Holy slag this took a long time. But still, it's here! Da Struggle for Trost part 3! Also how'd this become the number 1 most favorited story in the IBO section? I should feel proud tbh...
Anyway, what was I doing again… oh right! Story
"I'll kill them all…"
Turning to face Eren, the Trainees widened widened their eyes when he said that in a creepy tone.
After about ten minutes on the Supply Depo's highest tower, and after the Barbatos stomped several 3 metres, the group settled on the safest way to get to Rose.
Riding on the 18.8 metre.
And considering it could kick a 15 metre away with one leg, that seemed like the best. I mean, there were downsides, like the constant shaking and threat of falling off to an ugly death. But hey, it's either this or going around on foot.
With the eight of them gathered on the Barbatos, they waited in awkward silence for them to return to HQ. Occasionally, Reiner would ask a few questions to break the awkward silence and the occasional sniff from Mikasa.
"What are you, anyways?"
"A Gundam."
"What's that?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"I bet I can."
"Then I'll tell you when we're done here."
"Fine," finished an admittedly bummed out Reiner, looking back forward. After about 15 minutes, and stomping on a few Titans for fun, they finally reached Wall of Rose. As the Gundam approached, the Survey Corps/Garrison screamed and/or stepped back in terror. Hell, they saw several aiming the cannons at them, though not blasting due to the Trainees being on it.
Ignoring all that, the Barbatos knelt down and let the soldiers off it's mechanical palm. The human gates which led into Rose rotated up, allowing passage inside for the Trainees. And greeting them were Coral and Riko, who were the only ones willing to let them in.
As Nac stepped onto the wall, he, Mina and Annie looked back at the Barbatos. "Hey, what are you gonna do?"
"Keep em' away," replied the Gundam very simply, making Tias nod.
"Good luck," called Mina, beside her friends.
"I don't believe in luck," whispered the Gundam, turning and grabbing a 15 metre by the head. Raising up the Titan by the skull, it stared into the clasped head. "And I'm sure you guys don't either, right?"
And with that, it crushed its entire head.
"I'll kill them all…"
Again, Eren repeated that statement with a lustful look in his eyes, causing his friend to look at him worriedly. "Eren…"
Opening his eyes, Jaeger realized that he, Armin and Mikasa were surrounded by Survey Corps/Garrison, all with their swords out. Mikasa had hers out as well, but she was defending them instead.
"Eren!" yelled his sister, looking back and giving a fearful look.
"Can you move?" questioned Armin. "Are you back to yourself now? Tell us everything that happened! I'm sure they'll understand!"
"Armin…?" said Eren in a questioning tone before a dude cut him off.
"Hear that?" came a voice. "He said "I'll Kill you all.""
"Yeah, no doubt about it," added a Garrison. "He wants to devour us all, along with his mechanical buddy."
'What are they saying…?' thought Eren. 'Why do they have their blades out against us?! They're for killing Titans! Why are they all glowering at me like that?!'
'What's going on?!'
Sitting on a bench/table, the newly returned Team Jean (temporary name, go with it for now) drank some water from flasks and caught their breath. As they did, Connie, Ymir and Hi- I mean, Krista stood with them, asking about their well being.
"And that's how we got out of Trost," finished Connie, not looking his best. When he finished, he got the pitying looks from Ymir and Krista
"I'm so sorry…" apologised Krista. "We tried to get them to send reinforcements to back you guys up…"
"We even managed to secure some gas for you guys," added Ymir, her joking attitude gone as she scratched the back of her head.
"Wait… so the people who aren't here…" started Krista, looking worried.
"Yeah," answered Connie sadly.
"Even Mikasa?" questioned Ymir, sounding a little worried as losing Ackerman would be a big hit to the soldiers.
"I thought she came back with Jean's team," replied Connie.
Turning to the boy in question, Ymir, Krista and Connie asked what happened to her.
They expected at least one of them to answer, but they didn't even look at them. Annie looked about ten times more grumpy, Reiner, Mina and Nac had lost their cheerful attitude, Bertolt was still as sad as he usually was, and Jean was just sitting on the table, a flask in his hand.
