She didn't know where she was. The place was dark; hot, yet... also cold. Her skin was hot but her soul was frozen. Where was this place? How had she come to be here?
The last thing she recalled... Did she recall? Her mind was lost in a haze. She felt that she had been... somewhere brighter; cool in the ways this place was hot and warm in the ways it was cold. And someone had been there with her. Someone small, someone important. A boy? Perhaps. Where was he now? Was he safe back where she had been? Or was he here also? There was definitely someone else here with her, be it the... boy, or someone else.
He approached. She thought she recognised him, but only partially. It was like her memories of him were a collection of books on a shelf, but numerous tomes had been removed. Intentionally so. Chosen deliberately. She recognised only the parts she was supposed to. The rest, she was denied. Even as he stepped into a brighter part of the... place, and she could see his features more clearly, her mind remained as incapable of identifying him as ever. He reached up past her head, drawing her gaze up to whatever he was reaching for.
There were chains connecting the blackstone walls to her wrists. Only upon seeing the hooks embedded deep in her flesh, piercing through and sparkling with diamondite sharpness and reflective redness, did she feel them. It hurt like... something she thought she could just about recall, and yet it didn't hurt at all. As if she could feel that the pain existed, but not experience the pain itself. She was... hurting? Maybe?
The man gripped the chain and gave it a tug. The pain flared up again, she recognised, but again she did not truly experience it. He watched her face for a reaction, she supposed, but she had none to give him. Not as an act of defiance, but as sign of her emptiness. The man moved around her to her right arm and did much the same.
He then lowered his stance and her gaze followed him, only refocusing away from his blood-red gaze upon spotting her own nakedness from the corner of her eye. Below her breast, she could see her right leg, another hook impaled through her calf and out through the shin, a long stream of dark blood oozing and dripping off of her numb toes. Again, the pain seemed to only exist once she noticed the wound, and even then, only in a detached sense that the pain existed in that area. Her gaze shifted to her left leg before he was finished testing her right. And once again, she found that she was skewered.
After all four hooks had been tested, seemingly for the man's enjoyment moreso than testing... their strength? Her response? Whatever his reasons, he stood tall and smirked.
Everything came back to her in an instant - explosively, like a blade piercing her skull. The haze was torn away and she could finally see and recall everything clearly. She had been killed defending her home from invaders and now existed as a deceased soul in some sort of afterlife. But something stood as the one thing that remained hazy, even with her newfound clarity: there had definitely been someone else with her, and she now recalled being pulled away from him to this place. But who was he? Her concern was countered by her confidence that, whoever he was, he was safe.
But she was not. She was completely at the mercy of the man that had slain her. A blade that resembled the one he had pierced her chest with rested off to the side in this very chamber, alongside its twin, yet she could feel only the one resonate with her and cause the pain in her chest from that instant of finality to return full-force. The agonised scream that erupted from her mouth felt like, if she had tried to hold it back, it would tear her skull apart in its attempt to force its way out.
"Ah, it is all coming back to you now," the man said with smug, condescending confidence. Any anger she may have felt over his tone or any of his past misdeeds gave way to more agony as the hooks keeping her suspended above the stone floor of the chamber fully made their presence felt. The man did little but watch her writhe in agony, the hooks digging into and tearing her flesh as her arms and legs jerked one way from the pain, then too far back as they recoiled from that new stabbing pain.
Eventually, the man was forced to intervene. He held out a black-gloved hand and a green mist engulfed her, cooling the blazing agony and lulling her mind almost into that same calm emptiness from earlier, but she remained alert enough to maintain her mental grip on the man's identity.
"Quan Chi," she spat.
"You do remember me," he grinned. "Good, that will make this so much easier. I assume. I admit, this is almost as new to me as it is to you."
As soon as he casually turned his back, she literally spat on the back of his bald head. Instead of saliva, it was a sickly mix of white froth and some enigmatic black bile that stained the sorcerer's white complexion. He reached back and wiped the infectious-looking substance off of his head before he turned back to face her.
