The dreadful silence in the air was broken by a scream. All around, there where rivers of blood and fire, from where pillars of brimstone emerged from. The wails of the tortured ocassionally cried out. In the middle of this hellish sceneario, Sub-Zero fell to the ground. He tried to crawl away, only to be draggen back, screaming, by his attacker. The Lin Kuei warrior raised himself to his knees, and, in a desperate attempt, begged for mercy. In front of him was the ninja he had been seeing so often: a pale man, with yellow stained clothes.

"How ironic... How ironic it is, that once, it was I who begged for mercy... And it was you who stared upon me with cold eyes, your heart as cold as the ice you manipulate..."-The figure said, with a hateful tone-"And now, our roles are reversed... But the situation will repeat itself. You did not show mercy... And neither will I!"
Sub-Zero saw the figure grab a kunai and lunge at him, and then his vision went black.
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-Sub-Zero's Room- ; Nightime
The Lin Kuei warrior had awaken from yet another nightmare, like he had done in the past few nights. His nightmares involving the yellow ninja had become more frequent, and more terrifying.
"Damn it..."-Sub-Zero cursed-"What is the meaning of these dreams?"
As he laid down on his bed once again, Sub-Zero tried to focus.
"I must complete my mission... I will not let myself be bothered by this..."
He then heard a gong play in the distance, and instintively new what it meant.
"It is time..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Courtyard- ; Morning
As Sub-Zero arrived at the courtyard, he saw Shang Tsung give yet another of his grand speechs. Trying his best not to think about his nightmare, the warrior took his place among the crowd. As Shang Tsung finished, Sub-Zero impatitently waited for the names of the next two warriors, and was shocked when they where finally spoken.
"Now, The Lin Kuei Sub-Zero will face Raiden, God of Thunder!" Shang Tsung announced.

As both warriors stepped into the arena, they both eyed each other.
"FIGHT!"

"So it has come to this, old friend..." Raiden sadly said.
"I've told you, I'm not your "friend"!"-Sub-Zero said coldly-"I have a mission to do here, and I will not rest until it is completed."
Both warriors ran at each other and threw a punch, their fists colliding.
"A mission? I'm interested. Tell me more!" Raiden asked.
"Do not get cocky, Raiden! I've beaten gods before and I can do it again..." Sub-Zero replied.
Raiden tried to punch Sub-Zero, but the chinese warrior caught the fist in his hand.
"Ah, yes! Your little adventure. I recall that caused quite a situation..." Raiden remembered.
"Like I said before, I was just earning my living!" Sub-Zero replied, getting annoyed at Raiden's comments.
As Raiden jumped back, Sub-Zero tried to roundhouse kick him, but the thunder god teleported behind him.
"You where also dooming the entire universe!" Raiden sarcastically reminded him.
"Well, after that, I DID journey into that horrible place to get your precious amulet back..." Sub-Zero reminded him, before triying to punch the thunder god.

Raiden ducked under the blow and blasted Sub-Zero away with a bolt of lightining, but the Lin Kuei warrior quickly got up and covered his feet in ice, sliding towards Raiden and knocking him down. As Raiden got up, Sub-Zero charged a blast of ice in his hand, freezing the thunder god, and then kneeing him in the chin, shatering the ice and seending him flying away. Raiden quickly did a mid-air recovery, and, as he landed, flew towards Sub-Zero with his arms and legs outstretched, pushing the Lin Kuei warrior through the air, before leeting go of him and jumping back.

"This match will sadly end in the dead of one of us. You have ignored my warning. If you die now, you know what will happen..." Raiden explained.
"I will not lose!" Sub-Zero said, getting up and rushing towards the thunder god.
Both warriors continously tried to attack each other, both blocking each others attacks, until Raiden hit Sub-Zero what a blast of lighting, sending the warrior stumbling back. As Sub-Zero recovered, the thunder god teleported behind him and elbowed him in the back, before teleporting again in front of him and delivering a powerful chop to Sub-Zero's head. Focusing lighting on one hand, Raiden then shot it towards Sub-Zero, blasting the warrior away. After a little difficulty getting up, Sub-Zero tried to regain his breath.
"You just don't give up, do you?" Raiden teased.
"Give up? I've faced beings more mighty than you!"-Sub-Zero said, rushing towards Raiden.

