Mavado awoke on a gurney. He recognised the location as one of the labs inside the Red Dragon's headquarters in Charred Mountain. He tried to sit up, but a hand quickly found his chest and pushed him back down.
"Good morning, Mavado," the true leader of the Red Dragon greeted as Mavado's injured body relaxed back into a prone state.
"Grand Master."
"You have missed rather a lot, haven't you? Allow me to fill you in. After your run-in with that Black Dragon Kabal last year, he formed an alliance with a Chaosrealmer, who saved his life and convinced him to reform the Black Dragon. He then raided one of our facilities and killed you. Since then, he and his ilk have continued to be a thorn in our side."
Mavado tried once again to sit up, horrified by the staining of his reputation as the Red Dragon's second-in-command. Again, his master pushed him back down.
"Lie still, old friend. Your reputation remains unsullied. Your brother has been filling in for you in your absence. You never told me he was such a thespian."
The Grand Master looked off to the side as footsteps approached, Mavado's gaze following suit. As expected, Mavado's older brother, Despiado, was also present for Mavado's revival. Rather than his typical steel armour and red bandana, he was instead dressed in Mavado's style, the open coat exposing the scars he had received from Kabal's hookswords in a recent encounter. Evidently, Despiado had been playing the part of his brother since his death.
"No one but you, he and I know of your death. Even Kabal, according to your brother, is under the impression you survived your second encounter. More broadly, though, the game is now afoot."
This time, the other man did nothing as Mavado bolted upright, ignoring the pain. His brother helped to steady him. "The game? It has begun?"
"It has. Properly, this time. Blaze has re-emerged. Caro sensed it. And no doubt, Orin has awoken my brother by now. His journey will eventually lead him here. I will face him when he arrives. In the meantime, we have other matters to attend to. Shinnok is amassing an army to secure the prize. He claims he is backing me in this race, but I know him well enough to see through his lies. The Red Dragon will be a part of his army; under your command, as always. You will keep enemy and ally alike at bay, while I deal with my brother and secure the prize."
"It will be done, Grand Master."
"I know it will. That is why your return was the boon I demanded of Shinnok. Once I take my father's place, Edenia will be the domain of the Red Dragon. You, Despiado, Hsu Hao and the rest will all be handsomely rewarded for your part in securing my ascension. The ascension of Daegon, the God of Fire."
Numerous surprises were in store for those familiar with the Black Dragon in the lead-up to the battle.
First, the clan had been long thought dead since Kano's death during Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm. In truth, he had survived, and even risen through the ranks of Shao Kahn's forces in Outworld. The clan had, indeed, dissolved back in Earthrealm following Kano's departure, being kept alive only by the odd straggler until Jarek took a tumble off a cliff.
But it now saw new life under Kabal, the former Black Dragon that had abandoned the clan over a decade ago. Not only that, but the crook-turned-cop-turned-crook was now leading his new Black Dragon directly into the camp of villainous forces, flanked on both sides by his most faithful supporters, Kobra and Kira.
The other forces parted like the Red Sea as the gang entered the base, each warrior and underling preparing to attack, should Kabal prove to be a threat. His constantly changing allegiances and morals made him a difficult man to accurately pin down. For now, he seemed intent on joining this faction, not yet making a move against his would-be allies.
The crowd began parting from the opposite side as well, as another presence made itself known. "Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes."
"You've only got one."
"Technically," Kano shrugged. Like Kabal, Kano was flanked by two Black Dragons. In his case, they were old school blacks - Jarek and Tremor. "Still, at least I still got me pretty face. How's yours? From what I hear, your little cottage burned down with you in it."
"It takes more than a little fire to kill me. You should know that."
"Well, either way, I hear you kill the guy who did. A Red Dragon, I heard. He's back now, sure, but I can't stay mad at a bloke who can drag himself out of the wreckage and avenge himself on a red. An' steal his bloody coat too. It looks good on you, mate."
Kabal chuckled. "You really haven't changed at all, have you, Kano?"
Kano chuckled in turn. "Why change perfection?"
Kira scoffed.
"I hear you've been makin' waves with the Black Dragon name. Goin' for more of a vigilante thing. That... I cannot abide by. The Black Dragon stands for somethin'. Ya can't just change that."
"Please. Your Black Dragon stood for nothing. It was a group of thugs who sold out their own realm for cash, didn't even get paid, and let out its last gasping breath with a guy who fell off a cliff when Sonya side-stepped him."
"I keep telling you people, Jax threw me off-"
"No one cares, asshole," Kobra interrupted Jarek's paper-thin defence.
"You taking on high schoolers, Kabal? Not cool, man."
"You wanna fucking go, old man?"
"Fuck this, I'm going to our tent." Kira was stopped as she attempted to pass by one of Tremor's massive stony arms. "You really wanna do this, buddy?"
"I'm not letting the one other level-headed person leave me to break this up on my own."
"...Huh."
"You should keep your kids on a tighter leash, mate. This ain't a good look for either the Black Dragon or the fake one."
"You mean a leash like the one Shao Kahn had you on? Did he give you treats when you begged and rolled over? Oh, wait, the only trick you can do is play dead."
Knives were pulled. Hookswords were drawn. Machetes and hatchets were produced. Tremor's hands moved into position to create stone walls between the kombatants, but a hand on his bicep stopped him.
"Now, now. It's better to get all of this out in the open before we all march off to die for the ambitions of gods and emperors."
Kabal's attention instantly snapped from Kano to the newcomer. "You."
