"Fill the expected time you'll be staying there over here. The extra amount of time you will be staying if anything goes out of schedule here. Reference your known associates from the previous form here. And name here, here and… here" Grava instructed Raiden as they filled the required forms to visit the educational districts of the many cities in the desert continent. He had been filling form after form for well over three hours but was glad when they stopped coming… for now. "Great! Now, all we must do is send these ones to the Electronic Mailing System and wait for the University Citadel's paperwork to arrive. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" she asked him.
Raiden had been in Orderrealm for three days now, following the extensive bureaucratic nightmare required for him to travel the realm in search of the tears. At least that is what he wanted Grava to think. The night of his arrival had been enlightening, and knowing Grava was working against the Elder Gods was something he knew he had to report on soon; but just as the rogue Guardsmen told him that night, he had to be careful.
'We will take you to the tear thunder god; but right now, we must return to normal. Security is heavy, and we need time to take you there in a secure way. Do not try to contact us, we will let you know. You must also collaborate with Grava, make her think she is in control and she won't suspect you are working against her; in that way, she will loosen up the security around you'.
"I thank you for your consideration, Grava; but I would rather stay behind and not cause any trouble," he said both honestly and hiding secret intentions. He had gone with her the previous days, but Raiden had grown tired of seeing citizens being arrested for things that could hardly be considered a crime against the public interest; he also reconsidered going with her after he almost did some of those and he could swear he was being set by Grava on purpose to then have him go through the same thing they did to the elemental gods.
The goddess looked at him for a time but then decided to just go along with her schedule. "Very well; but I must warn I have to also attend to my duties, so I will be arriving late. Be ready for a long time of paperwork, Raiden; they have just started building a new train system, and you know what is needed to visit construction sites!" she said joyfully before leaving his room.
Daytime was a lot different from night. Morning and afternoon were curfew free and allowed him to roam around the hotel's premises, but leaving it was still out of the question when he noticed the guards constantly following him until he returned. To make matters worse, he had never felt interested in worldly pleasures, so none of the activities offered by the hotel were calling for his attention. In the end, he was going to do what he did the day before and what he was most likely to do for the coming days: meditate until Grava returned with more forms, then fill them and meditate again, and do all that again, and again, and again… 'I'll at least take a walk around the building first' Raiden told himself.
The walk proved not better or worse for Raiden's taste. As he expected, none of the things offered were of his interest. The moving pictures room, the library, the hot spring, the board games room, the sports room, nothing. That was until the woman from the other night, Aka, approached him.
"Lord Raiden, the hot spring is ready as you requested!" the woman said while bowing.
In the past, he would have questioned her about why that place was reserved for him; but now he knew that if she was pulling something like this again, then the rogue guards might be trying to contact him. Seeing how random Seidan Guards on the other side of the room were now interested in what he was talking about made him react fast as well. "Excellent, I'll be there soon!" he said with a gentle smile. That act seemed to have convinced the guards who then left the room, but Raiden knew better than to talk with the woman in an open area where more guests could eavesdrop.
'Ok… maybe I was wrong about hot springs after all…' Raiden thought to himself as he sank even further on the open pool until only his head remained outside. Even though he hated the idea of having to be naked and unprotected in the open, he now had to admit he felt… relaxed… and calm. Even if it were for a couple of minutes, it was a couple of minutes where he felt no threat would fall over Earthrealm. 'Is this the first time I've ever taken a time off?' He wondered.
The moment of relaxation stopped, however, when he heard the sliding door open. While others were the last thing he wanted for the moment, it was the sound of a chain that concerned him. Raiden then opened his eyes and saw the shadow of a man with four arms carrying a chained ball. Raiden then turned around and prepared to assume a fighting stance until he saw a naknada; the owner of the hotel to be more precise.
Weirder, however, was the face of disappointment on the creature. "I apologize, Lord Raiden. It was not my intention to disrupt your bath, but I must change the essence container" he told Raiden. The thunder god then saw that the naknada was not holding a chained mace, but a container filled with flowers, seeds, and fruit which explained why the water had a fragrant aroma.
