Chapter Twenty-Nine
Forest
Today, round three of The Blood Tournament began. Especially for those fighting today, many of the warriors who were still in the tournament trained themselves in order to prepare for their future matches. As normal, all the fighters hoped to move on to round four in order to get closer to the grand prize - Chishio No Me, or better known as The Bloody Eye medallion.
It was around nine in the morning when Matrik decided to train herself in the middle of the forest, isolating herself from everyone else. Although Raiden and Rose had advised those staying in the cave to stay close to the cave grounds, the cyborg made the decision to come here alone anyway. Whenever she trained, she preferred the isolation.
At one point, Matrik thought about the tournament, wondering if she would actually emerge the victor. There were many strong warriors, that she can see, but in a way, she hoped to win in order to get her hands on the medallion. She figured that it would be a good way to not only free herself from the shackles of the technology that coursed through her body, but to get her memories back as well.
Even if she didn't receive the grand prize, the cyborg at least hoped that the artitfact does fall into the right hands. The last thing that was needed was for a greedy villain to dominate the realms with this kind of power.
Matrik then thought about the mission she was a part of along with the rest of those in the cave. For one thing, they were trying to crack down on the activities behind the tournament. A good question that came up at one point was... why would the Emperor of Outworld offer such a powerful artifact when he can have it for himself? There was obviously a catch to it, like a fine print that barely anyone notices and only caring about the main product.
The main plan about the medallion was to find out the story behind it and it's source. However, no one knew a thing about it, except those in possession of it, which was a big risk indeed. The best thing the group could do right now was to wait for more information to come to them. They would most likely find out something before the tournament was over.
Matrik spent about an hour of training before she decided to call it a day. She was just beginning to walk back when she heard a noise nearby... a pair of footsteps, she realized.
Getting herself hidden behind a tree just in case, Matrik began using her scanner to find their location. It didn't take long for her to spot two figures amongst the tree. One she realized right away was a male cyborg, but his armor was a smokey gray color.
He looks like he has the same technology as Sektor, she growled in her mind. It wouldn't surprise me if Sektor was actually here now with some new prototype...
The other he was with, however, gave her a bit of pause. He owasn't a cyborg, but the energy that was giving off in her readings showed that he wasn't exactly human either. It was more like he was one of the undead...
That was when she remembered a shadow figure from yesterday... perhaps this was the person she spotted that morning.
At the moment, however, Matrik realized that she was too far away to hear their current conversation. Worse, if she even tried to get too close right now, there was a good chance that the mysterious cyborg would spot her.
Eventually, the two of them began to walk away, moving deeper into the forest. Deciding to take the opportunity to figure out what they were up to, as well as discover where they were hiding, especially if there was a chance that Sektor was there, Matrik began to follow them, making sure to keep her distance...
Outdoor Arena
"Ken Masters!" the Shadow Priest called out.
Ken was quite surprised to hear his name called out so soon. He was going to participate in the very first match of round three.
He felt a light punch on his shoulder almost immediately after his name was called. He turned his head and saw his best friend Ryu, a small smirk appearing on his face. "Kōun."
"Arigatou," Ken replied giving Ryu a thumb's up. Afterward, he stepped over the rope, then made his way to the middle of the ring. He did a few punches in the air, preparing for his upcoming match.
Soon, his opponent was announced. "Sektor!"
Ken stopped what he was going and searched around for his opponent. It wasn't long before a red cyborg stepped into the ring and made his way towards Ken. He stopped just a few feet away from Ken and immediately got into his fighting stance. Ken followed after.
"Begin!"
Immediately, they covered the distance between then and began their match. They both delivered a kick at the same time and both legs collided. They both pulled back before Sektor delivered a punch, which Ken blocked. Ken saw an opening and attempted an uppercut, but Sektor saw it coming and blocked that as well.
They both threw a few more punches, kicks, and blocks before Sektor pulled back. His chest opened up and immediately a single missile came out. Ken was nearly caught by surprise, but he was able to find the time to get out of the way of the missile's path.
