02-12-2014, 08:48 PM
Five hundred years of work.
All down in flames because of one infernal monk.
The sorcerer Shang Tsung knew he would face death when he returned to his master, Shao Kahn. The emperor of Outland had never been one to accept failure, especially on the verge of what would have been the completion of his greatest desire--the assimilation of Earthrealm.
On his way back to the portal from his island, Shang developed a scheme that he knew would work. Shao Kahn was a merciless beast, but he wasn’t a complete imbecile, otherwise he would have never spared the sorcerer half a millenium ago. He just needed to convince the emperor that he could get Raiden to agree to another tournament in Outworld...one where the sorcerer could more easily stack the odds in their favor.
With the plan coming together in his head, Shang’s confidence had returned with every step he took toward the portal. The aged sorcerer, his body bruised from his battle with Lui Kang, leaned on his sword as a crutch.
Yet, as he stepped through the portal toward what could have been his doom, he felt a sensation he had never felt while traveling between Outworld and Earthrealm. Normally, the transfer between the realms felt as if he was simply walking through a warm doorway. On this occasion, he was suddenly overcome by darkness and an almost suffocating pressure. The ground fell out from under him, and the old wizard felt himself falling.
A speeding hoverbike zipped passed the Nexus Fountain. The boy aboard only played a passing glance to the hellish black obelisk jutting up from the center of a pool of noxious, green-tinted liquid. Had he stopped, he may have noticed the unconscious form of an old sorcerer bobbing just beneath the surface.
Bubbles streamed to the surface of the tainted water, and another moment later, a water-logged Shang Tsung erupted up into the Omniverse. Never one to scream, the sorcerer sucked in fresh air as his cataracted eyes surveyed the white landscape that extended in all directions around his location. In the back of his mind, what he thought could have been a dream replayed in his mind. A tale about a realm of magic bound together by a strange, shimmering material.
As he surveyed the landscape and smelled the air, Shang knew he was in neither Earthrealm or Outworld. Behind the sorcerer, an obelisk of twisted black stone made him think of the hellish caverns beneath Shao Kahn’s fortress. “Where am I?” He wheezed, his breath still labored from the amount of fluid which had built up in his lungs during his unconsciousness. Trudging forward through the pool of water, Shang exited the knee-deep liquid and removed the heavy purple robe he wore over his black attire. Abandoning the water-drenched garment, the sorcerer made it a few yards before his strength left him.
“Damn this…” This was more than simply the effect of a humiliating defeat at the hands of some fortunate monk. Was this Kahn’s doing? Five hundred years ago, Shang Tsung had pledged his soul to the emperor of Outland, thus forsaking his ties to Earthrealm and granting him the strength to quash his foes. [i]Did you do this to me, Kahn?[i] The sorcerer shook his head after dwelling on the thought. Banishment wasn’t Kahn’s style… he favored bashing skulls or spearing people onto pikes.
With what strength he could muster from his battered body, Shang limped forward, unable to get very far without the sword to act as a walking staff.
“Are you okay?” The voice from up ahead caused Shang to lift up his head and squint his cataract-plagued eyes. A young man in chainmail on a horse was approaching him. “Did you just arrive at the fountain, Sir?”
“What?” Shang inquired, feeling enraged at how weak and hollow his voice sounded compared to just a few hours earlier.
“Is this your first time in the Nexus?”
“No,” Shang lied as he squinted and tried to get his eyes to focus on the horizon, where he could spot a few landmarks. “I come from there…” he added as he lifted an emaciated finger to point toward the southwest.
The knight glanced in the direction and frowned. “The Pale Moors, Sir? Are you from Darkshire?”
“From near there, yes,” Shang responded. “Could you please help me find my way back to my cottage? I don’t want my son and his wife to fret too much.”
The knight furrowed his brow as he mulled over the request. In the end, his code of morals mixed with Shang’s general appearance convinced him that there was nothing to fear in honoring the request. “Are you healthy enough to ride behind me on this horse?” He asked as he leapt down and moved to assist the old man.
“I’ll try,” Shang said, trying his hardest to conceal a venomous grin as the young man helped him to the animal. It took every ounce of the sorcerer’s self control not to rip out the knight’s throat and feast on his soul. Biding his time for now, Shang relaxed into the back portion of the saddle as the man redirected his horse toward the Pale Moors.
