-Carnala makes another appearance in this story.
Night fell in Outworld as Skarlet was released from the Flesh Pits and was able to go into the Throneroom under the Emperor's supervision. Skarlet had been placed under a mind control spell by Shao Kahn that would devoid her of a conscience or free will, so that she would not defect and jump ship. The Emperor decided that since Skarlet wasn't even over a day old, that she wouldn't know how to make decisions for herself.
Skarlet had been introduced to Jade, Kitana, Reptile, Ermac, Scorpion, Rain and Kano. Those warriors would be her trainers over the next few months. The hemomancer would be spending a year with each warrior, and teach her different things. Skarlet's seven years of training would hopefully pay off by the time the tournament started, which was eight years from now.
Kitana and Jade would be teaching Skarlet attack and defence, respectively. Reptile and Ermac would teach Skarlet stealth and how to use her powers. Rain and Scorpion would be teaching her to scale objects and swim and how to sense things invisible to the eye, while Kano would be teaching her strength and force.
It was getting late, and Skarlet was ready to fall asleep. Her eyes were drowsy, she was yawning, and her tired body was slanted against a pillar. Shao Kahn noticed this and decided to send her to bed. He had already made the girl a bedroom, one which she would be sharing with Kitana and Jade. All of them were girls, so it didn't really matter.
Clicking his fingers at one of the peasants nearby, Shao Kahn ordered the peasant to take Skarlet to her quarters. The hemomancer turned to face the Emperor and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Emperor. Training begins tomorrow, yes?"
Shao Kahn nodded. "Yes, Skarlet. It will start at 5:30 AM. Have a good rest. You will need it." He smiled at her. Thanks to his sorcery, Skarlet obeyed him without question. This made things easier, as less questions were involved. Skarlet never was suspicious about the Emperor's actions, which was what made him like her the most.
Skarlet smiled in return. "Goodnight, Emperor." The peasant then took her to her quarters. The room was massive and elegant. The walls were painted red, blue and green in accordance to the colours the three shinobis wore. Inside the room were three double beds, one for each girl. Kitana and Jade were already in their rooms, talking to each other. Skarlet decided that they looked like nice girls and that they would be easy to get along with.
"Thankyou," Skarlet said to the peasant, who left in a hurry. She walked into the room, her body language showing her timidness. The hemomancer awkwardly looked at Kitana and Jade as if she had caught them doing something inappropriate. The two shinobis smiled at her, making the hemomancer's timidness fade immediately.
"Ah, you must be Skarlet! Father has told me much about you!" The blue kunoichi greeted. "I am Kitana, Shao Kahn's daughter. Over here is my friend, Jade." Kitana gestured to her friend, who smiled warmly.
Skarlet began to doubt Shao Kahn's relations with Kitana. They were completely different. Shao Kahn was cruel and opinionated, whilst Kitana was relaxed and friendly. She immediately knew something wasn't right. Nonetheless, she did not let it show. The magic that fogged her mind didn't allow her to speak badly of the Emperor.
Kitana extended her hand, which Skarlet shook, smiling. She then took off her mask, as the other women had, too. With Kitana and Jade sitting on their beds, Skarlet took the hint and sat on the bed that wasn't claimed. This bed must have been hers.
"You do not have a problem sharing a room with us, Skarlet?" Jade pondered. The red assassin did not show any qualms about her sleeping chamber.
The red assassin shook her head. "No, I suppose not. As long as you girls aren't noisy during the night. My training begins tomorrow, so I need my sleep." It then occurred to her that the shinobis before her could be the ones training her. "Are you going to be training me at all?"
"Father told me that tomorrow, I will be training you in defence. We will be learning how to dodge projectiles and other objects, as well as countering, dodging, and blocking attacks," Jade spoke. "Our training goes for a year. Then, Kitana here will be training you."
The Princess nodded. "I will be training you in attack. We will be learning how to fight with melee and projectile based attacks. Our training will be going for a year."
