Man, these chapters get longer and longer, as they should. With all that dialogue with Reptile, this was a surprisingly heavy chapter, but I suppose it was going to happen sooner or later. Stories that started as a lighthearted, "I don't know what I'm doing but it's funny" thing tend to end up like this. My favorite examples of this is "Steel Revolution" by NaryanK and "Arby 'n' the Chief" by JonCJG (AKA Digitalph33r, though this is a webseries). Happy anniversary guys. Here's to not having to take full year to finish this story. Not far from completion now.
Chapter 9
What a one-sided battle, thought Liu Kang as he boredly pummeled Kano. He thought that facing two opponents at once would be hard, but he was wrong. Shang Tsung may have used his mind control to compel his opponents to fight, but the two fighters were still very much themselves. As soon as the sorcerer was out of sight, Jaylen started his speech.
"I know last time I didn't go Super Saiyan, or even reveal a bit of the Saiyan within me, and you might be thinking 'man you can never do that'. But this is just like anything else you've ever done: when you practiced it, guess what. You got better at it and you achieved it didn't you? It's the same thing with super powers. Of course it sounds absurd when you first look at it, or even second look at it, but if you try it, and actually set your mind on it and believe, you can achieve it. I saw you make fire from the power of your hands. I know it's real, you channeled your energy from within, and you believed and you channeled that energy from the creation of your mind, from what your mind believed, and you spoke into existence of the power that you had. I feel like anything you set your mind to, your mind can create that force because your mind is a powerful machine that whatever you set it to and believe and work towards achieving it, you can do it. And I believe I can be a Super Saiyan. You might think it's funny, but anyone on my level of intellect will understand what I'm saying. I'm believing and creating that energy and channel through my mind. Now I might not turn full Super Saiyan, I might turn full Super Saiyan, or you might just get a glimpse of it, of that power, but this is my first time showing this side of me to the world. This is it. Alright."
Everyone stopped listening after the first mention of Super Saiyan, but they both heard the series loud screams and shouts that came after the ramble.
Kano, being the only fighter not yelling his lungs out, stepped up and challenged the warrior monk.
"Please get out of the way," pleaded the raven haired warrior. "I know the kind of person you are; strong-willed, stubborn and looking out for you and you only. You would never do something you don't want to do, no matter who tells you to do it. You're stronger than Shang Tsung's spell, please snap out of it!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" laughed the bald gangster. "If I didn't want to do this, I wouldn't. As it is, I have a huge urge right now to beat your face in."
"Then you give me no choice. Prepare for kombat!"
Kano launched himself at his opponent with his limbs tucked in tight so that he looked like a ball. With Kombat mode engaged, the ball that was speeding towards him flew onwards at an impossibly slow rate, giving Liu Kang plenty of time to plan out his next action. The bare-chested monk dropped onto his back and snapped out both his legs as Kano sailed over him, launching the Australian airborne. As the Kanoball sailed back down towards earth, Liu caught him with a spinning roundhouse kick, sending the white blur flying into the ground. The bald mercenary is tenacious and stands back up despite landing awkwardly and breaking a rib, with blood pouring out of his nose, mouth and various other injuries. Liu Kang fired a few dragon shaped fireballs, but Kano raises his arm and blocks them, ignoring the fact that his forearm just got singed by the projectiles. The Black Dragon goes on the offensive, rushing at the monk with his knives drawn out. Kano stabs at his foe, but the black haired fighter grabs his arm and twists clockwise, disarming the gangster. Liu Kang then swings around to get behind his opponent while maintaining his grip on the gangster's arm, pinning it behind his back. As he disables Kano, the monk kicks the other knife out of the thug's hand. Liu yanks the pinned arm even further back, causing Kano to bend over. As soon as his head gets close enough, the Shaolin smashes his foe's face into the cobbled road, knocking him out.
One down, one to go, thought Liu Kang as he straightened up. He turned around to face his next opponent, but Jaylen isn't done screaming yet.
"AAAAAAaaaaaaaaAAaaAAAAAAAaaAAAAaaAAaAAh!"
"…"
"AAaaaAAAAaaaAaaaaAAAaAaAAAaaaaAAAaaAAaaaaah!"
Not wanting to waste time, Liu Kang executes a flying kick straight to Jaylen's chest, shattering his sternum and knocking him out.
