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

The journey to the border nearly retraced Kanae's steps when she was on her way to Avanesse. They made a stop at Rayad, where she had originally emerged from the vast underground and met the resistance. Rasheena met with her second-in-command, Guin, to explain all that had happened. It was a hard pill to swallow, telling him that they intended to ally with Bravost all of a sudden.

However, Rasheena was Sultana of Avanesse now. Maybe not officially, since she and Cerberus didn't marry yet, not that they had the time to. But with Ceberus by her side, she had all the power of one.

Fortunately for Kanae and her companions, they didn't need to travel through the Under Roads again. Traveling on the surface was much faster, especially on a caravan.

Edirashok Misiah's edirashem was unusual at first glance. They weren't like the others for sure, whose large wagons were populated by citizens to the point of being mobile cities. Her edirashem only consisted of a modest six large wagons, and about fifteen smaller satellite vehicles. The big ones contained a network of warehouses and storage buildings, not the residential towns and bazaars Kanae was used to seeing on Zayn and Odika's. Only the forewagon had something like a garrison doubling as a castle for the higher caste to take residence in.

It wouldn't be much longer before they reached the border now after passing Rayad. From there, Kanae needed to travel the rest of the way with her companions to Dry Gulch. While the sun's blistering curse only affected most of Avanesse, Rasheena and Cerberus couldn't order the edirashem any farther for fear of retaliation from Bravost. Flying the rest of the way on Edina's undead dragon shouldn't take long though.

Kanae reluctantly got out of bed, leaving a naked Alicia and Claudia behind after their passionate last night. Nothing beats twins. With nothing to do the past few weeks, they fooled around the only way a group of succubi knew how. Sex all day and night, and she wanted as much of the sisters as possible before they left for Radevic. Her throbbing dick was still erect, harder even as morning wood. She switched off Futanari, and the burden between her legs vanished.

After getting dressed, Kanae quietly exited the room and headed for the royal suite. Down the hall from her guest room, she found a line of guards standing as still as statues all the way down the corridor. They all already knew she was a friend of the crown and didn't stop her. But some did give her a contentious look. It wouldn't come as a surprise if there were those that didn't want any succubi involvement in Avanesse at all, given what transpired recently.

At the very end of the corridor, an archway with transparent drapes instead of a door fluttered gently to a light breeze.

"Rasheena and Sultan Cerberus are in here, right? They haven't gone anywhere else?" Kanae paused to ask a guard.

"That's correct, Queen Kanae. In fact, I don't think either of them have left the room since last evening," the guard explained.

Probably for a reason Kanae already knew. She thanked him and continued inside. The entrance gave way to a large and lavish living space. One long sofa curved around a cold hearth, with a hookah going unused in the middle of them. A warm breeze blew in from an open terrace at one side of the room. Two glasses sat half-empty on an end table between a pair of chairs.

It wasn't until Kanae got to the middle of the room did she start hearing moans from the bedchamber opposite the terrace. Of course, she thought.

"I'm coming in!" Kanae announced since there were no doors in the suite to knock on.

Like a full grown dire wolf pinning a puppy to the ground, Rasheena ferociously rode on top of Cerberus in bed. Her breasts heaved with every bounce and tail flicking excitedly side to side. Their hands were locked tightly together. They were too engrossed in bestial rutting to notice her coming in, and only the Supreme One knew how long the two had been going at it.

"Rasheena… I'm getting close again…" Cerberus whimpered.

"That's a good cub. Let it all inside me. Oh, I love you so so much. Why was I even thinking of trying to hurt you? Give me your seed, my big strong cub! Let's cum together, shall we? More, more! Aaahhh!" Rasheena slammed her hips down one final time, and Cerberus gushed all he had into her.

Without missing a beat, they started kissing and licking each other. Rasheena went under the sheets to go down on Cerberus. However, now that she was no longer in the way, he met Kanae's eyes and panicked.

"Rasheena, wait!" Cerberus gasped.

"What's the matter? You're still hard down here. I'll clean you right up… haaumph! You're not small and frail. You're big and strong right here… mmh!" Rasheena's head bobbed up and down as she sucked him off.

"Ahh… No, I mean… Kanae came… to see us…" he mewed.

The bobbing stopped. Rasheena yanked the bedsheet off her head and turned. Arms folded and leaning against the wall, Kanae waved at her.

"If you want to keep going, don't mind me." Kanae smirked.

"Y-Y-You should have spoken up!" Rasheena cried, turning bright red.

Kanae waited in the living room while Rasheena and Cerberus made themselves presentable. The royal pair's walk of shame coming out of the bedchamber amused her. But despite their embarrassment, they still held each others' hands. A cute gesture, if not odd since one tried to sacrifice the other not too long ago.

Now that they were in rut anymore, Sultan Cerberus called for servants to see to their needs. They brought wine, tea, and snacks for the occasion. Seeing the four-foot tall Cerberus and almost six-foot tall Rasheena sitting together was quite the sight. They could have looked like a mother and son pair, if Kanae didn't know any better.

