You think you know. Who you are, what's to come.
You have no idea.
Kung Lao sat outside the courtyard with the full moon above. It hung larger in the sky than back on Earth, and he pondered if the millions of tiny lights in the sky around it were juxtaposed planets much like Earth, much like Outworld. Millions of little dots with millions of possibilities in other dimensions and realms.
Beside him Raiden stood with Liu Kang, Stryker, and Jax. The events of the night had not gone unnoticed by them. One glance to the far right where the courtyard traced toward the ruined shrine of warriors, the Native leaned against the corner and waited. Other bodies moved around in the night, but Kung Lao noticed none of them were the Naknada, nor the guards. It was as though the murder of Kano alarmed no one any longer.
"This is the price of Mortal Kombat. Quan Chi would say this if it were the other way around." Kung Lao spoke up and took a quick gulp from a rose painted gourd, uncorked, and half full.
"Sonya Blade is in great danger now. Wherever she is, we must find her before Quan Chi." Raiden added.
"Where do we start." Jax was already a step ahead, but Raiden wasn't certain, he shook his head and paused Jax in his tracks.
"There is no way of knowing. I cannot sense her on this island." He explained, "my powers as a deity are dulled in this realm."
"Then we're up shit creek without a paddle." Stryker spat.
"Not exactly." Raiden looked out toward the warrior shrine and eyed Nightwolf. "She has more allies than you think on this island, but I had hoped we–"
Liu Kang stopped him, "Raiden, this is no time to hide things. Our lives are in each other's hands."
He smiled, acknowledged the point with a nod and turned toward the path to move them in that direction. Nightwolf remained at his post and watched, though they never strayed more than a few steps.
"This island belonged to a sorcerer named Shang Tsung. A vile demon of man that tethered is soul to the Emperor Shao Kahn." Raiden explained, but as he continued, Kung Lao pulled himself up and added to the story.
"Shao Kahn used Shang Tsung to host the tournaments, much like Kotal Kahn and Quan Chi. Better a henchman falls than the emperor." He continued, "however five-hundred years ago Quan Chi disrupted the last true tournament and wreaked havoc on the realms by destroying the Mortal Kombat tournament, and splitting Outworld into to."
"Shang Tsung was known to steal the souls of his victims in order to maintain his life essence and youth, but on that night he gained something far greater than just any soul." Raiden added, "but he disappeared. It's thought that he was captured by Kotal Kahn and imprisoned in Outworld, but there's also whispers that the demon's presence can still be felt and is working in the shadows to undermine the work of Kotal Kahn for having chosen the sorcery of Quan Chi over his."
"What does this matter to Sonya?" Stryker pulled them from the history books, he needed relevance, and his stare into the whites of Raiden's eyes demanded an answer.
"It's clear Quan Chi has no intention of hosting a fair tournament. I've seen your fights, Liu Kang was pushed through the ranks with no resistance, much like the rest of you, while others have been defeated with ease."
"He means for us to move forward to the higher rounds." Liu Kang understood, and turned to Kung Lao as the monk stood to address the implication.
"The further in the tournament we reach, the stronger the opponents. The stronger the champion, the more resolve within our souls." Kung Lao added, "Quan Chi is using the tournament to weed out the weak and likely to try and enslave us, kill us, or worse, entrap our souls within this island."
"Not that Shang Tsung was above that level of treachery, but until Quan Chi meddled with the tournament, there were strict rules set in place, honored by the gods and the emperor."
"The emperor must honor them." Nightwolf entered. "If challenged."
"Not necessary." Raiden disappointed him and turned the conversation on its side, back around to the point of Stryker's glare, "we must find Sonya first."
"How?" Jax pressed.
"We look." Raiden's only answer.
Nightwolf nodded, arms folded and eyes always on Liu Kang. Liu noticed and stepped toward him, "then let's split into teams. Stryker and Jax, you two know each other best, take the cliff just up ahead."
"I'll go with Raiden, we know the history and the island better than anyone here. We'll take check the forest, with Raiden, it will not be as dangerous." Kung Lao suggested, Raiden nodded.
"Then it's you and I." Liu returned Nightwolf's stare.
"May our ancestors be with us." The Native nodded and the group broke.
"We'll check the spires, it's the last place she was seen." Liu suggested and eyed Nightwolf as they turned back toward the main temple, the Native nodded and the search was on.