The European looking man lifts up his bright eyes, peering out to the structure ahead of him from beneath the brim of his hat. His storm of lightning disappears as quickly as it appeared. Before him stands the Lin Kuei Palace, and just outside in front of it also stands the Grandmaster, with, unexpectedly, an unfamiliar recruit-a woman. He observes them for the moment and then he moves in closer.
"Lord Raiden," the Grandmaster bows, and she follows suit, "We weren't expecting you. To what to do we owe the honor?"
"Grandmaster Sub-Zero, I've come with a message; Shinnok is defeated as you know, however-" He glances briefly at the woman, "Things must change. To prevent any further epidemics, you will work with me to eradicate all who threaten Earthrealm. We will take no prisoners, and spare none who are a threat to Earthrealm."
"Lord Raiden, I understand the need to be proactive, however, that is not how we have done things, nor should we do them in such a way." he looks to his new recruit briefly, "Surely you could consider a another way?"
"I am done with waiting for compromises. Simply defending Earthrealm is not enough to protect it. You will go out and seek all those who threaten it and eliminate them."
"And what if I refuse to eliminate them?"
"Then you have also become a threat to Earthrealm for your refusal to comply."
"Lord Raiden, is this what it has come to? Will you not listen to the voice of reason?"
"There is no other way."
Raiden and the Grandmaster square up.
"Perhaps I can still persuade you, Lord of Thunder."
Lord Raiden attacks first, the Grandmaster blocks him. Kombat has begun and they fight relentlessly. Despite the incredible skills of the Grandmaster, he is knocked out firstly. No doubt the difficulties of facing a God in single kombat will undoubtedly get you killed… but a God can be stopped and he can not let Kuai Liang live. The Cryomancer man begins to stir as Raiden approaches, intent on killing him. Suddenly, the new recruit jumps between the two of them, and the God pauses.
"This is not how we are supposed to do things Lord Raiden. You've gone mad!"
"You come to defend the Grandmaster? Your fate will be the same as his and for all of the Lin Kuei!"
"There has been enough massacres for one generation and you will not bring about another!"
The young woman manages the first hit. Raiden is nearly impressed but it won't be enough to save her, despite her speed. They exchange blows, her power comparable to her Grandmaster's but a little chaotic. Perhaps he could use her unsteadiness in her powers to his advantage. She was not aware of her full potential and that would be her downfall. He feigns a block and she goes for the opening when he grabs her by the face and throws her. Numbness takes over his hand. He looks down to it- it's covered in ice.
As she lays, struggling to rise, the Grandmaster stands. Lord Raiden feels a wave of disappointment as Kuai Liang moves between them. The Lord of Truth & Light reflects on all their history, and now it came to this... defiance. Despite all they've gone through, this became the end, the end he never himself could have imagined. Now, his only thought is to eliminate the threat and destroy the Grandmaster for his betrayal. He makes the first move. Sub-Zero quickly counters it.
"Lord Raiden! You are not yourself. Can you not see you are NOW the thr-"
Kuai stops mid sentence as he is struck by lightning savagely. Raiden doesn't hold back, his anger pushing him to be relentless. He can't let him live, he's stronger than last he saw him. If he doesn't do it now, he may become too powerful to kill later on. The Cryomancer cries out in agony, paralyzed by the lightning.
"I know this is unfair, Kuai Liang, but it has to end this way!"
Raiden pours more of his power into the attack when he is suddenly hit with ice. His strike stops and he is hit again with ice, knocking him to the ground. It slows him, but only for a moment. As he rises he sees the new recruit standing with the Grandmaster. Both of them adjust their stances, toe to toe with each other but facing him with their upper bodies. Together they move their hands and begin forming an incredible display of ice swirling together, illuminating light. He realizes he needs to stop this. Raiden begins to conjure the lightning but before he can stop them, he is struck by their blast.
