Deviation Actions
A/N: The darkness continues, but is it as infinite as it seems? Heavy themes throughout...(MK9/MKX Raiden/OC(Kara) Rated M for swearing, adult themes and struggle).
Chapter 17: Concave
Viper's grin shifted, trying to look earnest, honest.
"Hello Mom". she looked at Tiama, and raised a brow. "Where's Dad?"
Tiama frowned, her forehead crinkled.
"Don't Viper. Just don't. You aren't my child. Don't act like you are".
Tiama? Did you find Viper?
Her husband's voice in her head took her attention from the woman claiming to be their daughter.
Yes, but, brace yourself. She's masquerading as Kara. Gods, it hurts...
Jakal panicked at the news, and ran, picking up the pace when he heard loud laughter...
Viper laughed. Tiama grew pale, feeling close to fainting. This thing, this clone was the image of her Kara, her daughter. She didn't quite sound like her, but the resemblance was uncanny.
She steeled herself, forcing her gaze to remain on the woman. Her husband burst into the room, panting, bent over at the knee.
When he did gaze upon the clone, it took the wind out of his sails, and his breath with it. He struggled for oxygen, as if starved of it.
Oh God!
Viper looked concerned. "There you are. Are you okay", she tilted her head mockingly, "Dad?"
Jakal gulped won stale air, glaring at her. "Don't you dare call me that. Don't you fucking dare".
That colourful language got everyone's attention. He looked around, refusing to back down.
"Look, this situation is messed up. Just let me have this, okay?" He regained his footing and stared at Viper. She chuckled, and walked in front of Kara's prone form. Emerald magic swirled around her hands, twisting up her arms, until in stopped just below her shoulders.
Raiden raised a brow. This was one of Shang's tricks, Shang's power. How did she?...
Viper smiled. "Ah, I see realization in your eyes, God. You've realised what you did, haven't you?"
He shook his head. "Cease this. This does not have to end in violence".
Johnny was puzzled. "What is she talking about? Lord Raiden?"
The young woman looked to the actor and her eyes grew wide. "Oh, he didn't tell you? That figures. He's getting sneaky". She pointed to Kara, who's body began to move. "Her memories tell me that. Dear, sweet, innocent Kara. Her memories aren't so sweet, or innocent. She's rather wretched, uncouth".
Jakal groaned, holding his head. "Oh shut up, you little bitch. Kara's the opposite to you, you insipid wretch".
"Oh, now the real you comes out, huh". She twirled around, and animated Kara's body. She lifted her up, and made her 'dance' about. Kara was on the verge of death, she couldn't do anything but be manipulated. Her limbs swung heavily, and she groaned, sounding like the undead. It perturbed the group, cold shivers curved down their spines, creating ripples of horror and worry inside their guts and minds.
"STOP IT!"
Tiama had heard and seen enough. She put her daughter's body back down onto the slab, and wrapped a bind of telekinetic energy around the clone. She wriggled, hissing and spitting venom onto the floor. It's acidic sizzle was heard melting the stone beneath their feet.
"I am done talking with you. I will take Kara's soul back from you Though, I feel for you, you didn't ask to be created, and your life is a chaotic, violent mess. I cannot listen to you anymore".
Viper snorted. "You think he is so innocent, don't you? A paragon of virtue, a good soul among the evils of this world. Well, he isn't. You want to know what your precious Raiden did?"
Raiden sucked in a breath. What she was about to say could jeopardize everything he had done, all the work, the progress that had been made. He wished to look away, but sheer force of will egged him on to look the woman in the eye. In her cold, dead amethyst eyes. They bore nothing within, not like the woman, whose soul she had inside her, that sustained her.
Kara's eyes were full of life, happiness, a joyful exuberance that, although knocked a few times always came back. She'd greet people with a smile, an honest, serene one. She was what Raiden stood for, what he wished in a warrior. Strength, perseverance, but also, a good heart. Someone willing to listen and learn, but also teach him about human beings, how they behaved, their etiquette, what drove them and so on.
Viper didn't have any of this. She was just a girl, a creation. A false Kara, in a terrible world that didn't want or need her.
He took a breath, and awaited the inevitable backlash the words Viper uttered would have. A heavy toll was waiting for him, he knew that, and wasn't prepared for it's weight...
"He murdered Shang, in cold blood, left him to waste away on the floor of the palace. Murdered! He, the one you all serve, the one you all trust. Oh", she giggled, a harsh, inhuman sound, "He threw away your trust long ago, didn't you?"
Raiden felt all eyes on him. He calmly stood his ground, aware he was in dire straights.
"I did not mean to kill Shang. The people around me do not serve me. I do not ask anything of them. You do not know of what you speak".
