Mortal Kombat; A Second Chance
~A/N~ Eno-on: So, here we are, more MKX story content for Mileena to alter.
Eno-on: I hope you all are ready for today's chapter because tonight we go to hell and we're not leaving without extra company.
No-one: By that he means that this is the single longest thing I have written and will likely stay the biggest chapter in the story for quite a while.
Eno-on: Without further ado...
"Speech" 'Thought' "Read Text"
Disclaimer: I don't own ~'Mortal Kombat'~
~Chapter 13 Assault on the Netherrealm~
Mileena sighed, trying to calm herself as she marched with the platoon of soldiers through the Netherrealm, looking around she could see that Sareena and Ashrah looked just as uncomfortable to be back in the Netherrealm as she did, walking over she stepped in line with their pace.
"How are you two handling all of… this?" Mileena asked awkwardly.
"I wish my sisters joined me, I'd rather not fight them" Sareena answered glumly, the demon's outfit was different from before, while the upper half of her attire was unchanged, she now wore a pair of form fitting black pants and the front of the loincloth she wore before had been torn off, removing Quan Chi's mark from her body.
"I would rather not be back in the Netherrealm again, but I understand that this is to free innocents from slavery" said Ashrah with a focused expression, the other woman's appearance had changed in the last month, her white hat was nowhere to be seen and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, she wore a black gi with a long right sleeve that tightened at the wrist and no left sleeve with a bracer covering her left wrist and hand, she still wore her baggy white pants from before with the only difference being the black shoes she wore now, her gold belt from before was still in place with a new sword hanging from it.
"Y-yeah" Mileena choked out, thinking about all the training she had done lately and the changes that had happened in the past month, Kenshi had been pushing the idea of mobility and adaptability in combat, 'You're physically stronger than me Mileena, but as you have seen in our sparring sessions I found away around that' Kenshi had said once and she remembered how he stood still to block her attacks, instead he always parried them away from his body.
'I need to stay on the move and adapt' she thought, clenching her fist before taking a calming breath 'But I need to remember how much I've grown', her own outfit hadn't changed at all in past month with the exception of a pair of leather gloves and a new mask that Lewis had given her, it was a simple black mask with a thick pink stripe coming down from her left eye.
"Okay everyone stay focused, we're approaching the target" Sonya announced from the from of the group, Cage and Kenshi by her sides, "remember stay low and try to avoid unnecessary combat, we want to take Quan Chi by surprise"
Mileena looked around as the dozen soldiers in the group stayed silent as they marched through the rock formations and staying in the shadows to avoid detection, closing her eyes for a moment Mileena took a deep breath and steeled her nerves for the fight she knew was going to happen, 'Quan Chi' she thought, barely able to suppress a growl 'I'll make you free my sister!'
Time seemed to drag on as they approached the fortress Quan Chi was most likely to be hiding, the group stopped and turned towards the leader for the mission, "Okay there are three major locations in the tower for Quan Chi to be hiding" Sonya announced "Sareena, Kenshi, the two of you are heading to site A" said the blond, "Mileena, Ashrah, Johnny, you're with me as we head to site B" receiving nods in return, "the rest of you site C, try to cause as much damage as possible"
With their orders given the team started to split up for the goals assigned "Good luck you two" Mileena spoke up looking at Sareena and Kenshi, with an expression of worry.
"Thank you" Kenshi replied "I wish you luck as well" Sareena nodded by his side before the two of them split off.
Kenshi silently followed Quan Chi's former servant through the corridors of the fortress "I don't like this" she muttered "it's too quiet"
"Do you think we're walking into a trap?" he asked "we are heading towards the throne room"
"That's what I'm afraid of" Sareena answered "Quan Chi shouldn't have expected our arrival" the two descended into silence as they moved through the fortress "the throne room should be down this hallway"
The pair soon came face to face with a large ornate door, working together they able to make an opening to enter the room, only for Sareena to freeze in shock at who was waiting for them.
"It's been a while, sister" called a female in a mocking tone, the woman in question stood at the same height as Sareena with long black hair which was held back by a black headband with a red inverse pyramid in the center and two black markings on her cheeks, she wore a black bikini top connected to a thick black choker, a pair of black arm warmers, a black skirt with a red trim and the same loincloth that Sareena had worn a month ago and a pair of black and red thigh high boots.
