Nefaria, 20th of Kaelos, 542 ER(Continuation)
Janeth, after entering the mystical temple and discerning no peril, strides confidently towards the inner sanctum. Whereupon, she begins to stroll around, marveling at the splendor and enchantments of the sacred space. There, she beholds two rows of ornate pews, crafted from the finest darkwood, adorned with intricate carvings that evoke her admiration for the skilled artisan who fashioned them.
Firstly, she promenades alongside the initial row of pews, her footsteps echoing off the stone floor. After traversing a short distance, she seats herself upon one of the pews, situated at the midpoint between the two rows, and crosses over to the opposing side, passing the second row of pews, thus reaching the far side of the hall.
Thence, she continues her leisurely stroll, flanking the final row of pews, drinking in the wonders of the temple, whose floor is composed of resplendent tiles that reflect her image like a still pond, their pure silver hue and exquisite designs bespeaking the mastery of the temple's artisans.
Gazing upwards towards the vaulted ceiling, she notes its unadorned simplicity, a testament to her own lack of attention to detail. Redirecting her gaze, she notices a recess in the stone wall, which captures her interest. She alters her course, approaching the entrance nestled within the wall, and peers inside, finding only darkness.
Rummaging through her leather satchel, she produces a worn torch, which she attempts to ignite, striking it against the stone floor until the flame flickers to life. With the torch held aloft, she illuminates the dark space, revealing a wall painted a deep, foreboding hue. At the far end, a crimson-skinned female demon reclines upon a raised dais, its black tail coiled languidly, its form sculpted with masterful precision.
Satisfied, she withdraws, quickening her pace as she walks alongside the pews, her footsteps echoing off the stone floor, until she reaches an elevated dais, ascended by four granite steps, upon which rests two ornate seats, symbolizing power and authority, flanked by three attendants' seats.
While Janeth gazes upon the dais, contemplating ascent via one of the stone staircases, her attention is drawn to a colossal spear, its crimson-hued metal shaft culminating in a dark iron tip, sharpened to a deadly point. As the spear hurtles towards her with unyielding force, as if wielded by an unseen hand, Janeth executes a deft somersault, evading the spear's trajectory mere moments before it embeds itself within the staircase, mere inches from her intended path.
Landing with grace, Janeth's ire momentarily gives way to admiration for the spear's craftsmanship, paying silent homage to the skilled smith who forged this formidable weapon. Shaking off her reverie, Janeth's gaze falls upon a maiden, barely eighteen winters of age, attired in a flowing white gown, denoting her station as a temple acolyte.
Janeth's curiosity is piqued by the maiden's presence within the ostensibly abandoned temple, and the silver-edged white veil shrouding her countenance. As the maiden retrieves the spear, its black iron chain rattling softly, Janeth marvels at the girl's ability to wield such a massive weapon with ease, her slender form belied by her evident strength.
The maiden's subsequent display of prowess, spinning the spear with fluid motion, leaves Janeth stunned, and before she can fully comprehend the spectacle, the maiden propels the spear towards her once more, its chain trailing behind like a dark serpent.
Janeth, aware of her predicament and Alisha's foul temper, executes another acrobatic backflip, creating distance between herself and the spear as it strikes the spot she previously occupied, yet finds no mark. Alisha, taken aback by Janeth's evasion, is caught off guard as a flurry of daggers shoots towards her from Janeth's direction.
Before Alisha had lunged the spear, Janeth had secretly drawn two daggers from her leather-bound trousers and positioned them between her legs, blades facing downwards, to be launched at Alisha as she performed the backflip. Alisha, stunned by the sudden onslaught, reacts too late as one dagger tears the silver-edged veil from her face, leaving it to fall to the ground, its connecting cord severed.
The second dagger strikes Alisha's left cheek, leaving a bloody gash. Enraged and still reeling, Alisha propels the spear towards Janeth via its chain, forgoing her usual spinning motion to generate momentum. Janeth, anticipating the spear's trajectory, readies herself, draws a dagger from her belt, and smirks.
As the spear approaches, she deftly sidesteps and performs a parkour flip over the spear, using the momentum to launch the dagger at Alisha in a swift, split-second motion after landing.
Alisha, realizing she cannot retract the spear in time, uses her free hand to unstrap another smaller spear from her back, surprising Janeth, who hadn't expected a maiden in a flowing gown to be concealing a weapon in such an unlikely place, to block the dagger, allowing Janeth to close the distance between them. Alisha, noticing this, hurls the smaller spear in her hand, but Janeth leaps onto a nearby pew, evading the attack. Alisha, shocked and desperate, attempts a final act, trying to retrieve the chain to pull the spear back, but Janeth seizes the opportunity to deliver a mighty blow, dropping from her perch to strike Alisha with a powerful fist on her left cheek, exacerbating the existing wound. As Alisha staggers, reeling from the punch, Janeth notices the blue-colored tail and scales on her own body, revealing her lizard-man heritage. Alisha, still suffering, tries to press a hidden button on her necklace to alert the temple's occupants, but Janeth thwarts her, rushing to grab Alisha and executing a remarkable slung, slamming her to the floor, where she lies unconscious.