As the thunder god jumped over Sub-Zero, the Lin Kuei warrior extended his arms backwards, and, with a well timed ice blast, froze the thunder god just as he landed. Sub-Zero then hit Raiden with a backhand, breaking the ice. As the thunder god recovered, Sub-Zero gathered his power and formed an ice blade on his hand, slashing the thunder god across the face, and then repeating the slash. Raiden recovered, albeit with two cuts on his face, and kicked the chinese warrior with both feet, seending Sub-Zero stumbling back. As he recovered, he was hit with a kick to the face, before being grabbed. With a yell, Raiden charged electricity through his palms, eletrocuting the assassin. Sub-Zero, however, managed to regain his strenght, and, while being shocked, grabbed the thunder god with both hands and threw him across the arena with great strenght.
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Back in the audience, Johnny's sunglasses fell off.
"Holy fuck..." He muttered in awe.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raiden got up, and shotted a barrage of thunder bolts against Sub-Zero, who, with great skill, evaded all of them, and jumped towards the thunder god, hitting him with a jump kick. As Raiden stumbled back, he tried to hit Sub-Zero with a roundhouse, but the assassin caught his foot. Thinking quickly, Raiden used his other foot to jump and air roundhouse kick Sub-Zero in the face, making the Lin Kuei warrior let go of his foot and fall to the floor. Getting up, Sub-Zero backfliped away and prepared another ice blast, but Raiden leaped towards him and, just as Sub-Zero fired the blast, teleported behind him, before grabbing the chinese warrior and blasting him away, stunning him briefly. That brief moment, however, was all it took for Raiden to uppercutt him, sending him flying through the air.

As Sub-Zero got up, Raiden ran towards him, but Sub-Zero shot an ice blast towards the ground, making Raiden lose his balance and fall. As Raiden got up, he meet with a shoulder charge, followed by a punch to the stomach so powerful Raiden felt his ribs crack. To finish the combo, Sub-Zero headbutted the thunder god, sending him stumbling back.

As Raiden tried to recover from the powerful blow, Sub-Zero once again formed an ice sword and tried to slash at Raiden, but, thinking quickly, the thunder god punched the blade, shattering it, before grabbing Sub-Zero and flying to a great height with him. As Sub-Zero tried to free himself, Raiden start to plunge head first into the ground.

"How noble of a god, to kill a mortal..." Sub-Zero commented, as they quickly approached the ground.
"The image of a perfect, unsinful god is man-made, my friend. A flawed depiction created by mortals..." Raiden explained-"I am sorry..."
"Sorry for what...?" Sub-Zero sarcastically remaerked as he created a dense ball of ice in his hand.
"You have the talent of survival..." Raiden remarked before the ball of ice expanded, freezing him a mere two meters from the ground. As Sub-Zero freed himself, he fell to the ground with a loud "tump". Behind him, Raiden fell afterwards.
As Raiden got up, Sub-Zero did not. Luckily the Lin Kuei warrior had landed on his side. After much effort, Sub-Zero pushed himself up.
"Damn it..."-Sub-Zero complained.
"A fall that high can cause you injuries, you know..." Raiden commented.
"Yeah, well it did not work for me..." Sub-Zero said, still weak.
As Sub-Zero assumed his fighting stance once again, Raiden kicked him in the side of his face, following the kick with a punch, which Sub-Zero blocked. He could not block the knee to the gut, however, an attack which Raiden followed up with a punch and, lastly a knee to the side. After recovering from the series of blows, Sub-Zero hit Raiden with an elbow strike, before pulling the thunder god's arm and hitting him with a karate chop, which caused Raiden to drop to one knee. Raiden, however, used that stance to counter-attack and hit Sub-Zero with a punch to the gut, following by a knee to the chin. As the Lin Kuei warrior was sent flying though the air, Raiden grabbed his foot and slammed him into the ground.
Sub-Zero once again got up.
"Well, the thunder god is more of a challenge than the other four were..." Sub-Zero said.
"I'll take that as a compliment..." Raiden joked.
The thunder god kicked Sub-Zero in the side, and then followed up with a sweep, making Sub-Zero trip. The chinese warrior quickly got up and tried to kick Raiden, but the thunder god dodged to the side and blasted Sub-Zero, before teleporting and hitting him with a powerful elbow to the back.

"Can you still fight?" Raiden said, panting.
Sub-Zero said nothing, and tried to hit the thunder god with a backhand, but Raiden caught his fist and hit him with a knee to the back, before grabbing his arm and spinning him around, only to hit him with a punch directly in the face. Raiden then followed by jumping into the air and kicking upwards, hitting Sub-Zero in the chin and making him fall on his back. Before he landed, the thunder god then blasted Sub-Zero with lighting while in the air, slamming the Lin Kuei warrior into the ground.
To the surprise of Raiden, Sub-Zero managed to get up yet again. Not losing time the thunder god hit Sub-Zero with an air spin kick, followed by a kick to the gut. Managing to regain his balance, Sub-Zero tried to punch the thunder god again, but was hit instead by a punch. As Sub-Zero felt his vision go blurry, he fell to his knees.

