Joshua

==Early Life==
 Joshua is an Edenian descended from the God of War and Fire Kratos the Treacherous. All his life he grew up a patriot to Shao Khan's rule, it wasn't until Joshua was 9,400 years old that he learned his most admired king was nothing more than an usurper, much like Joshua's ancestor, Joshua always felt there was a curse upon his house from the treacheries his predecessor committed even though his father who was once an ambassador to Edeina denies such outlandish claims. When Joshua learns of Shao Khan's misdeeds he as well as his older brother Elijah joined the princess Kitana and her faithful servant Jade's Freedom Fighters, to combat Shao Khan's evil. However it would be centuries before any fighting would be done and when the time came for Mortal Kombat Joshua was not among the chosen, to his dismay. Joshua was confused and flustered by not being selected by Raiden as he had trained to become an expert swordsman with his famed Broadsword and Autumn Dao stance. But to his surprise Elijah seemed content, stating to Joshua “What do you expect where not from Earthrealm, we're Edeinan...besides their beneath us...don't get me wrong I’m sure their fun, caring and very entertaining but so are our pets. What the princess should be worried about is finally making our move against the Emperor.” Joshua nodded his head in agreement although his mind spoke otherwise, he had always thought differently than his brother, all Elijah ever wanted was Glory for himself while Joshua sought to bring back honor to his family's name and right the wrongs done by Kratos. However both Joshua and Elijah were alike in believing that Mortal Kombat was their only chance at achieving their dream, though they still hoped ending Shao Khan's false reign would bring them what they desired. Nonetheless Mortal Kombat's Armageddon did nothing to further their aspirations, it brought no Glory, no Honor, only death, destruction, and pain. Yet out of the ashes rose a new Edenia proud, strong, just, and righteous it had new birth, fore fronted by a new Queen, yet it had no king her husband Bo Kazama was still finishing up his dealings in Earthrealm while Edenia sat king-less, it would appear to become chaotic times. However the people followed Kitana they believed in her, though others still longed for the old days of Shao Khan and they were dealt with by Edenia's Outerrealm protection force of which Joshua was apart of. The OPF stopped any conspirator and brought down any would be usurper. Joshua's role in this gave his prolonged live new meaning as he felt he was restoring his family's honor by stopping others from committing the same atrocities of Kratos. However both Joshua and his family's life were soon to change when they lost their family to the Dragon King and ruler of Outworld Onaga. His parents were ambassadors from Edeina and were executed by the malicious ruler who declined the treaty proposed by the Edeinan Queen Kitana. Joshua and his older brother Elijah had gone searching for adventure and were just returning when they saw their place of stay burning to the ground. Just then their protection sent by the Queen, Yuē shū yà arrives and grabs them, However Elijah brakes free of Yuē shū yà and charges into the inferno, as Yuē shū yà manages to stun Joshua before he could do the same. As Yuē shū yà carries the unconscious Joshua upon his shoulder he sees a large creature, resembling a dragon thrust itself out of the roof and fly off into the night. Yuē shū yà recognizes this creature as The Dragon King and then returns to Edeina to inform Kitana. Kitana is extremely displeased but is tired from all the bloodshed she has endured in her life and decides not to retaliate against Onaga. Yuē shū yà is bewildered but ultimately understands. However Joshua is above all angered by this decision and does not understand why his parents which of whom faithfully served Kitana will not be avenged. He storms out of the castle and heads to find someone who could help him return to Outworld and find his brother. However no such luck occurs and he journeys home. There he is met by Yuē shū yà who understands Joshua's need for vengeance, he tells Joshua that Josh is no match for Onaga in his current state, and tells him that if he journeys to Outworld only armed with his broadsword he is as good as dead. Joshua sighs at Yuē shū yà's honesty and tells him “I have to find my brother's body above all else, if I die then I die but he as well as by parents must be properly buried” Yuē shū yà then tells him “I'm truly sorry Joshua, but you won't find any body, these Outworlders have become scavengers, vultures, they give no creed to the dead , their bodies have been mutilated, their unrecognizable, I am sorry Joshua but their gone.” Joshua looks down, wipes the tears