In his soul's existence, Hanzo Hasashi had lived two separate lives. Once he had been one of the most skilled ninjas of the Shirai Ryu clan, but as powerful as he was, he was also a conceited and arrogant individual. It was the pride that he had allowed to grow inside himself that eventually led to his downfall at the hands of the Lin Kuei, Sub-Zero. Defeated in combat, he pleaded for mercy, only for the blue-clad victor to rip his head from his shoulders. However, unsatisfied with his dishonorable death, he was reborn in the Netherealm as a hellspawn, a creature of vengeance, and returned to the realm of mortals to seek retribution. But upon his return, he found that his clan had been decimated, every man, woman and child slaughtered. The world that had once belonged to Hanzo had been lost to him, and so he ceased to be the warrior he had once been. All his discipline and arrogance was forgotten, and became only unbridled rage, which he fed off in his undead form, becoming stronger with every angered breath he took. He became Scorpion, and vowed to strike down the perpetrator of the cold-blooded murder of his family. For years, the spectre haunted every movement the Lin Kuei made, and waited so that he might finally be avenged.
It came to pass on what would be the final Mortal Kombat tournament. Entering into battle against his hated enemy, Scorpion called forth a vile hand made from the spirits of the Netherealm and they devoured Sub-Zero, dragging him down into the underworld, never to return. The spectre faded, his task complete, and yet, could not rest in peace for a reason beyond his comprehension. Some years later, a Lin Kuei ninja of the same name as the first entered a new tournament in the realm of Outworld, hyping Scorpion's soul once more from the Netherealm. However, discovering that this was in fact the brother of the original, the hellspawn spared him and returned to his brooding in the depths of hell. Twice more he was called from his dwelling, and on both occasions he fought from boredom rather than purpose, but the second time brought him realization. Held by the magic of someone he had once trusted, they confessed to him that the death of his family had been their own deed. Seizing them up, Scorpion claimed a second vengeance, and a second soul for damnation in the Netherealm; this time the victim was the sorcerer, Quan Chi.
Finally, the true perpetrator of his clan's murder was at his mercy, and so consumed by rage was Scorpion that he had none to give.
Had there been anything of Hanzo Hasashi left in the creature that he had become then he may have been disgusted with himself; instead, all that the ninja had once been had been washed away by the fire of the Netherealm and replaced with boiling anger. Driven by hatred and fuelled by his lust for vengeance, Scorpion retained nothing of the man he had once been. Even the memories that brought about his anger were faded in his mind. The faces of those he had at one time loved had lost their clarity, and even love itself was something that he could no longer put a feeling to, accustomed as he was to the fury that consumed his mind. It could easily have been said that the ninja spectre had paid his humanity for the ability to exact revenge upon those he despised, but humanity or not, with Quan Chi in his clutches, he was finally close to being able to rest in peace.
It had been an almost incalculable amount of time since the battle between Scorpion and Quan Chi had begun in the Netherealm, and in that time each had beaten the other black and blue. Of course, the sorcerer had been the recipient of the most grievous punishment, and his body was a patchwork of angry, swollen bruising and scar tissue. His stomach was still coloured an angry purple from his encounter with the two Oni, Moloch and Drahmin, but since then his form had become a veritable catalogue of bodily injuries. A scar ran down Moloch's chest where he had been impaled by Scorpion's spear, an injury that would have proven fatal had it not been for the aura that infested the underworld like the smog that blanketed the ceiling of the cavern-like realm. Being a dwelling of pain and misery as it was, it was vital that the mortals cast into this plain of existence remained alive long enough to experience that pain and misery. It was why nothing short of decapitation, dismemberment, and, of course, devouring, could destroy any creature in this realm. Only the demons and hell creatures were truly immortal here, but even Quan Chi was granted a degree of invulnerability; whether he deserved it or even wanted it was quite questionable.
