This story is part of the Wanderer series.
After making a sharp turn around the corner, Nozomi made another sharp turn into the nearby open doorway, entering one of the wall’s turrets. Rin did not look too certain about this decision, but had no time to dispute while they were being hotly pursued.
They ran up the steps, spiraling clockwise up, their pants echoing. To their dismay, they soon heard the clatter of chainmail up ahead, the noise quickly approaching. Then, they ran into two armored knights slowly proceeding down the steps with swords drawn.
Seeing them, Rin hesitated, her steps faltering. The two knights easily blocked the narrow stairway, and their higher position gave them the advantage in leverage, leaving no easy path to break through.
“Halt!” the knight in the front ordered, raising his sword threateningly above his shoulders as he glared down. “Go no further—!”
Nozomi disregarded his warning, resonating her energy. She suddenly leapt towards the knights, jumping three or four steps. The knight’s voice cut short as her speed and audacity surprised him, uttering a gasp. With a surging shout, Nozomi twisted her body, winding her left arm as far back as she could and swinging the broken spear shaft, smacking it hard against the side of the knight’s helmet, just under his chin, with a loud metallic clang. Though he was armored, the impact still stunned him, knocking him off balance.
His companion a few steps behind him shouted in surprise, reaching his free arm forwards to grab the faltering knight’s shoulders. Seeing them distracted, Nozomi took one step back and jumped into the air again, landing on the knight’s shoulders with both feet, her right foot stepping on the other knight’s gauntlet. Grabbing a hold of his helmet with her right hand, she briefly crouched, stabilizing herself while bringing her left arm forward, still clenching the spear shaft, before pushing off, leaping over the second knight’s head.
The rear knight stared wide-eyed as the girl leapt over him, following with his head as far back as his helmet would allow. Landing flat on her feet a few steps behind him, Nozomi began to dash up the steps again, leaving the first knight stumbling once more. Were it not for his companion’s grip, he would have fallen forward.
Rin was also surprised by Nozomi’s brash act, hesitating to try the same when the knight in front of her was already recovering. However, seeing the second knight shout after Nozomi, making the first few steps to turn around and give chase, Rin became worried about getting split up. There was no time to second guess.
Hearing his companion shout, the knight in the front also twisted his body to glance over his shoulder. Concerned there was now a threat from behind, he raised his sword defensively to his chest, his dazed state not yet realizing Nozomi ran off.
Seeing him distracted, Rin saw her chance. Keeping her sword sheathed, she raised her arm to take a swing at the knight in front of her. But, with how cramped the stairwell was, her sword smacked the center column of the turret, the crossguard clunking and screeching against the stone. Glancing at her awkwardly twisted arm, she expelled a grunt of frustration and, thinking quickly, torqued her sword inwards, holding it pointed straight up.
By now, she had attracted the knight’s attention back to her. Knowing this stance would not give her any leverage, she resonated her energy, brought the sword inwards towards her chest, grabbing a hold of the sheathed end with her other hand, and thrusted it forwards with both arms as hard as she could.
Dodging under his raised sword, Rin shoved her weapon against the knight’s abdomen, utilizing it as a lever to shove him back. Her energy-enhanced state allowed her to overpower the befuddled man, more easily than even she expected. With a wobbly outcry, the knight stumbled backwards, up a few steps, and crashed into his companion.
All three of them fell onto the stone steps in a big heap, with the first knight on top of the second and Rin, having put all her weight forward, falling on top of the first. Both the knights lost grip of their weapons, with the first one’s barely missing Rin as it fell next to her left leg, clattering down the steps.
As the initiator, Rin recovered quicker, glancing up at the freed-up passageway. Without further regard for the knocked-down men, she pushed herself up with both arms, knocking the breath out of the knight as her sheathed sword pressed into his belly like a plank of wood. Letting go of her sword with one hand, she reached up to the knight’s helmet and grabbed it, pulling herself up. Bringing a leg up and forwards, she stepped onto the fallen knights, crawling forwards with both hands as they grunted in surprise. Then, once she reached flat footing again, she pushed off the stone with her hands and took off again, chasing after her friend.