"Now, to defeat the sorcerer and his big enforcer."
"Where do you think you're going?"
Liu Kang turns around in surprise, coming face to face with Kano, who is once again standing despite his grievous wounds.
"Surprised to see me so soon?" asked the gangster. "I am too. I don't know what happened, but my body doesn't hurt so bad anymore and I'm raring to go, so prepare yourself for round two!"
In the background, Jaylen gets back up and starts screaming again too, but no one pays him any heed.
Kano kicks at the monk's head, but he ducks under and sweeps out his legs. The bionic eyed man does a handspring to get back up, and immediately gets knocked down by Liu Kang.
What a one-sided battle, thought Liu Kang as he boredly pummeled Kano. Bones broke and blood flew as the black haired fighter relentlessly punched, palm struck and kicked the mercenary up and down the length of the path. The warrior monk viciously punched his opponent's diaphragm a few times, and then kneed him in the jaw as he doubled over, dislocating the jaw and sending a few teeth flying. The Black Dragon propped himself up with his arm and stood back up, breathing heavily. He was a sorry sight. His lower jaw was only half underneath his upper jaw, revealing his half-present set of teeth, and blood ran freely out of every orifice on his body. And, judging by the way he was unsteadily swinging, a particularly strong gust of wind could've blown him over, so the double corkscrew kick that Liu Kang did was completely unnecessary, but it was a cool way to knock out his opponent. Incidentally, Kano spun around in the air the same number of times as the warrior monk did. The gangster landed with a thump, and did not get back up.
With Kano knocked out, the area is eerily silent, devoid of the sounds of kombat and battlecries.
Wait, it's quiet when there's Jaylen around? thought Liu Kang.
Were it not for his quick reflexes and training to be aware of his surroundings at all times, Jaylen's kick would've surely floored the monk. As it is, Liu simply ducked under the blow and responded with a jab with his left leg, though his opponent easily hopped backwards to dodge it. Normally, the warrior monk would've tried to persuade the black man to step down, but one look at the sickly green aura surrounding him, and Liu could tell that the only thing running through his mind was to take his target down. Not wanting to waste time, the black haired fighter charged at his foe, expecting an easy win like every other time they squared off. To his great surprise, Jaylen dexterously dodged out of the way and kicked him in the side as he zoomed past, knocking the Shaolin fighter off balance. Rather than trying to stop his uncontrolled charge, Liu went with the momentum and dove forward, rolling on his shoulder and back up onto his feet. His side hurt from where Jaylen had kicked him, but that was not as alarming as the fact that he had been struck by the one he had beaten so easily in the past. Surely Shang Tsung not only brainwashed his target, but also bolstered his kombat capabilities. Nevertheless, Liu silently berated himself for underestimating his opponent. He would not make that mistake again.
Jaylen now went on the offensive, throwing punches and kicks at the Chinese warrior as he started rambling.
"I see that you're surprised by my strength," bragged the Saiyan-wannabe. "I am too. This is the true power of a Super Saiyan! Oh, how I've longed for this day! Since the last time I've attempted to become one, I've undergone the most rigorous training anyone's ever seen. Ignoring the tournament, I sealed myself off and I pushed myself to the very limits of my body, and then beyond, breaking the boundaries of my physical being and yet, I could still not achieve this legendary form. I trained until I thought I would die. In fact, I almost did die.
"One day, when I overestimated my abilities, I tried something I shouldn't have and crippled myself. As I lay there, something inside of me just snapped. I didn't care anymore. I didn't care about being better than kakarot, I didn't care about being a Super Saiyan. I didn't care if I lived. I didn't care about anything! And then, it happened. My rage overwhelmed me and I became the legend. I became the legendary Super Saiyan!"
Liu Kang stopped listening at the first mention of the word 'Saiyan'. Shang Tsung's dark magics must've not only controlled Jaylen's mind and augmented his strength, but also warped his memories. The Shaolin warrior was pretty sure that the dark skinned fighter was present at every single match, not off training somewhere as he claimed.
