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Realm of Edenia, Royal Palace…
The royals all argue with each other once again for the attack that had occurred during the banquet, and once again on the city and palace only twenty four hours after. And who are they still blaming? Kurai, Mileena, and the Outworld champions.
Sindel and Kitana sigh at the idiocy of the royals, they can not think of anything else other than blaming Kurai for the things that have happened. Sindel is ready to step in and silence the royals, but a figure walking into the throne room stops her.
The figure walks closer to the point where both Sindel and Kitana can see that it is the Dark Wu Shi Academy's Temple Master, Akuma. She raises her hand to silence the royals, but they continue to argue.
"Enough! That's enough!" She shouts with authority, which causes the royals to fall silent as Akuma continues to walk towards the Queen and Princess before bowing to his knees respectfully.
"Queen Sindel, why do you silence us? We are in the middle of a debate here." One of the royals says to Sindel rudely causing Kitana to glare at the female royal and stands up from her seat near Sindel's.
"Hold your tongue, you old bat! My mother is the Queen, if she wants silence from all of you, then you better be silent if you know what's good for you! And debating?! Debating what, exactly?! All we're hearing is how much all of you idiotically hate my brother and blaming Outworld for the attacks on Edenia! You all know by now that it was Shinnok that attacked us, and yet you STILL blame my brother!" The Princess yells at all the royals, who glare at her for her disrespect while Sindel and Akuma both grin as she finally stands up to them.
"And now that my mother and I have a guest here, I see no need for any of you to be here anymore at this very moment! So, with all due respect to all of you, as my brother would say, get the fuck out of our throne room!" Kitana orders them furiously as they all look at her with appalled expressions. They all stand up from their seats and leave the throne room with insulted expressions while quietly whispering about her vulgar language.
Kitana sighs deeply as she feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders before she hears her mother chuckle. "I should be disappointed in you with the language you used, but considering that you just stood up to them without my help, I can't help but feel proud." She says to her daughter, who laughs before shrugging.
"Well, it had to be said, no matter the language, mother." She says as they laugh before both look at Akuma, who had patiently waited until they brought their focus to him.
Both the Queen and Princess walk over towards the Temple Master as Sindel tenderly gestures for him to stand up. "Master Akuma, there's no need for you to kneel or bow to us. You're a good friend of my son, which makes you my friend as well. And Kitana's. And friends do not bow to each other." She says to the man with a smile as Akuma nods and stands up, but avoids their gaze.
"What brings you here, Master Akuma? It's rare that you travel to anywhere outside of Earth Realm." Kitana asks him curiously, as Sindel nods in agreement until they both see the grim expression on his face.
"Akuma? What is it? What's wrong?" Sindel asks him with concern as she and Kitana look at the man wondering what has happened.
Akuma finally looks up at them both. "Lady Sindel, Lady Kitana, there is something you must know that requires your immediate attention." He informs them gravely, which causes the two women to now feel even more concerned, judging from the look on the Temple Master's face.
Sindel walks up to him and gently places her hands on the man's shoulders. "What is it, Akuma? What requires our immediate attention?" She asks him with concern before she and Kitana wait for his answer.
He looks up at both of them with a sad expression. "It's Kurai, Lady Sindel." He begins as Sindel and Kitana freeze and tense up while he continues. "Outworld was attacked as a diversion and he was captured during the chaos. We have reason to believe that… Delilah had him captured. For what reason, we do not know." He answers both of them as the Queen and Princess steel themselves for what's to come.
With determined expressions on their faces, only one question is on their minds. "What do you need from us, Master Akuma?" Sindel asks seriously as she and Kitana both mentally prepare themselves for the inevitable encounter with Delilah. The woman they intend to beat to death for capturing Kurai.
Meanwhile, Back in Outworld, Mileena's Throne Room…
Mileena roughly smacks the Osh-Tekk, Kotal, across the face with an infuriated glare as the other Outworld champions, and Drake, all watch. "Talk, Osh-Tekk scum! Where has my brother been taken?!" She shouts at him angrily as Kotal looks up at her with a stoic expression.
"If you want me to talk, Mileena, you will have do much better than that. Otherwise, if you don't, you will have to kill me." He says with an arrogant grin that causes Mileena to snarl under her breath.
Feeling her Tarkatan side briefly returning, she gets up to Kotal's face closely with a growl. "Do not tempt me, "General" Kotal. If you will not talk, then perhaps Kintaro will." She says before looking over at the Shokan tiger, Kintaro.
Kintaro scoffs as Mileena walks over to him. "There's nothing you can do to me that will make me talk, Mileena. I have made a commitment to a stronger individual, and I do not intend to betray her." He says confidently as Mileena smirks before shaking her head.
