I don't own anything of the Mortal Kombat universe except my own creations. All credits go towards Netherrealm Studios.
Act I, Chapter II
Dead Man Walking
Chronos could feel his head thumping as he woke up. At first, he swore he was floating, but he realised his arms were being suspended by chains, one on each side, keeping him locked down on a single spot. After the throbbing headache faded away, he opened his eyes to see nothing but a few torches, casting a dim light on the bars in front of him. He wiggled around a moment, but the chains were locked tighter than a chastity belt and fastened to a point his shoulders were being dislocated.
It didn't help at all with the stinging feeling on the right of his chest. In a half roused state, they dragged him to some dungeon, with a single executioner waiting with a branding tool. Held down tightly, the masked man pressed the scalding hot iron on his skin, burning a mark on his chest, and even in his ill state, he could barely hold back the screams of agony as a permanent wound scarred his figure.
He looked around in what he imagined to be his cell, a small two by two by two space, with simple iron bars keeping him from escaping. Beyond that, he could see only a wall with a torch or two mounted on it. He felt like he was on death row, beating up royalty wasn't exactly his smartest idea so far. Maybe his good deed before would cast some doubt on his assumed malevolent intentions, but he highly doubted it, as monarchs tended to be much more absolute with power than was necessary.
He kept thinking how he'd break out of his damn cell. He attempted to rip the chains from their sockets, but while the chains creaked at the force, it was not enough to break them. He looked whether he could find something to melt or slowly chip away at with his energy, but nothing looked either rusted, old or creaky enough to buckle under extended heat or force. He could use only a few words to sum up his situation, and that was that he was screwed so royally he'd get a Hall of Fame plaque for it.
He could hear a multitude of iron steps echoing throughout the hallway, along with a set of high heels. He figured it was that pompous princess coming down to brag about her immunity, and how he should have reconsidered his choices when he assaulted her, and how she will laugh at the moment of his dishonourable execution. He wasn't the most optimistic of men, now that he thought about it.
However, on the escort and woman arriving, instead of looking at a young, rather extraordinarily dressed princess, he looked at a much more mature, also relatively scantily clad in regal purple attire, with a mantle dragging behind her, and her hair had a single streak of black in her grey hair, straight through the middle. Several guards accompanied her, each armed with a halberd, held up straight. The woman.
She waved her hands around a bit, and on that command, the guards shot several beams at the base of his chains, dislodging them from the wall. With his arms free, he stretched them out a bit before standing up. He flexed every single muscle possible, and while it was mostly used to show, it was only to make his blood flow this time. Naturally, this time wasn't a common situation to find himself in.
The woman walked up close to the bars, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes wandering across his body. She drew a single draught of air before she spoke.
"So you are the one that assaulted my daughter and disrupted the negotiations?"
He didn't find much sense in denying anything, so he gave a single nod. She gave a small smile, he guessed out of amusement, "Very well that you answer me honestly. You are not from here, I deduce?"
Once again he nodded.
"And is it true that you, prior to your scuffle, had single-handedly assisted travellers in dispatching several bandits, effectively saving them from their clutches?"
He kept nodding, but he wasn't entirely clear on where she was going with this interrogation.
"It appears you are also well versed in manipulating the energies coursing through you to cast several powerful spell at an impressive speed."
"Can you please just get to the point?" he asked, "You aren't here for small talk."
She lifted her chin and turned around, taking only two steps before speaking up again.
"In the city, there is a compound were we train the greatest warriors of the future. They will form the backbone of our military might."
She turned around to face Chronos again, whose stern face was rather odd to keep looking at.
"Recently, our evaluation process was conducted to recruit new warriors into our ranks. However, one of our most reputable overseers, Kilamon, who oversaw much of the process, was sent on a mission to combat the Mistmarch, and only that overseer had the gall to question my husband on dubious decisions."
She walked closer again, and Chronos hadn't realised he'd shuffled closer to the bars himself.
"With Kilamon on duty and little to no resistance from other overseers, my husband has picked many more of this city than average. Unfortunately, this has led to a frustrated call from the compound, including from Kilamon himself. But many of the proper entries have returned home already, and those that remain, are not interested in joining a below average group of fighters."
"So what do you want from me?' he asked. She smiled again, probably because she saw through his charade of feigning ignorance.
