Welcome to Gaia! ::

"You'll agree to my favor eventually. Of that I'm sure." Cross spoke confidently. He offered her a sly smile before looking up to the creature, listening to Adelaide question the creature. When she mentioned heartburn he'd arch a brow, turning to face forward with his eyes closed even while walking.

"This one was told to kill Nimm!" The homunculus repeated. "This one's master told this one to eradicate the girl that could threaten his work. This one has no idea, not one idea, no idea, what in the world the master's plan is."

"What's so special about this Nimm girl? She seems like any other victim of illness on the brink of death to me." Cross spoke, opening one eye to look at the creature. "Why cure her? I don't mean to sound cruel, but aren't there more important things for someone like Dethblade to be doing? Or is he just a lighthearted fool?"

"This one has no idea, not one idea. Nimm needs to die, though. This one is certain of that. This one will drink her blood and create---no! This one doesn't know, not one idea." It repeated over and over.

"It's obvious that you do, so please do feel free to render yourself mute, less you wish the removal of your jaw. Even if it regenerates, I'll keep ripping it off. I'd rather deal with your screaming than your irritating repetition, so either spit it out or be silent." Cross instructed.

The creature chose to be silent and look to Adelaide, as if fascinated by her, as though it saw something in her.

"Explain yourselves immediately. Do not enter this respite without telling me why you bring this creature to me." A mechanical voice asked from behind them. Dethblade stood behind the two now, having left the facility only a moment before they arrived. He'd seen the creature floating on the way up the street and began spying from that point forward.

"Dethblade...this is an awkward moment for me; normally I'd be after the bounty on your head, but I come to you seeking an audience." Cross spoke as he turned to face Dethblade, one hand extended outward. "My name is Ghristoff Crossfeld, but I advise others call me Cross."

Dethblade starred forward, an empty stare as he examined the man before him through the eyes of the mask. After a moment, he'd look to Adelaide. "He seeks an audience with me...surely your goal is different?"

"This one---"

A series of portals would open, and from them would burst several swords, skewering the homunculus from nearly every direction. Much to Dethblade's surprise, the swords would then emerge from the creature, falling harmlessly to the ground.

"I'd appreciate if you handled my bounty with care from this moment forward." Cross spoke as he withdrew his hand. He'd look to the obviously agitated Dethblade and smirk, raising one of the fallen swords into the air. His eyes would then go wide as he realized the sword itself was priceless just based on the material it consisted of. "Where in the world did you get such an arsenal?"

Dethblade would quickly rip a sword off the ground and deliver and overhead swing to Cross, only to come into contact with an unseen repelling force that looked like ripples in the air. Still Dethblade would apply pressure to the unseen force, causing Cross to scowl.

"This is how you treat guests, is it? How you treat someone baring a boon? Then so be it! I'll capture you as well, and I'll turn you and these swords in and retire in luxury!" Cross would try to deliver a rapid kick to Dethblade's ribs, only to have Dethblade withdraw at an inhuman speed with perfect composure, both men getting ready to strike again.

Cross shot a glare at Adelaide, then closed his eyes and sighed, placing his hands in the air. "So he's able to distort space and time, then? No wonder he's got such an enormous bounty." He'd open his eyes and smile faintly before looking to Dethblade. "It's an authentic homunculus according to the creature itself."

Dethblade looked to Adelaide for a moment, then dropped out of his stance and dismissed his sword. "You said it wants Nimm dead, and that it was sent by the Scarlet Alchemist? To posses such an extraordinary regenerative ability...it is one of his indeed." He'd look to Cross for a moment as he spoke, then to the creature. "You. Homunculus."

"This one wants nothing to do with Dethblade! This one wants to go back and eat! This one was not prepared! This one needs more power!" It began to shriek.

Dethblade starred for a moment, then looked to Cross. "Allow me to take the creature without resistance, and I will consider forgiving your transgressions."

"That and half the total sum of your bounty sound like a fair exchange to me." Cross countered.

Dethblade starred quietly, then looked out towards the docks. "Which sip belongs to Cross, Adelaide?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Cross exclaimed before looking to Adelaide with concern in his eyes. "Instead, can you please tell your acquaintance here that I'm offering a perfectly reasonable exchange?"

Cross folded his arms and sighed. "He may be the universe's most wanted, but he isn't the most powerful being out there." He'd then look to Dethblade. "Don't get me wrong - you can manipulate space and time. That is nothing to scoff at. My power over magnetic fields and polarities is nothing to scoff at either." Cross then cracked a smile. "To be perfectly honest, I think if we could go all-out against one another, we'd have a lot of fun."

Dethblade starred at Cross, then vented an odd mist from the mouth of his mask. "Oh I see. You're an aggressor that can shift the balance in your favor via the elements of the planet. Speak to me of these favors; what favors are you..collecting?"

Cross looked to Adelaide and sighed. "All cards on the table? Well, then let's do some quid pro quo. I'll go first and answer your question, no misleading cryptic riddles. But I expect the same from you. Your answer, my endgame...purpose. I've been hunting bounties for so long, collecting crew members and artifacts, treasures and women. But things and money aren't filling the void in me." He revealed before eyeing her. "You want to know why I accumulate favors? Then answer me this: how far does your affinity for fire extend?" He inquired.

Dethblade turned his attention to the creature, and before Cross could act, a portal open above the homunculus, enveloped the creature, and teleported it to Kain's space. Kain would grab the creature by the throat and squeeze. "How did you come to reside on this planet, Homun?" Homun, a name given to homunculi of a certain caliber.

