Maik

Maik is a semi-early character in the story arc of 8th Axis.
He was added in early July, 2022 as part of the upcoming Season Two storyline update. He is a citizen of Dauper village, a town in the Frontier, which will likely be very important in the new Frontier update.
He can be found near X: 2033, Z: 2411, in the general vicinity of his forge.
==Origin==
Though more of his backstory may be revealed in the update she will be included with, little is currently known of Maik's origin. Much can be speculated however, given what small knowledge is possessed. Maik has likely lived in Dauper his whole life. This theory is supported by the fact that he is a horse trainer and breeder for the Survey Corps, which is what Arthur Braus had the idea to go into doing after the fall of Wall Maria when the game got scarce. He clearly has a deep passion for it too, not at all being to horse breeders what Lio is to hunters, for example. 
==History==
Maik clearly has a deep-rooted respect for horses. He greatly enjoys their company, treating them like humans at times. He especially expresses regret over one horse named Beth, that was once in his care but is now not. He does not elaborate on this, only calling her the best horse he's ever had. He is very grateful to the Scout Regiment for purchasing horses from him, and thinks all of Dauper would be poor if not for their help. He also has a group of helpers who he seems to consider as his friends that bring in new horses for him to train. It is unclear if the Scouts fund these assistants as well, though it's not likely, as they may be affiliated with some questionable characters. Maik could be growing suspicious of them, saying that the new horses they've been bringing in are acting violent and difficult to train, and that he doesn't know where the crew is getting them from, but that he's got a bad feeling about it. This will likely be expanded in the future. 
==Appearance==
Maik is a middle-aged male with light skin, brown eyes, and dark brown hair. He wears a white tunic, dark brown pants, black boots, a long, dirty-brown sleeveless coat, and light beige gloves, likely for gripping reigns.
==Dialogue==
*Nothing beats the freedom of riding horseback through the forest!
*Sold some beautiful horses recently, faster and stronger than anything you can find elsewhere!
*Some of the newer horses are getting difficult to train, I don't know where my boys are getting them from but I'm not liking it!
*The Survey Corps have helped so much by funding the horse farm! We probably would all be poor if it wasn't for their help!
*We've had some pretty good game coming in recently!
*I miss Beth, best horse I've ever had!
*Some of the best hunters can shoot a fleeing wolf with an arrow while on horseback!
==Trivia==
*In time, Maik may replace the Horse Breeder at spawn. The NPC has been unused since the server reset.