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She Was Loved By The Multitudes	By : Johnny-Topside Category: +M through R > Mortal Kombat Views: 17164 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. I do not profit from this work

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
Chapter 5: White Haired Bride

The Takartan ranks stood a hundred deep on either side. Yet they barely stirred as Jerrod walked between them, towards what new horror he didn't know. All he could do was move forward and not allow the pain from his wounds show. It was oddly solemn, and he was reminded of his coronation after his father finally died at the ripe old age of forty nine thousand years. The endless procession of identical Takartans went on, with only the odd battle wound on their faces to break up the monotony. After what seemed an endless march in this solitary parade he cleared the canyon and the Tatarkan ranks fell away across the plain below to give him a view of the devastation. The remnants of his once proud army lay ringed Takartans just as he had been, whittled down to what appeared to be a few hundred. The Takartans by comparison still had more than he could even guess at, it would have taken them no effort to fall on the survivors.

"Jerrod!" His wife broke from the throngs, and his heart leapt at the sight of her even though he knew this was only a reprieve. They embraced, and Sindel showered his face with kisses. "I thought you were lost."

"I thought I was the only one left. Who else made it?" He looked around for familiar faces amongst the shattered army. Some were still sharp eyed and ready should the Takartans make a move, but they were few. The rest were exhausted and wounded, some simply sat resigned to their fate or stared at the ground in a state of shock, already gone from the world mentally. A few of these last Jerrod recognized as some of his best commanders. They were truly beaten.

Prince Goro was bundling one of Sheeva's bloodied arms into a sling. Jade lay nearby on a field blanket spread across the dirt nearby, eyes closed. Her head was propped up, her teeth ground together and she was sweating profusely. Jerrod went to her and lay a hand across her brow.

"Can you hear me Jade?" She didn't answer, only moaned. "What's wrong with her?"

"It's her legs. One of those bastards cut her across the spine." His wife clenched her teeth, somewhere between rage and tears. "What about Giles?"

"Dead. The Rat too. Motaro?"

"Killed in the last attack!" Goro laughed bitterly, but when he saw Sheeva's glare, he looked down. "Still, I'll give that fool credit for dying well and going down swinging." He offered.

"Why don't they finish us off Jerrod?"

"They know who we are. Maybe they want to make an example of us."

"What's it to be then? Humiliation? Execution?" A murmur went through the Takartans, and he could see them shifting in the back, like a wave rolling up to the front of this sea of jagged teeth.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling we'll soon find out. Someone's coming."

There was no mistaking the giant that came striding out of the enemy ranks. This was Thraxa.
Shao Kahn had been massive, but the Takartan looked to be two heads taller than the Emperor. His posture was ape-like with arms thick as tree trunks and a hulking, unnatural upper body that seemed out of proportion with the rest. A mutant's mutant.

"Are you Ermac? Former Khan of Outworld?" He asked, voice dripping with faux courteousness. It was obvious Thraxa already knew who he was.

"I'm Jerrod. The current king of Edenia, as well as Outworld." He clarified for the creature.

"It's one and the same. So we finally meet, what a delight. Thank you for accepting my invitation." He spoke with the telltale slurp of a Takartan, like he was constantly sucking on his teeth, but the refined tone contrasted weirdly with his grotesque visage. He sounded like a giant, slavering fop. Jerrod noted the hideous burn on it's face, the telltale millky film of blindness over the one eye.

"I see you've met Reptile." He replied lightly, refusing to be put off his guard.

"Yes." Thraxa used a sharp nail to scrape scales off the raw patch as he spoke. "I roasted his ribs for my dinner and ate his heart for dessert. A cowardly sneak attack. Not at all like you o 'King."

"No more cowardly than when you tried to murder my family. "

"I don't fault it, I was just remarking how unlike you it was."

"So what now?"

"Now? I thought we'd have a conversation like two civilized regents. Khan to former king." He chuckled dryly. "Unless you're in a hurry to die." Jerrod shook his head

"I'd know more about you. Who are you Thraxa? Where were you before?"

"Shang Tsung's flesh pits." It laughed at Jerrod's shock, the voice like molasses rolling over gravel. "You think Mileena was Tsung's only success? Oh no, I would have been the first of many if you hadn't killed my makers. The Emperor could never help himself playing with dangerous toys, as you know." It flexed a giant bicep appreciatively. "They thought I needed dumbing down of all things."

"I was expecting you to be-"

"A moronic brute?"

"Less talkative."

"There's no harm now for me to savor the moment." He gestured at the hordes around them. "A few of them also thought the way I spoke was unfitting for a Takartan. They learned to appreciate brains after I bit the tops of their heads off."

"So you let Mileena and Baraka take their shot and then slipped in to fill the vaccum?"

"Something like that. I could have turned the tide of the war any time I wanted, but not as some lowly peon. Mileena never would have shared leadership with me. Despite her beauty and martial skill, she is merely a woman. No real head for military matters. This way is far better, I won't even have to take her by force. She'll have to recognize me as her superior, I'm sure she'll throw herself at me when I liberate her."

"So that's it then?"

"For starters. Reputation, a realm to rule, and a mate worthy of me. Shao Kahn had his Empress, I'll have mine." Thraxa gestured to Sindel, and his wife's eyes cut the Takartan to pieces.

"You arrogant, self-satisfied pile of scalog shit!" She spat.

"Now, now." He wagged a long nail condescendingly. "Enjoy these sweet moments of life I've so generously granted. If you turn out to be as weak a conversationalist as my friends here, I'll just have to feed you and the rest of your pathetic survivors to them. Then you'd be nothing but fertilizer for the dusty plains. Would you like that?"

Sindel bunched up her fist, she was shaking with anger but Jerrod put a gentle hand over it and grudgingly the queen untensed.

"What do you want?" The toothed grin turned at the corners, in what must have been the Takartan equivalent of a pleased smile.

"You know, I like you Jerrod, really. As much as it's possible for me to like a loser too weak to defend his realm twice over. I half expected you to fight us head on given your history, but you surprised me. Ruthlessness and deceit from Jerrod the Bright? You've come a long ways. So I make you an offer, out of respect. Bow to my superiority."

"Superiority?!" Sindel shouted. "You're a preening clod with all the battle tact of a mongoloid choking on it's tongue! The only reason you won is you outnumbered us five to one!" For a moment Thraxa looked comically surprised at this outburst, and then he laughed, long and rich. It was a disturbingly Edenian sound, and with that the other Takartans laughed as well, their harsh voices a cacophany. He wiped a mock tear from his orange eye.

"Really Jerrod, all this time, I've made the mistake of thinking you wore the crown and the balls. Perhaps I should have been addressing your wife this whole time."

"My husband is a king, unlike you. You're just an animal with a large fanbase." This evoked another chuckle from the giant.

"Sindel." Jerrod whispered. "Don't provoke him. Not yet."

"Ho, I like her too. My dear sweet Sindel, any other day I would rip off your limbs and snack on them, but I'm in a rare mood. This..." He gestured at the hordes behind him. "This IS leadership. This is what Baraka and Mileena could never do. Have the royal grace to accept it."

"We'll have to disagree." Jerrod replied. "So you want us to bow before you."

"Bow later, for now beg on your knees for my favor. In full view of the hordes and your..." He gestured dismissively at the few hundred bloodied remnants. "Leftovers."

"In exchange for our lives?"

"Yes. I'll even spare what's left of your army. You really couldn't ask for better terms."

"So we would be your head slaves then?"

"If that comforts you. You might have your uses later. If nothing else I could use some royal fools to entertain me and serve as warnings to opposing me."

"And the rest of Edenia?"

"Outworld you mean, you may as well start getting it right. The fact that you can't just shows what an out of date relic you are. Edenia is just one corner that thought itself more than it really was. It's people will be our livestock, to do with as we see fit, to serve us until the end of time."

"I've heard enough!" Bellowed Goro. "The prince of the Shokan bows to no Takartan dog!"

"Wait. Let me handle him." Jerrod tried to put a hand on one of the Shokan's heavily muscled arms but the prince brusquely shook him off.

