Author's Note: I originally planned to have this whole thing as one chapter, but it just was going on too long so I decided to break it up into a multi-chapter arc. This update alone was 30 something pages in Google Docs. Don't worry, I'm nowhere near done with the fighting yet, so be patient for the bigger, more brutal battles. I'm looking at you, DarkAssassin15 LOL Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it and, as always, I look forward to your angry emails.
Led by Jiayi - who was currently holding her hand as he dragged her towards the main gate - Livy pushed her way through throngs of soldiers positioned on the ramparts who were awaiting orders. A booming voice roared, "FIRE!" at the men, and on cue, the Seidan Guards' heavy artillery opened fire on the approaching army, specifically targeting the siege engines which were currently lobbing flaming balls of pitch at the palace walls. Each time one of those massive fireballs hit the walls, the palace shook from the foundations up, swaying unsteadily as the sounds of men screaming drowned out the unnatural hum of the Seidans' Order cannons. Those electric blue blasts cut swaths through the enemy army, but as soon as those warriors died, at least twice as many Oni sprang up in their place. From the opposite side of the palace came the noisy rapid fire pops of machine gunfire, and Livy knew that the Army Rangers had now joined the fight as well.
As she and Jiayi approached the main gatehouse where they'd been assigned to defend, an Oni suddenly dove from the sky and rammed through their connected arms, knocking them apart with a ferocious roar. Then it turned on a dime and snatched her by her legs with its taloned feet and lifted her into the air. She let out a startled cry as it yanked her above the melee, and she tried to kick free. When that didn't work, she formed a kori sword in her hand and swung it at the monster, bending at the waist to reach. It was no use; the creature roared and batted it from her hand before it head-butted her face. She heard a sickening crunch at the same time a shard of pain stabbed her eyes, and she slumped backwards, dangling helplessly from its claws. And then a shrill whistling noise cut through the air as hundreds of tiny ice shards zipped past her and plunged into the Oni's body. The sharp blades sliced open its leathery wings, ruining its ability to fly, and it wailed in pain as it crashed onto the rampart with Livy still in its clutches. There, Jiayi charged at it with a fresh kori sword and promptly decapitated it with a single swipe.
"Thanks," she told him as she kicked the creature's twitching feet off of her.
The Crown Prince knelt beside her. "Your nose is broken," he stated in concern as he helped her to her feet.
"Undoubtedly," she agreed as she wiped the blood and the involuntary tears from her eyes. "I'll live though," she added when her face was clean, "so let's go find the others."
He nodded and took the lead again, once more taking Livy by her hand as he pushed a path through the amalgam of Seidans and humans. They'd only been trotting for a couple of minutes before she suddenly glanced up in time to see a blazing fireball barreling right towards them. With an incoherent shout, she threw herself into Jay and shoved him to the ground, toppling onto him and shielding his body with hers just as it whizzed overhead. A squadron of Seidans weren't quite as lucky; five of them couldn't get out of the way fast enough and they were promptly squashed and carried over the back parapet when it hit. A fine cloud of red mist was left in its wake.
Trembling, Livy lifted her head and looked at Jay, who was still pinned beneath her body, though he'd pushed himself onto his elbows and was staring back at her as she straddled his waist. "Are you okay?" she asked him in concern as she pushed herself onto her knees and patted his back. A mischievous smile spread on his lips and he closed his eyes, not answering. She narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips tightly together. "Jay?" she prodded as her voice dropped an octave. Annoyance flashed through her.
"I'm thinking," he said, smirking, his eyes still closed.
"Oh, really?" she scoffed, shaking her head as she stood up and then pulled him up as well. "Come on," she said, rolling her eyes, this time taking the lead.
The rest of their jaunt to their place at the main gate was relatively uneventful considering the bedlam whirling around them, though somewhat challenging due to the quaking walls and thick crowd of warriors intermingling with the growing piles of dead bodies. Like a flock of buzzards, the Oni circled overhead, frequently swooping down to attack. Somehow, the two Cryomancers avoided all of that, and soon came to Hotaru and Tomas, who were leading Fujin, Erron, Kailyn, Tommy, Alex, and Bay along with several squadrons of the Seidan Guard.
"Uncle!" she cried as she dashed to the Enenra.
Tomas looked at her and sighed in relief. "Well, that's one less thing I have to worry about," he said. Then he frowned as he studied her face. "It's a little early in the fight to already have a broken nose, milaku."
"I was attacked by one of those winged freaks, but I'm fine," she hastily explained before she turned her attention downward.
Marching steadily up the main road was a long column of enemy soldiers led by Havik. They were mostly a mix of Tarkatans and Edenians with several Oni keeping pace with them in the air overhead, but there was also a surprising number of Seidans with them. Livy could only surmise that they were the rebels she'd heard so much about; indeed, Hotaru scowled at them with the furious eyes of a man betrayed. Flanking Havik on either side were the Revenants in their tattered rags and leather studded armor, looking more like the undead bastard children of Mad Max than the Earthrealm Champions they once were. She quickly discerned who was who, even though she'd never met any of them, and only knew them by reputation and descriptions of their appearances from the ones who remembered them. And walking with them, closest to Havik, were the newly resurrected Skarlet and her father, the Grandmaster.
"Dad," she breathed as she watched him mindlessly walk beside the Chaosrealm cleric. She took a step forward, quite prepared to jump off the parapet to confront him, but now Alex grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"I know what you're thinking, Livy, but don't," he admonished her.
"Oh, now you want to talk to me," she snapped as she yanked her arm away, prompting Jiayi to step between them like he was her personal bodyguard and back Alex up. Both Cryomancers shot frosty glares at him, and her ex looked at the scowling Crown Prince in apprehension. But she did as he said and restrained herself.
Livy quickly surveyed their ranks once more and saw something - or rather, the absence of someone - in their number. "Where's Reiko?" she demanded to know, still scanning their crowd. It was odd that he wasn't at the head of his own army.
Beside her, Hotaru drew the same conclusion. "That is a good question," he agreed with her.
Before anyone could speculate, the invaders halted before the magically sealed gate, and the siege engines stopped flinging burning balls of pitch at the palace. With a disturbing sneer somehow conveyed without the benefit of any facial features to hint at an expression, Havik looked up at the warriors staring down at him from the parapets. "Greetings, Hotaru, you're looking well," he greeted in his raspy tone. "How is your wife?" he jeered.
