Chapter 4
Distractions
Deliria decided that the little threat that everyone who would need to arrive at the Pitt was worth investigating. Luckily, she had rather simple method of finding such information out, at least if any of his guards knew what exactly he had planned.
At the Palace, while everyone else was still eating in the hall, Deliria decided to slip off and find some lone guard. Unfortunately, every guard she found was always with at least one partner. "Easily solved," Dia informed her wisely. And she was of course quite right.
Finding two guards alone, all it took was a stupefy followed by an Imperio. She unmasked the Imperiused Guard, who turned out was some sort of demon relative of a Tarkatan by the looks of him, and looked him in the eye. The plan she found out was quite simple, really. The first two days, the guards had acted as helpful tour guides, but they would not be obliged to be so tomorrow, and would stay silent. At the same time, several of Shang Tsung's allies within the tournament would act as a distraction, starting fights blocking off others from exploring the island and stumbling upon the Pit themselves.
If all went right, when the gongs rang out over the island, the only people at the Pit would be Shang Tsung's people, who would all declare Goro the Champion by default and thus win the Tournament. But as Deliria tore the location of this new arena from the guard's mind, that plan was sure to fail, or at least fail in getting everyone.
Deliria quickly put the guards back as she found them and obliviated their memories of the encounter as she considered what she would do with this information. While she could simply inform everyone and foil the plan outright, there was good reason to consider not doing so. Deliria did not really need to succeed in winning the Tournament in order to succeed in her goals, but she did need to make sure certain key figures in this tournament died and gave her no more troubles in future. Shang Tsung, mainly, needed to be dead, and not given any chance to escape.
While Albus Dumbledore could win this tournament, she was sure, he would always be one to hesitate when he could kill. The man was angry at the savagery of this tournament, but she could not trust him to not be a merciful fool and offer the man a second chance. Dumbledore believed too greatly in second chances to not at least offer it, even if the hesitation would allow Shang Tsung a chance to escape. He also would still be unlikely to kill the sorcerer even if he wasn't quite so merciful. He would try to throw him into a prison or something, and Deliria preferred the guy to not have any future opportunities in life.
But the world would have better chances if she was not alone in trying to defend it, so she should certainly make sure a few people arrived in time for the second round of the tournament. The question was, who? Sonya was a first obvious choice, as the woman was not only a capable fighter, but she had a nice desire for vengeance that would give her a lack of mercy, and she never complained once about Deliria killing Kano.
Out of Dumbledore's group, Mad-Eye Moody was certainly of the right mindset, but his prosthetic leg and slowed movements compared to his war days would be a hindrance. The man could duel, sure, but so far as she had seen in these fights, their enemies were too good about dodging spells and getting in close. The man was built more for battles than these bloody sparing matches.
Rayne though had the right temperament for this. She was vicious and a killer, and she was a similar sort of fighter to their enemies. Definitely a good choice. She also supposed the Slayer would always be a good option. She might even learn the girl's name. So far, three others and herself, to a grand total of four warriors for Earth. Would that be enough? It depended on how many people Shang Tsung would devote to this distraction. It was possible that some would succeed in escaping the distractions and meet with them there, and it was best if Deliria didn't waste too much energy in trying to get a lot of people to come with her. She only had so much magic to spare on a day to day basis.
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There was a knock on Sonya's door in the morning. She cautiously opened it while one hand glowed pink, ready to blast whoever was there threw a wall if she had to. But then she discovered it was Deliria. "Hey Sonya," she greeted cheerfully. "I've found out the guards aren't going to tell us where the Pit actually is for round two, so I found out myself."
If Sonya were honest, the white haired woman freaked her out a touch. She killed easily, which was understandable in a situation like this, but did not seem to care much about it. She had successfully done some sort of mind control spell on Sonya, and while that had helped her stay alive at the time, it felt really creepy to remember the pleasant feeling of the loss of her free will.
And yet, she was the only person on the island Sonya had any level of friendship with. Strange times gave her some odd company, and she was willing to hear the woman out. "When do we leave?"
"The Round begins at Sunday again, but I thought it would be safer if I just made sure Shang Tsung didn't try anything else with you before the round. You trust me?"
Sonya did not really like the sound of that, and it showed on her face before the question came out of her lips. "What are you planning to do?"
"This," she told, and raised her wand. Sonya was too late to get out of the way as the spell hit her and she felt her body grow worm as her vision blurred and became strange. Everything felt weird, and her vision of Deliria became strange, as if the colors were becoming muted. The woman was also becoming taller, a lot taller.
