Smoke is the first to step foot in the emperor's realm, ready to start this timely quest. He glances around at his surroundings as the noon sun shines on the realm. The Thunder God was correct, his powers truly are limited when accessing Outworld.
Sub-Zero follows through the portal with Li Mei and Kung Lao close behind. Their eyes wander across the desert-like landscape as they stand upon a sandy elevated hill. Several small surrounding villages are in the distance, most visible to the naked eye and each one not too far from the next. Plenty of markets are also nearby, almost giving this sandy area a small, scattered city feel. Yet the sandy surroundings and the light commotion almost give the scattered city a suspicious aura. The last to follow through the portal are Kitana and Jade, the tension still noticeable in the atmosphere. They each begin to catch up with Smoke who seemed to walk off a bit too soon. No plan was discussed, and no closure was given between Smoke and the Edenians.
Li Mei seemed to have slightly abandoned her grudge when the Thunder God offered to resurrect her sworn sister, but she still has her strong distrust toward the duo. Kung Lao peers toward Li Mei and notices her slight discomfort as her gaze meets first Jade, and next Kitana. He places a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn to meet his eyes. He smiles down at her.
"Do not worry, this mission ensures everyone's lives will improve...even theirs," he references Jade and Kitana.
She stares at him for a moment, taking in these words.
"I know...however it is not me I am concerned about," Li Mei shifts her eyes towards Smoke who continues to advance, not caring about a plan or to make conversation, only to get the mission done as quickly as possible.
Sub-Zero, Li Mei and Kung Lao all watch as he proceeds towards the end of the sandy hill, anger just seeping from him with every step he takes. Given his sudden mood, they slowly tread behind him, not wanting to disturb him any further. Kitana and Jade also follow close behind without a word.
Li Mei turns to Sub-Zero who proceeds to her right. She leans in slightly.
"...Where are we headed?" she questions in almost a whisper.
"I wish I could answer that...yet it seems Smoke just needs time to settle down until we find out exactly where we are located I suppose," he replies in a low voice.
Li Mei's gaze meets the desert terrain as they continue. Jade overhears their small talk, and picks up the pace to keep up with them. Kitana notices this, and steals a glance at her.
"Is something troubling you Jade?" Kitana asks lowly, making sure no one else heard.
Jade just picks up the pace even more, passing Li Mei, Sub-Zero and Kung Lao. Kitana pauses as she sees Jade is heading towards Smoke. This makes Kitana feel tense.
"What is she doing?" Kitana thinks to herself.
"Smoke," Jade calls to him firmly, making him pause.
All eyes land on her, then Smoke, then back to her.
"Where do you believe you are headed?" she interrogates, causing him to turn around slowly in anger.
The murderous glint in his eye never fails to display when he glances at Jade and or Kitana. However, he seems much calmer. Though, calm in Smoke's case has proven to make him most unpredictable. He sighs in annoyance, but answers regardless.
"As you can see...many villages surround us in the distance. I am headed to the one beyond the large tree there to find out where we currently are," he points as he narrows his eyes, not appreciating one of his nemeses questioning him.
"Why could you not inform the rest of us of this and form some sort of plan?" Jade presses.
That comment did it for Smoke. His fists clench as he approaches Jade in a speed walk.
"You treacherous murderous fool, my dagger will find your skull should you ever question me again," he comes face to face with her aggressively as Kitana and Li Mei approach.
"Smoke calm yourself, remember the mission," Li Mei says and gets between them, placing a hand on Smoke's arm, then turning Jade with fierce eyes. "We will continue to that furthest village below, by the time we reach it I predict evening will hit. We shall stay there until dawn and proceed from there," Li Mei finalizes.
Kitana pulls Jade back.
"Restraint Jade," Kitana whispers to her quietly.
"That is much better, someone else besides I who can think amongst this group," Jade eyes Smoke with vicious eyes as he returns a more threatening look.
"Try me not petty Edenian, I could always inform Raiden that your inevitable death was an...accident," he replies coldly.
Sub-Zero watches the situation before him unfold with a new understanding of who Smoke has become. He knew Smoke had drastically changed after Mileena's death, but he's become more than a mere assassin. Smoke has become cold blooded.
"Enough!" Kung Lao shouts. "We carry on with Li Mei's plans, put this feud out of your minds now!" he finishes.
Smoke slightly calms himself, then turns to Kung Lao with a nod as Li Mei walks forward, analyzing the villages in the distance below. Jade calms herself as well and everyone continues on toward Li Mei.
"We had best get this journey started...come," Li Mei announces, and they each follow her down the large hill with little to no conversation following.
