Life is a game. Shame for you... It's game over
I was walking along a dirt path in Outworld, as usual, until I ran into the same wall I had encountered ten years ago. 27 now, I walked inside, hoping they would remember me. "A-assassin? It can't be..." Said an all too firmilliar voice. I pulled down my mask and hood revealing my face. "I-it is! Dante!" She ran up and hugged me tightly "you haven't changed a bit..."
"But I have" I said, as I gestured to the hood on my back. I put it on showing her the hawk-like pattern on the left side and a cross down the back. I pulled the hood back down and showed her a few new scars on my arm and one on my back. "I've been through alot since that day 10 years ago... what about you? The queen I would assume?"
"oh... no not exactly..." she lead me to the throne room by my arm and gestured to the woman in pink sitting on the throne. "S-she's the queen?" I said in disbelief "Yes I am problem assassin?" she said from across the room. "Oh- no sorry... I just didn't... nevermind"
"yeah... nothing's changed much here either..." Kitana giggled "well you have a new queen I'd say thats new" I joked "yeah 10 years old isn't that new Dante" Kitana said. "Yeah" Mileena glares at me "I never liked you... i could torture both of you at the same time. It would kill her to see you hurt." She says with an evil smile poking out from under her veil.
"Don't you DARE" Kitana blurts out. "No no no don't worry. I would be able to take ANYTHING she throws at me" I retorted. Once again, not the greatest choice of words. "Alright you will participate in the Mortal Kombat tournament on my behalf"
"NO sister you can't, please." Kitana pleaded. "No he has to. He said he could take anything I could throw at him" Mileena laughed. I just stood there. "you- you HAVE to have an opinion on this Dante!" Kitana said acting panicky. "I do... Mileena's right... when's the tournament and who's hosting it? I know some people and... not alot of them like me" I said. "next week an-" Mileena was cut off. "WHAT? You're crazy you can't actually go through with this!" Kitana said "AHEM, thanks... next week and I will host it you may rest in the palace until the time comes" Mileena said to me. "Thanks, but no thanks I'll stay in the wild. It helps preserve the peace of mind, you see" I reply to her. "Asyou wish... good luck and don't die too easily".
The following week I was gathered in a courtyard with many other fighters. Beside me were Raiden and Reptile. "The Mortal Kombat tournament will now begin, with the first match: Reptile against Kung Lao". After a long battle Kung Lao emerged victorious. "Round two: the Hell Spectre Scorpion... against the unknown assassin, Dante" upon hearing my name many people seemed confused. Raiden looked over to me, I pulled up my mask and hood and walked forward with a Roman scholar's form: an open hand over a closed fist and my head tilted forwards. "assassin... good luck" Raiden said from behind me. I looked back at him and nodded.
"You?" Scorpion said mockingly "Mileena you insult me" he turns to her with a questionable look on his face. I, still, just stood there "I saw him fight, he's PATHETIC" he points to me with his right hand. I walk up to him quietly and position myself behind him "Don't underestimate me spectre" I slammed my forearm into the side of his head and threw my hidden blades to the side "I need no weapons to kill you Hell spawn" I lunged towards him and repeadetly jabbed him in his side giving him no time, or room, to try to attack me.
After a few more minuites of that I delivered an uppercut that knocked him onto the ground. I walked over and plowed my foot into his chest, then I grabbed him by the neck and picked him up. "The fight is over..." I set him down and put my blades back on "I have won" I said "You're sparing me? But why?" Scorpion said to me. I looked at Raiden and nodded my head as if saying 'no' "Who said anything about that?" I walked up to him and drove my hidden blade right into him, and letting him drop to the floor when I took the blade out "It is not personal, spectre, I'm simply avenging all you have killed" I closed his eyes. "Raquiescat En Pace" (Still Italian for 'rest in peace') I walked back to my place beside Raiden "You fought well... But... Killing him was not the greatest choice" he said. "maybe not but it brings honor to his fallen enemies" I answered.
The semi-finals of the competition had three fights. The finals would have onle one match but three people fighting. In the semi-finals Kung Lao fought Kano, and, Noob Saibot fought Jax. Kung Lao and Jax were the victors of the other two matches. "The final fight of the semi-finals is: Dante against Cyrax"
"Safety disabled, Kombat mode engaged" Cyrax said "I shall bury you as I have all others who stood in my way". Cyrax ran up to me and tried to trip me with a slide-tackle. I jumped to avoit it and, while in the air, I kicked him in the head before landing on the other side of him. He quickly got up and ran towards me this time trying to jab me as I did Scorpion. I grabbed his fist and kicked him in the back of the leg, causing him to fall to the ground. I kept a hold of his arm and started pushing his head away with my foot. Before his arm snapped I let go and kicked him in the stomach. "I am no match for you, I surrender" Cyrax said gripping his arm "Very well... Go now" I stepped back to Raiden "Good fighting, once again assassin, you may still win this tournament... but if that it the case... Earthrealm's date is sealed..." He walked away. His words brought me to thinking and I decided that, for the freedom of his people, I would lose the final battle.
