🐲ShaoKahn's Daughter🌺

As the host began explaining the plan, we shift our attention over to the royal guard, who continued their search through the forest. As the army traversed the grounds, Red Robin stomped through the dirt, speaking semi-quietly.

ROBIN: You know, we didn’t have to go through this mess, we could’ve walked the normal, laid out path, now my boots are all muddy.

Muchacha rolled her eyes, turning to Nico as she spoke with a low tone, her voice deep and menacing.

MUCHACHA: Look, I couldn’t give less of a damn about your comfort. So why don’t you be a good birdie, chew on a kilo of seeds and stop complaining. ‘Kay?

She shot away. Robin scoffed, moving his mask off and showing off some sort of scars around his right eye, exactly where Muchacha shattered it all those years ago as he mischievously grinned.

ROBIN: I’m getting the impression that you’re embarrassed of me. 

MUCHACHA: I’m not going through this because I want to work with you again, it's because I got people to protect and mistakes to correct, so if you value having a full set of ribs, shut it.

She hissed at Robin, who smiled and chuckled throughout her threats.

ROBIN: Oh, I get it… you’re jealous. There can’t be another explanation, you’re jealous that I actually have a functional family dynamic.

Amara took a deep breath, exhaling deeply at his response. She knew he was right, but didn’t admit it.

MUCHACHA: You know what my problem is? It's you. All of you, from your horrible fashion sense, to your voice, to your stupid jokes that no one finds funny. You have no redeeming quality. You’re nothing more than a sad excuse of a human being and an outworlder.

Robin scoffed, looking up at her as he countered with a tone laced with malice.

ROBIN: Well that’s rich coming from you, cause you know what you are? You’re a big, steaming, freaking ball of pure fury. I don’t mind that you’re sad or angry or anything, but if your anger jeopardizes this mission or my kid, I swear to god…

MUCHACHA (clutching her fist): One more word, and I’ll put your head through a tree…

ROBIN (holding his dagger’s hilts): Try me…

Before the two could fight, Melisa stepped between them. 

MELISA: LISTEN, you two! I don’t care if you two want to kill or kiss each other, but please do it AFTER my kid’s safe! I’ll be happy if you two can manage that.

ROBIN: Please, we aren’t children.

Melisa scoffed, walking ahead with some guards on each of her sides.

MUCHACHA (whispering): Eat shit and die.

ROBIN (whispering): Yes, fuck you.

The happy band continues to march through the forest, only stopping for food and water. Meanwhile, Breeze, along with Nitara and Havik dragged Viktor’s stiff body across the ground. Viktor appeared unconscious, his feet dragging across the floor. Breeze then spoke, the authority in her voice very noticeable as she turned to the others.

BREZE: Keep in mind, we need him unharmed.

Havik and Nitara nodded, proceeding to drag the prodege slightly more above the ground. As they stepped before Damashi’s tower. They entered, climbing up and staring down their benefactor.

DAMASHI: It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it's good to see you bring the boy back in one piece.

BREEZE: We’re the best there is at what we do.

he wind-borne fugitive stepped forward, hauling Viktor’s limp form with almost exaggerated care. Havik and Nitara flanked Breeze, their expressions each a unique cocktail of boredom, irritation, and thinly veiled disdain for their employer. Damashi slid his finger along the edge of his spellbook, the glyphs on it pulsing softly as he spoke.

DAMASHI: You have done well. The promised payments shall be rendered, as is only proper. But first, the principal matter: the parasite must be removed.

Breeze shot an unimpressed look at the sorcerer-turned-benefactor. Even as Viktor hung between consciousness and oblivion, Enenra slithered beneath his jacket, peering warily at Damashi.

BREEZE: Oh I’m certain you’ll have the demon. Every single bit of it.

The benefactor raised an eyebrow. The moment that Jay crashed through the window, Damashi turned quickly, which allowed Enenra to grab the sorcerer and pin him against a wall by surprise.

DAMASHI: Aargh!

Enenra then shielded Viktor’s body, leaving half of his face open for the two to speak in unison.

VIKTOR/ENENRA: Hope you’re ready for the beating of a lifetime.

The symbiotic pair then threw him onto the center of the room, as Nitara, Havik, Jay and Breeze surrounded the sorcerer.

DAMASHI: So, it’s treason, eh? Very well.

Damashi lifted his arms up high, sending fire up from the ground which our protagonists quickly dodged. At this point, you’d expect some big moment where Damashi is able to fight them all at once. And if thats what you were expecting… you could not be more incorrect.

From Breeze’s wind, to Nitara’s claws, to Jay’s improvised attack and Havik hitting the sorcerer with his torn off limbs, Viktor and Enenra leaned against the wall, watching the former benefactor get jumped by everyone in the room.

VIKTOR: Should we do something or…

ENENRA: Nah, let them have their fun.

