Chapter Ten
They reached the end of the forest with great relief, and Min almost danced a jig for joy at not having those awful trees always watching them. Just being able to see the sky, bleak as it was, was a blessing.
The ground was flat and barren once more, but it was stony and rather rough instead of dusty like in the Wastelands. They were surrounded on all but one side by imposing mountains of black stone. To Frost it didn't seem like any part of Outworld was a place anyone would want to
live. No wonder they were always trying to take over the other Realms.
LiXue was examining the ground carefully, searching for clues of where to head next, but the rocks were harder to divine from. The footprints they had been following ended abruptly when the dirt of the forest stopped. She leaned back on her heels and sighed dejectedly. It looked like they had come to a dead end once again.
Frost sat down hard in defeat. To come this far only to hit disappointment felt like a slap in the face. Min sank down next to her and laid his head on her shoulder. "Why us?" he groaned.
Kenshi was kicking at a pile of pebbles angrily. "Because apparently the universe hates us."
Frost snorted. "I figured that out a long time ago." They were interrupted by a fresh series of howling deep in the woods. "Does it ever stop?" she added bitterly.
"I suggest we relocate, quickly," LiXue signed, watching the forest for any sign of movement. It was a much easier task in the daytime despite the fact the thick canopy blocked out most of the light.
"Wait," Kenshi put a finger to his lips. A shrill shriek cut through the howls. "I think they got who they were looking for."
"That doesn't mean they won't add us on to their list as a bonus," Min's voice was trembling slightly.
"Well, we certainly aren't going to be able to avoid them out here in the open," LiXue's insistence was visible in her face even without the added effect of intonation. "We have to move now."
"Let's head for those hills," Frost suggested, pointed ahead towards the black mountains.
"What if they catch up to us on the plain?" Min asked.
"Would you like to go back into the forest?" Kenshi asked testily. "Let's go."
They took off running at a steady pace, taking it more slowly than Frost would have liked for Min's sake. As smart as he seemed to be, a world class athlete he was not. He was gasping for air before they had even made it a mile. One glance at his red face and they slowed to a walk.
"Sorry," he gasped sheepishly.
"Save your breath," Frost responded-more harshly than she meant to. She couldn't help but glance over her shoulder, but there were no signs of pursuing Tarkata. Maybe they would be all right after all.
They were almost halfway across the valley, giving her some hope. A stream meandered up ahead, trickling quietly in its banks. At least nature hadn't forsaken all of Outworld. She made a mental note of its location in case they needed it later.
The mountains loomed larger and despite their morbid colors they were incredibly inviting in Frost's eyes. They burrowed amongst the rock face once they arrived and settled down again to discuss their plans.
Huddled against an outcropping Frost said," We can't go east anymore, unless we want to go mountain climbing."
"Sub-Zero didn't say anything about the portal being on top of a mountain," Kenshi said, crouching down beside her.
"We should go south then," LiXue suggested through Min, at least until we hit the rest of the mountain range.
Frost nodded wordlessly. The last thing she wanted to do was scale a cliff while the Tarkata were on their tail. She couldn't defend herself on flat land as it was. If only they could be sure what the Tarkata were up to.
Kenshi's head shot up and he poked his head over the outcropping like a human prairie dog. "I hear someone," he whispered.
Frost and Min strained their ears, but could hear nothing but their own breathing. His head dropped down and he crept forward until he was flush with the edge of the rock they hid behind.
Frost had barely enough time to wonder what was going on when a green flash went by, only to be snatched by Kenshi's telekenesis. One of the most beautiful women she had ever seen was being held a few inches above the ground like she was being grasped by a giant, glowing, blue fist. The ebony-skinned woman was struggling futily against the translucent barrier and Frost noticed that her style of clothing was familiar.
"Who are you?" The woman demanded in an earthly voice. "What do you want?"
"I think it's customary for the captors to ask the question," Frost said. "You're from Edenia, aren't you?" The woman watched her distrustfully and slowly nodded. "Let her go, Kenshi, I think she's on our side."
Kenshi didn't seem too pleased about taking orders, but released his mental grip. "How does her being from Edenia make her a 'good guy'?"
"No self-respecting Edenian would be on the side of Outworld," the woman said bitterly. "Those that are don't last long," she added, looking towards the forest with a sneer. "Outworld has allied itself with the Dragon King."
"It seems that everyone is allying with the Dragon King," Kenshi noted.
"Onaga offers power and control. It's an intoxicating combination for many," their former captive said. "Those that don't ally themselves with him are destroyed."
"So we've noticed," Frost said angrily. "I take it you are part of the Edenian resistance or something?"
"I am Jade, a retainer to the Edenian throne. Princess Kitana was killed with many of the great Earthrealm warriors in the first attack on Deadly Alliance. He possessed their souls and marched on our Imperial Palace."
"This doesn't sound good," Frost said.
"No, it is not. He imprisoned Queen Sindel, and I barely freed her in time to escape. Now there is a pretender on the throne and we fear she will join forces with Onaga."
"So all this is about the Dragon King trying to take over the realms?" Min asked, looking a little lost.
"It is more than that. Jade answered. "If Onaga gets control of all the Kamidogu and joins all our realms together, it will awaken the one being and we will all be destroyed."
"What's a Kamidogu?" Kenshi asked.
"The talisman that controls the portals and allows access to the interrealm nexus. They must be destroyed!" Jade looked at them plaintively. "The realms must fight together to kill Onaga or we will all die."
"The realms are never going to work together," Frost argued.
"Of course not. The Outworlders fight the Edenians. Seido fights with the Chaosrealm. Earthrealm and the Netherealm are only concerned for themselves. Those who would fight together are either dead or deceived into believing other threats loom larger."
"So what you are saying is that we are all going to die, and there's nothing we can do about it," Kenshi said. "That's not very inspiring."
"There is always something to be done," Jade said. "If there is no hope there would be no point in trying and I would have laid down to die in the Living Forest."
"Queen Sindel is researching the spell to transfer Onaga's body into his intended vessel. If he were killed before he regained his true power..."
"But what about the kamidigies or whatever they are?" Frost asked. "Why doesn't anyone just destroy those and worry about taking out the Dragon King later?"
"They are too busy fighting amongst themselves and do not know of the danger the kamidogu represent. Onaga guards them closely, very few know of their existence. I only learned from the traitor who found the lost research on them." Jade looked from one horrified face to another. "Will you help me?"
"How?" Min asked. "You just said we would have to do the near impossible."
"It is only the Queen and I against the whole of the Dragon King's army. Anyone and anything would help us. Please, I am begging you to help us…for all our sakes.
Frost looked at the others' determined faces and came to a sudden realization. It was going to be a long time before she saw Earthrealm again. She swallowed. "What do you need us to do?"
