Chapter Seventy-Nine: Mental Kombat
"Come on, Tomas. Wake up!"
Kuai Liang called out to his friend and shook his shoulders, but Tomas refused to awaken. After Cyrax knocked down the closet door, the noise caught the attention of the other warriors within the temple. They all headed to the storage closet and were surprised to see Smoke lying on the ground unconscious. Sub-zero, Jade, and the others who were gathered on the roof had also come back inside, and they saw the group assembled around the closet with worried faces. They soon found out why once they entered the room.
"He is getting worse."
Jade knelt by Tomas' side and cupped his cheek, shocked at how cold his skin felt. It was almost like the silver-haired man was really dead. And he was barely breathing, so that did not make Jade feel any better about the situation.
"Smoke will be fine."
Everyone turned to Raiden, who had his arms folded across his face. Despite his usual emotionless façade, the thunder god was just as worried about Smoke as everyone else. But he needed to believe that his champion would pull through in the end.
"Have faith. Smoke is a strong warrior. We need to give him time."
"Time, time, time…"
Jade's voice came out as a whisper, but it was still loud enough for Raiden to hear. She stood up and glared at the god.
"We are out of time! HE is out of time!"
The Edenian pointed at Tomas as she said that.
"We should have done something about that…that…DEMON a long time ago! But because of our foolishness, Tomas is going to die!"
Johnny was taken aback by Jade's words. He arched a brow.
"Woah, woah, woah. Hold up a sec. Tomas is dying? And what demon? Look, I've seen "The Exorcist," and I am not a fan of having a demon possess this work of art that is my body."
Sonya scoffed, but she did not say anything about the actor's comment. Besides her, everyone ignored Cage and continued to listen to Jade as she yelled at Raiden.
"We need to find a way to reach him. Help him!"
While the warriors of light were discussing how to assist Smoke, Esme and Soliel watched from a distance. The girl looked down at the bracelets around her wrists, one yellow and the other silver. The silver bracelet emitted a soft glow and it caught Esme's attention. The old woman gently grabbed Soliel's hand and looked at her.
"Can you reach him?"
Soliel slowly nodded her head in response, but she made no move to do anything. Esme arched a brow.
"Can we help him?"
The old woman could feel Soliel stiffen. But after a moment, the girl slowly shook her head. Esme could see the hesitation in Soliel's eyes. Soliel wanted to help, but she knew there was nothing her or anyone could do for Tomas. Not now. The only thing they could do was cheer Smoke on from the sidelines. He was going to need all the encouragement he could get.
"Alright, Enenra! Come out and face me! NOW!"
Tomas shouted to the dark clouds above, the grass rotting beneath his feet. The leaves on the trees began to fall off at an alarming rate and the water of the lake had turned as black as coal. The once beautiful landscape now looked like something straight out of a horror movie. But unlike the fictional monsters in those movies, Smoke was terrified of the monster Enenra has become. Even so, he could not let his fear get in the way, not when so many lives were at stake besides his own.
"You want me gone!? Well, I'm not going down without a fight, asshole!"
That must have gotten the demon's attention, because the next thing Tomas knew, a bolt of red lightning came raining down straight at him. The silver-haired man quickly jumped back just before the lightning hit the ground and dropped into a fighting stance. A loud roar soon followed, and Smoke jerked his head back up to the sky.
"Okay. Now that is worrisome."
In the sky, the clouds had grown even darker and had clashed together to create a monstrous form. It was similar to Enenra's true form with its pointed teeth and clawed hands, but the demon was much more intimidating at such a larger size. The beast looked down at Tomas with its glowing, red eyes and scowled at the silver-haired man.
"YOUR TIME HAS COME TO AN END, TOMAS VRBADA."
"So now you talk!? What happened to growling and roaring!?"
"YOU HAVE INTERFERED WITH MY PLANS LONG ENOUGH. IT IS TIME THAT I GAIN CONTROL OF THIS BODY."
