Author's Note: I forgot to mention it in an author's note in the previous chapter, but I can't believe no one noticed the cameo by Meat two chapters ago. Here's a hint: he was the strange, skinless creature who attacked Johnny. I kind of thought it'd be funny to have everyone's favorite wise-cracker beat the hell out of one of everyone's least favorite MK characters. Don't worry, he won't be returning, he was just a convenient punching bag LOL Also, this is a shorter chapter than the previous two because honestly, I needed a mental break from writing fight scenes. But I hope you enjoy it regardless.
In metal-studded armor bearing Shao Kahn's seal, Reiko looked every bit like the most powerful General ever to serve the long-dead Emperor. The Edenian, who was clutching his scythe in his hand, sneered at Rain. "What is this?" he asked.
"I've brought you a present, General," the Hydromancer told him with a wolfish smile. "And I've killed the wounded for you as well. Call their deaths a...sacrifice...to express my devotion to my new god." The Hydromancer made himself smile. "My Lord, these are the weak and the wounded of our enemy's forces, though I gave a swift death to those warriors who could not walk. They were probably doomed to perish soon, so I gave them a merciful end."
The General did not respond. Rain was almost to the point of drawing his weapon, certain that the other was going to attack him, when Reiko finally nodded his head. "Very well," he said and then looked at his other minions. "Herd these defeated prisoners to the gardens below, to the edge of the cliff," he commanded them all.
A small victory, the demigod thought as he inwardly grinned, but sweet. He had tricked his rival and passed his first test. Rain obeyed the General and forced his prisoners through the lower gate into the ruined garden from where he'd originally attacked the palace, joining the others as they dragged their feet towards the plummeting cliff, feeling extraordinarily tall and clever.
At the edge of the mesa, Reiko broke away from them almost suddenly and wheeled on the Hydromancer. "What game are you playing?" he demanded to know, his voice equal parts distrust and disgust.
"I thought you had better manners than your benefactor, Shao Kahn," he said in reply. Rain paused to admire the Seidan sunrise peeking over the distant horizon, holding the quivering young girl tightly to him, exuding an air of casual confidence. Reiko could smell weakness the way a dog smells fear.
"Answer me, faithless one." The General's deep green eyes studied him with the same penetrating gaze as a hawk.
"I am playing no game, Lord," he told him as he sauntered to the cliff's edge and looked down. The drop was dizzyingly long. "You have known me long enough and well enough to know that I always ally myself with the one who is most likely to be victorious. Today, the obvious victor is you, old friend."
"Of course I know that," he snapped. "I also know that you are a conniving traitor and rank opportunist. You're a carrion eater."
"That wounds me," he replied as he faced him again and met his gaze. He then lowered his gaze and leaned his head against the young Hydromancer child's, savoring the floral perfume in her hair. "I have what I want right here. Since her mother will not settle the debt between us, I am taking her daughter as my slave as payment for services rendered."
"No!" Sub-Zero's other daughter yelled from the line, her voice rough and ragged and frightened. "Sam!" She wasn't alone in that. The girl's other family members shouted equally loud protestations.
"She is only a child," the General scowled, ignoring their din as he studied the quietly sobbing teenager.
Rain clicked his tongue. "Now Reiko, she is only slightly younger than her sister was when you had her," he reminded her. "Besides, she will be well cared for in my home, and I have need of a Hydromancer Healer. I think it is a small price to pay for my assistance in your designs, don't you? You did raise me from the dead and disturbed my rest to this end. It is the least you could give me in return for my service to you, a pittance really."
Reiko stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Indeed," he finally conceded. "Though I hope I did not resurrect you only to have you betray me."
"Oh, how I've yearned to hear your baseless accusations against me once more," he smiled.
"Oh, how I've yearned to have your forked tongue pulled out with hot pinchers," he replied. "And hardly a baseless accusation." He looked up and down at both Hydromancers again, his face now revealing his mounting annoyance and tightening mouth. "I heeded Havik's advice against my better judgment and brought you back, Rain. It was not for the love of you that I did that."
Rain was walking on thin ice now, he knew. One false step and he'd plunge right through. "I am eternally grateful for the second chance you gave to me, Lord Reiko," he amiably said. "But why treat me so harshly when I have traveled so far and done so much to help you?"
