AUTHOR-X NOTES:
Hello Readers or what it is left of you guys. Thank you for your messages and lovely comments. Sorry, I've had a long period gap but I'm afraid that is what it's going to be like expecting stuff from me. I get involved with Theatre and in a Musical Production at the moment that the time to write and proof read sucks ass. However, I'm thankful for the few that is reading my Chapters. Someone said 'is this a Sub x Kit story?' well it is about her journey and interactions with other characters so it is going to depend on how the story evolves. It could be an end game for anyone. For now, I think I'm just trying to establish everyone and keeping the possibilities open. As much as I love the MK series, I'm not a fan of the way they have written Kitana in MK9, 10 or 11. MK2 and UMK3 was pretty much the hay day so I'm mainly going off references from that. As in my disclaimer it is not Canon, it is basically a fan's fiction of what could have been in my POV and just sharing it with everyone else. XOXO
DISCLAIMER: All Characters are owned by Nether Realm Studios, Ed Boon & Warner Bros. This story is also totally non-canon and may contain PG-X-Rated Stuff as well as absolute profanity. You have been warned. Also, thank you to the readers who are following the story on its early stages.
CHAPTER 4. THE TWELFTH MOON
THE SEVENTH MOON - SHANG TSUNG'S ISLAND, EARTH REALM
"FINISH HIM!"
In one foul swoop, the Red Lotus Warrior uppercuts his opponent into the air and sends him flying. He eventually lands on a large spear from one of the Arena's Gladiator Statues. The Black Dragon member was impaled instantly. The point bursts through the stomach; spreading the flesh and organs wider as he slowly descends further onto the arch of the pole. Shang Tsung holds his hand up to give a clear delivery;
"LIU KANG, WINS!"
He continued on;
"Tomorrow at dawn, the first challenge … SONYA!" His stiff palm pointed directly at the stern stature of a Special Forces Agent. She returned a subtle smirk.
"The tournament is now concluded."
"You're next Sorcerer!" Liu Kang threatens. "I will do whatever it takes to set Wang — and every soul free from you!"
"Heh, you're words don't scare me impudent mortal. That's enough!"
As the night grew dark, Shang Tsung and Kano sat at a dining table inside a large, cozy tent set up with oriental pieces, hard wooden furniture, animal-skinned rugs and tapestry. His quarters were spacious and luxurious enough only to accommodate him. They indulged in a well cooked meal and a goblet of wine and discussed the days ahead of them. Unfortunately, the wine did little to unwind his nerves, as he was most unpleased when the Emperor sent a message the other day of little reassurance if he failed him any further; and the impudent Shoalin Monk's threat was the cherry on the cake. He felt like he was standing in the middle of daggers pointed directly at him, held by the ones who want him gone.
He was confident that Liu Kang was just going to be another 'Kung Lao scenario' — someone who shows potential but falls hard when face to face with the reigning champion Prince Goro. Of course he could always take up Liu Kang's challenge himself, stealing his soul would benefit him either way, however Raiden wouldn't allow that; and he was the bigger fish to fry. The protector of Earth holds incredible power that will give Shang Tsung just enough dosage to go up against the most dangerous opponent in Outworld set on his sights.
"Any word from Kahn yet?"
"Unfortunately, no. I have only received a message that the Lin Kuei is unable to send any fighters in our time of need. It is most aggravating," Shang Tsung downs a glass of Red after the following speech.
Kano drank like a fish and washed his meal down with it, spillage running down the side of his mouth until he resumed. In comparison to Shang Tsung, the mercenary had next to nothing in class.
"So the Snow guys can't cough up anything, aye. Suppose they're still pissed about losing Subzero number one ta Scorpion?"
"There isn't much we can do about that. This is a tournament. Contenders have a right to challenge an opponent by a single request. It is one of the rules and Scorpion knew it. It's a shame, I was hoping Scorpion would take us a long way when he finished six Shoalin Monks consecutively until Johnny Cage came up. Well, I'll leave it to Nether Realm to deal with his failure. Anyhow, it is not about Lin Kuei bearing a grudge; I have received news from the Shadows that the test subjects aren't ready. One of them is fifty percent built and the other has no thought process—still. It is ridiculous."
"Yeah well, ya best ta hurry up mate! I'm runnin' out of my own men. Bloody Loo-Kaang, just effed off one of my best Knife Fighters!'
"One of— your— best?"
"I can't wait to face off Miss Congeniality t'morrow. Boy, what I'd like to do to her… she's got it comin' aw'right. I'll give 'er the best plastic surgery in the world ha-ha. That's right, rearrange her face, douse in her petrol - " Kano rambled away, trailing off in his dark, sickening thoughts ignoring Shang Tsung's remark.
