Outworld Marketplace-

During her long trek to Outworld, Mileena had time to reflect on all of her scattered thoughts. Chief among them were people she wanted to speak to, that she was sure she'd met before. Most of them were simply faces in her mind's eye, but she couldn't yet remember the names that belonged to most of them. However, the faces that stood out most were those of a man in a headdress and another in violet colored light armor.

"Who are these people?" she asked herself. They seemed to hold some significance, but what was their relationship to her? She knew nothing about them, yet she could recall their faces quite clearly. It felt as if there was some information she should know, but there were some blanks where a memory was supposed to be. Was this some sort of side effect from awakening in that lab? She still couldn't quite remember what actually occurred for her to end up there. But one thing she was certain of was she had indeed died.

After some time walking, and possibly tiring out her legs, she finally neared the vendors and market stalls that lined the dusty road within the marketplace. Almost every mechant she could see was engaged with a customer, advertising some article of clothing, a weapon, or a trinket. She came upon one of the many weapons stalls, realizing she had no weapons on her.

The stall was stocked with weapons of all sorts from daggers to war hammers. The merchant manning this particular stall hadn't yet noticed her, as he was occupied engaging with another customer. She paid the merchant no mind as she looked over the more mobile friendly weapons laid out on the counter top. The only weapon that caught her eyes were a pair of daggers, each one containing a prong on either side of it's handles projecting outward in curves. Unthinkingly, she gripped one, instinctively twirling it in her hand as if she had years of practice.

"You are interested in those, I see?"

Mileena paused in her silent admiration of the nostalgic weapons, turning to look at the vendor who had spoken. She wasn't sure what it was, but there seemed to be a gleam in his eye, but it was gone before she was sure it was even there. He suddenly coughed courteously while dropping eye contact and breaking the awkward silence that Mileena unwittingly created.

"If you wish to acquire those, I will offer a small fee of just 6 koins," he ventured. A friendly smile was upon his face, and his eyebrows were hidden under the fringe of his bandana, protecting his head from the sun's heat. Patiently, he had his hands folded in front of himself at the waist, awaiting her response.

"I...don't have any money," she seemed to only just realize this. She never had a need to buy anything and the concept of having koin on her person sounded almost foreign. As a matter of fact, she didn't remember ever just exploring a road like this without expecting to be executing a target of Shao Khan's.

"Well," the merchant said after making a sound as if thinking. "You go ahead and take them," the merchant said after some apparent internal deliberation. Mileena looked over the Sais once more, then back to the merchant.

"You are sure?" she asked, somewhat uncertain about his sudden generosity. The man waved off her confusion, as though eager to conclude business.

"It's fine, it's fine. You look very interested in them. You go and take them," he assured her.

"Thanks," she said, turning to make her way towards the palace again. She hesitated, nodding her head to him once before leaving. She did not notice the merchant wave over one of the many guards stationed along the road.

The half Edenian had minutes ago sheathed one of the Sais in between her sash and the fabric of the clothes she wore, while studying the other in both hands. Some images were coming back to her from looking at the dagger, none of them connected to an individual. It felt like years of training were coming back to her as she analyzed the contours of the triple pronged blade. How to wield them, how to defend, attack, and even how to twirl them. All the experience of Kombat she was recalling didn't extend to just the Sais, but to situational awareness as well. That's why she found her eyes narrowing, the yellow irises of her eyes appearing more intimidating and calculating. Four men, whom she recognized to be guards were tailing her.

Why were they following her? Wasn't Shao Khan waiting for her? For some reason that didn't sound right in her mind. She was missing an important detail. Something that felt like it would jog most if not all of her memory.

The closer she got to the palace, the more the crowd of people in the road seemed to be thinning out. This wouldn't have seemed strange if it wasn't for the fact that the vending stalls looked abandoned too. The Wooden built counters still had items on display, lending to the idea that this section of street, only several feet from the Palace's steps, was evacuated, and recently.

Slowly, she looked behind her, observing that the guards were the only other people present. It was a group of four, standing in a formation that would block her from retreating if she dared to. She looked in front of her again quickly, sure that she could even smell hostile intent a distance ahead of her, though she could not see who or where it was emanating from.

Without wasting another second, she stopped in her tracks and unsheathed the second Sai from her belt, twirling both of them in such a way she couldn't remember where she learned it from. She gripped the handles tightly in her hands, pointing the weapons at the guards behind her, who had stopped suddenly and pulled out their own weapons, consisting of swords or axes, all finely maintained and looking as though they could make mincemeat of anything it came in contact with.

"You need to come with us," the lead guard, slightly taller than the other three ordered. "You match the description of someone we need to bring in for questioning," he added, as they all began to slowly advance towards her.

"Who gives you the authority!? Do you know who I am?" Mileena snarled back, growing angry at the traitorous guards. They were obviously not enforcers of Shao Khan if they deigned to attack his daughter!

"Traitors. I'll bring all of you before Shao Khan!" she threatened. The guards paused in their advance to glance at each other before looking at her, as if she was the one that grew a second head.

"Well?" Mileena challenged, not having dropped her guard for a second. To her surprise, they began to advance towards her once again, readying their weapons.

She growled low in her throat before stalking towards them in return, twirling the Sais in her hands again, so that the blades would now end up facing towards her and guarding her arms.

I know this chapter is short, it is 11:43 pm at the time of this upload, and I simply feel sleep deprived and can't visualize a decent fight scene. I'll have more to offer in the next chapter for sure. Please leave suggestions on what you'd like to see and review. Thanks.