Chapter 2: Back to the Past
Soon, the Sands of Time stopped surrounding Kitana, Fujin, Nightwolf and Shang Tsung, and dispersed.
The first thing the four noticed was that they were in the middle of a dusty arena, with a pitched, bloody battle raging around them! The fighting was so intense that no one noticed the new arrivals.
"The Koliseum!" Kitana exclaimed. "We have actually arrived in the past!"
"But at what point in time?" Shang Tsung asked.
"Immediately after the time merger, yes? There was a battle happening here not long after it occurred." Fujin answered, somewhat unsure.
Nightwolf looked around, and saw something that surprised him! "No, look!" he said, while pointing at something.
He was pointing at a stockade, that the Jade of this time was trying to open. It was being occupied...
By Kotal Kahn!
"This is much later than that! This is the second battle, where I finally put an end to Shao Kahn!" Kitana said, worry in her voice!
"That fool Liu Kang brought us to the wrong battle! This means we have little time to spare!" Shang Tsung angrily exclaimed. "We need to escape quickly, while we remain unnoticed!"
"Why not remain here and assist with the battle? With our help, we can end this more quickly!" Kitana said.
"Think!" Shang Tsung said angrily, grabbing hold of Kitana's shoulders. "If we alter the outcome of this battle in any way, if we are even seen, then Kronika will know! She might figure out our objective, and send Cetrion to guard the Crown until it's ready!"
"Making our mission all the more difficult, if not impossible." Fujin added. "I agree with the sorcerer, Kitana. We must remain hidden until the time is right!"
"... very well." Kitana conceded. "Let us escape through the beast pen beneath here." she added, pointing towards a wooden door on the floor.
The four time travelers rushed towards the open door on the ground. Along the way, Kitana grabbed an ornate face mask from a slain Osh-Tekk soldier and placed it on her face.
But the four were so focused on escaping, they failed to notice that they were spotted.
"Huh?"
The being that spotted them was a most peculiar creature. The glowing orange eyes he sported were unique enough, but his most distinctive feature were the six arms he had; four of them holding daggers and a chain flail.
'Was that who I thought it was?' The creature thought to himself, as he casually plunged a knife inside the skull of a warrior who was about to ambush him. 'I must inspect this for myself.'
Moments later
The four time travelers were beneath the Koliseum grounds, walking past the cages that contained massive, battle-scarred rat monsters. One such creature tried to jump at them, but were stopped by the reinforced metal bars. The four walked passed them, unshaken by the attempt.
"It looks like we were able to escape the fight un-detected." Shang Tsung noted. He then turned his attention to Kitana, a bemused smile on his face. "And it looks like you picked up a souvenir, Princess."
"If we are to remain hidden, it is best that I obscure my identity. The others will question your sudden appearance as it is; revealing myself to them will make things even worse." Kitana explained.
"That foresight might be for the best, Kitana." Nightwolf complimented. "But the question now, is where do we go from here?"
"If memory serves me correct, there is a doorway down here where the beast tamers bring in the latest monsters they have captured from the wilderness." Shang Tsung answered. "If Kotal hasn't changed that in his remodeling of the Koliseum, we can make our escape-"
"SHANG TSUNG!"
The four warriors jumped in surprise, and turned around to see who shouted at them, while taking on kombat stances.
The one that shouted at them was the six-armed creature from above!
"Well well, Shao Kahn's personal Kollector." Shang Tsung coolly identified.
"Where have you been hiding all this time? Why do you consort with Earthrealmers? And who is the masked woman? What scheme are you planning?" The Kollector demanded in a rapid-fire manner.
Nightwolf stepped forward in front of Shang Tsung. "Our business is not yours, Kollector." He answered.
"Wrong, Earthrealmer!" The Kollector sharply rebutted. "My business is collecting what Shao Kahn wants, and he will most certainly want to reclaim his sorcerer. He is a major investment of his time and power, one that the Kahn will pay most handsomely to have reclaimed."
Shang Tsung sported a smile filled with malice in response to the declaration, and channeled green magical energy in his hands. "And you think YOU will be the one to "collect" me?" He asked.