"We didn't expect to see you after your betrayal" continued her partner, the second woman had a darker skin tone with white markings under her eyes and on her chin, she had shoulder length white hair with a studded black headband, she wore a closed black vest with a red trim, form fitting black pant with a pair of black and red boots, to complete her outfit she had a simple pair of black gloves on her hands and the same loincloth as her sister.
"Kia, Jakaata" Sareena muttered, trying to quell her nerves "what are the two of you doing here?"
"We know you well dear sister" Kia replied "after you fled to Quan Chi's enemies, we knew you likely to give them information on his fortress"
"However, we never expected that you would join the raiding party yourself" Jakaata continued "if you do not surrender now, we will even kill you sister"
'This is very bad, I don't want to fight you two' the demon thought to herself before sending a sideways glance at Kenshi 'but I have to, because I know you two best' she took a step forward, swallowing nervously "Kenshi, please stay back and let me face my sisters"
"If that is what you want… I will" he replied "but I will interfere if your life is at risk"
"Thank you, that's all I ask" Sareena kept her eyes lock firmly on her siblings before taking her fighting stance.
"Really Sareena? Do you suddenly believe you can defeat the both of us alone?" Jakaata asked with a scowl, drawing her energy blade "the three of us are relatively equal to one another"
"Or are you trying to stall us here so your friend can flee?" said Kia, unsheathing her edged boomerangs "either way you are not leaving here the victor"
In response to the taunts, she simply grabbed one of her daggers and charged forward, taking her sisters by surprise in the process 'I have one advantage here and it's that I know how we fight' rushing in closer she dropped to her knees and slid under her dark skinned sister's energy bolt, before using her knife to deflect the bladed projectile Kia had thrown toward her.
Rising to her feet she slammed the pommel of her weapon into her sister's stomach, winding Kia before slamming an open palm into her chin, knocking her back.
Turning quickly Sareena threw her dagger at Jakaata, knowing that trying to block or parry the energy blade was pointless, chasing after the make-shift projectile, she slipped into her opponent's guard, planting an elbow into the darker demon's gut, while Jakaata was stunned she was unable to block the blade as it stabbed into her shoulder, the pain making her release her grip on her weapon.
Sareena quickly snatched the energy sword from the floor before rolling away from her recovering sister, looking at the other two demons she could see Kia already at her feet, catching her returning boomerang, meanwhile Jakaata was pulling the dagger from her arm.
"Please surrender, both of you" she pleaded, voice trembling "I don't want to fight either of you"
Jakaata scowled through gritted teeth "You already made your choice!"
"We will serve our master" said Kia "our lives belong to him, which you seem to have forgotten"
Steeling her nerves she pointed the stolen weapon at Kia before firing an energy bolt out from the tip, causing the other demon to scream in pain as she clutched her arm, Sareena stumbled back, shocked at both the power and recoil of the weapon.
Jakaata took the opportunity to attack while Sareena was unfocused, leaping forward the darker skinned demon returned her sister's dagger by stabbing it into her free arm, continuing with her assault she kicked the traitor in the ankles, forcing her down to her knees.
Sareena struggled to bite back her scream before she could retaliate, her left wrist, the one holding the energy blade, was grabbed and Jakaata, who slowly started to pull it toward her neck, Sareena grit her teeth as she tried to hold the weapon back.
As she looked up from the struggle over the energy sword she saw Kia draw her undamaged hand back, ready to throw her boomerang at her unprotected stomach, Sareena closed her eyes as she realized what to do, she suddenly stopped pushing back against Jakaata and pulled the blade towards herself, taking her sister by surprise, and throwing her body to the side, putting Jakaata's body in between her and Kia's edged boomerang.
Jakaata yelped in pain as the blade pierced her back causing her to release her grip on Sareena, leaving her defenceless to the traitor's counter attack as Sareena slammed her elbow into the darker demon's throat, Kia watched helplessly as Jakaata choked breathlessly on the ground before Sareena ripped the knife from her arm with a scream and threw it at her.
Sareena panted heavily as the adrenaline faded from her system and the pain in arm came to front of mind, looking at the stab on her left bicep she could tell in was quite deep and would definitely scar, looking away from her bleeding limb she froze as she gazed upon her sisters.
