Argh!
You have the distinct honor of being the last outpost
not under the banner of the Black Dragon.
And despite what you've heard,
the Black Dragon are here to protect you,
to keep you safe.
All it costs is a pledge of loyalty
and a small tax.
I can see your hesitation to comply.
So, let me introduce you to the man who will convince you.
The leader of the Black Dragon.
The ruler of the Wasteland.
All kneel before... King Kano.
Master...
You've done well, Shang Tsung.
Why don't you pick two souls for dinner tonight?
Thank you...
My king.
Good day, everyone.
How would you all like a little story?
Once upon a time, before the Wasteland, before the revenants,
you all lived together in small boxes,
fat, bored, and lacking purpose.
Then, the wars came,
and you ran off into your little corners of the world.
But the revenants kept coming.
And now, your resources are scarce.
You're scared for your life.
But under my banner...
...you'll all have purpose again.
Your pathetic lives will have meaning.
It's time to take back the Wasteland once and for all.
All you have to do
is pledge your loyalty, and I'll do the rest.
There's a good lot.
Welcome to the Black Dragon!
Huh?
No! Brother, no!
Hey, old timer. Where are you headed?
There ain't nothing for miles around here.
Huh? Hey.
Kobra, Kabal, look at this. It's all fresh.
Where'd you get that, huh?
You deaf or something? I'm talking to you.
I'll kill you for that.
No, let me reason with him.
We don't wanna hurt you, elder.
Just tell us where you got the food,
and where you're taking it.
And then we'll let you go.
Fine. Have it your way.
It's not too late. Where were you going?
What kind of man doesn't fight back?
Take what you want.
He was headed somewhere.
And I aim to find out where that is.
Come on, it's getting late.
Not yet.
That old man was headed someplace.
Maybe he was nuts. Desert will do that to you.
You would know. Let's go back before King Kano throws a fit.
We'll go back when I'm ready.
King Kano be damned!
I'd watch it, Kabal.
He's made of something.
Something bad, something powerful.
You'd be wise to remember that.
Will you look at that?
Jackpot.
Look at all of them. They have no idea who we are.
Food, electricity, yeah.
Kano is gonna love this.
If we decide to tell him.
Hey, you need to pay for...
You know, this might be our chance.
We've talked about it before.
Doing our own thing
without Kano breathing down our neck,
and look...
Well hidden, well stocked.
Better than the scraps we get at K-Town.
I don't think they'll just let us walk in and take over.
What choice do they have?
You think anyone here is going to put up a fight?
I can think of one guy who might.
Ooh, looks like we have a hero.
Hero? No, I'm just looking for a challenge.
And, well,
you guys will have to do until I find one.
Some snot-nosed desert rat wants to kick my ass.
I don't want to kick your ass.
I want to kick all three of your asses.
Kobra, take care of him.
With pleasure.
You'll pay for that.
I'm going to Kill you!
You just made a big mistake.
Won't be my last.
I wouldn't count on that.
Do you know what you've done?
Listen, I didn't do it to help you.
I was hoping this town might give me a challenger worth fighting.
No. Don't you know who they were?
Those are members of the Black Dragon.
The most deadly scourge on the Wasteland.
After what you did, they're going to come back,
and this time, none of us will be safe.
Come back? Hmm.
Maybe I'll stick around after all.
What are you doing? Stop fucking around.
Look at that. She's got you now.
Come on!
No, she's hurt. I'm not going to kill--
Thank you, King Kano.
Aw, she's dead.
Well, that was fun.
Oh, the children have returned.
Where have you little bastards been?
We found another outpost.
It was well defended.
We'll go back and take them.
Kill every last one. Just let us--
Quiet!
Tremor.
Why don't you go back with these three?
See who could possibly reduce my elite guard
to a puddle of weakness.
Yes, King Kano.
Shang Tsung?
Now, where have you gone?
Boo!
Sire, I was just leaving your decanter.
I know you like to have it full.
Yes. Yes, I do.
Ah.
Oh, pardon me.
If that is all--
I need you to do something for me.
-Anything. -Follow Tremor.
