Cold, white, dead yet somehow living eyes found Jade high up in the voracious trees, which were practically salivating from her presence and the dead bodies of the Lin Kuei ninjas.
He caught it right out of the damn air.
Noob tossed Jade's bladed boomerang into the air and caught it three times. On the third catch, he threw it back at Jade with even more speed than her practiced hand could achieve. The weapon spun through the air, veering off to the left and then curving to come straight at her. Jade turned and caught it perfectly. She turned back and Noob was right in her face, standing on the same branch as her.
"Boo!"
Noob engaged her in combat, the both of them needing to watch their balance on the tree branch. Jade was a skilled acrobat and fighter, but Noob didn't seem hindered at all on the new terrain. Jade ducked beneath a straight punch, but then out of Noob's abdomen came another fist, blacker than even Noob's. It hit Jade right in the nose and she slipped off the branch. She quickly grabbed hold of it, and used her momentum to swing through the air and onto another branch.
She is a limber one, but it's a shame that I had to damage that pretty face.
"What kind of demon are you?" Jade asked, blood staining her green mask by the nose.
"I am Noob Saibot, sent here by Quan Chi to ensure the protection of the supply convoy that your Lin Kuei assassins just attacked. I still feel like my time was wasted." Noob said to her.
"So you are just one of the sorcerer's dogs then, trying to keep his puppet Reiko in power."
"And you are just a lapdog to Kitana. She believes that she has a stake in this war, but I think she only wants Outworld for herself. It seems more of her father rubbed off on her than she will ever believe." Noob grinned beneath his mask.
Jade stood bolt upright and reached for her boomerang behind her back. She threw it will all her might, and Noob dodged it but received a bloody gash on his shoulder. As he turned back around, Jade had jumped from her branch and gone sailing through her air, extending her staff in the process. The metal staff struck Noob in the forehead and almost made him fall off the tree. Jade landed perfectly and caught the returning boomerang without looking and held it in her hand as a weapon.
"Kitana is not Kahn's daughter, and she seeks to save this realm from the evil rulers who would claim it. And I will not allow you to insult Kitana any longer!"
I think you made her angry!
"Quiet…" Noob ordered quietly.
Jade twirled her staff in her one hand and advanced on him. Noob had to keep taking a step back to avoid the spinning pole and the jabs and thrusts Jade made. He watched it twirl, and at the perfect moment moved in close to her. However, she used her bladed boomerang in her other hand to slash him in the abdomen, forcing him back again and allowing her to crack him over the back of the head with the staff. Noob took several steps back, getting to where the branch protruded from the tree trunk and rubbed his head in pain.
She is making you look like a fool.
"Then you do something!"
Noob waited for the right moment between the spinning of the staff again, but this time sent Saibot dashing at Jade. Saibot made it through the staff, but Jade beheaded the shadow figure with her boomerang. Momentarily blocked by the dissolving figure, Jade wasn't able to counter Noob himself rushing her and smacking the boomerang from her hand and down to the ground below. Noob then hit her with a right hook and straight kicked her in the belly, knocking her back. Jade used her momentum to do a backwards tuck and roll, landing crouched with her staff held behind her.
You did that on purpose.
"You've lost your toy and your advantage Jade." Noob said.
"I have lost my boomerang, but not this fight. Show me what you and your friend can do!"
Jade took a stance much more suited to using her staff; staggered footing and her hands placed near the end and middle of the metal pole. Noob advanced quickly but cautiously, swaying swiftly to avoid Jade's pinpoint thrusts and her wide reaching swings. She swiped at his head and he ducked it, only to have her bring the swing back and strike his leg. Noob faltered slightly and lunged at Jade, punching her in the chest and pushing her back. As Jade took a step back, brought about the reverse end of her staff and managed strike him along the jaw. She followed up against his recoil by butting him in the gut and then drove the staff into the branch to give herself leverage so that she could kick him off the branch.
Noob felt Jade's heeled boot kick him right in the spot where he was cut and he lost his footing, starting the twenty foot fall to the ground. He could see her watching him fall, expecting him to be killed or incapacitated by the fall. Noob turned in mid air and faced the ground, rapidly getting closer. At the last second, he opened a black portal in the ground and slipped through it, closing it behind him. The portal reopened in the air, five feet above Jade. Jade only had enough time to look above her and see the black fist appear out of the blacker hole and crash into her head. Jade was forced to drop her staff so that she could stop herself from falling. She spread out her limbs and tried to wrap herself around the branch enough to stay on. The bark scratched and scraped whatever exposed skin it could find, of which there was a lot of. Jade gripped the tree like a child stuck on too high monkey bars. She grunted in pain and frustration as she managed to get back up and to her feet. Noob stood tall waiting for her, despite the oil like blood spilling from a blue fleshed wound.