"I didn't take you Japanese for the spitting type." He stepped closer and smeared the bile all over her face, his fingers narrowly eluding her attempts to bite them off. Such an act was, she would like to believe, beneath her; but this man may be the sole exception to her typical demeanour - the demon who had taken everything from her.
She spat again, this time to keep whatever this black stuff was from re-entering her mouth. She spat a third time after he wound back his fist and punched her across the cheek, cutting the inside of her mouth. Her blood remained red, at least, albeit darker than she remembered. She again felt the calming green mist engulfing her before she even realised his strike had rocked her body hard enough to cause more damage with the hooks - a miscalculation on his part.
"I apologise," he said, sounding almost sincere. "This is not how I expected this encounter to go. Well... yes, I did expect your response, but I had hoped it would be a little more cordial."
"Cordial?" she scoffed.
"Cordial. You may not realise it, but we share a common cause."
"There is nothing the two of us share!"
"Are you so sure? You haven't even allowed me to elaborate. I am sure that, once you hear me out, you will see that we are far more similar than you would like to believe."
She said nothing. It was pointless to argue. Instead, she chose to let him speak while keeping an eye out for... some kind of opening to act. Even if she would not leave this place... alive(?) she could at least leave a lasting scar, or something to that effect.
Taking her silence as an invitation to continue, he did. "First, I will lay out the facts as we both know them: your Shirai Ryu clan was destroyed fourteen years ago by myself and my associates in the Brotherhood of Shadow. You have been dead ever since, discounting that brief period when the Elder Gods revived your entire clan in an undead state to serve Scorpion. This much, at least, we can agree on."
After a pause, she realised he was awaiting some sort of response, so she nodded.
"However, there is far more to our history together than you know from your own, limited perspective. For instance, you do not knowwhy we attacked your clan."
She felt like she had never known the reason why before now, even though that seemed like it shouldn't be the case. She knew his name, after all, which she was sure she had never associated with the face of the man who killed her before her death. She shook her head.
Quan Chi sighed. "My hands were tied. Sub-Zero succeeded in his mission and the price the Lin Kuei demanded was the total annihilation of the Shirai Ryu. Honour dictated that the deed be done. You value honour highly in your clan, yes? Then you must understand that I had no choice in the matter. If anyone is to be held accountable, it must surely be the one who forced me into that situation by allowing Sub-Zero to succeed in his mission, yes?"
She wasn't entirely sure she agreed with this line of reasoning. There was something about it that seemed incorrect, yet she couldn't quite grasp how so. There was an almost unearthly truthfulness to his words, no matter which way she looked at the facts, no matter how wrong the words seemed, no matter how much she felt she should know better.
"Your grandmaster proposed the inverse as the price for Scorpion's success, and I would have been honour-bound to carry out that mission had that been the case, but alas, it was not to be. But it should have been. Scorpion should have emerged victorious over his nemesis - he even did so a mere two years later when he and he alone returned from death to avenge himself. Not his family, not his clan; only himself. If Scorpion had simply been better prepared for his encounter with his long-standing nemesis, he would have spared you and all of your loved ones the cruel fate I was unfortunately bound to carry out.
"And then, to add insult to injury, he pinned the blame for your clan's demise on an innocent man, and when given the opportunity to have you all returned to life... he returned you to your graves, dissatisfied with the second chance you were given, tearing it away from you as he selfishly continued to lay the blame for his failures at the feet of others - Sub-Zero, myself, the Elder Gods. But I know, and I am sure you now see it as well, that the true culprit responsible for all of the suffering you and yours have endured... is him."
She remained in a stunned silence. It was as if her entire understanding of the universe had been flipped on its head. How had she never seen it until now? All off her suffering, her heartache and her demise, the humiliation of being resorted to life as an undead thrall and being sent right back to her grave... could it really all trace back to Hasashi Hanzō?
"And, I regret to be the one to inform you of this, but he has begun building a new Shirai Ryu in Earthrealm to replace those whose deaths he caused to assuage his guilt in the matter. He has yet to attempt to replace his wife and son, but... I fear it is only a matter of time."