All he sees is light and shadow filtered by the blue paleness if the ice. He tries to conjure the lightning again but can't move, he can't connect with the energy. Numbness is setting in and his world goes black.
Raiden's eyes snap open, breaking the meditative trance.
"It cannot be," he draws in a deep breath, collecting his thoughts, "Another Cryomancer… and she will corrupt him!"
His eyes blaze red, the lightning fizzling wildly around him. He would deal with her in time but first he needs to take care of more pressing matters concerning Shinnok's severed head.
The dark haired man with the scar down the right side of his face looks down at Iclyn. Her dark hair shimmers with it's silver highlights as she moves alongside him. Even though she is a few inches shorter than him, she kept pace with ease.
"A portal is about to open."
"Who could it be?" She studies his American-Chinese face. The more American attributes seemed more prominent, perhaps because of his beard.
"That's exactly what we're going to find out."
He leads her inside the Lin Kuei Temple, a gong sounds. Within a minute a large gathering of organized warriors stood before them. She feels humble as they bow to their Grandmaster, in unison, indicating they are ready for his command.
"The portal to Outworld is opening, prepare for our guests. Battalion 3 and 4 I give you this charge. Battalion 2, scout out the area around the portal, and Battalion 1 remain here to guard the temple. Let's go meet our guests."
"YES, GRANDMASTER!"
They fall away quicker than they had together. The Grandmaster turns to Iclyn to say;
"I advise that you remain here. We do not know who is coming through the portal or why they are here and you need to complete your recovery."
"Grandmaster," she bows respectfully, "I wish to accompany you and at the very least observe. If it comes to be overwhelming I will withdraw. I feel it may be Reiko. He spoke of stealing the portal stone from Kotal Kahn. It is possible he may have accomplished this."
"That will only anger Kotal Kahn more, and our alliance with him is already aloof. You're not fully recovered from your injuries... are you prepared to fight if you miss the opportunity to withdraw?"
"A warrior must always be ready to fight, despite the injury, Grandmaster."
Her eyes blaze brightly with that icy color, meeting that of Sub-Zero's. He nods, seeing her insistence and that she feels responsible in some way for Reiko acquiring the portal stone. They continue walking to join the others who are heading toward the portal.
"There isn't time to properly equip you- if there's a moment where you're too vulnerable, don't let your pride win."
Grandmaster makes eye contact with her and she nods. Her pride has been her downfall on a couple occasions though she doesn't want to openly admit it. She doesn't need to let that happen now, not when Shinnok was no longer a threat to all the realms. Doing the right thing was more important, starting with the mess she helped cause.
After a couple of miles dashing through the woods and after descending the steepness of the mountain's cliff they arrive. The portal was no longer open. The air had become calm and the skies began to clear. The sun disappears behind the mountains for the night. The woods are dimly lit by the fading remaining rays of light, though thankfully, the moon came out tonight.
Coming to a stop, the scouts meet and converse silently with their Lin Kuei Master. Iclyn looks on, observing, studying, listening. Reiko and his group came, and as far as they could tell, no others. 7 in total, they also seem to be searching for something, for what was unclear. Sub-Zero signals them to approach and demand they state their purpose. They were trespassing on Lin Kuei territory after all.
As they watch, Reiko approaches the two Lin Kuei that were sent. They converse but everything is inaudible and that's when an uneasy feeling overtakes her. She looks to Sub-Zero without turning her head, his eyes meet hers. He feels it too. A soft, dim little light starts coming from his hands, followed by the sounds of warriors dropping from the trees.
"AMBUSH!"
