———
You got up slowly, hearing the sound of banging. You wake up to see baraka banging on the cell bars.
"You've been at that for hours." Kenshi says, fed up. Baraka then looks at kenshi. "If you could see, you'd know why" baraka says, looking back at the bars. "Thats not happening is it? Keep talking will you? To keep my mind of this." Kenshi says.
"What the hell happened?" You say running up to kenshi. "It doesn't matter" he says. "I dont want to talk about it" he says slightly annoyed. "Sorry" you say slightly whisper. Then suddenly johnny wakes up.
"Ughh, this hangover" he groans while sitting up. He then turns his head, "kenshi!" He says running up to him, worried. "Goddamnit, hows the pain?" he says concerned. "Excruciating" he says putting his head down.
"You saved me. I wont forget that." Johnny says. "But you may just regret it" baraka says looking at johnny. " What're you-" johnny says until he got interrupted by more banging sounds, then some distant screams.
"What in the fu-" he says getting up until baraka looked at him. "when did we take the left turn into a survival horror?" He says confused. "This is shang tsungs real laboratory" baraka says.
"Were underneath where we were before" you say looking around. "Reminds me of this cheap ass i did in my early days. The flesh-"
"Nobody cares johnny" you say before he could finish. He looks at you, with a sarcastic smile. Then suddenly a door opens and a man wearing green enters.
He then walks up to the cell bars. " how is he?" The man asks. "his eyes are gouged out. Guess." Johnny says. Then the man takes a bottle, handing it over to you
"That will dull the pain" he then says.
"Your vile to be part of this" baraka says, holding the bars. "You are shang tsungs prisoner. I am his slave" he says standing back from the cell bars. "He has my family. he'll kill them if i dont obey"
You open the bottle, putting it on the fabric that johnny gave you. Then you put it on his eyes gently. Kenshi then sighs in relief.
"Thank you, y/n" kenshi says smiling softly. "Of course" you say smiling aswell.
"Why did he pick you?" Baraka asks. "So he can learn how i shape shift" he simply says.
"He learned that from you?" kung lao says, surprised. "We saw him do that. It was unreal" you say standing up. "So how does it work?" Johnny asks. "You just shape shift into anything you want?" He adds
"I can only shift between this and my natural form." He says, then he shape shifts into a reptile. "Woah" johnny says surprised.
"Your zaterran? Zaterrans can shape shift?" You ask. "None can expect me" he replies, still in his reptile form. Then suddenly shang tsung comes out of nowhere, and the man shape shifts back into his human form.
"Are they ready? Its time" he says smiling. "Time for what sorcerer?" Baraka asks. "Replications, experiments. They begin with your vivisection" he says walking toward the cell bars. "Ill use your harvested parts to build new creations" he adds. "The process is fatal, of course" he says with a smirk.
"Liu kang wont let you get away with this" johnny says getting closer to the cell bar. Shang tsung then scoffs. "That presumes he will ever learn what happend" he says.
"But when i am done, there will be no trace left of you" he says putting his hands behind his back. "I shall return soon to check progress. I have other matters to which i have to attend" he says, disappearing into thin air.
"You dont have to do this. Please" you say, trying to bribe him. "Its either you or my family" he spits out.
He then walks over to a cell full of infected tarkat, pulling on the chain, letting them free. "Put them in the chambers" the man says.
Then suddenly the gate yous were in rises. Everyone gets into fighting positions.
*timeskip to when yous have defeated everyone*
"Im ruined! Shang tsung will punish me for this by torturing my family" reptile says, on his knees.
"We are leaving" you say, while picking up kenshi putting his arm around your neck, while johnny does the same.
Then reptile takes off his mask. "Then kill me! If i die, maybe he'll spare my family." He says looking down.
"We wont murder you" baraka then says. "Its mercy, not murder" reptile says, trying to persuade baraka. "Not that what ive done deserves yours" the man then adds.
"You were protecting your family. I would've done the same." Baraka says looking down at him.
*timeskip to when yous have escaped*
Baraka breaks the door, letting us escape. "Hurry" baraka says trying to rush us out. "Follow me, this way" syzoth says jogging to be the first in the group.
