Beetle crossed the Outlands at full speed to escape what happened. He landed at the base and marched off towards the opening when he was stopped by Rhino, who laughed.
"What happened, bug?" Rhino asks. "Did the Spider beat you?"
Beetle didn't seem to like that as he clutched his gauntlet and powered up some projectiles. He then leaped into the air using his pack, shooting them off towards Rhino. Rhino was shocked to see the villain fighting and shield his face from the explosives. Rhino then growled and rushed off over to fight him, grabbing Beetle by the leg and slamming him into the ground.
Beetle still didn't say a word as he activated his flame thrower, trying to get the Rhino to release him. Rhino groaned from the flames and released Beetle, backing off to cover his face. Beetle drew a blade when suddenly Otto's arms came crashing down and separated the two of them.
"That is enough, out of the both of you," Otto told them.
"The loss of the base is unfortunate, O'hrn, especially with the loss of Li and Crossbones, but we already got what we needed from the bugs." Inside the base, there was Morgan La Fey, who walked inside.
Over the security cameras, it reveals the dastardly and evil Red Skull and his partner, Arnim Zola, who watch over everything. "Everything is going according to plan," Zemo said. "Phase 2 is beginning."
"Good." Red Skull said. "Soon, the swords of Ilkan will be ours."
Peter Parker was up training in the courtyards of the castle. He was trying out these new powers of his, shooting off the bio-electricity at some practice dummies that he had set up for himself. Using this energy seemed to begin to wear him down, and his fight the other day with the bugs and everything that went down.
Jade happened to be watching, without him seeing, as she seemed to enjoy seeing him train. She saw how stiff Peter was and how he was groaning, rubbing his sore shoulders from his fight with Li and Crossbones.
"You okay?" Jade called, getting Peter to look over to her.
"Oh, hey, Jade," Peter said, rubbing his shoulder. "Yeah, just a little stiff from everything that went down. Not exactly used to fighting mercenaries and guys with dark energy or giant bugs all at once. At least all at once."
"You like some help?" Jade asks.
"Nah, it's fine," Peter said, rejecting her help.
"Come on, who is it going to hurt?" Jade asked, taking a seat on a desk in the courtyard. "Come here."
Peter seemed still hesitant but decided to do it. He walked over and sat down as she began to caress his back, massaging his muscles. She started on the back, making her way up to his shoulders and even his head a little. Peter had to admit he was enjoying the sense of relief.
"Might help if you removed your shirt," Jade said.
"What?" Peter asks.
"Have you never had a massage before?" Jade asks. "It'll go easier if you get the shirt off."
Peter considered just stopping, but he did enjoy her hands on him; it helped relieve the pain. "Alright."
"I promise not to stare," Jade whispered into his ear. "For long."
Peter rolled his eyes, knowing she was just being flirty. He then reached up and removed his shirt and sat back down, allowing Jade to continue.
Jade moved her hands down to his arms, then moved to his chest. She felt up his chest and all of the scars and wounds that he had been inflicted with over the years. She caressed her fingers up his chest, and Peter was beginning to feel like this wasn't a massage anymore.
"Getting lost?" Peter asked her.
Jade realized just how long she had been lingering and stopped. "Sorry."
Peter chuckled as he stood up. "Don't worry about it."
"You know, it would be better to fend yourself against someone who can take a hit," Jade offered, picking up her staff.
"I don't know about that," Peter said, charging up a bio-electric attack. "Think you can handle it?"
"Let's see if you can handle me," Jade dared with a chuckle.
Peter chuckled as he got into a stance. "Yeah, I know I wouldn't be able to handle you."
"I'll try and take it easy," Jade offered.
And then the two erupted into a training session. Peter leaped into the air, where Jade raised her staff to block his strike. The staff actually absorbed the bio-electricity quickly. Jade then spun the staff to try and strike, but Peter dodged the attack quickly and went to punch her again. She blocked the attack with her arm, which surprised Peter since he wasn't actually holding back, and she managed to catch a punch from him.
"I've never seen a man spare someone who has tried to kill them," Jade commented, referring back to their fight at the base.
Peter then went down, spinning his legs to try and swipe her over, causing her to fall over and hit the ground. "I'm not really into the whole killing thing."
Peter tried to tackle her, but she quickly rolled away, grabbing her staff again and getting up. "Yeah, I figured as much. Seeing you in true action was exhilarating."
"Thanks?" Peter asked, quickly shooting webbing at her, but she spun her staff and allowed it to wrap around it.
Peter decided to try and hit her with a small fragment of the Bio-electricity, but she dodged it and got up close where they clashed.
