Tetsurri and his newly acquired army were ready. Ready to siege Zaterra and take back what he lost to Queen Sytholin all those years ago. Tetsurri had never anticipated being brought back to his physical form by Shinnok of all people. Tetsurri had already been well aware of the Fallen Elder Gods existence as a result of his and Raiden's first clash that nearly wiped out the Saurians along with the dinosaurs.)
Tetsurri observed the men and women who all lined up mindlessly, having all received word from Shinnok to obey Tetsurri's orders. He saw some unfamiliar faces but recognised most. He saw some of the Saurians who opposed his first reign as Zaterra's king, and those who loyally served him no matter what. It pained Tetsurri to see his allies like this, but he wished to continue nonetheless. An army of almost an entire generation of Saurians was at his disposal, and they all mindlessly served him. However, there was one face that Tetsurri couldn't help but smile at seeing in this state: Sytholin. The Saurian who had started an uprising which not only took the throne away from Tetsurri but she also took his life.
"How the mighty fall," Tetsurri laughed. "Remember telling me that, Queen?"
Sytholin didn't reply, as Tetsurri expected. Instead she continued staring forward with her body straight like all the other Saurians under this strange mind control.
"Are you ready?" Shinnok asked.
"Yes, Lord Shinnok." Tetsurri confirmed, a smile on his face again which was now hidden behind his night black helmet with the top of it having a resemblance to his old crown as Saurian's king. The rest of his armour was also black, relatively similar to the armour that most Brotherhood of Shadow members wore. The difference was that he had augmentations like the crown and a chestplate with parts that glowed an intimidating red.
"Good," Shinnok replied as Quan Chi joined his master who stood in front of his grand new army. "So, did you find that damn Wraith?"
"No," Quan Chi answered truthfully. "But Noob Saibot considers me a friend. He will surely return."
"Then I'll let him handle his business while we proceed with our own," Shinnok decided which was rather generous of him to let a member of the Brotherhood go awal, but Shinnok trusted Quan Chi and his strange bond with the Wraith. "It is time, King Tetsurri."
The portal to Zaterra had been created behind him with Quan Chi and Shinnok working together to make a portal large enough to fit the entire army. Tetsurri then commanded the undead Saurians to follow him through which they of course complied and went through the portal that quickly transported them to the forest just outside the kingdom called Varkain within the realm of Zaterra.
Chameleon had finished burying the corpses of his fellow kind as he stood alone in Varkain. If only he knew that many faces familiar to the dead bodies he had just buried were now brought back from the dead thanks to Shinnok, only now in new but exact replicas of their previous bodies.
Chameleon walked outside of Varkain's old yet still strong walls as he went to return to his fellow Saurians who he presumed most would be at the campsite that Reptile and Khameleon promised to make before he left to find Varkain. With their old kingdom found, the surviving Saurians could now return to their true home within this realm.
Just as Chameleon was heading towards the forest he was jumped by many of the undead Saurians who were lurking within. Two Saurians leapt on top of him, both their faces Chameleon could recognise as faces he saw on the corpses he had just spent many hours burying. Chameleon was shocked but his instincts still called for him to reluctantly fight back against the two Saurians.
Chameleon punched the two Saurians off of him, giving him an opening to stand up and allowed him to channel into a fighter whose abilities he was naturally able to replicate. Chameleon's costume began turning red as he utilized the telekinesis he took from his soul construct ally known as Ermac. He raised the two Saurians and smashed them together before launching the pair of them into a tree. Both confused and curious, Chameleon headed into the forest where the couple of hostile Saurians had emerged from.
He soon found several more Saurians with the same red eyes glaring at him. All these Raptors dressed in black and red colour coded gear that all had the logo of the Brotherhood of Shadow proudly presented on the attire, though the symbol meant nothing to Chameleon. Tetsurri soon came forth to see what the commotion was. Soon finding Chameleon who stood out like a sore thumb with his pupiless and clear white eyes.
"Well what do we have here?" Tetsurri wondered as he approached the startled Saurian. "A survivor?"
Chameleon noticed Tetusurri's crown and began drawing similarities from it to when Tetsurri was Zaterra's ruler. "Tetsurri?" He asked, praying it was a mere coincidence.
"Good to see that the current locals can recognise their true ruler," Tetsurri remarked as he got in the face of Chameleon. "Where are the rest of you survivors?"