from his eyes and says “What then...what would you have me do.” Yuē shū yà then looks at Joshua and says “Fight”. Joshua asks if Yuē shū yà will train him and he agrees. For 6 years Joshua learns everything Yuē shū yà has to teach mastering Hitenryu and shamanic abilities such as the High Dragon Fireball, Flying Kick, Lightning From Above, and the Vanishing Winds. After Joshua's training was complete Yuē shū yà tells Joshua of the swords of Ilkan, twin blades that combined have the power to open portals to other dimensions, and separated the sword is said to be able to cut down any enemy. Revealing the blades was created by Shao Kahn and one of them is sealed in a mountain cave to be guarded by the former General of his army, Reiko, who destorys the soul of any warrior who tries to claim the blade; while the other is lost to legend. Joshua is initially amused by the story, calling it a fairy tale like the ones his grandfather use to tell him, but Yuē shū yà reiterates that this is no tall tale and that what he tasks him with is no game. Joshua then asks the location of the sword. For 15 years Joshua travels the realms in search of the sword of Ilkan. Over his journey Joshua became a legend, a phantom hero, as he would vist these realms and save some of it's inhabitants from demons, monsters, and the vile of what most realms had to offer. In the Nightmare realm Joshua saved a young lad who had gottened trapped inside from three Orochi Hellbeasts, one after another. In the Orderrealm of Seido Joshua wanders into a small town being ruined by a gang war between two men named Seibei and Ushitora. Ushitora used to be Seibei's right hand man, until Seibei decided that his son Yoichiro would succeed him. The silk merchant and mayor, backs Seibei, while the wine brewer is allied with Ushitora. A restaurant proprietor, advises Joshua to leave while he can, but after sizing up the situation, he tells the proprietor that the town would be better off with both sides dead, and that he intends to do the job. Joshua first convinces the weaker Seibei to hire him as a swordsman by demonstrating his skill, killing three of Ushitora's men. He eavesdrops on Seibei's wife Orin ordering their son to stab him in the back after their victory so they will not have to pay him. Joshua then provokes the two factions into attacking each other (while he stands back and watches), but the untimely arrival of an official spoils his plan before any blood is shed. Seibei and Ushitora keep an uneasy peace to avoid attracting government notice. When the two factions decide to settle their differences, the ronin stirs things up again. Learning that Ushitora hired two assassins to kill an officer many miles away to get the government official to leave, Joshua captures and sells the pair to Seibei. Then he tells Ushitora that Seibei's men have caught them. Alarmed, Ushitora hires him. Ushitora has Yoichiro kidnapped and offers an exchange of prisoners, but double crosses Seibei, having his brother Unosuke shoot the assassins with the only firearm in town, his beloved pistol, when they are brought to be traded. The wily Seibei, however, has taken a beautiful woman that the mayor is infatuated with. The woman is swapped for Yoichiro. The proprietor informs Joshua that the woman is the wife of a farmer named Kohei. Ushitora seized her and Kohei's home as payment for a gambling debt. He then gave her to the mayor to gain his support. Joshua kills all six guards assigned to the woman and reunites her with her husband and son. He gives them the money Ushitora paid him and tells them to leave town. However, Unosuke becomes suspicious of his claim that Seibei's men are responsible and uncovers the Joshua's double dealing. He is beaten in an attempt to find out where the woman is hiding. When Joshua manages to escape, Ushitora decides to eliminate Seibei once and for all. He succeeds in wiping out the opposing gang. With the help of the proprietor, Joshua recuperates in hiding. However, when he learns that the proprietor has been caught while bringing food and medicine, he returns to town to confront the remainder of Ushitora's men. Unosuke and his pistol are a dangerous combination, but Joshua manages to kill them all, sparing only one terrified young man he had encountered at the beginning of his adventure, who had run away from a boring, poverty-stricken life as a farmer. Then, Joshua leaves town and Seido. Joshua then entered Outworld, later Nine young resistance warriors believe that the lord chamberlain, Mutsuta, is corrupt after he tore up their petition against organised crime. One of them tells the leader of the resistance this, and he agrees to intervene. As the nine meet secretly at a shrine and discuss their problem, Joshua emerges from another room where he had been