"Do not worry; please go on" Raiden told the other man, and he went on to fulfill his duty.
It took the naknada a few minutes as he also checked for everything to be ok, and while Raiden thought he would then leave; he was surprised when the other stood behind him. "Are you ready Lord Raiden?".
Raiden looked at the outworlder again with confusion. "Ready for…?".
"Your massage, of course!".
Not sure what to do next, they were both surprised when knocks were heard on the door. "Lord Raiden! I'll be leaving your spare towels here!" the voice of Aka said from the other said. Needless to say, Raiden got the message.
If enjoying social gatherings or activities like banquets or hot springs were never on Raiden's favorite things to do, something like a massage was not even a conceivable idea; yet there he was, resting face down over the table and looking for places where the hidden message could be. His concentration was then broken when he saw the naknada's shadow again but holding a large knife this time. Raiden began to charge his hand with lighting but stopped when he heard the other man chopping something on another table.
"We add some cucumber… and we are now ready to start!" the naknada said happily as he went on to work on Raiden's back, much to the discomfort of the god. The outworlder tried and tried, but Raiden's muscles seemed unable to release tension. "You seem like a very worked up person, my Lord!" he noted. "Not much time to relax, I suppose?".
"For thousands of years, I lived in fear of Earthrealm falling into hands of Shao Kahn; after we won the tournament, he then decided to change the rules only to then ignore it completely and attack us anyway; a fallen Elder God decides to then attack two realms still recovering from an invasion to destroy all reality, and now we face a possible multi-dimensional apocalypse. Relaxing is unfortunately not on my schedule".
"Ah… I see…" the naknada said awkwardly.
Raiden noted that his outburst was unjustified, the naknada just wanted to make a pleasant conversation; and that left Raiden thinking; he was living in his hotel and had not bothered to even learn his name only referring to him as 'the naknada'. "I am sorry but… I don't think we have ever been properly introduced".
"Oh, I know who you are; but you can call me 'Host'".
"Host… very specific to this scenario".
"We only get our name when our true vocation is found".
"I am aware. I once met one of your kind, sadly he became an enforcer of Shao Kahn".
Host then let out a quick sigh. "I see you know of Kollector. He did not take well the death of the emperor nor our arrival to Lei Chen; I am not even sure what happened for him to then become so accepting. He always had more pride than us other Naknada" he said while twisting Raiden's arms trying to pull a knot.
Time went by and then another question came to Raiden. "Forgive me if I insult you, but how were you able to get all this?" Raiden asked referring to the hotel and his mere presence in Orderrealm.
"It was not easy. We Naknada are despised by all of Outworld; we are seen as something lower than dirt, even during Shao Kahn's rule we served loyally and had some of our kind serving in his court; but we were still nothing to the eyes of Outworld. When he died by the hands of your champion, however, we were all marked for death. We recognized Mileena as the true heir per Shao Kahn's wishes and that did not sit well with Kotal Kahn, but knowing her rule would soon collapse had us wondering what to do and Lei Chen became our only solution".
Leaving Raiden for the moment, Host then went to retrieve hot stones from a furnace. The thunder god, however, was curious. "Knowing seidans and your described relationship with other outworlders, I can't see how your arrival could have been beneficial".
"At first, it wasn't. But then, we all realized something: In a way, like us, seidans are submissive and slaves. Slave to their rules, regulations, and orders; and those are what naknada do best!". Host then returned and began to place the stones over Raiden's back. "We arrived, and had to do the same labors as before, but unlike in Outworld, we were treated like any other worker. I received my first payment in a construction site, I got to show my talents to them, as we did all. Within time, they noticed my cooking, cleaning, and serving abilities, and even my former boss decided to help me bring my wish to live".
He then left Raiden and walked towards a tapestry that seemed to have the sketch of a building painted on it. "For years we worked until exhaustion; waiting for our hard work and devotion to pay off, and under Seido that has become a reality! And once in this realm, doing everything according to the law has resulted in this!".
