Chapter Fifty-Five
The Next Day, One day before Round Seven
Early Evening…
Surrounded by countless mountains, a war was being fought between two opposing sides. Various forms of shouts and cries were heard all around as many battles between the warriors took place.
Standing on top of the mountain, Rose felt horrified by the sight. She was able to spot many of the chosen ones down below. Some of the chosen ones were killed and their very souls were taken before they could descend to the afterlife.
Rose looked up at the sky above. Some clouds were there, but the sky itself was a blood red. She knew that she had to help her chosen ones…however, when she tried to move, she felt completely paralyzed, being forced to do nothing more than to watch.
God help us… she begged in her mind.
After that thought, a ghostly figure in the forum of a demon flew up from the battle up to where Rose was standing. For a moment, it seemed to just float there and stare at her. Suddenly, it shot out towards her direction as though it was getting ready to possess her. Rose opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out…
Rose let out a loud gasp as she sat up from her bed, waking up from her nightmare. A bead of sweat poured down her face and she found herself trying to catch her breath. Some time passed before she ended up taking a big sigh and she sued the back of her hand to wipe off the bead of sweat from her brow.
It was just a nightmare… she thought to herself. But I wonder…
Since this tournament came up, this was only the second time that she had this nightmare. Unlike the first one, however, this one seemed more real to her. For days, she had been trying to get an answer to this event, but found nothing in her crystal ball. Was it just a normal dream rather than a premonition? Or was something in the atmosphere trying to block this prediction from her?
As these thoughts played in her mind, Rose began to realize how dry her throat was. After taking a little more breathers, she decided to get herself up to get some water. Getting herself out of bed, she realized that her body was shaking a bit. Ignoring this, she got on her feet and began heading out of her room.
Rose reached the curtain to her room and pulled it to the side. She only took one step before she suddenly bumped into someone. Since she was still a bit shaken from her dream, she unintentionally let out a short shriek in surprise. She knew that the person she bumped into was one of the chosen ones and for some reason or another, she couldn't help but embrace the person. She learned herself into the person's chest and realized that she was hugging a man. The man seemed a bit hesitant about returning the embrace at first, but he eventually placed his arms around her.
After a moment, the man spoke. "…Well… this is a rare occasion."
Rose's eyes snapped open as she immediately recognized the voice. She quickly looked up and saw a sly grin on Raiden's face. She pushed him slightly before answering him. "You're the one who hugged me first!"
Raiden raised an eyebrow. "Um… if I recall what just happened, you're the only who ran into me, screamed like a banshee, then threw your arms around me."
Rose let out a small sigh as she tried to relax herself. "What time is it?"
"It's just after eight o'clock in the evening," Raiden replied.
"Hmm… I took a longer nap than I thought," Rose shrugged.
"Yes you did," Raiden agreed. "As a matter of fact, I tried waking you up about an hour ago and you were completely passed out."
"What did you need?" she asked him.
"…Do we had more mugs yet?"
Rose sighed. "Forget about the mugs! As a matter of fact, I have something very important to discuss. Is anyone in the lounge right now?"
"No," Raiden replied. "Most of the mortals went to the palace for dinner."
"Good." She then motioned for him to follow her and the two went into the lounge before sitting down at the small table in the room.
"Now what is this all about?" Raiden asked.
Rose looked at him seriously. "You remember that dream I had before we came here?" Raiden nodded before Rose continued. "I had that dream again. It seemed more real than the last time. I've tried this whole time to figure this dream out, but either it's just a normal or something is preventing me from seeing into the future."
"It is alarming," Raiden agreed with her. "And Nightwolf seemed to have the same vision before we arrived here as well. For the two of you to have the same exact dream is, to me, not a coincidence."
"That has always been in the back of my mind," Rose said. "I ending up thinking, 'it's just a normal dream,' but then I remember Nightwolf's vision as well…"
"Unfortunately," Raiden began to say. "Until you can somehow predict this, or find out from a reliable source, all we do is be cautious."
Rose sighed once again. "Yeah… I hate to just wait around, but there's nothing else we can do…" She then looked up at him. "Do you want some tea?"
"Sure," Raiden replied.
From there, Rose got up from the table to begin making the both of them some tea.
Cave, Half An Hour Later
"Maintenance and downloads complete," a voice from the computer system said out loud.
In her vision view, Matrik scanned the maintenance and download results. Nearly everyday she had been doing this, having some hope that she would somehow regain her past memories. So far, she hasn't had any luck.
Perhaps this is not the way to find out, she finally thought to herself.
