Kombat Komes to Beacon
Chap 9: Trip down memory lane and new perspectives Part 1
Mortal Kombat. If you were to explain it to anyone who is not form there, they would think you are crazy. And possibly a psychopath and need help. But to us it is very real. We fight and kill each other every day. The most gruesome and horrifying ways to die we have both inflicted onto others and gone through too. It is bloody and can cause many to lose their minds. But not us because we have grown accustomed to us. Does not mean we don't suffer nightmares too. Also, if you were paying attention, you would notice that I said we have killed others and have been killed ourselves. Normally, in any other place, death is the final resting place. But not for us. In Mortal Kombat, no one ever truly dies. You see someone get turned into a bloody mess, you can safely bet they will be back alive and good as new later and ready to kill you. It's a never-ending cycle that can crush even the strongest of wills. Yet rarely have any of our wills have been crushed. And of those times, it was because of something else and not the constant deaths and being brought back to life.
"One of the places you have died? What do you mean Jaune?" Glynda asked concerned.
"It means what it means." I told her as I grabbed my bag that had fallen off when stepping through the portal.
"Wait. If you died, then how are you still here?" Winter asked skeptically.
"In the world of Mortal Kombat. No one ever truly dies. You can get killed here yet you will just be back later. At first it might seem like a blessing, until you learn that it is actually it is a fate worse than death." I explained to her as I started to discuss with Raiden on where to begin and go from here.
"What do you mean by that?" Ironwood asked.
"Let's just say it is how you are brought back to life and for what reason." I said to him as I finished up with Raiden.
"Where do we go now Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well, I just discussed it with Raiden. We decided it would be best to go through the southlands towards the border where the forces of light were. There should be a portal there that we can use to hopefully get to Earthrealm. Once there, we will go to the special forces base and hopefully find some of our allies who can aid us." I answered her.
"So, you have an idea on what is causing this already?" Winter asked.
"Not yet. But if we can get there and if it is hopefully intact and can get some allies, we will at least have a base to work with and go from there in solving what is happening." I told her. She nodded at this before going to stand next to Ironwood again. Turning to the other Kombatants, I made sure they were ready before doing the same for the others.
"Okay. Let's go." I said and began walking towards our destination.
We started our way to the border of the southlands of Edenia hoping that the portal is still there. It would be really bad that it wasn't there. That would mean we would have to rely on our own teleportation and we are not sure if it will work. Not to mention with everything that is going on, we could land in a really unfavorable spot. The walk was mostly silent which was nice as I could tell we all had a lot on our minds. There were some questions here and there but they weren't too intrusive or annoying. Mostly just questions or curiosities about our powers or abilities. With the occasional question about my past with the Kombatants. Fortunately, that was the extent of their questions. And that was a good thing as I, along with the other kombatants, noticed that the Pyramid of Argus had suddenly disappeared. That was unexpected and alarming as the pyramid was supposed to remain there even after the battle of armageddon. Not to mention, the atmosphere started to get really heavy and foreboding. And I started to see vultures feasting on some bodies that I could have sworn were not there a moment ago but at the same time swear that they already ate those bodies.
"GROSS!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly making me and the other kombatants tense up and pull out our weapons and/or get into a fighting. Turning to her, I saw that she was covering her mouth and seemed a little green around the face like she was about to throw up. Following her gaze, I saw that she found a dead body that was covered in armor being eaten by a vulture. I was about to say something when I felt the other kombatants tense up again for a moment. Quickly looking around, I noticed what caused them to tense up. Small bits of sand were starting to move all around us. The others did not notice as they were focused on the dead body but also the sands movement was hard to spot and just as suddenly the sand started moving, it had stopped.
"What the? This can't be good." I told myself.
"What can't be good Jaune?" Pyrrha asked when suddenly a voice from nowhere started speaking.
'There have been many powerful warriors throughout the millennia.'
"Who said that?" Ironwood demanded as he pulled out his revolver and looked around.
'But ages of Mortal Kombat have begun to tear the fabric of the realms.'
"Hey, what's that?" Yang asked as she pointed to a figure coming towards us.
"Looks like a giant cat with four arms." Blake said as she came up next to her while squinting her eyes. But the figure soon came close enough to be seen easily and it caused the others step back while I and the other kombatants got ready for the fight as the figured turned out to be Kintaro who stopped walking forward and let out a mighty roar for battle. As soon as he roared, many other kombatants suddenly appeared as well charging towards us.
