Sarah and Noob had reached the bottom of the mountain, when Noob stopped.
"Someone is here," he said.
He was right, they could hear someone hurrying down the path in front of them. Ashlynn came into view, slipping and falling down the rocky path.
"Ouch," she muttered, then looked up to see Sarah, "Sarah! You're okay!"
That was when she noticed the other person standing nearby.
"Maria," she said, "Where were you?"
Maria looked ashamed.
"I was...I saw Scorpion when everyone was sleeping," she said, "I followed him...I thought maybe I could help."
She lowered her eyes to the ground.
"Where's everyone else?" Sarah asked.
Ashlynn shrugged, "Probably following me by now..."
She turned and, sure enough, Amilee was skidding down the path.
"Girl don't do that," she said, "I almost fell down the damn mountain trying to keep up with you!"
"Why were you running?" Sarah asked.
Ashlynn thought back over what had just happened in the cavern.
"It's...nothing," she replied, then glanced at Maria, "We need to talk to you about something."
Back in the chamber...
The others stood silently. They had been told by Amilee to wait a few minutes before leaving, to give Ashlynn some time.
Jax sighed, "Drama drama drama..."
Cherin was staring at the floor, unable to look at Stryker.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She shook her head, still not looking at him, "Nothing."
Quan Chi knew exactly what was wrong. He walked toward her until they were only a few inches apart. Cherin finally managed to pull her eyes from the ground.
"Tell me Cherin," the sorcerer said, "What can I do to help you with this?"
Her mouth fell open in shock. She was afraid he might tell Stryker, but he did not intend to cause more problems.
"What are you talking about?" she asked quietly.
He smiled, "You know exactly what I am talking about. Come with me."
She didn't really have a choice. He didn't give her a chance to protest before he was pulling her into the small opening in the wall, so that no one else could hear.
"You must move on Cherin," he said quietly, "If not for your sake, then for mine. This has gone on for far too long. I know how you feel, but you must understand something...I do not feel the same. I never have, and I never will. I am sorry for what I did to you, I truly am, but that was a long time ago."
"I know," Cherin said, "Even then, you loved Ashlynn. Although...you sure had a weird way of showing it. I knew how you felt though, everyone did. Well, everyone except Ashlynn."
Quan Chi nodded.
"Yes," he said, "And I regret so many things..."
"I don't understand," Cherin said, "How can you stand there and lecture me about moving on, when you obviously can't? Ashlynn is married, she has children, and after all this time you still haven't let go of the fact that she'll never love you?"
He didn't say anything.
"Tell me something," she continued, "When did it start? I've always wondered that."
He knew what she meant, but it took him a while to answer.
"Eight years ago," he replied finally, "A while after she was forced to free me from the Netherealm."
"Why?" Cherin asked, that all too familiar jealousy coming back to haunt her, "Why Ashlynn? What the hell does she have that I don't!"
Quan Chi signaled for her to lower her voice.
"Careful," he smirked, "We would not want your friend to hear."
"Answer me," Cherin said, lowering her voice slightly.
"Cherin...I do not know," he said, "And why do you care so much? What about...what is his name?"
"Kurtis," Cherin said slowly.
"Yes, what about him? You care about him, do you not?"
Cherin nodded, "I do."
"Then go to him," Quan Chi said, "And put this behind you. Ashlynn is your friend, I think you have forgotten that."
He said nothing else, walking away.
At the bottom...
Ashlynn, Amilee, and Sarah had explained the situation to Maria. They had told her what the scroll said, and what she must do.
"This is the only way?" Maria asked, her throat dry, staring at the ground.
Ashlynn was too upset to answer, so Amilee nodded.
"I'm so sorry Maria," she said, "If there was any other way-
"But there isn't," Maria said, "If this is our only chance, I'll do it."
By this time everyone else was making their way down the path.
"Just do it," Maria said, noting the scroll in Quan Chi's hands, "Get it over with."
"Ashlynn," the sorcerer said, "I need to...drain her life force, but I cannot do that and read from the scroll at the same time. I need you to read the rest of it."
Ashlynn took the scroll numbly. Maria stood rigid, her face had gone white.
"You will feel no pain," Quan Chi told her.