Jakaata lay unmoving on her side, eyes wide open, one hand clutching at her neck and her mouth open like she had gasped, Kia was laying on her back, eyes wide with terror and Sareena's dagger lodged deep in her head.
She looked down at her hands, breathing heavily before roaring in despair, she wrapped her arms around herself in a vague approximation of a hug and sobbed loudly, tears streaming down her face, she was soon startled as a hand was placed down on her shoulder following said appendage with her eyes revealed it to be Kenshi an expression of concern covering his features.
"We should leave Sareena" he said quietly "you need medical attention and time to process and grieve"
"My sisters were right" she mumbled as she climbed to her feet "because I don't feel victorious"
Mileena and Ashrah followed behind Sonya and Cage down a rather long staircase, the soldiers leading the group, getting off the stairs and onto the lowest floor of the tower.
"Nope, no evil sorcerers in here..." Cage joked.
"Would you get serious…" Sonya admonished, with no real anger in her voice.
"Quan Chi needs to clean up his man-cave" he commented, looking around the room.
"Cleaner than yours'" replied Sonya.
"Cage, shut up" Mileena hissed "this is serious, don't indulge him Sonya"
The actor looked vaguely apologetic for a moment, before walking deeper into the room, he walked by some lamps that looked suspiciously like spinel cords, he stopped in front of a wide pool full of an unknown liquid "What's this?" he asked before crouching down to inspect it.
"Leave it alone Cage!" Mileena said quietly.
"Oh come on… where's your sense of…" he started reaching out to it, only to pull his hand back as it glowed ominously "adventure…"
"You wish for adventure?" asked a deep voice, drawing everyone's attention across the room, to see Quan Chi exiting a portal with a revenant Jax, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Jade flanking his sides "You shall have it"
Mileena gripped her pistol tightly, barely holding in a growl of frustration when she saw that Kitana was not with them.
"Fire!" Sonya ordered before she could demand her sister's location, the soldiers accompanying them shot at the sorcerer, however before a single projectile could hit him he erected a wall of skulls to block the bullets, the troops stopped for a moment of disbelief, only for Quan Chi to drop the wall and Sub-Zero to freeze them solid.
"I have no need of your soldiers" Quan Chi taunted "but all of you will serve me well… once you are dead"
Before the group could react a second portal opened at the side of the room and a large figure came charging out of it "Moloch!" the sorcerer yelled drawing the beast's attention before pointing at Ashrah "she is the one who killed Drahmin"
Upon hearing this Moloch roared before tackling Ashrah, sending both of them out the open wall of the tower.
"Ashrah!" Mileena called out in worry as the demon woman soon left her sight.
"You've got bigger problems" came the voice of Jax.
Mileena turned to face him, just in time to receive a cybernetic punch to the face.
Ashrah struggled in the Oni's grip at they plummeted from the tower, she quickly reached behind her back and grabbed the blade the Shaolin had gifted her and unsheathed the sword before stabbing Moloch's forearm with it, causing the larger demon to howl in pain and release her.
With her free hand she grabbed the Oni's harness and twisted her grip, spinning herself onto his back, right as the two crashed onto the fortress' roof, the impact left the woman disoriented and made her fall off the larger demon's back.
Moloch grunted as he slowly climbed back to his feet, showing that the fall was far from enough to stop him, mirroring her opponent Ashrah took a moment to analyse him.
Moloch was a very large Oni with deep blue skin and three glowing yellow eyes, clad in only a brown leather harness and a pair of briefs, his left hand was wrapped in chains with a metal ball in his palm and he had leather bands on his right wrist.
Gripping her new sword tightly, Ashrah took a calming breath and slowly walked away from the building's edge "Come" she said glaring forward.
Moloch wasted no time before slamming his orb down the roof, causing the tiles under her feet the rattle loudly and disrupt her balance, after doing this he charged towards her, knocking her off her feet once more and onto the roof tiles.
The woman barely had time to roll out of the way of the large blue foot intent on crushing her skull, spinning with her roll she kicked him behind his knees causing him to stumble forward slightly, she leapt up trying to capitalise on his moment of weakness only for a vicious back hand to knock her away.
Rolling back to her feet she kept her eyes on the Oni, she watched carefully to try and not be taken by surprise again, Moloch soon came charging at her once more, Ashrah deciding to take initiative in the battle charged at him in return.
