I am Succubus!

Chapter 255

We technically had three days to search for the chronomancer after departing from Japan immediately after work. Well, half a day was more appropriate. Fiora Plains was gigantic. It felt like I was seeing the same scene of yellow prairie grass for hours now. The plains had few trees, and what little there was had been occupied by wild animals.

I got excited hoping to find some beastkin races every time we passed one. Maybe they were taking shelter or resting. Too bad I was disappointed each time. Hana, Shayle, and Layla assured me that we would find many soon.

Part of me wanted to bring Kana, like Mio and I had when we ventured to the light elven city. However, this was far too dangerous. Queen Elendir seemed sure that the beastkin races would attack us. My horniness was telling me that would make for a fun time, similar to what happened with the pirates.

"It's getting late. We should probably make camp and continue in the morning," Shayle suggested.

Since we had been following the river through Fiora Plains, it gave us a ready supply of potable water to drink from. We descended down to the riverbank. Layla stumbled flat to the ground as soon as she landed, exhausted from carrying almost everyone's bags during the trip.

I cupped a handful of water to drink. The cool, refreshing taste tingled on the way down. Hana and Shayle did the same, then breathed a content sigh.

"So, whaddya think are the chances we get ambushed out here?" Hana asked.

"You seriously didn't ask that… You're going to jinx us!" I exclaimed.

"Uwahaha! You're such a worrywart! Who's going to attack two greater succubi, me, and Shayle? We'll be just—"

A bola struck Hana from behind, binding both arms to her chest. The weight of the heavy sacks carried her forward into the water.

"HANA?!" Shayle and I cried, then whipped around to find the tall prairie grass rustling.

The two of us barely dodged the next bolas that flung out.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?" Layla sat upright only to have a bola smack her into the head instead, knocking the lights right out.

"Show yourselves!" Shayle fired several bolts of fire into the grass, and the rustling stopped.

"Come out before I drag you out myself!" I extended my aura in an attempt to seize control of whoever was out there.

A slight pain, like a pinch, bit into my neck. When I grabbed it, I found a dart dripping with green liquid.

"Oh… shit…" Shayle had been hit, too, and she fell backwards unconscious.

My vision blurred. Everything started teetering. I couldn't stand still any more. Before I realized it, I'd hit the ground face first and my nose was aching. Multiple pairs of feet walked out of the grass. They looked like feline legs. Catgirls? I should be excited, but I was getting too drowsy to even think straight.

Several feminine voices spoke up.

"Isn't that Layla? Haha! Lucky us."

"What about this succubus?" another asked, pressing a foot to the back of my head.

"Dunno. She doesn't look familiar. Take them all anyway. And someone fish that pink-haired succubus out of the water before she drowns. We need all the hostages we can get our paws on!" a commanding voice, who sounded like their leader, demanded.

I woke up later to my hands bound to a wooden pole which was staked to the ground. It was still dark. The sky was full of stars and a giant full moon cast its light down to me. Hana was to my side, snoring loudly. Shayle was up, but she had a cloth stuffed into her mouth. As for, Layla… She was tied up like a hog, blindfolded, and gagged with some kind of fruit. Out of all of us, she probably didn't mind being in that position. I could tell, because she was panting heavily.

Before me were a crowd of people with feline features. They were dressed sparsely in tribal clothing made from pelts and adorned with bone trinkets. A few of them, who had on a weird kind of tiki mask with the motif of cats, wielded spears.

"Tell me why I shouldn't skewer you right now, mangy succubus?" the same voice I had before passing out asked.

"Er… B-Because I'm Saeko, queen of the succubi?" I answered with uncertainty.

Whispers filled the air. Some were confused. Others welcomed the news.

"Beatrice is the succubus queen, is she not?" The woman leveled the spear to my throat.

"Not anymore! Not after I defeated her. Queen Elendir and I rule jointly. We're not with the Demon King if that matters!" I explained.

The one who had been speaking with me backed away to speak with her fellows. I couldn't make out what they were saying. It was too hushed.

While they were talking, I tried to exert the influence of my succubus aura to them. But for some reason, it didn't work. None of them were falling to my sway. Instead, I just looked stupid by staring at them so hard.

One of the tribe women nudged their leader and pointed at me. They sneered. She walked back to me with a sharp claw pressed to my chest.

"You're trying to charm us, aren't you? I know that look. Many succubi have tried. Fortunately for us, our shamans protect us with their magic. It disrupts your aura, preventing you from taking control of us. So, Queen Saeko. Tell us what you're really doing here? Scoping for an attack? Hoping to charm strays to build up an army? Spit it out!" The catgirl snarled.

I turned to Shayle for whether or not we should give our reason. Whatever I did seemed to have conveyed the right meaning. She nodded to me that it might be a good idea.

"None of that. I'm not trying to attack or charm you. We're just searching for the chronomancer. Maybe… Maybe you've seen him?" I asked nervously.

