Name: Sho Shaotzu
Age: 17
Race: Fin'thean
Sex: Male
Eye color: Gold
Hair color: Deep Red
Height: 5’ 11”

Weapon:
Phoenix Cleaver
Armor:
Golden arm guards and shin guards, emblazoned with stylized phoenix-like patterns.

Strengths:
Strength enough to wield the PC (no, it was not intended) on his own and move fast enough to use it decently. Increased attributes thanks to his kil’mac.
Weaknesses:
The sheer size of his weapon decreases his stamina immensely, and his spirit energy is not very strong; thus he lacks the ability to use all but the weakest special moves.
Magic/Skills:
As with all Fin’thean, Sho’s kil’mac can create a bioarmor when he is in dire peril, however, no one has ever seen this armor.
He is also becoming adept in fire magic, and is beginning to practice other elements as well.

Personality: A bit of a loner at times, but capable of surprising kindness. He prefers to work alone, but secretly yearns for the companionship that he shuns. Learning to depend on only himself has taught him to be cunning and resourceful. His dry sense of humor comes through in his speech, secretly mocking those attempting to get close to him.

Appearance:
On Sho’s back there is a large scar, identical in shape to the charm on the sword’s hilt.

History: Sho was born and raised as any normal child. His family lived in a peaceful little town on the shore. His village was remote, secluded from most outside influence, in an attempt to keep the purity of their rituals. Not having witnessed any sort of true sorrow for most of his young life, he lived very happily.

***************

"Come on Sho! You better hurry or we're not going to be able to get there before dark!"

Sho's heart pounded as he raced along the jungle floor. The small head of blonde hair that had spoken to him spun around quickly and vanished behind a large, mossy tree. Leaping over an overgrown root, he smiled as the sensation of flying rushed over him; the cool evening breeze rustling his blazing hair as he glided over the obstacle. He landed with a squelch as his sandal sunk into a small patch of mud. Quickly expressing his disgust, he wiped his foot on a tuft of grass and took off again.

Rumors had begun circulating recently of a set of ruins in the jungle near Sho's village. Never being ones to let a rumor go unchecked, especially one that sounded this fun, Sho and his friends had decided to check it out themselves. According to gossip, if it was to be believed, the ruins were old, decrepit, dangerous, and full of really cool stuff. He was sure there had been more detail than that, but Sho had sort of zoned out after hearing the word "dangerous." Dangerous was one of his all-time favorite words, because it usually coincided with "fun."

Rounding a few more trees, Sho rushed to catch up with the two children ahead of him. "Hey guys!" he yelled, his high, childish voice echoing through the treetops, "You think we're almost there?"

"I don't know, but we better get there fa-ah!" the young girl's sentence trailed off into a high pitched squeal, ending with a muffled, "Ow!"

Sho and the other boy rushed to where the girl had just been. A gaping, once moss-covered, hole greeted their sight.

"Reinae!" called the young boy, shouting into the dark abyss. "Reinae! Can you hear me!? Are you all right!?" He and Sho dropped to their knees and listened for the girl's voice. After a few deathly silent moments, a small voice called out to them from the shadow.

"Yumae, I can hear you," the girl's voice was faint and pained, "I... I think I twisted my ankle when I fell. I can't stand up. Yumae! It's dark down here!" Her voice was rapidly becoming more laden with panic. "I can't see anything, and it's so cold! Big brother! Help me!"

Sho's glance shot to Yumae, who was gazing fixedly into the darkness. His teeth clenched, and the muscles in his jaw tightened; then, standing up quickly, Yumae yelled to his frightened sister. "Reinae! I'm coming for you!" But, as he was about to heroically leap into the hole, a hand laid hold of his arm and held it tightly.

"Yumae," Sho said, as he made every effort to keep his voice calm and cool, "I'll go down and help your sister, you run back to the village and get help." For a few seconds Yumae said nothing, but he eventually tipped his head in a quick nod and dashed into the trees. Sho shook his head as Yumae disappeared. He knew that Yumae would do anything for his sister, but he also knew that the boy was not as strong as he was. There was something else as well...

