CHAPTER XI: RAIN OF FIRE
It seemed to go wrong all at once.
Blasts of green light filled the room, and swirled around Ryu, making him shriek and flail where he was seated. Though Sub-Zero wasn't sure how, he had freed himself of his bindings, and it took all her willpower not to rush to him. Kenshi and Ermac had their arms raised, both of their faces the picture of intense concentration. Their combined effort ensured that Ryu never left the ritual circle.
Without warning, the doors to the room banged open. Sub-Zero whirled towards the noise, forming her kori blade in her hand. She growled as she saw the half-crazed look on the intruder's face. As Liu Kang drew his hand back to cast a fireball towards Ryu, Sub-Zero flung her hand forward and sent a blast of ice to counter it. The two projectiles met in the middle with a loud bang.
"Kenshi!" Ermac's cry made Sub-Zero's head snap back to their direction. Kenshi was on his knees, covering both of his ears, his expression that of extreme pain.
Before Sub-Zero could move towards him, vicious green tendrils wrapped themselves across the swordsman's form and sent him flying across the room. She cursed before rushing to his fallen form.
"Liu! Stop! What's wrong with you?" Sub-Zero could hear Kitana's voice. When she looked back, the monk and the princess were engaged in battle, fans and nunchaku glinting in the green light. Sindel did not move from behind Taven to assist Kitana, but she kept glancing at them fretfully.
"Kenshi! Are you hurt? Can you get up?" she asked anxiously.
The swordsman groaned and cradled his head in his hands as he came to.
"Hurts. Everything's too much," he whispered. And Sub-Zero realized a problem they didn't anticipate. She could kick herself for not realizing it sooner. Kenshi's heightened senses were picking up everything—from the subtle shifts in the air to the smallest noises around the room.
Looking back towards her apprentice, she observed the situation and gauged her options.
Taven was an immovable stone, no matter what happened, he stood where he was, chanting deeply. She thanked the Elder Gods for his strength. Ryu had stopped convulsing, his movements no longer erratic, but fluid and sure; his eyes were the same green glow that day in the cave. Ermac was doing his best to keep Ryu within the circle, but the boy was moving slowly but surely, as if slogging his way through mud. At the corner of her eye, she saw Scorpion tense. Before she could call out a warning, he ran forward and tackled Ryu back into the circle.
"Scorpion! Get out of there! It's not safe!" Ermac shouted even as he fought to keep his concentration on Ryu.
"Kenshi?" Sub-Zero said more insistently, gripping his shoulder tightly. "Please, we need you to restrain Ryu."
Both his and Ermac's telekinetic abilities were needed; there was a reason no one was allowed inside the ritual circle.
But Kenshi couldn't even move his hands from his head, let alone use anymore of his powers. When she looked up, Scorpion had gone pale and his grip on Ryu had loosened. The boy kicked the ninja off him and stood up in one fluid motion.
She swallowed thickly and quickly placed herself at the edge of the circle. As the boy turned towards her, she shoved him back into the circle. Scorpion crawled across the floor and once he exited the circle, he pushed himself up on shaky legs.
"Ryu," Sub-Zero tried to reach out to him. "You have to stay in the circle."
The boy looked up at her from where he was sprawled on the floor, his eyes expressionless. He got up slowly. Ermac was still trying to restrain him, but it was taking its toll on him. His arms were shaking with exhaustion, and Sub-Zero knew he wouldn't last long.
A cry of alarm from behind her made her whirl around. Normally, she would have been able to raise a shield of ice to absorb the fireball sent in her direction.
But as usual, her powers decided to fail her when she needed them most.
The fireball hit her square on the chest and sent her flying backwards into the ritual circle, knocking Ryu back down. Sub-Zero knew the exact moment she entered the circle; her limbs grew heavier and her lungs seized. Ryu rolled her off him and she flopped onto her stomach.
"—ero! Kuai Liang, get the fuck up!"
She raised her head with great effort, and through the haze in her mind, she saw Scorpion's face contort with anxiety and frustration. Somewhere to the side, Ermac was still doing his best to prevent Ryu from leaving the circle. Her head was spinning, but she dragged herself across the floor and outside the circle, where Scorpion hovered over her, worry evident in his eyes. She waved his concerns, but allowed him to pull her up.
The unarmored section of her chest was scorched by Liu Kang's fireball and made breathing difficult. Just as she was planning to stride over to where he and Kitana were still trading blows, Scorpion crossed the room in one fluid motion, unsheathed his sword and for a moment, Sub-Zero was sure he was going to run him through. But the ninja simply raised his sword to Liu Kang's chest threateningly.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Scorpion growled.
Liu Kang didn't back down and he bared his teeth. "What I should have done a week ago. That boy is a danger to us all! And that woman you so love has been in Quan Chi's pocket this entire time!"
