(Shaokahnhurtmyfeelings Ekibyogami is freaking hilarious!! Im going to vote for him in the kak tournament! lol)

Serenity stands up a hand between her breasts. "Ow.." Seconds later the portal rips open and out falls Marek. Serenity turns around when she hears the loud thud as he falls.
"Marek! How did you get here?"

"I held the portal open long enough to get through." Marek embraces Serenity and kisses her again. "Serenity, I'm sorry for what I said earlier, but if I can't be with you, I don't want to live."

(Thanks that was my goal)

Serenity pushes Marek off her. "Ow Marek!" Marek looks and sees her holding her wound.
"We have more pressing matters than feelings right now. We need to escape here, find Ekibyogami, and allow me a chance to heal my wound and hopefully it can be done without violence."

"You're right....I'm sorry." Marek examines her wound. "I left you alone, it is my fault you were harmed. And the one who harmed you will suffer my wrath."

"It is alright Marek. And nevermind that can you open up a portal away from here and back to Ekibyogami?"

(Meanwhile, back at the throne room)

"Nobody knows the trouble i've seen,nobody knows but the elder gods, nobody knows the trouble i've seen................where are they,you know i may not wait for them,I may just go of on my own and have some grand adventure............ahh who am i kidding."

Marek tries to open a portal, but cannot. Suddenly, he drops to his knees, groaning in pain.

Seeing her friend fall, Serenity runs to him "Marek what's wrong?"

"I'm afraid I know where we are. The Netherrealm. Sorcery is weak in this hellish nightmare. The longer that I'm here, the weaker I become. And I have used much magic recently. I'm sorry, Serenity. I have now become a burden."

"It is alright my friend. I am a goddess let me see if i can get us out of here"
Focusing all her powers, her eyes begins to glow.
"You will burn here forever!"
The yellow armored warrior calls out to them "At last Malice will quiet down with your deaths"
"Marek i need more time to focus my powers, can you get me more time?"

"I will deal with Scorpion. However...If I am to die, promise me one thing, Serenity."

"No Marek. you will not die, so there is no need to say that" Serenity begins to focus her powers again with even more fury. I need to hurry up, i don't know how long Marek will last here.

Marek strides toward Scorpion. "I will not allow harm to come to the woman I love, demon." Scorpion grabs his kunai off his belt and stalks menacingly towards Marek. "My wife and son were slain by the Lin Kuei Sub-Zero, sorcerer. Soon, you shall share his fate!" The shadow priest and the specter leap at one another.

Just then, a ball of black fire struck Marek, leaving him hurt on the floor. Okorik laughed, blade in hand. "Did you honestly think I would leave your alone? I expected you to come here, knowing your powers were weak here and of your love for that god. Shame really since if you just followed Shang Tsung you could've lived but now you die with that girl." Scorpion and Okorik prepared their weapons and yelled in unison, "Prepare for oblivion!"

Blood slowly spills out of Yaray’s wound. The Tarkatan behind him begins to laugh.

“If only you had only been a few inches up.” Yaray says as he grabs the blade and shoves it further up towards his chest. Blood now dribbles from his torso and his hands.

Even though he cannot see the savage’s face, he knows the Tarkatan is confused. Yaray can feel the arm-blade twitch inside of his stomach, not knowing whether to pull out finish the job.

“There, that’s perfect.”

Suddenly Yaray’s chest splits open on a diagonal angle. Tendrils start to worm their way out from the expanding bisection. The blade becomes loose as the division happens right where Yaray positioned the abdominal intrusion.

Before his enemy can react, the tendrils wrap around the Tarkatan warrior and bind his other arm. Slowly and methodically the prisoner is pulled, headfirst, through the space in between the split.

Yaray looks down at the face of his enemy as it comes through his gap. The nomad’s beady eyes are watering and multiple coughs escape out of his shark like teeth. Soon the Tarkatan has nearly finished his macabre birth and Yaray brings his orderly elbow down upon the enemy’s temple.

Bone crunch as the Tarkatan falls to the ground. The tendrils, having released their prey, return to the inside. Yaray becomes whole once again.

