<~> Chapter 246"Ah, shit." I anxiously scratched the bay head as Tenna's eyes scrutinized me. I looked at the crowd again before looking back at her. "How much of that did you hear?"

  The smith shrugged. "I've been watg pretty much from the start. It's hard not to when a crowd of people start staring at someone undressing in the middle of them." Her eyes trailed up and down my body. "You don't feel strong enough for that kind of healing so it must be something else going on. You said something about Succubi, but I've never heard of anything with that name before. Is this some kind of cult thing?"

  Kino, her apprentice, gasped and turo Tenna. "Master Tenna, please don't antagohe people who are esc us to another city."

  Tenna scoffed and pushed Kino a step away from her. "Rex ahat tail out from between ys." She turo me again. "So, do I get that expnation I romised?"

  I scratched the base of my horn and looked around at the crowd of people who were watg our exge. It might be good to get this kind of expnation out of the way for everyone. Me and my inner circle were the stro ones here so it's not like we o be worried about expining to them. Worst case sario, some of them tell people about us and my in status gets out. If I was going to expin myself, it would be easier if I was expining to the entire crowd rather than doing it repeatedly.

  "Fine." I let out a sigh and sat down on a crate that had been pulled out for camp. "I am a succubus, a ret in species that so far repopute by transf others into being succubi. Because some of our i racial traits remind people of demons so much, we've mostly kept it quiet even after the threat of someone subverting our new race has mostly passed now that our number has grown. What I'm isn't exactly healing, it's transformation into a succubus, it just has the ve side effect of rest and altering people's bodies. The trade-off is that you bee only able to feed off of mana, specifically the lust-aspected mana that is created through sex, and apparently there only be female succubi," I said motioning toward...

  "Uh, I haven't thought of a . Give me a little time..." the new succubus said in reply to my gesture.

  Tenna raised her eyebrow. "You're an in? As in the inal succubus of this brand new race?"

  I nodded. "Yes."

  She looked around. "And your whole group are succubi?" she asked.

  "Not everyone. Man, Torien, and Lorriene aren't succubi. It's not like I require everyoo bee oo work with me, the transformation is voluntary. The recipient has to agree and I have to offer it."

  Tenna pursed her lips. "And why the oath?"

  I shrugged. "The oath is a remnant of an ability that the current one is derived from. It has evolved a few times now. It's a... softer requirement than the previous ones. I feel as though it's fairly tame as it requires both knowledge of my pns to know what they would be interfering with and all it pels someoo do is not make things harder for me or actively impede my goals."

  "Well... what's stopping you from just turning all of us to succubi right now?" she asked.

  I looked around the crowd. Most of the people who had been watg were now talking with each other more. This versation seemed to be relieving the s some of them may have been having.

  "Being a succubus isn't for everyone and the people here... have been through a lot. The first two that I transformed were the worst off, the two that I think he transformation the most. We have the road to Goldeh ahead of us still and I eople to have some time to think about it. What the oath means and what the transformation means for them and if they are willing to subsist on sex from here on out. I view everyohat bees a succubus to be part of my family, it's not something I would for anyone."

  "Well, what about me?" Tenna asked.

  "Master Tenna! Please think about this! Aren't you being a little hasty?" Kino pleaded.

  "Shut up, Kino. I'm old. I want to stay young enough to keep w and my time is limited. Part of this move to Traehall is to fall ba something that will be easier on my old body, but if I don't have to give up smithing, I would rather take this opportunity instead." The smith sighed and looked back at me. "So, what about me?" she asked again.

  I frowned and scratched the base of my horn. "I am not against transf you, I think that would be fihe issue I have is that... don't you kind of need Meena and Twill tnize you once we get back to Traehall? The thing you're pnning to help them with is important, isn't it?"

  "Hmm... That's true. Would it be against the rules to fill them in after the fact?" she asked.

  "Lilith cast Zone of Truth. That should help vihers," Kal'daeryn said.

  Tenna raised an eyebrow at that so I nodded. "It's true, it's a challenging spell to cast but I cast it. It was a gift from Sorsette, a version of the spell I cast using normal magic."

  Both Tenna's eyes raised in surprise. "You are a follower of Sorsette?"

  "I am," I replied. "I think she gave me the spell because I kept swearing on her hat I wasn't actually a demon. It's usually the first thing I say every time I throw the ability up," I said with a ugh.

  Tenna crossed her arms and tilted her head down in thought. A long quiet moment passed between us before she looked back up. "Would you be willing to relieve a few of my s in a Zone of Truth before I it to transf? I know that I am already asking for a lot."

  I looked around at the former sves watg the versation. It would be a good opportunity to alleviate some s for everyone. I nodded. "That will be fine. I don't thiend to do a lot today so I should be free to use my mana for this." I motioned for a few of the former sves to step closer to us. "I 't cast the spell rge enough for everyone, so I hope you three tell the others that I'm being truthful as well." One of the hyena sisters and two of the ohat had been g when we found them stepped into the area where I nning to cast the spell.

  With some effort the [Zone of Truth] popped into pce. "I have cast [Zone of Truth] to alleviate any s." A pulse of truth pushed through the five people standing ihe spell with me.

  "Are you a demon?" Tenna asked immediately.