"You have been praised by the group of travellers as a saviour, and you have bested my daughter in kombat, a rare occurrence in this city. What I want from you, my dear, is to join the academy of warriors and elevate the ragtag youngsters into hardened warriors, alongside you mentors of course."
"Either that or..."
"The mark you bear was first given to a group of extreme cultists that defied a king long ago," she explained, "and they were sentenced with death for their defiance."
He wasn't exactly thrilled to know the history behind a death mark, but he kept his cool.
"You are either banished and declared outlawed, or you are brought to death by public execution," she continued, "However, this is the sole opportunity I am allowing you to take to escape you dreaded fate."
"Why?" he asked, and her smile faded.
"Because I know, after everything that came to light, your excessively violent handling of the situation must have been a terrible mistake, and you wouldn't have it in your heart to perform such a crime again."
In all honesty, he wasn't entirely sure. If the princess's kind of attitude was prevalent in all of this city, he'd rather just be banished before he wrecks someone's teeth on the curb. The woman seemed to pick up this thought exceptionally fast, even through his scowling face.
"Not on purpose, of course," she began, "And do not worry, my daughter is quite a special case concerning her temper. She's quick to let her soul burn with the intensity of a blazing sun."
"Not exactly the most kind, either," he added, and he didn't expect her to just snicker at his remark.
"She has picked up that custom from her father," she explained, "My husband is not the one to show humility on a bad day."
He didn't have a response for the woman, so all he did was shrug his shoulders. The woman once again commanded her guards, this time to open the cell. The doors flung open, with Chronos dragging his chains behind him. One of the guards unshackled him, and he rubbed his wrists to alleviate the feeling of being cuffed for more than a day. One guard also gave him some fancy robes to wear, as he was still clad in his leather clothing. After equipping the robes, he looked at the lady, and she beckoned him to follow, with the guards dispersing into other directions. Chronos could gun for a prison break, but he'd rather not waste the one chance he gets at breathing for more than five minutes.
"I believe we haven't introduced ourselves yet," the woman noted as they left what appeared to be the dungeons.
"We haven't, ma'am," Chronos confirmed, and the woman raised an eyebrow at his formal dialect.
"How quaint," she said, "My name is Sindel, Queen of Edenia."
"I'm Chronos," he said, "But I have a feeling you already knew my name."
"You are mistaken," she said, "I wasn't informed of your name, as the guards that did record your identity were not present during the run-down of events."
"Hm," he grunted, "So this whole academy, am I supposed to find it myself? Because with this Mark of yours, I don't feel like I'll fit in."
"The morning dew has only just set," Sindel said, "And many men still slumber. However, finding the compound by yourself would be suicide, as your Mark has dire consequences for your safety. So, I will accompany you with someone who they would not dare to attack."
"With who?" he asked, but he had some hunch as to who. They walked up a flight of stairs, which lead to grand hallways, dimly lit by a rising sun. He looked outside to see a balcony, and a few trees sticking above it. He figured the garden was there. He could also hear the arguing of several people somewhere nearby. As they got closer, the voices became much clearer, and at least one voice was fairly recognisable.
"I will not tolerate this offence!" the princess bellowed from somewhere at the end of the hall, "This man must be properly dealt with, and if you won't, I will!"
"My dear lady Kitana, you must calm down," a much more sultry and dampened voice emerged from the screams and shouts, "I assume this situation will be dealt with. I assure you, no single person can go unpunished for attacking royalty."
"I do hope so," the princess yelled, "My mother informed that I would be pleasantly surprised by her news."
"Certainly, my dear friend," the other woman said, "And while I would love to stay and chat, I must take my leave. I must make preparations for today's training at the academy. But I do hope to see you in better mood later, Kitana."
"Thank you, Jade," she replied, "I will very certainly be in a better mood when justice has been served."
He could only think to himself how much the princess is going to stomp her feet once she realises the predicament she will be placed in. In the back of the hallway, he could just see a woman, clad scantily in green with an ebony complexion, about to leave, but casting a glance towards them she stopped dead in her tracks and marched over towards them. Come to think of it, the royal women he had seen were all dressed non-conservatively. He wondered whether this was the standard or the exception. The woman reached the pair and bowed at the Queen's presence.
"My Queen," she greeted, "I assume all is well?"
"Without a doubt, my darling," she greeted as well, "And please, how many times have I told you to refer to me as Sindel?"
"My apologies, Queen," she said, "It is an old force of habit."