Nightwolf grabbed hold of one of his tomahawks and pointed it at the Kollector. "Stand aside, Kollector. You are outnumbered, and outmatched."
"Am I, now?" The Kollector asked rhetorically. He then raised one of his hands and snapped his fingers, magical energy forming from them.
Suddenly, the locks on three of the cages were broken open! And the three giant rat monsters inside them leaped out, mouths drooling in hunger! They instantly charged towards Fujin, Shang Tsung and the masked Kitana, who prepared themselves for kombat against the beasts. Nightwolf, meanwhile, tried to charge at the Kollector, but was forced to stop to dodge a swing of the creature's chain flail.
"These are truly strange days. What do you stand to profit by aiding a traitor like him?" The Kollector asked.
"We share the same goal: Kronika's defeat and the restoration of history!" Nightwolf answered, while going into his kombat stance.
The Kollector stuck his two top arms inside the bag and pulled out two shotel daggers. "Then you shall be partners in death!" He shouted, then charged at Nightwolf!
FIGHT!
Kollector turned his daggers into a reverse grip, and tried to plunge them inside Nightwolf's shoulders, but he hopped backwards to avoid the attack. The second he landed, Nightwolf suddenly glowed green and charged right into Kollector with a shoulder tackle!
FWOOSH!
The tackle smashed right into Kollector and knocked him to the ground, dropping his daggers in the process! Nightwolf ran right towards the downed Kollector, and raised his foot to stomp down on his head!
But Kollector was faster. He plunged his hand inside his satchel and pulled out a peculiar lantern glowing with energy. He slammed it down, and he disappeared in a flash of green fire.
SMASH!
Nightwolf's foot slammed the empty ground. Shaking off the momentary throb of pain shooting up said foot, Nightwolf looked around, trying to spot where the Kollector disappeared to. He then heard a sound of metal slicing through the air! He turned around, and saw a circular blade coming right at him! He ducked right under it at the last second, the blade passing over his head harmlessly.
"Not fast enough, creature!" Nightwolf taunted!
Kollector responded by growling, then he took out several vials from within his satchel, one in each of his four hands. These vials were glowing with green fire inside them. Kollector proceeded to toss these vials at Nightwolf. For each one he tossed, a replacement vial was conjured in the emptied hand!
Nightwolf started easily dodging the barrage of vials, but each one that hit the ground exploded in green fire that threatened to burn him deeply!
'I need to close the distance!' Nightwolf thought to himself in a panic. Nightwolf stuck out his chest, which glowed with the same green energy as before. He then ran straight towards the Kollector.
Kollector grinned and tried to hit Nightwolf head-on with a vial, but the second the vial touched Nightwolf's green aura, it bounced off of him and headed straight back to the Kollector!
"GAH!" Kollector painfully cried out when the vial struck the Kollector in the chest, slightly burning him in the process.
While the Kollector recoiled from the hit, Nightwolf closed the distance, and struck Kollector with a three punch combo, the third one landing right in the stomach! Kollector bent forward in pain, gasping out the breath inside him!
Nightwolf then attempted to strike Kollector in the chin with a rising knee, but Kollector stopped the attack by grabbing hold of Nightwolf's leg with his lower two arms! He then brought the hands of his upper arms together, and smashed Nightwolf's head in with a krushing hammer blow!
KRUNCH!
While Nightwolf was stunned from that blow, Kollector effortlessly lifted him up with his two top arms, and shot blue magic into the helpless Nightwolf, damaging him further! Afterwards, he tossed him down into the ground.
Nightwolf, to his credit, was able to stand back up quickly, but was clutching his head in pain, even more dazed from the previous attacks.
"We've wasted enough time! This fight has to end now!" Nightwolf said mostly to himself while trying to get his bearings straight.
"I agree, Earthrealmer." Kollector said, while bringing out his chain flail. "Do me a favour and die quickly!" He yelled out while charging blue magic into the mace, preparing it to shoot out at Nightwolf's head.
Nightwolf was prepared to dodge the attack, but suddenly a bladed fan shot past him and towards Kollector! He was forced to dodge the oncoming fan, dissipating the magic inside his flail.
