The ground began to rumble forcefully, prompting many in the crowds to begin panicking and trying to find a way out of the stadium. As a tremor made its way through the east side of the arena, however, it managed to break off a large section of the stands, killing many as the rubble crushed a large chunk of the spectators, stirring even more alarm.
Down on the ground, meanwhile, an already distressed Sonya and frantic Johnny and Fujin tried to shield the half-conscious Raiden from the disorder around them, which was much easier said than done considering several of the other warriors were dashing like mad squirrels around them. There was even more panic as all exits from the stadium were quickly blocked off by spikes that materialized spontaneously from the ground, surrounded by a visible field of Quan Chi's protective black magic.
However, up on stage the sorceror was characteristically reveling in the mayhem. Soon, much like he had anticipated, Shinnok's disembodied head appeared floating next to him. The fallen Elder God also seemed delighted with the chaos he saw.
"You know what to do," he prodded Quan Chi. The latter nodded in confirmation and quickly summoned up a flurry of the green pillars, out from which all of his remaining prized souls stepped, waiting to be instructed. Quan Chi placed the amulet back in Reptile's protection, then grinned maniacally and pointed out into the trapped crowds, ordering all of them to kill. His slaves obeyed without hesitation, dashing out and immediately slaughtering many of the first warriors they encountered while others made their ways into the stands.
"Oh, shit!" Johnny exclaimed as he dashed down towards Sonya's side.
"Come on!" he urged her as Fujin attempted to give them a buffer zone in the midst of the clamor. "We gotta get outta here!"
"No!" Sonya objected, frantic but still clinging to Raiden. "We can't just…"
She was cut off by a shrieking war cry off to their left; they turned and looked in horror as Liu Kang came flying through the air at them both, having used their moment of temporary self-distraction. They had no time to prepare themselves, but through some miracle were both saved when Raiden suddenly pushed Johnny off in one direction and threw himself and Sonya into the other, leaving Liu Kang to attack a bare patch of dirt with his fists blazing. Apparently Liu Kang's piercing call had shocked Raiden out of his stupor quickly enough for him to recall his surroundings and get all of them out of harm's way. For now.
He and Sonya skidded in the dirt for a second before landing next to each other. Sonya sat up as Raiden tried unsuccessfully to quickly wipe the dirt and blood off of his face.
"Are you all right?" he asked her, even in the middle of the chaos they were all facing. Sonya didn't have time to respond before a huge metal arm came crashing down between the two of them, forcing Sonya to roll away from her partner.
She regained her footing quickly, gnashing her teeth at the foe who had dared to make her lose Raiden again. But her fierce expression quickly melted as she saw Jax standing in front of her, with the same blank eyes that Liu Kang had. He was eerily calm despite the mayhem around them. Despite herself, Sonya panicked; she knew it wasn't really Jax, but instinct still compelled her not to attack her commander. Nevertheless, it was Jax who initiated the next move, charging at her with both arms raised for attack.
Somehow Sonya managed to dart away at the last second, leaving Jax running towards empty space. Much to her dismay, however, the soul of her former C.O. managed to dig his heels into the ground and quickly corrected his course, coming back swinging at Sonya. She was able to duck in time, but continued to remain light on her feet as Jax kept lunging at her.
At some point, Sonya stepped too far back and bumped into somebody else in the crowd. She was caught by surprise when whoever it was latched onto her arms from behind and kept her planted. Initially, Sonya thought it had to be one of the other souls, keeping her rooted so she would be an easy target for Jax. But then she heard her captor speak.
"Did ya miss me, baby?" came the sleazy and all-too-familiar Australian drawl that sent instinctual shivers down Sonya's spine. She snapped her head around, confirming her worst fears as she indeed saw Kano grinning at her malevolently as he held her in his grasp.
Sonya didn't have time to come up with a response as she realized Jax was charging at her again. She took into account her only option quickly, and ducked as Jax's bionic arm came swinging for her head. Kano, evidently not having even noticed Jax was part of this conflict, had no time to save himself as the metal in Jax's arm crashed against his face plate, crushing his skull and sending him flying backwards, unintentionally setting Sonya free.
Sonya dropped to the ground and noticed Jax scanning the crowd, confused. Normally, she would have pondered the irony in the fact that in a way Kano had just saved her from Jax, but as it was, she took her opportunity to dash in the other direction, hoping she would be able to find any of her teammates in this mess.