Many of them erupted into gasps. Their amusement at our capture shifted into aggression dialed to a 100. Sharpened spears were poised to kill me and my friends. I wasn't even sure what I said wrong!

"Searching for the chronomancer, of course! Just like Queen Beatrice did back then. Nothing good can come from a succubus searching for the time mage. I should kill you now and feed you to the tigers for breakfast!" she threatened.

"That was the wrong thing to say after all!" I yelled at Shayle.

"Sorry! It slipped my mind that saying we're looking for the chronomancer could be bad! Obviously, Queen Beatrice came through here… What was I thinking?" Shayle scolded herself.

The other two weren't helpful at all either. A few hours into the journey, and we were already facing a setback! Why was I expecting this to go any other way?

These beastkin were just being careful about strangers— well, a race that was their enemy for the longest time— traipsing into their territory. It was no surprise they saw us as threats.

Wait. They were pretty much predators but in humanoid form. If appealing to them with kindness didn't work, I should try to threaten them back. I was a greater succubus. I defeated Queen Beatrice. I defeated the dryads, too.

"I tried playing nice." I sighed in disappointment. "Listen, I'm looking for that chronomancer. Nothing, not even you will stand in my way. You're not worth my time. If you don't let me go, I will break free and make you bend."

A few of them took my threat to heart and cowered away. The warriors among them didn't. They stood firm, likely having been threatened by succubi before. To them, I was no different than a lesser succubus. I had to show them I wasn't. Their leader in particular remained steadfast in front of me, but I could tell she was taking me more seriously now.

"I'm calling your bluff, succubus." She sneered.

"Release me, tell me all you know about the chronomancer, and I'll be on my way. Or, I free myself, charm you into submission to tell me anyway, and then have my way with you," I said.

That turned some heads. The beastkin were exchanging nervous glances with each other. Well, I wasn't going to let myself be held captive here, so time to do this the hard way. I tore the ropes by simply pulling my arms apart.

The leader took a swipe at me, but I flew away too quickly. Volleys of javelins and spears launched into the sky. I dodged all of them easily while swooping down to break Shayle free. Her rope bindings came loose at my greater succubus strength. The beastkin's mistake was thinking I had a lesser succubus' physical might. It was probably why Layla couldn't free herself. One of the reasons at least. She was probably enjoying being tied up. Me, on the other hand, they had never met or known about me until now, and a succubus' aura was only something another succubus could sense.

"Hana, Layla! Wake up already!" I yelled.

Hana's eyes snapped open. Dryad tentacles I hadn't seen in a while emerged from her body by the dozen. Beastkin who were nearby were thrown away like ragdolls, and she freed herself by tearing the restraints.

"I'm up! What happened? Why are we fighting?" Hana asked, flying safely up to me and away from nets being thrown at her.

"Because!" I grabbed her head and faced her in the direction of aggressive beastkins. "They captured us! Layla, if you don't break out of there on your own, we're leaving you stuck and tied up like a pig!"

Layla crushed the fruit stuffed into her mouth and shouted, "Y-Yes, Queen Saeko!"

The super masochistic succubus, whose kinks made even me blush, let burst a ripple of pure magic that sent shivers up my spine. A powerful force exploded outwards from her, sending advancing beastkins rolling across the ground.

Sometimes, I forgot that Layla was a greater succubus. I still wasn't sure what she was fully capable of. But if Layla was anything like myself, Selene, and Beatrice, then she was certainly someone not to be underestimated.

"We've broken free. This is where we break them, right?" Shayle cracked her fists.

"No," I said.

"No?!" the other three repeated in confusion.

Below, even the tribe of beastkin were puzzled. I descended in front of their leader, whose knees were bent and ready to drive a spear through me. Maybe it was because I had demonstrated how much stronger we were that she hesitated.

"Beatrice would have, but I'm not her. The dark elves and light elves made amends. So can we. I mean, listen… We can fight if you really want to. I'm telling you: we're searching for the chronomancer and nothing else. It's not for the same reason that Beatrice had," I explained.

"What for then?" she asked.

"Er… well… for… for something sex-related, alright? There, I said it. I don't want to go back in time to change the outcome of the war or anything. Not like the chronomancer would be okay with that…"

We stood there awkwardly for maybe a minute. The leader motioned for the others to stand down at last. She took off her mask, revealing a very human face with bestial features like feline ears, dilated silver eyes in which the pupils were almost horizontal slits, sharp fangs behind her lips. Curly, dark brown hair draped down her shoulders, and the rest were made into dreads at the back. Her skin, though coated in a thin layer of fine fur, was a darker olive. A scar ran down from between her eyes to the right side of her cheek.

"I still don't trust you, but I'd rather not see my people hurt trying to kill three succubi and a dark elf. My name is Chief Dolanna. The Pridemother told me to always maim first, ask questions later. But growing up, shamans taught me something called politics. It involves a lot of talking. Shall we try that?" Chief Dolanna retracted her sharp claws and extended a hand to me.

