"Gods, that's so awesome." Glas sighed with a sad shake of his head. He flapped his wings another few times to keep his momentum going. "I mean, I can fly without any sort of outside help, but I'd be lying if i said this weren't wearing me out a little."

"Yeah, for sure! I swim about as good as a rock when I'm wearing my gear." Glas replied and slowly began to level himself out. He had to move away from Prism to make room for his wings. The built up airspeed from his free fall meant that he was now rocketing over the ground faster than he ever could by flapping his wings alone. With a little whoop he corkscrewed, then sidled back into place at the hummingbird's flank.

"Prism, right? I think I've seen you around, now that I think about it. What team are you on?" Glas called out over the wind.

Glas tilted his head in confusion. A simple yes or no would have sufficed. After all, they were running out of time. Before he could try and scream at her again, the avian girl started... fogging. Like that weird dry ice stuff. There was a woosh, a roar, then their world became silent. The wind stilled, even though they still hurtled towards the ground at terminal velocity. The big man looked this way and that in utter amazement, having never seen such a phenomenon in the air.

Then, the girl he'd thought he was rescuing spoke, and he barely registered it due to being more focused on the absolute stillness in the air. The only coherent thought in his head was that there was no need for the use of such crude language.

"I... Uh... I flew." Glas replied stupidly, then shook his head vigorously. His face returned to that same look of focus and concern, and he began to go through the steps taught to him during his search and rescue courses. Upon finding the victim, it was always best to assess their injuries before taking any other action. "Are you okay? Are you feeling any numbness? Any confusion? You looked like you were getting pretty high up there; saw you drop like a rock and thought you'd blacked out."

CHARACTER
Name: Glas Awyr (Literal Welsh translation: Blue Sky)

Age: 18
Species and Gender: Human Male
Symbol: A sky blue, silhouetted side-profile of a sheepdog’s head, ears erect and alert as it scans the horizon.
Occupation: Shepherd (formerly), 1st year student (Beacon Academy)
Appearance:



Glas is a solidly built, broad-shouldered young man covered from head to toe with a severe farmer’s tan. He stands at a respectable 5’10, and weighs in at 190 lbs. Most of that weight is thick muscle attained not from a gym, but from a lifetime of physical labor. He sports a square jaw and a clean-shaven face, with two sharp eyes the color of the sky. Glas keeps the sides of his head trimmed short, and the top longer in a messy side part that always manages to let a few strands of hair hang down over his brows.

When not in his school uniform, Glas usually settles on durable clothing befitting of a farmer. He’ll normally wear a navy button-up with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a sky-blue undershirt, a pair of sturdy jeans, and heavy, leather work boots. For protection he wears a pair of heavy metal greaves over his shins, and leather gauntlet gloves with plain metal bracers on his forearms.

History: Glas was born the youngest of seven brothers on an isolated homestead on the largest island off the north coast of Sanus. Both his mother and father were disgruntled Atlesian military veterans who had grown tired of the cut-throat politics and stuffy high-society that infested the kingdom from top to bottom. They decided to move away from it all in order to raise their children in a more honest, tranquil environment, far from the influences of any politician or tycoon.

From the instant he was old enough to walk, Glas spent many of his days helping to tend to his family’s giant flock of sheep, which served as both their source of sustenance and income. Hours upon hours were spent sitting quietly, on the lookout for threats, in the company of his elder brothers and father, who made it a point to teach each of his sons how to fight and survive in the wilderness. The days were spent outside in the lush valleys of their home, and the nights were spent indoors learning and listening to news of the outside world.

The lack of neighbors and a mostly harmonious family life meant that grimm attacks were few and far between, but for as long as he could remember, Glas was utterly terrified of the monsters that stalked the hills and forests. His mother spent many evenings trying profusely to calm the young boy down whenever his father and brothers went out to meet packs of beowolves. A mere photo of one of the evil beasts would cause night-terrors for weeks. While his elder brothers began to head off to Beacon to become huntsmen, Glas was content to stay in his safe little corner of Remnant, caring for his flock.

