CHAPTER 3: Endgame and the Strangers' Purpose
"Sorcerer's wounds heal," Moloch grumbled from somewhere behind. Drahmin continued to walk, looking from side to side as he did, but he had heard his fellow demon's comment. If Quan Chi's wounds were mending themselves then they were closer to the portal to Outworld than the smaller Oni had first thought. This area, due to its links to the other realm, was saturated in its energy, and their unconscious guest could feed from that. It would not be enough energy so that he could oppose them in any way, but it would be enough to awaken him long enough that he would be able to read the ancient inscriptions here, open a gateway and take them with him on his exit. After that, his life, let alone his energy, was inconsequential to them. He would be killed on the other side of the portal and that would be the end of their brief, but productive, partnership.
Drahmin had led his larger companion to a place in the Netherealm that was no longer in keeping with the ordinary theme of the cavern-like world. Large pillars of stone that had been sculpted instead of formed from molten rock decorated their path, and the walls on either side were splashed with huge murals celebrating lost pages in history that none of the beings in hell cared to recall or research. Ahead of them, the walkway passed under a huge arch that ran under an enormous wall, which in turn formed an entrance to a great tomb. There was a noisy chattering in the darkest corners of these rooms and pathways, but the sight of the Netherealm's two most imposing Oni was enough to send even the most formidable lesser demon scampering for a darker place to lurk. Moloch and Drahmin had earned celebrity status among the monsters of the hell pits, mainly because they were the only creatures in this place to have formed an alliance. Such things were unnatural in the free-for-all that was the underworld.
Using his eyes and ears to maintain vigilance, in case Scorpion began to follow them sooner than he would wish, the once-human Oni stopped at the archway, his passage blocked by fallen debris from the ceiling of the ingress. Calling Moloch to a stop, but telling it to retain its grip on the senseless sorcerer, Drahmin reared back his metal-encased fist and hammered it into the debris, smashing a hole in the unsettled detritus, and subsequently forming a passageway as the rubble collapsed both outwards and inwards. Stepping through the newly-formed doorway, he ushered his companion with its burden into the confines of the ancient temple.
This new place was gloomy, and shadows haunted every corner. At the centre of the wide, high-ceilinged chamber was a small altar stained with what appeared to be fresh blood, with two eternally-flaming candelabras on either side of it, illuminating its surroundings, and also what appeared to be ornate carvings on its side. The decaying humanoid aimed a finger at the shrine, and his partner complied, dropping Quan Chi beside it. Almost at once, the jewel at the centre of the sorcerer's amulet ignited internally, and the engravings did the same, shining with an incandescent light. Drahmin approached them and crouched beside the bleeding stone, looking at the glowing runes with his head tilted to the side. He did not recognise them, whether because he had never been able to, or simply because his demonic eyes were forbidden from reading them, was not something he could determine. He was willing to wager however that the prone being beside him could read them. Refocusing his attentions, he took in the view via the archway at the rear of the room. Beyond the reaches of the chamber was a room lit red by fires beneath ground level. A long catwalk passed over a river of molten rock, and led straight to a large stage, atop which was a slowly rotating effigy of Quan Chi's amulet. This was obviously the portal, but in order to use it they needed both the amulet and the knowledge from the altar.
"This is a fine state of affairs," the Oni snapped angrily, turning to his compatriot", all this work and it would appear that only the sorcerer is of any use here, rendering me worthless. I think I understand now how you feel all the time."
Moloch looked at him dumbly, and Drahmin grinned to himself behind his mask. Of course, despite his outburst he knew he was living a better life than his counterpart. It was frustrating to be useless in this situation, but in every other point of time leading to this place, it was he who knew the answers that they sought. The heftier demon was stupid, it was true, it could not think with the same clarity, nor could it appreciate the finer points of life in general, the kind that awaited them in Outworld. Then again, that creature's rage was born from simply being an Oni, it could not feel frustration, hatred, bitterness, the way its formerly human brethren could. In truth, although Drahmin would never openly admit it, Moloch lived the better life, simply because it was an easy life. If there was another demon it smashed it, if there was a mortal it devoured it, and if there was a wraith it chased it until it vanished from its sight. It would be puzzled for a mere moment and then return to smashing and devouring. For the more complicated of the monsters, there was cause, there was blame, and there was no simplicity.
