A/N: And how's everyone doing right now with the 'rona running rampant? I have been in legit quarantine for a week because I'm sick with flu-like symptoms, and I'm waiting for the test results to come back. Today's the first day in a while that I've had the energy to work on this story. This is a shorter chapter because I need it to segue into a larger chapter. And long battle chapters take a while to plan and research. So I hope you enjoy this. Stay safe, my friends, and stay home if you can.
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In tattered clothes that echoed the raiment of the outfits they'd fallen in, Nightwolf and Jade looked like corpses long since buried. "Lady Kitana left orders," his former friend spoke in her haughtiest tone. "We are not to let anyone from the other Realms pass."
Revenants, Reiko mused as he listened to her, were a lesser known but very aggressive type of monster, made only by the most powerful of sorcerers, for they were souls twisted and perverted by the darkest magic of all: necromancy. They were not mindless blobs of flesh like golems, yet their minds were not their own either. Indeed, their brains were damaged and warped, doomed to dwell on only the most horrible chapters of their lives before their deaths. Every injustice they ever suffered, every betrayal they ever endured, every pain they ever felt set their undead hearts on fire and charred them from the inside out, cracking through their blackened skin like the parched earth on the desert floor. Their only desire in life was to have revenge on the world that had scorned them. They had their uses, he thought, but ultimately they were too unpredictable to control with any measure of certainty. Still, he needed them.
"I would only be a small disturbance, dearest Jade," he replied. "I wish to make her and Liu Kang a proposition. I know my adoptive sister will want to hear what I have to say."
"Then you have foolishly overestimated yourself," Nightwolf now hissed. "She does not wish to be bothered."
Kitana had once told Reiko that the Earthrealm Champion was one of the most dangerous in their number - apart from Liu Kang, that was - because he had what the humans called a 'poker face' that betrayed no emotion, nor gave any hint as to what he might do next. Reiko would have welcomed a hint, right now. Rain and Sub-Zero would easily kill Nightwolf if he ordered it, but it would hardly be taken as a peaceful gesture if the General started murdering Kitana's inner circle. Yet, if he let these underlings chase him away, he'd be forced to fight for their kamidogu, and the subsequent battle would be quite costly to his own numbers.
"And what if I came to tell her and Liu Kang that I have found a way to free your master, Lord Shinnok?" he challenged as he lifted his eyebrow with a knowing smile. "I would hate for you both to have to report to them that you turned me away before I had a chance to tell them of this discovery, and of knowledge of the other Realms' movement against them."
Neither Nightwolf or Jade responded, and Reiko was close to ordering Rain and Sub-Zero to kill them. But then Jade said, "Very well, we will take you to them," and they abruptly stepped aside and allowed the gates of Phlegethon to gradually open up for them. It was the easiest victory he'd have of this entire journey. With a proud stride, he led his men into the hellish sanctuary.
Looking around, Reiko could see the Realm fading into a largely featureless, colorless gloom. There was no daytime here, only a perpetual twilight illuminated only by the occasional burning fire. Across the rolling lands between, the mountains frowned at them, black and shapeless below where night was thick, menacing jagged tops and edges outlined hard against the fiery glow above. Smoke and ash fluttered from the sky, smothering all the spirits trapped therein. Disfigured demon spawns patrolled the scorched, rocky land, frequently feasting on any soul that was unlucky enough to get caught. And at the heart of this infernal level rose a castle blacker than pitch, its many towers and spires scratching at the sky like twisted fingers. It loomed large on the horizon, and mountains teeming with all manners of ghouls and wraiths rose high behind it.
From the gates of Phlegethon, Reiko and his men traveled the meandering canyons of rock that ran beside the mountains' roots. It was like chasing a rainbow or the mirage of an oasis in the middle of the desert - never allowing them to truly get closer to the palace, always jumping just out of reach when they thought they'd make it. Long had they marched, leaving footprints in the cracked, hot surface. Slowly, a thickening of the night began to suggest the arrival of a storm - except, Reiko realized almost instantly, the castle was finally at hand.
