Death is never an absolution.
The great maw in the sky ripped and cackled with thunder, and spit with lightning down upon the pyramid. Raiden's power coursed from level to level downward. Reptile seized and Komodai turned to ash, both fell back in a flash as death became them. The last of the Saurian race overtaken when Tremor and Darrius fought to rush the staircase until lifted and crashed into the earth by Fujin's winds. Like those that fell before them, they would be nothing more than a blemish in the sand.
The great pyramid of Argus had five plateaus, the highest level was home to the disfigured elemental that roared into the sky as it waited for the victor between Daegon and Taven to challenge it. Fujin circled the sky around the once sacred temple to Argus as Raiden could only defend on side of the four.
Atop and amidst the flames of Blaze, Taven wielded the armor and sword of his lineage, just as his brother had. Together, in Mortal Kombat, they'd contest to see who would destroy the realms, and who would avoid annihilation. Brandished with a long sword, Taven flattened the blade above his head to block Daegon's two draconic themed scimitars. He batted the swords in an arch and lunged into Daegon's measure with a kick, then a sword thrust that his brother quickly caught with the blades and circled to disarm Taven.
Ever offensive, Daegon step dragged forward with one strike, then another. With two weapons, he always had one attack and the other defend until it was time to move forward with the defending sword to attack and trade hand positions. Unarmed, Taven could only take large steps back, cover to turn and pivot in the direction of his weapon, then roll to reach it before Daegon could swing down at him.
At the foot of the pyramid, Jacqui, Jax, Takeda, and Kung Jin picked off combatants one by one as they charged, or ascended. Their orders were strict.
Defend the Pyramid! Do not engage Blaze unless necessary.
Raiden had a plan. They'd stick to it no matter the thrall cast down on them all from Blaze's presence. The old tower guards of Shao Kahn's Hideyoshi, Skull, and the last Shokan on the battlefield being Zenkaro still adorned in their Outworld gear from the old days were able to stalemate the Special Forces. None could ascend, none could press forward.
At the next level, Nitara, Havik, and Aynos from the tribe of rock-like people in Outworld aligned with Reiko, all fought.
The second level, Shang Tsung kicked Scorpion down the staircase to the lower level, only to turn and find the entity known as Ermac hover above and begin to siphon the sorcerer's souls from the whites of his eyes.
Shang Tsung had snuck his way through the crowd to that level to chase after the red and black corpse until Scorpion and Sareena had fought their way to the second level of the tower. Sareena had rushed up to meet Jarek and Forrest in combat at the third level, but Ermac remained to finish his conflict with the sorcerer he had been originally created to kill.
"Those souls are mine, Ermac!" Shang Tsung gritted as his skin wrinkled, pocked, and paled beneath the green energy of the entity.
"We are fated to die, Sorcerer." Ermac lowered himself to land flat level with Shang Tsung.
The sorcerer took advantage of this and pushed forward through the blizzard of energy that siphoned his life force faster than the wind. When he reached Ermac, he dug his fingers into the corpse holes of Ermac's skull and began to pull the souls back into him. Locked in an eternal struggle for life, of death.
Above them, Sareena met with Bi-Han who had found his brother at third level before Sareena, Jarek and Forrest. Scorpion rapidly ascended to meet his former student, which left Sareena with the Black Dragon member.
This left Raiden at the fourth level which faced the original site of conflict for the combatants. Directly below him was Hsu Hao and Tasia of both the Red and Black Dragon. With the power of the violent storm above he arched the lightning from the great maw down at the steps to crumble the stone, batter the bodies and withdraw them down to the third level.
Opposite of Raiden, Reiko and Liu Kang, with Nightwolf and Kotal Kahn raced upward. Kotal Kahn took hold of Reiko as the first moment he could before their feet could reach the next level of steps to the fifth and final platform. He grabbed Reiko by the shoulders swiveled his body and knocked him down the staircase. Liu Kang continued to race upward, but Kotal grabbed him as well by the sash and yanked him down.
Tripped to his back, Liu Kang bolted to his feet and pushed Kotal Kahn.
"It is my destiny to stop this, Kotal Kahn!" Liu yelled. Redemption was in his grasp and he needed it.
"You are not the one, Liu Kang!" Kotal Kahn pushed back.
The two began to struggle with one another. Liu Kang did not want to fight him, but Kotal Kahn would not share that same empathy. Reiko lunged for the two just when Kotal Kahn had the upper hand to push Lui Kang into the traitor. What he did not realize was Reiko had come in with a swing of a heavy wooden mole, or great hammer, and struck Liu Kang out of his way.
The former champion of Mortal Kombat cracked his neck on the slanted stone and fell limp down to the bottom of the pyramid. His head near torn from its body, lifeless and inconsequential.
