The Hero Became a Succubus! - Chapter 167

Alt link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_jPBTyQemPdvMKCxsPsIFH8C7pQTvAAcyjQWVj5d8Ww/edit?usp=share_link

Chapter 167

"No! I'm not going! You can't make me! I won't leave!" Arenade cried, clinging onto the tree.

Kanae and Esta stood there, staring at the tantruming high elf. Both of them were wrapped in thick roots from Arenade's Plant Growth. The glass of wine had tipped over, its red nectar staining the plaid picnic blanket. Kanade and Suvee watched amusedly from the side while nibbling on a sandwich each.

"You were the one who told me to never leave you behind again! Now you're begging to stay put?" Kanae freed herself from the plant restraints and threw both hands in the air.

"That was then, and this is now. I have no work to do. Everyone respects me. I have all the money I could ever need. B-Besides… if I'm gone, who's going to look after Kanade and Suvee?" Arenade asked.

They turned to their kids.

"I can take care of myself. Tiny's here, too!" Suvee patted the giant devil mutt, who was lying on his belly and soaking the afternoon sun.

Kanade looked Kanae in the eyes and nodded.

While Arenade was right about the kids needing to be looked after, Kanae had also been worried about the fallen demigoddess' capacity to fight. In short, living like royalty had led her into complacency. When Kanae gazed over to the three-story mansion, rife with servants, expensive furniture imported from Ortesia and Rotandrix, and a courtyard landscaped by the same talented minds that worked on Aidenhall, she couldn't help but think Arenade was becoming too comfortable.

"What should we do, Master? We can't exactly venture into Suvius without a healer. How about Gretchen? You have her enthralled anyway," Esta suggested.

"Yeah, bring that bitch instead!" Arenade insisted, hope filling her eyes.

There had to be a way to convince this stupid high elf…

A thought hatched in Kanae's head.

"Bring Gretchen here," Kanae ordered her loyal drakeling knight.

Esta broke free from the plant restraints by simply walking away.

"What are you scheming?" Arenade squinted.

"Oh, nothing." Kanae shrugged and sat down, picking up the wine glass to pour herself a nice drink. "I was just thinking how your brother is shaking on his throne right now."

"Heh. Serves him right. He's been on his high horse as king of all demons for too long," she said with a heavy dose of patronizing.

Kanae continued after a leisurely sip of the fruity wine, "Yep. First, he lost Minestra. Then he lost Milton. Two lieutenants down in one foul swoop. The precious garrison that used his namesake is in ruins, too. Now the Queen-Mother's strongest daughters have their eyes set on the rest of Artaggon. For all we know, he's as good as doomed."

Throughout the spiel, Arenade listened carefully and gradually let go of the tree.

"Y-Yeah! Wait… where are we going with this?" Arenade asked suspiciously.

"I was just thinking it'd be too bad the last thing he sees are two vengeful succubi bearing down on him instead of us. Would've been nice to gloat about how far we've come. Remember how assured of victory he looked during our meeting?" Kanae reminded her with an air of nonchalance.

Something shattered in Arenade's mind. Her demeanor took a turn, and she was struck with realization. With energy returning to her, Arenade shot to her feet like a rocket.

"That bastard," Arenade muttered.

"Bastard!" Suvee repeated after her.

"No one gets to rub it in my brother's face but me. I'm the one who achieved divinity. If anyone should be there to kick his ass, it should be me! Kanade, Suvee. Mama's going to kick some ass!" she exclaimed passionately.

"Ass!" Both of them responded in childish laughter.

Arenade sprinted off into the manor to pack some things. Kanae took another sip and thought the wine tasted much sweeter this time. She played with her children in the meantime, lifting Kanade and Suvee onto her shoulders.

To Kanae's surprise, Esta returned with Gretchen in tow before Arenade finished packing. The kids shuddered and left her shoulders to hide behind the tree.

