James and Zita stood in a white open space. Everywhere James looked was white. After agreeing to go to the next stage, Zita had him stand up, and then the room faded and was replaced with this white space.

"Is this a giant cloud?" he asked.

"No. This room is the portal room for the challenge. It is where you will create your Avatar for the challenge. Our employer has already created a template for your Avatar. Their wish is that you select that Avatar and use it to win the challenge."

"Okay, let's see what we have to work with."

"I have no control in this space, so you need to do everything. The first thing is to think or say 'Avatar template.' That should be enough."

"Avatar template," James said in a louder than normal voice. Suddenly a human appeared in front of him. It just stood there with the thousand-yard stare. It was about 5'5", 150 lbs and didn't look too healthy. It looked like a teenager with spindly arms and legs, a bit of flab. "What the hell is this?"

Zita moved around the Avatar, inspecting it from all angles. "Our employer decided that the best template was that of a Pyromancer. They invested heavily in Fire Magic and resistance to Fire. They got some extra points by using a weaker body."

"Weaker! This is pathetic," James growled. He was a huge man and used his body as a weapon. The Avatar before him was the opposite of him in every way. The idea of spending the rest of his days in such a body was not to his liking.

"This is just a template. I am sure you can make changes." Zita said in a soft voice, trying to calm James down.

"No, you can't do that," a new voice said from behind James. James turned around and saw a small child of about eight years old in front of him. He wore a plain white toga with a golden crown of laurels.

"Our employer, I presume," James asked.

The young boy glared at James, "I spent centuries perfecting this build, calculating the minimum number of points to get the maximum amount of power. It doesn't have to be aesthetically pleasing."

"And how is that going for you so far?" James asked, knowingly poking the bear.

Zita stepped in at this point, "Mr. Gleason, I don't see the need to anger our employer. He does have many centuries of experience in this challenge, and his efforts are well-founded."

The Lesser Deity just glared at James.

"And it has failed many times. And it will fail again. I am a soldier, specially trained and built for combat. This ... Avatar is not. This build is for spell casting. I know nothing about spell casting, and if I got into a battle with someone, my first instinct is to punch them in the face, not zap them with magic."

The young boy started to sputter, but Zita knelt before him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Mr. Gleason is right. He is a soldier, not a mage. You picked him because of his unique set of skills, and now you want him to ignore them and rely on a set of skills he has never even heard of, let alone be familiar with. If you want Mr. Gleason to fight for you, you need to trust him to do so in such a way that it allows him to utilize his best abilities."

The young boy glared at Zita for a long time, but his glare changed to a frown, "Your right. I have not been using the skills of the people I have picked in the best way." All the steam seemed to have deflated the Lesser Deity, "I should have searched for a great spell caster, not a great warrior."

"And how would you like to proceed?" Zita asked, her voice slow and calm, "Do you think it wise to trust the decision of the human you selected?"

The young boy looked up at James and narrowed his eyes, "It seems I don't have much choice. The challenge has already started, and we are running out of time. I just hope that this creature can fathom the importance of what he is about to undertake."

"You're right. This creature has no idea why this game is so important." James said, meeting the Lesser Deities' gaze with this own.

"Game!" the young boy sputtered, "Game! This isn't a game, human. We are talking about my existence!"

"I think someone left that part out when we talked earlier," James said, looking at Zita.

"As I said before," Zita said, standing back up and looking at James, "I do not have all the details myself."

The Lesser Deity sighed, "Very well. Perhaps an explanation will spur you to greater efforts." The young boy turned around and started pacing, his hands behind his back. James would have laughed at the sight if not for the fact that he was aware that the young boy was also a Deity. "As I am sure you are already aware, " the young boy started, "Every ten years, we have a challenge designed to promote or demote a Deity through the ranks of godhood. Over the past centuries, a status quo has been created."

"How so?" James asked.

"Ten Amulets increase your ranking, and the bottom one-hundred are demoted. That means everyone in the middle holds their position. The lower-ranked Deities are trying for the ten Amulets to increase their ranking, and the Major Deities want them to keep the rift-raft a bay. They are also hoping that the Greater Deities will notice them."

"So, as long as you are not in the bottom one-hundred or the top ten, nothing changes for you?" James clarified.

"Correct. Also, if you are already a Lesser Deity, being in the bottom one hundred doesn't mean anything to you. You can't go below that rank."