Panting, Raiden spoke:
"Are you giving up...?"
"I cannot fight anymore..." Sub-Zero aknowledge-"You have won thunder god..."-Sub-Zero admitted-"Come close...-"
Raiden did as told, and dropped to one knee, his face nearly touching Sub-Zero's.
"My mission in this tournament... is to assassinate Shang Tsung..."-Sub-Zero explained-"Your words... your warning... You said my soul was tainted with evil... Years ago, I did as you asked and stopped a great evil... Now, I'm here to stop another. But I've failed... Kill me now. I would rather go to hell than be a helpless soul in that sorcerer's collection..."
"But..."Raiden tried to speak, but was interrupted.
"Do it! After I've done the deed, I was planning to retire, live a quiet and peaceful life. But we both know Mortal Kombat ends in death..." Sub-Zero sadly said-"It's like you said at the beginning of the fight... This battle would end in the death of one of us..."
"FINISH HIM!" Shang Tsung ordered.

"Very well..." Raiden said, and focused lighting into one hand. As he closed his eyes, he shot his hand forward.
There was a great flash, and after the light had faded, Sub-Zero was nowhere to be seen. There where only bits of ice who quickly melted.
Shang Tsung narrowed his eyes, before announcing:
"FATALITY!"

Raiden climbed down the stairs, a sad look in his face. At the middle of the stairs, he suddenly realized something. As he looked back at the water left in the arena from the pieces of ice, he smiled.
"You clever bastard..."

"Hehehe... Remember this?!"-Kano said, pulling out a knife-"It sure put a big smile on your partner's face... hehehe..."-Kano did a slicing gesture from one of his ears to the other, to further mock Sonya-"From ear... to ear!"
As Sonya growled, both warriors assumed their fighting stances.
"FIGHT!"
"HAHA!"-Kano laughed, while running towards Sonya-"Let's finish this quickly, shall we, babe?"
"Kano... I will make you pay!", Sonya vowed, while running towards Kano.
Both warriors ran at each other, before leaping into the air. Kano prepared to attack with a jump punch. Sonya, however, was quicker and hit Kano with a jump kick, sending the criminal crashing into the ground.
"You still got it!", Kano joked, as he got up. He did not have much time to recover, however, as one of Sonya's ring blasts came flying at him. The thug barely dodged them, making the energy rings hit the wall-"You sure don't waste time!"
Sonya tried to kick Kano, who parried the hit. Both warriors parried each other's strikes for a while, before Kano kicked Sonya in the chin, sending her stumbling back. Not wasting time, Kano hit the Special Forces agent with an uppercut, sending her flying through the air. As Sonya got up, Kano took a running start and leaped into the air while curled into a ball, hitting Sonya with all his body weight and making her fall once again. Instead of getting up, Sonya did a handstand which propelled herself forward, hitting Kano with a kick and sending him rolling along the floor. As Kano got up, he threw both his knifes at Sonya, who ducked under them.
"Not bad...", the thug said, rushing at Sonya again.
As Kano reached Sonya, the Special Forces agent ducked and tried to hit Kano with a sweep, but the thug dodged by jumping away. Sonya quickly followed with a jump kick, making Kano fall to the ground.
Kano quickly got up, only to be hit by a roundhouse kick that made him fall back, before being stomped in the gut.
As the Black Dragon member stood on the ground panting, Sonya spoke:
"You're finished!", preparing to strike Kano for the last time.
"That's wonderful! Unfortunately....", Kano said, before quickly grabbing Sonya's legs, making her fall to the floor. As Kano got up, he quickly ran to get his knifes, before stabbing Sonya in the shoulder as she was getting up.
"AAAH!", Sonya screamed.
Kano then stomped on her back, causing her to scream in pain one more time. Gathering all of her strenght, Sonya managed to kick Kano while being downed, and quickly got up soon after.
"You still gonna try and fight?", Kano mocked.
Sonya said nothing, she merely rushed towards the thug and tried to punch him, but her fist was caught by Kano.
"What? I was just toying with you! Now the real fight begins!", Kano said, before hitting Sonya with a backhand.
As Sonya recovered, she was hit by a powerful punch, followed by a kick, and finally, an uppercut.
Getting up once again, Sonya barely managed to block one of Kano's punches, before countering with a kick and a backhand, making the mercenary stumble back. As Sonya moved in for an uppercut, Kano headbutted her, making her throw her head back in pain. She was then punched in the gut, causing her to bend over, and be striked with another uppercut. After she fell to the floor, Kano crouched and grabbed her by the hair.

"Come on! You can do better than this!"-Kano mocked-"Remember? You where going to avenge your partner..."-He smiled-"The one who I put that big smile on!"
As Kano prepared to mock Sonya further, he was hit by a surprise backhand.
"Yes, I remember!", Sonya said, with fire burning in her eyes. She quickly rushed towards Kano, hitting the thug with a deadly combination of punches and kicks, before roundhousing him away. As Kano recovered, he was hit by a knee to the gut, followed by a series of more strikes.
Kano was then hit by one of Sonya's ring blasts, before being subjected to yet another furry of blows, this time, ending with a high kick.
"I like to see a strong woman!", Kano mocked.
"SEE THIS!", Sonya replied before punching Kano in the face.
As Kano stumbled back, he fell to the ground. Seeing as Kano was not getting up, Sonya turned to face Shang Tsung.

