A/N: PLEASE read and review, I like hearing constructive criticism.

EDIT: I've reworked the opening scene and parts of the battle.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or RWBY, I only own the characters that I have personally created.


-Outworld, Capital City of Z'Unkahrah, Marketplace-


Kotal Kahn, Emperor of Outworld, was inside a heavily guarded carriage that was making its way through the marketplace of Outworld's Capital City. Inside the carriage were several guests. One was one of his most trusted councilors, a Kytinn by the name of D'Vorah and an ally from Earthrealm that had been aiding him for some time. Across from them was an Earthrealm arms dealer and a cloaked figure whose facial features were partially obscured but one could still make out that she was female.

"So we gonna get our little meeting started then?" asked Kano, that same smug smirk on his face as always. "Perhaps you would like to introduce your new…companion," stated Kotal Kahn, gesturing to the woman sitting next to Kano.

The arms dealer shrugged, still smirking and said "This 'ere lovely lady is Trifa, she's one of my new business associates. She doesn't talk much." Trifa nodded but otherwise said nothing, though she seemed to have a certain disdain for the mercenary next to her. He then looked over at Kotal Kahn's ally who said nothing but had his hands close to his weapons should the event a fight break out.

"You wanna tell me who your pal is Emperor? Or is he just gonna sit there and give me the stink-eye all day." Kotal Kahn looked to his ally and said "This is Michael Tanner, an Earthrealmer who has decided to serve Outworld."

Michael Tanner continued to watch Kano "We've actually already met, but I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't remember me. I was with the US Special Forces during the wars with Outworld and Netherrealm."

Kano smirked at that, "And now you're working for the guy just a few years ago was probably one of the blokes trying to kill ya. If that ain't ironic I dunno what is!" He let out a hearty chuckle.

Tanner simply said "Well, life takes us to strange places sometimes," and remained silent on the matter, his expression of disdain not changing at all.

Kano then looked back at the ruler of Outworld and said "Now then, let's get down to business 'ey? How much is my intel worth to ya?"

Kotal Kahn looked the arms dealer and stated rather bluntly "Twenty million." While that was a considerable sum, apparently it wasn't nearly enough for Kano "Emperor…what's the expression? 's'not worth the dirt on my shoe?'"

Tanner's hands hovered over his holstered pistol and his combat knife's sheathe much to Kano's own amusement, while D'Vorah's compound eyes narrowed on the man. "Kotal Kahn has always bargained fairly with you Kano."

Kano put on what he probably thought was a reassuring smile, but it came off more sinister to everyone "Sure, sure. I'm Just sayin'…upgraded weapons, my intel, and poof! The long Outworld civil war, done." He leaned back in his seat a little "Might be nice to kick back and relax a bit, eh?"

Kotal Kahn's brows furrowed, "You know Mileena's location." It wasn't a question.

Kano's blade-like smirk widened "And her whole rebel army, s'gotta be worth at least…fifty."

While Kotal Kahn was more than suspicious of the mercenary's claims, it was simply too good to pass up. The conflict had dragged on for more than long enough and every day more and more of Outworld's people died. "I must destroy her, immediately. End this conflict." The Kahn of Outworld looked out of the window of the carriage at the city around him and its people "As you say, it drains us."

"Right, right. So do we have a deal?" Kano asked, his tone suddenly much more serious than it was earlier as he sat up straighter before leaning forwards slightly. Before Kotal Kahn could answer however, the carriage they were in suddenly stopped, causing the occupants to be rocked slightly.

The Kytinn looked out through one of the carriage's open windows for a moment "What is it D'Vorah?" asked Kotal Kahn.

"The Emperor should not be concerned. Accident ahead. This one will help clear it." D'Vorah got out of her seat and headed for the exit. Once outside she could be heard shouting "Make way for Kotal Kahn! Move!"

As she did though Kotal Kahn looked over at the Earth Realm warrior "Tanner, go and assist D'Vorah." He ordered. There was a pause as Tanner's brow furrowed and he narrowed his eyes on Kano and his 'associate' who hadn't spoken much as a single word. "Are you sure that's a good idea sir. I don't like the idea of leaving you alone with him or his friend."

When Kotal Kahn spoke again his voice took on a tone that suggested any further argument would be a foolish endeavor "I will be fine, now assist D'Vorah with removing the obstruction from our path." Tanner took a glance at the Emperor of Outworld and then at his 'guests' before nodding and took the same exit that D'Vorah just used, leaving Kotal Kahn alone with Kano and his associate.


