Chapter 32: Death of An Ambition
The dead woods, a forest whose life force was drained, each tree bore no leaves nor fruits. To Johnny, Sonya, Chris, Melody, Manerva, and Malcolm, the living forest represented the epitome of dread, malady, and death.
And they weren't alone
With them were dozens of Special Forces soldiers, wielding desert eagles in their hand and grenades on their waists, ready for any type of scenario. One soldier carried a rather heavy duffle bag during the journey, which would be used later at their destination.
The group slowly approached the cave, in it resided a portal that will bring them to an assaulted Sky Temple. Everyone remained anxious, adrenaline running high at what awaited on the other side. Suddenly, they halted when two figures obstructed their path.
Jackson Briggs and Smoke.
Both deceased warriors' clothes scheme seemed darker, just like the soul of their former selves. Smoke looked even more sinister than before but still retained his trademark assassin ways. Much to Sonya's dismay, Jax resembled nothing like her former CO, his metal arms adorned with spikes. Like Sub-Zero and Jade, yellow veins popped all across their bodies, signifying their undead states along with the same colored yellow-orange eyes. Manerva winced in discomfort at the sight of her former friends in such a state, closing her eyes mournfully but not able to lament on the issue as a portal ripped open.
A man of Native American descent marched through, his appearance drastically different besides his same outfit after sacrificing himself at the sanctuary. In his hand was a glowing red ax, ready to decapitate anyone foolish to stand in his way.
"Nightwolf!" exclaimed Kenshi.
Manerva and Malcolm stared in astonishment. Never did they think the shaman of all people would perish during that massacre.
As Kenshi engaged the fallen shaman, Sonya and her soldiers continued to assault Smoke and Jax alongside Johnny, doing their best to keep them at bay without accidentally killing them. That left the siblings to occupy the hordes of demons, more like slaying each one with little to no compassion. Jax managed to evade Sonya and the others, only to be confronted by Chris. Meanwhile, Melody would try and subdue revenant Smoke.
"Smoke?" Melody calls his name, approaching cautiously.
"I am Enenra," he replied darkly. "You will be the first to die."
Melody has never fought a ninja quite like Enenra and considering his amazing abilities like escaping capture, avoiding projectiles, and disappearing, he would be troublesome to deal with. He turned invisible and attacked Melody, landing forceful attacks upon her torso before landing a mid kick to her sternum, sending her to the ground in a heap. The young woman grew desperate as Enenra's prowess far surpassed her own training. But that only increased Melody's resolved as she recovered, her anger and frustration kicked into high gear. Finally, she connected a roundhouse spin kick that caught Enenra right in the jaw, the blow busting his lip as blood streaked down his mouth.
"Impressive, Melody," Enera complimented before spitting out a mixture of saliva and blood. "Now DIE!"
The renegade ninja threw a smoke bomb to gain the upper hand on his adversary. But Melody managed to somersault out of the way. Her instincts told her not to use firearms as they would be utterly useless against her opponent. Plus, it was a dishonorable way to cheat.
Enenra phased toward Melody and struck her with a knee and uppercut combination before leaping in the air, catching and throwing her back down in one fluid motion. As he landed, Enera executed his X-Ray, only to watch in amazement as Melody blocked it as if she knew it was coming and shattered his elbow on her shoulder following it up with a kick to the groin. She finishes the X-Ray with a powerful uppercut, breaking his jawbone along with a devastating hammer-fist, causing Enenra to bounce off the terrain like a ball. Melody continued with a left kick, left palm strike, and a right haymaker. Enenra made one last vain attempt with his smoke bomb. Melody took another calculated risk, somersaulting over the projectile and bombarded her opponent with a right punch, left hook, spinning back fist, and a leg sweep. Enenra temporarily recovered by sweeping Melody off her feet and disappeared from her view just as she recovered and was hit by his X-Ray, a German Suplex. But Melody kept her focused and escaped the suplex despite being slammed head first, lifting his head to perform a flipping neck breaker and a solid kick to the head. Enera was finally.
"You just got your ass "smoked" by Melody Jones!" she exclaimed.
Melody fell to the ground on one knee, utterly exhausted after claiming victory. Revenant Smoke gave her all she could handle, and it seemed as if the soldier stood no chance at first glance. Luckily, her fortitude withstood his aggression long enough. What Melody didn't understand was how Quan Chi managed to control so many revenants at the same time. His hold on their friends needed to be broken.
However, her train of thought was interrupted as Jax managed to topple both Johnny and Sonya Blade with ease.