"Watch out Reinae! I'm coming down!" Sho shouted as he descended into the hole. His heart skipped a beat as the shadows quickly consumed him. Perhaps he should have thought twice about this? A smirk flashed across his face. "Yeah right."

The flame haired boy stumbled to the floor as the hard, stone ground met his feet. The impact echoed through the hall, as if a thousand other little boys had all fallen into a cold, dark cave just as Sho had done. Every last one of them most likely felt the freezing cold of the cobbled floor meet their little hands as the searing pain of the hard landing shot up their legs, crippling them momentarily, just as Sho had.

"Sho! Sho? Is that you?" pleaded Reinae, as she crawled over to where she thought Sho had fallen. Feeling around with her hands, she touched a small heap on the floor, which grabbed her hand, causing her to let out a small gasp. She quickly embraced him, his warm body a welcome contrast to their icy surroundings. "Sho, where's Yumae? Where's big brother?"

"He went back to the village to get us some help." Sho replied, still wincing as the pain in his legs began to subside. Grunting as he rose to his feet, Sho peered into the darkness that surrounded them. Looking left and right, narrowing his eyes, as if to pierce the shadow with his burning, golden stare, he attempted to glean some sort of information about their new environment. But, sadly, his efforts were in vain. The little light that poured down from the hole above them was not enough to illuminate the area, as it had already been filtered by the dense canopy of the forest overhead.

“What are we going to do now Sho?” Reinae inquired, her voice beginning to quiver once again.

Looking down to where he assumed Reinae was seated, Sho gently squeezed the hand that was still grasping his. “Well, I suppose now’s as good a time as any to try out that fire spell I’ve been working on.”

“You mean the one your dad taught you?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve got the hang of it,” he paused a moment, “I should be able to get enough of a spark to show us what we’ve gotten into.” Sho pried his hand away from Reinae’s. “Now, let’s see if I can remember...”

The boy closed his eyes and concentrated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“When you get good enough you’ll be able to cast your spells without runes,” instructed the large man standing before Sho, “But until then, you’ll just have to take your time and focus on writing the runes quickly and efficiently.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Right!” Sho clapped his hands together and drew his mouth into a tight line. If I’m ever going to get this right, now’s the time. He bowed his head, his brow furrowed, and his nose crinkled up as he focused. A faint glow slowly began to spread through the boy’s small hands. As the light spread, he raised his hand and pointed into the gloom with his two fingers; his eyes shot open, and his hand flew through the air, tracing a complex pattern that glowed brightly as the gleam drained from his fingers and emptied into the radiant design hovering before him.

The rune shone with a faint light, as though it had been drawn long ago, with brilliant blue ink on invisible parchment. For the few moments that it remained, its feeble glow illuminated its artist’s features, giving them an ethereal quality. But, it was not to last, for as soon as Sho’s fingers had completed the final, shining streak, he thrust his palm into the midst of the rune. The design vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and in its place, a small, blazing fireball emerged, suspended in midair, inches away from Sho’s outstretched hand.

The young mage was quickly taken aback at his own success. “Well,” he smiled, “it’s not as big as I’d hoped, but it’s big enough.”

Now that there was a decent source of light, Sho took another perusal of the area. As he had already guessed, the hall was made completely of dark gray stone. It was chipped and ragged, and quite worn in some places. But, despite being directly beneath a dense jungle, there were no roots nor moss growing anywhere along the walls or ceiling. The only foliage now in sight was the small amount that had fallen through the hole in the ceiling, when Reinae had made her abrupt entrance.

To both the left and right, the hall led off into more nothingness. As far as Sho’s eyes could see, there was nothing in either direction, except more darkness and more cold. The silent hall gave the distinct impression of a long-sealed tomb.

I just hope it doesn’t turn out to be ours. Sho shook his head viciously, banishing the very thought. What am I thinking? Yumae is probably on his way right now with some people from the village. He glanced back up at the opening. Yeah, I’m positive.

“Sho?” Reinae’s voice broke the uncomfortable silence, “What now?”

