Hi, I'm back. Sorry if I have been repeating some sentences and some spelling errors in the previous chapter. Thank you for pointing it out and I'll make it up with this chapter. I have been under stress and anxiety lately and writing this is keeping me sane. Now that I am a writing major, updating fanfics will be slow so please bear with me. I'd like to thank all of you for being patient with me. So, let's get on with the story!

Chapter 24

3rd P.O.V

After last night's party, Bryan has an idea for his moves and weapon if he was to be thrown into the fray by force. From Azril giving him some inspirations, Bryan too would enhanced his weapon if he's going to survive this ordeal and go home.

He wants his Just Dance and Guitar Hero games back!

Fighting games are okay but dance and PC games are the overlords in the gaming world. He would ask Azril if he would like to join his team, now that he knew Azril played Overwatch and Team Fortress 2 just like him. Oh, he would wrecked Azril's mains if he found out their weaknesses! Or he could find a way to hack into Azril's account.

Anything can be hacked.

"Finally," Bryan gushed at the weapon on his desk. "My beauty is complete! Now I need a guinea pig to test this baby out."

Bryan has made a special belt that fused with his music player which could affect his moves when he changed the music. If it's pop, he'll use ultimate moves and musical songs he'll use it as a defence. He never puts metal rock because he can't understand what makes it popular to Azril or Riana. Don't get him started on instrumental soundtracks from movies. Those were like his Z-moves in Pokemon Sun where he had to perform a special dance before unleashing a move that could in reality murder someone from its raw power.

"Mmm," Bryan hummed excitedly. "So snug~ I'm sure the ladies would love to see this belt in action! Let's not forget the one and only!"

Bryan grinned at the belt that was perfectly fit around his waist. What better way to test it out than to ask his mentor and the Special Forces of their opinion of his weapon. He doubted they would like the idea but he'd do it anyways. In his life, science is not about 'why', it's about 'why not'.

"Hey guys!" Bryan walked into the mess hall, which all the soldiers from the Force looked up. Some had annoyed looks on their faces just from Bryan's presence in the hall. They could all be eating or armwrestling instead of paying attention to the nut job who happened to be Johnny Cage's disciple.

"What's with that grin?" Jacqui eyed the lanky glasses boy carefully. Whenever he has that grin, trouble is about to happen. But then she noticed the silver, techno-belt around his waist. Oh dear…

"Well, what's your new gadget?" Cassie arched her eyebrow at his belt. Bryan nodded and pressed one if the buttons on the belt. Music came out of the belt at a loud volume which turned out to be a pop song. Everyone in the hall groaned in frustration.

The taste of your lips

I'm on a ride

You're toxic I'm slippin' under

It was Britney Spears!

"Oh my god," Kung Jin rubbed his temple in frustration. Sure, Bryan is eccentric and inventive but his choice of music…not up to his standards. He himself wouldn't last if he was put in the same room with him.

If Kung Jin had to choose any of the disciples to hang out with, he wouldn't mind Azril. Sure he doesn't express much but overall, he's a very decent guy he would like to spend some time with. Also, he heard that he opened a cafe in Outworld, which has become very popular with the locals and the foreigners. He is not sure how Azril did it but inside the cafe, there isn't any fights at all.

Not to mentioned that Azril is more charming in terms of looks than Bryan. Out of the three new people that arrived in this chaos, Azril is the best candidate Kung Jin would have picked.

Bryan smirked while he danced to the song, swaying his hips professionally much to the soldiers' dismay. What they don't know is that when Bryan danced to the beat of the song, his powers eventually increased. To test this out, one of the soldiers stood up to stop him from dancing to which Bryan roundhouse kicked him square in the jaws in reflex.

"WHAT THE HELL!" one of the soldiers yelled in surprised. "The music is giving him powers!"

"Impossible!"

"Unbelievable!"

"I'm going to be sick!"

Bryan didn't feel tired at all. In fact, dancing is something he has been doing all of his life. But now that he's here with his friends, would everyone at home missed him? Well, maybe his dancing instructors but other than that Bryan has to proved himself if he wanted people to notice him.

Because no one will remember him so long as he's still breathing.

"Well," Johnny Cage cleared his throat. "An upgrade on yourself, huh?"

Bryan nodded eagerly. "Yup! With this belt, I can twerk my way to victory!"

Cassie and her team wished they haven't heard that. One time she walked in on Bryan dancing in nothing but his underwear to a Wiz Khalifa song. Needless to say, she would want to erase that memory but the musics refreshed those memories.