The Grandmaster's shout sounds like a booming cannon, loud and clear. It impresses her how a man so reserved and silent had such a voice. Kuai's men attack Reiko and his men below. He spins around and freezes a warrior that drops down behind him. A warrior grabs Iclyn and the sheet of ice forms over her completely and the warrior is frozen by it. She slams him into the ground, the ice that covers him shatters away and he lays out of breath. The iced over woman dodges an incoming swing, returning a punch to the assailant. She goes to sweep his legs out but tears her long kimono in the process, despite it he lands with a thud and she knocks him out with a low punch. The torn material tangles around her legs. She snatches it up and rips off the excess, her kimono now ending at her high on her thigh. Sub-Zero seizes another enemy that is about to pounce on Iclyn, casting him to the side against a tree, who becomes incapacitated. They look at each other.
"Thanks... for that." Iclyn grins.
"You definitely needed a wardrobe change before we left, but I'm glad to see you can improvise." He returns with a ghost of a grin. It's so faint she is not even sure if that's what she sees.
They continue fighting, working their way closer to Reiko. Her iced over skin fades back to her natural tone as she becomes more focused in kombat. The Grandmaster makes note of it. By the time they arrive, the former Shao Kahn's General has been restrained alongside his men. Once within sight, Reiko notices the Grandmaster arriving, more Lin Kuei, and-
"Iclyn!" He shouts in an unexpected excitement.
Sub-Zero observes Iclyn's response out of his peripheral vision, which is none, at least on the surface. Her icy glowing eyes do not change or show emotion. He almost feels impressed that he is unable to decipher her emotion, but he sees a slight tension in her shoulders. She wants to act upon her emotion, but she waits, and doesn't give him any acknowledgment, only a stone cold stare.
"Reiko, you are trespassing on Lin Kuei territory and unauthorized to be here in Earthrealm. What purpose are you here?"
"Oh surely you know, Sub-Zero,' he says mockingly, "Your men have told you I'm sure. I want my sword back!"
"The one you left in your loyal companion over there so that you may secure the portal stone for yourself?"
Iclyn's anger begins to show on her face. Sub-Zero is testing her. She is a stranger to him, and nonetheless a Cryomancer. What she does next will tell him more of the woman that fell into this world, unexpectedly.
"Iclyn, it was for the cause-"
She raises a hand to stop him from speaking further, and he does. Ice tickles her fingertips but she remains in control as she takes a couple steps toward him, careful to stay out of reach.
"Reiko, you didn't keep my back covered. In fact, your ducked and I took the hit you were supposed to and then…" she clenched her jaw, "And then when Kotal Kahn had your life in his hands, you claim it was all me, my plan, my action. Then you stabbed me to prove your new fealty to him. You betrayed more than me in that moment, you betrayed the cause you stood for!"
Iclyn sighs through her nose, waiting for his response.
"Look, I did it to survive, you would have done the same."
"No, you're wrong. You're wrong because you're still alive at this moment. I could have killed you after I turned to look at you… perhaps I should have but if we all killed that way, there would be no one left in the realm."
"Well, I admire your honesty, but I'm not so honest.…ATTACK!"
More enemies drop in, possibly a dozen. Reiko breaks loose and another kombat ensues. The Grandmaster intercepts Reiko's lunge for Iclyn who's being seized by two other enemies. She rolls away and her icy sheet takes over her skin. Reiko and Sub-Zero continue fighting one on one when the portal to Outworld opens. This is when all the enemies begin to retreat from their fight. Several of them rush to Sub-Zero instead of the portal. Overwhelmed, his focus is on them. Iclyn and the other Lin Kuei close in, Reiko appears in a splash in her path.
"Got ya!"
She goes to block but he successfully grabs her and they transport in front of the portal directly.
"We're done here boys!"
Iclyn resists but he continues pulling her into the portal by, his men close behind. Sub-Zero and the rest of his clan chasing after. Half of Reiko's men stopped short of jumping through the portal and turn to face the Lin Kuei.
"They're stalling us!"
The Grandmaster sends a few ice blasts to create an opening. A few of Reiko's men are frozen but the portal closes before they're able to reach it. He considers an idea that it's all an elaborate trap but if Reiko successfully overthrows Kotal Kahn he could possibly become even more of an enemy to Earthrealm.