It was the intensity of the sun's glare that woke Mileena up. She'd been lucky to find a spot down here that still had sun come through it. The spot told her what time it was, she could stand on crates near the small gutter and track its position. Thankfully, it hadn't rained yet, so the area remained dry.
However, she knew she couldn't stay here.
Who would've thought the false emperor could see through her plan? And just when she believed she'd succeeded, too. She'd run so fast, only to be held in place by the being of ten thousand traitors. He only won because of his magic; had it been a fair fight, Mileena would have killed him.
She had been in these tunnels for 4 days, and it was already taking a toll on her. She craved fresh air, the feeling of something other than stone under her boots, and more importantly, proper food. Feasting on small creatures that passed her wasn't enough, and the taste was nowhere near as nice as humanoid flesh.
Mileena yawned, wiping her yellow eyes as she sat up from the ground. The stone was hard on her bones, resting on it hurt, but she had nothing else to use as comfort. Although, she was given the luxury of keeping her sai with her, having weapons down in this cave was useful. While she hated to admit it, the Kahn of Outworld had given her a blessing.
The area she'd stayed at for the past couple of days had been a good area, but she'd been here for too long. It wasn't strategic to stay here. Now, Mileena was starting to get desperate. Exploring the tunnels could lead her to a way out.
Judging by the old candles mounted on the stone walls, the tunnels had to be an underground way out, in case of an invasion. And knowing her late father, Shao Kahn, he would have memorised the correct route to escape, not telling anyone or leaving any clues. There was a high chance Kotal Kahn didn't know, just how Mileena liked it. The emperor probably thought she'd never find her way out.
The heels on her boots clicked against the smooth stone as she walked down the hall, the small amount of sunlight escaping her. Mileena kept her right hand on the wall, following it as she walked. This way, she'd be able to make her way back to the sunlight easily, by simply turning around and keeping one hand on the wall.
If Shao Kahn had his way, there would most likely be some sick, sadistic traps in the tunnels. He had enjoyed watching his victims be impaled by large, metal spikes, or crushed by rapidly closing in walls. Not to mention his love of creatures, large, brutal creatures made of sorcery, which effortlessly ripped the limbs off of mortals and gods alike. Mileena kept her wits about her, listening for any footsteps, feeling for any switches that'd trigger spikes emerging from the floor.
She'd gone around a corner twice when she heard it. Footsteps. Instinctively pulling one sai out and into her hand, she narrowed her eyes as she slowly, quietly as possible, stepped closer to the noise. Her assassin training kicked in, and her feet made no sound as she reached yet another corner.
She paused, listening. These steps weren't heavy, like Shao Kahn's usual beasts. There was no clicking on the ground either, which meant it had no claws on its feet. She listened closer, now leaning against the stone wall. Its breathing was stressed, faster than normal. But it murmured to itself, something creatures don't do.
It was humanoid.
It stopped just around the corner, and in a shaky voice, called "Hello?" Mileena smirked, turning the corner to face the other. It was a man, an Edenian, with mid length brown hair tied back in a high ponytail. His facial hair was ragged and scruffy, similar to his clothing. His eyes flicked to Mileena, widening in recognition.
"The true empress!" He grinned. The man bowed to her, clearly both relieved and surprised. "I knew those stories weren't true. I knew you were alive."
Mileena's amused grin was hidden behind her pink mask. She sheathed her sai, and put her hands together. "Thank you, darling, for having faith in me. Tell me, what's your name?"
"Err, Illiun, empress." He was still young, even for an Edenian. No wrinkles marred his skin, no scars or cuts. Judging by his larger than average figure, the man hadn't worked hard a day in his life. His hands confirmed this further; they looked soft, free of hard labour.
"Illiun." She tested the name, looking back at him for approval with her pronunciation. "It's a lovely name, I must say. And tell me, Illiun, what did you do to end up here?"
He looked embarrassed, eyes flicking to the stone and shifting on his feet. "I, uh, I preached about you, empress. I protested when Kahn's guards tried to shut down my stall for selling items that clearly supported you. He threw me in here about an hour ago, I've been going straight, too scared to turn any corners."
She nodded, taking his words in. Perhaps going back to the start of the tunnels would help her find a way out. It was far too dangerous to try and go through the palace, but being able to track a path back to the start could make escaping easier. "I understand that you've just come from there. But I would like to head back that way, if that is alright. And it is safer to travel together."
