Mortal Kombat: New Defenders Quest #3

>>Amused

The mice scurry

It is understandable, of course, for them to fear. Sheeva is a large and intimidating woman by herself, but she knows it is not her own visage that drives away the people of Earth, but rather that of the shokan species. Twenty years prior they engaged in a brutal invasion of this realm and were instrumental to Shao Kahn's armies. They appeared through portals alongside other "monstrous" races of Outworld to attack the cities of Earthrealm, targeting the largest population centers across the planet. In a short period of time, much destruction was wrought and the shokan were key participants in it. Although enough time has passed for children born in that time to now be adults, as most members of the New Defenders are, the people of Earthrealm have not forgotten the invasion.

Sheeva finds herself amused by their behaviour, like mice scurrying before a predator. They avoid eye contact which she cares little for; so long as she is not interrupted, she could care less if they use their strange handheld devices to record her from the corners of the room. Ever since appearing on their "television broadcast" where the thin-haired and old Secretary Blake introduced the team to the world, it has been her understanding that there is controversy amongst some sections of the human population over her place on the team. Again, she cannot say she minds; let any who oppose her come forth to challenge her in Mortal Kombat. So long as they hide behind their screens and keyboards, she will pay them no heed whatsoever.

In this pottery class alone, they cower and shy away when she walks by their tables. When the teacher instructs them to present their works, they lavish praise upon her simple designs out of fear, not respect or admiration. The professor himself is a rather meek man, who gives her good "grades" despite others creating much more artistic designs than she. But when she points this out, their makers are quick to say that hers is better. Spineless, the lot of them. Her time here has given her great perspective on the normal humans her team protects. But right now, such things aren't quite on the front of her mind.

>Sheeva is thinking about:

>Her people and her homeland
>The New Defenders and her relation with them
>The contrast between Shokan and Human culture
>Loneliness

>>Loneliness
Shokan are family oriented and I'm sure she misses young Jagara.

> The Contrast between SHOOOOOOKAAAANNNN and Human culture.

>>The contrast between Shokan and Human culture

At least the wildlife on this continent is vaguely reminiscent of home...

>The contrast between Shokan and Human culture
These humans are weird. I feel like the Earthrealm fighters have misled me about what their people are like during the tournaments back in the day

>Ship the Shokan to Australia 2016

In fact, Sheeva finds herself thinking about things that make her feel uneasy, despite the calming harp music and the clay she is working with. Perhaps it comes from her exposure to Earthrealm customs and culture, perhaps it comes from her separation from her people and Outworld in general, but ever since joining the team she has found it difficult to adjust to her new surroundings. She lives in a room she did not create, surrounded by technology her people did not forge and fights alongside a new, younger generation. While many of her teammates have direct blood connections to warriors she knows and respects, she finds herself at a conflict of personality with many of them. Upstart, brash, arrogant, disrespectful, these are all words that she could use to describe more than a handful of them; qualities to be expected from the youth of a comparatively shorter-lived species.

Furthermore, this contrast between home and hearth is seemingly widened the more time she spends in Earthrealm. Though she rarely interacts with anyone from this class (or indeed the wider world around it) she learns more and more about them the more time she remains. Their culture is vastly different from her own, as they live what Cassie Cage referred to as a more "modern" existence, which Sheeva took offense to, as it implied the shokan lived a "primitive" existence. She was keen to debate and defend her people's traditional ways, as she has always been proud and honorable when it comes to matters of the shokan, but her own observations from classes like these and her interactions with her Earthrealm teammates has taught her much about their people.

They have grown so powerful in their own realm that they can afford to exist in comfort without every member of their race being a warrior, or a builder, or a hunter. Rudimentary research has told her that humans also outnumber her kind by a massive factor, but numbers alone do not promise superiority. The forces of an Outworld united under Shao Kahn were outnumbered and technologically outmatched by Earthrealm, but with their technology and "modern" life has come a weakening of other, baser strengths. They have largely lost courage and honor, at least in the ways a shokan would view these qualities. They have gained much, this cannot be denied, but a thousand shokan could still defeat ten thousand humans in battle.