When he was done, Aka then entered the massage parlor on the other side of the divisor wall. "Mr. Host, sir? Governor Bei-Bei wishes to speak with you!".
Host sighed and removed the stones from Raiden. "Please, give a few minutes and I'll be right back!".
When Host left, Aka then spoke to him in screams. "That's great! I will return to my duties and carry this ice cream I left on the shelf to the guest who ordered it!".
After she left, Raiden stood up and went to the shelf in question. Sure enough, there was another note.
'Be ready before sundown. Same way as before. It is now or never!'.
Raiden then used a quick spark from his fingers to burn any trace of evidence.
The plan went like last time. He filled every new form quickly, surprising even Grava who thought he would have been broken for the day; but he just excused himself and retired to his room to 'meditate'. Aka then returned with the food trolly and got Raiden in the cell device as the guards at the door left due to relief duty.
Raiden, in the meanwhile, awaited in the void until the light and wind current reached him and brought him to a storage room where two fully suited guards stood. "May I know where we are?" he asked them.
"See for yourself," one of the guards said with a voice different from the ones he heard last time, meaning this group had more members than Raiden thought.
Raiden did as he was told, and walked next to a window which showed a large building: The Palace of the Senate; even more, they were at a storage room in the gardens. "The palace? I was already here!".
"My guess is that you were not allowed in, right? Don't worry, no one is, only the Guard" the other told Raiden. "Energy is permanent, but the amount needed for it quadrupled. It took us time to get someone on the inside, but once we did, he was able to confirm that a tear appeared in the generator room. The tear was stabilized, but it hasn't been opened yet". Raiden then looked at the guard confused. "Onaga wishes to infiltrate Remnant. Last time we were lucky the portal materialized on a sewer, or so I've heard, but we don't know what the odds are of this new one appearing on an uninhabited place again, so it's just used to test if energy pulses can reveal the tear in Remnant".
"Enough chatting! Let's go!" the other guard told them, opening the door, and leading them to the palace through the garden.
The way was calm as there didn't seem to be any security, and once they reached the entrance, both guards cleared the way for Raiden. "There is an alarm system" one explained Raiden while the other used a small amount of lava on the wall to reveal cables. "We need you to short circuit the bell and communications".
Raiden did, and sure enough, they were now in. "It's just us three?" he asked his guides.
"There are two more teams with more members. One is entering through an emergency exit with the help of men on the inside. The others are using a cargo door. They each have packages of information we managed to recover from the Ministry of Technology".
"Sektor?" Raiden asked Raiden. His companions nodded.
"Before we continue…" one began to say as he reached for black pendants that had the characters '安全' written in gold. "It is imperative that you wear one of these".
Raiden did, but just as they turned on a hall and he questioned the functionality, they found themselves in front of Hotaru. Raiden's shock was quickly replaced by him preparing to fight and charging up his arms before being stopped by the other two.
Before Raiden could accuse them of treachery, however, Hotaru spoke. "Clearances now, please!", he then saw as the others showed Hotaru the pendants and he proceeded to do the same. Hotaru looked at all three of them and then spoke again. "Clearances approved. Have a good night, guardsmen!" he said in a monotone and robotic voice as he walked past them.
Concerned, Raiden looked at his companions. One, in turn, looked at the robot. "Security Unit, stop and turn around!" he said and Hotaru stopped, the guardsman then got next to the commander and removed a piece of flesh to then reveal a metallic faceplate.
"He turned him into a Tekunin!?" Raiden asked in shock.
"Not even close. The remains of the Resistance were used to build skinsuits that looked like the commander. The real one is in Remnant from last we heard" the other answered.
"Suits? There are more?" Raiden asked again and both men nodded.
"But as you can see…" One said while holding his pendant. Raiden then understood immediately and was sure to always have it visible. "Halt!" the man instructed after some time and then checked a watch-like device. "Three… two… one…" he counted down just as the lights flickered. Raiden then noticed cameras like the ones in his room on the hall they were about to enter.
