Eric Wormwood - The Spirits Within II

Eric Wormwood
Eric is an uppity fellow, one of those scholarly types that you see in libraries buried in a book all day. He's prim, proper, intelligent and tidy to a fault, yet he's also quite sociable, if not blunt and impersonal at times. Through his time spent in Oakridge, he picked up many things, one of which is how much the job of being a Guardian entails having the utmost focus and dedication to the craft. As such, his time spent training has honed his focus and willpower solely into being one of the best Guardians ever to be seen, even though this has yet to be proved.
Of course, being fully Elysium-born and bred has had its disadvantages. Not understanding the suffering of those born on Libra, Eric is aloof towards their problems or habits, and as such treats usual displays of their personal habits or traditions as shows of being uncouth or rough-and-tumble. Yet, through all this, the years he's spent next to Libra-born has given them a soft spot in his heart, and though he still does not fully understand them, he tries his best to accommodate them. As such, as much as he is a little blunt or aloof, he knows this and always tries to not be so.
Of course, being fully Elysium-born and bred has had its disadvantages. Not understanding the suffering of those born on Libra, Eric is aloof towards their problems or habits, and as such treats usual displays of their personal habits or traditions as shows of being uncouth or rough-and-tumble. Yet, through all this, the years he's spent next to Libra-born has given them a soft spot in his heart, and though he still does not fully understand them, he tries his best to accommodate them. As such, as much as he is a little blunt or aloof, he knows this and always tries to not be so.
Appearance
Eric stands 6' tall and weights roughly 150 pounds, so he's not exactly a heavyweight. With a head of scruffy brown hair and green eyes behind his brown-framed spectacles, he isn't a looker either. The way he dresses is sharp and distinct, having a penchant of wearing, at the very least, a waistcoat and tie over a shirt and slacks and dress shoes, if he's not wearing a suit jacket or a coat over that. Occasionally he gives in to his more radical urges and wears sleek leather fingerless gloves alongside his sharp ensemble, or switches out the dress shoes for more comfortable sneakers.
Weapon - Fayth

(STAND-IN IMAGE UNTIL I DESIGN AND DRAW IT PROPERLY)
- His weapon is a high powered railgun in a casing in the shape of a lean, thin cross. One side bar is the grip and magazine housing; the other, a collection of various zoom lenses and sights. The rifle barrel itself is the long end of the cross and the other end at the top of it is the shoulder butt. The special thing about the gun is that it's also modular: almost every part on it is able to be moved or shifted around in some manner. When he's not using it as a weapon, he regularly uses Faith as a cane, not like he has a limp or anything, but it looks fancy.
-- Battle Configuration: Faith's standard and default form.
-- Marksman Configuration: Eric releases the foregrip from its housing within the charging handle on the bottom of the long end of the cross, unclamping it and popping it open into a bipod, after which he unclips the top bar and fits it horizontally onto the top of the long end, slotting it into place where it becomes the zoom scope. The ammunition he uses stays the same, except the rifle's power is amplified for this configuration. Used in conjunction with his spirit Shock.
-- Armour-Piercing Configuration: Eric pushes the charging grip forward and clamps it into place, starting the transformation of the barrel. It lengthens, pushing out a section of the front casing to form an expanded gas release and heat sink, while the barrel itself also widens to accommodate a larger, mass-reactive round that he loads. Used in conjunction with his spirit Awe.
-- Bludgeon Configuration: For close quarters combat, Eric switches his grip from the normal pistol grip to the butt, which lengths and sheds the outer white casing aside to reveal a proper sword handle. The pistol grip and sight bar click back several degrees to form a regular-looking hilt guard and the barrel assembly lengthens. It's not a gunblade, but it's an effective bludgeoning tool to use alongside his spirits.
-- Battle Configuration: Faith's standard and default form.
-- Marksman Configuration: Eric releases the foregrip from its housing within the charging handle on the bottom of the long end of the cross, unclamping it and popping it open into a bipod, after which he unclips the top bar and fits it horizontally onto the top of the long end, slotting it into place where it becomes the zoom scope. The ammunition he uses stays the same, except the rifle's power is amplified for this configuration. Used in conjunction with his spirit Shock.
-- Armour-Piercing Configuration: Eric pushes the charging grip forward and clamps it into place, starting the transformation of the barrel. It lengthens, pushing out a section of the front casing to form an expanded gas release and heat sink, while the barrel itself also widens to accommodate a larger, mass-reactive round that he loads. Used in conjunction with his spirit Awe.
