The first rule of warfare: "know thy enemy". The closest Sektor had ever come to fighting in a war was Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm. He was an assassin by trade, but would nonetheless apply the same principle.
He had decided that he would observe Kuai Liang's Lin Kuei, discern how they operated and fought. As Sektor watched them train, he had expected a bunch of inexperienced fools. Instead, he found surprisingly capable warriors. They fought like men and women worthy of the name Lin Kuei. But even still, he noticed faults. Their lack of proclivity towards making a killing strike could not be helped, it was what they had been taught. Kuai Liang said himself that his Lin Kuei were no assassins. Sektor found the very idea disgraceful.
However, they were not worthless. They certainly had potential as warriors. But Sektor felt they could be… improved. As he looked upon every Lin Kuei trainee, ideas began forming in his mind of how cybernetics could serve to enhance each of their fighting capabilities. They could be perfect warriors, if only Kuai Liang was not so opposed to such enhancements.
Then, something caught the cyborg's attention. A glint of metal partially hidden under the standard robes of a novice, and the hiss of air from a metal cable being launched from the shadows of the robe's sleeve.
The student was training with Frost. It was odd to Sektor that Kuai Liang would have his protege waste her time with such novices. Even this one, who sported some kind of grapple device on his right arm. Frost dodged the cable with impressive speed.
"You have to be faster than that," she advised. "Otherwise…"
Demonstrating her point, Frost rushed up to the student as he was recalling the cable, leaped up into the air, and delivered a swift kick to his face, knocking him down.
Her agility was impressive, though like the rest, Sektor believed it could be improved if only these Lin Kuei were willing to see the benefits of cyberization. Or if Sektor had the resources…
Frost then reached out a hand to help the student up. Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, and Smoke had all exchanged extended similar courtesies during their time with the original Lin Kuei. Sektor found this behavior unbecoming of a proper assassin. Though again he had to remind himself, Frost was no assassin, and neither were any of them.
A shame really. A few basic modifications even, and they would be better than some of the more skilled members of the clan under his fath- Oniro.
"You've gotten good with that thing, won't lie there," Frost complimented, referring to the grapple hook. "But I think you're relying on it too much. Try to vary things up a little, ok? Not to sound too depressing, but being predictable can get you killed out there."
"Yeah, makes sense," the student acknowledged. "Thanks."
It became evident why Kuai Liang had his prized student training with this novice.
She was not there to learn, but to teach.
Sektor couldn't believe that he was serious about this mere child succeeding him in leading an entire clan. She was skilled, sure, but far too emotional for the cyborg's tastes. Though the same could be said of all of Kuai Liang's Lin Kuei. They acted not like a clan of powerful and dangerous warriors, but like some kind of family.
Family. Sektor had long stopped seeing any use for it. Family got in the way, they disappointed one another…
As he had always felt like a disappointment to his own father.
Sektor's brief moment of self reflection and bitterness was interrupted when he witnessed Frost helping the novice Lin Kuei to his feet. The hand that grabbed onto hers was metal…
Much like his very own.
Sektor immediately walked over to the two, much to the worry of the surrounding Lin Kuei trainees, who were well aware of the potential threat he posed.
Frost however stood her ground. She refused to be intimidated by him, no matter how dangerous he could be.
"Something wrong?" she asked in a somewhat confrontational tone. "Look, I know you don't exactly like it, here but-"
Sektor ignored her and grabbed the arm of the student she'd been training with. His suspicions were confirmed. The arm was cybernetic, the grappling hook he'd noticed earlier built into it.
"[Curiosity] How intriguing. [Observation] It is odd for Kuai Liang to employ cybernetic enhancements in his 'new' Lin Kuei, given that he made his disdain for such things rather clear. [Amusement] Perhaps I should investigate this further. See how honest he has truly been." Even a blind man could see that if he still had the capacity, Sektor would be cackling at this perceived hypocrisy.
"Let him go, Sektor." Frost commanded sternly.
"[Irritation] I was merely observing," he said before releasing the student's cybernetic arm. "[Defiance] And I do not take orders from children."
"Sifu put me in charge of this training exercise," Frost pointed out. "These trainees and anything that happens to them are my responsibility."
