Chapter Forty-Nine
The Outworld Emperor Shao Kahn sat at his throne in the quiet room as the morning sun began to rise from behind the mountains. All was quiet in the room, which was much to the Emperor's likings.
The last twelve hours have been going quite good for Shao Kahn. For one thing, Shang Tsung was able to successfully capture the demon Akuma, one of the few tournament participants he needed. On the bonus side, he managed to have two spies captured later that night. He had asked the two who they were working for out of curiosity, but when the two didn't answer him, he knew that something was up. He planned to keep the two until they either fess up or die.
There are just a few more that I need in my grasps, Shao Kahn thought as he scanned his red eyes around the quiet room.
Indeed there were a few more people he needed… whether it was recruiting or capturing. He still needed to recruit a few more fighters, including the powerful Heihachi Mishima and the Bushin fighter Guy (both processes seemed to be going much slower than the others).
As for those needed to be captured, there was the ninja spectre Scorpion. He, along with Akuma, have proven to be the most powerful in the tournament. Of everyone there, they had the most likely chance of making it to the final round. With either of them winning, it would mean that they would definitely receive the prize - Chishio No Me… an act which can't be allowed.
Besides, Shao Kahn had other plans for them, specifically for the end of the tournament. The two have such power that, once Shao Kahn can retain the medallion, he could use it to steal their power and have it for himself… a plan that can play a good part in his much bigger plans.
The other that needed to be captured was the traitor Ermac. However, when Ogre had attacked him and Paul a few days ago, the Fighting God managed to get Paul out of the way (he went to later kill him where he left him, but his body was missing when he arrived). He and Ermac fought for a while, eventually leading to a cliff.
Though Ogre witnessed Ermac falling off the cliff, Shao Kahn wasn't going to rule out his death just yet. Ermac was known to have the ability to fly so there was a chance that the enigma was still alive and in hiding somewhere. He sent out some guards to find him, knowing that it may be a while before Ermac is spotted again.
Aside from all of that, everything else has been going according to plan. Though today was the last day of Round Five, there will still be plenty of time to get everything moving.
As Shao Kahn continued with his thoughts, he heard knocking at the entrance of his throne room. "Enter!" he called out as he straightened himself up in his throne.
The door opened before the sorcerer Quan Chi walked into the room. He closed the door behind him before making his way towards where Shao Kahn sat. Once he was a few feet away, he bowed to him (reluctantly).
A small smirk came over Shao Kahn's lips. "Good, I was going to send one of my guards out for you. But first… what brings you here?"
Quan Chi straightened himself out a bit so that his head was facing the Emperor. "The guards had finished with the count of how many fighters we will have left in the tournament. Once today's events are over, there will be twenty fighters left… much more than we bargained for."
Shao Kahn rubbed his chin a bit. "Seems that we had underestimated the number of fighters who will still be around by this point. We should've had at least eight participants by Round Six."
"It was expected with the extra amount of fighters who came to the tournament. Should we expand the number of rounds?" Quan Chi suggested.
A thought came to the Emperor. "I have a better idea. I will have a talk with Sheeva later this evening. Perhaps we can set up a night tournament to see who is worthy of staying in the main tournament. Of course, we'll need a few fighters to be left out of the plan so that the tournament will go on as scheduled… so aside from Sheeva, Ivy, and Viper, we should have another five participants to stay out of this. The chosen fighters shall fight Sheeva tomorrow night. Any of them who lose will not move on to the tournament. As for the remaining fighters, they will fight in the Courtyard and Underground Lair for the remainder of the tournament."
"And what if a fighter does indeed beat Sheeva?"
"…then they will have the privilege to move on to Round Six."
"As you wish," Quan Chi said nodding. "We will go on with that plan after the tournament tonight. The chosen fighters will receive their notices in the morning."
"Good," Shao Kahn said. "And while you're here, I have an assignment for you."
Quan Chi stood there in silence, awaiting his orders.
"I have been in quite a good mood for the last few hours," Shao Kahn said. "Once again, you've done well with bringing our new recruit Sodom here. He has proven quite loyal as of now. And for these, I believe this particular assignment will be much to your delight."
Shao Kahn then stood up from his throne, his large form towering over the smaller sorcerer. The Emperor swung his blood red cape behind him a bit before proceeding. "Your assignment… bring the spectre Scorpion here alive."
A sadistic grin came over Quan Chi's face. "Much to my delight indeed. I'll be on my way out as soon as possible."
"And you better not fail," Shao Kahn reminded him. "If you do, I will make sure that your head will be well displayed on a pole for all to see."
"Don't worry," Quan Chi said. "I don't intend to fail this assignment."
An Hour From The Tournament Grounds, West
Overnight, Ashrah, Sub-Zero, and Matrik had a discussion by the campfire. During that meeting, they made a decision. When the sun began to rise for the day, that will be the time when the three of them take their leave. A few nights ago, Ashrah announced to the two that she had possibly found Noob and Sektor's current hideout where a few caves were, located an hour away to the west.
Last night, Ashrah found out which cave they were in after seeing Sektor walking out of one of them. Now that she was sure of their location, they could now continue with their mission to rescue Smoke. With the three of them out of the tournament and with the last day of Round Five being today, it would give them the opportunity to make their move more easily.
After meeting up on the cave grounds, the three of them journeyed to the location. Just arriving not too long ago, the three of them looked over from a hill, facing an area that had a few caves around.
"So which cave was it that Sektor came out of?" asked Sub-Zero.
"The second one closest to us on the left," Ashrah said as she pointed to that particular entrance.
"Should we head out now?" asked Matrik as she spotted the cave.
Ashrah nodded. "There's no harm in that up to this point. Just be careful."
The three of them began to make their way down the hill, going slow so that they didn't slip on the rocks along the way. As they did, Ashrah began thinking to herself. Sometimes, to her, it was hard to believe that she had even managed to escape the Netherealm. A former member of the Brotherhood of Shadow, her life was once consumed with darkness and death, as she was mainly a messenger for the clan. One would think that someone like her would never leave the forsaken realm.
To think that it all started with a question…
Months Before…
Since becoming a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow, Ashrah mainly went on missions for the sorcerers who ran the clan. One of them was Quan Chi. The missions that were usually involved were retrieving sacred items, playing messenger, and any other task that didn't require a lot of skills.
One day, a new task came up. Quan Chi called upon Ashrah and two other women by the name of Ayame and Dahlia.
