#mk kasuro

Just like I said in the post just below this one, here's something I have written with Reiko and my OC Carmilla, which also features another OC of mine, Kasuro. Hope any reader may enjoy this little WIP 😊

Also, there's callbacks to this Reiko WIP I wrote.

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The Kahn Guard was recognized as one of the most powerful military organizations across the realms, but it was hardly one anyone would like to be part of. That scene exemplified why.

Two kids, no older than 14 years (in Earthrealm standards). Both full of bruises and cuts from the other’s knife. Both holding their weapon and staring at each other, desperate for that training session to end. They had been going through exhausting training all day, and had been told that that sparring session was the last one. Finally, they would be able to call it a day, even if tomorrow was going to be the same, or worse, depending on who won.

One of them, a boy, took the initiative and ran towards his opponent. He had grown impatient, only being able to think about what may happen if he lost. He had to win that duel. The opponent, a girl, waited calmly for his attack.

Once the boy was close enough and tried to stab the girl’s arm, she reacted quickly, dodging it, to then elbow the boy’s face. Due to his already awful state, that was enough to make him fall, too injured to continue fighting. The girl was too nervous to notice that, however.

Finally, after so much time in that last duel, it seemed like she had the upper hand. She would be able to rest, if just for the rest of the day. She would have finally earned that right. If only her opponent didn’t stand up again. She couldn’t afford herself to take any chances, not after such a long, tiring day.

After pinning the boy to the ground, the girl raised her knife and was ready to stab him again just so he remained incapacitated. She didn’t even care if she hurt a vital point. She just wanted it to end. Before she could, however, her hand was held by a strong grip.

“You have already won, cadet.” said a voice that anyone in the Kahn Guard would recognize, especially those being trained to be part of his troops.

General Reko was a strict trainer. He wanted his cadets to follow every single one of his rules. Not killing during training sessions was one of them.

In theory, this rule applied to all the Kahn Guard training camps. While only the strongest among the cadets would survive and grow to become better soldiers, the way to determine who lived and who died was constantly sending the recruits in difficult missions against the Empire’s enemies, so only the most capable would come back from them. That way, in the eyes of the Kahn Guard leaders at least, the weak would be removed from their ranks while also being useful for the Empire.

In practice, many Kahn Guard trainers let murderous incidents happen during training with little to no repercussions, whether it was for contempt towards their weaker recruits or indifference. Reiko wasn’t one of that kind. He had been weak once. He gave everyone the chance to become stronger, or at least die in battle against the enemies of Outworld’s Empire.

After breathing heavily for some moments, the girl managed to calm herself down. She nodded at her leader. “Yes, General Reiko.”

Reiko let the girl’s arm go. She then stood up, releasing the defeated boy. Reiko then looked at him.

“You may go now.” said Reiko to the girl.

The girl just nodded once again and proceeded to retire. Her injuries made it difficult to even walk, but it had been worth it. She had proven strong enough, she had survived another day. That was all that mattered, that was what she had been taught to do from the day she was taken from her home.

Even then, she couldn’t help but glance at her opponent one last time, with sympathy. She knew that, due to his defeat, he would have to go on a dangerous mission soon, perhaps to never return, as a way to prove himself worthy of remaining in the Kahn Guard. It made her feel bad, even regretful for a moment. But she repressed it, shook her head and just continued walking. She had been told feeling pity for the weak was a sign of weakness in itself for years, she couldn’t afford to do it.

Meanwhile, Reiko kept looking at the boy, waiting patiently for him to stand up. Despite the difficulty, despite his injuries, he was finally able to stand ready before his leader.

“I…” he started to say. He had to interrupt himself for a moment to breathe deeply. “I deeply apologize for my failure, General.” he sounded really disappointed in himself.

“Then you will be glad to know I have a way for you to compensate for it.” said Reiko, matter-of-factly. “There is an especially problematic group of Edenian rebels who have been causing problems in the Golden Desert. You will be heading there as soon as our healers deal with your injuries. You will stay until the rebels are defeated.”

The boy gulped with fear, but finally just nodded. “Of course, General Reiko.” he said with respect. “I promise not to disappoint you this time.”

The boy also went away, walking with difficulty towards the infirmary of the training camp, where the healers would use their magic to slowly deal with his injuries. He could hardly call the healing process a rest, but given what was coming for him after it finished, it was definitely going to be the calmest time he would have in a while.

After that was over, Reiko started walking through the training camp, looking if there was any other trainee needing his supervision. That seemingly wasn’t the case, since other soldiers under his command were doing a good job looking over the recruits.

Reiko started to think that there was nothing left for him to do there. He thought about the chance of just going away from the camp, perhaps to start preparing strategies of how to deal with the rebels his troops were dealing with. His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a trusted soldier of his approaching him.

Commander Kasuro. A Shokan veteran who had been fighting since long before Reiko was even born. The General could proudly say he had earned his respect and loyalty.

“General Reiko.” greeted Commander Kasuro when he arrived.

“Commander.” greeted Reiko back. “How has the recruitment mission gone?”

Recently, Reiko had learned of an attack against a Vampire village known as Dark Heaven in Outworld. After his scouts told him about it, he knew for certain it would be completely massacred that day.

