Chapter 6: The Sleeping Stones
The sky fell away and a moment later Subzero was falling. Blood and gory relics of the wind god floated past him as he fell in a mirage of couler towards a misty death. The black stones were swirling round fast as tiles and pieces of rock exploded in crimson flame. He closed his eyes in the weightlessness watching the stones and rubble fly round his body. Leaves and evidence of the destruction swam round as the ilusion evaporated. He was falling fast, but gradually now he slowed like a feather losing the gale. The leaves moving round his battered body slowly departed. He held one tight in his hand and clenched at it willing it not to go away, the world dissapered.
He was in darkness suddenly and eery silence. He looked up and all he could see above him was darkness. He was moving towards a pyramid across a great bridge. Below in the murky deapths green soul trapped eyes gazed up at him as he sped on like the wind through the murky coridoors brought on by some unseen force. In the darkness across a great chasm a black platform was formed and there the white headed man looked at him with a smile. It was Quan chi, he stood to his feet and beckoned his hand forward all a blur.
Subzero came close as if on gentle wings and stared into his face "That's one Subzero, I've stopped the ilusion from closing on your head. The next is the element of earth, go now back to your own realm"
Back he went speeding down the coridoors so fast that he would have died of dizziness. Back across the bridge faster than he had ever seen a plane move or a rocket, faster than a bullet the dark skies passed away into complete blackness. He felt hard earth against his back. With a slow groan he opened his eyes. He was back in the real world, or something that seemed much like it.
First impression was a rocky roof. There was silence down here in these depths, yet almost a kinetic energy seemed stored up in the quiet walls. His back to the ground he could feel the sturdiness of the floor below him. It was merged together, every piece of dirt like glue, solid and strong yet alive in some strange way. Something rumbled far away and dust and stones fell down in a puff of smoke, he closed his eyes clenching his teeth and felt the grain on his eyelids. Sitting up he gazed round the new coridoor. A mining tunnel of some kind, large wooden beams held up the earthy roof and stopped it from colapsing arround his head. For this he was to some extent thankful. His hand was still clenched, opening it he found the green leaf and gazed at it with surprise for some time. It brought back with sudden force everything that had happened over the last few days. It was green and fresh from the wind. He took it to his nose and smelt it. A strong mint scent came from it that surprised him, he hadn't expected it to smell of anything. He put it away and gazed into the darkness of the tunnel.
Candles lined the walls stretching out into the darkness "If I'm any judge then this is the element of earth" he whispered softly not wanting to disturb the powers within. He touched the dusty wall still not truly believing in its existance. The grain was on his fingertips and gave them an orangeish browny glow when he looked at them. At least he wasn't surrounded by sky drops everywhere he looked, he could almost warm to this temple compared to his last experiance.
Compared to others this had to be the weirdest job he'd ever undertaken in his life. He'd risen through the Lin kuei ranks very quickly to become the top, but this job was much different from the rest. Never before had he been involved in an assignment that was so geared towards the arcane.
The light from the torches was dim, he set out knowing this and worrying about it right from the beginning. What if the torches went out and he was left in complete darkness? He could create some light with the blue coldness of his hands, but he couldn't keep it up constantly for the whole time he was down here. He remembered with some satisfaction the icicle trick that had finished off the wind god. It was difficult to create solid objects like that, but might he one day use it to his own advantage? Could he perhaps create real weapons out of thin air to use as he wanted? Now however was not the time to experiment. He had a job to do... even if he didn't know how to do it.
The walls shook suddenly and he ducked in the darkness putting his hands over his head. Dust and small pebbles fell down halmless bouncing off of his back and hand. This place seemed like it could cave in at any time. It was as if the earth itself were alive and was moving with its own purpose, creating new tunnels and destroying others to confuse its assailants.
Walking furher on, the corridoor turned round left and as Subzero did so he could hear a noise that he didn't at all like the sound of. Metal blades swishing through air. He could see them up ahead swinging back and forth like a pendulum in the distance. These traps weren't disguised at all, they were plain and simply out to get him. Hazard would be the better word. In the darkness of the corridoor the torch flame was king. It effected everything arround it shimmering off of the metal blades. They drove away the darkness and brought out a little yellow in Subzero's costume as the two lights merged from shadow to brightness. Down hear the torches ruled the darkness, they were the last light against the shadows of the earth, yet somehow they continued to burn with magic or some other means.
He stopped just outside the metal blades. They reached up into the roof and continued to swing no matter what, losing speed nor direction. What mechanics powered this trap and how did it work? There wasn't just one blade either. Seven or eight of them stretched out swinging back and forth at different times. One wrong move and he'd be dead, either that or left with a great bloody gash in his side. He threw an ice bolt at the blade hoping to freeze it. He suceeded but the blade itself didn't stop moving. He aimed another at the roof but with a twist the ice simple broke off the metal untarnished. He'd have to do this the proper way.