"You know you're pretty good, but I don't think you're prepared for this." Said Jade with a sly smile
Suddenly, Jade leaned forward and gave Peter a long, deep kiss on the cheek that caused Peter's brain to short out for a tie
She then used her kiss to distract him and grabbed his arm, spun him over her, knocked him down, and straddled him.
"I guess that's a win for me, and I got a little something extra. You shouldn't let your guard down even with a kiss." Jade commented with a chuckle in her more seductive voice.
Jade chuckled as she nodded and laid on his chest and leaned up. She then started to stand up, but that gave Peter a clear look up her very revealing outfit that showed her curvaceous body that Peter has been seeing a lot, which he quickly tried to look away, but he stared a little too long at her nice legs and rear before turning away. Jade only smirked at what he did and didn't seem to mind. She then turned back around fully and leaned back down, and he knew she was messing with him as she crawled up, giving him a clear view of the caverns on her chest.
Jade saw how hard he was trying not to look, but his eyes were betraying him. "You are just too adorable." She then poked his nose and then climbed off of him.
"I know you cheated." Peter retorted.
"As I said, you should always be on guard when fighting enemies or friends." She winks at him and walks away, swaying her hips purposefully to show Peter
Peter got up, still blushing and trying to reboot. "Why is it always the strong ones?"
A vortex opened, and Rhino and Vulture exited with a group of HYDRA soldiers surrounding them. They walked up to the Temple of Ilkan, which looked ot be in the shape of a man.
"This is what we are here for?" Vulture asks.
Rhino groaned. "Why us?"
That was when they saw residents of Outworld coming to strike them. Vulture and Rhino groaned as they then took off, Vulture taking to the skies and Rhino charging head on. Vulture took them off from the skies, shooting off metal feathers that acted as projectiles ot impale the people. Rhino used his brute strength to attack the people and their defenses while the agents just opened fire on anything. Making their way to the temple, Rhino rammed the door with his head, sending the doors flying.
"Subtlety was never your strong suit," Vulture mocked.
Rhino then started to march ahead but tripped on something. They looked down at the platform that he stepped on, and it was followed by the ground rumbling on the bridge. Gasping, Vulture leaped into the air, and the others rushed to the other side as the ground continued to fall. One HYDRA agent ended up falling, screaming as he fell down and splat into the spikes made of metal underneath.
"Boobytraps," Vulture sighed as he flew over and landed. "We should stick to the back of the group, Rhino."
"Hmm." Rhino nodded. "Agreed."
They continued to make their way through the tunnel and came across a strange cavern with lights. "Send one of your men."
"Seriously?" The HYDRA Agent asks.
"Do it." Rhino snarled.
"Alright..." The agent sighed.
They sent one of their men into the cavern and headed off into the area. "What do you think, Rhino? Trap door?"
"Uh, I think crusher," Rhino stated.
"Hm," Vulture shrugged.
They continued to watch as the HYDRA agent made his way down and stopped. He shrugged and looked over to them, nodding his head to say it seemed safe. That was followed by the wall slamming him from both ends, causing the HYDRA Agents to gasp, followed by Rhino and Vulture gasping in shock.
"These Outworlders don't mess around," Vulture said in surprise.
They finally made their way to the location, losing a few other troops in the process. They sighed as they made it, and Rhino punched them into a much larger room. They then made their way in, looking around trying to see what was in the room when there was a massive roar in the distance. The roar caused them to freeze and slowly turn in the direction of where it came from.
Back in Sun, Kitana was in her room, starting to think of the interactions she shared with Peter. She wasn't sure how she felt or why she felt this way about the strange hero of Spider-Man. She is a princess, and he was a simple Earthrealmer. Well, there was nothing simple about him, but in the short time they had spent together, she thought of how not only was he a formidable hero, a warrior willing to protect people, but a handsome one at that. She started to picture the hero in her mind, his handsome looks, his body, and just about...
"Ma'am," Someone said, getting Kitana out of her mind. "You have been requested in the throne room."
"I will be right there," Kitana said.
Kitana was wandering her way toward the throne room while still thinking about Peter. She couldn't get the hero out of her head, especially their last encounter last night in the bathroom. As she was wandering, she bumped into the said hero, who was surprised to see her. Kitana blushed when she saw him and how close they were. Peter blushed as well, as they had knocked each other onto the wall, with Kitana holding them in place incidentally.
"Uh... hey," Peter said.
"Hello," Kitana blushed. She then got off of the wall and helped Peter. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine," Peter chuckled. "Guess you were called ot the throne room, too?"