>She now considers...

>The strength of her teammates compared to the average human
>The disappointing lack in battle recently
>A recent dream she had about this very land
>The lack of a sufficient mate in her life
>Other

>>A recent dream she had about this very land

Obvious plothook, cleverly placed in the exact middle of the greentext so we wouldn't notice...

>>A recent dream she had about this very land
How come no one asked Cao if he wanted to try pottery? He's an artsy guy.

> The Strength of her teamates vs regular humans.

SHOOOOOKAAAAN

he probably doesn't need help to get along with Earthrealmers

Of course there are exceptions to the humans, such as the members of her team. At one point, Sheeva had contemplated if the very nature of Earth itself was what had made the humans into what they are; Outworld is harsh, dangerous and often deadly. It therefore breeds harsh, dangerous and deadly people, like the shokan. But the humans have tamed their realm, they now control it to a point where life is safe. Certainly there exist dangerous regions, and people who wish to dwell in them, but for the most part life in Earthrealm is safe for its people.

Sheeva had a dream, recently, though she knows not what brought it upon her. Perhaps it was just a flight of fancy, but it was also grim. Duroc had perished, the shokan were in disarray, their lands threatened to be wiped out. Sheeva had stepped up and led them, and soon enough became queen by her own hand after striking a deal with the world leaders of Earthrealm to lead her people to Earthrealm, to this very land of Australia, and here she ruled upon a stone throne. She had been told that by Kaito that Australia was still a harsh and dangerous land in itself, so perhaps the dream it was a desire to live here and similarly tame it with her people. A dream, and nothing more, for such a thing had never come to pass. Sheeva was not a ruler, but even if she was, would she fare any better than Duroc? She greatly admired her eldest cousin, for he was a just ruler and compassionate. His taking of Rokuro, a half-breed bastard, as his true son and heir was proof alone of that.

>What happens next?

>She thinks about Duroc, and of home; the royal family
>Sheeva finishes up her pottery
>Someone interrupts her
>A sudden call to action
>Other

>She thinks about Duroc, and of home; the royal family
"but are they really *my* family?"

>She thinks about Duroc, and of home; the royal family

> Someone interrupts her.

MYSTERIOUS SHOOKAAAN BOOOX?

>>Someone interrupts her

>>Someone interrupts her
Mystery box

Sheeva's thoughts are suddenly interrupted by someone approaching her. It is the professor of the class, a fairly young adult man who has difficulty making eye contact with her, much like everyone else. She pauses in her shaping of the clay as he walks up, chewing on his nail.

"So, Sheeva, I---Erm, that is, I noticed you're doing something a little, uh, different today."

"Yes," she replies as she glares daggers at the mewling man. "I am making a water jug."

"Goo--Good, that's good, that's a good thing," he nods, forcing a smile. "It's just, I was, um, wondering..."

"What? Speak."

He steps back from her firmness, clearly worried about offending her. "Well, I thought that, perhaps, um---That you might enjoy more, ah, privacy, is all."

She slowly raises a brow. "Explain."

He holds up his hands, as if in defense. "I don't mean anything like, uh, moving you out of the class or anything, it's just, if you would prefer, I don't know, an isolated room perhaps for your work? Erm, with f-full access to all the materials, as usual, just... Away from everyone else."

Immediately her eyes narrow and the man is shaken. "I d-didn't mean that w-we want to get rid of you, of course, I meant only if YOU would prefer it, not that anyone else would, that is." He is visibly sweating and slightly trembling. "I--I--I--I mean, if you d-don't like the others, ah, looking or filming like they, um, tend to, or being afr-fraid of you..."

Sheeva closes her eyes and slowly sucks in a breath from her nostrils. To even speak to a coward like this makes her want to crack a skull open.

>"No." Continue working.
>Ignore him, keep working.
>React harshly
>Break something in response
>Other

>>"No." Continue working.

We shall "dignity" the worm into submission.

>"No." Continue working.

>"No"

SHOOOKAN ENJOY COMMUNAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES!

>Other
Could one of you translate for this one? He seems to have trouble expressing himself

She continues to stare at him for a moment, each second making him more and more uncomfortable. Finally, she says, "No." She then returns to her pot.