Once Bryan's satisfied, he must show this to his friends. The nearest from where he was is the Lin Kuei temple. He hoped Azril is still around since he's always busy managing his cafe or just training with Sub Zero. Bryan wondered how Azril could get enough sleep to function. Or none at all.

So, if it's one guy to talk to, it would be him or Nash. If Nash is not screwing another woman in his room or at the taverns. Bryan would have a field day with him!

…

Azril sighed as his mentor gave him a break after training. They have been practicing with their weapons to square off against each other. Sub Zero's Kori blade was hands down the most interesting weapon Azril has ever seen. The clear blade which is as sharp as an icicle from a stalactite made it very easy to cut through enemies like filleting a salmon while the hilt was cool yet firm to hold onto. His daggers on the other hand felt like amateurs in comparison despite the Grandmaster encouraging him to wield the daggers well.

"Focus, Azril!" Sub Zero commanded him as he strikes him with the Kori blade. Azril almost dodged when the tip of the blade tore his sleeve on the right arm. Azril broke out of his thoughts as he tried to counter the attack. He knew he is not as experienced as the Grandmaster but his keen sense could save him from most of the demise.

Mostly.

Azril will have to work and train harder if he's going to survive in order to return home. The Earth here is different than the one his friends and himself lived in. No demons or demigods ever came to his world until now. It's almost like something out of his post-apocalyptic anime or dystopian movies. They may be all depressing or boring but the development and progression of the plot made it very interesting for Azril to watch.

After training, Sub Zero guided Azril out into the cold opened courtyard where they would just talk or sip tea in silence as the howling of the wind became the only sound in their ears. But today is different since the morning sun made the atmosphere a little warm for the both of them. Who was he to talk about the temperature when Azril himself wore nothing but a white shirt with shorts while barefooted. Right in front of where the two men were sitting, there were two pale blue-green stones sitting in individual nest made of dead branches and some other items to decorate the nest.

"You know well why I brought you here," Sub Zero stated. Azril in reality does not know but he simply nodded. It's better that way since he remembered how his mother lost her temper over the littlest of things, making her unpredictable for a woman of nearly four feet tall compared to his giraffe height.

"About the stones," Azril answered blunt. Sub Zero can't help but sympathised the poor boy for forgetting how to feel or express any emotions other than the disgruntle sounds he made. He figured last night after Frost had attacked him, he would interact more with the people who watched and praised him. Even Johnny Cage's disciple took the liberty to help but nothing has ever changed.

Sub Zero wondered what's his family like. Maybe it's their actions that drove Azril to be like this.

"Very much so," the Lin Kuei master nodded. "But these are not stones. I brought you out here to choose one egg for you to raise."

'Egg?!' Azril thought about his mentor's word. What kind of egg is it? The only experience he had with eggs were to cook them for breakfast. For once, he's not so sure if he is capable of raising the egg on his own.

"Grandmaster," Azril sighed. "I have no experience with raising or incubating the egg. I don't even have an egg-related pet before."

"True," Sub Zero nodded. "But I think you are more than capable of taking care of the egg and raising the hatchling as your companion. The Lin Kuei not only needs companions but guardians as well to ward off intruders."

"So I'm raising a weapon," Azril murmured. He will have to ask his friends about egg raising. Maybe Riana and Nash since they have Kurt, who was born from an egg. Yeah, maybe he'll visit them after his training. "Alright, I'll raise the egg."

Sub Zero smiled, stroking his beard as this is also a test for Azril to express emotions such as love and compassion. As much as he is the Lin Kuei's disciple, he is also a regular human being with no powers but the will to survive. It would be a lie to say he doesn't think of Azril as a family member. Along with Frost, they are almost similar in a sense.

One with emotions while the other with logic.

He hoped this plan would work out for the both of them. Azril must know that emotions are also important to the soul just like logic. He doesn't entirely trust Frost to raise her very own egg, only because she would abuse the powers that contained within the egg. So a steady mind like Azril's is a suitable candidate. Each day, he watched his disciple grow and honed his skills to become a skilful warrior in the tournament and upcoming wars.

If there is a war.

For now, he has his faith in the young man to carry out his task but also to remind him that rest is sufficient for his health. The cafe was now a popular place for all walks of life to have a cup of hot beverage and idle chats without any strained conflicts. He wondered how Azril could achieved it without putting up much of a fight. He's proud yet concerned for his disciple.

"Also Azril," Sub Zero placed his hand on his disciple's shoulder. "Be patient with Frost. Despite your calm demeanour, you can be very irritable when you're around her."

