RP:The Twins

Part of the Dissonance Theory Arc

Part of the On Stranger Tides Arc

Summary: Khitti has a deadly, if brief, encounter with two of Xicotl's sentient lieutenants. They call themselves Naphtali and Asher, and although their assassination target proves a more challenging match than they anticipated (due in large part to the timeline alteration which has granted Khitti greater access to her magical powers), they nevertheless leave a mark.

The Cenril-Kelay Bridge

The rain came in spurts and spatters, with a wind that was constant but not quite harsh. The sky was overcast to the extent that sunlight shone from nowhere at all, and the crows on the wooden posts of the Cenril-Kelay Bridge squawked with indulgence. Only a single merchant's carriage, led by two thoroughbred mares, crossed the bridge in this weather. It was soon nearly out of sight, heading into Cenril beneath its great arches, the scent of fresh cabbages left wafting in its wake. It was a humid rain that chilled travelers to the bone. Fog distorted whatever lay at the bottom of the bridge. Old cracks in the stone marked a certain years-ago battle against undead minions. It was everything Khitti would remember of this place, shrouded in bleak greys and whistling gusts.

Khitti || This was not an area Khitti lingered in long. It was even less so now that she was convinced something was following her. For the moment, she sensed nothing. Whatever that thing had been that found her the night Khitti and Quintessa held the seance to speak to Brenwyn’s spirit, it still gave her chills and fueled her paranoia like nothing had before. There was even a dark mark that peeked out from beneath her dress’ neckline where The Thing™️ had shifted to a more incorporeal state and went right through her. It looked like a bruise to those that didn’t look at it too closely. To those that did? She’d probably punch them before they had the chance. Leaving Cenril’s gate atop her tikifhlee, she headed west, likely off to Vailkrin again to study and check in on things since Bradyn had taken his leave again. But, when she got to that spot where she’d died, she commanded the giant cat to stop, and the beast skidded to a halt. Cautiously, she looked over the side of the bridge once she got off the cat, a vague look of concern written on her face. Today, the rain was practically the only thing that didn’t bother her--it was everything else.

When the portals opened up in the northern distance, their vibrant greenish hues were such a stark contrast to the all-grey world around them that the brightness caused even the cabbage merchant's horses to turn around in surprise. Down went the cabbages, cart, and merchant too, and it was good at least that the poor sod's horses buckled but did not run; for he was quick on his feet, albeit with tears on his face and proclamations made, to hop on one horse and ride into town. "My cabbages!" And then Khitti was alone. The air rippled -- truly rippled -- and the smell of static and ozone replaced that of fallen produce. The portals were far away, a kilometer or more in the distance and higher than the bridge. More ripped open to the south, up above the Northern Sage Forest. Distant white birds fled in fear, and the crows upon the bridge squawked all the louder, remaining on their posts. If an invading army from the Shadow Plane was imminent, it sure was taking its time. No, this was not the work of Kahran's fractured, leaderless empire. The portals closed, all at once, a great cacophony of sound and fury, and when they closed, Khitti and her beloved tikifhlee would feel an intense magical pressure intended to subdue them, to paralyze them, to hold them at bay. Would it work? The perpetrators did not know, but their power was incredible. It would be a struggle for freedom at best. That was when they appeared: two slim shapes, silver-haired with vague suggestions of masculinity upon one and even vaguer femininity upon the other. Their eyes were shaped like almonds and entirely aquamarine by colour. They seemed outwardly weak, though the sisterly sort held forth a sword that looked oddly akin to Tenbatsu Kaji; no, it was not that damned sword, but in appearance, it was not at all far off. The brotherly one lifted his left index finger and smiled. "Wait," he said, his smile fading. "Where is the other one? Where is Brand Herzegler?"

Khitti || It’s okay. Khitti didn’t like cabbages anyway. You eat enough cabbage soup throughout the harsh winter months when there’s nothing else to eat in Dhavislaav and you’ll get sick of it too. But, that’s not what was important anyway. What was important was that a bunch of portals opened up and it was enough to give Khitti flashbacks. She was temporarily disoriented by it, but perhaps not to the extent the two wanted. The tikifhlee, on the other hand, was indeed subdued for now. “There is no Brand in Cenril City,” Khitti said at length, a hand going to her head, as if that would help the pounding headache the portals’ noise created. She shook her head, olive-green eyes settling on the two, as well as the sword, “You don’t belong here.” Something seemed… familiar about the vaguely feminine one, but Khitti couldn’t place it, and it frustrated her all the more. “What the hell do you want?”

The twins did not laugh but their mouths twisted into a joint sneer. "Truth, lies, it matters little," the vaguely feminine one said. "We'll find him." The other twin stepped forward two perfect paces. "A tikihflee," he noted admiringly. "This one trusts their mistress overmuch, sweet sister. I won't pacify it any further. But… must we kill it? It would do to let it roam free." The 'sister' with the Tenbatsu-like blade merely sighed. "You always were soft, Asher. Fine. We'll leave it be. But the woman dies." The 'brother' bowed gently, his index finger still up. A small wave emanated from that finger -- he was casting the spell causing Khitti disorientation and her feline friend paralysis. "Thank you, Naphtali." Naphtali canted her head in Khitti's direction. "Does that answer your question? The 'hell' we want is your downfall. And doesn't this seem such an excellent place for your death?" She knew. "Our Lord Xicotl gave us thought and spared our souls, that we may serve him in ways that thralls cannot. I closed your portal at Vigilanti Semper. You should know by now that your powers are hardly unique any longer. And this sword," Naphtali chuckled, "well, finders keepers?" If it wasn't Tenbatsu Kaji, then what could she have meant? It seemed so, so… similar. But no spirit dwelt within. It was ebony at the sheath but the markings were identical. Asher watched as his sister calmly approached their victim, reaching out her arm and then moving with alarming speed to slash Khitti's head clean off if successful.

