(DISCLAIMER:I don't own Mortal Kombat or its characters in any way. )
Chapter 7: The Fall of Kahn
"I will end you, Lin Kuei…" Baraka vowed as his arm-blades erupted from his strained, muscular forearms.
"An unlikely event." Kuai Liang narrowed his eyes on Baraka. "I will find my brother's killer, and they will die!" Kuai Liang frosted his forearms over as makeshift armoring against the Tarkatan's blades.
The two clashed furiously. Sub-Zero's technique proved formidable to Baraka's own; neither man was able to land a single strike. Baraka aimed for vital areas of Sub-Zero's body, but the warrior weaved around the wild strikes. In kind, Sub-Zero's strikes were met with blocks and attempted counter-strikes.
After taking a powerful kick, Baraka retracted his blades. They were too predictable for his opponent.
Sub-Zero rushed Baraka and was countered with a kick to his sternum that ripped the wind from his lungs. The backs of Baraka's knuckles met Sub-Zero's jaw, followed up with a haymaker across the other side of his face. After Kuai staggered, he threw a punch that was caught in Baraka's waiting palm. The dangerous tactician twisted the fist and arm downward and dropped Sub-Zero with a brutal headbutt to the bridge of his nose.
As Sub-Zero hit the ground, Mileena gasped and grit her fangs together.
"The contest a bit too thrilling for you, child?" Kahn said, glancing over toward Mileena.
Kitana moved near Mileena's side and placed a hand on her shoulder as the battle between Sub-Zero and Baraka proceeded.
Baraka wildly kicked at Kuai Liang while he was down. He struck his ribs, his head, anything he could strike with his blind rage guiding his way. Sub-Zero managed to block one of those incoming kicks and shoved Baraka away. In response, Baraka kicked dirt from the arena floor into Kuai's eyes, making the Lin Kuei warrior call out from the sting of blindness.
"Do not fight as a coward, Baraka!" Mileena's voice broke as she tugged herself away from her sister.
"Mileena!" Kitana pulled her back. She wanted to keep up the façade of loyalty to Kahn best she could.
All eyes went to Mileena for that moment. Most importantly…Baraka's.
The confusion that displayed on his face went through a range of emotions. Surprise, confusion, realization, and then anger. Baraka's blood boiled as if he'd just caught the scent of a rival male Tarkatan. Each blade burst from his forearms. "You!" He barked before he swung his blade down toward the rising Lin Kuei.
Sub-Zero did his best to avoid contact…and failed to do so in a small way. Rather than being split down the middle, his sudden movement only allowed him to suffer a long cut along one side of his face, The gash spewed with crimson vitality along his face and onto the dirt-covered coliseum floor.
As Sub-Zero fell, Baraka drew his arms back with plans to drive those blades through his hear and lung with each. While they came downward, a shrill cry ripped through his eardrums.
"No!" Mileena sprung from her position and tackled Baraka down to the ground and away from Sub-Zero. "No!" She continued on while raining her fists down over his face wildly. She pulled back bloodied knuckles with each strike.
"Traitor! Guards!" Kahn directed. "Kitana, kill her! Your emperor demands it!"
The crowd went into a frenzy, some booing, others cheering on the chaos ensuing below. Several guards rushed to the battle with their blades and spears drawn.
In Mileena's blind rage, she hadn't a care for any of them as they closed in to kill her. Kitana herself had yet to budge at Kahn's command…and Mileena's fate seemed to be sealed.
That was until a sudden blur of green rushed across her vision, pulling her from Baraka's body. In the same motion, three of the approaching guards were struck across their faces with a blinding purple light. Rapidly spinning her staff, Jade stood with one hand on her staff, the other at Mileena's arm. The guards backed up a bit, surrounding the two women, the beaten Tarkatan, and bleeding Lin Kuei.
"Getting into trouble, I see." Jade commented as she released Mileena's arm. "There is no purpose for us to hide I say." She darted her sights to Mileena who stood at her side.
"Mileena would say, " Both sai were drawn from her sleeves, "Jade is correct!" She growled, hunching down as she faced the opposing section of guards Jade faced.
"What are you waiting for? Kill them!" Kahn commanded the guards, then faced his so-called loyal daughter Kitana. "And you as well, or I shall kill you!"