"Hello again, Kabal. It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm surprised you kept up this little charade even after our falling out, but I suppose- You really should think more carefully about how you go about killing me, Kabal. A broken neck means nothing, so a decapitation obviously wouldn't fare much better." Havik picked up his still-talking head from the floor and put it back on his neck, turning to face Kabal's new position as he wiped his hooksword clean of Havik's blood.
Kano was already slipping away into the crowd, Jarek following close behind. Kobra returned his weapon to its sheath and Kabal placed his hookswords back onto the magnet on his back.
"It's ironic that a Chaosrealmer is the one who stopped the chaos dead," Tremor whispered to Kira, who couldn't help but agree. She found the larger man's demeanour and way with words rather charming.
"What a shame that the conflict could not last longer," Havik mourned. "Oh, well. More meat for the grinder, yes? But I'm curious, why are you a part of our little 'alliance', hm? Kano, the Red Dragon, myself. Many enemies, yet few friends here. Have you finally awoken to the thrill of living such a dangerously chaotic lifestyle?"
Kabal said nothing, simply indicated for Kira, Kobra and the rest to follow him.
Mavado entered the Red Dragon tent, leaving his brother and Hsu Hao outside the guard the entrance. He took out a covert communications device conceived in the Red Dragon labs, designed using a combination of magic and technology. Daegon, as expected, was awaiting the arrival of His brother at the site where their paths were set to converge.
Mavado wished he could have been there himself, given how much damage Taven had done to their base beneath the mountain. Even the red dragon from which the clan derived its name had been released from captivity, and subsequently put down. But putting down Taven was Daegon's destiny, and Mavado had no right to disrupt that.
Instead, he listened to his master's commands and vowed to obey. He called Despiado, Hsu Hao and the other top Red Dragon members into the tent to discuss their leader's orders.
"The Grand Master's destiny is nearly upon Him. Our role here is to keep any interlopers from interfering with His ascension atop the pyramid. As planned, we will work alongside Shinnok's forces and covertly eliminate any who look to pose a threat to Daegon's victory - but only if the opportunity presents itself.
"It is not His edict, but we will likewise target the Black Dragon. They are splintered into two factions, led by Kano and Kabal. Despite our recent losses, we still outman both groups combined, and our glorious purpose will give us yet another edge over those godless thugs."
A roar erupted from the Red Dragon tent, like that of their once imprisoned namesake. Between Mavado, Despiado and Hsu Hao, both of the Black Dragon leaders had powerful reds desiring their agonising demise. The metaphorical Black Dragon would not be leaving this valley with either of its twin heads attached.
"I heard Kabal's here with his rip-off gang" was the first thing Tasia said as Kano's trio returned to their tent.
"You heard right," Tremor replied. "His gang is a lot bigger than I expected."
"Kabal's always had this... way of getting on people's good sides," Jarek offered. "He went from Black Dragon to cop, and they even let him stay a cop after he came clean about his past. Even Kano still wanted-"
"Alright, that's enough," Kano interrupted, blasting the cap off a bottle of beer with his eye laser and taking a swig. "Not bad. Didn't expect those hippie Edenians to know a thing about proper brewin'."
"What are we going to do about Kabal?" Tasia demanded, her old grudge getting the better of her.
"I know you and No Face were close, but don't lose your head," Tremor warned. "Or you might actually lose it."
"Yeah, he's faster than before," Jarek said in support of Tremor's warning. "Took that Havik guy's head off in the blink of an eye."
"He's dead?"
"No, Chaosrealmers can live through decapitation, it seems."
"And still keep talking."
"What, like you?"
The instant Jarek was on his feet to respond to Tasia's taunt, Kano shattered the now empty bottle on the ground. "Alright, love birds, pack it in. So, Kabal's back with his kiddie Black Dragon. So what? It don't change the fact that we're here to secure our position as top dog with a juicy payday from whichever of the bigwigs wins out. My money's on Shao Kahn, the tenacious bastard, but it could easily go to Shang Tsung or Onaga."
"Not Quan Chi?" Jarek asked.
Kano laughed. "A drongo who told Scorpion that 'I'm the one 'oo killed yer family' to 'is fackin' face? Not bloody likely! No. The Outworlders have it in the bag. So, it's on us to keep good relations with 'em. That means no instigatin' shit with Kabal."
"Ironic, after what happened back there," Tremor noted.
Kano waved him off. "That's the past. Kabal is dead to me, but not dead enough for me to risk the Black Dragon's real return on 'im. If 'e and 'is kids start somethin', well... that's a different story. We kill 'em then. Best case scenario, we get Kabal's followers to fold into the real Black Dragon an' boost our standin' even further. Kabal may have higher numbers, but we've got experience. We know exactly how to schmooze with the big dogs. We know it, they know it. They'd be stupid to not join us."
"Good plan," Jarek nodded. "But, how do we justify killing Kabal now? He's part of the alliance."
"Easy. We know better'n anyone what a snake Kabal really is. All we need is evidence, real or fabricated, that proves the fucker is a spy."
"Are we sure he isn't just taking this side because the cops and soldiers on the other side won't have him?" Tremor questioned.
"It doesn't matter," Tasia replied. "Whatever his motives, it's entirely self-serving."
"Doesn't that apply to, like, everyone in this alliance?" Jarek asked. "Especially us?"
"It does," Kano responded. "But there's that certain... honour among thieves 'ere. But if we can 'prove' that Kabal is working for our collective enemy, well... we can earn some brownie points with whoever comes out on top for lookin' out for the interests of the group, get rid of a rival and avenge No Face, and maybe get some more recruits from Kabal's band. Three birds, one stone."
"When have we ever had that kind of luck, though?" Tremor asked quietly, ominously.
"Well, that went about as well as I expected," Kira complained as Kabal and his group entered their tent and she tossed her bag into the corner.
