Kurt followed Rook toward the stash house, hands tucked in his coat pockets. The rest of the guild trailed behind—Emma, Cassandra, Lizzie, Sam, Zaza, and a handful of others.
They stopped at a nondescript building that looked like it stored industrial equipment rather than a fortune in monster cores. Rook unlocked the reinforced door and led them inside.
The cores were arranged on a metal table under harsh fluorescent lighting, each one glowing faintly with internal energy. Some pulsed like heartbeats. Others sat perfectly still, their power contained but still tangible.
Rook gestured at a cluster of smaller cores off to the side. "Twelve F-E rank cores here. Practically useless to the four of us, so the rest of the guild can split them."
A few of the younger members perked up at that. Even low-rank cores could provide a decent boost if you were starting from nothing.