With a wind-forced punch to the chest, Breeze knocked the sorcerer to the ground. His ornate earrings began to flash as he sat up on his knee, wiping the blood off his lips. The symbiotic demon took notice of this, so did his host.

ENENRA: You saw that, right?

VIKTOR (in a disgusted tone): We gotta rip those earrings off him…

ENENRA: Wow, your idea is even better than mine!

VIKTOR: Wait what–

Enenra then took full control, dashing towards the benefactor and pinning him to the floor. At that moment, the room went silent, as Enenra violently ripped the jewelry off of the benefactor’s ears. As Damashi yelled out in pain, the demon took the earrings and threw them in its mouth, chewing them up and lifting the sorcerer by the neck.

ENENRA: What now, pretty boy? Huh…?

The demon’s expression shifted from malicious intent to genuine confusion as Damashi’s body began to distort. In a flash of light, the demon flinched, releasing the sorcerer. A bright flash of light emanated from the tower, shining like the beacon of a lighthouse from the middle of the forest.

Once everyone stopped shielding their eyes, out from the flash of light emerged not Damashi, but a familiar face. Or should I say… two?

HAVIK (bewildered): Shang Tsung…

NITARA (furious): Quan Chi…

JAY (confused): What the hell?

VIKTOR (to Enenra): Hey, what was your plan before I said mine?

ENENRA (ignoring Viktor): What the Hell are you two doing here? Where is Damashi?!

Shang Tsung then chuckled, standing up as he spoke in his typical cryptic and zesty manner.

SHANG TSUNG: I suppose… you could say… we were Damashi.

Everyone in the room stood on edge and prepared to fight. Quan Chi then took center stage as he spoke in his own, eerie and menacing way.

QUAN CHI: Those earrings that Damashi wore, were one’s created by the Telerians. They allowed Shang Tsung and I to become one. Even fuse our knowledge, skills and powers into one sentience. 

The host then took over as he spoke.

VIKTOR: So you became a non-toxic Malachite.

The sorcerers then stood side by side as they prepared for their next move.

SHANG TSUNG: I know not what you mean. And frankly, I do not care. Quan Chi?

Before the necromancer could portal them out of there, Enenra grabbed them both and tossed them away. Enenra clutched his teeth,sharpening his claws against the stone floor. 

Then at that moment, Havik, Jay and Breeze prepared to attack Shang Tsung, and Quan Chi summoned demons to assist them. All the while, Enenra and Nitara slashed and crushed demons as they attempted to get to Quan Chi. The symbiotic duo grab a demon from their right and tossed it at the necromancer’s general direction. The demon missed, but it was the perfect distraction for Enenra to close the distance and do a command grab, throwing the necromancer into a support beam, allowing the Vaeternian and Symbiotic demon to approach him menacingly.

ENENRA & NITARA: Now, to get my revenge.

The two looked at one another almost confused, before shooting back at the necromancer. Meanwhile, Breeze redirected all of Shang Tsung’s attacks with her wind manipulation. That gave enough time for Havik and Jay to throw rocks at Shang Tsung. As he was distracted, the wind-born fugitive kicked the sorcerer into the wall beside Quan Chi. The two sorcerers stand up, but before they can come up with something to say, the tower began to collapse. Viktor looked around, taking notice first with the others soon to follow.

JAY: Ruh-roh…

BREEZE: Oh, no…

VIKTOR: ffffffFUCK!

Then, with no warning, the deadly alliance attempted to portal away. Quan Chi opened the portal, Shang Tsung fell through, but Quan Chi’s forearm was grabbed by Enenra.

ENENRA: I’ll make you PAY for what you did to–

Before Enenra could finish, the portal closes, and all that remains on their end is a severed hand, dripping with blood. Before they can say anything else, Enenra grabbed everyone and jumped through a window (you could've gone through the one that was already broken but whatever), sliding down the tower as it collapsed. Enenra shielded everyone with his shifting tendrils from the debris. As the chaos calmed down, Enenra looked at the severed hand he held. As he retracted into Viktor, who was grossed out and dropped the hand.

NITARA: You… saved us?

VIKTOR: Well, we couldn’t just let you all die.

ENENRA (from behind Viktor’s shoulder): Indeed. We’re like a big family!

VIKTOR: You’re using that term very loosely, man.

ENENRA: That's what you think.

Viktor shoved the demon in his jacket, shutting him up finally. Breeze giggled, Jay laughed uncontrollably as they leaned against Havik, who patted their head.

HAVIK: Your courage is something to behold, young one.

Viktor scoffed, looking away briefly.

VIKTOR: Oh stop, you’re makin’ me blush…

Before anything more could be said, loud footsteps were heard from the other side of the collapsed tower, accompanied by a loud female voice. 

VIKTOR (assertively): Shh! Just be cool, be cool, I'll check it out…

Enenra climbed up the ruins, looking down to the commotion on the other side, taking notice of a squad of 20-ish soldiers below. General Amara, drawing her sword, stepped before the guards and gazed up to the demon that stood atop the ruins. As he glared the demon dead in the eyes, Melisa and Nico stepped forward, pushing her sword down as the symbiotic demon jumped down, carefully making its way down the ruins before standing before it revealed itself to be Viktor. Melisa smiled, tears flowing down her tears as she quietly gasped for air.

