-Chapter 8: It Has Begun-
A cold, wet breeze came in off the water, stirring Mileena's hair and making her shiver. Down on the pier, the wind stirred the dirt and scraps of paper into dust devils, miniature cyclones that danced evilly among the trash and puddles.
She stood dressed in a formfitting purple jumpsuit with a black sash tied around her waist. Matching boots and gloves adorned her limbs, leaving her arms bare to reveal her crimson tattoos. All of it was intricately made and seamlessly constructed, created specifically for her by the monks at the Wu Shi Academy. Her sais sat sheathed at the small of her back and a singular violet veil hung from her neck, made to be easily slipped over her lower face.
She looked more like a kombatant now, as did the rest of her fellow champions.
Magnus stood beside her, arms crossed. He was dressed in robes of leather, with thick metal braces strapped to his forearms while fur adorned his shoulders and and shins. He somehow appeared even broader in stature when dressed in these custom-made vestments from the Shaolin. It flowed down him, parting in a trench-coat fashion around his legs while binding the rest of his both in wreaths of leather and cloth. Much like Johnny's regular descriptions, Magnus did look like a 'modern day viking'.
His bearded axes sat at his hips and his seax knife lay sheathed behind him. His hair and beard remained unchanged (much like hers) save for a thin leather band made to hold his hair in place. Mileena liked his new look. As she had stated once before when they first began training, Magnus did clean up rather nicely.
"Lucky you getting to wear fur to keep you warm." The Outworld woman remarked, drawing her arms a little tighter around her.
"I am simply used to the winters of my homeland." Magnus replied.
With them were the rest of Earthrealm's champions, including Lord Raiden. Liu Kang was dressed in red robes arranged in a v-shape down his body that sported an intricate dragon design that swirled from one shoulder to another. Kung Lao retained his chakram hat in addition to blue robes embroidered with the bold symbol of the Shaolin. Johnny Cage, surprisingly, had swapped out for a clean white suit and matching blue dress shirt, appearing the most out of place of them all.
Sonya had changed out for a wool crop top and a pair of combat trousers, slipping a bomber jacket overtop to maintain her militant aesthetic. Her grenades lay strapped along both thighs and her power gloves had been tightly cinched in place around her hands. With knee pads and combat boots on, she certainly seemed prepare for a fight, but with her navel exposed she was even more susceptible to the cold than Mileena was. "Just hope this island is a lot warmer." The blonde muttered. "That's what I dressed for."
The monks said nothing. Raiden said nothing. All of them seemed to be anticipating what was to come, like they had some manner of foresight into the future.
A fog was blowing in off the ocean, swirling between the pilings and bollards of the pier, wrapping itself around the people on the dock. The mist was thick and white, like a cotton blanket, but with an oddly luminous quality. The wind rose and the fog streamed in from the sea faster and faster, like a white river. And in the midst of the fog came a ship.
Sonya could make out the details of the ship's construction. This wasn't any ordinary craft. Built like a typical Chinese junk, it was far larger. Even from her location on the roof of the warehouse, she could hear the creak of the vessel's rigging, the flapping of its sails.
But that wasn't the strangest thing about the ship. The junk wasn't showing any lights. The sails were tattered. Water was pouring from the deck as if the whole ship had just been raised intact from the bottom of the ocean. A tangled mass of seaweed covered the prow, and the hull planking was warped and encrusted with barnacles.
The ship made straight for the pier, even though no sailors were visible on deck, and came to an abrupt halt when it reached the landing.
"That ain't eerie at all." Johnny remarked.
"There's a name," Sonya noted aloud. "On the sternboard... 'Dragon Wing'." Almost at the same time she spoke the name, a gangplank thrust across from the deck of the hulk, hitting the pier with a dull thud.
"Come aboard. This will take us to the island." Raiden invited, moving first with Liu and Lao right behind him. The others followed suit, Johnny Cage somewhat regretting his choice of attire. The gangplank was slippery underfoot. Once his hand brushed the manrope at its side and his skin crawled; the rope was wet and slimy to the touch.
The fog had concealed the true size of the vessel. It was huge. Setting foot on the deck revealed enough room for fifty people to stand abreast with space to move their arms freely. Mist swirled around them, continually feeding the champions an ethereal eeriness the more of the boat they took in.
The ship shuddered slightly under their feet, and the wind stirred as it veered. The notable roll underneath their feet indicate the vessel was underway, departing with them alone... the ones chosen for Mortal Kombat.
Mileena leaned against the forward bow railing, watching the seas with a distant look in her eyes. Magnus joined her, saying nothing but keeping her company with his presence. She appreciated his demeanor, something which had been growing as the days went by. Ever since she first confessed her feelings for him, they had grown closer both relationally and intimately. Mileena fondly recalled the night before and how he kept her in the throes of pleasure for many hours. 'Should we both survive this, I would like nothing more than to do as he's suggested and continue to explore the depths of our new relationship.'
