As Alexander opened his eyes and looked around, he found himself in an endless white void. The floor was solid yet made of no material he could recognize, each step echoed with the dull thud of bare feet on polished stone, empty of any discoloration on its surface. Dense clouds formed a wave-like pattern in the sky yet did not overshadow the area. Wherever Alex looked, the emptiness was brightly lit and clearly defined.

  As Alex took in the surrounding area with awe, a pale blue holographic display materialized before him, accompanied by a familiar feminine voice.

  “Not now Alice, just load up CoC please. I’ve waited long enough damnit!” Alex replied anxiously.

  As the last window dissolved into ethereal particles of light, animated three-dimensional words crept up from the floor as the game’s logo took shape, accompanied by an inspired orchestra score boomed out its theme song.

  New windows sprung to life, drawing Alex’s attention to them.

  “Yes” Alex answered.

  Alice’s voice sang out as more holographic windows replaced the previous ones.

  “Hell yeah!” he yelled enthusiastically as Alex pumped his fists into the air and did a little dance.

  The pure white void was invaded with a spectrum of multicolored lights as dozens of near naked humanoid male bodies came into existence. The closest form was bathed in radiant white light while the others around and behind it looked ghostly. Alex knew that the Human race was the only initial option by default, the other races would have to be quested or purchased from the Cash Shop at ridiculous prices, in order to unlock the potential to use them. The more popular the race was during the Alpha and Beta’s, the more expensive it would be to purchase. Once unlocked a player would still require to pay a ‘Race Change’ fee of $50, unless they purchased the option during the creation of their Avatar.

  The human form that stood before Alex was an exact copy of his own appearance, albeit mostly nude with the exception of a pair of simple leather ‘underoos’ for modesty.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  [Author’s Note: ALEX APPERANCE HERE, just can’t decide what he looks like yet… maybe you can give me some ideas]

  He took the time to inspect the other forms, noting that they all shared his overall appearance with the exception of a few exotic features. Some had pointed, knife-like ears and others had more animalistic or inhuman appearances. Wings of various shapes, sizes and colorations were on display and all manner of tails, horns, claws, furs or scales colored in a multitude of hues could be seen.

  “Right, have to purchase or complete a quest for additional Avatar Races.” Alex stated with a sigh.

  Microtransactions are considered to be ‘Standard’ within the majority of modern AAA games. CoC itself was heavily built around the monetization of everything and anything, even after the initial purchase price of $60-120 dependent on what version was purchased.

  This extends further beyond the Avatar Race Selection, to the races available for the actual units throughout the game. To make the situation worse and almost as if the developers intended to reward deeper pockets, the different races have different stat growth and abilities. Allowing customers who pay to unlock them to have a slight advantage over those that don’t purchase them.

  “Open up the Cash Shop, please. I want to buy some options.” He requested, shortly before a new window materialized.

  Alex began to browse through the many options, starting with the Avatar Race Selections. While Humans were at the top, the list included many entries such as; Goblins, Orcs, Elves, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, Dwarves, Gnomes, Skeletons, Ghosts, Vampires. Dozens and dozens of races, from all forms of myth and fantasy, could be acquired and played to the pure joy of role-players everywhere.

  Scrolling through the list, Alex touched the option for Beastkin (Wolf), bringing up additional dialogues with detailed information. While there were more human looking Beast-type races, Alex preferred the more anthropomorphic Beastkin variants over the more human-like Beastfolk.

  Price $100, or ‘Completion of -The Dogs of War- Scenario Quest’ required to unlock. Warning: Use of an Avatar with ‘Significantly Altered Body Proportions’ and or ‘Reduced / Additional Limbs’ may cause temporary discomfort and or acute neurological disorders. Use caution when transitioning between your true body and your Avatar. Seek appropriate medical attention as required by law.

  Alex closed the shop window once he had completed and verified the transaction. The line of humanoids shifted as he did, bringing the wolf forward, next to the Human and bathing it in a similar highlight.

  “I chose the Wolf as my avatar.” Alex said assuredly, forcing the other humanoids to fade from existence as the light around the wolf reduced to normal levels.

  Alice’s voice spoke out as a new holographic window winked into being.

  “Yes” Alex stated.

  A multitude of windows popped up around him displaying various portions of the Wolfman’s body.

  Alex quickly discovered that there was a slider for almost everything and anything, allowing a massive amount of customization. With a grin, Alex set to work modifying his new body. He observed each change as he manipulated the controls upon the displays.

  He Increased the wolf’s overall Hight to seven feet, while maintain even proportions. Muscles were thickened, increasing their definition. Alex then slightly lengthened the fingers and toes while also making them thicker. With a few swipes he changed the retractable nail options, removing the canine like nails and opting for a more human-like set, albeit slightly longer than normal and quite blade-like.

  The Wolf’s ears were lengthened a tad while their angle was altered so they pointed slightly back, toward the rear of its head. This added a more feral look to the Avatar once the teeth were aligned to jut out from the top of its maw.

  Alex was not satisfied with the default look of the fur so he shortened the hairs of the torso, while increasing the average number of hairs per-square-inch of the fur. He preferred the shorter fur as it revealed more muscle definition. However, he left the fur length on the rest of the wolf’s body alone. Moving to the color options, Alex painted his Avatar’s entire pelt pitch black, tracing slight highlights with a softer charcoal color.

  “That’s enough, I guess.” Alex stated while taking one final look over the Avatar. Overall, he was satisfied with the changes and pressed the ‘Accept’ button and paying the ‘Customization’ fee of $25.

  He felt no pain as his body started to radiate light while it morphed into the form of his chosen Avatar. When the light dispersed and his vision cleared, Alex took a tentative first step, nearly falling on his ass. The warning message was not kidding around when it cautioned him to take time in order to acclimate to a new body. Alex felt like he was walking on his toes and the balls of his feet whenever he moved.

  It only took him moments to notice that the wagging sensation coming from behind him was his new fluffy tail. He spent an indeterminant period of time to fully explore his Avatar body with his hands. He was soft and fluffy everywhere he touched, yet his muscles were stiff and unyielding, hidden from sight just under the surface.

  Alice’s voice soon broke his investigation.

  “Okay.” he managed to mumble quietly while he tried to maintain his balance, “Just don’t laugh at me when I fall.”

  Alex browsed through yet another list before opening the Cash Shop and purchasing five additional Talent slots, up to the maximum of ten Talents. He then went back through the prior list and selected ones he hoped would fit a rogue-like build. After taking [Move Silently], [Hide] and [Perception], he moved on to combat focused Talents. [Blade] and [Archery] were quickly accepted, as was [Attack Increase] and [Defense Increase] followed by a racial exclusive Talent; [Thick Hide]. Alex rounded out his Avatar with two profession based Talents; [Mining] and [Scavenging].

  “I think I’m done, Alice?” Alex Questioned his personal VI.

  A new holographic window materialized before him as the White void around him began to fade.

  “Yes.” Alex replied…