He looked at her, and the woman looked back at him with a fiery gaze. He would be about as popular as the school champion of origami folding. He remembered how that guy was always folding origami.
"My Queen, if I may be so bold to ask," she began, "But it appears the man responsible for your daughter's injuries accompanies you. I expect to the gallows?"
"While you may wish that to be, no," Sindel explained, "Instead, he has been given an opportunity to absolve himself of his crime by joining your academy."
"My Queen, that is ludicrous," she said, "I have faith in your judgement, but this criminal-"
"Saved civilians when he wasn't obliged to, Jade," she interrupted, "While my daughter has been moaning and pouting about her bruises, I ordered my guards to investigate the man's earlier steps. As expected, his vengeful act was once, and it seems you do not know how you got here?"
"That's the gist of it, ma'am," he confirmed, but Jade wasn't remotely pleased with the outcome.
"Then I suppose I will see you today at the training grounds," Jade said, a mild venom dripping from her words, "Must I hold your hand as well?"
"No, my daughter will," Sindel said, and Jade grew wide-eyed, "My concerns with her behaviour have been brewing, and I hope to discover why in the coming weeks. The greater distance between my daughter and me has been noticeable, and I do wish for her to return to her happier days. Perhaps mingling with the peasantry will enlighten her."
"I assume the stress of inheriting the throne is a heavy burden to bear and the cause of her attitude," Jade reasoned, with Chronos mostly standing around, looking everywhere and nowhere, "But I trust she is up to the task. And that she will be able to handle her emotions more rationally in the future."
"I hope so too, Jade," Sindel said while bowing as well. Jade reciprocated the gesture, "I hope you enjoy your day, my dear."
"I wish the same for you as well, my Qu… Sindel," she replied. A last look of anger written on the ebony's face was cast upon him before she took her leave.
"That went better than I imagined," Sindel said, a hint of relief in her voice.
"You expected her to attack me?" Chronos asked.
"I expected her to put you in a casket," she said, "Jade is Kitana's lifelong friend, and their bond is stronger than the mountain. If anything happens to the other, the Netherrealm itself would cower at their wrath."
"Sounds serious," he said, "But that's only her friend. What about your daughter?"
"Yes, about that, I'd like you to stand outside the throne room first," she said, "You might be liable to lose a limb or two."
"Fine by me," he agreed, "I'll just eavesdrop around the corner."
Sindel nodded and entered, with her daughter pacing around the room. The priest had done an excellent job, with only the gravest of injuries still showing, namely a hint of black eye and a few bruises here and there.
"Mother, finally," she began, "I assume you have good news?"
"I do have news," Sindel started, "But I wouldn't know if you can appreciate it."
"Please tell me that the brute has at least been properly reprimanded for his horrendous crime?" Kitana asked.
"You could just ask him," Sindel said, with Kitana frowning at the remark, "You can come inside, my dear."
Chronos peaked his head around the corner, and he barely dodged a vase tossed at his head. The princess was fuming at this moment, and the queen had an awful difficult time restraining her by using her hair to pull the princess away from him. He was mildly entertained by magic hair, before looking back at the princess, now mostly struggling to keep her feet on the ground.
"Kitana, calm yourself," Sindel ordered, "Must I treat you like a child?"
Kitana stopped squirming, and Sindel let go of her. The princess straightened out her elaborate clothes with her hands.
"No mother, you do not," she said, "But I do not understand why this barbarian is allowed to leave unscathed."
"He will not leave without repaying his debt," Sindel explained, "I have enrolled him in the academy of warriors so he can repent and whip the new members into shape."
"This Earthrealmer will teach Edenians?" she asked rather condescendingly, "Has the realm gone topsy-turvy?"
"I beat you," Chronos remarked, and the princess was ready to bolt at him when she was held down by a stern look from her mother.
"While I do not approve of your remark," she said, with him just shrugging it off, "he makes a fair point. It is clear his aptitude for kombat is high, and with lacklustre applicants this generation, I believe he will be an addition that is necessary to improve it."
"Nonsense," Kitana scoffed, "I'm fairly certain the overseers themselves can transform them into well-versed warriors."
"Those overseers can't keep them out, what makes you believe they can bring them on par with our soldiers?" Sindel asked.
"I feel Kilamon would be able enough to perform that task alone."
