Hound

Hound is one of the Agents in FLAME vs BLAZE.

The Great Protector
Part 1
 * "Damn. Just a second too late," thought a grimacing Hound. He could sense that the Blaze of Anguish and the Flames of Bliss were clashing--his darkest fears brought to life.


 * The light was so brilliant that it blotted out the sun. An intense heat scalded his skin as he was knocked up in the air before crashing to the ground--and thus the Calamity had struck.


 * When the wave subsided, Hound forced himself up, and as he looked around all he saw was rubble strewn about the landscape with no sign of Nicolai or Pulcinella. Instead, he saw two figures--a boy in his late teens and a young man slightly older than that--standing over him. It was a miracle that the two had survived.


 * The clash between the Blaze of Anguish and the Flames of Bliss had the potential to alter the flow of time and stability of space, with yet unknown effects on the human body and psyche.

Part 2
 * Pulcinella's escape from prison precipitated the entire incident. He had attempted to seize the Flames of Bliss from the Heavens and was to remain fettered for all eternity in the land of the humans. Should he remain unrepentant, the judicators were prepared to eliminate him from all existence.


 * But Pulcinella merely laughed at his captors, disappearing from his cell in a cloud of smoke. Could the elusive Vichy be behind this?


 * The boy Nicolai was tasked with hunting down Pulcinella and meting out justice--a task perfect for one who could complete even the most arduous of tasks without tiring. Hound, however, never thought that he would be the one called in for backup.


 * Hound surveyed the scene around him and let out a heavy sigh. Seeking out Nicolai and Pulcinella was his endgame, to be sure, but first he had to deal with a massive Reactor. Any disruption to its internal systems could spell massive disaster. "Back to work," he thought.

Part 3
 * Well, another plan down the drain, thought Hound as he stood in front of the Reactor, eyes turned toward the Heavens. He thought of his home, and how if he wasn't able to fix this situation he would never be let back into the kingdom above.


 * There was nothing wrong with the Reactor--not even a scratch. In fact, someone had gotten there before him and altered it so that the Flames of Bliss could not be returned to the Heavens. "Vichy," Hound spat out. Pulcinella's escape from prison was surely the works of who knows how many insidious witches, or cultists, or who knows what else.


 * "Bastards tampered with the whole damn thing. Now nothing can get back to the heavens--not me, not Nicolai, not the Flames... And that only spells disaster for all of us."


 * Hound's head began to swirl. Did Pulcinella have help from Lowland beings? Was it a dissident faction from the Heavens? If he couldn't get back, then surely Pulcinella couldn't either, but that would mean... Hound slumped onto the ground and lost all consciousness.

Part 4
 * When Hound awoke from the concussion he suffered in the Calamity, he found himself on a bed in an unfamiliar house. The décor wasn't exactly to his liking, but he couldn't deny that the place was spic-and-span. He slowly pushed himself up, only to be greeted by the face of a lovely young woman.


 * Mid-20s, Hound thought. Her black hair stretched down the length of her back in an unwavering straight line. She wordlessly changed the wrappings on his wounds and vanished from sight just as quietly.


 * "What choice did I have but to follow her?" And why would she meet each question I asked with silence, not even mentioning her name? The less she said, the more curious I became."

Part 5
 * It was only a few minutes before they had arrived at the woman's abode. At one time her village may have been idyllic, but right now... it was under assault by demons.


 * Hound rushed forward, guns blazing, as he took down every last fiend that dared rear its head, with the rest scampering off, tails between their legs. A smile crept onto the woman's face. Now that's a smile I can die for, thought hound. Yet never did the two speak, for Hound left the village without any words being exchanged.


 * Though he could not return the Flames of Bliss to the Heavens, none of that mattered to the people here on the ground. Their happiness was found in fleeting peace rather than in eternal balance. But would the peace last if demon continued to spawn through the land? And those demons surely would not content themselves with the ground below. No, their ultimate goal...was the Heavens themselves.


 * Hound sprung into action with renewed vigor. "Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do." He would find Nicolai and bring Pulcinella for justice. Not only for the Heavens, but for the smiling young woman.

Top Gun
Hound has the same trait for both modes.

Freeze!
Hound menacingly brandishes his pistol, dazing foes in front of him and decreasing their defense.

Advance!
Hound lunges forward, increasing the movement speed and defense of himself and nearby allies and healing any ailments.

Locked On!
Hound places an explosive drum at the target location, where it explodes and damages enemies in its radius.

Freeze!
Hound menacingly brandishes his pistol, dazing foes in front of him and decreasing their defense.

Rally!
Hound lunges forward, knocking back nearby enemies and increasing the power and soul of himself and nearby allies.

Coming Up!
Hound hides then jumps out of the ground at the target location, dealing damage to nearby enemies and silencing them.