The continent of Selenus has stood the tests of time along with the countries that composed it.

At the far east lies the Forest of Foxwald where the kitsune reside.

At the far west, is where the trade city of Turul is located and is under the halflings.

The country of Eldonia can be found at the southwest comprising of barren deserts.

At the southeast is the Kingdom of Aurelia and are the guardians of the ancient high elf who are known to have powers that exceed that of anyone.

Finally, the northern lands… where no one dared approach aside from a few adventurers who are brave enough to face its army. For a long time, this land has been under the rule of a particular succubus whose charm can bewitch almost anyone under her thumb. But of course, long before she came and claimed the throne, there was an already ruler here.

The King and leader of the Black Dogs, Volt, he and his men took down the Dark Fortress and destroyed the Holy Alliance. With him being King, he placed a rule into this land: every women were to serve men sexually.

But not all kingdoms are built to last forever, much like a normal human, he cannot escape the grasp of death. With him gone, his generals fought for the right to rule Eostia and keep the status quo. That was until the arrival of a seductress hailing from the Garan wastelands.

She named herself as Radomira and with her uncanny beauty and charm, usurping the throne was easy. She easily swayed the remaining Black Dogs, placing them as the guardians of her country which she named Negramstia.

And for almost 150 years, turmoil plagued the Selenus continent with each kingdom, trying to end Empress Radomira's rule. All of the attempts failed as she also controls the demons far north.

This is where the story began.

The sun shone through the clearing of the forest, trees, and plants bore through each direction and it also didn't hide the lizardmen. As to why they're here, they just looted and ambushed a caravan of half-lings just two days ago. They immediately carried away the goods, killing a few of them in the process and fled the scene.

It was a two-day hike they took and when they arrived at this clearing, they unpack the goods they have stolen. It ranges from spices, gunpowder, and gold of course. Overall, they were pretty content with what they had though stealing a few female halflings and have them bear their children should have been on the list.

These lizardmen were unaware of his presence as he hangs on to the rope encircling his waist. His red golden brown eyes watched patiently the lizardmen as they rummaged through the crates. He gazed at the thick trees at the far end of the forest as if waiting for a signal from far away.

"This better be worth the money those halflings paid me…" he lowly muttered as his footing nearly slipped through the rocks. His breath stopped as the specks of dust fell from his position down below.

"Looks like we're good," he said as none of them noticed it.

Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the ledge he's hanging into and the ground itself. Another one followed and his reinforced eyes saw a figure flying far and dropping these bombs to distract them. Whether they will work or not, he'll find it out.

The one lizardman yelled at his fellow ones, probably the leader ordered the others to check it out. Whether they are stupid to fall for such didn't matter to him as long as he gets the job done. He muttered a mantra of his own and motes of light began to form in his palms and a scythe came out.

He breathes out and cut the rope, dropping down from the cliff he hangs into and behind the back of his unaware enemy. With one strike of his weapon, he cleaved through the body of the lizardman as its blood and guts spilled out.

It was certainly messy that some of it got to his white scarf that hid his face, maybe wearing such color isn't a good idea. It didn't matter now as he searched the unopened crates for a particular item that the halflings wanted. He needs to look for it fast as the bombing had ceased and the rest of the pack would return. There's a reason why he preferred stealth than confrontation after all.

At long last, he managed to find it… he grabbed the glowing orb which the halflings call Blood Stone. True to its name, its reddish hue is like that of blood and emitted powerful magic around it. He didn't go into the details of why his clients need it as long as gets paid.

"Mission complete," a satisfied smile form in his features but it was short-lived as numerous spears were thrown at him. He easily deflected them with his scythe and found himself with the rest of the lizardmen trying their best to block all possible routes of escape.

"Where is she? She should have been here by now?" he back down slowly and looked down at the chasm behind him. By his estimate, it is about one hundred feet though he doesn't know what could be down there, he doesn't want to find out.

"AYAYAYAYYY!" a loud shriek caught his and the lizardmen's attention towards the sky where it originated from. His ride out of here just timely arrived.