For all the Seidan's self-discipline and devotion to order, he snarled in rage and turned his naginata inexorably downward, firing a shot of crackling energy at him. Livy couldn't blame him; Havik had murdered the General's wife in a battle many years before. Unfortunately, his attack did nothing. The cleric simply passed his hand through the air, conjuring an invisible shield to protect him. As expected, the energy bolt ricocheted harmlessly off, and the skeletal warrior simply laughed.
"You are trespassing," Hotaru now snarled, every inch of his body trembling in barely controlled rage. "This is an act of war."
"I certainly hope so," Havik called back. "I was afraid we were being too subtle." He cackled, the sound of it ghastly, which sent chills down Livy's spine. "But we can stop the unnecessary loss of life. You know what we seek. Give us Seido's kamidogu."
Now Fujin stepped in. "We know what you intend to do with it, chaosmonger!" he shouted. "But does Reiko know your true purpose?"
Havik barked out another raspy laugh, even as Skarlet tensed beside him. "Give it to us now, or we will annihilate you all," he hissed back in response. "No man, woman, or child shall be spared."
"Only a fool would think you'd spare anyone if you succeeded," he retorted.
"Then you choose death," he replied. "Good." He glanced over his shoulder at the army. "Spare no one!" he roared as he motioned for them to move forward again.
With that, they swarmed forward with a terrific yell just as the siege engines resumed their onslaught. But Livy paid little mind to any of them. She focused her attention on her father, who'd already teleported through ice and found his way to the rampart. Moving so fast that the Seidans had no time to react, Sub-Zero froze several men into solid statues before the young Cryomancer even noticed his presence. But she caught a glimpse of him stalking towards Hotaru from the corner of her eye, and with equally fast reflexes, she parried his attack on the General with her own kori sword. Then, with a ferocious roar, she side-kicked him backwards and watched him fall onto his butt. She took a step towards him, but now it was her uncle who grabbed her by the elbow to stop her.
"I told you, milaku, it's my turn," Tomas said. "I will deal with your father this time."
Tundra's cheeks and lips pursed as if she'd just bitten a sour lemon, and she sighed in annoyance, but for once she obeyed her uncle and joined Prince Jiayi as he battled back the Oni swarming overhead. Meanwhile, the Enenra focused on his best friend. The Grandmaster had already kipped up by this point and stalked towards him with his massive kori sword poised to run him through. Undaunted, the cyber-ninja grinned as he slid into a fighting stance and patiently waited for the other to draw closer.
"This brings back memories, my přítel," he said. "But it will end the same as it did when we were children, with me as the victor and you laid out on the ground in embarrassment."
Sub-Zero lunged for him then, but Smoke promptly slid into invisibility and dodged out of the way before he could get him. While the Cryomancer was off-balance, the Enenra quickly poked him with rigid fingers in various points around his body. As predicted, the Grandmaster's muscles spasmed from the attacks on his pressure points, and he staggered as he dropped to his knees and a single hand, stunned into temporary paralysis. The cyber-ninja's jabs should've prompted his friend to yelp, but instead he remained unusually quiet, almost as if he couldn't feel pain or discomfort.
Smoke wasn't entirely surprised by this development; he vaguely thought of when he was automated and the Cryomancer had cut his entire forearm off at the elbow, and how he'd felt none of the glaring agony one would expect a sudden amputation to cause, only knowing he was injured because his cybernetic sensors told him so. His přítel was an automaton now, just the same as he'd been. Still, he frowned at this revelation. If the Grandmaster couldn't feel pain, it would be that much harder to defeat him in battle.
But pressure points were far from the only tactic in his bag of tricks. He began to conjure a cloud of choking smoke to encircle and weaken Sub-Zero, but to his surprise, the Cryomancer slapped the ground and, somehow sensing his přítel's presence, sent a jagged line of penitentes towards him. The surging shards of ice struck Smoke in the knees, forcing him to lose his concentration and making him reappear as he flew into the parapet behind him. Instantly, the wind was knocked from his lungs. He sagged to the ground, groaning a pitiful wheeze.
Sub-Zero wasted no time lobbing an ice ball at the cyber-ninja, who was stunned, but not so stunned that he didn't dodge the attack. The ice ball careened into the brick where Smoke's head had been just a split-second prior, exploding with a dull splat before coating the gray wall with a sheen of ice. Neither man noticed it, however, as the cyber-ninja had already launched a smoke bomb at his friend and watched it launch him several feet into the air when it exploded. On his fall back to the rampart, the Enenra plucked him from the air with his cybernetic arm, catching him by the throat before he body-slammed him on the ground. Now it was the Cryomancer's turn to gasp for air.
"Cheap shots do not suit you, my přítel," he panted as he reached for the other's tunic.
But Sub-Zero recovered quickly and immediately swept Smoke's legs from beneath him. The Enenra toppled onto his back, and now the Cryomancer pounced on him wielding a kori dagger that plunged straight for his eye. He blocked it just in time with his cybernetic forearm and then clamped down on his friend's wrist with his other hand, twisting it to make him drop it, even as the other tenaciously clung to it. Smoke bucked his body, trying to throw the Grandmaster off, and when that didn't work, he sank his teeth into his muscular forearm and accidentally swallowed the sudden gush of blood that filled his mouth as he ripped out a chunk of flesh. Once more, his přítel didn't cry out in pain, but this time he winced and loosened his grip on the knife, giving the Enenra the edge he needed to slap it from his hand. The knife clattered across the rampart and broke against the wall.
It proved to be the thing that got Sub-Zero off him. The Cryomancer lunged for it, clearly trying to keep Smoke from grabbing it, and so he seized his opportunity and jumped on his back and gripped a handful of his dark hair. Then he started slamming his face into the bricks.
"Go to sleep! Go to sleep! Go to sleep!" he yelled with each thud.
Blood spurted from Sub-Zero's nose and mouth by this point, and only when his přítel's arms fell limply at his side did Smoke stop. The Cryomancer weakly groaned - not in pain, the cyber-ninja thought, but more as a natural - albeit involuntary - response to the head trauma he'd just endured. At last, he let him go, even as the other gurgled on his own blood. The Enenra's cybernetic sensors told him that his friend was suffering from a mild concussion and a broken nose and eye orbit, but he would survive his injuries with no complications.