It soon became apparent that Jaylen could not maintain his furious assault while running his mouth, and soon his breathing became more and more labored as his blows started slowing down, allowing Liu Kang to start his counterattack. The warrior monk grabbed an arm as it extended to punch him, and pulled it over his head, throwing the possessed fighter over his head and tearing the muscles in his arm. Jaylen landed heavily on his back, knocking the breath out of him. As the dark skinned man got up, still trying to regain his breath, Liu Kang snap kicked him in the chin, snapping his head back and knocking out a tooth. The Shaolin then lowered his leg a bit and roundhouse kicked his opponent in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards. Now with a good few feet between him and his opponent, Liu unleashed his chi in the form of a few fireballs, singing Jaylen's midriff and forearms as he blocks the projectiles. Each fireball packed enough punch to make the Saiyan-wannabe take a step back. The Chinese monk then propelled himself into a flying kick, using not only his muscles to send him flying faster than a bullet, but also his chi. Liu Kang's foot connected with Jaylen's stomach at 1500 feet per second, sending the kick's receiver tumbling head over heels for a good ten yards. He did not rise after stopping.
Satisfied that all his opponents have been knocked out, Liu Kang ran up the path towards the palace, using his ability to sense chi to direct himself towards Shang Tsung. It was an easy task. The entire island was covered by dark energies, spreading over the island like a web, and Shang Tsung was like the spider at the center, distinct and easily detectable. Still, chi could only guide him so far. As Liu Kang got closer to wherever Shang disappeared off to, the vast amount of souls that belonged to the sorcerer prevented him from getting an exact fix on his quarry's position. Still, an approximate knowledge is enough for Liu to find his target. He had passed most of the buildings on the island left. The only things left in this direction are the courtyard and Shang Tsung's throne room. Nobody was there at the courtyard as the bare-chested fighter zoomed past it. 30 seconds later, he burst through the sliding doors and entered the throne room quite unceremoniously.
"Face me, you cowardly sorcerer!" yelled Liu Kang.
Shang Tsung put down the empty cauldron he had been lifting and stared at Liu. The pillar to the right of the throne had a section of it slid back, revealing that the pillar was, in fact, hollow.
"I didn't think those two would hold you for long," sighed the ancient mage. "As you can see, I'm a bit busy gathering all the stuff I need to carry out the ritual to unbalance the furies. If you don't mind, you can come back tomorrow and we can continue it then."
"The sooner I restore honor to this tournament, the better. You will not delay our match any long."
"On the contrary. Reptile!"
The air beside Shang Tsung shimmered, and a ninja clad in garments similar to the other two ninjas who took part in the tournament appeared out of nowhere, the only distinction being that his clothes were green. Surely, he must've been the one whose chi Liu Kang had detected, but never figured out who it belonged to.
"I'd love to stay and chat," mocked the sorcerer as he pulled down on his lower right eyelid and stuck out his tongue. "But I gotta go unbalance some furies. I'll be seeing you!" With that, he dropped the cauldron he had been lugging around into the pillar, and hopped in after it. A few seconds later, the section of the pillar that had slid back to give access to its hollow interior moved back into position.
Liu Kang was about to run after the decrepit mage when he sensed a burning chi headed towards him, causing him to stop. This action saved him from being impaled by a spearhead attached to a rope being thrown in front of him.
"Do not be misssstaken," hissed the green ninja who had thrown the weapon as he retracted the spearhead. "I am your opponent. You are going nowhere!"
"Please," implored Liu Kang. "What quarrel do you have with me? Why do you obey Shang Tsung's orders? Can you not let me go?"
"I am bound to massssster by a blood oath. He sssspared me my life, so now I live only to sssserve him. Besssssssidessssss, even if I wanted to break free, I could not. Sssssshang Tsssung hassssss bound me to him. Therefore, do not wasssste your breath on talk, but fight me insssstead!"
Reptile sprang at the bare chested fighter, using all four of his limbs to propel himself through the air. The action was quick, almost too quick for Liu Kang to react to. While he did not have time to enter kombat mode, the warrior monk did have enough time to hop backwards, avoiding being squished. The disguised Saurian landed on all fours, arms and legs spread wide, belly low to the ground and pushed off, sailing towards Liu Kang again. This time, the Shaolin monk had enough time to engage kombat mode.
