Chapter Nineteen: Bonded Souls
Rayden slowly woke up to find himself in the now annoyingly familiar guest room at the trading post. He sighed as he got up; aches where Arianna hit him reminded him what happened earlier.
The window blew open as a strong wind entered the room. Fujin appeared leaning against the wall. "How long have I've been asleep?" Rayden asked.
Fujin shrugged and replied, "A few hours, it's just now about time for the evening meal." The God of Wind sat on the edge of the bed and frowned, "Well are you gonna tell me what happened?" he asked, "I assumed that the pile of ash was Arianna and unless I am mistaken, Althea doesn't normally have enough power to do that sort of thing." Fujin rubbed the back of his neck and added, "Your 'friend' recommended that I show Kronos those kamas that Arianna had. Let's just say that someone is in serious trouble and for a change it isn't one of us."
Rayden sat down on the bed and removed his mental shields. He could sense Althea's restless slumber, she was dreaming again. "Is she alright?" Rayden finally got the nerve to ask.
Fujin nodded and said, "Aside from the bleach job, not a mark on her…anywhere. I checked." Fujin vanished to avoid the punch Rayden aimed his way. Laughter could be heard on the wind as it died down. Rayden covered his eyes with his forearm as he laid back. The sound of a plate breaking brought a smile to his face as he heard Taja's colorful language.
(Outworld)
The Emperor of Outworld sat on his throne. The war with Vorpax was nearing its end, with him as the obvious winner. Her minions where severely thinned in the last few battles and she has had no time to replenish their numbers. If she was smart, she would take what remained of her people and return from whatever realm they came from. If not…
A shadow priest floated into the throne room, followed by the leader of the Red Dragon. Drevane bowed deeply and said, "I thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Great One.
Kahn just remained silent and took a good long look at the human before him. Drevane began to sweat under such tight scrutiny and nearly jumped when Kahn broke the silence. Shao Kahn's evil laughter roared through the halls of his palace. The shadow priest moved to stand next to his lord and master as the laughter subsided. "What do you wish…or do I need to ask?" the Emperor said in a cruel, jokingly voice.
Drevane cleared his voice and replied, "I'm in need of some assistance from either yourself or perhaps one of your many followers. It seems that I have a…small problem of the mystical sort."
Kahn chuckled cruelly and said, "Even I don't consider a rogue dragon spirit as a 'little' problem. However, "Kahn raised his hand, "I might be willing to help you…for a price."
"Of course, Your Greatness," said Drevane with a humorless smile, "there is always a price."
(Trading Post)
Later that night Althea woke, sore and still tired. Unable to sleep anymore she got up and headed down stairs to answer the call of her rumbling stomach. In the kitchen she found some apples and proceeded to slice them for a snack. In moments, Rayden entered the room and asked, "Mind if I join you?"
"Go right ahead, "Althea answered, handing him one of the apples. After a few minutes of just looking at her eat, Rayden asked, "What the hell were you thinking? Why did you decide to face her alone?"
Althea raised an eyebrow as she replied, "It was my fight. You didn't see me trying to stop you when you fought Ragen."
"That was different and you know it, "said Rayden, "One; I wasn't alone. You, Kung Lao, Taja and Siro were all there in case Ragen or Arianna decided to cheat. Secondly, it was a challenge for my place as Earthrealm's God of Thunder not a grudge match."
Althea took a deep breath to keep her anger in check and said, "But it was MY FIGHT. She challenged me and I accepted by choice. It was my call NOT YOURS. By the way, what were YOU THINKING showing up like that during a fight between two GODSLAYERS?" Angrily she got up to clean and put away the knife she used to slice the apples.
Rayden watched her as she did so and was not surprised by her next question. Not even turning to look she asked, "Why did you show up? Would you have done the same if it was Kung Lao or one or the others?"
Rayden leaned back in his chair and answered, "To be honest, I don't think so. I…it wouldn't have been allowed. The rules state that unless Kung Lao is attacked by someone outside of Earthrealm I can not directly interfere."
"But it's okay in my case?" Althea retorted but he back was still towards the thundergod.
