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

Whenever they tried to get in close, the razor sharp winds cut them like being slashed by a sword. Sofisa's blade was large, but it shouldn't have been able to hurt from meters away. That tornado or whirlwind of hers must be some kind of magic. But did the Bladedancer class ever casted magic? Weren't they melee-only like rogues?

Even without magic, Sofisa demonstrated master swordsmanship and footwork. The unwieldy blade didn't look like a burden at all and more of an extension of her body. She had demanded that they dance with them, but they fell and tripped so much by comparison. The way she moved was captivating, a perfect blend of violence and performance.

"Nngh…" Alicia fell to her knees.

"Alicia!" Kanae raced over worriedly.

There were wounds all over Alicia. Many were thankfully shallow, but sustaining all those injuries must be causing her to lose a lot of blood. Kanae didn't have a healing potion on her. Damn it. If only she and Sadul hadn't had sex so much, then he wouldn't have drunk all those healing potions they found!

But it was no use complaining over spilled milk now. 

"Renya, Edina! To me!" Kanae shouted.

They leaped back and high-fived each other. When their hands came in contact, Kanae empowered them with Bond. The ammunition chamber in Renya's flintlocks glowed a darker blue and screeched with volatile energy. Edina summoned a Corpsestitched death knight in all its grotesque glory.

"Yes, warriors! That's more like it!" Sofisa shouted in a frenzy.

Renya fired two devastating shots that could level a building, but the Dervish spun into a tornado again and sent the spellfire veering into the sky. However, the death knight wasn't some lightweight spell to be thrown away. Edina's undead, undeterred by pain, charged through the slicing winds and punted Sofisa. She skidded a few meters away on her heels and flashed a grin.

While they fought, Kanae pressed a hand to Alicia's chest. Fortunately for them, she obtained a new spell while in Lograin— Flash Heal. Although not as potent as a crowned Priest or Paladin's healing magic, its low cost and fast application recovered the injured succubus in no time.

"Incredible. I'm good as new," Alicia said and inspected herself.

"Would've been nice if I could cast once to heal you up instead of recasting the same spell ten times," Kanae groaned.

"I may or may not need one more Flash Heal. Would you be so kind as to apply it here?" She puckered her lips for a kiss.

"Can you think of the time and place?!"

Sofisa cut down scores of Renya's clones in a spinning slash. The death knight slammed down on her with both fists. They hit the ground and cracked the stone streets instead. The Dervish leaped onto the undead's shoulders and vaulted off. She ran past Edina, making a beeline for Kanae and Alicia.

"No resting!" Sofisa sliced down, but the two of them separated just in time.

Trying to think of something that might even the playing field, Kanae's hand brushed against Camilla's rapier. Well, she did insist on making use of it. As soon as Kanae drew the thin blade, a new ability entered her skill list. 

[Flurry of Thrusts: Take a stance and level the point of the blade at your foes. A single thrust will create echoing thrusts that strike several more times in quick succession.]

Kanae did as the skill suggested and mimicked a stance she had seen Camilla perform before. Feet at shoulders' length apart. Sword arm outstretched and pointed at the enemy. When Sofisa dashed in to close the distance—

"Flurry of Thrusts!" Kanae jabbed the air all but once, but an illusory project of her arm stabbed half a dozen more times without her so much as moving.

Sofisa gasped. It looked like she wanted to forfeit the attack, but momentum carried her in anyway. She lifted her curved blade up defensively to block the numerous jabs, then darted back once the attack ended.

"You! I recognize that rapier anywhere. How did you come to possess Camilla Rudeux's rapier?" Sofisa demanded.

"You know Camilla? She entrusted this to me to give to her sister," Kanae said.

Alicia had snuck up behind Sofisa, then nodded before going invisible. Kanae did the same and entered Magical Stealth.

"Oh, come on! Going invisible isn't fair!" Sofisa pouted.

"Fair? First time fighting succubi?" Kanae put Sofisa in a headlock from behind.

"I've never met a succubus who's ever fought fair." Alicia pulled the beastman's pants down to her ankles, revealing a clean-shaven snatch.

"W-What are you doing? Th-Th-This is unbecoming of warriors in battle!" she cried.

Kanae switched on Futanari, and a massive dick empowered by the Cock Ring of Hardening sprung out to rub against Sofisa's pussy.

"Eeeek! What is that? I-I feel something hard and thick…" Sofisa stammered.

"I'm about to show you my sword!" Kanae pulled her hips back preparing to thrust into her—

But Sofisa vanished in a gust of wind. Kanae shoved her dick down Alicia's steaming mouth instead. 

"The bitch is gone?" Renya came running and asked.

"Looks like it." Edina sighed. "Alrighty, you guys can show yourselves."

"Um… Hold on. We're kind of in an uncompromising position right now…" Kanae wrenched away with a pop! and switched off Futanari before dropping invisibility.

Alicia did, too, but everyone couldn't help but stare.

"Hah! What happened to you? Looks like you went into a boxing ring with an ogre!" Renya exclaimed.

