IN OUTWORLD
The sun begins to display itself over the mountain. The realm begins to light up, but only slightly. The purple-tint of the dim sky slowly gets brighter as they nearly arrive at the top of the mountain. They resumed their journey hours ago. Kung Lao still leads the pack as Smoke, Li Mei and Sub-Zero trail close behind. As usual Kitana and Jade follow lastly, wanting to make this trip easier on everyone.
Li Mei munches on an apple gifted from the villagers. They each ate some of their rations before starting their journey up again, ready to go against all odds they may encounter. They each carry their bag of rations upon their backs still, the brown straps keeping them steady.
"I cannot stop contemplating on what Raiden said about my brother's murderer...make my presence known as Sub-Zero and he shall find me…" Sub-Zero adds to he and Smoke's current conversation.
"Perhaps he and your brother were great adversaries. Why else would he bother finding who he thinks is Sub-Zero?" Smoke hypothesizes.
"That is what I assumed, however it still eludes me as to why that would be so," he replies.
Li Mei tosses the stem and core of the apple to the side as they proceed.
"That question most likely will not be answered until you kombat your nemesis," Li Mei states with a small frown.
"Yes...I guarantee to get answers as well as take his life," his voice slightly hardens.
Kitana and Jade overhear their conversation.
"What is it with the Lin Kuei and their vengeance quests?" Jade ponders as she shakes her head in disappointment.
Jade turns to Kitana who for the most part remains quiet. Her eyes display anger as well as caution.
"Are you troubled Kitana?" Jade questions.
Kitana hesitates to reply.
"No...just an uneasy feeling is all," she replies calmly, betraying her body language.
The coarse trail finally delivers them to the top of the mountain. Kung Lao is the first to set foot on the top. When his eyes travel to each cliff and the narrow bridges between each, his eyes widen. He pauses in his tracks as he takes it all in. The bridges all connect to the center cliff which appears to be the largest.
Several small cliffs surround it, though there is more. Molten lava travels along the main mountain range which disconnects, making it impossible to safely go around the cliffs. The only way to pass the mountain is to take the bridges. One lingers in front of Kung Lao, and another displays on the adjacent side of the center cliff in the distance. Though, the bridges do not appear steady enough to handle the weight of more than one person.
Li Mei comes next to Kung Lao, her eyes witnessing all he does. Her eyes widen as well. She expected the trail to continue through the top and for it to be a bit ragged, not mostly flat, narrow bridges, lava spills and death traps in the waiting.
The others come off of the trail and to the top with just as much shock in their eyes as the rest. Their eyes scan the cliffs, mainly the center one that will deliver them to the other side of the mountain. The narrow bridge leading to the center cliff is rather long and arcs lower toward the middle. Cracks display the molten lava traveling through the mountains, and the temperatures maintain their high.
"What are we going to do?" Li Mei asks.
They each appear more clueless than the other.
"I would freeze the bridge in place, however it seems any extra weight would collapse it where it lies," Sub-Zero states.
Smoke walks forward near the bridge's start. He takes hold of the rope on the side that acts as a handle for the bridge. He shakes it to test the handles of it. It seems fine enough to him. He believes he could make it. Should the bridge collapse, if he at least makes it halfway to the center cliff, he can teleport to safety.
"I will go first, test it out," Smoke volunteers.
Li Mei approaches Smoke and stands between he and the bridge.
"No, this is absurd," she announces with a look of worry for Smoke.
Smoke lightly smiles at her underneath his mask.
"It will be fine," he places a hand over her shoulder and steps around her onto the bridge.
"But what if it collapses?" Li Mei questions, concerned for his safety.
"It is not a concern I have," his voice is gentle toward her.
Without giving her a chance to protest he begins to walk forward cautiously. Kung Lao comes to Li Mei's side and places a hand amongst her shoulder.
"He will be fine. He is the most skilled warrior here," Kung Lao says in an honest tone.
Li Mei turns to him with eyes that agree with his statement. As Smoke proceeds on the wooden narrow bridge, it slowly starts to squeak and rock back and forth. He uses the ropes on the sides to keep himself balanced and the bridge as steady as possible. The wooden planks seem to slightly struggle under his weight, which he notices. To kombat this he picks up the pace, going into a speed walk. He comes to the dip in the bridge in the center as he peers downward, laying eyes on the spikes. He then redirects his eyes almost immediately forward, keeping his focus ahead of him.
