(DISCLAIMER:I don't own Mortal Kombat or its characters in any way. )
Chapter 6: Ice, Fire, and Darkness
Screaming echoed the halls of Kahn's fortress. The sun had long since risen, but many went through the last portion of the night without rest. Mileena had been up, making an absolute mess of her room. She brought her dresser down, she tore her bed apart, she cast away parts of her seating arrangement from the window, and finally caved in the door to her closet. When she wasn't destroying her room, she was pounding the pavement with her fist, cursing and screaming at the ceiling. In a fit of rage, Mileena collapsed to her knees. Her bloodied knuckles caused her fingers to twitch as they bleed out over her legs.
Her eyes were red and leaking with hot tears. She wore her veil around her neck to glare at her reflection at her vanity table. She looked so helpless. So weak.
She crawled onto the seat and stared at her reflection longer. As her chin lifted, each hand flicked her hair out of the way so that she could see her face. She was no Tarkatan, she was no Edenian, she was not even worthy of the Oni scum inhabiting the low lands. This was the reason she had such bad luck – it was all her own doing. It was because she was the outcast, the ugly one that only fit when she pretended to be something more appealing to the eyes of others.
She drew her sai from the side of the table and held its fine point against her throat. Her heart palpitated with the thought of ending herself to save herself from pain.
Her eyes squeezed shut as she applied a little pressure to the weapon. She felt that with her strength, she could drive it through her own skull with ease.
She grit her teeth and lowered the weapon. She pulled her veil over her mouth and began to breathe slowly to gather herself. The breathing slowly gave her peace, until there was a sudden knock on her door. "Go away!" Mileena yelled out after she threw a bottle of perfume at the door.
Her attempts to scare off the visitors failed, as the door was opened anyway. Through them were two very unexpected guests in Baraka and Sheeva.
"Shao Kahn requests you at his side for the viewing of the tournament. Get dressed." Baraka said, while paying more attention to the trashed room than her. He couldn't look at her just yet, in fear he'd do something he would later regret.
She said nothing to Baraka, and instead stared at herself in the mirror.
"And clean this room! Shao Kahn has not raised swine! We will escort you to the Coliseum once you are dressed. Do not keep Shoa Kahn waiting!" Baraka stormed out and left Sheeva remain to watch over her.
Mileena set her sights on Sheeva once Baraka shut the door. "Mileena can dress herself." She said as she stood. "Mileena wonders what she should wear…"
Sheeva sighed in annoyance. "Had you not dishonored yourself, you wouldn't have been removed from the tournament. Waste little time considering what to wear, and more putting it on. You can only regain your honor by obeying."
"Honor?" Mileena laughed. "Never heard that word." She took a double take at Sheeva however. She was bruised along her jaw, and her eyes seemed to be ready to shut at any moment. "Do you need to rest?"
"No." Sheeva said firmly.
"Are you sure? You look—"
"No."
"Fine." Mileena went back to sorting through her broken closet for several minutes. She changed clothing fairly quickly once she had her outfit picked out, which was just her normal attire with added sleeves for weapon concealment.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of light snoring near the door.
"Sheeva?" Mileena said quietly. She repeated the Shokan's name as she slowly walked closer. When she came within a meter of the woman, she finally shouted her name.
Sheeva woke with a sudden jolt! "You dishonor yourself I was meditating!" She said in her defense She growled at the sight of Mileena laughing at her, and responded in a serious tone. "Very humorous. Now, let us get serious about things."
"Serious?" Mileena cackled. "Mileena can be serious. Deathly serious…" As if she'd intentions of doing the Shokan extreme harm, she lowered her tone as well as her eyelids.
"Good, child. Now come." Sheeva stepped forward and examined Mileena. "This will not do."
"What?" Mileena said while looking over herself.
Sheeva continued while crossing her lower arms over her stomach. "Your makeup rivals that of a rodent's hindquarters. Come. Allow me." She led Mileena back to her vanity table and opened the drawers with her lower arms. She eased her onto her chair with her upper arms. "Let's clean up this runny makeup and apply a fresh amount." Sheeva started to clean the makeup from Mileena's face, much to her dislike.
Mileena whined the entire time and refused to sit still while her face was cleaned up.
