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A cool breeze washes over the sands as the waves gently roll up onto the beach. Overhead, birds softly call as they fly over the island, nestling among the branches of the tropical trees. In a shaded and hidden section of the forest's edge sit two friends upon simple and comfortable hammocks that hang between two pairs of trees, enjoying the calming vacation-like atmosphere. They gently sway back and forth on their hammocks, enjoying a sweet, cold treat.

Ling gently kicks her feet back as she nestles one hand behind her head, licking at the ice cream cone. "Delicious," she says with a smile, looking over at Frost. "You made this yourself?"

Frost nods. Her mask, long gloves and boots have been removed and lay nearby, her pale skin creating quite the contrast from their shaded surroundings. Ling smirks when she remembers the cryomancer's comments about her 'not tanning well' and preferring the shade. Not that she minded, especially with sweet treats like this to share. "But how? You used your powers?"

"As much as I would like the very combat-useful ability of creating ice cream on the fly, no, I can't just conjure it up. It's a recipe." She holds a cone of her own and licks it, smearing her blue lips before licking them clean. "Of course, I can provide the cold, which helps keep my cone in shape. Yours, on the other hand..."

Ling's eyes are drawn from her friend's chilly hands down to her cone, the contents of which are dripping downwards. A drop falls and lands on her stomach, which she quickly scoops up with a finger so as to not let any of it go to waste. "I suppose your powers do come in handy in unexpected ways," Ling admits. She doubles her efforts to eat the snack, now keenly aware of how little time it will last in this hot weather.

>Eat ice cream in silence
>Talk to Frost about general things
>Talk about the team and recent goings-on
>Bring up your strange dream last night
>Other

>>549401
>Bring up your strange dream last night
Advance the plot

>>549401
>>Bring up your strange dream last night

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>>549416
>>549422

As another gentle breeze washes over the shore and up to them, Ling quietly works on her ice cream, managing to bite into the waffle cone enough to contain any future spills. Though she is enjoying this time with a friend, other things are on her mind. Namely, a rather

“So, I had the dream again last night.”

Frost moves her mouth away from the ice cream. “Again? How many nights in a row is this?”

Ling shrugs. “I never really kept count, but it’s always the same.”

"You tell that shrink about it?"

"The what?"

"The doctor who makes us lie down and talk about our feelings."

"Of course not. I don't know that guy, why would I talk to him about anything?"

Frost looks over and smiles. "Glad to know you trust me more than some puffed-up suit with a degree on his wall."

Ling shoots her a smile of her own. "Well, you're not the only one I ever confided this in. My friend Lex back in Outworld knew about them too, but they stopped for a while after Onaga's invasion. Now they're starting back up again and I don't know why."

Frost sits back up and looks over at her, curious and slightly concerned. "What are they about, anyway?"

Ling closes her eyes and drops back into memory of the recurring dreams. "I see the Netherrealm, fiery and vast, being overtaken by a great shadow. And when the shadow, this rolling black void, takes it all and snuffs out the flames, it stretches into other realms. I see Outworld and Earthrealm and more being slowly taken over as it spreads. I see flashes of people dying..."

She leaves out a specific detail regarding her father, and his death. She once shared this with Lex, who took it very seriously. Ling on the other hand treated those dreams like she had all others: nothing but dreams.

Frost taps her finger on the cone for a moment in thought. "It's about Noob Saibot, right?"

"I suppose so. I've never met him, so I don't know why I'm dreaming about whatever he's doing down in the Netherrealm."

"Was there anything else?"

>"No, nothing really."
>"I keep seeing some kind of white light in the darkness, an orb..."
>"I'd rather not talk about it; dreams don't really mean anything."
>"I keep seeing my father dying."
>Other

>>549482
>>"I'd rather not talk about it; dreams don't really mean anything."
It doesn't matter

>>549482
> some orb...
Damn I'm too slow at typing on the phone, I wanted to ask about Tundra (and Sam)
Also i think this is the first quest to be forced into /qst/, welcome and good luck!

Was Frost made aware that Zian was having bad dreams about Noob too?

>>549520

Yes, they spoke about it in the shaman's hut when he tried to get back on her good side.

changing from >>549504 to>>549516
to get things going

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>>549516
>>549531

Ling shrugs again. "I suppose so. In the darkness, there's a kind of light, like a shining ball or an orb. A sphere."

"Right, I got you. Go on."

"Anyway, this guy, Noob, he's got his hands on it. I don't know what it is or what it means, but he's using it somehow."

Frost's expression turns more and more disconcerning as Ling explains. "Well... For a while, you know, Tundra was having bad dreams about Noob Saibot. The guy's his uncle, and he was haunted by him in dreams. Noob's the one who took out his eye." Ling cocks a brow as she listens, finishing off her ice cream. Frost continues, "We fought him not too long after the siege in Outworld, when we tracked down this ancient civilization of cryomancers. A lot of... stuff... happened. It's a long story."

Frost coughs into her hand. Ling is about to ask some questions, but the blue-haired girl continues, "Point is, we kicked his ass really hard and haven't seen him since. Maybe this means that he's back, if your dreams are returning..."

"You think so?"

"It might be worth looking into," Frost replies. "I mean, what if they stopped because we hurt him, but maybe he's at full strength again and resuming his plans? Or whatever the hell he's doing down there in actual hell."

>"That's a bit of a loose connection, don't you think?"
>"I'd rather not make a big deal out of this."
>"Maybe we should ask Tundra if he's been having dreams, too."
>"Lex and I had once planned a trip into the Netherrealm..."
>Other

> Maybe we should ask Tundra

and

> That's a bit of a loose connection

both work

>>549563
>> That's a bit of a loose connection
Oh Frosty, just admit you want to hang with Tundra. You don't have to drag my night terrors into it.

>>549563
>>"Maybe we should ask Tundra if he's been having dreams, too."

>"That's a bit of a loose connection, don't you think?"

Sorry for the slow pace, I'm not making things any better by participating in the /qst/ discussion on /qa/ at the moment.

Update coming shortly.

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>>549579
>>549608
>>549750

Ling waves her hand. "That's a bit of a loose connection, don't you think? Come on Frosty, just admit you want to hang with Tundra. You don't have to drag my night terrors into it."

"That's not---" Frost straightens and composes herself. "Cute, Ling. Real cute."

"How's things going between you two, anyway?"

Frost lies back in her hammock. "Glacial would be a good term to use, and fitting at that."

"Ouch. So, he's not really responding?"

Frost lets out a sigh. "No. I think, ever since that whole Omegis situation, he's just gotten---and please, pardon all these cold puns, I really don't mean it---cold feet." Folding her arms, she narrows her eyes and says in a more hostile tone, "And I just know that the Stryker girl has something to do with it."

Ling looks over. "Sam? What's she got to do with it?"

"She likes the guy. I told her to stay away from him and hoped she'd get kicked out of here, but that's not going to happen now."

"Well, to be fair, she did save us in that very situation when we were all trying to capture her."

Frost shoots her a look. "What, now you like her?"

"I never said that. I still hold a grudge from her handcuffing me and running away, even if I was mind-controlled at the time."

Frost looks back out at the beach. "Whatever. Point is, Tundra's been keeping his distance from her and me ever since, and I'm sick of it. I thought things were going nicely after our trip to Outworld's arctic regions, but ever since coming here it's just... Ugh." She pauses for a moment, then suddenly sits back up slightly and looks out over the sands. "Well, speak of the devil..."

Ling's eyes follow hers out to the sand, where they see two people running into view: Cassie Cage and Samantha Stryker, running along the beach, both wearing running clothing. Sam is lagging slightly behind.

"Come on, Sam! One lap around the island! We're almost a quarter done!"

Frost smirks. "Well well well, if it isn't Team Daddy's Girl." Frost looks over at Ling. "Wanna mess with 'em?"

>Ignore them
>Tell her to freeze the ground
>Use your extending staff to trip Sam up
>Run alongside them and do better to make her feel inadequite
>Other

>>549844
>Run alongside them and do better to make her feel inadequite
Bully Ranger Ling!

>>549844

I feel that how they'd do it is;

> Run alongside

to be distraction but have Frost

> Freeze Ground

while Cassie is distracted by us.

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>>549855
>>549856

Ling's staff, resting against a nearby tree, is soon in her hand. She stands up and winks at her friend. "Let's."

Frost kicks her feet up and off the hammock, leaving her boots, mask and glove behind as both she and Ling run out onto the sand. "I'll get Sam," Frost says. "You get Little Miss Trustfund."

Despite not knowing what a trustfund is, Ling nods and soon they're both running alongside Cassie and Sam, who are surprised to see them. Cassie looks over to the right as she runs, breathing quickly as she speaks. "Oh, hey guys. Up for a run?"

"How about a race?" Ling says, knowing how competetive the blonde is. "Unless you're afraid of losing."

"Hah!" Cassie says. "You'll need bigger bait than that to catch this fish. Besides, we both know who's the better runner here---those initial trials proved it well enough!"

Ling smirks. "Afraid, then." She then pushes ahead of Cassie, running further up the beach.

It doesn't take long for Cassie to catch up. "Please! You might have hips, but those legs won't carry them for very long!"

Behind them, Sam lags behind as Frost smirks. She creates a thin layer of ice on the sand while the girl isn't looking, causing her to slip and fall face-first in the sand. Frost can't help herself and bursts out laughing as she runs to the side.

Up ahead, Cassie isn't too far off to escape notice of this. She turns around and looks at Sam as she tears her sunglasses off and runs over to help Sam up. As she wipes sand off her face and intentionally avoids eye contact, Cassie fixes them both with a glare. "Oh, very funny you two. How very original."

Ling leans on her staff and shifts her balance onto one foot, all the while wearing an innocent face with a smug smile. "I don't really know what you mean, Cage."

After helping Sam to her feet, Cassie points a finger at them both as Frost walks over to Ling. "You know, you two have had a major attitude problem for a while now, and it's about time someone fixes it. We've been doing this team-thing for more than a month and you guys keep trying to drag others down."

Frost lets out a big, fake yawn. "What are you gonna do about it, valley girl?"

Cassie's eyes maintain their firm stare as she curls her hand into a fist.

>Goad her into a fight by challenging her
>Walk back to your hangout spot
>Make fun of them both, let them make the first move
>Ask if she's going to tell on them like a good little girl
>Other

>>550011
>Ask if she's going to tell on them like a good little girl
We are the popular girls in this high school

>>550011

> ask if she'll tell on them

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>>550022
>>550023

Ling's smile grows just a bit wider. "Are you going to tell on us, like a good little girl?"

Cassie's about to make a move when Sam grabs her by the arm, holding her back. She leans up and whispers something into her ear, which seems to disarm her somewhat. A smile grows on Cassie's face, which causes Ling's to falter somewhat.

Frost folds her arms. "Something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"

The sergeant folds her arms. "Actually, I don't need to tell on you to anyone. I already outrank you both, and not just in pure rank, which means I can make things difficult for you."

Frost scoffs. "Oh, please, like you could even. I'm not afraid of you. What are you going to do, make us clean our rooms?" As Ling and Frost both lightly giggle, Cassie puts on a smug smile of her own.

"I take it you two aren't aware of the new policy that's coming down from the higher-ups, are you?" When they stop giggling and look at her, Cassie puts her sunglasses back on. "Well, I'm not surprised, given how little time you two spend actually associating with other people on this team. To put things simply, there's going to be a bit of change in who spends time with who from this point onwards."