"I'm sorry, my přítel, but you left me no choice," he sadly apologized.
Smoke started to pull the Grandmaster's hands behind his back to restrain him, but Sub-Zero surprised him once again. Without warning, he slid face-first through an ice portal and reappeared in an instant behind the Enenra. With the speed of a cobra and the strength of an anaconda, he wrapped his arm around the cyber-ninja's throat and began to squeeze with his powerful muscles, choking him. Smoke barked out a strained cough and slapped the Cryomancer's arms with weakening hands, and then he gasped for even the slightest puff of air, trying to breathe. His face immediately flushed with heat and the pressure building inside his skull felt like it was going to explode outward any second now. Stars danced in his sight as his vision around the edges grew dark and hazy. He had to do something quickly before his přítel killed him.
It was hard to think, but Smoke managed to conjure enough brainpower to tightly grab onto Sub-Zero's powerful arm at the same time he stomped his foot to distract him. It worked. The Grandmaster loosened his grip on him just enough to allow him to let the full weight of his body drop to the ground. Gravity did the rest as he gracefully slid backwards between the other's legs at the same time he grabbed his shoulders and yanked him over. The Cryomancer easily flipped over his shoulder and slammed onto his back on the rampart once again. A loud gust of wind exploded from his lungs, and he laid there motionless for a moment, wheezing but otherwise silent.
Smoke, meanwhile, had collapsed weakly to one knee as his hands curled around his throat, massaging it as he coughed and wheezed himself. The sounds that escaped him were like the barks of an Arctic seal. "That was decidedly unkind of you, Kuai Liang," he gasped, struggling for more air. "Guess I haven't made my point yet."
With that, he launched himself at his friend and tackled him.
On the exact opposite side of the palace, on the ramparts that were an unnatural extension of the sharp cliffs below, the Seidans were sufficiently protecting the Army Rangers while they mowed through the winged Oni, who were the only ones who could attack from that angle. The Earthrealmers had shot down enough to make them wary to approach, but a few braver demons continued to dive bomb the warriors, occasionally snatching up some unsuspecting soldier in their talons, ripping them apart with their bare hands when they weren't biting off their heads or some other equally grotesque thing. The artillery commanders were undoubtedly bored since the Rangers were effectively keeping the enemy occupied; they scarcely needed to use their Order cannons against the enemy, but when they did, a rapid fusillade of muffled thumps preceded soaring energy blasts that reverberated through the air and to the ground. The cliffs and trees below the palace shook as a series of concussive blasts ripped through the air, the shock waves triggering rock slides, white-hot flame disintegrating anything those shock waves missed.
Kenshi, who was surrounded by three of the Oni, lopped the head off the first demon that came at him with a mighty swing of Sento, and then he raked its blade across a second's face on his backslash before he thrust his telekinetic power into the third's chest and easily tossed him over the rampart, drilling him into the ground far below.
As he was battling them, a monstrous axe came hurtling at General Blade beside him from the right and she barely had time to dodge aside before it plunged into the ground beside her. It wobbled rigidly in place for only a mere moment, even as she wheeled about and raced towards the demon who threw it. The beast roared as she approached, but Sonya fearlessly circled around him, aiming a pink triad of energy rings from her gauntlet at it. The Oni roared in fury at her as it dodged the attack and took flight. It dove towards her, but she threw herself into a forward roll before it could grab her, and before the creature could attack her again, Jax calmly plucked it from the air and threw it head-first into the parapet. Quickly, Sonya then shot him with her sidearm, and it splattered green blood across her fatigues, face, and hair.
As she was distracted by that, one of the Oni dropped one of its allies onto the rampart before Johnny. His face wrinkled in disdain as he sized up the skinless freak that was weeping blood all over the stone. "Ugh, what circus did you escape from?" he asked as he slid into a fighting stance and held up his fists.
"Do you know what I am, puny Earthrealmer?" he hissed at him, his voice gurgling like he had marbles caught in his throat.
"I'm gonna take a guess and say cannibal humanoid under-dweller?" the actor shot back as a scene from The Time Machine flashed through his memory.
"I was born in Shang Tsung's flesh pits," he rasped. "I am the perfect killer."
"So what you're saying is, you're an evil sack of meat," he deduced.
"Fight me and see," he growled and then dove into a slide towards him on a slick of dark blood.
Before Johnny had a chance to react, the creature collided with him and lifted him into the air with a startled cry, launching him backwards into the parapet before he pulled twin meat cleavers from the belt holding up his tattered loincloth. The actor groaned in pain as he staggered to his feet just in time for the meat sack to swipe at his face with one of the weapons. He leaned back and watched the shimmering blade slice through the air only a hair above his nose.
"Whoa, Texas Chainsaw, not the face! Not the face!" he yelped in fear.
Johnny quickly leapt into the splits mid-air now and swung his leg across his opponent's jaw, only knocking his face to the side for a moment. When he landed, the other retaliated with two swipes of the meat cleavers, first towards his chest and then towards his cheek, but on the third attempt the actor grabbed his arm and brought his bent elbow into the creature's straight one before he whirled around and drove the joint directly into his chin. Stunned, he didn't stop Johnny from grabbing his blood-slick skull and shoving his head towards his knee. He drilled his knee into his forehead, but not before the enemy threaded his strong arms through the actor's legs. With a strained grunt, the meat sack hoisted him over his shoulder and body-slammed him onto the stone.
Now the creature-feature lunged for him, but Johnny lifted his legs over his body and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking him backwards. While he grasped at his belly, the actor kipped up in time to duck a kick aimed at his head. Grunting, he threw a right hook across the bloody, featureless face before he repeatedly started kicking him in the abdomen and forcing him backwards. Finally, he grew tired of that and uppercut him with such power that the meat sack fell into the parapet with a pained cry.
And still, Johnny wasn't finished. He stalked towards him and then dropped into the perfect horizontal splits at the same time he drilled his fist upward into the creature's groin. He wasn't even sure his opponent had nuts to hurt, but immediately his knuckles felt the swell of them as he punched him through the loin cloth and felt at least one of them pop like a balloon beneath the force of the blow. There was an immediate explosion of blood - blood that hadn't been present before. The creature's eyes rolled into the back of his head almost comically, but he couldn't even cry out in pain, only squeaking out a pathetic little sound that Johnny barely heard beneath the gunfire around him.