All of that changed when he was 13 years old. Sometime in the night, a lamb had wandered from the flock, and the next morning Glas and his family set out into the wilderness in search of the lost creature. Fortunately, Glas managed to find the lamb. Unfortunately, it was being chased by a small group of beowulves. The lamb ran into Glas’ arms, and faced with his greatest nightmare, the boy could do nothing but stare at the gnashing teeth and claws that would end him. That is, until Colonel, the family sheepdog, charged forward and began challenging the grimm in return. It was enough to make them pause, as they were small and so few. Without thinking, Glas began brandishing his knife and howling like a madman, doing anything he could to appear a threat to the beowulves. The ruse worked, buying enough time for his father and brothers to come to the rescue and slay the monsters. When the dust had settled, everyone present was shocked to find that Glas’ aura, and semblance, had been unlocked by the trauma of the experience. A pair of Glowing wings protruded from his back, wrapping gently around himself, the lamb, and Colonel in a protective blanket of sky-blue fire.

It was then that Glas knew he had a great ability, and a duty to use it to defend not just his own flock, but all those who wandered too far and found themselves hunted by monsters. He enrolled in combat school the following autumn, and upon his visits home he would relish at the rare chance to use his abilities in volunteer search-and-rescue efforts.

Shortly after graduating from Signal, Glas was given the opportunity to continue his path towards becoming a professional huntsmen at Beacon Academy.

Personality:

When one first meets Glas, they may get the impression that he is a quiet, serious man who does not play games. This is natural, as his face appears to be permanently shaped into one of intense focus and grim determination. Indeed, due to his upbringing as a shepherd, he has a subconscious habit of silently keeping on the lookout for incoming threats, no matter the situation. Over his life he has learned to never back down from a fight, no matter how perilous the odds.

Don’t forget that he had six older brothers. If you engage him, or more likely, he engages you, you’ll discover a compassionate young man fully capable of joking, teasing, and laughing like the rest of us. Hailing from a more rural part of remnant, you’ll find that Glas is perfectly content with the simple things in life. As long as there is good food, a warm bed, and good company, all is right in the world. He tries his best to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and show mercy to all who beg it. If one becomes part of his “flock”, they gain a steadfast, loyal friend who would fight tooth and nail to keep them safe.

However, it should be noted that because of his rather sheltered upbringing, Glas can sometimes seem a little too naive or innocent. It’s not that he’s no stranger to violence and evil, but he was never in a position to experience the negatives of urban living such as petty crime or terrorism. Any two-bit criminal with a convincing sob-story could easily get the shirt off of Glas’ back. Furthermore, Glas is as stubborn as a mule, and has great conviction. In his mind, the losing side is not always the wrong side, and he would rather go down fighting than betray his beliefs, one of which being that the ends never justify the means. Prepare for arguments. As a lifelong protector, Glas also has a tendency to try and shoulder others’ burdens as his own. More independent types may chafe at the constant tending, as if Glas were a sheepdog and his friends the sheep.

While Glas may appear to be a simple-minded farmboy, he does in fact have a full education, and a love for classic literature that occasionally shows itself in conversation through old quotes and alliterations. Having had much time to sit quietly and think, one would be surprised just how much Glas has thought about very deep subjects such as the creation of the universe, the dichotomy of good vs evil, etc. Very wise words may occasionally escape his lips, if you’re willing to listen. However, the tranquility of his childhood home did have one major drawback in that crowds and prolonged social activities tend to overwhelm Glas to the point where he needs to excuse himself to destress. If he isn’t able to escape, he tends to become snappy and anxious from the never ending surge of stimuli.

Lastly, Glas is a huge dog person, having grown up with a very large dog named Colonel. He’d love nothing more than to have one, but won’t due to his ability. He wishes for nothing except a dog- or dog-like companion- that can accompany him into the skies.

Aura and Semblance: Glas’ aura is sky blue, and his semblance is called “Wings of Sacrifice”. When activated, two bird-like wings made of pure aura erupt from Glas’ upper back. They are fully functional, with an overall wingspan of 20 feet. The distance Glas can fly with these wings is dependent on his speed as well as any additional weight he’s carrying, such as a teammate. At a gentle cruising speed of 25 mph, he can expect to make it 10 miles, or 24 minutes. Lately he’s been pushing 50 mph at max horizontal speed, and can sustain that speed for five miles, or five minutes. If he’s carrying something heavy like another person, halve those distances. During combat, when Glas is remaining in a relatively confined space and performing complex acrobatics, his air time is five minutes. Once Glas tires, it usually takes him another half hour before he’s rested enough to fly again.

