WELCOME TO "WASTED PLOTENTIAL- MORTAL KOMBAT: DECEPTION"
It's time for another Wasted Plotential, this time on Deception. This will be a long one as we got to not only cover my new version of Konquest, but also the post-Konquest story. This might actually lead to Deception being three parts instead of two, but we'll see. A few things before we get started:
Unless I bring them up, character subplots pretty happen as they do in the actual canon. This is because I either don't have a problem/anything to add or that there is so many to go over that I just can't give them all equal focus. I'll mostly focus on characters relevant to Konquest and post-Konquest.
Since Shujinko's quest takes place over several years, I will be using time and location stamps in similar style to the title above, preceding a paragraph when it notably changes.
Some character roles will be dropped or rewritten, since I noticed that some of their apperances don't make sense with the timeline and/or Konquest wasn't clear enough with the time gaps for me to make an accurate judgement on that.
With that out of the way, let's get started on the Wasted Plotential for Mortal Kombat: Deception!
RURAL CHINA
THE VILLAGE OF DAMASHI
1954
It's a peaceful day in the village of Damashi. This little community is famous for its strong fighters. The reputation is mostly thanks to Master Bo' Rai Cho, who occasionally comes to this village to teach warriors and even takes some of the best back to his palace in the mountains for further training. We see Cho walking down the roads of the village when a boy walks out of the houses to greet him. He's an 8-year old boy named Shujinko, who is apparently well acquainted with Master Cho as he trained his grandfather back in the day. The two have some friendly banter and bond, Shujinko asking Master Cho if he'll train him when he gets older. Master Cho says he'll consider it as they run into monk Ling, Shujinko's previously mentioned grandfather. He is heading out to visit the Shaolin Temples. We get an idea of how close Shujinko and his grandfather are. Before he leaves, he hands Shujinko a late birthday gift. A shiny bronze medallion, with the MK logo on it. This would be visibly seen on Shujinko's person throughout the story. His grandpa departs, Master Cho and Shujinko waving goodbye.
Later that evening, Ling is walking down the dirt road towards the Temples. We see some shadowy figures sneak towards him, unclear who they are. Ling can sense their presence and yells at them to come out, assuming a fighting stance. The shadowy figures attack and quickly overwhelm him, knocking him to the ground. One of the figures charges his fist with some sort of red energy, that he fires at Ling just before the scene cuts away.
The following morning, Shujinko wakes up to find his father and Master Cho waiting outside. They reveal to him that his grandfather is dead, his body mutilated beyond recognition. Shu awkward laughs at first, thinking they are just pulling his chain. Their stone-faced silence makes him realize that they aren't joking. He rushes down to the morgue, despite Dad and Cho's protests. Shu finds Ling's body on a table, with a blanket draped over it. He removes the blanket and sees his grandfather's corpse. He starts bawling out, Cho and Dad arriving to comfort him. The screen fades to black and, after a pause, cuts back to a sunrise.
DAMASHI
8 YEARS LATER…
The camera pans down to a park, where some martial art students are practicing and messing around. We see Shujinko, now 16 and resembling himself from the start of Konquest, playing around with his friend Wang. Shu boasts about how he is a mighty warrior and will defeat the great Shang Tsung at the Mortal Kombat Tournament. Wang, pretending to be Tsung, sends out Goro who is just two kids on each others shoulders. Before they can continue, a gong rings signaling the start of class. Shu and Wang head to the Dojo alongside the other students, where they run into Cho. This is last day before he heads back to his Palace, which excites the students since he usually takes some back with him to go under more intense training. At the request of the students, Cho decides to a hold a spar to show off the basics to the more inexperienced students. He picks out Shujinko, much to his shock. His nerves get the best of him, as Cho unintentionally ends up making him look like a damn fool.
That evening, after a long day of training, Master Cho is ready to head back home. The students line up as Cho decides to pick some to bring with him. At one point, it seems like is going to pick Shu. However, Cho shakes his head and picks the person next to him instead. He leaves and Shujinko is upset by being ignored. Wang tries to comfort him, but Shu just heads out in disappointment.
Before Cho leaves with his group, Shujinko confronts him. Cho tells him that he is too young and inexperienced to leave Damashi yet. Shu insists that he is, only for Cho to instantly knock Shu on the ground and pin him. He needs to learn more before he is ready to go out into world or compete in Mortal Kombat. He'll return to Damashi in 3 months, so train in that meantime. If Shujinko proves his kombat skills are good enough then, he can leave the town and possibly come train with him. Bo' Rai Cho and his group leave, saying goodbye to the villagers as the gate shuts behind.
