SHADE (Valian Killer)
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SHADE, born Shardis Licita is the titular "Hitman of the Severen". A vengeful and ominous figure in the eyes of the Valian, as he is known to have killed countless Valian in his time serving the Severen Gargantua as his servant.
SHADE was considered one of the most powerful beings in the Severen side due to his knowledge of both Valian and Severen combat styles. His armour, and body was thought to be a Lance fused with Severen technology, and numerous theories as to what he was were surfaced amongst the Valian, ranging from one of their own, to an animated Lance puppet by Gargantua. However, regardless of what he was, all Valian knew of his name as The Great Valian Killer.
Upon discovering that Deka Price had also breached the time hole, Gargantua sent SHADE back in time to assist his daughter, Lena, in her mission to destroy the past humans that would give rise to the Valians. By hunting down Deka Price and stopping him for good. However, upon finding Price, SHADE was unable to kill the Rogue Valian as he came in contact with Javlok, causing a causality contradiction to occur. Javlok obtaining a blueprint of SHADE's Ais greatsword, and SHADE's Lance body modifications to malfunction and cause several Toron implants to manifest inside.
SHADE's real name and identity were unknown to either the Valian or the Severen. His intense hatred for Javlok has been very obvious in every encounter the mercenary has had with the Lotuscraft Crew. It was only when a fragment of his name: Shardis Licita, became revealed upon a mysterious student identification card had fallen out of his pocket during his escape from Deka's crewmates.
How SHADE came to existence along with his connection to the current Shardis Licita (Deka's Javlok) remains a mystery.
Contents
Abilities
Having made a name for himself as "The Great Valian Killer", SHADE is an extremely proficient fighter in all fields from ninjutsu, to marksmanship, and athletics. Unlike his colleague, SHADOW, SHADE is said to be a more frightening force, rarely leaving his Valian victims alive unless for ulterior motives, but at the cost of being more elusive.
SHADE was said to have been so powerful that a full squad of top rank Valian were required to hold him off, the only Valian capable of singlehandedly surviving the Severen Assassin in history was the Valian Legend Zennen Ful.
It was said that the Valian Gladiator Alliance once housed a thousand Valian, but on one fateful day, SHADE and his Severen comrades discovered a vulnerability in the Clan dojo, infiltrated it, and slaughtered the Valians, reducing their numbers to the mere hundreds.
SHADE was strong enough to fend off Quorra Lavine and several high ranking Valian, despite having the full firepower of their Orbiter Crafts on their side. Upon backing Lavine and two other high ranking Valian in a corner, Quorra was the only Valian to survive despite the 3 on 1.
Due to his brutal credentials and merit, the name SHADE is greatly feared among the Valian, and for a time, whenever SHADE's presence was detected on a mission, the default response for a Valian would be to extract from the mission and alert the top ranking Valian of the killer's location in an attempt to dispatch the mercenary. SHADE has yet to be captured and his location is unknown among the Valian.
Powers
Superhuman Agility: SHADE's agility is nearly unmatched, his movements described to be a mix of Valian and Severen from Quorra, SHADE is fast enough to evade bullets, outrun projectiles, and dodge blade swings from multiple Valian. When SHADE battled Deka's Lotuscraft Crew, SHADE was able to evade all of Javlok's SMG bullets and Umbra's sword swings, the latter being a high ranked Tora military soldier to the Toron before his conversion to a Lance.
Superhuman Strength: SHADE's base strength is above average, as shown from his muscle tone, and is further amplified from his Severen implants. SHADE was powerful enough to punch a hole right through a Valian Iron Skin, and shatter Deka's Lance armour despite possessing over shields.
Adaptation: A trademark ability inherent to all Severen, SHADE's Severen implants provided him with the ability to adapt to damage. At maximum potential, SHADE was able to adapt and survive a fully charged Orbiter Cannon from Quorra's ship. During his battle against the Lotuscraft Crew, Javlok's Supra Gram shattered upon contact against SHADE's neck.
