Mortal Kombat: Venge a nce

Chapter I

Helpless

``Where is he?''

``It isss not of your concccern.''

``Tell me where your master is keeping him, or I will kill you!''

``It isss you who will die today, Liu Kang...''

Liu Kang stood a mere five feet away from his foe, smelling the stench of his breath with every hiss. He had tracked Reptile through the Living Forest the past few days, and now he finally had him cornered at the edge of the forest, a sharp drop of about a hundred feet. The forces of Earthrealm had been searching for Johnny Cage going on two days now after his disappearance while tailing the Tarkatan Baraka. The ninja Smoke, who had gone with Johnny into the forest, got separated from the movie star in the dense foliage. When he heard a scuffle, he directed himself toward the action and eventually came across Reptile and Baraka standing over a beaten and bruised Johnny Cage. Being alone, he dared not reveal himself to the two deadly warriors but instead rushed back to his allies to inform them of what had happened.

And so, a group of warriors comprised of Liu Kang, Nightwolf, and Kung Lao had set off to track down Reptile and Baraka and interrogate them about the whereabouts of their ally. Along the way, the three warriors became separated in the dense, maddening forest. It had been days since Liu Kang had contact with his friends, and he could only hope they had found Baraka...together. But now, the only thing on his mind was beating out Johnny Cage's whereabouts from the slithery assassin standing before him.

``You don't want to fight me Reptile,'' warned the Shaolin monk. And he was right. Reptile was a coward. He preferred using his ability to camouflage to sneak up and ambush his adversaries from behind. When confronted face-to-face, he would try desperately to find an escape route. But his luck had run out today. As he stood at the edge of the cliff, Reptile knew his only choice was to fight Earthrealm's fiercest warrior. Better to die at the hands of Liu Kang than face the torture and dark sorcery of Shao Kahn if he found out Reptile had given up the whereabouts of one of Earth's mightiest warriors.

``I will not betray the Emperor,'' he hissed.

``Then I have no reason to let you live,'' said Liu Kang.

The two warriors braced for a fight. Kang knew he needed information from Reptile, but he could also see it was a lost cause. The clouds that had hung above them began to weep. Thunder sounded in the distance. The faint howl of a distant wind could be heard in the darkness. Kang began to think back to the events that had led to this confrontation.

After defeating Shang Tsung in the tournament, Tsung escaped into Outworld. The thunder god Raiden knew it was only a matter of time before Shao Kahn's forces attempted to take over Earthrealm again, so he assembled the greatest warriors he could find. Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, Jackson Briggs, Kurtis Stryker, Kabal, the shaman Nightwolf, the former Lin Kuei assassin Smoke, and Shao Kahn's adopted daughter, princess Kitana. When Kahn's extermination squads were sighted across the world, Raiden's forces began tracking them down.

The Tarkatan Baraka led an extermination squad into battle with Raiden and his warriors. Kahn's lesser minions were no match for Earthrealm's warriors, but Baraka proved a deadly nemesis; the warrior Kabal was critically wounded by the tarkatan. Baraka was able to escape, but Johnny Cage and Smoke went after him. When Smoke returned with news that Johnny had been captured by Baraka and Reptile, Raiden sent three of his best warriors to recover him, while the rest debated on whether or not they should take the fight to Kahn in Outworld or wait for him to invade again. And here Liu Kang was, so close to finding the whereabouts of one of his closest allies, yet so far...

Suddenly, like the cornered animal he was, Reptile leapt at Liu Kang, fangs and claws bared. Kang countered with a flying kick to the face, shattering Reptile's jaw. Recoiling in pain and catching his dripping blood in his palm, Reptile looked around frantically for a chance to escape but found none. ``CRACK!'' A roundhouse kick to the head. It was too easy for Liu Kang. He almost took pity on the helpless creature before him.

``One last chance Reptile. Tell me where he is. We will protect you from Kahn if you help us.''

Again without warning, Reptile lunged for Kang's chest with his razor-sharp claws. Kang ducked and uppercutted his foe. Reptile fell to the ground with a thud. As he stood up, Kang decided negotiation was futile. It was time to end this. Concentrating all his energy into the palms of his hands, he shot a fireball at the dazed warrior, hitting him squarely in the chest. Reptile was thrown back over the cliff and out of sight.