Ling and Frost exchange glances, then look back at them both as the cryomancer says, "What, now Kaito and your daddy are going to dictate who we hang out with? Is there going to be a little chart, too? 'Oh, I've got Sheeva on Wednesdays! Wow!' Please."

Cassie is undaunted. "Actually, in light of recent events concerning a certain white-headed demon sorcerer and his bad guy crew, it's been decided that people are going to be sent off in small groups to be trained in places they've never received training from, from masters they've never had, in order to broaden their experience and bring the team together."

She may have had their curiosity before, but now she has their full attention. Cassie's smirk rises a bit more as she takes out a piece of bubblebum and pops it in her mouth. She chews a few times before adding, "And I think I know just what needs to happen as far as you two are concerned." She looks at Sam and says, "Come on. Running laps ended early today. Let's go have a chat with Kaito."

With a smug wink and a pop of a blown bubble, they both turn and begin to lightly jog back towards the base.

>Run up and stop them
>Shrug and resume hanging out
>Head back to base yourself
>Come up with a plan to get back at them
>Other

> ITS TIME TO PLAN

Can we seduce her dad somehow Frost?

>>550113
>Come up with a plan
Let's beat Cassie to death with Sam! It will be the ultimate revenge!

>>550130
>Sleep with Johnny Cage
>Piss off Cassie
>Disappoint Dad Lao

"10/10, Plan of the Year" - IGN

>>550163

Considering we hate daddykins and want to mess with Cassie, I'd say it's on point.

>>550187
I'm not discouraging it.

>>550113
>>Come up with a plan to get back at them

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>>550130
>>550137
>>550163

Ling's expression turns sour as she looks at Frost. "Well, what do you think that's going to mean?"

The cryomancer shakes her head. "Let her throw her tantrum. Fuck her, that's what I say."

"You want to?"

Frost blinks a few times. "No, no, not literally, damn Ling." She laughs as she sees Ling's smile, leaning over a bit and cupping her knees. She stands back up as they walk back to their hangout. "But how would you, if you wanted?"

"Well, this staff has its uses..." Ling says, letting the innuendo hang in the air. Frost's cheeks turn a bit bluer as she blushes before bursting into laughter again. "What about you?"

"Well, I'd probably freeze her feet and hands in place and use my ice-daggers to cut through her clothing, all nice and slow and sensual-like, then fuck her senseless with an ice-strapon. That'd make her real frigid." They both laugh at the wild and audacious mental imagery as they return to their hammocks and sit down. Ling rests her polearm against a tree again and returns to relaxing, all earlier thoughts of bad dreams and ice creams gone, now focused intently on how to get back at Cassie.

"So, I'm thinking we should mess with her," she says to her blue-haired friend, eager to pull off a prank or two, like she did in her days at Master Bo' Rai Cho's school. She had gotten so bad that the old drunkard considered sending her off early just to be rid of her pranking, before he got one up on her and beat her at her own game.

Frost puts her finger on her chin. "Any ideas?"

Ling thinks for a moment. "You know what would really make her mad? Sleeping with her father and ruining his marriage."

Frost nearly chokes as she sits up and gives the Kung girl an incredulous look. "You're not serious, are you?"

Ling lets the question linger in the air for a moment, until it becomes tortourous for Frost and she replies, "Nah. I'm not into older guys."

The cryomancer nearly lets out a relieved sigh. "Well, I wouldn't hold it against you, I mean I still have a bunch of fucked-up issues with Sub-Zero."

"Yeah, but he and Johnny are just... old. Gruff, bearded, muscular... I like cute boys," Ling says with a flirty smile as she flutters her eyelids, "...and cute girls."

Frost smiles back. "Careful, girl. Don't bark up the wrong tree, you might end up frozen solid."

Ling throws her a wink and blows a kiss before sitting back in the hammock and thinking about how to get back at Cassie.

>Leave an animal in her room
>Steal her clothing, like that one time you did to Lex
>Mess with her in the showers
>Set some kind of trap for her
>Other

> Leave a fucking wolverine in her room

small enough she cant just kombat it but wild enough it'll be a pain in the ass.

>>550289
Leave a big spider in her room

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>>550303
>>550377

Ling crosses her legs in thought, going over a number of ideas she'd pulled in the past. An idea comes across her mind that she finds positively delightful, and looks around their small shaded spot into the deeper forest behind them. Standing up, she picks up her staff and walks towards the woods.

Frost looks back. "Where are you going?"

"I have an idea, don't worry," Ling says. She knows Frost needs time to put her boots back on, so she says, "Go ahead and wait here for me, I won't be long."

As she moves off into the jungle, changing the head of her weapon into a cutting tool to swipe at stray plants and vines that get in her path, she prepares to search for an animal to deposit in Cassie's living quarters. She knows that there are a few on this island, some washed here from distant realms or placed here by that sorcerer in his castle, Shang Tsung.

Perhaps he has a nice experiment lying around somewhere...

>Roll 1d10 for an encounter table of wild beasts!

Rolled 6 (1d10)

>>550474

WULVERINE

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>550474
Gigantic spooder

Rolled 5 (1d10)

>>550474
Our luck, Shang just has a platypus...with Tarkatan DNA for no good reason.

Rolled 9 (1d10)

demon sloth

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>>550496
>>550503

Ling moves through the forest, carefully assessing her surroundings. She may be rather aloof with people, but when it comes to the dangers of the wild, she takes such matters quite seriously. Having lived in Outworld, a land where the only creatures that have been able to thrive are those that kill to survive, one can never be too careful---and this island is halfway between Earthrealm and Outworld, so who knows what she could find.

After passing a series of stones and thick, overgrown trees, she approaches the gardens. She has heard legends of this place, the Warrior Shrine as it was once known, back when people came to this island to fight for their realm. Statues line this place, and just like the stones upon the ground, plants have overtaken them, shrouding many of their identities. Human, outworlder, centaur, tarkatan, races she cannot know or fathom, all lie forgotten in this place, overgrown with vines and leaves.

One statue, however, stands out to her. In the center of the gardens is one that is taller than all of the others. In a triumphant pose stands a shokan, with two arms raised up high and two upon his waist. Time, and indeed nature, seem to have been kinder to this statue than most others. She knows this statue well; it is of Goro, former champion of Mortal Kombat, former prince of the shokan and the people of Kuatan, former general to the armies of Shao Kahn, and slayer of her ancestor.

Ling looks upon the statue as her grip on her staff tightens slightly. The name Kung Lao is known throughout some regions of Outworld, for he had adventured there long ago prior to his death at the hands of Goro. News of his death spread quickly, and lingered. The Great Kung Lao was now no longer so great, so it seemed, and when others at Master Bo' Rai Cho's school learned of her link to him, especially through a father who shared his very same name, they shunned her.

All except Lex, of course.

Ling looks upon the statue of the shokan who had turned her family line, as distant as she felt from it, into a laughing stock in her homeland, of the recently-resurrected warrior who had mocked her on the field of battle. The blood of the man who had failed in fighting against him ran through her veins, and in Outworld, blood is one of the most important things someone can have, and when that blood is weak...

She thinks she is going to destroy this statue, when suddenly a large snake appears, curling down through the arms of the stone shokan. The large cobra-like creature hisses at her as it spreads its hood wide, lifting its head off the statue threateningly. She sees that it is possessed of what appears to be a second mouth that runs parallel to its throat, right beneath its head, full of sharp teeth, appearing like a maw or a sucker, perhaps used in latching onto prey.

A long black tongue appears between its fangs as it hisses at her again, and she thinks that perhaps this beast will do.

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>>550632

>Take it dead; leave its corpse in her room
>Attempt to take it alive
>Destroy the statue
>Move on and look for something else
>Other

>>550643
>>Take it dead; leave its corpse in her room
Now, pranking and planting a potentially deadly thing in someones room are two different beasts.

>>550643
>Take it dead

>>550643
>>Attempt to take it alive
The fun way.

>>Destroy the statue
On the way out.

Fuck that guy.

> Alive

> Wreck Statue anyway.

>Take it dead; leave its corpse in her room

then

>Destroy the statue

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>>550664
>>550704
>>550711
>>550717
>>550806

Turning her weapon once more into a qiang, she angles it up at the snake's head. The six-eyed serpent again hisses at her, venom dripping from its fangs. It suddenly lunges forward, having taken her action as threatening, attempting to leap out at her, the boney protrusions emerging from its hood spreading wide, ready to encase her.

With a simple thrust, she robs the creature of its forward momentum as it all but impales itself upon the head of her weapon. The snake's eyes go glassy as it slides down the red shaft, blood dripping down and mingling with the crimson wood, as its body goes limp. Ling moves aside and lets the body slump down and waits for it to stop twitching.

'Let's see how much she like's finding this in her bed,' she thinks with a malicious grin.

Then, her eyes are drawn up to the statue once more. So tall, so triumphant, so proud. She narrows her eyes and drags the snake's body off to one side before returning to stand in front of it.

"Goro, huh?" she mutters. "You should've just stayed dead."

Changing the head of her spear into a round metal ball, she hoists her weapon up before swinging it at the statue's leg, smashing it. Rocks and shards of stone fly as she bashes away at it before it crumbles, and the statue goes with it. She hops back as it falls, creating quite a sound as it crumbles upon the stone floor of the shrine. Birds fly up from the trees, startled by the noise.

Ling brings the spherical hammer up high and then down again, cracking an arm off, then breaking it into pieces with a follow-up strike. Soon enough she's hammering away at it, working out a good bit of frustration and herself up into a sweat as she smashes the statue. Turning the head of her weapon into a pick, she makes quick work of the art and soon enough all that remains is rubble and the base upon which it once stood, with only a few pieces left that would clue someone in to what they originally were.

She looks at the head of the statue, which had fallen off and rolled to one side, cracked nearly in half. The blank eyes of the statue seem to stare up at her as she approaches it. Pausing only briefly, she raises her weapon high and is about to bring it down on the head when suddenly she hears the twang of a bow, letting fly an arrow that impales the statue's forehead.

Turning around, she sees none other than her first cousin once removed, Jin. He sits upon a vine-covered statue, specifically the back of a centaur as though he were riding the horse, with his legs crossed and his magical bow in hand. He lowers the bow and looks at her, somewhat unamused.

"I don't like him either, you know, but statues can't fight back."

>"Maybe not, but it felt good."
>Say little to him and leave with the snake
>Make conversation
>Smash the head anyway
>Other

>>550929

> Smash while staring daggers

>>550929
>>Make conversation

Riding side-saddle...a little on-the-nose, don't you think?

>>550929
>>Other
>Other
barf

>>551077

huh

alright then

Any more votes?

>>550995
Do this

Also we should not take the snake in Kung Jin's view

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>>550929
>statues can't fight back

...said the person who read about Outworld in a book to the person who lives there.

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>>550995
>>551096

Ling glares at him for a moment before raising her weapon up high and bringing it down upon the effigy of Goro's head, smashing it. Stones, along with his arrow, scatter about as the last bit is destroyed. Ling wipes a hand across her brow and leans on her weapon as Kung Jin's brow raises slowly.

"Well, you seem in a chipper mood today."

