It was the next morning after the ceremony the Shaolin had hosted the other night. Liu Kang and Raiden were communicating with one another on one of the still intact balconies of the Wu Shi Academy.
"Is something the matter?" Raiden had noticed Liu seeming worried.
"It's Kitana," Liu admitted. "I saw her get taken away to what Shao Kahn called the Cobalt Mines back at the Coliseum."
"Interesting how you care about her..." Raiden noted.
"We... I guess we bonded after we were lost together." Liu explained, beginning to blush.
"I see." Raiden smiled as it was obvious of Liu's interests in her, his face suddenly dropped.
"Lord Raiden? Are you alright?"
"I sense a danger in the city of New York," He explained. "I must go and assure its safe."
"Shall I come with?" Liu asked.
"Yes, just in case my suspicions don't jest." Raiden informed. "Bring Kung Lao too. We may help Kitana another time."
"I understand." Liu complied and began walking off, bumping into Bo' Rai Cho on his departure. "Greetings, Master Bo' Rai Cho."
"What's wrong?" Asked Bo' Rai Cho who had just stepped foot on the balcony.
"There is danger in Earthrealm." Raiden explained.
"Do you need our help?" Bo' referred to the White Lotus.
"No," Raiden denied. "You need to help them with reform. Me, Liu Kang and Kung Lao will discover the source of my troubled senses."
"Are you sure this is safe?" Li Mei asked her companion, Jade. The two friends were making their way to the Golden Desert, where the Cobalt Mines were located.
"As safe as can be." Jade assured.
"I'm just worried that we'll get split up and one of us gets hurt," Li Mei admitted. "Especially if you're the one in trouble..."
"Why is that?" Jade asked.
"You're the only one who was working under Shao Kahn that I actually like." Li Mei explained.
"Most of Shao Kahn's workers are victims of his wrath as well." Jade informed.
"As I can imagine," Li Mei said as she herself could relate to working for Shao Kahn out of fear. "But we're done fighting for him."
"We are." Jade confirmed. She pointed towards a cliffside that was guarded by two Shokan. "Up there is the main entrance to the prison."
"So, there should be an entrance to the mine from the bottom?" Li Mei guessed.
"Supposedly," Jade responded with uncertainty. "If so then we enter through there and sneak up to the prison. Scaling the cliff is too dangerous and open."
"Makes sense," Li Mei agreed. "Let's look around."
The two circled to the side of the mountain to try and check for a lower entrance. The two clung to the mountain walls so they weren't in the open from guards on higher ground. A sudden squeaking noise made the two friends stop moving and look around.
Their eyes set on a woman who was approaching them. She was human in appearance but possessed sharp fangs as well as wings. "Greetings ladies."
"And just who are you?" Jade asked as she stepped in front of Li Mei with her staff in hand.
"I am Nitara, a vampire," she introduced herself. "And you two?"
"Are you a friend or a foe?" Jade continued questioning. She was unwilling to give this mysterious lady any information until her allegiance was truly determined.
"I hope a friend," she stated. "If you're here to infiltrate the mines then I think we'll get along just fine."
"You want to save the prisoners too?" Li Mei asked. She began to step away from being behind Jade.
"Specifically, my fellow vampires," she specified. "I've been considering of plans of infiltration for a few days now."
"And now you're willing to enact on them?"
"Now that there's more than just me," She explained. "Where's the rest of your group?"
"Group? It's just us." Li Mei clarified.
"Oh," Nitara replied sounding disappointed. "I can still work with this I guess."
"We're searching for a way to the Lower Mines." Jade revealed.
"Just take the spiral up to the prison entrance." Nitara recommended. "Going through the mines is slower and more dangerous."
"It is?" Li Mei was uncertain of that analysis.
"Oh yes," Nitara nodded. "Horrid machinery, many inside guards and whatnot."
"I see," Li Mei noted. "The main entrance it is."
