"There's no way I can convince her…"

Those were Tatsumi's thoughts as he stood on the beach, the soft sand making him sink up to his ankles. The cool night wind blew over his body. Just a short distance away, the infamous General Esdeth, perhaps the most dangerous enemy for those opposing the Empire, was off on a full run, pursuing the sky manta. For some reason, the beautiful woman seemed to be attached to him, a feeling he could not quite reciprocate, considering the circumstances.

It all left a very complicated feeling in his head.

He had hoped he could bring her around to his way of thinking, to convince her that even with all the flaws she possessed she could still be made to work for a different cause. But he recognized that her will was completely different, incomprehensible to him. Her very essence was as a mad beast; which raged within that beautiful form. He recognized the complete futility of accomplishing his aim, knowing that nothing he said would ever matter to her. He had already tried it several times already, and each time he had failed.

So was there really nothing to it but to oppose her?

And most likely, in the end, to kill…

Well, when the time comes I won't hesitate, he thought to himself. He was under no illusions that he would be able to kill her. Perhaps if he could survive to old age, and practice his craft endlessly throughout that time, he might gain some skills to surpass Esdeth. He could try, of course; he was not such a coward like that. But he knew in his bones that it was unlikely for him to succeed.

So what was he to do now? He had to get away from her, find a means to escape from her notice and not be recaptured again. For this, he'd need to pull out his trump card: the Incursio's invisibility mode, which Esdeth had never seen yet. He hoped that he could find a chance to use it now to help his escape.

And then there came a glow below him, on the sands. It lit up the evening like a sun. There was a large symbol down there, and he recognized it from before. It had been the exact same one that had brought him and Esdeth here from the top of that mountain, which had been cast by that mysterious guy in the hood. If what Esdeth said was correct, this was a space-moving teigu, which meant that if he stayed here he would be teleported someplace else.

"This is a way out…! If I escape right now, I can…"

He looked towards Esdeth. She was still running, oblivious to what was happening. If he wanted to escape from this place and evade Esdeth at the same time, this was a good opportunity. Granted, there was still a whole lot he didn't understand, but it would still be a way to get away from the monster in human form. She wouldn't notice he was gone until much later; and by then, hopefully, he would be very far away.

But could he really just abandon her? Was that any way for a man, a good man to act?

She is the enemy, said a voice in his head. You don't owe her anything. He could just leave her here. It wasn't like he'd be leaving her to die. A monster like her could make do with anything. And if she was able to snag that flying Danger Beast, as she had already told him, then there was literally no stopping her.

But could he really do it?

Flashes of memories came to his mind. Despite her nature, she had helped him in numerous ways already. He doubted she would appreciate such generosity, but he would certainly be aware of it. And remember.

"I…"

No, he couldn't just abandon her. Damn him for being so soft, for being exactly the "weak" sort of human that she preyed upon. But he couldn't say no to his heart.

"Esdeth!" he yelled, as loud as he was able. "It's that thing again! It appeared! I think it's going to activate, and bring us somewhere else!

"So I'll be going on ahead!"

He didn't see her; didn't want to look. But he did hear her voice.

"Tatsumi! Wait!"

The glow brightened, and it consumed everything. He felt like he'd gone completely blind.

For a good, long moment, he just kept his eyes closed. He thought he could sense if Esdeth was with him, if she had been transported with him as well, just like before.

Then, something reached his senses—the scent here was different from the island that he had been in before. He could no longer smell the sea's salt spray, nor did he feel the sand below.

He opened his eyes and immediately tensed. He was standing in the middle of some sort of village. Giving the whole place a quick glance, he saw that there were no people.

Indeed, if there were people here then they'd be strange to be living in such a shithole. It looked like there had been a great conflict that had destroyed most of the buildings here, leaving them empty, burnt-out husks. Most no longer had their roofs, just the bits of walls and floors jutting out of the ground like the teeth of a dead creature. Weeds and other greenery snaked through the forgotten stone. Many sad shadows were cast from the abandoned wreck by the moonlight up above, giving rise to strange, spooky shapes.

