Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Mortal Kombat
"You are certain Reptile?" Shang Tsung asked the reptilian man before him as they were in his private quarters on his island.
"Yes sir," the now named Reptile responded while bowing before the aged sorcerer, "Raiden has sent the Elemental Deites to recruit more warriors to his side."
Shang Tsung stroked his beard in contemplation. He hadn't expected Raiden to pull a stunt like this. The deities that reside within the Temple of Elements were always tasked with guarding Shinnok's Amulet. They would have no reason to leave their post unless...
Shang Tsung looked back at Reptile, who was awaiting furthin commands.
"Continue your mission. I will go to Outworld to speak to our master on the issue. Report to me anything you find upon my return."
"Yes sir," Reptile said before taking a bow and leaving Shang Tsung.
The sorcerer opened a portal and stepped through. He quickly arroved in the throne room of Shao Kahn, who was sitting on his throne. Shang Tsung inmediately took a bow before his lord.
"Why are you here Shang Tsung?" Shao Kahn asked in a neutral tone of voice.
"I apologise for coming here unannounced my lord," Shang Tsung said, "But I would not have come here if I did not feel this issue was of upmost importance."
"Than speak sorcerer," the emperor replied.
"The Thunder God appears to be growing desperate," the sorcerer began, "He has, obviously, been recruiting Earthrealm warriors to his cause. But his desperation lies in the fact that he's sending out the four deities from the Temple of Elements to aid him."
That got the emperor's attention. He was aware of Shinnok's coup against the Elder Gods many many years ago as well as him being sealed away in the NetherRealm. He was also aware of the intense secruity surrounding the fallen Elder God's amulet. So to hear this development put a very small, practically unnoticeable, sense of unease into Shao Kahn's mind.
Raiden would have no reason to send those four out into the world without risking Shinnok's amulet being stolen, he thought, So either he has the amulet himself, or he's handed the task of guarding it to the Elder Gods. Or another faction entirely.
The Elder Gods were the more likely to take up the task of guarding the amulet, since they would probably have the most to lose if Shinnok ever broke free from the NetherRealm and reignite his war with them. That, ultimately, didn't matter to the emperor right now. He looked at Shang Tsung with his demonic red eyes seeming to pierce the elderly man's soul before speaking once again.
"This turn of events is unexpected, but not impossible to deal with," Shao Kahn spoke up, "If Raiden is increasing his fighting force, then it is only natural that we respond in kind."
With a wave of his hand, a green bolt of energy shot at Shang Tsung and tore his elderly body to atoms. Instead of killing him, however, the body of Shang Tsung reconstituted to how he looked when he was at his prime. He felt reinvigorated, re-energised in a way he hadn't felt in a long, long time. He gazed upon his youthful form and bowed to Shao Kahn once again.
"Thank you so much my lord!" he said, barely containing his glee, "I will not waste this gift you've given me-!"
"Do not misinterpret this as a kind gesture," Shao Kahn said, cutting the man off, "At your prime, you should have a much easier time dealing with Raiden's forces."
"Y-yes my lord. Of course," Shang Tsung said, regaining his composure.
"Regarding the issue with increasing our ranks. That is a simple task," Shao Kahn continued, "I know of several warriors that will be more than willing to fight for us. They will be gathered by the time the tournament begins. However, if you still feel less assured afterwards, then find those who aren't loyal to Earthrealm that can be of use to us."
Shang Tsung was aware of the rules regarding loyalty towards the realms. If one hailed from an opposing realm, then they were obligated to fight for that realm, regardless of allegiance. Regardless, he had knowledge of a few individuals that could easily be bought off if need be.
"Of course sir," Shang Tsung said, "I know of a few that could aid us."
"Then see to it that it gets done," Shao Kahn said, "In spite of the additional fighters I will bring to aid you, it will ultimatey be up to you to ensure victory. I'm certain that I don't need to tell you what will happen if you fail me a second time, do I?"
"Of course not my lord," Shang Tsung with a shaky tone, "Mark my words, Outworld will be victorious!"
"Then go," Shao Kahn said as he stepped off his throne and left the room. Shang Tsung followed his example and created a portal back to Earthrealm and stepping into it. Shang Tsung had entered his quarters once again and immediately knew where to go next.
Kano was sitting in his jail cell. If looks could kill, then his cell mate Jarek would be dead on the floor right now. Due to a mole in one of his ranks, he had been caught in the middle of an operation and, as a result, was caught by the Special Forces and put in prison to await his eventual day on Death Row. Many of his fellow members were either dead, in the case of Tasia and No Face, or were currently MIA, in the case of Tremor and Kabal. He drew the conclusion that Kabal was the one who sold the Black Dragon out.
