The Hero Became a Succubus, and the Only Way to Level is to… What?!
Chapter 357 – Where Treasures Lay
Kanae staggered out from the back room of the Three Stooges' den. Her ass and pussy were sore, still throbbing with pleasure. Ogre spunk leaked from every hole, even from her nostrils and ears. Jizz caked her entire body, starting from the top of her head down to the toes. The brothers laid unconscious inside the dark room, their cocks finally limp and balls drained empty. She leaned against the doorframe, ponytail undone, hair matted against skin, and thoroughly satiated.
At least for now.
Scanning the floor, most of the Stooges' underlings had fled. Three unlucky ones remained, forced to play a game of Poker with Edina and Renya while they waited on Kanae to finish her meal.
Renya whistled sharply. "It's always inspiring to see how much dick you can take!"
"Clean yourself up already! Ogre jizz has a strong smell, and I don't need it sticking to my clothes." Edina grimaced.
"Oh, alright." Disappointed, Kanae tidied herself up with Prestidigitation to vanish the hot embrace of fresh ogre seed. "I kind of blacked out earlier, but did you learn anything about the necromancer?"
Edina revealed a straight, and everyone else around the table erupted in groans. She scooped the pot into a sack, then shooed the players— to their sheer relief— away. Renya clicked her tongue and tossed her hand, revealing a pair that had no chance of beating the squirreling.
"Before you yanked them away for a gangbang, Pink name-dropped the Dryoak Consortium," Edina said.
"These ogres had dealings with them?" Kanae gasped.
"Kind of." She shook her head. "It's more like a lot of underground traders end up selling found magical and enchanted items to them. The consortium's the one with a list of clients. The Three Stooges in there are probably one of 'em."
"They wanted my guns. They wanted your scythe and staff, too. Sounds to me the consortium pays well. And you know what they say about someone who has a lot of money." Renya gathered all the cards on the table and shuffled them. "They also have a lot of power."
Petyr might be happy to learn about this. It was their first real lead on the mysterious Dryoak Consortium. If they really did buy goods that were magical in nature, that could be exploited to sniff them out.
Fortunately, Kanae had just the stooges to help with them. Her eyes snapped to the room left ajar. Pink, Wurm, and Cyclops slept with blissful expressions on their faces, although the three of them did look a little more gaunt than before. She grabbed a tall glass of beer from the counter, returned to the room, and poured it over Pink.
The ogre snapped awake, sputtering alcohol that slipped down his nose and mouth. He glanced up at Kanae with a mixture of fear and arousal, but his dick was too spent to rise at the sight of her.
"N-No more! Okay, maybe tomorrow. But Pink has nothing left to give now!" Pink gestured to his dried up ballsack.
"Get up." Kanae gave him a swift kick to the back, and he stumbled out of the room on his knees before Edina and Renya. "You and your brothers are going to set up a meeting with the Dryoak Consortium. Tell them you have special magical items they might be interested in."
"What for? We got nothing for dem to buy," he said seriously.
"Because you won't be selling anything." Renya pressed the barrel of her gun to his forehead. "You're just going to tell them you do. Tell us the meeting place. We'll do the rest. Did I get the gist of your plan, Kanae?"
Kanae nodded.
If the Three Stooges regularly stole magical items to sell to the Dryoak Consortium, then they had no reason to refuse a meeting. Kanae and the others only needed to capture whoever came out. Petyr could get the answers she wanted about her old friend, Riley.
"Pink can do it! But… Dryoaks smart. Dey won't come unless we got something to show for!" Pink exclaimed.
They exchanged glances, and it looked like neither Edina nor Renya were willing to part with anything on their persons. Kanae sighed.
"Sorry, Mitty. I'll make it up to you when I come home." Kanae pulled off the Ring of Scorching Ray and undid the Collar of Domination from her neck. She offered both to the ogre. "Can you bait them out with these?"
"What dey do?" Pink stared at them like they were mundane objects.
"The ring shoots small fireballs. The collar grants a skill to control animals and dire beasts. Are they good enough?" she asked, already feeling their absences.
He nodded enthusiastically. "Should be. Pink do dis for sexy succubus! But takes some time. Dey don't answer very fast… Hard to find, too."
Good. A meeting with the Dryoak Consortium had been secured. Kanae was confident the Three Stooges were too dumb to betray her. After giving them the best sex of their lives, they probably wanted to stay in her good graces for more.