All down in flames because of one infernal monk.
The sorcerer Shang Tsung knew he would face death when he returned to his master, Shao Kahn. The emperor of Outland had never been one to accept failure, especially on the verge of what would have been the completion of his greatest desire--the assimilation of Earthrealm.
On his way back to the portal from his island, Shang developed a scheme that he knew would work. Shao Kahn was a merciless beast, but he wasn’t a complete imbecile, otherwise he would have never spared the sorcerer half a millenium ago. He just needed to convince the emperor that he could get Raiden to agree to another tournament in Outworld...one where the sorcerer could more easily stack the odds in their favor.
With the plan coming together in his head, Shang’s confidence had returned with every step he took toward the portal. The aged sorcerer, his body bruised from his battle with Lui Kang, leaned on his sword as a crutch.
Yet, as he stepped through the portal toward what could have been his doom, he felt a sensation he had never felt while traveling between Outworld and Earthrealm. Normally, the transfer between the realms felt as if he was simply walking through a warm doorway. On this occasion, he was suddenly overcome by darkness and an almost suffocating pressure. The ground fell out from under him, and the old wizard felt himself falling.
A speeding hoverbike zipped passed the Nexus Fountain. The boy aboard only played a passing glance to the hellish black obelisk jutting up from the center of a pool of noxious, green-tinted liquid. Had he stopped, he may have noticed the unconscious form of an old sorcerer bobbing just beneath the surface.
Bubbles streamed to the surface of the tainted water, and another moment later, a water-logged Shang Tsung erupted up into the Omniverse. Never one to scream, the sorcerer sucked in fresh air as his cataracted eyes surveyed the white landscape that extended in all directions around his location. In the back of his mind, what he thought could have been a dream replayed in his mind. A tale about a realm of magic bound together by a strange, shimmering material.
As he surveyed the landscape and smelled the air, Shang knew he was in neither Earthrealm or Outworld. Behind the sorcerer, an obelisk of twisted black stone made him think of the hellish caverns beneath Shao Kahn’s fortress. “Where am I?” He wheezed, his breath still labored from the amount of fluid which had built up in his lungs during his unconsciousness. Trudging forward through the pool of water, Shang exited the knee-deep liquid and removed the heavy purple robe he wore over his black attire. Abandoning the water-drenched garment, the sorcerer made it a few yards before his strength left him.
“Damn this…” This was more than simply the effect of a humiliating defeat at the hands of some fortunate monk. Was this Kahn’s doing? Five hundred years ago, Shang Tsung had pledged his soul to the emperor of Outland, thus forsaking his ties to Earthrealm and granting him the strength to quash his foes. [i]Did you do this to me, Kahn?[i] The sorcerer shook his head after dwelling on the thought. Banishment wasn’t Kahn’s style… he favored bashing skulls or spearing people onto pikes.
With what strength he could muster from his battered body, Shang limped forward, unable to get very far without the sword to act as a walking staff.
“Are you okay?” The voice from up ahead caused Shang to lift up his head and squint his cataract-plagued eyes. A young man in chainmail on a horse was approaching him. “Did you just arrive at the fountain, Sir?”
“What?” Shang inquired, feeling enraged at how weak and hollow his voice sounded compared to just a few hours earlier.
“Is this your first time in the Nexus?”
“No,” Shang lied as he squinted and tried to get his eyes to focus on the horizon, where he could spot a few landmarks. “I come from there…” he added as he lifted an emaciated finger to point toward the southwest.
The knight glanced in the direction and frowned. “The Pale Moors, Sir? Are you from Darkshire?”
“From near there, yes,” Shang responded. “Could you please help me find my way back to my cottage? I don’t want my son and his wife to fret too much.”
The knight furrowed his brow as he mulled over the request. In the end, his code of morals mixed with Shang’s general appearance convinced him that there was nothing to fear in honoring the request. “Are you healthy enough to ride behind me on this horse?” He asked as he leapt down and moved to assist the old man.
“I’ll try,” Shang said, trying his hardest to conceal a venomous grin as the young man helped him to the animal. It took every ounce of the sorcerer’s self control not to rip out the knight’s throat and feast on his soul. Biding his time for now, Shang relaxed into the back portion of the saddle as the man redirected his horse toward the Pale Moors.
![[Image: Shang.jpg]](http://www.omniverse-rpg.com/images/Shang.jpg)