Disclaimer: Once again, everything is owned by Midway.
Will now alternate between third-person and Sub-Zero's perspective.
(Sub-Zero)
Now fully clad in the traditional cryomancer armor, I sat on the throne I had found upon entering and studied ancient holy texts preserved in a time capsule next to the Katacombs. They told of the great Cryomancer race who had used their powers to aid the denizens of Outworld since the beginning of time. However, when Shao Kahn invaded the once beautiful realm, he demanded the enslavery of the entire race to use their services for his personal gains. Like the unfortunate Saurians of the now barren realm of Zaterra, anyone who resisted was sentenced to execution. Even when their resources of Outworld were depleted and they had suffered greatly, the tribes of Cryomancy profusely disobeyed. Shao Kahn was infuriated, and set off alone with his mighty Wrath Hammer in grasp and unleashed a massacre upon them. A small number of refugee Cryomancers managed to escape the realm unseen. Some of them insisted that they return and slowly take down Shao Kahn's army via guerrila tactics, fueled by rage and thirsty for vengeance, but the other, wiser beings knew that this was a hopeless idea. Those who believed in fighting the emperor returned only to be slaughtered. The rest remained safe in Earthrealm for some time, and for some mysterious reason died out.
A single remaining Cryomancer bearing the Sub-Zero name started a clan of seclusive ninjas located in China called the Lin Kuei. The following members of the Lin Kuei with the same abilities of Cryomancy were traditionally given this name, as they have lived down the same line. Seeing as how this lone Cryomancer started the Lin Kuei without a female of the same race, each progressing member of the Sub-Zero family was born without the full capabilities of a naturally bred Cryomancer. The only ones I had lived to have seen were my father and grandfather, along with Frost, my brother, and myself. However, I do not understand where Frost came in, for she was never in the Lin Kuei before I was leading it. If such a warrior existed in Earthrealm for the time being when Kahn repeatedly attempted to conquer it for himself, Raiden, the all-knowing God of Thunder, would have informed us heroes. Did Frost come from the land of Outworld, perhaps raised by the little resistance that could be left of Cryomancers? Was there really hope that this race could once again flourish at lively numbers, as the Saurians had roamed Zaterra before massacred?
Such optimism would have comforted me well especially when enraptured in dire conditions such as my immense physical exhaustion bombarded by murky doubts, but all the reasons laid out before me directed realism to the other hand. It seemed as if I couldn't lose enough loved ones and close friends. Frost was an excellent student, no two ways about it. She was very determined in everything that awaited her, and fought well with the true heart and spirit of a warrior. However, she was headstrong, and refused to accept any aid in the heated conflict of life and death. Her arrogance drove her to try and seize the Dragon Medallion from me, leading to her unfortunate death. Though I know that she had only done this through corrupted desire and that her passing is nothing more than a disturbing accident, I feel as if I am to blame. Had I been a better grandmaster, a better teacher, she would feel no need to seize more power, for the true source of power comes from within oneself. Any individual can overcome whatever odds they are facing, no matter how bizzare they may seem.
I had learned this several times through the decade I spent battling the forces of Shao Kahn and Shinnok along with personal adversaries like Scorpion and the rogue Lin Kuei warriors gone cybernetic. In every fight I felt as if I would surely die, and knew from the start that participants of Mortal Kombat, whether or not the tournament is rigged, will show no mercy. My brother had been a particularly instilling figure of this concept for ages past, even long before I had entered the tournament to assassinate Shang Tsung; on his quest to retrieve the Map of Elements from the Shaolin Temples for Quan Chi, the same sorceror of whom he would end his villainy later on, he was in contest with Scorpion. Scorpion was a member of the Shirai Ryu, a former rival clan of the Lin Kuei, and during the time their fued was as brutal and ruthless as ever. Scorpion mocked my brother and insisted that he would prevail in the deed, and the two ended up finding the map simultaneously. Being a Cryomancer with natural powers of ice, my brother overcame his enemy, and killed him without mercy.
It was an incredibly strict creed for the Lin Kuei which remained within it's code for a long time, especially when I was still as young as I was. My brother abided by it with a passion, and for this (along with his being the heir to the traditional Sub-Zero name) he was considered one of the most valuable, glorified members of the clan. No matter how helpless his enemy would be in comparison, he ceased to spare them. Such heartless murder was forbidden from my true will from the start, but I had no choice in protesting against it, for I would risk abandonment and possible execution. I never liked it, and couldn't picture myself doing so if I was ever in a situation of which the Lin Kuei would demand it's necessity. Now that I was grandmaster this was no longer a required trait for members to possess in order to be accepted. Granted, I kept the Lin Kuei uniforms which would be used to be worn by members as they always have - not for the clan and it's renewed name, but out of respect for my late brother.