"G-great! Fant-tastic, I mean, like I said we don't want you to leave b-but just wanted to make sure you're comfortable, hah, I'll just... I'll just get with the other students."

He quickly shuffles off, leaving Sheeva with a distasteful look on her face. But she discovers that she is nearly done, and ready to make the handle of the pot while also doing some additional details. She runs all of her fingers up and down the surface, adding some more water as she focuses on the next few steps.

>How thin should the jug be?

>Thicken the sides; make it practical
>Thin the sides; make it artistic

>What should the outside look like?

>Smooth surface
>Textured surface
>Wavy surface

>And what does she think about while she does her last bit of work for the day?

>The Team and what she is going to do when she returns to the island
>The shokan royal family and the current state of affairs
>Sheeva's romantic life (or lack thereof)
>Nothing; focus on the work
>Other

>Thicken the sides; make it practical
>Wavy surface
>Nothing; focus on the work
let's show these motherfuckers some shokan pottery that can last

>Thicken the sides; make it practical
>Wavy surface
>Nothing; focus on the work

> Thicken

> Textured

> Other
What was the guy who interrupted her trying to say?

SHOOOOKAAAANNNNN POOOOOT STRONGK

Thick
Textured
Focus on work

Setting aside all other thoughts, Sheeva concentrates on completing her work on the jug. She creates a handle while giving the outside a thicker consistency with another layer of clay, which she gives a wavey, textured style to. When this is done, she gives it a simple finish, takes it to the kiln and and sets it inside.

Her work complete, she will retrieve it upon her next class session. Now comes the time to return to the island. She leaves the class without saying goodbye, walking through the hall and to the courtyard outside. This is where she usually activates the portal device, but she hestitates for a moment. She looks up into the sky and realizes that she is actually done a bit earlier than usual.

Perhaps she could remain in Earthrealm a bit longer... Then again, she is rather weary of this place and its people.

>Return to the island
>Explore the college campus
>Walk out into the city
>Wander off into the wildnerness for a while
>Other

>Thick
>Textured
>Work

>Wander off into the wildnerness for a while
Where is the danger of this land? Time to truly see the soft human world.

>>Wander off into the wildnerness for a while
Let's get Sheeva a koala or something

> Wilderness

SHOOOOOKAAAAN DUNDEEEEE TIEM

>Wander off into the wildnerness for a while
Shokan are not wary of anything!

Also I am really surprised that the Defenders just let Sheeva leave without supervision.

Sheeva's a mature and older woman.

She's not some nutter who would see anyone different and beat them to death screaming SHOOOOOKAAAAANNNNN MIGHTYYYY

I guess we'll see.

Finding little interest in civilization, she is instead more curious about the surrounding land and its wildlife. Stepping out of the town and heading off into the wilderness, ignoring any who stop and stare at her, Sheeva travels off and soon finds herself treading across the Australian landscape. It takes her a while to find anything interesting, but soon she is surrounded by lush forest and walking alongside a river. She's reminded of the Kuatan Jungle just south of her homeland, where she would sometimes run through as a child.

She glimpses occasional small animals and other creatures, but nothing amazingly dangerous, like a sucker-snake or a horned ape. What few larger animals she does see look intimidating in their own ways, but nothing that she feels she could fear. Most beasts of Outworld are unafraid to attack at a moment's notice, but the beasts of Earthrealm make way for one as they walk through the jungle. She finds little interest out here, and after a while, decides to leave.

That is, however, until she comes upon the corpse of a large bird. She kneels down and looks at the creature; it seems to have been killed not for sport, as nothing on the body was stripped, but there is a pilfered nest nearby. She can tell by the wound that it is not another animal that did this, for indeed another animal would have taken the body. No, this is the work of poaching. A trail leads her to a camp, which has been abandonned, but there is more evidence here that animals were being held in cages.

Sheeva places her four hands on her hips. Her understanding of the laws of this land is minute, but perhaps this warrants further investigation...

