Outworld2 MASTERS OF THE OUTWORLD

PART 6: THE ETERNIANS REACH EARTH

After their victory in the last Mortal Kombat tournament, most of the Earth warriors had returned to training. Sonya Blade, and her partner, Major Jackson Jax' Briggs, had returned to hunting down dangerous criminals after they finally defeated Kano. Liu Kang spent most of his time training, accompanied by Princess Kitana, as the romantic relationship between the two became more serious. They now lived in an apartment, along with Kitana's mother, Sindel, who was determined to defeat Shao Khan, the man who had brainwashed her before Kitana restored her memory.
Kurtis Stryker, who had beaten Ermac in the previous tournament, had returned to his job as a riot-stopping cop- and he was helped by none other than the mysterious Kabal, the disfigured ex-minion of Khan, who was still determined to wreak revenge on Khan and his forces. Sub Zero had bought a small apartment in Chicago which he shared with Smoke, the former ninja who had been trapped in a robot body in the previous tournament and been programmed to terminate Sub Zero. Zero had restored Smoke's memory, and the two now lived together with Sub Zero helping Smoke to recall more of his lost past. However, it looked unlikely that Smoke could ever be human again- there seemed to be no way to release him from his robot body.
Nightwolf, the American Indian, had returned to his homeland, and although the other Earth warriors had heard nothing from him since the last tournament, they knew that the power of his shaman was always with them, and they could always call on him for help.

The Earth warriors soon found that their training had been worthwhile. Each of them awoke one morning to find a slip of card, depicting the familiar dragon logo, declaring the words:
YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO TAKE PART IN MORTAL KOMBAT.
And very soon, most of them were gathered aside the remains of the Shao Khan tower, Khan's Earth base from the last tournament which had been blown up after Sub Zero programmed Sektor to self-destruct inside the tower.
There was no sign of Nightwolf, but the other warriors assembled to a heart-warming reunion. Liu Kang looked upon the small crowd of warriors with him, and thought of how so much had changed since the first Kombat he had taken part in. Kitana had been entered as part of Khan's army first time- now she was his lover and closest battle partner since the death of Kung Lao. Sindel had been pure evil at the start of the last tournament, so had Sub Zero and Smoke before that. Kang had gained many new allies since he first entered Mortal Kombat, and with each tournament, they came a step closer to defeating Khan.
"I wonder what Khan will have in store for us this time?" he said.
"Probably a new champion." replied Sonya. "A Shokan, I should imagine, after the way that Motaro was killed by a Shokan in the last tournament. But no matter what he has in store, it's not gonna be anything we can't defeat. If I was in Khan's position I'd have given up by now."
"At least we're rid of that Tsung guy, thanks to Liu." said Jax, "I just wonder when Rayden's gonna show up. He'll know what's happening, no doubt."
"In my opinion," said Stryker, "this tournament's pretty pointless. Khan's lost just about everything he had- those ninjas are no match for us, even that Baraka guy poses no threat. We're gonna kick these guys' butts when the tournament's barely even started!"
"You never know." said Kitana. "Khan will never start a new tournament until he's convinced he has a great chance of winning. I do not feel this tournament will be as easy as you think, Stryker. He must have some trick up his sleeve."
"Stop looking on the black side, babe." said Stryker. "I think we're gonna kick ass- nothing Khan brings up is gonna be any match for us, with our strength."
"I'm afraid it might, Kurtis Stryker." came a voice from behind him.
Stryker spun around and saw the thunder God Rayden standing there, accompanied by two unfamiliar looking warriors- a tall, muscular man with blonde hair and a heavy tan and wearing very little. The other warrior, the fighters could not see that well- his face was entirely hidden by a mask and he was dressed entirely in shiny metal. He could be anything, thought Stryker.
"Rayden!" exclaimed all the warriors together, and Liu Kang stepped forward to greet the thunder God.
"Am I glad to see you!" he said. "But who are these new fighters you bring?"
"First of all," Rayden said, "I must warn you that this tournament is not going to be as easy as you think. Kitana is right to doubt its ease. Shao Khan has recruited new warriors."
"He recruits new warriors every time," said Jax, "but I always thrash em!" he flexed his bionic muscles in egotism.
