima chuckled for a bit before taking another huff of his cigarette. Lincoln was thankful he had the foresight to stand on the left side of Saejima since the wind was blowing to the right, thus blowing the smoke away from his direction.
"If you can keep a secret, I don't work for your typical security company."
"Oh?"
"Have you heard about the Great Dissolution?"
"Kind of. Isn't that the big change that brought down the yakuza?"
"Hmm… not all the yakuza, but it did bring down the two greatest yakuza power in this country: the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance."
Lincoln was rapt with intrigue as he was about to receive some interesting information about Japan, particularly regarding a huge criminal organization. He remembered the brief history lesson he received before his final confrontation with Go in how the yakuza had been integral to the country's recovery from its darkest hour, hence why such an obvious criminal organization was revered by so many and had its claws sunk into so many aspects of Japan's foundation.
"When those two powers dissolved, so many yakuza were dispersed to the public, and they had nowhere else to go," continued Saejima. "Because of their association with a criminal organization that's hurt so many people, the public rejects them, and now these ex-yakuza will have no way to support themselves except to turn back to another life of crime."
Ever since Lincoln had been trapped in Hell, he was forced to accept some harsh realities that made him realize even more than before that the world had numerous shades of gray. Heck, Lincoln was working for an assassination company as an intern who comes up with numerous strategies to help his coworkers pull off successful kills. Furthermore, Lincoln found himself justifying his position that he had nowhere else to go, he wasn't personally getting his hands dirty, and his company's targets tend to be horrible people who would eventually find themselves in Hell one way or another. Now here he was, learning more about the checkered aspects of another country with its own shades of gray.
"I have… friends who were high-ranking officers in the Tojo and Omi. They took it upon themselves to start the security company to give the ex-yakuza a place in the modern world. We all know that the yakuza hurt so many people, but not all the ex-yakuza are heartless monsters."
The more Lincoln listened to Saejima, the more he realized just how much his speech was applying so well to some of the circumstances in his own life.
"Some of these guys wanted to be a part of something greater than themselves," said Saejima as he discarded his cigarette butt, stomped on it, and grinded it to the ground. "Many didn't get the chance to fully realize that. Our security company may not be as grand as the yakuza life, but it still can be large enough for ex-yakuza to be a part of something greater without being forced to hurt people for the sake of profit."
So enraptured Lincoln was by Saejima's speech that the more he thought about this, the more he realized that this was basically the premise for the Hazbin Hotel he'd been hearing about on the news, social media blogs, and his favorite advertisement that featured a song from the Princess of Hell. He wondered if he should try to find work there at some point when he could start striking out on his own.
'Hopefully that venture doesn't get in the way of me trying to get back home to my family,' thought Lincoln. 'Or that it takes me too far from I.M.P.' He then turned to Saejima and responded, "Wow… that's a lot to take in. So I'm guessing the problem is coming from those who are desperately trying to cling to that yakuza life."
"Yeah…," complimented Saejima. "Some of these punks are just too hard-headed to realize that the yakuza life has already crumbled. These guys try to pursue a dangerous life that's long gone… only to end up dead."
"Wow…" whispered an awestruck Lincoln.
"I know… crazy, huh?"
"Crazy… but admirable," confessed Lincoln.
"Oh?" asked Saejima, turning to him with a cocked eyebrow.
"I don't wanna say too much, but where I'm living at now, it's got a lot of people who are… not so nice. Many who lead pretty violent lives," Lincoln stated while trying to make sure he didn't expose his friends and coworkers. "But I've still met a few people who are really good people. They're not perfect, but still really good."
"I'm guessing they're a tough bunch who look and act scary, but after ya got to know them, they've been taking care of ya?"
"Heh… got it in one."
"Hmm… I don't know for sure if your 'dangerous life' is almost the same as a yakuza's lifestyle, but if they're a tough bunch… then my advice for your problem is still the same."
"Really?" asked a bewildered Lincoln.
"Even for me, when it came to my fellow yakuza… or even those I still call my friends… I've had to fight all of them more than once. Because in the end, it always comes down to standing up for your own beliefs."
"Still though… I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with that. I mean, I yelled at one of them once before, but it hurt me too. I'm just lucky I was able to make up with them afterwards."
"If you're a good person, then it'll never be comfortable," advised Saejima. "But you know the thing about true bravery: it's not about never being afraid, but to keep fighting even though you are afraid."
"Yeah… you definitely got a point on that…" remarked Lincoln. "You gave me a lot to think about."
"Not trying to rush ya," reassured Saejima with a nod. "But better to be prepared when shit hits the fan."
"Heh, true that," Lincoln agreed with a chuckle. "Thanks for the advice. Hope you have a good night." Remembering Japanese customs, he bowed with his farewell before taking his leave.
PRIDE RING, I.M.P. Headquarters
Blitzø, Moxxie, and Millie were out for a supply run, leaving Lincoln and Loona to stay at the office in case any clients decide to drop in to hire them. With nothing else to do, Lincoln laid back on the sofa. It had been a few days since Lincoln ended up having a heart-to-heart with a total stranger, but he gained quite the insight that night. He recalled the stranger's advice of standing his ground and putting his foot down, though he couldn't help but think back to when he raised his voice against Millie. While it was in defense of Verosika, even Lincoln knew that Millie's hurtful words against her was out of a desire to protect Lincoln, yet he still yelled at his mother figure. To this day, Lincoln was still haunted by the image of the devastated expression on Millie's face, whether in his nightmares or some of the quiet moments where he ended up thinking back to that day.
"Well, I did say putting my foot down against my coworkers is easier said than done," Lincoln remarked to the readers. "Besides, as exhausting as their activities have been lately, it's not like it's that much worse than what I went through with my family. I mean, it's not like they were gonna do something outrageously crazy like kicking me out of the house over a dumb misunderstanding, right?"
"Hey, Linc, I'm back!" called Loona as she entered the lobby from an open portal. Loona had asked Lincoln earlier to open a portal to her apartment so she could retrieve a few items; since it was only going to be a few minutes, both felt that Lincoln would be capable of manning the desk in the meantime. Now that she had returned, Lincoln closed the portal and turned to see Loona carrying what looked like an armful of clothing. Upon closer inspection, Lincoln realized that the clothes looked like something she bought at Stylish Occult.
"Hey, Loona!" greeted Lincoln. "So what'd you need your clothes for?"
"It ain't just mine," Loona clarified.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, remember when we got that triple payment from the fake mascot hit?"
"How could I ever forget that mission?" asked Lincoln rhetorically.
"Well, that meant we all got a little bonus on top of our regular pay, which I put to good use," said Loona as she sorted through the clothes and separated them into two piles. "For you," she said as she pointed to one of the piles.
"Oh! Wow… thanks, Loona," said Lincoln, speechless.
"Don't mention it," said Loona with a soft smile before picking up a set of clothes from Lincoln's pile and presenting it to him. "Now change into these while I get into mine."
After a few minutes of changing in separate rooms, Lincoln emerged from the kitchen area wearing a black gothic light sleeveless shirt that was almost see-through with a few tears on it, a gothic punk asylum pants, and black boots. Loona arrived from the meeting room attired in a fishnet shirt that's tied at the bottom to resemble a crop top with a black bra underneath, denim hotpants, and black opaque tights with white X's on each leg. Just like before, she grabbed Lincoln by the arm to pull him close, but this time, positioned the both of them to be back-to-back while she held out her phone for another selfie.
As she finished the selfie, realizing what Lincoln might be thinking, she said to him, "Don't worry, I'm making this a private pic. Blitzø won't catch us like this."
"Heh, if you say so. Still, thanks for this. Guess this'll make things easier for me to blend in with you."
"Yeah… blend in…" said Loona hesitantly as she turned away to hide a blush on her face.
*BAM*
"Looney! Intern! We're back!" shouted Blitzø as he kicked open the entrance door to the office. The sudden loud noise alarmed both Loona and Lincoln, but the former mostly as she jumped from her spot away from the door. However, she had also jumped towards Lincoln's direction, who was unprepared for the incoming body launching at him, resulting in Loona knocking Lincoln to the floor as she fell on top of him.
While initially dazed from the sudden impact, Lincoln regained his bearings, only to realize that it was dark and hard to breathe because his face was smothered by something weighty on top of him. Also, it felt like a net was digging into his face, along with a pair of something very soft and fluffy, which also smelled like… dog fur?
Pulling his head upwards, Lincoln saw, much to his shock and embarrassment, that Loona was lying on top of him in a very compromising position. His eyes finally met hers, and both were frozen in their spot nearly beet-red in the face. A few moments later, Lincoln managed to think back to what caused this and realized, to his horror, that they weren't the only ones in the room. Turning his head to the entrance door, which Loona followed suit, both saw Blitzø watching them, jaws to the floor, Moxxie staring in shock before turning to his boss in horror, and Millie with her hands to her mouth with a blush.
…
…
…
"… Shit," was all Loona could say to break the silence.
After picking up his jaw, Blitzø took a long, deep breath, then exhaled just as extensively before issuing a simple order.