Suddenly Shang Tsung set upon a telekinetic grip onto Kano's neck, forcing him to rise from his seat just a little.
"Your bite better be worse than your bark as of now, dog! I expect much from you, which is why I have commended you to our Emperor."
Shang Tsung dropped him instantly back onto his seat.
"Eff off mate! I'll get the job done —piece of cake. That bitch and I have a score to settle. And once I'm finished with 'er, I'll rip her actor boyfriend to shreds and send bloody Loo-Kaang where the sun don't shine! " Kano replied stabbing the table surface with mighty hunting knife.
"Do not disappoint me. I am attending a meeting with the Dark Counsel next week. The sooner we can get Goro the better."
"Hey, wot happens if you arseholes lose the tournament. Ya got a back-up plan?"
"I've been trying to find every loop hole in the scrolls as we speak."
*Seventh, Eighth, Ninth Moons etc means weeks in Outworld Time Zone.
TENTH MOON – SKULL FORTRESS, OUTWORLD CITADEL
"Natabugak sa da … dak … dakal …"
"—Dakalagan"
Mileena abruptly stood up from her seat and threw her calligraphy notes at Baraka. "Gah, fuck it! I'm done."
Furious that he finished her sentence for her as she struggled to pronounce them, Baraka picks up the bundle at his shoe and hands it to her.
"Wara gnadnagam ng ka atilasgam," Baraka says while giving the book back to her. She hesitates, but then snatches it off him whilst giving him a bothersome look.
"It means he has high hopes for you to speak well one day," Kitana rubbed in.
"Eabab gnosa gah-fckut! This means — go fuck yourself!"
Tarkatan Soldiers who were watching the lesson on the side lines laughed like a pack of Hyenas every time the sisters bickered or when Mileena threw a tantrum. Baraka was at least pleased she could curse in their language. Maybe that's all he needed to teach her —how to swear in Golagaat.
The rest of the Imperial Assassins arrived at the door to witness the last few minutes of it on time. Sub-zero noticed Kitana lowering her eyes at the floor but he knew the humiliation was only a scratch.
"I believe you asked me to 'Kindly leave daughter of a whore'; that is probably the most polite thing you have ever said about our Mother. Although, ihal gnitahlak na amat atilasgam an … nakubus."
The Tark audience lost it.
They were laughing, howling and stomping the ground. Mileena crumpled up from confusion, she had no idea what was said except something about 'half-breed' and her headstrong twin wasn't going to spell it out for her. On that note, Mileena left the room scorned which then made Rain give Sub-zero a look which read 'now-I-have-to-deal-with-this-shit' and took after her. He knew better though that comforting her with words would be pointless and that only allowing her to stab someone continuously until she was satisfied was the only comfort she needed. All he could do was keep his distance and ensure she didn't do anything stupid. That was part of his subordinate duties.
"What did you just say to her?" intrigued, Jade stopped Kitana as she was packing up her books.
Later on in that evening, Mileena was at the lumber mill throwing old skeletal bones into the spinning grinders. She was trying to ease the brewing twister within her solitude. Rain didn't hesitate to respect her demands and left her, heading straight down to Fangs Lair — a watering hole famous with Tarkatan soldiers. While watching the dungeon bones crush into tiny fragments, she fantasized many ways of obliterating her sister until she perked up from some footsteps not far behind.
She turned to see Baraka standing behind her at the entrance.
"What do you want?!"
"Only to speak with you." As he started approaching her she went over to the grinder and pulled the lever that it came to a halt.
"You must become greater in your studies, Mileena. Kitana is doing exceptionally well."
"Tell me something I don't know! I get enough from my Father, I don't need the same shit from you so go away!"
"But I want you most of all to succeed. You are part of us."
"Disgusting!" she stated being repulsed by that statement. "I may have the bite but my lineage is vastly superior to yours. I am the Emperor's daughter — I am royalty! I am an heir to the throne!"
There was a brief pause. Arguing that could get him into trouble but then Mileena spun around and kicked some of the wooden posts, totally wrecking it. Then she flipped out her Sais and stabbed some sand bags over and over again as if they were helpless, dangling bodies. He watched her calmly as she destroyed things around her. Then suddenly, she hit a spot introspectively.
"Do you know what he said to me? He said, he said, as long as he reigns and Kitana lives I am never to rule —ever. I've seen him gushing over that —that fucking deceiving bitch as though he is infatuated! It's sick! Can you imagine if she was Queen? The whole of Outworld would lose their minds from the abomination! I would! I would rather salvage her rotting corpse in my cupboard than have a twisted Sister-Mother-fuck-up thing happening — aaarghh!"
She threw her Sai swiftly at a wooden pole, the blade buried deep into the structure. Suddenly out of nowhere, she let out a subtle laughter to herself.