"Don't think too big for your boots, Major Briggs." said Rayden, who had never appreciated Jax's huge ego. "These new warriors are probably more powerful than the Shokan.. or the centaurs. They all come from the planet Eternia, a planet very far from our own. Khan has elected the leader, Skeletor, as his champion- and I must warn you that Skeletor is an extremely powerful sorcerer and is only the third most powerful being on Eternia itself. The warriors he brings are also extremely skilled. To make things more difficult- Shang Tsung lives again."
"But that's impossible!" said Kang. "I killed him in the last tournament!"
"And if you remember, you killed him in the first tournament-" said Rayden, "Tsung never stays dead for long. Neither has he lost any power."
"Liu's beaten Tsung before, he can beat him again!" said Stryker.
"Yes- but as for Skeletor, I am not sure, for it looks as though this being may actually be more powerful than Khan himself. So do not let your ego get the better of you. This could well be your hardest tournament yet."
"So who are these guys?" asked Liu Kang, eager to be introduced to the powerful-looking warriors.
Rayden held his arms out to introduce the new fighters. "My friends, let me introduce you to He-Man, the champion of Eternia, and Extendar, the tower of power!"
"Tower of power?" said Stryker. "What the hell do you mean there?"
"Show them, Extendar!" said Rayden.
Extendar spread out his arms, and his hands shot out from his wrists, then his waist shot up from his legs, then his head from his neck, then his feet from his legs. He grew even more, until he was towering above the rooftops! The warriors couldn't believe their eyes. Now this was a powerful warrior- and they were glad he was on their side. He was no ordinary human being- he was a super-powerful cyborg.
The ordinary citizens looked up in amazement, seeing the unusual being towering way above the rooftops and skyscrapers of the city.
"I am Extendar, Tower of power!" boomed Extendar. "I was given my powers by an evil warrior, and was briefly turned evil- but I threw off that spell and now I fight for justice!" his powerful voice could be heard all over the city.
As the other warriors struggled to come to grips with this amazing being, Sonya was busy admiring He-Man's muscular frame.
"I'd like to see He-Man's powers." she said. "Will you show me some?"
"This guy sure looks tough." said Rayden, "and he's even tougher than he looks. Show them, He-Man!"
"With pleasure!" said He-Man, and he raised his fist and smashed a brick wall, left standing amongst the remains of the Shao Khan tower, into pieces.
"With these guys on our side, we're sure gonna win!" said Sindel. "Now we've just gotta wait for Khan to show up."
She couldn't have spoken sooner- for that very moment, the sky clouded black as the night and a thunderstorm roared above. A sphere of light appeared in the sky, and beamed down on the crowd of warriors. Extendar shrunk to normal size as the sphere of light surrounded them.
"It's starting.." said Rayden, "and we are ready!"
The warriors rose into the black sky, awaiting the dark regions of Outworld, muscles tensed, and ready to fight!


PART 7: MORTAL KOMBAT BEGINS


The barren land of Outworld was quickly overrun with powerful warriors. The gruesome minions of Shao Khan marched in hordes, the shadow ninjas leapt through the darkness, and the warriors from Earth followed behind, all strong and dignified fighters, accompanied by the thunder God Rayden, and the two powerful guardians of Grayskull.
"I shall leave you now." said Rayden to the other warriors. "Call me whenever you need me. May you fare well in this tournament."
And with that, he was consumed by electricity, and was gone.
"Where's these new guys?" said Jax, eager to fight.
"I should think they'll show up soon." replied He-Man. "Skeletor is always eager to make himself known at times of battle."
"What's he like, this Skeletor?" Sonya asked, still fixed in admiration for He-Man.
"He's powerful, and he's cunning- but he can sometimes make mistakes. Just be prepared- his magical powers are always growing. It can often be harder when he has Evil-Lyn on his side- she is his Sorceress, and her powers are almost equal to his. If they combine their magical powers with this Shang Tsung who Rayden mentioned, they could definitely pose a challenge. But for a good fighter, no challenge is too much."
"Wise words, He-Man." said Sonya.
Kabal then spoke for the first time since the Eternians arrived. "What about the other evil fighters?" he asked. "Do they pose a challenge?"