"That Kano guy's gonna be a serious problem," Kobra added as he took a seat beside her.
"Truth be told, Kano's always had a soft spot for me. Even after I quit and went straight, he still invited me back. And even after my cover as a mole was blown, he still brought me to Shang Tsung to get me fixed up. I guess I hoped he might still feel the same way now. But as you can tell by looking at me, time doesn't heal all wounds. He's gonna be onto us. We need to be careful."
"Any luck contacting the other side?" Kira asked.
"Not yet. Stryker, my old partner, will most likely be over there. I've got no way to reach him from here, and going over there will just confirm Kano's suspicions."
"And we can't just go join the other guys?" Kobra proposed.
"No. We're criminals. We're using the Black Dragon name. Sonya Blade and her husband are the ones in charge, from what I've gathered. No way in hell is she gonna trust anyone operating under that name."
"Why the hell are we even here then? If neither side trusts us, we're just gonna get ourselves killed by trying to be a part of this."
"I hate to say it, but Kobra's right, Kabal. This is suicide."
"Staying home and doing nothing while the bad guys get the power of a god is suicide. I've seen what guys like Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung can do, even without that level of power. They'd kill us all if they were on the level of someone like Raiden. Even if we only take out one person on this side to stop 'em from getting that power, that's good enough."
"Damn. And here I thought we were supposed to just be criminals lookin' out for ourselves."
"We either leave it up to the 'good guys' to keep us safe, when the guy who stopped Shao Kahn is dead and Earth's protector god is MIA, or we come out here and do what we can to stop guys like Kano, at least. Last thing the world needs is 'King Kano' taking over Earth's underworld. I'll die before I let that happen."
"You're really serious about this, huh? Alright, I'm in. What about you, Kobra?"
"Shit, I'm not about to let you two go off and get yourselves killed. You need a savage like me to keep you safe."
"Aww, how sweet. So, what's our game plan? Blend in until...?"
"Until Kano or Mavado takes their shot. Both of 'em want me dead, and they won't hesitate to target one of you to get to me. Be cautious, and let them betray the alliance first. Unless they can prove we're working against them, they're the ones who'll come out of this looking like the traitors."
"That's a risky play. You sure about this?"
"It'll take more than Kano or Mavado to take me out. You should know that by now. And you two are tough enough to not die if they make a move against you. The rest of your guys... that's where the real worry is. They'll see you guys as peons, cronies, nobodies to kill without repercussion. But we're gonna show them what happens when you fuck with the real Black Dragon! Anyone who comes after one of us gets the full suite of dragon teeth coming down on 'em!"
"Fuck yeah!" Kobra roared, joined in by the rest of the gang.
"By the time this battle's over, there'll only be one dragon left standing. And it sure as shit ain't gonna be that decrepit old black one, or the arrogant red one. It's gonna be this one!"
Two dragons roared in challenge towards one another, while a third sat in silence, awaiting its time to strike.
The battle was off to a hectic start, the two sides charging at one another, like the Red Sea closing up once Moses was done with it. While mostly nameless, faceless nobodies at first, death was all around the fighters. And no faction managed to avoid losing dozens of their numbers for long.
Kabal did his best to keep his people alive, dashing this way and that, bashing and slicing and maiming warriors of all realms and factions to stop them from delivering decisive blows. Of course, he could not be everywhere at once, and his people were easily scattered by Tremor's gyromancy and similar such area-of-effect abilities.
While zipping around the area, Kabal came to a stop as his eyes fell on a particular battle. Kurtis Stryker, Kabal's old partner in the NYPD, now some kind of special agent for the US government, was currently engaged in a fight with a naginata-wielding man in black armour. Kabal felt like he had seen the man at some point, possibly during the conflict with Onaga the prior year. Either way, this man had the upper hand against Kurtis. Or, he did, until Kabal shoulder-tackled him away from his old friend.
"J-John?" Kurtis sputtered as Kabal offered him a hand. Kurtis took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. It was then that Kabal noticed that a few tarkatans had seen him attack one of his 'allies' to save an 'enemy'. Kurtis had his handgun out and put all four of them down with successive headshots before Kabal could even ask him to. The man had certainly gotten better as a marksman in the last decade.
"I need to go check on my team," Kabal said, realising that there may well be more that had noticed his action, but hadn't made themselves so obvious. Fortunately, the armoured guy didn't seem to have spotted Kabal at any point, now pushing himself to his feet and facing away from the duo. "Try not to get yourself killed, Kurt." Kabal zipped off, leaving Kurtis to get his second wind and turn the tables with his gun.
Kabal found Kira and Kobra doing just fine together. If anyone decided to come after Kabal's faction, they were the obvious targets. For now, though, it seemed that no one had come for them. He continued as he had been, helping out where he could, eliminating direct threats to his people and dreading the seemingly inevitable moment where one of the big dogs would expose his attack on Kurtis' opponent.
Said big dog soon made itself known as Kabal came to a stop back where he had helped Kurtis. Kurtis was still here, considerably more bruised by now, and he wasn't alone - not just the unmoving body of the armoured man, but one of the old Black Dragon.
Tasia had one of her blades to Kurtis' throat. Kabal knew the psycho bitch loved butchering cops, probably more than anyone else in the old guard. No Face, Jarek and Kano loved the kill, but they were more broad in their desires. Tasia had a real hate-boner for cops, specifically. And yet, she had a former cop at her mercy, but wasn't torturing or murdering him. No, he was a hostage. She wanted Kabal the most - he was traitor and a former cop. What more could she want?