As the blade moved aside he stepped forward across its path. He stood inside the safety zone inbetween the blades and was afraid to move his head and for good reasons. He stayed stationary for a long time watching the blade move past his head and also knowing that the other one was just behind. Sweat moved down his fore head and he stepped forward quickly again as if he were doing an old fashioned dance or march. Again he stepped forward the noise pounding down on his ears with no flesh wound to follow. Using this technique he passed inbetween each blade to find a huge metal crusher slamming from the roof and floor inwards. It looked like something he'd have found in a metal factory. It was easyier to pass than the blades, he simply leaped through it when the mechanism was open.
Passing through the tunnels was so much different to the wind god's sky sanctuary. Here it was not falling on the earth that worried him, but the earth falling on him. There was enough air in the tunnels to keep Subzero breathing, but never quite enough. Presumably there was some kind of ventilation coming from whatever lay above this place. But there was never quite enough and substantially he always felt slightly faint and ill. His hands were stinging as usual but that was something he had expected from being up there in the roaring winds. It was warmer in the heart of the earth but also he felt cramped. He had neither Virtigo nor Claustraphobia but knew for certain what it would be like for someone who did to attempt what he was doing. There was enojgh room in the coridoors certainly more than the one in the entrance of the temple, but the darkness and the lack of air made the walls feel so much closer. Down here one's mind was more of a danger than any of the blades machines or traps were. He had to keep focused and not lose his concentration. That was the key to sucess.
He came to a halt suddenly. The ground had given up and walked away. A large pit decended below him, a rope was attached to the roof that he noticed was made of stone rather than rocky earth. He had almost missed it and continued walking, the rope itself catching the fire light had saved his life. Reaching out he grabbed the rope and looked it over. It seemed okay, he gave it a tug and nothing happened. It seemed pretty secure. Carefully he lowered himself down, swinging his feet left the ground and slowly he began to climb down the pit falling tunnel below. The rope jerked suddenly and Subzero clenched his teeth and eyes as earth and grain came down from above. The roof had started to decend. It gave a loud creaking of metal and as he looking up he saw the metal come closer towards him. It was a trap.
"Not good" he whimpered holding onto the rope. Locking his knees round it he slid down as fast as he could without achieving really bad rope burns. Looking up he could see the circular roof coming down towards him at a slow steady but efficient pace. It would get him eventually and that was all that mattered. He looked down quickly as he slid to make sure there were no metal stakes at the bottom. There weren't, but it was always a good idea to check. His feet hit the ground and quickly he examined the area arround him. Rocy walls on all sides apart from one metal door. He pushed it, it was locked. He tugged it but it wouldn't move. He shoulder butted it but still nothing happened and the roof was coming closer and closer every second that passed.
Charging up a real whacker of an ice bolt he slammed it in the centre of the door with a crackle of water vapour. He kicked the spot hard and it dented and crumbled bit by bit. Placing his hands on the dent he froze the spot even more hoping to crack it. He kicked it not daring to look up. It crumbled and his foot deepened into the metal door frame. He hopped back and rushing forward he kicked right through the frozen ice and outside. With both hands he tried his best to widen the hole, freezing the metal or stone or whatever it was. He couldn't tell in the darkness and his panic. Through the gap he could see a passageway the other side. If he could only just get through this damn hole in time he would have done it.
Fu shu was an art used less in combat than in exercises. Subzero wasn't an expert but he had to pretend he was right now if he was going to get through this gap. He put both hands through it and pulled himself slowly through breathing in his chest as much as he could. He became stuck on the hips a moment but with an agnoizing wrench flopped into the corridoor wrenching his feet through the round hole that was only a couple of centemeters larger in diamiter than a bowling ball. With a telling crash he knew the ceiling had hit the floor, and also realised how close he'd just come to having an early funeral. His talant came in useful for something at least. It is human nature not to appreciate the talants we have. Subzero was not completely aware of how much his abilities over ice helped him.
He got up slowly to his feet to realise that there was a monk in front of him. Another guardian of the temple, in his hand was a long stick. Subzero preferered these, generally he never had been good with nunchakas, but people like this person he could disarm and use the weapon himself. That is if he could disarm him. The guardian didn't move at all. They seemed to have a habit of doing that. They all seemed ludicrously proud of themselves standing there expecting themselves to be the ones who defeat the intruder.
"Just let me get to my feet and I'll be right with you" panted Subzero standing on one knee. With a whirl the monk brought the stick behind him to a lower behind stance. It was a pretty stupid stance to take in Subzero's opinian. The only time people did that kind of position was to look good for films. He thought grudgingly of that idiot Jonny Cage and wished to all high heavan that he never had to meet him. Dusting both knees off he readied himself with both hands forward. Jujitsu would be the thing for this fight, a quick move hopfully resulting in death for his opponent.