The tendrils of anger began simmering in the Elder God's blood, working their way, slowly but surely to boiling point. He felt the same, when taking on Shang, when dealing with him. This sudden shift in his ability to handle what was thrown at him concerned him, as if his compassionate fuse had shrunk, been whittled away at over the past few months.
Johnny was the first to speak, stunned by what he'd just heard.
"Is that true? Is it?"
His accusatory tone was not appreciated by the older man, though he was right, and they were right to be accusatory.
"Yes, Viper is correct. Though I did not mean to kill him. Merely wound him, so we could escape". He looked back at the woman, who was struggling to free herself. "I did not know he was dead. Had I known, I would have told everyone here. I would not have hidden it from you".
Tiama's eyes were wide, she looked fearful. She grabbed her husband and pulled him close. A knee-jerk reaction to the unexpected and horrific news.
"When did you start murdering Raiden? When did you become heartless?"
Raiden blinked. Since when was he heartless? Granted he had a thick skin, and wasn't one for throwing out emotions as if they were going out of fashion.
But...heartless? No, he wasn't that, and he never had been.
He never would be.
Viper hissing and pointing at Kara's parents accusingly added another edge to an already sharp, tense situation.
"You failed me. ME, your own daughter. You were supposed to protect me, nurture me, save me from myself", Viper stopped talking abruptly, and began cackling, "But no. You all failed. You feign care, mocking my feelings".
Jakal spat. "Don't you ever call me Father, you contemptuous bitch. My daughter is right there, and we will get her back". He looked away, feeling tears prickle his eyes. "Make the most of having her soul Viper", his voice had now reduced into a mumble, "You won't have it for long".
Tiama grit her teeth. "You aren't our little girl, our angel".
Viper pursed her lips. "No, I'm not. Think of me as your little devil".
Tiama seconded that. "You misguided fool. You cannot see beyond your own vanity. You'll never be our Kara, never. You're trying to corrupt and blacken her soul with your spite, but you'll be the one to fail. Kara's light is much too bright to ever be extinguished. She is honest, a beautiful soul. You are nothing more than a twisted man's fantasy brought to 'life'".
The clone didn't wish to argue further with her 'parents', so she turned her wrath on Raiden once again.
"And you, 'Lord' Raiden huh. Not much of a God, you couldn't save anyone. I put my trust in you, my faith, and you obliterated it. How could I or anyone trust you when you can't protect anything or anyone?'
Death glares from the Amakura family and Johnny made her chuckle.
"Aww. I know how much you want to hate me, want to berate and punish me. But you can't, can you? It's me we're talking about after all".
Jakal had heard enough, he couldn't bear this any longer.
"She has to die Tiama. I can't stand it, I can't stand idly by and watch my cub suffer. I can't. Forgive me". He turned to Raiden. "I don't care about what you did, or didn't do. I want to know one thing. Can I harm her, without harming Kara?"
Raiden nodded. "Yes. The soul will not be damaged. Tiama can preserve it".
Tiama created a small, palm sized jewel and held it up, facing Viper.
"I need to destroy Shang's magic, it cannot be allowed to taint Kara's once I regain her soul. We must weaken her, in order to take the power and soul away, without being injured or poisoned in the process".
A collective nod from her companions had her prepare her jewel and ready a chant, once Jakal started fighting Viper.
Jakal didn't need to say it, but he still felt the need too.
"Forgive me Kara"...
Tiama watched on as Jakal and Johnny fought Viper. Her swift steps and fluid moves easily made a mockery of the two men. Neither got many hits on her, and when they did, she'd merely stumble back, hiss and launch herself at them.
The goddess felt numb, cold. She wanted this to be over and done with as quickly as possible. She also felt bad for the clone. She'd been created for one purpose, and had served that, without any say on it. She was diligent in her objectives, but had zero moral code. That was Shang's doing, not hers.
It wasn't her fault that she existed. And yet, she was taking the blame for it, all over it, all of Shang and Shao's villainous mistakes...
Tiama glanced at Raiden, who seemed twitchy, anxious. He had gotten good at hiding any sign he was disturbed by events over the time he had existed. But, Tiama, like Fujin knew him better than most, and knew he wasn't this impassive, unfeeling man. She'd called him heartless earlier, and felt terrible for it. He hadn't meant to kill Shang, she knew this. He hadn't ever fought with the intention of committing a most heinous of sin.
Something in the back of her mind dripped worry into her thoughts. Raiden was immensely powerful, this she knew. But, was that beginning to consume him? The man, with the iron will and indomitable stance? He couldn't possibly be driven to madness by the energy that ran through his veins, could he?
