Chapter Twenty

Keisei, Unknown Area

"Just look at this little village… peaceful… quiet… the people seem happy. It's as though all is right in the world. How boring!"

Tira found herself chuckling a little as Havik said this. Standing on a tall hill hidden behind a few trees, the two found themselves looking down at a small village which seemed to be bursting with activity. It was the middle of the afternoon and the people there seemed to be going about their business. Some were working their jobs, some talked to others, and the children of the village played different kinds of games to entertain themselves.

"They think life is so perfect," Tira added. "I'd say they're going to be in for a rude surprise."

Havik seemed to grin at that. "You're right about that. I'm sure a little bit of… chaos… will do the trick."

"How do you want to approach?" Tira asked.

"Just like we did with the others… walk right in like it belongs to us. From there, we have our fun like we always have. Once we're done here, hopefully Kabal and the new guy, Bryan, have already found another village for us to spread the chaos."

Tira nodded. "Shall we get the others to add to the fun?"

"We shall."

"And you know what I want."

"Personally, I don't care what you do with those who come near you. Of course, if you decide to have more fun with those I'm playing with, go right ahead."

Tira grinned, already looking forward to killing. "I can't wait!" she cried out excitedly.

"Now, let's get the others," Havik suggested. "Before you know it, we'll be spreading the chaos in this little 'peaceful' village."

With that in mind, the two of them headed back to their hiding place to retrieve the others who would help them.

London, England

Night had fallen with the stars shining above, the half moon creating it's own soft glow. Cammy White was able to see this through a window. In a way, she wanted to enjoy this on the outside, but was hesitant about doing so after what happened a couple of days ago.

Now that the initial chaos had passed, It was mostly quiet in the hospital area of the MI-6 facility. Those with the biggest emergencies were taken care of, though some had died anyway, even under their care. Cammy herself had worked tirelessly to help these people ever since she volunteered for this. Only a few hours ago, her superior had ordered her to take a rest for a couple of days, noting how tired she was.

Cammy returned to her room, where Steve had been staying under protection of those who were out to kill him. She noted that he had already read some pages out of A Tale of Two Cities, though she didn't get the chance to ask how he liked it. Hours ago, she already took a well-needed shower and, at this moment, Steve was taking the same opportunity.

Cammy managed to get a little bit of sleep, but now she found that she couldn't continue with that. It was strange because, usually, she had no problem with sleeping, especially after a hard day's work. This time, that wasn't the care.

In her daydream, she didn't hear the door to her room open and close. Her friend, Lita Luwanda entered, a smile on her face. "Cammy, I… oh, where's Steve?"

Cammy felt a little startled, not expecting Lita to be standing there. She jumped a little as she turned her attention to her comrade. "Lita, don't sneak up on me like that."

Lita laughed a little. "Sorry. I barged in here because I have some good news for Steve."

"Well, he's in the shower at the moment. Maybe I can pass the word to him… unless you want to go in there and tell him yourself."

Cammy noted how Lita's cheeks suddenly turned red, but she chose to ignore this since she knew her friend got flustered over small things pretty easily. "Um… I think it's best I tell you."

Lita went over to the bed Cammy sat on and sat next to her. "Well, some of the survivors inquired about learning some self defense. A lot of them had the feeling of being useless during the invasion. Since there's so much time on their hands right now, they want to be able to learn some self defense in case it all happens again. I suggested to the General that Steve could teach them a few things since he's a boxing pro. One or two of us would have to stay on guard, but the General agreed to let Steve take the job, if he accepts."

"I think if they told him to go rob a bank just to get out of this room, he would do it," Cammy said. "He'll be very pleased to hear this."

Lita noted the bit of excitement in Cammy's voice. However, that didn't even conceal the worried look in her blue eyes. Lita stared at her. "Cammy… I've known you long enough to know that look on your face. Something's bothering you."

Cammy took a deep breath before turning her attention back outside. "Well… I've kept myself busy for all these hours, and only now I'm being hit with all of these worries. I'm worried for my surrogate family… Guile, Jane, Amy, Wagner… I just wish there was a way for me to contact them."

