9:00 A.M: Day two of the Mortal Kombat Tournament

Benjamin's POV

As I woke up and showered, I headed to the courtyard to wait as the MK Tournament continued. I would probably have to fight today since I didn't do so yesterday and healed a prisoner on the island.

On the way, I was approached by Jax. "Mornin', Ben."

"Good morning Jax. Slept well?"

"Definitely. Your healing voodoo certainly worked its magic. I'd hate to get on your bad side."

"Not to worry. Since Cal's your boss, I won't do anything to harm you," I stated as we continued our walk. "Her bad side is way worse than mine. Believe me."

"What's burning you?"

Jax scratched his goatee in response. "This whole tournament is odd to me."

"That's understandable. I mean, we're on an island with things like Baraka and Reptile. The fact that I can use magic compared to them is pretty normal. But regardless, that's how things are. It seems most people have problems with specific people on the opposite side. What with you, Sonya, and Cal all gunning for Kano."

"Do you have problems with anyone here?"

I shook my head. "Not that I know of. But people can be petty in the right circumstance. I say it's only a matter of time."

He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I have a feelin' you can hold your own."

"Good on you to trust your gut feelings, Major. I bet it saved you many times in your service."

My remark earned a chuckle from him. "You ever considered being a psychiatrist?"

"No, I don't like tampering with others' personal lives. I'll stick with being a Doctor."

"I got no problem with that decision," Jax said. "We'll talk later."

I nodded. "Of course."

We make it back to the courtyard, everyone seemingly waiting on us. Shang Tsung took note of our entrance but did not say anything on the matter, not that I cared. The ladies who attacked Cal and Sonya were nowhere to be seen. However, I could tell they were close by. My guard had to stay up the entire day in case they showed up.

In their place was an ashen man, marks tattooed on his face as he flanked Shang Tsung. From my time in the Netherrealm, the sorcerer who taught me the abilities of a Warlock described a demon named Quan Chi. Seeing him here, I can finally put a name to a face. He stared me down while I'm standing next to Cal and Nightwolf.

"Finally, we can resume the tournament properly! The next kombatant will be... Scorpion!" Quan Chi used a summoning spell to summon the titular Scorpion.

A Ninja Specter, eh?

"Scorpion! Specter of the Netherrealm! Resurrected by the sorcerer Quan Chi! Who among you is worthy of this challenge?"

"Where is the Lin Kuei Sub-Zero? He killed my family and clan! I'll have his head!"

Talk about taking your grudges to the grave.

I inspected the courtyard, no one fighting for Earthrealm willing to budge. I glanced at the Masked Guards and see one of them had a peculiar looking hat slung on his back. Making eye contact with Raiden, he nodded as he also knew who it was.

I walked up to this Masked Guard. "Kung Lao, what are you doing here? The White Lotus chose Liu Kang to represent us this time."

"Doctor, this is blasphemous," he shot back. "I should've accompanied you to fight alongside you and Liu Kang."

"You know that's not how it works."

"It does not matter. I am Liu Kang's equal."

I shook my head in dismay. "As of right now, you have no proof of such a claim."

His cocky smirk appeared. "Watch and see."

Kung Lao took off his disguise, revealing his Shaolin garb.

Liu Kang expressed his shock. "Kung Lao?"

"Never mind the Lin Kuei. Now you face a Shaolin," he proudly boasted as he tipped off his hat before getting into his fighting position.

"You will regret your impulsiveness. Scorpion scolded as he got ready.

"FIGHT!" Shang Tsung called for the match to begin.

I conversed with Raiden and Liu Kang. "Any hope he can beat Scorpion?"

"I have my doubts. Notwithstanding, Kung Lao did place second in the tournament to determine who would represent the White Lotus. However, Scorpion is a much more experienced warrior," Raiden analyzed.

Sadly, that was the truth. Kung Lao was a very talented martial artist but is offset by his massive ego and arrogant nature. Regardless of how he does, I have a feeling I'll be tending to his wounds. However, his hat gives him an edge, no pun intended. I don't call him oddjob for no reason. His hat has a razor around the brim, so he throws it like a projectile. On top of this, he possessed moderate control of the winds, allowing him to do innovative things. He can surround himself in a small whirlwind and somehow teleport in short distances.

