Viktor sat in the dark-room his mind dormant as he forced mana into his surroundings. He took this time to reflect on the last few days. Franz had been coming in for several hours each day and teaching him about what it was specifically that Viktor could do.

It turned out that Viktor was known as a dungeon and had the ability to create and alter life from ambient mana. Viktor was curious about this, not knowing what creating life entailed, he was then taught for several hours on the rigours of anatomy by Franz, needless to say, Viktor didn't ask the question again.

Franz had told him that dungeons have the highest mana storage capacity out of anything in the world and they achieve this by making their very beings into implements of mana collection by 'claiming' them. He was told that by seeping the mana that lay within his form into his surroundings he would be able to make them parts of himself. and as such for the last few days he had been doing exactly this

For days now he had been condensing mana into the stone around him and he had finally managed to claim the entire basement room that he resided in. Viktor was proud of himself and was sure that Franz would be proud as well. He had yelled at Viktor a small while ago for his lack of progress. It had been a harrowing experience that ended with Franz storming off while muttering about a solution.

Viktor stopped thinking and revelled in the feeling as mana flowed into his core from the surrounding air and stone. It was glorious. Viktor had been told that a dungeon can gain much mana when a creature dies within its boundaries. And, although Viktor wasn't entirely sure what dying meant if it gave him more mana then he was happy to try it.

Viktor was bored, he had been told to claim the things in his room and he had done exactly that. He now sat in a dark stinking room letting off a dark and ominous glow.

"Fucking move!" Bellowed a voice from above him followed by a round of laughter. Viktor could sometimes hear the revelry of his brothers and yearned to join them. They didn't visit him anymore. Only Franz did.

The door to the basement swung open and allowed several shafts of pale morning light to slice throw the gloom. What followed was several of his brothers walking in with a tall human female.

She was restrained by several hands and forced into the room. She had downcast eyes and Viktor could see that even though her mask of matted hair her face was streaked with tears. Her clothes were also torn and she was being leered at by several of Viktor's brothers. He wondered if she was their friend. Viktor had heard that it was good to smile at one's friends.

The girl was made to prostrate herself in front of the crystal and the room descended into a tense silence, broken only by the occasional sob from the girl. She stooped after being kicked in the kidneys by the fat man. Yet more laughter followed.

Franz finally entered and Viktor's brothers all straitened themselves up. His hobnailed boots clicked aggressively against the ground as he walked across the ceiling toward the basement door.

Click.

Click.

Click.

The girl flinched with each one. Seeming to be more scared by the footfalls than by the men surrounding her and the strange crystal that dominated the room.

Franz entered, his gaze piercing into the dark like an arrow, correcting any imperfections in his men's form with a withering stare.

"Hello Viktor, sorry about our last... Discussion." He said after several seconds of deliberation on which word to use.

Viktor said nothing, he was wary. They had brought a stranger into his room. He writhed with displeasure, His energy bucking against the foreign presence.

"Now yes I know how you hate having people near you but we all have to endure things we dislike." He said as his eyes glazed over, remembering something from long ago.

Viktor's energy recoiled inside his core as they had forced the woman up and positioned her over the top of him she was now fighting with every ounce of her energy, all former submissiveness forgotten.

"Viktor, I know it wasn't your fault that you were claiming things so slowly. You didn't have enough mana, I've solved that problem for you." He said nodding to the fat man. He drew a large wicked looking knife eliciting a round of screams from the girl, these were changed to gurgles and then silenced as he dragged the blade across the woman's throat, sawing back and forth into Viktor could see the bone.

Her lifeblood poured down his surface warming the core and staining both it and the stone pedestal he resided on a crimson red. And, as her body matter began to break down into pure mana, Viktor was in euphoria as the rush of consuming overtook him.

"I will want to see progress when I next return," Franz said dismissively as he waved for his men to leave.

Viktor was too busy with the rush of knowledge. He now knew how to make blood, bone, flesh and muscle.

Viktor was happy, with this much mana he could claim the stairs out of the basement and the door, then he would begin to create life. He was giddy with the idea, feeling no remorse for the dead girl.

His mind entered a semi-dormant stage as he forced his mana into the hungry pours of stone and wood, slowly making his way up the stairs before claiming the door in one final flourish.

It was at this time that he was woken by a curiosity in his realm. On the door were the remnants of human blood, Viktor expanded out his sight and examined the door with it, someone had seemingly scratched a sentence, being so single-minded in this pursuit that they had ground their fingers to the bone in the doing. It read.

Please Help Me.