Cammy's eyes widened a bit, turning back to Lita. "I… I'm sorry… I wasn't thinking-"

"Don't be sorry," Lita said. "I guess in a time like this, I should be lucky to have no family to worry about. It's funny how things can turn out sometimes. Your mum dies as a child, then you lose your dad, a former MI-6 agent, right after you turn eighteen. It's definitely one of the hardest things someone could go through. Yet now, I found myself lucky."

Lita gave Cammy a serious look. "But Guile and Wagner also happen to be my allies, too. We've met many at that tournament, and I do wonder if they're holding up okay. Like you, I wish we could get into contact with them. Those Outworld scum did a good job in finding ways to cut contact with the rest of the world."

"That they did," Cammy agreed.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing… it seems like our 'friend,' Nina, doesn't have family to worry about either. I'm guessing her parents are dead, and of course, she despises her sister enough to consider her dead." Lita shook her head. "That woman is cold. But I wonder why she despises her sister. That's definitely one thing I'm curious about."

Cammy shrugged. "Who knows. And I doubt she will answer that right away… if ever."

"You're right about that, mate."

The two friends suddenly fell silent, unsure of what else to say. Cammy turned her head back to the window, falling back into her daydream. Her surrogate family was still on her mind, but now that Lita mentioned the tournament, another person came to her mind for the first time in months. She felt her throat tighten, but she refused to let her emotions surface.

Wherever you are, Jin… please be okay…

Kagoshima, Japan

After what seemed like the longest drive of their lives, the group consisting of Ryu, Jin, Hwoarang, Dan, King, Marduk, Asuka, Karin, Mika, Cassandra, Maki, and Mi-na finally reached the town of Kagoshima. With Kagoshima Bay in view, they parked the two cars and two motorcycles into a parking lot that was closest to where a few ferries were docked.

Getting out of the car, Mi-na was the first to speak. "What happens now?"

Stepping off the motorcycle, Jin answered. "We have to take one of these ferries."

Karin folded her arms after hearing this. "And who is going to take us there? I doubt any of you know how to drive a boat."

Asuka stared at her. "Didn't you say your parents own a yacht?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I know how to drive one. We hire people for that task."

"Here's an even better question," Hwoarang cut in, also folding his arms. "Where exactly are we going, Kazama?"

Jin looked over towards the bay. "Yakushima."

"You mean that big island off the coast?" Maki asked.

Jin nodded in reply.

"It's going to be cold, isn't it?" asked Cassandra as a cool breeze hit them. "Like… plenty of snow or something like that?"

"It only snows in the mountains."

"Rather than stand here and question everything," Maduk began to say. "I'd say let's get our asses on the ferry and get going. For all we know, more of those… things could make their way over here at any minute."

The group began to head over to the ferry, following Jin. In the back of the group, Dan wondered if he should let them know a piece of information. Then, without thinking…

"Um, there's something you guys should know before we get on," he piped in.

"What's that?" Ryu asked.

Dan darted his eyes at everyone nervously before answering. "I… um… I don't do too good on boats…"

"You mean… you get sea sick?" questioned Mika.

"Only during the first hour! But then again, I didn't really experience that on our way to the tournament. Must be because it didn't have a motor or something. I don't know…"

Hwoarang sighed. "Just keep it overboard."

"How long will it take us to get to the island?" asked King.

"About four hours," replied Jin.

They soon approached a ferry just in time to see someone just getting off and on to the dock. The man stopped as he noted the group coming towards him. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do, at least until he recognized one of them.

"Jin? Jin Kazama?"

Jin looked at the man for a moment, wondering how he knew his name. Then it clicked. He had known this man since childhood. He was a sailor who drove between Yakushima and the mainland everyday and was a good friend to his mother.

"Naoki?"

Naoki smiled. "How long has it been since I've seen you?"

"About six years, I think."

"Feels like only yesterday since I took you off this island. You were just a teen then. I seem to remember your grandfather picking you up then. How is he?"

