A/N: Ah, French. Beautiful language. The title means 'Stroke of Death', that's the literal meaning anyway. I wanted to wait a little longer to update, but, I love you guys and your feedback, as this is almost finished. I hope to have this finished by Christmas/the end of the year. Also, when you post the update on Twitter, and Richard Epcar actually comments that he is reading it and he likes it. Unholy flaming Netherrealm Batman...

Coup De Grâce

A few weeks passed before Raiden began feeling like this old self again.

Old self...

That adage made him chortle. Kara had been visiting him frequently, cooking him meals, spring-cleaning the house, doing everything for him, refusing to let him so much as lift a finger.

The last time she'd come, she ended up missing him, and leaving him a box of his favourite tea, cardamom and chai, before passing out on the couch. The man used a robe as a makeshift blanket to drape over her form, before heading to bed himself. He could have moved her, but did not want to risk waking her. She'd been working hard to assist both him and Outworld's troubles. Kotal now knew of the possible threat to his reign, giving a missive that he was prepared for whatever happened.

When she woke, clearly disorientated, instead of wondering where she was, she somehow managed to climb the stairs without falling, and collapsed into the bed she'd slept in all the years ago. Raiden had to admit.

She could be clumsy at times, but, he was impressed...

She wasn't so much when she woke up, sleepily walked downstairs, a little frazzled, eventually working out he was teasing her a little. She pouted, and withheld the milk in protest, whilst making some morning coffee...

Kara returned to the kamp and to training Takeda, alongside Kenshi. Father and son relations were going well, sort of. The young man would tolerate the elder's presence, but was tetchy. His Father being around Jacqui made him tense, though he knew Jax and his Father had known each other over twenty years. There was no hostility there, and Takeda certainly wasn't about to start or cause any.

He'd begun using his telekinetic energy in kombat, using it to manipulate his environment. He also used his telepathy to make the other person panic. Whisper things in their ear, causing them to flinch. Kara did not like doing that, the teen found the same. It felt invasive. It was invasive.

She continued to push him hard, as she had pushed herself in her years at the Lin Kuei. She hadn't gotten the position of General simply by being the previous General's daughter. She had gotten there through hard graft, constantly challenging herself, forcing her body past its limit, creating new ones in the process. She had proven herself to Sub-Zero, who felt proud to honour her with the position. There was a ceremony, a handing-over-of-title. Jakal struggled to keep his emotions in check. He wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Immense happiness filled him, seeing his daughter, his only child proving what he already knew.

She was tough, brave, intelligent.

Also crass, a little loud and rambunctious. But, a worthy candidate she was.

Jakal desperately wanted to drop the General shtick and be the Father. The moment the ceremony was over, pride went out of the window. He hugged his daughter, keeping her as close as can be. He'd lost her several times, and wasn't about to lose her again.

Kara had proven herself a capable warrior, a faithful, honest friend, but also, a wonderful daughter of whom her Mother and Father were immensely proud of. They couldn't have asked for any more.

And now, at thirty-eight, she became the General of the Lin Kuei, one hell of an achievement. The woman was flabbergasted but utterly thrilled at the opportunity. She grasped it with both hands, thanking her Grand-Master profusely. He merely waved off her praise and congratulated her. He asked her not to call him her 'leader', but a mentor. She tripped up a few times with the new rule. It wasn't a rule, but she thought it one. She, her Father and mentor had a good chuckle over some tea at that. Kara blushed heatedly, cheeks burning from embarrassment.

She'd laugh it off. Trivial things no longer warranted feelings of doubt or self-derision.

Two weeks later

"Isn't it awkward?"

Cassie asked around a mouthful of peanuts. Kara went to ask what she was talking about but had that unspoken question answered, when the blond looked at Stephen, then her. Kara looked at him, then the Sergeant.

"Ah. Not at all. What we had fizzled out many years ago".

Stephen smirked. "Many years? Speak for yourself. You're older than me".

His wife, Lin laughed. Kara raised a brow.

"Don't you know talking about a woman's age is frowned upon?"

He called his ex's bluff.

"Then why aren't you frowning?"

Kara laughed. "Still cheeky" she enunciated each word after that, "even after all these years".

Chuckles went around the four, stopping when the tent flap cracked open.

"Dad?"

Stephen and Lin's son Ruben popped his head in.

"Someone's here. Really tall guy".

