There was no telling when it was time to go debt collecting with Kollector, he did not specify a time or place for their meeting.
Kalliste slowly ventured through the corridors of the fortress. The halls were empty and desolate, and the guards from all around scanned the area with cold, cold eyes. She hadn't realized how much she had been residing here.
For how long will she be here under the rule of Shao Kahn? She never questioned why she had to be here, just another tool to be used. At least she could find a way to part away from Shang Tsung's string. It is said that the blood of an enemy is strong and with enough of it, you could break the chains that bound you. Yet, Kalliste was in fear of her actions, her little deal with Kollector could threaten her trust.
Shang Tsung knew that she was always going to be the good little girl that obeyed her master's orders, he could see through her, he had seen it all in her eyes. She could easily break her deal with Kollector, why even if she took his place, she would still be under his thumb. She began to turn the corner when she saw Shang Tsung in the next hall, he was speaking with someone. Her steps slowly grew further toward him as his conversation with that person ended.
Finally, he noticed her presence.
"Ah, my dear, you have returned," he stated. Kalliste stared at him with a dead stare.
"...I haven't seen you in some time." She says. He nodded, "I have been away on my island. Why, were you concerned?"
She stared at him."No. Just... curious."
He perked a smile, "I've heard that you put Kollector in his place. A pleasing duel no doubt."
"Well, it was just a duel for the entertainment of others. It wasn't anything special." She states.
"A duel is a duel, my dear, regardless of who has the upper hand or is watching."She simply gazed at him.
"Right... I have to get going." Kalliste proceeds to leave the conversation but Shang Tsung stops her.
"You're forgetting something, Kalliste."He slowly approaches her, appearing in front of her where she stops to stare at him with dead eyes. She is expected of something... He tilts his head where she is expected to kiss him on the cheek. She gives him a light peck on the cheek. He continues to stare at her with a faint smile."Good girl, you are dismissed."Kalliste finds disgust in her actions but she leaves without a peep.
Later on, she finds the next couple of minutes mindlessly wandering the corridors where she eventually gave up, her stomach was starting to turn to hunger. Kalliste exhaled and wanted to eat so she decided to stop her trail of wandering.
Shortly after, she arrived at to warm-lit canteen of Shao Kahn's palace. The place wasn't much full of people, mostly guards. The uneasiness didn't overwhelm her as she was beginning to starve after all the running around. She ordered herself a bowl of noodles and a glass of wine.
She felt her stomach be slightly settled as she continued to eat.
Kalliste wanted some time to relax as she gradually drank her wine while finishing the remains of her food. The wine had a bit of an intoxicating effect, the bowl made her think of the times she tried playing alongside Shang Tsung when she was growing up. She hardly ever had a childhood, just the streets, and the alleyways. She would play all day and into the night, she would hide places or makeup games. How did she ever survive living with Shang Tsung?
Her lips would turn upward in a crooked smile as her eyes would get a far-off look. She would drift off into her childhood, almost losing herself in her thoughts.
Kalliste was thankful for the quietness, she wasn't sure if she would have been able to handle the voices screaming in her mind. She finished her meal and promptly disposed of her leftovers.
As she headed for the canteen's exit, a large body suddenly blocked her way. His face was muscly and he glared down at Kalliste with piercing eyes."You're a bit of a runt, aren't you? Let me help you up." He says. Kalliste simply stares at him. She was confused by this impulsive confrontation."I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"Let me help you up."Kalliste felt a bit uneasy.
"Are you going to attack me?"He didn't move.
"Cease, Urdu, this one is mine." From behind the brute, it was Kollector who stepped in between the situation. He had dismissed the brute to which he swiftly stepped aside.
"There you are, I have been searching for you." He said with piercing eyes. Kalliste rose her brow, "Really? I tried much the same."
Kollector smiled, "As part of our bargain, you will accompany me in the streets of Outworld where we must collect tribute."They began to walk out of the entrance, Kalliste crossed her arms, "Are you sure you want me to come with you? Aren't these duties yours and yours only?"He glanced at her before looking at her once more."You will learn the ways of Shao Kahn's law, this is my process of aiding you."
She sighed, "Fine."She followed his trail until they exited out of the fortress of Shao Kahn. The sky was dim and covered with a layer of dark clouds. The clouds looked threatening and looked as if they wanted to pour forth with a torrent of rain.
Kalliste looked up to the sky and saw a few drops of rain. She pulled her hood over her head to keep the rain out. Kalliste peered at the back of Kollector where she noticed his little 3rd set of arms below his upper back. It was what was holding his satchel and she found him most curious to see what was inside it. They arrived in the heart of Outworld, the locals began to make way, and they began to notice the both of them. Most of their dread was tied to Kollector and he admired that they feared him, for fear was good, it meant they paid him attention.
She hadn't been in the streets of Outworld in so long and it was just the same as how she had left it. Depressing and nothing like a paradise. She was starting to see herself in them, the poor, the abandoned, the dead. There weren't so many happy people on these streets. They tried to be.