I cannot say whether any other fighter in Mortal Kombat has thought akin to this. It seems as if all of them have, at some point, been driven by some bloodlust, to whatever cause and for whatever gain... There was simply dishing out agony, and there was repaying it. There was gaining honor, and there was taking it back. Every warrior had some motive that, for some reason, they percieved as only possible through winning Mortal Kombat, through killing their enemy. I, myself, had gone through this for a brief time, for when I departed to fulfill the mission of killing Shang Tsung, the news of my brother's death hit me with mixed feelings. When the Lin Kuei told me that Scorpion, of our rival clan was responsible, I felt insulted, enraged, vengeful, jaded. It is the only time I can remember when the former Lin Kuei and I saw eye to eye. Now that I recall this instantaneous predicament, an overwhelming guilt courses through my body. The humble man knows that revenge only spreads off a chain of events leading to it's destructive cycle throughout eternity, but learns this when it is too late, when they have already tried to seal their wounds by carving others onto the perpetrator. We are blinded by rage, by honor, by vengeance.
So many have experienced this, and despite the ways of which they are taught are forebodingly blind to it... Liu Kang wanted nothing more than to see the death of Shao Kahn when his Shaolin brother in spirit Kung Lao fell, thought to be dead, thus resulting in Kahn's extreme loss of power. Kung Lao has had his own vendetta against Goro for the longest time since the slaughtering of his ancestor over five hundred years ago, which he first attempted to carry out at all when Goro was seen again during Shinnok's invasion of Edenia. And afterwards Kung Lao once again sought to repay a death shortly after the formation of the Deadly Alliance and their cowardly manner of first killing Liu Kang. When I had first met these two in the Outworld tournament, they were wise, noble young men with incredible talents and a humane goal to preserve Earthrealm. But even if they were fighting on the side of Earthrealm, these people, Shaolin Monks who are taught in the way of peace and observe life to it's deepest core, are ready to kill their foes... It seems unbelievable... I am partly ashamed that I have allied myself with these hypocrites, no matter how heroic the deeds they commit are.
Is it really heroic to slay the other? Is it heroic to take a life in the name of the wellbeing of a realm? And while I, too, have killed individuals for the preservation of Earth, is there any justification in carrying out the end of personal disputes with heroism as your excuse? No, I didn't want to take part in this any longer. I wanted to rest in Earthrealm. I wanted to return to the Lin Kuei temple and sit on my throne as grandmaster, not in this cold cave where I was surrounded by the deceased, not only that but a lost race which I now had to take responsibility for. But again there was no way for me to return so quickly. As discomforting as everything was, I had both no reason and no means of going back to Earthrealm and making it back to the Lin Kuei temple. I had made a choice to help stop the Deadly Alliance, and now that I've gone so far into Outworld I would need some kind of assistance. Who knows - perhaps an even greater threat was born in the explosion of Shang Tsung's palace... Surely, that essence, was it not of holy descent? Did Raiden do something? And if he had, was the Deadly Alliance really too much, have they overpowered him, or did a new threat arise, one of which Raiden could not handle? If this is the case, then such a force is beyond me. I feel helpless, I'm unsure what to do, or what I even can do...
I exhaled a deep mist that flowed throughout my mask onto the pages of the holy text. Closing the book, I stood up from my seat on the throne and began walking back to where I entered the cave. Much bewilderment was sparked in the explosion at Shang Tsung's palace. It was very large and destructive, wiping out the remaining Tarkatans in the field. I was very uncomfortable and had lost almost all my will to keep fighting, hope slowly draining from the pride I held in my chest, but I wouldn't know what to do until I left this cave to find out. By taking these steps to exit the cave and explore somehow made the descent of the mountain a little easier than it was to scale - not because of the natural way it is quicker to go down than up, but the effort I put into it had overpowered the ache in my limbs. I leapt down every few feet of stone with ease, taking glimpses of the barren land below that once held as the battlegrounds between the Deadly Alliance and the Earthrealm Heroes.
Minutes later I found myself along the stone trail that was once nearing the hallway entrance to the palace. Rubble lie everywhere. Shuffling through the huge piles of shattered stone and broken wood, I finally found something; the body of Shang Tsung. His clothes were singed incredibly badly, the hair and skin melted off his head from the blast, leaving only the skull and bones of the sorceror. His corpse was very light due to only his skeleton and cloth remaining. In another pile closeby I found Quan Chi, who suffered a similar fate. Though the Deadly Alliance was finally gone, I sense that an even bigger threat has been born in it's wake...
