Tired Kayla

lol idk

The mood as of late

Tumblr really just shadowbanned me-

Okay, my most recent post of my fanfic (So Gods Do Exist) is up there now (part 4) but I had to erase literally all of the tags I was using-

I’m honestly just posting this to see if anybody can use the “mk oc” or the “Mortal Kombat x oc” tags to see if part 3 of the story is up to. That’s the one I didn’t change just because I didn’t feel like it so…yeah. Can someone check please :/

pirateween

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUNDAM!

Rui's new invention

So Gods Do Exist… (Mortal Kombat x OC) ((Kinda))

Part 4

Kenshi was sitting in a cell. Shang Tsung had thrown all of them into his actual laboratory that just felt like a literal torture dungeon. There was blood and guts everywhere, and some people hanging on shit. Most of those people looked alive just…disfigured.

Baraka, who was also thrown into the cell with them, was banging on the bars trying to force his way out.

“You’ve been at that for hours.” Kenshi noticed, leaning against the wall.

“If you could see, you’d know why.” Baraka says.

“That’s not happening, is it?”

“I’m sorry Kenshi…” Lemon apologized, leaning her head on the man’s arm. “I shouldn’t have walked away.”

“It’s fine. You didn’t know.” Kenshi replies. “Why don’t you two talk about your lives before you got here? To help me get my mind off this.”

“Really? I don’t think either of our lives are happy ones.” Lemon mutters.

“It’s just…something to listen to.”

“I was doing well, trading goods up and down the Fartakh coast. My family was comfortable, happy.” Baraka tells. “Then Tarkat came. It took my wife, then my children. Cruelly it lets me live for now. I think it enjoys ravaging my body more slowly.”

“What about you, Lemon?”

Lemon sighs and moves to lean her head on the wall behind her. “I’ve been an orphan all my life. One of the caretakers told me they found me in the middle of the street, crying. And when they picked me up I had a small note on my back that said “Cheri.” So that’s my name I guess. Nobody could figure out who I belonged to or where I came from. I just kinda appeared.” She explained with a shrug. “That’s it. Nothing much.”

“What about your last name?”

“Fake. I don’t have an actual last name.”

Johnny slowly woke up with a groan, holding his head as he sat up. “Ugh…this hangover…” he then looks over at Kenshi and remembers all the shut he just went through. “Kenshi! Goddamnit. How bad’s the pain?”

“Excruciating.”

“You saved my life. I won’t forget that.”

“But you may just regret it.” Baraka chimed in, motioning to what was beyond their cell.

“What in the…” Johnny mutters, standing up.

“Yeah, it’s weird as hell!” Lemon exclaims, covering her ears. “All I’ve been hearing is screams and moaning for the past 3 hours!”

“This is Shang Tsung’s real laboratory.” Baraka explained as Kung Lao started to wake up.

“We’re beneath where we were before.” Kenshi added. “That was a false front.”

“Reminds me of this cheap-ass film I did in my early days: The Flash Pits.” Johnny remembered. “God, that was trash.”

Kung Lao had woken up from all the noise the others were making and once he remembered what happened he immediately reached for his hat, only to touch the top of his head. “They took my hat!” Kung Lao exclaimed.

“Yeah, my rollerblades as well.” Lemon adds looking down at the socks on her feet. “All our shit is gone.”

The door far away from them swings open and a guy dressed in green and black walks in.

“Who’s that?” Johnny asks.

“Our jailor.” Baraka answers. The green and black guy walks past them and to one of the other prisoners. He then tosses a piece of raw meat into the cell for the prisoner to eat.

He then turns back to the group and walks over to them. “How is he?” He asks, motioning to Kenshi.

“His eyes are gouged out. Guess.” Johnny replied, sarcastically.

“This will dull the pain.” The man informs, handing Johnny a red and black jar. Johnny looks at him suspiciously before walking over to Kenshi.

“You’re vile to be part of this.” Baraka says to the man.