Rayden sighed and said, "Actually no." Rayden got up and walked quietly to stand behind the woman. Taking her shoulders in his hands he said, "Actually, it's most likely best that I got blasted by Arianna when I did. Technically, I was mortal when I got caught between the two of you."
"Then why?" Althea asked again. Rayden forced her to turn around and face him when he said, "I believe you know why." Looking directly into her now crystal blue eyes, he continued, "I…"
A loud stumbling sound echoed throughout the building as Siro made his way downstairs and out the kitchen door. Apparently still mostly asleep and unaware of the tense moment he just interrupted. Rayden said a few choice words in a language Althea didn't understand but got idea from the tone in his voice. Althea has to cover her mouth to muffle the laughter that tried to escape.
Unfortunately, when Siro returned a few minutes later with his sleep pants still unlaced, Althea lost the battle with the laugher and fell forward into Rayden's chest. The laughter muffled, Rayden placed his arms around her and glared in Siro's direction as the former bodyguard made his way back upstairs. However, the thundergod was distracted when Althea snuggled deeper in his chest. He tightened his hold on her and said, "Thea, we….I…." Althea silenced him by grabbing both sides of his face and pulling him down into a kiss. Rayden quickly overcame his surprise and deepened the kiss. For those few moments all thoughts of the fight, the Elder Gods and Siro left their minds.
(Outside)
Kahn's price was indeed high. Not the expected one, but in a way even higher. Drevane and two of his most loyal men made their way to the trading post. The leader of the Red Dragon cursed slightly in his head. Normally an assignation would require days of planning and observation of the target, but in this case the target was vulnerable only for a short period of time. Now would most likely be the last time the target would be mortal.
They glanced carefully into the open, guest room window after making their way over the courtyard walls. They found the room empty and they each quickly climbed through the window, the last barely making it in when they heard someone stumble through the courtyard. The muffled sound of target's angry voice could be heard through the closed door. Drevane cracked the door open just enough to see the former bodyguard's return back up the stairs. With the way clear, they carefully made their way to the kitchen, from where they heard the voice.
The one they sought was kissing a white-haired woman. Drevane frowned, he hated unknowns and this female was someone they never saw. Wasn't the thundergod supposed to be fond of the blonde godslayer? It didn't matter, both would die. In fact, since it wasn't the blonde he wouldn't be going against his word.
Althea sensed danger and stiffened in Rayden's arms. Through their link, Rayden also sensed it so when the attack came they were both prepared. Drevane and one of his men attacked Rayden with daggers drawn, the third attempted to take on Althea. Rayden quickly turned and grabbed Drevanes wrist and backfisted the other. Despite being mortal, Rayden was still stronger than he appeared and the attacker fell with his face caved in. Rayden didn't even give him a glance as the same fist flew into Drevane's face.
At the same time, Althea easily dodged down as her opponent's dagger as it sliced air. She then landed a strong uppercut and while he reeled, she kicked him in the gut forcefully knocking the wind out of him.
The sounds fighting woke the rest of the household and within seconds Kung Lao, Taja, and Siro ran downstairs to find out what was happening. Just when they reached the kitchen, Drevane's dragon spirit appeared. The searing heat force Rayden to let go of the man's wrist. But instead of attacking with the flames of the red dragon, Drevane fell to the floor screaming in agony as it appeared as if the spirit was clawing its host. Hugh gashes appeared on his back with smoke and small flames rising from the torn leather.
"Get the water bucket!" yelled Rayden as the flames began to grow. Siro ran outside as Althea attempted to approach the fallen man, but the heat was too great. The wooden furniture nearest to him began to smoke and darken. Althea looked around and then grabbed the metal tea kettle and threw it straight to his head, knocking him out. As Drevane fell flat, the dragon shape red haze faded. Siro returned with a bucket of water and threw it on the unconscious crime lord and the smoking furniture. Taja ran out and then quickly returned with some rope. "Here,"Taja said as she hand some rope to Rayden, "Tie them up so nothing else happens." Rayden took the rope without speaking and started to tie the man Althea had fought.
"What the hell happened?" asked Kung Lao as Taja examined the man Rayden back fisted. She found out there was no need for ropes in his case; the face was completely caved into his brain. Taja quickly glanced at Rayden and then went to check on the leader of the group. His clothes were burnt and torn. The smell of burnt flesh and wood filled the room.