"BEHIND US!" Winter yelled out. Turning around, we saw many more kombatants charging at us as well.
'The critical point, has finally been reached.'
Ironwood, Winter, Glynda, Peach, Team RWBY and the rest of my team all prepared for the fight. Yet I did not, neither did the kombatants that were with us as we noticed something strange. The kombatants charging at us, didn't seem to notice that we were there. It's as if they don't see us. But what really stood out was the fact we saw ourselves. Sindel, Cyrax, Smoke, Sub-Zero, Scorpion and all the others that came to Remnant and were standing next to us, were also among the kombatants charging at each other. It was then that we realized what was happening. The sands, the pyramid disappearing, the already dead bodies suddenly appearing here again. Time was being distorted. We were there in location, but not in time. The events that were playing were the events of one of the armageddon's that happened but we were just witnessing it from a different time.
'It was foreseen the kombatants would one day grow too powerful... and too numerous.'
"WHAT SHOULD WE DO?!" Weiss yelled panicked as the kombatants came closer and closer and were soon yelling out war cries as they drew nearer and nearer.
"Nothing. They are not really there. This is an illusion of sorts." I answered her as I relaxed myself.
"NOTHING?! ARC, THERE ARE TWO ARMIES CHARGING AT US!" Weiss yelled out as she prepared her weapon to defend herself.
"Relax young one. You will see soon enough that these forces are not really here. Trust us." Fujin said to her in a calming voice. This made the others look at each for a moment before relaxing but not fully as they were still tense before moving closer to us. With Pyrrha holding my hand, unsure of what's to come.
"Jaune, are you sure about this?" She asked. I didn't answer and simply held her hand tighter.
'If left unchecked, their intensifying Kombat would weaken and shatter the realms. And bring about... The Apocalypse.'
Just as that voice said that, did the kombatants on both sides finally met in the middle. And just like we thought, they not only ignored us, but went right through us and started fighting with each other as if we were not even there. Starting with Li Mei getting impaled with a spear and then slammed on the other side. Kitana fighting Kano for a moment before kicking him away. Only to be tossed into the air away from where she just was by Kintaro, with Sub-Zero and Scorpion fighting with their swords right beneath her as she flew. I could tell that their fighting confused the others. But mainly the fact that the other kombatants just went through us and don't notice us.
"What's going on Jaune? And why are those two fighting? I thought they were friends?" Glynda asked confused.
"Armageddon is happening Glynda. The final battle of the Mortal Kombat universe. Even though it has happened multiple times. But if you're wondering why they don't notice us, the answer is because while we are here in location, we are not with them in time. What you are seeing is a battle that has already happened. And as to answer why those two are fighting, let's just say that they were not always allies. They used to be bitter rivals whose fights were legendary." I answered her. This caused some concern on her face as she looked towards the Scorpion and Sub-Zero that were next to me and not fighting.
"Look, they are flying." Ruby said getting our attention. We looked to the sky and saw Baraka and Kung Lao fighting each other. Kung Lao with his sword and Baraka with his arm blades.
"I remember that fight." Kung Lao said as he stepped while looking over the fight and reminiscing about it. But then winced when he saw Baraka gets stabbed by him and fly back but not before firing a spark of shards at him. It hitting him square in the chest and sending him to the floor with third degree burns on his body. "And I also remembered that." He added with a wince again. Then we saw Quan Chi and Jax started fighting each other and Jax eventually slamming his robotic arm into Quan Chi's knee.
"Wait, Jax fights Quan Chi then gets hit by Shao Kahn." I said to myself as I started to recall the fight. Only to realize what will happen next and where exactly we are standing. "Shit! Everyone, quick. Follow me now." I said urgently before moving with the others following me.
"What's wrong?" Ironwood asked as he continued to look around and see all the fighting that's going around.
"Look over there at the guy wielding a giant maul and you'll see why I moved you guys to here." I answered him. They looked over to who I was describing and saw Shao Kahn slamming Jax with his wrath hammer before moving on and sending other kombatants flying with single hits from his hammer. Soon he hit Darrius sending him flying to where we just were. And that was when the reason I moved the others from there. The Pyramid of Argus just appeared and started to rise right where we were sending rocks and Darrius into the air along with a few other unlucky kombatants which caused all the other kombatants to stop their fighting to watch it rise.