The masked Kitana stepped forth, her other, blood-soaked fan at the ready to cut down Kollector. Behind her laid the decapitated body of the rat monster that tried to devour her. "Catch your breath, Nightwolf. I'll help you against this wretch!"
Kollector tilted his head in curiosity. "You strike me as familiar, woman. Why hide your visage behind a mask?" he asked, while arming himself with more daggers from within his satchel.
"I am not beholden to you! Prepare yourself!" Kitana answered. At the same time, she made a flourishing motion with her empty hand, and the fan she threw jumped back into it.
The second the fan was back in her hand, she charged at Kollector and tried to slash at him with the fans. The Kollector met each fan swing with a dagger, parrying each strike.
This continued on for several seconds, until one of the fan blades scratched him in the chest. The Kollector clutched his chest, then wildly swung one of his daggers at Kitana's head. While he missed, it was enough to knock the mask right off Kitana's face, revealing herself.
"Kitana? But, you are up in the Koliseum, fighting Shao Kahn! And you do not look like the revenant that is loyal to her father! How can this…?"
Kollector's eyes widened in realization.
"Of course! You remind me of Kitana, you even use her weapons with her skill, yet you hide your appearance! Which can only mean…"
Kitana looked on, a bead of nervous sweat forming on her brow.
"... that you're yet another of Shang Tsung's flesh pit creations!"
"... what?" Kitana said with dull surprise. Nightwolf looked on with equal confusion.
"So THAT is the sorcerer's scheme! He is betting on Kotal and Kitana winning against Shao Kahn! And since she'll be ingratiated into Kotal's regime, Shang Tsung will replace her with you! Allowing him to influence Outworld hidden from sight!"
"... and you put that all together solely from my appearance and actions?" Kitana asked incredulously.
"Do not mock me, mutant! I am a Naknada of many talents! Being knowledgeable in politics and espionage is just some of them!" Kollector yelled out in anger.
"... I am done with you, creature."
Kitana suddenly swung both of her fans at the same time, cutting deep into Kollector's chest. She followed that up with two swift kicks, and a palm strike so devastating that it shattered several of Kollector's ribs!
CRACK!
The force of the strike sent Kollector right into a wall, slumping down from all the damage taken! He tried to pick himself up from the wall, but…
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Four energy arrows flew towards Kollector and struck him on each of his arms, pinning him to the wall!
"GAAHHHHH!"
The sheer pain of four arrows being embedded in the Kollector was enough for him to pass out!
Nightwolf stood behind Kitana, holding a bow made of the same energy as the arrows. "Thank you, Great Spirit." He chanted out, as the bow dissipated.
On the other side of the room. Fujin and Shang Tsung finished off the last of the rat monsters. The four warriors reconvened as Fujin used his divine power to heal the injuries Nighwolf took in his fight; the others being well off by comparison.
Above them, the floor shook mightily as a great cheer resounded throughout the Koliseum!
Kitana smiled at the sound as she put back on the mask that was knocked off earlier. "It seems history has repeated once more. My past self has defeated Shao Kahn!"
Shang Tsung smirked knowingly. "But of course. He always had more ego than actual skill."
"And while the crowd is distracted, we have a better chance of leaving without being spotted by somebody else. Let's go!" Fujin said.
With that, Shang Tsung led the others towards the exit he had mentioned before, escaping the Koliseum.
To be Continued.
AN: Ah, the first proper fight scene I committed to words! Hopefully I was able to make it entertaining for you all.
As those who have played the games likely have noticed, it's not an exact 1-to-1 conversion of a proper Kombat. While some moves are indeed from the game, some of them are altered to various degrees. After all, Nightwolf being able to keep his reflector on while charging his opponent might be a bit on the OP side. Same with Kollector using his teleport while on the ground and tossing out multiple fire vials at the same time. And having a third kombatant suddenly charge in to help her friend is something that only happens in cutsenes. But I believe that limiting myself STRICTLY to techniques that one can use in-game would be too boring and a touch too predictable, so I allowed myself to get creative with them. Hopefully you guys are cool with that.
See you next chapter!
Sine