"Anshin'in here, standing in for author-san once again... I'm sure you can all see the train of thought that led to this. Hell, you're standing on the tracks with it barreling towards you with the horn blowing. But I digress.

Author-san wanted to at least put what he came up with out there and hopefully add more to it later. Keep in mind that this is an unfinished chapter, he just wants to see what the feedback will be.

This is based on the 'Return the Dragon' ending to Sekiro, so spoilers if you haven't gotten it yet. This also takes place under the pretense that Japan is actually part of the same world as Kuroinu, but not the same place as where Kaguya is from.

Annnnnnnnnnnd here's where I put the *EDIT*. Author-san managed to make this a complete chapter. He also gives thanks to Ph0enix17 for allowing him to use their line as a replacement for his original opening quote, seeing as how he thought his was crap by comparison."

(-)

"No matter if a wolf loses one of his limbs, he is still far superior to a mere dog..."

(-)

Pillars of smoke billowed into the sky as flames consumed the village. Cries of fear and pain echoed out as the inhabitants fled from the encroaching danger. They had been completely unprepared for an attack of this magnitude, and the innocent paid the price as a result.

His memories of the Hirata Estate surfaced once again from that fateful night... He didn't like that. Not one bit.

A large green-skinned beast that vaguely resembled the members of the Taro Troop, charged at him with its club held high. It lacked any form of technique or skill. Speed was there, but only for the final movement of the swing. Strength was all it relied upon to get the job done, to break through any defense with overwhelming force.

He stepped past its guard at the last moment, the club missing his head by a hairs breadth as he thrust his blade forward and plunged it deep into the monsters chest. The brute momentarily looked down in shock at the sword that had pierced its hide, before the man swung it outwards and disemboweled it. Blood and gore spilled out from the massive gash in its stomach, and the man flicked his wrist to remove some of the offal from his blade.

Walking past the soon to be corpse, he didn't even bother to stick around to watch it collapse to the ground. There were still many more left for him to kill.

His arm swung outward as he rushed forward, launching a spinning blade from the contraption in his left arm. The shuriken sailed through the air at high-speed, leaving behind a trail of blue-light as it smashed through the skull of a small, red creature. The damn things head practically exploded from the force of the impact, yet the blade continued on unabated as it found purchase in the gut of another of the larger brutes. He jumped at the monster and slashed from its right pectoral to its neck as he vaulted over it. A flaming arrow nearly caught him in the chest, but he grabbed it mid-flight and threw it back at the one who fired it. The ugly green bastard was now down one eye. Charging along the ground was some form of wolf that had grown twice as large as normal, its teeth slathered in blood and saliva as it barreled towards him. It lunged forward, but he leaped above it, landing on its back and stabbing it through the back of the skull.

Left in the mans wake was a path of carnage and death. To his back were only countless corpses of those who stood in his way. While the enemy and civilians all ran in the same direction, he was the only one to go the opposite.

Another several green-skins rounded the corner to oppose him. He flicked his wrist, causing an ax to shift along his prosthetic arm.

There were still many left for him to kill...

(-)

It was early in the morning, and if not for the dark clouds overhead, the sun would have been visible. But instead of sunlight, Maia and her troops were greeted that morning by rumbling clouds and a torrential downpour. Their carts were already getting stuck in the mud, and the horses tire from having to gallop in the deep muck. Though even with these hindrances, they were forced to continue on towards their destination.

The village of Mertle was in dire need of aide. An orc war-band was reported moving in the direction of the settlement. If Maia and her troops didn't get there fast enough, then there wouldn't be a village left to save. She already had a feeling that it was too late. Still, she pushed onward as fast as possible, clinging to the hope that they would arrive before the enemy.

But as they drew near enough to see the village in the distance, it was clear that they had failed. Carrion birds circled overhead, searching for prime targets to scavenge from. The rudimentary stone wall that circled the village had all but collapsed, revealing the charred framework of homes that were one strong gust away from toppling over. Faint traces of smoke still managed to drift through the air from fires that had long since extinguished.