Staring ahead into the dark horizon, thinking about what was happening to his captured friend, Liu Kang muttered, ``Flawless Victory.''

Chapter II

The One That Got Away

Darkness. Cold, gripping darkness. It was enough to drive the most focused of warriors mad. The only sounds were those of the moaning trees. Kung Lao was all alone. But he could feel another's presence. He looked around in the silence, groping with his eyes. He was all too aware of his prey's ability to cloak himself in his surroundings. How he would sneak up on his enemies and kill them without ever being seen. Or else he would stay put and spit his deadly acid at his victim's eyes. Kung Lao knew how deadly Shao Kahn's most trusted assassin was...

But there was also the butcher. He wasn't nearly as invisible as his ally, but he was every bit as dangerous. His blades were capable of severing a man's head in one quick swipe. His grotesque mouth was filled to the brim with jagged teeth. Kung Lao wondered which of Shao Kahn's warriors was lurking behind the trees. Was it Reptile? Was it Baraka? Or could both assailants be silently watching him, waiting for the opportune time to strike him down in unison? It made no difference to Kung Lao. He knew what his mission was, and he only needed one alive. `Let them ambush me' he thought. `Kill one, maim the other' he told himself. It would be best that way. He would eliminate a deadly opponent with one swipe of his hat and incapacitate the other with another quick strike.

And so he waited. And waited. And waited...Nothing. No movement. No sound other than the trees' guttural protests. But something was there. He knew it. He could feel it. And he finally saw it. Two bright gleaming green eyes staring at him from behind the trees. Kung Lao was sure Reptile knew he was looking right at him, but he dare not move. It could be a ruse. Reptile could be luring him to attack, with Baraka waiting to strike a death blow from behind. He kept his guard, ready to strike if something lunged out at him. But still nothing. The eyes just stayed fixed upon his.

And then he heard the cracking of sticks off in the distance. Baraka. So he wasn't behind him...not yet. He still had time to take out Reptile and brace himself for Baraka. Just as he was about to reach for his deadly hat, he heard a voice. ``Lao.'' It was quiet. Calm, but apprehensive, as if it was questioning who it was talking to. ``Lao?'' And then Kung Lao recognized it as the voice of his closest ally, Liu Kang. Forgetting about the adversary in front of him, he turned to locate his friend. He realized what he'd done however and immediately turned back to focus on the eyes. But they were gone. How? A split second and they were gone.

``Careful Liu. We're not alone.''

``You found Baraka?''

``No. Reptile. He's somewhere right in front of me.''

``Reptile is dead. I caught up to him and blasted him over a cliff.''

``I'm telling you, he's right in front of me.''

Liu Kang slowly made his way up to Lao. He didn't know what Lao was seeing, but he knew for a fact it wasn't the creature he had just killed. Liu peered into the trees. He saw nothing.

``Are you sure...''

``Yes Liu. He's camouflaged, but I could clearly make out his eyes.''

``I'm telling you I killed him..''

``Then who am I seeing?'' Kung Lao said in mounting frustration.

``Lao, the forest can play tricks on your senses. You know that...''

Lao seemed to ponder this for a moment and then said, ``Reptile's dead?''

``Yes''

``So you found out were Kahn is keeping Johnny?''

``Well...no. I couldn't get it out of him and I was left with no choice but to kill him. He was more willing to die than betray his master.''

``Hmph. A noble warrior...'' muttered Kung Lao.

Neither spoke for several minutes, Kung Lao still fixing his gaze on the trees just beyond them.

``Any luck with Baraka?'' asked Liu Kang.

``No, I haven't seen anyone. Not even Nightwolf. You?''

``No, but we need to move. If Nightwolf has encountered Baraka, he may need our help.''

Kung Lao didn't say anything. He still seemed preoccupied with what he had seen behind the trees. After several more minutes, Lao decided Liu was probably right. The forest was playing tricks on him.

``Alright. Let's move. But keep your guard up and your eyes open...''

Kang and Lao walked for what seemed like hours. It was easy to get lost in the forest, and they began to wonder if they were just going around in circles. They kept their eyes peeled for Nightwolf, Baraka, and any other minions Shao Kahn may have lurking in the forest. They walked along in silence, the trees' haunting moans and ill-tempered curses the only sounds in the enitre forest. As a result of Shao Kahn's repeated invasions of the area over the centuries, the trees had become twisted into living, talking beings with hideous faces by his dark magic. And so it was now called the Living Forest.

