PERSONAL

Gender: Male

Kit: Techno

Location: Khazan

AFFILIATION

Alignment: Hero

Team: The Angels of Mercy

VITAL STATS

Strength: standard (rank 1)

Agility: superior (rank 2)

Mind: standard (rank 1)

Body: standard (rank 1)

Spirit: (rank )

Charisma: (rank )

RECORD

Fame Points: 0

Personal Wins: 1

Personal Losses: 2

Team Wins: 0

Team Losses: 0

Tourney Wins: 0

Tourney Losses: 0

STATUS

Status: Active

Darkender

The morning sun had risen on the Wilterson Mansion once again. The unforgiving sun pierced through the slit in the shades and warmed young Konrad’s face. He awoke to the all too familiar smile of his twin sister, Catherine. Her long light brown hair sparkled gold in the morning sun.

“It’s about time you woke up Konrad. I thought you would sleep the whole day away.” She said as she proceeded to jump on the bed until Konrad sat up.

He shook his own messy dark brown hair as he returned her a morning smile. He then looked to the horizon to find the sun barely escaping its touch.

“Not even. I just like to sleep like a normal person.” He said rubbing his eyes.

“Why sleep through the day when there’s so many adventures afoot!?” She said as he stood up from the bed, drawing back the shades dramatically. Konrad protected his still sensitive eyes with his forearms.

“Adventures you say?”

“Afoot!” She answered back, taking on the persona of a crazed pirate.

Konrad leaped out of bed and approached his drawers, pulling out the first clothes he saw.

“No doubt these adventures would lead to precious treasures and glory for the Wilterson family!” He said jumping into his pants.

“No doubt!”

The two young adventurers scrambled to the door, quietly pulling it open and sticking out their heads to see far down the still hallways. After looking both ways, the two tip toed on. Konrad and Cathy had grown all too adroit at sneaking out of the mansion without being spotted by any help or, more importantly, their parents. They weren’t too keen of them going on ‘adventures’ and wandering the wilds of Khazan. No one ever knew what new and odd monstrosity may decide to one day make the wilds its home. This, however, is what lulled the twins to its very depths.

It wasn’t long before the twins were deep into the jungle behind the Wilterson Mansion.

“What will you buy with your Treasure, Konrad?” Cathy asked as she jumped over a log.

Konrad contemplated deeply on the question. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted.

Eventually, he came to realize he didn’t want the treasure for its monetary value, rather for the glory that finding it would entail.

“I won’t buy anything. I’ll give it to the poor, maybe.” Konrad said, swatting at a low hanging branch with his walking stick.

“Give it away? What’s the point of looking so hard for this treasure if you just plan on giving it away?”

Konrad turned to Catherine and walked backwards as he answered, “Because, then I will be ‘Konrad, The Treasure Finder!’”

“What a horrible title.” Cathy said, but before Konrad could chuckle at his own jest the ground gave in at his feet. The earth opened up to a dark abyss and the mouth of it grew wider, taking in both of the twins in one sinister gulp.

----

The twins landed hard. They were lucky they didn’t break a bone from the fall. Cathy looked up at the mouth of the hole and estimated that they had dropped eight, maybe ten feet.

“Here, we can climb back up if we grab the roots?” Cathy said, pulling on one of the nearest roots, testing it to hold her weight.

“Not just yet Catherine.”

Konrad looked deep into the darkness. “I believe we’ve fallen into an ancient tunnel.”

“So?”

“You don’t want to explore it?” Konrad asked, a bit surprised by his sister’s haste to return to the surface.

Catherine reluctantly released the root from her hands and joined her brother as he gazed into the dark tunnel that ran deep beneath the earth. “I suppose so.”

The air was cool within the tunnel. The pliable dirt from earlier had turned to a black, rocky stone. Upon further descent the twins could hear a beating in their ears. Cathy was quick to give this, among many others, as a reason to turn back, but Konrad was very persuasive in his reasoning to push on.

Eventually, a light could be seen emanating from further down the tunnel and the cool air began to warm. Konrad quickened his pace and was amazed when he finally saw the source of the strange light.