"MY body, you mean! Look Enenra, I know that you are not yourself right now. But you have got to pull yourself together. We had an agreement, remember!? We get Quan Chi's amulet, we break the seal, and you are free from my body! Neither of us has to die!"
Another bolt of lightning struck and hit the ground before Smoke. This only made him angry. Tomas threw his hands up in the air.
"Fine! If you will not listen to reason…then I guess I will have to beat some sense into you."
"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME. TO YOU, I AM A GOD."
"I know gods, and I am sure you are not one of them."
Enenra let out a low growl, but Smoke ignored him.
"Let us end this foolish game! Enenra…I challenge you to Mortal Kombat!"
Thunder roared throughout the sky, and Tomas could have sworn he heard Enenra laughing with it. The demon had truly lost his mind.
"FINALLY."
Enenra's beastly form began to morph again, this time into a massive tornado that touch the ground below. The whirlwind ravaged the land around it, but it soon started to slow down, and the tornado dispersed into a smokescreen. As the smoke faded, Smoke watched something rise from the ground. Something with a human-like figure, yet…Tomas knew nothing about Enenra was human. The creature was slim, and its body was pitch black in color, including its hair. Its movements were erratic, unpredictable, and Smoke was not sure whether to attack it or run for the hills.
"…Enenra?"
The demon's head immediately snapped to Tomas. His eyes glowed their signature crimson color and he hissed like a snake, which was new to his host. Actually, pretty much everything about the demon's form was new to Smoke. And that was not a good thing.
"This form…I do not know anything about it. Is this Enenra's true form? Are there any other abilities of his that I was not aware of?"
Tomas' thoughts were interrupted by the ground shaking violently like an earthquake. Black tentacles shot from the ground one after the other beneath Smoke and he moved to avoid them in any way he could. One tendril struck close to the silver-haired man's face and as he tried to step back, Tomas felt like he was moving in slow motion. But he soon realized that it was not his imagination and that everything was indeed seemed to be moving at a slower pace. Well, everything except for Enenra.
The demon jumped between the tentacles like a monkey jumping between trees and was coming closer and closer to where Smoke stood. Its speed alarmed Tomas and he could only watch as Enenra leapt towards him and threw him to the ground. The demon's claws dug into Smoke's shoulders to hold him down and the silver-haired man let out an involuntary growl due to the pain.
"Stop resisting."
Enenra's voice came out as a whisper, barely loud enough for Smoke to hear him even with how close the demon was to him. Tomas did do as Enenra said since his struggle only resulted in the monster's claws digging deeper into his flesh.
"F-Fine. Have it…your way."
With that, Tomas vanished in a puff of smoke. He reappeared a few feet away from Enenra, who stood up from the ground where Smoke had been a moment ago. The demon quickly spun around and charged at its host again, but this time Tomas was able to dodge him. He continued to avoid the creature's attacks until he decided to counter with a punch of his own. Smoke managed to connect with Enenra's stomach, but his fist literally punched a hole through it.
"What the he—!"
Tomas was cut off when another black tentacle tried to strike him from above. He performed a back flip to dodge the attack and the silver-haired man looked down at his fist, which had wisps of smoke surrounding it.
"Right. Smoke has no definite form."
Smoke looked back at Enenra and watched as the hole he had created through the demon repaired itself with seemingly no effort at all. This fight was definitely going to be tricky. Tomas scowled.
"How am I supposed to beat something him like this?"
It was then that his mother's words rang within his head.
"Tomas, you need to remind Enenra of what makes him so different from others of his kind. Remind him of what makes him different from Quan Chi."
"What makes him different, huh?"
Smoke clenched his fist and watched as Enenra charged at him again, his arm transforming into a large blade. That was also new. But Tomas refused to move.
"The fact that, whether he likes it or not—"
Enenra raised his bladed arm over Smoke and threw it downward to slice the silver-haired man in half.
"Enenra is more human than any of us."
The demon's attack caused a small explosion that covered the area in smoke and debris. When it cleared, Tomas as relieved to see that he was still in one piece. For some reason, Enenra had stopped his attack mid swing and was now just hovering in the air staring at his host.
