Caliban and Mikhail slinked into the shop when the sun came down, careful in avoiding every human gaze. Caliban didn't look exactly human with his skin tone and facial features, looking more like the media cliché alien, and while Mikhail looked completely human, his height and build was… quite intimidating to look at, if nothing else.
The call in from Richter was an expected surprise, expected because Caliban knew that Richter was one to defer when he felt things started getting too complicated, and surprising because they had been in the store for quite a while that Caliban had started thinking that things were simple enough for Richter to take care of.
Caliban didn't know what to expect when he and Mikhail entered the pawnshop. He already knew something was wrong because while he knew that Richter and the others were in the shop, he couldn't sense them no matter how hard he tried.
If not for him receiving the interval signal that they were alright, he and Mikhail would have already bust in there to bail them out. The silent giant behind him was the picture of perfect calm, at least that was how he looked, but Caliban could tell that Mikhail was just as concerned as he was. He just did a better job in keeping his wits than Caliban.
Caliban had frowned even when he entered the shop because even when he could hear their voices, he still couldn't sense them. His primary ability that enabled him to sense mutants for miles didn't pick them up despite them being in the same building.
"I don't like this, man. It feels sketchy." He'd said to Mikhail beside him, his stress already climbing up and making his muscles coil.
His stress had spiked up a new level when they met up with Richter, Bloc and Henri, although for a different reason.
He and Mikhail had shared a look and a nod as they understood what they'd just stumbled on. This 'Isaac' wasn't just a pawnbroker, he was a plug. A black market intermediary.
How did they know? Well if the water purifier that looked more advanced than the rickety clank they were using wasn't enough, the mini turret said it loudly.
The fact that he made no move to hide it when they came in and his general lack of surprise by their appearance gave Caliban a worrying suspicion. Did he know they were lurking around? Did he have someone keeping an eye on them?
It was paranoia, but it was warranted, especially when Richter and the others looked so relaxed.
That was how Caliban and Mikhail found themselves listening to what should have been the most outrageous sales pitch, except they couldn't outright dismiss it because of one specific grain of information that complicated everything.
The man wasn't a mutant.
The first thing Caliban's mind went to was 'Black Site Experiment' which was a whole can of worms because that meant bag-tag special ops, government watchlist, mutant conspiracy, heroes nitpicking and public implosion.
Nothing good came out of involving themselves with a person who was probably under spy agencies from 13 different countries.
No matter how Isaac easily dismissed that worry, Caliban could not purchase the same luxury.
"What do you think, Mikhail?" The stoic giant was having a one-sided stare down with the laidback shopkeeper.
"We need the water purifier, da?" And that was the truth of it. The one they had was an old thing that they had managed to rig up and keep in dubious conditions with duck tape and prayers.
They had healers and a doctor, yes, but their healers couldn't heal everything and they were running out of medicines like everything else. Their debilitating water source was a major issue that they had no way of immediate remedy.
The problem came back to their lack of cash.
"You supply us what we need if we bring cash. No ask questions?"
Isaac nodded quite easily at that. "Tis a simple trade." He ran a finger along the surface of the purifier. "Though, like I told them, if you have anything of value, real value, as rare and as exotic as you can find it, then I'll buy it off your hands."
"How 'exotic' are we talking?" Caliban asked.
Isaac smiled indulgingly, "As exotic as it can be. A super soldier serum – now those are a rare find – or a nugget of Vibranium. A page from the Darkhold, or an Arc Reactor."
Bloc and Henri stepped back in shock and a healthy ripple of fear. "You want us to rob Tony Stark?" the latter exclaimed.
Caliban snarled at the man's audacity to act surprised. "What? No! I endorse no action you take in acquiring your products. No such thing."
Professional courtesy, Caliban noticed, but the man looked as if he took it seriously rather than paying lip service. How far he took it still remained to be seen but Caliban ensured not to care too much as he would make sure that any business they had with this strange merchant remained surface deep.
