Post by Nikolai Gruskov on Sept 1, 2011 23:01:44 GMT -5
picture:;[/b][/size]
playby[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Mashikov,
Vladmir[/center][/size][/color]theme song[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Deeper
by nervous_testpilot[/center][/size]description:;[/b][/size]
Seemingly emotionless, Nikolai walks the earth alone, carrying the mantle his father set upon him years ago. His dog his only companion, Nikolai tracks 'The Others': those that were both a bane and a blessing to this earth. His thin lips and steely eyes make him hard to approach, and when coupled with his usual silence makes him an uncomfortable companion. A child of the woods, born and raised into his duty, Nikolai is one tough nut to crack.
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name:;[/b][/size]
Gruskov, Nikolai Dimitri
[/color][/center]age[/color]:;[/b][/size]
sweet 28
gender[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Male
race[/color]:;[/b][/size]
born a, Hunter
should we put bricks on your head?[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Nikolai is, 6'0'' tall.
no place like home[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia
getting lucky with ~someone~[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Straight
babies coming?[/color]:;[/b][/size]
No
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Only his wits
weapon(s)[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Hunting Rifle
Small Sidearm
Hunting Knife
Small Sidearm
Hunting Knife
whatcha~wearin?[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Nikolai is always wearing a track suit; blue with white stripes running down the sleeves. Underneath it always varies, but it is always put on in layers, for practical reasons. For pants he never wears matching track pants: they're too noisy when stalking prey. Instead he wears tighter fitting, (still loose for mobility) cloth pants.
transportation[/color]:;[/b][/size]
An old, beat-up pickup truck (his father's)
anything.else.you'd.like.to.share?[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Batyr, Nikolai's pet dog, is a Russian Liaka, with black fur and a white patch around it's right eye, and left rear paw. Highly trained by his master, Batyr will obey his master with no hesitation, and has killed in the past. He wears a red collar, but without any tags. He never leaves his master's side.
As well, Nikolai carries with him a journal of all the information known to him about the 'Others,' which can be added to as he hunts. This information is far from complete, however it does provide significant information for Nikolai, and is used regularily.
As well, Nikolai carries with him a journal of all the information known to him about the 'Others,' which can be added to as he hunts. This information is far from complete, however it does provide significant information for Nikolai, and is used regularily.
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disposition to the law[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Neutral
alignment[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Neutral
likes[/color]:;[/b][/size]
The hunt
,The kill
,Sleeping beneath the stars
,Snow
,Darkness
,Batyr
dislikes[/color]:;[/b][/size]
City life
,Non-humans
,Being caught off-guard
,Heat
,Death of humans
phobias[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Failing his father
obsessions[/color]:;[/b][/size]
Continuing the mission
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“So. You want to know who I am, before I kill you? Huh, you are all the same, riding high on your powers only to fall to my rifle. I kill you to save mankind, my little friend. Too dangerous it is to allow your kind to exist among us, fouling the air with your powers, taking opportunity away from those who truly deserve a place on the Earth.
I am sorry.
Let me grant you your final wish.
I was born in Siberia, my father exiled for defecting from the military. Mother died giving birth to me and my father was forced to raise me on his own. We lived in a cabin, half a days walk from the nearest town, Chita. My father worked for a butcher to keep us fed: he would hunt for the butcher, and in return was paid for each animal brought to the shop.
At the age of 8, father started to teach me the ways of the hunt; how to survive in the wild, track prey, kill, butcher, escape. My father made sure that i would be prepared for anything, from crossing a river to escaping a charging animal. When I turned 18, I knew the hunt better than I knew myself. Father had turned me into a hunting machine. I was the best, better than my father, better than anyone. I never thought why my father was training me to do this, why he taught my to hunt. On my 18 birthday my father told me that I was coming with him to a meeting, but would not tell me why or with who or what. Only that I must come.
My father led me to an old barn where a handful of men sat in a circle. Many of them had scars, some were burnt, others mutilated. All were hunters. This I knew.
'This is the boy?'
'Yes. Nikolai.'
'Let's see.'
