The party in the rebuilt Grand Palace in Edenia was hours away from beginning. Word of the party had not only spread to allies in both Earthrealm and Outworld, but Zaterra too. The Zaterrans had been busy with the ongoing war against the Revenant Saurians that Shinnok had brought upon the newly restored realm two decades ago. While the heroes had taken control of the main kingdom of Zaterra called Varkain, the Revenants were still all over the realm as they covered the vast majority of the population. The Saurians had nearly gone extinct thanks to Shao Kahn's conquests with Shinnok having brought them back as an undead army to do his bidding. Although Shinnok had been defeated long ago, the Revenants were still being manipulated by the former tyrannical King of Zaterra… Tetsurri.
There was a solution, however, as Lord Raiden and Bo' Rai Cho collaborated to deliver the Zaterrans a sizable supply of Jinsei essence from both Earthrealm and Outworld. Raiden came up with the solution as he knew the magic of the Jinsei could both heal and purify corrupted beings. Raiden had also desired to aid the Saurians as compensation for the unintentional harm he nearly put them in when creating the big bang in the first war with Shinnok.
The heroic Saurians led by Khameleon had already put the gifts of Jinsei essence to use, having created traps that contained the essence which would explode the pure liquid over the Revenants and return them to their natural form. While Shinnok's revival of these Saurians was clearly for malicious purposes, this gave the Saurians an opportunity to restore their species to full glory if they successfully converted all the Saurians.
Such was of course a difficult task, however, for two decades later and the conflict between the living and the dead would be ongoing throughout the realm. Khameleon had plans for a big next step in their progress to restoring the Revenants, and it involved seizing control of the Jinsei Chamber of Zaterra. The location had been initially unknown to the Zaterrans of Mileena's Union, but it's location was revealed by some of the Revenants they had already restored. Apparently the Jinsei Chamber resided in Mount Klombo, a large part of Zaterra to the north of Varkain and its forest. If they had control of Zaterra's Jinsei, then their plans for restoring all the Revenants could be sped up greatly. Tetsurri knew the Jinsei was a powerful location, and had thus instructed many Revenants to guard it and as a result he had revealed its whereabouts.
Khameleon required all hands on deck on such a mission, and brought her strongest and most trusted allies. As she travelled to Mount Klombo, she was flanked by her brother Chameleon on her right and her beloved Reptile to her left. Behind them was General Kiri standing beside Ankha with a squadron of Saurian warriors ready to follow Kiri and Ankha with the latter having been promoted to a lieutenant and serving as the second in command to the Terran militia. Khameleon and her family remained in charge overall after her impressive leadership skills that brought the remaining Saurians together.
The group continued to march to Mount Klombo before finally reaching the start of the mountainous region. Her allies followed as Khameleon was first to begin scaling the mountain, beginning with a steep uphill walk…
"How long will this take, Axoltia?" Chameleon asked her sister.
"As long as it needs to, Oculto," Khameleon replied as she was unsure of the time specifics as this was her first time at Mount Klombo.
"If anybody needs to cool off," Chameleon spoke as his attire became blue and ice began to come from his hands, "let me know."
"Perhaps we should go ahead," Kiri offered as she and Ankha stepped forth. "Scout for what's ahead."
"That's a good suggestion," Khameleon agreed. "Go ahead, my friends."
"We'll be back soon," Kiri assured the group. "Let's go running, Ankha, like we used to in Outworld."
"Let's do it!" Ankha enthusiastically agreed and the two took off to scout ahead, slowly transforming into the translucent form most Saurians could activate momentarily.
The two Saurians reached the top of the first hill which led to a rock wall to climb to the next level of the mountains. Using an acidic substance, the Saurian couple clung to the wall and crawled up it with relative ease. Ankha, always being organised and overly equipped, put down her bag made from wood and kept together by well intertwined vines, and rummaged through the categorised contents within her bag and drawing a pair of binoculars, one of the many Earthrealm tools shared throughout Mileena's Union. She handed one to Kiri and the pair peered through after climbing atop a large rock atop the mountain to peer down at an opposing mountain that was also raised above the elevated land from the hill below. These were just typical binoculars, however, Saurians were able to activate a natural infrared sight which was tactically used to gain a better visual on any potential targets. Kiri and Ankha were both skilled at scouting from their time together in Outworld when looking out for the threat of Shao Kahn's extermination squads who had been instructed to detain any Saurians found on sight.
"See anything, darling?" Kiri asked.
"Look there!" Ankha yelled.
"Where?" Kiri replied with Ankha pushing her binoculars to the correct line of sight. "Ah! I see!"
"Looks like some sort of patrol," Ankha presumed. "Maybe if we follow then they'll end up leading us directly to the Jinsei Chamber."