"Sorry we took so long," Esta apologized, then turned to Gretchen. "She wanted to freshen up and find something from her former office, though the Grand Eye wasn't exactly happy to see her."

"My queen, I understand the Grand Eye was having trouble searching for rings with holy resistance. I had these stashed away, so I went to retrieve them for your children." Gretchen pulled out two jewelry boxes, each containing a gold ring.

"You did that just for them?" Kanae gasped, taken aback by her thrall's generosity.

"They are legitimate. Grand Eye Analise confirmed it," the knight added.

Enthrallment turned Gretchen into an obedient slave, but Kanae never asked her to bring those rings. She did it… out of her own initiative?

Kanade and Suvee approached cautiously. Gretchen kneeled down to their height, extending the rings to them in each of her palms. The girls hesitated at first, and Suvee, for all her outward boastfulness, stayed behind Kanade.

When the girls finally took hold of the ring, they helped put it onto each other's thumbs since it was the only finger that fit. Their complexion was immediately better, no longer affected by Gretchen's own holy aura.

"Kanade and Suvee are my precious children. You're going to look after them while I'm away," Kanae said.

"By the grace of the Supreme One, No harm shall come to either of them while I draw breath." Gretchen bowed deeply.

This change, was it genuine? Although Gretchen was enthralled, Kanae found it hard to tell. But as Kanade and Suvee grabbed Gretchen's hand, the former archbishop's cold disposition seemed to soften and warm. Few things had made her smile, but as she held their tiny hands, another might have been added to that short list. Bond and Cursemark were permanently on Gretchen, so Kanae sensed something like a latent shame coming from her.

"I'm back!" Arenade emerged from the mansion with several heavy bags.

Kanae and Arenade hugged their kids goodbye, leaving them behind with Gretchen and a fleet of servants.

"You're not going to question me about having Gretchen watch over them?" Kanae asked.

"I'll trust that cunt as much as you trust her. Well, do you?" Arenade questioned back.

"I think… I'm beginning to."

With their priest acquired, the three returned to Eliza's tower to begin their journey to Suvius in Artaggon. The sorceress was in the middle of reading a book on the arcane engine floor. Arcen, she called it. A gentle hum tickled their ears. The vents steamed more than ever, glowing liquid surged through every pipe, and all of the rune sigils etched into the ground were lit up. Those runes were arranged to lead into a central ring where a box of magic crystals sat.

"Ready? Because I've been dying to see if Arcen works," Eliza said, peering over the top of her book.

"Ehhhh… what happens if it doesn't work?" Arenade asked the one question the rest of them were dreading.

"Ah, the fun part about hypotheses is testing them!"

"What?" the three uttered as the sorceress walked to the center of the room.

With a snap of Eliza's fingers, everything jerked forward. Kanae tumbled face first into Arenade's chest. They crashed to the ground. The flames of the many candles around the room flickered briefly. The single chandelier in the room squeaked as it swung side to side on its chain.

"Well… Today I learned, Arcen gives quite the jostle upon activation… Is everyone alright?" Eliza asked, steadying herself on the desk.

"I have Arenade's tits to thank for softening my fall," Kanae said.

Unfortunately, the elf they were attached to wasn't okay. She had smacked her head on the way down, and now her eyes were spinning.

"You're saying we were just transported?" Esta was the only one standing and helped Kanae back up.

On her feet again, Kanae shook her head to get her bearings right, then noticed the tipped-over crate that should have been full of magical crystals.

"Did they spill somewhere? What happened?" Kanae asked, righting the crate back up.

"Spill? Arcen just consumed them all," Eliza said as a matter of factly.

Kanae and Esta blinked absentmindedly as they processed her words.

"You're telling me it costs almost 100,000 gold worth of magic crystals to transport us and this tower?!" Kanae gaped.

"Well, I never said it was cheap!" Eliza exclaimed defensively. "That's why it will never be conceivable, at least not financially, for long-distance teleportation to ever be worthwhile. But these are extenuating circumstances."