The girl is riding a flying contraption of some sort and its rider waving a hand at him. "Come on!"

She flew towards the chasm and the lizardmen immediately ran towards him, seeing that he has no choice but to trust the client who hired him, he made a jump for it.

The lizardmen watched in awe as their prey jumped to his death. As they were about to leave the scene with their stuff, another shout echoed throughout the area. They all went back to check what it is and a gust of wind rushed to them.

It was the bastard and the damn halfling!

They all brandished their spears and aimed at their target but with their target being far away, none of them ever bothered attacking them.

"That was close…" he stated, as he held the chains of his scythe which he used to grab onto the tail end of the flying machine. "You sure this thing can hold both of us?"

"Are you doubting the craftsmanship of my people!?" the halfling cried out.

"You said it yourself, this machine of yours is a prototype, right?" he didn't hear any response from his client and he continues. "Why don't we land this somewhere and I can take a look at it?"

"No, I got-woah!" the contraption began to sway back and forth and he knew that both of their weight cannot handle it. "I GOT THIS!"

"Just quit your belly' achin and put us down!" he argued back though it fell deaf in halflings ears. "Mel, I'm warning you-gahhhh!"

They began to descend faster than before and to his horror, the machine began to break one by one. He couldn't afford to die here let alone dragging the leader of the trade city-state of Turul into death. He unlatched the chains and wrapped them around the petite body of the halfling before he launched himself towards her.

"Just hang on, alright!" he pumped his od all over his body and he set sights to a nearby lake. It's still better than landing on a hard surface.

They crashed into the cold waters and the redhead swam to the shore, carrying the body of the now unconscious halfling. He settled her down and move closer to her face. Her breathing is erratic but otherwise, she's fine. He stood up and removed the scarf that covered his face, squeezing the water out of it. He sat beside his client, covering her… assets with his scarf.

"Hahh… just what did I do to deserve this?"

Life's not truly good for the young Shirou Emiya.

He didn't waste anytime as he gazed upon the sky, he doesn't know exactly where they could be. He did start at the border town of Garlan and it took him a whole day with his enhanced speed to catch up to those lizardmen. Perhaps, he should just wait for Mel to wake up and she'll be the one to lead the way.

Shirou sat down and closed his eyes as he recollects his thoughts once more. Him being transported to this world wasn't planned at all and was the result of an accident. It all began back in Fuyuki when Rin and Illya try to recreate the Jewel Sword with his help. He and Sakura expressed their concern about attempting such a dangerous experiment. None of them took their advice, calling it a magus pride.

Days and nights have turned into weeks and with both determination and a few meals, they managed to make a half-ass copy of it.

Not the best one but they were at least getting somewhere and when Rin began the mantra, it glowed brightly and shook violently. Whether it was supposed to do that, he doesn't know but it screamed of danger. He took it away from Illya's hands and threw it at the back but he got caught in its blinding rays and his world became a myriad of colors.

Which brings him here to this unknown land.

"Owie…" he was snapped out of his musing when Mel got up from her sleep, her eyes wandered around and at him. "Wh-what happened?"

"Your flying machine got torn into pieces while we're on the air. Had no choice but to make an emergency landing in this forest."

The halfling slowly stood up and noticed the scarf that covered her modesty and she gave it to her benefactor. A look of frustration ever-present in her face as that machine was built for quite some time and now that it found some uses, it blew up in her. It was a blow in her pride that one of her machines got destroyed in front of this man right here.

"I'll just build one again once we get out of here," Mel stretched her body and walked towards the woods with no care in the world. "You'll follow suit, right?"

"You're welcome, I guess…" Shirou trailed behind the halfling.

The miasma in the air didn't deter both of them. For Mel, who has seen the tides of war, the woods outside of the borders of Foxwald is home to the lycanthropes. They've been on war with the kitsunes for many years now and both of them unwillingly encroached their territory. She stole a glance at the man whom she hired.