Quan-Chi stood in front of the three women. "I have an assignment for you, one that is… quite different than the norm." He lingered a pause in the air before continuing. "We had recently discovered the location of the oni spy who has been watching our activities for the past few weeks. He is located at the Barren Gorges east from here, a two-day journey. Your task is to bring me his head. You will receive a great reward upon your return. That is all."
After a short, uncomfortable pause, Ashrah spoke. "Master Quan Chi, are you sure that we are able to take on this task? We are skilled, yes, but not in this particular area and I'm certain that there are others more suitable for this."
Quan Chi stared at her for a moment, which made Ashrah feel a bit more uncomfortable. He then shifted his eyes over at the other two women. "The leader himself specified that you three should take on the task. If you feel you are not qualified to accomplish this task however, I will see that the three of you will be… well taken care of…"
Dahlia spoke up then. "Ignore Ashrah, master. She is as loyal as we are and we are honored to take on this task."
"Good," Quan Chi said with a single nod. "Now take you leave."
Soon enough, the three demon sisters were off. It was two days later that they succeeded in decapitating the oni spy's head, placing it in a black bag. Soon enough, they were off again, heading back to base.
Halfway back, however, a mysterious figure in red approached them with a scroll in hand. It gave the scroll to Ayame before leaving. She read the letter, a surprised look coming over her face before handing the scroll over to Dahlia. Dahlia read over the letter and had the same look on her face afterward.
Ashrah placed a hand out, expecting the scroll to be passed to her as well. She then noticed Ayame and Dahlia staring at each other for a moment… and before she knew it, they ambushed her. Though surprised, Ashrah was still able to hold her own despite their deadly attacks. It was easier for her to kill Dahlia first as she stabbed her through the chest.
It took a longer time to fight Ayame. At one point, Ayame managed to knock Ashrah to the ground, landing next to a very large boulder. Ashrah then looked at the sword she was using and realized that it had broken in half.
She looked around, desperate for anything at this point. It was at that moment that a small white light slightly glowed from behind the rock Ashrah quickly crawled over to the light after tripping Ayame to the ground. She was surprised to see a Kriss sword there, which was slightly planted to the ground. Knowing that this sword would be her only hope of survival, she quickly grabbed the hilt and, when Ayame was close enough, stabbed her through the chest. A demon-like scream was heard from Ayame before she collapsed to the ground dead.
Almost immediately after Ayame collapsed, a small group of white lights came out of her and moved itself towards the sword that Ashrah held. The lights then went into the sword before the sword itself glowed brighter. Then, the white light briefly went over Ashrah's body before fading.
Ashrah raised an eyebrow, having felt a small sensation that she couldn't describe. However, she couldn't worry about it at the moment, though she was thankful to have found this sword at a good time.
The scroll that was given to Ayame had been dropped to the ground and Ashrah picked it up. Upon reading the content, she became horrified by what she had read…
By Orders of Quan Chi and Noob Saibot;
Bring back the head of the Demon Messenger Ashrah.
She is suspected of treason and treachery and had questioned orders to a superior.
Afterwards, Ashrah found her hand holding the scroll turning into a fist. The paper crumbled into her hand before it was dropped to the ground.
"They'll pay with their lives…" Ashrah vowed.
Ashrah sighed to herself quietly as she continued going down the hill with Sub-Zero and Matrik. She thought about the Kriss that she once held in her hands. Reading from an ancient text later on, she learned that this sword allowed demons like herself to purify themselves of sins whenever the blade struck down an impure foe. The more powerful the demons, the more her soul would be purified.
Only a few weeks ago did she fight Noob Saibot, who was currently working on regrouping the Brotherhood of Shadow after the fall of Shinnok by using Smoke's nano-technology to create an army of cyborgs. She had thought that she killed him as her body was brought here in Outworld. However, it turned out that he survived and began using her Kriss to collect the sins of those he killed, therefore making the sword do the opposite of what it's done for her.
She just hoped that, if she encountered Noob, that he wouldn't take out that now-cursed sword.
"Ashrah?" a voice suddenly cut in. Upon hearing the voice, Ashrah shook her head a little. It had been Sub-Zero who said her name, but it was Matrik who spoke next. "Shall we go in?" she asked.
Ashrah looked ahead then and realized that they were a few yards away from the entrance of the cave. The last thing she had remembered before falling back into her daydream was walking down the hill, which seemed only seconds ago.
The demon huntress managed to nod then as she looked at her two allies. "Yes… let's go in and rescue Smoke."
With that, the three of them began head in with Sub-Zero leading the way.
Dungeons
Nina Williams wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time she woke up. Upon opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was blur, just like any person would after losing consciousness. Though she still felt heaviness in her eyelids, she forced herself to blink a few times so that she could get her vision to clear up.
Once Nina was able to see clearly, she began scanning the area she was in. The room was dark with the walls and the floor she was lying on made of stoned. Just in front of her was a heavy door with a small window on it that contained bars. In the distance, she could hear the slow, rhythmic sounds of dripping water.
There was no doubt in her mind that she was in the cell that was located somewhere in the Emperor's fortress.
"H… how did I… get here…" she uttered as she slowly forced herself to sit up. As Nina sat up, she looked up towards the ceiling and noticed three objects that hung from there… a thick rope and two chains, each one containing a metal handcuff. Nina felt a slightly bad feeling coming over her, but she tried her best to ignore it, hoping that what could happen to her doesn't happen at all.
Soon, Nina managed to fully sit up and she leaned herself against the stoned wall. She took a deep breath before looking down at herself. Her black pants, black boots, and red shirt were a bit dirty, but other than that, they were fine. She then reached over to her blonde hair and was a bit surprised to feel that her ponytail was no longer there. Her hair was fallen freely just passed her shoulder blades.
Then, her blue eyes suddenly widened as she began to wonder about Raven. However, before she was able to think further, the door to her cell opened, the clicking sound echoing all throughout the area. Nina looked to her left where the door was. A raven-haired woman clad in yellow came in, followed by three guards who stood behind her.
The woman looked down at Nina. "I was beginning to wonder when you would awaken," she said to her. "The Emperor wanted me to personally welcome you to your… quarters."
The woman pushed back a lock her hair over her shoulder, noting that Nina only stared at her in silence. "Ah, not much of a talker I see. Well, when you do talk, you should remember this… you are to refer to me as… Mistress Tanya. Can you say that?"
Again, Nina said nothing. Tanya's eyes narrowed before she turned her head to the guards behind her. "Chain her!" she yelled out.
Quickly, the three guards ambushed Nina. As she was pulled to her feet, she began to struggle with them, at one point elbowing one in the nose. Even now with only two guards, they were able to successfully chain Nina's wrists to the two chains that hung off the ceiling, leaving her toes to barely touch the ground.