"It is done!"-Sonya said, eyeeing the sorcerer-"Now... release them!", she said, pointing at her team.
"You're fighting skills are admirable, unfortunately..."-Shang Tsung paused-"Your opponent is not quite dead yet..."
"Sonya! Look out!", one of her squad members shouted.
As Sonya turned around, she was hit by one of Kano's knifes in the stomach, making her fall down.

As she tried to get up, she saw the source of the projectile. Standing in front of her was Kano, bruised and battered.
"You actually gave me some trouble..."-Kano said, getting close to Sonya-"However..."-He crouched and grabbed Sonya's hair-You should know I don't play fair...!"-The thug said, punching Sonya in the face. The thug punched Sonya's face again. And then again. Kano kept punching Sonya's face until the Special Forces agent was nearly unconscious. As Sonya felt herself slip into unconsciouness, she heard Shang Tsung say two words.
"Kano... wins!"

Suddenly, Kano pulled Sonya's head up.
"You might wanna see this!", Kano said, gesturing towards the guards approaching her team. As the guards reached Sonya's squad's cell, they let them out, before viciously driving spears through their chests. As Shang Tsung absorbed all their souls, Sonya could do nothing but scream.
"Don't worry... You'll join them soon!", Kano said, while Shang Tsung prepared to give Sonya the same treatment.
As Shang Tsung approached, the sorcerer raised his hand, green energy flowing through it."Now, Miss Sonya Blade..."-The sorcerer said-"I would say our meeting has come to an unfortunate ending..."-As Shang Tsung prepared to start the process, he was hit by a bolt of electricty and knocked back.

"STOP!", a voice suddenly interfered. Standing at the entrance were Raiden, Liu Kang and Johnny Cage.
"Ha... mighty Raiden... what a pleasure to have you here!", Shang Tsung said as he got up.
"DAMN YOU!", Johnny yelled, shaking with rage-"You fucking prick!", Johnny insulted, rushing towards Shang Tsung. He was, however, stopped in his tracks when a hot liquid hit him, causing a large hole in his shirt and a minor burn on his stomach.
"You will not harm Shang Tsssssung!", a snake-like voice said, seemingly coming from nowhere.
"Who's there?!", Liu Kang asked. As the former monk looked up, he saw a strange outline of a human-like figure, the light slightly distorted inside the outline.
"I see you've brought your pet!", Raiden mocked.
Shang Tsung merely chuckled at the comment-"What do I own the honour that is your presence to?"
"Do not act naive, sorcerer!"-Raiden spoke loudly-"This was not a tournament match! You've violated the rules of Mortal Kombat!"
"The rules?!"-Shang Tsung half-asked, half-mocked-"This is MY tournament... I make the rules!"
"You forced an improtus tournament match upon her!", Liu Kang said, gesturing at Sonya.
"This tournament happens under MY domain!" Shang Tsung replied-"As I said, I make the rules..."
"You have corrupted this once sacred competition, sorcerer!" - Liu Kang said-"But I will not allow it to continue! I will retake this tournament!"
"You make a lot of promises!"-Shang Tsung paused, while concentrating energy in his hand-"But can you fulfill ALL of them?!", Shang Tsung mocked while thrusting his hand forward, a flaming fireball whose end took the shape of a skull coming out of it.
As Liu Kang dodged the fireball, Raiden flew towards Shang Tsung with his legs outstretched and his arms extended, shouting something that to normal humans sounded like gibberish, but to him, it was the language of the gods.
Shang Tsung quickly dodged the thunder god's attack, before shooting another fireball against him, which was countered with a bolt of electricity, causing both blasts to explode mid-air.

Meanwhile, Liu Kang and Johnny were busy fighting the seemingly invisible foe, until Liu Kang managed to hit him with a kick. The shape then briefly turned into a reptile-like creature, who quickly leaped towards the wall before turning invisible again. As Johnny shot one of his Shadow Bolts towards the now invisible creature, the reptile jumped before quickly shooting a fireball in mid-air, hitting Johnny. Instead of being knocked backwards, Johnny was strangely launched forward and towards the invisible foe, who followed up with a downward arc kick, knocking Johnny into the ground. The three warriors, however stopped fighting when Raiden's voice boomed through the chamber.

"ENOUGH!"-The thunder god yelled-"The fate of Earthrealm will be decided at the tournament! Not here!"
"Very well, Lord Raiden...", Shang Tsung agreed.