"Who said anything about me making you talk, Kintaro?" She says to him as he looks up at her curiously.
"Goro, Sheeva! Let's see if you can get your former Shokan brother to talk." She says calmly as Goro and Sheeva walk up in front of Kintaro while Ermac holds both him and Kotal in firmly in place with his telepathy.
"Do what you wish, Goro, but I'll never talk." Kintaro says to them as the two Shokan stare down at him with disappointed looks.
"Oh, you will talk, Kintaro. One way or another." Sheeva says before walking behind him while Goro remains in front of his former brother.
Glaring down at Kintaro, Goro inhales deeply. "Tell me something, Kintaro. When you chose to betray us to side with Delilah, was it worth leaving all that you once knew behind?" He asks him curiously as Kintaro glares up at him with an arrogant grin.
"Was it worth it, big brother? My answer to you is… absolutely. All of it was worth it because I am no longer sitting and waiting on the sidelines." He answers the Shokan Prince arrogantly. Goro says nothing at first before he leans down close to Kintaro's face.
"I'm sure you will change your mind after this." He says cryptically, which causes Kintaro to look at Goro with confusion.
Goro looks up at Ermac and Sheeva before nodding to them. Sheeva begins to pull on Kintaro's upper arms while Ermac telepathically pulls his lower arms. Kintaro screams painfully when he realizes what Goro intends to do. He's going to have his arms ripped off, which is the greatest form of disrespect and punishment among the Shokan.
"Goro! Do you realize what you're about to do?! This is the greatest form of dishonor and disrespect for us Shokan!" He roars in a panic as he feels his arms being painfully ripped off slowly.
Goro scoffs with his arms crossed as he looks down at his former Shokan brother. "Perhaps, Kintaro, perhaps. But you are no longer Shokan. When you betrayed us for Delilah and her cause, you turned your back on your clan and all of Outworld. You are Shokan no more, Kintaro." The Shokan Prince says coldly while Sheeva and Ermac slowly tear his arms off.
"AAARRRHHH!!!" Kintaro roars as the extremely painful feeling of his arms being ripped off overwhelms him.
"Mileena, enough!" A familiar voice shouts from the entrance of the throne room, which causes Mileena, Drake and the others to look up at who shouted.
Jade walks into the throne room with Sindel, Kitana and Akuma close behind her. Ophelia is not with them, however, since she is now under orders from Sindel to handle the royals and Cadet recruits back in Edenia.
Ermac and Sheeva ease their grips on Kintaro as the Edenians walk towards them, though Jade stops in her tracks when she sees Kotal on his knees and his hands bound behind his back. Kotal looks up at her with a relieved expression.
"Jade! Thank the Elder Gods you're here! Get me out of here and away from these foul creatures." He says to her calmly, though she doesn't make a move to do so, she looks over at Mileena with an accusing glare.
"Mileena, explain yourself right now. Why is Kotal on his knees with his hands bound?" She asks Mileena suspiciously with her glare focused on her.
It was at this moment that Reptile steps forward. "Kotal's scent was in the hallway where Kurai had fought someone of my kind. He did not fight Kurai, but he did not try to help him either. Which leads us to believe that he had played some part in Kurai's capture." He explains before glancing at Kotal with a glare.
Tensing up, Jade could not believe it. The Kotal she once knew would not side with the enemy. Surely not to win her back? Surely not?
"Is that true, Kotal? Did you have anything to do with Kurai's capture? Tell me the truth." She asks him with a saddened expression while Kotal looks up at her before glancing down.
"Jade, I… I…" He begins.
"Hold your tongue, Osh-Tekk! We swore an oath! Remember?!" Kintaro shouts at Kotal, but he ignores him as Jade continues to glare down at him.
"Answer me, Kotal. Did you have any part in Kurai's capture? Any part at all? You tell me right now." She says to him as calmly as possible while her whole body trembles with rage at the thought of Kotal being a traitor.
Kotal takes a moment to inhale deeply before sighing. He looks up at Jade with a steely expression. "Yes, Jade. I had a part in that traitor's capture." He admits, which causes Jade to let out a shuddering sigh before turning around as tears begin to build in her eyes and fall down her cheeks.
Kotal then continues. "Don't you see, Jade? We can be together again. You do not have to worry about Kurai casting his twisted spells on you anymore. I can be your husband and you my wife." He says to her happily while the others in the throne room look at him with disgust and rage.