Jax slowly walked to Sonya, about to cave in her head with his boot. "This is your last mission, Sonya. "
Before the death blow was applied, Chris lunged into Jax and toppled over him to save the Lieutenant's life along with Johnny.
"The real Jax wouldn't kill his own friends!" yelled Chris. "What's wrong with you?"
"Quan Chi made me realize my error, Chris." Jax chuckled, cracking his metallic knuckles before clenching them into fists. "Killing you shall be a pleasure."
It was now Chris' turn to fight, aware that Melody was barely standing tall after her battle with Enenra. Jax represents the power of the Special Forces and proves it by blocking Chris' haymaker before grabbing him by the throat and nearly knocking his teeth out with a devastating uppercut, allowing Jax to land his backbreaker.
Despite being at a severe disadvantage, Chris shakily stood back up. "Bring it on!"
Jax continued punishing Chris, using his Ground Pound to keep the less experienced soldier off-balance. Chris managed to use his baseball slide to put Jax on the defensive. Melody used this as a distraction to tend to Sonya and Johnny, both nursing injuries. Chris stopped Jax's Gotcha Grab and delivered a knee in the solar plexus, following up with a hard left uppercut. Next came a perfectly executed flapjack along with a knee smash where he lifted Jax's right leg and smashed the knee into the ground. Jax recovered slowly, and Chris tries his X-Ray, grabbing both of Jax's arms in an underhook position, using his upper body strength to break both of Jax's arms and headbutted him so hard, the skull crack coupled with a broken nose. After an enhanced superkick, Jax was sent flying, lying on the ground defeated.
"I'm sorry, Sir. But even with metal arms, pure skill will triumph every time." Chris declared.
"Chris!" Melody rushed to him. "You ok, baby?"
Chris solemnly nodded. "Until we somehow free them, I don't think I'll ever be."
"We will, Chris," said Sonya, finally recovered along with Johnny due to Melody's expertise in the medical field. "We'll find a way."
The combined forces of Edenia and the Special Forces moved toward the entrance of the cave but not before stopping. Sonya looked toward the defeated Jax, sadness in her eyes at his horrid fate.
"That's not him, you know," Johnny tried to reassure her.
Only a silent nod was the Lieutenant's response as they moved further along. Time was short and any wasted seconds would doom the universe. Both Manerva and Malcolm gazed at the black space with trepidation, the latter shooting light energy to fend off demons charging from there. They were obliterated within moments.
Sonya approached one of her soldiers. "Sergeant, status report. What's the situation?" Kenshi honed in his energy, doing his best to locate the portal they were searching for.
Johnny walked to him. "Is this is where the Elevator belong?"
A sardonic smiled graced Kenshi's face. "Yes, the Elevator. This sword contains my warrior ancestors. they guide me."
Chris' eyes nervously scanned his fiance shooting her gun without any rational thought. Eventually, she'll have to learn not to be so gung-ho all the time. That strategy does more harm than good.
"We won't have much time so it will be a blast if you could hurry up," Johnny said impatiently.
He wasn't wrong. They needed to arrive at the Jinsei before it's too late.
Kenshi narrowed his blinded eyes, calmly breathing through his nose, his focus unabated as he chanted in ancient Japanese, the sword in his hands illuminating in a blue hue. Ruins from the nearby wall began glowing in the same manner before revealing the portal.
"Going up!" Johnny shouted before jumping up.
Sonya ordered, "Move up, now!"
Her orders were followed promptly. Every single soldier moved with quickness and into the portal pursued by Chris, Melody, Malcolm, and Manerva.
On the other side, Johnny walked towards two soldiers, one of them carrying the weighty duffel bag. "Stay here, Close the door." Johnny then sprinted back toward the portal.
As they came out into the corridor leading to the Jinsei, the entire gang was greeted by numerous demon corpses and the unconscious revenant forms of Stryker, Kabal, and Queen Sindel.
Manerva's eyes failed to betray her look of grim. "Even our Queen wasn't spared this dreadful fortune."
To her and Malcolm, the term Edenian took on another meaning. It spoke of death, decay, and misery. And it unnerved them both. There has to be a way to free their souls Next to the siblings were the shocked form of Chris and Melody, who viewed the bodies of their comrades with despair and terror.
"When Raiden said that all of the revenants were turned into this... I thought he was joking." Chris uttered.
Melody shared her fiance's astonishment. "I… I guess he was right."
