I was asleep. I understood this fact the moment I realized that Maelyne was sitting across from me, in what looked to be a large and comfortable chair. The realization that I was dreaming seemed to bring everything a new clarity and focus.

Maelyne smiled faintly as she said, “I took the liberty of choosing the setting of our meeting this time.”

The setting seemed to be some kind of comfortable den or living room, with book shelves, a fireplace, and a small table on the side. There were also two chairs that were facing each other, and Maelyne and I occupied those.

As I looked around, I noted that everything was built to Maelyne’s scale, which made me feel even smaller than I did when it was just the two of us. The only exception seemed to be my own chair, which was built to a normal human size, though it was on a bit of a platform to lift me up closer to her range.

“Would you care for a cup of tea?” Maelyne asked me politely.

I was a little startled by the question, because that certainly wasn’t what I would have expected from a goddess. Still, I responded, “Yes, please.”

I wasn’t really a tea drinker. Nothing against the stuff, but it just wasn’t my thing. Still, it was a good idea to be polite to a goddess, and to accept a drink when my host offered it.

Maelyne poured two cups of tea, one of the cups being her size and one being mine. Then she handed me the smaller one, which I took a careful sip from. I didn’t usually like tea, but this stuff was pretty good. Maybe that was because it was made by a goddess, or maybe it was because this was only a dream.

“I am quite pleased by your performance in this last contest,” Maelyne told me with a smile. “Because of your actions, I was able to recover a part of the power and status that had been forfeit from a previous loss.”

“I…I didn’t to much against that dragon,” I protested in surprise. “Other people did a lot more.”

“But you contributed against the dragon,” Maelyne told me. “And against the other challenges. But even more importantly, you protected your people, those who are most loyal to you.”

“Of course I did,” I responded in surprise. “What’s the point of having these powers if I don’t protect my people?”

Maelyne smiled at that and her eyes seemed to gleam more brightly. “Precisely. I just wish your predecessor had understood that.” Her smile turned to a look of sadness. “I fear that I made a mistake in choosing Heather as my champion.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, taking a sip of my tea.

Maelyne was silent for several seconds before answering. “Heather didn’t understand the value of loyalty the way I thought she did. She didn’t truly understand that loyalty must go both ways, or that she was not the only one in need of protection.” There was a pained look on her face. “If it had been within my power to save her, I would have done so in an instant. But knowing what I do now, I would not have chosen her at the start. She was not well-suited to the game, so this was not fair to either of us.”

In spite of the fact that I’d never known Heather, I still felt like I had to defend her. “These aren’t the easiest abilities to work with. I mean, she didn’t have any offensive powers at all, and when you’re dealing with chicks who can throw fire and crap, there wasn’t a lot she could do.”

“Those abilities are a reflection of my own,” Maelyne said with a hint of reproach, though she didn’t really seem to be offended. “They are a sliver of my own power.”

With a gulp of nervousness, I quickly said, “No offense, but… Well, that’s the problem. You can’t win fights with only defense…”

Of course, I’d played enough games to know that defensive and support class mages had other ways of contributing. In my case, I had two companions that were probably supposed to dish out all my damage for me. Matt and Teri were supposed to be my offensive power.

Maelyne took a dip of her tea, watching me as she did so. Finally, she said, “The abilities that a champion is given, depends on both the powers of the patron, and the inclinations of the champion. A wise patron will choose a champion with compatible inclinations, though sometimes the match isn’t as good as we expect.” She frowned at this, and I could tell she was thinking about Heather.

I took a sip of my tea while considering this, noticing that I still had a feminine girl’s hand. Glancing down at myself, I saw that I was definitely still a girl. But since this was just a dream, shouldn’t I have been back in my old body?