Jade says nothing for the moment before turning around to face Kotal with an infuriated expression. "I would rather be Kurai's woman than your wife, Kotal. What you've done… attacking Outworld, betraying the realms, betraying me, Kurai's capture, all of it… is unforgivable. If life could have given me one blessing, it would be that you had stayed dead. Because the man I see now, it's not the man I was once in love with. I see nothing now but a traitor." She says to Kotal scathingly, which causes the man to look upon her with a hurt expression.
"Jade…" He says her name sadly before she quickly walks up to him and smacks him across his face harshly.
"You don't get to say my name anymore, Kotal. Only my friends and loved ones can say my name. And you are not one of them." She coldly says to him before turning away from him while Mileena calmly walks up to her.
Mileena gently places a hand on Jade's shoulder before looking over at a group of Tarkatan guards. "Take him away and put him in a cell. We'll deal with him on a later date." She says to them as they nod and drag Kotal out of the throne room, now looking like a broken man.
Mileena turns her attention back to Kintaro, who watches Kotal get dragged away with a disappointed expression before turning his gaze back to the remaining group. Mileena walks up to him with a cold expression. "Last chance, Kintaro. Where is Delilah, and where is she keeping Kurai?" She asks calmly as Kintaro stares at her without giving an answer. He just scoffs.
Mileena exhales deeply through her nose before looking at Ermac and nods to him. Ermac immediately uses his telepathic powers and instantly rips off Kintaro's lower arms causing him to roar in pain loudly.
His roars fill the halls of the palace while he tries to pry himself away from Sheeva's grasp, but fails. He seethes in anger while glaring up at Mileena. "Don't you look at me that way, Kintaro. I offered you a chance to keep your honor as a Shokan, you refused. Now, you've got two arms left before we start breaking other things. I'll ask you again, where are Kurai and Delilah?" She asks him with a stoic expression, but the Shokan tiger still refuses to answer.
He growls at her and the group as Sheeva stands ready to rip off his two remaining arms. Though Mileena has another idea. "Hmm. Perhaps we should give you some time to think. I mean after all, it's not like the word honor has any meaning for you anymore. She says to him coldly before looking up at Sheeva and Goro.
"Throw this traitor into a cell in the dungeons. Let him wallow in his pain and dishonor until he is ready to talk. If he doesn't, well, then he'll just bleed out and we can just feed his corpse to the worms." She coldly says to them as Goro and Sheeva nod before dragging the now two armed Kintaro to the dungeons while he shouts curses and vulgarities at Mileena and the others.
Mileena walks over to Jade and puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll find him, Jade. I give you my word. We have to." She says to her softly causing Jade to nod before looking over at her with a grateful smile.
Drake looks over at Reptile with a curious expression. "Reptile, you said that you caught the scent of both Kotal and another of your kind in the hallway where Kurai had fought." He begins as Reptile nods.
But Drake remains confused. "I thought that you were the last of your kind?" He continues with concern in his tone as he and the others look at Reptile curiously.
"It appears that I was wrong, Drake. It would seem that there are very few of my kind left in the realms, and one of them has sided with Delilah. However, I do not know who the scent belongs to. I only know that the scent reminds me of my own and those of my own kind." The reptilian ninja explains while Sindel shakes her head.
"We can worry about it another time. For now, our priority is finding out where Delilah is and where she has Kurai. If Delilah really plans to bring Onaga back somehow, then we're already running out of time." She explains to the group as they all nod in agreement.
Kitana steps forward. "My mother is right. We've already lost time failing to interrogate Kintaro and Kotal. If one of them chooses to talk, then that will be a great help. But for the time being, we should spread out and try to find out on our own information for now." She says to them, who all nod and begin to leave the throne room.
Jade sits down on the steps of the throne and curls herself up with tears in hers eyes as Mileena sits down beside her. Kitana and Sindel do the same while Drake and Skarlet leave the throne room to let them comfort Jade.
Walking outside the throne room, Skarlet looks over at Drake. "I know what you're thinking, Drake. It's the same thing that Jade is thinking. And I tell you now to not worry. Kurai is strong. We will find him. I know we will." She says to him confidently as Drake nods but still doesn't say a word.
Has there been any word from Bi-Han or the others?" She goes on and asks him, but Drake shakes his head this time.
"No. Bi-Han and the others are still investigating the disappearances of the Lin Kuei clan members with Hanzo's help." He explains with a sigh whike Skarlet looks at him curiously.
"You don't think this has anything to do with what Delilah has planned, do you?" She asks him with concern, which causes him to think for a moment before he sighs dejectedly.
"Honestly, Skarlet, it wouldn't surprise me if it does." He says to her as they walk down the hallway.
Little do they know, that the coming events all take place within a timespan of 24 hours.