"Only time will tell how helpful you have actually been."
As if to make a point, he suddenly conjured the red, roiling cloud in his hands and threw his palms towards his prisoners. A jet of brilliant, blinding crimson light streaked out and struck many of them in the chest with violent fury, prompting Samantha to shriek in terror, startling even Rain. The blood-curdling screams that followed shocked him, nearly stopping his heart. He feared for a moment that Reiko was punishing him, exacting revenge upon him. Then, with his own divinity, he sensed the power of it as the General fed upon their blood. Blood Magik, one of the oldest of magics, burned the air around him. It bubbled inside of him, in his own blood, intoxicating and exhilarating. It sang in his soul and thrilled his flesh, even as he heard his rival groan almost obscenely as his victims' bodily fluids nourished him. That scarlet miasma consumed them, leaving them a mass of desiccated flesh, nothing more than piles of mummified bones and teeth interspersed between the luckier Seidans and Earthrealmers.
Daunted by the horrific fate of their comrades, the other prisoners regarded Reiko with hatred but also fear as he then stalked like a mighty lion to a place before their remaining number. "I am ravenous," he stated as Rain saw his opportunity to sneak away with Samantha as his prisoner. He subtly crept away from the dwindling group of survivors. "You will join me, or feed me," the General continued, not noticing him escape into the shadows. "The choice is yours."
"Oh, God, please let this work," Miyuki prayed as she inwardly begged him not to make her go home and tell her mother that Kuai Liang was now exactly what she and Bi-han used to be. It would break her heart and, quite possibly, kill her. "Please let this work," she muttered again, now worried about Maggie's wellbeing too.
Anxiously, the Cryomancer flexed her fingers over the neatly arranged kamidogu and then let her powers flow into them. She felt them somehow yank the moisture from the surrounding air and chill it into ice crystals that floated like fog around her blue-stained hands. She closed her eyes and willed that super-chilled cloud into the ancient relics, silently commanding it to freeze them. A familiar crackling filled her ears as the metal slowly froze and white, snowy fractals grew across every facet of the daggers.
Confident that they were now brittle enough to be easily smashed, but not confident enough that she could actually smash them, Miyuki prayed again for her plan to work as she formed a kori hammer in her hands. She squeezed her eyes shut and swung…
A terrific noise of ice shattering rang out like a beautiful song. The Cryomancer dared to open her eyes and look. The kamidogu were broken, the tiny pieces scattered, some of them spinning violently in place like a top. Even the handles were smashed apart. Immediately, Miyuki collapsed to her knees and burst into tears, crying in relief.
She allowed herself to stay like that for several long minutes, bawling into her hands, uttering her thanks to whichever god was listening. If Himavat had been correct, her brother was free once more, and with his awakening, his beloved Anya's life was saved. At last, Miyuki had finally repaid Kuai Liang for his mercy and unwavering generosity, even though she'd always known she deserved neither from him or anyone. It was the least she could do for him before she died from the Netherrealm poison spreading through her veins. But she didn't continue crying for long; the battle still raged on outside, and her brother needed her still.
Quickly drying her eyes, Miyuki bolted up the stairs and out of the vaults.
Kuai Liang stood beside Reiko, lost behind an oppressive, unyielding veil that held him completely hostage until suddenly he...wasn't. He blinked and inhaled sharply through his nose as if waking up from a bad dream, his free will rushing back in like a tidal wave, almost overwhelmed by the surge. His body ached everywhere now, his face and limbs battered from fighting with Tomas and Livy only moments before. His old rib injury, the one dealt to him by Shao Kahn years ago, hurt the worst and he struggled not to wince in pain.
Even still, he had the presence of mind not to react; he had no idea what had just happened or how the return of his free will was even possible, but for the moment Reiko hadn't noticed and he felt no need to tip him off. He'd be no good to anyone if he was lined up with the others, facing certain execution. So he stood there quietly, observing, waiting for the right moment to act.
The Grandmaster hadn't counted on being tempted to intervene right away.
Almost as soon as he regained his faculties, Reiko sneered and pointed at Livy. "Bring Miss Sullivan to me," he commanded Kuai Liang.
