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Description
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A slightly AU Mortal Kombat Fan Fiction
A counterpart to From a Woman’s Point of View by natashaheisenburg
Rated T for violence, language and suggestive themes
Chapter 1

In the wilds of Outworld, there were hunters and there were the hunted. This had always been so, and always would be.

The majority of the hunts were between animals – predator and prey, both struggling to survive. However, these hunts were necessary for a balance of life within many realms, particularly larger ones, which was why such hunts were not exclusive to the empire.

Some hunts involved Outworld’s people, though not necessarily over food… Denizens of the realm were the prey, running from the predatory guard of the ruthless emperor Shao Kahn. Many of them were stragglers, failed rebels, and the defiant with nowhere else to turn. Some could last for years…

One hunt in particular began not in Outworld, but a far darker place – the Netherrealm – and a powerful vendetta from one of the beings within.

That being, a yellow-clad and masked ninja spectre, charged all throughout the wilderness, fuming, seeking out any trace of his target.

He stood still for a moment, trying to detect the nether that would surely be his opponent. However, as far as he could tell, there was no sight of him. No sound of him. Certainly no forces that were his.

The spectre growled sharply and continued his rapid search.

He knew it would happen. Oh, even as he was approaching the portal out of the Netherrealm, he’d seen its destination shifting. He knew there was no guarantee he would be in the same place as the bastard responsible for the extinction of his clan.

But regardless of the portal’s behavior, the sorcerer’s freedom was infuriating. The last thing he wanted.

He paused again. No sight. The only sound was the faint growling of a tree in the Living Forest, far off. No forces.

“I see your search for Quan Chi continues,” a voice suddenly cut in from behind.

The spectre, recognizing it, almost flinched, stunned. This was Outworld, didn’t he lose his powers out here…? He turned around, and, as expected, the Thunder God Raiden approached, in his traditional white and blue garb.

“Raiden,” the spectre greeted, turning to face the god. “I’m surprised to see you this far into Outworld.”

“Well, there’s… something that needs to be done, and you’re the member of the Forces of Light closest to where you’d need to be.”

A long sigh. “Whatever it is, it can’t be long. Raiden, you know how important this is to me. You know this.”

“Scorpion, with the way things have been going lately, I can assure you that it should be worth your time.”

Raiden’s tone had grabbed Scorpion’s attention. He’d seemed a bit solemn… “What do you mean by ‘the way things have been going?’ Nothing’s disrupted the realms or the Forces of Light, has it?”

“…Not yet,” Raiden answered, carefully. “Scorpion, believe me when I say I could tell when Quan Chi escaped from the Netherrealm, and believe me when I say I didn’t like it. He’s made some… disturbing movements since then. I’m sure you want to know?”

“Yes,” Scorpion responded instantly. “What is he doing? Where was he last?”

The Thunder God began walking, beckoning to Scorpion once he passed the spectre. “He arrived near some ancient ruins. A short time later, he made his way to Earthrealm for reasons unknown… then he returned here, to Outworld, but, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, he wasn’t anywhere near this area.”

He turned to look at Scorpion. “But you yourself would know that he’s too dangerous to be left loose.”

Scorpion nodded firmly, scowling beneath the mask.

“I don’t yet know what he’s planning, or if he’s planning at all,” the Thunder God continued, “but knowing him, we will take no chances. I’m having the Forces of Light gather at the new base.”

“The one near Shao Kahn’s old fortress?”

“Yes, that one,” Raiden confirmed. “Which leads me to your mission, which I should hope you accept.”

“What is it?” prompted the spectre warily.

Raiden stopped then, turning to look at Scorpion again. “Sub-Zero won’t be able to join us due to other pressing matters on Earthrealm. He wouldn’t want me to speak of them. He has instead sent his new student, Snow. She is already here in Outworld, and I’m concerned that her going alone would be too risky. You know one of the marked paths is near here; she should be on her way already.”

“Raiden,” Scorpion interrupted. “Are you asking me to risk myself for a Lin Kuei I don’t even know?”

Raiden then faced Scorpion, firmly. “There is no one else. I must continue telling the Forces of Light to gather at the base. You are the closest warrior to her that can see her safely there. Scorpion, I know that even now, your relations with the Lin Kuei are shaky at best, but I need you to do this!”

