Deon thinks it over looking down at the battle, "Our names are meaningless if Shao Kahn wins this tournament....as much as I'd love to clear our names, I must fight for my people first, when my time comes."

Deon looks at Serenity and sighs, "Okorik probably has something up his sleeve as is, surely he's still watching us, we cannot afford to risk getting captured in Seido or Chaosrealm, the three of us would not be able to contend with an army of Seidan guardsmen and Clerics of Chaos, we should wait."

Serenity looks at Deon, slightly upset that nothing could of be done to help, but agrees with him.

Serenity sighs "yes you are right Deon. Knowing Okorik he would have a trap. hey Deon i never asked before but are you participating in this tournament?"

Manu lifted his blade, blood dripping down his arms, and clashed it with Okorik's katana. Okorik knocks the blade away and stabs Manu through his chest. "You never had a chance," he chuckles. Just then, Manu stabs his saber through Okorik's chest. "If I die, so do you!" yelled Manu as he twisted the blade, releasing Okorik's viscous black blood.

"Yes, I will be fighting soon enough, as soon as the battle with Manu and Okorik is complete." Deon pats Serenity on the shoulder and smiles, "rest assured, Okorik will not get away with his deception."




Deon cringes, "Double elimination?" I'm curious as to how they're going to call this...."

Khaali, watching the battle casually, as she looks about the crowd, notices a face she has seen before. She can't remember where for a moment, but then smiles as she finally does. The Shokan wanders quietly around the arena, approaching Annette, until she comes to the shadows near the woman.

The Shokan leans against on of the structures, and bares her teeth in a smile as she stands over the woman.

"You look a little the worse for wear, Annette. Did the tournament not treat you a well as you'd hoped?"

Khaali looks mostly the same as when Annette saw her last, before the tournament began, although she has certainly gained a few impressive scars and lost every last bit of clothing.

Annette lays her head back on the wall, then tilts it to face the shokan, opening her heavy eyes.

"The tournament treated me as expected... I didn't last, but my life was spared... So it evens out in the end, yes?"

Annette runs her fingers through her hair and shakes her head, cracking a small grin as she continues to speak.

"No, the tournament was nothing. At this point, I'm not even entirely sure where I am... What luck, you being here. At least I know you're not going to kill me without a greeting, heh."

She pauses, nodding off in the direction of other people in the area.

"What about them? You seem to have made some new friends."

Okorik lifts the saber with one hand from his chest, Manu looking shocked. "Fool, did you really think I would be killed by someone like you?" Okorik breaks the saber in two using his hand and lifts his katana. "Enjoy the afterlife with your family, fool," yells Okorik as he slashes diagonally and horizontally at Manu. Manu stood still until Okorik kicked his chest and his arms and torso were split into pieces. Okorik lifts Manu's severed head and lifts it high in the air. Shang Tsung yells, "Okorik wins!"

Serenity smiles "Yes you are right"

As Deon cringes, Serenity looked without any reaction.

"No. Okorik would not lose, he is a prideful warrior.. no a monster.."

Just as those words left Serenity's lips Manu was killed by Okorik.

"We should keep an eye on the body of Manu.." Serenity looks at Deon "we can't leave a 'friend' here in this place."

Okorik dropped Manu's head and told Skyward telepathically to return to him. Skyward steathily turned back into his bird form and flew to Okorik's shoulder. Skyward ate Manu's body and began to return to Okorik's shoulders. Okorik walked triumphantly through the corridors of the Coliseum.

"And you managed to keep all your skin on, at least you won't have to prove your previous boast."

Khaali flexes her arms and arches her back, the many bruises and scars on her body gleaming.

"I simply fell in with new people after the end of the first tournament. Only a fool would travel entirely alone in another world."

"I haven't had a moment alone since I arrived, yet I've still wound up the fool. Can't say I've enjoyed my company. It's all been a bit 'toothy', to be honest. Not an ounce of privacy to be had among those who desire to eat you while listening to the ramblings of a dead man who...... Would like to do the same."

Annette looks at the floor, shaking her head before she glances back at Khaali from under her raised brow.

"Looks like you've had a few close encounters yourself."

She looks over Khaali's many decorative battle wounds.

"Admirable."

Annette walks out of the shadows and looks into the arena.

"You've spent time in there, perhaps? What's happening on this end?"

Okorik laughs triumphantly as he walks through the hallways when he notices the warriors standing around talking to each other. "Well well, if it isn't my old friends. How are you? I've just finished slaughtering that annoying pest Manu. He was starting to reach your levels of irritating but I silenced like his family. Skyward enjoyed his meal. Don't worry, the Netherrealm will make sure he comes back real soon," said Okorik. He laughed at the warriors until he noticed Annette. "You! The look on your face says it all. You are just like me, a body containing a rather irritating part of our soul that we wish to remove."

"Pardon?"

Annette glances uncomfortably at Khaali as if to say "Me?"... She collects herself and replies, slowly.

"Something like that... I suppose."

She eyes Okorik uneasily.

"And who are you?"

"Just a warrior who has the same predicament as you do. Your face tells me you have been fighting this spirit for a while now. If we pool our knowledge of split personalities together, we may be able to remove both of our personalities once and for all."

