The Hero Became a Succubus! - Chapter 54

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Chapter 54

A vine wrapped around Kanae's waist and yanked him away as the ogre clobbered the ground in front of him. Dragged back to Arenade and Edina, his two companions looked ready to abandon the quest and run for their lives. Kanae returned his gaze to the ogres, their stocky build and lumbering forms, wielding human-sized clubs that from it single hit could nail him to the earth.

He extended a hand to one of them and casted," Charm!"

The spell didn't work. The ogre scratched his bald head and shrugged at his companion, then they advanced unimpeded, each step causing quakes in the ground.

At level 50, even charm didn't work? Monsters around Lograin were no joke. They weren't in Orturic anymore, where every monster was a breeze. Now each encounter was just as dangerous as the dragon and could possibly mean their lives.

"Hey, Kanae!" Edina shook his shoulders from the back. "I like the glitter of gold too much to be ogre chow yet!"

Edina was right. Retreating was the best option. Even now, Kanae shuddered as it hit him that his spells were useless despite being the highest level here.

Sensing that they were going to escape, both ogres took a running start.

"Okay, retreat it is!" Kanae agreed.

The three of them made a run for their lives, but the ogres proved faster in spite of their larger size. They felt the booming thud of the monsters' heavy footfalls.

"It's no use! They're gonna catch up at this rate!" Edina cried.

"Fine!" Arenade clenched her jaws. "Use that damn spell on me, Kanae!"

Not wasting another moment, Kanae slapped a hand on Arenade's back and activated Bond. The priest jerked to a stop, clutching herself and trembling where she stood. They sensed each other's souls, strength, and even relative health. Her beating heart throbbed faster and faster between his ears. The spell that linked the succubus master to their sex slave thrall empowered Arenade, empowering the priest and bathing her with holy light.

"Plant Growth!" Arenade raised snaking vines from the earth, but they weren't just meager stems this time. Instead, the roots and appendages were as thick as tree trunks, covered in bark, and with thorns protruding along the length of them.

The vines completely immobilized the ogres. They started bashing away at their restraints, muscles bulging in an attempt to use raw strength to rip them off.

"My turn-- Necrotic Swarm, attack!" Edina flourished her staff and from the crystal tip, created a buzzing swarm of insects that flew towards the ogres. Since Arenade's vines held their arms still, they couldn't swat away the necromancer's spell which was slowly nibbling away at their skin. "It won't kill them, so we gotta take this chance to run!"

"No, I can finish them. Holy Armament, Bow!" Arenade's staff glowed a bright gold and transformed into a bow. She pulled the bowstring back, nocking a golden arrow, then fired twice. Both arrows plunged into the ogres head as though guided by divine force.

When her vines released the ogres, the slain monsters fell limp to the ground.

"Talk about holy shit. Nice one, Arenade!" Edina whooped.

"Arenade, you did it!" Kanae, overcome with joy, threw his arms around the elven priest.

Right then, a foreign sensation distracted Kanae. A pleasant feeling that enveloped and warmed his own heart. He had used the Bond skill on Arenade before, but he didn't feel it as strongly last time.

The two of them locked eyes. With Bond still active, he could hear Arenade's chest pulsing harder and louder. An overwhelming urge to satiate the skill's condition welled up, and...

Kanae stumbled back, pushed away by Arenade, who herself also took a step away from him.

"The fight's over," Arenade mumbled, still holding herself as if a chilly wind had blown in. "Can you... release the spell now?"

"Oh, sorry." Kanae undid Bond between them.

Arenade placed a hand above her chest, slowing her breathing down as though in meditation.

"L-Let's hurry back and turn in the quest." She briskly walked ahead of them in the direction of the city.

"What's her problem?" Edina asked.

Kanae wished he knew. For some reason, Arenade was so against being bonded. It wasn't until the ogres were right on top of them that she finally relented. Did she hate him now? He thought he had been making progress.

Sighing, he pushed the intrusive thoughts aside to follow after her home.