Pink and his brothers would send someone to inform Kanae once a meeting was set in stone. Until then, some serious firepower had returned to her retinue. Reuniting with Renya Rown took the heat off their backs and redirected it to their enemies. A necessary strength, given who they were going up against.
The next time Kanae faced the Queen-Mother's daughters or the Dervish Five, they were going to have quite the surprise waiting for them.
Renya was excited to rejoin them, too. Come morning, they convened downstairs around the table. While Petyr glared daggers at the pirate lord, Claudia and Alicia were more receptive to her return.
"Ah, Petyr! You stare at me any longer, and I'm going to climax! Did my absence worry you so? Fear not! I shan't leave your side ever again~" Renya teased, clutching her trembling body.
"Estaline was right. It's night and day whenever you're around. As if I'm not surrounded by the incarnations of corruption enough, the Supreme One deigned it amusing to add a scoundrel to the midst." Petyr spat on the floor.
"I, for one, am glad Renya's back! Now it's fun!" Claudia threw an arm around Renya's shoulders, and they clinked their beer mugs before downing them together.
The paladin turned to Kanae with a tense look and asked, "You really believe those brainless ogres will obtain an audience with the Dryoak Consortium?"
"We don't have any other choice but to rely on them. I also like to think I was pretty convincing." Kanae patted her lower belly.
Petyr rolled her eyes in disgust, but there was a glimmer of hope. Although the high elf didn't say it out aloud, Kanae recognized gratitude when she didn't grumble about her crude joke.
For the time being, Edina, Renya, and Petyr stayed put at the inn in case the Stooges sent someone. Kanae, Alicia, and Claudia made a trip to the museum to meet with Seif and Panner. The two scholars were in the middle of leading a tour when they arrived. Panner excused himself and broke off to rush over.
"You have to stop dropping in unannounced! People are going to start thinking I'm under a succubus' charm if I keep associating with you," Panner whispered.
"I'm here you give you that boobjob I promised." Kanae untied her cloak and gave him an eyeful of her cleavage.
"Yes, ma'am. Right this way!" He ushered them to the back.
Claudia and Alicia joined Seif's tour while Kanae followed Panner into the office. As soon as they entered, she locked the door and shoved him into a chair. The man quickly dropped his pants, and a modest penis sprung out at the ready.
"Is this what you've been looking forward to?" Kanae purred, sandwiching his dick between her breasts. They were big enough to envelop it whole. Only the very tip peeked out, and throbbed intensely as she pumped up and down.
"Oooh! Yes!" Panner moaned aloud.
Kanae had mastered boobjobs early on when she entered this world and had achieved Boobjob Proficiency very quickly. Men's fantasy over two mounds of fat made them easy prey, and even easier to control without the use of charm. The skill made it so even those stronger than her couldn't resist, so what hope did a regular human man have?
"Yeah? You like that? How about this~" Kanae stuck her tongue out, letting saliva dribble down. It lubricated her breasts and Panner's dick, allowing them to slide more easily. Every time his member poked out, she gave the tip an enticing lick. Not enough to make him climax, but to drive him close.
"Please, don't tease me! I want to shoot it all over your chest… let me orgasm already!" Panner begged.
"Nu-uh. I need your help again. Sultana Dudula won't let me near the Emerald Palace. I have to speak with Archmage Donnu. Being his colleague, you probably have a way of contacting him. Agree to this, and I'll give you the best climax of your life," Kanae said.
"What?! I knew something was up when you showed up suddenly. Ugh. The answer is no! I'm not going to risk drawing the archmage or the sultana's ire!" he exclaimed.
"You sure?" She stopped pumping her breasts and instead squeezed the base of his dick with her hand.
Panner's brows furrowed from a deep moral dilemma as he debated over what to do. He shut his eyes shamefully and relented.
"Fine! I'll do it. You're going to charm me if I didn't anyway. I might as well get a happy ending over this!" Panner cried.
"Good boy, Panner. You make me so proud by being brave!" Kanae complimented, picking up speed with her breasts and sucking the tip of his dick.
The resigned scholar's guilt vanished. His hands clenched the seat, and his hips bucked to the rhythm of Kanae's pumping. She casted Turn Horny, and with him already at the verge of climax, he fired a thick load all over her breasts and face.