The Cryomancer almost revealed his hand right then, but strategically speaking it would be a futile gesture. So stepping with the same robotic gait that he did while possessed with Blood Magik, he marched towards his daughter and aggressively grabbed her by the elbow before yanking her to the General. Inwardly, he apologized to her for being so rough, and before he realized he did it, he slightly squeezed her arm in reassurance. He felt her body suddenly tense and felt her face look up at him, but he resisted the urge to gaze back at her. Instead, he kept his face an expressionless mask, his eyes fixed forward, his heart desperately wishing she'd been born a touch-psychic like her siblings so he could mentally tell her that he was free of the spell, tell her how sorry he was, tell her how much he loved her. But at the moment, her likeness to him was his greatest curse.
When Livy stood in front of Reiko, the General studied her for several long moments, and Kuai Liang, who'd rejoined his side, did too. His oldest daughter was unusually pale, an obvious side effect of the cobalt collar and cuffs that restrained her. Her dark, sunken eyes revealed the extent of her exhaustion, the blood and bruising around her nose revealed the break. In fact, precious little of her had gone unscathed, but with the stubborn determination the Grandmaster so admired and loved in her, she gazed up at Reiko fiercely, her sapphire eyes full of contempt.
"What do you want?" she hissed.
Reiko smirked. "Firstly, to apologize to you on behalf of the Cryomancer Prince who served me," he said as he reached out and delicately touched her amputated ear. "I took his entire ear as recompense for hurting you, but he will trouble you no more, rest assured. His own brother personally saw to that." The General glanced at Jiayi, prompting Livy to look at him too, but soon she looked back to him, scowling even harder now.
"You destroyed my home and murdered half of my Clan, did the same thing to the Shirai Ryu, tried to kill my father and turned him into a mindless stooge, and my ear is what you apologize for?" she snapped. "Kick rocks, asshole."
The venom with which she spoke prompted him to laugh. "Oh, Olivia, how you amuse me! Such fire you have! It's like a herd of wild horses racing across the plains. It defies all expectations of your race. You're very much like your father." He glanced over to Kuai Liang, drawing her gaze as well, but then stepped closer to her and gently stroked his fingers across her cheek.
"Just kill me and be done with it already," she retorted as she pulled away. "I don't want to listen to your empty platitudes. I've suffered enough already because of you."
Kuai Liang subtly moved his eyes from her to him, preparing to defend her if the General obliged her request.
But Reiko just laughed again. "I don't want to kill you, my dear. You have far too much promise for that." He shook his head and chuffed in amusement. "No, Olivia, you could be a powerful ally to me. I want to spare you. I want to keep you as my student and open up the entire universe for you. And in so doing, I could bring you fully into womanhood once and for all, and maybe someday, I could make you my goddess."
A chorus of NO rang out from the prisoners' ranks, and Kuai Liang recognized the voices of his family members and Lin Kuei underlings in that shrieking cacophony, and even Hanzo, Erron, Cassie, and Jacqui's too. But the voice that stood out to the Grandmaster the most belonged to Jiayi, who was currently struggling to break from his guards' grasp. For a fleeting moment, the Crown Prince reminded Kuai Liang of himself anytime someone threatened Anya.
But Olivia realized none of this, and neither did Reiko. Their eyes were locked on each other, his predatory, hers bewildered and stunned. If the hand of God had come down from Heaven and slapped her dead right then, she could not have been more shocked than she was by the General's proposal. She recoiled slightly, her furious, defiant expression a distant memory, and waited for his next words, certain she'd heard him wrong.
It amused Reiko even more, and he obliged the question hovering on her tongue. "Oh, you're confused," he said. "I'll say it again. If you agree to join me, I'll spare your life, Olivia."
"And what about all these people?" she asked. "Will you spare them too?"
"Sweet girl," he smiled as he cupped her cheek. "Always so selfless."
"Will you spare them too?" she repeated, firmer this time.
He nodded. "If you and they bend a knee to me and pledge to worship me above all other gods, then yes, I will. As a show of good faith to you."
Livy thought about it. It was quite apparent to Kuai Liang that she was considering making that sacrifice in order to save the others' lives. But then she asked, "And if I refuse?"
The smile instantly fell from his face. "Then I will feed on everyone remaining, and I will start with your family," he replied. "And as I drain the blood from your bodies, I will also steal your souls, and everything that you knew and were will become part of me regardless."
