24. Chapter 24

AN: This is the end of the current story arc, starting with next chapter I'll be handing this story back to Auto. As always, thanks to everyone who shares their enjoyment of this fic, makes it that much easier to get these chapters out knowing that people are that invested in this weird little story of ours.

Also, I'm genuinely surprised by how many people seemed to be on board with the El Kabong thing. That was actually just a private joke for myself, something I thought was funny, hehe, it wasn't supposed to allude to anything. I wonder how the story turned out in the timeline where I actually decided to follow though with that idea.

Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief as the Husk began crumbling around the weapon embedded in its skull. His attack had been stupid and reckless, borne entirely from his desperate desire to protect two girls who were far more capable than he was. Lori would be furious if she ever found out, Lynn too. Really, all of his sisters would be, those two were just the ones who were most likely to get their hands on him first. That he'd managed transform just in the nick of time had been nothing less than pure, unadulterated serendipity, but thankfully it appeared that his gamble had paid off. Now, he could help. Now, he could fight.

At least...he assumed he could. With death staring him in the face, Lincoln hadn't had the luxury of being able to take stock of what exactly he was actually capable of doing. The enemy had been upon him, Lincoln had suddenly found himself in possession of something large and heavy, and the knee jerk response to his plight had seemed fairly obvious. He had managed to catch a glimpse of his savior as it fell upon his foe, and had the presence of mind to be momentarily panicked by what he'd seen, but by that point he'd already been committed to his attack. And all the better that he had, who knows what would have happened if faltering had been even remotely a possibility in that scenario.

It was a guitar. Its body in the shape of a V and black as obsidian, save for the myriad of pale, laughing skulls that dotted its surface. It looked like the sort of thing that edgy teenagers would wistfully doodle in their journals, desperate for something that so succinctly represented their blackened, tortured souls. More to the point, it didn't look at all like a weapon.

Appearances, of course, weren't everything. Lincoln's last foray into combat had made copious use of a dapper cane and actual roses as surprisingly effective armaments. And it hadn't been all that long since Sam and Luna had revealed that their own instruments doubled as a sword and a literal axe. But no matter how hard Lincoln looked, he couldn't find anything that hinted at similar features in his own weapon. There didn't seem to be any secret compartments where something more substantial was hidden, or moving parts that suggested a deadlier form was contained within. By all appearances, it appeared to simply be a simple, if emotionally compromised guitar.

Uwooooo

KABONG!

Albeit...one which made an entirely inappropriate noise, given its appearance.

Lincoln blinked in surprise, shocked at how natural the reaction had been. Another Husk had managed to stumble its way onto the stage, and without conscious thought Lincoln had once again taken up his instrument and delivered a precise blow to the creature's skull, right between the foul thing's eyes. And stupid sound effects aside, it seemed that if nothing else, the guitar was at least sturdy. He could think of worse things to be armed with in these circumstances.

His newest problem quickly made itself apparent though, and was twofold. The first was that his blow was struck a bit too surely, his guitar was firmly lodged in the skull of the Husk, and did not readily remove itself when he tried to retrieve it. Which lead to the second, far more pressing issue—

Uwooooo!

The stupid thing was still alive!

Near as Lincoln could figure, he'd wounded the Husk but hadn't actually managed to "kill" it (if you could call it "alive" to begin with). And since Husks didn't seem to feel pain to begin with, this didn't actually slow the monster down all that much, leaving Lincoln in a pretty awkward position. One the one hand, his guitar being wedged so firmly into the creature made it fairly easy to hold it at bay, the guitar providing a helpful handle that kept Lincoln well out of reach of the monster's grasping claws and fanged maw. On the other, he couldn't do much else beyond literally holding it off. The guitar was stuck in there too good for Lincoln to easily remove it, and pulling harder only brought the still irate Husk closer to him.

Uwooooo!

Uwooooo!

Uwooooo!

And now more of the things had managed to get themselves onto the stage, and were making a shambling beeline for his position. Needless to say, things weren't looking great.

All too aware that leaving things as they were meant that he was going to be overwhelmed by the new Husks that were joining the fray, Lincoln began frantically feeling up as much of the guitar as he could reach while still keeping his trapped Husk at a distance. There had to be something more to it, some hidden gimmick. An axe blade, a chainsaw, something besides being an over designed cry for help!

As the Husks closed the distance, Lincoln grew that much more desperate. He trusted knobs, he pulled at things, he slapped the stupid thing. Anything to provoke some kind of reaction! Until finally, once again staring death in the face, and this time in quadraphonic, with no other avenues left to him Lincoln reached around the neck of the guitar, and plucked one of the strings.

The sound that resonated from the git's box was a low, mournful wail. It spoke of yearning, of desperation. Of tears so deeply entrenched that they could not be shed, only described through the wordless voice of his guitar.

Fwoosh!