The “sacrifice” part comes into play when Glas uses the wings, each made of solid aura, as shields. They provide more protection than standard aura shields, at the expense of weakening the shielding around Glas’ actual body, and they’re able to be manipulated to wrap around someone else, or block off entire groups of people from harm. But, if Glas loses a wing, such as under sustained small arms fire or from the impact of heavy munitions/melee weapons, the aura that the wing is composed of is destroyed, grounding Glas until his aura recharges enough to recreate the wing. Each wing is equivalent to 40% of Glas’ total aura supply. If both wings are destroyed, Glas is left a sitting duck with only 20% aura. The firepower needed to destroy each wing is equivalent to 1 direct hit from a rocket/explosive/heavy round, 4 solid hits from a heavy melee weapon such as an axe or mace, or 10 shots from small arms such as a 9mm handgun or daggers.

Combat Behavior: Glas’ main advantage is the air. During a fight he will try his best to stay airborne, whether just hovering inches off the ground and fighting like normal, or soaring like an eagle and making fast, hard passes at his opponent. In the air, movement is uninhibited, and Glas twists and turns gracefully to dodge blows. Being unable to effectively use his wings as shields while flying, and having reduced shielding around his physical body, evasion is the name of the game. Glas can dance like a butterfly with enough space, making a great distraction that many a henchmen will gladly spend an eternity trying to hit while the rest of the team flanks. In an emergency, such as an ambush or attacks on civilians, Glas will almost always move to block the worst of the damage with his wings while the rest of the group prepares to counter attack, or escapes to safety.

Tight spaces, inclement weather, and surface-to-air weaponry will force Glas to ground. Glas is not a tactician. His battle strategy is to attack, and not die. If he tries to use his wings while on the ground to defend himself, he will be clunky and awkward on his feet, making flanking his exposed parts easy. If he tries to turtle up and shield himself from all sides, just keep shooting until the shields break, then go in for the kill when he’s weak.

Without the air or his wings, Glas is just another kid with aura and a sword, albeit with a lot of practice with said sword. That said, his ranged attacks are extremely limited, and he’s no speedster on foot. If you can stay out of range, keep him on the ground, and keep chipping away with ranged weaponry, he will be utterly defenseless.

It should also be noted that as a man with great control over his emotions, and an absolute refusal to compromise on his convictions, psychological warfare will not work on Glas. Likewise, he isn’t nearly tricky enough to attempt such deception on his enemies. What you see is what you get.

WEAPON
Name: Colonel
Primary Form: In this basic form, Colonel is a basic, reliable two-handed sword with a cruciform hilt, 2 foot long blade, and 1 foot long handle. It’s sharp, pointy, and it’s travel sized, slipping into a scabbard running down the length of Glas’ spine from the upper back. The metal is standard, brushed steel, while the handle is coated in a sturdy, navy-blue rubber.
Secondary Form: This is where Colonel bares its fangs. The blade extends to its full length of four feet, and the rubberized grip comes in handy as the blade begins to spark and dance with lightning. Turns out that the pommel of the sword is actually the end cap for a massive lightning-dust battery that takes up the entire inside of the handle. With this full-length European-style longsword, Glas is ready for battle.
Tertiary Form: N/A
Dust Functions: Glas is a melee fighter, and as such doesn’t have a lot of options for ranged fights. What he does have, after flicking off two safeties, and pulling a trigger near the hilt, is a BFG that for lack of a better term unleashes a 7 in. diameter beam of lightning down the length of the blade and through whatever its pointed at for about 100 yards. Due to the power of the blast, the battery only allows for 4 shots before the battery has to be refilled with powdered dust. Recharge time between shots is 12 seconds. This feature is rarely used both because of its risk of accidentally killing a sparring partner, and because of the inevitable costs of property damage.
History: Glas built this weapon during his time at Signal academy alongside his fellow trainees. Having been trained in the use of a longsword since a young age by his father, selecting a weapon to wield was a no-brainer. During the design of his weapon, Glas took his father’s teachings of simplicity and function over style to heart. After all, what good is a sword that can turn into five different guns and a toaster if all of those moving parts break down? So, not quite being as zealous as his father, Glas elected to have two forms: one for fighting, and one for travel that was just as capable of fighting.

Many questioned his lack of a ranged weapon, but Glas paid them no mind, as he’d never been a great shot anyways. However, a short time after Glas learned in one of his classes about the infamous nevermore, namely that it was larger and faster than he, and occupied the same solar system. That was when Glas realized his weapon was missing something, namely a massive gun. Just in case. Finally, Glas named his sword Colonel, after his beloved dog and childhood companion. Like the furry version, this Colonel would stand with him against beowulves, nevermores, and whatever came slinking out of the darkness to threaten the flock. Never wavering, never backing down.