Maia's grip on the reigns to her horse began to strain the leather. Not only was she upset with the loss of life that occurred, but she was disappointed in her failure to prevent it.

Yet it seemed that not all hope was lost. As they got closer, they spotted a man who had hidden himself behind a makeshift lookout post. He had stood up and was now waving them over with all his might. Turning around, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted into the village.

"Help has arrived! It's the Mercenary Queen!"

Maia let out a sigh of relief. Some had survived the attack after all.

Upon entering the village perimeter, it became clear that both sides had taken heavy casualties, given the number of corpses that littered the streets. But seeing as how there were survivors, it meant that the entire enemy force had been wiped out. No way the orcs would've left anyone alive.

She noticed how the corpses of the citizens had been covered with blankets, no doubt because the survivors hadn't the time to bury them yet.

"What is the situation here?" she asked the lookout once she was close enough.

A look of sadness crossed his features as he recalled what the town had been through the night before. "It was absolute chaos ma'am. The orcs sought to raze the town, tossing oil urns at our infrastructure before setting it ablaze with fire arrows. The flames had thrown us all into disarray as they began to stalk the streets."

Maia's eyes glanced over the destruction around her. It was no exaggeration to say that the number of buildings that remained standing was much fewer than those which had burned down. It was highly unlikely that the town would ever recover from this.

"It must have been hard to survive such a thing." she mused somberly.

"Though I'm afraid we all would be dead if it weren't for that traveler." the man added as a faint smile formed on his lips. "Those green bastards didn't stand a chance."

"Traveler?" Maia remarked as she rose a brow. "Someone arrived to help?"

The man shook his head. "If only... No, he and his companion drifted into town earlier in the day, and just so happened to be present for the attack. You should have seen how he cut through those monsters."

Now Maia was intrigued. A single man managed to repel the entire assault? She would have to meet him personally. "Is there any chance that this man is still here?"

The lookout nodded as he pointed down the street. "Head to the church. It's the largest building still intact. That's where the majority of us survivors have settled down."

Bidding the man a farewell, Maia and her followers made their way down the street and towards the tall spire that marked the church. Even if the enemy was no longer a threat for them to deal with, they could still help out with the relief effort.

It was a sobering sight to see. The entire church thoroughfare had been converted into a makeshift campground. What few people who were already out and about had to wear hoods to protect them from the rain. Some of them bowed their heads in respect, as well as thanks for their arrival. Others simply sat in the rain with a vacant look in their eyes, still trying to process the tragedy they had survived.

"Damn. These people got hit hard." opined Carla, one of Maia's knights.

"Agreed. Which is why we need to put an end to this war as soon as possible." Maia spoke in agreement. "For now, I want you to take our supplies and help with the relief effort. We'll need every survivor to be capable of moving within the next couple days. Remaining in this ruined village is not an option for them."

"Aye. And what of you? Do you intend to seek out this Traveler?"

A faint smirk formed on Maia's lips. "I'm actually quite eager to meet whoever held off the enemies assault. He must be quite strong."

Climbing off her horse, Maia gestured for several of her knights to follow her as she headed for the church. The front of the building looked as if it had seen some punishment. If the citizens were taking cover in the place of worship during the attack, it only made sense that the enemy would target it. But fortunately the various defenses that were setup had held. Makeshift barricades constructed from wooden carts and boards, defensive barriers constructed from crudely made wooden spears to halt the enemies advance, and a lingering scent of oil from where they set fire to the ground to ward off attackers. It was a miracle that a town as poorly equipped as Mertle was able to put together even this much.

Knocking on the door to the church was unnecessary, as it was opened the moment Maia got within arms reach. A kindly nun was the one to greet her, her habit stained with blood in numerous locations, but none of it her own. No, the blood belonged to the people inside who were laid out on beds and pews while those who were in better health tended to their injuries.