"I shall go' I said, 'it is no concern' I said. Perhaps tossing Jade on this wobbly thing would have decided how safe crossing would be," he thinks out loud in a low voice.
He nears the end and lands eyes on the details of the center cliff. Many swords, staffs, and red flags surround the edge of the cliff, serving as messages and memorials. Smoke glances at the warriors as they in turn watch him proceed. He then turns his attention back to the cliff as he makes it across easier than he thought he could. Perhaps the bridge is sturdier than it appears. Either that or his pacing is splendid.
As he steps onto the cliff it begins to shake and vibrate. Smoke manages to keep his balance, but witnesses the outside edges of the cliff as well as the surrounding cliffs begin to slightly give way and crumble. The sound of it falling and landing on the ground hundreds of feet below hit Smoke's ears as he turns back to his comrades. Fortunately, the bridge goes unaffected. Magma travels through the cracks of the cliff and it is easy to notice the change in temperature. It seems to rise slightly more. If Smoke did not know any better, he would assume this was no mere mountain, but an old volcano.
"Alright, I think-" Smoke begins to shout back to his allies, until he is struck by an unknown force.
He falls forward, almost going off the edge as he turns to meet his attacker. His face displays anger, and becomes even more infuriated to meet the gaze of a woman who appears to resemble Kitana almost to a tee. Only minor differences separate them; slits grace the sides of her full lips, her eyes are soulless white orbs, and her lengthy hair reaches the small of her back. The gold outlined magenta is flashy as well. This is obviously another puppet of the emperor. He takes to his feet immediately and draws a dagger before falling into his stance.
"Another Kitana clone? The first is irreplaceable...the emperor seems to have an obsession," Smoke states coldly. "At least your death will simulate my ending her life."
She giggles frantically at this.
"Well aren't you a handsome sight? However, I only care to take the life of whom you speak, Kitana," her eyes travel past Smoke and lock onto Kitana's figure, disappointed to see her across the mountain range along with the others.
She attempts to walk past Smoke, who only steps in front of the bridge separating them from the mountain range Kitana stands upon. His eyes display rage, and his stance is firm. It is obvious he will not let her pass without a fight. She lets out a giggle at his actions.
"You wish her dead? Allow me to pass and I shall gladly do you a favor," she says alluringly.
He aims his shimmering, silver dagger at her.
"That is my fight, not yours. You shall die!" Smoke states harshly as he charges toward her.
She dodges his attempted high swipes of his dagger just before wrapping her legs around his neck and flipping him to the ground. She backs away and falls into her stance as she licks her lips. Smoke vanishes into vapor and reappears behind her, landing two jabs to her rib cage and sweeping her feet from below her. He quickly attempts to impale her as she lay on the ground, but is surprised when she vanishes into magenta luster. Within seconds she spawns above his head and lands a high kick, causing him to tumble to the ground. She meets his gaze as she unsheathes her sais smoothly and begins twisting them between her fingers.
Her eyes analyze his figure, finding him quite light on the eyes. His ability is quite impressive as well. Had he not been attempting to end her life she would consider recruiting such skill. Though prey is always much more enjoyable in her eyes.
"Mm...if death arrives from the likes of you, I welcome it," she hums in a flirty tone with a grin.
This enrages him and he stands to meet her white orbs.
"Her fighting style...it is like…no," his thoughts run wild as he attempts another attack.
The others are rushed by the Black Dragon, fending for themselves. Sub-Zero and Kung Lao fight them off side by side, dodging their axes and swords. Li Mei draws her blade and joins in the defense, backing away from the edge of the mountain for safety.
Kitana grabs the arm of one and throws him toward Jade who uses her staff to knock him off the mountain range. The pit of spikes decides his fate as they ready for another attack. A kobu jutsu flies toward Jade and she ducks it only to come face to face with the one and only Tanya. Her eyes widen.
"You," Jade says in spite.
"Indeed it is I," Tanya sarcastically courtseys just before catching her returning weapon.
"Traitor! I shall end your selfish life!" Jade swears.