Dashing in and knocking her back was out of the question. They both knew that. She had intentionally set this up so that she could easily slit his friend's throat before he could reach her. Unless she was distracted. But any move to cause one would also not end well for Kurtis. Kabal could do nothing, only observe and see what it was Tasia had planned for him.
"Tasia," he said, hoping to prompt a conversation.
"Kabal," she snarled, pressing her blade harder into Kurtis' neck. "I hope you weren't planning on going home with all your friends after this."
"Let's be honest here. Between me, Kira, Kobra, you and Stryker there, you're the least likely to make it out of this thing alive. The only reason you're here at all is because Kano gave you a free ride. And when you're second fiddle to fuckin' Kano, something's gone horribly wrong in your life."
"This, coming from a fucking pig?"
"Former pig, but yeah. I chose to quite the BD. I chose to become a cop. I chose to be a mole in the gang. When's the last time you chose something for yourself? I bet Kano's finally given up on me and gave the okay to come after me. Would you have done that if he hadn't given you permission?"
"Your buddy here killed No Face. You tell me."
"Did you even know No Face's name? Or are you out here, looking to avenge a guy whose name you don't know, who died a decade ago?"
"Fuck you, Kabal."
"What? You expect me to give a fuck about you or your charbroiled boytoy after what you both did to me?"
"You turned on the people who made you worth a damn. You have no one to blame but yourself. You're a traitor and you're scum."
"You're the one who bought off dirty cops. Far as I'm concerned, you're the scummiest of all, Tasia."
Tasia wound her blade back to thrust it across Kurtis' throat, only to find a dagger now lodged in her elbow. Then, a boot to the face. Then, a dagger in the back. And finally, a buzzsaw in the gut, spinning so fast that it launched blood and intestine everywhere. Kabal, unusually taking his time, stepped closer, grabbed the buzzsaw as it slowed to a stop, and tore it out across her abdomen, letting her guts spill out all over the floor. Tasia collapsed against Kabal, who held her upright as her innards stained his coat.
"You're part of the reason I ended up like this, Tasia. If you didn't pervert justice with your dirty cop buddies, I wouldn't even be here. You have no one to blame but yourself." With that, Kabal let Tasia go. She fell to the floor and continued to bleed until she had no more blood left to give.
"Bad blood, huh?" Kira asked, almost disinterestedly as she retrieved her daggers from Tasia's flesh.
"Something like that," Kabal replied as he approached Kurtis to help him to his feet. "I'm surprised you two would be up for helping a former cop."
"You're one too," Kira observed.
"And he's one of yours, ain't he?" Kobra asked. "Can't be all that bad."
"Heh."
"You sure know how to pick 'em, huh, John?" said Stryker through grit teeth.
"John?"
"I've always had a nose for good partners, Kurt. You know that."
"So, the new Black Dragon are, like, riding the line?"
"Something like that."
"Cool. What now then? No way the bad guys don't know you just killed one of Kano's."
"Nope. Our chance for sabotage and intel-gathering is over anyway. I say we just fuck 'em up in the open."
"Hell. Yes." Kobra was ecstatic, immediately grabbing a random tarkatan and punching him hard enough to dislocate his jaw.
"Alright," Kira said in a more level tone, before throwing a dagger into the face of a tarkatan that attempted to respond to the sudden attack. "Just don't get yourself killed." She pulled out her rifle and left to retrieve her blade.
"What do you say, Kurt? Team up for old times' sake?"
"Eh, screw it. Saving the world has to come before enforcing the law, right?"
"Damn right."
Mavado moved quickly through the field, slashing foes with his hookless hookswords. He had found these blades in Daegon's personal armoury while searching for replacement weapons at his master's behest. For whatever reason, the design spoke to him. Perhaps it was the lack of hooks to get caught in the flesh of his foes as he moved. He lacked the speed to tear through the flesh as cleanly as Kabal could, so this alteration to the design allowed Mavado to strike with both speed and precision.
Despiado was nearby, cutting down foes with a sword he had been gifted by Daegon. The two brothers moved quickly and efficiently, slaughtering a great many foes. But it was the Black Dragon they kept an eye on. They so desired to strike down their foes, but the timing had to be right, lest they incur the wrath of their allied factions and risk jeopardising Daegon's ascension.
"Mavado!" Despiado called, pointing his brother's attention towards Kabal, Mavado's old nemesis. He was currently gutting one of Kano's Black Dragons: the woman in purple. He then helped one of the other side's major fighters to his feet. "That's a significant act against the alliance. And if we generalise, we can leave out whom, and allege collusion between the two black factions."
Mavado grinned. "Smart move, hermano. Come. Let us declare our intent with gusto."
As soon as Kabal's two followers moved away from their leader, the two reds descended upon him and his 'co-conspirator'.
"Traitor!" Mavado roared as he lunged into the fray. He lost the element of surprise, but all those fighting around them would know the brothers were not the ones who made the first move.
Kabal shoved Kurtis out of the way and blocked Mavado's dual strike with his own blades. Thanks to the hooks, Kabal was able to slide his blades across Mavado's and pull them down sharply, dragging his shoulders and head down unto striking range. Kabal struck Mavado's face with his knee, followed by his hooks pulling Mavado's arms out wide as he refused to release his weapons, allowing Kabal to deliver a harsh kick to his chest. Mavado was sent reeling, but his brother had his back, grabbing him and stabilising in seconds.
Despiado took the next round, swinging his sword with precision, but Kabal proved too agile for his foe's blade to find its mark. Once Mavado got his second wind and rejoined the fray, Kabal began to struggle. The two brothers had trained together most of their lives. They were in-sync in a way few others were. Fighting them was akin to fighting one man with four arms that could strike from two sides, so in-tune were their movements.