"Intern. Office. Now."
Once again, Lincoln found himself sitting in the chair in Blitzø's office across his desk as he was wearily slouching while the boss man himself went on yet another hour-long lecture. He had tried his best to somehow lightly zone out while listening to what Blitzø had to say to him, just in case his boss would've tested him to see if he was heeding his words the whole time; Lincoln was not looking to be lectured for another hour or so. Unfortunately, as Blitzø lectured Lincoln about how irresponsible and dangerous a relationship between two young coworkers who've yet to hit their late 20's would be, much less a relationship with a vulnerable young goth girl, Lincoln ended up losing track of what else his boss was telling him.
With his mind now wandering off to La La Land, Lincoln could only think to himself and the readers, 'I heard that the sweet alcoholic drinks make it so easy to get drunk. I might have to start buying bulk packages of them for myself once I make enough money somehow.'
PRIDE RING, Stolas's Mansion
"For today's lesson, you will advance your proficiency with transformation spells," instructed Stolas. "You have displayed great aptitude in transforming between your human, incubus, child, and adult forms. I believe now is the time to branch out to the different races in Hell, and Hell is abundant in its variety of races."
After giving it some thought, Lincoln realized that transforming could help him blend into other parts of Hell since there were more than three races of Hellborns, and that wasn't including the variety of designs of the Sinners. Now that he'd thought about this, he wondered which race he would start with. He had already been able to turn into an incubus, so he wondered if he would start with transforming into an imp or a hellhound, mainly because he thought about blending in with Hell with his coworkers on their off-duty times. However, he would be surprised by what Stolas would first propose.
"You want me to try to look like a Goetia?" asked a perplexed Lincoln, which also surprised Octavia.
"Of course!" exclaimed an enthusiastic and smiling Stolas. "Normally, to disguise yourself as a powerful demon like a Goetia, you would need powerful artifacts like a Masquerade Mask. However, your lessons with me have demonstrated that your powers practically know no bound, and I'm curious to see if you're powerful enough to pass off as one of us. After all, if you've got it, flaunt it!"
"Dad, phrasing!" piped up an embarrassed Octavia.
Ignoring the possible innuendos, Lincoln steeled himself as he focused on summoning the magic for a transformation spell.
"Very good, Lincoln," said Stolas. "Now, instead of focusing on transforming into your incubus form, try to focus on the appearance of a Goetia. Perhaps envision either me or Via when casting your spell."
Lincoln did as he was advised, picturing himself as a bipedal, anthropomorphic bird. As an aspiring cartoonist and graphics designer, Lincoln had no problem imagining a design in which he would resemble a bird-man, as evidenced by the magical glow and aura enveloping him until Stolas and Octavia could only see a silhouette, which began to morph. Once the bright magical aura dispersed, Stolas and Octavia were astonished by what they were witnessing.
What stood in Lincoln's spot was a white, bipedal avian with a similar physique to Stolas, but only stood a little taller than Octavia. Like Octavia, the transformed Lincoln only had two eyes, but unlike her and her father, he had light blue eyes. Stolas was rather unsettled by the fact that his cherished student shared physical traits of two other demons he really despised: Lincoln was as white as Stella while his blue eyes resembled Andrealphus. Thankfully, Stolas was not one to judge by appearances and opted to congratulate Lincoln for a successful spell-casting.
"Ooh hoo hoo hoo! Bravo, my dear pupil!" hooted and clapped Stolas cheerfully. "A magnificent improvement over your previous miscast! Not that that was a complete disaster. What do you think, Via?" Stolas asked, turning his head to his daughter. "Via?"
Octavia didn't give her father any answer or acknowledgement, for she was too busy gawking at the transformed Lincoln Loud. Nice physique, looks not much older than her, is actually not that much younger than her, soothing colors that match his bright and compassionate personality, and appearance is a similar creature like her, although Lincoln resembled a dove while she was still an owl. She wasn't feeling the same heated and itching feelings from when she was subjected to the lust aura's effects, but she was feeling heated nonetheless, especially when she slowly made her way to Lincoln in a trace and grabbed both of his hands with her own.
"You, uh… are yooouuu… busy tonight?" sputtered Octavia, staring deep into Lincoln's eyes completely mesmerized. "I was thinking… maybe… we could catch a movie. There's one I'm actually interested in. If you wanna join me, that is…"
Needless to say, Lincoln was particularly uncomfortable by what was happening just now, almost similar to how he felt when Octavia and Loona were affected by his lust aura before. It was similar, yet different, for this moment wasn't the effect of the lust aura. Instead, it seemed to be something far deeper and personal.
"Uhhh… actually, I am, but I don't have plans tomorrow," said Lincoln, unnerved.
"Oh my…" remarked a befuddled Stolas. "This is rather forward of you, my owlette. Should I be expecting an official relationship between my dearest daughter and prized pupil?"
"Gah!" shouted Octavia, snapping out of her stupor after realizing where she was at and who was with her. "No! It's nothing like that!"
With a devious smile, Stolas addressed Lincoln, "Well, my dear Lincoln Loud, should you ever truly engage my lovely daughter in a relationship and your bond develops splendidly, then I'll reward you…" Stolas trailed off before pulling out a thick book, "… with pictures of Via in her hatchling years!"
"DAAAAAD!" shouted a flushed Octavia as she tried to reach for the photo album that was out of reach.
"A-HA!" shouted Blitzø, dropping from the ceiling and pointing an accusatory finger at Stolas and Octavia.
"Blitzy?!" exclaimed Stolas, initially shocked before smiling fervently.
"What the fuck?!" shrieked Octavia, feeling quite the opposite of her father.
"See, intern?!" bragged Blitzø, poking Lincoln's chest. "I told you they're trying to set you up to take you for themselves!"
"Dang it, Blitzø!" shouted Lincoln, now gaining a better sympathy to and understanding of Moxxie's frustrations with his boss's intrusiveness.
LUST RING, Verosika's Mansion
Lincoln's re-visit to Verosika's abode was similar to the last one in that Millie had to be held back by Moxxie once more as Lincoln said his farewells before making it to Verosika's place, only to be greeted by Verosika and her groupies wearing outfits that were enticing but not too risqué, and then invited inside to relax and unwind in way that was allowable for a 12-year-old. Once again, while Lincoln was in his adult incubus form to blend in, the others had to remember that Lincoln is still a child who is learning a whole lot about the world, in which more than half are rather unsavory compared to what he'd been exposed to before.
This time, however, after enjoying a small snack, Lincoln was asked to dance, but not just in front of a game system.
"You want me to dance with all of you? As a group?" asked Lincoln, astonished.
"If it's not too much trouble," begged Verosika. "It's actually more than that."
"Oh?"
"See, it's about the Wild Owlets," Verosika started. Now Lincoln was a little intrigued since he hadn't seen them for some time now. "They're actually getting ready for a gig. It's about a month away, so they still have plenty of time, but they've gotten into a bit of a slump lately."
"Ouch, what happened?"
"Their dancing is actually pretty fine," said Verosika. "But you know how it is in Hell. 'Pretty fine' isn't gonna cut it. It's even like that top side."
"Oof, don't I know that," remarked Lincoln, remembering how talented his sisters are and how hard they work to achieve their goals.
"I think the Owlets could do much better," continued Verosika. "But Sakura, their leader, says their choreography is out of sync, and she has no clue what they're missing. I've even tried out their dances with my crew to see if there's something we can add to it and get some ideas for ourselves."
"That's really nice!" Lincoln complimented. He was happy to see that Verosika and her crew was making good on their promise to help the Wild Owlets, although he was still confused on one matter. "So where do I fit in?"
"I'd like to see if you have any ideas," suggested Verosika.
…
…
…
"… Excuse me?" asked Lincoln after cleaning out his ears.
"I actually have an idea for them, but I need your input. Ever since I saw you fight off those thugs after our karaoke date, I thought about how you could turn some of your fighting moves into dance moves. That could be the extra flair the Owlets would need for their next gig, and maybe me and my crew could add some of it to our next gigs."
Lincoln definitely couldn't forget that night. Emotions and tensions were high that night, and he needed a release that he was conveniently presented by some nameless thugs who deserved a beating. Of course, from all the times Lincoln had fought since the growth spell mishap, he had used many movements that either involved weaving around an opponent's attacks or manipulating an opponent's movements.
"Now that I think about it, doesn't Brazil have a fighting style that was incorporated into dancing?" Lincoln asked the readers thoughtfully.
"I'm really sorry that I had to ask this of you, but I figured we all could kill two birds with one stone," Verosika apologized with a nervous smile.
Lincoln was hoping to spend another day with Verosika having some child-friendly fun. Never did he imagine that he was going to be roped into work-related activities under the guise of child-friendly fun activities. On one hand, he wasn't entirely fond of how Verosika was trying to use him for work reasons, not too dissimilar from how his sisters would rope him into their schemes or tasks from time to time. On the other hand, after hearing how this was to help out the Wild Owlets and the activities themselves are leisurely, Lincoln couldn't ignore their plight and argue against the logic, especially since all their activities together today wouldn't be all for work; as embarrassed as Lincoln was from the previous jacuzzi experience, he still enjoyed the hot tub nonetheless.