"Where are we collecting this... tribute?" She questioned him. He continues his trek, "There is a home that has not offered their tribute in some time..."As they strolled upon the ruined grass, they passed by many houses that were either abandoned or boarded up. Kalliste noticed some villagers quickly disappearing from view as the both of them walked by a house.
Finally, they stopped in front of a wooden door of what appeared to be a dull-looking home. The door had a broken lock and the frame was banged up and worn.
Kalliste turned to Kollector, "Is this it?"He nodded. Kollector took out a mystic beacon from his satchel and then suddenly, a powerful burst of magic erupted, knocking the door down completely. He didn't even bother to knock first and it bothered Kalliste.
"In your servitude for Shao Kahn. I must collect tribute." Kollector declared loudly in his piercing voice. There was no one to be seen. "There isn't anyone here, Kollector." Said Kalliste.
"You are mistaken." He shot her an unsettling smirk as he entered the home. It was cold and desolate but he was certain that someone was here. It was quiet yet unnerving in the silence of being the predator in this situation.
"Relinquish your tribute and no harm will come to you." Kollector continued to hold his hand out, the mystic beacon ready to blast any who did not comply with his demands. The blue flame hissed from his hands, Kollector already could sense them hiding behind their barricades of furniture. He would strike soon.
"-A-and if I-I refuse?" Said a voice from behind the barricades.
"Then you pay your life on the gallows."Kollector spat. In a moment, a figure rose from the shadows and carefully stepped into view. It was a man with fear visible in his eyes, but he was defiantly standing in front of his barricade of furniture.
"Now, your tribute, please." Said Kollector.
"O-of course." The trembling man hesitantly turns around and reaches into a hidden corner of the house where he lifts a plank of wood from underneath the floorboards. Then, with a quick motion, the man swings the plank of wood and smacks Kollector right across his face.
The man then rushes out of the door but did not manage to go far out, Kalliste immediately catches up to him and causes him to blunder onto the dead grass of the outside world. The man's back hits the ground, his back-breaking instantly as the bones are crushed.
He groaned in discomfort and shortly after, Kollector came outside with pungent offense for the man who had smacked him earlier. He grabbed the man, dragged him to his feet, and then crushed his skull and chest.
The force of his blood was impactful, visceral, and sudden. He then removed the man's heart and placed it in his satchel.
Kalliste stood there in shock as Kollector remarked, "Your heart is profitable." He grinned widely and then realized that there was a crowd of distant locals, frightened by what they saw."This is what comes from your unwillingness to provide for your Emperor." He points at the freshly eviscerated corpse, the man's skull pulverized like a pulpous fruit and his striking blood that painted the earth's surface.
Kalliste's mind was racing, she was weighing her options. Did he really deserve such a fate? She couldn't keep her eyes on the corpse, but it wasn't the first time she had seen a dead body. Some people deserved death but she never really thought about the ones who didn't deserve it. The crowd continues to distance themselves and in fear they watch them.
"Come," Kollector gestures to Kalliste and him to leave the scene. The both of them leave the scene and start walking once again, they walk past more houses and a few people watch them go. Kalliste followed him, her legs in motion but her mind was numb from the gruesome scene. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.
"Was that really necessary?" Kalliste mutters in a low stopped in his tracks. He heard her words and then turned around to look at her. "If they do not provide tribute then they will pay with their carcasses!"He declared with grim determination.
"...What would Shao Kahn even benefit from someone's remains? Or is it just for you?" Kalliste questioned."It will show that even in death they offer themselves to the Emperor."His words were fierce and cold.
"I would never be so callous as to do such a thing," Kalliste said to him.
"Then why serve under the law of Shao Kahn? You are Shang Tsung's assassin, surely these acts do not bother you."He questioned her with malice in his eyes.
"He made me what I became, a killer, a weapon. It is something that I can't erase and even from all the things I did... doesn't mean I adored it."Kalliste crossed her arms, holding herself in deep thought."I'll never be so evil as that." She affirmed.
Kollector was not entirely interested in her words, he found them bothersome and repulsive."Then you serve your purpose, and I serve mine."He said to her, turning his back on her and marching in the opposite direction.
She knew she had to follow him. They were probably not done with their tasks, the tasks to collect tribute from vulnerable locals, but that was of no concern to her as it would locals quickly heard of what happened to the man who did not pay tribute, so whoever was next was willing to provide everything they had to prevent being massacred like the and Kollector had a quiet walk to their destination. The houses were low and squat with no fences or walls around them. Everyone was in fear but they were inclined to give up everything they had just to be safe. They were willing to part with all of their valuable possessions to Shao Kahn, knowing that he was a just and fair ruler.
"We have collected a fair amount of tribute, now it is time to go," Kollector said with an optimistic smile on his face, it was an unsettling one.
Kalliste sighed, "Good," she replied, crossing her arms as the both of them headed back to the looked at him, her eyes were in dread and she felt a sickening feeling in her stomach. She ignored it and briskly walked past him. Into the fortress she disappeared in, leaving behind Kollector as the day made her feel tired and overwhelmed with bitterness