"Hold on," Chameleon paused as he soaked in this revelation. "Nobodies recognising you as Zaterra's true ruler. Not me, and I'm sure nobody else."
"Care to explain this army that I have accumulated then?" Tetsurri stepped back as even more undead Saurians emerged from the nature that covered the forest in it's green vastness.
"I haven't the slightest clue," Chameleon admitted though phrased it like his lack of knowledge should be obvious. "I was expecting you to tell me."
"Join us and I will." Tetsurri offered suddenly.
"You really are rushing into things…" Chameleon commented as he was still yet to have properly taken in everything that was randomly tanspiring.
"If your very soul was trapped in a crystal for thousands of years then you too would be impatient to reclaim what's rightfully yours," Tetsurri argued as he began circling Chameleon which made the non-brainwashed Saurian uneasy. "In addition, I really do not care about going into a deep explanation of this thing just for you."
"Then why should I trust you considering your reputation and the fact I have not the slightest knowledge of what you're offering?" Chameleon pointed out as he reached for his ninjatō as he began expecting things to delve into violence by the end of this discussion.
"My apologies," Tetsurri sarcastically apologized. "Allow me to rephrase… join me now, or die."
"I choose neither." Chameleon said bravely before unsheathing his ninjatō and going to slice at the former Tyrant's face.
Tetsurri's reflexes were quick however, and he had silently noted that Chameleon had placed his hands on his sword beforehand which made him all the more prepared for this attack. Tetsurri drew his scythe at the right moment and hooked it around the ninjatō before dragging it down which opened Chameleon to a punch in the face. Chameleon fell backwards, stumbling into more of the red eyed Raptors.
"Why do you follow HIM?!" Chameleon questioned as he did not understand where these other Saurians had come from and why they were following the suddenly resurrected Tetsurri.
"The incredible part is that all of this wasn't even my idea!" Tetsurri revealed.
"Just tell me what you've done!" Chameleon demanded as he did a kip-up to his feet and batted a few hostile Raptors away using the skills in the martial arts known as White Crane Boxing, one of the five imitative styles of Shaolin Boxing that the Kahn Guard formerly offered to train members of their group with the very few actually familiar with the arts in an attempt to match the levels of the White Lotus Society itself.
"I did nothing," Tetsurri clarified. "Lord Shinnok is the mastermind of all this."
"Sh-Shinnok?!" Chameleon's voice trembled merely from speaking the name of the Fallen Elder God alone. "What does he want with Zaterra? I haven't heard about him in years!"
"He wants it under my leadership," Tetsurri began smiling crookedly behind his helmet. "And in turn I shall serve him as he spreads his rule throughout all the realms."
"He has waited too long!" Chameleon argued. "With Shao Kahn now gone, we have more allies from Outworld than you could even imagine."
"I thank whoever slayed that beast," Tetsurri remarked. "But do tell me. Does your alliance with Outworld make you stronger than the armies Shinnok has been building up for thousands of years?"
"Guess we'll find out…" Chameleon sounded uncertain.
"Get him!" Tetsurri commanded the Saurians who stood menacingly around Chameleon who complied instantly thanks to their brainwashed state.
Chameleon quickly reacted by using the skill of stealth that all Saurians possessed to blend into the environment, becoming almost completely invisible with the outline of him being slightly blurred as the only hint of his location. This wouldn't be much of a warrior for Chameleon however, as the vision of Saurians wasn't as strong as many races which meant they were unable to detect the blurred outlines.
Chameleon sprinted undetected throughout the forest. He was rushing his way over to the planned campsite where Chameleon was certain he'd at the very least encounter one friendly Raptor. There was also a concern that these Saurians associated with Tetsurri and Shinnok had already gotten to his friends or even worse was the thought of his own sister potentially in danger or already been slain by these savage red eyed Raptors.
Chameleon soon found the brand new camp built by naturally gained resources for temporary shelter. A sigh of relief overcame Chameleon as he saw both Khameleon and Reptile in the centre of the camp area having a conversation as many other Saurians were also resting at the site in or outside of their thick stick huts that were prompted against thicker trees. These structures didn't take long to build thanks to a fierce group effort. Chameleon soon unshrouded himself before his sister and his sister's lover.
