"This is a simple story about good and evil but in this there is no villain and there is no true heroes just those who lived long enough to tell their tails. In the year 2134 magic unexplainably returned to the world with in thirty years the world as it was had ended. In that short thirty years' time the once advanced and somewhat stable world had been turned to nothing but ruins. all that was left was the global war for survival, but it wasn't tell three primary factors happened did the war truly end in the year 2203. The city of kpenoctb saw the rise of the unification ordnances and the first successful reconstruction effort. Though that honestly wasn't that impressive as it might sound as they were the only city left standing after the final battle, so reconstruction wasn't as bad as it was elsewhere. The second was the intervention of the space colonies. The last factor was the unification of the nati sunt deamonium more commonly known as sins the benedicti also known as the commandment and other magic born races. The humans both normal and magic user also known as Users and lastly the titans. These factions came together to bring an end to the monster that history only seems to refer to as the god eater of gluttony. It's now more commonly known as the first of the three forbidden sins. This dangerous mutation of the gluttony type sin got its power by consuming the powers of others then turning them against their opponent as well as making its user grow larger and stronger. Now in an early stage this power would be virtually harmless. However, if the user could amass enough powers, they would become a nearly unstoppable monster. So, you may be asking yourself how did they eventually stop it simple they launched an all out last stitch assault that had one of two goals. Kill the beast or distract it long enough to evacuate as many people as possible then bombard the planet from orbit in another attempt to kill the beast and if that failed. The remaining life wouldn't be enough to feed the massive beast, so they would simply leave it to starve on the destroyed world but to their great surprise they killed it by accidentally finding its one weakness. The beast was like a tick only given time this tick would adjust to its larger body but if you feed it to fast and to much you can kill it. Though it took them literally hitting it with super weapons massive spells and giant beasts to do so but at that time all that did was make it grow stronger and larger tell its body gave out on its self. Now in the year 2328 we continue to rebuild and reconstruct the old world that died so long ago but the thing is we aren't the same as we were then and never will be again. We need to advance or become stagnate and be broken by the next big change in the world." Jameson cross said to his tour group as he finished the tour through the city history center.

The city had four or five museums, but the history center was the largest of them and it was the center of research and restoration in the city well the only source of it really.

'Why are we always so understaffed were the ones that supplies the city with all the restored artifacts they need to keep it running. So why are they so stingy with the budget at this rate I'll be doing tours full time along with my actual job. I'd complain and ask for a raise if I didn't know they'd have to fire someone to give me one.' Cross thought as the tour group of kids headed toward there bus unfortunately as they were from the upper city they all radiated residual holy magic making him ill.

As a nati sunt deamonium or sin neither name he liked very much. Holy magic even in small doses could have nasty effects on these effects ranged from simply making him sick to acting like a poison or even burning him. He sighed and pulled a pin out of his pocket and clicked it twice before bighting it in two and eating the two pieces.

'Dang it that wasn't enough to settle my stomach I'll see if I can't find something in the brake room.' Cross thought walking off.

As a sin of gluttony Cross was a bit different then the more common sins and unlike the rest of his kind, he was mostly able to hide his markings that he was a sin. All it took was some contact lenses that hid his slitted pupils and as long as he didn't show his sharp teeth or use his powers other than his inherited ability to use magic. No one could tell the difference between him and a normal user. though he hadn't gone as far to hide what he was from his boss or the government or anything like that he just didn't like how other people treated him when they found out he was a sin. Even so he had even done the hole inner city registry thing voluntarily, so his name and picture was on the sin registry and was public record. Though he didn't like having to register himself like he was a criminal when he in fact had a spotless record. He had even gone above and beyond what should normally be possible by a sin and even got a college doctorate in both history and restoration. As most sins weren't even allowed in public schools this was a major achievement. But so long as he didn't stick out in public and was able to live as close to a normal life he was happy. As he no longer went hungry or had to worry about being someone else's meal and even his oldest and greatest fear had all but faded in his new life but still occasionally lingered in the back of his mind.

Sometimes if you pushed a sin too far and this could take a lot or very little to trigger depending on the person or situation. There powers would go out of control and take over turning them into mindless monsters. He had seen most of his old friends fall victim to this fate the rest ether became monsters of a different kind or died, and his fear is one day this would be his fate as well. He shivered and tried to forget about that as he walked into the brake room looking for anything to eat and he meant anything. As most gluttony class sins could eat just about anything so long as it wasn't toxic or infused with holy magic. He scarfed down a box of crackers box and all and a bottle of ginger ale. Ginger route was proven to help with magic sickness so cross kept a few cases of real ginger ginger ale for times like these and the fact he generally liked it. His coworkers on the other hand avoided the stuff like the plague unless they got some form of magic sickness.

'Well whatever I enjoy it at least then again I not picky.' Cross thought before eating the bottle.

Cross was from the outer city there your lucky to find real food and even with his power some nights he still went to bed hungry but that wasn't to uncommon actually. He shook his head this wasn't the time or place to be thinking of stuff like that.

"Um is something wrong mister Cross you seem troubled and are acting a little strange?" Agnes Tomean asked. She was the younger of Cross's two junior restaurater that being said don't let the term junior fool you they were some of the best restauraters in the city.

"Yeah just thinking about something I'd rather not remember." Cross said giving her a smile before adjusting the position of his glasses.