Liu Kang breathed deeply, and the color drained out of the environment as time seemed to slow. Reptile seemed to soar not through air, but water due to how slowly he moved. There was ample time for the raven haired fighter to do a spin kick. With a shout, he smashing the heel of his right food into the ninja's jaw. Reptile landed face first, red staining his green facecloth. The downed fighter was about to get back up when Liu Kang did the job for him, grabbing a fistful of the black undershirt and lifting him up. The Chinese warrior then proceeded to headbutt Reptile twice, breaking his nose (or snout), before flinging him into the pillar that Shang Tsung disappeared into. The lizard-like fighter's head broke through the hollow support structure. Reptile pulled his head out, only to eat a right hook to the face. The ninja backpedaled to gain some distance and shook his head once he regained his senses. Liu approached quickly but cautiously, watching for any nasty surprises his opponent might have for him. It was a good thing he was ready for anything, as, at that moment, Reptile dropped to one knee and stretched his arms forward, firing a ball of ice at him. Had he not been prepared to evade, the ice surely would've frozen him. As it were, Liu flipped over the projectile and rammed the ball of his left foot into the green ninja's gut, doubling him over. The warrior monk then stepped forward and used his right leg to knee Reptile in the chin, then, without setting down his leg, snapped straight his leg, catching his opponent in the chest. The Saurian coughed and fell on his butt.
"That ice attack, I've only seen one person do anything like that before," commented Liu Kang. "And you are not him. That spear you threw at me earlier was also of mystical origin, and you are not the specter that uses that technique."
"You like it?" panted Reptile as he climbed back onto his feet. "Masssster hassss been teaching me some of hissssss sssssorccccery. I've been learning to mimic other people'ssssss sssssspeccccccial abilitiessssss."
Liu Kang smiled. "Show me what you can do."
The ninja's eyes narrowed. "With pleasssssure."
Reptile ran at the monk, arms spread out but elbows bent as if to grab his opponent. Once there was only a few feet between the two fighters, Liu Kang took one shuffle pace forward and kicked out with his right leg. However, the Raptor jumped up and over the kick, throwing out both the harpoon and an ice ball as he sailed by overhead. The barechested warrior, a bit off balance due to the kick, couldn't move out of the way fast enough. The spear he deflected by pushing against the flat of the blade, but the freezing projectile caught him on the right arm, freezing it solid and spreading up the arm towards the rest of his body. Liu Kang would've been completely covered in ice if he hadn't used his chi to halt the ice's advance. Whatever the ice was made of, it was incredibly hard to melt. The Shaolin found that, in order to melt the ice, he'd have to expend so much chi that it would be better for him to fight with one arm.
Reptile hissed in pleasure at seeing one of his moves finally connect. With only his left arm, the pesky monk would surely be easy prey, thought Reptile as he charged at the Chinese fighter. How wrong he was. Liu Kang would use his knees or use his left arm to block incoming blows and skip backwards such that blows that he could not block he would stay out of range of. Frustrated but not out of ideas, Reptile tried to back his opponent into a corner, where he could not use his trick to avoid the blows anymore. To his great surprise, Liu Kang seemed to be heading towards a wall, even without the Saurian directing him. Now that the Shaolin's back was to the wall, Reptile charged in, fingers flexed straight, poised to crush his opponent's throat. Liu, however, was not one to get cornered without a plan. As Reptile rushed towards him, the warrior monk jumped up, then pushed off against the wall, propelling himself up and over the green ninja. The black haired fighter landed on the Zaterran's shoulder, and leaped off it like a spring board, pushing himself back to the center of the room and sending Reptile stumbling face first into the wall.
The mimicker climbed back up, though he was a bit unsteady on his feet. His vision was a bit blurred, and his face hurt from all the abuse it's taken, but he would not let a little pain get in the way of Master's instructions. Channeling his anger and frustration at being beat so badly, Reptile summoned Scorpion's harpoon from the nethers and threw it at Liu Kang. The aforementioned monk turned his body sideways, easily dodging the spear. He also grabbed the rope the spearhead was attached to before Reptile could retract it, and yanked on the line. Reptile, caught off guard, was pulled one step forward, but no further than that. Growling, the Saurian grabbed ahold of the rope with both hands and pulled back, seeking to pull Liu Kang off balance. A tense thirty seconds passed as both fighters tested their might in a competition of tug o' war. Reptile had the upper hand due the fact that his opponent could only use his left hand, but the Shaolin warrior still held his own. As Shang Tsung's servant prepared to gather his strength for one final effort, Liu Kang let out an almighty shout, flexing both arms, shattering the ice that encased his right arm, and pulled on the taut rope with all his might, pulling Reptile off his feet. Liu raised his knee and rammed it into the ninja's stomach so hard; one could see the shape of the knee sticking out of Reptile's back. The Zaterran froze for a second, processing what just happened. Then, he coughed up blood and retched on the pain, crumpling in a pitiful heap.