Kabal managed to stay out of range with his speed, but it was clear to all three that something was about to give. Both brothers swung their weapons down over Kabal's head, but the Black Dragon leader was able to get his hookswords up in time, guarding against both attacks and catching both with the hooks. He pulled both of his weapons firmly outwards, dragging his foes' weapons past each other, knocking both of his opponents off-balance as their bodies collided. Kabal yanked their weapons down towards the ground, crouching as he did so. He then launched himself from that position, clear over their arms and weapons, clotheslining both opponents as he flew, and dragging both down to the ground.
Mavado was quick, though, using the momentum of his fall to ram his steel-toed boot into Kabal's shielded face with a surprisingly limber showing. Kabal grabbed Mavado's ankle and punched him in the knee to stun him. He then turned his attention towards the other man, just in time to avoid being punched. Kabal spun around on his back, and kicked the other man's face before leaping to his feet. Both attackers were soon on their feet as well, though Mavado was still recovering from the knee strike. All three quickly retrieved their weapons and prepared for another round.
A gunshot rang out as blood spurted from a fresh wound in Despiado's shoulder. Not far away, Kurtis stood with his service pistol drawn. The same one from his and Kabal's time with the NYPD. He opened fire a few more times, but Despiado proved fast enough to move out of the way of the shots. Once the magazine ran dry, the red dragon closed the gap and swung with his sword. Kurtis, like his opponent, managed to avoid each attack as he frantically tried to reload.
Kabal and Mavado resumed their grudge match, going blow-for-blow, neither one managing to land a strike as each man blocked or dodged everything the other threw at him. Mavado had improved his speed significantly since their last encounter, through a combination of Daegon's magic and some very focused training. He still wasn't quite as fast as Kabal, but he was certainly a match for him. And the lack of hooks on Mavado's blades made swift stabbing more of an option for him than it was for Kabal's rounded hooks.
Kurtis finally managed to get a fresh mag into his gun, and he shot Despiado three times in the chest. His armour kept the bullets from penetrating his flesh, but the impact still knocked the wind out of him. Kurtis wasn't able to finish the job, however, as other red dragons descended upon him. The expert marksman that he was, Kurtis was able to shoot down each one in quick succession.
He now had two rounds left, by his count. He was about to put that bullet in Despiado's head when a quick glance towards John alerted him to the advantage the other guy was gaining with his quick stabs. He managed to slide one blade into one of the slots in John's respirator and pulled with enough torque to rip the mask off entirely, leaving his opponent struggling to breathe.
John's opponent then locked his blades into John's hooks and used that to force the Black Dragon leader's blades outwards, his arms wide and his chest exposed for a fatal follow-up. Kurtis took aim and fired at Mavado. The bullet penetrated his shoulder, getting the attention of both other men. He had one round left and he had excellent aim. The next shot, into Mavado's head, was already lined up.
Blood erupted from Kurtis' chest, alongside a long, ornate blade. Despiado, slightly taller than the former officer, stood behind him with the blade still in his hands. Mavado grinned as his brother took the life of his nemesis' partner, knowing this would hurt him more than any wound Mavado could ever inflict.
"You do not shoot my brother, pendejo," Despiado growled into Kurtis' ear as he twisted the blade to inflict as much pain as possible, ripping the wound wider and bringing Kurtis closer to death by the second.
Kurtis' eyes met John's for a moment. Kurtis smiled knowingly, telling his old friend that it was okay. He then placed the barrel of his service pistol into his mouth, leaned his head back, and pulled the trigger. Despiado's face was covered in Kurtis' blood and brain matter, but he never had the chance to recoil in disgust as the bullet tore right through his skull, front to back, and left both men's skulls equally ruined. The two collapsed into a lifeless heap, Kurtis pinning his Red Dragon foe to the ground in some kind of Pyrrhic victory.
Both Kabal and Mavado were deeply shaken by this sight, unable to fight or even move, transfixed by the two corpses. Their ceasefire lasted only a moment, but it felt like an hour. When the fighting resumed, both men held the other accountable for their brother's death. Blood flew as the two struck each other with their weapons in a frenzy. Neither one cared to guard against the other, instead prioritising making sure the other man paid the price in blood.
Mavado, his blades hookless, was able to repeatedly stab Kabal's torso with his swords, now that the faster man was standing still to unleash his own barrage of blows. Thanks to the hooks, swift in-and-out motions were not an option for Kabal, but the hooks tore larger wounds in Mavado's flesh as the bit down on him. Both men bled more in those few seconds than both had collectively done in their entire lifetimes.
Mavado finally plunged his two blades into Kabal's chest, spearing his heart with one, and his left lung with the other. Kabal, meanwhile, rammed his hooks through Mavado's eyes, into his brain, and tore them out through the sides, shattering the outer walls of his enemy's eye sockets. Mavado collapsed to the floor, his brain punctured and the blood too much for him to survive much longer. Then, Kabal followed suit, the two copycat blades still embedded in his chest.
Mavado lamented that he was unable to live long enough to witness his master's ascension, nor to save his brother's life. But he could find solace in the elimination of one of the two Black Dragon leaders, finally putting his rivalry with Kabal to rest.
As for Kabal, he found some satisfaction in the death of Mavado, knowing the red wouldn't get another chance after this. But he lamented his inability to save Kurtis. He could only hope that Kira and Kobra could make it out of this alive.
By the time the twin pools of blood met between their feet, both men had already passed on.