Much further aft, Raiden stood stoically with Liu Kang and Kung Lao by his side, watching as his champions settled into quiet postures for the ride to the island. The thunder god could sense the emotions and thoughts of all of them, but most prominent were those of his students. Having spent all of their lives in preparation for Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang and Kung Lao were the most focused on the coming task... and the most concerned.
"Worry expends energy for no reason, Liu Kang." Raiden said aloud.
"Forgive me, Lord Raiden." The monk proffered quietly. "It's just... this is it. The tournament we have only ever heard about is upon us. Now we have to do something about it, instead of just talk about it."
"I can't help but wonder if we'll succeed. Earthrealm depends on the six of us..." Kung Lao continued, his words echoing the thoughts of his cousin. Raiden could sense the inadequacy he felt, both about his own skills and about those of his fellow champions.
"You see only what is in front of you, Kung Lao. But your eyes deceive you." Raiden stated. "Sonya Blade is a most formidable warrior. She has had to prove herself against many who thought of her as nothing more than a weak girl. She is anything but." He described. "Johnny Cage's concern for himself will keep him alive until he finds something more to care about. Something greater than himself to live for."
"It is not the others that concern me, Lord Raiden." Kung Lao quietly admitted.
"Then have faith that I believe in you, Kung Lao. You must choose to believe in yourself." Raiden replied. Silenced took over again until Magnus rose from his spot near the bow and moved aft, approaching the trio.
"Lord Raiden. This island... where is it located?" He asked.
"Beyond the fabric of the realms."
"Then how is it warriors from other realms can travel there? Is there a portal?" Magnus questioned.
"In a way. The realms exist within similar positions to each other. But every realm has a singular location where the fabric of realities is thinner and allows for a certain amount of crossing- over." Raiden replied.
"Wait... All of the realms?" Kung Lao asked. Raiden nodded.
"Yes. Seido, Interria, Kaikan, Outworld, Ichoria, Nephyrtia, Earthrealm, even the Netherrealm." "I shudder to think what might happen if that fabric tore completely." Mileena murmured, having joined them.
"That is unlikely to happen. Only in the instance of two realms merging can the fabric of reality ever tear. Portal travel is the only means for other realms to interact with one another." Raiden said.
Johnny Cage suddenly recoiled from where he stood, shocked by the sudden appearance of a massive sea serpent swimming alongside them. "What in the-?"
"Stay in the vessel. It is under Lord Raiden's protection." Liu Kang cautioned him. "Out there... is nothing good."
"Don't have to tell me twice." Johnny concurred with a shudder. He moved further onto the deck, keeping his distance from the railing. "I don't mean to be that guy, but, uh, are we there yet?"
"We will arrive in due time." Raiden assured him. Suddenly a shadow fell across the boat, wrought from an object far greater looming over them. Sonya was the first to see it, taking a few steps back from the railing in order to take it all in.
"What the hell...?" She breathed.
It was another ship, only this one appeared to be carved from obsidian stone and cut into the shape of a screaming skull. It knifed through the water alongside them, ominously large as if a testament to those behind its construction. The very presence seemed to bring an evil malevolence to the scene, enough to make the champions of Earthrealm shiver the longer they looked.
Perched on the prow of the vessel stood a figure, robed in black with golden trim around his chest. His head was entirely covered with only a blank pair of soulless eyes to peer out above a golden mask that guarded his features. Whoever it was, he cut an imposing figure alone atop such a hellish ship.
"That must be the bad guy." Johnny remarked.
In time they discovered more boats joining them on either side, all of them travelling in the same direction, no doubt towards the same destination. With a rush of wind, the fog broke apart into scattered wisps. Then it was gone entirely, revealing Yin Yang Island in the distance. "Well, that doesn't look so bad. What's with all the rocks, though? Couldn't we have sailed from a different direction?" Johnny asked as he noted sharp protrusions jutting up from the aquamarine waves.
"In times past, this kove was abandoned and disused. Only Shang Tsung saw fit to repurpose it as the island's harbour. No doubt with the hope of some losing their lives before they could even arrive." Raiden said grimly.
"Has, uh... anyone actually died?" Johnny wondered.
The thunder god's nod was short. "Many."
They passed the rocks without issue, entering fully into the kove. The wind had died. The sea was calm and unruffled, a silver mirror that stretched out to the horizon. Dragon Wing lay at anchor in a calm bay under a tropical blue sky. The ship's sails hung limp from the yards. Its keel was steady in the ocean. Liu Kang gazed out from the prow, watching the scene as other boats docked. The monks of the island tended to each arrival, working with a diligence demanded by their order. Liu pitied them. Forced to serve under Shang Tsung while watching their realm draw ever closer to the brink of destruction.