Jin didn't move for a moment, afraid to see if any of those from the tournament were staring at him. Aside from mentioning past tournaments he attended and his mother being the only family member he mentioned to anyone, he never revealed any other history of his past.

"I've… been on my own for the last two years," Jin replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Naoki said. "You've been through so much the past few-"

"Listen, Naoki, I need a favor from you," Jin quickly said, not wanting him to mention anything about his past any more. Mentioning Heihachi alone was more than enough.

"Anything."

"Well, some of us are trying to go into hiding after the invasion, and seeing that your ferry is still operational, I was wondering if you can get all of us to Yakushima. It's very important."

Naoki shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. I'm under strict orders not to let anyone off the mainland. As a matter of fact, we just evacuated the island yesterday. Because it's isolated, it's too dangerous to leave anyone there."

Jin frowned. "But this is important. We have to get to the island as soon as possible."

"Besides," said Karin. "You did say you would do anything for him."

"I know," Naoki replied. "But this is another story. I'm sorry, Jin. You're a good kid, but for your sake and my own, it can't be done."

"I'll handle this," Marduk grumbled. He quickly approached Naoki before grabbing him by the shirt and lifting him up to his eye level. Naoki let out a screamed, now fearing for his life.

"Listen you!" Maduk yelled. "We're only going to say this one more time! You either get us on that island, or I'm going to pound your head in!"

King quickly stepped in, pushing Marduk and sending him stumbling a few feet. He let go of Naoki, who dropped the ground. Jin, Ryu, and Asuka went over to see if Naoki was okay while King and Marduk began to stare down at each other.

"There are other ways to get what you want," King growled.

Marduk clenched his teeth. "Hey, sometimes you have to go to extremes to get what you want, and you know it!"

"Like how you need to prove how much stronger you are by killing?!"

Maduk quickly grabbed King by his shirt. "If you want to fight over that again, then let's do it right here, right now!"

King pushed Marduk's hand off of him. "You have no idea how much I want to accept that offer."

"Come on you guys," Dan said as cheerfully as possible, slowly approaching the two. "I don't think this is a good time to fight, and-"

Dan stopped mid-sentence upon seeing the death glares from both Marduk and King (the teeth in King's mask sure didn't help either). He swallowed nervously before giving them a goofy smile.

"Um, carry on," he said with a wave before backing up away from them.

By then, Naoki was already helped back on his feet. He was unhurt, but he expected to have a nice bruise on his side later on. He adjusted himself, keeping quiet until the confrontation between King and Marduk died down.

"All right," he began to say. "If it means that much to all of you, then I'll do it. I'm risking my job, but I came to realize it won't matter anyway considering this time of crisis."

Naoki gave them a serious look. "But the next thing I'm going to say is very important. You're about to take a big risk. Because of everything that's happening, it might be a long time before you're picked up. It could be days, weeks, maybe even months, it all depends on our future. I notice you have supplies, but there are also plenty of resources on the island that you will be able to survive on."

"Like coconuts?" Mi-na guessed, not feeling great about what was to come.

"It's not that kind of island," Jin mentioned. "It's a dense, natural forest."

"It rains a lot there," Naoki added. "But not as much as in the spring and summer, so you're mostly lucky until then. And it only snows in the mountains."

"Jin mentioned that," said Karin.

"Anyway," Naoki continued. "I need to know if all of you are okay with being left out there for a while. I'll try to return as soon as I can to see if you are ready to get off the island."

Jin nodded. "If there's a way for you to return every few weeks, even if it's just to check on us, that's good enough."

"There's one other condition," said Maki. "You have to tell at least a few people where we are. The last thing we need is for you to die being the only one with the knowledge of our presence on the island."

Naoki nodded. "I won't mention it to my superiors, but my family will be notified. I'll also place it in writing just in case."

"In that case, I'll go for it."

"Me too," said Asuka.

Everyone else nodded, even King and Marduk, despite their blood still boiling from their confrontation a moment ago.

"Then let's not waste any more time," Naoki suggested.

He began to enter the boat with everyone else following him. A few minutes later, the ferry pulled out of Kagoshima and further into the bay. Within four hours, the group would find themselves on Yakushima Island.