He steps over his latest victim, who now has bile oozing out from his cracked mouth. The celebration of ‘Kombat’ has gotten quieter. The fighting continues but with less fury. Many of the two factions, Centaur and Tarkatan, look his way.

The Tarkatan horde rush towards him, without any grace. The female Tarkatan riding the Centaur extends her dual arm-blade up and seemingly orders the Centaurs to charge. Yaray takes a military stance, holding his flag above his head and enjoying the quelling of the disorder that was just occurring prior. The white, now torn flag waves pathetically among the swirling red dust.

He can hear laughter coming from all around as at least 30 members of the two races rush forwards. Of course, neither race are ones to ever accept or attempt surrender. Some do not even know the meaning of the word, and a lot of other words for that matter.

Yaray waits as the crescent of bodies closes in on him. Those at the front of the throng are now 20 paces away. The pounding of the Tarkatan yells and the Centaur hooves is deafening. He drops the flag as though he’s given up even trying to surrender. It lands bottom first into the red dirt, the pointed tip boring a hole into the ground.

In a voice that could only be channeled through the Gods themselves, Yaray speaks. The voice can be heard crystal clear by all approaching him even through incredible brouhaha.

“Those that trample upon the earth shall be trampled themselves; This is the Rule!”

And with that the flag mystically rises up from the ground. It floats whimsically above Yaray’s head and a circle of pale purple light expands from his spot.

Some Centaurs stop and marvel at the sight, not knowing what to expect, including the one with the female Tarkatan commander. The rest continue their descent upon the land marked with the purple circle.

At 15 paces, the first enemy breaches the Yaray’s spell. He is Tarkatan of course and his land speed has gotten even faster after the mystic Command. The flag soars like an arrow from above with the silk fabric wrapping around the pole. The stubborn warrior dodges left as the metal spike flies towards him. However, the flag has homed in on its target and changes course. The Tarkatan has no time to slow down before being pierced through the chest. He falls. Some stop. Most continue their assault.

The Outland denizen are not prepared for the speed and accuracy of the projectile. With the outer radius of the purple land, the flag finds its way through more moving flesh at lightning speed. Four, five, six more attackers fall. One Centaur is speared through his left back thigh and he tumbles to the ground.

The flag is not fast enough to stop all those who pose a threat so Yaray prepares to defend his ground. A blade reaches him first which he easily blocks. He falls to a low fighting stance and targets the shins and back of the knees of his opponent. A Centaur charges through and Yaray leaps away, leaving the Tarkatan to be crushed.

The Centaur rears its hind legs and turns back towards his slippery adversary. Yaray greets his attention with a blast of white light to the neck. Two more Tarkatans bear down upon him. He efficiently snaps the neck of one and uppercuts the other to the ground. Four more attackers enter the fray. The Centaur of the group yields at the sidelines as the Tarkatans do the dirty work.

Yaray is caught by a kick and stumbles back. He is noticeably fatigued. He is able to throw one back while fending off the other two. The Centaur takes this opportunity and gallops forward. The thrown Tarkatan gets up and speeds back to the fight hoping to claim his prize.

The purple circle begins to recede. The two Tarkatans are circling the more and more injured outsider. The Centaur readies to jump to crush the three opponents with his mighty feet. The other Tarkatan runs his blade along the ground as he runs preparing the slash his prey in half.

The flag makes its wondrous return piercing the neck of the pre-leap Centaur and the skull of the oncoming Tarkatan. The two circling enemies do not see the flag returning and both rain down on Yaray at the same time.

He raises his hand and catches the now unfurled flag, the white silk surprisingly still immaculate through all the crimson blood. Yaray deflects the three blades with the metal flag and is able to gain the upper hand on the two remaining Tarkatans. They hit the floor scratched and broken.

Yaray breathes heavily. There is a lull from the storm. Centaurs and Tarkatans look on from different points far from the target. Dozens of bodies now have red dust slowly covering them due to the mystical outsider.

