So yesterday my friend and I decided that it would be a perfect day to go inner tubing down the river. Granted, I haven't been to the spot on the river we went to today since I was a kid, I wasn't 100% sure where we were supposed to go. But we weren't too worried, the two us are quite adventurous and made a great team together so a minor mishaps like that wouldn't bother us. Anyways, after a bit of driving and finding where we were supposed to be, we found a place to park alongside the river, or at least a trail that led to the river. Taking our half-blown inner tubes (we just bought them before heading to the river), we trekked down the path. And treked...

And treked...

and walked a little more, but this time through some blackberry bushes since the overgrowth of this year was starting to consume the path. As the path sloped downwards, my friend decided to make sure that we were on the right path and opted to go ahead while I stayed with our stuff (and worked on removing a few thorns(which I believe I still have a few more burried in my skin) since I slid into the blackberry bushes while going down a small slope). I wasn't able to hear her due to the river being so loud but the ground gave out below her and she fell down the cliffside (only about fifteen feet so not really that huge) and was banged up pretty badly and I could tell she would need stitches on her leg. Remember how I said we were heading towards urgent care and said that it would be a long night? Halfway there she decided to brave it out and said that she would be fine bandaging it and wanted to continue our inner tubing experience. An hour later and a trip to the store for a fist aid kit, butterfly bandages and a large bandage, we were finally on the river, this time reaching it at a different part of the river since it was later in the day and knew that we wouldn't be able to go down the whole section with the limited time we had.

WIth all the trekking, climbing and everything else we went through so far, I was glad to be on the river. I think my friend got sunburned but I don't burn easy so I was lucky. That is until we got close to the end of the river. A log had fallen into the river and our inner tubes were stuck behind. Granted, it wasn't too much of a concern even though the current was a little strong since it was only waist deep there. Climbing onto the log with our tubes, we found out that we were in a jam but this time it wasn't an injury. We had a waterproof bag with my car key, her phone and our IDs (thankfully not our wallets) in it and it happened to get undone while behind the log. We searched for the bag but with the strong current at that section we knew that the bag was gone.

It was hell trying to fix everything up from yesterday but I was able to get a new ignition key from the dealership today and our replacement driver licenses are being sent in the mail. It's been a crazy two days and there had been so many times things could have been worse but we made it through!

Name: Jakob Browning
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Appearance: Jakob is 6'6 and has an imposing physique. He has short, unkempt black hair, gray eyes, a slightly crooked nose, and a square jaw. His normal attire is comprised of jeans and graphic t-shirts, or khakis and casual button-downs. After his exposure to the serum, Jakob might opt to wear combat fatigues and gloves, or similar outfits, to conceal the effects of his ability.

Name of ability: Geophysiology

Description: Jakob can change his body composition to earthen substances such as clay or stone.

Level one abilities: Jakob appears permanently locked in a full-body transformation into black basalt. As his body adjusts to the new weight and strength of the transformation, Jakob's fine motor skills are impaired, causing him to unintentionally crush doorknobs and glassware, or collapse chairs and crack the frame of his bed. Unable to reverse the transformation, he chooses to isolate himself and avoid contact with others.

Level three abilities: Jakob learns minor control over his ability, now able to selectively transform individual appendages to either clay or stone and maintain them at will. Full-body transformations are achievable only under duress, and will last until Jakob sleeps. Recovery requires several days due to the extreme stress the transformation places on his muscles and internal organs.

Level five abilities: Jakob can transform at will and add mass to his transformations, allowing him to grow nearly half again as large as normal. Jakob’s strength and endurance are further amplified in conjunction with his size. Recuperation is dependent upon the size and duration of a transformation. Reversing a targeted transformation of his hands may take only seconds and cause minor pain, whereas a full, extended-duration transformation may place Jakob into a catatonic state and cause agonizing pain.

Weakness/drawback:
While Jakob enjoys increased strength and endurance while transformed, his body pays the price in the end. In addition to enduring the pain of reconstituting his anatomy, Jakob's internal systems may be damaged during the transformation. Although damage received while transformed is reduced, Jakob has no way of knowing how severe the damage to his body is until the transformation ends.

History
Jakob was born and raised in Chicago, the second son of his Swedish father and Russian mother, who were both first-generation immigrants. Although poor, he lived a relatively normal childhood, apart from when he and his older brother, Nathan, were teased and bullied for their accents and ragged clothing. When Jakob was thirteen and Nathan eighteen, their parents died, leaving the two brothers alone to fend for themselves. After being fired from a few honest jobs, Nathan quickly descended into a life of crime in order to “keep them alive and better off than before,” as he was fond of saying.

By seventeen, Jakob was already towering over nearly everyone he met, and Nathan convinced him to be his bodyguard and enforcer. For five years, Jakob watched as his brother stole from convenience stores, then transitioned to mugging people in the streets, and finally to transporting drugs for larger gangs. Then, after an argument in which Jakob told Nathan they needed to stop, Jakob refused to accompany Nathan on a drug run. The deal went sour and Nathan was shot, hospitalized, and eventually convicted. Jakob tried to visit him in jail, but Nathan refused to see him, saying Jakob betrayed him and was no longer his brother. Eventually Jakob moved to New York, hoping for a fresh start.

Now, Jakob works in construction during the weekdays and occasionally as a doorman for a popular club on the weekends. He doesn’t enjoy either job, but does well in both, mainly due to his daunting size and willingness to work long hours without taking breaks or making complaints. The jobs allow him to live relatively comfortably, if the basement apartment under an ancient diner could be considered comfortable. He doesn't goes out much outside of work or errands, instead spending his time at home, reading novels or planning trips to Sweden and Russia that he’ll never be able to afford.

The day before the bus ride:
Jakob walked out of his apartment, ducking his head underneath the door frame, as he now did every time he entered or exited his apartment. The frame still bore the chips and cracks from his first few weeks in the apartment, when he would leave in a rush and collide with the top of the frame. He rubbed his forehead absentmindedly, remembering all the bruises and bumps he gave himself those first few weeks.

For eight months he’d been living in the basement apartment below Jerry’s, a decades-old diner with a clientele made up primarily of those who’d been there when the place first opened. The owner, Jerry, and his wife, Tess, were also his landlords, and had owned the property for nearly twice as long as he was old. They were good people, always smiling, and often offering him coffee and breakfast on his days off, free of charge. In return, although they never asked, Jakob kept the place from falling down on their heads, making repairs and doing other general maintenance as often as he could. It was as amicable a relationship as Jakob could hope for, even as he kept them at arms-length. They often asked about his family or friends, to which he just smiled and told them he enjoyed being on his own.

Shaking himself from his reverie, he climbed the stairs leading out from the small entryway on the side of the property. He enjoyed watching the neighborhood come into view as he rose to ground level. The diner, located on the corner, sat across the street from a small park. It was often empty, and Jakob walked through it to his bus stop each work-day. He enjoyed the silence of the park - or what passed for silence in urban areas - as he walked in the shade of the trees.

Jakob adjusted the strap of his duffel bag, patting it to confirm his boots, hardhat, and toolbelt were all inside. Satisfied everything was in order, Jakob walked across to the park, prepared to start what he was sure would be just another loud and sweaty day at the construction yard.