Siro placed the bucket on the floor and said, "I thought they agreed to leave us alone."
Kung Lao shook his head and said, "No, they promised not to harm anyone living here, there is a difference," said Kung Lao in a thoughtful voice.
"I'm only a guest, "said Rayden finishing the thought, "And as for Althea, they may have not recognized her due to the sudden change in hair color."
A strong wind entered the room, clearing out the smell of smoke when Fujin appeared kneeling over the dead man. "Did you have to hit him so hard?" he asked.
Rayden just glared at his brother and said nothing. However, Taja wasn't as silent as she yelled, "Where the hell were you?"
Fujin stood up and shrugged, "Hey it was a mortal matter with no obvious signs any of the rules of Mortal Kombat being broken. Sorry, bro, but the rules are the same for you; as long as you're a mortal I can't interfere."
Kung Lao just sighed and said, "Why did they try to kill Rayden?"
"My guess is that they were hired, "said Siro, "Meet their price and the Red Dragon will get or do anything."
"Now just who do we know would want you dead?" said Taja sarcastically as she looked directly at Rayden.
(Later)
While waiting for Siro to return with the city guards, Althea attempted to treat Drevane's injuries. The best she could do was to remove the torn clothing and wash the wounds. Rayden sat at the table watching her as Taja and Kung Lao discussed what happened.
"Rayden,"said Kung Lao, "What did we just see?" Rayden turned his attention to the pair and replied, "My best guess would be the dragon spirit he..'controlled' in starting to rebel." Rayden thought for a few seconds and continued, "Perhaps that was the price paid for this assassination attempt. My death for a cure." Rayden shrugged.
"You seem very unconcern for someone who nearly got killed?" observed Taja.
Rayden looked her straight in the eyes and said in a toneless voice, "There are some things worse than death. Trust me, much worse." The feeling that came over her made Taja certain she that this was some thing she did not want to know.
Althea sat next to the thundergod and said, "Alright, what do we do with him? We just can't turn him over to the city guard…can we?"
Kung Lao frowned and replied, "You have a point, but there isn't much else we can do. We can't keep him prisoner and the other option…"
"Isn't there a way to imprison the dragon spirit?" asked Althea, "I remember stories of a blue dragon spirit being contained within a medallion until called upon for help by the Draconian royal family. After it was no longer needed it would return to its 'home' until needed again."
Rayden lifted his hand and concentrated for a few seconds, no sparks. For once he was happy being stuck as a mortal. "Okay, since I am mortal right now I can tell you this. There are a handful of dragon spirits that were imprisoned within medallions eons ago. Each medallion was give to a certain family line to be watch over. Why, "Rayden shrugged, "I don't know and in most cases the exact nature of these spirits have been forgotten even by the families entrusted with them."
"Great, "said Taja, "So how do we return this one to its prison?"
"Don't have a clue, "said Rayden. He continued just when the groaning started, "But perhaps the holders of this blue dragon might know."
Althea shrugged and said, "Might, but I doubt it. Most of them were killed during the God War and the remaining one happens to be a kid. I don't think he was told the secret. Besides I would thing encouraging the protective blue dragon back to its home would be a somewhat easier than capturing the rebelling red."
"Wouldn't the black dragon wielder know?" ask Kung Lao. Rayden shook his head and said, "No. Even if she was still alive, she went to Shang Tsung to awaken the black dragon. Her father and perhaps her brother might have known, but…"
"They're dead, "Kung Lao finished.
"Is there a chance that the temple's library might have a clue?" ask Althea, "From what I've seen of them they seem pretty extensive."
"Perhaps, "said Kung Lao and with a sigh he continued, "I'll head out there in the morning and see if anything can be found."
"I'll go with, "volunteered Althea and was surprised by Kung Lao shaking his head no. She asked, "Why not?"
"Simple, you're still recovering and most likely what we seek would be in the deeper sanctorum of the temple's library. You wouldn't even be allowed in there,"answered Kung Lao. Althea sighed but didn't argue with his logic.
"We still don't know what to do with him,"Taja reminded everyone.
