Annette runs her hand down the length of her whip, cracking it on the ground behind her as it slips out of her hand.

"If you need it, you have my help, Akari."

Annette raises an eyebrow at Mileena and smirks, just asking for a temper tantrum. As she eyes the girl, Annette twitches her nose and lays a hand on her head.

Akari notices Okorik readying his blade in anticipation of Akari's next movement and tosses a glare in his direction while saying "You have my thanks Annette." As Akari charges an attack to send their way, he instead chooses Mileena as his target, tossing a charged ball of light in her direction.

Khaali, finally able to drop her veneer of calmness, tips back her head and roars, a horrible yowling screech, and spreads the claws on all four arms wide.

Her dreadlocks falling everywhere, naked body gleaming in the light, Khaali stomps a foot down with a crash, ready for anyone who decides to challenge her.

Mileena's feet are pulled out from under her as Akari's attack flies over her head. She scrambles to her feet as she notices a whip tangled around her ankles. At the other end is a man in poorly fitted clothing, beaming a smile. He glances back at Khaali for a moment, "Hello, darling!", before standing by Mileena's side. With a flick of his wrist, the whip snaps up into his hand as he draws his rapier from his belt.

Pointing the rapier at Akari, he speaks, "Being the princess' toy isn't so bad... Have an open mind!"

Akari looks over to the rapier pointed at him to noticed a young man awkwardly dressed in Annette's clothing. He says to the crossdressed man "You must be Annette's partner I was told about." Akari then begins to think to himself "Annette did tell me her partner was well acquainted with Mileena, and the numbers are quickly growing against my favor, what should I do?" Akari then proceeds to drop his stance and surrender. He then exclaims "I'm in the middle of hell with no way out, I mind as well accept the lesser of two evils"

Deon notices this exchange and the strange Edenian man surrounded by Okroik, Mileena, and a strange man with a rapier.

Deon mumbles to himself," I wish I knew where Serenity was, no matter, this man needs my help, especially if Okorik is also involved." Deon raises his wand in the air and attempts to fire a beam of blinding light in their direction.

Khaali's snarling face turns side to side, searching for a target to pour out her anger onto. Her claws snatch at a guard and toss him flying into the crowd. Finally her eyes settle, and her lithe form vaults into motion, past the rivalries in the conflict she has no part in, and begins to head for the centre of the arena, for Shao Kahn.

The man in Annette's clothing, Etienne, looks after Khaali as she rushes out into the arena. "It'd be a waste to die out there, cupcake."

He turns to face Akari.

"Surrender? That's no fun", he says as he smiles at Mileena, who is barely able to contain herself. The two grab at their heads in pain as Deon's light blinds them.

In that split second, Etienne is unable to focus and Annette is able to speak to Akari. "Don't surrender!"

She looks around desperately, "There! There's a potion on the ground with my things... Find some way to force it on me."

Etienne snaps back into control and falls to his hands and knees, rubbing his eyes frantically.

Akari hears Annette's brief warning and makes a frantic dash for the potion on the ground. While Etienne tries to clear his head from the powerful flash of light, Akari grabs the potion off the floor, teleports back to Etienne and then says "I'm sorry" as he punches Etienne in the abdomen stunning him long enough to force the potion down his throat.

Etienne chokes violently, holding his stomach as he rolls onto his back. His bones churn beneath his skin as his hair grows from a short curly blond to long, flowing black. After a moment of painful tossing, Annette's body is returned to normal, though she does not open her eyes. She stays on the ground, asleep, as Mileena prepares to lunge.

Mileena lunged towards Akari and Annette in an enraged fashion. However she was a bit slow and sloppy this time. She must have still been dazed from the flash. Akari took advantage of this and parried her strike, flipping her over and throwing her on her back. After this exchange he teleported himself and Annette's unconscious body some feet away from Mileena and Okorik.

