Chapter 10: The Tournament Continues

After the crowd settled from Xue Fang's victory over tremor, Kuai Liang spoke out loudly. "Warriors! Our next battle is about to begin! I call forth Sareena!"

The demoness snapped out of her trance when her name was called. The light applause of the crowd threw her off, but she immediately recalled that she was in a tournament. She exhaled and moved forward to climb into the ring. She removed her knives from her belt and her sleeves to leave at ringside.

"She will face Earthrealm's demon slayer…Nido!" Kuai Liang motioned his hand to the other end of the ring, where the dark-skinned young man left his spear behind. The crowd applauded as he hopped up into the ring. "Second ring below, huh?" He spoke under his breath. "Let's do this."

Once Kuai Liang saw each warrior was prepared, he began the match. "Fight!"

Sareena narrowed her eyes on the man and stepped closer to him carefully. He knew she was a demon, but he did not go out of his way to expose her. Curious. Her distraction cost her, as she found a sudden flurry of attacks centered on her abdomen. She cried out as she stumbled back, but it gave her enough distance to swing her leg up and arc over toward Nido's head. However, Sareena was rewarded with only hitting the wind with her swing. Once she was facing forward again, her chin was met with a sudden rising knee that sent her up and back down harshly on her shoulders.

Like a cat, she jolted up onto the tips of her fingers and her boots, facing Nido who stood at the ready. The fierce focus in his eyes told her so much. She could feel his emotion—and she fed off of it. When he approached her, she adjusted her stance to match his. His incoming fists were telegraphed quickly and she ended his assault with a headbutt. The impact left her dizzy, but it staggered Nido enough for her to continue her assault.

Sareena rushed forward and drove her foot into his stomach. A rapid succession of kicks shook his face from right to left until she ended it with a powerful extension of her leg. He started to stagger back toward the edge of the ring. She charged him like a wild bull, but was met with a brutal foot beneath her chin. The sudden slice of boot sent her arching into a crescent and crashing to the unforgiving ground.

She pushed herself up just in time to swat aside the man's incoming fist, and had her own punch attempt met with another pair of knuckles. As they both pulled their aching knuckles back, but the physical contact gave her a deeper glimpse to Nido's motivation. Someone he loved needed him. She caught glimpses of unfamiliar faces.

She moved aside, but kept at close range attempting to return such low attacks. The two constantly missed until they met knees harshly and backed up from one another to recover from the harsh aches of impact.

Sareena charged forward and jumped toward Nido with her fist drawn back.

A hard strike across her chest knocked all of the air from her lungs. All she saw was his leg swiping through the air, and his knee landing at the center of her solar plexus. She lay there coughing for air. She held her stomach, searching the crowd in a haze. She saw a dark hooded figure among the spectators, with eyes as white as the moon. She could see so much in those eyes from a distance…they felt so familiar.

Due to Sareena not making it to her feet in time, the bout was declared in Nido's favor. "Nido wins! Sareena is incapable of continuing!"

After taking a few moments to breathe, Nido spoke. "Good fight." He said before parting ways with Sareena. Even with the applause of the crowd, he felt he didn't get to show everything he could do. He bowed lightly before Kuai Liang as some of the tournament workers helped Sareena to her feet and back on the sidelines to tend to her if need be.

With Sareena's loss, Krad felt a weight fall upon his shoulders. He could not lose like that – he had to be better.

"Our next bout! The shinobi known as Krad!" Smoke called out as he motioned his hand to the ninja. "Against Princess Mileena of Edenia!" Equal applause was given to the two warriors, showing respect for the coming clash.

Both Mileena and Krad leapt into the ring in unison.

"Well now, you look fun." Mileena giggled, tossing her sais over to ringside.

Krad had a slew of weapons to get rid of; shurikens, knives, his katana, and clawed gloves. Krad didn't say a word to her, his focus was on his lover maintaining her life.

"Fight!" Smoke announced, and the crowd began to cheer for the opening blows.

Mileena rushed forward first with a high arching roundhouse kick swiping through the air and through Krad's neck. Had she killed him? No. It felt like air when her leg passed through.

The image faded, and three more images appeared around her. Shocked, Mileena put her guard up and weaved around the incoming fists and feet that rapidly rained toward her from the three images of the ninja. When she struck one in the jaw with her palm, its head flew off and released a black smoke from the severed neck on both ends. The smoke filled up around Mileena's ankles, so she paid it no mind for now.

