him.
She ran into Johnny Cage.
“Hey, you!” Johnny shouted.
“Out of my way,” Sonya said, and boarded the ship.
Sonya went belowdecks looking for Kano, but was unable to find him. by the time she got back on deck, the ship was under way, creaking in the wind. There she met Liu, Johnny, and Rayden.
“Listen!” Rayden said. “The time for doubt is past. The time for your petty quarrels is past. You have embarked on a sacred mission. You have been chosen to defend the Realm of Earth in a tournament called Mortal Kombat!”
“Defend it from whom?” Sonya asked.
“Your world is but one of many parallel realms,” Rayden said. “One of them is a forsaken land called Outworld, ruled by an immortal who has crowned himself emperor. Now he seeks new worlds to conquer and enslave.”
“If he’s so powerful,” Johnny asked, “why doesn’t he just invade us?”
“To enter the Realm of Earth, the emperor’s demon sorcerer, Shang Tsung, and his warriors must win ten straight victories in Mortal Kombat against ten generations of Earth’s best fighters. They have won nine. This will be the tenth tournament.”
“A handful of people on a leaky boat are going to save the world?” Sonya asked.
“There is one in Outworld whom you may trust,” Rayden said. “The Princess Kitana. She is the emperor’s ward, and his most dangerous adversary. Shang will do anything to keep you from speaking with her – especially you, Liu Kang.”
The sky began to burn with multicolored lights. Weird ghostly shapes chased each other across the sky. The wind began to howl. Shang Tsung the sorcerer looked on in satisfaction.
“It has begun!” Shang said.
CHAPTER TWO
The ship lay at anchor near a beach at a deserted island. The island rose high above the sea, a tall spike of rock. The rock rose until it was enveloped in clouds, then rose higher still, a mile into the air. Only a narrow stairway joined the beach to the top of the island. Sonya, Liu, and Johnny, along with hundreds of other fighters, got out of the ship and began to climb.
The stairway was long and steep. At the top of the stairs was a pleasant garden, filled with blooming flowers and green grass. Amid the grass and flowers stood statues of the great champions of Mortal Kombats in the past.
A woman stood among the statues. She was dressed in red silk and surrounded by ladies in waiting. She looked at Liu as he and his companions walked past.
“When a woman looks at you like that it means something,” Johnny said.
“It means she’s a bimbo,” Sonya commented.
Johnny, Liu, and Sonya walked on in the direction of the Great Hall, a huge building with a golden roof built into the side of a mountain. No sooner had they gone out of sight than Shang Tsung appeared from behind a statue of an alien, lizard-like fighter.
The demon sorcerer spoke, although who he was speaking to wasn’t apparent.
“Princess Kitana,” Shang said. He was looking in the direction of the woman in red silk. “She is the emperor’s ward. I don’t trust her, she is our most dangerous adversary. Watch her, Reptile. She must not make contact with the others. Especially Liu Kang.”
Shang Tsung walked in the direction of the hall. A moment later, the statue under which he had stood seemed to come to life. It was the reptilian fighter, to whom Shang Tsung had spoken, so cleverly camouflaged that he seemed to be made of stone. Reptile slithered down the pedestal and ran away in the direction of the princess.
That night there was a feast in the Great Hall on the island. Drums beat fiercely.
“Welcome!” Shang said. “You are here to compete in Mortal Kombat, the greatest of all tournaments. You should be proud! Each one of you has been chosen for your excellence, your skill, and your courage! You are the best fighters of your generation, worthy to represent the Realm of Earth, and the Realm of Outworld!
“Tomorrow morning,” Shang continued, “the great tournament begins.
She ran into Johnny Cage.
“Hey, you!” Johnny shouted.
“Out of my way,” Sonya said, and boarded the ship.
Sonya went belowdecks looking for Kano, but was unable to find him. by the time she got back on deck, the ship was under way, creaking in the wind. There she met Liu, Johnny, and Rayden.
“Listen!” Rayden said. “The time for doubt is past. The time for your petty quarrels is past. You have embarked on a sacred mission. You have been chosen to defend the Realm of Earth in a tournament called Mortal Kombat!”
“Defend it from whom?” Sonya asked.
“Your world is but one of many parallel realms,” Rayden said. “One of them is a forsaken land called Outworld, ruled by an immortal who has crowned himself emperor. Now he seeks new worlds to conquer and enslave.”
“If he’s so powerful,” Johnny asked, “why doesn’t he just invade us?”
“To enter the Realm of Earth, the emperor’s demon sorcerer, Shang Tsung, and his warriors must win ten straight victories in Mortal Kombat against ten generations of Earth’s best fighters. They have won nine. This will be the tenth tournament.”
“A handful of people on a leaky boat are going to save the world?” Sonya asked.
“There is one in Outworld whom you may trust,” Rayden said. “The Princess Kitana. She is the emperor’s ward, and his most dangerous adversary. Shang will do anything to keep you from speaking with her – especially you, Liu Kang.”
The sky began to burn with multicolored lights. Weird ghostly shapes chased each other across the sky. The wind began to howl. Shang Tsung the sorcerer looked on in satisfaction.
“It has begun!” Shang said.
CHAPTER TWO
The ship lay at anchor near a beach at a deserted island. The island rose high above the sea, a tall spike of rock. The rock rose until it was enveloped in clouds, then rose higher still, a mile into the air. Only a narrow stairway joined the beach to the top of the island. Sonya, Liu, and Johnny, along with hundreds of other fighters, got out of the ship and began to climb.
The stairway was long and steep. At the top of the stairs was a pleasant garden, filled with blooming flowers and green grass. Amid the grass and flowers stood statues of the great champions of Mortal Kombats in the past.
A woman stood among the statues. She was dressed in red silk and surrounded by ladies in waiting. She looked at Liu as he and his companions walked past.
“When a woman looks at you like that it means something,” Johnny said.
“It means she’s a bimbo,” Sonya commented.
Johnny, Liu, and Sonya walked on in the direction of the Great Hall, a huge building with a golden roof built into the side of a mountain. No sooner had they gone out of sight than Shang Tsung appeared from behind a statue of an alien, lizard-like fighter.
The demon sorcerer spoke, although who he was speaking to wasn’t apparent.
“Princess Kitana,” Shang said. He was looking in the direction of the woman in red silk. “She is the emperor’s ward. I don’t trust her, she is our most dangerous adversary. Watch her, Reptile. She must not make contact with the others. Especially Liu Kang.”
Shang Tsung walked in the direction of the hall. A moment later, the statue under which he had stood seemed to come to life. It was the reptilian fighter, to whom Shang Tsung had spoken, so cleverly camouflaged that he seemed to be made of stone. Reptile slithered down the pedestal and ran away in the direction of the princess.
That night there was a feast in the Great Hall on the island. Drums beat fiercely.
“Welcome!” Shang said. “You are here to compete in Mortal Kombat, the greatest of all tournaments. You should be proud! Each one of you has been chosen for your excellence, your skill, and your courage! You are the best fighters of your generation, worthy to represent the Realm of Earth, and the Realm of Outworld!
“Tomorrow morning,” Shang continued, “the great tournament begins.
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