"Ah, Lady Maia!" the woman remarked in surprise before bowing her head. "I welcome you to our church, but I'm afraid that we are not in the best of conditions to accommodate you, as I'm sure you are aware."

The red-head nodded in understanding. "No worries. We're the ones who are here to help you. There's plenty of supplies to share back with my men. Seeing as how the attack is already over, we won't be needing the extra."

"My humblest thanks. I'll inform the others right away. But is there anything I can help you with before I go?"

"I heard that some traveler was the one to hold off the majority of the attack. Know where he is?"

"Oh, yes. In the back rooms where the excess wounded are. He's the man in the orange coat."

"Thanks." Maia replied with a nod of the head.

Upon entering the rear of the church, the Mercenary Queen and her companions immediately spotted their target. His back was to them, but he was clearly the only one in the room who was wearing orange. He was currently aiding a girl who appeared to be in her mid-teens with setting an injured mans bone back into place. This room in particular was more crowded, but the occupants were not as grievously injured as in the main hall.

"Sir, I will need you to hold still while Wolf adjusts your leg. Can you do that?"

The girl was dressed in an outfit that was reminiscent of Kaguya's Shrine Maidens. But what was most noticeable was the bulge in her stomach. She was quite clearly pregnant.

"I-I think I can..." the injured man responded nervously.

The girl picked up a small towel and folded it in half before handing it to the man. "Here, bite down on this if the pain is too much."

Placing the cloth in his mouth, the man nodded towards the girl to signal he was ready.

"Wolf, if you will..."

"Hai." the man responded respectfully. Wolf then jerked the mans leg back into position, eliciting a muffled scream from the man.

"Good. I will begin wrapping the leg." the girl said as she picked up a makeshift splint. "It appears that we have guests, Wolf."

Maia had remained quiet for the duration of their entrance, not wanting to distract the duo from such a delicate procedure. Thankfully she was acknowledged quickly.

'Wolf' turned his body to face her, revealing the visage of a man whose life was naught but battle. His features were rugged and unkempt, a scar was drawn across his left eye, and there was something akin to a burn mark around the right side of his hairline. But the feature that stood out the most was his left arm. Or at least, the contraption that was there in place of it.

An odd-looking artificial limb comprised of bone, steel, and many more things that Maia couldn't even begin to properly understand. The man noticed how her gaze was holding on the faux-limb, and promptly turn his body to the side in order to hide it from view.

"Do you need something?" he asked neutrally. His voice was firm, yet monotone. Betraying nothing of his personality or otherwise.

The red-head nodded as she approached the man. "Was just looking for the man whose I must give thanks to for keeping this town standing. Me and my knights were sent out to intercept the enemy forces that attacked last night. I'm sorry that we didn't make it in time to help."

Wolf nodded as he shifted his attention back to the other injured. "Indeed."

There was an air of awkwardness (at least for Maia and company) at his equally blunt and brief answer.

"Err, so... What exactly are you doing here?"

"Tending to the injured." he responded as he moved on to the next patient. "The town is short on healers, and most of the supplies were either used up or lost in the fires. So we have to ration what we have to those who are in dire need of aid."

"Well, good news then! We brought plenty of-"

"I overheard your conversation with Sister Margaret. Your help will be much appreciated by the citizens." he interrupted as he began changing another patients bandages. "Is there anything else I can do for you? Otherwise I'd ask you to leave, unless you'd care to give us a hand."

Maia couldn't tell if the man was being rude on purpose, or if he was just concerned with tending to the wounded. Either way, it was starting to get annoying.

"Wolf, I believe our guests are curious as to the nature of our presence in this town, seeing as how they have divined the reason for its survival." the girl spoke softly.

Letting out a mental sigh of relief, Maia was glad to steer the conversation back on track. "Indeed. We are very grateful for your intervention. From what I hear, without your presence, this would have been a massacre."

"I was simply doing what I had to in order to ensure the survival of my master." the man replied vaguely. "I don't require your thanks. If fleeing the attack was an option at the time, then we would not have remained in order to defend it."