"Uugh… I hink Hanae dishlodged my haw…" Alicia pressed a hand to the bottom of her chin and the other to the side of her cheek. One good push cracked the jawbone back into place. 

Sofisa was gone, and the plaza was a mess. Edina de-summoned her death knight, and Kanae and Alicia casted Magical Stealth on their companions to leave unnoticed. People were beginning to wander in again. They didn't want trouble when the guards inevitably came to investigate.

The four found an empty alley occupied mostly by rats, which scurried away when Kanae and her companions entered. They pressed their backs to the wall, gasping for breath.

"Renya, do you seriously have no idea why a Dervish was after you?" Kanae asked.

"Beats me! I have a lot of enemies back home though. Those Dervishes are in cahoots with the Harpy King, ain't they? Don't think I ever pissed the guy off. Not yet at least. Sheesh, I need a smoke. Last time I got beat that badly was by your dick," Renya said and slumped down, searching her coat for a cigar.

"What the hells was that magic she used anyway? I've never seen anything like it," Edina brought up the one thing they were thinking.

Everyone was stumped. No one had so much as a guess.

It was as though Sofisa controlled the very winds at her fingertips. Maybe her weapon was enchanted? If the rest of the Dervish Five were as strong as her, they might have a big problem on their hands.

"Clearly, the bastards want me. I can get lost from the group, and that takes a load off of you," Renya suggested.

"If Sofisa finds you again next time, she won't be alone. You will be though. Are you sure?" Kanae was reluctant about letting her go, but the pirate lord made a good point.

"I'm just a selfish tag-along to begin with, remember? You go on and do your Order of Colors thingy. I'll keep a low profile in the meantime. The carriages are yours to do as you please. It might be best if I find my own mode of transportation. With any luck, we'll all meet in Bravost. Farewell, friends!" She offered an inelegant bow on the way out.

"Despite claiming to be selfish, that was a rather selfless thing she did," Alicia remarked amusedly.

That was Renya Rown after all. No one could really read her other than herself.

Over the next few days, there had been no signs from Sofisa or the Dervish Five. They hadn't seen Renya either, so she likely held her end of the promise about leaving The Diamond. That meant the Harpy King really did send the Dervishes specifically for her. She was going to be fine though. That much, Kanae was confident about.

Renya had the right idea. Amethyst Hall should be focusing on their main purpose for being here— the rescue of the Knight of Red, Sivvy Brenhallow. Beyond that, however, stewed another reason. That being to bring Savir under the Commonwealth of Sin's banner. Archbishop Patrice's desire to see two empires butt heads didn't matter to Kanae one bit.

At the end of the day, Kanae held all of the cards and powers of a country. To claim Savir would be to elevate the Commonwealth into that of an empire to match Ortesia's might. There was no bigger deterrence to war than holding just as big a stick. It made sense.

"Mmmm… A succubus' touch. How delectable…" The lamia courtesan coiled her long body around Kanae a little tighter.

"There's more where that came from." Kanae smiled and lifted the woman's face up for a deep kiss.

The two other lamias who were in the tangle drew closer. One hugged Kanae from behind, and the second rested on her belly and stroked her inner thighs. Together, they undulated back and forth, taking turns for a round of intimacy.

Kanae ran a hand infused with Turn Horny down the cool scales of the dark-skinned lamia woman, eliciting a pleasurable sigh. The scales tensed up. Her upper body shuddered and nipples stiffened. When Kanae squeezed each perky mound, the lamia climaxed.

While having Arenade here would have certainly helped a lot in terms of their survivability, her absence was an opportunity. An opportunity to sample the many prostitutes Savir had to offer. Back home, it was the couch for the night if she ever returned with the scent of a sex worker.

But it wasn't all about sex. Before Kanae departed from Radevic, Dalu offered a clue to Red's trail. A Saviran archaeology guild had reached out to Aidenhall for help, and so as a matter of inter-country niceties, the Knight of Red was sent here. So far, she hadn't uncovered any names about such an organization. But it could just be that they were based elsewhere than The Diamond. One thing was for sure though. In any city, the two most visited places were always the tavern and brothels.

"There's a lot of history in Savir that I'm curious about. Do you three have a place in mind where a foreigner like me can learn more?" Kanae asked.

"Oh, but you're learning so much history from us already." One lamia slithered down between Kanae's thighs and licked her throbbing clit.

"Nnh… Really though… d-don't you have… ahhh… museums… or something like that?" she pressed them and grabbed a handful of hair from the lamia giving her cunnilingus.

"Hmm." Another lamia climbed up to cuddle with Kanae. "You won't find a museum here. The Diamond is mostly a trade city after all. There's an ancient artifacts museum in Bravost. One of my clients took me there as a trip once. It's just a bunch of dusty old tomes and vases. Ah! Didn't we recently take in a patron who works there?"

The one licking Kanae glanced up and wiped her chin. "We did. I believe his name was Seif. Kobold man. He was accompanied by a human man, who frequents a different brothel instead. His loss."