Replaced? That word was the final piece that made everything fall into place, bashing away what remained of the false reality she had been trapped within for so many years. He was replacing them all, moving on to a new version of the clan, pretending that his family and clanmates that had died because of him had never even existed. It broke her heart to think of it.
Quan Chi once again closed the gap between them, taking hold of the chain attached to her arm once again, but holding her arm with a gentle, almost soothing grip. The tear in her flesh began to close, although not fully, so long as the hook remained embedded in her body.
"Of course, I am sure you see now why such extreme and barbaric measures were necessary to keep you pacified until I could open your eyes. Your worldview had been poisoned by Scorpion, blind loyalty obscuring the truth."
She continued to mull over his words, attempting to make sense of this sinister hold that Scorpion had held over her perspective for a decade and a half, at least.
"But you are free now. You now see the events for what they truly are. It is because of Scorpion that I was forced to uphold my honourable duty. But despite this, the Elder Gods elected to make him their champion to oppose Onaga. Him! And they rewarded him by subjecting your clan to the cruel fate of involuntary undeath. It is those very same Elder Gods that my Lord Shinnok and I are set to once again oppose in the coming conflict. And we have no doubt that Raiden will recruit the replacement Shirai Ryu to help him defend the Elder Gods. Did I mention that Raiden was allied with the Lin Kuei from the Shirai Ryu's destruction up to the death of Sub-Zero? And yet, Scorpion still allies with him."
"Then damn the gods."
"Oh? Is it wise to speak such open blasphemy?"
"The gods abandoned the Shirai Ryu long ago. They deserve to burn for their vile misdeeds. And Scorpion will burn along with them. This, I swear."
"Then, we have an accord? You will pledge yourself to my and Lord Shinnok's service, in return for vengeance on all of our mutual enemies?"
"Yes. I swear my eternal soul to Lord Shinnok's service."
"Your enthusiasm and determination are laudable. However..." Quan Chi stood beneath her and waved a hand, magic energy erasing the hooks from existence and causing her to fall into his waiting arms. As her body pressed against his, he healed the four hook wounds fully, expunging the pain she had grown accustomed to. He continued to hold her as she steadied herself, the soles of her feet feeling like they might go numb from contact with the unnaturally coldishness of the floor tiles. "If you are to return to the realms of the living, you will need a new body. Your old one is far beyond repair from a decade of decay. But I can forge one for you in my laboratory if you are willing to give me time."
"Do what you must, Quan Chi. I will wait an eternity if I must for my chance to avenge my family and clan."
"I will have my servants bring you fresh clothes and show you to your quarters in the meantime then. I look forward to witnessing and assisting your vengeance upon our mutual nemesis."
She lowered herself to her knees, placed her hands upon the ground before her knees with practiced fluidity, and delivered the perfect zarei of a servant showing piety to their lord. "I thank you for this opportunity, Master Quan Chi."
Quan Chi smirked at the irony of the whole affair as he left the chamber. He sent Siann and Sora to deliver a Brotherhood uniform for his newest enforcer to wear. The corridor around him was dark, almost pitch, which Shinnok silently emerged from, stepping into the dim light and greeting his collaborator.
"How did it feel, Quan Chi, to finally wield the necromantic arts you so envied in Shang Tsung?"
"It is everything I ever wished for, and more, Lord Shinnok," the sorcerer replied with a bow.
"Imagine how much sooner you could have felt this incredible rush had you studied under me all those years ago instead of striking out on your own. You wouldn't have needed Shang Tsung's assistance with Onaga's army, nor the onis' with Scorpion."
"I have learned the value of loyalty, my lord."
"Good. But see that you do not forget it. After all, the last time you did, in the end, all it did was bring you back to me."
"Of course, Lord Shinnok. I will not make the same mistake twice."
Shinnok's expression suggested that he read more into Quan Chi's response, but knew that Quan Chi simply noticing that was all the deterrent he would need.
Siann and Sora guided their new compatriot out of the chamber and past the two to her new quarters. The three each bowed in turn as they passed their masters, the newcomer noticeably bowing the deepest.