My father pushed me into the middle of the circle. I trembled under the gaze of these hunters. Absolute silence.
Suddenly: 'He knows nothing?'
'Nothing.'
'Good. He is talented?'
'Very. Better than me. Maybe even you, Ilya.' This gave rise to murmurs and scoffs.
'This boast I must see.'
We left, and went hunting.
Before I continue, my friend, let me tell you about hunting. It is the joy of my life, my one vice. I take it seriously. I have a mindset. 'In the game' you Americans say, in my mother tongue it is Мышление. Mindset. My prey the only thing keeping me alive, doing so only through its death. Nothing can stop me from finding the prey. Like you.
The hunt was short, or should have been, as a deer had appeared near the barn. As I lined up my rifle, Ilya stopped me.
'No. You hunt.'
I immediately gave chase to the deer, following the trail it left as it ran into the bush. Through the woods I gave chase, impressing Ilya with my skill. The tracks became fresher, signalling the deer was closer than before.
The tracks led to a river. If you don't know, if an animal crosses a river, it can take hours to find the tracks on the other side. But I knew where to look for them, assuming it was a normal deer. And so I crossed the river and searched the the opposing shore for the tracks I knew must be there. But they weren't! I searched up and down the river, but no cloven feet were to be found. Turning to Ilya for guidance, I found him smiling at me.
'Deer can be tricky, eh?' the old man said, smiling.
Every bone in my body was rebelling. Deer were never tricky! They are animals, driven by instinct bred into them by their fathers and their fathers fathers. They are not smart and cannot trick a human, especially one trained to hunt. The only thing that could trick me would be...
A human.
Suddenly I understood. No longer was I tracking a deer, but a sentient being. One not familiar with the hunt, judging by the ease in which I followed his tracks, but something more than just an animal. What tricks would he play? Swimming upriver? No deer could do that. Swimming back to shore downstream? Yes. That must be it.
I crossed the river again and searched for tracks downstream. I found them: a wet hoof print on a rock. I was back on track. Tracking them into the forest that lined the bank, I noticed that they started to change. At first I thought that the mud had smudged them, but it soon became clear that they were changing.
Changing? How could something do that? Glancing back at Ilya only deepened my curiosity. The look on his face was that of normalcy: like he had seen changing tracks before. Was he seeing the same things I was? If he was as good a tracker as they said, surely this must be the case.
A rustle in the bush ahead drew my attention back to the hunt. I dropped into a crouch and brought my rifle up, ready to fire in case any other strange surprises decided to visit me that day. The wind shifted, parting the bush ahead, revealing a... human?
How could this be? Was I not tracking a deer? I looked at Ilya in surprise. I could not kill a human, one of my own kin! I was a hunter, not a murderer.
Ilya's response was to put a finger to his lips and murmured 'Watch.'
Shocked I did as told. It was not long before I saw the changing take place. Slowly at first, then quick. The human shifted slowly into the deer I was hunting. My rifle slid from my grasp. Surely this must be some trickery, or I was still asleep.
'Now you shoot.'
I couldn't move.
'Nikolai, shoot it.'
I couldn't.
'Now Nikolai. Take your shot before it runs. Quickly.'
This thing, whatever it was, was the first and last prey I could not shoot. Never since have I felt such awe at any creature, or thing.
Grabbing my gun from me, Ilya shot the... deer as it ran into the bush. It cried out, but as a human. As it fell, the thing shifted back into a human body.
We returned, leaving the body where it fell. I was too stunned to talk, and so the walk back was filled with silence. The other men were waiting in the barn for us. We entered and no one said anything for a long time, yet I could sense that there was subconscious communicating going on between all of them. The silence was broken by one of them.
The conversation that followed I cannot tell you, but it is where I learned about your kind: the 'Others.' About how you are a blight on society that must be eliminated for the greater good of humanity. This must be done in secrecy, otherwise war would break out. This is why I must kill you.
Покойся с миром.”
Bang.
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An OOC note: I'm trying to make this character feel Russian, so if there is grammar mistakes when he is speaking, please assume that it is intentional. All the Russian in his speech is right from Google Translate.