"Follow me," Jade ordered. "Please..."
"If you're alright with that then very well," Li Mei complied. "And what of you, Nitara?"
"I'll risk myself to free those who are currently in the mines," Nitara explained. "Good luck."
"Good luck to you too." Li Mei said as she began following Jade up the spiral that spun around the mountain.
Jade and Li Mei were quickly spotted by a pair of Shokan. The two ran at Jade and Li Mei but Jade struck one in the gut with the end of her staff before hitting a nitro kick which caused the Shokan to fall back and crash into their ally.
"No killing, remember?" Li Mei reminded.
"Of course," Jade confirmed. "That'd be needless."
Another Shokan charged at the two. "DUCK!" Li Mei commanded.
Jade complied and Li Mei leapt off her back and dove at the Shokan with a sequence of flying punches before dragging the Shokan down once she finally lost her aerial momentum.
"Impressive," Jade complimented as she struck the downed Shokan with her staff to leave them unconscious. "You need to teach me that someday."
"I'd love to!" She replied while beginning to blush from the kind words.
Meanwhile, Nitara was having a more brutal approach in entering the Lower Mines. She casually walked up to two guards who stood at the entrance of the mines and stabbed a Kama into each of them directly in the brain. She pulled out the Kama and calmly advanced into the mines.
A Shokan rammed into her which smashed her into some gold ore on the sharp walls, shattering the metal. As the Shokan went to continue his assault, Nitara stabbed a Kama into the Shokan's bare foot and pulled it forward which sliced through one of the Shokan's toes. Nitara leapt up and swiftly sank her fangs into the guard's neck, ripping out a chunk and leaving the mines guard to bleed out.
"Ooh, a gift," she picked up a blowing horn that dropped from the guard's armour. "You shouldn't have!"
She blew the horn, theorizing that she could gain the miners attention. Instead it was an even greater result, nobody checked to see who blew it and the prisoners began returning to their cells.
"Isn't it too early to be sounding the alarm, guardsman?!" Called a voice of the prison warden. She peered over one of the not so sturdy barriers to see Nitara on the bottom level. "How dare you!"
She leapt all the way down to the bottom floor where Nitara stood. "Step aside or I'll make you my desert." Nitara threatened.
"Do you even know who I am?!" She raised her voice. "I am the warrior and warden of this prison and mine! I am Sheeva! You will die for your intrusion."
"I don't have any plans of dying today." Nitara clarified.
"Are you just here to mock us?!" Sheeva questioned. "Or did you seriously try rescuing the prisoners?"
"No comment."
Frustrated by Nitara's lack of cooperation, Sheeva grabbed Nitara and began squeezing her with all four of her arms. Sheeva went to reach her upper right arm to pull at one of Nitara's wings but her arm was bitten.
Even more frustrated now, Sheeva punched Nitara in the mouth before tossing her to a conveyor belt that was functioning to their left.
Nitara tried to climb to her feet but it became a challenge due to the moving platform. At the end of the conveyor belt was a blazing hot furnace that was shaped like the face of a dragon to create an ominous feel to miners. Nitara managed to stand still for a moment but was tripped over by a clump of gold as she tried to step forward. Nitara had neared the dragon faced furnace which gave her enough energy to fly up and cling onto the nose shaped part of the dragon which its mouth enacted as the furnaces entrance. Nitara soared down to Sheeva, tackling the Shokan to the floor upon impact.
"You vampires are always pesky encounters. You're just like larger flies." Sheeva insulted as she rose to her feet again. "And by the way, that horn you sounded just alerted a prison lockdown. Your efforts have been a waste."
"Let's make this quick," Nitara ignored Sheeva's words as the feet of Shokan could be heard from above, they were getting progressively louder.