"Oh, you were thinking of your time in the outer city. ... Um was it really that bad the way I have heard the outer city described by everyone else well its clear their horrible no arguing about it but the way you act and what little you told me about it. It sounds more like hell rather than just the slums." Agnes asked curiously but in her odd way her curiosity was her best and worst quality, and this was one of the few times where it fell into both categories'. It also should be noted Agnes is a sensitive. Sensitives are humans with psychic or psionic power. However, she could only get impressions from people and could levitate a pen anything heavier gave her a nasty headache.

"That's a bit hard to answer but like the inner city its divided into rings only it doesn't have the upper city in the middle. The only ring that has any form of law or proper resources or housing safety food or cleanish water is the inner most ring. Beyond that its lawless and dangerous trash filled wastelands where well let's just say you're better off not knowing trust me on this." He said before continuing to the restaurater labs.

"But why is it?" Agnes started to say before cross interrupted her.

"If you want to know so bad head out there and find out then will see if you want to talk about it that is if you come back alive." Cross said ending the conversation before heading over to his station and turning on his head set to drown out any more question.

Crosses head set was big bulky heavy and homemade they were also very high quality and extremely hard to brake. Sometimes he wondered if he put too much in them as they used a mana power crystal because they would drain any battery in a matter of minutes. The headset was cobbled together from an old gaming headset a pilot head set a military grade multi frequency scanner radio and a pocket radio. He had pulled the mike speakers wireless connection and padding from the gaming head set wired together the two radios. he then took the pilot headset metal housing and using some salvaged spare parts he cut the holes needed for the needed buttons in the metal casing. Then with some creative rewiring and some magic to seamlessly stitch all of them together and Walla. He had the headset he was now using this thing was one of his few things He was able to bring into the city this was pretty much just the clothes he had on his back his headset a self maid watch and an old damaged next to illegible spell book that by law he wasn't allowed to have even though it was nothing more than a magic repair manual. With time and a lot of hard work and effort he learned how to restore the book and used it to learn more restoration magic and how he eventually got this job. Cross looked over at his new watch as the one he had brought with him into the inner city had proven to unreliable. It was twenty minutes tell the end of his shift he started to clean up when three loud bangs rang out.

"Oh, please let it just be an overly curies kid figured out how to switch on a piece of machinery again." Cross said to himself as he left the lab where he found three punks with guns.

"Oh slag." Cross said as he realized the situation everyone there excluding the gun men were laying on the floor and as if to make it worse over half the people on the floor where children.

"Get down get fucking down now!" One of the gun men yelled.

Cross held up his hands and said calmly. "Ok ok no need to go nuts just tell me how to help I'll help you get whatever it is you want so we can get this over with as soon and as safe as is possible."

"Get down!" He yelled again.

"Ok ok just keep calm I was just making my offer." Cross said getting down onto his knees and then onto the floor.

Cross offered himself because as a sin he was much harder to kill and as sins physically are the strongest race and are one of the few who can survive outside the cities without special gear or magical protection. Plus, He had the class advantage as an armor type he could take a lot of abuse and have had to in the past. Also, as most glutton class sins skills revolved around eating and boosting their bodies. That being said taking a bullet would still hurt a lot but he doubted unless it was enchanted or silver or gold or was blessed it would do much damage. If this turned into a shootout heed have to make the fact that he was a sin known and keep, there focus on him so that no one else got hurt.

Agnes walked out of a door behind cross. "Mister cross is something oh no you I what." Agnes said before fainting.

'That girl can't handle stress to save her life oh well maybe it was for the best she was probably in less danger now I hope.' Cross thought as the punks started smashing displays.

"Hay buddy it took me forever to fix that can you just tell me what you want so I can give it to you before you smash all my hard work." Cross said angerly from the floor.

"What was that you worm drone bastard." The one of the goons who had done all the talking so far said walking over to Cross.

"Oh, so you're from the outer city." Cross said shifting to a sitting position.

"What the how did you know." The gun man said pointing the gun at Cross.

"Simple I'm from there myself and no one in the inner city uses the term drone for obvious reasons now what is it you want." Cross said calmly as the gunman pushed a gun into his face.

"What the hell man you want to die!" The gunman said angerly.

"No, I just know your type and you wouldn't risk this much unless you knew it would end in a massive payday. So, by following that line of logic you're after something or you were hired by someone with enough influence to get you in the city now your hear holding the place up so why and what for? Oh, and please don't lie the sooner we get done with this the better. Because there's a lot of scared kids and that's bad for so many reasons I shouldn't have to list them. Plus, I doubt you could handle an outer circle, or a pit born and I'm both." Cross said with a smile that flashed his large sharp teeth.

"Shit wha what's your title if you survived blood birth in the pit you must have one?" The gunman asked clearly Afraid hid hands shacking slightly.

"No, I didn't I'm the one that got away." Cross said disgusted at the idea that the gunman would think he held a pit title.

"Holy shit you're the legend that ass hole is merciless you know he's still hunting for you right he even put up one hell of a bounty on your head." The gunman said his attitude doing a one eighty.

"Yeah I know oh weight please tell me he didn't send you did he?" Cross asked with a groan.

"No but I would normally say weed collect on your bounty, but he killed my brother then ate him. So no in fact I'd love to kill that bastard myself, but you know how hard that is." The gunman said rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, I know I dropped a mountain of trash on his head and it only bought me three days and do you have any idea how many times him, and his hounds chased me I swear. Oh, um where getting off topic look, we both know how this would go down if we slugged it out. So why not just take what you want and go or start running before the guards or worse the guardians show up." Cross said knowing regardless of what happened heed be dealing with them either way.

