The Tournament of Red Lions: Testament

[Galefore]

Apologies for not getting this up sooner. Midterms, college, blah blah blah. Lost track of time yesterday. Regardless, it's up, so get on with it, dudes.

The rules, according to my fellow leader Repster:

Let's start with one simple thing that should be mentioned. Wyborn. He came up with it, not me or Galefore. Understood? Yes? Good. No? To bad.

Second. This ain't no sissy playing ground. That silk glove over your hand? Take it off. Now. That or soak it in gasoline and set it on fire. This tournament is not about who write better. It's about raw vicious combat prowess.

Repster stabs Galefore in the face. Nets you as much as Repster smoothly ran over to Galefore, more of a glide then a run. He feinted to the left, and while Galefore's guard was down Repster's dagger when straight for the face. Repster grinned threw his new mask of blood.

Now, that may or may not have been a slight exaggeration, but you get the point. I repeat. This is not about pretty witting, this is about making the other guy hurt. Of course, there are some limits where you just end up godmodding, but common sense should prevent that. On to more specific rules.

1. Transformations are allowed. If your character can go Super Saiya-jin, or turn into a giant thing that's like a weird hybrid between a man and a bear and a wolverine, or just whatever, you can do it. You just have to carry over damage between forms.If you found yourself with a scar above your eye, that scar remains even if you become a werewolf.

2. No major healing. If someone slices open your throat and you seal it to stop bleeding, that’s legal. If you lose your arm and have the ability to reattach it (for instance, if John Smith lost his arm he’s screwed.) The only thing is that you can’t heal the damage done to your body. If you lose your arm and reattach it, you probably won’t have that much mobility with that arm, and it will hurt like Hell. Be realistic and fair when healing above all else.

Note: I'm well know for having been doing that since my early days. It's a delicate balance between part of a character, and being cheap.

3.All battles will occur in the same topic. Standard procedure for these things since the first tournaments. R-18's original format has worked fine for that past years, they're no reason to change it.

4. Whoever posts first for the fight gets to choose the battlefield. That means that if someone wants wants to fight in the land of funk, then that's where you're fighting. Deal with it.

5. If you win, you will have the opportunity to finish off your enemy Mortal Kombat style. After the judges announce the winner, the host/one of the judges/me/whomsoever job it's gonna end up being will say when the executions will be carried out. At that point, you can kill your opponent - you don't have to, but it is encouraged, very encouraged. Don't worry if your character is killed; as with everything like this, character deaths are not permanent and don't carry over between topics unless you want them to.

I do believe I've covered everything.

ALPHA:
Traveler vs. Zaidon

OMEGA:
Repster vs. Guildmaster

Judges:
1. Galefore
2. Stuman

Let's do it.

[Metal Man]

*Grabs the first post out of habit, waits to see what the other battlers will do.*

[Vgfian]

I don't know, Rep, I was considering making a story out of the rounds, but I don't know now. I still have ideas for it, but if you'd prefer, you can take the post, as I can't write anymore today, for others have to use my comp. If they get done soon enough and I'm still awake I may work on it though. :/

Would you like first post, or should I take it?

[Zaden]

Click to view video.

[Fairlight Excalibur]

Click to view video.

[Repster]

Go ahead and take first post. In roughly 20 hours, if you have not, I will just copy and paste my entrance from round 1. I ain't gonna be delaying this any more then necessary.

[Vgfian]

Nearly done with my intro, Rep.

I'll edit it in.

My comp and internet be acting laggy and stupid.

Here it is.[/ooc]
---

"Yes, I've finally found it!"

This man, the short, white-haired, mustachioed, bespectacled, and scrawny Professor Jeremiah William Hugo Tonelayer V (otherwise know as "The Bespectacled Bastard Dr. Will), had been searching for something during the majority of his years of academia, and he had finally found it.

"The Warrior's Trove, it has to be here! This temple fits the description in the diagram perfectly!" He spoke with a dignified-sounding English accent.

He of course spoke of what seemed to be a tomb of the ancient variety. Much resembling those of the Mayans and Egyptians. Made up of man-heighted limestone blocks, it resembled the shape of a generic two-story home. Thick walls on the front, side, and back, and a door directly in front, a pyramidal roof topping it off. The main difference other than the material it was made of, was in fact, the scale. It was easily 4 stories tall, and at least two-thirds as wide. It had, over the stone doors that covered nearly the whole height of the building, a stone canopy, held up by several carved pillars of what could be described as marble, red clay, and limestone mixed perfectly together. In fact most of the temple was like this, smooth and yet porous. It was like a finely crafted vase in texture, and yet much harder than most metals. It was as if the temple had been covered in layers of limestone through the years, perhaps from the sand, but the main material remained mysterious.

In front of the building were two equally large and equally separated lion statues. Both were around 11 feet tall and each was at least just as monumental as the building.