Shang Tsung and Kano then stepped aside for the warrior's to leave, with Johnny carrying an injured Sonya, bridal-style. As the warriors left, Johnny glared at Kano, who merely smirked in reply.
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-Johnny's room-
"Damn it!"
"Calm down, Johnny!", Liu Kang advised.
"That fucking metal-eyed prick..." - Ignoring Liu Kang's advice, Johnny continued insulting Kano-"How can this be allowed?!"
"As much as I hate to agree with Shang Tsung, it is, unfortunately, his tournament..."- Raiden explained -"He makes the rules..."
"Damn it...", Liu Kang cursed.
"The fate of Earthrealm will be decided soon...", Raiden concluded.
"Can't you use your "godness" to see into the future or something?! See who's gonna win?!", Johnny complained.
"No... the future is not set in stone, the future is merely a culmination of a series of events... These next battles will be important..."-Raiden paused-"Anyway... it is late, and, as far as I know, mortals need sleep..."
"I'll carry Sonya to her room...", Johnny offered.
And with that, one eventful day was over for the warriors, each going to their separate rooms and thinking about the upcoming battles

"AAAH!"
With another warrior dead and another soul devoured by Shang Tsung, another battle had finished. The warriors were a man and a woman, and, although the man fought long and hard, the woman ended up winning by outmatching him with her speed.
Liu Kang this time said nothing, as he knew that whatever he could say would not make a difference. He could only wish that in the end, he would be the one to deliver the killing blow to Shang Tsung, and free all those tortured souls. However, he quickly pushed that thought away as he was a warrior with honour, not a murderer.
As the woman stepped down the arena, Shang Tsung spoke again:
"Sonya Blade!", the sorcerer called.
"Good luck!", Johnny said.
"Yeah...", Liu Kang agreed.

As Sonya stepped into the arena, her opponent entered the battlefield from the other side. The warrior was dressed in green pants. He had green hair which he wore in a mohawk, and covered his face with a golden mask.

"Your opponent will be... Siang!"-Shang Tsung announced-"Now... FIGHT!"
Without wasting any time, Siang rushed towards Sonya, revealing a rather brute personallity. Surprised at her oponnent's rushed decision, Sonya did a cartwheel, hitting Siang and sending him stumbling back. As Siang tried to roundhouse kick Sonya, the Special Forces agent ducked, before doing a handstand and grabbing Siang by the torso with her legs. Sonya then slammed the warrior into the ground with her legs, before jumping away to gain a distance. As the mohawk warrior got up, Sonya reached to a device in her wrist, before she pointed her hand towards Siang and shot three rings made of a purplish energy.
As Siang was hit by the rings straight in the chest, Sonya moved in for what she thought would be the final blow, but was surprised when Siang recovered quickly and hit her with a backhand, sending Sonya flying, and then rolling, along the ground.
"YOU BITCH!"-Siang said, pointing to the burn marks on his chest-"Look at what you did to me!" As he rushed towards Sonya, he was hit by a surprise uppercut.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BITCH?!", Sonya replied, obviously angry. She then roundhoused Siang once again, sending him stumbling back once more. "Now, look here, you prick, when you insult someone, you better have the guts to take their backlash!", Sonya said, as she hit her opponent with a backhand.
------------
Back in the audience, Johnny and Liu were watching the fight.
"You gotta admire her! She has a great mind, and great fighting skills!", Johnny commented.
"It's not just her mind you're admiring.", Liu Kang joked as he shook his head with a smile.
"True...", Johnny casually agreed as if he wasn't caught perving on her.
------------
"FINISH HIM!", Shang Tsung called, as he saw Siang becoming dizzy.
"I'm sorry... I'll use my military training to make this as quickly and painless as possible...", Sonya said with a sad face, forgetting her previous rage.
Sonya then grabbed her opponent's neck with her legs, before snapping it in one quick move.
"Fatality...", Shang Tsung announced.
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As Sonya stepped down, she rejoined with Liu and Johnny, still feeling a little guilty about the murder she had just commited.
As Liu and Johnny moved closer to comfort her, she hushed them with her finger.
"Don't... there's always casualities in battle. It is inevitable, simply accept and move on.", Sonya said. Liu Kang and Johnny merely nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, Shang Tsung spoke again, his voice loud and clear.
"Kombatants!"-He spoke-"I would like to introduce you all to a very special warrior... I have personally invited him to compete in this tournament, so to have him here, is truly the greatest of honors! Now, meet... "-He raised his hand-"RAIDEN!"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning hit the arena, cracking the stone floor, as the dust cleared, the electricty began to take the form of a man.
"Holy crap! Now that's an entrance!", Johnny said, amazed by Raiden's introduction.
"Wait... it's that guy from before!", Sonya pointed out.
"Which guy?, Johnny asked.
"The thunder guy!", Sonya answered as she rolled her eyes.
"Huh?... you mean that crazy guy who called himself a god and electrocuted me?", Johnny spoke in confusion.
"What...?", Liu Kang asked, also confused.
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Raiden's opponent was a bald man dressed in a karate gi. The fighter looked visibly scared from the god's entrance, but quickly shook it off.
"FIGHT!"