She managed to separate the remaining two images with a double kick to both of their chests. She sniffed out the actual flesh and bone Krad very quickly afterward, and rushed the clone. Her hands grabbed it by the head and ripped it right off of its shoulders with ease. She pitched the smoking skull right to the center of Krad's chest, knocking him off of his feet and into the growing cloud of smoke around them.

The smoke's purpose became apparent after that, however. Intentional or not, Mileena could not sniff him out in the smoke as it approached her thighs. The smoke quickly elevated over her head and completely hid the two of them away from the sights of the crowd. Mileena coughed and struggled to breathe and was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of fists on all sides of her. She couldn't move much, due to the fact everywhere she turned there was another fist meeting her face or body.

Hearing her sister's cries of pain within the smoke cloud, and the uncertainty of the crowd watching, Kitana decided to act…discreetly. While no one watched her, Kitana began to quickly flutter her war fans and project a quick, powerful gust of wind to aid her sister.

The sudden blowing of wind broke up the smoke, and revealed a ring full of Krads beating up on the defenseless Mileena. She was being held by her arms from behind, but she managed to use her feet to kick off most of her attackers even if it meant kicking them in the groin. She swung her head backward to crush the nose of the clone holding her and to force it to release her. As another came her way, she side-stepped it and pushed it into the other. The two fell out of the ring in a very clumsy fashion.

Even though they were not Krad, Kuai Liang spoke up. "Mileena wins!"

She did not stop, though. She walked through the sea of ninja, breaking their limbs as their arms and legs came forward. She was enraged, concentrating on all the things Shao Kahn taught her, Kitana, and Jade as children. Grasp, twist, strike, break; she knew the exact points to hit to dislocate or completely shatter limbs as if they were twigs. Each of the clones fell and were kicked aside to stumble out of bounds. The actual Krad remained clear of Mileena as she reduced his army of ninja to an army of two. As the final clone fell to an uppercut from the half-Tarkatan woman, Krad held his fists up to defend himself against the enraged beast.

He swung high for her face, but nothing was there. The next thing he saw was the bottom of her boot coming from above him. The impact made him black out, and sent him over the edge of the ring to fall in a painful manner on the back of his shoulders. The clones all disappeared, leaving only the real Krad out of bounds.

"Mileena…wins!" Kuai repeated. He was impressed with the fact Mileena continued on so violently, but still within the rules. The clones had to be cleared out of the way, and that was her only method to do so.

Krad refused to move. Even as the tournament workers carried him a safe distance from the ring, he had nothing left to live for. It was up to the two demons, but he had very little faith in them.

Side Event #17: My Decision

After the fight with Krad, Mileena took some time to check her teeth and her injuries to be sure she could continue on. She had to take time to regenerate regardless, but what better way to do such than in the company of Kitana and Khameleon? The three women walked the castle halls as the other contests raged on outside. Until the second round, Mileena was not needed immediately.

Mileena held a small teddy bear in her hands that she fetched from her room prior to entering the hall with the other women. They were going to pay Jade a very quick visit. "Mileena knows what you did, Kitana. Mileena did not need the help but…, thank you."

Kitana placed her hand on her sister's shoulders with a smile. "It is no problem at all. I feared he would have tried to kill you while no one could see you…I had to act." She knew Mileena could handle herself, but Kitana's intuition could tell when someone had ill intentions toward those she cared for.

"He could have. The danger isn't over." Khameleon could feel something on the horizon, but what it was she wasn't exactly sure of just yet. She opened Jade's door for the two to allow them inside. It wasn't very surprising that Nido was already there at her bedside, but it was surprising at how he got there before they did. "We come with gifts." Khameleon motioned to Mileena's bear.

"Oh, hey guys." Nido waved toward them. The sight of the bear made him chuckle a little. "You sewed that one yourself, Mileena? Getting better!"

"Thank you." Mileena blushed and admired the bear a bit more. Since Kitana taught her how to do it, she took it up as a very serious hobby. If only she could get past keeping most of her creations to herself. "Hopefully Jade will like it when she wakes up."

"She will, sister." Kitana stepped over and watched Jade's resting form. "I know she will."

