Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. All rights belong to Ed Boon, Nether Realm Studios and Warner Bros.
Kurai and Liu Kang walk to the center of the throne room in Shang Tsungs temple, both not looking at each other. When they reach the center, they both turn to face each other and bow respectfully.
"Remember, Kurai." The sorcerer calls to the young warrior, causing him to look at the old man with a side glance. Shang Tsung just smirks. "Kill Liu Kang and I shall hold up my end of the bargain. Kill this... lowly Earth Realm monk to ensure Outworlds victory and I shall take you to Outworld to give you the answers you seek." He tells Kurai, reminding him of the bargain he made with the young warrior.
Kurai grits his teeth and glares at the old man as the others in the room, Raiden and the Earth Realm fighters, as well as Jade and Kitana, all look at Liu Kang and Kurai in shock at what was just said.
"Shang Tsung! What is the meaning of this treachery?! You made a bargain with Kurai?!" Raiden angrily shouts at the sorcerer with tiny bolts of electricity crackling out of his eyes, but Shang Tsung just smirks at the thunder god smugly.
"Yes, I have, Lord Raiden. But remember, no matter what kind of treachery happens here, you still can not interfere. That is the rules of Mortal Kombat. No god, elder or otherwise, can not interfere in the tournament." He says to the god of thunder with a growing smug smirk.
Raiden, ready to condemn the rules, steps forward to stop the fight between Liu Kang and Kurai to personally punish the elderly sorcerer for his arrogance, but stops when a hand on his shoulder stops him from progressing. He glares in the direction of the person that stopped him, but sees that it is Drake Lee, with a look of confidence on his face.
"Drake, why do you stop me?! I must stop this fight! Kurai has made a bargain with Shang Tsung! This fight can not happen!" He shouts at Drake angrily, but Drake remains calm with a shake of his head.
"I wouldn't worry so much about it, Raiden. Shang Tsung may have made a bargain with Kurai, but knowing Kurai like I do, I don't believe that he agreed to it. Kurai has never resorted to cheap tricks at the expense of others to get what he wants. He's not that kind of fighter. I ask that you have faith in him, because I do." He calmly whispers to the thunder god, who was still unsure whether or not he should stop the fight or not.
Inhaling deeply before letting out a long sigh, Raiden turns his head to glare at Shang Tsung again then glances at Drake again. He reluctantly nods then looks back at Liu Kang and Kurai, who were staring each other down.
Liu Kang had a slight glare before calmly speaking to Kurai. "You made a deal with the sorcerer, my friend? You would turn on Earth Realm? Your own home?" He asks him sternly then waits for his new friend to answer as did the many others in the throne room, wondering what his answer will be.
Inhaling deeply, Kurai glances at Shang Tsung with a glare, while the old man just continues to smirk at what he seems to think is an easy victory. But Kurai had other plans. He looks at Liu Kang seriously before answering. "He made me an offer, Liu Kang... one that I NEVER accepted." He began while looking back at Shang Tsung, causing the sorcerer to instantly lose his smirk and lean forward in his seat with a menacing glare.
Kurai looks back at Liu Kang, who had a small smile on his face as Drake glanced at Raiden with a smile, while Jade felt relieved, but like Kitana, she and the princess didn't dare show it in front of Shang Tsung. Scorpion looked curiously at Kurai with his arms crossed and kept his eyes on the two warriors about to fight.
"However, because we're still in the middle of the tournament, Liu Kang, I will still fight you. But only to see which of us is stronger, not for the fate of Earth Realm." Kurai explains to Liu Kang, causing the young monk to look at Kurai with confusion, as well as the remaining fighters in the throne room, including Raiden, Shang Tsung, Drake, Jade and Kitana.
"But... my friend... one of us will have to defeat the other in order to face the reigning champion of Mortal Kombat. There can be no draw in this match." Liu Kang explains to Kurai, who only chuckles with a smile before looking defiantly at Shang Tsung.
"I'll figure it out." He says simply before looking back at Liu Kang then shifts into his fighting stance as Liu Kang does the same.
Jade and Kitana watch on with the other fighters with similar thoughts in both of their heads. "Show me, Kurai. Show me what you're truly capable of." Both women think as Kurai and Liu Kang stare at each other just as they did during their friendly spar a few days back. Both were waiting for someone to make the first move and make a mistake.
Kurai vs. Liu Kang...
Staring at each other fiercely, Kurai and Liu Kang wait for the other to make a move. Any move. One that will decide the outcome of the fight.
Both fighters arms twitch slightly, causing both of them to charge forward as their fists collide with each other, sending a shockwave throughout the room and making the other fighters to stumble and try to keep their balance.
"Jesus!" Jax shouts as Kurai and Liu Kang begin trading blows. Kurai right hooks Liu Kangs face as Liu Kang uppercuts Kurai, making both of them stumble backwards before rushing towards each other again.
Liu Kang punches Kurai in the gut before backflipping with a kick that hits Kurais chin, stunning him. As he lands on his feet, he leaps into the air and bicycle kicks Kurai multiple times in the face before kicking him one more time that sends him flying across the room before landing on his back.
