Sonya glanced around quickly before heading down another corridor. She had been tracking Kahn for most of the day, but hadn't been able to learn much of anything. All day he had been moving from his study to working with his soldiers. He hadn't even spoken to Shinnok at all. This really surprised Sonya, for him to be a power hungry emperor that controlled nothing but pure evil in the future, this Kahn was actually somewhat boring.
Sonya was snapped from his thoughts when she heard the wind whistling behind her, she saw a flash of silver and and quickly jumped and flipped over it. She heard the resounding crash when Kahn's war hammer embedded itself in the wall behind her. She looked up in anger when she saw the future warlord glaring daggers at her from a few feet away.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! I demand to know why you have been following me!" Kahn bellowed.
Sonya thought quickly for a plausible story as Kahn began to advance on her. "I heard Raiden say you were quite the leader!" she shouted. Kahn stopped, eyebrow raised in curiosity. A slow smirk spread across his face. She knew there was no quicker way to get his attention then to talk about his military pursuits.
"Really now? And why would that be of any importance to you?"
"Where I come from in Earthrealm I'm considered quite the leader too, especially when it comes to military endeavors. It runs in my family."
The smirk on Kahn's face grew wider. "Come with me. You may be of some use to me, and I'm sure my idiot brother would become a larger thorn in my side if I did anything to one of his guests."
Sonya followed him wearily as he led her down another corridor and to a set of large double doors. "Even though my father has forced me to stop all conquests until the trials are over, I could still use some input for my first conquest as emperor of Outworld from someone who is familiar with the military like you say you are."
A feeling of dread filled Sonya as she thought about where he could possibly be talking about, but she shook it off. She had do this. They needed to know what Shinnok and Kahn were up too. "I know enough that I should be of use, but I want something in return."
A scowl quickly replaced the pleased smirk. "I don't make deals. You either help me or I'll send you back to my brother in pieces no matter what problems he'll cause for me afterward." Sonya remained silent as Kahn opened the doors and stepped inside. "Now follow me."
Sonya calmly stepped inside the room which appeared to be a large study. The books and multiple maps of Outworld didn't surprise her, but as she walked over to the side of the room she saw a giant glass case filled with weapons, but that wasn't the strange thing. Every weapon had a set of hands connected in the places where the weapons would usually be held.
Kahn noticed her curiosity and grinned. "They're trophies of my previous conquests. With of course the hands of the people that dared rise up against me still connected to them. Staring at these amuses me greatly, what else could bring more entertainment that reminders of the suffering of the people you crushed!"
Sonya looked on in horror and shock as she continued to stare at the case as Kahn laughed behind her. Liu, I hope you're having better luck with Raiden then I am with Kahn.
The monk panted as he wiped the small trickle of blood from his forehead. Raiden's last hit had got him good. Liu was slightly surprised at how good Raiden's skills were. He expected him to be good, but deep down he had always thought that the amount of skill he possessed had a little something do to with his godly powers and immortality.
"Come on Liu." Raiden called. "Shall we continue? We won't have the light for too much longer."
Liu nodded. "Of course." As he dropped back into his fighting stance he couldn't help but think about his friends. They have been gone for most of the day. If they found the deadly alliance, they should have been able to handle them. I just hope they make it back by nightfall. He took a glance up at the setting Outworld sun as he began to dodge Raiden's blows. Since I have no doubt Outworld becomes more dangerous when you're not able to see.
Sub-Zero looked up at the sky as they walked into the next village. "We're losing the light quickly. We'll need to head back if we don't find any leads here."
Jax sighed. "I don't believe this! We've been gone all day and nothing! We haven't been able to find one trace of Shang Tsung here."
"Keep your cool Jax." Sub-Zero said calmly. "Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. We don't know if they have anyone else on their side and they probably still don't know where Raiden is and I highly doubt they'll show themselves to Kahn or Shinnok. We just have to be patient."
Kung Lao chuckled humorlessly, "We wait patiently to be attacked is that it? I don't think so. I'd prefer finding and capturing, if not killing them, by tonight. At least that would give us one less thing to worry about."
"What is up with you man?!" Jax yelled, glaring at the monk. "You've more and more like a jerk since we got here and its beginning to piss me off."
"While its none of your business, I've been sensing this odd tension between Liu and Lord Raiden and I personally don't like it. I don't want extra problems that would jeopardize us or Raiden in anyway."
Jax smirked, "Jealous that Raiden's still showing favoritism to Liu even thousands of years n the past?"