"Blade does-" said He-Man, "he is one of the most skilled swordsmen on Eternia- and also one of the most dangerous psychopaths. You have to be very quick to avoid him. We know rather little of Saurod and Ninjor as yet- but they are known to be masters of stealth, so we must always be on the lookout."
"I'll stomp on these guys," said Jax, "literally, that is." then he went over to Extendar and gave him a nudge. "You and I can do some good together. I learnt to morph to giant size in the last tournament. We'll show em."
Then Kitana suddenly said "Be prepared- we are approaching the Soul Chamber, one of Khan's lairs. Khan is likely to declare Kombat in there."
He-Man drew his power sword. "Then we are ready!"
In the Soul Chamber, Khan waited for the Kombatants to arrive, with Tsung and Skeletor by his side. Ermac rushed toward his master.
"They are coming, my Lord. All the warriors of good and evil are on their way."
"Good." replied Khan. "And no doubt Princess Kitana and Sindel will be amongst them. They were stolen from me by those interfering warriors from Earth. Skeletor- tell your men that they must recapture Kitana and Sindel for me. Then Sindel can be my queen again- and Kitana my slave! I will show you them when they arrive in the hall."
"I will indeed, Khan." replied Skeletor. "I have longed for ages for some capture, torture and killing- without that interfering He-Man to stop me!"
Little did Skeletor know that his hated enemy was amongst the many warriors who burst into the hall a few seconds later. He-Man and Extendar caught sight of him on the balcony with two other warriors- one of huge stature, wearing an iron mask, the other a type of sorcerer, with a long cape and tied-back hair.
"Who are those warriors?" He-Man asked Liu Kang.
"They are Shao Khan and Shang Tsung." he replied. But his gaze was fixed on the even stranger-looking being with them- the figure draped in black, his face all decayed, with black, hollow eyes..
"He's Skeletor?" asked Kang.
He-Man nodded.
"And I thought the Outworld guys were strange looking."
Moments later, Shao Khan called for silence.
"If you dare- face my new champion- Skeletor!"
The huge crowd of warriors looked up at the hideously decayed being on the balcony. Some felt instant panic and terror, others were instantly struck with an eagerness to fight the decayed warlord.
"The warrior who defeats Skeletor has the right to face me!" declared Khan. "As usual- fight only the warriors from the opposite side until you feel you can face Skeletor!"
Skeletor laughed silently. None of those puny warriors would stand a chance against the Lord of Destruction. They probably wouldn't even get past Beast Man, if he were with them. He would defeat them all- before challenging Khan himself and claiming rulership of Outworld. He felt further amusement at the thought of He-Man, back on Eternia, puzzled at Skeletor's absence from the evil warriors, searching every corner of Eternia for him. He-Man had no chance of stopping this scheme, surely.
Khan spotted Kitana and Sindel in the crowd, and pointed them out to Skeletor. Skeletor called Blade to his side.
"Blade- make sure that you or any other of our warriors captures those two women before long. Khan wants them for his own- but I shall claim Sindel as my queen of Outworld once I have destroyed Khan. If you do well, I may let one of you have Kitana."
Blade liked the thought. Kitana was definitely very beautiful- she could be even better for him than money!
"Yes, master, I shall capture them." he said. "I know women- they'll be no trouble for me."
"Then go now! Tell Saurod and the others!"
Khan gazed upon his former queen and adopted daughter. Soon they would belong to him again. If he'd had warriors like Skeletor and Blade all that time ago, he'd have recaptured Kitana before she could even escape. The tournament could now start- and the Earth warriors would all perish.
"Let Mortal Kombat begin!" he declared, and the entire hall rushed into battle.


PART 8: SEARCHING FOR SKELETOR


He-Man fought through the crowd of warriors by swishing his mighty power sword. The many ninjas from the different realms were amazed at this muscular fighter's skill. For each warrior who dodged out of the way of the power sword, He-Man would deliver a mighty punch, knocking the warrior to the ground unconscious. He-Man heard someone cry:
"I'm leaving this tournament! There's no way I can defeat that muscle-bound hero- he's worse than ten Shao Khans!"