"Oh, wow!" Sellica marveled at their success. "I was skeptical about letting your party take on the quest due to a level difference, but you really showed me. I expected nothing less from the heroes of Orturic. Well done, you three! The rewards have been added to your coffers. Would like to pick up another quest?"

Kanae glanced over his shoulders to the hall entrance. The doors opened and shut constantly from adventurers coming and going. Turning his gaze to the windows of the tavern on the west wing, some of the magical lamps were beginning to turn on to make up for the sunlight dwindling outside.

Aside from it already being late in the afternoon, Arenade, who was leaning against a fence partition that separated the main lobby and the tavern, didn't look particularly interested in another quest that might require Bond again.

Kanae shook his head. "It's getting dark soon, so maybe not. We'll get back to it tomorrow. Thanks, Sellica!"

Smiling, the centauress bowed and clopped a front hoof which he understood was a gesture of approval from her race.

"We still got the whole night ahead of us," Edina said as she and Kanae joined Arenade by the tavernside. "I was thinking about hitting up the casinos. I'm getting the feeling lady luck is watching over me tonight."

"In that case, what about the Red Harpy? It's a casino, and Thedia said Renya was expecting to see me at some point. Probably best not to keep her waiting," Kanae suggested.

"Oh, great... That bitch who pulled a gun on us last time?" The squirreling groaned.

"You two go ahead. Gambling isn't my kind of vice. I'll visit the cathedral of The Many and see if they need a helping hand." Arenade turned to leave, but Kanae instinctively reached out to grab her hand.

"Arenade, wait--"

The priest snapped away as soon as she felt his touch, then her face wrinkled into something akin to shame.

"Sorry... I-I need to clear my thoughts," she said, hurrying out the hall.

Edina sighed. "I like you both. I've come to like that pompous priest, too. But whatever is going on between you two, it doesn't feel like we can continue being a party if this continues. Can you, I dunno, charm her into making up with you or something?"

"I think that's only going to make it worse." Kanae frowned.

Angry priest or not, it changed nothing that they had grown closer over the last few months. There used to be a time where he would have traded Arenade away for literally anyone else. Now, she was irreplaceable. And he would do anything to make it up to her.

With one less member in their party, Kanae and Edina left the hall to head into the Carnal District. As the setting sun casted a orange and purplish glow over the horizon to herald Lograin's nightlife, they were surprised to find less people out than usual.

The main plaza they came to, which was one of the few major streets that the main thoroughfare of the city shared an intersection with, was less crowded. Prostitutes weren't soliciting passerbyers, and instead stayed within their respective buildings and came no farther than the porch. Only a handful of brothels were open, as the others had their lights off completely.

"Damn. Who turned off the lights?" Edina asked.

A canine beastman dressed in a cooking apron tossed a drunk human man out of his restaurant. The man landed face-first into the ground near Kanae and Edina's feet.

"Sorry, there. Didn't see ya. Getting rid of drunks is hard work," the beastman said.

"Isn't it supposed to be party hour for Lograin at this time?" Kanae asked the cook.

"Aye. S'posed to be. Then that bastard Rudo came 'round kicking up a storm. Got a whole bunch of places shut down for investigation. If ya lookin' for a brothel, try the smaller ones a'fore they get squashed, too." After spitting at the passed out drunk on the ground, the beastman returned to his tavern.

"This Rudo guy sounds like a real piece of work. Good thing we aren't hitting up a brothel tonight. After all, you had your fill last night, didn't you?" Edina teased, nudging Kanae on the sides.

"Uu... Well... Until Rudo interrupted and got the place shut down." Kanae sighed. It was the worst case of being cockblocked ever. Whatever he's doing was working, judging by the larger brothels shut down on this street.

They found the Red Harpy crossing over a canal bridge, at another block towards the back of the Carnal Districts. Around here, the lampposts weren't made of crystals. They were torches and candles instead, many of which weren't even lit and had long gone out. Although the streets and sidewalk was littered in trash, with rats scurrying about to pick up discarded and rotting food, the buildings here were just as nice as the front. It was as if the city had forgotten about maintenance, leaving owners to continue lavishing up their own establishments in a contrast of filth outside and wealth inside.