Just then, they heard Raiden and Fujin scream of suffering, laughter booming inside as well. Time was running out to stop another plot from destroying the realms.
"Chris, Melody, apprehend any remaining demons in the Sky Temple. Cage, Malcolm, Manerva, and I will stop Shinnok." Sonya commanded, leaving no room for argument.
Both soldiers knew not to question the Major at such a critical hour. They nodded and quickly sprinted up the exit of the Jinsei, taking out hordes of demons to keep their teammates free from any sneak attacks.
At the same time, Cage, Malcolm, Sonya, and Manerva appeared to see the fallen elder god doing his best to imprison his two sworn enemies. But being distracted by Raiden and Fujin allowed Johnny and Malcolm to intervene with a combined shadow kick, the blow forcing the deity on his stomach with the amulet flying out of his hands, sparing both gods of a lifetime sentence inside the jewel.
"Oh Sorry, ma'am. Didn't see you there," joked Johnny.
Malcolm interjected, "You were in our way." For once, the Edenian prodigy could see why Manerva likes this Earthrealmer, his humor somewhat tolerable. But this wasn't the time for witty banter. Malcolm's smile flattened to a neutral line when he gazed at the fuming elder god.
"Miserable wretch, you all bunch of worthless scum! How dare you!?" roared Shinnok.
His energy flared, surrounding the Dark God's body before he sent Kenshi away with an unholy power blast. Raiden rose to his knee, struggling to stay conscious as Shinnok's energy doubled in size. Both of Earthrealm's protectors watched as the amulet sat in Raiden's possession.
"That is mine!" Shinnok snarled, blasting the Thunder God directly in the chest before he could strike with his lightning bolt.
Sonya used her rifle, shooting a barrage of brass bullets to which Shinnok easily blocked with his magic barrier. Frustration mounted with the Major, knowing her weapon would be useless against an opponent like this.
Futility, Sonya threw the empty shotgun aside. "Ready?" she asked in Johnny's direction.
A grim but confident smile plastered on the actor's face before replying, "As always."
The two engaged Shinnok, throwing everything in their arsenal against him. Every technique failed to score even one hit, including Johnny's 'Shadow Kick' and Sonya's projectiles from her wristband. Not even her lethal kicks could harm the malevolent God. Shinnok merely toyed with their feeble attempts, laughing the entire time as he blocked and parried every attack. When he saw the opportunity, Shinnok drop kicked both warriors and knocked them aside, smirking at their pitiful attempts to oppose him. Their execution would only be the beginning of his path to domination.
Manerva tried her hand in attacking her enemy. But like Johnny and Sonya before her, she was subtly defeated and rather harshly. Shinnok showed no mercy before breaking Manerva's arm along with busting her forehead open, blood seeping from the wound onto the ground. The young maiden's equilibrium never recovered as she fell to her knees, unable to pose a viable threat anymore.
"Such fools. Mere children against my power," Shinnok ridiculed our heroes' effort.
Shifting his attention, Shinnok turned toward the only person standing between him and the destruction of Earthrealm. He's been looking forward to this encounter ever since laying eyes on Malcolm when he displayed an incredible amount of power after witnessing Jade's grisly demise at the hands of Tanya, one of Shinnok's followers.
"So, I finally have the pleasure of meeting the most powerful Edenian left in the cosmos. Malcolm, I presume?" Shinnok inquired with a humorless chuckle.
Before today, Malcolm never feared anyone in his life, not even the dreaded Shao Kahn or his sorcerers. That same fortitude wasn't detected inside the boy. His confidence left him entirely. This deity's ruthlessness and cunning dwarfed Malcolm's former employers by a wide margin, hence why he wasn't sure if he would walk away from this without dying like most of his friends.
"How do you know who I am?" Malcolm questioned, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"You've caused quite a stir amongst my ranks," the Dark God informed. "Back at the sanctuary, you singlehandedly overwhelmed the Lin Kuei army of machines without much effort, let alone outclassing Cyrax. But your hidden potential peaked my interest after one of my many followers, Tanya, had executed Jade in front of your very eyes."
Malcolm's eyes wavered, shaken by the mention of his beloved's name and the memory of her assassination. His sister overheard Jade's name as well, causing herself to remember Sub-Zero's death along with Kitana. But an unsettling thought entered Manerva's mind. Would Malcolm do the unthinkable and forsake all their allies of Earthrealm just to have Jade in his arms again? In an undead state no less? There was positively no way Shinnok would willingly free the Edenian warrior…
Would he?