Dejected, Shujinko sulks to the village graveyard. He visits Ling's grave, today is the 8-year anniversary of his death. Shu talks to the grave, telling it all about his life recently. Suddenly the wind picks up and nearly blows Shujinko away. A sphere of pure red energy appears before him, greeting Shujinko by name. Shu is shocked, the voice of the energy being is none other then his grandfather's! The being reveals himself to be the spirit of Ling, having been granted this form by the Elder Gods, becoming an emissary. He explains that the realms are in crisis that threatens the very existence of the universe. This is why he was murdered, that he was on to the crisis and the forces against them decided to kill him before he could get very far. Shujinko, just happy to be with his grandfather again, decides to carry on his work and asks what he must do. Ling tells him he will travel to many strange realms to seek out six mystical items, Unfortunately, he cannot leave the village as per Bo' Rai Cho's words. To help him get stronger, he grants Shujinko a special power. This will allow him to absorb the knowledge and fighting moves of other warriors, allowing him to quickly become a great fighter. He instructs Shujinko to use this power to learn from the village's other warriors and train until Bo' Rai Cho's return. Ling will contact him again once he proves himself to Cho and he disappears. Shujinko is ecstatic, finally he can fulfill his dream of becoming a hero, leave the village, and train under Cho. He swears that he will not fail his grandfather, before running off to train.
3 months later, we find Shujinko in the middle of some rather intense training, maybe a montage. Wang arrives to inform Shu of Master Bo' Rai Cho's return and the two head over to see him. As Cho is greeted by the villagers, Shujinko walks up and challenges him to Mortal Kombat. Shu's father pulls him back, calling him foolish for challenging Master Cho like that. Despite his objections, Cho accepts the challenge and the two fight. It's during this fight that Shujinko gains some of Bo' Rai Cho's moves and at least one of his fighting styles. Shujinko defeats Cho, much to the shock of the villagers. Cho stands up and after a brief silence, laughs and pats Shujinko on the back. He says that he has proved himself and to pack his belongings, they leave in two weeks. Wang and Shujinko celebrate, he is going to train with Bo' Rai Cho himself!
Shujinko heads home to pack, when Ling reappears. He congratulates Shu for succeeding and now he must tell him more about his quest. The six items he will search for are called the "Kamidogu." They were ancient tools of the Elder Gods, but they were hidden away after they feared that the mortals would steal and misuse them. The impending doom of the realms can be stopped if all six Kamidogu are retrieved and returned to the Elder Gods. Each one is hidden in a different realm, he'll need to travel to the Nexus between realms. Once Shujinko has found the first Kamidogu in Earthrealm, he will instruct him further. Ling disappears once more.
Shujinko's father walks in and the two have a talk together. He tells Shu how proud he is of him and wishes Shu luck on all his future journeys. Two weeks later, Shujinko leaves home and is watched on by the villagers, his dad, and Wang as he leaves the village with Bo' Rai Cho. The gates slam shut behind him and the screen cuts to black.
IN A VAST VALLEY, SOMEWHERE IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CHINA
BO' RAI CHO'S PALACE
1967
Bo' Rai Cho walks into the training yard, where Shujinko and some of the other students are practicing. Cho challenges Shujinko to a fight, which Shu wins. He tells Shujinko his training is complete, he has nothing more to teach him. He has grown a lot over these last 5 years, learning very fast compared to the other students. Shujinko asks would he should do, now that his training is complete. Bo' Rai Cho tells him experience is the key and that he must go out and see the world for himself. His first challenge will be exiting the valley, requiring him to navigate the harsh mountain trails to reach the chinese countryside. Before he leaves, he gifts Shujinko a Warrior's Medal. It will show his credibility as a fighter to other learned warriors. Shu thanks Cho for the gift and says his goodbyes to the other students as he leaves the Palace.
Shujinko ventures through the valley and over the unforgiving, dangerous mountain trails. After exiting the mountain range, Ling appears to him once more. Though disappointed in Shu's lack of progress in the quest, he nevertheless commends him for what he has learned and his fortitude in making it through the mountains alone. He suggests Shujinko head north and that he'll contact him again soon. Shujinko says he'll do as his grandfather tells him and begins traveling as Ling disappears.