He's going to a small city hidden between the dunes.
Sire, there's much to do here. I--
Will do what your king asks.
Yes? Yes.
He and the others have been planning to defect for some time now.
And you know how I feel about those usurping my power?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Yes. Go.
Report back to me the truth of what you see.
As you wish.
Not long now.
Ahhh!
Kuai, I didn't see you yesterday.
I was held up.
Widow Reynolds has been asking about you again.
I told her you were a eunuch.
I'm afraid that might not dissuade her.
Ladies...
It can't be.
Hey, old man, quite a crop you have there.
I've been all over the Wasteland,
and I've never seen this much fruit in one place.
You need a lot of water for something like this, or...
Maybe the Lin Kuei taught you more than fighting, huh?
I saw your tattoo. Is it true what they say?
That the Lin Kuei were the deadliest warriors to ever live?
Never heard of them. Sorry.
Is this kid bothering you?
No. No, no, no. My mistake. I thought he was someone else.
Never heard of them, huh?
Kuai, do you need me to--
What do you want?
What do I want?
I, Kenshi Takahashi, want to be the greatest fighter to ever exist.
So, I want you to teach me everything that you know.
I know anyone looking to prove themselves as great
-knows only one thing. -Yeah, what's that?
They know nothing.
Listen, old man, I can pay you.
I've made a fortune fighting in different towns, and--
I don't want your money.
I just want to be left alone in peace.
Peace?
The only way there will be peace is if King Kano rules the land.
Oh, look,
you brought some more friends I can humiliate.
You know,
King Kano is always looking for capable warriors
to join the Black Dragon.
What do you think? Want to run with the big dogs?
More like small pups.
There's always the other option.
To go back to the conversation I was having?
To apologize and kneel.
Get out of here! We don't want your kind--
The Black Dragon are thugs and cowards.
If you want Kenshi Takahashi to apologize,
you'll have to make me.
Takahashi?
Not here.
Get out of the way, old timer.
This is not the place for fighting.
Every place is a place for fighting.
I'll tell you what. We'll leave.
Right after someone kneels before me.
Ha!
Here, Kuai. Let me help.
You like picking on old men? How about you pick on me?
Don't mind if I do.
Enough!
-Crush him! -Yeah!
That'll teach him.
I believe you owe me an apology.
Hmm. Have it your way.
Let that be a lesson.
No one stands a chance against King Kano and the Black Dragon.
Be ready,
for the king will arrive soon, and you'll all bow before him.
And if not,
what happened to this fool will happen to you.
Tremor, Tremor,
Tremor!
Please, let me help you.
Thank... Thank you.
Song. My name is Song.
Thank you for your help, Song.
There. Sit.
You know, I have been in your position before.
You are a fine warrior.
But against those with power, no one stands a chance.
Unless...
Unless what?
It is too dangerous.
-Forget I said-- -Please, what?
There is a sword.
It's said to have amazing powers.
More power than the man you fought.
More power than King Kano.
Take me.
If... If men exist with such abilities,
I could never be the champion I was destined to be.
And if you know of such a weapon...
A sword.
Yes. A sword.
Please. Help me.
Of course I will help you.
Come.
I will find us supplies.
And then, you will have your power.
And your revenge.
There.
These... These markings...
This language...
I can... I can read this.
"Here in the well of... of souls,
the power of the Takahashi dwells."
This... This was made by my ancestors.
It must be destiny.
Damn it! It's not opening.
Blood magic.
Here.
What are you doing?
Place your hand on the seal.
What do you see?
Nothing. It's empty.
No, no, no. Wait.
There's a light.
It's... It's getting brighter.
Yes.
Yes, at last.
Song. Song!
My eyes! Song, help me!
Song.
No.
My name
is Shang Tsung.
Shang Tsung.
I know that name.
I was once the most powerful force in the realms.
Before Kano.
But now, with these souls,
I will reclaim my rightful place.
Your souls are mine.
Yes!
The power.
The power!
Now Kano will see what it's like to be a slave.
They all will.
And you, Kenshi.
What shall I do with you?
