I was the first one to wake up in the morning.

My eyes opened quickly, and the heaviness and fatigue that weighed on them last night had dissipated, worn away by a solid ten hours of sleep. I was wide awake, surprisingly, and felt refreshed.

The pre-dawn semidarkness was easy on my eyes, and a cool island breeze kept up a dull pace on its way around the mountain, doing wonders on my bare chest in the process.

I rose from my chair and worked my muscles gently, trying to get a feel for how much today's workout was going to hurt from last night's beating.

First my legs. My shins and calves felt a few sizes too big and were pulled tight around my bones. No doubt from tumbling down the steep hillside and landing wrong. But I would live.

The rest of me was doing a little better. My chest was sore from the fight, and there was a dull ache in my jaw from being hit across the mouth, but nothing was actually that bad. Before I went to sleep, I had imagined myself not even being able to move when morning came.

But I was starting to lean Nightwolf's way, and the wonders he could do for people's wounds in such a short time. I wonder how Stryker was doing right about now, or Johnny Cage, or even Kitana.

People were getting hurt, and patience around here seemed to be wearing thin, no matter who I talked to. Liu Kang didn't seem to think that I was disciplined nearly enough to complete the tourney, and Stryker seemed to be biding his time, frequently checking the bracket and watching me out of the corner of his eye while he did. He wanted to stop chasing me as soon as this was over, and so did I.

The morning fog at the corners of my eyes disappeared as I heard soft footsteps behind me. Not the kind that was naturally soft because the individual was small in stature. But ones that were quiet because somebody wanted to tread softly.

Oh God, somebody was here. The hairs on my arms stood up and my blood froze.

I turned.

"Raiden!" I almost yelled in surprise. "You scared the hell out of me."

He approached me, clad in his ivory-colored uniform and oriental hat. He was imposing in figure, getting taller and broader by the day it seemed.

"Apologies, and good morning," he nodded.

"Don't worry about it," I shrugged it off as my heart rate started to slow. "So… did you get some sleep?"

He stepped to the side and looked out over the balcony at the first glimpse of sunrise. "Yes, a little bit I think. I'm glad you're awake, there is something we must discuss."

"Okay, shoot," I folded my arms and leaned against the balcony railing, ready for a lecture.

"Liu Kang has spoken with me, and is concerned that you lack the skills necessary to complete the tournament," he said frankly, his bright blue eyes boring into my own. "He says that you are a great fighter, and your skills in unarmed combat are impressive, but that you are not as physically adept as you could be."

This should have surprised me, it really should have. But for some reason I didn't find it shocking that he had lost confidence in me.

I wanted to tell Raiden that Liu Kang was very arrogant for a monk, but that would be extremely petty, even more so than usual in the eyes of Raiden, who happened to be Liu Kang's mentor. So I kept my big mouth shut.

"He is worried about your frequent wanderings, and the fact that you have encountered Shao Kahn's top assassins; Kitana and Jade, on a regular basis-"

I broke out laughing. "Is that really what this about? Seriously, if he thinks that for one second that I'm friends with Shang Tsung's girls, then he can forget about it. I followed Kenshi and broke up the fight before he got killed, and then I beat Kitana, but chose not to finish her. Liu Kang would have done the same thing. And I'm correct, then his Shaolin code prevents him from killing-"

"In a normal fight yes," a voice said from over my shoulder. I almost jumped; Liu Kang was less than a meter from me when he revealed himself. "But in Mortal Kombat, we are fighting a war with Outworld, and sometimes you cannot win a war with you honor intact. My masters told me this before I arrived here."

I turned to him. "Maybe, but I've fought in a war before, and usually there's no honor to begin with when the shooting starts, and none when it finally stops. But this is different."

He folded his tree-trunk arms across his chest. "How so? How is this different from an all-out frenzy?"

I wanted to tell him that he had never served in the military, never spent the night in a foxhole, or that he had probably never gone hungry in the middle of a piping-hot jungle. But I didn't. I wasn't that brave.

"This is a tournament, Liu. We're trying to save the world, and so far we're on the right track. And think of it this way; the less fatalities we dish out, the less likely Shao Kahn's fighters are to come after us with a vengeance. Do you see where I'm coming from?" I asked desperately. I completely made that up, and I hoped that he didn't know how to spot a lie.