Meanwhile, Johnny was fending off some attackers of his own. He dodged and weaved, surprising himself by managing to get in a good sucker punch or two every once in a while. Even as the chaos around him grew, he couldn't help but compliment himself mentally, up until the point he swirled around and a punch from a mind-controlled Kabal sent Johnny and his sunglasses flying in two completely different directions. Johnny stumbled for a bit, trying to reorient himself. Then he noticed the glasses smashed in the dirt.
He looked dumbfounded back at Kabal, who stood there waiting to be challenged.
"…Those were $600 sunglasses,asshole!" Johnny cried out, giving himself all the motivation he needed as he lunged at his attacker.
In another section of the crowd, Raiden was busy trying not to get crushed between all of the warriors that had targeted him. Sindel and Jade had him from both sides, and Scorpion was hot on his trail as well. Raiden guessed Quan Chi had struck some kind of alliance with the yellow-clad ninja; it figured the sorcerer had them all out for his blood.
Somehow, Quan Chi had managed to equip Jade with her bō, giving her considerable advantage as she attempted to bring Raiden down from a distance. Luckily for Raiden, she was not the only one who was experienced with staff styles. As soon as he could, Raiden landed a grab on the stick and held it completely still, rendering Jade's attempts to bring it back under her control useless. Once she stopped struggling to look back at Raiden, the latter, allowing Jade to keep her grip on the staff, jabbed it forcefully back in her direction, bashing her end of the weapon against her head three times, effectively stunning her enough to send her stumbling backwards, now leaving the bō in Raiden's grip.
A banshee's scream sounded from behind Raiden, quickly alerting him to Sindel's presence. He rolled out of the way before the former queen could land a sucker punch on him, but in the process opened himself up for an attack from Scorpion, who came in with his mugai ryu swinging over his head. Luckily, the metal plating on Jade's staff offered Raiden some protection as Scorpion's sword came down, now leaving the latter open for Raiden to kick him in the torso, driving the ninja back a few feet. Raiden swung his legs back and used the momentum to spring himself back up. It soon proved to be a smart move; had he dropped the staff to get up, he would not have been prepared for Sindel's assault from his left. Raiden managed to sidestep her as she swung blindly, and when the opportunity presented itself, Raiden slammed the metal portion of the staff against her back, then her ribcage, and finally the back of her head, sending her to the ground and putting her out of commission.
And then there was one. Raiden swirled around, trying to catch a glimpse of where Scorpion was, but the Netherrealm fighter was nowhere to be found in the midst of the crowd's clamor. Raiden kept a wary eye out for his opponent, holding the staff out to keep everyone else at a safe distance. He briefly thought he had lost Scorpion; he had half a mind to go look for Johnny and Sonya before he heard the crackle of flames behind him.
Raiden turned around quickly enough to catch Scorpion right before a blazing kunai came shooting towards his face. Instinctually, Raiden twirled the staff in a rapid succession of circular motions, and even though a bit of the tips of his hair ended up getting singed, he was able to successfully deflect the knife and catch it on the staff, wrapping it in its own chain. He looked up to see Scorpion's dumbfounded expression as the ninja's knife rested on Raiden's side of their battle. Raiden stared him down and took the opportunity for some revenge of his own.
"Get over here!" Raiden roared at Scorpion, yanking the Shirai Ryu clan member back in his direction and stabbing the end of the staff into his opponent's eye once he was within range, leaving Scorpion howling in pain as Raiden made a large sweeping gesture with the staff and swung it under Scorpion's feet, bringing his enemy down where he was helpless to prevent Raiden from kicking him in the ribs and sending him in the other direction.
Raiden panted as he tried to recall any other possible threats in the vicinity. He had taken out Jade, Sindel, and Scorpion, and the other lost souls were off combating others in the arena, so that left him with no one…
Again he heard the sizzling of flames behind him, momentarily confusing him; there was no way Scorpion could have gotten behind him again so quickly! Nevertheless, Raiden turned around again, and to his horror saw Liu Kang coming down towards him from the air, his fists ablaze as he locked in on his target.
Caught off guard, Raiden clumsily held the staff up horizontally to block the impact; but not even the tangled chain from the kunai offered enough support to the staff to prevent Liu Kang from chopping it clean in two, leaving a stunned Raiden open for an unexpected roundhouse kick that knocked him back into the dirt, now without a weapon.
Raiden forced himself to open his eyes, even though they stung with dirt and sweat and he was back on the verge of unconsciousness. But in the split second he managed to keep them open, he saw Liu Kang approach him slowly and robotically, creating a jarring juxtaposition against the chaos of the arena. Thinking quickly of his only option left, Raiden closed his eyes again, hoping that Liu Kang had not caught a glimpse of him awake.
