Chapter 28: Truths Revealed
A portal opens inside the Special Forces Base. The Cage family, Jade and the soldiers come running through it as fast as possible. The family gasps for air. The twins from killing a lot of undead, with Flora tired from making another portal. And Alex and Cassie from fighting Shao Kahn and Mileena.
"H-holy shit. That was f-fucking instense as hell." Flora said, still catching her breath.
"You're telling me. Those undead creatures were like a bunch of rabid dogs born in the Netherrealm itself." Anthony replied.
"Did we get it? Is it safe?" Flora asked, referring to Alex.
"It's right here." Alex holds up Earthrealm's Kamidogu. While Anthony and Flora look at it in amazement, Cassie shivers. While she hated feeling its power within her blood and heart, she is at least relieved that her husband chose not to use it on himself. The last thing anyone would want is for someone who's half elder god to be under the influence of blood magik.
"The last Kamidogu." Cassie replied, gesturing to her shoulder. Alex quickly notices the wound.
"That bitch with the teeth is gonna fucking pay for that. Next time, she's gonna lose all of her teeth followed by her damn tongue." Alex threatens to kill Mileena.
"You may have to get in line for that. That will be the last time she will do that." Jade replied.
"I've been through worse. Nothing compared to what I've been through because of Geras and Cetrion." Cassie remembered her time being their prisoner.
"We need to make sure this thing is safeguarded at all times. The last thing we need is someone to sneak in and steal it." Alex suggests.
"I agree." Anthony comes up. "How long do we have to hold on to it?"
"I think it might be best to wait until we hear back from Fire God Liu Kang and maybe even that Taven guy. They should know what to do with these things." Flora said.
"Good idea, Flora. They as well as Kitana, Sindel and Fujin know them best more than anyone else around the realms." Cassie supports them. Flora quickly notices Cassie's wound and feels worried.
"Maybe there is something I can do about that. Maybe use my powers to heal it." Flora offers her help before turning to her dad. "If you could show me with your permission." Flora asked and her father nods.
"Go meet us there. I need to talk to your father." Cassie tells them. Anthony and Flora nod and head to the medical center. This leaves Cassie alone to talk to Alex.
"I will accompany them." Jade smiles at Cassie and she nods. She could tell Jade is really fond of the twins and wants to grow attached to them. Cassie looks at Alex.
"What's wrong?" Alex asked her.
"It's just that… ever since we've been hunting these things, it reminds me more and more of the trauma I've been through. Knowing what the Kamidogu are capable of, and based on what Liu Kang told us, and what transpired in the Old Era. It scares me. What if this fails? What if we end up going into an endless cycle. Raiden helped change history, but what if Liu Kang may be forced to?" Cassie expresses her fear greatly.
Alex listened with great understanding and can tell by the tone in her voice and fear in her eyes that she isn't wrong. Given how dangerous Blaze is, they know that they have to come up with a plan to make sure the same mistakes don't happen again, and to make sure that Armageddon does not come like it did before.
"I get what you mean, sweetie. I really do. Based on what Liu Kang told us, it makes my heart beat faster out of what we might face. And what makes it worse is that Shao Kahn is involved. I remember telling you hours ago about Raiden." Alex said to her.
The day after the funeral for Kabal, Alex told Cassie about him talking to Raiden's spirit. And that Raiden told Alex that he asked the latter a favor. And Alex feels now is the right time.
"What favor did he ask you to do?" Cassie asked. Alex comes closer and puts his hands on her shoulders.
"He wants me to gather everyone. Us. Takeda and Jacqui, Vera and Satoshi. The current Monks and Lin Kuei. All of Outworld, all of Edenia. He says that we play a very important role. They all want to hear this. Do you trust me?" Alex tells her. Cassie smiles and replies by giving him a kiss.
"Forever and always." Cassie smiles and blushes.
"Let's get you healed up first." Alex said. Cassie smiles more and can't help but smile at him. Alex notices this. "What?"
"You actually fought Shao Kahn and won. They also need to hear about that." Cassie jokes, making Alex snicker. They hold hands as they make their way to the medical center to show Flora how to heal others with her own powers.
In the Netherrealm, Shao Kahn and Mileena return empty-handed after their fight against Alex and Cassie. Despite losing the fight and Earthrealm's Kamidogu, Shao Kahn remains confident. So does Mileena. But the question is where will they go from there?
A green portal opens right in front of the throne room. Shao Kahn and Mileena enter through. The other villains see that they return empty-handed without the dagger in their hands. "Shao Kahn. You return without the dagger, I see." Daegon points out.
"Alex Cage was even more powerful than I thought. Not bad for someone who is half elder god. The battle was satisfying despite the loss." Shao Kahn said.
"But you lost the Kamidogu. How do you expect us to move forward from here?" Rain mockingly asked. This only earns him a sai to the shoulder and knee by Mileena. Rain grunts in pain.
"I do not see you doing anything useful, Rain! All you did was find us the last dagger and get defeated by a child who is nowhere near your age. So you best not mock my father one more time!" Mileena angrily glares at him.
"Shao Kahn always has a plan, win or lose. Do you not?" Daegon asked.
"Indeed. We have the Kamidogu of the Netherrealm, Edenia and Chaosrealm. Our enemies have the ones from Outworld and Earthrealm. One of them has the dagger from Orderrealm." Shao Kahn said.
"Ah yes. A nasty one indeed. I assume it will be a plan that will involve a lot of spilled then?" Havik asked.
"Correct, Havik. It will involve all of us, including the Black Dragon." Shao Kahn replied.
"As well as Dairou and Darrius. But they are currently captured by the Shirai Ryu. They are important if we are to succeed." Daegon said.
"My master. I believe I can help." Tessa steps up. "Based on what the Red Dragon has told me, they are being held by the master himself and his wife. Lord Mavado has told me about it. I have an idea about it. A hostage exchange."
"Hmm. I like the way you think, Tessa. Whoever you tend to use as your hostage, make it personal for them. They will be forced to hand over Darrius and Dairou." Daegon orders her.