The lizard-like fighter, however, would not give up. He tried to push himself up, but his arms gave out, and he collapsed again.
"Stay down, friend," cautioned Liu Kang.
"Friendsssssss we are not," hissed Reptile as he tried, and failed, once more to rise. "And Massssster'sssssssss orderssssss were to fight you until death."
"Why do you insist on obeying Shang Tsung's orders? The only thing that will come of helping the sorcerer is the death of destruction of everything and everyone you know and love."
"I am not ignorant of Massssster'sssss planssss. However, the furiessssss of Outworld and Zzzzaterra have long been unbalanced. What happensssss to Earthrealm isssss none of my concccccern. Bessssidesss, even if I wanted to dissssobey, I could not. The mage hasssss tied our ssssoulssss together ssssssuch that hissss will issss my own, and dissssobeying it causssssesssss me immenssse physssssical pain. It might even kill me."
"Even though Shang has ordered you to die, you would still carry that order out?"
"Even without the will transssfer, I am honor-bound to him. He sssspared my life, ssssso he hassss the right to decccccide how to usssse it." Reptile finally manages to push himself back up, though he is still a bit shaky and sways slightly, as if drunk.
"Then I have no choice but to incapacitate you, do I?"
"Why don't you kill me?"
"Life is precious. No one has the right to end another's life. I will not allow anyone to kill so blatantly as Shang Tsung. It is like cutting down a tree before it has borne fruit."
"But even the kindesssssst farmer will tear out the weedsssss without a ssssecond thought. Thossse that plague the world sssshould not live."
"Shang Tsung is not discriminatory in his slaughter. And even if he only went after the scum of the earth, divine judgement is not ours to give. That privilege is reserved for the gods.
"Besides, in this analogy, I think mortals like you and I and even Shang would be more plants, seeded in places not our choice, we must do our best to grow and bear fruit, thus making this world a better place."
"Ssssuch idealisssstic talk issss more fitting for a child than for a sssseassssoned warrior ssssuch as yoursssself. Even in nature, plantssss compete with each other to gain asssss much water, ssssunlight and nutrientssss assss possssssssible, even if it meanssss choking the neighboring plantsss around it to death. Treating other'sssss livessss asssss anything but inferior to your own will lead to a sssssad and bitter end."
"This world is a garden, abundant in sunlight, water, nutrients and environments for each and every plant to grow and flourish. There is no need for such fatal conflict. I believe that, with enough kindness and respect, if we just talked out our problems instead of fighting it out, every living being can flourish, and the need for fighting will be a thing of the past."
"What about the parassssitic plantssssss that are good for nothing but killing other plantsss to ssssurvive? What about the majority of the plantsss being weedssss that are completely usssselesssssss for anything but for itsssss own ssssurvival, the onesss that no one would missssss if they were gone? What about the bitter onessss, thossssse that repel with their horrible ssssmellssss, and the onesss that are ssssso crazy they consssume animals? Everything in nature killssssss in order to ssssecure itssss own survival, because life issss too abundant, it'ssss commonplacccce, and there are thossssse that jusssst do not fit in. If nothing were to die before itssss time, thissss world itsssself would've died long ago. Death and killing issss an integral part of living and no one issss exempt from thisss rule. Not me, not Ssssshang Tsssssung, and definitely not you."
"I supposed I should've added 'sentient' before 'life'. It's true that there's nothing quite like a good cheeseburger..."
"Ignoring that jab at animal ssssssentienccccce," said Reptile as he removed his mask, revealing his lizard-like visage. "Even if you are only talking about human-human interactionsssss, you would happily kill each other if it meant being the besssst, if it meant reaching the top. You wasssste your time with idle talk if you are fighting for a happy world with no fighting and no killing. Come, let me ssssshow you just how wrong your idea issss."
