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

Before Alicia and Edina had gone too far, Kanae managed to catch up with the two towards the end of the hallway. But not without exposing herself naked to some curious guests, drawn out of their rooms by the commotion. Some time during Kanae's romp, tower guards had rushed onto the floor and taken control of the room.

Lousanne had done her part obediently. Gossiping witnesses revealed that association members, Ortesians, and Romira's stalkers who were inside had all been taken into custody. For the time being, Alicia lockpicked her way into someone's room for them to occupy and go over what happened from their ends.

"Romira really did turn up herself. That made things easier for us," Kanae said, eyeing the unconscious feline beastman in bed.

"What about you? Find out anything important?" Edina asked.

"Well…" She turned her gaze to Alicia, who straightened up in response. "The Cult of Lust and Depravity is involved. There might be cultists all over Avanesse, and I think Cerberus is one of them. It tracks when we connect House Pyrelle's involvement and them coming to Savir."

"The same cult whose temple my sister had trapped me within for centuries…" Alicia balled up her fists and glowered.

Hundreds of years alone under someone's control, tending to microcosms of smaller worlds. It came as no surprise to Kanae that Alicia hadn't forgiven. In the grand scheme of things, she had only been freed recently. Memories of being stuck inside that cultist temple must still be like a fresh injury to her.

However, they succeeded in striking a swift blow to them tonight. Members of the East Saviran Trading Association were safe for now, and their treacherous members had been arrested. The assassin leading the effort snoozed soundly in bed and would be in for a rude awakening later.

"I don't mean to butt in," Sadul began nervously from the corner of the room, "but is there a chance for me to be rewarded for my part tonight? Possibly?"

Kanae sighed at this horny man and said, "I was hoping to make more connections at this banquet. Edina, can you stay and use some smaller undead critters to make sure there aren't any more surprises?"

"Yessir." Edina saluted, opening a tiny portal from which skeletal rats skittered out.

"As for Romira… Alicia, I'll leave her to you. Bring her back to our inn and keep an eye on her for the time being," she added.

"Alone?" Alicia asked and sounded uncharacteristically worried.

Odd. It wasn't like Alicia to second guess. Whenever Kanae had given an order, it was almost always followed up with a teasing remark or affirmative acknowledgement. 

She cleared her throat before continuing, "I didn't mean to doubt you. I simply wonder if an assassin such as Romira should demand our full attention."

Alicia did bring up a good point. They hadn't questioned Romira yet, and she could yield a lot more valuable information than schmoozing at the banquet. 

"You're right. Sorry, Sadul. A reward will have to wait. I'll let you fuck me as much as you want another time. Edina, Alicia. Let's get Romira out of here," Kanae said.

"Oh, alright…" Sadul frowned.

Edina recalled her army of undead rats and flew out of the tower from an open window. Meanwhile, Alicia casted Magical Stealth over herself and Romira, and quietly followed Kanae and Sadul downstairs. The banquet had only picked up during their absence. Bottles of champagne rolled out, and people popped them open and let corks fly. Drunk guests sprayed fizzy alcohol everywhere. Many didn't know that they could have been a few mishaps away from drinking the poisoned ones.

Outside the tower, things were only a little quieter. Some members, who had a little too much to drink, vomited into puddles of their own making. Others boarded carriages to head home. Sadul went to fetch theirs while Kanae waited with Alicia, who had Romira hoisted onto her back. Her invisibility suddenly dropped from both of them. The succubus was covered in sweat.

"Are you okay? Here, let me take Romira instead." Kanae unburdened Alicia, and as their hands brushed together, the latter flinched.

"Sorry, and thank you. I must be out of mana. The battle against Romira took a lot out of me. I haven't had the chance to drain anything yet," Alicia said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"I'd offer you Sadul, but he's kind of sleazy. As soon as we get back to the inn, we can feast on Romira together."

"I'd like that." She smiled.

Sadul returned with their carriage in tow, just in time for Edina to land next to them. Her cheek pouches were on the verge of bursting. Apparently, she had taken a detour to steal from the kitchens. They entered the carriage one by one, but Sadul stayed behind.

"You're not coming?" Kanae asked.

"What are you saying, my dear? The banquet is only livening up, and I have a very valuable token with which to flaunt. There is plenty of company for me inside. So, I bid you three a good night!" Sadul pushed the door closed and bowed as the carriage took off.

The way back was a lot more peaceful than Kanae imagined The Diamond was capable of. Street vendors and barkers had turned in. Stores closed shop. Even beggars made themselves scarce. Even from here, the south tower where the banquet was still going on continued to buzz with energy. Its light stretched all the way here.

Edina was knocking out with both cheeks full of food. Every time she nodded her head, or the carriage hit a bump in the road, bits and pieces fell out. Alicia was looking out the window, staying vigilant even though they were nearly back. The succubus' gaze returned to the carriage, only to glance up and lock eyes with Kanae. A soft smile flashed across her face.