A couple weeks later, we find Shujinko climbing over a snowy hill. He discovers a large temple at the base of a snow-covered mountain. He notices a strange man in fancy garb alongside what appear to be two ninjas. Shujinko approaches them and is nearly assassinated by the two ninjas. The other man, reveals this is the temple of the legendary assassin clan, the Lin Kuei. Any non-member who discovers their Temple must be killed and the ninjas prepare to finish him. That's when the Warrior's Medal falls from Shujinko's person. The man, who is a Lin Kuei Grandmaster, is shocked to see it and tells his two warriors to stop. Shu picks the medal back up as the Grandmaster asks where he gained such a prize. After learning he earned it from training with Bo' Rai Cho, the Grandmaster's demeanor quickly changes. He offers to train Shujinko in the Lin Kuei techniques, under Sub-Zero. This Sub-Zero would actually be the grandfather of Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. Shujinko accepts the offer and is escorted inside the temple by the Grandmaster.
2 YEARS OF HARSH LIN KUEI TRAINING LATER...
Shujinko defeats Sub-Zero in a spar, who is impressed at how quickly Shu has learned his and the Lin Kuei's techniques. We could have a throwaway line about this Sub-Zero going to pass the title to his son soon, and hopefully he'll do the same to his own children one day. The Grandmaster shows up and declares Shujinko a Lin Kuei warrior now. His first mission is to join a group of their warriors on a mission in the west. They are trying to secure an artifact before the Red Dragon manages to do so. He warns Shu that the Lin Kuei warriors will likely strike him dead if he doesn't give the password first, "Ice Dragon." Shujinko thanks the Grandmaster and will do as he commands.
Shujinko travels west, soon finding himself in a dense forest. He grows frustrated as he wonders where exactly in the west he was supposed to find the other Lin Kuei, when he hears voices. Shujinko sneaks up to a clearing, where Lin Kuei warriors and Red Dragon goons are fighting. The Lin Kuei get their butts kicked and are nearly killed when Shujinko runs in to save them. He defeats the goons and sends them running. One of the Lin Kuei warriors asks who he is, Shujinko just responding with the password. Realizing he is one of them, the warrior hands Shujinko a strange blue and green orb. There are more Red Dragon not far from here, so he must hurry out of the forest as fast as he can. Before Shu can ask what exactly the orb is or who the Red Dragon are, the warrior dies from his injuries. He hears the footsteps of the Reds and quickly makes his escape.
Just after he makes it out of the forest, Ling appears once again. Shujinko shows him the orb and is weirded out when Ling starts laughing cheerfully. In the Lin Kuei's ignorance, they have led Shujinko to the first Kamidogu! There is an ancient shrine to the southeast, where he can use it to open a portal to the Nexus. Shujinko is reluctant, since he promised to take the orb to the Lin Kuei. Ling, somewhat annoyed, reminds his grandson that his loyalty is to the Elder Gods and not the Lin Kuei. Shu says he understands as Ling disappears. He thinks it strange that his grandfather would act like that, but decides to brush it off as he heads southeast.
He eventually reaches the strange shrine and is ordered by Ling to raise the Kamidogu into the air. It opens a swirling portal of green energy that Shujinko almost enters, before he is attacked by Sub-Zero. For betraying the Lin Kuei, he must die! This would be the boss for the Earthrealm segment of the game.
Shujinko defeats Sub-Zero and heads inside the portal, ending up in the Nexus. The place resembles a large, rocky wasteland with a shrine and altar in the center. Under Ling's orders, he places the Earth Kamidogu on the altar and a new portal opens up. This one swirls with a strange dark energy and the two enter.
The two arrive in a city within the Netherrealm, where demons and evil beings reside. Ling tells Shujinko that he will likely find the Kamidogu in the deepest parts of this hell, but notices Shujinko seems distracted. He mentions that he was always told that only living beings tainted with evil can survive in the Netherrealm. Ling brushes it off, saying that he might have been corrupted a bit during his time with the Lin Kuei. This shocks Shu, who can't ask anything further as Ling disappears. He decides not to focus on it for now and continues his journey.