"The restored claimed the Chamber is located within a part of one of the high points of the mountains that has been hollowed out," Kiri recalled the description that had been shared to the group the other day, "they're walking over to another part of elevated land now…"
"Perhaps that is where it's located?" Ankha thought aloud.
"Only one way to find out," Kiri replied as the couple put their binoculars down and went to get off the hill and pursue the group of Revenants… only to turn around and see another…
"Tiamat!" Ankha cried out.
"Trespassers!" Tiamat yelled back as the muscular Saurian grabbed Ankha by the throat and slammed her back over his knee.
Kiri leapt onto Tiamat's back, taking a bite into his head and causing blood to drip from the Revenant Saurians darkened scales. Tiamat quickly threw Kiri off of him though and spun around before smashing his fists into Kiri, knocking her aside. Ankha got up and ran at Tiamat only to be kicked in the face by one of his large webbed feet.
"Surrender now, measly fool," Tiamat demanded as he stepped on Ankha.
"Hey!" Kiri yelled as she climbed to her feet. "Don't talk to my girlfriend like that!"
"If neither of you surrender… then I will have to kill you!" Tiamat warned.
"The essence!" Ankha yelled out as she drew a knife from her backpack and threw it at Kiri who caught it.
"Cease your resistance against the true ruler of Zaterra!" Tiamat continued to make demands as he covered Ankha's face with his webbed foot and picked her up with said foot with ease before slamming her back down.
Kiri ran at Tiamat while she thought he was distracted, only for the big Raptor to spin around and squeeze Kiri's arm, causing her to loosen her grip and drop the knife into Tiamat's own grasp. Tiamat then shoved Kiri back to give himself a moment to observe the blade.
"Ah!" Tiamat recognised the uniqueness of the weapon. "Another one of those Jinsei Knives you traitors carry."
"We're just trying to help you, Tiamat," Kiri told him.
"You weaponize a sacred essence!" Tiamat angrily remarked.
"The essence heals you!" Kiri tried to explain.
"Nonsense!" Tiamat denied.
"If you don't believe me then use it on yourself," Kiri pointed at the Jinsei Knife, "you just need a small amount to enter your bloodstream."
"No," Tiamat refused and threw the weapon to the ground. "You wish for me to cut myself to easily best me," he believed, "I am not so foolish as to fall for such a trap!"
"Damn Revenants!" Kiri cursed as she grew more frustrated. "Your current state clouds your mind, Tiamat!"
"You continue to spout nonsensical lies," Tiamat accused.
"Remember your past!" Kiri pleaded. "Before your death!"
"I died to Shao Kahn honourably," Tiamat recalled with a mix of sadness and rage in his tone of voice. "I… did it for Tetsurri."
"No!" Kiri yelled. "You did it for Sytholin!"
"An ally of Tetsurri," Tiamat pointed out.
"She overthrew him!" Kiri corrected. "We were there for everything!"
"And you betrayed Tetsurri," Tiamat once again said plainly.
"We all did!" Kiri clarified. "We united to overthrow that tyrannical monster!"
"I have no recollection of this…" Tiamat told her.
"Because the existence of a Revenant is one clouded by misinterpretation and unclear rage," Kiri continued to explain to him. "I was fortunate enough to have survived Shao Kahn's attacks. I remember the times before then…"
"I have no memory of you either…" Tiamat realised.
"Well… you wouldn't anyway," Kiri admitted. "But do you want to know how I know you?"
"How?" he asked.
"Because you were the guardian of Queen Sytholin," Kiri answered to reveal more to the confused Revenant, "the news even said you were a key individual in stopping Tetsurri's reign of terror."
"In what way?" Tiamat continued to listen.
"You held Tetsurri down while Sytholin plunged a sword through him," Kiri reported the news she had heard of ages ago.
Tiamat paused, their stance had slowly changed from being ready to fight to his muscles relaxing and him straightening himself as he processed everything. But the tainted mind and soul of a Revenant clouded his judgement once more. Tiamat clenched his fists despite blatantly trying not to as his struggle with himself was visually clear. Tiamat began approaching Kiri, ready to engage in a fight once more… but suddenly felt a sharp pain in their arm. The Jinsei Knife.
"I got him!" Ankha cheered. "Is it working?"
Tiamat fell to his knees and began to cry out as his body changed. His darkened scales returned to their true brighter state of a shamrock green as the menacing evil eyes of a Revenant returned to that of a regular Saurian of the Serpenti subspecies.