IN CHAOS REALM
Mileena approaches a lone warrior sitting in a booth in the back of the bar, his feet propped up onto the table in front of him. His navy blue armored chest guard is outlined in red and a helmet that only guards his forehead and each side of his face displays on his head, made of the purest steel. He has deep blue trousers with a dark red front sash on, accompanied with armored gray boots and fingerless gloves. He looks upward at an approaching Mileena. His face distorts from the nose down, being replaced by his skull and traces of blood on his bones. His eyes are a light blue that is near white, and one is darker than the other.
Before Mileena reaches him, a Chaos Realmer approaches him with a sword, attempting to decapitate him. Without looking the cleric grabs the blade, cutting his hand in the process as he disarms the man of his weapon and tosses it upward low enough in the air to catch it again by its hilt. He impales his attacker with it speedily. The blade goes through the man's throat, utterly paralyzing and silencing him for good. His groans and sounds of choking on his own blood are not left unnoticed as he drops to the ground near them, dying almost instantaneously.
Havik keeps his eyes on Mileena who is now in front of his booth, Ashrah to her left. Mileena kicks the dead man on the ground to the side, and his blood slightly stains her gold and magenta heeled shoes. She pays no mind to it however and keeps her mind on the task at hand.
"Cleric of chaos, I have come to offer you something," Mileena says in slight joy and seduction on her voice.
He raises an eyebrow in slight intrigue.
"Speak your...intentions...and I may just spare you the shattering of your spine," he says in a calm yet somewhat threatening tone.
Mileena grins at his pathetic excuse of a threat.
"Shinnok has a proposition for you, he seeks an alliance between you and your people of chaos," she continues.
Havik turns to Ashrah who has her hand clasped around her blade's hilt, ready in case Havik tries to attack Mileena. His eyes narrow then meet Mileena's again. The sound of kombat and mayhem fills the air as they continue on with their conversation.
"I refuse to associate with Shinnok, let alone agree to such impudent terms with the likes of him. What he desires is to rule all realms for himself. This would take away our free will, our chaotic nature and practiced chaotic ways," Havik explains.
"Lord Shinnok only wishes to be allied with you, not take over the realm," Ashrah inputs, her hat almost concealing her eyes.
Havik's eyes meet Ashrah once more.
"Oh, is that what he informed you of? Foolish specter. Once he allies himself with our realm, he will take all other realms, keeping our chaotic ways contained. We spread chaos throughout the realms, and shall continue to do so without that peasant you refer to as lord Shinnok," he comments.
Ashrah draws her blade and aims it at his throat so speedily that even Mileena did not see it coming.
"Deny us if you wish, but we shall make certain that you regret it," Ashrah says coldly.
Havik glances at them both.
"Do you not know? Chaos is our specialty here," he states just before flipping the table his feet were once planted on, and proceeding to first attack Mileena as the table manages to strike Ashrah down.
Mileena blocks a high punch from Havik. He goes to trip her and she leaps over his foot, bringing her heeled boot to his cranium and dealing damage.
Ashrah lands on the ground, the wooden table almost completely pinning her against the wooden floor. She kicks it to the side and spins as a white energy surge surrounds her body. Within seconds, she was on her feet like nothing happened while still wielding her blade. She aims to attack Havik and assist Mileena until five warriors approach, attacking her with fierceness.
Ashrah deflects an attack from a woman who wields a knife with her blade just before taking her left hand clean off as well. The woman screams, going to her knees and holding her wrist as the blood sprays from it. The other four men attempt to simultaneously attack Ashrah. They each wield axes, and circle her. She backs away, countering each of their high and low attacks with speed, causing sparks to fly and even more chaos to erupt in the room. She continues to back up as she counters their movements, bringing her fight to the other side of the bar.
Mileena wraps her legs around Havik's torso and flips him to the ground. She continues to grip his torso with her legs, pinning him to the ground as she brings a fist to the skeletal half of his face. A grin comes to her face as she goes for another jab. However, Havik catches her fist and then twists his arm, a loud crackling noise not going unnoticed as he brings Mileena's arm to a near breaking point. She grunts as he breaks free from her leg hold, still keeping hold of her arm while he takes to his feet. He kicks her away mightily, causing her to land on the bar counter with a small shout escaping her lips.
Ashrah vertically strikes one fourth of her opponents, her blade splitting his cranium into two halves. He obliterates into a shimmering white dust, and travels to her blade. Her blade absorbs it as she counters a high attack from one of her other attackers, and brings a foot to his abdomen that brings him crashing to the ground. She takes a step back and places both of her hands outward and a burst of white energy escapes her palms, striking her final opponent. He goes flying across the bar and hitting a wall, becoming unconscious. She peers down at the enemy beneath her and finishes the job, driving her blade through his back. His long and loud groan of death fills the air like the surrounding chaotic war cries as his blood begins to leak around the blade. Momentarily, his body disintegrates into a bright white dust and evaporates into Ashrah's blade.
