[hider=Locke Marruk][center][h1][img]https://i.imgur.com/YnTHEwQ.png[/img][/h1] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3NkRBLJOIo[/youtube][/center] [color=#CA2533][i]"My blood's pumpin'! You can feel it too, right?"[/i][/color] [table][row][/row][row][cell][center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/70/f1/d5/70f1d54a49361a6f75a28847a0756dfc.jpg[/img][/center][/cell][cell][color=#CA2533][i]"You're not eating these ones, Areru!"[/i][/color] [sup]_____________________________________________________[/sup] [sub][b]NAME:[/b] Locke Marruk [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [b]EPITHET:[/b] THE GRINNING WOLF [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [b]AGE:[/b] 19 [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [b]PRONOUNS:[/b] He/Him [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [b]HEIGHT:[/b] 5' 10" [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [b]WEIGHT:[/b] 195 lbs [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [b]NATIONALITY:[/b] American [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [b]LIKES:[/b] Fighting, good food, letting loose [sup]_______________________________________________[/sup] [b]DISLIKES:[/b] Rules, suits, monologuing [/sub][/cell][/row][/table][sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup][h1][b]OVERVIEW[/b][/h1] [color=#CA2533][i]"C'mon! We can go right here! Areru won't bite... much."[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent][h3][b]APPEARANCE[/b][/h3] [color=#CA2533][i]"What are you looking at? You got a problem!?"[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent]Locke's whole look and demeanour just screams "Punk Brat". Coming in at 5' 10" with a medium build of 195lbs, the Grinning Wolf loves to wear anything street and grungy. He sports a shock of black hair like a spikey mohawk though his most striking facial features are his red eyes that glow in the heat of battle as well as canine-like teeth, both of which he inherited from the Oni Demon spirit - Areru. Piercings adorn his ears, though good luck putting him in anything formal; probably a better chance giving a cat a bath. His arms and hands can morph into sharpened claws that are joined with the black and red fur of the wolf within. As the heat of battle rises, his eyes begin to glow crimson and that toothy, confident grin grows even wider.[/indent][/indent] [indent][h3][b]PERSONALITY TRAITS[/b][/h3] [color=#CA2533][i]"Come at me!"[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent]Brash, reckless, aggressive. Any one of these could be used to describe Locke... though the truth of the matter is he's always loved fighting even before his soul was intertwined with Areru. At first, he simply was just a punk of a kid... While he never sought out a fight, he'd always be the first to rush in to protect himself or his friends instead of using his words. As he got older, the chance to take on more and better fighters arose and the call was simply too loud for him to ignore. Nowadays... Well not much has changed. Locke will never say no to a fight, even if he has no chance of winning. This headstrong attitude, coupled with the burning spirit of combat that feeds both him and Areru, has landed him in trouble too often for comfort though he rarely learns his lesson. Fighting is fun to him, especially in a competitive environment despite the fact he's never formally trained. He thinks everyone should get as fired up as he does. How could they not!? During a fight, he gets pumped up and aggressive, enjoying the thrill though when all is said and done, he'll hold up a hand and thank someone for the fight. While Areru would love it, stomping someone doesn't bring satisfaction. The taste of blood in his mouth, his lungs firing on all cylinders, his muscles burning with effort, the aching of bruises... These are the sensations that provide Locke with all the thrill he could possibly want. The closer the fight, the more fun it is. Anything else is irrelevant. The only thing that could get Locke as excited as the possibility of a fight is the possibility of a good meal! Afterall, technically he's got two beings to fuel so that just means eating even more![/indent][/indent] [indent][h3][b]BACKSTORY[/b][/h3] [color=#CA2533][i]"I can't tame Areru... but he's not gonna take my leash so easily either!"[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent]Locke Marruk grew up in Pennsylvania, though even in youth he would show a penchant for disregarding authority to do what he thought was right. Despite his parents' best efforts, he simply couldn't stay out of trouble. It was hard for young Locke to not jump into a scrap when he saw an injustice be carried out, especially when a teacher or adult wouldn't do anything. He got bounced around schools due to these 'behavioural issues' and it took a few years before Locke would be able to tone it down... for a while. Amazingly, Locke avoided incidents enough to be able to join a fantastic geography trip to Japan. Locke wasn't exactly into 'a bunch of rocks and hills and stuff' but a chance to visit another country was exciting enough. His class got a chance to visit various mountains as well as cave systems. It was on one of these underground tours that Locke heard something. A whisper in the darkness... beckoning him. Locke split off from the class without notice and began to explore the cave himself, following the voice. He wasn't sure how long he was stumbling in the darkness. Must've been hours, at least but Locke continued nonetheless. It wasn't until a misplaced step sent him tumbling down towards what he had been searching for. Pale, spectral light illuminated the pit from ancient torches that littered a stone pedestal in a circle. In the middle, an old Urn with an incredible presence. [color=f7941d]"Ahh... You're the one that heard me?"