( Meanwhile, in Jade's 'world' )

"I have made my decision…" Jade paused. "I want to know the entire truth. I want to know everything about my past. Everything about my parents. I will return to Kitana and Mileena, and I will check these claims to be sure they are accurate. If you are proven right…"

The woman completed Jade's thought. "If I am right, you will allow me to awaken in your current time. I will end that dimension and leave only one true timeline. Here…you will slay Shinnok and reign as the new champion of Mortal Kombat. With Taven as an Elder God, there is no tournament that could ever threaten the realms again." She paused and descended slowly to Jade. "You will seal all darkness in the very pyramid your body lays upon. You will bring the peace I once gave the realms."

Jade moved forward a step. "Do you mean if I allow you to enter this timeline, you will kill Kitana and Mileena?"

"They do not belong in this time. Allow them to rest in peace, Jade." She touched the woman's cheek. "It will spare you the heartache of having to kill them yourself once you discover the truth."

"No!" She pulled herself away from the hand. Her loyalty was with her friends. She couldn't allow them to be murdered and exist without them for the rest of her life.

The sudden move away came as a surprise to the woman, but she still maintained her smile. "I am the rightful ruler of Edenia. I am Queen Edenia, the founder of the realm after the One Being was destroyed. Across the lands Sindel and Jerrod had just gotten married. However, their greed to rule all of Edenia led to a very sudden battle between my place as the original ruler of the realms, and their place as merely a branch of my power…" She trailed off to the right, recalling the events as if they just happened. "Sindel and Jerrod's forces stormed my castle and murdered your father. Then they murdered me and took the throne for their own. However due to my essence being so powerful, my spirit lingered on."

Jade could not believe this at all. Even so, the records of any rulers prior to Jerrod and Sindel were mysteriously missing from the Edenian libraries.

"It was karma, really, when Shao Kahn invaded Edenia. I admit my participation in these events…" She paused, looking back at Jade. "I influenced him to take interest. To punish Sindel for the horrible crime she and her husband committed. By the time he did so, she'd just given birth to your 'friend', Kitana. You were named slave to the family throne long before you could even walk, which is why you remained at Kitana's side your entire life…, and with my influence, you were allowed to live."

Queen Edenia continued, "My influence still lingers in Shao Kahn today. When he was defeated, I was weakened. Thus, your connection to me resulted in you being here in limbo." She motioned to the gateway leading to the post-Armageddon world. "You have the freedom to travel through time, as long as our link remains, my child."

"If you influence Shao Kahn…," she spoke softly, "how can I trust you? I cannot allow him to exist in any timeline. Allow me to destroy him this final time, allow me to mend the timeline and destroy the former so that we can exist in a better world. Please."

Edenia thought for a moment. "Defeat Shao Kahn and absorb my essence into yourself. Prevent the rise of Onaga, and the power to prevent Armageddon at Kahn's ambition will be yours. Are you…certain this is what you want?"

"Yes." Jade said with a fierce certainty in her eyes. "I will do whatever it takes."

( End Side-Event )

Returning to the tournament grounds, Kuai Liang watched as the sun began to set. The temperature was cooling down, but the tournament was still heating up as they entered round two. "Ladies and gentlemen! Our first match of the second round is about to begin! But first! I will announce all those who have advanced!" He stood from his seat to project his voice further. "The participants in round two are as follows. "Kai, Fukushu, Xue Fang, Mileena, Nido, Kia, Jataaka, and Nimbus Terrafaux!"

The crowd applauded for all those advancing as they lined up side-by-side. Tomas took over from here, announcing the first bout in the second round. "The first fight will be held between Fukushu and the Kickboxing champion Nimbus Terrafaux!"

Nimbus was a very promising up and coming star in film, replacing the likes of Johnny Cage on television, but was most known for his stellar Kickboxing career. The dark-skinned male was clad in all black gi, with a thick handlebar mustache and low-cut hair. His taped feet were stained in blood from when he literately kicked the teeth out of his opponent last round. He climbed into the ring and did a bit of fancy foot work as he prepared to fight. "At least you got all your bandages ready, lady!"

Fukushu didn't say a word as she climbed into the ring. She bowed respectfully to Nimbus instead.

"Fight!" Tomas called for the match to begin!

