Con't III - Servitude
Kenshi, Aiko and Ermac arrived within the Palace Gates. The indigo sky barely had a sliver of a light pink, indicating it was finally the break of dawn. The cardiokinetic especially was ecstatic visiting the majestic Palace again after several days; just like the Temple of Light was in China, it stood out as a beacon of peace and hope amongst the vast, hellish landscape of Outworld.
However, the two guardsmen blocked the entryway.
"Oh great! The Queen and half of our troops hath departed from our quarters in search of the Dragon King, and now dealing with more intruders...!"
Ermac then stepped up and attempted to assure them, he's on their side. Recognizing Shao Kahn's former assailant and troop of his extermination squads, they demanded him to step away as they drew and pointed their blades. Unconvinced, Kenshi raised a hand and enveloped Jerrod's head, using his psychokinesis by reading the soul keeper's mind and projecting his thoughts onto the guards, while Aiko zoned out and whistled to that song she heard earlier.
Eventually, both factors made the patrolmen ease up and change their outlooks as it was forever since the last time they met the long-lost King! By the time they gathered their bearings, they explained Sindel, Jade and half the royal guard left to Onaga's resting place where his remains were kept, Aiko realized it'd be the Lost Tomb; before she met Kenshi, she and her friends cleaned it out by wrecking the sarcophaguses, excepting for one... The guards then gave Jerrod a foreign, bronze symbol in a black exterior. They stated it was a yaz symbol as a patching to represent he's a "free man."
Kenshi assisted with the attachment as he used his telekinetic abilities pinning the symbol onto Ermac's back! Aiko couldn't have been more impressed!
As soon as the process was finished, the guards gave the Edenian declaration,
"Edenia is an idyllic paradise, where we are free from tyranny."
Ermac, with his soul kinesis, then teleported him, Kenshi, and Aiko toward the lone pyramid.
The trio arrived near the pyramid, relieved for once there were no menacing cyclones nearby, unlike the Kombatants' journey searching for the Deadly Alliance... Aiko's mind then drifted to that time period, when Nightwolf sensed their distant, omnipotent auras, and how they needed to travel discreetly in order to take them by surprise, contrary to using the Dragon Jets. Much as their quest trekking to Kahn's Fortress. That was until the crisp air snapped her out of her reverie.
"It should be dawn at the moment. We need to chance some sleep." Jerrod suggested.
"It was daytime in Earthrealm, in China; I'm not fatigued yet." Kenshi added.
"Me neither." Aiko stated. "I'm good."
The king nodded, "Alright then, let's go."
The blind swordsman stuck out an arm after the trio took a few steps forward. He paused everyone for a brief moment. Then he faced the cardiokinetic, "Aiko, do you sense something intensive?"
She tried to focus, but... "I... I feel nothing, Kenshi. Why, what's going on." She never even felt her heart racing, but her partner still felt uneasy.
"...Something's wrong. Emanating from that pyramid." He drew out his -, the tip pointing towards it.
Sindel and Jade led the Edenian royal guard into the mausoleum. Thru the dim light of the lit torches, they barely saw the thick layers of dust litter the plane before they made eye contact with the ginormous display. Some of the men were coughing as their noses wiggled and their eyes teared from the leftover debris, and some were disgusted as they stepped into a squishy patch which turned out to be fly guts!
"Ergh, I should've known the remains of Drahmin's infested insects would be here...!" Jade said in disgust.
"Drahmin? The Oni?" Sindel queried.
"Ick!" She brushed them off the undersides of her stilettos. "Indeed. He and Moloch, when we were finding the Deadly Alliance, we wrecked each one of the mummified stones, except for-That!" As soon as her eyes beheld the larger crimson casket, the emerald hue shined onto it. "And that happened to be Shinnok's Amulet."
"Everyone, be on your guard. Keep a keen eye out for traps, or Onaga and his followers."
"Yes, My Queen!" The knights saluted in unison.