Lincoln squawked in fear and surprise as the Husk he'd skewered on his guitar almost immediately burst into flames. Actual, tangible fire suddenly manifesting into existence and ravaging the creature's decrepit flesh. Acting on instinct, he hopped backwards to get away from the intense heat that had burst into being but inches from himself, and was relieved to see that the guitar came with him, smoothly sliding out of the monster's blazing skull. Landing lightly on his feet, Lincoln brandished his guitar with both hands, prepared to follow up his unintended attack if necessary, but the Husk had largely reduced to cinders by that point, and it was only a few moments more before the creatures own, natural self destruct process finished the job. Finally, some combination of the blunt force trauma and spontaneous combustion it had been subjected to was enough to "kill" the creature, and what little of it that hadn't been burnt to a crisp at that point dissolved into ashes.

Uwooooo!

Uwooooo!

Uwooooo!

...One down, three to go.

Lincoln readied himself for combat once more, but then thought better of it. Barring any more accidents, he might conceivably be able to take three of the creatures in melee if he engaged them carefully enough. After all, his tuxedo-clad alter ego had take on far worse odds, but it seemed that he might have stumbled upon a better method. Going with his gut, Lincoln flipped his guitar around and laid his hands upon it, just as he'd seen Luna do countless times before, surprised that the body remained strangely cool despite having been inside a fiery blaze only moments prior. He turned to face the oncoming group of Husks, and after one last momentary hesitation, plucked one string, just as he had before.

Fwoosh!

"Wow." Lincoln silently mouthed to himself as the nearest Husk went up in flames just like the previous one had. Apparently that hadn't been an accident. Not allowing himself time to dwell any further upon this strange ability, he pivoted to the next closest Husk and plucked another string.

Zap!

This time the Husk fell to its knees, writing in what appeared to be agony as lightning ravaged its body. With one more to, Lincoln once again shifted to meet the last of the trio and jammed on a third string.

Wssh!

Resulting in the creature being encased in a solid block of ice. Leaning into his instincts, Lincoln gripped his guitar by the neck with both hands and swung it like a baseball bat at the freshly made Husksicle. There was a sharp crack at the moment of impact, and the Husk shattered into countless, tiny shards of ice and evil, presumably.

Lincoln took a moment to marvel at the carnage he'd wrought, largely without lifting a finger, and gingerly held his guitar up for inspection.

"I have a guitar...that doesn't play music." He uttered, slightly dumbfounded.

"Lincoln!"

"Bro! What the heck is going on!"

Oh right, there was that whole battle...thing going on. There would be time to be nonplussed about his weird powers later.

Free from being menaced for the moment, Lincoln whirled around, his mind racing to try and provide a coherent explanation for those last, few, harrowing moments of his life.

"Hey girls!" He greeted them, laughing far too nervously for his liking. "I know you wanted me to stay put. But I kind of thought we were about to die, so I sort of..."

Lincoln trailed off as he saw the bewildered looks his sister and sort-of sister were shooting his way. His first thought was that they were amazed by the elemental deluge of destruction he'd wrought, evidenced by the scorch marks, pieces of shattered ice, and small fires that still dotted the front of the stage, and he allowed himself to feel a little proud of that. Fighting was still terrifying, but winning, that was pretty exhilarating. He liked that, a lot. In fact, he kind of felt like he was starting to understand Lynn a little better. However, those thoughts were quickly dashed once he realized that the girls weren't looking at the remains of his fallen foes, they were looking at him.

Lincoln followed their gazes, finally getting a good look at his new form since he'd transformed, and blanched. Gone was his traditional, sensible polo shirt and blue jeans combo. In their place was a much grungier, frayed looking pair of black jeans, the material significantly more worn and frayed than anything that would be allowed to exist in the same house as Leni Loud. His polo had been replaced by a simple black t-shirt bearing a single, laughing skull, identical to those that adorned his guitar, and over that he wore a sleeveless jean jacket, also black. Topping it off was a black band he wore on his right arm, which was riddled with impractically large spikes all the way around. So large, that he was genuinely surprised he hadn't accidentally stabbed himself at any point since his transformation. It was a much darker ensemble than he was used to wearing, in every sense of the word, and Lincoln wanted nothing more than to quietly sink into the ground and die from embarrassment.

UWOOOOOO!

Unfortunately, that would have to wait.

"Guys!" He shouted, pointing emphatically at the still advancing horde of Husks that were making their way up and around the stage. "I know I look stupid, but there's still a fight going on!"

"Uh huh."

"Oh yeah."

Impressively, Luna and Sam took up their weapons once more and resumed slaughtering the Husks with even more ferocity than they'd previously displayed. Which was all the more impressive because neither girl was actually looking at their targets now, instead keeping their gazes squarely glued on Lincoln.

"Sometimes I hate this stupid power." Lincoln groaned, facepalming in irritation.

"Why didn't it come with a headband?"

"Definitely could use a headband."

