Author's Note: (This is a very long introductory note. If you wanna get straight into the good stuff, you can skip down those big ol' paragraphs into the fancy italics).

Hi guys! New writer here. This is my first fanfiction I've ever done, and I hope in the future that I have a lot more to share with you all. But as for right now, I have something to say before I butcher Mortal Kombat's whole storyline with my own! I've recently been sucked into the game's lore and characters and story and all, but the one character that instantly hooked me was Mileena. For me personally, she is unique, she is creepy, she is sexy, and overall she is (for sure!) a total badass with her insane "if you're with me, you're against me" persona and savage nature.

I suppose I'm a stranger to Mortal Kombat; the first installment I'd ever played was Mortal Kombat II, and I was like four years old at the time (don't worry, I am not a violent person! I think…). I was at daycare playing it with the other kids, but when our provider found out it was all gory and bloody and stuff, she took it away from us, and for years I had forgotten all about the series. Eight years later I rediscovered MK through its theme song on YouTube, and fell in love with it again, AND later on till now I've been inspired enough to write about. That means I missed out on games like Deception, Armageddon, Deadly Alliance, etc. so, really, I don't know much about the story before MK 9.

I've been doing a small bit of research so I can at least try to be a little accurate and know what content I'm writing on, even if I'm basing this whole thing within the MK:X universe - I don't like the way Mileena was so casually killed off, so I'm rewriting it in an alternative path.

As for the OC part - and I've heard people generally don't like fanfiction OCs - I'm adding them in as minor roll characters for the mere purpose of progressing the storyline. It's just how I see myself being able to write it all out seamlessly enough, because I can't imagine all the characters to constantly be interconnected (e.g. Raiden kills Scorpion and then suddenly out of nowhere Sub-Zero learns of Scorpion's death and comes for Raiden. Horrendous example by the way but I hope you get it). I need smaller pieces to be able to fuse the bigger ones together. That being said, you won't be seeing too much of my random OC peoples. I mean, in this chapter you will. But that shall change. Regarding official character personas, I am trying as best I can to mimic the original. Some characters in this I may twist for my own story and point of view due to the minimal dialogue and screen time they are given.

Mileena x Tanya, Yuri, Adventure and Romance, Rated M for extreme violence and sexual content.

If you are not into any or all of these things, turn back now! Hurry! There's still tim-aodkfj;alskdjflakfdjgl;adsfkhKASJDHF;KLJAHDF

That's all I can think of to say for now. Now sit back, relax, let them there Elder Gods bless you, and enjoy the story!

He scanned the area, his head tipped back and his gaze pointing to the stars. He closed his eyes slowly, as if savoring the crisp taste of the air. It was cold out tonight as darkness fell across the land like a blanket, and the wind coiled and lashed out against the barren wasteland. There, stunted and angry dust devils were born to roam its crackled confines for all eternity.

Crunch… crunch… crunch… crunch…

The night was a shadow for the predator and a shroud over the prey - a perfect opportunity for a hunt.

Crunch… crunch… crunch…

Particles of dust shifted and rose up into the air as it was grinded lightly under a cautious heel. The stalker of the lone outworlder kept a safe distance from her prey, her cattish pupils dilating accordingly.

"Hello?" a deep voice bellowed as he turned to look behind him, his eyes darting about the sparse brush. She danced to the side in a graceful backflip and rolled, letting her body graze the ground to stir up a cloud of dust. She used this temporary concealment to her advantage, dashing forth and lunging at the man with all her might; the aggressor screamed a blood curdling cry as Tarkatan adrenaline surged through her veins and then toppled him down to the hard earth.

"Mistress Mileena!" the man shouted and strained his lungs as he did so. "What are you-"

"Save your tongue, you treacherous worm, or I'll tear it out myself!" she snarled from behind her violet veil. She hadn't the patience for a squirming prisoner at her will, and so with one swift movement she unsheathed one sai, driving it into the unsuspecting flesh of her victim. The man shrieked in agony as she slowly sunk the blade deeper and deeper into the crook of his arm.

"Shhhhhh…" she cooed softly while firmly pressing her hand against his mouth to restrain him. "You have no right to address me, weakling. You may have sworn yourself to me, but you are a betrayer. Don't you know I take loyalty into my very soul? This is a time of war, of revolution. Of change. Of… redemption. And it knows no bounds.

