Mortal Kombat: A Royal Storm

Chapter Two: Daughters of Edenia

It had been a grueling journey for Raiden and his team. They had spent the last nine months training day in and day out, honing their skills and pushing their limits. And now, they stood together, ready to venture into the treacherous realm of Outworld.

Raiden addressed his team, his voice filled with a mixture of pride and determination. "I would like to congratulate all of you for coming this far," he began, his gaze sweeping across the faces of Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Kenshi Takahashi. "Very few have what it takes to reach this point. Now the time has come for you all to finally travel to outworld."

Johnny got excited like a child on Christmas morning, pulling out his smartphone, ready to record his life-changing journey to which Kenshi gave him a look of annoyance.

Raiden started to open up a large, bright portal that would take them to Outworld. As the portal continued to form, the earthrealmers began to become nervous, even though they had been training vigorously for this moment, facing it in person took a different toll.

The portal had now fully manifested in front of them on the other side to finally reveal Outworld. A vast wasteland composed of merged realms and high mountain tops. With deep breaths, the Earthrealmers along with Lord Raiden entered the Portal. Johnny, with his phone still recording, captured every spec of the visible realm digitally. immediately upon entering the new realm, the atmosphere completely changed as if the very essence of the realm permeated their senses.

The earthrealmers found themselves surrounded by outworld soldiers, mounted on fearsome bull-like creatures. The soldiers formed a tight circle, closing in on the group, their weapons glinting in the sunlight.

The Earthrealmers instinctively forged a circle themselves with their backs to one another.
Kenshi drew his sword, Liu Kang balled up his flaming fists, Johnny and Sonya stood defensive, unsure of what to do but put their fists up and wait patiently, and Kung Lao grabbed his hat, ready to launch at the first soldier who made any sudden moves towards them.

"What do we do?" Johnny asked with slight fear in his voice.

"Don't do anything stupid," Sonya advised keeping her eyes locked on the Outworlders.

Raiden stepped forward, his voice calm but cautious. "Let us pass, soldiers. We have come in preparation for the Mortal Kombat tournament. Our intentions are peaceful."

The soldiers eyed Raiden skeptically, their gazes filled with hostility. They seemed unmoved by his words, their grip on their weapons tightening. But then, one of the soldiers broke away from the circle and dismounted his bull-like creature.

He removed his helmet, revealing his face along with his short ponytail of black hair, adorned with two black lozenge shapes that were painted on his eyes. His muscular frame rippled beneath his armor as he strode confidently towards the group. This warrior seemed different from the rest, his presence commanding attention.

The soldier squared his shoulders and spoke with a low, gruff voice in a monotonous tone, "I am Reiko, general of the Edenian army. We have been tasked with guarding the borders and preventing any unwanted trespassers from accessing the Mortal Kombat tournament. I will be guiding you to Edenia. The royal family has requested your presence as soon as your arrival in Outworld was made known."

The Earthrealmers let their guards down as Reiko ordered his men to return to their posts, he climbed back onto his creature, and began to ride down the path with everyone else following behind.

As they walked, Liu Kang approached Raiden. "Can Reiko be trusted Lord Raiden?" He quietly asked.

"I've been in his presence before Liu Kang," Raiden reassured. "He's served as the general for Edenia's army for the past couple of centuries, and recently he has taken on the role of Princess Mileena's bodyguard and assistant."