"I do not believe Lord Kuro would have condoned such an action." the girl chided in disagreement.

The man went silent, evidently shaken by the girls remark. Finishing up with his current patient, Wolf started walking away. "I shall go and help retrieve the supplies."

No one attempted to stop Wolf from leaving, not even the girl. Instead, she shook her head slightly with a weak smile. "If it is within reason, I ask that you excuse his rudeness. From what I learned during our time together, Wolf has never been the most sociable of people, and he rarely says more than what he feels is necessary."

Maia had to agree with that assessment. The man named Wolf was certainly of the calm, quiet type.

"But I digress." the girl added. "So, what exactly does one of the famous Princess Knights wish to ask of me?"

"I take it that what they say is true? That Wolf managed to defeat the majority of the attacking army?"

She nodded. "He is a very skilled warrior. Upon ensuring that my location at the time was secure, which happened to be this church, he hurried out to meet the enemy. I would not discount the efforts of the towns own defenders, but none of them could hope to equal Wolf in combat."

"I guess we'll have to take your word for it." Maia responded as she gestured for her entourage to make themselves busy. "But tell me miss..."

The girl shook her head as her gaze dropped for a moment. "My name was lost during the ceremony, and the monks never saw it fit to bestow upon me a new one. Understandable, as I was the only survivor."

The mercenary woman wasn't really sure what the girl was talking about, but it must have been something important.

"For the sake of convenience, you may call me Shirohime."

"Well then, miss Shirohime, what brings you and your escort to this border village?"

Shirohime's hands drifted down to her stomach before answering. "We are traveling west, in search of its homeland. So that it may be returned to where it belongs."

"Not that I don't care about the specifics, but for now I'll just pretend to know what you're talking about for the sake of moving this conversation along. So, you are heading west and just happened to arrive here just before an attack?"

"Some may attribute such a development to bad luck. But perhaps it was divine intervention that brought us here in time to defend the inhabitants."

Maia shrugged. "Whatever sharpens your blade. Regardless, the town will need to be abandoned soon. It has suffered too much damage to withstand further assaults with what remains. Me and my troops will help with getting everyone back on their feet and burying the dead. Our plan is to escort the survivors back to Ken to take refuge for the time being."

"Wolf and I will help where we are needed. I hope you will allow us to accompany you on your trip back?"

"I don't see why not. Just don't push yourself too hard." the mercenary remarked as she glanced at Shirohime's bulging stomach.

"I appreciate your concern." Shirohime replied with a slight bow. "For now, I shall return to my duties."

Maia took a deep breath as she made her way back outside. "Gonna be a tough few days..."

(-)

Sometimes, the Mercenary Queen despised the duties that came with her status as a leader. Not that she wasn't good at commanding her forces, hell, she was probably the best out of all her fellow Princess Knights. But there was one aspect of her job that she absolutely despised.

Paperwork.

Reports from her scouts, kill tallies, death notices, and supply requisition forms were just the start of her troubles. And strangely enough, whenever such mundane tasks reared their ugly heads, none of her fellow knights were anywhere to be seen.

"Crafty little punks. Let's see if they like having a month of latrine duty when we get back." the red-head muttered darkly as she finished signing her name on several forms.

Stifling a yawn as she leaned back in her chair, her gaze drifted to the darkness outside her command tent. Night had fallen a couple hours ago and thankfully the rain had stopped. This made it easier for them to setup torches throughout the village so everyone could keep working in the dark. They still had a lot of bodies to bury.

Opening up the lantern that was on her table, Maia blew out the flame before grabbing her gear and leaving. Exiting the tent, she bid a quick farewell to the person standing watch. Now it was time for her to get some well earned rest.

A flash of orange that wasn't from a fire suddenly caught her eye. She spotted Wolf sitting with his back against what remained of a wall from one of the houses that burned down. His weapons, a pair of katana's, were leaning on the wall next to him. His posture was lax, but he looked ready to spring into action at any moment. Even in the dark Maia could still make out the odd 'arm' that was in place of his left limb. He seemed to be fiddling with something in his hands, some sort of chisel?

