Chapter 96: The Dream
Iron Fortress, Commercial District.
A stall so decrepit it practically radiated misery sat huddled in a corner of the street. Behind the table, five succubi were slumped in varying states of listlessness.
"A customer... please... just one soul..."
Scarlett lay face-down on the wood, her voice a faint, pathetic rasp directed at the passing pedestrians. A squad of Skeleton Soldiers marched past without so much as a sideways glance, their synchronized footsteps the only rhythm in the air. A human vendor pushing a wheelbarrow gave the stall a wide berth, actually accelerating as he passed.
"Scarlett, I'm dying," Kula moaned, clutching her stomach as she sat in the dirt, drawing circles in the dust with a finger. "We've been standing here for two hours."
"Not a single person has even asked the price. Your plan is a bust, isn't it?"
"Shut up! Have some professional patience!" Scarlett sat up straight, attempting to manifest the dignity of a Guild Chairwoman. "What is the most important part of business? Persistence!"
Mona, currently curled up in the shade beneath the table, rolled over and grumbled, "The most important part of business is eating. I'm going back to sleep."
"It's your fault, Scarlett," Eris added, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "That sign you wrote? No one can even read it."
Propped against the table was a wooden board with several words scrawled in charcoal:
[SUCCUBUS DREAMS — THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE!]
The handwriting was a jagged mess, punctuated by a lopsided, malformed heart.
Scarlett defended her work. "What's wrong with it? It's simple, direct, and hits the point!"
"The point is that your handwriting is offensive to the eyes," Eris countered, pointing at the board. "And that heart looks like a pair of buttocks."
Scarlett's face turned a violent shade of crimson. "It's art! High-concept art! You simpletons just don't get it!"
"I don't care about art; I want a bucket of fried chicken," Kula whimpered. "Warm, greasy, golden-brown chicken..."
"Quit it!" Scarlett snapped, her own stomach letting out a treacherous growl. They hadn't had a proper meal in forty-eight hours.
Just as the five succubi were about to dissolve their partnership in a fit of hunger-induced despair, a figure stopped before their shack. The newcomer wore an expensive-looking merchant's suit and was idly tossing a red apple—undoubtedly "borrowed" from Grog—into the air.
It was Hans.
He had just returned from the Sunflower Guild headquarters after finalizing the next quarterly procurement list. As he passed the corner, his "weirdness radar" had pinged. Five living succubi running a street stall was a sight he couldn't ignore.
"Ahem!"
Seeing a potential mark, Scarlett snapped to attention. She cleared her throat and forced what she assumed was her most enchanting, business-professional smile.
"Greetings, Boss! Having trouble sleeping lately?"
"Plagued by nightmares? Or perhaps life is just a bit too dull and you're looking to experience a different path?"
Hans didn't answer immediately. He looked at the charcoal sign, reading it aloud. "Succubus Dreams? What exactly is this?"
Scarlett, sensing a bite on the line, went into full sales mode. "We are premier Dream-Service Providers! For the low price of a single silver coin, we can weave a customized, perfect dream for you! In your sleep, you can be anything! A King, a Hero, a Conqueror! You can wed a Princess or sit atop a mountain of gold!"
"Sounds intriguing," Hans nodded. "But how do I verify the quality of the service?"
Scarlett slapped her chest with confidence. "We are professionals!"
"Professionals at starving," Mona added in a low whisper from beneath the table.
Scarlett delivered a sharp, unseen kick to the shade.
"Ow!"
Hans pretended not to hear the muffled yelp. "Do you have a business permit?"
Scarlett answered without a second thought. "Yes! Of course!"
"Oh? Let me see it."
Scarlett froze. They had tried to go to the Logistics Bureau yesterday, but they'd gotten lost, circled half the city, and arrived five minutes after the Ghouls had closed the shutters for the day.
"The... permit... is currently in the processing phase! Yes! It's in the final stage of approval!" Scarlett's mind raced as she improvised. "You know how it is, Boss... so many new merchants lately... the bureaucracy is backed up..."
Hans smiled. This little succubus was entertaining. She lied with the confidence of a seasoned Kararagi swindler, even if her stories were full of holes.
"And if you take the coin and fail to provide the service?"
"Our reputation is our bond!"
"What if the dream is to my dislike?"
"Satisfaction guaranteed!"
"What if you do something... unsavory to me while I'm under?"
"We are legitimate businesswomen!" Scarlett was starting to fray. This man had too many questions.
Kula couldn't take it anymore. She leaned over the counter, looking at Hans with huge, pleading eyes. "Please, Boss... just buy one session. We're literally starving. Look, we're all wasting away!" She puffed out her chest as if to prove her point.
Hans glanced at her, then at Scarlett. Well, they aren't 'wasting away' that much.
"Fine." Hans pulled a single silver coin from his pouch.
The eyes of all five succubi ignited. To them, that silver coin wasn't just metal; it was roasted chicken, fresh bread, and hot stew.
Hans placed the silver on the table. "I'll take one 'King' package."
"Deal!" Scarlett snatched the coin before it could even settle, clutching it in her palm as if it might grow wings. "Leave your address, Boss! We'll be there tonight!"
"East Sector 3, Sunflower House," Hans said. "Just give me a good dream. Preferably one where I possess infinite wealth."
"Don't you worry! It'll be the best dream of your life!" Scarlett vowed.
Hans offered a non-committal wave and walked away.
The moment he was out of earshot:
"WE DID IT!" Scarlett screamed, jumping for joy. "Our first sale!"
Kula hugged Scarlett's leg, drool practically forming a puddle. "Chicken! CHICKEN!"
