Finally, after eons of stagnation, the gods could start a new game. The world was prepared, the stage was set, all that was left was for the Gods to find their champions. Time and space held little meaning when it came to recruiting souls for the great game, and so the Gods searched.

On a minor planet, Earth, a man was about to die. He was as of yet unaware, that he was being observed by a higher power.

"Veth, I think this is the end of the line" A massive man huffed as he braced against a metal door, attempting to resist those on the other side.

"Damn damn damn, the whole organization must have sold us out! To find every one of our safe houses? To sniff out all of our operations in a few weeks? Its impossible otherwise." Veth checked his gun, a small caliber pistol, before casting it aside. "Im not going down in this dump. Look, if we surrender to the police we will only be arrested, they cant just blow us away. As long as we are alive, there is always a chance to rise from the ashes."

The man bracing the door looked a bit dubiously at his companion "I do not like the idea, its not that easy to simply escape prison. Although..." he looked at the small room the two of them were inside "I suppose its not like we have many options"

"We surrender!" Veth called out at the top of his voice "We are unarmed, we are giving up!" he wanted to make their intentions clear to avoid any misunderstandings with the police. The banging on the door ceased, for the time being. The man who was bracing the door, unbolted it.

As the door opened, Veth immediately realized his mistake. "Ah, I should have thought of that. This City really is the worst..." as the thoughts passed though his mind he quickly apologized to his companion "Sorry man, I did not want it to turn out this way"

"How much did buying the police cost you?" Veth called out to the man standing beside the officers, who were now aiming their weapons at him. A female voice, the voice of someone Veth thought was a trusted associate, responded "Not as much as eliminating the competition is worth. Now that I am going to be the first in line to the boss, a few cops are nothing. You should have been more careful Veth...."

As the bullets ripped through Veth's body, his only thoughts were of regret. Regret for trusting anyone in this damn city. Regret that it ended like this. Regret for so many things left unsaid or undone. Even a fragment of regret for those he was leaving behind, those that depended on him.

Veth's next thought was "Death seems awfully... anti climactic." All he could see was white. Nothing but white in every direction. He noticed that he also seemed to be floating. "Maybe im a ghost? Maybe because light passes through ghosts they only see white? That would suck." He tried to move around a bit, before giving up, as he seemed to be held in place by some unknown force.

A feminine voice emanated from seemingly every direction "Not quite a ghost, a soul, a bit of a wicked one at that" the voice was soft, but disapproving.

"Judgement then? That makes sense I suppose" Veth thought for a moment "You know, I never really believed in... whatever you are?" He felt as if he should be more panicked or surprised, but he figured that his relaxed mentality was a side effect of not having a flight/fright mechanism anymore, on account of not having a body.

"Your belief is unneeded. Your world is considered a bit of a lost cause by the others...." for a moment Veth thought he heard a bit of disapproval in the women's voice as she spoke. The voice continued onward "Regardless, to correct you, no this is not your judgement. You should be thankful of that. Souls that follow no god, and are as wicked as yours, find no peace in death."

"Ya, I suppose that makes sense" Veth was concerned sure, but there was no reason to panic. It’s not like he could change anything at this point in his life. Or... uh, lack thereof.

"Rather than judgement, you’re getting a second chance, of sorts. I have chosen you to be my piece in a game. A game put on by the Gods. A game, that I fully disapprove of." The women's voice paused for a moment, considering her next words "You see, I did not chose you because of your great talents, or your refined skills, or any particular reason. I have no desire to participate in this game, alas, all of the Gods are compelled to participate by an ancient agreement. I have simply chosen a random wicked soul, yours, to put this game to the only use I can approve of. A chance for someone to redeem themselves, to cleanse themselves of their wicked nature."

"A second chance?" Something stirred within Veth, something he thought he had left behind as a young man. "Why was I never given a first chance? If you really are a "Goddess" then you should know of my past!" Veth's anger grew as he spoke "Sold as a child! Sold underneath the noses of the police, of the world." If he had fists, Veth was sure they would be clenched in anger. "I did not choose to be sold, I did not want to have to kill to defend myself! A child thrown to the wolves! My only choice was to become a wolf! To join the world I was sold into!"

The Goddess listened patiently to his outburst, letting him finish before she responded. "Indeed, atrocities uncountable are committed, world after world. If it were up to me, nothing like that would ever happen again, no pain, no hunger... no sold children" The women's tone grew stern and harsh. "However, it is not up to me. The Gods are like children, squabbling over power and prestige, this "Game" is a prime example of that. Even those that are on the side of "good" war endlessly with the others. That is why I despise this game. That is why I despise my peers."

Veth had no response. His anger, now had no target. If this Goddess spoke true, his life was not her doing. Veth regained most of his composure after a few moments. "Well, then what do you want from me? Use this "game" as a chance to live a good life? Its not so easy to simply want to be a good person."

"I want nothing from you. You may treat this second chance however you wish. As I have said, I only chose you because I was forced to chose someone. Win the game, lose the game, ignore the game. It is your choice. As per the rules of the game however, I am compelled to give you certain information on the rules the gods have set forth."

"First, you will be remade on a world the gods have specifically altered to be host to their game. It works much like the games from your world."

"Second, you may choose to appear as any race you desire, this world has many. Elf, Beastkin, Dwarf, Human, even something as awful as a Goblin. However, you are of a special species of your chosen race, designed specifically for the game."

"Third, you may attempt to win the game any way you wish, but the game will only conclude once all the champions have either died or surrendered to another."

After a few moments of silence, when no more information was forthcoming. Veth spoke up "Those are some loose rules, aren't they?"

"Indeed, the Gods could not agree on anything more specific. Its a minor miracle they even agreed on this much..." The Goddess trailed off.

After some time of silence, the Goddess spoke once more "I supposed there are two last things I should tell you before I send you off. I am the Goddess of Motherhood, Pira. Second, you will only remember your name as "V" the rest of your name will be largely forgotten by you, as will a portion of your memories"

Giving him no time to respond, the Goddess continued onward. "Do try to do SOME good in your new life, will you?" Veth suddenly started to lose consciousness, realizing this meeting was reaching its conclusion, he spoke quickly "Will we meet again? I would like to know more about the Gods and...."

"No, we shall not meet again, I doubt I will even watch the progress of this game."

As Veth's soul moved on toward the world of the game, the Goddess looked at both him and the world with contempt, no pity or tenderness in her gaze.