"An interesting choice of test subject," Shinnok noted with a grin. "I am surprised you would make your attempt with her now and not once you are truly certain of your mastery."
"The larger scheme must take priority. Her loss is lesser than that of any of those killed in Edenia, and so they must be reserved moreso than her."
"Indeed. Continue your experiments then. Twist her, break her, it matters little. Just be sure you are ready to work on someone more significant before you are done with her."
"Of course, Lord Shinnok." Quan Chi bowed deeply again as Shinnok melted back into the shadows, departing for the Elder-Gods-knew where.
This test was Shinnok's idea. Given the nature of the universe allowing a person only a single resurrection (outside of intervention of the Elder Gods), any failed attempts would make the intended subject unusable for the two's plot - and Shinnok would not allow the loss of one such as Liu Kang or Sub-Zero. And while Quan Chi would have loved nothing more than to bend Kuai Liang to his will as Shinnok had Bi-Han a decade prior, he knew that, unlike his mastery of the mind, his practice of necromancy was not yet up to snuff, even with all of his tests during his time allied with Shang Tsung. He was sure he would have mastered it by now had he learned from his Outworld counterpart, but even hinting at his intent would have only given his impending betrayal a timer with which his compatriot could gauge how soon he would need to make his own move to pre-empt Quan Chi's.
Shinnok had recommended using an expendable warrior as a test for the impending revenant army plot, just as Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn had with Mileena before the resurrection of Sindel. While there were a number of warriors killed in the battle in Edenia that would have been worthy, yet expendable potential champions, Quan Chi was planning far beyond his alliance with Shinnok, and there was one threat that he knew he would need to overcome if he ever showed his face in the realms of the living again. And that was why he chose this particular woman as his test subject.
Quan Chi's grin grew wider as he could foresee the seeds he was now planting bear fruit just when the time was right.
The New Shirai Ryu Temple, The Himalayas
Hanzō Hasashi knelt in solitude before the shrine to the old Shirai Ryu. The only sounds to be heard in the candlelit chamber were the grandmaster's breathing and the thunderstorm raging right outside. The shrine was open for any member of the new clan to sit and pay respects to their predecessors, but there was an unspoken rule among the clan members: "When the grandmaster visits the shrine, leave him in peace."
As thunder rumbled outside once again, Hanzō's mind returned to events from a year prior...
Raiden had forced the Elder Gods to grant Scorpion a pardon for his actions in the Armageddon conflict. Consumed with vengeance for the state of his clan at the hands of the Elder Gods, Scorpion had targeted Taven and Daegon, the two brothers around whom the conflict in Edenia had secretly revolved. Scorpion had sought to kill the two before either could claim the so-called prize to be awarded to the one that could slay the fire elemental, Blaze.
His plan had been to claim that power for himself, ascend to become a God of Vengeance and enact his revenge against the Elder Gods for so callously reviving the Shirai Ryu as undead abominations, not the living entities he had desired. He had failed to slay Taven, forcing him to enter the battle in the canyon himself to try and beat the brothers to Blaze. In the battle, he had encountered Quan Chi and split the sorcerer in twain with the burning chain of his spear.
The Elder Gods had demanded Scorpion answer for the crime of plotting to destroy them, and Raiden was the one to accompany him and make a case on his behalf. They stood before the Elder Gods as the council sat atop giant thrones that dwarfed the duo, but failed to inspire any sense of intimidation, Hanzō's contempt overpowering such a notion.
"The resurrection of the Shirai Ryu in their current undead state stands as a mockery of Hasashi Hanzō's pain," Raiden asserted. "Of the very sanctity of life itself. And for this to be delivered as the reward promised him by the sacred contract between god and champion... You disgrace the names of all gods, living and dead, with this despicable act." Despite his darker demeanour of late, Raiden showed surprising respect for life. Or, perhaps it was precisely because of this new demeanour that he so fervently spoke out against his superiors.
One of the Elder Gods, a woman with purple-tinted skin and green plant-like hair, was the first to respond to Raiden's accusations. Upon their arrival, Raiden had identified her as Cetrion, Elder God of Life. "You would be wise to mind your tone when you converse with us, Raiden."