"Leave me, ill just slow you down" kenshi says. "What? If shang tsung finds you, your dead" you say looking at him. "Look at me y/n, im useless! Dont risk your lives to save mine" he says. "Im not leaving you here kenshi, none of us are." You say. "Were going to get back home and figure out a way to help you, okay?" I ask.
Yous finally get outside. The fresh air hits you as yous walk deep into the forest.
"We cant linger. We'll be captured." Syzoth says. "We need help getting kenshi back in the portal at Sun Do" you say.
"I can take you only into the citys gate. Tarkatans are forbidden inside." Baraka replied. "Ill see you the rest of the way." Syzoth says. " its the least i can do to make amends" he adds.
Yous are now deeper in the forest, only seeing green trees and plants.
"God, this reminds me of wicked planet" johnny goes on. "We had this forest in the second act-" johnny begins but gets interrupted. "The manticore battle?" Kenshi asks. "Yes!" Johnny says enthusiastically.
"It was a pain to shoot, but man did it come out epic" johnny says. "I can picture it exactly" kenshi goes on.
"This is the living forest" you say looking around. "Aren't all forests living y/n?" Kenshi asks, with a smile. "No others have trees that house the souls of the dead" you say replying.
"Woah wait a tick. We're talking ghosts?!" Johnny asks, abit scared. "Good ones, not evil" you say. "You guys know anybody here?" Johnny asks. "Some distant relatives" baraka says.
"You will find mo zaterrans." Syzoth says sadly. "Why not?" Kung lao asks. "Warm bloods dont welcome us" Syzoth responds. "So we keep to ourselves, living underground in zikandur province" he adds.
"Then how did you meet shang tsung?" Kung lao asks. "That i could take human form made me a freak among my people. I was terrorised, and run out. Starving and beggared, i joined travelling carnival. Tuned out there were many who could pay good money to see my "gift"" he said "we crossed paths, and he saw what i could do" he adds
"Damn" johnny mumbles. "He's dangerous. And he has plans" syzoth says. "He, general shao, rain. They are conspiring." He adds
"To do what?" You ask confused. "I cant say for certain, ive only overheard fragments." He replied.
Then, there was a distant roar and everyone stopped. Syzoth shape shifted into his reptile form, getting ready for kombat. As Syzoth and Baraka were running, they see someone.
"Quan chi sends more demons?!" The woman turns around. "Wait, were not-" baraka says until she starts running toward them. "We are not demons!" Baraka says.
"If not demons, what are you?" The woman asks. "Hes zaterran, im edenian." Baraka says pointing to himself. "Or i was before my tarkat affliction" he adds.
"Outworlders?" The woman ask's surprised. "Apologies, im glad ive caused neither of you permanent injury" she says, apologetically.
Then you, johnny, kenshi and kung lao follow behind syzoth and baraka. "What is that?" Kenshi says sniffing the dead bodies. "Just keep walking" you say, patting kenshi' hand thats on your shoulder.
"So, who's our female fatale?" Johnny asks. "I am ashrah, demon of the netherealm" she replies. "Demon? You look human, mostly." Johnny says. "And whats a netherealm?" Johnny adds.
"The monks covered that with us. Did you sleep through every lesson?" Kung lao asks. "That one apparently!" Johnny says in defence. Then kung lao just sighs. "Netherealms hell, but real" kung lao says.
"No shit" johnny says. "I appear nearly human because ive purged most evil from my soul. When im done, the last vestiges of my demon form will fade away." Ashrah says.
"Why were the demons after you?" You ask curious. "They were send by quan chi, my former master." Ashrah responded. "I was part of his sisterhood of shadow." She adds. "He wanted... still wants, dominion over the realms." She says. "I renounced him when I realised that i could not help him defile them" she says.
"And now he wants you dead" syzoth says. Ashrah just nods in reply.
"He's building devices that steal souls on a mass scale." Ashrah says. "Hes testing the first on the dead that reside in the forest" she adds.
"Why steal souls ashrah?" Baraka asked. "To harness their power. To what end, i dont know." She replied. "But what i do know that its to aid the designs of another sorcerer.... Shang tsung" she adds.
———
i hate this aswel i feel like its long.
i dont know what else to write here aswel so if you want part to lmk.
and i know this has loads of mistakes so:(