Chapter Thirty-One
Unknown Location
The sun was barely rising from behind the high mountains the next day when Shang Tsung entered a deep chamber. He first passed a small dungeon, where he heard some cries for help. He smirked to himself as he heard these cries from these helpless fools…they were practically music to his ears.
After passing the small dungeon, he walked about another hundred yards before entering a large room. Nearly every inch of the room was surrounded by lit candles. In the middle of room stood a long table and two chairs. The table itself was filled with large quantities of various types of food, all completely fresh.
Near the back of the room was a throne. In the throne sat a female figure. Just by looking at her tall, muscular physique and four arms, it was obvious that she was a Shokan. Her eyes, completely red, stared at the sorcerer as he entered the room.
Shang Tsung nodded to her before speaking. "The Emperor wanted me to inform you that we are in the third day of round three of The Blood Tournament. He also said to not worry… you're time will come, Sheeva."
The female Shokan, Sheeva, slightly narrowed her eyes at the sorcerer. "Shao Kahn should know that I am growing quite impatient. I've been thirsting for a fight since this whole thing began."
"We are aware of that," Shang Tsung mentioned. "He wanted to wait for the right moment to place you in the tournament. My prediction… possibly round five, when we are more than halfway through the tournament."
Sheeva looked up a bit. "To think I volunteered for this because of Goro's… unfortunate demise. All because Shao Kahn wanted an easier way to retain the medallion."
"Do not forget that he is offering you the medallion when you win… it won't be just his you know."
"I'm aware of that!" Sheeva called out. "But you and I both know that there is a possibility that he would turn against any of us to retain the medallion. With it's power, why would he just give it up?"
Shang Tsung nodded as he agreed with her. "That is true."
A moment of silence past between the two. During that time, Sheeva stood up, her seven foot frame towering over the sorcerer's. "Don't you have a tournament to attend to?"
Shang Tsung turned his back to her and slowly began walking out of the room. As he did, a sadistic grin came over his face. "Yes… as a matter of fact, I do…"
Indoor Arena
In the ring, both Cammy and Kilik stood in the middle looking at each other as the viewers looked on. On the sidelines, their friends watched over, wondering who would be the victor after the match between them. Both were quick and strong fighters so the results were pretty much unpredictable. Both of them knew each other only by the fact that they were both of Raiden and Rose's chosen ones staying in the cave.
Cammy got into her fighting stance, prepared for the match. "Good luck," she said.
Kilik nodded. "Same to you," he replied. He saw that Cammy didn't have any weapons on her, so he proceeded to put his staff away.
Cammy saw the gesture and couldn't help but smirk. "What's wrong with using your staff? Don't want to use it because I'm a girl?" She smiled during the second sentence, deciding to be a bit playful… a good way to distract him.
"Eh…" Kilik managed to say. "Do you want me to?"
"Only if you feel more comfortable using it."
"Well… if you say so." With that, Kilik raised his staff and got into his own fighting stance.
The match was soon called to begin. Immediately, the two of them covered the distance between themselves. Cammy dodged Kilik's staff as she attempted to land some punches and kicks on him, which he managed to block with his arms and staff.
This went on for some time until Cammy came up with an idea to throw him off. Quickly, she jumped on his shoulders from behind and wrapped her legs around his neck. She then flipped back, taking him with her and sent him over her, flying a few feet away before landing.
Kilik then got himself back on his feet. Cammy saw that he was ready to continue the match.
"Cannon Drill!" she called out as he ran towards them. She then let herself fall back, her body still going towards him, and spun herself around a handful of times. She managed to connect the move and knock Kilik off his feet, sending him crashing in to the ground.
Kilik was only on the ground for a moment before rolling back once and getting back on his feet again. He then looked around to find Cammy, but realized that he wasn't anywhere in sight.
Cammy was actually behind him and saw him just beginning to turn around when she decided her next move. She quickly crouched down, stood on her hands, and swung both legs around, tripping Kilik for the third time since the match began.
Damn, she's fast! Kilik thought after crash landing. He turned on his back just in time to see Cammy beginning to let herself fall down, elbow out and ready for the next blow. Quickly, Kilik took both hands and blocked the move. He then pushed her back up, the force making her stumble a few feet. This gave Kilik enough time to grab his staff and get back on his feet.