"As long as we can avoid the maiming part, sure. My name is Saeko. My companions are Shayle, Hana, and Layla." I grabbed the beastkin's hand, which had an incredibly strong grip.

With the threat of battle passed, Chief Dolanna cautiously welcomed us to her tribe. They didn't treat us to the usual hospitalities that dark elves would have. Although many of the beastkins took off their masks, none of them set aside their weapons. It was to be expected though. We were still their enemies, even if it wasn't during wartime.

Dolanna brought the four of us over to a bonfire. The only things to sit down on were animal pelts over a bunch of sticks. We accepted what little hospitality was offered, and only once we had sat did the chief also come down to our level.

"So, the chronomancer. The last time someone came around looking for them was your last queen. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised that a succubus wants their help for the sake of mating," Dolanna said.

"I-I'm not trying to mate with the chronomancer! It's a little complicated… but I'm telling the truth when I say my search for help is harmless," I answered.

"Hm. Whether or not you intended to fuck them, I'm sorry to tell you you're shit out of luck. They haven't been seen in years. No one knows where the chronomancer has gone, only that their disappearance was likely self-imposed," she explained.

"What?" Shayle was taken aback by this the most. "Is that not a cause for concern? What if they're in danger? Or being pursued by something?"

By contrast, Dolanna was unconcerned. While I understood Shayle's worry, it was hard to believe an entity capable of fending off Queen Beatrice and the Demon King could be threatened by anything.

"You misunderstand me, elf. They withdrew not out of a threat or danger. The elders of my tribe, including the tribes of many beastkins across Fiora Plains and the Great Western Jungle, share the consensus that this is a normal occurrence," Dolanna explained.

"When exactly can we expect the chronomancer to return from their… hiatus from life?" I asked.

"Around twenty years. Since it's been a few years already, perhaps in another sixteen to seventeen years," she replied as a matter of factly.

"Uwuh? You telling dude just ups and checks out, only to come back in two decades like everything's peachy dory? Well, golly-gee, Saeko! We ain't got time for that!" Hana threw her hands in the air.

"You mixed like three generations of speech in there. Don't do that… but you're right. We don't have time. I don't have time for that! Is there any way to reach them?"

Chief Dolanna shook her head and shrugged. She wasn't sure. Figures.

"If the beastkin doesn't have a way, I do," Shayle said.

"You do?" I raised a brow.

"It's the same method we used to discover that Tamamo-no-Mae existed in your world, and why Queen Beatrice had sought her out. The process involves a ritual that divines the location of someone or something. However, we're going to need to find a place that exerts an inordinate amount of magic. This can normally be done with a large number of mages, but there isn't enough of us," she explained.

"Why don't you try the Shrine of Elements then?" an elderly woman's voice suggested.

We turned to the source, who was a hunched over beastkin. Her eyes were closed shut, and she walked with a gnarled cane. Symbols of a language I didn't understand were tattooed on her face. A forest of graying hair was bundled up by a band on her forehead.

"Grandmother Shuwa, the Shrine of Elements is forbidden to outsiders… You can't possibly be telling me to take them there?" Chief Dolanna growled under her breath.

"Don't lie, Dola. It isn't forbidden to outsiders. It never has been. Anyone who wishes to commune with the spirits may visit freely, so long as they mean no ill-intent. Queen Saeko, was it?" Shuwa set her gaze upon me.

"Y-Yes?" I straightened my back.

"Do you mean any ill-intent?" she asked.

I shook my head, since it was the truth. Even with her eyes shut, or maybe they were just barely open like Yumi's, she believed me.

"Good!" Shuwa smiled. "They will need a guide. Dola, you go with them. Your presence will also deter all but the most violent beastkins from attacking."

"Wait, what?! You can't tell the chief to leave her own tribe!" Dolanna threw a pouting tantrum that was very cute and a stark contrast to the tough beastkin warrior.

Shuwa, however, braced a free hand on her hips, and Chief Dolanna folded like a house of cards.

"Fine. Let me go grab my things…" Dolanna groaned and headed off to her tent.

"Thank you for that." I expressed gratitude in the form of a normal, Japanese bow. "You're surprisingly cooperative despite us being a bunch of succubi and a dark elf."

"Ohoh! We were all there to see how you confronted Chief Dolanna. Queen Beatrice would never have shown mercy. You did. That makes you something special." She nodded once before taking her leave.

A few minutes later, Chief Dolanna returned with a satchel slung over her shoulder and a scowl on her face. She made it very obviously about not wanting to accompany us.

"Let's go. Feel free to fly. I can keep up on foot," Dolanna said, then took off running out of the village on all fours.

We stood there in shock for a moment. Hana snapped me out of it with a slap on the back, and the four of us soared up into the sky to give chase. Dolanna was fast. She was a feline beastkin after all, and cats were quick animals to begin with.

As the cool evening winds coursed through my hair and wings, a very deep hunger within me sought relief. I pressed a hand to my stomach and felt it growling. I gulped hard. Hopefully, I stayed in control enough during this journey…