"This one was sent the same way as brother Migoto! This one followed Migoto; this one tracked down Nimm with the help of his brother! This one lost track of Migoto though, and has since been wandering and feeding. This one must consume frequently or this one will deteriorate!" Homun explained. "Quid pro quo, Dethblade. This one invokes quid pro quo! And this one's question is this: why are you showing compassion towards the master's target?"

Cross chuckled a bit while folding his arms and closing his eyes, leaning himself up against the wall. "My favors are a simple matter, really. I collect them so that when the time comes I need something, I know I have someone to rely on, someone that owes me...and so long as I possess their debt, I own them. I can use a favor I've collected to force another to execute a favor, for example. It's not unlike selling your soul I suppose." Cross revealed with a small grin.

Dethblade looked to Cross, and from behind the mask he smiled. Suddenly, this man of infuriating values had worth. He'd then look to Adelaide as she mentioned the Scarlet Alchemist and the ties to him. "Singe enjoys creating new beings and sending them out into the world in experimentation. Whether they live or die is very rarely of consequence to him, as no doubt this Homun is transmitting data to him as we speak. He may even be able to hear us...Homun." He addressed the creature. "Can you transmit a message to Singe?"

The creature shook its head at first. "The master told this one not to be a mediator! This one does not want to anger the master. This one is---"

"Burn it. Render its flesh to a crisp, let it regenerate, and do it again. Repeat the process until the Homun becomes more compliant." Dethblade ordered Adelaide on preconceived authority.

The creature violently shook it head and tried to flee, accomplishing nothing more than shrieking in terror.

"That's your choice to make, Adelaide. But I think you'll come around in time. Everyone needs something from me eventually..." Cross responded cryptically. He'd then direct his attention to the creature and sigh. "I get the distinct feeling I'm not getting paid. Perhaps this alchemist individual would pay to have it returned safely." As he spoke, he removed a metal sphere from his coat and let it drift over to the Homun. The sphere would then warp into a long sheet of metal and wrap completely around the creature, encasing it in a synthetic metal.

Dethblade grimaced from behind his mask...then grinned. "Unfortunately...you will never know." A void would open near the Homun, then move forward through reality to envelope the creature before closing, sending the creature, still encased in metal, into Dethblade's realm, safe and sound.

Cross looked on with wide eyes, unsure of what he was seeing. A single person able to warp space and time to such magnitude, it scared him. Just who was he dealing with? Was this why the man had such a grandiose bounty? "You come back from the dead...you warp space and time...you have ties to god only knows who...I thought...I was the strongest..."

"Ghristoff Crossfeld. Alias: Cross, or as he's better known,Sadist Cross the Reaper, Scourge of Rebels. Shall I demonstrate how weak you really are in the face of Justice incarnate?" Dethblade spoke.

Sadist Cross. The man he named was both a bounty and a bounty hunter; Cross had the reputation for bringing in all of his bounties alive, usually after doing unspeakable things to those the mark cared about. For example, when bringing in a man whom hid with his family, the man surrendered after Cross crucified the family on metal cross, a trademark of his, binding them in razor wire. Because of his unspeakable acts of cruelty, he'd gained a bounty himself among the criminal underworld that rivaled that of Dethblade.

"Dethblade...if can capture you..." Cross removed another sphere from his coat, then launched it - at Adelaide, attempting to encasing her in metal as well. He did this with a sinister grin, the wheels in his head turning as to what he'd do with her to strike at Dethblade.

In the end, the sphere would find its way into a pocket dimension.

"How many of those can you open in such repetition?!" Cross exclaimed. "Where does such vast energy from from?! WHAT ARE YOU?!"

Dethblade's hands balled into fists. "You would strike out at an innocent...at someone that may well have saved you once already. Adelaide...what would you like done about this situation?"

Cross flinched as the fire erupted around him, his eyesight greatly hindered by the ignition in front of his face. "This is nonsense! I came here at your behalf, woman! I let you follow me! And you burn me?!" And electromagnetic barrier would burst into existence around him and he take to the air, hovering against the moonlight. "Denied my bounty...denied my servant..denied my victory...don't you maggots know who I am?!"

"What kind of lord fails to protect his vassals?" Dethblade answered Adelaide before directing his attention to the floating Cross. He'd then remove the case of vials given to him earlier and inject it before placing them back. "Sadist Cross...I am glad we met. I've wanted to judge you for some time. Adelaide, should we kill him, the bounty is yours. But beware: killing this man will invoke the wrath of a much higher power."

"Kill me? That is the height of hubris!" From behind each of them would rise metallic crucifixes built from the minerals beneath them. With a depraved grin, he'd hold one hand out to each of his foes, trying to taking control of the iron in their bodies to force them to the crosses. "Are you sure you won't reconsider, Adelaide?" Even if he couldn't outright force them on to the crosses, the pain from having the iron shifted would be severe. "You're not beyond redemption!"

"I wasn't aware she was in need of redemption." Dethblade spoke, raise one hand out, the eyes of his mask igniting with an indigo light. "Whereas you...are as guilty as they come. One so warped dare not speak of justice, Sadist Cross. Adelaide, I will keep him occupied. You will cleanse him in fire."

Cross scoffed, realized his face had actually been burned.He'd release two more orbs of metal, one from inside each sleeve. "I'd like to see you two try and defeat me."