Three’s heavy-browed glare fell onto both Players, causing a pressure that seemed to pull Zahn’s body towards the floor. He resisted the tug and remained upright, but the effort took all his newly-gained physical strength.

“We came looking-” Ethan started to reply when the powerful Gladiator blitzed forward. Even without his axe, the huge man had no issue physically dominating the much weaker Warlock and lifting him against the wall.

“Shad it.” The thickset fighter lifted his free hand to the side of his helmet and gave Zahn a dark glare before speaking. “Boss. Two intruders in our wing. Dunno. Copy.”

He has a psychic link to the Ringmaster, Zahn sent to the other Player. Maybe we can send a fake message along it? He struggled to move his body, feeling the pressure of the ranked Gladiator as his arm trembled but slowly rose.

Ethan gurgled from his prone position against the wall, flailing lightly against the green armored arm pinning him. Not likely, unless you can fake a voice. Make him let me go! He continued to thrash against the man’s grip even as his eyes leaked tears over the loss of his minion.

Three’s angry glare shifted its target from Zahn’s face to his shaking arm, and the hulk grunted. “I didn’t even say surrender yet. Are ye some kinda coward?” Lowering the hand holding his massive weapon from his head, the green-clad tank shook his mighty weapon in the air as if about to bellow a war cry only for the metal death blade to shimmer and fade into nothing. With his now free hand he seized the Custom’s forearm and nodded with another grunt. “Two captured.”

Ethan’s flailing reduced to a pitiful whine drew the brute’s attention back to his left arm, prompting him to drop the caster before similarly grabbing his arm as the Warlock gasped for air on the ground.

“Alright, order one complete. Yer comin’ with me.” The powerful fighter straightened up, and Zahn tried to brace himself for the inevitable ripping of his shoulder as he was wrenched up high… and found nothing happening. Three stepped lightly towards the double metal doors, glaring at the handles and leaning his head forward like they’d offended him.

Big help you are, came Ethan’s griping over mental link. Just giving up? If there’s anyone you could mind-fuck around here, it’s this guy.

Zahn scowled over the brute’s shoulder, finding the other Player’s gaze. Of course not! It’s hard as fuck to move, this huge weight bullshit is making my arms like lead!

His what? Ethan’s visible eyes showed confusion before the blond looked between their captor and his struggle with the door. Oh. No, oh fuck. Okay, pay attention dude. See how he’s glaring at the door? He’s not.

Three leaned back and kicked at the handles, trying to catch his toe under the protrusion and pull it towards him. The metal barrier rang with each pound of his foot, but he failed to open either door as he leaned on the Players for balance.

Three can’t fucking see, bro. He dumped his mental stats, including Perception. The stream of consciousness paused and shuddered as if the speaker had stopped to take a breath. He’s not giving you a look, the dude is short-sighted. He has a bunch of Skills to pull his opponent closer, he’s the kind of guy to put everything into Physical. Ethan’s ongoing rant slowly calmed Zahn’s pounding heart, a first in their history of conversations. Listening to the other Player list what and why seemed to dissolve an aura around the Gladiator, and by the time he finished talking Zahn down the shorter green armored man seemed rather silly.

I don’t get it, Zahn sent back numbly as he stared at the squat strongman holding their arms like twigs in his grip. He seemed so tall. Huge, even. It was like a giant looming over me.

Probably his natural Intimidation bonus, Ethan’s calming voice began to pick up in panic again. And the level gap. We don’t have time, as soon as this idiot opens the door he’s gonna drag us to the master. Fuck with his head!

Zahn let out a breath and tried to focus, hearing the pounding of his captor’s kicks like a drum through his skull. Pushing warm mana up his neck and into his dome, the Custom gave the energy a moment to attune to his ongoing Psychic mess before imagining the icy cold need for mana in his eyes and drawing the newly purple haze of magical power into his face. His eyes slid half-closed as Three wrenched the doors open at last and let daylight flood his vision once more. The burly thug pulled both Players by their arms over the sands, one shortened step at a time as he leisurely crossed the arena towards the crisis at the far end.