"So what are these consequences, I wonder?" she feigned innocence by holding a finger against her chin and looked upwards as a way to mock him.

"Please!" he begged and begged, the desperation showing through his now ragged voice. "Have mercy, Mistress! I have not betrayed you, and I never will!" Mileena scoffed as he grovelled beneath her weight. How pathetic.

"Mercy?" she cackled darkly, "What is mercy? What is this mercy that you hold so dearly in that twisted little heart of yours?" The man shook his head violently and shut his eyes as one of the Tarkatan's claws trailed the naked skin of his arm back to his wound, taking the handle of her favored weapon and slamming it down enough to where its entire length dug itself into the ground through his elbow.

"Oh, yes. Yes. Scream more," she teasingly encouraged instead of previously muffling him. She removed both hands and sat back with a sadistic grin, watching him writhe and suffer, as she took notice in his eyes that he was too frightened to act as she might have pounced onto him once more.

Her satisfied expression faded however, and was quickly replaced with a frown as she hunched over and squinted at the downtrodden outworlder. An attention-grabbing thought crossed her mind as a familiar stench permeated from the man. She lowered herself, making him stop in his tracks as her mask brushed up against his throat. And she sniffed it.

"Messenger… ! Slandering filth! Fraudulent beast and backstabbing swine!" she spat blindly in a raw fit of hatred and rage, her other sai set aglow as she commanded it to become lodged into thick of his skull. With her own two hands she grabbed the weapon and ripped it out of his head, only to ram it back down multiple times until her entire front was oozing and slick in his blackened blood. Keeping up momentum in the heat of her fury, Mileena wrenched the mask from her face and began to feast upon the man whose horrid screams of pain silenced in a flash as a sickening snap was heard; leathery skin was dug up from its natural place as a dog would rend its claws into the earth to bury its most valued bone. However for the half-Tarkatan, tearing the bones from their original nooks and crannies was one of her many favored games when she consumed her prey alive. The sound of it was simply… irresistible.

The popping and crackling of such succulent marrow, the bitingly sweet aroma of iron swirling around in Dryland's chilling air, the thrill of pure cold-blooded elimination through savagery - it all held its own beauty in her eyes, for she loved it so.

Mileena snapped out of her own fantasies when she came back into focus, her nose bloodied, touching up against the now faceless traitor, his mangled body naught but a red and gory blob. She straightened her posture somewhat and moved away, at least a few inches more from the pile of Outworlder meat. She had wasted enough time for play already.

"D'Vorah," she hissed viciously under her breath as she dug through and retrieved a blood-smeared scroll from what remained of the messenger's body.

"You think you're one step ahead of me, buzzing gnat," she snickered inwardly as she briefly read over the content, "I'll show you… I'll show you who the real ruler of Outworld is. It is only a matter of time."

~( OwO )~

Carcerus twiddled his claws as he watched helplessly alongside Baraka, who had stood solid as stone ever since Mileena arrived - completely dusty and blood-stained, with a scheming spark in her eye as she sauntered to and fro under the roof of their makeshift Tarkata tent house. The shelter was devoid of any light save for a few holes dotting a number of thin patches of worn Tormentor hides and the sinister glow of orange. The wind roared angrily outside, pushing its semi-gale force against the tent's southernmost side, deemed more as a shielder of the elements rather than an actual residence. The weight of the Tormentor's skin was what held the structure in place, the thick wooden frames a perfect enough fit between supple and rigid to flow along with the harsh breeze. Much to the advantage of shade from the sun's tyranny - even if the sun had revealed itself noticeably less than in other regions - its interior's temperature was just as miserable, for these particular creatures' hides were designed to trap in warmth.

To that effect, everyone was hot and sticky, beads of sweat catching on to sand that belted around only to land on their bodies. By far, Mileena had the worst of it, having a little hunt of her own the past night. It was presented by the fresh, salty streaks on her skin, but she didn't have a fraction of a care for her personal hygiene. She panted quietly, the muscle in her legs flexing with every small twitch she made. But then she stopped. And her eyes gradually shifted to Carcerus and Baraka.

