Survive in the parallel world, please!

I ask Luke.

“Now we need to set the bait. Just walk this street and she will find you, Hiraku you need to keep your distance, but stay alert. Now go, I’ll be watching from a distance too.”

“How can you be so sure Luke?”

I ask Luke, but he’s nowhere to be found. It looks as if he vanished into thin air.

Just as Luke told me, a pink haired girl stood in front of me. She has an angelic look but her smile is devious and, despite her good girl pose, there’s something about her that makes me distrust her.

“Excuse me sir, are you going to sell those medicines by chance?”

.....

“Uhm, I don’t know, my partner got scammed yesterday so I’m not really sure”

“Oh! that’s too bad, I wonder who could be so mean to do something like that to an honest merchant. Anyway, my name is Mia It’s a pleasure for you to meet me, hehe, I’m just kidding actually I wonder where did you get such a great medicine, by the way I’m in the medicine business too and I wouldn’t mind sharing some hints...”

Her rant goes on and on, I didn’t get half of what she was saying and I’m starting to feel dizzy already. I just let her talk until she starts getting tired.

“So, what do you say?”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention, what did you just say?”

“Hey, you’re mean! And here I thought I was making a good friend”

“If you really want to make friends you should at least let them talk from time to time”

“Ehhh? but I’m cute and funny, anyways, so what do you say”

“Yeah, I’m still lost, what did you ask me”

“If you’re willing to sell me those medicines you’re carrying”

“Not really, I’m just looking to buy some food”

I shrug.

“Come on, don’t be like that, I need that medicine and you could use the money to buy even more food, pretty please”

She said leaning close to me, showing me a bit more skin than my deprived heart can take. So this is it? she tricked them both by showing her cleavage.

“Wait a second. Hey, Hiraku! This lady says she wants to buy our medicine”

I call him to give her a scare, as soon as she recognizes him she will notice we know about what she did.

“Hello mister! hey! I remember you from yesterday, thank you so much for selling me your goods, they’re a great hit on my shop”

She said with a smile, she’s either completely shameless or didn’t even notice.

“Ok girl, stop playing. We know what you did and we don’t want to be scammed again”

I almost growled at her.

“Uh? me? we did a fair trade, maybe you’re mistaking me with someone else.”

“Well, if you want to keep playing dumb, I won’t sell you anything”

“No! please wait! I swear on my life I didn’t scam your friend. I need those medicines, please don’t make me beg”

Her eyes got teary and she placed her hands on her chest. I don’t know why, but I’m not buying her good girl act.

“Fine, then I’ll be on my way”

I say and I turn my back on her, but then she stops me.

“Pfff, I didn’t expect you to be immune to my charms... fine, I’ll tell you anything you want to know on two conditions. First, you’ll give me the medicine free of charge and second, I’ll only talk to you at my shop”

I didn’t expect her to change so drastically, I could tell she tried to play me, but also I can somehow tell she’s really desperate. There must be a reason why she can only speak to me in private.

“What do you say Hiraku?”

“It should be safe to go, and even if it’s not the result we expected, it beats losing our medicine for nothing”

He nodded and we followed her down the street. She walked in front of us and I couldn’t help but notice the swaying movements of her hips, every step looked delightful, until she noticed it and glared at me with a coldness that reminded me of the time when I had just met Anne.

She took us to a big rundown shop in the outer rim of the city, it was still in the outskirts but on the east side. The first floor was spacious and the only furniture that could be seen was the counter. Mia didn’t give us much time to look around the place and went straight into the door.

Much to my surprise Luke was already waiting in there.

“What’s going on?”

“You should have just sold everything to me, now you forced my hand, you will not be able to leave this place alive! Kekekeke!”

She laughed looking at me and raising her chin. Her whole demeanor changed, instead of angelic she looked demonic.

“Hey, what’s with that weird laughter? Luke, Hiraku, restrain her!”

They completely ignored me.

“You still don’t understand do you? They are under my control now, I could ask them to kill you right now and they wouldn’t even flinch”

“What, how!?”

“You don’t need to know, I don’t know why my charm doesn’t work on you but it doesn’t matter. Now you’ll tell me how do you make those potions or I’ll kill you”

“Will you let me go if I do?”

“Of course”

She grinned

“I don’t trust you, how can I believe you when you lied to me already, you said you would answer my questions and the first thing you do once I set foot in here is to threaten me. Sorry, but if I’m going to die anyway, at least I’ll die knowing you didn’t get what you wanted”

“Owww, ok just ask, I’ll give you three questions”

She stomped her feet making a tantrum.

“Wait, seriously?”

Just how important are this potions for her?

I thought maybe there was something I could do to play this in my favor.

“What are you?”

“I’m a succubus”

“Yeah, that doesn’t answer my question so it doesn’t count”

I shrugged at the risk of making her angry.

“Just how ignorant are humans, well, it can’t be helped since my kin is so good at hiding in plain sight. I’m a different race, we feed on human life essence so we need to live in human cities. Does that answer your question?”

“I suppose, now, What did you do to my friends? and bear in mind that I don’t know anything about anything so... just explain to me as if I was a child”

“I just charmed them, it allows me to command people and they’ll do as I say. The only condition that must be met is that they must be aroused and my charisma must be superior”

“I see, so it didn’t work on me because I wasn’t aroused”

“Oh, you were aroused alright, my race can smell lust and I sensed you since you set foot outside the crappy in you were staying at”

I couldn’t help but fill embarrassed by her statement, although it’s not like I could’ve said she was lying. Then the only other explanation must be that my charisma stat is higher than hers.

“Fine, last question, why do you need my potions so much?”

I could tell she hesitated to answer, it took her a few seconds to make up her mind but in the end she did.

“Potions are an alternative for feeding to my race. They are tasteless, but its a way to keep hunger at bay. It’s life essence we need and some potions have it, but your medicine has been the most effective so far”

“That still doesn’t answer my question, I mean, you could have simply fed on people right?”

“I’d rather die than feed on people”

Up to this point I could tell she’s been honest in everything she said, mainly because she told me things that, had I been on her situation, I would have kept a secret to my grave. That made me think that maybe she wasn’t that bad, at least she didn’t want to harm humans. Or so I thought, until she spoke again.

“I despise men, they’re worse than bugs. Would you feed on bugs? cause I wouldn’t”

Her face was of pure disgust.

“Anyways, it’s running late and I have to go so...”

I tried to leave the place but Hiraku cut me on my way, his face looked completely plain as if he had fallen asleep with his eyes open.

“It’s no use, I told you they’re under my control. Now tell me the ingredients of your medicine so I can make it on my own and I’ll let you go”

“I won’t do such thing”

.....

“But you promised!”

“what are you talking about? I simply said I didn’t trust your word, now I’m glad you answered my questions but I made no promises”

“See? this is why I hate humans so much, especially men. Are you really going to make me kill you?”