I walk back to my room after a long duration of standing next to father on his throne and observing everyone feast. The night is now here, and the full orange moon shines through each window throughout the building. Blue flames engulf every corridor, reflecting in the decorative silver from the walls and floors. Several other warriors fill the halls and each staircase, all retreating back to their rooms for the night. My night is not over just yet however. I tail Kitana back to her quarters, making sure she isn't up to anything as father instructed. I stealthily watch her go into her room without a word to anyone before I decide to head back to my own quarters.
I venture up the stairs to the third floor and turn right which leads to my headquarters. As I calmly walk, I listen to the sound of my feet with each step. I see warriors enter rooms which share the same corridor as mine. The hall then empties itself, and grows quiet. I arrive at my door and twist the handle.
"You know from the looks of your allies, you may be the only hope for Outworld," I hear, and I instantly turn to face the gray ninja who is leaning against his door which is across from my own. "Or not," he smirks under his mask while facing me.
The nerve of this Earthrealm scum almost amuses me.
"I have no allies. And from the looks of your forces, I would not doubt if we were to win this damned tournament tomorrow," I respond with a cold tone.
"No allies? What a shame," he sighs and faces downward a moment, then back to me. "Even if you win this tournament, our 'forces' will not let your 'forces' simply take Earthrealm, you will have to fight even more for it," he explains with a stern, yet soft voice as if he isn't even slightly worried his realm would perish.
I smile at this, and giggle a bit. He speaks as if we are not superior to Earthrealm's pointless cause. I advance towards him swaying my hips, coming eye to eye with him.
"And on that day, I shall enjoy every moment as your little realm burns, along with your realm's innocent, fragile people," I murmur in an alluring voice as I place my hand on his chest and move it slowly to his face. "I'll also be sure to murder everyone you know myself," I add.
Manipulation is my favorite method; it is a thrill and gets into my prey's mind.
He peers down at me with inquiring eyes, and then grabs my hand, locking his fingers in mine as he says in a dim voice, "Do your worst."
The words echo in my head, for I did not expect that. Not many use mind tricks like me, especially a mortal. A rush travels down my spine like a bullet. It is a feeling much too indescribable to put in words that comes over me. I pull away, taking a step back.
"You will regret your choice of words, just as your allies will regret their hopeless resistance in this tournament," I harshly speak, and then turn back to my door, opening it.
I step inside and face the gray ninja once more who is still pinned to his door, watching me.
"Goodnight to you as well Miss Outworld," he has a trace of amusement in his voice.
I grunt at him, slamming my door behind me. He's equally annoying as that wench Kitana. If I ever face him in this tournament, I will be sure to quell him. Though, I doubt he will make it as far as I.
I walk and come to a rest on the side of my cot. I let my hair down and finally remove my veil, letting my identity feel at ease for a moment. I lie down, placing it under my blue silk pillow. I stare at the ceiling as echoes of silence fill the room, along with the moonlight. I sit and wait for the sun to rise, like most nights. I do not require sleep like the average being, I can go weeks without it and have no negative effects. Though, it can be quite energy draining eventually.
I watch as the weak sunlight enters through the window hours later. The fighting will soon begin. I reach under my pillow and slip on my veil. As I go to stand, I get a knock on my door. I approach it and open it.
"What is it that you want?!" I greet harshly before seeing who it is.
I glance downward to see a bowing woman, dressed in servant's clothing.
"Forgive me master Mileena, I have been assigned to be your personal servant...and bring you your clothes," she speaks in a high pitch voice.
"I suppose," I say disinterested.
I could care less about having someone doing chores for me; it's the least of my concerns.
"May I enter?" she inquires politely.
I just open the door slightly wider and back away, signaling that she can come inside. She takes to her feet and enters while closing the door behind her and handing me my new fighting gear. She then walks over to my bed and rearranges it, straightening pillows and sheets. I strip out of my old tournament gear as she does this, leaving my current veil on and my hair down. She finishes it swiftly and turns to me.
"Master?" she says in an alarmed tone as she sees my body.
