"What the hell happened here?!" A furious Jarek asked.

Jarek had returned to the compound shortly after the small attack from Quan Chi, while there was little damage done it was still very obvious by there being no intact gate to the compound anymore.

"Tremor said a sorcerer came." Tasia informed, she had also been absent when the attack did occur. She was busy checking the injuries of the gate guard who Chi attacked.

"Sorcerer?"

"Yes, they took Kano."

"Where?"

"Dunno, through a portal or some shit."

"He stole that guy's treasure." Jarek recalled, "Shang Tsung, was it?"

Tasia nodded, "But he's an old man, we're dealing with some pale bald dude."

"An associate perhaps." Jarek thought aloud, but the main thoughts in his head were of a different matter, "So, who takes the charge?"

"What?" Tasia turned away from her patient, "That's what your minds on?"

"I know you're thinking the same." Jarek assumed, "No one's better fit to lead the Black Dragon than this guy." He said as he pointed a finger to himself.

"Fuck off."

"Oh c'mon, surely you don't want to save Kano." Jarek said, trying to relate with her.

"I wouldn't want to save you either." She remarked.

"What are you two arguing about?" Tremor joined in, his presence defusing things immediately.

"Jarek here thinks he should lead." Tasia informed, causing even Tremor to let out a chuckle.

"Apparently there's a tournament in Outworld." Tremor told his allies, "No Face is looking for its location."

"What's this have to do with anything?" Jarek asked aggressively, embarrassed by the earlier discussion.

"If you were paying attention you'd realize." Tremor scolded before explaining, "Shang Tsung's island was hosting a tournament. This one I'm hearing about also sounds like a big deal.

"We might find Shang Tsung there." Tasia concluded, "and thus Kano."

"Do we want to?" Jarek again raising the question.

"It doesn't matter if we want to." Tremor answered, "If that sorcerer is associated with Shang Tsung then he's a threat to the Black Dragon."

"You're dodging my question." Jarek pointed out, realizing that nobody was specifically answering him about if they want to free Kano.

"He's the leader for a reason." Tremor argued, "You're just seeking for a cheap way to steal his role."

"F-fine." Jarek stuttered, "We'll regret it though."

"Sure." Tremor responded simply before leaving the room.

Jarek turned back to Tasia, "Anyway- "

"You're distracting me." Tasia muttered, focused on stitching up Quan Chi's victim's wounds.

"Sorry."

"I'm sorry about Bi Han." Smoke said to dumb things down before making a tough request, "But you... WE need to move on."

The two sat around a dying campfire in the living forest, surrounded by trees for cover from the cyber initiative. The faces of the trees that stared at the two made them sleeping the previous night difficult.

"They aren't in Outworld." Kuai Liang assured, "We're safe to find Bi Han's murderer."

"Do you listen to yourself?!" Smoke yelled, trying to get his friend to be more considerate to the threat tailing them.

"We just spent the night in the closest forest to the central portal in Outworld with a blatant fire running." Liang pointed out his several points and concluded, "We are fine."

"We need to get moving." Smoke stood up, "Away from that portal."

"We need to get moving to find my brother's killer." Tundra quipped.

"That is an aimless mission." Smoke retorted.

"Maybe I can help." Came a familiar voice. It was the spectre from last night.

"You!" Smoke and Tundra yelled in union, Smoke drawing a knife and Tundra forging his own from cryomancy.

"Put your pathetic weapons away." Scorpion ordered, "I can tell your brother's fate."

"What do you know?" Tundra asked, dropping his knife onto the dirt floor.

"I..." Scorpion paused before eventually deciding to put things straight, "I killed him."

"Then I will have your head!" Tundra cried out, charging the spectre.

"Stop!" Scorpion demanded as he recovered from being knocked down.

"This is for Bi Han." Tundra said, forging the largest sword his cryomancy has ever created.

"He KILLED my family." Scorpion revealed.

"And I should feel bad?!" Tundra asked rhetorically, not sympathising him at all.

"Kuai, hear him out." Smoke advised after realizing the spectre's now seemingly good motives, Smoke still clung onto his knife, however.

"You were talking about this cyber initiative?" Scorpion asked to a single nod from Smoke, "Then let me protect you."

"Why should we trust you?" Tundra queried, lowering his guard ever so slightly.

"I'm guilty of your brothers murder, not for killing him but for the situation I've left you in."

Tundra stood in place as he considered the killer of his sibling and whether to accept his offer or to kill him but in truth, he wasn't ready yet to defeat him.

"Tundra, we could use his aid." Smoke said, trying to persuade him to align with Scorpion.

"Perhaps you're right." Tundra admitted, "But there's just one thing... Why did my brother kill your family?"

"Not just my family, my clan." He said upsettingly, "He led the assassination on the Shirai Ryu."

"What?!" Tundra was shocked, not because he was surprised that his brother would do such a thing but because he knew that was false.

"You've got it all wrong." Tundra informed as he began to explain...

"Where are your men, Bi Han?" Tundra asked as his brother entered his room.

"The Grandmaster told me they were required for an attack on the Shirai Ryu." Sub Zero explained, "Seems odd that he told me not to lead them but I'm certain they're in good hands."

"Strange." Kuai admitted, "Don't you think that decisions a bit... off?"

"We must not cause conflict with The Grandmaster." Bi Han advised, "As soon as that horrid cyber initiative begins, we're gone."

"I will do what you ask of me." Kuai agreed before requesting, "Can we take Tomas with us?"

"Your friend Smoke?" Bi Han asked which was confirmed by his brothers nodding, "Then I trust him, let him in on my plan but we aren't putting ourselves in danger to help him."

"I understand." Kuai said as Bi Han picked up a duffel bag that sat on his bed, "Must you leave now?"

"I'm afraid so, the tournament awaits me." He informed.

"Goodbye, Bi Han."

"But they were dressed in Sub Zero's attire, as you are now." A confused Scorpion recalled.

"Bi Han's costumes were one of a kind, entirely unique." Tundra informed, "And Bi Han had already taken a boat to Shang Tsung's island."

"Then it's a shapeshifter..." Realized Scorpion, "Which means it can only be..."

"Shang Tsung!" The three yelled.

"Shang Tsung must've killed your clan." Smoke acknowledged, "As well as setting up your brother's death."

"Then, where is he?" Tundra immediately questioned.

"Supposedly there's a tournament in a coliseum by Shao Kahn's palace." Scorpion informed.

"That'll be the first step to our vengeance." Tundra said as he stretched out a hand to his new ally, "I'm Tundra, he's Smoke."

"Scorpion." He greeted, shaking the cryomancers hand before also shaking Smoke's.