Nimbus started things off with a quick swing of his foot down low to Fukushu's side. However, she burst into a mist of red and appeared in front of him. She palm-struck the center of his chest and yanked her hand back like a striking snake. As he backed up, he caught himself and went back in for an attack. Fukushu side-stepped and dropped him to the ground with a leaping knee strike to the chest that pinned him to the ground.

She rolled off of him and kipped to her feet with her back turned to her downed opponent. He was unable to answer to the ten count for disqualification.

"Fukushu wins! Flawless victory!" Impressed by the display of ability, even Kuai Liang applauded the woman's strength.

She bowed to the Lin Kuei grandmaster, and made her way back beside the ring while Nimbus was carried off to be tended to.

"The next bout is about to begin!" Tomas announced once the ring was clear. "Nido will face off against Kai!"

Nido took a deep breath as he entered the ring again. He was one step closer to winning this thing, but he saw how impressive Kai was in his first-round match. This would be a tough one to crack. "Alright. Let's get to it!"

Side Event #18: The Deadliest Alliance

"So, you are telling me he is finally ready to strike?" Denise spoke as she stood over her crystal ball. Her eyes were fixated on the cloudy visual within it.

"Yes…" The deep voice of Quan Chi was heard right across from her. He had only one arm now…due to his run-in with Scorpion months ago. "Shao Kahn has been waiting for the right moment. It seems a higher power or voice directed him to do so. "Earthrealm will be invaded once Sindel's ward is broken. Can you assist me?"

"It depends." Denise looked up from her ball. "Are Reiko, Rain, and the others broken enough to go through with our plans?"

The pale man laughed softly. "Without Kano involved, we found a suitable replacement, Sheeva. Once the invasion is complete, they will attack and weaken Kahn so that we may strike finally. The Brotherhood will be in power after this is done."

Denise narrowed her eyes slightly. "Sindel is a valuable asset. Kahn may kill my husband if it means making her better. My assistant, Tanya, gave up those men to aid us, so you owe me a favor. The favor I desire should be a simple task once I enhance you."

"Name it." Quan Chi was desperate for power, but he was also a man of some form of honor. He would repay his debt to Denise for fully joining the Brotherhood's efforts with her husband.

"I want a clone made of my husband. Discard the Mileena replication and assist my husband in making one for himself. One Shao Kahn can kill in his place." She floated her hands along the top of the crystal ball a bit more. "I will hold you to your word if you agree. If anything happens to my husband, you will be seeing Scorpion again in the blackest pits of hell. Do you understand me?" The growing aggression in her tone signified that she was quite serious about her husband's well-being. It was almost scary to hear, but despite her bickering, there was love there.

"Yes. Of course." He knew Denise could do it if she so desired. He did not want to see any part of Scorpion…but he still had Noob Saibot as a failsafe if his connection with Shang Tsung and Denise went sour.

"Good." She smiled and placed her hands down on her desk. "I will loan you the energy of five hundred souls. This should suffice for your loss for a few years." She motioned her hand to her right, drawing forth green energy into the palm of her hand. There was a loud, ghostly howl following the collection of power from her personal soul well. She held it in her palm and examined it. "Tell Shao Kahn of my Soulnado innovation. Once the invasion begins, see to it that one is created. It will assist in the merging of realms one thousand times greater than anything he has." She moved her hand forward, throwing the ball of green into Quan Chi's chest. The energy surged over him for several seconds, electrocuting him as his energy restored, and even surpassed his prior prime state.

Now he had the strength needed to revive Sindel. Now the invasion could begin. "I will begin assisting with the doppelganger as soon as I return, Madame." He stood and bowed in respect to her great power.

"That is not all." Denise stood as well. "Tanya?" She called, and immediately, her assistant rushed into the room, hugging a large book to her chest.

"Yes?" Tanya stood at attention and awaited the orders from her master.

"You will accompany Quan Chi to revive Sindel." Denise glanced to her, then back to Quan Chi. "Make sure everything goes correctly. Am I understood?"

"Yes, master."

( End Side Event )

The battle between Kai and Nido had drawn gasps of excitement from the watchers. The acrobatic ability of the demon hunter proved a match for Kai's extreme technique. Fists and fireballs flew all across the ring, with several near misses for the last few minutes. This was already the longest bout in the tournament thus far as both men got in close, and met clash for clash.

