Chapter 137: Plot Foiled
Shang Tsung's Island, Outworld
Day of the Mortal Kombat Tournament
The day of the tournament arrived quickly for Ambrosiuos and his co-conspirators. In the remaining days before the start of the tournament, Ambrosius occupied his time by sparring with Jade, Mileena, and Kitana along with intermingling with Shao Kahn's generals to begin laying the groundwork for Mileena to persuade them over to his side.
The first to be approached by Ambrosius, and the easiest to sway to their side was Reptile, a humanoid lizard dressed in the garbs of a green ninja and the last of his kind. Reptile's innermost desire is to no longer be the last of his kind. His home realm of Zaterra is gone, mysteriously destroyed ages ago. As such he is the last known surviving member of his race, and has since then made Outworld his home. Shao Kahn has made use of Reptile's mastery of stealth to spy on suspected traitors and slay known enemies of the empire. But the knowledge that he is the last of his kind gnaws at Reptile. He would give anything, destroy anyone, if it would bring his realm back from the abyss. This need for his people to be brought is exactly what made him fall to Ambrosious with a single fifteen minute conversation. Fifteen minutes of prodding and poking at Reptile's status as the last member of his race before giving him hope. Hope that came in the form of knowledge of the fact that Shao Kahn was the one responsible for his people's extinction and the fact that with the correct form of magic his people can easily be restored.
The second to be approached by Ambrosius was none other than his fellow Edenian, the traitor of the Edenian Resistance, and power hungry demigod son of Argus, the most powerful god in Edenia's pantheon, Rain. In all honesty he does not care much for Rain at all and in fact plans to get rid of him once Shao Kahn has been dealt with. He would have done it sooner, however it would be very suspicious for one of Shao Kahn's most powerful generals to disappear just before Mortal Kombat, and with his arrival in Shao Kahn's court being unprecedented, he would easily be looked upon as the number one suspect. As such he simply convinced the treacherous Edenian to remain neutral. An easy feat considering that Rain is willing to follow the most powerful person in order for him to also grow in power.
Ideally Ambrosius would have approached Reiko next, Outworld's most ingenious tactician, general, and Shao Kahn's adoptive son due to the speculation that Shao Kahn will send him on a mission once the tournament starts. After all Reiko is never seen until after Shao Kahn's death and Mileena's take over of the throne. It would be troublesome for Reiko to hear about the coup and decide to hide out somewhere in Outworld while building his forces up to take the throne.
Unfortunately for him, Reiko could not be found and he had to switch his sights onto a different target, Skarlet. Unlike Shao Kahn's other generals, Skarlet's devotion to him cannot be shaken. It is quite similar to canon Mileena whose sole purpose is to serve and please Shao Kahn no matter what deed is needed to accomplish. Which is why she is marked for death as soon as the coup begins without even being given the chance to learn of their plans.
With Sheeva killing Goro and becoming the new leader of the Shokan's, the only generals left were Barakka, leader of the Tarkatans along with Motaro, leader of the Centaurian race, a race that bears a striking resemblance to the centaurs of Greek mythology.
Similar to Sheeva, Barakka's strongest loyalty lies to his people. As long as his people can thrive he does not care for who is the ruler, making him another easy prey to Ambrosius' machinations. With a show of his power and a promise to treat his people well, Barakka was easily swayed to Ambrosius' camp.
While all of Shao Kahn's generals have a healthy sense of self-preservation, Motaro is a downright coward. Serving Shao Kahn in order not to die, bowing down to anyone stronger than him by the slimmest margin and only confronting those that he is one hundred percent sure that he can defeat. As such Ambrosius did not dedicate much energy into convincing him at all. In fact, Ambrosius merely flared his Power of Destruction while projecting a minute amount of killing intent before he had the Centaurian bowing and begging to serve. It was such a sorry sight that not even Mileena could find any form of enjoyment from his sorry state and humiliation.
With Motaro's submission the status of all of Shao Kahn's generals was accounted for, which left Ambrosius in somewhat of a bind concerning what to do about the tournament. His earlier plans required him to simply lay the seeds of betrayal with Shao Kahn's generals before the Mortal Kombat tournament so that Mileena may have an easier time convincing them during the tournament. It was for this reason that he was willing to allow the tournament to play out as it did in cannon, to give Mileena time to convince Shao Kahn's generals to switch sides and to kill them should they decline. He however underestimated the ease in which he would be able to convince them. He had thought himself to be in the middle of a much more dangerous version of the Game of Thrones. One which the participants are not only cunning, but also quite dangerous martially. A crossover somewhat between the Clocktower and King's Landing.