Tears immediately welled up in his daughter's eyes before she looked at her feet. She trembled, clearly fighting not to cry outright. Though Kuai Liang couldn't see her face, he knew her well enough to know that's what she was doing. But what she didn't realize was that he had no intention of letting Reiko do any such thing. Not without a fight, anyway.
From the line behind her, Connor yelled, "Do what he says, Livy!" to which Tomas promptly cried, "Be quiet, můj syn!"
"I don't want to die, Táta!" he shot back.
"Your cousin's wisdom belies his age," Reiko smirked. "But will you heed his council, Olivia?"
"No, Livy, don't do it," Tomas told her. "He can't be trusted to keep his word. You know that. He's a murderer and a coward."
She drew in a long, ragged breath before she slowly craned her head around and looked at Kuai Liang. He met her gaze, still acting like a cold, robotic machine, though his insides ached with need to run to her, to kill Reiko for her, to save her from this madness and take her back home. His heart melted at once when he saw the agony in her eyes. At that moment, she looked so small to him. If she could have seen him - not the monster that he'd been these last few weeks, but see her daddy - she would have run into his arms and cried in relief. But she didn't know he could see her, his daughter, and that the sadness on her face was completely open to him. She looked lost. She stood there for a long time, hoping for a miracle, hoping that she could catch one last glimpse of him before she died.
Still quivering, her face fell into a scowl once again as she glared at Reiko. "You're dishonorable and despicable," she hissed. "I won't betray my family or friends or any of my allies. If my choices are to chain myself and all of these people to you against our will or die free, then I choose death." With that, she knelt before him, stretching her neck out to him as if awaiting the executioner's axe.
"How very disappointing," the General glowered. "But so be it."
With his scythe in one hand and his free hand grasping for her, the red miasma of his Blood Magik wreathed around it like a fog and began to travel to her. But by then, Sub-Zero was already moving. His kori sword plowed through the General's ribs a split second before he began to feed on Olivia's body. This turn of events was just enough to stun Reiko's reflexes, giving the Cryomancer just enough time to aim a large ice ball at his chest. As predicted, the General flew backwards and landed with a thump near the cliff's edge as his body slowly started to freeze. Previous encounters with him had taught Sub-Zero that it wouldn't kill him, especially now that he was an immortal, but it would neutralize him long enough to set Olivia and the others free.
"Dad?" she whispered as he hoisted her to her feet while the other Champions revolted against their captors behind her.
"Yes," he hastily answered as he froze her cobalt cuffs and then shattered them like glass. "I'm me again."
"But...but...how?"
Now he wrapped his thick, calloused fingers around her collar and froze it. "I'm not entirely sure," he said as he ripped the collar off her throat. "But we really don't have a lot of time to talk about it, so-"
He was promptly interrupted by her unexpected hug. "Thank you, thank you," she was whispering over and over to herself as she sobbed against his armor.
He squeezed her tightly for a long moment before letting go. "Come on, we're not out of danger yet," he said as he pulled her towards her brother, who was currently battling Skarlet with his hands still cuffed. "Help Jamie!" he barked. "I'm going after Sam."
"Grandmaster!" Reiko's voice bellowed loudly.
Quickly, Sub-Zero pushed his daughter behind him and interposed himself between her and him. "Earthrealm is done with you, Reiko. I am done with you."
"On the contrary, none of you will live to see the new era, Kuai Liang," he replied.
"That time will never come to pass," he hissed as a kori sword sprang from his palm and readied for a battle.
His statement elicited a laugh from the General. "You've been my slave since the beginning," he said. "You know better than anyone that the time is already here. And I'm going to start with your lovely daughter."
"Over my dead body," he growled.
"I find those terms acceptable," he grinned.
But now Olivia stubbornly pushed her way around Sub-Zero's protective arm, and he noticed that her arms were stained blue to her elbows with cryogenic energy. "Tundra, stand down!" he barked at her. "Go help your brother like I told you!"
"I mean no disrespect, Grandmaster, but no," she snarled, her eyes fiery and fixed on Reiko. "I'm tired of this monster hurting my family. So if you want me, General, you can have me!"