Kanae picked up Arenade, and together, they ascended the tower up to Eliza's bedchamber. From there, a craggy black and red landscape stretched as far as their eyes could see. A haze of ash and cinders dusted the horizon, painting the sun a deep red. Suvius, the volcanic region of Artaggon and Minestra Val'doun's place of rule.

Arcen worked. It actually teleported them and the entire tower here. The entire thing had perched in the cleft of a canyon.

As soon as Eliza opened the door to the balcony, a blast of hot air assaulted them.

"It's… so dry…" Kanae shielded her stinging eyes.

Arenade grabbed Kanae by the shoulders and shook her. "This is your fault! I can't believe I let you convince me to come to this sweltering hell hole! Give me back my paradise!"

"Turn Horny," she incanted and Arenade dropped to the ground, clutching her crotch. "Quit complaining. You're lucky you have that Ring of Fire Protection from way back when."

"I do? I do! Huh. Just how hot is it?" Arenade pulled off the ring, regretted it instantly and broke out into a full body sweat, then put it back on.

Lucky you.

Eliza whistled sharply and directed everyone's attention to the open book on her desk. She was reading it earlier before being transported here.

"Little is known about any land in Artaggon," Eliza began. "The same is true of Suvius, so there are few details. We only know that it is an extremely volcanic region with rivers of lava. Only extremely dangerous and exotic creatures that developed fire attributes are able to survive the harsh environs. No one knows why it is so hot. Legend has it that it is one giant earth tortoise venting body heat. How curious! If we're going out there, I suggest keeping a low profile. If Charron or the Queen-Mother's succubi find us, it could spell trouble. Which means…"

Both Eliza and Esta turned to Kanae and Arenade.

"I shall shed my armor. I'm most recognizable as the Knight of Silver with it on. Without, I am simply a red-scaled drakeling," Esta said.

"Well, I haven't used human form in a while. I can also put a tunic and pants over the regalia. The real problem is…" Kanae joined the other two in staring down Arenade.

"What?" Arenade was completely aloof.

"That Halo of yours is a lighthouse, and no high elf would ever set foot anywhere in Artaggon," Esta explained.

"I'm not getting rid of it. This is the shining proof of my divine greatness. It's not happening. No!" she cried.

Kanae lunged at Arenade. With Esta's help in holding her down, they pulled off the Halo. Eliza used a mixture of slime and black dye to coat the high elf's golden locks. The end result? A black-haired high elf that could pass as a common elf.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Kanae asked, standing over the weeping fallen demigoddess.

"My… hic… My beautiful hair… stained in another color… waaaahhhh!" Arenade full on bawled her eyes out.

They stuffed their knapsacks full of camping supplies and rations. Arenade kept the inert disc that was the Halo of Holy Radiance her bag just in case. Only out of an abundance of caution, Eliza had brewed one anti-succubus magic potion for each of them. The party of four set out into the scalding landscape of Suvius.

"We should first try to make contact with a town. Our goal is to uncover what is happening in Artaggon from locals and avoid conflict if possible." Eliza pursed her chapped lips since just speaking robbed every bit of moisture.

"Hey… Sorceress… Don't you have a fire resistance potion or buff for us?" Arenade asked while fanning herself with both hands.

"What am I, a mage? I do have some greaters, but we should save them for— hey! Unhand me!"

"You were holding out on us? Hand it over, bitch!"

The two of them started fighting, with Arenade trying to dig through Eliza's bag and Eliza trying to get away.

"You look perfectly fine. Is it because of natural fire resistance?" Kanae said to her knight who was no longer in shining armor.

"Indeed. Rotandrix is a desert. I'm not only used to the heat, but I also have a racial trait that offers me Greater Fire Resistance." Esta continued to walk tall and proud, mostly unaffected by the hot climate.

Would bavarii even survive out here? They supposedly did, but Kanae hadn't so much as glimpsed a single one the past hour of walking. No civilization either.