"Now you don't have your stick either, now have you lost this fight?" Noob asked condescendingly.
Jade's response was to rush him, foregoing her more evasive style for brute force. Saibot slid out from Noob and across the branch along what resembled an oil slick towards Jade. The nimble women easily vaulted over the shadow and close the distance between the real enemy. Jade combined her superior speed and surprising strength to put herself on even ground with Noob.
Noob kicked her inside her knee and ducked beneath Jade's attempted hook. He came up quickly for a vicious uppercut, but Jade moved early enough for it to miss, and she fed him straight punch, knocking him onto his back. Jade mounted him quickly and started raining blows down on him. About four punches in, Noob had somehow managed to catch both of Jade's bloody fists and stop them. Their fight had been turned into a battle of strength and grunting. If a blind man had been listening to the scene, the sounds may have given him the wrong idea, and if Noob were an undisciplined teenager, and if his body wasn't throbbing from pain, he might have enjoyed having a woman such Jade on top of him like this.
"I remember hearing about you from Baraka and Reptile while being an enforcer for Shao Kahn. The Tarkatan said you were a treacherous wench that used cowardly tactics in a fight, characteristic of an assassin." Noob said from below.
"Did he now?" Jade replied, trying to overpower him still.
"He did, and I think Baraka is just a sore loser, now that I've fought you for myself. You done…adequately."
"Adequately? You do realize that you are bleeding profusely from your gut, and I've got you pinned to the ground."
Noob chuckled slightly.
"You do realize that I have friends in high places."
Noob gestured with his head to another tree branch, this higher up another tree. Jade looked over at it and saw Saibot, barely visible against the darkness except for the white eyes and the glint of light off the metal in his hands. Jade realized then that Noob wasn't trying to push her back anymore; he was pulling her closer to him. Saibot threw one shuriken towards them, and Jade managed to move her head out of the way of it. Guttural laughter could be heard beneath here.
"Why don't you let me help you?" Noob said and he pulled her closer.
Jade resisted, and she saw another shuriken coming towards her again. She turned her head sideways the sharp star cut off some of her hair only. Jade's eyes went from Noob to Saibot and back again. Saibot had one more shuriken left, and his last throw was closer than even the one before it. Jade didn't like the odds of Saibot missing again, so when he threw the final star, she pushed herself against Noob to avoid it.
As soon as Jade did so, her and Noob both fell through a black hole that opened beneath them. Jade felt Noob's hold on her hands release and now she was in free fall. Her surroundings were a suffocating darkness, and she felt like her descent had slowed despite there being no wind on her.
You are in my world now!
"What is this? Where am I?" Jade asked.
A void, a blind spot in the world. A place for people to come and, find themselves.
Jade turned around in the darkness, her sense of hearing becoming more acute due to the sheer lack of any outside sound, while at the same time her eyesight seemed to be deteriorating by staring into the blackness. Suddenly, she felt something strike her across the face.
Did that hurt?
Another attack; to her stomach this time. Jade couldn't find any footing to counter or at least take the blow better, like she was sinking.
"Show yourself coward!" She yelled in anger.
That a peculiar thin to hear from someone who benefits so much from hiding. But I can see, I can feel it. You are getting angry.
Jade got hit across her back.
You seem so calm and collected on the outside, but you do that to hide your inner feelings. You are angry about something, so very angry….
Jade found herself thinking about Tanya, the women who had betrayed Edenia to Shao Kahn. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth under her mask, feeling like she couldn't lose control. Something hit her five times all over her body. Jade lashed out into the darkness but hit nothing, only feeling like her movements were being slowed and dragged down.
You are getting so angry, you don't want to be here, don't want to hear me or get hit by me anymore, but you just can't do a damn thing about it.
Jade started to breath heavily and erratically, and looked around desperately for an exit, for a light.
And now, you are scared. You are afraid that you have failed, and that you are going to die.
Jade thought about Kitana, and the rebel forces. She wanted to get back to her best friend. She didn't want Kitana to need to lead the rebels by herself; she didn't want to die without having helped them. Actually, she just didn't want to die.
"Let me out." Jade said quietly.
Why should I?
"Let me out…"
Make me.
"Let me out!"
Laughter, sounding like the voice that had been talking to her, resonated through out this dark domain. Jade covered her ears, but it still got through. Suddenly, a hole appeared in the darkness, showing the spot where she and Noob had been fighting. Before Jade could make an attempt to get there, arms wrapped around her and she was accelerated through the hole. She caught a brief glimpse of the living forest before she was back in the darkness, and then taken back out again by the person holding her.
"You are not as strong as you think you are Jade." Noob said into her ear.
Their speed was building as they teleported through the real world and the darkness.
"You are just as troubled by your humanity as I once was. It makes you weak, and now you will die for it!"
