Rickard Adams

**Rickard Adams** simply known as **Rick** or **The Viper** is a character who was introduced shortly before the events of Insurgency, portrayed as the leader of the last known grouping of The Vipers, a once infamous gang with a long history. It is during the events of Insurgency, towards the end, that he is shot in the chest by Mira Winters, the shock from the bullet causes him to realize he has the power to manipulate metal, and now with Acchilleus' downfall, he must come to grips with a new reality following the aftermath of such events.

## Biography

### Background

Rickard Adams was born to two loving parents who were also criminals. Born and raised in a similar lifestyle, Rick was taught the dangers of the world at an early age, having to fend for himself and even later taught the use of knives and sooner or later a gun. His parents, whilst dealing with their own issues, clearly never wanted him yet at the same time loved him and knew that they would have an advantage of always being able to use their son for moral gain in tough situations and also to train
him to be a part of their criminal ways. They knew that to quit their lives in hopes for a better future was quickly dashed out the window as many friends had done the same beforehand, and it never worked for the better. Instead, at the age of ten, his parents went to perform their biggest theft yet – that on the Libertas family. As always, things ended poorly and the deaths of both the parents leaving behind an orphan caused much chaos to ensue in Rick's life.

They would have to get up and leave, quickly escaping to the dregs of Scarlet City. In this city, the criminal nature of both Rick's parents seemed to intensify. By now, Rick was constantly being trained to be the best fighter he could be, shooting guns, learning how to defend himself which came in handy from time to time in a dangerous city, and even went as far as to join his own gang – The Vipers. It was by now that Rick's parents had been arrested, found out by the Winters family who was close friends with the Libertas
family. It was here that soon enough a confrontation with a 'fire-wielding' boy led to most of the Vipers beginning to disband,
among other issues.

Rick found solace in soon joining the military, finding himself situated on a military base in Ohio where he went through rigorous training, soon finding himself rightly contributing to society. It was after many years in the army that he caught wind of the Vipers emerging in Heartania, with enough time spent away from any contact with his past, he felt it was time to go back and so he left the army, keeping his dog tags with him (which he wears religiously) as he rejoined the Vipers in a new city, Heartania. It was only shortly after when the Vipers collapsed once more, a battle between a hunter and his sister leading to the absolute ruin of their gang.

After he felt like he had just
simply lost everything once again, Rick found solace in rebuilding
the Vipers, barely managing to scrape the leftover survivors who were still loyal to the name and not being hunted down like dogs. Rick found himself leading the gang, still loyal he lost a lot of them due to in-fighting before Acchilleus found them and Rick had to act as their representative. He had hopes that the Vipers could be powerful and Rick to simply live a hopefully wealthy life after a few years serving Acchilleus. Yet by the time of the final battle, that was not the case. Now with the discovery of his own powers, and a thirst for revenge, Rick has to find himself in a new world.

## Appearance

Rick is described as being 6'3 and a somewhat bulky man, mostly from
his general stature and muscular definition. It is clear that he has a sharp face, one with green eyes, a somewhat larger nose, and stubble that is along his jaw. He has black hair and laugh lines that have not been seen for a long time. His body in of itself is quite muscular, mostly due to rigorous training that he has stuck to either since he was in the military.

When it comes to his attire, Rick is commonly seen wearing something that is green, mostly out of habit, however. Due to his time spent with the Vipers, Rick commonly has some attire that is green, though this is mostly now a simple green wristband that Rick carries with him. He commonly wears a plain shirt, usually short sleeved with a dark jacket over this. He usually has a heavy set of boots and casual pants that is easier to walk around in.

## Personality

Rick has been shown to be a very cold person, not necessarily caring for others (that including the people he works for), besides himself. He prefers to also keep to himself, somewhat frightened by the idea of making bonds with people as he has a very pessimistic view of people and the world. He sees the world and people in wants and needs, what they want from him and what he has to give. Rick truly thinks of himself as a decent person, but the definition of decency is that everyone has their dark side and everyone has an unknown motivation for their actions.

In the meantime, Rick does have enjoyments and hobbies that he keeps secluded and isolated. He doesn't have a desire to be well known by any means. He hides his intelligence and general wit, knowing that they won't be appreciated. Whereas intelligence is linked to art, science, etc. Rick shows an affinity for tactical maneuvering, understanding how to use the environment around him to his advantage. It is just that with leadership, Rick tends to become used to following it and therefore questioning leadership is something that he abstains from unless it is serious. However, after the events of Insurgency, this attitude begins to change after how he deems Acchilleus a bad leader.