General Mitharos: Meat's Purpose

I am Meat, an Outworlder who serves the one ruler, Onaga; I have served him even before he came to power, even before my new namesake was given to me... My story is lengthy, but I can guarantee you that what I reveal shall never be expressed by any other being, as my comrades were and are forever sworn to secrecy, to death and forever after. Only the Gods themselves have surpassed my age, and because of this, I have much to say on the matter of Onaga...

Outworld is a very old realm, and has had many rulers, but none of them were superior to Onaga. At the time of my birth, the ruler of Outworld was a deceitful and vile tyrant, and oppressed the realm with his malevolence. He came into power after a great war between the Gods almost destroyed the realms, and he took advantage of the chaos and placed himself onto Outworld's throne. None opposed him because he had been given a gift from the Gods themselves; the ability to use magic. Magic was an art that we were never allowed having, that we never evolved having; it was believed that only those who were descendants of the Gods could wield such power, and because of this, Outworld feared him. Lord Trom took advantage of his gifts and used them to demonstrate his supremacy. He ruled for hundreds of years thanks to his immortality, and we lived suppressed and unhappy, building his monuments, creating his cities, growing his food, making his weapons for his loyal enforcers, or facing execution. I was born in this dark time of Outworld, given the name ``Mitharos'', and put into slavery for our pseudo liberator. It was during my teenage years that I learned of a small faction of people who were willing to do whatever it took to remove Lord Trom from power; our chosen warrior and leader was Onaga.

Onaga was another gifted man - yes, Onaga was a man, no different from you or I - except that he was also blessed with powers similar to Trom. We followed him silently, and held meetings in the darkness, and by word of mouth, our numbers grew. We all stayed strangers to one-another, keeping our identities secret until the raid. Because Trom was so overconfident, and because his reign was so long, he never thought that there would ever be a large enough movement to withstand his power; but then again, he never thought that there would ever be a being to match his strength.

Onaga led us into his stronghold, granting us great strength and stamina to fight off Trom's men, and keeping us alive to see him take on Trom himself. These two superpowers faced-off with such incredible force, everyone within their presence was knocked back by their tremendous abilities. Blow after blow, the walls surrounding us and the ceiling above us shattered into dust and rubble, and we all just stared in awe at Onaga's and Trom's intense battle. In the end, however, Trom's overconfidence betrayed him once again, as Onaga feigned receiving a fatal blow to lure the pompous Lord and have him drop his guard. Onaga chose that moment to pounce on Lord Trom and summon a fury that raised his power to a great level; it temporarily blinded everyone within kilometres of the fight. All we heard were Trom's bloodcurdling screams, and Onaga's triumphant laughter. When we got back our vision, we celebrated the beginning of a new era.

When the people heard of Trom's death, they cried out with joy and rejoiced in the streets. It was unanimous that Onaga should lead us to a new golden age, and make Outworld a place of happiness and justice. As a gift to everyone in Outworld to symbolise his generosity, Onaga granted every man, woman, and child immortality, and those who followed Onaga into battle were given invincibility. It is because of Onaga that the people of Outworld live without fear of ageing, and it is because of him that my men and I are forever known as his ``undefeatable army''.

Onaga's reign as the King of Outworld was truly a magnificent time. I was promoted to lieutenant, and my men and I patrolled the streets and settled the people's disputes fairly, and prevented outbreaks of violence and chaos for thousands of years; but those who were still loyal to Trom and his rule continually attempted to instigate problems for our society. They caused riots in the streets, kidnapped innocent people in attempt to get Onaga to step down from his throne and appoint a Trom-loyalist as his successor. It didn't help that some of these rioters also had gifts from the Gods... We never knew how it was possible, as it was confirmed that Onaga and Trom were direct descendants of former Outworld deities who had been stripped of their immortality and invincibility, but my men and I theorised that Onaga's gift to his people triggered something that allowed them to have similar abilities as his own, although much weaker, since he was born with them and they were not. Several lives were lost when the riots and kidnappings took place, and Onaga fell into despair... All he ever wanted was a utopian society where people could live and be free, not abuse whatever he gave them... He began to question the merits of giving one absolute freedom if one could abuse it... In a few of our weekly progress meetings, Onaga would often state that perhaps the people of Outworld were not ready to experience unity and peace.

For months, Onaga secluded himself for days at a time within the ancient libraries that were left from Trom's rule. He searched and searched through his countless novels and encyclopaedias, studied their contents, and planned to take Outworld to the next level of unity and peace. We were never allowed to enter his libraries, but Onaga did eventually tell us what he researched in a meeting when he was ready with his plans; the only problem was that he would need to do something that would require all of our help - die.

His plans would take thousands of years to accomplish, and would require him to be a spirit for the entire duration; however, none of my men wanted to kill the saviour of Outworld. It was an absolutely ludicrous notion, and not even I approved of it. But then Onaga promised us more power than ever before if we allowed him to do this, and pledged our loyalty to him for all eternity. At the promise of great power, and at the mention of uniting all the realms and creating a true utopia, everybody hesitantly agreed to help Onaga die. The only problem was that everybody in the room, as well as all of our underlings, would have to follow through the same plans as Onaga, which meant sacrifice their own lives once his was taken, so the need of a new ruler was at hand, and it had to be someone who was a stranger to the plan, and not within our trusted ranks.