He then began swinging and twirling his staff at Cammy, who was almost caught by surprise with his speed. The staff went in different directions and Cammy would just barely miss being hit with an exception of a few surprise kicks.
After a minute of this, Cammy quickly pulled herself back for a moment to recover. She then attempted another Cannon Drill. However, Kilik was able to see the move coming this time and he stepped aside to let her pass.
At this point, he received his opportunity to win this match.
"Sorry," he said to her. Quickly, his swung his staff sideways and managed to hit Cammy on the side of the head. It was just enough to render her unconscious as she stopped spinning and slid a few feet on the ground before coming to a halt.
After a moment, the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament stood up. "Winner: Kilik!"
Cammy's friends ran into the ring to check up on her. One of them, McCoy, quickly patted Kilik on the shoulder. "Congrats, mate. Don't worry about Cammy, she'll be fine." He then joined the others to check up on her.
Kilik frowned as he looked down at Cammy, now feeling bad that he made Cammy lose by knockout. He decided to talk to her later in the evening once she wakes up. With that, he walked out of the ring to meet up with Xianghua and Maxi.
"Great fight, Kilik!" exclaimed Xianghua. "She almost got you there."
"Thanks," Kilik answered with a smirk.
Maxi nudged his friend. "I must say though… that move she did when she sat on your shoulders… that was, dare I say… very interesting."
"You pervert!" Xianghua called out, nudging her older friend hard in the stomach.
"Oof!" Maxi huffed, surprised by the nudge.
Kilik couldn't help but laugh. "Let's get out of here," he suggested
The other two nodded in agreement and soon they were out of the arena.
Courtyard
"Guy Hinato!" Shang Tsung called out.
Upon hearing his name being called, Guy stepped into the ring and went towards the middle, tightening his brown gloves in the process. He looked up at Shang Tsung, who had a faint smirk on his face as he watched him enter the ring. Obviously, the sorcerer remembered Guy from their last encounter.
He only fought the monster Berserk four days ago. Since then, Guy stayed within the cave grounds as to not draw attention from whatever guards were there that morning, especially since meeting Outworld's Emperor Shao Kahn. The other day, Raiden once again scouted the palace Guy was in, but once again it was empty with no one in sight. It was obviously their way of keeping their true hiding place a secret. It was anyone's guess where the Emperor's official palace was at this point.
Guy stretched himself a bit, preparing for his match. As he did, Shang Tsung called out the name of his opponent. "Rose!"
Rose? Guy though, having an idea of who it may be. He turned his head slowly a few times before spotting Rose walking into the ring. Indeed it was who he thought it was. For a second though, he almost didn't recognize her. Her normally wild hair was now smoothed out and fell over his shoulders. She also wore a purple tank top, a black skirt, black stockings, and purple high-heeled boots. Wrapped around her neck was her long yellow scarf.
"Rose?" Guy asked confused.
Rose lowered her voice enough so that only Guy has able to hear her. "It was Raiden's idea. This attire is actually a disguise, just in case anything goes down. The rest… well…"
Guy nodded to her, immediately understanding her main reason for entering the tournament. It was to gain a better chance for anyone in the cave to retrieve the medallion through this tournament. It made perfect sense now. However, he was now wondering why Rose and Raiden failed to mention to anyone in the cave that they too have entered the tournament.
In his mind, the Bushin Ninja shrugged the thought off. He then got into his fighting stance, as did Rose.
"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.
In an instant, Rose held on to one end of her scarf quickly lashed out the other end towards Guy, who immediately jumped high over the fabric. He launched himself forward before falling forward diagonally, his right foot extended out towards Rose in an attempt to kick her. However, Rose saw the move coming and quickly side stepped out of the way. As she did, she lashed out her scarf once again.
"Soul Spark!" she called out as a light purple projectile shot out of the scarf. The projectile hit Guy square in the back, sending him on his knees for a moment. He then took a quick, deep breath before getting himself back up on his feet and turned to face Rose.
