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

Claudia and Labelle's arrival in Ehmvier made a lot of hairs stand. They made a lot of dicks rise and pussies wet, too. Some of Aidenhall's forces were resting in the city before they made their journey home. For many, It was their first time seeing a race long thought erased. The Mistress of Pain and Mistress of Debauchery landed in front of the castle, the glow of triumph lit up their faces.

"We won, Kanae! Those high elves will be quaking in their boots for the next three centuries!" Claudia threw her arms out intending to embrace Kanae.

"Claudia, wait— urk!" Kanae backed away too late, and the tough as nails succubus squeezed the life out of her with a bear hug.

"Since when did you two get so close?" Labelle asked, flying aloft on her back and lightly strumming her lute.

"Jealous, Labelly?" The other sister sneered.

Kanae invited them inside to a conference room. Laborers ran around repairing collapsed walls, and servants sweeped up messes left behind from the attack on the castle. Claudia was perfectly unfazed, but Labelle flinched as though they were small animals darting past them. Arenade, Esta, and Edina were inside and already seated when the three arrived. Kanae's new guest paused at the door from the cold reception. Labelle watched cautiously as Claudia cruised right in.

"Well if it isn't my favorite sister-in-arms. I heard you have a child now!" Claudia patted Esta on the back in an overly fraternizing manner.

"I do." Esta nodded. "Feraline is her name, and she is very well-mannered."

"No, she's not!" Edina and Arenade retorted.

"By… drakeling standards." The mother cleared her throat and corrected herself.

Labelle clicked her tongue, drawing everyone's attention to her. "What is this? I ain't gonna sit at the same table with a bunch of cattle. The livestock should be in the barn, not running around the castle and yapping."

Kanae had a feeling Labelle was going to be tough to please. All of the Queen-Mother's succubi regarded anything other than their own race as cattle. There were only a few exceptions. Even Daya took some time getting used to it.

"C'mon, sis. We bled together! Cattle wouldn't throw themselves into battle like they did," Claudia tried to reason.

"One of them isn't even a real succubus," Labelle said in clear reference to Edina.

"You're right. I'm a godsdamn necromancer. So, you better sit your ass down and show some manners?" Edina snapped her finger, sending a spark of magic that flicked onto the Pillar of the Damned.

Three death knights arose from dark portals behind her. One of them was Necro Lord Cantu, whose amalgamation of flesh was only held together by magic and Edina's Corpsestitch spell.

"Did someone piss off my mistress?" Cantu asked, slamming a meaty orc fist into his minotaur palm.

"Aw, gross. Put that one away. You're going to get guts and viscera on my new seats!" Arenade complained and pinched her nose shut.

"Tch. I liked you better dead." Edina waved Cantu away, and he sank back into the portal.

"No, wait! I just got out—" The rest of his sentence cut short when the portal sealed shut.

Labelle begrudgingly took a seat at the table, but at the farthest point from the others. She scooted her seat back, then kicked both feet onto the table. Arenade was about to burst.

"Just… hold it in, Arenade… " Kanae whispered.

"We're here for one thing and one thing only," Labelle began haughtily, "the slaves you promised. One of the conditions for us joining the Demon Three's Alliance was that we'd get half of the high elven prisoners you captured. We got a lot of hungry succs to feed, and after beating them, that calls for a celebratory feast."

"Oi. Were you trading high elves like crops at a farmer's market while I was dead?" Arenade squinted.

"The Commonwealth needed their help!' she argued.

Before anyone could say anything else, Labelle and Claudia tensed up. Kanae didn't realize why until Grand Eye Analise entered the room. Her holy aura put both Queen-Mother succubi on edge. Even Labelle took her feet off the table and clenched her lute. Claudia was a little more relaxed though.

As Analise moved to a seat, three Saint Priests followed her in. Delayn made no effort to hide the disgust on her face. Vestrid complimented Esta for beating the crap out of Darren von Cleisseldor. Last to enter, Ulric skipped in playfully and smiled at Kanae. They flanked their seated Grand Eye and kept watch over the Mistresses.

"Great. More cattle." Labelle rolled her eyes.

"Watch your tongue, fiend." Delayn snarled.

"You smell like you're in heat, cattle. Don't even hide it," she fired back.

Tempers flared. Delayn's glasses fogged up. She clenched a fist brimming with holy energy until Grand Eye Analise lifted her hand.

"You and Queen-Mother Zariah would like your saves? You may have them," Analise said.

"Your grace?" Delayn and Vestrid gasped.

"Oh?" Labelle raised a brow.

She continued, "We simply do not have large enough prisons to put them in, nor do we have the manpower to staff said prisons, and neither do we have the supplies to keep them fed. Releasing them back to Ortesia is also not an option, because that would only demoralize the very who fought to defeat them. So, I shall repeat myself: you may have your prisoners, with the caveat that you do not drain them to death, and that they be released in ten years time. Currently, we have 5,000 captives and counting. There are surely more to be found. We will hand over approximately 1,000 first and rotate their sentence to keep your people sated."

