Kitana had precious little time.

She had been away from Edenia for some time now, and while she had essentially lived almost her entire ten thousand years of life away from her home realm while it was merged with Outworld, this minuscule fraction of that time felt infinitely longer. And its length only grew.

She had left her home, two years after its restoration by the efforts of Liu Kang and the other Earthrealmers, to forge alliances with disillusioned Outworld factions that had essentially abandoned Shao Kahn after his grand invasion scheme had utterly failed and cost him Edenia, as well as his subsequent disappearance. Among these races were the four-armed Shokan and the four-legged Centaurs; two bitter enemies that would be difficult to corral into a united front against the weakened emperor.

Only adding to the stresses of the negotiations was the news that Edenia was currently under siege by the forces of Shinnok, the disgraced Elder God of Death. Raiden's forces had travelled to Edenia to provide aid, but they had had little time to prepare, and their numbers would likely not be enough. Kitana needed to wrap up these negotiations soon.

The biggest shock of this whole affair was the revelation that Goro, Prince of Shokan and former Champion of Mortal Kombat, had survived the latest tournament and retired from public life. Although he had warned off the Centaurs from attacking Kitana in an earlier negotiation, he was proving reluctant to openly oppose the Kahn's rule. Even so, Kitana felt he would be easier to convince than his father, King Gorbak, who had had a much more direct working relationship with her foster father. She hoped the parallels between herself and the prince might run deep enough to convince him to see things her way.

He had agreed to a meeting in one of the side chambers of the Shokan Royal Palace, and allowed her to bring two bodyguards of her choosing. That done, Kitana awaited the prince's arrival with her two armoured followers. One tried to reassure her that he and his fellow would defend her if things took a sour turn, while his compatriot had nothing to contribute. A part of her wished she had brought Jade along for reassurance, but the other part told her that leaving Jade with her mother was the better choice, given the circumstances.

Eventually, the doors opened and Goro entered the chamber. Beyond the two shokan standing guard at either side of the doors, Goro had no others accompanying him. Perhaps this was a sign that he intended to listen to Kitana's pleas and had allowed her her own bodyguards to even the playing field. That, or he had little doubt he could easily dispatch the three by himself.

"Thank you for meeting with me again, Prince Goro," Kitana said with a respectful bow that was mirrored by her companions. Goro, conversely, simply folded his four arms impatiently.

"I grow tired of these negotiations, Princess. If you fail to convince me this time, you will not get another chance."

At least he was willing to give her one last chance, Kitana thought.

"Outworld has been home for strife and war for far too long. Not only with other realms, but among the races native to this one. Surely, you must tire of the constant fighting between the Shokan and the Centaurs."

"We Shokan relish a good fight. But even we tire of repetition," Goro conceded.

"Then, should we not seek to bring peace to Outworld after millennia of tyranny and bloodshed?"

"I wonder, Princess, why you are so interested in the affairs of Outworld when your own realm has been released from it."

"For ten thousand years, I lived not as an Edenian, but an Outworlder. While I have no right to its throne, the people of Outworld, wherever they may have originated, are still my people. I wish to see them safe from the constant threat of death that Shao Kahn has fostered. And yes, I also wish to see Shao Kahn found and deposed for his innumerable atrocities."

"So it is not all selfless."

"I would not be so disingenuous as to claim otherwise."

"But what would the Shokan gain from this alliance, beyond the end of our feud with the Centaurs? Shao Kahn's Outworld is one where the strong thrive, and we Shokan are the strongest. We can end this feud with our own might. What else can you offer us?"

"A cause worth fighting for."

"A cause?"

"Yes. I know you grew disillusioned with Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung toward the end of your reign as champion. Not only because the battles were rarely up to your high standards, but also because you didn't fight for the emperor. It was to prove the might of the Shokan. But against Earthrealmers, you seldom had the chance to truly do so. Against Shao Kahn's hordes, however, you will find many worthy foes to defeat. You could have a goal that better suits your Shokan honour. And once Shao Kahn himself is toppled, perhaps even by you yourself, all of the realms will have no choice but to recognise the power of the Shokan and their mighty prince."

"A tempting offer. However, with so many vying to end the Kahn, he will gladly reinstate the Shokan to our former position, should we choose to remain loyal in his absence, and we will have our pick of the most powerful foes in all the realms. Why, then, should we give up that opportunity to help you, simply in the name of honour?"

