Ah yes, it is time at last to mark the beginning of Mortal Kombat 3. This tale of events is more war like than before. What does that mean? MORE FATALITIES! Scorpion is going to have his hands full in the events to come! Enjoy!
Chapter 10: War of the Realms
Months passed after the second tournament. Scorpion looked to the red skies of the Netherealm to see hundreds of Outworld soldiers, clad in Samurai armor and armed with curved swords and battle axes, fall from the grey clouds. As the soldiers landed, they attacked the demons and Oni mercilessly while scaling the fields in search of something, or someone. Scorpion stood in front of his cave and waited for any unwise fool to disrupt the sanctity of his layer.
When a small group of soldiers finally did reach the entrance of his cave, Scorpion stood there patiently with his Kunai in hand. Before he had a chance to defend himself, however, he fell to his knees as a great pain filled his head, feeling as if something were trying to chew its way out of his skull. As that happened, the world around him began to change. The ground rumbled and cracked while the skies changed colors rapidly. The soldiers took this distraction to their advantage and attacked Scorpion with their weapons. As they thrust their blades into the Spectre's flesh, Scorpion gathered what strength he had and defended himself against the soldiers, absorbing the pain from his head as well as the punishment from the weapons.
Scorpion's attack did not last, however. His body suddenly began to levitate in the air out of reach for the soldiers weapons. As his body floated in a violent shaking motion, the agony in his head grew to an unbearable level. Scorpion flew through the air in all directions, colliding with numerous boulders in the process. Soon enough, Scorpion's uncontrolled levitation sent him falling towards a lava pit located in the fields of the Netherealm. Before he hit the lava pit, however, the pain in his head diminished and his soul disappeared from sight when a bolt of lightning hit his body.
The electric surge took Scorpion out of the Netherealm and sent him into a giant wormhole in space. His limp body traveled at blinding speed, passing by thousands of stars and planets until at last a flash of light triggered the end of the wormhole and sent Scorpion to a grassy surface of an unknown region. The impact of his landing kept Scorpion from moving more than his head until he finally lost consciousness.
An hour later, Scorpion woke up from his slumber and breathed air through his lungs, something he had not the ability in the Netherealm. He stood up and studied his surroundings carefully. The air he breathed was stale and reminded him of his time in Outworld. The environment, however, was not unlike that of Earth Realm with modern automobiles and concrete roads. The tall sky scrapers were partially intact with chunks of metal missing from the outer surface. In the distance, Scorpion heard the death cries of men along with gun fire from fully automatic weapons. It was then that Scorpion realized he was in what remained of New York City.
Scorpion's gaze upon the city was interrupted by the sounds of marching feet behind him. He turned around and saw a group of twelve Outworld soldiers. Their leading commander wore similar armor but also wore a helmet with a skull design. The skull represented his status as one of Shao Kahn's loyal servants and he was only armed with a katana. Once the commander caught sight of the Hellspawn Spectre, he halted his soldiers and unsheathed his sword, pointing it at Scorpion.
"It's one of Raiden's chosen warriors," shouted the commander. "KILL HIM!"
Scorpion tilted his head and stared down the commander as his soldiers charged the Spectre. Scorpion reached for his Kunai and braced for the attack. The soldiers quickly surrounded Scorpion and shouted at him, trying to intimidate the ninja. Scorpion simply stood there in his fighter's stance until two of the soldiers from his left side attacked with their long spears. Scorpion leaped high in the air, performing a twisting side flip with his right arm extended, and used his Kunai to sever the soldiers' heads in his spinning attack. The heads fell off their bodies as Scorpion landed on his feet and grabbed an oncoming spear before it had a chance to impale his chest. He pulled the weapon towards him, sending the unlucky soldier's chest to the edge of his Kunai. Scorpion then removed his weapon and threw it at no one in particular, the flaming rope emerging from the hilt of the Kunai. He then swung the rope over his head and killed three more soldiers as the Kunai slit their throats.
Suddenly, one soldier sliced the back of Scorpion with his battle ax. Scorpion let out a grunt and swung the rope towards the menace behind him. The rope wrapped itself around the lower torso of the soldier with the blade puncturing his flesh. Scorpion tugged at the rope with such strength that it spun the soldier around five times before his body fell to the floor, severed in half.