Six Months Ago, Outworld…

…Raiden and Ogre eventually found themselves in the forest area, away from the battle near the main palace…but more importantly, away from the portals.

The two deities exchanged moves for a moment in rapid speed. Eventually, Ogre managed to fly up above Raiden and shoot multiple projectiles, forcing the Thunder God to dodge out of the way. Afterwards, Ogre flew back down and managed to get himself close enough so that he kicked Raiden in the face, sending him flying back before crashing into a tree.

Raiden managed to get himself back up before Ogre attacked him with a powerful punch. The Thunder God teleported out of the way and the Fighting God hit the tree with enough force to shatter it. Raiden managed to get himself behind Ogre before kick him back.

Ogre stumbled a bit before turning his attention back to Raiden. As he quickly approached him, they exchanged more moves once again until Raiden landed a double punch to his chest before jumping up and kicking Ogre in the face, causing the green monster to stagger back two feet.

After recovering, Ogre was forced to move out of the way from Raiden's lightning projectile. Leaving the God of Thunder open, Ogre executed three palm strikes, knocking Raiden back a few yards.

Raiden gritted his teeth as he began to feel pain within his body for the first time in what seemed like ages. "Damn him…he can't live…" he uttered.

Soon, Raiden managed to stand himself up. Then, to his surprise, Ogre shot out a long, red projectile surrounded by lightning. In retaliation, Raiden blocked with his own long, white projectile, also surrounded by lightening.

For a while, the two of them tried to dominate the other with their powers. Slowly, however, Raiden was feeling Ogre's power slowly taking over.

"I…cannot…let you…live!" Raiden yelled out.

He still felt some energy left with him…and used that last bit of power with him, letting out a howling scream in the process.

Then, a white light surrounded them…

Asia, Unknown Area

The memory of six months ago came back to him as Dark Raiden meditated in the middle of a forest. The area was mostly peaceful with the only sound being a light wind, which made a low whistle in his ears.

Dark Raiden admitted that he wasn't sure exactly what happened in the aftermath of the battle with the Fighting God, Ogre. All he knew was that it took some time for his energies to reform, bringing him back to Earth from Outworld. Something inside of them released, something he couldn't explain. He sometimes wondered if it had anything to do with his anger.

During his reformation, it gave Raiden the time to think back on everything that's happened in the last decade or so. Ever since Outworld's first attempt at taking over Earth, Raiden gave his assistance to the mortals in order to protect it. However, especially now, it seemed as though no matter what he did, the mortals seemed to fail.

The Blood Tournament was the last straw for him.

It all began with the Mortal Kombat Tournament over a decade ago. He assisted strong warriors to help defend Earth even then. The tournament had been created by the Elder Gods after receiving advice that Outworld's invasion was imminent. Outworld would have to win ten consecutive tournaments in order to invade Earth. By this point, they had already won nine.

Thinking about the Mortal Kombat Tournament, an idea suddenly rushed into Raiden's head. Why didn't I think of this before? … It's perfect!

The mortals of today seemed to fail at anything he asked them to do when it came to protecting their world. However, he remembered that there was one mortal that stood above others. Only this mortal would stand the chance against anything that was thrown against them.

There was one problem to this plan… this person was dead.

No matter, Raiden thought. I am a God after all… I can bring him back with my own powers.

Long ago, the Elder Gods granted him permission to resurrect anyone who passed, but he was very limited on how many times he can do that. Wisely, Raiden chose not to use this gift unless it was absolutely necessary. Now that time has come.

However, there was another issue. Because of the current invasion, and now that Outworld entered Earth, he was sure that this person's soul was taken. With that in mind, Raiden decided on the next best thing… he would reanimate this body and control it under his bidding.

For now, Raiden would wait until he was ready to go on with this plan. When that time came, he would enter the Shaolin Temple to reanimate the body of Mortal Kombat's Champion - Liu Kang.