As the missile landed on the ground and exploded, Ken quickly shot both of his hands out, a light blue projectile shooting out from them. "Hadouken!" Ken called out as the projectile headed towards Sektor. However, Sektor saw it coming and he too dodged out of the way. Afterwards, the two fighters ran towards each other and began their hand to hand combat once again.
The two of them spent about a minute on both offense and defense. Suddenly, Sektor sank into the ground. This surprised Ken more than the missile.
"What the-" he began to say, but then he suddenly felt a punch behind his head and stumbled forward. Sektor had appeared from the sky and had delivered a kick. Thankfully, Ken didn't lose consciousness from that. He felt only dazed for a moment, but just as quickly he regained his composure.
Ken bent his knees down as Sektor quickly approached him. When he was close enough, Ken tightened his fist. He then pushed his fist above his head as he jumped up, hitting Sektor right under the chin.
"Shoryuken!" Ken called out. Sektor flew up before falling back hard on the ground. Ken spun himself in the air before falling back to the ground safely. However, Sektor managed to get himself back on his feet quickly, ready for more.
Ken ran over to Sektor and they fought more. However, Ken suddenly found himself on defense as he blocked a flurry of Sektor's punches and kicks, which seemed endless. Some time passed before Ken finally found an opening and he managed to kick Sektor hard enough so that there was a bit of space in between then.
This gave Sektor another opportunity. The compartment in his chest opened up and another missile came out. Ken was much more prepared this time and he quickly got out of the way. However, Sektor had shot out a missile following it and right into the path Ken stepped into. The missile landed a foot in front of Ken and exploded on impact. Ken flew a few feet back and landed on the back of his head.
Ken felt extremely dizzy from that and tried to get back up. To his dismay, he fell back and as he lost consciousness, the last words he heard were, "Winner: Sektor!"
Courtyard
In the middle of the ring, both Julia Chang and Yin Lee stood a few feet away from each other. They both have seen each other around in the cave, but never actually met until now. However, their first time meeting wasn't in a way that they hoped. In a few moments, they would face each other in a match to determine who would move on to round four.
Julia placed a hand out. "Good luck to you," she said.
Yin was a bit hesitant at first. Last time she shook hands with someone, her brother Yun tossed her to the ground. He had been joking around, but Yin could've sworn she lost the feeling in her arm for the rest of the day. Needless to say, she socked him with her other fist when the chance came.
Julia seemed honorable though. Either way, Yin was still cautious as she took Julia's hand and slightly shook it. When Julia pulled away, Yin smiled. "Good luck to you too."
The Arizona native nodded. With that, the two of them got into their fighting stance.
Shang Tsung, once again sitting at his throne, looked at both women and saw that they were ready. "Begin!" he called out.
For a few more seconds, neither girl moved. Finally, Yin quickly covered the distance between them and the match began. Finding herself on defense, Julia blocked as much of Yin's attacks as possible. Yin mostly threw open-palm strikes and followed them with a few kicks. She managed to hit Julia a couple of times, but the young woman would quickly recover.
Yin then threw a punch, which Julia ducked under. This gave Julia a chance to perform a sweep kick. She succeeded as the kick connected, knocking Yin to the ground, letting out an 'Oof!' in the process. After that, Yin quickly rolled back, then got herself back on her feet. Julia covered the distance between them and they continued fighting.
They both played on offense and defense. During that time, Yin's glove got caught on Julia's headband and when Yin pulled her hand back, Julia's headband went with it. Julia felt the breeze suddenly hit her forehead and it almost caught her by surprise for a moment there. She then noticed another punch coming and barely ducked under it.
After a couple of more punches, Yin pulled back a bit. She then brought out a fist and jumped forward, ducking down a bit. As she did, a wave of blue energy emerged quickly out of her extended arm, leaving a small trail behind before dispersing.
