EDGE MASTER
After many grueling battles, the Edge Master faced his pupil Kilik.
"Master!" Kilik said with surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"You must face one final test, pupil," Edge Master said. "Prepare your soul."
Kilik felt equal to any test the Edge Master could summon. He'd fought axe- wielding monsters and sword-swinging lizardmen. He'd sparred innumerable times with Maxi (God rest his dandy soul) and Xianghua. He'd beaten a painted ninja girl (well, that outfit sure looked like paint), knights with big ol' swords, demon monsters and even that scruffy, scrubby Japanese swordsman with a tricky right foot.
"I'm ready, master," Kilik said confidently. "Come with any style!"
"Ready, are you?" the Edge Master smiled. Then the smile vanished as a bright green glow began to suffuse his body. Kilik had to shield his eyes, but, squinting, he thought he saw his master...changing. The old man's hairline was receding at a unnaturally rapid pace, revealing a mighty, crudely stitched scar that directly bisected his skull. His hair had turned from white to bright red. Even his clothing had changed, from his normal white pantaloons and shining chestplate armor to a dark brown coverall and black plate.
"Master," Kilik said breathlessly. "What's happened to your body?"
"Kilik, my boy," Edge Master said, "The key to controlling the evil within is to use the evil."
"That's ridiculous!" Kilik yelled. "The wielder of the Soul Edge thought the same way, but it always leads to pain and bondage in the en--"
Kilik stopped, stunned at a sudden realization. His western quest for his awakened destiny had heightened his awareness of things in the spirit realm. He'd had to notice these things when his Evil Seed infection had surged, even threatening to overwhelm the Dvrapa-Yuga he once wore on his shoulder.
And now he was noticing an evil spirit in his former master, currently manifesting itself as an evil green glow underneath a shoulder plate. Something old and foul, from another dimension and era and somehow moved backward in time onto this stage of history...
And suddenly, Kilik knew its name.
Kilik gasped. "The changing styles...the morphing weapons...and now the morphing body...yes, it all adds up!
"You're...SHANG TSUNG!" Kilik declared boldly.
Edge Master was surprised for a brief moment but quickly recovered, laughing malevolently.
"Very good, pupil. It is indeed I, the one, true patron of mortal combat and the ORIGINAL TAKER OF SOULS! GIVE ME YOURS! KYAAHH!"
(Author's note: In his opening direction segment, I noticed a green glow underneath 2P EM's shoulder. I was immediately intrigued by this, since the redbeard version is supposed to be his evil side. Then I recalled that Shang Tsung's "Soul-Stealer" fatality in Mortal Kombat 2 involved glowing green energy...and the fic then wrote itself. :)
After many grueling battles, the Edge Master faced his pupil Kilik.
"Master!" Kilik said with surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"You must face one final test, pupil," Edge Master said. "Prepare your soul."
Kilik felt equal to any test the Edge Master could summon. He'd fought axe- wielding monsters and sword-swinging lizardmen. He'd sparred innumerable times with Maxi (God rest his dandy soul) and Xianghua. He'd beaten a painted ninja girl (well, that outfit sure looked like paint), knights with big ol' swords, demon monsters and even that scruffy, scrubby Japanese swordsman with a tricky right foot.
"I'm ready, master," Kilik said confidently. "Come with any style!"
"Ready, are you?" the Edge Master smiled. Then the smile vanished as a bright green glow began to suffuse his body. Kilik had to shield his eyes, but, squinting, he thought he saw his master...changing. The old man's hairline was receding at a unnaturally rapid pace, revealing a mighty, crudely stitched scar that directly bisected his skull. His hair had turned from white to bright red. Even his clothing had changed, from his normal white pantaloons and shining chestplate armor to a dark brown coverall and black plate.
"Master," Kilik said breathlessly. "What's happened to your body?"
"Kilik, my boy," Edge Master said, "The key to controlling the evil within is to use the evil."
"That's ridiculous!" Kilik yelled. "The wielder of the Soul Edge thought the same way, but it always leads to pain and bondage in the en--"
Kilik stopped, stunned at a sudden realization. His western quest for his awakened destiny had heightened his awareness of things in the spirit realm. He'd had to notice these things when his Evil Seed infection had surged, even threatening to overwhelm the Dvrapa-Yuga he once wore on his shoulder.
And now he was noticing an evil spirit in his former master, currently manifesting itself as an evil green glow underneath a shoulder plate. Something old and foul, from another dimension and era and somehow moved backward in time onto this stage of history...
And suddenly, Kilik knew its name.
Kilik gasped. "The changing styles...the morphing weapons...and now the morphing body...yes, it all adds up!
"You're...SHANG TSUNG!" Kilik declared boldly.
Edge Master was surprised for a brief moment but quickly recovered, laughing malevolently.
"Very good, pupil. It is indeed I, the one, true patron of mortal combat and the ORIGINAL TAKER OF SOULS! GIVE ME YOURS! KYAAHH!"
(Author's note: In his opening direction segment, I noticed a green glow underneath 2P EM's shoulder. I was immediately intrigued by this, since the redbeard version is supposed to be his evil side. Then I recalled that Shang Tsung's "Soul-Stealer" fatality in Mortal Kombat 2 involved glowing green energy...and the fic then wrote itself. :)