-Chapter 15: The Aftermath-
Dawn was coming, the sun rising in splendor across the bay. The first rays turned the roof of the pagoda, the heart of the Wu Shi Academy, into golden fire. The air was warm and yet clear. Liu Kang felt simple satisfaction in being alive. But more than that, he felt pride. Pride in being chosen as a defender. Pride in the training he had received and his victory in Mortal Kombat. Pigeons strutted across the flagstones, cooing in their soft voices, pecking in the cracks between the stones. Their peaceful voices echoed the quiet lapping of the waves at the landing.
The Shaolin walked into the temple precincts. Liu had not been there in years, and now he looked about with fresh eyes, seeing the lacquered and enameled wood, the rich gold, and the scarlet porcelain which covered every inch of the temple of the White Lotus; Raiden's very own secret society.
The whole of the Academy had gathered today, here at this temple just beyond the monastery. Every monk was present, every champion of Earthrealm was present looking fresh and healed after Raiden worked his magicks on them all. Even Major Briggs was present with a pair of simple prosthetics replacing his missing arms. All of them sat facing forward. Only Liu Kang, dressed in new ceremonial robes of dark fabric, stood and asked between them. Waiting for him before a silken banner bearing the emblem of the White Lotus stood the God of Lightning with Master Wen of the academy.
Liu Kang halted before them and bowed, Raiden and Wen returning the gesture. "All of Earthrealm owes you a debt of gratitude, Liu Kang. Through your actions, you have saved everyone from Shao Kahn's threat of invasion. Earthrealm will know true peace for another five-hundred years." The thunder god declared. "You are champion. Chosen to defend the realm. This outcome does not surprise me." Master Wen opened a small teak box and held it out to Raiden. From within, the thunder god lifted a platinum medallion which hung from a blue silk band. "All your life you have trained to be a Shaolin. But in word and deed, you have exceeded every expectation and passed one final test." Raiden stated as he slipped the medallion over Liu Kang's head. "You have proven worthy of joining the White Lotus Society. I welcome you with open arms."
The monk smiled as the others applauded him. It was polite and measured, respectful. Even Johnny reined himself in and offered no outlandish shouts or remarks.
"Thank you, Lord Raiden." Liu Kang humbly replied. "I am honored to receive this. But… I could not have accomplished this alone." Raiden tipped his head in acknowledgment.
"This is true." He agreed. His electric blue gaze turned to the crowd. "Come forth, Magnus Shadrix."
Surprised to hear his name, it took the Njordborn a moment to stand up and make his way over to the thunder god. His expression indicated much confusion. "I did not win the tournament. I am not a Chosen One. Liu Kang should receive all the honor, not me." He said.
"And yet if it were not for your aid in defeating Goro, Liu Kang would not have had the opportunity to face Shang Tsung in final kombat." Raiden replied. "Because of your efforts, Magnus Shadrix, you helped bring the prophecy to pass and Liu Kang defeated Shang Tsung." Reaching for his belt, the thunder god withdrew a small circular container and pried it open carefully. Within lay a golden amulet, it's body etched with Japanese markings, sporting a square hole in the centre as though it were to be threaded through one's belt. "This amulet was forged by the Elder Gods themselves as a symbol of courageous virtue. It was gifted to Earthrealm in the aftermath of the first Realm War and has since then been a source of strength and endurance for many champions." He described. "Today, Magnus Shadrix, I deem you worthy of the honor. For while you did not win Mortal Kombat, you did defeat Outworld's grand champion… who has defeated all challengers over the past five-hundred years."
Magnus excepted it slowly, feeling the cold metal in his hands that seemed to be alive in its own way, like a chilling fire had been pressed into his palms. "I don't know what to say." He whispered.
"Wear it with pride. Prove yourself worthy of the honor." Raiden replied. "You may not be the Chosen One. But I chose you. And I chose wisely." Magnus accepted with a nod, taking a moment to hook the medallion to his belt where it sat beside his leftmost axe. He turned to Liu Kang and they bowed to one another in a display of respect. The monks applauded again, heralding them both as great champions of the realm.
Raiden placed his hands upon their shoulders, standing between the two humans. "Come, today we will celebrate your victory and the peace it has brought Earthrealm." He encouraged, offering one of his rare smiles as he did.
The day wore on and everyone present at the academy did indeed celebrate as only they could. For the Wu Shi it was a subdued affair, not the sort of wild partying Johnny Cage was used to. But the food was decent, the drinks were on the house, and everyone seemed to lighten up a little. This was the first day after the tournament and Earthrealm did indeed feel a little freer without Outworld's crushing shadow looming in the minds of those involved. The actor stood with his fellow champions, still slightly stunned by the fact it was all over.
"So that's really it, huh? We won?" He questioned, still partly stunned by the fact Mortal Kombat had come and gone. Beside him, Raiden nodded.
"Yes, Johnny Cage. We won." The thunder god said simply.