"No, you had your chance! Nobody speaks for me!" Jerrod could feel the weight of the Shokan's footsteps as he strode towards the giant. Thraxa said nothing, made no motion, but half a dozen Takartans slid out from the horde to stand in front of Goro, blades protruding from each arm. The Shokan laughed.

"Are you afraid to face me without your pawns?" He asked, stretching his arms before him before he dispatched Thraxa's guards, sending them flying like pins. It was over in half a minute, the last he made a point to pound into the ground like a tent pole, leaving a bloodied mush where it's skull had been. In response to this, Thraxa clapped politely.

"If this is what you want." He motioned and the hordes backed up to give them some room. Thraxa still towered above the Shokan but the size difference was less pronounced between the two. They stood that way, silently sizing eachother up for a minute as the wasteland breeze kicked up dry dust.

Until Goro reared back and two fists flew at the Takartan's head like mallets. In response Thraxa's huge hands caught them both, and now the two fighters were locked in a contest of strength. Goro dug in with his legs, pushing with his back, but the giant Takartan didn't budge an inch. There was a twitch of movement from Thraxa now, almost as if he was making an adjustment for comfort, and Goro's feet began to slide backwards in the dirt.

"Just so you know, I'm not really trying." The Takartan stated calmy.

"You arrogant freak! Neither am I!" The other two arms now joined in the effort, at this point they would have been best used to attack but the war of wills had become a point of pride. Now all four limbs were bulging with effort, Goro's whole body shaking and sweat pouring from his brow, but the Takartan's grin never faltered. It was like watching a child try to overpower a grown man. The Takartan tightened his grip and Goro yelped like a whipped animal, but even that sound couldn't mask the sound of crunching bone.

"That's impossible!" He groaned, crumbling in the Takartan's grip. His two free hands let go of Thraxa's arms before clasping together and delivering a blow to the occupied Takartan's face. Thraxa seemed to roll his tongue about his mouth a bit before spitting a small fleck of blood onto Goro's face. "You can't be stronger than the Emperor was! You can't! I deny you, dog!"

"I'm not trying to embarrass you on purpose. You're just too weak. Goodbye O' Prince." With a grunt he pulled, and Goro's arms were torn out at the shoulders. It was not clean, it took them a moment to rip raggedly off, like one would tear a stubborn drumstick. There was nothing regal, no warrior's stoicism in Goro's horrified bellow as he stumbled, dazed, aimless, blood pouring out onto the parched ground as his other two arms tried in vain to staunch the bleeding. Thraxa let this go on for a few moments before knocking the prince face first to the ground with a hammer blow to the back of the head. Jerrod couldn't tell if it was fatal, the howling stopped, but Goro's body was still quivering. It was almost a mercy when the giant Takartan put his full weight down on his foot and crushed Goro's skull. The sound was not unlike an eggshell breaking, and Jerrod resisted the urge to retch.

"Well now." The Takartan dusted his hands mockingly over Goro's corpse. "There's one ex champion permanently retired. Would you like to go for two?" Jerrod didn't respond as he looked from the Takartan's grin back to Sindel's own hopeless eyes. Sheeva took a step forward, red eyes enraged, but she was restrained by a dozen hands. She was already down an arm, and looked worse for wear besides.

Goro was no Earthrealm soldier, but a nine time Shokan Mortak Kombat champion. There could be no comparison between Jerrod and Thraxa's strength, not after what he'd just seen. Goro had barely fazed him, Reptile had only cost the creature an eye with the element of surprise. It had only been luck that Jerrod had defeated Shao Kahn at all he thought as Goro's last words echoed in his ears. It was doubtful fighting Thraxa would be anything but suicide for him. As far as he could tell, the monster had only one weakness that he'd seen. It was a bad gamble, but the alternative was death, and an eternity of slavery for the rest.

"I challenge you!" This proclamation elicited a look of dumbfounded wonder so complete on the Takartan's features one would have thought he'd told Thraxa he had three testicles. A deafening silence fell over the field.

"Are you delusional?" Thraxa finally asked, as if he'd just figured out the punchline to a bad joke.

"You and I, here, now, in view of both of our armies. Let's decide who the true ruler of Outworld is in the way of kings."

"I shouldn't have to explain to you why that idea is ridiculous. You are utterly beaten."

"Afraid of one man? You wouldn't want the Takartans to think you a coward would you?" That elicited a scoffing laugh from Thraxa.

"You're so transparently trying to play on my ego. Who cares what they think now? I have nothing to prove to them, or you. I suppose if you won, my army would surrender?"

"That's usually how these things go. Surrender and a pledge of fealty."

"But you and all of Outworld are already my playthings. You have nothing to offer in return."

"Don't I? You want to rule and be respected, wouldn't it cement your status if you were the one to personally kill the slayer of Shao Kahn? Wouldn't it catch Mileena's interest to be the one to avenge her father?"

This actually knocked the smile off his face and now Thraxa stroked his chin thoughtfully. The Takartan next to him hissed mindlessly, saliva slobbering from it's jaws as it bared it's teeth at Jerrod. Casually, Thraxa raised one of his log like arms and then brought the over-sized fist down with tremendous force on the Takartan, eliciting an audible squelch. He gave his front line a hard look and they seemed to calm down immediately.

"Alright, I'll play with you if it makes you happy. I want something else though."

"Name your price."

"Fealty and obedience from any I spare of course." Jerrod nodded, expecting as much. "Then once I crush you, I want Mileena immediately released to my tender care. I'm sure she'll be impressed when I give her your crumbled skull as a engagement present."

"Then it's settled. I need a minute to relay my orders."

"Don't forget to say your goodbyes." He lumbered away to deliver his directive to the hordes as Jerrod conferred with what was left of his own lieutenants.

"You heard what was said. If Thraxa wins, release Mileena. Your orders then are to survive and save as many as you can. Make contact with our allies in Earthrealm. Grow strong and wait for an opening to take back Outworld, the chance will come." They received his last command solemnly and without comment. Sindel was standing, hands clasped, eyes moist as he strode up to her. Her face was filled with anger, at him, at herself, at the latest bad hand dealt in her life.

"You old fool." She pounded her fist against his chest in frustration. "Let me fight him. I'm as strong as you, you know that. I'll scream right into his ear. I'll-"

"I made the challenge. I want you to know, I always loved you. If I fall, it'll be up to you and Kitana to ensure our people survive. If I don't win-"

"No." She stopped him with a finger on his lips, but her expression was harsh. "You'll fight and you'll win. I'll never forgive you if you die again, especially after a stupid stunt like this."

"Are you ready?" Thraxa bellowed.

"My love." He gave her a quick kiss by her ear and strode back towards the giant as the hordes cleared them an adequate space to fight. Thraxa raised an arm, and the Takartan cheer was deafening, a million voices strong, it crashed down on Jerrod's ears like thunder. The cheer from his own survivors was pitiful in response, not just lacking in numbers by comparison but enthusiasm. They knew his chances. One thing filled him with strength though, in that sound, he clearly heard Sindel's voice, loudest of all. The Takartans that ringed the two fighters were omnipresent, their ring an island in a sea of enemies.

"Should we try it with swords then?" Thraxa grinnned, and from his arm extended a blade that would have taken a large man both hands to wield, with difficulty. He gave it a practice swipe or two as if it was a feather. "I've heard you're no twit with a blade."

Jerrod nodded, and two Takartans broke rank. Incredibly they'd found both his sword and axe in all this carnage and bore them to him. Jerrod filled one hand with Edenian steel and the other with whatever atrocious dark arts Shao Kahn had commissioned and prayed they would be enough. He took a deep breath, listening carefully to the storm of voices inside himself for the answer that would give him victory somehow.

"The rulers of Outworld are just long dead ghosts, and ghosts can't hurt the living!" Thraxa declared pompously, pointing the blade at Jerrod, and his army cheered again. "Back to the dust old man!"