He nodded. "I get the concept, and I understand that you might not want to take a life, but sacrifices have to be made in times of war. I just hope that you will be prepared to make the hard choice when the time comes."

"You don't have to worry about me, Liu," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. I was close to gritting my teeth in frustration. He had no idea what sacrifice meant, and something told me he would receive a rude awakening when the time came for him to make one of his own.

"Let's just watch each other's backs a little closer from now on, okay?" I asked, feeling the tension in my shoulders disappear as I diverted the conversation.

"Very good." He turned to Raiden. "I must prepare for today's events, master. Excuse me."

He and Raiden bowed to each other, and Liu left silently. I couldn't help but feel extremely out of place.

Raiden turned to me and laughed. "You can go too, Max. Run along and try not to get into any more trouble."

I nodded and headed for the door. Well, that was over, and not a second too soon.

"No promises!" I shouted over my shoulder as I walked out the door.

MKMKMK

After morning calisthenics and stretching with Liu, who was unquestionably more flexible than I was, we joined the other kombatants for breakfast in the mess hall. The mess hall was a little closer to the Outworld barracks than I was comfortable with, and I couldn't help but wonder if our food was being tampered with somehow.

I worked my arms from side to side, sorting out the kinks in my muscles as I took a seat next to Johnny Cage, putting a good couple of meters me and Stryker, who had popped a squat next to Sonya and Sub Zero.

Cage was wearing his signature pitch black shades in the dimly-lit dining hall, refusing to sacrifice style for practicality and common sense. He looked oddly relaxed, and was quiet for a change; saying nothing as he devoured his eggs.

In fact the whole place was blanketed in somber silence. The sound of silverware scraping dishes and the occasional cough were all that was audible throughout breakfast.

The food was delicious, and the warm flavors of bacon, eggs, and a lot of foods I didn't recognize, flooded my taste buds. Therapy for my body, and an end to my raging appetite. Poisoned or not, it was worth every bite.

And I think everyone else would agree.

We were all thinking about today, about fighting, and how close each of us was to certain death. The preliminary rounds were over; the weak kids on the block were no longer around to beat on. Only the toughest of us were left, and I prayed that I wouldn't have to face anything like Reptile or Sheeva, or any other abomination that the Emperor brought forth.

I secretly wished to be someplace else, someplace different, for a brief instant as I took in a swig of cool water. The thought of being disabled for life was not very appealing.

But I had to be strong, stronger than my opponent. I had to rely on my cunning and determination to win. I thought about how many times I had been knocked around in the past few days, all the punches and kicks and grappling. All the violence and blood I had seen.

They hurt, but they made me stronger. I had showed everyone here that I was not going to give up, even when faced with certain death. And I wasn't one to go back on my promises.

Suddenly Raiden raised an empty glass. "Best of luck to each of you today. And remember, we will prevail in this tournament. Not because of our aspirations for greatness, or our desire to prove that we are better than our rivals, but because we have billions of lives counting on us for salvation. They will never know what you did here, or the incredible courage that each and every one of you has displayed thus far.

"But fear not, for all kombatants chosen to compete will receive nothing less than eternal glory for your strength and skill, your cunning and bravery. All of you will be rewarded… in this life, or the next."

"Hoo-rah!" Stryker yelled, and everyone joined in.

We all yelled from deep inside ourselves, letting go of the fear in a wild chant that lasted minutes. We were on our feet, unafraid, and ready to face the coming trials. I felt the energy of good coursing through me, and my fellow warriors felt it too.

I was sure we would win. Not because of our individual aspirations, but because we had so much to fight for. So much worth dying for.

MKMKMK

Tribal drumbeats shook the island. A deep bass rhythm flowed from the ground and up into my body. A ruthless, sharp tempo that made my heart skip a couple of beats. A double tap rhythm was smashed in perfect unison by drums that were scattered across the island.

The feel of a fight in the making felt surreal, and suddenly my arms were soft and my legs could barely support me. If it wasn't so crazy, I might have been dreaming.

We were all on edge, tensed up and ready for anything. All of us entered the kombat staging area in a crowd, with Raiden and Liu Kang leading the way. Raiden's deep blue and ivory robe practically glowed in the dark; and by dark, I mean the shadows cast by the storm clouds billowing overhead. The early afternoon light had been blotted out by the blackened tufts of vapor looming overhead.