Rayden shrugged again and said, "Hand him over to the guard. Their cells are more than suitable for holding him. If he does get out, his buddy over there, "Rayden pointed over his shoulder to the tied up Red Dragon member, who was now fully conscious and continued, "will tell him that you guys are also looking for a cure and if he's smart he'll deal with you rather than anyone else. Unless I'm mistaken, your 'price' would be considerable more palatable."
(That following
day)
Morning dawned and became afternoon. The guards took the prisoners and corpse away early that morning and Kung Lao headed out to the temple shortly afterward. As soon as his powers returned, Rayden vanished without a word and Taja opened up the store. Althea tried to go through her morning exercises as normal but within minutes she knew that Kung Lao's assessment of her health was correct. Exhaustion set in quickly and she had to apologize to Siro for quitting so soon. After a quick rise off from the water basin, Althea headed up to her room. She figure now was a good as time as any to go over her own limited library to answer a few questions. Althea doubted that she would have anything about the dragon spirits, but another question had been nagging at her since the fight with Arianna. What was a soulbond and why did Kuravan think that Rayden and she had one?
She started pulling out the scrolls and notepads from her shelf, sneezing at the dust. 'Ageless? Yeah, right, 'Althea mused as she opened up the first scroll, 'White hair, tired, sore and digging through dusty scrolls. I'm getting old.'
(Rayden's Home)
Back in his private domain, Rayden was doing something he rarely did. The deity paced as he tried to think over what Arianna said. "Soulbond?" he mused aloud, "That's impossible!" He then fell heavily into his favorite chair and sighed, "It would explain was seems to be going on between me and her."
The combination of energy transfer and developing soulbond could very well cause such a powerful link between us, but how was such a soulbond possible? Soulbonds were extremely rare even among mortals and almost unheard of among immortals. Never before had he heard of one between a mortal and immortal. "This is not good," he moaned as he covered his eyes.
"What's not good?" asked Kronos. Rayden nearly fell over backwards in his chair at the sound of the Elder God's voice. With laughter in his voice, Kronos said, "Now I know why you and the others like doing that so much to mortals."
"Lord Kronos, what do I owe the honor of Your visit?" stammered Rayden as the tried to get up with what dignity he had remaining.
Kronos waved the thundergod down and said, "Don't worry, I'm not being an Elder God right now. The others may insist on formalities but I personally prefer to take some time off for myself once in a while. Besides, since Lady Tomorrow same as brow beat me into coming here I thought it would be best if I did it while being off duty."
The image of the mysterious white haired woman ordering the formidable Elder God entered Rayden's mind…White haired with crystal blue eyes? The same as…
"No I don't know if Lady Tomorrow is what your lady friend Althea will someday become, "said the Elder God of Time as if reading Rayden's thoughts, "I don't like the idea of reading the future. It's an unsafe and uncertain practice. In fact Lady Tomorrow is proof of that uncertainty. However, the way things are going and considering Althea's history there is a good chance I might be offering her the job in the future if such a job is needed. Now back to the reason why I am here, "Kronos continued, "This soulbond between you and the godslayer."
Rayden tried not to fidget under the Elder God's gaze. "Now I know such things are beyond anyone's control, but a soulbond with a mortal and godslayer?" Kronos sighed, "Fortunately, she does have immortal blood of a powerful line, if I do say so myself. If you can convince her to take my offer of making Earth her official home realm, it would resolve most of the problems her continued existence is creating. As much as I hate to say it, she was not supposed to survive that God War on Calorna. She was to take care of the problem and then burn out, like any other godslayer created since…"
This time Rayden's temper got the best of him as he said, "You mean she was born to go on a suicide mission? Voluntary sacrifice is one thing but to be created only to…"
"Look I agree with you, but it is a safety measure to ensure that the mistake of the Dragons would not be repeated. You remember the traitors that sided with Shinnok in the end don't you? There was no other way to ensure that a living godslayer, once fully aware of his or hers unique ability would not try to challenge the gods."
"Oh please, "said Rayden no longer caring that this was an Elder God he was talking to,"I think an occasional challenge would be good for us. We have gotten too complaisant with our positions."