"What's wrong?" asked Connie after a short while, making Jean turn to him. Lifting the flask, Jean took a large gulp of water.
"We were sworn to keep it secret," replied Jean simply.
"Secret?" repeated Ymir.
"It's one they can't hold for too long," continued Jean. "Soon, all of mankind will know about it… only if mankind survives long enough anyways."
"Do you mean the Barbatos?" asked Connie. "I mean, the thing isn't too bad."
"It's not the Gundam, Connie," piped up Bertolt. "It's something else…"
"Let me be frank!" exclaimed Commander Kitz . "What are you?! Human, or Titan?!"
'What's with that question…' thought Eren. 'It's like they're all staring at a… monster. Is that what they think I am…?
"I… I don't understand that question!" exclaimed Eren, making the bearded dude flinch.
"Feigning ignorance? Damn monster, I dare you to try that again!" yelled the walking cucumber. "We'll blast you to pieces in an instant! We won't even give you time to show your true colours!"
"True colours?" repeated Eren, not knowing what he meant.
"There are plenty of witnesses!" yelled Kitz. "We saw you emerge from within a Titan. And when in said Titan form, you were assisted by the Mechanical Titan! Mankind has allowed strange creatures like you to get past Wall Rose, and even let stranger ones come close to it!"
"Even if you're part of the Training Corps, which is under the king's authority, the risk you present is too serious to ignore! No doubt about it!
"There's a chance that the Armored Titan that broke through Wall Maria could at any moment! Mankind's once again stands at the brink of extinction! Understand?! We cannot afford to waste further troops or time on either you or that Mechanical Titan!"
"We'll just bombard you lot with high-explosive shells!"
And when he said that, he gave them the index finger.
"They're clearly not defiant," stated Riko with a blank face. "And I doubt we'll get any useful intel from them. The ones who interacted most with the Mechanical Titan are not here, and I doubt Jaeger would tell us, so as you say, this is a waste of both troops and time."
"I agree, it'll be easy now!" exclaimed a random Garrison.
"We can blow him away while he's still in his human form!" added another.
And while most soldiers would be terrified at this sight, Mikasa held strong. And by strong I mean stone cold and emotionless.
"My specialty lies in cutting up flesh," said Mikasa coldly. "If needed, I am prepared to display my skills in full. So, if anyone wishes to experience my abilities firsthand, you may step forth."
As she said that, Mikasa unsheathed both her blades and held them tight, ready to uphold her promise. And the dark aura which surrounded her, because anime, proved it.
"Commander," started a Garrison Elite with greenish hair. "That is Mikasa Ackerman, a part of our Elite rear guard. She alone is worth a hundred average soldiers. Losing her would be a massive blow to mankind."
"Mikasa! Armin!" began Jaeger, still confused. "What's going on?!"
"Mikasa!" said Armin, ignoring Eren's question. "We can't fight our own! Besides, where will we run within these walls?!"
"I do not care who my opponent is," replied Mikasa coldly. "I am not letting anyone kill Eren… and I could care less about anything else."
"No one knows what's going on!" retorted Armin. "Their fears are making them run rampant!"
'So… they're the only ones who think that I'm not a Titan?!' thought Eren. 'Dammit! I don't even have any memory of how I got here! I'm too worn out to even stand…
'Getting killed by humans… that's just absurd!' thought Jaeger, again. 'I emerged from a Titan's body?! What does that even mean? Does he even know what he's saying?! Wasn't… wasn't it just a dream?
'If no…. that means… everything below my sleeve… my arm… grew back?!' continued Eren's thoughts. 'Just like a Titan's! That's… not possible! How'd… how did I…'
"I'll ask you once more!" exclaimed Kitz, regaining his attention. "What are you?!"
When Kitz said that, both Ackerman and Arlert turn to face Eren, who was silent.
'I can't say anything wrong…' thought Eren (again). 'It's not just my life at stake now… that's right… all my life, I've been just like you…' '
"I…" began Jaeger, making the Garrison tense up. "I'm human!"
When he said that, the air around them got dead silent.