Quan Chi stirred quietly, lifting a head heavier than an object of extreme weight. Unsurprisingly, his body still ached from his ordeal, but much less than it had the last time he had been awake. It was strange but he could almost feel vitality rising inside him. His eyes remained unfocused for a moment as he stirred in the throes of consciousness, before they snapped open and he cast wildly about, looking for the spectre that had hunted him mercilessly through the Netherealm. Finding Scorpion to be insubstantial, he breathed a momentary sigh of relief, before noticing Drahmin crouching next to him. Then he groaned, which brought the demon's attention to him.
"Awake at last," the creature said, glaring at the back of the fallen man's grey-skinned head", now if your brain is not permanently ruined you might turn your consideration to these markings. I warn you that non-compliance is not an option for you sorcerer; as much as I would dearly love to leave this realm, I would not mind staying for the opportunity to crack that invitingly egg-shaped cranium of yours."
It was an outrageous bluff, of course, as the Oni had no intention of relinquishing his one opportunity for freedom in centuries of imprisonment in hell, but it seemed to work as well as an actual threat would. Quan Chi immediately recovered himself and climbed up to his knees, using the blood-slicked altar to support himself as he scanned the illuminated runes quickly. Moloch stood and grunted quietly as it waited for the task to be complete, while Drahmin resumed watch for the vengeful spirit that would surely be tailing them by now. Luckily he would have taken so long to revive that he had no hope of catching them now, but there was always the chance that his reincarnation had been speeded by his desperation. Even so, only the main entrance to the apparent mausoleum needed to be watched, and that was why the Oni continued to maintain a vigil over all the entries and shadowy corners of the room. He did not trust Scorpion and the Netherealm's penchant for trickery together.
"I understand," Quan Chi said, nodding to himself", we need only approach the portal with the amulet in hand and envision where it is we wish to travel. The sorcery surrounding the gateway will do the rest."
"Good, then we must go now," Drahmin said, unsure why, but suddenly anxious. His nostrils twitched, the scent of another hell-born being's presence invading his sinuses. A few steps away, Moloch seemed agitated also, its grunting becoming irregular and angered.
"Not yet," the sorcerer said quickly, much to the demon's annoyance", there is much knowledge here, and knowledge is power. These runes tell of much, the Dragon King, the undefeatable army, and a war with the Gods themselves."
"But, sorcerer," Drahmin said, turning to face the man knelt beside him", what use is knowledge and what use is power if you are dead?"
The altar exploded in a shower of stone fragments and blood as something slammed into it, rending it apart as though it were nothing more substantial than aged parchment. A cloud of ash and dust enveloped the three individuals at the centre of the chamber, and the ever-burning lanterns overbalanced and clattered to the ground, spilling their embers to the floor in the momentary blindness. Amid the sounds of Drahmin's cursing and Moloch's incensed howling, Quan Chi heard the all too familiar sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. As the dust began to clear, the sorcerer found himself staring up at the form of Scorpion, standing atop the pile of rubble that had once been his reading material, sword in hand and with milk-white eyes piercing him with their hatred.
"Now die, bastard!" he roared, lifting his sword once more over his head, just moments before the towering form of the larger Oni bulldozed into him, metal ball leading the charge. Moloch obliterated what remained of the altar as the hellspawn back-flipped out of the way, landing out of the monster's reach. Drahmin took up a position beside his companion, forcing the sorcerer behind him roughly. There was a moment of stand-off, and then the former human jabbed an angry finger at his opponent.
"Get out of our way," he commanded, the fact that he had come so far only to be stopped at the final hurdle making him almost quiver with rage. Beside him, his partner slammed its over-sized fist into the floor, longing to do the same to their enemy's skull. "We beat you once already," the smaller Oni pointed out, not thinking rationally enough to realise that Scorpion had reached them far too quickly", what did you hope to achieve by coming here, another useless death?"
