A Web of Deception
Disclaimer: Mortal Kombat is owned by NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Mortal Kombat: Conquest is the property of Warner Bros. All recognisable dialogues are from the games and/or the TV show. I'm not making any money from this.
Chapter One
The Illusion of Peace
The tournament of Mortal Kombat was simply an old legend for most of Earthrealm's inhabitants; one of many bedtime stories to entertain young children. But for the people who knew the truth, it was a day of profound worry and desperate prayers to indifferent deities. For the umpteenth time in Earthrealm's history, its very existence was at stake.
Raiden's powers were compromised at present, for he was in one of Shao Kahn's enclosed arenas in Outworld. The Emperor himself was seated upon a menacing throne, flanked by two Shokan bodyguards on either side. A sizeable contingent of his supporters surrounded the arena, revelling at the sight of fatalities while craving for more. For the moment, Raiden was just another spectator in their eyes, albeit one who stood out due to his attire and allegiance.
This was no ordinary fist fight; this was the final clash in the latest Mortal Kombat tournament. The future of Earthrealm was in the hands of one man: Kung Lao, who faced his most dangerous adversary yet: Shang Tsung. The smirking shape-shifter had been energised by the soul of his previous opponent. Kung Lao had nothing but his years of training. The two fighters sized each other up while waiting for Kahn's signal.
"FIGHT!"
At once, Kung Lao and Shang Tsung began to circle each other, looking for an opening. Kung Lao charged first, landing a couple of hits to Tsung's side.
"First blood goes to Kung Lao!"
Shang Tsung was now on renewed alert. The hits had not affected him much, and he had many tricks up his sleeve. He had put sufficient distance between himself and the Earthrealm warrior. They circled each other again.
Tsung's next move had Raiden clenching his hands into fists at its audacity. How dare he!
With a tell-tale green glow, Tsung had morphed into an exact replica of the Thunder God. Kung Lao was momentarily surprised; his eyes drifted briefly to the real Raiden before he composed himself. Dirty tricks were to be expected from most sorcerers.
Kung Lao's momentary lapse of attention was enough time for Shang Tsung to launch a ball of lightning at him. The projectile still knocked the breath out of Kung Lao, sending him to the ground. Thankfully, the shocking effect did not last long, and Kung Lao got back on his feet.
"Oh, so you are made of sterner stuff than I thought," Shang Tsung taunted in Raiden's voice. Kung Lao's fighting stance and stern expression remained unchanged. Shang Tsung assumed the form of Shao Kahn, complete with hammer, and charged at his opponent. Kung Lao speedily dodged the first five strikes, but the sixth struck him and forced him to the ground.
Shang Tsung reverted to his original form and moved in for the kill.
"Pathetic or not, your soul is mine!" he boasted to the conscious but downed Kung Lao.
"FINISH HIM!" Shao Kahn roared.
Raiden had no desire to see Earthrealm's best kombatant die, but as a deity, he could do nothing but watch.
"Kill him! Kill him!" Shang Tsung needed no encouragement in the first place.
"Earthrealm will make a fine addition to Outworld," said Shang Tsung. His glowing palms were outstretched to seize Kung Lao's soul for himself.
Kung Lao would not lose his soul so easily. He fought back, pummelling Shang Tsung with all the righteous fury he could muster, giving no time for the sorcerer to morph again. It was the Outworlders' turn for crushing disappointment. Kung Lao finished his combos with a devastating uppercut which sent Shang Tsung flying through the air. Tsung crashed upon the arena, utterly defeated; his body half-covering the seal of the Elder Gods. He had relied far too much upon his morphing and mind games, and had paid the price. The spectators were now baying for the sorcerer's blood.
"This so-called sorcerer is nothing but a weak, pathetic fool," said the emperor, sealing Shang Tsung's fate. Shao Kahn's next command was quiet with disappointment. "Finish him."
One moment, Kung Lao was eager to obey, his right hand raised to deliver the killing blow. The next moment, he looked around himself. The bloodlust of the Outworlders brought him to his senses.
"No ... Listen to me. When the next tournament comes, remember what you saw here today. The people of Earth are not murderers. I choose …" Kung Lao looked at Shao Kahn. "Mercy."
Shang Tsung would surely avenge his defeat one way or another, but his future schemes did not matter for the moment. Earthrealm was safe until the next tournament; Kung Lao had ensured it.
Kung Lao gave a curt bow and made his way over to Raiden.
"Nice speech," said Raiden. He liked to fool around with Earthrealmers whenever Mortal Kombat wasn't just around the corner.
As Shang Tsung was being dragged away by a pair of Shao Kahn's red-masked guards, he managed one last taunt. "You should have killed me, Kung Lao."
Raiden and Kung Lao were in no mood to care. Shang Tsung had failed when it had mattered the most.
Overall, Kung Lao was doing fine after winning the tournament, despite losing Jen. However, he did complain about his responsibilities a little too often, and whenever he did, Raiden took pride in being the one to have the last word.