-Nearby Rooftop-


Atop a nearby two story building were a small group of individuals who had been trailing the convoy for several blocks now. As they waited and observed the convoy for their time, one of the individuals an Edenian male that went by the moniker of Rain spoke to the leader of the group "Stopping a carriage is one thing, killing an emperor is-" he started before he received a heated glare from his leader, the deposed Empress of Outworld, Mileena. "False Emperor!" she clarified harshly.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes Rain continued "Regardless, to destroy a being such as Kotal Kahn requires power. Power that you have and yet abstain from using." Behind her own patched together mask, Mileena frowned deeply. She pulled out the amulet that was slightly larger than her own hand and held it in view. Ordinarily she would be just fine with using it but with the more recent engagements between her forces and that of the usurper's, it felt as though it were sapping her life force each time she used it.

"It pains me whenever I use it now, I need more time," she explained. Before Rain could make a retort one of Mileena's other lieutenants, another Edenian that went by the name of Tanya approached "The Tarkatans and our new allies are all in position, we merely await your order."

The deposed empress turned to her longtime ally and said "It is given dearest Tanya. Spare no one!"


-Kotal Kahn's Carriage-


Kotal Kahn watched as Tarkatans and a group of individuals wearing strange garbs with animalistic features began charging towards his carriage and the warriors defending it. Immediately his warriors began to engage the attackers and while they did suffer casualties, the Tarkatans and this new group of individuals were taking just as many. The Emperor went from one side of the carriage to the other watching the battle raging outside.

"Akta Tok, Norei!" he cursed about to go outside himself to join the battle when he heard Kano chuckle again and say "You said a mouthful!"

Suddenly Trifa lunged forwards, her palm open and a web-like substance spat out while she drew a knife with her other hand. The substance barely managed to miss Kotal Kahn's head and impact the window behind them. As she struck with her blade Kotal Kahn managed to deflect the blow with his left arm while drawing his Tecpatl knife with his right.

The moment it was in hand he took the opportunity provided by Trifa's distraction and jammed it into Trifa's throat. The woman's eyes bulged even as she started to struggle with Kotal Kahn but it was futile, his grip on the weapon was like a vice and even if it wasn't, the damage had been done. Kotal Kahn then dragged the blade across the entirety of her neck with one quick and practiced slice; severing the jugular and the windpipe in the process.

All the woman could truly do was make a few worthless gurgling noises as blood poured from her slashed throat. In less than a second she had fallen onto the floor of the carriage, twitching slightly. Unfortunately for Kotal he didn't have time to savor his victory as he was sucker punched by Kano who was now drawing an enormous knife from its sheathe.

"Keep your fifty million!" He declared with a sadistic smirk on his face. "Mileena's giving me twice that to take you out!"

The blade swung downwards at the Osh Tek warrior's chest, but Kotal managed to grab Kano's forearm before the blade could cut into his flesh. He pushed back against the blade, forcing the mercenary back and onto the seat behind him. Kotal Kahn took advantage of this opening and punched Kano repeatedly in the face.

Kano's cybernetic eye began to charge, a sign that its primary weapon was charging. Within a second it fired, sending a red energy beam into Kotal Kahn's chest. It hadn't been charged nearly enough to pierce through the skin and out the other side but it was enough to leave a nasty-looking burn.

Kotal Kahn ignored the pain as he grabbed Kano's shoulders, hoisted him up and repeatedly punched him in the stomach. While winded Kano still struck out with another punch, this one aimed at Kotal Kahn's throat. Fortunately the attempt was weak and done more out of desperation than anything else as Kotal brought up his left arm to successfully block the attack. From there Kotal Kahn repeatedly slammed Kano's face into the wall of the carriage, bloodying up the arms-dealer's face.

When the Emperor of Outworld was done he kicked Kano through the door leading into the carriage and onto the city street several feet below.


-Blockaded Street a few moments earlier-


Mere seconds after Mileena ordered the attack, complete and utter pandemonium erupted in the streets surrounding Kotal Kahn's carriage. From all sides, dozens of Tarkatans and a group of strange individuals, each wearing uniforms that were completely foreign to the Outworld warriors. Each of them had a black and white colored outfit and wore almost animalistic masks that obscured the top portions of their faces. Unlike the Tarkatans who were armed with only their arm blades, these individuals carried a mix between swords and guns.