(Shimura Island)
Shang Tsung's island was practically barren. Most of it had collapsed during the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament in Earthrealm when Outworld had finally lost, Liu Kang being the triumphant victor over both the former champion, Goro, and Shang Tsung himself. The ruins had suffered greatly from the ravages of time, the only real recognizable spots being Goro's Lair and the Pit. Even so, the decayed corpses of Oni lay rotting behind the caged walls of Goro's Lair, and the Pit's spikes were rusty with blood and age. However, another subterrainian spot of the island, one of which it's existence has been long neglected, was still active... Deep in the Dark Prison of where Shang Tsung would store the bodies who were victim to his soul stealing or thrown into the crushing spikes, the war trophy of the deceased Shao Kahn, Smoke, lay inactive. The prison had an eerie, hollow silence, feeling cold and dead. Suddenly, a silent figure crept from the shadows, emerging from the darkness to reveal himself as... Noob Saibot.
Noob approached the deactivated Smoke, studying him carefully. Both warriors had lost their masters, and currently had to serve no one. Ever since his death at the hands of Scorpion, Noob Saibot had spent most of his time dwelling in the Netherrealm. Unlike most beings who were condemned to it's hellish surroundings, Noob embraced them. For he was not an Oni or a Spectre or an undead warrior, but a Wraith. A greedy, demonic wraith who basked in the hellish depths of the Netherrealm and thrived upon it, called it home, wanted to conquer it and have it for himself. And now that he was free, he was able to do so. Noob started to feel around Smoke for some kind of panel when he felt a small plate on the back of his neck. He pried it open to reveal a small series of switches, and flicked the first one, which made Smoke's eyes illuminate red. He was now activated.
An instant later Smoke sprang to life, jumping in shock as if he had just been splashed by cold water. He looked around shortly before seeing Noob Saibot.
"... You!"
"Smoke, I am starting a conquest on the Netherrealm. You are my first recruit. Together, we shall form a demonic army of cyborgs..."
"No... I can't let you do this! Where is Sub-Zero? What have you done with him?"
"He is not to be concerned with. In due time we will find him and tear him apart."
"NO, Noob! I won't let you!"
"Then you give me no choice..."
Noob took a step back before getting in his Monkey fighting stance. Smoke did likewise and prepared himself in Mi Tzu. Afterwards he attempted a leaning hook punch for the wraith, but Noob ducked with ease and struck Smoke with a solid palm to the gut. Smoke stumbled back a little from the hit before trying a roundhouse on Noob. Again, Noob ducked, and this time tried to punch Smoke in the face, however the cyborg blocked this, pushed Noob's arm away and kicked him in the waist. Noob barely budged, but glared at Smoke menacingly.
"You're making this harder than it needs to be."
"For the last time, I won't help you!"
Smoke swiped at Noob once more, his fists in a flurry, but the wraith evaded and eventually elbowed Smoke in the back. The force of the blow knocked Smoke forward a little, and while he did this Noob quickly brought up his leg at inhuman speed and knocked Smoke in the face with a roundhouse kick, sending him to the floor as if hit by the world's hardest lariat. Smoke groggily tried to push himself back up, but Noob stomped on the back of his head, smashing his face into the floor. Smoke cried out in pain as his head bounced from the impact, and Noob stamped onto Smoke's tailbone with the other leg. The cyborg hollered in agony, trembling in defeat, as Noob walked around him and dragged him to his feet by the mask.
"Surrender to me, or die!" he barked, seriously losing his patience.
"No..." Smoke replied weakly.
Noob released a low growl before punching Smoke so hard that he spun around. Noob grabbed Smoke's shoulders from behind and pulled, forcing Smoke's back into a painful knee drive. Smoke reeled back and released somewhat of a choking cry, flailing his arms around. Noob then knocked him on the back of the head with all his might, sending Smoke down on his knees.
"I would rather kill you for your feeble resistance, but you're of use to my plans..." Noob quickly flicked open the switch on the back of Smoke's neck again, and Smoke didn't have a chance to utter a single protest as Noob tore out the first switch of which he had used before. Smoke's eyes dimmed to nothing, and he fell down. Noob then scooped his body back up and studied the panel for a while before pressing a seperate switch on the opposite end, and the cyborg's eyes beamed to life once more.
"Register commander." the cyborg said plainly and stoic.
"Noob Saibot," he replied.
"Confirmed. Programmed to take orders from Noob Saibot. Voice recognition addressed."
Underneath his dark mask, Noob smirked a cruelly devilish grin. It was finally about to start.
(Nethership)
Noob had a few members from the Brotherhood of Shadow carry Smoke onboard. Though he was no longer entirely related to the organization, and the Brotherhood itself was having civil issues (for loyalty was straying between idols to the Brotherhood and was divided between Noob Saibot and Shinnok), a good deal of the members who admired Noob's capability were still on his side. As he watched the cyborg inadvertly enter the ship, he surveyed it's surroundings, walking down the stairs of the Captain's Room to prod at the hanging corpses. This was the very same boat that Shang Tsung used to bring Liu Kang and his friends to the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament. And now, Noob Saibot had used it to bring it back to the same island and retrieve what he needed. Now he would use it to travel back to the Netherrealm and start his campaign.