As Liu Kang lands on his feet, he quickly leaps into the air again to head towards Kurai. As he drops to the floor, Kurai quickly rolls out of the way just as Liu Kang lands with his knee driven deep into the floor, causing the mahogany wood to crack and cave from the force of the attack.
Kurai quickly stands up and charges towards Liu Kang with a flying kick, which he dodges, before delivering an Eagle Eye punch to Liu Kangs face, stunning him.
Kurai doesn't give Liu Kang a moment to recover as he delivers multiple and devastating blows to the monks torso before punching him twice with left and right hooks before leg sweeping Liu Kang off his feet, causing him to fall hard on his back.
Raiden looks on at the fight with concern. Since his amulet had fractured at the beginning of the tournament, he had been receiving visions of events that have not yet happened. One of those visions was of Liu Kang as the victor of this Mortal Kombat tournament. If Kurai wins here against Liu Kang, what would that mean for the future of Earth Realm?
Drake, like Raiden, looked on at the fight as Liu Kang and Kurai continued to trade blows with each other. Each blow more devastating and painful than the last. Watching Kurai uppercut Liu Kangs chin before kicking him away caused Drake to narrow his eyes suspiciously. "What are you up to, Kurai? I've trained with you for years and your hits are no where near as devastating here as they normally are." He wonders to himself as Kurai and Liu Kang continue with their fight.
"You normally take down your opponents quicker than this. Is Liu Kang really giving you this much trouble... or are you holding back? If so, then for what reason?" He wonders again as Kurai and Liu Kang cause another minor shockwave when their forearms collide with each other.
Holding their own against each other, Kurai and Liu Kang struggle with each other while trying to get the upper hand over the other.
Gritting their teeth with serious glares on their faces, both fighters jump away from each other as their hands and feet both catch on fire. Liu Kang with normal looking flames, Kurai with white and blue flames.
Panting from slight exhaustion, Kurai and Liu Kang then both charge each other with their fists looking to collide with the others face before the flames suddenly disappear from Kurai as he ducks down and quickly grabs Liu Kangs leg with a sudden takedown.
Kurai rolls with Liu Kang on the floor with Kurai back on top and holding the monk against the floor with his foot while holding his leg looking like he's going to break it. Liu Kang struggles to find a way to counter Kurai, but can only flail his arms and his free leg helplessly as Kurai stares defiantly at Shang Tsung.
The elderly sorcerer narrows his eyes cautiously before leaning forward in his throne. "Finish him." He says simply, causing many in the room to look at Kurai. Curiously for some, worriedly for others.
Raiden, Drake and the others wait anxiously for what Kurai will do as Jade looks on with concern while Kitana watches curiously.
Kneeling down with Liu Kangs leg still in his grasp, Kurai taps the floor twice with his hand, causing many fighters in the room to look at him with shock.
"I yield." Kurai says and lets go of Liu Kangs leg.
Drake looks shocked for a moment before gaining a smile on his face as Sonya, Jax, Cage and Raiden look at Kurai as if he had grown a second head, but Raiden felt relieved. Maybe now the vision he had seen will come true.
"What?! No! You can not do that! You had him at your mercy! Why did you yield?!" Shang Tsung yells at Kurai, who helped Liu Kang to his feet, who also was curious as to why Kurai yielded when he had the fight won.
Kurai, without looking at Shang Tsung, looks at Liu Kang with a smile. "As I said, I'll figure it out. And I did." He said simply, causing Liu Kang to smile before looking at Shang Tsung, who glared furiously at the two fighters, before walking towards the sorcerers throne as Kurai walks over to Raiden and the group to stand with them.
Jade looks at Kurai happily for a brief moment before regaining her usual stoic and cold expression before glancing over at Kitana, who was looking at Kurai with a look of relief on her face. "He could've looked for his answers in Outworld if he had killed Liu Kang and I would get answers of my own, but why? Why do I feel relieved that he refused to kill him? Kurai, just who are you to me?" Kitana wonders to herself as Shang Tsung begins to speak.
"Well, then... Liu Kang, I guess it is you who will... who will face our reigning and defending champion of Mortal Kombat." The old man says begrudgingly to the monk, who still stood in front of Shang Tsungs throne with a serious expression.
"Now, then, I shall send you to your next opponent. Prince Goro! Prince of the Shokan! And should you survive, you will have to face me as your final opponent." He tells Liu Kang before waving his left hand that opens up a black and green colored portal that supposedly lead to Prince Goro. Liu Kang just takes a moment more to stare at Shang Tsung with a series expression before speaking.
"I will be back soon, sorcerer. And when I do, be ready for a fight." He promises to the old man, who only smirks arrogantly as Liu Kang makes his way towards the portal.
"We shall see, mortal. We shall see." He says ominously as Liu Kang looks back at the sorcerer before stepping through the portal.
The portal closes and the remaining fighters begin to wait for the victor of the fight between Liu Kang and Prince Goro. Shang Tsung then shifts his gaze over to Kurai with a menacing glare before suddenly standing up from his throne then stomps towards Kurai. Raiden began to stand in front of the sorcerers path, but a reassuring pat on his shoulder from Kurai caused him to pause and step back as Shang Tsung walks up to Kurai and stood dangerously close to his face.