"Shuuraizan!" Yin called out as the move connected. Julia let out a small yelp as she suddenly found herself flying back a few feet before landing on her side. She felt the sudden pain hit her and she took a moment to recover before standing herself on her feet.
Once she saw that Julia was back on her feet, Yin ran over to her and they continued with their match. Julia performed a high kick, which Yin ducked under. Immediately after, Yin attempted a palm strike to Julia's abdomen. Julia saw the move coming and blocked the move before it connected.
During this time, Julia noticed the edge of the ring not too far from them. Now's my chance! she thought.
"Sorry," Julia said to Yin. Yin wasn't sure why she said that… until Julia delivered a kick to her stomach, a kick hard enough that it sent Yin stumbling back and right out of the ring. Once she stepped out of the ring, she fell down on her back.
Shang Tsung stood up once that happened. "Winner: Julia Chang!"
The audience clapped in unison. Julia felt good that she won, but upon seeing the disappointed look on Yin's face, she frowned. It was the only thing Julia hated about tournaments. As good as it felt to win, she always felt bad for those who were deserving to win as well.
Julia approached Yin and placed a hand out. "That was quite a challenge. Great match!"
Yin sighed to herself as she looked up at Julia. It was as she thought… she was an honorable person. Yin always strived to be the best. However, today proved that she really needed to train herself better not just by body, but also the mind. She wondered if Yun was laughing at her right now from the other side of the ring. She knew Yang was feeling bad for her and was possibly trying to smack Yun to his senses.
Then again, the thought of having gone farther in the tournament than both of her brothers brought a smirk to her face. If Yun ever tried to hold this tournament against her, at least Yin would be able to back it up.
Yin lifted her hand and took Julia's hand. Julia helped the young woman to her feet. "It was a good match," Yin said.
Julia smiled. "Let's get back to the cave. I'll make us both some tea."
Yin liked the sound of that. She was starting to feel the physical effects from the match. After talking with Yun and Yang, the two girls left the arena and headed back towards the cave.
Meanwhile, the group consisting of Kilik, Xianghua, Maxi, Hwang, and Mi-na stood on the sidelines as they watched a few more matches taking place in the Courtyard. Both Maxi and Hwang had a match today. Mi-na had hoped that at least Hwang would get to his match that morning, but by lunch time, she was beginning to feel her stomach rumble.
"I'm hungry," Mi-na announced out loud to no one in particular. However, all four of them heard her.
"I am too," said Xianghua.
Maxi sighed. "All right all right, let's make a deal. After this match, if neither Hwang or I get called in, you girls can go to the palace for lunch. However, if you do happen to miss our match, you'll be sorry."
"Not really," said Mi-na. "I have great confidence that Hwang will win." She patted Hwang's shoulder after the comment.
"You know," said Kilik. "I'm starting to feel a bit hungry too now that you mentioned it…"
"Not you too!" Maxi cried out. "Did any of you eat breakfast before coming here?"
"Yes!" all three called out at the same time.
"I did too," Hwang added.
Maxi sighed. "Fine then."
Soon, the match in front of them ended. Some blood ended up on the ground so the guards had to take a moment to clean the ring up before the tournament could proceed.
Once that was done, Shang Tsung stood up. "The next match shall begin!" He paused before the first fighter was announced. "Maxi!"
Maxi grinned at his friends. "There we go. After this, you three can get your lunch."
"Why thank you Maxi, you're so kind," said Mi-na sarcastically.
"Good luck," Xianghua said with a smile.
"Thanks, I won't be needing it though," Maxi replied, then winked at Xianghua before stepping into the ring. Xianghua was a bit surprised by the wink and she slightly felt her heart flutter a bit.
She then felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to face Kilik and upon seeing his face, her heart fluttered once again. "How much do you want to bet Maxi will fight another weird freak?"
Xianghua had dazed out for a moment and it took a moment for Kilik's question to reach her. She slightly shook her head before replying. "Hmmm, I call it a 50/50."