The Red Harpy was distinguishable by the large signpost image of a harpy, facing forward and lying on her front, unfurled wings flaring out to the sides. Two bouncers, large beastman standing to either sides of the ornate doors, each decorated with the motif of feathered wings. When they opened the doors for Kanae and Edina to step in, they were blinded by the extravagance.

Their feet stepped onto polished granite tiles. Drunk gamblers, dressed in fine clothing, shouted over each other at the many tables on the side of the floor where dies were cast and cards shuffled over. Kanae shielded his eyes looking up at the gold and glass chandeliers, which, on the ceiling was painted with a swarm of naked harpies in flight.

In fact, all the dealers and workers in this casino were harpies dressed in bunnysuits. Fishnet leggings sunk into their thick and shapely legs. There were women with chests as large as melons and as flat as cutting boards. A black-feathered, short-haired harpy, carrying a tray of champagne, winked at Kanae as she passed by.

"Kanae... Hold me. I'm about to gamble our wealth away," Edina muttered, eyes glistening with the shine of gold.

"How about no! We're setting a cap on how much you can gamble. I know how bad pachinko players can get!" Kanae cried.

It took a lot of work to make their hard-earned money. The last thing they needed was to throw it all away from a single night of gambling.

"Excuse me?"

Both of them looked right, where a blue-feathered harpy woman with long hair of the same color draped down to her waist greeted them. She stood behind an L-shaped counter, with iron bars and a perforated glass window that separated them from her. She was also wearing a black bunnysuit that brought out her curves and accentuated her bust.

"If you would like to enter the Red Harpy, you will have to set aside your weapons. I will hold onto them for you until you leave. Understand that our cards and chips are enchanted with anti-magic to prevent tampering and foul play. You may also exchange gold for chips here, and if you're registered to the adventurer's hall, we can grant you access to your coffers by scanning your sigils," the harpy explained.

"Me, me! Scan mine!" Edina shoved her wrist onto a flat, crystalline device embedded into the counter.

"Wait!" Kanae pulled her away before she drained their accounts. "I'm not here to gamble. A dark elf named Renya Rown should be expecting me. Is she here tonight?"

The harpy cocked her head sideways, then shot an easy glance to another harpy who was helping a patron cash in chips.

"I'm sorry. We don't have a guest named Renya here. You must be mistaken," she said.

"It's alright, Klee. These two are with us." A familiar, sultry voice with a subtle purr tickled Kanae's keen ears.

They turned around to see Thedia, also in a bunnysuit. Her two car ears were joined by loppy bunny ears from a headband.

"Oh, Thedia!" The harpy gasped, her voice tinged with surprise. "My apologies. If they are your guests, please do not let me keep her waiting."

"Well, I didn't expect to see you again like this." Kanae looked Thedia up and down, committing the sexy view of the body-tight bunnysuit on her already bodacious form.

Thedia smiled, then turned around to wave her tail that was sticking out just above the bunnysuit's cottonball tail.

"Sorry about the deflection. My lady doesn't want it widely known that she is in Lograin as it may cause some unwanted trouble. The owner of the Red Harpy is a good friend of hers, and has provided this place as a respite for her stay. Allow me to show you to her," she said.

After turning in their weapon to the front, Kanae and Edina followed Thedia to the very back of the room. There were black wooden doors spaced out evenly along the wall, numbered between one to five. The feline beastman opened door number five, then stepped aside to let them in first.

A modest showroom awaited within, lit warmly by candlelight . On the far wall was a small stage with red curtains from the ceiling to the ground. A short walkway extended out from the stage to the center of the room, with a single metal pole where a red harpy was dancing seductively on.

A row of seats were lined in front of the dancer. Only two of the five seats were occupied, and Kanae knew exactly who one of them was seeing as her velvet coat and tircorn hat was hanging on a standing coat rack.