In the middle of it all was Michael Tanner who had brought up his AK-74m rifle and began unloading at the Tarkatans and their new allies that were rushing out of the alleyways. The bullets tore through the unarmored Tarkatans like tissue paper but they kept on coming just as their masked friends did. Those that were wearing masks seemed human at first glance but when Tanner managed to get a decent look he saw that they had animalistic traits like tails, horns or even animal like ears jutting from the tops of their heads. It was like looking at a bunch of heavily armed and psychotic nekomimi cosplayers.

Still most of them went down just as easily as the Tarkatans' did. Others however were only knocked down temporarily and got back up. It was almost like the bullets had hit some kind of invisible barrier that while they did get hit by the rounds, they weren't wounded by them. Were these new guys being protected by some sort of magic? If so then why weren't the Tarkatans under the same kind of protection?

No matter, it was a little mystery that he could figure out for himself at a later time. Right now he had to focus on killing these assholes!

The Tarkatans and their allies kept charging at the convoy and within a few seconds Tanner's assault rifle ran out of ammo and he was forced to switch to his sidearm, an H&K Mk 23 with an extended magazine and a tactical knife. He began taking headshots at the Tarkatans and their friends until they were all but upon him. From there he holstered his pistol and engaged the enemy in close combat.

Tanner knew how the Tarkatans' fought, they were undisciplined and they didn't believe in training for battle, rather they relied on ferocity and savagery to win the day. It was a policy that while useful when it came to inflicting terror on a civilian populace and perhaps enemy soldiers but against someone who had fought against them and lived time and again it was not all that threatening. In fact at this point it was all but predictable and thus made them incredibly easy to outmaneuver.

Case and point when one of the Tarkatan's ran up to him and attempted a horizontal strike at his neck with his left arm-blade (not really sure what the blades that Tarkatans have are called so if anyone knows let me know). However the strike was clumsy as the Tarkatan needed to lean forwards in order to get close enough. Tanner ducked underneath the blow and lunged upwards with his combat knife. The blade struck the Tarkatan just below the ribcage and slid the knife upwards into the ugly bastard's heart, killing him almost instantaneously. As the Tarkatan warrior started to slump forwards Tanner withdrew the blade and stepped backwards allowing the Tarkatan to fall without letting it fall on top of him.

D'Vorah meanwhile sent swarms of flesh-eating insects into the crowd of the enemy. Those that were in the front that got the full blast of it had any exposed flesh stripped down almost to the bone in mere moments while the ones behind them were relatively shielded for a few seconds. Not that it helped them as the screaming could attest.

Of course there were those that weren't caught in the swarm. She quickly moved and extended her ovipositors and struck one of the masked fools repeatedly with it, stumbling him backwards. Pulling her arm back, with her palm outwards a barb extended form underneath her chitinous flesh and stabbed right through her victim's head, causing his skull to cave in even as the blade pierced its way through the brain and out the other side of the head.

Another one of Mileena's new allies attempted to attack her from behind, swinging a machete while screaming like a maniac. D'Vorah jumped forwards as she spun around, dodging the clumsy attack and extended her ovipositors outwards, striking through the chest and face of the enemy and out the other side. Instantly her enemy went limp and she used her ovipositors to toss the corpse aside.

From there it continued, Tanner and D'Vorah continued to slaughter any and all of the Tarkatan warriors he saw as well as their new allies. These strange individuals with animalistic features -that made Tanner think that they went to Japan they'd probably become overnight celebrities if they weren't completely psycho- were just as ferocious as the Tarkatans albeit slightly more disciplined and actually bothered to use battlefield tactics.

As Tanner continued to fight he made his way back to Ko'atal's carriage. He needed to ensure that Outworld's Emperor was still alive and kicking, after all Kotal Kahn needed to be alive if their bargain was to be fulfilled. Tanner was almost there when he saw the door to the carriage crash open and a semi-conscious Kano flew out onto the ground.

Tanner looked up from Kano to the carriage where Kotal Kahn was now stepping out of, he was covered blood, but it was clear that it wasn't his. Besides given the kind of blows that Ko'atal was able to shrug off in battle it was likely that the Oshtekk warrior would be fine. Still though Tanner did ask "You alright boss?"

Ko'atal said nothing to Tanner, instead he marched over towards the treacherous arms dealer, cursing very liberally in his native language. Yeah it was obvious that Kotal Kahn was fine; very, very pissed but fine. As he marched towards Kano,

Edenian woman with brown hair that was done into a bob cut that reached her neck and was dressed in a yellow outfit that left next to nothing to the imagination conjured a fireball in her hand before throwing it at the Emperor of Outworld.