"Go, go, go!" The other guardsman said, and they all ran. On their way, they found more robot duplicates of Hotaru, convincing Raiden that the Hotaru he saw with Grava was, indeed not the real one.
"Why are there so many robots?" Raiden finally asked.
"The realm would fall into chaos if they knew Hotaru was not here. When Onaga took over he wanted to make sure that people relied upon the Seidan Guard like never, he insisted on the threat of invasion and the need to have an ever-present military" one guard explained.
"But Hotaru also needed to be on the front of Remnant's conquest; so, these machines were made to cover his absence!" Raiden deducted and the others nodded in confirmation.
They finally reached a vestibule that held tapestries and busts of many people wearing different elegant robes; random at first until Raiden saw they all had a crystal on them. He ignored it at first until they reached a room where a three-story tall, full-bodied statue of Damashi was with open and extended hands that had a blue and white light coming from them.
"The hall of rulers," One guard said and instructed the other two to stop. "And no, the statue is not part of the protocol" he then said with distaste. "A statue that shows the Chief Executive who brought order and peace to the Realm of Order' or so the artist said…".
"Why did we stop?" Raiden asked.
"They should be arriving soon. The security systems will reboot soon, so I would say in about five more minutes" the second guard said. "From here, we head down that corridor to the catacombs, then the staircase, and finally the engine room".
Everything was going according to plan, but that was what was worrying Raiden to some extent. He then looked at the statue of Damashi again and asked himself out loud "Why to conquer a world in secret?".
"To get himself an army!" they heard another, yet familiar voice, exclaim. They all turned and saw a squad of guardsmen arrive. Raiden then identified the voice as that of the older guard from last time. "Men! Thunder God!" he said saluting all three.
"An army? But shouldn't his army be in Outworld?" Raiden asked the new arrival.
"Once it was revealed to us the identity of Onaga and his story, we thought that as well; but then we found more things on the servers of the Tekunin over at the ministry's main building. We have half of it" he said while holding what looked like a glowing cube. "The other should arrive soon with the other men".
"Why split it?" Raiden said, questioning their methods.
"We couldn't risk detection. Files are heavy enough as they are now; staying longer than we did would have alerted them" the older guard answered.
Before Raiden could then ask more questions, the guard then played the content of the cube, which showed 3D holograms of a room where the top views of Onaga, Hotaru, and Kollector were visible.
'My Lord; I suggest we return to Lei Chen. The Shokan hordes sent to follow us must have realized by now that prince Duroc will not return. We can retrieve your army later when-'.
The holographic Hotaru began to explain but was then interrupted by Onaga.
"The army is not why we are still here! They don't even matter at all" the Dragon King said as both Hotaru and Kollector then looked at each other with concern.
Kollector then decided to speak again. "But lord Onaga, your army was undefeatable in battle. If the Shokan find it-".
"They will have an army of corpses that once had remarkable skills in the battlefield, but was not truly undefeatable!". Onaga enjoyed for a moment the fact that neither of the other men seemed to understand what he was talking about before continuing. "My army never suffered a defeat on the battlefield not because their skills made it impossible to kill them. It was my understanding and ability of necromancy that allowed me to revive them immediately as they died in the battle".
"But… the prophecy…" Kollector tried to reason.
"An overexaggerated and literal translation of what my original acolytes meant. I will rule Outworld once again, but to do so, I will need a new and bigger army!" Onaga explained.
Hotaru then followed his remark with an air of pride. "May I then offer the Seidan Guard, my Lord. With you as Orderrealm's new ruler, I'm sure that-".
"The Seidan Guard will play their role in due time; but I already recruited something bigger! During my time as a wandering conscious, you two were not the only people I recruited". Onaga said, interrupting Hotaru's offer. A soft thud was then heard by all; Kollector and Hotaru looked around uncertain of the nature of the source while Onaga just seemed glad. "Ah… I see he was already here! Gentlemen, may I present to you: Sektor! Grandmaster of Earthrealm's Tekunin Clan of assassins!".