"I will make sure it will be personal. They will pay for what they have done. I have a score to settle them." Tessa said in anger.
"Go. Do what you must." Daegon said with confidence. Tessa bows her head to him and leaves. She looks down at the pendant one more time as she continues walking. As she leaves, Shao Kahn turns to Reiko and Reptile.
"Have you two done your parts in Outworld and Edenia?" Shao Kahn asked.
"Yes, my lord. They didn't suspect a thing. We needed their attention and drew them away. It will be too late for them to figure it out." Reiko tells him.
"Good. I know what they plan on doing next. Their confidence will be their downfall. They will be wide open and defenseless. Contact Mateo and tell him I wish to speak to him." Shao Kahn orders.
The moon was full and bright up in the night sky. Many grown villagers in the Shirai Ryu continue to thrive in peaceful times. New families have continued to grow. Children having fun and playing before going to sleep. Other people prefer to train for their clan. Takeda would normally tell everyone not to overwork themselves, but nonetheless sees their fighting spirit. Hanzo taught Takeda the same lesson and would often help advise him.
In Takeda and Jacqui's home, the latter is training hard. She retains her skills from her training with the Special Forces. But she has since received extra training since she became a full-time member of the Shirai Ryu. She learned how to use twin daggers with help from her husband. While Cassie uses a switchblade and Alex uses a staff, Jacqui preferred defensive close combat. She continues to swing them at plenty of sandbags and wooden dummies with them and swings at every parts of their bodies. Jacqui catches her breath as she looks at how fast she cut down everything around her. Jacqui sighs in satisfaction…. Until she hears the sound of stomping leaves and throws her dagger behind her.
Jacqui's dagger stops in mid-air. Takeda lifts two fingers in the air and controls it with his telekinesis powers. "Guess I should've called for you." Takeda smirked before he grabs the dagger.
"Oh my god." Jacqui sighed out of relief, putting a hand to where her heart is. "Sorry. I jumped into action again. This keeps happening. For days now. Don't scare me like that."
"To be honest, I probably would have reacted the same way you just did." Takeda shrugs.
"I guess I've been overworking myself recently. Given the shit we're going through right now." Jacqui said.
"Personally, I don't blame you." Takeda said. Jacqui walks up to him and puts her arms around his neck. "It can be scary if you think about it more and more. Maybe try changing the subject?" He asked.
As much as anything, he wouldn't want to bring up any topics regarding Kabal's death and what happened in Outworld. Even though they were at odds with him and Kotal, they did see the two as friends.
"Sure." Jacqui answered. "I'm just getting used to new fighting styles. Given that the one master has taught me well….. Too damn well." Jacqui flirts with him as she runs a finger on his chest.
"Well somebody has to keep an eye on you so you don't go doing some overkill." Takeda replied.
"So you love to watch me when I fight, don't you? I knew it. I knew you couldn't resist the urge to do so. I hope you enjoy the shows I put on for you every single time." Jacqui smirks and continues to flirt with him.
"Oh, and you do too when I do the same for you?" Takeda asked, staring at her.
"Always and forever, love." Jacqui said, making her husband snicker. "What have you been doing after dinner?"
"Talking to Hanzo about planning. And when I was on my way back here, I saw Satoshi and Vera talking to each other again."
"Oh? And what do you think they were talking about this time?" Jacqui tilts her head out of curiosity.
"Hey. I shouldn't need to look into their heads to see what they're talking about. I can tell by their faces." Takeda said.
"Studying people's emotions I see. Either that, or just Satoshi and our very own daughter. I mean, to be fair, it isn't hard to tell how they see each other as best friends. Maybe perhaps more than that." Jacqui thinks so. Ever since they were kids, they've always hung out with each other, had fun and trained together and sometimes ate together.
"You're not wrong. I mean, it's easy to tell how they feel about each other. If they become even closer, does that mean we have to tell Vera that she has adulted some more." Takeda jokes. Jacqui smiles and rolls her eyes at the joke, making Takeda laugh.
"Man. I need a break. Maybe a long one." Jacqui looks into his eyes. Takeda motioned for her to come into the house with him and they sat down onto their sofa and drank some hot tea. Jacqui always preferred hers with honey alongside her husband.
"Feeling better now?" Takeda asked, looking at her.
"Oh yeah. I definitely needed that. Today was a hard day." Jacqui sighed.
"Easy for you to say. I hope Alex and Cassie are doing alright with Anthony and Flora. Hope they won't run into any trouble along the way. Anything could happen in Earthrealm now." Takeda said.
"For the record, I believe it. Cassie was normally the one who used to bring trouble wherever she goes. Like way back before the damn accords showed up." Jacqui points out. She would often had to be the one to put up with Cassie's stubbornness.
"That was until the team formed and that trait was passed down to Kung Jin." Takeda reminds her.
"You don't need to remind me. Out of all of us, even after Alex showed up, Jin can be such an asshole a lot of times." Jacqui once more rolls her eyes.
"And I'm the one who always had to break up the fights that he starts. Normally between him and Cassie." Takeda said in an annoyed voice, making Jacqui snicker.
"Hell yeah. And the fact that he always goes all out against us during training, only to lose plenty of times, is what makes it funny." Jacqui said.
"Well except Alex, who was the worst fighter at the time when he joined. Especially when Jin left that big bruise on his face and almost took his jaw off." Takeda smiles at Jin's expense.
"And then I yelled at him and Cassie slapped the shit out of him and got revenge on him." Jacqui said.
"And I remember telling him that if he hurts you badly, he will answer me." Takeda tells her, much to her surprise.
"Really? You actually told him that? You didn't tell him to go easy on me, did you?" Jacqui asked.
"Well, not exactly. I told him to go all out, but not too crazy. There's a difference." Takeda said.
"And yet, you're still the only one who holds back on me. That was until I had to convince you not to. I mean why is that?" Jacqui looks at him.