"Except that I fight for justice!" He-Man called in reply. Very few of the warriors around him were brave enough to challenge He-Man, and those that were were lying on the floor in tremendous pain and agony within seconds.
"He's magnificent!" said Sonya, admiring He-Man as he knocked the warriors aside.
"Let's give him a hand disposing of those creeps!" said Jax, and flexing his mighty bionic muscles, he punched the ground with great intensity. The punch shook the whole room, scattering the enemies about like flies.
Liu Kang helped by using his amazing bicycle kick to propel himself through the air at the ninjas. Many of them were already fleeing in terror at the sight of the warrior monk, who had defeated the evil of Outworld so many times before. Kitana sliced through the heads of her opposition with her sharp fans, and Sindel pierced the air with her scream, paralysing the enemies so she could beat the crap out of them.
He-Man began to fire bolts from his mighty sword at his enemies, scattering more and more of them about. Then he found a door in the side of the wall. It was a heavy stone door- but the most powerful man in the universe had no trouble in heaving it aside. He called to his friends. "Quickly- through this door!"
The Earth warriors and Extendar followed him through the door, and into the dark caverns beyond.
The battle continued to rage in the hall, but Shao Khan's caverns were silent. Strange sculptures were carved in the walls, and slime dripped from the ceiling.
"You're not running away, are you He-Man?" asked Liu Kang. "I've never seen skill like that before- you were amazing in the way you scattered those warriors!"
"No, I never flee from anything!" replied He-Man. "It's merely that I have no time to fight weak warriors like them. I must oppose Skeletor and put an end to this tournament as soon as possible. I can not waste my strength on such minor skills when I have the power to battle the tournament's masters!"
"Too right." replied Stryker. "With you around, the Outworld warriors don't stand a chance. We must find Skeletor and you can kick his butt while we take care of Tsung, Evil-Lyn and the others!"
"Who are all these fighters anyway?" asked Extendar.
"They come from many different realms." replied Kitana. "Many of them are on neither Khan's side nor ours- they merely want to claim the tournament for themselves. But they are not experienced fighters, and pose little threat to us. We must deal with Khan."
"I'm eager to get to Skeletor!" said He-Man. "I don't know how he can expect to win against the powers of good!"
"The best point is that he doesn't know you're here yet!" said Sindel.
As the fighters made their way through the dank, slimy corridors, He-Man suddenly stopped.
"I haven't had a proper introduction to you all." he said. "Since this is about the only time we're safe from harm, would you mind telling Extendar and I a little more?"
"Fine." said Liu Kang, and one by one the warriors introduced themselves to He-Man and Extendar. Smoke was the last to speak out.
"My reason for entering this tournament.." the robot said lowly, "is to find myself.. a new body. A.. human body."
"You sound very humane for a robot." replied He-Man. "And somewhat tragic. Why is this?"
Sub Zero butted in. "We were both ninjas from the Lin Kuei who refused to be automised when they decided on turning their ninjas into robots. We tried to escape, but Smoke was recaptured and turned into a metal monster, sent out to destroy me. I managed to restore his memory, but couldn't find a way of returning him to his old body. Chances are the Lin Kuei may have disposed of it. We must find a way in this tournament to give Smoke a new body!"
"Then I will help you," said He-Man, "I'm sure I can find a way to make you human again. The warrior Snout Spout on my planet has suffered torment by being trapped in a cyborg's body with an elephant head, so you are not alone in the universe, Smoke."
"I was once human," said Extendar. "But I don't mind this new body- it gives me so much power! Still, I appreciate your feelings, Smoke."
He-Man then turned to the masked Kabal. "I could help you, my friend." he told him. "You told me you were disfigured. Will you show me your face?"
"I would rather not." replied Kabal solemnly. "It is too hideously deformed. I must remain masked. The only person who has seen it is a ninja named Rain, whom I scared to death by showing him my face. So my face has become a weapon- I would prefer to stay deformed for now. If I can use it on Shao Khan or his extermination squads, it will prove that them scarring my face only did me good in the long term."
"I appreciate your views, Kabal. Now we must continue our search for Skeletor and his evil warriors."