"What happens if someone changes rank? Could a Lesser Deity make it up to the rank of Major Deity?" James asked.

"Sometimes someone will have some ambition, but the Major Deities are protective of their rank. If some Minor Deity gets lucky and makes it to Major Deity, the other Major Deities will gang up on the newcomer and arrange for their Champion to die a quick death in the next challenge."

"So, what changed? Why the sudden urgency?" James asked.

The Lesser Deity turned back to James, forgetting for a moment that he had an audience, "The Greater Deities have indicated that there is not enough risk. The status quo is no longer any fun for them. They have decided that the bottom 500 will be reduced in rankings. Normally, a lesser Deity is fine, as it is the lowest ranking, but now they can be demoted to the rank of demi-god. They will lose their divine power and their immortality. For many, it will mean death as rivals who are still Lesser Deities or, better, will seek vengeance. I have never placed in the top 500, which causes me great fear. I will be killed if I do not make the top 500."

James looked at Zita and raised an eyebrow before turning back to the Lesser Deity, "Why, you have that many enemies?"

"Yes and no. I have enemies like the rest of my kind, but there are a couple of vile thugs who wish me harm specifically. And they have made it clear that they will be hunting me down when I become a Demi-god.

"I suspect that most Deities who fail the challenge will die within the year. Deities are known to hold on to grudges for centuries." Zita added.

"That is true," the Lesser Deity agreed.

"Alright. That explains the urgency. By the way, what should I call you?" James asked.

"Ignatius, God of Embers," the Lesser Deity said proudly.

"That explains the heavy emphasis on fire spells," Zita commented.

"You didn't know?" James asked Zita.

"No, there was no reason for me to know who my employer is, just the task."

"So, where does that leave us?" James asked.

Ignatius scowled, "If you don't plan to use my template, we will need to start from scratch. I can answer most of your questions, but I focus on spell casting and Fire. Not combat and swinging my sword around."

James smiled, "Do the avatars use magic or swing swords?"

Ignatius frowned as he was thinking, "Not sure. Most of the teams I have seen and such all use magic, but a few have heavy tanks to keep the attention of what they are fighting."

James turned to Zita, "Tanks? I thought you said this was a fantasy setting, not modern."

"He is using slang. Tank means someone in heavy armour, which is hard to damage. Like a tank."

James nodded, "Makes sense, mind you; I wonder how they got the term if they don't have tanks here."

Zita just shrugged.

"Who can we ask for more specific information? We are going to need a plan if we are going to win this, and we need a lot of information. Especially on the competition, the terrain, and hostiles, we may face."

Ignatius smiled, "Wonderful, you have accepted the contract then?"

James turned back to the diminutive deity, "Contract?"

Zita stepped forward again and smiled at James, "Yes, the contract you agreed to earlier."

James blinked. His mind tried to speak but gapped like a fish out of water.

Ignatius' voice sounded far away when he spoke, "That's great. I have every confidence in you. He does know what he is doing, right?"

Zita ignored Ignatius for the moment and smiled, "I hope you are not expecting me to journey with you. As soon as you activate your Avatar, my job here is done."

"Well, then it will just be me heading into the unknown. Wonderful. Can I see what we have to work with?"

At this, Ignatius stepped forward and waved his hand. The Avatar standing there disappeared, and there was a series of screens and lists in its place. "All Avatars start with 500 build points. I was able to get an additional 250 due to my previously low placing. That is a strategy of some to get extra build points. I could also get an additional 250 build points by delaying your start. This gives you extra points but delays your development. I needed to do this to get you certain Spells that were easier to obtain at the build stage. Next, I used other-worlder; this gave me an extra 100 points. Other-worlders are weaker than locals due to their lack of specific knowledge to survive in our world. The last thing I was able to do was to get another 35 build points by using the human Avatar with weaker physical stats. This gave me a total of 1135 points." Ignatius smiled, he was very proud of his build, and you could tell he gave it significant consideration. Unfortunately, it was useless to James.

"What about a help file or a playing guide? Is there something to look at?" When James said that, one of the screens changed to a list of guides. Each one cost between 5 to 50 points. The last one said 'Otherworld Guide' for 50 points, so James selected that one.

"Careful," Ignatius hissed, "You just wasted 50 points on a guide that may not be too useful to you. You should read the detailed explanations first."