"And you would be wise to consider the implications of your dealings with mortals, Cetrion. The desire of Hasashi Hanzō is clear to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of his history. The restoration of the Shirai Ryu in an undead state can have only one of two very specific explanations: either those responsible for their 'restoration' were driven by petty vindictiveness over Scorpion not being the one to deliver the final blow to Onaga; else they were too incompetent to understand the simple notion that mortals that desire their late loved ones returned desire them to be alive, not a pitiful half measure. In either case, the blame for the resulting rage born within Hasashi Hanzō's heart - the rage that drove him down this dark path - can only be placed at the feet of those who made such a poor decision. I trust I need not specify to whom I refer."
Fear was not an emotion Scorpion had ever seen Raiden wear, being the wise, level-headed guide to Earth's mortals that he was; but seeing him display not an ounce of fear as he openly chastised the Elder Gods themselves and outright called them incompetent was a true sight to behold.
Another of the Elder Gods went to speak, but Cetrion held up a hand to hush him. "I will again remind you to be mindful of your tone when you speak with us, Raiden, and will not do so again." She then let out a deep sigh of resignation. "However, despite your heretical tone, your point has been made abundantly clear, and we can only concede." Her gigantic gaze shifted slightly to stare with pinpoint accuracy into Scorpion's white eyes. "Our actions were not born out of malice, but a belief that an undead such as yourself would desire his family to also be undead, lest you lose them once again when life's natural end took them."
Hanzō very much doubted this assertion. However, he did concede that the Elder Gods were seen by many as incompetent, rather than malicious. Kung Lao, for instance, had expressed such a view after they had allowed Shao Kahn to flagrantly break the rules of Mortal Kombat and invade Earthrealm, and many of his less spiritual comrades had echoed this view. As such, Hanzō was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, so long as they set things right.
"However," the bald goddess in the white robe that Raiden had identified as Kronika, the Elder God of Time, spoke up, "the reward we offered will not be re-offered. We fulfilled our obligation under the terms of the pact. If Scorpion is displeased with the result, that is not our concern. He may either keep his clan, or return them to their graves."
Seemingly sensing the rage burning within Scorpion, Raiden held out a hand to stop him from doing anything rash. He fixed the spectre with a burning red gaze that told him this was the most positive outcome that could possibly have happened. And so, Hanzō made his choice.
He was allowed a brief visit with his family before they we returned to the earth. Seeing the ashen faces of his wife and son, Hanzō's heart was overcome with guilt, feeling that even this brief time to say goodbye, an opportunity that had been denied them the first time, was only prolonging their suffering. He wanted to make this exchange brief, but he also could not bear to let them go again, no matter how much he knew he must.
"Harumi. Satoshi." He placed one hand on the boy's head and the other on his wife's cheek. "I'm so sorry for what my weakness has done to you."
Harumi shook her head and took her husband's hand in hers. They were warm for the first time in thirteen long years. "While it may not have been ideal, I am glad for the extra time we had together, Hanzō-sama. Please, let go of your sorrow and your hatred. If not for Satoshi and me, then for yourself. You still have much to do in the worlds of the living." She gently lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead. "Satoshi and I will be waiting for you when you are finished."
It was with those words in mind that Hanzō watched his family turn to dust before his eyes.
With those he had failed (hopefully) once more at peace, Hanzō began contemplating his future. His first instinct was to simply return to the Netherrealm, but he had not left the meeting with the Elder Gods emptyhanded. Cetrion had seemingly been somewhat moved by his decision to let his loved ones go for their sakes. As the Elder God of Life, she had gifted him a proper revival, allegedly to make amends for the earlier misunderstanding. He was no longer a spectre, but a flesh-and-blood human for the first time since Bi-Han had torn his skull from his shoulders fourteen years prior. As such, there was now a member of the Shirai Ryu that truly lived, and he would not allow the clan's legacy to end with him.