He had to get a heart of gold at the worst possible time, the fucker, Kano thought bitterly as he sat in his cell.
It had been a couple years since he and the group had been captured, and he spend every single day thinking of the many ways he would tear both Kabal and Sonya Blade, the one who pushed for the death penalty, into shreds. Jarek was in the same boat, of course. Out of all the members of the Black Dragon, however, Kano felt Jarek was the most expendable. Sure he had passion, but his desire to emulate Kano both creeped the guy out, and also made him very suspicious of the day he might try to replace him. Once Jarel ran out of usefulness, Kano would take him out on the spot.
Kano's thought process was interrupted when he heard the sounds of shouting outside of his cell.
"Hey! This is a restricted area! You can't-! Aaugh!"
"Somebody call for backup-! Aaiiee!"
"No! Nononono! Stay away-! Aaaauuugghh!"
"The hell's going on out there?" Jarek muttered as he and Kano approached the gate to their cell to get a better look. They were surprised to see a tall man with stone hands grab the bars of their cell and pry it open with pure strength alone.
"Tremor?" Jarek called out to said man.
"Save the small talk for later," said man stated, "Our ride is waiting."
Both men hurried behind Tremor, running past several bodies of dead guards and destroyed areas of the prison they were in. They soon came to a strange portal and Jarek stopped in his tracks.
"What the hell is that!?"
"Our window! Now move your ass!" Kano said, already putting two and two together. Jarek didn't need to be told twice and all three men ran into the portal before it closed.
One of the guards ran up to the portal before taking out his radio.
"Hello! Get me through to HQ, we just lost Jarek and Kano! I repeat, Kano and Jarek have escaped!"
Jarek, Kano, and Tremor arrive at an undisclosed location and observe their surroundings. The Black Dragon symbol on one of the walls doesn't go unnoticed.
"The old base?" Jarek points out, "SF clesred this place out long ago. Why would we be here?"
"That would be my doing."
All three of them turn to see Shang Tsung walk up to them. Jarek pulls out his knife and is about to try and attack him but Tremor blocks his path.
"Cool it," he says in a threatening tone, "He's the one who contacted me. He's also the reason we're free."
"Who the hell are you?" Kano asks him.
"I am Shang Tsung, and I have need of your services."
"Really now?" Kano said with skepticism, "What are you wanting from us?"
"In the coming days, there is to be a tournament," Shang Tsung said as be began to pace around the room, "In order to ensure the victory of my side, I need capable warriors who have no qualms with killing their enemies. I've heard of the history surrounding your group and have freed you for the specific purpose of ensuring my enemies do not succeed in this tournament."
"Really? Why is this tournament so important that you'd need to kill for it?" Jarek asked. While he didn't have a problem killing, the man in front of him was not being forthcoming with the details, which was a red flag for Jarek.
"My superior would prefer to have his enemies...taken care of, so as to not interfere with his plans. All you need is to do as I've requested."
"What's in it for us?" Kano asked.
"Wealth, power, beyond what you can possibly imagine," Shang Tsung responded.
"I dunno, I can imagine quite a bit," Kano said in a tone that didn't betray his doubts.
"When we arrive at my island, I'll give you a glance at the treasures I've collected over the years," Shang Tsung said opening another portal, "Should you not wish to depart with me, however, that is fine. But you will be on your own to deal with the Special Forces."
That last bit was convincing enough for the three men to accompany the sorcerer through the portal.
"Holy hell," Jarek muttered as he saw mountains upon mountains of gold and jewelry among many other trinkets deep underground beneath the island that Shang Tsung resided.
"Damn...not going to lie, I'm liking the idea of working with this man," Tremor added while looking at a large chunk of emerald.
"No kidding," Kano said, "With this much loot, the Black Dragon will live like kings!"
"Can you imagine how much of a mint we could make if we sold this!?" Jarek said, "All the money in the world, we could buy our way to the top of the black market!"
"Not just the black market," Kano said with a devious smirk, "But every market."
"I trust that this is satisfactory," Shang Tsung said as he observed from a short distance away.
Kano walked up to the man and extended his hand, which Shang Tsung took and they shook.
"The Black Dragon is at your service. Tell us what you need, and who you need killed, and we'll get it done in a tick," Kano said.
"I'm glad we can do business," Shang Tsung said, "Slay all of my enemies, and all of these treasures are yours to do with as you please."
A.N: Now we actually have a reason for Kano to work with Shang Tsung, and a reason for more warriors from Outworld to appear in the tournament. Hopefully this will help fix some of the issues a I had with the alignments in what we actually got. If you all have anything you want to add or anything to help me improve on my writing, please don't hesitate to let me know.