Raiden played dead until he thought Liu Kang was over him. He waited for a signal that would alert him to some kind of opportunity.
Nothing happened for a moment, although Raiden could still hear frantic shouting from the crowds as the massacre continued. But he focused on his own ploy, still waiting for a response from Liu Kang.
One came when he felt Liu Kang grab for his robe collar, with what intent Raiden did not know; probably to bring the supposedly dead fighter back to Quan Chi as a reward. All Raiden knew was that it gave him an opportunity to snap out of his fake stupor and drive a hard right hook into the shocked Liu Kang's cheek, forcing the former Shaolin warrior to stumble sideways as Raiden made his escape into the crowd.
All the while Quan Chi stood up on the platform overlooking the crowd, becoming displeased with what he saw. He had lost visual of the thunder and wind gods and Blade, and the only member left of Earthrealm's team, Cage, was actually holding his own against Kabal. Somehow, even this late in the game, with the odds stacked against them, the Earthrealm fighters were still managing to pull through.
"Quan Chi!" came the bark to his side. Closing his eyes in frustration, Quan Chi turned to look at his superior, who was clearly as disappointed with the tide of events as he was.
"This has gone on long enough!" Shinnok roared impatiently, causing Quan Chi to cringe.
"And what do you expect me to do, Lord Shinnok?" the necromancer retorted with more force than he had intended, leaving him slightly fearful as he awaited Shinnok's response. The former Elder God visibly fumed with indignation, but then seemed to calm down.
"I expect you," he responded surprisingly calmly, with a wicked grin on his face. "To call in reinforcements."
Quan Chi raised an eyebrow, then nodded as Shinnok's insinuation clicked in his head. He smiled as well before taking out a potion from his belt and pouring its contents on the ground. Quan Chi then began a chant in an unknown language, causing the spilled liquid to glow and grow in diameter, until it reached a size of about ten feet across. A group of peculiar forms began to rise from the magical puddle, growing and mutating into more humanistic shapes. After a minute, about ten undead warriors stood up on the stage, awaiting command from the master that had revived them. They wore non-revealing gear and masks, but the parts of them that were visible revealed scaly skin and inhuman claws, and some had tails that poked out from beneath the wraps of their robes.
Down below, Reptile managed to weave out of the frenzied crowd and climb up onto a pile of rubble that had collected when part of the stands collapsed, giving him a clear view over everybody else fighting on the ground. He looked out, back up to the stage, and recognized the group of warriors that was now standing with Quan Chi and Shinnok.
Everything else around Reptile faded away into insignificance as he recognized his people. Zaterrans, standing up on the stage, tangible members of his clan that he thought had been lost forever. And now a small army of them was rushing off the stage, with more stepping forth from Quan Chi's portal. Reptile witnessed the miracle until Quan Chi produced no more soldiers, signaling for the portal to close.
Instinctually, Reptile cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a hissing cry that was immediately recognizable to his clan, catching their attention and allowing them to see their brother up on the rubble. Many hissed back in solidarity, and Reptile bounded off of the debris, rushing to meet his family.
Unfortunately, this action did not go unnoticed by his superiors up on the platform. Shinnok stirred with fury.
"Reptile!" he shouted, stopping the Zaterran in his tracks as he heard his name. "This is not a family reunion! Go back out there and do your duty!"
Reptile looked up, confused. He was torn between rushing back to his clan and following his orders.
But then he remembered the amulet.
Reptile quickly dug it out from a secret pocket and observed it. If what Quan Chi had told him was correct, then this object had to ability to teleport people and destabilize the borders between the realms.
Well, the Zaterrans were here now. And Reptile was not about to let them go back.
Making sure both Quan Chi and Shinnok up on the stage could see, Reptile held the amulet over his head. The eyes of both on stage grew frantically, Shinnok because he knew what Reptile planned to do, and Quan Chi because he knew Shinnok would not react well.
"Reptile!" Shinnok roared in warning, but it was too late. Reptile had already made up his mind.
Behind him, before he brought the amulet down, Sonya stumbled backwards into somebody after being violently shoved away. She looked around, and much to her surprise, was elated to see Johnny.
"Johnny!" she cried out, catching his attention. "Where's Raiden?"
"I don't know!" he cried back, focusing on throwing his opponent back out of the way. "I can't find Fujin, either!"