Ominous, intriguing even. But I liked the dark overcast, and the cool air billowing all around was a nice contrast to the crushing heat and humidity of the jungle. If this was the best Shang Tsung could do, then I'm afraid all he did was waste his energy.

Sub Zero was next to me, also looking up at the view. His eyes were a deep blue, and strangely void of emotion. I tried to remember what faction he represented, but it slipped my mind.

I tapped Sub Zero on the shoulder. He looked over and exhaled in the same moment, sending an icy chill in my direction. Probably unintentional, but still a little irritating.

I pointed up. "Pretty cool effects, huh? I like how he thinks he can scare us."

Sub Zero turned and spoke in a grave voice. "Don't underestimate him… but yes, it is very petty indeed."

He turned back around and we all strutted forward in silence. I didn't really know Sub Zero, and we had almost nothing in common. I guess he was a man of few words, and I certainly wasn't going to try and mess with him.

A light rain had begun by the time we reached an enclosed space, tickling the back of my neck and splashing on the uneven pavement underfoot. Strangely soothing. Strangely prophetic.

We kept up our brisk, deliberate pace all the way to the fighting grounds. A building with a classic pointed roof and equally pointed corners loomed in front of us, painted black, with bright red highlights crisscrossing the walls. A blood-red set of massive doors were in front of us, reminding me of the thick, seemingly impenetrable doors on a medieval castle.

Raiden was not as impressed as I was, walking until he had nearly hit the door before shooting his arms out and throwing it open. The door gave without a fight, and Raiden's unprecedented show of strength surprised me.

I noticed his muscles ripple beneath his robes as he took a deep breath, continuing forward with all of us in tow. Completely badass and he knew it.

At the opposite end of the room was an ornate throne, the armrests carved in the shape of dragons, with spines protruding from every possible location on their slender backs, which disappeared as they merged with the back of the chair.

Shang Tsung was seated in the chair, his frail form covered in green robes that crisscrossed each other all the way down to his feet. I couldn't read his expression, but I could guess it was somewhere between contempt and anticipation; which left a hell of a lot of open territory, especially for someone who had been alive and scheming his way into power for hundreds of years.

It only then occurred to me that this round would be even less fair than the last, and that he was going to use every dirty trick in the book to stop us from advancing in the bracket.

I had to be ready for it. I was not only facing my opponent, but the wrath of a bastardized referee as well.

The Outworld fighters suddenly poured in from behind Shang Tsung's throne, flanking wide left and right on either sides of his chair as they stepped down onto the hardwood floor. I saw Scorpion, who bore a suspicious resemblance to Sub Zero, marching down to Shang Tsung's right. Everything about him was seething, like his rage was about to burst out of him and burn the whole building down. Much of his body was hidden under golden and black armor.

He was followed by a pale, imposing figure that dwarfed even Raiden in height and muscle tone. He was shirtless, showing off an impossibly ripped physique, with abs in places that they probably shouldn't have been. He wore a dull amulet on his belt, and was tattooed with cryptic symbols in his face and shoulders. Everything about him was unnatural, from the lack of hair on any part of his body to the way he carried himself, a self-satisfied strut, past the Sorcerer and beside Scorpion.

They were followed by a pair of men in obscenely conspicuous suits of armor. One man was obviously of Asian descent with long, smooth hair and a uniform that looked to be several pieces of armor fixed together. A waistcoat extended down from his padded shoulders to his knee-high combat boots, and was painted bright red with shiny black accents. He was tall and lean, and looked to have a wide array of weapons on his belt; a bright red utility harness that was even more noticeable than his armor.

He walked in stride with another man, a powerfully built black man wearing what appeared to be the same armor, only colored a faded yellow. He was much stockier, and appeared to have a lot more weapons than his friend. His hair was pulled tight behind his head, and also walked with a very aloof sense of purpose.

I already didn't like either of them.

From the left came Jade in a very revealing uniform that looked suspiciously like swimwear, followed by Kitana, who was masked and wearing a bright blue leotard. Our eyes met for a brief instant, and I saw that her gaze was fierce with some type of anger that twisted her entire eye line. Her face remained masked, making her even harder to read than usual.

