WHISPERS OF THE UNDERWORLD
CHAPTER IV:
DARKNESS PREVAILS
The light shining through the trees and the hills was more than beautiful. It was invigorating. It was the first site of dawn. As he took up the wine glass and took a drink like he had done already many times so far today, Rayden relaxed on the balcony of the Temple of Light. Kai had been inside discussing something with Kasamia in one of the hallways.
The skies overhead cracked with thunder and rain unexpectedly started to blanket the Shaolin Temple. Rayden knew something was wrong. He didn't quite know what yet, but he knew it couldn't be good.
A swirling tornado boomed and made one of the loudest hissing noises Rayden had ever heard. He stood at attention and was not afraid, for he remembered that these were the ways that his younger brother traveled. It had to be him. He knew of no other being that possessed the ability to create tornadoes and travel through them.
Fujin appeared inside of the tornado with his hands stretched far out in order for himself to keep his balance. Three other very familiar faces appeared also in the tornado. Rayden smiled, then changed his smile to an odd frown.
As the group approached, Rayden noticed that Fujin and the other members were badly beaten and bruised. But most of all, he noticed that his brother's entire left body had been corrupted with hideous burn marks and swelling black lumps. They all looked fatigued and each one of them seemed to be clutching a part of their bloodied bodies.
They floated down fully to the balcony. Kai and Kasamia came running up the stairs from downstairs. They too had heard the loud hissing and decided to inspect.
As Fujin's feet hit the floor, he collapsed. Rayden ran over to him and cushioned his fall. As Kai and his female companion kicked open the door, they looked at the odd site of Fujin and Rayden and the other gods.
Kai wanted to smile and welcome them to his home, but knew the circumstances were not right. He rushed over to Fujin and helped Rayden pick him up to his feet.
As Fujin tried to say something, Rayden interrupted him. "Shh, brother. Let's get you inside."
The defeated gods would have taken in the beautiful scenery and carvings portrayed in the Shaolin Temple, but one of their own was wounded and he needed their help.
"Follow." Kasamia said. "I know a place where he can rest." The whole group followed Kasamia down many sets of stairs. Kai and Rayden were a little behind with the very severely injured Fujin.
Kasamia led them to a chamber with small golden pillars and windows. In the center back of the stone-floored room, there was a gigantic altar. Kasamia pointed to the altar.
"There, lay him down there." She quickly left the room and came back seconds later with a purple silk pillow. After Rayden and Kai ever so gently laid Fujin down, she slid the cushion underneath his head.
Rayden looked at Sub Zero with his worried look. "What in the Heavens happened to my brother, Sub Zero?" Sub Zero just slowly shook his head. "We have no idea. What we do know, however, is that evil has once again resurfaced."
Rayden's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?" Fujin tried to answer, but what he tried to say just came out as a few mumbles and exerted huffs.
Kung Lao put his hand on Fujin's right shoulder. "Just rest, my friend." Kai stood back from the scene. He had had a sudden rush of...something. He didn't know what. It had felt like he had been stabbed with a knife, then thrown into the coldest ocean allowable for human body temperatures.
He looked at Fujin's arm. That was the same poison that Quan Chi had used on his ancient master and teacher to kill him. Chi then placed his changed body into the Netherealm and ordered the monster to guard some kind of ancient sword that had been hidden by the Elder Gods.
He also knew that only Quan Chi knew where the poison was, and how to get it. If his predictions were right, this would be the work of the cunning sorcerer himself.
"I think I sense what has happened." Everyone looked at him quickly. Liu Kang stepped forward. "What is it, my friend?"
Kai swallowed hard and shut his eyes. He opened them. "I sense Quan Chi has returned."
The Temple seemed lifeless now that the amulet was stolen. It was now just a dark, cold place of treachery and deceit. Shao Kahn stood before where the amulet should have been.
Ermac was behind him, holding the ancient book that he had used to resurrect his master with. Shao Kahn held in his hand the third rune stone that he had been carrying with him ever since his rebirth.
He knew it was the third rune stone because of the ancient hell-spoken language marked on the front of the stone. In this case, the language spoke the number three and glowed orange whenever the rune stone was moved.
Shao Kahn looked at the resting area of where the amulet should have been. It was still presenting a strong orb-like swirling glow to it. According to the legends, the spot where the amulet was should have possessed power only when the amulet was in that very spot, and whenever the amulet was removed from that place, the power from the resting place was suppose to travel with it.
Something was wrong. Shao Kahn knew that the rune stones had the ability to see into the past and the present, so he held it high, placed his other hand over it and uttered those same odd words before that had allowed him to use the correct power of the stones. "Usu nosuto eckhba utno masuto dicasna chepah!"