"Oh, shit ok where looking for some magic thingy." The gun man said pulling out a photo and handing it to Cross.

"Yeah no sorry we don't do magic stuff that ether goes to one of the three facilities' in the upper city or is shipped off to a specialist in another city. We deal primarily with tech media and just about anything else though they might have forward it through us. In that case it might be in an unmarked crate in shipping I guess we could go check the manifesto for all forwarding's but beyond that I got no clue sorry." Cross said looking at the picture of something that made him think of a fancy clock.

"Who would know?" The gunman asked Cross.

"Um the Director someone in the shipping company or the head of the shipping department but they'd wouldn't know where it was supposed to be forwarded unless the sender had listed it on the container or if was listed on the shipments paper work. However, I can think of at least half a dozen ways around that so no guarantee they would know." Cross explained trying to think of anything useful.

"Take me to the head of shipping then." The Gunman demanded.

"I can't he's not hear he works nights and mornings but never during open hours for security rezones. Incase stuff like this happens but if its shipping info you want I can get you into the computer manifest to try and find out what you need but that the best I can offer sorry." Cross said standing up

"Fine but hurry up and lead the way." The gunman ordered Cross.

"Alright it is this way." Cross said before leading him through several doors and long hallways into the labyrinth of crates boxes and packages that is shipping.

"Be careful there's a reason we only employ magic born in hear it's not safe in hear and a good chunk of this stuff hasn't been cleansed yet and is still hazardous. But don't worry we have over half a dozen scrubbers installed in hear just to make sure the airs safe to breeth but don't touch anything." Cross said casually as if he was leading one of his tours through the center above.

The gunman who was inspecting a crate now looked at the crate as if the crate was a fearsome beast and said. "What the heck are you lot thinking do you know how dangers and toxic. Taint is if that stuff got out it could poison the entire city."

"Don't be daft this rooms sealed, and the scrubbers keep the air clean as well all materials mined from the ruins come here to be cleansed and restored. So, we know what where doing hear plus we don't keep anything above a level two contamination hear. Anything higher must be cleansed off sight first. The worst that any of these could do is probably make you very sick." Cross said explaining it like it was a question on one of his tours.

Taint or magic flux remnants was created in very tiny amounts when mana is burned by a spell. Mana is created when aether that was absorbed into the body from the air is then mixed with life energy to form mana, but it was possible to brew and refine aether into liquid mana that could be drunk like a potion, but it was much more efficient to inject it. This has obvious advantages of allowing the user to continue to cast spells removing fatigue and a few other things, but it also has some very dangerous disadvantages. Use to much mana to quickly and the taint would set in and warp the user's body this could be miner such as a change in eye or hair color. But it could lead to much worse ones like a complete loss of control over the user's magic. Or worst of all the user's complete corruption and transform into a monster. Now I should note this was a risk with any who used magic but none where more at risk then sins as they lived off mana it was what held there altered bodies together without mana a sin would literally fall apart. Sins bodies while still human sins had many different mutations that weren't compatible with normal human physiology without mana to sustain the mutations the body would rapidly reject the mutations and in less than a day kill itself. This maid sins particularly dangerous as their body burned mana it produced taint even though it was in very faint amounts. It also didn't help that dark taint the most dangerous of the classes was produced by casting dark magic and as that's the type of magic that sins where born with. Their bodies would naturally produce the same type of taint.

"That's easy for you to say you could handle bathing in the stuff if you once lived in the outer ring." The gunman said referring to the relative safe zone that surrounded the city.

The outer most ring of the city was just outside the city's protection it had a level four toxicity level and five was standard toxicity level outside the city the inhabitable zones but ten was the max humans in gear and sins could withstand twenty was the highest ever recorded. That wasn't just toxic it was a living ocean of corruption and death nothing could survive out there but the living taint that tried to devour any life that got near it.

"Hah that was anything but easy but ah her we go this is the terminal just let me log you in and there you go do you want to look through it or should I give you my best guess." cross offered.

"You do it you will probably understand this shit better than I do anyways." The gunman said sounding nervous.

"Ok um did they give you any info how to find it as we have five outgoings in hear three of them are on dock. Seven where sent out this morning and twelve coming in tonight." Cross said trying to find any more information on these packages.

"Um they said look for 5iia3-47." The gunman said reading the code off of the back photo he had shown me.

"Ok that's something I can work with it's a crate number so if I search it in the system it should tell me where welp that's not good." Cross said double checking the numbers.

"What's not good what the hell did you do." The gunman said pressing the gun to the back of cross's head.

"Nothing the number you gave me was set to ship out today so unless it's one of the three down on the loading dock its already been shipped off sight." Cross said looking up its destination.

"Oh, shit you got to be kidding me hay what are you doing." The gunman said pushing Cross aside.

"I was looking up its destination for you before leading you to the dock to see if it was one of the three not that it helps you. As its destination is in center garden only commandments and specialist personnel gets in there." Cross said with a sigh this was not going well and he knew the worse this mess got the more likely something bad would happen.

"Crap crap crap crap urg where's the loading dock!?!" The gunman asked clearly furies!

"Right this way um grab that crowbar we might need it." Cross said pointing it out for the gunman before Cross led the gunman to the loading dock.

Where a pile of crates was set off to one side both of them looked it over before the gunman started to open the boxes as Cross checked the labels.

"It's not here I can't find the code and you have opened half of them already." Cross said sitting down on a partially open crate with a sigh. "Look I don't know what to do now sorry." Cross said with another sigh.

