The days remaining until the next match seemed to vanish, disappearing behind magical book pages and constant unending practice. Zahn was forced to endure casting and recasting his few spells under Two’s direct guidance, and though he learned a lot about his own magic between his tutor and Tome he began to resent the sneak’s new attitude towards his education. Breaking down his different Earth-type spells revealed he already knew a number of Techniques that crossed over to Fire and Psychic to create new variants of spells he could cast on command. Trying to blend Earth Shape with Psychic Suppression formed a flailing finger of sand that wrapped around a target and held it still, earning him the spell Earth Grasp. Fire wouldn’t shape itself as easily, only lending its burning might to scorching targets instead of gaining greater utility.

Using his new Sand Spear repeatedly and trying to increase the casting speed gave rise to a spell variant clustering a small group of spears, taking on properties of Earth Spike as the mass of spiked poles seemed to shift around a central hemisphere located somewhere beneath the Player’s feet.

The morning of his scheduled fight arrived, with Two and Ethan standing guard inside the commons as the Gladiators fussed over him. Zahn stretched his arms and flexed, feeling his new level’s strength fill him with confidence. After getting caught and gaining the scorn of the Ringmaster he had only been able to fight against the weakest of creatures, between levels one and three. It was only after emptying the fodder cages of the weakest of beasts that he had been able to face stronger monsters and gain enough experience.

He’d finally reached level ten once again, and the popup congratulating him on his feat explained he would be gaining new Willpower points for each new Tier he rose to from now on. Glancing at his status sheet a moment longer before dismissing it, Zahn noted his current Will stood at seven out of eleven. He still didn’t know how to reliably shift the number up, but his temper was at least rising from the constant prattling.

“- since you still can’t do much about incoming AoE’s, it’s really a moot point.” Ethan’s worry could be heard in his tone as the blond sighed out his words and tugged knots tighter around Zahn’s makeshift armor.

“Just remember,” Two continued in the Custom’s other ear. “Use what you have, avoid their strengths. Try and keep your spell list in mind, and be ready to Shape on the fly. Do what we’ve pra-”

“If I have to hear ‘practice’ one more fucking time, I’m going to throw the match.” Glaring at either side, Zahn nodded as the other fighters stepped back. “I’m not going to win. All four of them are skulled to me, it’s literally no chance. I have to do something else. Speaking of,” he blinked again and looked Two up and down. “Why aren’t you out there? Not that I don’t appreciate it and everything.”

“I can’t fight for the rest of the summer, remember?” Ethan’s concern gained heat as he brought up his suspension. “It’s barely even worth training out there, now that I have time with my minion again.” He still apparently hadn’t forgiven the other Player, despite numerous apologies and getting his pet back the same night.

The sneak let his furrowed brow relax a bit as he gave a tight smile. “Conflict of interest. Part of my clause I was trying to avoid, before your little stunt pissed everyone off. I can’t fight you because I’ve been directly training you instead of just kicking your ass. Good luck, Zahn the Custom.”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna stick.” Zahn confidently shot down the title as he leaned against the wall, feeling the quick vibration of another mental communication from around his right ear.

Today’s first match begins in two minutes. Please take your seats. No fighting in the stands. You may not enter the Arena while you are an audience member. The Player Zahn against the First Five, to begin in two minutes.

“We’ll be in the stands,” came Ethan’s voice as the two left, closing the doors behind them. Zahn stood and shook his arms, staring at the closed portal as he tried to muster the energy for his next suicide attack.

The tinny voice continued its chant, counting down in the back of all the Gladiator’s minds every half minute or so. In the days since first suppressing himself Zahn had the chance to slowly release the grip on his thoughts and tighten it again, finding the sweet spot of being able to hear outside influence without going completely deaf to minds as a consequence. As much as he liked the peace and quiet, he’d gotten used to knowing when someone was getting closer by the buzzing presence of their thoughts.

The emotionless voice continued its countdown, passing a minute before the Custom committed to the ‘fuck it’ policy and pushed the doors open. Striding onto the sands, the bright light took away his vision in a wash of yellows and whites before settling into the familiar Arena.