After some electric crackling was heard, Hotaru seemed to be in shock while Kollector snarled.
"My Lord, I know of those! They failed Emperor Shao Ka-".
The naknada was unable to finish that sentence as Onaga punched and destroyed a wall while letting out a roar of pure rage as he then towered over Kollector who fell on his back fearing for his life. "THAT PARASITE HAD TO ERASE ME FROM HISTORY TO CONSOLIDATE HIS RULE AND THEN TOOK OVER ALL OF MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS! DO NOT DARE CALL HIM BY THAT TITTLE EVER AGAIN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?". Kollector was unable to form a single word, so he just nodded. "Good! Then we must now leave. Once in Lei Chen we will be able to continue. I guaranty you, we can all get something out of this deal".
After days of traveling, all four men were now sitting in Hotaru's office at Lei Chen's governing Pagoda. Sektor and Onaga had initially used illusions to hide but were lifted once they were completely alone. They all sat on cushions and forming a circle except for Hotaru who was talking to Grava via an avatar through an amulet. "Thank you, Lady Grava. I assure you that this new ally will prove beneficial to Seido" he said, finishing their conversation and then bowing. Once Grava was gone, he raised his head again and turned around to talk to his 'allies'. "Converting Grava to our cause will be hard, but not impossible Lord Onaga".
Sektor then spoke soon after. "Enough about that! I admit you are powerful, being able to contact us from beyond the death I know is no easy task. But why call for us? And why should we work for you!?".
"Because I can give you all what you want: Power and control!". That seemed to have caught everyone's attention. "I propose a confederation of realms. I will rule above all, but each of you gets two realms".
Kollector then looked at Onaga with mistrust. "I respect your power; but why would I betray… 'his' lineage for you?".
Sektor and Hotaru thought Onaga would be enraged for his insubordination; but surprisingly, he just answered in a very calm way. "Under Shao Kahn, the Naknada were nothing but slaves. Even now, his daughter and her allies shunned you away, not seeing your race as an asset before your exodus". That seemed to have hit a nerve with Kollector. "What has Orderrealm done on the other hand? It received you with a call of equality; it recognizes your talents for doing what others do. Under Shao Kahn, you may have gained riches, but I can offer you better: You and the Naknada will apply my rule over all those that looked down on you!".
Immediately after Onaga was done, Sektor then expressed his concern. "Controlling all realms. How will you accomplish that? You may gain Orderrealm's military, but the Naknada are not known for their fighting abilities and even I will have trouble generating an army if I decide to help you".
"Which brings me to the next point gentlemen: Our chance to conquer all reality will soon arrive! While stuck on the brink of death, my conscious received images of events to come, one of those is a merger with a whole new world, not another realm, but something outside of our reality! A world we can use for our advantage!".
All the other three men present had varying degrees of trust in this plan, Sektor being the most skeptical about it. "Very well; and how would we reach such reality in the first place?".
"The visions were not clear, but throughout recent years I have made use of a foolish mortal to recover weapons from the Elder Gods that can alter our universe at will. Until I have a better understanding of the visions, we will keep looking for them".
'You may have the Seidan and naknada convinced, but what would I get for helping you?'.
Sektor's voice asked, but the hologram was then cut.
"So Onaga is looking for an army… and he is looking for it in Remnant" Raiden concluded.
"So it seems. Do you know why?" asked the older Seidan.
"The inhabitants of that world have powers and abilities vastly different from our own; but why to hide their intentions under the facade of a company then? Above all, why was the memory cut?".
"We got what we could at the moment. Hopefully, the other one has more answers for you to take".
"For me?" Raiden asked back.
"You will need proof of what is happening. Grava's logic is not easy to counter. With it, you can convince the Elder Gods to intervene sooner!" the older Guard answered.