Thraxa struck first, deceptively quick for such a behemoth, slicing at him with a crossing slash and Jerrod ducked, lithe and catlike as he let the female assassin move his body before taking the reins back, expanding on the move by springing to the side. His sword rasped against Thraxa's side, barely splitting skin, his hide and the muscle underneath were both unnaturally thick.

He pivoted and went for Thraxa's elbow with the axe but a second too late and the giant's counter kick almost caught him in the stomach. Jerrod managed to dance out of the way, and now Thraxa tried slashing at his head. Trying a different tact, Jerrod blocked with both weapons, but still the force of the blow was enough to make his arms quiver in their sockets. The axe took the blow well, but his ancestral sword quivered alarmingly. Thraxa reared back and swept at his legs and Jerrod leapt high and away.

"I'm disappointed. I thought you'd try for a head shot, I left you the opening. Losing your nerve already? There's still time to give up and lick my boots." Thraxa laughed.

He knew the opening had been a trap. He was getting nowhere fast, unless exhaustion was a destination. He wasn't fresh after fighting for the better part of the day, and he was still expending more energy against the giant than he had those cannon fodder Takartans. If Thraxa was slower, or dumber, he could exploit his weapon's length and move in close, but he'd already shown Jerrod he was ready to punish him if he thought of that again. Jerrod still had the idea that he could possibly leverage the advantage of fighting two handed, but the sword would never survive another blow like that. It would be useless anyway, leaving him with the more awkward axe. Thraxa moved without polish, but he had intelligence and power to spare it seemed.

Come on, he thought, pleading with the souls inside him. We have the greatest warriors in the realm in this body and we can't land a blow on a target that size? Taking a breath, his hands moved the weapons in a slow, dreamlike kata that was unfamiliar to him but somehow Jerrod could see the next movements in his mind.

Provoke him. Sacrifice the sword.

"You're not a king, you're not a warrior! You're an ugly, walking, throbbing, cock with cum on it's one eye. You should tie burran steak over your face if you really want Mileena to play with you." He heard a crass voice that was his but not jeer. Anger played over Thraxa's face for a moment before subsiding again into dry amusement.

"You poor mad creature. I'll put you out of your misery." He barked, charging. He wasn't stupid enough to try and cleave Jerrod in half, that was hoping for too much, but in his haste his stroke was nothing original, and the eye was surely hampering him. Time seemed to slow. He met the edge of Thraxa's blade with his sword, taking as much force off as he could by shifting his body and sliding the blade. He felt the pain all the way down to his shoulder even as he heard the grinding crack of the sword giving way. A moment was all it would withstand and then his arm would be next. He twisted further before letting the blade fly free from his hand. It flew across the field, before clattering, brittle and all but shattered.

The right side of his body was still turning, riding the impact. He saw Thraxa's orange eyes light up with surprised glee when he saw the sword knocked free. Another second to process his luck, Jerrod could actually see the Takartan deciding on his next strike. He was still twisting, and with it came the axe that had been waiting for this moment all along. It struck Thraxa right in his forearm where his blade protruded, sparks flew and Jerrod reared back and gave it another strike. Flesh and metal gave way under the blow, there was a howl of pain from Thraxa but he never dropped his guard. His other fist struck Jerrod in the face, sending him flying.

He missed most of his flight, blacking out for a second or two before he came to. His limbs moved by instinct, or perhaps at the behest of the other souls but he managed to land on his hands and feet. Stars orbited his vision, if that hadn't been a glancing blow it would have caved his face in or at the very least smashed his brains to jelly against his skull. He looked up to see Thraxa already barreling down on him and sprang like a cat before the giant fist made a deep depression where he'd just been.

He leapt clear of the next blow, barely, it felt like someone had swung a horse at him. He landed, breathing hard in a defensive stance, but Thraxa had stopped for the moment. He was inspecting the damage to his blade, Jerrod had cut a deep gash in his arm and the blade itself hung from it, loose and bent, just like a...

"Looks like the walking cock has gone limp. You look ridiculous." Jerrod heard himself say in that voice again. The blade was useless, it would do nothing but slow Thraxa down now. Instead of charging him again, Thraxa's expression cooled, and as Jerrod watched he grasped the blade, and with a grunt of pain, tore it from his arm and tossed it away. Jerrod could see the blood oozing from the arm, the hand he'd grabbed the blade with was also bleeding freely, but the expression he gave him was amused. They stood that way, regarding eachother for a few moments, neither moving. Jerrod used the time to breath in sweet air while Thraxa didn't even look winded.

"I applaud you Jerrod. But I wonder, is it honorable to fight an unarmed opponent? You still have a weapon." He nodded towards the axe.

Jerrod understood the implication immediately. The axe might be the only thing that could penetrate the giant's thick hide and he'd be a fool to give up the advantage. He wasn't just fighting for himself, he was fighting for Edenia, no, all of Outworld. However, this was a challenge in front of all the Takartans. It wasn't enough simply to plant the axe in Thraxa's skull, he had to win with honor. What good would victory be if the Takartans simply fell on the survivors? Could Kitana and the rest stand against a leaderless horde? As if unbidden, and against howls of protest from the souls inside himself, his arm took the axe and threw it aside. Jerrod followed it's arc for a moment, when he looked back, Thraxa's grin was unmistakable.

"You never had a chance against me either way, but I do admire your consistency. In recognition of it, I promise to give you a death worthy of a king. Let's begin again."

They edged towards each other, assessing. The Takartan's legs were thick with muscle but considerably less dangerous looking than the battering ram like arms. He would need to stay close without getting in the giant's grip. Those teeth were also razor sharp.

When they were within a few yards, Jerrod dashed straight towards him. Thraxa twitched, and a moment later a fist was rushing towards him, taking up Jerrod's entire field of vision. The arm swung around, anticipating a dodge to the left. Instead he slid underneath the fist at full speed, jagged rocks ripping his pants and digging grooves into the flesh on his legs. He ignored this, jack knifing until he landed a hard kick behind Thraxa's knee. When the leg didn't buckle, he stomped into the shin, it was like trying to fell a large tree. The Takartan shifted backwards, but Jerrod didn't waste a moment, already rising.

He landed a rain of surgical blows on Thraxa as the souls inside guided his hands. Two fluid strikes to the kidneys. A palm blow to the diaphragam meant to rupture internal organs. A fist to a gut as hard as stone, a knee to the testicles. The Takartan barely blinked, before stepping back and winding up for a haymaker. Jerrod continued to strike ineffectually at the creature, this much violence would have staggered Shao Kahn, so when the massive fist caught his ribs it took him by surprise.

He felt two of them crack, the agony washing over him in any icy flood before he'd even hit the ground. He skipped twice like a stone, before coming to rest a good distance away from his opponent. Now that he'd felt Thraxa's power, he wasn't sure if he could take another blow from him. The Takartan was advancing on him slowly, enjoying himself to the fullest.

After all, it's not everyday you get to kill a king for a captive audience.

We can't fight him directly, we'll have to wear him down then. If you can't shatter the stone, make a crack, exploit it. Take him apart a piece at a time.

But Thraxa was too smart for that, Jerrod could already tell. Shakily he got to his feet and sucked in wind, tried to ignore the pain in his chest. He couldn't block or redirect any of Thraxa's blows, he was just too strong. This time when Thraxa struck, Jerrod was ready. A miss was punished with a blow to the thick neck. He dodged another killing blow and answered with a precise strike to the eardrum. Still nothing. In answer to this, Thraxa's fists flew at Jerrod. Survival became all as Jerrod jumped, crouched, and twisted his body in ways he as a man never thought possible. There was no time for thought, or need for it with the souls guiding his movements. Thraxa growled in what must have been frustration, even as Jerrod narrowly avoided being pulped again and again. He couldn't be precise without both eyes.

There's a feint that's more effective on enemies with no depth perception. Let me show you.

It might work. Finally an opening.