Insurmountable pressure formed in Raiden's chest. It knotted around his insides, tight, a vise-like grip. He looked upon this fight, as crucial as it was, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Viper. Shang's evil devices made her, formed her into a being of evil intent. An entity, born of pain, a bringer of destruction and chaos, wherever she went. And the likeness to Kara. More than a few times, he had to blink, as the only think that differed Viper to Kara was the clothes she wore, her snake slit eyes and the colour of them. Other than that, she really did look like the young woman they had come to save.
He watched Viper fight, observing the same fighting style that Kara used, Capoiera, mixed with a style he wished he didn't have to see again, Shang's Snake. That style was decisive but cruel. It played on people's minds. They would think a certain move was coming, be tricked into preparing a way to block or defend against it, before it was changed in a split second, so they were taken completely off guard.
This caused a somber, poignant, painful silence to come over him. So, he chose to merely observe, keep his distance.
Life imitating art...
Jakal got a powerful right hook in, throwing Viper off balance. She hit the ground, landing on her side. Blood cascaded out of her nose, and would have filled her mouth had she not turned her head.
Johnny grabbed an arm, and Jakal the other. They swung them behind her back and subdued her. Tiama began a complex, long chant, holding the lilac jewel in her palm. The jewel began to glow, little by little it's light intensified.
First to go was Shang's magic, his influence. A peridot, almost liquid like substance sprang from Viper's mouth and eyes. She screamed. Tiama's body trembled from a myriad of emotions.
That scream sounded exactly like Kara's. A vision came, and she saw heard Kara scream, when she'd lost her balance, and fallen from atop a thin pole. She lay on the floor, crying out her pain, bruising appearing immediately on her ribs. She'd broken two and fractured one, as she collided with the floor...
No...
Tiama willed the emotions away, and cast the vision aside. Her eyes lit up a brilliant amethyst, as she rid Viper of any maliciousness. Once that was gone, Viper slumped down. Her arms were still behind her back, trapped. If she were not being held, she would have fallen onto her knees.
Next to be freed from her body was Kara's abilities, though Tiama did not return those to her daughter's form. She siphoned it into the small gem in her hand. As Kara was severely weakened, she wouldn't be able to take the power. In her current state, it would overwhelm her, causing her heart to give out. The energy moved in rhythmic waves, making the crystal glow a variety of purple, it's spectrum, from pastel, to lilac, to amethyst and so on.
The goddess and Raiden walked around to Kara's side, and Tiama placed the crystal on the slab. She chanted a few words, which caused a small amount of that energy to surround Kara's form, bathing her, coating her in a field of protection. Tiama had to put her in an almost coma-like state, in order to safely transport her from the palace, without causing further gestured to her husband, who dropped Viper's arm.
"You can let her go now, she's of no harm to us anymore".
Johnny let go of the clone's other arm, walking beside his friends. Tiama gazed sadly upon the clone, who was ashen. Her skin began turning grey, her eyes sunk in, so did her cheeks. She looked at her hands, and saw bones, barely covered in flesh. She began sobbing quietly, mournful. She began thinking of what could have been, the what if's, the short time she had existed.
Shao...the man did cross her mind.
Man...she didn't see him as the Emperor of Outworld now. She saw him as a man. But, his mask betrayed his true intent. He wasn't a good man, he wasn't capable to being so. He hurt her, physically, mentally and verbally, scarring her. And, at some point, she began liking that, as if she were something to be used, owned, maimed.
How could she like that?
Simple. Her design made it so.
And now, as 'her' soul was taken from her grasp, she felt something. Clarity? Sorrowful perhaps? Melancholic? She could not place it. She merely drifted through a light that flashed before her eyes.
As she fell to the floor, no longer a human, but a husk of clay, before it was molded into a being, the last thing she heard was thundering footsteps to her right.
The man in her thoughts was coming to her rescue, but, he was far too late. She couldn't be saved now, she never could be...
Shao entered the room, swinging his Wrath Hammer as he did so. His eyes widened when he spied Viper on the ground. He growled, imbuing the hammer with fire, readying it for a throw.
"What have you done?!"
His tone reverberated throughout the room, but the warriors stood their ground, unfazed by his menace.
"Reversing your sick idea Shao. Gods, I despise you for what you've done. You took our friends away, my daughter away from me, and I won't tolerate that any longer. You will die this day, even if I have to die in the process".
Shao raised a brow, swinging the hammer around, the air whooshing behind him.
"This? She wasn't of my doing. Viper was Shang's plan". Viper didn't move, not even a twitch. This gravely concerned the Emperor, who tried to remain calm, reign in his increased anxiety, which twisted into animosity. He wished to shut the man up, uncaring if it meant Kara lost a parent or not.