"You end my life? And I am the selfish one?" Tanya remarks, causing Jade to swing her violet staff for a high attack.
Tanya ducks as she aims to deliver a low kick to Jade. Kitana's eyes land on her. She attempts to assist Jade and attack but is put to stop by force pouncing onto her. She lets out a shout as she comes tumbling to the ground near the mountain's edge.
She then peers upward to spot a woman clad in red with fangs at the ready to bite into her flesh. Kitana aims to headbut her, making the right move. It stuns the Moroi and causes her to pause. In this moment Kitana kicks her toward the pit of spikes, freeing herself from her grasp. Her shouts of protest are heard as she falls while Kitana takes to her feet, peering where she knocked the Moroi down. To Kitana's surprise, she rises from the gap with her wings flapping frantically and lands in front of Kitana once more. Kitana raises an eyebrow and falls into her stance, drawing her fans.
"Good attempt. Though my abilities surpass yours," Nitara cleverly remarks just before attacking her once more with a hiss.
The center cliff begins to shake more violently, causing Smoke and his opponent to stumble. Another portion of the cliff crumbles off the edge as Smoke regains his balance. He approaches her and delivers a mighty kick to her abdomen that causes her to fall and land on her back near the edge with a loud grunt.
Her sais fall off the cliff, leaving her disarmed. She stands quickly, coming toward the center of the cliff as Smoke approaches swinging his daggers low. She leaps, dodging it and delivers an overhead kick to Smoke, bringing him down on one knee injured. She then uses her hands to pounce over his shoulders while stealing the sais sheathed on his back that serves as a memoriam. She steps back, twirling them in her grasp.
"Well look at these beautiful weapons...I think I shall keep these for myself," she concludes deviously.
He takes to his feet in anger.
"You will return those sais to me or I shall grant you a fate worse than death," he states with so much anger he begins to grit his teeth beneath his mask.
He has had enough of this woman's trickery.
"Ooh, I love when you threaten my life," she taunts flirtatiously. "Allow me to pass and finish who I have came to finish if you value your existence," she warns with a grin.
This comment makes his blood boil as he launches another attack. He fakes a punch she goes to dodge, only to land a piercing kick to her cranium. She stumbles back, only to be met by a dagger slice to her abdomen followed by a fierce fist to her cranium. This brought her crashing to the ground across the cliff with a groan, catching her fall with her hands. She peers up at him injured as he approaches and the ground shakes once more. It seems not to phase him as he continues to approach, ready to finish her.
As she peers at his eyes her mind begins to go to war.
"He catches it, and tosses her across the arena. She lands on her stomach, looking up as an angry groan escapes her.
"Done already Princess?" he teases. She stands again in her stance and faces her competitor. She knows he knows that she is enraged by the look her eyes. Her glowing eyes.
One of her memories take over. The woman's white orbs begin to glow, much like Smoke's did when he threatened Kitana's life. He pauses, noticing the similarity as the woman peers at him from the ground. Blood drips from her abdomen as her mind continues to override with memories, only this time in clusters.
"Submit to me!" she demands.
She holds his other hand against the ground as he clenches her fist in his other.
"You think you can beat me this easily?" he says moments before kicking her off of him and taking to his feet, going into his fighting stance for the first time.
"You are mistaken," he adds.
"I was hoping I wouldn't," she mocks sarcastically. "Earth Realm prey is always more fun when you torture them first."
Her head begins to throb as she slowly takes to her feet wobbling, attempting to fall into her stance and refusing to feel defeat due to mere flashbacks. Smoke peers at her with confused eyes, sensing familiarity in her.
"It cannot be…" his thoughts also scramble. "Her fighting style, choice of weapon…" he feels conflicted.
The woman sees his expression, which somehow causes more memories to rush into her mind. She panics and drops to her hands and knees as she lets out a small, uncontrollable and agonizing shout. Her right hand travels to her temple, caressing her head as her appearance diverts to her Tarkatan features. Her tangerine eyes, sharp ivory-like teeth, and ferocious posture reveals itself. Smoke's eyes widen and his mouth hangs open beneath his mask. He loses the grip on his daggers, not noticing the sound of metal crashing against the rock. His heart begins to race like never before and his body tenses as he loses himself in thought. The mere axis of his wishes since the tournament...overriding his conscience.
