Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters.
A/N: This is basically a rewrite of my first fic that I recently deleted because there were too many things I didn't like after going through it. This version will feature more graphic content, some lemons, and doesn't really follow a specific timeline. There will be an OC and a couple characters will eventually become OOC as the story progresses. So I hope you enjoy, read, review, leave any suggestions. Constructive criticism is always welcome, all I ask is for it to be civil. If this fic isn't for you, I at least want to say thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Chapter 1
Outworld
The buzzards already started to gather and circled in anticipation overhead at the scent of fresh meat. A village had fell mostly silent with the exception of a few quietly weeping children and widows of the fallen, now shacked and being prepared for a life of enslavement in the Cobalt Mines of Shokan. The clangor of wielding swords and battle cries of men had died away only moments ago. Now in this settlement located near the edge of the Golden Desert was nothing more than a graveyard for the unburied dead. Corpses, some butchered beyond recognition lay in the sand among the few survivors, wishing their misery would just simply end. They heard the boots and cloven hoof beats of the invaders before seeing a large number of warriors lead by General Reiko closing in on all sides. They were an unstoppable force that slaughtered without conscience while descending upon this small community of deserters, conspirators, and rebels. Sadly, they were simply unprepared, outmatched, and learned a brutal lesson that this was the price of treason.
The village was nothing special, just a small collection of tents and mud huts sitting over the dust and dirt baking under the sun's unwavering rays. Reiko marched triumphantly through the layer of dead bodies and others who soon would be. His boots carelessly shuffled through the small rivers of crimson flowing over the sun parched ground. He wiped away a line of beaded sweat from his furrowed brow while analyzing the grizzly scene before him, then looked down after feeling something claw at his foot. A man, horribly mangled trying to cling to his boot, the expression on his blood streaked face begged the General to end his suffering. Reiko only offered a smirk and moved on, leaving the man to die slowly and painfully in the scorching heat. Now the General stood in the center of this massacre, certain his job here was done.
"General!" One of his burly lieutenants fiercely called out then gestured to a figure drifting away.
Reiko craned his neck and sneered at a cloaked figure slowing trying to make an escape. It was covered in a red, velvet, hooded robe that hid any distinguishable features from head to toe. The General pursued, eating space between him and the mysterious being effortlessly with long determined strides. Once within arms length, he snatched it by the bony shoulder, then whipped it around to face him. He then heard what sounded like hissing and whispering voices overlapping out of unison.
"Well, what do we have here?" He throatily crooned, clamping his mighty hand around its frail neck, pulling back the red hood and revealing a ghastly looking creature. Its long hair was ragged, thin and white. With a face that looked partially human, its putrid green, decaying flesh pulled tight around the skull, and eye sockets that were empty and black. It didn't speak, only hissed from a lipless mouth, belching out a repulsive stench that offended even the General's nose and made him cringe. "By the Gods, you are simply revolting." He grimaced.
He could tell this thing was a shaman of sorts, but really didn't care to find out its purpose. His gauntlet covered hand tightened around its neck as he prepared to snap it like a dried twig. It screeched, then taloned, gnarled fingers appeared from the sleeves of its robe, the overlapping whispers grew louder, chanting something unintelligible. Then conjured a handful of red colored sand and quickly threw it in the General's face.
"Dammit!" Reiko bellowed as a searing pain started eating at his eyes. He let go of the creature. As it tried to escape, one of his lieutenants shot an arrow into its skull, making the wretched thing fall to the ground where its body disintegrated, leaving behind only the red robe it wore in a pile.
The pain in Reiko's eyes quickly spread to the rest of his face. With nothing to grab onto for support, he collapsed and cradled his throbbing head. Normally pain was something that didn't bother him much and he usually could move on, but that wasn't possible in this case. It was now becoming overwhelming, nausea began to set in, making him retch, the intense burning now consuming him almost completely. He stood on his hands and knees coughing violently, the convulsions making him sing in agony.
The lieutenant that delivered the fatal blow to the creature responsible for this fell to his knees and tried to render aid. What was left of Reiko's strength had waned, his body gave out completely and fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Though still conscious, he couldn't speak and it was becoming a struggle just to get air into his lungs.
The lieutenant beckoned his fellow troops to help their much respected leader. It took several men to hoist Reiko onto the back of his steed that looked like an undead draft horse with cloven hooves. His lieutenant then mounted and held on to the General now slumped over to one side, firmly taking the reins of the undead steed and giving it a firm kick to the exposed ribs and torn muscle. The beast reared before launching forward and galloping through the scorching sand grain that was dry and polished to the point where it rolled like water beneath its hooves. The other men rallied their new captives and the crusaders made way to the palace immediately.