"Are you comfortable?" Tanya asked with a sadistic grin.
Once again, Nina said nothing. However, because of this, Tanya raised a hand and quickly slapped her across the face, forcing her head to snap sideways. "You are to speak when questioned!" Tanya yelled.
Tanya then used the hand she slapped Nina with and pushed it back so that Nina was facing her. "Now to business." Her smile slowly became more playful. "Normally, I would take the pleasure in torturing you right about now. However, a… better idea came into play. Let's just say that I have a nice surprise for you."
Quickly, Tanya snapped her fingers once. A shadow gleamed on the small source of light that came into the room. As the shadow got closer to the room, Nina was able to hear a distant sound of a pair of high-heels.
It… can't be… Nina suddenly thought without really thinking.
Soon, the person came into the room and Nina was able to see them in full-view. Her eyes widened in shock upon noting the red dress, the short brown hair, and the blue eyes that matched her own.
"Anna…" Nina growled.
"I was wondering when you were going to speak," Tanya said. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot… don't worry about your friend Raven… he's being well taken care of as well." She then turned to the guards. "Let's take our leave."
Tanya and the guards soon left the room, closing the door behind them (but not locking it).
A maniacal grin came over Anna's face. "I was beginning to wonder when we would meet again, sister!"
Nina shuddered at the last word. For some reason now, it felt like poison to her. "I see that you joined up with the Emperor. Smooth move I must say."
Anna placed a hand on her cheek while the other hand stayed behind her back. "Isn't it such a clever idea? It happened by accident really. Right after our last encounter, I bumped into a couple of guys who were meeting up with a servant of Shao Kahn. He knew of our rivalry… and he offered me a place here. They promised that when the time came that they would give me the chance to settle our score."
"What happened with the old way?" Nina asked her. "Why take this route?"
"For one thing, the old way was getting old," Anna replied. "And besides… I haven't been this happy… I haven't been this happy since before father died."
"This isn't the way to go!" Nina called out. "And I bet they're using you! There's a chance that they won't keep you here-"
"SHUT UP!" Anna screamed out in rage. She then quickly pulled out the hand behind her back, revealing the black whip that she had wrapped around her fingers. She then whipped it in the air, making a snapping sound that echoed throughout the cell.
Nina's face was calm, but her heart was racing underneath her ribcage upon seeing the whip, now knowing Anna's intentions.
"They've poisoned you," Nina said calmly. "And... I can't believe I'm about to say this, but... you're better than this."
Anna eyed her older sister. "They made me realize that just killing you was too easy. For so long I've been in your shadow. For so long, I've had to watch my back from you because, despite losing your memories, you wanted me dead. You've even gone as far as blaming me for father's death. As much as I want to kill you now, that's going to have to wait for a while. But right now, I'm going to have fun with you."
Anna then raised her whip and Nina had no choice but to receive the agonizing blows.
Indoor Arena
"Ivy Valentine!" the Shadow Priest hosting the tournament called out.
Upon hearing her name, Ivy stepped over the ropes and began walking towards the middle of the ring. With the number of fighters dwindling, she noted that the matches are now taking place in just the afternoon and, starting today, were taking place here, the Courtyard, and in the evening, the Underground Lair. Even though the amount of matches now were a smaller number, the fights themselves seem to be a bit longer. The tournament was now filled with stronger fighters.
Soon, Ivy reached the middle. It wasn't long before her opponent was announced. "Jade!"
Ivy spotted the green-clad woman coming into the ring. Ivy smirked to herself a bit as she noted the staff in her hands. Good…I was hoping for a weapon-to-weapon fight for this round.
Jade soon reached the middle, standing a couple of feet away. Ivy then noted the two braids in Jade's hair, the upper portions rolled up to make a double bun.
"Pigtails? Very cute," Ivy said to her with a hint of sarcasm.
Jade ignored her as she got herself into a fighting stance, her staff out in front of her. Ivy got herself into her own stance as well.
"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.
Ivy wasted no time as she covered the space between her and Jade, lashing her sword out in the process. Jade immediately blocked the sword attack. From there, their weapons continued to collide with one another. Both of them noted the other's strength and determination.
A minute went by before Jade pulled back from Ivy. Quickly, Jade pulled out her razorang, which was strapped to her side, before throwing it at Ivy. Ivy quickly blocked the object with her sword, causing it to go off course. It then turned itself back ground and headed back towards Jade, who caught it in her hand.
"Nice trick," Ivy said to her before they resumed their weapon fight. This only lasted a few seconds before Jade aimed her staff at the side of Ivy's head and began swinging. Ivy saw this in time and ducked under it. Jade then quickly aimed the staff low and attempted to trip her opponent. She succeeded as Ivy fell to the ground with an 'oof.'
Quickly looking up afterward, Ivy kicked her foot up and managed to knock Jade's staff out of her hands, sending it flying above her head. Ivy then rolled back before getting herself back on her feet. Then, before Jade could catch her staff, Ivy let her sword uncoil into pieces before whipping it forward. The sword wrapped itself around Jade, a surprised look coming over her face. Ivy then pulled her sword back, sending Jade in multiple spins. When the spinning stopped, Jade suddenly felt dizzy.
Taking the chance, Ivy jumped forward, intending to inflict more attacks on her. Jade shook her head a bit so that she was able to focus more before taking the risk to perform a few back flips, stumbling a bit afterward.
Before Ivy was able to reach her this time, Jade lifted one leg in front of her and quickly glided towards Ivy, leaving behind a trail of green shadows. She succeed in connecting the move, sending Ivy flying back a few feet before landing on the ground.
Ivy attempted to get up afterward. As she did, Jade suddenly began throwing a group of throwing stars at Ivy from out of nowhere, all of them glowing a green color. Ivy's eyes widened a bit in surprised, but regained her composure as she rolled to the side, letting the stars pass her. It ended up flying out of the ring, forcing the viewers in it's path to duck down quickly (only one star managed to prick into one viewer's shoulder).
Ivy stood herself up after and ran towards Jade. When she was a few feet away, Ivy tucked herself and rolled forward in order to get to Jade faster. After the roll, Ivy jumped up as she performed an uppercut to Jade's chin, causing the Edenian to stumble back towards the edge of the ring.
Now's the time, Ivy thought. She got a little closer to Jade before performing a spinning roundhouse, standing on one foot. The move managed to connect and before Jade knew it, she flew right out of the ring.
