Nick Smith

"'Don't worry! I've got your back, and so do they!'""~Nick Smith, upon meeting a wounded Xavier"Nick Smith is an adept swordfighter, being one of the only people in the world of Hoep to know Runeblade, and being the wielder of the legendary blade Apothicon. He is extremely happy and carefree, to the point of seeming psychotic at times. He is the youngest member of the team, being only 15 years old.

Appearance
Nick is dressed in an outfit that emits an aura of epicness. He wears a pair of dark blue pants, a white shirt, a red vest, and a necklace that responds to Apothicon.

Nick himself looks young, bold, and dashing, with messy hair that ever so slightly seems tamed. He always has a big smile on his face, whether he's killing baddies, out on the town, or just kicking back and relaxing.

Personality
Being 15, Nick still acts pretty childish. He can't take anyone or anything seriously, and is a real joker. Though Nick understands the harsh reality of the battles he goes through, he doesn't really care. His past has desensitized him, and he has gotten used to blood, guts and violence. He is extremely violent, often trying to kill in situations of diplomacy. He doesn't care about collateral damage, which is apparent in the fact that he sometimes levels entire buildings just practicing, and just shrugs it off. All he cares about is preventing the twelve sacred gemstones from falling into the wrong hands.

Supposedly, Nick can communicate with a "voice". This voice is able to teach Nick things he did not know before, and has saved his life on multiple occasions by telling him what to do.

Backstory
Nick is 15 years old, yet a lot has happened in his lifetime. He went from an orphan with nothing to the wielder of the mythical Apothicon blade, and has killed many men in his lifetime.

A Tragic Start
When Nick was born, he has a large family, with 6 brothers, 2 sisters, and both parents living with him under one roof. His parents were extremely rich, and had enough money to practically do what they want. His parents were very close to Foster Forfant, with his father, Harry Smith, being his right hand man, and they had a lot of power in the way things were run.

Soon after Nick was born, his parents realized that something was not right with their child. He was born with one red eye and one blue eye. They got chills whenever he was around, and felt a faint pulsing sensation whenever they got very close to him. One day, his mother looked into his blue eye to find a mark on the inside of it. After doing research, they found that he had the Mark of the Rune, an ancient marking that signifies that the bearer is born to become a runeblade and live life as a warrior.

After making this discovery, Harry contacted Foster, realizing that Foster knew every fighting style that had ever been conceived. Once Foster got word of this, he agreed with Harry to train his son. However, Foster realized how powerful that Nick might become, and conspired to make the child a soldier for life. Harry, being Nick's father, refused to let Foster take his child, despite the fact that Nick was "born a warrior."

One night, Nick was sleeping in his room, when he was suddenly awoken by a loud bang, followed by his father shouting. Not realizing what was going on, he tried to go back to sleep, when he suddenly heard gunfire, followed by screaming. Feeling that something was very wrong, Nick decided to get out of bed and check on his parents. When he went to his parent's room, he looked in to find his father on the floor bleeding out, and his mother restrained against the wall by mysterious people in black clothing. His mother called out to him, and he called out to her, but it was in vain. Moments later, the mysterious intruders killed his mother, crushed his father's head, and kidnapped him.

FoRFaNT
When Nick finally awoke, it had been a year since his parents died. His brain had been washed, so he forgot what had happened, and thought that Foster was his father and Foster's maid was his mother. He felt as if he had known Foster forever, and it seemed as if the facility was where he belonged. He also understood the basics of runeblade, and all he had to do was learn the motions.

With Nick, now named "Kaze Forfant" finally awake, Foster fathered him as his own, and began to teach him the ancient art of runeblade. Kaze learned the motions quickly and with ease, even outperforming Foster's model HM Exoskeleton. Soon, his "father" had a runeblade forged for him and Kaze, and began to teach Kaze the magic end of runeblade. Eventually, Kaze slung spells like a master, and ended up beating Foster in a duel, becoming the first person to ever beat Foster in any form of one on one combat. Thinking something was amiss that day, Foster ended up forging himself a more potent runeblade, using his standard combat exoskeleton, and ended up challenging Kaze to a rematch.

In the rematch, Kaze struck more violent than ever. Foster was shocked, and didn't know where Kaze learned some of the techniques that he used against his father. Flustered, Foster ended up losing the duel again, this time twice as quickly. Wanting to find out what was allowing Kaze to be so effective, Foster hooked up Kaze to a Brain Probe and searched his mind, finding that somehow, Kaze had acquired knowledge that Foster had not taught him.

