And The Winner Is…
It is now the next day. The Tournament between Outworld and Zaterra has begun. The only people present were Shao Kahn, Reiko, Anomaly, Shang Tsung, Kreeya, Reptile, and the Zaterrian Counsel. Shao Kahn seemed to have been hoping for multiple warriors to face off against his champion in the tournament. However, none of the other Zaterrian warriors decided to show up.
"Alright Queen, it's been 5 minutes since I've finished my speech. Where are the rest of your warriors?" Shao Kahn asked. The Queen looked over at the Zaterrian council for their thoughts. They all agreed to proceed with the tournament without the other warriors.
"Reptile is the only warrior brave enough to challenge you. He will fight all of your warriors." Kreeya replied.
"You do realize that you have an injured warrior defending the safety, security, and freedom of your Realm. You might as well hand over your Realm to me." Kahn suggested.
"He does not care. Therefore, we will continue with this tournament." Kreeya responded. Shao Kahn shook his head in disappointment.
"Anomaly, if you fail to pull this off, I'll kill you myself." Shao Kahn stated as he looked towards Anomaly. She yawned in response. She began to walk onto the open area that was being used for the tournament.
"For an emperor as ruthless as you, I never expected your champion to act so casually towards you." Kreeya commented.
"Oh, you're talking about Onaga. Yeah, he was a bit of a jackass." Anomaly responded. "Kahn's not as ruthless as you think, except when you piss him off or during an assault against stubborn foreigners."
"I see." Kreeya responded. The Council members began to whisper amongst themselves. "Reptile…just relax. You will beat her." Reptile looked towards Kreeya and nodded. He stepped into the open area along with Anomaly. They both slowly circled around one another, waiting for the match to start.
*At the Battle Tower…*
Khameleon watches on from her tower. She begins to pray as she spots both Reptile and Anomaly staring each other down. She worries for the outcome of the battle due to Reptile's injury. She also looks down to see her sister Kreeya along with the rest of the council members whom are the spectators & judges of the tournament.
"In the case that Reptile has to pull out from the match, how do you see us faring against the Emperor's men?" One of the guards asks.
"You had your chance to help. If you want my advice, pack your bags and leave as soon as you can." She responded.
"It wouldn't hurt to deny the invitation and just work under him until we can gain the upper hand." The guarded added.
"He's not stupid. Besides, we still have one person we need to take care of before we can pull that off." Khameleon states as she concentrates on the fight.
*Back on the field*
The Tension rises as the two kombatants wait for Kahn's infamous line.
"FIGHT!"
Reptile speeds past Anomaly. She was surprised at how fast Reptile could move, even when he was injured. As Anomaly begins to turn her head, she is elbowed in the face by Reptile. Her body begins to soar across the field, but was still in reach for Reptile to grab her leg and prepare to strike Anomaly dead. Suddenly, Anomaly blows purple dust into Reptile's Face, causing him to release her leg. She lands on her hands and fire began to surround her right leg. She propels herself towards Reptile and kicks him in the chest, causing an explosion which knocks him back a few feet. Shao Kahn Laughs while the Council members begin to whisper amongst themselves again. Kreeya's eyes widened. As the smoke cleared, Reptile began to stand up, holding his side again.
"Rrrrhh, Dark Sorcery." Reptile growled. "I fought a sorcerer of the Netherealm once who could disable dark sorcery. Too bad for her, I didn't use dark sorcery." Anomaly gets a vision of Ashrah in her mind. She remembers how upset she was the night Onaga was killed. She was promised his soul, but instead she got gratitude and punishment.
"So…you're not any ordinary Zaterrian. You've been around haven't you?" Anomaly commented.
"We've been hiding for years—studying your every move. You're not as powerful as you perceive yourself to be. Trickery and deceit can only take you so far." Reptile responded.
"You're right. That's why I've been studying you this whole week." Anomaly revealed. "By the way, you're welcome." Everyone was suspicious over the validity of her words. However, Reptile was able to piece together what he now thinks may have been fate the day before. "So that's why I think I'm ready to take you on in a melee fight."