“You are Shang Tsung’s prisoner…I am his slave. He has my family. He’ll kill them if I don’t obey.”

“Kinda hard to feel bad for you when we’re most likely going to be tortured to death.” Lemon chimes in, standing up and glaring at the man. She then stepped in something wet and yelped, looking down at her wet sock. “And I have to walk around in this weird liquid shit!”

“Why did he pick you?” Baraka asked.

“So he could learn how I shapeshift.” The man said.

“He learned that from you?” Kung Lao repeated. “We saw him do that. It was unreal.”

“So how does it work?” Johnny inquired, walking back to the others. “You just shapeshift into anything you want?”

“I can shit only between this form and my natural form.” The man turns into a gigantic lizard right in front of their eyes.

“Whoa.”

“Your Zaterran.” Baraka confirmed. “Your race can shapeshift!?”

“None can except me.”

Shang Tsung appeared behind the man who turned back into his human form. “Are they ready? It’s time.”

“There’s our potential villain!” Lemon exclaimed with fake enthusiasm.

“Time for what, sorcerer?” Baraka demanded.

“Replication experiments.” Shang Tsung answered. “They begin with your vivisection. I’ll use your harvested parts to build new creations. The process is fatal, of course.”

“Liu Kang won’t let you get away with this.” Johnny states.

Shang Tsung chuckles. “That presumes he will ever learn what happened. But when I am done, there will be no trace left of you. I shall return soon to check progress. I have other matters to which I must attend.” He disappears and the stranger/man/lizard/guy walks towards another cell.

“You don’t have to do this!” Baraka tries to reason.

“It’s either you or my family.” He opens the gate to a cell full of copies of Tarkatan creatures. “Put them in the chambers.”

The Earthrealmer’s (+Baraka’s) cell opens, leaving them vulnerable to the monsters. Johnny swings on the bars of the cell and kicks one of the monsters before punching it in the face, knocking it out.

Lemon, who was not as physically strong as any of these people, looked around for some type of weapon and found two knuckle brasses with claws at the end, she smiles to herself as she puts them on and immediately starts slicing the copies.

Baraka and Kung Lao were fighting back quite easily, but Kenshi and Johnny got captured and each thrown into a chamber.

Kung Lao was able to find his hat through all the madness and sliced a few clones head’s off.

“You’re really good with those knuckle things.” Kung Lao noticed as he, Lemon and Baraka were all back to back.

“Kinda using them as boxing gloves…” Lemon mutters, running away from the two and continuing to slice and punch the Tarkatan clones. She even cut one of its heads clean off, making her extremely happy. “Yeah, I’m stealing these!”

They had finally defeated all the monsters except for one. Lemon had sliced off its legs but then forgot to finish it off, so now it’s just crawling…

“There is nothing more foul…” Baraka muttered, watching it.

Johnny and Kensni’s chambers started to turn on, conducting electricity onto the bars.

Lemon and Baraka turned back to see who turned the chambers on and spotted the green and black man next to a lever.

“Do you want me to fight him?” Lemon asked.

“We have bigger things to deal with.” Kung Lao denied, motioning to something in front of them. It was a much bigger Tarkatan clone that stomped on the smaller clone's head and roared at the group.

“Are you kidding me…” Lemon grumbled.

They took care of it quickly with Baraka slicing the thing’s head off.

“Enough distractions!” He shouts, running over to Johnny and Kenshi’s chambers, ripping the bars off of both of them. Kung Kao and Johnny helped Kenshi walk out of his.

“I’m ruined!” The green and black guy exclaimed. “Shang Tsung's will punish me for this by torturing my family! You’ll pay for their suffering, Tarkatan!”

As Baraka and the green/black guy were fighting, Lemon looked around for her rollerblades, eventually finding them under a table, putting them on and rolling back over to the group, just in time to jump up on the stranger and wrap her legs around the man’s neck before throwing him onto the ground.