As he arrived one the scene soon after, Kano found that the traitor, the cop and the two reds were all dead. He was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to make a name for his clan, nor achieve any personal satisfaction, by killing any of them. But then, he saw Sonya Blade not too far from where he stood, cradling Jackson Briggs, who seemed to have finally lost his arms for real. While she was busy cauterising the wounds, Kano saw his chance to sneak up on her and finally put an end to that rivalry, at least.
Before he did, though, he took one last look down at Kabal's lifeless body, Mavado's blades embedded in his chest. Kano pulled the blades out, tossed them into Mavado's chest and spat on that damn, dirty red. He let out a sigh as he looked back at Kabal one last time, then headed off to let off some steam.
The battle proved a golden opportunity to both distinguish oneself and advance the agenda of one's faction.
There had been rumours that Kano had resurfaced after a decade of being presumed dead in Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm, but they had never been substantiated. That is, until Mavado and Hsu Hao saw the cybernetic cyclops with their own two eyes at Shinnok's camp.
Kano, ever the anarchic psychopath, had taken every opportunity to taunt members of the rival clan about their inability to touch the Black Dragon leader, lest their place in the alliance be forfeit - along with their lives. Were it not for Mavado's cool temperament, Hsu Hao had little doubt he would have lashed out at his fellow cyborg. After all, it was he who had made the Mongolian into one.
Some years prior to the last Mortal Kombat tournament, Hsu Hao had been in charge of Red Dragon operations in South Africa, arranging weapon deals with local warlords and militaries. Said operations were first sabotaged, then wholly dismantled by Kano and his Black Dragon thugs. This all culminated in a violent clash between the two groups, in which the bulk of both groups were wiped out.
The stand-out causality was Hsu Hao himself, having been unprepared for Kano's brutal, unrefined kombat style. And for just how hard Kano's forehead was with the metal faceplate underneath the skin. In the end, Kano had cut out Hsu Hao's heart and left him for dead. This fact had made Hsu Hao's later betrayal of the Outerworld Investigation Agency slightly more difficult after he learned that Sonya Blade's brother had suffered the same fate right in front of her eyes. But Hsu Hao was loyal to his clan, and so betray them he did.
And Hsu Hao's story was not to end by Kano's hand, as Daniel Blade's had. During that very same battle, the cyberneticist that had saved Kano's life with his implants, Dr. Richard Rotwang, had been recovered from the Black Dragon's service and coerced by surviving red dragons into saving Hsu Hao's life. He accomplished this with a prototype cybernetic heart that not only could maintain a charge without the need for an external power supply like Kano's augmentations of the time, but could also use its stored up energy to fire out a powerful laser beam from the lens that stuck out from Hsu Hao's chest.
Kano's eye had laser capability, but not nearly as strong or large a beam as Hsu Hao's. The battle of the beams would come during the chaos of the battle in the valley. Mavado and his brother made a move against Kabal, the now ousted leader of the new Black Dragon, for his murder of Mavado a year ago. Hsu Hao was then left to lead a faction of red dragons against the forces of light. But spotting Kano, separated from his fellow black dragons, Hsu Hao took his chance. He ordered his followers to clear out the nearby fighters, taking Kano on alone.
"Well... ain't this a treat," Kano mused as he and Hsu Hao were given space in a circle of kombat. "It ain't very often ya get to butcher the same man twice."
Hsu Hao had no words for his old foe. He already had his Sun-Moon Blades drawn, knowing full-well Kano's preference for knife fights. Kano enjoyed using his blades, but he also loved luring his foes into a false sense of security and then nailing them with some underhanded tactic or other.
Hsu Hao was able to accelerate the process by disarming him with the multiple edges of his own blades. This led to Kano shooting Hsu Hao's hands with his eye laser. It wasn't strong enough to break through his skin, but the burns it inflicted were certainly painful enough to make him drop his weapons.
The fight was hand-to-hand after this. That is, until Kano shot a laser at Hsu Hao's temple, knocking him off-balance and buying the coward an opportunity to get in close. He gripped the rim of Hsu Hao's chest implant with both hands and began to pull, lasering portions of the flesh that had fused to the thing to cut it out.
Refusing to allow Kano to remove his heart for a second time, especially after Jackson Briggs had done the same to him already a year prior, Hsu Hao fired up the implant's laser and began boring into Kano's exposed, hairy chest. The hair burned away quickly, in a perfect circle. Then, the skin reddened and bubbled and tore and burst and gave way to muscle that did much the same. Snow-white bone was already showing by the time Kano's lasering and adrenaline burst allowed him to pull the implant free from Hsu Hao's chest and begin lasering the wires to disconnect its weapon functions, and its life-saving functions as well. By the time this was done, a small hole had burned through Kano's ribcage and had ruptured his heart.
Both men fell to their knees, exhausted, in agony, dying. Kano pulled his head back to headbutt Hsu Hao, to give himself the last hit of their lethal confrontation. But he instead fell back into the dirt, lying motionless as his heart gave out. Hsu Hao did much the same, succumbing to his wounds as a smile spread across his lips. He had died, yes, but it had been in service to the Red Dragon, cutting down the leader of the Black Dragon that had wounded him all those years ago, and had been a thorn in Daegon and Mavado's side for so long.
And maybe, just maybe, putting an end to Sonya Blade's nemesis might just earn him some redemption for his betrayal of the woman who had already lost so much in her life to this barbaric thug.
Kano awoke on a gurney. He recognised the location as one of the Black Dragon's old hideouts. He also recognised the man putting the finishing touches on his operation. And he recognised the agony in his chest.
"G'day, Doc," he greeted jovially through gritted teeth.
"Mr. Kano," the doctor greeted cordially in his natural German accent, which had gotten noticeably thicker since last they met. He must have gone back home since then. "What would you do without my expertise?"