There were three types of Saurians with one of which being called the Serpenti. The Serpenti were the most lizard-like of the Saurians, being the largest and possessing the most qualities that reflected being a reptillian creature. One such Serpenti was Syzoth, fittingly known as Reptile, who possessed similar traits to Tiamat. All Serpenti had uniquely shaped heads, often protruding at the front with a large mouth with a set of sharp teeth. Tiamat and Reptile both had a shared trait of a pointy head by a single spike, as well as the same spikes on the sides of their face with other Serpenti having gills in place of said spikes. Tiamat had been drooling a toxic acid constantly, however, the Revenant control was making him do such a thing as a regular Serpenti was capable of controlling the acid they carried. While all Saurians had the ability to produce this acid substance, Serpenti could produce the most as well as having even more unique beneficial traits due to their more animalistic form. Another example of this was their size, making them powerful and strong beings even if some such as Reptile were on the smaller side.
The other two Saurian subspecies were the Mimics and the Imiter. As their name suggests, the Mimics were the chameleon-like Saurians who had the unique form of basically being completely translucent and having no physical traits of a typical reptilian. The other subspecies inherited this trait of being able to blend in with their environment, some even being able to become invisible completely, but only the Mimics could permanently activate this power. In addition to this, Mimics could study almost every being in all the realms and be able to quickly replicate a weaker form of their skillset which made many consider them as one of the most dangerous species in the universe. Mimic Saurians are considered the rarest of the three kinds of Zaterrans.
Finally, the Imiter were the midpoint between human and lizard. Their name shared the same meaning as Mimics, but for their own unique reasoning. Imiters were fantastic at putting on a human disguise and thus replicating the appearance of the likes of Earthrealmers, Outworlders, Seidans, and so forth. While this ability isn't exclusive to just Imiter Saurians, they are the most effective, much like how Serpentis are most effective with acidic usage and strength as well as how Mimics are most effective at camouflage. Any crossbreeding amongst the three Saurian subspecies would result in an Imiter Saurian, making them the most common kind as well as the most varied.
Tiamat's transformation back into his old self was finally complete. He examined his hands, now looking normal as well as the rest of his body as he examined his mostly exposed body due to his thick scales providing him enough protection so that he could wear a lack of armour. He looked up to see Kiri offering him a helping hand. Tiamat firmly held onto Kiri and she tried pulling the large Saurian up, needing Ankha's assistance to successfully do so. Tiamat suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder again.
"I'm so sorry!" Ankha apologised as Tiamat removed the Jinsei Knife from his shoulder. "We never wanted to harm you."
"Do not apologise," Tiamat insisted. "You've saved my life… I am now free from the suffering of being a Revenant," he commented, "I thank you both."
"You're welcome," Ankha replied.
"We're just trying to do what's best for Zaterra," Kiri added.
"I am indebted to you both," Tiamat stated. "What do you need aid with?"
"You don't owe us anything," Ankha told him.
"I want to help you regardless," Tiamat insisted. "So… what do you need aid with?"
"The Jinsei Chamber," Kiri explained to him, "can you take us there?"
"It is heavily guarded as I'm sure you're already aware," Tiamat made sure to warn them. "But that shouldn't stop us."
"They changed Tiamat!" a Revenant suddenly yelled out as the trio turned around to see the same group of Revenants as the ones who Kiri and Ankha had spotted earlier. Tiamat's yells had alerted them.
"They fixed me!" Tiamat corrected. "They can do the same for all of you!"
"Kill them!" the Revenant ordered as the group suddenly ran forth at Tiamat, Kiri and Ankha.
Tiamat sighed, not wishing to combat his fellow Saurians now that he had regained full awareness… for the first time since his death thousands of years ago. The first Revenant that approached went to scratch Tiamat, so the Serpenti Saurian dropped him with a heavy lariat. As they tried to get up, Tiamat picked them up and performed a throwing powerbomb which hurled the Revenant into another two. Kiri and Ankha came to the aid but were quickly surrounded by the group.
"Stay away from them!" Tiamat yelled as he leapt up and dropkicked one Revenant into another, rolling back when one tried to leap on him before knocking them out with a barrage of elbow strikes.
A Revenant leapt onto Tiamat's back but was quickly thrown off and crushed with a backbreaker, only for another to latch onto him and began chomping into his thick scales. Tiamat cried out in pain with his deep voice once more echoing throughout the mountains. Kiri and Ankha worked together to pry the Revenant off of Tiamat with Kiri slicing their arm to restore them. Ankha grabbed her backpack to get a second Jinsei Knife and the couple worked on restoring all the Revenants who Tiamat single handedly fought through.
Nearly the entire squad had soon been handled thanks to Tiamat laying them all on the ground for Kiri and Ankha to easily restore, building a squad of their own. While Kiri and Ankha consoled each restored Saurian though, Tiamat came face to face with a fellow Serpenti Saurian who was about the same size as him. Tiamat attempted to punch the Revenant but his fist was caught and squeezed before being kicked in the shin, dropping them to a knee with the large Revenant grabbing his leg and spinning Tiamat around before hurling them off of the cliffedge.