Sonya squirmed, and found she couldn't feel her arms. "~What did you do to me!?~" she gasped.
"~Transfigured you into a snake,~" Deliria informed her, but the sound didn't hit her ears so much as reverberated over her body, and a strange sense of trust came over her at that voice. It didn't feel the same as that mind control curse, though, her mind was not clouded with positivity. "~Fret not, Sonya, I'll transfigure you right back when we get to the Pit. There's a few more snakes I have to collect. Now, coil around my arm, and no biting, please.~"
Yes, Deliria freaked Sonya out for good reason. When this is her only friend on this whole damn island, it really was a messed up time in her life.
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Kung Lao and Liu Kang were walking to the pit on their own as the time of the second round was coming upon them. While some of the other Kombatants had learned to rely on the guards for information, these two were an exception. They had been training for this tournament for what seemed like their whole lives, and part of that training had been a well researched map of the land they would be fighting on. These cousins knew their way.
They also knew that Shang Tsung was honorless scum, and were not surprised when a group of Tarkatans barred their path and flashed their blades out. The cousins merely gave each other a look and a nod before they began to fight their way through the gang. Nothing could stop them from achieving their destiny and honoring their shared ancestor, the first Kung Lao.
"Stop," came a thunderous voice, and the Tarkatans were electrocuted mid-fight. Lord Raiden was standing there, his usually calm face twisted in an expression of anger. "Continue on, Kung Lao, Liu Kang. Our allies will be informed of this treachery at once." With a crack of thunder, Raiden had vanished, the the cousins were off again, this time at a run.
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Raiden flashed in front of Albus Dumbledore, and the old professor turned towards him. "Is there news, Lord Raiden?"
"Shang Tsung is attempting to keep the competitors from reaching the Pit," he told them. "By the rules of the Tournament, I can only attack those not directly competing in the tournament, so I assume his allies among the competitors will be among those attempting to stop you."
"Damn," grumbled Alastor. "We don't even know where exactly this place is. If they mean to delay us, they might succeed with that alone."
"I can show you the way," promised Raiden. "But know that I can't defend you if a competitor of the Tournament stands in your way. I can however defend from the non-combatant distractions." The supposed thunder god's eyes flashed dangerously and Dumbledore nodded. "Make way for the Palace Gates, I will inform the other competitors that would defend our realm and meet you there." In a flash, he was gone again.
The group of Wizards began to move, but long before they reached the Palace Gates, they found a hallway crowded. Fenrir Greyback gave them a cruel smile, and he was flanked by his pack of werewolves, as well as a large group of vampires.
"Would you truly go so far to betray our world, Greyback?" shouted Remus.
"Making a better world for us wolves, pup," Greyback shouted back and raised a wand.
"We don't have time for this," said Alastor, who attempted to twist in placeā¦. And didn't apparate. "Damn, the buildings warded now!"
Albus Dumbledore raised the Elder Wand in hishand, and determination came to his face. "Then we must fight."
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The wards raising up over the Palace were a surprise, but Deliria was able to escape the Palace quick enough on her own, and once she was out of there, she had been able to apparate straight to the Pit with nearly an hour to spare. "Wow, this is the Pit?" Below her was a valley covered in metal spikes that looked sharp and were likely there to skewer anyone who fell into it. High above this was a stone platform roughly the same size and two stone walkways that were no wider than a dueling ring.
This was a highly elaborate death trap for a dueling arena, and if she was right, there was space enough for three fights at once. It seemed Shang Tsung was eager to speed up and extend the number of deaths for anyone who actually got here. Shang Tsung was already there, standing in the middle of one of the two walkways.
"I see you've found your way here," said the sorcerer, as though he had expected it. She imagined he did have some contingencies for people actually being able to continue in the tournament.
"Oh good, we do get to have some more fun," said a cheerful voice, and Deliria's favorite among the enemy, Mileena in Pink, had popped in. "I was afraid Shang Tsung's boring plan would actually work." Her fellows in green and blue slinked in from the shadows quickly afterwards.
"Oh, no, boring would be no fun at all," Deliria agreed, before she started hissing at her collection of snakes. She really needed more snake friends, as tiny snakes were much less terrifying to interact with then Nyssa, and she really did like having snake minions. As the three serpents slithered off and looked ready to go back to their humanoid forms, Deliria hesitated. "~Would any of you like to be my pets after the tournament?~" she hissed.
"~NO!~" all three transfigured ladies informed her vehemently. Deliria pouted but relented, undoing her transfiguration.