Her gaze softened somewhat, and was replaced by something else as she averted her eyes back towards my companions. I wonder what was wrong. What had happened after she and Jade had returned after being defeated?

Hell hath no fury…

Behind them entered a final combatant. His eyes glowed bright green behind his head, which was wrapped in a black turban. All of his uniform was the color of charcoal, with a few dull shades of color mixed in.

I tapped Sub Zero on the shoulder.

"Who are they, the men in the colored uniforms, and the white guy?" I whispered.

He held his stare at the throne as he whispered back. "The two are Cyrax and Sektor, fellow Lin Kuei who sold their services to the Sorcerer."

"What? You mean they're from your clan, but they're working against us?"

"Not exactly. They are loyal to me, but won't hesitate to kill anyone else if ordered."

Son of a bitch, I cursed silently. So much for being a team, huh?

"And the pale one is called Quan Chi, a former Oni; a demon from the Netherrealm. He is a sorcerer, and is in some ways more dangerous than Shang Tsung. He used to be like an ape, they said, roaming the wastes of Hell looking for souls to torture.

"But he quickly gained an understanding and mastery of Black Magic. He ascended from the rest and took on a more… human form. He is very dangerous.

"And I do not know the other," he finished.

"Behold!" Shang Tsung rasped, gesturing an arm at the man dressed in black. "Ermac! The product of many souls in a single form. You should be in awe."

Raiden remained unphased. "The only thing that impresses me is your capacity for deceit, sorcerer. You cannot throw new warriors into the tournament on a whim."

"Oh, but I can, Raiden. This is my tournament, and your Elder Gods choose to remain silent, and as their emissary, so should you," he said flatly. "Let us begin!"

I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Johnny.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Probably not."

"That we should just rush them as a mob and knock them out while they're not expecting it?" he hissed.

"It may have crossed my mind," I replied, thinking about how that scenario would play out.

"It would be foolish," Nightwolf said, stepping in between us. "Even though we are greater in number, many would perish in the chaos. In addition, the Elder Gods would be enraged at our treachery, and may just let Outworld absorb Earthrealm out of anger."

"You're right. Bad idea," Johnny agreed. I remained silent.

"First fight will be…" he paused, looking around at our motley crew.

"Liu Kang!" he yelled. Liu stepped forward, getting a pat on the back by Sonya as he broke away from the crowd.

"And Sektor!"

The warrior in red stepped forward, bobbing and weaving as he met Kenshi in the wide gap in the middle of the two crowds.

Sektor was a few inches taller than Liu Kang, but looked like he weighed significantly less.

Sektor and Liu Kang squared off in the middle of the chamber, and we all backed the hell up to give them room to do battle.

Kick his ass, Liu, I almost whispered.

Sektor pounded his own chest proudly while Liu Kang watched silently, arms folded in front of him.

"I am Lin Kuei!" he announced. "I will show you no mercy, Shaolin!"

Liu Kang remained still, unintimidated by his opponent's bravado.

"Fight!" Shang Tsung yelled.

Sektor moved so fast I had trouble tracking him.

He launched a straight punch at Liu, aiming for his throat with a gloved fist.

I was only able to figure this out because Liu Kang had moved even faster, stepping back and grabbing Sektor's wrist, and holding his arm out in front of him with an iron grip.

Sektor looked confused, unable to believe what had just happened.

"No mercy? You can do better than that?" Liu Kang taunted, giving Sektor a soft push before taking up a fighting stance.

Sektor clenched his teeth, seething with anger and embarrassment.

He let out a yelp and came at Liu Kang again, lunging through the air and closing the gap between them.

Sektor swung his leg in a low arc, aiming for Liu Kang's legs, but Liu jumped and avoided the sweep.

Sektor followed up with another straight punch to Liu Kang's head, but hit nothing save for the air that it passed through.

Liu Kang ducked a second and weaved around a third punch before delivering one of his own; a hard right hook that crashed into Sektor's jaw, just below the ear.

Liu Kang stepped forward off of his own momentum and smashed a second punch into Sektor's chest.

Sektor stumbled, but his hard chest piece prevented anything more than a bruise.

Liu Kang launched a roundhouse kick at Sektor's ribs, trying to hit him before he moved back out of range.

Sektor tucked and rolled over his right shoulder, resulting in only a grazing blow from the powerful kick.