It was a hard fall, however, not high enough to be fatal as Tiamat crashed against some rocks before landing on the field that mountains sprouted from. The large Revenant leapt down, landing atop Tiamat to break their fall. The Revenant then began bringing down blows relentlessly onto an injured Tiamat. This assault would fortunately not last long though, as aid soon arrived. Khameleon, Chameleon and Reptile charged up the hill with their Saurian squadron behind them as they charged at the Revenant. Despite the overwhelming odds, a Revenant would never surrender. From the years of fighting this strange form of undead, Khameleon and Chameleon knew this and made sure to quickly put a stop to the Revenant before they lashed out at anybody else. Using their abilities to replicate Cryomancy they had witnessed from the likes of Sub-Zero, Chameleon sent an ice blast which froze the Revenant's left foot to the ground while Khameleon did the same to the right foot. This then made it easy for another of their allies to splash Jinsei essence over their body which activated the restoration process.
"Is that everyone?" Khameleon wondered.
"Everybody who attacked us at least, ma'am!" Kiri shouted from atop the hill.
"Nobody hurt?" Khameleon continued to ask questions.
"Nothing severe," Kiri told her.
"Good," Khameleon commented as she took a sigh of relief. "Then to the Jinsei we go!"
"Follow me," Tiamat instructed. "This is the way."
With their numbers having increased by the several Saurians who were now restored, the ever growing group advanced throughout Mount Klombo with Tiamat leading the way to the Jinsei Chamber. As suspected, the Jinsei Chamber of Zaterra was indeed located within a hollowed out part of the mountain region. As they continued walking across the flattened elevated land that was essentially the base of Mount Klombo, they had to trek along the cliffedge one at a time as another mountain rose from the ground, this one being a tall climb and while the Revenants had installed a few ladders leaning against the sides to reach the top, Tiamat insisted that it was be easier and probably safer considering the quality of the ladders that they just carefully went around as a short bit of cliffedge protruded out which the Saurians began to cautiously walk along while holding against the rock wall beside them which was a part of the long and tall mountain. As the Saurians walked to the other side, voices could be heard from inside the mountain.
"Is this it?" Khameleon asked Tiamat who nodded. "Then what's around this cliffside?"
"Their entrance," Tiamat revealed. "We must be quiet to avoid the entranceway from being blocked."
"Understood," Khameleon complied and put a finger on her lips while turning around to her followers to give the silent command to be silent.
"The others should've returned by now!" yelled a voice from within the Jinsei Chamber. "I need them to deliver the essence to King Tetsurri!"
"Komodai…" Tiamat recognised the voice. "We must restore him."
"We will restore everybody," Khameleon whispered a promise to the big Saurian.
"Tetsurri will be displeased!" Komodai continued to loudly complain. "You!"
"Sir?" spoke another Revenant from within the Jinsei Chamber.
"Deliver the next box of flasks to King Tetsurri!" Komodai ordered. "This delivery mustn't be late or else we'll all be punished!"
"Flasks?" Chameleon overheard. "Flasks containing the Jinsei essence?"
"Potentially," Khameleon replied quietly. "But what would Tetsurri have to gain from harvesting the life force?"
"I have no clue," Tiamat admitted. "Lately there's been instructions to transport such flasks to him for an undisclosed project."
"Kiri and Ankha," Khameleon called for. "Can you please tail whoever the deliverer of these flasks is? We could learn what their use is."
"And it will show you where Tetsurri's hidden base is," Tiamat added. "It isn't too far from here."
"We can do that," Kiri confirmed.
"Anything for you," Ankha added. "Let's scale these walls, my love, we can blend in with the grass while we watch the delivery person."
"Sounds like a plan," Kiri agreed to the idea and the two both began scaling the mountain.
While Kiri and Ankha went atop the mountain, the rest of the group of Saurians had emerged from the other side of the mountain once the Revenant left to make their delivery to avoid being caught. Before them was the entranceway into the Jinsei Chamber. A face had been carved into the side with a sculpture of what seemed to be Zaterra's long since deceased Protector God who was named Abas. They were one of the many who fell in Shao Kahn's invasion with the two Gods having a battle to the death using all their power which caused the destruction of an entire village… such ruins were still around in Zaterra to this day. Abas now resided in the Heavens to enjoy the afterlife after his service for the Elder Gods, like several others.
"You brought it right?" Reptile asked his significant other. "Tetsurri's Gem?"
"I did," Khameleon confirmed as she presented it from within a small satchel she had worn around her to securely carry the powerful artifact.
"What must we use it for?" Tiamat asked regarding the plan his new allies had.
"The Gem of Tetsurri has magic properties relating to the souls of our kind," Khameleon explained to Tiamat. "We believe that if we mix it with the Jinsei essence then it will perhaps aid in cleansing the souls of Revenants."
"We're going off of mere theory," Chameleon clarified. "Realistically it will probably do nothing, but what's the harm in trying?"
