Here we are! The concluding chapter of the events that transpired in MK3! In this chapter, you have a chance to see Sub-Zero's point of view for a brief moment until the final attack on Shao Kahn. Now, sit back and enjoy the ride! MORTAL KOMBAT!
Chapter 12: A Hero's Sacrifice
Scorpion fell for what seemed like an eternity out of the window of Shao Kahn's throne room. He was in a state of determination, unable to accept defeat. He had a mission, and he could not return to the Netherealm just yet. As he fell, he reached for his Kunai and waited for the right moment. Though the tower of Kahn was massive in size, he was picking up speed in his fall. With about fifty feet left until he hit the ground below, Scorpion threw his weapon at a far away gargoyle to the left of him. The blade punctured the rocky statue and allowed Scorpion to use the flaming rope to swing his body away from the ground.
AS his body slowed its swinging pace, Scorpion looked below him to measure his distance from the ground. Convinced that his powerful legs could withstand a thirty foot drop, he charged heat into the rope and caused the Kunai to heat up, eventually melting the rocky statue. Once the Kunai was released from the gargoyle, Scorpion fell to the ground, landing his feet on the rocky surface and causing the ground to crack. He caught his Kunai in the air and quietly began to search the outside of the palace, keeping out of sight from the soldiers scattered about the area.
Sub-Zero sat on a stray log alone one night. He was clad in his blue over mantle but wore no black body suit. He wore thick black leggings and no mask or hood rested on his head. His face was exposed for everyone to see. His lack of full Lin Kuei garments were a sign of his rebellion against his former clan. He and his long time friend, Smoke, left the clan when knowledge of cybernetics was being used on the warriors, namely Cyrax and Sektor. To Sub-Zero's dismay, Smoke was captured and brought back to the Lin Kuei where he would join the fates of Cyrax and Sektor.
When Kahn invaded Earth Realm, the souls of the Lin Kuei were stolen. The three cyborgs, however, retained their forms and continued their pursuit on Sub-Zero. Smoke was the first to catch up with Sub-Zero, but the former Lin Kuei convinced Smoke that he was still human. Smoke aided Sub-Zero in the defeat of Cyrax and Sektor, but was captured by Kahn's extermination squads along with Sektor. Cyrax was reprogrammed and sent to destroy Kahn's forces.
Though the loss of his friend was tragic, Sub-Zero's thoughts were not of Smoke. His finger began to caress the scar over his right eye. His experience with Scorpion, as well as what happen with the Lin Kuei, had given him a different outlook on the way he had been living his life. He was an assassin for a greedy and blood lustful clan. He had idolized a cold blooded killer, his older brother. Though he still mourned his brother's death, the pain he felt in looking up to a man without morals was near unbearable.
Sub-Zero's thoughts were interrupted by the footsteps of the Shaolin monk, Liu Kang.
"Sub-Zero, it's time," spoke the monk.
Sub-Zero nodded and stood to his feet. He followed Kang to the camp where what remained of Earth Realm's chosen warriors waited to make their last stand against Kahn. Among them were Sonja Blade, Jax, Kung Lao, a New York police officer named Kurtis Stryker, Black Dragon clansman Kabal, and Jade of the dead realm Edenia. Jade's purpose with Earth Realm's warriors was to help Kang save Princess Kitana from Kahn's prison, as well as aiding them in Kahn's destruction. The group discussed their plans about the strike on Kahn's place and agreed in principle. Kang and Jade were chosen to invade the palace head on while the remaining members would distract the armies waiting for Kahn's orders at the palace.
It was Sub-Zero who interjected his place in the attack. He offered to help Kang and Jade free Kitana. With much debate, Kang and Jade finally agreed and the warriors headed for their destination.
Hours went by. The group had successfully navigated the plains of Outworld and reached the palace grounds of Shao Kahn. Kang, Jade and Sub-Zero waited for the rest of the group to grab the attention of the apparent cavalry of Kahn's forces. The group attacked a few of the leading officers and headed towards the Living Forest with the armies following them close by. The strategy was to lure them into the Living Forest and remain hidden in the shadows, keeping the army there in search of the warriors.
With the success diversion in progress, Kang and his partners headed for the massive staircase leading to the palace doors. To their dismay, more of Kahn's troops began approaching from behind. Kang, Jade and Sub-Zero made a run for it to the doors but were halted by the presence of another in front of them. There, blocking the path to the doors was Scorpion himself.
Kang stood in his fighter's stance and waited for Scorpion to make his move. Sub-Zero was unable to move. The last person he ever thought to see here was Scorpion. Jade's sights remained on the approaching army behind them. Finally, Scorpion broke the suspense by straining as he raised his arms upwards. The gesture triggered a gargantuan wall of fire that blocked the path of the approaching soldiers, burning dozens of them in the process.
Kang and Sub-Zero glanced at the horrifying inferno below and then gazed into the white glowing eyes of their savior. Scorpion kept his sights on the army below while Kang managed to let a smile of gratitude escape his lips.
"Go and finish this," shouted Scorpion. "I will hold them off as long as I can! GO!"