Jakal chuckled bitterly. "As if. Shang wouldn't let you have her, you moron! She was meant to serve him. Don't you see? He created her to divert your attention from his actions behind the scenes. He played you like a puppet". His stopped chuckling and readied his earth affinity, his palm facing the ground. "And, he succeeded. Look what we can do Emperor. We're far stronger than you'd ever give us credit for. We may be 'mere humans' to you. But mere humans will be the ones to strike you down, and take apart your legacy".
Shao growled and threw the hammer. It headed towards the general at breakneck speed, but was deflected by Tiama.
"Emperor. I pity you", she shook her head, "You cannot be allowed to poison the realm any longer. The people need help, they seek guidance, reassurance. You provide none. Your tyranny must end".
Without his hammer, Shao was a little more vulnerable. Johnny, Raiden and Jakal ran at him, leaving Tiama to finish her soul transfer.
Shao, like a raging bull became a battering ram. He shoulder slammed Raiden's stomach, causing immense agony to course through it. He went flying and hit a table at the far end of the right wall. Jakal put on a glove and slashed the Emperor's face. He howled and grabbed the glove, a stupid move, as the blade sliced through his skin. The bloody metal caught a vein and began dripping scarlet. That drip became a stream, then became a torrent. This took Shao's attention from the three men, and he used his other hand to cup it. Liquid slipped between his fingers, profusely now. His vision grew dizzy, his eyelids heavy, though, he forced himself on. He kicked Johnny in the head hard, and headbutted Jakal. Loud groans came from the three men, as they struggled to regain some decorum and their stance.
Raiden, in all the commotion had gotten back up, and began charging energy. His hands and eyes lit up a scintillating white and lightning discharged from his body. It struck Shao, with the same intensity as he used against Shang. This did not kill the Emperor however. It gave him a powerful jolt, burnt some of the flesh of his chest, scratched his face and caused his body to convulse. He summoned his hammer and swung it blindly, his sight failing him. Unfortunately, it smacked Jakal head on, knocking his jaw, causing it to snap from his cheekbones. He, borderline unconscious gave one last ditch attempt to finish the fight. The remaining energy he had he imbued into the ground, causing it to shake. Shining bronze yes were the last thing Shao saw as he stumbled, and dropped his weapon, before Johnny, who had managed to get behind him without his knowledge put his hands around the larger man's neck, snapping it quickly.
The glorified bastard, the 'Emperor of Outworld' was no more. The man, who thought himself a God, the most powerful warrior there had and would ever be was now a corpse, littering the floor that no doubt had already had countless pints of blood spilled over it over the years of his reign.
Once a fool, always a fool. Shao Kahn was no more, and, if the Earthrealm warriors and Raiden had anything to do with it? His name would be erased from the history books. The Reiko Accords would not use his name, in any way, shape or form. Any of those would glorify him, and he didn't need anymore attention.
The three men turned to face Tiama. She had Kara held in a trance, a cocoon of healing energy. Her daughter had her soul returned to her. She looked alive now, though badly injured. Her body was littered with cuts, kicks here and there. Bruises covered one side of her body, in a variety of shades. Yellow, green, purple and red. Even when prone and extremely vulnerable, she washarmed even more so...
Discord was absent, only soft huffs of breath were heard. There was distinct incongruity in the mood of the room. Everyone felt relief that the hell was finally over, Kara was returned to them, and all they had to do was take her back to the Jinsei Chamber, so she could recover.
There was also confusion, tiredness, worry and animosity. Jakal was tired and worried sick for the health of his little girl. He blocked out the pulsing pain in his face from his broken jaw.
Johnny was angry that Shao, Shang and Quan got away with what they did for so long, and was terrified that he'd lose Sonya.
And Raiden? He felt the most enraged. This was stifled by an ever growing anxiety blooming in his stomach, making him feel sick. His body ached, his head felt heavy, his mind weary, but he refused to rest on his laurels. He swallowed, walked over to Tiama, and carefully picked the young woman his blunder meant she was taken and beaten up, and kept her as still as possible. Her head was near his chest, and a dour part of his mind was glad Kara was unconscious.
He wouldn't be able to stop her, if she wished to read his mind, delve into his innermost thoughts.
And, for all his trying, with his controlled breathing technique? He couldn't stop his heart from thudding swiftly. Kara would hear that, if she were awake. He knew she'd worry for him.
He didn't deserve her concern...
He refused to look or acknowledge anyone, merely walking out of the chamber without a peep. He felt utterly ashamed. The sooner he was out of the palace, with it's heavy atmosphere, stale air and wafts of age old must and blood, the better...