He hops off the centaur's back and walks over to his arrow. Ling watches him carefully, making no move to go towards the snake---she doesn't want to tip him off to its existence. He doesn't seem to notice it lying off to the side as he picks up his arrow and examines it for damage before placing it back in his quiver. He then places the bottom of his bo onto the ground and rests his hands upon its dragon head.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asks.

"Not particularly," she replies nonchalantly.

"Well, if you aren't going to talk about it with me, that's fine. Maybe I can talk instead. Or we could, you know, both have a conversation like adults, two people just talking and replying to each other."

Ling can't help but roll her eyes a bit. "What do you want, Jin?"

"What do I want? I was here first." The shaolin picks up his bo and walks around. "These statues? I kind of like them. There's a bit of history to each one." She looks off to the side as he speaks while approaching one of them. "Every one of these warriors fought in Mortal Kombat; many died. These guys came from all sorts of realms and their stories fascinate me. Warriors, conquerors, defenders---it doesn't really matter now."

"Tell me about it," she says with a dismissive smirk.

He looks back. "You think you'll ever do anything to warrant a statue being made in your likeness?"

She fixes him with a strange look in return. "I doubt it."

"Hm. A shame." He faces her fully. "I don't hold any love for Goro, Ling, but smashing a statue of the guy doesn't get you anything. I'll ask you not to break any more, if it pleases you."

Ling can't help but shrug. "It's not like I care about any of the others. I don't know them."

Jin raises his brow slightly. "Really? Maybe because you haven't taken the time to look, or learn." He lifts up the bo and points at one of them. "Like that one, for instance."

Humoring him, she follows his gaze to a statue of a bald man with a headband and studded bracers.

"And that's supposed to be?"

"The Great Kung Lao," he says as he lowers the bo. "Your ancestor and mine."

>"You don't say." Smash it
>"I don't care about a history lesson, thanks."
>"He must've been a poor fighter to have lost in the end."
>"I was just leaving."
>Other

>>551321
>Other
Say nothing and feel embarrassed you didn't even realize who your ancestor was

>>551321
>>"I don't care about a history lesson, thanks."

>>551362

Backing but mix it with Just leaving.

>>551321
sure this>>551362

I'm late .jpg

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>>551362
>>551408
>>551576

Ling's eyes widen and soften a bit, and she feels slightly foolish for not recognizing the man---Master Bo' Rai Cho had a statue of him as well, though in a different pose. Bo' Rai Cho had been one of her ancestor's teachers, and was one of the few in Outworld she had met who still held him in high regard. Of him, he spoke to her very little, knowing how she felt about her bloodline. To his credit, he had tried to instil in her a pride for it---but she had willingly remained contemptful.

"Of course," she says, barely above a whisper. "But I was just... leaving."

Jin watches her curiously as she walks off, but he moves to follow. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"That's nice," she says without stopping.

He steps forward and grabs her by the shoulder. "I'm serious, Ling." His tone matches his words and she pauses. She looks back at him and sees that he has furrowed his brow and his eyes are equally as focused.

She slowly turns around. "Alright, alright. What is it?"

Jin lets go and takes a moment to think through his words. He swallows a bit of a lump in his throat. "I think you should talk to your father."

"...That's it?" She has to admit, with as serious as his tone is, she expected something a bit more... unexpected. "Look, Jin, I know you feel like you need to be this 'bridge' between us or something but---"

He interrupts her by holding up a parchment in one hand that he just removed from his belt. The paper is not very old, but contains traditional Chinese lettering upon it, handwritten.

"You don't understand, Ling. He sent me a letter. He's sick."

She stares at him for a moment. "Sick? How sick?"

"He doesn't know. He's been coughing a lot lately; the Shaolin he's entrusted this information with aren't sure what to make of it. They're currently pursuing herbal medications but nobody really knows what he has."

Quietly, he unfolds the letter and prepares to hand it out to her. "He had two notes; one for me, one for you. This isn't the first time he's tried writing you, you know. You should read this and think about what he has to say."

>Take the note and read it now
>"I don't care about what he has to say."
>Take the note and read it later
>Take the note and say to read it later, but then discard it when Jin isn't around.
>Other

>>551660

> Read, but look angry while doing so

>>551660
>>Take the note and read it now

>>551660
>He's been coughing a lot lately
>the monks made him extra tea
>they are not sure what's wrong with him
Well SHIT. Has he considered perhaps an I dunnow an ACTUAL FUCKING DOCTOR?

>>551701
He'll go out the way of Warren Zevon, release a great album then die two weeks later

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>>551675
>>551699

Ling begrudgingly reaches up and takes the note from his hand, unfolding it and reading it. Having been taught by Bo' Rai Cho to read the language of her father's homeland, her eyes begin to scan across the note.

>"My daughter, it is my wish that this letter finds you in good health and good spirit. The work you are doing in helping protect the realms with this new team of warriors makes me very proud, and reminds me of when I did the same. Word is carried to the Wu Shi Academy through travellers and the words of Raiden, as infrequent as his visitations to this ground may be. Your extended family is doing well, though I am certain you know of this due to all the time you are spending with Jin."

She looks up at him for a moment before lowering her eyes and continuing to read.

>"I have reached out recently to my old teacher and yours, Master Bo' Rai Cho, for an exchange of students that we engage in every number of years. Though you have in the past declined coming to the Shaolin temples and studying here, and you are now on a team, it is ever my hope that you will accept my invitation to do so. Until then, I shall remain your patient and loving father. Thoughts of you and your mother are with me always."

As Ling finishes the letter, she stiffles a growing knot in her stomach as she looks up. "He didn't mention anything about being sick. Are you making this up?"

"No, of course not, why would I lie about that?" he says somewhat defensively. "He mentioned it in my letter, and no offense, but I worry about him more than you do."

"Well, you know him better than I ever wanted to," she says in a sour tone. She takes the letter and folds it back up, putting it in her belt.

"Just think about going to see him, alright? Before it's too late."

Jin picks up his bo and begins walking towards the eastern exit to the gardens. She watches him go, keeping her cool as the letter raises conflicting emotions within her.

'Damn old man...' she thinks about her father. 'Trying to draw me in with honeyed words...'

>Talk to Jin some more
>Take the snake to Frost
>Destroy the letter
>Keep the letter and read it again
>Other

> Talk to Jin

Do you think he's going to die?

Act aloof about it but y'know papa can't die!?!?!?!!?

>>551941
>Take snake to Frost
Priorities

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>>551996
>>552104

Alright, I'll just need a tie breaker now.

>>551941
>>Take the snake to Frost
>>REPRESS

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>>552104
>>552187

With the letter folded and placed neatly on her person, Ling walks over to the snake's cold body and hoists it up over a shoulder, walking back the way she came. Along the way, she tries not to think too hard about her father and the contents of the letter, deciding instead to simply repress the emotions it is threatening to stir within her. With a clear but troubled mind, she walks out of the jungle and finds her friend with her gloves, boots and mask back on, sitting on the sand but still in the shade.

'Ever the one to avoid the sun...' she thinks with a smirk.

Frost looks up at her, surprised upon seeing the snake. "What took you? And what's with the snake?"

"We're going to put it in Cassie's bed," Ling says with a smile. "Come on."

Frost, excited at the prospect of mischief, kicks up and walks with her back towards the base. "We'll need to sneak into her room. Unlike most of the others, she actually keeps it locked," Frost explains. "I wonder what she's hiding in there..."

"So, how do we get in?"

"Well, I could try picking the lock on the door, or freezing it," she says. "Or... we could get in through her room's window. I think it's usually open, but we'd have to climb up to it. What do you think?"

>Try to sneak in through her room door
>Pole-vault into her room with your staff
>Have Frost give you a boost up to her window
>Bash in the front door
>Other

>>552263
>>Other
Is anyone else smelling a trap? Something seems off

>>552263
>>Pole-vault into her room with your staff

>>552263
> get a boost through the window
I like the idea of pole vaulting but are we really that stupid?

>>552263

> Window is too obvious

But I kind of want this to blow up in our faces so...

> Window

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>>552290
>>552310
>>552273
>>552349

Upon approaching the base, they check to make sure the coast is clear before running over to the barracks. They look up and count the rooms, figuring out which one is Cassie's by checking the number of windows from the side of the building.

"That one," Frost says. "Three over."

"No, it's two over!"

"No, I know it's three from the stairs, she's across from me!" Frost insists. "Just trust me. And look, the window's open, see?" She points up at the open window. Most people keep their windows open due to the tropical breeze, with the only exception being the cryomancers. "Alright, I'll give you a boost," Frost suggests.

"Are you sure? I think I can use my qiang to leap into her room if I get a running start."

"What, and just crash onto the floor or whatever that little bitch has lying around? Come on, Ling, you can't do that. Plus, how do we know she's not inside right now?"

"Why don't we throw something and see?"

Frost rolls her eyes. "What can we throw that won't leave any evidence or break anything?"

Ling almost slaps the blue-haired fighter but holds herself. "Gee, I don't know, Miss Makes-Ice-For-A-Living."

Frost blinks a few times and then puts her palm to her forehead. "Right. Alright, give me a sec. And s-shut up."

She quickly conjures up a weak snowball and tosses it at the glass alongside the open window. The snowball impacts on it and spreads, melting fast in the hot sun. They watch and see no reaction, indicating she is not in her room.

"There, see?" Ling says. "Now step back, I'm gonna get up there."

"No, let me boost you!" Frost insists.

"But I can make it with a running start and dive in there!"

>Let Frost boost you
>Running start and pole-vault inside
>Find a way to get both inside
>Argue some more until someone finds you arguing
>Other

>>552402
>>Let Frost boost you

>>552402

As tempting as the two stooges is...


> BOOSTAH

>>552402
>Booster Gold

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>>552418
>>552436
>>552472

Ling finally relents. "Alright, boost me up."

Frost's eyes light up. "One boost, coming right up! Literally." She moves below Cassie's window and cups her hands. "Alright, climb up."

Ling takes a moment to make sure the snake is secure around her shoulders before moving up and touching Frost. She shivers slightly. "I forgot how cold you are..."

"Yeah, yeah, come on before someone sees us!"

The outworlder climbs up onto Frost's cupped palms as she digs her heels into the sand and places her back against the wall. She heaves and pushes Ling upwards. For her part, Ling uses her staff's extending magic to push herself upwards as well, easing the stress on her friend.

Soon enough she's beneath the window and peers inside.

"What do you see?"

"...Junk," Ling says. "It's full of junk!"

She pulls herself up and gets a better look. Her own room is barely changed from when she first moved in; she already can barely stand the design of Earthrealm quarters, but Cassie's room...

Shelves of books, movies, comics, video games and more can be seen, along with figurines and posters all depicting things Ling has no idea about. Models hang from the ceiling, her computer station has three screens, there's some kind of costume in a glass case along the far wall, there's a large arcade machine for a game based on one of her father's movies...

'What a bunch of useless and pointless junk,' Ling thinks to herself. 'What a spoiled, materialistic brat!'

She steps inside and looks for the bed. It's covered in a large, dynamically-designed sheets with pictures and more covering it, all depicting scenes from something Ling has never seen nor could honestly care much about.

She looks at the curtains; even they are custom. Did she bring her entire home with her and cram it into this place? Who would even need this many action figures or video games when you're busy training and punching people?

