Chapter 23: Trying to Survive
The power of the Thunder God's medallion charged Kitana as she moved in front of her friend. Her tessen swung to make blunt contact with Jade's weapon. Sparks flew that illuminated the lit room like a direct strike from Thor's hammer.
The tension of the impact made Kitana's muscles flex as she shoved against the weapon. She glared at the malice filled eyes of her friend as she did all in her power to stab through the fan, through Kitana, and to Sindel.
The two women finally pushed away from one another, with Jade gracefully bounding across the room. She landed on her feet and immediately rushed Kitana quicker than her eyes could register. Unfortunately, her brain registered the pain of being struck on either side of her cranium by Jade's blunt weapon. At their accelerated speed, Kitana was able to lift her fans and parry into a few of Jade's windmill like strikes.
Jade dropped low and Kitana sprung overhead to avoid the sweep, but in the process, she sent both of her feet down onto the top of Jade's head as a stepping stone. As she sprung off, the back of her foot caught the woman and sent her skidding along the ground and away from Sindel.
In her panic, the queen scurried near Ermac and cowered away from the battling princesses.
When Kitana spun her weapons, Jade was already on her feet and in her face.
Kitana misread her opponent's intentions and ducked to the left, but she fell into Jade's trap. The violet staff extended out and jabbed her gut and latched onto her. Kitana's world became a blur as she was tossed overhead and smashed into the throne chair, then tossed again to crash into one of the tables within the room, sending food and drink splattering into the air. When she was tossed the third time, she was released from her grip just long enough to bound through the air.
Jade moved like thunder itself as she appeared above her friend and slashed vertically through the space between them with her staff and swatted her to the cold hard floor like a fly.
The princess bounced off of the floor with a harsh cry of pain, and in her moment of torment, she quickly rolled away from her position as Jade drove her staff through the stone floor where the Princess' neck was formerly located.
Princess Kitana returned to her feet while Jade removed her weapon from the shattered ground. Her right hand collided with the top of Jade's skull, and the momentum continued when her left leg swung right to the side of her neck. The impact knocked the spit out of Jade's mouth and forced her to spin.
Just when Kitana went for her follow up, she felt Jade's hand latch onto Raiden's medallion. Her eyes went wide, and immediately gripped Jade's wrist and struck her on the side of her neck with the other hand to prevent the enhancing item from being removed.
With a slight bit of space drawn between them, Jade and Kitana clashed knees and then exchanged elbows to each other's jaws that caused each woman to stagger away several feet.
Kitana gracefully recovered, and threw both of her fans at Jade with all the strength she could muster. The sound of metal clanking filled the room when each weapon was knocked across the room and embedded in walls thanks to the windmill-like motions of Jade's energy staff.
The space left between them was closed instantaneously, and Jade landed three quick strikes over the head of the princess, and finished her assault with her hand yanking the girl's hair hard enough to crack her head against the pavement.
Jade stood over the writhing Kitana and caught her breath. She checked her lip for blood quickly, and began to pace around her friend like a vulture stalking a dying creature. Kitana was visibly bleeding from her head, but she wasn't going to die just yet.
"You fight to defend a genocidal tyrant." Jade said as she paced Kitana more. "My family…my kingdom. Slaughtered so that she could have the glory, so that you could have the glory. Knowing this, Kitana, you still will defend her!"
Kitana was on all fours. She looked up to Jade, almost pleading with her eyes for her to come to her senses. "She is my mother…!"
For that, Jade kicked Kitana in her stomach as hard as she could to send the woman rolling in pain. She powered down her staff and left the silver base of the weapon at her hip.
Jade exhaled a breath upward and sent her bangs flying up briefly until they fell back across her face. "You built your Edenia on the bones of my people and left me in servitude. A friend…would not condone that." Jade lowered herself down and put her knee against Kitana's throat. She applied pressure to it, choking the woman and causing her legs and body to thrash. "You are lucky I allowed Liu Kang to live this long. You are lucky I was a friend."