The rune stone glowed. Shao Kahn thought of what he wanted to see from the rune stone, then implemented his thoughts into it. Again, a watery and very blurry image started to appear, then formed into a very crisp and clear picture. Shao Kahn looked closely.
Quan Chi was grinning as he reached for the amulet. "And now, my master, I have succeeded." But as he reached for the item he had longed for, he couldn't quite grasp it. Shao Kahn laughed at his pathetic attempts to take it, it shocking him every time.
Then, out of nowhere, a giant, blue garbed, black-skinned demon reached in and pulled the amulet out with ease. Shao Kahn, not paying much attention, widened his eyes. "Was that thing Sub Zero?" He focused back on the rune stone.
"Wait!" He almost yelled. "I command you to go back!" The rune stone went back in time right before Sub Zero reached in for the amulet. Shao Kahn now focused on this more than anything he had ever focused on.
He ordered the rune stone to slow the image down, so he could see every little detail. As Sub Zero removed the amulet from the resting-place, the frost emanating from his arm froze some of the power from the resting-place before it could be pulled away with the amulet.
Shao Kahn thought no one would ever be powerful enough to freeze a power from the resting-place of an amulet, but the man...thing that did was no ordinary warrior. The frost must have thawed. That was why the energy was now swirling instead of it still being frozen.
"We need a warrior, Ermac. One capable of taking down this monster. I am sure that Quan Chi will have him guarding the amulet from now on."
Ermac stepped forward. "What kind of warrior, sire?" Shao Kahn smiled from beneath his skull, which he had grown to accept as his natural face. "A warrior with the ability to harness unbelievable power. Since this demon is the older Sub Zero, I am positive that any enemy that opposes him would be destroyed. Except for who I have in mind."
He paused for a moment. "In that book of yours, is there a spell on how to create or resurrect past warriors?" Ermac smiled. "I am not sure, my lord."
As Ermac scrambled quickly through the pages of his ancient book to try to find some sort of spell or witchcraft related to the things that his master had mentioned. He knew he had seen one once for sure, but it was a very large book. As he continued to search, he eventually found it and showed it to Shao Kahn. He smiled as he once again looked at the ancient rune stone in his large hand. Ermac stepped forward. "What particular warrior did you have in mind, sire?"
"He is someone that was killed many years ago. Someone who was my general for quite some time. Do you know who I am speaking of, Ermac?"
Ermac shook his head slowly. "No, sire. Not..." He was interrupted. "Yes Ermac. I want you to resurrect Kintaro." Ermac thought he was out of his mind. Such a four-armed beast like that could not be controlled. As Shao Kahn left the temple, he looked back at Ermac. "Do not fail me."
Ermac took the book, went over to the remaining swirling power from the amulet's resting-place, and started to work his dark magic.
The Throne room was very dark. It still had the same cold feeling as before, but that had no effect on the giant statue that lay in the center of it. Quan Chi was very pleased. He almost ran through the doors to tell his master the awaiting news. Scorpion, Reptile, Mileena, and the giant demon Sub Zero were not far behind him and were trying to keep up with the sorcerer. Quan Chi kicked open the gigantic doors of the Throne room and ran up to the statue of his master.
"Master!" He yelled as he looked upwards. The statue stayed motionless. "Did you retrieve what is mine, sorcerer?" It boomed loudly. Quan grinned. "Yes, master." And from his side pouch, he revealed the amulet of power with the large green gem in the middle and raised it high in the air.
Scorpion had to use every muscle in his body to not run at that damn sorcerer and harpoon him through the heart. He wanted to take that blasted amulet that was so special to this statue and shatter it. But would that really be more fulfilling than seeing his wife and child again?
If Quan Chi didn't keep his promise....
Scorpion closed his eyes. The room started to shake. Scorpion swore he could see the mouth of the statue stretch into a smile. A small circle in the chest area of the statue began to take shape, eventually exploding into a small circle. "Excellent." It boomed.
"You have done my bidding well, sorcerer. You shall be rewarded with the gift of immortality." Quan looked like he had been slapped across the face. "The gift of immortality is more that I expected, my lord. I am grateful." Quan Chi bowed before the statue like he had done so many times before.
"As for my amulet, hold it up in the air." Confused, Quan Chi held it up in the air slowly. He saw a green mist form around his hand and also around a newly formed hole in the statue's center.
The room shook worse than before and the amulet flew up to the statue and fitted itself into the stone center. The statue was now a swirling giant of power and domination, which glowed a dark green now that the amulet was returned to it.
The statue would soon begin to change.