Okorik looked at what just happened and smiled. "So she took the potion," he thought, "but does she know the side effects? I can wait to see how she will deal with the hallucinations, then the mood swings, and finally the addiction. And to think it was natural ingredients that caused this, not magic! Now to wait until she needs more as I am the only one who knows where the ingredients are!" Okorik chuckled and whistled. "What is thy bidding, my master," said Skyward, who appeared on the ceiling. Okorik replied, "A group of warriors has proven themselves bothersome. Take this hair that fell from one of them and spy on them. Do what you must if you consider them a threat." Skyward sniffed the hair and became invisible once again in the direction of where the warriors went. Before he could help Mileena, Okorik noticed the female shokan walk towards the Emperor. "It seems there is a matter we must attend to. Shall we go?" Mileena saw what was happening and yelled, "NO ONE ATTACKS THE EMPEROR!!"

Spit flying from her fangs, Khaali bellows as she advances towards the throne. Guards rush to halt her advance, spears drawn, and the Shokan hisses.

The first to come close unestimates her reach, claws gripping around his neck sand shoulders, with a wail Khaali tosses him full force into the wall of the arena with a crash of wood and a crack of bone. The second guard stumbles to a stop, but too close, one of Khaali's hands shoots out, claws raking across him, opening red lines across his face and eyes. Before the guard can react, she kicks out a long slender leg so high her heel takes him in the forehead, laying him to the ground as if kicked by a horse.

"Kahn!" She screams, her eyes blazing.

As the chaos shifted towards the center of the colosseum due to Khaali's apparent rage against Khan, Akari moved Annette's body to a wall and complained to himself "Now what am I gonna do with her? I couldn't possibly leave her alone in this place. Furthermore where did that heaven-sent flash of light come from? I didn't do it."

Deon looks on helplessly as Khaali rushes to attack the Emperor, "Damn it Khaali....I cannot help you now...why couldn't she wait till Shao Kahn was alone, he's surrounded by some of his most powerful enforcers, Motaro especially. ..."

Deon frowns, "You're braver than any warrior I have ever known Khaali, may the Elder Gods protect you."

Deon watches as Mileena and Okorik go after Khaali, he notices the strange Edenian man and the now unconscious woman he carried over to a wall



Deon strides over carefully, cautiously, not wanting to scare the man.

"Is she okay?" Deon asks quietly, looking back as he hears Khaali's enraged scream pierce the air, he sighs "I'm greatful that I was at least able to save the two of you, I cannot save Khaali now that she has rushed head first into a full scale war with that chaos preaching tyrant, Shao Kahn."

Deon bends down to examine the unconscious woman, "I'm Deon Bordeaux, who are you two?"

Leaning against the wall, Annette slowly drifts to one side before falling over completely. Face on the ground, she opens here eyes wide as they dart back and forth. "Little bastard..." she moans, speaking of Etienne. Absorbing her surroundings, she continues speaking, "We're still here? Thank god for that... Last time he shut me out for weeks!"

She helps herself to her feet, then holds her stomach. Remembering that she drank the potion, she says "that's gonna be rough on the way out.", just as classy as ever. She glances at Deon and nods as a greeting before turning her attention to the carnage in the distance. "Take a nap and the hellfire descends... Marvelous."

As Annette awakens, Akari sighs a deep breath of relief and says "Praise Argus she's awake!" Akari then looks over to the dark skinned man in teal and says "Hello there my name is Akari and this young woman's name is Annette. Also was that you who made that flash of light? If so I owe you thanks, you saved both our hides back there."

Deon smiles at Annette and looks to Akari, "A pleasure to meet you Akari....."


Deon moves to evade a group of Tarkatans rushing to the arena and continues, " How rude....anyways, I used my magic, it's the least I can do to help, anyone brave enough to challenge Shao Kahn has my support, not to mention your honorable Queen Sindel helped protect Earthrealm from Shao Kahn's evil, I wish I could have met her before her untimely death, many Edenians have forgotten their honorable past, it disappoints me to see princess Kitana at his side."