>Head to the island
>Contact the Team and ask for advice
>Search for the poachers yourself
>Ignore this situation and leave
>Other

> Contact the team

Ask for Fireseed. He was a hunter.

A HUNTER WORTHY OF SHOOKANNN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT!

>>Search for the poachers yourself
Why do you not follow superior SHOKAN HUNTING ETIQUETTE

This mans enthusiasm bothers me a bit by agree with his suggestion

>>Contact the Team and ask for advice

We don't know the law enforcement customs. It would not do to dishonor ourselves in the eyes of the local government.

>>Contact the Team and ask for advice

WE NEED TO ASK IF IT WOULD CAUSE WAR FOR US TO CRUSH THESE SCUM. SHOOOKAN ARE HONOURABLE AND ONLY FIGHT WHEN IT IS WORTHY!

Holding up her lower left arm, she taps a hidden device on her forearm guard to activate a communication function. After a moment, someone else on the team answers: Fireseed. She quickly informs him of the current situation, and he relates the illegality of poaching, especially if the species is protected or endangered. After inquiring what her next move should be, he advises her to hold position. She does so for several minutes until a portal opens nearby and he walks though, dressed head to toe in his hunting gear. He approaches her and looks around at the camp before more closely inspecting it.

"They're not far off," he says, running his fingers along the ground. "Definitely poachers. Cassowary and other birds were here. There's a big market for their eggs."

Sheeva cracks her knuckles. "Do we hunt these hunters?"

He picks up a fragment of an eggshell and nods. "We do." Looking around, he finds their most recent trail and sniffs before putting his head near the ground. "Diesel. This way." He stands up and moves quickly in one direction, and she follows, running after him.

'Perhaps this day will not be such a waste after all,' she muses as they follow the trail of the poachers.

They come upon them in little under an hour. Fireseed, having anticipated where they were headed, took them to an elevated position at the top of a canyon they are going to be passing through. Sheeva lies in wait with the tracker as he sets up a sniping position, taking out his rifle and affixing a telescopic sight to it. He looks through for a few moments before saying, "They're here."

She looks in the direction and begins to see the lights of cars. They're driving in a small caravan down into the canyon.

"Optimal range soon," he mutters as he aims. "Your mission. Your call."

>Shoot out the drivers and jump down
>Wait for them to get near, then jump on the lead vehicle and destroy it
>Jump in front of the cars and makes them stop
>Follow them
>Other

>>Wait for them to get near, then jump on the lead vehicle and destroy it

>Wait for them to get near, then jump on the lead vehicle and destroy it
Dishonor is repaid through death.
SHOKAN WAY!!

>>Wait for them to get near, then jump on the lead vehicle and destroy it
Fireseed can give support

> JUMP IN FRONT WHILE ALLY ENGAGES FROM REAR

SHOOOOOOKAN AND INDIAN HUNTING ADVENTURES? DAMASHI YOU KNOW HOW TO TOUCH ME JUST RIGHT!

My level of concern about the amount of caps lock use happening here is slowly but steadily rising...

Sush, let take the authentic shokan experience

I'm pretty sure the "authentic Shokan experience" is less Hulk and more pic related.

Fair point

Yeah but they also do yell their species name. That being the species name I shall try to avoid saying so as to reduce caps use.

We're engaging honourably and putting an end to dishonourable curs. quite authentic.

"I'll make the first move," she says, moving to walk towards the edge. "Fire after I stomp the one in front."

"You mean 'stop'," he says.

"No, I do not."

As they draw near, Sheeva waits for the right moment. When it comes, she squats and tenses her leg muscles before springing upwards, launching herself several times higher than any normal being can jump. She then rockets downwards, having timed the jump perfectly as she aims for the lead vehicle before landing on its hood. The result is cataclysmic for the car as she smashes its front half and engine in one single blow, crushing the metal beneath her bare feet. The back half of the car flips forwards, over her head, the metal twisting and breaking as it rolls off. The car, and the people inside of it, land nearby and skid along the ground.

The other cars in the convoy all skid to a stop, one of them crashing into another in the back. Their headlights shine on her as she rises from the wreckage, picking off some of the metal from her shoulder and tossing it aside. Almost immediately, the doors open and people point firearms at her, shouting threats.