Kara could only think of one man, and one thing.

Mileena may have well gone through with her plan, her coup, her bid for the throne.

Shit.

She looked at the teen male.

"White hair? Black robes? Bit stuffy?"

Ruben looked confused.

"Yes, no and, er, no?"

Kara's had a 'ping' go off in her head.

No black robes? Wonder if he finally managed to push through the dark influence?

She chuckled. "It's alright. Hate to shatter the peace, but you know about Mileena and her plans, right? If Raiden's here"...

Lin filled in the blanks. "Than she is going ahead with it". She stood up. "Ruben, find your sister and bring her here please. I want you here, with me".

Ruben nodded. "Not Dad too?"

Stephen shook his head. "I'm going to help the fight. We need all the help we can get. Could be a full-scale war otherwise".

Ruben ran off to find Phoebe, bumping into the man he told the others was there along the way. He apologised, moved, and zoomed past him.

An emergency meeting wad called, with the usual people filing into the tent and awaiting news and orders.

"So, it looks like the rumors were true. Mileena is about to try and take back the throne. We don't know when exactly, so we must be on guard. We will travel to Outworld, and try to ally our forces with Kotal's, as a show of good faith".

Hanzo had arrived, bringing fifty Shirai Ryu with him, Sub-Zero brought a hundred Lin Kuei, and Sonya had two hundred men. They really could have done with more, but, at such short notice of impending battle, this was the best they could do.

Raiden stepped forward, worry flitting about his face, drawing lines upon it.

"Mileena has Ermac and Noob Saibot. They have resurrected countless undead warriors, though they are weak, vulnerable. We must strike soon if we are to put them down before they become a threat".

Kara boldly put up a hand.

"I can retrieve their souls, send them to the Heavens. We don't need to fight them. That'll just waste time. Mileena isn't about to wait for us to be done fighting her 'friends' before she strikes. We need to be at the Palace, not on the ground, in the city. Hold them from getting to the palace".

Everyone nodded. "We could use the help of the Shaolin too. Any help we can get is a bonus. We can't underestimate Mileena and the lengths she will go too". The thunderer's form flashed yellow, tiny sparks draped around him like fairy lights. "I will visit Liu and Kung".

Sonya grabbed a tactical vest.

"Got it, Lord Raiden. Thanks. We need a strategy".

Johnny looked at the map of Outworld. Several blips beeped as their scanner scanned the city.

"Well, there seems to be a congregation of these 'undead' around the city limits, as if they're guarding something, or someone".

Hanzo knew that trick, he'd used it after Quan's attack on his clan.

"They are keeping the people from leaving, and preventing anyone from getting in. I suggest we split into small groups, defeat these batches at the same time, so we can rendezvous in the center of the city".

Sub-Zero seconded that.

"I concur. Sonya, Kara, how does that sound?"

Kara nodded. "Sounds good to me".

Sonya also agreed. "Since Cassie and her team have done more than enough, we will deal with this. Deal with Mileena,, once and for all".

Cassie lifted her head, looked at her Mother and stretched.

"Yeah. We'll leave it to you old folks".

That garnered her a look from the eyes of her peers. She put her hands on her hips, her friends also staring at her incredulously.

"Hey. You guys paved the way for us. Without you, everything would be different. So, yeah, we know you can end this before it's begun. That's all I meant".

Hanzo was on form.

"We know Cassandra. We know".

Kara snorted. "Besides. When you are my age, I'll come and visit you, and call you old".

Cassie thought she'd called the older woman's bluff.

She hadn't.

"Well, if I'm old, what does that make you?"

Kara smirked, leaning in.

"Older"...

Cassie conceded 'defeat' by holding both her hands up.

Sonya continued. "Ahem. Well, since we have a God and Demi-Goddess on our side, we need to get the two of you to the center of town. You can defeat all of the undead warriors in one fell swoop that way, instead of having to pick them off one-by-one".

Raiden shook his head, though Kara agreed.

"Raiden can take care of himself. I'm nowhere near as powerful. So, you guys would smuggle me in and protect me whilst I traverse the city?"

Sonya nodded. "Thank you Kara, but I disagree. I will dispatch those I see".

"We need to get right into the chaos", she clicked her knuckles. "I'm actually pretty pumped for this. Prove to all of you I'm not a one trick pony. There's more to me than telepathy and telekinesis".

