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ASUKA
I couldn't believe where we had just been taken. We had gone from Heihachi's dojo to a barren wasteland. As I looked around, I saw mountains behind us and a forest before us, about a few kilometres away. I could see it by the massive trees that were easily seen in the distance
"So, where do we go from here?" asked Dad
"We will go to the Living Forest," answered Raiden, "There, we shall meet Jade, who I knew to be in the Forest last time I checked. She might be there still"
"Who is Jade?" asked Hwoarang, "Is she hot?"
Lili elbowed him and from the looks of it, it had been painful. But Raiden answered, at least the first question
"She is the head of the Edenian Army, specifically chosen by Queen Sindel"
"And that is?" asked Paul
"The Queen of Edenia. She has been imprisoned by Onaga"
"So, what allies does Onaga have?" asked Heihachi
"Let's go to the Forest," suggested Raiden, "We can talk on the way there"
We began our journey towards the Living Forest. Man, I didn't like the sound of that. I was walking alongside Dad, listening to Raiden's conversation
"Onaga has many allies, particularly the Tarkatan horde, which is led by Baraka, the most fiercest Tarkatan ever"
"What are Tarkatan?" asked Nina
"They are a nomadic tribe who live for violence, always serving a powerful leader who can give them the violence they hunger for. Tarkatans are the result of OutWorld and Netherrealm creatures"
"How do we tell what a Tarkatan is?" asked Dad
"Humanoid, with small spikes on their heads and arms, a large mouth with razor sharp fangs and ugly features. Also, the spikes on their arms can extend into blades"
It didn't take us long to reach the Living Forest. And once we reached it, I saw why it was called the Living Forest. Most, if not all, of the trees had faces carved into their trunks. And I swear some of those faces moved
We ventured into the Forest, with Raiden in front and Yoshimitsu behind us. As we delved deeper into the Forest, the darker it got and the more afraid I got. But then I could see a light. I nudged Dad and pointed it out. He went ahead and told Raiden. We all stopped. Raiden faced us
"I will go and check it out. If it's okay, I will shoot one spark. If it's the enemy, I will shoot two and you get ready to run or whatever"
He disappeared into the darkness. We waited about ten minutes, before I saw a spark
"Raiden's signalling"
"How many sparks?" asked Julia
"Just one"
No more sparks came. It was okay to go. We followed the light and found it was a campfire. A dark-skinned woman dressed in green and another woman with long white hair and dressed in a skimpy purple costume were waiting for us, along with Raiden. He looked up when we arrived
"Everyone, meet Jade and Queen Sindel"
We all introduced ourselves
"I thought you were imprisoned," said Dad
"Yes, it was true," said Sindel, "I had been held prisoner by my own daughter, Kitana, who is under the spell of Onaga. Jade freed me and now I seek to free my daughter from Onaga's clutches"
"Wait, isn't Kitana dead?" asked Heihachi
Jade shook her head
"She was killed by Quan Chi, but after Onaga retrieved the amulet, he resurrected the fallen heroes and enslaved them under his control"
"So, what are you guys doing out here?" asked Jin
"We're trying to find Onaga's tomb," answered Sindel, "Hopefully, I will be able to destroy his corpse and by doing that, I shall have killed Onaga and freed Kitana"
"We're waiting for Sub Zero to arrive and help us out," said Jade
Raiden looked up at this
"Sub Zero is alive?"
"Yeah, last time we checked"
"Who is Sub Zero?" asked Heihachi
"He is an Earthrealm warrior," explained Raiden, "From the Lin Keui clan. He has the power over ice and has helped us out many times. Unfortunately for his brother, well, after he died, he became Noob Saibot and fully evil"
"Sounds like someone we know," Jin whispered to me
I shuddered at the thought of my older brother and Jin's twin, Ashe. He had been trying to extract the Devil Gene from my body, until Jin and Yoshimitsu intervened. I didn't like that at all. It felt like I was dying
"He was meant to arrive about fifteen minutes ago," said Jade, "But he hasn't showed up yet. Now I'm getting worried"
"He'll be fine," said Sindel
Suddenly, from out of the darkness, we could hear the sounds of combat. Shouting and screaming echoed throughout the Forest. I huddled close to Dad, who held a protective arm around me. Raiden looked towards the source
"It seems Sub Zero is being delayed"
"What do we have here?" boomed a female voice
I spun around and saw another dark-skinned woman, only she wore a yellow costume
"Tanya!" growled Jade
A group of freaky-looking creatures appeared behind her
"Tarkatans," hissed Sindel
"Come on," cried Paul
I heard another noise coming from our right and saw a larger group of Tarkatans coming towards us. I freaked out, as Raiden appeared before us
"Everyone, go," cried Raiden, "Now! I'll hold them off"
We turned and ran, but a group of Tarkatans appeared before us
"Split up," cried Jin, "They can't follow us all!"
Dad, Heihachi, King and I broke away from the group and headed deeper into the Forest. I looked back and saw a group of four Tarkatans giving chase. Their drool was flying from their fangs, as blades extended from their arms. I could see the bloodlust in their eyes. Dad and Heihachi stood their ground. I stood next to Dad
A Tarkatan came at us and swung his right arm. Dad caught it and punched him in the stomach, before spinning him around, as Heihachi floored him with a head butt. The other Tarkatans hesitated, before charging at us. One of the drooling creatures swung at me. I ducked and did a scissors kick, lifting him up, before slamming my elbow into him as he fell. The Tarkatan flew back, as more of his friends joined the fight. I kneed one in the stomach, as another beast swung his blade. I dodged the blade and did an uppercut on him. As he fell, I turned and kicked a Tarkatan in the head, as Dad lunged over and k'oed one of them behind me. A chanting came from somewhere in the forest and suddenly; two lightning bolts appeared out of nowhere and struck down two Tarkatans. Raiden appeared before us and joined the fight. I saw King heave a Tarkatan onto his shoulders and leap into the air, before landing on one knee and dropping the downed Tarkatan. Raiden was throwing lightning bolts everywhere, slamming the Tarkatans against the trees, as Dad was laying into the beasts, until none were left conscious. I turned to Raiden
"What about Jade and Sindel?"
"Sindel got away. Jade faked her capture, from what I saw. I believe she'll met up with us soon"
As soon as he spoke, Jade came out of the darkness, carrying a spear
"Well, I got Tanya"
"How?" asked Dad
"With some Tarkatan essence. The Tarkatans thought she was a rival male. I doubt she survived the attack"
"Where's Sindel?" asked Raiden
"I think she went after Hwoarang and them"
"Okay, let's go," said Raiden, "Hopefully we can meet up with the others"
"Hopefully?" asked Heihachi
Raiden looked back at him
"There is a high chance of being killed while you're here. There's no turning back"
For some reason, it seemed darker in the Forest. I keep having thoughts that the next Tarkatan was waiting behind a tree, ready to decapitate us as we walked by
I shuddered at the thought
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