"Are worthy foes and the liberation and admiration of innocents not enough?"

"No. Not if you intend to convince the entire Shokan army without breaking it apart."

"Then, what can we offer to you to convince you?"

"It is not for me to say. You must provide your own offer if your prospective allies are to deem you dedicated enough to your goal to find allying with you a tempting prospect."

Kitana remained silent at this.

Goro sighed. "You have wasted your time coming here, Princess," he said as he turned to leave.

"N-No, wait! Please!" It couldn't end like this. Kitana had spent so much time away from her home - time that could have been spent tracking down the remaining Edenians that had been stranded in Outworld after Edenia was freed, or assisting in the battle with Shinnok. She couldn't allow this negotiation to fail now and have so much time be completely wasted.

"I wouldn't say it was entirely wasted," the, until now, mute bodyguard spoke. He threw aside his shield, revealing a bladed circle he had been hiding beneath. With one swift and familiar motion, he threw the disc at the prince as he turned back to the one that had addressed him. The disc struck Goro's muscular chest, cutting deeply into his flesh and leaving a sickeningly deep gash across his front, and throwing him off his feet before returning to the hand of its master, who by now had discarded his disguise.

"Kung Lao!?" the thoroughly shocked princess uttered.

"Kung Lao?" Goro parroted as he rose to his feet, as if the gaping wound in his chest were a minor inconvenience at best. "The other descendant?"

"In the flesh," the monk declared, popping his signature blade-rimmed hat back into proper shape and wiping the errant shokan blood from the steel with a well-practised hand motion. "It is good to see you doing well, Princess."

"But Liu Kang told us you had died in the battle with Shao Kahn. How..."

"I almost was killed. I was severely wounded in the final battle, and the fight moved away from where I fell. The floor beneath me collapsed and I was separated from my cousin. I awoke in Edenia, tended to by a farming family."

"They dragged you out of Shao Kahn's palace?"

"No. They said a young woman did. They divulged no more than that, at the woman's request. Regardless, I have been recovering my strength since, repaying my debt to the family with work on their farm. When I heard about your intent to ally with the Shokan, I thought there might be trouble, and snuck into your entourage in disguise. Imagine my luck to learn that Goro was still alive."

"Or unlucky, as the case may be," the Shokan Prince glowered, rising to full height and taking measured, heavy steps toward his attacker. "Is it vengeance you seek, young monk?"

"Vengeance? In a sense, I suppose. I seek vengeance for those I have lost, but not for those I never knew. But while my family was redeemed by Liu Kang's victory over you, the Kung name was not. This is but a ceremonial strike of revenge. A strike that will leave its mark on you for the remainder of your days, as you once left a mark on my family through your kombat. That is my vengeance."

"You seek only to maim, not to kill?"

"I am a Shaolin, after all. Though things might have been different, had we met three years ago. I am not a violent man by nature, Prince. I detest conflict. But my frustrations at being bested by my cousin in the contest to decide the White Lotus' representative may well have driven me into battle with you, had the opportunity presented itself. It was Shao Kahn's retaliation against the White Lotus that spurred me into battle. I then fought in the invasion and through it all, I found peace with my inadequacies. But regardless, I am still honour-bound to settle the score with the warrior who slew so many of my ancestors."

"Kung Lao, Kung Chao, Kung Chen, Kung Jian, Kung Delun, Kung Lei, Kung Xifeng, Kung Ping, Kung Xiaosi." Kung Lao was stunned at Goro's ability to immediately list off every name, in order, from memory. "You seem surprised I remember them all." Goro grinned at this minuscule victory over the monk. "Your lineage has produced many fine warriors. Only Kung Lao and Liu Kang ever truly compared to me, of course, but the rest were fine warriors who bested many of Outworld's fiercest. It is a shame, then, that they had to throw away their lives against me."

"You could have spared them," Kung Lao replied indignantly.

"Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung demanded ruthlessness, unfortunately. Given the choice, I would have spared them, to allow them to better themselves and challenge me again once they reached their full potential. The unfortunate timing of the tournaments with their births left most of them incapable of reaching their true potential before they were broken by me. Mortal Kombat has always been an unfair proposition for you short-lived Earthrealmers. I already had a millennium and a half to my name when I was crowned champion. Many of your Kungs had yet to accrue even thirty."

"Not that that stopped Liu Kang," Kung Lao said with a triumphant smirk.