Ko'atal barely managed to sidestep the attack but when he did the Edenian woman leaped down from her perch atop part of the ruined barricade that had been used to ambush the Emperor. Kotal Kahn's eyes narrowed at the Edenian woman "You are the Edenian woman Tanya!" Kotal Kahn practically spat the woman's name in disgust.

Tanya gave a mocking bow to the Emperor of Outworld "I'm very pleased you remember me Ko'atal." Without warning she struck again this time sending a full stream of fire out at Kotal Kahn. The Oshtekk warrior blocked it with his left hand before diverting it back at the woman sending her crashing to the ground. "I will never forget those that freed Mileena!" he said barely resisting the urge to roar in hatred and rage at the woman.

Despite her own injuries Tanya got back up and drew her bladed tonfas ready to strike the instant that the opportunity presented itself. "She vowed to create a free Edenia, something that you have repeatedly refused to do." Kotal Kahn struck first, drawing his oversized dagger and slashing at Tanya's neck. The Edenian woman managed to block the blow with her bladed tonfas.

"A united Outworld, stands strong against all who would dare threaten it!" Kotal Kahn declared. Tanya barely managed to break away from the blade lock she had found herself in. While she was a skilled fighter, spy and assassin she wasn't strong in a direct confrontation. Instead she relied primarily on agility and lighting fast strikes to win the day. This however was not a fight she could win with brute strength especially considering that Kotal Kahn was far more powerful than she was. Immediately Tanya backed off and did several backflips to gain some distance from Outworld's current ruler.

Once she was a fair distance away, Tanya recommenced her psychological games with Ko'atal. She had to get him off balance before she tried to strike at him again. "Outworld will never be united under your rule. After all, what kind of ruler would allow his own father to die such a horrific death at the hands of a blood magic addled Shokan?" That seemed to touch a raw nerve with the Kahn. His father's death had been almost a year ago but it was still a raw emotional pain for him and this accursed traitor had the gall to rub it in his face.

"I will rip your beating heart out and feed it to you for that traitor!" he yelled before he heard the sounds of several gunshots. Dust and sand was sent up from the ground from the impacts. Standing just a few feet away was a man who would not look out of place as a villain or hero in some old western film "I think I'll handle this one boss. Me and her, we've got some issues we need to work out," the man, Erron Black declared.

From there the gunslinger and the Edenian backstabber (both literally and figuratively) engaged one another in kombat. Whatever it was that those two had against one another it was doubtlessly personal. After all, considering how often Tanya backstabbed people for her own personal gain it was very probable that she had hired Erron Black for a job at some point and then turned on him so as to avoid paying his fee.

Erron Black fired from his revolvers at Tanya. Unfortunately she had predicted such a move and dove behind the ruined remains of Kotal Kahn's once luxurious transport. Scowling even further behind his mask, Erron said "Boss you mind if I deal with this backstabbing bitch?" he asked.

"By all means," said Ko'atal before Erron moved to engage the Edenian, buying some much needed breathing room for both Kotal Kahn and Tanner.

The moment of peace that Erron Black had managed to give to them only lasted a few short seconds as another Edenian joined the fray. This was another one of Mileena's rescuers from several years ago. He was a tall muscular man who wore combat robes that were a mixture of purple and gold, a sign of either high ranking nobility or even outright royalty in Edenian culture. Only those who were very high up in the food chain in Edenia could even think about wearing something like that. On his face was a strange mix between a mask and a crown, or rather an attempt at one.

Tanner and Kotal Kahn instantly knew who this man was. It was an egomaniac who was going around claiming that he was the son of an Elder God by the name of Argus. According to legend, Argus did indeed have two half-breed sons with an Edenian sorceress that he had married but that was all. It is possible he could have sired earlier offspring before he found the sorceress or he cheated on her but that was unlikely. Instead it was far more likely that this pathetic narcissist was simply making things up in order to seem more important than he actually was. Hell he may even believe the lies he had been telling everyone.

"Another Edenian, the supposed half-god, Rain." In all honesty Kotal Kahn was getting very sick of the rebel Edenians he had been running into today. The Emperor of Outworld briefly wondered why these Edenians kept trying to kill him. He had done nothing to earn their ire. He had not slaughtered their people, he had not enslaved them and he even had a number of Edenians on his council.