Kung Lao didn't even bother to answer him, the next thing Jax knew was that he was stumbling sideways from the force of the monk's punch. He was about to throw one of his own when the Lin Kuei stepped between them, grasping their fists in his own.
"We don't have time for this!" he bellowed. He turned to Jax, his eyes narrowed in an angry glare. "Stop provoking him, and you!" He said turning to Kung Lao. "Stop worrying about Liu and Raiden. All you're probably seeing is remnants of their relationship from the-"
Whatever he was about to say was cut off when he suddenly released his companions hands and slid backwards leaving an ice clone in his wake, which seconds later was promptly destroyed with a fireball. The three Earthrealm warriors looked around quickly for their assailant and soon found him, standing on one of the roofs of one the huts in the village.
"Shang Tsung! You finally show yourself sorcerer." Kung Lao shouted.
The shape shifting sorcerer chuckled as he jumped from the roof and sauntered cockily over to the other fighters. "Now we can do this the easy way and you tell me where the Thunder God is and then I kill you or the hard way where I beat you to within an inch of your life, you tell me where the Thunder God is and then kill you all. Your choices should not take long."
Shang Tsung easily tilted his head as the blade rimmed hat flew passed him. "I guess you've chosen the hard way then." His hands began to glow with fire as fell into his fighting stance. "I was hoping you'd do that." Makes this mission a little less boring for me."
"Oh give it up Shang Tsung! You're outnumbered three to one. Even with your powers you have no chance against the three of us." Jax yelled.
That just caused him to laugh more, "Well maybe you have a point. I guess I'll need a little help." With that, two simultaneous blasts shot from behind Shang and knocked both Kung Lao and Jax back into the houses behind them.
"And just what kind of trickery is this?!"
Shang Tsung didn't answer. He didn't have to. For as soon as the words left Sub-Zero's mouth, his eyes widened as the owners of the blasts came forward. The snarling, mutated faces of Baraka and another tarkatan warrior appeared. Shang just smirked, "Apparently their orders are to destroy you anyway, so I figured why not give them a helping hand!"
No more words were said as fireballs flew from Shang's hands towards Sub-Zero. He reacted instantly, dodging the first one and neutralizing the other with an ice ball. He knew he had to move quickly. At a distance, the two of them were evenly matched, but up close, Sub-Zero knew he could quickly gain the advantage.
He began charging toward the sorcerer and as he picked up speed, slipped into a crouch and slammed into Shang Tsung's legs, sending him over his shoulder. In an instant, Shang had his hand out charging up his energy for another fireball which he quickly released. The flame slammed into Sub-Zero's back, knocking him off balance and sending him through a wooden fence.
"I expect more from you Lin Kuei!"
Sub-Zero growled, shaking himself free from the debris, he sent the sorcerer his deadliest glare. "This is only the beginning Shang Tsung."
Jax finally managed to shake himself from the wreckage of the house he was trapped under. "Damn! What hit me?" he muttered as he shakily stood up. He quickly noticed the tarkatan warrior and smirked, "Oh you're about to have a very bad day."
The tarkata growled and began to charge Jax, with his blades drawn. Jax fired an energy wave at the beast which it easily blocked with its blades. Jax used this momentary distraction for a ground pound, causing most of the village to shake and the tarkata along with it.
This didn't keep the tarkata fazed long as it sent as spark blast toward Jax that hit him square in the chest. With a battle cry it leaped into the air, aiming a kick at the major's head. Jax caught its leg on reflex and using the extra strength that his cybernetics afforded him, swung him around through the wood of another one of the huts before tossing him to the ground.
As he advanced on the motionless tarkata, he was suddenly hit hard in the chest, the force of the blow knocking him against another one of the huts. Just as quickly he felt white hot pain from from his chest, wincing he glared at the tarkata that had him pinned, the metal blades piercing his shoulders.
He kicked it in the stomach multiple times before he finally dislodged himself from the blades, grabbing the tarkatan by the throat, he began punching it multiple times in the head. He didn't count out his close contact to the solider having a down side, but as he heard the sound of the blades coming out and felt the drips of blood on his pants as it frantically slashed him in an attempt to get free. He knew he had to think of something quick. He wasn't gonna let that thing go that easily.
He looked around quickly for a solution when he saw a glint of sliver catch his eye. He smirked and punched the tarkatan in the head a few times to stun it. "Kung Lao!" The monk, who had been fighting Baraka, glanced over at his comrade. "Your hat!" That's when he noticed the struggling tarkatan in his grip and caught on. Dodging another one of Baraka's spark blasts, he threw his hat with as much force as he could and smirked as it embedded itself it the monster's back.