"No. No, it did not. Liu Kang truly is something special. Of that, we are, all three of us, in agreement. I'd quite fancy the opportunity to face him again."

"Stand in line, Goro. My rematch with my cousin has been a longer time coming."

"Indeed," Goro chuckled. "But, it is the main House of Kung that more interests me. Does that surprise you?" he added upon seeing Kung Lao's response.

"I didn't take you for the respectful type."

"Your ancestor was truly one-of-a-kind. At the time, I viewed his nobility and his refusal to take Shang Tsung's life as weaknesses to be exploited. But our battle in the tournament climax proved the man a fraction of my age to be the wiser man. And despite what centuries of Outworld propaganda would have you believe, our battle was not a one-sided massacre. Your namesake was the first warrior to ever pose a legitimate threat to me in kombat. And he remained the only one for the full duration of my reign as champion, up until I faced Liu Kang. If an offshoot of the Kung lineage could produce a warrior as fine as he, I savour the opportunity to discover what a descendant of the central line might be capable of."

"You could always face me and find out," Kung Lao replied with a cheeky grin.

Goro let out a hearty, bellowing laugh that reverberated throughout the chamber. "Such confidence! But rarely have I seen a warrior capable of backing up such declarations. Let us hope you will prove to be one of them."

"While I appreciate the sentiment of this moment," Kitana interrupted, evidently annoyed at the interruption of her own discussion with Goro, "Edenia is currently under siege by a fallen Elder God. Edenia, where Liu Kang currently is. Prince Goro, will you aid Edenia in its time of need?"

Goro stretched his neck, producing a loud popping sound. "Liu Kang, you say? Two years without a good fight has been a torturous hell for the Prince of Shokan. I suppose I could convince my father to agree to this, on one condition."

"Name it," Kitana said without a second thought.

"The two Kungs will face me in kombat before my army. My people could use a good show."

Kitana turned to Kung Lao for his response.

"As if either of you need to ask," he said with a smirk.

"But be forewarned: if either of you or Liu Kang die before Shinnok is defeated, our alliance will go no further. An alliance with the Shokan is not freely given to aid weaklings. You must prove yourselves individually capable, lest you make my people your enemy."

"That is a fair demand," Kitana conceded. "But, will King Gorbak be so easily convinced?"

"Trust me, Princess. As I said, we Shokan respect strength. With our freedom from Shao Kahn's employ, I am sure my father will agree to this alliance, if the proposition comes from the mighty blood of Kung."

Upon hearing this, Kung Lao ran the palm of his hand over the bladed rim of his signature hat, cutting deep. He then placed his hand over the deep gash in Goro's chest. So, too, did Kitana, after cutting her own palm with her bladed fan.

"With the blood pact sealed, the Shokan are now in a probational alliance with Edenia and Earthrealm," Goro declared. "Princess, be on your way now. Conclude your negotiations with your other prospective allies. Even if my father does not agree to the alliance, I will meet you with my personal army when you depart for Edenia.

"And then, Prince of Shokan," Kung Lao said before Kitana could reply, "we will fully settle this."

"Indeed," Goro chuckled. "But that will be some time away. A warrior deserves his foe's best, after all."

"A warm-up then," Kung Lao proposed. "We will see which of us can defeat the higher number of Shinnok's minions in the coming battle."

Goro grinned a toothy grin, his stony white teeth looking solid enough to crush bone (which they likely had). "That should be interesting. Shaolin Steel vs Shokan Muscle. You had best bring your best, Kung Lao, for I was not simply given my title as a consolation prize."

"Same to you, Prince of Pain. Mine is a style developed and honed over centuries of seasoned warriors."

"That is enough, you two," Kitana interrupted, grabbing Kung Lao's hand. "Kung Lao and I will depart before you two begin measuring sizes." She marched Kung Lao out of the chamber, followed by her other bodyguard, but not before he managed to get one last declaration out.

"Oh, what a shock it will be for my cousin. To receive reinforcements from not only his girlfriend, but his supposedly dead cousin and arch nemesis as well."

Goro's laugh reverberated throughout the chamber as the three guests departed. "The hero of Earthrealm, felled by shock! Now that would be a sight!"


I like Goro being honourable like he was in MK Gold, instead of just a generic evil monster man like he is now. Here's a challenge: name five MK characters with more personality in the last three games than in all the older ones.