The Outworld Market was bustling with activity as the hot glare of the sun bore down on its' citizens. Vendors lined both sides of the street, eagerly pitching their sales to passersby. Exotic fruit, jewelry, pottery, and even the odd weapon could be seen if one were to stroll through town.
Of course the city was filled quite a bit more today as Outworld's leader, Kotal Kahn, was touring the streets in his carriage. The word on the street was he was discussing plans with the assassin Kano.
Those plan's details, not known to the public however, were based along the lines of ridding Outworld of the rebellion left in the past ruler, Shao Kahn's name.
This rebellion was led by Mileena and advised by Tanya and Rain, who doubted their own abilities to retake the realm. So Mileena had hired Kano to assassinate Kotal Kahn for twice the money he would've paid Kano to do it to Mileena.
Now, you all know this story. And great story it is! Unfortunately, it's not exactly true. I'm not saying it didn't happen, it happened alright...just lacking one character that was lost in the legend for a reason.
Be prepared, true believers. I'm not asking you to take my word for his story. I'm just telling you what happened and how I know it to be true.
See, around the time Kano was about to attempt to kill Kotal Khan and Mileena was about to ambush the carriage itself with her own soldiers, another cart rolled through the streets.
It came to the square, armed guards of Kotal Kahn steering the enclosed cart from above as heavy, raspy breathing sounded from inside the prison like carriage.
The guards were on their way to a local Outworld prison, where their passenger could be safely locked away.
The reason for them wanting him to be locked away was quite simple: a scout had found this...thing in a cave in barren wastes of Outworld and barely managed to escape with his life.
Upon hearing news of this discovery, Kotal Kahn dispatched five men to escort the rabid creature to civilization and lock up to be studied. Now, only two men returned.
The prison cart was just passing through the square when the ambush was launched. Inside his carriage, Kotal Kahn was attacked by Kano and the desperate struggle of life and death began between the two warriors.
Guards, who had been escorting their ruler's ride, noticed the struggle and rushed to help. And the Tarkotans attacked.
Mileena's forces attacked, flooding the square from the darkly lit alleyways. Tarkotans, with their jagged teeth filled mouths and arm blades rushed to draw attention from Kotal Kahn's carriage.
Tanya cast her eyes downward, satisfied smile on her face as she watched the forces collide.
Rain stood on a roof beside her, looking down with doubtful eyes. "Our soldiers may hold out, but Kano is no match for Kotal Kahn." he muttered in a hushed whisper as he heard someone walk up beside them.
"That is why I am going to finish him off." Mileena hissed through her mask as Rain cast his eyes down at her. He didn't believe the plan would work...even if things went exactly to plan.
As luck would have it, the plan was about to be interupted by an unexpected combatant in the battle that now turned the square into a battlefield. Despite the Tarkotans and guards clashing every which way now, and Kano now engaging Kotal Kahn outside his carriage, almost no eyes fell to the abandoned prison cart.
The guards who had been guiding it all along had joined the battle in hopes of turning the tide in their ruler's favor. The only thing it did was leave a very dangerous being unguarded.
A pair of emerald eyes shone out through the bar like window, surveying the entire skirmish. His breathing had become less panicked but his eyes still darted left and right, searching for a means of escape.
The breathing that had sounded panicked and scared suddenly grew to a deep rumbling hiss, dark and forbidding from inside the cart. The same two emerald eyes came into view again, blazing with a new wild and unpredictable stare.
An explosion outwards from the carriage went almost unnoticed by brawling forces, though some risked a glance at the mysterious sound. A milky white hand protruded from the new hole, smooth but ridged on the edges like an insect. Five fingers, each tipped with a grey claw that bent with perfect precision and ease as the hand seemed to be forcing its' way out.
More fighters seemed to stop and stare while more of the creature became visible. The same, milky, white exoskeleton continued on up the arm but it was thin and breakable like that of an insect.
The smooth surface broke away and sank into muscular upper arms that had a more dry, scaly look to it. Even Kotal Kahn, who had dispatched of Kano, along with both Tanya and Rain, stared at the ever growing creature.
A guard ran toward the breaking carriage and attempted to contain the flailing arm. But on a simply touch, the razors lashed out across his chest. Without even a cry of agony, the man fell backwards with dark crimson flowing from his chest and neck, unmoving.
"Kotal Kahn!" Mileena bellowed from her place on the edge of the square. "Face me in co-" she had not seen the cart and its' passenger yet, but stopped short when she saw the both sides of the battle halting.
And the screeching began. It sounded like a terrible combination of a lion's roar and nails on a chalkboard. The cart rocked back and fourth, wood bending and cracking as grown warriors covered their ears from the hellish sound.
There was final splintering sound before a white shape darted out from inside, crouching in the middle of the square as almost everyone in the square stood transfixed to the spot.