The connecting weave that the brute had used to speak with his master still hung around the man’s head and looked like a constant stream of smoke tendrils performing a small circuit on his helmet. Now that Ethan’s encouragement had banished the looming presence, the powerful Gladiator looked little more than an angsty teen who filled out with muscle.

Zeroing in on the shrouded mind, Zahn felt something tingling on his arm under Three’s grip and allowed himself to be drawn into the sensation. They continued to walk as he staggered with each other step and let himself be led around, losing his connection to the physical world as he sank into the mental realm around him.

Zahn felt a buoyancy, as if he’d leaned back onto a soft chair and let the tides carry him around. His body continued to stumble along as his mind shifted to and fro on the shifting currents of mental energy.

Reality took on a slightly pink haze as light began to emit from within the heads around them, and Zahn fought to stay focused on his task as the world became that much more distracting. Above and around them, the sky was littered with endless specks of purple and gold light that shimmered and danced like schools of fish in a current. Just out of the corner of his eye he knew Ethan still walked along, held captive, and the other Player’s vibrant mind practically created its own pull as light not only flickered from that direction but also drew tiny lights in the air towards itself.

A collection of colors arced through the air above as he tried to focus on his job looking like hair given life. The swirling mass of lines and whorls spun over on itself as it swam through the air in wide loops like a speeding aircraft bearing thoughts and dreams.

With the passage of their skyward neighbor, the lights above dimmed enough for Zahn’s helpless wandering gaze to find the tiny constellation that was Three’s waking mind. The collection of lights hung within the ropy confines of the communication spell and seemed hung on the inside of the man’s skull rather than active participants in thought.

Pushing his will towards the other man took no effort at all, with a mass of dark purple cloud sliding in a stream from somewhere above his point of view and enveloping the other brain entirely. The mass wrapped itself around the cluster and sat there, seemingly inert after being cast out.

Hurry the fuck up! We’re almost there and he’s going to tell them everything! You fucking killed my best friend for nothing you stupid fucking asshole! Ethan’s formerly calm demeanor shattered as his next message came through, echoing around Zahn’s mind as he tried to squash another’s.

Reaching out along the path of mana he’d laid, the Custom found himself almost slipping towards the other mind as his intent folded gentle fingers around the delicate mesh. Holding the linked sparks of light that made up Three’s active brain felt like holding something made of strung wire and beads of glass, as if the artwork had been electrified and buzzed with its own meager power.

Feeling each of the bright nodes tingling against his grip, Zahn tried to influence the sparks towards the front of his victim’s mind and found a wave of input crashing against his senses; the sun was too bright, the sands were too hot, the air stank of sweat and blood, and the only pleasing sensation to be found was the sharp stink of fear.

Reeling back from the contact, he aimed lower and tried for a band of linked lights that made up a curving loop around the bottom of the hollow shape. The nearly complete circle shook at his touch, each of the lights flickering and sputtering before their neighbors supplied power from each side to sustain them. Making direct contact with the centermost mote showed Zahn a flash of lights and colors inverted, looking like he was staggering towards a great U-shaped darkness against an otherwise bright backdrop.

What the hell are you doing in there? Ethan’s panicked voice found him again, seeming to echo as he worked in Three’s head. You almost made him fall! We’re lucky they’re in the Fodder halls, at this rate you’re going to kill him the fucker.

Will you shut up? Zahn impatiently sent back. If I just grab and squeeze, who the hell knows what could happen? If he doesn't bring us over the Ringmaster will know something’s up. I need to make him forget, he already reported us! Let me work damnit! Turning his focus from his partner in crime, the Player bent back to task. Pushing the opposite direction from his last effort, he found a cluster acting like a canopy of stars as they loosely connected to one another in a broad swath at the top. Gently probing each light gave short flashes that didn’t force his attention to waver, the sparks displaying blips of memories and emotions tied to them.

He withdrew from the field of memories when something tugged at him, feeling like getting his shirt caught on a door frame. Turning back to the arrangement he saw a single rich violet star among the pink and purple, one that almost pulsed as it called out to him. Skimming the memory with a light touch showed feelings of satisfaction, vindication, even some level of revenge.