He instead did as Kuai Liang had done - sought out a disused temple and established a base of operations from which to train a new generation of Shirai Ryu. The recruits were mostly those who had lost family in the Outworld Invasion or the Battle of Armageddon. Some even originated in Edenia and Outworld. The Shirai Ryu was open to all who desired to protect the weak from those who would harm or take advantage of them. No longer assassins, but peacekeepers, guardians.
Thunder rumbled far closer than before. So close that Hanzō could feel it in the ground beneath him. His eyes shot open and he stood in preparation. He opened the doors to a thunderous downpour, in which stood Raiden, unperturbed by the watery assault upon his person. He simply stood in the courtyard, staring expectantly in Hanzō's direction. Hanzō indicated for Raiden to come inside and the Thunder God did so.
While Hanzō prepared some tea, Raiden wordlessly crossed the chamber and lit some incense for the dead. Though he did not voice it, Hanzō was certain Raiden could sense his gratitude. As had been his way since the conflict with Onaga, the first words out of Raiden's mouth were straight to the point: "Shinnok did not take part in the battle in Edenia, despite being the one to gather the forces of darkness-"
"Including yourself," Hanzō interrupted, making sure Raiden knew he was aware of that fact as he handed him a cup.
"Including myself," Raiden admitted, sounding genuinely regretful for his actions. "I suspect Shinnok had no interest in the prize, simply used the battle to eliminate his enemies so he can make a bigger play. I sense Earthrealm will once more be in danger in the very near future."
"And you come seeking my help."
"Not just you. You are a formidable warrior, Scorpion - the Elder Gods did not make you their champion out of mere convenience - but I believe your new Shirai Ryu will prove a force to be reckoned with. And that force is needed now more than ever, especially with how severe the Lin Kuei's losses were in the battle... It falls to your clan to do what the Lin Kuei cannot and stand by us as we fend off Shinnok's next attack. Can I count on you to aid us?"
Hanzō placed his own teacup down on the table and crossed the room to where his late father's prized blades lay in wait, along with his ropedart. Hanzō's original spear had been lost with his death in the Shaolin Temple. His transformation into a spectre had granted him the ability to produce a hellish chained equivalent from the palm of his hand. The Elder Gods had then transformed this unearthly incarnation into a pair of serpent-like heads on a fine, organic cord upon his assignment as their champion. But with his restoration to human, all forms of the weapon had been taken from him. Now a mortal man once again, he had only the implement found in the tomb of Hasashi Kotarō to take with him into battle. The tomb had been desecrated in the attack fourteen years ago, but the weapon had remained miraculously untouched.
"Although Bi-Han and I were hired by Quan Chi, it was all in Shinnok's service. He is yet another architect of the Shirai Ryu's suffering."
Hanzō took the smaller tachi and withdrew it from its sheathe. He wrapped his free hand around the blade and squeezed until it cut deep enough to draw blood from his palm. He held out his hand to Raiden, who likewise cut open his own palm. Their hands clasped, blood of the god and the mortal intermingling and oozing out from between their fingers.
"The Shirai Ryu will fight for Earthrealm, Raiden. Now, and forever. So swears Grandmaster Hasashi."
"Another host for the young," the hulking insectoid creature reported to its commandress. The hooded yellow humanoid squatted down and gripped the human's face with talon-like fingers, turning her head this way and that to ascertain its value. Once she was done, she stood and met the expectant gaze of the younger Kytinn.
"Bring this one to the Northern Hex. It will make a fine host for the queen's next brood."
The eagerness with which the younger male clicked his mandibles was apparent to D'Vorah, who couldn't help but feel a sense of pride over how far her charge had come since his birth. He was a fine contributor to the prosperity of the Hive. She placed a hand on top of his head, gently sliding it down over his face until his mandibles enclosed themselves around her hand. The mandibles danced over the back of her hand with a sense of adoration and reverence typically reserved only for Queen A'Vital. But D'Vorah's contributions to the Hive while her broodsister and her offspring served as the lifeblood of the Hive had made D'Vorah the closest thing the Kytinn race had to a god.