Anomaly summons her Kobu Jutsu and makes direct eye contact with Reptile. Reptile continues to stare at her. Anomaly decides to attack first as she wildly swings her weapons at Reptile. Reptile dodges her attacks and spits acid on both of his claws. He swings his claws consistently towards Anomaly. Although she fared well against his assault, she was still taking a few minor burns from the acid that was being flicked from Reptile's claws. The two continued to exchange non-lethal blows against each other, yet they both kept up with each other. Reptile's attacks started to slow down, but his accuracy was beginning to catch up with Anomaly's movement. Anomaly's pain from her minor burns was starting to get to her. She began flinching before executing some of her attacks which have cause Reptile to fair a bit better against her.
Everyone was amazed by the fight between the two. Kreeya and the Zaterrian counsel were impressed by Reptile's ability to keep up in the fight even with his injury. Khameleon and her subordinates were on the edge of their seat in the battle tower, hoping that Reptile would actually pull off a move that could kill Anomaly before she kills him. Reiko was curious as to why it seemed that Anomaly was struggling against Reptile. Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung were not surprised at all. Both Anomaly and Reptile decide to stop attacking each other to take a breath.
"Is it against the rule to request a 15 minute break? Maybe even a snack break?" Anomaly complained. Kreeya and the council were confused by her words. She drops her Kobu Jutsu weapons onto the ground. She decided to lie on her back and look into the stars in the sky. Kreeya was thrown off.
"Is…is she being serious?" Kreeya questioned. Shao Kahn closed his eyes and didn't respond. Shang Tsung shook his head in disappointment.
"Those stars in the sky seem almost like multiple gateways to other realms. Sometimes when I visit a realm, I tend to count the stars and line them up with my kill count. I try to always do everything I can to ensure that my kill count never surpasses the realm I'm visiting." Anomaly discussed.
"What are you going on about?" Reptile questioned. Anomaly laughed.
"You still don't get it do you." She responded. "Don't worry, you'll see exactly why I'm considered undefeatable by all of the realms."
Anomaly wasted no time as she tossed both of her Kobu Jutsu at Reptile. They were three feet in front of Reptile as he simply moved his body to the side. Both of the Kobu Jutsu weapons scraped the top of his shoulder. They then strike a large boulder which splits in three and crumbles to pieces. Reptile's thick, scaly shoulder blades were hardened, so the blades didn't harm him. Reptile then rushes towards Anomaly. He spits acid on his hands and As Reptile prepares to use his final blow, Anomaly's Kobu Jutsu weapons return from the rubble and fly toward Reptile. They Strike him in his shoulders, this time digging their way into the areas below Reptile's Shoulder blades. As he falls to the ground face first, Anomaly takes her Kobu Jutsu from his back. She begins to chuckle at the look on Reptile's face. Everyone was saddened by what had happen.
"Listen, we've been going on with this for a while, but if you haven't notices, there's a full moon tonight and I have some really important business to take care of after we finish claiming this realm. So if you don't mind, please just die."
Anomaly sends her Kobu Jutsu away and summons her Dragon Naginata. She holds the lance in a Templar like stance, prepped to pierce Reptile into his heart. However, before she could even accomplish her goal, Reptile uses his special move: Basilisk. Time begins to slow down drastically for Reptile as he is able to move out of the way of Anomaly's attack. He then processed to spit a heavy amount of acid on his hand and pierces Anomaly through her Stomach. Time reverts back to normal speeds. Everyone is in awe at the end result of the match. Even Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung were in slight disbelief. Reptile moves back with his hand coming out of Anomaly's stomach. Acid and blood dripped from Reptile's hand and Anomaly fell dead onto the ground.
"I can't believe it. He actually won. Reptile saved our realm!" Khameleon shouted to her men at the Zaterrian Battle Tower. She began to shout and laugh in relief after the results of the match. Kreeya was still unable to process what happened. She was just as much in shock as everyone else was. The Council began to clap and cheer for Reptile as he had just saved their realm.
"I…was right." Kreeya started as she grinned. She began to tear up. "I was right about choosing you all along!" she shouted. Kreeya arose from her seat and ran directly towards Reptile. She congratulated him with a big hug. He was still in pain and a bit shocked at his victory, but he was very happy nonetheless.
"Reptile Wins. FATALITY!" All of the council members were filled with joy. Reiko and Shang Tsung were angered by the loss of Anomaly. However, Shao Kahn didn't seem upset at all. Reptile won, but for some odd reason, Shao Kahn laughed.
End of Chapter 3
No Preview for Chapter 4 Due to Major Spoilers.
(Ch. 4: Betrayal of a Royal Spy)