Unbeknownst to them, however, Raiden was only a few feet to their side as they quarreled, checking back to see if he had thrown Liu Kang off of his trail. As he scanned the crowd, he saw Johnny and Sonya back-to-back as they teamed up to take on their opponents. Right in front of them, he could see Reptile holding something in his upheld hand, an object that glinted in the light of the fires that had begun to rage within the arena, with a striking green core. Raiden immediately recognized the relic as the amulet that he had only narrowly managed to take back from Shinnok so many centuries ago.
Now he witnessed Reptile as he brought the talisman down, watching the emerald shatter into hundreds of microscopic pieces, rendering its power null.
The next thing Raiden heard was Shinnok's roar of disbelief and protest, his expression furious. The eyes of the floating Elder God's head began to glow violently, prompting Quan Chi to attempt to stop his partner.
"Lord Shinnok, no!" he shouted, trying to distract the raging deity. Even though Quan Chi knew it was only a replica that Reptile had just destroyed, he couldn't afford to have Shinnok go on a rampage and destroy anything else at this point. "Please!"
His protest fell on deaf ears; Shinnok's eyes grew ablaze with fury, and the next second brilliant beams of energy shot forth from his sockets, sending warriors on the ground flying in different directions as they narrowly avoided getting hit by the attack that was meant for Reptile.
But Shinnok had dangerously underestimated Reptile's reaction time, and the Zaterran warrior jumped out of the way before the beam could make contact with him, leaving Johnny and Sonya directly in the line of fire.
Raiden didn't know if he cried out when he saw his friends in danger, but he knew what it was that drove him forward in order to try and save them. One order, the one task he had given himself that commanded him to guard them.
Protect Earthrealm.
It was the only thing that went through Raiden's head as he shoved both of his companions aside and bore the full brunt of the blast himself, burning clear through his robes and a good number of layers of skin. The impact sent Raiden flying backwards through the air and skidding violently on the ground, taking off more of the skin on his arms and back, which was now exposed from being torn away by friction.
There was more frenetic shouting from the crowds who had just witnessed Shinnok's display of power, but none so bloodcurdling as the shrieking "NOOOOO!" let out by Sonya as she saw her friend lay lifelessly in the dirt. She and Johnny were met with little resistance as they shoved their way towards their friend, while off to their side Reptile bounded off and got lost in the crowd in order to find his clan members.
As everyone in the arena cleared out, the three of them were left as clearly in the ring as if a giant target had been painted around them. Sonya didn't notice any of this as she frantically checked for a response from Raiden. She received none.
However, up on stage Quan Chi's eyes lit up with elation at the sight of the thunder god having finally been struck down. Now all that was left were his two companions.
"Shinnok!" he cried out, pointing in their direction. "Right there! Finish them!"
"Do not tell me what to do!" Shinnok retorted angrily, nonetheless charging up another attack, more powerful in order to take out the multiple targets. There was more shouting as the energy exploded from Shinnok's eyes once more, but neither he nor Quan Chi anticipated Fujin's sudden materialization in front of his allies. The wind god teleported his comrades and himself away in a whirlwind before the beam had a chance to connect, leaving it to singe the empty ground where the Earthrealm warriors had been a split second ago.
Quan Chi swore loudly, and again after he realized he had lost Reptile. His anger was short-lived as Mileena suddenly latched herself onto his back and immediately began gnawing like a madwoman at his neck, presumably as retribution for attempting to overthrow her authority in her own (father's) arena. Unfortunately for her, Quan Chi drew out his broadswords and managed to cut her deep enough to make her stop, giving him an opportunity to grab her and throw her off over his head.
Liu Kang's soul stood wordlessly on the ground, standing still even as people rushed by his side in an attempt to escape. His expression was still a default blank, but it was clear he had just witnessed what had happened with Raiden and the others.
It was enough to make something click inside, and it made the former Shaolin warrior latch on to one of Quan Chi's Tarkatan foot soldiers and push him back into the open space. There wasn't even a chance for a fight as Liu Kang made an unforeseen flaming swing for the minion's head, killing him instantly.
In another spot in the crowd, Kitana saw Liu Kang's actions from afar. Somewhere in the floating, hazy mist that was her and the others' subconscious, something signaled a change within her. She, too, began to turn against her own allies as everybody else in the stadium continued to run around in their mad panic.
It's so long, I know. :( I'm sorry I haven't updated, art camp took a long time. But I'll definitely be finishing this soon. (The Kano cameo was for you, ShadowForceSilver. ;) )
And I finally gave in and did the 'Get over here' joke. The situation just called for it. :P