The stick swished forward in a pummeling action and Subzero stepped quickly back. The used the same move again Subzero stepped briefly to the side, he grabbed the stick in mid flow bashing his hand down on the other end he brought it up like a see-saw in the monk's face. It span round and he caught it himself spinning and forgetting all martial arts he wacked the monk squarely in the chest much like a base ball bat. The noise was a satisfying crack of wood against bone. The monk fell to the ground and Subzero continued to wack at the fallen body the monk raising his arms desperately trying to block the blows. With a loud crack he brought it across the monk's head and he stopped moving. Something had broken somewhere resulting in death or unconciousness, Subzero wasn't too worried right now in finding out whether he was dead or not. Grudgingly he rememberd Sang and rolled his eyes.
He left the dead guardian where he lay and continued on his journy through the bowels of the earth. Every corner he came across brought new traps and blades. Those swinging double scythes weren't the only ones in the tunnels, there were others he had to pass, gaps in the ground that opened and closed like a beating heart. The crushers were everywhere as he walked, as he tired he used the stick as a walking one. He headed out with no clear idea which way he should head or where he should go but he had one aim, to find the elemental of earth and slay him. That was his job, not his ambition nor his life. He didn't care whether this element was good evil went to the pub on Saturdays or watched a popular television program. It was his motive to destroy him.
Subzero had never understood why people had taken grudges against him in the past. In his eyes it made no sence at all. He was just doing the job, why blame him? Its the motive that in his eyes is the real evil. He was just the servant of evil, if they were fed up with what he was doing why not pay the Grandmaster a visit?
The corridoors were long and the traps deadly. He was almost at his wits end when walking down a particuarly dark corridoor he found the way. He hadn't noticed the monk hiding in the shadows and the blow caught him completely off guard. He hit the wall and turned quickly to attack the monk who had struck him. Subzero blocked a moment before wacking the monk away with the stick. He was up again in a second and rushed Subzero. He hadn't meant to be hit and saw it miles before it happened but the blow struck him anyway. He'd been slightly too slow somehow, it didn't hurt it moved him more than it caused pain. But instead of landing on a nice patch of soft soil he instead landed on a cracked part of floor that imiediately crumbled. It gave way suddenly oppening and he fell down uncontrollably sliding down a small tunnel. Webs kept hitting him in the face and several spiders passed him by crawling over his face as he shouted out. Finnaly he shot out with a long moan into another corridoor and landed a disorganised heap on the ground. He got quickly to his feet and removed as best as he could the pieces of web and other infestations of the mucky path he had taken with curses that could move the Kahn.
A large black widow was on the floor, he saw it unmistakingly in the darkness and backed off wrenching the web from him. It was the biggest spider he'd ever seen, the body itself was as big as his head. He wasted no time and froze it where it stood before checking for broken bones round his own body. Looking up at the hole where he had come out of through a crack in the wall he was glad that the monk hadn't decided to follow him. Web and organic matirial were across the walls and ceiling and a fight here wouldn't be a particuarly pleasant one. Presumably he was thought to be dead, but also that monk had been better than the last one and would have been more difficult to kill in battle.
Looking up he saw a large door. Much the same in fact as the one he had broken a hole through. He walked up to it warily and wiped some of the dust off with his hand. There was a squelch, looking down he realised he'd stepped on a spider, lifting his foot the yellow puss stretched like glue ripping as he removed his foot with disgust. The door opened slowly with a loud metalic creak. It was pitch black inside. So dark in fact that if he put his hand in he couldn't see it at even a metere in front. The darkness was unreal, and mysterious. The candles light did not enter into that darkness, it seemed like a sudden wall of blackness in front of him. Looking the door up and down for a moment from what he could see in the dark Subzero proceeded to do something very stupid. He walked in.
The door closed with a slam and he was left in the dark to dwell on his mistake.
Silence was in the room. Not a flicker of movement stirred and Subzero began to feel very anxious. Would the ceiling fall in? Would spikes come out of the walls or would a trap door open beneath his feet? He realised with hidden terror that his quiet breathing was the loudest noise in the room. But all that changed very fast.
Suddenly the room bursed into firey light and a loud rocky roar rang out that sounded as if it had come from the very centre of the world. It sounded achient, impassable to time. Looking across the walls small outlets with bars like prisons held back flames from inside. Subzero walked forward squinting his eyes as the flame light dulled down to a deep fiery red. The room was circular with rocky walls, yet it seemed designed the way it was to imitate the earth's relationship with fire. The walls shook suddenly and Subzero leaped back as the ground cracked and split open.
A large hand as big as his waist stretched out of the broken earth and came smashing down on the floor. It was made completey from rock, a head emerged with fiery eyes and slowly the huge rocky beast emerged standing over twice Subzero's height. A golem, he'd heard about these creatures in myth and legend but had never truly expected to encounter one.
"Why do you disturb my rocky slumber mortal?" came the rock splitting voice of the huge monster before him. It clenched fingers together in anger. This being evidently wasn't going to receive Subzero with the same courtesy of the god of wind.