"[Observance] Quite the sense of duty Kuai Liang has instilled in you," Sektor noted. "[Amusement] How unfortunate that he did not show such dedication to the original Lin Kuei."
"He's never tried to brainwash us," Frost retorted. "And he certainly doesn't turn us into machines."
"[Condescension] Then what do you call this?" Sektor asked, pointing to the trainee's cybernetic arm.
"I lost my arm to an Outworld warrior in battle," the student chimed in to explain. "This replacement allows me to keep fighting."
"[Agreement] So it does," Sektor admitted. "[Suggestion] You could be further improved however."
"No thank you," responded the trainee. "I know what your 'improvement' looks like."
Sektor didn't respond. The boy clearly didn't understand. However, it seemed Kuai Liang did. More than he led on.
How curious…
"[Statement] I will have a word with your Grandmaster." Sektor announced, figuring making his intentions clear would prevent any foolhardy attempts at getting in his way. As he left to find Kuai Liang, Frost kept her gaze on the crimson cyborg. Her eyes conveyed the same distrust she had once shown Hanzo Hasashi. But where Hanzo had proven an ally, Sektor was only proving to be more and more of a potential danger.
Frost desperately hoped that her mentor hadn't made a grave mistake in giving him this second chance.
Sektor walked down the hallway of the Lin Kuei's circumstantial residence, determined to locate Kuai Liang, and with luck Cyrax as well, and receive some answers as to why this sanctimonious "Grandmaster" had seen fit to compromise the beliefs he so fervently clung to.
After a few minutes, Sektor located the exact room where Kuai Liang was. He found the so-called Grandmaster with Cyrax, as he had hoped. They were outfitting another Lin Kuei with a cybernetic leg.
"[Mocking] Well what do we have here?" Sektor asked, reveling in his discovery. "[Resentment] For all your resistance to the Cyber Initiative, here you are, outfitting your students with enhancements much like those that I tried to give to the original Lin Kuei."
Contrary to what Sektor expected, Kuai Liang retained a calm, passive demeanor. He also noticed that Cyrax had removed his mask, his human face laid bare as he worked.
"I can finish up here," Cyrax assured. "Seems obvious that you two need to talk."
Kuai Liang nodded. He then stood up and walked outside of the room.
Sektor simply stared at him, arms crossed. "[Irritation] Well? [Query] I asked you a question, [Amusement] oh wise and mighty Grandmaster."
"You wish to accuse me of assuming to know best," Kuai Liang quickly discerned. "When that is exactly what you and your father did all those years ago."
"[Agreement] You are right about one thing, Kuai Liang, we are not so different," Sektor retorted. "[Aggravation] You so thoroughly rejected the enhancements that I sought to bring to the Lin Kuei, and yet here you are, imbuing your students with the same technology. [Mocking] Why don't you cyberize your precious Frost while you're at it? Why, I'd even do it for you."
Kuai Liang's eyes narrowed, his usually calm demeanor breaking. "You will not threaten nor touch her, Sektor."
"[Amusement] Hit a nerve, have I?" Sektor asked.
Kuai Liang took a deep breath, trying to maintain control over his emotions as he tried to teach his students.
"Sektor, the issue was never the technology itself," he explained. "You seem to be mistaking me for Bi-Han. He was the one who refused to make use of technology. I see its value, possibly more than you realize. Or have you forgotten that I was once a cyborg myself?"
"[Acknowledgement] I have not. Nor have I forgotten your resistance." Sektor responded.
"I remember that time well," Kuai Liang admitted. "I was more powerful than I'd ever been, powerful enough to take on two of Shao Kahn's mighty Shokan warriors at once and win."
"[Observation] And yet, through some manner of mysticism, you abandoned that form." Sektor pointed out.
"That choice was not my own," Kuai Liang refuted. "Quan Chi ripped what flesh I still had left from my cybernetic frame and transformed me into his revenant slave with his dark magics."
"[Query] So flesh or technology, it makes no difference to you?" Sektor questioned.