"Even he needs his rest, my dear daughter," Sindel said, "Now, I assign you to escort this man to the compound without harming him. And please, my daughter, do heed me, because we do not need a public fiasco marring our reputation."
"Very well, mother," Kitana conceded, "I will escort him to the compound, but I will do nothing more."
"No one was asking so much, dear," Sindel said, "Now, sweethearts, you must go. I am certain Jerrod would not approve of you both loitering in his palace."
"As you wish mother," Kitana said, and she bowed to her mother. Chronos bumped his Mark with his left fist, a small yo leaving his lips. Sindel was confused at his odd gesture, but she nodded nonetheless. With Sindel leaving the two of them to their own devices, the princess and the stable-boy were left alone in the throne room. His face remained stern still, and Kitana was more than peeved with her babysitting quest. She beckoned Chronos to follow, the duo leaving the palace. Chronos found himself awestruck by the magnificent view.
The sun cast a great red light over the city, the multiple gardens visible far from here. The canals and rivers flowing through the city reflected the rays of light, and the white roofs almost blinded him. Most of all, he suddenly found himself gasping for air once he looked down. He found himself on a massive bridge, and the valley below was a hundred yards down. At least, it felt like that. His head went a little light at the sight.
He sped up to keep on the princess' heels, who hadn't even stopped to check whether he was following. She was absolutely unamused and would rather spend a whole day listening to a record of a trade meeting than guide a criminal to a prestigious institute. She arrived at the top of the staircase and heard a small gasp behind her. She scoffed at his easy bewilderment, and descended down the stairs. After five minutes of walking, she reached the bottom. Looking behind her, the man was almost down as well, walking rather cautiously.
"You're awfully slow," she remarked.
"I'm not very fond of steep stairs," he explained, and she snickered at his discomfort. She kept walking, past a lake, adorned with fountains and trees on the shoreline. She looked back to find Chronos slowing his pace again, but instead of caution, he seemed perplexed at the stunning beauty of the scene, the rays of sun casting a beautiful light on the water from the fountains. He almost stopped to gaze, but he snapped his head to her and picked up his pace again.
She was rather bothered by him slowing down, but afterwards, there were no interruptions or obstacles that hindered them. At least, none that actively extended the time she would spend in this peasant's presence. By the Gods, why was she stuck with him?
"You don't talk a lot," he said, and she scoffed.
"My words are worth more than you," she remarked, "and I wish to spend as little of them as possible on you, if that's possible at all."
"Very well, Shakespeare," he joked. She had no clue as to what he alluded, but she imagined it to be an insult.
"I do not appreciate snide mockery," she said.
"Can't take a joke?" he said, and she looked around to see him smirking.
"You are fortunate I was not your jailer," she said, "For I would have your tongue removed for such comments."
"Guess you can't take a joke," he said. She spun around on her heel and faced him, and all he did was smile. She marched up to him, standing face to face, a mere few inches apart. It wasn't helpful he was taller and broader, so her little speech wouldn't be as impressive as she would have liked.
"I am royalty, heir to the throne of Edenia, and I will not be ridiculed by some low-life interloper who so happened to best me when I was intoxicated!"
"So don't pick a fight you can't win," he objected, and she was about to lop off his head with a well-placed slice of her fan, but she wouldn't hear the end of it when her parents would discover it.
"The next time you step over the line, you will lose your head," she promised him, and he chuckled to her absolute infuriation.
"I'll keep you to that promise," he told her. She decided to not murder him in cold blood, picking up the pace again. He followed suit, and with no further arguments during the walk, they reached the compound. Chronos was quite impressed by the size of the gates alone, and the sun had risen to such heights that the elongated shadows had made room for the brilliant white marble to shine. He damn well noticed the shine, because he felt his neck slightly burning at the intensity of the light.
The gates opened to reveal a massive plaza, a multitude of sky high buildings dotting the grounds. There weren't a lot of people walking about, mainly a few older men and women that he would assume to be employees of some sorts. The grounds were also surprisingly green, with a few tall trees somewhere in the back sticking out. He was interested in scouting the compound, but he was dragged along by the angry woman next to him. They approached a guard, his helmet wobbling on his head as he turned around to see them.
"Ah, your Highness, it is good to see you," he said. Chronos recognised his voice as the bumbling guard from last night, "And you, sir. What brings you here?"