Renya Rown poked her head over the seat and flashed a wide grin.

"Oh, my dearest succubus! I've been longing to see you again! You sure took your sweet time before coming to see me. I'm almost hurt." The dark elf captain hopped over her seat, grabbed Kanae by the waist and braced him from behind with the other arm, and planted a deep kiss on him.

"Mmmrphh?!"

Her invading tongue wormed its way into his mouth, but he was eager to receive it. They made out, swallowing each other's saliva until Renya was satisfied.

"I-I didn't know you were that happy to see me..." Kanae stammered.

"Ahem." Edina cleared her throat, glaring at their host.

"The little squirreling, hello! I haven't forgotten about you. Don't worry, my flintlock and schimitar was deposited at the front. We're all disarmed here, or so I hope!" Renya erupted with contagious laughter, then guided to the two empty seats on the left of her.

Over to Renya's right sat a finely-dressed wolf beastman slumped in his seat, seemingly deep in thought. He wore an azure silk tunic over his dark gray fur, with jewel-encrusted buttons that was triggering Edina's klepto complex. An opalescent ring was worn on one finger, which tapped worriedly on the seat's armrest. His face was somehow familiar, like Kanae had seen him from somewhere.

"Are we interrupting something?" Kanae asked, a little on edge since Renya had just greeted him as a succubus with this man in the room.

"You can never be too much trouble to interrupt me." Renya shook her head. "Mallory here is just a little worked up. Aren't you, Mal? Mal! We have guests, you dolt!"

"Huh? Oh, my sincerest apologies! My name is Mallory Clayton, at your service." The wolfman leapt from his seat and performed a slight bow with one hand across his chest.

"We're business associates," the pirate captain coyly added.

"I-I'm sorry, Renya. My mind is a mess right now. I don't have time to play a stupid gambling game. I have an election to worry about!" Mallory exclaimed.

"Wait a damn minute. Aren't you the guy running against Bishop Rudo?" Edina blurted out.

Kanae had a feeling he had seen him from somewhere before. Then the other candidate running against Rudo was this beastman, and by the sound of it, things weren't going his way.

"Yes, I am. I hope to count on both of your votes in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, it may all be for naught. Bishop Rudo... my campaign has underestimated him..." Mallory snarled quietly.

"Is the bishop really that much of a challenge? I heard he's been going around shutting down the bigger brothels. I can't imagine that's winning him popularity points," Kanae said.

Renya scoffed, and used a fiery finger to ignite a cigar to smoke. "The problem is, Rudo uses their closure as leverage to show his base how good of a job he's doing. God-fearing fanatics, all of them. But beyond that, I'm beginning to suspect he has a lot more help than the incumbent mayor. No one is able to enforce the closures without muscle. Which, it seems, my dear Mal has run into."

"My businesses and employees are harassed everyday. Some have quit working for me out of fear of retaliation from those... thugs. I tried to pay them off to no avail. They must be getting a larger cut from somewhere," he added.

It didn't sound any different from back home. Politics would always be a vicious fight, and the working people were always the ones to suffer. In the case of Lograin, the lack of brothels, which consequently ruined Kanae's desire to experience them all.

Kanae suddenly met Renya's eyes, and she pulled the cigar from her mouth which slowly curved into a scheming smirk.

"You can help us win this election," Renya said.

"Eh? Me?" Kanae gulped.

"I've tried going to the guards, the hall, and church... even my less than savory contacts... What are two adventurers going to do?" Mallory asked, throwing his hands out in despair.

"You see, my dear Mal, beneath this human veneer is a succubus. That's right. Kanae is a succubus, one whom I have developed a rather... intimate rapport with. With her help, we may be able to turn the tides of the election in your favor." Renya leaned closer to Kanae and brushed the back of her nail against his cheek and lip, sending shivers through his body. "How would you like to help influence an election for us and earn the undying gratitude of a Rown?"