But all these abilities inflated his ego, as I explained earlier, and it got the better of him. Kung Lao lost the fight without any wasted effort from Scorpion.

"Scorpion wins!" Shang Tsung yelled as the monks routinely clapped.

Scorpion wasted little time voicing his disappointment. "You are not yet a warrior."

Liu Kang, Raiden, and I walked toward his fallen body.

"Kung Lao!" Liu Kang nearly yelled, clearly showing his concern.

"Listen to your Elders when they speak," Raiden chastised his ignorance. "You were not ready for this tournament."

"Sit up, Kung Lao. Let me see the extent of your injuries, "I said as he conceded. "Better yet, let's move you out of the way."

Helping him stand, I assisted Lao out of the way. Though I didn't say a word at that moment, I was downright appalled by his behavior. He knew better than to come here and show up Liu Kang after we explicitly told him that he was not ready for this. For his sake, Kung Lao is fortunate to still have his life.

"I have defeated the challenger! Now I demand you bring me Sub-Zero!" Scorpion beckoned Shang Tsung to bring out the cryomancer.

The sorcerer wasn't having any of that attitude, however. "You will demand nothing! You now face Nightwolf, the Shaman!"

Nightwolf passed us, but not before I said, "Best of luck."

"My thanks, Bones. The spirits will give me strength." Nightwolf stated proudly as he moved past us.

I continued moving Kung Lao to the back. As I start inspecting his injuries, I overheard Nightwolf briefly chat with Scorpion. "Your aggression is misplaced."

"What do you know of my past?"

"You're not the only one whose people have been victimized. But I found a new purpose in serving the Spirits. I do not cling to the past."

"You no longer seek retribution?" Scorpion's tone was one of annoyance at his response. "You dishonor your kind. I will honor the memory of my fallen."

Shang Tsung once again calls for the match to begin. "FIGHT!"

A shame I couldn't see Nightwolf fight. Like me, he also practiced Vale Tudo, and his devout devotion to the spirits had granted him various abilities.

"Any places where the pain is more apparent?"

"No, Doctor. I feel a few bruises on my chest and back, but no further injuries besides that," Kung Lao replied dispiritedly.

"I see. Then if you're sure, take some ointment after the bruises disappear. Since you won't be fighting anymore, you'll have ample time to heal."

Lao reluctantly nodded, upset that he couldn't help our cause. "Very well. Thank you, Dr. Maddox."

"No need for the thanks. You just get healthy," I said before standing back up and turn to the fight.

Cal acknowledged my presence. "Nightwolf is a good fighter."

"That he is. But from how tired he is, I don't think he'll last much longer. Scorpion is powerful..."

Though I'm partial to our ally, I stayed indifferent to how Nightwolf was going to inevitably lose. That left Liu Kang, Cal, Johnny, and myself to fend off the rest of Outworld. I could make a safe assumption that Quan Chi is now a participant for Outworld's team.

"It seems like it. But it's nothing we can't handle. I bet Liu Kang can handle him easy."

"Maybe so," I replied.

After my response, Nightwolf fell in defeat.

"Scorpion wins!" Applause from the monks as usual.

"The spirits have forsaken you, shaman."

"An impressive start!" Shang Tsung snidely remarked.

"You waste my time, sorcerer!"

"Restraint, Scorpion," Quan Chi reeled in his lapdog.

Scorpion, in response, relented before returning back to hell. Earthrealm is now technically down two kombatants.

"One more battle until we stop for the day. Let us see." Shang Tsung scanned the room for a worthy opponent. He then gave a ghost smirk before announcing, "The next challenger will be... Dr. Benjamin Maddox!"

Breaking from the norm, the monks applauded as I stepped up. I'm not used to this kind of attention from anyone, but I wouldn't let it phase me. Staying focused was crucial to ensure Outworld doesn't gain another victory.