"Same ailment, perhaps, but different goals. I don't wish to be rid of him just yet. He is only able to manifest while I remain untrained. A warrior from Outworld, Mileena if I remember correctly, has already shown me what I need to do to control this spirit... I am unable to help her in return for self preservation's sake. I do believe you and I may not be of much use to each other."

She begins tapping her fingers together repeatedly.

"Mine is the spirit of an old... Friend. His spirit was drawn to me through gifts passed down to me from my ancestors... The issue being that I cannot yet control these gifts... Or so I've learned. If, however, I were to find some way to restore Edenia, or even just their knowledge, my problem is gone."

"So you don't wish to remove the spirit. I understand. Here, take this elixir. It can suppress the spirit in you if you don't want it to come out. I take it all the time to suppress the spirit in me. If you don't trust me, I'll take it." Okorik removes a large purple bottle from his robe and unscrews a cork on it. He puts it near his mouth and swallows a transparent liquid inside. A few moments pass and nothing happens. "See, nothing wrong with it. Take it for when you really need it. Who knows, we may even need each other in the future." Okorik gives the bottle to Annette and proceeds to look at the other warriors. "Now that I'm done with this lady here, what are you doing here?"

Deon nods in agreement and notices something strange..."That's odd...Manu's been dead for quite sometime, yet his soul has not departed neither was it taken.....I can't even sense he ever had a soul, now that he's dead."

Deon looks at Khaali talking to a woman, dwarfed by Khaali's impressive size. The wizard noticed Okorik approaching the two ladies, he whispers, "Serenity, look over there, Okorik's drifting over to Khaali...."

Deon notices Okorik and the strange woman talking to each other now, "he's offering her something in a bottle, should we go check on Khaali?"

"Yes we should, maybe the new woman can help us but even if she refuses we can't let her take anything given by Okorik"

Serenity and Deon begin to walk towards the trio pushing outworld warriors aside.

Okorik notices the duo walking towards them and stealthily gives Annette a small scrap of paper. "Even if you don't trust me, take this paper. It is the exact ingredients I used to create the potion you hold in your hand. If you do take it, be sure to use the ingredients on that paper to make more of it for your ailment," said Okorik to Annette. Upon finishing, Okorik walked toward the duo and said, "Well well, if it isn't my old friends."

Serenity stops as Okorik speaks. She opens her mouth to speak but chuckles instead.

Serenity walks past Okorik saying, "I don't have time to speak with a pathetic cretin like you."

Serenity walks up to Khaali and a female warrior. With a smile Serenity looks at them. "Khaali, it seems like you have met an old friend" Looking at the new warrior she says while sticking out her hand Hello my name is Serenity."

Annette looks over the scrap of paper briefly before slipping it into her pocket and turning her attention to Serenity to return the gesture.

"Annette."

She motions toward Okorik.

"The two of you don't see eye to eye, it seems... Though, not many do around here."

With a smile Serenity says "Pleasure to meet you, Annette"

Serenity looks past her shoulder to see the nethrealm warrior.

"Well, to put it simply.. He is a evil man. He has manipulated countless warriors from realms near and far, just to destroy Earthrealm."

Looking back at Annette Serenity returns to her smiling self. "But don't worry about that now. In due time he will be punished"

Annette smirks.

"Destroy Earthrealm, you say? Well that sounds like a splendid idea. Dreadful place."

She chuckles to herself.

"No, I'm not serious.... Well, you all look like you get around a bit, and I find myself in need of answers. What can you tell me of Edenia? What of the conflict between realms? I have been... Indisposed for some time."

"I have been to various realms and thus more than this woman can. Edenia has been conquered by Shao Kahn and is thus no more. This current tournament is a special Mortal Kombat tournament created by Shao Kahn after his loss at the 9th Mortal Kombat tournament in Earthrealm to Liu Kang. If Earthrealm wins, Shao Kahn will never bother Earthrealm ever again. If Shao Kahn wins, Earthrealm will become part of Outworld once and for all. I have no opinions on who wins, I simply follow orders. As for other realms, it seems Chaosrealm has joined forces with my home, the Netherrealm. As for Seido, I'm afraid there has been a tragic event. It seems someone had detonated a bomb at the Seidan Guardsmen Headquarters and caused massive casualties. Most Guardsmen died but a few managed to survive, including the leader Hotaru. I am friends with Hotaru so he informed me of what happened. He swore vengeance upon the terrorist who did this. Survelliance revealed who did it. It was an Earthrealm ally. Hotaru swore revenge on Earthrealm and is thus sending his Guardsmen to assassinate Earthrealmers and their allies. I promised him I would bring the terrorists to justice. As for who they are, look no further than right in front of you. It was them," Okorik pointed to Serenity and the group of warriors behind her, "they detonated the HQ and caused chaos. They claim to protect Earthrealm yet are nothing but a group of terrorists!"

With every twisted word coming from Okorik's lips Serenity felt her anger grow.

"ENOUGH WITH YOUR LIES!"

Serenity's ringblade materializes as she swung it at Okorik barely missing him as he jumps back.

"Don't you think that i will let you poison this woman's mind like you poisoned so many others and let you get away with it"

Raising her ringblade Serenity looks coldly at Okorik.

"It is time for you to die monster.."