It was unlike anything Mileena, Kotal Kahn, or anyone else had ever seen. Long, muscular legs dug into the ground with hooked toes much like the hands. The lower legs, like the arms, slowly turned from smooth shell like surface to scaly muscled legs.
The body was truly something to see. The thick abdomen was the same milky white, but with strange indentations of grey that resembled a rib cage that traveled up the chest.
The arms were the same as could be seen from inside, pushed against the ground in a crouch.
Another unearthly screeh was released from a head that didn't match anything in Outworld. If the Outworlders had the resources, they could've looked to Earth Realm. There was...several encounters with creatures that resmebled this one. Parts of it resembled a little know alien species know as a 'Xenomorph', while others looked like more documented species, the 'Yautja'.
Though, the thicker set parts and especially the torso suggested a species that had only been documented once and there hadn't been any real proof it existed. These creatures were known as 'Engineers'.
Explaining all that was the only way to explain the head. It streched backwards a way, like a Xenomorph's, but had the long hanging dreadlocks around the edges like the Yautja.
The head continued down as a blunt toothed mouth with Yautja manibles surrounding it. The two green eyes, set above the mouth widened as it let out another screech and the inner jaw of a Xenomorph popped out.
It was sick, twisted combination of creatures that didn't belong in the land of the living. All the unholy features almost took away from the height, which was well over seven feat, and the tail, smooth and insect like with a wicked barbed end. It snaked through the air and appeared behind him, making him seem that much bigger.
An unlucky Tarkotan who was standing too close was suddenly hoisted up into the air with a wet crunching sound. The warrior looked down at his chest, barbed point of a tail jabbing through him as he was lifted of the ground toward the creature.
"Who are you?" Kotal Kahn murmured under his breath. The eyes of the new monster seemed to gaze over the crowd, exaiming them.
Despite the alien features, the face looked...human. There was a look of intelligence there as he seemed to shake its' head in a daze.
The creature seemed to stagger and fall to its' knees, eyes rolling back into its' head. The mass seemed to shrink and break down into a softer, less battle ready form as it feel onto its' face on the ground. The body of the dead Tarkotan fell away from as the tail shrank into the figures backside.
Claws and teeth retracted, the dueling sides of the battle now jostled for a glimpse at the new form of the giant that had killed two fighters with ease.
Only it wasn't a giant at all. Quivering on the ground, was a pale man. He looked like a warrior by no means, milky skin smooth and untouched by battle.
Whoever it was only donned a pair of loose, brown pants that looked like had been made from a vegetable sack. If one were to look closer, some would even say he resembled the sorcerer, Quan Chi.
Unlike the sorcerer however, the young man's eyes shone with an almost emerald look in them. He twitched on the ground, laying on his side as he opened to his mouth to try and talk.
Nothing but dry sounding croaks came out as everyone, Kotal Kahn and Mileena especially, surveyed him more carefully. He was bald from his head to his stomach, which was solid but had no signs of the well built abs most warriors had.
Mileena attacked Kotal Kahn without warning, giving him a hard kick to the head and forcing him to stagger forward. She rushed in and attacked once again, pounding his side with punches and kicks.
Kotal Kahn was surprised by ge sudden attack but recovered quickly, swatting at his foe with the back of his fist.
The blow connected as Mileena was thrown backwards before rolling through and standing back up in a fighting position.
"Mileena," Kotal Kahn spoke in a commanding tone. "Leave at once! Your attack no longer has meaning! I wish to exaime this...discovery. You have lost!"
Glaring at the ruler, Mileena reached around behind and pulled out the thing she had kept for an emergency: the Amulet of Shinnok. "You are wrong. I will take him and study him. This battle..." she hissed before bringing the amulet around. "has only begun."
In a flash of green, Kotal Kahn felt his energy being sapped from his body and his very life force weaken. He fell to the ground, stunned along with many of his soldiers.
Rain appeared out of nowhere, scooping up a dazed Mileena and the unconscious newcomer. "This battle is too close now. We must retreat." Rain told Tanya who clutched his arm while she nodded.
They vanished as Rain teleported them back to the jungle, where they had a temporary base operations. "That was too close." he muttered as he set everyone down beside the groups of tents.
Meanwhile, back in the Outworld City, D'Vorah, who had been along the entire time and had been busy with attacking Tarkotans, was helping Kotal Kahn to his feet. "This one thinks the rebels are planning something." she hissed in her strange way of talking.
"I think so as well." Kotal Kahn agreed, holding his side. He felt weakened after that attack by Mileena, but he guessed he would recover soon enough.
"I need to think about what to do. Tell the guards to round up any prisoners. I shall summon you later." he told her as D'Vorah nodded and moved off to follow orders.