"I will not allow you to dishonor yourself with less than fitting application of makeup." Sheeva did her best to keep Mileena still, even having to apply a bit of her strength to her shoulders. "Now is not the time to be a baby. It is okay to accept assistance from an elder.
Now, this will not take long. Smile, it will make things go by faster."
"It is…difficult for Mileena not to smile." She narrowed her eyes at her reflection, but kept her mask up over her features.
"That is the attitude! Now! Let's begin!"
Side Event #15: Chinese Ninja Warrior
After the dismemberment of Jax at the might of Ermac, Sub-Zero was charged with fending off the powerful warrior while Sonya tended to her fallen friend.
Green energy consumed Sub-Zero and he was tossed to the ground by Ermac's telepathic might. Despite this impact, Kuai Liang sprung back to his feet a moment later.
Ermac fired a swirling green blast of soul energy at Sub-Zero, but the ninja slid beneath it with ease.
Despite the sudden movement, Ermac managed to levitate just above Sub-Zero and stomped on the assassin's guarding forearm. Ermac flipped off of the limb and levitated a few feet away with his arms boastfully crossed.
Sub-Zero weaved around Ermac's next strike like a skilled boxer and connected with a left jab that rattled the unholy creation. As Ermac stumbled, Sub-Zero threw ice about the floor between them, then used it as a base to begin building a tall wall of ice as a barrier between them to keep himself, Sonya, and Jax safe. Once it was solidified, Ermac flew above it and dove toward Sub-Zero.
Kuai Liang jolted backward and left behind a frozen statue of himself. Ermac impacted the statue and was instantly frozen in place as the statue shattered.
Sub-Zero wasted no time summoning more Kori energy to deep freeze Ermac in place until he eventually created a car-sized block of ice to hold him.
In the meantime, Sonya attempted to use her communicator while keeping Jax's body propped up. "Sonya Blade to command. Do you read? Damnit…come on!"
"You've stopped the bleeding." Kuai Liang said, examining the damaged Jax. He had seen worse in battle…but at least the man was alive. Driven by the desire to catch up with Shang Tsung and Quan Chi and demand the identity of his brother's killer, he could not bother himself long enough to assist Jax and Sonya personally.
"Yeah, but he needs a medic ASAP." Sonya frowned. "He's not conscious, but alive—hey! Where are you going? I need your help here!"
"I must get to the coliseum." Sub-Zero said while walking the path of the bridge. "There's a portal south of here. A young man from Earthrealm followed me through it, and I doubt it has gone anywhere since, Hurry, our enemy will not stay frozen much longer."
"…Motherf…" She bit her tongue and did her best to pull Jax up and over her shoulder. Within a few minutes travel she was out of the Soul Chambers. When she arrived atthe exit, Jade and Nido ran up to her.
Nido called out as he approached. "Whoa-whoa-whoa…! What the hell happened to him?"
Jade slowed to a stop and examined the severely wounded Jax mounted on Sonya's shoulder. "By the gods…"
Sonya struggled to keep Jax up, but responded. "That freak who speaks in the first person ripped his arms off. Sub-Zero froze him solid, but it's only a matter of time before he or that weird… cyborg comes back. We have to move out to the portal to get the hell out of here."
"You are leaving?" Jade asked. "Earthrealm needs you here, Sonya. Johnny –…" She paused, feeling a severe pain surge through her skull. She held her forehead to tend to the pain.
Nido said, placing a hand on Jade's shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"…I'm fine," she replied with a pained wince, "I may be pushing myself too hard."
Sonya couldn't stand by idly much longer, she started to walk. "Johnny can take care of himself. My partner is depending on me to save his life like he saved mine. I'm not going to let him down." She looked between the two of them. "Sub-Zero is heading for the coliseum. If you're not going to help me take Jax back to Earth, this conversation is over."
"I'll help," Nido volunteered. "I know exactly where the portal is. You go ahead to the coliseum, I'll catch up."
"Be safe." Jade said before she ran into the chamber and its bridge.
