Mortal Kombat: Tournament One

Thousands of years before Armageddon, the very tournament that brought this crisis about, Mortal Kombat, took shape. The evil emperor of Outworld had conquered Edenia and set his sights, next, on Earthrealm; this is what the wise men foresaw. So they created the Mortal Kombat tournament to prevent an all out invasion. The tournament was to take place wherever the realm that controlled it wished; Earthrealm chose the Wu-Shi academy for the first Mortal Kombat.

The event was attended by some of the best combatants from Eartrealm and Outworld, but it was not as heavily attended as it would become in the decades that followed. Some warriors fought for their realm, some fought for pride, some fought for their clan, some fought because they were told to, and some fought for power.

The Earthrealm warriors were not used to the Outworld style of fighting, it was much more aggressive, much more on the offensive. Many Earthrealm warriors were caught off guard, but three combatants in particular excelled; Aisa, Erik, and Malachai.

Aisa was the number one student at The Wu-shi academy, though few acknowledged it because she was a woman. Women were considered inferior in martial arts, and Aisa wasn't exactly an ``Official'' Student seeing as she was not on the academy's student ledger. She was forced to clean up after the male students just to have an excuse to stay, and she took private lessons during night. Rejected and Oppressed, Aisa saw the new tournament as a chance to prove her worth to not only the Wu-shi academy, but to all of Earthrealm.

Malachai was a Tai kick boxer. He had defeated all the competition in Thailand and was considered the country's greatest fighter. He triumphed in match after match, and won fame and fortune. But he had grown bored and wanted a real challenge. He was summoned for the first Mortal Kombat. His father, an old and wise fighter sensed something evil within the tournament, but he could not stop Malachai from his own arrogance, he quickly accepted; against his father's wishes

And Erik, the only kambatant from the United States, he first tried tai-chi when he was a small child, and he developed his martial arts techniques early. With no one to really fight, Erik practiced every day, day after day, until he was a grown into a young man. Constant practice and meditation allowed Erik to achieve an almost inhuman level of chi, making his blows somewhat explosive. Eager to test his skills Erik entered the tournament.

Then there were the three Outworld finalists, all of whom were aids to Shao Kahn. A soul stealing sorcerer, named Cane, was by far the best known and respected kombatant of the Outworlders. Then Raven, a general in Shao Kahn's army, had been the soul survivor of the last battle for Edenia.

The third fighter was a mere peon by comparison; Shang Tsung was a young spy in Shao Kahn's army who had been granted shape shifting abilities. His participation in the tournament was by pure luck; when one of the other Outworld warriors had been murdered mysteriously, Shang Tsung had stepped in to take his place in Mortal Kombat.

The final six combatants in the first mortal kombat tournament, the three from Earthrealm and the three from Outworld, were to have their final fight in a kind of ``Battle Royale'', a three versus three fight. And the first realm with all three of their warriors defeated lost.

The battle began in the morning and lasted long into the night. The three Outworld warriors worked more as a team, while the Earthrealm warriors were less disciplined. Their confusion about who was fighting who was their biggest weakness. Malachai, the most overconfident, fell first. His punch was dodged by Raven and was quickly countered by a neck-napping shin kick. Cane quickly sucked Malachai's souls as he lay limp on the ground.

When night came, the next to fall was Erik. An explosive punch knocked Shang Tsung off his feet, and While Erik stood, ready to finish him, he was blindsided by a lethal blow from Raven. Again, Cane consumed Erik's soul. Now it was three on one. Aisa fought bravely. Once more, Shang Tsung's life was in danger when Aisa swept his legs out from under him. She stood ready to break his neck, but she was just too exhausted, the shape shifter kicked her across the arena. Shang Tsung gathered himself and finished her, Cane quickly devoured her soul.

But Aisa's youngest brother was there, and he witnessed the brutality. He saw his sister die at the hands of the Outworld warriors. And from that day on, a young Great Kung Lao vowed to get revenge on the shape shifter, and all of Outworld; by beating the Mortal Kombat tournament some day, in the name of Earthrealm.

The Outworld Warriors had triumphed in the first Mortal Kombat tournament, a flawless victory. But the fight wasn't over. Sometime after the defeat, while the surviving Outworld warriors were still in Earthrealm, Shang Tsung disobeyed the Outworld ruler's orders and took Shao Kahn's form. He then deceived Raven into fighting Cane. The fight lasted long, but Cane finished Raven and took his soul.

Meanwhile, Shang Tsung snuck away, went back to his original form, and teleported to Shao Kahn's palace in Outworld. He told the emperor that Cane had turned on them and killed Raven, and was intending to overthrow the thrown of Outworld. Shao Kahn, deceived, granted Shang-Tsung the power to consume souls. He then commanded that the shape-shifter go back to Earthrealm, destroy Cane, steal his soul and all of the souls he devoured in the Mortal Kombat tournament and bring them back to him. Shang Tsung, with his new powers, completed this task.

Shao Kahn took the souls of Erik, Raven, Malachai, Aisa, and Cane; he bound them all together in a single entity, ERMAC, and he forced this new warrior to submit to his will. The combined might of all the souls granted Ermac the power of telepathy. And in the coming years, Shang Tsung rose to power in Shao Kahn's Outworld.

The End of the Beginning

Author : Beaulieu

Creation date: 2007-6-9-15-33

Modification date: 2007-6-9-15-35