Once she was close enough Moloch swung his orb at her again, Ashrah however smirked and dropped to her knees and slid underneath the attack, lashing out with her sword and leaving a cut on his side afterwards, hopping back to her feet she turned to face the Oni once more.
Ashrah watched as Moloch released a massive roar and cut she just made closed itself along with the stab wound on his arm from earlier, gritting her teeth at the sight she realized that she needed to end the fight quickly before she became too exhausted to fight.
She dashed forward taking the Oni by surprise, with a quick swing she left a cut across his chest, slicing his harness in the process, not wanting to give a chance to recover Ashrah threw a left hook straight into his jaw, Moloch's head was knocked back the blow leaving his righted handed swipe unable to properly act as counterattack as she merely ducked underneath the blind swing.
From her crouched position she was able to send a firm elbow into her opponent's stomach, causing Moloch to hunch over and release a groan of pain, however Ashrah wasn't expecting the Oni's orb to slam down on her back during this, knocking her onto her stomach on the floor.
The demon didn't even get a chance to catch her breath as Moloch's right hand wrapped around her ankle, continuing his assault, he lifted her off the floor and swung her overhead before letting go, leaving to her painfully collide with roof back first and skid across the tiles.
Coughing from her place in the dust she stared as the Oni roared once more and heal the cut she had given him, the situation seemed hopeless until she noticed his eyes drooping slightly 'Healing exhausts him!' she realized 'I don't need to overpower him, justtire him out'
Using the sword in place of a cane, she forced herself to her feet grabbing a handful of the broken roof tiles at her feet, as she rose she quickly threw the tiles at the demon's face, to which Moloch raised his hand to block.
Ashrah rushed to her blinded opponent and thrust her blade at his left arm, she smirked as she heard the sound of the chain around his hand and wrist snapping, Moloch howled in pain as she ripped her weapon from his arm leaving a jagged hole through his forearm, leaping back she barely avoided the swipe with his right hand.
She faked a stumble, luring the Oni into a false sense of security, the larger demon roared and she watched as his mangled arm stitched itself back together, she smiled as she watched his entire body sag after the task showing just how much energy he had spent.
The Oni charged forward at a noticeably slower speed than before, the woman allowed a confident smile to cross her face as she dodged his lunge, she swung the sword and left a bleeding cut across his ribs, Moloch's sprint quickly changed into a stumble before collapsing to the floor.
Ashrah knew the fight was over now that Moloch had tired himself out, keeping her guard up she approached the downed demon ready to kill her opponent, the Oni pushed himself up and gave a fierce glare as if daring her to finish him, she met his gaze before raising the Shaolin blade over her head.
"Be at peace" she uttered before bringing her sword down and executing the demon in front of her, Ashrah stumbled for a moment breathing heavily as the adrenaline faded from her body and she felt the full weight of her injuries, the aching all over her body informed her about the bruises she would have tomorrow and the sharp pain in her chest said about possibly cracked ribs.
Looking around the roof she realized something important, "How do I get down from here?"
Mileena grunted in pain, almost losing her balance as she was knocked back by the surprise punch, gritting her teeth she turned to face him 'I hate to admit it' she thought with a hiss 'but he's right, I have to focus on this fight before I can worry about Ashrah'she glared the man in front of her "Let's dance"
Jax made the first move, leaping forward with energy glowing around his fist before he slammed onto the floor, sending a purple shock wave towards her, leaping up she watched the attack passed under her feet.
The moment she landed she took a step back to assess the situation, Sonya and Cage were doing their best to fend off Scorpion and Sub-zero, meanwhile Jade was standing back seemingly waiting for an opportunity before joining the fray, she turned back to face off with Jax, who was slamming his fists together in anticipation.
Mileena clenched her fists and charged at her opponent, as he tried to punch her she dropped to her knees she slid underneath the fist and jabbing him in the ribs in the process, as she leapt to her feet she could Sonya was has starting to struggle against Scorpion.
Thinking quickly she elbowed Jax in the nose stunning him and leaving him vulnerable for her next move, she wrapped her hand around his left wrist and forearm, with a swift turn and grunt of effort she was able to slam him over her shoulder and onto the floor, she quickly kicked him in the side of the head to knock him out before rushing to help Sonya.
