Chapter: The White Lotus
"Woah, Liu," screamed Kung Lao as his training partner annihilated a training dummy with a well-placed jumping kick to fireball combination. "These dolls are not in infinite supply you know! Take it easy."
"If only I could take it easy," Liu replied. "Shao Kahn could do anything, his banishment from the realm of Edenia could lead him to form another attack on the Earth Realm at any moment. I'll work on making some slightly more fire-proofed dummies in the morning."
"You'd better," Kung Lao grinned as he helped a couple of monks extinguish the smouldering opponent. "They don't call this the Temple Of The Order Of Light from all the fireballs you throw around you know."
The pair laughed, although it was a slightly uneasy laugh. They both knew Liu was right and an angered Shao Kahn is a dangerous Shao Kahn. Still, they had to focus on the job in hand and attempt to reform the long disbanded White Lotus society before Kahn struck. Together, they left the training hall and walked the seemingly endless maze of corridors to the prayer room. Lighting all the candles using the torch hung on the side of the room, the pair sat back to back and offered their own silent prayers to the Elder Gods. As they preyed, a strong breeze entered the room and with one giant cold blast it had plunged the room in to darkness, blowing out all the candles in a sinister fashion. The eyes of both fighters snapped open simultaneously, each wanting to see who had disturbed them. They found no one.
"Odd," Kung Lao mused quietly.
"No draught normally gets in here," Liu muttered. "Some thing isn't right."
"You're darn right about that!"
With a small gasp of surprise, the pair spun around to face the voice. A concerned Raiden looked back at them.
"You must stop doing that to us," Liu complained.
"What, and miss the look on your faces?" Raiden replied, half jokingly.
"Very funny, thunder God," Kung Lao said, semi-sarcastically. "What's the problem? What 'isn't right'?"
"Kahn is preparing another attack on Earth," Raiden announced, going very serious again. "This time, he has had help and not even the Elder Gods can stop this attack from happening."
A look of horror flashed across the faces of the two Earth Realm fighters.
"You mean all of what we did in Mortal Kombat means nothing?" Kung Lao eventually asked.
"This can't be!" Liu growled. "I won the tournament, in both the normal tournament and in the Outworld. Victory was supposed to seal the portal to Earth for another generation."
"Well, this time the portal is going to open and stay open," Raiden replied. "The Outworld tournament was nothing but a diversion. Shang Tsung has been even more scheming that I would have given him credit for."
"What do you mean?" Liu asked, beginning to loose the ability to stay calm.
"Shao Kahn as a right to enter Earth Realm. He also has the right to let anyone he chooses come and go as he pleases. The Earth is his for the taking unless you stop him."
"Shao Kahn does not have a right to enter Earth Realm." Kung Lao argued. "The Elder Gods decreed that should he try to enter the portal, he would be destroyed."
"That was until Shang Tsung entered Earth Realm and planted Sindel's spirit in to an Earth child. Now the child has grown, Kahn has the right to enter Earth Realm and reclaim his queen."
Liu and Kung Lao shared the same look of a mixture of horror combined with disgust.
"In doing so," Raiden continued, "he can also bring in a whole army of fighters and take every human soul for his own."
"With that much power..." Liu started.
"He would be unstoppable." Raiden finished for him. "I have appealed to the Elder Gods and I can save the souls of but a few fighters, however I am unable to save lives. If Kahn enters the Earth Realm I shall loose my powers and my immortality, the Elder Gods have decided that this time I am too important to sacrifice. I am being banished to an unknown realm until the battle is either won or lost. I have little time to gather a team of fighters together who have the potential to stop Kahn. I have chosen a piece of sacred ground in North America for you all to gather since I predict that here at the temple will be the first place Kahn will look for you."
"How long have we got until his invasion?" Liu Kang asked, hoping he would have enough time to prepare a small army of fighters before the attack.
"I don't know. Not long so hurry and get to America before it's too late." Was the reply he did not want to hear and he wished Raiden hasn't said it.
"I'll see what else I can find out for you and let you both know," Raiden shouted as his two friends went to gather some supplies. "Remember to trust your dreams and never to give up hope." With that, the thunder God vanished as silently as he had arrived.
"Have to hand it to Raiden," Kung Lao commented. "When he comes bearing news, it's always bad."
"Not always bad," Liu said, trying to put a happy face on things. "At least we know our souls are protected from Kahn and his schemes."
"But our lives are not!"
"Which is why we have to hurry," Liu replied, determined not to argue with his Shaolin friend. "We have to get to America, and fast."
"Looks like we'll get to face our old buddy Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat yet again then." Kung Lao muttered.
"Only this time, it will be the last time." Liu vowed. "It's time to stop Shao Kahn, for good.
