Tab:MaximusBook

Maximus Jones is one of the High Generals of the Order of Knights, and symbolizes the more medieval theme to the faction, training his own division of specialists known as Paladins. He is the notable face of the Order of Knights' side for the Vorcium Civil War, being the leader of the campaign against the Order of Demons.

Early Life
Not much is known about Maximus' earlier life, he was born and raised in an unknown, destroyed remote village in the desert, where he left just before its destruction at the hands of a violent sandstorm. At this time, he was only 16, and made a perilous trek to New Aberdeen, and on the way, unknowingly discovering a fragment of the truth behind the Vorcium Civil war.

Training and Entry into the Knights
Upon reaching New Aberdeen in 2167, he searched for roughly two weeks in the city for his long lost father, finding no leads. Upon giving up, he began to drown his sorrows in a bar before being confronted by Magnus Jones, Maximus' soon-to-be role model. After a short conversation, Maximus gave up on his quest to find his father, and instead began his enlistment into the Order of Knights.

Upon reaching 18, he began official training for entry into the Knights' military, where he passed through fairly quickly. During this time he began to form an older brother-like relationship with Mac Slife, who at the time was roughly ten years younger than Maximus.

Two years afterwards, after disrupting a bandit outpost, Maximus, who was a squad leader at this time, returned to New Aberdeen with news of Mac's real older brother, Chris, and his death. Because of the trauma to this, and that Mac was still growing up, Maximus stopped considering their relationship brother-like, and instead they became closer to friends. After Chris' funeral, Magnus was poisoned, and in his dying breath demanded that Maximus take his place.

High General
Not long afterwards, Maximus took his foster father's place as High General. Maximus had continued his father's Paladins division, and Ketch, Mac's predecessor, created the Gerrids not long afterwards, a unique soldier type similar to Marines that had the ability to walk on water. Yuri had yet to create the Cleansers as the Malebranche had yet to exist. Ketch and his Gerrids wouldn't last long as they would go MIA during a mission to explore Order of Demons territory, as they had gone silent, and never returned. Afterwards, Mac took his place and created the Ghosts division, the few Gerrids that were still active switched to the Ghosts division.

War on the Demons
Main article: Vorcium Civil War

In 2176, the Order of Demons executed their first attack against the Order of Technology, swiftly rigging their escape ships and their SRM to explode upon use, which was a success. Those that "escaped" were eradicated, and the Demon infantry stormed VCT, the Order of Technology's capitol, killing all they could find and ruining the base, taking with them only food, water, and guns, and leaving the technology to rust. Upon learning that VCT was destroyed, New Aberdeen was put on lockdown, with the Knights at the ready at all times, expecting raiders or bandits, and instead being greeted by Demon soldiers and their undead army of Malebranche. The Demons were fought back, though considerable losses were counted on the Knights' side. In the aftermath of the battle, Yuri discovered that Malebranche had an extreme weakness to fire, and thus created the Cleansers division.

Afterwards, several battles occurred between the two factions, though no considerable moves were made against one another until the events of All or Nothing.

All or Nothing
Main article: All or Nothing

During the events of Chapter One: All Or Nothing, Maximus' Early Life is explained in the beginning, though it eventually skips to the middle of the Vorcium Civil War, specifically 2184, in which Maximus speaks of the movement of their units and potential attacks the Demons might make with Mac and Yuri, before he learns that the Demons are launching an assault on Cliffburn as they speak. He gets Mac to come with him, and the two arrive to the end of the battle, where they swiftly finish off the remaining Demons. In a desperate move, the High Generals and the remaining knights manage to use a Radio Trooper to lure in Adamska Shalasaska, the leader of the Order of Demons, who is accompanied by two Hellwalkers. As they enter the city, the Hellwalkers are easily dispatched, and Adamska submits as he is surrounded by Knights.

Afterwards, Adamska is taken to Radio City and is interrogated and tortured by Mac and Maximus, though despite going through tremendous pain, Adamska remains adamant, and reveals only one thing: he already has a successor. Mac and Maximus return to New Aberdeen and reveal this information to Yuri, but not before Maximus speaks to his last known living relative, Tina, his cousin.

The next day, Maximus notices a letter on the table, which reveals that the Knights have an anonymous accomplice within the Order of Demons, who has obtained information that the Order of Demons are preparing to assault the Knight fortifications outside of Radio City, and afterwards, besiege the city itself. With this information, Yuri takes an army with him to a bunker outside of the city, and prepares the men to defend against the Demons. Mac, on the other hand, informs Maximus of a Knight squad that went MIA while scouting out the VCT ruins. Mac and Maximus travel there to investigate. Maximus looks around on the surface, while Mac goes into the depths of the underground city of science, only to meet S.C.A.R., and afterwards find the MIA squad. He returns to Maximus with the squad, as well as Scar, who opted to come with because of the boredom of sitting alone in a dead facility.