This search took several months, and during this time, Onaga changed his title to ``The Dragon King'', after his obsession with an old race of creatures he researched while secluded in his library. Eventually, Onaga met with the protector of Outworld and offered him his position until his return; Shao Kahn agreed and would become emperor once Onaga had gone. Despite Shao Kahn's ancient knowledge, he would never know of Onaga's plans.

With a trustworthy emperor set to replace him, all that was needed now was for someone to kill Onaga; the death had to be unexpected and leave no trace of its origins, otherwise the people would grow suspicious. I mixed poisons into The Dragon King's food, and as he ate, he realised that it was time. Since my men and I were the ones who served him, we witnessed his death, but right before Onaga passed on, he stared directly at me, and proclaimed that he would return to rule Outworld once again. I couldn't help but feel that he knew that I was the one who killed him, but it was his will to die anyway.

After Onaga's body was lowered into his casket, a grand ceremony was had to celebrate his wonderful rule, his passing, and the inauguration of the protector of Outworld, Shao Kahn. When he announced that he'd be taking on new warriors to replace us when we would be mummified, many men rose to serve him, and wanted to bring about the same glory with Shao Kahn as we had with Onaga. We all said our farewells, and hoped for the best for the new emperor, and wished our successors luck, strength, and power to right any wrongs, and make Outworld a true utopia.

My allies and I were to die for our fallen King, and the majority of them stabbed themselves with their blades; rather than plunge a weapon into my gut, I chose to poison myself with the same concoction I used to kill my master. When everything went black, I felt myself being placed on a large table and...

ONAGA! He was right in front of me, right before my very eyes! He smiled, and said that he expected no less from me to choose to die the same way I killed him... He knew that it was I, but he was glad, because I was the only one of his men to act out his wish for death, and wanted me to help him fulfil his desires for grandeur and peace! I bowed and asked my king what his will was, and stated that I needed to resurrect him. While his priests protected the last known Dragon Embryo, I would be traveling the realms to ensure that Onaga would return. He first needed me to gain more might, and then to help him gain his own, and promised me that if I did it all for him, I would be rewarded with ultimate power, greater than what I'd acquire in my quest, and that I'd rule alongside him as second in command.

I pondered his offer for a moment before I asked about how I would be affected by it, and Onaga responded with what I had feared; my soul may end up being tainted with evil, and corrupt me to the point that I could become an insane monstrosity. However, he had much confidence in me, and I decided that the risk would be worth it, if it meant creating a universal utopia.

He continued to tell me that my days in Outworld would have to end, as people would recognise me, but it didn't matter, as I did not need to venture into Outworld anymore. He would resurrect my body from the tomb in the abandoned city of Sarna, which was the former capital. My body would be completely restored, and I'd be granted immortality to complete my task; I'd never age, never hunger, nor have the effects of time weather my body and soul, and as long as I would be in this state, I would never be allowed to die. My last words before Onaga sent me back were ``I will not fail... That is my promise!''

Onaga began to summon energy to swarm around me, and I received an exhilarating rush as my spirit hurtled through time and space, and when I reached my destination, I took the longest, sweetest breath I ever drew in my entire life... Until the putrid stench of decomposing flesh reached my nostrils. I lurched forward as I turned around and saw my former comrades, all frozen in place, slowly rotting away, and wearing their battle armour. Sarna became deserted after Onaga became the ruler of Outworld; he declared the city to be a burdensome memory of Trom's rule, and decided that it should be deserted and left as a reminder of the depression that Trom brought. I realised that we were brought into Trom's old palace, and that it was redecorated to be a suitable tomb. I stared at my deceased comrades from the front of the room and saluted them all as I did when they were alive, and began to explore the tomb. I came to a large, metal and stone circle, with bizarre markings on it (I couldn't read them at the time). I suddenly felt uneasy, and backed away slowly from the structure, but the circle began to spin, and its green centre began to glow. A massive portal, leading to an area filled with bright light, cool air, and mist, was created, and I was dragged into the realm by a mysterious, invisible force! I hurtled to the ground, and landed onto the warm, damp soil.

I stood up and saw that I was on a grassy plain, covered in a veil of fog. The air smelled so much better than that of the tomb, almost like... Rice wine and boiled Zaterraian mosquito? It was my favourite meal, one that I hadn't enjoyed for several years, and I could smell it as though it was...

Onaga appeared before me, somehow eliminating the wonderful fragrance that was in the air. He welcomed me to the Heavens, and stated that my training would commence here. He wanted me to be able to harness the realm's magical abilities in order to better aid myself in my quest. He explained I was only allowed to be there alive because of that bizarre portal, which could only be opened by either the Gods, their descendants, or whoever had its key; in any case, my heart was good enough to allow me access.

I looked around in disbelief, trying to take everything in at once... The smell of boiled Zaterraian mosquito filled the air again, and this time, I thought about the taste being in my mouth, with the sweet juices covering my tongue... Perhaps the scary part was that I began chewing on the most wonderful piece of mosquito I ever tasted! It was spectacular! It was boiled to perfection with the right amount of spices and seasonings! It was...