"True half-god, I am the son of Argus, and I was not given this title by befuddled commoners Buluc!" There wasn't even a second of hesitation as Rain once again tried striking at the ruler of Outworld, this time conjuring a giant ball of water around the emperor with the intent of drowning him within it. However the tattoos that crisscrossed Kotal Kahn's body began to glow as the power of sun overpowered the sphere of water, causing the water to explode outwards away from Outworld's ruler. For a brief second, Rain flinched and that was all the time that Kotal Kahn needed to press the advantage. Swung his fist directly into rain's face sending him reeling backwards until he hit the wall of a nearby building.

Rain snarled and struck back at the Emperor of Outworld, sending a bolt of purple colored lightning from his hand directly towards the Oshtekk. Kotal Kahn however had seen this attack coming and managed to lean to the left in a preemptive attempt at dodging the blow. It worked and the lightning bolt impacted against another stone building harmlessly.

Kotal Kahn not wanting to give the Edenian another chance to strike at him, charged Rain and before the demigod could react, Kotal Kahn grabbed him by his face even as Rain tried to push the Oshtekk warrior off of him. However his struggles weren't as strong as Kotal's grip, especially when he slammed the back of the Edenian's head into the wall, repeatedly. After the third strike Rain finally managed to summon up the strength needed to push Kotal Kahn off of him and jumped upwards and extended his leg to strike at Kotal Kahn's head. The blow struck home, sending Outworld's Emperor staggering backwards for a moment before he managed to regain his footing.

It was at that point that Kotal Kahn saw that Rain was now charging him directly. Wasting no time the Kahn of Outworld raised his left hand up to the sky and a ray of sunlight shown down onto it, causing his tattoos to glow a bright yellow. He extended his right palm outwards in the direction of Rain who, realizing what was about to happen attempted to reflexively raise a barrier of water between himself and the Emperor's approaching attack.

Unfortunately for the Edenian the ray of pure scorching sunlight easily blasted its way through the rather weak attempt at a shield, evaporating the water into a fine mist, and blasted into his chest. Rain let out a scream of pain as he was thrown backwards onto the ground, with a large second, perhaps even third degree burn on most of his chest. Already he was groaning in pain.

Kotal Kahn looked over at Tanner and gave his subordinate a nod. The mercenary let out a small chuckle and a sadistic smirk began to creep into his facial features. He walked up to the wounded Edenian and placed a booted foot onto the burned flesh of Rain's chest, eliciting a scream of utter agony from the demigod.

The mercenary then and aimed his pistol directly at Rain's head "So much for godhood," he remarked as he pulled the trigger. The bullet rammed straight into Rain's skull and out the other side, sending blood, bone, and brain matter onto the brick road.

With that out of the way, Tanner ejected the now empty clip and slammed a fresh one in and looked back to where Kano had been lying down just a few moments earlier. Only now it seemed as though the bastard had completely disappeared. "Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me! He got away again?!" He demanded. It was like a goddamn recurring theme with that bastard. Every time they cornered him and looked away for so much as an instant the next moment he was gone.

Kotal Kahn shook his head at his subordinate "We have more pressing concerns than that at the moment. Mileena is behind this and she is most likely nearby I want her-" he started but was unable to finish as one of Kotal Kahn's guards ran up to him as quickly as he could and immediately knelt.

"My Emperor, the enemy is already being pushed back and your royal guard have found Mileena and cornered her in a nearby alley!" he declared.

Both Kotal Kahn and Tanner looked at one another with looks of surprise and hope. It seemed as though this rebellion would soon end and Ko'atal's part in his deal with Tanner would begin. Both of them were about to make their way towards the alley when they saw Erron Black and several guards making their way towards them, the former of which walked with a limp. His left thigh had a rather gruesome looking burn on it. It was also clear that despite Erron's obscured facial features thanks to the mask that covered everything below the bridge of his nose, he was not happy.

"I'm guessing that Tanya managed to escape?" asked Tanner, to which Erron nodded but also let out a small annoyed snarl at the same time "Bitch hit me with a cheap shot. I'll get 'er next time," he explained angrily. They didn't ask for details at the moment because they had far more important things to deal with.

"Get yourself to a healer Erron, we will deal with Tanya in due time!" ordered Kotal Kahn to which the mercenary gave a small nod as two of Kotal Kahn's men moved forward to take him to a healer.

With that having been said The Emperor of Outworld and the former Special Forces officer followed the guards to an alleyway a short distance away where D'Vorah, Ermac, Reptile and several other members of Kotal Kahn's royal guardsmen were waiting for them.

