"He accepted the offer, my lord." Shang Tsung informed the imposing emperor.
"Then we must assure victory this time." Shao Kahn admitted, his cockiness now lowered. "I need my best warriors."
"May I propose my personal assistant?" Shang Tsung asked, referring to Erron Black.
"I don't see why not." Shao Kahn considered, "Take him to general Reiko, he will assess him for me."
"Thank you." Shang Tsung said gratefully.
"Kollector!" Kahn called out for the Naknadan who was guarding the throne room's entrance.
"Yes, excellency?" He said as he scurried past Shang Tsung.
"Bring me Mileena."
"I will do so immediately, excellency." Kollector informed as he and Shang Tsung left the room.
"Excuse me?" Liu Kang politely asked to every Outworld citizen that walked by in the village marketplace.
"Do they even speak English?" Kung Lao asked, turning to the Edenian friends.
"Some." Jade said, "Probably none here."
The village had a wide range of species, so varied that Liu Kang Kung Lao didn't stand out at all. Or at least until their scent was recognized by a stray Tarkatan.
The Tarkatan spoke in his own gibberish language, the only recognizable word being "Earthrealmer." That and the drawing of his arm blades was enough for Kung Lao and Liu Kang to get the message that they had been spotted.
This Tarkatans blades somehow emitted a red energy. He immediately swung his blades at specifically Kung Lao and Liu Kang, the two performing a double leg sweep to the Tarkatan.
"Karbrac!" Another Tarkatan shouted out his ally's name after seeing him down, rushing over to him before asking in English, "What happened?"
"Baraka?" Kitana recognized a fellow ally of her father.
"Your friend attacked us." Kung Lao answered.
"I see." Baraka replied, more interested in Kitana and Jade's presence, "Why are you associating yourselves with this Earthrealmer's?"
"Well we're all lost, no point in fighting one another." Kitana explained.
"I suppose." Baraka understood them but he didn't agree, he then helped Karbrac to his feet and the two conversed in their Tarkatan language.
Karbrac knew the directions back to Shao Kahn's palace as he had journeyed out from there, his memory picture perfect.
"We should take the Edenian's home, but abandon the Earthrealmer's." Baraka considered with his second in command.
"They're traitors!" Karbrac yelled, "Leave them all."
"But Kitana is the emperor's daughter." Baraka reminded, "We must aid her."
"Fine." Baraka said, now speaking in English again, "Jade, Kitana with me."
"What about us?!" Kung Lao asked angrily.
Baraka sighed before asking a question of his own, "Why should we help you?"
"Why shouldn't you?"
"Accusations of betrayal to Shao Kahn as well as using unnecessary effort on individuals the Tarkatans are rivals with..." Baraka listed.
"This interaction can be forgotten." Liu Kang humbly suggested.
Baraka sighed again before asking Karbrac in a language he'd understand "Where's the nearest portal to Earthrealm."
Karbrac drew a map from his back, it sitting between a pair of war flags coming off his back, handing it to Baraka who he presented to Liu Kang and Kung Lao, explaining it to them.
"Thank you, Baraka and Karbrac." Liu Kang said as he handed the map back to Karbrac, "Thank you as well Kitana and Jade."
"Baraka, please don't tell my father." Kitana begged.
"Fine." Baraka complied, "I don't approve of harm without a point."
Karbrac gestured the three to follow him and they departed, Kitana saying goodbye to Liu Kang, genuinely fond of him, Kung Lao... not so much.
"Did we lose them?" Tomas Vrbada asked his best friend through breaths of exhaustion of running. Tomas, also known as Smoke, had just escaped the Lin Kuei temple which had now fallen under a chaos, divided between the willing projects for the cyber initiative attacking and forcefully converting the protesting Lin Kuei members. Tomas and Kuai Liang had just barely escaped.
"I hope so, we should keep moving though." Liang decided.
"Wh-what-was that Sektor leading them?" Smoke stuttered, still digesting the events that had just occurred.
Kuai Liang shrugged, "I don't know how it's organized Smoke, but if they're being converted against their will then..."