They proceeded to the upper stone-tiled platform and were astonished on what they saw. The large sarcophagus happened to have its lid open just by a mere sliver as rotting odor was escaping from it. It didn't take the royal guard off their feet.
Their brute strength and armor, including their gauntlets, allowed the lid to be taken off completely without much effort. Eventually, with some grunts, it was taken off and plopped with a thud and a cloud of smoke which nearly made the gang sneeze. By the time their itchy eyes kleared, their jaws dropped of the skeletal remains of Onaga himself... Even komplete with its batlike, thin wings.
"Yep, this is indeed the motherload," one of the guardsmen exclaimed.
"Destroy it. We cannot let the accursed Dragon King claim his carcass." The elegant Edenian paused, thinking whose body did it cunningly possess; she then remembered Hanzo's take he had the tendency to resurrect his victims into his own thralls...
"What the hell-Queen, look behind you!"
The knight hollered before he was stabbed directly into the chest by a Tonfa blade! The Edenians were startled, even when their knights ran to the invisible fray... Only to be lifted and soon tossed like rag dolls from sudden violet sonic waves! Hearing the screams and collisions of the soldiers' bodies, Sindel and Jade took action! They witnessed two thin figures emerge from the shadows, one goldenrod and the other a very opaque indigo along with a pair of sneering yellow and orange eyes! As they marched forward, the two women recognized their assailants.
"Tanya...!" Jade drew out her lethal staff, though it wasn't long before she and Sindel were brought aback.
The royal gasped, "...Kitana...!"
"No!" Liu Kang's spirit yelped from the amulet the ninja was holding.
"Kitana! What're you-" Her best friend couldn't believe what's transpiring. "It's Onaga, isn't it...?"
"Hello, Jade!" She snickered, almost sounding like her tongue's been dripping with venom from a carnivorous snake! "So glad I came to Onaga's resting place for those ancient incantations! To fuse all the realms and the Kamidogu into one, and to attain absolute power! Even after if the mighty Dragon Lord should die before turning into the One Being...!"
"You're insane!" She spat back. "You can't find any spells to fuse all of existence! Onaga can never be more powerful than the Elder Gods!"
"Oh yes he can. Until then, perhaps we shall build our own new and improved unstoppable army of his great worshippers! Starting with the loyal Kitana here..."
Her eyes gleamed at the greeting as she drew out her fans.
"Daughter! What're you doing...?" Sindel was just too stupefied for words. While Jade put up her signature weapon and klashed with the rebel's fury, Kitana made a flurry of blows onto her own mom! She was able to handle herself with her elongated white locks as well as basic maneuvers. But...she utterly refused to fight with all her strength. She wouldn't tell her infected kin that Nightwolf performed an exorcist to remove the banshee, thus disabling her flight and sonokinesis. She'd no choice but to mostly block with her Kwan Do staff! But it didn't take long before she was injured.
Just like their last encounter, Jade seemed to mop the floor with Tanya and her usual treachery. Her staff had better reach, she was resilient, and knew what to expect from her bitter rival that framed her several times in the distant past. She didn't even hesitate to stab her staff straight thru Tanya's heart as dark as pure evil. However...she froze once Kitana klosed in on her, even struggling just as much as Sindel!
Not taking any more punishable observation, Liu's spirit sprang out of the dragon amulet and implored, "Kitana, stop! Onaga must be possessing your soul! I don't want us to end up like we did in the dystopian future!"
But the corrupt Kombatant just simply busted thru him like wind and resumed her wrath! She even gave her former friend several hits as severe as Sindel's, having her neon eyes look down on them all the while!
That was until she was abruptly lifted by an eerie shade that can match Jade's wardrobe! Her body became stiff as it ascended her effortlessly as she was being paralyzed in the sketchy energy field! Kitana grew irritated as she struggled to break free, but to no avail. Then, the forcefield dissipated as she was forced back a few feet before her body dragged on the limestone and her head hit Onaga's dead tomb!