"Woah, Liu," screamed Kung Lao as his training partner annihilated a training dummy with a well-placed jumping kick to fireball combination. "These dolls are not in infinite supply you know! Take it easy."
"If only I could take it easy," Liu replied. "Shao Kahn could do anything, his banishment from the realm of Edenia could lead him to form another attack on the Earth Realm at any moment. I'll work on making some slightly more fire-proofed dummies in the morning."
"You'd better," Kung Lao grinned as he helped a couple of monks extinguish the smouldering opponent. "They don't call this the Temple Of The Order Of Light from all the fireballs you throw around you know."
The pair laughed, although it was a slightly uneasy laugh. They both knew Liu was right and an angered Shao Kahn is a dangerous Shao Kahn. Still, they had to focus on the job in hand and attempt to reform the long disbanded White Lotus society before Kahn struck. Together, they left the training hall and walked the seemingly endless maze of corridors to the prayer room. Lighting all the candles using the torch hung on the side of the room, the pair sat back to back and offered their own silent prayers to the Elder Gods. As they preyed, a strong breeze entered the room and with one giant cold blast it had plunged the room in to darkness, blowing out all the candles in a sinister fashion. The eyes of both fighters snapped open simultaneously, each wanting to see who had disturbed them. They found no one.
"Odd," Kung Lao mused quietly.
"No draught normally gets in here," Liu muttered. "Some thing isn't right."
"You're darn right about that!"
With a small gasp of surprise, the pair spun around to face the voice. A concerned Raiden looked back at them.
"You must stop doing that to us," Liu complained.
"What, and miss the look on your faces?" Raiden replied, half jokingly.
"Very funny, thunder God," Kung Lao said, semi-sarcastically. "What's the problem? What 'isn't right'?"
"Kahn is preparing another attack on Earth," Raiden announced, going very serious again. "This time, he has had help and not even the Elder Gods can stop this attack from happening."
A look of horror flashed across the faces of the two Earth Realm fighters.
"You mean all of what we did in Mortal Kombat means nothing?" Kung Lao eventually asked.
"This can't be!" Liu growled. "I won the tournament, in both the normal tournament and in the Outworld. Victory was supposed to seal the portal to Earth for another generation."
"Well, this time the portal is going to open and stay open," Raiden replied. "The Outworld tournament was nothing but a diversion. Shang Tsung has been even more scheming that I would have given him credit for."
"What do you mean?" Liu asked, beginning to loose the ability to stay calm.
"Shao Kahn as a right to enter Earth Realm. He also has the right to let anyone he chooses come and go as he pleases. The Earth is his for the taking unless you stop him."
"Shao Kahn does not have a right to enter Earth Realm." Kung Lao argued. "The Elder Gods decreed that should he try to enter the portal, he would be destroyed."
"That was until Shang Tsung entered Earth Realm and planted Sindel's spirit in to an Earth child. Now the child has grown, Kahn has the right to enter Earth Realm and reclaim his queen."
Liu and Kung Lao shared the same look of a mixture of horror combined with disgust.
"In doing so," Raiden continued, "he can also bring in a whole army of fighters and take every human soul for his own."
"With that much power..." Liu started.
"He would be unstoppable." Raiden finished for him. "I have appealed to the Elder Gods and I can save the souls of but a few fighters, however I am unable to save lives. If Kahn enters the Earth Realm I shall loose my powers and my immortality, the Elder Gods have decided that this time I am too important to sacrifice. I am being banished to an unknown realm until the battle is either won or lost. I have little time to gather a team of fighters together who have the potential to stop Kahn. I have chosen a piece of sacred ground in North America for you all to gather since I predict that here at the temple will be the first place Kahn will look for you."
"How long have we got until his invasion?" Liu Kang asked, hoping he would have enough time to prepare a small army of fighters before the attack.
"I don't know. Not long so hurry and get to America before it's too late." Was the reply he did not want to hear and he wished Raiden hasn't said it.
"I'll see what else I can find out for you and let you both know," Raiden shouted as his two friends went to gather some supplies. "Remember to trust your dreams and never to give up hope." With that, the thunder God vanished as silently as he had arrived.
"Have to hand it to Raiden," Kung Lao commented. "When he comes bearing news, it's always bad."
"Not always bad," Liu said, trying to put a happy face on things. "At least we know our souls are protected from Kahn and his schemes."
"But our lives are not!"
"Which is why we have to hurry," Liu replied, determined not to argue with his Shaolin friend. "We have to get to America, and fast."
"Looks like we'll get to face our old buddy Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat yet again then." Kung Lao muttered.
"Only this time, it will be the last time." Liu vowed. "It's time to stop Shao Kahn, for good.