Scorpion waited anxiously as he stood outside the Throne room awaiting Quan Chi's arrival. It was rude enough to hand over the sacred amulet right in front of his own face like that, but to order them, not tell them to, but to order the three of them to wait outside while the god damn statue gave orders to Quan Chi.
Scorpion knew he had just handed over his chance to do something good in the world. He would now have to life with knowing that he had let darkness prevail. Billions would bow at the feet of this statue. Billions would probably be slaughtered in the process also.
Scorpion swallowed that big lump in his throat. He didn't care that much and tried to wipe the thoughts of evil from his mind. He would be seeing the beautiful face of his lovely wife and the cute little voice of his baby girl soon. That would make everything better.
That is, if Quan Chi fulfilled his end of the bargain....
Reptile looked over at the large blue and black demon towering over him. He then looked at his friend Scorpion. "My friend, do you think that sorcerer will actually keep his word for once?"
Scorpion paused. "I do not know this, my friend. All of this won't matter soon. I will be sitting at home, with my wife in my arms, watching my little girl play in the gardens."
Reptile smiled. "The price we pay for love. Disturbing, isn't it?"
Everyone turned around as one of the large doors creaked open behind them. Quan Chi stepped out with his back towards everyone with his hands crossed behind his back.
Scorpion stepped forward. "We did our end of the bargain. Now you must fulfill your end, sorcerer." Quan Chi chuckled.
Scorpion looked confused. "Send me back to my wife and child, Quan Chi! You promised! Face me!" Scorpion's eyes turned from white to red as they always did when he was pushed to that exact edge of anger.
"What promise? I don't remember any promise." He said, still chuckling, still with his back turned. Reptile closed his eyes. He knew this would happen.
"Don't do this to me, Chi! I have waited for years to see them! You made a promise that you couldn't break! Send me back god damnit!" Scorpion clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned bone white.
Quan turned around with an evil look on his face. "We didn't shake hands on it." Scorpion lunged forward. He punched Quan Chi in the nose, then threw him to the ground. Quan got up and launched a flaming green skull at his abdomen.
Scorpion flew back and broke threw the side wall of the hallway that they were in. Reptile stared the sorcerer down.
"I was promised the reward of returning to my home world. Will my promise not be fulfilled either?" Quan Chi smiled. "Of course not." Reptile smiled. Quan leapt into the air and came crashing down on Reptile with his feet before Reptile could move out of the way.
"You fool! You actually thought I would grant you your wish? You Zaterrians disgust me!" Chi picked Reptile up and also threw a flaming green skull at him.
It connected and the force caused Reptile to roll past Scorpion and fly over a cavern. The green creature grabbed onto the end just before it was out of reach.
Reptile's legs dangled helplessly over a fiery pit of molten lava. He tried to climb up, but could not. Mileena dropped to her knees. Quan Smiled once again. "You, I didn't promise anything. You are just lucky that I did not throw you into the Shokan planes."
Quan Chi then walked over to Scorpion, who was clutching the side of his ribcage. He leaned down far enough to the specter's face just so that he could hear his whisper.
"Just so you know, You're wife and child's souls have been eliminated. That's what my master and I were discussing. As for your revenge regarding Shao Kahn? He is trapped inside a tablet in Outworld and will never escape. You have lost Scorpion. I don't know why you would ever trust me in the first place. I am a sorcerer. Lying and deceit are what I do. It is my job. It is my life. I hope to see you soon, ninja."
Quan walked up to the demon Sub Zero and looked up at him. "My master and I have an important matter to discuss with you. Come this way." Quan Chi and the demon walked back into the Throne room. The giant doors sealed over with a blue force field so that no one could get in.
Scorpion charged at it as fast as he could. The force field sealed over just as he hit them. The impact did nothing. "No!" He yelled.
Scorpion heard Reptile crying out for help. He ran over to where his friend's helpless body was dangling over the edge of the cavern.
After he helped Reptile to his feet, Scorpion and Reptile walked slowly with both their heads down to where Mileena was sitting. She leanded back and rested beside the sealed chamber doors. They both dropped down beside her. She started to break out in tears. Scorpion put his arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him. "Why would he do that?" Scorpion frowned and looked up at the blue magic on the doors.
"Because he his a bastard sorcerer. Nothing more. He will never change. When I leave this place, I swear on my wife and child's graves, I will take his very life with my hands!" Scorpion screamed.
Why would he be so foolish to trust a sorcerer? Quan Chi for that matter. Reptile dropped his head. "We were desperate. He could sense it. That is why he chose us. We should have known he was going to do that."
Scorpion and Reptile sat there. Their hopes and dreams of reliving their past happiness' were shattered, all thanks to a greedy little sorcerer. Now, instead of Scorpion seeing his wife smiling, he could picture her burning to death now that her soul was destroyed.