Mileena was back up against a wall and looked completely and utterly furious at the ones who had helped usurp her throne. Of course the fact that they never would have attempted to do such a thing if she wasn't such an incompetent lunatic never once crossed her mind.

The instant she spotted Kotal Kahn and Tanner she looked utterly furious even with her mask obscuring the lower half of her face. "Kano was supposed to have killed you snake!" she yelled in what she probably thought was a rage. Instead though it made her look more like a petulant child who had just been denied something she wanted.

"You should hire better assassins Mileena, not that it will do you any good now," said Tanner with a smirk as he raised his pistol and aimed it directly at her head. He looked like he was about to pull the trigger when Kotal Kahn put his hand on the weapon and gave its wielder a stern look. Tanner looked reluctant to lower the weapon but did as his employer instructed, although he didn't holster it.

Everyone's attention was quickly turned back to Mileena who was now screaming at the top of her lungs "I will have you all executed for what you have done you usurper! You will all die!" Kotal Kahn however looked almost dispassionately at the display the crazed former empress was giving. He clearly took no pleasure in what he was about to do, instead likening it to putting down a rabid animal. When one considered everything that Mileena had done when she had first taken power and the atrocities she had committed when rebelling against him when he had overthrown her, the description was well put.

"There shall be an execution Mileena. You will atone for your dissent, for the countless innocents you and your rebellion have slaughtered. Your blood will make right." Kotal Kahn began to raise both of his hands upwards for a moment as fire began to surround his body. "Up the stair path…" his hands were now aimed directly at the fallen empress "…To the fire's edge!" he declared sending a stream of fire directly at his target.

Before it could reach Mileena however she quickly raised a bronze amulet with a green gemstone located directly in the center. The amulet glowed an eerie blue and looked as though it was absorbing the fire that was being thrown at it. Tanner raised his pistol again and aimed it squarely at Mileena's head but before he could pull the trigger a massive wave of energy was emitted from the amulet sending everyone, the amulet's wielder included onto their backsides.

Tanner managed to get a good look at Mileena who was desperately trying to get onto her feet and only now did he notice that the arm that had been holding it was now covered in burns that went from the tip of her fingers to just past her elbow. The burns must have done considerable damage to the nerves in her arm because while she saw the damage, she wasn't showing any signs of pain. In fact she seemed to be more pissed off than anything else.

The former Special Forces officer raised his pistol once again and aimed it squarely at the former empress of Outworld. Before he could pull the trigger however, there was a flash of yellow light and black smoke. Then there was Tanya kneeling over the fallen former empress, and then just as quickly as she appeared both the Edenian and the Tarkatan half-breed were engulfed in the same flash of light and smoke. Immediately Tanner sent several rounds into the smoke on the off chance that they would hit the target. Of course, the very moment that the smoke cleared there were no bodies to be found.

Tanner picked himself up off the ground and saw that D'Vorah was already up and was assisting the Emperor off of the ground as well. "What did we just witness our Emperor?" the insect woman asked. Once Kotal Kahn had fully picked himself up he stood at full height and had a stern yet still calm look on his face but Tanner knew the man well enough that this was his royally pissed face "That a cornered Jaguar is when it is at its most dangerous."

He then turned to his subjects, looking relatively calm but it was clear that he was anything but "Were any prisoners taken during the battle?" the emperor asked. Two of the guards looked at each other before the higher ranking one answered "Yes my lord, a relatively good number of them, most of them were Mileena's new allies. They were captured when we found them butchering the citizens. We also managed to apprehend a few Tarkatans but most committed hara-kiri before we could apprehend them."

That wasn't much of a surprise. The Tarkatans were fanatically devoted to Shao Kahn and when Mileena had taken over Outworld after her 'father's' death, their fanatical loyalty transferred over to her. As a result Mileena had favored them over any other race in Outworld which contributed to the other races rebelling against her. Of course this particular brand of loyalty meant that they almost never got anything out of Tarkatan prisoners, including when they used more (by Outworld standards at least) heavy handed methods of interrogation.

These new prisoners however. Perhaps they would be more, receptive to questioning.

When Kotal Kahn walked out of the alley he saw several of the wounded prisoners being forced down the street in chains, each of them trying to look defiant at Outworld's emperor or at the very least made the attempt to do so. Some were more successful at looking defiant than others, who were clearly scared out of their wits. Of course any defiance would be gone once Kotal Kahn's torturer's got to work on them. Instead there would be nothing but screams.

After all one didn't harm Kotal Kahn's people and expect to get away with it.