"Die, probably," Kano shrugged.
"Quite right. Fortunately for you, some of your cohorts reached out to me a week ago about fixing you up again. Ze price will not be cheap, but ze results will be well worth it."
"As per usual."
"Correct. To summarise, it seems one of your 'allies' in ze battle put you on ice long enough for you to be put in a meat locker in zis base. Thanks to zat, I was able to get you fixed up before you expired." The doctor took a step back, knowing Kano would want to see whatever had been done to him as soon as possible.
Conveniently, a full-length mirror was already set up nearby, allowing Kano to see exactly what the doctor had been called in for. He had expected something to be in his chest, of course, given that his heart had so obviously ruptured. But to see Hsu Hao's chest implant sticking out of him... it was a surreal sight, to say the least.
"Doesn't look half-bad," Kano mused as he looked himself over.
"Upgraded, of course. And yes, zat will be on ze bill. Your laser did quite a lot of damage to ze mechanisms, so I had to spend most of my week repairing it. Ze rest, I spent improving ze design. Here. Observe."
The doctor gripped the front lens of the implant and pulled it loose, revealing it to be a separate piece. He then took an identical piece, save the colour of the lens, from the table and shoved it into the device. The lens lit up green. As did Kano's cybernetic eye.
"As you have no doubt surmised, ze implant is now connected to your old cybernetics. It is all ze same generation, so it is quite compatible. No more external power supplies for you, young man."
Kano chuckled at the nickname. He had no idea, to this day, how old Dr. Rotwang was, but Kano was forty-six. Rotwang certainly looked older, but not by all that much. "So, what does the colour mean?"
"For now? Nothing. Purely aesthetic. My new prototype, however, will have far more features zan zis decade-old scrap. A new prototype you will help me secure funding and parts for, yes?" His tone was a playfully cheeky one, knowing full well that Kano would go for it, and caring not one bit that Kano knew it.
"I always did admire your work," Kano said as he turned back to the mirror. "You'll get yer money. An' work out an upgrade for this thing." He tapped his metal faceplate. "I want a laser as powerful as the one in me chest comin' out of my eye. I coulda' pissed through his skin faster than this thing."
"...Quite. My old tech has been far outpaced by my work with the Lin Kuei's Cyber Initiative."
"I shoulda' recognised your handiwork."
"Indeed. Now, I must rest. Keeping you alive in zis shithole with no antibiotics or anaesthetic has been a greater drain zan my captivity under ze Tekunin. Gute Nacht."
Kano was too busy admiring his now cyber green eye to notice the doctor leaving. He laughed. "You fackin' beauty."
"You're awfully chipper for a man who literally lost his heart."
"Tremor," Kano grinned as he turned to face his comrade. His jaw dropped as he saw the bright green crystals that now lined the geomancer's arms and chest. "Bloody 'ell..."
"I'm not really sure what this is either," the bigger man responded, looking over his arms. "A survival instinct must've kicked in and triggered a new ability or something. It's gonna take me a while to figure this out."
"Right, yeah. Um, can you... take any of those off?"
"I'm not risking that."
"Ey, fair enough," Kano responded with his hands in the air. "Take some time to figure this out, mate. I might be able to use this crystal stuff with me lasers somehow. And more rock types probably means more options, right?"
"I suppose so," Tremor responded, sounding a little less perturbed by Kano's greed now.
"Anyway, how've thing been while I was on ice?"
"We lost a lot of people. Tasia's gone. A lot of smaller guys you don't know didn't make it either. Jarek did, though. Somehow..."
"Kabal, 'is cop mate, Mavado and Mavado's brother are dead too. Saw their bodies meself. And the other guys?"
"None of our specific enemies bit it, no. Some of the other big names from Earth didn't make it, though."
"Shame. They ain't bad blokes, most of 'em. They just... got in me way. Still, less guys tryin' to stop us means things'll be easier on us, eh? How's Outworld?"
"Shao Kahn is dead."
"No fackin' way..."
"It's true. The Edenians got to him, apparently. His daughter's on the throne now."
"Mileena? That psycho bird's gonna royally fuck this all up."
"No if we get in her good graces quickly. I heard talk among the Outworlders at the camp before the battle. A lot of those guys didn't like her when she was on the throne for a while after Onaga. She needs allies. As long as you've not done anything to piss her off while you were over there, we have an in. Or, we could back someone else and help depose her."
"Decisions, decisions... I'll get more intel before I make one. This'll decide the future of the Black Dragon. Speakin' of which, what happened with Kabal's gang?"
"...You should come see that for yourself."
Curious, Kano followed Tremor out onto the balcony. Kano now knew where he was: the gang's black market in Siberia, based out of an old abandoned church. The upper floor was reserved for Kano and his top lieutenants, while the lower floor was filled with gambling, alcohol, wrestling, guns for sale, and all other kinds of debaucheries. Below, Kano saw a few familiar faces enjoying these activities, and a ton more he didn't know.
"Been on a recruitment drive, 'ave we?"
"Would you believe Jarek is actually very well connected back in the States?"
"No?"
"Well, he is. Managed to find a lot of new people through his black-market contacts. And then, we have those guys." Tremor pointed one massive crystalline finger to a corner in the back where a group of guys were sitting by themselves, looking rather uncomfortable in this hall of hedonism.
"Well, I'll be," Kano grinned as he spotted the blonde guy and redhead who had been with Kabal before the battle. "You got Kabal's kids in 'ere as well? I'm guessin' that was you."
Tremor nodded, making the crystals on his neck and shoulders audibly scrape together. "They had nowhere to go without Kabal. No chain of command, apparently; just a boss, two lieutenants and everyone else. So I offered them safe haven here. There's still a ton of tension between them and us, though."