Tatsumi walked around, trying to get a better feel for the place. So the teigu really had transported him to some other new place. It was still night, which meant that he was still in roughly the same land. But the moon up in the sky was in a different place than when he saw it on the island. It might mean that time had just passed, but it was more likely that he was moved a significant distance from the island.

And Esdeth was also nowhere to be found. He felt some relief at that, for knowing that he had managed to escape her clutches one more time. He also felt a lingering sense of regret, a pang of sadness of his absolute failure in trying to convince that woman.

Then there came another bright light. Tatsumi's eyes widened. He saw that the same symbol from before was now glowing on the floor. It was another activation! Was Esdeth about to come through? Or could he actually use that, to teleport somewhere else?

Might be a trap, his mind thought. He decided he would no longer be trusting in the random teleporting anymore. For all he knew he'd just end up at the island back with Esdeth. A completely bizarre trick to be playing, but maybe that teigu user thought himself some sort of joker.

And so, he decided to disregard it, and instead ran quickly to find a hiding spot. He moved into the shadow of one of the buildings to hide. He peeked through a hole in the wall, to see if something or someone would come out once the activation ended. He took care not to reveal himself so carelessly.

Then a shape appeared from out of the light. It was tall and hooded—it wasn't Esdeth, it was the stranger from before! Tatsumi bit back a curse. He was here, so that meant his target was definitely Tatsumi. He wondered if he could hide here, and try to spring some sort of ambush on the guy. He looked away from the hole, and attempted to control his presence. No sense in giving himself away.

There was a pause as he heard the guy's footsteps scrunch on the ground. He was no doubt having a look around, just like what he had done, trying to ascertain the place. Tatsumi stilled his breath.

"Little man," came a voice then, sounding cold and amused. "Why do you skulk in the darkness, like a rat? Are you a rat as well as a man? Come out, and face me."

He forced himself not to curse. Of course that damned mysterious guy would also have a keen danger sense. He cursed himself for not using Incursio's invisibility mode. He knew he had a problem with erasing his presence, to prevent people from sensing him. He was still a little unused to doing such things. But he hadn't expected his inexperience to blow up in his face so soon, and so spectacularly.

He calmly stepped out of cover, facing the mysterious figure head on. If there was going to be some sort of confrontation, or a fight, he was not going to give him the satisfaction of calling him a rat.

"There you are, little man," said the stranger, his features still obscured by his hood. "You really are here, as I calculated. I was worried my teigu had whisked you somewhere I didn't know, which would have been annoying. You're not a coward, so that's good."

"Who are you?" asked Tatsumi. He felt a rush of annoyance that the man hadn't sensed him after all. He could have remained hidden. Stupid, stupid Tatsumi.

"A man of much importance," the man replied. He could hear her grin. "Did you enjoy your little vacation with Esdeth? I'd arranged it, as you know. The destination was well-planned. As is this current destination, incidentally. So then, on to business."

Tatsumi heard the sound of knuckles being cracked. The man was putting his hands together, balled them up into fists. He exposed two meaty arms, which seemed to bulge with strength. He was like Bulat, in a way, not lean and scrawny like himself.

"Fight me, little man," the man said. "I wanna see the worth of the creature who has drawn the attention of that bitch. What the hell does she see in you? Well, I'm going to find out, from your lips, your corpse, or anywhere in between."

"What? Are you talking about Esdeth or something? What the heck does she have to do with it?" Tatsumi said fearlessly. "And anyway, why the heck do you wanna fight me, buddy? I don't got an argument with you."

"Neither do I, but needs must, friend," the man replied. He slammed his fists together. "If you won't fight, then that just means you die. So you struggle and give me a fight, unless you just want to run."

"Big talk from a guy who can run anywhere he wants," Tatsumi said. He was speaking like this, but he recognized, just from his danger sense, that the man was pretty strong. He had to be cautious here, or one misstep would be incredibly disastrous.

"Come on then. Use your teigu. I know you have one; and I know how it looks like. Don't think you can trick me."