"Even after her betrayal, she's still his —his one and only," she sarcastically dramatizes love while placing both her hands on her chest in a crisscross; however her tone quickly changes.
"I am nothing but a shadow of her —with teeth!"
"No, no. You just haven't paid attention to your abilities. Accept who you are and you will see how superior you are to her and probably more so than …."
"What?"
Baraka was now crossing bad territory just to comfort a jealous brat with family issues. It could mean treason against high power. However, he took the gamble as he could read she was desperate and open to listening.
"Listen to me. I may know something about your Sister that could benefit you, greatly."
Secrets. Mileena liked secrets, especially if it included her sister. Interested in what the Brute had to say, she leaned in closer to lower the volume between them.
"Ever since the first time I have served Master, Kitana always had a different scent with her blood. We Tarkatans can smell the blood of beings around us and her blood is not like the Emperor's. You on the other hand — you have your Father's scent."
Mileena's eyes began to grow wider as Baraka went on.
"Can you not sense that?"
For a moment, she was quiet. Her eyes widened, clockwork ticking, creating a pause to let things seep in. Then she spoke;
"Now and again, I've picked up something a few times but I have totally ignored it. It's funny, now that I think about it. Kitana, Jade and even Rain, they all produce the same scent as …"
TWELVTH MOON – SKULL FORTRESS, OUTWORLD CITADEL
In the crack of dawn, all militant superiors in the council had been called to the Throne room. Head Mistress Euphusia immediately called her helpers to collect the Imperial Assassin's at once while she took after Princess Kitana.
The court made their way down giant hallways moderately guarded by Tarkatan soldiers' standing stationary at their posts. They began approaching heavy steel doors intricately bevelled by grand artwork of an ancient tale between Gods, demons, dragons and finally a pile of bodies surrounding the head of a giant skull in the centre of it all. The attendants were greeted with the Skull's eyes made of Rubies, glowing ominously at them until the doors parted and opened to the first few arrivals. Commander Goro entered first with the Imperial Assassins and Baraka following behind. After them were a handful of Shadow Priests and a few of the Cities House of Representatives trailing behind them; those who were assigned by the Emperor to look after his city; from Vault Treasurers to Chair persons of Infrastructure, Cultivators, Revenue, Beast Handlers and Dark Arts — everyone of them gathered around a dragon symbol engraved on the floor in the formation of a semi-circle before the Throne.
"This must be about the storming to Mangen, surely."
"Possibly, Jade. He had a meeting with the Dark Counsel a few days ago. With the way things are at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if it was about the tournament as well; presuming Shang Tsung would be present by Kharagami, "Kitana smirked.
"He is a coward," Jade replies.
"Nevertheless, I hope Father decides on a more peaceful approach with Kobatu. They are our main suppliers for steel and artillery after all."
"For my sake, I hope not Kitana. I don't trust anyone who deceives Father," Mileena expressed nudging in between the two of them. "There is no fun in that anyway. But I do agree that Shang Tsung is a slimy toad hiding behind the Kharagami. Of course he couldn't be there to face him," she laughed.
"I'm hoping he sssends usss to compete in the Tournament. It has been awhile and I'm thirsssty for better opponents. What is the point of honing a craft if it is used on the weak," Reptile hissed, keeping the conversation close in range in case of open ears.
"As so do I." Kitana seconds.
"Me too." Jade thirds.
"Yes." Sub-zero agrees.
Rain nods to agree whilst Mileena just scowls;
"Fools."
Suddenly, it falls silent. Emperor Khan enters and sits on his throne —a Mammoth's Skull with premium tusks protruding out onto the steps, sharp enough to impale anyone. His chair was also made of skulls from the dead, welded together on the crest and finial whilst other bone ligaments made up the railings and arms. The handiwork was as threatening to look at as it was grizzly, that the servants would call it Throne of Fatalities. Accompanying him were two higher ranking Shadow Priests that wore black robes with ancient symbols encrypted on their purplish Stoles. They were the ones that served him personally and closer than any of the reddish-brown Cowl Cloaked Priests. They stood by him, one on each side. The one on his left quickly unveiled a black mirror orbresting upon a dragon-clawed mantel piece.
"Summon Shang Tsung," Kahn commanded.
The priest waved his palms over the dark glass and suddenly it was no longer black. Shang Tsung's face appeared inside it and behind him, a bright blue sky with Palm Trees. The Kharagami was a way to communicate through different worlds if time and travelling was of the essence. Fortunately for not physically being there, he found a few piercing eyes in the room already sensing their condemnation.
"Nine consecutive tournaments—and we have had some significant loses." The silence fell hard from Khan's opening words.
