A 'Character Select' Portrait of Suki-Ren for my fictional fighting game, Battle Beasts. This is a character of my own design. An ancient spirit sealed away for centuries, he joins the battle to reclaim what was taken from him.

In a time long past, barely remembered as an era of superstition and mysticism, it is said that immortal beings had walked amongst us. Held up as gods, these beings were worshipped by mortals, and in return, these spirits would bless and protect those under their thrall. Beyond that, these beings - vain and hungry for more power - would war with one another, trying to claim more land, more followers, more worship, for this is how they would grow stronger. Drawing mana from sites of power, spiritual leylines, and from their very followers themselves, these spirits sought to achieve real godhood, and rule their mortal realm.
Suki-Ren was one such being, but a lesser spirit, a mischievous kitsune with barely enough mana to take physical form. However, he had no interest in godhood or the wars of supremacy, he sought merely to exist in the mortal world and fatten himself on hedonistic pursuits. For generations he had existed as little more than a ghost, a wind almost powerless to effect the tangible world, and during that time he had witnessed so many things; decadence in all its forms. He had seen the delight of banquets before roaring hearths, the gluttony of dining, the merry stupor of drowning oneself in wine. He had seen the joy in companionship, the ecstasy of love, the thrill of lust and sex laid bare. He had seen comfort and sloth and selfish indulgence and hedonism run wild beyond decency and reason, and he longed to experience it all.
Finding a small spiritual focal point - far removed from the wars of greater spirits - the kitsune had drawn on the trickle of mana, biding his time as he grew stronger by degrees. During this time, Suki had observed his surroundings, finding the mana well was located in a rotten, half-collapsed shrine, perched in the hills above a small province. The land below was suffering badly; failing harvests, blighted soil, rain-starved wells, sickness spreading... it was perfect! The fox spirit was cunning, and though his goal was nothing but pleasure, he knew he would have to play his part if he wanted to sample his desires. And at last, his chance came.
Storing enough mana, Suki-Ren was finally able to manifest into physical form, setting his bare feet on solid ground for the first time. He had never felt anything before, not soil under his soles, not the kiss of wind, he had never smelled the scents of nature. He was practically giddy with the flood of new sensation! And once the kitsune had taken time enough to explore and enjoy in his new form, he set his plan into motion.
He had started with a small but noticeable display, using his spiritual power to cause the hill beneath the shrine to burst with vibrant, glowing blooms. It had cost him more than a little mana but the sudden 'miracle' had caught the attention of the nearest settlements, and then Suki began his benevolent acts. The farmland in the glades below the hill began to spring to life, field after field, one by one, their failing crops suddenly full, bright and bountiful. News spread like wildfire and the province was buzzing with speculation, until Suki decided to make his appearance, ensuring he was spotted, and then a new story was spreading.
'A beautiful young fox boy, naked as the day he was born, walked into a baron field, touched the ground and suddenly it was teeming with fresh crops in full bloom, ready to be harvested! Afterwards, he walked back up the hill to the old shrine! I swear, it's true, come and see for yourself!'
In truth, the 'miracles' Suki was performing were draining his mana, almost threatening to made his physical body fade away and cast him back into spirit form, but his plan had succeeded. The next day, when the fox descended from the shrine, he found a small crowd gathered along the road. They didn't try to speak to him at first, simply watched as he made his way to another baron patch of earth, and witnessed with their own eyes new crops spring forth. It was only then that Suki introduced himself, claiming that he had come in answer to the cries and prayers of the people, that he was a spirit of nature come to save them. It may have been a partial lie, but it achieved the desired intent. Suddenly, Suki was heralded as a saviour and word of the fox spirit reached every corner of the suffering province, even the lord of the land fell to his knees in gratitude when he saw a miracle for the first time.
Suki played his part well, acting as a selfless, benevolent spirit. In a matter of months, the towns harvest was booming beyond anything they had ever experienced, so much so they could afford to trade with neighbouring regions. Furious rains were summoned to quench the land and refill wells, and new, exotic flowers blossomed were the blessed water fell - another commodity for the people. The disease creeping through the populace was stopped in its tracks and the sick were restored. Soon, new businesses and inns were opened as people travelled from far and wide to see this miracle for themselves. The entire province had been revived.
And as reward, Suki was treated as royalty. His home, the shrine, was rebuilt in its entirety, and expanded into a luxurious, gated manor. Fresh offerings were delivered to his door daily, and thankful worshippers waited outside his walls to speak to him in person. Whenever he would pass through a town or village, people would offer him flowers, fresh vegetables, delicious dripping meats, and any finery he could desire. The greatest tailor in the land clad the kitsune in the finest silks and cloth, and adorned him in precious jewels that would make a king jealous. Suki-Ren was living his dream, experiencing every joy he had craved - he gorged himself at delicious banquets, drank rivers of wine, savoured lustful company with an ever expanding appetite. It was perfect, he wanted for nothing, living only for pleasure and drawing mana from his willing worshippers. His power was growing too, the enormous feast of mana manifesting as additional tails on his physical body.
But fifty years into his life of luxury, orgies and decadence, it all came to an abrupt end. Across the world, the wars of his kin had drawn the ire of mortals, and powerful individuals began to emerge to cast down and banish the spirits. Exorcists, priests and holy men formed armies of their own and had been purging every greater spirit they could find... and soon their eyes turned to Suki. In one night of blood and fire, the Exorcists attacked Suki's shrine, slaying any followers who would defend him, and bringing the powerful kitsune to his knees. Suki's body was murdered and his soul was sealed away, trapped within a statue, his prison for all eternity.
Or at least, it would have been...
Centuries passed, and soon all memory of this era were forgotten, recounted as stories and legends. But by random and uncaring chance, a terrible storm gathered above an ancient, burnt out shrine. Torrential rain caved in what remained of the ceiling, and lighting stabbed the sky. At the peak of the storm's fury, a bolt cracked down, striking the head of a statue that had been left to rot for untold years, and the sacred rock shattered. Under a sky of anger and baptised in rain, a spirit long forgotten screamed back into the world. Deprived of mana for so long, Suki-Ren was barely able to summon his physical body, but when he did, he found the world had changed. Long gone were the farms, towns and villages below his home, now there sprawled a city the likes of which he had never seen, with buildings tall enough to scrape the sky. Doused in rain and kneeling in the broken, burnt ruins of his perfect life, Suki cried.
The next few years were cruel and difficult, Suki utterly baffled by what he saw. People stared at screens and talked into their hands, artificial lights were everywhere, even at night, and strange metal boxes moved quickly along tarred roads. It had taken a long time for him to understand how society had changed and even longer to understand that he would have to change if he wanted to continue to live in this mortal realm. Gone were his banquets. Gone was his wine. He was still able to enjoy lustful company from time to time, but it wasn't the same. And he was so weak... he could only absorb so much mana from his partners or from the meagre food he could scrape together. Without worship, without followers, without a bountiful site of power to draw from, Suki was barely above a mortal. He couldn't go on like this. Perhaps he should just let himself fade away...
But then, Suki heard of the Battle Beast Tournament. The cunning kitsune smiled as he realised his days of worship and hedonism weren't over yet. This was it, his way back to his perfect life! So what if the world had changed? All he needed were people to love him again, all he needed was his mana restored. And it would be even better this time; last time he was adored by a single province, this time, he could be worshipped by the entire world.
"Mmm, I like you. When this is over, I think I'll keep you as a pet~"


Suki-Ren belongs to me.