The pain had numbed his whole system, he couldn't feel anything anymore. It was a bitter end, killed by your best friend you have known for 58 years. At least he had put that dirty dog in the grave with him.... Hold up. Hold up! Somebody couldn't think if they were dead! Could they? No he didn't think so. He slowly opened his eyes. He looked around without moving his head. He had learned at many an occasion that playing dead had its benefits. He saw a ceiling with giant stalactites. Between those stalactites were spider webs as thick as his arm. He gulped when he saw something, as big as a small cart, with black hair, moving along the grey ceiling. He instinctively shivered when it disappeared in one of the shadows cast by the stalactites. How could such a large beast disappear into the shadows without an trace? When he moved his downwards he saw a boiling crimson lake. Inspecting it closer he saw that it was a lake made out of blood. Blood! He crawled back trying to get more distance away from the bloody boiling lake! God damned lakes should be made out of water not blood! He jumped to his feet and spun around when his back hit a solid object. His eyes fell in awe and terror not on the mountain of gold, gems and thousands of human skeletons but on the giant red dragon sleeping atop the it. Then a mighty and deep voice spoke to him: "Hello little mouse. Do you know what this is?"

Taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself, he answered in an unquivering voice: "No idea. But I warn you. If you try to eat me, I'l fight back."

"Hah hah hah." boomed through the cavern. "No little mouse. I am not the dragon, you are the dragon. You are everything here. The lake is your deeds; the ceiling is your character: the hoard your ambition and the dragon is your spirit, it's unbeatable and proud. This is your soul!" After an awkwardly long silence Simon spoke up again: "So what are you? my conscience?" "Ha. No." Said a man, who shimmered into existence "I am the guardian of monsters. I have come here to give you a second chance at life."

The man wore a long brown business coat. He had green, cat-like, eyes, with a vertical pupil. He wore a snow white blouse with a brown tie. In his hands, with long sharp claws, was a business case. But what was on his head crowned all, it were two giant black horns. The man opened his mouth, showing his sharp teeth, and began to speak: "You, little mouse, are one of the few people I find interesting. So I want to give you an offer. I give you a shot at a new life, one where you can plunder to your heart's content and where the powers of nature lie at your fingertips, and you do me a little favor." A sly smile like he could boss me around however much he wanted crossed his face. This place was his soul, he was master over it, not this creepy man, he would not be bullied here! So he spoke up: "Sounds like you need me! If you are willing to resurrect me instead of just recruiting a living person. So what is your offer?"

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A palpable pressure, like the being encased in water surrounded him, making him shiver and causing goose bumps to shoot up his arms. Three sets of tentacles grew out of the guardian’s back; his claws and fangs grew half a meter longer and fur, as black as the night sky, sprouted all over his body, ripping his clothes asunder.

"You question the intentions of a guardian, little rat!" hissed the guardian, a split tongue coming out of his mouth. "I can squash you like the little vermin you are. I can scatter your soul on the north wind. I can put your soul into a ruby place in a dungeon where you won't see the sun in a million years. Reconsider your life choices." Simon sighed and responded in a bored tone: "So you begin with proclaiming that you do me a favor and then when I ask you a question: "what is in the offer for me?" you threaten me. Meanwhile I still don't know what I get out of the deal" "You are not happy with a second chance at life?" said the guardian in a deep bear tone. "No! My last one was shit! you know that!" The guardian sighed and sat down on a chair, that appeared out of nowhere and said: "Alright, little rat, I give you an option for your new monstrous race, and give it an upgrade in return will you kill fifty thousand humans for me."

After a minute of overthinking the offer Simon asked: "The question still arises: why won’t you use an already living person?" "Two reasons, the first is that I think that you have the potential to grow strong enough to do it and the second is that normal monsters are too stupid and weak to do it, the stronger monsters in my area are strong enough to defy me and I have nothing to give to them. So what do you think?" "Does he fall under your jurisdiction?" "Who again?" "The enemy!" "I am not sure who you are talking about, little mouse." "His name is Viktor Frost, my bilge-sucking brother, a lily-livered mutineer, a son of a biscuit eater and landlubber to boot. That's the one I am talking about!" "Ah, yes, I get it now. He is currently not under my domain but that can be arranged. At great cost may I add. If I do that, do we have a deal?" asked the guardian, that had shifted back into his humanoid form, hopefully. "No! I want Viktor and myself to have stronger racial options available to choose from. He wouldn't survive without it and I have to be the one to strangle him. I want to choose his race, just so he can't mess that option up to, and I want to begin my new life in the same area as he does." The guardian made a sour expression that turned thoughtful after a few moments. After another few moments of consideration a smirk crossed his face and he put forth his hand. When Simon clasped the outstretched hand in a handshake the guardian said: "agreed."