"I've come for an amulet belonging to a man who has hired me"
The voice lauthed loud and long, the sound booming deep across the walls and reaching under Subzero's feet and shaking the very bones inside his body. The lauthter was mocking and extremely threatening, the fingers cracked like lumps of coal being crushed.
"That amulet is no property of yours or your freinds" rang out the slow voice of the golem. Each word was brought out slowly deeply and with great echoing precision "Don't patronize me mortal... you have come here to destroy us four brethren. I have foreseen it in my slumber. Even now the element of wind has been vanquished, and you seek yourself to aid the very powers that will destroy you"
"What do you mean?" said Subzero quivering he could not let this comment go unanswered.
"I warn you mortal, I shall show no mercy to your pathetic body. My wretched brother spent too much time breathing the wind, it made him soft. I shall show you the true force of the earth, now come and face your fear like a man you quivering wretch, I long to hear the sound of your breaking bones returning to the earth whence they came"
"Your so pleasant" said Subzero sarcastically "What are you going to do fall on me?"
"You have little comprehension for the power locked up in these hands" his foot crashed down on the floor and rocks came hurtling down from the ceiling above. Subzero ducked aside as a large one slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
"And now it starts" he roared "With slow steps I shall come towards you and flatten your wretched body"
Subzero charged suddenly forward leaping through the air he aimed a kick at the golem's head. The arms were brought up much quicker than he had expected and slammed him to the side. He felt the rock bite into his flesh as if he'd just been hit with a slab of concrete. He whimpered in pain rolling aside leaving a splatter of blood on the rocky floor. He limped back retreating he heard each step loudly crashing against the ground as the golem came slowly towards him.
"Bones and kingdoms break under the heavy steps of the earth" rattled the deep voice omnimously it crashed forward step by step towards the blue assassin. Looking over the huge golem he realised with some terror that there was no weak point in the design. His foot would just bounce off, a blow from his fist would do more damage to him then it would to the rocky beast. Running round behind the golem suddenly he kicked hard at its feet hoping to knock the creature to the floor. The golem's body did not move an inch. Instead he sprang back as the Golem swang round a blow that could have killed him. He hopped back on one foot clutching his toes in pain.
"Water wets and dries, Fire burns and dies, Wind blows and blows out but Earth lives on until time sags and sighs"
It roared again and slammed its foot on the ground the shock waves wreched Subzero to the floor in pain. He rolled aside as huge rocks came crashing to the ground aiming it seemed for him rather than falling any old how. He stood to his feet to see the Golem roar with anger stepping forward over rocks again the earth shook with each step. He tried an ice bolt at the feet. It suceeded more than he expected it to. The Golem froze a moment pulling at the ice with a roar it broke and continued stamping its way across the floor. It was a slow but deadly strong creature unstoppable so it seemed. He was close to the wall now, looking behind him he noticed the licking flames kept inside the bars. It seemed ludicrous to think here was he so cold next to something so hot. Then an idea hit him.
He waited patiently next to the flames as the golem stampped forward. He stood standing still praying that what he was about to do would work. The Golem stopped right beside him and lifted its fist, it gazed steadily into his eyes.
"So you've given up have you?" it lauthed "This was easier than I foresaw"
"I cannot win" replied Subzero gravely "Finish me off quickly"
A smile cracked across its great lips and it brought up the other hand into the air so that both were pointed towards the ceiling. Its body crackled and crumbled with the weight reaching down into the floor. The blow came down fast and strong and Subzero ducked and rolled under its legs with a surprised rumble its hands smashed through the bars and the flames licked its hands. Charging up a real cracker of an ice blow he brought a Karate chop down on its lowered stone back and pushed it further into the flames. It roared as the flames licked its body. He pushed at the Golem and got it in the flames as far as he could before stepping back he charged his hands up with as much ice energy as he could possibly muster.
The body began to glow red and the golem beat its hands against the walls furiously but all this did was to allow more of the flames to escape and consume its rocky body. Everything burns eventually, but that wasn't what he was hoping to do. He knew what happened when something cold met something really hot. He let lose a polar blast freezing the Golem's feet and lower body that were sticking out of the furnace. The noise of the Golem's pain ran up the walls causing cracks and rocks to fall that Subzero had to dodge as best as he could. A small one hit him on the shoulder and he cringed in pain.
"Know this mortal" roared the Golem as the noise subisded, light eminated from its rocky body "What you have set upon this day holds more danger then my fists or my brother's wind. I ask you in hope for all of the gods and their creations to turn back now. No price mortal is worth what you have undertaken... heed my words and dwell on them before you bring the last sands of time upon us all. I was unable to stop you, and I foresee that neither will my remaining brothers, it is up to you to stop yourself before it is too late"
The light began to glow from him and running away in the opposite direction he knew for certain that this thing was going to go out with a bang and ideed it did. He dived for cover as the explosion rang out fire leaping up the walls towards him the ceiling began to cave in with a rumble.