The guards bypassed Kuai Liang and Baraka and closed in on Mileena and Jade. Each woman remaining close to one another while the blades came forth. Mileena was blocking high with each sai and striking furiously against the guards vulnerable points. Their necks, eyes, and unarmored arms and lower abdomens became subject of punctures and jabs from her rapid moving blades.
Jade on the other hand was successfully blocking any means of attack with a windmill motion of her staff. She swept low and several guards were knocked off of their feet and disposed of via being trampled by their own men.
Earthrealm and Outworld warriors alike stood in marvel of the chaos that ensued. Johnny Cage in particular was breath taken by the sudden excitement that surged up.
"Hey guys?" Cage said, "always wanted to do this…" He cleared his throat and blurred aside with a Shadow Kick to the jaw of Kano. The impact launched the scoundrel into the other Outworlders. "MORTAL KOMBAT!" Cage shouted at the top of his lungs.
Chaos ensued as more warriors dove into the fray. Raiden, however, stayed far away from the fight.
Still in intense combat, Jade managed to behead a group of soldiers with her bladearang, catching it on the rebound skillfully. After doing so, a Tarkatan warrior sprung over the falling bodies and pounced Jade down. Each hand wrapped around her neck with enough force to make her eyes bulge.
"Jade!" Mileena turned to save her, but was met with a hairy arm wrapped around her throat.
"Oi, you smell good, dove!" Kano chuckled, flicking a butterfly knife in his left hand. "Let's go aside and have some fun, aye?"
While brawl continued, Kitana faced Kahn. "I will do what I must." She jumped into combat with the others. She landed directly on top of the Tarkatan choking Jade, and with a swift motion, snapped his neck in a full one-hundred-eighty-degree snap. She tossed the body off Jade and grasped the fallen Bladarang. Kitana tossed it toward Kano who tried to drag Mileena off. The blade struck Kano's mechanical eyes and sent sparks flying.
"Oi! My bloody eye!" Kano shouted while dropping his grip around Mileena's neck.
As Mileena pulled free, her sais drilled down into Kano's knees simultaneously and splattered his blood against her hands. Once she yanked back, she drove her knee deep against his crotch. As he bellowed in pain, Mileena narrowly avoided a flying Liu Kang who kicked a much larger guard clear from her path with a great war cry. Mileena moved once she had a clear shot to her sister and Jade, joining their side in fending off the mass amount of soldiers at Kahn's employ.
"Sheeva! Skarlet! Kill them all!" Kahn was growing annoyed at his throne.
As ordered prior, Sheeva returned with Skarlet in her shackles, as well as Kintaro. Once they were broken, the entire mood of battle shifted. The Shokan cracked her knuckles, starting ahead. "Mileena, Princess Kitana, Jade. I am sorry. Had you not dishonored yourself I would not have to - …"
A blast of cold overcame the two Shokan from the crowd. Within seconds, Sheeva and Kintaro were a large block of ice simply sitting outside of the combat zone. With Skarlet on quick approach, Sub-Zero stepped outside of the crowd to face her.
With the blood running from his face, Skarlet simply glared at it, forcing the upper portion of the wound to rip apart slightly wider and drop more blood onto the ground. Screaming in pain, Sub-Zero was unable to focus on the approaching woman. She drew her blade and cut across her palm to elongate her dagger with blood magic taking over it. The red clad assassin rushed Sub-Zero and cracked his chin with a rising uppercut.
"Kuai Liang?" Mileena saw him take flight, and with the thinning opposition, Skarlet became a quick target. Smoke was the first to approach her after Sub-Zero was stricken, he was sliced across the chest twice with the second slice dropping him with a blood-made scythe.
Skarlet was quick, and moved with an agility not even matched by the Kunoichi among the kombatants. Smoke was grasped by the ankle by several blood-made tentacles from the ground and he was tossed toward the other Kombatants.
Skarlet, however, had her sights set on Kitana, Jade, and Mileena.
Knives were thrown in every direction, barely missing even Liu Kang who tried to approach Skarlet. Down the line she went; Johnny Cage was done away with by a kick to the crotch, and hard chop behind the head. Kung Lao was met with a high block, and a slice of her dagger right across his abdomen, and a stab into his thigh. While he called out in pain. Liu Kang was the next to break his attention fully from the thinning forces of Kahn. Before he could get any fight going with Skarlet, a green ball of energy struck him in his chest from Kahn's throne.
Amused, the Emperor laughed and continued to watch Skarlet's rampage to the three women.