"You aren't screwing with me are you you aren't hiding it, somewhere are you?!" The gunman said sounding scared.

"Look you still have guns on a room full of civilians and more over kids even if that pea shooter can't take me down it still hurts and could still do a lot of damage to them. So, following that line of logic my best bet is to get you out of here and leave you and the artifact for the cops and make it safe for those kids. So, leading you on a wild goose chase doesn't help with any of that. Look I have done everything I can do to help you at this point, and I know good and well you have no rezone to believe me but it's simply not here I don't know what else to do" Cross said resignedly.

"I do lead me back to the main room." the gunman said sounding desperate that was definitely not a good thing and things where definitely getting out of hand fast. I walked back the way we came not the fastest root but probably the safest if he was starting to get desperate and paranoid a recognizable route was definitely better then a new one.

"Where fucked where going to have to play the hostage card to get what we want round them up and one of you do a sweep take this one he's useful." The gunman said shoving Cross towards one of his goon friends who hand cuffed Cross hands. Before gesturing me to go with the gun. Cross led him from room to room rounding up the few of Cross's colleagues that hadn't known or been found yet but at least five that he knew was there earlier weren't found. Cross just hoped they had ether gotten out or where safe he really hoped they were safe.

"No not there!" Cross shouted stopping the goon from entering a room. The goon turned to Cross and fired a warning shot.

"Hay watch it I just saved your life that's decontamination and its active you walk in there without protection and you won't last a minute." Cross said pointing to the signs that had a hazard logo for corruption even if the goon was illiterate the goon should recognize that. The goon just gestured for Cross to follow and walked off to check the next room which was empty soon they weren't any rooms left to check.

"Yesh I forgot how big this place was well that's everywhere I have access to excluding the evacuation tunnels which have alarms on them." Cross said as they finished up the goon just gestured for Cross to keep walking as he tried to find his way to the lobby. Cross eventually ended up leading the goon back to the lobby as the goon had no idea where he was going and led them in circles. Once Cross had led the goon back the lobby the he was surprised by what the other two had done they had tied up peoples in groups of six and police lights flashed outside the center.

'Oh no this is really getting bad really really bad.' Cross thought as he looked around as one of the goons put Cross in a group, he noticed they had raised the buildings shield. Cross new that all public evacuation shelters had shield generators in them to protect its inhabitants in times of emergency the history center is a public government facility it would operate as a shelter in a state of emergency but now that shield was being used to keep the authorities out and the hostages in.

"This won't end well for anyone." Cross said allowed to no one in particular.

"It was our only option now." The gunman said as he walked over to cross.

"We will trade the hostages for the artifact and transport out of the building and city." The gunman said as Cross noticed the bomb in his hand.

"This won't end well, and you will never be able to show your face in the city again you know that right." Cross said hoping that this wasn't going where he knew it was going.

"I know now I need to make a phone call." He said before walking over to the reception desk to use the classic phone there and dialed.

"Ok this is the guy holding the people in the history center hostage I want to speak to whoever is in charge." He ordered before there was a long pause the gunman then said. "Hears the terms this place is rigged to blow try to enter and I'll blow the hole building. Now we will send one hostage out with a food order and a picture of the item we want you will send the food in with a un armed droid or drone oh and feds you have twenty four hours to find the item and arrange transit out of the city or we kill a group of six hostages and it won't be a quick and clean death. Now get to work clock starts the second I send the hostage out."

It wasn't five minutes before the gunman sent out a four year old boy who was crying with a bruise on his face hands flexy cuffed behind his back and a picture and note tape to his forehead.

"When I suggested sending out a kid I meant as a show of faith I didn't think you would do that to him." cross said with a faint hint of a growl and fighting to not just straight out growl at the gunman.

"I did to it's the stupid kids fault he wouldn't let go of his cunt drone mother." The gunman said lifting his mask to put some kind of cigarette in his mouth and used a blue flame from one of his fingers to lite it.

'Grate he's a user and fire magic fire magic is powerful dangers and hard to contain and control well this just got worse. At least fire though painful is not very effective against me at least if push came to shove, I should be able to take him on with little effort, so I won't have to use my powers. I just hope we don't end up wrecking the place its already going to be a pain in the but to fix the existing damage.' Cross thought watching the gunman as he walked past him.

Cross base powers where sonic manipulation and mass. Sonic manipulation allowed for the manipulation of sounds and sound waves and ability to create concussive blast of sound and mass is one of the class markers for a glutton class sin and the second most powerful. It allowed the user to consume matter brake it down into mana or use it to raise their density making them tougher and stronger and it also made them a lot heavier and slower. But when you're as tough as an armor car or tank you could usually deal with tanking just about any hit unfortunately. Cross hadn't been eating much other than real food at best he could raise his density by five percent to seven percent if he was lucky so not much use there.

"Hay mind letting me loose there's still a lot of scared kids hear, and they haven't had a bathroom break in over two hours they need a break. Look I run tours from time to time and have dealt with the kids before, so I can take care of it all you got to do is free my hands?" Cross asked after the gunman's third cigarette had calmed him down.

The gunman sighed out a puff of smoke then said. "Damn it you got to be kidding me."