"Then the suspicions were true." Smoke finished, "About the automated mind control."
The idea alone made the two shudder. But Kuai Liang was also focused on discovering the murderer of his brother Bi Han, the man behind the Sub Zero name.
"Do you think it's safe by dressing like your brother, Tundra?" Smoke asked, addressing his friend by his given title.
"If it means my chances of getting answers out of people aware of his passing rises, then it's the best decision." Tundra explained his strange plan. "Besides, nothing is stopping me from honouring my brother.
"Your focus needs to be redirected." Smoke commented.
Tundra didn't reply and instead began pressing his suspicions on potential murderers of his brother, "If it was Shang Tsung, I swear I'll kill him, tournament or not. Cyrax lost an arm to that snake, he must've betrayed Bi Han."
"I get you want to find Bi Han's murderer but we have bigger problems." Smoke insisted.
"We can get answers while avoiding the cyber initiative." Tundra said with confidence.
"Fine, Sub Zero."
The two delved into Outworld's living forest, believing that delving into Outworld would keep them off the radar of the cyborgs. The faced trees would keep them two hidden as they journeyed further into Outworld, Smoke eventually hearing a noise.
"You hear that?" He whispered, the two stood still to listen out for anything.
"Footsteps..." Tundra analysed, "They aren't heavy enough to be a cyborg."
"Let's keep moving then." Smoke hesitantly recommended, Tundra nodding in agreement.
They continued to walk another minute, they stopped again for the footsteps were again audible, only to stop at around the same time Smoke and Tundra did.
"Enough of this." Smoke became suddenly hostile, "Who's here?!"
The living tree that stood exactly to the right of Smoke suddenly breathed out flames, Smoke's powers allowing him to mindlessly fade into vapour and dash away from the flames, the tree collapsing the flames, a spectre emerging from the fire.
"How is it that Sub Zero still breathes?!" He yelled, grabbing his chain spear.
It was Scorpion. He had almost crossed past Smoke and Tundra on his way to the border between Earthrealm and Outworld. Previously heading to Earthrealm in a hunt for Shinnok's amulet, now he had almost completely forgotten of this task.
"What do you know of Bi Han?!" Tundra asked, almost threatening for an explanation.
"Only that he murdered my family and clan."
"What clan?"
"Don't play dumb Lin Kuei scum." Scorpion insulted. "The Shirai Ryu!"
Tundra froze still, he had heard of the attack on the Shirai Ryu but Bi Han had been at the temple when the assassins left, Tundra was with him, he then snapped out of his confusion as Smoke randomly attacked Scorpion, quickly bring sidelined.
"What sorcery revitalizes you, Sub Zero?"
"I'm his brother." Tundra explained, "I was with Bi Han when our assassins were leaving to- "
He got cut off by Scorpion slashing his spear at his chest, "The truth!"
"I speak the truth." Tundra said, frustrated and now just as angry as Scorpion.
Scorpion attempted to attack Tundra again but his chain was caught and dragged down, Scorpion hitting the floor, Tundra began repeatedly throwing stomps to the head of Scorpion until he mustered the strength to teleport behind the cryomancer, slamming him into the mouth of a tree. The tree went to bite down on Tundra but it was frozen, allowing himself to slide out the tree, his stomach still getting stabbed by the teeth like bark. Scorpion immediately kneed Tundra into the frozen tree, shattering it into a mere stump. Smoke attempted to interfere but was hacked at by Scorpion's spear before being thrown away again.
"Leave... my friend... alone..." Sub Zero was struggling to breathe and speak let alone stand, still managing it he forged a weak ice dagger to try to make a last effort of defence against the raging spectre.
Scorpion approached the weakened cryomancer, practically welcoming the ice dagger into his body, acting as if it were a mere splinter. He grabbed Tundra by the throat just like what he did to his brother and looked into the cryomancers eyes. Unlike Scorpion and his brother, Kuai Liang had pupils in his eyes, on the verge of tears after all he had lately lost.
Scorpion loosened his grip before eventually dropping Tundra. "I... Am sorry." He apologized before teleporting away as he usually did under such confusion.