That's when Fireseed comes into play. He shoots from his elevated position he begins to fire, which causes them to panic and shoot themselves. In the chaos, as the Native American sniper picks them off, they miss their shots on Sheeva as she charges forward, her feat tearing through the metal she was standing in.

>1d100 and an action!

They yell "For the Shokan" the same way ninjas yell "For !"

They don't just randomly say the word "Shokan" louder than all the other words in a sentence, that would be weird.

Rolled 70 (1d100)

Operation human flail is a go.

Rolled 22 (1d100)

Kick the wreckage at somebody.

SHOKAN time.

Rolled 27 (1d100)

Groundpound, see if we can't pop what's left of the car into the air and crush someone with it.

Rolled 58 (1d100)

Throw a car into a car

Sheeva reaches for the nearest poacher and grabs the weapon out of his hand, tearing it from his grip. Taking it in her lower arms and bending it over her knee with one swift downward thrust, she grabs him with her upper arms and proceeds to swing him around like a flail. He shouts as she holds his leg tightly as he is bashed against two other poachers before she discards him, and his bent firearm, off to the side.

Spotting some of the wreckage nearby, she approaches it but not before a poacher leaps on her back. She begins to struggle to get him off as another one leaps forward and tackles her feet. Like a firmly rooted tree, she does not budge, but he holds tightly onto her leg as she continues to attempt to shake the first one off.

Above, Fireseed blasts the head of one of the drivers, preventing him from backing up and attempting to run Sheeva down. However, one of the poachers on the back reaches for a molotov cocktail and lights it, preparing to throw!

>1d100 and an action!

Rolled 23 (1d100)

Fireball Meet Molotov

Rolled 39 (1d100)

Shrug off the flames like only a shokan can.

Rolled 22 (1d100)

>Pick up some wreckage
>Impromptu back scratcher of sorts to remove the guy.

Sheeva sees the flaming cocktail coming towards her and braces herself. It explodes at her feet and quickly travels upwards, encompassing the two holding her back. They scream as the flames spread onto them, letting go and rolling off. Sheeva, naturally fire resistant, walks through the flames as her eyes burn bright red.

Approaching the truck, she grabs onto it with all four arms and lifts it up. The man in the back scrambles and shouts in surprise as he holds on tight, but before he can jump free, Sheeva roars in fury as she hurls it across the way, right into another truck. The man is crushed as the two vehicles collide, mashed into each other. Headlights flicker as the two vehicles roll away, skidding across the sandy floor of the canyon. Sheeva stands, breathing heavily as the two bodies of the other poachers burn behind her.

Just then, a shotgun blast narrowly misses her from behind. The last poacher, hiding amongst the rocks in a position Fireseed cannot aim at, shoots at her from behind his covered position. He aims again and fires as she rolls out of the way.

"Never brought home a four-armed bitch!" he shouts out as he aims again. "Gonna stuff you and mount you on a wall, freak!" He howls in delight as he shoots again.

>1d100 and an action!

Rolled 35 (1d100)

Jump and land on him.

Rolled 100 (1d100)

Shokan Missile into him.

Yoooooooooooooooooooo

Nice

...

...

Hey, I recognize that trap. I mean...

Sheeva jumps up over the shot, landing on the rocks in front of him. He stumbles and falls back, desperately aiming the shotgun up again, but she uses a lower hand to swat it out it out of his grip.

Sheeva places all four hands on her hips as he backs up, tripping over a stone, before drawing out a large bowie knife and waving it around threateningly but ineffectually.

"You dumb bitch! We were on our way to market! The Black Dragon ain't gonna forgive ya, ya bloody four-armed good for nothin'---"

Tired of listening to him, Sheeva crouches and lunges forward, all four arms pointed out. Like a missile, she flies towards his stomach before blasting clean through. The man is torn in half as she flies through him, painting the nearby canyon wall with red. As his two halves fall down, Sheeva picks herself up and dusts herself off, discarding blood, sand and organs.

"Pathetic," she mutters. "These hunters were hardly any sport."