“Well...” he thought for a moment, “...as long as we’re here, I may as well check the place out.” To be completely honest, he really didn’t want to go, but sitting here waiting for Yumae to return was making him anxious. He felt he had to do something, and exploring, he concluded, was exactly what the doctor ordered. After all, what’s the use in looking for ruins if you’re just going to let them sit once you find them?...Right?

Apparently, Reinae had not come to the same conclusion. She suddenly turned to Sho, gaping at him as if he had suddenly sprouted a second head. “You’re just going to leave me here, all by myself, while you go look for buried treasure!? Are you crazy!? What if there are monsters down here?” Her eyes began water, “You’re going to leave me here to be eaten?”

Sho stumbled around for something to say for a moment, then let out a deep sigh. “All right, you can come too.” He figured, from the look on Reinae’s face, that this was not exactly the answer she had been looking for; but, since she had no other option, she consented and, with Sho’s help, got to her feet.

“Wait,” she said, letting go of Sho’s arm and limping over to the pile of debris on the floor. Rummaging through it, she finally emerged with a long stick. In answer to Sho’s puzzled look, she explained, “We don’t want whoever comes back to not know where we are.”

“How’s an old branch going to help us?”

“Watch.” She strode to where Sho was standing, and poked his miniature fireball with her twig. The branch crackled and sizzled for a few moments, then she withdrew it, and knelt down. With the stick’s now blackened tip, she marked a large, black arrow on the ground. She smiled at him and stood up, “There, now they’ll know where we went.” She giggled lightly, obviously pleased with her own intelligence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two of them had been making their way slowly down the right-hand side of the corridor. As they delved deeper into the ruins, the air became more humid, and the stone that lined the walls began to show more intense signs of erosion. Before long, vines began peeking out between the cobblestones, and portions of wall started to fall away, revealing the soft, dark earth behind them.

After a short while they saw what looked like a faint light at the end of the hall. Hoping that it was perhaps a way out, the two children rushed toward it as fast as they could. They finally emerged to find themselves in what resembled a large aviary. The light they had seen earlier was being given off by numerous torches lining the walls, glowing with a bright blue flame.

The two of them stopped as soon as they cleared the hallway and collapsed. Sho allowed his flame to extinguish, determining it was no longer of any use, and slumped back. But, as soon as he did, he quickly jumped back up. The floor was no longer that of cobbled stone, but lush, green grass. Damp, green grass no less. The sudden wetness had startled him, and now he found himself looking around for anything else that seemed out of place. And, to his sight, the whole room seemed completely out of place.

For starters, not only was the floor made of grass, but there were trees and bushes strew across the immense lawn. Many of the trees stretched all the way up to the dome-like ceiling high above them. The roof itself looked as if it was made of vines and other greenery, but as he peered closer, he saw that it was simply thickly overgrown. Apparently it had been here for quite sometime. However, without any caretakers, the jungle above had taken possession of it, cutting off all light that might have otherwise illuminated the torchlit chamber.

As the boy gazed in absolute wonder at the amazing spectacle laid out before him, his golden eyes fell upon an object, directly in the center of the clearing. It beckoned him closer, and he felt obliged to heed its call. As he neared it, he felt the air around him grow warmer and warmer, and the air became cleaner and more refreshing than any he had ever tasted. His entire body was relaxed, but he couldn’t explain why, and before he realized what he was doing, he found himself standing before a large, silver sword.

The blade, half immersed in a glistening pedestal of black onyx, stood in stark metallic contrast to the greenery that encompassed it. The pedestal itself was set on a raised stone circle, entirely untouched by any of the surrounding foliage. In fact, it seemed that any grass or other vegetation that had tried to advance toward the circle had been immediately burned off, yet there were no burn marks on the stone itself.

The weapon was larger than any other Sho had ever seen. And its beauty, though Sho did not consider himself a proper judge of such things, was unmatched by any other. Its glistening alloy clearly reflected his awestruck face as he gaped in childlike wonder at the entire display.