"Next time, wear a cup," he told the meat sack as he collapsed, holding his bleeding groin and whimpering in pain.
After easily eviscerating many of the Tarkatans who were scrambling to get over the parapets, and after freezing twice as many Oni as they flapped through the air above him, Jiayi whirled around to check on Olivia and blessedly saw her tearing through the enemy forces as ferociously as one of the Lords of Mòhé. Thank the Elder Gods, he thought as he watched her fight. His vow to Himavat when he was stuck all alone in the Lin Kuei Temple weighed heavily on his mind; the Water God had insisted he keep her safe, and he meant to. It was not for him to ask why Himavat had asked such a thing of him, but it didn't even matter. Jiayi's sense of honor demanded nothing less. He would have kept her safe regardless.
As the Crown Prince stepped towards Olivia to assist her with a particularly obnoxious Oni, a voice behind him suddenly called, "Brother!"
Jiayi inhaled deeply before he turned around to face Xinyi. As his younger brother came into view, he couldn't help but notice the glaring absence of his ear. The spot where it had once been attached was now an angry red crescent crusted with blood around the dark hole where his ear canal was. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened to it.
"Reiko was clearly furious with you for harming his prize," he remarked with a bitter scoff. "You're lucky his punishment wasn't more severe."
"His punishment was unjust," he retorted. "She needed to be tamed. Reiko has dealt with her before. He knows how wild she is, how difficult."
A flare of cold fire surged through Jiayi at the thought of anyone trying to tame Olivia. Birds as bright and as colorful as she was should never be shoved into a cage, made a pet, and he said as much. "Her wildness is at least half of her charm, Brother, and to quell that would be to destroy that which makes her special," he told him.
"I do not want her for her personality," the younger Cryomancer hissed, "only for the fine features that will give me equally handsome heirs."
Jiayi noisily inhaled through his nose, his anger rising. "You make me ashamed of you. You make our parents ashamed of you, Elder Gods bless their souls," he growled, shaking his head in disgust. "For this and for your betrayal of our people."
"It is you who betrayed our people!" Xinyi shouted back. "You lack the courage and strength to make Mòhé as great as Seido! And you would have us all die fighting a battle we could never win against Reiko!"
"A battle only made possible through your treachery!" the Crown Prince snarled back.
"Do not speak to me of treachery when you will not take the steps to ensure our place in the future of Outworld!"
"You mean when Reiko steals Shinnok's amulet and uses it to annihilate the Realms?"
Xinyi scoffed. "He has assured me that he will restore the Cryomancers' might when he succeeds," he said. "It's something you are both unable and unwilling to do."
"Perhaps it is because I do not see our people as being weak like you apparently do," he countered. Then he shook his head in disappointment again. "Reiko cannot restore that which we never lost," he said.
"We were exiled to the darkest corner in all of Outworld, yet you say we have not lost our might?" he yelled. "Then you are as delusional as you are gutless, Jiayi."
"We live in peace and prosperity, safe from invaders," the Crown Prince argued. "We have plenty of food, our people are healthy, and our warriors are as hard as the land. Is that not enough for you?"
"We're hiding, nothing more," he countered. "Everyone in Outworld laughs at us. This would not be the case if we were like Seido. They should fear us like they fear the Seidan Guards."
"And what purpose would that serve?" Jiayi demanded to know, his nostrils flaring in fury. "So they can hate us as they hated Shao Kahn? Because make no mistake, that is who we'd have to become in order to achieve your goals. We would have to terrorize innocent people like he and his ilk - including Reiko - once did." He angrily shook his head. "By the Elder Gods, I will not allow our people to become the cruel minions of a godless tyrant. I will die before I allow it, Xinyi."
"That is the deal I made with Reiko, though," his younger brother sneered. "In exchange for your crown, your death, and the opportunity to make Mòhé like Seido, I have pledged the Cryomancers' undying loyalty to Reiko's cause."
"You had no authority to make such a pledge," he snarled.
"Oh, I had every right," he jeered. "Reiko knows who really deserves to be the King of Mòhé."
"You're foolish to believe any of his lies," he argued. "Mark my words, he'll betray you the moment your usefulness to him runs out."
"Wrong again, Brother," he said. "He gave me dear, sweet Olivia as a show of good faith. I'm no fool. I now know how fond he is of her, and I will gladly kill her if I even get a hint that he means to betray me." Xinyi's lip curled into yet another wicked sneer. "But in the meantime, Jiayi, I'll heartily enjoy fucking her brains out every night whether she wants me to or not."
Jiayi wasn't surprised to hear his brother say such a vile thing about Olivia - in fact, he knew that was exactly what the younger Cryomancer's intentions had been all along. Yet, to hear him utter such disgusting words out loud unexpectedly set his heart on fire. Not the cold blue flames typical of his race but rather, the heat and violence of an exploding volcano. Red blistered the corners of his vision. He didn't even realize he was moving until he'd plowed Xinyi into the parapet, screaming and frothing at the mouth.
Bi-han stood beside Sareena on the wall overlooking the gardens and the Temple of Themis, watching the enemy onslaught approach. They'd already broken through the forces on the outer wall; the siege engines had blasted gaping wounds through that thick, ancient stone, allowing the Oni, Tarkatan, and Edenian and Seidan rebels to pour through, deep waters rushing through the floodgates. They trampled over the lush flowers, crushing them, staining them with the blood of the Seidans who rose up to stop them. They screamed their bloodthirsty war cries, charging toward the warriors on the wall.
Bi-han immediately took to fighting off the Oni that attacked him from above, but he suddenly sensed the appearance of someone behind him. Just as that mysterious person swung a sword at his neck, the Cryomancer had already whirled around and blocked him with a newly formed kori sword. There, like a bad penny always turning up, was Rain dressed in road-stained purple robes draped over one shoulder and cream-colored sirwal pants, with his jet black hair twisted into a topknot on his crown, fastened by a golden cuff.
"Oh, so close, your holiness," he jeered at the arrogant demigod, "you almost got me." He smirked. "But once again, I find you lacking."
Rain thinly smiled. "You're looking well, these days, Bi-han," he shot back. "I hardly recognize you without your shadow friend nipping at your heels."