Matrik made the decision to let herself rest for the remainder of the night. Before she went into her bed, the curtain to her room open. She looked up and ended up seeing Smoke coming in. Smoke only managed to take one foot forward into the room before he noticed Matrik.
"Sorry," he said to her. "I thought this was Sub-Zero's room."
"That's okay," she said to him.
Just before he took his leave, Smoke quickly noticed the similarities in both of their nano-technology. A question came to him and he asked her curiously, "Are you part of the Lin Kuei clan?"
Matrik was silent for a moment before replying. "If I was, I do not have any memory of it. All I know is that I was created by the Tekunin clan."
"Sektor," Smoke said as he pushed the curtain to her room closed. "That explains everything then."
"Yes," Matrik replied as she thought of her bitter hatred for the red cyborg who she once called her master. "He is the reason why I am here. I believe that he has answers to my past. Unfortunately, he somehow managed to wipe them out from my system. He did this so that I do not know who I really am. Perhaps he may be hiding something of importance."
"Perhaps," Smoke agreed. He was able to sympathize with the green cyborg. Although they were in different situations, she was manipulated and used by Sektor much in the same way as he was manipulated and used by Noob when he was under the wraith's control.
"There will be a time when you will have your memories back. But think about this… Sektor had his reason for recruiting you to the Tekunin clan. Most likely when you were human, you were a strong warrior. Was his reasons for recruiting you was because you were a respectable warrior? Or was it because you were the perfect criminal… an assassin maybe?"
"So you are saying that this is a possibility that I will not be pleased with the results of my findings? It is a risk I am willing to take."
"Very well," Smoke said. "I am off to look for Sub-Zero-"
"He has gone out for dinner," Matrik cut. "But he should be back soon."
"Thanks for telling me," Smoke said. With that, he stepped out of the room.
Far From The Tournament Grounds
Sitting in front of the lit campfire, Raven and Nina ate their meals silently. Their savior, Yoshimitsu, was out collecting more firewood so that the blazing fire would last overnight. Neither one of them said a word as they ate. As a matter of fact, unless Yoshimitsu spoke to them, they have hardly said a word since arriving in this area yesterday.
The two finished their sandwiches quietly. Once they did, Yoshimitsu made his return, carrying countless firewood in his arms before placing them amongst the other unused firewood.
Neither Raven and Nina knew at that moment that they were thinking the same thing... exactly who is Yoshimitsu? Why was he here at The Blood Tournament? And what was his reason for being at Shao Kahn's fortress when he rescued them?
"I assume the both of you enjoyed your sandwiches," Yoshimitsu began to say.
"We did, thank you," Raven replied. He then stared up at him. "We haven't spoken much since this morning and I have one question for you… who are you?"
Nina looked at Raven peculiarly. "Funny… I was thinking the same thing."
Yoshimitsu started at the two for a moment. Although it was just a single, simple question, he knew that there was more to the question than they were asking. There weren't just asking about his background… they were also asking him why he was at Shao Kahn's fortress. It was only a matter of time before they did.
Besides, it was best to tell at least one or two people about what happened to him when he had Chishio No Me.
After debating in his mind, the odd man sat himself down in front of the campfire. "It was only a matter of time before these kinds of questions would come up. There is no use in keeping the information from you any longer."
Nina raised an eyebrow. "I assume you weren't planning to tell us anything about you?"
"It's not just a matter of telling you who I am and where I come from," Yoshimitsu replied. "It's much more than you bargained for. Besides, there is something about Chishio No Me you might not know of…"
Upon hearing the medallion's name, Raven and Nina stared at him with more interest. Chishio No Me was one of the reasons why they were on this mission to begin with and now they were going to find out some information on the mysterious artifact.
"I am the leader of the Manji Clan," Yoshimitsu began. "They are a group of warriors who's goal is to provide for the poor and the sick. Hundreds of years ago, however, we were just like every other warrior… fighting to prove our superiority. During that time… I came across Chishio No Me…"
Raven and Nina looked at him with surprise. "You… held the medallion in your own hands?" Nina asked while sounding surprised.
"Yes," Yoshimitsu continued. "And I've had it for two decades. They were right when they told you that it was the most powerful artifact known to exist. However, there is something about the relic that it's possible that even the Outworld Emperor has no idea about… it's curses those who retains it for so long…"
Raven and Nina fell silent. In their minds, they always knew that a relic such as the medallion was too good to be true. Now they were going to find out the detailed truth about it's powers.
"I had been in a battle when it's affect attempted to take over me," the odd man proceeded. "I don't know what it was doing, but either it was causing my demise, or trying to take control over me." He then lifted up his right arm, which was replaced by his bio-mechanical prosthetic. "As you can see, I was forced to free myself from it's grasps. I came to this tournament in hopes of destroying it. This way, no one has to suffer the same fate I almost met all those years ago."