- Outworld, Capital City of Z'Unkahrah, Kotal Kahn's Palace, Throne Room, days later-


Several days passed since the botched attempt on Kotal Kahn's life by Mileena's forces and her new allies. Since then Kotal Kahn's interrogators had been had worked day and night on the prisoners. The first questions had been fairly rudimentary at first: "Who are you?", "What are you?", "What realm do you hail from?" and similar questions.

At first they had all refused to answer any questions at all, not even giving up their names. Perhaps they all knew that they were as good as dead at this point and thought that they could win a small victory over their captors by denying them the information that they wanted from them. That kind of resistance didn't last very long after the interrogators lost patience with their posturing. The screams that came from the dungeons lasted well into the night until the prisoners' throats were too hoarse for such activity.

None found any sympathy for the attackers as they had not only thrown themselves at Kotal Kahn but they had also massacred the civilian population of Z'Unkahrah to distract the city guards from the assassination attempt. They had already found that at least two hundred were killed and even more bodies were being found every hour. Already the people of Outworld were demanding justice/vengeance for this affront.

Currently Kotal Kahn was waiting in the throne room sitting atop the Throne of Outworld with a relatively calm expression but those who knew him well, knew full well that he was anything but. Mileena had not only made yet another attempt on his life but she had done so with new allies. Allies who had slaughtered over a hundred of his subjects during their attempt on his life. Subjects that he had sworn to lead and protect when he overthrew Mileena and became Kahn. Whoever these fools were they would suffer for their crimes against Outworld.

Eventually the doors leading into the throne room opened with a loud booming noise causing Kotal Kahn to turn his head in the direction of the disturbance. When he turned he saw D'Vorah, Tanner, and Ermac make their way over to him. They soon stopped right in front of the Emperor of Outworld and kneeled down as was only right and proper.

"Kotal Kahn, the torturers have broken the prisoners and this one has some intriguing news to share with you." When D'Vorah spoke she had a hint of glee in her voice. Kotal Kahn motioned for her to continue, "These allies of Mileena are called Faunus and they are part of a faction known as the White Fang. Apparently those they serve came into contact with Mileena's army almost a year ago when she and her remaining army was forced to flee from Outworld after the battle in the Golden Desert destroyed most of her forces."

Ah that was a battle that Kotal Kahn remembered quite well. It was shortly after Reiko's death that Mileena made an attempt to strike at Z'Unkahrah. Mileena was gathering up her forces in the Golden Desert to prepare for a direct assault at the capitol. She had been under the impression that Kotal Kahn's forces were scattered because of the near war with the Shokan and the crisis that ensued with a former Outworld general named Reiko afterwards.

Instead when she had gathered her forces, they came under direct bombardment by several long range rockets, each one tipped with Novichok and VX nerve gas, provided by Michael Tanner and his allies. These particular weapons decimated two thirds of her forces and that was before they even had a chance to come into contact with Kotal Kahn's forces, forcing her remaining army to retreat from Outworld before the battle was even joined.

Kotal Kahn was brought from his musings when Tanner spoke up "My Emperor if I may, I have a few theories regarding this amulet." Kotal Kahn, motioned for the Earthrealmer to continue. "I believe that Mileena has had this weapon for the last few months at least."

"What makes you say that?" Kotal Kahn asked, wondering where the human was going with this. "Ever since Mileena was driven from Outworld and into parts unknown her army has raided remote villages and taken supplies that she uses to feed her remaining forces but recently I've read reports that the raids have changed somewhat. Before they would simply kill the majority of the people there and take whatever supplies they wanted, but they would always leave the structures relatively intact. Recently though most of those villages have been completely annihilated and anything that could be used for supplies were left alone."

Kotal Kahn immediately caught on to what Tanner was implying "You believe that she was using those villages to test the power of the amulet." It was not a question but Tanner nodded "Yes Kotal Kahn, I believe that she was using it to properly see the effects and possible downsides in a relatively controlled environment. She most likely only used this artifact when she did out of desperation, we all saw the damage it did to her arm after she attacked you with it. So it is very likely that the amulet takes something from her each time she makes use of its power."

That would make sense after all they had all seen that most powerful magic always had some sort of a price to pay. One only had to remember Reiko's mad quest to become the Blood God to see the truth. It seemed that the whole incident hadn't imparted the same wisdom into Mileena when she decided to use something that was clearly beyond her ability to properly control. After all an amulet forged by an Elder God could only be properly wielded by an individual of at least semi-divine status.