She smirked and left the tent, leaving her baffled and snorting friends in her wake...

The purple skies of Outworld swam about, an oddly hypnotizing rhythm, the sensual cadence a stark contrast to the earth beneath their feet.

Blood, random splatters of it coated the ground, like a bottle of hastily spilled ink. Bodies littered streets, some tucked away in alleyways, not to be seen by prying eyes.

But, they knew. The group knew of the toll Mileena and her undead forces had taken on the realm. They split into three groups:

Kara, with Stephen and Johnny, Raiden with Kenshi and Hanzo, and Fujin with Jakal and Sub-Zero.

Each were trying to get to the palace as fast and as safely as possible before the aforementioned woman did.

Kara wove her way through the undead men and women, walking through them calmly, retrieving and sending their souls to the Heavens as she did. Any stragglers swiftly were taken down by Stephen and Johnny, each with decisive, swift moves.

They rendezvoused with the other teams in the town square. Fujin whipped up a torrent, keeping the warriors at bay, and his friends from harm. Kara and Raiden amplified the wind God's power, using theirs to sweep it further afield, with bolts of lightning and telekinetic, concussive energy woven into the air torrent.

Plumes of violet, hazy, wisps of grey and bright white flashes coloured the environment. The three stood, backs to one another in a triangle formation, making sure they had all enemies in their sights.

All the group could offer was awe. They stood beside a vast battlefield of fallen enemies, some skeletons, others with flesh hanging from their bones, marred, torn clothing the only thing they had. Many did not even have weapons, using their hands and feet. Limbs stood no chance against supernatural magic. They were cast aside easily, thrown to the wind, becoming ash and dust.

Johnny shot a glance towards the palace. Green blips in the sky alerted him to the soulmancer's presence.

"Shit! Ermac, incoming!"

Kara moved her hands, the combined power flowing with her movements. She aimed towards the floating man, who skillfully dodged the attack. She stemmed the flow of the souls within him. He needed souls, they were what he was made out of. Kara began ridding him of his very existence, one by one, weakening him significantly.

Raiden let out a burst of lightning. It formed a cage around the man before them. He hurtled toward the ground, landing face first into the dirt. The soulmancer's bandaged face was gaunt, the wrappings falling apart at the seams, frayed all over. Mileena had mistreated him, his aura was troubled, his posture low. Inhuman sounds came from his mouth. All felt and saw his distress. Kara couldn't stand the sight.

"Ermac? Mileena treated you like dirt, didn't she? She walked all over you. Her own, personal doormat. I can stop that, end your pain".

The soulmancer refused to listen to the woman's words. He attacked her, curling up into a ball and throwing himself at her. Fujin deflected him with a tornado. He span away from Kara, again smacking the floor with a loud crack. The tiles beneath him bore most of the damage, fracturing veins. He grunted and tried to get back up. Raiden teleported right next to him, kicking the wounded man in his gut. Kara saw intent is his eyes. Frightened, she pulled the thunderer back. Puppy dog eyes greeted him. He stopped his assault and snapped out of it.

"Stop", she begged, "please. He isn't in control. He has hundreds of souls all battling for control of his mind. He doesn't know what he is doing. It isn't his fault". She looked at Fujin. "Fujin, please take everyone to the palace, I'll handle this", she looked at the ground, "take care of Ermac".

The wind God nodded. Raiden did not. The exact opposite in fact. Fujin wasn't having any of it. He physically moved his friend away from her and the man on the ground.

"Raiden, come. Ermac is a distraction from the bigger picture. You know that, as well as I". He looked at Kara, nodded and smiled. She returned the smile and nodded in respect. "Kara will be fine. She did want an opportunity to prove herself, no?"

Kara didn't fight the grin. "I did, and now, I have one. Its all good, promise".

The gang behind the gods potted something none mentioned, but a few smiled at.

Raiden relented and walked away, joining the others as they sped up to towards the palace.

Kara knelt on one knee, next to the soulmancer. He twitched, fingers curled, eyes various shades of green, dimming gradually. She knew the cogs of his mind were turning, trying to find one soul to overpower the rest, one voice to drown out the others. Kara felt terrible.

"You are tormented all the time. I can't stand to see that. I can hear all the voices, the shouting, howling. I can take them all away and leave you with one, a decent, moral one. One that you can rely upon, that won't twist or hurt you".