As he is about to leave the city, Shujinko is attacked by a squad of demons. He is almost killed when Ashrah jumps in, who strikes the creeps with her enchanted sword. Suddenly, the monsters become pacificed and saunter away. She helps Shujinko up, asking who he is as he does not seem to belong here. He explains his quest and asks Ashrah about that mysterious sword. She doesn't say too much other then it allows her to pacify the darkness within evil beings, when used as a fatal blow, and that it is her ticket out of here one day. Seeing as he is ill-prepared to deal with the horrors of the Netherrealm, she offers to train Shujinko alongside other Netherrealm inhabitants at the temple outside of town, in return for a favor. She warns the training will be long and difficult, but Shu tells her he can handle anything. The two head over and, after helping Ashrah counter Baraka (he was hear under Shao Kahn's orders since Ashrah had been taking care of his Netherrealm allies), Shujinko begins learning from the wise demon.
4 YEARS OF INTENSE TRAINING PASS BY…
(Side note: It never actually states in the game how long Shujinko spends in the Netherrealm, but Damashi says it's been years since he last saw Shujinko when they meet up again. Since Shu looks the same at the start and end of the Netherrealm section, I didn't make the time gap too big. I wish the mode was a bit more clear on the time gaps)
Ashrah tells Shujinko that she has nothing more to each him. Shu is about to continue on his quest, when Ashrah reminds him of the favor. She goes more into the sword's history. The more evil beings she pacifies, the more pure she'll become. Since beings without darkness are not allowed in the Netherrealm, she will ascend from this hellhole if she becomes fully pure hearted. Rumor has it that a being named Ermac is wondering the Netherrealm. She believes that she will ascend much faster if she pacifies Ermac and that's her favor. Find the being known as Ermac and lead him back to the Temple. Shujinko agrees to the favor, it's the least he could do since she spent all that time training him.
Navigating the confusing wastelands of the Netherrealm, Shujinko finds Ermac near the ruins of an ancient shrine. He at first thinks Shujinko is an enemy from Earthrealm and the two fight. After Shu defeats Ermac, the latter questions who exactly he is and why he's here. Shu tells him about his quest, making sure to leave out the stuff about Ashrah. Ermac sees this as a good opportunity to get some help from an experienced adventurer. Shao Kahn sent him here to find a powerful demon, but there's a problem. The lower planes of the Netherrealm have some sort of weird magic draining problem, he's growing weaker by the second. He tasks Shujinko with finding a Soul Stone that can be used to replenish their strength. In return, he will provide Shujinko with info regarding his quest and teach him a few techniques.
To find the Soul Stone, Shujinko must navigate the Soul Labyrinth. It would be a tricky maze, full of mind-bending puzzles. This is more interesting then just walking for a bit and finding it immediately. Before Shujinko can claim it, he is attacked by an Oni which acts as a sort of sub-boss for this world. He defeats it, retrieves the Soul Stone, and returns to Ermac. The red ninja is pleased with Shujinko's success, and this is when he learns the Ermac moves. After the teaching, Shujinko decides to ask who the demon he is looking for is. When it's revealed to be Ashrah, Shu tells him about his encounter with her. Ermac runs off to face her, but Shujinko reminds him about the info he mentioned earlier. He hands Shujinko a Jinsei Diamond and tells him to take it to a shrine in the Bog of the Dead. Ermac warns Shujinko not to step into the bog, or the souls of damned will pull him in, never to be seen again.
Shujinko locates the Bog and navigates the treacherous paths and jumps, eventually making it to the island in the center. He uncovers the shrine and finds a large altar with a hole in it. He places the diamond inside and suddenly the ground shakes around him. A pedestal raises out of the ground, revealing the Netherrealm Kamidogu.
After retrieving it, Shujinko makes his way back to the city where he finds Ashrah and Ermac fighting. Before Shujinko can break it up, Ling reappears. He briefly mentions exasperation at the start of his dialog, about being called again, like in the game. We also learn about how he yearns to return to the physical world, with Shujinko saying it would be great for his grandfather to come back to life. Ling seems to stumble on his words as he whisks Shu back to the Nexus.
Shujinko is just about to place the Kamidogu on the altar, when he is attacked by a monster named Te Deum, claiming to be the Elder Gods Champion. The two fight, this being the main boss of the Netherrealm section. Shu defeats Deum, who is blasted into the distance by Ling. Shujinko is shocked that his grandfather would do such a thing, but he just tells Shu to place the Kamidogu on the altar, in an annoyed tone. Shu does so, opening the portal to the next realm.