"Well, it does sound like it'll be fun," said Lincoln. "Plus, I'd like to check up on how the Wild Owlets are doing. Okay, I'll help out."
"Thanks, Lincy!" Verosika cheered before hugging Lincoln, making him blush. "I promise we can still have fun and relax while still being productive."
"Sounds like productive procrastination," Lincoln said before playfully glaring at Verosika. "Are you sure this isn't a way to trick me into working for you instead of I.M.P.?"
Verosika, in turn, sported a faux innocent expression, complete with the doe eyes and a finger to her mouth, "Maaayyybe~ Is it working~?"
"Not even a bit," snarked Lincoln.
"Phooey…" huffed a pouty Verosika. "Guess I'll have to try harder next time."
"You do that," Lincoln playfully retorted. "Anyways, how are we gonna go about this dancing problem?"
Like before, Verosika had activated her dancing system, but her succubi crewmembers also gathered together this time around. They all turned to look at him, as if silently inviting him to the dance floor.
"Thankfully, the dance choreography is on this system, so it shouldn't be hard for you to simply try to emulate it," explained Verosika. "I'd like to see how well you can pull this off and if you can come up with a few ideas of your own to add to it."
"Alright, here goes something," said Lincoln, cracking his fingers. Stepping up to the front of the group right next to Verosika, Lincoln took a stance, mirroring the figure on the screen in front of him. After a few seconds of silence, the music started playing, cueing Lincoln and the others to begin their dance in accordance with the figure across them. As an avid gamer, Lincoln was mainly focusing on executing the moves properly. If he was going to help the Wild Owlets, he needed to practice this a few more times until he could practically do this in his sleep, therefore allowing him to place more focus on brainstorming ideas. And who's to say that this wasn't going to be fun? While dancing wasn't his thing, gaming was, which included dancing games, and just like before, he was having a fun time with Verosika and her succubi crewmembers.
After a few repetitions of the dance routine, the succubi took a breather on the sofa, but were surprised as they watched Lincoln continuing to dance. In fact, they were very enticed by the sheer determination on Lincoln's face as he was driven with the sole desire to rehearse the dance routine. Verosika wasn't too surprised since Lincoln was the one who proposed the idea to help the Wild Owlets, but she had also seen this same resolve when he defended her honor against his beloved female imp coworker, no less.
True to Lincoln's gamer nature, he was catching onto the choreography despite the game's difficulty. After literally performing the same song and dance a few times, he finally took a seat with the others, sweating and tired, but also thinking inquisitively.
"A soul for your thoughts?" Verosika asked Lincoln.
Lincoln was still getting used to the different phrases in Hell, especially the ones that uses the names of well-known demons. Terms and phrases involving Hell's currency was no exception, as Lincoln saw that the printed currency was not too dissimilar to the dollar bills back home, but the fact that they were called souls made him worry that there were actual souls trapped inside.
Regardless, Lincoln answered, "Honestly? I can see why Sakura would feel that their dance routine is lacking. And I'm speaking as someone who isn't even close to being a dancing expert."
"I don't know~ I'd say you got a bit of a knack for dancing," complimented Verosika. "But please, elaborate."
"That routine definitely could use a little flair. You were pretty spot on that I could use a few of my fighting moves and add it to that choreography. And since the Wild Owlets can fight, this wouldn't be too hard of a transition, especially if they have a month left."
"Wait, so you mean…?"
"Yup! I'm gonna do what I can to help out the Wild Owlets with you!"
"Yes!" applauded Verosika, smiling widely before giving Lincoln a hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankou!" She didn't care that he was practically drenched in sweat. If anything, seeing and feeling a sweaty Lincoln in his adult incubus form almost made her feel the same lust towards him when he was oozing his lust aura, but she had to remember her promise to him in order to control herself. "But that can wait another day," she said, letting go of Lincoln. "You must be running on empty now from all that dancing."
"Seriously, if you weren't working for that shit company, you'd fit right in with us," remarked Coco, to everyone else's agreement.
"It's like I said before. I think you'd have a very promising career as a manager, much better than that asshat Blitzo," Verosika said to Lincoln.
"I'll think about that when I actually get older," said Lincoln, reminding everyone that he's still a 12-year-old.
"Fair enough," conceded Verosika before standing up. "In the meantime, how about another dip in the jacuzzi? We brought less risqué swimsuits this time, so hopefully no repeat of last time."
Despite his slight aversion of the succubi's raunchier aspects, as well as his reaction last time nearly resulting in him drowning in the hot tub, Lincoln wasn't revolted by their beauty. Part of his aversion was due to feeling too young to be thinking about the beauty of an adult body, although Blitzø usually thought otherwise, and another part was because he was raised to follow proper manners, but most of his aversion was due to him not wanting to lose himself the way he did with Ms. DiMartino. Additionally, he was feeling exhausted, and now that he was no longer thinking too hard about how to further assist the Wild Owlets, he felt the fatigue start crashing down on him, thus further enticing him to bathe in the rejuvenating water of the hot tub.
"You know what? I could use a relaxer," admitted Lincoln with a tired sigh. He stood up to go change into his new swimming trunk, but in his weary state, he didn't notice a small puddle of sweat he had spilled on his way to the sofa. As such, when he stepped into the puddle, he was caught completely off guard when the lack of friction caused him to suddenly lose his balance in one rapid movement, causing his forward momentum to continue with no other obstruction except for the popstar who was standing in front of him. For a brief moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion, and the last thing Lincoln saw before everything went black was an incoming pair of pink, fleshy orbs hidden behind tight fabric.
PRIDE RING, I.M.P. Headquarters
Millie suddenly perked up as she started vibrating almost violently, as though she was experiencing a seizure.
"Mama Senses! TINGLING! HOLD ON, BABY BOY! MOMMA'S COMIN'!" shouted Millie as she snatched the grimoire from Loona as she was reading it out of boredom. Millie then summoned a portal before diving headfirst into it, followed by a worried Moxxie and a confused Blitzø and Loona.
LUST RING, Verosika's Mansion
Lincoln found himself seeing black and a difficult time with breathing, just as he did with Loona earlier. This time, however, he was face down on whatever was smothering him. Realizing this, Lincoln pushed himself upwards immediately, only to see that his head was in between Verosika's… intimate chest parts, something that had both of them and the others blushing a deep crimson shade when their eyes met.
Before either of them could utter a single word, a bright portal suddenly materialized a few feet away from the group, breaking everyone out of their stupor and catching their attention. However, what truly surprised everyone was what came out of the portal into the mansion: a female Wrath imp who was staring daggers and seething like a Hell beast. Unfortunately, Lincoln was the first to realize who the imp was and the reason she was practically frothing like a rabid animal.
"Oh… dang it," uttered Lincoln, eyes wide in horror.
"I KNEW IT!" shouted Millie, launching herself at the succubus. "GET YOUR TITS AWAY FROM MY BABY BOY NOW!"
"Millie! Wait!" shouted Moxxie as he emerged from the portal, trying to catch up to his wife but wasn't fast enough.
Lincoln, on the other hand, was fast and, thanks to his adult body, strong enough to hold Millie back, although that still didn't stop this from being quite the ordeal since she was squirming around a lot that Lincoln almost lost his grip a few times had it not been for Moxxie also assisting in holding her back. In fact, Lincoln was very alarmed at how some of Millie's wriggling had almost caused her horns to poke Lincoln's eye out. Of course, he was most alarmed by the fact that she, along with the rest of his coworkers, showed up out of the blue the moment he found himself in a compromising position with Verosika like he did with Loona earlier today, almost as if Millie had a sixth sense for what happened just now.
"Millie, STOP!" shouted Lincoln as he held his surrogate mother back.
While the struggle continued, Blitzø and Loona emerged from the portal, with the former looking very disgruntled upon realizing where he was at and the latter immediately pulling out her phone to take numerous snapshots with wide-eyed wonder before taking selfies.
"Oh great, I'm back in this cunt's dig," griped Blitzø, facepalming.
"Blitzø/Blitzo?!" shouted Lincoln and Verosika in surprise and outrage, respectively.
"Hey, I'm only here cause Millie opened a portal here for some goddamn reason!" retorted Blitzø defensively.
"THAT BITCH HAD MY BABY BOY'S FACE IN HER TITS!" Millie roared, still trying to break through Moxxie and Lincoln holding her back.
"What?!" yelled Blitzø and Loona.
Blitzø turned to Lincoln, now livid. "Intern! How could you?! After I gave you all those lectures and the benefit of the doubt!"
"You never once gave Lincoln the benefit of the doubt about his relationships!" Moxxie called out.
"And besides, it's not like that!" Lincoln snapped back hotly.
"Oh please, like you two didn't enjoy that motorboating session!" Blitzø accused both Lincoln and Verosika, crossing his arms.
Before Lincoln could offer a rebuttal, another bright portal materialized close to the one summoned by Millie, in which Stolas of all demons emerged from it.
