"Welcome to tonight's festivities, combatants," Shang Tsung greeted the group of tournament participants within his courtyard once again. "Now let's not waste any time and beg-"
Shang was abruptly cut off by a sudden ring of fire emerging in the centre of the courtyard. A being from the Netherrealm, the literal version of Hell itself, emerged from the magical hellfire. A man crawled out of the flaming hole, a Spectre, his presence commanding immediate attention.
"Where is Sub-Zero?!" the Spectre demanded, his voice echoing with a chilling resonance as he scanned the courtyard for a blue clad assassin who went under such a name, only for him to not be in sight.
"You dare interrupt me?" Shang Tsung's eyes narrowed in visible annoyance. "You're not invited!"
"You're wrong, sorcerer," the Spectre corrected him, stepping forward. "I was Hanzo Hasashi. You invited me before my clan's demise." He straightened up, his voice filled with passion and vengeance. "I am what remains of Hanzo Hasashi. I am Scorpion."
The portal that Scorpion had emerged from began to transform into a green, swirling pool. Another Netherrealmer appeared from it, this time it was a Demon albeit with a peculiar appearance as he wore gothic armour that was a complete opposite to his pale white skin.
"Quan Chi," Raiden said with a look of grimace.
"Hello there, Raiden," Quan Chi taunted the Thunder God by waving at him with a gloved hand.
Shang Tsung shifted his attention to the new arrival, already familiar with him. "What is your business here, Quan Chi?" Shang Tsung asked, pointing a finger at the Demon.
"And greetings to you as well, fellow sorcerer," Quan Chi responded with a sly grin. "I am here to supervise my friend. Scorpion is my Spectre, after all," he added, using the word 'friend' loosely.
"Fine!" Shang Tsung relented, unwilling to waste more time arguing. "Scorpion, your opponent will be-"
"Me," came the voice from a masked guard who stepped forward, another interruption that added to Shang Tsung's frustration. With a swift spinning motion, the guard's attire changed, revealing Kung Lao, Shaolin Monk of the White Lotus Society.
"Kung Lao?!" Raiden called out whilst Liu Kang gasped in shock. "Liu Kang, did he say he was coming?"
"He did not," Liu Kang shook his head as his best friend walked by.
"I had to show, Raiden!" Kung Lao yelled. "Earthrealm is at stake!"
"It is," Raiden acknowledged, "but we have rules to follow."
"Is this about Goro?" Liu Kang asked. "About what he did to…"
"Kinda," Lao shrugged. "I'd love to avenge my ancestor, but really I just need Earthrealm to be safe."
"I promise that I'll win this, Lao," Liu Kang assured his friend.
"I can't just stand back and not help," Kung Lao told him. "Shang Tsung! I demand to fight this hellspawn!"
"How did you even get that outfit?" Tsung questioned angrily.
"I leapt onto the side of your ship," Lao revealed. "Knocked the first guard I saw out, took his place the entire time."
"I could have you executed for this!" Shang Tsung threatened.
"No," Raiden firmly denied the sorcerer. "You can't."
"Whatever you say…" Shang Tsung muttered. "Step onto the platform then, Kung Lao, and you shall face Scorpion!"
"I'd count as an Earthrealmer," Scorpion corrected as Kung Lao eagerly ran up the stone steps to the fighting ring.
"If you want Sub-Zero then you're going to have to fight for Outworld!" Shang Tsung snapped. "Now get over there!"
"I heard the Lin Kuei are contracted by you to fight for Outworld," Raiden spoke up. "Hanzo Hasashi should be permitted to fight for Earthrealm."
"I decide the matches, Raiden!" Shang Tsung yelled again. "Your baseless accusations hold no water."
"We had a rule that you would fight for your realm based on nativity," Raiden recalled. "Your betrayal of Earthrealm forever tainted that rule."
"I'm part Outworlder, remember?" Tsung reminded the Thunder God. "Besides, the Elder Gods abolished that rule many tournaments ago."
"All thanks to your master's manipulation out of fear that Bo' Rai Cho would participate in the tournaments," Raiden clarified as the two continued to argue.
"Shao Kahn convinced them regardless," Shang Tsung said finally. "Argue with your precious Elder Gods if the decision bothers you so much."
"Enough of your pointless debating!" Scorpion yelled angrily, embers bursting from his yellow tabard. "I will fight anybody if it means I get closer to Sub-Zero!"
"Fight…" Shang Tsung, now exasperated from all the drama of the tournament, muttered through the palm of his hand covering his face.
Kung Lao, known for his distinctive razor-bladed chakram hat, wasted no time. He launched an aggressive assault, his attacks both elegant and deadly. Scorpion was taken by surprise, knocked over by the precision and effectiveness of the Shaolin's offence. However, the fight soon shifted as Scorpion vanished, only to reappear behind Kung Lao, kicking him into the air. Seizing the moment, Scorpion launched a kunai that was attached to a chain like a spear of sorts, which stabbed into Kung Lao's chest.