Reptile charged at the monk, but with his entire body in pain and lacking in the strength it was for Liu Kang to counterattack him. First, the warrior monk ducked down and kicked his opponent in the back of his knee, causing him to pitch forward. While he was still low, the black haired fighter swung his lower body up and put both arms behind him and pushed up, kicking Reptile in the chin with both legs, launching the ninja up. The Saurian smashed flat into the ceiling with a splintering sound that made it hard to tell if it was the wooden ceiling breaking or his bones. Reptile still would not give up, struggling desperately to gather the strength to stand. Liu Kang picked his foe up by the fabric on his back, and dragged him to the nearest pillar.
"We may disagree on our believes, but I do believe we share in one ideal. Everyone and everything should be able to live happily in whatever way it wishes to. I swear to you that, once I've defeated Shang Tsung, your bondage to him will be over," vowed Liu Kang.
Reptile was too tired to talk, so he hissed his thanks instead. Liu then proceeded to bang the Zaterran's head into the pillar until his body went limp.
Finding the tube that Shang Tsung disappeared into wasn't too hard as the pillar that concealed it had a head shaped hole in it. With a mighty kick, Liu cleared the disguise, exposing the dark hole that lead to wherever the sorcerer went off to. The Shaolin monk jumped in without a second thought. The tube went almost straight down, curving like an exponential function until it leveled out horizontally. Liu Kang slid out of the chute, the opening of which was 10 feet off the ground and landed quite heavily.
As he stood back up and regained his senses, Liu Kang studied his surroundings. He appeared to be in a corridor of some sort. The walls were made of grey, rectangular, stone blocks, with arch openings on either side at regular intervals, leading into other corridors. There are similar openings in the adjacent hallways leading to similar hallways. This pattern seems to repeat indefinitely, and the poor lighting of the area makes the hallways that are further away become pools of blackness, with disturbing yellow eyes peering out of the darkness. The floor was paved with the same material as the wall, but the tiles of on the ground were in random shapes, not rectangular blocks. There are skeletons chained to the walls, and blood splatters on the walls as well. Bones and skulls are scattered all over the place, and the reek of death was strong, almost strong enough to make Liu Kang gag.
Finding Shang Tsung in this place will be next to impossible, thought Liu. I can use my chi detection to get a general direction, but finding his exact location will be hard. Still, he couldn't have gone far, seeing as he has to lug that big cauldron around with him, as well as who knows what else.
Focusing, the Chinese warrior tried to use his detection capabilities to find Shang Tsung, but he could only sense one monstrous chi, not the conglomerate of souls that was Shang Tsung, but one chi belonging to one being, the strength of which was on par with the collective power of souls that the sorcerer had gathered.
Even though I could not find the accursed mage, he would not keep his guard dog far from himself. If I find Goro, I will surely also find his wretched master.
Not wasting a second, Liu Kang took off running towards Goro. After a minute of racing through the dark, grey hallways of Goro's lair, Liu Kang finally found his quarry; his original one. Shang Tsung was busy chanting an incantation as hellfire burned underneath the cauldron he had been lugging around earlier, now filled with a suspicious looking green liquid. Arranged around him in a diamond were four giant markers. It seemed that the sorcerer was too absorbed in his ritual to have noticed Liu Kang's arrival.
"Turn, sorcerer," demanded Liu Kang.
Shang Tsung stiffened before turning to face Liu Kang, annoyance etched in his face.
"Now that you've interrupted me, I'll have to start over again. Good thing I've only just begun, so I haven't wasted too much time. Now run off and go play with these two." Shang Tsung waved his hands, and two green sparks flew out, growing and morphing into human shape as it reached the ground. Sonya and Raiden now stood before Liu Kang. "Shoo now."
Shang Tsung turned back and started chanting his spell again as his two puppets advanced on Liu.
"Both of you should be dead," said Liu Kang, confusion in his voice. He would've called out to the two of them, but the blank look in their eyes (even Raiden's whose eyes are always blank) convinced him not to.
Neither of the two replied to that, but Shang Tsung did, telepathically.
*It's a simple matter for me to release their souls for Kombat. I just need to use a tiny bit of my GOD-LIKE POWERS to create a new body for them, and they do everything I tell them to. I do it all the time for amusement. Nothing is quite like pitting two mindless fools in a deathmatch.*
As Raiden neared Liu Kang, electricity ran through the monk's body and the thunder god's eyes became more normal (in other words, no difference, but somehow different).
"My...blessing is upon you," murmured Raiden as he seemed to struggle with himself. "Even at this proximity, it has the power to help me fight the sorcerer's dark powers... Even I did not know my blessing would be this strong."