“I found my rollerblades!” She announces to the group before accidentally falling off the stranger as he turns into his lizard form. “Okay, forgot he could do that…”

Baraka quickly knocks the stranger to the ground before he can try to bite the woman. “We are leaving.” Baraka states, helping Lemon back on her feet.

The stranger throws his mask off and looks up at Baraka in sadness and fear. “Then kill me.” He demands. “If I die, maybe he’ll spare my family.”

“No. I won’t murder you.”

“It’s mercy, not murder! Not that what I’ve done deserves yours.”

“You were protecting your family, I would’ve done the same.”

The stranger stands up and suddenly, Shang Tsung appears once again, shocked by the sight in front of him. “What has happened here?” He questions in anger. “Syzoth, you fool! You’ve let them ruin everything!”

Johnny quickly gets Sento from a random table and runs to stand in front of Shang Tsung. 

“We’re going, sorcerer.” Baraka says.

“And we’re taking you with us.” Johnny adds. “Liu Kang would like a word.”

“I cannot be apprehended so easily…” Shang Tsung mutters before chanting a spell and spraying green fog into the room.

“Yeah, I got a bad feeling about this…”

“Is this poison gas?” Lemon questions, covering her mouth.

“I bid you all farewell.” Shang Tsung says before directing his attention to Syzoth. “Cheer up, Syzoth. I’m reuniting you with your family.”

“They’re dead!?” Syzoth exclaimed. “You killed them!?”

“Many moons ago. I do hate loose ends.”

He then disappears, leaving the group to deal with the gas on their own. Syzoth runs to the exit door, trying to open it.

“What’s wrong?” Kung Lao asks.

“The door must’ve sealed when the gas was released!” Syzoth guessed.

At this point everyone was having a coughing fit, with only poison gas going into their lungs.

“Stand aside.” Baraka demands, walking towards the door. He banged on the door multiple times before it finally broke open, letting out all the gas and giving the group a way to escape. “Hurry!”

“Follow me! This way!” Syzoth announced. Johnny and Kung Lao were holding up Kenshi while the other three walked in the front.

“Leave me.” Kenshi says. “I’ll just slow you down.”

“What?” Johnny gasps. “If Shang Tsung finds you, he’ll kill you.”

“Look at me, Cage! I’m useless. Don’t risk your lives to save mine.”

“Hey, you are not giving up. The Taira need you, remember? We are gonna get back home and figure out how to help you. Got it?”

They were outside the laboratory and walking back to Sun Do.

“We can’t linger. We’ll be captured.” Syzoth warned.

“We need help getting Kenshi to the portal at Sun Do.” Kung Lao says.

“I can take you only to the city’s gates.” Baraka suggests. “Tarkatans are forbidden inside.”

“I’ll see you the rest of the way.” Syzoth added. “It’s the least I can do to make amends.”

They were walking for quite a bit, and to pass the time, Lemon rolled next to Syzoth and started to basically interrogate the poor man.

“So…Syzoth…that’s your name right…?” She started. “Do you know how you got the powers to shapeshift?”

“No.”

“Would you only date another Zaterran or are you open to other possibilities?”

“I do not care.”

“Are you into guys?”

“Never truly found myself attracted to them.”

“How’d Potential Villain find you?”

“Finally a normal question.” Kung Lao huffed, earning a glare from Lemon.

“Since I was able to turn into a human, I was forced to leave my people due to them seeing me as nothing but a freak. Starving and beggared, I joined a traveling carnival. Turned out there are many who would pay good money to see my…”gift.””

“Doesn’t that sound similar?” Johnny questions sarcastically, placing his hand on Lemon’s head and laughing a bit when said woman pushed his hand off.

“Back then, Shang Tsung was a huckster. We crossed paths and he saw what I could do. When he began to learn real sorcery, he asked to study me. When I declined, he took my family hostage.”

“Isn’t that an offer you can’t refuse?”

As they continued to walk, Johnny was looking around the forest, seeing how big and colorful it was. “Man this forest reminds me of Wicked Plant. We had this forest in the second act—“

“The manticore battle?” Kenshi guessed.