With that, the Hydromancer withdrew and swung his storm sword again, the ferocity of his attack effortlessly driving Bi-han backwards. The demigod attacked again and again, always relentless. The Cryomancer deflected every blow and managed to counter with his own attacks here and there, but Rain easily dominated the fight, and it was all Bi-han could do to keep it up. If he'd had the chance to think about it, he would've grudgingly admitted that he'd never met Rain's equal with a sword, not even Scorpion, who was the best swordsman in Earthrealm. Not that the Cryomancer was terrible at it either - he was an expert swordsman as well - but he wasn't as young as he used to be and even in his youth, Rain would've made him look like a toddler playing with a weapon. He could've used Noob Saibot's help right about now.
In an effort to get the upper hand in the fight, Bi-han lifted his foot long enough to stomp the ground. He didn't have to see it to know his powers surged over the stone, rapidly freezing a large area with ice that the Hydromancer hadn't seen. Rain took one step onto the ice puddle and, as Bi-han had hoped, stumbled when he slipped on it. The Cryomancer used the opportunity to drop his shoulder and launch himself forward into the other's chest on a sudden explosion of ice from his feet, knocking him over the parapet.
But Rain wasn't so easily dispatched. As he started to tumble over, he snapped a slithering water whip at the Cryomancer, and it wrapped itself around his waist. With a violent jerk, it yanked Bi-han with him over the wall, and together they both toppled down. They both crashed through the Temple's roof, but while Rain fell straight to the floor, Bi-han's body flopped onto Themis' head, rolling down, and bouncing off her marble breast before finally hitting the ground. He laid there on his belly for a moment, groaning for a moment as bolts of painful lighting zipped up and down his spine, and he struggled to regain his breath. The pain was incredible, once again reminding him of his age. He thought about Noob Saibot again, and this time temptation filled his mind. Subconsciously, his hand drifted to the Eye of Athanasia dangling from his neck, unaware that the demon was whispering to his soul to break it. But he resisted the urge as he remembered Hotaru's warning, and started to push himself up…
...Only to be stomped down again by Rain's heavy boot. The Hydromancer's foot drilled into the center of Bi-han's spine, prompting a sickening crunch to fill the air and more hot bolts racing through his back. Bi-han howled as ribs and vertebrae snapped. Now laughing, Rain tried to stomp him again, but this time the Cryomancer was ready for him; he quickly rolled between his legs and stabbed up with a kori dagger. It sliced through the other's pants and sawed into his thigh, but it narrowly missed both his groin and the femoral artery, disappointingly enough.
Rain grimaced now but wasted no time grabbing the Cryomancer by the scruff of his neck and throwing him headfirst into Themis' legs. Stars filled Bi-han's vision, but as the Hydromancer tried to grab him again, he turned in time to drive an icicle spike up into his shoulder. More like a small stalactite, the sharp end easily bore through bone and tissue as Bi-han's momentum never wavered. Rain howled and instinctively sprayed a jet of water at him before ripping the weapon from his shoulder, which was now gushing blood.
Once more, Bi-han flew into the statue of Themis, and this time, Rain threw his good arm into the air, conjuring a water spout around the Cryomancer. Water swirled and twisted around him as it lifted him into the air, wrapping around his throat, forcing itself down his throat, choking him. He blindly flailed about, trying to kick or punch himself free. But it was no use. Rain clenched his fist even more tightly, and as he did, the water pressed in on Bi-han even harder.
Fighting for air that would never come, something deep inside of him snapped. Immediately, the Cryomancer threw his arms to the side, and with the gesture, the water froze into tiny shards of ice that violently exploded outward. Thousands of deadly missiles whistled through the air. Rain barely had enough time to teleport away before they shredded him into confetti. They raced through the spot he'd been standing and thudded into the Temple walls, quivering where they lodged. Meanwhile, Bi-han tumbled to the floor again, shuddering as he gulped down air and coughed up the water in his lungs. His chest uncharacteristically burned.
As the Cryomancer staggered to his feet, a thick, strong arm curled around his throat and hurled him into a glowing censer in the shadows near the statue. Instantly, Rain swung his sword at Bi-han with his good hand, who barely ducked in time. The demigod, who was undaunted by his narrow escape, was already leaping through the air towards him with his sword poised to chop him in half. A kori sword was instantly in his hands, and he held it in front of him to catch the Hydromancer's attack. Then he swung his arm in a perfect circle, slicing at the other's neck, but now it was Rain's turn to block and counter with another attack of his own. The two traded attacks in this fashion for several long moments, but after perhaps thirty seconds had passed, neither had inflicted any damage on the other. Bi-han, however, was rapidly weakening due to the injury in his back.
As if proving this point, Rain finally landed a blow. He swung his good arm at the Cryomancer in a diagonal arch and cut cleanly and deeply across his chest. Blood immediately bloomed from the long, deep furrow, staining the edges of his white shirt in scarlet as he stumbled backwards, groaning in burning pain. It was like something heavy was grinding itself into his lungs.
Rain, who saw his opportunity, sheathed his sword before he gracefully leapt into a headstand and sprang into the air using the power of a newly formed geyser to propel him forward. As large drops of water rained upon the Temple, the demigod flipped towards Bi-han and kicked him in the chest with both feet. More crushing pain filled the Cryomancer's chest as he crashed into a pillar, eliciting a startled cry from him. Relentlessly, the Hydromancer charged after him, this time spraying a high pressure jet of water at his face before lifting his arm to the sky to summon a purple bolt of lightning. At his command, it found Bi-han and lit him up like a Christmas tree. And then everything went black.
While Smoke was battling Sub-Zero and Fujin was knocking the Oni from the air above the palace wall using his deadly cyclonic powers and his crossbow, Kailyn busied herself assisting the Seidan Guards as they fought off the Tarkatans trying to get to the ramparts on tall ladders. Clawed hands caught the outer edges of the parapet, and a bat-faced Tarkatan jumped onto the stone block with the grace of a panther, its mouth snarling and drooling. Furiously, the Hydromancer withdrew her curved storm sword from her scabbard on her back and swiped it at him. Her weapon sliced cleanly through the vicious barbarian's neck, silencing his scream before it ever escaped his lungs. Headless, the creature dropped from the wall onto the melee below, but more came, and the Tetrach continued to hack through the invaders alongside her allies. It was bedlam. Mileena's barbaric army swarmed over the railing, their arm blades flailing. The combined Earthrealm and Seidan forces scrambled to meet them, shouting and fighting off the attacking Tarkatans.