``Where do you think they're keeping him?'' asked Liu.

``No clue...with Kahn, there's no knowing he's even still alive,'' replied Kung Lao.

``I'm sure he's still alive...perhaps just barely, but I would imagine Kahn would want to get all the information out of him as he could.''

``What's there to tell?'' asked Kung Lao. ``They obviously knew where we were stationed, with Baraka leading that squad to us. And our only plan at the moment is to just sit back and wait for Kahn to invade...and hope we're able to fend him off.''

``Kahn doesn't know that though,'' replied Liu. ``As far as he's concerned, we're plotting an assault on his palace in Outworld. He doesn't even know who all he's dealing with either. I'm sure he would want to know who all is in Raiden's alliance before he makes another big move.''

``Yeah I guess you're right...but I still don't think it looks good for Johnny. And with his hotheadedness, Kahn may have all he can take of him by now. But still, finding Johnny, dead or alive, may help us find Kahn and give us an upper hand. I hate sitting back and waiting for him to make a move...''

The two continued to trek through the dense forest, stopping ever so often to check out a sound they heard. Kung Lao still couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He was sure he had seen a pair of eyes, only eyes, way back there. But he believed Liu when he said he had finished off Reptile, so what could it have been?

The pair came to a clearing, but there were no signs of a struggle or of anyone coming through here. They walked on, still cautious of what or who may be lurking behind the living trees.

``Do you think Nightwolf found Baraka?'' asked Kung Lao.

``There's no telling. I was fortunate enough to find Reptile in this forest, but Nightwolf's probably the best tracker we could find.''

``Even if he managed to find him, it would be difficult to make him talk,'' said Kung Lao.

``Yes. Baraka is one of Kahn's blood thirstiest fighters...I'm sure he would rather fight to the death than help his enemies.''

``Do you think Nightwolf could defeat him on his own?'' asked Lao.

``He's certainly one of the best warriors we've got,'' replied Liu. ``But Baraka is one of Kahn's best as well. It's important we keep Baraka alive though. He's the only link to Johnny we have. Without him, we may never be able to find Johnny. Even if Kahn had him brought to his palace, it would be suicide to just march in there and try to take him back. We would need to know some sort of way around Kahn's defenses...''

The two walked a short distance and came to another clearing. This one was different than the first, however. There were many signs of not only someone coming by here, but a struggle as well. Blood stained the trees and grass and a feather lie near the edge of the clearing.

``Nightwolf...'' said Liu Kang.

The two looked around, trying to find any more signs of what had happened here. There was obviously a fight, and Nightwolf was most certainly involved. Had he found Baraka? Or did he do battle with someone else? Was he still alive? What about his opponent? And where were they now?

And then they saw him. A little ways past the clearing, at the end of a trail of blood lie their comrade. Lao and Kang rushed over to Nightwolf, hoping they weren't too late. As they rolled him over on his back, he coughed up blood and looked wearily at them.

``I found Baraka.''

Chapter III

The Watcher

It was a long journey back through the forest, giving Nightwolf plenty of time to retell his encounter with Baraka. The shaman had happened upon the tarkatan after meandering through the forest for hours. He confronted Baraka about the whereabouts and well-being of Johnny Cage, but, unsurprisingly, the blade-wielding warrior refused to cooperate. Baraka engaged Nightwolf without warning, delivering a stinging slice to his left arm. Nightwolf staggered back but was able to parry Baraka's next move, a jab for the jugular. Nightwolf was able to draw his hatchet just in time to graze Baraka's back, but the attack didn't seem to faze the bloodthirsty warrior. He turned himself toward Nightwolf, bared his teeth, planted his feet, and lunged with both bladed arms outstretched. Nightwolf rolled away just in time, causing Baraka's blades to lodge in a tree, which let out a moan of annoyance rather than discomfort.