"Sir, someone approaches!" a random Seidan Guard warned. Everyone then moved around to either hide or guard the door. Soon, slow single steps were heard, and another masked guard entered the hall with his hands up.
"It's ok, I'm an ally!" the new Guardsman told all others.
"Where are the others?" asked the older guard while ordering his men to stand down.
"They are coming. I was sent to check if you were already here" the newcomer said as he went to retrieve something from his belt. "I have the other memory cube!" he said while holding the same device that the others showed Raiden. "Is the thunder god here with you?".
The older Guard looked at the statue and nodded. Another guard, in turn, looked at Raiden and pointed at the newcomer with his head. Raiden understood the gesture and came out. "I am Raiden, god of thunder and protector of Earthrealm!".
"Lord Raiden! This is for you!" the man said as he presented the object in question to Raiden.
Not sure of how to proceed, he looked at the other Guardsmen who nodded in approval and he went on to retrieve the artifact; but just as he was in front of the newcomer, Raiden saw a quick blink of light. He then rolled out of the way as a sword went through the guard's chest, leaving a hole and then getting stuck on one of the busts in the gallery.
All eyes were then focused on said sword, and fear began to take over everyone when they noticed the lotus designs of it. They were then distracted when the man managed to turn around and started to shout at the dark hall. "You said… you would… pardon… me!". The sword then got unstuck and headed back to where it came with the blade in a vertical position and effectively cutting through the man's head.
The man's head and torso then split open before falling on the ground as Grava retrieved her straight sword and entered the room with her own squad of Seidan Guards using upgraded suits of armor. "Treason is not a forgivable offense. The best I could have done was give you a quick death" she calmly stated as she cleaned the blade. Her eyes then looked at all other Guardsmen present before focusing on Raiden. "So, it was true; there is a rebellion forming among the Seidan Guard. I must thank you, Raiden; I knew it was only a matter of time before you broke one of our laws, but I never expected that it would have been so helpful to us".
After the initial shock was gone, the older Seidan Guard was only able to ask one question. "How!?".
Grava just looked at the man condescendingly. "Did you really think the mark on Raiden was only a seal for him not to teleport, Colonel Heo-Saeg?". At the mention of the name, Raiden was able to feel how all the Guardsmen on his side felt a rush of fear. "Did it never occur to you it would also be a tracking device? The first night we thought it might have been a glitch, but when it happened again, and in this place out of all, we knew there was something wrong". Grava then looked at a random soldier and walked a few steps in his direction. "We then found that the cameras were altered, and we knew you must have had help from inside the Guard… and the hotel…". Raiden and the others were unsure of what Grava was saying, but the guard and Heo-Saeg had a good idea of what the goddess meant.
Grava then extended her right hand, and something flew in her direction. Once the object passed close to her, she then pointed towards the other group present. It then fell on the ground and rolled towards the man she was looking at. "Your twin broke within the first minutes of interrogation, Captain Ao. She was clearly the weaker child…". The man was clearly shaking on the spot while looking at the head, but when his name was mentioned he immediately looked at the goddess with what many assumed was a mixture of shock and hate. "She told us of your involvement, but once we figured you were part of it, your network was easy to uncover. Do not misunderstand me, child; her death pains me as well, but I have a duty to this realm's safety above all".
"The realm's safety, Grava!?" an enraged Raiden yelled at her. "You betray the trust and orders of the Elder Gods to aid Onaga's quest to conquer realms and other worlds by any means! How dare you even suggest you are protecting your realm!?".
Grava looked shocked at Raiden's outburst, but not for the reasons the thunder god thought. "So… you already know about Onaga… but not of the entire plan… that's better for us!". Grava then raised her hand and all the Guardsmen with her picked their guns and activated them. "Leave no traitor alive, but Raiden comes with us!".
The glow and noises of the guns came almost at the same time. Raiden, Heo-Saeg, and all others knew there were little chances of coming out of this one; but Raiden did the only thing he could think of. "Run!" he ordered them as his eyes got brighter and quickly got in front of Heo-Saeg.