"Is there something you need from me?" he asked without so much as turning to acknowledge her.

Maia wasn't sure when it happened, but she had unconsciously approached the man in her curiosity. Seeing as how she was already there, she figured it made sense to try and start up a conversation.

"Not exactly stranger." she responded with her usual roguish attitude. "Just taking a gander at that funny contraption you got there. Looks kinda dangerous."

His real hand drifted over to touch the fake arm as he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "Yes, it is." he replied in monotone.

"Mind if I ask where you got such a thing? It's like a completely functioning arm made from... well, I don't know exactly. But it ain't a real arm."

"It is a prosthetic." Wolf answered evenly. "I had lost my left arm in battle. Shortly after, a man dragged my unconscious body away and grafted the arm onto me in order to save my life."

The mercenary took a seat next to Wolf, only for the man to shift away slightly. "Well, that's a pretty nifty machine he built."

"He wasn't the one who made it."

Maia raised a brow at that statement. "Then who-"

"It is getting late. You should get some rest so you aren't tired tomorrow. There is much work to be done."

The red-head's lip twitched into a scowl for a moment at being so quickly dismissed.

"Oh yeah? And what of you?"

"My duty is to protect my master. Anything else is a secondary concern to me."

"Geez, you don't have to be so blunt about it." Maia opined with a roll of the eyes.

"My apologies." Wolf spoke as he pulled out a small chunk of wood that had been carved to vaguely resemble a person. The lack of detail showed he still had some ways to go in his work. "Conversation has never been my strong suit. I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves."

Maia let out a huff of amusement. "Well your actions are basically screaming 'Fuck you!' to the orcs."

"So it would seem." he responded as he began carving.

There was a brief silence between the two, only punctuated by the sound of metal scraping against wood.

"So... Shirohime says you two are heading west to find someplace. Any idea where it is exactly?"

"Shirohime?" he remarked in confusion. "Oh, you mean the girl. It is as she told you. We are traveling west in search of our destination. Though we know not the exact location."

"You're heading west without knowing where you're going? Doesn't that seem the least bit difficult to accomplish?"

Wolf shrugged slightly. "Head west is the only clue we have to go on to find our goal. I suppose we shall keep walking until we get there."

"You know, the libraries in the capital might be able to help you in that regard. The scholars there have accrued much knowledge over the years. Perhaps there is a book containing information on the place you seek."

"Hmm, your advice is appreciated. If time would allow it, then we shall stop by to see what we can find."

"If time will allow it? What, you gotta get there by a certain date?"

He shook his head. "This isn't the first war-torn land I've been through. I cannot put my masters life in danger by remaining near the battlefield."

"You make it sound as if the enemy has the capability of knocking down Ken's gates tomorrow. Trust me, the capital is the most heavily defended location in the land. Celestine Lucross herself has made sure of that."

"Arrogance has been the undoing of many a strong man. The monks of Senpou Temple believed themselves deserving of immortality. All they succeeded in doing was corrupting the minds and bodies of their followers."

Maia snorted in derision. "I don't know anything 'bout these monks or whatever, but Celestine is a Goddess incarnate. I'd like to see anything short of her rival be able to breach the city."

Wolf briefly glanced at Maia once more, giving her a look akin to that of disappointment. "Think what you will. But I will act on experience, rather than assumptions."

Figuring she wouldn't be getting anymore pertinent information out of Wolf for the night, she decided it was best to leave. But as she walked away, the man called out to her.

"Tell me girl,"

"Hnn?" she grunted as he looked over her shoulder at Wolf, who had finally turned his head fully to face her.

"if you put all of your faith in a single person, believe that they can do no wrong, and make no mistakes, then what would happen if they fail you?"

Maia wasn't sure what he was getting at, but it sounded like he was speaking from experience.

"It is unwise to dedicate your life to a single belief. Nobody is infallible."