Up on the balcony of the Soul Chamber, Skeletor gazed at the huge mess of blood and cadavers scattered around one area of the Soul Chamber. Many warriors were now battling elsewhere, but who had defeated all those warriors, lying on the ground either dead or in pain?
He pointed to the bloody mess. "What do you make of that, Khan?" he asked the emperor.
"I have never seen anything like it." the warlord replied. "Surely one person couldn't have done all that!"
"I did not see what happened there.. I just hope the warrior who did it was on our side. After all, most of those warriors are merely ninjas from other realms, siding with neither us nor the Earth warriors."
He hoped dearly that the warrior who did it was on his side. Surely there could not be an Earth warrior with power that great.. power like.. He-Man?
But he must not think of that now. His main goal at the moment was the capture of the two women Khan wanted. He flicked on a walkie-talkie and punched in Saurod's code.
"Saurod- have you seen any sign of the women yet?"
The hissing voice of the mutant reptile came crackling over the walkie-talkie.
"Not yet, Lord Skeletor. But Evil-Lyn's magic has sensed them, and is leading us towards them."
"Good. Make sure you capture them- and you would be welcome to slaughter some of the Earth warriors as you do so. Over and out."
He-Man, Extendar and the Earth warriors were still making their way through Shao Khan's murky caverns.
"I do not know of the way to reach the balcony." said Kitana. "I rarely went in here while I was on Outworld."
"As long as we reach it eventually, nothing matters!" said He-Man. "And Skeletor will pay for his many crimes!"
"I think we should split up." said Kang. "That way, we can attack from all sides. The evil warriors may stand more of a chance over us if we are all gathered together."
"You're right." said He-Man. "We shall each go in twos- I will accompany Extendar."
"I'll accompany Smoke." said Sub Zero. "Sonya can go with Jax, Kitana with Sindel, Stryker with Kabal. And Liu?"
"I go alone." said the warrior monk. "Do not worry about me- nothing will stand in my way."
"Then good luck." said He-Man. "Good journey."
The warriors split up, and each duo, and the lone Kang, took a different passage through the maze of tunnels. Little did Kitana and Sindel know that there was someone waiting for them at the end of their chosen passage..


PART 9: THE CAPTURE


Kitana and Sindel made their way further along the dark tunnel. The only sound the warrior women heard was that of the moisture and slime dripping from the ceiling. Their only thought was to find a way to reach Khan and oppose him and Skeletor. Kitana already disliked Skeletor- he was definitely evil beyond belief from what she saw of him, and possibly more powerful than her former foster father. But even if he was more deadly than Khan, she could not hate him more than Khan. Khan was nothing but a sadistic tyrant who loved war and torture- at least Skeletor's outward approach seemed vaguely more respectable, with his neat garments, his long, dark robe. She could easily love a man dressed like that- if his face wasn't so hideously decayed and gruesome.
Evil-Lyn lurked with Saurod at the end of the tunnel. Evil-Lyn could not see the women approaching, but she could sense them with her magic powers. She held out her crystal ball, which was glowing steadily. The brighter the glow grew, the closer her captives were coming.
Saurod could see both women- he had good vision in the dark. The dimension he had come from had been permanently dark, and his people were specially adapted to see in the dark. These tunnels felt like home to him, like the caverns in which he had dwelled before he donned his mask and became a galactic mercenary. He held out his laser gun, ready to spring a surprise on the women when they came closer.
"I want to attack them, Evil-Lyn." he hissed in his low, reptilian voice.
"Not yet, Saurod." Evil-Lyn replied quietly. "We strike when they are close. We must not run towards them, or they stand a higher chance of escape. Unless we shock them, we have less chance of succeeding."
"If I had a spear like the ninja Scorpion I could pull them close." Saurod hissed.
"Be patient, Saurod. The women will come- and we will capture them."

Unaware of the evil warriors awaiting them, Kitana and Sindel moved further down the tunnel, into the darkness of Khan's caverns.
Suddenly, Sindel noticed a faint glowing light in their path. Could it be an enemy? She spun around to warn Kitana. But Kitana was nowhere to be seen.
"Kitana?" she called. "Where are you?"
"Right.. here.." came a quiet, hissing and terrifying voice from out of the shadows.