"Same here," Kilik replied before turning his head to the ring.
Once he did, Xianghua looked down at the ground and sighed. Why is choosing between those two so hard…
Once Maxi was in the middle of the ring, Shang Tsung announced his opponent. "Hwang Seong-gyeong!"
Mi-na, Xianghua, and Kilik turned their heads to Hwang, surprised to have heard his name being called for the same match Maxi was in. Hwang looked a bit surprise as well, but soon he quickly shrugged it off. "I guess I'm up."
"Good luck," said Mi-na. Xianghua and Kilik nodding, agreeing with her.
"Thanks," Hwang answered before stepping into the ring.
Without looking over at her, Kilik leaned his head towards Xianghua. "Looks like normal fight wins."
"Yeah," was all Xianghua said as she felt her cheek burn upon hearing Kilik's voice. She knew that they turned red and she hoped that no one noticed.
Soon, Maxi and Hwang found themselves face to face. Maxi couldn't help but smirk. "I'm just surprised as you are." He took out one of his nunchakus. "May the best win."
Hwang nodded as he took his sword out. "Good luck." With that, they both got into their fighting stance.
"Begin!"
For a moment, Maxi was thankful that his weapons were made to withstand attacks from weapons like Hwang's sword. They were definitely going to be useful right now. Not long after the thought, they began their match. They swung their weapons at each other, both of them avoiding the incoming attacks. Eventually, they found themselves mostly performing kick attacks and both combatants were still able to avoid them.
"Eat this!" Maxi called out as he performed a somersault. One foot was extended out and it hit Hwang right under his chin, forcing him to fly two feet up before landing back on the ground. Maxi landed back on his feet and waited as Hwang slowly got himself back on his feet.
Once Hwang was ready, they continued battling, their weapons continuously colliding against one another. At one point, Maxi attempted to trip Hwang, but Hwang saw the move coming and jumped over it. He then attempted to swing his sword down, but Maxi looked up just in time and blocked the move with his nunchaku.
After a few more moves, Hwang pulled back for a moment before collecting green energy into his sword. He then lifted his leg up and quickly did a forward split, swinging down his sword in the process. Maxi had blocked the move, but the move itself was powerful enough to knock him to the ground. It left him stunned for a moment, but upon seeing the sword swinging over him again, Maxi regained his senses back and quickly rolled out of the way.
Maxi got back on his feet and he and Hwang continued swinging their weapons at each other, adding in their own kicks whenever they got the chance.
Soon, Maxi was able to land a kick to Hwang's chest. Hwang keeled over in a bit of pain, which gave Maxi an opportunity. He too collected green energy in his nunchakus. He waited for Hwang to look up and when he did, Maxi lashed his nunchaku, smacking Hwang hard over the head. The force of the blow flew Hwang sideways and rendered him unconscious.
A moment passed before Shang Tsung stood up. "Winner: Maxi."
Maxi smirked, having won yet another match in this tournament. After his name was announced, Kilik, Xianghua, and Mina began to head into the ring.
"Nighty night," Maxi said looking down at Hwang. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."
"Maxi!" Xianghua called out as she heard that. Maxi looked at her a bit surprised to see her standing there with both hands on her hips and not looking too happy. Behind her, Kilik and Mi-na were checking up on Hwang.
Maxi grinned unsurely as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Eh, you know I'm kidding right? Heh heh… I just like to say that…"
Unknown Area
It was a few hours before the two mysterious figures reached what looked like another cave. The entire time, Matrik had kept her distance and, so far, it seemed to be working since it looked as though neither of them suspected her presence just yet. There were moments where she dared herself to get closer in hopes to catching whatever conversation they could possibly have.
However, neither of them have said a word since the moment she spotted them, even once she was close enough to hear them speak.
Once they reached their own cave, Matrik stayed where she was, deciding to leave some time between them entering the cave and before she made her move. Once she felt more comfortable, she moved from her hiding spot and went through the cave entrance.