"Then let's get to trying," Tiamat suggested as he pointed to the clear entrance.
"Let's go," Khameleon ordered.
Khameleon led the group to the entranceway which was a hole made for what was intended to be the mouth of the status of Abas. As she was at the front, Khameleon stepped inside the spacious Jinsei Chamber first. Despite it seeming as if they had clear passage into the Jinsei Chamber, the group of Saurian heroes were mistaken. Khameleon suddenly heard footsteps and by the time she turned to the source, she was slashed by invisible claws of a Revenant Saurian who had blended into the environment. There was another Revenant who had done the same thing with the pair waiting at the entrance to unleash a surprise attack. The pair of camouflaged Revenants leapt onto Khameleon and began clawing at her before being thrown off by a burst of fire unleashed by Khameleon. Tiamat who was the next to enter, helped Khameleon stand up, only to look up and see more Saurians who had been watching through the hollowed out eyes at the entranceway and now stood on a platform above them.
Suddenly, a boulder was rolled down by the Revenants with the high ground. Tiamat used his might to grab the boulder as Reptile slid under the massive rock to grab his lover and pull her out of harm's way. Tiamat meanwhile had to use all his might to hold the boulder above his head and managed to hurl it back at the Revenants. Tiamat's efforts didn't cease the unexpected weaponization of boulders though, as another was rolled down a slope to reach the higher platform. The boulder began rolling directly at the entrance with Tiamat holding the boulder back long enough to allow his newfound allies to evade it before the boulder was too strong for Tiamat and rolled into him, causing him and the boulder to go tumbling outside where Saurians began spitting acid at Tiamat from the eyeholes. Other Saurians came out to help protect Tiamat as the two sides shot at each other with acid spits.
Meanwhile within the Jinsei Chamber, a wounded Khameleon continued to take lead as they brute forced their way to the centre of the room where the Jinsei itself stood, surrounded by rocks from the mountain that had fallen inside the Jinsei and gave it the sphere shape that all Jinsei were known to have. The Chamber was heavily guarded by Saurians on the ground but also on the stone platforms built on the sides of the entire large room. From these positions, Saurians continued to spit acid and send these balls which were a mesh of acid formed into a bubble of sorts that could be turned into a lethal projectile despite its slow travel speed.
"Stay away from the Jinsei!" Komodai ordered as he raised a battleaxe above his head before lunging at the heroes with Khameleon raising her falchion to block the incoming blow as the two struggled while their melee weapons clashed.
"Komodai!" Reptile shouted for his old friend. "Stop!"
"Don't bother," Khameleon spoke to her lover through gritted teeth as she held off Komodai. "Take the Gem of Tetsurri, get it to the Jinsei and let's hope this fixes everything!"
"I shall!" Reptile promised as Khameleon threw the Gem behind her with Reptile catching it and he immediately took off to sprint to the centre of the room where the Jinsei beamed a bright lime green.
"Not so fast, Syzoth!" Komodai yelled as he rolled back to get away from Khameleon before pointing his battleaxe to the side, causing Reptile to trip over the handle and fall to the floor. "Pathetic!"
"Hey!" Khameleon yelled as she took offence to hearing her boyfriend being insulted. "Take this!"
Khameleon blasted a beam of ice to the ground, creating a frozen puddle which Komodai slipped on and he himself tripped forth into Khameleon who went for a spinning attack with her falchion only for Komodai's heavier battleaxe to knock the incoming blade aside. Khameleon then performed a backflip into a handstand to avoid getting chopped up by the battleaxe and she wrapped her legs around Komodai's neck to perform a headscissors takedown.
"Go, Syzoth!" Khameleon commanded. "I believe in you!"
Reptile stood back up and once more dashed towards the Jinsei with the Gem of Tetsurri being cradled in his arms. Once reaching the Jinsei, Reptile went to place the special Gem inside the floating liquid essence, but an acid ball came from his left and struck him down, causing the Gem of Tetsurri to fly out of his hands and into the hands of a Revenant.
"The Gem of Tetsurri!" the Revenant recognised the unique looking crystal. "We have it!"
"Not for long," Chameleon spoke as he revealed himself from behind the Revenant.
The Revenant spun around only to see an incoming blast of high pressure water coming his way. Another Revenant suddenly stepped in his way while holding a single edged sword to begin blocking the incoming water as it began pushing the two Revenants back. Realising his efforts were ineffective, Chameleon ceased his water fire and his fists lit up with literal fire as he went to charge at the two Revenants only for a large crystal rock to emerge from the ground and smash Chameleon into the wall behind him.
"What was that?!" Chameleon asked as he was shocked by the bizarre attack.
