A Guardian without his coat, a Nero Guardian, and the Rouge, Azure, and Blanc Guardians (respectively).
An Oniyan that is in the Naginata family's military division. These creatures all speak in the same demonic tone and are all identical within their ranking. The masks are responsible for the change in the voice and outer appearance of the wearer. Guardians are usually seen roaming the city in groups, and if one is usually found handling its business alone, it may either be an Elite or a Noble. The average Guardian is clearly distinguishable from a Noble in that it always wears a full mask and can't act on its own unless controlled by a special program created by Xenon Naginata. There are also Elite Guardians, creatures who behave more in a more sophisticated manner, have the choice to wear half a mask, and can actually remove their masks. Guardians are classified as either Nero (Regular), Azure, Blanc, or Rouge (Azure, Blanc, and Rouge are Elite Rankings). All Guardians are taught archery and telekinesis while in training, though some prefer certain types of combat. All Guardians can also collapse into puddles of parasite blood and reform into a Shadow, a liquefied Guardian with ghostly qualities.
Ranks[]
- Nero: A regular Guardian clad in a black cloak with gray fur. Formidable in large numbers; one must use magic projectiles when dealing with these creatures, for they are programmed to absorb anything that comes in physical contact with them.
- Azure (Elite): These Guardians wear blue and gold clothing with two tails. They specialize in aerial and underwater combat.
- Blanc (Elite): These Guardians usually wear white and gold clothing with three tails. The ninjas, snipers, and assassins of the Nagniata clan, Blancs specialize in stealth and hand to hand combat.
- Rouge (Elite): These Guardians wear red and black clothing with one tail. They specialize in all types of combat, though they usually prefer melee and black magical combat.
- Noble Guardian: A Naginata of the Noble rank that also serves in the military division. These Guardians wear special variations of the Elite Guardian outfits and half a mask.
The Mask[]
Better known as the "Mask of Corruption", these black masks are actually hardened Parasite blood that appears to the naked eye to be a plastic/metal material. The Naginata crest is engraved on the forehead and actually glow when the mask is put on. The appearance of the wearer also changes dramatically, their body type being forced to match that of the unit in which they are involved. This is meant to completely conceal the identity of the wearer. The mask can also literally be peeled off; a transparent grey liquid often trails between the face of the Guardian and the mask. Those who wear half a mask also have the option of concealing their identity completely as well. The mask can also be used as a method of corruption, but is one of the slowest since there is limited contact with the inner body of the victim.
Training to become a Guardian[]
Training to become a Guardian is usually brutal and pushes the mind and body to new limits, especially if one isn't of Oniyan descent. The first test usually consists of the trainee being asked to lift a 10 pound weight with his/her mind. If the trainee attempts to use his/her hand, they're usually scolded, and the instructor usually ends their scolding with "Humans rely too much on what their body can do for them."
Normally, the trainee must work fast and unhesitantly, showing no signs of struggle for fear of angering their instructor (but it usually depends on who the instructor is). The mildest of the training sessions is Meditation, where the trainee learns to channel energy through specific parts of his/her body and force it outward, forming it into whatever shape he/she desires. From Meditation, the trainee actually learns how to create forcefields. More practice will allow the trainee to actually create offensive attacks with the weapon, the two most popular being the dark arrow and the "Gun". Guardians in training also recieve live combat training sessions, where they are matched to a weapon of choice (most of them are trained to be archers) and are prompted to shoot targets that actually try to hurt them. The instructor intervenes as little as possible here.
UnMasked Nero Guardians[]
UnMasked Neros NGK01 (top) and NGK00 (bottom). Notice the black shadow beneath the eyes, the grey sclera, the red iris, and the thin pupils. These are traits found in all UnMasked Neros.
When some Nero Guardians unmask themselves, the mask actually retreats inside their head—through their eyes, mouth, and ears. Consequently, they still speak and behave as if they were Masked, their sclera are a dark grey (as opposed to the Infected and Naginata’s occasional black sclera) their pupils are very thin, and their irises are red. Unmasked Nero Guardians do have casual clothing. The closer one of these creatures get to becoming an Elite, the more personality they show. Otherwise, they behave as if they are robots, only taking cues and commands from the Hive Mind.
The Naming System[]
Each member of a Unit of Nero Guardians has a code name assigned to them. The system works as follows:
NG[insert letter of first unit's first name]##
For example, Nero Guardian Kaito Unit (NGK) is named for NGK00, whose name is Kaito. They range from numbers 00-09. So the [insert letter] option, as you see, would be replaced with K, and then their respective number. They are either referred to as their unit code or [Learder's firstname]01, etc.
The known units are:
- NGK (Nero Guardian Unit Kaito) 00-09
- [more to come!]