The same with his precious little daughter. She would be in pain and agony also. Trying to hold them back, but simply couldn't, the strong specter wasn't so strong, and finally broke down into tears.
Reptile thought of his home world. Now that his promise wasn't fulfilled, it would forever be a vanquished memory; nothing but ash and half chopped burning trees. Damn that sorcerer! Scorpion stood up. "One day, one day! I swear I will catch up with that bastard of a sorcerer and slay him like he did my wife and child's souls! I don't care if it takes me an eternity in hell to do it!"
Reptile looked up at him. "Might I ask, how?" Scorpion looked back at him. "What do you mean, 'how'?" Reptile frowned. "The only way out of this forsaken realm is either by way of two things: nighttime, or that amulet. That statue was the only thing that could create the portals with his green magic, and I believe that challenging his forces and taking back the amulet is out of the question." Scorpion closed his eyes. "Then it is settled. I shall live out the remnants of my pathetic life here in the Netherealm, never to take revenge, never to see my family again."
Mileena's face lit up trough the tears and sobbing. "You will see your family again." Scorpion looked puzzled. "How so?" Mileena stood up. She grunted because of her healing wounds.
"When I attempted to escape, I did so by sneaking into one of the hallways that had windows. There was a storm outside, and it was dark out. I broke the window in the hallway and tried to jump through. Before I could, I was caught and was brought back for torture."
Scorpion shook his head. "How in the hell does that help me, Mileena?' She shook her head. "No, no, no. Let me finish. When I tried to jump through, my arm went through the window. I felt it go through a portal, and I grabbed onto something: a leaf. It was a leaf from a tree. There aren't leafs in the Netherealm."
She smiled. "Don't you see? The Netherealm is like one big link to Earth, regardless of whether it turns dark or not. It's literally crawling with portals."
Scorpion stood up and crossed his bulging arms. "So what you're saying is that we go to Earthrealm and do what, exactly?" "I say we go to Earth, go to the Shaolin Temples and beg for forgiveness from the Gods that we so easily defeated. We then ask them to help us take down Quan Chi and find out what the hell is in that statue. You can then use the amulet's power to return to your family, and Reptile could use it to return to his home world. What do you think?" She asked them both.
Reptile rose also. "It sounds like a plan, Scorpion." Scorpion nodded. "We go now then. No wasting time."
Mileena was running and jumping over everything in her way like craters, giant rocks, and lava pools. She kept on passing hallway after hallway, trying to remember which hallway it was that she tried to escape from.
Finally, they were there. "Is this it?" Scorpion asked. She nodded her head forward. She ran down the hallway to the exact window that she tried to escape from. Mileena came to a complete halt as she saw two giant, black-armored guards with long swords wearing small skulls standing on both sides of the window. They must have known about the portal and were sent to keep it a secret.
Scorpion walked past Mileena and right up to one of the guards. "Let us by." He ordered. The guard stepped forward. "Orders of Quan Chi. No one passes through this window without his consent." The guard told Scorpion. Scorpion frowned. "Fine then."
Without wasting any time, Scorpion grabbed the guard closest to him and pulled him down to the ground with him. He then planted his knees in the guard's lower abdomen and threw him over his head, grabbing the guard's sword in the process. The guard hit the ground hard. The other guard lunged at Reptile with his sword pointing in the direction of the creature's dark green covering on his chest. Reptile extended his leg to the side and tripped the guard. He quickly kneed him in the stomach, punched him in the jaw, then uppercutted him. The guard fell to the ground.
Scorpion lost his balance as his opponent grabbed him by the waist and tried to take him down. Scorpion elbowed the guard in the spine and a crunch followed. He knew he broke part of the guard's spine. Scorpion took the sword and slashed down on the beaten guard. Blood shot out everywhere as the sword pierced his flesh. Scorpion stuck the sword in further and watched the guard die slowly.
Reptile watched his opponent get to his feet, then let him try to slash him. With a quick motion of his hands, the very elusive Reptile threw a green ball of magic to the ground and disappeared within its mist. The guard slashed everywhere frantically trying to find out where his enemy went. The man grabbed his throat and started to gasp for air. His head turned to the side and the bones in his neck snapped violently. As the guard fell to the ground with his neck twisted the wrong way, Reptile re-appeared.
The three of them crawled through the window. Before them lie a green and blue swirling portal that boomed in and out of control. As they started to walk through, Reptile paused. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Scorpion?" Scorpion clenched his fists. "I don't know. I'm not sure of anything anymore. One thing I do know is that darkness has prevailed."
Next Chapter: THE SHOKAN WARRIOR AWAKES