"Well alright! I'll drink to that!" Johnny remarked, slapping Raiden on the back as he chugged a healthy swig of rice wine. The thunder god did not react to his actions. Slapping his mug down, he turned with arms stretched towards Sonya, only to pause and rethink his rather rash course of action. "Uh… may I?" He politely inquired.
Sonya pressed her lips into a thin line and seriously considered turning him down. But after all they'd been through and given the fact he'd helped her rescue Jax from Kano's clutches, maybe a simple hug wasn't so bad. The blonde sighed and spread her arms in acceptance, the actor immediately catching her up in a tight hug. Sonya froze, feeling genuinely awkward as Johnny held her. Slowly but surely she loosely wrapped her arms around him, patting him on the back as he continued to hold her. The actor breathed deeply. "Mmm, cinnamon…"
"Alright. That's enough." Sonya muttered, shoving him away.
"Sorry." Johnny sheepishly apologized. "So, uh… what's the game plan for you all?"
"We're going back to SF headquarters. No offence to Raiden and the monks, but Jax needs to see a real doctor." Sonya said quietly as Jax stood beside her.
"Yeah… I don't think I can live with these piddly little things." The Major said, rattling his prosthetics. "I need a man's arms, ya know? Not some pigeon's feet. What about you, Cage? Back to your mansion in the Hollywood hills?" Jax questioned.
"Nope. I'm gonna take what I've seen and learned here and pitch an idea to some of the producers I know. Maybe a cinematic universe directed by yours truly." Johnny replied, jabbing two thumbs towards his face.
Sonya grimaced. "You can't be serious."
"Come on, the fact that this is all real yet nobody knows about it means it's the perfect way to introduce people to the idea!" Johnny exclaimed. "This is a goldmine waiting to happen. No one has ever done anything like this before, it's the ultimate high-fantasy project." The blonde rolled her eyes but Jax seemed somewhat interested.
"Well, I'm hard-pressed to say anything can beat Lord of the Rings. But good luck with that." He proffered.
"Don't worry, Major, I'll make sure I mail you both tickets to the premiere of 'Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins'." Johnny promised. Sonya deadpanned.
"Seriously?"
"What? People love a good subtitle." Johnny replied only to earn a huff of annoyance as Sonya turned away and leaned over a nearby railing, trying to find something more interesting in the koi stream below. With limited subtlety, the actor leaned over to Jax and asked in a low voice, "You think she'll ever like me?"
"She hasn't kicked you in the nuts, has she?" Jax responded.
"Nope. That hasn't happened yet."
The Major quirked a brow. "Huh. Maybe there's hope for you yet, Cage." Jax said sounding rather surprised by his answer.
Elsewhere, enjoying the view of everyone else full of smiles and good cheer, Magnus Shadrix idly sipped from his tankard of mead alone with his thoughts. 'I understand that this is something to celebrate and I know I did my part. But it feels empty… I came here in pursuit of Shang Tsung and I didn't even get to lay a finger on him. If anything, he manhandled me and Liu had to save my ass. En jævel… now what?' He had strayed away from the others, not wanting Raiden to pry into his thoughts. His failure was something he would have to live with and he doubted he would get another chance to fight the sorcerer. 'Maybe I can take heart in the fact I helped undo his grand plan… but it still feels empty.'
"Penny for your thoughts?" A feminine voice inquired. Magnus looked up. There stood Mileena, veil lowered with full lips and cheeks, holding a goblet in one hand. "At least I believe that's the right expression."
Magnus chuckled. "I suppose it is." Mileena moved next to him, reclining against the same railing. Her eyes never left his, eagerly awaiting his response. "Just don't feel much like celebrating. I get it. I get why we should. But out of all of us I feel like I didn't accomplish what I set out to do. Sonya saved Jax, Johnny proved he wasn't incompetent, Liu Kang won the tournament… my family has not been avenged. Their killer is still free." He said softly, taking another sip of mead before setting the tankard down. He wasn't in much of a drinking mood.
"If I know Shao Kahn, he'll kill Shang Tsung for his failure." Mileena responded. "I know that doesn't make you feel better… but at least you should be pleased that you managed to beat Goro. One Earthrealmer has done that, not even the Great Kung Lao. Without you, Liu Kang would've been killed by him." Magnus nodded slowly.
"Yes. So people keep telling me. It was not easy facing him." The two fell quiet as their minds drifted back to the intense kombat. While Magnus had been healed, even he could phantomly feel every krushing blow from the Shokan that struck his body. In much the same way, Mileena remembered all too vividly her horror and desperation as the match played out with no indication if Magnus would live or die. She bit her lower lip, glancing up at the man beside her who was very much alive.
"I was on edge the whole time. There were a few moments when I thought…" Mileena trailed off, unable to give voice to what was weighing on her heart. "I couldn't bear to think what my life might look like without you." She confessed, abandoning her drink.
The Norwegian turned to give her his full attention. "Are you saying you were worried about me, princess?" He softly asked. Mileena's brown eyes met his and her hand reached down to glide across the leather of his bracer.