"Considering his handicap, I thought he did rather well," said a voice behind the demons, which caused Drahmin to cast a furious glance back over his shoulder. Standing before the other entrance to the temple stood two individuals clad in dirtied green robes. Turning back, the putrefying monster cursed once more under his breath, and it was as much for his lack of foresight than because they were now caught in a very disagreeable position. Of course there would be others in the Netherealm seeking escape, opportunistic thieves out to capitalise on the two Oni's good fortune, and he had no doubt that these two newcomers were exactly that.
"Even if we are the ones with the handicap this time, we have come too far to simply give up our dream of freedom from this realm," he growled, as Moloch turned to face the interlopers with an obviously murderous intent", we Oni will do what we have done for eons, and destroy all three of you."
"We hoped as much," the voice behind him said, the sound of clothing being ruffled as two green robes were cast off revealing light and flexible armour, created for the purposes of quick movement during combat, and daubed emerald as much of their wardrobe was. Both individuals wore the same general equipment, armoured plates over chain mail to cover the open joints, but the difference came in how they wore the apparently uniform protection. Neither seemed comfortable with a confrontation, but while the speaker held himself in an awkward manner, the other had the discipline of a seasoned fighter. Of course, when one's hands glowed with ethereal flame, then stance was hardly a concern.
Unable to control its anger any further, Moloch charged towards them, separating them with its huge bulk as they were forced to move in order to avoid the assault. At the same time, Scorpion advanced with a rush, striking Drahmin full in the face before he had the opportunity to even realise the spectre had moved from his position. Slow to recover, the demon was hammered twice more with pounding blows, before moving his metal cast up to block the onslaught, catching a further two fists on his impromptu shield. Turning to the offensive, as suited him, he struck back with a sharp kick to the stomach, the decayed flesh of his sole hitting the solar plexus of his opponent, before slamming his cast down on the back of the hellspawn's head as he bent over. Locking his opponent's arm with his own left hand, the Oni continued his assault, slamming the steel fist down again and again on his back and neck.
On the other side of the chamber, the two followers of the Emerald Order recovered their bearing quicker than Drahmin had recovered his, and were quick to go on the offensive against their lumbering enemy. Omnis cast down a handful of jade fire before Moloch, which caused it to rear up angrily, having already been burned once by the ninja spectre fighting its companion in their last battle and not wishing to feel its flesh singe again so soon. Using this distraction, Brother Genais clambered up onto its back, using the collar around its neck for needed leverage, before sitting astraddle the back of its head and aiming a powerful right fist into the glowing amber eye at the centre of its forehead. This caused it to shine a dazzling crimson, but rather than repeat its old mistakes and strike itself in the face, Moloch bucked instead, ducking and lifting its head wildly until even the sturdy hold of the second green fighter could not maintain its grip. The result was that the combatant was flung from the monster's shoulders and sent crashing to the floor at his similarly-clad partner's feet.
"That certainly didn't work," Omnis said, helping his comrade in arms to his feet, as the monster roared at them from across the room, before taking a heavy breath in, the sudden intake of air almost enough to pull both men from their feet. With a wave of his hand, an emerald wall appeared in front of the two humans and they remained unaffected by the beast's attack. Hearing the sounds of extreme conflict elsewhere in the tomb, the sorcerer waved his fighting companion over to the fight between Drahmin and Scorpion, choosing to combat Moloch on his own.
Leading the hellspawn a merry dance, the smaller of the demons rained blow after blow on the back of his enemy's skull, oblivious to the other fight occurring in the room. Unsurprisingly, he did not see the green warrior break from his original battle and join the fray, only realising his presence when he was smashed in the back of the head by a strong roundhouse that sent him flipping over Scorpion's back and crashing to the floor. The reeling ninja responded by collapsing on top of him, pinning him to the floor. Drahmin growled in frustration as the weight held him down, as Brother Genais took up a position with his knee in the spectre's back, before leaning down and hammering his fist into the Oni's face. Fortunately for him, however, the newly regenerated Quan Chi also entered the battle, and grabbed the attacker under the arms, before lacing his fingers behind the other man's head in a full nelson. Not to be held for long, the emerald-clad fighter dropped backwards onto his backside, causing the sorcerer's jaw to rebound from his hairless head. The bone-jarring impact caused him to release the hold and stand perfectly straight before collapsing like a felled tree.