"This man is to be enrolled in the academy," Kitana explained, "after his apparent good deed of saving an innocent group of people exempts him from proper punishment."
Both Chronos and Kitana listened to that phrase in their heads, and the insult was nowhere near as well worded as Kitana would have liked it to be.
"Well, he does seem nice," the guard said, and Chronos could see the guards eyes shoot up and down the princess' form, "and he must have some merit if you accompany him."
"Such nonsense," she scoffed, "I'm tasked to babysit a fully grown man because my mother is afraid he can't find his way in the city."
"He isn't from here, so I guess the Queen has a point," the guard replied. It was clear he tried his best to defuse her hostility, but her burning eyes made it clear that was a lost cause from the start.
"I am not in the mood for your reasoning, guard," she said. The princess' recognition of people as little more than a peasant or someone below her status sent shivers down his spine, mostly because he felt his attitude adjustment of yesterday wasn't enough. But he held himself back.
"Well then, I wish you a good day, your Highness," the guard said, and she merely turned around and walked away. The guard relaxed a bit, and Chronos noticed.
"Walking on egg shells around her?" he asked, although he knew the answer.
"She can be rather passionate about her opinion," he explained, "but it usually extends no further beyond the realm of language."
"I got a taste of beyond language yesterday," he said, and the guard looked at him in confusion, and Chronos pulled away a bit of his robe to reveal his branding. The guard gasped at the sight.
"You live?" he inquired, and as much of an open door it was at the moment, Chronos himself was also still relieved at the fact, "Is that why you're here?"
"That's why I'm here," he said, "A bit of accidental luck, I'd say. Do you mind if I ask you where I should be going?"
"Oh, certainly not, right this way," the guard said, and he scurried off with Chronos following behind. The walk wasn't exactly long, but several stares did make it feel like an eternity. When they entered the building, there were two stairs, one on each side, leading somewhere he couldn't see, while ahead of them he could see a sizeable group of people, and a single person was standing by the doorway, staring at a parchment. The man looked up to immediately stop Chronos dead in his tracks.
"Your name, sir," the man asked.
"Chronos," he answered, and the man's eyes darted over the parchment. He seemed confused at first, but he did eventually find his name, scribbled somewhere on the very bottom.
"Ah yes, Chronos," he said, "A latecomer. You may find more appropriate attire up the stairs. You're to return here to catch up on the rest of the lecture."
He turned around to see the guard nod at him. He was about to march away when he heard the marked man yell at him, and the guard turned his head around to hear what he had to say.
"You're not so good at sneaking a peek, kid," he said, and even behind the helmet, Chronos could see the guard blushing from being caught. He dashed off and Chronos walked up the stairs. He came to see another hallway, leading to a few doors on each side. Above one of them was a plaque with the word 'wardrobe' engraved onto it, so he guessed he could change his attire here. Come to think of it, he had an awful lot of costume changes in the past two days.
He opened the door to see a couple of boxes filled to the brim with leftover clothes and a few shelves stacked with clutter. He had no idea whether the sign was incorrect or he just had to make do with leftovers, but maybe it'd work in his favour to look like he just crawled from the gutter. He discarded his robe, his leathery ragged pants still underneath, alongside the rope that kept it up. He looked through the clothes, but it was mostly scraps and materials used to fix up actual clothes. He did see a few bandages and ropes lying around.
He made do with what he was given, using the bandages to wrap up his feet and hands, while he used a bit of rope to spice up his appearance, how little his appearance represented in the first place. Two ropes on each upper arm, bound neatly around them, he was at least content with his outfit and decided to join the group downstairs. He found it easy to look over them, as the tallest of them stood far on the outside of the group. He approached slowly, and from where he was looking, he could see a sparring match playing out.
He looked for a total of a minute before realising whatever the Queen said wasn't exaggerated. The combatants, a girl and a guy, fought like they'd just picked up a book on how to use their limbs, as they over swung beyond what would have been acceptable back home. Behind them, he could see four people. Two of them he recognised, the doorman and the ebony woman. Two of them were foreign to him, one girl with an attire revealing about two thirds of her skin, while the other one, a man, wore mostly bone, cloth covering his right arm and the right of his chest, adorned with bones, and his leggings were designed roughlty the same way. He wore a mammoth's skull as a helmet, or what could pass for mammoth.