"Oh, Blitzyyyyy~!" sang Stolas.
"Stolas?!" exclaimed Lincoln and Blitzø in shock and indignation, respectively.
The Goetia prince looked around and realized, to his surprise, that he wasn't in the office of I.M.P., but rather somewhere in the Lust Ring. "Oh my… quite the interesting locale you chose…"
"God fucking dammit, it's just one fucking thing after another!" complained Blitzø before turning to his one-night-stand-turned-monthly-night-stand. "Why are you even here?!"
"It is that time of the month, and I wanted to discuss with you our arrangements for the upcoming night," explained Stolas. "However, for some reason, I was unable to reach you by phone."
'Oh right, I tossed out my phone with a grenade yesterday when that horny bird tried calling for some phone fucking,' recalled Blitzø. "Fan-fucking-tastic! Why don't we just bring everyone here?!"
Now assessing his surroundings further, Stolas was shocked to see the rest of I.M.P. in the company of Verosika Mayday and her posse, including—
"Lincoln?!" exclaimed Stolas, bewildered. "What are you doing here?"
"Lincoln?!" shouted a voice from the portal Stolas had arrived from. No sooner had everyone turned to see the portal that Octavia stepped through. "What are you doing in the Lust Ring?!"
"Octavia?!" exclaimed Lincoln, Loona, and Stolas in astonishment.
"I WAS FUCKING KIDDING!" hollered Blitzø.
"Wait, Stolas, how did you even know Blitzø was here in the Lust Ring?" Lincoln asked his teacher, trying to gain some semblance of control over the situation by obtaining some context.
"I have my ways," Stolas answered vaguely with a cheeky smile.
"… Tracking spell?" Lincoln and Octavia asked flatly with lidded eyes.
"Maybe," Solas replied rather quickly before turning to Blitzø. "And how thoughtful of you to choose the Lust Ring as the location to conduct our… business~"
I.M.P. and Octavia shivered and cringed in disgust as Stolas finished his last word very sultrily. Blitzø especially retched before yelling, "Christ on a stick! It's not like that!" Blitzø then started searching himself, as if he could physically find the actual tracking spell on him.
"Not so fun when the shoes on the other foot, huh, sir?" Moxxie snidely remarked, enjoying the irony of Blitzø being stalked and misunderstood.
"Excuse me!" Verosika called out to everyone. "Can we all get back to the part where you all just broke into my home uninvited?!"
"You mean where I was in the middle of stopping you from having your way with my baby boy?!" retorted Millie with a hard scowl.
"Wait, what?!" shouted Stolas and Octavia, both taken aback.
"I just said it's not like that!" clamored Lincoln, now getting more infuriated at the situation escalating.
"You're covered in sweat, you're exhausted, and your face was all up in her tits like a spineless simp!" interjected Blitzø, listing off with his fingers. "Looking pretty guilty to me, intern!"
With renewed vigor by Blitzø's gaslighting, Millie made more of an effort to break free to charge straight at Verosika, forcing Moxxie and Lincoln to double their efforts as well to hold her back. Unfortunately, Lincoln was still tired from his dance sessions earlier, meaning he couldn't hold back Millie as well as he normally would.
"I told you, Blitzø," grunted Lincoln before bellowing, "it's not like that!"
"Oh, and I suppose the jacuzzi is just for the decorum?" Blitzø asked sarcastically.
If Millie wasn't violently feral before, she definitely was now after hearing that particular detail. With so many new assumptions bouncing around in her head, Millie renewed her efforts to attack Verosika like a true mama bear. Moxxie and Lincoln could only wonder how much power Millie had been holding back this whole time up until now.
"I should've expected a new low from you, Blitzo!" seethed Verosika, fuming and undeterred by Millie's attempts to get at her. "You dump me in the worst way possible and now you're ruining everything for Lincoln, your most loyal intern, just to get at me! It's a goddamn wonder why he hasn't left you like everyone else!"
While Verosika and Blitzø's argument devolved into a pure shouting match, Octavia looked towards Lincoln, feeling awkward about what she had been witnessing and learning.
"So…" started Octavia awkwardly. "You and Verosika Mayday… in the Lust Ring…"
"I know how it looks!" grunted Lincoln as he was losing his grip on Millie. "But I was just dancing!" he shouted at her, his tone more crossed than he had intended. This didn't go unnoticed by Octavia.
"Ooh! Dancing?!" exclaimed Stolas excitedly, completely unperturbed by the hostile atmosphere in the room. "If that is the case, you simply must provide us a performance." Stolas then smirked mischievously. "That is, unless… you prefer a more private setting with my dear Octavia to woo her in your new form~"
"STOLAS/DAD!" shouted Lincoln and Octavia in outrage, the latter furiously blushing.
"New form?" asked a confused Moxxie and curious Verosika.
"Explain later!" yelled Lincoln.
"Actually, I wanna know more about you dancing with Verosika Mayday right now!" asked Loona with a wide smile. As chaotic as the situation was turning, Lincoln took some solace that Loona was back to being a fangirl of Verosika, for that was a major indication that the lust aura was no more.
"THAT CAN WAIT AFTER YOU GIVE ME JUST TWO MINUTES WITH HER!" shrieked Millie, who seemed to have an infinite well of energy for this instance.
"LIKE HEAVEN YOU WILL!" howled Loona, immediately stepping in between Millie and Verosika to glare at the former.
"Looney!" cried out a dismayed Blitzø. "How could you defend that whore trying to shag your man?!"
"Wait, WHAT?!" shouted Octavia and Verosika, both equally shocked.
"Loona! What's the meaning of this?!" Octavia called out to the hellhound.
"Lincoln?!" asked Verosika, almost sounding accusatory yet wishing to be wrong.
"I think you should be asking that question to that shithead!" Loona yelled back, pointing at Blitzø. "Since when did you ever think that way?!"
"I'd like to know that too!" interjected Lincoln, growing infuriated that Blitzø seemed hell-bent on inconveniencing him more and more lately.
"Maybe if you actually listened to my lectures instead of zoning out!" rebutted Blitzø. "Only reason I didn't repeat myself is cause we had shit to do afterwards!"
"Those lectures go on for an hour! Literally! I've timed them!"
"That's no excuse, intern! Especially when it's about my daughter!"
"Those were accidents! Just like now! There's nothing like that going on between me and Loona! How many times do I have to say that?!"
Once again, Loona didn't know whether to feel relieved or disheartened by Lincoln's assertion.
"Pfft, you say that now!" scoffed Blitzø dismissively. "But you're a 12-year-old who doesn't know shit-diddly-squat about fucking! Just wait til puberty hits and you're gonna see my Looney and Stolas's little princess very differently, especially since they already kissed you! Then you gotta start holding back Mills from them!"
Before Lincoln, Loona, and Octavia could object, Millie paused for a moment to cordially intervene, "Actually, B, I wouldn't mind Lincoln hooking up with Loona. He can keep her under control."
Loona stood in her spot, completely dumbstruck, while everyone else looked at her warily.
"Oooooh… bad choice of words," said both Lincoln and Octavia, grimacing in anticipation of what was going to follow next.
After taking a few seconds to process the insult, Loona turned towards Millie and bellowed, "THE FUCK DID YOU SAY, CUNT?!"
"I'm just calling it as it is… bitch," Millie simply replied, her face neutral yet still clearly goading Loona to start a fight.
Fortunately, yet unfortunately, Blitzø intervened with a suggestion to break the tension.
"Hey, hey! Weren't you in the middle of trying to stab that popstar slut for almost fucking your baby boy?!"
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, BLITZØ/SIR?!" shouted Lincoln and Moxxie, respectively, as they found themselves once again trying to hold back a short imp woman with the strength of a mama bear. Unfortunately for them, Millie was able to break free and she and Loona clashed, both of them grabbing each other's hands, fingers interlocked, and pushing against each other. Lincoln was the first to recover and moved to the middle, grabbing both of their hands in an attempt to break them apart.
"Guys, cut it out!"
His plea fell onto deaf ears as both Millie and Loona continued pushing, their ire burning in their eyes as they pulled, twisted, and thrusted to gain some leverage over the other. However, the two started jerking and swinging their arms much harder and faster, and with all their focus on each other, neither of them realized that their arms that were being held by Lincoln had shot towards his face until it was too late.
*WHACK* "AUGH!"
"LINCOLN!" cried Millie and Loona as they watched Lincoln fall to the ground, clutching his nose. Immediately, they both let go of each other and knelt down on both of Lincoln's side, fretting over his injury. The rest also converged around Lincoln, now near-deathly silent over what had just occurred.
"Lincoln! Are you okay, baby boy?!"
"Linc! Shit, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"
Lincoln didn't even register that he had been smacked right in the bridge of his nose until he hit the ground and started feeling the stinging pain on his face. What the others didn't realize, however, was that Lincoln had already been somewhat stressed for the past several days despite all attempts at levity through leisurely activities. Recovering from the damage, Lincoln opened his eyes, which was now dimming a dangerous black with only his red pupils glowing. With a scrunch of his eyebrows, he roared with an ungodly tone that reverberated throughout the mansion one simple command.