Omnis fared little better than his fellow sorcerer, his balls of green fire no longer acting as a deterrent to the enraged Moloch now that its bloodlust had been well and truly awakened. Advancing with fury, it hardly noticed when the flames were no longer aimed at the ground beneath its feet, and were instead redirected at its body, burning and singing its flesh as it powered onwards. Beating huge craters in the ground as it barrelled towards its opponent, the Oni pursued its quarry with a single-minded determination only a creature as dull as itself could possess. With a sweep of its hand, however, the blond magus conjured a green tile beneath his feet and propelled himself out of harm's reach as the brute came to a crashing halt where he had once been. Turning on his retreating form, Moloch was met with another barrage of jade flames, before a lance of a substance that could only be described as the essence of reality itself struck him full in the face. It reared up, blood flowing from his third eye in a torrent as it burst from the impact, before it charged blindly, one eye destroyed and the others full of its own vermilion fluid. This time, however, Omnis could not move as quickly as he had before, and was smashed into the air, before crashing to the floor in much the same manner as his companion had done previously, landing roughly amid the other humanoid fighters.
"Don't worry, I've got him right where I want him," the dazed sorcerer assured his partner as he was helped to his feet in the same way he had done earlier. Brother Genais shook his head.
"Must you?" he asked unimpressed, as the usual voice of their group dusted himself off and straightened his armour, smiling despite the obvious bruising he had and would likely have for quite a while afterwards.
"Of course, might as well find the best in a bad situation," he said. The bellowing of the incensed Oni was joined with the livid swearing of the fallen Drahmin as the hellspawn recovered on top of him and was swiftly kicked off angrily. Quan Chi remained prone on the floor, blood spilling from his lips where the impact of the more physical emerald warrior's head on his chin had caused him to bite into his own tongue. "And after all, what could be a worse situation than this?" the sorcerer asked, reigniting the flames in the palms of his hands casually as his partner took up a combative stance.
"I trust you've never learned that that's the wrong thing to say when you are in one of these positions," Scorpion muttered as he rolled to his feet next to them, joining the fighter in facing off with Moloch, while Omnis turned his attention to the smaller demon.
"I'm not really one for superstition," the sorcerer informed his part-time colleague, before turning back to his opponent and launching two handfuls of burning energy into his rotten form, creating a smell of flesh that was not only decaying, but also charred. The previously blind monster blinked the blood from its eyes as its third grew back inside its head, causing discomfort and yet more aggression to build in its massive frame. It threw back its head and howled as the two opposing fighters advanced on it.
Quick to turn on the offensive once more, the burned Oni charged forwards, trying to reduce his opponent to a fleshy nothing as soon as possible. Holding out his palm, a shield of green light appeared between his skin and the iron cast that Drahmin called a weapon, blocking the attempted strike, before Omnis drove his own fist into the mask his enemy was wearing. The impact was enough to bruise his knuckles immediately, but it also made the demon lose his balance, and with his attention more on remaining upright, the sorcerer brought his hands together and drove them at his opponent like a spear, a piercing rod of energy emerging from his fingertips and effectively impaling his adversary before the conjured weapon vanished and he dropped to the floor, a fist-sized whole in his stomach. Blood seeped out from under the demon's prone form, before he sat up and started to climb to his feet, the red pool only spreading further as he did so. The meat of his gut seemed to ooze together, filling the hole and completing his form. Despite the mask hiding his face, Drahmin now looked very angry.
Moloch had come down heavily upon the two fighters, sweeping Scorpion aside with its unarmed hand, before smashing down its ball a hair's breadth from Genais, who jumped back swiftly in the nick of time. Grasping a hold of the chain wrapped around the brute's arm, the green-clad combatant swung his feet up and drove them into his adversary's solar plexus under its arm, making it stumble backwards. Continuing to clutch the iron links, the human climbed around and took hold of the collar once again, this time using it as a handhold with which to swing from to build momentum and drive another double-footed kick into the creature's stomach once more. Moloch reared up, standing on its hind legs, rare for a beast of its girth that chose ordinarily to remain on all fours, and then plummeted to the ground with all its weight, hoping to crush the annoyance clinging to its neck. The annoyance responded by setting both of his feet on its chest and pushing off moments before they hit the ground, providing him with a gentle glide along the flooring, while the monstrous Oni crashed face first just feet away from his boots. By then Scorpion had managed to pick himself up and, with the beast felled, jumped onto its back. Taking his spear from his belt, he plunged the blade to the hilt in the flesh between two massive ribs, causing a thunderous roar as the creature stood up beneath him.