At first, she was a bit wary of hiring this man, since he is a mercenary and their likes never had the best reputation around. Speaking of which…

"Did you get the Blood Stone?"

"Yep, just as promised," he took something out of his pockets and true to his word, the stone was in his possession. But before she could claim the prize, she was stopped by Shirou's fingers on her head. "We had a deal, Mel."

"Yeah, we'll get to that once we reach the kitsune's territory, " the halfling explained. "So can you please, pretty please give the stone to me?" she tried to do her best cute impression.

"Eh… I'll give you this once I get my money. Trust me, I need it more than anything." he hid the gem and went on his way, leaving the half enraged Mel.

"Wait for me!" she immediately catches up with the redhead.

The young man stopped in his tracks and the halfling bumped behind him. "What're you stoppin' for?"

He didn't reply to her as multiple lycanthropes came out of the woodwork. A total of 10 surround them and Mel gulped at their sight. With their iron maces at hand and her not possessing her trusty axe, fighting them was a no-go. Mel unconsciously scoots over Shirou who is quietly assessing the situation at hand.

'Hmmm… laying waste to these monsters won't be an easy one since I have a civilian here. We're just gonna have to make a run for it then.'

"We were so close…" the halfling said, feeling that all hope is lost.

"Just how close are we talking about?"

"Just pass the river beneath the forest, we'll make ourselves known to the guardians and hopefully, Kohaku's forces will be there."

They moved ever closer to their liking and the redhead took out some stones. Mel saw it and thought it was stupid, was he about to throw them out. No, even a mercenary like him will not resort to such childish attacks. What she didn't know is that they are not mere stones, they may look ordinary but they can disorientate anyone in the vicinity.

Shirou threw them out in the air, moments before the lycanthropes lunged at them. The stones began to crack and emitted a blinding light followed by a loud noise. The enemies staggered and covered both their ears and eyes.

"Let's go!" the redhead didn't waste anytime, opting to carry Mel in his arms as he began to dash away from the scene.

The halfling yelped in surprise by the gush of wind that passed against her tiny frame. Looks like the redhead knows how to utilize magic as well, truly intriguing indeed if she says so herself. "You think you can outrun them?"

"Better than just standing around. You good there?" he asked.

"Never felt better!" she held her grip on his shirt as they jumped on numerous trees. Being carried around like this was a somehow surreal feeling, it didn't feel awkward nor embarrassing. It's just them, running away from the enemies.

"How fast are they?" he questioned when her ears perked up, following where it came from, the 10 lycanthropes gave chase to them.

"Fast enough to catch up on us apparently," the halfling glanced behind him and saw their pursuers who are now using their bows and arrows tip with poison. One of their favorites to ensure that even if the target escapes, the poison will do the job if the arrow hits the target. "Just keep on going we're almost-eeek!"

Mel shot up from Shirou's arms towards the blue skies and from there, she saw a glimpse of the wooden entrance, signifying they're almost at the gates. He, on the other hand, traced some Black Keys and threw them with ease. Each one embedded in the 3 lycanthropes heads, a smirk donned in his features.

The remaining ones didn't like what he did as they howl more… just in time for him to catch his 'passenger'.

"Don't do that again!" she shrieked out.

"You don't have any problems with operating a piece of machinery that could injure you and your complaining about being thrown?'

"At least warn me about it!"

He kept his fast pace, effectively dodging any obstacles in their path and evading the arrows as well. He felt a surge of magical energy around the area and Mel pointed her fingers at the wooden structure. It reminded him of the Ryuudou Temple as well.

"Once we get past, the protective barrier will stop them." her words may sound reassuring in her part but will he be able to get in? As they drew nearer, Shirou noticed it glimmered around as he prepared himself for the worst. Just like what he feared, Mel managed to get in without him.

"What? No! Shirou!" the halfling screamed out.

"Just go and look for help. I'll be fine… hopefully." he was cut off when the lycanthropes came out of the trees, surrounding him. "Don't just stand there, go!"