"Yes, yes, this has to be it! Yes, now let's see."

The surrounding area was pretty much empty and flat desert wasteland. Far away, behind the temple, just a spec to most eyes, was a mountain range. In the opposite direction, this time not even visible because of the distance, was a line of trees, and past that, the ocean. In fact the ocean awaited anyone hardy and patient enough to make the journey. The professor had made it there by hopping from plane to chopper borrowing a small air base that was about seventy miles off the coast. He sent the chopper back to refuel and resupply, and to check back when they were done and the pilot had had at least two beers.


"Here, it must be here!" The The professor had been feeling around the left hand side of the sitting lion statue, looking for a switch. "Strike the heart of the braver lion" This statue had shorter teeth than the other. Surely one who had shorter fangs would have to have more bravery than the more well-endowed counterpart in order to go into battle. Dr. Will had pulled out from his khaki pack (which happened to match his shorts, shirt, and safari hat) a fold-out ladder and using it, felt just under the statue's front-left shoulder. He knocked on it and came to realize that this spot was hollow unlike the rest of the statue. He attempted gently chiseling it with a screwdriver, but to no avail. "I didn't think it would be so literal, but this is a financial expedition as much as it is scientific. Though it shames me I must use it."

He put the screwdriver away and out pulled a pick axe. This was no regular pick axe however. It was a family heirloom. A special bejeweled pick axe with magical properties. Potentially able to collapse mountains when held by a Tonelayer descendant. The elderly man held it behind him with both hands and, with a large swing, crumbled the shoulder of the lion. Bits of stone punctured his wrinkled flesh like small shards of glass. It didn't seem to bother the man much though, nor did the hissing sound that came from his face as the muscle and flesh seemed to melt away in spots. It should have hurt. He was no robot or golem, but it didn't. He was too distracted by the amazing sight of the jewel that had laid underneath the layers of stone. A blood-ruby, cut in the perfect shape of a short blade. No doubt it was a key to open the doors of the temple.

"Yes! YES! YESS!" This was the key to the riches that no fighter could dream of... The Warrior's Trove.
Legend has it that the one who can make it to the deepest part of the temple could be alive for ever... Perhaps just a legend, but no doubt a bonus that would be looked forward to by this elderly man. The archeology and money was enough, but the youthfulness would be valued nonetheless.

"Right, out you come."

The small man attempted to pull the small gem free, but could not. It seemed easy enough to remove with a glance, but it was unwilling to comply...

"COn- Found it!"

The gem began glowing brightly a crimson glow, and then something filled the air, a sound of overwhelming power. The roar of one-thousand lions roaring at the top of their lungs erupted from the gem. Then a deep voice said, "The first challenge... is NIGH!..."

The sound pushed the old man's ladder backward and made him fall all 8 feet down along with his ladder. Other than a slightly injured knee, the burning flesh underneath his face, and being fairly startled by the event, the skinny, old man seemed fine. He stood and dusted off his jeans, and was about to set his ladder back up when a ripple in space flew through the air. He wasn't alone... There was someone behind him...


The 4 and a half foot man turned violently, the streaming blue flames of hades burning in his eyes, and his now oddly six foot long bejeweled pick axe in his hands, and said, "I KNOW YOU'RE HERE TO PREVENT MY DISCOVERY! IF I DIE THEN I WILL TAKE YOU WITH ME! TALLY HOOOOO!!!"

The Bespectacled Bastard, Professor Jeremiah William Hugo Tonelayer V was ready for this fight. The fight of his life, and more importantly to him, the fight of his life's work...

[Repster]

Leona SoulStealer giggled as she looked down to William. Over a foot taller then he, she would normally do so, but in this case it was mostly her position sitting atop the undamaged lion's head. Legs dangling down gently.

"Well now." She smiled, her almost musical honeyed voice drifting on the dry air. "It has been quite some time since I've been whisked away somewhere."

She casually move a few stands of her long black locks as she looked about. Piercing emerald eye holding a slight mischievous glint.
"Ah, some sort of trial then? You need to eliminate me to continue, and I simply must defend myself. Such a cruel venerable one you are, to pick on little old me."

She pouted pressing her arm against her bosom, adding the the emphasis to her voluptuous frame her jet black clothing already presented. Not to mention the strange stonework decoration. fourteen thick pieces. Six as support, four over her shoulder and then down crossing at his mid section, and the lower four wrapping around as a low belt and flaring out in an imitation of a skirt.

Something tapped the professor on the shoulder, and he he heard a sound behind him. Instincts telling him to turn, nothing.

"Sick him kitty."

As Jeremiah turn back, the woman was no longer on the stone lion, but rather atop a ledge of the temple. The reason being very simple. The statue pounced on the old man with a deafening roar. Even as it struck, the second lurched to motion missing front paw be damned.