-- Bludgeon Configuration: For close quarters combat, Eric switches his grip from the normal pistol grip to the butt, which lengths and sheds the outer white casing aside to reveal a proper sword handle. The pistol grip and sight bar click back several degrees to form a regular-looking hilt guard and the barrel assembly lengthens. It's not a gunblade, but it's an effective bludgeoning tool to use alongside his spirits.
Biography
Born on Elysium to a pair of scholarly parents, Eric picked up the same interest in books and learning from a very young age, one that followed him into his early youth. However, because he was so impersonal and buried in his books all the time, his folks decided to send him to Oakridge in the hopes that the exposure to people of many different races and nationalities would open up the boy from his pursuit of knowledge, which it did, very slowly. His quest for knowledge and inherent curiosity led him to investigate and learn more about his friends that were born on Libra, like Selene. She was his first real friend in the Academy, and for that he was very grateful. Though he has yet to overcome the hurdles that being Elysium-born present, like being unable to understand the hard times those on Libra went through in life, he still maintains his friendship with her and those others within their squad.
What he was never told about his parents though, specifically his mother, was that she was a weapon designer that worked in the U.D.F. Through a little executive meddling, she was able to give him Fayth as his eighteenth birthday present. Her most experimental creation, Fayth was a handheld, multi-function railgun that surpassed any handheld battle rifle that the UDF possessed, yet it was still experimental so there were bound to be bugs with the magnetic rails that sat within the hard, non-magnetic densplast housing, bugs that, well, bugged Eric through the latter three years of his time in the Academy, time spent ironing out said bugs and earning more than a few black eyes and bruises during his time practicing with it. Eventually he gained a sort of expertise in her use, and although he still has a few more kinks to iron out, Fayth has rapidly become Eric's best piece of equipment in the Academy. Of course, with his mother's help, she was also able to help provide his squadmates and best friends with the unique weapons and equipment they have as well.
Now that they're Guardians and bound together in a squad, Eric keeps his friends close by, quite protective of them as he should be, even though he's not the squad leader. He excels the most in single-target focus and takedowns with his rifle, the spirits within him aiding him in this.
What he was never told about his parents though, specifically his mother, was that she was a weapon designer that worked in the U.D.F. Through a little executive meddling, she was able to give him Fayth as his eighteenth birthday present. Her most experimental creation, Fayth was a handheld, multi-function railgun that surpassed any handheld battle rifle that the UDF possessed, yet it was still experimental so there were bound to be bugs with the magnetic rails that sat within the hard, non-magnetic densplast housing, bugs that, well, bugged Eric through the latter three years of his time in the Academy, time spent ironing out said bugs and earning more than a few black eyes and bruises during his time practicing with it. Eventually he gained a sort of expertise in her use, and although he still has a few more kinks to iron out, Fayth has rapidly become Eric's best piece of equipment in the Academy. Of course, with his mother's help, she was also able to help provide his squadmates and best friends with the unique weapons and equipment they have as well.
Now that they're Guardians and bound together in a squad, Eric keeps his friends close by, quite protective of them as he should be, even though he's not the squad leader. He excels the most in single-target focus and takedowns with his rifle, the spirits within him aiding him in this.
Spirits
Flash Freeze
Element: Water
Ability: Swiftness
Status Effects: Slow
Description: Flash Freeze is an Ice spirit that imbues Eric's bullets with the ability to instantly freeze the target it hits. This ability affects all the rounds in Eric's current magazine and does not transfer over to new magazines. When Faith is in Bludgeon mode, the ability transfers to her blade instead, giving him the ability to freeze anything he whacks. The spirit, which he has taken to naming Frost, usually manifests as a spectral feral wolf that appears from within him and follows him around. Flash Freeze represents his patience, intelligence and smarts.
Armour-Piercing Configuration/Shock
Element: Air
Ability: Shroud
Status Effects: Might
Description: Shock is a Lightning spirit that imbues Eric's bullets with harder impact force and penetrating strength, way harder than a regular railgun can hit. This ability only affects the currently chambered round and nothing else. When Faith is in Bludgeon, the ability is instead translated to an electrified weapon. The spirit normally manifests as a faint electrical field that sparks and arcs around his arms and hands, though occasionally it shows itself as a fuzzy elderly humanoid being made of electricity. Shock represents his more impulsive side, the former half of ingenuity under stress.