Kitana choked and gurgled in her attempt to speak.
Since Jade was amused with the control, she had over Kitana, her eyes glowed bright green while she lifted her knee off the Princess' throat some. Her new voice came to the forefront, as 'mother' took majority control. "What was that, sweet, innocent Kitana?"
Once she was able to stop coughing and spoke, Kitana said two simple words. "I'm…sorry."
"Ah yes." Jade chuckled. "I am sure you a-…!"
Kitana had possession of the silver base of Jade's staff. She activated it, and caused the stick to form instantaneously and jolt up against Jade's throat. Jade gasped and choked violently as she staggered away from Kitana. She collapsed several times as she crawled away from her, but she held her left hand out after drawing green energy from her very soul. She created a rift in the middle of the room that provided her with a quick escape, not wanting to give Kitana any means of advantage.
As Jade scurried through the gateway that seemed to lead to Shao Kahn's throne room, she looked back with her eyes and body radiating bright green. "Just wait until I shed this shell, mortal!" Jade hissed right before she jumped through the gate and sealed it behind her.
Kitana felt the tickle of electricity against her fingertips as the medallion fed her more energy of the Thunder God. Cracks started to form in the medallion as the princess turned her attention to the weakened Sindel, Skarlet, and Ermac, whom held the soul of her long lost father.
As she caught her breath from the quick battle with her friend, she approached the former Edenian Queen and the fallen Edenian King carefully. "Mother…, father…" The cadence in her voice made her sound fragile, despite her display of strength and will just moments ago. "I must stop Jade, but I must know the truth. It is the only way I can reach her. What happened to her family?"
"Before the age of Sindel, there was an age of birth for all of the realms. There only existed the One Being and the Elder Gods, and the One Being was greater than every Elder God combined…" Ermac spoke in King Jerrod's voice. "The Elder Gods successfully tore the One Being asunder, and split it into the Kamidogu that you know of today. The same Kamidogu that Shao Kahn has collected in secret…with wisdom of the future."
"Wisdom of the…" Kitana gasped softly as she stood before the bound Ermac and her sitting mother. "How is this possible?"
Ermac continued to speak. "The One Being resides within Shao Kahn and it seems he merged with the One Being that resides within Jade. Their connection fed Kahn her memories…and an aged warrior named Shujinko was killed for the Kamidogu he collected. However, the tale of Edenia Prime is what you must hear, my child. Yes, Jade's parents ruled long before we came into power. Your mother and I ruled but a small village of warriors deep within the realm, but when Queen Edenia began summoning villagers in mass for sacred meetings they never returned from…we investigated."
Sindel picked up where 'Jerrod' left off. "Queen Edenia was sacrificing Edenians to strengthen the soul of the One Being. She even sacrificed her own children to further her favor until it manifested within her. She needed more power, more souls to conquer, and we became targets. Your father and I led the revolution against the One Being posed as Queen Edenia, and we managed to destroy the armies it amassed just enough to progress. The One Being was too busy slaughtering its own soldiers to realize we were advancing." Sindel paused and turned her eyes toward the ground.
The Edenian Queen continued after a moment of reflection. "Jade was to be the ultimate final sacrifice to bring about the merging of Edenia and the realm now known as Outworld. She was abused and tried to escape many times, and if it was not for my intervention she would have been killed. I murdered Queen Edenia in the process of protecting Jade, but I did not know that the Queen implanted some of the One Being within her child as she was certain her own fate was sealed. This…demonic seed sat within Jade, but I was certain it would not pose a threat…"
Ermac had more details that Kitana may not have known, so he followed up Sindel's story eagerly. "The energy Sindel released after beheading Queen Edenia seemed like an explosion of green light. That power escaped the realm and found its way inside of the young Shao Kahn…and urged him to overthrow the Dragon King, Onaga. I believe the two halves of the One Being desire to reunite…, because as powerful as they are apart…together they may be unstoppable by any mortal."