'The Elder Gods demanded a safe guard... put in place... to avoid total destruction. One that would make use of the Kombatants insatiable bloodlust. Like moths to flame... they will be drawn to battle.'
The voice said as the pyramid rise to its full height with a pillar of flame on the top representing Blaze and the power that one could obtain. All the kombatants looked on in awe at the pyramid. A few moments later and the fighting resumed with Stryker punching Mileena in the face before making his way up the pyramid with the others following suit while fighting each other. Though Stryker didn't get far as he was killed by after blocking and throwing Kabal off the pyramid. Kano then took one of his butterfly knives and threw it at Bo Rai Cho. It hitting him in the back and causing him to stop his ascent up the pyramid. He then turned around and vomited on the steps causing Kano and Kobra to slip and fall down the steps. Sheeva then went up and started beating Bo Rai Cho before punching him off the pyramid.
"Follow me." I said to the rest as I went up to the pyramid and started my way up the pyramid with the kombatants following a split second later. They looked at each other before following as well. As we walked up, we saw all the other fights that were happening. Many at the bottom or the first level of the pyramid still fighting while a few were ahead of the rest. As we got near the top, we saw Kenshi stab Sheeva in the stomach with his sword before taking it out and slashing her back. He then stepped back and blocked an attack from Quan Chi who jumped and tried to slice Kenshi vertically. They fought for a few seconds but Kenshi was defeated when Quan Chi stabbed him in the stomach like how he did with Sheeva. He then moved up and aimed to finish Kenshi off but couldn't as Ermac levitated him with his powers before tossing him off the pyramid. But then he jumped onto Kenshi killing him. It was then revealed to be Shang Tsung who changed into Ermac. He then looked down the steps and saw many of the Kombatants catching up while Shao Kahn was standing there looking back at him.
'At the apex of destruction...' The voice said as Shang Tsung threw a fireball at the other kombatants and Shao Kahn. The kombatants either dodged out of the way or got blasted off the pyramid. Except Shao Kahn as he jumped out of the explosion a second later and tried to slam his hammer onto Shang Tsung but missed as he ducked out of the way. Shao Kahn then moved closer and swung his hammer again trying to hit him but instead git the pyramid as Shang Tsung ducked under the hammer. '...alliances will be broken...' Shang Tsung then kicked Shao Kahn away towards the edge. As he got to the edge and regained his balance, the dragon king Onaga appeared and grabbed Shao Kahn before flying away from the battle. Shang smirked as he saw this but then turned around as he heard chains being dragged on the ground. '...and old hatreds... will be revived.' What caused the sound was soon revealed to be undead Liu Kang who was revived by Raiden who then started fighting Shang Tsung.
"A moment I regret." Raiden said suddenly as he lowered his head.
"Don't be Raiden. While it was a horrible experience, you brought me back to try and help the forces of light." Liu Kang said, unaware of the true reason, as he tried to comfort Raiden a bit. And it worked as Raiden picked his head up which had a small smile.
"That must have been a horrible experience. What happened to you?" Weiss asked horrified at seeing an undead version of Liu Kang in front of her.
"Two of our deadliest enemies teamed up. They formed a deadly alliance and launched a surprise attack on me. They managed to overpower me and kill me. Shang Tsung, who is the one fighting undead me, then stole my soul. Raiden found my body later in the day and tried to revive me. But since I did not have my soul, I came back as this. An undead creature." Liu Kang explained to her. This caused Weiss and the others to pale a bit. Especially at the fact of being brought back as an undead because someone took your soul.
"Wait. Took your soul. Is that what you mean by being revived is more of a curse than blessing Jaune?" Ironwood asked shocked.
"Only one reason. There are many more reason and things that can go wrong." I answered him simply before continuing up the pyramid. At this point, Shang Tsung had already tossed Liu Kang off the pyramid and started his ascent again. But was halted when Mileena pounced on him and started to bite down on his neck. But he managed to toss her off before turning to his side and punching the fool Shujinko off the pyramid as well. He started again but as he came on the last few steps, Liu Kang threw his houan chains at him which landed on his shoulder holding him back. And for some reason, this was causing him to age again. As evidence by his hair turning white and skin getting wrinkled. Yet despite this, he reached out his hands in a fruitless attempt to get to the top still.
'At last, it has come to this final battle... Armageddon... has begun.' The voice finished as the pillar of flame started to transform to show the true form of Blaze which roared at the incoming Kombatants.