"Liu, please stop it, this isn't you!" Kitana pleaded with her lover, who looked back at her dispassionately.
"Sub-Zero!" she heard Ermac call out, and the Lin Kuei grandmaster turned back to Ryu, and she hurriedly came over to help when she saw Ermac grappling with Ryu.
The sound of steel and chains echoed around the room, but she didn't pay it any attention as she shoved Ryu back into the center of the ritual circle. Her mind raced as she thought of what else to do. Ermac looked as if he would fall down at any moment, and Sub-Zero gritted her teeth in frustration.
A groan from Kenshi snapped her eyes back to the fallen warrior. He blinked, a bit bemused, but otherwise alert as he took in his surroundings and jumped to his feet. He rushed over to where Ermac was, touched the other man's shoulder and it was as if a great weight was lifted off the telepath's shoulders and transferred to his.
Ermac took one step, then dropped to the floor in a heap, and Sub-Zero stumbled over to where he lay to see if he was all right. She dragged him over to a more secure position and tapped him lightly on the face to wake him up. She knew he was exhausted, but her nerves wouldn't be able to take more if something else went wrong. The man groaned and clutched his head, but he was awake, and he waved Sub-Zero away as he recovered.
Liu Kang's gasp of pain and Kitana's shocked cry captured Sub-Zero's attention. Scorpion had apparently lost his temper and he'd managed to catch Liu Kang off-guard and impale his blade on his shoulder. Kitana didn't take to it kindly, and, with her eyes filled with fire, she swiped at Scorpion with her fans. The ninja ducked his head and stumbled backwards in surprise; Liu Kang screamed as Scorpion's blade was thrust out of his skin.
Scorpion had regained his balance, only to have to raise his sword to block yet another attack from Kitana. "What the fuck do you think you're doing woman?!" he shouted as Kitana growled at him.
"Don't you dare hurt him!"
"He's trying to kill my brother you crazy bitch! And he tried to kill Sub-Zero!"
Sub-Zero stomped her foot and pillars of ice formed on the ground, rushing at the monk as he stood and poised to hit Kitana from behind. He jumped back to avoid it, clutching at his shoulder with a grimace, and Kitana started at the noise and turned back to face Liu Kang.
Deciding that the two could handle it, Sub-Zero looked back to Kenshi and Ryu, and thankfully, the swordsman seemed to have no trouble preventing her apprentice from leaving the circle. Kenshi was seated at the edge of the circle, the picture of concentration as he closed his eyes, arms outstretched in Ryu's direction. Taven was standing still, chanting without pause. Queen Sindel's hand was on his arm, channeling her magic to aid the god, although her anxious eyes were on Kitana and Liu Kang.
Just when things were starting to look up, the double doors opened, and Raiden strode in, eyes furious and fingers crackling with electricity.
His entrance distracted Scorpion, allowing Liu Kang to throw a solid punch to the face, sending him sprawling on the floor. He jabbed Kitana in the stomach and brought his knee to her face. There was a sickening crack, and Sub-Zero knew that Kitana's nose would need some mending after this.
In one smooth move, Raiden grabbed Liu Kang by his arm, twisted it behind his back and electrocuted him. The monk slid down to the floor, unconscious, and the god turned to the two fallen figures. Scorpion ignored the Thunder god's hand, and stood up unaided. Raiden helped Kitana up, but his eyes were still angry as he passed his gaze over them all.
"Raiden!" Sindel called out in relief, and his eyes softened as he saw her frazzled state.
"What were you all thinking?" he all but hissed. Sub-Zero was certain she'd never seen Raiden this livid. "Do you even understand the gravity of what you're doing?"
"It's the only way to save my brother, Raiden," Scorpion set his jaw and met Raiden's eyes stubbornly.
"And you were willing to sacrifice the life of a god to do a cleansing ritual that may end up killing your brother anyway?"
"What?" Sub-Zero started, and her eyes flickered to Taven, who was still in deep concentration and back to Raiden. "What do you mean?"
He looked at the confusion and the shock on their faces, and his eyes grew wide in realization. "Taven did not tell you?"
Sub-Zero shook her head dumbly. He only ever emphasized how dangerous it would be for Ryu. Scorpion looked conflicted at this revelation, and he turned his angry eyes at Ermac, who was still sitting on the ground. From the man's guilty expression, it seemed he already knew.
At the various glares and looks he received, Ermac lowered his gaze. "It was Taven's decision not to tell," he admitted.
Of course. Sub-Zero gritted her teeth. That self-sacrificing fool.
The rage bled out of Raiden and he gave Sub-Zero a sad glance and the woman had to look away at the accusation in his eyes. She should have told him, she knew, but she didn't trust the god, and she was starting to regret that decision.