Seif? Why was that name so familiar…

Kanae had enough fun for now and got dressed to leave. The lamia trio begged her to stay, but she needed to search elsewhere for clues. Like other brothels. She tipped them handsomely. Maybe a little too handsomely. Her coin purse was starting to get a little light. Edina might be able to spot her some money on loan until they returned to Radevic.

On the way out of the room, Kanae bumped into someone half her size. A kobold. He staggered back and rubbed his canine.

"Sorry about that," Kanae apologized. "I—"

"It's you!" The kobold pointed directly at her with his mouth agape.

"Wait… You're Seif? That Seif from Radevic!" she exclaimed.

Luckily for them, the brothel had a tavern downstairs with the express purpose to get patrons drunk and loosen their coin purses. Kanae ordered a drink for Seif, and the two got situated at an open table.

"My word, finding you in Savir is the last thing I expected!" Seif laughed.

"And I didn't expect it to be Savir where you had come from. Where's your colleague?" Kanae asked.

"You mean Panner? He prefers brothels with more… matronly women. For me, hehe… laying with lamias, who are natural predators of my species, comes with its own special kind of thrill. Ahem." He cleared his throat and blushed as a lamia waitress sat their drinks down.

Kanae had met Seif and Panner during her training to become Knight of Amethyst. She journeyed with them to Faebog to find fairy moss. The scholars had less than academic goals at the time, and considering she found the kobold man in a brothel, his predilections haven't changed.

"Anyway, what brings you to Savir, Kanae?" Seif asked.

"It's a long story, but finding you makes things easier. One of the prostitutes mentioned that you work at a museum in Bravost. Do you?" Kanae picked up the carafe to refill his stein.

"Oh, you must mean Ordane's Museum of History and Relics. It is a museum funded by my university, Ordane. I do work there on occasion, yes. I used to be director until Panner and I set off north on an academic research commission. The same one where we met!"

"Right… academic… I want to know about an archaeology guild that may or may not be associated with Ordane. Or the museum," she said.

The very mention of the guild, and Seif clammed up in an instant. Kanae noticed that his composure faltered, too. He knew something.

"This is, uh… hardly the time to talk about history and archaeology. I'm only here to partake in the vices of the flesh! If you will excuse me…" Seif got up to leave.

"Stay right there," Kanae compelled him with a charm, and he immediately returned to his seat. She whistled for a waitress to come over. "I'd like a room."

"Of course! Which one of our ladies would you be interested in? Me, perhaps?" the waitress offered coyly.

"Tempting, but just me and my companion over here." She slipped her a couple of gold coins.

A prostitute had no problems with earning some coin doing absolutely nothing. She escorted Kanae and Seif upstairs to an unoccupied room, promising that no one would disturb them.

"Well, Seif? Do you plan on answering me now?" Kanae asked as she pounded their hips together with great force.

"Ahhhh! You crazy succubus, you could have charmed the answers out of me instead!" Seif screamed, writhing and twitching underneath her.

"I've started to really enjoy teasing people. If you don't tell me, I might end up draining you to death~" she warned and showed no signs of slowing down.

The kobold's double penis gushed a pent-up load into Kanae. As they were going soft, she casted Turn Horny to bring them back to an erection again.

"Ouugh… Why does it hurt and feel good at the same time when I orgasm… Okay, fine… I'll tell you… Yes, there was an archaeology guild. They were composed of the best field researchers Ordane University has ever nurtured. Some years ago, when there was less fighting between the three Sultans of Savir, some sort of discovery was made near Elusis, the Harpy King's territory. He petitioned Sultana Dudula and Ordane to send a team of archaeologists there, promising a decade of peace thereafter. She agreed. I heard Ordane even asked Aidenhall for assistance, and they sent a Knight of Color to protect them. What they found was an ancient temple, and something underneath that rumbled with magical power. But after a time, we lost contact with the team. Their letters and reports stopped coming. As far as we're concerned, the entire guild is gone. The university viewed this as a great mistake and humiliation, and Sultana Dudula ordered that no one ever speak of it again. We know for sure, the Harpy King had something to do with it. Whatever they found must have been worth keeping a secret. Because the hostilities and attacks increased ten folds thereafter."

So, the Harpy King discovered a relic or power that enabled him to confidently attack the other two sultans. It was enough that he imprisoned the guild and Knight of Red, so they wouldn't return to Sultana Dudula— and by extension, Radevic— with the news. Some of the pieces were coming together.

"I've told you everything… I swear. If you're going to keep going… could you at least kill me by smothering me with your breasts?" Seif asked.

"Nope. You get to live." Kanae climbed off his dicks and grabbed them firmly at the base in one hand. "Whatever plans you and Panner had, it's time for a clean slate. Stay in The Diamond for a little longer. You're going to be coming with me to Bravost. I want to see what's in those messages your archaeology guild sent before they went quiet. Don't worry. I'll reward you two plenty in exchange."

"Gods… save me…" he prayed.