"I just found my prince. I did not wish to lose him so soon."
His blue eyes never left hers as his hand curled to meet her searching fingers. "Several times I also thought of you." He admitted as their hands intertwined. "What we have, what we have shared, I wanted very much to continue it." Mileena cocked her head, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Are you saying you want me, prince?" She asked, her free hand reaching up to stroke his face. Magnus' own hand brushed some hair from her face, worn fingers caressing her unblemished skin.
"I just found my princess. I'm not about to abandon her."
They were already close, Mileena did not hesitate to bridge the gap by reaching up on her toes to kiss him. Magnus reciprocated, holding her in a gentle liplock. They kissed for as long as they could, desperate for a feel of the other after the stress of the tournament where there persisted a good possibility they would not see each other again. With that behind them, the tangibility of each other so close together was something they desperately sought to relish.
They parted only when they needed to breathe, both a little flushed in the cheeks.
A sudden whistle drew their attention to a distant Johnny who waved when they noticed him. Despite his shades, both could tell he wore the biggest shit-eating grin. "Perhaps we should... find someplace a little more isolated to continue this." Mileena suggested. Magnus liked that idea a lot.
"Your room or mine?" He asked.
Meanwhile…
"You failed me!" The thunderous voice of an ageless tyrant bellowed with such strength that the very walls shook. Shang Tsung was flung to the ground, blood spewing liberally from his mouth as he fell to his knees and prostrated himself before his master. Shao Kahn was far from pleased, glaring at the sorcerer beneath the skull mask of his horned helm. "Five-hundred years I have waited… and now I must wait five-hundred more!" He roared, every bulging muscle so tense veins throbbed along his neck.
"I am sorry, master… it was that old fool, Raiden." Shang murmured in apology as his blood stained his silken finery. "He-"
"Silence!" Shao snapped and the sorcerer groveled before him. The emperor eased his massive body into a great throne forged from obsidian and emerald, glittering in both light and dark behind his musclebound physique.
Surrounding his throne were Shao Kahn's most loyal servants; the Generals who led his armies and other associates he kept close: his armored second-in-command Reiko, his Osh-Tekk field commander Ko'atal, the Tarkatan war chief Baraka, the Shokan grand commander Sheeva, the leader of his Centaurian extermination squads Motaro, and his prized Princess Kitana with her Umgadi bodyguards.
Clawed fingers clenched into a hard fist that pounded the skull-shaped armrest. "Curse the Elder Gods and their tournament. I should have taken Earthrealm by force." Shao muttered bitterly. "But I am bound by their rules. Rules that cannot be broken." The decrepit sorcerer at his feet heard him and was struck by a sudden thought. He had been contemplating their reality for centuries and over that course of time he had begin to formulate a plan. Having studied the rules of Mortal Kombat very carefully, he believed there might be a way to exploit some of the more vague declarations made by the Elder Gods.
"My lord-" He began.
"Kill him!" Shao ordered and Shang paled. Frozen in place, he was abruptly taken by the arms by Jade and Tanya, held out as Kitana stepped forward and flicked open one of her razor fans. She was going to behead him.
"But what if the rules were changed?" Shang shrieked, desperate to be heard.
His sudden outburst struck a chord with the emperor, intriguing Shao Kahn. "Hold Kitana!" He swiftly commanded and his daughter held her position. Still suspended between the Umgadi, Shang looked up with panicked breaths as Shao Kahn leaned forward in his throne, his dark gaze boring into the sorcerer. "Continue…"
"Th-There is a way to change the rules… but it can only be done in the long-term and only if we force Raiden's hand." Shang began.
From there he continued, outlining the scheme he had been sitting on for years, a plan of action he did not deem necessary given the likelihood of Outworld's victory in the final tournament. Now that the scope of things had changed, it became his trump card and bargaining tool to ensure he lived a little longer. Shao Kahn was no one to take lightly. Perhaps Shang Tsung had surpassed him in terms of mastery of the dark arts, but Shao Kahn was still a god among men. An immortal power who crushed those foolish enough to stand in his way.
Shao Kahn listened to every word, staying stoic and silent as Shang Tsung made sure to explain his plan in full. No detail was left out and the emperor had much to consider by the time he finished.
Leaning back against his throne, surrounded by the skulls of the many leaders and rebels he had slaughtered over the millennia, Shao Kahn pondered the suggestion presented him. After a time, he waved his hand and the three women stepped away, releasing Shang Tsung. "It appears you have redeemed yourself, sorcerer." Shao rumbled.
Shang humbly prostrated himself on the floor. "Committing to this plan will require great concentration and patience, my lord. There is no other way." He stated, reiterating the one simple reality of his plan.
"The arcana of Earthrealm is a power untold, sorcerer, and I will stop at nothing to possess it." Shao replied. He rose from his throne, standing tall and intimidating as dark flames welled in his eyes. His eyes turned to his court as the might of a conqueror flashed in his gaze. "Gather our forces. It is time to end this game once and for all." He ordered them.