Roars and jeers came from all sides, the shouts sounding like a background of gulls against the whistling wind as the scores of Gladiators in the stands made themselves heard. The cheers came far less frequently, grouped together near the new metal wall as his friendly Barbarian tribesmen loudly hollered praises and called for a good fight ahead.

Turning from the wall itself, he eyed the fighters he’d be facing that morning and found the view appropriate. Behind the four warriors, high on the wall above a metal skull sat the fat red-robed Ringmaster lording over his minions.

One stood at the back left, holding her great silver scythe weapon horizontally as if to fend the Player off. To the right of her stood Four, his heavy hammer looking the same as when he’d crushed Zahn into the wall so many weeks ago for sport.

In the front row stood Five and Three, the massive armored thug holding a huge greatsword instead of his summoned weapon. Three held his double-crescent greataxe before him with both hands, the large man’s eyes staring unblinking at Zahn as if he could understand something by eye contact.

Zahn heard the heavy doors close again behind him as his eyes traveled up to lock onto the Ringmaster. His quest continued to hover to the left of his focus in his display, clearly outlining his next steps.

The heavy Ringmaster wobbled as he lurched to his feet, planting both thick hands on the stone railing before him. Zahn finally found the man’s eyes from across the huge dueling pit, his own Mana Sight allowing the Custom to easily see the mana moving in his target’s body. The second the two locked eyes, he sprung his trap.

“I formally challenge the Ringmaster to a fight for my freedom! To the death!”

His brave shout was largely drowned out by the jeering and screaming, but he saw the magic take hold as the Quest was activated. His HUD’s message changed, darkening the previous goal and giving him the new task: “Kill the Ringmaster before sunset.”

The portly man’s body rippled as mana coursed through it, rising from the ground and rapidly collecting in him like rain drawn to a single point. The lights continued their trek for several seconds as the crimson robes fluttered in the sudden wind before the bright energy ripped itself away from his body, leaving only dregs of his previous power behind.

The final Quest flag activated, updating the crimson skull above the fat man’s head to display a legible number.

Zahn let his grin widen fully. “Hey, lookie here. Nineteen. I can take that. Come on down, you can’t resist something like this.”

The leader of the Collisae smirked, brushing his robes and straightening his lapel. “Don’t be absurd, little Player. I can’t run away, but nothing compels me to join you in the pits.” Neither man raised his voice, but Zahn could hear him as clearly as if the two were inches apart rather than the breadth of the Arena. “You challenged me, as I stand up here. If I remember correctly, you are empowered to kill me before sundown. My girls will take you down before the sun even finishes rising!”

“Girls?” Zahn cocked his head as he scanned the ready Gladiators.

“It’s an old phrasing, what you think doesn’t matter. You’ve always been a pest, and now I can finally enjoy this.”

Somehow breaking their private conversation, the Ringmaster planted both hands on the railing once again and spoke to fill the stadium with his booming voice. “Hear me! Hear me, oh mighty Gladiators of the Collisae!”

The shouts and cheers died down, leaving only the background murmur of voices always present and the occasional muttering from the stands above.

“The day dawns with a glorious match! The wretched Player will face my Champions, and I have selected four of my First Five! He shall be bled this day, and he shall die a thousand deaths beyond the great iron wall!”

Five’s voice carried over the sands as it echoed in his metal full-face helm. “We had a near-Wizard visit. He helped us in exchange for some free tickets.”

Zahn rolled his eyes at the distraction, trying to figure out how to draw the leader down to just fucking die.

“He drained your little altar. From what he says, it’s back down to standard levels. One rebirth every fifteen minutes. Forever.”

The enormity of the wall began to close in around Zahn as he realized there was no barrier springing up, or a Match being officially declared. This is already it. They plan to stuff me in an airtight tomb immediately. Fuck, why couldn’t it just be wrong?

Looking towards Three he found the man a statue, with Four behind him slowly creeping forwards. Glancing back at One he found her stationary and holding her weapon steady, even as Five began to wave his massive blade around.

“He brought our customized steel plate. We saw you admiring it earlier. I can’t wait to hear you banging on the other side of that thing.” Five shuffled a step closer, keeping both feet planted in the sand.

Finding the Ringmaster one last time Zahn verified he’d already sat down and he wouldn’t be activating a sanctioned fight. One shot. Fuck practice.