"Tension how thick?"
Tremor lightly tapped Kano's steel-plated forehead, eliciting a notable ting.
"That much, eh? Alright then. Speech time."
Tremor nodded and banged his crystalline fists down onto the stone balustrading three times, like a judge demanding order in his courtroom. The large chamber became quiet, then perked up again as people realised Kano was up and about, then quietened down again.
"Alright, lads? I hear things've been hectic while I was out. But I'm up now, so let's sort out a few things. First of all, I want to address this old and new Black Dragon thing. Kabal is dead. He died in Edenia, and his version of the clan is dead."
Notably, most of the room filled with cheers. Only those in the back remained silent. Kano held up his hands for quiet.
"Kabal was a traitor, and 'e got what was comin' to 'im. But he was a good judge of character. He could recognise talent when 'e saw it. Some of you might laugh, but 'e was the one 'oo brought Jarek into the fold."
All eyes shifted to Jarek by the bar, who simply shrugged and raised his mug of beer Kano's way.
"I don't agree with what 'e was doin' with the Black Dragon name, but I know the kind of shit those guys got up to. Lots a' smugglin', thievin', killin'. All the stuff we love to do!"
Another wave of cheers filled the room. Two of the wrestlers even headbutted each other in agreement.
"So, I wanna give those guys a chance."
A murmur of concern came up after this comment.
"A chance to be real Black Dragons. No more of this 'kill the bad guys' shit. You want your fill a' bloodshed an' violence? Fuckin' go for it!"
The blond man perked up at this.
"You want to sell weapons ta' terrorists an' other fucked up bad guys? Fackin' go fer it! You wanna get back at those dirty fuckin' reds for killin' Kabal? We all wanna kill those fackin' reds!"
The redhead now seemed to reluctantly pay attention.
"We're all Black Dragon at heart. Even the vigilantes over there. So why stay divided? Hm? Why not all of us come together, put our differences aside... and let's show the realms what real anarchy looks like. Who's with me?"
A murmur of agreement filled the room.
"I said who's fackin' with me!?"
A roar filled the chamber and threatened to blow the doors wide open. Even Kabal's guys were in agreement.
"I'm gonna look into the situation in Outworld for a bit. Figure out which side we'll benefit from the most. Then, we're gonna be out there, helping the next emperor - or empress, mind - and the Black Dragon'll be back on top. Trust me, the Kahns'll pay big money for what we offer in arms, assassinations and other wicked services. An' as for the rest a' the Red Dragon?" Kano fired out an eye laser into the glass ceiling, accidentally unleashing a chest laser as well, shattering the glass and causing it to rain down on the crowd below. But Kano continued undeterred. "We're gonna get ourselves some new toys, an' we're gonna bury the lot of 'em under that mountain! This is our time now. Let's get this shit started!"
The cheers grew even louder, even with all the glass being pulled out of hair and clothes and beer glasses.
"I want you to keep an eye on Kabal's guys," Kano said to Tremor privately. "I see potential in 'em. They just need a little... breakin' in."
"You got it, Boss."
"What 'appened to the bodies, by the way?"
"Tasia and Kabal's? We recovered Tasia's. We've got her on ice until the funeral. We didn't want you to miss it."
"Cheers, mate."
"No idea where Kabal's is. Maybe the SF got it, maybe the birds did."
"Maybe a necromancer. Last thing we need is Kabal comin' back an' startin' a civil war. Get some guys on that. And get those newbies hooked on our lifestyle right quick. Get 'em so hooked, they won't even consider goin' back to Kabal if 'e returns."
"I'll get right on that." Tremor headed for the stairs, but stopped at the top. "For what it's worth, Kano, I wish we could've gotten him back on our side too." He exchanged a look with Kano for only a second, before heading down the stairs.
Kano let out a deep sigh and walked over to some crates that had yet to be sorted. Having a physical activity to do would get his muscles working and keep his mind off of things. He grabbed a crowbar and opened up the first crate he came across. Inside, he found Tasia's swords atop a bed of straw. He took them out and walked over to the wall above the personal bar for the top guys.
He spent some time fixing the twin blades to a plaque, the dried blood forever staining them as a testament to her kombat prowess and her dedication to the cause. Once the plaque was in place alongside No Face's charred, melted flamethrower nozzle, Kano returned to the crate and dug out the straw the blades had been resting atop.
Beneath this layer of straw, he found Kabal's hookswords and respirator, apparently retrieved from the battlefield as trophies. Despite his betrayal Kano took the three items, affixed them to a plaque in a skull and crossbones formation, and placed it up at the opposite side of the wall, away from Tasia and No Face's memorials. He then went over to the bar, took the cap off one of the bottles with the edge of the bar, and started a long night of drinking.
The first thing conceived for this one was the addressing of the discrepancy between Mavado's chest wounds described in "The Royal Redemption" and his actual death in "The Runner's Bonds". A brother with another tweaked Spanish word for a bad person seemed the best choice, rather than conceiving how Mavado came back in the same game and obtained new scars.
The Hsu Hao and Kano feud was conceived before that, but as a separate story. But putting all the BD and RD stuff into one story made the most sense to set up the post-MKA Black Dragon plot that I've been planning.
Kano's position and relation to the BD was the toughest part to figure out, since he's not part of the clan after MK3, but is still leading it in MKX. Working how how Kabal's Black Dragon connects to Kano's took some doing, but I got there in the end.
I think this chapter has the highest body count of named characters, with Tasia, Stryker, Despiado, Mavado and Kabal all being killed.