“Konrad, Konrad!” Cathy yelled before catching up with her brother and setting her own eyes on what Konrad was mesmerized by.

It was a small pond. And within the pond glowed a rock of some sort. Its yellow light changed the whole pool to its odd hue.

Konrad stepped forward towards the pool, removing his outer shirt.

“What are you doing?”

“Just having a closer look,” He answered before placing the first foot into the cool yellow pond. The rock seemed to brighten from his presence and this did nothing but encourage Konrad to get closer. He pushed deeper into the water and it rose to his hip when he came within arms distance of the yellow rock. Catherine could do nothing but look on with concern from the rocky shore.

Konrad lifted his arm, and then hesitated as his fingertips stopped only inches from the rock’s surface.

“Konrad don’t…”

He touched the rock.

The tunnel exploded with a blinding light and then suddenly died into pitch black darkness. Konrad could hear his sister’s scream and the splash of water before he fell unconscious.

--------

The distant screams roused the whole Wilterson Mansion. The household looked to the wilds of the backyard to find Catherine, obviously shaken, dragging along the body of her twin brother. The household thought the worst had occurred. The medics were called immediately and the twins were rushed to the hospital.

-------

Konrad woke up in the hospital. At least, he thought he did. He couldn’t see but could hear the constant movement and machinery around him.

He reached for his eyes and could feel the bandages around them. As he felt them further he could feel a soft, warm hand touch his and remove his hand from his bandages.

"Mom?"

There was a long pause before the hand to the voice answered back.

"No, honey, I'm a nurse. Your mother is with your sister."

"Is Cathy alright?"

Another pause.

"She suffered from acute radiation poisoning. We haven't been able to stop her from vomiting... We're doing the best we can for her. She’ll be alright."

"I have to see her." He said, fighting to sit up.

The nurse stopped him, placing her hand firmly on his chest as she said, "No. The doctor will be in to see you soon now that you're up. Your sister will be fine. She’s in good hands."

Konrad sat back reluctantly. He worried for his sister, as much as he'd worry for his own health, but his body was weak.

The doctor came in a little later. He couldn’t see him, but could almost feel him as he stood beside his bed. He could gauge where he was standing.

"Hello Konrad, I'm Doctor Solomon. I'm going to need you to tell me exactly what happened in the forest. Your sister is suffering from an acute exposure to radiation and while you're exposure level seems to be much lower it seems to have scarred the inner tissue of your eye. We need to know what happened… "

Catherine died three days later from radiation poisoning. With her, the life Konrad knew had passed away. The worst part was returning to the mansion. The warm flame that once filled it was snuffed out, leaving nothing but cold, painful memories. This would usually be the time that Konrad would turn to his twin for comfort but alas... His parents weren’t much help either. There was a wall wedged between them that left every conversation dull and empty. Mother refused leave Catherine’s room for a whole week. She would stay in her room every night and cry herself to sleep. Konrad couldn't help to begin to think that it was his fault. It was his idea to go adventuring into that abysmal hole. He was the one that pushed her to go forward. He was the one that touched the rock. But, why was he still here and not her? It was unfair.

When Catherine left she seemed to take everything, including the pleasant weather. Storms riveted the Spire every night with no sign of let up.

He listened as the rain pelted his window.

While his bandages still covered his sensitive eyes, he could somehow still see, in a sense of the word. He could hear the rain, the moaning of the walls, wailing of the wind, even the soft cries from throughout the house. It all created a picture in his mind’s eye that was clear as day. He looked out the window into the treacherous wilds and realized life would never be the same. He would never gain back what he lost. He deduced that to his parents he would most likely be nothing but a constant reminder of Catherine. It was then and there he realized that there was nothing left for him here, nothing but pain.

He opened the window and the outside’s torrent poured into his bedroom. He tore his bandages from his eyes and the moon’s pale light blinded him temporarily. After composing himself for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust. He then stepped through the window, disappearing into the wilds and leaving the Wilterson mansion behind.