( End Side Event )
"Denise!" Shang Tsung's voice echoed throughout his private chambers. "Did I not request my garments to be properly ironed once I returned?" The lights were off. The only light that broke through came from the windows. Shang Tsung's lips curled into a sly grin as he rubbed his hands together. "Oh, you are in a romantic mood? Well, as I have suggested my sweet…this will be very rejuvenating for us both." Shang Tsung shut the door behind him and walked with a slow, confident swagger. He unbuttoned the first few buttons of his vest as he walked through the dark.
He passed her crystal ball and a messy desk of books with a now sensual chuckle leaving his lips. He rounded toward the bathroom, but it was empty. Perhaps she was hiding in the bedroom? He removed his vest and took a deep breath to suck his stomach in and stick out his toned chest. He was not going to mess up this opportunity. "Come out, come out where ever you are…" He said slowly approaching the bedroom. The door was just slightly ajar…she must have been inside. "We have plenty of time before the tournament, but I would suggest you cancel any plans you have for the day. I am going to ware you out." As the door slowly creaked open, he continued to speak. "Where are you, my bride…?"
Fwoosh!
"OVER HERE!" A commanding voice roared out after a sharp pain entered Shang Tsung's chest.
The sorcerer was taken by surprise and yanked into the room. Once he reached Scorpion, Shang Tsung found himself on the painful end of a fist right beneath his chin. He flew toward the ceiling and crashed through an antique table within the bedroom.
Scorpion approached him after holstering his spear. He grabbed Shang Tsung by the hair and dragged him back toward the bedside area where he tugged his second victim – the beaten sorceress Denise, by her throat. "Where is Quan Chi?" He shouted down to Shang Tsung, lifting Denise above the ground. A gateway to the Netherealm rapidly opened beneath her feet. "Answer me, sorcerer!"
Realizing his wife was in danger, Shang Tsung cracked immediately. "Scorpion! Wait! I can bring him to you!"
"Do it now or this worthless woman dies!" He threatened.
Denise kicked at Scorpion weakly. "My husband will not let you – do anything!"
"Denise, now is not the time!" Shang said while holding his bleeding chest. "Just wait, I'll retrieve Quan Chi!"
On cue, a green gateway opened within the room. Quan Chi had sensed this danger as soon as Shang Tsung found himself struck down. With a motion of his hand, Quan Chi attempted his means of controlling Scorpion. "This ends now. Close the gate." He commanded…but alas, his magic did not work. He waved his hand a few more times, but Scorpion only seemed to grow angrier.
Scorpion cast Denise across the room and stomped to Quan Chi. Both hands gripped the pale man's throat as he drove him into the wall. In his rage, Scorpion bashed his face with hard punches that broke skin and bone. Scorpion then cast Quan-Chi to the ground and kicked his ribs with such force that his bones cracked in webbing like patterns upon impact. The second kick did even worse damage as Quan Chi left the ground briefly. He tried to lift his hand to cast some sort of magic, but his arm was grasped by Scorpion. "This is from my family!" He shouted as the spear was drawn up and driven through the point of Quan Chi's elbow. As he screamed out in pain, Scorpion dug into that arm until he was able to saw it off of Quan Chi's body at the elbow.
Shang Tsung turned on the lights and grabbed his wife's spell book. He shouted the commands to summon the demon of darkness himself, Noob Saibot. Just as the dark entity was entered from the shadows of the other room, Scorpion created another gateway to hell itself.
Noob touched down on the ground. His eyes caught sight of Quan Chi and the sound of his horrific screams brought back memories of years past. He had just defeated Quan Chi in the Netherrealm. There was…there was a woman. A woman whose image was distorted to his very mind. He felt a sudden thump in his chest. He clutched it in confusion. However, it ended when the power of the magic that brought him to life gripped his mind. He had to act. "Hanzo…" He remembered him clearly.
Scorpion was prepared to toss Quan Chi into the flaming gate, but the voice of the entity stopped him dead in his tracks. "…Bi Han?" He saw that he wasn't as he once was. He could sense Bi Han was no longer among the living. Scopion dropped Quan Chi and threw his spear.
The spear went through the shadowy figure, and immediately Bi Han was in his face. A sudden knee to the chin followed with an instantaneous elbow to the spine left Scorpion stunned. In a matter of seconds, ten strikes landed on his body, and he hadn't been able to begin to pull his spear back. His stomach, his ribs, his spine, and even his groin were victim of these lightning fast and impactful strikes. Noob Saibot grasped him by the head and headbutted him with such impact that Hanzo had blurry vision after staggering back.