Ivy smirked with satisfaction as the Shadow Priest announced that she was the winner of the match. Another round won, Ivy thought. She then walked out of the ring just as Jade was getting back on her feet, despite her defeat.
An Hour From The Tournament Grounds, West
Since none of them knew where to go, Ashrah, Sub-Zero, and Matrik ended up sticking together during their search. Throughout the whole walk, the three of them stayed silent while keeping their eye out for anything unusual.
They weren't sure how long it was before they reached the end of the path they were walking on, which seemed to lead into a large room. The three of them stopped near the entrance for a moment. From there, they were able to hear a humming sound.
Sub-Zero, who had been leading the whole time, looked over at Ashrah, who looked at him as well and nodded once. Sub-Zero nodded once as well before turning his head to Matrik. Matrik nodded as well before Sub-Zero turned his head forward. Then, he stepped into the room and walked in with Ashrah and Matrik following.
They looked around the room they were in now. Here and there were various types of machines, half of them looking as though they were still being built. One machine that was quite notable was the large machine in the back that was connected to two gray pods with sliding glass doors.
"I recognize some of the machines," mentioned Matrik. "Sektor obviously brought over some of his Tekunin technology."
While still looking around, Sub-Zero spoke. "What do they do?"
"The one being built to the right seems to be meant to change a human into a cyborg," Matrik replied. "The machine nearby seems to be meant for cloning."
"Sounds as though they have a plan up their sleeve," Sub-Zero said.
"What of this machine?" Ashrah asked pointing to the machine with the two pods.
Matrik seemed to stare at that particular machine for a while. Then slowly, she slightly tilted her head sideways. "I'm not sure. This type of machine was never made on the Tekunin base. Must've been something Sektor has been working on for a while-"
She was then suddenly cut off by a voice. "Glad you admire our work."
The three of them quickly turned around only to see Sektor, Noob, and Smoke standing a few feet away. Smoke himself was ready to fight while the other two stood in their place calmly.
"So it seems that you've found us again," said Sektor, staring at the three. "How clever."
Noob folded his arms in front of him as he stared at the white-clad woman. "I'm glad that you can join us, Ashrah. I was beginning to wonder when we would meet again."
Ashrah quickly got herself into a fighting stance. "And this time, I'll make sure that you die, demon!"
A maniacal laugh escaped Noob before he unfolded his arms. "Didn't you say that during our last encounter those few weeks ago? Speaking of… it's too bad that I didn't bring your precious Kriss along for this battle… the very thought of seeping out your purified energy would've truly amused me."
Letting out a battle cry then, Ashrah charged towards Noob, ready to fight. Seconds later, Matrik and Sub-Zero followed with Matrik fighting Sektor, and Sub-Zero fighting Smoke.
The triple battle went on for some time. Sub-Zero mainly found himself on defense against Smoke all the while trying to find a way to free him from Noob's control. Ashrah and Noob exchanged various attacks, the both of them even. And for the second time since coming to Outworld, Matrik fought Sektor, fighting just like they had in the tournament. Only this time, no rules held them back.
As the fight continued, both Noob and Sektor managed to get the upper hand in their fights. They both performed a hard kick at the same time, sending Ashrah and Matrik flying back before crashing into each other. Afterward, they stumbled on to the ground.
Ashrah and Matrik were just beginning to get up then when they saw a sight they least expected. Noob jumped towards Sektor, quickly fusing with him, a black shadow going over them before disappearing. Ashrah's eyes widened up seeing the fused form of Sektor and Noob, the new body surrounded by a black aura with the Brotherhood of Shadow logo on it's back, was mostly colored black and red, and had glowing blue eyes like Noob's.
"Surprised, aren't we?" Noob-Sektor said as they looked at Ashrah and Matrik, the both of them finally standing up.
"Just because you know how to fuse now," began Matrik, raising her tone. "That doesn't mean that we're going to back out of this fight."
"Good," Noob-Sektor replied with a single nod. "At least we won't be fighting cowards."
Matrik jumped in fight in an attempt to fight the new machine. She was just raising her fist when Noob-Sektor quickly teleported behind her, landing a few punches on her before performing a powerful air kick that knocked her back. The blows left a few dents on Matrik and she felt some electric surges throughout her body.
Ashrah decided to take her chance then as she shot out a white projectile. Noob-Sektor just turned around and were hit by the projectile. However, the projectile disintegrated upon impact, not seeming to leave any damage on the machine.
"What?!" Ashrah cried out.
"Imbecile," Noob-Sektor said before teleporting towards Ashrah. Though Ashrah attempted to fight back, she was quickly overpowered by the new machine as it landed a few punches on her before letting out it's own projectile filled with electricity and was of a gray and red color. The projectile ended up knocking Ashrah a few yards away and she ended up crashing into one of the unfinished machines, sending it to pieces before slipping to the ground.
By then, Matrik was back on her feet. Ashrah watched helplessly as her ally was once again beaten and knocked to the floor with a powerful punch. Even with the pain in her body, Ashrah attempted to get herself back up slowly. As she did, a grim thought came over her.
How much more could we fight? she thought.
Shao Kahn's Fortress
"Enter!" Shao Kahn's booming voice was heard from behind the door.
Not too long ago, Ivy Valentine returned to the fortress. Before she had left this morning, the Emperor had asked to see her upon her return from the tournament grounds. In her mind, Ivy hoped that this little meeting goes quick. She was looking forward to a nice hot bath in her sleeping quarters and she hoped that Tanya had made the preparations beforehand.
Upon hearing Shao Kahn's call, Ivy opened the large door and entered the throne room, closing the door behind her after. She then made her way towards Shao Kahn's throne at the back of the room, stopping just a few feet away.
"You wanted to see me?" Ivy asked him.
Shao Kahn straightened himself in his throne. "I just wanted to congratulate you for your win earlier today."
Ivy raised an eyebrow. "You knew about my win?"
"Do not forget, we have a portal in the main palace that leads to here. I assume you haven't used it."
"I prefer to walk," Ivy replied.
Shao Kahn nodded. "Anyway, one of my Shadow Priests informed me just a few hours ago of your win."
"I see," Ivy said, understanding. "Now I assume that you have an assignment for me?"
After asking, Shao Kahn stood himself up. Ivy noted his tall form as he slowly walked down the steps before standing a couple of feet from her. "I did… however, I came to realize that all the assignments I have as of now are being taken care of as I speak."
A small smirk played on Ivy's face. "Not to sound too cocky but… if I was given the chance, these assignments would've been done by now."