The faces he could see were almost dead, as the doorman scribbled on his tablet, the ebony woman was staring lifelessly at the fight and the other woman was most likely stuck in her own thoughts as she didn't even look at the fight. He had no idea what was going on behind the mammoth's skull, but he assumed it to be an emotion he shared with his companions. After the fight ended, the girl and guy returned to the group and the green-clad woman stepped forward.
"Thank you for your demonstration," she said, "Now, for our next contestants to demonstrate?"
She looked around, and it wasn't hard to spot the man she met this morning. Granted, he was large beyond comparison, broad and tall, his muscles expanding with every breath he took.
"Selina and the man in the back," she said, and while Selina strutted forward, everyone looked to see who the man in the back was. Those close to him stepped back, and those that spotted his mark whispered, purposefully loud enough to make him hear. He wasn't exactly bothered, as the presentation he just saw made it clear he wouldn't struggle all too much.
He marched forward, everyone making space to allow him through, standing face to face with a girl he assumed wasn't taller than six feet.
"Well, if it isn't a tough guy," she taunted, and he wasn't liking the route she was taking, "What're you here for? Stealing bread from a poor, defenceless housekeeper? Loitered where you weren't supposed to?"
He didn't respond, and she cocked her hips a bit and huffed at his silent attitude.
"If only you'd talk more," she continued, "Then I'd hear you fear and horror echo through your voice."
He visibly rolled his eyes and Selina scoffed at his disinterested attitude.
"Very well," she said, "If you won't talk, then I suggest we start our demonstration."
The girl assumed her stance, and so did Chronos. Everyone was disinterested, event most of the peers that watched over this exchange of blows. At least, they expected an exchange. When Selina threw a punch, a quite wide punch at that, Chronos effortlessly ducked under it and hit her with a fantastic uppercut, his fist enveloped in orange thunder, sending Selina flying sky high. Everyone gasped at the sight, and the doorman who was mostly scribbling away looked up in awe.
Selina fell to the floor and the impact of her landing shook the ground just a bit. She struggled to get up, but Chronos wasted no time kicking her in the face, sending her spiralling back and knocking her down for a bit longer than intended. She was mostly perishing on the floor, barely moving at all. Most of the onlookers had gone mute at the sight. The man they whispered about showed no remorse in stomping his contestant into the ground, and it sent shivers down their spine just thinking about how hard he hit.
"That was… rather impressive," the ebony spoke up, mildly flabbergasted at his extreme show of force, "Perhaps you wouldn't mind to demonstrate further?"
Chronos nodded at her, and he could see her mask deforming because of her grin.
"Aszara," she said, and the other female overseer sparked up, "Care to match this man's blows?"
She perked up at the thought, and she wasted no time, almost sprinting to the centre of the group. Selina had been dragged off by several bystanders to make sure she wasn't caught by a stray fireball.
"Sounds like I'm getting a bit more of a show today," she said, and Chronos expected another long-winded speech about her superiority. Fortunately, she already assumed her stance, "You're ready to rumble?"
He said nothing in return, instead opting to just assume his stance. Aszara was grinning, not because she was going to win, but because someone finally showed a bit of fighter's spirit. She charged, a straight punch flying at Chronos' face. He deflected the blow and struck her in the stomach himself, knocking her back a bit. Instead of crumpling, she smiled and launched a flurry of attacks, all of which he either dodged or deflected, albeit with much more effort than he initially expected. The students here were far from a reflection of the overseers.
She attempted to grapple him down, but his larger than life body reversed her grapple, and he suplexed her as a result of his much stronger body. She pushed him off before he could continue piledriving her into the ground, flipping up with unmatched grace. Once again, she charged at him, another straight aimed for his face. While she already prepared to sweep him off of his feet with her other hand, he already caught wind of it, jumping over her sweep and kicking her in the face. She stumbled back, blood dripping from her nose.
She seemed to be excited, as he assumed none of the students here were good enough to stand toe to toe with an overseer. He expected another charge, but she surprised him by going up in flames. He turned around, but he was just in time to catch her foot, as she had appeared behind him as he looked to where he assumed she was going to appear. He shoved her away and retaliated with his own powers, lobbing balls of thunderous energy at her. She was surprised she could dodge them at the speed they were going.