Shang Tsung then proceeded to give the others a quick rundown of me. "Don't let his passive demeanor fool you all! Dr. Maddox is a veteran kombatant! His expertise in the Medical Field only adds to his natural fighting skill!"

I slicked my hair back, a few bangs falling down as I breathed. "Always nice to meet a fan, sorcerer."

"With a sharp tongue to match," he snidely commented. "His first opponent will be Sektor of the Lin Kuei! Sektor has been hired by an unknown figure to kill the Doctor! Will he succeed?"

Why am I not surprised? A red garbed ninja entered the space we'll be sharing for our fight. He was of Chinese descent, much like most of his clan.

"You turn your back on your home, Sektor? You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Dump your pity on someone else, Maddox," he sneered. "You are a means to upkeep the honor of Lin Kuei. Spare me the trouble and kill yourself."

I stared at him maliciously. "Cocky jackass. I hope you've made your peace."

Neither of us wanted to wait for Shang Tsung to announce for the fight to begin. We were ready to fight now. I can't waste too much time, knowing the sorcerer was up to something behind the scenes.

"FIGHT!"

Immediately, Sektor fired a missile at me, but I got out of the way before grabbing him by the legs and slammed him to the floor. He landed hard on his back, damaging his flame pack. He pulled a flamethrower, only to have me snap his arm. His responsive yell echoes throughout the island.

With no remorse, I used a spell to force him to stand, a slew of demonic arms and hands keeping him still before summoning a portal on either side of the gates. I ran toward the entrance behind me and came out on the other side. Keeping up my speed, I jumped and launched both feet against the back of his head. Before making contact, the arms disappear, and my feet crash against the back of his head, causing him to flip madly. I rolled my body to break the fall, looking back to see that Sektor didn't get back up.

After loosening up, I checked his pulse. "He's out, but I still hear a heartbeat. He's still alive."

"A grave miscalculation on the contractor's part! Dr. Maddox wins!"

The claps from the monks were starting to irritate me because they were without emotion\. Eh, whatever. I blew at my bangs, causing them to briefly fly up before coming down around my eyes.

Cyrax came up to Sektor to move his body out of the way but not before eyeing me. "My apologies, Doctor."

"It's not your fault, Cyrax. Tell Sektor that he should be grateful I spared him."

"Duly noted," he simply replied while moving out of the way.

I exhaled. Someone hired Sektor to kill me... I definitely need to look into that more when I return to the Wu Shi academy. I couldn't roam in my thoughts for long, however.

"Excellent, Doctor. But you still have one more fight before we're done for the day. Sheeva!"

The door burst opened. I then came face to face with a half Human, half Dragon hybrid race wearing a revealing slingshot bikini and had four arms, each with three fingers. She was also a lot taller than me. Then, she jumped high in the sky, her descent rapidly coming as I realized she was trying to crush me. Alertly, I rolled out of the way in the nick of time.

Cheating bastards.

"A nice maneuver, Doctor! As you can see, Sheeva is a Shokan, the first female representative for their race!"

I rose to my feet and quickly inspected myself. No injuries, good. Turning to face Sheeva again, I see her giving me a predatory look, like when Cal saw food.

"I'm afraid to ask what's on your mind."

At least her response was straight to the point. "You are a very handsome Earthrealmer. If you lose, you will become one of my whores."

Not something I expected as I cracked my knuckles in each hand. "Good for me, because I'm not losing."

"FIGHT!"

Sheeva tried again to stomp on me. I dodged it again and kneed her in the stomach. It caused her to stagger backward, but she recovered before I can follow up. She shot a fireball, which made me duck, giving her the chance to grab me. I underestimated her speed, Sheeva appearing right in front of me before swinging wildly. I managed to catch both her arms in an overhead block.

"You're strong, human!"

I grunted before noticing her free arms sneaking to pin me down. "So I've been told. But there's more to this block."

Those words were followed by another stiff knee to her stomach. Before she fell back, I pulled her back to me with her arms while slamming my fist against her jaw. The blow turned her entire body around, allowing me to fall on her right arms to apply a painful armbar lock (or armbars). Her screams were indicative that she felt discomfort.