Skarlet felt slightly uncomfortable about training continuously for a year. But she knew that in order to complete her mission, which was to assassinate Quan Chi if he plotted betrayal to Shao Kahn, all of this would be worth it. Skarlet needed as much skill as she could.
"Do you know how the training works? Do I just learn things for an entire year, or do I do missions?"
"For the first six 11 months, you do training. In the last month, you do an exam that is based on everything you have learnt throughout the year. That is how it will work for the other training sessions," Kitana informed her.
"And what happens once I've finished all of my training?"
"Well, shortly after, the tournament begins. No doubt you'll be fighting in it. That is what the Emperor has had you training for," Jade said.
Skarlet wanted to tell them that Shao Kahn had given her a mission upon being created, but something told her not to. She decided to call it a day and go to sleep.
Sitting down on the bed, Skarlet took off her boots, her armour and her forearm guards, and put her weapons on the bedside table. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Skarlet felt even more tired. "Goodnight, girls," she said as she felt sleep take her.
Kitana and Jade looked at the girl, and smiled, "Goodnight, Skarlet," they said in unison.
The Netherrealm
Since Carnala's soul had been wandering around Outworld since Shang Tsung had banished it from Skarlet's body, Carnala needed to find a human and kill it, and use it's body as a vessel to find a way to be brought back to life.
Carnala had found an unconscious woman's body on the floor, and decided to use her as the vessel. Carnala's soul entered the woman's body and the woman's appearance changed from her own into that of Carnala. The bloody Edenian had returned to life…for now.
Conjuring a portal to the Netherrealm with her Edenian magic, Carnala entered it in order to strike a deal with a man named Scorpion. The spectre was hell bent on revenge and wanted nothing more than to see Sub-Zero's head on a plate. And Carnala would help him with that.
Carnala's deal was that she was help Scorpion kill Sub-Zero, and in exchange for that, Scorpion would bring Shang Tsung to her. Carnala would then kill Shang Tsung, enacting revenge, and overthrow Outworld with the power she would have from Shang Tsung's blood being splattered across her body.
Walking through the bowels of the Netherrealm, Carnala soon found herself approached by the hellspawn. The warrior had rematerialized from the flames that burst forth from the ground that the hemomancer walked on, and gave her a cold glare that would surely frighten her.
But it didn't. Carnala was never one to be afraid. The only person that frightened her was Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn.
"Who are you!" The demon roared.
"I am Carnala. I seek revenge. I know that you are a spectre bent on revenge, and with my desire for revenge, we could work together to satisfy our vengeful needs."
The demon snorted. "I would rather work alone than with a harlot such as you."
"I know that the one thing you desire most is to see Sub-Zero's head on a plate. I can help you achieve that, if you can bring Shang Tsung to me. The sorcerer wronged me during my lifetime…and I will bathe in his blood, no matter how long it takes me…"
Scorpion still did not seem convinced. "The tournament will be starting in eight years from now. During the tournament, we can achieve our goals. I promise I am not setting you up in any kind of way, Scorpion. You can trust me."
Carnala was right. Scorpion did want to see Sub-Zero's head on a plate, and if the woman could help him, the demon would surely help her get revenge on Shang Tsung.
"Very well. I will rendezvous with you during the tournament. We can set up a plan from there. I look forward to avenging my family and clan," Scorpion said to her.
Carnala smiled. "Excellent. I cannot wait to have Shang Tsung's blood pouring onto my body." The fantasy of having Shang Tsung hoisted on pillars above Carnala with his stomach cut open and drawing blood which would pour onto Carnala's face excited her. She began to cackle maniacally.
-If it wasn't clear before, Carnala's a hemomancer, but being an Edenian, she also has some powers that aren't related to blood.
-I haven't decided to make any type of connection between Skarlet and Carnala. The only relation between them is that Skarlet is Carnala's descendant and Carnala is Skarlet's ancestor.
-Do you think Scorpion will truly coerce with Carnala's plan?
-Will they get their revenge?
-Will they be able to witness the corpses of their adversaries?
-I don't know, read and find out!