VIKTOR (sighing with a smile): Surprise–

Melisa then at the speed of light dashed forward, forcefully hugging her son tightly.

MELISA: C’mere, you little hellion!

The Red Robin Stepped forward and hugged the two and ruffled the boy’s hair.

ROBIN: Get over here, you silly guy! I almost got my ass beat because of you this morning!

Viktor chuckles as Enenra appears from behind his shoulder. Muchacha watched this happen, lowering her sword and looking down on the ground like a sad puppy as one of her soldiers showed up from behind her.

GENERIC SOLDIER: Ma’am? Are… are you alright?

Amara’s eyes snap open, looking behind her as she replies.

MUCHACHA: Huh? Oh. Yes, I’m fine.

She then approached the family before her, clearing her throat.

MUCHACHA: ahem, If I may interject?

Red Robin then stepped aside, allowing Muchacha to step a bit closer to inspect the boy before her as he stood beside Melisa.

MUCHACHA: You must be this prodigal son I’ve heard so much about from your mother and father.

VIKTOR (jokingly): And you must be my dad’s bloodthirsty ex.

MELISA: That's what I told her!

Viktor hugged his mom even tighter as Muchacha’s eyes turned a blood red as she smiled, attempting to hide her rage.

MUCHACHA: I can tell you’re related…

Rubbing her temples. Muchacha then asked the protege.

MUCHACHA: Viktor, correct? I must know, was there anyone else around what remains of this tower?

VIKTOR: Uhhh…

The boy looked behind himself, basically feeling the nervous tension of the mercenaries behind the tower. He scratched his head, turning back to the general as he spoke in a very honest tone.

VIKTOR: No. Everyone else who was around disappeared. It’s hard to explain, it was a blur. Besides, if anyone was around, they probably, you know…

He pointed to the tower, blowing a raspberry as he clasped his hands together. Muchacha was skeptical, but she was too tired of this shit to investigate.

MUCHACHA (sighing): Very well. Let’s get going.

The army began moving away as the mercs behind the ruins sighed in relief. Nitara, Havik and Jay began to walk away from the site, but Breeze stayed. Jay noticed this, looking back.

JAY: Uh… hey, windbag, you comin’ with?

Breeze tilted her head back, looking at the adventurer behind her before replying.

BREEZE: No. No thank you. I have… ‘responsibilities’ to deal with.

Jay shrugged.

JAY: Hmm. suit yourself.

As the army traversed the grounds, Red Robin stomped through the dirt, speaking semi-quietly.

ROBIN: You know, we didn’t have to go through this mess, we could’ve walked the normal, laid out path, now my boots are all muddy.

Muchacha rolled her eyes, turning to Nico as she spoke with a low tone, her voice deep and menacing.

MUCHACHA: Look, I couldn’t give less of a damn about your comfort. So why don’t you be a good birdie, chew on a kilo of seeds and stop complaining. ‘Kay?

She shot away. Robin scoffed, moving his mask off and showing off some sort of scars around his right eye, exactly where Muchacha shattered it all those years ago as he mischievously grinned.

ROBIN: I’m getting the impression that you’re embarrassed of me. 

MUCHACHA: I’m not going through this because I want to work with you again, it's because I got people to protect and mistakes to correct, so if you value having a full set of ribs, shut it.

She hissed at Robin, who smiled and chuckled throughout her threats.

ROBIN: Oh, I get it… you’re jealous. There can’t be another explanation, you’re jealous that I actually have a functional family dynamic.

Amara took a deep breath, exhaling deeply at his response. She knew he was right, but didn’t admit it.

MUCHACHA: You know what my problem is? It's you. All of you, from your horrible fashion sense, to your voice, to your stupid jokes that no one finds funny. You have no redeeming quality. You’re nothing more than a sad excuse of a human being and an outworlder.

Robin scoffed, looking up at her as he countered with a tone laced with malice.

ROBIN: Well that’s rich coming from you, cause you know what you are? You’re a big, steaming, freaking ball of pure fury. I don’t mind that you’re sad or angry or anything, but if your anger jeopardizes this mission or my kid, I swear to god…

MUCHACHA (clutching her fist): One more word, and I’ll put your head through a tree…

ROBIN (holding his dagger’s hilts): Try me…

Before the two could fight, Melisa stepped between them. 

MELISA: LISTEN, you two! I don’t care if you two want to kill or kiss each other, but please do it AFTER my kid’s safe! I’ll be happy if you two can manage that.

ROBIN: Please, we aren’t children.

Melisa scoffed, walking ahead with some guards on each of her sides.

MUCHACHA (whispering): Eat shit and die.

ROBIN (whispering): Yes, fuck you.