|| 25 | Kiritine | Straight ||
It isn't just his pure white hair that makes Jericho stick out in a crowd. About 40% of his body is cybernetic, coupled with his height of six feet and one inch, Jericho is hard to miss. Jericho had always been a light man, but that weight has been made up for with robotic parts. The parts of him that are still flesh are toned to their maximum with constant training. When not on mission, Jericho devotes most of his day to training, well along with maintenance and video games.
The legendary Ikaruga. Most everyone who has ever piloted or ever aspired to be a pilot has heard of the name. Being piloted by Jericho since he was fourteen, the two work in perfect harmony. Jericho has taken the time to understand his machine perfectly and can use the Ikaruga to its full potential. The Ikaruga's base model was the C-98 Strike-switch. The Ikaruga is much different from the original model of the Strike-switch however, because of its constant upgrades. It looks drastically different from the original model eleven years ago. Now the mecha is very organic looking and feeling, making it easier for Mason to connect with it and fully use.
The C-98 was originally built for escort use, primarily for illegal independent operations. There were only three made before the government discovered the production factory in South America where they seized all three original C-98's. Mason had discovered a trashed transport vehicle at the abandoned factory a few days later where a damaged Strike-switch was located. With help, the Strike-switch was recovered and Mason had been with the mecha ever since.
The Ikaruga specializes in fast paced combat with a speed that is said to be outmatched. Close to mid-ranged battles are preferred for the Ikaruga. Long range battle isn't too much of a problem because the Ikaruga can usually close the distance to its target almost instantly. The Ikaruga was equipped with a heavy booster for traveling longer distances and quick boosters for fast dodges or closing distances with enemies quicker.
The Ikaruga is equipped with a machine gun to use for mid-ranged combat and can easily cut through any weak defense. As for close ranged battles the Ikaruga is fixed with two tentacle like protrusions, both of which are the Ikaruga's strongest weapons. One of these tentacles has a high density laser on the end with the power to cut through most any material. The other tentacle's use is mostly to defend the other tentacle, but it does have a blade on the end which can be used to pierce other mechs. One of the original features of the C-98 does still exist on the Ikaruga, though; this being a high-frequency blade attached to the left arm with an ability to cut through metal almost as well as the Ikaruga's laser. The Ikaruga was also built with flares to deter heat-seeking missiles.
Mason was born with an aptitude for killing. Not an aptitude for sports nor athletics, not even fighting. He was just born with an ability to kill. Being heavily trained in martial arts has improved this ability exponentially. Skilled with both his fists and his katana, Mason only needs a few seconds to take out multiple enemies. Another skill that Mason is proficient in is shooting, but it is rare for him to ever use a gun. Mason would have to be in trouble for him to resort to himself using a gun.
Both Mason and the Ikaruga are very strong with their almost impossible speeds, but they aren't invincible. The main weakness for both Mason and the Ikaruga is that they both can't take too much damage. A good hit or two and the Ikaruga is done for the battle.
Mason would seem like a normal person if only it wasn't for his intimidating appearance and if he never opened his mouth. But Mason is definitely not a normal person, not even close really. With an appetite for murder and a borderline sociopathic personality, Mason is dangerous. He takes killing to an extent of almost sadism, but it is less of a sexual pleasure and more of a feeling he never gets from anything else. Eating, sleeping, drugs, sex, none of it comes close to the feeling of a good kill. That said, Mason doesn't take much pleasure in killing weak opponents, unless he's been “deprived” of killing, so to speak.
Brimming with confidence in everything he does, Mason takes everything easy outside of fighting and sometimes even during a fight with a “weak” opponent. His easy going personality leaves him at odds with other members of Kiritine military, especially higher ups, because he barely even gives them the time of day. He's hardly ever interested in anything or anyone, so if you pique his curiosity, you'd both be amazing and idiotic. When it comes down to it, Mason is a beast; an animal that revels in death, and trying to gain the interest of such a creature surely would make you a complete idiot.
Mason will always speak his mind and publicly tell you what he thinks. He's a straight shooter with no care for tip toeing around anything. Some appreciate his honesty, but most everyone else thinks it's annoying, but they would never tell him that. Also being easily annoyed combined with his straight forward personality, he will insult anyone who rubs him the wrong way. It's mostly his employers that get all of those insults, but he will also insult anyone whom he deems “cowardly”. “A predator takes pride in his strength and will always flaunt it proudly. Anything afraid of direct confrontation isn't worth my time.”
Born from hatred. That's definitely what Mason was. He was the child of a mercenary and a prostitute. The woman wasn't really anything important, she was just an outlet for the men she pleased. Unfortunately, she met one man that was completely vile. He had spent his entire life fighting and let out his aggression by killing and fucking. The man wasn't the sort of person to pay for anything and only took, never giving. Well that changed when he gave the poor woman a child. By the time Jericho was born, his father was long gone and he was left alone with his mother. He grew up a quiet boy, seeming almost lifeless. His mother was obviously worried about her son, but she didn't have the money to spend on a therapist or to do anything else.
When Jericho was eight, he found his mother being assaulted by some man in an alleyway near their apartment. The man had a knife pressed up against her neck and Jericho acted instinctively. He picked up a nearby lead pipe. It was heavy. He swung with all his might in the man's kneecap, completely shattering it. It was way too exciting. The boy's lips began to curl into a smile as he kept smashing the pipe into the man's limp body. It was so exciting that Jericho couldn't even hear the screams of his mother.
He was abandoned. Mason was seen as a monster and he knew that. But he didn't care; he couldn't deny it, after all. After that incident, he could only think about blood and murder. The feeling of bones smashing and the sound that came with it. That was the beginning of a life of fighting and subsequent deaths. Mason felt that the only purpose his life had was to take the lives of others; after all, killing came as instinctively as killing for the boy.
When he was fourteen, Mason acquired the Ikaruga and began to fix it up with the help of a nearby mechanic who used to work for a crime syndicate. During the time it took to fix the C-98, Mason was trained in how to fight by the old mechanic and was also taught how to maintain machinery. The Ikaruga was operational enough for combat two years later. At that time, Mason had began working as a mercenary. For a while, Mason made a name for himself by taking missions with impossible odds and completing them without a scratch. This continued and people would tell stories of a strange organic looking mech that was notoriously known for it's quick speeds and seemingly impossible maneuverability. It didn't take long for Mason to be discovered by the Drastonia and the Orvanti alliance. At which time, Mason was defeated by an incredibly strong pilot. Even though he was defeated, Mason was still high off the thrill of the incredible fight he had just experienced. He hadn't felt anything like that ever before. He had actually felt the fear of death, and he knew at that moment he would be chasing that thrill for the rest of his life.
Mason was left for dead in his destroyed Ikaruga, where his old mechanic came to rescue him. He was given robotic body parts to replace his old destroyed human parts. After three years, the Ikaruga was repaired with new modifications. Mason joined the Kiritine military in pursuit of strong opponents where the Ikaruga was outfitted with Iunkaitu technology.
