‘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
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