Grava knew exactly what was going to happen, but her warning came too late. "Shield your eyes!" she ordered as she also covered her face with her sleeves, but the bright light coming from Raiden's eyes had already blinded Grava's men and their shots flew everywhere without hitting their targets. When Raiden was done, Grava was able to see him running towards the hall behind the statue of Damashi, but as she began to pursue, Ao and Heo-Sang used their lava powers to melt the statue's base which fell towards Grava. The goddess managed to dodge out of the way, but the statue was still able to squash some of her men. "They are heading towards the generator! Half of you intercept them before they reach it, the others come with me!".
"Hijau, go left; Ungu, you go right!" Heo-Saeg told two of his men, and when they reached their respective openings, they went through with some of the other guardsmen.
"Why are you splitting your troops!?" Raiden asked concerned.
"Grava already knows where we are heading, but she will also try to stop us from getting there!" Ao decided to answer that question.
"The fewer troops we have, the lesser our chances to get out will be!" Raiden then tried to reason.
"You do not understand our intentions, thunder god…" Heo-Saeg said with sadness in his voice. "We might as well be dead men, but you still have a better chance of warning everyone about Onaga".
"What about the recordings?".
Heo-sang then took his information cube and gave it to Raiden. "This will have to do Raiden".
They kept running until they reached a three-way-split where they were intercepted by Grava's Seidan Guards pointing their cannons at them. "Halt, traitors!" one of them yelled.
Raiden's group reduced their pace, but then four men got in front and deployed their shields. Immediately after, however, the other guardsmen opened fire. Knowing the shields wouldn't last against the projectiles, the rest followed Heo-Saeg.
When the last screams of agony from the guards left behind were heard, Ao then stopped running. Raiden then tried to go back only to be stopped by two other guards. "I am not leaving anyone else behind!" he told them.
"Leave now Raiden!" Ao said soon after. Raiden was speechless, but Ao continued his explanation. "My sister is gone, our families must be already under arrest and I will face death if arrested anyway… please, Lord Raiden… don't make our sacrifice be in vain…". Ao then pulled out from his armor a small round device and pressed a button in it. He then placed it on his back and ran towards the other guards who had caught up with them. Heo-Saeg's men finally managed to make Raiden move again, but the last thing he saw of Captain Ao was the device on his back blowing up, taking with it the captain, the guards, and making that part of the hall fall.
Ao's sacrifice worked since it allowed them to arrive at what looked like the catacombs with an entrance to the basement without any other problem; but at the same time, no one dared to enter the darkroom. "You are thinking exactly what I am thinking?" Heo-Saeg asked Raiden. The thunder god, in turn, shot a thunderbolt towards the darkened room. That allowed everyone else to see the silhouettes of the other Seidan Guards as well as the now lifeless carcasses of their allies who arrived earlier. The thunderbolt itself was then blocked and absorbed by Grava's straight sword.
When the room went dark once again, Grava's laugh echoed through the room before Heo-Saeg's remaining troops turned on the lights. "End of the line, Colonel. Surrender now and maybe you and the other traitors will be able to spend the rest of your existence as service automatons". Heo-Saeg's answer, as well as that of the others, was to point their naginatas at her while some of her guards aimed their miniguns back or prepared their naginatas as well. "So be it… FIRE!" she roared at her men.
Some of the rebels took cover behind the door frame while others charged and blocked as many bullets as their shields were able to. Raiden himself flew left and right of the room in an attempt to confuse and distract his attackers while the others went on to take care of the gunners.
Once he was close enough, he jumped in the air and flew long enough to then land behind the gunners, and before he was stabbed by the second line, he called for his stave which he then used to hit and slash five gunners. As the guards using naginatas charged towards him, Raiden evaded their slashes and then threw lightning at them, but while the hits connected, there didn't seem to be any kind of damage done.
"New alloys. They absorb electricity. What will you do now?" a guard taunted.
