3
"Without my father's portal amulet, we are going to take the long way back." Millikan grumbled as he walked through another thick brush. A day in a half had passed and they had been walking through the Lei Chen mountains non-stop. Millikan wanted to get far away from his father as possible, hoping the old tark didn't send anyone after him. He told his group to take off their tunics a couple miles away from the camp, burning the pile of shirts to cover their tracks. Because tarks have a hard time tracking scents that had a burning smell lingering with it.
"There's a small village southwest of here, just at the bottom of the mountain." Chuma was right behind Millikan, carrying a map in his left hand. Millikan nods and looks around before heading right. The mountains of Lei Chen were steep and one could easily get lost if they had no sense of direction. Lucky for Millikan, Chuma was one of the best navigator around besides himself. "So we are going back to the fortress?"
"Yes." Millikan replied, keeping his sight on the path ahead. It was going to get dark soon and they had to find a place to camp soon. Or else Millikan and a few other tarkata were going to be carrying around sleeping tarkata on their hike.
"I'm hungry." A tarkata carrying a large satchel on his back growled out.
"I guess we can go find something to eat then…Chuma scout the area, find somewhere we can set camp." Millikan ordered. Chuma hands Millikan the map and runs ahead of him. A few minutes later and Chuma returns, motioning for the group to follow him. Chuma manage to find a cave about a half mile south from their location. And as if the elder gods themselves were watching over them, there was a small stream just a few feet away from the mouth of the cave. "Chuma and…Jabari, will go hunt. The rest of you stay back in the cave."
Finding animals in the mountains shouldn't be that hard. All you had to do was follow a fresh scent, whether it be fur or urine. Lucky for the tarks they managed to track down a herd of mountain rams grazing on some wild berries a few miles north of the cave. Catching the rams was the tricky part. Rams were fast and dangerous if you weren't careful. One wrong move and you get rammed in the gut by and angry male Ram protecting its herd. Millikan caught the biggest one of the herd, having a bit of difficulty taking it down as it tried to buck and kick him away. One good bite to the throat and the ram was good as dead. Chuma and Jabari caught their own ram, smaller then Millikan but still enough to feed three hungry maws.
"Think we should try and catch some more?" Jabari asked as he threw the ram over his shoulder.
"Nope, this should be enough for now. I don't want to stick in the same area to long." Millikan hauled his ram over his left shoulder and walked back to the cave where the other tarks were waiting. "Ah, you know the rules." Millikan held up his right hand to keep the other tarks from coming forwards. Drool was already dripping from their teeth as he dropped the ram on the ground. They snarled and snapped their teeth but stood back anyway. Unspoken rule of the tarkatans, the hunter gets the first piece. Millikan cuts off one of the hind legs of the ram, right at above the thigh. "There." He steps away with his piece and three tarkata jumped at the ram, tearing at the meat like wolves.
Chuma and Jabari already cut their piece and left the rest for the others to feed on. Three rams would last them a good day or two, depends on how much walking they do the next day. It didn't take long for Millikan to eat his piece, the ram thigh was nothing but bone after a couple minutes. Snapping the long bone in half, Millikan drinks the small bit of marrow inside and used the broken edge to pick his teeth clean.
A loud belch echoed through the air and everyone looks at Millikan for just a split second before going back to their meal. "Everyone should bathe, get some sleep and be ready to move at dawn." Millikan walks over to the stream and kneels down by the edge. Using both hands to scoop up some water to drink. "Downstream Benzi." He called out as one of the tarks was about to jump into the stream, already naked. Benzi snarled and walks down the side of the stream and steps into the water to bathe. "Asante." Millikan stood up and untied the string holding up his pants, ready to pull them down until he sensed something…odd. He stared at the trees on the other side as it started to shake from some unknown gust of wind. Everyone else stopped what they were doing to look at the same spot.