To Kailyn's left, young Tundra struggled with three Tarkatans, but she'd formed a large but narrow kori sword and stabbed at them with it. Her blade met sharp bone with an unexpected clang, the toll slightly echoing over the noise of the battle. They matched each other step for step, blades matching stroke for stroke.
To her right, Caliber and Erron fought together, both of them using their Earthrealm guns to hollow out more than a few Tarkatan skulls. During a split-second lull in the action, Kailyn managed to overhear the gunslinger say, "What kind of newfangled fancy gun is that?" When her son answered that it was a .45 ACP, he tipped his hat to him with a smile and said, "Now that's a man's gun, kid. And it may be time for me to upgrade." Then their gunfire began again, deafening anyone in close proximity.
Even Kailyn's much-younger half-brother, Bay, code-named Geyser, helped drive the monsters away, yelling in something akin to panic as he sprayed jets of water at the beasts lunging for him. His inexperience in battle showed, with the skirmish in the Temple the first real fight of his life. Frantic urgency guided his every motion, and he was clearly scared. Kailyn stayed close to her brother, who was holding his own but still sloppy. She turned and defended every attack on him in between the attacks on her, and as she cut the warriors down or blasted them over the parapets with water, a space gradually opened around them.
Suddenly, a flash of colorful movement caught her eyes, and she saw a familiar, purple-clad woman scaling the walls quite acrobatically, leaping from ladder to broken stone to ledge with the grace of a housecat. As she made her way to the parapet, somehow always avoiding the Seidans' Order cannons and the Earthrealmers' gunfire, Kailyn immediately recognized her old ally and friend, Li Mei, who'd fallen by Hotaru's hands decades ago and became a revenant in the Netherrealm due to Onaga's wicked sorcery. She looked ghastly now, one of Quan Chi's twisted creations, and Kailyn knew from experience that her personality wasn't much better.
When Li Mei finally volleyed over the parapet onto the rampart, the Tetrach wasted no time in swinging her storm sword at her, however. The friend she knew was gone forever. But as she attacked her, the Edenian dropped into horizontal splits to duck at the same time a purple fireball flew from her hand and into the Hydromancer's middle. It lifted her up and knocked her back until her flight was broken by the Seidan she crashed into, and she tumbled directly onto her bottom from there. With equally quick reflexes though, Kailyn threw out a water whip, catching the woman with it and then slamming her into the parapet wall.
Still clinging to her with her weapon, she got to her feet and then jerked her wrist to slam Li Mei into the other wall. This time, however, the purple-clad warrior threw another energy ball at her and broke free of her tether. The blast hit Kailyn directly in the stomach, instantly dropping her to her knees and forcing her to vomit as she clutched her belly. Ruthlessly, Li Mei attacked her again, and this time the energy ball launched her into the air and over the wall. She cried out in fear as the ground and all the combined enemy forces below rose up to meet her.
Crunch!
Kailyn squealed as bones in her arm and shoulder snapped, the sound prompting the cry more than the pain, for at first there was no pain. And then it slowly began to seep back in as she laid on her stomach, stunned. It sent reports to her brain, reports that her bones were misaligned and that her shoulder was all but hanging by a thread. The entire right half of her body felt wrong. And with that realization, the pain exploded from a weak ember into a roaring wildfire consuming everything. She groaned and kept her eyes wrenched shut, not because she didn't want to see the damage, but because she was afraid that if she opened them, she would experience pain unlike anything else she'd ever known.
She didn't have the luxury of lying there like a log, however. The enemy forces surely noticed that she wasn't dead yet, and Li Mei was still around somewhere. Kailyn forced her eyes to open and stubbornly gathered her knees and good arm beneath her to push her up, even though the badly broken one just dangled uselessly at her side, shrieking in pain. She had to get back up the wall and find Tomas - Elder Gods, she just wanted her husband right now - and blinked back tears at the thought. So she stubbornly gulped down the vomit threatening to empty her stomach for a second time that day, and stood up in time to see Li Mei jumping down to fight her again, calling to mind a housecat once more.
Wasting no time, Kailyn snapped her good arm out towards the revenant, and with it, a mighty jet of water that cracked her into the palace gate. That futuristic Seidan shield blocking the way immediately buzzed and electrocuted the woman in the same way Earthrealm insects did when they flew into one of Maggie's bug zappers. Blessedly, Li Mei's smoking body fell to the ground, unconscious, before a random Tarkatan scooped her up and flung her over the short wall on the other side of the pathway and into the palace garden.
But the Hydromancer had no time to give thanks for that one stroke of luck. Now that the enemy forces saw her get up and fight off her former friend, they began to press her on all sides, swarming around her. Kailyn was far too disciplined a warrior to show them fear, but she suddenly felt it all the same. She was badly wounded and all alone down here. Not even Lord Fujin had noticed her, but even if he had, he was currently too preoccupied with the Oni to do anything to save her.
It was up to her, then.
Roaring like a madwoman, she sprayed them with water jets too, knocking them back and clearing a space between her and one of the ladders before she grabbed her storm sword from the ground and ran for it. Even still, they surged towards her, and she had very little time to do anything of consequence. Quickly, she held her blade in her teeth as she formed a water whip and yanked the Tarkatans off the ladder, slamming them into their allies on the ground to give her more time. When it was empty, she resheathed her sword and then scurried up the rungs, straining the muscles in her good arm to get up it as fast as possible.
The Tarkatans promptly gave chase, and with long, filthy talons, they scratched at her legs, digging deep furrows in her calves, making her howl in pain with each swipe of their hands. She kicked more than a few in the face, but as if she'd cut off the head of a hydra, more Tarkatans found her and managed to pull her down a few rungs by her ankles. She stopped herself from falling completely when she accidentally hooked her wounded arm around the ladder rail, and the sudden jolt of it sent more fire through her body. She screamed like a banshee now as involuntary tears exploded from her eyes, but still she held on because she knew if she let go, that would be the end of her.
"Tomas," she sobbed for her mate, but he didn't hear or see her. He was too engrossed in his own battle with the Grandmaster.
And then, through her hot tears, Kailyn saw Li Mei scrambling up the ladder after her, pushing her way through the throngs of Tarkatans trying to kill her. Wailing again, she made her bad arm hang on tightly as she yanked her storm sword from her back once more and swung it at her head, only to have the revenant block the attack down with her own dao. The Hydromancer immediately saw an opportunity and took it. She furiously headbutted Li Mei and then kicked a Tarkatan in the face, knocking him off her ankles before she turned and scurried up the ladder once more.
