Liar...thief...traitor...brat...
Whispers filled their minds as they traveled further into the woods. Delsah's voice cut in above the din.
"Do not pay heed. Continue!"
Coward...freak...lay about...murderer...
Sonya tried hard to block them out, but the last word penetrated her brain, and she let out a choked sob. Jax grabbed her forearm and pulled her along, hoping the voices would stop soon.
"How much farther?" Liu asked, noticing Sonya's plight.
"A few more miles. I daresay we are entering the most dangerous part of our travels. Keep you ears and eyes open." Sonya regained some composure, wrenching her arm from Jax's grasp in embarrassment. She hadn't broken down like that in years, and she was ashamed. Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice the figures lurking just outside the path. A shrill cry resounded, and the group turned. Three figures clad in all black emerged, wielding staffs. The warriors took fighting stances, and prepared for battle.
The first started at Liu, twirling the staff around to confuse him. A final downward strike hit Liu on the shoulder, but he ignored the pain and grabbed the staff, pulling it from the man's grasp. Lashing out with a roundhouse, the black-clad figure went flying over to Kitana's side. She kneed him in the face, then twisted her body for a sidekick to the man's chest. Liu swept the man to the ground, crushing his face with one swift palm-heel strike.
Sonya and Jax weren't faring so well, having to deal with one each. Sonya was backed up against a tree and was doing all she could to block the man's attacks. She was having a little trouble keeping up with the man's flurry of blows, and one finally landed on her stomach. She doubled over, and the man delivered a perfect uppercut, sending her flying back into the tree. Her skull connected with the trunk with a sickening thunkbefore Liu made his way over and began kicking ferociously.
Jax had finally gotten past the man's superb defenses and was now in the processes of breaking the man's ribs with furious hook punches to either side of his body. With a final snap front kick, the man somersaulted backwards and landed, unmoving. Jax turned in time to deliver a spin hook-kick to the last one's head, sending him straight into one of Liu's uppercuts. He, too, collapsed.
Kitana helped Sonya to her feet, and the female warrior shook her head to clear it. At first, she was seeing double, but her vision slowly refocused, and she could stand on her own.
"I'm fine, but that guy has one hell of an uppercut!" she commented dryly. Delsah surveyed them approvingly.
"You fight well as a group, making up for the others' weaknesses." Sonya's brow furrowed and she took an accusing step forward.
"What the hell do you mean weakness?" she spat. Delsah merely held up a hand.
"I meant no offense, nor was I singling you out. I apologize," she bowed her head respectfully. Sonya cast her a disbelieving look, but sighed.
"Alright, let's go," she said shortly. Delsah once again led the way, but began speaking as she did so.
"We must be closer than I first imagined. The warriors do not want you to reach the temple before they. Once the Great Power of the Geni is released, they will not be able to travel to Yowan after you. The temple will relocate itself to another realm, probably less pleasant than this one." The fighters grimaced, trying to imagine a place worse than this.
"Why does it move?" Liu asked.
"To travel to Yowan is almost unheard of. The last person to successfully reach Yowan was Mortal Kombat champion Kung Lao, to retrieve the souls of his lost comrades, Taja and Siro." Kitana nodded gravely.
"That was just before the tournament 500 years ago. The three fought valiantly, and would have won. But the emperor had just convinced the Shokan to join him, and Goro entered the tournament. Taja fought first, and she was doing well, until Goro caught her. Once in his grasp, she could not escape." Her voice was soft and sad, as if recalling a horrible memory. "Siro was next, to avenge the life of his friend. He went for all out power, instead of swiftness, as Taja had done. He put in a few good hits, but he fell too. Finally, Kung Lao, distraught over the death of his friends, could not defeat the monster. He fell, and Shang Tsung claimed the first victory over Earth Realm." Silence fell over them, and no one said anything else for several hours, until Delsah stopped suddenly.
"I cannot go any farther. You must make the last leg of this journey alone. Good luck, Earth warriors, may Heowen protect you always." She bowed deeply and disappeared into the branches, flying through the trees deftly until she was out of sight.
"Well," Jax said, eyeing the group, "What are we waiting for?" He trudged ahead, pushing aside brambles and overgrowth, making way for those behind him. Sonya followed him, then Kitana and Liu. The path narrowed, and they could only travel in a single line. What little light they had faded, and the warriors couldn't even see their own hands in front of their faces.
"Um, not to sound too 'kindergarten,' but maybe we should join hands," Jax called. He reached back and found Sonya's hand, and they linked together, ensuring they would not be separated.
"Jax can you see at all?" Kitana called.
"Not really, I'm flyin' blind!"
"Let me lead," she replied, and she moved up the chain, linking Liu's hand to Sonya's, and grabbing Jax's. She moved up to the front this way and began to lead. Years of living in Outworld under the rule of Kahn had adapted her vision to low-light.
A cry alerted them to someone in distress. Liu relaxed his hold on Sonya's hand, but she tightened hers.
"No! It's just the forest, trying to lure you away from us. You go, you'll never be able to find your way back."
"But someone needs help!" he cried, again moving away. Jax switched with her, and grabbed the smaller man's arm.
"You're not goin' anywhere! We have to stick together!" Liu knew it was futile to argue, so he sighed and nodded dejectedly. They continued like that, and the cries for help grew in number. A chorus of pleading voices echoed around them, driving into their skulls. Sonya called up her military bearing and pressed on, reminded too much of humanitarian missions in third world countries.
Back as a fresh lieutenant, before she joined the Special Forces Unit, she had volunteered for one, not knowing what she was getting into. Sometimes, she still heard the desperate wailing of the infants, or the anguished cries of their mothers who had nothing to give them. Shaking her head clear, she focused on the here and now. It wouldn't do for her to lose her head; not when they were this close. She shut out the droning pleas and pressed on.
All of a sudden, the noise stopped, and there was total silence. For a moment, Sonya thought she had gone deaf, but Jax's deep voice rumbled through the silence.
"What the hell just happened?" he asked. They all took a few tentative steps forward, and almost fell when the ground beneath them shook. In the center of the forest before them, a small pyramid arose from the ground, the crystal at its point giving off near-blinding light.
It rose until it reached its full twenty foot height, and the ground stood still. Kitana turned to say something when a booming voice shook them to their core.
"All who travel to Yowan must pass a test!" The crystal extinguished, leaving them in total blackness. Sonya called out to her companions, but no answer came. She took a step, then another. She reached out her arms, walking in the direction of the pyramid, hoping to find some kind of landmark.
By her estimates, she was where the pyramid should have been, but there was nothing. She continued blindly walking, calling out for her friends to no avail. Suddenly, her hands connected with something. She caught fistfuls of fabric; no a shirt.
"Who's there?" she called out in her most commanding voice. Light illuminated the area, and Sonya blinked against the sudden onslaught of her senses. When she could see properly again, she focused on the person in front of her, ready to fight if necessary, and gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth as she whispered one word.
"Johnny?"
