Gleaming in the roaring lights from the countless candles lining the walls at various vertical intervals, the rough stone splattered with browning crimson and fresh scarlet rouge, the dual broadswords of Quan Chi came swinging down through the air, slicing nothing. His opponent had managed to dodge the blow at the last minute, narrowly avoiding sudden decapitation. Spinning low, a young woman with almond-shaped pupil-less eyes countered the bladed swipe with a sweeping low kick, dropping her entire body to the floor as she hooked her knee around the bald necromancer's ankle, knocking him off balance. Chaining together a combo from there, she used her other leg to rebound from his calve, performing a cartwheel-kick midair, striking him once in the chest and once in the jaw, leaving bright marks upon his ghastly flesh.

However, Quan Chi had been expecting as much, so catching her by the foot before she could land, he twirled her counterclockwise, bringing her form back around so that she crashed into the ground. Hitting it head first, she laid there for a moment in a daze. Using this to his advantage, Quan Chi grabbed her by the top of her skull, lifting her with ease until they were eye-level, and without hesitation, he struck her square in the abdomen, bringing a wave of bile spewing from her mouth, the acid burning at her throat as it rose. Ignoring the puke that landed upon him and the floor, he caught her by the throat as he traded hands, using the now free hand to draw her hunting knife from its holster. Clawing at his hands, choking feebly against the fingers that were slowly purpling her face, leaving instant marks, the woman struggled in vain, clearly the loser.

Bringing the knife to her neck, he pressed the blade into her ghostly skin, grinning victoriously at the blood that ran down the blade, "Any last words?"

Coughing, her words were scarcely audible, "I forfeit."

Eye in danger of popping from her skull, Quan Chi released her, not heeding the sickening thud her body made as it hit the floor, not very interested as he threw the knife into the ground at her side, looking on as she slowly picked herself up and crawled into a sitting position, "You've improved since the last time we've sparred. I see you've been training hard to please me."

Panting from the grueling exercise, she dipped her head out of respect, simultaneously sheathing her weapon, "All I have ever wanted was to make you proud, my master; My mother gladly died in your service and I would more than willingly follow in her footsteps."

"Perhaps you shall..." He looked at her contemplatively, ultimately deciding if he thought that she was ready to join the Brotherhood of Shadow and take her first solo mission, "Zyanya," He saw her body go tense just by saying her name, eyes shinning hopefully, "you have been my best pupil in the art of kombat. You have faced and passed all the tests of a ruthless warrior but one: You have yet to demonstrate your skills in the battlefield."

Zyanya had certainly proven herself to be loyal to him above all others, and that was a trait that so many in the Netherrealm sorely lacked, yet she was raw and lacking practical experience, which was something that this particular mission could use. No, he could afford to wait for her no longer... What she still had to learn she must learn in the field, acting as the perfect spy. If she failed him, the only thing awaiting her was death - a death that would be swifter and kinder by the enemy's hand than the sorcerer's own...

Having trained so faithfully underneath Quan Chi, she was well aware of the fate of any that should not succeed, having even helped him punish those unlucky souls on a few occasions, "On my soul, I vow I shall not disappoint you. What I lack in brute strength, I shall make up in competence. I shall not let you down."

It was not his apprentice or her fate that had him concerned. One of his own warriors, the resurrected assassin Scorpion, seemed to be growing suspicious of the truth of his servitude, and while it was not something that would interfere with the plan, it be be personally inconvenient. Regardless of whether or not he did discover the true murderer or his clan, Scorpion would best be kept busy, and since this matter was one pertaining to his own life, Quan Chi could not entrust this to just anyone.

While Noob Saibot - the man originally blamed for the genocide of the Shirai Ryu and slain in the name of the deceased ninja clan - was perhaps the most promising of all his fighters, the former Lin Kuei warrior was dangerous, because it would seem as if he had his own agenda to see to. Being in the Netherrelam, there was only so much to achieve, so it was not hard to surmise the wraith's intentions involved supplanting the necromancer, and possibly even the fallen Elder God Shinnok...