Unknown Potential: Valian investigator Brean Orsei discovered that SHADE possessed the ability to amplify his powers through some sort of unknown potential. During a battle against Zennen Ful, the two combatants were initially physically equally matched, with Zennen gaining the upper hand with superior technique. However, nearing defeat, SHADE's strength, speed, technique and agility began to increase, causing the Severen to slowly overcome the technique barrier. However, before he could overwhelm the Valian, Zennen's reinforcements arrived, forcing SHADE to retreat.
This potential provided SHADE with a boost in all of his physical abilities, as well as his technique. Zennen noted that when SHADE used this ability, his technique slowly converged to that of a Tora, hinting that this potential is not Severen in origin, but rather Toron.
Combat Prowess
Severen Combat: Eight Path Sequence: SHADE's skill with Ais adheres to the Severen great sword style, mimicking the eight limbs of a Severen body, SHADE's speed and technique of the sword is described to be similar to fighting "eight swordsman at once" by numerous Valian who have witnessed his power. Combined with his superhuman strength, SHADE is able to swing his sword at unfathomable speeds, making blocking his attacks and reacting to them almost impossible.
Severen Combat: Precept Trace: SHADE is known to be able to adapt to almost any fighting style pulled off by the Valian. During one of his contracts, the Valians began to develop a tactic of keeping SHADE planted on the ground and picking him off at a distance, using their Void abilities to neutralize his built up resistances from his Adaptation implant. However, SHADE quickly caught on to their strategy, and began hiding behind pillars and walls, countering their strategy and ultimately eliminating his target.
Shadow Assassinate: SHADE possesses a Shadow Cloak, which provides him with temporary invisibility, allowing him to perform stealth takedowns when needed.
Severen Combat: Harvester Protocol: SHADE wields Ruin, a giant scythe, and delivers a sequence of extremely fast and near unavoidable slashes with the weapon. The reach of the weapon is around several meters, which SHADE uses to fight multiple Valian at once.
History
The First War
At some point in the first war, the Severens, led by King Gargantua invaded the Star System to take over due to dwindling resources in keeping their beloved queen, Luna alive. The Severens attacked the planets, which were under the jurisdiction of an advanced civilization known as the Toron. In response to the invasion, the Toron sent their primary military force: The Tora to battle the Severens and continue their rule over the Star System. Numerous casualties were incurred from the war.
At some point, General Ciel Licita of the Tora battled Gargantua and defeated the Severen King. Desperate to save his wife, Gargantua had his Severen brethren use this duel as a distraction. While the Toron and Severen watched their respective leaders battle, a separate Severen squad was sent to the Void System to intercept a vessel housing a special group of Toron children. Amongst the children, was Dorian Licita, the son of Ciel Licita, that the Severen had identified in hopes of having them hostage.
In an attempt to capture the children, one of the Severens sent an EMP pulse to the craft, however, the Void environment caused an energy distortion, leading to the Void essence entering the ship, infected everybody inside. The children were transformed, gaining incomprehensible powers, while the adults, parents and workers, were killed.
With Gargantua defeated, Ciel claimed victory, and the Severens were expected to retreat. However, a Severen scout notified one of the generals that the operation to acquire the children became wary. The children became changed, and numerous casualties had resulted on the Toron side. Learning of this, Ciel became enraged, and the armies of the Toron engaged the armies of the Severens once more. Due to Dorian's apparent death, Ciel was overwhelmed with grief and rage, causing the Tora to fall, and the Severens to gain the upper hand.
The Fall of the Toron
In the wake of the fall of the Toron empire, numerous Toron civilizations fell. In particular, the family of Licita was torn apart. Ciel and his brothers were slain, and only one survivor, Lyla Licita remained to carry on the Licitian bloodline. Lyla lived in the shadows, as the Severens wiped the resources of the Star System, avoiding battle. Lyla would give birth to a son, who would carry on the family line following her death. However, during her hiding, the children of the Void craft resurfaced, having been under the care of a certain Severen who defected from her kind: Princess Lena, the daughter of Luna and Gargantua. Training and caring for the children as their surrogate mother, Lena taught the children the art of war, and gave them a new name: The Valian. The Valians would attempt to avenge the death of the Toron. Using their newfound power, Lena, The Valian as well as Toron survivors reawakened a revolution. The resistance fought back against the Severens with Lena's knowledge and eventually drove them away, however, the war costed even more lives. The hardest loss, being the Valian: Dorian Licita, who died in his aunt's arms.