The remaining four soldiers charged Scorpion at once while the commander stood his ground watching Scorpion's wrath. Scorpion flexed his muscles as he raised his arms upward. The gesture triggered a wall of fire rising at the feet of the soldiers, burning them instantly. Scorpion then threw his Kunai at one of the soldiers, impaling his face. Scorpion pulled at the rope and removed the head of the soldier. With the Kunai in his grasp, he pulled the severed head from the blade and threw the bloody mass at another soldier, knocking him out instantly. As the other two soldiers fell to their knees, suffering from the flames that engulfed them, Scorpion walked towards them and knocked them down with the back of his fists while looking straight at the commander.
The commander swung his sword in different directions to intimidate Scorpion. The Hellspawn Spectre gestured the commander to lay on his attack with his hand and stood in his stance. The commander gave out a war cry and charged Scorpion with his katana over his head. When the commander came within range, Scorpion parried three vertical slices with his Kunai and then grabbed the wrist of the commander, twisting it in an awkward angle. Scorpion let go of the broken wrist after he delivered a powerful right hook at the jaw of the commander. The injured soldier fell to his knees and dropped his katana, screaming at the pain in his wrist. Scorpion finally silenced the commander's cries by slitting his throat with his Kunai and kicked his chest. The commander fell on his back and held on to the wound as the blood oozed out of his neck, causing him to gargle until he was no more.
Scorpion sheathed his weapon and continued to walk the streets until he heard the sound of clapping behind him. He quickly turned around and saw an unusual character before him. The man was clad in a red over mantle and thick leggings. His head, with the exception of his green glowing eyes, were covered with black cloth wrappings.
"By the smell of you, we can quickly assume you are not of this realm," spoke the mysterious warrior.
Scorpion narrowed his eyes and said, "And who might you be?"
"We are Ermac. A legion of captured souls from Shao Kahn's Outworld wars. We are Shao Kahn's loyal generals, and we are here in Earth Realm to destroy Raiden's warriors."
"If you value your life, you will walk away and bother me no more."
Ermac laughed and said, "Why would we attack you, Scorpion?"
Scorpion reached for his Kunai and said, "How did you know my name, demon?"
"Shao Kahn spoke of you during your time in the tournament in Outworld. You made Reptile look like a mere peasant. Indeed you are a formidable warrior. We would assume that you are wandering why you are even here."
"And I suppose you are here to tell me?"
"We am here to offer you into Lord Shao Kahn's services, but alas you do have the right to know why you are here in Earth Realm. Lord Kahn has just recently made enemies with Lord Shinnok of the Netherealm. Kahn's invasion failed but many souls were trapped in our lord's chambers. You, however, are not under the control of Shinnok. Therefore, your soul must have been freed from the fiery pits. Lord Kahn told us that we should be on the look out for you. Apparently, he sees you as a potential ally."
Scorpion relaxed his posture. "I care not about your Outworld ruler. It is not my concern."
"On the contrary, Spectre. It will be your concern once Lord Kahn has taken control of this realm. Those who oppose Shao Kahn pay with their lives, and we would hate to think that one of the Netherealm's finest warriors was hunted down like a wild animal and slaughtered."
"Your bold words do not intimidate me, demon. I am not afraid of your lord or his armies. If you are so intent on bringing me to Kahn, then you will have to take me by force."
Ermac lowered his head in disappointment. "We are truly sorry you feel that way."
Suddenly, dozens of Outworld soldiers ambushed Scorpion from behind. Scorpion suffered many blows from the fists of the soldiers before he began to cut them down one by one with his Kunai. Scorpion gained the upper hand in battle until an unknown force lifted him off the ground. Scorpion struggled to free himself from the invisible grasp, but it proved to be pointless. He caught a glimpse of Ermac with his hand reached out in the direction of the levitating Spectre. Convinced about Ermac's telekinetic ability, Scorpion threw his Kunai at him. To Scorpion's dismay, Ermac caught the weapon with his telekinesis and directed it to puncture Scorpion's shoulder. Blood began to ooze from Scorpion's wound as Ermac used his ability to slam Scorpion to the ground numerous times until the Hellspawn Spectre struggled no more. Scorpion landed hard on his back, unable to move beyond pulling out his weapon from his shoulder. Finally, Ermac stood above Scorpion and pointed his hand at the Spectre.
"Our Lord Shao Kahn will decide your fate." The last thing Scorpion saw before he blacked out was a green flash of light from Ermac's hand.
Oh no! Cliffhanger! What will become of Scorpion once Shao Kahn gets his hands on him? Will Scorpion be sparred? Will he be executed? Will he join Shao Kahn's forces? Time will tell my friends. BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! See ya next chapter!