Roan and Tiernan rushed out of the ballroom to go and help Shea.
Without the sound waves, the bull was recovering fast, and the cracks in its hide started closing.
Shit, shit, shit.
Llewellyn grabbed my hands. He used whatever "Direct Path Magic During Blood Loss" had suggested, but I wasn't sure it was actually doing anything.
I'd read the same book, but… I hadn't really understood it. I guess I wasn't advanced enough for Direct Path Magic—it didn't make any sense to me.
Still, there was no time to linger.
"Keep it busy!" I shouted, running to place more glyphs.
Llewellyn engaged the bull head-on, sword flashing. Ejay and Yuè Zhōu flanked it, attacking from the sides, while Phelan and Jihoon hovered around, occasionally throwing anything they could find lying around when they were sure it wouldn't hit us.
Penguin kept going for its legs, balls, butt—everywhere he could reach.
Gilded was also using two red cloths now, slapping them in the bull's face, hindering its view.
The sound waves came back on. Cut out again. Came back.
The bull was going berserk, thrashing wildly at the inconsistent assaults, shooting explosive after explosive blast. It was trying to break free of my containment glyphs, as well as the combined effect of the other glyphs' power that was now converging toward the center—but they were holding for now.
Just a few more glyphs. If I could just complete the containment circle…
"Almost there!" I shouted.
Llewellyn nodded, driving the bull back with a series of brutal strikes.
The bull shot blasts around wildly. Llewellyn jumped out of the way, but only just barely.
Shit.
I kept drawing glyphs. My vision was swimming now, but I could do it.
"Tiernan, Shea," Llewellyn called through gritted teeth, parrying another attack. "What's the situation?"
"More Alliance people," Tiernan's voice came in our ear, panting. "We took care of them. Shea's fine. He's trying to turn the sound waves back on."
Shea's voice came through a second after. "Those fuckers. My equipment! I'm— Give me one second, I don't think they damaged it too badly."
"Try to be quick!" Llewellyn yelled, dodging another explosive.
Shit, shit.
If only we could use Elemental Magic, this would be so much easier.
Llewellyn was literally the only one with good swordsmanship here. With the exception of Gilded, who had insane magic but clearly didn't know how to fight, everyone else here could only use Elemental Magic or rely on their physical skills, like Ejay and Yuè Zhōu. We were too much at a disadvantage!
Thinking like that was of no help however.
I had tried expanding in and out of my body repeatedly, scanning the Magic Field to figure out what I could do, but that hadn't helped either. I clearly wasn't advanced enough. Or there was just nothing that worked against the bull.
At least my containment glyphs were holding.
I ran to place my next glyph and—
Out of nowhere, the itch in my chest flared violently.
Fuck. What?! My head snapped up.
The bull had broken free.
It was charging.
Its horns were aimed directly at Penguin who was currently in his Penguin form. Vulnerable.
"Penguin!" I yelled.
Everything slowed down.
My mind went blank and I just moved.
I threw myself in front of Penguin just in time.
The horn pierced through me.
"…"
Pain.
Nothing but pain.
Penguin shrieked loudly.
"RYO!" Llewellyn screamed.
The bull stepped back and I collapsed.
Fuck. At least it hadn't shot explosives or thrashed his head around too much while it'd been inside me, that'd have been—
Something warm and wet spread across my stomach.
I looked down.
Penguin was screeching, his small form vibrating against my side.
Llewellyn had attacked the bull ferociously, driving it back, his wide eyes darting in my direction.
I couldn't breathe properly.
I pressed my hand against my stomach.
Blood. So much blood.
I swallowed.
I… could use this. The bull hadn't gone too far. I could close the circle. I could—
I dragged myself across the floor.
"Ryo!" Llewellyn yelled again. "Get out of there!"
I placed my hands down, dazed, half in a trance, and kept drawing glyph after glyph.
I'd been trying to be strategic before, to avoid bleeding out too much, but… it didn't matter anymore.
There was more than enough blood now.
I drew another one.
My hands were shaking so badly I could barely control them.
Penguin's screeches were reverberating through the room, heartbreaking, his little head rubbing against my side. I swallowed. I didn't want him to see this, but… I couldn't do anything about it now.
I could hear Gilded curse and throw some sort of healing magic at me, but it didn't seem like it was doing much.
Everything was getting dark.
One more glyph. Just one more. I had to at least last that long.
Finally. The final glyph.
I pressed my palm down and poured everything I had left into it.
The circle was complete.
The bull was trapped.
As if on cue, Shea's sound waves came back in full force.
Yes!
Fuck. I wanted to cry.
And… I was too close to the bull. Even though it was trapped, I had to move back or I'd be in the way when TAPESTRY came in to—
Llewellyn grabbed me and pulled me and Penguin out of the way, laying me down with a panicked look.
Tiernan and Roan rushed back into the ballroom, and the entire TAPESTRY team minus Shea spread out with some weird equipment I didn't recognize, which they placed around the circle. To amplify or direct the sound waves maybe?
I didn't know. It was becoming difficult to think.
The bull shuddered, shrinking, its metal form compacting.
"Now!" Tiernan shouted.
Ejay rushed forward with the containment box.
Gilded did something which seemed to make the bull shrink faster.
Llewellyn struck the final blow before Yuè Zhōu kicked it straight into the box.
The bull collapsed into it.
They sealed it.
Fuck.
It was done.
The silence was suddenly deafening, broken only by the slow hum of Shea's sound waves, dragging on a little longer, and Penguin's heartbreaking wails.
Then even the hum came to a halt.
I tried to sit up, but my arms wouldn't hold me.
I looked down at myself. My pain was dulled (had that been Gilded's doing?) but… there was blood everywhere.
I coughed and more blood came out of my mouth.
I wanted to comfort Penguin, but I couldn't even—
"RYO!" Someone grabbed me, frantically, though his touch was still gentle. "Ryo. Stay with me."
Llewellyn's face swam into view. He looked… terrified.
My heart spasmed.
I'd… never seen him look like that before.
Penguin was pressed against my side, chittering frantically. He looked like he was crying. Did Elementals cry? I didn't want him to be scared. Or sad. I wanted to reach for him, but I couldn't.
"Fuck," Llewellyn said. "System! I need healing, now!"
[System Notification: User Ryo Haewell has exceeded safe potion consumption threshold. Additional blood replenishment carries 73% risk of organ failure. Administration not recommended.]
Why was I getting this notification too? Was it to let me know that there was nothing else to—
"I don't care about stats!" Llewellyn shouted. "Give me something!"
What was that book Penguin had selected? Emergency Countermeasures something? We'd all nap-learned it, but… my mind was blank. Was there anything useful there? I couldn't remember.
I couldn't remember.
I was glad Penguin was okay. That'd been worth it, at least.
I wish I could reach out to pat his head.
Was the System really going to take care of Gran? I wanted to call the System and drag a promise out of it, but my tongue felt heavy in my mouth.
"Ryo," Llewellyn was saying. He sounded broken, his hands pressed against my stomach, trying to stop the bleeding, pouring his magic into it. "Stay with me. Look at me."
His face was blurring, but I could see that his eyes were red. His hands wouldn't stop pressing down.
My heart spasmed again.
I wanted to reach out. I wanted to say I was sorry.
It looked like I wasn't any better than all the other people who'd died leaving him behind. I'd thought I could help, that I could make things easier for him, even if just a bit, but… it turned out like this.
I swallowed. I wanted to touch his face, but I couldn't lift my arm. I wanted to say something, but words wouldn't come out. He really didn't deserve any more death in his—
Everything went dark.