Jax dropped the still struggling tarkatan to the ground and pushed the hat through it and stopping its movements once and for all. He stumbled forward slightly, the puncture and slash wounds on his chest still dripping blood. He looked over to where Kung Lao was fighting Baraka and nodded. He had a score to settle with him.
Kung Lao teleported out of the way of a blade lunge, appearing behind him and kicking him in the back of the head. Baraka turned on him quickly, a roundhouse kick followed by another spark blast knocking him to the ground. Baraka lunged at him again, intent on impaling him with his blades, but as he approached him the ground began to shake weakly which stunned Baraka.
Using this to his advantage, Kung Lao quickly stood and slashed Baraka in the stomach with his hat before teleporting behind him and slashing him in the back and as he teleported one last time to land the finishing blow he was stopped in his tracks, by blades slashing at his face and chest as he reappeared. It seemed that Baraka recovered more quickly from his attacks than Kung Lao thought and when he reappeared the last time, tried his best to chop him up.
Kung Lao quickly began to spin, creating a whirlwind which threw the tarkatan back and through a fence. He waited for the second he saw Baraka move and threw his hat and began to chase after it. Baraka easily saw the hat coming and dodged it as it landed in a wall behind him only to be knocked onto its blade as Kung Lao kicked kicked him in the head.
The monk wasted no time and kicked Baraka hard in the stomach sending him further onto the hat. He grabbed Baraka and roughly pulled hm off and slammed him to the ground. Kung Lao grabbed his and threw it at the ground, making it spin continuously. It was time to finish this.
He grabbed Baraka's legs and just as he was about to begin cutting there was a loud and fiery explosion from the entrance of the village. Kung Lao froze and Baraka used this as an opportunity to kick him in the stomach. He turned onto his back and launched himself up at Kung Lao using his blades, stabbing him in the arms. Removing one of his blades, Baraka aimed it right above the monk's heart, ready to destroy this Earthrealm trash once and for all.
As he slammed the blade down a purple blast of light caught his eye and as he tried to move away, he realized that Kung Lao had gripped his wrists and was keeping him in place. The blast hit him head on and sent him flying into one of the huts, causing it to collapse on top of him.
Jax ran over to Kung Lao and helped him stand, "Thanks Jax. A few more seconds and I would have been done. Come on we need to finish him." He tried to go over to where Baraka lay under the debris but was stopped by Jax and the horrible pain in his chest where he was impaled.
"Let him go for now. You saw that blast right? We have to get to Sub-Zero! He may need our help."
Jax and Kung Lao raced back over to the entrance of the village where Sub-Zero was kneeling against a tree with Shang Tsung nowhere to be found. His scar had been reopened and was bleeding freely down his face, parts of his armor had been burned away and left charred flesh on his arms and legs. One of his arms hung limply at his side while the other covered a bleeding spot on his stomach.
Kung Lao and Jax knelt in front of Sub-Zero and gently tried to help him up. "Will you be all right?" the monk asked.
Sub-Zero winced as he nodded slowly, "Yeah. I'll be fine. Shang Tsung missed anything major."
Kung Lao nodded in relief, "And where is he?"
Sub-Zero shook his head, "I don't know. I had him pinned and was about to finish him off, but he got free and opened a portal."
"Come on." Jax said as he helped King Lao get Sub-Zero up. "We need to get back. If either of the deadly alliance finds us we'll be easy targets."
"Yeah." Sub-Zero said softly, glancing back at the village and smirking. "And we really don't want that to happen."
Sonya tried her best to stay silent as Kahn went over his planned battle strategies for his next planned conquest. It was as she feared. He was beginning to focus on Edenia and Sonya wanted no part in making its takeover any easier. She gave vague information and basic tips on how to train his forces, but nothing too specific. She saved those tips for when she was sure he wasn't paying attention to her, instead enjoying listening to the sound of himself talk. She could could tell Kahn was beginning to get irritated with her. He was looking for more advanced knowledge, not things that even a first time soldier would know.
Sonya was about to slip in one of her more useful pieces of military knowledge when the windows to Kahn's study suddenly burst open. She quickly surveyed the room, every nerve on guard. She new from the look on Kahn's face that someone was there, and since they were at least three stories up, it wasn't any normal person.
After a few moments of silence Kahn turned to her with a glare. "Leave me!" Sonya nodded and quickly stepped out, but as she closed the door behind her, she glanced back and saw someone she had not expected. What was Reptile doing here? A few seconds ago she would have done anything in her haste to not be around Kahn, but this is what she had been waiting for all day and wasn't going to waste the chance. She looked down the corridor. There's no shadow priests. She thought. I may be able to get a little information before he realizes I'm still here.