"We had a deal, you bastard! You were to kill Liu Kang and the tournament would be over by now! You would have had the answers to all your questions within the hour! Why give up your right to find out who you really are?! Why spare one lowly mortal just to give up a lifetime of answers?!" Shang Tsung hisses furiously at Kurai, who looked at the old man with indifference before he answered.
"Because if I had killed Liu Kang just for my own benefit, it wouldn't have stopped there. Earth Realm would fall and I would've been the cause of it." He explains to the old man, who just stood there listening with a shriveled glare on his face. "And I am not going to give up the freedom of my home just to get the answers about my past. But I don't expect you to understand, Shang Tsung. I have a home, but you don't. Not a true home at least." He finishes answering the elderly sorcerer, who was trembling with rage before scoffing angrily and stomping back to his throne then plops back down in the seat.
Raiden chuckles lightly. "I've never seen anyone manage to talk down to Shang Tsung without him getting the final word. You continue to surprise me, Kurai, but I must ask you." He says to the young warrior before looking over at him. "What did he mean about the answers you seek? What is it he knows that the rest of us don't?" He asks Kurai curiously as Sonya, Jax and Cage look over at him with the same curious expressions.
Drake looks over at Kurai, wondering if his friend was going to answer, or continue to hide his lineage from their new friends. Kurai sighs deeply before he answers. "I'll tell all of you once this is all over. You have my word of honor, Lord Raiden." He says to him as the others look over at the god of thunder, who looked suspicious, but nodded after a few moments.
"Very well. We shall continue this conversation after the tournament." He says simply before turning his gaze elsewhere as Sonya, Jax and Cage all put reassuring hands on Kurais shoulder before standing next to Raiden to wait for Liu Kangs return.
Drake stands next to his lifelong friend and leans in near him. "Kurai, are you sure about this? Once you tell them, all the cards will be on the table. Theirs and ours." He whispers with concern to his friend, who shrugs with a chuckle before looking over at the blonde warrior.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later, my friend. Trust goes both ways. I have to learn to trust them like they have to learn to trust me. It will be a difficult road for sure, but I have a feeling that we will make it work." He explains to Drake before glancing over at Shang Tsung, who was looking off to the side anxiously waiting for a victor to walk through a portal. "Besides, I have a strong feeling things won't end here." He says, causing Drake to look at his friend incredulously.
"What do you mean by that, Kurai?" He asks him quietly, causing Kurai to just shake his head.
"I mean, that even if Liu Kang wins against this Prince Goro, I have a sneaking suspicion that Shang Tsung won't accept defeat. I have a feeling that we will be seeing him again sometime soon. And that worries me." He explains looking at Drake, who, like his friend, looks worried at that statement and begins to wonder what the future holds for all of them.
Raiden, who had secretly listened in on the conversation, gains a worried expression on his face before slightly shaking his head to make it go away. "No. When Liu Kang wins, this generation of Earth Realm shall have 50 years of peace before the next tournament." He says himself confidently as he waits for Liu Kang to return.
With Liu Kang in Goros Lair...
Stepping through the portal leading to his final opponent, Liu Kang walks into an area that held an eerie and depressing air to it that he didn't like.
Examining the surrounding area around him, Liu Kang could see multiple skeletons and decapitated skulls with their spines still attached to them, which caused him to feel worried now.
Looking into the multiple archways that had no light inside of them, Liu Kang felt as though the darkness of the archways were eerily looking right back at him and it was a feeling that he wished would leave so he could muster his courage for the next fight.
After a moment, he felt the ground beneath him shake and tremble before he hears thundering footsteps coming towards him.
Looking in the direction the footsteps were coming from, Liu Kang could vaguely make out the large silhouette of a four armed figure as it came towards him.
Out from one of the archways stepped out a large four armed creature with a leather loincloth, metal greaves, metal arm bands on each of its arms and a bony necklace with the fingers of, no doubt, fallen opponents that fell before this beast.
"You? You are the last remaining fighter of Mortal Kombat? What trickery is this?" The creature asks Liu Kang incredulously as it towers over him when it walked up to him.
Steeling his nerves, Liu Kang answers. "This is no trickery here, Prince Goro. I am Liu Kang, descendant of the Great Kung Lao. I challenge you to Mortal Kombat. Accept or yield and preserve your dignity as well as your honor." He declares boldly as Goro still towers over him.
The Shokan prince snorts unhumorously as he leans down to Liu Kangs face with an arrogant smirk. "Kung Lao? You're his descendant? Well, then, this should be easy, considering I am the one that defeated him. You shall pose no threat or challenge to me, mortal." Goro says to him arrogantly as he cracks the knuckles of his four hands before cracking his neck.
Liu Kang narrows his eyes at Goros disrespect towards his ancestor. "Your arrogance shall be your downfall, Shokan prince." He warns him as he prepares for the fight.
Goro just snorts. "And your courage shall be yours, Shaolin monk." He says to him angrily as both fighters stare each other down with fierce glares.
FIGHT!!!