She might have lost to him on this day, but for Zyanya to engage him in full komabt and fight as fiercely as she did proved to Quan Chi that she was ready for her task, "To fight me at full strength is no easy task, and victory might have been yours on other day."

Wincing as she knelt properly at her master's feet, the warrior inclined her head, "But not on this day, my master."

Walking to her, covering the distance in three short steps, Quan Chi formally addressed her as the head of the Brotherhood and not merely her master, "Zyanya, from this day forth I promote you from my pupil to a full-fledged member of the Brotherhood of Shadow. Stand, and accept my mark."

Biting back the pain shooting up her entire body, she did as instructed and stood at attention. Reaching out, the tips of each finger alight with otherworldly magic, Quan Chi pressed his thumb against her forehead and index finger to her cheek, searing away the flesh as a black marking sprawled outwards, twisting and winding in on itself until it formed the symbol of the Brotherhood of Shadow. Once completed, he dropped his hand, watching as the mark disappeared from sight.

"Is it finished?" Her voice cracked, body unable to bear any more pain than what she had already endured that day.

"It is done." He nodded to confirm this, although this conference was far from over, "Now that you are no longer my student, you will have to face those that would try to use you as their tool, however, you need to understand where your allegiance truly lies."

As if there were any other answer, "Although I live my life to serve Lord Shinnok, you are well aware that my allegiance lies in a higher place: It lies only with you, my master. None can deny my services in your name and honor. Nor can it be questioned that I have acted solely for the purpose of your own ends, never once stepping from line, questioning you in your infinite wisdom. I will follow you blindly to the death, acting not as you would have it but as an extension of your own soul. Never in my life have I ever had any dream other than to serve you, just as my mother before me. My will is your command."

This was merely all formality at this point, "And you shall have your wish. This mission will be one of the utmost importance and secrecy, taking precedence at all times... Zyanya, my most trusted servant, I want you to keep an eye on your fellow assassin Scorpion."

"But Scorpion is not Brotherhood of Shadow..." Filled with a sinking sensation, she did not understand why she had to watch over the yellow apparition, fully expecting to have to keep her eye on the shadowy Noob Saibot or even the beautiful Sareena, "Very well, I shall accept this mission."

Of course she would, but it was more pressing than her just spying on his whereabouts and report on his business, "Patience. First you need to understand what exactly you are expected to do. You shall watch him as closely as you can, and if you detect even a hint of treason, you are to tell me of it. I want you to earn his trust so that he will bring you in to his plan, and if it comes down to it, I want you to kill him. However, death is a last resort, as he could prove very interesting in the future..."

Tail Scorpion? Oh yes, that would truly be an easy mission...

Zyanya had not had many encounters with him personally, but he had left quite the impression upon her, and part of that impression was that he was not a being to be crossed, no matter what you were. Why even the Elder Gods may have their hands full with him, if it were ever in his mind to go to war with them. If it ever came down to that, she knew that she would die without a second thought, so she must do everything in her power to prevent discovery...

A/N: My first Mortal Kombat fic! Why it took so long I have no idea, seeing as I was in love with MK since I was a wee baby, but whatever. Well, what can I say? This idea was eating at me for a while now, so I figured I had to put it out there. I actually wrote this first chapter three different ways, the first two of which are fairly similar at first. It was hard to chose between them, because the first one gave a really good look into Zyanya and developed her more as a character, but the second one did better to capture Quan Chi's ruthlessness. As much as I liked the other two, I went with this version because it was the best in terms of story, and that was more important. Also to explain the story better, I opted to release the first two chapters at once, as opposed to just the first. As far as timelines, I would say this is definitely going along with the 2011 game, however it may or may not prove concrete as the idea was partially made plausible by Mortal Kombat: Conquest (which I have yet to watch admittedly). Anyways, I'm looking forward to your reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own Mortal Kombat. That honor goes elsewhere. Like (but no limited) to Netherrealm Studios, the WB (or whatever they're calling themselves over at Warner Brothers), and Ed Boon. There might be more, but I'm no lawyer, and I'm certainly not versed in ownership rights, so I don't know exactly who owns what. I can, however, lay claim to Zyanya, and I do.