resting. Joshua had overheard their plans, and suggests that the leader is in fact the real corrupt official. While at first the warriors are insulted by his claims, they soon find themselves surrounded by their leader's men, proving that he was correct. Joshua fights off the men in return for money; however after realizing that Mutsuta and his family must now be in danger, he decides to help the resistance warrirors bring down the corrupt officials. Indeed, when the resistance go to Mutsuta's house, they find that he has been abducted and his wife and daughter are imprisoned in the house. Following Joshua's suggestion, a servant from the house gets the guards drunk, allowing the resistance to free the women. The group hide in a house next door to the superintendent's compound. The lady chastises Joshua for using his broadsword too frequently and insists that he refrain from unnecessary killing, noting that the best swordsmen keep their weapons in their sheaths. The Superintendent's henchman, Muroto Hanbei, and several other corrupt officials address a plan to outsmart the chamberlain's followers. First they post an open notice that the chamberlain has been arrested and charged with being involved in organized genocide. Afterwards, they try to lure out the resistance by sending out a the officials' palanquins, assuming that the resistance will think the corrupt officials are in them and attack. This backfires on them, however, when a posse of people from the area, inflamed by the open notice, ride out the protect the palanquins, just as the resistance are preparing to attack. The resistance then retreat to their hideout. Joshua decides to get closer to Hanbei's master by going undercover as his henchman. Mistrust causes several of the resistance to believe he is switching sides. The resistance agree that four of them will follow him: two who believe in him and two who do not. However, Joshua realizes he is being followed and the four are easily captured by Hanbei. When Hanbei leaves to request reinforcements, Joshua frees the four captured resistance, at the expense of having to kill all their guards. He demands that the four tie him up, and is found in that situation by Hanbei. Joshua tells Hanbei that they were attacked by a large number of the resistance, and admits that Hanbei cannot hire him after such a disgraceful fiasco. To make amends, Joshua insincerely commits to finding the attackers. The next day, Mutsuta's wife and daughter find a piece of a petition in the small stream that flows from the superintendent's compound to their hideout. The resistance realise that this could only have come from Mutsuta, who must therefore be imprisoned in the compound. While at first they consider a full on attack on the officials, they soon realize that the compound is filled by the former lear of the resistance's forces, so that such an attack would be futile. Joshua hatches a plan to get the army out of the compound, by telling Hanbei that he saw the rebellious resistance at a temple where he was sleeping in the second story of the gate. He says he will then send a signal for the resistance to attack by pouring large numbers of blood down the stream. The first part of the plan works, with the former leader's forces rushing off to the temple; however Hanbei catches Joshua trying to drop the blood in the stream, realizes something is fishy, and ties him up. Just as Hanbei is preparing to kill Joshua, the remaining corrupt officials realize that Joshua has tricked them (the temple where Joshua said he saw the rebellious resistance does not have a two-story gate). They convince Hanbei not to waste any further time over Joshua and instead catch up with the leader's forces and have them return to the compound as soon as possible. Joshua then tricks the officials into making the signal for the resistance to attack. It works and they manage to rescue Joshua and Mutsuta. Hanbei returns later to find he has been made a fool once again. Mutsuta is restored to his position as chamberlain, and leader commits suicide. As Mutsuta, his family and the loyal resistance are celebrating, they realize that Joshua has slipped away. They race off and find him with Hanbei, about to duel. Joshua is reluctant to fight and tries to dissuade Hanbei saying that if they fight, one of them would surely die and nothing would be gained by that. However, Hanbei is obdurate, saying his dignity has been soiled and that killing Joshua is the only way to restore it. The two face off at each other and remain unmoving for almost half a minute. Finally, as Hanbei draws his sword, Joshua kills him by drawing and slashing forward and up in one single swift move. A fountain of blood gushes from Hanbei and he falls dead. When the young resistance cheer his victory, Joshua becomes