Prologue

Shao Kahn Grew angry upon hearing the news of invaders in his realm. One of the Warlord's slaves had just informed him that two Lin Kuei warriors had been detected coming through a portal towards the south of Outworld.

The emperor decided he would send his daughter Kitana to investigate.

"Kitana!" he commanded. The Edenian princess was at Shao Kahn's side in a moment as he sat on his throne.

"Confront these pathetic intruders. Make sure they are not here to interfere with my plans. Use whatever force is necessary to stop them…and do NOT disappointment me" Shao Kahn warned.

"As you wish, emperor." Kitana bowed, before turning to carry out her orders.

As soon as Kitana had left Shao Kahn's throne room, the emperor signalled to one of his slaves.

"Release her, and bring her to me." Shao Kahn ordered.

He was referring to The Lady in Red, a vicious new warrior he had recently created using sorcery and the blood drawn from countless warriors of the past. She was the first Hemomancer in existence and possessed great skill and deadly power. The emperor named her 'Skarlet' which was befitting of her character. Shao Kahn only trusted his own creations and was confident that she would not disappoint him. The Warlord was ever so-pleased with his latest creation.

Moments later, the slave returned with Skarlet, who walked close behind. He had unchained the dangerous fighter who had been locked up in the coliseum.

"Skarlet, my dear. I trust you will not disappoint me with any order I give you. I want you to follow Kitana and assist her in eliminating any intruders…."

Skarlet gave a single nod before turning to walk away. The Hemomancer hardly ever spoke.

"Make sure you go undetected, I do not want Kitana learning of your involvement in this. Kill and strike from the shadows. She cannot ever find out that I sent you." Shao Kahn growled after her.

The Warlord knew Kitana would grow upset with him if she discovered that he had sent in extra help to assist the princess in completing her mission. If Kitana were to find out that Shao Kahn had no trust in her, the uneasy loyalty the princess had for her father would be lost, and Shao Kahn needed every follower he could muster if he was to be successful in invading, and conquering Earthrealm.

Skarlet bowed. She suddenly turned toward the disposable slave Shao Kahn ordered to retrieve her, and slashed him fiercely across the throat, spilling his blood and dropping him to the ground. The Hemomancer absorbed every last drop of blood from the carcass before leaving to complete her mission. She had gained power, strength, and energy from the fallen warrior's blood, feeling ruthless and ready.

Shao Khan smiled like a proud father as he witnessed what his latest creation had done.

The emperor was definitely impressed.

CHAPTER ONE

Skarlet caught up to Kitana who was heading towards her destination, and stalked behind the princess through the shadows. Skarlet had absolutely no interaction with Kitana, as Shao Kahn kept Kitana in the dark with most things he conjured up behind the scenes. The existence of the Hemomancer herself and Mileena, who was an evil clone of Kitana, being a couple of them. If Skarlet wasn't the cold blooded killing machine she was made out to be, she might've felt a little bad for the princess. To have a father so cold and calculating behind your back probably wasn't a pleasant thing.

Skarlet didn't care much for the family drama, as she was still too focused on getting used to her own existence. She had been created over a year ago and was still adjusting to her brand new body. It was difficult for her to control, as she often moved too fast to even comprehend herself. It felt like all the skill and power she had, just wanted to explode out of her body. Before she could even think of an attack, her body reacted. It was like a young inexperienced teenager behind the wheel of a really fast, and exotic car. It was definitely going to take some getting used to.

Kitana had reached the shores. Skarlet watched from the shadows unbeknownst to her.

Kitana had found the two mysterious intruders who were a few hundred feet away, walking along the bloody beach.

Skarlet made a quick move and dashed across the beach and hid in the corpses that littered the wastelands.

The Hemomancer spotted the two ninjas. One ninja was in grey armour, and the other was in an ice blue and black uniform. Frost and cold air seemed to be emanate from him, signalling that the warrior possessed unusual powers. Upon setting her eyes on the mysterious figure, Skarlet suddenly felt different. She found herself attracted to him. This body of flesh she had, definitely had weird feelings and sensations to it, and not all of them were experienced in her one year of existence.

Something in her chest beat rapidly and she felt…weak. Her emotions were overwhelming, and she didn't like it. Skarlet chose to ignore what was happening to her and refocused on her mission. She watched as the two ninjas spoke and went over their plans.

The two Lin Kuei warriors: Smoke and Tundra, had just traveled through a portal arriving on the shores of Outworld.

"We should stay together Tundra, assuming your brother's identity will certainly draw attention, not all of it welcome…" Smoke suggested.

"You are right Smoke, but assuming Bi Han's identity is the best way to honour him."

Tundra replied.

"Let us proceed then, Sub-Zero." Smoke smiled under his mask. He was proud of Tundra's devotion to his older brother.

"We should separate. Our fellow Lin Kuei will not be far behind once our absence is discovered." Sub Zero replied.

"If only they had been more forth coming with the details of your brother's demise…We will find Shang Tsung. He will tell us all he knows." Smoke stated.

Sub-Zero's mood changed. "If he killed Bi Han, he will die… Be stealth as the night" the Cryomancer replied in a serious tone.

"And as deadly as the dawn" Smoke finished.

And with that, the two Lin Kuei warriors went their separate ways.

Sub-Zero spoke with confidence and just seemed so commanding, that it impressed Skarlet. It was such a pity though, that she had to kill such a handsome warrior, so powerful and good looking too. The Hemomancer wondered if she should tell him that his older brother was killed by Scorpion and transformed into Noob Saibot by Quan Chi, just to give him a peace of mind before finishing him off. She decided against it.

Skarlet watched as Kitana approached Smoke while Sub-Zero was already too far away to hear their confrontation. She decided she would watch what unfolded before tracking down Sub-Zero and putting an end to his life.

Kitana stormed right up to Smoke and spoke.

"The Emperor was wise to send me here. The Lin Kuei do walk uninvited in his realm".

"Wise though your emperor might be, he was foolish to send his housemaid to interfere with Lin Kuei business." Smoke shot back.

Kitana was furious. "I am Kitana, princess of Outworld, and I deal harshly with sharp-tongued intruders! She declared before taking a fighting stance.

The two began to fight as Skarlet decided it was time to complete her task. She was confident Kitana had things under control. The princess should have no problem dispatching Smoke, Skarlet thought, as the moment she had been waiting for, had arrived.

Skarlet was going to hunt down the other Lin Kuei intruder: Sub Zero.