"Well, I tend to get pissed off easily if someone touches you or leaves a mark on you. I can't help myself." Takeda starts to blush, making Jacqui giggle. Then she pulls him in by his robes.
"And nobody lays a finger on you…. Except me of course." Jacqui starts to sound seductive.
"As long as this beautiful face stays intact, I'll always be okay." Takeda whispers, giving into her touch.
Jacqui pulls Takeda in for a kiss and holds him by the robes. Takeda places his hands on her waist as the kiss intensifies. Takeds runs his fingers through her long, black hair with the blonde ends as they continue to kiss and make out. He allows her tongue access as they hold each other's faces to kiss harder. After a couple of long minutes, they pulled away, they gently tapped each other's foreheads.
The Shirai Ryu have remained peaceful since capturing Darrius and Dairou. The information they got was rather dark, when Dairou killed Kotan after the latter had killed his family in cold blood. The only thing they could do now is enjoy the time they have while waiting for the Special Forces and Edenia to update everyone on the situation.
Vera and Satoshi sit next to each other after eating and talk to each other about each other's lives. They've been close friends for years and they are getting closer. They trained so hard, it was time they took a break. They both sit in front of a couple of trees.
"Man. I wish everyday could be like this. No dangerous jerks to deal with like evil conquerors, evil gods, titans, you name it." Satoshi said.
"Not to mention egotistical assholes and damn psychopaths. Am I right?" Vera asked, making Satoshi snicker.
"I suppose so. Or the Red Dragon Bastards. I remember when your parents kicked all of their asses before." Satoshi remembered. He was always happy with the day the Red Dragon was soundly defeated when Dogron died.
"First time for me. Never knew they could be so extremely stubborn. But still, serves them right for trying to kill my parents. I heard dad and grandpa blew off a clone's head. I would've loved to do that." Vera smirked. She was very surprised to hear how powerful their telepathy is as anyone could imagine.
"You're not wrong, given what Hanzo Hasashi told me and my sister. I mean that's what happens when you try to piss them all off." Satoshi smiles.
"You mean when you piss off the Takahashi and Briggs families? Oh yeah." Vera replied.
"Definitely you. I mean no one should even try to mess with someone such as you." Satoshi looks at her.
"Oh? And why is that? Do tell me." Vera looks at him with a teasing smirk.
"Because you're fierce. Brave as hell like Master Takahashi. Smart and clever like your mother. The way you show attitude and protectiveness around everywhere, including Anthony and Flora. The way you three get along like siblings, it's just mind blowing." Satoshi said to her.
"Wow. I never heard you say things like that to me before. Somebody sounds more confident. You usually get your tongue twisted when trying to compliment me." Vera continues to look at him.
"Well, of course. I mean I care about you alot. I'd do anything to help you. By any means." Satoshi said.
"Really?" Vera asked.
"Yes. For you. No one needs me. Your family needs you most." Satoshi said.
"No. I need you. More than ever." Vera tells him.
Satoshi looks at her in the eyes as Vera does the same. Vera turns to him and caresses his face. Satoshi starts blushing as he realizes what she plans on doing next. Vera closes her eyes as she leans in and kisses him, while blushing herself. Satoshi also closes his eyes and kisses back. He holds her waist as they kiss. After a long moment, Satoshi and Vera pull away and smile and giggle. Vera wraps her arms around his neck while Satoshi places a hand on her cheek, making her smile even more now. Their foreheads gently touch each other and are happy they finally confessed their feelings for each other.
While Satoshi and Vera have their private moment, Takeda and Jacqui begin having their own moment with each other. It's been crazy for them. To them, things change fast. For the good, for the bad. But everyone in the clan has stood tall, Takeda and Jacqui included. It wasn't hard for them to understand the clan's responsibilities alongside every other pact they are allied with.
They lay in bed, with Takeda holding Jacqui close in his arms. Jacqui looks up and smiles at her husband. "Man. All of this just brings back memories." Jacqui said as she stares at Takeda.
"You mean all the good and bad shit that has transpired here and there? I would say just about the same thing here." Takeda said.
"That's exactly it." Jacqui kisses his cheek.
"Heh. I didn't even need to read your mind to know what you're thinking. I don't need to unless you ask me to do so." Takeda smiles back.
"Oh, you know all so well." Jacqui said as she gets on top of him. "All of us moving on to different things, you and I kicking the Red Dragon's ass. I became the mistress of the Shirai Ryu. If I must be honest, it feels so damn nice. This feels as good as being a commander of the Special Forces. But I am happy where I belong." She smiles. Jacqui slowly leans in and slowly kisses Takeda, who happily returns the kiss. They pull away and stare at each other.
"I will always love you, Jacqui." Takeda said.
"I will always love you too, Takeda." Jacqui said. Jacqui leans in to kiss her husband again. This time, the kiss starts getting deeper and longer. Takeda places a hand on her face as they continue to kiss. Takeda and Jacqui smile as they continue. Their kiss begins to intensify…. That was until they heard a couple of explosions.
"Whoa. What the hell was that?" Takeda sounds alarmed.
"I don't know, but someone is asking for fucking trouble." Jacqui said.
"Come on. We need to gather a lot of people, Satoshi and Vera included." Takeda tells her and she nods.
Takeda and Jacqui quickly jump out of bed and get dressed in their uniforms and gather their weapons. Takeda dons his chain whips and sword while Jacqui gets her daggers and gauntlets. They run outside and see that the civilians are running for their lives and hiding out in hidden places they hope no one could find. They run up to Vera and Satoshi. Thankfully they don't have a scratch on them.
"Vera. You okay, darling?!" Jacqui asked out of worry.
"Yeah. As soon as we heard an explosion, we came looking for you guys. What the hell is going on here?" Vera asked.
"That's what we're about to find out. You two go round up your respective teams, Chujin Vera and Satoshi. We will find Hanzo Hasashi. Hopefully he can help us." Takeda tells them. "Go! Do what you gotta do! Hurry!"