"No, I'm not kids have bladders smaller then a can of soda and aren't good at controlling it. Look I'll take care of it just don't go scaring them." I said trying to get up with out using my hands or snapping the flexy cuffs I mean there are reasons why they use solid steel cuffs on sins as a standard plastic not only melts but can be snapped with relative ease

"Fine but make it quick." The gunman said before cutting the cuffs off and Cross started to help the kids up and to the bathroom. By the time he had finished the food had arrived it was pizza and it was a lot of it.

'Well at least its a food that the kids wouldn't complain about.' Cross thought as the small robot that had brought the pizzas in started to hand out the food Cross tried to keep his hands hidden as he was sure the robot was transmitting to whoever it was outside. He didn't want his hands shown free just the fact he was in the same building with the robber's maid him suspect number one.

'Great this will probably end in another night in jail just, so they can hold me for the maximum twenty four hours before letting me go again.' Cross thought as he rolled his eyes with a loud sigh as the robot left.

"What's wrong with you." the gunman asked Cross as he started passing out food.

"No offense but if that droid's memory gets back to the cops and it shows I'm the only hostage with free hands and the fact I'm a sin they might just try and charge me as an accomplice. Not that they aren't going to try it anyway but why would I help them along." cross said with a sigh.

"Yeesh you bastards got it tough you manage all this, and they treat you like a common thug isn't this city just rosy." The gunman said taking a puff from his cigarette.

"It's a pain but it's a living plus I enjoy my job." Cross said with a shrug before starting to eat his pizza.

"How you work like a drone propping up this city like the rest of these fools, but you actually know what it's like I mean you have seen the outer city and know how this world really works. So why play the part of a blind drone?" The gunman asked looking over at Cross as he continuing to smoke.

"As a Martyr as a hero as a sword as a villain I've seen the paths set before me and I have chosen to forge my own" Cross said quoting history then with a smirk he said. "And though mine is an uphill path and it may often feel like I'm fighting a current it's a path of my choosing plus I've always liked fixing things and who knows I might actually make a dent before my times up. I mean I'm a city figure a sin that actually holds a governmental position with any form of power I'm the first to achieve anything like this and hopefully not the last especially if I have anything to say about it." Cross said shocking the gunman before the gunman burst out laughing.

"Damn ether your stupid or you think you can actually make a difference but I dought it even if somehow magic born's get excepted. Sins well never be seen as anything more than as monsters especially as it was sins that ended the world the last time and unless you plan on saving the world and doing some insane good you won't even scratch the surface." The gunman said before Cross simply replied with.

"As a martyr as a hero as a sword." Cross said before getting another slice of pizza and returning to his spot that threw the gunman for a shocked loop realizing Cross was serious and that though Cross hadn't so much as raised a hand against him that he was not someone to mess with.

Twelve hours later Cross set eyes shut focusing on his hearing in a form of a dreamless sleep. This was a little trick that he used to use to listen for threats in the night. Now he was using it to appear harmless. Though he was anything but and as he was now, he could also listen and learn one of the things that he learned. Was that though the other two gunmen where definitely alive as he could hear them breathing. They were ether unable to produce verbal sound or where mindless. Mindless where basically living golems and to make one was not only highly illegal as it required a freshly killed or still living human corpse, but it also required some serious dark magic to make.

'I have a bad feeling about this.' Cross thought as he overheard the whisperings of several of the captives who Cross new where users. Who were brain storming how to escape or overpower the gunman and his thugs.

Cross pulled a pin and pad of sticky notes off the receptionist desk he then wrote a small message on several of them. Then folded them and used one of his many self taught skills and turned them into golems and sent them to his coworkers hoping this would be enough to keep them from doing something stupid.

'Well that's all I can do weight what's that?' Cross thought as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye but when he turned his head to look at it, he didn't see anything so using one of the tricks he learned in the outer city. He turned his head and at the same time he looked straight ahead. He noticed it again but all he could see was a bit of black blur out of the corner of his eye. He quickly wrote a short message it was only one word bathroom and hoping he was wright and it would work. He set to work arranging another bathroom break this time for the adults and thankfully the gunman was just happy he didn't have to deal with it. A short time later as people start to use the bathroom Cross leaned against a wall and said. "So, what's your story?"

He looked around the now empty room and hoped he wasn't making a fool out of himself thankfully a few seconds later the black blur finally made himself known.

"Who or what are you." A man in a guardian special intelligence officer uniform said as he looked Cross over with a great deal of distain.

"Oh, let me guess you can detect the dark magic in me look to put things simply I'm this cities master restaurater." Cross said pulling out his I.D.

"Yeah and that doesn't explain away the dark presence or why your hands are free?" The guardian asked not taking his eyes off Cross.

"I'm a sin and as for why I'm free I've been compliant as is the policy set up for this kind of emergency and apparently. We both share a mutual hate of a particularly putrid mutant who at one point tried to eat me." Cross side simply with a shrug.

"Look whatever beef you might have with me or my kind it can weight right now we have bigger problems to deal with. Because if you guys don't do something soon, we are going to start having a lot more problems. People are getting ancy and more than one of the other captives are thinking of trying to fight the gunmen and if it does come down to a fight. I honestly doubt anyone hear other than myself and you have ever been in a real fight and the other guys got more than a few guns and I know at least one is definitely a user and I think the other two are Mindless." Cross said checking his watch knowing he didn't have a lot of time left before having to head back.

"What Mindless are you sure those things aren't cheap to make and what's worse there extremely dangers." The guardian said looking more than a little worried.