The three did as instructed and headed for the palace doors. Kang placed his hand on Scorpion and wished him luck as well as his thanks. Sub-Zero hesitated before entering the palace. He wanted to say something to Scorpion but could not find the words. His thoughts were interrupted by Kang, shouting at him to enter the palace. He made one final glimpse at Scorpion and then entered the palace.
Scorpion removed his mask and threw it elsewhere, exposing his skull. He took a deep breath and then gazed upon the army below. Finally, Scorpion walked down the long and wide stairway towards the inferno with his Kunai in hand. As he walked, his skull shined with a live fire. As the fires burning the soldiers finally diminished, Scorpion lunged at the soldiers and began his attack.
If one had to guess, Scorpion was attacking anywhere from fifty to seventy armed soldiers. He hacked away at the first three with his Kunai, slitting their throats and dislocating their jaw bones with well placed punches. Another group of three attacked Scorpion simultaneously from his left. He threw his Kunai at a soldier on his right side and punctured the heart of him. He then used the rope to swing the wounded soldier into the three approaching from his left, knocking them out instantly. Once he recovered his weapon, Scorpion suffered a deadly slice from a battle ax behind him. Scorpion spun around and nearly knocked the unwise soldier's head off with his fist.
Scorpion blocked a blow from a spear and used it to cut at the guts of seven soldiers, disemboweling them in the process. He threw the long weapon into the chest of another and set another group of soldiers on fire with his fiery breath. Another soldier approached from behind and dug his ax into the right shoulder of Scorpion. The Hellspawn Spectre performed a back kick on the menace behind him and removed the ax from his shoulder. Blood began to spray out of his wound as he threw the ax at another soldier's face. Scorpion then threw his Kunai at a soldier approaching dead ahead. The blade punctured the man's stomach and was disemboweled with a quick tug of Scorpion's strong arms. The bloody mass caused a few of the soldiers to slip and loose their footing as Scorpion continued the slaughter.
Scorpion's chest was impaled by the sword of an approaching soldier. Scorpion responded by performing his flaming back flip move and landed back on the stairway. He removed the sword from his chest and used it to remove the heads of three soldiers with one swift slice. Arrows began to fall from the sky and whistled their way into the torso of Scorpion. The Spectre kept them in him for the time being, for he still had plenty more killing to do. He gestured for another wall of fire to engulf a dozen soldiers and leapt high in the air. He landed his feet on the shoulders of one soldier, crushing him into a thinner form. Scorpion then breathed fire on a few more soldiers before removing one of the arrows in his chest. He threw the arrow into the eye of one soldier and then threw his Kunai once again into the chest of another. He then swung the dead soldier's body around numerous times, hitting many soldiers until the body flung itself off the Kunai. Scorpion felt the impact of a war hammer on his knee, which caused him to fell to his good knee. He summoned another wall of fire on the menace from behind and snapped his knee back into place before running for the soldiers in front of him. He lunged at another soldier and drove his Kunai into the unlucky fellow's chest. Scorpion then used the victim's body as a shield, protecting him from an oncoming ax. Scorpion tossed the body elsewhere and performed a jump kick on the one who swung his ax.
Scorpion caught the fist of another soldier and dislocated it with a twist of his wrist. He landed a hard right hook on the soldier and drove his Kunai into the temple of another. Scorpion's onslaught was interrupted when a soldier drove his spear through Scorpion's gut. Scorpion then suffered a punch from another soldier, followed by a horizontal slice of a katana from another. Scorpion tried to recover, but was over come by another slice from an ax as well as the numerous punches and kicks from the soldiers. Scorpion refused to fall to his knees, blocking whatever attacks he could while sustaining heavy damage from the soldiers' blades. Finally, Scorpion was knocked down by a war hammer to his chest. He fell on his back and did everything he could to evade and block the blows and cuts from the soldiers, but it was no use. There were too many for even Scorpion to handle.
The flame on Scorpion's exposed skull began to diminish, and he received more punishment from the soldiers as they thrust their blades into the his flesh and broke his bones with their war hammers. Scorpion's sight began to darken, fading away from the horrifying scene of his brutality. Before he slipped away, however, a massive explosion erupted from the top of the tower. Green energy traveled the skies as thousands of souls headed for the heavens. The soldiers made the mistake of stopping their rampage on Scorpion to gaze upon the destruction. Scorpion, with what little strength he had left, set himself on fire and shouted his final war cry before his body burst and engulfed the surrounding soldiers.
Scorpion's sacrifice was not in vain. During his attack on the soldiers, Jade and Sub-Zero were successful in rescuing Kitana and the once thought dead Queen Sindel of Edenia. As for Shao Kahn, he was destroyed at the hands of Liu Kang. The remains of Kahn's forces retreated into exile and Earth Realm was restored, as well as the realm of Edenia.
As for Scorpion, his soul was sent back to the fifth plane of the Netherealm. There he would remain, only to rise from the fiery pits once again.
(sighs) Wow! Scorpion made the ultimate sacrifice! He stood up to an entire army of Shao Kahn's forces just to give the warriors of Earth Realm time to succeed in their task! SO that's that in the world of MK3, but it isn't the end of Scorpion's adventures! We have one more game to go into before this story goes into history as the first Scorpion fic to be finished on this site! I'm making history on this site ladies and gentlemen! See ya next chapter! BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!
Excellent!