"I was better. That must be why he didn't put up a fight against me. By absorbing a part of his black soul, I became corrupted with evil and power. I became so obsessed, I almost lost myself to the darkness....I did not deserve to be saved."

"I kicked Ekibyogami's butt haha and almost killed him, you haven't done anything that bad"

"Keep in mind I won,but ya what she said"

"I was so blinded by this power, I was unprepared for this new creation of Shang Tsung. Now, I can do nothing but hope this will never happen again."
Marek gives Serenity's hand a firm squeeze. "Thank you for saving me, Serenity. You are my inspiration."

"OH! you heard that? Sorrry"
Serenity laughs while she helps Marek to his feet.

She looks at Ekibyogami and winks "And Ekibyogami it was a technicality"

Looking at Marek as he squeezes her hand she smiles "I should not be your inspiration. Ekibyogami was the only one of us not corrupted. I fell as well.."

"Ya you were technically paralyzed hahahah"

Ekibyogami smiled,he was glad the fight was so close,they will have that to rib each other about for a long time.

"That may be true Serenity, but time and again it has often been you saving my life, only this time, you saved my soul as well. I am forever indebted to you, oh beauteous one." Marek kisses Serenity's hand and squeezes. it once more before letting go. "Now, let us go to the Coliseum."

"You sure you ready to fight so soon?"

"Sure sure Ekibyogami."

Looking at Marek, she smiled. Ok so hes back to normal.

Serenity pushes off Marek in a goofing off manner "Oh stop being so melodramatic"

"Ekibyogami is right, are you sure?"

"Not in the tournament, my birthright would give Shao Kahn victory if I participated and won. No, I will watch as Liu Kang defeats Shao Kahn and saves Earthrealm once more."

"Hey wait a minute,I thought you had no idea what went on in that fight?"

"Liu Kang is the Mortal Kombat champion, why would I think he wouldn't stand a chance against Shao Kahn?"

"thats true.. Hey Ekibyogami what did Raiden say when you talked to him?"

"He said he rescued a warrior named smoke,and was headed to a coliseum to rescue a different subzero. He also said he would not let Liu win the tournament,and he must find another,I told him that was a stupid idea but he ignored me. He is also planning to convert a princess to our side. I hope he just straight up tells her what he is planning,because he always tries to be mysterious,and that is going to backfire one day"

Looking again at a non existent camera he remarks "what too much foreshadowing?"

"We must head for the coliseum now, NOW!"

A helmet resembling Shao Kahn's infamous head piece falls to the ground in front of three tired warriors.

They look, puzzled, at the strange item. The helmet lacks the majesty and brutality of the original, but it still holds a certain mysticism in its own flawed way.

Marek goes to pick it up but a solid figure pushes past a tree and commands the attention of the trio. "You want the coliseum? Do you seek the mighty Shao Kahn? Well, you need look no further as you have found his greatest general and eventual replacement to the Outworld throne. You will give me that helmet and then you will suffer."

Reiko smashes his huge fist against one of the living trees. It let out a bellow of pain as its eye is splintered shut.

Yaray hangs on as his hiding spot shakes. The three unknown travelers offer banal instructions to each other as they take position to fight.

'The ensuing battle will prove to be most entertaining but I have more moves that need to be played,' he thinks to himself as he jumps from another tree to another, leaving the new battlefield completely.

Yaray will be back and hopefully the brute of a general will stall them for long enough.

(OOC I mean that both within the story and real life. I'm going to bed now so if you guys could maybe not zip through this battle in the next 12 hours that would be appreciated. But if not, I'll work my way in later.)

"hmph Come at me with all your might"

The two sowrdsman clash with all of their power the blinding light causes a white flash that spreads all around the battlefield
(today I started work on the picture maybe it will be ready by the end of the day)

"It looks like we have a fight in our hands"

She looks at Marek and then to Ekibyogami "So who wants to fight him?"

Marek grabs Reiko with his robes and flings him far off into the forest.
"There. Now let's go."

(Sorry Ab_Horrence i tried to keep it going lol)

"Um.. ok there's that"

Serenity follows Marek and Ekibyogami out of the exit towards the structure of a giant castle.