Guy then dashed forward before stopping two feet from Rose. He then made one full spin and as he did, he extended one arm out in an attempt to punch Rose. Once again, Rose avoided the attack by blocking it with both arms in front of her.
From there, Guy threw some more punches and kicks as Rose tried to defend herself. When she found an opening, she did the same, forcing Guy on defense for another while. He then pulled back before jumping forward again, extending one leg out and spun himself around rapidly.
"Bushin Senpuu Kyaku!" he called out. The move managed to hit Rose a few times before she was knocked back a few feet. She then landed on the ground on her side as Guy landed on both of his feet safely.
After recovering from the move, Rose got herself back on her feet and the two again covered the distance between them and fought hand to hand for a bit, both switching between offense and defense, though Guy was mostly on offense.
This lasted for some time before Rose decided to perform what she called her 'specialty.' She quickly side stepped from one of Guy's kicks and managed to get behind him. She then grabbed his shoulders and performed a handstand. Once she was completely straight, soul energy shot out and completely surrounded Guy's head. Guy was completely frozen where he stood, having no other choice but to receive the powerful blow.
Rose kept this move up for some time before finally releasing him. The move had rendered Guy unconscious a couple of seconds before, having to completely lose all his energy. He fell on his back with a thud as Rose stood a couple of feet away.
Shang Tsung stood up afterwards. "Winner: Rose!"
The viewers clapped as Rose went up to Guy to check to see that he was all right. As this was going on, the standing sorcerer looked down at the Bushin Ninja with no emotion on his face.
A disappointment indeed, he thought. I had expected him to go quite far in the tournament.
Outdoor Arena
A match had just ended and the viewers and fighters awaited their turn as the winner walked out of the ring. His opponent, rendered unconscious, was taken out of the ring by his friends. Soon things seemed settled and the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament stood up.
"The next match shall begin!" It waited a moment before announcing the first of the two opponents of the next match. "Nightwolf!"
Nightwolf stepped into the ring, checking that his two tomahawks were in place around each side of his waist. He got himself to the middle of the ring, then awaited for the announcement of his opponent.
"Jin Kazama!"
Nightwolf recognized the name instantly as the young man stepped into the ring. His fighting attire consisted of a zipped-up blue jacket with gray sleeves, black t-shirt underneath it, and yellow designs in shape of fire. He also wore matching pants, red sneakers, and red and white fighting gloves. The hood of the jacket was draped over his head with only a few strands of black hair seen hanging over his face.
As Jin approached the middle of the ring, a dark energy came over Nightwolf. He had felt it numerous times since coming to Outworld, but this one was strong. He then looked over at Jin and realized where the energy source was coming from.
Jin stopped in his tracks and tightened his fighting gloves. "I know you are a good person or else you wouldn't be in the cave," Nightwolf said to him. "However, I sense a strong, dark energy within you."
Jin looked up at him, realizing that the older man had sensed his devil gene, a part of him that was waiting to release itself. He sighed at the thought. "It's a long story," he said before getting into a fighting stance. Nightwolf nodded to him and got into his own stance.
"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.
Immediately, the two of them covered the space between them and began their match, starting with hand to hand. They would both switch between offense and defense every few seconds.
Nightwolf then pulled himself back to give himself a bit of distance. He then summoned a green energy that shaped itself into a bow and arrow. He held it up, then shot the arrow at Jin. Jin immediately stepped out of the way, feeling the arrow whiz just passed him.
This gave Nightwolf the chance to perform his next move. He raised his right hand up quickly above his head. Quickly, a strike of lightning landed just next to Jin. The force of the lightning was enough to knock Jin off his feet. Once he was on the ground, Nightwolf ran over to him. He then raised his foot in an attempt to stomp him, but Jin saw this in time. He rolled away from Nightwolf who stopped himself once Jin was out of the foot's path. Jin then rolled up and got back on his feet.
Nightwolf leaned himself then slid forward quickly, leaving green energy trailing behind him. Jin sidestepped from the move and as Nightwolf passed him, he quickly extended his arm out and his clenched fist managed to connect on his opponent's back. Caught by surprise, Nightwolf fell on his knees from the blow, then rolled forward a couple of times before stopping.