His own thoughts depressed him, so he shifted his gaze to the white sand beach of the tropical island. Above the beach, tall basalt cliffs rose high into the air. They towered what seemed to be thousands of feet straight up into a thick layer of cloud that hovered around the place. Higher still, the basalt spire emerged again from the clouds. The summit was covered with lush green vegetation and held the ruins of an ancient temple. The white marble of the temple gleamed in the rays of an unfiltered sun.
Liu saw what appeared to be a stairway carved into the cliff. The fighters who had already landed were heading to it, and more were on the stairs, their clothing forming moving spots of color up the face of the cliff until they were lost in the distance and the clouds.
Johnny was the first on the dock as soon as gangplank was lowered, more than happy to stretch and be at ease on more solid ground. Magnus followed him. Reaching the end of the gangplank, the Njordborn turned as Mileena descended and held out his arm. "An escort, princess?" He asked politely. Mileena smiled. 'Always nice to be treated like one, even though I'm not a princess anymore.'
"Thank you, my prince." She replied, accepting his arm with royal grace. The two walked on, arm in arm, leaving Johnny with a look on his face as if he had just watched an episode of the Bachelorette. Then it gave him an idea.
As Sonya descended, he held out his arm. "Milady." He greeted. The blonde merely huffed and shoved past him. The actor was perplexed. "What? Just trying to be nice..." He called out in complaint, following after her with a frown on his face.
Raiden, Kung Lao and Liu Kang were the last to descend, the monks taking in everything they could of the island as words on parchment suddenly came to life. They left the docks and ascended deeper into the island, approaching the cliffs seen from the docks. Kung Lao noted a train of fighters were walking toward the cliff, and soon enough he saw that what had appeared to be a natural crack in the black stone was really a cunningly-wrought stairway leading upward. Kung Lao started toward it, in concert with Raiden and Liu Kang, and began to go up. At first the stairway led back toward the cliff in a majestic curve, the treads easy to climb. But soon the stairs took a sharp twist to the right while the treads grew narrower and steeper.
The stairway climbed steadily along, hugging the side of the cliff. The individual steps were carved out of the rock of the cliff itself, rather than being cut and assembled from dressed stones.
'I wonder how long it took to carve this.' He thought idly as he continued to climb. The stairway made a hairpin turn to the left in a switchback and became even steeper. Kung Lao was in superb physical shape, as was Liu Kang, but even he began to feel the burn of the continued physical exertion. He was thankful his hat could offer some form of protection from the sun above. The shade was keeping him going.
The Shaolin detached his mind and let it float while his body continued its regular motion. He admired the purity of the air, the warmth of the sun on his back, the delicate differences in the color of the natural stone in the stairs and the cliff. 'Hard to believe this is under the thumb of some evil sorcerer.' From ahead and behind he could hear the echo of footsteps slapping the rock, but the tight switchbacks kept him from looking far enough ahead to see the person who preceded him up the mountain. The stairway had grown so narrow that two could pass only if both turned sideways and slid past one another. No one passed Kung Lao as he climbed, but more than once he passed other kombatants sitting downcast and gasping.
Kung Lao entered a misty region and knew that he had come to the layer of clouds that surrounded the spike of rock. He supposed that he had climbed about two thousand vertical feet by now. Delicate lichens grew on the cliff here, and the steps were slippery with moss. The stairway didn't have a railing on the outer side. Kung Lao edged closer to the cliff. It would be a pity to slip now after having come so far.
The rock face here was different. The dark basalt did not appear to be carved, but odd traceries and patterns appeared in the wet stone of the cliff, sometimes looking like animals and in other places looking like the faces of men.
After a while more the mist thinned, and Kung Lao could see the tops of the clouds beneath him, blindingly white in the sun. Beyond the clouds he could see the deep blue of the sky ending with a sharp horizon line where it met the deeper blue of the sea. The stairway grew even steeper. At the point where the Shaolin was convinced that he'd have to start using his hands as well as his feet to climb, it ended. He emerged onto the top of the plateau. Kung Lao saw the top of a building ahead of him, its roof glistening gold. A shimmering gong sounded from that direction. Hot on the heels of Liu Kang and Raiden, Kung Lao turned to follow the sound.
Several hours after he began, Johnny reached the top of the stairs. His lungs felt like fire and his legs were starting to cramp up. Sweat was pouring down his face, running into his eyes in stinging streams he was too weary to wipe away.
When he saw something beside more steps in front of his eyes, he could hardly believe his good fortune. The stairway ended in a pleasant garden, full of bright flowers blooming amid statues of fighters, life-sized and carved of stone, each one standing on a tall pedestal.