``MITHAROS'', shouted Onaga, causing whatever it was in my mouth to vanish. He explained that in this realm, one could imagine whatever one wanted, and it'd appear, no matter how farfetched the idea; this was why I smelled and tasted the food. This would be an invaluable ability that I needed to master to the point that I did not even need to be in the realm to do it. Out of the realm, I'd be limited to what I could conjure, but in any case, it would still be useful.

He quickly suggested that I should seek out the Gods of the realms and have them teach me how to do this. There was enough good in me to allow me to stay in the realm without being sent back to Outworld (very few living warriors ever came). Onaga disappeared, and I was left alone in the field.

I wandered about until I came to a sandy beach, where a thunderstorm was occurring. The clouds were silver, and so brilliantly lit by the claps of thunder, which seemed to be concentrated at one particular area. The clouds began to part, and lightning began to shower down from the sky, lightning so bright that it blinded me, so loud that it deafened me. Thankfully, this was only temporary, and when my sight returned, I saw that the lightning moved in radical ways that I had never seen lighting perform... Slowly moving what I would've thought were limbs, and causing the land to tremor with each grunt of thunder. It was even stationary at some point, and appeared to be turning around... And as it did, I saw a tremendously large face with a large crest of lightning behind it, and the largest set of fangs I had ever witnessed before. This lightning was alive and staring right at me! It bellowed an unusual cry with its thunderous voice, and I could not understand what it was telling me, but it slowly raised its massive, glowing arms and reached into the clouds above its head and wrapped them around its body. The clouds swirled and shifted around the being, and a blast of electrical energy leaped from the spinning mass and landed behind me, knocking me into the water and causing the surrounding sand to melt into glass. As the dust cleared and as I wiped the sandy water out of my eyes, I saw a being in white robes and a bizarre, straw hat. His muscles pulsated with might, and I could feel that this being was more powerful than my master, Onaga!

As electricity flashed and covered his limbs, the being spoke to me with a deep, sage-like voice... He told me that he was a Thunder God and protector of a place called Earthrealm. Although with my armour, one could easily know I was The Dragon King's soldier, he somehow knew that I was lieutenant Mitharos. He eyed me from head to toe, and knew that I was linked to Onaga's prophecy of returning to rule Outworld. I was taken aback by this, but he explained that it was a well-known prophecy that had been circulating for years since his death (he explained how the Heavens and the Netherealm have a slower clock than the other worlds), and said that I had to be linked with it, as I was the only person associated with Onaga that was not in purgatory (the fact that I was alive didn't seem to cross his mind). He knew of the Dragon King's benevolence and how he freed Outworld from Trom, but he believed that Onaga may be too corrupted by his guilt in his previous life to bring about a second utopia for Outworld. I simply replied that I had as much faith in the Dragon King as much as Onaga had faith in my bringing him back. The God merely sighed and said that he could only tell me what he knows and feels and that whatever choice I made was my own.

I asked if the God could help me learn how to harness the summoning power of the realm, and believing he could curb me to forget my obligation to Onaga, decided that I would make an excellent pupil. Whenever he was not focusing his attention on the scarred Earthrealm, he was helping me hone my skills at willing whatever I wanted to exist, particularly weapons and shields. We sparred several times, but only while he was in his mortal form, as in his pure form (the form in the lightning and clouds), he would be virtually indestructible; apparently, a God's essence returns to its birthplace and is given a new body 100 years after its physical form is destroyed, thus ensuring a God's immortality. Of course, even now I wouldn't be powerful enough to face-off against a God in his or her pure form. He also allowed me to combat against the other elemental Gods, who were equally skilled, but didn't have nearly as much liberty as he had, since they had to protect a sacred key in Earthrealm.

He trained me for several decades and helped me sharpen my skills. I could still not best the God, whom I was told to call ``Raiden'', in a single one of our matches; however, I felt that I had become a much stronger warrior thanks to his teachings. While the Earthrealm Thunder God was away, I was practising conjuring weapons with my mind; I was able to focus and concentrate on whatever kind of weapon I could think up, and was able to learn and master hundreds of weapon-based fighting styles. The best part was that I didn't need to carry any of these weapons on me; my mind was my sheath. Onaga appeared before me, and commended me for mastering the Heaven's gift. He would have preferred if I continued training with the God, but said that I needed to go to the polar opposite of the Heavens; the Netherealm. Apparently, Shao Kahn had violated Onaga's request to keep Outworld peaceful, and had become a corrupt dictator, taking over many realms and merging them to Outworld. He said that a group of beings in the Netherealm were planning an uprising that would stop Shao Kahn, and that I was to join this group and help them, but at the same time, prevent them from gaining Outworld's throne, as well as stop them from gaining control of the other realms.

I was angered by Shao Kahn's betrayal, especially at finding out that the realm of Zaterra was now a memory and that the Raptors were almost extinct, but my teachings from the God kept my rage from overflowing. Onaga sensed that I may be rejected from the Netherealm with virtually all of my evil intentions removed, so he proposed that I get it all back if I am forced out of the Netherealm; although I didn't like the idea of possibly becoming corrupted, I didn't want to see Outworld ravaged by Shao Kahn's treachery anymore.