"Noob Saibot... I see you've retrieved Smoke. What shall we do now?" an attractive, slender female of demonic descent (though appearing as a beautiful, enticing human) had asked her leader from behind.
"Ah, Sareena..." Noob replied in a greeting tone. He turned to face her. "Set our course for Nekros. The Shadow Priests will have the interdimensional portal ready in a half hour to transition realms."
"That's excellent, Noob," and with that Sareena walked off to the lower deck of where the boat operations were being performed.
"Such a marvelous girl... Fit for a queen..."
"Grandmaster Noob," a Brotherhood member interrupted his thoughts.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Smoke is now fully operational. We've managed to back up all of his mechanics and the next phase is ready for execution."
"Fantastic..."
(Sub-Zero) (Living Forest)
As I trudged through the Living Forest near a clearing of some of the oldest trees, I continued contemplating the events at Shang Tsung's palace. Even after what seemed like hours of searching, no trace of the Earthrealm Heroes nor any possible newly arisen threat was found. Everyone at the site was dead. The Living Forest was unusually peaceful today, and the trees were resting. For once in this place there was total silence. I stopped to sit by a trunk and rest; traveling when I had been so strained and beaten just days before still ate away at me. I closed my eyes, and began meditating, the same way Kung Lao had taught me while resting at the Outworld tournament...
"Kung Lao," I asked while we sat opposite each other in meditating states, "I'm very concerned about something..."
"What would that be, Sub-Zero?"
"Earlier on... My last fight, with the ninja known as Scorpion... I... I was driven by the desire to avenge my brother... I wanted to kill him... And yet he spares my life... Why?..."
"You are a merciful man, Sub-Zero. Scorpion witnessed your fight with Mileena earlier on, and while she was bloodthirsty and eager to tear at your throat, you barely harmed her - only enough to win the fight. Raiden says that for this reason, Scorpion realized that you were not the same man who took his life two years ago. Your brother didn't hesitate to kill him, no matter how much he would plead, even if he were to offer all of his possessions. However, you by no means desire or intend to take a life. You have listened to Raiden well."
I hope I had. I remember, he said Mortal Kombat is not about inducing death, but for the preservation of life... Whenever Liu Kang and Kung Lao fought and put lives at stake, they did not do it to endanger their enemies, but to protect their homeland... Isn't that what everyone is doing? Didn't Goro defeat Kung Lao to gain Shao Kahn's support in fighting off the Centuars? Had Kitana dispatched Mileena and practically kill her only for the sake of the rightful royalty to Edenia?
Suddenly, a loud gurgling cry echoed throughout the forest. Birds flew into the sky, and I ran to the source of the noise. A dying man in black and red lay bleeding severely. He was trembling, pale as one is on the virge of death, and trembling weakly, small moans emanting from his teeth.
"What happened to you?" I asked, alarmed.
The poor man coughed up some more blood, making choking noises. He looked around frantically, blindfolded, but somehow turned his head towards me. He reached out, and I grabbed his hand to help him up, but he was too weak and slumped back down. He uttered a cry of pain accompanied by spitting more blood, and I knelt down to be able to hear him better.
"I... I was attacked..." He said in a shaky voice.
The wounds carved on his chest and stomach seemed to be that of some kind of sword. Who did this to him? A tarkatan?
"What attacked you?"
"A man... A member - (he was briefly interrupted by coughing some more before regaining his voice) of the Red Dragon... Clan..." he coughed again, then added "Quan Chi hired him to kill me..."
Quan Chi? The doing of the Deadly Alliance! That could only mean... This man wasn't exactly ordinary, but he didn't seem superhuman or of any other particular race, either.
"Why did he do that?"
The poor man spat some more blood to the side, breathing heavy, as he said "I was helping Raiden and the others combat the Deadly Alliance..."
"Did you hear the explosion of Shang Tsung's palace from afar?"
"That was his? Damn it!" he coughed some more onto his chest before taking a deep breath. "Yes, I heard an explosion... It knocked me onto my feet just as I was beginning to recover... The man who slaughtered me is named Mavado..."
"So, if you were helping Raiden... Were you by chance allied with the Earthrealm heroes?"
He nodded. "Yes... I am from Earthrealm," he told me weakly.
Alas! One of them has survived! I was overjoyed, but came back to my senses - it was too early to celebrate. This man needed hospitality.
"Here... Let me help you," I said as I moved my hands along his wounds, sealing them with ice. He winced in pain as I did it, but gradually began to calm down.
"Thank you... Thank you, whoever you are," he said in a stronger voice, greatly relieved.
"I am Sub-Zero. I'm the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei," I told him as I helped him to his feet.
He brushed himself off before smiling and holding out his hand. "Kenshi," he told me, and we shook hands.
End Chapter
There will be more soon.