Keisei, Unknown Area

For two days, Heihachi Mishima wandered the forest, seeing not a soul since running into the two old men at the lake when he first arrived in Keisei from Earth. Most of the time, he was either traveling, training, sleeping, eating, or bathing. Not that it was something he didn't do at home… however, there was one thing missing; action.

As the head of the Mishimas Zaibatsu and a self-claimed martial artist, Heihachi was used to a little action, whether it was fighting an opponent or screwing someone over in the business. He especially enjoyed it when it came to G Corporation, the business where his son, Kazuya, was currently CEO.

At least when he was in Outworld, he got plenty to do including fighting in the tournament. He would have won too… if that yellow ninja hadn't been cheap and pushed him out of the ring.

You'll get yours in due time! Heihachi remembered promising him. Of course, he highly doubted he would run into him again, but one never knows…

Throughout his travel, Heihachi wasn't sure what to find. A big part of him desired to get back to Earth, even after claiming to want to use Keisei for his plans. He suddenly got a funny feeling that, somehow, Kazuya is trying to take over it once more now that he was absent. He grinned suddenly, realizing that all would be well… so long that Kuma, his pet bear, was looking over things.

The old man kept himself near a river mainly for water source and his food supply consisted of fish and berries. At this point, he was craving a nice, juicy teriyaki steak, but that was going to have to wait for now.

The moment he decided to settle down for lunch, Heihachi suddenly heard screaming within the distance. At first, he thought he was hearing things, but he let himself listen longer. That's when he realized that it was not one, but multiple screams as though there was another invasion going.

It hit him suddenly. Don't tell me those Outworld people invaded Keisei already…

Deciding to check it out anyway, Heihachi headed over to where the screams were coming from. The trek took him about ten minutes before a small, secluded village on the bottom of the hill, came into view. People seemed to be running for their lives as others seemed to chase them.

It's not my concern, Heihachi thought. However, I've been itching for a fight for the last couple of days, so…

Making his decision, the old man began heading down the hill and towards the edge of the village. He barely had the chance to enter when two men quickly approached him, ready to fight. Heihachi wasted no time as he side-kicked the first one who got to him in the face, the force sending him flying back. He then lifted his arm and smashed the back of his fist into the second one's face, breaking his nose and knocking him out cold.

Others began to notice Heihachi at that point and began going after him screaming their battle cries. He simply waited for them until they were close enough for him to clobber one by one. He took each of them done with either one or two moves, sending them either flying away or knocking them out cold. For the first minutes, it almost seemed endless, but even once it stopped for a few seconds, he was ready for more.

Not too far from Heihachi, Tira had managed to render a woman out cold after battling with her for a long time. Raising her ring blade, she was about to finish her off when she happened to turn her head. A few yards away, she noticed an old man taking down her comrades easily, seeing how strong he was.

Tira grinned sadistically, now forgetting the woman she almost murdered. "There's a worthy kill," she said out loud.

Heihachi had just knocked out another opponent when he noticed a petite woman with uneven pigtails running towards him. A large 'hula-hoop' was in her hands, causing Heihachi to raise an eyebrow. With a battle cry, Tira jumped forward, ready to kill him.

When she was close enough, Heihachi simply backhanded her in the face, sending her screaming and flying sideways a few yards. It was as though she was nothing more than a fly.

"Stupid girl," he mumbled.

Not too far from him, Havik had just knocked away his opponent when he noticed Heihachi swatting Tira away with one backhand. Havik became curious by the stranger as it didn't seem as though he belonged in the village… and he was very sure that he wasn't part of the Black Dragon.

Let's see what this stranger is all about, Havik thought to himself.

Without any more hesitation, Havik began walking over to Heihachi, wanting to see if the old man would notice him first. It didn't take very long before Heihachi noticed Havik's approach. Despite Havik's grotesque face, it only caused Heihachi to raise an eyebrow, wondering what he was all about.

He then noticed Havik taking out his spiked mace. Seeing that he wanted to fight him, Heihachi got himself into a fighting stance, ready to take on the challenge.

Near Arctika, Asia

A blizzard was going in the Himalayan Mountains, the snowfall relentless. Anyone who ran into it's path would not have the ability to see for miles ahead.

