Once again, the rain began to pour at night. Nightwolf once again sat in the open, concentrating against the downpour. The others huddled again in the cave, staying close in place of having a fire to gather around. With Darrius reluctant to go into greater detail about life in Seido, they had mostly resorted to idle chit-chat. The alternatives would have been agonizing silence, or the nonstop chatter of Johnny Cage.
The most common question asked at this point was along the lines of "Where do you think Smoke went?" The ninja, a renegade from the mysterious Lin Kuei clan, was notoriously hard to keep track of, so there was not a great air of concern for his well-being. He had even found those lizard-men who had been stalking about, so his anti-social habits could be seen as a boon to the group as a whole. It had been briefly suggested by Stryker that Smoke may have gotten lost or injured in the midst of the rough weather, but this was considered unlikely.
In the midst of some minor conversation, Nightwolf ended his vigil in the rain, and headed for the woods. Liu Kang called after him, and Nightwolf raised a hand to silence him. Kang beckoned for the others to pay close attention, and then whispered for Kabal to monitor him from a distance. The masked speedster nodded, and raced out.
Nightwolf moved as quietly as he could. The sound of his feet in the mud and areas of pooling water was hard to mask at the speed he tried to move at. It didn't matter as soon as he saw the approaching silhouette. Since Raiden had explained that they would be gathering in Kuatan, Nightwolf, like the others, had worried about the possibility of running across the Shokan residents that lived far under the surface. There was only one, but it seemed to be accompanied by smaller figures. Nightwolf straightened up, determined to confront them, when he realized that one of the figures had taken the lead ahead of the Shokan, and was surrounded by mist.
This could mean many things. Smoke had his secrets, to be sure, but Nightwolf didn't take him for a traitor. He decided to simply approach them. When they noticed him, he waved, and Smoke waved back.
When the Shokan raised one of his hands in some kind of salute, Kabal pounced. He carried one of his hooked swords, and swung it in a wide arc. Nightwolf shook his head, not bothering to watch Goro grab Kabal's wrist, and fling him into a bush. The Shokan warrior balled his fists, ready to approach and finish off his attacker, but was stopped by Smoke.
"You'll have to forgive Kabal," the ninja said. "Stealth is not his strong suit."
Nightwolf approached, moving in a circle to help Kabal up.
"You seem to find something new every time you wander off," he said to Smoke.
"I'm not as fond of loitering as the rest of you," the ninja answered.
"Nightwolf, correct?" asked Sindel, stepping forward. "I believe we've met."
"Queen Sindel, yes we have," Nightwolf replied. "Though as I recall, you were not as cordial then."
"I wasn't exactly me," Sindel said. "Now, we have been traveling for some time. I'd like to get out of this rain, and meet the rest of your forces."
"This continues to be all kinds of messed-up," Johnny Cage muttered. Sonya Blade rolled her eyes.
"They're on our side, Johnny. I know it's weird, but take what you can get," she said. "Think of it this way: would you rather have Goro and Baraka fighting against us? Again?"
Goro had not settled for the small cave the Earthrealm company had taken shelter in. It could barely fit the group as it was, and the Shokan had no desire to sit in the pouring rain when he knew of an entrance to the passage to Kuatan nearby. Its proximity to the campsite led to some degree of frustration amongst the Earthrealm company.
The assembled group was not far from the mouth of the cavern Goro led them to. Sindel and the other Outworld rebels were exhausted, and the descent into the massive subterranean city-state of Kuatan was a long one. A fire was built, and Goro sat as far from the entrance as he could. As much time as he had spent in Outworld, where thunderstorms were common, he was still a born citizen of Kuatan, and the sky itself was still something bizarre to many of his people.
As tired as she was, Sindel still felt it appropriate to hold court with the fighters who had traveled across the dimensional rift to aid in her cause. Jade and Baraka sat on either side of her, with Liu Kang, Nightwolf, Jax and Smoke facing her. Kitana had fallen asleep already, and Darrius was mingling with the other Earthrealm fighters.