"Get over here!" Scorpion shouted as he slammed Kung Lao into the concrete, stunning him.
Kung Lao, dazed but not defeated, flipped back to his feet, his eyes blazing with determination. His hat, like an extension of his will, flew from his hand with blinding speed, slicing through the air towards Scorpion. The Spectre saw the hat incoming and raised his arms to block, but the chakram hat's edge cut deep into his forearms. Ignoring the pain, Scorpion conjured hellfire around him, creating a barrier of flames. Kung Lao, undeterred, dashed through the inferno, enduring the searing flames as he charged in with a spin attack to the Spectre.
The two combatants clashed in a furious exchange of blows. Kung Lao's strikes were precise and fluid, each movement a testament to his Shaolin discipline. In a stark contrast, Scorpion's attacks were brutal and relentless, fueled by his vengeful spirit. With a fierce cry, Kung Lao unleashed a devastating spinning kick, knocking Scorpion back. He followed up with a powerful uppercut, sending Scorpion flying. Seizing his hat from the ground, Kung Lao prepared for the final strike, his eyes locked on his opponent.
With an overhead swing, Kung Lao attempted to slice through Scorpion using the hat, resorting to desperate measures to try to ensure his victory in the tournament. Scorpion saw the incoming strike and drew a pair of swords which were brought together in a cross-like stance that parried the chakram hat, allowing Scorpion to thrust the two blades in Lao, stabbing him. Kung Lao struggled to rise and Scorpion took advantage, relentlessly stabbing his stomach with the blade of his spear.
The brutal assault paused when Liu Kang shouted from the audience. "Please stop!" Scorpion, showing unexpected mercy, obliged and spared the Shaolin.
"Finish him," an irritated Shang Tsung demanded instead.
"I will not. It is Sub-Zero who will pay with his life," Scorpion declared defiantly.
"Fine then," Shang Tsung replied. "Guards, take Kung Lao to the dungeons for his interference," he ordered. Before the guards could act though, Raiden intervened, standing protectively between Kung Lao's unconscious body and the Masked Guards. Lao was on the verge of death, bleeding out profusely.
Kneeling beside Kung Lao, Raiden gently placed a hand near his stab wounds. Small crackles of lightning began forming in the palm of his hand, and as he reached close to his injuries, Raiden began healing the stab wounds, using his godly abilities to save Kung Lao.
"Are you finished?" Shang Tsung asked as Raiden stood back up. "I will be taking him away, Raiden, I'm simply following the rules."
"If you don't approve of him as a participant, then why let him fight in the first place?!" Raiden asked, his voice seeping with anger.
"For fun," Tsung admitted bluntly. "Guards, take the monk away."
"No!" Liu Kang cried out.
"If you harm him then you will be punished," Raiden warned him as the Masked Guards began to escort the still unconscious Kung Lao to Goro's Lair.
"Of course you'd say that," Shang Tsung sighed, recalling his previous failure with imprisoning Jax and Sonya. "Onto the next fight: Nightwolf versus Cyrax!"
Nightwolf stepped forward first, a member of the Matokan, a Native American tribe who had a history of Nightwolves dedicated to Earthrealm's protection. He wore a denim jacket and jeans, and he held tightly onto a pair of tomahawks. Knowing his immense power, Raiden himself asked Nightwolf to appear at the tournament. He didn't disappoint.
As Scorpion began to walk away, he noticed Cyrax, another member of the Lin Kuei but dressed in a black and yellow uniform with various Lin Kuei technology around his arms. Enraged, the Spectre attempted to attack Cyrax but was restrained by Quan Chi, who exerted his influence over the Spectre.
Nightwolf, observing this, commented, "You're a slave to anger, Hanzo."
"What do you know?!" Scorpion fired back, his voice dripping with venom.
"Scorpion, enough!" Quan Chi interrupted. "Return to the Netherrealm! I will speak to Shang Tsung and arrange a fight for you with Sub-Zero."
Scorpion reluctantly complied, teleporting back to the Netherrealm, seething with unquenched vengeance.
Quan Chi moved stealthily around the courtyard as Cyrax and Nightwolf's fight began. He ascended the steps leading to Shang Tsung's spectator booth, where Shang sat on a throne-like seat. Quan Chi was stopped by a pair of assassins; Kitana and her best friend named Jade.
"What is your business with Shang Tsung?" Jade questioned as Kitana drew her fan blades threateningly.
"Adorable weapons, girls," the sorcerer chuckled. "I merely wish to speak with Shang Tsung about arranging a match between Scorpion and Sub-Zero."
"Let him speak with me," Shang Tsung ordered, having overheard the conversation. "That is a death sentence to Bi-Han, who is under a contract of allegiance with me." Tsung then bluntly added, "I refuse your terms."