"M-Mileena?" he asks, the name being used to identify a living person feeling strange coming from his lips after all these years.
He realizes it is a long shot, but he must confirm it. She peers upward at him in confusion as the pain of her memories slows down. She begins to breathe harder, attempting to control her mind as her eyes reflect the agonizing state she just went under. Whoever this mortal is...he is a strong link to her past. He could have killed her merely from eye contact and threatening conversation. Knowing this she attempts to calm herself even more as she maintains strong eye contact. Who could this be? Another nemeses besides Kitana? A distant ally such as Tanya? Perhaps he was one of the emperor's warriors she cannot directly recall? In her memories she was kombating the gray ninja. Though, why does he seem so surprised?
His eyes hold great emotion as she maintains his gaze. One look is all it took. He gasps as his tear glands begin to swell and build moisture. He attempts to step closer, but finds himself unable to move, unable to think. All he ever craved for, all he ever fought for since the tournament two centuries ago lay right before his eyes. But how? And why does she appear exactly like Kitana, despite her shifting Tarkatan essence? Many questions and feelings take over all of Smoke's consciousness.
The ground shakes rather violently once more and Smoke stumbles as the edges of the cliff begin to collapse on each side. Before Mileena realizes, it crumbles beneath her feet and takes her along with the rubble. A shout is heard from her lips as she begins descending against her will.
"No!" Smoke shouts as he runs and dives after her without second thought.
He falls and the wind picks up around his form as he descends along the end of the cliff, slowly but surely catching up to her. Mileena's eyes display shock and her hair blows wildly as she falls lower and lower quickly. Smoke falls at a slightly faster pace, extending his hands to grab onto her the first moment he can. As they come closer to the pool of spikes, he manages to wrap his arms around her torso. This earns a gasp from her lips as her hands also wrap around his shoulders.
As soon as he maintains a good grip, he rotates their position and he begins falling faster. Mileena's eyes lock onto the spikes in shock that are now a mere ten feet away below and Smoke closes his eyes in concentration. Suddenly vapor surrounds them and they land back atop the mountain range near the other warriors. Mileena remains in his arms, except now on top of his form. She gazes down into his eyes as her face retracts to its Edenian appearance, displaying her surprise at his actions. His eyes hold shock and awe as he watches the transformation. She then takes to her feet quickly and as does he.
"Mileena," his voice is soft and he caresses her face with a lifetime of relief overcoming him.
She faces him in confusion.
"Who are you? How do you know of me? Why save my life?" Mileena questions with wondering eyes.
Before he can answer any of the following he is kicked to the side and attacked by two Black Dragon. Mileena's eyes follow him, yearning to know more of her past life and why he triggers her memories mighty enough to quell her existence. Though, her eyes land on Kitana who is engaging in kombat with Nitara in the distance.
"There she is!" Mileena thinks to herself in sadistic delight.
The gray ninja will have to wait, this is what she has been waiting for since her resurrection. She dashes for Kitana who Nitara brings crashing to the ground with a high kick.
"Now she shall be at my mercy," Mileena states in her head and then sheathes her thefted sais on each side across her back as she charges forward.
She proceeds through the group of battling warriors, paying none any mind. She is only concerned about Kitana, wanting nothing more than to end her. She comes a mere twenty feet away until her thoughts take an unexpected turn.
"I guess I could bend a few rules...friend?" Mileena replies slowly.
"Yeah...friend," Smoke lies on his back, and continues looking upward at the sky.
They sit in silence for a while.
"How does it feel working for Shao Kahn?" he inquires tiredly.
His eyes close slightly as he stares at the sky. He is obviously tired.
Mileena gasps as she stops in her tracks, bringing both hands to her head. Her painful shout does not go unnoticed as her orbs begin to illuminate a bright white once more. Each memory appears before her eyes with a bright flash, most going too fast to completely recall. Her disturbed state causes Nitara, who kombats near Tanya and Jade, to turn to Mileena. Kitana lay on the ground stunned, giving Nitara the opportunity to rescue her ally. Most of the Black Dragon were dying off, almost leaving the other warriors free to attack a vulnerable Mileena.