Onaga led me to another large, metal and stone circle, exactly like the one I used to enter the Heavens. It began to spin and the green centre began to glow, and I prepared to be taken into the Netherealm. As the portal opened, I caught a glimpse of what the horrible world looked like, and saw that it was a realm of fire, brimstone, bones, dust, and steel. As my body flew through the air, I heard the screams of thousands of tortured souls, and the clanging of hammers against metal. The sulphurous stench of lava and smouldering flesh burned my nostrils, and forced me to gag and wheeze.

I crashed onto the hot ground, and coughed the dust out of my lungs. With my armour on, I was over-dressed for the heat of the realm, but I was able to ignore it, thanks to a dark figure, which stood right in front of me and proceeded to kick my face. I grabbed a hold of his foot and gave a sharp pull, only to have the leg I held turn into dust, and the dark figure disappear into nothingness. I stood up and felt the cuts in my face, when suddenly I was grabbed from behind by two black arms, and saw a shadowy figure flip over me, lift me into the air, and slam me hard onto the ground. I rolled away from my pursuer and finally got a good look at the being I was facing; it was my own self! The creature I fought had my physique and physical characteristics, right down to the scratches and burns in my body armour and helmet!

I got up and demanded to know what I had done to be attacked by my assailant, and he told me that I was to be destroyed so that his character would dominate mine. It seemed as though this creature was my evil essence, that which I lost while I was training in the Heavens. Because he was a part of me, and essentially the same person, I was allowed to remain in the realm; however, because he was my recessive personality, he could only stay in the Netherealm, unless he killed me. I was not going to let that happen.

Although we shared bodies, we did not share abilities; his weapon-summoning skills were limited to small throwing weapons, like daggers or shuriken, but I could make shields and modify my armour, as well as make armaments, so these negated his little toys. His teleportation ability caught me off-guard numerous times, and I often found myself at his mercy when he had me in his dark hold. Whenever he grabbed me from behind, I summoned spikes to grow from my back-plate and stab him numerous times. Miraculously, the creature would barely let me go after being gouged so many times! He simply would not die! His persistence infuriated me to the point that I could not keep myself under control.

We fought for what felt like weeks, and I was growing too tired and frustrated to let him continue attacking me. He began to shoot bizarre orbs at me that surrounded my body with flames and smoke and prevented me from attacking him at all. He beat me to the ground and forced me onto my knees. As he was about to deliver the ``coup de grace'', I screamed an in-human cry and the ground surrounding us violently shook. My pursuer lost his balance, and however I was able to do it at the time, I didn't quite know, but I managed to summon a geyser of water to blast him off the ground and into the air. My attacker was sent high, and I willed a tornado to lift and send me right next to his dazed body, and with all my might, I gave him a flaming-backhand and sent him smashing against a stone wall. When I landed on the ground, I faced his broken body and summoned a bolt of what I now know as Nether-energy and held him against the wall with it, fuelling my power with all my anger and hatred. I felt myself changing before my shadow doppelganger. He was beginning to fade in front of me... No, not fade, but disintegrate, and black dust began to flow in the toxic air surrounding us... It swarmed over me... I could feel his deep voice speak in my head, saying ``I'm finally home, Mitharos... The things we could do alone were one thing, but together, we can become a whole new power.''

When my alter-ego finally returned to me, I felt like my old self again, before I trained with Raiden... I wondered how the God was doing, but that thought disappeared from my mind as I heard Onaga's voice once again. He congratulated me on defeating and consuming my inner demon, and on using the realm's essence to allow me to summon the elements... The Netherealm allowed me to use some of the powers from the Gods I trained with for my own purposes, since I had witnessed them use their abilities, although the Nether-energy was more of my own creation; with that in mind, I can manipulate my Nether-energy into any shape I want and let it have any kind of effects that I desire.

Onaga asked that I continue my training, but this time, with the demons of the realm. He wanted me to make a name for myself here, so that it'd be easier for me to join the radical group that ruled the Netherealm, called ``The Brotherhood of the Shadow''.

With my inner demon's help, I was a much stronger combatant than ever before... It seemed as though my darker nature had just as much an influence on my strength as my lighter nature, and the ability to switch between these egos proved to be invaluable; with my ruthless demeanour combined with my ability to use the natural elements of the realm at my disposal, and unleash my darkness in the form of my demonic shadow, it didn't take long for members of the Brotherhood to seek me out. They first tried to subdue me, in an attempt to capture me, but after my dark side and I confronted them and we said we'd go willingly without the escort, they happily obliged.

As my darkness (who revealed his name to be ``nightmarish shadow'' in the Oni language, or ``Noob Saibot'') and I were taken to a large tower, we spoke about the Brotherhood of the Shadow, as he was more familiar with them than I; he told me that they were led by a Fallen Elder God named Shinnok, and that he was the one who caused the great war between the Gods that almost destroyed reality. When he was banished to the Netherealm, he defeated Lucifer and took it over with the help of a sorcerer named Quan Chi. After he told me all this, we were finally brought to a massive throne room lit by gigantic urns with fire, with the walls made out of bone and stone, covered with red drapes that had the symbol of the brotherhood. Several demons in grotesque humanoid shapes watched us enter the room, armed with various weapons I kept recorded in my memories for future use. At the very end of the room was a massive throne, where a pale man in dark clothes with a bizarre, red hat sat. To his left was a fairly tall, just as pale, bald man with spiked armour and black eye make-up.