The Thunder god pulled himself together and looked determined. Sub-Zero looked at him warily as he took a spot beside Taven.
"I hope one day you decide to forgive me, Sub-Zero," he said. "I know it will take a long time before I can truly repent for what I did, but consider this as the beginning,"
"Raiden—," Sub-Zero choked on her sentence as the god placed a hand on Taven's right arm and closed his eyes, lending his power for the ritual.
The wind picked up, and swirled around the room dangerously, whipping Sub-Zero's hair out of its bun. Kenshi was gritting his teeth, but he held Ryu in place. Her apprentice was standing still, but his eyes glowed dangerously green and Sub-Zero knew that whoever was controlling him had finally realized he was being purged.
A hand slipped into hers, and she looked beside her to see Scorpion watching Ryu with a stony expression. His grip betrayed his anxiety, and Sub-Zero squeezed his hand back in comfort.
Taven's chanting grew louder, and the runes encircling the boy glowed green. Kenshi finally released Ryu and he ran a hand in his hair as he caught his breath. He collapsed on the ground and Sub-Zero moved towards him subconsciously. Kitana, who had moved to Sub-Zero's left, stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
At the silent question in Sub-Zero's eyes, Kitana spoke up, "Once the runes glow, Ryu won't be able to leave the circle anymore, and we're moving on to the second phase of the ritual." The princess was still holding a bloody cloth to her broken nose, and she glanced over at the unconscious Liu Kang with a scowl before focusing her attention back to the ritual.
Suddenly, Ryu's head snapped up, and he surveyed the room before pushing himself up into a sitting position. The cool gaze and the brilliant green glow of his eyes told Sub-Zero all she needed to know. The boy caught her stare and gave her a cold smile.
"Why, hello there, Grandmaster," he all but purred. The voice was a mix of both Ryu's and the unnamed boy, and Sub-Zero stiffened.
"Release my apprentice," she ordered, and Scorpion looked at her then back at the boy and he narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, but he has been so entertaining," he rolled onto his stomach and propped his head on his hand. "Your boy is quite the weakling. So incredibly easy to take over," he fiddled with the Wyrm-bender on his chest, but didn't make any move to remove it.
"Who are you?" Scorpion growled, his hand hovering over his sword.
"Are you going to kill me, brother?" he mocked. "Well I suppose you haven't been much of a brother, being absent for the majority of his life."
Sub-Zero flung her hand out to stop Scorpion from taking a step forward, and the boy chuckled.
"You know, Ryu didn't need much motivation to pour that poison in Tang's mouth," he said and Sub-Zero closed her eyes. There was the proof that it was indeed Ryu who'd been behind the elder's death.
"Who?" Scorpion looked surprised, as did Ermac and Kitana.
"Oh my," he said gleefully. "They don't even know. How delicious. Grandmaster Sub-Zero keeping secrets from her allies."
Scorpion turned to Sub-Zero, the accusation evident in his eyes, and the woman had to bite her tongue to stop herself from spitting angry words.
"Since she won't tell, I suppose I will," he said. "One of the Masters in the Lin Kuei stronghold was killed, and following his death, our esteemed Grandmaster has had to fight attempts on her life, and attempts to steal her leadership by other Masters."
Sub-Zero clamped down on the urge to defend Zhixin.
"Then she found her brother, mysteriously appearing in a cave they'd taken shelter," he cocked his head to the side. "Don't you find that a bit suspicious?" The boy laughed coldly.
"You will die."
"Oh, Grandmaster, you entertain me. Have you forgotten our earlier conversation already?" he immediately lost his smile, and his eyes burned with hatred for the woman. "I will destroy you, and everything you love, starting with your beloved headquarters."
"There is no chance you would know of its location," she called his bluff, but there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
"I don't, but someone else does."
She felt as if someone had seized her heart. "Bi-Han," she whispered.
With a mad laugh, the boy stood. "And when you've laid your eyes on the utter destruction that I've caused, I will kill you."
"There will be no place, not in Earthrealm, nor in any other where you will be safe from me." Sub-Zero hissed.
The boy let out another bark of laughter. "When you arrive in Netherrealm, make sure to tell them that Python sent you."
And with a mocking bow, he ripped the Wyrm-bender from his neck and threw it to the side, along with Sub-Zero's hopes.
A/N:
What? Is that an update? What sorcery is this?!
Finally, it's been pretty hard to write this chapter, though I'm not entirely sure why, I think 'cause there was so much happening. A bit on the short side, but it seemed right to end it there.
Thanks so much for reading and thank you for still reviewing after all this time! This fic will get finished, don't worry! The "when" is the problem though. :P
So again, anonymous reviews are always welcome. Thanks so much to all those who left a review!
