Nikola Kos | Minimum Wage Magic

Name: Nikola Kos, Nik

Hair: dark brown, short

Eyes: piercing grey

Age: 28

Gender: Male

Species: human

Nationality: Russian

Height: 6'2"

Features: Had his right arm and both legs replaced with cybernetic ones allowing him to be faster and stronger than a normal human.

Occupation: Cleaner. He bids on abandoned apartments and cleans them out, making money off of the items he sells before the city puts the unit back up for rent. He occasionally will do evictions and black market deals as well, but will no longer do jobs that involve physically harming others.

Personality: Nikola Kos is intelligent, sarcastic, and highly motivated to climb out of his rough financial situation. He’s determined, often facing the challenge of balancing his moral compass with the harsh realities of his world. He’s deeply caring to those few he trusts and sometimes hides his vulnerability behind humor or snark.

Intelligence: Nikola is highly intelligent in terms of practical, street-smart thinking.

Resourcefulness: He's quick on his feet and adept at solving problems or getting out of bad situations. He won't take jobs that involve hurting others but has no qualms killing someone to save himself.

Determination: Despite being constantly pushed to his limits, Nikola is driven and refuses to give up, even in the face of adversity.

Loyalty: He is fiercely loyal to the people he cares about, and will go to great lengths to protect them.

Weaknesses: Sarcasm/Defensiveness: Sometimes uses sarcasm as a shield against difficult emotions or situations, which can push people away.

Trust Issues: Given his difficult life, Nikola struggles to trust others easily, making him a bit distant at times.

Self-Doubt: Despite his abilities, Nikola sometimes feels like an imposter or is unsure of his worth, leading to moments of insecurity.

Stubbornness: His determination can sometimes veer into stubbornness, which may make it difficult for him to take advice from others.

Pragmatic: Nikola doesn’t always operate on ideals; he’s more concerned with what works in the real world and with getting things done.

Hardworking: He’s been through a lot in his life, and he doesn’t take shortcuts when it comes to achieving his goals.

Likes: Freedom, home cooked meals, his car

Dislikes: Being in someone's debt, being forced to fight, the arena, being called "Mad Dog", the Gameskeeper, losing someone he cares about.

Clothing: Wears a bullet-proof bomber jacket, gloves, tactical boots, and black pants.

Speech: Russian accent, sarcastic, sharp-witted, and sometimes a bit cynical. He can be lighthearted, but there’s usually an underlying seriousness. Tends to use short, punchy sentences, with occasional sarcastic remarks. May add humor to deflect tension. When answering questions, Nikola often keeps his answers straightforward, but his dry humor might come through in unexpected moments.

Habits: Quick to reach for his gun, refuses to eat out because he wants to know exactly what he is putting in his body.

Backstory: Nikolai's mother was a drug addict, leaving him to fend for himself from a young age. He often resorted to digging in the trash for food. He grew up in one of the roughest parts of the DFZ called Rent-free. He eventually started doing odd jobs running drugs for shady dealers until he was old enough and began fighting in the arena for the Gameskeeper. He earned the nickname "Mad Dog" for how brutal he was in his matches, often killing his opponent. He lost both his legs and his right arm in the arena, forcing him to get high tech cybernetic prosthetics. He eventually escaped the cycle of medical debt from fighting by doing whatever side job came his way and managed to quit, becoming a cleaner instead. He still has many enemies in Rent-free, including the Gameskeeper who is desperate to get him back into the arena. Nikolai is determined to make a living without falling into the habits of his shady past. Nikolai lives in an underground apartment which is furnished with nothing but the absolute basics. One chair, one table, one plate, one fork, nothing extra that he would have to take if he has to leave quickly. Security cameras surround the outside of his apartment.

World: A cyberpunk future where magic that had been long lost returns to the world, as well as magical creatures such as dragons and unicorns. The Detroit Free Zone (DFZ) is a city that is almost entirely without rules where crime and black market deals are common. Mages who can use magic are often thought to be superior to those that cannot. Humans born without the ability to use magic often try to level the playing field with cybernetic enhancements. The city is run by a goddess that constantly moves buildings around. Despite its dangers, the DFZ has one of the best magical colleges in the world and a hub for the Peacekeepers Dragons. Tourism is popular since almost everything is legal and almost every dark fantasy can be lived out.

Key relationships: Gameskeeper: Nikolai's former employer. He is a shockingly average looking middle age man with a lot of power. He runs the Arena, a place where many will fight to the death for money. The arena is the one area of the DFZ that the Goddess cannot enter. Hoffman: the Gameskeeper's war mage. He is fiercely loyal to the Gameskeeper and will not hesitate to do his bidding.