A creature appeared in front of James. It was all black, about the size of a volleyball and made of stone. It sat in the air and had two giant, bat-like wings folded around its body. It was sitting like a dog, with two long front legs and two legs folded under it. It also had a long wispy tail that ended in an arrowhead shape. Its head was grotesque and distorted. It had a large mouth with sharp-looking teeth, beady little eyes and a flat, broad nose.

"Greetings, sir," it said.

Ignatius groaned, "A gargoyle. Great."

"What is wrong with a gargoyle?" James asked. The gargoyle looked down at Ignatius, waiting for a response.

Ignatius looked at the gargoyle and frowned, "Nothing. They are very slow and are steadfast to the rules. There is no bend."

"Is that a bad thing?" Zita asked.

"It is when you are trying to get around the rules," Ignatius offered.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Alright, let's get some information. What is the weapon of choice for the Avatars currently in the game?" James asked.

"Game?" the gargoyle asked.

"Challenge," James corrected himself.

"I am not permitted to speak on the current challenge," the gargoyle responded slowly.

"Might I also suggest," Zita interjected, "Your use of the word 'Avatar' is not correct. They are referred to as Champions. An Avatar only applies to Other-worlders."

James nodded, "Thank you. So, what has been the weapon of choice by champions participating in the challenge?" James looked over to Ignatius to see if he worded the question correctly. Ignatius was busy looking off in the distance at something.

"Seventy-four percent of Champions have used Magic as their main choice of attack."

"How many use weapons?" James asked

"Twenty-one percent of Champions use melee weapons, and five percent use missile weapons." the gargoyle responded.

"Why so few using ranged?" James queried.

"Most Champions do not rely on ranged weapons due to the danger of being weak in melee or magic. Unless you can kill your target with a bow or crossbow before they get to you, you are at a disadvantage when you get into melee. Also, most using magic can deflect arrows or bolts, so it is not that reliable", Ignatius said. This statement surprised James, as he thought Ignatius was ignoring the conversation.

"Is that correct?" James asked the gargoyle. Ignatius frowned at James.

"I am not qualified to comment on why Champions have made the chooses they have, only the results." the gargoyle responded.

"What is the most common type of magic used?"

"Thirty percent use Fire, twenty-one percent use Cold, sixteen percent use Water, fifteen percent use Necromancy, ten percent use Poison and five percent use healing. The remaining types of magic are below one percent." the gargoyle explained, again at a slow pace.

"So protection from Fire is important. And then cold. Is there something that protects against all of them? or do you have to buy each one independently," James asked.

"You can purchase resistance to each different type of magic. Or you can buy immunity to each different type of magic separately. Or you can buy resistance or immunity to magic" Ignatius cut off the gargoyle.

"You can't seriously recommend immunity to magic. Immunity means he can't use magic at all. At least with resistance, he can still use magic, just not that type."

The gargoyle looked indignantly at Ignatius, "I recommend nothing, sir. I am stating what his options are."

"How much does it cost for resistance and immunity?"

"Fifty points for resistance for each type, and one hundred points for each type of immunity. Resistance to magic is two hundred and fifty points, and immunity is five hundred points."

"Now you know why no one ever takes it," Ignatius commented.

"What is the difference between Resistance and Immunity?"

"Resistance means that the Champion would only take half damage, half duration and half penalties. Immunity means that magic has no effect at all. They would still be affected by environmental effects."

James nodded, just beginning to have a glimmer of understanding. "I see"

"What are you thinking?" Zita asked him.

"With three-quarters of the champions using magic, it makes sense that having some immunity would make sense."

"Fool!" Ignatius shouted, "If you take magic immunity, you will lose the benefits of potions, scrolls, charms and magical items, as well you would never be able to have spells yourself."

"That is not entirely correct," the gargoyle spoke up, "Magical items that the Champion, such as wands trigger, and magical items which directly affect that Champion with immunity would not work, such a Belt of Strength. But a magic sword that only gives a bonus to hit would still work."

"See, useless. The biggest problem you're going to have is healing. Without being able to use healing potions or healing spells, you will need to rely on natural healing. And if you need healing in the middle of battle, you're dead. And if you're dead, I'm dead!"

James could only watch Ignatius as tiny wisps of smoke rose from his ears and hair.

