| Hiki | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Also known as | |
| Status | |
| Appearance |
Height:? Weight:? Clothes:All Black Height: Weight: ? Eyes: ? Hair: ? Clothes: Build: |
| Species | |
| Age |
? |
| Origin |
Southern Frontier |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Favorite Drink(s) | |
| Family |
? |
| Powers and Abilities |
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| First Appearance | |
| Creator | |
| Hideyuki Kikuchi | |
- "The pair of membranes caught the wind, billowing out behind him like the wings of an angel. And then Hiki's body drifted into the air, quickly rising higher and higher. Just like an angel. Perhaps that was why his name was written with the ancient characters for "flight" and "demon". Catching the wind----or the airflow from his cyborg horse's mad gallop-----he had become a bird"
- ―NarratorThrong of Heretics|[src]]]
Hiki (飛鬼) aka Hiryuu (飛竜) is one of the greatest Vampire Hunters in the Southern Frontier. He is one of a group of vampire hunters hired by the Mayor of Krishken tasked with hunting the Xeno Clan who have returned to take their revenge on the descendants of those who killed many in their family. Makes his appearance in Throng of Heretics.
Appearance
The second man was terribly thin. So slight of build it looked like a strong breeze might blow him away, he was wrapped in a semitransparent film reminiscent of the wings of a mayfly. All he had for a weapon was the knife on his belt. From the back of his steed, the slim seraphim of a man grinned faintly. Once the figure that looked like he'd crush his horse at any moment had disappeared down the road, Hiki spread his arms from his spot in the saddle. The sleeves of his thin garment ran from his wrists to his ankles almost like wings, and they became taut membranes.
“No wind, eh? Let’s make some, then.”
His slender foot kicked his horse’s flank. The cyborg horse galloped off down a road in completely the opposite direction from the man’s four colleagues.
“Last to leave, and the first to arrive,” Hiki murmured as if the words were a spell, then he lightly jumped up on top of his saddle and spread his arms.
The pair of membranes caught the wind, billowing out behind him like the wings of an angel. And then Hiki’s body drifted into the air, quickly rising higher and higher. Just like an angel. Perhaps that was why his name was written with the ancient characters for “flight" and “demon." Catching the wind—or the airflow from his cyborg horse's mad gallop—he had become a bird. Perhaps the animal had been trained in this regard, because on losing its master the cyborg horse halted and raised its head, spotting the figure that’d already been reduced to a speck. Before long, the speck was flying north at a speed no bird could ever match, and the horse began to give chase with the wind swirling in its wake. No one save this faithful steed knew that its sky—bound master was now flying at a rate easily in excess of the speed of sound.
Later he takes on the identity of Hiryuu. A traveler who has had his right knee smashed up after being thrown off his horse from an attack by a desert snake. He's described as a terribly thin, short man that was rather young. He takes on this identity when his "wind suit" was damaged and needed repair. He has a small knife on him.
His whole body is battered in a crash landing after a fight with flying object launched by the Nobility. He drops a highly efficient bomb he is forced to drop in the battle.
Personality
Hiki is a vampire hunter of the highest caliber, being one of the greatest hunters on the Frontier. He being a hunter should have the typical personality attributes of being nihilistic, recluse, drawn to violence, blood thirsty, highly capable, strategic, and unable to stay in one place too long to get comfortable and settle down. He may have had a loss that drove him to be a hunter. Its unclear if that is the case.
- "The Xeno Clan was legendary for their cruelty. Various accounts say his son and those four cousins in particular were so cold blooded even other Nobility were affraid of them. If they're fired up for revenge, especially against some one who butchered their kin in such a dastardly way, this won't be any ol' "vengeance"."
- ―HikiThrong of Heretics|[src]]]
He is very well informed, always having alot of prior intel and able to assess that intel and use it to his benefit.