Jin gave Nightwolf time to get himself back on his feet. Once the shaman did, he turned to face the younger fighter. They then ran towards each other again and fought hand to hand once again. Nightwolf quickled blocked a punch from Jin, then followed up with a low kick to the knees, but Jin sidestepped, then attempted to jab an elbow. However, Nightwolf was able to block the move.
This went on for another minute before Jin was able to completely get on the offense, leaving Nightwolf on defense. Soon, Jin was able to break through Nightwolf's blocks and was able to land various punches and kicks on him for a bit. He soon ended it with a double round house kick that was powerful enough to send Nightwolf flying right out of the ring.
"Winner: Jin Kazama!" the Shadow Priest called out.
Jin took a deep breath upon hearing his name. He was thankful that his dark energy didn't attempt to seep out, at least this time around. He walked over to Nightwolf who was just sitting up from where he landed outside of the ring. When he was close enough, Jin placed a hand out to Nightwolf. Nightwolf saw the gesture. He took his hand and pulled himself back up on his feet.
"You are a strong fighter," said Nightwolf. "But your dark side seems to be holding you back. Perhaps I can help you suppress it."
Jin shook his head. "Thank you for the kind offer… but I'd rather deal with this matter on my own." The young man took the hood of his jacket, which had fallen off during the match, and pulled it over his head. Afterward, he stepped over the ropes and made his way out of the arena. Nightwolf left as well not long after.
Early Evening, Underground Lair
Nina Williams barely missed being kicked as the foot went right past her torso. Following it, a fist came quickly towards her, which she barely sidestepped from. A couple of more punches and kicks came to her, which she managed to block.
She then found an opening and jumped up, doing a somersault and a kick at the same time. Her opponent, the old man Song, stepped back to avoid being hit by the kick. Nina finished her somersault, then did a normal back flip to leave some room between her and Song. Afterward, she got in a fighting stance as did Song.
Both opponents stood where they were and eyed each other. They waited for the other to make the next move as the viewers watching the tournament watched, wondering what was going to happen next.
Nina made the decision to make the next move after a minute past. She ran a couple of feet towards Song before jumping up in the air and aimed her foot at him. Song quickly sidestepped in order to avoid a blow from the kick. He took that moment to use an open palm and jab Nina right at the base of the neck. This caused her to lose her balance in the air and she ended up stumbling on her knees. She held on to the back of her neck as the pain began to set in.
Song lifted a leg and kicked Nina on her back, forcing her to fall further, now completely lying on the ground. She turned on her back, only to be met by a kick to the stomach and the blond woman nearly had the wind knocked out of her. Song did it a second time, forcing her to exhale quickly and cough a couple of times.
The old man attempted this move a third time, but Nina managed to grab her foot, even when still trying to catch her breath. She used her strength to push the old man back, forcing him to fall back. Once he did land, Song quickly rolled back, then got back on her feet. He got himself in a fighting stance and waited for Nina to get back on her own feet.
For an old fossil, he's fast, Nina admitted bitterly. She considered him lucky… since firearms weren't allowed in this tournament so if she had her gun…
The two fighters ran to each other again and fought hand to hand for another minute. Then, to Nina's surprise, Song put both hands out and shot out not one, but two fireballs. Both fireballs hit Nina, sending her flying back a few feet before landing on the ground. The force of the double projectiles had rendered her unconscious and she landed on the ground as though she was a rag doll.
The Shadow Priest hosting the tournament stood up. "Winner: Song!"
The audience clapped as Song left the ring, smirking at the fact that he received yet another victory. This tournament just keeps getting better and better by the minute.
Unknown Area
Sitting at a desk in her sleeping quarters, Ivy Valentine was surrounded by a handful of heavy books as she browsed through a blue book. A fast reader, she collected information from the book with great interest.
The reason for this was so that Ivy mainly was able to learn more about Outworld in her mission to get closer to Chishio No Me. Perhaps if she learned more about this world, she may be able to find more information on the artifact.