"All I'm saying, dear customers, is that while I'm less inclined in buying bulk of mundane items, I'll readily give you a tempting deal if you ever come across any piece of value item that you are interested in selling."
The whole spiel was as clear and concise as it could be but Caliban still remained distrusting of the shopkeeper's words and mindful intent because even now, he still couldn't sense Bloc, Henri, Richter and Mikhail as mutants.
The man said he wasn't a mutant but he never mentioned anything specific about what he was. In the span of a progressive conversation, he now knew more about them than they knew about him, and not only that….
"What's up with this shop of yours?" Caliban asked, making everyone go silent as they stared at him. "I can feel multiple gazes on me but I can't sense anyone. Is this your doing?"
Mikhail was tense – he'd been since they walked into the shop – and Bloc copied him, while Richter and Henri looked reluctant. In Richter's case, Caliban could tell that it was because he didn't want a fight breaking out more than him trusting the owner.
Isaac frowned as his gaze shifted from them into the shop. "Sorry about that. Some of them are rather stubborn and curious. I usually stop them from interacting with the customers in discreet ways but it must've slipped my mind somehow."
"And who are 'they'?" This was getting out of hand. Everything was still vague and the man was making extra efforts to ensure it remained so.
They could leave, sure, but what if they were tagged? What if they were being followed and Caliban couldn't sense them, just like he couldn't sense the others? There were too many factors that made him constantly paranoid and the stress from it was fueling his veins.
There was something up with this broker and Caliban was intent on finding out what it was. Him, Mikhail and Callisto were already stressed out of their minds that someone was somehow tracking their operations. And now here was some guy advertising himself like a walking red flag.
The man shrugged, not looking a bit intimidated at the hostile tension. "A few sentient items I put up. Well, they are not fully sentient, semi-sentient rather."
Caliban actually took a second to mull over the reply to make sure that, yes, he didn't miss anything that sounded logical, and took another second to decide that, yes, he finally had enough of the bullshit and reached over the counter to grab the man by the scruff of his neck.
That was the intended action, but surprisingly his body had logged out of democracy by running a mutiny and seizing his body.
His body was suddenly frozen in place and nothing he did made it budge. Panic settled in, stress bubbled, and his strength increased, but still he couldn't budge an inch. His eyes, the only things he could move, darted frantically towards the others who were now looking at the shopkeeper with heightened wariness.
From the edge of his vision, he could see Mikhail gear into action only for him to be frozen in motion. His panic was now over the boiling point as his eyes darted back to the shopkeeper whose eyes now held a soft glow.
"Now now, let us not resort to violence, hmm?"
"What did you do to them? Let them go!" Bloc shouted but he didn't recklessly burst into action like the two frozen men.
Isaac deadpanned at them and crossed his arms over his chest with a disapproving look on his face.
"Now, I don't usually make a habit of hanging out the rules of my shop because I imagine it as basic courtesy to expect basic conversational etiquette in my shop. Even in the event of a disagreement, a conversation is all that is needed to lay down differences."
Richter and the others took a step back at the neutral educating tone Isaac had taken, made even more intimidating by the white ring in his eyes and the sense of utter detachment they were getting from him.
His manner of speech had changed and goosebumps were running up their skin but they didn't bolt. Not when Caliban and Mikhail were restrained in some way.
Isaac looked at them, at the two frozen men, and let out a deeply tired sigh as the glow disappeared from his eyes and the air around him flowed normally.
"You know, if you tried this in the stores of many of my peers you would have forfeited your souls. They are rather ruthless when it comes to their rules being ignored." He waved his hands and motion returned to Caliban and Mikhail who almost stumbled into each other.
"Violence of any kind is not permitted in my shop. If you continue… well, that'll give me free reign to do anything to you." He leaned forward with the shadow of a dark smirk on his face. "It can be a simple ban, indentured servitude, or a soul forfeit."