The Slayer grabbed her by the collar of her robes the moment she was human again. "If you ever do that to me again, I will stake you through the stomach," she growled.
"Hey, I got you to the tournament, I fed you, talked to you, be grateful," Deliria defended.
"You fed us rats," said Sonya, looking rather queezy at the memory.
"You liked it at the time."
"Of course we liked it, we were snakes!" cried Rayne, looking ready to stab her.
"~Ah, a human speaker,~" said a voice. "~It's an honor to fight with you, speaker.~"
Deliria looked around at the voice, and found what looked to be a reptilian man in ninja-like garments of green coloration. She thought she knew most of the creatures of the world that could speak Parseltongue, but then the man could have been from another world, as the Tarkatans were. "~Always a pleasure to acquaint myself with those who speak our tongue,~" she told him. "~Forgive my ignorance, but I know not who nor what you are, Fellow Speaker.~"
"~To my allies I am called Reptile, but my true name is Syzoth, last Saurian of Zaterra,~" he said, with a rather respectful bow. "~I fight for Shao Kahn, the Emperor of Outworld, which makes us enemies. But the Speakers among humanity are as cousins to the Saurians of Zaterra, so know I hold you with respect.~"
"~A pity, Syzoth, as I prefer friends, but understand,~" she replied respectfully. She was intrigued by this claim of kinship, and would like to know more, so she might as well stay friendly. "~If we meet in combat, let us fight with honor, my worthy foe.~" The being called Reptile nodded before returning to silently waiting for the gong to ring.
"That sounds so much weirder when I'm not a snake," noted Sonya. Rayne was looking at Deliria significantly.
"We should obliviate her," Dia informed her wisely.
"Probably," Deliria agreed mentally. "But I'm sure Moody's already noticed the Locket around my neck with that eye of his, and has probably told Dumbledore about it already. While Alice Potter cannot be seen with it, Deliria Lovedoll can have an excuse for this power without revealing my true origins. The Locket does allow for that."
Dia considered this. "Perhaps, but I still think it's better that he doesn't know at all," she concluded. Whatever the case, Deliria wasn't going to attempt to obliviate her with all these witnesses and have people asking why. She just had to make sure the woman didn't get any alone time with the Order first. But if she did, it wouldn't be too harsh a setback for the future.
"Yes, Parseltongue is a touch weird, isn't it?" she said. "Lovely magical trinket I found on a different adventure has the power to give it to you. It's usually just hereditary, but I lucked out." Best lies were made of truth. She'd still attempt to obliviate the dhampir before she blabbed, but there was her insurance in case she failed. "Cool trick to have in combination with a serpent summoning spell, though."
Two Chinese men came out from the usual path to get here, one in a steel-rimmed circular hat and the other with a red headband, both glaring at Shang Tsung and began telling him off in Mandarin. Shang Tsung taunted them back in the same language. Well, it looked like Deliria wasn't the only one to make it, as four defenders of Earth became six.
As time went by, Deliria wondered if anyone else was going to make it in time. The green eyed man had glided in and settled himself with the forces of Outworld, as had the man with rune tattoos, and a few others Deliria had yet to pay special notice to. One person she recognized that she hadn't caught sight of before was a vampire she knew by the name of Kagan. Kagan was a rather infamous figure, an ally of Grindelwald in World War II, and similarly sided with Voldemort during his war, he was one of the greater vampire lords of the world, and considered the originator of his own species of Vampire. She wasn't entirely surprised to see him, as his Cult had already shown themselves here and there.
Rayne's focus had shifted from Deliria to glaring daggers at her vampiric father. "Ah, Rayne," he said. "My problem child."
"Your killer, 'Dad'," she shot back. "Been hunting you down through two different wars, but it seems you've stopped hiding behind your kids, at last." The vampire only smiled at her, and didn't make any more threads. It would have been a waste of breath to make promises she'd already known.
Three men were able to get there in time. She recognized the blue ninja that was an expert in wandless ice magic, and he was accompanied by a black man wearing yellow. They were followed by an apparently blind man with a Katana, who cursed Shang Tsung out in Japanese, and the sorcerer proved to be a master of languages by answering him back. Shang Tsung was a man of many talents, even if some of those talents were horrifying.
And then the gong rang.
"Damn!" she heard shouted from afar, and it seemed the Order of the Phoenix had been only a few seconds too late. That must be frustrating.
Shang Tsung was quick to make it official, even as he heard the angry crack of thunder. "Those who are here when the gong rang are now the only Kombatants left in Mortal Kombat. All others are disqualified. Let round two of the Tournament begin!"