angry, says that his dead adversary was exactly like him. He now has a fuller understanding of Lady Mutsuta's admonition that the best swords are the ones that are kept in their sheaths. Joshua then stalks off in a huff after warning the worshipful young men not to follow him. Joshua then travels to the mountain where the sword of Ilkan is said to be, and finds several long rotten skeletons outside the cave. Venturing into the cave, Joshua finds more bodies but also sees the sword imbedded into a cave wall. As he approaches the sword, he hears a demonic voice call out to him, taunting him, declaring 'he' has been waiting for a worthy opponent and that no one has ever left the cave alive. The mighty General Reiko calls himself unbeatable while Joshua like everyone eles that has tried is weak, worthless, pathetic, Joshua retorts, "But you are not me." And whirls around, sword drawn as Reiko attacks. The battle is extremely powever and the cave explodes and as Joshua staggers out, his eyes are shown to be filled with blood and he is horrified to discover he has been blinded. Though he lost his sight, Joshua claimed one of the swords of Ilkan for himself that day. He returns to Yuē shū yà and presents the sword as proof of the completion of his final task. Yuē shū yà congratulates Joshua and notices Joshua's white eyes, he offers Joshua to heal his eyes but Joshua refuses saying “The spirts give me sight Sifu” Yuē shū yà smiles at Joshua and tells him “You truly are ready...well then i guess it's time...Yesterday Bo recived a messenger from the God of wind Fujin's realm, he decreed that their king Kung Lao has been invaded in Mortal Kombat and called upon Bo and his warriors. However Bo in his new pasifitc ways refused to get involved and outlawed any resident of Edenia to fight. If I could, I would go and fight myself...I will not force you to condem your own citizenship but I feel Onaga maybe behind this Tournament.” Joshua nods his head in agreement and asks how he can get to Fujin's realm. Yuē shū yà calls upon Fujin who arrives soon after; Yuē shū yà then tells Fujin that Joshua wishes to participate in the Tournamnet on Kung Lao's behalf. Fujin then meets Joshua and hears of old tales and battles of the time of Shao Khan from both Fujin and Yuē shū yà. Days later, Joshua is summoned by Fujin to the island hosting the Mortal Kombat tournament, Joshua now equiped with Yuē shū yà's ancestral warpaint says goodbye to Yuē shū yà, his wife Tanya and their 3 year old son Nikorasu as he journeys on. Joshua then arrives being the last to teleport onto the island. To Joshua's amazment he senses his long thought dead brother Elijah. Later that night, Joshua notes the island "Sounds like death" and Fujin reveals that the island once hosted a long dead civilization and serves as a reminder of what is at stake. Fujin also reveals that whatever innate supernatural abilities each of them possess will be amplified on the island, and points out that Joshua's shamanic abilites will become superhuman. When the tournament begins, Joshua ventures further into the island, and after a brief meditation, arrives in a clearing. Reiko's voice once more calls out to him, proclaiming it will retake the Ilkan blade from Joshua and taunts that he has learned much since 'he' took his eyes. Joshua darkly growls that he has as well and engages Reiko in a fierce duel. Joshua and Reiko are roughly evenly matched throughout the battle, and though Joshua loses the Ilkan blade, he is able to overpower Reiko with his hand-to-hand skills before discovering his supernatural abilities similar to Reiko's. Reiko seemingly gains the upperhand when he teleports to choke Joshua and then binds him with scaled tentacles, strangling him further, but Joshua is able to draw lightning from above and frees himself, He then tumbles over to the sowrd of Ilkan and throws the blade, impaling Reiko through his heart. With one final thrust, Joshua slays Reiko, claiming the first victory of the tournament for Kung Lao and his warriors. Just then Joshua hears a scream in the distance, a voice that sounds like it came from his brother. He finds an injured Elijah and puts a sling on his arm, but is knocked out when his elder cousin and fallen King's Guard, Bobby, throws a fireball in Elijah and Joshua's direction. As Bobby prepares to kill Elijah after gaining the upper hand, a recovered Joshua manages to save Elijah by stabbing Bobby, who surprisingly manages to quickly recover from the stab wound. A fight ensues between Bobby and Joshua, as Bobby gains the upper hand, grabbing Joshua's sword and began beating him with the hilt several times before preparing to stab and kill him. Kung Lao saves Joshua by hitting Bobby's hand with his hat, disarming him of the sword. Bobby and Kung Lao then face off.