“Yes! It was a pain to shoot, but man did it come out epic.”

“I can picture it exactly.”

This is the Living Forest.” Baraka announced.

“Aren’t all forests living, Baraka?” Kung Lao inquired.

“No others have trees that house the souls of the dead.”

“What!?” Lemon shouted.

“Whoa, wait a tick. We’re talking ghosts!?” Johnny exclaimed

“Good ones, not evil.” Baraka reassured.

“You guys know anybody here?”

“Some distant relatives.”

“You will find no Zaterrans.” Syzoth informed.

“Why not?” Kenshi asks.

“Warmbloods don’t welcome us. so we keep to ourselves, living underground in Zikandur province.”

A roar was heard a few feet away, causing Syzoth and Baraka to sprint into action and run towards whatever the noise was coming from. Lemon reacted a bit late and looked at the three men behind her with a shrug before following the other two.

There was an opening in the forest where a woman was fighting multiple other creatures that looked similar to Baraka. She then notices Baraka and Syzoth. “Quan Chi sends more demons!?” She exclaims.

“Wait! We’re not–” Baraka tried to explain, but the woman kicked Syzoth in the chest and started to fight Baraka. 

“With each of you I kill, my absolution grows nearer.”

This woman was ruthless and strong when it came to fighting and it caused Baraka and Syzoth to get some scratches by the woman’s sword but thankfully, Lemon finally caught up to the group in the middle of the fight and confused the woman.

“A human?” She questions. “Then what are you two?”

“He’s Zaterran.” Baraka answered, pointing to Syzoth. “I am Edenian. Or I was before my Tarkat affliction.”

“Outworlders!? Apologizes. I’m glad I’ve caused neither of you permanent injury.”

Kenshi, Johnny and Kung Lao came out right after with Kenshi sniffing some of the dead bodies around them. “What is that?” He asked.

“Just keep swimming.” Johnny dismissed, noticing the stranger in front of them. “So. Who’s our femme fatale?”

“I am Ashrah.” The woman informed. “Demon of the Netherrealm.”

“Demon? You look human…mostly. And what’s a Netherrealm?”

“The monks covered that with us. Did you sleep through every lesson?” Kenshi questioned.

“That one apparently.”

“Netherralm’s hell, but real.” Kung Lao answered.

“No shit…”

“I appear nearly human because I’ve purged most evil from my soul.” Ashrah explained. “When I’m done, the last vestiges of my demonic form will fade away.”

“Why were the demons after you?” Kung Lao asks.

“They were sent by Quan Chi. My former master. I was part of his Sisterhood of Shadow. He wanted…still wants…dominion over the realms. I renounced him when I realized that I could not help him defile them.”

“And now he wants you dead.” Syzoth finished.

“Precisely. I followed Quan Chi from the Netherrealm, here. He’s building devices that steal souls on a mass scale. He’s testing the first on the dead that reside in the forest.”

“Why steal souls, Ashrah?” Baraka asks.

“To harness their power. To what end, I don’t know. But I do know that it’s to aid the designs of another sorcerer…Shang Tsung.”

“Why is this man everywhere!?” Lemon exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “And nobody knows what the end goal for these two are. Isn’t that great…”

“So you’re sure Quan Chi is here?” Kenshi asked Ashrah.”

“I’m sure of it. My kriss senses him.” Ashrah answers, holding up her sword. “He’s nearby.”

Kenshi starts to walk forward but Johnny quickly cuts him off. “Nope, no. We’re getting you home.” He states.

“We have a job to do, Quan Chi could lead us to Shang Tsung.” Kenshi argues.

“But shouldn’t we be focused on getting you to safety?” Lemon questions.

“Your Liu Kang is right.” Baraka chimes in. “Shang Tsung’s a danger that must be dealt with. I will aid you.”

“As will I.” Syzoth agrees.

Johnny sighs. “I guess the ayes have it. Motion carries. Ashrah…lead the way.”

