Chapter 13 - The flow of time

Nicholas was back at Earthrealm, surprised to find that despite feeling like a few hours, he had actually been in the Netherrealm for a whole month. The war between Earthrealm and the Netherrealm was in full swing. His crow had shown that Shinnok and Quan Chi were planning something, so he had decided to move fast. It had been a truly beneficial coincidence that they had run into Ashrah when they did.

The story Nicholas had told her about the bounty was pure fabrication. He had no idea if any of that was actually true or not. He simply told her something that was believable based on the past of Ashrah and Quan Chi.

It wasn't like Ashrah would be able to call on Quan Chi to verify, and now that she was secured in Nicholas's toybox of a realm, it didn't matter anymore. Nicholas let loose a large murder of crows to look for the Anchor, as well as anyone who would catch his eye.

...

Quan Chi was not happy about how events had unfolded. When Nicholas appeared, Quan Chi knew he had an advantage. Those who are not from the Netherrealm can not accurately tell the passage of time there. He knew Nicholas would end up wandering the wastelands. So, Quan Chi sent Kabal and Stryker to eliminate Nicholas and his entourage.

While en route, though they ran into Ashrah. Quan Chi permitted the distraction because she had long been a thorn in his side. That is when things took a turn. First, Shinnok gets sealed inside the medallion, an act which Earthrealm take full advantage to counter attack. Then, a crow flies through, making a mess of his lab.

After it disappears in a puff of smoke, Quan Chi notices that Kabal and Stryker had been eliminated. Realizing that the act of Ashrah and Nicholas' joining forces couldn't be permitted, Quan Chi immediately sent Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Smoke, and Nightwolf to deal with them. A few minutes later, Quan Chi found Earthrealm invading his fortress. He had Jax and Sub-Zero to help defend, and it was going well. Quan Chi had managed to fatally injure Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade was too shaken by the thought of losing someone else to properly fight back.

Quan Chi was certain that victory was at hand, or at least until Scorpion showed up. Scorpion had attacked Quan Chi, interrupting the ritual that was turning Johnny Cage into a revenant.

Whether intentional or not, Scorpion had not only saved Johnny Cage, but he also revived himself, Jax, and Sub-Zero. Their sudden need to breathe had knocked the wind out of those three. Quan Chi used that as an opportunity to by time and flee. After a long trek through the wasteland, Quan Chi caught up to the ones he had dispatched. During his escape, Quan Chi surmised that someone told Scorpion the truth about his family's death. He would need to plan a rescue of Lord Shinnok. It would take time, but luckily, he had allies in other realms that could help him locate the medallion. His last intel on it was that Raiden opened a random portal and just chucked it in.

Quan Chi stopped his thought process when he arrived at Kabal and Stryker's last known location. Only to find that both of them had been damaged beyond even his ability to repair. Quan Chi muttered, "Most unfortunate."

...

Nicholas was admiring the Kriss blade that Ashrah used to use. His crows were very useful in the search. No one looked twice at them. Then, several things happened that caught his attention. First, the Netherrealm invasion seemed to have stalled. Second, Nicholas spotted a normal looking Jax laid up in a hospital bed. Third, he saw Kira undergoing her background event. Whether this was early, late, or right in time, Nicholas didn't know, but a chance of adding the little spitefire to his collection was too good of an opportunity to pass on.

...

Kira was looking at the exit. The only thing stopping her were her former clients, who had just found out that she was a woman. After that discovery, they decided they wanted more from her than just weapons.

Kira had a pair of dragon teeth knives. That fact was the only thing giving them pause. Something she was fully prepared to take advantage of. However, before she could cut them down, a roar could be heard behind them. Before Kira's buyers could turn around and react, most of them had already been torn apart. As the carnage came to an end, Kira was unsure how to feel. On the one hand, her attackers had been brutally slaughtered by an unknown party with unknown intent. On the other hand, the sheer violence of it all was a bit of a turn-on for her.

The path was clear, and Kira decided to step outside to see her would-be next attacker/rescuer. With the backdrop of a setting sun seen in the distance, Kira found herself infatuated with the man standing in front of her. While his appearance is something she would classify as attractive, it was his murderous aura that was really getting her.

Kira had been born with blood red hair, a talent for combat, and even her name means killer. So, when this man stood before her with a murderous aura that was not aimed at her, but rather an after affect of the recent massacre, Kira wasn't sure if he was competition or the love of her life.

Kira was unsure how to proceed even after she heard some say, "So, this is Kira? I must say my love, you didn't do her justice when you described her." Kira turned her head to see where that came from. She spotted three women standing off to the side. It was clear that the one in blue was the one who spoke. Then Kira heard the man say, "I admit she's never a disappointment, nor should she be wasted in such a mundane place."

Kira turned to the man and asked, "Who are you, and what do you want from me?" The man said, "To the first, I'm Nicholas, and as for the second, I want many things, but I'll settle for your skills for now." The answer to the second question had been very stimulating for Kira, for several reasons. Then Kira asked, "And what will I get for my services?" Nicholas asked, "What do you want?" Kira immediately answered, "I want to fight with you here and now."

Nicholas raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright, but is there any reason for such a request?" Kira smiled and said, "You're getting my blood boiling, and I want to see if you're as strong as I think you are." With that, Kira charged at Nicholas. Raining down a fury of blows, leaving no openings to counterattack or at least trying to. Nicholas moved his arms and legs in perfect sync with her attacks. He kept blocking her like they had practiced the fight beforehand.

Kira, who normally leads her opponent in a fight, is instead finding herself be led around. The moment she reached for her knives, Nicholas struck her center mass. The attacks Kira unleashed earlier, plus that one counterattack had knocked the wind out of her, and she found herself struggling to breathe.

As Kira lay there slowly regaining her breath, Nicholas stood over her and asked, "Had enough?" Kira looked at him for a moment and thought about it. She wanted more, but she was done fighting. Kira noticed how laid back Nicholas was, and she decided to act on that. With a burst of speed, Kira stood up and jumped on him. With no time to think about the follow-up, she kissed him. The moment their lips connected, Kira felt warmth spreading through her body, comforting her as she began to remove her clothes.

...

Nicholas sat there, a naked Kira, covered in sweat, sleeping next to him. Kitana rubbed his back while teasing him about how easy it was and saying how she hoped to join in next time. Sheeva and Jade had a similar look in their eyes about wanting to join in, but they weren't as vocal about it

Nicholas noted that the timeline was changed but not in major ways. Or at least not yet. His crows were showing much. Jax was currently recovering in a hospital with a very familiar looking nurse doting on him. Sub-Zero was taking over the Lin-Kuei after ousting Sektor. Only this time, Cyrax was there helping Sub-Zero put the Lin-Kuei back on the "right track." Scorpion was putting his family to rest and was rebuilding his clan.

However, the one thing his birds didn't see was The Anchor. Of course, there were certain places his birds couldn't go, like the inner chamber of Raiden's temple. Nicholas, after seeing that the plot was still on track, decided to check the other realms before waiting for the opportune moment to get in. Nicholas thought about his options logically. Outworld had a lot of women and a lot of places for the artifact to hide. The Realm of Chaos had many locations where the flow of time makes no sense. A few moments can turn into a few years.

The Realm of Order was so organized that it would take no time at all. Nicholas got up and dressed, and so did everyone else. He knew how to go about it. He opened a portal, and they walked through.