Just... kill me.
I don't want to live like th...
As you wish.
Kenshi.
Who...
What... What are you?
Sento.
I am yours.
Wield me and see.
Impossible.
Rise.
A... sorcerer.
Sento.
I... I can see.
I can... I can see.
Yeah!
How dare you?
Wait.
You know, I'd been wondering where you got off to,
Shang Tsung.
I went off
to find a way to put you back in your place.
Oh.
You found the well of souls, then.
Surprised?
Come now.
Why do you think I sent you to the outpost?
We've done this dance before.
But I thought this time,
this time you might give me just a little bit of a challenge.
You want a challenge?
Good.
No!
Oh, sorry, mate.
You had no right to rule.
Huh. Not bad.
I swear, each time you're getting a little bit better at this.
Enough of your damn nonsense.
Your soul is mine.
Ahhh!
Oh! Eee, ooh, ah, ah, oh, ah!
Impossible. Your soul...
Ah, mate.
I'm way past having a soul.
I keep hoping that you'd do something different.
I figured if someone was gonna give me a challenge,
it'd be you.
But nope.
We're here again.
You.
You're the same...
...manipulating, sniveling sorcerer
that underestimates those around him.
You can't beat me!
No one can.
I made this world.
And I'll make it...
...again and again and again.
Better luck next time.
No one beats Kano.
No one!
Kano! Kano! Kano!
No, no... Sh... Shang Tsung...
My... my eyes.
Stop!
Rise!
Calm yourself.
Where... Where am I?
In my home.
Here. Drink this.
Slowly. I have more.
Thank you.
Who... Whoever you are.
My name is Kuai Liang.
But you can call me "old man,"
as you did in the marketplace.
Kuai, the... the Lin Kuei.
I'm... I'm sorry. About before.
Thank you for... for helping me.
I'm not helping you.
If you died on my land, it might attract the revenants.
You can rest here until you can stand.
But then, I want you gone.
Why wait?
I came with a sword. Where... Where is it?
You obviously aren't strong enough yet.
-You can-- -No.
I don't want to burden you with my presence.
Watch out. There's a...
Table.
My sword!
It doesn't matter.
Nothing does.
Not anymore.
Even with this blade,
I am half the man I once was.
When I first met you, you were so full of pride,
looking to be the best warrior.
Isn't that what you told me?
That was before.
-Before you were blind. -Before I was beaten.
Before I was tricked by Shang Tsung.
So, without sight, you are useless?
Then it is as I said before.
You know nothing.
You're just a child.
If you're going to kill yourself, be quick about it
so I can bury you before the sun rises.
He took my honor.
There is more to life than honor.
-Like what? -Like living.
Like survival.
-Where are you going? -Inside.
Come, if you can.
Tomorrow, I will teach you to use your senses.
So I can find Shang Tsung.
No, I will only teach you to live.
Not to die.
Do you understand?
Rest for now.
Tomorrow, we train.
Catch the chicken.
-How do I catch... Argh! -By not talking.
Listen.
Hear the wind.
Hear the corn stalks rustling.
Yes.
Those don't matter.
The only thing that matters
is this chicken.
What hangs on the wall over there?
It glows.
It's powerful.
A promise.
As I thought, the sword, it allows you to see.
How did you...
It is not the first magic I have come across.
Its name is Sento.
It... It speaks to me.
It whispers.
When I hold it, I can see.
Sort of.
Explain.
It's hard to. It's...
It's like, when you stare at a flame, and then you look away,
you see the light of the flame even though it's gone.
It's like that, but there's something else.
That is... something.
Yes. I think...
I can...
Hey, what did you put in this soup?
A sleeping elixir.
You should have used your nose.
No! Brother, no!
Brother?
I am not your brother.
I am you.
No!
Yes.
Kuai.
Kuai!
You must have been dreaming.
I thought that maybe--
Good. You're up.
Come with me.
Ready?
No! What am I doing?
I drop the melon.
You call the blade and slice the melon
before it hits you in the face.
And if it doesn't work?
Let's find out together, shall we?
Try harder.