"Okay... Okay... great, great... wonderful... no more stairs. Ever. Please." He gasped, doubling over to wipe away the sweat. Once he had found his second wind, he stood up and hurried after his fellow champions several paces in front of him towards a huge, gold-roofed hall visible beyond the trees. Glancing from side to side, the actor took in the massive carvings supposed to represent the great and ancient warriors from all the previous Mortal Kombat tournaments. One of the statues, a figure holding a curved sword, its head resembled a giant grasshopper, and its legs bent the wrong way at the knees.
Giving his head a shake, Johnny carried on.
They walked on in silence a little way farther, heading in the direction of the grand hall. The flowers smelled sweet. The explosion of greenery looked like it kept an army of gardeners employed full-time. The sound of drums beating in a deep rhythm swept over the garden. The sound was heartbeat-paced, the tone low. It made the air vibrate, the sound penetrating the bones of its listeners, as if the heart of the world was audible. Those fighters who had not yet passed through the garden picked up their pace and headed toward the place whence the sound originated: the Great Hall.
When they arrived, they found it to be already filled with people, and other creatures, of all descriptions. A busty woman with long brown hair stood near the door. She carried wooden darts, each painted with red enamel, their red points of another material. The darts were arranged in sheaths fitted to her forearms. Near her stood a taller man, with claws on the tips of his fingers. When he smiled, he revealed sharp fangs pointed like a cat's.
Further within the hall, other kombatants could be found that the champions recognized from the Wu Shi library; a Tarkatan messily consuming meat on the bone, a Saurian helping himself to an entire hogs head, a Vaeternian guzzling goblets filled with blood, and many more. The sound of the drums was overlaid by a babble of voices speaking in every imaginable language. "Damn. This place is bigger than a football stadium," Johnny whistled, looking around. The crowd pressed him in on every side. Thick, spicy smoke clouded the air.
"I make it about two hundred meters from here to the back wall. Maybe a couple of thousand people." Sonya grunted.
Open beams braced the roof high above their heads. From each beam hung a huge silk banner marked with the sigil of a dragon's head in an open circle. Beneath the roof beams, long balconies supported by carved stone pillars ran along either side of the hall. Musicians filled the balconies, playing drums and flutes in a weird, discordant sound. The sound of the flute made Johnny's pulse race, at the same time as it filled him with misgivings.
"This tournament is not a subtle affair." Magnus noted. He and Mileena had disentangled and were surveying the sights to their own assements.
Beneath the balconies, the walls were all made of carved stone lacework. Torches stood out from the walls and lamps hung from the ceiling beams or stood on iron stands, filling the shadowy interior with flickering light and shifting shapes. The uncertain lighting kept Johnny from noticing at first that the non-human and grotesque figures from the garden of statues were represented here in the flesh.
Mileena looked to the tables lined with food, immediately recognizing common Outworld cuisines. She couldn't help but make a comparison to the better spreads she'd been privy to in Earthrealm. 'That sultan's table in Turkey was more appetizing.' The sights, the smells, all of it served only to cement her opinion. While her taste had been acclimated to Earthrealm dining, this also reminded her of her last day in Outworld... the day she lost everything.
Raiden lifted a hand, the six champions pausing around him. "Be on guard. Shang Tsung is not to be trusted." He cautioned. The thunder god's gaze remained steadily fixed on a distant podium where an ornate Chinese-style throne was located atop two raised tiers beneath another silk banner sporting the tournament emblem. The six glanced around, as if anticipating some form of ambush...
Sonya spotted movement first. Two men dressed in black robes, one with a dark blue over-mantle and one with bright blue, both with full-head masks also in black, emerged from the throng of otherworldly kombatants. They led two others in similar robes, although theirs sported red and yellow trim instead of solid colours, with their faces exposed. One was definitely Asian while the other seemed African in origin, his dreadlocks pulled back and tied together with a band.
She recognized the garb: ninjas, the secret master assassins of feudal Japan. One of the ninjas stood in front of the little group, the rest behind them.
She narrowed her eyes, noting how they moved purposefully... towards them.
"Twelve o'clock. Possible trouble." She announced aloud. Raiden had already noted them. "Always the soldier. Evaluating the risks." He mused. "However, your concern is not warranted in this instance." With that, he strode forward and met the cloister of ninjas head on. They paused before him.
"Lord Raiden." The leading ninja in blue greeted, plowing respectfully with one arm crossed over his chest.
"Bi-Han." The thunder god replied, bowing in greeting. "I was unaware the Lin Kuei were sending participants."
"Grandmaster Arctika would not sit idly by while the fate of the realm is decided." Sub-Zero responded.
"He sends the four of you?" Raiden questioned.