Millikan took a step back as a portal suddenly appeared, dark red and purplish swirls spreading wide. He took a few more steps back and extends his left arm-blade just in case who or whatever came out the portal decides to attack on sight. The other tarkata coming near Millikan and extending their arm-blades as well. A figure comes stumbling out of the purple. A man dressed in royal purple clothing they was stained with blood, the mask on his face was torn at the bottom as well.
"Hey." Millikan retracts his arm-blade and teleports to the man side, catching him before he fell to the ground. The portal closed as second later. "Umm." This was an unexpected occurrence for Millikan. Seeing a man stumble out of a random portal was common in Outworld, but this was his first time ever witnessing it. He looks down at the man seeing he was unconscious and barely breathing. If his father was here, he would have told him to just throw the man in a ditch somewhere. But his father wasn't around to boss him so Millikan did what he thought would be the right thing to do.
He scooped the man up in his arms and teleports to the other side of the stream and heads toward the cave. The other tarks stepping out of his way as they watched him carry the man into the cave. He lays him down on his blanket and looks him over. The mask covering the man face had a few drops of blood but it didn't seem enough to cause concern. Millikan didn't want to take the man mask off unless it was necessary. He looked down at his black/purple tunic, there was long diagonal cut going across his chest. Millikan having no choice but to cut the man tunic open to see the open gash underneath it.
"Chuma, get the misaada." Millikan called out. Chuma entered the cave carrying a small brown box. He kneels down beside Millikan and opens the box. Inside were rolls of gauze, small bottles of herbs and medicine. Lastly a needle and thread which Millikan quickly grabbed. "Hold his shoulders down, I don't want this guy to suddenly wake up in the middle of me sewing."
"You think he will make it?" Chuma moved over to the head of the man and placed his hands firmly on his shoulders. Millikan shrugged as he prepped the needle and thread. The man still had breath so there was a possibility he would still live. "I have seen this man before…he's one of Shao assassins." Chuma mumbles as Millikan starts to sew the gash on the man's chest.
"Well Shao is dead now." Millikan snickered as he carefully sews the upper part of the gash with his left hand, using his right hand as clamp to keep the wound closed before he sows it. "Do you know his name?"
"I think it's Rain."
"Well Rain is lucky he ran into the good tarks instead of the bad ones."
"Are we the good one's Mill?"
"He be laying in a ditch instead. Alright, I think that should do for now. Besides I think he's is staring to heal on his own." Millikan places the bloody needle on a piece of gauze and puts it to the side. He checked for anymore wounds and found none, thankfully. Chuma closes the brown box and stands up. "Now we just wait for him to wake up."
"That's if he wakes up Mill. We are not sure if he will ever wake up. Are we going to leave him here in the cave at dawn?" Chuma asked. Millikan looks at Rain then up at Chuma.
"He use to work for shao and he may know a quicker way back to the fortress so he is going to be with us until he wakes or take his last breath." Millikan stood up and looks at the blood on his hands. Chuma snicker and walks out of the cave. Millikan sighed and leaves the cave, going back over to the stream to clean up.
Several hours later
A loud groan echoed throughout the cave, waking up the sleeping tarks nearby. Millikan moved from his spot in the far back of the cave, crawling over to Rain side as he stirred awake. It was still dark out and with no source of light. Rain slowly opened his eyes and looked around blindly in the darkness, thinking he had died and was in the NetherRealm.
"So he lives." Chuma sleepy voice made Rain jump. He sat up and grunts from the pain that suddenly shot through his chest.
"Whoa…I wouldn't do that." Millikan grabs hold of Rain left shoulder, trying to push him back down on the blanket.
"Wh..where am…who…ahh." Rain could barely speak, his voice sounding weak and raspy. He was in pain and slightly scared, he was hearing voices and someone pushed him back down onto the ground. "…I…can't see…"he choked out.