Her head swam as she barely heard Kenshi's and Liu's voices, with the latter encouraging her to wake up, as he was commandeering Aiko to make some weak whistles. Her body was still immobilized as the Chinese swordsman held her down in his turquoise hue, while also magnifying the warrioress' tune. Ermac marched toward the wounded women, then raised an arm. The pair felt a numbing sensation before they were able to stand again.
It wasn't long before Kenshi signaled Aiko to halt. As if reading his mind, he seized when Ermac caressed Kitana. He shown his amber eyes and lowered his mask, revealing his truer komposure. He just whispered in her ear, "My daughter, the precious princess of Edenia..."
Her vision began to clear as she gazed up at this...illusion? She kouldn't believe whom she was seeing who spoke to her. That voice, that face...! She couldn't help her body beginning to tremble, her eyes watering... Before she kaved in and kollapsed as she wrapped her arms tightly around the proud father she hadn't met in over 5,000 years! She even cried in Edenian her father, even though it was barely audible...
Aiko was barely able to hold her own, though Kenshi was there beside her, tending to her. Liu was just all smiles. After what seemed like several minutes, Jerrod broke away and gazed onto the two women. They barely heard Kenshi order Aiko to revive the knights utilizing her pulsating heart gem. Sindel was just flabbergasted, never saying a word, just barely moving her mouth to form them...
"Hello, my love," Jerrod just stood like a firm tree, kontrary to Sindel's quivering legs.
She kan hardly believing what she saw in front of her, thinking it'd just be from the many blows... Still, she was struck and attempted to speak with a shrill voice, "Jerrod...?" Her blurs made her not see him nod in affirmation, and yet... She kan't hold back... "Jerrod! Oh, Jerrod!" She ran straight for her sovereign's husband's loving arms... Sobbing hard as her eyes were cascading like the ancient water gardens. Her arms aching with strain as she held her long-lost lover, refusing to let him go... Every one of the Edenian soldiers, including Jade and Liu, bowed down while Jerrod's family reunited.
*ahem!*
It was Kenshi, trying to get their attention as they became enamored with affection to their ruler. His blade pointed toward the open coffin. Their eyes followed and the warrior requested Liu Kang to incinerate the exoskeleton. "Liu Kang... The Champion of Earthrealm..?" Jerrod was almost at a loss as he recalled the lethal scrimmage against him and Kung Lao.
Nevertheless, his aerosol was still effective as he konjured his pyrokinesis as tepid as a volcano's! He released the enormous fireball, and it ignited the rubble with a burst! Everyone watched the blaze as if it was a large bonfire.
"Crispy!" Both Kenshi and Aiko followed the high-pitched falsetto; while the cardiokinetic kannot see, Kenshi traced his brainwaves. He raised an arm, but the guy scampered away into the shadows yonder as swift as a ferret! The slick swordsman couldn't help but snicker.
"So, what's our next move, Your Majesty?" Liu asked formally.
"Aye." He faced Kitana, who was still buzzed by her encounter with Onaga. "Now, the rest is up to her."
She held her slow heart. "Up to me...?"
He nodded. Kenshi walked up, as if reading the regal's mind. "Yes. We must know of Onaga's endeavors. Becoming like the One Being. We need you to tell us anything, everything you kan remember."
Kitana pondered the dragon's purpose was to unify all the realms and their Kamidogu, the sacred relics created by the Elder Gods. Six had been reunited, excepting for one...
Aiko was dumbfounded, "Raiden said there's six realms total. How can there be seven relics?"
"What else do you think it is? It's the most powerful artifact in all the universe!" Jade blurted out.
Everyone looked toward the elaborate display in the back wall, "Shinnok's Amulet..." Liu Kang whispered in awe.
"Exactly."
Kenshi silenced everyone, "If any of you know where it is, I will transfer that kind of information; you never know where there can be a spy."
"Good kall, Sir Kenshi." Sindel remarked.