As he twisted, Jerrod's two fingers straightened and flew towards Thraxa's one good eye like an arrow to snatch away what remained of his sight, hopefully crippling him. The Takartan's grin reemerged as he moved to grab the hand but Jerrod was ready. The king's hands dropped suddenly then struck Thraxa's body, hard and with purpose and for the first time since the fight began the giant was given pause. Jerrod noted with some satisfaction that finally Thraxa seemed to feel something, there was the unmistakable give of air being knocked out his opponent's chest.

Jerrod hit him with sixteen of Grandmaster Cha's interlocking fists, the seventeenth of which could shatter stone if the others connected when Thraxa responded with his own knee, knocking the wind out of Jerrod. A massive elbow dropped like an anvil on him just as Jerrod managed to raise his arms. The Takartan leaned his weight on the elbow, grinning, and though Jerrod's knees didn't give he felt himself sink several inches into the ground. He pushed back with all his might though his arms felt like tender saplings about to snap. In response, Thraxa merely cocked his other arm back, letting Jerrod see what was in store for him. He had nowhere to evade this time so he twisted his body to the side and-

He was soaring through a black, starless night sky. Air whistled in his ears as he went, to meet the Elder Gods or his lady love, he wasn't sure, he only knew he was flying so fast-

Before landing at the feet of several Takartans who gleefully kicked dirt on his prone form. Somewhere his wife was shouting.

Why? Was he late for some dinner engagement?

His head swam, his entire world was pain.

Get up! Get up!

"I have to give you some credit for continuously changing your style. You gave me some trouble." He heard a voice say.

Who was this strange fop addressing? What did his clothing choices have to do with it?

"Anyone else would have been dead in three passes."

If you can't finish the job I'll take over.

It doesn't matter now. We can't beat him.

"Maybe you should have let your woman take a turn at me."

The voice laughed, and Jerrod came back to himself. His body didn't want to move anymore. Every bone felt brittle, his organs crushed, and breath was only barely making it's way to his lungs through the pinhole of his throat. He tore his face mask off, wheezed, then wretched painfully. Green blood seemed to fill his throat and nose and run down his chin.

Thraxa was striding up to him now, casually. Sure of victory. He wouldn't end it quickly, no, he'd dispatch Jerrod in some garish, blood drenched spectacle that would be talked about for an age. He searched within, desperately, for the strength to move, for an answer. The souls clamored and argued and raged and screamed at him, at eachother. But underneath it all, he heard the same thing. There was no blow in martial arts that would avail him. Thraxa was even stronger than Shao Kahn and that punch had felt like taking a blow from the Emperor's hammer. What had ever made him think he could stand against him?

Thraxa's shadow fell over the broken king. The Emperor had been gloating over his beaten form just like this. He looked for Sindel, wanting his last image to be her, not this monster. He caught sight of her, horror in her milky eyes. From her expression he was already dead in her mind, she was only waiting on Thraxa's next blow to make it official.

He'd been so close. To Sindel, the memory of it came rushing back. He'd been sleep walking, broken, about to die. She was the one who had brought him back to the surface, because of her. They'd been here before, all of them, and it awakened a memory. A last gasp. No, there was one thing left he could do, and it had nothing to do with the state of this body.

"Goodbye Jerrod." Thraxa laughed as giant hands reached for his skull.

Together they pushed. As if the masses had all committed to pushing a mountain over with their bare hands, and each time they met with resistance, another soul seemed to join in the effort. The Takartan stopped, his grin faltered and he started shaking. Straining, he took a step forward. In response, Jerrod and thousands of other warriors somehow found the strength to push even harder. The skull wouldn't give, it was reinforced to withstand even the Emperors blows, so the souls pushed past it, into the softer, spongy brain. A bubble formed inside, expanded, and this time Thraxa stopped and fell to his knees. Jerrod stood up somehow and regarded the giant's quivering form with green swamplight eyes. The Takartan was shaking back and forth violently, clutching his temples. His eyes and ears were bleeding, red rivulets streamed from the corners of his mouth.

"Cheated. You're...no...king." He gurgled, then incredibly he started laughing. The laughter soon turned to a sputter as bubbling gore issued from the Takartan's throat. He went to his hands and knees.

"Then at least Edenia still has a queen. Surrender and I'll grant you quarter."

"You know...it's finished." Thraxa spat, adding to the blood pooling at Jerrod's feet. "Make it...memorable." Jerrod nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating. The force built, pulsing, until with a final push Thraxa's eyes exploded, gushing blood and brains. The giant Takartan shuddered and fell to the ground, kicking up dust.

Jerrod felt completely drained, down to his very own soul. It was unnaturally quiet, for a moment he thought perhaps his senses were leaving him, so he looked around to see the sea of Takartans staring back at him in disbelief. The silence was deafening but strangely he didn't feel any pain now that things were going dark around the edges. He raised his fist in triumph, it was like pulling a puppet's string, but now he heard a cheer, like distant waves crashing. He took a step towards the sound, and then another. He wasn't sure if he was moving his own legs, he felt like a passenger in his own body again. He wondered if he'd lost something after all. Was he becoming Ermac again?

"Jerrod!" He looked around at the sound, felt the dim pressure of his wife's arms around him. He wanted to sink into them, and she was looking at him with some expression he only remembered from their courting days.

"Whatever else, you did it." Another strong hand supported him. Sheeva, his wife's bodyguard. Another, one of Jade's commanders. Another, one of those blood splattered mercenaries. Together the hands bore him upwards. Dazed, he shook his head and looked around again.

All across the plain the Takartan's numbers stretched. They were kneeling, all of them, as far he could see, in acknowledgement of his victory and the bargain struck with their leader. With a supreme effort, Jerrod managed to maintain the illusion of consciousness until he was out of their sight. Only then did he allow himself the luxury of oblivion.

After some weeks, he'd healed enough to have the talk he'd been half dreading.

"It's getting better. They say I'll be getting about on a cane in a few months. I might be able to handle stairs in a year or two at this rate." Jade grit. She was working the pair of therapy bars, gingerly putting weight on each step but mostly letting her arms compensate. Jerrod could tell it was a struggle, she was no stranger to hiding her pain and he could see she was sweating profusely. He'd seen her twice, briefly, each time she'd been attacking the bars with full effort. She stopped, took a deep breath and looked at him speculatively. "Look at you there, walking without a hobble. If I could heal like you, I might even welcome another voice or thousand in my head."

The beating had been more severe than what he'd taken from Shao Kahn, and the suffering he endured recovering worse still. He'd been out for weeks, then laid up until recently. The physicians came to him night and day, it was only his unique physiology that gave him his miraculous outlook. Even with their healing arts and magicks any other man would have spent the rest of his life in bed, begging for death, if that man had somehow survived having his bones and organs crushed with the force of a runaway carriage.

"That's been one upside to my condition at least. I was still pissing green just last week."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing you talk like that."

"Heh, I come back after being dead for ten thousand years with a magical body and multiple personalities and you think the strangest thing about it all is my swearing. How dull was I before?"

"Not dull, but sort of comforting in your predictability, you know? We could always rely on you to be mortified by a little sauciness."

"Living the way I do has involved alot of concessions." Like sleeping with you he added mentally, and she actually smirked as if thinking it herself.

"Too bad you were out for a month, we could have been bedmates. Er, roommates." She laughed, then groaned in discomfort. "It's good to hear it hasn't been a problem yet. Things are going well otherwise. I'm glad Kitana stepped in, I used to have lieutenants to keep me updated on things."

"And Giles." Jerrod added.

"Yes, and him. We won a great victory but there's a vacuum now."

"I managed to limp out a few days ago and give a speech to the troops, just to show I was still alive. The peace should keep for awhile."

"I guess the war's done for the most part. The important thing is that the Takartans are honoring Thraxa's bargain."

Outworld had warily welcomed the Takartans into the fold and for now they served as a useful deterrent to any unfriendly realms who might be tempted to invade in this weakened state. Integrating them safely would take decades and a great deal of effort, but it was far easier than warring with them. Some handful of tribes had refused outright though. One was obliterated immediately by the hordes for failing to keep their oath of fealty, the others quickly fled to the outskirts of Outworld proper. They might be a problem many years down the line, but Jerrod was told they were just as likely to war with eachother now without a strong leader.