The sky fell away and a moment later Subzero was falling. Blood and gory relics of the wind god floated past him as he fell in a mirage of couler towards a misty death. The black stones were swirling round fast as tiles and pieces of rock exploded in crimson flame. He closed his eyes in the weightlessness watching the stones and rubble fly round his body. Leaves and evidence of the destruction swam round as the ilusion evaporated. He was falling fast, but gradually now he slowed like a feather losing the gale. The leaves moving round his battered body slowly departed. He held one tight in his hand and clenched at it willing it not to go away, the world dissapered.
He was in darkness suddenly and eery silence. He looked up and all he could see above him was darkness. He was moving towards a pyramid across a great bridge. Below in the murky deapths green soul trapped eyes gazed up at him as he sped on like the wind through the murky coridoors brought on by some unseen force. In the darkness across a great chasm a black platform was formed and there the white headed man looked at him with a smile. It was Quan chi, he stood to his feet and beckoned his hand forward all a blur.
Subzero came close as if on gentle wings and stared into his face "That's one Subzero, I've stopped the ilusion from closing on your head. The next is the element of earth, go now back to your own realm"
Back he went speeding down the coridoors so fast that he would have died of dizziness. Back across the bridge faster than he had ever seen a plane move or a rocket, faster than a bullet the dark skies passed away into complete blackness. He felt hard earth against his back. With a slow groan he opened his eyes. He was back in the real world, or something that seemed much like it.
First impression was a rocky roof. There was silence down here in these depths, yet almost a kinetic energy seemed stored up in the quiet walls. His back to the ground he could feel the sturdiness of the floor below him. It was merged together, every piece of dirt like glue, solid and strong yet alive in some strange way. Something rumbled far away and dust and stones fell down in a puff of smoke, he closed his eyes clenching his teeth and felt the grain on his eyelids. Sitting up he gazed round the new coridoor. A mining tunnel of some kind, large wooden beams held up the earthy roof and stopped it from colapsing arround his head. For this he was to some extent thankful. His hand was still clenched, opening it he found the green leaf and gazed at it with surprise for some time. It brought back with sudden force everything that had happened over the last few days. It was green and fresh from the wind. He took it to his nose and smelt it. A strong mint scent came from it that surprised him, he hadn't expected it to smell of anything. He put it away and gazed into the darkness of the tunnel.
Candles lined the walls stretching out into the darkness "If I'm any judge then this is the element of earth" he whispered softly not wanting to disturb the powers within. He touched the dusty wall still not truly believing in its existance. The grain was on his fingertips and gave them an orangeish browny glow when he looked at them. At least he wasn't surrounded by sky drops everywhere he looked, he could almost warm to this temple compared to his last experiance.
Compared to others this had to be the weirdest job he'd ever undertaken in his life. He'd risen through the Lin kuei ranks very quickly to become the top, but this job was much different from the rest. Never before had he been involved in an assignment that was so geared towards the arcane.
The light from the torches was dim, he set out knowing this and worrying about it right from the beginning. What if the torches went out and he was left in complete darkness? He could create some light with the blue coldness of his hands, but he couldn't keep it up constantly for the whole time he was down here. He remembered with some satisfaction the icicle trick that had finished off the wind god. It was difficult to create solid objects like that, but might he one day use it to his own advantage? Could he perhaps create real weapons out of thin air to use as he wanted? Now however was not the time to experiment. He had a job to do... even if he didn't know how to do it.
The walls shook suddenly and he ducked in the darkness putting his hands over his head. Dust and small pebbles fell down halmless bouncing off of his back and hand. This place seemed like it could cave in at any time. It was as if the earth itself were alive and was moving with its own purpose, creating new tunnels and destroying others to confuse its assailants.
Walking furher on, the corridoor turned round left and as Subzero did so he could hear a noise that he didn't at all like the sound of. Metal blades swishing through air. He could see them up ahead swinging back and forth like a pendulum in the distance. These traps weren't disguised at all, they were plain and simply out to get him. Hazard would be the better word. In the darkness of the corridoor the torch flame was king. It effected everything arround it shimmering off of the metal blades. They drove away the darkness and brought out a little yellow in Subzero's costume as the two lights merged from shadow to brightness. Down hear the torches ruled the darkness, they were the last light against the shadows of the earth, yet somehow they continued to burn with magic or some other means.
He stopped just outside the metal blades. They reached up into the roof and continued to swing no matter what, losing speed nor direction. What mechanics powered this trap and how did it work? There wasn't just one blade either. Seven or eight of them stretched out swinging back and forth at different times. One wrong move and he'd be dead, either that or left with a great bloody gash in his side. He threw an ice bolt at the blade hoping to freeze it. He suceeded but the blade itself didn't stop moving. He aimed another at the roof but with a twist the ice simple broke off the metal untarnished. He'd have to do this the proper way.