"What's that? Who's there?" Sindel looked around her, trying to see through the blackness. "Where are you?"
Suddenly there came an abrupt shower of sparks from out of the darkness. Sindel screamed and flinched back. Present in the cavern with Sindel was a deadly enemy.
But Sindel could not afford to feel fear. She was a warrior, and must face whatever was with her- even if she met her death trying. She let out a yell, and switched into fighting pose.
"Show yourself, whatever you are. I am Sindel and I am fearless!"
As if in answer, another shower of sparks roared from out of the blackness. The light from the sparks illuminated the figure from which they emitted, for a split second. Sindel saw a metal face, with evil, devil-like eyes and a strangely-shaped mouth, like a metal trap. It was like nothing she had seen before- it was way more terrifying than Khan's ninjas.
More sparks shot through the air. Sindel was quick enough to avoid most, but several hit her, causing minor burns. But this was no drawback to her. She must find some way of tricking this creature!
Her power of flight could be just right. She soared into the air, and the sparks missed her, and made dents in the rocky wall.
Saurod was puzzled for a second. He seemed to have lost his prey. She had just seemed to disappear from view. He turned around, and looked around him for the woman he had been firing at. But there was nobody there.
Too bad he didn't look up. Sindel swooped down on him from the air, grabbed his shoulders and knocked the reptilian warrior to the ground. He hit his head on the rocky wall, which stunned him for a few moments. But his helmet protected him from feeling much pain, and he got to his feet, and pursued Sindel into the caverns. She wouldn't get far- Evil-Lyn was waiting, with her captive- Kitana.
Sindel glided along the cavern like an eagle, escaping from the strange spark-shooting creature. She had to find Kitana. As she flew around a bend she heard Kitana softly saying "Mother.. I am here.. you must help me."
Kitana must be in danger here if she needed help. Kitana had always been able to take care of herself. She flew towards the sound of the voice, and just made out a figure in the blackness, wearing a shiny gold helmet. She swooped down on this figure, and made out that it was a warrior woman, wearing a long cape, and clothes covered in jewellery. This must be Evil-Lyn, the sorceress who He-Man had told her about.
"Thanks, mother." came Kitana's voice. "Evil-Lyn had paralysed me with a force field- but I'm free now. Now let's kick her ass!"
"I'll deal with Evil-Lyn- you fight the other warrior! There's a creature coming down the corridor after us- you deal with him!"
"Right away!" said Kitana, and sped off down the cavern. But just as Sindel was about to turn on Evil-Lyn, the warrior sorceress managed to inflict her powers on Sindel instead! Sindel was trapped in Evil-Lyn's force field, and unable to escape.
In the next cavern, Stryker and Kabal were exploring- but Stryker was convinced someone was in danger. "I heard someone scream before!" he told Kabal. "I'm sure there's a fight going on in the next cavern."
"Should we help?" asked Kabal.
"I'll go through and sort it out- you stay here so you can fight any evil warriors who might be lurking nearby!"
Stryker left Kabal in the cavern and, with his pistol and his Riot Klub at the ready, ran towards the next tunnel.

Kitana had run into Saurod, and the two were engaged in battle- Kitana was just managing to deflect some of Saurod's sparks with her sharp fans. She would decapitate him once he was helpless.
"No use trying.." hissed the reptilian mercenary, "you are coming to Shao Khan with me!"
So that's why he had come after her- he wanted to recapture her so Khan could have her again! And there was no way she was going back to him.
"I don't think so!" she said, and threw a high kick at him, knocking him back against the wall.
Saurod got up again. "You have made me angry!" he cried. "You will pay for this!"
He fired a blast from his gun, stunning her and knocking her back. Then he turned his back to her, and reached out his long tail, and tied it around her, squeezing her tightly!
Kitana tried to escape from his clutches, but it was no use- she just couldn't break out!
"I have you now!" hissed Saurod. "You can give up struggling! You are just lucky that I'm not going to kill you!"
"Drop her now!" came a voice from out of the darkness. This was a friendly voice- the voice belonging to Kurtis Stryker.