Jade couldn't break free from his grasp, and she caught on to what he was doing. Noob intended to close the hole and slam her into the ground, killing her at this speed.
"Kitana will be next, and your rebels will be destroyed."
Jade opened her eyes, the green irises showing hot rage and determination. She brought her head forward, and with all her strength, brought it back into Noob's face. Noob's mask hurt her, and Jade felt and heard a small cracking sound. Whoever it was, Noob's grip loosened on her. She broke free and managed to escape landing on her head with the final pass. She instead landed on her shoulder, hard. Using what stamina she had left, Jade wasted no time in getting back up. Noob was on one knee, regaining his composure. Instead of continuing the fight, Jade leapt from the branch they were on to another one, and then another. Soon she was running across the branches like stepping stones. Noob watched her leave, staying on the one branch. The sun had gone down and the already dark forest was cast in darkness, save for the moon. Noob was still able to pick out Jade from the darkness of the trees.
She is very determined.
"She can't escape from me, not like this."
Noob put his hand on the tree branch, and his shadow gathered at that spot.
"Get her."
The shadow shot out and moved across the trees and through the darkness after Jade.
Jade had been running for about two minutes now and didn't see any sign of Noob. She was in no shape to continue a fight with him. If she could get out of the forest, she could meet up with a small group of rebel soldiers not far away.
"Faster, move faster." She told to herself.
She reached an area where the moonlight got through. Jade's shadow was cast against the surroundings, being distorted by the odd shapes. Jade noticed something odd, her shadow was warping itself. It grew in size, and the shape became more masculine. She recognized it instantly and increased her speed, which was a feat in itself. Almost mimicking her movements, Saibot ran across the trees and hoped from branch to branch. No longer was it just projected onto the surface, it was now a three dimensional being. Jade kept on running, but Saibot didn't seem to be affected by things like stamina. Jade reached behind her and took out a device given to her at the rebel's base. It was a simple thing, a light piece of metal with a button on it. She pressed it and it started to beep quietly. She put it back and continued to run. She noticed Saibot becoming darker, if that was possible. Suddenly, it turned back into a shadow and went flying through the air. Jade ducked beneath it and saw Saibot reappear in a darker area that was close to her. It did so again, getting even closer to her. The entire area was dark and filled with shadowy spots. Saibot continued to teleport until it appeared right behind Jade. Saibot tackled her from behind and both of them fell from the trees. They landed on the hard ground, with Jade pinned beneath Saibot. She was too hurt to even squirm beneath it.
"Did you really think you could et away like that?" Noob said, coming out of a black hole.
He came over and crouched down by Jade's head, looking at her upside down. He removed her torn mask to see her face in full.
"You are a beautiful woman Jade, and a capable one. I'm sure Quan Chi will be able to use you or a number of things."
Suddenly, the air around them started to get cold, and frost started to fall. The frost formed into a large ball, and it exploded, releasing a blinding light. When Noob could see again, the person before him looked at him defiantly.
"Let her go Bi Han." Sub Zero said through his metal helmet.
"What are you doing here Kuai Leng?" Noob asked.
"I followed the signal from Jade's beacon; I'm here to save her." Sub Zero said, looking at Jade being pinned by Saibot.
Sub Zero's chest opened and a ball of ice shot forth from it towards Saibot. The shadow melted from it and returned to Noob, acting as a mere shadow again. The ground the ball hit was flash frozen, the steam crackling from it. Sub Zero kept his eyes on Noob as he helped Jade to her feet, letting her lean against him from support.
"Do you really think I'll just let you leave?" Noob said.
A burst of pain hit him and he put his hand over the cut on his abdomen. It hadn't stopped bleeding. Sub Zero noticed his pain.
Sub Zero formed his great sword of ice and held it in his free hand.
"You won't be able to stop me. Stay out of my way Bi Han, this won't be the last time we meet, I promise you."
The two brothers shared an intense lock of eyes. Noob had a second pair on his side.
We can't take him on now, but he doesn't want really leave either. We will see him again.
Noob reluctantly opened a portal and stepped through it, leaving Sub Zero and Jade alone.
"I was doing fine….but thanks." Jade said.
Sub Zero dissolved his sword and carried Jade fireman style.
"Don't mention it. Just rest, I'll get you back."
This fight got really out of hand, I didn't mean for it to be this long. At the end, I figured it was cool enough to shell out some character details so I left it. I know I said I would show more of the setting this time, and I didn't. Next chapter, definitely. A few points, Sub Zero is a cyborg in this story. Also, when I write in italics that is Saibot talking to Noob only, no other characters could hear it. The exception of course was when Jade was trapped and Saibot was mocking her, again in italics. I hope this doesn't cause confusion, and I'll work on making it better in the future. Please review and tell me what you think, and maybe some suggestions if you have any.