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

Kanae, Edina, and Alicia had spent the night in a not-so spectacular inn to stay low. Tucked away under the shadow of the eastern tower was a place called The Rind, where drugs exchanged hands as much as gold did. Rogues waited around every corner and within dark alleyways for the next foolish traveler to walk by. Those with any sense of self-preservation came and went with armed escorts. Even then, they didn't spend more time than necessary, hightailing it out of here after conducting their shady business.

The buildings around The Rind were less tended to than the rest of the city. It made for a gloomy, stark contrast of poverty and exuberant wealth when strolling toward the east tower, which itself and the road up to were the only things well-maintained. 

Three companions were still unaccounted for. Petyr and Duran, whom Alicia paired together to investigate wealthier parts of The Diamond. Claudia, too, who was on her own to mingle about the city's many bazaars. The vizier was in the most danger. If Cerberus or the Harpy King's people recognized who he was, they would pounce on him in an instant. That was probably why Alicia paired their greatest asset with him. They might have had trouble fighting Sofisa, the Dancing Dervish, but Petyr would make easy work of her.

For now, Kanae didn't have the luxury of searching for needles in a haystack. They just had to hope those three were doing fine on their own. There was still the matter of Sadul and the entry to the East Saviran Trading Association's banquet. When morning arrived, she and her two companions set out to find him. The last Kanae recalled seeing Sadul, he had mentioned staying at the western tower.

"Hm. I appear to have run out of coating venom." Alicia frowned at an empty vial pinched between two fingers.

"Good. I hate your shit. Quit stabbing us!" Edina raised an angry fist at her.

"If there's any place to find some, it's probably here. Should we look around for a store?" Kanae suggested.

"In that case," she began after stowing away her vials, "perhaps the locals may point us in the right direction."

They descended from the second floor to the piercing stares of dubious patrons. Their boisterous conversations became hushed. An air of caution surrounded every table, as though everyone took care not to let slip a secret. It had been this way since the trio took residence in the inn, but nothing seemed to point that anyone intended them any harm.

"Hey, let's go ask the innkeeper. He probably knows this place the best," Kanae said.

"Better to ask everyone at once to save time. Mass Charm." As soon as the spell left Alicia's lips, the entire floor fell under her control.

Every single person tensed up. A poor elf had his stein an inch away from his lips. The ones with a little more instinct had only enough time to rise from their table, only to be frozen in an awkward half-way position of getting up.

"What happened to a low profile?!" Kanae cried.

"Knight-Commander, please." Alicia waved a hand to dismiss her concerns. "We are succubi. You should grow more accustomed to making use of your abilities. Now then… Questionable citizens of The Rind, I am in need of venomous coatings for my weapons. The deadlier, the better. Who among you would know where I might acquire some?"

"Try… Jarka… He's one of… Romira's Stalkers. Find him… two blocks south of here, near the… dried fountain… alley with red graffiti of a sword… jingle your coin purse…" a beastman answered while trying his best to resist.

Romira's Stalkers! Those bastard assassins that interrupted Kanae and Sadul when they were having sex! Time to get some revenge, and maybe some answers.

"See? It's much easier when you don't worry about the consequences." Alicia smiled.

"Haha! You know what? I like you! Still don't like your paralytic venom though," Edina said.

Well, it wasn't as though they could take back Alicia mind-controlling a group of people in the open anymore. They had a name now and so set off into The Rind in search of the dried fountain. A few blocks down like the man had said, and the three discovered what was once a beautiful water fountainful, now empty and its statue toppled. The short stature and feminine form bore similarities to Duran. Sultana Dudula, maybe?

The immediate area was likely a common square once. Small trees, no longer cared for, had long died from neglect. Its branches served the poor who threw large sheets and tarps over for a makeshift tent.

Edina found the alley they were looking for. Peering inside, a menagerie of refuse and debris littered the narrow corridor between two abandoned buildings. Broken furniture, vehicle parts, and discarded belongings piled up on one side. Half-heartedly graffitied on the opposite wall, however, was a sword with the blade covered in red paint.

Kanae and Alicia turned to the squirreling.

"Huh? You guys wanna use my money?" Edina groaned.

"You're the one with a fat coin purse," Kanae said.

"Fine. But If I'm paying, I'll be fishing for discounts." She snapped her finger, and an abyssal portal split open for an undead to walk out. Her minion carried a bulging satchel of gold, which it shook to rustle the coins inside.

A heavily-cloaked figure jumped down from a window above. He was so covered that only his dark brown eyes showed past the head covering. His scales and clawed hands suggested that he might be a kobold. The man had a curved blade sheathed to his side and carried a large case.

"Jarka is here. What is your poison today?" Jarka asked, his voice raspy and low.

