Blood trickled down my palm.
Even though the books I'd read in the Core Partition had covered the theory, I'd never actually drawn a glyph with my blood before.
Well. First time for everything, I guess.
I activated Crisis Management.
The bull's path lit up in my mind. Huh.
It was going to charge left, toward Llewellyn.
I ran, slid across the floor, and dropped into a crouch, pressing my bleeding palm flat against the marble. There was no time to focus on accuracy or stroke order, I needed to be creative here.
I projected the glyph with my mind and hoped it worked.
It did!
The glyph flared to life. When I lifted my hand and retracted my mind, its shape was perfect.
I moved out of the way as fast as I could just as the bull charged straight toward it.
"I told you not to do anything stupid!!" Llewellyn yelled.
"Just help me out!" I yelled back.
Llewellyn's sword flashed. He parried the bull's horns, corralling it toward the glyph.
The bull followed. Its massive hoof came down directly on the glyph.
Yes!
The glyph detonated.
Shit!!! Llewellyn!!!
Llewellyn had already jumped out of the way, tightening his grip around his sword. He drew Geometric patterns in the air, casting them toward the bull, then rushed forward again.
The bull avoided Llewellyn's Geometric Casting, huffing as it shook its head, then charged, faster this time.
Fuck.
Shea's voice crackled in my ear. "Keep going! I'm trying different frequencies!"
I activated Crisis Management again. As before, the bull's path lit up in my mind's eye.
Ejay sprinted past me, vaulted onto an overturned table, and launched himself onto the bull's back. He grabbed one of its horns and yanked its head sideways.
The bull bellowed, spinning to throw him off, shooting explosives from its horns.
Thankfully Ejay had already jumped off its back and out of danger, but still!
I ran to the left, slicing my palm deeper to get more blood flowing. The cut stung like hell, but what else could I do?
I placed another glyph.
"Over here!" Yuè Zhōu called out, drawing the bull's attention.
The bull charged.
Yuè Zhōu dodged at the last second, rolling under its belly, and the bull's hoof slammed down on my second glyph.
The bull's leg seized up, locked in place. Yes!
Shea kept changing frequencies. The hum vibrated through the room, but not much was happening.
Enraged by being held in place, the bull started shooting more explosives. The whole place was full of dust and debris now.
Penguin shot past my shoulder as a Metal hedgehog, slammed into the bull's face, and ricocheted away before a hoof could crush him.
Damn. That had been fast.
I rushed behind the bull and placed another glyph there, then jumped out of the way before it could kick me.
The bull thrashed, trying to break free.
While Llewellyn engaged it in combat, I kept going, placing more glyphs, trying to surround the bull without getting killed in the process. Llewellyn was still parrying its horns, but that was also where the explosives came from. Every time I heard a shot, my head snapped up to make sure Llewellyn had not been hit.
Fuck. This was too dangerous.
My blood was dripping too fast now. I needed to slow down if I wanted to see this through, but we had no time.
"System," I gasped. "Give me a blood replenishment potion."
The vial materialized in my hand and I downed it in one gulp, the lightheadedness receding.
Then I ran to the other side, drawing more glyphs around the bull.
The bull's hoof came down on one. It bellowed, then it tore itself free.
No!!!
Fuck! That meant I had to start over!
I swallowed and sliced my other palm. I activated Crisis Management and went again.
My palms hurt like crazy and my head was starting to swim again, but after two failed attempts I managed to lock the bull's legs again.
Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. Its horn caught my coat and sent me spinning into a pillar.
Pain exploded through my shoulder.
"Ryo!" Llewellyn yelled.
"I'm fine!" I wasn't fine, but… I had to make sure we'd all make it out of here alive, somehow.
Penguin kept slamming into the bull's eyes and face as a Metal hedgehog, buying us time, except that the bull kept shooting explosives indiscriminately now.
"Penguin!!! Be careful!!!" I yelled.
Penguin screeched back, but rolled away angrily.
More glyphs. Focus.
I ran again, projecting another glyph.
Blood was flowing faster now despite the potion. I was pushing my limits.
"Llewellyn! I need you to keep it engaged while I try something!"
Llewellyn moved immediately, blocking the bull's horns again, dodging whenever it shot explosives.
Fuck. This was terrible. It was too dangerous!!!
I needed to try this though. While Llewellyn kept it busy, I rushed forward, slammed my hand on the bull's flank, and projected a glyph there.
The bull roared.
Ejay swooped in from the side, grabbing its tail and yanking hard enough to move it slightly, and I managed to place another glyph on its other flank.
The bull stumbled, bellowing in pain, cracks appearing along its flanks. It kicked, and the red glow in its eyes went wild.
"It's working!" Shea shouted. "Keep going! We need to break it down until it reacts to sound!"
"System," I gasped, "another blood replenishment potion."
I drank the second vial, but the effect was weaker this time.
I drew another glyph. My hands were covered in blood now and I was sweating cold. My blood was smeared across the marble everywhere.
Tiernan was yelling instructions, trying to choreograph his team's fight to best help me and Llewellyn. Yuè Zhōu and Ejay were working in tandem, baiting and dodging, keeping the bull off balance, while Roan kept launching attacks, trying to hit it from a distance with insane precision, and Phelan and Jihoon kept the perimeter clear.
Meanwhile, Llewellyn's sword rang against the bull's horns over and over, sparks flying.