"Why not join me, Malcolm?" Shinnok offered, his arms extended in what seemed like an act of providence. "Think of the power you'll possess to revive the deceased, under my supervision of course." An eerie smile graced the God's face, calmly walking closer with purpose. "Maybe you can see what your unborn son will look like, though I'm certain he inherited your features."
Though unable to do anything, Johnny and Sonya sat in disbelief at Shinnok's claims. They never knew Malcolm and Jade bore a child together. The realization hit Sonya like a ton of bricks. Just before she turned in that night, the then Lieutenant spotted Jade and Malcolm making out in the hall but kept herself hidden. She didn't make too much of it until they hurried to Jade's room for what would become a night full of passion between them. That explains why the boy was so desperate to find Jade in the first place and acting so standoffish towards the Earthrealmers ever since that fateful day. Now they understood why Malcolm remained so bitter.
Struggling to stand, Manerva managed to eye her conflicted brother. Though she could understand his dilemma, the last thing the warrior-maiden wanted from Malcolm was an egregious betrayal. That would destroy any budding hope left for the realms.
"Dearest Brother, you mustn't!" Manerva implored, immediately catching her sibling's attention. "Think of what Jade truly wanted!"
Shinnok callously interrupted her. "Yes, Jade wanted a prosperous Edenia as she mentioned many times to me. I can give it to you, Malcolm, and bring forth a new era to Edenia... with you ruling over its people as the new king with your Emerald Queen and infant son."
The priestess narrowed her eyes. "And what is your version of Edenia? A dark one that worships death and dishonor?" An unhumorous chuckle escaped past her lips. "You are everything our former home will never stand for!"
Incensed at Manerva's defiance, Shinnok stopped and hurled another blast of energy in her direction. It hit the maiden in full force, throwing her into the nearby wall to knock her unconscious, a large crater formed in the concrete.
The scene before Malcolm left him hesitating to join Shinnok's cause, his offer very tempting to consider. If the Edenian prodigy accepted the terms, there was a chance Jade and their son would be cured of their afflictions. However, at what cost would that bring everyone else? His sister was sure to be executed along with Raiden's warriors. That would leave an enduring stain on Malcolm's name. He stood frozen as Shinnok stalked Manerva's prone body, both hands lit in a sinister aura.
"Such a shame you tried to hinder my ambitions, girl." Shinnok addressed the comatose frame of Manerva. "You are no use to me alive and shall be the first to join me."
The horrifying glow increased dramatically, Shinnok cackling evilly as he prepared to finish Manerva for good. Just before he could incinerate the warrior-maiden, Malcolm stepped in front of the God and deflected the beam into the ceiling. The boy's eyes narrowed, scolding himself for being weak-minded in listening to the many lies of Shinnok. He would find a more suitable way to free Jade and the others, but not to satisfy himself. Both his mother and father would frown upon such a decision.
"You may grant me power and a promised future that Jade wished for us all…" Malcolm had begun, his eyes changing from dark brown to all the way green. "But I'll be damned if I sit and watch you kill my baby sister!"
"As you wish, boy!" Shinnok exclaimed.
Another fight began, the fate of the universe hanging in the balance. Shinnok's proficiency in hand to hand combat was not to be underestimated. Should Malcolm fail, it would bring about dire consequences.
Shinnok kept the boy at bay, his dark magic inflicting lethal damage on Malcolm's torso as his chest was struck with painful jabs infused with energy. The Dark God then hurled two spheres with deadly speed. Malcolm barely dove out of the way, only to find his face under the heel of Shinnok's foot, grinding his nose into the sole.
"Give up, Malcolm!" Shinnok ordered, increasing the pressure.
Malcolm wouldn't be kept down and fought to get the deity's foot off. He accomplished this by kicking Shinnok in the back of the leg, allowing him a chance to roll away and back to his feet, a noticeable amount of crimson blood streaked from his nose. Everything was in front of the Edenian. One chance to redeem himself.
"An Edenian never gives up!" Malcolm retaliated.
His opponent wasn't fazed at all. "Your spirit is commendable, but you lack rationale and fight only with emotion. It's not too late. These Earthrealmers mean nothing to you and seek to betray you to another ruler."
The lies began to wear on Malcolm's nerves. "Although they aren't my favorite people, Earthrealmers are not my concern. You are."
With that, Malcolm charged forward, striking back with tremendous force as he hit Shinnok with everything he had. Some blows work while others bounced off the armor like it was nothing. But Malcolm came too far to be denied. Shinnok then landed a hard knee to Malcolm's chin, launching him into the air for a follow-up attack.