Shang Tsung's meddling was to be expected. In Raiden's opinion, it even had the silver lining of keeping Kung Lao and his friends on their toes. Perhaps one day, Shang Tsung would do something disastrous enough to invite his own death. After all, the current Mortal Kombat champion was not the sorcerer's only enemy.
Raiden was in for a rude shock on the day that Siro and Taja were aged by otherworldly water. Kung Lao of all people agreed for a Mortal Kombat bout, falling all too easily for Shang Tsung's transparent ploy.
Even though Kung Lao won this fight, he had to be taught a stern lesson. Mortal Kombat was no game to be taken lightly, least of all by a champion. There was no mercy in Raiden's gaze as he shot a ball of lightning at Kung Lao. It was by no means lethal, but Kung Lao had to know that his duty was to all of Earthrealm's people, not just to his friends.
The next great threat to Earthrealm came in the form of the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi and his insidious plan to divide and conquer. Raiden intercepted one of Quan Chi's undead servants, and not a moment too soon. For this time, the mortals needed Raiden's help to survive and throw off the effects of the Netherrealm dust.
When Quan Chi came for Kung Lao's soul, Raiden was confident that his champion would prevail. However, if Raiden had known that Quan Chi served an old nemesis who was far more dangerous than Shao Kahn, he would not have been so sure. Nonetheless, Quan Chi was forced to fight without the aid of his undead posse, and Kung Lao was victorious again.
Quan Chi threatened Earthrealm once more when he formed a short-lived yet unwelcome alliance with Shang Tsung to kill Kung Lao. Kung Lao fell for blatantly obvious falsehoods – again! How many times would the monk put Earthrealm in danger without meaning to?
Much to Raiden's relief, Kung Lao did not display such foolishness again in a long time to come. It certainly helped that he had Siro and Taja by his side to help him with each new and formidable enemy.
Ironically, it was Raiden himself who was responsible for Earthrealm's near downfall. Shao Kahn and the Kreeyan/Zaterran alliance were at war over Earthrealm; Kahn's forces were losing at present. But Shao Kahn himself would not accept defeat so easily. No matter which side won, the Elder Gods would not intervene unless an actual merger of realms took place. The defence of Earthrealm was thus left to its immortal protector and mortal champion. As the immortal, Raiden should have been vigilant against subterfuge.
When times got tough, Raiden's favourite method of coping was not unlike Siro's: strong wine (which didn't get him drunk fast enough), a beautiful buxom blonde on his lap whose name he didn't care about (she called him Rayman and giggled more often than she talked) and a supposed vacation. To his mild annoyance, Kung Lao decided to butt in – though, to be fair, Raiden was in Zhu Zin's most popular tavern.
After sending Kung Lao away with the bad news, which took much longer than he would have liked - Kung Lao had asked the blonde to leave them alone for a while - Raiden found his companion. The night was young, and he intended to make full use of his vacation while he still could.
He spent all night and the next morning with the blonde. If gods couldn't have fun, then who could? He decided to drop by the Trading Post with his companion, but to his surprise, it was locked. He broke in with some lightning, for the place was deserted. If he was in his wits, he would've been suspicious, but he saw the perfect opportunity to sleep with her some more.
Later in the morning, he was joking around with the girl when a supernatural vision struck him.
A familiar young man was in chains, surrounded by hooded figures, who Raiden recognised to be Shao Kahn's infamous Shadow Priests. One of the Priests had placed his right hand upon the human's chest. Kung Lao's eyes were closed in pain, pain that even a god could feel ...
Just as abruptly as it had arrived, the vision stopped. Raiden opened his eyes to find the blonde looking at him concernedly.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
Raiden's reply was brief. "Something's wrong." This is one day I shouldn't have put aside my duties.
"Well, let me get you some water!"
I hope I'm not too late. "Very wrong."
He blinked away in a flash of lightning.
Raiden materialised on the outskirts of Shakanna, an isolated Earthrealm town whose people were hostile to the Earthrealm gods because "Shaka" (Shao Kahn) was their deity. It seemed like yet another attempt on Kung Lao's life, which Raiden feared to be successful this time.
He felt the presence of a portal nearby; a rather large one at that. To make matters worse, he could no longer sense Kung Lao's presence in Earthrealm. The purple-robed townspeople were gathered in prayer around the town's central altar, anticipating the visit of their "god" at last. But Shao Kahn could not set foot in Earthrealm without conquering it first, or so Raiden believed. Did Kahn have the power to defy the Elder Gods' will so brazenly?
Raiden had no time to dwell further on Kahn's machinations. He appeared upon the altar and shocked Taja and Siro's captors into unconsciousness.
The more fearful denizens of Shakanna had fled the worship area just as Raiden had arrived. A few others were dumbstruck by his arrival. Most of the worshippers' prayers to Shao Kahn grew more fervent, begging for deliverance that would not come.
"Your god has abandoned you!" Raiden said to the crowd, summoning lightning to his fingertips for good measure. This display of power failed to bring the crowd to its senses. Lightning descended upon the now-empty altar. Its destructive power damaged the skull-shaped statue and distorted the portal. The people fled for their lives, effectively leaving Raiden, Taja and Siro alone.
