Bradley Walker, Rift

Real Name: Bradley Thomas Walker Jr.
Hero Name: Rift
Title: The Forsaken.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Race: Human, Caucasian
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'10" (Normal Form) 6'5" (Rift Form)
Weight: 158 lbs (Normal Form) 386 lbs (Rift Form)
Blood type: AB- (None in Rift Form)



[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.](Art by Leejun35 on deviantart)

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A social introvert with incredible issues talking to others, Bradley's decent looks are offset by his disposition to speaking to anyone in general. He is often pensive in introspection, unable to fully tangle with himself, and constantly doubts his own abilities. Often times he cracks jokes about himself being so terrible at talking to others, which usually has little to no comedic impact. Bradley is also often quick to snap at others, with a hair trigger or short fuse so to speak. Of course, this is only amplified when he changes into his alter ego, Rift.

Rift's personality is derived from Bradley's, being that they're somewhat of the same person, just supercharged with hellish energy. As Rift, Bradley loses all constraints on his anger, or his insistence of being 'better than' most things, in terms of evading conflict. Once he enters this form, he's backed into a corner, ready to rip and shred whatever is in his way. He becomes something akin to a monster, a beast of little reason who wants to feed on whatever he can. Of course, Bradley can maintain some semblance of control, able to guide his body in this form, almost 'detached' from his own physical vessel; a constant out of body experience.


(This story is separated into sections, a tl;dr is available at the bottom of the story)

Before the Storm

Bradley Walker was born and raised in Tulsa Oklahoma, in the heartland of the United States, to a half German family possessing mutant powers. All except him of course. Bradley had inherited several recessive genes, causing him to lose any and all access to any sort of power he may have possibly had in life. It only actually caused health problems for the poor soul. After several treatments through his otherwise sickly life, and three surgeries, Bradley had finally overcome his mutant nature, at least the negatives, and could live free as a normal human. He was always teased, and poked at for being the outcast in his family unit. This, of course, was going to change. He had worked hard from the earliest years to try and establish himself as a hero. He wasn't rich, nor was he particularly inventive. Trying to undertake firearms training actually more terrified him than actually helped him once finished, given that his lack of experience with guns only made him further blind to the effectiveness of them.

The Ring
A ruins deep within the Oklahoma plains, hidden beneath rocky structures, was where Bradley would unknowingly finally come across his powers. The deep cave he first reported to archaeologists who couldn't determine the origin of such a structure, with even the most accurate methods of dating and archiving. At the time, it was unsure what the structure even was, aside from a shrine with a gold band left in the center. The band itself protruded spikes outward, and it perplexed Bradley, who had spent time here with the archaeologists to detail his findings with them, before they'd arrived, and what he'd done to this place. What would happen next had caught everyone off guard. As Bradley had touched the ring, it latched onto his wrist, driving its spikes into him and causing intense bleeding. As they couldn't get it off, they could only watch in horror as what came next. his flesh began to harden and shape out like armor, turning into a being of black and red, terrifying and hellish. Bradley looked demonic, but he wasn't possessed, he was still him, but unshackled. He could feel every ounce of power given to him. Finally finding the small dial on the arm, he twisted it back, turning to normal, thankfully.

Struggle
Bradley had done it, finally he'd found how he could be a hero, but each use of his powers... it hurt him. They physically hurt. Contacting anyone and everyone from quacks and shams to those who knew exactly what they were doing (unknowingly he'd talked to the former), he was attempting to diagnose his problem with little success thanks to his poor social skills and needy demeanor. Of course, he lucked out, and discovered a ritual to purge himself of the energy. A bowl of water, a prayer, and consecration could deter his body's dependence on the stuff, but not forever. Every time he'd done this, the influence grew stronger. Weaning himself from even the rituals, Bradley knew he'd have to pick and choose when to turn. His powers were dangerous, and he'd need to keep a close cinch on them.

Heroism
After two near death experiences, at the bracelet and nearly losing his body to the influences of The Ring, Bradley had finally found his balance, his equilibrium. Albeit, he still couldn't talk to anyone without a stutter or messing up his words, but still, he'd managed to find his calling. Now donning the name Rift, in no real meaning, he now begins his search, to find what his powers can really do, and how he can use them to fight injustice and keep the world safe. He has no clue where to start, just trying to find risky places, and overcome his nerves to show any heroes out there that he's here, and he wants to help.