The fighter quickly tried to punch Raiden, wanting to end the match as quickly as possible. The god, however, simply caught his fist in his hand, before teleporting behind his opponent. Quickly turning around, the bald warrior tried to backhand Raiden, who teleported again, this time, away from the warrior.
As the warrior jumped towards Raiden, he tried to jump kick him, but the god teleported yet again, and lightning shocked the warrior on the back.
"Come on! I though only Earth's best warriors got to be here!"
"HYA!", the warrior screamed as he tried to roundhouse kick Raiden.
The thunder god effortlessly blocked the strike, and hit his opponent with a powerful punch, sending him skidding across the arena. The punch was so powerful the warrior needed to put much effort into simply getting up.

Seeing as the warrior was severely outmatched and weakened, Shang Tsung spoke:
"FINISH HIM!"
"I'm sorry... but it's truly better this way...", Raiden spoke sadly, before he approached the warrior. The thunder god then grabbed the warrior's head and sended electricty through it, frying the warrior instantly.
"Behold! This tournament's very first...Flawless victory!!", Shang Tsung said, with a fake smile.
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Back in the crowd, the three warriors had watched the fight.
"What do you mean "thunder guy"?", Liu Kang asked.
"I dunno. He just approached me out of nowhere, and started talking about some place called Outworld!", Johnny answered.
"No... It can't be..."
"What can't be? Hey wait up!", Johnny protested as Liu Kang left them to pursue Raiden. "Wait... Sonya where are you?", Johnny said as he looked around, noticing Sonya had disappeared as well.
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-Beach-
"Come on, Jax! I've finally got some signal and it won't last long!"
"Look, I cannot find this island in any map or via satelite...", Sonya's superior answered via radio.
"I'm standing right on top of it, okay!", Sonya said, getting impatient.
"Fine, I can get a few men there in... a week maybe!", Jax replied.
"I can't wait that long! I'll try to free them myself then!", Sonya decided.
"What?! No... Sonya, wai----shhssvzvz...", Jax tried to say, before the signal was cut off.
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-Palace Gates-
After leaving the other two warriors, and after much running and turning, Liu Kang had seen Raiden teleport close by, and by walking some more, he found himself at the gates of Shang Tsung's palace, guarded by two of Shang Tsung's guards. A buddhist statue rested on the garden beside the main road.
"Halt!"-One of Shang Tsung's guards said, pointing his spear at Liu Kang-"No one is authorized to enter this area without special permission from Shang Tsung himself!"
"I wish no conflict!"-Liu Kang assured-"I simply came looking for the man that entered this palace!"
"What are you talking about?!", the other guard asked, confused.
"The man dressed in the Chinese straw hat!", Liu Kang explained.
"You are a delusional one, young warrior!"-the guard mocked-"Now, leave before I have to use lethal force!"
"No! You do not understand, I need to see him!", Liu Kang persisted.
"Very well... PREPARE YOURSELF!", one of the guards yelled, as he rushed towards Liu.

As the two guards attacked him with their spears, the former monk effortlessly blocked all of their strikes, before elbowing one of them in the stomach and kicking the other.
"Listen! I've seen enough violence and conflict since I arrived here!"-Liu Kang said-"I wish no harm to you! Please, I need to get in!"
"You talk too much!", one of the guards replied, attacking Liu Kang with his spear.
The Chinese warrior once again blocked the strike, before countering with a fireball that knocked the guard out. As the other guard prepared to attack, Liu Kang hit him with a cartwheel followed by an uppercut, knocking him out as well.

Breathing heavily, Liu Kang looked around, before he found the man he had followed looking at him.
"You're good!", Raiden said, upon witnessing the warrior's strenght.
Liu Kang stood quiet for a second, not sure how to react. After a while, he finally gathered courage to speak:
"You... I've heard legends about you!"-Liu Kang said, admiring the god-"Legends of a being who could manipulate thunder..."-Liu Kang said, still astonished-"Who stands guard for all eternity..."-Liu Kang still in wonder, continued-"Who makes thunder strike the earth at will and the heavens shake with it's voice..."-He looked at the man straight in the eyes-"A being who, throughout history, had many names, various origins, inumerous roles..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know the gig, I'm the god of thunder, so just call me whatever name your people gave me and let's move on...", Raiden said as he rubbed the back of his head, getting a little bit annoyed at the former monk's excessive speech.
"Why are you attending this tournament?", Liu Kang asked, curious as to why a god would be competing among mortals.
"I received a personal invite from Shang Tsung, so I took a mortal form to be able to compete.", Raiden explained calmly.
"But... why? Do you believe you have to save Earth Realm yourself? That we are not capable of protecting our own world?", Liu Kang asked.
"Nah... I'm just testing the other fighters here, as things are looking now.. I do have some faith in... some of them...", Raiden replied, rather vaguely.
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Nightime -Goro's Lair-
Sonya silently made her way through the dungeon, which was made of grey stone with various arc shaped entrances to other parts. Yellow eyes sometimes would look at her from the darker spots of the dungeon, and Sonya grew nervous. After much sneaking, she finally found herself in the room in which her team was held captive. Signaling for them to stay quiet, she approached the bars and spoke in a low tone:
"Don't worry! I'll get you out of there!"
"Oh, is that so?", a voice suddenly shouted from behind her.
As she looked towards the voice, she saw Shang Tsung. Standing with the sorcerer was Sonya's bitter enemy, Kano.
"You will face... KANO!"
"Hehehe... Remeber this?!"-Kano said, pulling out a knife-"It sure put a big smile on your partner's face... hehehe..."-Kano did a slicing gestured from one of his ears to the other, to further mock Sonya-"From ear... to ear!"
As Sonya growled, both warriors assumed their fighting stances.
"FIGHT!"