Chronos attempted to hit her with a furious whirlwind of kicks, but she ducked under, hitting him with a strong step kick. While he didn't fall, he did flinch mildly at the strength of the kick. He almost didn't react quick enough to Aszara, who had jumped up fairly high and had initiated a divekick. He blocked the first hit, but wasn't in time to block her second kick, sending him stumbling back and losing his footing. Aszara hit the ground like a feather and tried to exploit his temporary state of imbalance by flying towards him in a spiralling manner, engulfed by flames, attempting to crush his torso with sheer force. But he recovered far quicker than expected, and he charged up a massive ball of energy.
"Messatsu," he whispered, and with a thrust of his hands, he sent the ball of energy flying at Azare, who couldn't stop her own momentum, "Gouhado!"
It hit Aszara full force, keeping her aloft in the air for several seconds before she fell to earth, cringing for the overload of energy coursing through her body. She groaned before she managed to speak up.
"I concede," she said rather weakly, and the audience was amazed. She barely could help herself up, but she was met with a welcoming hand from the man that defeated her. A faint frown adorned her face, and he noticed it.
"No need to put you down outside of a fight," he said, and Aszara hesitantly gripped his hand. He easily lifted her up to her feet, but she could barely stand on them. The doorman rushed over to help her keep her up, while the ebony woman stepped forward.
"That was a nice change of pace," she said, and Chronos smiled inwardly at that sentence, but kept his stern face, "I conclude today's sparring session. You may now leave and do other tasks."
The students bowed, and Chronos himself was about to leave when the ebony woman put her hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Before you leave, I would like to ask you a few things," she said, and he considered shrugging her off before he did turn around to face her.
"I do understand you are not here on your own volition," she began, "yet you fight with feverish vigour and accuracy. Would you care to inform me how long you've been practising the art of fighting?"
"It's been about eleven years since I started myself," he said, and she raised a single eyebrow at his answer, "How come?"
"Eleven years is not the answer I'd expect," she answered, "How old are you?"
"26 years old, ma'am," he said, and she mildly grinned at his rather formal talk.
"You started quite young then," she said, "Why?"
"I had an interest in it," he explained, "Don't know why or how I came to like it. Guess it was just in my blood."
"And how much did you master in those eleven years?" She asked, "Surely not too many."
"Two to three styles," he said, "But I'm a bit rusty at the moment, so I might not show it all too well."
"It was impressive," she said, "but I quite frankly do not interest myself in that all too much. Tell me, you're quite proficient with your magical abilities."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, and Jade couldn't get over that word.
"I am not sure, but from what I can recollect, your kind is not proficient in magic, with a few outliers here and there. Do you have any idea as to how your powers came to be?"
"Solomon taught me," he answered, "He taught me how to use my power."
"You didn't answer my question," she noted.
"I know," he answered, and she only pouted at his odd behaviour. Mostly feigned, naturally, but it didn't sway him into talking anymore. Before they went their own ways, she did say one last thin to him.
"I am Jade," she said, and she stuck out his hand, "Welcome to the Academy."
"It's good to meet you, Jade," he said, and he reciprocated the gesture, "I'm Chronos."
They shook each other's hand and Chronos departed. Before she left as well, the mammoth-masked man came to stand next to her.
"So, you kiss and make up?" He said, and she elbowed him in his side.
"I don't like him per se," she started, "But I respect his strength. He's also rather formal in conversation."
"Raised well by his guardians, I suppose?" he said.
"It's quite a change of pace, I must say," she said.
"You have mentioned that twice now," he noticed.
"I know," she acknowledged, "I'm just very fond of that change, Kilamon."
Kilamon snickered a bit before continuing.
"So, what now?" he asked, and she looked at him with heavy-lidded eyes.
"I'll see how he fares for the coming month or two," she said, "Until then, I'll let him do his thing until I say otherwise."
"Your dear Princess is going to berate you for not giving him a hard time," he mentioned, and Jade pondered that thought for a second.
"You're right," she said, "But my intent is not to work him to death. My intent is to see how far he can go, where his limits lie is what I wish to discover."
"And how will you do that?" Kilamon asked. She once again pondered the thought.
"I'll think of something."
Wooo, I've uploaded something. Don't feel all too happy about the result, but I suffer terribly from trying to improve everything meticulously, so I'll settle. Let me know what you think by R&R'ing.
AN: Chronos' age has been altered slightly, from 23 to 26, as I felt that, in hindsight, he was slightly too young. Also, in honour of PapaChaos, I'll credit Netherrealm Studios properly for their work.