And with that, she charged towards him like a stampeding bull. The Grandmaster couldn't tell who was more surprised - him or Reiko. He stretched his fingers out to grab her - they barely brushed her elbow - but he wasn't fast enough to stop her. About a foot from the Edenian, she leapt into the air and shoved him backwards. He had no time to react before both had fallen over the cliff's edge, plummeting from sight.
"Olivia!" Sub-Zero roared as he now raced to the edge and looked down. The tall, leafy trees blanketed in shadows obscured his view.
alwaysdoubted, oh, heck no, the fighting hasn't truly begun yet ;) And thank you!
Praxus84, no worries, my friend, I understand that real life takes precedence. Hope everything is okay! And nah, we're nearing the climax of Monster. And thanks, I'm glad you like the fight scenes because they are a labor of love, lemme tell you. The Zero family definitely deserves a happy ending, but you'll have to tune in next week to find out if that actually happens or not LOL And yeah, I agree, it's heartbreaking that Jiayi had to kill his own brother. I knew from the beginning I wanted them to be like Cain and Abel, so I knew he'd kill him and subsequently be haunted by it because he did love Xinyi, even with all the evil he'd done. To answer your question, I thought I said it in the passage with the fight between Kailyn and Li Mei, but the Revenants are already dead so they can't actually be killed. However, if they're "killed," they just go back to the Netherrealm. Them "dying" only stops them from being a nuisance right then, but it doesn't guarantee they won't be back in the future. Hope that clears it up.
Pom Rania, I should apologize for being harsh with you. I was having a rough day when I last posted and was feeling a little surly. I appreciate the feedback and I don't want you to be afraid to give me the bad along with the good. You were completely constructive and I was out of line. So I'm sorry. But I get it, Kabal can be pretty angsty at times and that can prove to be a little much for some people. I'll probably still write him like that sometimes, but I'll take what you said into consideration when and if that comes up again in the future.
MKDemigodzilla-Warrior, you know I enjoy keeping people guessing. I mean, what fun would it be if you could predict everything I was going to do in my story? Besides, I feel like I've done the "despicable villain escapes only to return later" enough times that it's beginning to border on a cliché LOL So yeah, Darrius and Xinyi had to go. I planned for Jiayi to kill Xinyi the whole time, honestly, from the moment I first introduced him. Darrius is just an annoying character that I only included because he's Seidan and this final battle takes place in Seido, so why wouldn't Reiko recruit him to fight against Hotaru's forces? And honestly, I have no idea if I'll do Blood God Reiko better justice than the comic did, but all I can do is try my best.
ROCuevas, thanks, and yeah, there were some problematic parts to the movie, but overall I really liked it.
Sub-Pion, oh, Blood God Reiko and Rain are pretty evenly tied for most despicable villains in my stories, LOL I'm very happy I kept you on the edge of your seat with that last chapter. I was afraid I was boring people because I was starting to get bored. That's kind of what happens to me when I write huge battle scenes, so it might've just been me all along LOL And speaking of the beginning of my series, I realized that in November of this year, I will have published my first story, Sub-Zero: Origins, 10 years ago. Crazy how time has flown by and how much my life has changed since then. It's also crazy to think how I've grown in that time; I go back and re-read them sometimes, and I can see my progression throughout the years. I almost don't know what I'm going to do with my own self when this is all said and done. But I digress! I'm glad you ship Livy and Jiayi :D
DinoLord00, well, I hope those shocking turns were shocking in a good way, not a bad way! Yeah, I think that one was probably the most emotional scene of all the fight scenes in that chapter, just because, like I said up above, I wanted Jiayi and Xinyi to be a sort of new take on Cain and Abel. But Jiayi has literally raised his brother and watched over him for thousands of years, so obviously it was hard for him to kill him, no matter how justified. But I think in his mind, it was better to do it himself rather than let the other Cryomancers get their hands on him. Who knows what they would've done to him? And yeah, I'm definitely pulling on people's heartstrings when I pit characters like Subby and Smoke against each other, or Kung Jin against Kung Lao, or Raiden against Liu Kang. I enjoy doing that because for one, I know people are curious to see what will happen and I know it makes them more invested in the outcome. And if I do it right, then your heart is pulled into all sorts of directions before I give you relief with the only logical outcome. I can promise you more deaths and heartbreak, and also tears of joy, but I won't guarantee which ones are safe and which ones aren't ;) I just hope, as always, it gives you all a sense of satisfaction.