When at last they arrived, their guides silently led them through the palace guard - not the undead, but twisted monsters with horns and fangs dripping with ropes of drool. Inside, the unpleasant odor of sulfur captured Reiko's senses first, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust at the putrid aroma. Then the decor caught his eyes. Bones, bones, bones in all directions, above and across, mortared together with blood and concrete, the very foundation of the castle. Skulls stared down at him from flying buttresses and the tops of pillars, always accusing. More skulls and bones made the chandeliers, the sconces, and candlesticks. Inside all of those grotesque decorations, torches or candles burned low, casting eerie shadows throughout the drafty halls. Reiko knew it was all meant to intimidate and terrify visitors to the ghastly abode, but he merely found it amusing.
"Skulls and bones," he began with the usual smile in his voice. "Most would avoid such a cliche stylistic choice, so I commend your masters for their bravery."
"Quiet, fool," Jade hissed.
He said nothing in response, merely chuckled at her fiery response.
A few more minutes passed in silence, but finally, Nightwolf spoke. "The Emperor and the Empress will see you in their throne room. But be warned: they do not suffer fools."
Reiko smiled. "Then I suppose it is fortunate I am not a fool."
With that, he passed the revenants through an archway draped in a curtain, and immediately found himself inside a towering throne room. More skulls and bones supported the room in grotesque architecture, but in here, a black carpet with silver brocade woven into the pattern stretched from the entrance to the raised dais on the opposite side of the room where two thrones sat on high. And on those thrones sat Liu Kang and Kitana, the twisted revenants of their former selves, their eyes burning orange.
"Greetings, Sister, you're looking well," Reiko drily remarked. "I appreciate the warmth with which your servants met us."
"Warmth and welcoming parties are matters for the living," Liu Kang curtly snapped. He clenched his fists around the ends of the armrests and leaned slightly forward. "State your business, General."
Reiko bowed his head in deference, not particularly surprised that these two weren't ones for small talk. He said, "I have come to you to ask you for your assistance, my Lord. I have come to you to ask you to give me Netherrealm's sacred kamidogu."
Kitana couldn't even contain her bitter laughter. "Only a small favor, I see," her voice lilted in sarcasm. She exchanged an amused glance with Liu, who scowled back at her.
"I have a counter-proposal," he now said. "I will kill you and your men, and you will all become my slaves."
"Such hostility!" he replied, sensing Rain, Sub-Zero, and Havik tensing behind him, readying for a fight. "And you haven't even heard what I'm prepared to offer you in return for your generosity!"
"Then speak, Brother," Kitana hissed. "I have already grown weary of you."
"You haven't even asked me why I want your kamidogu," he replied, and then clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Oh, dear me, Sister mine," he sighed. "In my journeys, a spell fell into my lap, so to speak. A very old spell, a very rare spell, a very...dangerous spell." He bared his wolfish teeth in an unsettling grin. "It requires all of the kamidogu from all of the Realms, all of which I have already procured save for yours and Seido's."
"And you think that we should just willingly give ours to you?" she countered.
"No, dearest Kitana," he said, "I know nothing is for free. This spell will release Shinnok's power and allow the Blood God to break the chains that hold him." Reiko inwardly laughed at his lie. Shinnok's power would be released, yes. But the Elder God would very much remain in chains, leaving the General to seize that power for himself. "If you give me the kamidogu, Kitana, I will use it to restore your master. And I have no doubt that he will be exceedingly grateful to all who helped to free him."
Reiko could see her hard eyes soften as she considered it, and he knew her well enough to know that she was weakening. He fearlessly met her gaze, silently coaxing her to obedience. But then Liu spoke and broke the enchantment.
"Why, General?" he curtly asked. "What do you have to gain from Shinnok's return?"