Scorpion knew about the Netherealm's capability for regenerating even the lowliest mortal, and he had used it to his advantage to exact the full measure of revenge against the sorcerer, but now the hour of retribution was at hand. The two warriors emerged on one side of a large rocky crevasse, two walls of stone towering off into the distance in both directions, a volcanic valley with a black and smoky sky, and a river of molten rock running beneath. The gap between the sides of the valley was traversed by a wide, round plateau with a low, rocky wall running around its circumference. It was every bit an arena for a final fight to occur, but there would be no battle here, only a death. Scorpion carried Quan Chi out onto the circular battlefield, his body draped over his right shoulder, before dumping him heavily in the centre. The sorcerer lay splayed on his back, his body wracked with pain. A criss-cross of scars marked his arms from recent sword fighting with the ninja, but he was too weak to use those weapons anymore. Blood trickled from his mouth and along his cheek as he turned his head from side to side, unable to lift it and look at his hellspawn tormentor.
"How does it feel, sorcerer?" Scorpion asked, the sound of his ninja sword being drawn one final time cutting through the background noise of bubbling lava and chilling screams echoing from one end of the realm to the other. The spectre set the tip of his blade to the stone beneath his feet and crouched, placing his hands on the base of the handle and bowing his head as though in prayer. In truth he was preparing himself, both mentally and physically, for the end. The swelling around his pearl white eyes faded slowly as he controlled his breathing, his hellspawn form shrugging off damage so much faster now that he had returned to the Netherealm. But not for much longer.
Quan Chi spat a mouthful of blood across the floor, the crimson splash staining the grey that formed the sorcerer's resting place. "What are you babbling about, fool?" he gasped, clutching at his ribs feebly as even talking proved almost too painful to bear.
"How does it feel to be at my mercy, just as my clan were at yours?" the hellspawn continued, standing briskly and swinging his sword from side to side, watching it cut a path in the smoke that surrounded them both as he did so. The noise of the blade passing through the air was almost painful in itself. "And how does it feel to be at the mercy of someone you know will show you none?" he asked, the perpetual scowl he wore never leaving his face.
"It does not feel one way or the other," Quan Chi informed him, "but I know this, I will not beg like a weakling for my life to be spared."
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Scorpion's boot smashed into his side, striking the ribs that had been injured almost since the start of their battle, and he gasped in agony, rolling over onto his side and curling up into a foetal position. "You are a pathetic creature, bastard," the spectre practically spat in disgust", and I shall take great pleasure in destroying you and attaining my eternal rest."
Scorpion took his sword in his left hand and clamped the other around the throat of his nemesis, pulling the man roughly from his position curled up on the floor and set him on his knees, steadying him with that hand until he was confident that the sorcerer could support his own weight for as long as he needed. It seemed odd that this ordeal would end with the two in a situation that was ordinarily reserved for ritual suicide, but it seemed almost fitting. Had Quan Chi not told Scorpion to his face about his part in the murder of his clan then he would never have found himself in the position he was now. It could be said that that moment had been the beginning of the sorcerer's suicide.
"And now," Scorpion said, licking his lips behind the mask that hid his mouth and nose, "you will die."
The hellspawn lifted the sword over his head, aiming directly for the back of Quan Chi's neck and a swift decapitation to end what must surely have been months, if not years, of constant beating. But just as the blow was about to fall there was a sudden rush of air and blur of motion, before something launched past the ninja's face and his hands were suddenly stinging with extreme pain. His sword clattered to the ground, sliding to a stop at the other end of the circular area.
"I somehow think not," Drahmin said fairly casually, from his position crouched on the floor some few meters away from where the spectre was standing, his back turned cooly to his adversary, " I am afraid I still have use for the sorcerer, and so I cannot let this come to pass."
Scorpion's eyes narrowed, or at least they would have were they not already as narrow as possible in the scowl he was always wearing. The ninja clenched his fists once and took up a fighting stance, setting his feet apart and pointing the forward boot in the direction of his gaze while the other was twisted to the side behind him. His hands drifted before his face, open with palms facing inwards towards each other. He recognised this demon, and had no quarrels with defeating him again before returning to his business. Unfortunately, it did not seem as though it would be that easy, as there was a cacophonous bellow from high above. Instead of looking up, Scorpion dived aside immediately, moments before the monstrous form of Moloch smashed into the ground where he had once stood. Rolling immediately into a crouching position, he looked up to see Drahmin standing next to his companion, as that one grasped at the stone floor and pulled itself up from the crater it had created with its impact.