"Yeah," Kitana said.
They then began to head to the throne room, where they saw Sindel, Shao, Rain, Mileena, Liu Kang, and Jade, who gave Peter a wink when she saw him enter. Peter chuckled and gave a small wave, not wanting to draw too much attention.
"Thank you for coming," Sindel said to them.
"I was trying to locate our missing intruders in Outworld and sensed a sort of mystical energy before suddenly vanishing." Liu Kang told them, showing them on the map where exactly it was.
"Why there?" Peter wonders. "What's so important out there?"
"There is a nearby structure to the location," Sindel said, showing it to the others on the map. "The Temple of Ilkan. It was built in honor to Ramath, the leader of the Crystal beings who wielded great power but were whipped out in a civil war years ago."
"So why would they be going there?" Peter wonders.
"The Temple holds the Swords of Ilkan." Sindel guessed what they were after. "It was used by Ramath and was left in the temple in honor of him and his people. They are capable of opening portals to any dimension and realm with ease."
"That... is not good," Peter said in worry. "If someone like Otto gets his hands on that, there is no way that Otto can get ahold of that power without causing chaos."
"I can handle these creatures much better than some lowly Eartherealmer," Shao stated with a scoff.
"Did he just call me lowly? Who talks like that?" Peter asked, which got a smirk from Kitana, Jade, and Mileena.
"I believe that Peter Parker is capable of handling his enemies and that the HYDRA agents are no match for the others," Liu Kang stated in defense of Peter. "I will use my power to conjure a portal to send you to where I sensed the energy. Sheeva will meet to lend some aid against this threat.
"Who?" Peter asks.
"You'll know when you see her," Liu Kang promises.
They make their way through the portal as Peter, Kitana, and Jade exit the portal and look around to see Sheeva. This is the first time Peter has met a woman who seems similar to Shao, with four arms, and who seems to be of a similar species to Shao.
Peter waved at her. "Hi, I'm-"
"Peter Parker. I am familiar with the Outworlder who came from Earthrealm and saved Sun Do with strength and will." Sheeva told him. "Just wasn't expecting you to be... tiny."
"Really?" Peter asked, looking at the girls. "Also, I don't know exactly how to take that."
Kitana shrugged as they headed off.
"It should not be taken as any way. I have yet to see you in action, so the stories about you hold no weight to me until I see what you are made of." Said Sheeva as she started to tread forward.
They began to make their way off to the temple while Kitana was staring at Peter as they kept walking. Jade looked over and saw her staring at him and was wondering what she was staring at exactly.
"Enjoying the sights?" Jade asks.
Kitana was shocked to see her friend see her staring at him. "What?"
"You were definitely checking him out," Jade stated.
"No, I wasn't," Kitana blushed.
Jade knew she was hiding her feelings. "You're right. I guess you don't have any feelings, so you wouldn't have any retort to hear that I trained with Peter."
"Wait, you did?" Kitana asked in surprise.
"Oh, yeah," Jade said. "And he is a lot of fun." She said in a flirty tone as she walked off.
Kitana actually might begin to hate the idea of not trying to pursue Peter if Jade might begin to try and pursue him. They approached the temple and saw that the people were piled up, and the entrance was destroyed.
"Rhino must have come through here. This is definitely his handiwork," Peter stated, knocking on the wall. "Knock-knock." Then, some sentries began to activate and approach. Peter and the girls stood back-to-back as they prepared to fend off. "Alright, we gotta take these guys down. I say-"
Sheeva then charged in, slamming in with her four arms and Shokan strength. They were destroyed instantly as they were crushed to tinfoil.
"Or that." Peter said.
Continuing their way down the same pathway that the others took, they made their way down the pathway when Kitana reached out and grabbed Peter before he took a step.
"What?" Peter asks.
Kitana reached down and pushed on the plate Peter almost stepped on. The wall slammed, almost crushing them as they jumped back in surprise.
"Wow, Indiana Jones was right," Peter said in surprise.
Making their way downward, they saw the doorway broken open and screams coming from the other side. They drew their weapons and rushed into the room, where they saw that there was a ginormous, ogre-like creature with sharp teeth, muscles, and three eyes. He grabbed the Vulture as he was flying around, twisting, and then throwing the old man to the side.
Rhino charged in to try and stop the ogre creature, but his strength actually rivaled the Rhino himself. He then grabbed him by the horn, spun him around, and tossed him across the room and into the wall.
"Whoa... who's that?" Peter asks.
Kitan and Jade gasped at the sight of the creature. "Moloch."