"Show me your most expensive," Alicia demanded.

Jarka plopped down on the ground and opened his case. It sprung out as a multi-tiered shelf, containing all manner of poisons, antidotes, and venomous coatings for someone like a rogue. He scooted everything aside to open a hidden compartment on the bottom, revealing a much smaller selection of goods.

"Black wyvern venom, Viper's Kiss, cockatrice spittle, phantasmal wraith essence, Romira's Cocktail, Bleeding Ears, Moonshine, and more. What do you fancy?" Jarka pressed his hands together, eager to do business.

"Moonshine? Isn't the last one just alcohol?" Edina furrowed her brows.

"Have you ever drunk moonshine? Jarka has never seen a man lose his eyesights faster. Very dangerous," he said.

Alicia looked over the goods like Arenade would jewelry. The difference being one was significantly more dangerous and shady than the other. She settled on buying a vial of each. Edina threw a fit over them costing over a grand per bottle, but that was the price they paid for extremely dangerous substances. Jarka even threw in a few antidotes because of how much they bought.

"Pleasure doing business." Jarka packed up his belongings and was about to leave until Kanae grabbed his shoulder.

"Not so fast." Kanae motioned Edina and Alicia to surround him.

"S-Something else to buy?" he stammered.

"You're a member of Romira's Stalkers, right? Your group tried to assassinate me out in Savir. I want to know where your leader's hideout is so I can… pay them back," she said.

"Jarka only does business! Jarka isn't involved in assa—"

Alicia made a show of drenching one of her daggers in cockatrice spittle that she just bought from Jarka. She brandished the blade in his terrified face.

"Where is Romira hiding?" Kanae asked and casted Charm on him.

"Romira has multiple safehouses in The Diamond. Jarka knows none of them. Jarka only sells what is given to him at drop locations, and even then, those change every time. Few people have ever even met her," Jarka explained.

"Damn it. Alright, get out of here." Kanae released him, and the venom merchant rushed off.

"Was letting him go the right idea?" Edina asked.

"If Jarka never sees Romira, who would he warn? Well… If word does somehow reach her, then I want her to know I'm coming for that ass," she said.

Now that Alicia had her venom, they hailed a carriage to the western tower. Kanae could breathe easier without eyes burning into their backs at every corner. Instead, there were hundreds more merchants on this side trying to get her attention to buy stuff.

It was noon when they arrived at last. The beaming sun seared their skin if they weren't under shade. Fortunately, tall buildings and awnings provided them with plenty of relief. The western tower, much like its three other siblings, was a magnificent spire with a beautiful diamond jewel at the very top. Chances were that it wasn't actually diamond, but the crystal certainly glinted like one. A garden of desert flora surrounded the building. Members of great affluence meandered about, offering superficial compliments or conducting trades of excessive volume.

They reached their first obstacle at the bottom of the steps leading up to the tower. Association guards blocked them with pikes.

"Halt. Only members of the East Saviran Trading Association beyond this point, and I don't believe a single succubus has been welcomed as a member yet," one guard said.

"We're looking for Sadul Hadin. How about you show us the way in, so no other guards come and bother us?" Kanae suggested as she exerted a charm on them.

"That lowly pig?" The other sighed. "Alright, follow us and don't wander off. Our heads are on the line here."

The four guards led them up the polished steps to the western tower.

"Am I casually charming enough people to impress you yet?" Kanae leaned over to Alicia and whispered.

"You're doing great, sweetheart." Alicia smiled.

"Blech. Supreme One's ass, save it for when you two get a room!" Edina groaned from behind.

Guards turned a blind eye, seeing Kanae and her companions already accompanied by their peers. The entrance was a large archway with gold accents and ornate crown moulding. It led first into a vestibule of polished granite floor and tall columns. Exotic foreign plants not found naturally in Savir decorated the chamber in large vases. A crew of extremely attractive women dressed in sparse and exotic gowns stood behind a long counter, waiting to serve.

Their group walked up to a feline beastman woman, and the charmed guard asked about Sadul Hadin's whereabouts. The woman spoke quietly with her fellows, then flipped open a ledger to thumb down a few pages.

"A Sadul Hadin checked in a few days ago. Some of the girls have noticed he has been frequenting the Leisure Hall. You will find it on the first floor, second door on the right." She smiled and bowed.

Two girls closest to the large double doors casted a spell that willed them open. The guards proceeded into a large corridor, a hundred feet high and thirty across, that echoed with every step. Landscape paintings and gaudy effects of excessive wealth furnished the interior. Three doors on either side of the hall led to separate rooms, and the very end of the corridor gradually curved up and out of sight, presumably to the next floor. Each door had a placard that denoted what was behind it. Dining Hall, Bathing Hall, Library Hall…

Kanae sent the charmed guards away once they were in front of the Leisure Hall. She exchanged glances with Edina and Alicia, then pushed open the door. Another corridor, smaller this time and with more doors. It had curtains in place of every entry. Scantily-clad women walked up and down the hallway, entering a room to service the patron inside.