"Oh Oculto," Khameleon let out a small laugh as she assumed Chameleon had gone invisible. "You need to try harder at making us jump."
"I wish I was only here to play games," Chameleon commented as a concerned look came over both Khameleon and Reptile's faces. "But somethings wrong."
"What do you mean?" Asked Reptile.
Chameleon took a deep breath as he quickly came up with the words to describe what he had witnessed.
"I…" Chameleon went to begin his explanation but couldn't speak.
"Talk to us, brother." Khameleon pleaded.
"Tetsurri," Chameleon spouted suddenly. "He's back with an army!"
"What?!" Reptile cried out.
"How?!" Khameleon couldn't believe it. "We FINALLY get our realm back after so long and all we had to go through in Outworld under Shao Kahn's rule and once we FINALLY get through it all HE just has to coincidentally turn up!?"
"Axoltia please calm down," Chameleon begged. "Look… he mentioned something to do with Shinnok and-"
"Do you think THAT helps?!" Khameleon snapped. "Of all the names in the world did you seriously think I also needed to hear about Shinnok?!"
"I didn't know you could be this angry," Chameleon remarked. "I thought it was just me."
"All of us Zaterrans have a temper!" Khameleon claimed. "It's just the two of us bottle it up until-"
"M-my love," Reptile quietly interrupted as he called for her attention as he himself was shaking and stuttering out of fear and anxiety. "Ta-take some de-deep breaths… we need time to th-think and calm down…"
"Syzoth?" Khameleon began being concerned with her loved one, which made her rage shift quickly to worry. "Are you okay?"
"I'm…" Reptile paused as he began tearing up. "I'm not okay…"
"You can talk to me." Khameleon offered.
Reptile couldn't respond as he began balling his eyes out. Dinosaurs had always been able to cry in order to clean and protect their eyes, like most reptiles. But due to their evolution, Saurians had emotions as great as humans. This meant that a saddening sight like this wasn't unexpected for either of the two Chameleons. Reptile curled himself into a ball as the two siblings registered he was unfortunately having a panic attack.
"It's alright, Sy," Khameleon quickly got down to him and hugged him close. "I'm here… just breathe slowly, okay? Do it with me…"
"What's happening?" One nearby Saurian asked.
"Is he alright?" Asked another.
An audience of fellow Saurians at the newly built camp had gathered around with both questions and concerns.
"Give him some space!" Khameleon demanded but quickly realised she may have come across as rude. "Please leave us be."
"I'll leave you two alone to process this for now," Chameleon decided after Khameleon's request and spoke softly in an attempt for his own words to also hopefully ease his distressed friend. "I promise I will return with help. Just stay safe."
"Thank you, brother." Khameleon said graciously before returning her full attention to her beloved.
Chameleon walked away from the campsite with a plan in mind. Having studied the Spectre known as Scorpion, Chameleon had soon learnt of the Spectre's ability to escape Hell with a simple teleport if they were fueled with enough anger. Chameleon had cooled down a bit since encountering Tetsurri so he no longer met this requirement to teleport from realm to realm. But Chameleon was on the verge of breaking as he not only had some of the rage he felt from Tetsurri's abrupt return but also anger at the fear the tyrant had struck into his closest friend and his own sister. Chameleon began delving into the worst moments of his life and the first he thought of was having to face against Khameleon as forced by Shao Kahn's orders…
Axoltia had been leading the remaining Zaterran rebels against Shao Kahn. It had been a few years since the Emperor had merged Zaterra into Outworld and most Saurians from the latest realm to fall to Kahn's conquest had either been forced to join the ever growing ranks of the Kahn Guard or missing and presumably killed. The few remaining members of the group named the Raptor Rebellion were on the move since their previous hideout had been recently raided by one of Kahn's extermination squads. They weren't fit enough now to act as rebels fighting against the Emperor, they were now trying to hide from him and his soldiers.
The remaining eight Saurians of the Raptor Rebellion wandered cautiously throughout the Great Swamp, the only part of Zaterra that had properly carried over to Outworld in the merger. Their hideout they were still trying to get as far as way from after the attack that happened the night prior. Despite the plan to leave the Great Swamp, one of the remaining eight was still in protest.
"Please, Axoltia!" she addressed her leader. "We shouldn't be running away! Why run away when they'll just catch us again and slay more of us!"