Once Chameleon looked up, he saw a fellow Mimic Saurian who was a Revenant and they were creating a mass of crystal with their bare two hands. Chameleon had never encountered a being with crystal manipulation powers before, which made him wonder who this Mimic Saurian had adopted such a power from. Chameleon rolled aside before the Revenant could crush them with a heavy chunk of crystals and hit a sequence of crane kicks which ended with a spinning overhead kick amplified by a burst of water to send the Revenant flying across the Chamber.
Chameleon looked at his feet and saw a ruin made out of dark magic at his feet. He suddenly felt sluggish and tired and by the time he spotted the source of the ground rune, another Revenant Mimic Saurian, he was already knocked to the floor by a savage left hook punch. This Revenant had gained some extent of dark magic from witnessing the likes of Quan Chi and Shinnok upon being reborn as a Revenant. The runic magic applied had caused a temporary curse on Chameleon which drained him, hence feeling anything but energetic. This Revenant took this opportunity to assault the grounded Saurian as he struggled to defend himself.
Chameleon's sister meanwhile, was still in a battle with Komodai as both sides of the Saurians battled it out around them. Khameleon fought with all her energy, as per usual, but her injuries suffered from the initial ambush were causing Komodai to gain an upper hand in their duel. Komodai used his battleaxe to cut into Khameleon's already existing fresh wounds from the claw attack she had suffered minutes earlier, causing her to collapse from the pain and terrible injuries.
"No!" Reptile cried out as he watched Khameleon get cut by the axe from afar while he was dealing with two Revenants himself. "Axoltia!"
Before Komodai could deliver a finishing blow with his battleaxe raised, Reptile lunged at his old friend. The two began struggling as the other two Revenants who had taken the Gem of Tetsurri from Reptile pursued, only to be stopped by Kiri and Ankha who stood in their way.
"Not another step!" Kiri yelled. "Hand over the Gem of Tetsurri!"
"Do not lose the Gem, Drox!" the Revenant holding the distinct looking sword ordered as she stepped forth. "I shall deal with these pests."
"If you say so, Krass," Drox replied with Krass giving them a kiss to thank him for his compliance.
"Revenants can still love?" Ankha was surprised by the affectionate display.
"We aren't just some monsters!" Krass yelled angrily as she got into her sword stance.
"You'll be much happier as anything but a Revenant I assure you," Kiri remarked as Ankha handed her a Jinsei Knife so that the couple both had one each. "Thanks!"
"Apologies in advance for any injuries!" Ankha saidas she and Kiri ran forth with their Jinsei Knives at the ready.
Krass threw her sword at Ankha while striking Kiri with a fast spinning elbow smash after dashing past her. She then began spitting quick acid blobs at Ankha as she charged at Krass, diving into her to take her to the ground where she then tried to cut Krass to let the Jinsei essence from her blade purify her. Krass grabbed her by the forearms and tried to push her back to prevent the Jinsei Knife from touching her with Drox soon kicking Ankha off of his significant other. The Jinsei Knife fell along with Ankha who was quickly helped up by Kiri before the two couples returned to fighting.
Beside them was Reptile and Komodai fighting. Komodai had bested Reptile in their last encounter many years ago during the battle for control of Varkain. By being hesitant to fight his close friend, Reptile was taken advantage of by the Revenant who, alongside Tiamat in his Revenant form, bested him in combat with ease. Now Reptile had attacked Komodai which despite his anxiety and general hesitation to fight, he was capable of braving anything if it meant helping the most important person in his life. Reptile was on top of Komodai and began wailing elbow strikes to try and stop Komodai's aggressive attempts to fight back, but Reptile was eventually kicked off. Reptile sprung to his feet and got into a crab-like stance, a peculiar martial arts style that had originated in Zaterra which many Saurians actually used as their go to defensive technique.
Reptile kept his body sideways as he fought Komodai, while holding his arms up so his elbows protruded out, like a crab's claws. This paired with the alignment of his body meant that his face was fully protected in hand to hand combat, as Reptile would thrust one of his elbows forth whenever Komodai got near. Another aspect that made this unique fighting style surprisingly effective, was that it would somewhat mentally deceive the opponent into lowering their guard or not taking the warrior fighting in such a way seriously. Komodai had initially been doing just that until he was struck by more rapid elbow strikes, essentially Reptile would jab them out like regular fists and with the gauntlets he wore as part of his attire that protruded out, these elbow strikes were especially painful and dealt a lot of damage to Komodai.
Configuring a new strategy, Komodai got onto all fours and charged at Reptile like a feral beast. He did this to make himself shorter and thus force Reptile to change his strategy due to how high he held his arms up. Reptile managed to quickly react though, kicking Komodai in the face with so much force that it popped him back up to just his two feet, which Reptile then attacked with a spinning elbow which knocked Komodai over completely.
"Infidel!" Komodai insulted as he got up while grabbing his battleaxe which had been dropped when Reptile first tackled him. "Killing you shouldn't even require me having to think!" he claimed angrily.