"Tell me," she began as she unfastened her mask, nearly having the smaller full-blooded Tarkatan jump out of his skin. "Where are Rain and Tanya?"

"First scouting party, through the mountain pass just northwest of our encampment. They've stationed themselves by the lake for the time being," Baraka reported monotonously.

"Carcerus, would you be so kind as to fetch them for me?" he bowed with utmost respect before the half-Tarkatan woman.

"Kahnum," he said, his palms growing damper as he was given the attention of the most important individual in command.

"Make haste." And so he did.

Carcerus headed off into the direction the general had last reported her greatest allies and specialists. He looked overhead to the looming crags in the distance, its rocky apex reaching out to the stormy sky. From an Earthrealmer's point of view, the relatively small mountain ridge would appear ominous, giving them the creepy feeling of unease. For a native creature like the young Tarkatan warrior, however, it was a majestic landmark - a grand sight he had grown fond of over the short months since Baraka's army set up camp at the edge of the Drylands. Here he had seen the worst of the central Wasteland's sandstorms. He had experienced a heavy downpour from dusk till dawn the next morning, and the lake's reaches that had grown fat, even lapping at the parched earth past the cliff's mouth. He had seen the greatest amongst them collapse as a result of dehydration. He had witnessed other strong and capable fighters spar to the death under the influence of their triggered drunken rage, and more that were butchered alive as a consequence under their commander's hard rule. Those were given to fools, but then again much of the varying mutant bloodlines bred foolishness. Though aside from the natural dangers of their land and inward bloodlust, he had most often seen Tarkatan soldiers go missing.

Carcerus had presumed this to be an effect of fear and mistrust for the rebel empress, but the thought fit together in his mind as a jagged and broken puzzle would never become one. It simply did not work. The general suggested otherwise; he praised Mileena for never straying away from her khanum path after Shao Kahn's leadership, and he was honored to serve a powerful and respectable woman who knew how to effortlessly wield all of what remained of their cause. Baraka had taught Carcerus that a Tarkatan's loyalty was just as naturally developed as their barbaric tendencies, so one would not simply abort that sworn goal for their lives, especially not from the empress herself. Still, the thought lingered in his mind.

After a short trek of 10 miles later, he arrived at the entrance of the pass. The bluff welcomed its visitor in with a cool breeze that brought on no whipping sand, and so he stepped forth into its arms, the lake rippling with a dark glimmer rising atop its surface. The glint of a fire flickered in the distance. Smoke went up from a small canopy of trees and a dozen more shadowed figures surrounded the area. He spotted Rain right away, for he was knee-deep in the shallows of the lake's shore. Tanya, however…

"Oof!" Carcerus got the wind knocked out of him as he was jump-kicked square in the gut. He heard something approach but failed to act, and so the Tarkatan was taken down to the ground with a hard thud. The disturbance in the air caused dried sediment to tumble down the escarpment nearby when an apple-sized rock descended from above and ran over Carcerus' stunned body, scraping along his newfound bruise and causing him to grunt in surprise. A pair of subtle footsteps approached, light and quick as if curious.

"Oh," a voice said as its source stood over the poor creature, "it's you. I seemed to have mistaken your size for something else. Forgive me." Tanya's eerie glow of her pupiless eyes fell down upon Carcerus as she extended her hand to take up his. He hesitated at her silent invitation but he decided to go ahead and take it.

The Tarkatan attempted to stand up straight as he usually had, though a sharp pain shot out from his stomach and crawled up to his rib cage, causing him to slouch. He wrapped his arm around himself to try and dull the pain.

Tanya cleared her throat and stared at him. "Come."

The atmosphere here was set to a finer degree, as ancient Edenian magick enveloped this crater. It was with the help of both Tanya and Rain's presence, for their old and royal blood lended a hand in stimulating the landmark's deepest magickal properties. Carcerus had taken immediate notice that the sky was a lighter shade of blue, similar to clear skies on Earthrealm. It was probably the most serene place he had ventured to in the short five centuries of his Outworlder life.

"State your business, Tarkatan," the Edenian murmured as she led him into their campsite. This specific area was alight from the scarlet flames that wavered with each passerby, and in turn made the shadows dance along to the erratic rhythm. Small, scattered groups of mutants tended to the site while engaging in meaningless chatter and switching watch posts so that the other could rest. Some turned their attention to their smaller kin, and others but glanced at the visitor while continuing on their work.