Kitana's eyes squinted in worry. Her left hand extended as she called one of her bladed war fans from the nearest wall. She began to slice away at the bonds that held Ermac pathetically to the wall for Shao Kahn's former entertainment. As she cleaved the bonds…she began to feel a pain in her skull.
She started getting visions of the future from Raiden's medallion. She saw Shinnok with his hands out in front of Jade and Shao Kahn. He was sucking out green life energy from them to join his own. She saw him becoming larger and larger, like a God before them. Was he the merged One Being from their former timeline now? Had Shinnok jumped timelines and destroyed them to collect energy from the various incarnations of one beings?
Either way, time was ticking. She didn't know how or when Shinnok would show up, so she had to move.
"I am going to pay Shao Kahn a visit." Kitana spoke sternly, showing her mother and Ermac that she would not be told otherwise. "I suggest you remain here or find a means of escape. Farewell." It was difficult for her to turn her back on them, but the little girl looking for her mother had to be silenced for now. Her friend and her sister needed her, and she had to take action in stopping this One Being from taking over Jade any further.
Kitana's next stop was Skarlet. She crouched besided the injured woman and offered her hand…reluctantly. "Can you stand?"
"Barely." Skarlet took the hand and pulled herself up with Kitana's help. "That story…you are…not the same Kitana are you?"
"No and yes." Kitana replied. "I am sorry for what you endured, Skarlet. You were treated like an animal. I should have stopped that early."
"No," Skarlet shook her head, "No. I was given this path as a mortal. I will find my own way in this life. But I suppose making our…'father' give me what I am owed before I depart is not a terrible idea."
"If you are to help me, stay hidden for now. Recover your strength." Kitana placed a hand on Skarlet's shoulder. "Though we do not know each other well, today we are allies. I hope we can build a road to sisterhood."
Kitana and Skarlet hurried out of the room and into the large halls of the fortress. Kitana knew her way, and she made haste in her route up to the main throne room.
Meanwhile…
The sounds of combat filled the halls of Shao Kahn's fortress from top to bottom. The Kombatants fighting for the survival of the Earth and other realms clashed with Tarkatans and Outworldborn foes as one. Chains rattled, blades swung, and skulls were cracked by the valiant fists of Earthrealm's defenders.
Among them, Johnny Cage, Sub-Zero, Jax, and Sonya were leading the charge. As the next wave of enemies were close to being defeated, Johnny Cage swung his foot straight through the torso of a prone Tarkatan enemy and swiftly ended its life. He was celebrating with a huge grin…but quickly found that he could not remove his foot.
"Ah shit." Johnny said as he looked up to see a Tarkatan blade swinging for his neck.
With a sharp gasp, Johnny ducked under the swing and fired his fist into the abdomen of his attacker. "Hey hey! Can't you see I'm busy here? One atta time!" His cockiness served him well usually, but by the time the Tarkatan he was attacking had recovered, a second enemy fired a knee right into Johnny's chin that sent him reeling, all with his foot still caught in his victim's body.
Cage was toppled over easily due to his lack of footing and held both his hands up. "Hey hey! Guys! C'mon! We can talk this out, right? Right?"
It didn't pause the bloodthirsty foes for a moment. They each drew their meter long forearm blades.
As their gnashing fangs began toward Johnny, they each were taken off of their feet by a powerful series of energy rings that caused each warrior to collide into the nearest wall. As they staggered off of it, their attacker, Sonya Blade rushed them with her razor wire brought out. She flipped over the nearest foe and dug into his throat with the wire while her legs wrapped around the head of his ally. With a quick twist, she snapped the second target's neck while dropping down to slice through the throat of the other with her wire.
The bloody spray that occurred after was nothing to Sonya as almost all of them were practically painted in blood.