"Are you someone from the Empire?" Tatsumi asked, as he braced himself. So he knew about Incursio. Tatsumi realized he was already on the backfoot. There was every possibility he also knew about his capabilities, which made him doubly dangerous.

The man didn't answer, but instead darted forward with a burst of speed. His form blurred, so fast that Tatsumi didn't even see him. A moment later, he had jumped backward, as a wave of force hit him on the front. The man had taken a swing with his fist, like a right hook, but with the force of an enormous Danger Beast.

Tatsumi flipped back and recovered. He had no choice but to activate Incursio. The man was undoubtedly skilled, and therefore he couldn't afford to be playing it secret.

He slammed his sword into the ground, activating the teigu. He felt his body change, as the armor of his Teigu appeared around him, like a battle suit. The vestiges of the Tyrant bestowed a fearsome presence to the armor, making the hearts of any man quail in fear; yet the nature of Tatsumi's common enemies meant that most of them did not fear it.

Case in point, the man only seemed to grin when he finally activated his Teigu. "Now that's better, little man. Time to see if your meat's worth all that metal you're wearing!" And then, once more the hooded figure dashed forward, striking with all his might. Clad in Incursio, Tatsumi found it a little easier to dodge this time.

He'd been about to deliver a brutal backhand when he felt something solid smash against his chest.

"Kuh!"

He was blown backward, slamming into a ruined wall. The man had lashed out with a kick, which had been strong enough to force Incursio back. He quickly recovered, rolling out of the way as the man delivered a straight punch—which pulverized the wall he had just been.

"Heh, don't assume my punches are all I've got…!" the man said, turning towards him. Tatsumi, thinking to reclaim the initiative, charged at the man, meeting his fists with his own.

"Damn!" He was missing. A lot. He was ready to admit that his combat skills weren't at all perfect, but his hand-to-hand was clearly lacking. The man was slippery, and easily slid away from his strikes to then strike at his armor. Only Incursio's tough exterior prevented the man from hurting him physically. But those repeated hits were doing a number on his confidence.

After a roundhouse kick to his temple sent him sprawling to the ground, he quickly leaped back, to gain some distance. It was then that the man paused.

"You're a rookie, little man! If it weren't for your precious toy, I would have pulverized your bones to dust by now!" He cricked his neck, making a loud, snapping sound. "You really think you deserve that Teigu of yours? Why don't you just give it to me, and I'll give you a painless death!"

"No thanks, it's better with me!" he shouted back. Though he was still confident, he knew he could not continue as he had. The man was clearly superior with his fists and his legs. Incursio could not keep up with just that; and it wasn't as if he had been an expert with that sort of fighting.

He was tempted to pull out a neuntote, the spear that was his usual weapon in this form. The man either didn't know of it or knew but wasn't mentioning that he could use it. The spear would be a great advantage for Tatsumi, as it would keep him safely out of range of the man's strikes. That was a weakness he had identified: though powerful and fast, the man's attacks were limited by the length of his limbs.

Then Tatsumi had a vision of him using his weapon, only for the man to just bat it aside, or even take it in hand and shatter it. Yeah, that might really happen. If he was to use something like that, then it should be as a trump card of sorts.

And that left—he looked to the side, at the many ruined walls littering their battlefield. Tatsumi reached out, grasping the masonry, and tearing off a chunk of it. Then he flung it at the man.

"Huph! What the fuck?"

The man twisted, batting it aside with a solid kick. But that seemed to have taken him off guard, as he had taken a step back. Deciding to seize upon that, Tatsumi started tearing off chunks of old stone and hurling them at the man.

His enemy predictably was able to smash through the stone or dodge, all while running towards him. But Tatsumi just stayed back, and continued lobbing his improvised missiles, one after another. He knew he could not match him in a straight up melee, so this was an alternative he had to use out of desperation.

Twice more did he move back as the man approached, never letting him get near. When he had jumped back the second time, the man stopped, and started laughing.