"Excuse me." Kanae caught a harpy lady who was about to enter a room. "I'm looking for Sadul Hadin. Do you know which room he's in?"

"Oh, that's the room I was about to enter. You must be a new girl? Feel free to take my place. I'm going to go take a break, because my arms are killing me!" She turned away to leave.

"Huh. That was easy," Edina said.

They threw open the curtain to a cozy, candle-lit room. Herbs burning from a censer released calming fumes into the air. Sadul was lying face down on a raised cot. He only had a towel resting across his rear.

"It's about time. I've been waiting ages for my massage. Can you start with my—" Sadul choked on his spit when he lifted his gaze at them.

"Shouldn't you be busy getting a platinum token?" Kanae folded her arms.

"Forgive me!" He fell off the cot and groveled on the ground. "I've reached a gold token, but platinum is a whole other beast! B-But I haven't been slacking. I'm making headway. An arms merchant of well-repute has agreed to meet with me. His name is Vevass. I plan to offer my wagons to transport his goods in exchange for his token. W-We're due to meet soon, if you would like to accompany me?"

As soon as Sadul got dressed, the four of them headed up the tower to meet the arms merchant named Vevass. The second and third floor was much like the first, offering amenities to association members free of cost. According to Sadul, the towers were funded by a fee paid at the end of the year. The bookkeepers kept a tight watch on that. It was on the upper floors where room and board were offered, and they were no less luxurious.

Beautiful red carpet stretched from end to end. Guests availed themselves to recreation rooms and courtesans that the association offered.

"So… These are your friends?" Sadul asked.

"Two of them at least. One left the other day, and three more are somewhere in the city. We've been staying over at The Rind, too. If I knew the towers were this amazing inside, I would've taken up on your offer," Kanae groaned.

"Hehe. Well, my lady. The offer is still open. For your friends as well," he offered lecherously.

"Keep it on your pants. There won't be anything between us if you don't get that platinum token."

Sadul sulked.

"Why can we not charm this token from said man?" Alicia asked.

"It's a massive organization that has ties to Sultana Dudula. We're trying to befriend her, not sabotage her. But if it comes to that… we might have to," Kanae whispered.

They reached Vevass' room on the fifth floor. Sadul rapped his knuckles on the door, but no one answered. He knocked again.

"It's possible Vevass is out at the moment," Sadul suggested.

"Uh. That's a no, captain. Death Sense is telling me there's a corpse in the room," Edina said.

"Dead? It can't be!" He gasped, then tried to open the locked door to no avail.

"Step aside." Alicia pushed Sadul away and produced a lockpicking tool. A few seconds of fiddling with the lock, something inside the mechanism clicked. She twisted the knob without any resistance.

Sitting in the middle of the room was a slender human man of dark complexion. He was bound to the seat, tongue rolled out, and a dagger protruding from his chest.

"Vevass! Oh, no! Murdered inside an association tower? This can't be…" Sadul dropped to his knees in shock.

Alicia checked Vevass' wrist for a pulse and shook her head. The man was a goner. Oddly enough, the room was a lot less gruesome than Kanae expected despite an assassination having taken place. There was no blood on the ground. No struggle either since everything seemed to be neatly in place.

"Welp. Least I can do is raise him," Edina said and waved the Pillar of the Damned in front of the corpse.

"ARE YOU MAD?" Sadul cried.

"No, bitch. I'm a necromancer." She lowered the staff, allowing the purple flames on the brazier to seep into the body. "Vevass, right? Answer me: who killed you?"

The corpse sucked in a deep, ragged breath and said, "Ro… mira…"

"Romira again… Why?" Kanae asked.

"Declined… to make a deal… with Cerberus. No profit… to be made… Romira… stabbed me," he answered.

The necromantic energies returned to the staff, and the corpse of Vevass went still again.

"Romira never shows herself but isn't above doing the dirty work. A true rogue," Alicia said thoughtfully.

"This might be related to Cerberus and Ortesia trying to usurp Sultana Dudula. Sadul, you— Sadul?" Kanae couldn't find the beastman merchant until Edina pointed to the door.

Sadul was sneaking out.

"Get back in here," Kanae ordered, compelling him with Charm.

"I-I don't want to do this anymore! I'm scared. Your necromancer friend is scary, too!" Sadul sniveled.

"You're too far in this now to back out. I promise to make it worth your while, Sadul. You're going to help us snuff out an assassin." She grinned.