Lyla, resentful to the Valian for having her nephew taken from her, taught her children to avoid fighting. With each generation of the Licita, the notion of battle and war became more and more dulled, as the children of Lyla Licita grew to increasingly resent the Valian.
The New Era
Decades after the Severens were driven back to their home system by the resistance, The Valian entered a Slumber, never to be seen again. During this time, the remaining Toron split off into other nations, dividing the world into multiple factions full of greed and corruption from the security of peace. The House of Licita, now run by Kirin Licita and his wife Caterena Licita, lived in peace with their son, Shardis Licita. However, on one fateful night, one of the Toron factions awakened an ancient Toron artifact, awakening the Valians from the slumber. With the Valians awakened, Lena returned from the shadows, rescuing the Valians from the now corrupted commercialized Toron remnant factions. The Valians, along with Lena, fought back against the corrupted Toron factions in an attempt to revive the Toron Empire.
Two particular Valians, however, were incapable of fighting for reasons unknown: Arsani Price and Rinne Thresh, who lacked an aptitude in combat. The two Valians were put in refuge in the city of Luam. Rinne, adopted by a loving couple, and Arsani, who was adopted by Kirin and Caterena. Shardis, outraged by his parent's decision to adopt a Valian, became increasingly resentful to his adopted older brother. It would be during this time, that the Severens would return to the Star System to reclaim Princess Lena.
Now at war with both the Toron Factions and the Severens, the Valian fought back and were forced to use whatever resources possible. Arsani Price, now living under the name of Arsanios Licita, was forced to learn the Way of the Valian and was conscripted into the war. Shardis became even more enraged at the fact that Arsanios had joined his brethren and the bloodshed, and demanded that his parents abandon the Valian. However, his words were met with disdain. Believing that his parents chose a Valian over himself, Shardis left his home.
During his walk across Luam, Shardis was approached by a man who revealed himself to be a Severen. The Severen tells Shardis that the Valian are manipulative, and manages to convince Licita that the adoption of Arsanios was arranged in an attempt to tear apart the noble family line. In an attempt to eliminate the House of Licita, so that a warrior like General Ciel Licita would never emerge in the war. The man offers Shardis an opportunity to join his army to bring vengeance upon all the Valian, by becoming his champion.
Shardis joins The Severens
As the Star System was once again put into chaos, Kirin and Caterena split off from the evacuation group to look for their son. Shardis, contemplating the man's offer, finally locates his parents, but watches in shock as both Kirin and Caterena are flattened by a chunk of debris, awakening his Licitian Potential. To Shardis' horror, the debris was caused by an ICARUS arch gun explosion fired from a Valian. Shardis refuses to join the evacuation group and runs to the city, to locate the Severen who had given him the offer to avenge the Valian.
The man revealed himself to be Gargantua, a weakened form of the King of the Severens. Shardis accepts the offer, and Gargantua converts Shardis' body into a Severen-Human hybrid. Just as the Valian used the infestation mass to create their Lances, Gargantua used Severen technology to turn Shardis into SHADE. Teaching the Licitian the art of war, and turning the boy into the Severen's version of Ciel Licita.
Now among the Severen ranks as SHADE, Licita slowly began to abandon his family name, believing he had been come to be manipulated generations before the Valian to avoid war. SHADE, would fight alongside the Severens and assassinate countless Valian, making a name for himself as The Great Valian Killer. Due to possessing knowledge of both Toron technology (from his time as a Licitian noble), and Severen technology (from his training with Gargantua), SHADE's technique was unorthodox, and superior to the Valian. Combined with his Severen implants, along with his Licitian Potential, SHADE became so feared among the Star System that his very presence was more dangerous than his counterpart, SHADOW.
