Mileena and Kitana boldly led the best warriors from their Union across the sea to the island housing the Lung Hai Temple, the site of the most recent sighting of Reiko: leader of a rebellion against Mileena's Union alongside the rest of Shao Kahn's maniacal loyalists that continued to go by the faction name of the Kahn Guard.
It had been many years since Mileena's Union had been made aware of the Kahn Guard and their attempts to grow in power by attacking villages when their attempt on Sun Do failed long ago, making their presence known to Mileena's close allies who soon reported the incident. Since that day, Mileena and her allies had been on a constant cat and mouse chase to try and finally bring peace to Outworld for good.
Accompanying the two sisters and their loyal soldiers was the woman who claimed to be called Emily and from an obscure realm. Mileena's Union had yet to discover her true identity as the mysterious Shadow Priest named Talon. Unbeknownst to those who believed she was an innocent ally, Talon had reported to her leader that the group was approaching to ambush his new base.
"Where are our Avien allies?" Emily inquired, realising their ability of flight could cause difficulty to her leader's plan.
"They left to check on their leader first," Mileena explained to her. "If we're lucky, they'll return and with Asgaarth at their side."
"That's good," Emily commented as she made a mental note of this information. "We're here, everyone."
"Get ready, soldiers!" Mileena ordered as she wanted to be sure her allies were all prepared. "Are you ready too, sis?"
"Always," Kitana confirmed. "It's nice to have just the two of us leading a mission."
"Yeah," Mileena agreed. "A shame the rest of our family couldn't be here."
"We'll be fine nonetheless," Kitana assured her as the two quickly hugged as the ship they were on was docked.
"Let's go!" Mileena commanded as she and Kitana led the soldiers out of the vessel. "You'll be staying here, Emily?"
"I shall," she confirmed as she remained beside the wheel of the ship. "My fighting skills are lacking anyways."
"I understand," Mileena told her. "Thanks for taking us here nonetheless."
"Of course," Emily replied with a smile. "Farewell to all."
Mileena waved goodbye before taking charge with her sister as they headed up to the Lung Hai Temple that stood on the island upon a steep sloped pathway they stood on with their warriors marching behind the two sisters. The group soon made it up the rocky pathway and met the walls that surrounded the structure where many members of the Kahn Guard resided in for the time being. Before the walls was a mote that had been dug deep years ago and was supposed to be completely full of water, however, approximately over half of the water was now absent which left a rather deep manmade ravine. There was a drawbridge at the entrance but it was raised, meaning there was seemingly no way of passing.
"I have an idea," Milleena said as she drew her pair of sai. "Give me a moment."
Mileena threw her sai at the wooden drawbridge, the enchanted weapons allowing her to teleport over to them. She not clung to the standing bridge, using her sai like climbing equipment to get herself over the bridge where she then pushed it down, allowing her many allies to cross.
"Great thinking," Kitana complimented as the group now stood before the open entrance. "Should we just head on in?"
"I'll check first," Mileena decided before using her teleportation technique again after throwing her sai over the walls and stabbing another into the ground. "Blink and you'll miss me."
Mileena suddenly teleported over to the sai she had thrown into the Lung Hai Temple. From where she stood she quickly scanned the area and spotted a group of her enemies who were seemingly holding a meeting outside in the centre of the Lung Hai Temple. The central part of the place was another deep pit filled by water, this time the liquid having sustained despite how long it must have been placed judging by its discolouration and the amount of filth that had fallen into the pool over the years. It was clear that the Lung Hai Temple had received no caretaking since Shao Kahn had slaughtered the cultists who once held these grounds as sacred.
The group of Shao Kahn loyalists had failed to notice the Empress of Outworld who took a quick glance at the small group. The warriors were too busy focusing on their leader who wore Shao Kahn's own helmet and wore a cape similar to the former Emperor, only this was made out of a flag of the Kahn Guard logo. It became clear to Mileena that this man appearing as a shorter Shao Kahn must be Reiko himself. Mileena believed she had ordered all of such flags that he wore as a cape to be destroyed, but clearly her enemies had saved some. Before she could be spotted, Mileena concluded her analysis before teleporting over to the sai she had stabbed outside the bridge.
"What did you see?" Kitana asked her sister.
"There aren't many enemies," Mileena assured her. "None seemed to have bothered to check on the sound of the drawbridge falling too."
"That is odd," Kitana commented as she processed this information. "Any sign of Reiko?"
"He was amongst the group," Mileena confirmed. "We greatly outnumber those who are present."
"Shall we attack now then?" Kitana asked as she got her steel fan weapons at the ready.
"I don't see why not," Mileena replied as she raised her sai in the air. "Attack!"
