Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 108. March to The Corruption Nest

Krell put the map away. "We’re leaving now."

"The sun is coming up, and corruption is less strong during the day."

"Not by much, but every little bit helps." He looked at Natasha, Carmilla, and Rick. "Last chance to back out like chickens and admit you’re not strong enough as puny humans."

"Heh! You think...? Rick looked him straight in the eye. "Fuck that shit inside your ass! We’re going."

"Going to your funeral, huh? I can understand that." Krell said this, but a hint of respect was now evident in his voice.

As they got into formation, the demon squad moved with military precision. Krell led the way, with two demons on either side of him as scouts.

The rest of the group made a loose circle around Rick, Carmilla, and Natasha to protect them. It wasn’t lovely, but it was professional.

Rick saw demons stop what they were doing in the morning to watch as they walked through the camp toward the northeastern exit. Demons clearly knew about the test for the human envoy.

Some people looked interested, others doubtful, and a lot of them seemed to be betting on whether the people would live or die.

"Hey, I have a question." Rick said while looking at Krell.

"It better be important."

"Hmmm... how can I not make this racist for you demons?" Rick has an unimportant question in his mind. "Just to clarify it... I’m not trying to be racist with this question, but I just can’t get it off my head."

"Are you all demons with red skin?"

"Yes, we are all red. It’s a symbol of a proud warrior who craved blood in wars!"

"Nice, nice, but why is the general’s skin the same as a human’s?"

"We, the demons’ race, can change our skin to be the same as humans because it’s in our blood to trick you all puny stupid-ass humans..." Krell laughs, and the other demons laugh as well to approve of his joke.

Carmilla and Natasha looked disgusted hearing that, while Rick, on the other hand, just didn’t give a fuck other than imagining himself fucking a red-skinned woman. "That’s kinda hot actually... I can totally dig that shit..."

...

They walked past the command tent, and Rick looked up to see General Zara standing on a wooden platform that was like a balcony. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, watching the departure against the rising sun.

Rick waved at her without thinking. "We’re going now, General Zara~! Wish us luck, especially me!"

The whole group of demons stopped. Some of them made strangled noises of disbelief. Krell looked at Rick like he had a second head.

For a few seconds, Zara’s face didn’t change. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her scarred face.

"Don’t die too quickly, little human," she yelled down, and her voice carried across the camp. "I want a good show for you to tell after you come back."

Rick smiled and gave her a thumbs up before moving on. He heard Carmilla sigh and Natasha say something about "death wishes" and "diplomacy through insanity" behind him.

Sebastian was back on his shoulder. "You just waved at a demon general like you were friends with her."

"Your instincts for survival are totally messed up."

Rick thought back, "It’s called building rapport."

"It’s tempting fate."

They left the war camp and went into the real Eastern Wastes. The first hour of the trip was pretty normal, as normal as walking through a desert wasteland could be.

As the sun rose higher, it brought oppressive heat that made Rick sweat even though he was resistant to fire.

The demon squad moved at a punishing pace that made it clear they thought the humans would have a hard time keeping up, but both Carmilla and Natasha were in great shape, and Rick’s bond network gave him better stats that kept him from falling behind.

He saw a few demons looking back at him with what might have been grudging respect.

The talk began in the second hour. It appears that demons didn’t like to be quiet during long marches.

One demon asked out of curiosity, "So you really slept with the Dragon Queen?" His voice was a mix of disbelief and admiration.

Rick’s face started to feel hot. "It’s not that simple for me."

"That’s a yes for the question," another demon said with a laugh. "Humans really did survive mating with a dragon."

"I didn’t know your kind had it in them."

Rick said, "I didn’t either," which made the squad laugh even more.

Vyra walked next to Rick during the third hour. She moved quietly, and no one noticed her until she spoke.

"You don’t seem like much."

"How did you get away from the Dragon Queen? Her presence alone would burn most beings to death."

Rick looked at her and tried not to think about how her armor made her muscles stand out. "It’s all about genuine connection and huge respect, knowing what she needs besides power and dominance."

Vyra’s eyes got a little smaller. "Demons don’t really connect with people."

"We are strong enough to not even care about such things because we have our own pride..."

"The strong dominate, while the weak either serve or perish."

"Maybe that’s why you’re losing to the corruption," Rick said before he could stop himself.

Vyra didn’t say anything at all. Rick quickly regretted what he said, thinking it would make them angry or violent, but Vyra just stared ahead with a blank reaction.

She spoke softly after almost a minute. "Three weeks ago, corruption took my brother."

"He’s one of the top warriors by making it through the border wars, many raids, and challenges from other clans."

"In a matter of hours, the corruption turned him into a mindless beast. And I had to kill him myself."

"FUCK!" Rick screamed in his mind because he just stepped on something he shouldn’t have. "My condolences..."

Rick’s chest felt tight. "I’m sorry."

"Don’t be sorry," Vyra said in a harsh voice. "Be strong enough to stop it from happening to the others."

"That’s all that matters."

"I dig that." Rick raised his thumb.

[+10 EXP: MEANINGFUL EXCHANGE]

[AFFECTION GAINED: VYRA ASHENBLADE 0/10 → 1/10]

...

The landscape started to change in the fourth hour. The empty land looked sickly.

The few plants that were there were dying and turning gray and black. The ground itself looked sick, with dark veins spreading like cracks through it.

Krell stopped for a moment. "The corruption’s power begins here."

"Be on the lookout from now on because those corrupted creatures patrol the outer zones."

He looked right at Rick. "My squad is defending the area around the nest."

"You three go in by yourselves."

"The General told me to give you orders like that."

"Our orders here are just to observe and report."

"Make sure you take care of the core. And if you manage to die, then we pull back, and we tell her how you failed."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we fucking got it." Rick said dryly, "Your faith is overwhelming."

Krell said, "Faith is for priests."

"I work with results."

"Now show me the results, and I’ll believe your words!"

Rick and his two partners kept marching, and Rick felt the heavy weight of corruption getting stronger during the fifth hour. It was like walking through mud that got thicker and thicker, but the resistance was mental instead of physical.

Dark whispers seemed to echo just beyond hearing, too quiet to understand but still creepy. Rick checked in on everyone through his bond network.

Carmilla and Natasha were tense but ready, their emotional signatures clear and distinct. Liora sent a divine message of support, its warmth feeling distant. Meanwhile, Sylvia’s fierce flame in the Northern Peaks burned with barely contained anger.

Rick felt Sylvia’s voice touch his mind because they were so close. "Don’t do anything dumb."

Rick thought about it. "Explain what dumb is."

"Anything that can kill you."

"That’s a lot of what I do."

"I KNOW!" Rick winced at how loud Sylvia’s mental voice was. "That’s why I’m always worried about you, you infuriating man!"

"I’m going to war with the whole demon realm if you die in that nest!"

"That seems too much."

"You are MY Consort. And those demons will learn what a Dragon Queen’s anger looks like if they kill you while testing your worth."

Rick couldn’t help but grin even though things were tense. "I love you too, baby."

Sylvia’s presence in his mind got a little less strong. "Just try to stay alive... please."

"I will. I promise."

Even though it was hot in the desert, the temperature dropped considerably during the sixth hour. It was clear that the corruption was affecting everything.

Black veins covered the ground like sick roots. A mist that looked poisonous hung in the air, making it difficult to breathe.

The desert’s natural sounds were gone, and the only sound was an unnatural silence broken by whispers in the distance.

"Almost there," Krell said, his voice lower and more careful now.

They climbed to the top of a rocky hill, and Rick saw the corruption nest for the first time.

It was worse than he thought it would be.