Creation began on 05-09-23

Creation ended on 05-11-23

Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan: A Taste of Things to Come

A/N: Overdue.

A large door opened to reveal a grand hall where over two dozen men and women were present, sitting at long tables occupied by a feast of dishes. This was a preparation banquet for the fighters invited to the tournament as they were enjoying themselves. As the three sat at one of the tables, Eren looked up and noticed the blond girl from before, sitting by herself beside a large chair that was…unusual because it looked like it possessed two sets of armrests. The girl looked at him and then looked up ahead to something. He looked to where she was looking and saw Rayden, looking at him, just moments before a door closed in front of him.

What was that all about? He wondered.

Soon after, several men came into the hall on elevated steps, led by Scorpion and Sub-Zero, on opposite ends of the room. They stood before the invited fighters as Shang Tsung appeared.

"Welcome, all," he greeted them. "You have been invited here to take part in Mortal Kombat. Tomorrow morning, the tournament shall begin. Some of you will even have the distinct honor and pleasure to face off against the reigning champion, Prince Goro. You're each of you witnesses to one of the greatest turning points in the history of your very existence. Treasure these moments as though they're your last."

The way he said it, however, made Eren, Sasha and Mikasa a little suspicious of what was to come later on.

"And now for a taste of things to come," Shang Tsung announces, and nods his head towards the men that came in with Scorpion and Sub-Zero, who rushed down the stairs and forced the invited men and women to get up so they could move the tables.

In less than a minute, the tables were all made to stand on their sides with the masked men standing in two rows. In between the two rows, Sub-Zero stood several feet away from one of the men that stood in attendance.

"Ha!" The masked and bare-chested man grunted, and stretched his arms back, just enough to crack the bones. "Aah!"

Sub-Zero held his left hand up in front of him and his right hand down behind him.

The invited watched as the masked and bare-chested man performed several kicks and punches, as if getting psyched up for a fight.

"Ha! Aah-ha!" He grunted as he charged towards Sub-Zero, who hurled a strange ball that formed out of nowhere at him.

Crash! The masked man, who performed a jump kick towards Sub-Zero, was covered from the neck down in ice, shattered into pieces, leaving his head laying at Shang Tsung's feet.

"Flawless Victory," he utters…and then walks away, leaving the invited fighters in varying stages of stunned silence.

"That…was upsetting," Mikasa tells Eren, who nods in agreement.

"It would seem the stakes in this tournament are high," he responds, and then sees Sasha walking in the direction Shang Tsung left in. "Wait. Where are you going?"

"After him," Sasha reveals her aim.

"You can't go after him. Didn't you hear what Rayden said back on the boat?"

"Yeah, well, it was directed at you, not me. If Shang Tsung knows where Kano is on this island, I want to know, too."

Sasha left the two in the room, intent on following the mastermind behind the tournament.

"Do you have any advice, Mikasa?" Eren asks his friend.

"Right now, the only thing I can think of is that the three of us should stick together," Mikasa tells him. "Even if one's reason for pursuing someone else is pure vengeance, that comes at a cost some aren't expecting to pay. We should just make sure that she doesn't end up paying that cost, either."

"Agreed."

They went after Sasha, just to make sure she was fine, unaware that they had been observed by someone from behind a wall.

"Grr," they growled. "Foolish."

-x-

Sasha lost sight of Shang Tsung in the tunnel of this strange place…and the worst part was that she saw him go down a corridor just a minute ago.

"Sasha, wait a moment," she heard Mikasa say to her as she and Eren came up from behind her.

"How many times do I need to tell you?" She asks them. "I don't need your help. I can handle myself against some guy."

"Maybe, but none of us should have that option," Eren responds. "None of us are safe around someone like that, no matter what we do."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Neither do you," Mikasa tells her, and then notices their surroundings. "Hold on, which way did we come through here, because I don't recognize anything."

They looked around and saw nothing in the cave system to show them which way led to Shang Tsung…or back to the grand hall they had left.

"Oh, shit," Eren sighs in realization. "We're lost."

"Rrrraaurgh!" They heard something roar, seeing a large shadow on the cave walls that loomed over them before turning left and disappearing.

"Eren," Mikasa whispers, "go down that way, try to get a glimpse of what that was. Sasha and I will wait here for you to come back."

Eren turns to face her and replies, "What?! I'm not going down there by myself! You two are coming with me!"

"You're a sissy," Sasha calls him, and walks down the tunnel where they assumed the creature had left down. "How good are you two at spelunking?"

"Spelunking?" Mikasa questions.

"Cave exploration."

"I do indoor climbing."

"I climb trees and stairwells," Eren tells them.

"We're going down," Sasha says, pointing to a fissure in the ground that led somewhere. "Expect the unexpected when you least expect it."

To be continued…