"The empress wishes your presence," Carcerus said, looking at the woman. "Along with Rain."

"Kahnum?" she said, taking a cursory peek at the lake's edge where her partner took his place. "Did she say why?" He shook his head in reply, and so Tanya averted her eyes with a sound of disapproval.

"Your journey here may have been in vain, young one," she answered as she casted her head to the skies. "As much as I would like to pay Mileena a visit, we have more urgent matters to attend to, I'm afraid."

Carcerus' eyes widened. He turned his gaze downward to avoid having to look at Tanya, but he just nodded in understanding. He had remembered a similar event in the past where he was sent by the empress to track down and kill a small band of deserters, unknown to him of what Mileena's true intentions were. It was a test of worth for him, but it was also an errand run for the eradication of a certain individual within that group that had been getting on her nerves then. The Tarkatan just fell short of her expectations. He returned to camp in a bloodied mess, having killed all but one turncoat, and that was his secret intended target.

It was later that day in time that left him terrified for his life when Mileena had a word with him, to which he refused to even think of. That was the very reason why he was so frightened of the half-Tarkatan, for it was one he wouldn't reveal to himself ever again.

"Agha," the little nomad bowed slowly, suppressing his emotions as he looked back up at Tanya, who stared back to try and figure him out. She observed him closely, and then came to the immediate realization that, when she found he had deep scars all along his left forearm, she knew why he was acting so. She shuddered inwardly, remembering his ear-shattering cries. All too well.

"Ah, there is no need for formalities, Carcerus," the Edenian held up her hand to bring him to attention. "Mileena can wait for once, can't she? Come, I need you here for the time being."

She beckoned him further into the campsite. In this way she felt pity for the poor creature, and through her own action took it upon herself to keep him from another personal session from the empress. In other words she would take the blame for the pupil's extended absence, for she knew she would be much more lenient with her. But of course, they were in dire need of help; it was just chance that Carcerus would stumble upon a breakthrough of missing warriors.

"We've had a most unnatural stream of Tormentors coming from the west. The Lei Chen Mountains," she explained, indicating the pile of extra hides at the far corner of their campsite. "Regarding the nature of these beasts, they do not migrate in herds. Someone is controlling them, but this is believed to be a second course of action for the oppressors."

If it was possible, the Tarkatan's face would have twisted in confusion. Tanya took notice and stopped talking for the moment to recollect her thoughts, as she was finally at the solution to the mystery that had been causing their troops' numbers to dwindle. She was too caught up in the excitement that maybe, the loose end would at last be severed.

"Please, follow me," she said to the mutant and led him into another roughly crafted tenthouse, much like that of Mileena's back at their primary camp. Here it was notably cooler, and the small place was furnished with a couple of old silken pillows surrounding a lowset table. From the smell of the wood, Carcerus had pinpointed its origin to be of the Living Forest.

The woman invited him inside, patting one of the cushions that served as a seat. He obeyed.

"Now," she took a breath, taking a moment to shift to a comfortable position before continuing onward once more, "there is someone within our ranks who is bending the will of nature to attack us. I am uncertain of who they are, but they are considered our enemy. We set up an outpost here to stem the tides of these brutes, but now I believe this was the mind flayer's intentions - to keep Rain and me away from the empress' defense. Not only that, but it has come to attention that at the same time Baraka's forces are disappearing little by little; these two events are interconnected, that much is obvious. All signs lead back to base in the Drylands. That is where our snake hides." The Edenian closed her eyes, pressing her fingers against her temples. "Tell me, Carcerus, have you seen anything… out of the ordinary as of late? Anything - a certain aura from another one of your brothers?"

"No, I haven't," Carcerus replied, sinking into his seat, "not that I recall."

"I have been withholding this information from everyone else back home, but I find this time most appropriate, for Mileena and Baraka only. Don't worry; like I said, I will not send you back. I will go. But I have a task for you, one that involves your special abilities. You are Baraka's sole squire, are you not?"

"I am," he said. He took in this information for a second and then inquired, "what is this task, Agha?"

"I want you and Rain to venture into the heart of Lei Chen."