Nitara spreads her wings and dives for Mileena, swooping her up using her right arm as she continues to groan in pain. They launch into the air as Smoke finishes his opponents and sees this. He begins to run for Mileena, vanishing into vapor behind an airborne Nitara. He tackles her, wrapping his arm around Nitara's neck and disrupting her flight as well as her balance. She grunts as she attempts to shake his grip.
"Release her!" he shouts as he draws a dagger with one hand while hanging on with another.
Nitara struggles, and her flight shifts over the spikes toward the center cliff. She holds onto Mileena tight, trying her best not to drop her. Mileena's memories begin to slow down a bit as she realizes the situation she is caught in. She peers at Smoke behind Nitara as she tries her best to hold on to her. Smoke increases his grip and they quickly shift to the right.
"Woah!" Mileena shouts as she sees the spikes miles below and feels Nitara's grasp loosen.
Li Mei back flips, using her illuminated feet to strike a Black Dragon member into the air and off the edge of the mountain. Her eyes trail upward to Smoke who is airborne on the back of a winged woman who also holds another woman. Her eyes squint in confusion and she takes a double look, part of her not believing what she is seeing.
"What in the name of Fujin?" she questions out loud.
Her thought process is interrupted by a swing of a knife aimed toward her face, which slightly grazes her left cheek. She backs away to find Kano attacking her, swinging both of his hunting knives with loud grunts to follow viciously. She ducks and paces backward, moving gracefully as she anticipates his next swing.
Sub-Zero freezes the foot of an axe wielding adversary, stopping him in his tracks. He stomps on his foot, breaking it into pieces and earning the young clan member's screams. He then freezes his neck over with a thick sheet of ice, shocking the clan member as he drops his axe and brings his hands to his throat as he begins to slowly choke to death. His struggles to take in air are heard as he falls backward and the ice breaks, isolating his head from his body.
Blood spills across the rocky terrain as Sub-Zero turns his attention to Kung Lao who uses his razor rim hat to split an enemy in half at the waist neatly just before kicking his corpse to the ground. The hat's blade was so speedy that the blood did not spray until his opponent landed on the ground in two. He places his hat back atop his head and with a speedy swipe of his hand across the bladed rim cleans the blood.
Kung Lao faces Sub-Zero, realizing most of the clan is finished. All that remains is Kano. Kung Lao spots Kano attempting to stab Li Mei in any way possible, his aggression not going unnoticed. This enrages him and as if on queue, he and Sub-Zero rush to her aid. They come to her side and enter their stances. Kano lets out a smug grin.
"Wantin' to gang up on me eh?" he questions, mugging each of them while twisting his large knives between his fingers.
"You attack her, you attack me," Kung Lao states violently.
Kano lets out a chuckle.
"Got the same concept 'bout my clan here," Kano states as he takes a small step back and falls into his stance.
"What clan?" Sub-Zero states sarcastically with an arched eyebrow.
Kano peers around to see only he remained, along with Tanya kombating Jade in the distance and Kitana near the two regaining her consciousness. His eyes meet the three in front of him once more with spite. He tosses a knife at Sub-Zero in anger, and another at Li Mei rapidly. Kung Lao dashes in front of Li Mei as he removes his hat, deflecting the blade. Li Mei gasps at his speedy reaction and smiles at her husband, her expression alone thanking him graciously.
They peer forward to see Kano running through a portal and the portal vanishes behind him with a loud thundering crack. Li Mei and Kung Lao hear a grunt leave Sub-Zero's mouth and quickly turn to him with worry. He holds a hand firmly against his right eye and a small amount of blood stains his fingers.
"Sub-Zero!" Li Mei shouts in worry as she comes face to face with him.
She gently moves his hand away from his injured eye as she examines it. The small scar that once vertically graced his eyebrow now grew exponentially. It stretches from his upper eyebrow to his mid-cheek and blood slowly leaks from it.
"I am fine," he states, keeping his eye shut for the time being.
There does not seem to be any serious damage done to his eye as a whole, fortunately. Kung Lao's gaze travels from his ally to Smoke, who hangs on to the Moroi as they seem to get higher into the air. They remain lingering over the spikes.
"Who is that?" Kung Lao states, concerned for Smoke.