Instead he finds that not only are the participant's motives easy to figure out, but they are also far easier to persuade. Simply tell them what they want to hear, flare a bit of your overwhelming power and they will obey. Heck he could have most likely beaten them in kombat to earn their loyalty.
Had he not needed Quan Chi in order to revive Sindel he would have sped up his plans. However, considering the fact that Quan Chi does not appear until a bit later in the tournament when he brings Scorpion, Ambrosius is willing to simply let it all play out until the sorcerer reveals himself.
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Shang Tsung's Island, The Lost Sea
Shang Tsung's Throne Room
Day of the Mortal Kombat Tournament
Watching the warriors mingle amongst themselves here in Shang Tsung's Throne Room, I cannot help but think back to the previous rounds of the tournament. Like cannon it had started out with Johnny Cage defeating Reptile and Barakka before Shang Tsung ordered the first round finished. Afterwards there were a few more battles fought, none that I believed would count as part of the tournament but seemingly did at Shang Tsung's behest. Needless to say the Mortal Kombat Tournament is…messy to say the least and had I not watched it all in the shadows while hidden by my biotics and my runes I would never believe it.
Fighters coerced to fight against their will, Earthrealm warriors fighting and killing their own people, old grudges surfacing and causing warriors to act irrationally, and an idiot of a movie star acting as if this were all a game. It is a wonder that Outworld has not used Earthrealm's idiocy and lack of unity in order to dominate the tournament. And all of this happens as Raiden attempts to decipher visions and vague messages from his future self in order to bring a stop to the upcoming armageddon. This all makes me wonder how they ever emerged victorious in canon. With the amount of incompetence shown from Earthworld they should have been one of the first realms assimilated by Shao Kahn. And considering the fact that they were not one of the first to assimilate, it ironically speaks wonders of Shao Kahn's own incompetence.
Shaking the thoughts from my head, I focus once more on the gathered warriors just as Scorpion storms into the throne room and makes his way towards Cyrax and Sektor, two warriors of the Lin Kuei garbed in the traditional clothes that ninjas wear in fiction with the only thing missing being the weapons and the masks. As Scorpion makes his way towards the fighters from the rival clan, no doubt to question them on the whereabouts of Bi-Han, the original Sub-zero, Cyrax and Sektor stop their conversion to look towards him.
"Where is he?" questions Scorpion as he stops a few feet away from them.
"His whereabouts are none of your concern. Are you that eager to join your inferior clan in death to seek out Sub-Zero?" questions Cyrax with a sneer and a frown evident of his brown face.
"My clan may walk the Earth once more." replies Scorpion with a voice full of emotion.
I do not know what caused Cyrax to react how he does, but rather than reply with words he shoves Scorpion back with a roar, prompting Shang Tsung to declare it a challenge, Scorpion versus Cyrax and Sektor.
What follows cannot be considered a battle as Scorpion easily makes short work of the both of them without making use of his weapons nor his hellish powers. All it takes is pure skill and two of the Lin Kuei's greatest warriors are defeated and rendered unconscious.
"I will have my revenge, but I will not kill Sub-Zero." claims Scorpion as he knocks out Cyrax with a well placed roundhouse kick that no doubt fractures his skull. Hearing Scorpion's words, Raiden nods to him in appreciation. While Raiden seems to appreciate Scorpion's thoughtfulness, Sub-Zero looks upon it with disdain.
"Will not, or cannot?" questions the warrior as he slams the doors to the throne room open and confidently strides in, his words causing Raiden to sigh in exasperation while Scorpion merely narrows his eyes at him.
"The Shirai Ryu are dead because of you. You will suffer as they did." promises Scorpion as he and Sub-Zero approach each other.
"To hell with your clan." snarls Sub-Zero as he stops a few inches from his opponent.
"No…" quietly replies Scorpion as he shakes his head. "To hell with you!" roars the warrior as he grabs Sub-Zero by the shoulders and teleports the both of them out of the throne room in a pillar of hellish fire. With no one having foreseen such a turn of events, the occupants of the room look at each other questioningly while Shang Tsung quietly asks Quan Chi to follow them. As Quan Chi follows suit I discreetly grab hold of his belt and tag along for the ride.
When we arrive in the hellish realm of the Netherrealm, it is to see Sub-Zero already defeated while Scorpion merely stands over his fallen enemy.
"This is your retribution?" questions Quan Chi as he approaches Scorpion. "Scorpion, kill him." he orders as he stands next to him.
