Sonya glanced at Jax. Since their capture she had avoided talking to him, she still blamed him for alerting the Tarkata. Now they had arrived at a small campground, hidden in a rocky recess in the mountains. The scent of burnt flesh permeated her nostrils, making her nauseous. The sun had set, but several large fires blazed near the center of the camp. Squinting, she could see the source of the foul smell. Tied to a post in the middle of each fire was a body...
"Uggh," Sonya gagged as they neared the burning corpses. Thankfully, they were led past the bonfires, toward a large tent.
"Inside," growled one of the Tarkatan warriors, shoving them both through the tent flap. He didn't follow them in however.
"If we live through this," Jax said, staring around the nearly empty tent, "I'll owe you."
"Yeah," Sonya replied, "Since it was your fault."
Looking around, they can see nothing in the dim light except for a lantern on a table, a few barrels here and there, and a cot near the back of the tent.
"Looks like nobody's home," Jax said.
"Wait," Sonya hushed him, "Listen."
Jax went quiet, and after a while he heard a strange sound, like growling...
"Jax!"
Suddenly he was shoved onto the table, two blades pointed at his throat, knocking the lantern onto the ground.
"Baraka," Sonya guessed.
"Yes," Baraka replied, his voice sandy and harsh on her ears.
"What do you want with us?" Sonya asked.
"I must destroy anything in the Dragon King's path," the Tarkatan leader replied, "And you two seem to be standing in the middle of it."
"No man," Jax stammered, "Trust me I'm nowhere near his path."
"Yeah really," Sonya added, "We don't even know where to find him."
Baraka glanced at her, but did not move his blades.
"But you are from Earthrealm?"
"Yes," she answered quietly.
"Then you are opponents of Onaga," the Tarkatan said, "And you must be destroyed."
"We just came here to find some friends of ours," Sonya lied. Well, it was close enough to the truth.
"Yeah," Jax said, "So...are you gonna let us go or what?"
Baraka snorted, "I will release you on one condition."
"What?" Sonya asked.
"Bring me the head of the traitor, Mileena," he replied, "Kill her, or I will hunt you down and slit your throats."
"Deal," Sonya said, knowing they had no choice.
Finally, Baraka removed the blades, much to Jax's relief.
"Make haste," he said, gesturing to the tent flap.
"Well," Jax sighed as soon as they had exited the tent, "Now we gotta go looking for Mileena again.
"Yeah," Sonya said, "And no doubt Tanya will be with her."
Jax looked at his partner, "So the question is, where do we look first?"
Ashlynn coughed, shaking the cold liquid from her face.
"You really must stop doing that," Quan Chi said, dropping the bucket he had used, "I will not carry you again."
Good, Ashlynn thought.
"I am afraid your...friends...left without you."
Ashlynn sat up, blinking her eyes to rid herself of the dizziness she felt.
"They're not my friends," she replied.
The sorcerer smiled, "Our next stop is Edenia."
"Why Edenia?"
"Because like you, Queen Sindel also owes me a small favor."
"For what?" Ashlynn asked, standing up a little shakily.
"You ask too many questions," Quan Chi replied, "Remember, you are my servant, not my ally."
She nodded as he transported them to the nexus, a place that Ashlynn had never seen before. It was a huge, circular platform that seemed to float. Six portals were lined in a row straight ahead, and there was a small altar near the center.
"These all lead to different realms?" Ashlynn asked, gesturing toward the row of portals.
"Yes," Quan Chi answered, "Earthrealm, the Netherealm, the Chaosrealm, Outworld, Seido, and Edenia. Come."
Once through the Edenian portal, Ashlynn found herself standing in the middle of a large village. It was nighttime, and the moonlight shone silver, reflecting off of a palace in the distance. She followed the sorcerer toward it, silently admiring the beauty of the realm. As they approached the gate, their path was blocked by two nervous looking guards.
"Stop," one of them ordered, his voice wavering, "Y-you must leave immediately."
The other guard didn't seem so intimidated.
"You are not welcome here sorcerer!"
"Ashlynn," Quan Chi sighed, "Take care of them."
He made his way past them, knowing they would do nothing to stop him. Suddenly a strange feeling came over Ashlynn.
"What's wrong," she said, "You two look frightened."
"I'm sure we have nothing to fear from a young lady such as yourself," the first guard said.
"Yes," added his companion, "You may as well leave girl. You are outnumbered."
"Trust me," Ashlynn said, not recognizing the threat in her own voice, "You have plenty to fear."
With that, she used her powers of invisibility. The guards looked around, confused.
"I think she is..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the man's head snapped background, producing a sickening crack. Ashlynn reappeared, and watched as his body crumpled to the ground.
"I warned you," she said to the other guard, "But now at least I'm not outnumbered."
The remaining guard raised his spear in defense as she rushed at him, but it was no use. With more power than she ever thought she had, she sent him flying into a nearby pillar.
"Please," he begged as she approached him, "I have a family."
Ashlynn cocked her head to one side, smiling.
"I'll be sure to tell them goodbye for you."
By the time Quan Chi came back, dragging Queen Sindel by the hair, the other guard was already dead. Ashlynn blinked, confused. What had she done?
"I have done nothing!" Sindel screamed. Her struggle was futile however.