"You're not thinking properly," Reptile explained. "Until you're fixed from being a Revenant then you can't."
"Silence!" Komodai demanded as he ran forth with his battleaxe ready to slice through Reptile. "I'll have your head!"
"Syzoth!" Khameleon cried out. "Here!"
Khameleon threw a flask containing Jinsei essence, one of the many delivered by Raiden and Bo' Rai Cho. Reptile opened the lid of the flask and splashed it forth at the enraged Komodai who ran at him. Komodai was immediately brought to a halt as he realised what had happened. The Jinsei essence seeped into his scales and then his flesh, slowly restoring him.
"Komodai!" Reptile cheered as he watched the essence begin to restore the friend he had lost countless years ago.
"Agh… wh-what?" Komodai was puzzled once he fully came to his senses… his true senses. "Syzoth?"
"You're alright!" Reptile said happily as he hugged his old friend. "Don't worry, Komodai, we're fixing all of this."
"Thank you," Komodai expressed his gratitude. "It has been… thousands of years since I got to be me."
"I know," Reptile replied, "and I've missed you ever since."
"We have so much catching up to do," Komodai realised as so many things he wanted to discuss with his friend came to mind… but he quickly remembered the battle they were still in the midst of. "The Gem!"
Komodai pointed to Drox who was still holding tightly onto the Gem of Tetsurri as he stood beside Krass while in battle with Kiri and Ankha. Komodai leapt over Kiri and Ankha and executed a jump kick to Drox, causing the Gem of Tetsurri to fall into his hands. Drox was knocked back into Krass who screamed in rage.
"Now you betray us, Komodai?!" Krass complained as she was beginning to have a furious meltdown. "I will kill you! I will kill you all! I…"
Krass stopped as she felt a sudden sharp feeling on her arm, she turned to see Kiri having given her a small cut on her arm with the Jinsei Knife. Ankha then sprung over and did the same to a dazed Drox. The couple was soon restored much like Tiamat and Komodai before.
"What were you doing with this Gem?" Komodai asked as Khameleon was helped to her feet by Reptile.
"We wish to try placing it within the Jinsei," Khameleon revealed. "We predict that it may help restore every Revenant throughout these mountains."
"Then let's go," Komodai advised. "I'm sorry by the way. For hurting you."
"It is the fault of Shinnok and Tetsurri," Khameleon assured him that there were no hard feelings. "Now follow me!"
While Khameleon led Komodai, Reptile, Kiri and Ankha to the Jinsei in the centre of the area where many more Revenants were waiting to fight, there was still a battle happening outside the Jinsei Chamber too. Tiamat and the handful of Saurians who had came outside to aid him were still under fire of acid spits and now not only that, but more Revenants were running out to attack them while acid was being rained down on them from the Revenants spitting acids in the entranceway eyeholes.
"Fall back!" Tiamat put his skills as a former General to the test, recognising the great risk the group of Saurians were in. "I shall hold them off!"
His allies reluctantly complied while Tiamat continued to be a powerhouse and fight several Revenants at once. Tiamat would go from knocking out a Revenant with a single punch, to perform a series of grappling moves on another which led to that Revenant being hurled at the eyeholes and crashing into the Revenants firing acid from above. Despite such a brave and bold effort, Tiamat was still being overwhelmed regardless of how well he fought. Before the Revenants could slaughter Tiamat though, loud footsteps could be heard that were eventually causing the ground to shake as they grew louder and closer. A large shadow was then cast over Tiamat and the Revenants surrounding him. They all looked up to see a dinosaur! One of the many Zaterran native dinosaurs which is what made a realm so welcoming to the reptilian race in the first place! They had resurfaced along with many Saurians upon the return of Zaterra around two decades ago. This particular dinosaur species was known as a Klombo with many populating this mountain region, hence the name of Mount Klombo.
When the Saurians helped bring as many of their dinosaur friends as they could to Zaterra before the awful big bang in Earthrealm, Klombos were the first welcoming new dinosaur species of the new realm they had found which was mostly inhabited by these dinosaurs. The Klombos were four legged creatures with a back covered in many small spikes and a wide head closely matching the shape of a cuboid. More larger spikes grew on the back of their head with the top having a blowhole. The Saurians found their faces to be adorable and for this entire dinosaur species to be friendly and lovable.
Not only were Klombos unique by appearance, they also had many special abilities. emitted an energy that created peace between the dinosaur species, so that they could thrive together. With their native realm back, Klombos had finally resurfaced from underground where they hid for years after Zaterra was merged into Outworld. The wild Klombo who had been disturbed by the ongoing battle looked down at Tiamat and the Revenants beneath their feet. The Revenants instinctively saw the Klombo as a threat and tried climbing his scaly green legs.