>Look around
>Place the snake and get out
>Find something juicy to use against her
>Mess around with stuff
>Other

Does she have jason's robin costume? hahaha

> Juicy

>>552646
Place the snake and make like a cake and split

>>552646
>>Find something juicy to use against her
This intrigues me

>>552646
> just stash the snake and bail.
Don't want to tip her off that anyone was here before she gets in bed. Tempted to see if she keeps a diary but it would probably be really boring anyway.

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>>552657
>>552671
>>552708
>>552722

I'll need a tie breaker again.

>>552742
Take out the last panel and that's me

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>>552750

>>552742
I'll change
>>552722
To find something juicy

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>>552657
>>552708
>>552797

Walking over to the bed, she pulls back the covers and places the snake inside, careful to make it look natural. After moving to cover it back up, she notices something, the barest hint of plastic sticking out from under one of the pillows.

Ling hesitates for a moment, pulled in two directions by her curiosity and better judgment.

'Hell with it.'

Curiosity wins out as she reaches under the pillow and removes the object, then immediately blushes upon looking at it before feeling her face split into a wide smile. She holds it up and inspects it, clearly understanding the purpose of the device, given its shape, and certainly no stranger herself to the act of self-pleasure, but to have found something like this in the room of the person she is pranking... oh, this couldn't be juicier!

But what to do with this incredibly intimate and most private of personal objects? Idea run through her had at a mile a minute's pace...

>Hide it
>Steal it
>Put it back and do nothing with it
>Do unmentionable things to it
>Other

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>>552873
>Idea run through her had at a mile a minute's pace...

Ideas*

Getting tired... must endure...

>>552873
>Other
Hop out the window with it and exclaim to Frost
>https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq7a0pCXrJw

>>552873
> steal it
Leave it in the common room

>>552911
>>552963

'I should've snuck in here a long time ago!' she thinks as she slips it into a hidden pocket. 'Now, to get out of---'

She hears the lock on the door click and realizes Cassie is about to walk in.

Throwing the sheet back over the snake, Ling's mind races even more quickly than before!

>1d100 + 10 to hide!

>Or...

>1d100 to jump out the window!

>>553013
Jump Damn the concequences

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>553023

Rolled 85 (1d100)

>>553013
> out the window!

Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>553013
Out the window!

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>>553013
>slips it into a hidden pocket
heh

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>>553023
>>553028
>>553055
>>553060

Ling makes a dive for the window, but her foot catches and instead of deftly leaping out, she straight-up falls, tumbling down to the sand and right on top of Frost, who had been sitting in wait. The cryomancer is about to groan when Ling shoots up and clamps a hand in front of her mouth, telling her to be silent with a finger to her own lips.

They both look upwards and don't see Cassie, so she must not have heard or seen Ling's quick and clumsy exit. They breathe a sigh of relief and crawl away from the barracks, hiding in some nearby bushes.

"So, did you do it?" Frost asks.

"I did even better. this was under her pillow!" Ling says, reaching into her pocket and taking out her latest prize. She holds it up to Frost, who's face turns pale white.

"That kinky bitch!" she says, struggling to not burst out in laughter. "I can't believe you took that! You're freaky too, huh? I freaking love it! What're we gonna do with it? Huh, huh?"

"I think we should put it in the rec room!" Ling says excitedly, and Frost matches her enthusiasm.

"With any luck, she'll kick up a huge fuss about it, then go to check, and BAM, SNAKE!" She keeps her voice hushed as they sneak back towards the compound, entering through a side door.

Once inside, they go through the first floor of the barracks towards the rec room, but upon opening the hallway door, they find themselves face-to-face with Kaito.

"There you two are."

Immediately Ling's arms snap behind her, holding both her polearm and the 'object' behind her. "Kaito! What a pleasant surprise!"

"I don't think so," he says as he looks at them. "I just got done having a rather unpleasant conversation regarding you two."

Ling and Frost look at each other, each growing nervous about getting caught red-handed.

>Manipulation: Attempt to lure him into another room and then excuse yourself to the bathroom so you can place the item in the red room
>"Oh? Whatever about?"
>"Sorry, we were on our way to apologize!"
>"What the hell is that?" Point and run
>Other

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>>553136
>other
Lie and say we have to take a shit

>>553136
> oh, whatever about
Maybe we can give him some shit about always playing favourites

>>553136
>>"Oh? Whatever about?"

Sorry, I was eating a late dinner.

I'll write an update shortly.

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>>553159
>>553246

Ling quickly assumes the mantle of the innocent. "Oh? Whatever about?"

Kaito's eyes narrow. "You know what about. It's been long enough for you two to have gotten it out of your system; you shouldn't be bullying Sam anymore. I'm sure you both have your reasons but it's not right. It's a little bit sad that this team, formed principally to punch villains in the face, has to deal with issues like this.”

Frost remains silent as Ling shifts onto a foot. "Well... You're always playing favorites anyway," Ling says in an accusatory tone.

"Excuse me?"

Frost looks at her as Ling goes on, "Yeah! You treat some of the team a lot better than some of us. How else are we supposed to cool off if we're not getting anything out of being on the team?"

He cocks an eyebrow. "Really. Is that really how you feel?"

"I'm just saying, don't act like we're all on the same level when we're not," Ling says.

"That's true," Kaito nods. "You aren't. You two clearly need some more specialized attention. I've tried being pretty hands-off up until now, hoping things would work out and we'd all play nice, but this isn't the first time we've had some issues between people here, so I'm putting my foot down, and first thing's first, you two need some time apart." He looks at the cryomancer and says, "Frost, go to your room."

The girl is taken aback. "Are... Are you fucking grounding me? Seriously?"

Kaito narrows his eyes some more. "Are you going to make something of it?"

For a moment, Ling thinks she might, but then she remembers that Frost once told her she had lost in a fight to Kaito in the Lin Kuei temple. Despite wanting a rematch, she has seen his abilities, especially the ones related to fire, up close and doubts she could defeat him.

Resigned to do as he says, Frost grumbles beneath her mask and turns away, marching towards the stairs with balled fists, leaving cold footprints behind her.

Now he turns his attention to Ling. "Come with me."

He turns around and walks down the hall, past the rec room doors.

>Continue to hide Cassie's toy on your person
>Quickly run into the rec room and put it on the table
>Attempt to sneak away from him without his notice
>Throw it out an open window
>Other

>>553508
Throw it to Frost, something to keep her busy while grounded.

>>553508
>other
ask to use the bathroom real quick

>>553536
I would support it but I feel like she's currently distracted

>>553536
>>553559

Yeah, Frost is out of the hall by this point.

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>>553536
>>553549
>>553559
>>553604

I'm actually feeling pretty tired, so I'm going to call it here for the night.

I'll be back in the morning and I'll announce it on twitter and discord like usual.

Thank you for playing so far; how are you enjoying it? Please let me know; I know /qst/ tends to result in a slower thread in general, but I guess we don't really have much of a choice currently. We'll resume in the morning.

Goodnight friends

>>553679
Why did mommy force us in here?

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>>553693

I don't know, Little Timmy. The change came without warning, without discussion and with force. People seem natural to have reacted the way they did. I know that quests never hurt /tg/ and the anti-quest fags were just the loudest minority; it's a damn shame that the ones who stomped their feet the loudest and cried the hardest got what they wanted. The fact that people who didn't care were silent, and people who made/played in quests were happy, can only mean that the discontent came from them.

They got very quiet after /qst/'s early times, when mods were actively removing anti-quest posts in quests on /tg/, but now that this has suddenly happened, all without warning and without anything on /qst/ changing prior to this forced move, they suddenly swarmed back out of the woodwork and there we were again, having the same conversations and arguments that we were having months ago when /qst/ started. The anti-questfags kept saying the same things as they said then, only now they had extra ammo, because in their eyes they had already won; I kept seeing posts like, "This isn't a democracy! You've already been told to move and boards are being deleted, therefore you've automatically lost and have no argument!"

Childish posts on both sides, but decidedly moreso on the anti-questfags, like always.

I suppose all we can really do is make the most of it and move on from here. If we have to keep playing on /qst/, then by god, we will. I know those who want to see this thread through to the end will stick with me, even if /qst/ is a very lackluster board.

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Good morning, everyone. It's probably too early for most people on the board, and I'm going to get some breakfast, so we'll resume in an hour or so, 10 eastern. See you then!

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>>553536
>>553549
>>553559

As they pass by the rec room, Ling clears her throat. "Before we do this, I need to go to the, uh, toilet room."

"Rest room?" he corrects her. "Alright. That's fine."

She gives him a smile and a leer before side-stepping into the rec room to keep the item in question hidden. Looking around, she sees there is nobody here, and so she quickly moves to the bathroom. Once inside, she waits a few seconds, then flushes to make it sound convincing before leaving and heading to the door---pausing only for a brief second to put the toy on a table, positioned prominantly in the center.

Now out in the hallway where Kaito was waiting, he takes her to one of the meeting rooms. Inside, she sees none other than Cao sitting on a table biting at his nails, stopping only to inspect them before resuming. Leaning up against the far wall is Forrest Fox, doing nothing and looking very passive.

Kaito walks up as Ling enters. Cao's eyes stray to her. "Llllllling," he greets her with a thumbnail in his teeth, a rather impolite gesture.

She puts her hands on her hips and gives him an apathetic look. "Kahnzedah."

Kaito walks to the center of the room and looks at the three of them. "Alright. I've decided that the three of you need some work. All of you are bored, isolated and starting to work against the interests of building this team up, I'm sorry to say. So I'm going to give you some tasks."

Cao puts his hands down. "Come on, I was just looking around other people's rooms. I didn't even steal..." his voice then lowers as he averts his eyes and finishes, "...anything valuable."

"Regardless, you've been cooped up too long and need to work your fingers on more than just locks," Kaito tells him. He looks over at Forrest and says, "You've been keeping too much to yourself. You need some socialization."

Forrest shrugs.

And finally, he looks at Ling and says, "And you need to learn the value of working with others, even if you don't much like them."

Ling crosses her arms and looks away in a bit of a huff.

Kaito then addresses all three of them and says, "So, that's why I've decided to put the three of you to work for a short while on the crew of the Dragon Wing."

They all look at him in surprise, though Cao a bit more so than the others.

>Say nothing
>"Your ship? Fine."
>"I refuse!"
>"Surely you can't be serious..."
>Other

>>555700
>Say nothing

>>555700
> say nothing
If he makes us swab the deck...

>>555700
>Say nothing
We'd really like to have a few impolite words, but we'd also rather not get grounded like Frost.

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>>555712
>>555730
>>555740

As much as she would like to voice her frustration, Ling says nothing as Kaito leads them out of the room. As they walk down the halls towards the newly-built dock that extends from the New Defenders base, Cao is the exact opposite: he can't stop talking.

"So, when you say work, do you mean the kind of work that involves, you know, getting on the boat? Or just, you know, 'around' the boat?"

"On the boat."

"Right, but will the boat be moving?"

"Yes."

"You know, I mean, will it be moving on the water?"

"That's what boats tend to do, yeah."

"Okay, but will I have to work on the deck, outside, or on the inside?"

"Depends on what they'll need you for. I'm transferring you three to work directly under Mileena."

Cao scratches his neck nervously. "So, that's a 'maybe' then?"

'By the Elder Gods, shut your mouth...' Ling thinks.