"Look calm down if push comes to shove you have a class five armor type sin backing you up. All I'm asking you to do is to focus on the civilians and see if you can't do something about those bombs. I'll take any hits that's needed just get them out of hear my power is sound manipulation and its pretty powerful but it's hard to aim it or keep it from causing a lot of collateral damage. So, I'll do whatever I can to avoid using it, but I can't just keep taking hits forever I'll need to use my powers to fight back. Mainly because I can't stop a mindless with just a good right hook even as strong as I am so crud look, I don't know what you have planned but my times up. I need to get going just let me know beforehand if you are going to do something just start talking in that main room trust me, I'll hear you." Cross said tapping his headphones before walking out and returning to his spot. Thankfully he hadn't caught any unwanted attention for being the last one out.

three hours later there was a phone call most of the hostages looked up clearly hoping that this would bring an end to this whole mess. Cross and the center's director knew better if that artifact was of any importance to the government or council, they would never give it to crooks like these.

"Hello you got it…. What......….. what do you mean it wasn't there I it's not hear it hast to be there?" the gun man said clearly in raged.

"Asked them what facilities they checked and if they checked the holy light mystic research and archive. it's a council facility not a city one and it the only council facility in center garden if this thing your after is worth all this mess, I'd put my money on that's where they would send it." I said knowing that if it was there their was nothing the cops could do about it cross weighted as the gunman asked the cops, and noticed that the gun man was clearly not happy about their response.

"Don't give me that bullshit git the artifact or else!!!" the gunman then placed his gun to the receiver and fired.

Cross sighed and said resignedly as he started to get up. "That's the only land line phone I'm going to have to fix it now."

"Urg then hurry up and fix it also why didn't you mention that research facility to begin with?" The gunman asked before lighting up another cigarette.

"Because like the cops I hoped that wouldn't be the case as it is a council facility they are going to have to get in touch with someone high up on the food chain and that has access to top secret documents and then they have to deal with all the stupidly complicated politics and red tape and that's just to get inside getting something out is a whole different can of warms." Cross said with a sigh

As cross spoke he flicked his wrist and three dark purple magic circles appeared in front of his hands. He then made a circular gesture with one finger and the magic circles then turned to rings that then slid up crosses arms coating them in a faint purple glow. He then picked up what was left of the receiver and a piece of broken plastic as he did small fragments attached to both as larger pieces started to float barely off the table. Cross placed the piece back on the receiver it seamlessly fused to the receiver he could of had it simply pull itself back together but that was never as clean and cost a lot more mana so slowly he pieced the receiver back together before using a simple fix spell to get it working after checking to see if it worked right cross put it down

"It's done it should be working fine now." Cross said returning to his spot and as if right on cue the phone rang cross smiled as the gunman answered.

"What do you want do you have the artifact or not......… What do you mean you can't get in the vault in time......… Can't you just open that vault or blow it open........ Urg fine but if I don't hear the moment the doors open that you got the artifact and it's on its way until then I will be getting ready to execute two groups of hostages… That is the cost of the extension now you better have our transport ready as soon as I have the artifact in hand, I want out of this city is that clear." The gunman said clearly mad.

'As I figured those council goons wouldn't let go of anything of theirs without a fight.' Cross thought with a sigh.

"This is all going to hell." The gunman said as he walked over to cross.

"You're only realizing that now?" Cross asked leaning back against the wall.

"Sucker or mixed chocolate covered nuts and coffee beans?" Cross offered pulling a blueberry sucker out of an inner jacket pocket.

"What you just carry around candy with you everywhere you go?" The gunman asked giving cross a funny look.

"Yeah you carry around cigarettes I don't like smoking or drinking but I like my suckers and my chocolate covered nuts and beans." Cross said unwrapping the sucker and putting it in his mouth.

"Hmm fair enough but I still find it a little strange." The gunman said as cross held up another sucker in offering.

"What the hell it might take the edge off my cravings." The gun man said with a sigh.

"Let me guess you're starting to run low on cigarettes." Cross said conversationally.

"Not yet but I'm getting there I usually keep about three packs on me and I'm on my second pack and how are you doing with your candy?" the gunman asked jokingly.

"Pretty good I got my inner pocket linked to a bag of holding that's back at my house so I should have plenty to last me a long time." Cross said simply.

"You what you have a way out of here and you didn't use it?" The gunman asked shock evident in his voice.

"No first off your thinking of a haven bag you cannot enter a bag of holding and second the pocket is only big enough to fit my hand in so it's not like I can pull anything big out." Cross said simply though this wasn't entirely true. With an injection of mana into the link he could stretch the opening to pull something larger out, but the gunman didn't need to know that.

'Plus, the closest thing to a weapon I might have in there is a frying pan and that's if I remembered to put it away.' cross thought as he leaned back to weight.

Hours later the phone rang again as Cross thought. 'And hears wear things goes from bad to worse if this artifact is of any real value to the council. Its ether stupidly valuable or incredibly dangers and in either case they'd never let it go you would have to take an entire city captive to try and force the council's hand and even then, you'd have to hold out against the guardians. The guardians are the best of the best and that's just the rank and file soldiers. Then there's the elites that are made up of people with special powers and or skills then are given special training to fine toon that skill or power the elite are literal one man army's and can handle just about anything. And the last time I checked there were forty three elite on planet and three off. God, I hope they don't end up sending one in hear knowing my luck I'll get the crud beat out of me for no good rezone well at least this will be over then.'

