Ah yes! At last we find ourselves to the beginning of the second tournament of MORTAL KOMBAT! This chapter is rather short, but it explains how Scorpion found out about Sub-Zero's 'return.' The idea was influenced by my father when he helped me approach this chapter, so this one is dedicated to him. Enjoy!
Chapter 7: Portal To The Second Tournament
A year passed since the tournament of Mortal Kombat. Scorpion's vengeance was finally complete, or so it seemed. When he returned to the Netherealm, he was no longer held captive in the Prison of Souls. He was free to wander the fields of the Netherealm as he saw fit. Though he was no longer a prisoner, he still suffered. He would be attacked by mindless zombies and numerous Oni, demons of the retched realm that took many different shapes and forms. He would fight against his attackers with all the power he had and would emerge victorious at battle's end.
After a long time, Scorpion accepted his fate. He became accustomed to delivering punishment to any that would stand in his way, viciously vanquishing his enemies in horrid forms of brutality and mutilation. But something else troubled him. He would have reoccurring visions of his family and clan being tortured in the same form as he saw them the first time he had his visions. Though it pained him to see his wife and child in that manner, it strengthened him and made him more powerful. He had these visions daily, and it drove him mad. He cut through the Oni in such rage that the creatures themselves grew frightened of his wrath.
One day, Scorpion gave pursuit to a small group of sash quash Oni and wound up in a large cave. He lost track of the demonic creatures as he ventured further into the rocky complex. The cave was massive and full of danger. Lave pits surrounded the visible trail for Scorpion to walk on and large pillars stood above the lava pits, each covered with hundreds of skeletons strung up on the rocky surface.
As Scorpion explored the cave, his visions began to haunt him again. He saw flashes of his clan and family, tortured and mutilated. The images in his head caused him to fall to his knees and hold the sides of his face with his hands, screaming at the agony he felt in his head. The last image was of his old nemesis, Sub-Zero, running through the mists a vast forest. That final image halted his suffering and allowed him to collect himself enough to journey farther into the rocky labyrinth.
After an hour of searching, Scorpion found himself in a chamber of some kind. The walls were still composed of rock but pits of tar replaced the heat of the lava in the other regions of the cave. At the end of the chamber, a large glass mirror that seemed to be alive with wavy movement stood erect against the rocky wall behind it. Scorpion slowly approached the water like glass and studied it. It was the first time he had seen a reflection of himself in years. He tilted his head to the side slightly like a curious dog as he looked at himself. Suddenly, the images that Scorpion suffered became present in the mirror. He saw his reoccurring flashes in the wavy glass in front of him and was somehow unable to look away. After the flashes of his mutilated family and clan disappeared, he once again saw Sub-Zero in the vast forest. The sight of his old enemy angered him immensely. He was outraged that an image of Sub-Zero was shown to him and he wanted to destroy the mirror. His rage intensified and drove him to shout out his war cry and run towards the mirror, leaping in the air and extending his foot out. Just when the jump kick was about to collide with the glass, Scorpion was instead pulled into the mirror and passed through like water, disappearing from the caves.
Meanwhile, in a gargantuan palace elsewhere in the Netherealm, a pale-skinned sorcerer, garbed in black garments, stood in front of a window overlooking the distant fields of the retched realm. Standing next to him was another pale-skinned being with an oddly decorated amulet on his chest. Both men stood there smiling with victory.
"He has passed through your portal," said the sorcerer in black with an evil chuckle.
"Scorpion's need for revenge will serve us well," responded the other. "Soon, the last remnant of Sub-Zero's bloodline will be diminished."
"You are certain, Lord Shinnok, that the Spectre will succeed?"
"His resolve will be strengthened everyday he sees Sub-Zero alive, Quan Chi. But regardless, either by Scorpion's hand or by our wraith, Noob Saibot, Sub-Zero will die."
The two turned around to see a pitch black figure strung up in chains. The chains sent surges of energy into the black skin of the victim, giving it life. The figure shook violently and opened its glowing blue eyes. It was Noob Saibot, Wraith of the Netherealm and soon to be leader of Quan Chi's Brothers of the Shadow.
Scorpion materialized out of thin air and landed on his side in the mists of a dark and humid forest. The air was stale and the mists humid. The thick trees were what made this desolate place so frightening to weak minded people that dared to venture through. The trees appeared to have living faces that moved and even moaned. Scorpion quickly got the impression that he was no longer in the Netherealm. He was in the Living Forests of Outworld, a long dead realm ruled by the Emperor Shao Kahn.
Scorpion ventured through the forest and quickly sensed the presence of another. He followed his senses as quickly as possible and soon enough saw a man clad in a blue over mantle. Scorpion remembered his vision of Sub-Zero and presumed that this man in the distance was his enemy, resurrected somehow. He kept himself hidden in the shadows as he did the last time he was on the hunt.
Sub-Zero met up with a group of people from Earth Realm, who were all waiting to sign up for a tournament of some kind. Apparently, Shao Kahn was holding a tournament in Outworld to pit the warriors of Earth Realm against his own warriors of Outworld. Scorpion took notice to the fighters and quickly recognized three of them. He saw Liu Kang, clad in the same fashion as in the last tournament, except he also wore a red head band underneath his long, jet black hair. Next to him was the American movie star, Johnny Cage, wearing a pair of black and blue combat pants and his usual sunglasses.
The third was who Scorpion presumed to be Sub-Zero. He was outfitted in the same fashion as before when he was alive. Scorpion's rage grew as he kept himself hidden. He wanted to charge his enemy and send him back to the Netherealm where belongs, but this was not the time. He defeated the Lin Kuei warrior in a fair fight, he could do it again. He restrained himself and studied the remaining fighters.
Standing next to the current Champion of Mortal Kombat was Kang's good friend and fellow Shaolin Monk, Kung Lao. He wore a large black hat with razor sharp edges, and the rest of his attire consisted of a black vest and blue leggings. Standing next to Cage was an African-American soldier named Major Jackson Briggs, also known as Jax. Jax was a Major in the American Special Forces unit and was there to find his partner, Sonja Blade.
Representing the Earth Realm warriors was the God of Thunder himself, Raiden. He stood tall with his godly white robes and his lightning staff. The fighters enlisted themselves to compete in the tournament and followed a ghostly figure in dark purple robes out of the Living Forest. Scorpion followed close by and kept his sights on Sub-Zero, stalking his prey while he prepared himself for his attack.
I'm sorry about this chapter's short length. I thought it best to seperate as much as I could by chapter for this tournament. Don't worry, the next few chapters will give you plenty to chew on! I'll see ya guys next chapter!