Mortal Kombat 9: Ember Edition

Chapter 7: The Tarkatan Chase

Jax, Sonya, and Ember traversed through the long corridors of ancient stone lit up by rows of torches. Jax was leading, Sonya was constantly looking at her wrist-com like it was a map and telling him where to go, and Ember just tagged along in the rear making sure no one was following them.

Ember hastily brought her pale hand to her cheek and applied pressure, accidentally letting out a whimper. Jax looked over his shoulder, "Is it throbbing?" he asked. She nodded, cringing as it felt like the purple mark on her face had its own pulse. Nothing stopped the throbbing, not moving her facial muscles, not slapping herself--though Jax found it funny, not pinching where it pulsated, not rubbing her face. Nothing.

"Why don't you try slapping yourself again? I think it worked a little last time." Jax teased.

Ember glared at him, palm still pressed to cheek, and huffed, "...Jerk."

She was so preoccupied with her throbbing bruise that she hadn't been paying attention to the Tarkata that was following them. The three had reached an intersection and were continuing straight when Ember heard something, she stopped as Sonya and Jax kept walking and turned to look behind her, flame-colored eyes searching for something out of place.

'I could've swore I heard something like a lever pulling...' But there was no lever and there was no one besides them that could pull a lever.

She shook her head and turned back to run and catch up when--

SMACK!

Ember ran face-first into a wall that wasn't there before. The impact hard enough to make her nose bleed. "AW FUCKING SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS!!" she screeched. Her indirect cursing catching Sonya and Jax's attention and the two saw the wall that cut off them from Ember.

"What the??" Jax said, "This wasn't here before!" he approached the wall and tried to kick it down but it was sturdy.

Sonya's eyes followed the magical wall up to the ceiling, "Ember! Can you hear me?" she shouted.

"Yea!" Ember responded just as loudly, yet her voice sounded nasally since she was holding her nose to prevent blood from getting everywhere.

"Good, just stay there, alright! We'll find a way to break down this wall so DON'T MOVE!"

Ember didn't reply, instead she groaned and leaned against the new wall, facing the direction they had come from. When she opened her eyes they grew as big as plates and her jaw dropped. Somehow, at least fifty Tarkatans had managed to sneak up on her and had formed a big group at the other side of the wide intersection. The best part? They were all holding spears.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" Ember whined quietly, rapidly knocking on the wall to get Jax's attention. "You guys!" she said louder, "You may wanna knock this wall down really quick!" she swore she could've heard Sonya scoff on the other side.

"What do you think we're trying to do? ...Why?" the general answered, standing beside Jax as he shot energy blasts similar to Sonya's at the wall.

"Because there is a SHITLOAD of Tarkatans and they're holding SPEARS!"

Sonya and Jax glanced at each other with worry, "Shit...Jax we need to hurry." said Sonya as she started shooting pink energy beams alongside him.

"Just hold on, Ember!" Jax yelled. The girl's eyes were glued onto the mob of Tarkatans before her, their spears aimed right at her petite self.

One reared back the spear and threw it. Ember gasped and ducked, the spear head impaled itself in the wall where her head had been a second ago. Now that one had initiated attack, the others joined in as well and prepared to throw their spears at the lone girl.