The gun man walked over to the phone answering it. "You better have what I need, or I start shooting ...…. What do you mean you can't get it you realize people's lives are on the line? ...….. Yes, I know it's a fucking powerful magical object that's why I want it urg get it down here now or else. Now listen and Listen good you have one hour to get me that artifact no more stalling." He then hung up the phone and found that cross was now standing.

"Just so you know if you start shooting, I won't sit idal and we both know that will end badly right." Cross said arms crossed as he watched the gunman as he leveled his gun at crosses head.

"You talk big but I'm betting your claws are dull you packed a punch as a kid but now I'm betting you've gone soft with your time in the inner city." The gunman said his hand shaking slightly but he stared cross down coldly.

"Do you really want to try and find out even if my claws have dulled, I'm still a class three. I won't go down easily even if my claws have dulled, I'm still strong enough to hold my own do you really want to try me." Cross said removing his glasses and putting them in their case closing it with a snap making the gun man jump.

"They have one hour let's hope they come through." The gun man said hoping to defuse the situation

"Fine I'd rather not fight if possible." Cross said with a sigh before putting his glasses back on.

"You enchanted those glasses didn't you they hide something about you when you took them off it was like being faced by an enraged monster." The gunman said sitting down gun in his hand.

"Nope don't get me wrong they are enchanted but they don't do anything like that that was me i have to have a lot of control in order to keep my power under control and survive with in the city. I live a quiet life because that's what I want and losing my temper once could cost me everything. So, I learned to control my emotions and powers pretty early on. I'm not easily detected unless I want to be, and I wanted you to see what you were getting yourself into dull claws or not I'm still a threat." Cross said moving back to his seat.

"Yeah I can see that now." He sighed before lighting up another cigarettes that again seamed to calm him down. Fifty five minutes later cross stood up as the phone rang he removed his glasses contacts his jacket and tie putting it all in his linked pocket.

"Times up did you get it or what?.....Why am I not surprised well shit." The gunman said in a strangely calm way.

"Look you tell the council they just killed six people you have one hour tell that tally goes up to twelve. We have thirty seven people in hear and they will all die if you don't get me that damn artifact!" the gunman yelled into the phone before hanging it up.

"You know I won't let you hurt them." Cross said simply.

"I know and I'm prepared to go through you if I have to." The gunman said as he checked his gun as his two goons walked over to stand next to him.

"Shame if we had met each other in some other time or place. I think we might have been friends. Hell, I'd love to buy you a pint if by some fucking miracle we both make it out of this. Hell, if we both do make it out, I'll make it two pints but like I said it's a shame we have to kill each other." The gunman said cocking his gun.

"I don't drink alcohol but yeah I appreciate the offer and I can say one thing. I will see you again I prefer not to kill needlessly but if we must settle this with violence I won't hold back." Cross said rolling up his sleeves.

"I wouldn't expect anything." Bang "less." The gun man said after shooting cross in his head knocking cross to the floor.

"uuurg that was a cheap trick." Cross said sitting up and pulling the squished bullet off his forehead taking a good chunk of skin with it revealing a small patch of black armor beneath the skin

"Crap for a second there I honestly thought that might have worked and what did you expect. You are a lot stronger then me I got to play dirty to even have a chance at winning." He said as the mindless let loose with a barrage of auto fire as a magic circle appeared on the palm of the gunman's hand, he pointed it at Cross and shot a powerful jet of flame at him.

Cross on the other hand only had enough time to shield his head with his arms the mindless continued to fire tell their guns clicked empty. As they started to reload the gun man finally reached his limit and released his spell to his surprise cross was standing there relatively unharmed his suit had been badly singed it but not burned and was starting to regenerate before the gunman's eyes and to top it all off other then a few torn sections cross's suit had stopped most of the bullets though his exposed skin hadn't faired so well the skin on his arms had been burned off revealing the black scale armor underneath along with his claws and several small black spikes on his arms. However, the most disturbing part was that the flames had burned a small section of his cheek down to his jaw showing his large sharp teeth

"Ok that that really hurt but now it's my turn." Cross darted forward cracking the floor punching one of the mindless sending it flying into a wall. Before he swung around and kicked the second mindless, but he then had to dodge out of the way as the gunman sent a jet of fire at cross.

"Shit stay back!" The gun man shouted shooting off several small bursts of flames trying to conserve what mana he had left. As that first blast having drained a good portion of his mana and he knew he couldn't keep this up for long.

Cross on the other hand wasn't even close to slowing down cross managed to grabbed the gunman's hand hoping to stop the flames. As the gunman had set several things on fire already. But what happened next surprised both of them when the gunman tried to burn crosses hand so he would let go but instead of a boom or a burn the gunman felt his mana drain away. As cross felt a rush and hunger that wasn't like anything he could ever remember experiencing before but strangely it felt familiar his mind cleared and emptied to be more precise and felt a wild desire to hunt to kill to feed. But that wasn't something new it was something faint that was always faintly at the back of his mind and had saved his life more than once. But thanks to years of training and willpower had cross snapping back to his senses that and the second gun shot to the head he received from zoning out for a full minute.

"What the hell was that?" The gunman said stumbling back gun aimed at cross.

"Not sure never really did that before but whatever it was I really don't like it." Cross said as both just stared at each other as they tried to figure out the others next move as the mindless pealed them self off the wall.

In a fight against magic users you had to be very careful as one misplaced spell could kill both you and your opponent. This is why guns where still the preferred method for self defense especially since the fact that spells aren't easy to learn and was limited by the user's mana and skill.