Mel bit her lip and ran off deeper into the woods to look for help specifically for Kohaku herself. She's the only one who can release the spell or allow the redhead to go through. Her tiny frame began to ran deeper into the kitsune's territory to search for their leader.

He observed the lycanthropes one by one and by his assessment, they're more than capable of combat.

"Trace, on!" he shouted and the scythe formed in his hands, its chains rattling around. His enemies howled as the drew out their maces and clubs, ready to do battle.

The ruler of Turul managed to find herself in the vale of Foxwald, its serene waterfalls where the kitsune's homes are built into were a sight to see. However, she didn't have anytime to admire them as she ran at the decorated streets. Multiple guards tried to halt her but her enormous strength just blew them away.

The men and women watched as the stranger ran to the steps leading towards the temple. Mel looked up at the imposing stairs ahead of her and she let out a small grumble. "A moving steps or stairs would be nice rather than climbing these…"

She slapped her face, knowing every second she waste could decrease the chances of the mercenary being alive. She found the foreigner slightly interesting due to his ability to recreate swords which is unusual. She may be not that well-versed with magical theorems but his magic doesn't correspond with any of the main elements.

As she treks the steps upstairs, her eyes caught the figure of the person she's looking for. Her attendants were at her side, a graceful aura surrounding her. She is a woman with delicate facial features and her eyebrows are cut short and possess a symbol of nobility. Her hair is tied in a loose ponytail, reaching down to her legs that end in a spiral, with taut bandages to keep it in place. She usually wears a traditional shrine maiden attire, and over that, she wore a white coat held closed by a red ribbon and a golden crown.

"Kohaku!"

The shrine maiden was a bit surprised to see one of her allies, granted they met last week only.

'What brings you here in my abode, Mel?" she asked the somewhat disheveled halfling.

"My friend, he needs help! Please release the barrier immediately!"

Her words caught her off guard, she knew that her kind needed to keep the barrier to keep their enemies at bay. Besides, the halflings we're exempted and allowed to go into.

"Why the sudden request?"

"A mercenary I hired possessed an item of extreme value to me," she huffed in between breaths. "He's surrounded by lycanthropes at this point and he might get killed!"

She can sense the urgency in her friend's voice and she immediately called in her royal guards. "I cannot release the barrier but I'll open up a portion of it for you, Mel. Bring alongside my guards and help your benefactor."

Kohaku closed her eyes and a magical circle appeared in the palm of her hands, her magic roamed throughout the woods outside of the village. Mel didn't waste anytime, rallying the guards to the outskirts.

"Now, where is the disturbance?" she asked and to her surprise, her vision caught the figure of what could be the mercenary that Mel hired.

He's a bit young to be a mercenary though with how he easily dispatched the lycanthropes. His movements don't show any kinds of openings and he stabbed the wooden end of the flimsy scythe he's using, launching his enemies upwards. The chains in his scythe rattled as he delivered those slashes faster than a normal human can do.

The flesh of the dismembered lycanthropes fell to the ground and the executioner gazed at the last two. With what they saw, fighting was out of the question and they both flee from the scene. Nonetheless, Kohaku knew that this will not be the last they'll see them.

Her royal guards and the halfling arrived at the scene, and she witnessed the banter of Mel and the mercenary.

"The Blood Stone, where is it?"

"Your precious stone is here," the young man threw a small gem at her friend. "Just point me to where I can rest for today."

"Most certainly! You will like this place for its natural hot springs but of course, my city is grandeur too."

She narrowed her eyes a bit upon those words. Her village has its charm of being close to nature unlike hers whose covered in smoke due to her inventions. Kohaku shook her head, releasing the circle and turn her attention to her handmaidens.

"Take care of our guests and make sure to attend to their needs. I'll join them later."

This is a story that was set in the sequel of the first game. While nukige's don't have that much of a plot, to begin with, this one has the same formula as the first game, betrayals and all of that. Not much to say though constructive criticism would be appreciated.

Should there be a separate section for this? I don't know how to submit a title and character list.