As the blade moved aside he stepped forward across its path. He stood inside the safety zone inbetween the blades and was afraid to move his head and for good reasons. He stayed stationary for a long time watching the blade move past his head and also knowing that the other one was just behind. Sweat moved down his fore head and he stepped forward quickly again as if he were doing an old fashioned dance or march. Again he stepped forward the noise pounding down on his ears with no flesh wound to follow. Using this technique he passed inbetween each blade to find a huge metal crusher slamming from the roof and floor inwards. It looked like something he'd have found in a metal factory. It was easyier to pass than the blades, he simply leaped through it when the mechanism was open.
Passing through the tunnels was so much different to the wind god's sky sanctuary. Here it was not falling on the earth that worried him, but the earth falling on him. There was enough air in the tunnels to keep Subzero breathing, but never quite enough. Presumably there was some kind of ventilation coming from whatever lay above this place. But there was never quite enough and substantially he always felt slightly faint and ill. His hands were stinging as usual but that was something he had expected from being up there in the roaring winds. It was warmer in the heart of the earth but also he felt cramped. He had neither Virtigo nor Claustraphobia but knew for certain what it would be like for someone who did to attempt what he was doing. There was enojgh room in the coridoors certainly more than the one in the entrance of the temple, but the darkness and the lack of air made the walls feel so much closer. Down here one's mind was more of a danger than any of the blades machines or traps were. He had to keep focused and not lose his concentration. That was the key to sucess.
He came to a halt suddenly. The ground had given up and walked away. A large pit decended below him, a rope was attached to the roof that he noticed was made of stone rather than rocky earth. He had almost missed it and continued walking, the rope itself catching the fire light had saved his life. Reaching out he grabbed the rope and looked it over. It seemed okay, he gave it a tug and nothing happened. It seemed pretty secure. Carefully he lowered himself down, swinging his feet left the ground and slowly he began to climb down the pit falling tunnel below. The rope jerked suddenly and Subzero clenched his teeth and eyes as earth and grain came down from above. The roof had started to decend. It gave a loud creaking of metal and as he looking up he saw the metal come closer towards him. It was a trap.
"Not good" he whimpered holding onto the rope. Locking his knees round it he slid down as fast as he could without achieving really bad rope burns. Looking up he could see the circular roof coming down towards him at a slow steady but efficient pace. It would get him eventually and that was all that mattered. He looked down quickly as he slid to make sure there were no metal stakes at the bottom. There weren't, but it was always a good idea to check. His feet hit the ground and quickly he examined the area arround him. Rocy walls on all sides apart from one metal door. He pushed it, it was locked. He tugged it but it wouldn't move. He shoulder butted it but still nothing happened and the roof was coming closer and closer every second that passed.
Charging up a real whacker of an ice bolt he slammed it in the centre of the door with a crackle of water vapour. He kicked the spot hard and it dented and crumbled bit by bit. Placing his hands on the dent he froze the spot even more hoping to crack it. He kicked it not daring to look up. It crumbled and his foot deepened into the metal door frame. He hopped back and rushing forward he kicked right through the frozen ice and outside. With both hands he tried his best to widen the hole, freezing the metal or stone or whatever it was. He couldn't tell in the darkness and his panic. Through the gap he could see a passageway the other side. If he could only just get through this damn hole in time he would have done it.
Fu shu was an art used less in combat than in exercises. Subzero wasn't an expert but he had to pretend he was right now if he was going to get through this gap. He put both hands through it and pulled himself slowly through breathing in his chest as much as he could. He became stuck on the hips a moment but with an agnoizing wrench flopped into the corridoor wrenching his feet through the round hole that was only a couple of centemeters larger in diamiter than a bowling ball. With a telling crash he knew the ceiling had hit the floor, and also realised how close he'd just come to having an early funeral. His talant came in useful for something at least. It is human nature not to appreciate the talants we have. Subzero was not completely aware of how much his abilities over ice helped him.
He got up slowly to his feet to realise that there was a monk in front of him. Another guardian of the temple, in his hand was a long stick. Subzero preferered these, generally he never had been good with nunchakas, but people like this person he could disarm and use the weapon himself. That is if he could disarm him. The guardian didn't move at all. They seemed to have a habit of doing that. They all seemed ludicrously proud of themselves standing there expecting themselves to be the ones who defeat the intruder.
"Just let me get to my feet and I'll be right with you" panted Subzero standing on one knee. With a whirl the monk brought the stick behind him to a lower behind stance. It was a pretty stupid stance to take in Subzero's opinian. The only time people did that kind of position was to look good for films. He thought grudgingly of that idiot Jonny Cage and wished to all high heavan that he never had to meet him. Dusting both knees off he readied himself with both hands forward. Jujitsu would be the thing for this fight, a quick move hopfully resulting in death for his opponent.