As Baraka struggled to free himself from the tree, Nightwolf conjured up a mystical bow and aimed an arrow right at the tarkatan's heart. Just as he released the arrow, Baraka sprung free from his confines, dodging the arrow by a mere inch. The hideous mutant regained his footing and surveyed the tribal warrior before him. The two fighters stared into each other's' eyes, daring the other to make a move. Baraka gave first. He made straight for Nightwolf, but just before he reached him, he sidestepped to a tree, ran up its trunk, and delivered a flying roundhouse to the shaman's head. Nightwolf was able to keep on his feet, but he was dazed and now had a throbbing headache. Before he could react, Baraka scraped his blades together, sending a small shard piercing into Nightwolf's abdomen. It wasn't a critical wound, but it definitely halted Nightwolf for a brief moment.

Baraka sprinted toward the stunned Nightwolf and landed a dropkick square in his chest, sending him flying into one of the trees encircling the clearing. As Nightwolf leaned with his back against the tree, trying to regain his awareness and composure, Baraka strode forward, blades out. When he reached his helpless opponent, he narrowed his eyes and looked directly into Nightwolf's barely open slits. Nightwolf could see nothing but blackness in Baraka's eyes. Malice. Bloodlust. Baraka sliced his right arm. Then his left. Then he lashed both sides of Nightwolf's face. He seemed to be relishing to the pain he was inflicting.

Instead of killing him then and there, the tarkatan grabbed Nightwolf and threw him to the other side of the clearing. He waited, perhaps seeing if Nightwolf would get up to his feet. Nightwolf waited too. He waited for Baraka to come in for the kill. He was ready to counter the butcher's attack. But nothing came. Baraka was just staring at him. Toying with him. Daring him to make a move. And so he did.

Nightwolf sprung to his feet and dashed at Baraka with his shoulder. That was a mistake. Baraka quickly kneeled down and began flailing his arms up and down like scissors. Cut after cut, slash after slash, Nightwolf felt excruciating pain. This was the end. He knew he stood no chance against Baraka in the state he was now in. But he would not die lying down. He slowly stood to his feet, looked Baraka in the eye, and said ``Finish it.'' Baraka smiled.

The two blades piercing his abdomen sent shocks of pain throughout his entire body. As he hung in the air, he slowly slid down Baraka's blades, making the wounds wider and wider. When Baraka retracted his weapons, Nightwolf fell to the ground motionless. Baraka believed him to be dead. Then a portal opened, and Baraka walked right on through. Nightwolf tried pulling himself gingerly toward the portal, but it closed before he could reach it. Then he just lie there waiting for someone to find him, whether it be his allies or Death.

So the score was 2-1. Shao Kahn had lost reptile, but one of his greatest warriors and critically wounded two of Raiden's. Liu Kang informed Nightwolf of his ordeal with Reptile. With Reptile dead and Baraka back in Outworld, it seemed they were further from rescuing Johnny than they had been when they first entered the Living Forest.

After Nightwolf recounted his story, Liu Kang informed him of his encounter with Reptile. This didn't seem to affect Nightwolf, for whatever reason. Maybe he was in too much pain to care, or maybe he was just happy enough to be alive after his ordeal with Baraka. Whatever the case, he didn't seem too worried about the fact that their only leads to Johnny were either dead or back in Outworld. Liu Kang, on the other hand, wasn't sure how Raiden and the others would take the news. The fact that another one of their warriors had been badly wounded by Baraka wouldn't lift anyone's spirits either.

As they continued walking through the forest, Kung Lao thought back to the eyes he had seen in the forest. For some reason they were still on his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something else was lurking in the forest. Every now and then, he would pause slightly and look around to make sure they weren't being followed.

``Liu...I still feel like something else is out here,'' said Kung Lao.

``I don't know what to tell you, Lao. I haven't seen anyone else other than Reptile. And like I said, I blasted him over a cliff.''

``Those eyes though...I know I didn't just imagine them.''

Nightwolf perked up at this statement. ``Eyes? You saw eyes too?''

``What? You mean you saw eyes in the forest too?'' asked Kung Lao.

``Yes! Just before I met Baraka. I thought the forest must be playing tricks on me,'' said Nightwolf.

``You see Liu? I'm not going mad. There is something else out here...''

Liu Kang paused. The only person he knew that could make himself invisible was Reptile. But there was no doubt in his mind that Reptile was dead. And even if he wasn't, there was no possible way he could've been spotted by Kung Lao just before Kang found him staring into the trees. But Nightwolf had seen some eyes too, and near the same place as Kung Lao. Maybe someone else was hiding in the forest. Maybe they were following them at this very moment...