For a while, she felt like she was walking through nothing more than a dark path, using her night vision to find her way. Soon, she reached a clearing and saw that the two figures were looking over a large piece of machinery towards the back of the cave. Seeing some crates nearby, Matrik moved herself so that she kept herself hidden just in case.
"So," the shadow figure spoke out loud. "This was the new tech Sektor had developed... the one that we'll be needing human test subjects for soon enough. With this, we will create more cyborgs with your nano-technology. With that, we will be able to rule the Netherrealm with an iron fist. And Sektor will be able to expand his Tekunin clan."
Hearing this plan didn't surprise Matrik. Sektor was always looking to advance the cyborg initiative. Also, it looked as though there was a reason the other cyborg was here after all. The shadow figure seemed to have his own plan as well. This explained their partnership.
That was when the lights in the room seemed to get brighter. As it does, a red cyborg entered the room. The shadow figure had heard him come in and he turned to him.
"Noob Saibot," the cyborg greeted.
Noob nodded. "Sektor. It seems that your match in the tournament today ended sooner for you."
"He was nothing but a weakling," Sektor replied about his opponent. "These matches seem to get easier with every round." It was then that he looked up at the machine in front of them. "When will you be hunting for a test subject?"
"Tonight," Noob answered. "Smoke and I will make our move then. We'll be searching for someone who is alone in the forests. We're sure that at least someone will be moronic enough to walk these Outworld woods alone."
Suddenly, Sektor lifted up a hand as though stopping him from
"What's wrong?" Noob asked him.
"... We're not alone."
Shit, Matrik grumbled in her mind.
Having no other choice, Matrik did the first thing that she could think of... outstretching her hand, a compartment opened up at the palm. Five small golden balls quickly flew out and managed to pass Noob and Sektor undetected. Matrik heard them cling on to the large machine that was meant for human test subjects. Once that was done, she made a run for it.
Noob and Sektor had just spotted Matrik right before an explosion rocked the cave and knocking them and Smoke off their feet.
"Dammit!" Noob called out as the three of them stood back up. "Let's go-"
Sektor suddenly put a hand out, stopping the wraith. "No... let her go."
Noob was confused by the request. "And here I thought you'd want her dead."
"I do," Sektor explained. "But believe me... she'll be back... we'll just bide our time until then."
Indoor Arena
At the same time, two projectiles collided with one another. Both were blue energies which, upon impact, collided and left behind a small trail before completely dispersing.
Once the energies cleared, the fighter looked at each other. Both Akuma and Baraka only grunted before charging towards each other and continued with their match hand to hand. Akuma was able to land a punch on Baraka's jaw, but Baraka recovered just as quickly and delivered a knee strike, which Akuma blocked. Akuma then followed with a high kick, which Baraka blocked before following it up with a uppercut, which Akuma blocked.
After another minute of going back and forth, Baraka pulled back slightly. Akuma stood his ground in his fighting stance, prepared for Baraka's next attack. Baraka quickly extended his blades out of each arm. Akuma didn't even flinch at the weapons as he volunteered to cover the distance between them. Once Akuma was close enough, Baraka began lashing out his blades at the red haired demon. At one point, Baraka left a gash on Akuma's arm, but it didn't affect the demon one bit.
Eventually, Akuma jumped up, placed one leg out, and spin himself around rapidly. The move hit Baraka in the face a couple of times before stumbling back, still keeping his feet on the ground.
However, the moment Akuma landed on his feet, he shot out another projectile. Rather than a blue energy from previous, this one was red. Baraka was still recovering from the last move and never saw the projectile coming as it hit him square in the chest. The force of it was enough to knock Baraka out of the ring.
Once that happened, the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament stood up. "Winner: Akuma!"