Shao Kahn stared at her. "Indeed… do not get yourself too cocky. I've been an Emperor of Outworld for centuries and if there's one thing I know, it's that the conceited always meet an unfortunate end… a good example would be the recent demise of one of my guards, Adon… he believed himself to be a Muay Thai God. He thought he was better than anyone else. Now he's lies at the old fortress with a spike embedded in his torso."
The Emperor then lifted up a hand and placed his fingers underneath Ivy's chin. Ivy tilted her head a bit, though she was already staring up at him.
"Besides," Shao Kahn proceeded. "One with beauty such as yours is too good for these kind of assignments."
Ivy felt flattered by his words. However, she tried not to show her reaction in her face, even when her eyes scanned over his muscular form.
Soon, Shao Kahn moved his hand away. "You may take your leave. If any new assignments come up, I'll be sure to have you informed."
Ivy nodded. "Yes my lord," she said before turning around and walking out of the throne room.
Once the door closed, Shao Kahn walked over to his throne and sat down, resting a closed fist on the side of his head.
Indeed she possesses a rare beauty, he thought to himself. Perhaps she may be fit for my personal plan…that is, if she doesn't plan to commit treason.
Unknown Area
Throughout the morning and most of the afternoon, Quan Chi kept himself just outside of an area that was surrounded by large boulders and a river of lava. The area itself would be scorching hot for a mere mortal, but it was nothing to the sorcerer. If he could withstand the heat from the Netherrealm, then this was nothing to him.
This was the are where his nemesis Scorpion was located. Ever since Scorpion showed up here in Outworld, Quan Chi has been keeping tabs on him. He first sent some guards out to find his location, obviously not going to be located anywhere amongst the tournament grounds.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that one of the guards finally found Scorpion at this location. As much as Quan Chi wanted to go out after the ninja spectre afterward, he ended up having to wait. Shao Kahn wanted Scorpion here so that he didn't get the chance to win the tournament, the same reason for Akuma being at the fortress now. Whatever the case, Quan Chi had hoped to be the one to retrieve the spectre for the Emperor… and now he has that chance.
Hiding behind one of the large boulders, Quan Chi waited for Scorpion to show up. He knew that he had a tournament today and was going to most definitely win his match. Once Scorpion was in the Emperor's grasps, he would be omitted from the tournament.
While he waited, Quan Chi smirked to himself. It only felt like yesterday when the whole thing with Scorpion began…
In a dark dungeon, Scorpion and Sub-Zero fought with ferocity with neither of them backing down anytime soon. They both seemed quite even in their personal match.
Amongst the darkness, Quan Chi watched the two fight, neither one of them being aware of his presence. A smirk spread over his lips in satisfaction upon the realization that it was he who lead these two 'ninjas' to this fate.
Years ago, Quan Chi made a deal with Sub-Zero's clan, the Lin Kuei. If a member of the clan would retrieve an ancient amulet for him, then he would destroy the members of Scorpion's clan, the Shirai Ryu. The Lin Kuei had sent Sub-Zero's older brother, also known as Sub-Zero, to retrieve the medallion. Unknown to them, Quan Chi had sent Scorpion out as well just incase Sub-Zero failed in his mission.
The two opposites ended up reaching the amulet at the same time, neither one of them knowing Quan Chi's motives. The two fought, but it was Sub-Zero who killed Scorpion in cold blood. Since Sub-Zero succeeded, Quan Chi had Scorpion's clan, along with his wife and son, murdered.
Years later, Quan Chi would learn of the younger Sub-Zero. Planning to get him out of the way, he manipulated Scorpion by telling him that it was Sub-Zero who had killed his family and clan, a statement that triggered more rage in Scorpion than ever...
Now here the two were in battle. Quan Chi continued to watch the two. Eventually though, it was Scorpion who got the upper hand, eventually knocking Sub-Zero to the floor. Once he knew that he had the win, Scorpion stood over his enemy, looking down at him with a raised fist.
"By defeating you Sub-Zero, I have avenged the death of my family and clan," Scorpion said to him. "Now my soul can finally rest."
Sub-Zero seemed to look up at the spectre in a bit of surprise. Yes, his older brother had killed him all those years ago…however, somehow, Scorpion believed that it was he who had killed his familyand the Shirai Ryu.
Beginning to lose consciousness, Sub-Zero reached his hand up a bit in order to keep himself awake. "You're soul will never rest, Scorpion," he replied. "The Lin Kuei…may have been responsible for your murder… but your family's true killer still remains free…"
Scorpion seemed to look at Sub-Zero with a bit of confusion. "If you are not the murderer… thenwhois?"
From that moment, Quan Chi decided to reveal himself. At this point, to him, the climax of this entertainment has been reached, and now it was time for the grand finale.
"I am the one you seek!" Quan Chi called out as he stepped out of the shadows. Scorpion quickly turned to him. Upon seeing the sorcerer, the confused look in Scorpion's eyes turned into a surprised one.
The sorcerer then proceeded. "To defeat my nemesis Sub-Zero… I needed the power of a spectre." The smirk on Quan Chi's face slowly turned into a maniacal grin as he raised a hand in front of them. "You've done my bidding well, Scorpion. But now I must return you to the Netherrealm."
A high-pitched humming noise was heard as a white light began to surround the spectre. Scorpion realized that his body was slowly beginning to fade as he looked at his hands. He then looked over at the pale sorcerer with rage in his eyes… then began to run towards him.
"NEVER!" Scorpion shouted out as he hurled himself towards Quan Chi. Quan Chi himself had only managed to back away a couple of feet and was just about to turn around to run, but before he could, a bright white light hit his eyes…
Quan-Chi showed no expression on his face as he thought about the last portion of what happened to him that night. He remembered realizing, once the light was gone, that he was now in the fifth plain of the Netherrealm… the only plain in the realm that weakened him.
He wasn't sure how long Scorpion tortured him down there before he finally made his escape to here. The day of his escape was the day he found Chishio No Me…
Now here he was waiting for Scorpion to show up. Quan Chi knew that once Scorpion was here, he would notice his presence, even while out of sight.
Soon enough, Quan Chi heard a pair of footsteps nearby. Ah, he has finally arrived, he thought. The sorcerer decided to wait then, just to see what could happen.
He was still able to hear the footsteps for a little while longer before they stopped. A pause lingered in the air for a few seconds before a deep voice broke the silence. "Quan Chi!" Scorpion called out. "I know you are hiding! Show yourself!"
Good, Quan Chi thought as he stood up. Just what I was expecting.
Briefly, Quan Chi peaked over and saw Scorpion standing a few yards away with his back turned to him. Slowly, Quan Chi stepped away from the boulder and walked a couple of feet towards the spectre while he was still looking around.
