What are the Omni?
The Omni, in short, are neither wolf nor human, though they take either shape.
Their origins can be traced back to the 22nd century. Wars had repeatedly broken out, initiated by greedy governments in an attempt to sate their ever-increasing thirst for resources. There seemed to be no end, and the race to improve technology and gain an advantage proved to be futile as the technology continued to be leaked to the very countries it was intended to work against. A solution, a deus ex machina if you will, was needed. So one was made. A new species of super soldier was born, 40 years after the wars began. This species was fine-tuned for combat, possessing heightened physical and observational abilities as well as extraordinarily robust bodies, super efficient metabolisms, and mysterious energy-based abilities, among other things.
This new breed of combatants, meant to team up with human allies, proved to be more than effective. The war only lasted for two more years before victory was declared. The soldiers, along with their omni companions, were hailed as heroes. That is, until the world realized they had use for them anymore. While the human soldiers returned home, the omni had nowhere to go, and even worse, they were dangerous. The military had no choice but to confine them, out of sight until they were needed once again.
That time never came, however. Before a year was over, a majority of the omni had escaped, and are now roaming free, managing to evade every effort to contain them.
Their origins can be traced back to the 22nd century. Wars had repeatedly broken out, initiated by greedy governments in an attempt to sate their ever-increasing thirst for resources. There seemed to be no end, and the race to improve technology and gain an advantage proved to be futile as the technology continued to be leaked to the very countries it was intended to work against. A solution, a deus ex machina if you will, was needed. So one was made. A new species of super soldier was born, 40 years after the wars began. This species was fine-tuned for combat, possessing heightened physical and observational abilities as well as extraordinarily robust bodies, super efficient metabolisms, and mysterious energy-based abilities, among other things.
This new breed of combatants, meant to team up with human allies, proved to be more than effective. The war only lasted for two more years before victory was declared. The soldiers, along with their omni companions, were hailed as heroes. That is, until the world realized they had use for them anymore. While the human soldiers returned home, the omni had nowhere to go, and even worse, they were dangerous. The military had no choice but to confine them, out of sight until they were needed once again.
That time never came, however. Before a year was over, a majority of the omni had escaped, and are now roaming free, managing to evade every effort to contain them.
The omni are almost exclusively male and typically take two forms. The first is that of a human; typically, they reach maturity after 4 years, growing to appear roughly 18-20 years old. They don't visibly age past, and as of now no omni has been known to die of old age, and no known diseases affect them because of their unprecedented genetics.
The second form they often take is a massive, wolf-like canine, reaching anywhere from 5 to 7 feet high at the shoulder. Switching between these forms is almost instantaneous, and creates no noise or visual effects that can be seen by the naked eye. The omni, particularly in human form, can be easily identified by their unnaturally colored hair and eyes, as well as unique markings in some cases, especially on the face. Their eyes also give off a faint glow similar to a nocturnal animal's when refracting light.
Each individual omni is unique, often possessing a manifestation of their mysterious abilities. These manifestations come in all shapes and sizes. Some are able to produce sparks from thin air, others can track life forms using the energy they emit. The only thing linking all of the abilities is that they are based in energy, and often require energy from the user himself.
Every omni also has the ability to "tether" their life energy to a single human, often granting the human omni-like abilities such as increased physical strength, stamina, lifespan, and even manifestations of their own. Furthermore, two bonded individuals can find each other from great distances by following their link. This link is called a bond, and while it has obvious benefits, it also has grave shortcomings. A bond cannot be undone without the death of either individual, and if a bonded human dies, they also snuff out the life energy of the omni, leading to his death as well. If the omni dies, the human simply loses any abilities they may have received. For these reason, omni are extremely reluctant to form a bond with anyone.
Other similar species exist, created to hunt down the rogue omni.
Of them the most common are Hellhound and Beasthounds. Hellhounds are more similar to omni, with a wolfish appearance and a human and canine form. However, there are various physical as well as mental differences. On average they are slightly larger than the omni, with lankier builds, proportionately larger ears, narrower muzzles, and shorter fur everywhere but around the neck. They also tend to only come in various browns, blacks, tans, and golds, with few exceptions, and their eyes are almost always either yellow, orange, or brown.
Beasthounds, on the other hand, have to forms as well, but are very rarely seen in their human form. Instead, they are most often seen as large, heavily-built, muscular canines that stand roughly the same height as hellhounds but weigh around 1.5x as much. They come in a variety of natural colors, usually browns and grays, and have either brown, blue, or gold eyes. They have short ears, short snouts, short tails, and short fur.