"So, you two have been busy." Kanae teased.

Their faces took on a deep shade of red even though their complexion was ashy gray.

"Cerberus is a young man." Rasheena cleared her throat. "I've also never felt this way before. The physician tells me my body is in estrus, the result of being so close in proximity to a virile male of my own species. Whenever I catch a whiff of Cerberus' scent, I can't help myself." She scooted closer to him and rubbed her head against his. "Even now I… I…"

"At least wait until Kanae's gone!" Cerberus pouted, pushing his aunt at arm's length.

"You're right. I'm sorry! Anyway… Kanae, your visit is about Sultana Dudula and Bravost, I presume?" she recomposed herself and asked.

"Yeah, and I think I should come clean about how we first met back in Rayad. Archmage Donnu, Sultana Dudula's most trusted court mage, tasked me with joining archaeologists of their Ordane University to chart a path through the Under Roads. The sole purpose was to find a way into Avanesse to attack the city directly," Kanae explained.

Both of their eyes snapped open and flashed with anger. Only briefly though. Kanae was sure that if she had told Rasheena the truth before, things would have turned out very differently.

Rasheena scratched her ears. "I imagine Sultana Dudula still intends to. How do you presume we make peace with a paranoid monarch one order away from igniting war? We didn't exactly bring any tribute. Avanesse is in no state to. And driving even a single edirashem up to the border will be seen as an act of aggression."

"Through Archmage Donnu. He probably thinks I betrayed him to join your side. It wouldn't surprise me if they've been amassing an army in Dry Gulch for weeks now. Convincing him will be tough, but if I succeed, he should be able to talk Sultana Dudula down," Kanae reasoned.

"Please, allow me to come with you to meet Archmage Donnu then!" Cerberus exclaimed suddenly.

"What? Absolutely not. You're in no condition to. I'll go in your stead," his aunt insisted.

"It has to be me." He shook his head. "You need to be here in case something happens. Archmage Donnu will recognize me as Sultan Cerberus. We've met before. If I go unarmed, without guards or soldiers, they should know that it was a big enough risk for me to come out all this way. Please, Rasheena. Kanae, too. How can I call myself Sultan of Avanesse otherwise?"

Rasheena glanced up at Kanae as if begging her to turn him down. But she couldn't make that decision for them.

"Fine. Kanae, I expect you to put his safety above all else. If anything happens to Cerberus, consider our alliance broken," Rasheena said.

"I protected him from you, didn't I?" Kanae stuck her tongue out.

Rasheena rolled her eyes and groaned.

Two days later, they reached the vast, desolate dunes that served as a geological border between Avanesse and Bravost. Already, Kanae felt a lot less hot under the sun. It was still a sweltering miserable experience. But she wasn't about to keel over standing underneath the rays.

Edina summoned her undead dragon, much to Sultan Cerberus' delight. He wasn't afraid like his subjects were. In fact, the sight of the skeletal beast thrilled him. 

"Don't push yourself, alright? I want you to come back to us," Rasheena said to him.

"Us?" Cerberus tilted his head.

When Rasheena pressed a hand to her belly, Cerberus lit up and embraced her.

"One of the shamans performed a divination on me yesterday. I'm with child!" Rasheena exclaimed tearfully.

"That was quick," Edina said.

"I'm not surprised. Those two have only been banging every day since getting together," Kanae replied.

Kris and Renya stayed behind. They would join the edirashem in going to Bravost once it was safe to do so. Rasheena kneeled down to kiss Cerberus, then sent him off with a smile. Petyr helped the sultan onto the dragon's spine before climbing up herself.

"Kanae." Rasheena handed her a satchel containing potions secured by straps. "These are medicines for Cerberus. He gets sick easily. Not the kind that can be healed with magic. Colds and fevers are particularly rough for him. Occasionally, he has trouble breathing. They aren't cures, but they will ease his pain."

"Nothing's going to happen to him. I swear it," Kanae promised.

"Coming from you after all you and your friends have done for Avanesse, I believe you." She bowed deeply.

With a heavy beat of its wings, kicking up a whirlwind of sand on the way up, the undead monstrosity lifted off from the edirashem. Kanae, Claudia, and Alicia leaped from the wagon to join them.

"This is amazing! An undead dragon is so cool, and we're so high up! It's also sooo nice to feel the sun against my skin without shade!" Cerberus giggled as the winds coursed through his dark hair.

"Hehe. Ain't that the truth, kiddo. Hang on to me! We're going to make some evasive maneuvers!" Edina shouted.

"Huh?" Petyr looked up. "Hey, I'm back here! Don't—"

The undead dragon flew up and dove down at high speed. It spun and twirled, all the way Cerberus' laughter filled the air. Someone lost hold and fell. Thankfully, it wasn't Cerberus. Kanae and Claudia swooped in to catch Petyr as she plummeted.

