~ HELLO THERE! SORRY FOR NOT UPLOADING IN SUCH A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, BUT I AM PASSING THROUGH A PERIOD OF TIME WHERE IT'S HARDER FOR ME TO GET INSPIRED, LET ALONE WRITING SOMETHING! ANYWAY, JUST ENJOY THE READ AND I APOLOGIZE BEFOREHAND FOR ANY SPELLING/GRAMMAR MISTAKES! ~
THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIALS
As soon as Kuai made the first step into the tunnel he could hear several footsteps at the distance. "(What is that all about? The last thing I need is competition)" He thought as he cautiously followed the noises. Eventually he stumbled across a gigantic stone gate with two statuettes on each side. The statuettes were apparently representing some sort of knights. "They must be Edenia's pioneers..." He thought out loud before a mysterious voice almost made him jump to the ceiling.
"Who?! Who dares to disturb our resting place?! I demand an explanation or else you will meet a painful end!" Said the mystical voice.
Sub-Zero hesitated for a moment before replying. "S-so you must be one of the pioneers I presume?" He asked, desperately trying not to look intimidated.
"You are in no position of asking any kind of question, mortal, I can kill you with a mere thought! Now, if you do not wish to be obliterated from this realm you must complete our trials!" Replied the enraged voice.
Kuai swallowed hard before replying. "Well that is surely a straightforward answer-" He said before being interrupted.
"Silence! Or you will awake our rage upon this entire land!" Said the voice before waiting a couple of seconds in silence. "Everyone who comes to this sacred place is after the same thing! Our greatest treasure, our immense knowledge! If you are capable of completing our trials you shall pass to the treasure chamber before you!" Continued the voice.
Kuai Liang released a long sigh and scratched his head. The last thing he needed was more distractions and this time they were unavoidable. The Lin Kuei had given him a deadline, he had seven days to complete his task. He didn't hand much of a choice anyway. "Fine! I will do whatever you say, mystical voice. What is the first test?" He asked.
"The first trial will determinate if your will is strong enough to proceed! You must enter the main temple of Edenia and retrieve our long lost relic. The puny Edenians believe it has religious value... But it is actually one of our personal belongings!" Said the voice with rage in its tone.
"So let me get this straight. You want me to retrieve a relic from a temple in order to proceed? Just that?-" As soon as he finished that sentence the voice replied with even more anger.
"You fool! That is just a small fraction of your task! You must also bring me the prosperity god talisman AND a young virgin!" Commanded the voice.
Sub-Zero immediately felt suspicious about the so called mighty voice and questions began to emerge. "So now you are telling me that you also need another amulet and... A virgin? What for? I thought that the Edenian pioneers were just enraged ghosts. So why on earth would you want to have a young virgin?!" Spoke the Lin Kuei, feeling that perhaps his words were not exactly suitable for the occasion. Who knew how a mythical entity would react to such inappropriate questions?.
"YOU DARE QUESTION ME!" Yelled the enraged voice.
"N-no I-I just... Uh...!" Was all that Kuai could manage to say before several thunders fell directly where he was standing. The impact sent him flying several meters away. Kuai twitched in pain as the electric impulses slowly abandoned his body. "W-what kind of ghost are you?!" He asked while trying to get back on his feet. After some tries he finally managed to stand up.
"If you truly want to know, you must complete our trials! Now go and retrieve the relic, the talisman and bring me a young virgin woman!" Said the mysterious voice.
Kuai Liang quickly fled the scene and sprinted towards the cave's entrance after seeing how the giant rock moved away. He then run as fast as he could back to the city. "I should go look for the relic first since it seems to be the easiest part of the task... The main temple of Edenia... It must be that building near the plaza, there is no doubt!" He said to himself as his eyes exanimated the whole city from the top of the hill he was in. "(Alright! Lets do this! I only have a couple of days to complete this mission before my clan, lord Raiden or someone else decides to kill me for good. I cannot afford to waste any more precious time!)" Thought the Lin Kuei as he began to walk towards the city, where he knew pretty well that many dangers were waiting for him. "(I oughta take out my mask, otherwise I probably caught too much unwanted attention...)" He thought before continuing.
MEANWHILE...
The queen of Edenia sat on her throne and nervously commenced to caress her right hand, every time faster. A mysterious silhouette which seemed to be lurking in the dark was certainly making her feel quite uncomfortable. "It appears that our little guinea pig decided to take action and carry on with his task. Without doubt he will find his efforts meaningless after I send her after him" Said the shadow before making a pause to see if the queen had something to say.
