Wrapped in Black

The daunting view of corpses along the roads of the NetherRealm seemed to affect the minds of Shelia's underlings. She looked back as the distance between them grew. She slowed her own speed down, prompting Hydro to do the same. He looked back, noticing her reason.

"We can't left them slow us down," Hydro says.

"Chan's life is the priority," she muttered. "He needs all the protection we have available."

"If we don't reach him in time, there won't be anyone left to protect," Hydro countered.

"If his soul remained missing, we would still fight for the realms. Until the last breath." The others were catching up. Shelia mugged both of the men. They lowered their heads. Shelia sighs and speeds up. As Hydro tries to move faster, Shelia gestures for him to remain behind. Hydro frowned, but nodded in response.

"We're on the fourth plane! Six more to go before we reach the target. Don't give in to despair, reject it!" Shelia swiftly throws two ice shuriken to her left as two Oni run from behind the pillar. They slowed down as the ice spread across their torsos. Hydro reaches his hand toward his abdomen, but stops himself when Shelia looks back and shakes her head. Soon, more and more Oni appear out of nowhere, chasing after the group.

"Pick up the pace if you want to live," Hydro tells them. The other warriors push forward, panting loudly as they get closer to Shelia. Hydro pushes to keep up with the two stragglers. The Oni were too slow to catch up, but they could never be too careful with a horde giving chase.

After a few hundred yards of running, the four of them rested along a bridge. Shelia lied on her back and gazed into the dark red skies. She reminisced on the day they fought against the Brotherhood. A decade and a half felt like centuries. She never imagined that they'd be facing them again. She thought about what she'd tell him once things calm down. She betrayed him. More than once. The hectic situation in Seido didn't offer her a chance to converse with him. She couldn't help but wonder what brought him to the NetherRealm?

The girl forced her torso up as she sensed other warriors nearby. Two demons approached from the other side of the bridge. Their bodies were coated in a dark silhouette, and a bright red tattoo of the brotherhood was marked on their faces. Hydro raised his guard, standing between them and his comrades. Shelia stood to her feet and walked by his side.

"Stand back," Hydro ordered.

"I'm the lead on this mission," Shelia retorted.

"You're the one our target needs to speak to," he countered. Shelia shrugs.

"Then see to it that I don't die."

Chan arrived to the eleventh plane of the NetherRealm. The young shaolin took a clean pair of black pants he'd found along the way. He kept the rest of his clothes off to combat the heat of the realm, though it didn't help to be famished and dry mouthed. Even with the afflictions of the realm, he never felt restless as he normally would if he were still alive. He could hear the constant groans of his travel companions from behind.

"Are we near this voice yet?" Drahmin groaned.

"I told you already, we have to go further below," he said.

"How much further?" Moloch asked.

"I didn't tell the two of you to follow me," he said.

"If we didn't arrive, you'd still be a corpse—"

"I left my own chains," Chan snapped. "What is it that you're looking for?"

"Kombat!" Moloch shouted.

"Entertainment," Drahmin said.

"And FOOD!" Moloch added. "Don't forget food."

"How about a few stories?" Chan suggested.

"Boring!" Moloch groaned.

"We've had enough of hearing sob stories," Drahmin said. Chan rubbed his chin.

"There's this one game Kobra told me about called 21 Questions."

"21 Questions about what?" Drahmin asked.

"Anything regarding us," Chan said.

"We've lived here for who knows how long," Drahmin complained. "What more do we need to know about lost souls. Well, other than yours."

"No like…," Chan closed his eyes, still thinking to himself. He smiles and snaps his finger. "Your first kill?"

"My first kill?" Drahmin questioned.

"We all remember that first time," Chan said. "We've all taken one life before."

"You ask an interesting question," Drahmin said. "My first kill was an enemy on the battlefield. A saurian. Thrusted my blade right through it's heart." Drahmin took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, it survived long enough to scar my face. And it's because of that, I've always worn a mask."

"A...Saurian? And it couldn't be Reptile," Chan mumbled.

"I can still hear," Drahmin said.

"What about you, Moloch?"

"Well, I don't remember the first time I'd killed someone," Moloch said. "No matter how much I ate them, they would all just come back here."

"How unfortunate," Chan mumbled.

"What about you?" Drahmin asked. Chan frowned.

"His name was…," Chan took a deep breath. "Scorpion."

"It was you!" Drahmin shouted. "You brought him here all those years ago!"

"Is he still here?" he asked.

"When he came back, he went mad!" Moloch said.

"We were suppose to dispose of him, but someone else did it instead," Drahmin said. "But the thing is, only part of him died that day. The rest of his soul was spirited away from this place. It's likely that he's alive."

On the next floor of Shinnok's Spire, Subzero and his team cleared out the opposing forces. Many of the creatures were stuck to the spikes along the walls of the room. Unlike before, the demons would arrive.

"Grandmaster!" Asher shouts. "That reading earlier."

"Yes," Subzero said. "It was him. He's close."

"How many more floors do you think it'll be?" Smoke asked.

"Two," Asher said. "Once we clear the next floor, we'll be heading to the top of the spire. That's likely where he's fled to."

"We can't go on like this," Smoke said. "If demons are up there, they'll be more prepared than the ones below. We barely handled this group with the remaining warriors we have."

"The mission must go on," Subzero said.

"I know," Smoke responded. "I know it's too early, but—"

"It is dangerous," Subzero said.

"It's the only way," he responded. "Asher and I are the only ones without major wounds. And with our...enhancements, we're too compromised to finish this mission alone." Subzero groaned in frustration. He nods to the man.

Smoke pulls out a small stone with red markings drawn on it. He slams the stone on the ground, causing it to shatter. Suddenly, a portal of fire appeared from the ground. The other members of the Lin Kuei stepped back. Suddenly, six warriors lept from the portal. Hanzo gesters his hand over the portal to close it. He stands tall while his five allies stand around him, fully prepared to fend the others off.

"Who are we...wait…," one of them said. The girl relaxed her stance as she observed Subzero. "We were summoned by the Lin Kuei?"

"Usagi!" Hanzo shouts. "Mind your tongue." The girl bows and stands down.

"Scorpion," Asher muttered.

"You may call me Hanzo," he said.

"Hanzo Hasashi," Subzero called, "I do not treat your aid so casually."

"I understand," Hanzo said as he shook the warrior's hand. "We'll lead. Watch our backs."

"So, the Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu have truly brokered a truce after all," Smoke commented. Scorpion nods.

"Our masters are no more. We can push for a different future," he says as he looks at his underlings. Smoke folds his arms.

"Alright," he says, "let's see you put that into action, shall we?"

"That, we shall," Hanzo agreed.

End of Chapter 30

Very short author's note. At the time of this writing, I do anticipate the next chapter to be a much longer chapter. The good news is that parts of that chapter are already done, hence why it's still scheduled to be released on Tuesday. As always, things can change, but if it does release on Tuesday as planned, I highly anticipate this arc ending before Mortal 1 Kombat is released. There are six chapters remaining in this arc, all but one chapter is partially done in some form or another. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

(Upcoming—Fire & Ice)