"You doubt he will defeat Scorpion?" Quan Chi queried, a sly smile playing on his lips.
"Someone filled with that much rage?" Shang Tsung nodded. "I think the outcome of that fight is clear, despite Bi-Han's many feats."
"Then what if Scorpion and I were to align with Shao Kahn?" Quan Chi proposed. "The Emperor already has a loose partnership with the Netherrealm, but a deal like this will earn you my direct support in Outworld."
"I suppose..." Shang Tsung considered.
"Give me a definite answer soon, Shang Tsung," Quan Chi requested as he slowly started to walk away." This could be the beginning of a deadly alliance."
As the negotiations between the sorcerers ceased, Nightwolf had managed defeat Cyrax with a powerful green energy surrounded shoulder charge that threw the Lin Kuei assassin off the stage, slamming the back of his head against the concrete for a decisive knockout. As the Lin Kuei member attempted to climb to his feet upon waking up, he was approached by Raiden.
"I suggest you warn Bi-Han of Scorpion," Raiden advised.
Cyrax shook his head. "If I tell him about Scorpion, he'll want that rematch. I don't get the concerns anyway, Bi-Han can take him."
"If that's what you believe then so be it," Raiden replied. "Where is he anyway? He was amongst the crowd earlier."
"There was some man, dressed like a knight I suppose. He came to escort a group of fighters elsewhere on the island," Cyrax recounted what he had seen.
"They must want multiple fights occurring at once," Raiden considered. "Shang Tsung seems impatient to conquer Earthrealm."
"Taken Outworld a while," Cyrax shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me."
"No thanks to your clan," Raiden grimaced. "Aligning with Outworld is one of the greatest acts of treachery against your realm."
"Tell that to Grandmaster Oniro," Cyrax sighed. "He calls the shots, we obey or die."
"If you told me more about this clan then I'd be able to put a stop to it," Raiden offered.
"You know I can't do that," Cyrax scoffed. "You seem to know plenty anyway."
"Enough to know that its corruption runs deep," Raiden stated, "like the Cyber Initiative."
Cyrax was surprised that the Thunder God was aware of the Cyber Initiative. The Lin Kuei Grandmaster intended to transform all members into cyborgs to enhance their skills. Cyrax was passionately against the initiative.
"Trust me, I'm no fan of that either," he stated. "It's unnatural; it goes against our instinct."
"I hope you can avoid such a fate," Raiden said, extending a hand to help Cyrax to his feet. Cyrax accepted the gesture.
Meanwhile, Shang Tsung observed the interaction between Cyrax and Raiden, concerned that Cyrax might side with the Thunder God. "Eliminate him," he muttered to Kitana, pointing a finger at Cyrax.
"What?" Kitana gasped. "Why?!"
"He fought poorly, his mind is clearly elsewhere," Shang Tsung evaluated Cyrax's performance. "This Lin Kuei partnership is coming to a close anyway, especially when Quan Chi wants Sub-Zero eliminated."
"So leave him be," Kitana argued.
"There's no reason to," Tsung decided. "When we merge the realms, the clan will no doubt realise their foolishness in aiding us… it's time to start cutting them down before they become a nuisance later on."
"But-" Kitana went to protest but Tsung lifted a hand in her face. "How dare you!"
"Your father would not approve of sparing some Earthrealmer weakling," Shang Tsung reminded her.
"I'm looking at one right now," Kitana muttered. "But fine… I'll get rid of him."
"Up next shall be Liu Kang versus Jade," Shang announced as he dismissed Kitana. Jade was determined to defeat Liu Kang, especially after her friend Kitana was bested by the Shaolin earlier in the day.
The fight began with Jade wielding her signature bo staff, opting for its reach over regular hand-to-hand combat. She struck Liu Kang in the stomach, winding him and causing him to collapse to his knees. Seizing the opportunity, Jade smashed the staff upwards into Liu's face, popping him up into the air. Liu Kang flipped back and an energy charged strike that Jade called the Blazing Nitro Kick caught him in the back on his descent to the ground.
Liu Kang gathered himself and rose from the floor, the distance between the two combatants quickly closing in as he executed his signature flying dragon kick as soon as he returned to his feet. Jade attempted to counter with her staff, but Liu Kang drew a pair of nunchaku from his back whilst soaring through the air. As Liu's foot struck Jade's staff, he threw the nunchaku forward, its chain intertwining with the staff, allowing Liu Kang to disarm Jade with a downward pull. He then smashed the nunchaku over Jade's skull which knocked her down onto her front. Seeing Jade resiliently struggling to stand up, Liu Kang proceeded to reluctantly stomp on her head again, knocking her out.
"Liu Kang wins!" Shang Tsung declared, not even asking for a fatality, knowing Liu Kang's good nature.
"I'm sorry that I had to fight you and your friend," Liu Kang apologised to Jade as she slowly began to regain consciousness, "but I must win this tournament…"