Meanwhile, Drahmin had taken up yet another offensive against the sorcerer he was facing, swinging his club wildly in a vain attempt to hit the man, who was using both hands feverishly as he repelled each attack with a green wall of light. The demon had no intention of stopping it seemed, so Omnis selected a newer tactic. Aiming a hand at the pile of rubble that had once been the bleeding altar, he chose one of the larger pieces of stone and swung his arm around to point directly at the Oni, the piece of rock following the trail of his hand and smashing off his skull. Pleased with the success, he repeated the task. This time however, the spoiling humanoid swung his club in the way, batting the flying shrapnel away to the floor where it shattered. Not to be put off, the sorcerer tried again, but this time the boulder smashed apart against the steel of Drahmin's metal-encased fist. This time it was the magus's turn to be frustrated, and he exerted a greater force over the gathered detritus, before pelting his opponent with a hail of broken shards. Batting a swathe in the barrage of rocks, he was unable to deflect most of the flying stones and was almost buried under what had once been the altar.
Scorpion cursed loudly as Moloch stood up under him, carrying him into the air and clawing angrily, attempting to grab at one of the limbs the ninja had hooked around its neck. Pulling the spear from the newly-formed wound, the spectre placed it back on his belt and attempted to ride the storm, clapping his arms around the giant's head and covering its eyes. In response to this, the monster bellowed loudly, the noise rending his insides and shaking his whole body with its intensity and sheer volume. With the other fighter clinging almost desperately to the head of the demon, Brother Genais stepped forward and proceeded to thrust his foot into the stomach of their opponent, before hopping back as it swung wildly and blindly in an attempt to maul him. Undeterred, he stepped forward again, this time striking his right foot into its abdomen three times in quick succession, before following up with a jarring punch into the leathery grey skin on its chest. Once again, Moloch thrashed and struck out, and once again the emerald-clad combatant simply moved aside until it calmed itself and returned to attempting to remove Scorpion from its back. With its attention lost for a second time, the fighter hopped forward and quickly brought its leg up right under the creature's jaw as it leant down, quickly jerking it out of the way so that it could move around the bulky head, before stopping and coming back down with the combined forces of gravity and muscle work. At the same time, the blindfold of the ninja's arms came away, and the Oni was greeted simply by the underside of the warrior's boot, smashing into its forehead. Moloch tumbled to the ground with an almighty crash, the stone beneath it splintering as it did, and the hellspawn sprawled from its neck, collapsing on the floor by its head.
Quan Chi sat up and cast around dizzily, finding himself confronted with the backs of three warriors who were not on his side. His face fell as he watched the form of Scorpion climbing to its feet from next to the grounded monstrosity and standing beside the two armour-clad individuals that the sorcerer was sure he had not yet been introduced too. Instead of doing what he would normally do in this situation, the imprisoned magus decided against launching a back attack, vastly outnumbered as he was. Casting around, he found himself staring into the enraged eyes of Drahmin, who was practically covered with fallen rock.
"Help me up, curse you!" he barked, drawing the attention of the three unfriendly combatants from their position standing over Moloch. Quan Chi responded by getting up and running from the chamber as quickly as possible, aware only of the once-human creature shrieking murderous intents at his retreating back. There was a cacophony of noises behind him, but the sorcerer was past caring.
Running through the door leading out of the tomb, he found himself on a narrow bridge over a wide river of molten rock. At the end of the pathway was an enormous model of the amulet that was attached to his belt, revolving with a strange mechanical whir. Recalling the words of the tablet, he grasped the relic n his possession with one gloved hand and ran towards the replica that stood against the far wall. Almost immediately it warped and altered as reality was rent apart by the mystic forces bound in the amulet. His plan in mind, Quan Chi saw the inner halls of the palace of Shao Kahn, and his speed increased, before he vaulted with all his power into a dive, heading straight for the portal into Outworld. Once he entered the other realm, his power would return and he would see about putting the new skills he had learned to a greater use.