The revenant recovered faster than Kailyn anticipated. Scowling through blood, snot, and tears, she swiped at the retreating Tetrach's legs in an attempt to cut them off. But the Hydromancer, though wounded and crying, was still much quicker than that. Li Mei's blade only skirted across one of her calves and very nearly hamstrung her. Once more, Kailyn started to fall and somehow caught herself with her bad arm, prompting her to howl again, but this time, she was as angry as she was scared. She was drowning in her rage and her hatred and her fear, savoring it as it washed over her, and before she even realized she did it, she'd conjured a massive and violent water spout from her good hand. With a ferocious scream and a jerk of her wrist, the water exploded downward in a perfect column, washing the ladder clean of everyone who chased her.
One by one, the Tarkatans fell from the rungs, landing on the ground only to be trampled by their friends. Li Mei, however, landed on the Edenians' upturned lances and was impaled on five sharp blades with one piercing the back of her head through her skull, bursting out through her forehead. Kailyn breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the woman's eyes roll into the back of her head and her body twitch, even as the horrified Edenians tried to peel her off their weapons with some dignity. She knew that wouldn't kill her - not permanently. But for now, Li Mei's soul was banished back to the Netherrealm where she wouldn't be able to make any more trouble for today.
"Kailyn!" a familiar voice suddenly yelled down at her, so she tilted her face up to meet that of her husband's. Tomas' face was twisted with worry as he leaned far over the ramparts with his hand outstretched for her to take, beckoning her to come, filling her with sudden relief.
She didn't need to be told twice. Already, more Tarkatans were coming up the ladder. She scurried up it as fast as she could given her wounded arm, and when she reached the top of it, the Enenra wrapped his arm around her waist and yanked her over. She grunted and groaned as her broken arm flopped, and he looked at the damage with a storm cloud playing on his features before he cupped her cheeks in his hands, gently wiping away her tears as he spoke.
"This is just one more injustice Reiko will answer for, mo grá," he vowed to her before he kissed her cheek and gingerly hugged her.
As he said it, Sub-Zero suddenly exploded from an icy teleport with a kori dagger in his palm, poised to stab Smoke in the back with it. Kailyn immediately blasted him with a jet of water into the opposite parapet wall. The Cryomancer slid like a doll to his bottom, his head sagging down woozily as the cyber-ninja looked at him in surprise. Then he looked back to her.
"Mo grá," he began, "you must go to the Great Hall where the wounded are gathering."
She furiously shook her head. "No," she stubbornly replied. "I am needed here. I can fight one-handed."
"Unfortunately, you hard-headed She-devil, I'm not giving you a choice right now," he hissed back as he immediately pulled her close and then teleported to the Great Hall. She was disoriented at first, as she always was when he teleported with her, but quickly recognized her surroundings. It was already filling up with the wounded, and her children along with Samantha were scurrying about amongst the Seidan healers, trying to help.
"How dare you?" she screeched at him. "I belong up there, fighting beside you and our friends!"
Tomas didn't answer her. Instead, he buried his hands in her curly blond hair and pulled her lips to his, kissing her passionately. When he pulled away, he said, "I love you with all of my heart, mo grá, but if you leave here and return to the battle, I will hogtie you so tightly that you won't get free without help, and it will not be for fun this time either!"
"Tomas!" she yelled at him, but he had already teleported back to the rampart.
While his Uncle Bi-han fought with Rain, Tommy, alongside Jamie, battled back the Tarkatans that were scrabbling up the ladders to overwhelm the ramparts. And then a bellow of laughter resounded over the battlefield, somehow drowning out the sounds of war, and as the young Hydromancer looked, a giant black man parted the crowd of Tarkatans and approached the wall. He towered above the barbaric warriors, and a smug grin split through a face so scarred with old wounds that it was impossible to tell where one began and another ended. He wore black Seidan armor trimmed in copper, and from that height Tommy saw that it was pitted and scratched, hinting at all the battles he'd seen.
"I see you, boy," he called up, the condescension that dripped from his voice setting the teenager's teeth on edge. He continued, "Raiden and Fujin must truly be desperate if they're willing to conscript clumsy children to fight on their behalf."
With an indignant snarl, Tommy lashed out with a water whip and forced it to curl around the newcomer to yank him up to the rampart. In his inexperience, he didn't realize he'd just played right into the Seidan rebel's hands. The man did, however, and he wickedly laughed after the Hydromancer violently slammed him onto the bricks.
"Impudent child, don't you know who I am?" he chided as he got to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"As a matter of fact, I do," he shot back as he slid into a fighting stance. "You're the guy who sucks at introducing himself."
"I am Darrius, and I was once one of the Seidan Guard."
Tommy scoffed. "The operative word there being 'was,'" he replied.
The Seidan sneered. "Time to die."
He charged towards Tommy, who responded with a jet of water blasting him in the middle. To the young Hydromancer's surprise, however, he was completely unfazed by the attack. "Shit," he swore a moment before the Seidan drilled him into the wall.
He groaned as stars exploded in his vision, but before he could slump to the ground, Darrius grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him to the opposite wall. Still laughing like a sadistic madman, he slammed him headfirst into the stone bricks. A bolt of lightning split through his head, fizzling into darkness and dizziness. Blood dribbled into his eyes from a hot, throbbing spot above his eyebrow. And still, the Seidan wasn't done. He lifted the Hydromancer into the air, pulled his fist back to punch him, and then…
...a water whip wrapped around his wrist, restraining him. In mild surprise, Darrius looked at it, his smile fading. And then several throwing stars lodged deep into his shoulder and arm. The sudden injury forced his hand open, and Tommy now flopped to the ground. With somewhat blurred vision, he stupidly watched Jamie stalk towards them with his storm sword raised to attack.
"Hey, big stupid," he growled, "if anyone is gonna kick my brother's ass, it's me."
Darrius faced him and sneered again. "Two for the price of one," he breathed as he calmly plucked the stars from his skin. "I accept." He cocked his neck to either extreme, cracking it loudly, and then he yanked two energy daggers from scabbards that crossed over his spine. "Make your move, boy."