Speaking of last night, he remembered the deal he had made with Shao Kahn. He could have killed Frost in front of everyone at the gala and his mentor but chose not to. Not because she's a valuable member of the Lin Kuei. No, it is not because he would consider her as a partner.

To Azril, Frost is the most interesting rival he has made since he was dragged into the fray.

Bowing to Sub Zero, Azril took his leave to spend the rest of the day trying to take care of the egg. Since Sub Zero found the eggs in a glacial cavern where the mother was missing and the eggs had been in the caverns for more than a week. So, he and the guards came to take all of the eggs and raised the hatchlings as their own.

"Wonder what creature are you," Azril murmured, wrapping the egg in a warm blanket. He's not sure if this is the right technique to incubate the eggs. From movies and television shows, he observed how birds and reptiles keep their eggs warm. The egg shell felt cool to the touch, like marble stone.

So he is not sure if the hatchling is a type of bird or a reptile.

He decided to embroider a pouch to carry the egg where it will be strapped on his shoulders while the egg is sitting comfortably in its pouch just at his chest level. Only difference is that the pouch does not need any holes for the legs since it is still an egg. Ironic, he could sew and embroider clothes with ease. One thing to be thankful for besides cooking and cleaning. He had to learn how to at ten years old because his mother was never around all the time at home.

When she is, she would have the bigger helpings to herself or mend her own clothing. Azril's clothes were either torn or just hand-me-downs that were too big for him. His mother would say it is to save money since they are the only two people living under the same roof. So by the time he's eighteen, he found himself a job without his mother's permission to support himself and the bills of the house. Even if he has some money and luxury items he bought for himself, he's still thinking about how there's a debt to be paid.

His mother had wanted to send him to a prestigious university that offered medicine or a law degree but he chose to declined the offer. All he ever wanted was the opposite of what his mother would envisioned him to do: a composer for movie and video game soundtracks.

He remembered how many times his mother would find his instruments and destroyed them in front of his face. He wanted to cry and yell at her but he couldn't. Her figure silenced him without raising a hand to his face. That was worse than letting his mother beat him senseless since he knew what she was thinking when she does.

Yet he forgave her and still loved her like any child would with a single parent.

Sighing to himself, he cradled the egg gently in his arms. He would keep this egg safe until the hatchling emerged. Then he would released it back to the wild where it belonged. He's only raising the egg only because the Grandmaster told him to. Nothing more than that.

"Snowflake!" a singsong voice called him from outside. Rolling his eyes, he knew Bryan would eventually visit him after last night's fiasco. Well, he is an interesting person to be around with if he had not grind his crotch into his face. Azril tried to forget that memory for a very good reason.

"Hello Bryan," Azril greeted the hyperactive boy coolly while the wearing the pouch. Bryan noticed this and giggled with a few snorts. He began to rubbed the egg as if it were a pregnant woman's belly. Azril slapped his hand away in a protective manner. "Be careful with your hand."

"Awww!" Bryan squealed. "Someone's a daddy! Ain't that sweet, you even made a pouch for the little baby~ I wanted to show you my enhanced weapon but this is just too cute, you little snowflake."

"Don't call me snowflake," Azril reminded him. But Bryan didn't manhandled the egg so everything is well. "Anyways, you came all this way to show me your weapon?"

"Oh yeah!" Bryan nodded and activated his belt. Azril's eye almost twitched when he heard a cheesy pop song but when he saw how Bryan could be skilful based on the music that was played, he felt conflicted about it. On a positive note, it gave him confidence and maybe helped his friends in a fight. On the other hand the belt could be lost and Bryan would be his old chicken self again.

"Interesting," Azril murmured. Bryan squealed at Azril's compliment. Azril shook his head. If this is what Bryan came here for, might as well he could accompany Azril to visit Edenia. He wanted to ask Riana about her thoughts on the egg. Knowing about his friend, Azril asked Bryan if he would like to accompany him to Edenia to see Nash and Riana.

"Hell yeah I would!" Bryan smacked Azril on the back which he didn't react. "I wanna know which broad Nash screwed last night!"

…

Riana was panting from exhaustion. Ever since last night, Jade doubled her training with her only because that Tanya woman made her more determined to seek for revenge. The training went from morning to mid afternoon, to the point Riana felt parched and hungry at the same time. Kurt tried his best to find shade away from the heat. He too wanted his owner to stop training and go to either the jungle or desert to hunt for insects.

He realised that wild insects are tastier than canned insects Riana usually buys at the pet shop. And not to mentioned both he and his owner would like to see Reptile again. He found it strange a kin like him could walk on two legs rather than four.

Then again, snakes don't have legs to walk.