"And some initiates. But we will champion the Lin Kuei." Sub-Zero answered. "My allies; Hydro," the bright blue ninja bowed as he was introduced, "Sektor," the red-shaded ninja crossed his arms and held himself with a haughty disposition, "and Cyrax." The yellow shaded African crossed an arm over his chest in the classic Lin Kuei salute.
Raiden's champions approached from behind. "You gonna introduce us?" Sonya wondered. Raiden stepped to the side and gestured to the ninjas.
"This is Sub-Zero of the Lin Kuei. They are here to fight on behalf of Earthrealm in the tournament." Johnny arched a brow.
"Then how come they weren't training with us?" Sektor scoffed.
"You are not Lin Kuei. You would only hinder our efforts." He sneered. Kung Lao took offence to that.
"Hey! We are more than-"
"We're trained differently." Sub-Zero stated gently, attempting to head off tempers before they could rise too far. "It takes years to master our ways." That seemed to settle things and the elder Lin Kuei looked back to Raiden. "I wish your champions luck in the tournament." He
offered, bowing politely before he led the others away. Raiden paused, studying them for a moment longer.
"Alright, I'll bite, who were those guys?" Johnny questioned.
"The Lin Kuei are a centuries-old clan of assassins who have been blessed with a generational arcana in the form of Kori: a command over ice." The thunder god explained.
"So... good guys or no...?"
"They will fight in the name of Earthrealm, but do not count upon them for aid in kombat."
"So... anti-heroes. Gotcha."
A sudden frantic drumming silenced the crowd. The drumbeats came faster and faster, building to a constant roll as the attention of all was drawn towards the dais at the end of the hall. The six champions approached cautiously while others stood and flocked towards the very edge of the throne. A cortege of black-cowled monks was stepping up to the right of the dais. They clapped on hand-cymbals as they came, the jingling sound loud in the silenced hall. Behind them, in stark contrast to their dark attire, emerged three women in brightly coloured form- fitting clothing too ornate to be considered dresses yet too rich to be anything less.
Mileena stifled a gasp. She knew them.
Leading the ensemble was Princess Kitana, dressed in blue short-sleeved cropped dress top and leggings that matched the same sapphiric blue. Her gloves and boots were trimmed by spiked metal adornments while the lower half of her face was concealed by a blue veil that gave her an exotic appearance.
Behind her walked her bodyguards, women Mileena knew of in name only. Tanya was dressed in a black-yellow unitard with thigh-high boots and elbow-length gloves, her attire decked in dark straps that kept the cloth together while showing off her muscular thighs, hips and shoulders. Twin spiked tonfas rested on her hips and a naginata spear had been slung across her back. Jade, meanwhile, lived up to her name dressed from head to toe in shades of green. Her attire was more conservative than Tanya's in the form of an ornate sleeveless top (with a plunging neckline) and curve-hugging emerald leggings ending in spike-heel boots. Her arms were coated with golden bands and clasps while the handle of a collapsible Bo staff could be seen dangling from her hip. Like Kitana, she also wore a veil to conceal her face, the cloth of her veil the same shade as her piercing green eyes.
In the briefest of moments, Kitana's roaming eyes picked out Mileena amongst the crowd and she was briefly surprised to see her 'long-lost sister' standing among the champions of Earthrealm. Her surprise dissipated shortly, replaced with a hardened look as she realized the truth, a single deafening thought surging through her mind,
'Traitor.'
"Woah... who's the babe patrol?" Johnny wondered, lifting his shades to view the trio with his own eyes.
"That is Princess Kitana and her Umgadi bodyguards." Raiden answered. "She is the daughter of the Emperor." Johnny blanked.
"Good luck getting his permission to do anything." Magnus ribbed.
The three women took their places around the throne and waited. A flash of green light erupted in front of the chair, slowly taking the appearance of a man. With a ripple, layer after layer of bone, flesh, muscle and skin were wrapped around the unholy appearance until the light faded, revealing a singular figure who stood unabashed before them all.
His face looked surprisingly young for the air of command he assumed, not to mention the grey fu manchu adorning his lower face. He wore the richly embroidered silk robes of a mandarin. His deceptive appearance belied a hard body, his mouth was cruel. His eyes scanned the throng as they gave him their attention... they were dark, deep and dark, with fire burning far away within them.
Demon eyes.
Magnus stiffened visibly as he laid eyes on the newcomer. His hands clenched and despite the warm air, he felt a chill. This was Shang Tsung. The man who had killed his tribe and taken his family from him. He would've lunged for him right then and there, drawn his axes and hacked into the man with all his might had Raiden not laid a hand on his shoulder, silently urging him to be still and patient.
The sorcerer took a step forward. His eyes swept the hall. Wherever his eyes glanced on an Outworlder, that creature bowed, whether in deference or fear none could be sure. The Earthrealmer's felt a cold shudder run down their spines as the dark eyes with the flames at their bottoms swept over them.