"I will not tolerate annihilation! Enfeeblement! The humiliation of losing to a Thunder God and his puny Mortals! This is the last battle to finally conquer Earth Realm once and for all."
Shang Tsung felt the first vain throbbing from his forehead but even then he maintained his composure. The Emperor shot a quick glance at him; who he in turn noted as a warning to keep quiet and not to justify anything.
"I've decided I am going to grant your request. As the champion of nine consecutive tournaments, I will be sending forth General Goro to compete in the final rounds."
Despite a few whispers in the room, Shang Tsung was pleased to hear this and couldn't wait to wipe the single sweat from his forehead. It was only the Imperial Assassins that remained dead-pan but with eyes even narrower at him. Goro was a well respected Commander in the Holocaust Army and left looming questions on the Storming to Mangen. It wasn't long til the Sisters recalled their conversation with Father and were intrigued to know if it was peace or war.
"He will not be alone. I have chosen another to join him. Reptile, you will be serving me at the tournament as Shang Tsung's bodyguard and competitor."
As the rustle in the crowd grew, a proud Raptor came forward, chin held high, chest out and the posture of an honoured soldier bowed before Khan;
"Thank you Massster. I will not let you down." And with that, he stepped back with the others.
"I knowsome of you are eager for some difficulty and you are all worthy combatants. Even if my interests lie in ruling Earth Realm, I still need to control an existing Empire and it shall maintain impenetrable and strong. The rest of the Army Warriors will stay here, to march alongside with me when invading Earth. I will not be sending anyone else at this time."
"Emperor—may I interject?"
Before she could say anything else, Emperor Khan quickly held his hand up to hush his disappointed blue daughter. She felt she needed to speak for her cohorts if not just for herself, however sensing his mood she allowed him to continue further;
"However, I have communicated with Chief Kobatu and we have agreed to consummate an exchange. He will be handing over the Edeniens to us. And for the sake of history and maintaining our alliance, we will not be storming Mangen."
Mileena was pissed. Of course he would listen to his beloved child. Immediately, she rested a hateful face at her twin sister who happened to be closing her eyes and exhaling with relief, that she didn't notice Mileena vexed. Sub-zero couldn't help turn over to Jade.
"We seem to be taking the peaceful approach, why not send any more competitors?"
"Sub-zero, you surprise me. You know it is unwise to question. He will tell us in due time."
The whispers diminished as Kahn continued to speak.
"We will meet them a few kilometres into the Wastelands, right near Sindel's Tomb. There Chief Kobatu and his men will be waiting with the prisoners. I will need the Holocaust Army to take them back here flawlessly. Kobatu will be expecting to see me; however there are other matters I need to attend too in Netherrealm. It is critical for me to be there, so in my place I have appointed Kitana to represent me at the exchange."
The room became alive. After all these years, she couldn't believe she would gain his trust again. She was pleased to hear his decision but was short-lived when it was overshadowed by wondering what the reasons were for choosing Netherrealm over this. Was this all a test on her loyalty or was there something else more worrisome? Mileena was shaking, digging her nails into her arms, trying to oppress her demons and not let the silver girls out from her dagger sheaths. She started gathering wild thoughts on taking it out on her Handmaiden later. Kitana stepped forward.
"Thank you, Emperor. I will do your duty." she silently bowed and fell back into the circle.
"Until then, Kintaro will Command in Goro's place and will escort you to Kobatu along with your subordinate. IF—if for any reason something goes wrong to disrupt our plans, Lieutenant Baraka and his soldiers will stand by and wait for Kintaro's signal. Baraka has requested a second Lieutenant under his training, which I have also agreed too. Baraka will take the offense while Mileena is assigned to the Squadron of Defense."
Both twins were stunned. The vampiric Princess had to admit she was not expecting this at all and it seemed his demands were coming one after the other it didn't give them a chance to collect themselves or let it sink in. Leading an Army was as desirable as beheading; it meant to her that he did recognize her efforts and very hastily projected loudly;
"I will not let you down, Father. You will see how exceptional I can be," she saluted by fast drawing a single Sai Blade from her side and skilfully twirled it in the air, then bowed, showing him her passion, anger and drive all out on the table. And with that display she stepped back next to her sister, giving her a good smile from ear to ear. Then her glance drifted towards Baraka looking over at her from the opposite end of the room, they both exchanged a very discreet nod.
"You still need much experience, Mileena. Listen to your commanders and do not disappoint me. You have a lot to prove and if I hear any offense from Kobatu or anyone else about you, there will be consequences," Kahn spoke sternly. "Kintaro, Goro, Baraka and the two of you, meet me in the map room immediately. That is all."
It became a buzzing hive once Kahn made his exit. Mileena and Kitana left the circle to follow them into the map room.
- End of Chapter -