Remembering the Past
Obviously, Foster accepted the fact that Kaze had grown into such a powerful fighter. However, Foster could not stand to be beaten, and researched Kaze's unique variant of the runeblade style. Learning it right down to the precise movements, Foster perfected his moves, and once again, challenged him to a rematch, this time before Kaze had any chance of learning anything new.

Somehow, despite Foster having a more powerful runeblade, the match was an equal. The duel went on for almost two hours, before suddenly, Kaze found himself weak, hunkering to the ground unable to fight. Foster dropped his weapon and came over to help a seemingly troubled Kaze, but found himself unable to approach him. Kaze's body surged with rune energy, and suddenly, he began to remember his past, and who he really was; Nick Smith, a helpless orphan kidnapped by a deranged madman.

Acting on instinct alone, Kaze, remembering himself, picked up his runeblade, and pointed it intentively at Foster. Foster noticed that something wasn't right, and picked up his blade. Lunging at Foster, the now aware Nick went on a full-on attack, turning the duel into a death battle. He swung with unparalleled rage, being so unpredictable that Foster couldn't react, and managing to destroy the armor on Foster's exoskeleton. Striking Foster down, Nick readied his sword for a finishing blow, once again utilizing a tactic that had not been taught to him. However, before he could swing his blade, a voice rang in his head, telling him not to kill Foster. This voice had been the same voice that guided him through his life, so he listened, sheathed his blade, and escaped the facility.

Apothicon
Now a nomad at the age of 12, Nick had to live as a wandering blade in a modern world. Due to FoRFaNT's domain, Nick couldn't get an education, since they ran all of the schools. He was seen by the world as a criminal, and had to live as an outsider. He lived by the guidance of the "voice", since it was the only voice he knew he could trust, and managed to live up to the age of 14 by himself.

Soon, the voice guided him to a cliffside cavern. Wondering what the meaning of it was, the voice told him about the legendary blade Apothicon, stating that this is where it lies. It also stated that this entire time, the voice inside Nick's head had been the voice of the blade, and that it can actively communicate with the person in which the blade has chosen.

After learning of Apothicon's ancient origins, as well as of the story of the Twelve Sacred Gemstones, Nick obeyed it's directions and retrieved it from the cavern. Now wielding the blade, he set off to find the gemstones and save the world, eventually finding the Rebel Union in the process and hoping they would aid him. These rebels, led by Monexia, knew of the legend of Apothicon, and made Nick the new leader.

Combat
Nick Smith is a reckless, powerful master of the runeblade style. As such, he is lightning quick and strikes with the force of a storm. Runeblades use a special sword (called a runeblade) that allows the user to use magic. The key, though, is that the runes in the blade need a source of magic energy, which comes from life force, and as such, only runeblades and other certain people can use them.

Nick not only wields Apothicon, but he also wields Wǒ de tòngkǔ ("My Pain" in Chinese), the name he gave to the runeblade Foster Forfant gave him, which he carries as a reminder of his vendetta against him.

Apothicon
Apothicon is an ancient runeblade that has searched for a rightful wielder to save the world for ages. Being such an arcane weapon, it is insanely powerful. Despite its weight, Nick is perfectly capable of wielding it with one hand and even throwing it, and can even wield it and Wǒ de tòngkǔ at the same time.

Every runeblade has its own abilities and spells linked to it, and Apothicon is no exception. It can transform from it's Bejeweled form, which focuses on defense and supportive abilities, to its Encrusted form, which focuses on offense and aggressive abilities.

Wǒ de tòngkǔ
Though Wǒ de tòngkǔ is weak, it still has its own set of unique abilities. On top of that, the blade itself is a rune, which gives the blade great magic potential. Also, Nick's history with the blade makes him attuned to it, and his hatred is directly linked to it, allowing him to channel his rage through it.

Life Force
All runeblades have a link to all forms of life force at birth. Even though most users of - can't use powerful forms of +, and users of + can't use - without relinquishing themselves, runeblades are able to use powerful forms of both. On top of that, they have a link to =, frequently using it to power their blades' runes.

Lifestyle
Nick may practically be a leader of an army, but he still lives like a child. He spends his free time playing video games, drawing, and chit-chatting. The key difference between him and other children is that he really loves training with his weapons. He cares not for collateral damage, to the point of trashing the dojo on a regular basis and even having destroyed Xavier's house once. He practically "has no life" and therefore doesn't do much when he isn't fighting except train.

Trivia

 * Nick Smith was originally supposed to be a parody of cliche anime and RPG protagonists; however, he ended up fleshing out into a unique character.
 * If you were to order all of the characters from highest cost life force powers to lowest cost, Nick would be on top of the list.
 * Unlike most characters with a strong affiliation to life force, Nick Smith has a max capacity of 100.
 * Also, he is one of the only few characters who can use both strong + and strong -.