Marksman Configuration/Awe
Element: Holy
Ability: Vigilance
Status Effects: Weakness
Description: Awe is a Holy spirit that weakens a single enemy target and makes it highly susceptible to physical damage. It changes a single loaded round into a devastating mass-reactive explosive shell. In Bludgeon mode, this ability instead is cast as a single slashing attack that is able to cut the target despite Faith being blunt. The spirit manifests itself typically as a pair of wings on his arms, although he also has seen it as a winged angel every now and again. Awe represents the desire to help by hurting, of protection through harm and safety through slaughter, his desire to help as much as he can.
Bring the Noise
Element: Air
Ability: Provoke
Status Effects: Dispel
Description: Bring the Noise is an Air spirit that taunts and provokes a single enemy target to attack Eric, and at the same time it dispels every buff or debuff cast on it, making it an ideal ability to set up a takedown. This spirit likes to manifest itself as an array of small speakers on his chest and sleeves that amplify his voice, though occasionally it does like to also manifest as a goofy-looking clown that Eric has taken to naming as Jester. Bring the Noise represents part of his opportunism borne in combat, the latter half of ingenuity under stress.
Element: Water
Ability: Swiftness
Status Effects: Slow
Description: Flash Freeze is an Ice spirit that imbues Eric's bullets with the ability to instantly freeze the target it hits. This ability affects all the rounds in Eric's current magazine and does not transfer over to new magazines. When Faith is in Bludgeon mode, the ability transfers to her blade instead, giving him the ability to freeze anything he whacks. The spirit, which he has taken to naming Frost, usually manifests as a spectral feral wolf that appears from within him and follows him around. Flash Freeze represents his patience, intelligence and smarts.
Armour-Piercing Configuration/Shock
Element: Air
Ability: Shroud
Status Effects: Might
Description: Shock is a Lightning spirit that imbues Eric's bullets with harder impact force and penetrating strength, way harder than a regular railgun can hit. This ability only affects the currently chambered round and nothing else. When Faith is in Bludgeon, the ability is instead translated to an electrified weapon. The spirit normally manifests as a faint electrical field that sparks and arcs around his arms and hands, though occasionally it shows itself as a fuzzy elderly humanoid being made of electricity. Shock represents his more impulsive side, the former half of ingenuity under stress.
Marksman Configuration/Awe
Element: Holy
Ability: Vigilance
Status Effects: Weakness
Description: Awe is a Holy spirit that weakens a single enemy target and makes it highly susceptible to physical damage. It changes a single loaded round into a devastating mass-reactive explosive shell. In Bludgeon mode, this ability instead is cast as a single slashing attack that is able to cut the target despite Faith being blunt. The spirit manifests itself typically as a pair of wings on his arms, although he also has seen it as a winged angel every now and again. Awe represents the desire to help by hurting, of protection through harm and safety through slaughter, his desire to help as much as he can.
Bring the Noise
Element: Air
Ability: Provoke
Status Effects: Dispel
Description: Bring the Noise is an Air spirit that taunts and provokes a single enemy target to attack Eric, and at the same time it dispels every buff or debuff cast on it, making it an ideal ability to set up a takedown. This spirit likes to manifest itself as an array of small speakers on his chest and sleeves that amplify his voice, though occasionally it does like to also manifest as a goofy-looking clown that Eric has taken to naming as Jester. Bring the Noise represents part of his opportunism borne in combat, the latter half of ingenuity under stress.
Relations
Selene Palamecia
Wren Valkyrie
Aurelia Rosenfield
Ito Ishioka
Cassandra Jurico
Trivia
- He has a penchant for dressing in suits and ties, no matter the occasion. Some call him a stuck-up, snobby person. He prefers calling himself classy.
- Eric's very bookish, and spends a fair bunch of his time reading, if not socialising.
- He has a very weird taste in music that doesn't suit his image. You'd wouldn't expect such a prim and proper person to enjoy metal, would you? In fact he says that the genre helps him think.
- Eric loves a vanilla milkshake any time of day. No questions asked.
- People also ask if his spectacles are for show and for style. He legitimately has a vision problem; not a serious one, but his vision is reduced to slightly blurry shapes when he takes them off.
- He prefers to roll out of bed on the left side rather than the right.
- Eric has had a lifelong dream to visit Libra to better comprehend and understand what people like Selene and Ito have had to live through on the planet as compared to the richer, well-off people like himself, Wren and Aurelia.