Kaito pushes open the doors and the three of you walk out towards the dock. He timed this well, as it turns out, for the Dragon Wing is appearing along the horizon in a cloud of mist. The majestic vessel sails out of the fog and towards the dock. From this point, they can all see the crew of the ship; some are at work, while others stand near the railing looking on at the base.

Ling has travelled on this ship a few times, but never paid too much attention to the crew. She has seen a few of them and some stand out to her, but largely none of it really mattered to her. Annoyed at this latest turn of events, she mentally prepares herself for what is to come.

The ship docks and an exit ramp plank is lowered to the dock. The four of them watch as Mileena appears, but only one of them isn't surprised when a second Mileena appears right behind her! The two near-identical clones walk down the plank and approach them, causing quite a bit of confusion in Cao, Ling and Forrest.

Kaito walks forward to greet one of the clones. "Missed you," he says as he pulls down her mask for a kiss. The other clone walks around them to get the attention of her three new charges.

"So, you're the new meat I'm taking on board, are you?" She looks them up and down. Behind her, Kaito speaks a few things into the other Mileena's ear before kissing her again. They have a hard time focusing on the clone in front of them and not on what is going on behind her.

'What in the Netherrealm is going on?' Ling thinks, trying desperately to understand. She looks at Cao and Forrest, but they're as lost as she.

>"Wait, there are two of you?"
>"How can this be?!"
>Say nothing
>"Uh... Yes?"
>Other

>>555769
>Say nothing
Just concentrate on not letting you eyes fall out from your skull!

>>555769
>Say nothing
>Other
Look back to the clone in front of us and back to Mileena Prime multiple times

>>555769
>>Other
What a bad prank this is obviously princess kitana in mileenas outfit

>>555776
"Wait, Princess Kitana is the Captain now?... or Kaito dates the Princess now?.."

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>>555772
>>555775
>>555776
>>555784

For a moment, everyone is silent. Ling looks between the Mileena in front of them and the Mileena in Kaito's arms, seeing the barest hint of fangs inside of her mouth. Ling has never seen Mileena unmasked for herself, but she has heard things, and one of those things is that, with her mask on, she looks exactly like her sister Kitana---because she is a clone!

'That's it!' She smiles and holds up a finger. "What kind of game do you think you're playing at, anyway?"

The second Mileena looks at her. "Excuse me?" Cao and Forrest remain silent as they look on.

Ling gives a cocky grin as she says, "Everyone in Outworld knows by now that Mileena and Kitana look exactly alike---except for their faces! That," she points to the Mileena in Kaito's embrace, "is the REAL Mileena! And you," she looks back to the one in front of her, "can thus only be Princess Kitana!"

The first Mileena pulls her mask back up and turns around as everyone looks at Ling, who leans confidently on her staff. "I don't know why you're doing it, some kind of weird intimidation thing? Well, I'm not fooled. I know better."

The two Mileenas narrow their eyes. "Do you now..." they speak in perfect unison.

'That's... unsettling...' Ling thinks as they both approach her. Standing slightly taller than herself, they both stare down at her with blazing orange eyes. 'Then again... they both do have those strange eyes... But how could...'

Suddenly, they both reach up and grasp their masks, an action perfectly mirrored in motion, pulling them down! Ling gasps as they both snap at her, not with the intent to harm but to frighten, for they both have terrifying fang-filled maws!

The first one has lips and larger fangs, whereas the second one has narrower, needle-like teeth and many more of them. As they snap shut in front of her, each making a startling clamping sound like the jaws of a sprung iron trap, they speak again in unison, "There is much you don't know, young one."

As Ling watches with wide eyes, they put their masks back on. The first Mileena returns to Kaito, who is smiling in amusement, while the second one remains to order the three of them up onto the boat. "Move!"

>Do as you are told
>Stay here and talk
>Attempt to get out of this duty
>Refuse
>Other

>>555821
>Do as you are told

>>555821
>>Attempt to get out of this duty
Show kaito the letter and maybe we can get a cushier reassignment in the white lotus temple

>>555831
>>555839

I'll need a tie breaker.

>>555839
Let's try this.

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>>555839
>>555869
>>555872

Ling hesitates for a moment as Cao and Forrest climb up the plank. 'I'm not gonna get stuck on this damn ship scrubbing the floor!'

"Wait!" she says, making everyone stop again. "I... I have something I want to bring up."

Mileena (the second one) puts her hands on her hips. "A little attention-seeker, aren't you?"

'Now or never,' she thinks. Ling ignores her and approaches Kaito, taking out her father's letter. "Kaito, my father sent me this letter. He's sick."

He looks at the letter, his expression softening. "Lao's sick? With what?"

"They don't know. He sent letters to me and Jin, and..." She gulps a bit before struggling to say, "I'm worried about him."

Kaito cups his chin. The first Mileena pulls him away to speak in private while the second one approaches Ling and says, "I'll discuss it with Kaito. For now, let's move onto the ship."

'Damn,' Ling thinks as she walks up the plank. 'How the hell is she going to discuss it with Kaito when she's not even talking to him? Unless...' She thinks about how they were able to speak in unison a moment ago. 'She can't be controlling both bodies... could she? Is such a thing even possible?'

Once on deck, Mileena looks at the three of them. "Welcome to the Dragon Wing. Before, you have all been visitors and riders, but now you're part of the crew, and on this ship, we work. Hunting pirates, protecting the realms and exploring are only a small part of what goes on here: the rest is keeping the ship clean and running."

Cao raises a hand. "Question: I get sea sick, so..."

Mileena's eyes look like she could shoot daggers from them---or perhaps sais. "On this ship, you'll refer to me as Captain or Captain Mileena. Do you understand?"

For a moment, Cao seems argumentative, but then he straightens up a bit. "Yes... Captain."

She seems pleased. "Good. Now then, we'll be leaving soon. Spread out and ask the crew what you can do to help. Make yourselves useful, because if you don't, you'll be given more work."

'This sucks,' Ling thinks as Mileena walks off. She lets out a sigh as Cao and Forrest walk off to talk to people on the crew. 'There's got to be a way out of this...'

>Sneak off the ship
>Talk to one of the crewmen
>Find a task and start doing it without instruction
>Do nothing
>Other

>>555940
>Talk to one of the crewmen
Simple instructions to follow.

>>555940
>>Talk to one of the crewmen
Talk to the pretty red head

>>555940
>>Talk to one of the crewmen

Yeah, we just got here. Let's wait a bit before we start just blatantly fucking up or disobeying...

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>>555974
>>555978
>>555980

Ling resigns herself to making the most of the situation, for now. She looks around and spies upon the various men and women of the crew.

'Well, one thing's for sure... this ship has always had a very colorful crew.'

>Who does she talk to?

>Jon of Haven, Quarter Master
>Kojiro, Navigator and Sailing Master
>Monte, Merchant and Boatswain
>Lor-Kai, Carpenter and Surgeon
>Rambolt, Cannoneer and Master Gunner
>First Mate Sierra Fin
>Tsuga, Gunslinger
>Sashar the Swift, Swashbuckler
>Okaru, Owl's Nest Lookout
>Wolf, Viking
>Yahra, Monk
>Arika, Merfolk Scout
>Buturo, Tigrar Shokan Muscle
>Ugly, Tarkatan Garbage Disposal
>Chomba, Crocodilian Strong Arm
>Gwyn, Harpy Flying Scout
>Deacon, Avian Rigger and Archer
>Nemo, Ship Cook
>Biggs and Wedge, Edenian Knights
>Elvis, Giant Dog

>>556011
>>Elvis, Giant Dog

Because it's an option

>>556016
Let's go with it. Although Ling seems more like the cat person to me.

> Always go Doggo

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>>556016
>>556028
>>556049

As Ling walks around, she notices something strange. Towards the front of the ship is a large pile of reddish-orange fur, large enough for a man to hide inside. As she approaches, it suddenly comes alive! She leaps back as the edenian mastiff turns and barks at her, a deep and rumbling sound like thunder. The large hound snarls for a moment, then sniffs her and seems to calm down a bit.

Suddenly one of the crewmen walk up behind her. "Ah, trying to make friends, eh? Well it's about time for his feeding. Here!"

He hands her a bowl of slop, a thick stew with large and meaty chunks in it. He walks off as some of it drips onto Ling's hand and onto the floor.

Elvis sees this and growls, clearly hungry. 'Hopefully not for me...' she thinks. 'This thing could bite my head off!'

When she hesitates, he barks again, nearly startling her into dropping the whole bowl.

>Throw the food at the ground in front of him
>Approach slowly and reach out to place the bowl on the ground but keep as far from him as possible
>Speak soothing words and try to get near him
>Be as friendly as possible and attempt to pet him as you give him the food
>Other

>>556080
>>Other
Use your staff! Put the food on the end of it, and try to fill his bowl without getting too close.

>>556095

smart. pet once he's eaten.

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>>556095
>>556104

Setting the bowl on the ground, she uses her staff to push it along towards him. He quickly gobbles up the food once it is within eating distance, burying his face in it.

"There you go," she says, gently moving closer. "See? Not so bad, is it?"

She daringly reaches out to pet him. His fur is thick and strong, and she can easily lose her hand in it. She scratches him and plays around with his large, floppy ears a bit.

"You're not so bad," she says as he stops growling. "You're just a big old puppy dog, aren't you?"

He lifts his head up from the now-empty bowl, his face a mess of stew and slobber. He darts his head in, his tongue shooting out at her to lick her. She doesn't react quickly enough and soon shivers in disgust as the long, thick muscle drags up her face. He pulls back and gives her a funny look before playfully barking.

"Yuck..." She brings up a hand a wipes away the drool as her stomach churns a bit.

But not more than Cao, who no more than five minutes onto the boat is already near the side of the ship, looking as though he might puke. One of the men walks up and slaps him on the shoulder, but this sets him off. Ling averts her eyes as he loses his lunch over the side.

"We haven't even left port!" the man says.

"Don't remind me..." Cao mutters.

>Remain with Elvis
>Talk to someone else
>Find work elsewhere
>Help out Cao
>Other

>>556249
>>Help out Cao
Frost doesn't think he's so bad and we aren't really accomplishing anything if we don't interact with him

>>556249
>Help out Cao
We are in this trans-realm-faring bucket of magic together.

>>556249
>Help out Cao

>this ship sucks
>I am going to throw up
>my feet hurt
>I wish I was home kissing Skarlet

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>>556280
>>556302
>>556390

With another sigh, Ling stands up and walks over to Cao. 'I might not like it, but we're stuck here together. I should look after my fellow outworlder, if nothing else.'

"Come on, prince, it's not that bad," she says, helping him up. She winces a bit as she sees some vomit on his mouth before he wipes it clean on a sleeve. 'I'm starting to remember why I didn't like him when I first saw him...' she laments.

"I'm fine, I'm okay, I'll be alright," he says. He steadies himself along the railing and sits on it, taking deep breaths. "I don't... Uh, like boats."

"That's fine," she says as she sits next to him. With a tone of playful sarcasm, she adds, "I mean, I never liked you too much, so I guess we both have to deal with it, huh?"

He gives her a sardonic look before leaning back and taking another deep breath. "So, you said your dad was sick, huh?"

"I guess so," she replies in a low tone, lest others hear. "I never much cared for him, anyway."

Cao gives her another look. "I don't remember my father very much. My real one. I don't have much to care about when it comes to him, either. But at least your's is alive."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying. Kotal Kahn's a strange father, and I never really asked for one after he killed the first one, but he's trying... I suppose."