Raiden just spun his stave and blocked incoming blows to his head from the front. He then pushed his rivals back, making them lose some balance before charging his stave and throwing it with enough force to go through that guard and another's skulls before sticking itself to the ground. The group that was fighting Raiden was in shock, but when they turned and faced the thunder god again, he just raised his hand and taunted them to fight him again as the staff appeared in his hand again.
Two guards carrying naginatas then charged at him. Raiden blocked their blows, got behind them, and kicked one to the ground before stabbing the man through his chest. The guy screamed in agony and tried to remove the stave as the other slashed his weapon at Raiden. The thunder god, in turn, evaded or blocked the blows with his forearms, careful to not get cut by the blade.
Their struggle continued until Raiden managed to grab the naginata with both hands, but the guard then jumped in the air while not tightly holding to his weapon, and when he landed behind Raiden, now back-to-back, he pulled the naginata and managed to capture Raiden with the weapon now strangling him.
"Open fire!" Raiden heard the man say, and only now did he notice the gunners pointing at him; but as soon as the first set of bullets was fired, Raiden managed to make the guard trip and he used that momentum to flip them so that the guard was now at the receiving end of the blasts. Nonetheless, Raiden had still managed to get some of the first shots as not all the guardsman's body absorbed the whole damage.
The attack ended, however, when a small group of guards on Raiden's side managed to blast lava projectiles at his attackers. Raiden then quickly disposed of the body and retrieved his weapon in time to find himself with Heo-Saeg. "Go! We will not be able to hold them for much longer!". Raiden looked around, and it was true. While Heo-Saeg's troops were able to hold their ground, the other Seidan Guards were the ones scoring the kills, and there was no doubt that reinforcements were on their way.
"Your sacrifice will not be in vain, Colonel!" Raiden reassured his ally before running towards the stairs. The last thing he heard was Heo-Saeg screaming as he headed back to battle and many shots being fired; but true to his word, no one followed him.
The stairs were long, and lights soon died once again as he reached the final step; but sure enough, even though he was surrounded by nothing but shadows, he saw it: the bright floating lines of the tear. He then wasted no time and ran towards it, but halfway down the road, he was distracted once the lights turned on. He then looked around and saw Grava standing next to the rift and holding a lever.
They stared at each other for what felt like hours, none daring to do something that would give the other an upper hand. After a long silence, Grava then finally spoke. "I overestimated this battalion's abilities; you were not to get here". Raiden said nothing back and just stared at her with unfiltered rage. "Do you really think that will work on me Raiden?" she asked.
"Why?" was all he asked back. Grava just raised an eyebrow, not knowing what he meant. "Why did you betray us?"
"Why? Why!? Are you that ignorant of what happens around you!?" she said, finally snapping and losing her composure. "Do you really think the Elder Gods will keep us safe Raiden!? They allowed your realm to be successfully merged with Outworld and you dare ask me why I am doing this?".
To say Raiden was not surprised at Grava's outburst would be a lie, but he pressed on, nonetheless. "Shao Kahn their full wrath for what he did!".
"Oh yes! Your 'champion' received their power, sure; but we all saw what happened. He was almost defeated! The power of the Elder Gods combined was not enough to rid us of Shao Kahn in one move! Not only that, but Shinnok also returned to conquer Edenia and Earthrealm, and what did they do? NOTHING!". She then began to walk towards Raiden who remained still. "What will come next!? Shao Kahn returned, no one knows what that maniac of a queen will do next, my realm was being overrun with parasites from Chaosrealm and Outworld and all I got in return from them was that 'the rules were not broken'! Well, I am through standing still and waiting for a new and worse threat to show up, Raiden! And if that means that the other realms will suffer, then so be it!".
"Very well…" Raiden answered calmly. "The Elder Gods will judge your actions Grava, not me," he said as he assumed a fighting pose.
"Then what will you do, Raiden?" she asked back as she assumed a fighting pose of her own.
"I will take you to them. By force!".