He is a very prudent hunter, much more than even the others considered the greatest in the group. This may have to do with having very high survival instincts. This seems to be his highest quality. He knows just when to stay and fight, when to run, when to go under cover, when to find a better tactile position, when to manipulate others just right to get the desired effect from them whether that is to repel them or use them to help get the job done. He does these things all through out the story. He being the last of the hunters hired by the mayor left alive, and the one two reap all the rewards, seems to put a distinct exclamation point on it to illustrate this best.
Biography
- "The university’s on holiday...This afternoon...she’ll be arriving at Calico's airport... Tomorrow, she’ll head back here...And they know it...Jagos...My daughter's nanny lives in the village...I’ve heard she and my daughter still correspond...I’m sure she’d know about her vacation plans..."
- ―Mayor of KrishkenThrong of Heretics|[src]]]
Hiki, like the other hunters, arrives to hear out the nature of the job they will be taking on if he accepts. After some negotiation with the Mayor starts to break down, Confessor decides to use his ability to confess the Mayor of Krishken, telling the tale of the Xeno clan and what that has to do with the events of current time.
As follows:
Three Centuries ago Mayor's ancestor, Dominic Krishken, led an attack on the Xeno Clan. Legend has it they delivered poisoned drink to the wedding reception for the viscount’s daughter the night before, then burst in while they were paralyzed and slaughtered the lot. Women, children, servants—it didn't matter. Everyone got staked through the heart and beheaded. Its the one instance where history books in the Capital don't call it a "battle"; they label it a "massacre". Apparently their blood pooled an inch and a half deep on the floor of the great hall. But the most fearsome of the bunch, Viscount Xeno's son and his four cousins, narrowly escaped harm, fleeing to the crypts beneath the castle to slumber. Fearing their vengeance, his ancestors used mining equipment and vast amounts of explosives to level the castle and block the entrance to the crypts with tens of thousands of tons of rubble. They then set a sensor on top of that, to warn should the five slumbering Nobles awaken.
Hiki then accepts on the terms of a huge upgrade in pay for wages, and is intrigued by the notion that who ever survives to bring back the Mayor's beloved daughter and completes the job, is split evenly. If no one else survives, then he has a chance of getting paid all the wages of the hunters. The Nobles have now awakened and The Greatest Vampire Hunters in the Southern Frontier, ride off to confront the threat at hand and bring back the Mayor's daughter. Hiki though leaves last after a conversation with Quake Resden. The giant inquires about why he is lagging behind seemingly making sure to leave last. Hiki assures him he will not be behind long invoking his saying: "Last to leave, first to arrive".
After he leaves Hiki takes flight using his flight suit, with his horse trained to follow, track and meet him later on when he lands.
When the group of D, Annette Krishken, and Pikk sets off all the while being tracked by the Xeno Clan, Hiki seems to also have been tracking them. They follow the group's movements looking for openings for attack or ways to test the Hunter. An opening never comes so they try to create one.
From their coffins now with the sunlight out Xeno Gorshin preparing for attack using the FPU or Flying Predator Unit comes into contact with Hiki where the two battle. It ends quickly with Hiki crash landing after letting loose a bomb.
Annette and D observe this, where the nearby hill is destroyed. Annette with her night vision goggles asks what happened since it was too fast for her to follow. D explains.
Right after this they meet a traveler calling himself "Hiryuu". He says he has hurt his leg after his horse kicked him off and ran away after an encounter with a Desert Snake. D protests allowing the man to join them as he may be the enemy, but Annette "orders" D to comply and let him join. D grudgingly accepts.
As they continue to travel they come across an armored beast who has been shot. The group discusses the wound being a gunshot yet not having heard it.
This is where they meet Granny Gerheit. As her nick name says she is a traveling armory, dealing in weapons, transportation, stealth, reckon, from weapons of the Nobility, to human weapons of antiquity. She has had many past dealings with D and seems to have formed a strong friendship.