And then, the portal changed before his eyes. Instead of the polished interior of the palace of a great warlord, he was greeted with sand coloured walls and floors, some form of desert sanctuary. Unable to stop himself, or understand what had altered his course, the sorcerer plummeted head first through the gateway and crashed to the rough stone below, the hole in reality sealing itself behind him as he fell. He lay for a moment, his mind slightly off-balance, and not for the first time that day, but he could feel himself getting stronger, and that was a sure sign that he had returned to Outworld. He had just ended up in a different place than where he had intended, and the first order of business was to learn exactly where that was. He stood up and cast an eye over his new surroundings.
He appeared to be standing atop a raised stage; before him was a wide plinth that reminded him of the altar in the temple before his journey. The room he was standing in was dark, illuminated only by the ever-glowing torches beside the monolith, but there appeared to be shapes in the shadows, unmoving but shapes nonetheless. Sensing no threat from the silent and still beings standing below him, and knowing that the last stone table had granted him much knowledge, Quan Chi stooped before this one and wiped away the apparently centuries old grime that had accumulated there. Waving his hand across the writing beneath a second time caused an almost spontaneous reaction to the presence of his amulet, and the runes carved into the side illuminated, seemingly internally. He read the glowing text for a moment and then stood up, calling a ball of glowing flame to his hand and casting it into the centre of the room. Before it struck the floor, it split into many different orbs of fire and rose to the ceiling, forming conjured lighting for the chamber. The room was vast, decorated with the same murals and motifs as the chamber in the Netherealm, as well as the same dilapidation that had been present there too.
There was a wide flight of stairs leading to the floor in front of him that led to a wide gathering area, occupied by the shapes he had seen in the darkness. Now, in the light, he could finally see what they were. Standing below him was an enormous assembly of rotten figures, standing in ordered ranks and wearing armour. For the first time in a long while, Quan Chi grinned to himself, taking the amulet in his hand and staring at it for a moment. Here was its greater use.
Turning their backs on Moloch had been a mistake. No sooner had the three warriors turned to witness the fleeing shape of Quan Chi running towards the far door than the monster climbed back to its feet and savagely assaulted its opponents. Swatting the slighter sorcerer off his feet, the demon seized Scorpion in its clawed paw, before attempting to crush the third remaining combatant with his ball, smashing yet another huge crater in the floor when that individual refused to remain standing so that it could be obliterated. Howling angrily, the massive Oni seemed ready to return to the offensive, only to have his momentum stolen by Drahmin's insistent call for aid.
"The portal remains open!" the smaller demon barked, attempting to squirm out from under the debris that had all but covered him completely"; we can still be free, now get over here and help me!"
Momentarily surprised by the information its companion was asking it to consider, Moloch was not prepared for the ninja held in its left hand to take his spear and stab it into the flesh of its wrist. The brute threw up its arms in surprise and pain, letting Scorpion drop to the floor and take off running towards the portal with his larger opponent in hot pursuit, still looking to smash him for the inconvenience of his existence. Unfortunately for the true Oni however, its compatriot curbed its attention yet again, and it stopped obligingly to free the enraged and quivering form of Drahmin from its imprisonment under the wreckage. Rounding on the two emerald-clad combatants behind them, the brighter demon aimed an angry finger at them, as Brother Genais aided Omnis to his feet for what would be the second time that day.
"This isn't over!" he informed them angrily, to which Moloch roared in agreement. And with that, they pursued Scorpion out of the chamber and onto the portal bridge beyond.
"I think today has been quite productive," the remaining sorcerer informed his colleague, as he once again dusted himself off. The other fighter passed him his robe silently, putting his own on over his armour once again. The magically-imbued human shook his head wearily. "We aren't going to give up so easily, not this close," he said, his tone altering from one of jovial amusement to one that was determined and commanding", we will get her back, even if we have to chase that amulet to the end of the realms."
Remaining silent, his partner walked towards the flaming light cast up from the room beyond. The portal continued to swirl and morph, having not closed since the two Oni had made their own leaps through it. "Shall we?" he asked, before falling sullenly quiet once more.
"I rather think we shall," Omnis replied, before they both started running.