He nodded his head as if the fallen Chosen One had asked a good question. "He is the great equalizer," he lied. "Ever since my father, the Emperor Shao Kahn, fell into shadow, I have witnessed the Realms fall terribly out of balance. Unnatural chaos abounds."
"Perhaps that is because you travel with a heretic from Chaosrealm," he hissed, pointing to Havik.
"My cleric is the one who uncovered the spell, my Lord," he replied. "We have unlocked its secrets together."
Liu merely harrumphed at that.
"I cannot stabilize this great imbalance on my own," he continued. "And Lord Raiden confounds me at every turn."
"Yes, he is quite good at that," the other agreed as his lip curled into a snarl.
"I am nothing but a humble soldier, my Lord and Lady," he said. "But once, Lord Shinnok kept his sons, Raiden and Fujin, in check. He can do so again. And he can restore the balance to the Realms by recreating them in his own image. And we who freed him will be handsomely rewarded."
"You have tried to resurrect him before and failed," Liu quickly pointed out.
"Yes, Lord, I did," he agreed. "That is because I underestimated the love between a father and his daughter." He now looked at Sub-Zero, who stood there coldly, his face expressionless, his arms crossed behind his back as if waiting for an order. "But as you can see, my Lord, I have taken great pains to ensure that I will not make the same mistake twice."
"What have you done to him?" Kitana now asked as she slowly rose to her feet and took a step down from her throne. There was a fleeting moment of concern on her face as she stared at the Cryomancer.
Intrigued, Reiko peered into her soul and saw long-buried feelings for him hidden in her heart, and a memory of kissing him on a beach whilst in the throes of grief for Liu Kang's passing. Kuai Liang had succumbed to her wiles for a sheer moment before he realized himself and rejected her, pushing her away, leaving her to her humiliation and her revelation that she did not love Liu as much as she had believed. Sister, he inwardly sneered, I never knew you had it in you.
Still smiling, Reiko folded his hands behind his back and said, "I mutilated him with Outworld's kamidogu. When he nearly succumbed from his injuries, I used the power of Blood Magik to enslave his mind and body. Now he is bound to me. Completely and perfectly obedient."
Kitana exchanged a look with Liu as she sat back down, and then both returned his stare. "Very well, Brother," she said, "you may have Netherrealm's kamidogu. But know this: if you should fail to resurrect Lord Shinnok as you have claimed, I will cut you into a thousand pieces and feed the scraps to the hellhounds of Dis."
"Duly noted, Sister mine," he replied. "And if I may, there are two other matters I must trouble you with."
"You don't ask for much, do you, General?" Liu hissed in annoyance.
"I would take care not to mock me," he replied, and now his smile faded. "As we speak, Earthrealm Champions have mobilized and are en route to Netherrealm to stop me."
"So you want us to protect you from them?" he sneered in derision.
Reiko chuckled. "Quite the contrary, my Lord. I wish to combine our forces to protect our shared interests."
"And what of the second matter?" Kitana now asked.
Once more, Reiko bared his teeth. "I need you to allow my Cleric, Havik, access to Quan Chi's laboratory."
"For what reason?"
"There is a spell I must conduct, and he has the resources I need to conduct it," Havik now spoke. "Time is of the essence. His is the only place equipped to do what I need to do."
"And what, pray tell, is that?" she sneered.
"I need to raise someone from the dead," he replied.
She burst into laughter. "You are no necromancer," she mocked.
"Do not underestimate me, Lady Kitana," he told her quietly.
She bowed her head. "Very well, then, Cleric. You may use his laboratory. Jade will show you the way." She waved her bodyguard over and silently, Jade motioned for Havik to follow her from the throne room. "You play a dangerous game, Brother, consorting with him," she said when the two were gone. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"I trust him as much as I need to," Reiko vaguely replied. "As for the matter of the Earthrealm Champions…" he then trailed off, raising his eyebrow at her.
Once more, she and Liu exchanged a glance, this one longer than the ones before. But finally, they faced him and Liu said, "Very well, General. We will combine our forces and drive out the invaders. Tell us your plan to defend our keep."