"We don't even know where we're going. Can't we just have Kanae fly real quick?" Arenade complained.

"Absolutely not. We must be discreet," Eliza implored, then pointed to a bluff in the distance. "Look, we can get a good view from there— ah!" She tripped over a foot sticking out from behind a petrified tree.

They hurried over to help Eliza up and found a demon woman, lying face down on the ground. Not a succubus, thank goodness. An empty waterskin and knapsack with a bedroll, lantern, and rope rested next to her. She had grayish blue skin. Short, lavender hair was gathered into a loose bun at the base of her neck. Two broken horns protruded from her forehead.

"Is… Is she dead?" Kanae asked.

"Nope." Arenade, who had knelt down next to the demon, had two fingers pressed to her jugular. "Just passed out. No injuries. Probably passed out from mana exhaustion."

"The demon might be able to guide us to a town or city," Eliza said.

"Or recognize us and signal for help. This can also be a trap. I say allow me to eliminate her." Esta drew her greatsword and let the tip fall next to the demon's head.

All of which were a possibility.

"Let's take our chances. I can always charm her anyway." Kanae hovered a hand over the back of the demon woman's head and cast Restore Mana.

Something started squelching. For some reason, the demon wasn't waking up. Kanae transferred a larger amount, and she sat straight up. Everyone backed away, but not because she was a demon. Because there were black leeches attached all over her face and body.

"Aw, gross! What is all that?" Arenade's face contorted with disgust.

"Oh, these?" The demon woman seemed unconcerned, pointing to one on her cheek. "They— uu…"

She passed out, falling down and squishing a leech in the process.

They ripped all the leeches away before Kanae restored mana to the demon again. When she came to consciousness, everyone held their breaths.

"Man, I can't thank you guys enough! Whew. Talk about lucky. Those leeches were having a field day with me, I'll tell ya what," the demon woman spoke jovially like she wasn't about to die out here.

By her reaction, their appearances as two humans, a drakeling, and elf wasn't out of the ordinary.

"Now that you aren't leech food, maybe you can tell us who you are and why you were covered in leeches?" Kanae asked.

"Sure! You can call me Kris. I'm something of an explorer. These things." She picked a leech off the ground, dangling the writhing parasite between two fingers. It didn't have fangs or teeth. Instead, the mouth looked like a pair of lips. "Mana-leeches. A couple must've hitched a ride when I crossed a river, then reproduced like crazy after I passed out. They're cousins to mana-vamp starfishes without the whole pooping crystal part. Ever heard of 'em?"

"Can't say we haven't…" Arenade replied, eyeing her suspiciously.

The words spilled rapidly out Kris' mouth. This demon woman was high on life despite being passed out a second ago.

"Say, Kris. You said you were an explorer?" Kanae asked.

"Best around!" Kris beamed brightly.

"We're from… the Hellfire Badlands! Suvius is pretty new to us. We want to get to a town. What would it take to get you to be our guide?"

"A guide! Really? You've come to the right lady. I'd love to be your guide! Ahhh! This is going to be so much fun. As a survivalist, I've always wanted to show people how thrilling places like Suvius can be. Leave it to me!" She grabbed both of Kanae's hands and shook.

"Something tells me I'm not going to like this adventure," Arenade grumbled under her breath.

"At least we aren't wandering blindly anymore," Eliza whispered back.

Kris collected her belongings and put on a happy-go-lucky smile. She took a step forward only to come to a screeching halt.

"Hold on." Kris reached into her pants and pulled out a smooth, meaty thing with a wriggling sponge at the tip.

Everyone watched on in disbelief as she wrung the liquid into her mouth.

"Whoa, whoa, hey! Where did you just pull that out of? And why?" Arenade exclaimed.

