The Hero Became a Succubus, and the Only Way to Level is to… What?!

"Well, I have a silver token now. I'll still need to put in some greasework to convince someone to trade down their gold token, but this is a lot easier than starting at bronze. What about you? Are you satisfied?" Sadul asked.

"Plenty!" Kanae stretched her arms after a nice draining session.

The entire caravan, people and beasts, laid half-unconscious with their dicks flopped over limp. Some of them were groaning in pain from being drained a little too much. Others who had a bit more fortitude and stamina than the rest fared better.

Kanae casted Prestidigitation to clean the spunk off her body. The spell tidied her right up, jizz, sweat, and dirt all. After getting dressed, she joined Sadul, who had gone off to speak with one of the association members. She recognized him as Yaz, a young dark elven man with a goatee and buzz cut. He had also partook in running train on her.

"I'm telling you, Sadul. It's not going to be as easy as you think," Yaz said.

"This is preposterous! The banquet has always been gold tokens or higher. They didn't even bother telling people beforehand?" Sadul exclaimed angrily.

"What's going on?" Kanae asked.

Both men regarded her with an exhausted and defeated look.

"Someone pulled the carpet from our feet," Sadul began with a heavy sigh. "Yaz just told me that entry into the banquet has been changed. Only those with a platinum token or higher may enter now. It is a tier above gold. I'm truly sorry, Kanae. This is a surprise to me, too."

"Okay, let's not panic so soon. How hard is it to gain a platinum token?" Kanae asked.

"For one, us lesser merchants have never touched platinum," Yaz said.

The pig beastman nodded in agreement. "It is where hundreds of thousands of gold moves from a single trade. Where instead of on the streets, economy is conducted behind closed doors."

Compared to a common fruit merchant, they probably would never even see something like a platinum being exchanged between hands. Now, the hurdle proved much higher to jump over. Even if they were to somehow obtain a gold token, going from there to platinum was much harder than going from bronze to gold. At least according to the other merchants chiming in.

Kanae and Sadul despaired as they got their wagon in order to leave. He wasn't even in the mood for sex, despite being all over her the last few days! On the road again, she laid in the back while playing with the silver token earned using her body.

The star emblem of the East Saviran Trading Association had been worn down, likely from years of falling into the hands of different people. Tokens like gold, platinum, or higher probably still boasted the pristinely-etched symbol. What kind of people would the greater members of the association be? They had to be snobby. Or similar to high elves in some ways. If they didn't trade something as mundane as a wagon full of dowugut fruit like Sadul, then it had to be on the scale of entire caravans, a store's worth of merchandise… or a massive cargo that needed a ship to transport.

"Renya," Kanae muttered.

"Hm? What was that?" Sadul spoke up from the front.

"I think I can get you that platinum token. I'm friends with Renya Rown, chairwoman of Rown Company. There has to be weight to that name."

"Ah, yes. Rown Company is well-regarded by the association. However, that matters little. For she is not a member, nor does she possess a token. We have also never granted membership to a foreign business entity. The East Saviran Trading Association is very exclusive to begin with," he explained.

"Sure. But what if she's your business associate? That gives you a lot of leverage. Who else in the association has trade access to the north via seafaring vessels?" she asked.

The merchant fell into thought. His expression soon lit up like morning sunlight stretching across the deserts. Savir might be reclusive, but anyone who bridged a relationship with the outside world gains entry to a new source of capital. To fellow traders, Sadul would become the middleman to the Commonwealth, the city-states of the eastern continent, and possibly even Artaggon.

"I see. I see! Yes, this might work. You're a genius, Kanae! Here I thought your mind only thinks of sex. Your body really isn't your only worth!" Sadul complimented.

"That feels more like an insult than praise, but I'll take it!" Kanae climbed into the front seat next to Sadul and returned the silver token to him. "When we get to The Diamond, I'll need to meet up with my friends and explain the plan."

"In the meantime, I shall reach out to association members with platinum tokens for a meeting. That way— why did you slip your hand into my pants?"

"We're going to celebrate!" she exclaimed.

"I take it back. Your mind is only ever filled with sex!" he groaned.

Sadul complained, but he couldn't resist the allure of a succubus matron. Kanae being recently full meant she didn't passively drain him more than usual. They had run out of healing potions for a while now, and he would have suffered a miserable headache otherwise. She rode his cock on the way to The Diamond. Their hips never separated unless for her to blow him.