"You do not want to hurt me, Enenra. I know."
Enenra's arm began to shake as if the demon was struggling to hold the blade back. Tomas himself was afraid that the demon would strike him, but he kept a level head and continued to speak.
"Just like you did not want to harm those kids. You just wanted to survive. And being on the Netherrealm's most wanted list, the only way you could was through hosts. Like the children. Like me."
Enenra's eyes suddenly narrowed and he grabbed one of Tomas' injured shoulders. He made sure to dig his thumb into the open wound, causing Smoke to howl in pain. The demon then threw his host across the field and Tomas rolled until he crashed into a nearby tree.
"Okay…n-not the response…I was expecting."
Before he could say anything else, Smoke felt something wrap tightly around his throat from behind, and his breathing was immediately cut off. He reached for the tendril and desperately gasped for air. Fortunately, the silver-haired man managed to choke out a few words to Enenra as the demon walked towards him.
"E-Enenra, I…I'm sorry."
Enenra suddenly stopped. Tomas' apology must have caught Enenra off guard. Smoke was even relieved that the tentacle around his neck had loosen enough for him to get some air into his lungs. Tomas took a few breaths before continuing.
"I'm truly sorry. I'm sorry for everything you have been through. I'm sorry that I did not see through your tough guy façade sooner."
Smoke chuckled.
"To think that we both carry this enormous amount of guilt on our shoulders. Guilt that may never go away no matter what we do."
After a moment, Enenra finally commanded his black tendril to release Tomas from its hold. The silver-haired man stood from the ground and slowly walked to the demon.
"But we do not have to carry this weight alone. We can help each other get through this."
Smoke stopped when he was only a few feet away from Enenra and held out his hand.
"Let me help you. As you helped me all those years ago."
Enenra looked down at Smoke's outstretched hand and for a brief moment, the demon saw his host not as the man that stood before him now, but as the child he had saved over twenty years ago. He was so innocent. And scared. But anymore. Tomas had grown into a strong and capable man.
"You think so?"
The demon's eyes widened. Did Smoke just read his thoughts? Now that was new to Enenra. Tomas laughed.
"You are not the only one with tricks up their sleeves."
"YOu…reALLy…ArE…A FoOl."
Enenra's voice sounded distorted, like he and another person were speaking at once. And that proved to be true when the demon threw his head back and screamed to the sky. His black skin began to crack like glass, and it soon dispersed into an oily liquid that fell into a puddle below Enenra's feet. What, or rather who, was standing before Tomas now was Enenra, but he was back to his human form. The demon stared at his host with half-lidded eyes and chuckled.
"But I…I guess I'm…an even bigger fool…than you…"
Enenra trailed off as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he started to fall. Smoke quickly grabbed him before he could hit the ground and sat him against the damaged tree.
"Never thought I would say this but…it is good to have you back, you bastard."
"…Stop…it…"
Tomas barely heard Enenra's whisper, but he realized to late what the demon was referring to. Behind him, the puddle of black ooze began to move, and it slowly took form. With a screech, Smoke was alerted to the creature's presence, but when he turned around, it was already charging at the silver-haired man. It came at Tomas at such an alarming speed that he had no time to dodge or defend himself. Fortunately for him, Smoke had a guardian angel looking over him.
"You will not touch him, parasite!"
The black creature was suddenly engulfed in flames, and it howled as its body was reduced to ashes. Tomas stared on in confusion, but his question as to who had saved him was immediately answered when Pyros came into sight. The telepath smiled at Smoke, and Smoke happily smiled back as he took deep breaths, exhausted.
"One battle down…one to go."
Jesus! This chapter took me forever to write! I just didn't know where I wanted to go with it. But I promise guys, the story's almost over lol. I'm actually really excited, because then I can focus on other stories. Don't get me wrong, I honestly enjoyed writing this, but I have so many other ideas that I want to put on paper. Including an original story. So, I'm asking you guys to hang with me a little longer. I'm going to work on these last few chapters as quickly as I can.