"Oh, this? It's a dweller mollusk. This baby saved my life countless times. It takes almost any kind of liquid and filters out toxins, chemicals, and nasty bits, leaving behind pure water. Speaking of, we gotta get you guys one. You'll dehydrate with it," Kris explained, slipping the thing back into her pants before trudging forth.

"Hm. I like her," Eliza said.

"Wait, so how did she fill the dweller with water from inside her pants?" Esta asked the group.

"I'll tell you later." Kanae patted the knight on her back.

The sun was beginning to set. Suvius didn't get any cooler. The now party of five came to an obstacle in the form of a slow moving, river of lava. Kris, however, approached with undaunted indifference.

"Stop!" Kanae pulled her away from stepping in. "That's lava! Are you crazy?"

"This isn't lava, silly! It's just a river. Watch!" Kris wrenched away, hoisted her knapsack over her head, and waded in.

Kanae and her companions expected Kris to scream in agony and burn, but she was waist-deep in the viscous waters and perfectly fine. Eliza dipped her staff in and gasped.

"It's true. The water is rather viscous and hot, but it isn't lava. Then what is this?" Eliza asked the demon explorer.

"Not sure," Kris began. "But the color comes from minerals and dust in the bedrock. The thickness? Beats me. It really does give the impression of lava, doesn't it?"

Assured that they wouldn't die a painful, fiery death, the four followed after Kris into the sludgy river. At some point, she stopped. So did they. She waded up to Esta and handed over her knapsack.

"Hold this for one sec." She dove straight down without so much as an explanation. Not a minute later, the demon resurfaced with a triumphant look.

Half-way through, something latched on Kanae with a suction-like force. She brushed a hand over her stomach and felt a leech. It was draining her, but the Cursemark she had on several prisoners were more than enough to keep her mana stable.

Kanae plucked it off and stared at the suckling mouth. A dirty idea came to mind. Her companions were going ahead. She seized the opportunity to stick the mana-leech to one nipple and fished around for another to put on her other.

The leeches sucked with great intensity. Kanae's recent birthing escapades caused her breasts to swell and fill with milk. They must be sucking all that out, too. Her mind jolted from the pleasure of mana getting drained by them and draining mana from Cursemarked victims.

"Mm… This is… new… it's so different from having someone suck my nipples…" Kanae's breathing grew shallow.

"What are you waiting for? Get over here already!" Arenade commanded vines from her dryadic staff to stretch up to Kanae, and she used them to pull herself to the other side.

They emerged onto shore, exhausted and out of breath.

Kanae collapsed to all fours, gasping for air. Not because of the leeches nursing on her nipples. But because that river was at least 30 meters across. It felt like an entire journey. Suddenly, Kris lowered a dweller mollusk into her field of vision.

"This is yours. Stick it up your babymaker and align the sponge with where you piss for free water!" Kris explained in dead seriousness.

Kanae looked at the others. Kris had already given each of them one, and they were just as appalled. One among them, more specifically Arenade, clenched hers tightly and chucked it back into the river.

"There's no goddamn way I'm sticking that into me!" Arenade yelled.

"Well… it wouldn't be the weirdest thing I put inside me." Kanae hesitated at first. She took a deep breath and pushed the dweller mollusk into her pussy. Natural lubrication allowed it to go in effortlessly. The sponge part rested right outside and positioned perfectly.

It wasn't anything like a big dick, but having this thing fit snug and squirming in her pussy, all the while the leeches sucking the milk from her breasts was… ecstasy. Esta and Eliza were deeply red in the face. They shifted uncomfortably and walked awkwardly after putting it in, too.

"Feels good, right?" Kris grinned shamelessly. "Now you have a steady supply of water, and it satisfies your sexual urges. It's free real estate! We can be off, and— uu…"

"Yeah…" Kanae neglected to tell Kris that she was already way ahead of her.

Kris wobbled a little, then collapsed to the ground. Unconscious. A couple of leeches were stuck to her back.

"I-I'm beginning to have second thoughts about her." Eliza sighed.