"Do you know anyone else who had wielded the medallion in the past?" Raven asked.
"Until very recently, I haven't. When I came to the fortress, I met with the sorcerer named Quan Chi. It was he who happened to find the medallion. Apparently, no one succeeded in getting to the medallion after my 'reign.' Only one other living being has wielded the medallion in the past… the Fighting God Ogre."
The both of them looked at him in surprise, knowing fully well who Ogre was. "You're kidding?"
"I was just as surprised as you were," Yoshimitsu mentioned. "One of his wishes has been to have a psychic connection to all past and future wielders and that was how he, and Quan Chi, were able to discover me. He ended up losing the medallion before it consumed him."
"What about Shao Kahn?" Nina asked. "Does he know about this?"
"Surprisingly, only Quan Chi and Ogre know the truth. Shao Kahn knows of it's powers, but isn't aware of it's true nature."
"I assume they have a plan of their own if Shao Kahn doesn't know about this," Raven said.
"Exactly. They plan to overthrow him with the power and take over Outworld… and perhaps maybe the other realms as well. I have no further information to give you since this is the most I know of. You two are the first within the tournament to know of this. I haven't revealed this previously because I've been trying to keep a low profile since the beginning. I give you permission to report your findings to your superiors tomorrow morning."
"Thank you for revealing this information," said Raven.
Nina found herself smirking as she realized that Yoshimitsu had mentioned about reporting this to Raiden and Rose 'tomorrow morning.' "Seems like we'll be heading home soon… sort of."
Shao Kahn's Fortress
This is more like it… Ivy Valentine thought to herself as she took a big sigh upon feeling relaxed.
Sitting in a bath tub, Ivy leaned her head against the edge and closed her eyes. She felt the hot steam from the water slowly move up passed her face and the smell of roses surrounded the room and tickled at her nose. All was completely quiet, which was what the young woman liked. It was almost like being back at her mansion again… so long that her eyes were kept closed.
In her mind, she imagined herself back in the bathing room in her mansion. The ivory tub was just as big as the tub she was in now and the room was decorated with gold accessories. The marble floor was of an ivory and lavender color which matched the wall and the white ceiling above consisted of a golden chandelier which hung in the middle of the room.
The thought of her home brought on the thought of her adoptive parents. She smirked to herself as she remembered all of those cherished memories with them. Even with the cherished memories, it was later in life when life turned into a living hell and it all started when her adopted father, Earl Valentine, was driven into insanity.
Earl Valentine had nearly squandered the family fortune because of his obsession with Soul Edge. He was an alchemist and felt that by having Soul Edge that he would have more power. It seemed as though his insanity was the cause of his death. Her mother died of illness a year later. It was at her deathbed that Ivy was told how she was left at their doorstep as an infant and was adopted into the Valentine family.
After her mother's death, Ivy found her father's secret diaries within the mansion and learned more about Soul Edge. It inspired her to become an alchemist herself. In one of her researches, she learned that the sword was actually evil and she had vowed to destroy it.
Her journey to destroy Soul Edge would lead to much more than she could handle…
Before her thoughts continued, a knock was heard, forcing her eyes to snap open. Once again, she was back in the dark room of her sleeping quarters with only candles as a source of light. A moment past before the knocking was heard yet again.
"I'll be there in a minute!" she called out. Though she didn't want to, Ivy forced herself to get out of the tube. She then took a towel and dried herself off before grabbing her dark purple silk robe and wrapped it around her to conceal her nude form.
For a moment, she looked down at the robe she was wearing…it was a gift from Shao Kahn when she first arrived here. A thought came to her then… was is a usual thing for any woman to receive any of sort of gift like this when they first join up with the Emperor? Or was Ivy getting some sort of special treatment?
The knocking was heard again at the door. "I'm coming!" she called out. Ivy stepped out of the bathing room and into the main bedroom. She then went to the door and opened it. On the other side of the door was Reptile.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"I came to tell you that Shao Kahn wanted to ssssee you in hisss throne room," Reptile reported. "He hasssn't sssaid his reasssonsss."
"I see," Ivy replied. "Tell him that I'll be there in about ten minutes."
"Very well," Reptile said before taking his leave.
Ivy stared off into space for a moment as she stood by the door. She was beginning to notice that Shao Kahn has been calling her to the throne room lately. Mainly, it was about the activities within and outside the fortress and sometimes it seemed pointless to her. However, it was something that she wasn't going to question him about…just incase.