"Wait!" Scarlett shoved her off. "This silver must be used strategically! We can't blow it all at once!"
"Why?!"
Scarlett began to gaze into the distance. "We must plan for the future! We need marketing materials! We need a better stall! We need to scale our empire!"
"But I'm hungry."
"Me too."
"Same..."
Mona, Chloe, and Eris voiced their dissent in unison.
Scarlett looked at her four pathetic partners and sighed. "Fine. We buy food first."
"All hail the Chairwoman!"
Night. Sunflower House.
Hans had finished the guild ledgers, blown out the oil lamp, and climbed into bed. The house was quiet, the children long asleep. Hans closed his eyes.
He wondered what kind of dream those little succubi would weave. A mountain of gold? A harem? He was actually a bit excited.
Just as he was drifting off, he felt his consciousness begin to blur. The darkness of his room melted away, replaced by a dazzling, golden brilliance.
Hans found himself sitting upon a gargantuan throne made of solid gold and encrusted with rubies. He wore a magnificent, flowing royal robe. At his feet, hundreds of officials and foreign envoys knelt in absolute submission.
Hans blinked. So it really is a King dream. A bit cliché, but acceptable.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The massive doors of the grand hall were kicked off their hinges. A seven-foot-tall Minotaur, bulging with muscles and brandishing two massive greataxes, charged inside.
"TYRANT! YOUR HEAD IS MINE!" the monster roared, hurtling toward Hans.
Hans: "?"
What the hell? This isn't in the brochure!
The officials at his feet screamed. "WAAAUGH! A COW!" They scattered like startled pigeons, running faster than the wind.
Hans yelled, "Guards! GUARDS! Protect me!"
No guards appeared. The entire hall was empty save for Hans and the charging bull-man. Hans tried to bolt, but he found himself magically fused to the throne, unable to move a muscle. As the axes began their downward arc toward his face, Hans panicked.
"Stop! Stop right there! This is my dream! I command you to stop!"
The Minotaur didn't listen.
At the final micro-second—
"HALT! FOUL BEAST! CEASE YOUR AGGRESSION!"
A pink blur dropped from the ceiling, landing between Hans and the monster. It was Scarlett. She wore a suit of gleaming pink plate armor and held a longsword that was nearly as tall as she was. She looked quite heroic.
Scarlett looked back at Hans. "Fear not, Your Majesty! I am here to save you!"
Hans let out a breath. Okay, there's a script.
"Slay him!"
Scarlett roared and lunged at the Minotaur.
Then... the Minotaur swatted her with a single backhand.
Scarlett flew through the air like a kite with a broken string, tracing a graceful arc across the hall before slamming into a pillar and sliding slowly to the floor.
Hans: "..."
The Minotaur ignored the fallen "knight" and turned back to Hans. "WHO ELSE?!"
"ME!"
A blue figure burst into the hall. It was Kula. She brandished a staff, pointing it at the monster. "BEHOLD! THE ABSOLUTE ZERO!"
A tiny, toothpick-sized icicle shot from the staff, hit the Minotaur's breastplate with a soft tink, and shattered.
The Minotaur looked down at the ice, then back at Kula, and sent her flying with another swat.
"MY TURN!"
Mona charged in, wielding a massive longbow. She drew the string, an arrow nocked. "As long as I draw breath, you shall not—"
Before she could finish, the Minotaur's axe-handle caught her in the midsection, and Mona was gone.
"FOR THE KING!"
Chloe and Eris rushed in together. And were promptly backhanded into the same wall.
Hans sat on his throne, watching the five succubi rolling in pain across the floor. He fell into deep thought.
So... I paid a silver coin to watch a total party wipe?
The Minotaur finished off the "trash mobs" and stepped toward Hans. Hans let out a long, weary sigh.
"Fine. Just do it. Make it quick, I have to wake up early tomorrow."
The monster raised its axes. Just then—
"WAIT!"
Hans looked over, his face a giant question mark. "There's more?"
Scarlett scrambled to her feet, her face bruised and battered, but her gaze resolute. "We have one final move!"
She screamed to the others: "SISTERS! FORMATION: GATTAI!"
The other four wobbled to their feet. The five of them stood in a line, striking a series of bizarre poses. A rainbow of magical light enveloped them.
"SUCCUBUS SENTAI: MERGE!!"
The light faded. A gargantuan, multi-limbed monstrosity—a literal "Stitch-Monster" composed of five succubi—appeared in the center of the hall. Scarlett was the head, Kula was the right arm, Mona was the left, Chloe was the right leg, and Eris was the left.
It was an assault on Hans's sanity (Sanity Check: Fail). Hans covered his eyes.
"EVIL MINOTAUR! PREPARE TO DIE!" the monstrosity roared.
Hans stood up and pointed at them. "By every law of nature, you are clearly the evil ones here!"
The merged succubus took a step forward with its uncoordinated legs. Its left foot tripped over its right foot.
CRASH!
The massive, fleshy body lost its balance and fell straight toward Hans. His vision was swallowed by a wall of falling succubi and darkness.
The Next Morning.
Hans sat up in bed, rubbing his temples. His head throbbed. Last night's dream had been... intense. The image of that rainbow-colored stitch-monster was burned into his retinas.
He got dressed and walked out of his room. He had made a decision.
He was going to invest in Succubus Dreams. Not because it had commercial value—it was a disaster. But because a masterpiece of comedy like that deserved to be shared. It would be a crime if he was the only one to suffer through it.
The people of this world needed to feel this specific brand of joy. Or pain. Preferably both.
☆☆☆
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