"Skarlet, stop this!" Jade said under her breath, rotating her staff. A set of knives flew through the air to Jade, and each became caught up in the cyclone of her staff. Once Skarlet closed in, the quick red clad woman easily began to overpower Jade, landing hard strikes to her face with her open hand, humiliating the guardian of Kitana. Even as Jade accelerated, she was still just barely able to meet Skarlet blow for blow.
Kitana joined in next, and even her strikes were met and countered by Skarlet. Kitana was soon met with pain as a sharp blade ripped across her upper thigh.
Mileena jumped in next, pouncing Skarlet from behind. Mileena stabbing her across the chest and breast violently in attempt to find her heart with each blow. Despite the calls of pain, Skarlet burst into a bubble of blood that splashed over the three women. Mileena fell to the ground on her feet, and suddenly Skarlet was on her back, jabbing Mileena in the shoulders with her daggers. Mileena screamed in pain, until those daggers were ripped out of her flesh. As she fell forward, the wounds slowly shut, but the pain was still very present.
Jade was met with a sudden knee below her chin, and an overhead strike over the back of her cranium. Turning, Skarlet sent a fist beneath Kitana's jaw, a short series of quick jabs, and finally a roundhouse kick to throw her clean off of her feet. Turning to face Kahn among the dying chaos, she took a bow…one that would prove fatal.
"Heads up!" Jade called as her foot thrust toward Skarlet's face with a speed rivaled by a bolt of lightning. Skarlet was sent into the air, and with Jade's trained eye, she followed her path. Her staff was revived and stuck into the ground. Skarlet came crashing down over the staff, having it drive through her back and out of her torso in a grand spray of blood. Jade went to grasp her by the head…but Skarlet dissolved into blood once more.
Beneath Kitana, four tendrils of blood shot up, lifting her off of the ground and just high enough above everyone else for Skarlet to reappear with her dagger held tightly in hand. As she prepared to swing, an unseen force brought her to a pause. Skarlet struggled and looked toward her arm as a transparent figure become clear to her with light bending around their body.
"No." The invisible entity simply spoke, drawing Skarlet's arm down right into her own stomach. As the blood powered assassin fell into a puddle of blood, Khameleon made herself known. Her attire bending the light around her to give her a red hue, commanding the blood to drop the princess safely. "Go!" Khameleon pointed Kitana off toward Shao Kahn.
Kitana got to her feet, though the front of her attire was stained with Skarlet's blood. The crowd of Tarkata continued to pour in, but Kitana charged through the crowd with her tessen drawn. Liu Kang had already made his way to the throne, currently challenging Khan to Kombat away from the others. Kitana knew this outcome..., but she could not risk it, especially with the pending freedom of the frozen Shokan.
Kitana jumped in only after Liu Kang fell prey to a rather cheap charge of Kahn's shoulder into Liu Kang's chest. "Shao Kahn!" She called out and threwh er tessen at Kahn's back. As the blood sprayed across the ground, Shao Kahn roared and turned his attention to his traitorous daughter.
"You…" Kahn held his hammer tightly in hand. "I knew I should have never allowed Sindel to persuade me of your worth!" He swung high overhead, but Kitana avoided contact by rolling aside. His swift daughter however was no match for the upward swing of the hammer, cracking her just beneath the jaw and sending her skyward.
"Kahn!" Mileena's voice rang out as she pounced onto the emperor's back. Her teeth sunk into his neck and shoulder and ripped away at the flesh in order to protect Kitana.
Howling in pain, Kahn's large hand grasped Mileena's hair and whipped her over his shoulder and to the ground. "You little abomination! You will die for your betrayal!" He lifted the hammer, and swung it downward, only to collide with the transparent hands of Khameleon.
The light bended around her body and emulated the rust color of Kahn's own armor. Within seconds, she began to overpower even Kahn's god-like strength. She pushed the hammer up and away from the downed Mieena. "For endless years you have gone without punishment. My people and all others have suffered because of your tyranny! No longer!" Khameleon shouted, while struggling against Kahn's strength.
Shoa Kahn barked back with spittle flying from his maw. "Foolish Saurian! You will die as the rest of your pathetic race!" He strained his muscles, but he could not gain any advantage of Khameleon. She had completely mimicked his strength, it seemed. He kicked the Saurian far away from him to end the struggle. Enough time was bought however for Liu Kang, Kitana, and Mileena to recover. "Now, you will all bow for eternity-…!"