After a moment, Ivy stepped back into her room and closed the door behind her.
Cave Grounds
"S'mores?" Cody offered as he raised a marshmallow on a stick from the campfire.
His friend Guy looked at the slightly melted and burnt marshmallow for a moment. "No thanks," he replied. "I've already had my share of food for the night."
"You suck," Cody told him as he placed the marshmallow in between two crackers and a chocolate bar. "I assume you never were much of a dessert person."
"Not really… but I will admit I could go for some salmon ochazuke right about now."
Cody felt his nose scrunch up upon hearing that. "Please don't talk about fish right now," he begged before he began eating the s'more.
A random thought came to the Bushin ninja at that moment. "Why do they call that thing a s'more anyway?"
Cody shrugged. "I have no idea… maybe it came from 'some more' or something like that."
"I see."
"Gee, Maki and Yang were supposed to join us right about now. Where do you think they went?"
"They probably haven't returned from dinner yet," Guy guessed. "Just be patient until then."
From a while afterward, the two fell silent, unsure of how to keep up the conversation for right now. Cody continued with making more s'mores until he couldn't eat them anymore. As for Guy, he found himself closing his eyes and began to do a bit of meditating.
Throughout the whole day, Cody's mood was steady. His day consisted of eating three meals, plus a few snacks, playing a few rounds of Go Fish with Ken and Wagner, and now hanging out with his old friend at the campfire eating s'mores.
Come to think of it, he thought. Everyday has been kind of the same since I lost the tournament…
There was one thing that always surprised Cody since this whole deal with the tournament began… becoming one of Raiden and Rose's chosen ones. When Guy invited him to accompany him to Outworld, Cody had expected the whole deal to just be a normal tournament. However, even before arriving in this realm, the tournament proved to be beyond normal. He was chosen along with Guy in helping with making sure that the medallion, Chishio No Me, doesn't fall into the wrong hands at the end of the tournament.
To Cody, he believed that he hasn't done anything good ever since he and Guy, along with their friend Mike Haggar, saved Metro City from the clutches of the criminal organization known as Mad Gear eight years ago. They had even saved Cody's girlfriend (at the time) and Haggar's only daughter Jessica, and Cody personally knocked Mad Gear's leader, Belger, right out the window.
Ever since Metro City was saved, Cody felt that the city wasn't completely ridden of evil just yet. For over a year, he got away with beating up criminals in alleys and bars. Eventually, someone reported him for assault and he served six years in jail, only being released a few months ago.
From there, he knew that he wanted to atone for his atrocities and try to find himself. After talking with Jessica, he felt that he got his boost and began his journey. The first thing he did was go to Japan and visit Guy mainly to catch up since they haven't seen each other since he went back to Japan for training.
At that point, the Outworld ordeal began.
With all the sins weighing on his shoulders, Raiden and Rose somehow sensed what they called 'his pure heart and soul.' He couldn't understand what it was that made him good enough to be part of this group. It was an answering he's been trying to seek out since that night on the ship to Outworld.
Is it better for the question to be left unanswered? he asked himself.
As Cody thought about all of this, he hadn't noticed that Guy had opened his eyes and noticed that he was deep in his thoughts.
"Anything on your mind?" Guy asked.
Cody blinked a couple of times upon hearing his friend's voice. He then turned his head to him before replying. "Sort of… I've been thinking about those days in Metro City… when Mad Gear ruled and three guys went off to save the day and the girl."
"It's been about eight years since that happened," Guy said. "Only seemed like yesterday. I was never able to ask you, but how is Haggar?"
"Last I checked, he was still mayor of the city," Cody replied with a short laugh. "With the way he cleaned up the city, I'm sure he'll be in that office for a very long time." Then a thought came to him. "Whatever happened to that one guy, Rolento?"
Guy shrugged. "I think he went to Europe to try to form his own army… so I've heard about five years ago." A question for Cody popped in his head then. "I wonder… after all you and Jessica have been through in the past… do you regret the way things ended?"
For a moment, Cody was a bit hesitant, unsure of how to answer the question. Eventually, he was able to form an answer in his mind. "I value the friendship that we have now," he answered. "Romantically, I think she's better off without me. She deserves better than what I can offer."
"I see. So then-"
Guy was cut off as a large gust of wind suddenly came passing by, causing the trees to sway violent and forcing the leaves to detach from the branches. As it did, a dark feeling suddenly came over Guy and he scanned the area for a moment. He then slowly stood himself up and tried looking around once again.
"Remembered something?" Cody asked.
Then, the gust of wind came again. This time, it was powerful enough to literally blow out the flames in the campfire.