"We good now?" Lincoln asked archly. After some haranguing, he'd manage to get the girls to take up their original positions, using the stages' natural choke points to funnel the Husks to their demise. The worst of the battle was over, and it seemed like at this point, it was largely just a matter of sitting through the formality of waiting for the remainder of the creatures to submit themselves to Luna and Sam's less than tender mercies. Definitely a step up from how things had been previously. He wished the girls would stop shooting him those weird looks when they thought he couldn't see them, but he'd take the small victories where he could.

"S-so, Linc." Luna ventured, casually bisecting another of the monsters. "This is that...thing you were talking about? The tuxedo thing?"

"Genre Shift." He corrected her. "And yeah, more or less. Looks like Lisa was right, the transformation is different depending on who I partner with."

"I like this one much better." Sam called over her shoulder, shooting him a saucy wink.

"Very funny, Sam." Lincoln grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Who's joking?"

"It's definitely...interesting, bro." Luna interjected, taking a moment to give him a quick once over before returning to her task, whirling around and hewing her axe through another group of Husks. "Pretty rad guitar you've got there. Not gonna lie though, we really could have used a drummer."

"For combat?" He asked.

"For rhythm." Luna corrected him with a raspy chuckle. "Dealing with temps is a pain. Especially when we're not on tour."

"Sorry to disappoint." Lincoln replied with a smirk. "All I've got is this thing."

He nearly lost his balance as Sam landed right next to him and crouched, one hand on her now sheathed blade.

"Can you play it?" She asked conversationally as she began eying her next target.

"I don't think so? It kind of just does...this." Lincoln turned to her side of the stage and gave one of his guitar strings a pluck.

Fwoosh!

Igniting the nearest Husk.

"See? I'm worried about what'll happen if I actually try to...play...it..." Lincoln's reply grew more and more hesitant until he trailed off entirely, too unnerved by the way Sam's gaze was boring holes in him.

"Do it again." She breathed softly. Thoroughly unsettled, Lincoln complied.

Fwoosh!

"Again!" Sam crowed, laughing at the pair of smoldering Husks that now adorned the stage floor.

Luna glanced back at them, thoroughly puzzled. "What the heck are you guys—"

Fwoosh!

And squeaked in surprise as the Husk she'd been in the process of tearing apart also caught fire.

"Wow." She breathed, as the creature fell to its knees and burst into ashes. She then looked to her brother, lips pursed thoughtfully.

"You've got nothing but power chords?" She asked.

"Maybe?" Lincoln shrugged, helplessly. "I haven't actually tried them all. Like this one—"

"Try that one!" Sam shouted, and again Lincoln found himself compelled by the older girl's sheer enthusiasm to follow though with her suggestion. Taking his stance, he gingerly strummed the as of yet untested string—

Fwoosh!

And blinked in surprise. He'd heard the now incredibly familiar sound of flames erupting somewhere, but none of the approaching Husks appeared to be on fire. It was puzzling.

"Dudes!" Luna exclaimed, drawing his attention. Luna was holding her guitar in front of her, staring in awe as her axe blades now glowed bright red. Only slightly hesitating, Luna dashed forward and swung at the first Husk she came across—

Fwoosh!

Which erupted into flames when it came into contact with her glowing weapon, writhing as it toppled over and burst into ash.

Luna gaped at her ensorceled weapon, gingerly holding it up so she could get a better look at it. "Bro, you set my axe on fire."

He winced, not sure how to process that statement. "Technically I—"

"You're the best brother EVER!" Luna shrieked, giving her guitar a twirl, then throwing herself into the horde once more, laughing madly as she began setting her foes ablaze with renewed vigor."

"—Totally meant to do that." Lincoln concluded, secretly relieved that he wasn't in trouble. He let out yelp as several feet of steel was suddenly shoved in his face.

"Me too!" Sam whined, pouting as she waggled her sword in front of him. "Come on Linky? Do me too!"

"Might want to phrase that better, Sam." He suggested, blushing slightly.

"Gimme your magic mojo!"

Shaking his head, Lincoln counted his way down the guitar strings. Reasonably certain he'd remembered which one he'd used on Luna, he gave it a strum—

Zap!

—And apparently miscounted, as Sam's blade was wreathed with electricity.

"Whoops." He chuckled nervously, looking up at the girl. "Sorry about th—ACK!"

He didn't get to finish his apology, as Sam interrupted him by pulling him into a bone crushing side hug with the hand that thankfully wasn't full of elemental fury.

"Thanks, Linky." She purred, giving him a peck on the cheek. "I love it."

"I...uh..." Lincoln stammered, unsure how to reply to the strange show of affection before he was unceremoniously dropped on the ground.

"Hey, Luna!" Sam called out, as she rushed back into the fray. "Watch me break your record!"

"Bring it on! Because I'm about to set a new one!"

Righting himself, and shaking his head in amusement, Lincoln settled in and watched the spectacle before him. The girls had promised him a show, and it looked like they were going to deliver. He just hoped they wouldn't set the place on fire.