She can't help but crack a smile. "You realize how rediculous that sentence is, right? You're just so casually talking about being adopted by the guy who killed your dad. Isn't that messed up?"

"Trust me, I've thought about it a lot more than you," he cracks a smile. "Besides... maybe we just live rediculous lives." Nearby, Chomba sits down. They both watch the crocodilian take out something wrapped in cloth. He unwraps his lunch, a large piece of fruit the size of their heads, green and yellow in color. He opens his massive mouth wide and plops it onto his tongue before snapping his mouth shut, crushing the fruit. Juice and bits of the rind drip from his jaws as he chomps and swallows. Cao seems to take this as evidence for his last point. "See?"

"I suppose so," she replies, amused. She looks at the thief prince as he stares at the eating display and allows herself to think about how, with a haircut, a shave, perhaps a good wash, he'd clean up rather nicely. He's certainly lean and athletic, if a bit short, but she doesn't mind that much. "You know... Maybe you aren't so bad, Kahnzedah. We should hang out more."

"Sure... But this ship is about to start moving, and if you're near me, I might throw up on you. Fair warning."

"Thanks," she says, back to being slightly reviled.

>Talk to someone else
>Go below deck
>Find some work
>Wander around the ship
>Other

>>556390
and fantasizing about Ashra in the meantime, trying not to think about Khameleon, and all that while trying to avoid Jaqui

>>556407
>Talk to someone else
>Find some work
"Hey you! I help you with your work if you explain me, why there are to Mileenas!

>>556422
Seconded

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>>556422
>>556442

The ship pulls out of port as Ling steps away from Cao. She walks further down the deck, past the panting Elvis, towards the rear of the ship. There, she sees a girl with fiery red hair sitting on the railing, looking at the island as the Dragon Wing sails away from it.

"Beautiful island, isn't it?" she asks. "If it weren't for how ugly that building is, I'd envy you living there."

Ling actually chuckles at that, agreeing with her statement about the military base. "Are you from Outworld too?"

"Almost feels like I could be, with how long I been there," she replies. "But no, lass, I'm from somewhere else, far away and impossible to go back to. I guess it's easier to say that I'm from the sea. Aye, the sea."

Ling cocks a brow and decides to introduce herself. "My name is Ling. You are?"

She woman flashes a bright smile. "First Mate Fin! Sierra Fin, at your service! Pleasure to meet ya, lass." She shakes Ling's hand, already very friendly and familiar.

"Nice to meet you too," Ling says, shaking the lovely redhead's hand. "Say... I was wondering something." She leans in close and asks, "Why are there... You know... Two Mileenas?"

Sierra looks up and down, making sure nobody else is around, before using a finger to urge Ling closer. When she leans in, Sierra whispers, "Magic!" She then giggles and leans back as Ling looks dissatisfied with the answer. "Honestly lass, I don't know. I never ask too many questions. I knew that the cap'n was special, got magic about her see? So when another showed up, I hardly batted an eye. 'Sides, I seen stranger things out on these waters."

Ling puts a hand on her hip. "Well, thanks anyway."

"Fret not, lass, I'm sure someone knows; t'aint me, though!"

>Ask her if there is any work that needs being done
>Chat her up a bit
>Walk over to someone else
>Find Forrest Fox
>Other

>>556536
>Ask her if there is any work that needs being done
Fin and Lin rhymes. Let's ask her.

>>556536
>>Ask her if there is any work that needs being done
>>Chat her up a bit

>>556536
>>Ask her if there is any work that needs being done

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>>556543
>>556587
>>556619

Ling sits for a moment. "Well, is there anything that needs doing? I was told to work or else I'd get into even more trouble."

Sierra flashes her another smile. "Well, now that you mention it..."

>Several minutes later...

'Damn, this is exactly what I was hoping to avoid!'

Ling is on her hands and knees, scrubbing the deck with a brush. To be fair, so are several others, including Forrest, but she still finds it to be demeaning work. Sierra isn't far away, similarly scrubbing away, but in a considerably lighter mood about it. "This is great! With the extra help, we'll be done in no time!"

'Yeah, yeah,' she thinks as she washes the brush in a soapy bucket. Nearby, the tigrar Buturo uses all four of his hands to scrub, a brush in each one. Ling steals another look at Forrest, who is silently working away. The ship sails out into the waters of the Lost Sea, and Shang Tsung's island grows very small in the distance now.

"Come on, lads! We're nearly halfway done!" Sierra calls out. She smiles and says, "I know just what'll make the time fly! Ooooohhhhhhh..."

She starts to sing, and as she goes, the other workers start to join in, growing louder and louder, especially during the chorus lines.

>Fisherman, fisherman, standing by the sea,
>Have you a crayfish you can sell to me?
>Yes sir, yes sir, indeed I do!
>I got a crayfish I can sell to you!
>By the way side high diddly aye do!

>Well, I took 'im home, thought he'd like a swim!
>Filled up the chamber pot, threw the bugger right in!
>In the middle of night, thought I'd have a fit,
>When my old lady got up to a-have a shit!
>By the way side high diddly aye do!

>Husband, husband, she cried out to me,
>The devil's in the pot, he's got hold of me!
>Children, children, bring the looking glass,
>Come and see the crayfish that bit your mother's arse!
>By the way side high diddly aye do!

>Children, children, did you hear the grunt?
>Come and see the crayfish that bit your mother's cunt!
>It's the ending of me story; I don't have any more,
>I've an apple in me pocket, and you can have the core!
>By the way side high diddly aye do!

By the end, everyone is cheering and laughing, especially at the last few lines. Ling herself can't help but be a bit amused at the profane nature of the song. By the end of it, the work is done, and though her hands and knees are dirty, she feels in a considerably lighter mood due to it.

>Find some more work
>Talk some more with Sierra
>Find Cao or Forrest
>Talk to Captain Mileena
>Other

>>556672
>>Find some more work
Go see if Ensign Ricky needs any help.

>>556672
>>Find some more work

>Talk to Captain Mileena

>>556672
>Find some more work
DWELL MORE ON DYING DAD

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>>556694
>>556715
>>556765

As she wipes some sweat and dirt from her forehead, Ling walks across the deck and grabs a rag. As she does, Rambolt the cannoneer asks if she could bring up a small barrel of gunpowder from below decks. She dusts off her hands and nods, finding the stairs leading down. Once in the lower decks, she looks around and quickly finds a small barrel with some black powder left around its lid. She moves to grab it, but when she does, someone reaches out and touches her wrist.

She hops back as Ugly, the aptly-named taktatan, approaches her. His mishapen face is twisted into a smile beneath a large bone piercing through his nostrils. "Pretty girly..." he says, holding up his hands. "Pretty hair... Want touch..."

Ling summons her staff to her hands, which appears in a flash of light. "I don't think so!" she declares. "Now back off!"

"Just want touch pretty girly's pretty hair..." he says, his grotesque tongue sliding out of his maw. "Soft... Pretty!"

>Give him another warning
>Shove him back
>Stab him a little
>Leave without the barrel
>Let him touch your hair, but nothing else!
>Other

>>556811

>stab him a little.

Nobody will notice if ugly gets uglier right?

>>556811
>Give him another warning
>Shove him back
A light shove though, don't want to make him crash into anything

>>556811
>Other
You're wasting Captain Mileena's time! She sent me down her to get that gunpowder, move!

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>>556863
>>556864

An idea comes to her mind. Ling narrows her eyes, grits her teeth and barks at him, "You're wasting Captain Mileena's time! She sent me down her to get that gunpowder, move!"

Ugly seems terribly intimidated by Captain Mileena, to the point of the mere mention of her name causing him to become nervous. "R-right! Sorry! I'll bring it up, you just watch! Pretty lady no be mad!"

He picks up the barrel and runs upstairs. As Ling watches him go, she hears a second voice from behind. "Nicely done. Ugly is no threat, trust me. You handled that well."

She turns around to see a dark-skinned monk woman approaching. She wears loose clothing over tight wrappings, and her toned body betrays her warrior's training. Her black hair is pulled tightly behind her head and small tattoos decorate her face. "And how long were you watching?"

"Long enough to have been able to intervene if you were unable to handle the situation," she replies, her voice deep and almost melodic. "But I recognize those beads you wear... You are of Bo' Rai Cho's school, are you not?"

Ling idly touches her orange prayer beads. "Yes, I am. You know of his school?"

"I do. I am from the far west, but I have met other students of his. I am called Yahra, and it is an honor to meet you." She bows to Ling, who does the same. "Not all on this ship are trained such as you and I. You are a very welcome presence."

Ling has to admit, this one is very polite. "Thank you."

>Head back up to the deck
>Speak with her for a bit
>Ask for a demonstration of her skill
>Inquire about the other students she has met
>Other

>>556968
>>Speak with her for a bit

>>556968
>>Speak with her for a bit

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>>557010
>>557226

Ling sits down on a crate and chats with Yahra for some time, having never met an outworlder from the far west, though she has heard of them before. She hails from a tribal village, a semi-nomadic and martial culture that follows beasts across wide plains to hunt.

"I was the fastest," she says with a smile. "I was much younger then, when all that mattered in the world was the chasing of beasts. For miles we would run, with the sun on our shoulders and fire in our hearts. No beasts could escape, no matter how much faster they were or more agile. Eventually they would stop and we would be there."

"Why did you leave?"

Yahra's smile, brought about by the memory, slowly fades. "Ours was not the only tribe in the land, and rivalries upon those wide, flat plains grow fast and deep. Ours was also not the largest, nor the strongest. One summer, when the sun was hotter than most, our people were forced further south by a larger tribe hunting in greener fields, to the waters. I left for a hunt, and returned to find my home in ruins and ash."

Ling hugs a knee close to her chest. "A rival tribe?"

"No," Yahra says. "They were slavers. Men of the sea. They had weapons greater than my people, and took them. I and what few others were left followed their ship down the coast, to they bay where they sold the captives. I was young, inexperienced... I wanted to free my people."

"What did you do?"

"I failed." She is silent for a moment. "The town burnt. An accident... many died in their cages. Not just people from my home, but others. I still see them sometimes, in the dark of night, and I hear them. I hear my father."

Ling's ears perk up a bit. "Your father?"

"Yes... I found him. But I could not save him. He told me, he said... 'Go! Go! Run!' And so I did. I took a ship and I never looked back." After letting her words hang in the air for a moment, Yahra looks up at Ling. "Everyone on this ship has a reason to hate those who prey upon others. Everyone here has lost their family, in some way or another. Together we strive to build a family of our own, and stop others from experiencing the same pain."

She stands up and looks to the stairs. "The others may question how long we have been here. I should return to the work."

Ling watches her go, feeling a small knot forming in her stomach. Her eyes inevitably stray down to her father's letter.

'Why is everything making me think about him?' she says to herself, cursing these confusing emotions. 'Damn it all...'

>Stay down here for a bit
>Find more work to be done
>Search for Captain Mileena
>Seek out Fox or Cao
>Other

>>557354
>Seek out Fox or Cao
What's Forrest is up to I wonder

>>557354
>Find more work to do
Get our mind off of this, Capn Mileena is probably looking to torture us more

>>557354
>>Seek out Fox or Cao

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>>557375
>>557461

Heading back up to the deck, she scans her eyes around and sees Fox nearby, helping to pull on some ropes for the sails. The rigging moves between pulleys as they raise the sail in preparation for the ship's trans-realm transit.