"What the-hey!" Cody cried out. "I only had two s'mores since we sat down and I-"
"Shh!" Guy hushed him after raising his hand to his lips.
Cody looked up at him and saw the seriousness written on his face. The former Metro City hero then realized that Guy had sensed something…and it looked to be that it wasn't anything good.
"What's up?" Cody asked as he stood up.
Guy scanned the area once again before replying. "Something's here… a dark presence."
Cody looked around. Though he didn't see anything, he knew that Guy had a bit of a sixth sense, knowing when something or someone was lurking about nearby.
Guy happened to look to his left while Cody looked to his right. "Maybe it was just your-" Cody began to say.
"LOOK OUT!" Guy called out as he pushed Cody back, forcing him to fall back to the ground. Guy pulled himself a few feet back just as a red projectile shot out in between then. Cody looked on at the projectile, feeling stunned for a moment before getting up.
"What the hell was that?!" Cody called out. He then noticed that Guy was staring at something. He turned his head in the direction he was looking towards and became surprised by what he saw. It was a cyborg of black and red color with the exception of it's glowing white eyes. On it's back was a strange symbol and it's body was surrounded by a black aura.
"What the hell is that?" Cody cried out, changing one word from his previous question.
Guy quickly got into his fighting stance. "Seems that someone discovered our location! Let's try to defeat him before it gets to the others."
Cody nodded as he picked up a handful of large rocks, now ready to fight. "Got it."
Quickly, the strange cyborg maneuvered himself forward, deciding to attack Cody first. Once he was close enough, Cody began performing a few kicks. The cyborg ended up blocking all of his attacks before slamming his elbow into Cody's face, forcing him to fly back a few feet before landing on the ground.
"Damn!" Cody yelled out as he felt his nose bleeding suddenly. He then looked up and saw that the cyborg was heading towards his friend. "Careful Guy, he's strong!"
Guy said nothing, but heeded Cody's words as the cyborg approached him. Guy immediately attacked with various punches and kicks, but was only finding himself on defense as the cyborg blocked his moves. Eventually, the cyborg managed to grab Guy by the throat before tossing him aside.
By then, Cody was back on his feet. "Take this!" he called out as he threw the rocks he was holding in his hand. The rocks flew in high speed towards the cyborg. However, before the rocks made contact, the machine quickly turned around and managed to block all of the rocks that came to him, forcing them to fly in different directions before landing on the ground.
"Damn," Cody muttered under his breath. He then decided to dash after the machine again, but before he could make an attack, the cyborg grabbed him by the shirt. He then turned halfway before letting go of Cody, who suddenly found himself flying in fast speed before crashing into a tree. Having been unconscious from the impact, his body ended up sliding back to the ground like a rag doll.
By then, Guy was back on his feet. He realized that his old friend had been knocked out. The Bushin ninja watched for a moment as the cyborg turned himself around to stare back at him.
Unless someone heard fighting from within the cave or were just arriving back from the palace, Guy knew that he was going to be on his own with this fight…
Main Palace
After a long day of active duty, Vega felt a bit of relief upon returning to his room for rest for the night. Upon closing the door and locking it, he took off the claw from his hand and walked further into the room before placing it on the nightstand. He then took off the porcelain mask from his face before placing it down next to the claw.
"About time this day ended," he said to himself, huffing a bit. Briefly, he brushed a strand of his long blond hair back, which was too short for the braid that went down his back behind him. "Now to finally get my rest for the night."
Before heading to bed however, Vega decided to take a quick shower first. He grabbed a clean towel from one of the shelves before entering his private bathroom. He then started up the shower, took of all of his clothes, then entered the shower.
Vega found himself under the shower for about a half hour, a bit longer than he intended to. Once he was done, he shut off the shower, stepped out, and dried himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist. Then he stepped out of the bathroom and back into the main room.
As he went to his suitcase and picked out his sleepwear for the night, he briefly thought back on his past, especially with Shadaloo. A year ago, everything ran as normal within the organization. It was seven years ago when he was recruited as one of the three 'Grand Masters' along with Sagat and another by the name of Balrog. Their leader Bison had discovered him during one of his infamous cage matches while living in Barcelona, Spain. His vicious form of fighting and his agility was what brought him to the criminal organization.
Since the fall of Shadaloo, he and Sagat were left to hide from nearly every police force and military in the world including the Air Force and Interpol. And whatever happened to the third Grand Master Balrog was a mystery to them. However, the two of them ceased to care.
Vega shook the thoughts out of his head once he picked his sleepwear for the night… a simple white t-shirt and long blue silk pants. He took a moment to get himself dressed and once he did, he was just about to toss the towel with the rest of the used ones when the door to his room opened.