"Lord Raiden!" exclaimed Liu, happy to have regained an ally.
"I will aid you all I can, Liu Kang. I will hold Sonya off; you must take down Shang Tsung."
*That you will not. To think that you gave what was left of your power to Liu Kang, and that it can liberate souls from my control if they get too close. Oh my. However, the thunder god was only able to break free because it is his blessing, after all. I'm sure those less mystically attuned will not be able to utilize the opportunity quite like he did.*
Raiden's body turned to dust, leaving behind a green orb that floated in the air. After a few second, the orb returned to Shang Tsung and was absorbed. Another green spark flew off the sorcerer and turned into Kano upon touching the ground.
"Wait," interjected Liu Kang. "I thought you could only release the souls you've captured, so how is it that you can summon the thug? His soul should still be within his body."
*No longer. I sent a guard to kill those that you could not, leaving their souls in my grasp.*
"You cold blooded-"
Shang Tsung cut him off with a telepathic sneer, and unleashed his two slaves upon Liu Kang.
The two mind controlled fighters came at Liu Kang both at once. The two of them worked well together. One of the duo would fight the barechested warrior at a time, drawing his attention. Then, the mindcontrolled fighter would duck suddenly, allowing his/her partner to launch a knife or energy blast or Kanoball at the surprised monk. Despite having the element of surprise, Liu Kang's reaction speed allowed him to evade all the surprise attacks while his kombat prowess let him gain the upper hand in a straight up one-on-one fight. Seeing that their strategy wasn't working, the pair of brainwashed fighters switched tactics, both of them attacking from opposite sides at once. Liu Kang did a tactical retreat and nestled himself into a corner, trading mobility for easier defense.
Sonya started firing lasers from her wristbands as Kano rushed in with his knives drawn. Their strategy was to use the lasers to suppress the Shaolin warrior, giving Kano time to gut him, but Liu was too resourceful to fall victim to their tricks. He sprang forward, grabbed ahold of the white robed mercenary's shoulders, and flipped him over his head. Kano flew right into the lieutenant, sending both of them sprawling onto the floor. As the two of them tried to get back up, Liu Kang kicked the Australian in the face, knocking him back down. Sonya started throwing punches at the monk, but he easily blocked them and rammed his palm into her diaphragm, then grabbed an arm and threw her over his shoulder. The Special Forces agent landed on the top of her head with a loud crack.
Before Liu could make sure that Sonya would stay down, Kano had already recovered and threw a few knives at the black haired fighter. It was a good thing that he had been trained thoroughly in being fully aware of his surroundings at all time, or else the warrior monk would've been a pincushion. Liu Kang jerked his body to the side to avoid being perforated. Then, he spun around fully and turned his attention on the Black Dragon thug.
"To think that I'd have to fight the same person twice in one day after I just kicked his butt so badly," mumbled Liu Kang.
Kano's eyebrow twitched and his brows furrowed in anger. "Don't get cocky," he growled. He descended on Liu Kang in a flurry of punches, all of which were nimbly evaded by said monk.
"I didn't think a captured soul released to fight could feel anything, much less anger. This is surely Raiden's blessing at work, even on people who are not attuned to mystical things."
Kano got even angrier. "It's bad enough that I lost to a ch!nk like you once already, but now you taunt me and belittle me as well? I'll crush you."
"Yes, it's rather bad mannered of me, isn't it? Here, let me fight you seriously, just as you wish."
Liu Kang did a perfect split to duck under a jab, thrusting his right fist up as he did so to deck the gangster in the chin. Then he drew back his left arm and punched Kano in the gut. As the bald mercenary doubled over, Liu Kang snapped his legs together, bringing himself to his full height. He hammerlocked his hands and smashed Kano in the back of his neck. The Black Dragon's eyes glazed over and slumped to the ground, whence he did not rise again.
It was good that Liu had defeated one of his opponents, because now the other one is up and raring to go. Sonya rushed in with a high kick to the head, which the warrior monk ducked under. The kick left the blond defenseless, as the only arm she could use to blow the incoming punch to the face was still damaged from when Liu Kang threw her, and could only bend a little. Liu's face smashed into her nose, breaking it. Sonya stumbled back, disoriented and with blood pouring out of her destroyed nose. There was no way she could've avoided the punch Liu Kang threw at her chest. The blow was so powerful it connected with a loud boom and threw Sonya thirty yards down the hall. She flew over the head of Shang Tsung, who was still bowed over reciting his incantation. Liu's eyes turned to the sorcerer, but, before he could take a step towards him, Shang's voice sounded off in his head.