Sheeva ran at Nitara but the vampire swooped over her head and landed, slicing Sheeva's back with one of her Kama as she fell down. Sheeva spun around and popped Nitara with a brutal punch. Nitara quickly recovered and ran at Sheeva and attempted a punch. Unfortunately for the vampire, her fist was blocked by Sheeva's spiked gauntlets which Nitara had now stabbed her knuckles into the spikes. Sheeva went to grab her while she struggled to pull her fingers off her gauntlets but Nitara broke free by flipping forward, her boot catching Sheeva on the top of her head.
"Not bad." Sheeva admitted after staggering back. "But you're inferior."
"Is that racism I detect?" She asked as she sharpened her Kama across the wall as she began to circle Sheeva.
"Not at all," Sheeva defended herself. "I am just... clearly stronger."
"You've got the size advantage," Nitara admitted. "But even still I shall defeat you."
"Bold words," Sheeva replied. "But words prove nothing. You've wasted precious time."
The prison guards began surrounding Sheeva and Nitara. "I can fly, fools." Nitara insulted before utilizing her large bat wings to swoop up the top level of the mine and thus reach the prison area which consisted of three levels with the bottom floor being surrounded in an ominous blue mist.
"Whatever you did it worked." Jade informed Nitara. Li Mei and Jade were fending off the few remaining Shokan guards as most had been tracking down Nitara, leaving the number of threats that Li Mei and Jade had to deal with at a lower amount.
"It has indeed worked." Li Mei confirmed as she blasted a purple ball of energy at the remaining guard, the attack was known as a nova blast.
"Are there keys to unlock the cells?" Nitara asked as she scanned the area.
"Those orange orbs act as keys," Jade explained, pointing at said orbs that were attached to the blue brick walls outside of the prison cells. "You place one in the centre of the cell door and it'll pull down."
"Your knowledge is impressive." Li Mei complimented.
"Thanks," Jade replied. "It's from my time as a bodyguard and having to use similar prisons to imprison those who opposed whoever I was protecting."
"Which I guess that would be Shao Kahn." Li Mei assumed.
"Unfortunately." Jade confirmed.
"Well let's get to it." Li Mei instructed.
Nitara was already targeting the cells where fellow vampires were imprisoned in. When she placed the skeleton key into the circular gap of the door it began to pull upwards rather than being pulled open.
The prisoners that Jade and Li Mei were freeing immediately began joining them in using the skeleton keys to rescue others. Jade and Li Mei didn't have any specific targets, unlike the vampires who intentionally picked out the cells that homed their own kind. Eventually, Jade came across Kitana and she hurried to free her.
"It is good to see you, princess," Jade greeted, the two embracing one another for a brief moment. "We have to save everyone here before leaving."
"Of course." Kitana complied and began running to the nearest inmate. "I'm going to get you out."
Kitana rescued an old man who smiled at her, Kitana smiled back. She went to run off to help someone else but was pulled back by a surprisingly firm grip of the old man.
"Are you alright, sir?" She asked politely.
"You... You're the Edenian princess, Kitana!" He recognized her. Kitana didn't recognize this 'Edenian' title though.
"Sorry? Edenian?" Kitana asked, clearly confused.
"Of course, you were too young to have remembered your home," he realized. "I was well acquainted with your mother, Queen Sindel."
"Is Edenian a village or..."
"Edenia was a realm," he clarified. "Your mother and father ruled it before Shao Kahn invaded. I'm surprised nobody told you sooner."
"I wasn't told because my 'father' has deceived me!" Kitana finally realized. "All those years I've been tricked by Shao Kahn..."
"I'm sorry, Kitana." He apologized.
"It's not your fault," she said while wiping tears that had begun forming. "We have to help the prisoners now."
"Right," he agreed. "My names Daahraan by the way."
"It is nice to meet you, Daahraan," Kitana said fondly. "Thank you for revealing this information to me."
Almost all the prisoners had been freed now. Unfortunately, the Shokan had now returned to the prison area and were beginning to attack the prisoners who were running away.