"Raiden tells me that most of you know of the circumstances surrounding my role in the assault on Earthrealm, only a few years ago," Sindel said to those around her. "I died many years ago, by my own hand, rather than continue to be abused by the monster Shao Kahn. His minions, the sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, revived me in Earthrealm and placed a powerful holding spell over me. This allowed him and his forces access to your world. I was the catalyst for the devastation that first brought much of your group together."
"Raiden himself explained that to us, once we'd forced Shao Kahn out," Liu Kang said. "Nobody knew what happened to you afterwards."
"I hid," Sindel said. "I needed time to plan, to survey the continued damage Shao Kahn has done to Outworld and the realms that have been merged into it, and to gather allies. You've met Darrius, of course. When we are situated in Kuatan, I will send for the other exiles from Seido. They, and several others, have been waiting for me the same way you were."
"Will we be received in Kuatan?" Liu Kang asked. "Can Goro convince them that we're friends?"
"They will listen to me," Goro said, getting up and joining the palaver. "My advisers knew well in advance that I had aligned myself with Sindel."
"And your father? My understanding was that you are a prince in Kuatan."
Goro hesitated.
"Circumstances have changed," Sindel said.
"It is true that when we first fought, when you defeated me in the Mortal Kombat tournament, I was the prince," Goro said. "Months ago, my father was assassinated. I-" He stopped for a moment. "I am the King now. My return has been long awaited. I needed to perform an investigation before I could return and take the throne of Kuatan."
"What were you investigating, then?" Liu Kang asked.
"My father's assassins," Goro replied. "One of his attackers was caught, and executed when he wouldn't give us information. We were, however, able to get his name, and it was one I had heard before. I needed to make sure it was the same individual. I recognized a mark on him, a tattoo on his back which I saw in three other figures at Shao Kahn's palace. The mark was the image of a dragon. And one of the people I saw bearing this mark was Kano, one of Shao Kahn's generals. I believe that the Emperor himself ordered the assassination of my father. I have theories as to why, but what matters now is that I have taken up Sindel's cause, and soon I believe my people will as well."
Liu Kang and the others fell silent for a moment. Eventually, it was Jax who broke the silence.
"Why would Shao Kahn have your father killed?" He asked. "I always took you all for allies."
"I was the true ally," Goro answered. "I joined with the Emperor and his lackey Shang Tsung ages ago to show off in Mortal Kombat. Kuatan has traditionally been an isolated community. The Emperor knows this, and has desired a change for years. I believe he anticipated my ascension to the throne of Kuatan would lead to the city falling further under his control. I believe that you will find its people more willful than that when we arrive in the morning."
"None should stand for such an insult," Sindel said. "Now, I need you all to rest. Our alliance with Kuatan will be the bedrock of the revolution. Be ready to make a good impression."
The Emperor paced in his throne room. He had sat for hours, waiting for his council to arrive. Few had to this point. Motaro, Reptile and Kintaro waited outside, not wanting to face the impatient wrath of their master. Finally, a portal opened, and a figure in a black tunic stepped out.
"Hail to Shao Kahn, Emperor of all Outworld," he said.
"Shang Tsung, you are late," Shao Kahn grumbled. "For your sake, I hope your expedition was successful."
"Ah, but it was!" Shang Tsung replied. "I have found a valuable new ally for you!" A silhouette appeared in the portal.
"I hope this was worth your absence," the Emperor said.
The figure in the portal stepped out. It was someone in red, their footsteps clanging hard on the ground. They appeared to be wearing a face-mask.
"A ninja?" Shao Kahn asked angrily. "You've brought me a ninja? Am I in any shortage on ninja, Shang?"
"I am no mere ninja, not anymore," the new figure said. His voice was hollow, and seemed to have a buzz following every word. "I lead the Tekunin, an army that none in our realm or yours could contend with. I believe we would be of use to your efforts, Emperor Shao Kahn."
"You have, at the very least, my curiosity. What is your name?"
"I," the ninja paused, as if he needed to process such a simple query. "I am Sektor."