Sub-Zero found himself running through a dark void, everything around him pitch black. The only thing he knew was that he was being chased, but by what or by who, he did not know. Suddenly he slipped and fell on a dark floor. Before he could get up to continue his escape from the mysterious force, a hole on the floor opened beneath him.

The Lin Kuei warrior screamed as he was dragged down the hole by giant skeleton hands. The hands then released him and let him fall down. Sub-Zero closed his eyes and prepared for what he thought would be the last fall of his life, but instead of hitting the hard ground, he fell harmlessly on something cold.
Looking down at the object that had stopped his fall, his face contorted in horror when he realised it was a corpse. Looking around, he saw nothing but thousands of dead bodies, all scattered across the ground. Suddenly, he felt something move under him. Horror overtook him once again as he saw the corpse he was atop of shake, before twisting it's neck a hundred and eight degrees and staring at Sub-Zero with cold dead eyes.
"You have doomed us all!", the body screamed.
Suddenly all of the bodies rose.
"Doomed us!", they all continously chanted.
Finally, Sub-Zero gathered enough courage to speak but was rudely interrupted by a cadaver whose skin was rotten, with bits of exposed bone on his face. Doing his best not to puke, Sub-Zero listened to what the undead being had to say.
"Hush! You have doomed us all to an eternity in this place... hehehe... but you will be punished for your sins, fool!"
Soon after these words had been spoken, all of the corpses slowly started walking towards Sub-Zero.
"Let's us feast!", the corpse with rotten skin yelled. All of the corpses roared in approval before lunging at Sub-Zero, who was shocked with fear. Knowing that screaming would be useless, the Chinese warrior closed his eyes and awaited for the pain that never came. He instead found himself on yet another dark void, but this time, he was not alone. The same yellow ninja from the boat was in front of him. As Sub-Zero finally got a good look at him, he could see his clothes where actually black, but had been stained with some sort of yellow liquid. The ninja's glowing white pupiless eyes seemed to stare past Sub-Zero's face and into his soul. As Sub-Zero tried to speak, he was once again interrupted.
"Do not say a word, Lin Kuei! I know of your crimes, of your sins, of your victims! I have judged you! And you are considered guilty! Now, you will suffer for all eternity the same way I did... I sentence you... to HELL!"
Thousands of skeletons rose from the ground and grabbed Sub-Zero, who could do nothing but scream in horror as he was dragged to the fiery pit that had opened under him.
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Back in his bed, Sub-Zero eyes snapped open as he suddenly sat up on his bed, a cold bead of sweat running down his face.
The rooms provided by Shang Tsung where quite comfortable and luxurious, with various pieces of expensive furniture and a big bed with red sheets in the middle. However, Sub-Zero took no time to admire the beauty of the room and rushed to the balcony, having been very stressed from the nightmare. As his maskless face was illuminated by moonlight, he looked around.
"Cao (fuck)..."-He cursed in Chinese, his mother tongue-"What the hell was that about? It felt so real...", he wondered out loud.
Seeing as the sun had not risen yet, he decided to forget about his dream and go back to sleep. His night however, was a restless one.
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Morning -The Courtyard-
"Fellow warriors, please give a warm welcome, because it may very well be his last, for Johnny Cage!", Shang Tsung suddenly called.
"It sounds like it's your turn...", Sonya said with a bitter smile as Liu Kang stepped down after having just fought.
"Yeah...", Johnny said without his usual confidence as he left.

Not long after Johnny had stepped into the arena, a warrior dressed in a white gi climbed up the stairs.

"FIGHT!", Shang Tsung ordered for the second time that day.

As usual, both warriors assumed their fighting stances, both getting a good look at each other, before Johnny rushed towards his opponent with a powerfull punch, which the other warrior blocked. Cage, however, was quick and hit him with an elbow to the stomach, followed by an uppercut, which made the warrior fall to the floor. Quickly getting up, the movie star's oponnent hit him with a high kick, making the actor stumble back a bit. Trying to follow up with a jump punch, the warrior was surprised when Cage roundhouse kicked him, sending him flying trough the air. As the warrior got up, he saw Cage preparing an attack.
"Shadow Bolt!", Johnny yelled as he concentrated green energy in his hand, before shooting a bolt of energy at high speeds towards his oponnent. The warrior was hit straight in the chest, but, to the surprise of every espectator, was able to get up. As the warrior rushed towards Johnny, the latter did a back flip, hitting the former in the chin and finally knocking him to the ground.