"Not so long as that technology does not come at the expense of free will," Kuai Liang answered. "Sektor, when Cyrax and I brought you back into the living world, you asked me for control over your own destiny. For freedom. I want the same thing for all of my Lin Kuei, and for myself. The technology is not what made my transformation into a cyborg a horrid experience, it was because you and your father saw fit to strip me of my ability to choose for myself and did the same to countless others, Cyrax included."
"[Query] So you value the mind above flesh or metal?" Sektor asked, trying to gain an understanding of Kuai Liang's mindset.
"Don't you?" Kuai Liang asked in return.
Sektor was silent. The answer was obvious, but it also proved Kuai Liang's point.
Before the two could continue their debate, Frost came rushing down the hallway, a small group of students in toe.
"Sifu, we've got a problem." she said worriedly.
"What's wrong, Frost?" Kuai Liang asked.
"Tengu," Frost answered. "They seem itching for a fight. They're outside."
"[Recollection] Ah yes, I had almost forgotten that little third party in the age-old battle between the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu," said Sektor. "[Amusement] Evidently even now they still consider themselves a threat."
Cyrax finished his work and grabbed his mask off a nearby table, putting it on.
"There you go kid, you'll be walking again." Cyrax told the Lin Kuei student, who nodded before both he and Cyrax went to listen to their Grandmaster.
"I want a squadron out there, but we only fight as a last resort," Kuai Liang announced. "We will attempt to settle matters with the Tengu peacefully. Frost, Cyrax, Sektor, you're with me."
"Understood." Frost and Cyrax said in unison.
"[Irritation] I told you not to command me." Sektor reminded.
"I figured you want to witness the situation firsthand," Kuai Liang explained. "And if that is the case, I would prefer you close by in the event that you chose to do something rash."
Sektor glared at Kuai Liang. "[Argumentation] I do not need to be watched like some child."
"We're not treating you like a child," Cyrax clarified. "We're treating you like what you are. A fire hazard, and that's putting it nicely."
Sektor clenched his fists. "[Aggravation] You revel in no longer being under my command, don't you?"
"Enough!" demanded Kuai Liang. "For the moment at least, the both of you are on the same side. I expect that you will act like it."
"Fine." was Cyrax's only response.
"[Defiance] I am not beholden to your expectations, Kuai Liang." Sektor responded.
"All I expect is your temporary cooperation," Kuai Liang clarified. "No more, no less."
Sektor contemplated for a moment. "[Agreement] Very well."
"Then let's go," suggested Frost. "Our 'friends' aren't gonna be patient."
Minutes later, a contingent of Lin Kuei stood outside their temporary base of operations. In front of them were Cyrax, Sektor, Frost, who wore the Dragon Medallion, and their Grandmaster, Kuai Liang himself, donned in his grandfather's armor.
Opposite them stood the members of the Tengu clan. They all wore black and orange garb with a vague bird motif referencing their name. The one which could be told apart was their leader, who wore a more armored attire and a distinct silver helmet, through which only his eyes were visible, which curiously appeared to be… orange. In one hand, he held a long scythe like he was some manner of reaper. His followers all had three-pronged blades like bird talons strapped to their hands.
"I told you before, Wu Lae," Kuai Liang said, addressing the group's leader. "We do not desire any conflict with you."
"And I told you, Sub-Zero," Wu Lae responded. "This land is the territory of the Tengu. Our last confrontation ended peacefully only because I wished to give you time to leave. Not only have you chosen to remain here, but I see you have recruited yet another cyborg into your ranks."
"[Aggravation] I am not a member of Kuai Liang's pale imitation of the Lin Kuei." clarified Sektor.
"You stand alongside them all the same," Wu Lae pointed out. "I also couldn't help but notice your armor, Sub-Zero. Face it, you knew this couldn't end any other way. You've even given your protege your precious medallion. Worried one of my comrades might hurt your little ice princess?"
"You're welcome to try, asshole." Frost said with a mix of irritation and confidence.
"Quiet little girl," responded Wu Lae. "The grownups are talking."
Frost started to move towards Wu Lae with violent intent, but stopped when Kuai Liang placed a hand on her shoulder. In response, she took a deep breath and backed off.
"We both know there's only two ways this is going to end, Sub-Zero," Wu Lae continued. "The Lin Kuei leave our territory with their lives... or you die."