Zahn lurched into motion, stomping both legs hard into the ground. His hours of packing mana into his body the night before paid off, the bright blue power flooded the sands and pushed deep into the ground below. He waved with his right hand, gesturing the magic to where he needed to work as he used his left to summon the Grimoire holding his spells.

Leaving the magic book in the Fire section, the Custom shuffled his step to the right and stomped again as he brought his right hand around into a tightly gripped circle and channeled the variant spellcasting he’d been practicing for two days. “Shape: Compression.”

The image in his mind’s eye solidified, manifesting slowly underground beneath his victim. Even knowing the consequences for using his newfound knowledge, Zahn had known he’d be abusing this man before he’d even gone to sleep that night. Shaping a cylinder beneath Three’s immobile feet, he hollowed out the tube from the bottom so the heavily armored Gladiator would have plenty of room to sink.

Hearing the shifting sands to the side and feeling a pulse of gleeful joy, Zahn snapped his gaze back to the left and stomped his leg hard. Five’s charge was immediately halted as he pushed out a wide Shift spell that radiated out from his feet in an arc. Waving his left hand wildly, the Player tried to focus on both spells and found his attention wavering instead of any clear picture.

Three grunted as he stomped his way forwards again, leaning as he pounded his steps back into his original position. With the empty tube of hardened sand nearly at the surface, Zahn triggered his trap for the man terrified of being buried alive.

“Shift!” Zahn cast again as he rotated the circle he’d made in his right hand. His filled mana bar sagged, dropping nearly to half before ticking back up like a quickened sand hourglass. Forcing a spiral motion into the central pull, the sand beneath Three’s feet collapsed into the pit as the ground swirled like a waterspout and immediately sank the high-ranker to his waist in the rough spiky terrain.

“Abw- adh- Ahha aaahhhh!” Three became incoherent in his panic as the heavy fighter flailed around. His huge hammer whipped back and forth above as if he’d forgotten the weapon was there, and his free arm swung about wildly as he tried to grab onto anything that wasn’t moving sand. “Someone! Anyone! Aaahahhhhh!”

A flicker of red crossed Zahn’s vision as he watched his handiwork, drawing his eyes back to Five and One on the other side. At some hidden signal the thick hulk stopped his forward stride and let the wave of sand take him back to nearly One’s position. The scythe-wielding warrior stepped neatly to the side as he neared, clearing the space for him to regain his balance.

Psychic link? Zahn hadn’t felt anything vibrating around, but his opponents getting around a new sense wouldn’t have surprised him even in a fair fight. Pushing against the not-muscle in his gut, the Custom let his Core release mana a tier stronger for a minute as he rushed the mental magic.

Feeling the heat rise to his brain, Zahn let the slightly painful warmth saturate his mind as the energy gathered behind his eyes. With his Mana Sight already active, it was easy to see any spells cast or effects in play but once he pushed enough Psychic-tuned mana into his face he could shift the spectrum he watched towards mind power.

The purple haze drifted across his vision, blurring the edges and dulling the shouts from the surrounding crowd. Not a single connecting line arced between the enemies, but as he stared for a five-count he saw a series of tiny pink and purple chains between the Gladiators’ waists and the Ringmaster up in the stands.

Five darted closer again, his feet barely skipping over the slowed churning sands Zahn had sent out earlier. The Player panicked, reaching for his Fire Breath to drive the charging Gladiator back.

His bright blue bar in the top left dipped, dropping to less than a third as he tried to move as much magical power as possible. Pulling more mana with urgent fear to his head only empowered the mental magic he’d set up before, and when he opened wide to spew flames he instead felt the world suddenly jerk to the left as his vision changed.

The world sat in grayscale. The only color not black or white stood gleaming in crimson. He was back in the war. He’d finally found her, he’d found what they did to her body. She’d taken down the patrol, but such a fucking cost. Holding her close, feeling her grow cold, knowing it was his fault she went alone. You don’t need my help on this one. When you get back, we’ll break out that bottle. I love you too, stay safe. The final empty plea for her protection, when he could have just gone with her this last time.

The first time blood tasted sweet. The first days he’d lost in the war. The nights he only remembered by shadow and stains.