"Anything for you, empress" Illiun nodded. Mileena gestured forward, asking him to lead the way. The Edenian walked faster now, leading her back to the start of the tunnels.
A frown crossed over Mileena's features as the hallway started to light up, widening ever so slightly. She scowled at the memory, how her skin had hurt for hours after being forced down into these tunnels. Those Osh-Tekk had a hard grip, leaving red marks around her wrists as they threw her in here. And Kotal, he'd been laughing as he watched her walk away.
He hadn't won. Not yet.
She was going to make him regret letting her live.
Illiun stopped suddenly, pointing upwards. It hadn't taken them long to get to the start. Soft light came from above, poking through the grate and leaving square patterns on the ground. Kotal hadn't even bothered throwing the rug back over it, the vent was open for anyone to see.
Mileena craned her neck to look up. She saw no guards, which was strange for Kotal. He couldn't be idiotic enough to feel safe, especially if he wasn't certain of Mileena's status. The emperor had no way of knowing if she was dead or alive, he hadn't set foot in the tunnels since she'd been sent down here. Kotal seemed to be feeling confident, which was always dangerous for an emperor to be.
Shao Kahn had been confident. And it had ultimately led to his downfall. Mileena hadn't seen her father die herself, but she'd heard the stories. The Thunder God had brought him down, stronger with the Elder God's assistance. And she knew the failed actor and the Earthrealm witch had been there, watching him die. The trio had orphaned her, had killed the one person she was devoted to completely.
"They threw a pack in after me!" Illiun gasped, breaking Mileena's train of thought. The man walked over to the bag. It was a brown woven bag, small enough to be worn over the shoulder quite easily. He looked inside briefly. "There's chalk in here! And some bandages, and... Kahnum, look at this!"
Mileena hummed, stepping up behind him. Illiun gasped when he turned and saw her, almost touching noses with Mileena. She gave him a small smile, although he couldn't see it, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Illiun."
"Uh, you're welcome, Empress." He chuckled nervously, holding onto the bag strap tighter. "But all I did was lead you here."
"Ah, but you'll help me so much more in the future." Mileena leant closer, leaving little room in between them. "To repay you," she twirled her sai in her hand, amused with how it glinted in the light. The reflection lit up Illiun's face, he laughed again, even more nervous, "I'll give you one of my sais."
Illiun gasped again, now grinning. "I- really empress? That means so much, you can't be serious."
"Darling..." Mileena grinned, this time her eyes narrowed. "I've never been more serious in my life." Her sai sliced his flesh with ease, head hanging limp after his neck was ripped open. Illiun fell to the stone ground with a thud, gasping before his eyes rolled back, blood still spilling out of his neck. Mileena stood over him, untangling the bag from his shoulder and slinging it over her own. Her stomach growled when she looked over him, Mileena crouched down, tearing his flesh open and biting into it.
Humanoid flesh tasted so much better than the small creatures she'd been eating. She closed her eyes in bliss at the taste, gods, she'd missed it. Once she'd taken enough bites from his side, she used her sai to cut chunks off, wrapping them with Illiun's clothing and placing it in her bag. She dipped her hand in his flesh, covering it in his blood, and started to trace the walls with the blood as she walked away. This way, she wouldn't waste the chalk, and could use it later once the blood had dried.
"Really," she turned back to the body, still grinning, "you've helped me so much, Illiun."
Once the blood had dried, Mileena put the bag down to dig through it, hoping to find the chalk. Kotal had been generous enough to give her three sticks of the stuff. As Illiun had said, there were some bandages in the bag. At the bottom was a small book.
She frowned, grabbing the book by its spine and holding it. It fit in one hand, yet despite its small size, it must have had near a thousand pages. The book was thick in her hand, its cover was a dark red, and a black seal was printed on the front. Mileena opened it, then rolled her eyes at herself. Of course, it was too dark to read the small print, although squinting revealed it was handwritten. She sighed, closing it again and putting it back in her bag for later.
Usually, Mileena would show little interest in such a thing. Reading wasn't exactly her forte, she didn't possess the patience to sit still long enough to finish a story. But this book felt important, she'd been given it for a reason. Holding the chalk in one hand, Mileena continued to trace the walls. The chalk was just light enough to be seen across the stone, she wouldn't get lost with a way to track where she'd come from.
She was going to find a way out. And when she did, Kotal was going to pay.