"Kanae, there's something I—"

An explosion rocked the carriage. Smoke filled the cabin, and the scalding heat of fire licked Kanae's face. She was upside down— No, the carriage was. They were all lying on their sides. Half the vehicle had been blown open.

"Uuugh… What the fuck…" Edina was hanging out of the window, coughing and gagging.

"Guys, get up! It's an ambush!" Kanae yelled and crawled out of the broken carriage.

"Darkness!" someone incanted from afar.

A black haze fell over the entire street. It was so dark, Kanae couldn't see in front of herself. She brushed both hands across the ground in search of Lust and her wand.

"Fuck! I can't see! I dunno where my staff is!" Edina growled.

"Forget the succubi! Grab Romira, and let's get out of here!" the same voice, a masculine one that was both commanding and terse, shouted loudly.

Hurried footfalls rushed in. Kanae threw punches in front of her, but they didn't connect with anyone.

"Edina? Kanae! Where are you?" Alicia shrieked in such panic that pins and needles plunged into Kanae's heart.

"Don't worry, I'm right here!" Kanae assured her.

"I don't see you… I don't see anything! Please, don't leave me here! I don't want to be alone!" she cried more frantically.

Spurred by Alicia's terror, Kanae sweeped her tail and found a satchel. Her satchel. She pulled out her wand and casted Dispel. The magical darkness vanished. Fires from nearby stalls and stands illuminated the street. Romira was gone, and so was whoever had attacked them. Lying against the side of the burning carriage, Edina repeatedly beat her chest with a fist until a walnut flew out of her mouth.

Kanae didn't see Alicia until she looked under the carriage. The succubus had her face buried in her knees and both hands clutching her head.

"I'm right here, Alicia! Look up!" Kanae reached in to grab her hand, but she wasn't prepared to see a frightened child, whose eyes were snapped wide open and whole body shuddering as if left out in the frigid snow. "Alicia… Edina, I need your help!"

Edina finally found her staff. She summoned a death knight from an abyssal portal to push the carriage off. Together with Edina's help, she and Kanae pulled Alicia away from the burning wreckage. They stumbled into a narrow alley as people were beginning to come out of their homes to investigate.

"What the hells was that just now? They even nabbed the assassin!" Edina groaned.

"I'm not sure, but… Alicia? You're okay now. It's me! Edina and I are right here!" Kanae shook the succubus by her shoulders.

Clarity returned to Alicia's eyes. She swallowed hard and glanced past them, where the stagecoach was throwing a fit over his burning carriage. Shame washed over her.

"I'm sorry… I don't know what happened. Everything went dark, and I… I failed you," Alicia muttered.

"No, you didn't. I'm just glad you're okay." Kanae embraced her and shot a look at Edina, who returned a confused shrug.

When they lost Romira, there was no getting her back. Especially not at night and in a city as dense as The Diamond. Whoever those ambushers were had come prepared. They also somehow knew exactly where they were.

Alicia was quiet all the way back to the inn. She fell asleep without much of a fuss, curling up in bed with the sheets wrapped tightly around her. Kanae sat next to her by the bedside, holding her hand. The room door opened, and Edina entered dressed in a bathrobe and towel over her head.

"Knocked out like a baby, huh?" Edina parked herself on the window to wring water from her tail.

"I'm still trying to figure out what happened to Alicia that made her react that way. You've never seen her like this either, right?" Kanae asked.

"Nope." The squirreling pulled away from the window and plopped down in the other bed. "Big shock to me, too. Thought she was the most calm and composed cunt I've ever met. What do we do now? The assassin's on the loose again. It's going to be a bitch and a half if they pick up where they left off. So, do we even have any idea who fucked us in the ass?"

She shook her head. "I want to say Romira's Stalkers came to save their leader. Maybe. They were coordinated though. First, the fire blast knocked the carriage and disoriented us. Then that Darkness spell prevented us from seeing, so we couldn't charm anyone or find our stuff. Ortesians? It wouldn't make sense for them to leave us alive. We were clearly incapacitated."

The two never did figure anything out. Edina eventually knocked out. Kanae was about to jump into bed, but Alicia wouldn't let go of her hand. She decided to climb in next to her. Although their hands were clenched tightly together, Alicia's demeanor was wracked with stress. Her brows furrowed, lips quivered, and eyes darted all over behind their lids.

It wasn't until Kanae drew closer and held Alicia to her chest did the trembling stop. A relieved sigh escaped from stiff lips and finally relaxed.

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere," Kanae whispered reassuringly until she too fell asleep.

The next morning, Alicia seemed perfectly fine. She moved about with her usual silent poise and poker face. Kanae and Edina figured it best not to address the elephant in the room if the succubus herself didn't want to.

City criers rode through the streets, shouting about the latest gossip. That being some members of the East Saviran Trading Association colluding with the Empire of Ortesia, after they were found in a room together. The lack of news about any more assassinations suggested Romira was lying low now. She probably didn't want to kick up a fuss now that guards became more vigilant, and knowing that Kanae and her companions were onto her.