“This has been a long fucking day.” Lemon huffs.

So now instead of walking to Sun Do, they were following behind Ashrah who used her kriss as a guide to Quan Chi.

“Quan Chi is close.” Ashrah warns, looking at her glowing sword. “The emanations of his evil grow stronger.”

“That is a powerful weapon.” Baraka noticed.

“And my perfect ally. As I smite the evil it finds, I am further purified.”

“Now I’ve done steps, so I’m all for self-help.” Johnny chimed in. “But since when does a demoness want to be less evil?”

“I had spent eternity damned to the Netherrealm. I had assumed that’s all there was to existence. But then I saw Earthrealm, saw Outworld. Saw there was a better way to live. And to have it, I needed to cleanse my soul. My sister demons were furious at my change of heart. Kia and Jataaka were the first to hunt me.”

“Quan Chi is also a demon?” Syzoth questioned.

“Actually, he’s an Outworlder. But he mastered the dark magic needed for unfettered travel to my realm.”

“So then how did they meet?” Lemon asks before yelping at the sound of a bug near her ear and swatting the thing away. Syzoth quickly caught the thing with his mouth and started eating, not noticing the pure disgusted looks Lemon and Johnny were giving him. “I could’ve gone my whole life without seeing that…” Lemon grumbled.

“Quan Chi and Shang Tsung met due to a certain woman. I have not met this woman, but I am to assume that she’s behind all of this.” She lifts up her sword once more, notching It reacting to Quan Chi’s evil. “He is near.”

They walk to another opening in the forest. This time with multiple people and some sort of spell caster thing with green magic floating around it. There was also someone chanting something most likely controlling the green magic.

“Uh, which one is Quan Chi?” Lemon asked.

“The one who’s creating the soul stealer.” Ashrah answered.

“That’s what that is?”

“Well this plot just got thicker.” Johnny commented.

Ashrah turned to the rest of the group and announced that, “Earthrealm is in grave danger. Just one soul stealer can kill hundreds of thousands. If he unleashes a battery of them—“

“Millions will die.” Baraka finished.

“He must be stopped.” Kung Lao states.

“I will deal with Quan Chi.” Ashrah says, leading the way. “The five of you subdue the others.”

“Whoa there, big fella.” Johnny interrupts Kenshi who was about to follow the rest of the group. “This stop’s where you get off.”

“You heard her!” Kenshi argued. “Millions could die!”

“Which is why we don’t want you tripping us up out there. Now.” Johnny sighs. “Give me your sword.”

“Why?”

“Just give it.”

Kenshi hesitantly gives Johnny his sword. He takes the sword…and hands Sento over to Kenshi who took a second to realize.

“What!?” He breathed. “Johnny I can’t, not where you’re–”

“You saved my life.” Johnny interrupted, putting a hand on Kenshi’s arm. “It’s yours.” He then pats him on the shoulder before following the rest of the group, leaving Kenshi to his own thoughts.

The group runs towards Quan Chi and the soul stealer, alarming a vampire woman who warned Quan Chi.

“Yet again you evade capture, Ashrah.” Quan Chi states. “And now it appears you’ve found allies.”

“We are joined against you, sorcerer. You won’t be stealing any souls!” Ashrah shouts.

The vampire woman goes to attack Ashrah, signaling all the others to start fighting as well. Everyone, excluding Ashrah and Lemon had their own 1v1’s to deal with.

Lemon and Ashrah were honestly double teaming the shit out of the vampire woman, both trying to slice the woman with their weapons. Ashrah at some point cuts the vampire woman’s arm, making the woman groan in pain and back away. “That blade’s enchanted!” She claims.

“It was forged to destroy evil. It’s slain many of your vampire kind.” Ashrah says.

“We can’t help what we are. That we feed on blood doesn’t make us evil.”

Ashrah and Lemon quickly knock the woman out with their weapons. “I am one step closer to redemption…” Ashrah smiles before turning her head to Quan Chi once she hears him chanting magic and activating the soul stealer. A green tornado formed into the sky and souls from the trees started to fly around and into it. Everybody stops their fighting to stare at it.