Jade already knew all this though. Somehow he was always talking in circles with her, and his wife these days, but he finally felt strong enough for breaking the stalemate. With a grunt of effort, Jade lifted herself up and perched on one of the bars by supporting herself with her arms.

"You don't need to show off." She shook her head and smiled that old smile at him.

"You look very, very well. Last time I saw you, you were still wincing all the time. How are things with the Queen?"

"She's been busy picking up my slack but it's finally quieting down again with the war over." He replied carefully. She'd asked casually but her expression made her look like some nervous student awaiting the results of a test. "We're still talking at least. I'd say things stand about where they were...after you told her about us."

"No better than that? There's no great enemy hanging over your head. And I'm out of the picture now."

"Jade..." She shrugged, still smiling, as if it was all nothing to her.

"It's alright. I knew it couldn't last, but I enjoyed it all the same. She came to see me this morning, did you know that?" He shook his head.

"What did she say?"

"That you were having dinner tonight, and you two were trying. I told her she didn't need to worry, that I wasn't going to seduce you again. While you were still married anyway."

"I'm sorry that you got caught up in-"

"Just promise me three things." She interrupted, to his relief.

"Anything."

"You'll continue to use me. I may not be able to do a somersault anymore but my mind is still sharp. Don't put me out to pasture and make me fat on a pension. That'd be like a living death."

"You're still our best general. Always will be."

"And you'll keep visiting me till I'm mobile." He nodded, he'd intended to do all these things anyway. "And, on the off chance that things don't work out between you and the queen..." The smile was impenetrable, the only thing that gave her away were the slight blooms of color in her cheek until he nodded. She didn't press, simply lowered herself back down, holding her breath and probably tremendous pain in. "As you can see, it's not like I couldn't walk the gardens with you soon."

She was looking at him with those knowing eyes, as if she could tell he was thinking of their nights together. Which he was. It was unlikely she'd move with more than an old woman's hobble the rest of her life. Never again would she dance across the battlefield.

Or scale a sheer wall to slip into our bedroom window, lithe and unseen like a ghost. Then ride us like we were an unbroken stallion.

"I'd still be a lucky man." He was walking a delicate line now, he didn't want to give her false hope but he still wanted her to know he was in earnest. There were so many things he could say but he was certain they'd both regret most of them.

"Maybe. I guess you have a happy ending to look forward to either way, so don't worry. I've got a good feeling this time that things will finally work out for you. Go, enjoy your dinner, patch things up with your wife. The realm needs it, and that's all I ever wanted anyway. What's best for you and the realm." Those eyes begged him to kiss her, and he almost did, but with difficulty he settled for grasping her hand tightly.

"Thank you. For your service, for your friendship. For everything." He managed awkwardly. "I'd better go.

"I'll be here." She replied as she started working her bars again. When he closed the door she didn't even look up as if she'd already banished him from mind.

"I'll always be here." She murmured, before choking back a sob and letting herself sink to the floor, breathing hard.

"So this Chu really beat Kitana in a fair fight?"

"Cho. C-H-O."

"But in Earthrealm, doesn't that word mean-"

"It's not that he smells, just, well, you'll see soon enough."

Jerrod and Sindel were savoring the last course of an elegant, relaxing private dinner. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually enjoyed a meal to be social, least of all with his wife. They'd both cleaned up for the evening. Sindel looked ravishing in purple evening dress, while Jerrod had changed in favor of formal silk and sash. Kitana had been invited but had declined with a playful, knowing smile. She knew this was their big bid at getting back together, none felt it more keenly than the couple. The conversation and the Tienjo wine flowed freely, and his wife finally seemed at ease with him.

"So I told our daughter, I saw the problem right off. She'd underestimated him, and if he really wanted to see how great warriors protected Outworld I'd be happy to show him."

"And then?"

"Well I think he tried to walk it back a bit Beating a few guards and even the princess was one thing, but what could he do? Embarrass the Queen herself or look like a windbag?"

The way his wife told it, Kitana stepping in had been a combination of annoyance at this Bo Rai Cho's drunken boasts and curiosity at his skill after seeing the man put a dozen royal guards on their backs effortlessly. They both probably would have rethought the match if they'd known Sindel was nearby.

"I beat him of course, in the end he vomited all over his own shoes when I punched him in the stomach. I think that humiliated him more than anything. He was good though. He pushed me hard, he might actually be the best I've seen. If someone like that instructed our soldiers, I'd never worry about the realm's safety again. And they tell me he's not without some military background."

"I trust your judgment, he sounds like someone we could use. It's good you finally found someone who could challenge you."

"I think he could beat anyone...normal."

"Sindel, you're not-"

"I just meant someone like Kitana or Jade, that's all. Someone who doesn't owe their existence to magic."

"Well if you need someone on your level, I'd be the natural choice. I didn't want to boast but I AM the champion of the last tournament."

"So you're saying you can take whatever I can dish out?"

"I may be the only one in the realm who could keep up with you."

"I would win though. You would go easy on me and I would do whatever it took to get you on your back."

"And once I was there what would you have for a prize?"

"Mmmm." His wife chuckled and took another sip. She was finishing her glass, it was strong wine and he'd had two and was feeling it. They'd flirted throughout the evening, confidence and innuendo gradually building until they couldn't even make it through a topic as unsexy as Bo Rai Cho without dropping strong hints. Sindel was wearing several silver pins in her white hair, sweeping it back in strategically placed waves to give her a noble, slightly exotic look. He wanted to see it, and her, undone. There were blooms in her cheeks from the wine when she heaved a sigh.

"You know I'm still bad for you Jerrod, that hasn't changed."

"I'm learning to enjoy many things that are bad for me."

"I just thought I'd give you final warning."

"Darling, if you don't want me or don't want this-"

"We're at the point now where we have to do something or call the whole thing off."

"We don't have to do anything."

"We'll both go crazy if we don't. I know it looks like I have this self control but I want to just rip your clothes off and ride you down." With an effort, Jerrod restrained his own desire and that of a thousand other souls.

"That would be...very enjoyable." When he said nothing more, she bit her lip in nervous desire.

"I want it."

That was it. It was almost like when he'd blacked out in his fight with Thraxa, one moment they were looking at each other across the table, the next he was across the room. His hands roamed inside his wife's dress, her fingertips played across his flanks, caressed his chest, tore at the sash. The straps of her dress came undone in his hands and it took all his control not to strip it off her body even as her hands squeezed his ass. They were drowning in the kiss then abruptly she pushed him away.

Not again! I can't stand this!

Please just take her!

"It's not like that." She replied to his look, hesitantly replacing one of the straps. I'm terrified." She half laughed, but he could see now that beneath all the conversation and all the wine she'd been putting on a brave face. "I'd rather fight two Thraxas then face this moment. I've finally stepped out into space and now you have to catch me." Her pearl eyes searched his green ones for understanding, and softened when they found it.

"I would be very gentle with you."

"NO!" She protested hotly, and then laughed that shakily. "I mean, I don't want you to. You saved the realm, and me. Again. I'd say you've earned some dessert husband."

"I can't tell if you tease me like this because you run hot and cold or you just want to build me up so I ravish you."

"Both." She grinned, then got serious again. "I'm not afraid of doing that with you, and I'm a woman of my word. I made a promise and I'm not talking myself out of it. I'm afraid of what comes directly after. Moving forward. I know I want you, but should I?"

"It doesn't really matter to me anymore whether this is 'right'. I've had to stop worrying so much about every single moment and focus on what I need I now. But before you make your decision it might be a good idea to see what I'm like in bed first. Could you even endure me?"

"Now that sounds like a challenge."

"I meant with my condition. We don't fully understand what the sorcery did to our minds and bodies. Sometimes I don't want to even face myself in the mirror." She nodded thoughtfully. As if he'd revealed some secret she'd didn't want to admit even to herself she seemed to come a decision.