Mileena and Kitana charged in with their warrior's running right behind them. They soon surrounded the pool where the Shao Kahn loyalists stood on a wooden platform above the old water. The platform had oars attached to them but no oarsmen were still alive to be rowing the peculiar platform boat. The Kahn Guard members were now surrounded by Mileena, Kitana and their own soldiers.
"Surrender now!" Mileena ordered the small group. "You'll be pleased to know that unlike the dead tyrant you all insanely follow, I avoid the death penalty… unless necessary."
"So don't force our hand," Kitana summarised. "Surrender!"
The group of Kahn Guard members remained silent. Soon, they and Mileena's allies both heard extra movement. They turned to face countless more Kahn Guard members who had suddenly emerged and now Mileena and her group were the ones surrounded.
"It's a trap!" Mileena realised.
"A little too late don't you think?" Talon asked, now unrecognisable as she wore her Shadow Priest robes. "I put a cloaking spell on our many friends… you've walked into your doom."
"Damn sorcerers!" Mileena cursed.
"Surrender now!" Talon ordered, with the tables now turned against Mileena and company.
"Never!" Mileena yelled as she and her allies sprung into battle.
Mileena and Kitana charged after the Shadow Priest while their warriors clashed with the warriors serving the Kahn Guard. Mileena was stopped by a woman dressed in the armour of a powerful Kahn Guard warrior who sought to protect the Shadow Priest from harm. Kitana managed to fly through the air past the warrior though, and smashed into Talon with a hip attack which threw the sorceress back.
Being thrown back, the windy air managed to pull down Talon's identity concealing hood as she crashed back into more of her fellow Shadow Priests who had been helping with performing the cloaking spell. They soon gasped at what they saw, surprised that Talon was actually a woman, or a person with feminine traits at the very least.
"Emily?!" Kitana now saw the familiar face of a woman she thought was an ally to Mileena's Union. "You've been a spy against us?!"
"The council will be displeased," Talon heard from one of the Shadow Priests as they muttered to each other while standing over her.
"A Priestess?" whispered another.
"How unusual," more Shadow Priests judged.
"You have sexist allies now too, Reiko?!" Kitana asked as she took an angry glance at the man draped in an attire similar to Shao Kahn himself. "Quit standing there and say something."
Another silent response prompted Kitana to fly forward like she did to knock down Talon, who was now being apprehended reluctantly by the accompanying group of Shadow Priests. Kitana dove over the water separating her from Reiko and pierced her steel fans into him, one cutting deeply into his heart. Reiko was dead. Or so Kitana thought.
"You killed my doppelganger!" the real Reiko revealed himself. "His only sin was having the right ideals and a gorgeous physique.
"Damn you, Reiko!" Kitana yelled as she spun around to the real Reiko as the other Kahn Guard members on the platform boat with her leapt off, taking the valued helmet of Shao Kahn as well as the banner cape as they retreated to their real leader. "What was the point of that?!"
"To lure you onto the platform," Reiko yelled as he summoned Shao Kahn's Wrath Hammer. "Enjoy the Heavens, 'Princess'."
Reiko hurled the Wrath Hammer at Kitana, who rolled aside but the massive blow left from the heavy weapon completely shattered the wood and the boat sank with Kitana on it. Kitana attempted to use the magic taken from her enchanted weapons to fly out of the water, however, they were ineffective underwater and pieces of the large platform got in her way and prevented her from swimming up as she fell down the deep pool. Tales once told there was a Dragon residing in the waters and that the cult that formerly resided at the Lung Hai Temple would make sacrifices to the rumoured Dragon. While Kitana saw no Dragon, she did see old bones of many victims of the old cult that had fallen to the bottom of the water filled pit.
Meanwhile on the surface, Mileena continued to battle the warrior who was protecting Talon. Mileena ran at her with her sai but a leg sweeped tripped her over before being stabbed by the woman's spade weapon that functioned exactly like a Monk Spade that the Shaolin in Earthrealm had. Her identity was hidden by the skull helmet that all Kahn Guard members wore in homage to Shao Kahn. Below the mask were blood red robes with pieces of silver armour being equipped over the robes. Mileena now lay before her, impaled on her weapon after tripping up. The Kahn Guard warrior pulled out her weapon and went for a final blow… but before she could finish the Empress swiftly thanks to the element of surprise, she turned to see Talon being taken away by her fellow Shadow Priests.
"Let her go!" she ordered loudly, drawing the attention of Reiko himself who was busy crushing the skulls of Mileena's warriors with the Wrath Hammer.
"What is the meaning of this?" Reiko inquired as he pushed through to the Shadow Priests. "Somebody apprehend Mileena!"
Many of the soldiers complied and bound Mileena hands behind her back with strong rope, tightened to cut into her skin. Meanwhile, Reiko forced the Shadow Priests to release Talon.
"What is the problem?!" Reiko asked, continuing to seek for answers. "Answer your leader!"