Vera and Satoshi run off to gather their teams. But they wonder who would be in the right mind to lead a surprise invasion on the Shirai Ryu? And why?
Vera and Satoshi run towards the training areas and separate. Thankfully they are big enough for them to fight back against whoever is attacking them. They're large enough to stop an army by itself. It was a good thing the family has worked together and found countless warriors willing to fight.
Vera approaches her warriors first. They immediately recognized her and ran up and bowed their heads before her. "Chujin Takahashi! Thank the gods you're here! Are you hurt?" One of the commanders asked.
"I am fine, thank you. Have any of you seen who is attacking us?" Vera asked.
"Yes. One of your patrollers has told me that the Red Dragon has come for us. We don't know why besides them wanting vengeance on the clan." The commander said.
"Is it Daegon? Mavado?" Vera asked.
"We do not know unfortunately. There are a lot more than we thought. What are your orders?" The commander asked. Vera takes some time to think. She thinks about the years passed since she grew up in the clan. But then it hit her.
"Okay. I have an idea. Send half the men we have on my team and have them circle around the outskirts of this entire area. Make sure no one enters or tries to leave. The other half comes with me. We will need a lot of men from whoever is attacking us." Vera instructs them.
"Yes, Chujin." The commander once more bows to her. Vera turns to the teams and talks to them in japanese.
"Chīmu no hanbun. Kōgai ni iki, mawari o isshū shite, don'na gisei o haratte mo sore o mamotte kudasai." Vera instructs them. Half the teams start running in different directions as there are over hundreds of them. "The rest of you are with me. Let's find Satoshi and meet back with master and mistress Takahashi." Vera runs with the other men following close behind her.
Satoshi journeys to the other side of the region to gather his own team. Thankfully, they are all unharmed. "My friends. Are you all hurt?" Satoshi asked them all.
"We're fine. The Red Dragon have reached us. The grandmaster has asked us to await your command." A female warrior said to him.
"Alright. I need 1/3rd of these fighters to defend the villagers. One team to guard the prisoners. And the last to come with me. Meet up with Grandmaster and Mistress Takahashi." Satoshi said to them.
"Yes, sir." She responded. Satoshi turns to them.
"Chīmu no 1/ 3. Watashitachi no hitobito o hogo shimasu. Betsu no chīmu ga watashitachi no shūjin o mamotte imasu. Sorera o yurumenaide kudasai. Watashi no iitai koto ga wakarimasu ka?" Takeda instructs them in japanese.
All the warriors respond by drawing all of their respective weapons and seperate to do as instructed. Satoshi also races to meet up with the masters and his friend. He can only hope he could help prevent casualties as much as possible. All they can do is hope they can stop this threat.
The home of the Shirai Ryu is holding steady for now. Fire is going in several spots and blood being spilled, innocent lives and evil beings included. Civilians are being protected and warriors are defending their home.
Vera and Satoshi dash their way to Takeda and Jacqui with their respective fighters. It only took them a few minutes before they caught up with each other. Something does not seem right though.
"Masters. Where is Hanzo Hasashi?" Satoshi asked.
"We don't know. He's not in his home. He must have gone off to help the others." Takeda answered.
"We need to find him. We could really use his help." Jacqui tells everyone. They start running to the source of the attack that is happening. They could only hope he is alright and that they didn't lose too many people to the enemy. Whoever it is, is going to regret it.
Turns out the attack started in the Shirai Ryu Fire Gardens. The few buildings, including the gate are in pieces, trees knocked over and several spots of blood on the ground. The four looks around and they see the Red Dragon members attacking. But they stop and see the family arrive. Jumping down from other trees, they see Reiko, Ermac, Ferra/Torr and Drahmin seemingly leading them.
"Greetings, new master and mistress of the Shirai Ryu. I reckon that you remember me?" Reiko asked with a teasing smirk.
"General Reiko. Last time I saw you, you got fucked over by Havik and was sacrificed to summon Shinnok's amulet after your little playtime alliance." Jacqui said, locking and loading her gauntlets.
"You assume correctly, Jacquline. Brilliant mind, but not as bright as my own." Reiko claimed.
"You've made a big mistake trying to attack the clan. When will you learn that your tactics will fail? You may have a powerful army, but there is no way that you will succeed." Takeda stands to fight.
"I have learned from my mistake from underestimating my enemies. All are going according to my masters." Reiko tells him.
"So you have more than one master now? Apparently either Shao Kahn was not enough for you, or you're just a lost cause to everyone." Vera makes a joke.
"Careful who you spite, child. You know nothing about them. About us. There are always contingencies in case of failures. And you will feel their wrath if you stand in their way. They have three Kamidogu daggers. We will take the others. I can make this easier for you. If you tell us who has the daggers and where they are, we may spare your friends long enough to witness Armageddon." Reiko demands them.
"Like that will happen. We'll mop the floor with you and leave you bleeding out before we tell you shit. You so much as try to touch my daughter, I'll blow your fucking head off." Jacqui said, while standing in front of their daughter.
"I would love to see you try, Takahashi. As we have surprises for you today." Reiko said before holding up his hammer. "Attack!" The Red Dragon members charge towards the heroes, but they have men of their own.
"Kōgeki! Teki o ikashite wa ikemasen!" Takeda ordered them. The Shirai Ryu also charges at them. The Shirai Ryu start beating them and cutting them down fiercely and rapidly. This leaves the heroes alone to fight the villains.
"Split off. Take Ermac and the ugly masked bitch." Jacqui tells them. They seperate, leaving Takeda to fight Reiko and Jacqui to fight Ferra/Torr.
Vera separates to fight Ermac. Ermac throws several debris at her, including rocks, wood and steel. She dodges of course and Ermac throws soul balls at her. Vera brings forth her staff and deflects them in different directions. Vera puts two fingers to her head to try to reach him, but instead receives a sharp pain, making her yell in pain. Ermac fires a zigzag beam at her chest, sending her back.
"What? But how?" Vera is confused. No one has been able to resist her telepathy beforehand.