"You're fucking hilarious, little man! I admit, you got some moxie for attempting such a thing. I won't call it cunning, 'cause it's a fucking stupid tactic to use. Especially since any warrior worth his salt would have already thought about his own weaknesses. What's that? You thought I didn't already know that my way of fighting's pretty limited? Well, guess what?"

There was a flash of light, and the man literally disappeared. A split second later, Tatsumi felt a presence behind him.

"That's what the Teigu's for, dumbass."

He turned to face the threat, only to receive a brutal punch to his spine that sent him flying forward.

"Urgh!"

He saw another flash of light, and then he felt the man next to him again. This time, there was another kick, flashing out like a hammer that smashed him onto the ground.

A second later, Tatsumi swiped hard with his hand, aiming to knock the bastard down. But the man jumped, and then kicked him away for good measure.

He scrambled to his feet, ready to lash out with an attack on all directions. But he saw the man just standing there, his arms crossed in front of him.

"Weak. So damned weak. I'd thought to invite you to my little party of friends and comrades, but you're not even worth it, now, even as our lackey. You're fucking weak. Better to kill you and just give that thing to somebody else to use."

"Weak, am I?" said Tatsumi. He was on his knees, but he was actually preparing himself to strike with his neuntote. He didn't let on to the man that he had been watching his movements, and saw that he had been leaving himself open for just a fraction of a second when he had been fending off the thrown rocks. The man, for all that he had boasted a ton, had his weaknesses, and Tatsumi was content to let him make mistakes.

"Oh sure I can tell you've got a lot of fighting spirit in you still. You're thinking to yourself that you're one tough fucker with that teigu of yours, and that if you just bide your time you can just eke out a win by outlasting me? Well, fat chance of that." The man seemed to smile. "Let me clue you in on a little secret, little man. I came here to capture you, not to beat you down. And you already lost when you got caught up in my teigu."

He flashed the object in his hands, which was surely the teigu. A light then appeared below Tatsumi. The same large symbol from before, swirling on the ground.

Tatsumi didn't waste any time. He hurled several rocks, which the man deftly dodged or punched away.

But he wasn't using the hand that held the teigu.

Tatsumi could almost laugh as he threw the next set of rocks. He aimed them specifically, forcing the man to dodge as he wanted him to dodge.

"Your desperation's pretty pathetic, little man!" he said. "I hope you enjoy—"

The spear followed in the wake of the boulder, surprising him. Tatsumi caught a glimpse of a cross-shaped scar on a surprised face before he heard the scream.

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Tatsumi dashed forward. He didn't need to contemplate the sight of the stump on the man's hand, or the hand his spear had cut, which had been holding the teigu. All he knew was that this was his chance, and he wasn't going to waste it.

There came yet another bright flash, which grew larger and stronger, forcing him to stop as it consumed him entirely.

And then, he knew nothing more.

When next he woke, Tatsumi felt as if he'd drunk a whole keg of beer, and had even stuffed his head inside a barrel for good measure. His mouth felt completely dry, as if he'd gone on a whole day without drinking water. His limbs felt completely sore, as if he'd been on a marathon of training without rest. He opened his eyes, expecting to see the hooded man, or something else.

Memories of his fight made him sit up, even when doing so made his whole body sting from the effort.

He was no longer surrounded by the ragged stone ruins of a dead village. He was inside some sort of forest. Large trees sprung up all around him, their trunks thick and healthy. Had he been teleported a short distance? He did recall that the village had been close to a forest. He rose up to his feet, despite the protests of his body. His muscles were screaming at him "enough", even when just a few moments ago he had been fighting fit.

"Ah," he said. And he was so damned thirsty! He needed water. He needed it like a dying man needed water. He looked around, trying to get a better look. Was the hooded enemy nearby?

Then he stilled, as he realized something his mind had been taking for granted thus far. He looked up, through the canopy of the trees, and saw that it was daytime. There was a blue sky just above, and the sun shining down on him through the leaves.

How long had he been unconscious? However long it was, he knew his enemy shouldn't be close. If he had, then he would likely have already taken custody of his unconscious body. So Tatsumi assumed that he really was alone. So either a long time had passed, or he had been sent pretty far.