When he is done, he helps tie off the rope on a metal hook. She approaches as he wipes sweat from his brow. "How's it going?"

"I've never worked on a ship before. I think I like it."

"Why?"

He shrugs. "I'm not sure. But I think I do."

"Hm." She stands silently for a moment, until the situation seems to grow a bit awkward. Tapping her foot on the ground as a distraction, she then asks, "Do you know where we are going?"

"I heard one of the others say something about Earthrealm," he replies. "I didn't really ask."

'Earthrealm, huh?' She looks at the rest of the crew as they ready the ship. "I wonder what for..."

>Help complete the preparations
>Talk to Fox more
>Look for Cao
>Find Captain Mileena
>Other

>>557567
>Talk to Fox more
>Other
Make small talk, like do you think Kaito and both Mileenas go at it in the bedroom or just one and the other watches

You know casual stuff

>>557567
>Help complete the preparations

>>557595
Hehe I like this

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>>557595
>>557607

Ling leans up against the railing as she makes small chat with Fox. "So, you think Kaito kept this whole 'two Mileenas' thing from the team for a reason?"

He folds his arms and offers a dismissive shrug. "I'm sure it's just personal between them."

"Personal nothing! There's two of her!" She stops for a moment as a wicked thought comes to her mind. Nudging him with her elbow, she says, "But speaking of personal, do you think he gets it on with them both? Or does one watch?"

Fox lets out a low chuckle as he closes his eyes and shakes his head. "Well... I don't know if you've ever really looked at Kaito, but every now and then he shows up with new scratches and cuts, right around the time the ship shows up for its weekly report." He looks over at her with raised brows. "They always looked like nail scratches and bite marks to me."

Ling covers her mouth and giggles a bit. "Who knew he could be so freaky, huh?"

A sly smile grows on his face. "We all have our secrets."

Before she can wonder what he means by that, the ship is encased in fog. A small chill goes up her spine as the wind changes and the ship is carried far away, across the realms, to Earthrealm. She and Fox both look over the side of the ship as they emerge from the fog in a new place.

They are on a river, in a semi-tropical region. The sun shines brightly upon the green land, and small boats and structures along the river's edge can also be seen.

In fact... to Ling, they seem familiar.

She walks to the other side of the ship and looks off into the distance, barely managing to contain a gasp as she looks upon something she has seen before: the Temple of Light, headquarters of the White Lotus Society, in China.

And not far from this place, she knows from her brief time here long ago, is the Wu Shi Academy.

'Oh, no,' she thinks.

>Do nothing and wait to be approached
>Find the captain
>Hide somewhere on the ship
>Ready your things; it's clear that you're in for a visit
>Other

>>557747
>Ready your things; it's clear that you're in for a visit
Why fight it

>>557747
>>Ready your things; it's clear that you're in for a visit

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>>557767
>>557916

Ling lets out a sigh. 'I suppose I should have expected this, after telling them what I did.'

She resigns herself over to visiting her father. She readies her things, which is primarily just her shapeshifting qiang, and prepares for the visit, but as she does, Mileena approaches her. She looks over her shoulder and sees the clone approaching.

"It was agreed upon with Kaito that we would have you for a week. But, given the circumstances... I am allowing you to visit your father."

"For how long?" She then quickly adds, "Captain."

"I intend to give you a day. We will return tomorrow, and if you require more time, well... We shall discuss it then."

Ling nods and moves to disembark. The ship approaches a dock and she hops off, turning to give a small wave to the others. As she walks up, the Dragon Wing begins to pull away.

Silently, somewhat regretfully, she approaches the temple. It does not take long, however, for her ears to pick up the sounds of something approaching her from behind. Turning around, she doesn't initially see, but she can hear... and smell. Poking her head around a corner, she is just in time to see Cao sitting with his back up against a wall, panting and looking like he is trying to control his gag reflex.

"Cao? What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't stand one more damn minute at open sea," he says, rubbing his head. "I jumped ship."

"You know they're going to find you missing, right?"

"I got Fox to cover for me."

"How?"

"I don't know, he said he'd figure it out." Cao closes his eyes and groans. "I hate that damn boat... The last time I was on a boat for an extended period of time, I was below deck in a coffin with a---" He stops himself from saying anything further. "...Nevermind."

Though curious, Ling leans on her staff. "Well then, I guess you're with me. Welcome to the Temple of Light... try not to steal anything, alright?"

"No promises."

>Head to the temple
>Wait with Cao until he feels better
>See if you can bring him some food or water
>Try and find one of the monks
>Other

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Where'd everybody go?

>>558032
> See if you can bring him some food or water
Delay the inevitable

>>558032
>Wait with Cao until he feels better
>See if you can bring him some food or water
Don't want him puking everywhere

>>558164
I had work to do and totally passed out as soon as I got home

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>>558288

S'cool

>>558258
>>558270

She looks down at him and feels a bit of pity. "Wait here, okay?"

He nods as she walks off. Travellers and locals come to the temple and frequently leave offerings to the order, and so there is a small collection of them upon a stone table in front of the main entrance; flowers, food, water and more. Sticking her head out and looking up and down both ways, she quickly darts over to the table and grabs some food and clean water from it. She runs back to where Cao sits and approaches him to sit alongside him before offering him the food and water.

"Hey, thanks," he says, gratefully accepting them. He eats quickly and drinks heartily before setting the empty dish aside.

For a few minutes, he sits as he lets his stomach settle down. He looks over at her and then asks, "Hey, Ling?"

"What is it?"

"I had a question... about Lex."

Ling is silent as her white-haired friend is brought up. "Yeah...?"

"How come she didn't want to join the New Defenders, anyway?"

She looks back out over the river. "She's a good friend, but not really too invested in the realms at large. She's more interested in bettering herself and her martial arts until she can obtain the title of master. So, when the siege was over and we returned to the school, when the time came for me to leave... she decided to stay."

"Oh." He drinks a bit more, then wipes his mouth clean. "That's a shame. I like her."

"Me too." Her hand slides up her staff a bit before adding, "Why do you ask, anyway?"

"Was just curious... I was thinking about when we first met, because of her." He chuckles. "Man, I didn't much care for you around then. You said I stunk."

"Well, you do," she giggles, nudging him with her elbow. He plays along and nudges her back a bit, and soon they're in a playful shove match.

>Hang out some more
>Head to the temple
>Talk more about Lex
>Examine your letter
>Other

>>558366
>>Head to the temple
Tell cao to wash his face and not embarrass you

>>558366
>>Head to the temple

>>558366
>>Head to the temple
We need to remember to ask if the Monks have brought a doctor to see Kung Lao and not just increased his tea intake.

>>558366
> head to the temple
And >>558379
Should have told him that food and water was stolen, he would have appreciated it more.

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>>558379
>>558469
>>558483
>>558501

"So, did you like the stuff I got you?" she asks after they finish their shoving.

"Yeah, it was fine, why?"

"I thought you'd appreciate it more if you knew it was stolen."

"Ling... I never knew you cared so much. I'm touched."

For a moment, their eyes meet, exchanging longing looks. To her surprise, he begins to lean in towards her, closing his eyes...

Reaching into the nearby stream, she splashes some water onto Cao. "Hey!" he says, holding up his hands to block a second splash. "H-hey! What gives?"

With an amused expression, she says, "Wash your face, prince. We're going into the temple now."

She uses her staff to push herself up and walks off back towards the temple, where they are intercepted by a monk with a stern face. Ling recognizes this one. "Well, if it isn't Guy Lai, the most boring monk in the realms."

He turns up his nose upon seeing her. "We weren't expecting you."

She takes out her letter and waves it around. "Yeah, well, I would think that I have free reign to walk around as I please, given who the grand-daddy around here is, hmm? Besides, I was invited."

The monk looks at her and then at Cao. "Very well. Follow me."

As they walk into the temple proper, passing a few other red and orange-clad monks, Ling speaks up, "So, what's wrong with my father?"

"We are uncertain."

"Have you even sent for a doctor? Maybe someone who knows more than just how to make tea?"

Guy turns around and fixes her with a nasty look. "I'll have you know that the Shaolin archives detail a great many medicinal traditions that the modern world has forgotten. Kung Jin, for all his own faults, at least took the time to study there, unlike yourself." After snapping at her, he continues walking.

'What an impotent, incompetent loser,' she thinks to herself. Nearby, Cao inspects some pots, but she slaps his hand and they continue forward.

Guy speaks up again. "Besides. We have someone special tending to him."

>"Who?"
>Walk silently until you reach your destination
>Tell Cao to wait back for a little while
>Play a prank on Guy
>Other

>>558553
>>"Who?"

>>558553
>>"Who?"
Cao can't be trusted to wait back

>>558553
>Who?
Dr. Phil pls

I hope this is all a front to get us to make up, Dr Phil is the man to do it

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>>558618
>>558650
>>558669

Ling rolls her eyes a bit. "Alright, who?"

A strange, mechanical voice speaks out suddenly. "I believe he is referring to me."

The three of them turn and see a yellow figure approaching. From head to toe, he is clad entirely in metal armor, with glowing green eyes.

"What the hell is the training droid from the base doing here?" Cao wonders aloud. "And who painted it yellow?"

"I am not sure what you are referring to, but I am not an android. I am Cyrax, a cyborg." He approaches them some more and Ling can see that he is carrying a tray with a bowl of soup.

Cao slowly tilts his head. "Cyborg... Hang on... The last time I saw one of these, he was working for the Black Dragon!"

Ling bumps the back of his head. "Not Kano, you dip. It just means a person with machinery in their body. Jax is a cyborg. Even I know that."

"He is? I thought those were just gloves on his arms," Cao says.

"Wait, are they? I mean, he never takes them off, so I assumed..."

Cyrax interrupts her. "I do not mean to pry, but are you here to see Grandmaster Lao?"

Ling looks back at the yellow cyborg. "Yes... I'm here to see my father."

"He will be overjoyed. The sight of loved ones can nurture a sick soul as surely as any medicine." Once done with his flowery words, he turns and walks towards a nearby building. Ling and Cao follow as Guy Lai remains behind.

Ling moves up alongside him. "So, you're the one he was talking about then? What makes you so special to treat him anyway?"

"I am equipped with advanced sensors that allow me to scan his body and treat him appropriately. Though I have yet to understand the nature of his illness, I have been able to help him far more than any doctor flown to this location. We are quite a ways from a modern hospital, and as I am possessed of the most advanced technology at this temple, it has been both an honor and a privilage to help the grandmaster heal."

>Go and meet Lao
>"How has he been doing?"
>"So what's in the soup?"
>"Why haven't you been able to figure out what's wrong with him?"
>Other

>>558719
>>"So what's in the soup?"

>>558719
>>"How has he been doing?"
>>"Why haven't you been able to figure out what's wrong with him?"
Teabot 2.0.

>>558719
>>"So what's in the soup?"
>>"Why haven't you been able to figure out what's wrong with him?"
If technology can't figure it out does that mean it's magical in nature?

>>558763
The soup or the illness?

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Sorry for the pause. Was running.

>>558738
>>558755
>>558763

"So, what's in the soup?"

"It is a special herbal concoction composed of a variety of special ingredients, a combination of Shaolin tradition and modern medicine. And chicken. I have served it to him many times, and I read my poetry to him as he enjoys it."