"Jade," Riana breathed after evading another attack from her. She has never seen her mentor looked so livid. Even her own venom in her claws are draining out before nightfall. Riana had to refilled the gloved claws with venom again. "Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"

"Riana!" Jade called her while striking an attack with her pole. "Focus! You don't want to be knocked off!"

Riana was struggling to dodge but Jade was too nimble. Riana will have to rely on her claws to counter Jade's attack. She was looking for an open spot to inject one of her venoms into Jade's body. Riana was seriously going to be pulverised if she doesn't act fast. Jade's temper would give anyone nightmares.

She found Jade's exposed stomach which was a perfect spot to penetrate the needle filled with venom. Riana had a quick debate with herself whether to use neurotoxic or hemotoxic. Riana would definitely go with stopping Jade's blood clot than letting her body paralysed while blindness slowly devoured her ability to see. Her bulky body made a perfect cushion for Riana whenever she was tackled or thrown onto the ground. Only now she has to make Jade exposed her stomach directly where her finger was pointing.

"Jade," Riana was breathing hard, with her weight the stamina was low to make her keep up with her mentor. "You're going too far! Let's just talk about this!"

Riana finally aimed at Jade's stomach with her left Tallman finger which contained the hemotoxic. Jade suddenly collapsed and clutched her stomach, struggling to breathe. Riana regained her footing, placed her heavy body on top of Jade with a tired expression behind her tortoiseshell glasses.

"I know you're pissed that someone from your past showed up," Riana stated aware that the toxic is about to destroy Jade's body. She mentally counted the time before she could inject anti-venom into her. She wanted Jade to be calm first.

"Please, let's discussed about this without killing each other," Riana pleaded with her eyes. Jade's pale expression from the injection made it difficult for her to speak due to the depleting oxygen. But then again, she had pushed her disciple to overwork herself by training from morning to the scorching hot afternoon. She could see Riana's fair skin having a tan from their training.

"Very….well…" Jade thought she was about to die until Riana injected the cure into Jade's stomach. She stepped back and watched Jade's body regaining its colours. She hoped her weight did not crushed Jade accidentally.

"Fine," Jade sighed, now feeling herself able to breathe properly. "What do you want to know?"

"What did Tanya do to make you so rile up?" Riana asked. Kurt emerged from his hiding spot to climb on his owner's shoulder. Even the damn bearded dragon had a concern expression. In reality, Kurt just wants to eat wild insects again.

Jade huffed from exhaustion. "It's, too early for you to know. But…you've stuck through me despite today's harsh training."

"I'm your disciple," Riana shrugged. "Mentors and disciples are suppose to help each other. So not only your health but your state of mind as well. I'm not a medic but I want to help."

Jade stared at her chubby disciple. She may not have the pace of a warrior but her tank of her body and strategy has helped her in training. Jade wondered why she's not dead from Riana's venom that had been pumped into her veins. She wondered how Nash is so much different than his sister. Nash was easy to get over with situation but Riana can hold on until she gets what she wants. In this case, an answer out of Jade. She wondered how Nash has a very stubborn and persistent sister.

"Very well," Jade agreed quietly. "Tanya…murdered the people I loved. She…killed my parents."

Riana's expression changed. She looked down at her feet, not sure how to react to that. A childhood friend who murdered her own family? This Tanya woman must be sick in the head! Then again, Riana wouldn't mind if her family is dead.

In fact, she'd be fine with her brother, Kurt and parents alone. The rest can die in the most brutal way. Riana would not forgive them for what they did to her and Nash. Too painful to tell because the memories kept playing back the minute she thought about them. She wondered how her parents could put up with them.

"Jade," Riana placed a comforting hand on her mentor's shoulder. "I am very sorry for what Tanya did to you. But it doesn't mean you can take it out on others who are not involve with her. Now, let's take a walk in the jungle. We're not far from where my brother and Kitana are off to."

"Thank you," Jade smiled and helped the both of them up. "But I think I want to rest. You should as well. We will continue with a light training tonight after dinner."

When Jade left, Riana decided to head for the jungle to catch some insects for Kurt and replenished her venom. It was tedious and painstaking to refill her stock of neurotoxic or hemotoxic. To extract the venom, Riana had to plant the snakes' prey she caught for them to hunt. The preys were alive and kicking so that the snakes could use their lethal weapons to strike. She had to keep up because the snake's strikes were so sudden before she could even blink. She wanted the snake to bite the little bowl through the thin surface where the venom was milked.