She shows up in the story at D's request when he wants to gear up with some equipment he himself would rarely use. It was mainly to arm those in the group with him. D is very generous giving her a thousand dala aristocrat coin upon her showy arrival, where she has fun killing a mound of creatures to display her ability along with the weapons she has in her inventory. She puts a good scare into Pikk and Annette with a large explosion of fire crackers after showing off with her jet pack.
She instructs Pikk, Annette, and D on her weapons on hand while installing a tracking chip on Annette that D requested to track her. During the discussion Annette is snobby about having to use weapons at all as if she is above it. She then fires D for being "worthless" in her point of view despite the complete opposite being true for her, with D only trying to help her. She elects instead to hire Hiryuu to see her home instead to spite D especially sense he voiced his misgivings of him.
Granny is horrified at the lack of smarts in the "woman" and her utter lack of experience and knowledge or any common sense.
She then gears up Pikk with a mecha horse along with a Nobility portable bunker for Hiryuu. She later takes her leave.
Later Xeno Gorshin tries again with the FPU with D cutting the machine following up with deflecting the fire back at the machine that was moving at super sonic speed.Even when Gillian offers to learn his ability and the two exchanging digits to control it, the attack ends in failure. Gillain thinks he has discerned D's "trick" and declares he will defeat him with this knowledge. Gorshin intended to make a new FPU, Gillian orders him to make it so he can ride it.
The group of Annette, Pikk, and Hiryuu escape the situation while the Xeno Clan are focused on D. Just before they break off D offers Pikk to come with him where he declines saying he must protect Annette and stick to his duty.
As the group is riding along Pikk is becoming more and more suspicious about Hiryuu especially by the way he is acting and responding to him. Hiryuu picks an argument with Pikk which turns into a physical confrontation in an attempt to further push him away from Annette so he can take charge and bring her home safely on his own and be rewarded for this part of the agreement while the going is good.
Pikk seems to pick up on something going on but Annette decides to going along with his manipulation terminating Pikk now as well. As they continue the argument of this Annette is taking by surprise by some Dust Creepers. They pull her underground into one of their burrows as pur their known behavior to do on the Frontier in this area. Pikk elects to after her, Hiryuu also agree going so far as saying only Pikk can be of help in this situation sense he is the only one small enough to go after hr through the creature's tunnels.
Pikk follows her in where he is successful initially in finding her and saving her but only after a hail of gun fire where he uses his submachine gun to massacre a group of the abductors. Just as two pull it together enough to leave after experiencing combat high, the pair are assailed by reinforcements that are angered by the deaths of their kin. They are nearly overwhelmed but Hiryuu arrives to help only to be upstaged by the arrival of the Sons of Milco. Hiryuu quickly escapes knowing he is over matched while the Noble take possession of Pikk and Annette after killing the rest of the dust creepers or make them retreat.
Pikk now turned vampire by Countess Genevieve later on his way out of the Iron Castle runs into Hiki formerly known as Hiryuu. He gives possession of Annette to Hiki who promises to get her home safe. The countess and Pikk leave to parts unknown together possibly to find a way to heal her where they can now take possession of the train and live there as they please. Hiki tells D what has happened to Pikk and why. D leaves them to this no longer pursuing either of them wishing them well when he hears from Hiki what transpired.
Powers and Abilities
Hiki is a top notch Vampire Hunter, one of the greatest ever on the Frontier. His combat ability the highest for any human and is well versed in all known weapons. Physically he seems to be frail, but he is definitely stronger than average as D points out his skills in doing and recognizing angles on attacks are well above average. He is able to use this perceived frail appearance to his advantage fooling most into a false sense of security. Even D was hard pressed to find definitive proof of his true nature as a vampire hunter. Though he may have been playing along to some extent. His main ability is the use of his flying suit, which he uses to stay out of sight and maneuver at super sonic speeds, with ability enough to stalemate a Nobility specialized custom made FPU piloted by Xeno Gorshin and walk away with only minor injuries. A crash landing he took at super sonic speed.