"There had to be two of you," the hellspawn muttered, before standing and assuming his fighting stance again", you had best leave me to my business, Oni, or this meeting will become incredibly violent in a very short space of time."
"Silence!" the larger demon bellowed, slamming its iron ball into the ground with a ferocity that shook the floor under their feet. Once the momentary tremor had passed, Drahmin stepped forward, ignoring his apparent partner's sudden outburst. At first it seemed that the smaller Oni was not interested in violence, so casual was his gait, and then with a murderous roar, he swung his club for the hellspawn's face.
Scorpion leaned backwards with the blow, letting the metal studs dotting the cast pass his face by a mere inch. He followed up the attack with a counter, bringing his body forward and thrusting his foot into the demon's gut. The tips of his toes struck the decaying flesh of the devil's abdomen, eliciting a grunt from his mouth as he swung again, this time with his uncovered hand, driving his left fist into the chest of the spectre and sending him stumbling backwards a step. With his balance momentarily lost, Drahmin swung a second blow with his metal-encased arm, hitting his opponent in the stomach and doubling him over, before stepping forward and hammering his knee into the face of his hell born adversary. Scorpion reeled back again but kept his eyes locked on his enemy. The demon stepped forward and bowed, mocking the start to an honourable battle which they had forgone in favour of fighting immediately.
"Where is the great Scorpion who beat me once before?" Drahmin asked, raising an eyebrow. Without answering, the hellspawn's eyes followed Moloch as it hefted the fallen Quan Chi onto its shoulder and seemed to be making ready to leave their battleground with the unconscious sorcerer.
Within the blink of an eye, Scorpion's hand shot to his belt and closed around his spear, before he whipped the blade forward, watching it impale the larger of the two Oni squarely in the back. Moloch reared up angrily, dropping its baggage onto the floor heavily, and attempted to remove the sharp object in its spine by pulling forwards against the direction of the rope attached to it. Scorpion did a front flip over tho oni, landing on Dhramin's shoulders, then jumped up and dropkicked Dhramin right in his flesh-covered stomach. Moloch then grabbed the rope of the spear and tugged with great strength. The force jerked the spectre off his feet as he refused to let go of the rope, and he was pulled up into the air. With the momentum this afforded him, Scorpion struck a bone-cracking right fist in Drahmin's masked face, before landing softly on the lumbering demon's back, feet set either side of the spear embedded in its vertebrae. With one swift tug, he retrieved the weapon and placed it back on his belt, before stepping onto Moloch's hunched shoulders and stamping roughly on it's forehead. Unsurprisingly, the less educated of the two Oni attempted to smash its antagonist with its metal ball, and when the hellspawn jumped out of the way, ended up cracking the globe on its own skull, leaving him open for attacks. The spectre grabbed the oni's metal ball almost immediately before the oni swung it in an arch, swinging the hellspawn in circles but only to let him kick Dhramin in the face with a kick that surely crushed the tribal mask.
No sooner had Scorpion's feet found the floor than Drahmin was on the attack again, swinging his club wildly as the spectre dodged backwards and forwards, left and right, up and down, the metal fist passing inches from his head each time. Noticing that the Oni's mask had fallen from his face, and that his animalistic grunting had become more labored and intense, the ninja reasoned that his demonic rage had been released. Dodging an attack aimed to strike him full in the face, Scorpion shifted his body sideways and slammed his boot into his attacker's stomach, before setting that foot down, twisting his body and following through the same movement with the other, knocking Drahmin off his feet. Rolling back into a ready position, the Oni tormentor turned and scrambled after his fallen mask, apparently only just realizing that it was no longer in his possession. Scorpion was unable to rest for long however, as Moloch made his presence known once more and slammed its fist into the floor, just missing the ninja spectre by a hair's breadth, who side-stepped briskly, before flipping backwards neatly over a horizontal sweep with the lumbering Oni's steel orb, a trail of fire following his feet in the air and singing the brute's flesh as he did so.