"Oh I know," the sorcerer said, lifting the small woman off the ground, "But I will not have you in the way of my plans. Ashlynn, kill her."
He held the queen up, expecting Ashlynn to hit her with a projectile. She only stood there, staring wide eyed.
"What are you waiting for?" the sorcerer snarled.
Ashlynn closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said, "My powers don't seem to be working..."
"Have it your way," Quan Chi said, throwing Sindel to the ground, "I will kill her myself."
"Unhand her!" came a voice from the darkness. Ashlynn whirled around, and stumbled back in surprise at what she saw. Standing not five feet from her was the heir to the throne of Edenia, Kitana, and beside her...
"Liu?" she breathed. He looked at her, and she noticed something different in her former friend's eyes, a sort of wisdom.
"You are dead!" Quan Chi screamed, unable to believe what was happening.
"And yet I'm standing here before you," Liu Kang replied.
The sorcerer looked at Sindel, then at Liu and Kitana, then back at Ashlynn.
He let out a grunt of frustration, "Come, we are leaving!"
Knowing better than to attack the angry sorcerer, Liu and Kitana let him pass. Ashlynn began once again to follow him.
"Don't," Kitana said, "Stay here."
Ashlynn looked at her, but suddenly the image of the Princess shifted. She saw, not her friend, but someone who would stab her in the back at the first opportunity.
"No," she said, "You aren't my friends."
"She is right," Quan Chi told them, grinning, "Now come Ashlynn."
She pushed past Liu and Kitana, and followed the sorcerer back toward the tear shaped portal.
"We have lost a valuable fighter," Liu said once they had gone.
"No," Princess Kitana replied sadly, "We have lost a valuable friend."
Amilee and Sub-Zero had located the others, about a mile from Lei Chen. Amilee said nothing as they approached.
"Forget it," Sub-Zero said, "There is nothing we can do but go on without her."
He was obviously trying to comfort her, Amilee knew, but she couldn't get over the strange look she'd seen in her best friend's eyes...
"Go on without who?" Sarah, who was standing near the Edenian army, asked.
"Yeah what are you talking about?" asked Cherin.
Amilee stayed silent, unable to tell them.
So Sub-Zero did it for her, "Ashlynn. She has joined Quan Chi, we must continue on without her."
"Dammit," Maria muttered, "I knew we should never have trusted him."
"Shut up!" Amilee snapped suddenly, making Maria jump, "Just stop talking about it okay?"
Maria shrugged and looked at the ground uncomfortably.
"We need to get rid of the sorcerer," Scorpion said, crossing his arms angrily, "Before we go after Onaga."
He sighed, he knew he had been right all along. And the fact that Ashlynn, who he had never liked much anyway, had joined Quan Chi made him even more furious.
"He is right," Li Mei agreed, nodding, "Quan Chi will surely try to stop us."
The ninja specters milky eyes narrowed. Every time he looked at Li Mei he got a peculiar feeling, as if she was hiding something. He shook it off when Cherin spoke.
"Yeah, but what about Ashlynn?"
Scorpion looked around the group.
"We have to kill her too," he said nonchalantly.
"No," Sarah said abruptly, "You may not care about her, but Ashlynn is our friend."
"Was your friend," he corrected.
"Hey wait," Marie interrupted, "Where's Jay?"
"I actually forgot all about him," Amilee replied, "But apparently he never found Ashlynn and Quan Chi..."
"Something must have happened to him," Cherin said.
Amilee still hadn't gotten over the fight she'd had with Jay.
"Maybe he got lost," she said, "And now he's wandering around Outworld somewhere thinking, Oh I wish I would've listened to Amilee."
Cherin scowled at her.
"The sun is setting," interjected Sub-Zero, "We need a place to rest. Then tomorrow a few of us will go in search of Jay."
Amilee snorted, but he ignored her.
Ashlynn followed the sorcerer back through the portal, watching in horror as he turned in mid step, his eyes glowed blood red.
"My plan," he said slowly, "Was ruined because of you."
"Me?" she gasped.
"Yes you! You should have killed Sindel when I ordered you to! Then Kitana and Liu Kang would have been too late to save her!"
Ashlynn backed up as he stalked toward her...
"Have I not made myself perfectly clear! I OWN YOU! You are to obey all orders!"
"But I..."
He wouldn't let her get a word in edgewise.
"SILENCE! Do not interrupt me! How many times must I tell you? If you defy me there will be severe consequences!"
Before she could react, Ashlynn was hit hard by a flying skull. She landed with a thud. She held her stomach, oblivious of her proximity to the nexus' edge.
"Is that severe enough," the sorcerer asked, making his way toward her, "Or should I continue? Perhaps a trip over the edge would do you some good!"
"I'm sorry," she squeaked, "I'm sorry. I won't disobey orders again."
"You are right," Quan Chi said, calming down a bit, "You will not disobey orders again. Because I will do far worse than kill you."
He extended a hand. She hesitated, then took it.
"What we need now more than anything is rest," Quan Chi said, "And I know the perfect place. Somewhere I have not seen in over a year."
Suddenly it dawned on her.
"Your fortress," Ashlynn sighed. She was barely able to get the words out, due to the pain in her stomach.
"Yes," he replied, "Hopefully my servants have not taken off in my absence. After that, we are off to Dragon Mountain."