Once Upon a time... Outworld Market.
Erron Black patrolled the OutWorld market, his pace brisk and his eyes dark under the hat he wore. The wrap around his neck flew behind him as he walked so quickly, and the Spurs on his boots jingled with the bullets on his body. The sun was brutal this day, but then again, it usually was, and his skin glistened with sweat ever so slightly. Strange music played in the Marketplace and he listened to it as he walked. He missed simple guitars being strum in his favorite Parlor way back when, the smell of sour liquor and smoke filling the room. But he'd just have to get used to spicy meats and scents with odd drums and flutes playing in the Market. Erron caught himself reminiscing, and shook his head, looking around him to see if anything was going on. As he did this, he caught an odd sight. A man with different clothing, and a whole rack of arrows on his back, along with a huge bow. His brow could not help but cock upwards at this. OutWorlders always had some form of protection on them but they never bore them out in the open, in fear of having them stolen or attacked by the guards. He reached into his pocket for a letter Kotal Kahn had given to him, reading it over to see the names of the Earthrealmers he was keeping an eye out for. He huffed, shoving it back in and making his way to the young man, grinding his teeth behind the mask. "Lost?" He grunted, coming up behind the man, hoping he'd catch him off guard. "'Cause you look it. State your business and where you're coming from."
➖Outworld was never a first choice for where Kung Jin would like to travel. It was always extremely hot, and you didn't have to even be moving to soon be covered in sweat and feel disgusted, but work was work, and he did what he was told to by General Blade. Kung Jin was definitely an inquisitive young man, and liked to soak up the knowledge of everything that he got the chance to, and that's the one part he liked about this mission. He was assigned to make a map of the place, to mark down anything that seemed weird, everything normal. Hell, just everything. Jin only had been to Outworld once before, so there was no way and enemy forces could easily recognize him. Jin walked around, kicking dirt and sand around, taking in the smell of liquor, mixed with the dust that whirled like a small tornado. The quiver on his back shook full with arrows, and his bow was firmly gripped in his other hand, his hair tied tightly into a long black ponytail. Kung Jin was not expecting any run-ins, so when the unfamiliar voice spoke, it startled him. "Me? No, not at all." Jin said and turned around, facing the cowboy, with a slight shock of how 'mean' ( and by that - badass ) he looked. "Oh, I come from out of town." Kung Jin smiled. "And my business? Just exploring for the moment." He said with a quirky, fake smile.
Erron made a slight grunt in the back of his throat as he saw him flinch a bit, but his small smirk quickly disappeared as he turned. He looked him up and down in a seconds notice, tipping his hat up to look at him. He seemed like a punk, but at this age, Erron assumed that with everyone he came by. Everyone was an idiot except him, right? That was his philosophy at least. "Right. I'm 'out of town' too. There's a lot of towns here." He grunted, rolling his eyes. His brows furrowed as the man was dodging questions, pursing his lips under his mask. "Stop dodging questions before I bring you to the next beheading, kiddo. Which is probably going on..." Erron listened before hearing a loud crowd of cheers in the distance. "...well there's one." He said as if it were normal ( as it was in OutWorld ). Erron took a menacing step forward, shoving a hand in his pocket as his eyes sharpened. "Name...?" He grunted, crunching the piece of paper in his pocket. ➖"Awe, yes. I realized that. Many places tend to have a variety of towns." Kung Jin said with a nod, not trying to sound or be sassy, but hey, shit happens. "And can you really behead me for your simple agitations? Does it state anywhere in the law that anyone who supposedly 'dodges questions' should be beheaded?" He asked with a simple smile, his tan complexion beginning to sweat a little bit heavier. Outworld was an intimidating place, and the people were even more intimidating. But, in order to try and not blow his cover a little longer, he had to remain fearless, and he acted as if he never had a doubt in his life. "My name? It's not really important - why do you ask?" Kung Jin asked. "What's your name?" Erron Black furrowed his brows as the man spoke, and he took another step forward, forcing the kid back. "I know every god damn face in this market. No one gets in, no one gets out. It's just accepted at this point." Erron's hand instinctively went to his holster, making sure he was prepared if he happened to run. "And I can do whatever the hell I want with ya, in fact, as long as I say you did something wrong, the guards will have to believe it. I'm the big dog around here." This was slightly