Due to his personal experience, Reiko believed that survivors of such events were likely to have the potential of becoming powerful soldiers, under the right guidance. That had been the reason why he had sent some of his soldiers to look in the territories nearby the destroyed village, to look for potential new recruits. It was something which interested him especially due to the fact that the Kahn Guard hadn’t had the chance to recruit a Vampire since Vaeternus was conquered, since the people of that realm had managed to remain isolated from the rest of Outworld after the conquest. Training one of them and turning them loyal to the Kahn Guard would be a new challenge.

Kasuro gave Reiko a smile to his question. “Well, of course it has gone well, General. Can’t you see our new recruit right here?” he giggled.

Reiko raised an eyebrow. “What?”

After letting out another little laugh, Kasuro proceeded to speak, but not to Reiko. “C’mon, little one, you must show respect to the General.” he spoke in a weirdly such tone for such a hardened warrior, as if he were speaking to his grandchild. “Greet him.”

A little figure made itself present from behind Kasuro’s leg, an scared little girl, recognizable as a vampire due to her wings and fangs. She had been hiding there, looking nervous at her surroundings. Everything seemed so dangerous. The brutal training of recruits all through the camp, the trainers shouting them to be better if they wanted to persist. It was nothing like what she had lived until then.

She had come from a peaceful, comfortable home back in Vaeternus. A daughter of a simple messenger and a librarian, civilians who had no word and could do nothing about their realm’s conflicts other than trying to survive them. Adapting to being part of Outworld after her realm was conquered had been difficult enough, but now, after the attack on her village which cost her parents’ lives, after having to run away from her home to survive, she had nowhere to go. It was the reason why she didn’t even try to escape when Kasuro found her. He had offered her a new home, and while it seemed dangerous, it was better than nothing.

“He… Hello, General.” said the little Vampire, trying her best to hide how scared she was.

Reiko looked carefully at the girl for a bit. She was a weak, defenseless person, the ones he would usually laugh at. But the recruits of her kind were an exception for that.

Reiko approached Kasuro, and then kneeled to look more closely at the Vampire girl, who was still hidden behind the Shokan’s leg despite allowing herself to be seen. He looked into her purple eyes to see what she expected from the likes of her, a sight which, other than showing how scared she was, reflected something Reiko himself had been before being recruited in the Kahn Guard: lost. And Reiko didn’t have to be a genius to know why.

Not only was he aware of the attack towards her village, but he could also see blood from those who died around her in the attack still present in her clothes. He didn’t need to ask to know she had lost her home, and most likely her family too.

“What is your name?” asked Reiko.

“I… I am Carmilla.”

“Very well, Carmilla. I’ll be looking forward to seeing your progress. But, before that, make sure to keep these words in mind.” it was something he repeated to every recruit in a similar situation to Carmilla. He wished to remind them all in which kind of place they were, while also trying to give them motivation. It had worked with him, after all. “No one cares about what you have lost. No one cares about what you feel. Here, you won’t get any pity for whatever may happen to you, and if you prove too weak, it will cost you your life.” Carmilla started shaking quite a bit, which Reiko noticed. He decided to get to the ‘best’ part of it. “But, if you instead grow strong enough, if you gain power, you will be able to build a new home for yourself. We will be able to build an even more powerful Outworld’s Empire, one which shall never fall and will give us a life of glory. You will even be able to avenge what you have lost if you gain enough power. That is the only way.”

After sentencing that, Reiko proceeded to stand up. “Welcome to the Kahn Guard.” he exchanged those last words with Carmilla, before looking at Kasuro. “Start her training soon.”

Kasuro nodded. “So will it be done.” he took Carmilla by the hand. “C’mon, little one. There’s much to do.” he said again in his oddly soft tone before starting to walk alongside Carmilla to the training camp.

Carmilla was still too scared to say anything, but deep down, she had listened to Reiko’s words. As harsh as they were, there was some hope in them, a promise that there was a better future for her if she endured enough. That thought could start to motivate her soon…

A Shokan even older than King Gorbak, Kasuro has been a warrior for millennia. During his younger years he served as a respected warrior to his kingdom, but he started to become more disappointed in the ways of Kuatan due to the endless conflict of his people with the Centaurs. He was a proud Shokan who enjoyed proving himself in the battlefield, but he wanted to fight for a purpose more meaningful than just being favoured by the Emperor. His disappointment would reach its greatest point after a particularly difficult battle of said conflict cost him many comrades and receiving many injuries whose scars he carries to this day, all just for a pointless fight for favouritism. He decided to leave Kuatan to seek a place where he could earn his life fighting for something else.

Despite his resentment towards Emperor Shao Kahn for encouraging the Shokan and Centaur conflict, Kasuro decided to join the Kahn Guard in hopes he could participate in actually important battles for the future of his realm. He took part in Outworld's conquest of Fabir, the realm of the Kreeyans, where he met the then young General Reiko for the first time.

Reiko's leadership skills and ideals earned him Kasuro's respect from the very first impressions, and after his success in defeating the Kreeyan Queen and finishing the conquest Fabir, Kasuro knew he had found the leader he was searching for, someone who would fight to the end only to fulfill a meaningful objective: ensuring the prosperity and glory of Outworld's Empire. He vowed to serve Reiko from then on.

Commander Kasuro, as he is currently known, is yet another of Reiko's most loyal soldiers, ready to fight alongside his general and comrades in whatever is necessary to fuilfill their objectives.