Shinnok addressed me personally, stating that he never thought that he'd request that his men track down a living person in the Netherealm to join the Brotherhood before. Shinnok's personal sorcerer Quan Chi, and his two voluptuous assassins Jataaka, and Kia opposed my joining of the group, so to help pique their interests, I decided to perform a very risk-taking act; I challenged any warrior that Shinnok deemed more powerful than I to defeat me in hand-to-hand combat. Shinnok lamented about Reiko's disappearance, saying that had he still been in the Netherealm, he would have had him challenge me, but Quan Chi thought that his personal assassins Sareena, Jataaka, and Kia would be more than enough of a challenge to spar with me.

How these three beautiful demons could even be considered assassins eluded me, as they were terrible fighters! It took me little-to-no difficulty to avoid their attacks and counter them; they even cheated by using their weapons, special abilities, and bizarre magic powers, and I simply continued fighting them without using any of mine. The battle was so pathetic, I won't even recount it further, as the vague description I just gave you was all our battle was. Perhaps they were newly-appointed, but in any case, I didn't even require Noob Saibot's assistance in knocking them out (at Quan Chi's request, I spared them).

Shinnok and Quan Chi were impressed, but not satisfied enough to allow me to become a full-fledged member. They insisted that I train further in their facilities, and with a laugh, Shinnok suggested that I teach Quan Chi's assassins a thing or two about fighting. I thanked him for this opportunity, and continued my training in the darkest realm of reality amongst the most ruthless and cut-throat beings in existence.

Noob Saibot and I grew stronger in this realm, and trained for several decades here as well. The warriors we sparred with were of a greater calibre than the regular demons we fought before we met with Shinnok; however, we preferred fighting amongst ourselves, as we posed greater challenges than the Brotherhood of the Shadow did. During this time, I learned that Outworld was in greater chaos than I thought it was before, and that Shao Kahn's minions were winning tournaments and wars to gain other realms in their twisted version of unity. It was by this time that we learned that Outworld's winning streak against Earthrealm was broken by a man named ``Liu Kang'', and that for the first time since the tournament had been created, a second one would be had within the same year as a previous tournament. This was when Shinnok had an idea that required mine and Noob's services.

He ordered the two of us to spy on the events of this tournament. If Shao Kahn was desperate enough to hold a second tournament immediately after suffering a loss, it must have meant a failing in his judgement, and perhaps a weakness to exploit. If either of us found out anything useful to use against Shao Kahn, we would both become members of the Brotherhood of the Shadow.

While in our private quarters, Noob and I prepared to leave the Netherealm and venture into Outworld. Onaga appeared before us and remarked that neither of us could enter the realm, as we'd be easily known as Onaga's soldiers. We both had to leave our battle armours behind and wear new attire in order to remain less recognisable. Noob Saibot decided to wear ninja garbs, as they would cover his face, and I chose to wear generic clothing that would be suitable for a participant of the tournament; green pants, a green bandana, forearm protectors, and no shirt. I also modified my hairstyle to help me keep in disguise. Onaga and Noob Saibot could hardly contain their laughter, as I looked utterly ridiculous; so ridiculous, they believed that anyone who would recognise me would know me better than to wear such bizarre clothing. In any case, Onaga believed that as long as we remained in the tournament grounds, there would be little to no chance of us being associated with the undefeatable army.

When Noob and I presented ourselves to Shinnok, he laughed for several minutes before remarking how we would easily fit into the crowd of kombatants that fought without shirts and the entire ninja brigade that would be there. He finally sent us to Outworld, just as the tournament had begun. Noob and I agreed to split-up to cover more ground and find more information. After the tournament, we would return to the Netherealm and compare notes before going to Shinnok with any information. As I wandered in the realm, I sensed a presence following me closely. I summoned some Nether-energy and was about to blast the entire area around me, until I heard familiar electrical static... I lowered my arms, turned around, and held out my hand to Raiden, who was overjoyed to see me again, greeting me with hearty laughter.

We sat down on a few rocks and caught up on everything, including the various tournament outcomes, Shang Tsung's treachery, Liu Kang's victory over Goro, and how Raiden had decided to face Kahn's forces alone and leave the Earth warriors to the tournament. He basically made sure that nobody tried to have any of the warriors killed outside of the tournament. He told me of his battles with several shadow priests and how he brutally electrocuted them and had them be electrocuted for all eternity in the Netherealm as their sentence for serving the dark side. I told him about my own exploits in that realm, and how I was now spying on the events that were taking place for Shinnok and obviously Onaga. He didn't take too kindly to the fact I was working with the Brotherhood, and said that there was still a chance for me to avoid the dark path I had chosen; if I continued, there would be no turning back. I told him that I knew what I was doing and capable of, and that Onaga is my priority, not Shinnok. He was glad for this, as he knew that between Shinnok, Shao Kahn, and Onaga, Onaga was the lesser of the evils, and could still bring about a positive outcome should he be resurrected, but he still pleaded for me to change my path; I refused.