"Jade, look!" Li Mei dragged Jade to face her direction. The Shokan could be seen towering over the panicking crowd of prison escapees. "We have to hold them back!"
"I'm with you," Jade assured. "Nitara?"
Nitara stood on the cliffside outside the prison entrance, lined up with her fellow vampires. "My sincerest apologies, ladies." She said her sorrows before flying away with the other vampires following her lead.
"M-maybe she's getting help?" Li Mei asked with uncertainty.
"I don't think so," Jade replied realistically. "No matter, you and me is all we need."
"Everybody, run to the front entrance and down the pathway!" Li Mei commanded.
"Kitana, please keep them safe," Jade requested. "We'll hold off the Shokan."
"I'll try my best, my friend." Kitana promised before sprinting off to take charge of the prisoners.
Jade ran in and delivered a nitro kick which crashed a row of three guards into one another before tumbling back into the mines. A guard grabbed Jade from behind but Li Mei quickly threw him off Jade, the two teaming up to knock them out with a combination of punches, kicks and knees. The Shokan guards that Li Mei and Jade were beating down eventually regrouped once Sheeva joined the fight and made an impact by throwing Jade into the cobalt coloured brick walls. Li Mei ran at Sheeva but she smashed all four of her fists onto the ground which sent tremor's in the ground, clearing the blue mist surrounding her while also causing Li Mei to slip over.
"I don't recognize the pair of you," Sheeva noted. "I see that the vampire brought company."
"Why keep so many innocent's captive?" Li Mei asked.
"I will not disobey my Emperor nor my King," Sheeva said as she picked up Li Mei. "Die!"
Sheeva began to stretch at Li Mei's arms but was quickly interrupted by a ball of fire striking into her back. Following this, Li Mei blasted Sheeva at point blank range with a nova blast which sent Sheeva crashing into two of her brethren. Many prisoners had turned back to aid Li Mei and Jade, as well as those who were still passing by.
"Thank you," Li Mei said as the lady who had launched the ball of fire at Sheeva. "You saved my life."
"She... She had it coming," She stuttered. "I'm Tanya."
"That is a nice name," Li Mei complimented. "I'm Li Mei."
"Thanks," she muttered. "I have to leave now."
"We could use your fire abilities to help fight the Shokan." Li Mei offered.
"S-sorry... I can't." Tanya refused before hurrying off to leave the prison. Li Mei understood that she was afraid and moved on to help Jade to her feet.
"You okay?" Li Mei asked.
"Better now that you're here." Jade confirmed and caused Li Mei's face to redden once again.
"G-good to h-hear." Li Mei was stuttering even more than Tanya was moments ago.
"You two and that vampire have ruined everything!" Sheeva screamed with rage. "Because of you lot, me and my fellow Shokan will be punished by Shao Kahn!"
"Then don't stand by his side anymore." Jade advised.
"We too were forced to serve Shao Kahn in fear of ourselves and our friends being harmed," Li Mei tried to relate to Sheeva. "Join us and together we can rebel against him."
Sheeva stood still, pausing her charge at Li Mei and Jade. "I will not side with traitors," Sheeva stated. "But I will give you an opportunity to leave now."
"What?!" Shouted one of the Shokan guards that stood behind her. "They're rebel scum, we should kill them now!"
"Settle down, Zenkaro." Sheeva ordered. "We've failed already..."
"So, you're giving up?!" Zenkaro questioned. "It appears that I have to finish what you lack the heart to accomplish."
"Stop!" Sheeva demanded as she held him back. "I order you all to stand down!"
"Thank you." Li Mei said to Sheeva gratefully as she and Jade ushered the remaining prisoners to safety.
Just as Jade and Li Mei were leaving did Zenkaro manage to catch Jade and drag her by the hair into a savage punch. Sheeva and the other Shokan guards came to hold Zenkaro back again but Zenkaro grabbed Jade and threw her into the approaching Shokan.
