So here's the next chapter. It's quite short but I was behind schedule and the ending part seemed like a good way to end it. I promised fight scenes and you got them. So anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Also, if you're wondering why this is coming a week after I said I would release it you can blame Kamal46, my other story, and school.

Oh, and I own absolutely nothing relating to Mortal Kombat. It's made by the great guys over at Netherrealm studios.

It's very difficult to feel comfortable when you're standing on what is essentially a tiny stone island surrounded by fire, lava, and piles of tortured corpses. Even more so when a group of humanoid demons are slowly advancing towards you, crude weapons tightly gripped in their hands. It's not that Ermac was worried per se, but he had intended to keep a low profile, and a fight against hordes of common oni wasn't a great way to start a stealthy infiltration.

Maybe I can talk my way out of a fight, Ermac thought to himself. Stepping forward, he tried to make his voice as intimidating as possible. "You will let me pass. I have business with the sorcerer Quan-Chi." Finishing his statement, Ermac listened as the wretched creatures quickly argued among themselves. After a few seconds of guttural growls and snarls one of the oni finally stepped forward, puffing his chest out in an attempt to look imposing. Dressed only in the torn rags covering it's body it only succeeded in coming across as comical but Ermac wasn't going to tell it that.

"You are not from Netherrealm!" it shouted, more in snarls then actual speech. "Sorcerer not see other-realmer's!"

Why can't anything ever be easy? Ermac asked himself with a sigh. "If you don't take me to him then I will find him myself."

"You not find Sorcerer!" the oni growled. "We kill you first!" As the oni finished it's threat, the rest of the pack charged forth excitedly, obviously ecstatic at the chance to rip something apart. Watching as the horde of demons charged towards him, Ermac braced himself for the coming battle.

"Master," the yellow clad ninja began, "it would appear that a warrior from earthrealm has made it to the netherrealm."

"How did he get here?" the tattooed sorcerer asked.

"It would seem that a portal was opened from earthrealm to our own. The warrior is currently engaged in a rather one-sided brawl with some common oni."

"It is obviously one of the earthrealm defenders. When he defeats the oni I want you to finish him."

"As you wish." In a burst of flames the yellow-clad ninja vanished, re-appearing next to the stone island where the warrior from earthrealm was preparing for his first fight in the netherrealm.

The first oni quickly reached him, thrusting forward with its crude spear in an attempt to impale Ermac's side. Easily sidestepping the weak attack, Ermac grabbed the end of the weapon and quickly snapped it in half. The owner of the weapon had just enough time to stare at the now useless shaft of his weapon lamely before a brutal stab buried the missing spear-tip deep in it's eye, killing him instantly. The quick death of their comrade did not deter the horde in the slightest as they continued to charge forward, focusing only on the warrior in front of them. Another two oni reached him, both swinging wildly with their weapons. Dodging the unbalanced swings, he quickly dashed forward, grabbing both monsters by the neck before telekinetically throwing them into the approaching horde at breakneck speeds, tripping up many of the lead troops.

Too easy, Ermac thought to himself. They're nothing more than animals. As there numbers quickly fell, the demons realized that charging in a straight line wasn't working. Using their limited intellect, one of them came up with the ingenious plan of attacking all at once, as a team. It was something never heard of before in oni society, a highly experimental tactic, but the tried and true method of charging, tiring, and overwhelming their opponent with sheer numbers wasn't working. The oni quickly fanned out, attempting to surround the warrior in front of them. Confident that they had him surrounded, they charged once more, all converging towards a single point while swinging their weapons wildly. Their new tactic was infallible. Even Ermac couldn't defeat so many demons at once. Seconds later they were upon him, weapons swinging wildly as the crude weapons bit into flesh, blood spraying in every direction.

Meanwhile, Ermac was standing on another rocky island, watching as the demons mercilessly slaughtered their own ranks. As the oni had developed their new strategy, it had suddenly occurred to him that he could just teleport somewhere else. When the oni charged, they mistook the bright green of his teleport as another attack, and wasted no time in hacking into the already gone warrior. It's been at least half a minute and there are only four of them left. Have none of them realized that I'm not even there? He was about to go back to the island, if only to put the stupid creatures out of their misery when a voice behind him nearly caused him to jump.