[/color] The voice was clearly coming from the urn. Locke was in confusion though when he looked up to see where he fell from, there was only darkness. The voice explained that Locke cannot free himself from the depths, and that it was a Japanese spirit trapped in the urn. There was a billion questions Locke wanted to ask... like how it knew English or how it was talking to him in the first place, but those things didn't seem to matter right now. Trivial knowledge compared to what he was caught up in. The Spirit introduced itself as [color=f7941d]Areru[/color] and offered a deal. Locke couldn't escape without the spirit's help and the spirit would be trapped in the jar without Locke's help. Initially Locke refused, attempting to climb the sheer rock face himself. However, after too many times falling back down as well as some clever taunting from the spirit, Locke marched towards the Urn and threw the lid off in frustration. Black, ashy smoke spilled out from the ornate ceramic vessel as the form of a red and black wolf would begin to form with a sadistic grin. It dove into Locke's chest and a surge of sensations washed over Locke's body. The last thing he remembered were the torch's lights snuffing themselves out. When he came to, he found himself gorging on the raw flesh of a wild boar. In horror, he reeled back from the corpse before clocking in the surrounding forest. He heard Areru's voice in his head, clearer and louder than before. [color=f7941d]"You took back control!?"[/color] It became apparent that this wasn't a part of the Demon Spirit's plan. Locke looked down to see the shapes of wild claws replacing his arms as well as a splattering of blood. Locke and Areru argued in the wilderness... though eventually... an agreement was reached. Areru did in fact use his power to help Locke escape though he planned to keep the boy's body as his new vessel. Locke's fighting spirit was a lot more powerful than Areru first thought, though this revelation excited him. Areru explained that he was still a spirit, though one of a powerful Oni demon that was trapped thousands of years ago. He would continue to lend Locke his strength and abilities, as long as he remained fed and content. It worked for Locke though he knew that he couldn't lose control. If the unchained power of Areru could scale out of the pit with ease and kill wild animals with ease then who knows what would happen if he lost control with innocent people around? Over the years, Locke and Areru constantly switched between butting heads and working together. Locke isolated himself from modern life to learn more about his new abilities and on how to keep Areru's full viciousness at bay. It seemed fighting and combat brought great satisfaction to Areru though he was only interested in senseless slaughter. Eventually they reached an agreement. If Locke can find good fights, their bargain would continue. And who finds themselves getting into all sorts of fights? Nomads, of course! Even luckier, the League of Bounty Hunters didn't exactly require a formal education to join so Locke could make money as well. He signed up in an office in Japan and got to work. Despite being young, the strength from Areru and a childhood of fighting made him a strong rookie Hunter. He wrote a letter to his parents explaining that he was alive but couldn't come home. Locke travelled from place to place and eventually back to America where he learned that the Fighting Carnival was coming... as well as something about a Stone of Power. Prize be damned, just think of who he might be able to fight![/indent][/indent] [h1][b]FIGHTING STYLE & ABILIES[/b][/h1] [color=#CA2533][i]"Outta the way!"[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent][h3][b]SKILLS & ABILITIES[/b][/h3] [color=#CA2533][i]"I'm gonna crush you!"[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent]Locke is a street brawler, through and through. With no formal training or techniques, as well as the power of Areru backing him up, his movements and attacks become unpredictable. His punches and kicks are wild and enjoys the benefit of having increased agility which helps him dodge and leap into the fight easier. Blocking an attack is an afterthought, and Locke would much rather trade blows than play on the backfoot. His fighting style is dependent on setting the pace and pressuring his opponent with various strikes into either relenting their own defence or to back off entirely. He can also summon certain aspects of Areru's physical form to replace his own such as sharp claws for slashing attacks or a tail that can be used to sweep legs or provide an actual blocking technique. However, the biggest aspect to how Locke fights is the manifestation of his fiery spirit. If Locke gets [color=#CA2533]'Fired Up![/color]' enough, he will temporarily relax his reigns of Areru and let the animalistic spirit come forth which will enhance his attacks.. though this requires a fight goes on long enough that Locke reaches this point without already being defeated.