"Look, Lisko!" Axoltia was beginning to get frustrated by her allies moaning. "If my leadership is such an issue to you then leave and surrender yourself!"
"I can't leave you!" Lisko responded firmly.
"And why is that?" Axoltia asked out of curiosity.
"Because you're like family to me," Lisko muttered. "I thought you knew that…"
"I'm sorry." Axoltia apologized.
"Hmpth," Lisko noised, seemingly to signal that she did not accept the apology. "We need to take a break to rest. Some of us are wounded y'know?"
"We should leave the Great Swamp first." Axoltia sounded determined.
"Please," begged one of the heavily injured rebels. "It… hurts…"
"We'll be fine for a few hours," Lisko assured. "You have been making us walk the whole night after all."
"Fair enough," Axoltia gave in. "We shall rest."
Meanwhile, Oculto, who now went under the carelessly basic codename of Chameleon given by Shao Kahn purely because he cared not to memorise such foreign names, had been stalking the group by orders from the Emperor himself. He had been a forced part of the extermination squad due to his skills but more specifically for the sake to torment him. Shao Kahn also attempted for Reptile to join in but he had rather bravely ran away instead of complying, Chameleon hoped that what his friend offered as a warrior would prompt Kahn to spare Reptile once he inevitably had him brought back to the Kahn Guard.
Shao Kahn himself had visited the Great Swamp, wanting to immediately know whether the extermination squad was successful or not. Chameleon knew that as the highest ranking warrior sent with the squad, he would be the one to detail the Emperor of their progress to exterminating the Raptor Rebellion. Chameleon himself hadn't actually made any attacks and instead watched, secretly slaying hostile members of the Kahn Guard whenever he could get away with it as they scattered around the large swamp.
He soon reluctantly went to find Shao Kahn which he predicted would be located at the remains of the rebel hideout. He guessed right and soon found the Emperor and his guards stood on the marshland surrounded by the soot left from all of the hideouts belongings being burnt down.
"Well?!" Kahn's voice boomed throughout the swamp as he addressed Chameleon. "What have you learnt?!"
"I followed them to the Golden Desert," Chameleon had spent a solid few minutes constructing a lie to tell the Emperor. "They're long gone from here, Emperor."
Shao Kahn couldn't help but laugh at Chameleon's lie.
"Emperor?" Chameleon was confused by the sudden outburst of laughter.
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?!" Kahn asked as he had read through Chameleon's lie. "I can always tell a liar. They couldn't have left this swamp already! So, where are they?!"
"I d-don't know." Chameleon tried lying again, but this time it was his stutter that gave the fib away.
"Tell me now," Kahn demanded. "Or I'll kill you… and Reptile once I find him… and any other Saurian I find will perish… including those already in MY Guard. Am I clear?!"
Chameleon paused but came to the difficult decision that complying would be the better option.
"Show me their location and I'll spare them," Kahn promised. "If not then I'll still find them either way and I will kill them. Final chance to tell me."
"Just follow me." Chameleon reluctantly gave into Kahn's demands and offered to show him where he had found them.
Hours later Chameleon, Shao Kahn and the following soldiers had arrived at the point in the swamp where Chameleon last saw the group. It didn't take long for the rebels' resting spot to be discovered.
"I've offered surrender multiple times," Shao Kahn pointed out. "Now they will die!"
"No!" Chameleon yelled. "You said you'd spare them!"
Kahn laughed. "And I am a better liar than you."
"Damn you!" Chameleon yelled.
"Attack!" Kahn ordered his soldiers. "And that includes you, Chameleon."
"Kahn Guards!" Lisko called out as those in good enough health to fight got their weapons ready for the oncoming soldiers.
"I said we should've kept moving!" Axoltia remarked as she grabbed a sword.
"If you weren't such a poor leader then we wouldn't have been in this situation to begin with!" Lisko bounced back with another argument.
"Let's stop," Axoltia quickly came to her senses as Kahn's soldiers were getting ever closer. "We shouldn't argue like children. Especially not now."
"You think?!" Lisko made sure to get the last word in before beginning their fight with the soldiers, which she was fully expecting to be their final stand. "We're about to die!"
"Don't say that!" Axoltia ordered as she blocked the first attack from a soldier as they had arrived to the remaining eight who stood their ground.