Raiden gave a long sigh and said that he still kept hope for me, and that he needed to get back to watching Shao's forces. He advised me to go to a bridge over a massive pit to watch some of the tournament take place, so I heeded his advice. When I reached the bridge, it had already become dark. The area itself was rather beautiful, although the long fall made me nervous, and my shaking feeling that I was being watched did not help the situation. I kept my guard up, until I reached the center of the bridge, and this was when my stalker revealed himself.

He appeared in a fiery explosion, and turned out to be a Fire Elemental. He ordered me to fight against him, and I merely scoffed, thinking that he was a delusional fighter, mistaking me for a member of the tournament. As I attempted to walk away from him, he sent a fireball past my head, singeing my face and hair. I turned around and saw that his fiery aura was building up around him, and no matter what, he wanted to fight me. As I felt my skin with my hand, I yelled and proclaimed that when I would be finished with him, he would be at the bottom of this chasm.

I ran towards him in haste, but attacking head-on was a careless mistake on my part; he simply ducked down and uppercut me, stunning me briefly, then dashing towards me with his palm. His mastery over flames was astounding, and he took little to no time summoning strength to attack with his power. From a distance, he shot fireball after fireball, and the small space that the bridge had to offer kept me from dodging them effectively. Thankfully, the abilities I learned form the Wind God allowed me to briefly fly over the fire and continue our bout in close range.

I toyed with him in the beginning, using only my minimal fighting skills, but as the fight went on, I realised that he wasn't simply trying to defeat me, but trying to actually kill me. It suddenly dawned on me that he was not fighting me based on the tournament rules, and I had to fight him with everything I had. I summoned weapons and shields to use and to protect myself with, and they served me well, until he used his twin flaming hatchets, which melted and burned any weapon I could conjure. The flames surrounding his body also grew with intensity, threatening to destroy the bridge we were on. I was forced to use my own elemental abilities and sent blasts of water into his direction, but the heat surrounding his body grew so much, the water evaporated before connecting to him. He set the bridge ablaze, but I combined my wind and water abilities to send blasts of water into the air and have them rain down, dousing the ground, and weakening my foe. He screamed a haunting battle-cry and tried to shield himself with his burning arms, but a shockwave from my pounding of the bridge made him drop his guard, allowing me to summon Nether-energy to engulf him. As he was electrocuted by my powers, he created a barrier of fire the blocked my attack momentarily, giving him enough time to disappear. I was feeling the heat around me, even after he had gone, and decided to send more water blasts into the air and rain down onto myself and the bridge. I should have paid much more attention at this point, as he caught me completely off-guard and grabbed me from behind.

His fiery aura grew around us, and he begin to chuckle in my ear, telling me that he was going to make everything right once again. In between my screams of pain, he explained that he was named ``Blaze'' and on a quest from the Gods to eliminate anyone who was not meant to be alive; his goal was to enforce the rule of ``One Life to Live'' and send any beings who defied this rule back to their deaths. Because Onaga had resurrected me, I had to be sent back to death by this Elemental. As he held me, he burned my flesh and caused me horrible pain, melting my skin and hair, letting it drip down off the edge of the bridge and into the never-ending pit below us. I shrieked with pain as his body grew hotter and hotter and as his flames surrounded me, slowly burning my organs to piles of fiery sludge, and destroying my muscles, causing me to go limp within his grasp. He threw me to the floor and waited for my flesh and muscle to completely melt and for my soul to escape so that he could capture it and take it to the Netherealm. I gave him the largest scare of his life as my muscles slowly grew to a healthy size, allowing me to get up and brush my burning, melting skin off the rest of my body. I screeched and lunged at him, placing my bloody hands around his sizzling head. I howled and used my Nether-energy to electrocute him, paralysing him with fear and pain. His body crackled and hissed, and before I could throw his body off of the bridge, Onaga appeared and took control of me. He made me say an incantation that put the Elemental into a daze, and had him sent to another location. Onaga explained that Blaze would be used to protect the last Dragon Embryo in a nearby volcano, and would remain there until it hatched, which would be at the same time as Onaga's rebirth.

He commented on my new appearance, likening it to a slab of meat... He began to joke with my given name and my new appearance, calling me ``Mitharos, the charred pile of Meat''. I did not care though, as Onaga had serious information to tell me; Liu Kang had somehow defeated Emperor Shao Kahn; Earthrealm was becoming a wonderful threat and distraction for both the Outworld Emperor and the Brotherhood of the Shadow, and that this was going to be an ideal time for Onaga to come back. He said that I needed to continue serving Shinnok and that I should recover from my wounds before proceeding with Onaga's plans.

Shinnok ordered Noob Saibot to bring me back to the Netherealm and have my strength recovered; while I was recuperating, Shinnok congratulated us on learning about Liu Kang's victory, the weakening state of Shao Kahn's empire, and the possibility of finding Reiko alive in Outworld. I have no idea how Noob Saibot was able to find out about Reiko, but in any case, it pleased Shinnok and Quan Chi. Just as Onaga had before, Shinnok commented on my appearance, telling me to sit out the coming war between Earthrealm and Outworld, and decided to grant me the name ``Meat'', as it can be considered a short-form of Mitharos and a reference to my current state. I swallowed my pride, as I had to remain loyal to him for the sake of the prophecy.