Hopping onto Moloch's head once again, Scorpion half stumbled and half ran down its back, before jumping and catching the fumbling Drahmin in the face with a double-footed kick, sending them both crashing to the floor in a heap. As the smaller Oni reunited his mask with his rotten countenance, he was greeted with vision no longer clouded with anger, and the sight of his massive comrade's fist heading at break-neck speed towards his head. Both the demon and the hellspawn rolled aside as the catastrophic monster pounded another crater into what had once been a perfectly level plateau. Scorpion was first up, much to Moloch's chagrin, and he struck the huge monster full in the face with a powerful flaming right hand. Rearing up and clutching at its face, the beast staggered across the platform, letting its ball drop uselessly to the floor and dragging it along behind it like it weighed absolutely nothing. Continuing his attack, the spectre pulled himself up using the larger Oni's chain and grabbed the metal collar around its neck, before striking it again and again in the throat. Out of the corner of his eye, Scorpion noticed Drahmin running at him from behind and, placing both feet on the giant's chest, vaulted from the mountainous creature down to meet his partner.
With the hellspawn's momentum and course decided, Drahmin jumped up to meet him in mid-air, his iron cast leading the charge, and as he turned to address the spectre with his back, the cast smashed him in the face and knocked him to the floor in a heap. Landing on his feet over the dazed Scorpion, the smaller demon grabbed at his back and pulled him to his knees, in the same position that he had forced Quan Chi into a moment ago.Though Scorpion fell back to the ground, it wasn't for no reason. He did what looked like a flaming break dance maneuver, kicking Dhramin in the face at least six times, causing blood to fly everywhere except on the spectre who started to walk away.
"This charade has gone on long enough, bastard," the Oni spat, getting up behind the spectre, reaching to his back and removing his ritual blade from its fleshy sheath. He had waited eons to find a use for the knife that he had once been stabbed with, and now he had the ideal purpose for it. Slitting the spectre's throat would prove to be very satisfying, particularly if it was followed with the hellspawn taking a short, quick trip downwards into the bubbling lava beneath. They couldn't kill him, but they could wear out his undead essence, meaning he would have to be reincarnated, giving them the time they needed to take the sorcerer and escape the realm.
"I agree," Scorpion concurred, before slamming his head backwards into Drahmin's face, his back forcing the demon's left hand, clutching his knife, into his own chest. Impaled on his own blade, the Oni collapsed for a moment, incapacitated and wounded. Taking his opportunity, the hellspawn clambered to his feet clutching his newly recovered Mugai Ryu, and was about to turn and put it to use when Moloch reappeared and picked him up in one of its empty paws, hefting him into the air and shaking him like a rag doll. The sword was jarred from his hands and clattered to the floor, as the beast reclaimed its own weapon and grasped it in the hand opposite the one it now used to hold Scorpion's comparatively frail form.
"Well done, Moloch," Drahmin congratulated his larger companion, as he removed the blade embedded between his ribs and sheathed it in his back again. His annoyance was obvious, both for his opponent and for his companion, as they had both shed light on exactly how poor the smaller Oni's ability to fight had become after so many years of torturing only the feeble. He made a note to exercise his skills more thoroughly once they were out of the Netherealm.
Drahmin stalked over to the prone form of Quan Chi and stood over him, placing a foot on either side of the sorcerer's torso. He reached down and took the fallen man's throat in his left hand, feeling for signs of life. Finding him alive but knocked out, the demon reared back and slapped him into consciousness, the stinging sensation of the Oni's rotten palm against his cheek rousing him from his fatigued slumber. "Wake up," the decaying creature barked, as the other individual's eyes failed to focus", the time for you to make yourself useful has come."
"What do you want with my quarry, monster?" Scorpion asked, struggling in Moloch's grip, which the larger creature seemed not to take too kindly to. Lifting his ball in the other hand, it held it as though wanting to clap its hands together and squash the hellspawn as though he were an insect. Its fellow demon stepped forward and halted it with a hand, before turning to the ensnared spectre wearing a smile behind his mask. His grin was almost tangible despite the down-turned mouth adorned upon his synthetic face.