Khitti smirked at the two, stifling a bit of laughter. “You two are hilarious. You should hold comedy skits at the Cenril theatre. I could even put in a recommendation for you.” She eyed the sword again and merely shrugged, “You think I give a damn about that sword? I’m the one that got rid of it in the first place. It was holding me back. And plus, katanas are so last year--society has moved on to better swords.” Naphtali approached and Khitti just looked at her with pity, “You don’t have a say in when I die, dear. Me. The gods. My family, if it comes to it that they must put me down… but not you.” She raised her arm up to block the attack, shadow-ice creating a small, but thick shield on her forearm. It was soon engulfed in light magic, the two opposite magicks forced to work together. “You’re not the only one with a god on your side,” she said, a sickeningly sweet smile offered to the girl, “I have three.” A shackle with a broken chain made of the same light magic shimmered into view on her other wrist, the chain itself sent flying towards Naphtali. It looked like Khitti was going to hit her with it? Nope. It was going after the sword and would attempt to wrap itself around the blade so that Khitti could pull it away.

Naphtali's face didn't shift but the rest of her visibly flinched. The rain fell harder as Xicotl's lieutenant was unexpectedly rebuffed, the weapon she wielded being yanked from her like a toy from a child. Asher was quick to her side, letting go of his paralysis spell in order to toss thin black toxic darts aplenty in Khitti's direction, seeking to debilitate her. He followed it up with a leap, anticipating that the tikihflee might not like him as much as he liked it; he stood beside the crows now, on the wooden posts, a metal lance appearing in his hands. He lunged with it, not unlike a dragoon, aiming to skewer the woman whom he had been ordered to kill. Naphtali, meanwhile, vanished and then reappeared behind Khitti. Numerous tiny dragon-like creatures breathing ice-blue fire separated Naphtali from Khitti, like a wall of diminutive saurians protecting their mistress. Alone, they were hardly flies to someone as strong as Lady Herzegler; together, they would be more than just a nuisance.

Khitti took the katana and threw it over the side of the bridge,” You really think I’d believe that the sword would choose you? It couldn’t mold me… couldn’t make me what it’d wanted...it’d -never- choose someone like you willingly.” Her mouthy ways would get her in trouble, unfortunately, as a couple of those darts hit her while she was focused on the girl. The tikifhlee was given a quick ‘pss pss’, the signal to get the hell out of there for now. -Someone- was going to have to drag her ass home soon and it fell on the cat to do so. The shield on her arm faded away into nothingness, replaced by another shackle and chain as she turned her attention towards Asher, and shadowstepped behind him. Both chains were sent towards his neck, the two made of light, yet coated in Khitti’s corrosive shadows, aiming to do the same to Asher that they had to the sword--though in Asher’s case, Khitti was going to choke him to death.

Khitti || Meanwhile, something watched them from the darkness of Milous Plains. It watched as Khitti wielded both light and shadows against her foes, watched as she was very much outnumbered now, despite being as powerful as she was. The thing in the darkness dwelled on this for a moment, then made its move. The lights along the outsides of the Cenril Bridge went out one by one, further plunging the area into darkness along with the storm. A chill breeze swept past the three of them, the unseen shadow elemental circling around to focus its attention on Naphtali. It emerged from the ground behind her, as if it had come from a portal itself. The cold wind returned as shadow-ice crept along the bridge’s stone around the shadow elemental. It only got colder as thick tendrils of shadow lashed out at her from behind, aiming to drag her into itself and swallow her entirely in darkness.

"Problematic," Naphtali countered coolly when her brother's situation grew dire. She even said it as an immense shadow elemental flew at her with deathly intent. "Asher. We're leaving." Asher, unaccustomed to being choked, went whiter than he already was -- quite an achievement for a lad so pale as he. His solid-blue eyes widened at what was happening. Were they… losing? They'd never lost. Not in six cycles of the Culling. Who was this person who flung away his sister's false blade and controlled more magic than Lord Xicotl surmised? Xicotl had never been wrong. A deviation in the timeline? Was it possible? Had something changed, granting Khitti Herzegler… more? The pondering would have to wait. Asher wanted to hold on, to taunt his would-be target by grasping the chain and moving forward until they were oh so close, when he would strike with lethal deviance. But he couldn't. Not with that strange beast behind his sister. He tried and failed to speak. The crows on their posts finally flew away, their avian instinct kicking in at the sight of the elemental. The thick tendrils of shadow slapped and slammed into Naphtali with a harshness like a cracked whip, and the last thing that Khitti would see of the girl was an understated grimace. Naphtali looked less like her life had almost ended and more as she had unexpectedly lost a game of chess against an opponent she assumed was unskilled. She was gone before the tendrils could destroy her. Asher remained, but only for a second. He rolled his eyes and vanished.

Khitti || And just like that they were gone. Khitti’s chains went limp and eventually disappeared from sight too. And Khitti was left staring there at the thing that had helped her. The thing that was now flying towards her with the same sort of speed as the girl with the sword. It looked like it was going to plow right through her again, just as it had in Xalious not long ago. But, it didn’t. Instead, it stopped and loomed over her, blotting out any ounce of light as it stared back with its shadowfire eyes. The cold was becoming unbearable, and just when Khitti was starting to shiver, the elemental dissipated entirely. The lights on the bridge relit themselves and Khitti was left alone again, as if none of that had even happened in the first place. Except, it had, because she still had darts sticking out of various parts of her body. Time to go get scolded by Lennier again.