"Leave her alone!" Li Mei ordered as she went to attack Zenkaro but was grabbed and taken away as Zenkaro leapt to the prison's second level. The two traded punches but once the other Shokan guards made it to the second level, Zenkaro simply threw Li Mei over the balcony that surrounded the second-floor platform and she landed on top of Jade.
"It's over, Zenkaro!" Sheeva cried out. "We must return to Shao Kahn."
"I'll return to him with their heads and reports of your treason." Zenkaro threatened before stomping on top of Jade and Li Mei who were both grounded and dazed. The floor collapsed as the three fell down into the Lower Mines.
Zenkaro and Li Mei recovered from the crash first, a boot from Zenkaro instantly returned Li Mei to her senses. Li Mei looked down at Jade who was seemingly unconscious or perhaps worse...
"Jade?" Li Mei called out.
No reply.
"Jade?!"
"How petty," Zenkaro chuckled. "How the two of you managed to successfully infiltrate this place is beyond my knowledge."
Li Mei ignored Zenkaro's words and instead knelt by Jade to check if she was alright. "You... hurt her..." She said between sobs.
"And what will you do about it?" He asked while stroking his beard, finding amusement in watching his enemy suffer. "Maybe you should've expected this when you tried destroying our business."
"You consider slavery as just business?!" Li Mei had anger in her now much louder voice. She drew her Kunlun Dao sword from the sheathe that she had wrapped around her silky trousers with pink cloth and pointed it at Zenkaro.
Zenkaro smirked as he went at Li Mei with a boot that crushed her face and slammed her to the ground, Zenkaro then grabbed a spiked shield that was attached to his back and went to stab it into Li Mei's neck. Li Mei dodged it and swiftly stabbed her Sai into Zenkaro's ankle. Zenkaro fell over but despite being on the ground he still grabbed Li Mei by the legs and launched her towards some dangerous machinery which its actual function couldn't be figured out. It was two rotating cylinders that could've grinded Li Mei into pieces if she had been caught up in there but she managed to stop herself from falling further back by dragging her sword across the ground by its point. Li Mei ran at Zenkaro and stabbed at him with her Kunlun Dao. Zenkaro blocked the strike with his gauntlets and swung both of his left arms at Li Mei, one punch connecting with her chin and the other winding her. Li Mei curled up in a ball in pain after those punches and Zenkaro went to kill her with his shield but was left stunned by Jade's staff smacking over the top of his head, Jade jumping up before dropping the staff over Zenkaro to increase its damage.
"Jade!" Li Mei hugged Jade after she helped her to her feet. "I thought I might've lost you."
"I'm here," Jade assured, hugging her back. "And I love you."
"Wha-" Li Mei was astonished and became even more shocked when Jade kissed her on the lips.
"I said I love you." Jade repeated.
"I love you too!" Li Mei confessed and kissed her back.
"I figured," Jade laughed. "You weren't doing a good job in hiding that."
"I'll keep that in mind," Li Mei smirked. "We should probably check on the prisoners."
"Not so fast!" Interrupted Zenkaro. "My Shokan brethren may have been weak enough to spare you, but I won't give up."
As Zenkaro approached the newly formed couple, a Shokan guard placed a hand on Zenkaro's back only to be swatted into the contraption that Li Mei almost fell victim to.
"What have you done?!" Sheeva and her fellow guards had also arrived.
"What have I done?" Zenkaro now asked himself. "I've just... killed a fellow Shokan..."
"If you had just followed my orders then we could've avoided this." Sheeva stated as a couple guards scooped up the remnants of the murdered Shokan.
"I don't know what came over me..." Zenkaro collapsed to his knees. "You must kill me."
"Though we consider death that of the honourable way, I will forgive you," Sheeva informed as she comforted him with a reassuring hand. "You were just trying to maintain our code of honour yourself; I know this was just a horrid accident."
"It doesn't excuse what I did," Zenkaro said as he wiped tears that were forming in his eyes. "And now I'm being a coward..."