Yet, it just would seem easier for her to ask Shao Kahn himself about it. However, he was the type of man who would feel defied if any sort of question like that was asked. She has asked a couple of questions to him before, but he seemed to not be insulted by it. Even so, this sort of question was not once she was going to ask. It was too much of a risk.
She read some interesting things about Outworld, some of it dating back millions of years ago. She did notice that there was a brief mention of someone who ruled Outworld right before Shao Kahn did. However, it seemed to be a piece of history long forgotten, though Ivy had the feeling that someone out there knew more about this particular time. However, that wasn't important right now.
Amongst books about Outworld, there were also books about different inter-realm artifacts. Ivy had browsed through those books as well in hopes of any information about Chishio No Me, but once again it was to no avail.
They're quite good about keep this sort of information under wraps, the Keisei native thought to herself.
It was then that she heard the door to her room open. Ivy turned her head to see Tanya come in, carrying a heavy stack of books in her arms. Tanya seemed to struggle a bit as she tried to walk over to the desk. When she was a few feet away, Tanya ended up tripping over one book and fell forward. She lost grip of all the books and they slid around in different directions.
"Ah, I was beginning to wonder where you were," Ivy said to her. "You may leave those books where you placed them."
Tanya growled in her mind as she stood back on her feet. Whether she wins this tournament or not, I'm so killing this bitch when this is over…
"I will say," Ivy continued. "You are a very loyal pup and I'm glad Shao Kahn has you working for me."
"What about that new girl, Anna?" Tanya asked bitterly.
Ivy wagged a finger at her. "Watch you temper dear. And besides, Anna has such pretty nails. Why would I make her ruin such a beautiful feature." She was kidding when she said that and almost laughed upon seeing the pissed-off look on Tanya's face. Ivy continued. "She's actually off duty for the night and has already returned to the main palace."
Tanya only stood there, not saying anything as she whipped the sweat that developed previously off her forehead. Ivy saw the tired look on her face. Perhaps Tanya had enough for one day.
Ivy shifted her eyes and saw a bottle a reach away. She smirked as she reached for the bottle, grabbed it by the neck, and pulled it over to Tanya. "Sake?"
Tanya was a bit surprised by the offer since Ivy hasn't really offered anything good since she came here. None the less, Tanya took the offer as she grabbed the bottle, opened it, and took a few swigs. Ivy was a pain, but maybe she wasn't as bad as she plays out to be. After all, she couldn't remember the last time anyone has actually offered her anything.
Wastelands, Far From The Tournament Grounds
Broken statues and dead trees were the only things seen for miles around. The dark purple sky was slowly being covered but darker clouds as the full moon peaked through them. The only noise to be heard was the whispering winds that filled the air.
This was where the demon Akuma trained. Everyday since his arrival, Akuma would continue his training using the dead trees as target practice. Without ever stopping, he used these trees to shoot out his projectiles and perform various other martial arts on them.
In truth, he actually didn't care about the tournament. He only accepted the offer to be part of the tournament in order to see if anyone was as strong he was. Perhaps he may bump into Scorpion again, who he had not seen since that one moment back in Earthrealm. He lost track of him when he ended up here. From there, he wandered aimlessly for a challenge and ended up at the tournament by accident.
Even if he won, even if he did get the so-called 'prize,' it was nothing to him. Fighting was truly the only thing that meant to him and not even the most powerful artifact was of any use. He might as well destroy it the moment he receives it after he wins.
As Akuma continued training, three male Shokans came by, all young and seem to be teenagers. It was unknown why they were there, but it was of no matter. The three of them saw Akuma train and couldn't help but laugh.
"Look at that," the first said. "He must think that he's going to win the tournament!"
"Yeah, training is for losers," a second replied.
Akuma turned to the three then. The three Shokan laughed even more. The third one spoke. "What are you going to do? Beat us up?"
Before they even knew it, Akuma had thrown a few powerful punches and kicks, followed by a fiery Hadouken. All three shrieked and fell before their life was completely taken from them. Their broken bodies fell to the ground as though they were nothing but rag dolls.
Fools, the sadistic demon thought. Even if I did let them live, they would never know the true meaning of the fight. They were nothing but a waste anyway.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, the demon continued his endless training as though the previous event never happened.