As though the forest could read their minds, two glowing green eyes appeared a short ways in front of them. The warriors stopped dead in their tracks, almost letting the injured Nightwolf fall from their shoulders. When the being remained still and silent, Kung Lao spoke.

``Who are you?''

The eyes blinked.

``Show yourself!'' cried Kung Lao.

The eyes spoke.

``You slew the one called Reptile?''

Liu Kang was taken aback. How did the being know he had killed Reptile? And then he realized the creature must have still been lurking behind the trees when he first came upon Kung Lao and gave him the news. That was when Kung Lao had first insisted seeing the floating eyes.

``Yes, I killed him. Now if you don't mind, tell us who you are.''

The eyes suddenly became a full body. The creature was dressed in what appeared to be some sort of ninja garb, with its mouth and nose wrapped and a cowl covering its head. It had pale-green skin, on which a few tiny scales could be seen here or there. Its hands were humanlike, but with what looked like small, sharp claws. The creature resembled Reptile, only more humanlike.

``They call me `Chameleon','' said the creature. ``I hail from Zaterra, the same homworld as Reptile, though I am of a different race. To my knowledge, there are only three Zaterrans left, myself, Reptile, and a female of my same race `Khamelea.' Now, I suppose there are only two of us left.''

Liu Kang could sense a bit of agitation in the mysterious warrior's voice when he spoke this last sentence. If this creature was one of Reptile's last remaining kinsmen, he probably wasn't too happy about discovering Reptile had been killed.

``Reptile was one of our greatest enemies. He had information pertaining to the whereabouts of one of our allies, but he refused to give it up and attacked me instead. I had no choice but to kill him.''

Chameleon nodded, as if to say he understood and that there were no hard feelings.

``Shao Kahn promised us that he would restore our home world to its former glory if we joined his army. It seemed like a good offer at the time, so we agreed. He used the three of us primarily for spying in realms he wished to conquer, as well as occasionally employing us as assassins. As time went on, however, I saw how atrocious Shao Kahn's desires had grown. I began to rethink my allegiance with the emperor...And that's when I discovered the truth. Shao Kahn had ordered the genocide of our species. I convinced my female counterpart of his treachery, but Shao Kahn learned of my enlightenment before I could inform Reptile. He had the two of us locked away in his dungeon, under the pretense that we had switched sides and had been working as spies for his enemies. Reptile never questioned his master.''

Chameleon paused at this statement. He seemed to be remembering a time when all was well, before Shao Kahn exterminated the Zaterrans.

Liu Kang broke the silence. ``Then how did you end up here?''

``I escaped,'' replied Chameleon.

At this, Kung Lao and Liu Kang looked at each other. Perhaps they still had a map to Johnny after all.

``How did you manage that?'' asked Liu Kang.

``The same way I managed to follow you three without you noticing. I used my camouflage to escape after breaking free of my chains. Luckily the chains were old and rusted and gave way after several attempts at breaking them.''

``And your comrade? What happened to her? Did she escape as well?'' asked Kung Lao.

Chameleon seemed troubled by this question. He looked at the ground, trying to find the words to respond.

``No. I couldn't break her from her bindings. But I swore to her that I would return, with Reptile on our side, and we would free her. That's why I came here. I overheard Reptile and Baraka discussing an attack on forces in Earthrealm. I decided that would be my best chance to get Reptile alone to tell him of my revelations. So I hid and waited for Baraka to open up a portal to Earthrealm. Just before it closed, I slipped through.''

Liu Kang knew that Chameleon could prove very useful to them, so he decided to just come out with it and tell him why they were in the forest to begin with. After hearing their story, Chameleon expressed his condolences for the abduction of their friend and said that he had seen Baraka taking a human through a portal back into Outworld.

``Can you lead us to Outworld and help us rescue our friend?'' asked Liu.

``It seems we share the same predicament,'' replied Chameleon. ``I would be happy to help, if it means I can free my ally as well. But it won't be easy, and we will need ample help.''

Author : Logan Hurt

Creation date: 2011-3-14-19-35

Modification date: 2011-3-14-19-35