"He said Black Dragon," Fireseed calls out from behind. She turns to see him repelling down the canyon wall with a harness. He touches down and walks up. "We could have questioned him more if you hadn't torn him in half."

"What's done is done," she shrugs. "The criminals are dead."

Fireseed puts away his weapon and approaches her, his eyes fierce and narrow. "The Black Dragon is one of the groups we currently have almost no intel on. You stumbled upon one of their poaching rings, that was luck. What you did just now was stupid."

She faces him fully and fearlessly. "Do you mean to make something of it?"

He shakes his head. "You shokan; all you know how to do is destroy. No subtlety."

>Free the animals
>Call back to base
>Argue more with him
>Challenge him to battle
>Other

> Free the animals

> Argue with him

and if he continues being a dick

> Mortal Kombat

>Free the animals
We can argue in like two seconds.

>>Free the animals
>>Argue more with him
We created something just today. How dare he insult our culture

>Free the animals
We take the biggest asshole Cassowary as a pet, for its ferocity is worthy of note.

>argue with him

Indeed. Shokan are magificent creators.

Why, the royal palace, which is located in a volcano, consists almost entirely of solid gold statues and flags that are completely unaffected by convection, y'know how hard that is?

Just one? We should bring two back to Kuatan as an invasive species!

Shokan carpenters invented the four-armed chair!

I notice Earthrealm doesn't have any chairs with more than two arm rests, makes sitting comfortably quite awkward...

Backing the fuck out of this

Fireseed turns around as he heads towards the animal cages in the rearmost vehicle. As he begins to open the cages and let the animals out, mostly dangerous and rare birds that attempt to peck and claw at him, Sheeva does the same, picking up the birds and letting them out. "And just what do you know of the shokan? Clearly nothing, if you say that all they do is destroy."

"I don't see you doing anything else," he mutters.

"Are you attempting to pick a fight, now that we are victorious?" she asks as the last of the animals are released. "We were successful in defeating them."

"We killed them, sure. Anyone could have done that. A professional would have taken at least one alive for interrogation, but you just couldn't help but tear him in half, could you?"

"I do not care for your opinions on my methods. They are dead because they were weak. They will no longer commit crimes because we have stopped them. As little of a fight as they offered, we still defeated them."

Fireseed faces her, crossing his arms and leaning against the back of the truck. "That's not how we do things. These guys were nothing; mooks. They could've led us to the next link in the chain, maybe even to Kabal."

"They'll surface eventually. When their leader does see fit to rear his burnt face, our team will be ready."

"Yes, let your enemy decide when and where the battle takes place," he mutters. He looks up at her. "You know, I didn't get to say this before, but when you tried to punch Sam? It was the funniest damn thing I'd ever seen."

Sheeva's face turns to one of insulted pride very quickly. "Now you purposefully insult me? Curb your tongue before I teach it some respect." She slams two fists into her palms.

"You wouldn't be the first shokan to try," he mutters, standing straight up and unfolding his arms.

They stare at each other in a standoff.

>FIGHT!
>Interrupted
>Walk off
>Suddenly, a survivor amongst the wreckage
>Other

FIGHT.

I'm backing Fireseed in this and I will enjoy it.

>>FIGHT!

>>Suddenly, a survivor amongst the wreckage

Such a stain on our honor cannot go unanswered!
>Fight!
Lay into him with a hard right

Sheeva answers with a hard shove, sending him back a few paces. Fireseed immediately reaches down to his boot and slides a knife out with one hand while putting his rifle away with the other.

"Oh, we're doing this?" he says, almost sounding excited. "Good. I've been itchin' for it."

"I'll not let this stain on my honor go unanswered!" She again slams her fists together. "Prepare yourself!"

He holds up his knife in front of his eyes as he stares at her. "You and your honor... It's a bad joke. What do you think the dead think about your honor, Sheeva? You think your ancestors are following you around and judging your every move?"

"Enough!" she declares. "It is time your mouth stopped talking and started bleeding!"

"Try," he dares her.

>1d100 and an action!

Rolled 65 (1d100)

Fireball clap point blank in his face.