"We are thousands of souls. You are one soul. You cannot hope to overpower us with your telepathy. Too many voices infiltrate the mind and can cause internal damage to your mind." Ermac tells her as they continue to fight.
Vera splits her staff into her escrima sticks and holds them. She swings one at Ermac, but he catches it, but gets hit in the left rib cage, chin followed by a double kick. Ermac tries to slam a fist down on her, but she ducks, swings a escrima stick at his right knee, and swings them across his head four times and sends them upward to his chest, uppercutting Ermac and sending him in the air. Vera jumps in the air and does a spinning flip kick to the back and sends him down. Vera throws both of her sticks, which Ermac catches with his telekinesis, but she punches his face, swing kicks his chest, elbow strikes his neck, kicks his left knee, and jump kicks him in the chest, sending Ermac back.
Ermac recovers and merely rubs off the pain. Ermac does a downward palm strike onto Vera's left shoulder, another to the head and does a palm strike uppercut to her chest, sending her flying in the air. He punches her back followed by another palm strike and two backhand strikes. Ermac holds Vera in the air with his telekinesis powers before holding her upside-down. He kicks her across the forehead and she is sent flying before being grabbed again and hit in the chest by a soul ball, sending Vera down. She gets back up, only for Ermac to punch her across the face with blood coming out of her mouth, and she is sent further away with his powers. Vera grunts and was prepared to fight back. Vera combines her escrima sticks into a staff and she starts walking towards Ermac. He fires multiple zigzag beams at her, which she either side steps or jumps over. Ermac swings a hand at Vera, but she blocks with her staff and parries the other away before she dances around it like a pole and kicks him in the chest, sending him back. Vera boosts herself forward and kicks his left knee, cracking it. She slams an endpoint of it at his throat, making him spit up blood, and swing kicks him across the jaw, cracking it. Vera spins her staff at his head several times before slamming it on the top of his head, cracking his skull greatly, sending Ermac down, defeating him.
"I don't need telepathy to make you shut the hell up." Vera tells him.
Satoshi continues to fight Drahmin. He begins to gain the upperhand despite the monster's brute strength, hideous appearance and deadly weapon. "You just don't learn to give up, do you?"
"You will join your comrades in hell!" Drahmin yells.
"For some who was in Chaosrealm, you do not seem to be very intelligent. Shao Kahn and Havik chose their servants poorly." Satoshi said.
"Shut it, human! I will finish what we started to begin with!" Drahmin yelled as they resumed fighting.
Drahmin swings his mace at Satoshi, who easily dodges the attacks. He sees an easy opening and back kicks him in the left rib cage followed by the jaw. He then does a elbow strike and punch to the spine and he stumbles, allowing Satoshi to use his kusarigama and pull him in chop strikes his mask, cracking it that nearly breaks it. Satoshi swings the sickle of the weapon at his left knee, right side of his head, wraps it around his neck and punches his right rib cage, cracking it greatly and throws him with the kusarigama.
Drahmin goes rolling down but he gets back up and glares at Satoshi with chaotic hatred. He roars in anger, and much to Satoshi's much confusion, he begins slamming his own face to the ground. A few slams to the ground and his mask has been broken in half. Drahmin looks up with a very horrifying face that is beyond description. He yells so loud, it actually hurts Satoshi's ears just by hearing it. He starts running towards the young man out of pure rage. He swings his mace, which Satoshi ducks and dodges. He continues to try to attack him without any sort of thought as he uses his mace and claws to no avail. Satoshi ducks and rolls under another mace swing. He swings the kusarigama blade upward his back, cutting it open, and blood spews out. He jump kicks his spine, breaking it completely. He then swings his weapon by the sickle, turning him around and slams the blade part in his head. Satoshi yanks his weapon so hard, Drahmin's head comes off and he throws it onto the ground, his head splatters, leaving a big spot of blood, killing Drahmin as his heart is barely visible as the lifeless body lays there.
"You mean finish dying? Because that makes complete sense." Satoshi smirks. Vera runs over to check up on him.
"Hey. You okay, Satoshi?" Vera asked, catching her breath.
"I'm doing fine so far." Satoshi said before he looked at Drahmin's corpse. "I honestly don't know what came over me. He was full of rage."
"That piece of shit is better off dead than alive. That was nice." Vera winks and flirts with him, making him blush.
"Uh, thanks. So did you, Vera." Satoshi smiles back at her. She blows him a kiss. Meanwhile, Jacqui continues to fight Ferra/Torr.
"Man. Can't believe your crazy asses are still alive after all these years. You made a mistake of picking Shao Kahn." Jacqui tells them.
"Ferra/Torr remember stubborn earth girl. Ferra wanted to collect eyes! Will feed eyes to Torr as hungry snack! For Shao Kahn!" Ferra tells her.
"And you're just as not-so-bright as usual." Jacqui insults them.
"Bringing insults will only bring more pain! More screaming!" Ferra said before they resumed fighting.
Jacqui kicks Torr's ankle and blasts them backwards with her gauntlets. Jacqui runs in, dodges a kick, punches Torr's chest, across the face, the left shoulder and uppercuts them before jumping behind them and shoots energy blasts at Ferra and Torr, sending them back. Torr turns around, only to see Jacqui jump in the air and energy punches him in the head, and throws a series of punches to the head and chest, causing more pain before she does a knee strike to the chest followed by a good kick, cracking his chest. Jacqui jumps in the air, but Torr slams a fist down onto her back, sending her to the ground and picks her up and backhands her in the back, sending Jacqui forward. Ferra runs towards Jacqui and stabs her in the left shoulder. Torr throws Ferra to kill her, but Jacqui, using her gauntlets, electrocutes Ferra and backhands her to a tree, knocking her out. Torr charges at Jacqui, and she blocks his strong punches with her gauntlets and blades come out of them and stabs Torr's shoulders and uses her daggers to stab his knees and punches his chest and does another uppercut, knocking Torr out and defeating him.