Ermac screeched. Kara shielded her ears, the piercing sound deafening. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. The man tried to run, but was halted mid-stride. Kara waggled an index finger at him.

"No. I'm not letting you get away", she raised her voice when he scooted backwards, "Stop running away. Running won't solve anything".

He punched her square in the jaw. She held it and frowned.

"I'm not doing this".

He hit her again. "Stop".

He went to again. Kara grabbed his fist and twisted his arm.

"I said stop".

He pulled it free and tried to hit her solar plexus. She manipulated his body and twisted him away from her.

"Fine. You won't listen?" She waved her arms. "I'll make you listen".

Kara didn't know why the man bothered fighting. His body was falling apart, his moves were sloppy, stance all over the place. He swayed uncontrollably, clearly not all there. Ermac wasn't proving much a challenge, putting up much of a fight. Kara suspected it was varying souls intentions at work here. One wanted to kill her, one wished to run. One wished to sit in silence, and another wanted nothing to do with any of this. All were fallen warriors, once champions at their craft, well known, respected.

Now, they were trapped within a being unable to control them. They frantically battled inside him, wanting, but none reaching superiority. Fragility merited caution, though not too much. Kara wasn't about to let herself be injured after all. She would retaliate.

Backing up from a flurry of kicks, she spotted a crumbling pillar nearby. She, in a split second was on him, at his throat, throwing punches and uppercuts.

Her plan worked. Ermac flew into the air and landed haphazardly against the pillar. Beige dust fell onto his shoulder, speckling the fabric. He brushed it off, looking up to see large chunks of stone hurting their way towards him. One hit him in the head, almost knocking him unconscious. Kara stopped the others movements so they did not end his life. She would do that.

Carefully, and with dignity.

No more pain...

Louder groans and grunts came from the spirits. They raged, angry, scared and confused. They, Ermac needed to be put to rest.

Kara sat on a plinth, long devoid of a statue or vase that would have been supported by it and observed the man. Tremors had his 'voices' out of tune, out of sync with his vocal chords.

"This can't go on. Mileena has you on a long leash, she always will. You can't break free of that unless you try. At the moment? All she is doing is wrapping it around your neck. She suffocates you, doesn't she?"

Animal-like yelps pulled at her heartstrings. She felt sorrow drip steadily into her veins. Like Mileena, and Viper, Ermac had been created. He hadn't asked to be, he had no say, no right in asking why he was made. Only confusion and agony were gifted to him.

Gifted to all of them. The clones were more a danger to themselves than anything else. As their sanity waned, the harm they inflicted upon themselves, in self-deluded punishment for something they did not understand became worse and worse. Their bodies did what they wanted, their minds unable to prevent tragic events. They murdered in droves, caused havoc all around, with no sense of care or responsibility. In their wake, only damage, fracture, within the very heart of madness.

Ermac managed a nod. Kara placed a hand above his sternum.

"Do you wish to 'die', or continue on, with a good soul? I can do either, though I won't make the decision for you. You must make it yourself".

"We...we are listening".

Kara crouched down. "It doesn't have to be 'we'".

The man looked uneasy, jittery.

"We sense too much. It weakens us".

"I can imagine. The voices are practically overloading my brain. I can help. I'm not a liar, I'm not here to use or abuse you. I am not Shang Tsung or Mileena".

Ermac hissed at the mention of those names. They brought up sore, morose memories.

"...".

A nasty cough caused the soulmancer to sputter, saliva spluttering all over the ground. Kara just about avoided the droplets.

"Help us...".

Kara nodded. Gently, she extracted each soul, and, one by one, they floated up, towards the rippling purple sky, free to rest properly at last...

Kara jogged up to the rest of the group, stretching after she stopped.

"He's gone. Ermac's at peace now".

Raiden smiled. Fujin was right. He knew he would be. Kara had adjusted well to adversity, carried and handled herself with decorum. Not always, but that was Kara.

She looked at the palace, squinting as the midday sun hit her eyes. This was it. Time to swallow her pride of admitting she could handle it, just walk in there and do what needed to be done.

Swallowing that was hard, bitter. She wasn't a coward no, but she was a little perturbed with where she was. Instead of turning on her heel and sprinting out of there, she planted why they were there and rooted that seed in her mind. They had to do this. Mileena could not win, couldn't be allowed to gain a foothold on the ladder of horrific, unjust rule. Not again...