Mileena dodges a jab that Havik sends to her head by ducking. She sweeps his feet from under him, bringing him to the ground on his back. Mileena falls into her stance as Havik makes eye contact with her. He stands quickly and bends his knees backwards and holds his hands outward with the sound of breaking bones filling their ears. He sends forward an unknown projectile of the brightest blue that conjures from his palms.
It confuses Mileena and approaches too quickly for Mileena to dodge it, so it strikes her legs and stuns her for a split second. The pain is a strange, numbing yet piercing feeling that she cannot quite decipher as she gazes upon her legs with confusion. Before she gets a chance to turn her attention back to her foe, he already comes face to face with her. He spins his torso with both of his arms outward and both fists clenched. The sound of ribs crushing and bending as his fists strike Mileena catches the attention of nearby Chaos Realmers. Mileena is struck to the ground, using her hands to catch herself and prevent the worst of her injuries from the fall.
"It appears breaking him will not do any good..." Mileena takes note in her head as he approaches, other Chaos Realmers behind him.
Ashrah attempts to make her way to Mileena, only to get stopped by another Chaos Realmer. This time however, she is more prepared. She swings her blade low, taking her attacker's lower right leg and his left foot. His screams add on to the commotion inside the bar, and his blood adds to the overly stained ground. Ashrah then proceeds to her ally.
The Chaos Realmers surround Mileena as Havik is handed a mace, the spikes on it rather larger than a typical mace.
"Your death will bring honor to chaos," he announces as Mileena peers around her surroundings.
She takes note of an approaching Ashrah behind Havik. This brings a grin to her face.
"Do you not know? I am already dead," she states as Ashrah's blade pierces through his upper torso from behind as a low grunt escapes his lips.
Ashrah extracts her blade quickly and kicks him to the ground.
"Come Mileena!" she shouts and Mileena crouches into a ball, rolling to her with trails of shimmering magenta following.
She knocks down any other approaching enemies as she comes to a pause near Ashrah.
"Come, we have received our answer, we must return to Shinnok," Ashrah states and they both begin to run while being pursued by Chaos Realmers.
While they make a run for it, Mileena turns back, peering past her pursuers and at the bartender. He grins at her deviously as she and Ashrah advance. She sends a grin back before breaking eye contact and keeping her eyes ahead of her. They escape the bar, and head back the way they came.
"We must find a secluded area, I can open a portal from there," Ashrah states.
"That may prove to be challenging, proving we just engaged in kombat with the cleric of chaos," Mileena replies.
The sound of their pursuers' shouts does not go unnoticed, however they maintain their speed. It is as if almost the whole realm is chasing after them. Mileena and Ashrah run until they reach the end of the land, yet there is no portal pad to the landform above them. They are at a dead end and greatly outnumbered, with no means of safe escape. Ashrah turns to Mileena quickly.
"Defend me, I must conjure the portal here," she states.
Mileena does not even get a chance to reply as warriors attack her instantaneously. Four opponents rush her, fighting her head on as others run around aimlessly with weapons or hold them upright into the air. Mileena dodges a sword attack to her torso, yet it slightly scratches her. She dodges a dagger from a woman and disarms her, pulling her in close by her arm and dislocating it. The woman screams in terror and Mileena keeps her close by her arm, using her dagger for melee and using her as a shield.
The other two approach and Mileena tosses the woman on one just before throwing the dagger to the other, piercing his shoulder and causing blood to erupt. She readies for more attackers from the enormous mob of discord, going into her fighting stance until a hand grabs hers. She turns to see Ashrah pulling her and the portal open, their means of escaping arriving just in time. They jump through simultaneously, just avoiding an arrow that was shot in attempted anticipation.
A moment passes as they phase through the realms, speedily landing in the Nether Realm. The portal delivers them directly in front of Shinnok as they land on their hands and knees. A grin plasters on his face and he arches an eyebrow as they come to their feet and make direct eye contact with him.
A hand grabs Mileena's ankle, and she peers downward. A Chaos Realmer managed to go through the portal with them, his anger displayed in his face and a dagger plastered under his shoulder blade.
"What in the name of Fujin?" Mileena states before Ashrah's blade meets the man's head, perishing him instantly.
Like all of her victims that perish, his physical form becomes a luminous dust, and travels to her blade. Mileena grins that this, almost holding back a slight laugh.
"Well what do we have here? What of the Chaos Realm my lovelies?" he asks, eager to find out what occurred in the realm.
As if it weren't embarrassing enough for the two specters to have dragged back a fatality as a souvenir from the realm, their plans for creating an alliance drastically failed. Mileena could care less however, this is all a game to her until her debt to Shinnok is repaid. Then, she shall hunt down her enemies.