The Dark Beam.
A wide purple beam emerged from Shinnok's prized amulet before shooting out at an astonishing acceleration. Malcolm never had a chance to even block the attack as it slammed him roughly to the ground. Shinnok didn't stop there. He summoned a skeletal hand from the floor and grasped Malcolm inside it, squeezing the life out of the Edenian's bones before tossing him to the other side of the room. He struggled to stand, injuries racking his entire body. Before Malcolm could even counter attack, Shinnok reappeared and strangled the boy, lifting his whole body off the ground by his neck.
"Since you refuse to accept my offer," Shinnok started, increasing the pressure to Malcolm's esophagus. "I'll make your extermination agonizing. Not even Jade will soothe you in the afterlife."
Proving his point, Shinnok prepared to end the last remaining threat to his rule by gathering all his reserve energy, ready to incinerate Malcolm to a charred corpse. Malcolm's vision turned blurry, the thought of losing everything to this madman coming to reality.
"Son, you must not give up!" a voice said in Malcolm's subconsciousness.
That voice sounded familiar as if Malcolm had heard it before but didn't remember after all these years. He was in a recognizable area, his childhood home in Eenia. Two people barely visible walked to the frightened boy, their faces shrouded by the light. As they came closer, Malcolm was able to recall who the voice belonged to.
His mother, joined by none other than his father.
Priestess Jazella warmly smiled at her eldest child along with her husband. "Malcolm, Edenia's last breaths reside in your body. If you fall to Shinnok, our home will be desolate, far from the paradise you see before you."
"But mother, he's… too strong." Malcolm admitted, his head bowing down at the mention of the Elder God's name. "I've tried everything, and it still isn't enough."
Malcolm's father stepped in. "Then you will need this."
A bundle rested in the older man's arms, covered by the most beautiful cloth silk. He presented it to his son and gestured for him to open it. Malcolm carefully untied the string securing the cloth.
The sight made the prodigy's heart stop beating.
In his hands laid a hand-made, finely crafted Muramasa sword, made from the most durable metal known to man as it remained covered in an onyx colored sheath. On the blade itself, several Edenian characters were inscribed as well as on the handle.
"Father… this is your sword." Malcolm protested, not wanting to take the weapon.
Jemarcus merely waved his hand. "I can no longer use it, my son. And you've proven yourself worthy of wielding it as its new master. The sword combined with your newly acquired abilities will only make you a stronger opponent. We cannot stay much longer, but when the time is right, use the sword to bring peace. Edenia needs a new warrior to step to the forefront. And that is you."
Malcolm knew his father was right. He was all that was left. No Edenian was alive other than him and his sister. They were all that was left of the prestigious land. The prodigy bowed in gratitude before sheathing the sword safely. The world around him began to change as both Jazella and Jemarcus faded away.
A blinding green light illuminated the room before exploding, separating Malcolm and Shinnok from each other. Laying in the center of the Jinsei room in front of Malcolm was his father's sword, unharmed and untouched. He quickly grasped it and became infused with the legendary power it possessed, wielded by his late father who was a great practitioner of the sword.
"Impossible!" Shinnok shouted.
Malcolm said nothing and with a new weapon in tow, began charging with reckless abandon mixed with calm precision. The sword's magical properties infused with Malcolm's powers did wonders to turn the fight in his favor. Shinnok's body couldn't withstand the various cuts and slashes as he bled profusely but not enough to render him immobile. It was then Malcolm performed his X-Ray.
Merciless Retribution.
Using his superior quickness, Malcolm lodged his elbow deep into Shinnok's sternum before driving it straight to his chin, cracking the bones of each body part. This allowed for a vertical slash to the mid-section, the blow causing Shinnok to falter to his knees in defeat, failing to stop the bleeding. Malcolm then proceeded to take the amulet away and tossed it back to Raiden.
"Do it! Imprison him!" Malcolm demanded.
Raiden didn't need to be told twice, using the amulet to suck Shinnok in, who screamed futility as he felt his entire body being sucked into the worm-like vortex. The deafening howls wore on everyone's ears but finally ceased as Raiden managed to trap Shinnok in his own jewel.
Malcolm was thrilled to be rid of the God. However, the fight he endured took its toll. He found himself unable to stand as the result of not practicing much with the sword and his energies at the same time. Within moments, Malcolm knelt down and fell face first, slipping into unconsciousness even as Raiden and the others cautiously approached him.
"MALCOLM!"