If the Great Hall had been quiet before, it was utterly silent now.
He opened his arms in greeting, "Welcome kombatants!" Shang cried out, his voice echoing in the rafters. His voice was deep, an unknowable power behind it. The sound made some flinch. "I am Shang Tsung! Host of the tournament and emissary of the great Outworld Emperor, Shao Kahn. You are here to compete in Mortal Kombat, the greatest of all tournaments. You should be proud! Each one of you has been chosen for your excellence, your skill, and your courage! You are the best fighters of your generation, worthy to represent Earthrealm..." Here Shang paused and allowed his eyes again to sweep the hall. "...and the Realm of Outworld!"
Echoing cries from excited warriors filled the hall as Shang fell silent. Pitched howls, guttural war cries, to some it seemed like kombat would break out here and now. But with a commanding wave of his arms, Shang restored silence to the hall.
"You participate in the most important Mortal Kombat in history!" Shang said from the high dais, his voice filling the hall, "This tournament, the tenth after nine straight Outworld victories, will determine Earthrealm's fate. Those who prove themselves will face one final challenge... me." He smiled with a serpent's guile, as if some hidden meaning precluded him from telling anything more and he relished in knowing such secrets.
Magnus hardened. 'If that is what I must do, so be it.'
"It is a great honor for you to face the finest fighters of two worlds," Shang continued, his voice growing louder, his words faster. "Some will even have the privilege of fighting Prince Goro, the reigning champion!" The emperor's sorcerer turned his eyes to where the Earthrealm contingent stood in stoic silence. "You in particular," Shang said, lowering his voice, moving his hand to take in all of them, "are all witnesses to one of the great turning points in the history of the earth. Treasure these moments," he urged with a vile smile, "as if they were your last."
The drums and flutes began to make a strange, discordant music, low at first and growing louder. The sorcerer took his seat on the throne.
"Now, as host of this tournament, I think it only right that I provide you with some... entertainment." Shang decided. The drums rolled. Shang clapped his hands. From the far doors of the hall two huge Outworld soldiers began to pace forward. They wore strange exoskeletal armor and helmets of bone which covered the entire head and face, leaving only the eyes visible. In one hand they held lances of steel with heads carved in the shapes of dragons. In their free hands they held the burly arms of a man, dragging him into the light.
It took Sonya half a second to recognize him. Dark skin, full head of hair and beard, dressed in faded army fatigues with an American flag wrapped around his sizeable right bicep. Her eyes shot open wide.
"Jax!"
She bolted, shoving past other warriors as she made a beeline for the dias, faster than Liu Kang or Raiden could stop her. Sonya sprinted straight towards the open platform... only to suddenly collide with a magical field that reacted to her presence.
Flung back to the floor, Sonya picked herself up with a groan, shaking blonde locks from her gaze as her eyes turned to mee those of her CO. "Jax... Hang on, Jax!" Back on her feet, Sonya pounded the invisible barrier with her fists, earning an amused chuckle from Shang Tsung. "Listen here, you sonnuva bitch! You better open this... whatever this is!" She demanded. "Or I'm gonna use your ass as my own personal punching bag!"
Another chuckle filled the air, coming this time from an upright Jax. "Princess." He greeted, meeting Sonya's gaze.
"Asshole." She retorted with a frown. "I told you to wait for me, now I've got high command all over my ass for going AWOL after you."
"I appreciate the effort. But you know I can handle my own." Jax replied. The Major then turned and shot Shang Tsung a glare. "Now unless you want me to rip that pencil-thin moustache off your scrawny ass, I think it's best you let me go, old man!" He threatened.
"But of course, Major Briggs." Shang Tsung replied, calm and obliging. "You are free to leave at any time. The doorway... is right there." His hand gestured to another door opposite to the one he had been dragged from. As if on cue, it slid open to reveal an impenetrable darkness...
A darkness suddenly lit by crimson eyes.
"But perhaps, you'd rather choose a different way out," Shang continued with a simple smile, "perhaps through participation in First Kombat."
The crowd began to chant, their voices low but rising in volume as more and more picked it up. It was one singular word. A name.
Goro. Goro. Goro.
Liu Kang looked to Raiden, his expression in stark contrast to the eager bloodlust displayed by the crowd. "Goro?" Raiden's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, watching vigilantly.
From the doorway emerged a behemoth, twice the size and height of Jax. Two-toed feet passed through the magic barrier as Goro ascended to the dias. "Behold, Outworld's champion and victor of Mortal Kombat! Blood of the Shokan, borne of dragons, victor of the Tervarian Plains... Prince Goro of Kuatan!" Shang announced.