"If... If you are so certain about his inevitable demise, why not getting rid of him in this instant?" Said Sindel with a defiant tone on her voice.
"Tell me, what is the rush? I just wish to see how far a the Lin Kuei's top man can progress before succumbing to my overwhelming power" Said the shadow. After some seconds he noticed that the queen remained in silence, there was no response. "You... wish him to succeed with his quest, am I correct? Such blind impulses... Sindel, I expected more from you".
HALF AN HOUR LATER...
AT THE CITY...
Kuai Liang found himself walking alongside dozens of people at the city's market. The streets where vibrant and filled with energy. People had a joyful and peaceful expression engraved on their faces. The current situation of the kingdom was quite evident, all thanks to Sindel and her new government. "(So many people. At least I don't have to worry about melting myself with the crowds... Still, I feel like someone has been following me ever since I arrived)" Thought the Lin Kuei as he carefully looked over his shoulder. "(I cannot tell who he or she is, but I will play along... Just to see if I can gather some information later)".
As soon as he turned he bumped into a young teen. She was blonde and petite. He could immediately perceive appreciate those flawless characteristics of her body, definitely an Edenian. It was then when the idea of killing two birds with one stone illuminated his mind. "(Well, the pioneers want a young virgin... And I am willing to bet that she might have some information about the relic as well. After all, she is a native)" Thought Kuai before gently helping the young lady to get up. With his best impersonation of a clueless peasant he made eye contact and commenced to talk with a strong, yet kind tone. "Oh! My most sincere apology, did I hurt you?".
In a matter of seconds the young lady changed her upset expression for a much more comfortable one. Her green eyes immediately perceived Kuai's icy blue ones and shined with innocence. "No! It was my bad, mister! I hope I did not cause you any kind of trouble!" Said the young beauty.
"Not at all!" He said before gently grabbing her tiny hand and kissing it. Definitely a risky move from him, he didn't know the Edenian etiquette at all. However, she seemed to had welcomed the gesture and smiled kindly. "My name is Kuai... I am terribly sorry. Please, let me know if there is something I could do to make up for my clumsiness, Ms...?" He said a little insecure about the fast pace the conversation was having thanks to his smart mouth.
"I-I am Ambar. Mister Kuai, I- I would appreciate it if you could spare some of your time and join me in my morning trek. But if you have another appointment I understand!" She said.
"(That was easier than I thought actually... At least I have one less thing to worry about)" He thought before the girl erratically changed her face expression and strongly pulled him by the hand as she began to run away from the crowd. "W-where are we going?!".
The girl turned without hesitating and instead of giving her a proper answer she released a short laugh. Something wasn't right with this gal and he was beginning to realize that. After two minutes of running in an awkward silence the two finally reached their destination. A quiet place, completely isolated from the suffocating crowd. The place was with no doubt beautiful, they were at the edge of a cliff with an spectacular view of the superb landscape of Edenia. Humongous mountains and cascades offered a show like none other and the seemingly bottomless abyss under them only added to the magnificence of the Edenian geography. After some seconds of admiring the landscape, the girl abruptly dragged him to a nearby bench right in the centre of the spot. Both sat down immediately and was only then when she decided to break that uncomfortable silence.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" She said with an hypnotizing gaze, which suddenly started to make Kuai a little insecure about what he had gotten himself into.
"Y-yes, it is a beautiful indeed... May I ask what are we doing here?" He asked, for some reason fearing the response.
Ambar took a deep breath and began to explain. "You see, my boyfriend left me a few weeks ago and we used to spend several nights right here... just the two of us, staring at the stars" She said before placing her hand on Kuai's for apparently no reason.
"(Boyfriend...! I just hope it is not too late) Ehem! Did your boyfriend died or something?". Of course he wasn't the most suitable person when speaking to a woman was required. The girl immediately changed her relaxed face expression and raised an eyebrow.
"Well... In a matter of speaking his existence is no longer a concerning issue" She replied.
"W-what do you mean?" He asked.
"Oh! You should not worry... Now I am going to show you!". Before he could even react, she pulled out a needle and stabbed him in his abdomen.
"What the-" Was all Kuai could say before collapsing unconscious. Ambar just stared at him with a devilish smirk.
TO BE CONTINUED...