Because Noob Saibot could only leave the Netherealm with me, I had to relinquish any link with him and grant him autonomy. He became his own person, and was able to enter the realms as a shadow of whoever he chose to be; during the merger between Outworld and Earthrealm, he chose the form of an Earthrealm warrior who sided with Shao Kahn and who had a fetish for knives.

While healing in the Netherealm, I focused on training myself to my limits; the only reason I had survived my encounter with Blaze was because of Onaga's promise to keep me alive with magic, and if I was to resurrect him soon, I would lose my invulnerability. I wanted to become a stronger individual, stronger than who I currently was. I wanted enough power to best a God. I had stopped fearing pain, as I was burned alive and lost my ``vital'' organs (I need not breathe, nor eat), so I was able to do much more with my body without fear of being killed. The name ``Meat'' seemed to become a very popular pseudonym amongst the demons I fought with, and I became feared throughout the realm. They accepted me as one of them, especially with the amount of brutality I was capable of. Breaking my limits made me powerful enough to have Shinnok insist that I become a general in his army of darkness. I had finally become a member of the group, and I wasn't even completely healed and at my full strength yet.

After Shao Kahn was defeated, Noob Saibot returned with a former general of Shinnok's armies named Reiko. He was hyped by the Netherealm ruler as being strong enough to face Gods, but Reiko turned out to be a weakling, a mere generic demon in human guise, just like the majority of Shinnok's men, and far from the goliath everyone made him out to be. It took Noob Saibot some time to teach Reiko new battle techniques for the coming war. Regardless of his diminished stature, Reiko was still appointed as a general, and when the portal was opened, we were all ready to fight our way into Edenia and take on the realm, as well as Earth's champions.

My men and I were stationed within Sindel's former palace, as it had been taken over thanks to Tanya. We were a last-line of defence should the enemy ever breach the palace's gates. I left my armour in the Netherealm to prevent people from recognising me as a former soldier of Onaga (though it did not matter much, considering I had no recognisable face at this point). I always kept my mission on my mind, which was to keep the Brotherhood from taking over any realms that belonged to Kahn, but after the war had started, Onaga appeared to me and ordered me to get the blood of a God to make Onaga extremely powerful, but since I was not in the battle-lines, I never faced any of the Gods. I was technically trapped there, and I had to make sure that Shinnok never gained any power, so I needed to tip the scales in favour of the opposition, and decided to leave the rear of the palace with few men guarding it. As I had anticipated, Kitana and her allies took advantage of this, and they managed to pass virtually unhindered though the lines of Shinnok's armies and entered the palace with ease, especially with the help of a God... Raiden.

Raiden had entered the palace as well in his severely diminished human form, and took on several of my men at once. During the fray, he managed to look right at me in a threatening manner, and I went into my fighting stance, but at this, he merely smiled and telepathically said to me, ``there is still hope for you, Mitharos; now's the time to make a decision that will alter destiny as we know it.'' I froze in my place, and he turned his back on me and continued fighting Shinnok's men. I don't know what came over me, but at that point, I felt regret for leaving the Heavens so long ago...

Moments later, Liu Kang made his way to Shinnok. Liu Kang's body pulsated with a power I had never seen in any being before, and for whatever reason, I had the feeling that Liu Kang's strength was linked to an outside source... I didn't ponder this for long, as I had to fight off a few Edenian guards (I decided not to kill them since I didn't want to shed any blood at that point). They fought for only a few minutes, and somehow, managed to knock each other out! If I had had the time to, I'd have laughed at their idiocy! All the other warriors were too busy to notice that they were both on the floor and it dawned on me what Raiden had said, and I realised that I was meant to be there; Shinnok was a Fallen Elder God, but a God nonetheless! His blood was just as good as any other God's, and since Onaga made it clear that Shinnok was to never have power outside of the Netherealm, it would not matter if I killed him! I was destined to obtain his blood!

I had to act quickly before anyone realised anything. I thought of a blade that I had recalled seeing in the Netherealm and created it to impale Shinnok. When I plunged the weapon into his heart, his body twitched and quivered and I used my magic to have the blade absorb his blood, and drained his body of it. His pale skin became paler, and his body shrivelled as the sword turned blood-red with his vital fluids. After his body was drained, the skin on his face disintegrated, revealing an ugly, dry skull, and a portal began to open beneath him. The palace shook, and as I fled, Shinnok's body fell into the Netherealm and Liu Kang woke up, catching a glimpse of Shinnok's hat fall into the realm. He screamed at his comrades to run with good reason; the structure was falling apart, and with it, the portal was growing wider and taking in anything within reach. I ran fast enough to avoid the vacuum, and went far enough to see the massive demonic hand sweep away all of Shinnok's men and drag them back into the Netherealm! I had narrowly escaped being sent back to the realm for torture under the new ruler, Baphomet.