But before he could think of that or anything else, he really had to find water. He deactivated his teigu, to free himself from the strain of its power on him, and give him a chance to breathe freely.

"Gaaah!" He stowed the sword away and stumbled into the forest. He hoped to find some water soon, or he would surely die.

Quite fortunately, he was able to hear the sounds of trickling water, which drew him to a small spring winding its way over the top of a rock, making a small waterfall as it descended. Good fortune must have been smiling upon him then, which he gladly thanked as he scrambled to cup his hands below the descending water. Every sip felt like the sweetest nectar, invigorating his body. He drank and drank, until his body felt full of it.

Then he just lay there, beside the spring, his exhaustion finally catching up with his body. He stared up at the forest's canopy above. He spied a few birds flitting through the leaves, and some small creatures moving to and fro. Seeing them reminded him he was a little hungry as well, but maybe not for such small creatures like that. If he could find some sort of boar or deer, he'd be set.

After letting his body cool down and rest for a bit more, the necessities of his situation could no longer be put off. He drank a little more water, and sat with his legs crossed to assess the situation.

Wherever the teigu had teleported him, it didn't look like the man was going to pursue. He smiled, recalling the trick he had pulled with his spear, which had neatly cut off the man's hand before he could defend against it. He didn't know if there were experts in the Empire who could put it back on or anything. Regardless, the man would need to attend to his hand before he did anything. So Tatsumi felt a little relieved that he was safe, for now.

His priority now was to find some sort of civilization. That would enable him to get his bearings, and from there he could just follow the direction to a city with Night Raid sympathizers. Then he could get word to the rest of the team, and then everything would be fine.

So his course was not to follow a direction and hope he would find his goal. He looked down at the spring, and knew his course. Wherever the spring flowed, there was a sure chance it would lead to a bigger spring. And from there, the flow of water would hopefully lead him to a river. Then it was just the matter of choosing a direction and following the river, hoping he'd find a road or a town, or at least people to talk to.

Tatsumi got up off his ass, and started walking.

He walked, and walked.

And he walked some more.

And then just a little more.

And more, and more.

"…"

And he walked just a bit more.

"Where the heck am I?" he yelled, as last of the sun's rays disappeared over the horizon, now leaving him in darkness again. He was still stuck inside the forest, having followed along the spring for many miles now. But there was still no sign of anybody, and there was still no river he could see.

At least he had caught several rabbits. They'd need to do for his hunger. Since it was night, he knew he couldn't keep on walking anymore, and experience told him it was better to bunk down and give his body a chance to rest.

Before the last of the light could go down he had gathered a few stocks of dead wood, gathering them in a pile to make a small fire. He searched for a good spot, where he could be hidden, and where he could be protected from any potential enemy, whether man or animal.

Then, with the fire set up, he started gathering leaves for his makeshift bed. It was all old hat for him, but it was still rather annoying to do, especially without some good meat to roast. He buckled his belt with a sigh, and had to make do with what he had. He prepared the rabbits to eat, had himself a silent, tense dinner, washed up using the spring, then curled up in his bed of leaves, listening for any danger.

After a few moments of indecision, he decided that he had to bring out Incursio. It would be very uncomfortable, and very risky for him to be using it so frivolously, but he had no choice. Better to be ambushed with it on than without. He was alone, with no one else to to make a nightly watch. He needed to conserve his energy for tomorrow's walk, and that meant a long sleep, if uncomfortable with the teigu.

"I'm going to find someone, or something," he vowed to himself. He didn't want to spend another day sleeping like this. So thinking, he fell asleep, encased within the teigu's form.

He hoped that he could see his comrades again.

Chapter commissioned by The Silver Dragon Emperor, thank you. A reminder that the story is commissioned.

If you'd like a story commissioned, feel free to contact me here, or on archiveofourown under "RHoldhous", or message me on discord under RHoldhous#6771 or jonholdhous under the new rules.

If you like my stories but don't wish to commission something big, you can drop a few at peypal dot me/RHoldhous (please change the second letter on peypal to a). Any help is appreciated!