"I will not be intimidated by you or your clan, Wu Lae," Kuai Liang responded determinedly. "We will defend ourselves if we must."
"[Amusement] Oh look Cyrax, he thinks he's important," observed Sektor. "[Mocking] Show us Wu Lae, what force you brought with you to be buried."
"Should I do it?" Cyrax asked Kuai Liang.
Kuai Liang nodded.
Cyrax raised his right arm and pressed a button on a panel he had integrated into his systems.
"Safeties Disengaged." a robotic voice announced from Sektor's body, though not Sektor's own.
"[Realization] So... you gave Cyrax the switch to my weapons systems. [Curiosity] How intriguing... [Query] What makes you think that I will fight alongside you however."
"Because you'd be fighting us and the Tengu," Cyrax pointed out. "Even you wouldn't make it out of that one."
"[Acceptance] Fine." Sektor decided.
"Keeping one of your cyborgs on a leash, Sub-Zero?" Wu Lae mocked.
"Yeah," answered Frost. "And he just took him off of it."
Following that statement, she formed two shortswords, enlarged versions of the ice daggers she previously wielded. Ironically considering her power over ice, the blades were shaped like plumes of flame. The enhanced might of the Dragon Medallion was proving useful already.
The other Lin Kuei readied their weapons as well. Swords, throwing knives, shurikens, anything and everything they'd been taught to use in situations just like these.
Sektor and Cyrax stood poised to attack, and lastly, Kuai Liang formed a large two-pronged sword out of ice, his Kori Blade.
Wu Lae moved his scythe into a two-handed grip, and entered a battle stance. The rest of the members of the Tengu did the same.
Seconds passed, the two groups sizing each up, before without another word spoken, both Lin Kuei and Tengu charged at one another at full speed.
Warriors from both clans clashed, their training and skills pitted against one another in an all-out brawl. Wu Lae engaged Sub-Zero personally, swinging at the Lin Kuei Grandmaster with his scythe. Sub-Zero avoided most of the swings, parrying others with his Kori Blade.
"What does this battle gain you, Wu Lae?" Sub-Zero asked.
"Our territory free of Lin Kuei interference," Wu Lae explained. "And an opportunity to finally be rid of our ancient enemies. Not to mention the ability to take your precious cybernetics technology for our use. Perhaps after we're done with you, we'll take care of that new Shirai Ryu next. Then finally, the Tengu will reign supreme as the greatest assassins in Earthrealm!"
"Keeping up old rivalries, old hatreds, that is what prevents you from moving forward," Sub-Zero argued. "The Tengu never rose to the heights it desired because it became stagnant, whereas both I and Hanzo have born our clans anew."
"Heh. 'Born anew'," Wu Lae repeated. "You forget, unlike the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu, the Tengu was never killed! We remained strong while the Shirai Ryu were massacred and your clan destroyed itself from the inside out. We will never require a rebirth, because we are eternal!"
Their bout was interrupted when Sektor punched Wu Lae across the face with his metal fist, sending the Tengu leader stumbling backward and holding onto his head, likely bleeding beneath his mask.
"[Insult] Delusional fool," Sektor said disdainfully. "[Certainty] Your clan will never rise beyond the meager status it has amassed for itself. You are nothing more than a footnote in the story of the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu, a minute spec in a much larger world. [Dismissal] You have only survived this long because you are too small to be worth notice."
"You would dare to insult my entire clan?!" shouted Wu Lae. "Who do you think you are, cyborg?"
"[Declaration] I am Sektor, son of Grandmaster Oniro and heir apparent to the true Lin Kuei," Sektor proclaimed. "[Irritation] For now, I am ally of Kuai Liang's Lin Kuei. [Amusement] How unfortunate for you."
"Temper your rage, Sektor," Kuai Liang advised. "Do not let it consume as it did before."
Wu Lae went to swing at Sektor with his scythe, but the cyborg had far superior weapons, catching the weapon by its handle. He used it as leverage to pull Wu Lae towards him and punch him in the gut, before using the rockets in his leg to spin a deal a roundhouse kick to Wu Lae's ribs, sending him flying back.