"Concede, and I'll release the hold."

"I refuse." Sheeva wouldn't give in that easily. "You'll have to knock me unconscious."

"Have it your way."

Without a second thought, I broke both her right arms as Sheeva screamed in pain. Standing her up, I grabbed her hair while still maintaining a grip on one of her arms before swinging her around. My patented Arm Lock Swing wrenched her broken limbs even more as I threw Sheeva across the courtyard. She landed in a nasty matter on her back, her broken arms useless as she tried to stand. It would be to no avail, crashing back down on the concrete.

The maneuver earned collective gasps from Cal, Sonya, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, the monks, and Lin Kuei representatives.

"Dr. Maddox wins!" Everyone erupted in applause.

"That is all today," Shang Tsung declared. "At this rate, we will conclude in the next few days! Come, I invite you all to the palace to relax for the rest of the day!"

He ended up leaving the courtyard, the monks doing the same. Well, my performance earned some respect from the Outworld competitors. I didn't worry too much about what my allies thought. They knew I had this ability and expected the results today.

Searching the room, I found Cyrax and the still ko'ed Sektor. I kneeled down, so we're all leveled. "He's still out?"

"That kick you delivered was pretty vicious, Doctor."

"How is it that he took a contract on an Earthrealmer? Especially one he knew? I heal his wounds and get repaid with an assassination attempt."

"No need to worry. I think Sektor has learned his lesson and required humility. Don't feel guilty for injuring him so nor feel obligated to heal his wounds. I know how you are, Doctor."

"Do you know of the contractor?"

Cyrax shook his head. "I do not, but I would happily tell you if I had such information."

"Fair enough." I stood up to take my leave. "Rest easy, Cyrax."

Cal ran up to me as she and the others surrounded me. "Whoa, Benji! What the hell was that?"

"Yeah, Doc. That was some insane strength back there."

I shrugged. "I'm stronger than I look, Johnny."

"What was that maneuver you did to finish off Sheeva?" Cal asked, excited from the sight.

"You're really enthusiastic today."

"Oh, stop. I never seen you do stuff like that before! And we've been sparring together for ages!"

"It's an Arm Lock Swing. You put the victim in an Arm Lock and using the arm, or hair in her case, as a firm grappling point, you throw the victim as hard as you can. Basic Sambo," I said bluntly.

"Remind me to ask you to teach me some holds like that. Jeez, I didn't know Pankration grappling can be so stiff."

"It's all subjective. No two practitioners do those holds the same."

"Cool!"

Johnny interjected, "Remind to never get you mad. Ever."

"Didn't know to never get any Doctor mad? They save lives and know how to end them too." I joked, yet no one laughed. "Oh, go to hell. That was funny."

"No, it wasn't, Benji," Cal retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to meditate for a while."

Everyone went back in as I entered the gardens, sitting in a spot showing a view of the setting sun. Getting comfortable was nearly impossible, the tension from what I learned making it so. Who would try to kill me? I haven't done anything to earn hired killers.

While in my thoughts, I could faintly hear footsteps, the sound of heels. Opening one eye, there was no one in front of me, prompting me to turn around. Not surprisingly, it was that woman in green, her clothes vastly different from yesterday. Instead of a skimpy dress, she wore an elegant one that still complimented her figure with thigh-high boots, a hood covering her head.

Cautiously, I stood up to face her while loosening my hands. "I had a feeling you were watching me."

"Very perceptive. Not only are you in tune with your senses, Doctor, but incredibly handsome as well." She stopped within five feet of me, no fear in her green eyes as she examined my person from head to toe. "Shang Tsung commends you for your performances earlier."

I raised an eyebrow. "But?"

"He has ordered me to eliminate you." She went into her stance. "Don't take this personally."

"I'm pretty sure I made it clear that attacking me was a horrible idea. Who are you?" I demanded.

A small smile was on her face. "Aren't we curious? Let's see if you can defeat a more refined warrior."