"I believe its near there"

(@ICEgrenade: That's ok, I took forever to get back on here anyway. We'll meet eventually.)
Yaray stands by the edge of the river, his foot on a thin log. The waters here are surprisingly fast and the inappropriately dressed creature known as Mileena struggles to hold on at the end of the body of the once mighty tree.

"My father will have your... mrmrmbrr." As she tries to talk Yaray lifts his foot a little off the log, dunking her in the river.

"Are you sure that's all you know? Lets go over this again. Who were the three you attacked and why did you attack them?" He pushes his end of the log down firm.

"They... they," She says between breaths, "they are enemies of Shang Tsung. He convinced my father to send me, saying that because he created me he should be able to do what he wants with me, to kill the former portal keeper named Merek. He has switched to aid Raiden and now wages a personal war on my father's troops."

"And the other two."

"The bitch is a Goddess and she can do things with time. The one that threw me like a coward is a god as well. He can infect you with diseases."

"And that would make them Serenity and Ekibyogami correct?"

"YES! Now let me out!"

"Listen monster, you do not get out until I am satisfied. Why do they seek Raiden? What is their connection to these visions of Armageddon?" Yaray's serious gaze deepens. "What do their so-called destinies hold?"

She gives him a puzzled look. He dips her again.

"I don't know. I swear I do not!"

"Fine. I think I have learned enough to get me started."

"Who are you? What are you? You look like me, made of two different beings."

Yaray looks down at his chest. The invisible incision runs diagonally across where one side is bony and twisted and the other strong and fit. He looks back at the ever struggling woman.

"You were created! Who created you? Was it Shang Tsung? How many has he made in his flesh pits?"

"I don't know who pulled me into existence."

"Don't you want to know?" She says with an innocent air not understanding why anyone would not know who created them.

"No. I do not." He lifts his leg and the a scream is heard through the monsters tremendous jaw. She continues her descent down the river.

Arriving at the coliseum,the trio watch the new subzero fighting reptile.

"You guys watch the match,I am going to go take a nap over there"

Shiku finds the Coliseum after a long journey through forest, portal and desert that leaves him irritated more than anything, and full of dust, which leads to some of the other kombatants calling him "Dusty"...His brown attire saturated with sand, no longer wearing his goggles or handerchief mask, he walks straight up to the kombatants surrounding Shao Kahns throne. He beats his chest and lets the sand cough out of his jacket.

"I challenge Khameleon.." Shiku says, as Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and Shao Khan exchange glances.

"There is no kombatant here by that name," Tsung lies.

"I think you know much better than that," answers Shiku as he waits, for an almost awkward period of time. Tsung glares at this kombatant that he has ignored for too long.

"If this kombatant is here, they have been challenged, and must fight" Raiden insists over the long silence.

"She is here!" screamed Shiku. "I can sense her. But I cannot tell exactly where...or who..she is.." he said as the rest of the kombatants looked around at each other suspiciously."

"Show yourself!" Shiku screamed once again, and just then, the cyborg Sub Zero to shimmer in waves of clear light, and Khameleon finally revealed herself. But she was not alone...

As Khameleon revealed herself to be currently disguised as cyber Sub, from out of nowhere another invisible kombatant appeared out of thin air. He still seemed to be transparent.

"Meet one of my favorite sons," Khameleon hissed, and then the warrior disappeared again. Shang Tsung smiled.

"You will never be ahead of us, as long as you may try," Tsung gloated to Shiku.

Shiku's plan had worked. All he needed was for the hiding shapeshifters to reveal themselves once.

"FIGHT," Shang Tsung yelled eagerly.

Shiku was jumped by a slew of invisible forces once he had lost his fight against Reptile and Chameleon. Cyborgs were trying to convert Shiku into one of them, but it was not working. Instead, the robots began to move like they were being shaken from the inside, out...then with a few crackling sparks and smoke rising from the robots, they all fell to the ground, as Shiku dusted himself off again. He then threw his staff ahead of him, ran after it, then with alot of flashing, clanking, and steam..he was gone. He knew his allies would not fully understand yet, but hopefully they would soon enough.