Her eyes dart quickly to first my chest then my hips. I could care less about her looking; she is my servant after all.
"What?" I say facing her while changing into the new magenta gear, which reveal my legs and hips as well as my chest.
"Nothing..." she replies while quickly turning away.
"Who are you anyway?" I ask while placing my sais in their new holsters.
"My name is Li Mei," she replies while turning back to me.
Her hair is rather long, and her brown eyes have a tint of green in them. I grab my old gear as she rushes over, taking it from my hands without second thought.
"I'll see that these are cleaned for you immediately master," she says calmly before exiting.
A moment later, I slip on the new mask as a loud gong sounds, roaring through the corridor and leaking through the door. I exit my room and I am soon joined with other fighters who now stand looking around asking questions. I know it is the time to fight. The tournament is finally beginning. A few others realize this as well, and we proceed to advance down the stairs to the first floor.
I follow the others, as we venture to a large door. As we walk through, the first thing I notice is the huge gray arena with a large silver printed dragon on it and the warriors surrounding the outskirts cheering. The blue walls match that of the rest of the building's interior and the floor is hard and gray. The arena is currently empty, waiting for fighters to fill it and face off to the death.
Shang Tsung stands near it, and the Thunder God does as well on the opposite side. Drums being played by the servants fills the atmosphere with its sound and masked guards surround the entire room as well as the arena. There is little conversation from both forces. As usual, father has a vast throne chair with the best view of the action. I proceed to his side.
"Father," I greet, bowing my head.
My sister is nowhere to be seen, or at least not yet.
"What of Kitana's actions?" he asks in a low voice I could barely make out over the drums.
"She has been behaving strangely, going off alone and has not spoken a word to anyone," I want to get father against her, even if she does nothing wrong.
He must suspect her.
"I see...continue watching her, I want to know everything," he instructs.
"Yes father," I will end her, slowly but surely.
I then see Kitana enter the room, making her way through the crowd of warriors. She joins father and I and stands on the other side of his throne.
"Father," she bows her head to him just as I did.
The warriors around the ring separate themselves by realm, with the Thunder God's forces to my left, and ours to the right. The drums come to a stop.
"Kombatans, the first battle is at hand," Shang Tsung pronounces as everyone's eyes lock onto him. "From this day forth, the tournament has officially begun," he pauses. "Our first battle will be Johnny Cage versus Baraka."
My eyes scan the area for Baraka, and I spot him leap into the arena. He stands, ready for his opponent to approach him as our forces shout and cheer. I then see a familiar face jump onto the arena, smiling and placing his hands in the air in an attempt to excite the crowd even more. It is the fool who wears shades everywhere he goes I had spotted yesterday on the training grounds. He has an arrogant look on his face as he revolves around to face Baraka.
"Alright, let's do this!" Johnny Cage shouts with too much enthusiasm.
If Baraka doesn't kill this conceited, pitiful Earth Realmer, I shall be glad to do so myself as soon as I get the chance.
"Fight," father shouts over the uproar from the crowd.
Cage then approaches Baraka with a kick to his waist. Baraka returns the favor by throwing his fist forward, striking Cage on the chest and sending him two steps back. I lose sight of the fight as I glance around the room at the warriors who surround the ring. The sound of their fight still fills my ears. I come to an analyzing stop when I spot Rain. I know he will get far into this tournament.
I wonder what he would think of my plotting to rid the world of Kitana, for he does still have an infatuation for her as far as I know. Though he's always spoken to me more, I am not certain whose side he may take in our lifetime sibling rivalry. He peeks upward at me as I realize I had been staring. He smiles and I return the favor, though it takes less and more effort for me due to my appearance beneath this veil.
I turn my attention towards the fight once more as Cage delivers a kick straight to his opponent's abdomen. Baraka then becomes a bit enraged after recovering from the kick and his two signature blades extend from his arms as he gives off a roar. He swings a blade at Cage's face just missing, but leaving a scratch which begins to bleed. He then sways his blade downward, slightly slicing Cage's arm. He takes another swing with his blades, but this time Cage counters and delivers a strict uppercut to his jaw, causing him to hit the ground.