We began fighting, and I learned that we were evenly matched. That is if I wasn't using my powers, and she didn't employ her staff. Punches and kicks were thrown all throughout the match. However, I missed with a straight to her face while she caught me with a kick that hurled me into the nearest tree. Wait a minute... that's the same move Cal uses.

Just who is this woman?

My thoughts were interrupted as she closed the distance, her hand curled into a tight fist before aiming for my head. I moved just in time before she caved in my nose, her hand leaving a noticeable imprint on the bark. Seeing my chance, I pinned both her arms and pushed her body against the tree.

"You can stop playing hard to get," I said.

I heard her laugh. "And give up the thrill of this battle?"

Then, the woman disappeared from my vision in a green mist. Great, she can teleport out of sight. I quickly turned around and found her leaning against her extended staff, her expression one of amusement and playfulness.

Having enough, I charged her again and managed to take her down while knocking the staff away. I placed her in a Guillotine hold before quickly transitioning into the same armlock I applied to Sheeva. The bone snapped, her scream echoing through the gardens as I got up.

"Attack me again, and I'll kill you," I threatened before walking away.

What happened next was something I didn't expect. "I'm sorry."

I stopped in my tracks, my mind registering what she just said before turning around to see her pick herself up with difficulty. "Excuse me?"

She eyed me. "I said I'm sorry. I wasn't commanded by Shang Tsung to kill you." A wince escaped her while gingerly holding her broken arm. "I merely wished to see your strength in person. I apologize for acting so rashly."

"I see," I responded before walking back to her prone position.

In all honesty, it would've been too easy to kill her so she would stop tracking me. However, I chose not to for the moment. I still didn't know much about her, and her actions suggested she wasn't as vile or demented as some of the other Outworld warriors.

Her face became etched in fear as I closed the gap between us, taking her broken arm in my hand. "Wait! Don't hurt me! Please!"

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. Stop stressing your body," I said calmly as I started to heal her arm. "What's your name, Outworlder?"

Now it was her turn to be confused. "Excuse me?"

"It's customary for a Doctor to know the name of all his patients. I don't know yours, so I'm asking," I respond bluntly.

Her eyes softened. "My name is Jade."

"Fitting, considering you're wearing green," I remarked.

She glared at me. "Do not take this as a token of friendship, Doctor. We're still enemies."

"Of course, Jade. After all, you did try to kill me a mere four minutes ago. Don't worry, I'll pretend this never happened and will go back to hating you."

The response earned me a look of guilt, well, as much as I could see as she hid part of her face. "A question."

"Depending on what it is, I may have an answer."

"Are you and your sister really of Earthrealm descent?"

I gave her a stern look. "Not sure whether or not to answer that question, considering you're from Outworld. Funny how I just broke your arm, and now we're bordering on pillow talk."

She giggled despite the pain in her arm. "So we are, Doctor. But you have my word that I will not tell anyone. Not even Kitana."

Heaving a deep sigh, I prepared to tell her of my actual origins. Hopefully, this doesn't come back to bite me in the butt. "We're not Earthrealmers by birth, but Edenians. I'm 23,000 and Cal's 22,000." I glanced at her. "Are you asking me because you're an Edenian too?"

Jade gasped. "How did you know?"

"You dress like Edenian royalty. How old are you?"

"I'm 14,000 years old. Kitana is 12,000 years old." Curiosity got the better of her. "Why did you and Callie Ann leave?"

"King Jerrod was mad. I was once his advisor, and he refused to take my suggestion to decline the initial invitation to participate and let the Elder Gods do their job. He was ready to force Cal and me to participate. We then renounced our citizenship and fled, so we're not traitors in any sense."

"I see," she mused. "The Emperor told us of your departure but left out many details. Now I have the full story. Thank you, Doctor."

"Not a problem. Now, I'm healing you against my better judgment. Once it's done, you have all the reason to attack me again," I stated, despite the conversation we just had.

Jade surprised me again. "I will not. You have my word that I will not attack you or tell anyone of you and your sister's background."

"And if you don't?" I shot back.