“My god. It’s a…” Johnny trails off. “Soulnado!”

Once all the souls went inside the green tornado, Quan Chi started chanting once again and a person came out of the tornado, sucking all the green magic intro itself.

“What dark magic is this!?” Ashrah demanded.

“We are Ermac.” The being introduced. “A collection of souls, bound by Quan Chi’s magic. We live to obey his commands.”

Quan Chi points to the group. “Kill them.” He orders.

Ermac immediately blasts green magic at Johnny, Lemon, Kung Lao and Ashrah, sending them crashing either onto the ground…or onto a couple of trees and sticks. They then lift Baraka up with their magic and slam him into the ground.

Syzoth sneaks up from behind them, turns into his reptile form and pounces on the being. Ermac flips him over and blasts him away before quickly stopping Ashrah who was once again running towards them, moving her closer and punching her in the face. They then throw her over their shoulder and leave her to fight against two other strangers.

“Quan Chi must succeed if I’m to liberate Orderrealm. I’ll not let him fail!” One of the men said.

“Killing one realm to free another is a heinous proposition!” Ashrah disagrees. “One I won’t let you fulfill.”

Ashrah quickly takes care of the men and Quan Chi before throwing her sword at Ermac. The being catches it, prompting Ashrah to snatch it out of their grasp and start trying to cut and stab the man.

The rest of the group got up at some point and tried to help her fight but they were quickly overpowered by Ermac’s magic.

“I can’t let them die.” Kenshi says, picking up his sword and running towards Ermac.

Who easily blasts him away.

Kenshi dropped his sword in the process, frantically feeling around the ground to see where it was. Without it, his friends would most likely die right here and now.

“Kenshi Takahashi…”

“What?” Kenshi muttered. “Who is that?”

“Your ancestors. Come to us…”

He slowly crawls over to his sword and picks it up, still hearing his ancestors whispers and moans from the blade.

“In this, your time of need, the Taira will not fail you.”

Kenshi’s eyes glow white under his bandana and suddenly he is gifted with sight. Not perfect sight, but enough to see the ground and Ermac who was dashing towards him. 

Kenshi readies his sword and goes to fight the being. He stabs them in the chest, his sword sucking some of the souls out of Ermac.

Ermac shouts in pain before blasting Kenshi away and blasting more green magic at him. Sento has a mind of its own and starts shielding its owner by itself before handing itself back to Kenshi, who looks at it in surprise.

“It siphoned his souls.” He realized. “It now has his power!”

Ashrah stood next to him. “That was unexpected.”

“You’re telling me. Shall we finish this?”

“Let’s.” She then turns to Ermac. “This fight’s not over. I’ll defeat all of Quan Chi’s minions.”

“We are many. You are one.” Ermac states. “We will destroy you.”

Ashrah and Kenshi kick them to the ground after a few minutes of fighting. The being starts crawling on the ground, trying to get back up. “We are many…You are one…” They repeat with their voice changing every second. “We will destroy you…”

“What’s wrong with them?” Kenshi asked.

“Kombat must have weakened the magic that binds its souls together.” Ashrah guessed.

“Sindel!!! I will find you!!!” Ermac shouted before passing out.

“What was that?” Kenshi asked again.

“Watch him.” Ashrah orders, walking over to the soul stealer. “I’ll shut down the soul stealer.” She stabs her sword into the crystal that keeps the magic running.

“Ashrah, don’t!” Quan Chi shouts.

Ashrah fully slices the crystal in half, sending the souls out into a gigantic blast. One of the souls dashed towards Quan Chi and sucked most of the soul out of him, turning him white and causing him to pass out.

Ashrah walks over to Quan Chi, tightening the grip on her sword. “Since that didn’t kill you, I will.”

“No, Ashrah!” Kenshi shouts.

“He’s too dangerous to let live.”

“Liu Kang needs to question him. He knows Shang Tsung’s plans.”