Within the blizzard, a black portal opened. It stayed like this for a while as a large group dressed in black emerged from the portal. Once everyone was present, the portal closed.

Standing with his scythe in hand, Noob gazed at his surroundings. Despite the blizzard, he knew where he was, having been through this place numerous times back when he was a mortal.

Not long before leaving the Netherrealm, Noob received a tip from a recruit, a recently deceased Lin Kuei member (before the invasion) who the wraith managed to bring on to his side. The recruit revealed the Lin Kuei's current location. However, he didn't even need that information once he was told of the hideout's history.

Though information was a little sketchy, the location was once known as the Temple of Delia. The only thing Noob knew of her was that she was the mortal wife of Argus, the Protector of Edenia. Nothing else was revealed to him, but he didn't care. It had nothing to do with his goals.

What mattered right at this moment was finding his brother, Sub-Zero. He was going to make sure that he would meet his demise once and for all. If he felt sadistic enough, however, he may bring him back and control him to serve him within the Lin Kuei.

It would be like the old days, Noob thought to himself. Back when I was the superior and you were the follower.

In the meantime, during his mission, he would reanimate any corpse he and the rest of the Brotherhood of Shadow ran into. They would become his latest recruits, making the brotherhood more powerful and, eventually, the most dominate.

Outworld

For the first time in his entire life, and as far as he knew, Siegfried Schtauffen was flying in the air. The only problem was that he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not.

Since he and Ermac left Lei Chen, Siegfried was curious about this transportation called the Dragonfly. All of his life, transportation consisted of carriages, horses, and ships. And unless you knew magic or sorcery, that was the way it was.

The Dragonfly itself was shaped just like the actual insect, it's two, long wings flapping to keep it in the air. A large platform where it's belly would be was where the travelers would stand during the ride. A metal gated barrier was their only protection from falling off. The transporter flew high above the tall mountains. Although the ride was smooth with some turbulence, the wind was merciless, and Siegfried's long blonde hair was pushed in various directions.

They weren't kidding when they said this was the fastest form of transportation in Outworld, he thought to himself.

Despite feeling indecisive on the idea of flying, Siegfried admitted to himself that the view from above was quite beautiful. He was able to see a lot of things for miles around from a new perspective. Now he knew what it was like being a bird soaring through the skies.

He had been looking down at Outworld when Ermac came to stand next to him. Unsure of what to say, Siegfried found himself talking about the first thing that came to mind.

"This is different from Keisei. It's also interesting how Outworld is from up here. It offers a unique environment, at least for someone like me who has lived in another world. Everything is purple unless it's nighttime when the sky turns dark blue. But you do have trees, like us, but ours is more lush with brown, green, red, orange, and yellow leaves depending on the season and where you lived. No lava pools unless it was a volcano. Our sky is a light blue in the daytime, and at night, it's the same here, only we have stars."

"We've heard Earth was like that, too," Ermac mentioned, his voice echoing as a result from the countless souls within him.

"The same with Edenia," Siegfried added.

The mention of Edenia made him think of Princess Kitana for the first time in weeks. His mind was so occupied with the fight against the Outworld Forces that he barely had to time to think even for himself. During the Blood Tournament, and while he was fighting within himself against Nightmare and Soul Edge, he and Kitana had fallen to care for each other. However, Siegfried knew it wouldn't last long as his curse prevented him from taking things further.

He was free from the curse now. However, Siegfried wasn't sure if he still had the same feelings he had for Kitana all those months ago since he had not seen her since. If they ever crossed paths again, he may be able to figure that out.

Briefly, he wondered how she was holding up during this chaos.

Siegfried shook the thoughts out his head before continuing. "It's funny… the environment of Outworld is nice, but it carries too much evil."

"You can only blame the Emperor for letting that happen," Ermac said. "As for the other worlds, we've never been beyond this realm, unless you count Shang Tsung's island on Earthrealm, so we can only imagine what it looks like. We were only created a decade ago, our body fused with countless fallen warriors. Shao Kahn created us, but it was Shang Tsung who provided the souls."