The Spanish ninja looked up at the door, half expecting the person coming in to be Anna. However, it turned out to be Viper, who came into the room quietly, closing and locking the door behind her.
At that moment, Vega realized it's been quite a while since they've even been in the same room, ever since they joined up with Shao Kahn. He began to wonder… was it because of their constant assignments with the Emperor?
Or was it because he was finding himself more infatuated with Anna Williams?
The two stared at each other for a moment, both of them with blank expressions. Afterward, Viper turned away before heading into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
"Hmph," Vega hummed as he lied back on his bed. "Seems that I don't have as much use for you as I used to."
All was quiet in the room for a moment until he heard the shower going in the bathroom. Vega sighed with a boredom at a realization… he wasn't as attracted to Viper as he was just only a month ago.
Perhaps, he began to think. I could hand her over to Shao Kahn since he seems to have more use for her. Then a sadistic smirk came over his lips. If no one wants her… I just might as well kill her.
Shao Kahn's Fortress
The long silence in Shao Kahn's throne room was disrupted upon the sounds of the main doors opening. Shao Kahn looked up from his throne and, as expect, he watched as Ivy Valentine entered his quarters.
"Good, you have arrived!" Shao Kahn called out.
Ivy began walking over towards the Emperor. "Sorry for the delay. I was… busy when Reptile came to my sleeping quarters."
"I see… I've called you over because I came to realize that I haven't spoken to you about any reporting for the day. After all, you had spent the majority of the day on watch duty."
Ivy shook her head a bit and she soon reached the edge of the Emperor's throne. "All was quiet during my shift." Then a playful smirk came over her face. "And besides… I would have gone to you as soon as I found anything interesting."
For a moment, all was quiet as Shao Kahn lifted an arm to rub his chin a bit, the only part of his face exposed from his helmet. Ivy stood there wondering if what she said just now made her sound a bit… stubborn.
Soon, Shao Kahn placed his arm down back at the throne's armrest. "About a month ago, when the tournament was just beginning, you arrived here offering your services to me. Never had I thought that you would become one of my most loyal servants I've ever worked with during my centuries as Emperor of Outworld."
Ivy tried not to frown upon hearing this, though in her heart she felt quite flattered by his words. She was loyal indeed, but with the close of the tournament coming, she knew that she wouldn't be here for very long. With the way things were going, it seemed that Shao Kahn was placing a lot of trust in her. If that was the case, it would be easier to get the medallion and make her escape back to Keisei.
And even if she never gets the medallion, she would still leave this world.
Then again, this was the first time in years that someone had said good things to her. Not only that, but those words had come from an Emperor ruling a single realm. To her, it made her feel honored.
Before she could reply to him, footsteps were heard from behind. Ivy turned around to look behind her and noticed Shang Tsung coming into the room. The two seemed to stare at each other for a moment before Shao Kahn spoke.
"You may go now Ivy," he said.
Ivy looked over at him and briefly bowed her head to him. "Very well." From there she took her leave.
Shang Tsung watched at the woman from Keisei made her departure, waiting for her to leave the room. Soon, the door closed and he turned to the Emperor.
"What is it, sorcerer?" Shao Kahn demanded in a bit of a harsh tone.
"I had just received your notice about the set up for Round Seven of the tournament between the four remaining participants," Shang Tsung replied. "And I'd like to know why the only two participants aligned with us are about to compete against each other tomorrow? Wouldn't it make sense for them to compete separately so that we have a better chance at retaining the medallion?"
Shao Kahn stared at Shang Tsung for a moment before answering. "That should've be obvious. If Ivy and Sheeva were in separate matches, there is the off chance that the both of them could lose Round Seven rather than both winning. It is better for only one of them to make it to the final round than none at all. If we have Ivy and Sheeva pit against each other, then we will have no worry about either of them not making it to the final round."
"I see now," Shang Tsung said. "Forgive me for not thinking through the logic behind your decision."
"Just take your leave," Shao Kahn suggested. "I should warn you however… I may end up questioning your intelligence if you ask one such as this again."
Shang Tsung clenched his teeth from underneath his closed lips, but other than that, he kept his anger in check. "Yes your Emperor." And with that, he took his leave. Upon exiting the room, a thought came to the sorcerer…
We'll see who's the intelligent one at the end of this tournament.
Near the Cave Grounds
"Pretty good dinner tonight," said Maki. "Although the rice didn't seem well-cooked as it normally was."
Yang rubbed his neck a bit. "Tell me about it. I think I almost choked at one point."