Feeling the sun leave his skin, Zahn realized he’d spent too long dallying with memories and they’d already entered the hall containing Two and his monsters. He couldn’t hear or smell them as he dove into Three’s mind, but he knew their chance was about gone already.

Reaching towards the back and sides of his captor’s delicate mind, the Custom dragged his mental digits along and felt the countless sparks of light dance and vibrate in turn. For a moment he saw through Three’s eyes and for another he could taste the man’s foul breath. It was only as he was about to change tactics again and start poking randomly when he found a small cluster that looked like his goal.

A flash of light and color showed a perspective from inside a room, then another showed the long management hallway past the double metal doors before a third displayed how the Players looked when caught. Zahn finally saw himself in more than reflected water for the first time in ages, and the filthy hobo in tattered rags stared back defiantly. His beard looked like he’d been sleeping with pigs and hay while his one set of clothing hung pitifully thin and worn over his frame. Arms and legs once flush with happy, comfortable fat layers now carried the bulk of muscle under the plump layers, and he could even see his calves above a pair of filthy bare feet.

Leaning away from the other’s mind was almost counter intuitive, as if Zahn’s mental magic wanted to carry him away from himself. Finding his own body again felt like sliding on an old sock, something once comfortable for life now feeling both sticky and foul. Forcing himself to blink and close his mouth showed the Player just why his latest mental stunt was a bad idea, and he furiously rubbed at his face with his free hand as feeling returned to his limbs.

“Agh, fuck. Ptew. Remind me to never do that again.” His voice sounded hoarse even to himself, but it felt right using his own mouth once more. “That’s just terrible.” Blinking hard and peering through watery eyes, Zahn looked again at the strands linking his mind to Three’s and found the cluster he’d been messing with glowing with an aura that matched his.

Why the fuck are you speaking out loud? Ethan’s voice rang in his ear again and Zahn spared a moment to glare over Three’s head back at him.

He’s fine. I’m holding his short-term memory in a fist, sorta, he can’t remember shit. I’m honestly surprised he’s still walking.

Looking back at his victim once outside again showed the Player something that resembled a tentacle emerging from something above his eyes and ending in a clenched fist around the selected nodes. Three still stumped along the hall, ignoring the cries and yowls of the surrounding imprisoned beasts as they neared his boss.

Before the hall reached its intersection, the scene of the crime was revealed. One knelt at the sneak’s side, red magic pulsing between her hands and the downed man’s torso. Her massive silvery enchanted scythe stood leaning against the wall behind her while the Ringmaster nervously wrung his hands as he stared down at Two.

Ethan’s voice reached Zahn’s mind as he tried to understand the colorful change in the familiar hallway. Fuck, her blade is out. That red mark is the blood magic she’s using, but do you see the purple mark forming further towards the tip? The eye-looking thing?

Near the haft of her magical weapon a symbol like a drop of blood over a mostly intact skull gave off a bright red light that matched her spellcasting. On the far side, the symbol of an eye on its side staring up with wavy lines beneath it began to light up brighter as they approached.

What the fuck. Is that some kind of magic detector? Zahn started to panic as he gripped the memories, looking to each side as if the caged monsters would be useful.

She can detect certain kinds of magic with her Mithril Reaper. It’s part of how she deflects spells back during combat. Ethan’s sudden abundance of knowledge was both useful and horribly timed.

And why couldn’t you have told me that at any point in the last three fucking months?! Zahn felt he handled the news calmly, his mind racing as he tried to plan how to escape getting caught so easily. Do you know if it can see only active spells or not?

It’s not like she just shares this kind of info dude!

Silently promising to force Ethan to respawn before dinner, the Custom closed his eyes and tried to slide back into the trance he used to cause the smothering. He could reach back towards the delicate wrapping constellation easily, but gripping it was slippery like a boiled egg.

Opening one eye to track their progress showed the downed scene less than twenty feet away with a certain silver weapon glowing a bright blend of magenta and crimson. Picturing a tangle of strings and strands forming the mental bridge, Zahn closed his eyes again before twisting his free hand’s fingers as he imagined wrapping the structure around Three’s brain.