"[Defiance] Do not speak to me as if I were one of your pupils, Kuai Liang," Sektor said to his usurper, walking over to kneel next to the defeated Tengu leader. "[Reminder] I chose to aid you in this insignificant squabble over territory. [Advisement] Do not forget that."
"And I thank you for aiding us," Kuai Liang replied. Loathe as he was to admit, Sektor could tell he was genuine. "But I cannot in good conscious abide your brutality."
"[Query] Not even for them?" Sektor asked.
Kuai Liang nodded.
"[Dismissal] You are delusional, Kuai Liang," Sektor responded, placing his off hand on Wu Lae's neck and lifting him into the air, squeezing down with barely a thought or effort, as the fallen warrior screamed in agony. "[Rage] Your ridiculous, nonsensical obsession with mercy will be the death of your clan, and the name Lin Kuei!"
"Oh grow up will you!"
Sektor stopped in his tracks. A wave of frustration came over him and he clenched his fist so tightly that Wu Lae's scythe snapped in two.
He looked in the direction of the voice that dared to make demands of him. That irritating, arrogant little child…
Frost.
"Yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you, you big red Iron Maniac!" Frost continued. "Do you ever even listen to yourself?!"
"[Aggravation] I grow weary of your constant impetuous ramblings. You foolish little child, presuming you know best because your so-called Grandmaster patted you on the head and said 'good job'!"
"You done with your little temper tantrum?" Frost asked.
Sektor let out what could be classified as a laugh for his robotic voice. "[Assumption] You don't value your life very much, do you?"
Sub-Zero's Kori Blade came right up to Sektor's neck.
"If you lay a single hand on her, so help me I will-"
"Sifu, I got this one," Frost interceded. 'Trust me."
Sub-Zero looked at his protege for a moment. Her fearlessness was clear. He smiled beneath the mask of his helmet. A father proud of his daughter.
"[Amusement] Are you truly so arrogant?" Sektor questioned. "[Disbelief] Do you honestly believe yourself the superior warrior?"
"Do you know who you sound like right now?" Frost asked.
"[Amusement] Do tell." Sektor responded.
Frost removed her mask. She wanted the cyborg to see her face.
"Me." she answered. "Six years ago."
"[Confusion] I assume you have some kind of point?" Sektor replied.
"Yeah," Frost confirmed. "Now shut up and listen."
Sektor was now strongly resisting the urge to kill her in spite of Sub-Zero's warning.
Frost herself was only getting started.
"I used to be just like you. I thought the ability to hurt people was power and that strength came from acting like you didn't care about anything or anyone. I was arrogant and I was cold, and you know what else? I was alone. I was alone and angry and I had no idea what to do with myself, just like you. And then someone showed me some compassion. Somebody decided that I was worth it. And it made me want to be better, and that led me to the Lin Kuei. To my family. And you don't realize it yet, but the same thing has happened to you. Kuai Liang decided that you were worth it. That you, after everything you've done, after everyone you've hurt, deserved a second chance. Now I'm asking you, Sektor. Are you going to use that chance? Or are you going to stay angry? Stay alone? The choice is yours."
Sektor said nothing. Staring with unfeeling lenses that shone with an unnatural blue light. After several seconds of silence, he replied. "[Irritation] You make one mistake, child. [Hate] You think I wish for the company of idealistic fools and a traitor. [Dismissal] And you seem to believe mercy is anything more than a mistake."
And with that, the red cyborg tightened his grip around the twisted piece of metal that was a Scythe handle before he shoved it into Wu Lae's stomach, impaling him on the remains of his own weapon. He then dropped the Tengu leader's body, leaving him to die from his wounds, gasping down breaths of air for the few moments a bit of oxygen could ward off death.
This act stunned both the Lin Kuei and Tengu present. After a moment of being paralyzed by shock, Frost surprisingly ran over to the wounded Wu Lae and knelt next to him, using her Cryomancy to seal the wound and prevent him succumbing to blood loss.
"NO!" shouted Sub-Zero. "Dammit it Sektor, we do not inflict such brutality on our enemies!"
"[Hate] I. AM. NOT. ONE. OF. YOU!" Sektor yelled. "[Hate] The sooner you realize that your repairing of me, however generous, [Gratitude] and however thankful I might be of that at least, [Defiance] does NOT make me beholden to joining your glorified daycare, tolerating these irritating children you surround yourself with, or sharing your illogical, sanctimonious, weak ideals!"