"Not at the risk of the council being wiped out as it nearly was by your father, "said Kronos in a voice that meant that he was once again acting as an Elder God, "Remember this, Lord Rayden, We are grateful for the sacrifices you have made for the greater good but you and no one else has the right to judge the decisions of the council. Is that understood."
"Understood, "said Rayden. Kronos smiled and then changed the subject back to more pleasant matters, "Now about this relationship between you and Althea…"
"There is no relationship, we're just friends, "said Rayden in a tired voice.
(Althea's Room)
"Ah! Here it is," exclaimed Althea out loud when she found the term 'soulbond' in her notes.
Soulbond: A legendary bond between two souls. Also known as lovebond and lifebond. It is often the fodder of love poems, sonnets, plays and songs. Said to be extremely rare and is considered by most to be only a myth. Signs of a soulbond are borderline obsession with the bondmate in the early stages and an empathic link between the bonded. In extreme cases it is believed that one could literally feel what the other was actually feeling both physically and emotionally in spite of great distance.
"Well that explains things, "said Althea sarcastically as she rolled up the scroll. With what little was mentioned, there was a chance she did have a soulbond with Rayden. She laid down on the bed and said to the ceiling, "Just what I needed."
Unbidden, sleep overtook her. Althea dreamt she was in a strange and unfamiliar room. One wall was covered with shelves filled to overflowing with books and scrolls. A joining wall had two paintings of stormy skies with a large flat shiny gray panel between them. The third wall had a strange looking desk with another small gray panel on a small stand. In front of it was a black rectangular something with small black boxes with white markings on them. Beside it was a black oval thing with a cord running to behind the desk. Beside the desk was more shelves, but with small thin packages of some sort. Unfamiliar, rhythmic music could barely be heard in the background.
"You have no idea how many rules I bending almost to the breaking point to talk with you, "came a voice and Althea turned to see a white haired woman sitting in a padded chair with her arms crossed. "Yes, I am the mysterious white haired woman everyone has been talking about, "she said as she stood up. Instead of wearing her reported normal black and gray, the woman wore pants of a thick faded blue material. Her shirt was black, but had a strangely familiar dragon logo in orange. It took a few seconds, but Althea recognized it as being the same as Kung Lao's Mortal Kombat medal. The woman did wear the dark scarf as mentioned by the others covering the bottom half of her face.
Another thing Althea notice was a picture on the small table next to the chair. It was too realistic to be a painting and it included Rayden with his arms over and around the shoulders of some people she never met. There was an angry looking blonde woman, there was also a man who seemed more concerned about his looks than most, and finally another man who looked like he could have been related to Kung Lao but with longer hair.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Althea finally asked. The strange woman shrugged and answered, "The answer to both questions is a possibility. What's important is who and what are you?"
"What do you mean by that?" Althea responded. The strange woman laughed slightly but did not answer. She started to walk around the room a little. Althea followed her with her eyes until she passed another picture on the fourth wall next to a door. It was larger than the other pictures and this one also included Rayden. However this one also had herself wrapping her arms around him and a grinning Fujin in the background holding up two fingers behind Rayden's head. They all seemed so happy.
"Know this, a soulbond is not like the bond you had with your familiar Freyon. It is not invited nor can it be broken even by death. However, if a pair of soulbonded play their cards right it can be the most wondrous thing ever. Unfortunately, few soulbonds reach their full potential. Politics, beliefs, obligations and other things often get in the way, making both of the bonded suffer and unlikely want to continue.
Too bad Rayden didn't realize this or he would have taking more care to ensure Jen's survival. It could be this oversight on his part that may cost the next Mortal Kombat tournament. It was for Jen, Kung Lao was fighting for not Earth. Now there is no Jen…" The woman shrugged.
Althea closed her eyes and leaned her head back as if seek solace from the heavens and said, "What do you want me to do? To be?"
The woman raised a white eyebrow and said, "What do you want to do? To be? But for now, just…WAKE UP!"
The End…
Next time on Mortal Kombat: Conquest...
...the sound of a snapping twig, made Kung Lao jump up into a defensive stance. Looking around, he found himself completely surrounded by wolves.
"No! Absolutely not! "Althea yelled in response to Kung Lao's suggestion.
