Just a few streets away from the Sanctuary, was a little pawn shop with a strange marking on the door. It was a card with a purple diamond. This symbol showed that the shop was under the protection of the House of Cards, and attempting to steal from the place was tantamount to stealing from the gang.
Lenny had spotted the place on his way back from food shopping and saw a couple of spirit weapons in the window. He'd come back on his own the following day and come inside.
The room was thick with smoke as a large man at the counter had a mouthpiece of a hookah resting on his lips. Blowing out plumes of smoke, he considered Lenny for a few moments, looking him over, before asking: "Looking for anything in particular?"
"Do you have any spirit cores?" he asked.
The man looked at him confused. What on earth would a boy want with a spirit core? They were mainly used for weapons and armour for the spirited, not simply a toy to be played with. Still, he was curious, so he reached under the till, and pulled out a tray covered in a black velvet blanket. As he pulled back the material, a black cushion could be seen with crystals of various types.
The back row was an array of different small pieces of stone, they looked like a kind of crystal chip with a faint colour swirling around inside. The outsides were very dull, obscuring the energy within, but when in close proximity to one another, the variation in lights was observable. In front of them were some larger spheres, presumably of the prey tier. These were slightly clearer still, almost a frosted glass, rather than a stoney look. Finally, there was a single large spirit core, the clearest of the bunch. Its bright green energy was vibrant, lighting up that section of the tray with its swirling light show. Looking closely, it was apparent that the commonly used term 'sphere' was inaccurate to describe them. They all had irregular and unique shapes, although some of the same colour appeared closer than others, as if they had come from the same type of beast.
"How much?" Lenny asked.
"Scavengers are two to three hundred, mostly, depending on the type. You tend to pay a bit more for elemental ones. Prey ones will set you back fifteen hundred to double that."
"What about the predator tier one?"
The man laughed for a few moments. "Big spender, are we?"
Lenny, unamused, pulled out the rock mole hammer. "What would I get for this?"
The man, now more serious, gave the boy a strange look. "Can I take a look?"
Lenny nodded, handing the thing over.
The man took it, and pulled out a strange scanner. It took a few moments to process the information, then showed him some information on the display. He seemed to be subtly happy with the result, though trying to conceal it.
"I'll give you four hundred for it."
"No," said Lenny without hesitation.
"Why not?"
"The cheapest scavenger tier weapon in your window costs eight hundred and has an incredibly low durability. Not to mention its active effect is practically useless."
"An expert, are we?" said the large man, surprised. He took a few puffs of his hookah, letting the smoke billow over his face, before speaking again.
"Fine, if you're buying stock, I can stretch to five fifty."
Lenny still wasn't thrilled with the price, but knew it would get him some important upgrades. Still, the weapon had saved him in his fight against the prey tier beast. Was it really only worth two crystals? He figured the forging time and costs must have made them expensive to produce. There were few people who could work with such materials.
"I'll think about it," he said, turning to leave.
"Look," he said. He rifled quickly through his wares and pulled out what looked like three pieces of grit. "These are all perception enhancing cores. Stick 'em in a piece of armour, and you'll be able to smell like a bloodhound. I don't know if that's any use to you, but that's my best offer. Three crystals is three crystals. If not, I can make you a deal on any two of your choosing, but no more than one elemental core, alright?"
Lenny thought for a few moments. "I'll take the perception enhancing ones."
What did it matter what the cores could do anyway? He wasn't using them for armour or weapons, simply utilising their energy.
The man's mouthpiece dropped. He'd been trying to shift those cores for months but hadn't found anyone looking to buy. Offering them up had become a sort of habit. Why would anyone want a more powerful sense of smell? Sure, for a scout, it might be useful, but how many of them were there walking the streets? And how many of the government forces would be stuck with such crappy cores if they did? The Western Alliance had more resources at their disposal than any of the other pillars, even if their top fighters weren't quite as strong. Their main drawback being the sheer size and number of people in the faction and territories that they were responsible for.
The man at the counter handed over the three cores with a smile and took the hammer. He always preferred exchanges anyway. Had Lenny waited around, he would've spotted it in the window later that day with a price tag of two thousand credits.