Intro

Heh, I just came up with an interesting challenge. The story of Xanth by Piers Anthony is one of the most inane works I have ever read, and while the first two are decent, it requires a lot of deus ex machina to write.

Bear with me.

For those of you unfamiliar, the land of Xanth is a magical land, unconnected to the normal "muggle" world of Mundania. It is connected somewhere in florida, and is a peninsula.

In the land, every single human has a magical talent. One talent. For good or for bad, doesn't matter. One person can make illusions, another can control hurricanes, and yet another can transform himself into any animal. If a human does not have a talent, he is exiled into Mundania, where no magic talents work.

Everything in the land is a pun, which is why the series is so unreasonable to read sometimes.

Now, back to the challenge. The first two Xanth books are about a man named Bink, who is to be exiled because he did not show a talent. Over the course of the first book, you find out that he in fact did have a talent, and it is Magician-caliber.

Spoilers follow.

The talent that Bink has is the power of Deus Ex Machina. No, that's not what the book says, but that's basically what it is. His talent is that he cannot be harmed by magic. He can get stabbed by a sword, or fall of a cliff, but no magic talents will bring him lasting harm, nor will any magical elements.

Spoilers end.

Now, I have two challenges, as it would be very interesting to do a crossover with this series.

Challenge Rules

First Challenge: Have Harry somehow get Bink's talent. Write a plot to somehow create tension even with the talent; or, don't reveal the talent until the end.

Second Challenge: Have Harry visit Xanth. Do not do this challenge unless you read a few of the books.

Any takers?