Kanae and Analise exchanged nods. They were of the same mind.

"Sounds good to me," Claudia chimed in. "We're only just starting to build a country up there. It's not like we have big prisoners either. Heh. Don't need them when you're a succubus that force obedience."

"Claudia, shut up. The deal is half. We'll take 2,500 off your hands now and keep them. You think you can make me dance to your tune? Nah, nah. I'm the one who makes you dance." Labelle went to pluck one of the lute strings.

Vestrid drew her maces and Ulric reached for his bow. A fight was going to break out at this rate. After all, the Demon Three's Alliance didn't involve Radevic so Labelle had no need to play nice. Kanae was about to put a stop to them, but Claudia was faster than everyone else. Standing behind Labelle, she grabbed her sister by the horn in one hand.

"We're in Kanae's home. Take your hands off the lute, or I beat you within an inch of your life," Claudia growled.

"Who's side are you on, sis? You know Ambrosia ain't gonna be happy that you're cuddling up to livestock," Labelle chided back.

"Amby isn't here," she reminded her.

The tension in the mood vanished when the door swung open. Feraline was standing in the doorway holding a big tin platter above her head. Everyone turned to her.

"Feraline!" Esta stood up to catch her daughter, but the drakeling girl jumped onto the table instead.

Feraline put the platter down, and lifted the lid. The entire room, except Edina, recoiled at the sight of uncooked cuts of meat. She cooked them with a breath of fire, put one into her mouth, picked up another piece, and scampered across the table up to Claudia and Labelle.

"What?" Labelle asked.

Without a word, Feraline put the roasted piece of meat down in front of Labelle. When she didn't take it, the drakeling pushed it closer and stared.

"Hunted. Eat," Feraline muttered.

"Uhh… Feraline, I don't think she wants to eat that!" Kanae cautioned, slowly inching closer to catch her daughter.

Feraline huffed. She lunged at Labelle's face and stuffed the meat into her mouth. The Mistress of Debauchery jumped from her seat, trying to pull Feraline off to little success.

"GET THIS THING OFF ME!" Labelle cried, flying around the room in panic.

Meanwhile, Claudia was laughing her ass off.

Suvee and Kanade rushed into the room. Their faces went white, seeing the chaos Feraline had caused.

"Fera, stop that! Come to me!" Suvee demanded, and Feraline finally let go of Labelle to return to them.

"Suvee? Kanade? Weren't you watching her?" Arenade asked.

"S-Sorry! Feraline kept saying 'feed, feed, feed' earlier. We brought her to the kitchen thinking she was hungry, but she piled on some fresh cut meat and raced upstairs!" Suvee apologized profusely.

"Not the kind of meat I was hoping to eat…" Labelle coughed and spat.

"Look at you!" Claudia played upsy-daisy with Feraline. "Still crawling and already kicking Labelly's ass. You're gonna be a great warrior yet!"

Gretchen came in to grab the kids, out of breath from chasing them across the castle. Feraline crashing the meeting was unexpected, but she dispelled the tension.

"Wait," Labelle said before Gretchen could lead the kids out and pointed to Kanade. "You, come here."

"Leave my baby out of this! What are you trying to pull?" Arenade asked, rising from the table.

Kanade fearlessly approached Labelle, the Mistress of Debauchery. She stood proud and unflinching against the older and much stronger succubus.

"I'll put it into words you can understand, kiddo. Your mom promised my mom half the cookies she makes. She made 5,000. Simple math says we should get 2,500. She wants to give us 1,000 instead? Isn't that a little unfair? Whaddya say to that?" Labelle smirked.

"My mom gave your mom a country to live in. You want to talk about giving cookies? Take it or take nothing at all." Kanade drew her wooden sword and infused it with Smite ready to strike.

Labelle was so stunned, she didn't even know what to say.

"You hear that?" Claudia cackled. "Kid's got the mettle to match Amby when she was small, huh?"

Kanade returned to Gretchen's side and left with her sisters. They only met briefly, but for better or for worse, it looked like she left an impression on Labelle.

"I don't make the final decision anyway." Labelle got up and stretched her arms. "Guess you're gonna have to wait 'til the Queen-Mother, Ambrosia, and Hilde get here. Now, if you'll excuse me… I'm gonna visit one of your relief huts now. At least the cattle there knows their place."

Claudia was about to leave with Labelle until Edina's three death knights blocked the door. They whipped around in surprise.

"Zone of Absolute Truth," Vestrid incanted and created a space of magic that enveloped the room.

"What's going on? I stuck up for you and this is how you treat me?" Claudia asked Kanae.

"It's for your sake, too, Claudia." Kanae eyed Labelle in particular. "Queen-Mother Zariah is definitely hiding something from you about Alicia. During our final push against the Ortesians, we came across a high elven outpost that was attacked by their own. By Guillaume Pyrelle's forces. We learned from Errenard DeSalle that Guillaume is trying to bring back the Cult of Lust and Depravity. It also just so happens that, while the Ortesians were searching for Ruedegard's body, the Pyrelles went to look for him where the Queen-Mother was residing in her new domain. Claudia, there's no way you knew since you were with me for most of the war. But Labelle might know. My guess is they weren't looking for the body. I don't even think they fought up there. Did the Pyrelles seek out the Queen-Mother because she's also a member of the cult?"