Atop the Pyramid, Taven had the upper hand. Blaze urged them on and demanded blood, needed death before he'd interfere. Taven had disarmed Daegon's offhand and now both brothers fought with one weapon.
They clashed at the center of the burning plateau, the fire around them sizzled and licked the hot air with each drop and each clash of their swords. A barrier against all others that dared try their hand at the elemental.
"I don't want this, Daegon!" Taven tried to reason, "you were my brother!"
Wordless and apathetic, Daegon came in with a hip swing to the left, then an shoulder on the right side, then through with a thrust. Each blocked, or dodged. The quick second Taven had after the thrust was dodged, he took the chance to take a clean slice of Daegon's leg. Not enough to chop, but a good deep cut that bleed out instantly.
Daegon screamed. He turned his better leg into this dominant stance and defended the next swing from his brother, and overhead, then a kick to cut limb when Taven held his sword down to apply pressure on his bother's flattened scimitar. Once in measure, he took a good kick down and slapped that wet thigh with a big black boot to buckle his brother down to a knee.
Daegon grunted, grimaced, and could only hold his position as Taven continued the barrage of overhead swings. The last being a murder stroke where the quillions of the blade aimed down and threatened to impale Daegon's skull. He struggled with his brother, the power now greater than his, but as Taven tried to pull that sword from Daegon's grasp to disarm him a second time, Daegon used the momentum to body check him.
Taven dropped into a defensive stance, but Daegon refused to get up. He couldn't.
"Give it up Daegon, I have the upper hand. Just yield." Taven aimed the sword and dropped into a right stance, defended his core from any lunge his brother could make.
His brother scowled and turned his head right as if another person had charged the pyramid. Taven looked, but no one was there.
"Is this how it ends, Daegon?" Argus stood over him.
"I can still kill him!" Daegon spat at the entity.
The image of Argus morphed down Raiden. Daegon pushed himself to pull up from the stone floor even as the blood leaked like a slow waterfall from his breeches. He bit into his lip, cracked his teeth and aimed his sword for his brother's eyes.
"Do not under estimate him again." The image of Raiden hissed, eyes reddened, and a glance to Taven indicated for Daegon to charge forth.
Fujin descended to the fourth platform opposite Raiden. Kotal Kahn met him at the steps. Dairou, Zara, and Kollector had raced up to meet them. In a burst of wind, combat erupted. Kotal Kahn had knocked Reiko back down, where the God of Wind left him with the three others on top of him to avenge Liu Kang's death. Punishment for his push, and death for Reiko for the murder.
Kotal Kahn was beaten to his knees, but his strength was the fire. The burn of the elemental was as hot as the sun and that was the Kahnum's power. One pushed off by the radiance that emanated from him, the others swiped and tripped, but not for long.
Kollector reached into his back, second to come in after Kotal Kahn, and produced a dagger stab the Kahnum in the back.
The Kahn bellowed as his shoulder blade cracked and blood covered Kollector's face. Mileena lunged onto of Kollector to pull him from the Kahn, but Zara and Dairou were there to stab him in the front as Kotal Kahn turned toward them.
Erron Black sniped Dairou. His head exploded over Kotal Kahn. Erron aimed for the next hit, only to miss. Hotaru pole arm struck him hard across the back. Nightwolf charged in to handle Hotaru on the steps before the fourth level.
Daegon charged for his bother, but Taven parried the strike and kicked Daegon back down to a knee. There was no thought to his action, just need. The blade swung in a clean arc to decapitate Daegon. Taven staggered back, mouth agape in disgust, and his body seized by adrenaline.
The surviving brother collapsed to his knees. As Daegon's body bled out around him, Blaze landed onto the platform.
The war was not over yet.
The great elemental came in hard as Taven's defenses were down. On his knees his arms slack, Taven glanced up and could only take a quick action to aim high with the weapon. It pierced Blaze's molten guts.
The elemental roared, but it had not been defeated. The molten core leaked below as it staggered back. This was Taven's chance to spring to action. He reached for Daegon's offhand sword and lunged forward to strike Blaze.
Just beneath them, Shang Tsung had managed to siphon Ermac into ashes and clothing that fell to his feet in a withered and wilted heap. Rejuvenated, the sorcerer turned his sights to the highest peak of the pyramid and began his ascension. He watched as Raiden was overtaken by five others and those at the bottom of the pyramid still at a stalemate. The others on the other side he could not see, he hoped didn't reach the top before him.
As Shang Tsung rushed the pyramid, Kotal Kahn stood alone until Erron Black and Nightwolf could catch him. The Kahnum had bled out, the injuries too many, and many too deep. They could only be there as he faded beneath the flames with them.
"You're not dying today." Erron pulled Kotal Kahn against his shoulder and urged Nightwolf to do the same so they could take him to the top of the pyramid.