The two were just one minute away from entering the cave grounds, noting the boulders that seemed to serve as entrance points. As they always did, the young couple held hands as they walked side by side.
"I hope Cody didn't eat all of the s'mores," Yang brought up. "I'm really looking forward to having something sweet."
"Me too, especially the chocolate," Maki agreed.
"And I've always-" Yang began to say. However, he was interrupted when an explosion from the cave grounds was suddenly heard. The two stopped for a moment and stared at each other in surprise, not expecting to hear that sound at a quiet time like this.
"I hope nobody dropped the Outworld liquor in the campfire again," Maki sighed.
From there, the two sprinted forward so that they could find out what was going on sooner. In their minds, they were expecting to enter the grounds to find a couple (or more) of their drunken friends topped over around the campfire. Soon, they entered the grounds, going in a couple of more yards before stopping. They were shocked by the sight before them and they only wished that their original idea of what happened was actually true.
Standing a few yards away from them was a red and black cyborg with glowing blue eyes. Maki gasped upon seeing the cyborg holding an unconscious Guy by his head, which was bleeding. Nearby, her other friend Cody laid next to a tree knocked out as well.
"GUY! CODY!" Maki cried out.
That got the mysterious cyborg's attention. For a moment, he stared at Maki before tossing Guy to the side. Then he began walking in her direction. By this point, the chosen ones who were there emerged outside, having head the explosion.
Instinctively, Yang stepped in front of her. "Maki! Get out of here!"
Maki took out her double batons, defying his wishes. "No, I'm not going to back down that easily!"
At that moment, the cyborg teleported towards them and he attempted to perform a punch, which both Yang and Maki dodged from. He then turned his attention back to Maki. Maki raised up her batons and the two exchanged blows for a moment before the cyborg overpowered her. He then grabbed her by her arm before swinging her over his head, flying a few yards away before landing back on the ground.
"You bastard!" Yang called out as he attempted a few inward swipes with his open palms. However, this didn't last very long before the cyborg broke through his offense and performed his own punches. The last punch sent Yang flying sideways and he was rendered unconscious.
Witnessing their brother's defeat, Yun and Yin jumped towards their new enemy at the same time. At the same time, the two of them jabbed their elbows at the cyborg in the face. Although he stumbled a bit by the surprise attack, their opponent didn't seem fazed otherwise. Yin then attempted to duck down and perform a rising kick with her leg out. However, this turned out to be a mistake as the cyborg grabbed a hold of her ankle.
Yun attempted to free his sister by performing a kick to his wrist. However, the cyborg grabbed his ankle as well. He lifted the both of them up, the two struggling as they were held upside down. Then, the cyborg threw them diagonally upward. He then raised his hand to attempt to shoot a projectile at them, but was distracted when Paul Phoenix jumped in and tackled the cyborg to the ground.
"Taste my Judo you scumbag!" Paul yelled out as he sat up. He then attempted to raise his fists, intending on punching the machine multiple times. However, just before he did, the cyborg punched Paul in the face before pushing him off, sending him flying back.
By that time, Kilik, Maxi, Mi-na, and Hwang surrounded the invader, all with their weapons out and ready to fight. In reply, the cyborg took out his pulse blade which glowed in a black color.
"Fancy weapon, but that won't get you anywhere," Maxi said, deciding to be the first to make a move. He lashed out his black nunchaku and the two exchanged attacks, finding themselves mostly on defense. Then, to Maxi's surprise, his nunchaku's were knocked from his hands and before he could comprehend his next objective, he was kicked in the stomach. He was forced to fly back, crashing into Mi-na in the process.
From there, Hwang and Kilik jumped in, swinging their respective weapons at their foe. The cyborg used his weapon to block Hwang's sword while ducking under Kilik's staff. Quickly, he placed a hand out, shooting out a red projectile at Kilik, knocking him back a few yards.
From there, Hwang was forced to fight the machine on his own… for a moment. They exchanged attacks and though Hwang was lucky enough to not lose his weapon, he couldn't avoid the cyborg sinking to the ground and appearing behind him as he performed an uppercut. The attack sent Hwang flying the air before landing back on the ground, rendering him out cold.
Cassandra attempted to attack next, knowing that her friends Sakura, Asuka, and Mika were right behind her. However, just as she raised her shield above her head, the cyborg quickly turned around and backhanded her, the forcing sending her flying back and crashing into all three of her friends.