"WHAT'S THAT JAUNE!" Ruby screamed in fright as she saw Blaze starting to fight the kombatants.
"That is Blaze. You could say he is the final boss. Whoever defeats him will obtain the power of Armageddon and basically become invincible." I answer her as Yang tried to calm her down.
"How can you beat something that powerful?" Winter asked stupefied at learning this.
"Thats the thing. We are not meant to defeat him. The sons of Argus, who is a god, were supposed to compete against each other as they raced up the pyramid. Whoever won would determine our fate. If Taven won then the kombatants would be merely made mortal and have all their powers stripped from them. But if Daegon won then all the kombatants would be killed. And if neither one then all the realms would be destroyed as a result of our Kombat." I explained to her.
"But sadly, none of those were the case." Raiden said all of a sudden.
"What do you mean?" Glynda asked.
"Watch and you will see." Fujin answered her. They were all confused by his response and the sudden change in tone but decided to continue to watch.
Over the next half hour, we all watched as the battle raged on. All the kombatants fighting and killing each other as they raced to the top to fight Blaze. But most did not make it to the top as they were killed by the others. With the ones that did being made short work by Blaze and then tossed of the pyramid where the fall would kill them if they were not dead yet. It was gruesome but given as this was the final battle. Even the most skilled fighters as we were all basically destined to die here. Only Ironwood has not thrown up yet at this point and was only a little green on the sides. Everyone else had already emptied their stomachs of everything they had eaten today as they vomited at seeing all the blood and carnage. But soon, the battle was coming to an end. There were only few kombatants left.
"Hey, Jaune. Look, it's you." Yang said pointing towards the other side of the pyramid. She was correct as we saw me getting to the top with a few other kombatants right behind me.
"What are you wearing Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.
"I am wearing my Shirai Ryu uniform."
"Shiai Ruu?" Ruby asked.
"Shirai Ryu. That is the name of my clan. Jaune is part of my clan. I presented him with that uniform when he turned of age to join the clan." Scorpion corrected her. Luckily, he just corrected her and didn't punch her lights out for mispronouncing the name.
"Oh." Ruby said before looking back towards the past me.
The past me went to help Raiden and fight off some of the other Kombatants. We were successful in getting some of them off while I distracted Blaze. But it was all for naught. As during the fight, Shao Kahn somehow came back after being taken away by Onaga. He slammed his hammer on my head knocking me out for a few minutes. But that was all he needed as he fought Blaze. And unfortunately won the fight and obtained the power of Armageddon. My past self soon got back up and saw Shao Kahn glow orange as the power entered him. I immediately got up and fight him but was defeated soon again. Shao Kahn then proceeded to eliminate the other kombatants until it was only me and Raiden left that represented the forces of light. Shao Kahn then went up to Raiden and continued to beat him and toss him around the pyramid while taunting him.
'Where are the Elder Gods Raiden?' Shao Kahn taunted after tossing Raiden again. He went up to him before picking up to stare into his eyes again while laughing.
'Their pathetic Mortal Kombat shackles me no longer.' Shao Kahn said before punching Raiden a couple more times in the face before again tossing him across the pyramid again. As Raiden flew across the pyramid, his amulet fell from his person to the ground shattering on impact.
'They masquerade as dragons but are mere toothless worms.' Shao Kahn said as he walked up towards Raiden before summoning his wrath hammer once more. As Raiden struggled to move and tuned to lay on his back, Shao Kahn slammed his foot on Raiden's chest crushing some ribs.
'My venom spreads. It is the end of all things. Armageddon.' He said before raising his arms as his body glowed with and orange aura as the power of armageddon surged through him.
'Stop!' Raiden pleaded. But that fell on deaf ears and Shao Kahn picked him up again.
'Your time has passed.' He said before tossing him again, this time making him land next to his amulet. Raiden struggled to get up and saw his amulet and knew what he had to do.
'Ages wasted in foolish resistance. Now is the dawn of my rule.' Shao Kahn declared. But Raiden grabbed the remains of the amulet and started chanting in some unknown language.
'Yes, pray to the worms. As your world ends' Shao Kahn taunted as he raised his hammer to kill Raiden.
'NO!' My past self yelled as he flew towards Shao Kahn pushing him back and denying him the kill. I began to fight him with all my remaining strength and used everything I have learned to fend him off.