"You've got me to fight before you do anything with Kitana!" Stryker shouted, and fired a blast from his gun at Saurod. The blast hit Saurod in the chest and crackled across his torso. Saurod loosened his tail, and Kitana broke free.
"Now you've got two of us to deal with!" said Kitana, and reached out her fans.
"I will still capture you, woman!" hissed Saurod angrily, and charged forward at Kitana, attempting to seize her. But he was no match for her skill with fans. She spun the fans rapidly, and the breeze it generated lifted Saurod into the air and spirited him back into the cavern. Within a few seconds, he was running back towards them, but Stryker charged towards him with his Riot Klub and flung him across the cavern.
Saurod landed heavily. He was badly hurt- not unconscious, but too badly hurt to fight. Evil-Lyn came towards them, with Sindel trapped in her force field, almost completely paralysed!
"Let my mother go!" shouted Kitana.
"I don't think so." replied Evil-Lyn. "But you two are most welcome to join her. I'm sure Khan will appreciate an extra prisoner!"
She held her hand out, ready to trap both Kitana and Stryker in her force field. The two warriors knew that Evil-Lyn's power could be no match for them! She would never give in!
Then, suddenly there came a voice behind them.
"Stop!" it shouted, "In the name of Grayskull!"
Kitana and Stryker spun around to see He-Man, with Liu Kang and Extendar by his side. They had obviously all heard the sounds of battle.
"You're no match for me, He-Man." said Evil-Lyn. "I don't know how you got here, but it will not matter once I have you trapped!" She threw out a blast of power from her fingertips, but He-Man held out his power sword, which absorbed it all at once.
"Give up, Evil-Lyn." he declared. "You are no match for the power of Grayskull."
Evil-Lyn lowered her hand, and admitted defeat. "As yet, I cannot beat you, He-Man." she admitted. "But I have still won. You still have Kitana, but I have Sindel!"
Evil-Lyn teleported herself away, with Saurod- and Sindel, her captive.
"Khan will try to turn her evil again!" said Kitana. "We must find where they have taken her!"
"And we will find Evil-Lyn." said He-Man. "we must continue searching these caverns, and find a way to reach Skeletor- and he will pay for this!"
The five warriors split again, prepared to search the caverns. There was no way they would let the forces of evil win this tournament in a million years.


PART 10: THE WRATH OF SKELETOR


Skeletor sat aside Khan in Khan's arena, watching the battles raging past. Several ninjas had been brave enough to challenge Skeletor, but he had beaten them to death after merely seconds, his fatalities impressing Khan, who claimed the soul of each dead warrior.
"Victory looks assured this time." Khan said. "You will have killed all the warriors before long, Skeletor- and their souls will increase my power. I shall then be able to take over Earth itself! And I will give you your own segments to rule, Skeletor. Horde Prime should reward us both greatly once the tournament is won."
Skeletor nodded in false agreement. He knew that he held more power than Khan. Once the last of the Earth warriors was wiped out, Skeletor would turn on Khan. For now, he must bide his time. And even if Khan proved a match for Skeletor, he would not be in the way for long- Skeletor would call his warriors to his side and they would dispose of Khan in no time.
"Soon Evil-Lyn will arrive with the women you want." Skeletor said. "They will stand no chance.. and Sindel will again be your queen."
He was only saying this so Khan would be tricked into thinking he was loyal to him. Sindel would end up as Skeletor's queen, and he would wipe Khan from her memory altogether. How it would be good to suck He-Man's memory dry.. but the power of his sword had always prevented him from doing that. But what was he thinking about He-Man for? That muscle-bound do-gooder was a thing of the past for Skeletor. Perhaps luckily He-Man was even perishing at that moment at the hands of Karg and the rest of the evil forces.
Just then, a bright light appeared in front of Skeletor and Khan, and Evil-Lyn and Saurod stepped out. In her clutches, Evil-Lyn held Sindel, who was clearly under Evil-Lyn's paralysis spell, trapped inside a kind of force field.
"I have the former queen of Outworld in my possession." said Evil-Lyn. "You can do what you want with her."
"And the Princess?" asked Khan. "Why do you not have Kitana?"
"I am afraid," said Evil-Lyn, "that we failed in our attempt to capture Princess Kitana. We were stopped."