Nido swept low and Kai jumped and swung high, both missing their targets. Nido swung high with his foot and missed the backward arching Kai.

The monk flipped backward and thrust his foot out to meet perfectly with Nido's own, creating a loud impact between the two as a result. As they pulled back, Kai shot a fireball into the ground that shot up beneath Nido. With quick reflexes, Nido arched backward and tucked his legs in, barely avoiding the second fireball that came from the sky. When he landed on his feet, he was standing on the edge of the ring, almost taking a spill to the outside. Kai jumped in at him, missing a flying kick, and he too stood on the ledge.

The two men fought while remaining balanced on the side of the ring's border, with Nido tracking backwards to Kai's advance. Each fist was blocked with perfect technique, and each counter was met with another counter. Nido managed to roll aside and get back centered in the ring, and Kai dove after him, now standing on his hands. He spun about, with intentions of battering Nido with his rapidly moving feet, but it was not to be! Nido dropped low, sending both his feet toward Kai's face while he stood on his hands.

The graceful monk pushed up off of his hands and narrowly avoided the incoming feet while he landed on his own. With Nido on his back beneath him, Kai went to punch him in the center of his chest, but met only the flesh of his blocking forearms. The other man shot his foot up and cracked Kai right on the top of his head. Dazed, the monk stumbled back just long enough for Nido to spring to his feet.

Once standing, Nido turned to swipe his foot beneath Kai's chin as he flipped backward. The powerful arc of the kick sent Kai up and back down to the ground. Nido stood over him, catching his breath as he awaited him to stand. The ten count was initiated, and Kai failed to respond.

"Nido wins!" Sub-Zero announced much to the pleasure of the crowd.

Having picked up yet another win, Nido reached down to assist Kai up. It was a very hard-fought contest between the two, and he just wanted to show respect for the monk's great ability.

Kitana was impressed by this. She was seeing Nido in a different light – she never saw him fight like this before. Kai was Liu Kang's most recent student, and for him to be able to keep up without his weapon was truly a feat.

When the ring cleared, it was time for the next bout.

"Next! We have Jataaka facing off with Xue Fang!"

Confident, Xue Fang climbed into the ring to stare down with the dark-skinned woman with the white tribal paint on her face. "They couldn't find anyone stronger?" Xue taunted.

Jataaka did not seem impressed with the overconfidence of the girl. She created a ball of shadow in her palm, and crushed it immediately after. "I'll have fun shutting you up…"

"Fight!"

When Smoke commanded the fight to begin, Jataaka landed a rush of punches across Xue's face, backing her up. She created a black ball in her palm and went to swing it for her opponent's face, but it was maneuvered under. Xue instead swept Jataaka's feet from beneath her. Winding her hands back as soon as the woman hit the ground, Xue began to freeze her from the legs up, stopping just above her shoulders. She kept her pinned to the ground with the ice, cackling the entire time.

Once Xue let up, she stepped back and folded her arms. "Start the ten count!" She commanded. Technically, Jaataka was down on the ground, and was not able to get to her feet. The count began, and much to the demon's dislike, she was counted out of the contest before she even began to crack the layers of ice binding her down.

"You little bitch!" Jataaka cursed her after the ten count was completed.

"Xue Fang wins!" Sub-Zero announced. While he did not like how she handled the match, he did admire her technique in eliminating the opponent to conserve her energy for the later rounds.

Pleased with her victory, Xue stomped on the sheet of ice to crack it enough for Jaataka's escape. "It was fun. Maybe the semifinals will be more entertaining?" She taunted the woman again as she joined the others at ringside.

Krad palmed his face…as the fate of the mission rested solely on Kia. He wasn't entirely certain she could even handle Mileena after what he went through.

After the crowd settled from Xue Fang's victory, Kuai Liang spoke out loudly. "Warriors! Our next battle is about to begin! I call forth Mileena!"

Hearing her name made her heart jump, but she regained her focus. The crowd applauded as she hopped into action and landed solidly on her feet. Her yellow gaze went to Kuai Liang as her opponent was announced.

"Her opponent will be…," he paused, "the mistress of the Shadow Claw style, Kia!"