[/indent][/indent] [indent][h3][b]SIGNATURE MOVES[/b][/h3] [color=#CA2533][i]"This is gonna REALLY hurt!"[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent][indent][color=#CA2533][u]■ [Fired Up!][/u][/color] [indent]This is the measurement of Locke's fighting spirit. It grows the lower his vitality is, finding himself getting more excited fighting someone who can actually hurt him. When he gets Fired Up! enough (about 20% health), crimson flames will engulf his hands and feet which enhances all of his striking attacks with a damage buff as well as unlocking 'Wild Beast Awakens!'[/indent][/indent] [/indent] [indent][indent][color=#CA2533][u]■ [Claw Rush][/u][/color] [indent]Locke shapeshifts his forearms into a more monstrous form with sharp claws before surging forward in a slicing flurry. It's perfect for pressing an attack or for catching someone with their guard down.[/indent][/indent] [/indent] [indent][indent][color=#CA2533][u]■ [Feral Leap][/u][/color] [indent]Locke uses incredible agility to leap backwards onto a piece of terrain behind him (stage wall) before launching himself back at high speed with a scything kick to greet his opponent. An important tool for avoiding attacks as well as maintaining pressure.[/indent][/indent] [/indent] [indent][indent][color=#CA2533][u]■ [Cross-Counter][/u][/color] [indent]Locke drops his guard and taunts the opponent. However, it's a simple ruse. If the opponent falls for it and goes to hit, Locke can displace the attack by reeling back and minimalize damage before retaliating with a fast gut punch that'll leave them open for a follow up.[/indent][/indent] [/indent] [indent][indent][color=#CA2533][u]■ [Iron Lash][/u][/color] [indent]Locke summons a large wolf's tail from the small of his back, crouching down low before spinning his tail in an upwards attack. It deals minimal damage but can launch an opponent into the air which leaves them vulnerable.[/indent][/indent] [/indent] [indent][indent][color=#CA2533][u]■ [Spirit of Rage][/u][/color] [indent][Fired Up! only-] Locke lets the fiery energy build up before releasing it all in a short range blast. It takes a moment to charge up, during which Locke will block before letting the explosion loose. It can knock back opponents though leaves him vulnerable after.[/indent][/indent] [/indent][/indent] [indent][h3][b]SUPER MOVES[/b][/h3] [color=#CA2533][i]"I'll end this!"[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent][indent][color=#CA2533][u]■ [Wild Beast Awakens!][/u][/color] [indent][Fired Up! only-] Locke lightens his grip on Areru's leash and transforms into a form akin to a black and red werewolf. It increases his size slightly and maintains the damage buff from Fired Up!. In this form, his abilities are enhanced somewhat though maintaining such power lasts for only twenty seconds. After the twenty seconds, Locke will lose both Wild Beast Awakens! and Fired Up! Claw Rush- Distance and damage increased. Feral Leap- Speed increased. Cross-Counter- Instead of striking, Wild Locke will grab their opponent by the neck before slamming them down into the ground for big damage. Iron Lash- Damage increased. Spirit of Rage- Damage and range increased.[/indent][/indent] [/indent] [indent][indent][color=#CA2533][u]■ [Howling Wind][/u][/color] [indent]Locke steps forward and summons all of his and Areru's strength into a single knockout punch. It is an overhead swing that is designed for making his opponents stay down and is a perfect finisher.[/indent][/indent] [/indent][/indent] [indent][h3][b]WEAKNESSES & LIMITS[/b][/h3] [color=#CA2533][i]"I... lost?"[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent]Locke's over-aggressive and physical style leaves him open from over-extension and vulnerable from ranged attacks, especially anything that can keep him at bay. Locke hates being cornered and struggles to find a flow when he can't dictate the pace himself. Without the lack of a fighting style, his moves can become inconsistent and sloppy. He also has an incomplete understanding of Ki and it's uses, unaware that he uses Areru's Ki for his power and lacks any form of a ranged attack. This forces Locke to get up close and personal and has to throw himself into the thick of it to be effective.[/indent][/indent] [h1][b]OTHER[/b][/h1] [color=#CA2533][i]"Let's fight again! Okay?"[/i][/color] [sup]▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔[/sup] [indent][indent]Will undoubtedly be your friend if you offer him good food or a good fight.[/indent][/indent][/hider]