*Don't bother. Now that you've engaged in Mortal Kombat, you cannot stop until all your opponents are defeated, and Ms. Blade is still very much in this fight.*
So be it, responded Liu mentally. He gathered his chi, and it manifested as a fireball he held in between both his palms. One of his elbows pointed outwards towards his opponent while the other elbow pointed the in the opposite direction, both forearms facing in. In this position, the fireball hovered just in front of Liu Kang's chest. With a loud shout, he launched the burning projectile at the lieutenant, but it was enveloped by a purple energy net. The net constricted on the fireball, and they exploded in a big, smoky blast. Once the barechested fighter could see his opponent's outline against the smoke, he gathered his strength and jumped, vaulting over the kick that Sonya had prepared to welcome him and landed behind her. He then turned a full 180 and slammed his thigh into her back, connecting with a loud pop.
The blond flew out of the smoke cloud and combat rolled to soften her fall and get back onto her feet faster. Still, both the impacts from the blow and the fall had hurt her quite badly, and she had to use her left hand to try to massage her right arm back into action. Sonya glared at Liu as he sauntered towards her.
"I'm not just doing this for my sake; I'm doing it for my squad. Have a heart and give me a chance to save them," said Sonya. Her tone was neither angry nor sad. It was not a beg or a plead, but merely a statement of her wish.
"At this point, I'm pretty sure that Shang Tsung has already sacrificed their souls to his own ends, unbalancing the furies. Besides that, you're already dead, you...just haven't caught up yet. Even if you were to win, Shang Tsung would just take back your soul. But I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to free the souls of your squadmates, once I have defeated that vile sorcerer."
"I'm relieved to hear that. If that's the case, that just means, win or lose, my teammates will be safe. Now I can fight without burden on my heart!"
With a shout, Sonya leaped at Liu with a right hook. She had managed to coax her right arm into working again while they talked, and now she can fight with not only a light heart, but also a body at full power. Even so, she was not fast enough to even touch her opponent. He jumped back as soon as he saw her raise her right arm. Not discouraged in the least, Sonya charged at Liu Kang once more. The barechested fighter easily moved around each blow, and elbowed her painfully in the solar plexus after a full thirty seconds of dodging. The black haired warrior attacked her relentlessly, each blow breaking and fracturing, splintering and destroying organs within her body. Liu Kang ended off his assault with a punch to the chest to create distance between the two of them, then covered the distance in a single cartwheel, throwing a vicious uppercut to Sonya's chin as he finished his acrobatics. The strike launched the Special Forces lieutenant straight up, and she collided headfirst with the ceiling, leaving a bloody crater on the stone before dropping to the ground, unconscious.
"Now that you've gone through all your time stalls, sorcerer, let us have our fated match," said Liu Kang as he straightened up.
*Not quite all my time stalls.* said Shang Tsung telepathically.
The unconscious bodies of Sonya and Kano disappeared in pillars of flame as, out of nowhere, a four armed, eight foot monster burst through the ceiling and landed behind Liu Kang. He spread all four of his arms wide before roaring loudly, the empty halls echoing his voice for minutes after the roar.
"You will face me in Mortal Kombat before you get the chance to challenge Shang Tsung," declared Goro.
*And now that you've been challenged to Mortal Kombat, you cannot get in my way until after the match. Which, of course, will end in your demise!*
Goro's shadow fell over Liu's relatively tiny frame as said monk prepared himself for Kombat against the grand champion of the tournament, Goro, the prince of pain.
Next time, sub-boss and boss fights, and an epilogue to follow. I'm probably going to rewrite the first five chapters (or maybe even more, who knows) as I feel that the major tone shift that happened in the middle of this story really makes it awkward, as it's impossible to take seriously for the first few chapters, and then it transitions into stuff like this, where we get full on debates about moral beliefs and stuff. I will not take down the original versions of the first chapters, but instead keep them so that people can see my development (the more I think about that line, the more it sounds like I'm bragging) but, more importantly I can see my own development. Thank you for sticking with me for this year of irregular updates, I here's to another great one.