"If you can deal with my issues I'll deal with yours. Come with me now before we talk it to death." She took him by the hand and led him down the hall. Affection, apprehension, dread, lust. His feelings all mirrored in her face each time she looked back. They reached her bedroom door.

"I'm just giving us one final out. Point of no return."

She hasn't decided if this is a back together screw or a farewell screw. Are you sure? You could still choose Jade. It would be simpler for everyone.

After sacrificing so much, you can't possibly lose her now Jerrod.

He had the very real sense that he was standing not at her door but at a gateway to...paradise? Certain doom? Everything he'd wanted lay beyond, or another lifetime of regret. The voices argued and chattered, but the consensus was with him that he would go through with it. He wanted her, and they wanted their reward.

"I could never regret being with you." His queen just nodded her head, but he could see the pleased smile at the corners of her mouth.

"Then come in and sit down. I'll be as quick as I can."

She kept him waiting for what felt like years in a fever of anticipation. The minutes dragged on, and he worried in the back of his mind that she'd lose her nerve after everything. The teasing, the near surrenders then withdrawals, the chase, had all been implicitly sexual. Now that it was over and he'd caught her, he couldn't stop thinking of all the things he wanted to do to her, and the voices were only too happy to add to that list.

After fifteen minutes, she came out of the bathroom, and he saw with some disappointment she'd changed into a loose fitting purple robe. She still looked beautiful but it was simple, domestic, maybe to remind him of the time before when they'd been married and thought nothing of going to bed together.

"Thanks for waiting. A steamy bath and some wine always gets me in the mood." She took the glass he offered and drained it, then in one quick motion straddled herself across his lap. She offered him the glass.

"Don't have too much more, I don't want you falling asleep." He admonished.

"I'm not drunk, just the right amount of tipsy for this. Nobody will be falling asleep tonight if I get my way." She kissed his lips, the spicy sweet taste of Tienjo on her tongue, the soft pressure of her hands caressing his face, moving through his hair. "I tried ignoring it, I tried cheating it but I want you." She hesitated when they kissed again, so with great effort he turned her face back towards him so she had to look him in the eyes.

"I'm not the way I was before either. I'm embarrassed of what you're going to think of the new me."

"I love you. No need to be shy, you're safe with me."

"You're in this young, strong body, it almost feels like I'm cheating on you with yourself. "

"It's me in here Sindel."

"'Good. Then I'll indulge your every fantasy. Every decadent urge. You can share me, but I want my husband to stay with me the whole time. Do you hear me in there?

"They hear you."

"What are they saying?"

"All manner of things. They're excited."

"Tell me.”

"They want to explore every inch of your body with my fingers. Take your nipples in my teeth, and lick you breathless with my tongue. Then take you on the bed, against the wall, in that chair. Standing, sitting, bent over." The flush was no longer just from the wine, her skin seemed to glow, and her eyes smoldered.

"You never talked to me that way before. Tell me more.”

“They think you're beautiful and powerful. I do too. They want to know just how powerful.” He looked appreciatively at her legs.

“I want to know too. I love the way you're looking at me now. I should give you something more to look at." With a grin, she let the robe slowly drop to the floor to reveal underneath she was clad in lacy white lingerie. Garters showcased the moons of her buns and the delicate bra contoured his wife's smooth, round breasts.

"Elder gods." He breathed, and moved towards her but she stopped him on the lips with her fingertip.

"I want to see you too." She undid the shirt first, stripping it off him and running her nails over his chest and then abs with a satisfied sigh. She ran a hand through his black hair, touched his cheek, and peered into the green eyes curiously.

"You're just so different."

"It's still me darling."

"That's all that matters to me. And that you don't get angry if I say I love the new you as much as the old one."

"Never. I feel the same way about you." She moved close and whispered in his ear, teasing him with her breath.

"Do you think you can handle me husband? Maybe I should just baby and fuss over you?"

"Don't be embarrassed. I want all your fierceness, don't hold anything back."

"Mmmm." She looked him up and down with hungry eyes, then undid the sash and eagerly pulled down the breeches. His cock stood firmly erect for the queen, he'd been flustered for some time now and the teasing had made him harder still. She took it in her hands with a curious awe, as if she'd never seen one. Her hand softly stroked, more to test than give pleasure, and her look was almost virginal as she examined it this way and that. She touched a pulsing vein and he sucked in breath.

"Your body's different Jerrod. You're...bigger." She exhaled, squeezing to gauge the thickness and in response he throbbed and the head jumped a little. "You're pretty spry for an old man." She laughed.

"The bedroom is the last place a man wants to hear a woman laugh."

"I'm sorry I just can't stop picturing you doing those high kicks with this swinging around!" Aware that she was close to killing the mood, her face regained some seriousness. "Now take a look at these."

She undid the bra, exposing breasts more magnificent than he could remember even when they first married. She'd gained maturity without sacrificing even a fraction of beauty, strength without losing any femininity. He couldn't control himself any longer, taking her in his arms and giving her a kiss to kill, before burying his face in those smooth, perfect orbs. His wife cried out, and her knees buckled even as she kept her grip on his member and softly stroked. He'd waited for this an eternity, and then again since coming back he thought as his hands roamed her body.

All the beautiful women in the realm, none of them hold a candle to the queen. None.

This face, this body, those breasts, those lips.

In response to this thought, he stole another kiss from them, drinking from them as a parched man would in the desert. His wife's nails ran over his flanks, squeezed his shoulders, before urging him onto the bed.

"I want you to lay down and let me suck this huge cock." She said deliberately, and he flushed hot. She'd always been too shy to talk that way before, and hearing those words in her regal voice..."Oh, that's what I wanted to see!" She remarked, pleased at his renewed stiffness.

She accepted him hungrily. Her technique had improved greatly since the last time they'd tried this, the old Sindel could never bring him to release with tongue work alone. Now she moved along his length expertly, covering every inch and occasionally flicking his balls. Then, endlessly she teased only the head, sucking on just the very tip before slowly sliding down, flicking the edges with her tongue, never going lower to his shaft. Her eyes patronized him and her sly grin widened as her lips slowly parted and she deliberately lowered her head until his shaft was sliding in the the seal of her mouth. Sindel swallowed him whole, bobbed quickly, then removed him with a pop, nuzzling against his rod lovingly, caressomg her cheeks with it.

He remembered her reaction with Aiden, how she'd actually seemed to enjoy having a cock against her face. He thought maybe she just been performing to heighten the mood but her eyes lidded in pleasure and she moved her face underneath his member, rubbing against her skin, feeling it's warmth on against her lips.

“So much cock...” She murmured. “All for me.”

The pearl eyes were unashamed, undone, hungry. She kissed underneath his shaft, running her fingers in a delicate flute players grip, before encircling him and letting his length rest and bounce on her long tongue. She ran her tongue along the underside, then down the seam of his balls. She then took it down her throat, then let it run back over her cherry lips, the O rising agonizingly slow before swishing the head.

He thought he could hold out longer, but as she sucked rapidly it was too much. Jerrod groaned in pleasure, cumming on her face, unable to hold back, then came again at her expression as she licked at it and milked him for his remaining drops.

That was the blowjob to end all blowjobs. What else can your wife do?

He wondered as well. Her face was so flushed now, and as he watched her performance he remained rock hard. Sindel seemed to come back to herself and her eyes slipped to the side, strangely shy, as his cock made it's intentions clear.

“I'm ready for you if you still want more.”

“I don't think it's fair for you to do all the work. Lay back wife, let me taste you.”

He peeled the panties off, half mad with want. Her slit was wet now, and he made her wetter still when his tongue met her crevice.

“Ah!” Her hands ran through his hair, pulling his head closer, her hips bucked once, twice, pushing up to give him more access. His tongue explored with an instinct and technique he'd never known before, like they had in the battle, the moves just came to him. She thrust her hips up with each lick, trying to catch as much of the surface of his tongue on her clit as she could.

“Yes, there, keep going, that's the spot, that's it darling, lick it! Right there! I've never felt something so good!” Her voice broke as he inhaled her scent, and ate her up, flicked his tongue rapidly, then drew back slowly."