Shujinko finds himself in the Realm of Chaos, which Ling explains the history of. The two don't walk that far in, when they come across a large graveyard. They are stopped from entering by a cloaked figure, who warns them that a mysterious wraith has claimed this land in the name of the Brotherhood of Shadow. Shu offers to take care of the wraith for the man, which the cloaked figure seems reluctant to allow, not seeing much chaos within Shujinko. Ling is able to convince the man to let Shu try, giving Shu some words of wisdom before disappearing once more.
Shujinko encounters the wraith, who declares the graveyard property of the Brotherhood of Shadow. Since this is supposed to take place years before Bi-Han's death, we can't have it actually be Noob. I noticed that some of the character appearances don't make that much sense with the timeline.
Anyway, Shujinko defeats the wraith. He informs the cloaked figure about this, who thanks him by giving him a shiny red stone. When asked about the Kamidogu, he says he has no idea what Shujinko is talking about. He suggests that Shu explore the realm, and maybe he'll find someone who can answer his questions.
Shujinko travels through the realm, eventually coming across a large gate. Before Shu can open it, he is ambushed and put in a choke hold by Havik. He tells Shujinko to state his name and purpose or have his neck snapped like a twig. Shu tells him who he is and that he is an adventurer seeking relics. When Havik learns that he is an adventurer, he lets Shujinko go and tells him he could use someone like him. There are four guards from Seido, a realm of Order, trying to restrict the flow of their water. He hands Shujinko four Chaos pendants and orders him to defeat each guard and put one of the pendants around their neck. This will break the bondage of order and let them see the truth of chaos. If he does so, he'll help Shujinko's quest and teach him the art of Chaos. Shujinko agrees and Havik gives him directions to the water plant, thus Shu sets off.
He eventually arrives at the plant, running into another cloaked man. The man tells Shujinko that he is trying to destroy the restrictions the Seido guards have put on the plant, but their presence makes it impossible to do so. Shu informs him of what Havik wanted him to do, so the figure points out where he believes each of the guards to be. Carry out his plan and he can take care of the previously mentioned restrictions.
Shujinko tracks down the four guards, defeats them, and sticks the Chaos pendants on each one. This converts them to the ways of chaos and they help the cloaked man in restoring the water, bringing it back to the citizens of chaosrealm. The civilians cheer as the cloaked man thanks Shu for his help. He tells him to meet Havik in a town to the south, handing Shujinko a shiny blue stone.
He returns to Havik, who thanks him for showing the truth of chaos to guards. Havik has sent them off on a mission to Seido, the realm of Order. When Shujinko reminds him of his promise from earlier, Havik instead mocks him and attacks. Shu defeats Havik who acts as the boss for the Chaosrealm segment, who commends him from surviving his assault and learning the ways of chaos. Though, he does admit he would have killed Shujinko if he had the chance. He tells Shujinko that there is an ancient relic in a vast dungeon to the southwest. He hands Shujinko a shiny green stone and a key to unlock the dungeon. Shu thanks him for everything and continues on his journey.
Shujinko eventually finds the dungeon and uses the key to unlock it. Since this is the realm of Chaos, the dungeon would have some sort of chaotic aesthetic and level design. Lots of traps and strange, out there puzzles. The red, blue, and green shiny stones Shujinko had obtained during his time in the realm would be used for the last puzzle, maybe like "which key goes where" kind of deal. In the room with the Kamidogu, Shujinko notices he has to cross a strange pool of Jinsei-like energy to reach it. After grabbing the Kamidogu and escaping the pool, he feels noticeably different. He leaves the dungeon and Ling appears, who points out Shujinko's aged appearance. Turns out that pool had some strange time properties, approximately 8 years passed by while Shu was in the pool, but it seemed like only a couple of minutes mentally. Shu is taken aback by this, but Ling just says he should just be glad he didn't age to dust in there. Ling tells Shujinko that he must return to the Nexus and explore the next realm.
Shu returns to the altar and places the Kamidogu there. A new portal opens up, but he seems lost in thought. Ling asks what's wrong, Shujinko saying that he has been on this journey for nearly 20 years now. He is starting to grow weary of this adventure and wonders when it will be over, so he can continue living his own life. Ling states that he must put aside his own desires if he wishes to save the realms, which Shujinko thinks that kinda sucks. He asks what exactly Ling has been doing while he's been out adventuring, but Ling strangely dodges the question. He redirects Shujinko's focus to the new portal and two head through, to a new realm.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II