Just finish it. This isn't working.
It doesn't work because you don't believe in yourself.
Believe in myself?
There's nothing to believe in.
Once, I was a great warrior.
No one could beat me. No one.
Despite the horrors of the world, I had that.
And now...
Now I'm a blind man who chases chickens all day.
And that is what you will always be.
And that is why you fail.
Do you know why I agreed to train you?
You felt sorry for me.
No.
Because I've been where you are now.
So low that the only thing you pray for is your death.
But I learned only children blame their circumstance.
Men change their circumstance.
Pick up the piece of wood.
-I can't. -Do it.
Take your stance.
Take your stance!
Or I will get your beloved sword and end this right now.
Hear my feet.
Smell my scent.
Feel the air move around you.
Am I not louder than a chicken?
Doesn't this farmer smell worse than a bag of vinegar?
Do not dwell on what you are, but what you can be.
There is nothing more poisonous than "I can't."
You can, if you believe.
Even if all of heaven and hell are allied against you.
You can.
Understand?
No. You've poisoned this one.
No, but it might be worse.
Homemade sake.
I need to ask you something.
I've seen the way you move. Your... Your strength.
So why did you--
Kneel before the Black Dragon?
Yes.
You are Lin Kuei. You could--
I was Lin Kuei.
A long time ago, before the Wasteland...
Before...
Everything...
I had become one of the most feared and honored warriors in our clan.
And then, the revenants came.
It swept across cities, countries.
There were those that thought it was a lost cause.
But I was full of pride.
I did not think the Lin Kuei could be beaten.
We went into a city to try and purge it of the revenants.
But they were everywhere.
Like a hive of bees.
I knew we were going to die.
But I thought...
Do you know what cryomancy is?
No.
It is a type of power.
A power I possess.
And in that moment, fearing for my life,
I summoned a storm of ice.
But I lost control.
The dreams.
For a long time,
I thought the worst thing that I could become was my brother.
I was wrong.
The storm cut through the city, killing revenants.
Killing innocents.
Killing my clan.
When it was all over, I was the only one to survive.
And I realized
that death begets death.
And the cycle of violence continues,
like the symbol of the Black Dragon,
a serpent that eats its own tail.
I swore an oath never to use my power again.
Never to lose control.
Even if it's a worthy cause?
What's "worthy"? If I start fighting, I won't stop.
And then the storm will return.
So, to answer your question,
if kneeling spares those around me,
I'd live on my knees.
I'm sorry.
So am I.
Yes!
Victory is mine!
I've caught the bird!
Good. Now clean it for supper.
What? No! Not Simone!
You'll have to find it again, if we are to eat.
Smoke. What is it?
Trouble.
So, here we are.
Oh, a bit tricky, you lot. Hiding.
Trying to stay away from me and my Black Dragon.
But now,
you don't have to hide anymore.
You get the absolute pleasure
of my protection and authority.
And all I ask is you kneel to honor your new king.
He's gonna get us killed!
Oh! Bravery. Oh, that's new!
You know what happens if you don't kneel, old man?
I kneel before no man.
Go on. Kill me, then.
But know I will die as a free man.
On my feet, instead of on my knees, like a coward.
Oh, I like you.
I like you, old man. Yeah.
Bang!
I tell you,
freedom is overrated.
What? What happened?
The Black Dragon are there. They've made the people swear loyalty.
Come.
We can't leave them. Not like this.
We can and we will.
No, it's not right.
Not when we have the power to do something about it.
You go down there, and you die.
I taught you so you could live. Remember?
You taught me to help those in need.
-No. That's not what-- -Of course you did!
Where would I be if you didn't pick me up?
If you didn't train me?
It's not the same. I can't--
There is nothing more poisonous than "I can't."
Don't men change their circumstances?
Or is everything you said a lie?
I can't let you go.
You can't stop me!
I'm not Lin Kuei, remember?
And this isn't the city you failed to save from the revenants.
I... I didn't mean...
Fine. Go.
Enough!
Come back to the farm. We can avoid them, live a good life.
A good life?
Before I lost my eyes, I would have said yes.