"I am not foolish enough to make our business known to all of the inhabitants of the underworld," the Oni replied nonchalantly, much to the other individual's annoyance", however, you need not concern yourself with such things where you are going." With that, Drahmin nodded at Moloch, who lifted the hellspawn into the air as though he weighed less than nothing, and tossed him from the battlefield plateau. Scorpion did not utter a sound as he plummeted, but for a faint hiss as his body was instantly destroyed upon contact with the molten river below. "Rather disappointing," the smaller demon said, wishing there had at least been a scream of the blood-curdling variety", and now we leave."
With that, the lumbering brute gathered Quan Chi and threw him onto its back, before the two Oni destroyers left the platform on what would be a relatively short pilgrimage to their destination, the hidden portal to Outworld. It felt almost taboo for a demon to have hope, but Drahmin was practically brimming with it. Returning to the realm of the mortals would pose opportunities new and old for him; he would feel the sun again, taste flesh that did not rot in his mouth as he ate it, and of course, he could choose his allegiance at his leisure. He was a demon with a vast knowledge of the inner workings of the Netherealm, and with his loyalty no longer owed to Shinnok, he would be a veritable hot commodity among the factions of evil. He could hardly wait.
In their wake, Scorpion's Mugai Ryu glowed white hot on the floor, and seemed to evaporate from existence altogether, just as its owner had done mere moments before.
Every death was another reason to seek revenge, every failure was another sin he needed to atone for, every reincarnation was a baptism of fire and hatred. Falling into the lava had killed him instantly, so quickly he had not felt the flames igniting his body, but his consciousness remained, and as he was reborn once more into the Netherealm, it felt as though he had been tossed into boiling water. His bones were formed from the surrounding rocks and turned pearl white, then fire from the burning pits rose and adhered to the skeleton, forming a burning body that hung weightless for a moment, drifting above the floor below. And then, the will of the spectre created an outward form, a layer of flesh and leather covering the smouldering figure and creating a yellow-armoured ninja. His hellspawn form recreated, Scorpion's mind plunged into a world of pain within his own being. Flaming spirits drifted around this newly formed vessel for a tortured spirit, suspending him in the air before dropping him to the rock below. Unable to support his own weight so soon after resurrection he fell to his knees, clutching at either side of his head as the agony rocked him. Beneath his mask, a trickle of blood ran from his mouth, and then, the pain ceased.
Placing a hand on the scarred ground beneath him, Scorpion breathed his first virgin breath of the stench that was the air of the underworld. He was kneeling on the plateau he had been thrown from, the craters littering the ground quite obviously the handywork that Moloch had wrought mere moments ago. Or at least, it felt like mere moments. He did not know how long it had been since he had died, but that was inconsequential. He would find and punish the two Oni, and then finally have his revenge on the sorcerer. With resolution he stood, and turned in the direction of the only exit from the plateau, ready to hunt his prey once more, only to find himself looking at a new individual.
Standing near the centre of the great, battle-scarred platform was a creature that appeared human, wearing a robe that covered its entire body, save its head and hands. Under normal circumstances the robe may have appeared emerald green, but in the unhealthy smog of the underworld its colour had been tainted darker. The wearer was male, with dirty blond hair that was beaded with sweat, obviously not an individual who was accustomed to the heat of hell. Two icy blue eyes ringed with darkness, but glowing with a gentle, laughter-filled fire, regarded Scorpion from his position, watching and waiting for something. The hellspawn tilted his head at this newcomer, but they remained silent and unmoving. There was no time for ridiculous stand-offs, with every passing moment his quarry retreated further and further from him. Expecting nothing but trouble in this land of monsters and demons, the ninja ran at the individual, only for his intended punch to connect with air, leaving him standing somewhat bewildered at the lack of impact. The green-clad man had vanished. Raising a suspicious eyebrow, Scorpion turned and saw the strange figure again, this time standing at the other end of the plateau.
"You are too quick to resort to violence, my friend," it said, in a voice that betrayed it as human, or at least something close to that", permit me to introduce myself; I am Selsor Omnis, of the Emerald Order. Unless this smoke is greater in its ability to obscure than I realize, then I offer my robe by way of proof."
