Kensei

# The Pilot

## Personality

Once upon a time in the midwest there was a greasy, out of shape young man with a deep and abiding fascination with the sword. (Badly) self taught from internet videos and active on any forum that hadn't yet banned him, his proudest possession was (he would assure anyone who asked, along with anyone who didn't) a genuine katana he had commissioned in Japan for 2,400,000 Yen (that's about 20,000 dollars).

Lacking in every aspect needed for mastery (or indeed mild competence) in his chosen craft, save for endless quantities of enthusiasm, this mall ninja was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime when the suits fell, and he strove to use this gift of alien technology the way he felt (perhaps not incorrectly) it was meant to be: to make nerds into totally awesome master swordsmen just like in that anime he probably tried to convince you to watch.

He doggedly pursued any modification that could give his mad skillz any further edge, from cybernetics to nanites to AI support to supplemental equipment to enhancing his physique by becoming an elf; anything was fair game if it led to him being better with a sword. His final and most drastic step was to take advantage of his cyberbrain to erase his own memories of anything but his purpose, to truly cleanse his mind of earthly distractions and fully embrace the blade.

Thus unburdened by his thoroughly embarassing and undignified origins, the clueless journeyman set about wandering the earth to hone his mastery, a journey that eventually led him to Moqoddas, with whom he now trains.

By all counts he is now genuinely a world-class swordsman, it's just that his motivations are a lot less pure and noble than he assumes they are.

## Appearance

A lean elf at the height of fitness that is a far cry from his original flabby countenance, Kensei hasn't quite shaken the last vestiges of his suburban townie origins, namely his mane of untameable frizzy blond hair, and his pasty white skin (which has remained like this even under constant exposure from the desert sun. Must be nanites or something).

## Relations & Allies

**Alvilda Elofsdottir (Valkyrie):** His senior in Moqaddas, he respects her coolheaded focus and thus will actually listen to her. Calls her 'sensei', because of course he does.

**Mark Wolfe (Silver Knight):** Has long yearned for the opportunity to cross swords with the famed knight to find out if the man lived up to the legend.

# The Suit

> Excellence is not an art, but pure habit: we are what we repeatedly do.
>
> Message displayed on suit startup

The ronin resembling suit with which Kensei now shares his name is built toward the singular purpose of maximising his effectiveness in melee combat, and to that it end its agility and precision of movement have been pushed to their absolute peaks, allowing Kensei to attack with blinding speed and strike weak points to great effect.. All of this comes at the cost of the suit being rather frail and exposing the pilot somewhat, though taking advantage of this would require hitting it, which is another matter entirely....or a least it was, until he suffered a number of wound on one operation that were capped off in brutal fashion with a railgun slug through the torso.

Severely wounded, Kensei recuperated for a number of months, discovering to his dismay that his once peerless razor edge had been dulled (possible permanently) by the experience; his blows limper, his reactions slower, and try though he might he simply cannot seem to surpass his newfound limits. This certainly won't stop him from training relentlessly attempting to though, and humbled as he is he's still not to be taken lightly

Kensei habitually wields a pair of swords, with a special anti-material blade in reserve for heavy targets. He is skilled enough with them to parry or destroy an opponent's weapon, and his primary sword is almost a part of him such that he simply will not be disarmed of it without it being destroyed. He has trained back up to his old skill level of striking a foe thrice at once with each blade, and has discarded his practice of switching to a backup sword in the event of losing it in favour of further honing his single weapon form to nearly the same level as his dual wielding one. He's also acquired a high quality Kriegsmesser, which due to its lifedraining properties he believes to be the work of Sengo Muramasa.

## Suit Crunch

https://pastebin.com/htMCcdfy (legacy)

https://pastebin.com/zUM4xpeP (current)