Ashrah lets down her sword with a sigh. “Very well.”

The rest of the group walked up to the other two, worn out.

“Well…” Johnny trailed off, looking at Kenshi. “Clearly I underpaid for that. Did you know what it could do?”

“The legends never mentioned mystical powers.” Kenshi replied. “The souls of my ancestors live within it…they intend to guide me.”

“Just don’t forget who gave it to you, Takahashi.”

“I won’t, Cage.”

“Okay, cool, happy moments.” Lemon interrupted. She was underneath a big branch that was holding her down. “Can somebody help me!?”

“Shit, are you okay, Lemon!?” Johnny exclaimed as Syzoth (who turned into his Reptile form) and Baraka lifted the branch off of Lemon and Ashrah helped the woman up.

“No, my back hurts.” Lemon grumbled, rolling over to Quan Chi and kicking him in the side. “And it’s all this asshole’s fault!”

“What are we going to do about him?” Syzoth asked.

“We’re going to take him to Earthrealm so Liu Kang can question him.” Kenshi answers.

Johnny turns to the rest of the group to say, “I know home’s here for you, Baraka. But Ashrah, Syzoth…you can come with if you want. I’m sure Liu Kang would welcome you.”

“I’ve never had a home. That would be wonderful.” Ashrah says.

They had snuck into Sun Do and are now hiding in one of the alleyways. Johnny stole some of the clothes from the parade and gave everybody their own “special” outfit.

“Night, Night, Sweet prince of darkness.” Johnny said to the knocked out Quan Chi, putting a hat on his head. He then turns to the rest of the group and smiles at their outfits. “Oh! Perfect. You’ll fit right in.”

Ashrah huffs, trying to keep her hat on. “You couldn’t steal a more functional hat?” She complained.

“What? It hides your face! And honestly…it suits you.”

“I still don’t know about this.” Kenshi worried, glancing at Quan Chi. “Carrying him around will attract unwanted attention.”

“Look at it out there. It’s like Mardi Gras!” Johnny argued. “People will think he just partied too hard.”

“Wish we could enjoy this as friends to Outworld instead of enemies.” Lemon sighs. “It looks so pretty!”

Syzoth jumped down to where they were. He at first, was scouting the area. 

“What’s the word?” Johnny asked.

“Go toward the stage, then right to the portal gate.” Syzoth informed. “But there are soldiers and constables everywhere.”

“Are you sure these are enough?” Kung Lao asked, looking at his outfit. “One person spots us and we’re dead.”

“And that’s why I’ll create a diversion.”

“They’re out for you too, Syzoth.” Kenshi warned.

“To catch me…they must see me.” Syzoth lifts his hands up and disappears.

“Damn.” Johnny said. “You didn’t tell me you could go full predator!”

Kung Lao and Johnny held Quan Chi while Kenshi, Ashrah and Lemon walked in front of them as they walked through the crowd of Sun Do. Nobody seemed to question them and casually walked around the group.

Some of the military started to walk in their direction, worrying the group.

“We could use that distraction…” Kenshi muttered.

A rocket flew above them and onto the lanterns behind them, causing a fire. The crowd screams and rush to get away from it.

“Good work, Syzoth.” Ashrah complimented as they all kept moving towards the portal. Kenshi, at some point, had walked away from the group to help Syzoth escape as well.

Ignoring the fire behind them, Lemon looked at the festival in awe. She had never actually seen one in person and all the bright lights and colorful people left her in awe.

“You’ve never been to a festival before?” Johnny asked her.

“Nope. None have ever been held close to me, nor does the orphanage care enough to take us to anything fun.” Lemon answered.

“Well…if we make it out of this alive, I’ll take you to one.” Johnny says. “I can probably take all of us to one.”

“Really!?”

“Of course! Ashrah, have you ever been to a festival?”

“Sadly, no. So you taking us to one would be a blessing.” Ashrah says with a smile.

“Then it’s official!”