The giant of a man wore a cape of red fur around his massive shoulders. Long hair pulled into a ponytail flowed from his otherwise bald head, falling far down to about the level of his shoulders. His golden earrings sparkled in the light.
He flexed and cast off the cloak. Goro was wearing only a simple leather loincloth supported by a golden belt. He raised his hands... and then he raised two more arms. Studded bracers of worn metal and leather adorned all four of his wrists. Raising his arms to the escalating chant of the crowd, Goro loosed a bellow that shook the room.
Having never seen Goro in the flesh before, the champions of Earthrealm were slack jawed by his true appearance. "The Wu Shi murals don't do him justice." Magnus determined.
"How the ever-living hell are we supposed to overcome that?" An incredulous Johnny wondered.
"No one has overcome Goro." Mileena replied, sounding doubtful.
"No one... yet." Raiden said simply.
Goro pounded his fists into his palms, cracking two sets of knuckles on his three-fingered hands. Jax put up his fists, prepared for a fight. "No! Jax, get out of there!" Sonya begged him, blue eyes wide with worry.
"Relax, kid," her commanding officer replied, "monster or not, I'm not a heavyweight champion for nothing." Settling into a boxer's stance, Jax shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet, sizing up Goro. "Alright, ugly. You wanna dance? Let's dance." As he finsihed speaking, Jax wound up and delivered the mother of all blows right to Goro's midsection. Any normal man would have doubled over with bruised organs and fractured ribs from such a blow...
But Goro was not normal, or even human... and did not flinch.
Realizing his sudden misfortune, Jax poured on the power, drilling Goro's eye-level abs with lefts and rights over and over again. But all he got out of the Shokan was a chuckle. "Going to tickle me some more, are you?" The Shokan's voice was deep, his tone incongruously cultured. Jax blanked, not knowing what to do.
That's when Goro struck.
A single punch sent Jax flying across the room, all two-hundred and sixty-one pounds of hardened army veteran pitched across sixty feet where he slammed into the other end of the magical barrier. The crowd hooted, cheering on the Shokan with ravenous looks seeking wanton violence. Shang Tsung reclined in his throne, knitting his fingers together as he took in the display.
Goro laid into Jax with all the power and might a Shokan could possess, chasing the Major from one end of the dias to the other as he beat him black and blue with punch after punch. Jax was seeing double, struggling to stay steady on his feet as blood spilled from his nose and mouth. Yet still Goro battered him. Merciless, reckless, the embodiment of Outworld's savage cruelty. Sonya's cries and pleas fell on deaf ears, drowned out by the cheers and shouts of of too-invested kombatants.
"Really, Goro. You shouldn't play with your food." Shang Tsung teasingly chided. The Shokan loosed a grumbling chuckle.
"As you command, sorcerer." He answered.
With two hands he lifted the limp Jax off the floor. With two more he gripped the Major's arms and spread him wide open. Then he began to tug.
Jax loosed a cry, trying to fight back as an unbearable amount of pressure was forced upon his limbs. He was weak and struggling, and the pain was constantly growing. Sonya watched in
wide-eyed horror as Goro cackled, savouring Jax's agony as he continued to pull. "Stop it! You'll kill him!" She shrieked.
"That's the idea." Shang Tsung said, still smiling. "Goro... finish him."
First came the pop of his shoulder joint being plucked from its socket. Then came the visceral visual of sinew and tendons tearing beneath flesh, like watching a piece of paper be ripped in two. Veins blossomed brightly under flesh as Goro continued to pull, dark skin growing redder and redder to the tune of Jax's escalating screams.
And then, with a sudden flex of Goro's arms, muscles tore, flesh ripped asunder, and blood spilled liberally as the Shokan tore Jax's arms clean off.
"NO!" Sonya screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks as Goro held the severed limbs aloft like trophies while throwing a bloodied Jax to the floor. Shang Tsung applauded quietly, hands tapping together in an almost regal manner.
"Holy shit!" Johnny Cage cried from the sidelines. "He... He just ripped off his arms like it was nothing!"
"Such barbarism!" Kung Lao gasped. Mileena and Magnus were silent but watched with mouths open in shock.
"Surely we must do something, Lord Raiden." Liu Kang stated, only to turn and find the thunder god was gone.
Back on the dias, Goro threw Jax's arms aside and closed in on the fallen Major, seeking to finish what he had so gruesomely started... until a sudden burst of lightning interrupted his advance. Both Goro and Shang Tsung were blinded, the observing kombatants recoiling as deafening thunder filled the room.
"ENOUGH!" A voice rolling like the thunder in the hills commanded.
Materializing within the lightning, Raiden stood tall, swelling with divine power as he flexed his godhood for all to see. The light dissipated and a fresh silence took the room as everyone watched the God of Lightning face down Shang Tsung.