Deon looks back at Annette, "What should we do about Khaali's...umm...bold stand, any ideas on how to help her?"

Akari cracks a smile beneath his scarf and responds "So you figured out that I'm part of the resistance at first glance, that's very impressive! And I'll gladly support anyone working at the request of the Gods, so you can count me in. But I have to ask how in the realms did my princess end up alongside Khan? I've been searching for her and surviving Edenian resistance members for the longest."

Emperor Shao Khan sits upon his throne, looking almost bored with the events transpiring around him. As Khaali strides towards him, he sighs.

"I tire of weak warriors and fruitless battles. And now what do they send to entertain me? A Shokan peasant who forgot to put on her rags before she left her cave this morning. Pathetic. "

Khaali hisses, bearing her fangs. She points a long clawed nail at Kahn.
"You know me, false ruler. You know me!" She roars.

"Do I? A pity." Kahn clicks his fingers and turns his attention aside. A huge form arrives in the corner of Khaali's vision, hooves striking the dirt at high speed, before it smashes into her with the force of a tank.

Annette shrugs at Akari, "All your questions, and mine, will be answered soon enough."

She stands and cracks her knuckles, "But a girl can't resist a good bout of naked wrestling!"

She pats the two men on the shoulders and runs off to, at the very least, keep the grunts at bay for a fair fight. She turns back and shouts, "There's plenty of meat to go around, boys!"

Akari shrugs and exclaims "Oh right, I forgot all about these mediocre hindrances Kahn calls soldiers. I'll join you Annette!" Before Akari runs towards the action to assist her he says to Deon "I can pull Kaahli out in an instant, but I don't think she'd like that being such a proud warrior." Akari starts to glow with energy as he dashes towards the footsoldiers with Annette.

Annette continues running, pulling out the whip in her typical flashy style.

She motions to Akari and Deon that she's heading off in a different direction to spread their resources.

Arriving near the center of the commotion, Annette comes across an all too familiar face. She sighs, "A pleasant surprise."

Mileena stands before her, weapons drawn, mouth hanging open. "I offer everything you wanted and you run off? With him!?", Mileena points a sai in Akari's direction.

"Not exactly, cupcake." Annette says, mockingly.

The princess growls as a trail of drool falls from her chin. "More trouble than you're worth!"

Annette smiles, "Down girl! Wouldn't want to make a scene."

Mileena lunges forward and delivers a powerful punch to Annette's head... Annette stumbles briefly, holding her face and grumbling, "Quick little bitch, aren't you..."

Mileena laughs, "And more clever than you'd think!". Swirling pink lights surround her feet as she falls into the ground. Annette quickly lashes with her whip, which snares Mileena around the neck. Yanking her back out of the portal, Annette slams Mileena to the ground saying, "We'll see."

"I only know this because our Order kept archives of the Edenian resistance as well as Shao Kahn's conquest of Edenian and his murder of King Jerrod and he took Queen Sindel and Kitana as his own, it's the only reason why Kitana stands by his side to this day, she appears to be unaware of his treachery."

Deon is elated that he has found a new ally in this new warrior.




Deon laughs, "Charming, let's do it!."



Deon nods in agreement, "You're right Khaali wouldn't approve, I think she wouldn't mind us busting up some of these distractions." Deon joins Akari and Anette in the fray, knocking down Tarkatans with swift kicks.

Deon hears a horse like roar coming from the arena, "Is that Motaro?"

In a tumble of limbs and naked flesh, Khaali hits the ground hard. She tosses her dreadlocks out of her eyes to see what hit her. Thrown a full fifteen feet through the air, she slides back to her feet, as the massive frame of Motaro stands, his arms folded, above her.

"Your hair will line my mane, and Your softest parts will feed my dogs, Shokan." His voice rumbles like thunder.