Inflict pain by holding on to your own suffering…

The words gained sudden meaning as Zahn lifted his head from the dark memory, feeling the purple haze covering his eyes glow with power. “You. Will.” Words clung in his throat, tears pouring freely down his face as his conflicting emotions burned and screamed for release.

Dropping all efforts to control the earth, the Custom planted his stance wide and leaned back to let the spell escape as it roared into the air.

“FEAR ME!”

Ripples coursed over the sands, washing the sands aside as if he’d upcast another Shift all over the warriors.

A brief window blipped into existence in his HUD before sliding down into his waiting notifications, blinking a steady light as the Player unleashed a mass fear spell in the Arena.

The magenta wave spread like flames through a dust explosion, surging towards his four opponents and splashing high into the air to wash over a number of the audience. One gritted her teeth and snarled as she shook the effect off, brandishing her scythe between them again as if a shield.

Five shook himself like a dog and roared, dispelling the fear with raw physical power. Four fell to one knee as he held his head, fighting against the effect and moaning with the effort.

Several audience members screamed as the lowest rows uniformly fled upwards, taking higher seats to stay out of spell range. The Ringmaster seemingly disappeared from his perch, the crimson stain nowhere to be found.

Three, already panicked and frantic from with Worst Fear being used against him, fell completely under Zahn’s sway. The armored visor of his helmet showed a purple glow coming from his eyes for a second before the effect settled on its victim.

“Deeeemmonnnn~!” Three’s wail pierced the air, startling Zahn and making the able fighters turn towards him in unison. “Aaaahhhhh! He’s a demon! A demon! I never agreed to fight demons! Save me!” His flailing continued to sink his body in the sand trap, his legs kicking in the soft sand uselessly. “The demon is eating me! Help me! Anybody help me!”

In addition to throwing off the pace of the fight, his shrill distraction proved enough for Four to overpower the fear effect and stand upright, picking his greataxe off the sands as he rose. “I’ll pull him out,” the Gladiator offered.

“Now?!” Five’s call sounded right after his teammate, though his head tilt angled towards their leader.

“Wait!” came One’s reply. “Not yet! Just get close!”

Looking between them Zahn tried to parse what was going on when Five charged back in, even faster than before now that he didn’t need to dance across the moving sands. Seeing the distance between them vanish by the heartbeat, the Player felt his adrenaline surging as death loomed. Reaching desperately for his magic once again, he felt heat finally rise to his call as light bloomed beneath his line of sight.

His mana bar depleted, not even fully filled from his last Psychic spell as the fiery power filled his throat and readied to bloom outwards. Five skipped backwards, light on his feet as he swung the massive steel blade back and forth.

Zahn hesitated, but the experienced fighter immediately read the Player’s face and sprinted in with the great slab of steel raised high.

Fuck! Get back! Even as the next respawn swung closer, Zahn’s thoughts were still drawn to the hiding target he’d called out before. I can’t be wasting this life on trash like you! I’m reaching that fucker right now!

Fire Breath launched outwards, billowing into a cloud which pissed the Custom off more than his imminent death. That won’t reach shit! His mana clogged in his throat as a point of Willpower left his body, feeling like he’d had something tugged out of his sternum and up into his neck before the scorching heat changed form into a thick stream punching past his lips and nearly taking teeth.

Another brief window popped up before vanishing, joining the list waiting review.

Bright red light drew a line out of Zahn’s mouth, slamming into the far wall hard enough to shake the metal skull gate as the heat scorched sands below. Zahn rocked back, already on his heels from blasting out the fear spell and nearly sent on his ass by the rocket force launching out of his face and snapping his head back.

Trying to keep the stream of flaming death pointed forwards took precious moments, and by the time he’d balanced back onto both feet his depleted lungs were begging for air and the ongoing magical burst was already fading.

As his vision regained saturation, he saw the blue blur of One’s body far too close and her great silvery blade’s gleam already in motion.

Zahn dropped into a crouch, calling for his mana and finding the blue juice sputtering, failing to answer. The lack of reply stalled his thoughts, leaving him staring at his hands as a reflection shone sunlight on the sands past his focus.

“Goodbye, wretched Player.” One’s soft voice was almost kind, if not for the enormous curved blade she tore through the Custom’s body just before Zahn stopped hearing at all.