The ceremony of worshipping the helmet adorned straw-man continues, albeit with less revelers. Tarkatans and Centaurs just on the horizon continue to battle each other. From the East, a new figure is making its way across the wastes. Bodies seem to fly 10 feet in the air around it and the hulking creature almost blends in with the dust, its body seeming to be completely blood red.

Yaray notices this all from upon one knee. His powers, while powerful, also expend much energy. The Tarkatan Commander that was previously riding a Centaur now walks towards him, one of her dual-blades drawn.

He gets the energy to stand back on both legs. He knows this upcoming battle is going to be differently from the nameless grunts he’s been piling through. In his mind he thinks that this might be the last place he ever sees, the eternally red and desolate desert in Outworld.

He is not one to ever seek help or ask the Gods that sent him on this circumventive quest for assistance, but at this point he’d accept the hand of anyone willing to fight.

Seeing Marek hurt on the floor, Serenity begins to glow with energy. The two deadly warriors begin to run at her fallen friend.
She extends her hands and shoots out a piercing bright light towards Marek.
The warriors are stunned by the bright light, and as suddenly as it appeared the light was gone, as well as the goddess and fallen priest.
THUMP!
Both Serenity and Marek fall on the floor next to Ekibyogami.
"Oww." Serenity says as she stands up. "Marek are you ok?"

Marek looks up at Serenity, gasping. "I believe so, now that we are no longer in that wretched hell." Marek touches Serenity's cheek. "I owe you my life, Serenity. A life that I do not deserve to keep."

"Every life is deserving my friend"
Serenity touches her wound in one hand and Marek's chest in another.
"I've never done this before lets hope it works."
Serenity powers up slowly as her hands begin to glow
Going down to a molecular level she begins to speed up the body's natural ability to heal. Every cell, every wound, every cut begins to work fast and heal faster.
At last Serenity removes her hand off her chest to see that her wound is gone.
she looks down at Marek to see if anything has happened..

Marek pulls himself up, healthier and stronger than before. "Thank you, Serenity. I feel much better now...I apologize for my earlier selfishness."

Seeing Marek get Serenity feels happy, yes to see her friend ok again but more so of her new found ability.
"I'm glad you are alright Marek, and it is alright I understand."
They both stand up dusting themselves off.
Serenity as giddy as a school girl couldn't help but feel excited as she looks at her hands
"Who knew i could do that?"

Marek brushes himself off. "You are a Goddess, after all. I doubt very much there is little you could do." Marek turns in the direction of the courtyard. "Shall we go and witness the end of the tournament, my beloved Serenity?"

"Yes i know but i never had to use my powers soo.. much." Serenity clenches her open palms into fists. "I guess my powers will grow from here."

"Yes let us go. Come on Ekibyogami"

They head off to the courtyard, as what seems to be a shaolin monk in red is preparing for his next fight.

Marek stops as he sees the Shaolin Monk's opponents. "Look, Serenity. Raiden's champion is facing Scorpion and Quan Chi."

Just then a dark green flash is followed by a lingering of shadows and another portal opens. Shiku comes flying out of the portal head first, hitting the ground and rolling a few feet. He has changed. He is wearing a heavy suit of armor now, and his eyes fade from silver, to dark gray, to white.
He recognizes a few of the injured and exhausted looking warriors and calls to them.

"Its too late. It is done...it is done..." Shiku mumbles, seeming traumatized.

Sensing the change in Shiku, Serenity eyes the strange man, and says "You come from a different Time, where have you just been?"

Shiku has not met this woman who looks like an empress yet, but he senses he can trust her, and recognizes Marek.

" I do not know. I followed the cyber soldiers into a similar portal, and what I saw when I came through..." Shiku had to pause.

"I am sorry I left without telling anyone..but I have discovered the true dark intentions of this tournament. The Lin Kuei and Black Dragon have joined forces with Shang Tsung and have been kidnapping entire villages, ones like mine, in order to have disposable bodies to automate. They had thousandss of shells of these cyber ninjas ready to acquire human hosts in outworld, but before they began the process there was some kind of accident. I do not exactly understand what I have just seen.."