Mileena's vision slowly moved ahead of herself to view her opponent. She noted Kia's appearance; she seemed in her late twenties or early thirties…in human years, she had eyes the color of rust and hair as dark as the paint on her lips. She possessed tribal-like markings on her face, which appeared to be spike shaped designs that led just above her nostrils. She was beautiful…, and hardly seemed to be a fighter.

When Kia entered the ring, she discarded her bladed boomerang at ringside. "Well, I've heard a lot about you, Mileena." She spoke with a slight giggle. "Let's try to make this look good while I win?"

She was arrogant, was she? Mileena just grit her teeth behind her mask before she spoke. "Do not be so sure of yourself, but we can still play."

"The battle begins! Fight!" Kuai Liang shouted out as the contest began.

Mileena prepared herself, but was shocked by how quickly Kia closed the space between the two of them. She appeared right out of Mileena's shadow from behind and wrapped her arms around her waist. Mileena felt herself being whipped into the air from behind, and quickly threw her legs over her head so that she could face the ring as she sailed over. From beneath her, Kia jolted from her shadow and drove her fists into her stomach at rocket-like speeds. A mix of saliva and blood flung against the inside of Mileena's veil as she came crashing down to the ground.

Kia landed shortly after she did, and rested on her stomach. She placed her fist beneath her chin and kicked both her feet up. "Oh, you're not as quick as Kitana, I see?" She shook her head. "Oh Mileena, this just won't do!"

Mileena growled as she pushed back up to her feet. This shadowy woman wanted to play mind games with her, but she was better than that. Mileena pushed up on her hands and swung her feet toward Kia's face, only to find the woman was no longer there. Kia once again caught Mileena off her game as she appeared at her side this time, as her shadow was being projected that way from the lighting. Mileena staggered back when her vision suddenly was jerked away. Kia kept the pressure on her and swung a vast array of open palms toward Mileena.

With her enhanced senses, Mileena was able to swat away the majority of these before a palm struck her in the stomach. She lurched forward and right into a clawed hand grabbing at her mask. Mileena reacted quickly, knocking Kia's hand away and off of her mask. She countered Kia's knee attempt by punching at her kneecap. Mileena spun about and arched her foot high to swipe across Kia's jaw. She watched as Kia whipped away from her and spun to a painful crash on the ring's floor.

Mileena mocked the downed demoness with her hand wiping away fake tears. "Ooh, don't be mad. You're just a little too slow for Mileena."

The teasing Mileena gave probably got to Kia, but she could not tell. Instead of focusing on her opponent, Mileena kept note of where her shadow was being cast. It was just behind her left side. She inched forward slowly as Kia got up. She rushed in and faked an incoming punch to the rising woman. Kia vanished just as Mileena expected, but as the woman sprung from her shadow, Mileena disappeared as well.

Kia's swiping claw hit nothing but air, but the back of her head met Mileena's foot with enough force to send her stumbling and falling to her knees. She tried to get up, but felt a sudden weight on her back when Mileena sat there and crossed her legs.

"You're starting to bore me!" The half-Tarkaten cackled before rolling off of Kia's back. When she tried to stand up on her knees, Mileena viciously swung about and caught her across the jaw with her arcing heel. The impact nearly snapped Kia's neck and resulted in her spinning right back to the ground. "I'm sorry…did that hurt?"

Once the ten count reached its conclusion, Krad exhaled. The mission was over. Angered, he punched the ground. All that was left was their final failsafe.

Sareena felt Krad's pain just by being near him. She held her heart, searching the crowd with her eyes. Krad's need to be with someone enhanced her need to seek out Bi Han. She knew he was in the section behind them…somewhere.

"Mileena wins!" Sub-Zero proudly announced. "The Semifinals will begin shortly! Advancing are Fukushu! Mileena! Nido! And Xue Fang! We will take a thirty-minute rest, and proceed!

With everyone starting to depart from the arena area, Mileena remained in the ring. She turned her gaze up toward Kuai Liang…she had thirty minutes, didn't she? Maybe she could spend it with him…?

(A/N)

Sorry for the wait! Sorry if I crammed too much fighting in, but I tried to balance it. Took me a while to figure out how I wanted each one to go down! Anyway, the tournament should conclude shortly. Who's going to assist Sub-Zero in his war against Sektor? Are they ready for this invasion? And most of all, do you think Jade is going to side with her mother or resist? Find out soon!