The audience clapped as the 'ten' symbol on his back glowed in a fiery red through his top gi. Baraka stood himself up. As much as he wanted to kill the demon right there, he didn't. He had the feeling that if he did, Shao Kahn would have his head. As Akuma left the ring, Baraka's blades glided back into his body, then he left the ring.
When both combatants disappeared, the Shadow Priest announced the fighter for the next match. "Siegfried Schtauffen!"
Silently, Siegfried stepped into the ring, his large sword read in both hands. He stepped to the middle of the ring, then swung his sword in the air a couple of times in preparation for his match.
A moment went by before his opponent was announced. "Astaroth!"
Siegfried stood where he was upon seeing his very large opponent, who seemed to appear from behind the Shadow Priest's throne. The audience looked on in silence, not even sure what to think of the large golem. With the silence amongst everyone in the arena, the only noise that was heard was the rhythmic beating of Astaroth's heart, which left an echo behind with each beat.
Astaroth looked down at Siegfried once he reached the middle of the ring. "It will rain blood today!" he said before getting into his fighting stance, his large axe in both hands.
Siegfried looked up at Astaroth as he got into his fighting stance. "… Let's do this…"
With that, the Shadow Priest knew they were ready. "Begin!"
Quickly, Astaroth charged after Siegfried, who was long prepared for his attacks. Astaroth swung his axe down, which Siegfried rolled out of the way from as the axe hit the ground, leaving a dent in the process. Siegfried got back on his feet as Astaroth swung his axe sideways this time. This time, the young man blocked the axe with his sword.
From their, they continuously swung their weapons at each other and they collided against one another. The sound of clashing steels were heard throughout the arena along with grunts from both opponent as they try to get themselves on complete offense. At one point, Siegfried ducked under the axe as it swung sideways. At nearly the same time, Siegfried performed the same maneuver with his sword, but he aimed at Astaroth's ankles. Astaroth saw this coming and he barely jumped over it. As he landed on his feet, the ground shook a bit under his heavy weight, surprising some of the viewers for a moment.
From there, they continued with their match as the weapons continued to collide with one another. This went on a bit longer before Astaroth pulled back. He lifted his axe in the air and swung it down as a trail of fire was left behind. He swung the weapon down with such speed and force that it nearly caught Siegfried by surprise. Siegfried barely got himself out of the way and the axe once again left another dent on the ground.
Astaroth lifted his axe off the ground and swung it at Siegfried again. He missed again as his smaller opponent dodged in the other direction. This time, Astaroth cut the rope that separated them from the viewers. Those who stood in front of the axe backed away a few feet quickly in surprise before Astaroth lifted the heavy weapon up again.
As he did, Siegfried swung his sword. Astaroth blocked the sword with his weapon and the two continued their battle. During that time, Siegfried could once again feel his right arm a bit and he quickly pulled back to briefly recover. He could feel the dizzy sensation swirling in his head and he felt as though he was going to black out at any second.
Not again! he cried out in his mind, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried to control himself.
Astaroth saw that he was distracted and he attempted to swing his axe at him once again. Siegfried was able to hear the whoosh that followed the axe's trail. He quickly opened his eyes and blocked the move with his sword once again. After blocking, Siegfried brought the sharp end of his sword to the ground, pulled back, then quickly swung the weapon upward. The weapon managed to hit Astaroth and it had such force that it actually sent the golem up in the air. As he was flying up, he went in a slight diagonal and by the time he started coming down, he was out of the ring and began heading down towards the viewers below him.
"Look out!" someone called out. The viewers in Astaroth's path cleared the way as quickly as possible. Luckily, everyone was out of the way as Astaroth plummeted to the ground, leaving a large dent on the floor. Not only had he been kicked out of the ring, but he was also knocked out as well from the impact.
"Winner: Siegfried!" the Shadow Priest called out a few seconds later.
Once he realized that he won the match, Siegfried was able to relax and was able to keep himself in control again. He was more confused than anything else. 'What is wrong with me?' he thought.
After another moment, he quickly left the arena.