"You're right. More screaming. More screaming from assholes like you, not to mention more of your blood." Jacqui roasts them. Takeda continues to fight Reiko and they seem to be evenly matched.
"I must say for someone young and being the leader of the Shirai Ryu, you seem very confident in your abilities. But you're no Scorpion." Reiko tells him.
"And for a general, you're full of surprises with these ambushes so far. But I still don't know why Shao Kahn decided to keep you around." Takeda replied.
"By the time you try to figure me out, you will be too late to stop us." Reiko said before they resumed fighting.
Reiko throws shurikens at Takeda, who uses his chain whips to deflect them before swinging them at Reiko. One of them wraps around Reiko's arm, and Reiko grins, but he suddenly yells in pain when the seared edges of the whip activate its small blades and stabs his left wrist and forearm, forcing him to let go. Takeda swings his sword at Reiko's right leg and right shoulder, cutting them. Takeda throws several fast and painful punches and uppercuts him in the air. He then jumps and does two spinning kicks to Reiko's chest, cracking it and causing it to crack greatly. Reiko rolls back, only to be slashed at the chest two times by Takeda's sword, causing it to bleed badly. Takeda runs in, knees his chest two times, grabs his right arm and jumps over, kicks him down and twists his arm, breaking it completely. Reiko is defeated.
"Now. Let's see what is worth looking in there." Takeda said. He walks over to the weak general and was about to grab his forehead to look into his mind. That was until he was suddenly kicked in the back and sent away from Reiko. Takeda looks up and sees Darrius was the one who attacked. And he and Dairou are both out of prison.
"Miss me, Shirai Ryu master?" Darrius asked. Dairou stands behind him, glaring at him and his wife.
"Darrius and Dairou? How the hell did you two get out?" Jacqui asked with her, Vera and Satoshi coming to Takeda's defense.
"With help, of course. From a new friend of ours." Dairou smirks at them. Everyone looks up and they see Tessa descending down on them from the air with her magic.
"Greetings, Shirai Ryu scum. How have I waited so long to meet you at last." Tessa said to them.
"Do we even know you?" Jacqui asked.
"I am Tessa. Edenian, born from the realm. One of Daegon's most reliable followers, most powerful magic user and spy." Tessa tells her.
"That still doesn't explain anything. Why the hell would you attack us?" Takeda demands.
"Hmm. I could tell you. But first, you would have to get past these guys. If you live, then I may tell you." Tessa said.
"Vera. Satoshi. Deal with the magic bitch. We got these two fuckers." Jacqui tells them.
"We can't leave you two alone to fight them by yourselves." Vera tries to argue.
"I'm not discussing it with you. Go, now! That's an order!" Jacqui said. Vera is very reluctant to leave her parents to fight the. As much as she wants to protect her family, she reluctantly complies.
"Fine. Just be okay, out there, alright?" Vera worries for them as she and Satoshi both go to fight Tessa. Takeda fights Darrius while Jacqui fights Dairou.
"I warned you not to underestimate us. Now look where that has gotten you." Dairou tells Jacqui before they fight.
Dairou throws two kicks, only for Jacqui to block with her wrists and she grabs his ankle and elbows it and punches him across the face before pushing him backwards. Jacqui comes in and kicks his right knee, right rib cage, then his forehead before jumping over Dairou, grabs his shoulders and knees his back before kicking him forward. Dairou gets back up and draws his sword. Jacqui uses her gauntlets and shoots him. Much to her surprise, Dairou is able to dodge and deflect her bullets away harmlessly. Dairou swings his sword at Jacqui and she is forced to dodge and defend herself with her built-in blades in her gauntlets. Jacqui and Dairou switch between offense and defense with their melee weapons. That was until Dairou's sword and Jacqui's blades lock in. They both showed no signs of getting tired, until Dairou kicks Jacqui in the stomach and swings his sword down twice, and both of Jacqui's blades break off of her gauntlets. Dairou pal strikes Jacqui's right cheek and punches her chest and uppercuts her in the jaw and does his signature Tombstone Drop by falling onto his back, causing a minor tremor and sends Jacqui in the air, allowing Dairou to backflip kick her in the forehead, partly cracking it and sending her back.
Jacqui gets up to a knee and sees Dairou smirking at her pain. He seems to be enjoying this battle, but he will live to regret it. Jacqui recovers and was ready. She draws her new daggers. Dairou runs, jumps to do two diagonal mid air kicks and a sword swing but Jacqui dodges. He does a horizontal swing and Jacqui backflips and dodges. Jacqui gets into a defensive stance as Dairou plunges forward with his sword. Jacqui blocks it with her daggers and kicks it out of his hand and throws her daggers at his right thigh and right shoulder, causing his right shoulder to crack and blood to come out. Jacqui comes over and kicks him across the jaw and his right knee, cracking it and elbowing his left shoulder, damaging it a bit, uppercuts his chest and then uppercuts his jaw, cracking it, sending Dairou in the air. Jacqui jumps up, lands on him, blasts him with electrical energy, and she bounces off Dairou, who is sent to the ground, defeated.
"Where has it gotten me? I just kicked your ass again is where it has gotten me, fucking douchebag." Jacqui tells me. Nearby, Takeda continues to fight Darrius.
"You can't win, Darrius. We pulled through and beat your asses plenty of times. Look where that got Dogron." Takeda tells him.
"It doesn't matter whether I win or lose this battle. It's all about doing what's right for the master plan. Anything to please Lord Daegon." Darrius said as they continued fighting.
Darrius has his gauntlets and retractable katar blades equipped and ready. Takeda throws his chain whip at him, but Darrius catches it with one of his gauntlets and pulls him in and spin kicks him across the forehead. Takeda draws his sword and stabs it at the ground to stop himself before recovering. He controls his sword with his telepathy and spins it before it goes flying towards Darrius. He blocks the floating, spinning weapon before his leg is grabbed by the chain whip and pulled towards the new master. Darrius stumbles, allowing Takeda to elbow his stomach, uppercut his jaw and backhand strike him across the face. He throws a small shuriken at Darrius, but he blocks it with his gauntlets and tries to swing at Takeda's leg. But Takeda jumps and throws his chain whips at Darrius, but he once again grabs them with his gauntlets. Takeda smirks and jumps forward and slams both feet into Darrius' face, cracking the front of his skull, sending him backwards. Takeda then uses his chain whips to cut his shoulders and they begin to bleed really bad.