Shao Kahn's fortress stood like an imposing monument with a legacy of suffering and bloodshed. Its dome structure in the shape of a skull, forged within a sheer sided mountain and surrounded by pointed, towering, spires of rock that looked like an eccentric crown. The skies were a blanket of eerie purple and never changed, blending day into night, with black clouds that were always in motion, billowing over the horizon. Inside this sinister palace was a maze of corridors, a collection of grim chambers, and dungeons lined with cells containing scenes of utter misery.
The Emperor paced in his throne room anxiously, there was much concern. The Mortal Kombat tournament is set to begin in a few months, and the possibility of an Earthrealm invasion was at the forefront of his mind. He grinned at his own malevolent thinking, the glorious thought of winning the tournament and bringing that damn Thunder God to his holy knees excited the Outworld ruler greatly, and would make his power absolute.
"Soon." He softly hissed to himself stroking his chin thoughtfully.
A booming knock pounding on the tall standing wooden doors interrupted his thoughts and echoed throughout the room.
"You may enter!" Shao Kahn fearlessly called out.
A man entered, one of Reiko's warriors, he threw himself at the Emperor's feet in submission and waited for acknowledgement.
"Speak." He demanded.
The man slowly raised his head and met the overlord's stare that made him quake like a pathetic leaf. "We have returned from our crusades, my lord."
"I see. And where is the General with his report?"
"There was a problem. Something went wrong after we invaded the last known rebel village." The man said with fear in his voice, knowing the Emperor will not be pleased with what he was about to say next. "The General was attacked by an unknown demon that left him gravely ill."
Shao Kahn felt his lips twitch as anger started to build, his prominent brow furrowed beneath his warlord's skull helmet. He was furious, this was not a good time for the most effective commander of his legions to perish. Winning the tournament was only half the battle. The Emperor was well aware that Earth's forces were indeed formidable, and he needed Reiko's assistance, his skill in tactics and brutality were unparalleled and rivaled even the Emperor's own. In order to be successful in his ultimate conquest when the invasion takes place, he will need the General at his side. Frustrated, Shao Kahn brutally kicked the man directly in the ribs, making him roll over and painfully gasp for breath.
"Where is he?!" Shao Kahn roared furiously.
"In-in his bed chambers." The man croaked.
The Emperor immediately left the throne room, his boots stomping through the labyrinth of foreboding hallways made of stone with flaming torch sconces guiding him.
Now standing before Reiko's chambers, he effortlessly kicked through the heavy, iron strapped, wooden door. Shadow Priests were already surrounding the General's bed, murmuring incantations and using several potions to try and stabilize him.
Shao Kahn shoved them aside and looked down at his General. His skin was ashen and glistening in cold sweat. He violently shivered while desperately clutching the raw crimson silk sheets covering his bed, and waves of heat coursed throughout his aching body. Reiko opened his mouth to speak, but felt his throat clench and stomach lurch, forcing out a small amount of bile that dribbled through the corners of his mouth.
"Who did this to my General?" The Emperor hissed in the face of a Shadow Priest standing nearby.
The Priest did not verbally respond, instead he reached for the red velvet robe that one of Reiko's men taken from the scene in hopes it could provide some answers. Shao Kahn studied the fabric closely, and noticed a small insignia over the left breast. It was a gold embroidered crescent moon that looked as though there were droplets trickling down along the outer edges, appearing as if the curved sliver of gold were bleeding. He recognized this small symbol, it was the crest belonging to a sect of shamans. Demon healers with elements in their blood that can regenerate flesh and bone, cure ailments, and casters of deadly spells when provoked.
"What happened?" Shao Kahn growled wanting a direct answer.
"He has been cursed by the Order of the Red Wizard." The Priest rasped.
"You are familiar with this particular Order?" Shao Kahn demanded. The Shadow Priest simply nodded in reply. "Then why are you all here, standing around like a bunch of imbeciles treating him with spells and incantations that are nothing more than an exercise in futility?"
"We are simply trying to stave his ailments to keep him from perishing. But it won't work for long, Emperor. His window of time is closing quickly."
The Emperor shoved the robe back into the Priest's hands then taken another glance at his General who was on the very edge of death. "The only way to save him is with the aid of another one of these shamans." He paused for a moment and pondered. "Summon the sorcerer, it's time to go hunting."