Onaga's spirit guided me to the volcano that housed the Dragon Embryo and the priests sworn to protect it, and I plunged the blade into it. The creature squirmed as the weapon went into its body, but as the blood from the blade drained, the creature went still, and flashed a red colour. As I carefully removed the sword, Onaga appeared before us all and thanked us for our dedication. He said that all he needed now was a vessel to fill once the embryo hatched; we all readily offered our own bodies, but Onaga said that he needed one that was very weak-willed, so that his consciousness would have full control.

I remained with the priests to meditate and allow my muscles and organs to completely heal and grow before venturing out. I had stayed for many years, and my muscles grew back to cover my bloody skeletal body. I left the volcano to explore the forests at its base for one who could easily be manipulated and controlled, and I was attacked by a female Vampire, who had been trying to sneak out of the chamber! It seemed to me that she was scouting for information, and to protect the Dragon Embryo, I felt that she needed to be eliminated. I got a hold of her scrawny neck and was about to strangle her, but I noticed that she was carrying a familiar weapon in her sheathe. I slid it out and realised that it was a Kirehashi blade! This was a blade that belonged to the Raptors, the people of Zaterra! I asked her where and how she got it, but the crafty Vampire spat a large amount of blood into my eyes, and instinctively, I let her, and the sword, fall to the floor to get the blood out. She said some Vampiric words that I could not understand, and went through a blue portal. It did not matter at all that she escaped; she was not a good candidate to be Onaga's host body anyway, and she would pose no threat as long as the priests, Blaze, and I were there.

Several weeks later, I ran into a reptile-like creature, which was attacking everything in sight. He was screaming and moaning about a ``yellow man with teeth in his chest'' and a treacherous Vampire he wanted revenge on for distracting him. The creature took notice of my presence and came at me with the very weapon I saw the Vampire with! I lifted him into the air with a gust of wind, and tried getting him to calm down. I studied him for only a few seconds, and it did not take me long to see that his intelligence was not on par with other warriors. He was weak-willed, and his thoughts were not organised to allow him a great mental capacity; he was a perfect candidate for the Dragon King. He began to roar at me, and then flicked his tongue wildly into the air, yelling that he picked up the Vampire's and yellow man's scents. I looked at where he was staring and realised that it was in the direction of the Dragon Embryo Chamber. I asked how far they were, and the reptile said that they were at the base of the volcano! I let the lizard go and followed him from a great distance, doing my best to keep him in my sight, as he could roll very fast, and I didn't want the Vampire and yellow man to detect me.

As the Vampire and yellow man reached the entrance, I went around to the other side of the mountain to a secret opening on the opposite side of the mountain. I had to fly to get there, but I managed to see that their focus was not on the embryo, but on something in the lava. The Vampire pointed downward to the molten lava, and the yellow-armoured man jumped into it! I thought that he had been sacrificed to Onaga, but I was taken aback seeing him come out holding a blue orb. The Vampire summoned a portal that the man went through, and she stared into the orb longingly before smashing it onto the ground. A sudden shockwave and a loud howl echoed throughout the volcano, and a surge of energy surrounded the Vampire. When it cleared, she was gone, and at that moment, the lizard-man came through the main entrance and started flicking his tongue about madly, obviously picking up the scents of his prey. Just then, the chamber grew silent. Energy cascaded around the Dragon Embryo and when the shell cracked, the energy lanced into the reptilian creature. The energy blast lifted the creature off the ground and sent his body spiralling upwards and out of the volcano. I could see his body becoming much larger, and heard him roar triumphantly as reached the top. The creature, now flying high above the volcano, put his hands together and a massive sphere appeared and shined rays of light across the land. The light shone down on me, and my body became limp and gravitated towards the powerful new being.

I stared the being into the eyes and saw that this was no longer the dimwitted lizard from before; he smiled at me with a familiar look, and I realised that my mission was complete and that Onaga had finally returned. The light rays were shinning down on all of our comrades, reawakening them to fulfill their devotion to The Dragon King. Onaga kept me suspended in the air as a brand new set of golden armour surrounded my body and covered my exposed muscles. This armour was almost weightless, and protected me even better than what I donned before. I could even feel my power growing as I basked in my king's light, and before he teleported my body to Shang Tsung's former palace to lead the majority of our soldiers, he told me the about the next step and said, ``Thank you.''

Several alliances later, I am now on the battlefield, leading my fellow soldiers, a hoard of Oni demons, and a legion of robotic creatures against Raiden's army of light. Raiden successfully garnered the forces of Earthrealm, Edenia, and Outworld to form a massive alliance against Onaga, Drahmin, and Sektor, but despite their vast numbers, they lack the key to defeating us; the knowledge of Onaga's plans. We are merely a distraction, luring every member of the opposition away from Onaga as he continues his ritual to make the realms into a true utopia. My men and I, as well as Drahmin's and Sektor's, all earned their place in the next level of unity and peace, so no matter what happens to us, as long as Onaga completes his plans, we will all be welcomed into paradise.

My purpose was originally to bring Onaga back to life, but now it is so much more; I'm helping change the realms to a better place for everyone who deserves it. I'm sure you are pondering at this moment what are the plans that Onaga has to bring about a new golden age for the realms? Since I am merely the second in command, it is not my place to tell you; I will leave that story for Onaga.

Author : Jerrod Therace

Creation date: 2006-7-10-11-10

Modification date: 2006-7-10-11-10