By nightfall, they continued inside the wagon. Kanae was lying on her back, and Sadul pistoned into her with the fervor of a wild animal. Both of them were drenched in sweat. She arched her back as his stringy dick entered her womb and ejaculated its payload.

"Fuuuuck! I love your cock so much! Are all beastmen from your race like this?" Kanae asked.

"Yes— I mean, no! I'm the most virile among my kind. You will find no better lover. Hehehe…" Sadul reached down to massage her breasts and gently tugged on her nipple piercings.

The merchant was sleazy, deceptive, and not so attractive, but the only thing that mattered to Kanae was good sex. Sadul was useful though, and she needed to keep him hooked on her. Sometimes, a little persuasion went a long way than using compulsion.

They continued well into the night. Kanae was bouncing on Sadul's dick when something rustled outside the wagon. Wild and curious animals weren't an unusual sighting this late. A fire normally scared them away, and she could see the ambient light against the wagon's back entrance.

"Hey, do you hear that?" Kanae asked.

"It's probably just the wind… I'm nearing climax! Bring those pretty lips of yours down here and kiss me like a slut," Sadul urged from beneath her.

The campfire went out. Everything turned pitch black. Kanae's darkvision kicked in, and she made out several blurs that attempted to enter the wagon from the back. She covered her Piercings of Impurity with both hands, then took them off. A flash of blinding light surged forth.

"AH! AHHH! MY EYES?!" Sadul screamed as he ejaculated into Kanae's womb.

"Nnnngh! You came so much… We're under attack, so stay here!" Kanae grabbed Lust, her wand, and Camilla Rudeux's rapier before jumping outside.

There was no one within sight. Dirt had clearly been kicked onto the campfire. Numerous footprints led up to the wagon. Kanae flew up and casted Dispel, revealing the assassins from their magical invisibility. Five in total, dressed in dark clothes and faces shrouded by full head scarves They exchanged glances with each other and looked down at their hands.

"Tch. You two, gut the pig. Rest, on me!" an assassin ordered.

When the pair tried to enter, Sadul's girly scream erupted from within.

"Oh, gods! Kanae, save meeeeeee!" Sadul cried.

Kanae exerted a Charm on them, but the spell didn't connect. A sharp pain pricked at her brain. The only time that had ever happened was against high elves who had drunk anti-succubus magic potions. She avoided crossbow bolts fired into the sky, then casted Sleep as an area of effect spell instead.

Four assassins, including the two who tried to enter the wagon, fell unconscious right away. The leader, who managed to resist the effects of Sleep, looked left and right at their knocked out partners and panicked.

"Er… Shit," he muttered.

"Who sent you? I'll go easy on you if you answer truthfully," Kanae threatened.

"As if I'd tell—"

A jelly white substance dripped onto the assassin's face covering. He wiped it off and stared down at the globule in disgust.

"What the fuck is this?" he asked.

"Oops. Ahaha… That must have slipped out of me," Kanae said apologetically and squeezed her legs shut to keep more cum from leaking out. "Well, you don't need to tell me who you serve. It's Cerberus." The second she mentioned his name, the assassin gasped. "That's what I thought. Ortesia is trying to align itself with Cerberus and Avanesse. The high elves are the only ones with access to potions that resist succubus magic."

"Even if you know, there is nothing you can do for Sultana Dudula and Bravost now!" The assassin loosed another bolt.

Kanae dodged this one too late. Fortunately, it only grazed her arm. She winced as the metal tip sliced across the skin and drew some blood. They were about to battle until Sadul snuck up from behind the assassin and bashed the back of his head with a wooden plank. He staggered a few steps forward, turned around to see who had done it, and fell flat on his ass.

"Alright, you're a lot braver than I gave you credit for. Where did you even get that board?" Kanae gestured to the makeshift weapon clenched in his trembling hands.

"One of the boards broke when we were going at it, so I picked it up to defend myself with! More importantly, are you okay? Are you hit anywhere? These assassins are Romira's Stalkers! I recognize them by their scorpion insignia," Sadul explained worriedly.

"I just got scratched. Nothing too bad," she said, but her traveling companion's aghast expression suggested differently.

"It isn't 'nothing too bad'! Romira's Stalkers all coat their weapons in deadly venom!"

It was then that Kanae felt faint. Her vision started to distort, and an extreme sense of nausea struck her all at once. She collapsed to her knees. A heat, not the good kind that Kanae got during sex, torched her entire body.