Never Say Never

     Hyper-Senses: standard (rank 1)

He could hear her breathing, it was irregular and weak. He didn’t recognize the help that had come to check on her, and assumed that all of the older servants had moved on or passed away. He was sure there were some that didn’t want to work in such an emotionally stricken household any further.

The help eventually retired, turning off the lights as she left the room, and left to other matters. Konrad silently jumped from his perch high up in the trees to the ground level where he proceeded to break into what he once called a home.

The window was left unlocked, and he knew it would be. He silently opened it and stepped into the dark room. His mother’s heart beat thumped slowly in his ears. As he stepped forward he watched her frail body, her pale skin, her chest weakly rise to give way for air. It was so sad, yet he didn’t feel a need to cry.

In this instance a pain coursed through his body upon a realization. Is this what he had become? A monster so numb that even at his mother’s death bed, he feels nothing? It couldn’t be. When did it start, when did he let his humanity and love for fellow man slip…

Numb

     Environmental Awareness: superior (rank 2)

The city was different from what he remembered. Though the trips were seldom and guided by his father, Konrad had visited Khazan City at times when he was younger. While the city was considered civilized, to him, it was wilder than The Spires.

It had been about seven years since Catherine had died and no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, he could never forget the loss of his twin. He still had nightmares of the bright light and hearing her final scream, the final expression on her face before he had lost her forever. The memory was daunting and unmoving. The Spire served as a solemn home for so long, but as time went on and his abilities developed he knew he could no longer stay there. He learned to feel his environment, not particularly the environment, but the beings in the environment.

Inner Pit

     Bio Vampire: superior (rank 2)

Night had fallen upon the city and Konrad welcomed the new moon, its silver light giving away every detail of the city to him. Living in the city, he had adopted the night to be his friend, and accomplice. He had been on a search for some time, but for what, he was unsure. Ever since he had watched his mother die from bedside he had felt a deep hole in his very being. He felt a piece of him out there that simply lingered, eagerly waiting to fall into his clutches. Its signature was different from the rest; it was stronger and more alluring than the rest.

He looked out upon the city and breathed in and out the crisp air before diving off of his perch and into the depths of the city.

----

The signature path had led to the end of the Moebus district. He retraced his steps all the way from the deep forests of the Spire to this lake, in this park. He bent over at the edge of its water and dipped his fingers into the cool liquid. Ripples ran from his finger-tips as he felt the signatures of the various creatures that lived in the lakes depths, but among them was another. He drew closer to the pool of water, staring at and past his own reflection to look into the water’s depths.

“What are you?”

Then, suddenly the water exploded as a serpent creature flew into the air. Konrad back flipped from harm as he was soaked in the falling water. The beast roared and Konrad felt the creature’s signature, it wasn’t what he was looking for, but neither was it natural.

“My fucking luck.” He barked as the creature’s snake-like body stood at a full height out of the lake.

The creature lunged forward, its fanged mandibles stretching. He leaped back as the serpent dove headfirst into the soft ground. Konrad took advantage of the moment lunged at the creature, attempting to feed on its very essence. He only needed a touch.

Martial Arts

     Martial Arts: standard (rank 1)

The power surged through him and the creature flung itself out of the dirt and once again stood at its full height. There was something about this creature however, a lingering sense that flowed through him now. It felt as a tease to his very soul.

The serpent cried out in anger as it slithered out of the watery depths and right at Konrad. He sidestepped the creature, grabbing its scaly body in an attempt to lift it off the ground. Its body proved to be too slimy, however, slipping out of his grasps. It turned about quickly, facing Konrad once more. For a brief moment there was a stare-down. The creature’s tail rattled in the air as it poised itself for another attack. Konrad readied himself, his back foot planted solidly into the ground.

The serpent lunged, quick as a snake’s strike, but Konrad was ready. As the creature neared him he met its face with a solid knee. The creature coiled to the ground after the ferocious strike.

Konrad kneeled over the creature. Scars marred its body and he could see a signature resonating from it. This one was clearly different than the creatures own though. It occurred to him then, this is what had led him here. Whatever this creature had encountered was what he was after. But what? He pondered the question as the fair sun’s rays welcomed the morning.