Pain exploded up my arms as metal sliced through skin.
I gritted my teeth.
I wasn't trying to grab it, I was trying to bleed on it.
-
[System Notification: Contact with Artifact Core registered!
Deep Dive Analysis triggered.
Classification: Destabilized Artifact – Keyring.
Absorbs Elemental attacks. Core is overloading.
Anchor point: Central ring.
Recommended action: Disrupt core using non-Elemental force.]
-
More blood hit the artifact's surface.
The keyring convulsed, its spin faltering. The microscopic metal keys in the air shuddered and lost their deadly trajectory.
"Are you insane?!" Llewellyn yelled.
I pressed harder, letting more blood coat the artifact.
I didn't know any non-Elemental Magic, but I knew that Destabilized Magic recognized blood differently. My blood was introducing variables its already unstable logic couldn't process.
Blood flowed. The microscopic keys lit the air red for a moment.
...The itch in my chest snapped.
Fuck.
The air detonated. There was a blinding flash of magic and the keys vanished, as if incinerated—gone before they could tear into Llewellyn.
My breath rushed out of me in relief and Penguin chirped in my pocket.
More keys were probably about to form. If I didn't put some distance between me and the keyring before they did, I was about to be cleaved in half. The metal cat prowled toward me.
"Now!" I shouted to Llewellyn, yanking my bloodied arms back from the ring itself. "The ring!"
I ducked out of the way and materialized my sword, raising it just as the cat attacked.
The impact sent me flying backward into a market stall, wood all around me. My Elemental Shield, which I'd had to deactivate to bleed on the artifact, came to life just in time to prevent serious injury—but unfortunately, it fed the cat again.
Llewellyn attacked the keyring, only using pure Sword Mastery.
If I wasn't busy coughing from the impact, and didn't have a giant metal cat ready to pounce at me again, I'd have just stared in astonishment.
Penguin shrieked as he saw me fly. He dove at the cat's face and started pecking at its glowing eyes, savagely.
Llewellyn's focus was absolute, his jaw tight. As his sword flashed, I realized there was something else going on, his sword was—
Was that Geometric Casting?! He could use that?! How the hell—?
I saw him draw triangles in the air, weaving them into the sword technique, then watched them glow gold.
I was speechless.
The keyring rattled, wobbling harder, its spin erratic now. Penguin growled low, still pecking away.
Another key snapped loose from the ring and flew straight at Llewellyn. He deflected it with the flat of his blade. The impact rang out against the buildings.
Fuck, I tried to shake myself back into focus, but I'd lost too much blood.
In the back of my mind, it suddenly occurred to me that… I had no idea how I knew that blood would work. Where had I heard of it?
And… how did I know about Geometric Casting?
I couldn't think properly.
As Llewellyn attacked the keyring with all he had, I dragged myself into cover.
"System," I panted. "I need a Blood Replenishment potion. And something for pain."
[System Notification: Understood.]
[System Notification: Search parameters identified:
– Blood replenishment
– Pain relief
– Immediate-use class]
[Combat context detected. Bypassing full shop index.]
[Recommended:
– Minor Restoration Elixir (30% blood volume recovery)
– Focus-Grade Pain Suppressant (12 min duration)]
[Dispense both? Estimated Coin cost: 372.]
Fuck, thank goodness. I'd been worried I'd have to browse through nine hundred potions now.
I collected and drank both, felt my strength come back to me, then rushed back into combat.
The ring hung in the air, but its movements weren't smooth anymore. Llewellyn was still attacking, relentless.
We were running out of time.
What should I do? Bleed on it more? How many blood replenishment potions could I get away with?
Suddenly familiar voices cut through.
"Llewellyn! Ryo!"
"Fuck, this is quite the mess."
I spun around.
Tiernan was running toward us, followed by the TAPESTRY team carrying various pieces of equipment.
"Don't come closer!" Llewellyn yelled. "It can't be attacked with Elemental Magic!"
"...Ah, shit!" someone said.
"That would have been great to know!" Jihoon called.
"We hadn't found out yet!" I called back.
"Nevermind," Tiernan said. "Do your thing. We'll take care of the rest."
From the corner of my eye, I saw them keep outside of the perimeter of attack, canvas the area and place various instruments.
Shea pressed something on a device, and a low hum filled the air. The metal cat's glowing eyes flashed, and it let out a confused screech.
I ducked behind one of Llewellyn's Earth walls. Shea used the same opening to advance and stopped next to me. He was holding a remote controller.
"Sound waves," he explained. The sound was coming from all sides now. "Should keep it off balance."
"What about Penguin?" I asked.
"He should be fine," Shea said. "Look."
Penguin did indeed seem fine, and was still attacking the cat viciously.
As the sound waves increased, both the cat and the keyring started to shrink.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tiernan nodding toward Ejay, who was holding a box, then yelled, "Llewellyn!"
Llewellyn's sword sliced through the air in an arc that sent the keyring flying, veering wildly off course, toward the cat.
"Now!" Tiernan shouted.
Llewellyn leaped over a flying key and landed a clean hit on both the keyring and the cat charm.
With unbelievable agility, Ejay jumped, using a lamppost for leverage, captured both and yanked the box closed.
Shea cranked up the sound device, and for a moment the artifact's screech turned into a deafening wail.
Then everything went still.
My heart was pounding. The box was sealed, and the artifact was gone.
Llewellyn stood in the middle of the street, breathing hard.
Penguin ran toward me, chittering furiously.
I sighed. "Yeah, I know."
Then, I realized Llewellyn was staring at me. I was covered in blood.
Tiernan came running, followed by someone I hadn't met before—a guy in his twenties who moved like a dancer or a martial artist or both, and who introduced himself as Yuè Zhōu.
They both refused to leave me alone until Roan could take my vitals.
"I've taken potions," I said, raising my hands. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
Well, for another minute or two.
I confirmed anyway.
"Can you remove your concealment so we can take a better look?" Tiernan asked. "You're all blurry."
"Better not," I said—and they all seemed displeased.
I let my eyes rake around.
Fuck, the whole place was a mess.
"We'll take this back to HQ," Shea said, powering down his sound device. "See if we can figure out where it came from."
"You two need a ride?" Roan asked.
The sudden silence—after all the metal and screeching—was a relief.
Llewellyn shook his head. "It's better we teleport out of here before the press arrives. Or even worse, KARMA."
"Good point," Tiernan said. "We should disappear too."
"Can you handle them if they do?"
"Our license still holds and we've managed to renew it. They're not going to like it, but there's nothing they can do."
"Good," Llewellyn said.
The 12 minutes were up, and pain speared through my body.
A notification popped up.
[System Notification: To speed up your recovery, consider maximizing physical contact with Partner for shared Healing Bonus.]
Llewellyn seemed to have received the same notification, because his head shot up and he came closer immediately, grabbing my arm. Despite my best intentions, I crumpled into him.
Llewellyn froze for a moment, seemingly startled, then an arm circled my waist.
"We're leaving," Llewellyn said in Tiernan's direction, but my head swam and I couldn't make sense of Tiernan's reply.
Llewellyn gathered Penguin in his other arm and teleported us away.