Darrius recovers and quickly starts firing blueish energy blasts from his hands at Takeda. He quickly deflects them with his chain whips and swings at Darrius again. He avoids the swings and gets close to Takeda and backflip kicks him in the jaw, sending him in the air and does another backflip kick to the back, damaging it a bit and sending Takeda backwards. Takeda gets up, but before he could make a move, Darrius grabs both of his wrists, and headbutts him hard and Darrius does a chop strike to the collarbone, forehead and uppercut to the chest and clasps both hands together and slams them into the left side of Takeda's face. Takeda rolls backwards and gets back up. Darrius was ready to finish him, but the grandmaster rolls forward, chop strikes his lower spine before punching it, cracking it and sending Darrius backwards. Takeda takes his chain whips and scoops Darrius off of his feet and sends him into the air. Takeda runs, jumps and double kicks Darrius in the chest, cracking and making him drop blood from part of his mouth. Darrius is sent backwards and is defeated.
"Correction. Anything to disappoint him." Takeda roasts him.
Jacqui catches up to Takeda and they both look at each other and nod. They run towards where Tessa currently is. They come across Tessa, who his evilly smirking as she stands over Vera and Satoshi defeated and tired out.
"Children. They never learn, do they?" Tessa rolls her eyes. She waves her hands in the air, ready to kill them, that was until she gets shot backwards by an energy blast from Jacqui's gauntlets. And she looks very pissed.
"Keep your fuckings hands off Satoshi and my daughter, you son of a bitch!" Jacqui yells. Tessa gets back up as Satoshi helps Vera up and they walk back to rest by a tree nearby while Takeda and Jacqui slowly walk towards their enemy.
"No matter. They were not even worth killing anyway. My business is with you. Takeda and Jacquiline Takahashi. I have waited for decades to face you two at long last." Tessa tells them.
"So you're Red Dragon. We know about Daegon's plans with Shao Kahn and Havik. But why the hell is your beef with us?" Jacqui demanded.
"I was there that day. The day your Shirai Ryu attacked our home when the New Era took place. Lord Dogron was going to be my mentor until Mavado took over." Tessa said. She waves her hand in the air and comes floating down is a gravely injured Hanzo Hasashi, taken captive and trapped by Tessa's magic.
"T-Takeda. Go. Save your clan. Save your family." Hanzo tells him.
"Hanzo!" Takeda tries to reach for him, but Tessa blasts magic near his feet.
"Don't even try to read my mind, Takahashi. I was trained to resist your telepathy." Tessa tells him.
"So. You came here to avenge Dogron? Is that it?" Takeda asked.
"No. Not just for Lord Dogron. If Daegon was here instead of me, he would have done much worse than what I plan on doing to you two. I am here on my own personal methods. For my own personal revenge. To avenge the man that your wife killed all those years ago." Tessa explains.
"Lang Cho." Jacqui realized. "What does that asshole have to do with anything? He was the one who attacked us plenty of times with Skarlet. He got what he deserved." Jacqui glares at her.
Tessa's eyes glow green even further. Her anger nearly bursted as she levitated her two enemies with her magical abilities by their throats, choking them. The masters struggle to breathe and break free. But it was no use.
"He was more than just a top soldier of the Red Dragon. And he was not human, and you were foolish enough to not see that. He too was Edenian. He raised me and took care of me. Our family was banished from Edenia by its rulers prior to Sindel succeeding them. We were banished because we supported Daegon and the Red Dragon. My parents. And Lang Cho… who was my only brother." Tessa explains to them before finally dropping the two to the ground. The husband and wife cough for a few moments before they manage to get back to their feet.
Vera and Satoshi could hear her story from distances away and are blown away by the revelation. No one was expecting to meet someone who would be related to Lang Cho. "Mind. Blown." Vera said, eyes widened.
"What? So wait? You were that same little girl that went away with the other guy? Mavado I'm assuming?" Takeda guesses.
"You are correct. Me and my brother Lang Cho shared a bond with each other. One can sense something is wrong with one another. When he died, I felt a strong sense of pain. I could only hope it wasn't true until Mavado told me. He, Seamus Lee and Lord Daegon have been training me the day after he died. They showed me everything. All fighting styles within the Red Dragon, including Dark Magic. And when the time was right, I was sent to Edenia undercover. Everyone was fooled, including that fool Sindel. A weak queen. I just simply took out another magic user and left no evidence. I stand here before you because my years of training have paid off. Now Daegon has the Kamidogu of Edenia and the looks on their faces when I betrayed them was delicious." Tessa explains.
"Well it won't work. We have a plan of our plan. And that includes killing you all if we need to. This will be the last time you will walk around any place in the universe, bringing disaster upon us all. And you will think twice before hurting my clan and family!" Takeda said. He and his wife are ready to fight." Takeda said.
"Well we will also have the other half of the Kamidogu. It will only be a matter of time until Lord Daegon and Shao Kahn have them. You will all walk into a trap. No one will stop Armageddon once it starts." Tessa said.
"You underestimate us. Just like Dogron did. And look where that got him and Lang Cho." Jacqui said,
"You will feel my pain and sorrow as I had years ago when you killed my brother." Tessa descends down on them. "This is for you, Lang Cho."