'Raiden, hurry!' My past self yelled to Raiden as he dodged some attacks from Shao Kahn. I was going all out but was barely making a scratch on him. But a moment later Raiden finished what he was doing.
'He must win!" Raiden finished as his eyes glowed blue one last timeas he finished what he was doing. But just as he finished, Shao Kahn tossed his hammer at Raiden killing him by crushing his head to a pulp. And since this was Armageddon, he won't be coming back.
'Just you and me now Jaune.' Shao Kahn said as he summoned back his hammer.
'Seems like it Shao Kahn.' I said back to him as I got on my feet and entered a fighting stance. Ready for my final battle.
'I offered you a way out, yet you remained by that fool Raiden's side.' He said as he got into his stance.
'You know why Shao Kahn. And I will never join you.' I answered back at him with venom in my voice.
'Then die like the rest.' He said before charging at me as I charged at him. The fight was tough and we could feel the power of the fight even though we were there but in a different time. But it was one sided and the result we already knew. I was going to lose and Shao Kahn was going to win. The fight did not last even a couple minutes. I was defeated and struggled to remain on my feet. Shao Kahn then laughed one last time before killing me. He shoved both his hands into my chest causing me to scream out in pain. A second later, his hands went to the other side of me before he ripped me in half. He then laughed again before summoning his hammer and raised it as the power of armageddon surged through him again in victory. But a second later everything disappeared by turning to sand and blowing in the wind. All except the pyramid was gone.
"What just happened? Where did everything go?" Winter asked.
"Time was distorted. The sands of time somehow and for some reason showed us the battle of Armageddon and how we all died, including Jaune. But now that the battle finished, everything turned back into sand as there was nothing left to show. But that is only a guess." Fujin answered.
"What did Raiden do?" Ironwood asked.
"He grabbed the shattered remains of his amulet and chanted in an ancient language to perform one last thing. And that was to send a message back to his past self so as to avoid all this." I explained to him.
"Does that really matter? Wouldn't you all have been brought back to life later?" Weiss asked.
"No. In any other circumstance then yes. But this was Armageddon. Meaning that unless on of won or Taven won, when we died, we would forever remain dead. I would not be standing here if Raiden had not sent that message. And before you all ask how this still happened when Raiden changed the past, it is simple. Time is not always as straight forward as you may think." I answered solemnly. Even though time was reversed and this outcome was halted, I still failed to stop everything.
"Oh, Jaune." Pyrrha said as she came up to me and hugged me. I also felt Scorpion and Sindel placed their hands on my shoulders as they had died before the battle on top and did not know what was my fate.
"Thanks, Pyrrha." I said to her. She gave me one of her beautiful smiles before giving me a gentle quick kiss.
"Alright. We still have a fair bit to go to the portal. Let's go." I said as I started the descent down the pyramid though Pyrrha did grab my hand and stayed by my side which was nice.
It took about five minutes to get down the pyramid as it was pretty tall. Then it took about half an hour to get to the borders of the southlands. It was strangely quite the trip aside from the small talk that the kombatants were having as they discussed all this and what to do when we get to our destination. I guess it was because having to see the fight again was something the kombatants did not want to experience. As for the others, I guess it was seeing the fighting and how brutal it can actually be. Seeing can show a lot more than just being told about it. Not to mention, I could feel the eyes from them on me. Probably because they always assumed I was just a weak kid trying to play hero and now that they saw what I have gone through, their opinion most defiantly changed. That I was not a weak boy but that I was a deadly fighter that have face and gone through death many times. Soon, however, we reached our destination and saw what we hoped for. The portal was still there.
"Okay. We are here everybody. Get ready." I said as made sure everybody was ready to enter the portal.
"Where will we go? And will it feel the same like last time." Yang asked nervously.
"Hopefully to the special forces base. And yes, you will feel like you got microwaved again. Best get used to it." Jax answered her with a laugh.
"Hopefully?" Glynda asked suspiciously.
"Yes, hopefully. The portal we used to get here showed that we were going to step into outworld yet we came here. That means we cannot be sure where this will lead us too. But we don't really have that much of a choice." Raiden explained to her but it did not put her at ease and simply made her more concerned.
"Alright. Let's go." I said as I grabbed Pyrrha's hand and stepped through the portal with her hoping that it will take us to Earthrealm. Everyone else stepping in a second later.