"I've always wondered," Quan Chi called out. Upon hearing his voice, Scorpion turned around to face him. Once he got his attention, Quan Chi continued. "If you indeed win The Blood Tournament, what exactly do you plan to do with the medallion?"
Scorpion ignored him as he disappeared with a burst of flames. Quan Chi rolled his eyes boringly and let out a sarcastic sigh, knowing what Scorpion was about to do. Quan Chi took a few steps to the side just as Scorpion passed him from above with a foot out.
After landing, Scorpion attempted to shoot out a spear, a move in which Quan Chi jumped out of the way from before hurling himself towards the spectre before he had the chance to retract the rope that connected to the spear.
Using the rope of the spear then, Scorpion threw the object upward and around so that it wrapped itself around Quan Chi's neck. Before Scorpion attempted to cut off his air supply, Quan Chi used his hands, which was surrounded by a green aura, to break himself free from the rope, letting the pieces drop to the ground afterward.
Scorpion then hurled himself at Quan Chi and the two of them exchanged various attacks for a moment. Then, Quan Chi managed to break through one of Scorpion's blocks and landed a few punches to the face and chest before kicking him back, sending the spectre flying back a few yards before landing on the ground.
Quan Chi casually walked towards Scorpion as he started getting up then. "Not so easy now, is it?" Quan Chi asked him with a sadistic laugh. "You were such a tough guy back in the Netherrealm, but guess what? We're not in the Netherrealm anymore! Because of this, my powers and strength are multiplied tenfold!"
Scorpion soon got himself on his feet. Quickly, he drew out one of his swords. The blade of this particular sword would burst into flames with even the slightest movement Scorpion made.
A green aura surrounded Quan Chi's hands again, bring them low to the ground before raising them up again. "Take this!" he called out.
The ground below rumbled a bit before a few areas of soil broke into pieces. Amongst those pieces, a handful of skeletons emerged from the ground wielding swords and shields. Once they were completely out of the ground, the holes that would've contained their eyes glowed a blood red. They then let out a demonic scream before jumping towards Scorpion.
To Scorpion, the skeletons would prove to be useless for Quan Chi as he easily took each of them down with just one or two hits each. However, the skeletons only proved to be a distraction as Quan Chi prepared himself for another attack.
Once Scorpion was able to take down all of the skeletons, he looked over at Quan Chi, who possessed a sadistic grin on his face with both hands reared back and his eyes glowing a bright red.
Quan Chi briefly chanted a spell before shooting his hands out. A gust of green mist shot out from his palms in such a speed that Scorpion never had the time to dodge of the way. The green mist hit his feet before quickly ascending towards his head. As the mists made their climb, they eventually turned into countless green skulls. Soon, the skulls had completely surrounded Scorpion from head to toe.
"Now to finish this!" Quan Chi called out as he waved his hands, still surrounded by a green aura, in the air. For a moment, he chanted a spell, which was said in a completely different language. His voice started out in a whisper, but the volume of his voice slowly went higher and higher and was soon screaming.
With a loud cry, Quan Chi extended his arms out quickly with both palms opened. Upon performing that maneuver, the green skulls burst as one explosion, the loud sound echoing throughout the area. Having received massive impact from the explosion, Scorpion's body fell to the ground, having already been rendered unconscious.
Soon, all was silent. Once he was sure that the spectre wasn't going to get up, Quan Chi walked over to Scorpion's unconscious form. Now standing over him, the sorcerer placed his closed fists on his hips before letting out a maniacal laugh.
"It's about damn time!" Quan Chi called out. "I don't know what the Emperor plans for you…but whatever it will be, it better equal to all of the torture I had to endure from you!"
Quan Chi's maniacal laugh continued on, echoing all throughout the area.
Courtyard
While watching an ongoing match, Julia Chang sighed to herself, feeling a bit bored. Not only that, but it was the fact that she was staring at the very ring that she lost in during the last round…
The very ring where she had her vicious fight with Mika.
Since that day, Julia and Mika had passed each other a couple of times on the cave grounds, but that was all… no exchange of words and no exchange of glances. Though Julia wished it never happened this way, it was best that it was the way it is now.
As she thought through this, she felt a sudden light nudge on her left side. Julia shook her head a little before turning to that particular direction, now looking at Ken Masters.
"Thinking about your last match?" Ken asked her.
Julia smirked as she shrugged a little. "Not really." She then looked up towards the sky, noting that the sun was getting close to setting behind the mountains. "Oh wow, it's almost evening already?"
"Not too many matches went by," said another voice to her right. Julia turned her head in that direction as Ryu continued. "So, time is going a bit fast now."
"That explains everything," Julia said.
The three of them fell silent then, putting their focus on the match that was going on in front of them. The two fighters in the ring fought extremely well. Eventually though, one of them ended up being knocked out of the ring, ending the match between them.
A few minutes went by before things were settled in the ring with the two previous fighters cleared out. By now, the run was halfway behind the mountains. The guards that were posted on each corner of the squared ring took a moment to light up the large torches that were located on each corner of the ring. With that, the flames brought light to the ring. They then took a moment to light the smaller torches that stood on either side of Shang Tsung's throne.
Once the torches were lit, Shang Tsung stood up. "And now, warriors, we have reached the last match of the evening!"
Ken reached his fist over to nudge Ryu's arm. "Great. Then that means you'll be fighting next."
Shang Tsung confirmed this by announcing the first of the two opponents for the match. "Ryu!"
Ryu smirked a little to Ken. "Indeed."
"Good luck," Julia said to him. Ryu nodded to her in reply before getting himself in the ring. When he was out of earshot, Julia turned to Ken. "You believe he'll win this one, right?"
"Well," Ken replied. "The competition seems to be getting tougher. But this is Ryu, we're talking about. He can take on anyone. I think he'll win this one."
Soon, Ryu reached the middle of the ring before stretching himself out a bit. Shang Tsung let a pause linger in the air before he announced Ryu's opponent…
"Jin Kazama!"
Ken and Julia's mouth dropped opened upon hear that name. They looked over at Ryu, who had a surprised look in his eyes. They then watched as Jin stepped over the ropes on the opposite side of them and began heading to where Ryu was standing.
"I've seen those two spar before," mentioned Ken. "They're really good fighters…" Noting that he was sitting in the front anyway, Ken slowly sat himself down on the floor.
Julia looked down at Ken and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you sitting down now?" she asked with curiosity.
"Let's face it," Ken answered with a grin. "This match is going to take a while."
Julia shrugged a little. "Well… why not?" she said as she sat down as well.