I was drawing glyphs as fast as I could, trying to combine them in ways that could bring this thing down, but nothing seemed to get us the result we wanted.
I managed to apply another glyph on the bull's flank. Its leg gave out and it crashed to one knee, the cracks in its hide spreading.
Yes!
Then it broke free again, rushing out to the area where I'd been drawing the glyphs.
Despair spread through me. That was already my second blood replenishment potion. I couldn't keep going for much longer!
I started drawing another glyph, but my vision swam. I was losing too much blood despite the replenishment.
"Ryo!" Llewellyn shouted. "Just use mine!"
Hell no! "Out of the question," I yelled back. "We can't afford to have you compromised and unable to fight!"
"I'm already bleeding," Llewellyn yelled back. "Just swipe the blood off my forehead."
Shit. Should I do that?! Would that affect him somehow?
"I'm giving you permission!" Llewellyn roared. "Just do it!"
The bull was getting back up.
I watched Ejay and Yuè Zhōu engage it again. Llewellyn rushed toward me, grabbed my head and swept it over his forehead. It came back bloodier than before, his forehead smeared too.
I took a deep breath, staring at him for a moment, then nodded and activated Crisis Management, rushing into the fight again.
If only there was any way to deactivate its Elemental reflection, or whatever it was called! Llewellyn's Elemental Mastery was second to none; he could take this down in a few minutes if he could actually use the Elements.
But I didn't know how to make that happen.
"Shea," I asked while placing a new glyph. "Is it even possible?"
"I'm—" Shea cursed. "I'll see what I can do. My current attempts are not working, so this might be a better option. I'll keep you posted."
Better than nothing.
Llewellyn tried to give me more blood but I refused. I sliced my palm again and placed a new glyph.
This was taking too long! What else could I do?
I placed another glyph and that's when I realized I'd somehow miscalculated the bull's trajectory—how quick it would get here.
It was going to hit me.
I was going to die.
There was no way I was going to jump out of the way on time before it skewered me.
I forced myself to move, dragging my palm across the floor, leaving another glyph that was supposed to trap it and retracting quickly, but the bull sidetracked it cleanly.
Fuck.
I wasn't going to make it. I'd drawn too many. I was too weak. I couldn't start over again and I couldn't jump out of the way.
"…"
Llewellyn appeared between me and the bull, sword raised. The collision sent him sliding backward, his shoes screeching on the marble. Sparks flew, but he held.
"Enough!" he yelled at me. "I'll try to drive it back into the ones you've already drawn! Stop this already! You're of no help if you're dead!"
Tiernan, Yuè Zhōu, Phelan, Ejay, Roan, and Penguin had all recalibrated their actions again, trying to get the bull to step on the glyphs, but it wasn't working.
I needed to surround it with glyphs, it was the only way.
"System," I said, "I need another blood replenishment potion."
[System Notification: WARNING. Multiple blood replenishment potions in rapid succession carry severe risks including: magical toxicity, cellular damage, organ failure. Maximum safe usage: 3 standard replenishment potions per 24-hour period.]
"I know," I said. "Give me the third one."
The System materialized the third potion and I gulped it down. I had to start drawing again.
"Don't even think about it!" Llewellyn yelled. "We can do this. I swear if you keep going, I'll take you out myself!"
"Don't be stubborn," I yelled back. "It's the only thing that's working! Just help me out!"
It's not like I wanted to do it, but we had to be realistic here!
I had to.
They seemed to be having some success, however. Whatever strategy Tiernan had come up with, they were managing to drive it back toward the previous glyphs I'd drawn. If they could really get it to step in the middle of my previous wobbly circle, I could just complete the sequence of glyphs around it, instead of starting from scratch.
My hands were shaking so badly I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish this, but we didn't have any choice.
It was almost there… Then the bull broke free again, sidestepping the glyphs.
Shit!
"Use more of my blood," Llewellyn said, materializing next to me, and cut his palm.
"Are you insane," I yelled at him. "We need you able to fight!"
"I won't be incapacitated for so little!" he said. "Do what you have to!"
Ah, this sucked! I didn't want to use his blood!
Still, he was already bleeding.
"Stick close to me," I said.
I activated Crisis Management again, visualized the path of the bull, then rushed forward with Llewellyn in tow, slammed his hand down and projected a glyph from his palm. We both jumped out of the way before the bull could hit us.
The bull's hoof landed on the glyph again and was blasted back in the direction of the previous cluster of glyphs.
Yes!
But it was still not in the middle of it. What the hell. I felt like someone trying to sink a golf ball and missing the hole over and over again.
Penguin darted under its belly again and rammed upward with a furious screech, before rolling away, but even that didn't do much.
Suddenly, I saw a shock of wine-red hair in my periphery.
What?
Gilded was standing behind one of the overturned tables, like he'd been hiding behind it and had only just stood up. His face looked resigned.
He pointed his closed fist in the direction of the bull, hand upturned, and flicked his fingers open as if he was throwing confetti or dealing cards.
What the—
The gravity of the room changed.
The bull tipped sideways, flung closer to the glyphs.
Someone yelled, and we all scrambled, grabbing onto anything we could.
What the hell?!
"No need to thank me," Gilded said, perfectly audible, still standing straight despite the insane gravity tilt.
"Kind of you to join us!" Llewellyn yelled, hanging onto his sword which he'd driven into the floor. "What the hell are you doing?!"