By the time Renato reached the chapel doors, two female household guards were still standing watch as usual, as though nothing unusual had happened inside.
They wore half plate, with the emblem of the Duwa Family engraved on their chests, and held halberds.
When they spotted a masked warrior in black armor striding out of the shadows, the guards reacted at once, shouting a warning:
"Stay back! State your name! This is the Goddess's Sanctuary..."
As she shouted, one guard stepped back and rang the magical bell beside the doors.
Amid the clanging alarm, Renato never slowed.
He charged, crossing the few dozen feet in an instant with the aid of the Oil of Speed.
These household guards were seasoned warriors. Faced with a sudden attack, they did not panic. They immediately leveled their halberds, pointing the tips into Renato's path in an attempt to counter his charge with their weapons' superior reach.
But one guard had stepped back to ring the bell, leaving the two halberds staggered and unable to block Renato's approach at the same time.
The first halberd thrust straight at him. Renato twisted aside, dodging the point. The second followed close behind, but its blade struck the Ring of Protection's deflection field and slid aside along the curve of his armor without leaving so much as a scratch.
His black sword swept upward, the Silent Lady cutting from low to high. Empowered by the magical field, its edge sliced easily into the halberd's composite funguswood shaft.
The Drow guard's right forearm flew off along with the shaft.
Blood gushed from the stump, splattering the spider relief on the chapel doors and flowing down the grooves of its legs.
Seeing her companion's arm severed, the other guard did not move to help. Instead, she stepped back to