Before she could take more than 3 steps her instinct screamed to stop, trusting them for a moment, she watched a throwing glaive tear through the air inches away from her face, turning in direction it came from she came face to face with "Jade" Mileena muttered, wary about fighting the Edenian assassin again.
Jade was clad in a mostly black leotard with sickly green accents and a window for her cleavage, the leotard's collar blended seamlessly with her black mask, she wore long black gloves, with green bands around wrists that stopped mid bicep, Jade had a green belt resting on her hips with a large silver buckle that also held a long green loincloth with black edges, she had thick black garter belt on her right thigh with a green knot holding it in place, her boots stopped mid-calf and were black with a green trim across the top, the thing that Mileena pause was no her outfit but her direct appearance, her once tanned bronze skin was a sickly grey with yellow cracks running throughout her body and her brown eyes were the same yellow as Kitana's, her hair however remained unchanged and was simply tied back into a bun.
"Earthrealm must be quite desperate for allies if you are fighting with them" Jade taunted "what did they have to offer you?" she raised an eyebrow before drawing her staff.
"You won't stand in my way" Mileena said quietly, drawing her sai in anticipation "I'm going to take Quan Chi down and free my sister"
"Are you still calling her that?" the revenant asked "Kitana has only just been reunited with her real family and you would take that away, you truly are you father's daughter"
Mileena flinched at the verbal jab before pushing the thought from her head and charging forward, she knew she was at a disadvantage weapon wise but knew how to counter that weakness by getting in close, she used her right sai to deflect the swing aimed at her face and just barely avoided the side of the pole-arm as Jade used the momentum to launch a second strike.
She rammed her shoulder into the revenant before lashing out with a right hook causing Jade to stumble back, as the undead Edenian glared at her, Mileena noticed a small green glow cover her hand before she could question it further she heard an extremely faint sound coming towards her, acting quickly she dived to the ground as Jade's throwing glaive sailed overhead back into the assassin's hand.
'I've got to get that off her to have a chance' Mileena thought with a grimace, eyeing the weapon hanging from her opponent's hip, she knew stealing it would be painful but she also had to trap it so it can't be pulled back again.
Jade watched Mileena leap toward her with a cry of anger, raising her staff to block the attack she watched Mileena plant her elbow in the center of the staff and grab her hand pinning it in place, acting quickly she launched her boot into the hybrid's stomach, simultaneously winding her and creating some distance between them, Mileena laughed from her position on the floor surprising and angering Jade "What's so funny?!"
"This!" Mileena declared, holding Jade's throwing glaive aloft in her hand, before holding it to the floor and bringing her sai down on top of it with a slam, looking closer Jade could see the weapon was undamaged, but both sai were stabbed through the stone floor with the glaive trapped between their prongs.
Mileena grit her teeth, knowing she was still at a disadvantage against her current opponent, taking a quick glance towards Sonya and Cage let her know their teamwork was pushing back the ninja's conflicting styles, she rose to her feet keeping her eyes on Jade.
Before Mileena could enter a proper fighting stance, Jade shot forward and jabbed her staff into her stomach before spinning it around and slamming it on her skull, in her dazed state Mileena was unprepared for the center of the pole-arm to crash into her nose, causing her head to shoot back, before she could reorient herself, she saw a quick flash of green and black as Jade flipped over her.
Mileena choked as Jade's staff slammed into her throat, 'She planned this the entire time!' she thought in a panic, her opponent landing behind her and tugged the bar harshly, before she could even try to fight back and free herself Jade viciously kicked her legs out from under her, making her drop to her knees.
Mileena's vision grew blurry as she reached for the pole-arm pushing against her wind pipe, with a shaky hand she managed to grab the staff and start pulling it away from her neck, with a low growl she was able to create a gap big enough to breathe.
"ENOUGH!" she screamed, a pink aura flaring to life around her arms, she pulled the staff with as much force as she could and in that moment Jade was flung away from her, the green clad revenant managed to land gracefully on her feet as Mileena rubbed her sore throat.
Rising to her feet, Mileena charged at her opponent before leaping forward into a handspring and launched a double kick, 'Shit!' she mentally exclaimed as Jade avoided the attack, before she could mount a defence the revenant slammed the staff into her back, sending her crashing painfully to the floor, Jade wasted no time in continuing her assault, kicking the hybrid in the ribs, sending her skidding across the floor before she collided with a display rack.