Lisko immediately took her signature falchion and began cutting through as many soldiers as she could. She was fuming and although thought survival was impossible she wanted to cut through as many enemies as possible before finally resting in peace.
Axoltia was trying to prioritise protecting her allies but the one who could hardly walk was soon beaten to death which set her on a spree to slay her friends' killers. Once they had all fallen in bloody fashion, Axoltia spun around to check on her comrades only to witness another get pummeled to their demise.
That left six rebels now with one being floored by two soldiers who was now pleading for their life. Axoltia managed to make the save just in time in this case as she threw her sword and it impaled one of the soldiers before running over, leaping onto the back of the curled up and wounded soldier while also retrieving her sword and jumping in the air before landing a fatal strike with her sword slicing through the other soldiers head, their helmet unable to withstand the force of the attack.
"Thank you…" The Saurian said gratefully but with a clear weakness in their voice. "I owe you my-"
Before the Saurian could finish their sentence, Shao Kahn's Wrath Hammer came down from the sky and crushed the poor Raptors skull, a red paste with bits of brain spilling across the damp swampland.
"You monster!" Axoltia insulted as the sight of her friend's fresh corpse made her both tear up and feel sick.
Shao Kahn advanced to confront the rebel leader himself as Chameleon hung back, frozen in place without a clue of what to do. Two Saurians came to protect her but one hammer swing to each of them was enough to end their long lasting lives just like that. Three Saurians remained with the number soon to decrease. Another tried confronting the Emperor bravely but Axoltia pushed them back.
"Run!" She ordered but that brief moment allowed Kahn to launch his Wrath Hammer with such force that it took off the poor Raptors head.
Axoltia was Shao Kahn's next target. She began wildly hacking at Kahn but each blow of her sword was blocked by the handle of the Wrath Hammer before Kahn got an opportunity to parry one blow and smash the hammer into her face before booting her to the muddy ground.
"Bring Chameleon!" Kahn ordered some nearby soldiers as he had noticed the warrior hadn't been abiding by his orders.
"Brother?!" Axoltia was not expecting Oculto's presence here of all places.
"Your brother has aided me in perishing the last of you." Kahn claimed before laughing evilly.
"Impossible," Axoltia wouldn't believe it. "That's not true! It can't be!"
"It partly is," Chameleon quietly admitted. "He… promised to spare you if I revealed your location…"
"AND YOU TRUSTED HIM?!"
"I'm sorry…"
Axoltia thanks to her rage managed to muster enough strength to get to her feet before immediately punching her brother. Shao Kahn laughed at the spectacle, taking great pleasure in tearing another family apart.
"Fight for my amusement!" Kahn demanded. "Whoever kills the other sibling shall be rewarded greatly by me!"
"What?" Axoltia turned to the Emperor. "I'm not fighting for you. And I'm not killing my own brother!"
"That's a shame," Kahn sounded disappointed. "But maybe your brother thinks otherwise."
"Absolutely not," Chameleon refused as he wiped some blood that came from Axoltia's punch. "I couldn't."
"I think we can take him, brother." Axoltia said confidently before running over and hitting a jumping kick to the head of Shao Kahn, knocking the Emperor's infamous helmet and skull mask off.
Chameleon was shocked by this sight but wanted to help as it was the least he could do following his mistake. He charged at the Emperor with a shoulder bash that was amplified by the same green energy of soul magic that Shao Kahn used. Chameleon was replicating his powers.
Kahn staggered back with an enraged look on his exposed face. He raised his Wrath Hammer in the air as he lined up to strike down Axoltia but Chameleon sent a heavy blast of water right at him, causing him to stagger into a rock where he tripped backwards and fell into a swampy lake that lived behind where the action was taking place. While the Emperor was lying in the filthy water, Chameleon followed through using the powers of hydromancy to try drowning the Emperor by taking all the nearby water in the swamp and dumping it on top of him.
"Did you just…" Axoltia had a flash of hope overcome her as did many of the soldiers who were watching the fight, they too hoped Shao Kahn wouldn't rise out of the water.
"Don't get your hopes up," Chameleon was being realistic and knew this wouldn't be the end of Shao Kahn. "But… maybe he is gone."
"Lisko?!" Axoltia turned around with concerns that her friend was dead. "Answer me!"