Women always loved this one.

He grasped her delicious cheeks, drawing her to the tip of tongue, teased the hooded nub, before gently biting her rosebud. Her back arched, and when he withdrew his lips were wet with her taste.

“When did you learn to do that?” She breathed.

“These things just come to me when I look at your beauty. I'm a little embarrassed of what I'm thinking now.” He confessed, and she smiled.

“Any fantasy husband, I'll make it a reality tonight.”

“Lay back then and close your eyes, I want to try something new.” She obliged him, a little nervously, as she lay back among the pillows, hands behind her head and eyes closed. Her curvaceous body lay offered to him to plunder.

His control didn't just extend to his consciousness or the voices themselves. He'd had time to learn finer control over his telekinesis, and always underneath all the practical ways he could use, he'd fantasized of this. His green eyes became half lidded, and his temples tingled dully as he focused.

Sindel felt phantom fingers run through her hair and touch her cheek. Unseen hands slid along her thighs, underneath her legs, and began to kneed her buttocks. Another hand joined, and then another. Now her body was covered with indentations that moved and caressed, a dozen invisible hands rippling her flesh all across her body as they groped her. She moaned and shifted. One of them stimulated her
clitoris in slow circles as two more squeezed her full breasts while tweaking the erect nipples. Sindel gasped as the force spread her legs, and took shape about the size of a man as it slipped inside of her and began to thrust.

It was the sexiest thing Jerrod had ever seen, to watch Sindel like this while simultaneously making love to her. His wife was writhing, her white hair flowing in every direction. Her folds spread seemingly by themselves as her breasts rolled with each movement of the ghostly protrusion. All the while her body was teased by hands which acted as if they had a mind of their own. One wouldn't leave her clit alone as another pinched her nipple. Her labia opened and contracted on it's own, he could clearly see inside as Sindel's vaginal muscles twitched and squeezed to meet each invisible pump. She was panting now, and she opened her eyes to see herself, and then groaned like an animal.

“Oh. My. Gods! Squeeze my tits!”

“Do you want more darling?” Jerrod asked, but she only moaned in response. This was much more than he'd ever done with her but it seemed like she wanted him to go farther. “Do you want to know what three cocks at once feels like?” He blushed after asking, feeling like a pervert, but she only nodded.

“Yes! Yes!”

He grinned and let his power flow and have it's way with her. The head of a spectral member pressed against Sindel's lips insistently and a moment later she opened her mouth and gave it access. Her eyes closed as the member moved across her lips and began to move in tandem with the one inside her. A small tendril of force about the size of a finger gently entered her anus. It stopped about an inch in, exploring, and then delved deeper until she was completely full. Sindel shuddered and bucked in a frenzy as she was used by the spectral energies of her husband. He was making a whore of her, and they were both loving it. With what seemed like her last bit of self control she gasped.

“Please no more Jerrod! No more teasing! I want you to fuck me now!”

He was on her in a moment, bursting with want. Slipping into Sindel was like being enveloped in ecstasy. His sword filled her scabbard as she accepted him between her legs, her soft lips urged him on as he crushed her into the pillows. All the memories of the times they'd tried flooding back to him. It was the time before that last battle, it was the very first time with her, and then memories that weren't his began to overtake him. Times he'd been gentle, sadistic, giving, taking. His wife was a thousand different lovers and experiences to him, but none of those others could compare to this moment now.

Your wife is so lucky, I wish it was me on the other end

Focus on your thrusts, it's all in the small of the back.

He allowed them a taste, letting them guide his movements without giving over control, as his martial arts teachers had once guided his limbs to improve his form in his youth. He drove his length into her, before filling her until he could feel the heat of her thighs against his.

“Do you like it?” He breathed, trying to keep up with her quickening pace.

“Yes, I love it this way! I love you watching me, touching me all over with your eyes.” Without warning, she sat up and bit his nipple softly, causing him to moan. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

“Do you want me to fuck you well?”

“Now! You fill me so completely, it's so tight!” Sindel breathed rapidly, urging him on, and the huge bed shook from the motion of him entering her, eliciting a clap as their flesh met each time. The souls rose, as they had before, trying to wrest control to crest this wave of pleasure that engulfed him, and as before with Jade, he allowed them a taste before coming back to this moment he intended to be fully present for.

“You're so thick! Give me those long strokes!” She squealed in delight, and he drove with renewed vigor. Jerrod was acutely aware of the youth and amazing power in his own body, and gave it all to his wife. The bedspread bunched up in her hands as she snaked her hips, drawing him in. He pounded his shaft deep into her vessel until he could stand no more and pulled out, bursting onto her orbs in a hot white line.

"Look what you did to me darling!" He gasped as he his hot orgasm rained down on her. Her eyes closed and her mouth pursed in anticipation and when streams of his seed laced her chest, her neck, and then she squeezed her tits together in satisfaction and lapped at it as it trickled between her ripe mounds.

"So good. Do you have any more cream for me?

“You still want another round?" He asked in delighted surprise. If his prim, demure wife had really changed, if she was fine with it then he saw no need not to indulge himself and give her what she wanted. It was Sindel, but she was different, it was like she was a new woman and it truly excited him. In the past they would have both been finished by now, but she turned and pounced on him like an animal and climbed upon his belly. Sindel looked down at him with ravenous desire, and a smirk played across her lips.

“Do you like that? She asked, and he frowned, puzzled at the sensation. Her hands were on his chest, but...he looked to the side. Her hair had slithered about his body without him noticing, what he'd taken to be her fingers pressing into his wrist and tugging his spear to attention were tendrils of her hair. More strands moved as if alive, wrapping around his ankles. “Can you move? Poor baby. If you can't then I'll just have to do whatever I want then.”

Jerrod made a perfunctory struggle for her amusement but she had him right where he wanted to be and he had no intention of breaking free. She'd always been submissive in the bedroom and he was enjoying this new aggressiveness immensely. Small tendrils of her hair wrapped around the base of his root and began to stroke him with the dexterity of fingers. Rising so he could see, her hair encircle the base of his cock, urging him to cum for her again as her womanhood made the same argument by swallowing the head and then his shaft.

"It seems you've got a new trick too."

“I'm going to enjoy my plaything until I'm completely satisfied.” She grinned, before taking him, shuddering with every inch as she lowered herself down. She flew on the tip of his cock, rubbing his chest possessively before kissing his nipples, his neck, his mouth. She ground down on him, pushing her glorious breasts in his face. Jerrod nuzzled between them, in heaven, before lapping at the nipples, then suckling. He tongued a ring around one areola, then another, brushed the quivering nub with his tongue before biting softly, and her body shuddered. It was too much.

Grinning, his hands rose and her face turned to shock when he broke free. Or more likely Sindel released her grip, but in a half moment he'd risen, spreading her cheeks and driving them down onto his lap as he propelled up inside her. They moaned in unison as he entered deeper than ever, placing his hands firmly on her delectable form.

“So full! Give it to me! I love you Jerrod!” She cried as she slid down his shaft, squeezing tight.

“I love you too!”

“Promise me!” She panted, straddling him as he caressed her body. He withdrew, and she moaned in a panic before he penetrated her from behind, sitting her on his lap and bouncing her splendor on his length.

“That's-that's my-” Her voice had risen to a pitch that made her sound like a teenager. Her hair coiled around his body, like wild snakes, forcing herself down on him as she sank down to his hilt.

The feeling of her working the tip along with the sensation of her jerking him off at the base was almost too much, so he distracted himself with his wife's large breasts, kneading them them in his hands, and put all his strength into his pelvis, lifting her further.

“So strong! Don't hold back on me!” He silenced her with a kiss and she melted against him, continuing their rhythm in his lap with small grinds before rocking faster. She rode his firmness ferociously, the friction overwhelming. He felt his sap rising like a geyser, he couldn't take it much longer.

Hey, maybe you should slow down Jerrod.