Tommy watched his twin patiently make the Seidan come to him before attacking him. He swung his blade at him gracefully, his movement so fluid and fast that the blade seemed like one continuous arc. Jamie always was the superior swordsman of the two. But even still, he was up against a former Seidan Guard, and those were men who had reputations as some of the deadliest warriors in all the Realms. His twin held his own for a while, both kombatants parrying and thrusting in a flurry of motion that Tommy had trouble following. Quickly, though, Darrius' experience started to emerge, a point that Jamie clearly recognized because he flung his free hand at him and sprayed him with a jet of water.
This time, it surprised the Seidan. Darrius stumbled back but before he fell to the ground, he countered with a red energy burst from his hard black gauntlet. It was Jamie's turn to fly backwards into the parapet, cracking the stone in web-like fissures with his body. The blow clearly hurt him, and he was slow to get up. Darrius, however, had no intention of giving him time to recover; he stomped to him with his blades poised to stab him.
Tommy had recovered by this point, though, and he used a water whip wrapped around the Seidan's neck to pull him back. That gave Jamie the opportunity to sweep the Seidan off his feet a moment before he tackled him with his storm sword chopping at his neck. Darrius caught him with his legs before he could decapitate him, and he easily threw the Hydromancer off him. Jamie collided with Tommy, knocking him down, but both twins scrambled to their feet at the same time as the Seidan. The three faced each other, all of them panting and grimacing.
Before Darrius could do anything, though, Tommy lifted his arm, trapping him in a water bubble that hovered several feet off the ground. Then Jamie joined him in the attack, feeding the bubble with a jet of water that made the orb spin around like a globe. It wound faster and faster around, and as it moved, the Seidan tumbled in crazy circles, out of control, drowning. But he only tolerated this for a moment before a shockwave exploded from his body, radiating outward in a violent red shimmer. It sent the twins flying in opposite directions, cracking them into opposing walls.
The Seidan fell to the ground, but kipped up and turned on Jamie now. Red energy blasted the Hydromancer, connecting them, somehow lifting him into the air. He began laughing again as Jamie began screaming, clearly in agony but helpless to stop it. Seeing his twin suffering moved Tommy into action. He lunged for Darrius, once again unwittingly playing into his hands.
The Seidan released his telekinetic grip on Jamie just in time to catch Tommy in his hands. With a single, fluid motion, he lifted him into the air as if he weighed nothing. The Hydromancer lifted his head and looked down in stunned amazement as he met his brother's wide, terrified eyes, certain he'd been up there for hours, not milliseconds. And then with a quick, strong jerk that momentarily bent Tommy like a pretzel, Darrius yanked him down across his shoulders. All sound stopped except for the deafening snap at the end of the movement.
For a brief moment, the pain shot through his spine like a bullet, blindingly fast and sharp. Tommy howled, and with him, Jamie screamed his name. And then, as quickly as it had started, it was over, and the Seidan tossed him to the side like a piece of trash. Something warm smeared up his back and the ground around him. When he touched it with his hand and brought it to his face, he realized it was a revolting blend of piss and shit. Disgusted, he propped himself up on his elbows and tried to roll over to get out of the puddle…
...and abruptly realized he couldn't.
Tommy held his breath, a desperate attempt to slow down his pounding heartbeat, a desperate attempt to get away. One second. Two seconds. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Suicide. He collapsed completely on his back again as the revelation overloaded his brain. And at first he was merely breathless, just gasping and fumbling for words, and then the tears came just as the fear and the vulnerability coiled around him. Stubbornly, he pushed himself onto his elbows again, sobbing like a child now as he looked at his twin, genuinely scared.
"I can't feel my legs," he choked out. The simple act of saying it couldn't even make it real. "Oh, God, Jamie, I can't feel my legs."
"Tommy!" his twin yelled as he scrambled to his brother's side, Darrius all but forgotten. "Sam!" he then screamed, even though both boys knew deep in their hearts that their baby sister couldn't help him, even if she could hear him calling for her.
"Oh, you poor little boy," Darrius jeered as he approached them with a cruel smile on his face, his fists tightly curled around his energy swords. "But don't worry. I won't let you live long enough to suffer any inconvenience from your paralysis."
With that, he swung both of his blades down like twin axes at the same time Jamie dove across Tommy's body to shield it from the attack. Both twins had squeezed their eyes shut, waiting for the death blow, but as they prepared for it, a loud explosion followed by a startled cry rang out over them. To their surprise, Darrius flew backwards on a green energy pulse. Bewildered, they both tilted their heads in the direction the shot came from. Only a few feet away, crouched in a fighting stance and holding his naginata more like a gun than a spear was Ikki, the Seidan Horselord.
Quickly, he straightened and looked at them with those hard seafoam eyes. "Take your brother to the Great Hall," he commanded Jamie in his baritone voice. "I will bring this traitor to justice."
Jamie nodded and said, "Thank you." Then he hoisted Tommy onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and staggered towards the Great Hall and their sister, both twins praying she could fix this.
alwaysdoubted, oh, Reiko is absolutely hellbent on becoming a Blood God, and Frost could only run with him for so long. The heroes definitely have their work cut out for them.
Pom Rania, yes, he is LOL
MKDemigodZ-Warrior, all of your questions are valid. Stay tuned for next week's episode to see what happens to our beloved heroes!
ROCuevas, thanks!
DinoLord00, that might be the understatement of the year LOL Honestly, I don't know that Blood God Reiko will last very long in my version of things, but I promise he'll have a better ending than the comics did. And definitely brace yourself for the worst, my friend. I'm about to go full on Game of Thrones on our heroes. As for Livy and Jiayi, you forget that even though the Cryomancers grudgingly admit it, she is noble through Xing's bloodline (and is Shudi Tsai Bing's distant niece), ergo she is eligible to marry a royal. But let's not get ahead of ourselves yet! They're not even together - she's just crushing. And one or both of them could die in the unfolding chapters ;) But even if they get a happy ending, you're right in assuming that some of the Cryomancers - mostly the older generations - won't be keen on her becoming the Queen at all, simply because of her mother's bloodlines.
DarkAssassin15, it was nice reconnecting with you! And as always, the way you review my stories cracks me up :D I know you didn't get the hardcore femdom you wanted in this chapter so much, but don't worry. I've got you, fam ;) Some asshole is gonna get his taint kicked in by one of the women, scout's honor.