"They're stupid creatures, aren't they?" The voice had a bitter edge to it. A voice that indicated great sorrow, great regret, and most prominently, a need for revenge.

Turning around, Ermac quickly identified the figure in front of him. Dressed like a ninja, and clad entirely in yellow and black, the man was holding a kunai spear in one hand, while holding a curved blade with the other. As he sighted the new arrival, only one name came to mind.

"Scorpion."

End Part One.

"We don't get many visitors down here, especially from earthrealm. I'd be interested in knowing how you got down here, but Quan-Chi doesn't like people from earthrealm, and asked me to take care of you."

Well he's intelligent at least. Maybe I can talk my way out of this one. "I'm here to see Quan-Chi for... business matters."

"Business? Not that you'd succeed with your attempt, but I'm supposed to prevent assassinations."

Well he took that the complete wrong way.

"Now," Scorpion began, readying one of his blades in front of him, "Why don't you come stay here permanently?"

With a sigh, Ermac readied his powers, creating a glowing veil of green energy around his body. He braced himself, waiting for the chance to dodge the inevitable spear throw. He was not disappointed.

In a flash of steel, the kunai blade shot towards him, covering the distance between them in less than a second. However, that split second was all Ermac needed. His speed enhanced by the energy coursing through his veins, he was able to barely sidestep the approaching weapon, grabbing on to the trailing chain as it passed him by.

Surprised by the maneuver, Scorpion was unable to resist as he was yanked forward by his own weapon, and left off-balance. A flurry of punches and kicks greeted him, leaving him somewhat dazed as he brought his arms up to block. The damage done was only superficial though, and Scorpion was far from being out of the fight. Ducking down, he attempted to sweep his opponents legs from under him, before cancelling his attack and sending a kick towards Ermac's chest.

Ermac, expecting a low attack was knocked onto his back. He had attempted to jump the leg sweep before realizing, too late, that the attack had been but a feint. His back on the ground, Ermac did the only thing he could. He teleported.

The sudden disappearance of his opponent took Scorpion by surprise, and he was still scanning the area when a loud crack reverberated throughout the cavern. Glancing up, Scorpion was shocked to see a pointed pillar of stone crashing down towards him. Without thinking he did what any person would do; he ran like hell.

With a shattering crash, the natural torpedo obliterated the stone platform that had served as the two warriors battleground, blasting fragments of stone all around, and leaving a few chunks of rock as the only remnants of the stone island, now replaced with a massive fallen stalactite. Standing on top of the stone pillar was none other than Ermac, now scanning the area for any sign of his foe. Huh, attempting to blow up the cave ceiling did work, and I guess it took care of Scorpion too. Now I just need to figure out how to get to Nekros. I'm not that far from the city, but I can still feel my life-force draining. I can't have any more distractions. Suddenly Ermac noticed a presence growing behind him. Another horde of oni was gathering behind him, leaving him with only one direction left. "Well I'm not going that way," Ermac said to himself, speaking out loud.

"You're not going this way either." The sound of a familiar voice chilled his blood.

Ermac was lifted off his feet, as Scorpions familiar figure emerged from a fiery portal, kicking him in the chest and knocking him backwards. Ermac wasted no time getting back up, hastily throwing a telekinetic push at the ninja. It worked, but the lacked focus and only managed to throw him a few feet backwards. Still, it was enough time for Ermac to shake off the surprise from the attack and get his senses back. He must have teleported at the last second, Ermac thought to himself. Or maybe he just can't die, I'm not really sure. Either way, I can't stay out here much longer. With Scorpions element of surprise gone, both opponents were now on equal ground, each cautiously circling the other.

Suddenly, a glowing ball of energy shot out of Ermac's hands, rocketing towards Scorpion. Easily sidestepping the projectile, Scorpion laughed, and Ermac noticed just in time the flames suddenly shooting up from the floor beneath him. Instinct saved him, as he lifted himself into the air, barely avoiding the rising flames. However, as he focused on avoiding the flames Ermac's mind failed to take note of the flash of steel approaching him.

The blade hit him in the shoulder, embedding itself in the limb. Suddenly Ermac was yanked forward, lurching towards his opponent before landing in a heap in front of him.

"I expected better," was all Scorpion said, as he pulled out a sword and swung it downwards for the killing blow. He had already won, now all that was left was to finish his opponent. Another victory for the Netherrealm... or was it?