This was bad. The two of them didn't have any antidotes. Sadul searched the assassins for one, but neither did they. Kanae was beginning to wish she had tried harder in convincing Arenade to come. Or any priest.

As the light left Kanae's eyes, the last thing to appear in her vision was the beastman, Sadul. Damn it. If only it was Arenade or Esta. Literally anyone else!

Death turned out to be mildly uncomfortable and smokey. Not at all what Kanae expected. Probably because she wasn't actually dead. She came to consciousness sore all over and lying on a cot made of dried animal leather. Light fumes gathered at the top of the tent, slowly escaping past small holes that served as vents.

Daylight spilled past the tent flap. When Kanae tried to get up, someone pushed her back down. An elderly human woman, whose features had been worn by age and weather. She had thinning gray hair with streaks of blonde that reminded her of William and Analise, but with much darker complexions. Were these…?

Sadul entered the tent and locked eyes with Kanae. He gasped so hard, she thought he might have swallowed his tongue.

"By the gods, you're up?" Sadul exclaimed, full of relief.

"What happened? Where are we?" Kanae asked.

"You fainted. I brought you to an Arkesian camp. We're lucky. They considered packing up and leaving yesterday, but one of their own was about to give birth, so the elders decided to stay a few more days. The woman who treated you is Losa, a medicine woman. It cost me nearly an arm and a leg to have them part with an antidote, but I wasn't going to have you dying on me yet," he explained breathlessly.

Kanae shuddered that she just had a brush with death. Romira's Stalkers were dangerous, and they were under the employ of Ortesia and Cerberus. Weren't every mercenary group supposed to have been bought by Sultana Dudula? Whatever the case, she needed to stock up on antidotes as soon as they got to a city.

With Sadul's help and a walking stick offered to her by Losa, Kanae emerged from the tent to fresh air. The camp consisted of dozens of large white tents arranged in an orderly formation. Outside, a bunch of beasts of burden had been fenced in and grazed on what little desert grass was left. Their ronoas were among them.

Humans of Arkesian ancestry moved about, packing their belongings into wagons and carts. Many of them wore trinkets fashioned from tiny animal bones, like a necklace of fangs or hair tied with a long claw. A couple of passing women with baskets of fruit in their hands stopped and offered Kanae some. They bowed before moving on. So, these were the people the grand eye and her brother had descended from. She could definitely see the kindness and wisdom that exuded from them.

Kanae and Sadul's wagon had been parked adjacent to Losa's tent. Members of the camp brought the ronoas over, even hitching the beasts for them.

"Thank you. I seriously owe you my life," Kanae said to Losa.

"Speak nothing of it." Losa smiled. "I recognize a northlander when I see one. Which means you must hail from Radevic. A number of my people ventured there years ago, and a one named Analise is a leader of people. It makes me proud to share the same ancestors. I know not why you are so far south in Savir, but your presence must mean the gales of change have also come."

"The gales of… change?" She gulped.

The elderly woman patted her hard on the back. "Haha! I'm just joshing you. I don't know why you're here, and I quite frankly care little for it. Whatever you're up to, it's got to be better than what the three Sultans of Savir have been cooking for the last few years."

Thankfully, Will and Analise didn't retain their Saviran counterpat's poor sense of humor…

They thanked Losa and climbed into the wagon once the ronoas were securely fastened. The Arkesians were on their way out anyway, too. According to Sadul, The Diamond wasn't much farther. Kanae's sidequest would finally come to an end and at last return to the main problem at hand. Hopefully, the others weren't too worried about her disappearance.

"Exactly how much was an arm and a leg for an antidote anyway?" Kanae asked.

"The Arkesians are very punctual about where they will be in certain times of the year. Next year, around springtime, I promised to bring them a wagon full of dowugut. Free of charge, I might add." Sadul sighed.

"Thanks… for saving me. You could have just left me there, and not be involved in trying to stop a coup against Sultana Dudula. I really appreciate it," she said.

The merchant rubbed the back of his head. "Heh. Well, it isn't as if I did this out of the goodness of my heart! There is no greater accomplishment than saving Sultana Dudula. This is also a chance for me to climb the ranks of the East Saviran Trading Association. And… I-I suppose our journey together as of late has made me take a liking to you."

An impish smile flashed across Kanae's face. Sometimes, persuasion was a much stronger force than compulsion.

"That makes two of us." Kanae sat closer and drew a circle on Sadul's chest with her finger. "We have some time before reaching The Diamond, right? How about I reward you for your role in saving my life?"