Kotal Kahn protested. He pushed the two off and fell to the floor.
"I have kept her waiting too long already." He muttered through the blood and fatigue. Through the fatal moments each movement took out of his body until they could take no more from him.
As the Kahnum ceased to breathe, Erron Black took in the sight, sighed deep and loaded the barrel of his shotgun.
"Well, shit." Te turned to Nightwolf, "cowboys and Indians gotta show 'em how it's done right then."
Offended, yet he nodded, Nightwolf brandished his axe and the two continued the battle as those that had taken the Kahnum down raced up the pyramid toward them.
Finally, Shang Tsung darted through the wall of flames and pierced with his claws and power ready to strike. Taven had defeated Daegon, and now stood before Blaze. He'd siphon the fool's soul and finish the elemental off.
Taven's sword, Shang Tsung came to find as he closed the gap, had been thrust through Blaze's neck and the elemental's hot white core dimmed as it bled into the sword down to the son of Argus.
"Fool!" Shang Tsung cried out and began to siphon from Taven.
An easier target for him, Taven would have no choice but to fight after having dealt with Daegon and Blaze one after the other. He'd be exhausted, Shang Tsung expected.
FWOOM!
The sword arched, Shang Tsung watched the white flash of heat cut through the green energy. As promised, the god-like life force of Argus would be imbued into the winner, and that winner would decide the fate of the realms. Shang Tsung used all of his power to leech from Taven as much as he could.
The son of Argus swung for the snakelike sorcerer, but Shang Tsung was quick to step drag back, duck, and maintain the link between them. Taven could feel the energy in his bones, his muscles and soul sink like he had been drowned in the sea of blood until he had remembered a simple little caveat of all this.
He decided the fate of the realms now.
"Your soul and power is mine!" Shang Tsung smiles. He watched the energy drain and felt the near god-like force siphon into him. It was like a taste of the great nectar he had ever had and he needed it all.
Locked with Taven's life-force, Shang Tsung pulled harder and drew faster from him until suddenly it stopped. The green bond of souls that once siphoned and rejuvenated him would not even chain to Taven. He pulled the air and curved his claws, but nothing expelled and nothing came to him.
Taven fell before him, the god-like energy that beat of his flesh with an immense aura that Shang Tsung tethered too was gone.
Shang Tsung panicked, he pulled his wicked scroll and incanted Taven, but only his voice broke through.
Nothing.
He raced to the edge of the pyramid and looked down upon the combatants. Raiden, eyes no longer whitened stared back up at him as the others rushed past him. There was nothing for them to seize at the top.
"What did you do?" Shang Tsung bit through spit and and gravel.
He charged Taven and pulled the sunken man by the collar as others surrounded them.
Taven was speechless. Exhausted and beaten, the young man could do nothing more. Shang Tsung shook him for information and rattled his bones until Raiden and Fujin, as mortal as he was pulled him free.
"There were three brothers," Fujin explained, "each with a set of armor that would activate when Blaze was defeated by one of them."
"In timelines past, Taven would have continued the struggle for the realms and nothing would have been done to stop this." Raiden remembered the few timelines the young son of Argus had bested the elemental before Shao Kahn would get through.
Disgusted, Shang Tsung pulled himself from Fujin and Raiden. There was nothing he could do. No power to siphon, no edge to be had. He could only muse about the situation, "it would have been fitting if you let Rain win instead if his armor was the one to deactivate all of our powers, you pathetic worm."
"You'd think I'd risk the fate of the realms for your amusement?" Raiden spat. "I don't think so."
Below them, Jax pulled Jacqui up with him at one shoulder, and Nitara with the other. Injured and unable to fly, she was reluctant to step with them, but dared not complain.
The clothing left behind from Bi-Han pooled beneath his brother's feet. The Wraith could not exist in a world without the magic to make it so. Sareena joined at his side with Smoke, for the realization also sank in that they may never, without the ability to do so, travel back to Earthrealm if a portal could not longer be opened.
Geras had been reduced to the single metal clasp and hourglass that attached into his back, shattered beneath the weight of the Shokan Zenkaro, whom with Reiko's forces had retreated.
Mileena and Kai like Jax had with Nitara, pulled Skarlet up the pyramid, there they would seek Erron Black and Nightwolf at the foot of Kotal Kahn's body.
"Where do we go from here?" Skarlet pondered as they all turned to Mileena.
Mileena stared out into the vast Edenian desert. She could swear the green plains and cliffs waited on the horizon for them. Kai pulled Skarlet close to him and off of Mileena as she reached the edge and turned back to look up at the top where Raiden and Fujin had begun their descent.
"We'll figure it out together." She thought of what Kitana would say to her.