His wild gesturing did little to direct the weave, but his mental construct still obeyed his intent and enveloped his victim in a multi-layered wrapped crown. The ends of his entanglement still snared his victim’s recent memories, but he could see the effect had weakened during his frantic wrapping.

Trying to withdraw from his ensnared captor felt like sliding uphill, but his adrenaline-fueled panic served as enough to push him home. As he pulled away, the bright sparkling memory that called out to him before once again demanded his gaze. Touching the star was as easy as breathing, with the feelings accompanying the caress. He needed this. Whatever it was, this memory wouldn’t let him go. Trying to grip only the one tiny portion of mind was far smaller than anything his mental digit could hold, slipping away like a spark in the wind. Willing the little prize into his grasp pulled the memory along as if he’d snagged it on a fishhook. Settling back into his body and seeing the red-robed master a handful of steps away forced ice down Zahn’s veins.

He felt his eyes widen as his body tried desperately to give him any advantage possible against the imminent terrifying threat he so clearly saw before him. He smelled the sweat and waste around them, the iron tang of Two’s blood sharp against the musty air of straw and hay they’d cultivated over the years.

Zahn’s mental magic pulled in, feeling like he’d dipped in cold water and found his anatomy retreating. The thin psychic tendril holding Three’s memory reeled itself into his mind, his mental weave wrapping itself around the prize like a cloth nest folding itself over an egg until it's light was hidden at last.

Zahn felt the world seem to grow, a pressure gently pushing down on his neck and shoulders. An ache he’d been able to ignore for an unknown time made itself known all up his back, each side reminding him of every time he’d fallen to the ground or tried to recover.

He blinked hard and found the world changed, standing still before his temporary master and chief agent. The dreaded two-handed scythe remained upright, glowing to show the blood magic being cast. Three waited silently with both Players’ arms in his grasp and staring straight ahead.

The Ringmaster finally looked up and scowled at the trio. “Well? You found them doing what, exactly?”

One glared up from her patient’s side as the heavily wounded sneak gurgled something past a ruined throat. “Does it matter? Trespassing violates their contracts.”

Three stared ahead, breathing heavily. “I, uh. Hmm. They. Found them near the door.”

Their manager gave his Gladiator a long look as One scoffed.

“Did you get even stupider, Three?” She glanced up at her weapon before looking back at the green-armored fighter. “Speak clearly, idiot. What. Were they. Doing?”

The man blinked slowly as he fought against the spell, beginning to sweat as he struggled to speak. “They, they ah. I heard a noise. I was in the hall. Found them, they were near the doors. Not supposed to.”

“That’s enough.” The Ringmaster waved at his faculty and gestured towards the Players. “Monk, Player. You didn’t seriously think you could get to my office without me? It’s no coincidence I caught a summoned creature attempting the same. You’re off the Roster another year, and you’re off for the summer for helping him. Get out of my sight.” With a final gesture at each of the captured, he turned back to his downed fighter. “Drag them out, keep them out.”

Three obediently turned in place and dragged the two, walking at the same pace as if he didn’t care about his task in the least. Ethan and Zahn exchanged a look over the man’s shoulders as they silently passed the distance One’s weapon could detect them.

“What happened?” They could hear the soft echo of her question as she apparently healed Two enough to speak. “You’ve never been hurt out of a match like this.”

“Oh, you know.” The tan man’s raspy voice barely reached Zahn’s ears. “Must have been something I ate, maybe it smelled like her kid. I’m not a Beastmaster, darlin’.”

Before their steady steps left the Fodder wing, a voice reached Zahn’s ears clearly.

The voice was soft and feminine, pleasing to listen to as he parsed the words that he finally heard. The sounds didn’t even cause a vibration behind his ear, his mind calm and quiet before and after the announcement.

Stepping out of the hall and onto the sands once more, the Players staggered free and strode clear of Three. The bulky man glared at them as they left, and Zahn felt the heat of the stolen memory growing in his mind. We need to find somewhere to unpack this thing.