"That would make sense as Shinnok's Amulet was made only for his use and not those that were mortal." When Kotal Kahn said that he was sure that he saw Tanner's face start to pale slightly. "You recognized it just as well as I did Tanner. There can be no doubt that the amulet she used belonged to the fallen Elder God."

Tanner looked hesitant as though he couldn't believe it himself before he finally nodded in confirmation, as if any more was truly needed. Kotal Kahn figured as much himself "Now the question is how Mileena would have such a powerful weapon in her possession. I don't think that Earthrealm would have been so foolish as to give a madwoman something so dangerous but that doesn't mean I won't be looking for answers from them."

With that Tanner started to relax somewhat. While he had become quite…estranged, for lack of better term, from his home realm over the years, he still held at least some sympathy towards at least some of the people that lived there. However such things were unimportant at the moment, he needed to know where Mileena had fled, and where her new allies had come from.

When he asked this, D'Vorah was the one who spoke "This one spoke to the torturers earlier, these 'White Fang' come from a Realm called 'Remnant.' Although they have not yet stated why they would be so foolish as to ally with Mileena."

Kotal Kahn was about to ask for information about Remnant when Ermac spoke "We know little of Remnant. The souls in our body know of it as little more than a backwater realm of no real importance. Shao Kahn once considered it a possibility for conquest for a time but instead he soon focused all of his attention on Earthrealm."

Ermac was a being created by the late Emperor Shao Kahn, he had the souls of many warriors fused into his body. No one knew just how many souls were in his body; it could have been anything from a hundred to thousands at least.

It didn't matter why they had aligned with the former empress of Outworld. Whether they were cajoled or not, it mattered little they would be wiped out along with Mileena and her army, no matter what it took. Kotal Kahn barely to suppress a growl of anger when he remembered the atrocities committed against his subjects.

"Prepare my armies, we will lay waste to this 'Remnant' for not only daring to aid Mileena and her rebels but for slaughtering the people of Outworld!" Kotal Kahn declared.

The instant that Kotal Kahn's thundering voice finished his declaration, Tanner's face went almost completely white. If Kotal Kahn entered into a war with another realm then it would take even more time for the Kahn to complete his part of the bargain. He had to keep the war from starting, at least for the time being. "My lord if I may propose a different option?"

Kotal Kahn immediately turned to look over at Tanner with a stern look but he at least showed that he was willing to hear his subordinate out when he gestured for him to continue "Right now my lord we have no idea that the entire Realm is involved in this action. After all Kano was here as well and we all know that he would never act on Earthrealm's behest, perhaps this is something similar."

The Emperor said nothing, showing that he was at least listening to what the Earthrealmer was saying. Tanner continued "I believe that it would be more prudent to send a group of individuals to investigate the matter, determine whether it was the entire realm that was involved in this attempt or just some splinter faction. Then once we have acquired as much information as possible on our foe, we draw them into an area where we are waiting and eliminate all of them. In fact I will go on this mission myself if need be."

For several long tense seconds, Kotal Kahn was completely silent as he considered this new option. Eventually though he spoke again, "Very well. I will allow you this opportunity. You will take whatever forces you require and carry out your plans. You will bring Mileena here, dead or alive along with all who ally with her."

Tanner had to keep himself from relaxing because he knew that if he screwed this up there would be problems later on down the line. "Yes my lord, it will be done. I only request that Reptile, Erron Black and D'Vorah accompany me, as well as enough funds to hire a mercenary group that I believe will be most useful for our purposes."

Kotal Kahn expression showed that he was quite…disinclined to try and hire mercenaries. Given what had happened with Kano it was clear that he wasn't one to trust people who were seemingly more loyal to money than they were to those above their station. "Before you say 'no' Kotal Kahn let me first say that so long as we pay them on time and don't double cross them, the Wild Hunt never breaks a contract with their employers. I've done business with them before and they are extremely reliable."

Once again the Emperor of Outworld looked in thought before he nodded his head in acquiescence to Tanner's request. The gears in the Earthrealmer's mind were already turning with tactics and strategies to take the fight to Mileena and her new allies. By the time he was done there wouldn't be anything left of this "White Fang" or their allies.


To be continued.

A/N: so yeah a bunch of you probably have mixed feelings at best about me killing of Rain in the first chapter and at the hands of an OC. Now before anyone grabs the pitchforks and the torches, let me explain. I decided to kill off Rain early because I honestly couldn't find much of a use for him down the line. Especially when the only plot point I could come up with (his being the half-breed son of a god), was taken by two other characters.