Panner slumped into the seat like his soul had left his body. For a human, he was sure pent up. Kanae wrung the rest with her hands. She licked the cum off her lips before cleaning it off with Prestidigitation.
"That was… incredible…" Panner muttered, only to look up at her with steeled resolve. "Haha! Now that I've climaxed, my post-nut clarity will shield me from your charms! You can forget our promise, minx."
"I don't think that's how it works. But if you're that confident about being in control, I can prove you wrong without casting Charm." Kanae sat on top of him, sheathing his dick straight into her wet pussy and burying his face in her breasts.
Whatever ounce of resistance Panner had left went out with his dick when we blew his load. It took Kanae by surprise that he climaxed so soon. The fun had ended before it even started.
"Go on…" Panner sniffled. "I'm a quick shot, so what? Go ahead and make fun of me like all the other women do!"
"Oh, I'm not going to make fun of you. Why would I? You were doing such a good job. It's okay. Just close your eyes and savor the feeling of being inside me." Kanae cooed and stroked the back of his head.
The simple words of tender encouragement and reassurance got Panner erect again while inside Kanae. She flashed a smile and bounced on his eager cock, all the while whispering sweet words into his ear.
Panner wrapped his arms around Kanae's back and shuddered. He exploded again, shooting fresh cum into her womb. She jerked with a start when he started sucking on one of her nipples. An inexperienced tongue lapped at the piercing, sending pleasure screeching up and down her spine.
Finally, when they separated, Panner looked like a new man. He wiped the sweat from his brow and cleared his throat.
"Whew. Let's speak to no one about this, yes?" Panner gazed up anxiously at her.
"No problem. As long as you keep your end of deal." Kanae grinned.
"Yes, mommy— I MEAN, KANAE!" He winced painfully and groaned off to the side.
After recomposing himself, Panner went behind the desk to fetch something. It was a wand-sized metal rod fashioned out of iron and gold. An emerald jewel sat on one end.
"What is that?" Kanae asked.
"A simple transmitter rod. It sends a weak magical pulse to another wielder of the same rod and lights up the gem at one end. You can probably guess, Archmage Donnu holds the other. I'm going to contact him now. Whatever you want to speak to him about, please… make it seem like you coerced me into doing this," Panner explained and tapped a piece of crystallized mana against the rod.
A bluish portal opened in the space in front of them, and Archmage Donnu stepped out of it as casually as coming through a door. He had his back turned to them though, and he scanned the room in confusion. When the dark elven mage spun around and saw Kanae, he pressed a hand to his face and sighed.
"Panner, you idiot. I told you that's only to be used in emergencies!" Donnu threw his hands in the air.
"Kanae charmed me!" Panner pointed at her accusingly.
"You better have a good explanation for risking my head." He folded his arms.
"You wanted me to take the relics back from Jhene and Elaine. Searching for them is impossible, but lying in wait for them isn't. Give me all of the locations of your mining settlements and where Under Roads have been discovered. My friends and I can intercept them that way," Kanae explained.
Archmage Donnu grinded his teeth. He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pulled out a mana potion to drink in one gulp, then waved his staff in a counter-clockwise motion that carved open another portal and walked through it. Kanae and Panner stared incredulously, wondering if they should follow or not.
A few seconds later, the archmage returned with a rolled up scroll in hand and the portal closed shut. Donnu beckoned them over to the table, where he laid out a map and weighed down the corners with nearby books. Kanae recognized the geography as eastern Savir.
Almost a hundred stamps of a pickaxe marked the map. Some locations had black dotted lines that stretched in various directions. Others did not. Certain areas had a three-line tally, but they could be counted on one hand. There were more symbols like a lock, gate, and skull that didn't really make much sense to her.
"The dotted lines indicate Under Road paths, and the three horizontal lines denote collapses. We can infer at a 70% success rate where Under Roads are connected simply from where the direction is headed." Archmage Donnu pointed to one path and traced his finger to another settlement.
"You're… making guesses?" Kanae stared in disbelief.
"They are educated hypotheses. Languages described in those halls make no sense to us. But there are certain patterns we've identified and traced to confirm our suspicions. The paths with a lock lead to vaults. Chances are, the succubi who stole the keys are looking for one such location," he explained.
