Daina watched the old man's retreating back. Am I being too suspicious? Maybe I should ask around about this shop first, she thought.
"That's Old Parker's shop. Good quality, fair prices. Worth a look."
"It's a good place to hunt for bargains, but you need sharp eyes."
"It's a place that deals in junk. Nothing worth visiting."
Daina asked several passersby and stall owners, but their answers all differed. She made another round and found nothing.
I might as well take a look. If it's no good, I'll leave immediately, Daina decided.
She walked to the eastern end of the camp, where few people came. It was already past five in the afternoon, and the sun was about to set. Summoning her courage, Daina ventured deeper into the eastern end and saw a shabby little shop with a red flag standing outside. Its color resembled dried blood.
Elsewhere, Ace quietly approached the shabby shop, transformed into a flying insect, and cast Feather Fall on himself, clinging to a roof beam. (Note: Low-level Transformation here could not turn one into something much larger or smaller than one's original body. Mass remained unchanged during transformation, so other spells were needed to reduce weight. This would not be explained again later!)
She knocked hard on the door. Creak!
"You're here! Come in quickly, we've just gotten a new shipment!"
Parker seized Daina's hand and dragged her straight inside. Caught off guard, Daina stumbled and was hauled in.
The entire shop was lit by candlelight. Creak, bang!
The door had already been shut and bolted.
"Welcome to Parker's shop, our newest merchandise! Such a pretty little girl."
The old man sneered as several burly men with unfriendly expressions closed in.
"Y-you, what are you trying to do?" Daina shrieked. People surrounded her on every