The boy peered more closely at the fine details of the item itself. The many decorative perforations that littered the blade’s body imparted a feeling, not of incompleteness, but of sanctity and power. The hilt of the blade was wrapped in fine white linen, and capped with fine gold. Attached to this gold crown was an interesting little object.

Dangling from the weapon’s hilt was a small silver charm. This charm was brightly polished, and sparkled intently as Sho examined it. Its form was that of a bird.

A falcon? Or, maybe an eagle? The boy wondered. But no, it was different from either of these, more glorious and heavenly. A.....phoenix? Sho brought his hand up and took hold of it, ignoring Reinae’s cries for him to return. As he did, the torches surrounding the room flashed, their bluish white light illuminating every corner of the room. The fire leapt from the torches, consuming the young boy, as the cry of a giant animal tore through the air, and a monstrous shadow descended upon Sho.

“Wh-what is this!?” Sho exclaimed as he stumbled backwards in a sea of blue flames. He flailed about as he attempted to extinguish the flames burning his defenseless body. But as hard as he tried, he could not douse the fiery embers. Then, a voice, slow and calm, that sounded at first like the chirping of a bird, fluttered across the blaze.

“Be still child, you are in no danger,” it said, “these flames will not harm you. Calm yourself.” Even as it spoke, Sho realized that he was indeed not burning. The azure pyre licked his skin, but he felt nothing. Other than a slight warmth, which was actually quite pleasant, he was untouched. As soon as the initial panic of being surrounded by a raging inferno subsided, Sho raised his eyes to gaze upon what had spoken to him.

Before him, perched atop the enshrined blade was a gorgeous and magnificent bird. Its body shimmered like the sun, and its eyes were like two glorious gemstones. Its beak was a brilliant gold, and shone with a godlike purity. Four long, feathered tails fell behind the silver sword, as talons as white as ivory clasped it tightly. It was the most beautiful and heavenly creature that Sho had ever seen.

“Wha-Who are you?” Sho asked, once he mustered the courage to speak.

The godbird spread its burning wings, “I am what your people refer to as Kil’mac,” it uttered.

“Wow! You’re really a kil’mac?”

“Indeed,” the bird replied, “I have dwelled within this castle for centuries, awaiting a host.”

“That’s a long time,” Sho said, “to be waiting for a host.”

“Indeed, but, it seems my wait has come to an end.”

“What?”

“You are a Fin’thean, are you not?” asked the godbird, in a tone that sounded rather like a statement than a query. Sho nodded. “And you are without a kil’mac?” He nodded again.

“Wait, you want me to be your host!?” Sho shouted, jabbing his chest with his index finger. Now the kil’mac dipped its head.

“I sense a great determination within you, and a latent power that I have felt in no other that I have come across.” Sho struggled to put together all the pieces of this new development. And, as he did, the full picture came into view. Right here, right now, he had the chance to become partners with the most impressive kil’mac he had ever laid eyes on. Not only that, but a kil’mac that seemed thoroughly impressed with him as well. How could he pass up this once-in-a-lifetime chance?

“All right! I’ll do it!” he said. The bird cocked its head to one side... then the other... then it looked him square in the eye.

“Are you certain? I will not force you into this, and you must understand that once you and I become one there is no turning back.” Sho nodded his head fervently.

“I know.”

“Very well,” it answered, “step forward and lay hold of the sword.” The boy slowly walked forward and, with one last apprehensive glance at his partner-to-be, reached out and wrapped his hand around the large hilt.

****************

Sho and Reinae were rescued soon after. Though Sho’s bonding had been somewhat unorthodox, the spiritualists of his village agreed that he was in no danger, so they allowed him to stay.

But, after only a couple of years of training, in the village, Sho became bitter. He felt that, because of how he came to possess his kil’mac, the people of his village were unduly gentle with him. He eventually left, deciding that, if he was to learn how to be a true fighter, he would have to go elsewhere. So, as boys with fiery tempers will do, he packed up his things and left the village, without a word to his parents, his friends, or even the one he loved.

Later on, Sho would come to realize that he had been wrong, but, because of his youthful pride, he refuses to go back. So he wanders, working as a monster hunter to earn money, continuously practicing to become stronger.