"QUIET!"
That was all Lincoln had to scream to stun everyone in the large living room of Verosika's mansion. Nobody knew if he had casted any kind of spell on all of them, for none of them saw any visible signs of such action, yet none of them could move any of their body parts a single inch, including blinking an eye. Instead, all they could do is watch the adult-bodied 12-year-old, getting up from the floor seething and fuming while hissing through his clenched teeth and a small trickle of blood dripping from his nose. Very few times did everyone present ever witness Lincoln losing his temper, which was always directed towards their enemies, but his display of power born out of rage still frightened them. This time, though, Lincoln was directing all that fury towards them, and no words could describe how terrified everyone was.
"I AM DONE!" growled Lincoln. "I have been trying to enjoy my free time with all of you, EVEN THOUGH I'VE BEEN EXHAUSTING MYSELF EVERY DAY DOING WHAT ALL OF YOU WANT TO DO! I've been putting up with all of it! Because all I wanted was to have fun with you all!"
The only actions everyone else was capable in this moment of terror ranged from flinches to lip quivers, but none dared to move another muscle beyond that, both out of fear and guilt. All they could do was continue taking the verbal lashings of the boy whose company they cherished, who was now radiating an immense amount of demonic energy that was far more potent than what he had displayed during his fight against the yakuza boss.
"But now, I can't even have fun anymore… BECAUSE YOU ALL JUST WANT TO FIGHT EACH OTHER OVER THE STUPIDEST REASONS THAT SOMEHOW INVOLVES KEEPING ME TO YOURSELVES! IF THAT'S ALL YOU WANT, THEN YOU CAN LEAVE ME OUT OF IT! I'M OUT OF HERE! I WISH I NEVER FOUND THAT STUPID SPELLBOOK IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
Without even sparing another glance at the rest, Lincoln summoned a portal, then quickly stepped through before it disappeared. It didn't take a genius to understand that the silence afterwards was so thick that not even someone as crass as Blitzø could muster up the will to break it.
TOYKO, JAPAN, Kamurocho District, New Serena Rooftop
Once again, Lincoln found himself coming back to this particular district, just to get away from all his stresses in Hell. He had summoned a portal to the back alley of the building on Tenkaichi Street where the New Serena bar was. He'd never been in there, but when he saw it every time he came to this district, he found it a very expedient location with a convenient back alley that was usually out of sight. Furthermore, the backside of the building had a fire escape staircase that led to the rooftop, which he took to find a lonely spot to process what had just happened.
Lincoln leaned back on the railing before slowly sliding down to a sitting position, then cupping his eyes with his hands while sighing heavily. He had just unloaded pent up anger and resentment in one explosive blow like a volcano, and he had directed all that ire towards everyone in a blind rage, not knowing or caring who was receiving his harsh words. The moment he stopped seeing red, all he saw was everyone's shaken and distressed expressions before his mind started racing to process what had just happened. However, it was all too much, hence his hasty summoning of a portal to just escape from the area in order to be by himself.
If Lincoln had already felt bad about seeing Millie's face after he yelled at her previously, he was now feeling even more heartbroken over what he had just done to everyone, including her. It appeared that he had indeed applied Saejima's advice back there, but he wondered if this was how it was meant to play out or if he went overboard and screwed up big time. If it was the former, then was this the part he mentioned where his bravery was tested?
Lincoln was so lost in thought that he didn't hear footsteps coming up the metal stairs to the rooftop.
"Hey, you okay?" called the newcomer with a deep voice.
Lifting his head from his arms, Lincoln looked up to see a stranger approach him. The stranger was wearing some short dress coat with a black unbuttoned undershirt, trousers, and dress shoes. The man also had his black hair slicked back with a stubble beard on his chin. But what drew Lincoln's attention the most was his hard expression that resembled Go and Saejima. In fact, he was surprised to see that this stranger wasn't Saejima, but seemed to exude a very similar intimidating aura.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Am I taking your spot?!" Lincoln asked, scrambling to stand up.
"Hey, it's fine," answered the stranger. "If I'm not prying too much, what's got you so worried to be up here by yourself?"
If Lincoln wasn't feeling too ashamed by what he had just done a few minutes ago, he would've found it funny how eerily similar the stranger was to Saejima with the way he asked his question.
"It's a bit of a long story… Oh, by the way, my name is Warren Dean," said Lincoln, remembering his last conversation in Kamurocho.
"… My name is Kazuma," the man replied.
"Nice to meet you, Kazuma," said Lincoln before looking downward. "But, oh boy, where do I begin?"
"You can start at the beginning," suggested Kazuma, taking a seat next to him. "Whenever you started feeling like this today."
Just as he had with Saejima, Lincoln had regaled Kazuma the same story while leaving out the compromising details that would reveal the hellish nature of him, his coworkers, and friends. From how his coworkers were so much like a family to him to how he felt he'd been spending more time with them ever since he became a grown-up (covering the fact that he's a 12-year-old who screwed up a growth spell) to how he was getting so exhausted after spending so much time, Lincoln told the story, only this time, he had added how he gained life advice to stand his ground, especially after an argument between everyone that got him injured.
However, recounting the events from several minutes ago somehow felt even worse than experiencing it the first time. Before, he was controlled by his anger without a single thought or care about how everyone else was perceiving him in that tense moment. Now though? He remembered everyone else's fearful and dismayed expressions, which further reinforced his guilt.
"Those guys are practically family to me," lamented Lincoln, burying his face back into his knees. "And I just did that to them."
"… That's definitely a lot to take in," remarked Kazuma, holding his chin with a hand while looking away inquisitively.
"I don't know what to do… How could I possibly even face them after that?"
For a moment of silence, Kazuma pondered on how he could respond to a question like that after hearing the whole situation. After several seconds, he walked up to the railing and leaned on it beside where Lincoln was sitting. Just like Saejima, Kazuma took out a cigarette, lit it, then started smoking before finally providing a response.
"Is this the first time this ever happened with you?" Kazuma asked.
He really wanted to be honest with his answers if he were to get legitimate advice from the stranger, but he couldn't risk compromising his current circumstances. Indeed, there were few times that Lincoln had lost his temper with his family back home in Royal Woods, but never did it get to the level where he screamed his lungs out with intense vitriol, especially enough that it brought out his demonic powers.
"Well…" started Lincoln hesitantly, trying to be careful about his wording. "It's not like I never got angry at my family before, but this one was probably the worst outburst ever."
"… You said that they all take care of you dearly, but they can't get along with each other, right?" asked Kazuma.
"For the most part, yeah," admitted Lincoln begrudgingly. It had been a while since he was first stuck in Hell, but after spending plenty of time with his coworkers and friends, they had come to care for him dearly and he in return looked to them as the family he needed in this desperate time. Of course, like his own family back home, they were all dysfunctional to the next level, even to the point that he was getting déjà vu of his sisters fighting each other based on a protocol but dialed up to eleven. 'Or would that be a twelve?' pondered Lincoln, once again remembering how crazy his home life was.
"Hmm…" hummed Kazuma, thinking deeply as he took another puff of smoke. "And you ended up applying a lesson from a stranger to put your foot down at your friends and adopted family?"
"… When you put it like that, it does sound very stupid," Lincoln replied sheepishly. 'Well, you know what they say: hindsight is 20/20,' thought Lincoln.
"Maybe… but if you ask me, I'd say that you did the right thing."
"Wait, what?" asked a perplexed Lincoln, his head turning sharply to Kazuma. "You really think so?"
"I know it sounds very harsh, but they needed to see how much their fighting against each other was hurting you. Especially your adopted mother."
Once again, Lincoln cringed at the thought of seeing Millie once again with the heartbroken expression just like the last time he yelled at her out of frustration. Out of all the demons he was not looking forward to seeing again due to the awkwardness, it would be her.
"She sounds like she really loves you and would protect you, no matter what," surmised Kazuma. "Heh… believe it or not, I completely understand her."
"You do?" asked Lincoln, now curious.
"It's all part of the experience of raising eight kids."
"…EIGHT?!" shouted Lincoln, taken aback. Granted, it didn't hold a candle to the fact that he had ten sisters, but still, he wondered how life as like with eight kids being raised by a scary-looking man.
"Heheh… now that reminds me of how I reacted to what that fortune teller told me," reminisced Kazuma mirthfully.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing you need to know about. Back to the topic at hand, your adopted mother loves you a lot. But you're not a child anymore."
'Once again, that stupid growth spell makes this part of the conversation so awkward since I'm actually a child,' thought Lincoln.
"You also have a lot of friends," noted Kazuma. "If she's escalating an argument over a small misunderstanding, then she doesn't realize that she cares about being your mother more than you being her son."
"… I'm confused," said Lincoln, scratching his head.
"A parent should always take care of their child to help them grow up," explained Kazuma, thinking about the eight children he raised. "But there comes a time when a parent must let their child make their own decisions and mistakes."
"Mistakes?"