"How did it go?" Shao Kahn asked. "Are those strange guests of my brother food for the trees in the living forest?"
Reptile shook his head, "No. Massster. I tracked them like you asssked but there wass another already there."
"What do you mean there was another there?!"
"There wasss a sorcerer of some kind after them asss well. He wasss covered in strange markings and they ssseemed to know him. After a little assistance from me, he sseemed to be holding his own against them, ssso I came to report to you."
Kahn nodded. "Good Reptile. If they did make it back alive I want you to continue to keep an eye on them. Now I just need to hear from Baraka. Hopefully his mission wasn't a failure like yours. Nothing is going to keep me from taking my rightful spot as emperor of Outworld!" he bellowed.
"What about that ssstrange sorcerer?"
Kahn remained silent as he thought about a solution. "I'll look into that. From what you described, he does not seem to be from Outworld and he was fighting those Earthrealm warriors. If you find him again, bring him to me. Once I know his motives for going after Raiden
Sonya decided she had heard enough. She had to tell Liu. If Kahn was on to them, they had much bigger problems to worry about than the deadly alliance. She didn't know what else he had up his sleeve, but she knew they had to keep their guard up.
Liu blocked every punch that Raiden attempted to land, looking for a break in his defenses. He found one, and using his quick reflexes, caught one of Raiden's wrists and threw him over his shoulder. Raiden landed gracefully on his feet and swept Liu's feet from beneath him, sending the monk sprawling to the ground. Twisting his wrist and keeping one foot on Liu's chest, Raiden smiled down at his opponent.
"So how was that?" he asked smugly.
Liu smirked and locked his legs around the one of Raiden's that wasn't on his chest. He sent the silver haired man face first to the ground before untwisting his wrist and twisting Raiden's around his back.
"I'll have to say not bad." Liu chuckled as he moved off of Raiden's back and helped him up. "Your moves are very impressive."
"Thank you. I don't have much else to do besides train. I don't trust my father or brother and I'm trying to be prepared for anything they might try during this trial."
The walk back to the castle was silent, but comfortable. It seemed that the connection between them in the future still existed in the past, except the roles were reversed this time.
"Hey Raiden? Why did you ask me for your help?" Liu asked softly.
Raiden stopped and turned to his companion, his eyes facing the ground and just a tint of a blush on his cheeks. "...When you and your friends arrived here I could see something in you, The heart of a warrior, a champion. Even when you helped me against those two sorcerers, even though you didn't do any fighting I could sense how strong you were and I knew that kind of spirit and strength would possibly be what I need to defeat Kahn."
Liu didn't know what was making him act like this, but when he noticed the slightly nervous look and small flush on Raiden's cheeks he had to move closer. There was something about this Raiden that had him magnetized. He knew he shouldn't be feeling this way towards his future mentor, but something was drawing him to Raiden and he wanted to know exactly what it was.
"Is that the only reason why you asked?"
Apparently something in Raiden had grown bolder too as he moved closer to Liu until there was barely an inch of space between them. He looked down at Liu, locking their eyes together, "No. There was another reason." he whispered.
Liu was frozen as Raiden leaned down and pressed his lips to Liu's. Part of his mind began to scream at him, You know this isn't right! This is Raiden! Even with that thought screaming through his head, he couldn't stop himself from kissing back until his senses caught up with him again.
He pushed Raiden away forcefully, more forcefully than he intended as the other man stumbled back. "No Raiden! We can't do this." He glanced back at Raiden and instantly wished he hadn't. The hurt was evident on his features as was confusion. Liu couldn't explain all the reasons they couldn't do this without screwing up the future in some way, but he couldn't just leave things like this.
"Raiden...I..."
"Don't." He said coldly. " It was a bad idea on my part and I apologize that it happened. Now let's just pretend that it didn't."
Even in the future, Liu had never heard Raiden sound this angry or hurt. "Just let me explain. There are some things that-"
"I said don't!" Raiden bellowed as he turned from Liu and kept walking to the castle. "I already said it didn't happen."
As he came closer to the doors the vision in front of him caused him to freeze in his tracks. "Liu! Come quickly!"
Liu jogged up quickly to his side and his eyes widened in horror as he saw the scene in front of him. Collapsed in front of the doors to the castle were Kitana, Kenshi and Jade. He knew right then and there that their mission had just become much more complicated, and when he he looked over at Raiden who had ran over to them and began trying to help Kenshi, he knew it had just become that much more confusing as well.