Just as Johnny feared, the warrior did not get up, and Shang Tsung spoke the words Johnny dreaded so much:

"FINISH HIM!"

As the defeated warrior slowly got up, he gathered all his strenght to say two words:
"No... please..."
Johnny closed his eyes shut, a million thoughts racing through his mind. Will killing this warrior make him a murderer? Would he he be saving a soul, or taking a life? Would he be stopping Shang Tsung, or killing an innocent? Is taking a life ever justifiable?
"Very well... I guess my collection could use another soul...", Shang Tsung said, sinisterly.

As Shang Tsung's guards moved in for the kill, Johnny's hand glowed with green energy.
"I'm sorry...", Johnny whispered before he quickly ran towards his opponent and knocked his head off in one fast an final uppercut. As the warrior's head fell to the floor, Johnny looked shocked at his own bloody hand. Johnny Cage, of all people, was at a loss of words.
"Fatality...", Shang Tsung said with a content evil smile, his expression clearly saying he enjoyed seeing Johnny's distress.
Breathing heavily, Johnny left the arena speechless.
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As Johnny stepped down, Liu Kang and Sonya were waiting for him.
"You did the right thing... he would have died anyway...", Sonya tried to confort him.
"Indeed... You saved his soul.", Liu Kang confirmed.
"Saved? SAVED?! I... I kill-killed him! I killed a human being!", Johnny protested.
"Had you not done it, he would not have found rest in death."-Liu Kang replied-"He would have become yet another restless soul that would forever contribute unwillingly to Shang Tsung's dark power..."
"Fuck... Why didn't I listen to Chuck?"-Johnny said, remembering his agent's words-"I shouldn't have come here!"
"Only Earth's best warriors get to be here..."-Liu Kang added  to comfort his new friend-"To compete in Mortal Kombat is an honor, but yet, it is also a burden..."

"KANO!"-Shang Tsung suddenly called-"Please step into the arena!"
Upon hearing the name Kano, Sonya's eyes looked towards the arena, forgetting about everything else. Climbing up the stairs was an australian man dressed in a white gi with black hair and beard and an utility belt strapped diagonally on his chest. On the right side of his face, he had a metal plate with a glowing red light for an eye.
"So that's Kano...", Liu Kang concluded.
"Yes..."-Sonya replied-"A Mercenary, Thug, Extortionist Thief - Kano lives a life of crime and injustice. He is a devoted member of the Black Dragon, a dangerous group of Cut-Throat Madmen feared and respected throughout all of crime's Inner Circles."-She finished.
"I see...", Liu Kang replied.
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"You will face... Art Lean!", Shang Tsung called.

In front of Kano was a black warrior with a shaved head dressed in a grey gi.
"He doesn't look so tough... maybe he should have brought the rest of his tribe, hehehehe", Kano mocked.
Unfased by the racist comment, Art Lean assumed his fighting stance.

"FIGHT!"

Not wasting any time, Kano took out two knives and rushed at his opponent. Surprised, the warrior ducked under the first slash, but got hit by the second one. Stumbling back with a cut on his face, Art Lean tried to punch the criminal, only to be met with failure and a knee to the stomach. Uppercutting his oponnent with one of his knives, Art Lean's blood splattered on Kano.

Art Lean quickly got up and backflipped, hitting Kano in the chin, which made the thug stumble back. The African warrior then punched Kano in the gut, before hitting him in the face with a backhand. Kano, however, quickly acted, and headbutted his opponent in the face, causing the warrior to stumble back and lose balance. As the bald warrior desperatly tried to balance himself, Kano threw his two knives at him, fatally wounding the warrior, who somehow managed to stay on his feet, allbeit barely.

"FINISH HIM!", Shang Tsung shouted.
"Gladly!", Kano answered with a grim. The Black Dragon thug then thrusted his hand towards the other warrior's chest. Kano's arm went right through the warrior, his hand coming out the other side.
"Well, it seems that like the popular saying, you do not come back if you go black", the evil criminal said as he laughed with a devilish smile, enjoying the look of dread that formed on his opponent's face as the latter had realised he had drawn his last breath in life.
Much to Art Lean's horror, the last thing he saw before he fell to the floor was his still beating heart in Kano's bloody hand.
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Oblivious to the battle below and the ruthless killing that occured in them causing shocked faces to be spread all among the audience, a mysterious figure stood crouched on a tree branch high above the warriors. His gaze was focused on the Lin Kuei warrior below.
"I have found you..."-the figure muttered- "And I will not rest... until I have my revenge!"-The mysterious warrior finished his vow in a high tone.