Leona smiled, playfully kicking her legs, as the statues cracked. They were not meant for motion, but they would last long enough.

[Fairlight Excalibur]

OoC: I remember when you were first introduced to this form of roleplaying, a fledgling writer, struggling to even produce the most basic of stories. I also remember how fast you learned, improving remarkably with each story you participated in. Your desire to learn and improve, as well as your ability to take constructive criticism well and to incorporate the advice that was given you, has enabled you to come far.

Before, I was one of your mentors.

I now stand before you as an equal. Let us give them a fight to remember.










The fist slammed into Lt. Sonya Blade's face with a crunch, leaving her just dazed enough to receive a heel roundhouse to the head. She clambored to her feet only to begin staggering. They all knew it was over.

"FINISH HER!" Emperor Shao Kahn's voice ominously trumpeted to the crowd. The audience of Outworlders, humans, and elder gods, though already as boisterous as groundlings at a Shakespeare play, became even more vociferous as they shouted at the fighters. Most were giving suggestions as to how the woman should die.

The monster drew its hand back in preparation for a haymaker—a haymaker of fatal proportions. A final, killing strike—one punch to rule them all. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a pair of arms grabbed hold of the hand, stopping it cold. This pair of cybernetic arms was probably the only pair of arms in this world that could perform such a feat of strength. These arms belonged to Maj. Jackson Briggs of Earth.

"I don't think so."

"WHAAAT?!"

The crowd gathered around this small arena grew furious. Even Shao Kahn looked on in disbelief. No one could be that foolish. But not a single eye had missed what had happened—how Jax interrupted the match. The arena with simple tile flooring, set in a garden near Shao Kahn's Imperial Palace, need not be very large in such brutal deathmatches, so everyone had a clear view. This particular arena was hallowed ground, as it had been reserved for the quarter-finals of the Mortal Kombat tournament, which were to take place before the throne of Shao Kahn.

The audience was now snarling and jeering, outraged that an Earthling would prevent a finisher. With all the attention on Jax, Johnny Cage seized the opportunity to run out and grab the injured Sonya and drag her to the sidelines, disappearing with her back into the crowd.

"KILL HIM! KILL THE MEDDLING HUMAN!" the masses roared. Jax fought valiantly, but could not win against a stacked deck. During his fight, he was hit in the back with a massive blue fireball, causing him to tumble forward into the champion, who nailed him in the stomach with a decisive blow, then lifted him into the air and bodyslammed him headfirst onto the tiles. He lost consciousness. Queen Sindel hovered over the fighters, a puff of blue smoke wafting from her mouth.

"Pay the price for interfering!" she declared in an unnatural voice that was somehow raspy and elegant at the same time. While doing so, she threw a large claymore into the arena. The monster easily picked up the two-handed sword with a single hand and held it above the helpless Jax.

Johnny Cage, who had been watching with Liu Kang from the audience, turned to his ally and said, "We need to make our move. It's now or never!"

"Never, in that case..." came a voice from behind Cage. But rather than turning around, the movie star looked down. Liu Kang followed his gaze to see the point of a KA-BAR sticking out of Cage's stomach. He collapsed at the feet of the infamous Black Dragon criminal in a pool of blood, and the action hero began dying a slow death with an iron-willed face and not even so much as a wince or whimper at the unthinkable pain he bore.

"Bad move, Kano." the shaolin monk affirmed as he raised his fists.

"Try me!" Kano yelled, pulling out a handgun with his free hand. At lightning speed, Liu Kang unleashed a Flying Dragon Kick on him, knocking the gun away, and followed up with a flurry of flaming punches. Kano backed off but reengaged Liu Kang by swinging his dagger at him. Before the dagger could reach the monk, he drew the Dragon Sword and sliced off Kano's hand with a single motion. Liu Kang swept the convict's feet out from under him, reversed his grip on the sword, and brought it down.

The sword stopped above him. Liu Kang squeezed the hilt as if he were trying to move an object that was stuck. Suddenly, the sword ripped out of Liu Kang's grip and flew sideways... right into the hands of Quan Chi. The sorceror had used his weapon-stealing ability to telekinetically yank the Dragon Sword right out of the monk's hands. Liu Kang clenched his fists.


"I don't need my sword to defeat you, Quan Chi!" he boasted and they both charged at each other. Just before they were to meet, Quan Chi suddenly ducked. Following close behind Quan Chi the whole time they were running was a huge, demonic skull, barreling through the air towards Liu Kang. It flew right over Quan Chi, but Liu Kang would not be able to avoid it.

*WWHHRRRZZZ!*

A spinning, black bolero hat with a brim covered in a razor-sharp blade glided through the air and sliced the demon skull in half. Kung Lao ran in from the distance and stood in front of Quan Chi.