"What's the plan, Boss? We got nothing left to do here, yeah?" Edina asked.

"We only stopped at The Diamond so I can attend the association banquet. That's over now, so we should probably make the rest of our way to Bravost. For all we know, Sultana Dudula is still in danger," Kanae explained.

"It would be nice if the three other members of our party hadn't disappeared on us." Alicia huffed angrily.

Actually, Alicia had a point…

Vizier Duran might be dead in a ditch somewhere, and they would have messed up royally in trying to make friends with Bravost and Sultana Dudula.

"You mentioned sending your sister to investigate the bazaars?" Kanae asked.

"I did." Alicia nodded. "In fact, after conducting a preliminary investigation, I created a list of the many marketplaces in The Diamond for her to look through. Assuming Claudia isn't shirking her duties, she should be near the end of the list."

The trio headed to Chiming Plaza, a bazaar towards the center of the city, named after the bell tower that rang three times every day at noon. Around here, the stalls were packed with fresh produce, fruits, and dry harvests. Had Kanae not ruined Sadul's dowugut trade, his fruits might have ended up with one of these vendors.

A stall selling honey-glazed nuts caught Edina's attention, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. The squirreling raced over to pay for bucketfuls of them, and even summoned a few undeads to help her carry it all.

"Alicia." Kanae grabbed her hand before the succubus followed after Edina. "About yesterday…"

"Please, I don't want to talk about it. What happened was a disgraceful display on my part, and we lost Romira because of me. I assure you, that won't happen again," Alicia promised.

"Losing Romira doesn't matter to me. I'm just more worried about you."

"I… appreciate your concern. Truly. But this is something I must overcome myself." She wrenched away.

Kanae's shoulders slackened. Maybe she shouldn't have brought it up after all. When Edina returned with a bulging bag of nuts, the squirreling offered a handful to her.

"I'm not hungry," Kanae said.

"I get you like butting in to help people, but not everyone likes having their problems resolved for them. Sometimes it only makes them feel like shit. They hate feeling… What's that word? Over-reliant," Edina replied.

"It's hard to take you seriously when your cheeks are filled with nuts." She rolled her eyes.

Edina swallowed. Or tried to at least. The mouthfuls lodged in her throat, and the squirreling pointed anxiously at herself for help.

"I swear to god. If you die of asphyxiation, you'll go down as the worst necromancer in the world!" Kanae went behind her friend to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

"Kanae, Edina! I've discovered Claudia's tracks, we— What are you two doing…" Alicia stared as Kanae fisted Edina's diaphragm.

After one more push, a waterfall of nuts spilled to the ground.

"Haaauughhh! Oh, gods…" Edina gasped for air. "That's twice I almost choked on a nut in this stupid place. Saviran walnuts are a choking hazard!"

"If you're done fooling around, follow me!" Alicia demanded.

They followed Alicia, who led them through a winding block away from the crowds and into a more deserted section of the neighborhood. The homes here were mostly abandoned and less tended to. Larger surrounding buildings appeared to shield the ramshackled ones away from the public.

Eventually, the three came to a compound where makeshift barricades, mashed together with crates and pikes, had been erected around a cluster of tightly-knit buildings. Windows were boarded up. The lavishness of The Diamond couldn't be found here. Instead, filth littered the road and piled up the side of the walls. Unconscious people were strewn all over the place. A hole in one building looked like something had pummeled through it. Or someone.

"This place looks right up my alley," Edina said, tossing Saviran walnuts into her mouth but one at a time now.

"What makes you think Claudia is here?" Kanae asked.

"Because of this." Alicia pointed to the wounds on the unconscious.

Many had their pants down. A red bruise marked their asses. Definitely Claudia's doing.

They were about to enter until a dark elven man flew out of the building window above them, screaming as he plummeted. None of them wanted to catch him and stepped aside to let the man hit the ground.

"Ow… Why didn't anyone catch me…" he squealed.

"There's a lot more pain where that came from!" Claudia poked her head out and lit up. "Oh, hey! You guys are missing all the fun."

"Claudia, get down here! Where have you been?" Kanae shouted.

Claudia jumped out of the window and landed square on the back of the dark elf. Her stilettos dug into his shoulders.

"Sister, you better have a good reason for being missing." Alicia folded her arms.

"But you told me to check out the bazaars!" Claudia pouted.

"Give her a chance," Kanae insisted.

"Sounds like you guys had a helluva time yourselves. So did I. Look what I found." She pulled out a potion containing a familiar pink liquid.

They all recognized it right away. Anti-succubus magic potion.

"Why do these random thugs have it?" Kanae gasped.

"Beats me. I traced one of the cargos here. There's probably more," Claudia explained.

"You know," Edina began as she kneeled down in front of the groaning dark elf, "if it were up to me, I'd pay chumps to move contraband around, too. Bardell used to do it instead of having the Outriders move stuff. Harder to trace when it's a bunch of nobodies."

Kanae took the potion from Claudia and clicked her tongue. Ortesia… Just what were they up to in Savir?