But you've taught me a better way.
No. No, I can't live a good life
knowing that I could do something to help others and didn't.
I will not leave them to be killed, imprisoned, or worse.
Your pride will be your downfall.
Doing what's right isn't pride.
It's honor. You showed me that.
And even if you've lost yours, I won't lose mine.
What the hell?
It looks like we have an uninvited guest.
Well, don't be shy! Come out and show yourself.
Let these people go, or I will kill every last one of you.
Oh, check out the balls on this bloke.
Hey, Jarek.
Kill him.
Well, I mean, don't just sit there!
Get off your asses, people!
Time to die, blind man.
No! Don't kill him.
Not yet.
Well. Now that was...
That was new. Unexpected.
You know how rare that is?
I think I'd like to know your story, boy.
Take him with us to K-Town.
It might be nice to make an example of him.
You know, to inspire the people.
I have come, as promised.
Did you lose control again?
Not yet.
Ow! Damn sharp blade, Kenshi.
Will come in handy when I get something stuck in my teeth.
What do you reckon?
You don't deserve to touch Sento, pig!
Deserve? The only thing we deserve in life is death.
Speaking of which,
afraid your adventure is just about up, bucko.
-Argh! -One more chance.
Where did you learn how to use that blade?
Well, suit yourself. Erron!
Kill the boy.
But do it slowly.
Argh!
Oh.
Is it... Is it just me, or is it getting a little bit nippy out here?
A sandstorm?
No...
An ice storm...
an uncontrollable ice storm.
You asked me who taught me the blade.
He's here.
And even if you were allied together
with heaven and hell,
there is nothing you can do to stop him.
Ah. Well, well, well.
Ah, it's been an age.
Where have you been hiding then, eh?
Well, come on then!
Yes! Yes, yes!
Ah, this is the action I've been looking for!
He said you could handle the rest.
Huh? What the bloody hell?
Well, aren't things getting interesting now?
Time to die!
Argh!
I wouldn't.
Get over here.
Took you long enough.
Sorry, I got tied up.
No one beats Kano.
No one beats Kano!
No. This is my fight.
Finish him...
Kano!
Without that sword, who are you, huh?
That's right. You're nothing.
Nothing!
I am Kenshi Takahashi.
And you...
...are dead.
Oh, there you are.
Oh, you think you can beat me?
Well, when I come back,
I'll show you what cold-hearted is.
What in the hell?
Confused, eh?
Well, to be honest, I was too, the first time I saw it.
It's called Kronika's Hourglass,
and with it, I can rewrite time and history.
You... You did this?
Yeah, I did.
I made those punters, like Shang Tsung, grovel at my feet,
the way they deserve to.
The Wasteland? The revenants?
Well, how better to control the masses, eh,
but keep them afraid of something.
But to be honest,
it was all getting a bit boring, you know?
Then you appeared.
Hey, what made you take up your snowballs and give it a go?
I finally realized
there's no honor in standing by
while the world is destroyed around you.
I prefer "made in my image."
Anyway, better luck next time,
mate.
We do this the hard way, then.
Argh!
I like you. Hey, I do. I like you.
I tell you what.
Kneel before me and pledge your loyalty,
and I'll set you up as king in... Uh, I don't know.
Antarctica!
I kneel before no man.
Oh, bollocks!
-Where's Kano? -Lying around.
Now that Kano is gone, the Wasteland can be free.
You and I can root out the revenants, and we can--
-No. -No?
You were right.
Using what you know to help others.
Something I forgot somewhere along the way.
Because of you, I have some sense of honor again.
Thank you.
Then work with me to help the people of the Wasteland.
Remember what I said about my power?
I can feel it even now.
It can't be controlled.
I made a promise,
and if I don't keep it, he will.
What promise? What are you talking about?
We can start over.
We can recreate the Lin Kuei, and we can--
I leave that to you.
It is time.
I don't understand. The Lin Kuei, your legacy...
You are the Lin Kuei now.
Find others. Train them.
Protect Earth realm,
for there will be other threats.
And I trust you can handle them.