"Liu Kang! I'm here to help! I'll deal with Quan Chi; catch that murderer before he escapes again!"

Liu Kang turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of Kano elbowing his way through the crowd in the distance. He dashed after him, but Baraka stepped forward and barred his path.

"Going somewhere?"

* * *


The champion brought the claymore down on Jax. It splintered right through his thigh bones, one at a time, hacking off both legs. Blood splattered the sword as the ground itself began to turn red in the life-sustaining liquid. As his final strike, he used the claymore to cleave Jax straight down the middle, from the peak of his cranium to the tip of his coccyx, with frightening precision. Looking at the policeman's mutilated corpse, an onlooker would become aware of the monster's wordless, heinous joke: The legless, divided body seemed to say, 'Look, his arms are still intact!'

"FATALITY"

The emperor announced, but he and his proud warrior seemed to be the only ones enjoying the gruesome spectacle. With the defenders of Earth and Shao Kahn's henchmen fighting in the middle of the crowd, the entire garden coliseum had erupted into riotous, uncontrollable pandemonium. The only thing seen or known in or from the audience was utter chaos. Shao Kahn would not allow the next match to be delayed. The only problem was that there was no match. There were no fighters left in the tournament bracket that could step forward to fight. It only took a few seconds of waiting in the tumult for the emperor and his champion to wax impatient.

"ENOUGH! A challenger must come forward and fight!" the emperor demanded in anger.

"Fight me!" the champion growled in frustration.

No one heeded the command. How could they? One-tenth of every organism within ten miles was no longer alive let alone listening. There was no doubt, however, that someone lingering amongst the crowd of Outworlders heard the emperor's thundering voice. Would they step forward? Would they fight in mortal combat?

Would they challenge the Prince of the Shokan?

[Fairlight Excalibur]

The chaos that filled the arena continued to escalate, as both spectators and potential participants were caught up in the frantic melee. Liu Kang vanished into the distance as he pursued the Black Dragon, while Kung Lao and Quan Chi's struggle took them outside as well. Underneath his designer shades, Johnny Cage's eyes finally closed as the blood loss rendered him unconscious, passing out right next to the unconscious form of the woman he had tried to save.

All this amidst the riot that was now fully underway as the people of Outworld scrambled to get away; the fireballs, the earthquakes, the flying weapons – this was too much. As the panic and fear took over, the people stampeded to escape, dodging the frantic kombat that occurred around them.

The Emperor of Outworld, Shao Khan, observed the chaos from his throne. His alternate throne, actually, as his royal golden throne sat in the Imperial Palace not far from here. The throne which he currently sat upon was portable, weighing only six hundred pounds and made of solid stone. It was from this vantage point that he view the battles which took place before him. He too was growing frustrated at the interruption, and as the riot continued, all the remaining contenders vanished, each pursuing his own personal ends.

Shao Kahn turned in his seat to face a previously unnoticed shadow standing near him. “Shang Tsung,” he directed, “Go outside and see that no else interfe....”

Kahn's words trailed off as he stared into a raging orb of flame. It made sense now. The rage in the sorceror's eyes said it all.

“I have waited for this day for far too long!” the sorceror cried, “And now I will rule this realm! FAREWELL, SHAO KAHN!”

The sorceror heaved forward will all his might, launching the hellflame at the unsuspecting emperor. Goro turned to see Shao Kahn's eyes widen as the flame struck him, knocking him off his throne and and onto the tile.

The emperor did not rise.

The mighty prince of the Shokan people stepped forward, his massive figure dwarfing Shang Tsung's. The sorceror looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You serve me now, Goro. I am your new emperor.”

Goro's cold stare fixed itself upon the traitorous magician. Every muscle in the draconian's body tensed up as he approached, with only one thought on his mind.

“I serve Shao Kahn.”

A look of disappointment crossed Shang Tsung's face as he pondered Goro's decision. The four-armed giant would have made a valuable slave.

“I see. Die, then.”

And with those simple words, Shang Tsung's form began to change. His change was sudden, as this was a magic he had practiced many times. His legs rapidly split apart, taking on new forms and growing hooves as the shapeshifting mage morphed into the form of Motaro.

Goro grimaced. He knew full well that he was going to die at the hands of the soul-stealing, shapeshifting sorceror. But with his dragon rage burning inside, he would at least go out with a super sonic bang.

“Goodbye, shokan.”

And even as Motaro's hand raised to knock the shokan into the next life, the Hammer of Wrath crashed down upon the centaurian's skull. An incredible crack erupted as the legendary hammer collided with his head, and blood erupted from the wound as the massive horseman fell the ground. As the sorceror hit the floor, his focus faded, and he lost his form in the process. The stunned Shang Tsung rolled over, his black hair tainted red by his own flowing blood.