He leaned back and stood straight with his service smile back on his face as if the last minute or so never happened.
"Now where were we?"
Caliban looked at Mikhail, his gaze silently shouting at him to 'teleport us out of here'. Richter and the others were more than eager to depart thence.
Instead of their immediate retreat, Mikhail looked like he had other plans as he took a step forward and gave a slight incline of his head.
"I offer apologies. I showed violence to aid my comrade."
"Accepted. As long as you don't do so again. I'll warn you that I'm one with my words."
"Da." Mikhail nodded and stretched his hand to Isaac who shook it. "Deal with us truthfully and we have no problems."
"My kind of deal." Isaac leaned sideways against the counter, back to being friendly casual, and pointed a finger at the purifier and turret. "Now, are you buying any of these?"
Mikhail looked at the purifier with a thoughtful frown, looking more at ease with Isaac after the apology as if the last few minutes never happened.
Caliban and the rest stood a few paces from the counter, not at all feeling the casual air after the smiling shop owner's last display.
"We… have the means, but we'll have to return." Mikhail replied.
"Fine by me."
"Then I'll return."
They did not spend another second in the shop as they left quickly and found an empty alleyway where Mikhail opened a portal to one of the entrances of the tunnel.
Their dwindling cash flow would take a rather steep dive if they were to buy the purifier but they had to as seven children had already fallen sick just this month alone and their medicine stock was practically emptied.
They would have to do a job in the coming week so they won't starve by the end of it. Convincing Callisto of the need of the purifier was easy enough but it came with a caveat for Mikhail.
"If it turns out to be a scam you'll pay dearly for it. If you mess this up, you won't object to how I run things from now on."
Mikhail had accepted with the same practiced ease and took the scrounged up cash back to Isaac, going back alone this time without any of the others.
"Friend Isaac, do tell me, what exactly do you sell?" Mikhail asked as he took the boxed purifier.
Isaac chuckled, an unmistakable twinkle in his eyes, "Mikhail, my friend, the correct question is 'what do you want?'"
Mikhail looked at him silently for a short second. "A sword that kills demons."
Both of their eyes went down to the counter where a sword now lay. "Yamato. There is no infernal being out there that it won't cut through. Its edge is so sharp it cuts through space and dimensional barriers. A swing is absolute."
Isaac unsheathed an inch of the blade and Mikhail felt the energy roiling off it as it was exposed from its scabbard.
"Something that obliterates the foes in front of me." Mikhail held his eyes for a second before it went back to the counter that now carried a gauntlet.
"I take it you're a physical fighter and for the explosive treat you want, how about this: Sacred Gear: Variant Detonation. Your fists are explosions on demand. It is a growth type item, and while not the most powerful I have on my shelves, I believe this will suit you better as it won't drain your life and crumble your mind like the Nemean Cestus or the Starforge Gauntlets."
Mikhail took in a deep breath and asked one more question.
"And say, I want to go where no roads lead."
"The Yamato will get you there. As long as you have the image of the place, a slash in the air will open a rift that directly leads you to your location. I also offer onetime options if you're looking for those."
Mikhail exhaled. "They are expensive, my friend." The zeroes were intimidating, especially for the tag that came with the sword. He knew someone who would love to have that sword.
Isaac smiled knowingly. "Of course they are. You won't find these anywhere else on this planet. My word."
"I see." Mikhail lifted up the box containing the highly advanced water purifier and settled it on his shoulders.
"I will come back when I have the money," he started, taking one last look at them and then at Isaac. "It might take some time. A long time I think."
Isaac waved his hands and they faded away from his countertop like smoke. "Take your time, they'll be here whenever you're ready."
Isaac smiled to himself as Mikhail left and looked at the items on his shelves with a confident smile.
"And that boys, is how you build a customer base. Give them what they never knew they wanted and watch them work for it. This'll be great."
[Image]
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