Through his stomach, a bright burning purple light appeared. Jade drove her staff clean through his flesh and held it there to let the reality of his vulnerability sink in. "It is over! Liu Kang, finish him!" Jade used her strength to whip Kahn off of her staff and toward Liu Kang.
As the monk jumped to his feet, he held his fist up, igniting it with his spiritual flame. The burning fist of the Shaolin went through Kahn's chest and out of his back. The strike was heard around the entire arena. The crowd fell silent, the Tarkata and remaining guardians ended their battle against the Earth warriors. Blood was shed, every warrior held cuts and bruises to remember this day by. The light of the gods shined brightly above as Kang removed his fist from Kahn's chest.
The Tarkata ceased battle and carried Baraka's unconscious body out of the coliseum. The remaining guardians of Kahn tended to his body in their last mean of service in their failure.
The battle was over.
"The Elder Gods have spoken," Raiden said, "Earth realm is free of Shao Kahn…forever."
Kuai Liang punched the ground in disappointment. "Shao Kahn is dead. Still…I have yet to find my brother's killer…" Though frustrated, Kuai Liang accepted the helping hand of Smoke to stand. "Tomas, are you faring well, my friend?"
"Yes. It is nothing I have not been through before." Smoke gave his friend a light handshake once he was standing. "You need to have that cut looked at. Your brother's assassin can be sought another day. Your health is of greater importance."
"Yes, but with the traitorous Lin Kuei after us, returning to Earthrealm may be foolish." Kuai Liang glanced about, spotting the woman which had saved him from a possible early demise at Baraka's hands. Mileena's veil was down. Her facial features resembling that of one of the Tarkata sprawled on the ground. "Excuse me, Tomas." He parted with his comrade, approaching Mileena, Kitana, and Jade who stood off to the side from the celebration occurring around Liu Kang.
"Excuse me, Miss." Sub-Zero spoke to Mileena. When she turned, her look was truly more horrifying up close than it was from afar. Though he wasn't afraid, her fear displayed in her yellow eyes. "I thank you for earlier. Though my wound brings me great pain, it would be much worse without your help."
Mileena nervously rubbed the back of her neck and Jade pushed her forward lightly. "M-M-Mileena is…h-h-happy to help."
"Mileena." Kuai Liang smiled behind his mask. He placed his fist over his heart, taking a slight bow. "I am Kuai Liang. I am in debt to you. Your companions have assisted in a great victory." Examining the other two women with his only opened eye, he recognized but one. "Princess Kitana. It is also an honor."
"Likewise, Sub-Zero." Kitana kept things professional. "This is my guardian, Jade. And my newest friend is among us…somewhere."
The invisible woman made herself visible. "Khameleon." She had lightly bronzed human flesh with some signs of scales along her forearms. The disguised Saurian stood alongside Kitana.
As the others conversed, Raiden took this time to consult his amulet. He expected the cracks to heal…and one by one, they did indeed. Once the amulet was complete, several cracks began to return, slightly more severe than before. "What…? How can this –… "
There was a sudden explosion of green light from the group of guards that carried the heavy body of Shao Kahn. The ground shook, the frozen Shokan were broken free, but toppled over, many people were shaken from their feet and onto the ground. Once the explosion of energy ended…Mileena found herself near Jade. Unlike the others, Jade remained…motionless on the ground.
"Jade?...Jade are you okay?" Mileena hovered over her fallen friend. "Jade? Sister! Check her pulse!" Panicked, Mileena continued to call Jade's name…but in the woman's ears, the voices were getting further, and further away.
( Meanwhile )
Jade appeared within the mysterious realm. She sat up with a sudden gasp for air. The cold rocks beneath her body inspired her to get to her feet quickly. She was within a very long tunnel…voices whispering her name came from every direction…even writing with her name in various languages burned against the walls of the cavern. She started down the tunnel toward the bright light at its end. "Hello?" She called out. "Mileena? Kitana?" She got no response. The ground beneath her feet trembled and broke apart, creating a great gap in the tunnel. Plateaus of rock bridged the gap, but the endless drop below them made the feat of traveling those gaps all the more dangerous.
Jade jumped from rock to rock with each rising and sinking to respond to her weight differently. Rocks broke apart, stretching the path as voices screamed her name among echoing whispers.
By the time she reached the end of the tunnel, the light dimmed down just enough to reveal the shimmering woman before her again.
"I know you have questions." The woman's regal voice echoed all around Jade. The mysterious woman watched as Jade stood petrified before her. "I will answer all questions for as long as this link between us lasts."