Without sparing any warning, Cyrax pressed the button on his arm panel again.
"Safeties Re-Engaged."
Sektor didn't even deem Cyrax's precaution worth acknowledging in words. He walked off into the frozen wastes of Articka. Alone, just as Frost had said.
He hated the mere idea that she was right.
"Where are you going?" Cyrax asked.
Why did he care? Still, Sektor felt compelled to answer his old friend. A final goodbye after all the betrayal of the one person he believed trustworthy.
"[Mocking] Where else shall I go, but our old temple. [Hate] The true home of the real Lin Kuei. [Dismissal] I wash my hands of you all, may we never have the misfortune to cross paths again."
"Goodbye, Sektor," said Cyrax with a surprising fondness considering their history. "And good luck, with whatever life you choose to lead."
Sektor paused in his stride for a moment. Before a low, mechanical growl was heard, sounding less like any kind of man, metal or otherwise, and more akin to a violent and savage beast. "[Hate] I don't need your pity traitor. [Hate] Wish that you and I never meet again. [Hate] If we do, I will repay everything you have done in kind, old friend." Despite the technological mechanism behind his voice restricting the level of emotion he could speak with, he sounded close to human with the amount of vitriol in his voice when he spoke to Cyrax for what may be the last time.
With that, he began walking away. A bloody streak of red slowly vanishing against the alabaster desert of ice.
"Should we follow him?" one Lin Kuei asked.
"No," answered Kuai Liang. "Sektor must forge his own path. I only pray that it does not bring us against each other."
He moved over to Frost, who was still looking over the heavily wounded Wu Lae.
"Will he live?" Kuai Liang asked.
"D-Do it," Wu Lae requested. "Finish me."
"No," Kuai Liang denied. "I shall not take lives unnecessarily."
"B-But...I am your enemy." Wu Lae pointed out, clearly confused.
"That may be so, but you are beaten," Kuai Liang explained. "This battle is over, for both our clans."
"Then leave me…" Wu Lae demanded. "So that I may die."
"I cannot do that either, Wu Lae," Kuai Liang looked over to Frost. "Do you remember what I taught you?"
Frost nodded, before turning her gaze back to Wu Lae.
"This is going to hurt, ok?" Frost informed him. "A lot."
"I am a warrior," Wu Lae reminded. "I am used to pain."
Frost sighed at his attempts at looking tough. She pulled the blade out of his body, causing the Tengu leader to scream out in pain. After it was out, she threw the blade aside and used her cryokinetic power to freeze over the wound, stemming the loss of blood and cauterizing it. The process caused Wu Lae even further pain, but he would live.
"It's not a permanent fix, but it'll help for now," Frost explained. She looked up at the Tengu members, who had ceased their battling after Sektor nearly killed their leader. "Is any one of you a doctor?"
One Tengu stepped forward. "I am our clan's medic."
Frost put Wu Lae's arm over her shoulder and helped him to his feet, bringing him over to his followers.
"Take him," she instructed, two Tengu acquiescing and holding their leader up. "I don't know a lot about medicine, but he's probably gonna need a lot of stitches or something. If you know what you're doing, he'll live."
The Tengu weren't sure how to respond to receiving the aid of a Lin Kuei. Their enemies, they had always been told. Yet here they were, certainly not acting like enemies.
"Thank you," said the Tengu medic. "We will pursue no further conflict with you unless our leader decides otherwise." He broke eye contact with her for a moment. "I can make no promises."
"I understand," Frost responded. "I'm glad we could both walk away from this."
"S-Sub-Zero…" Wu Lae said weakly.
"Yes?" Kuai Liang asked.
"Your protege… you trained her well," he complimented, before settling his gaze on Frost herself. "Lin Kuei...I am sorry I insulted you. You have saved my life, and I am henceforth in your debt."
Frost performed a traditional bow as a sign of respect. "Thank you, and I hope this means our two clans can finally coexist."
"Perhaps," was all Wu Lae said. "One day."
With that, the Tengu began to leave.