As his hand guided the blade downwards, it slowed, encountering invisible resistance as it carved its deadly path. Before he could react, the blade had come to a halt and then changed directions. His own hand was being pushed towards his body, carrying the blade with it. He tried to drop the weapon, but the invisible force applied pressure, keeping his fingers clamped around the blade. He was helpless. He felt the blade touch his body, and he knew that it could easily cut through the armour-less apparel he wore. Then, just as the blade broke skin, it stopped. He had just enough time to wonder why he wasn't dead before he was shot backwards with incredible force, crashing into a stalagmite and falling into unconsciousness.

End Part Two.

Picking himself up off the floor, Ermac grimaced. The mental tug-of-war over Scorpions sword had taken a toll on him. His head was screaming, the torrent of pain reminding him of the dangers of over-exerting his powers. Still dazed, Ermac stumbled over to Scorpions limp form, trying to decide on exactly what to do with his now unconscious assailant.

He attacked me first, Ermac told himself. That gives me plenty of reason to kill him. Killing one of his best warriors probably isn't the best way to gain the trust of Quan-Chi. Add to that my overused powers and killing him really doesn't seem like that good of an option. Reaching his decision, Ermac left Quan-Chi's servant where he had fallen, alive but unconscious, as he set off again for the gates of Nekros.

Another stab of pain, though weak and quick to pass, reminded him of the deadly atmosphere of the realm he now walked. His steady walk quickly turned into a run as he desperately tried to escape from the place sapping his life-force. Thankfully there were no more oni to impede his progress, a sure sign that the city was near. It was the only place the denizens of the Netherrealm dared not venture.

Just a little bit further, Ermac told himself as he ran forward. I will not die here, he repeated to himself, despite the fact thathe wasn't actually in any danger of dieing soon. It would actually take at least another hour before the life draining effects of the hellish realm really took hold, but that knowledge did little to soothe the mind when ones body could feel it's life being sucked out from within.

As he ran forwards, Ermac noticed a gradual change in his surroundings. They seemed like they had been worked more, less natural. Almost there, he told himself as he crossed a bridge that was definitely not a natural construction. Then, as if appearing out of nowhere, the city was there. Twisted spires impaled the air above them, their imposing figures leering down at the outsider, daring him to come closer. A massive gate, equally imposing with the many spikes jutting out of its stone walls, blocked the entrance to the city. The flaming corpses impaled upon them are certainly a nice touch, Ermac thought to himself, both intimidated and disgusted by the horrifying display.

The bridge across was no less intimidating. Spanning over a wide river of lava, it was constructed of both stone and what looked to be... corpses? Sure enough there were even more bodies smashed between the rocks.

Do they build anything without dead bodies? Ermac asked himself, disturbed by the site in front of him. Just ignore the 'decorations,' he told himself. Get across the bridge, get through the city, find Quan-Chi, and mount a suicidal rescue mission. The faster you get all that done, the faster you can leave this place. Putting on a facade of confidence, though whether it was for himself or anyone watching him he wasn't quite sure, Ermac took his first steps across the demented construction before him.

Suddenly, Ermac stopped. He could here a low rumbling noise and it seemed to emanating from the bridge. Last thing I need is for that hellish thing to drop me in a pit of fire, but how else can I get across. His headache had died out, but that didn't mean his powers would be safe to use yet. If the bridge starts crumbling then I'll have them ready, but I don't know what I'm going to find in the city. Quan-Chi could very well challenge me to a duel. If that happens I need to be ready to fight. Ermac took one last look at the demonic platform beneath his feet and sighed. It was going to be a very long mission. A very long, dangerous, uncomfortable journey through what was quite literally hell.

But I was chosen, Ermac thought to himself with pride. Chosen by the thunder god himself because I'm the only person who can pull this mission off. The gods are with me, earthrealm is behind me, and Jerrod is guiding me.

I will pull this off

So that's the end of this chapter. Again, I'm sorry for the briefness but I felt like this was the best spot to end it. Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying it so far and I hope I'm improving as I write. So anyway, leave a review if you can (constructive criticism is always appreciated) and maybe check out some of my other stories if you have any interest in Mass Effect, the best game series of all time (sorry MK).

Also, expect a bunch more violence in the next chapter. If things go as planned then this was just a warm-up fight.