Quan Chi started to wake up and lightly push himself away from Kung Lao and Johnny in confusion.

Kung Lao and Johnny looked at each other, shrugged, and started to beat the shit out of Quan Chi to knock him out again. Quan Chi fell onto the ground after they both punched him in the face, revealing to the group that General Shao had found them and was standing right in front of them.

Quan Chi recognized his face and took that as his chance to run away,

“What about him?” A man next to General Shao asked.

“Worry only about the Earthrealmers.” Shao stated.

“Well shit.” Lemon cursed.

“If this was one of my movies, we’d get saved by a plucky, comic sidekick.” Johnny commented.

Suddenly a loud laugh was heard from above, gaining everybody’s attention. One top of one of the houses was Kenshi and Syzoth who slid down one of the lines the lanterns were on and dropped next to the rest of the Earthrealmer group.

“If we die today…we die together.” Syzoth states.

“Not comic but definitely plucky.” Johnny nods. 

The group fights the military officers, knocking them out one by one (And Syzoth surprisingly takes General Shao down as well.). More were coming in their direction, lead by somebody completely different.

“We must go!” Syzoth announces. “Now!”

Johnny and Lemon quickly punch the guy that knocked them out in Shang Tsung’s fake laboratory as pay back before following behind the rest of the group. They quickly make it to the portal, going straight through it and turning back to make sure nobody followed behind them to Earthrealm.

Thankfully the portal just closes, letting them all finally rest.

Liu Kang comes up from behind them. “Johnny, Kenshi, Lemon, Kung Lao. You have safely returned.” He welcomes.

“Safely…is a bit of an understatement.” Lemon comments as Liu Kang notices Kenshi’s eyes.

“By the Elder Gods!”

“We had a run in with Princess MIleena’s inner demons.” Johnny says.

“She took my sight.” Kenshi adds. “But Sento, in its own way, restored it.”

“I am glad that Sento bonded with you.” Liu Kang says. “Though my hope was that the means would be different this time.”

“This time?” Kenshi repeats.

“Forgive me, Kenshi. I misspoke. Go. The monks will tend to your wounds.”

Kung Lao, Kenshi and Lemon walked away while Johnny stayed behind.

“We found Shang Tsung.” He informed. “But he got away. I can see why you’re twitchy about him. He’s neck deep in some serious shit.”

“Thank you, Johnny.” Liu Kang replies. “But, go and rest. We’ll discuss everything after you all are completely fine.”

“Can I also get a martini? Shaken, not stirred?”

Liu Kang just smiles at him.

“Oh, wait!” Johnny perked up, remembering Ashrah and Syzoth were just standing here. “Meet the newest members of the Earthrealm Players! We wouldn’t have made it back without them.”

“Ashrah and Syzoth.” Liu Kang said.

“You know us?” Syzoth questioned.

“As Earthrealm’s protector, there is much I know.”

“Do you also know of my former master, Quan Chi?” Ashrah questioned. “He colludes with Shang Tsung.

“A new deadly alliance? Come, all of you. You must tell me all you know.”

“Okay…guess I’m not getting that martini…” Johnny mutters.

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MASTERLIST

Picrew link: TOON ME!

"No one remembered my birthday-" Well, but did YOU tell anyone it was coming up and you wanted to celebrate it with them?

"I wish someone would see through it when I tell people I'm fine-" Well, but have YOU considered not lying when people ask you how you're doing?

"I am so resentful of my friend because they keep doing this thing that really bothers me-" Well, but have YOU directly communicated that the thing is bothering you?

"I am burning out because my friend keeps expecting me to help them with serious struggles-" Well, but have YOU tried to establish the boundaries you need to feel okay?

"No one ever asks me about this thing I really care about-" Well, but have YOU brought it up yourself?

"I miss my friend but they haven't texted me-" Well, but have YOU been reaching out to them?

Sometimes people are mean, uncaring assholes, in which case you get to be mad. But sometimes you just need to communicate better. Try communication before you assume someone doesn't care!