The gun man struck first sending another massive burst of flame at Cross and Cross not having enough time to dodge just tried to shield himself with his hand and to both of their surprise the flame seemed to be vacuumed into cross's hand.

"Ok that's really new what the heck was that oh I feel tingly wow that's a rush ok that's one to many weird things today for my liking." Cross said with a bit of a growl in his voice and slightly disorientated.

"What the actual hell is going on what type of power is that fuck no normal sin should have a power like that what are you?" The gunman asked shakily.

"I'm just a sin I honestly got no clue what's going on hear but." cross was then interrupted by the gunman outburst. "You know what fuck this shit!" the gunman pulled out a spell slinger.

A spell slinger are custom crafted guns that use custom crafted rounds. That can ether fire enchanted bullets which most guns could do but not reliably and they can fire of rounds maid of the user's magic/mana and they can even fire spell round. which are bullets that cast a spell with the users not needing to learn the spell and it can even cast spells that are the opposite affinity of the user's element. Thankfully these rounds have limited uses before they would brake but as if it wasn't bad enough some spell slingers could fire combination of multiple types of shots.

Before cross could react, he was thrown against a wall by a lightning shot. "Well that one worked at least." The gunman said sounding slightly surprised.

"Ok well I guess it's about time the gloves came off especially now that everyone's gotten to safety." Cross said as the gun man realized that all the hostages had left the room.

"Hu what the fuck when did that happen?!" The gunman shouted angrily.

"It happened when you started shooting a guardian found his way in hear earlier and if I had to guess he's probably using that same trick he used to get in to get people out as we speak. I just needed to keep you busy tell then and I'm not done yet." Cross put a hand on his head like he was about to remove a mask as he did purple energy formed a mask with a complex magic circle on the forehead that then grew bigger the Cross himself.

"Sealing spells one through one release." Cross said as the gunman fired another shot, but it was deflected by a surge of dark energy as cross strength and mana supply nearly doubled. This was not only a power up, but a minor physical change. Cross had bulked up and was nearly a foot taller small horns sprouted from his head and his claws and spikes had not only grown larger but sharper.

"Oh shit I'm so screwed get him you idiots." He shouted siccing the mindless on cross before he spun the revolver like cylinder on his spell slinger and fired.

Cross was able to block an ice shot with a concussive blast as he hit a button on his headset. Cross's outline blurred slightly as his entire body acted as a speaker music blaring out. (Duality Belzebass Remix) Covering him in a protective shield of sound. That deflected and shattered a large dagger like crystal from an earth shot. He then punched one of the mindless with a loud boom of concussive sound nearly destroying it. Cross then used the other to block a lightning shot black flame shot and mana bolt before having it knocked out of his hand by a tempest blast wind shot. not having much of a choice left cross shot forward tanking a mana bolt as an earth and ice shot shattered on his shield crosses fist made contact with the gunman's face and he felt the gunman's jaw break knocking the gun man to the ground out cold. Cross sighed in relief as there where two faint popping sounds as the mindless where shot before the guardian revealed himself clapping.

"Not a bad show it was sloppy as hell but you managed to use a power that has extreme destructive potential and only caused minimum damage to your surroundings and that seal trick now that was just plain smart, but I got to ask why if you don't fight often why did you place those seals on yourself." The guardian asked.

"Thanks, and simply put I like the fact I can normally pass as a normal user. You have got to understand that is a big advantage for me it's not like I try to illegally hide what I am I mean I'm even on the registry and everything. It's just nice not to deal with the prejudice you know." Cross said resignedly.

"I can't say I really do I guess I mean I was bullied a little as a kid, but I know sins got it a lot worse just from what I've seen and from what I've heard other people say about them. Funny thing is your nothing like what people say sins are like. Well you're a little closer now but that's more do to that asshole burning half your face off." the guardian said cuffing the gunman.

"yeah I get that a lot and don't worry I'll be as good as new in a few hours I got a good healing factor that's one of the few things I like about being a sin is just how hard it is to kill one of us." Cross said as he restored the seal spell

"Well I guess we should probably try and put those fires out before they start to spread." The guardian said going to get an extinguisher.

"Don't bother I got this. It's rare that I get a chance to show off my skills like this also I need to burn off some of the excess mana in my system." Cross said as several magic circles appeared on the ground surrounding him. Before rising up off the ground fusing in to a large complex three dimensional almost mechanical looking spell.

Then starting from where Cross was standing the faint purple glow spread slowly engulfing the room everything it touch started to fix it self quickly becoming as good as new. Within five minutes the fires had gone out and the hole room was spotless it was like the fight had never even happened. Cross felt worn out once he had finished but he was proud of his work.

The guardian let out a long low whistle and said. "Wow so this is the power of a master restaurater it's damn impressive I guess that's why they gave you the title of master."

"Thanks, but this skill is unique to me not to say some others couldn't do this, but I made this spell myself." Cross said as he seemed to deflate returning to his normal size

"Really well that's pretty damn impressive." The guardian said as they both herd the tail whine of the shield powering down.

"Thank you now I need you to cuff me." Cross said pulling his coat on before holding his hands out to be cuffed.

"What why would I do that you haven't done anything wrong I can vouch to as much?" the guardian said clearly confused.

"look I'm a sin at the seen of a crime there's no scenario where I walk out of here and I'm not wearing cuffs better you do it then some overzealous cop. I've gone through that before and trust me it's not fun." cross said simply.

"Fine but I'll do my best to get you out as soon as I can." The guardian said as he cuffed cross and the police rushed the building.