He began, while Ashlynn did her best to hold the scroll steady while she read.
Maria's body glowed green, and then white. Ashlynn forced herself to keep reading as her friend fell to the ground in a heap. She finished the last line...there was an explosion of light, and the earth trembled. Ashlynn had to squint, but through the blinding light she could see a crack where the ground had split. It got wider, swallowing Maria, and separating Quan Chi and herself from the others. Eventually the light became too intense for her eyes, and she closed them...
Ashlynn opened her eyes, the world was passing her by. Trees were rushing past at a dizzying speed, and the motion made her stomach turn. Blinking a few times, she realized she was being carried, and the person carrying her was running at full speed. She lifted her head with effort. Quan Chi's eyes were focused ahead, and he was breathing hard.
"What's going on?" she asked, choking on her own words.
"We have to get out of here," he replied.
He was rushing toward a tiny hut made of stone. He knew it probably wouldn't hold up against what was coming, but it was their only hope. The sorcerer flew through the doorway, dropping Ashlynn roughly onto the ground and slamming the door behind them.
"What happened!" Ashlynn screamed, watching as Quan Chi frantically tried to push a heavy table in front of the door.
"The scroll was a forgery," he replied, beads of sweat running down his face and neck, "Scorpion knew we were looking for it, so he created a copy. Only this one...was meant for something else."
"What?" Ashlynn asked.
"I am not sure," he told her, "After the light, the realms were returned to their original states but...There was a black cloud. We had been separated from the others, so I grabbed you and ran."
Ashlynn was afraid to ask her next question, "What is the cloud doing?"
Quan Chi had finally managed to push the table in front of the door, he looked at her.
"In the forest," he said, "I saw it consume a group of Tarkata and after it passed...there was nothing left."
Cautiously, he peeked through a tiny crack in the door, "It is approaching fast."
"Are you safe in here?" Ashlynn asked, although she was certain they weren't.
The sorcerer only stared at her...
Meanwhile...
Amilee and the others had stationed themselves on top of a crumbling palace in some part of Outworld. They all stood silent, gazing at the massive black cloud with a mix of horror and amazement. They could see people down below, all running in terror. Some were too slow, and were devoured by the cloud, their bodies disintegrating in seconds.
"What's happening?" Sarah asked quietly. No one answered her.
"We have to get inside," Sub-Zero said, but no one moved, "Now!"
Finally they turned, following him inside. The went down, it was the only thing they could think of. They had gone down three sets of stairs when they finally came to the palace's underground dungeons. The Lin Kuei signaled for them to enter, and they all crowded inside. He froze the door shut, leaving them in complete blackness. Everyone remained silent, waiting for whatever was to come.
Back inside the hut...
Ashlynn was still sitting in the corner, Quan Chi was once again peering out the crack in the door.
"The cloud is upon us," he gasped.
Suddenly, there was a sound the like the rushing of wind, accompanied by an unbearable screeching. Ashlynn clutched at her head, trying to block it out. The sorcerer was crouched next to her, his eyes squeezed shut. He opened them for a split second to see that the door was shaking, and the table was sliding forward.
"No," he couldn't even hear himself say the word. He leapt to his feet, pushing against the table with all of his strength.
"This is no use," he said. Then, looking at Ashlynn still crouched in the corner, an idea came to him. He let to table go and ran to her.
"We have one last chance!" he yelled.
"What?" Ashlynn asked, she couldn't hear him over the roaring wind. Quan Chi didn't reply. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, drawing forth every ounce of his power.
"What are you doing?" Ashlynn tried to ask.
Soon, the two of them were surrounded by a green glow. A few seconds later the door gave way, and the black smoke poured in. For the few seconds Ashlynn dared to open her eyes, all she could through the blackness were stones and debris falling around them. Miraculously, they weren't hit. The sound got fainter, Ashlynn opened her eyes again...The entire building had been destroyed. They were now sitting on the ground in the middle of a wasteland. There were still trees, but they had been charred black, and most had fallen over. It looked to Ashlynn like a bomb had just gone off. The black cloud was now in front of them, moving away, destroying everything in its path. The green light had vanished, so Ashlynn pushed herself to her feet. Quan Chi remained on the ground, breathing hard. Ashlynn knew he had just used most of his power to save them from the cloud. She sighed. He didn't have to save her, he could've just protected himself and left her to die...but he hadn't. She placed a hand on his shoulder. The sorcerer looked up sharply, as if her touch had startled him.