The stick swished forward in a pummeling action and Subzero stepped quickly back. The used the same move again Subzero stepped briefly to the side, he grabbed the stick in mid flow bashing his hand down on the other end he brought it up like a see-saw in the monk's face. It span round and he caught it himself spinning and forgetting all martial arts he wacked the monk squarely in the chest much like a base ball bat. The noise was a satisfying crack of wood against bone. The monk fell to the ground and Subzero continued to wack at the fallen body the monk raising his arms desperately trying to block the blows. With a loud crack he brought it across the monk's head and he stopped moving. Something had broken somewhere resulting in death or unconciousness, Subzero wasn't too worried right now in finding out whether he was dead or not. Grudgingly he rememberd Sang and rolled his eyes.
He left the dead guardian where he lay and continued on his journy through the bowels of the earth. Every corner he came across brought new traps and blades. Those swinging double scythes weren't the only ones in the tunnels, there were others he had to pass, gaps in the ground that opened and closed like a beating heart. The crushers were everywhere as he walked, as he tired he used the stick as a walking one. He headed out with no clear idea which way he should head or where he should go but he had one aim, to find the elemental of earth and slay him. That was his job, not his ambition nor his life. He didn't care whether this element was good evil went to the pub on Saturdays or watched a popular television program. It was his motive to destroy him.
Subzero had never understood why people had taken grudges against him in the past. In his eyes it made no sence at all. He was just doing the job, why blame him? Its the motive that in his eyes is the real evil. He was just the servant of evil, if they were fed up with what he was doing why not pay the Grandmaster a visit?
The corridoors were long and the traps deadly. He was almost at his wits end when walking down a particuarly dark corridoor he found the way. He hadn't noticed the monk hiding in the shadows and the blow caught him completely off guard. He hit the wall and turned quickly to attack the monk who had struck him. Subzero blocked a moment before wacking the monk away with the stick. He was up again in a second and rushed Subzero. He hadn't meant to be hit and saw it miles before it happened but the blow struck him anyway. He'd been slightly too slow somehow, it didn't hurt it moved him more than it caused pain. But instead of landing on a nice patch of soft soil he instead landed on a cracked part of floor that imiediately crumbled. It gave way suddenly oppening and he fell down uncontrollably sliding down a small tunnel. Webs kept hitting him in the face and several spiders passed him by crawling over his face as he shouted out. Finnaly he shot out with a long moan into another corridoor and landed a disorganised heap on the ground. He got quickly to his feet and removed as best as he could the pieces of web and other infestations of the mucky path he had taken with curses that could move the Kahn.
A large black widow was on the floor, he saw it unmistakingly in the darkness and backed off wrenching the web from him. It was the biggest spider he'd ever seen, the body itself was as big as his head. He wasted no time and froze it where it stood before checking for broken bones round his own body. Looking up at the hole where he had come out of through a crack in the wall he was glad that the monk hadn't decided to follow him. Web and organic matirial were across the walls and ceiling and a fight here wouldn't be a particuarly pleasant one. Presumably he was thought to be dead, but also that monk had been better than the last one and would have been more difficult to kill in battle.
Looking up he saw a large door. Much the same in fact as the one he had broken a hole through. He walked up to it warily and wiped some of the dust off with his hand. There was a squelch, looking down he realised he'd stepped on a spider, lifting his foot the yellow puss stretched like glue ripping as he removed his foot with disgust. The door opened slowly with a loud metalic creak. It was pitch black inside. So dark in fact that if he put his hand in he couldn't see it at even a metere in front. The darkness was unreal, and mysterious. The candles light did not enter into that darkness, it seemed like a sudden wall of blackness in front of him. Looking the door up and down for a moment from what he could see in the dark Subzero proceeded to do something very stupid. He walked in.
The door closed with a slam and he was left in the dark to dwell on his mistake.
Silence was in the room. Not a flicker of movement stirred and Subzero began to feel very anxious. Would the ceiling fall in? Would spikes come out of the walls or would a trap door open beneath his feet? He realised with hidden terror that his quiet breathing was the loudest noise in the room. But all that changed very fast.
Suddenly the room bursed into firey light and a loud rocky roar rang out that sounded as if it had come from the very centre of the world. It sounded achient, impassable to time. Looking across the walls small outlets with bars like prisons held back flames from inside. Subzero walked forward squinting his eyes as the flame light dulled down to a deep fiery red. The room was circular with rocky walls, yet it seemed designed the way it was to imitate the earth's relationship with fire. The walls shook suddenly and Subzero leaped back as the ground cracked and split open.
A large hand as big as his waist stretched out of the broken earth and came smashing down on the floor. It was made completey from rock, a head emerged with fiery eyes and slowly the huge rocky beast emerged standing over twice Subzero's height. A golem, he'd heard about these creatures in myth and legend but had never truly expected to encounter one.
"Why do you disturb my rocky slumber mortal?" came the rock splitting voice of the huge monster before him. It clenched fingers together in anger. This being evidently wasn't going to receive Subzero with the same courtesy of the god of wind.