Tl;dr
Bradley, born into a half-German mutant family, didn't grow up with any powers among a family of mutants. He was teased and picked on for it, and set out to explore and find out how to be a hero like his family. He stumbles into an ancient ruins with a wrist ring, and it latched onto him, giving him the power to assume a hellish super-form. Bradley, now called Rift for no real reason, sets out to fight crime and hopes that other heroes might pick him up for some sort of group or team.


1. Strength
2. Endurance
3. Agility
4. Reaction



Hellish Overdrive - Bradley's only real power with the ring on. He assumes the mantle of Rift, and with it, he gains several boosts to his physical capabilities, listed below.

Hellspawn Strength - Rift has immense strength, able to lift buses and cars with only minimal struggle. He can move free range, as well, though of course is too strong to wield weapons of normal nature.

Hellspawn Endurance - Rift's endurance is uncanny, allowing him to shrug off bullets as if he were in full armor. This, of course, means that it'll normally take another superhuman to stop him if he goes out of control.


Soul Taint - Bradley's soul is constantly being tugged about in his Rift form, unable to pull himself sometimes from his own rage until the ring finally overloads and shuts off. Bradley will begin to act more antisocial as the taint continues, and he'll be more desperate to purge himself of the substances that corrupt him. Sometimes, he'll even abandon fights just to purge his body.

Dependence - Despite however much he may hate the stuff, Bradley's body grows more dependent on the Hell Energy to stay healthy, growing sickly and weak after extended use of his Rift form. His body has gone so far as to be brittle boned and anemic at some points, taking weeks to heal.

Rage - Bradley's Rift form draws from his rage and anger, and will only intensify the further he remains in it. At some points, Bradley loses total control of himself, only seeing targets to slaughter and souls to tear out of their bodies by means of brute force.

Holy Icons - While Rift, icons of Judaeo-Christian or Muslim faith will singe Bradley's body, and making contact with them will forcibly exit his Rift form.

Brittle - Rift cannot regenerate conventionally, despite having living armor, and his armor often fragments and splinters once broken, digging into his body once again in a brash attempt to regenerate. It may be a temporary fix, but his body will eventually suffer serious blood loss or catastrophic injury when this goes on enough.


Hellish Binding Ring - The gold wrist ring that causes Bradley to assume Rift form. It channels virulent Hell energy, and cannot be taken off or removed from his body. Lob off the arm and it moves up to the shoulder. The spikes on the inside of the ring impaled his wrist long ago, and have since made his body heal around them in order to extend and be a part of him. If one looks under the initial curves, this much is obvious. The diameter of the small, gold band is akin to a bracelet, though obviously made of solid, cursed gold.


Bradley's a bi boy! He'll date anyone, if he's interested in them, and so long as they can pierce his social shell.

Rift form Bradley can be gentle, but... most of the time he's not, given how angry he can get.


It was time. Bradley could feel it. The blaring alarms of the bank as the men in ski masks had charged in, guns blazing and demanding everyone get down, it was a call to become Rift once again. He considered for a moment. Would the police arrive in enough time..? Would they save these people so he wouldn't have to let himself go a little again? No. It was too far out. Bradley had no other option. He stood at once, arms out as the crooks turned... "Hey! Y-You all think you're s-so... so tough?!" He called out, twisting the small dial on his bracelet, feeling those spikes dig deeper into his muscle and bone. No more blood this time. His body slowly began to solidify, the black hardness was far too much for the opening fire that the crooks let loose onto the now superhuman. This was Rift, and all he could see among the sparks off of his body was red. Red red red. Ohhh he just wanted to see more.

Bradley stomped his foot into the ground in one fell motion to charge right at the crooks, and pulverize them into dust, fists coming out into clawed hands, opening his fearsome, serrated jaws to let out a long, shrill cry. His first target was the man with the rifle, tackling him and beating his face into the ground and pavement. Many would likely avert their eyes, seeing as how the man was barely recognizable now, disfigured beyond belief. Turning to the other, who'd swung that shotgun's stock at him. He gripped the gun in his mighty palms, bending upward and breaking the gun in half, before rearing his head back and headbutting the man right to the ground, lifting him thereafter by his left ankle, right hand clutching it with bone crushing force, shattering the bottom of his shin, before hurling him into the third. Good. Oh good GOD that felt amazing... He reached, while still conscious, to twist that knob back, and thereafter collapsed, exhausted as he left the three men into a bloody heap of fear and gross disfiguring. Oh this was excessive force, wasn't it?