"You're a smart man, Doctor. I like that in a man of your stature," she said. "However, my life is forfeit if I break that promise."

"I'll take you for your word. No need to get so drastic." I finally finished healing her arm. "All done. You should be fine now."

With that, I carefully assisted her to stand before picking up her staff that was sitting not too far from where we were.

Jade graciously accepted her weapon back. "Thank you. As promised, what do you wish to know about me?"

"How long have you known Kitana?"

"We've been best friends since the first day we met before Jerrod descended to madness. I had other friends, of course, but Kitana was always there for me. Therefore, I vowed to protect her at all costs. Hence why Shao Kahn dubbed me as her guardian."

"Interesting... Why work for them?"

She bent her head down. "I have no choice. Should I ever disobey either Shang Tsung or Shao Kahn, I could face execution." Jade then looked back at me. "Even coming here was risky, but I was willing to take it to see you in action first hand. Perhaps we could meet again under better circumstances?"

"I don't see why not," I answered. "You're far from what I've seen so far, plus you are easy on the eyes. I'm not eliminated from the tournament yet, so there's a possibility we could see each other again."

Jade smiled. "Good. I will be rooting for you and your sister. Specifically you..." She pulled her mask down and kissed my left cheek, not moving away for some time.

If Cal could see the stupid look on my face right now, she would never let me live it down for the rest of our lives. However, that was the farthest thing from my mind right now. A beautiful woman, who attacked me, only to show her true intentions, was kissing me affectionately. If he saw this, Johnny might be pissed at me getting more play than him.

Finally, Jade moved away and saw my bashful expression, trailing a finger underneath my jaw. "Until next time, Doctor," she said softly.

"G-Goodbye, Jade," I stuttered.

She left the gardens but craned her neck to see me in a stunned state, showing a sultry, satisfied smile. It wasn't long before Jade disappeared into the darkness. Huh, guess she's a stealth assassin for a reason.

I then felt a hand on my shoulder, belonging to Cal. "Looks like someone is head over heels. Ya think that was a good idea, Benji?"

"Truthfully, I don't see the harm. She's not as dull or manipulative as that sorcerer," I said.

She took a second to think about it. "Fine, she seems nice, unlike her partner. Let's hope Jade keeps up her end of the deal, eh?"

"Yeah... Come on, let's head to the palace."

When we arrived in Shang Tsung's Palace, we saw Kano chatting up Kitana and Jade (both completely disinterested). Sonya, Jax, and Johnny weren't too close to them. On the other side, Cyrax and the now awake Sektor were chatting. Sektor noticed my appearance and sneered, which I ignored. Not too close from them are Nightwolf, Kung Lao, Raiden, and Liu Kang.

We walked up to them. "Bones, Panthera. My apologies for losing the battle today."

"Don't lose sleep over it, Nightwolf. Benji, Liu Kang, Cage, and I are still more than enough to drive Outworld out of Earthrealm."

"Yes, Panthera. I will pray for all three of you." Nightwolf said, reassured by Cal's natural confidence.

Raiden had something to say about her pride. "Callie Ann, your pride from what I can tell, is unrivaled."

"Thanks."

"It was not a compliment. How do you know that your ego is not inflated?" Raiden asked sternly.

Cal answered, her confidence refusing to break. "With him as an older sibling, you tend to be humble. I know where I stand and where I can improve on, which is lacking in very few areas. Hang around for as long as I have, and your confidence will build. However, Benji keeps me grounded through it all, and that keeps me in check. If I did something wrong, he would be the first to let me know."

"A good answer, General. My humble apologies."

"Besides, if you have a Benji as your sibling, then I have all rights to be cocky. Being a loudmouth doesn't mesh well with him here. He's too relaxed, so I became the talker. It was as if it was meant to be," Cal stated proudly with a smirk.

"I'm surprised that your cocky attitude isn't contagious," I said sarcastically.

She playfully smacked my cheek. "Shh, Benji. Don't make me play Gallantry."

"Shut up."

"A challenge! Scorpion versus Cyrax and Sektor!" Shang Tsung proclaimed for everyone in the palace to hear.