In the ring, Jin reached the middle and stood a couple of feet away from Ryu. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to think.
After a few seconds, Jin spoke. "Seems that we were destined to have a match in the tournament."
"Mm hm," Ryu agreed with a nod. He then placed a fist out in front of him. "Well, good luck… and let's show everyone a good fight."
Jin nodded as he lifted his own arm to tap his fist with Ryu's. "Agreed. And good luck as well." Then, the both of them got into their fighting stances.
"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.
For a moment, the two of them stood where they were as they both waited for the other to make the first move. Soon enough, Jin decided to make the first move as he slightly glided his right foot forward before jumped forward with a fist in the air. He then quickly extended his arm to perform a punch, but Ryu managed to sidestep in time, letting the fist barely pass him. Jin then tried another punch, but Ryu managed to duck under as well before attempting his own punch in which Jin blocked with his forearm.
The move exchanged continued on for a couple of more minutes, leaving the viewers trying to guess who would eventually get the upper hand in the match. Then, Jin managed to finally connect a punch to Ryu's face, his closed hand briefly surrounded by red electricity as Ryu stumbled back a couple of feet.
Once he regained his composure, Ryu jumped forward and, while in the air, extended his leg out before spinning his body in rapid circles.
"Hurricane kick!" Ryu called out. However, he ended up missing as Jin let himself drop to the ground in order to avoid the attack. Once Ryu passed him completely, he landed back on the ground with both feet.
As Ryu turned around, Jin quickly rolled himself forward before quickly getting back up to perform an uppercut, a maneuver in which Ryu quickly blocked. From there, the two of them exchanged more moves, but for a shorter time than previous.
When given the chance, Ryu quickly lifted up a leg high in the air before quickly bringing it down. He managed to connect the move on top of Jin's head, forcing him to fall forward to the floor. After landing, Jin quickly rolled sideways, ending up a couple of feet away from Ryu before getting back on his feet.
Ryu hurled himself towards Jin, but ended up being met with a double punch, in which he blocked, followed by an upward kick, the force of it sending him stumbling a couple of feet back. Then, as Jin attempted to cover the space between them, Ryu quickly ducked down and performed a sweep kick. He succeeded as he knocked Jin off his feet, sending him falling to the ground.
Quickly, Ryu got himself back on his feet just as Jin rolled himself back, getting himself on his feet as well. Then, the both of them got into a fighting stance, prepared for the other's attack. Almost immediately after they got into their stances, they heard the viewers around them clapping.
Indeed they were impressing them.
The two then circled each other, preparing themselves for what could happen next. Once again, Jin decided to make the first move as he jumped forward. He then performed an air kick in which Ryu blocked. He then followed up with a jumping roundhouse, this time connecting the move, forcing Ryu to stumble back again.
Once Ryu got his balance back, Jin hurled forward again. However, Ryu was prepared this time as he closed his right hand into a fist. When Jin was close enough, Ryu jumped up.
"Shoryuken!" Ryu called out as he performed his powerful uppercut. The uppercut connected under Jin's chin, causing him to fly up a few feet in the air before crashing to the floor. Following that, Ryu landed safely back on the ground.
As Jin slowly got himself back up, Ryu decided to take the opportunity to collect energy in his hands, preparing himself to shoot out his Shinkuu Hadouken.
The younger fighter was soon back on his feet. He looked over at Ryu and saw that he was getting ready to shoot out a projectile. In retaliation, Jin bent his knees and extended his closed fists out. Then, he began collecting red electricity into his fists.
However, almost just as soon as Jin started doing this, Ryu let out a battle cry before shooting his hands out. A very large light blue projectile shot out, giving off such a power that it would definitely seem to have enough power to leave a lot of damage. For that moment, everyone shielded their eyes from the light (and those in the projectile's path had moved out of the way).
Soon, the projectile dispersed, letting everyone be able to see the ring now. Ryu scanned the area in front of him… and was very surprised to not see Jin there at all!
"What!" Ryu called out in surprise as his eyes widened.
At that moment, he heard a battle cry to his right. Ryu turned his head and was now seeing Jin running after him from just a couple of feet away with both hands surrounded by red electricity. Somehow, Jin was able to dodge from the projectile and was able to get himself closer to Ryu.
Ryu's projectile ended up being his own distraction!
Before he reached Ryu, Jin punched the air, letting out a powerful red bolt shoot out. The bolt landed on Ryu's chest and it hit him with such a force that Ryu suddenly found himself flying backwards for countless yards before landing on the ground.
The older fighter shook his head a little after landing. He was just about to get up to continue fighting, but upon seeing the view in front of him, he stopped… as he was now sitting outside the ring.
Jin stood in the ring as he looked at Ryu with a surprised expression as Shang Tsung stood up from his throne. "Winner: Jin Kazama! This ends the Courtyard matches for the night!"
The viewers briefly clapped before dispersing for the night. This gave Ken and Julia the chance to make their way towards Ryu more easily.
"Are you all right?" Julia asked him.
Ryu shook his head a little as though he was mentally brushing himself off. "Um, yeah… I'll be fine."
"Damn man," Ken began to say. "Jin sure kicked your-"
"We get the idea," Julia quickly cut in.
As they talked, Jin had managed to make his way over to Ryu along with Cammy who was watching the match as well. Ryu, Ken, and Julia noticed the pair just as they were stepping out of the ring.
"Congratulations on your win," said Ken as he looked at Jin.
"Thanks," Jin replied with a nod. He then looked down at Ryu before placing a hand out. "I believe we did give a good match for the viewers."
Ryu smirked as he grabbed Jin's hand before pulling himself up. "I think we definitely did."
"You did good throughout this whole tournament," Jin mentioned to Ryu. "I think it would've been great if we had this match during the final round, but that was never meant to be."
"Yeah," Ryu agreed. Then, his dark eyes seemed to light up a bit. "Say, let's head to the palace. I'm sure they're serving dinner by now and I'm starting to get hungry."
"I was going to bring up the same idea," Jin said.
Upon hearing that, Ken slapping his hand over his face, noting that the both of them had a similar appetite. "Not you too!" he said to Jin.
Cammy and Julia laughed at that as they understood what Ken meant. Soon, the five of them began leaving the area and starting heading to the palace for dinner.
An Hour From The Tournament Grounds, West
Time seemed to go by slow as Ashrah and Matrik continued fighting the currently-fused Noob and Sektor. Even while the two were being beaten down to the ground, even when they had little energy left, they both still kept going, not willing to give up.