"Talon is a woman!" one of the Shadow Priests finally spoke up.
"Yeah I noticed," Reiko casually replied. "I asked what is the problem?"
"The council preaches that we cannot have multiple genders amongst our ranks!" they explained anxiously. "We must report her!"
"You must let her go!" Reiko ordered.
"But the council!"
"The council is not your soon to be Emperor!" Reiko yelled. "Anybody who stands by our side will be accepted! I care not for species, sexuality, gender or any of the sort! She is a more competent sorcerer than all of you combined!"
"Yeah!" the Kahn Guard soldier who had knocked down Mileena chimed in. "Leave her alone!"
"They will," Reiko told her. "Or else…"
The Shadow Priests released Talon after the threat was made. All but one, who grabbed her again, not wishing to defy his council.
"We shouldn't go against what our council prea-" before he could even state his point his head was snapped off from the sheer force of an incoming Wrath Hammer.
"I will pay this council a visit!" Reiko promised. "Care to join me, Talon?"
"Gladly," she complied after dusting herself off and then creating a portal over to her home tower in the Highlands. "Right now?"
Reiko glanced over to see his warriors had successfully captured the Empress, but Kitana had somehow emerged from the pool. Skull and Raza, who had been a part of the ambush on Mileena and Kitana's soldiers, soon pushed through the crowd and teamed up to slam Kitana against the stone ground before she was apprehended like her sister was moments earlier. Skull and Raza waved to their friend as the other warriors finished up on eliminating the last of Mileena's accompanying soldiers.
"Looks like they have it under control," Reiko assessed the situation as he proudly observed his great victory… but knew there was a matter he had to quickly deal with first. "Let's go."
"I'll come too!" the soldier who sided with Talon stated.
"Epos!" Talon called her by name as the two hugged. "Thanks for that… thanks to you both."
"Don't mention it, darling," Epos told her as the two smiled at each other before kissing.
"I love you," Talon told her.
"Let's go," Reiko commanded as he led the couple through the portal and into a meeting where the Shadow Priests higher up council was taking place.
"Reiko?!" the head of the council spoke first as he, Talon and Epos entered. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?"
"Was just wondering what you're all up to," Reiko replied as he shoved one of the council members off their seat and took it for themselves. "Please, tell me what your policies are."
"Wh-what?!" the head of the council was puzzled.
"You discriminate against sorcerers who aren't male?" Reiko asked him.
"What are these questions about?!" the head of council was beginning to get agitated.
"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" Reiko loudly demanded as he slammed his fist on the round table that the council sat around. "Do your practices discriminate against those who are not men?! Yes or no?!"
"Y-yes!" he hesitantly confirmed. "If we didn't then our training processes would be less efficient! It is best that we train those who are of similar builds and mindsets!"
"Yet who is your best Shadow Priest?" Epos asked as she stood behind Reiko as she stared daggers into the hooded head of council.
"Talon of course," he answered.
"I am Talon," she revealed with her identity now exposed.
"How bizarre," Reiko said as he stood up and slowly walked around the table. "It's almost like your justifications behind your policies are invalid."
"We can always reevaluate!" he tried to claim.
"Yet your legion of sorcerers has been around for longer than even I have!" Reiko pointed out as a clear sign that little has changed. "You hid these policies from me… from Shao Kahn himself."
"We… we d-didn't mean to!" he continued to make up excuses as Reiko finally got around to him after walking around the table. "We're sorry!"
"Traitor!" Reiko yelled as he violently began smashing his face against the table while Talon and Epos attacked the other council members. "Hiding this from me is treason, old man! You will all suffer the punishment of death!"
Reiko summoned the Wrath Hammer as the head of the Shadow Priest council was bent forth after being slammed against the table. Reiko then slammed the Wrath Hammer down on the old sorcerer, murdering him instantly with the brutal blow as it smashed the table in the process. The rest of the council soon followed as blood coated both Talon and Epos as they mercilessly took revenge on the corrupt higher ups of the Shadow Priest group.
"Now that we've dealt with the vermin," Reiko spoke up as silence finally fell across the room, "let us applaud Talon for her promotion to the head of the Shadow Priests."
"Yay!" Epos cheered as she and Reiko applauded her.
"Wait what?!" Talon was confused.
"You're their leader now," Reiko clarified. "You can make the rules."
"As she should," Epos remarked. "I'm proud of you, Talon."
"Thank you," Talon expressed her gratitude.
"I'm proud of both of your contributions to our cause," Reiko commended. "We should head back now. I have my questions ready for the so-called Empress."
Talon swiftly created her portal once more and the trio headed through to return to the Lung Hai Temple and check on their fellow Kahn Guard members. Much to Reiko's surprise and horror, Mileena and Kitana were both gone…