The metal of the ventilation shaft pressed against your back, a cold, unforgiving surface. Your body was paralyzed, limbs heavy and unresponsive. Above you, the Goblin loomed, a grotesque parody of human form. Clad in a skin-tight, all-green exosuit, his features obscured by a monstrous goblin mask, he was a creature of nightmares. Yellow visors, like predatory eyes, glared down at you.

"You and I are not so different," he hissed, his voice a chilling rasp. "I chose my path, you chose the way of the hero." He paused, his gaze fixed on you. "And the people of this city, they found you amusing for a while, a fleeting distraction. But the one thing they love more than a hero, is to see a hero fail. Fall. Die trying."

He knelt, his gloved hand gently – or perhaps not so gently – grasping your chin. "In spite of everything you've done for them, eventually they will hate you," he whispered, his voice laced with a chilling certainty. "Here's the real truth: there are eight Million people in this city, and those teeming masses exist for the sole purpose of lifting the few exceptional people onto their shoulders."

He tilted his head slightly, his face obscured by the monstrous mask. "You, me? We're exceptional." He tightened his grip on your chin, his voice rising in intensity. "Join me. Imagine what we could accomplish together, what we could create." His voice softened, a seductive whisper. "Or we can destroy!"

He released your chin, his grip abruptly turning violent. "Cause the deaths of countless innocents in selfish battles again and again and again until we're both dead. Is that what you want?"

The Goblin stood, his shadow looming large over you.