Ling gives the cyborg a concerned look, wondering if her father's condition is made better or worse by him being read whatever brain is behind that yellow mask's idea of poetry is.

"Alright... Why haven't you been able to figure out what's wrong with him?"

"That is a troubling matter, I admit. I have been unable to identity the source of his ailment, thus I have endeavored to combat the symptoms."

"Which are?"

"He experiences occasional headaches, shortness of breath, odd fluctuations in body temperature, quickness of his pulse, sore throat and a variety of other things. All of these are infrequent and seem to have no pattern, which makes combating the illness difficult. They seem to spring out of nowhere, and there are periods where he is fine and healthy, and moments where he is not."

Ling listens in silence, growing (much to her surprise) more and more worried. She tries to justify these feelings as being worried over possible contagiousness, but deep down she knows it's more about her father's health.

Inside the building, her nose picks up the scent of burning incense. Lao is sitting in the center of a room, his signature hat upon his back, deep in meditation with his hands in front of him. Two burning sticks on either side of him give off small twisting trails of rising smoke. The grandmaster is clad in his traditional garments, dark blue and black, with the iconography of dragons. His grey hair is pulled into a long braid behind his head.

Ling hesitates by the door with Cao as Cyrax enters the room. "Grandmaster. I have brought your soup, and visitors."

Lao looks up upon hearing this. "Visitors, you say?" He straightens himself and stands to turn around and formally greet his guests, allowing her to look upon his bearded face, which now wears a light expression of surprise. "Meiying..."

>"Hello, father."
>"My name is Ling."
>"How are you feeling?"
>Say nothing
>Other

>>559047
>>"Hello, father."
Can't resist the classics. I hope we're saying it the way i think we're saying it

>>559047
>"Hello, father."
The AIDs finally caught up with him

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>>559069
>>559081

Not taking her eyes off of him, she replies in a low tone, "Hello, father."

Silence passes between them. Steam gently emerges from Cyrax's soup as the cyborg remains utterly immobile. Cao's eyes dart between father and daughter. Lao reaches up and holds out a hand as he says, "It is good to see you."

"Good to be seen, I suppose."

He lowers his hand. "Would you care to sit?"

She shifts onto a single foot and leans on her staff. "I'm fine standing, thank you."

Cao lets out a small whistle and backs away. She shoots him a 'What?' look and he just shrugs.

Lao remains undeterred. "I suppose a hug would be out of the question?"

He holds up his arms.

>Hug him
>Ask him about his sickness
>Do nothing
>This was a mistake; leave
>Other

>>559155
>Ask him about his sickness
Are you down with it

>>559155
>>Ask him about his sickness
"Are you gonna die or what?" I bet the parallels cao is seeing are insane.

>>559155
> Ask about his sickness
Changing the subject because EMOTIONS

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>>559169
>>559190
>>559200

She clears her throat and doesn't move forward. "So, what is this about a sickness? Why did you write about it to Jin, and not me?"

Lao slowly lowers his hands. Nearby, Cao leans up against a wall, folding his arms, watching in silence and inwardly a bit taken by some parallels to his own experiences that he is noticing.

"I was my intention to not come off as... desperate to see you again." He puts his arms behind his back, standing very calmly, yet his face is a bit sallow. "I was worried that you would think I was attempting to... guilt you."

"Me? Guilty?" She waves a hand and lets out a small chortle. "I'm not the guilty one here."

Lao is quiet at first. "Yes, I know."

Cao's eyebrows rise a bit higher. If he had popcorn, he'd be actively munching down on it.

"Well? Is it going to kill you?"

Lao ignores the bluntness of the question, along with the rather impersonal edge with which it was framed, and replies, "I am not very concerned. I am confident that it will either work its way out of my body or the cause will be found."

The girl remains unconvinced. "You know, I don't claim to know much about technology or care about Earthrealm medicine, but perhaps you should seek advice from actual medical professionals instead of trusting an outdated hunk of junk."

"I have transcended above and beyond the emotion of anger that can be raised in response to those words, but I do not appreciate them," Cyrax interjects.

The grandmaster brings a hand up to his mouth and coughs into it. It is not a very strong cough, but a noticable one. "I have considered it, and stubbornly remained here." His expression softens a bit. "But perhaps my daughter can convince me otherwise, as I hope she could care enough to."

Ling looks off to the side with a short huff.

Lao remains ever patient. "What would you suggest?"

>"Go to an actual hospital, perhaps?"
>"You could... come to the New Defenders base. They have more advanced technology."
>"Nothing. Keep eating soup and hearing poems, that'll help."
>"Dying slowly." Walk out
>Other

>>559303
>"You could... come to the New Defenders base. They have more advanced technology."
>Other
"I'm sure it would do you good to see some of your old friends, or something."

>>559303
>>Other
Cao knows a fancy medical woman in out world that might be able to help. I would assume Ruby is fairly well known being kotals number two and all

>>559319
>>559328

I might need a tie breaker, otherwise I'll go with a combination of the two.

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>>559319
>>559328
>>559407

As Ling is silent for a moment after the question, Cao clears his throat and speaks up. "Well, I know someone." They both look at him. He continues, "Kotal Kahn's First Minister, Ruby. She knows a lot, way more than I do, maybe more than the Shaolin's medicine men. And if this is some kind of exotic disease, maybe she has an answer. She's good with potions."

Ling is a bit incredulous. "A potion woman? Really, Cao, after the last one?"

He points upwards. "Hey, there's an idea. We could talk to Omegis."

"Well, now I know you're crazy. We're not going to her of all people. Think with your head, Cao, not your other head."

He scoffs. "I'm just saying, she's good with potions. Ruby's good with potions, too. Maybe we could bring this up to Shang Tsung..."

At that, now Kung Lao is one to react with disdain. "Shang Tsung? And just why should I trust that snake of a man? He engineered the plot to kill my ancestor, fought me in his form while I was in Outworld so long ago! I'd just as soon go to Quan Chi for help as Shang Tsung."

Before anyone can reply, he coughs into his hand again. Ling shrugs and says, "Well, what about just coming to the New Defenders base and having them check you out? If they can't do anything more than your cyborg, then at least we'll know that modern technology won't help you."

Kung Lao strokes his beard. "Hmm... It would be nice to see some familiar faces..."

>New Defenders Base
>Ruby
>Omegis
>Shang Tsung
>Remain Here
>Other

>>559557
>>New Defenders Base
Seems like the first thing we should do

>>559557
>>New Defenders Base

>>559557
>New Defenders Base
Seeing old friends would probably do you some good.

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>>559565
>>559566
>>559567

"Let's go back to the base," Ling insists. "If nothing else works there, then at least we could explore other options from there. The boat will be coming back tomorrow, but we could probably contact them earlier..."

"I don't mind," Lao says. "In fact, I would prefer you to spend the evening here. Please."

After a moment, Ling relents. "Fine."

Lao sits. Cyrax, who has been holding the soup all this while, speaks up. "Grandmaster, the soup has gotten cold."

"Oh... I'm not very hungry, thank you."

"Would you enjoy some poetry?"

"I am fine for now, my friend. Thank you."

Cyrax nods and walks out of the room. When he is well and gone, Lao lets out a sigh. "Every single one of his poems is about flowers. Every last one... How many times can something bloom? My patience is great, but his passion for flower poems is greater..."

Cao moves to sit in front of Lao. They both look expectantly up at Ling, who begrudingly sits down in front of him, next to Cao.

For the first time since his arrival, Lao looks at Cao and says, "My apologies for not welcoming you, Kahnzedah."

"That's... fine, really. I'm not much one for ceremony or titles, anyway."

"Still, I am glad to find you in the company of my daughter. She is quite lovely, is she not?"

Ling immediately stammers out, "W-what?!"

"I assume you two are to marry, yes? I would be honored to give away my daughter at a royal wedding."

Before Cao can reply, Ling cuts him off. "It's not like that at all!"

The old master chuckles softly to himself. "Please, forgive me. I wanted at least one bad joke. What would Johnny call it? 'Dad humor.' Pay me no heed." He chuckles again, enjoying the look on her face.

"I don't get it," Cao says, a bit confused. "So, you wouldn't want her to marry me, or...?"

"Nobody's getting married!" Ling insists.

After everything is calmed down, Lao turns his attention to Cao again. "I understand you are a thief, is that so?"

The prince puts on a cocky smile. "The best damn thief in Outworld."

"Ah. But you are not in Outworld." He holds out his hands and opens them. In one is a clear, smooth and small crystal stone. The other is empty. "In my hand I hold a stone. Steal it."

Without missing a beat, Cao swipes his hand across the master's palms. He closes his hands, but it seems as though Cao was quicker. Lao opens the hand that held the stone, but it is empty.

"Hah!" Cao says, opening his own hand. But it, too, is empty.

Lao smiles as he opens the hand that held nothing, revealing the stone. "The best thief, indeed."

Cao's eyes widen as he attempts to remain calm.

>Participate
>Watch
>Talk
>Leave
>Other

>>559662
>>Watch
This is important

>>559662
>Other
Try the soup. See if Cyrax is inadvertently killing Kung Lao.

>>559662
> Watch
Maybe tease Cao a little, all that time in the palace and in bed must be making him rusty

>>559685
Pretty sure he carried the soup out of the room

>>559709
If he did take it with him, I guess watch.

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>>559682
>>559685
>>559709
>>559716

Amused with this latest turn of events, Ling watches Cao desperately attempt to steal the pebble from Lao's hand. Each time, Cao fails. One time, he tries to grab it and Lao's hands are both empty, but so are Cao's. The grandmaster turns his hand around, revealing the smooth stone is between two fingers at his knuckles. Thinking himself clever, Cao tries to grab it when it is revealed, only for it to end up rolling down her father's arm and into his sleeve. When he demonstrates that the sleeve is empty, he then points at Cao's feet, where the stone had truly ended up all along.

Cao grabs it and says, "Hah! Got it this time!"

"Because I put it on the ground in front of you," Lao replies with a smile.

Cao dextrously spins the stone between his fingers. "Well let's see you try and grab it from me now!"

Lao then holds up the stone. "Like this?"

The thief looks at the stone in his hand. "Wait... You had two of them all along?"

"I'm not surprised you didn't notice."

As Ling giggles, Cao folds his arms. "Very funny. Fancy parlor tricks."

"You are the one who allowed himself to be fooled by those tricks," Lao points out. "You defeat yourself."

In a fit of pride, he says, "I beat Shao Kahn and Onaga. They couldn't defeat me, and trust me, they damn well tried."

"Precisely for that reason," Lao says. "You may think yourself unbeatable, but if that is so, the only thing that can defeat yourself is yourself, and thinking you cannot be defeated means you already are."

Cao averts his eyes. "Deep."

The father now looks at his daughter. "Perhaps you would like to try, Ling?" He holds up his hands, one pebble inside a palm. He then clasps his hands together and brings them apart, fists closed, as though to obscure which hand contains the stone. "Rather than testing speed and perception, perhaps another test is more suited for you. Which hand contains the stone?"

She raises her brow as he waits patiently for her response.

>Don't play
>"Left."
>"Right."
>Randomly pick a hand
>Study him
>Other

>>559800
>>Other
"Dad, which hand is the stone in?"

>>559800
>Study him

>>559800
>Study him
These tricks are about misdirection