Kenshi saw her reluctance. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't need to enter there Kara. You can stay outside. You've done enough".

Kara smiled sheepishly.

"Eh. Thanks, but, I can't be shielded anymore. I don't want to be here, but I have to be. At some point, I need to face my fears".

And stop running. I should really listen to my own words...

She looked around, giving a reassuring nod.

"Lets show Outworld that Earthrealm can indeed put up a damn good fight".

A harrumph rounded off the silence. They moved quickly towards the large building, looming in front of them.

"Emperor!" Sonya ran into the great hall. "Mileena is close by. We've dispatched her army, but she still has loyal followers".

Kotal nodded, standing and walking towards her. He had Erron and what the group assumed was Torr flanking him.

"She's nearby, isn't she?"

Kara flinched, a shiver running down her spine.

"She's outside".

Everyone got ready, pulling out weapons, gearing up for the oncoming battle.

Sonya looked around. "Where are your men?"

Kotal raised a brow. "I don't need them. Mileena faces a God. And, now that you are here, she faces four. She has no choice but to desist, give in".

Kara kept her eye on the hallway.

"I'm not a God, but, I'll give it all I've got. Not about to stand there and let", she paused, remembering who's company she kept, "things go to pot. We have to be careful. Rain is a Demi-God too, so he will be significantly stronger than most of us".

Sonya was baffled,. She blinked rapidly.

"You don't need an army? We may have taken care of most, if not all of Mileena's, but we could use all the manpower we can get".

Kara ran towards the door, watching Mileena walk casually up the stairs. The nerve of her riled fury in the woman. She turned and raised a hand.

Mileena is up front.

She used her mind's eye to locate the others.

Kano is behind her, fifty yards. Rain is ten yards behind, and Tanya flanks them.

Sonya and Johnny ran over to the other side of the door. Raiden, Kenshi, Stephen, Jax and Fujin stood in front Kotal.

Johnny held up a hand and counted down.

Five, four, three, two...

...one.

Kara went for Mileena, Johnny and Sonya for Kano. Everything erupted in an instant, a blur of Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei men and their leaders rushing into the fray. Rain got past the first battling pair, only to be cut off from Mileena by an imposing, raging Emperor. He seethed as he grabbed the Prince, tossing him against a wall as if he weighed nothing more than a feather. He summoned fire, a thick stream of it aimed towards the Prince's face.

But, much to Kotal's dismay, Rain created a bubble, expanded it, and put out the flame, before it could ever do any damage.

The man in purple stood, ripped off his mouth mask to smirk. Kotal was beyond livid.

Smirk?! How dare you!

The two exchanged growls. Jax thought about stepping in, but quickly changed his mind upon seeing the Emperor's expression. He looked like if anybody got in his way, he'd cremate them, then and there. The Emperor and Rain bean battling fiercely. Jax smacked his knuckles together and ran at someone he wanted to beat the living daylights out of since he they had first been 'introduced' over twenty years ago.

Kano...

The mercenary in question swung his Butterfly Knives with deadly accuracy. Despite quick thinking, he was, unfortunately, two steps ahead of both Sonya and Jax. He slashed Jax in the face, his cheek splitting open. Then, he slashed Sonya as she went to pull her friend to safety. The blond's arm received a nasty, deep gash as she went to cover her face. Johnny lost it. He saw red, barreled towards the merc, disarming him, battering him. He did not stop until the man was a pulp, a mass of blood and gore, all but dead upon the floor.

The actor's heavy breathing was the only sound in the room, before a bone-chilling crack was heard.

Kotal held Rain by his neck in one hand. He cracked the man's neck, before carelessly dropping him onto the round. The Prince's body became a rag doll, utter devoid of life. A few of the group visibly shivered, a visceral reaction to the sound.

Mileena was the last to see Rain's prone form. She got up, screamed and got out her Sais. She threw one at the Emperor. Kara deflected it as he looked at the weapon. It was aimed between his eyes, and would have connected with his skull had she not intervened. Kara was good at one thing at least, quick thinking. She threw the Sai back at the clone and it hit her in the shoulder. She howled, yanking it out, face paling as she saw blood spurt out of the wound.

Raiden felt a pull, something he hadn't felt since...he payed it no mind, created shackles of thunder, wrapped them around Mileena's body, keeping her still as she hissed. Johnny picked Kano up and threw him towards Kotal.