When angered, a Klombo's scales would turn red with their spikes and eyes glowing a furious orange. A Klombo could only feel such rage if they or their friends were harmed. Klombos saw purified Saurians as their friends and were actively aware of the evil that tainted the Revenants. The Klombo began wildly stomping their feet against the ground, flinging the Revenants off of their body. The Klombo then shot a giant ball of acid from their blowhole, so large that it was nearly as big as the boulders the Revenants had been using. The ball of acid exploded on impact of the group of Revenants and while being a Saurian made them immune to being harmed by acid, the impact was still effective and knocked them all down.
"Thank you, friend," Tiamat said as the Klombo lowered their head for Tiamat to pet, helping the Klombo calm down and return to their friendlier form.
The Klombo let out a happy noise that soon turned into a growl as they looked past Tiamat to see even more Revenants coming forth. Klombo exhaled heavily and from their massive mouth came visible air that was so strong it blew the Revenants back inside the Jinsei Chamber, once more protecting the Saurians outside. This was perfect timing as well, as inside the Chamber, Khameleon had finally reached the Jinsei while her allies held off the attacking Revenants. With nothing else to do, Khameleon hurled the Gem of Tetsurri into the magical liquid essence and hoped for the best… and their theory worked! The energy went into the magic crystal which empowered it and caused it to explode, releasing its form of soul magic across the Jinsei Chamber in an impulse wave. As the energy from the shattered Gem reached each Revenant, their body was immediately transformed back into their true self, their souls now purified once more. The blast of magic unfortunately only stopped at the edges of the room, but considering the size and how many Revenants had been inside trying to defend the precious Jinsei… this was a very successful victory from Khameleon's perspective.
"It worked!" Reptile cheered. "Well done, my love!"
"I couldn't have done it without you," Khameleon replied. "Without any of you!"
The group of Saurians celebrated within the spacious Jinsei Chamber, with Tiamat and the other Saurians outside soon joining them. When Tiamat saw Komodai restored as well, he immediately ran over and dragged Komodai into a tight hug.
"Missed you too, big guy," Komodai replied as Tiamat released him and let him catch his breath. "The real you that is."
"Everybody is back to their true selves!" Tiamat realised.
"Only those here," Khameleon clarified. "But everyone else in the realm is next."
"Our group continues to grow and Tetsurri's continues to thin," Kiri made her analysis as she and Ankha joined the group. "Victory is assured."
"Woo!" Ankha celebrated.
"I'm glad to see you both," Khameleon told the couple, "but I requested that you tail that messenger."
"We did!" Ankha assured her.
"It wasn't that far at all actually," Kiri clarified. "He's at some structure in these woods east of these mountains."
"Then show us another time," Khameleon instructed. "Tonight there is a party in Edenia and we're all invited!"
"Sounds great," Komodai commented. "Perfect opportunity to get caught up with everything."
"There's a lot to discuss!" Reptile told him.
"Indeed there is," Krass commented as she and Drox approached Reptile.
"Huh?" Reptile spun around to face the strangers. "Oh! Hello!"
"Szyoth," Drox greeted.
"You know my name?" Reptile was surprised as to him these were two Saurians he hadn't met until this day.
"He doesn't recognise us, dear," Krass pointed out.
"That's fair," Drox said, "it has been sometime since…"
"Since what?" Reptile asked as he was completely puzzled.
"We're your parents, Syzoth," Krass revealed.
"You're my… wh-what?" Reptile was confused and overwhelmed by the revelation. "But how do you even know? I looked very different back when the invasion split me from my family… I was much younger and my features hadn't properly developed until-"
"We know," Drox interrupted to assure him. "The medal on your belt… I remember us giving it to you."
Reptile gazed down at his belt and removed the bronze circular medal he wore as the centerpiece to his belt. The medal was recognisable as it had an engraving representing two serpents wrapped around each other. It was the last thing he had to remember his family before he became one of many who had their family taken away from them by one of Shao Kahn's various conquests. Reptile had held onto it once the merger had completed. He remembered it being a symbol of hope to him as he wandered across the unfamiliar realm… soon meeting the Kahn Guard and joining them being his only way of having a home and being able to survive in Outworld.
"I remember too…" Reptile recalled. "It's been so long that I forgot what you both looked like."
"We understand," Krass replied as she opened her arms. "Now c'mere, son!"
Reptile ran into his mother's arms with his father soon making it a group hug. Khameleon's heart melted at the visual before her and she was so happy for her boyfriend. Once they had finished hugging, Khameleon approached the two parents.
"I'm Axoltia," she introduced herself, "your son's lover."
"It is a pleasure to meet you," Drox welcomed her as they shook hands.
"My name is Krass and he is Drox," Krass told her their names.
"Most Saurians say this once restored," Reptile began to speak up. "We have a lot of catching up to do…"