The scar of land that washed in the spit of the sea stretched with jagged rocks and blackened bark pines as far as the eye could see. A dense forest for Erron Black to pierce, he commanded the longship to stop ashore and one after the other as it landed, Osh-Tekk, Tarkatan, Outworlders alike plunged knee high into the froth and rocks with Erron ahead of them.
"We've many miles to go before we reach the North Gate. First encampment we find, we take."
His big black boots stamped into the mud, faded through the moss and grass and then the others were nothing more than ghosts amid the black pines. From shore, they'd find high mountains far to the middle of the Black Pine region, which hid the Highlands far behind them.
The travelers with him, all warriors under the new Khanum of Outworld had been hand picked for this mission and non would be expected back without the head of either Reiko, or one of his commanders. This sentiment fell on the shoulders of Erron Black as well, who had no qualms with seeing the mission through to the end.
He enjoyed the hunt.
A quarter day into the maze of black pines, the land began to slope and crags formed from the ground like broken teeth that screamed and gnawed at the land. They had no means to set up camp safely without stolen goods on hand. This allowed them to travel light, but they'd be open to the elements if a foreign camp had not been raided for the a roof over their heads.
There was a cold pinch in the air between the pines that rustled the needles that fell upon the men that marched. Winter was coming sooner than expected in Outworld and though the world itself may be a bleak expanse of destruction left behind by its conquerers, there were still places like the Black Pine where Erron Black would almost mistake it for Earth.
As millions of little fragile needles fell to the ground around them another jagged point, an arrow in fact, whipped past at an angle that indicated to Erron Black that they were not alone, and whoever shot first wasn't very far ahead of them.
Another arrow went loose!
Strike!
One of them, an Osh-Tekk with his tribal kit, meaning little to no protection at his heart, was struck hard and fast with an iron and wood arrow. He pulled it clean from his body and the blood like water trickled to his abdomen until the next on caught in his throat.
"Behind the trees!" One called out.
Erron tucked behind one of the pines and readied his pistol. Arrows were great, but he had the upper hand using metal bullets that travelled faster than any arrow could catch.
Another arrow whipped past when one of his men looked beyond the tree, but no hit for this one.
Erron turned toward the right of the tree and edged corner, his body flat and only his eyes able to peer as his hat was dropped to his feet.
No-one.
They had the high ground, but he had the eyes of a hawk. Still each side hid behind the pines and only scant arrows and bullets would fling across with no effort to catch flesh.
Was it Reiko's men?
The world had suddenly become low fantasy for many of the warriors that fought at the battle of Armageddon, but Erron Black flourished. He didn't need magic to survive, just his gun and wits. These people were skilled with arrows, so by that assumption alone, he couldn't base them in Reiko's army.
Reiko would have had a selection of the Black and Red Dragon, then several of the Outworlders that refused to follow Skarlet, then finally the scant few from Edenia that refused to follow Mileena when the Portals opened for the last time between the realms.
Since then, he had no clue, nor care what happened to Mileena and the Edenians, nor any thought of what was missing back in Earthrealm, and certainly no desire to traverse the Netherrealm.
When he turned again to look an arrow stuck in the ground just beneath his gaze. They would get nowhere fast like this. Not those that shot at them, nor Erron's men.
There was only one option.
He would have to be first to do it.
Damn it!
Erron stepped out from behind the pine, gun held out and the trigger untouched. He was exposed to the elements and to whoever could shoot him right between the eyes.
Thwack!
Not between the eyes, but an arrow separated the gun from his hand as it pierced an inch into the thick of his wrist and his fingers opened before they seized.
He yanked the arrow free of his flesh and wrist immediately burned and bleed, and seized.
"Smart ass."
Slowly he realized as bodies began to close in from all around them that these people weren't just above, but everywhere. There was no going forward without death or surrender.
He still wasn't sure which was the right choice here.