Standing before him was Shao Kahn, thoroughly pissed.

“Did you think your puny magic was a match for Shao Kahn?!” the emperor roared in his face. He turned on his heel, marching back to the makeshift throne that he had been observing these fights from. The Emperor slung the Wrath Hammer back over his shoulder as he stood near his throne, leaning one arm out and resting it on the arm of his throne.

At this moment, the sorcerer made a break for it, bolting away from the arena. His footsteps pounded on the tile as he ran, escaping his fate.

The tile under Goro's feet shattered as the behemoth landed in front of Shang Tsung, instantly seizing the deserter. The magician's struggling was futile as the dragon-man held him, twisting both his arms behind him while also keeping him in a bear hug.

Shao Kahn turned to face them, and extended one hand toward them, palm up. Using his index finger, he motioned for the traitor to be brought to him. Goro complied in glorious fashion, literally hoisting his captive overhead before launching him in an upward arc towards Shao Kahn.

Shang Tsung's yell echoed across Outworld as he flew, sailing some thirty into the air. As he reached the apex of his flight, he could hear the booming voice of the warlord below.

“You really want my throne that badly?!

Shang Tsung now began to plummet earthward, the wind whipping through his hair as he fell.

”THEN TAKE IT!!"

With one hand, Shao Kahn seized the back of his throne and hurled it on an intercept course with the human projectile. The colossal slab of ornate granite crushed the human in mid-air, instantly shattering his spine. His flesh tore open from the inside as multiple broken bones pierced his skin, all the while flying uncontrollably toward the palace entrance. The object and the human sailed backwards, finally landing in the fountain near the front gate. They crashed into the decorative fountain with the throne on top, instantly flattening the skull of the traitor. The fountain soon ran a dark red color as the sorceror's life left him, bubbling up in a gruesome shower of blood.

Shao Kahn clapped his hands together, as if brushing the dirt off. Goro turned to face the emperor, and bowed. The armored man approached the draconian and placed his hand on the creature's shoulder.

Goro folded all four of his arms in front of him as he bowed to Lord Kahn.

“Long live the Emperor.”

“In all my years as emperor,” Shao Kahn began, “you are the only servant who has followed me unquestioningly, with utmost loyalty.”

With a swift crack, Shao Kahn's knee rose into the draconian's face, launching the hefty creature clean off his feet. Before the shokan could even land, the Wrath Hammer struck him in the ribcage, catapulting him sideways. He could feel two of his own ribs break as the weapon hit him, and he skidded along the tile before coming to a stop. He raised his head to his master with a questioning look in his eyes.

“You know the law, Shokan,” Shao Kahn elaborated as he approached, “and with no other contestants left, the champion of the tournament must face its conductor.” Shao Kahn looked rather displeased at his own saying as he explained the situation. “And while I hate to kill a valued servant, the laws of Mortal Kombat are more ancient than I.”

Goro struggled to process this turn of events. He pleaded with the emperor.

“But master, I do...”

His sentence was interrupted as Shao Kahn rushed forward, kicking the downed warrior in the jaw. Goro recoiled as several teeth were dislodged by the blow, rolling farther across the tile floor.

“We have no choice,” Kahn concluded, “and you and I now fight to the death.”

The emperor readied his hammer as his massive frame marched across the garden arena's floor.

“Goodbye....
...
….
….
….
...friend.”


A single tear formed in the corner of the emperor's eye as he prepared to destroy the only creature he had ever truly trusted.

The emperor stood ready to do his duty, as he prepared for Mortal Kombat.



Would the Shokan Prince be able to stand against the mighty Warlord, the Emperor of Outworld himself?

[Repster]

I am sorely disappointed in this turn out.

[Zaden]

"Master, please..." Goro stood up, using a finger to wipe the blood off of his chin.

"...warn me before you break face."

The champion raised the massive claymore over his head, gripping it with both the hands of his upper arms as the fighters met in the middle of the arena. Goro closed his lower right fist and swung at Shao Kahn's head backhand style while swinging downward with the sword. The emperor swayed backwards out of the way of the oncoming fist and brought his hammer up to block the sword, shoving it back.

Shao Kahn knew if he didn't use all four of his limbs that he would be at a serious disadvantage against a shokan champion. With this in mind, he snapped his right leg up after knocking the sword back and crashed his heel into Goro's left cheek bone to the music of a brisk crunch. Goro was angered at this and reacted by stomping his left foot on Kahn's right as soon as it came down after the kick, planting them mutually on the ground.

Goro then slammed his lower left fist into Shao Kahn's gut, a blow which Kahn seemed to absorb as he bashed the head of the Wrath Hammer across Goro's face, ending with the hammer down by his left hip. Snapping back with a brilliant move, the dragon man launched his lower right fist, uppercutting the emperor's helmet off of his head and immediately brought the handle of the claymore down on the newly-exposed target. The sword's hilt plowing into bare skull reverberated a distinctive *PUNK!* sound as well as driving a few cranial fragments into Kahn's brain. The amount of time between punching the helmet off and the proceeding strike, or lack of time, was nothing less than awe-inspiring.