"You forget yourself, Lord Raiden," The sorcerer said smoothly, although his expression had been twisted into a frown. "You are not to interfere in the tournament!"
"I was unaware that parading around your sideshow freak marked the beginning of the tournament." Raiden retorted, his voice harsh and commanding. With focused care he knelt beside Jax, conjuring enough electrical magic between his hands to bathe the stumps of his arms. One by one they were healed, wounds cauterize and closed to ensure Jax would live another day.
Shang Tsung rose from his throne. "You test me, Lord Raiden." He hissed, using the title mockingly. "This is my island. You have no dominion there."
"My domains are well known to me, sorcerer," Raiden stated, suddenly jerking his head in Shang's direction to reveal eyes crackling with barely-contained power. "See that you stick to yours." Shang clenched his fists and gritted his teeth but made no sudden moves.
Goro did. Advancing with thunderous footsteps, he lifted his arms high to beat down the thunder god half his size. But Raiden turned, landing a single palm strike with enough force to propel Goro across the dias in a ball of electric light. The Shokan slammed into the distant wall, shattering the wooden paneling and leaving a gaping hole behind as he disappeared from view.
The audience was dumbstruck by the display of power. Raiden's strength alone would be enough to kill Goro with barely a movement... their admiration for the Outworld champion dimmed. The remaining champions remained equally impressed. Never once had they seen Raiden flex such power before. To see him in action renewed their respect for the thunder god. Raiden turned back to Shang Tsung. "Attacking Earthrealm's champions is expressly forbidden before the tournament begins... as both you and your emperor know well." He cautioned. "But seeing as the tournament has yet to commence... I am not yet bound by rules of nonintervention." He added, thunder booming overhead as lightning crackled around his fists, flowing up his forearms as his eyes blazed with divine power.
Threat recognized, Shang Tsung swallowed and made a mocking half-bow to Raiden. "My apologies... my lord. It won't happen again." The sorcerer was many things, beguiling, crafty, skillful, intellgient, even powerful in his own right...
He wasn't stupid enough to cross a god.
"I shall see to that." Raiden stated, turning back to the crowd. He started walking, letting everyone see him in all his power and might. "We are here for Mortal Kombat. Not your perverted barbarism." He chastised, his voice reverberating like thunder. The audience cowed, they parted to let Raiden walk through, many of them whispering to themselves.
If this god had found champions he deemed powerful... what chance did any of them stand? The sorcerer took his seat again, regaining his calm. His eyes surveyed the crowd and stopped short when he spied one particular individual: Mileena. He smiled faintly. The wayward daughter of the Kahn had been convinced to join Raiden's prospects? 'Fascinating.' That would be a topic for him to explore later. "I can see we're all anxious to get started." Shang said. "Good. I have determined your opponents and where on the island you will fight." He clasped his hands in front of him, channeling ancient arcana magics to envelop the hall. Glowing lights consumed the kombatants and Shang Tsung began to teleport them all to a battle royale spread across his island.
The sky burst into a roiling mass of color as the ceiling was seemingly torn apart. Streamers of light flashed above the banners, while curtains of light in violet and red pulsed across the air. Johnny thought he could see pictures in the beams and rays of light: armies meeting in battle, swords rising and falling, men screaming in silent agony.
The pulsing colors grew more vivid. Liu saw the faces of beautiful women among the unearthly shapes above and saw those faces decay to reveal the grinning skulls beneath. He shut his eyes to hold out the horror.
Green and yellow traceries shot through the sky as champions grew unsteady on their feet. Magnus swore he saw the souls of his people, family and ancestors, all of them contorted into a bitter agony wrought from the coldest depths of Hel itself.
Mileena watched as people fell upon spears and threw themselves onto their swords, all of them becoming a singular tower made entirely of bones, baled and stacked reaching high overhead.
As she looked at the blazing air Sonya saw a spreading pool of blood, and in it she saw Jax as she had before. He looked much worse. Mutilated, ripped apart, less of a man and more of a corpse. As she watched he arose, his severed throat spurting blood, and looked at her. "I'm coming for you Jax!" Sonya shouted at the phantasm.
Kung Lao saw his ancestor, tall and regal. Alive one moment, dead the next, lying in a pool of innards and blood as it lingered before his eyes. But the vision had not finished changing. It still floated and flowed, the Great Kung Lao's form changing again into the shape of Shang Tsung, the sorcerer.
He drew his eyes away as the light grew intense. There, standing on the dias, a blood red shape against blazing light, he saw Shang Tsung himself. The wind streamed in his hair, his garments flowed around him in the wind.
"From this moment forward," Shang announced, "my island will be your battleground." One by one the champions were whisked away as the sorcerer made his proclamation. "Let Mortal Kombat... begin!"