"You told me Edenia is a lie. What is this you speak?" Jade's brows furrowed, as she took a step forward along the floating platform she currently stood on. "Why is it I am often brought here?"
"Do you truly believe that Jerrod, Sindel, and Kitana are the true rulers of Edenia, Jade? Have you truly been so ignorant in both of your lives?" An amused chuckle left her lips. "Sindel and Jerrod only came into power after your father and I were murdered in cold blood. Our Edenia was taken from us and blanket of deception has overcome the realm. You were born ignorant to your true heritage…and made a slave among the Edenians to look after the child of those who murdered your own…"
"This is not true." Jade defended. "My parents died in the Mortal Kombat tournament, not by King Jerrod or Queen Sindel!"
"Did they now? What purpose does your mother have lying when I am the only among us who is truly dead?" Jade's mother's arms crossed over her armored chest. "You are a slave, Jade. A puppet to the Edenian throne. Edenia is rightfully yours. The realms are rightfully yours! Do not allow Kitana and her mutilated sibling to tell you any less!"
"No, you are not my mother!" She pointed toward the shimmering woman, and despite the resemblance she denied it. "What is this trickery?!"
"Since my death I have seen all. I have seen through the eyes of many warriors…but I have only lived because of you, my child." She turned, tossing her hand back to open up a portal. It was the scene of Armageddon. The great pyramid's apex was shown with the corpse of Raiden surrounded by the smoking corpses of Mileena, Kitana, and Jade. "The time you have entered will come into chaos. If you do not take back Edenia for your own…Kitana's feeble leadership will lead to the rebirth of Onaga."
While Jade watched closer the ghost of Liu Kang sat in mourning near Kitana's body. His ghostly hand coming over her forehead, caressing it in hopes her death hadn't been true. Though meanwhile in the distance, a storm was approaching. Led by that of the fallen Elder God, Shinnok. "Let me have your body, my child. I will send you to your real time and you can undo the damage of Armageddon and truly stop Shinnok." Her hand drew away to open another gateway. "Or you can return to your new home as a slave until the new Armageddon occurs. The choice is yours."
Jade clinched her fist. How did Shinnok survive?
"I have made my decision…" Jade said after a long pause.
( Bonus Ending )
The warriors of Earth cleared the coliseum…but six figured stood among the remains. Shang Tsung and his wife Denise, the now one-armed Quan Chi, Tanya, and the two cyborgs Cyrax and Sektor. They seemed to be…discussing something among one another.
"Very well," Shang Tsung chuckled. "As the emperor regenerates with the help of my colleague, I will continue to play the fool. Once the invasion begins, Earthrealm will be yours to assimilate at will."
"And Shao Kahn?" Sektor asked. "How is it he will be taken out of the picture?"
"Easy," Tanya interrupted him. "I've been meeting with some of my colleagues; Rain, Reiko, Baraka…, and Kano here." She motioned to the injured man on the floor. "They plan to overthrow Kahn when he least expects it. Their combined force should be enough, and if not, we shall intervene."
"I would suggest we make it more than enough." Sektor's glowing eyes focused in on Tanya. "I understand Bi Han is now in your service. Good. Since you've one of our own, we will be taking a few of yours for assimilation. The Tarkata seem more capable than we originally thought. Our targets Smoke and Tundra are marked for termination only now…"
"Feel free to take the Tarkatans." Denise rolled her eyes, "And for goodness sake, take Kano with you. A man of his personality is close enough to a machine."
"I can still bloody hear you!" Kano called from the ground.
"Shut the hell up." Denise kicked Kano in the side as hard as she could. "You are lucky I don't slay you where you lay!"
"Desnie, enough." Shang held his arm out.
She pushed it aside. "Do not embarrass me in front of our guests! You have done enough with your attempt at being intimate just hours ago!"
"I do believe this is far too much information." Cyrax spoke, but double checked with Sektor who agreed with a motion of his helmet.
Kano belted out a bloodied laugh. "Hah! Old Shang tryin' to get a last-minute shag in, was he?"
"Silence!" Shang Tsung kicked Kano's side next. "Take Kano. Do your worst to him and be sure he is geared for elimination of Kahn. Take the Tarkatan remains…and do destroy those…useless Shokan!"
"Understood." Sektor and Cyrax both took a bow…
"Hey hey! I didn't agree to becomin' a robot—!"