The enraged ruler bought the enormous warhammer up with an impossibly strong, single-handed upward swing, shattering Goro's chin and breaking out his upper and lower incisor teeth. The hammer's swinging motion continued up and over his right shoulder to behind his back where it snapped into a clip on the backside of his armor.

Goro tried to bring the sword down again, but Kahn put his left hand on Goro's top left hand and shoved the falling sword to the side. Shao Kahn then emphatically punched the shokan in the elbow. The spikes on his gauntlets stabbed into Goro's bones, shooting pain up his arm. The champion roared in agony and dropped the claymore before flailing his lower fists at Shao Kahn's head and holding his aching elbow with his remaining arm. While Kahn was defending against the aggravated flurry, Goro quickly brought his right knee up into his opponent's side, breaking the emperor's floating ribs completely off. Shao Kahn's entire body shook from the sudden blow and he began falling to the side, unable to catch his balance with his foot trapped under Goro's. Goro simply leaned into him and fell down on top him.

An interesting thing happens when a creature with four arms falls over on top of you. One pair of arms can be used catch yourself while the other pair of arms can grab your opponent's head and ride it all the way down and slam into the ground using the full weight of both fighters! Then, obviously you could sit on them and use two arms to pin their arms down and the two other arms could just wail away on their face, right?

Shao Kahn was now in a very bad position. He was pinned down, arms held, hammer stuck behind him against the ground, and taking a savage beating. Bones cracked and blood sprayed from Kahn's head. Eight punches, each felt like an SUV dropped from airplane and landing on his face. He could literally feel several pieces of his facial parts being rearranged like an anatomical scrabble board. Goro balled up his fists, brought them up high and slung them down with tremendous force, flattening his picasso painting of a face inward.

The monster lifted his hands up for an encore when Shao Kahn looked him straight in the eye.

"FA!" A flashing, glowing green magical ball issued from Shao Kahn's mouthed blasted Goro's face and detonated with a forceful burst. Goro backed off momentarily, holding his eyes and growling. The emperor lunged forward in a titanic shoulder bash, but mere inches from connection, Goro put off the 'Ow, my eyes' ruse and caught Kahn, lifting him into the air. After slugging him twice in the backbone and twisting his body in whatever way felt unnatural, he leapt into the air delivered the most devastating jumping bodyslam in the history of either world. The tile flooring was utterly powderized and several pieces of Shao Kahn's armor (and probably him, too) were broken and fell off.

"Master... Servant... We had all, Kahn. You were supreme ruler of Outworld. I had everything I wanted and more, and I not even need be emperor! All I need do was fight for Master, and you gave me all I wished. Why should throw away what we had together?! We had good thing going! No, not good thing... greatest thing. For this infernal tournament of fools you cared more than happiness!

I hate Mortal Kombat... I love you, I love my wives, and I love what we had. Why do you end it?!?! Why do you love Mortal Kombat?! I don't want to kill you, I wan't to kill Mortal Kombat!!! I hate it if it must end us like this! Burn it in Hell!"

Each of Goro's eyes was now a faucet of tears as he bawled uncontrollably and shouted this time, not at Shao Kahn, but at the gods.

"I HATE MORTAL KOMBAAAT!!!!!"

[Vgfian]

Have to take a big test tomorrow then I'll be able to write/post alot easier. Gonna try and work on this tonight, but I'm tired of making promises I seem unable to keep, so I won't promise its posting tonight...

[Fairlight Excalibur]

Amidst the broken pieces of tile flooring and clouds of angry dust particles, a stirring could be heard as Shao Kahn rose. There was no visible strain, no indication of injury, no hint of pain as he simply stood up. He dusted himself off as Goro unleashed his rage upon the heavens, screaming at the gods of his new hatred for Mortal Kombat.

Goro turned to face Kahn as he finished, his lungs sore from his unearthly yell.

Kahn simply stared at him, his eyes an unemotional ice as he stared from underneath the blood oozing over his face and dripping from his chin.

“That was pathetic,” he concluded as he folded his arms in front of himself. His unnaturally well-toned biceps heaved up and down as blood and adrenaline flowed through him, while this momentary break in the action seemed to confuse his body's systems.

“KAHN! I GET REVENGE ON YOU!”

“Don't make me laugh,” the emperor scorned.

“RRRAAAAAAHHH!!!”

A flurry of fireballs escaped from the prince's mouth as he unleashed his draconic breath upon the emperor. The orbs of magma ripped their way across the arena, all the while leaving little droplets of liquid fire on the ground in their wake.