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There was no light in the sky when the Earthrealm Champions came to the gate of Phlegethon and Bi-han returned to his former home for the first time in many years. The ramparts of the palace loomed tall on the horizon, a high shadow from the darkest pit. A rocky road ran down into the plain, winding through little valleys and crevices towards that unholy place. As they marched to the gate, a goblin-like monster challenged them.
Kill him! Noob Saibot's voice yelled in Bi-han's ear, and before Raiden could do anything about the creature, he did.
"Why did you do that, Bi-han?" the Thunder God demanded to know before the monster's body even hit the ground.
He looked at him as he threw his bloody kori sword against a rock, shattering it. "Don't forget where you are," the Cryomancer flatly replied, his expression blank. "They are not interested in negotiating." He looked towards the castle. "We shouldn't linger long. They undoubtedly know we're here, and they'll be trying to stop us from here to there."
The army passed through the gates, though the going was slow because they had many soldiers in their number. In a long file they walked towards the castle with Raiden and Bi-han showing them the way. As they walked, the Cryomancer peered into the gloom, his eyes always searching, and Noob's voice whispering in his mind.
Tomas walked closely behind him with Kailyn, and as cheerfully as he could muster, the cyber-ninja said, "Seems cozy." He stamped over smoothed, black stones. "It feels very familiar to me, though I can't say why."
"It's not surprising," Bi-han told him. "The Enenra in you once skulked about these very plains."
"Thanks for bringing that up, Bi-han," he drily remarked. "I definitely wanted to remember that I'm coming here when I die."
"You do not know what the Elder Gods' judgment shall be, Tomas Vrbada," Raiden told him. "Do not assume this place will be your ultimate destiny. If your heart is light, you will find yourself in a happier Realm."
"But my heart is not light, Raiden," he argued, his face falling into worry.
"No Earthrealm Champion's is," Bi-han said, cutting off the Thunder God before he could say something.
Time slowly passed. In the broad valley, scattered fires burned, standing in sharp contrast against the blackness of the Realm. Noob Saibot wrapped around Bi-han's eyesight and allowed him to see the rising threat: an army bearing the Netherrealm standards intermingled with that of Shao Kahn. Thin ribbons of fear snaked bluely through him like a system of rivers. He found he needed a cloudburst or soothing landscape fast to still his sudden panic. It was not the army and the promise of death that he was afraid of: it was the realization that as he came closer to them, the stronger the demon inside of him became.
Without even realizing it, an oily black stain slithered over his eyes.
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alwaysdoubted, it's definitely true that there were a lot of emotions and dynamics in the last chapter. If the heroes weren't put against insurmountable odds, would you even know it was me writing this story? LOL I can tell you that I'm not interested in what Kotal Kahn can do for the cause as I am interested in others in his number ;) And my hope is that Livy and Frost will grow to make their peace with one another before they kill each other.
SpinoGuy Productions, yeah, when they reintroduced Kabal in MK11, I really liked his design and his attitude, and it reminded me that we haven't seen our favorite speedster in my work in a while. So I wanted to bring him back as well as his feelings for her. I feel like that can be a great source of conflict and motivation for his character. And I realized far too late, when I was working on The Curse of the Dragon Medallion, that I had missed a great opportunity to showcase how Noob Saibot infects his head. So I decided to explore that idea further in this one.
jeanosauryehet27, I don't know. Did he? Or was it someone like Tsai Bing? ;)
ROCuevas, thanks!
caroccio66, there are so many possibilities, and I hope I leave you all guessing until the very end. As for political issues, I hope France is weathering well with the coronavirus plaguing the world. Peace to you, my friend.
Persistence, yeah, it's definitely going to be interesting when Livy sees her dad again. Even I'm not certain how that's going to play out. Same thing with Bi-han's inner struggle with Noob. I'm kind of just letting my story tell me where to go.