"Nonsense, we have a right to have emotions whether it be anger, sadness or even happiness," Sheeva gave her point of view. "Our mining system has been destroyed by just three brave rebels so I understand that you're upset."
"I disobeyed your orders," Zenkaro reminded. "And this is what defiance led to."
"I too have been disobeying Shao Kahn by not choosing to press on in attacking those prisoners," Sheeva informed. "Let us forget this event."
"I don't think I can," Zenkaro said. "But I'll try..."
This sudden accident allowed Jade and Li Mei to slip away quietly without being oppressed by less forgiving Shokan. They regrouped with Kitana who was leading the prison escapees as she had been instructed to do so. Li Mei and Jade approached them as they held each other's hands.
"Thank you, Kitana." Jade said as the two engaged in a friendly hug.
"I should be the one thanking you two," Kitana reminded. "You freed us all after all."
"It was the right thing to do." Li Mei commented.
"We need to talk, Jade." Kitana said. "It's about our home."
"I'll leave you to it, my love." Li Mei informed before moving to many escapees and politely checking on them.
"Home?" Jade was confused. "Do you mean Shao Kahn's fortress?"
"No, the realm we come from," Kitana clarified. "Edenia."
"That doesn't ring a bell." Jade informed.
"Because Shao Kahn tried his hardest to hide this information," Spoke Daahraan. "I'm Daahraan, I used to be a warrior for Edenia until Shao Kahn conquered the realm and merged it with Outworld. He imprisoned me shortly after."
"Enough reminiscing, Daahraan," Tanya interrupted. "We have to find somewhere safe."
"When we were in the mines together, you always said you wished for Edenia's restoration, Tanya," Daahraan reminded Tanya of her hopes and dreams. "Now we may have an opportunity to do so."
"I'd love to, Edenia was beautiful. But you and I aren't enough, old man," Tanya sighed. "It's hopeless."
"We're also Edenians," Kitana informed. "We can help."
"Something we only learnt today." Jade added.
"And now I see two more people who were just like me," Tanya recalled her past self. "Dwelling on an impossible goal."
Daahraan cleared his throat to prepare himself for his detailed revelation. "Queen Sindel had discovered these magical orbs through studies as the war with Outworld was close to happening. These were orbs that naturally formed upon when realms are merged together. There must be one for Edenia ever since it has fell victim to Shao Kahn's conquest. Those mines I had been imprisoned in also had the goal of mining for one of these orbs under the assumption that they can be located underground."
"Queen Sindel?" Jade asked, unfamiliar with the name.
"She was the Queen of Edenia," Kitana explained. "And my mother..."
"Shao Kahn will suffer for what he's done to us, Kitana." Jade promised.
"Karma will come for him at some point." Daahraan assured.
"Ok so you're telling me that now that there's four of us we can dig up the entire of Outworld and find the Edenian orb?" Tanya asked.
"Well I'd hope our fellow victims of the Cobalt Mines would be willing to aid us," Daahraan explained. "Which yes, the orb can be used to restore whatever realm it was formed by when two realms merged together."
"How did my mother discover this?" Kitana asked.
"I'm not entirely sure," Daahraan admitted. "Edenia were allies with Seido, the realm of Order. I believe that a protector god of Seido, if that does indeed exist, created the orbs as meshing two realms together is considered a form of disorder which Orderrealm strongly despises."
"With Shao Kahn as Outworld's Emperor, we stand no chance in restoring Edenia," Tanya said negatively. "This is hopeless!"
Tanya stropped away. "I will comfort her." Daahraan informed before quickly following her.
"I see you've became well acquainted with Li Mei," Kitana noted. "I heard her call you her love back then."
"Ah, well we only just established it about ten minutes ago honestly." Jade admitted.
"Well I'm happy for both of you." Kitana commented as she emitted her warm smile that had become well known to Jade.
"Thank you, my friend."