"Did they have you under a mind control?" Siegfried asked. He knew of Ermac's history with the Emperor, but beyond what he just mentioned, the Keisei native knew nothing more about it.

"It's interesting to explain. We are able to freely think for ourselves, but this body was unable to depart from Shang Tsung at a certain point. Because he was alive and because he once controlled these souls, we were once bound to him. He even declared it himself… the only way we would be free from him was when a mortal killed him."

Siegfried turned to him. "Suddenly I'm a little confused. Considering the rumor that he has been resurrected, wouldn't him coming back make your bond reunite?"

"We had wondered about that. We believe that the day he was finally killed last time, it broke the bond between us and it became permanent even when he did come back to Outworld."

"You sound like you believe he's returned."

"If you knew Shao Kahn as well as we did, you would believe it too. We doubt even the Emperor would collect millions of souls without some sort of assistance. Shang Tsung is perfect for it because that's what he's about… these souls retain his youth each time he takes one for himself. He is also at Shao Kahn's mercy. Let's just say that those two have a similar bond that the two of us once had."

"Makes sense now that you mentioned it. I also wonder… judging from what you told me, a mortal definitely helped you in your plight."

Ermac nodded. "His name is Kenshi, a native of Earth. He was a vigorous warrior for a mortal, his blindness far from deterring him. Despite his path for vengeance and his ego, he retains his honor. However, we're not sure what became of him after we sent him away."

Siegfried turned his attention back to the realm below them. "You didn't mention where this particular Dragonfly was taking us."

"It's interesting that you mentioned that. It's the very portal we sent the mortal to after he defeated Shang Tsung. It was secluded and we think it was best to start there and work our way back towards Lei Chen. The only catch is… this Dragonfly is going to land at a dock just next to where the Blood Tournament took place…"

Siegfried's eyes widened at the revelation, now suddenly feeling uneasy.

Keisei, Unknown Area

Standing in his spot, Heihachi Mishima kept himself in his fighting stance, waiting for Havik to reach him, his spiked mace in his hands. Seconds passed before the distance between them finally closed.

Havik swung down his weapon, expecting his opponent to either duck away or receiving the blow. To his surprise, however, Heihachi moved back a little before the handle hits the back of his wrist, protected by a steel band, blocking the attack. Havik was about to move back, but Heihachi managed to quickly turn his hand, grabbing the hilt of the mace before pushing it away.

"Weapons are for the weak," Heihachi said. "You don't need one to fight."

Havik raised a fist at him. "Do not direct me on how Ishould fight! That is an insult where I come from, stranger!"

Without any more delay, Havik threw his closed fist at Heihachi, who immediately ducked right under it. The old man delivered a karate chop to Havik's stomach, who quickly stumbled back before regaining himself.

Heihachi raised an eyebrow, impressed by Havik's stamina. He was the first one to not be knocked away by his attack. Despite that, Havik was able to recover quickly before jumping forward once more. For a while, the two exchanged their own punches and kicks all the while avoiding their opponent's attacks. Both focused on their fight, they barely noticed any of the chaos that was taking place around them.

At one point, Havik pulled back and, before Heihachi could react, the cleric shot out a blue projectile from his hands, all the while bending down with his knees bent backwards. Heihachi managed to jump over the projectile, never noticing Havik's knees. The old man extended a leg, which was surrounded by blue electricity, aiming for his opponent's head. Havik saw this time in before rolling back to avoid being hit, forcing Heihachi to land on the ground instead.

Once they both recovered, they engaged in combat once more. Punches and kicks were once more exchanged before Havik found himself on offense with Heihachi on defense. Soon, however, the cleric of Chaos managed to block through Heihachi's defenses, leaving a few punches to his face before kicking him away, causing the Earth native to stumble back a little.

Heihachi shook the small pain he just received, turning his attention back at Havik, who began to approach once more.

His fighting is far better than his looks, he thought with a bit of amusement.

Then, to Heihachi's surprise, Havik jumped forward before gliding down head first towards his feet. Seeing this in time, this forced Heihachi to jump over him, letting him pass. Realizing he missed, Havik rolled himself into a ball, rolling forward a few more feet before getting himself back up.