"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT BITCH!" Petyr growled.

"Damn it, Edina! Stop before Cerberus gets hurt!" Kanae yelled at the top of her lungs.

It took Alicia catching up to the undead dragon to tell Edina. They slowed down enough for Kanae and Claudia to put Petyr back on.

"Shit, what did I do? The kid ain't looking so hot back here!" Edina exclaimed.

Cerberus clutched onto the squirreling from behind, face buried in her back. His entire body shuddered, and his tail was stiffer than a pole.

"Cerberus! What's wrong?" Kanae landed on the dragon's spine behind him and asked.

"It's hard… to breathe…" Cerberus gasped in quick hoarse succession.

"Rasheena gave me potions for you to drink! Here!" She pulled one out to feed him.

A few seconds after Cerberus swallowed the contents of the potion, his breathing steadied. His face was still covered in sweat, but he didn't look to be in pain anymore.

"Thanks." Cerberus smiled.

"Whew. No more evasive maneuvers, Edina…" Kanae scolded.

"I got it, I got it. I didn't mean to hurt the poor pup," Edina said apologetically.

They flew calmly the rest of the way. A large mesa Kanae recognized as the Nose of Hekaton came into view. Under it was the city, Dry Gulch. However, the immediate area surrounding the mesa wasn't empty like the last time they had come.

Thousands of tents were raised to accommodate an army. Caravans of wagons and carriages, though dwarfed in comparison to Avanesse' feat of engineering on edirashems, looked like fleets of ships in the ocean of sand.

Bravost was, without a shadow of a doubt, gearing up for war. When Cerberus gazed upon the army below, his expression turned sullen.

"Does Sultana Dudula hate Avanesse that much?" Cerberus asked.

"I don't think the sultana is sure herself about hating Avanesse. She's just paranoid. It was mostly Elusis attacking Bravost. There was a kerfuffle with the East Saviran Trading Company, but only a few bad actors were behind that," Kanae explained.

A bolt of fire launched into the sky. The spell wasn't aimed for them. Instead, it arched across the sky past them. That must have been their idea of sending a warning shot. Kanae fired one back from her ring, but in a direction away from the campsite.

"What's the call, Kanae? Am I taking us down or nah?" Edina asked.

"Take us down outside the camp." Kanae nodded.

The undead dragon descended to the surface of Savir. As they were helping each other down, a welcome party was already coming this way. Chariots raced circles around them. Soldiers formed an arena of spears pointed inward.

Petyr hopped down and sized them up while brandishing her own weapon. Some cowered at the warhammer, fearing the thought of being at the receiving end. Many of the infantry didn't look at all disciplined. They dressed in simple leathers or light chain mail. Sultana Dudula did break the bank to pay mercenaries into fighting for her. A significant number of this army probably held no loyalties for the crown.

"Is that who I think it is?" Soldiers opened formation to let Archmage Donnu, riding upon a ronoa, to come through. "His Majesty, Sultan Cerberus? What… What are you doing here with them?"

"I believe it has been three years since we last met, Archmage Donnu. I've made this long journey to sue for peace. Neither Avanesse nor I wish to… wish…" Cerberus clutched his chest.

"Cerberus!" Kanae grabbed hold of him as he fell forward. She was about to give him a potion to drink, but he had fallen unconscious. Sweat dripped down his brows. His breathing grew hoarse again. She turned to Donnu and said, "You're not going to just let the Sultan of Avanesse die of heatstroke, are you?"

"Tsk. All units stand down. Bring the sultan and follow me!" the dark elf implored.

The scene caused a lot of eyes to fall on them as they entered the war camp. Archmage Donnu led them straight to his personal tent, a large yurt. He called for several physicians and mages to tend to Sultan Cerberus.

With their help, they managed to slowly drip feed the potion into Cerberus' mouth. The color in his complexion returned while under the comfort of shade. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. He continued to sleep soundly, but at least his life wasn't in danger anymore. At least not from his frailty.

"When you didn't return from the Under Roads, I figured you had become turncoats. It seems you proved me right. You and your fellows were in Avanesse all this time," Donnu grumbled.

"I was never on your side, or anyone's to begin with. Just to be clear, Sultan Cerberus really is here to make peace with Bravost," Kanae explained from his bedside.

He expelled a long, drawn-out sigh. "As you can see, we weren't of the same sentiments. Sultana Dudula was ready to march on Avanesse through the under roads… and it would have been a stupid endeavor."

"So, do you think we can convince your sultana not to? I mean, you don't sound particularly on board with the idea. And you were kind enough to help Cerberus," she said.

The archmage rose from his seat and grimaced.

"Three years ago, I met Sultan Cerberus in Avanesse to discuss trade. Such a frail and emaciated boy. Seeing him again today, standing on his own, has touched me. If the sultan can find the strength to meet us here… then perhaps Sultana Dudula will also find the strength to look past war being the only answer. Very well, succubus. I shall try, for all our sake."