"Wow. Wow, wow, wow, wow. Ambrosia told me you were dangerous, but I didn't think you were that big a deal." Labelle scoffed.

Bingo. There was a connection between the Queen-Mother and the Cult of Lust and Depravity. How couldn't there be? The Matron's Regalia were pieces of equipment manifested by the devil of lust, in the very same way that the One-Eyed Cross was to pride and Chappy was to gluttony. In the past, each article that Kanae wore now once belonged to each of the succubus queens. 

"Hey, what the hells is Kanae talking about? What do you know about our mother that I don't?" Claudia asked her sister.

"Tell us the truth, Labelle. Was the Queen-Mother part of Guillaume Pyrelle and Errenard DeSalle's plan to invade the Commonwealth?" Kanae pressed her.

"Ah, fuck." Labelle groaned. "You know, the cool thing about this Zone spell is that I don't have to say shit. I can just not answer. Or maybe I will. But I don't need it to say this to you, Claudia: you and Hilde always had a soft spot for cattle. That's why Mother could never confide in you two."

"Confide in me about what? Does this have to do with Alicia?" She reached for Labelle, but something happened that brought her shuddering and twitching to the ground.

"Protect the Grand Eye!" Delayn boomed.

Vestrid and Ulric pulled Analise to the corner of the room, putting themselves between her and Labelle.

"Power Word: Climax," Labelle uttered.

Kanae and everyone around here collapsed into a heap. Pleasure nipped at every inch of her skin. She orgasmed so hard, not a single word escaped her lips except for gasps of air. This was exactly like the statue's spell from the temple.

"You like that?" Labelle taunted and danced around the room, strumming her lute. "Only the chosen succubus disciples of Satine the Lustful can gain her sacred skill. That's right. The Queen-Mother, Ambrosia, and I worship the devil of lust. You're mistaken if you think we were in cahoots with high elf cattle though. Ha! You have to believe me, too, since we're still affected by the Zone of Absolute Truth!"

"Nngh… If you… and the high elven cultists… aren't in league… then what?" Kanae squeaked out.

"Upstarts is what those elves are. Groupies who started thinking they had talent. There is only one race, and that's the succubus race. Everyone else is just livestock. Oh, but don't get me wrong. The Queen-Mother still acknowledges the alliance and your country," she said, heading to an open window in the room and unfurling her wings.

"Wait, Labelly… I need to know… where does Alicia… fit into this? What happened to her?" Claudia pleaded desperately.

Labelle paused and offered a sigh.

"That's Mother's call to tell you, not mine. She'll be here in a few days to collect what's ours. Until then, I'll be at the relief huts like I said. If you feel like picking a fight, you have a concert ticket in hand. You also better be prepared to get fucked." Labelle flipped them the bird in each hand and dropped out of the window from sight.

It took a few hours before the effects of Power Word: Climax wore off. Arenade was still lying in bed, sore from orgasming repeatedly.

Delayn might be suffering the most. She was down in the dungeons underneath the castle, flagellating herself for climaxing in front of the Grand Eye. Analise had retreated to Eliza's shambling tower, protected by the two other Saint Priests, Will, and Dalu'luna.

"Uuugh… When we have the wedding… Labelle is not invited," Arenade moaned.

"I'm not even sure we're still going to be allies with them by then. I can't believe Labelle just out and told us all that," Kanae said from the bedside.

"I mean by the sound of it, their cult's probably fractured. We got that going for us!" She tried to find the silver lining to this.

Someone knocked on the bedroom door.

"It's me. Can I come in?" Claudia asked from the other side.

When Kanae searched Arenade for permission, she nodded.

"It's unlocked. Come in!" Kanae hollered.

Claudia dragged her feet into the room. After the revelation from earlier, it was no wonder she looked like shit. To their surprise, the Mistress of Pain kneeled in front of them and rested her head on Kanae's lap.

"I know you rather be alone with Arenade, especially after resurrecting her, but I feel like you're the only ally I have left. I can't even trust my own sisters anymore. So I'm here to tell you that I might take your side, depending on what my mother says when she gets here."

"Even if it means betraying your mother?" Kanae asked.

"If what happened to Alicia had anything to do with the cult, then her death is probably on my mother. She kept it a secret all this time. As far as I'm concerned, she betrayed me first," Claudia said.

When Kanae looked Claudia in the eyes, she saw a succubus hurt by family and seeking a new one to fill her heart. The two drew closer until—

"Hey… are you about to kiss in front of me? Do I have to cancel our wedding?" Arenade glared.

"Do you… want to join?" Kanae offered her.

"I'm up for it!" Claudia exclaimed. "I want to know what's so great about the high elf Kanae went to hell and back to resurrect."

"NO! I have my hands full with one succubus already! Supreme One, save me… I should have stayed dead…" she retorted.