Just as he began to turn to face his enemy, Heihachi had already closed the distance between them. He didn't give Havik the chance to defend himself as he landed a few blows to his face, his hands surrounded by blue electricity. More blows landed on his chest before Heihachi crouched down. With one leg out, he spun himself around a couple of times, knocking Havik off his feet. Before Havik landed, however, Heihachi raised himself up, delivering an uppercut to his back, sending him flying in the air.

Straightening himself up, Heihachi watched until Havik landed back in the ground on the side. Havik quickly shook the pain off, slowly getting himself back on his feet. Once he was ready, he ran towards Heihachi once more, sending more flurries of punches and kicks at him, forcing the Earth native to defend himself.

He just doesn't give up, does he? he thought. Well… guess I'll be the one to end this.

They continued to fight until Havik threw another punch to his face. Heihachi ducked under it, giving him the chance to maneuver himself.

While Havik was distracted, Heihachi got himself behind him, wrapping his arms around his head. Then, with a loud snap! Heihachi managed to break Havik's neck. Once that was done, he let go of him, letting the Chaosrealm native stumble away. Soon, he would be down on the ground dead, knowing that no one would have survive that.

However, to his surprise, Havik stopped a few feet away, standing still. Heihachi thought this was strange, never seeing anyone do that before.

Then, Havik reached his hands up to his face and began to twist it. With another loud snap!, his head was back in it's normal position!

Heihachi jumped a little at the sound, not believing what he had just witnessed. What the hellis he? he thought.

Havik turned his neck a little as though he was relieving some pain. Turning his attention back to Heihachi, he pointed at him. "Your presence here is a nuisance, stranger! We only want to spread chaos within this village and you are not helping things!"

Heihachi folded his arms. "Hmph, I don't even know what's going on, nor do I care to know. I just happened to wander here."

"Ah, a wanderer," Havik sighed. "Well in that case, you are free to go. It's not in my nature to confine a wandering spirit such as yours."

With that, Havik began making his retreat away from the village, picking up his mace along the way. Heihachi thought it strange that he didn't call for the others to follow, let alone his last comment to him. Eventually, though, the others had noticed Havik's absence and began to scurry away from the village.

Once he was alone, Heihachi shook his head. "Hmph… I wonder if Keisei natives are all like that."

He was just about to leave when he happened to turn his head towards the village entrance. He raised an eyebrow as many of those living there began to approach him slowly.

What now? he thought in annoyance.

An older woman spoke first. "You saved us from the Black Dragon!" she cried out, almost in tears. "For that, we shall forever worship you!"

With that, all the villagers began getting down on their knees and bowed to him. Heihachi replied with an odd look in his face, a bit baffled by what he was seeing.

"Get up!" Heihachi demanded. The villagers immediately got back on their feet, which baffled him more since he wasn't exactly nice about it. "You're all delusional!" he called out. "I wasn't even here to help you, I-"

Suddenly, a young woman approached him from the side. He quickly turned to her, unsure of what she wanted. Then he noticed the shiny object in her hand - a glass filled with what looked like red wine.

"For you," she said happily.

Heihachi stared at the glass for a moment before turning his attention back to the strangers. He saw that all of them had smiles on their faces as though they were encouraging him to take a drink. He faced the glass again, staring once more before slowly taking it into his hand.

For a while long, he looked down at the drink. He realized that it was indeed wine, but what kind was it in a place like this? The old man briefly took a sniff, the smell seemingly familiar, before finally tipping it to his lips until it's contents entered his mouth.

Getting a taste, Heihachi's eyes quickly lit up. He wasn't sure what it was called here in Keisei, but one thing was for sure… it tasted just like Merlot red wine… his favorite!

The original idea of using Keisei for his plans of domination came back to him. After all, he now has an entire village worshipping him and seemingly willing to do anything for him… all because he somehow managed to 'chase away' the Black Dragon.

With this in mind, Heihachi let out a jolly, maniacal laugh, which echoed through the surrounding land.