"She's coming with us".

Johnny pointed to Kano, a victorious smirk upon his face.

"And, he? He tried to kill you, didn't he, Emperor?"

Kotal nodded, grabbing the perpetrator by an arm, forcibly dragging the man towards him.

"He's all yours".

Kara knew Johnny wanted to kill Kano, his ground fists. hunched posture, thick, disk-like pupils and ragged breathing ave that away. However, the merc had tried to murder Kotal. The Emperor deserved revenge. The actor and his ex-wife were done fighting the bastard, too many years had one by filled with disdain. Too long had they had Kano in their minds.

No longer would they allow him or the heinous crimes he had committed affect them.

His life was over, he just didn't know it yet...

A green flicker stopped all, dead in their tracks. That was the distort the thunderer had felt in the room. His face contorted, frustration, a little bewilderment and confusion thrown in for a sour taste. Kotal saw the flash. He gave Raiden a death glare, seeking an immediate answer to a question he did not need to utter.

"She has Shinnok's amulet?!" Raiden's voice boomed above all other sound. "How?!"

Johnny swore. "Did Shinnok have it on him when you, 'took care of him'?"

Upon the God shaking his head, Kotal lost his temper.

"Shinnok's amulet is being used against me yet again?! You didn't destroy that alongside him? And you call yourself a God. No wonder Earthrealm is weak, it defenses are run by charlatans".

Raiden returned the glare.

"The amulet should have been destroyed by the Jinsei blast. It wasn't. Shinnok must have placed a withdrawal spell upon it. Try to do it some harm and it vanishes, destination unknown. How was I to know Mileena would find it?"

The Emperor groaned, holding his head. He felt a headache coming on.

"You have visions, do you not? You see what's ahead? The future?"

Raiden just about got a nod in before he was interrupted.

"Then you would have seen this, would you not?"

The God sighed. "I see many futures, all diverging paths. I do not know which one will come to be. I did not foresee the amulet being here. I saw it being destroyed".

Kotal laughed darkly, brows lowering.

"So, you were wrong".

Sonya had heard enough.

"Can we not do this right now?! We need to leave. Our job here is done". She turned to the Emperor. "Thank you for working with us Emperor. We'll get out of your hair".

Kotal dropped the argument, though the downturn of his lips said he hadn't.

"It seems in the future, Outworld and Earthrealm should be allied, not against one another".

The General gave a grateful smile.

"That means a lot Emperor. We'll draw up a contract another time". She put up an arm. "Right, fall back everyone"!

Sighs of relief were a welcome sound to previous gut-wrenching audible terrors...

As people piled out, Kara paused. A presence she felt earlier had yet to be addressed.

"Noob isn't here. I know he allies himself with Mileena, so, where is he? He's on the complex, though where, I can't pinpoint".

Sub-Zero fought back shame at the mention of his late brother. Swallowing that particular pill left a vile tang, that which vomit residue left in your mouth. He sped up, walking quickly down the stairs.

"A shrine". Raiden turned to the Emperor. "Emperor. Is there a fire shrine nearby?"

Kotal nodded. "Is that where this 'Noob' is? That is a sacred place, where the bones of my forefathers lay. His being there is a vile desecration of consecrated soil". He looked at the telepaths of the group. "Find him. Hunt him down".

Kara drew a blank. "I have no idea where this shrine is. I can only teleport to places I know". She looked at Kenshi, who looked equally mystified.

"I too cannot find a place I have not traveled before".

Raiden shared his foresight with the two. Upon recognition, they formed a portal.

"Ah, far East side of the complex. Thank you. Raiden, Emperor? We'll take care of the intruder".

Kenshi stepped through the portal. Kara nodded her thanks, bowing to the Emperor before following the blind swordsman. Kotal waited until everyone had vacated his abode, stepped around the body of Rain, and towards Kano, eyes a deep carnelian fire. Vengeance would be his this day...

An hour later found Kara and Kenshi back at the kamp. With the threat to the throne taken care of, all she wanted to do, all she wanted was rest. Try to sleep away the day's and night's events. Sonya let her go without complaint, weary herself, ready to pass out. Sub-Zero dismissed her home, where she was all too glad to be.

Exhausted and sore, Kara trudged home. She needed a shower, covered in dirt, grime, blood and sweat that she was sure wasn't even hers...