"It's about time you showed up," Taja muttered, as Raiden freed her and Siro. Thankfully, they weren't seriously injured.
"Fight me in Outworld, Thunder God ... If you dare!" Shao Kahn called through the portal. To their credit, neither Siro nor Taja showed any outward expressions of fear.
"It's a trap, Raiden," Siro stated the obvious. "They took Kung Lao through the portal." He and Taja pocketed their former captors' weapons.
"I know, but I must buy some time," said Raiden. "He is in Shao Kahn's dungeons." With a wave of his hand, he created a much smaller portal just outside the center of the town, away from the larger portal. "My portal will take you close to Kung Lao's cell. It will remain open for two hours; Outworlders cannot travel through it. You must save him. Good luck."
The duo nodded and went towards Raiden's portal. Waiting until they had gone through it, Raiden approached Kahn's portal.
"Shao Kahn! The Elder Gods will not tolerate your treachery!"
"Oh, so you speak for them now, Raiden? Let them try to stop me ... if they can!"
The only reason Raiden would face him now was to distract him from Kung Lao's escape attempt. He did not intend to stick around for his defeat in Outworld. Preparing himself for the imminent clash, Raiden summoned a bolt of lightning from Earthrealm's sky.
Thunder and lightning marked Raiden's arrival in Shao Kahn's throne room. The emperor himself stood in front of the Earthrealm portal, armed with a sword instead of his usual war hammer. Perhaps the odds were slightly more in Raiden's favour.
"Many traitors and enemies will fall tonight. You will join them, Raiden!"
Raiden ducked to avoid an incoming energy spear and teleported to Shao Kahn's left side. Before Raiden could land any hits, however, Shao Kahn delivered an uppercut that sent Raiden's mortal form crashing into the wall beside Kahn's throne. Raiden hoisted himself to his feet; he had forgotten how painful Shao Kahn's blows could be.
"You are powerless outside your precious Earthrealm. You will die like a pathetic mortal," Shao Kahn boasted as Raiden struggled to his feet.
Raiden had recovered just in time to see Shao Kahn swing his sword. As if to remind Kahn that he wasn't dealing with just another mortal, Raiden caught it with his palms and sent surges of powerful electricity through it. Shao Kahn held on for many minutes, despite the pain it was surely causing him. Unexpectedly, the sword broke into two pieces. Raiden threw the pieces away and launched himself and Shao Kahn above the floor before the latter could retaliate.
As Shao Kahn recovered from the torpedo, Raiden sensed the one thing he was waiting for: Kung Lao had escaped from Outworld. Raiden summoned a bolt of lightning to return to Earthrealm, leaving the bewildered and enraged Shao Kahn to his own devices.
Raiden returned to the portal in Shakanna after he'd transported an injured Kung Lao to the Shaolin temple. Thankfully, Siro and Taja were fine because Kung Lao was not guarded by Shadow Priests. This was certainly a costly oversight on Reiko's part.
Storm clouds gathered overhead, blocking out the late afternoon sun. Electricity built up in the air. Many bolts of lightning crashed into the earth in and around the portal statue. The clouds dispersed as swiftly as they had formed.
As the dust and dirt was beginning to settle down, the winds picked up again, concentrating to a spot behind Raiden.
"Why have you left your post, Fujin?" Raiden did not turn to face the Wind God.
"I sensed something was amiss," the reclusive Wind God remarked. "What exactly happened?"
"Shao Kahn came close to conquering our realm today. I should've seen it coming," Raiden remarked, now facing the other god. They had known each other for millennia; Raiden would not say anything more for the moment and Fujin would know not to press him.
"You were distracted." At Raiden's silence, Fujin's lips twisted into a brief smile. "Was it a blonde or a redhead?"
"This is not the time for jest, Fujin." A thunderclap was heard in the sky.
Fujin broke the awkward silence after a while, his expression stoic.
"Undoubtedly, the Elder Gods will have taken note of this." Fujin's voice had a slightly ominous undertone. His faint eyes met Raiden's. "If the Elder Gods question your ability to protect Earthrealm – I would not put it past them –" he added, seeing Raiden's surprise, "- I will defend you."
Raiden thought the younger god was being a little too rebellious, but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. "Thank you, brother."
The two gods disappeared from the deserted town. Fujin returned to guard Shinnok's amulet, while Raiden returned to his Sky Temple.
When the winds had died down and the dust had settled in Shakanna, only the charred pieces of a skull-like statue remained in a crater where Shao Kahn's portal once existed. Earthrealm had been saved by the skin of its teeth, but its enemies would remain at bay only for so long.
To be continued.
A/N: This story is a retcon fic; an attempt to bring MK Conquest close to the current MK canon (MK 2011). Unfortunately, one episode (Episode 12, Shadow of a Doubt) will have to be disregarded entirely because of MK 9.
I'd like to thank my beta reader sickoftakenpennames for putting up with my incessant rambling and plotting. Well, mostly rambling. XD
The Mortal Kombat: Conquest portion of this fic is over; I have plans for two more chapters. Criticism, constructive or otherwise, is welcome.