At one point, Noob and Sektor managed to grab a hold of Matrik by her dreadlocks, spinning her in the air a couple of times before letting go. Ashrah was beginning to get herself back on her own feet but was quickly knocked back by a flying Matrik, the both of them flying a few feet before crashing to the floor.
The two of them slowly struggled to get themselves back up as Noob-Sektor approached them. Once the two reached them, they pulled out a black version of Sektor's pulse blade, having only one intention now.
"The time has come to meet your demise," the machine said in a demonic voice. It laid it's eyes on Ashrah before walking closer to her. Once over her, it raised the blade with one hand. "I'll see you in hell!"
Knowing that she was about to be killed any second, Ashrah raised one of her hands up weakly and it was surrounded by a white glow. She was just about to shoot out a projectile when a sudden black and blue blur came passed and rammed itself right into Noob-Sektor, forcing it to fly a few feet away before landing on the ground. Once the blur cleared, Ashrah was able to see who just rescued them.
"Sub-Zero!" Ashrah called out.
Sub-Zero was staring at Noob-Sektor, but still spoke to Ashrah and Matrik. "You two all right?"
Matrik nodded a bit after getting herself to sit up. "What happened to your fight with Smoke?"
"I managed to deactivate him so our mission has been completed," Sub-Zero replied. "We just need to get him back to the tournament grounds."
Ashrah looked over passed him and saw the gray cyborg on the floor and not moving. "We may have completed our task, but now we have a bigger problem."
"I see that," Sub-Zero said.
As Noob-Sektor sat itself up, a black shadow went over them and Noob managed to defuse himself from Sektor, now the both of them being back in their regular form. Afterwards, Sektor quickly whirled his head towards Noob. He had expected Noob to defuse so soon.
Noob noted Sektor's stare. "There is no more need for the fusion right now," he explained as they both stood up. "You take care of the huntress and the cyborg. They have been weakened anyway." He then looked over at Sub-Zero. "I'll take care of the ice ninja."
Accepting Noob's challenge, Sub-Zero got himself into his fighting stance. Noob followed afterwards just as Ashrah and Matrik finally got back on their feet. Sektor hurled himself towards the two, leaving the ice ninja and the wrath alone.
"We meet again, Sub-Zero," Noob said. "If I remember correctly, our last encounter was at the old hideout-"
"Enough talk and fight," Sub-Zero cut in bitterly.
"On the contrary," Noob began to say. "I think you should go back to a bit of… history for a moment."
Not caring for what Noob had to say, Sub-Zero launched himself at Noob and the two engaged in battle. They only exchanged a few punches before Noob got himself behind Sub-Zero to trip him, knocking the Lin Kuei Grandmaster to the floor.
"It would be of your best interest to listen in," Noob proceeded. "After all, it all concerns your brother."
Sub-Zero looked up at the dark wrath. Even with the mention of his deceased older brother, he showed no emotion. "What do you know about him?"
"Well… a few things," Noob replied. "As how he was the one who went on that mission to retrieve an amulet for Quan Chi. Being a long-time assassin with no mercy and that particular mission he went on, including the murder of Scorpion, tainted his soul. Perhaps he may had have the chance to atone for his sins… had he not been killed so soon afterward-"
Sub-Zero had managed to get himself back on his feet by this point. "Save it!" he growled. "Keep him out of this and let his soul rest!"
Noob suddenly let out a laugh that was both amused and maniacal. This lasted for a few seconds before continuing. "It's quite amusing that you should say that. And by the way…I've come to noticed that you have become much more stronger… ever since my soul has ascended into the Netherrealm. Oh, and in case you haven't figured it out by now…I AM your brother!"
The blank expression on Sub-Zero's face was now showing a bit of surprise, obviously trying to hold it back. "You lie."
"Why would I?" Noob said. "The only difference is that I've become a wrath, the future ruler of the Netherrealm! Your friend Smoke… it's too bad that he suffered the fate of turning into a cyborg while you went off to save your sorry hide! However, you have become much stronger. Maybe father Shing would have been proud of you and maybe I would have as well… if I was still human."
Upon hearing his father's true name, Sub-Zero was now convinced that the wrath standing before him was indeed his brother. With his soul tainted, he must've became a wrath as soon as he got to the forsaken realm, the ice ninja thought grimly.
However, before the conversation continued, Sub-Zero was suddenly hit by a flying Ashrah, who was thrown by Sektor, and the two went flying a few feet to the side before landing on the ground. This was quickly followed by Matrik, who ended up landing just next to them.
While he had the chance, Noob teleported away and went to one of the activated machines in the room. He only pressed a few buttons before the machine spoke;
"Attention: Self-destruction in ten minutes."
"Damn it!" Ashrah called out as she sat up after hearing the machine.
Matrik sat up as well and quickly scanned the room, seeing that both Noob and Sektor had already taken their escape. "We have to get out of here!" she highly suggested.
By then, Sub-Zero was already on his feet and he was just beginning to pick up the deactivated Smoke. Matrik managed to get herself on her feet and assisted Sub-Zero in carrying Smoke out. With Ashrah in the lead, the three of them made their escape.
By the time they were able to see the exit out of the cave, they felt a rumble beneath their feet and knew that the machine had self-destructed. Using whatever strength they had left, they raced out of the room and had just managed to get out as the fireball following them reached the exit. They stepped to the side, going a few yards away before dropping to the ground. After a few minutes the fireball ceased and all was silent aside from a few patches of fire near the entrance.
"We… made it…" Ashrah managed to say in between breaths.
"And we've completed our first task," Matrik said as she looked down at Smoke. She then looked over at Sub-Zero. "I saw you talking with Noob… what happened?"
"Huh…" Sub-Zero uttered a bit as he had dazed out for a moment. Not looking at Matrik, he replied. "It was nothing important."
"Just talking about how he's going to destroy you?" guessed Ashrah.
"…Yeah."
The three fell silent at that moment, deciding to take a moment to rest before they began their journey back to the cave grounds. As they did, Sub-Zero looked up towards the sky for a moment. The sun was just finishing up with setting for the night. There were indeed here for quite a while.
So… my brother returns as a wraith, he thought grimly. It's not just about Smoke or the Tekunin anymore…
Sub-Zero had succeeded in rescuing Smoke from Noob and Sektor's clutches with Ashrah and Matrik's help. There was still Sektor and the Tekunin to deal with, the whole reason he was here in Outworld to begin with. Now, knowing the truth about Noob Saibot, this has now become a more personal battle.
At that moment, Sub-Zero swore that, even if it killed him, that he would find a way to have his brother's soul finally rest.