Scorpion, silent for a long moment, felt that it would be nigh pointless to argue with Raiden at this point, but he still hated the very thought of escorting a Lin Kuei anywhere. It was enough to make him feel sick.

“Fine,” he finally growled, “I’ll do it, Thunder God.” He walked past Raiden, intending to start. “But only because I don’t have a choice.”

“Scorpion,” Raiden called. The spectre stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“What?” he snarled under his breath.

“I can tell that this is the last thing you’d ever think of doing. But think of it another way: this is an opportunity for you to finally patch things up between you and Sub-Zero.”

“By escorting his student?”

“Relax, Scorpion. She’s nothing like the last one he had. She… she was flighty, to put it mildly. And, yes, through his student. Why not? If you get to know her, she could put in a good word for you,” he assured, his tone light by the end.

“You’re going to find this funny, aren’t you, Raiden?”

“It’ll be what it’ll be. If it’s funny, sure, I’ll laugh. There’s no reason not to.”

Scorpion took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face, muttering to himself, “Why must he get a kick out of…?” He sighed heavily.

“But I mean it when I say you can repair your past ties. During Shao Kahn’s attempted invasion of Earthrealm, you and Sub-Zero would make a highly effective team in battle. I must admit... In a way, I still can’t wrap my mind around how it came to this despite the… misinformation during the war against Shinnok being… corrected.”

“Please don’t talk about that,” Scorpion quickly interjected. He’d seen it, thought of it, so many times already; it was almost too much to bear…

“…You know where the marked path is, don’t you?” Raiden finally asked.

Scorpion stood straight, looking towards its general direction. “I was already heading there.”

“Good. You’ll know her when you see her. You know what a Lin Kuei uniform looks like.”

Though I wish I didn’t, Scorpion added silently.

“Take care, Scorpion. I’ll see you later, at the base.” Scorpion heard thunder behind him and saw a flash of light, indicating Raiden’s departure. End of discussion.

The area was pretty close to the path, he realized, skimming over his surroundings. Snow wouldn’t be too hard to find if she’d only arrived recently.

With that, he grudgingly pushed through the vegetation, only wanting to get it overwith…

Description
Open
A slightly AU Mortal Kombat Fan Fiction
A counterpart to From a Woman’s Point of View by natashaheisenburg
Rated T for violence, language and suggestive themes
Chapter 1

In the wilds of Outworld, there were hunters and there were the hunted. This had always been so, and always would be.

The majority of the hunts were between animals – predator and prey, both struggling to survive. However, these hunts were necessary for a balance of life within many realms, particularly larger ones, which was why such hunts were not exclusive to the empire.

Some hunts involved Outworld’s people, though not necessarily over food… Denizens of the realm were the prey, running from the predatory guard of the ruthless emperor Shao Kahn. Many of them were stragglers, failed rebels, and the defiant with nowhere else to turn. Some could last for years…

One hunt in particular began not in Outworld, but a far darker place – the Netherrealm – and a powerful vendetta from one of the beings within.

That being, a yellow-clad and masked ninja spectre, charged all throughout the wilderness, fuming, seeking out any trace of his target.

He stood still for a moment, trying to detect the nether that would surely be his opponent. However, as far as he could tell, there was no sight of him. No sound of him. Certainly no forces that were his.

The spectre growled sharply and continued his rapid search.

He knew it would happen. Oh, even as he was approaching the portal out of the Netherrealm, he’d seen its destination shifting. He knew there was no guarantee he would be in the same place as the bastard responsible for the extinction of his clan.

But regardless of the portal’s behavior, the sorcerer’s freedom was infuriating. The last thing he wanted.

He paused again. No sight. The only sound was the faint growling of a tree in the Living Forest, far off. No forces.

“I see your search for Quan Chi continues,” a voice suddenly cut in from behind.

The spectre, recognizing it, almost flinched, stunned. This was Outworld, didn’t he lose his powers out here…? He turned around, and, as expected, the Thunder God Raiden approached, in his traditional white and blue garb.

“Raiden,” the spectre greeted, turning to face the god. “I’m surprised to see you this far into Outworld.”

“Well, there’s… something that needs to be done, and you’re the member of the Forces of Light closest to where you’d need to be.”

A long sigh. “Whatever it is, it can’t be long. Raiden, you know how important this is to me. You know this.”