Zita stepped forward, placed a hand on Ignatius' shoulder, and asked the gargoyle, "Is there not a Champion race that has regeneration or some form of self-healing?"

"Yes, there are some; not all are desirable. You have a Troll, some demons, some undead, like Vampires and Revenants for regeneration. For self-healing, there are Ghouls, Unicorn, and Celestials."

"I would rather avoid things that are dead. Or demons and things are inherently evil."

"Things may be perceived as evil, but you decide your path. But I agree, you should avoid the undead," Zita stated.

"If I can avoid taking more damage, perhaps that will help. Are there any races that are resistant to physical damage?"

"More than those that have regeneration."

James interrupted before the gargoyle could give his lengthy explanation, "Are there any which have a combination of physical immunity, magical immunity and regeneration?"

"Yes," it said, pausing to see if James would interrupt again. When it wasn't interrupted, it continued, "There is no race with all three. A vampire has immunity to non-magical weapons and regeneration but is vulnerable to divine magic and sunlight. Raksha has limited magical immunity and some immunity to non-magical damage but are tormented souls reborn and crave the flesh of sentients. Some demons have damage immunity, fire immunity and magical resistance, but they are devils' servants."

James shook his head; the options were limited at best, "What about adding regeneration to a different race, like adding magic immunity? How much would that cost?"

"Depends on the amount of regeneration. Slow regeneration at one health point per hour is ten build points. One health point per minute would be one hundred build points, and One health point per second would be one thousand build points. As a point of reference, Trolls have one health point per second. Humans normally have two health points per hour."

"Damn."

James looked over at Ignatius to find him sitting on a cloud sofa with Zita. The two were quietly talking between themselves.

"Options?" he asked.

"I am not permitted to offer advice," the gargoyle stated.

"I seem to have poor manners lately. What is your name?" James asked.

"Archimedes Rockwell. My friends call me Rocko", Rocko responded, a hint of a smile creeping on his lips.

"Not Archie?" James said with a smile.

Rocky grimaced, "Please don't. My mother calls me Archie; may she rot in the bottom pit of the Nine Hells."

James blinked and then just shook his head, "Using your vast knowledge of past Champions and based on what I intend to do, which race has the best chance of survival?"

Rocko paused, looking at James, trying to see if his answer would violate any rules, "Based on my understanding and without any variation of an existing race, there are only three races that would stand the best chance of doing what you are trying to do. The Vampire is the best. Although it has serious vulnerabilities, it is also the strongest. The second would be Celestial. It has self-healing, resistance to physical damage from non-magical weapons and immunity to Charm, but like the demons, they are tethered to another, in the case, a Deity. Since you are bound to a Deity, I don't see that as an issue. They also can fly very, very fast. The last would be a Lycanthrope, specifically a werebear. They have immunity to physical damage from non-magical, vulnerability to silver, great combat skills, and shapeshifting. Mind you, their shapeshifting is limited to three unique forms."

James smiled at Rocko as Rocko kept stoic, "What if we made a variation to an existing race?"

"Then two races stand out. The first would be the weretiger. I would suggest adding an ability called Shift Healing. It means that every time you shift, you heal yourself. The problem is that you can only shift forms once per hour. It is still potent. The second would be the Raksha. Take the alternate background so that you are not a tormented soul and have the unquenchable desire for sentient flesh, and the race is rather spectacular."

"Can we flesh out both and see what we end up with?"

"Of course. The Raksha is a five-hundred-point race. You don't need magic immunity because they already have a limited form. It makes them immune to everything below tier 3 magic and below and resistant to everything tier 4 magic and above. On top of that, they can suppress their immunity so that beneficial spells or potions can help them. They have a few spell-like powers, but those are purchased separately. They have immunity to non-magical weapons unless wielded by a person of Good Faith."

"What does good faith mean?"

Ignatius answered, "All Champions fall into three categories, Good Faith, Evil Faith or neither. Good Faith is your Celestials. Evil Faith is your Demons. Most are neither. However, someone who has taken the class Paladin or Priest will usually pick one or the other."

Rocko nodded his agreement, "Your eleven hundred points are one thousand and fifty since you spent fifty on an Otherworld Guide. You would spend five hundred for the race, two hundred and fifty for the Altered Background. That would negate the tormented soul and the desire for flesh and then two hundred points for Regeneration and the last one hundred for your attributes, a couple of skills and your spells."