"Good job on finding the snakes, Kurt," Riana gave her bearded dragon a tummy rub with her finger. Kurt was happily gobbling most of the caught grubs on Riana's lap. He was proud of tracking down the snakes and in return Riana found him a handful of grubs.

"Impressive," a slithery chuckled was heard. Kurt just continued to munch while Riana rolled her eyes. "Come out, Reptile. We know it's you!"

Reptile reappeared in front of her. Riana has to admit that his ability was cool. Kurt pointed his snout up in greeting, mouthful of grubs. Reptile couldn't help but smile and stroked the desert lizard's back. Kurt then began to crawl up Reptile's arm and rest on his shoulder.

"Aww, he's so friendly with you!" Riana giggled. It had been a wild night yesterday between the both of them. She wondered if it was to relieved his stress so that he could perform it on a female Zaterran. If he ever found one. Other than that, she can't help but be a bit selfish. Here they are, together.

No one would ever intervene on their moments.

"You were collecting venom?" he inquired, pointing out to the three vial bottles which contained the transparent liquids. Riana nodded. She explained to Reptile about her intense training with Jade, which resulted in depletion of the venom.

"I see," the Zaterran murmured. None of them said anything but watched Kurt crawling all over their bodies in turn. Then, Riana broke the silence.

"Came here to hunt?" she asked.

"In a sense," Reptile stretched his body, popping joints. "But I just want to clear my mind from the palace. Never seen the emperor looked so agitated along with Shang Tsung."

"Because of Jade's fight with Tanya?" Riana guessed. Reptile nodded and held the chubby woman close to him. Her short stature and body type is suitable to lean into like a pillow. He wished Shang Tsung or the emperor gave him more break hours just to spend some time with her. He will not deny the fact that he grew very fond of her.

"I don't think I should sit on your lap," Riana protested as Reptile brought her closer to his chest. Reptile simply nuzzled her cheek while Kurt leaped down to escape his owner's 'moment' with Reptile. In a way, he's happy Riana found someone.

"Nonsense," Reptile reassured her. "Your weight is just fine. I assure you are not crushing me."

Riana sighed and decided to relax. She needed this after her intense training with Jade. She wondered if Nash is getting the same treatment like her today in terms of training. She hoped he would get breaks too but she figured he'll fare off better than her. She was never the type for fights, not with this body of hers and her low blood pressure.

Riana buried her face into Reptile's chest, allowing Reptile to embrace her. Reptile purred at her affection, running his claws through her short hair. When Riana looked up, both of them gazed into each other which resulted in them leaning their foreheads against each other.

"It's good to see you," Reptile hissed softly. He removed his mask that covered his maw to kissed her on the lips. Riana moaned softly and returned the kiss with much affection, their tongues touched briefly before pulling apart.

"You look well," Riana commented, still holding on to him. "I hate that a storm is coming. And I mean Jade vs Tanya's fight will eventually lead to bigger things. Like a war or something."

Reptile sighed, nipping Riana's neck gently with his teeth. Riana tried to stifle a soft sound. "That's what I am worried about, Riana. Also, Shang Tsung may be after you and your brother. Since, you two were the only witness to Mileena's development."

Riana felt a small ache in her stomach. She has to find Nash and tell him. But he'll only be back with Kitana and the Princess of Edenia does not want to be interrupted from her training. Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung were their only way out of this world if they want to return home. She wondered if Kristina one about this. Or Bryan and Azril.

Just then, Reptile wanted to give some affection to Riana's back by lifting up her top. His eyes narrowed when he discovered her scarred back. She quickly pulled away from him, panicked filled her eyes as she turned her back away from the Zaterran. Kurt sensed this, climbed on his owner's shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"I better go," Riana told him. "Please, I need some time to think."

"But Riana-"

"I'm sorry, Syzoth," Riana looked down. "I'll tell you some other time. Now, I need to get back to the palace to keep my venom."

Without a word Riana left Reptile alone, leaving him to wonder what made her so defensive about the tree bark scars on her back.

Oh, what could have happened to Riana to make her so defensive? Aww, Azril is becoming a daddy! Uncle Bryan will help him raise the egg. Wonder what will our disciples do in the next chapter?

You know, remember how Netherrealm Studios had a Mario Kart parody for MK? Or other pointless games that doesn't make any sense? Why can't they make an adventure roleplaying game where you can create a male or female avatar that will fight alongside the MK characters. He/she could be a silent protagonist who gained allies with all the realms to defeat Shinnok or Quan Chi?

That or a dating sim. Let's be real, all the female characters are hot and the male characters looked like they were from Magic Mike XXL!

Please review! Love you all so much!