"You did well, Frost," Kuai Liang complimented as he watched them depart with her. "You have come a long way in all these years, and taken to my lessons on the virtues of peace."
"Thanks," Frost replied. After all that, she decided to remove her mask, letting the cold air around them into her lungs. "So what now?"
"Our quarrel with the Tengu is over," Kuai Liang explained. "For now, at least, and perhaps even forever, with luck. Sektor has left to pursue his own path. All we can do now is stay on ours."
"So in simpler terms," Frost said with a smirk. "We're heading home. Well, 'home' until this craziness with Raiden is over."
"Yes," Kuai Liang confirmed. "That would be an accurate summation."
Frost nodded, and turned to address the assembled Lin Kuei. "Alright everybody, let's move out!"
Just as the Lin Kuei were returning to their home, the Tengu did much the same. They moved slowly due to Wu Lae's injuries. Others had sustained some cuts and bruises in their encounter with the Lin Kuei, but nothing as severe as the near-death injury Sektor had dealt out to their leader.
Wu Lae himself continued to replay the situation in his mind. He had nearly died today, and a Lin Kuei, a member of the same clan he'd sworn to eradicate, had saved his life. He considered that perhaps the animosity between the Tengu and the Lin Kuei should have died alongside the Lin Kuei's original incarnation. Kuai Liang's Lin Kuei had only a brief history with the Tengu, and clearly no desire for prolonged conflict.
"Grandmaster Wu Lae, look!"
The voice of one of his fellow Tengu pulled Wu Lae from his thoughts. He began looking around him and realizing that there were multiple humanoid figures coming towards them. All with blue lights illuminating what looked to be their eyes and the centers of their chests. The snowy fog obscured his vision. The other Tengu, wanting to protect their already injured Grandmaster, began forming around him.
Eventually, it became clear who they were. What they were.
"More cyborgs?" Wu Lae asked himself as he looked at the grey mechanical beings that had now appeared before them.
"I thought Sub-Zero only had two in his Lin Kuei," said one of the Tengu. "Well, one now."
"These aren't Lin Kuei," Wu Lae decided. "There would be no purpose. Sub-Zero would not send his automatons after us after letting us leave alive."
"You are correct. Perhaps you are a more intelligent specimen than initial analysis indicated."
The voice was robotic in nature, but not from any of the cyborgs before him.
"Who...who said that?"
Suddenly, another figure walked out of the fog.
The Tekunin Grandmaster.
"Greetings, Tengu," he said in spite of their clear surprise and fear. "I have observed that you were recently defeated by the Lin Kuei. Subsequently, it would seem we have a common enemy."
"The Lin Kuei showed us honor and goodwill today," Tengu disputed. "They are no longer our enemies."
"Did you not state that you wished to be recognized as the greatest assassins in this realm?" the Grandmaster asked.
Wu Lae was silent.
"I thought you might remember that," said the Grandmaster, clearly amused. "The Tekunin possesses the capability to make you that which you desire to be. I will give you new bodies. You will become perfect assassins."
"Trying to give us charity?" Wu Lae questioned. "Then give us your technology, and let us use it as we wish. My clan will not be cyberized like your 'Tekunin' and the original Lin Kuei."
"You appear to have grossly misjudged the situation," the Grandmaster pointed out. "This was not a matter of debate."
He pointed to the assembled Tengu and the Tekunin cyborgs went into action immediately. The Tengu were overwhelmed with lightning speed, many incapicated with electrical currents that the cyborgs were capable of channeling through their hands.
"H-How dare you!" Wu Lae shouted. He attempted to run at the Grandmaster and deliver a punch, but his fist was caught by the enigmatic being. He began squeezing it tightly, threatening to break Wu Lae's hand.
"The Tengu is dead," the Grandmaster announced before slamming his knee into Wu Lae's bandaged wound and allowing him to fall to the ground, coughing up blood as the stitches tore from the force of the blow.
His glowing blue eyes stared down at the defeated Tengu leader. His emotions were completely unreadable through his roboticized voice and concealing robe, but it was possible that he was enjoying this. His sadism, the last remnants of his humanity, now growing strong in the metal husk of a man shrouded in robes.
"You belong to me, now."