She stood up immediately and got on her guard. "You alright?" She asked Cage while catching her breath and wiping her bloody nose with her forearm.
"Aw, no more?" Johnny was without his sunglasses now, so the bruises on his face he'd suffered through the course of the battle were all visible. "I'm fine. Just putting my best foot forward, yanno?" Seeing his joke inspired not even a slight grin from Sonya, Johnny went right to business. "A little help with the foot? Or do I have to put the other one up your ass?"
"The day you kick my ass?" Sonya said as she went to help pry Johnny's foot from the creature's body. After a few tugs, she managed to pry the deceased from his limb. "That's the day all your other little dreams come true." She offered a hand in assistance to Cage, and looked back over her shoulder to see the others regrouping. "We're almost to the apex. You getting sleepy?" She started brushing the blood off of her clothes best she could as she spoke. It was clear all of them were feeling fatigue from the endless fighting.
Cage just scoffed at Sonya's wild claim once he was on his feet. "Tired of the bullshit for sure." Cage retorted. "Liu's still hurt. So, I guess this means we're gonna bum-rush Chao Shan?"
"Shao Kahn."
"I said that." Johnny shrugged.
"I guess so. The only people I can think of that are nearly as supernatural are those guys." She pointed toward Sub-Zero, Frost, and Scorpion. "Kung Lao and Liu might be able to take him down…but I'm hoping we all get a piece of the action."
They arrived just in time to clearly hear Nightwolf's instructions.
"The echo of Kombat surrounds us…" Nightwolf spoke as he held his ear to the ground. After a few moments, he crouched on one knee and pointed toward one of the six available doorways. "That way…higher levels. Shao Kahn awaits beyond a great bridge."
Kenshi seconded Nightwolf's prediction. He could see the layout quite clearly in his mind. "I can sense Mileena." He said as he tilted his head back. "Two of them."
"How can that be?" Sheeva stepped beside Kenshi, whom she'd been fighting alongside since the entry of the fortress. "Is it not Princess Kitana? Surely there cannot be two of one soul."
Stryker was loading in one of his last clips into his gun as Sheeva spoke. "All this shit is Greek to me. Let's just get up there, pop the son of a bitch and get Earth back, alright?"
Jax scoffed. "If it was that easy, we wouldn't be here right now, would we? Who knows what other people are waitin' on us up there?"
"We stay together no matter." Sub-Zero started toward the doorway as soon as Mileena was mentioned. He wanted to make sure she was alright, and confirm if 'two' of them were present, or if it was simply Kitana or Jade. "We must reclaim Mileena and the others. Their assistance is needed."
Liu Kang followed Sub-Zero, now with his bloody hand wrapped in a cloth stained red with his blood. "If Kitana is near Kahn alone, we have to hurry…"
Kung Lao hurried to Liu's side, "You are in no condition to be in front of the charge, my friend, please –…"
The proud Earthrealm warrior lifted his uninjured hand to Kung Lao's shoulder. "You act as if I fight with my fists alone. I never have and I never will." He looked forward without fear and continued to follow Sub-Zero. "I will stay in the front. As long as I have you and the rest of our allies I shall never falter. Champion of Mortal Kombat or not…, we are all just men and women trying to survive war."
The rest of the group heard what Liu Kang had to say, and the words inspired them all to push forward. Most of them, at least. Stryker seemed to want to get the hell out of the fortress as soon as possible. Sheeva placed her hand upon Kenshi's shoulder and helped guide him along with the others, Khameloen and Reptile trailed in the back to cover the group's blindside, and Scorpion and Fukushu laced their fingers together briefly as they marched forward.
(A/N)
2023 Update:
I've been editing and re-writing this whole story over again. With that I've made some significant changes in this chapter. The biggest of which is that Skarlet doesn't get taken out of the story and survives to fight alongside Kitana and the others.
In the original version she was taken away by Sareena and Noob Saibot. Sareena also was KILLED by Skarlet in the original before Saibot revived her.