Baraka crawls around a bit, but seems unable to take to his feet. He spits blood onto the arena floor and clenches his teeth as a groan escapes him. Cage examines this and waltzes around the arena with an arrogant look on his face behind those pointless glasses he considers style.
"Finish him," father shouts.
Father obviously does not care much for Baraka's life; he did not even bat an eye or showed any regret of his commands.
"Finish him?" Cage hesitates.
I see the guilt in his actions. Instead of ending him, he merely gives him a brutal kick to the side of his head.
"You just got Caged!" he chants as his allies shout in enthusiasm.
I on the other hand cannot believe he defeated Baraka. A squirming Earth Realmer beat a Tarkatan warrior? The embarrassment our forces just received is tremendous. That was our first match, and the mightiest Tarkatan could not stop a weakling such as Johnny Cage. I could kill Baraka myself for allowing this defeat to go into effect, but on the other hand, the tournament matters little to me. I watch as Baraka is dragged off the arena by servants and Cage goes to join his fellow fighter's side.
"Well done Mr. Cage, however the fight is not yet over," Shang Tsung pronounces. "Our next battle will be Art Lean versus Reptile!"
A man with ebony skin steps onto the ring, with white and blue fighting robes. Suddenly, Reptile appears directly in front of him, eyeing him deviously.
"You will die human," he threatens.
"Fight!" Shang Tsung exclaims.
As soon as the words escape his mouth Reptile crawls swiftly, striking Art's head with his scale fists. People shout, "Come on Art," and, "Kill the mortal," all at once making it difficult to hear the two fighters themselves. They go back and forth, delivering punches and speedy unique moves.
After a moment of hesitation from Art, Reptile opens his mouth and shoots forward a green substance that melts the skin on his opponent's chest. My ears pick up the sound of Art letting out a stunning shout. Reptile then vanishes; appearing again to his left, and elbows the side of his head, knocking his opponent to the ground. Art places his hand on his head and rubs it. He struggles to take back to his feet, and all in all fails to stand. He is done for.
"Finish him!" father shouts, wanting his life to end just as much as I.
Reptile hesitates not as he walks to him and kicks him once to assure he stays down, then opens his mouth slowly. Art's eyes widen as the acid liquid pours from Reptiles mouth onto his entire face as he begins screams horridly. The substance evaporates his useless existence. Reptile steps back and watches his work take effect as the crowd grows silent.
"Fatality," father's voice leaves a harsh impression on everyone, leaving the entire room in silence, watching the Earth Realmer die.
"This is a taste of events to come, the tournament resumes tomorrow," Shang Tsung adds darkly.
He expands his hand out, absorbing the dead Earth Realmer's soul. He smiles then exits the kombat room. All the other warriors proceed to exit as the Thunder God walks to his comrade's body, along with Johnny Cage and a fighter dressed in black and red robes, his black hair like wool and his skin slightly tanned.
"It truly is a shame, he will be missed," the Thunder God's ally says sorrowfully.
"They'll pay for this," I overhear Cage promise.
What pointless resistance they hold on to. Servants carry what is left of the body out of the room by the legs and arms. The Earth Realmers turn to look at father, Kitana and I with vengeful eyes as the Thunder God remains calm. The trio then leaves, blending with the rest of the exiting crowd. Soon the room empties.
"Daughters," father speaks.
We both turned our heads and bow to him.
"Yes father," we both reply.
"I want you to train more, you are both vital to this realm's success. Do not fail me as the Tarkatan did," his words come out firm.
We both bow, showing we shall do as he commands. I then leave the side of his throne along with my sister and we both exit the kombat room and head into the sapphire corridor leaving father to himself. We glare at each other for a moment, and then I take off in the opposite direction as she, trying my hardest not to rip her apart where she stands.
I need to train and blow off some steam before I feast on one of the Earth Realmers instead. I walk through the long hall until I reached the back, and go through the sliding doors to the training ground. Father wishes for me to train more, but this is for me; we could lose this blasted tournament for all I care, as long as sister's life comes to an end, and by my hand.