"And the weretiger?" James asked.

"Three hundred for the race, two hundred and fifty for the Altered Background, that would give the variant of Shift Healing, and five hundred for the Magic Immunity. This build would leave you with no additional points, and you would be starting from the base."

"What is the variant of Shift Healing?"

"When you shift forms, you may opt to use Shift Healing to regain half your health."

"That is very effective," James said with a smile.

"It can be, but be aware that you can only use the ability once per hour. But you can shift between your forms normally", Rocko cautioned.

"Are there any other ways to get additional points to start?"

"Yes, you can forgo your starting gear for fifty points and forgo your starting location for one hundred points."

"None of these options are great," James concluded.

"True, but both options allow for all three conditions you were looking for."

James had to agree. He realized that if he took the immunities he wanted, we would have to sacrifice in other areas. Of the two, the Raksha seemed to be the strongest. "In past challenges, have any champions had access to Tier 4 spells or higher?"

Rocko nodded, "Yes, most of the champions for the Deities have had access to Tier 4 spells before the end of the challenge. Some even had access to tier 5."

"Immunity it is. Add the extra hundred and fifty points into attributes and skills. I will leave that up to your judgment, and let's see the final tally."

"I am not permitted to spend your build points for you; you will need to designate your points."

James looked over the Avatar that was before him. He was interested in the skills, but Rocko advised that he was limited to only four skills. He put the rest of the points into Strength, Agility, and the final build point into Dexterity. It wasn't too hard since everything cost 10 points to increase.

"Here you go," Rocko said as a large screen appeared in front of James. Your Avatar starts with a bonus of +2 to Strength, +3 to Agility, +1 to Dexterity and +1 to Luck due to race."

"Ignatius, Zita, you interested in seeing the final product?

Name: James Gleason Race: Weretiger Class: Specialization: Level: 1 XP to next level: 0.00% Armour Rating: 3 Age: 42 Health: 105 Unarmed Damage: +12 Stamina: 30 Claw Damage: +15 Mana: 60 Bite Damage: +13 Attributes: Unspent Attribute Pts: 0 Strength 9 Agility 12 Dexterity 7 Endurance 5 Willpower 5 Intelligence 5 Charm 5 Luck 6 Skills: Unspent Skill Pts: 0 Analyze 1 Back Attack 1 Melee – Unarmed 3 Stealth 3 Unspent Advantage Pts 0

Strength Determines carrying capacity, damage to melee attacks, and gives a bonus to health. Agility Determines bonus to hit, to block and to avoid traps. Dexterity Determines bonus to dodge, to hit with ranged weapons and to Armor Rating. Endurance Determines Health, Stamina and gives a bonus to resist Poison/Disease Will Power Determines Mana, base Resistance, and a bonus to Resist Charm Intelligence Determines Mana Recovery, the maximum number and level of skills, and gives a small bonus to learning Skills Charm Determines bonus to Persuasion, to Bluff/Diplomacy, and to Bartering/Haggling Skills Luck Determines chance to land a Critical hit, to find extraordinary items and gives a small bonus to Resistances

Altered Background (Shift Healing) Some weretigers can regain their health each time they shift. You are one of the lucky few.

This Altered Background allows you to regain 50% of your health each shift, limiting you to shifting only once per hour. Magical Immunity You are immune to all magic originating from a tier 5 spell or lower. This Special Ability also prevents you from using any spells or magical abilities which require an activation word or action to activate. Shapeshifter You can shift into a single humanoid form, a single tiger form, or a single hybrid form.

In human form, your stats remain unchanged.

In tiger form, your Agility and Dexterity increase by one and your Willpower and Intelligence decrease by one.

In hybrid form, your Strength increases by one, Agility and Dexterity increase by two and your Willpower, Intelligence and Charm decrease by one. Keen Smell and Hearing You have a sensitive nose and ears. It is difficult for you to be surprised, and it is easier for you to spot people in stealth. You also gain a bonus to Detect Traps and Locate Hidden. Darkvision You can see as well in the dark as you can in the light. This vision is limited to 100'. Otherworld Guide Due to you not being of this world, you have chosen a guide who can provide you with information typically considered common knowledge.

"I'm dead," Ignatius groaned as he flopped on the sofa.