"I've come for an amulet belonging to a man who has hired me"
The voice lauthed loud and long, the sound booming deep across the walls and reaching under Subzero's feet and shaking the very bones inside his body. The lauthter was mocking and extremely threatening, the fingers cracked like lumps of coal being crushed.
"That amulet is no property of yours or your freinds" rang out the slow voice of the golem. Each word was brought out slowly deeply and with great echoing precision "Don't patronize me mortal... you have come here to destroy us four brethren. I have foreseen it in my slumber. Even now the element of wind has been vanquished, and you seek yourself to aid the very powers that will destroy you"
"What do you mean?" said Subzero quivering he could not let this comment go unanswered.
"I warn you mortal, I shall show no mercy to your pathetic body. My wretched brother spent too much time breathing the wind, it made him soft. I shall show you the true force of the earth, now come and face your fear like a man you quivering wretch, I long to hear the sound of your breaking bones returning to the earth whence they came"
"Your so pleasant" said Subzero sarcastically "What are you going to do fall on me?"
"You have little comprehension for the power locked up in these hands" his foot crashed down on the floor and rocks came hurtling down from the ceiling above. Subzero ducked aside as a large one slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
"And now it starts" he roared "With slow steps I shall come towards you and flatten your wretched body"
Subzero charged suddenly forward leaping through the air he aimed a kick at the golem's head. The arms were brought up much quicker than he had expected and slammed him to the side. He felt the rock bite into his flesh as if he'd just been hit with a slab of concrete. He whimpered in pain rolling aside leaving a splatter of blood on the rocky floor. He limped back retreating he heard each step loudly crashing against the ground as the golem came slowly towards him.
"Bones and kingdoms break under the heavy steps of the earth" rattled the deep voice omnimously it crashed forward step by step towards the blue assassin. Looking over the huge golem he realised with some terror that there was no weak point in the design. His foot would just bounce off, a blow from his fist would do more damage to him then it would to the rocky beast. Running round behind the golem suddenly he kicked hard at its feet hoping to knock the creature to the floor. The golem's body did not move an inch. Instead he sprang back as the Golem swang round a blow that could have killed him. He hopped back on one foot clutching his toes in pain.
"Water wets and dries, Fire burns and dies, Wind blows and blows out but Earth lives on until time sags and sighs"
It roared again and slammed its foot on the ground the shock waves wreched Subzero to the floor in pain. He rolled aside as huge rocks came crashing to the ground aiming it seemed for him rather than falling any old how. He stood to his feet to see the Golem roar with anger stepping forward over rocks again the earth shook with each step. He tried an ice bolt at the feet. It suceeded more than he expected it to. The Golem froze a moment pulling at the ice with a roar it broke and continued stamping its way across the floor. It was a slow but deadly strong creature unstoppable so it seemed. He was close to the wall now, looking behind him he noticed the licking flames kept inside the bars. It seemed ludicrous to think here was he so cold next to something so hot. Then an idea hit him.
He waited patiently next to the flames as the golem stampped forward. He stood standing still praying that what he was about to do would work. The Golem stopped right beside him and lifted its fist, it gazed steadily into his eyes.
"So you've given up have you?" it lauthed "This was easier than I foresaw"
"I cannot win" replied Subzero gravely "Finish me off quickly"
A smile cracked across its great lips and it brought up the other hand into the air so that both were pointed towards the ceiling. Its body crackled and crumbled with the weight reaching down into the floor. The blow came down fast and strong and Subzero ducked and rolled under its legs with a surprised rumble its hands smashed through the bars and the flames licked its hands. Charging up a real cracker of an ice blow he brought a Karate chop down on its lowered stone back and pushed it further into the flames. It roared as the flames licked its body. He pushed at the Golem and got it in the flames as far as he could before stepping back he charged his hands up with as much ice energy as he could possibly muster.
The body began to glow red and the golem beat its hands against the walls furiously but all this did was to allow more of the flames to escape and consume its rocky body. Everything burns eventually, but that wasn't what he was hoping to do. He knew what happened when something cold met something really hot. He let lose a polar blast freezing the Golem's feet and lower body that were sticking out of the furnace. The noise of the Golem's pain ran up the walls causing cracks and rocks to fall that Subzero had to dodge as best as he could. A small one hit him on the shoulder and he cringed in pain.
"Know this mortal" roared the Golem as the noise subisded, light eminated from its rocky body "What you have set upon this day holds more danger then my fists or my brother's wind. I ask you in hope for all of the gods and their creations to turn back now. No price mortal is worth what you have undertaken... heed my words and dwell on them before you bring the last sands of time upon us all. I was unable to stop you, and I foresee that neither will my remaining brothers, it is up to you to stop yourself before it is too late"
The light began to glow from him and running away in the opposite direction he knew for certain that this thing was going to go out with a bang and ideed it did. He dived for cover as the explosion rang out fire leaping up the walls towards him the ceiling began to cave in with a rumble.