Of course, a reminder of the fact that the Kytinn did, technically, worship a god came when a familiar portal opened up - one D'Vorah had not been witness to in many years. As expected, it was the Netherrealm sorcerer Quan Chi that stepped through into the Hive, flanked by an oni and a grey-skinned human female. Many of the surrounding workers began frantically skittering closer to portal to defend their elder from the invaders, but she and the few among them that were old enough to recognise Quan Chi indicated for them to halt.
"It has been a long time, D'Vorah," the sorcerer said as casually as if he had been gone for a mere week.
"This One assumed you had been killed by the Earthrealmers, Quan Chi."
"As usual, assumptions of my demise are unbecoming."
"Enough with the pleasantries," D'Vorah interrupted with a boldness she would never have dared to show before the sorcerer back when the Hive was still young. But it had expanded greatly in the Outworld cave network Quan Chi had found for them after the Hive on Shang Tsung's island was decimated by Earthrealm's fire god - long since killed by Quan Chi and D'Vorah, of course. And while many had been lost in Shinnok's failed conquest of Edenia, the Hive was stronger than it ever had been on the island. She was confident that if Quan Chi bore ill intent for the Hive, their sheer numbers would be enough to destroy him, perhaps even capture him for larval gestation for a future queen.
"Bold. It suits you, Broodknight. My business here is twofold. First, Lord Shinnok has use of you once again. He is amassing his armies and he desires the Kytinn's participation."
"The grateful Hive is ever at Lord Shinnok's service," she bowed, far more respectfully than her prior tone had suggested. It was clear to Quan Chi that the Kytinn's respect for Shinnok far outweighed such for the sorcerer. "And your second business?"
"I bring a new comrade in need of your tutelage."
On cue, the grey-skin stepped forward, allowing D'Vorah a better look at her. Her attire was yellow and black, similar to that of D'Vorah's hide, but of soft fabrics, not hard armour. The flappy fabric hanging from her waist, so common among Outworlders and Edenians, bore the crest of the Brotherhood of Shadow. Her hair was black, tied in a bun with four spindly strands hanging down to frame either side of her face. Beneath the golden mask that covered the upper part of her face burned two glowing orange-yellow eyes, which bore a calmness uncannily paired with the ferocity of their flame-like glow. Her fingernails, painted a dark, bloody red, looked to be about as sharp as D'Vorah's own fingers, if not moreso. And while she made no attempt to either hide or display them, D'Vorah noted the wristblades worn beneath the baggy fabric covering her arms.
But what stood out to D'Vorah the most were the four artificial appendages emerging from her back, similar to the pincers of a female Kytinn. In fact, if not for the sacredness with which the Kytinn treated the Hive and its ways, she might almost have been flattered by the attempt at emulation.
"You will teach her the unique kombat capabilities of the Kytinn," Quan Chi commanded, "that she may use them in Lord Shinnok's service."
"The Hive's techniques are sacred, Quan Chi. One so travelled should know this."
"I am well aware of the significance of what I ask. However, recall that the hive would not exist today without the intervention of myself and my lord. I believe passing your ways onto but one outsider is a small price to pay for your hive's survival."
D'Vorah's silence spoke to her defeat. "Your tongue has become as sharp as Shang Tsung's. Very well. This One will teach the ways of the Kytinn to this..."
"Of course, her name. You may refer to her as Tarantula. The Scorpion-killer."
I finished this story around the end of May, but I didn't want to spoil The Brothers' Reunion, so I had to either wait until it was done or be weirdly ambiguous about Sub-Zero's fate.
One idea for the fate of the Shirai Ryu was to have Scorpion personally kill them all to end their suffering, either before Armageddon, or after keeping them alive as enforcers to help achieve his vengeance, feeling horribly guilty for doing so in the latter scenario.
And a small detail you may notice is the introduction of two of Quan Chi's enforcers from MK Conquest to replace Kia and Jataaka. Originally, the latter two were in this story, but revisiting The Occultist's Return for The Brother's Reunion reminded me that the two were killed for the second time by Scorpion. I had a brief crisis before remembering that, for reasons that will never make sense to me, Conquest gave Quan Chi three female enforcers (later a fourth), one even dressing exactly like Sareena, but they're not Sareena, Kia or Jataaka.