Only two Under Road paths were marked with a lock. One led to a mining settlement named Borthas with a note that said, 'empty'. The other led to Dry Gulch, a mining settlement a little farther than the other in a canyon called Nose of Hekaton.
"There's no way they know the closer one is empty, right?" Kanae asked.
"Doubtful. They will likely search Borthas first. Meaning you have time to reach Dry Gulch before them," Donnu said confidently.
Kanae committed the map to memory. Jhene and Elaine had a whole day of a head start. The trip to Dry Gulch looked like a two-day journey. They were going to have to haul ass to get there before them.
"Thanks. We'll get going right away," Kanae promised.
"Please, do." Archmage Donnu rolled up the map and noticed Panner's pants were still down. "For gods' sake, pull your trousers up!"
"S-Sorry!" Pannar hastily did so but succeeded in tripping over himself.
When Kanae returned to Claudia and Alicia with the good news, both succubi were nearing the end of Seif's tour. The very last exhibit showcased a miniature stage-play using puppets to explain the fall of Savir's original empire. A museum employee who happened to be a crowned Geomancer created a small, localized earthquake to simulate an 'upheaval' that destroyed a palace.
It reminded Kanae of the little lecture Petyr had given her the last time they were here together. A Saviran dynasty had ruled for 5,000 years. That family perished. A power struggle ensued. Kanae couldn't shake the feeling that the Cult of Lust and Depravity had something to do with the family's downfall.
Once the play ended, the sisters came back to Kanae with only Alicia appearing oddly enlightened.
"You two enjoy yourselves?" Kanae giggled.
"Alicia did. It was a snoozefest for me. Ughh…" Claudia looked bored out of her mind.
"At least you'll be glad to hear I have the location where Jhene and Elaine will probably be next," she explained.
"Good. I cannot wait to sink my blades into them for the embarrassment they caused me. They will learn that my fury is patient and wrathful," Alicia said calmly.
Kanae and Claudia gulped hard.
They hurried back to the inn to grab the others and get going, but upon arriving, one among their entourage was missing. The remaining two, Edina and Renya, panicked.
"What took you three so long? We gotta go, like right now!" Edina implored frantically.
"Go where? And where's Petyr?" Kanae asked.
"The Stooges' messenger came while you were out. Said the Dryoaks agreed to a meeting at the ogre den," Renya explained.
Uh, oh.
The five of them raced to the Shaded Pits. They descended from the same bridge Adiya had shown them the other night. A trail of destruction and terror had been left behind in Petyr's wake. Some lowlives, who wrongly thought the high elf made for a good target, were lying on the ground and groaning in pain. A couple of more people were strewn about outside Da Stoogs Den.
Kanae burst through the door and found Petyr, holding her hammer to Wurm's chin. His two brothers, Pink and Cyclops, cowered behind him.
"What are you doing?!" Kanae cried.
"They said the Dryoaks would be here. I don't see anyone but damn ogres. Where are they? If you lied about setting up a meeting, there will be three hells to pay!" Petyr snarled.
"D-Dey coming! Dey coming! We swears!" Wurm barely got the words out as he stammered.
"Guys… We got company. Lots of it." Edina was peeking out of the door, and her eyes had an uncharacteristic graveness to them. "Someone's coming!"
Everyone backed up into the room expecting a fight. They swallowed hard as footfalls of heavy boots approached the door. A single person? Either extremely foolish or deadly confident about being able to take all of them on alone.
A high elven woman pushed open the door. Very briefly, Kanae saw a wall of people outside dressed in the Dryoak Consortium's tabard. The same was true of the one who had just entered. She wore a weather-worn poncho with many holes and tears that lost its usefulness years ago. A wide brimmed hat sat tilted on her head, hiding a pair of burning eyes that Kanae could feel was fixed on Petyr. Her black and dark brown doublet was sleeveless, sheared off by a knife and burned judging by the frayed and singed edges. Faded floral embroidery over the chest must have once been a brilliant gold, but now no more than just a tarnished tan.
"Never thought I'd see the day when the empire's mightiest stood alongside succubi. A lot really can change. Right, Petyr?" The woman lifted a cigar up to her lips and ignited it with a fiery finger. She took a few deep drags before raising her head to look at them.
Kanae and the others snapped in Petyr's direction. Her face was contorted with shock. The warhammer slipped from her hand and embedded into the floorboards with a crack.
"Riley?" Petyr gasped.