"Nobody is perfect. People make mistakes by choosing the wrong decisions. Even still, a parent has to let their children make their own mistakes. It's all part of growing up. That's why a parent must be ready to help their children if they're struggling to recover from their mistakes."
"Wow. I never would've thought of it like that," said Lincoln thoughtfully. He recalled Kazuma telling him only moments ago about raising eight kids, and he couldn't stop himself from asking, "If I'm not being too nosy, is that life advice from when you were raising eight kids?"
"Yup… it's actually pretty hard to call them kids now… They've grown up and are walking their own paths. Pursuing their own passions," Kazuma replied with melancholy. He took another puff from his cigarette, but as Lincoln watched him, he saw that Kazuma's stern face was hiding a sense of longing. Ever since he was stuck in hell, Lincoln had somehow been capable of feeling certain emotions from other people, such as Moxxie, Loona, and Verosika. Apparently, Kazuma was no exception.
"You miss them, don't you?" asked Lincoln.
"Heh. Nothing gets past you, huh?" chuckled Kazuma. "Yeah. I miss them so much. I got to see where they are now… and they've become so strong and mature…"
Although Kazuma still maintained his stoic expression, Lincoln could sense the man's emotion welling up and threatening to break his composure.
"Seeing them taking care of themselves…" Kazuma continued, "I feel like I need them more than they ever needed me… So believe me when I say, I truly do sympathize with your mother… But it doesn't change the fact that you're a growing man, and you have to walk your own path soon. She needs to realize and respect that possibility. And she can start by respecting your decisions."
Lincoln could only contemplate Kazuma's words in stunned silence. He may be a total stranger, but something about him completely reassured Lincoln that Kazuma is a man of wisdom and integrity, and he was sharing his life wisdoms out of good will, just like Saejima had.
"I don't know how we can make that happen," said Lincoln, remembering a crucial detail. "Especially after how hard and loud I yelled at all of them."
Kazuma took one last puff of his cigarette before discarding it. Letting out another breath of cigarette smoke, he finally offered his reply, "You can all start by being honest with each other. Then again, from what you told me, they're worse than dysfunctional with each other. So maybe you'll have to talk to the one-by-one, and you have to be honest with each other."
Lincoln was surprised by how simple the solution was that he internally berated himself for not realizing it, even though he was pressured by the events of the last hour or so. Then again, there had been so many times in his life, especially back home, where he was in a situation that could've been avoided or ultimately solved with honesty. It seems some life lessons need to be continuously re-learned.
"Let me guess: another life lesson from when you raised your kids?" asked Lincoln half-jokingly.
"Yeah…" said Kazuma wistfully. "Those kids went through plenty of trouble, but they still overcame those troubles together. And I have a feeling you can too. But only if you can go back to your family and talk to them, even if you have to do it one-by-one."
"Yeah… you're right," said Lincoln with determination. With renewed vigor, Lincoln stood up and made his way to the stairwell, but not before turning back to face Kazuma one last time. "Thanks for the advice, Kazuma!" he said with a bow.
Kazuma stood silent for a few second before responding, "Kiryu."
"Pardon me?"
"That's my name. Kiryu. Kazuma Kiryu."
"Oh…" said Lincoln, taken aback for a moment before replying, "Well… thanks, Kiryu!"
"No problem. Take care of yourself."
With that, Lincoln made his way down the stairs while Kiryu went back to leaning on the rooftop railing, reminiscing and taking in the sights before his upcoming vacation that would turn into another major mission. So many memories in this district… he wondered if there will ever be a time where he could have more time to think back on all that he had experienced and encountered in this one Tokyo district.
However, his mulling over his thoughts was interrupted by an unusual sight. A large number of men were walking down Tenkaichi Street… towards his direction? Upon closer inspection, these men were dressed in suits of various color and pattern. They were yakuza. Or maybe ex-yakuza? Or perhaps a mix of both? Whatever the case, they were making their way to this particular building in great numbers, so much so that the civilians who noticed this were trying to escape from their path. Kiryu didn't see a single one of them look upwards at him or even call him out to the others. But if none of them were even sparing a passing glance at him, yet they were still surrounding the building…
Kiryu snapped towards the stairwell at the building's alley side.
"Shit," was all Kiryu uttered before making his way to the stairs.
"Well, this is interesting," said Lincoln. What started with him trying to summon a portal spell to sneak back into I.M.P.'s office was then interrupted by multiple footsteps, prompting him to turn around to see that he was surrounded by a huge number of men in suits emerging from the two exits of the back alley. Not all of them wearing black suits or dark shades, so they couldn't be D.H.O.R.K.S. or any kind of sketchy government flunkies.
"Wait a sec," uttered Lincoln, squinting his eyes as he observed all the men surrounding him. The way they're dressed and bore their scowl was all too familiar. 'Yakuza?!' Lincoln realized. However, this wouldn't be his only epiphany. 'Hang on… weren't these guys working for Go? Oh no… then that means there's only one reason they'd be here…'
Lincoln then spotted a few who brought weapons, such as lead pipes, baseball bats, wooden katanas, and tantōs. Some were simply cracking their knuckles and necks, making it a no-brainer for Lincoln that he would not be escaping this peacefully. He had very little problem taking on three guys, but now it seems like he'll have to truly test his mettle, especially since he couldn't use all of his magic due to the risk of public exposure. At best, he could only use some magic to amplify his physical skills and power.
"Would it be too much to ask that we're all here to sing kumbaya?" Lincoln quipped to cope with his situation before taking a fighting stance. He knew he would immediately put himself at a disadvantage if he made the first move that didn't involve some powerful magic, so he opted to wait until one or some of them charged at him.
Just as he anticipated, one of them charged at him, wielding a tantō in an attempt to shank him. Lincoln prepared for a counterattack, but before either could land their strike on the other, they heard a loud thump to their side. Before either could even glance to the side to perceive the source of the noise, a figure suddenly charged towards the attacking yakuza and delivered a mighty punch to his face. So powerful was the blow that the yakuza flew straight into the alley wall while blood splattered from his mouth before impacting the wall and falling to ground, unconscious and unmoving.
Reeling from what he had just witnessed, he turned to see his potential savior, only to be surprised that it was Kiryu, the man he was just talking to. In hindsight, he should've realized that this man would be a formidable foe in combat based on his intense gaze similar to Saejima, but this man appears to be a large cut above the average man. In fact, despite his prowess in his magical powers, Lincoln was almost unsure that he could win against a man like Kiryu in a fight. Thankfully, Kiryu appears to be on his side, although Lincoln was mentally praying that Kiryu wasn't simply stomping out the competition to get at him.
"So this is how far the yakuza sunk since the Great Dissolution," said Kiryu, standing up straight before glaring at the crowd before him and Lincoln. "It takes an entire army to go after one foreigner?"
"Stay out of this, asshole!" shouted one of the yakuza. "We only want that foreigner!"
"Hmm… normally, an army is needed to fight another army," Kiryu stated in a matter-of-factly way. "But against one guy? You all must be a bunch of two-bit punks rather than yakuza. If you really are yakuza, I'm interested to know who your boss even is."
"Bah!" scoffed another yakuza with an angry stomp. "It's because of that little shithead we no longer have a boss!"
"Is that a fact?" inquired Kiryu. "Must be one pathetic excuse of a yakuza boss to be beaten by a young foreigner. And it'd make all of you even more pathetic for following that boss in the first place."
"The fuck did you say?!" shouted another yakuza indignantly. "If you're gonna be a smartass, then you can die with that foreign asshole!"
"I'm honestly surprised how easily any punks get triggered in this city," noted Lincoln in astonishment. 'It's actually not that different from Hell, now that I think about it,' thought Lincoln.
"That's Kamurocho for you, Warren," Kiryu replied before readying himself in a fighting stance. "Stay back. These guys mean business."
Without hesitation, Lincoln took a spot next to Kiryu with his own fighting stance.
"Sorry, but you helped me out up there," said Lincoln. "I'm not gonna leave you hanging."
"Wait! You shouldn't get involved!" shouted a concerned Kiryu.
"These guys are involving me for some reason!" retorted Lincoln, feigning ignorance. He knew very well why the yakuza were after him, but he didn't want Kiryu to know that he and his team were involved in a big fight in the Millennium Tower that also resulted in numerous dead bodies. "Besides, I wasn't taught to abandon a good friend who's helping me! Plus, I got some issues to work through before I see my family again."
Kiryu stared at Lincoln for a few seconds before smirking a smidge. "You're a lot braver than I thought. Be careful. These punks still mean business."
"I'll do my best," said Lincoln before they both turned their attention to the yakuza crowd.