"The final round of Mortal Kombat shall commence. Jax, Kung Lao and Dante take your positions" Mileena said. "This battle will decide the fate of Earthrealm. If Jax, or Kung Lao, win then Earthrealm is saved. But, if my warrior Dante wins, Earthrealm is mine" she clarified, I saw Kitana standing beside her with a worried look on her face. Then, in an instant, the fight started. Jax ran towards me, and I him, leaving Kung Lao to attempt to strike us both when we met but I ducked back on my right hand and flipped over it, kicking Jax in the jaw. A minute later Jax was eliminated and I immediately let down my guard. Kung Lao kicked me in the gut, Punched me in the face and sweeped my legs for a half-minute then I exaggerated a hit and fell to the ground, acting like it was impossible to get up. "Wh- HOW?" Mileena screamed catching the attention of everybody except Kung Lao. His eyes were fixated on me with a look of blind rage. "Grrrr FINISH HIM!" Mileena yelled, Kung Lao, instead, extended a hand to help me up. I accepted, bowed and raised his arm. Then walked back to Raiden.
"You threw the fight... for my people... but why?" He asked me. "The freedom of many is more important than my well being. I take some punishment, get yelled at and in return people continue to taste freedom."
"You are in my debt, assassin" he said with a bow. "No, you are not." with that I walked away. Kitana ran up to me and grabbed my shoulders "You faked all that... you could have destroyed him"
"You're right..." I looked at Kung Lao standing before Raiden and Liu Kang. "I could have...". Later that night at Mileena's palace. "HOW COULD YOU LOSE? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WIN EARTHREALM FOR ME" There were vases shattering as she threw them at me, while I easily dodged them. "Earthrealm was MINE then you went bad and gave it to the ENEMY"
"No... I gave it to someone who deserved it more than you or I ever could" she flipped after hearing that, he ripped off her veil and started charging towards me but I flipped to the side and started climbing the throne room wall. "Find me when you've calmed down" I climbed as high up as possible and jumped through a window. Hours later Kitana found me on the roof "You did well Dante... Earthrealm is safe from Mileena's wrath... for now" she said "Yes... yes I did..."
I visited earthrealm the following day to try and find Kung Lao but before I had the chance, he found me. "You! why didn't you actually fight me? Do you think I'm too weak for you?" he asked "No, I gave you the win for Earthrealm's fate I could have easily killed you" I answered "Hmph care to show me then? A live event for all of the Shaolin Monks?"
"Time and place?" I asked "The temple right now" He teleported both of us to the centre of a temple battleground with many people waiting anxiously for a battle "very well... lets fight" He nods and we both throw punches, all of which connecting with the other's arms. A little while of senseless punching went by and he finally slipped up, he took an extra second to throw his punch, allowing mine to connect first. After that I didn't give him a second to react, I just layed down the beating of a lifetime on him, no weapons involved. After about 5 minutes of that he backed off and threw that damn hat at me. It grazed my arm, drawing blood, but I didn't notice until after.
A half hour show is what we put on for the monks and it would have been longer if Raiden hadn't intercepted. He teleported in and broke up the war. "You have both proven very well in combat... Dante... would you accept an offer of joining us as one of Earthrealms defenders?" I thought it over and accepted.
"Dante we have your first assignment. Baraka's son will take over the Tarkatan army. Eliminate Baraka and his son but make it clean" Liu Kang had gone over the basics of their meeting point with me. "I have all the information I need, thanks." I walked off into the night.
At the Tarkatan war base I saw Baraka's son looking out a window. I snuck up behind him and released the blade. He heard it. He turned around and let out his blades. My eyes flashed and changed to a pale blue. I easily got behind him and put the blade through his skull. "My blade is painted with your blood, and soon it shall have your fathers too" I closed his eyes and advanced through the base. In the general's room I saw Baraka. "I was expecting you... I like to play games, assassin, do you?" He asked me randomly. "Yes... They say life's a game, you know?" I connected my blabe with his throat seconds after. "Yes, life's a game. Shame for you, it's Game Over."