"Thank you," was all she said.
He removed her hand, rising to his feet.
"Please do not do that," he said.
Ashlynn was confused, what had she done?
"Do what?" she asked.
He was staring at the cloud in the distance.
"Touch me," he said, walking away.
Back in the dungeon...
The sound was earsplitting. Amilee clutched her head, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. It only lasted a few seconds however. Everyone opened their eyes, their ears ringing. Without a word, Jax shattered the ice that had been blocking the door and pried it open.
"Shit..." he muttered.
The palace was gone. The fact that they were underground had been the only thing that saved them. They followed Sub-Zero outside. The land around them was unrecognizable. There were no people, the trees had been blackened, and all that remained of the buildings was rubble.
"There's nothing left," Cherin breathed.
Stryker ran a hand through his hair, "What are we supposed to do now?"
"There's nothing we can do against that," Amilee replied, pointing angrily at the cloud.
"There is one way," said a voice. The group spun around, all staring daggers at the thunder god.
"Oh so now you show up," Jax snapped, "Where were you before all this shit happened?"
Raiden shook his head, "I wanted to help you, but I had my own battles to fight. As for the cloud, there is only one way to stop it. You must destroy its creator."
"Scorpion," Amilee hissed.
"No," Raiden replied, "Not Scorpion. I wish it were that easy, but Scorpion did not conjure that cloud, he hasn't the power to do that."
"Then who created it?" Sonya asked, kicking at the remains of a dead tree.
"Someone I had hoped you would never have to face," the thunder god replied, "Shinnok, a fallen Elder God and former ruler of the Netherealm. You see, he prevented Scorpion from awakening the One Being, and now he is destroying the realms with the help of that cloud. Like Scorpion, he wants to recreate the them, but not in the same way. Shinnok wants to exterminate all human life, and create a new race of his own. One that he can rule over with no opposition."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Sarah asked.
Raiden let his gaze fall on each of them, and then replied, "I don't know."
"What the hell you mean you don't know!" Jax snarled.
"You always know what to do!"
"We can't do this without you!"
"You always help us out!"
"ENOUGH!" the thunder god bellowed, silencing them all immediately, "I may be a thunder god, but I am not all knowing. There are some things that you must solve on your own...and some things that cannot be solved. I hate to say it but...this may be too powerful even for you."
"Are you saying you've lost faith in us Raiden?" Sub-Zero asked.
"No," Raiden replied quickly, "You will always have my faith. I am just saying that nothing like this has ever happened before. You have no idea how powerful Shinnok is."
"You don't think we can do it this time," Sonya said.
"No," the thunder god answered, "Not this time."
"Wait!" Amilee interrupted, "Quan Chi defeated Shinnok before didn't he?"
Raiden nodded.
"But Quan Chi was undoubtably killed by that cloud," Sarah said, "And Ashlynn..."
She couldn't force herself to say it.
Cherin bit her lip, "Then there's really nothing we can do is there?"
Sonya glared at her, "We can't just give up, we have to try. And if we do fail at least we'll go down fighting."
Raiden gave them a half smile.
"There," he said, "That's the spirit I'm used to."
Jax stood in front of them, his arms crossed.
"Come on ya'll," he said, "Whoever this Shinnok guy is, I'm pretty damn sure we can kick his ass, just like we kicked everybody else's. Let's do this!"
They couldn't help but smile.
"If you really wish to face Shinnok," Raiden said, "You must attack him at his base."
"The Netherealm?" Sarah asked, although she knew that had to be it.
Raiden nodded, "The Netherealm."
Amilee glanced at the cloud, it was moving away quickly.
"Has the cloud hit any other realms?" she asked.
"Only Seido," the thunder god replied, "I believe Shinnok is biding his time, waiting for the right time to unleash it upon Earthrealm. Before you travel to the Netherealm, I will escort you to Seido. You look like you need food and rest."
Cherin's eyes lit up. It had been a while since they'd last eaten.