Two men charged at Lincoln and Kiryu, who countered them with a kick and punch, respectively. Kiryu briefly glanced at Lincoln, already impressed by his fighting capabilities. In fact, the way Lincoln was fighting seemed to resemble some old allies, one who fought with numerous different kicks and another who fought defensively with Aikido. As Lincoln knocked down one yakuza, another came charging at him. Unable to dodge in time, Lincoln put up his arms blocked the incoming blow, which was broken by the punch. However, Lincoln used the momentum from being pushed back by the punch and spun around to apply that momentum to his feet into a back kick to the yakuza's chest. While the yakuza fell to the ground unconscious, Lincoln immediately turned to another and ran up to him before he could even flinch in fear. Lincoln grabbed him by the hem of his suit and, remembering what Millie taught him, slammed the crown of his skull against the bridge of the yakuza's nose. Lincoln then took advantage of the dazed yakuza by grabbing his wrist and elbow before flipping him upwards, causing the yakuza to spin horizontally midair until the momentum brought his feet down hard on another yakuza's head, knocking both of them down unconscious.
'Huh… I wonder how Akiyama and Tanimura are doing…' thought Kiryu before shooting his fist into another yakuza's face. He then grabbed both of the downed yakuza's feet and started spinning him around. "Warren!"
Lincoln turned to see what Kiryu was doing before nodding in affirmation. He followed up by punching the yakuza he was fighting in the stomach, then lifted him up overhead and walked closer to the spinning Kiryu. With careful timing, Lincoln then dropped the yakuza he was carrying overhead down headfirst as Kiryu brought the yakuza he was spinning around to Lincoln, resulting in both of the yakuza to collide painfully before falling unconscious.
Catching his breath from the brief strenuous action, Lincoln couldn't help but let out a hearty, "Wow! That was awesome!"
"Heh… you're not so bad yourself, Warren," complimented Kiryu. The two continued fighting their way through the yakuza horde, and although they were very skilled fighters who put their yakuza opponent to shame, they weren't some endless well of energy, meaning that fatigue was slowly catching up to them. And the worst part is that neither of them could see any end to this horde battle, which meant that Lincoln needed to come up with a plan fast.
Nevertheless, before Lincoln could even come up with a single one, his thoughts were interrupted by a yakuza flying into the alley before crashing to the ground hard and falling unconscious. This caught not only Lincoln and Kiryu's attention, but also the rest of the yakuza, in which all of them turned around to the source of the unexpected occurrence. No sooner they turned around than they witnessed more of their own in the rear being flung away in various directions. And the area in which the yakuza were being thrown around was drawing closer to Lincoln and Kiryu's location.
Soon, the alleyway was cleared out as most of the yakuza were thrown back by this unknown force. Lincoln didn't have to wait too long to figure out who it was. Looking up after watching at least four yakuza get thrown to the ground, Lincoln saw that the newcomer was actually a very familiar giant, burly man.
"Saejima?!" exclaimed Lincoln.
"Saejima?" remarked Kiryu.
…
"Wait, what?" asked Lincoln and Kiryu simultaneously, turning to each other in surprise. "You know him?"
"Um… actually, I just met him not too long ago," said Lincoln, immediately answering first to be courteous. "He's the one who gave me the advice to put my foot down against my family."
Saejima stood up straight and turned to Lincoln and Kiryu. "Huh… didn't think I'd run into both of you today…"
"Wait, Kiryu? How do you know Saejima?" asked a confused Lincoln.
"… We fought side-by-side several times," Kiryu answered simply before turning his attention to Saejima. "What brings you here?"
"Work shit, believe it or not," Saejima also answered simply.
"Right… your new security company," said Kiryu. He looked around at the remaining yakuza who hadn't ran away, but are beginning to think twice about continuing this fight. Of course, this was still Kamurocho, so any sensible option would already not be the chosen, or even considered, option. "I'm guessing you're looking for stragglers and potential candidates?"
"Yup. Ever since the Go Family's patriarch disappeared, the rest scattered like the half-asses they are. Not even a basic line of succession in the largest family in this city. Then again, hard to really pull that off in this day and age."
"As much as I'd like to learn more about what's going on, we've got some wannabes to take care of."
Saejima nodded, but then turned to Lincoln to address him. "So, you actually fight too?"
"I really try not to, but trouble keeps finding me," answered Lincoln, exasperated by another sad fact in his new life. Although now that he thought about it, trouble always found him even in his life at Royal Woods, but his new life in Hell dialed that up to eleven.
"I respect that," complimented Saejima. "But let's talk after we deal with these punks."
"Works for me," said Lincoln and Kiryu at the same time. Saejima walked up to them to take a fighting stance by their side, which Lincoln and Kiryu followed suit. Interestingly enough, not a one of them realized that this trio formed a rather unique lineup: the tiger, the rabbit, and the dragon.
Steeling their nerves, the remaining yakuza charged at the three, but like their downed comrades, their efforts were met with failure. Saejima knocked one to the ground before finishing him off with a very powerful and brutal downward punch to the face, which Lincoln swore he saw a tooth flying out. He followed up by grabbing a charging yakuza by the collar of his suit and throwing him against a wall, which he painfully bounced off of back to Saejima, who then used the momentum to heft the yakuza onto his right shoulder. With that, Saejima ran towards the wall and slammed the yakuza headfirst into the wall. Honestly, it was miraculous to Lincoln that these guys were still alive, for he'd seen demons who didn't last against anything half as painful as what he saw.
As for Kiryu, he waited until one yakuza goon threw a punch at him, which he weaved under and threw a punch of his own into the goon's midsection. Kiryu followed up by lifting him overhead and to the ground. The yakuza was still conscious, albeit barely, but Kiryu rectified it when another yakuza charged in, which Kiryu grabbed him by the collar just like Saejima did previously. He then followed through by heaving him up entirely onto his shoulder into fireman's carry, then dropped him backwards onto the downed yakuza, knocking them both out cold. Finally, he slowly turned to the rest of the yakuza horde, until one was brave (or foolish) enough to run towards Kiryu with a tantō in hand. As the yakuza got close enough to thrust his weapon, the next thing everyone saw was that yakuza being launched backwards and falling unconscious immediately after a rather loud banging sound almost comparable to a gunshot. The others saw Kiryu leaning down and forward, slowly retracting his fist; apparently, in a split second, Kiryu had punched the yakuza in the solar plexus at lightning speed.
'Holy… wow… my coworkers and I could learn a thing or two from these guys…' thought a thoroughly impressed Lincoln. 'That's rad!'
In an instant, Lincoln suddenly saw flashes of himself applying similar moves before the visions shifted into him utilizing completely new move he never thought about until now. Waking up from his brief stupor, Lincoln saw Kiryu and Saejima preparing to attack some of the remaining yakuza once more. He didn't know if he was hallucinating if those visions were any indication, but he swore that he saw both Kiryu and Saejima being engulfed in crimson red flames.
Saejima crouched down and slightly backwards before charging towards the crowd like a raging bull, ramming to each of them without even a slight drop in his velocity, whereas the yakuza goons unfortunate enough to have been standing in his path were knocked to the side, completely unconscious. After knocking three of them aside, Saejima ran up to the fourth one, grabbed him by the midsection, and threw him vertically into the air like nothing. Saejima stood in his spot casually until the airborne yakuza fell back down onto Saejima's right shoulder on his stomach, completely knocking the wind out of the unfortunate yakuza. Saejima then threw the goon to the ground with a spin, leaving all conscious witnesses in awe of the spectacle.
They didn't have to wait long to witness another. Another yakuza decided to try his luck against Kiryu, which he stood his ground and waited for the incoming attack, just as he did with the previous goon. However, Kiryu executed a completely different move, one where he swerved his body sideways as the yakuza threw his punch, narrowly missing his intended target. Kiryu countered by bringing his knee to the yakuza's midsection while simultaneously slamming both of his fists onto the yakuza's back opposite of where he was kneed, crushing the yakuza. While the goon was stunned from the counterattack, Kiryu took advantage by finishing him off with a flying overhead kick, very similar to how Lincoln had finished off a thug in his first visit and fight in this district. Just as Lincoln had done it, the yakuza was down and out while Kiryu stood up in a fighting stance, finishing his move with style.
Once again, Lincoln had some kind of epiphany upon witnessing both finishing attacks from two different fighters that were worthy of legend. His mind raced to figure out how he could apply both moves effectively since he wasn't built like either Kiryu or Saejima, but what they had executed was just too good of an inspiration to pass up. While he was lost in thought, a yakuza tried to take advantage with a sucker punch, but just as Kiryu had countered with a powerful punch at the last second, Lincoln quickly spun around and delivered a powerful back kick into the yakuza's midsection at the very last moment, sending him flying backwards and out cold.
Wasting no time to revel in his newfound skill, Lincoln looked to see that only four yakuza remained. With his remaining energy, Lincoln dashed towards them before jumping up to the first yakuza and using his weight to knock him down, slamming his feet into the yakuza's face and knocking him out. He jumped up to the next yakuza to do the same, and then again to the third one, resulting in the three of them lying on the ground out like a light. For the last one, Lincoln jumped up, but front-flipped three times before jutting out both of his feet in front of him as hard as he could, delivering a powerful dropkick that sent the last yakuza flying back before he too dropped unconscious. Lincoln stood up to prepare himself to continue the fight, but in his tired state, he forgot that the yakuza he had just attacked was the last one. He looked around to see bodies lying everywhere with varying degrees of consciousness, with some completely unmoving, some slowly tossing and turning, and some trying to crawl away. The only ones left standing and conscious were Lincoln, Kiryu, and Saejima.