Climbing to her feet, Mileena took a glance at what it was she hit, "No way" she mumbled as held on a display rack in Quan Chi's fortress was none other than Shao Kahn's war hammer.
Knowing she needed to end the fight as quickly as possible she firmly grabbed the emperor's weapon, the muscles in her arms straining heavily, focusing entirely on her goal she felt increasingly familiar pink aura flow through her arms, she turned to face Jade as the hammer slowly rose, not noticing the aura flow into the hammer with a faint pink glow.
Jade's eyes widened in shock "Impossible!" she cried as Mileena raised the hammer for combat, the revenant raised her staff to try and block the strike only for her weapon to snap in half as the war hammer came down on it, Jade felt a shock wave travel through her arms, leaving her unable to react as Mileena used the weapon to pole vault as kick the green clad woman in the chest, launching her into the wall with enough force to crack the stone.
Mileena held the hammer up looking at it in confusion "Why does this feel lighter now?" she muttered to herself, looking away from her 'Father's' weapon she could see Cage and Sonya had managed to win against the fire and ice duo and the Major had moved on to engage Quan Chi.
Before Mileena could move in to help take the sorcerer down she noticed something behind Cage, Jax had managed to get back to his feet and was sneaking up on the distracted actor with a blade in hand, Mileena's knew she had to try something quickly "CAGE DUCK!" she yelled before throwing the hammer as hard as she could.
Johnny seeing the large hammer flying towards him dived to the floor to avoid losing his teeth to it, before he could demand why she did that he heard the oversized mallet hit something with a metallic crunch, looking back he saw the corrupted Jax fall to the floor, one of his cybernetic arms was broken and blade dropped at his feet, 'She save my life' Johnny thought in surprise 'he was gonna stab me', any lingering doubt he had left about Mileena quickly vanished, he looked over at her ready to thank her, but he noticed the Edenian revenant charging at her "Mileena look out!"
Having heard Cage's warning she looked back at her previously defeated opponent, only to receive a searing pain across her stomach, she instinctually lashed out hitting her assailant across the face, she grit her teeth trying to ignore the pain, she reached out grabbing Jade by the back of her neck and slammed her head into the ground as hard as she could.
Seeing that the Edenian was down for the count she took let the tension leave her body, only to immediately drop to her knees, clutching her stomach in agony, looking down she could see that she was covered in blood "That's my blood" she mumbled "that's a lot of my blood"
"Mileena!" she heard a voice call out to her, but she didn't look up.
Her vision was blurring as she tried to maintain steady and even breaths, a loud cry of pain caught her attention for a moment, looking towards it's source she could see Sonya grinding her boot into Quan Chi's balls, she snorted a laugh at the sight, only cough violently in pain.
Slowly the pain started to fade away slightly, the gash on her stomach closing with a faint blue glow "...what?" she murmured in confusion, looking up she could see Raiden standing with Sonya and Cage, he was saying something to them but she wasn't listening, looking away from the thunder god she could see Quan Chi crawling through a portal he opened.
"No!" She called, reaching out for the sorcerer and falling over in the process, the other came over to her concern visible in their eyes "Quan Chi got away, we need to go after him"
"He can wait" Sonya said calmly "Mileena you need to rest and we need to get the others back to Earthrealm"
"Others?" she looked around and saw that the group they had just fought were restored back to normal, Jade catching her eye for a moment "how?"
"I was able to sever Quan Chi's connection to them" Raiden answered "restoring their souls"
"Hey Mileena" said Cage, surprising her by using her real name "thanks, for earlier, you saved my life"
"...your welcome Cage" she replied, smiling under her mask before looking at Sonya and holding out a hand "let's head back then, but can I keep the hammer?"
Sonya chuckled, pulling Mileena to her feet "sure Mileena, you deserve a reward for this anyway"
~A/N~ Eno-on: Wow you weren't kidding when you said this would be long.
No-one: Yep and this hurt to write without ending it partway through, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and bonus points to anyone who figures out what Jade is wearing.
No-one: Until next time...
No-one: I'm No-one Special.
Eno-on: Eno-on out.