"Havik was much less than willing to cooperate, the plan failed lord Shinnok," Ashrah reports.
Shinnok rubs his chin in thought.
"No matter, an alliance with the realms has become a bit more minor now compared to the information I just received," he states deviously. "You are dismissed Ashrah," he waves her off, and she turns to exit his elegant throne room.
She sends a glance to Mileena and pauses before leaving.
"A pleasure it was working alongside you Mileena," she compliments.
"Agreed, purest Ashrah," Mileena returns her kind gesture.
She then continues to walk away, leaving Shinnok and Mileena.
"As for you my sweet, there is a certain task I have for you," he says, catching Mileena's slight interest as they lock eyes.
He remains planted on his throne of the purest gold as he waits for Ashrah to place some distance between he and Mileena before continuing on. After a moment, he takes to his feet, and closes some of the distance between him and Mileena.
His eyes begin to illuminate a shade of violet, and he peers upward to the golden ceiling.
"Quan Chi!" he calls, his voice giving off slight distortion.
Within a moment's notice, a green portal appears to Mileena's left. Quan Chi walks through it casually, coming to Mileena's side with his eyes trained to Shinnok.
"Yes lord Shinnok?" his rather deep voice replies to his summoning.
"This plan will require both of your efforts," Shinnok states, shifting his orbs back and forth to Quan Chi and Mileena.
He places his hands behind his back and calmly paces to his right.
"Outworld will prove to become our greatest asset this day. Eyes I have in that realm have informed me of the emperor's intentions to merge his realm with Earth Realm," Shinnok starts.
Mileena raises an eyebrow.
"That is impossible, I have witnessed it once before. The Elder Gods would never allow him to do so, he cannot even step foot in the realm without losing all of his power," she replies.
"She is right, as I recall he lost the last tournament. His chances of taking over Earth Realm now are slim to none," Quan Chi adds.
Shinnok turns to them with a grin.
"That is the beauty of this plan he has constructed. Within his flesh pits lies a soul, a soul that sacrificed itself long ago to give protection that the Elder Gods do not. The Elder Gods casted a ward over Earth Realm that prevents his unfair merger of the realm without participating in Mortal Kombat. The sacrificed spirit however only proved to strengthen that ward, draining him of his power should he ever enter the realm and try," Shinnok explains while pacing back and forth in front of them. "By resurrecting this spirit, that ward will be broken, and he could demolish the Earth Realm as he sees fit without being drained of his power upon entry. However, he must wait until the soul is resurrected first so he can have clearance to enter the realm without facing the direct judgement of the Elder Gods as well."
Quan Chi rubs his chin as Mileena places a hand on her hip.
"Perhaps the emperor is smarter than I anticipated," Mileena reconsiders in her head.
"Now, where you two come into play," Shinnok starts. "As you know, the emperor and I are in a particularly similar predicament. I cannot leave this realm without facing the judgement of the Elder Gods either. Be that so, I shall send you two to negotiate with him. Quan Chi," he stops his pacing, coming face to face with the sorcerer.
"Yes my lord?"
"This devised plan will take much too long with only one skilled sorcerer. Offer your services to him and speed up the process. Mileena," he turns to her as her white orbs meet his. "You shall feign loyalty to him. Keep your eyes and ears on his plans and win back his trust. What we need is someone more on the inside, and you being his daughter—"
"False daughter! I refuse to submit to his servitude again! I seek vengeance against that pathetic emperor!" she objects, becoming tense.
Quan Chi peers at her, somewhat impressed she took such a tone with Shinnok.
"Oh, I am aware. Did you really believe I was assisting him out of the kindness in my heart? To allow him to rule Earth Realm himself?" he chuckles. "No my sweet, once he merges the two realms, we are taking Earth Realm and Outworld for ourselves. I shall even give you the pleasure of...finishing him," he concludes darkly, a grin still amongst his lips.
Mileena's orbs reach the ground in consideration. Yes, this is all she needs, though her trusting Shinnok does not seem to be the best decision either. However for now, she has no choice but to abide by his orders.
"I see, then I shall proceed onward with our plan," Mileena resolves.
"Excellent, you shall engage this mission now. You and Quan Chi shall keep me informed on the plan to quell Earth Realm," Shinnok states while levitating backwards to his throne chair, not breaking eye contact with Quan Chi and Mileena.
"Yes...my lord," Mileena replies, regretting it ever left her tongue.
She cannot deny that she is somewhat indebted to him, though once that debt is repaid, she shall use her strength to please her own purposes and only her purposes.
"Let us be on our way," Quan Chi says, holding his arm outward, working his sorcery.
He opens a medium portal, its emerald waves spinning at a slow pace. Without hesitation, Mileena follows Quan Chi through the portal, leaving a grinning Shinnok behind.