"The name means nothing to me," the hellspawn snapped, his hands clenching into fists with his frustration", and your games are wasting my precious time."
"We have all the time you wish, we will catch the Oni and their capture before they flee this realm," the one called Omnis replied, to which Scorpion simply frowned", but of course, you don't know what their intentions are do you? We have followed your sorcerer for some time now and we happened to overhear his conversation with the demons. They wish to use his amulet to escape this infernal realm, and I cannot say I blame them."
"Then my time is shorter than I realized," the dead man said", enough of this."
"Regardless of any feelings you have to the contrary, you cannot fight Moloch and Drahmin alone, surely your last ill-fated battle taught you that much," the robe-wearer said quickly, holding up his hands to stop the spectre from turning to leave", which is why we would like to make you a proposal. We wish to obtain the amulet that Quan Chi is using. Obviously, once we have it you will be free to eliminate the sorcerer, and then the Oni will no longer be a concern. We will help you to defeat the demons, and in return, you will allow us to take our prize."
"Perhaps you would like to inform me as to the identity of this "we" first, before I agree any terms with you," Scorpion said, willing to listen, but obviously not particularly pleased with his situation.
"Gladly," Omnis said, his face brightening noticeably, before gesturing to another robe-clad man away to his right, who had not been there mere moments before. This individual was dressed in much the same way, but for his darker skin colour and lack of hair on his head there was not much to tell between them. Unlike his brethren, this one seemed deeply ill-humoured, wearing a scowl on his face that would have given the vengeful spirit's own countenance a rivalry worthy of the ages. "This is Brother Genais," the first robe-clad one told him", he has a second name, but I dare not try and pronounce it, and Brother suits him well enough, since we are near enough family. Together we will help you to defeat the Oni and retrieve the sorcerer's head. Whether the rest of him is attached to it is entirely your choice."
The terms seemed acceptable, although Scorpion wondered what exactly the other two individuals could possibly contribute to the battle that was to come. Even so, there was a slight doubt in his mind that needed to be answered. "What exactly do you plan to do with the amulet once you have it?" he asked. He too had pursued that same trinket once; it had in fact been his last assignment before his death at the hands of Sub-Zero. He could not help but wonder why everyone was fighting for control of it, even if he knew it was a powerful relic.
"You need not worry yourself with details; simply know that we mean to use it for no evil," Omnis replied, before continuing", we know that it contains a power that we desperately require to harness for our own sakes, and that is all you need knowledge of. But come, we have lost much time, and it is imperative we catch our quarry before they go beyond our reach."
Scorpion found it suspiciously convenient that their time had been boundless while the offer was being made, and yet now that he had questions, they needed to hurry. Still, the queries he wished to make were superfluous; as long as he was able to settle his considerable vendetta against the sorcerer, the motives of his partners were a point that was considerably moot. Not that it would matter to him in his afterlife anyway. But one question remained. "I accept your offer," he said, nodding to confirm his statement", but how do you expect us to catch the demons before they leave the Netherealm when they have such a large lead over us?"
"Sorcery, of course," the robe-wearing man said, tracing two mirrored S-shapes in the air with his hands, which appeared in an afterglow of green fire as he did so", unlike Quan Chi, my powers are unaffected by the draining essence of the Netherealm. Put simply, Brother Genais and I are of the same realm, and are able to feed from one another's innate energies in order to use our abilities. And while I wield powerful magic, he is a strong and talented combatant."
"I am unimpressed," the hellspawn informed him, watching the trails of fire dissipate into the smoky air", but if you can do what you say you can, take us to them, so that we may obtain our goals."
"Very well," Omnis said, shutting his eyes and bringing his hands to his face as though he were praying. The first Scorpion saw of the magic was the same green fire the man had conjured mere moments before engulfing his body. To the left, the sorcerer's companion began to set alight in much the same way. Looking down at his own feet, the spectre watched as his form was also swallowed in an emerald inferno, until the whirling tornado of flames surrounded him entirely, obscuring his vision.
And then, there was a sensation of very fast, very brief movement...