Maximus doesn't appear until later in the book, at which point the bunker is successfully defended by Yuri, with the help of Seras Vyrian. Another letter is sent by the unnamed accomplice stating that the Demons are going to go around the bunker and attack Radio City instead. At this time, because of a lack of available troops, Maximus travels to the Obsidinus Ocean to meet Jarret Lowad to negotiate and to receive additional troops from the Order of Water to help defend Radio City in the coming days. As Maximus returns to his transport, he receives a message that the Demons are attacking early and that Maximus needs to go ASAP. Upon arriving in Radio City, Maximus orders his Paladins to prepare themselves in Motorippers for the defense, while Mac and Yuri push forwards. Mac and Yuri gain heavy ground before being confronted by one of the commanding Hellwalkers of the battle, Gorryl, who orders his troops to attack the two vulnerable High Generals. Before Mac and Yuri can be killed, Maximus and his Paladins kill Gorryl's men, and Gorryl prepares himself for battle with Maximus, who kills Gorryl in the middle of his speech. Maximus spots someone entering Radio City's main radio tower, where his cousin is hiding, safe from the battle. Maximus peruses, though is stopped by many demons, who he cuts through with ease. After much fighting, a fatigued Maximus travels to where his cousin is staying. Upon entering the room, he sees the mutilated corpses of the Order of Water soldiers he took with him that were ordered to protect his cousin. As he went further, he sees his cousin tied to a chair, with a lone figure in the room as well. As Maximus attempts to stealthily save his cousin, the man notices him, and calmly engages in conversation with Maximus, this man revealing himself to be Adamska's successor, Nikola Astrid. Nikola uses an explosive to instantly kill Maximus' cousin, and continues to act calm as the two still speak. Maximus responds violently, attacking Nikola, but begins to loose the fight as Nikola is more collected and prepared. As Nikola prepares the killing blow against Maximus, two of his Paladins arrive to watch in horror as Nikola slits Maximus' throat.

Icelated
Main article: Icelated

For the first half of the chapter to the middle, Maximus appears only in a series of sequences of his memory, further shining a light on his past, specifically the Training and Entry into the Knights section of his Biography above. In the middle of the book, however, Maximus awakens in a room where his wounds from Nikola's fight are poorly fixed back together. Upon exploring further, he encounters Magnus sitting in a chair, in a room dimly lit by a fireplace, with the armors of the other High Generals in display cases lines up against the walls, including Yuri's, Mac's and Maximus'. Upon speaking with his foster father, Magnus begins to list Maximus' crimes throughout his life, which confuses and angers Maximus, who demands to ask how Magnus knows all of these things, and why he is being judged, to which Magnus responds "You're in hell". Maximus is pushed back into the fireplace, where he falls into chaotic battlefield of flames, with towers of obsidian rising in the distance. He cuts his way through notable warriors throughout human history as he attempts to make his way to one of the towers, though Nikola intervenes with a team of Hellwalkers, and Maximus dies in a similar fashion as he had before.

Later, as Mac, Scar, Vanguard and Pyrus escape the Museum of Technology, Pyrus attacks his former allies, wounding Mac and threatening to kill Scar if Vanguard opened fire. Suddenly, Pyrus is bisected completely, and Maximus, who was in active camouflage, reveals himself. Maximus has his KTTS arrive, where Maximus treats Mac's serious wound the best he can, and also allows Scar and Vanguard on board, where they travel back to New Aberdeen. Everyone, including Maximus himself, seems shocked to know he's alive, but in the heat of the moment, Maximus doesn't explain himself. The group arrives at New Aberdeen, where Mac is dropped off and taken in by Paladins for immediate medical assistance. Scar informs Maximus that they need to travel back to VCT's ruins, where they need to install the HRD into Vorcium's core to increase the heat of the planet to fight back against the artificial winter Vorcium is experiencing because of The Shield. Upon successfully installing the HRD, the story eventually ends with hopes that the Icelation ends.

Silence
Main article: Silence

Personality
Maximus is known for his honor-bound personality, though don't confuse this for him being a no-nonsense soldier. He makes plenty of time for light-hearted moments, plenty of time being relative to that of average Vorcium life, at least. He shows a deep hatred for the Demons, though is friendly towards his allies.

Appearance
Maximus wears a unique helmet design that has the "brush" on top of his helmet that most Romanian helmets had. The helmet and the face plate seem to separate, almost like they are individual, and that Maximus is wearing a mask, although he isn't, the helmet and the face plate were simply made separately and pieced together. Outside of combat, he wears a cloak that adds to the nobility of his armor, however, when going into combat, this cloak is taken off. His combat armor is similar to that of a medieval knight's, though is more professionally made with better materials and flexibility. Outside of his armor, Maximus has blondish-brownish hair and green eyes, and is Caucasian.

Victims

 * Gorryl
 * Pyrus
 * An uncountable number of Demon Soldiers
 * An uncountable number of Malebranche
 * Pre-War Bandits

Trivia

 * It is hinted by Mac in the story that Maximus and Seras Vyrian have a slightly intimate relationship, or are at least "friends with benefits".