“Scorpion, with the way things have been going lately, I can assure you that it should be worth your time.”

Raiden’s tone had grabbed Scorpion’s attention. He’d seemed a bit solemn… “What do you mean by ‘the way things have been going?’ Nothing’s disrupted the realms or the Forces of Light, has it?”

“…Not yet,” Raiden answered, carefully. “Scorpion, believe me when I say I could tell when Quan Chi escaped from the Netherrealm, and believe me when I say I didn’t like it. He’s made some… disturbing movements since then. I’m sure you want to know?”

“Yes,” Scorpion responded instantly. “What is he doing? Where was he last?”

The Thunder God began walking, beckoning to Scorpion once he passed the spectre. “He arrived near some ancient ruins. A short time later, he made his way to Earthrealm for reasons unknown… then he returned here, to Outworld, but, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, he wasn’t anywhere near this area.”

He turned to look at Scorpion. “But you yourself would know that he’s too dangerous to be left loose.”

Scorpion nodded firmly, scowling beneath the mask.

“I don’t yet know what he’s planning, or if he’s planning at all,” the Thunder God continued, “but knowing him, we will take no chances. I’m having the Forces of Light gather at the new base.”

“The one near Shao Kahn’s old fortress?”

“Yes, that one,” Raiden confirmed. “Which leads me to your mission, which I should hope you accept.”

“What is it?” prompted the spectre warily.

Raiden stopped then, turning to look at Scorpion again. “Sub-Zero won’t be able to join us due to other pressing matters on Earthrealm. He wouldn’t want me to speak of them. He has instead sent his new student, Snow. She is already here in Outworld, and I’m concerned that her going alone would be too risky. You know one of the marked paths is near here; she should be on her way already.”

“Raiden,” Scorpion interrupted. “Are you asking me to risk myself for a Lin Kuei I don’t even know?”

Raiden then faced Scorpion, firmly. “There is no one else. I must continue telling the Forces of Light to gather at the base. You are the closest warrior to her that can see her safely there. Scorpion, I know that even now, your relations with the Lin Kuei are shaky at best, but I need you to do this!”

Scorpion, silent for a long moment, felt that it would be nigh pointless to argue with Raiden at this point, but he still hated the very thought of escorting a Lin Kuei anywhere. It was enough to make him feel sick.

“Fine,” he finally growled, “I’ll do it, Thunder God.” He walked past Raiden, intending to start. “But only because I don’t have a choice.”

“Scorpion,” Raiden called. The spectre stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“What?” he snarled under his breath.

“I can tell that this is the last thing you’d ever think of doing. But think of it another way: this is an opportunity for you to finally patch things up between you and Sub-Zero.”

“By escorting his student?”

“Relax, Scorpion. She’s nothing like the last one he had. She… she was flighty, to put it mildly. And, yes, through his student. Why not? If you get to know her, she could put in a good word for you,” he assured, his tone light by the end.

“You’re going to find this funny, aren’t you, Raiden?”

“It’ll be what it’ll be. If it’s funny, sure, I’ll laugh. There’s no reason not to.”

Scorpion took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face, muttering to himself, “Why must he get a kick out of…?” He sighed heavily.

“But I mean it when I say you can repair your past ties. During Shao Kahn’s attempted invasion of Earthrealm, you and Sub-Zero would make a highly effective team in battle. I must admit... In a way, I still can’t wrap my mind around how it came to this despite the… misinformation during the war against Shinnok being… corrected.”

“Please don’t talk about that,” Scorpion quickly interjected. He’d seen it, thought of it, so many times already; it was almost too much to bear…

“…You know where the marked path is, don’t you?” Raiden finally asked.

Scorpion stood straight, looking towards its general direction. “I was already heading there.”

“Good. You’ll know her when you see her. You know what a Lin Kuei uniform looks like.”

Though I wish I didn’t, Scorpion added silently.

“Take care, Scorpion. I’ll see you later, at the base.” Scorpion heard thunder behind him and saw a flash of light, indicating Raiden’s departure. End of discussion.

The area was pretty close to the path, he realized, skimming over his surroundings. Snow wouldn’t be too hard to find if she’d only arrived recently.

With that, he grudgingly pushed through the vegetation, only wanting to get it overwith…