“Sindel. You've got to get off. We can't-”

“Just a little more! It's hitting the spot, you're all the way in!” She wouldn't let him go, she was enjoying him too much, quickening her pace and fucking him harder with each bounce and plea from him.

Her pussy is perfect, that fine pair bouncing beneath my hands, the queen is so tight, she's squeezing the life right out of me! I know we shouldn't but I can't hold it. This is torture!

Is this what sex as a man feels like? It's too good. I can't...can't...OH GOD!

“I don't care!” She cried. “I want to feel you gush in my pussy Jerrod!”

There was no resisting her, not even if he wanted to. He pushed Sindel down and buried himself deep inside her and her legs wrapped around the small of his back, coaxing him further with every thrust. Her body moved like a metronome, her moans rising with each motion, until he splashed inside her like a mighty wave. They cried out as if dying, but still he pumped her until he was completely empty. White seed trickled from her onto the bedspread.

Jerrod fell back into the pillows, Sindel panting slightly to his side, murmuring ever so softly as she shifted against him in satisfaction. Beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads. This time he was truly spent. There had never been any such thing as bad sex between them, but pulling out didn't compare to the relief of finishing inside his wife. This had been something he could barely put to words.

“That was...flawless.” He said finally as she traced absent circles on his chest with a plum colored nail.

"Are you sorry we did it?"

"No. Not for a second." Bliss was giving way to clarity though, and his brow furrowed.

"Are you worried? It took us many enjoyable years to have Kitana. Despite that impressive session, I'm not young. I'm sure it's fine."

Jerrod almost couldn't remember the last time they'd done it back to back. The bedroom had just been another playground, especially since they'd been trying for a child. Since that was a royal duty for them both, it had been very easy to justify spending all night and the next morning in bed with the queen, but this was something else. Her hand touched caressed his chin until he had to look her in the eyes.

"I feel so wonderful. Like I don't have to fight it anymore."

"Like there are finally no barriers between us. This is where I wanted to be all along, next to you." He ran a hand through the endless snowdrift of her hair possessively. His again, finally his.

"Do you love me? The new me?" She shifted awkardly, as if afraid that he'd reject her after all.

"I love the new you, and everything that comes with her."

"That's good then. Because I love the old you and the new you. I think we'll be alright. We got through this time without you switching on us, and I gave you all I had."

"All?" Her devil may care smile widened, and the eyes simmered.

"Not everything. I have lots more fantasies, this was just to see what you could handle. I think only a champion could fulfill them. Now where can I find someone like that?"

"Say, I won a tournament once..." She giggled and sighed as he drew the covers over them and went back to his very pleasurable work. Unnatural stamina and a sex drive had it's benefits, they both found, to their mutual delight.

Three small spheres orbited smoothly in Quan Chi's right hand, like crystal moons.

They were to monitor his servants, but he found it relaxing to spin them in his palm. He would move two in a slow, steady ring with this thumb, then switch one out with the other as he pondered. Dark blue, dark yellow, pink. Normally the last was the color of dried blood but right now it glowed a pink so bright it was almost white. The crystal's color indicated his puppet was experiencing extreme happiness, excitement, and pleasure. He'd wondered how long she would continue to resist her programming. The end game could wait though, there was something else to consider now. Shang Tsung's creation had been killed.

"They didn't see you?"

"Of course not." The ninja was completely ebon, down to his skin, and his clothes seemed to meld with it like lacquer, only his white eyes stood out. He knelt before Quan Chi but that this was not his desire was plain. The ninja once known as Bi-Han had become insufferably arrogant since his resurrection into darkness, but it was a small thing to tolerate for his skills. Quan Chi let him continue to kneel, a little humility might do him good. The blue crystal, marred deeply with swirling darkness continued it's easy circuit amongst it's fellows.

"Interesting...very interesting." The half Takartan girl was far more than the sum of her parts he had to admit, but Thraxa had been an uninspired piece with all the elegance of an obese drunk, the logical end result of the flesh pit experiments. He wondered if perhaps Shang Tsung had left any other surprises waiting to be discovered wandering the wastes. Quan Chi scoffed silently at the prospect. He considered himself a superior necromancer, far more practical than the decadent, decrepit Tsung, who had tethered himself to the late Shao Kahn like a boil on the Emperor's ass. He would have killed them both when it suited him but the Emperor's own creation had saved him the trouble, how poetic.

How Tsung must have fumed to have all those delicious souls sealed up into Ermac. Ermac, empowered by the former king of Edenia no less, and right after Shao Kahn had commissioned Quan Chi to resurrect his queen. Did the return of both royals mean something or was it fantastic coincidence? It bore consideration.

He found himself almost missing the imbecilic Khan and his pet sorceror now. Ermac may have been the over elaborate work of a gifted amateur who was trying too hard, but he couldn't deny the results. The realms were poorer for having lost them, Quan Chi thought with a sliver of genuine regret. Having no worthy rivals would surely deaden his ambitiousness and make him complacent. Not to mention he'd missed out on the pleasure of killing and enslaving them personally.

"What will you do?" Noob asked after what seemed like an eternity staring obediently at the floor as Quan Chi's mind wandered.

"Hmmm?" Quan Chi looked around as if he'd only just remembered the ninja's presence. "Keep watch for now. I suspect Ermac has capabilities he hasn't shown yet. The royal family is just full of secrets it seems, and I would know them before making my move."

He snapped his fingers and a girl with a black tattoo over her eye appeared from the shadows. She had black hair except for a large shock of white; Quan Chi had always liked the look. She looked silently at the kneeling shadow at Quan Chi's feet , then began to massage the necromancer's bone white shoulders. The ninja did not return her gaze. Quan Chi set the crystals aside and leaned back, allowing her fingers to do their work. "If need be, I'll use the Queen."

"The Queen?" Noob asked, doubtfully.

"She's my creature. I gave breath to that beautiful body, I molded her mind. I don't want to destroy what might be a useful asset but if Ermac can't be swayed, she has the power."

The grim necromancer allowed himself a small smile, imagining how this might play out. Shao Kahn had specified she be lustful, merciless, and strong enough to destroy his enemies. What he hadn't requested was the little insurance policy Quan Chi had implanted her with. What was it Shao Kahn had said? Oh yes.

"There's nothing deadlier than beautiful lips. Wouldn't you agree Sareena?"

"Yes master." The girl murmured, as her kisses snaked down his chest. They were passionless, grudging presses of lips to pale skin and Quan Chi's small smile widened. His roses also had their thorns, but Sareena was learning her place again. The so called king of Edenia would kneel before him eventually, and if he wouldn't...

Well, perhaps there was some wretch in that overcrowded slum of a body that would.

So hate to leave on a cliffhanger, but this story was originally going to be just a two chapter and we wound up with five! Dangers of story creep, I'd rather leave people wanting more than saying enough. If you haven't seen it in all these years already miycko did a NSFW pic of this scene with Sindel on my Hfoundry page, check it out.

So although we had fun with italics and MPD, very difficult premise form the start. I got real sick, switched jobs, etc, sob story, so Multitudes definitely suffered for it, we averaged a chapter a year, sometimes less. I had 95% of this done like two years ago, but it took me a night of insomnia to finally finish it out. Thanks to all those who waited, this story was very high effort for me, and I hope that came through. Thanks for anyone still following. Loved the mythology and being able to do an alternate timeline. I really want to delve in more than I did, I think Sindel's a tragic character I barely got into, and a member of the fuckable forties club that doesn't get enough love.

One last thing: Opened a thread on suggestions for a possible sequel, see below. This fic's fans were definitely the most vocal and encouraging of any I've done, and that was appreciated:

Link: https://johnny-topside9.livejournal.com/5318.html

Next chapter: No more on this one, but people left me such great comments/reviews, it really did give me some ideas. I'd like to do a comprehensive sequel with multiple characters, not just Ermac, I have some scenes in mind, I think it'll be a sprawling Stephen King's The Stand type story. Feel free to pop into the LJ thread or story comments and give me your ideas! If nothing else I'll be writing other stories, so keep checking
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She Was Loved By The Multitudes