“Champions are given freedom to influence, and in some ways, direct their own development,” Maelyne continued, pausing to take another sip of tea. “If I had initially chosen you as my champion, you would have put your extra attribute points into strength, endurance, and health, rather than into charisma and magic. You would have chosen to compete more directly than Heather, and your abilities would have reflected this. Now, you have abilities that may not reflect your preferred method of fighting, but you will have to use what you have. I fear that in this game, you cannot simply respec your character.”

“I kind of figured that much,” I admitted with a wince. “I’m sorry about complaining and all. It’s just a little frustrating since I’m used to getting a little more physical.”

“Quite understandable,” Maelyne responded with a faint look of amusement. “You came into this late, and with less input than any other champion. I am pleased, and even impressed, that you have done as well as you have. After this last competition, I believe that you would have made a fine champion if I had chosen you to start with.”

“Um…thank you,” I responded, not sure what else to say.

“I can understand your concerns,” Maelyne told me with a serious expression. “Some abilities require specific prerequisites, such as certain attribute levels, before you can even receive them. After your performance in this competition, you have earned a new ability. Following the path that Heather began, I was going to give you ‘summon companion,’ which would allow you to transport a companion to your side. But if you would prefer, I can give you an offensive ability instead.”

That immediately caught my attention because I needed some offensive power. I needed a way to get in and actually fight. However, I couldn’t help but thinking about the battle with the dragon, and how Teri had been injured because I was too far away to protect her. I also remembered what had happened with Axe Guy, when I’d been separated from the others, and had been forced to deal with him on my own.

“An offensive power,” I mused aloud, “or one that lets me protect my companions better…and call them as reinforcements.”

I let out a long sigh at that painful decision, though Maelyne remained silent. She merely took a sip of her tea and continued to watch me.

After a minute, I reluctantly said, “I’ll take the summon companion… If it can help me get my friends out of trouble…”

Maelyne smiled faintly, seeming pleased by the decision. “Very well,” she said. “Your new ability will be ‘summon companion.’ I would give you both, were it allowed, but it isn’t. As it is, I am bending the rules by giving you this choice now.”

“I appreciate it,” I told her honestly. It was nice to feel like I had at least a little say so in all of this.

“Our time here is quickly coming to an end,” Maelyne told me. “And there are things you must know. I have enemies, ones who are more ambitious than I previously suspected.”

The fact that she had enemies wasn’t a surprise at all. These gods played a pretty cutthroat game and didn’t seem to have any problems with using humans as the game pieces, or our world as their board. I could only imagine about the rivalries and grudges that made this game necessary.

“I hold a position of strategic importance,” Maelyne explained. “And I protect another in a similar strategic position. Because of this, I stand as an obstacle to their ambitions, so they will do anything to remove me, which means, they will…and have…targeted my champion.”

“Nadine,” I said, feeling a shiver run down my spine. “And Robe…Mason.”

“Indeed,” Maelyne agreed. “Their patrons are among those arrayed against me. “I must apologize that our conflict resulted in your death, and that I had to ask you to stand against them as my champion. You are in even greater danger than most champions because of this.”

“Nadine is a psycho bitch,” I said with an angrily scowl. “It’s not your fault she killed me.”

Maelyne nodded faintly at that. “Nevertheless, you are doing me a great service, at great personal risk, so you have my gratitude. If I could protect you from these risks, or properly reward you for your service, I would do so.”

“Um…thank you,” I said a little awkwardly. This conversation was getting into weird territory, but then again, everything had been pretty damn weird since the night Nadine had killed me. “I guess you can’t change the rules mid-game. All you can do is play the best you can.”

“Correct,” Maelyne responded with a faint smile. “Be careful. Our enemies will come after you again, and you must be prepared.”

Suddenly, Maelyne looked around and scowled. This was just like the last time we’d talked, so I could only guess that we were being watched now.

“Remember what I told you, my champion” Maelyne said in a more formal tone than what she’d been using. “And know that you are capable of more than you realize.”

With those words, my dream ended and I woke up in my new bedroom. I looked at the clock, muttered a brief profanity, then curled up to try getting back to sleep.