At that point, a glow green arrow just barely missed the cyborg's face. He turned to the direction where the arrow had came from and spotted Nightwolf just a yard away. Quickly, the machine glided itself towards the shaman who managed to sidestep out of the way before delivering a kick to the back of the neck. The machine stumbled for a moment before turning back around to face Nightwolf. From there, the two exchanged some of their attacks before the cyborg once again received the upper hand. He left behind a few punches before performing a roundhouse kick, sending Nightwolf sideways and crashing into a tree.
Sonya decided to step up next. She ran over to where he was before jumping up to perform a flying kick. However, the cyborg managed to grab her by the ankle before tossing her aside.
By then, Ken was just a couple of feet away with his fist out upward. "Shoryuken!" he called out as he jumped up and performed an uppercut. He managed to hit the cyborg right under the chin sending up flying up a few feet with him. Ken had expect his opponent to crash land to the floor as he himself landed on both of his feet safely. However, he was surprised to learn that the cyborg had caught himself after the impact, flipping backwards before landing on the ground with both feet.
"What?!" Ken cried out in surprise. Before he could move again, however, the cyborg took out a handful of shurikens and threw them at Ken in fast speed. The maneuver forced Ken to dodge from all of the small weapons before the last one cut his arm. Ken gritted his teeth as he felt the sharp pain in his arm, placing his hand over the now-bleeding cut. Then, the cyborg jumped forward, perform a few punches and kicks before he delivered a blow to the head, causing Ken to fly back a few feet, all the while losing consciousness.
Another caught the cyborg's attention as someone yelled, "Sonic Boom!" He turned his head in the direction of the voice, only to see a yellow boomerang-like projectile shooting towards him. He was able to briefly see Guile behind the projectile and took the opportunity to teleport behind him.
"What the-" Guile began to say just before he felt a hard kick to his back. The force of the kick caused him to stumble forward a few feet, but he was able to regain himself, turning around to face the cyborg. Before the cyborg attempted to attack him, Wagner suddenly came from the left of the machine and tackled him to the floor.
"Wagner! Get out of the way!" Guile called out to him.
The two only struggled to overpower the other before the cyborg kneed Wagner hard in the abdomen before pushing him off. Wagner held his stomach in pain, and he could only watch as the cyborg stood over him. He lifted a leg above Wagner's head, ready to strike down.
Before he performed the blow, a sudden thin layer of ice came over the cyborg, causing him to freeze in place for a moment. Then, someone kicked him from behind, causing him to stumble forward. With that, Guile was able to see the new attacker…Sub-Zero.
The cyborg looked up at their new opponent. "It was about time you showed up," he said. "We were getting a little bored with our 'target practices.'"
Sub-Zero narrowed his eyes at the two fused fighters, knowing their true identities - Noob-Sektor. "Save it and fight." he growled as he got into his fighting stance.
Noob-Sektor stood up. "Very well."
Quickly, the two ran over to each other to engage in combat. For a while, they exchanged punches and kicks, aiming from different directions all the while switching between offense and defense. Eventually, however, Noob-Sektor were able to knock Sub-Zero to the ground and they quickly pressed down on his throat with their feet to prevent him from getting up. As they did, they brought out the black pulse blade and aimed it at the ice ninja's heart.
"Now," they said. "…Your death."
Before they could perform the fatal blow, a bolt of lightning shot out at them, hitting them in the chest. Immediately, they felt the circuits going haywire. Because of the new error, the two were forced to separate into their own forms. They then turned into the direction where the lightning came from and spotted Raiden, his eyes and hands filled with electricity.
"You didn't say anything about him!" Sektor yelled out to Noob Saibot.
Noob had spotted the Thunder God before while on a spying mission. However, he wasn't aware of the fact that he was part of this group and was most likely their leader. Now with their powers separated, he knew that the two couldn't fight the Thunder God individually, not without a plan.
Therefore, they had no choice but to escape and abandon their plan to kill Sub-Zero, Ashrah, and Matrik and retake Smoke.
"You win for now!" Noob called out. "But we shall return!" With that, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke with Sektor sinking himself into the ground and vanished.
Raiden sighed to himself. Half of his chosen ones here at the cave grounds were here (with the other half either still at dinner, including Rose, or training) and most of them hadn't even had the chance to fight Noob and Sektor. Those who did, however, seemed to have received a good beating due to their combined strength. The fighters who weren't knocked out cold were beginning to get themselves back on their feet.
"Raiden…" Sub-Zero said as he stood himself up. "I don't know how they found us-"
"It was only a matter of time before one of our enemies discovered us," Raiden replied. "This was a surprise attack and none of us were prepared. We'll be discussing what happened in the morning."
Sub-Zero nodded in agreement. "Very well."
For now, those standing or haven't had the chance to fight began to check up on those rendered unconscious from the battle.