"Your obsession with Sub-Zero ends here," Cyrax stated calmly.

Considering that Scorpion is a veteran for who knows how many years in the art of kombat, he defeated both Cyrax and Sektor with relative ease.

"I will have my revenge but will not kill Sub-Zero," Scorpion responded.

Raiden nodded in silence, content with the comment. I guess he talked him down while I was preoccupied with Jade. Supposedly, that meant fewer problems for us in the future.

"Will not? Or cannot?"

It appeared that I spoke too soon.

Sub-Zero marched into the room.

Cal, couldn't keep her mouth shut, as usual. "Careful, Snowman. The guy can fight circles around you, I bet."

"You! The Shirai Ryu has fallen. You will suffer as they did."

"To hell with your clan."

Scorpion bristled angrily at that. "No. To hell with you!" He grabbed Sub-Zero and transported them to hell.

I stormed up to Cyrax and gave a rough shove, causing him to trip, but he regained his balance. "Why in the hell did you provoke Scorpion?"

Trying to save himself from embarrassment, Cyrax answered, "He mocked the Lin Kuei's pride, Doctor."

"He did no such thing! I heard the conversation you and Sektor had with him. You told him his "inferior clan was dead" and that he will soon join them. You think I'm an idiot?"

"What does it matter to you!? You are not Lin Kuei, and don't share our pride!"

"That's true, and I'm glad I'm not. But your pride may have cost your ally his life, Cyrax," I spat back.

Sektor barged in on the argument. "And what do you know of Scorpion's strength? You've never fought him before."

"Don't speak to me, Sektor. I refuse to acquaint myself with traitors. Now back off before I Finish You."

Complying, Sektor backed off. Moments later, Scorpion returned with a severed skull and spine in hand. I shook my head in disappointment. Sub-Zero... is now dead.

Looking back at Cyrax, I noticed his shocked expression. "Told you so. Congratulations, you just lost the only other member who disliked the idea of the Cyber Initiative."

I departed the palace and arrived once again in the courtyard. The Moon used the throne area as a hiding spot, showing small gleams of its light. It was relatively scenic, yet the setting was anything but.

"How come every time I look for you, you're here?"

I turned to see Cal. She walked up to me, and we both admired the scene I was looking at. "It's a nice view."

"I was just thinking that."

"Similar minds think alike, after all."

That's when something odd happened. The monks who watched the matches for the tournament entered and took their seats. I glanced at Cal, and she shared a similar look of confusion. Much to our agitation, sitting at the throne was Shang Tsung.

"You old hag! What is the meaning of this!?" Cal demanded.

"Benjamin and Callie Ann Maddox! You have two challengers! They have heard of your participation in the Mortal Kombat Tournament and have asked to fight you both!"

"More entrants from Outworld!? I'm not surprised! The minute Earthrealm gains warriors worthy of defending it, you start playing dirty! Fine, we'll take whoever you throw at us!" Cal yelled, furious at the deception.

"I thought you said the fights would be over for the day!" I shouted, annoyed at the cheap tactic.

"Yes, for the day. But it is clearly nightfall! As a reminder, if you two lose this battle, you are officially eliminated from the tournament!"

"Curse you, Shang Tsung! I'll have your damn head for this bullshit!" Cal swore.

Shang Tsung merely laughed. "A bold claim, General! But let us see if you can back it up! Your challengers will be..."

The gates creaked open, and we saw them, the bastards who sold out Edenia...

"Tanya and Rain! Generals of Shao Kahn's Army!"

A/N: Oh, Shit! We're getting into it now!

Tanya and Rain have shown their faces finally. Will the Maddox Siblings be able to defeat them both, saving their places in the Mortal Kombat Tournament? Will they fall and bring Earthrealm one step closer to merging with Outworld? Find out on the next episode of Dra- I mean Gone, But not Forgotten!

Did you like this chapter? Did you not? Let me know with a review or a PM. And while you're at it, check out my profile and give my other stories a look. You might end up finding another story of mine you like.

Later!