"Finish him!" Shang Tsung commanded.
Noob Saibot gathered Scorpion's chain and wrapped it around Scorpion's neck. He jammed the spear into his heart and gave it a malicious twist after. The spray of blood splattered across Noob, but he hadn't stopped. Saibot kicked Scorpion as hard as he could through that gate to the Netherrealm. The gate shut as soon as Hanzo passed through it.
Quan Chi still lay writhing in pain in a pool of his own blood. His face was rearranged by Scorpion's brutal assault, but he was still alive. Noob Saibot stood tall and glanced back toward Shang Tsung. "Who is the woman in my visions? The woman with hair of black and white…? Tell me where I can find her!"
"You mean Sareena?" Denise spoke while rubbing her neck. "Shao Kahn knows. We must crush Earthrealm for her to be found."
Shang Tsung was very in tune with his wife's plotting. He fell into a nearby chair and still held his wound. "Yes, if you can assist us by defeating Earthrealm warriors, we can find out just where Sareena is…"
"Then it is done." Noob said simply. "Get this sorcerer some help. He is of no use to me dead." With his fist over his chest, Noob Saibot vanished completely from sight.
By now, Quan Chi's groaning and pained exclamations had ended with his passing out from the pain. Before Denise or Shang Tsung even began to help him…Denise spoke up, noticing just what Shang Tsung wasn't wearing. "…Why is your shirt off?"
( Later, at the Coliseum )
The stage was set. The fighters were gathered, and the battles had begun. Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Smoke, Johnny Cage, Goro, Kano, and others were all in attendance. At the emperor's side, his daughter Mileena stood along with Sheeva. Kitana had currently been the first up in the series of battles against a highly skilled Shaolin warrior. Each attack she fended off only reminded her of Liu Kang. She found herself holding back, not having any intention of murdering the man.
Feeling the angering eyes of her 'father' on her, Kitana began to make her comeback in the fight. Ultimately, she overpowered him and sent him to the ground. On instinct she drew her fan and held it above her head, threatening to cleave into the man. She could only see Liu Kang in his eyes…she couldn't bring herself to do it. Despite the calls of the crowd, and even the man's own plea for death due to his failure, she would not do it.
"Kitana!" Shao Kahn called out.
She closed her fan. "I show you mercy." She turned to leave the man there, but a loud crackle of Shao Kahn's energy filled the air with the approving cheers of the crowd. She had no need to glance back as she knew the man had been killed at the hands of Kahn regardless of Kitana's call of mercy. She froze, her eyes widening as the dying screams of the man entered her ears. Would that be the fate of Liu Kang had she acted out of line? Killed in the most cowardly fashion?
"Kitana!" Kahn shouted. "You will join me!" He motioned his head toward the side to signal for his daughter to stand on the other side of the throne.
She obeyed with clenched fists and kept her eyes on anything but Kahn.
Mileena glanced over at her, seeing the troubled gaze in her sister's eyes. She could not stare long as to draw suspicion from Kahn, so she cast he sight over the lined up warriors. She had a double take when she spotted Kuai Liang approaching. Her heart fluttered, and her stomach went into knots.
"Shao Kahn!" Kuai Liang called out. "I demand the whereabouts of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi! I demand that they bring forth the identity of my brother's killer!" He pointed two fingers toward the Emperor. "You will bring them before me!"
Sheeva stepped forward. "Foolish piece of excrement!" She growled. "No one makes demands of the emperor!"
Shao Kahn lifted his hand to silence Sheeva. "Had I known where the two fools have been, I would break their legs for being late. I will give you a challenger until they arrive. Should you survive, perhaps you will get the information you seek." Among the challengers, he leaned over to Sheeva, speaking a whisper. "Fetch Skarlet." Clearing his throat, he sat up straight again. "Baraka. Face our Lin Kuei challenger."
Seeing Baraka step forward, Mileena's fingers clutched into her palm. The last she saw these two in the same place…Kuai Liang was killed. The battle was set to begin and deep down, Mileena was hoping Kuai Liang would pass whatever test came his way. However, something in her gut told her that this would not end as smoothly as it once did in the past….