"I see…" muttered Kitz, a shadow casted over his eye. "Do not think badly of me…"
And with that said, Kitz began to raise his arm to signal an 'open fire'. "No man can prove it… that neither of them are not devils…"
Widening their eyes, the trio hoped that he didn't signal it, but that hope was shattered when he fully raised his arm.
"Eren, Armin!" exclaimed Mikasa, rushing towards her two mates. "We're going up!"
Meanwhile
Sitting on the bench, Mina looked down at her own hands, feeling an odd sense of depression sinking into her. Beside the girl, Nac placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"What's wrong, Mina?" asked Nac, worried.
"It's just…" began Mina, not looking at him. "I knew that joining the military would be hard… but…"
"You never expected it to be this hard," came Annie's voice, making the two look up and see Annie walking towards them. "That there would not be this much bloodshed?"
"Well… yeah," replied Mina.
"This isn't a fairy tail, Mina," said Annie, sounding as disheartened as ever "People won't come back after they die. And there are no such things as happy endings.
"Just look around," continued Ann, turning to the side, where Marco desperately tried to stop Dazz from stabbing himself, Sasha holding her stomach in pain, several Trainees with dark and defeated looks on their faces, and several others being carted off.
"Many of them have given up, some have gone mad, and most have lost all hope," she finished. "Do you think that we can retake Trost with troops who let their fear take over?"
Looking down, Mina did not reply, simply staring at the floor sadly. Nac, on the other hand, stood up.
"How could you say such a thing, Ann?" muttered Nac, not wanting to disturb the other Trainees around the area. "They're trying their hardest to keep it together! Besides, this is their first Titan hunt! And to add on, it's also an invasion!"
"Then they should try harder and man up," retorted Annie, poking Nac harshly in the chest. "But it doesn't matter. If they do not have hope, they have no reason to be on the battlefield."
Opening his mouth, Nac was about to reply to that, but he found no way to do so. Looking down, the boy sighed in defeat. As he did, however, the small group heard the sound of a cannon firing, accompanied by a lightning strike. Immediately forgetting about their feud, the two dashed into the opening to see what happened.
"Cannonfire?!" proclaimed Jean. "But… why only one round?"
As the soldiers/trainees wondered, Annie walked beside Reiner and looked up at him. Looking down at the blonde, Reiner saw Annie nod subtly. Grunting, Braun gritted his teeth before he activated his Maneuver Gear and fired his wires towards the area.
"H-Hey!" proclaimed Jean, stepping forward to try and stop Reiner, but he was a little too fast. And besides, Annie, Mina, Nac and Bertolt were already launching towards the place. Gritting his teeth, Jean followed suit.
And when they reached the place, they stood atop a nearby building and stared down at a large dust cloud.
"What is that…" muttered Reiner. And when she said that, the dust began to slowly settle, abiet only a little, revealing…
"That's…" muttered Mina, stepping back in fear.
"E-Eren…?" finished Bertolt with wide eyes.
"Stay alert!" came a yell, making them turn down and spot Commander Kitz. When they spotted him, Nac and Reiner immediately huffed in anger. Neither boy liked the heavily bearded man, seeing as Kitz was a paranoid fucker when in any kind of stressful situation, leading him to act rashly and not consider all aspects of the problem in front of him.
Now imagine him looking after a Titan Shifter and imagine how paranoid he'll get.
"Stand by!" ordered Kitz as Rose shook a little bit thanks to an… aphem… outside force. "Ready another round!"
As they did, Reiner turned to Bertolt, giving his tall pal with a skeptical look. Bertolt returned it in full. Suddenly, steam blasted out from the back of the dilapidated Titan's neck, causing Jean. Mina and Nac to step back, though the other three hardly flinched.
"I remember hearing the cannon shot…" muttered Armin, still in shock, with his messed up hair. "There was an awful noise… an impact… and then the heat… and now we're now in a giant skelet…"
"Eren saved us," came Mikasa's voice behind him. "It is all we need to know for now."
When she said that, Armin gave a slight smile to her, before noticing something nearby. A small patch of grass… with three purplish flowers in the area. 'Even the flowers were spared…?'