a lie, slightly the truth. He'd have to take the kid to the Kahn first, but even then, if the Kahn saw him as a trespasser, well, he might as well be cooked meat. "It's Erron. And you must be..." Erron's mind raced as he tried to remember, but he didn't show this. "...Takeda." Kung Jin nodded. "Ah, a Totalitarian government. I must have forgotten. Doesn't seem fair, does it?" Kung Jin asked, not really meaning for an answer. Kung Jin noticed the man reaching for his holster, and that he seemed to be a little irritable. "No need for violence. I'm not here to attack you, nor the emperor." Kung Jin told him and put his hands up, showing he wasn't hostile. As Erron guessed Kung Jin's name, he couldn't help but laugh. "You're thinking of the blind-man's son. So no, that's not me." Kung Jin nodded, and rested his arms down to his side. "And you can't know everything, Erron." Kung Jin said with a smirk that seemed devilish and evil, yet innocent. "You listen, you keep your head. It's not hard." He snorted, his patience growing extremely thin. Erron was already having a bad day, but at this point, everyday was stressful and bad. "Oh well then I'm not gonna blow your brains out. You have my word for it." Erron sighed loudly, rolling his eyes once again. He really didn't care about hiding his annoyance. Erron's eye twitched slightly as the kid laughed, and his whipped out his revolver with no hesitation, pointing it directly at his heart. "Well then, 'Kung Jin'. The Kahn was right about the four of you having ties to each other." Erron said, holding back a smile as he knew he had got him now. "You're coming with me, Junior." He growled, grabbing his arm as some people started to watch and some ran as the tension rose. Things were running smoothly before the encounter with Erron, and Kung Jin was determined to keep things that way. And if that meant fighting his way through; then that's exactly what he was going to do. Kung Jin's heart sped up as the revolver was aimed right at his heart at point-blank range, and his muscles tensed as Erron grabbed his arm forcefully. "I wish it didn't have to be like this." He said with a small, evil smile. Kung Jin grabbed Erron's wrist (the wrist holding the gun), and pushed the gun away and out of his hand (the hand Erron was gripping, but I'm assuming that it wasn't like a death-grip 😂 ). Kung Jin squatted and grabbed his bow that he had recently set down, and loaded it with an arrow, aiming it at Erron, but only shooting if needed. "Let's work something out, Erron." Kung Jin said with a forceful breath. Erron went to sweep the kid to the ground as he still had him in his grasp, but the comment caught him off guard. As the gun was swiped from his hand, Erron's first instinct was to run to get it and not the second one in his holster. He slid in the sand as he crouched and snatched it back, but by the time he did so, Jin had already loaded his bow. His eyes sharpened, holding the gun up with a stern expression, tipping his hat back into place. The Mercenary made a loud huff from behind his mask, and before he gave his answer, his arm went from his chest to the sky. He shot 2 times, and the people immediately went into a panic, running in every direction. Little did Jin know, this was a signal for the Osh-Tekk Warriors. "Like...?" He grunted, pointing his gun back at his chest, stalling him before the guards caught them.
Jin was never the one to initiate a lethal fight, and was never the one to kill if it could be avoided. Sonya had told Kung Jin about the Osh-Tekk Warriors before, claiming they had strength but they weren't too intelligent. Erron, on the other hand, was a different story. Most elite soldiers from Outworld weren't ones to be messed with, and their ability more than likely surpassed Kung Jin's, but if living meant fighting, then he'd fight. "Like, we both get to go on with our days. We both leave in one piece." Kung Jin told him, but started to shake more as he saw some warriors approaching in the distance. He figured they had to look terrifying if people were already scattering like cockroaches. Erron was always the one to initiate a fight, and he was blood thirsty if anything. He did not indulge in the fact of killing a fellow EarthRealmer, but he knew the blood would quickly be converted to Koin in his belt. Besides, OutWorld was his home now, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Erron's corner of his eye shifted upwards gently, showing he had a small smirk underneath the muzzle he wore. "You're shakin' like a rattlesnake, Junior." He said cockily, taking pleasure in his fear. "Well maybe you shouldn't have pointed that arrow at me, hm? Tell ya what, drop the bow, let me lock you up and I promise..." Erron thought quickly. He needed to bring this kid in, but he knew telling him his death would be swift would only make him run. So, in the usual manor, Erron lied. Or so he thought at the time. "I promise...the Kahn will not kill you. You are a crucial piece to our puzzle of Earthrealm."
