I realized once we had gathered all my wares together that we were lacking in product. I would have to start making more wares very soon. Era helped me set up the wares at the booth we were renting, but after that, she started fixing up Luna, and she also seemed to tinker with something else in secret. Quinn decided to help me with sales, using his form to his advantage to attract customers. Some older women walked up to us, their eyes sparkling with interest. One of them said, "Oh, who is this young little man? Now, aren't you just precious, helping your older brother with his shop?" Quinn played his role well, understanding that his appearance could help move products. He responded, "Yes! Big brother Lucius lets me help! Don't be fooled by my size; I've got a sharp eye for quality. Let me show you our finest selections."
The older women gathered around my table as I showed off some of our convenient tools like the refillable rune bucket. They bought a few items, mostly trinkets for decoration or tools they could use around the house. After we had a steady customer count in the form of local travelers shopping for wares, I was surprised to see how good Quinn was in the sales department; he was a natural. He used his innocent appearance to attract customers, and then he would explain why they needed to buy our products. He also always told them about special deals we offered, even if they were exactly the price I had them listed for. During a lull from customers, I said, "Wow, you're very good at this. When did you learn customer service at this level?" Quinn smiled proudly, "Well, my good friend, it is one of the perks of being a mimic. I can read minds, so I know exactly what someone wants or needs. I even know what they are willing to pay for certain items."
I paused, caught off guard, "Holy crap, I never realized just how good of an advantage that was for our sales." Era mocked, "Keep your mouth closed, Lucius; you're drooling." I laughed, "He really is the perfect salesman, though." Noon passed quickly, and our profits were pretty decent. I figured I could use the rest of the day for creation. I suggested we take a break, and we found a nearby stall selling hotdogs and hung up our closed sign. As we ate, I asked, "So Era, when are you going to tell me about this new doll you created?" Era rolled her eyes, "It's almost done, but I will show you when it is fully prepared. Jeez." Just as we were enjoying our lunch, a man approached our table. He had grey skin and was dressed all in black, including a bandana covering his face.
The man had a scar running down one eye, and it appeared that the light had long since faded from his grey eye. His bald head revealed sharp ears poking out on the sides. He had a muscular build, but what stood out most was his remarkable height, almost reaching seven feet, thanks in part to his large black boots, making him seem like a formidable presence. I explained, "Uh, sir, we are closed for lunch. If you give me 10 minutes, I can help you." The man gave me a curt look and pointed down to the dagger on the table, "How much." Annoyed, I replied, "Did you not hear me? We are closed." The man repeated, bored, "Did you not hear me? How much." Quinn whispered, "It might be better to help him real quick. This guy seems dangerous, Lucius." I sighed, "Fifteen mints." The man responded in a monotone voice, "I will take it."
I always worried whenever someone bought my daggers, as I intended them for self-defense since they were engraved with the sleep rune. I stamped all my items with the words needed to activate the spells, so anyone could use the dagger effectively. I asked, "What are you using it for?" The man sighed, "Protection." I felt a strange aura from the man, and I could tell he was up to no good, but before I could respond to him, Quinn grabbed me. He pulled me back and said to the man, "Alright, fifteen mints, please." With a pleasant smile, Quinn held out his hand, and the man handed him two shabby-looking coins and took the dagger from the stall before walking away.
I said to Quinn, "What the hell, man? We can't be giving our weapons to such shady people." Quinn explained, "Listen, Lucius, that man was planning on killing us if we didn't comply, and I don't think we want to fight here." I gulped, realizing Quinn had saved us from a potential conflict, and I responded, "Thank you." Quinn stated with conviction, "No problem, but we need to hurry. I read his thoughts; he is planning on kidnapping his wife with the knife. His mental state is in shambles, quickly, Lucius!" All of us got up swiftly, following behind Quinn as he led us after the man toward the residential district. We had no idea where he went, so we ended up searching aimlessly. Suddenly, we heard cries up ahead that sounded like a little girl, and we rushed to find the source of the crying.
We reached a small stone building close to the northern wall of the city, nearly merging with the wall. The building wasn't very big; it could probably fit a kitchen and maybe two bedrooms, but it would be a tight fit. The door was wide open, and we could hear crying coming from inside. We ran toward the door, and inside, a small little girl could be seen in the doorway. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. She yelled out, "Mommy! Why did daddy take you away!" She was wearing what appeared to be rags, indicating that they weren't very well off. The kitchen was a mess, with dishes scattered everywhere on the wooden table, and the smell was horrid. I couldn't help but wonder how someone could live in such conditions, but my focus was on the crying girl.
I tried to calm her down, saying, "Hey, don't cry. Tell us what happened." She was inconsolable, wailing loudly, "Mommy, please come back!" I decided to pull out a doll from my satchel, something I had been working on. I placed it in front of the girl and said, "Vaelora." The little doll began to dance in front of the girl, and her face softened slightly. She asked, "What is this, Mr?" I explained, "This is your new little friend. She's here to cheer you up. You can have her." The little girl sniffed, her face still red from crying, and she muttered, "You mean I can have it, Mr?" I suggested, "Yes, she's all yours. Now, tell us your name and what happened to make you so sad." The little girl, Rena, managed to say through sniffles, "My name is Rena. Daddy stabbed mommy while she was doing the dishes, and she went limp. He picked her up and stormed off. I tried to call out to him, but he ignored me."
I nodded and said, "Don't worry. We will bring back your parents. But do you know where they went?" Rena suggested, "I don't know. I think he said something about taking her to some cave outside of town." A cave? Could she be referring to the cave we searched yesterday? It was the only cave that people had been talking about around here, so it was worth a shot. I said to Rena, "You'll be safer coming with us. We'll track down your parents. Leave it to my group. I know of a place they could be. Let's not waste any time. Hold my hand; let's go." We raced through town toward our caravan. We needed to get there quickly before her father did anything to her mom. Once we reached the caravan, Lysandra was taking a smoke next to it and was startled when she saw us. I quickly said, "No time to explain. Hop on; we've got a mother to save!"
Without hesitation, she helped me get our horses ready, and we set off back to the unnamed cave from yesterday. On the way, Quinn seemed to fill Lysandra in on the details, as she had just gotten back herself after delivering her letter to the courier for her brother in Astralum. While on the way, Rena played a bit with her doll, though her expression remained sad. Era tried to cheer her up by showing her Luna, and it worked to soften her a bit. Era seemed like an older sister as they played with Luna, and I rode as fast as we could to the cave. In fifteen minutes, we finally arrived at the entrance of the cave. We spotted a caravan outside the cave, which we assumed was Rena's father's caravan that he used to get here. He could be deeper inside.
We got off the caravan and quickly made our way to the entrance of the cave, ready to enter and hunt down Rena's father. Quinn suggested, "We should hurry. That lunatic is probably up ahead, doing who knows what. Who knows what he wants from this place bringing Rena's mom." We heard a voice from the cave, the voice of the man we had heard earlier, saying, "In a hurry, are we? Why not stay and relax a little before you die." Clapping sounds could be heard as the man from before emerged with a look of glee in his eyes. Next to him was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, who stood tall, the spitting image of Rena. She was smiling ear to ear as she looked to our group like a predator looking at prey. I said, perplexed, "Wh-what? I thought you were knocked out, held captive. You seem fine." Suddenly, a blade was pressed into my back as Rena let out a dull laughter, "Daddy dearest told me to play my part well, and you made it so easy. Poor, stupid, gullible little hero. You should've stuck to selling trinkets and left the heroics to the real adventurers. You're like a child playing dress-up, thinking you can save the day. What a joke."