Sancho was terrified. He wore a cool, calm demeanour when confronting the child, as he did not consider him to be a threat. But now, when faced with something so large, so dangerous as this rat, he could not help but be utterly petrified. Normally, he fought alongside friends and skilled warriors who could support him; yet, he was to face this battle alone. His life could end in an instant, and no one would be there to help him. Alas, he tried to retain that same cool composure when in front of the boy; a part of him wanted to look cool, but he also wanted to ease the boy's fears and give him hope of survival. Sancho knew not the boy's situation, and he did not care: he would not allow him to stay in fear and be killed.
At the sight of Sancho, the boy's face lit up. Placing his newfound trust in him, the boy threw the amulet towards him, glistening as it flew through the air. The rat ducked as it travelled, trying to avoid the direction of the light's changing course through the jewel. Yet, just before it would reach Sancho's clutches, the rat noticed that the amulet would have to pass through a corner of the room which had yet to be embraced by the light. With this in mind, the rat suddenly swung its tail, dragging Sancho's mannequin with it. It used the sharp tip of its tail to precisely inject itself between the openings in the amulet's chain. It was an incredible feat, and almost miraculous, as the opening was so minuscule, especially for something so large like the rat. Once interceted, the rat stopped the momentum of the tail and pointed the tip upwards, allowing the amulet to slide down as far as possible.
The rat raised its tail to its face, the amulet swinging from side to side in clear view. It blocked every source of light that might come into contact with the amulet with its massive, arching back; it could now observe the amulet closely and with great interest, without the fear of being harmed by it.
'A curious object… and to think you have ownership over such a weapon is almost… frightening.' The rat turned to Sancho, 'Alas, you alone are not enough to defeat Nezumi; only he is capable. But, without this, I am afraid that all your attempts are futile. Now, to make an example of my power!'
Suddenly, the rat launched its tail towards Sancho. The amulet had fallen to a part of the tail where its thickness and width made it difficult for the amulet to be removed without intention. The mannequin, realising that Sancho's life was in imminent danger, grabbed onto the speeding tail with its right hand and removed the sword with its left. Falling into the shallow depths of the watery floor, the mannequin noticed that the amulet had stopped just before the puncture, but its arm fell short of its location; it would only be able to obtain it by using its sword as a means of extension. Yet, the mannequin's focus was wholly on the protection of Sancho, and it could not afford to risk his life for something that could be obtained later. The blood squirted from the puncture, but the rat showed no sign of pain; its direction did not falter, and it continued on until it stabbed Sancho. Yet, it could not penetrate his skin; it was as if an invisible barrier protected Sancho, and disabled any mortal wounds from being produced.
A strange force was pressing on Nezumi's tail. It could see clearly that its tail had stopped just before coming into contact with Sancho, but could see no external shield stopping it. This had to be the work of the projection's armour!
Sancho's heart was beating beyond the cage in his chest, but he could not allow this to stop him. He grabbed onto the end of the tail with both hands and stepped forward slightly. Nezumi felt the increasing pressure, but could not remove its tail from Sancho's hold. He concentrated his breathing and eased his heartbeat as much as possible; he could feel the flow of spirit within him gushing from his veins. With this built-up spirit at his fingertips, he quickly injected it into Nezumi's tail. A tickling sensation ran through his entire body and out of his fingers. For Nezumi, great pain was being inflicted on it, and it screamed in pain as Sancho's spirit ran down its nerves. It was like a million bolts of lightning striking all at once and in the same area, burning everything in its path. Finally, the flow of spirit stopped at the punctured hole in the tail left by the mannequin. It had all accumulated here, and Nezumi could feel the spirit almost mixing itself with the gushing blood that dripped between the circumference of the hole. Then, the tail exploded. Everything from the open wound down to Sancho's hands was obliterated in a matter of seconds; the sheer volume and strength of the spirit emitted had built up to such a grand degree that, if sufficient room was not provided, the space in which it was travelling through would combust. And so it did, due to the puncture acting as a blockage for its flow. Thankfully, the amulet remained unsacthed, and now hovered in the air amidst the many pieces of flesh and drops of blood.
Nezumi squealed in agony as it stared in horror at its tail, which was now missing half of its impossible length. Using this plea for help as an opening, Sancho quickly left his spot and grabbed the amulet before it would be lost in the murky waters of the catacombs.
Looking at the mannequin, he cried out, 'GO, LOYAL SQUIRE!' Instantly, the mannequin complied and jumped onto the massive rat. It grabbed onto the coarse hairs on Nezumi's leg and began its ascent up its body. The hair was partially damp, caused by the rat's frantic movements down the catacombs, making it difficult for the mannequin to properly hold onto. As Nezumi began to regain composure, it acknowledged the mannequin's attempt to scale it and acted audaciously. It jumped and kicked like an untamed horse, trying anything to remove the mannequin from its body.
Nezumi's plan of action was working: the mannequin was, in fact, struggling greatly to hold its position. It constantly readjusted its grip on the grimy hairs, risking its placement each time, all whilst being dragged in every direction. Its body was in permanent limbo as the air pushed its body upwards and waved its legs. Sancho stepped back and away from the flailing Nezumi, all the while telepathically commanding his mannequin to equip itself with its sword. And so it did. The mannequin did not falter in its master's commands: it reached to its side and magically pulled out a sword. Its long and fine build resembled more of a rapier than a knight's sword, or possibly a thin longsword. It glimmered as it was removed from the imaginary sheath and thrusted into Nezumi's leg. Now, a stable pick had been inserted, and the mannequin regained its steadfast position, despite the rat's continued jumping.