"Oh…yeah I keep forgetting everyone can't see in the dark." Millikan crawls back to his sleeping spot and picks up a small torch. He wasn't sure if rain could see in the dark so he made the torch just in case. He scrapped the wall of the cave, holding the torch close so it could catch the sparks. A few more scratches and the torch was finally lit, the small flame giving enough light to show Millikan face and upper body. "You go by the name Rain?"
Rain squinted as he looked at Millikan. A male tarkata with hair, that was new. "Yes...what…happened?"
"You stumbled out of a portal and I had to stich you up. Do you remember anything?" Millikan looks at Rain chest, noticing the wound had completely healed and the string have dissolved. Rain was silent as he tried to remember exactly what had happened to him.
"I was in nertherrealm. Got attacked by some Oni…I made it to a portal just as one of the Oni cut me." Rain breath hitched as he breathed the pain. The wound may have headed but the pain was going to stick for a while. "Can…I need water."
"There's a stream just outside of the cave. I can take you there." Millikan held out his right hand for rain to grab. Rain just stared at him before sitting up slowly and grabs hold of Millikan hand, pulling him close so he could wraps his arm around Millikan shoulders. Millikan wraps his arm around Rain back, careful not to grip his side to hard. They both stood up and walked out of the cave, Millikan baring most of Rain weight as he tried to walk. "Not that far." Millikan assured him as they walked over to the stream.
Rain kneeled down the water with a sigh. He made twirling motion with his right hand and a string of water sprouts out of the water into the palm of his hand into he form of a bubble. Millikan just stood next to rain, watching him drink from the bubble with slight fascination.
"The fact that your name is Rain answers any future question I have of your power over water." Millikan sat down on the ground beside Rain and sticks the bottom end of the torch into the ground. Rain just rolled his eyes as he settled onto the group, feeling much better than he did moments ago.
"Asante tarkatan." Rain bows his head in Millikan direction.
"You speak tarkata?"
"I speak many languages."
"My name is Millikan by the way."
"Millikan, unique name." Rain looks down at his chest and frowns as he noticed his cut tunic. He wouldn't complain though since Millikan did save his life. "Are you some sort of hybrid?" He looks over at Millikan, able to get a better look of his features. "You look similar to someone I know…Mileena…wait are you one of Shang Tsung constructs?"
"Fuck no." Millikan retorted. "Mileena is my mother."
"And your father?"
"Baraka."
"So that explains the hair. Lucky you got some of your mother's genes..." Rain snickered. He noticed Millikan glared at him for his comment. "I mean no offense of course, just didn't know male tarkata grew hair."
"Oh they don't. All males are hairless. I just happened to grow hair on one side of my head is all." Millikan looked to the sky, noticing it was starting to lighten up. "Are you Edenian?"
"Yes…why do you ask?"
"Just curious." Millikan shrugged.
"I suppose I have to repay you for not letting me die."
"Do you know a faster way back to Shao Kahn fortress?"
"I…" Rain paused as he suddenly remembers why he was in nertherrealm. He was sent there by shao to retrieve an amulet for him. "Oh no…"
"What's wrong?"
"I was supposed to retrieve an amulet for the emperor, I can't go back now I have to." Rain stood up in a panic.
"Hey…slow down." Millikan jumped to his feet and grabs Rain shoulder. "The emperor was assassinated."
"…Shao Kahn…is dead?" Rain couldn't believe what Millikan was saying.
"Got the news yesterday. Won't know for sure until we get there right?"
"We?"
"You owe me for saving you. Repay me by taking me and men back to shao fortress." Millikan nods towards the cave. Rain looks at Millikan in thought. He looks at the ground then back at Millikan with a deep sigh.
"Yes that is true though I could have probably survived without your aid."
"Don't be an ass." Millikan growled.
"I will go with you and your men back to the fortress. Just so I can see that shao is really dead as you claim."
"Good, we move out as soon as I can wake up the others."
Author Note: Reviews are appreciated. Also the italicized words are swahili.