The two remaining palace guards who had deserted Shao Kahn at the cliff by the Lost Sea ran for their lives. Their fellow guards had fallen quickly, once caught. By order of the Emperor, they were to be brought in alive, something Reptile accomplished with ease, if also reluctance. A Pit execution was not going to be enough to satisfy Shao Kahn's fury. No, today, he felt the need to tear men apart himself. And so, they were tossed into a dungeon, which the Emperor entered shortly after.
The first to die had dropped to his knees and begged for forgiveness. For this, he was treated to a quick death when Shao Kahn simply grabbed his head and twisted. The others attempted to scatter. One tripped over his own feet, and found himself lifted into the air, upside down. The Emperor had then glared at him, and swung him over his head. The guard came down hard on the ground, head-first. The third to die was pinned to a wall, and battered relentlessly. Shao Kahn did not step screaming and pummeling him until well after the guard was dead, his body smashed beyond recognition.
And that brought him down to two. As he was dealing with the third, the last two had picked the dungeon lock. And at this, the Emperor smiled. He had asked that a simple padlock be the only thing keeping the door shut. A chase, albeit a short one, would be a wonderful stress reliever. And that chase is what he was given.
The guards of Shao Kahn's palace were a well-trained lot. They were proficient in the use of many weapons, could run long distances in heavy armor, and were supposedly unafraid of death. That said, it was rare for anyone to face this sort of threat. Shao Kahn, mighty as he was, generally left his dirty work to subordinates, and when it was time to kill someone in the palace, they would simply be shoved into the Pit.
These last two completely disregarded their training when faced with the wrath of their master. They ran terrified as Shao Kahn strode forward. Dispatching the first three guards had lightened his mood greatly. The terrified screams of these final two victims further lifted his spirits as he pursued them down a narrow corridor. As he got closer, his gait increased. One guard knocked the other over, and sprinted away. The fallen one screamed as Shao Kahn hovered over him. It lasted until he brought his boot down hard on the unfortunate guard's head. The last one made the mistake of turning his head to see how much distance he'd gained, only to bump into another figure. He fell on his rear, and looked up to see the Shokan warrior Kintaro staring down at him, his arms crossed.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kintaro laughed. He reached down to grab the guard, but was stopped by Shao Kahn.
"I did not say that I was sharing," he growled. Kintaro dropped the guard, who was promptly lifted up by Shao Kahn. He held the guard up by his neck, pressing him against a wall. "Now, what is it?"
"Motaro's here," Kintaro said. "Horse-man says he thinks he knows where the invaders from Earthrealm are hiding."
"Delightful," Shao Kahn said. The guard stopped squirming. The Emperor pulled him in close, noted that his heart was still beating, and slammed him into the wall, hard. He then tossed the newly-limp body to the ground, and cracked his knuckles. "Summon my councilors to the main hall. I'd like to plan something… spectacular."
"You know, I've never seen a Shokan city," Baraka said, glancing around. The group was exhausted, though their trek was nearly at its conclusion. Goro led them, saying nothing on the way.
"He's been doing the silent thing since we started moving," Jade said. "Sindel, is something wrong?"
"It is complicated," Sindel replied. In spite of her ability to levitate, she chose to move on foot with her daughter and company. "Know this, he has not been home to Kuatan in several months, and his presence has been expected for that same amount of time. His return was delayed so that we could carry out Kitana's rescue."
"When did he join you, Mother?" Kitana asked.
"When he last left his home, he pledged himself to our cause," Sindel answered. "He will explain his motivations to you in time."
Goro stopped abruptly, and held up a hand.
"What is wr-" Jade started. Sindel put a hand over her mouth, and signaled for her to be quiet.
Goro turned his head, and began scanning the trees around them. A faint rustling was heard above them. Goro crouched, then shouted and leapt. When he landed, one of his hands was clasped around something, and he was struggling with it. The dust kicked up from his landing seemed to outline something. Goro shouted as something landed on his back.
"They've been following us!" he shouted. "I don't know for how long!" He slammed down the one he had grabbed out of the trees, causing it to blink back into visibility.
"Zaterran spies!" Baraka growled as he unsheathed his blades. He lunged, and tackled one which had regained visibility. Several of the lizard-men appeared, most dropping from the trees. Baraka stabbed the Zaterran he had tackled, and shouted. He and Goro stood back-to-back deflecting attacks.
"This is an entire company," Goro said. "Shao Kahn couldn't have found us and sent this many so quickly."
"I don't think they came here to track us!" Sindel called. "Now cover your ears!"
Goro and Baraka obliged. Kitana and Jade stepped back behind the woman who had once been Empress. Sindel took a deep breath, leaned forward, and screamed. The air seemed to ripple ahead of her, sending dirt and rocks flying. Five Zaterrans fell down in pain. Even Goro and Baraka seemed to be staggered by the force. Sindel continued to scream, but was herself staggered when a ball of green slime struck her face. She stopped screaming, and turned to the Zaterran who had spat at her. Sindel's hair started to move. It launched out, seeming to get longer and longer, until several tendrils were around the lizard-man, crushing its chest.
Another lunged, but was blocked by Kitana, who elbowed it in the throat. Goro and Baraka rejoined the others, and the five stood in a circle, in defensive stances.
"Plans, anyone?" Baraka asked. "They seem to have us outnumbered. Where exactly are they coming from?"
The remaining Zaterrans began to close in. Sindel whipped another with her moving hair, while Baraka swiped one of his blades out whenever one got too close. Nobody noticed at first that a layer of fog seemed to be creeping in, an unusual occurrence for that time of day. Within moments, it had grown thick, and impossible to ignore. Yet, as large as the cloud was, it didn't seem to touch the five rebels. Grunting sounds were heard inside of the cloud, as if there was some kind of battle going on inside of it.
In moments, the cloud receded, and the bodies of several battered Zaterrans were strewn about. Down on his hands and knees, panting heavily, was a ninja clad in black and grey. He looked up, and removed his mask.
"Queen Sindel," Smoke said, still trying to catch his breath, "it's good to see you. I see you've been able to recover the Princess, and a few others." Smoke pulled himself to his feet, and grabbed one of the Zaterrans, throwing it over his shoulder. "We've been waiting for you, Your Highness. Follow me."