"Who by?" asked Skeletor. "Liu Kang?"
"No," replied Evil-Lyn, "Lord Skeletor, I am sorry to tell you this, but.. it was He-Man. He-Man stopped us."
Skeletor was struck dumb with anger and amazement. He arose from his seat, and his eyes lit up an angry red colour. Then he bellowed out angrily:
"Tell me you are not serious! Tell me my hated, cursed enemy has not pursued me here!"
Saurod shrank from his master's anger, and Evil-Lyn said "I am sorry, my Lord. How he got to Outworld, I do not know. I tried to trap him in my force field, but his sword absorbed my power. I could not beat him." She lowered her head in partial shame.
Skeletor flew into a mad rage. "WHY?!!!!" he screamed. "Why does that cursed, interfering bastard have to show up wherever I go?!!!!!"
Even Evil-Lyn shrank from him this time- and so did Khan, although he did his best to hide it.
"I HATE HIM!!!!!!" screamed Skeletor. "Let that man perish in the fires of Infinita!" he held his hands up to the sky, as if calling upon a God. "Let him be torn apart by the fiercest creatures imaginable until he is nothing but a collection of flesh and blood! Let him be cast away- away to a place where he can never, never trouble my mind's genius ever again!!!! Let him DIE!!!!!"
And with that, Skeletor charged into the arena, and threw a bolt of power from his fingertips at a huge crowd of warriors. The whole crowd was incinerated alive, and crumbled into bone on the ground. The remaining warriors now saw what a deadly enemy they were facing. They could never face a being with a wrath so strong! Several ninjas even fled from the arena in terror at the decayed warlord's rage.
Evil-Lyn watched Skeletor with pity and sorrow. She saw exactly where he was coming from. Whenever he seemed just about to win, or had just enacted a brilliant plan, He-Man always seemed to show up out of the blue and stop him. It just wasn't right that a man as evil as Skeletor, and with his talent, should have to put up with some interfering hero with not half the amount of brains.
Skeletor was in the greatest rage she'd ever seen him in, so she had to use her charm to soothe his anger. She walked over to him, laid her hand over his chest, and said "Fear not, my Lord. I still think we stand an excellent chance over He-Man. He and his Earth friends are on the wrong trail. They are searching the caverns surrounding the Soul Chamber, believing you are still on the balcony. You can still succeed- and maybe even find a way of trapping them there for eternity."
Skeletor looked down to face her. The blazing red light from his eyes dimmed down, and for a split second Evil-Lyn thought she saw the look of tragedy in the sunken eyes. It was the look of a man who had tried so hard, without giving up, but had never once succeeded.
Skeletor's abominable wrath was soothed by his warrior goddess. "You are right.." he said lowly, "I have been mistreated.. by this man.. who follows me. Who foils my every plan. And he will pay. He will meet a gruesome death at my hands this time." he really was speaking from his heart.
Khan walked over to them, with Saurod boldly following. "Yes." he said. "I have not met this He-Man yet, but I already dislike him to extremes. We will destroy him by the end of this tournament."
For that moment, Skeletor was grateful that he had Khan on his side, even though Khan was a sadistic madman with no feeling in his heart. The man's power and sadism would help Skeletor defeat He-Man at long last.
"You must help me, Khan. We must work as close allies. He-Man shall get what he always deserved. And I must find out just how in the universe he found out about this tournament."
"I suspect my hated enemy Rayden." said Khan. "He is the thunder God, and often gives messages and advice to anyone on the side of good. He will be responsible."
"Then if we come across him," said Skeletor, "we will destroy him too. Everyone on the side of good will suffer in some way."
Khan looked behind him at the captured Sindel, trapped in Evil-Lyn's force field, unable to even struggle. "That girl was powerful." he said. "With her back on our side, we stand an even greater chance."
"Then let us brainwash her." hissed Saurod, and the four evil warriors stepped towards Sindel, ready to convert her once more to their side.
And Skeletor's hatred of He-Man had increased even more. There was no way he was letting He-Man escape this time. This time, the man would perish. Skeletor's newfound desire to rule Outworld and Earth as well as Eternia was now second to one thing in his mind: the death of He-Man.