”Feel the power of Shao Kahn! FA!”

The glowing green orb unleashed from Kahn's eye leapt forward, swallowing all three of Goro's fireballs as it cut through the air. Goro jumped over the undulating moss-colored blob of corrosive dark matter, and aimed his descent to land on the unsuspecting head of Shao Kahn.

The emperor sidestepped as the mammoth dragon-man crashed into the dirt (there was no tile left there) next to him, finally unfolding his arms and lunging for his four armed opponent. He extended both arms forward, aiming to seize the giant around the midsection.

Goro reflexively brought his lower arms up to catch the incoming hands as he raised his upper arms to strike. Just before they grappled, Kahn ducked even lower, and brought his arms up underneath Goro's lower arms. The spikes protruding from Kahn's gauntlets impaled through the wrists of the dragonian, severing tendons and slicing blood vessels as the steel tipped gauntlets ground through the bones of the dragon man. In one continuous motion, Kahn pushed upward, driving the same set of spikes through the second set of arms as they tipped over backwards. The ripping sensation repeated in Goro's arms as the steel blades shredded through the complicated web of nerves and muscle that comprised his hands.

Both immense beings crashed into the eggshell colored tile as Goro howled, but his yell was interrupted as Kahn drove his bladed knee armor into the upper portion of Goro's left thigh. The emperor pulled his knee forward, slowly dragging the blades higher as Goro struggled to dislodge his impaled limbs. The steel talons dug a trench, beginning in the muscle tissue of his thigh and slowly working their way up as Kahn pressed his weight into the blades. The cold blades conflicted with the searing pain that Goro felt as the deadly kneepad dragged through his pelvis, across his waist, and up into his midriff. The four armed giant's pain was nothing compared to the sick feeling of being forced to watch as a set of steel blades tore through his anatomy, slowly advancing upon his vital organs as they cut a swathe of destruction through his body. His skin split apart like a giant hand has unzipping him, with blood and innards immediately spilling out of the massive opening.

A great rumbling could be heard inside Goro's lungs as his dragon instincts took over. As he opened his mouth to unleash his destructive fire breath into Kahn's midsection, the emperor drove his own forehead dpwn into Goro's teeth.

The fireball backfired, having no exit to utilize. The burns on Kahn's forehead were nothing compared to agony that Goro endured as his fire turned inward. His own body generated this flame, and his throat and lungs were completely unharmed by the misfire. However, the magma blast also began rushing up his nasal passages and into his sinuses, filling areas of his head that were not meant to accommodate the dragon flame. His brain seemed to light on fire, as his own power wreaked havoc inside him.

With a painful grunt, Goro yanked his upper arms free, leaving six of his own fingers in a pool of blood as he used his palms to clap the emperor's ears. The sonic boom inside Kahn's head stunned him long enough for Goro to shove him off, and stagger to a standing position.

A trail of three blood soaked gashes continuously pumped the dragon man's blood from the wound that stretched from close to his knee all the way to the bottom of his sternum.

“You will never win,” Shao Kahn's deep voice mocked.

If Goro had something to say in response, it would have to wait. The Emperor of Outworld channeled his considerable magic prowess into his own body as he rushed forward, slamming into his former officer with a titanic shoulder crash that would have leveled the average skyscraper. Shao Kahn's shoulder came up underneath Goro's jaw at the same moment his elbow connected with Goro's chest. The shattering teeth, notably Goro's lower incisors, were actually less painful than the sensation of his entire jaw bone snapping cleanly in half just under his left cheekbone.

This was least of Goro's concerns, however, because the elbow thrust had launched completely off his feet. His sternum was reduced to bone fragments as he took flight, with at least one piece jutting visibly out of chest in a shower of blood.

As Goro took flight, a deep laughter escaped from the battle-crazed mind of Shao Kahn.



“Ahahahahahaaa....”

Goro did not find the laughter contagious as he slammed through the plateglass window of Kahn's imperial conservatory, landing amidst the vegetation in a shower of bloodied glass.

“You're still trying to win?”

[Zaden]

Argh

I wish I could do this faster.

I should have it up by tonight.

[Zaden]

♪ Ooooooh, Chinese ninja warrior...
With your heart soooo cold... ♫
♪...Sub-Zero...♫
♪Whoooooa, your life is a mystery,
Warrior with a mask...♫
♪...Sub-Zero...♫



Goro rose to his feet to find himself in an arboretum, a scenery change that he was not expecting. Shao Kahn exploded through the second story window of the conservatory's glass barrier and flew all the way down to the first story, landing next to Goro and smashing the ground with his hammer which resulted in a massive tremor that set off several earthquake alarms and caused a nearby seismograph to go haywire. Goro lost his footing when the ground's wave-like motion oscillated up and down slamming into his soles. The emperor seized the dragon-man by the throat and pulled their faces together before speaking practically into his eyeballs.