Pointed this at you? Do you recall shoving your gun in my chest?" Kung Jin said in kind of an aggressive voice, keeping his arrows sharp. "How about this, cowboy. You set your pistols down first, and I'll follow up with setting my arrows and bow down. You know I will. I never shoot first, but I know you do. Jailing me and having the emperor kill me isn't going to end anything, no. It's going to start an ever greater war between our two realms, and at this point, neither of us can really afford to slaughter each other." Kung Jin told him, and steadied his breath, calming down a little bit. "What do you say?"
Erron Black stared him down, his eyes dark yet fierce and bright with determination. "Watch your mouth." Erron snorted as he finished speaking his sarcastic phrase. Erron glanced to the side, hearing the Osh-Tekk Warriors approaching. "...fine." The mercenary snorted, setting down the guns in the sand slowly, and kicking them 2 feet away from him. He crossed his arms, refusing to put his hands to the sky. If the kid so much as flinched, he'd blow his ankles out. He was fast for a rickety old CowBoy. "Your turn." Was all he said in an angry tone, standing perfectly still.
Kung Jin nodded to the man, and kept his eyes sharp on the Cowboy. Kung Jin analyzed the area, and saw behind dust flying up into the air behind Erron. This, of course, scared Jin, for he would be out numbered 100 to 1. Jin squatted slowly, and placed his bow on the ground, then took off his quiver, and placed it by his bow. He stood back up, and kicked them away, just as Erron did with his guns. Kung Jin tried to steady his breathing, but focusing on what may happen made his eyes twitch. He shook his head and blinked a few times, then looked over at Erron. "So, Cowboy," Jin laughed, placing his hand son his hips, "we jus' gonna look at each other till' one of us mustards some half-assed plan up, or are we going to talk. Like actual, civilized people?"
did not respond to him vocally, only giving a sly look from beneath his mask. "Remember where you are." Erron said, and just as he did so, a circle of Osh-Tekks surrounded the both of them. The one behind Jin grabbed both of his arms behind his back, and the rest held up their blades defensively. Erron picked up his pistols, blowing them off and putting them back in their holsters. "You are under arrest on the law of Kotal Kahn." Erron grunted, picking up the kid's bow, only to drop it as another Osh-Tekk grabbed him. "As well are you for making it easy for the captor to run!" One growled, and Erron fought against them fiercely. "Let go! I had to make the kid sit still!" "You are an EarthRealmer as well, we cannot forget that!" After about three guards had pinned him, Erron still struggled, but got no where as the Warriors bound both their wrists. They picked up the two, and Erron glared at Jin, dragging his feet so he could get a good look at him. "You're dead, Junior..." Erron growled, before he was pushed along further.
Kung Jin narrowed his dark eyes, and fixed them to his bow and arrows. Kung Jin was more than capable of Hand-To-Hand Combat, but he excelled greatly with his bow, and felt greatly more confident with it. His black hair became knotty and his ponytail became loose from the shaking and other movements caused by the Osh-Tekk Warriors. His eyebrow raised at the arrest of Erron Black. What had Erron done? He was basically Outworlds number one assassin, what were they doing? Kung Jin's lips began to tremble, and his head began to pulse in agony and puzzlement. His hands began to shake furiously, and he started to pull away from the Warriors, his gazed still focused on Erron. With those words said, he smiled. "Well, if there is a hell, I hope you're not down there with me."
Source: https://www.instagram.com/erron.blaxk/