  "No," I responded. "I was a demon when I was first reinated here but I rejected them and the succubi are now a race that is its own, uo demons." There were several gasps and chatter at my admission and even Kal'daeryn raised an eyebrow at that tidbit of information.

  Ohe waves in the [Zone of Truth] settled, Tenna frowned. "I didn't io ask this but... are you a world traveler as well?"

  "I am," I replied.

  "Do I o worry about you stabbing me in the back for the Mithril mienna asked.

  I was surprised, the idea hadn't even crossed my mind. "No. I nning ourning you to Traehall safely as we agreed." I waited for the waves of truth to settle before tinuing. "I like Meena and Twill and they helped us out when we were there. I don't io double-cross you." Tenna smiled and nodded and even Kino seemed to rex at the news.

  "Do you work for the elves?" the hyenakin asked.

  I turoward her, unsurprised that this might be a question of for them. "No. The elves offered us the job and helped us ehe sver's guild, but we took the job because our primary goal was to free sves."

  Her eyes narrowed at my answer. "I heard the Order of Lilith was a group that fights against the Tamin church. Was all of this a ploy to recruit people into your crusade?"

  I had to think about this one for a moment. "We had a lot of goals in freeing people there. Truthfully, recruitment for the Order of Lilith wasn't a priority for me. I don't actually know that much about them yet. Someone else formed the group and the fact that my name is the same as their order is a ce." Waves of falsehood suddenly filled the spell and suddenly everyone iiffened. I rushed to correct myself. "Uh, let me amend that statement. The group hemselves after me, but I wasn't the oo form it and I'm not the one in trol of it." Soothing waves of truth settled the rough waves of falsehood.

  "Why would they hemselves after you?" the hyenakin asked in fusion.

  I sighed. "There is a prophecy that the Tamin church, the elves, the Order of Lilith, and even the gods have about me. I apparently will be the catalyst for a lot of future instability. I say that Sorsette is on my side though, for better and for worse." This piece of information had everyoalking in fusion, wonder, and fear.

  "Would... being succubi require us to quarrel with the gods?" The hyenakin asked. She looked a lot less fierce when asking this question.

  "No. That's not why I'm the transformation to anyone. But I also 't promise that people won't have an issue with Succubi iure. We're a young rad most people don't know about us yet. I'm not sure how some of our retions will go, sidering a lot of the innate powers we have as succubi, including transformation, are associated with demons." I held up a hand and demonstrated by transf my arm into ohat resembled the hyenakin's arm down to the fur pattern.

  "I see why people would be wary of succubi being demons," Tenna said ftly.

  I pahe exertion from using the [Zone of Truth] for this long while being fatigued from yesterday was starting to catch up with me. "Are there any other questions? I am having trouble holding the spell."

  "Are y to help us?" One of the former sves asked, a rabbitkin girl.

  I nodded. "Yes. My goal this eime was to help all of you. Most of the sves we freed ran to the elven embassy but I thought yroup was more vulnerable and several of you would be from the succubi transformation. I have friends in Goldeh who should be willing to help all of you, especially if you bee succubi."

  There ause long enough that I felt fident most of the important questions were answered so I dropped the spell. I shook off the weariness and stood up. "I'll be around for any more questions and... there will probably be a lot of sexual activity going oonight. All of you are free to join as long as whoever you would be pying with agrees to py with you. I know that not all of you will be ied or willing, so please talk to Silva over there about having your te up on the opposite side of the carriage away from the rest of us if you would like. The offer to join my family and bee a succubus is open to all of you until we get to Goldeh. I hope everyone siders the offer carefully. Don't rush into it if you 't handle needing to have sex to survive."

  A lot of chatter and buzzi around as the crowd dispersed into groups and discussed everything I told them. The three that I had included in the [Zone of Truth] were being surrounded by others, asking them to verify what they had heard while standing in the spell.

  I walked over to Tenna. "Are you satisfied?" I asked.

  She ughed and nodded. "I am. The offer is... definitely something I'll have to think about before itting to."

  "It's a big decision. But for you, the offer will remain open until after we've arrived in Traehall. It might be better to see your nied nephew before transf."

  She sighed. "I guess I'll just have to deal with these aches and pains for a bit longer. One way or the other."

  Kino cleared his throat. "You said earlier... that this transforms you into a woman?"

  I raised an eyebrow and nodded. "For better or worse, it does. It's a bit hard to expin why that's the case, but yes. All succubi are feminine, regardless of what sex they have between their legs."

  "R-right," he said. I wasn't sure if I was reading things correctly, but Kino might be ied iransformation as well.

  I stood up. "I o go back to helpi up camp. It's going to be a long night... and you're wele to join too, you know."

  Tenna ughed. "As if. I'm too old to enjoy that properly. That's part of why the idea of your transformation sounds so appealing. Maybe Kino will join though!" She ughed and pushed the blushing wolfboy forward.

  I chuckled and walked off to titing things up and answer any questions anyone might have.

  Saine

  Hello! Suys, the mousegirl fun will have to wait for aime! Tenna's kind of a shrewd operatetting in all of the real questions she's ied in during the zone of truth. The versation seemed to put a lot of the others listening at ease too. Tenna's a fun character and I'm excited to have her more involved ihe story once we return to Traehall. See you ime, thanks for reading!

  Chey other story here: Umbral Feast

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