"I…I will not. He has been beaten." refuses Scorpion, prompting Quan Chi to look at him with thinly veiled disappointment.
"Have you forgotten?" asks Quan Chi as he begins to showcase images of the Shirai Ryu's massacre at the hands of the 'Lin Kuei'.
"What is this?" questions Scorpion as he watches his comrades being slaughtered, each image and death causing him to whisper no in a horrified tone.
Curious about the proceedings, Sub-Zero sits up in order to watch. While Scorpion watches, horrified at the images of Sub-Zero leading the Lin Kuei to slaughter his clan, Sub-Zero cannot help but be puzzled. As he rightfully should, considering the fact that it was Quan Chi and not him who slaughtered Scorpion's clan.
"Your clan, your family." says Quan Chi as the images change to show Sub-Zero standing in front of Scorpion's wife and child.
"No!" exclaims Scorpion as he watches Sub-Zero kill his beloved and newly born child before the illusions disappear while a self-satisfied and proud smirk appears on Quan Chi's face.
"That is not me!" argues Sub-Zero as he struggles to stand while Scorpion goes to remove his mask.
Before he can do so however, I grab his hand and make my presence known to them.
"That is not Sub-Zero." I say as I appear before their eyes while looking at Quan Chi with a vicious smirk on my face. "Isn't that right sorcerer?" I ask him while I telekinetically pull him to my open hand and proceed to choke him while at the same time inscribing a rune on his neck that completely immobilises him and blocks off his powers.
"Who are you? And if that was not Sub-Zero, then who else could it be?" questions Scorpion as I allow him to forcefully remove his hand from my grasp.
"It was Quan Chi who slayed your clan along with your wife and child. All to turn you into his servant with promises of vengeance." I explain, causing all of their eyes to go wide.
"You!" snarls Scorpion as he prepares to eviscerate Quan Chi, only for me stop him once again. "You stop me once again, why?" questions the undead warrior.
"Because I have need of him. Once he is no longer useful to me then you may do as you wish with the sorcerer." I reply, appeasing him before he turns to Sub-Zero.
"It seems that my hatred has been misguided and misplaced. I offer you my sincere apologies." says Scorpion as he bows deeply to his former enemy.
"It is fine. We have both been played by the sorcerer. Hopefully we can put this animosity behind us to become allies." answers Sub-Zero as he offers Scorpion his hand.
"Allies." agrees Scorpion as he shakes Sub-Zero's hand before turning to me. "I will not forget this kindness, and neither will the Shirai Ryu once they have been returned to life." he says.
"I agree with Scorpion. I will not forget this kindness. Not only have you saved my life, but you have also removed an enmity towards the Lin Kuei. We will not forget this." says Sub-Zero.
"While your words comfort me Sub-Zero, they currently are nothing more than words considering the current state of your clan." I tell him, earning a questioning look from Scorpion and a look of rage from Sub-Zero.
"I will deal with the cyborg initiative as soon as I am healed." says Sub-Zero with a frown.
"Then perhaps I may be of aid." I suggest as I inscribe a runic array on his left arm. Not only will it heal him, but it will also augment all of his abilities. Within seconds all of Sub-Zero's injuries heal and he stands before us as if he had not just come close to death.
"I appreciate this." says the warrior before Scorpion grabs him and the two return to the throne room, leaving me alone with a terrified Quan Chi.
"I should thank you. Because of you I have started a friendship with Scorpion and Sub-Zero that can evolve into their respective clans becoming allies, if not outright loyal to me. As such you will be pleased to hear that this will not hurt you a little bit…" I say with a serious tone that quickly turns into a sadistic grin that would make Azula proud. "... it will hurt you alot." I say before I savagely tear into his mind and collect every scrap of information I need from him. Once that is done I reach into his soul and snap the connection between him and his powers, and take an amulet attached to his belt from him before casually tossing him aside like yesterday's trash.
The amulet I took from him is none other than Shinnok's amulet. A golden amulet with a green gem in the center that holds the fallen Elder God Shinnok prisoner. Without wasting a second I drain the Elder God's power and add it to my Edenian abilities before using the Power of Destruction to annihilate the amulet.
With that done I bind Quan Chi under numerous bounded fields so that only Scorpion may find him before using my new powers to teleport out of the Netherrealm. After all, I have an Edenean Queen to resurrect.
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AN: Here's the chapter. As usual tell me what you guys think. The first chapter of my Campione fic should be out sometime this week, so look forward to that.
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