"I believe the question is; 'what is that?" Li Mei corrects him, redirecting her attention along with Sub-Zero.
She conjures her energies into her right hand, just before sending it flying toward the Moroi, wanting to aid Smoke.
Smoke impales the top of Nitara's wing with his dagger, keeping his balance the best he can. Nitara hisses at the pain and jerks her head back, striking Smoke's nose. He grunts as he shakes off the pain as Nitara tries her best to keep Mileena steady in her grasp.
Mileena peers upward at Smoke.
"This mortal is insane...and intriguing…" Mileena thinks before shifting her gaze to her Edenian beloved.
Tanya fends off both Kitana and Jade in the distance. This brings her slight memories of her own death, filling her with worry. Mileena grabs hold of Nitara tightly and delivers a mighty kick to Smoke, loosening his grip on them. He grunts as Nitara regains more control of her flight and begins to attempt to shake Smoke off.
"Nitara, we must assist Tanya!" Mileena shouts.
Nitara attempts to ignore the pain of Smoke's previous attack as her eyes meet Tanya who seems to be getting pushed back. Nitara's eyes widen as her eyes also spot a sphere of violet-blue energy approaching. It is too speedy to dodge, and gains speed. Nitara shifts her body and allows the energy sphere to hit her in the side with a grunt along with Smoke whom loses his grip on her. He begins to fall from the sky in a spin, headed toward the spit of spikes as Nitara tightens her grip on Mileena and begins to fly toward Tanya.
"Smoke!" Sub-Zero shouts.
Smoke concentrates, and before his fall descends past the mountain range, he vanishes in a puff of vapor just in time, reappearing near his allies on his hands and knees. Li Mei, Kung Lao, and Sub-Zero rush to his aid as he curses himself.
"Are you injured?" Kung Lao states as he kneels next to him and places a hand on his shoulder.
Smoke merely shakes his head, indicating he is fine as he takes to his feet.
Li Mei watches Nitara change her direction toward Tanya. The woman in her arms strikes slight familiarity. They must be readying another attack to save their comrade.
"Come, though I hate to admit it we must assist them," Li Mei states referring to Kitana and Jade who corner Tanya in the distance.
Kitana falls into her stance next to Jade who uses her staff to strike Tanya's lower jaw, making her stumble. Kitana then raises her fans into the air, conjuring luminous blue winds to appear, raising Tanya into the air helpless. As the winds begin to wear off and she begins to fall, Jade rapidly swings her staff vertically from side to side, striking Tanya multiple times in the cranium and chest, bringing her to the ground on her back. Tanya groans as she peers upward and meets eyes Jade's vengeful eyes.
"You shall perish just as our realm has traitor," Jade aims her staff at Tanya as Kitana watches with her fans at the ready.
Kitana's eyes land on her earlier nemesis approaching them speedily with a woman in her grasp.
"Jade, watch out!" Kitana warns.
Jade glances upward only to be kicked by Nitara in the cranium, causing her to fall back into Kitana. As if in seconds she uses her other hand to swoop up an injured Tanya, and they fly off toward the Wastelands.
"What are you doing?! I want to finish her! Turn back!" Mileena references to Kitana.
"We are greatly outnumbered, you saw what they were doing to Tanya," Nitara replies calmly as they exit the sight of the warriors.
Mileena feels enraged as they continue through the skies. However she realizes Nitara is correct. Mileena did not expect such resistance, in fact she only expected Kitana and Jade to be the lingering assassins the emperor wished for.
Li Mei and the others come to Kitana and Jade's side. Smoke gazes into the sky in the direction Mileena took off. He never felt so conflicted in his life. His love, resurrected, how is this possible? Smoke hadn't realized Sub-Zero had been attempting to grab his attention until he came directly in front of his figure with worried eyes. The other warriors also surround Smoke, for the expression in his eyes is rather new. It appears as if he has seen a ghost. He seems saddened, yet at the same time joyful and relieved.
"Smoke, are you alright?" Sub-Zero questions once more.
Smoke's eyes meets each of them then turn to meet Sub-Zero's gaze once more. He opens his mouth, attempting to find the words to explain his newfound conflict. Nothing came to mind, nothing made sense, yet the words begin to conjure up. He parts his lips to speak.
"She's alive…"