Tessa starts by throwing a large magical blast at them. Takeda and Jacqui dodge it as Tessa floats in the air. Takeda grabs her ankle with his chain whip and pulls her to the ground. This allows Jacqui to run towards her, jumps on her shoulders and kicks her as she jumps off. Jacqui turns around and shoots Tessa in the back as she is sent towards Takeda, who punches her left rib cage, left shoulder and punches her across the face and then kicks her in the left ankle before punching her in the chest, but Tessa blocks it with her magic and parries it away. She palm strikes Takeda in the chest, uppercuts him in the jaw with her palm covered in magic, and eagle kicks him right on the head, stumbling him. Tessa teleports behind him, kicks him in the lower spine, punches the back of his head and throws him with her magic as she floats and swing kicks Takeda across the forehead, cracking it. Jacqui runs in and with her gauntlets charged up, does an uppercut in the head and back, sending her flying in the air. Tessa recovers in the air and floats. Takeda throws his chain whips around her body, trapping her and pulling as hard as he can to pull her down as the side blades unsheathe. Tessa's body glows bright green and smiles as she uses her powers to break free, completely breaking Takeda's chain whips into pieces.
Tessa is proving to be a tougher opponent to them than they thought. She seems to be a very powerful magic user. Possibly more powerful than Quan Chi. But this was not going to stop Takeda and Jacqui from taking her down by any means necessary. Jacqui was the first to charge towards Tessa, who fires two small projectiles at her. Jacqui blocks with her gauntlets, but Tessa uses her magic to force her arms apart and knees her in the chin, a kick to the forehead and places both palms on Jacqui's shoulders and her hands glow and Jacqui yells in pain, as if her entire body is burning like hell. Tessa smiles at her pain. Takeda teleports and throws Tessa away from Jacqui, who falls to her knees. Takeda draws his sword while Tessa summons two magical swords that are glowing completely green made out of energy. Tessa and Takeda clash weapons with each other swiftly while Jacqui recovers. Takeda swings his weapon at Tessa, who bends backwards while backflip kicking him in the jaw twice, cracking it. Tessa runs into for a finishing blow, but Takeda blocks each swing before double kicking her back, cracking her chest.
Takeda runs in for the blow, but Tessa starts firing a magical beam from her magical energy sword, which Takeda is blocking with his sword. He is holding back with all the strength he has despite his injuries from his other fights. Tessa is putting in more strength to hopefully overpower him. That was until she felt a sudden pain in the back of her leg. Jacqui is firing blasts from her gauntlets and hitting Tessa from behind, causing her to be distracted. Her powers weaken, allowing Takeda to overpower it at the cost of his sword breaking. Jacqui runs in and punches Tessa in the back, across the back of her left shin, cracking it and uppercuts Tessa in the back of the head, cracking the back of her skull greatly. Tessa is sent far forward past Takeda and Hanzo, the latter still held by her magic. She lands and is defeated.
"You're not getting your vengeance anytime, Tessa. Your brother's death will always be in vain. Even with magic, you still won't be able to beat us." Takeda exclaims. It looks it was over, but something was not right. They hear Tessa quietly laughing.
"You think this is funny, you fucking douche?" Jacqui aims with gauntlets at her.
"Kill you? Who said anything about killing you? I said I only wanted you two to know how I feel. Know my pain and sorrow that I went through ever since my brother died. You won't die….. not yet at least. Besides, I already have what I was sent here for. And I was only buying time by distracting you idiots." Tessa said. A portal opens behind her as all the villains minus Drahmin run past them and through the portal. Tessa laughs some more as it closes.
As the portal closes, Hanzo starts grunting in more pain before screaming. The couple as well as Vera and Satoshi run over to the former grandmaster out of concern for what to do.
"H-Hanzo! What's happening?!" Satoshi asked.
"S-she cursed me! I do not know…. What is happening!" Hanzo said as he gestures to his chest, like he is having a heart attack. As the four try to figure out what to do, other things happen at once. Fire bursts out from under the ground while another green portal opens simultaneously. The family were all distracted by many things at once, and they couldn't feel more overwhelmed.
Liu Kang walks out from the fire, and someone comes flying out. It is none other than Kenshi Takahashi. And then, as the fire god stepped onto solid ground and the blind swordsman hits the ground, head first, the former master of the Shirai Ryu fell to his knees and the left side of his chest explodes. Blood comes spewing out like a geyser. Hanzo's eyes and mouth are both wide open from the severe pain that just happened. The next thing anyone knew, their heads swished back and forth looking at Hanzo and Kenshi.
"By the gods! No!" Liu Kang runs over to Hanzo's body followed by Takeda. Vera, Jacqui and Satoshi run over to check up on Kenshi.
"Hanzo! Hanzo, wake up!" Takeda slightly shook him by his shoulder. The successor of the clan is trying his hardest to fight back the tears, not wanting his predecessor to see him like this.
"T-Takeda... please... be strong." Hanzo coughed up more blood before turning to the fire god himself. "P-please. S-save... protect the realms.. till your last breath."
"Hanzo... please don't go. Not yet." Takeda begged.
"M-my time was inevitable. Remember. It is heart, not blood. That makes... everyone warriors..." Hanzo sighed his last breath. His already nonmoving hands slowly fall onto the back side as his fingers lose their function. They too begin to touch the ground soaked in his own blood. His life was beyond saving. Hanzo Hasahi, formely known as Scorpion. The former grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu... has passed.
Takeda's eyes flood with theirs, flowing down his face. Kenshi Takahashi quietly groans as he began to wake up. He looks up at his daughter in law, but she was no longer looking down at him. Instead, her own eyes were filled with tears. Kenshi turned to Jacqui's direction... and sees why she is crying. His long time friend is now gone. Liu Kang puts a hand on Takeda's shoulder, with the latter grabbing the god's hand for comfort.
Now the Shirai Ryu have lost their founder and former leader. Hanzo Hasashi's flame has gone out...
Note: I am sorry for not uploading for a week and a half. These last couple weeks have been hell. But I am back and I will finish this story. So remember the little girl who was taken care of by the Red Dragon? That's her and her name is Tessa. Her brother Lang Cho was murdered by Jacqui during Shirai-Cross Bondings. I changed the ending to this chapter to raise the stakes for heroes. As a reminder to both them and readers like you that no one is truly safe in the world of Mortal Kombat.