Sektor was back on his feet, bobbing and weaving before Liu Kang could land another attack. Liu backed up and got onto the balls of his feet, fully committed to the battle.

They circled each other, dukes up and ready to go.

The seconds seemed like minutes as they slowly closed the distance between them.

Suddenly, Liu Kang appeared to be on fire, jumping forward and defying physics to deliver a hard kick to Sektor's head.

The look on the assassin's face was priceless.

Sektor flew back and into a round pillar, smashing the fine wood to splinters with his lower back. He was dazed for several seconds, looking around from a sitting position, probably wondering what the hell had just happened.

But in a moment he was back on his feet.

He ducked another roundhouse kick from Liu Kang, letting the monk's foot sail over his head before countering.

Sektor swung a left hook, then a right, and was stopped both times at the wrist by Liu Kang's broad forearms, which were eclipsing his head and neck in a defensive position.

Sektor pulled back and rocketed a fist upward at Liu's chin.

He missed.

Liu Kang leaned back from his standing position, arching his back at an impossible angle to avoid the uppercut, his long hair grazing the floorboards beneath him, before coming back up with a straight kick at Sektor's stomach.

Sektor blocked the attack with a desperate forearm before jumping to the left and resetting his stance.

I saw his left hand go to his wrist gauntlet, or what I thought to be a wrist gauntlet anyway, and pressed a button.

A tongue of orange flames erupted from his arm and toward Liu Kang.

Liu ducked and somersaulted backwards to avoid the burst of fire.

Sektor went on the offensive yet again, leading with a wild spinning back kick, which was blocked, and came back around in an arc with the flamethrower.

But Liu was ready for him.

He crouched low and smashed both of his fists into Sektor's stomach, which was unprotected by his armored suit.

Sektor crumpled, activating the flamethrower.

Liu grabbed him by the arm and stepped into his stance, popping Sektor up off of his feet and throwing the ninja to the floor.

Sektor sailed over Liu Kang's shoulder, a desperate jet of fire arcing as he hit the wood so hard he broke several boards.

But Liu Kang didn't let go, grabbing his forearm with both hands and pressing it back down into Sektor's chest, flamethrower still blazing.

Sektor cried out in pain as he was scorched by the weapon. The torch soon stopped, but the pain didn't.

Sektor's chest was covered in flaming napalm, and burnt through his chest piece like it was made of canvas.

The speed at which Liu Kang retreated from his fallen opponent was matched only by the speed of which Cyrax, the other Lin Kuei, was at his friend's side.

Cyrax ripped off his shirt and started beating the flames desperately.

Sub Zero sprinted over almost as quickly, dousing his fallen comrade with bursts of ice from his fingertips.

I couldn't believe it. I looked away from the horrible sight and back at Liu Kang, who seemed equally amazed that it had actually worked.

He took a knee as Sektor was tended to by his fellow fighters.

I looked over at the rest of our crowd, who were all over the map with their reactions. Sonya Blade flinched for an instant, but maintained her steely gaze. Kenshi and Nightwolf remained expressionless, and Johnny and I were gaping at the sight. Kung Lao and Raiden were somewhat impressed, and Stryker looked to be resisting the urge to intervene and provide first aid.

Shan Tsung looked like he was about to explode with anger.

"Liu Kang wins," he snarled through gritted, yellow teeth. "Flawless victory."

We applauded Liu Kang as he rejoined our ranks.

I patted him on the shoulder. "Wow," I said simply as he walked past me.

I heard other praise for the quick and brutal fight as I watched Sektor's burnt body get carried away on a stretcher by several masked guards, followed closely by the other Lin Kuei.

"Next fight!" Shang Tsung roared.

"Max Chacon versus Ermac!"

This should be interesting.

Hey everybody! Sorry for the delay, I've so been busy with family and work lately that I haven't had time to sit down and write. Happy Easter!

A little note: First off, I'm trying to make Liu Kang a little more interesting than he was in any of the MK games by giving him a somewhat smug attitude, and given that fact that he is a monk, he doesn't know how the world works quite yet like characters like Sonya and Chacon do. He isn't a villain or a sadist, he is just a better fighter than many of his comrades and he knows it. Things are about to get interesting, and right about now the story is going to start to diverge pretty significantly from MK9.

Keep reading! Updates are coming!