"Johnny Cage, Sonya and Jax must still be with him," the princess explained. "That explosion in the Palace... Once he knew he was holding the fake amulet, he must be building another army as we speak. He must not know the whereabouts of the last Kamidogu."
"And...what of Kung Lao, and Nightwolf?" Aiko chimed in.
"Kung Lao's searching for the Champions of each realm. Goro was held back in Edenia, until we can gather all the recruits. I'm not sure about Nightwolf just yet, but Lord Fujin took them away in time," the Earthrealm hero spoke. "And he's with Hanzo too."
Kenshi's face lit up, "Hanzo!? He's still alive?"
"For now, yes." Sindel said. "We need to buy Lao, Hanzo and the others time. We can't let the last piece fall into the Dragon's hands. But...fighting him directly would be the death of us all."
Everyone muttered under the breaths, "My love is right..." Jerrod stated in dread. "Onaga has all but one of the Kamidogu; his strength is beyond that of mortals."
"Well, the least we can do is station ourselves and protect the last location." Kenshi suggested. "Does anyone know where it is?"
Liu raised a hand, "I...remembered dealing with Shinnok in the Netherrealm, Master Raiden and Fujin were helping me. His amulet ran out while the other was being sealed away..." He bit his tongue. "Can you make a portal to Earthrealm?"
He nodded, "Of course, but it can only bring us to the last coordinate, at your new Temple."
"Even better! By the way, do you know of the name Damashi?"
Everyone shook their heads, although Kenshi was deep in thought, but unable to identify its origin. Liu wondered if his grandfather should know...
"Tanya stated to me there were incantations involving Onaga. His followers crafted this place, inscribing some spells that're devoted to him..." She, Jade and Sindel looked over at the rear wall. "It's...in Edenian!"
"No wonder Tanya wanted to take you to it; you two would decipher these horrific rituals. This states to return Onaga into his original body, thus the remains here." Jade added.
Liu Kang sighed, "Good thing I was able to destroy it. Let's go to Earthrealm!"
Upon his signal, the blind man activated the gizmo kreating a rip to Earth and the group stepped thru it.
Little did the Kombatants knew, there was a hooded male wearing shiny shades deflecting the limelight, just rising from the underneath the stairwell before Onaga's burial...
A/N: I decided to divide this long post into 2 halves; I noticed it was almost 7k words if I should include Kung Lao's perspective. So, this shall only be the 1st half, and this was a great part to write resolving all the problems the Edenians had involving Onaga and brainwashing Kitana! I figured her reuniting with Jerrod was the best way to go since, unlike Sindel's ending, Onaga wasn't present. There were also a few ideas from the MK RP I was once involved in, such as having Nightwolf exorcise Sindel from the banshee, thus losing her flight and sonokinesis. Even the way Jerrod addressed to her.
And I found the koncept of Ermac being a free man was astonishing! Some dedicated fan pointed out the symbol on his back, in Deception, is known as the "Free Man" symbol. It has the Tifinagh letter "yaz." And it symbolizes the "free man", such as how Ermac had been freed. His design also seems to be inspired by dessert origins, like the Berber people who use this.
And...since the outcome of Shinnok's Uprising differentiated from MK4/GOLD, the amulet wasn't retrieved by Onaga and hidden away. Not gonna spoil it here! I was also happy to rid of the scrappy, Tanya, again! I was also frustrated to have Kitana as one of Onaga's mindless followers, a kommon kliche that was later exploited!
Romance in the Dark from Black Knight OST shall play as Ermac addresses to the Edenian knights, Winning the Crowd from the same og score would follow on Kenshi, Aiko, and Ermac's objective, Staff Upgrade from Starfox Adventures would chime as they konfirm it. And Into Battle from the ReBoot soundtrack chimes when Jade and Sindel fails to fight off Kitana.
So, Part 1 was easy, but Part 2 was just sheer, utter Hell, both literally and metaphorically...