"You are nothing."

Kahn hurled the champion one-handed at a large redwood tree while conjuring up a spear with his off hand. Goro felt a vertebra splinter as he looked and saw the magical javelin on a collision course with his face. His leg muscles rippled and as a mighty upward leap propelled him into the sea of leaves above. Almost immediately the four-armed behemoth came down from beyond the emperor's sight and straight down on his head. He drove his master's head into the ground, stamping up and down and cracking his bones. Shao Kahn swung his bladed shinguard up into the back of Goro's knee. Then, grabbing his foot and twisting his ankle, he threw the brute off.

They stood and Goro charged with overwhelming multi-limbed rage. Although his upper set of arms was devoid of fingers, he slammed Kahn with knife-hands and palm-heel strikes while simultaneously punching with his lower arms. Shao Kahn's defense became his offense as he guarded against Goro's blows with his spiked gauntlets. He blocked the incoming attacks by intercepting punches and impaling the attacking limbs with single movements of his bladed armor. But for every one of Shao's attacks Goro threw two. The ruler's face and body were being demolished while the monster's arms were ripped to shreds. Bones fractured and flesh tore. The melee continued inside a fireworks display of blood.

Goro spun around with a pair of beastly high and low parallel backfists. As Shao Kahn blocked the two strikes with both arms, they were pushed to the side, opening him up to an uppercut to the solar plexus. The emperor crumpled over wheezing and Goro grabbed his head and kneed his face so hard that a few of Shao Kahn's teeth were left embedded in his kneecap. As Kahn stumbled backwards, Goro grabbed hold of his gauntlets and kicked him in the chest, knocking him over and removing the gauntlets. The champion stepped forward, fitting the spiked gauntlets on his fingerless upper arms and brewing a batch of Dragon Fire in his pharynx. Goro looked down on the floored emperor and inhaled.

*VVWWUZH*

Shao Kahn disappeared like a heat mirage. Goro forewent the fire blast by exhaling through his nose. Kahn appeared behind him and smashed him squarely in the back with his hammer, sending him skidding face-first along the ground.

"Is that your best?"

The shokan rolled over onto his back, moaning in pain. He looked up to see the emperor approaching and holding the hammer high.

"You WILL die, mortal!"

Goro cupped his hands around his mouth and breathed his fire out. Not an incendiary cloud or a fireball. The flames filtered through his hands like a funnel, creating a thin, directional stream of fire with pinpoint accuracy. He aimed it straight into Shao Kahn's eyes. He dropped the hammer and pulled away, shrieking in pain. The dragon-man sprung up and blasted him with a vengeful haymaker that sent him crashing through a stone wall and back into the arena.

"You may have tricked me, you low-life traitor. Turned my fire against me. But now will I show you my trick!"

Goro picked up the dazed emperor by a shoulderguard and the back of his girdle. He then used a spiked gauntlet to stab a hole in Shao Kahn's back. The steel point penetrated his flesh and poked a bloody tunnel that bore all the way into his right lung.

"This is Dragon Spirit from within!"

He placed his lips around the newly-made hole and pulled the emperor tight against his mouth. Goro blew fire into the hole which burned its way in and filled up his lung. What started as a low roar changed to an unnaturally high-pitched scream as the burning liquids and gases reshaped his vocal folds. The flames seared his pharynx and throat on the way up into his mouth. Kahn's panicked, painful hyperventilating spread the magma all around his insides, filling both lungs, burning through them and singing his diaphragm and melting other organs. He continued torching Kahn's entrails for as long as possible. Lava flowed up from his throat and fried his mouth and palatte. Shao Kahn's cries of pain became gurgling as he choked on the magma which overflowed out of his mouth and ran down his face. On the inside, the liquid flames chewed through the walls of his pharynx and trachea, allowing the burning fluid to run down the inside of his thorax onto his heart and even down his esophagus. Goro inhaled and shot him up with another volley of burning wrath. Flames and magma exploded out of his mouth, mingled with immortal blood. His neck now leaked and oozed fiery fluids that dripped down and scorched his skin.

Click to view video.

OoC: Everyone knows Goro is not dumb, but for some reason I always imagined English would be a second language for him.


BONUS: Did you know Sub-Zero sweats liquid nitrogen?

[Repster]

Welp.

Been a month now. My disappointment in this semi final, it knows no bounds.

[Metal Man]

*Fights self in the background while someone who earned their spot in the semifinal wastes it*

[Vgfian]

Writing naow. Should be finished up by early tonight (central time)

Had to post-pone it until tomorrow for stupid personal reasons. I've got more than half done so it should be no problem... >.>

[Metal Man]

* Metal Man puts a dust cover on the silent battle and walks away silently.