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Normally this time of night on a Friday, John King would already be three pints deep at his local dive bar, swapping the same old stories he always repeated and reminiscing on the same exes he also moaned “got away.” Sadly rent was on the up, meaning less time for drinking away his problems, and more time begrudgingly working all of the overtime he could muster. As a result, tonight the lowly engineer found himself down in the darkened subway tunnels beneath New York City, his hands tinkerings with one of the signalling posts, as the sounds of clattering train carriages rocketed the tunnels around him.

Normally the work itself wasn’t too bad. He’d spend some time on each signal, chatting leisurely with his partner, yet today he had been abandoned. So instead he worked alone, headphones in and blaring music into his ears, as he audibly grumbled about his plights in life.

It was because of this that John was too distracted to hear that something was currently moving down the darkened train tunnel towards him. 

The being moved slowly, keeping to the darkness as it eyed its prey. The hiss of its tongue escaped from under the blood-red cloak that encapsulated its body. 

John continued to work away as it crept closer, his eyes fixated on the multimeter in his hands. He was oblivious. 

Closer and closer it moved. A low growl began to echo as the glint of teeth began to pierce out of the darkness below its hood.

Closer and closer until it was ready.

John let out a gut-wrenching scream as a burning erupted from his back, as the beast began to sink in its claws. He fell, agony sweeping through him as his both seized up. He barely managed to turn his head up to look at the monstrosity before him. The pair of rolling, mad eyes; the pig-like snout, twitching and quivering in his direction; and the drooling mouth, saliva
hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs. Whatever this beast one, it seemed to stand tall on its hind legs, with one muscle arm emerging from the confines of its cloak, his scythe-like claws now dripping in what he could only imagine was his own blood.

And it was hungry for him.

He struggled backwards as fast as he could, fighting through the pain as it towered above him, stepping forwards menacingly. It was enjoying this. Enjoying the hunt. Wiping the blood away with the cloak, it readied itself to strike.

Yet before it could swing, a shout echoed around the corridor. Over the sounds of the trains in the neighbouring tunnels. Over the sounds of John’s screams. Piercing their ears as if reality itself was shouting.

The tunnel illuminated a fiery red light as bands of crimson energy rocketed towards them from the darkness. They withered like snakes around the beast, ensnaring the creature’s raised arm and its upper torso, tightening as they burned into its skin. They overwhelmed him immediately despite their strength. It tried to lunge forward against its victim but found itself stuck in place.

It roared, shaking its body from side to side as it attempted to turn and lay eyes on its attacker.

It didn’t take long for her to step into view, however. She moved confidently despite her small frame. Her hair was a mess of blonde, with a scruffy fringe covering the entirety of her forehead. Her clothes followed suit; a torn band t-shirt and ripped jeans, topped off by a pair of dusty military boots. 

At a first glance, there wasn’t anything too intimidating about her. That was if it weren’t for the obsidian staff she hand clutched within her hands. She pointed it forward with a fury, with the end blaring in a combination of vibrant reds and oranges, the crimson bands themselves originating here. They were hers to control, and thus, now was the beast.

Momentarily, her eyes flicked to the left, where John still lay in a now growing puddle of his own blood.

“[color=rosybrown]Run.[/color]” Illyana Rasputina ordered. “[color=rosybrown]This demon is mine.[/color]”