The mannequin was ascending at an incredible pace, using a cycle of incision, pulling itself up, then incision once more. As the path of gaping wounds increased, Nezumi's movements came to a halt; blood poured from each wound, and soon, the pool below them turned a dark crimson.
Whilst all this was occurring, the boy had been dormant in his obscure resting place upon the stone archway. He was amazed at Sancho's seemingly brave demeanour and felt inspired to act in any way that could prove helpful. After all, Sancho's intervention had saved him from becoming Nezumi's victim. But what could he do? Both of these beings clearly outmatched him in both strength and courage; he would be merely a hindrance. Then, a memory appeared in the convoluted depths of his mind. A light amidst the fog of fear and death. It was of his past, a time from a few years prior. He was now remembering something he wished could be simply forgotten, for it brought with it such grievance and regret. He remembered how useless he had felt, and how he chose to do nothing but watch as his mother was killed before him. Why didn't he do anything back then? Maybe things could have turned out differently if he had done something, anything… But why was he remembering this now?
Of course… it was right in front of him. An opportunity to intervene now presented itself to him; he could amend for what he did not do back then, and help the one who had protected him and given him life. Vigour and courage started to run through his blood. He clenched his fist as tight as possible; a sensational feeling of spirit boiled within.
The mannequin had climbed its way to the top of Nezumi's back, piercing its thigh and lower back during its ascent. By now, the mannequin's armour was painted crimson from the rat's blood, making it difficult to identify in the dark corner where the rat had strategically placed itself. Nezumi had stopped all movement and began focusing its attention on something else: the main crux of its arsenal, which decided its offensive movements…
Sancho, realising that his mannequin had reached the ideal destination, began to execute his part of the grand scheme to eliminate this rat. The mannequin still had its sword injected into the rat, meaning Sancho dared not get too close to his opponent. He had tried to follow Nezumi whilst also keeping distance, but the rat's wild, unpredictable bursts of acrobatics meant that it was now dormant on the other side of the room, residing in a darkened corner away from the immediate light from the ceiling. This was of great inconvenience to Sancho. Without the rat being in the light, the amulet was useless. Therefore, the mannequin must perform a final extraneous task before being given the amulet.
The mannequin rushed up the rat's back, no longer needing to use the sword for support, until it reached the head. This entire time, the rat was completely still; even Sancho noticed that it did not speak, and kept its eyes closed as if concentrating deeply on something. Although obvious that the rat was up to something, the mannequin proceeded with its given task. It was to raise its long, fine sword above the rat's temple and inject it quickly. Aware that this would do little mortal damage, Sancho merely wanted his mannequin to conduct the rat like a rider on a horse, using the implanted sword as a type of rein and drag the rat into the path of light; then, Sancho could simply pass the amulet over and desimate the rat completely.
It was an idea sprung from impulse, but Sancho was sure of its success, as the rat needed only to move a few metres before it would be in prime position. However, as the mannequin raised its sword, Nezumi had completed its task. Opening its eyes, Nezumi expeditiously flung its head backwards, sending the mannequin towards the backend of the rat's body. It tried desperately to plunge the sword into the rat's body, in an attempt to slow down the rapid rate at which it was travelling. But it was utterly useless. Before the mannequin could get the sword low enough, it was met with a swift attack from the rat's hind legs. Kicking like a horse, the rat's legs were full of natural strength, which easily moved a small object like the mannequin. Now, as if being played with like a toy, the mannequin found itself flying in the other direction, back towards the head. A humiliating display of power difference had unfolded in a matter of seconds. Nezumi moved the mannequin about as if it were weightless; Sancho began to wonder if winning was truly a possible outcome.
As the mannequin passed the head, it was abruptly stopped by the tail, which had fully regrown. Once again, Sancho found himself within this beast's grasp; he felt vulnerable and useless against it. The mannequin still had its sword equipped in its hand, but its movement was completely impaired by the rat's tail. As the tail tightened, a sound of crushing metal was produced and echoed within the room. The mannequin's armour had begun to dent with every second Nezumi held onto it. Sancho observed his mannequin, watching as it wriggled in pain and for freedom. It was rare for him to see such a feat be implemented on the mannequin: to watch its armour be physically mutilated had seemed almost impossible prior to this interaction, unless inflicted by someone with immense, unbelievable power. He stared longingly at the tail to try to find some hidden detail which alluded to how this was happening. Surely this was not simply a matter of pressure and strength!
Sancho got slightly closer to the rat, which was fully distracted by the mannequin, and squinted his eyes to allow his focus to improve. Due to them still being largely shrouded by the dark, it was difficult for Sancho to tell if any extraneous power was being used. He was growing restless, and his fear was increasing to inhumane levels; if he did not act soon, the mannequin would surely be crushed. Without the mannequin's armour, Sancho was but a man, and susceptible to any attack thrown at him. Therefore, in order to preserve both the life of his mannequin and, ultimately, his own, he searched the lowest depths of his soul and obtained a large culmination of spirit, begging to be used; it would be a heavy burden on his future output for the rest of the fight, but it was necessary. Sancho placed his hands together in a prayer-like format, with the tips of his fingers pointing towards the root of the rat's tail. He was to fire the arrow of spirit at the source of the natural rapier and eradicate it entirely. Sancho's spirit manipulation was not as potent or controlled as Giorgio's, meaning that an attack like this would be detrimental to his body's output, but of ease if done by Giorgio. Alas, he was out of options.
As he shaped his spirit into a striking, fine arrow, he cried out, 'SOUL-' But he was cut off.
Before he could unleash his attack, another voice cried out with greater vigour and courage, ricocheting in its cadence. 'SECOND HAND, WINDY SUMMER!'