One soldier came forward from the viewing audience, carrying the body of Lisko. They placed her body beside Axoltia who stared daggers at the warrior. She knelt down besides Lisko, checking if she was still alive from the wounds she had sustained. Lisko soon began coughing up blood and Axoltia let out a sigh of relief.
"Lisko!" Axoltia cried out. "Are you okay?!"
"I'm not," Lisko admitted as more blood spluttered out of her. "I'm not going to make it…"
"Stop saying these things!" Axoltia demanded.
"You're mad," Lisko accused. "Everybodies dead… I'm next in line to join them."
"We just stopped Shao Kahn!" Axoltia explained. "These soldiers have stopped! They can help!"
"Anybody who walked with him is a coward," Lisko believed. "I'd rather die than tolerate this realm any longer."
"Stay with me," Axoltia pleaded. "I've hardly got anybody left."
"You have your brother and your boyfriend," Lisko pointed out. "Two men who you'd leave us for days just to visit… yet we still followed you and this is where we ended up…"
"I'm sorry," Axoltia apologised. "This is my fault."
"Our rebellion was going to get us all killed in the end," Lisko reasonably knew from the very start. "So why apologise? The only way to truly live is to live freely… at least until Shao Kahn butchers you."
"It shouldn't have ended like this!" Axoltia stated.
"It couldn't have ended any other way," Lisko argued as she used her remaining strength to grab her falchion and hand it to Axoltia who accepted it without question. "Thank you… for letting me be free…"
"Goodbye, Lisko," Axoltia said as she began crying once more as her closest friend passed away. "I love you."
"I don't mean to interrupt," Chameleon cautiously butted in. "But I'm seeing movement…"
"No!" She screamed out of pure anger as she watched Shao Kahn emerge from the swamp with a grin on his face as he called upon his Wrath Hammer. "Why won't he die?!"
"I must admit that the two of you have impressed me," Shao Kahn gave some surprising praise. "So I offer you to join the ranks of the Kahn Guard with your brother where you can both be two of my most powerful assassins. Chameleon… and Khameleon… but yours shall be spelt with a K."
"Is that all we are to you?!" Chameleon asked. "You don't even care enough to give us unique names?!"
"I do not," Kahn immediately confessed. "Now do we have a deal?"
"No way!" Axoltia refused. "Your soldiers have turned on you! There's no way you can stop us all!"
"Firstly, I could crush each and every one of you," Shao Kahn made clear as his soldiers began surrounding the two Saurians which they found very bizarre. "Secondly, they only seemingly betrayed me because they're all fools with the hopes that I was just defeated! So long as I live they will serve! You will do the same or perish!"
"Are all of you seriously going to let him treat you that way!?" Axoltia asked.
"It is for survival," Kahn explained. "I heard your now dead friend of yours… she was a fool to prefer death over being a part of my everlasting empire."
"Don't you dare mention her!" Axoltia demanded.
"You do not tell me what I can or cannot do!" Shao Kahn began raising his voice again. "I am YOUR emperor! I am unstoppable and the only way to be safe from my wrath is to obey me! Do not follow in your friends footsteps unless you are THAT desperate to join her!"
"Maybe I am!" Axoltia said confidently. "Maybe I am ready to die!"
"Axoltia you aren't thinking straight!" Chameleon was instantly frightened by the words coming out of his sister's mouth. "We must accept the offer! Think about Syzoth!"
"Listen to your brother," Kahn advised. "He actually has a brain."
Axoltia took a moment to think as she stared at the ground.
"I do not have all day!" Kahn rudely interrupted her thoughts. "Do you accept my offer or not?!"
Axoltia turned to the Emperor and hated what she was going to say next. "I accept…"
Just recalling back on the events would make Chameleon's cold blood boil. His attire turned yellow, reminiscent of the being known as Scorpion, and teleported to the Netherrealm. He looked around his sudden new burning surroundings. It was his first and hopefully only time in Hell. He wished he could just walk up to wherever Shinnok was lurking and make him suffer for whatever involvement he happened to have with the revived Tetsurri, but had the common sense to know what a foolish thought that was. Being in the Netherrealm he now had open access to whichever realm he wished to travel to using the teleportation powers possessed by a Spectre when at a level of rage that most beings could never reach. He chose Outworld where he soon found himself on the bridge at the entrance of Mileena's Fortress.