"Wait… that was all of them?" asked Lincoln, shocked and awed at what figuratively and literally laid before him.
"Hmm, looks like it," answered Saejima, who was only panting slightly, but no worse for wear.
Lincoln looked at both of them to see that while both Kiryu and Saejima were slightly panting, neither of them were as winded as he was, and he had demonic magic. Then again, he was still exhausted from all the activities he did with his coworkers and friends in Hell despite having enough magic and power to outclass every one of them. It appeared these two were no strangers to fights like this.
"How are you guys… not exhausted?!" exhaled Lincoln, hunching over.
"Heh, believe it or not, this isn't the worst I've managed by myself," admitted Kiryu.
"What?! You fought more on your own?! How many?!"
"… At one point, about a hundred."
'… Yeah, no, me and my coworkers can definitely learn more from these guys,' Lincoln thought to the readers.
Exhausted from the horde battle and the crazy information, Lincoln collapsed on his rear to catch his breath more easily. Today had definitely been a crazy day for him: from the exhausting activities with his coworkers and friends in Hell, to the argument that broke out between all of them over one misunderstanding that continuously spiraled out of control (in no small part thanks to Blitzø), to Lincoln finally blowing up on them when the escalated altercation literally struck him to the ground, to receiving a heart-to-heart with a total stranger, then finally allying with said stranger and another stranger he had previously met with a similar heart-to-heart against a large horde of angry and vengeful yakuza.
"So you're here for work reasons, Saejima?" asked Kiryu. "You, Majima, and Daigo think these guys are gonna be good for your security company?"
"If you ask me personally, I don't have much hope for some of these guys, but I said the same for the guys we already recruited before, and they've come along a long way. It's just gotten tedious grilling the grunts and shaping them up to be productive members while protecting them from the Five-Year Clause."
"Well, you're not alone in that," remarked Kiryu. "Kasuga's doing the same down at Ijincho for a smaller security company run by one of his friends."
"What about you? What brings you here?"
"… Just taking in the sights before I have to go to my vacation for a mission," answered Kiryu.
"Vacation for a mission?" asked a surprised Lincoln. "That doesn't sound like a vacation at all."
"In my line of work, I have to take what I can get."
'Okay, seriously, that's practically a catchphrase by now,' Lincoln thought, looking to the readers.
"Well, if that's the case, I hope you get what you're looking for."
"Thanks."
"Well," said Saejima, pulling out a phone, "I have to call up the others to start recruiting these punks. But before I do," he turned to Lincoln, "you wouldn't have any idea why they were after you, would you?"
Lincoln was afraid of this question the moment he recognized the yakuza goons belonging to the Go Family. The moment he did, his mind was also racing for excuses and alibis in case someone would ask this question to him, especially if it was from an ally.
"Nope," Lincoln denied. "I just got here for a vacation. Why? Did something happen here with the yakuza?"
Both Saejima and Kiryu looked at him, as if scrutinizing every microbe in his eye to see if he was lying to them. Whether they did or not, Lincoln didn't know, for Saejima replied, "Yeah. Apparently, some really big shit went down at the Millennium Tower."
"Wait, was that why you wanted some alone time on the rooftop when we met?" asked Lincoln, feigning ignorance of the truth.
"Yup. We were all practically working overtime on cleanup duty."
"… Dare I ask what kind of cleanup duty?"
TOYKO, JAPAN, Millennium Tower
FLASHBACK
Saejima and another man with a mix of a bowl cut and undercut, a goatee, an eyepatch with a silver snake, yellow snakeskin blazer, black leather pants, and a black steel-toed dress shoes observed the scene before them with incredulity. Before them lied a great number of dead bodies coated in blood, some of them with leaking entrails, others with broken limbs bending the opposite way, and the rest a mix of all three.
"What the SHIT happened here?!" exclaimed Majima.
"Wow… I heard Kamurocho was a dangerous place, but I didn't know it got that bad," said Lincoln, pretending to sound shocked.
"Yeah, that's sad but true," said Saejima, crossing his arms. "But in any case, for some reason, these yakuza seem to think that you might've had something to do with that."
"Well, I guess my white hair and being a foreigner would stand out."
"Hmm… maybe it had to do with something or someone else. I can always ask them when they come to."
"Wait, you guys don't suspect me?"
"Even if it would make a lot of sense to do so," started Kiryu, "we can see it in your eyes. You're not the kind of guy who'd take a single life, let alone start trouble that big."
"Wow, just by looking in the eyes?" asked Lincoln, genuinely surprised. "I wish I could do that. All I get are slinking suspicions that I'm still not sure are right, even though they are more than half the time."
"Heh, it all comes with time and experience, especially with other people. You seem to have plenty of people in your life, so all it'd take now is time."
"I guess that makes sense…" trailed off Lincoln, now realizing the implications behind Kiryu's response.
"Remember what I told you. You still have time to be upfront with them."
"Yeah… still doesn't change that it's gonna be very awkward," said Lincoln, finally pulling himself up to a standing position.
"Ah, so you did take my advice," commented an impressed Saejima. "Good. If they're feeling awkward about this too, then that means they have no other choice but to listen to you."
"Heh. Figures you of all people would give him that advice," chuckled an amused Kiryu, looking to Saejima with a twinge of a smirk.
"I have to make this right with my family," declared Lincoln. "Thanks for all the help, guys."
"No problem," replied Saejima. "You keep safe, ya hear, Warren?"
"… Lincoln. My name is actually Lincoln Loud."
"Oh?" asked both Kiryu and Saejima.
"Yeah… my parents wanted me to use a cover name if I ever went out on my own. My mom especially."
"Yeah, that matches up," remarked Kiryu.
"You did say this whole mess practically started because your mother was very overprotective," noted Saejima.
"Believe it or not, I actually very much understand the need for a cover name," Kiryu said to Lincoln.
"Wow…" said an astonished Lincoln. "I'm kind of afraid to ask what kind of job you have that requires that and a vacation mission."
"Best not to ask any further."
"Noted. Anyways, I gotta go see my family. Thanks! Good night!" Lincoln called out to them as he made his way out of the New Serena back alley.
"Take care of yourself, Lincoln!
As Lincoln finally left the alleyway, both Kiryu and Saejima looked at each other determinedly and silently for a few moments, as though they were speaking telepathically. Then, with a nod, both made their way out of the alleyway towards Lincoln's direction.
TOYKO, JAPAN, Kamurocho District, Tenkaichi Alley
Lincoln made his way through a very narrow alley in Tenkaichi Street, which led to a small area behind Public Park 3. After checking to make sure nobody was in the area, he looked to a wall and, with a deep breath, summoned a portal.
"Alright, here goes something," said Lincoln. With a look of resolve, he stepped through the portal and out of sight as the portal disappeared. What he didn't realize was that somebody had been tailing him. Or rather, two people, whom Lincoln was very familiar with. Peeking their heads out from the narrow alleyway, Kiryu and Saejima gaped at what they had witnessed, completely slack-jawed and wide-eyed, a major feat in and of itself, for these two were rarely ever phased.
"…"
"…"
"… This seems like something beyond either of our pay grades," Kiryu said simply.
"Yeah… and nobody would really believe us…" Saejima agreed.
"You might have to tell Daigo and Majima, still. But you all might agree on covering this up with something like in-fighting."
"It don't sit well with me, but I don't see any other options."
PRIDE RING, I.M.P. Headquarters
A portal appeared in the middle of the office, which Lincoln stepped through. The office was still technically his home, and he had hoped to unwind with a good night's sleep, but he was caught by surprise when he spotted Moxxie and Millie sitting on the lobby sofa, Loona at her desk, and Blitzø pacing back and forth. They all turned to see him, just as surprised as he was, and all remained in their spot silently, yet somehow the silent itself was deafening.
Finally, Lincoln broke the silence by awkwardly raising his hand and greeting, "… Hey, guys."
-THE END-
Hope you all enjoyed this extra chapter. Sorry it took so long to finish. So the reason it felt like the stars had aligned for this one was because of how Saejima is symbolized as a tiger, Kiryu is symbolized as a dragon, and Lincoln was once anthropomorphized as a rabbit, which practically became his spirit animal, and wouldn't you know it, there is a segment in the 12 Chinese Zodiacs story involving a tiger, rabbit, and dragon.
The tiger got 3rd place because he brute-forced his way past the river like the ox, but had a little more trouble. The rabbit got 4th by hopping on the logs in the river, but got stuck on the last one until it suddenly drifted to the other side. The dragon got 5th when everyone thought he'd get 1st, but he was too busy helping farmers by providing rain and helping a rabbit stuck in the river with puff of his breath. Well, don't these guys and their situations just sound so familiar?
Also, I applied RGG logic with their games' settings and made this fanfic take place within the year of 2021 because the first season episodes of Helluva Boss were released in 2021. And once again, the stars aligned because 2021 is the appropriate timeline for Kiryu and Saejima to cross paths with a little bunny boy before their next major appearance in the franchise.