On a side note, that is kinda preposterous. Did you see all that destruction after the cannon round was shot? I'm sure the heat from Eren's Titan form would burn that thing or it would have been uprooted when the cannon impacted or when Eren transformed and the steam was made.
But I'd digress. Stuff from other anime are even more absurd. I'm looking at you, Highschool of the Dead.
Anyways…
"Are you ok?" came Eren's voice as they spotted his silhouette coming towards them through the fog of dust. Or is it just a dust cloud? "Are you ok?"
"E-Eren!" proclaimed Armin. "What is this?!"
"I… don't know!" replied Eren. "But… it's evaporating…"
As he said that, he looked out of the dust and saw the other soldiers either conversing about the issue or standing guard. Though he didn't noticed our pals standing atop a building.
"The Garrison don't see us!" announced Eren. "We should move… they're waiting for the cloud to clear, and I doubt that they'll let us go after seeing this…
"But…" continued Jaeger. "I remembered something…" as he said that, Jaeger held the key around his neck. "This key… one for my basement at my old house… my father said that I'd understand everything if I went there…
"He's also the reason I'm like this… if we get to that basement, we might probably be able to find the truth about the Titans…" said Eren, before he slammed his fist into his own (Titan) skeleton, breaking it a tiny bit. "Dammit! Why did he keep it a secret… this is the intel the Survey Corps were searching for… intel which cost thousands of lives! It's mankind's last hope! And he was just keeping it… locked up in our bloody basement?! What the Hell was he thinking?!
"Where has he been these past years…" continued Eren, apparently forgetting that he nommed on his papa.
"Eren," came Mikasa's voice, making him stop his long ass expedition dump. I should thank Mikasa for that. "We have more pressing matters at the moment…"
"The smoke is lifting," informed Nac, who was kneeling down alongside Jean, their eyes narrowed and trying to see what the heck was inside.
As he said that, Kitz yelled another order. "Do not leave your positions! We attack once we see them!"
"That bloody moron…" muttered Nac, making the others look at him, surprised that he would call anyone a moron. "He wants to take out one of our best chances to push back the Titans…"
"He isn't wrong," agreed Jean. "With Eren fighting with the Barbatos, our chances of retaking Trost go up significantly."
As he said that, the group heard a loud crunch, and turned back to the scene, only to see Eren's Titan skeleton falling apart. When they hit the ground, the pieces exploded into ash, or dust if you will, causing yet another smokescreen, except much darker than before.
The dust was rather strong, as it knocked some of the Garrison down and even made some of them step back. It nearly knocked Mina back, though Reiner caught the shorter girl.
"Thanks, Reiner," thanked Mina.
"No prob, Mina," replied Reiner, before they turned back, watching the rest of the skeleton break apart.
"The cannon is loaded!" announced Riko after some time, causing the group up top to tense up. "We can fire at your command."
"They can't just-" exclaimed Nac, before Annie held him back.
"We can't do anything, Nac," she said. "If we try and help, they will consider us traitors and eliminate us."
"So we just stand here and wait?!" proclaimed Nac. And Annie only nodded.
"It's all we can do," confirmed Annie, making Nac grit his teeth. Keeping his cool, he turned back to the body.
"I know how it feels, Nac," said Jean, making Tias turn to him. "That feeling you get when you can't do anything to help… it's something, eh?"
"Yeah…" replied Nac. "It is…"
And as those words left his lips, the sound of metal hitting the floor sent their attention back to the scene, and they saw Armin bursting out of the dust and soot, hands held in the air.
Quickly aiming, a Garrison pointed his rifle at the boy. Nac was about to get the man to stop, but Annie held him back.
"You finally shown your true colours, monster!" exclaimed Kitz once more. "I'll signal! I'll signal the cannons to fire!"
"He isn't mankind's enemy!" exclaimed Armin, shaking in fear. "We're willing to share all the intelligence we have!"
"Begging for your lives is useless now!" exclaimed Kitz, his mouth bigger than ever. "He has revealed his true form right in front of us! There is nothing left to say! If you say that he is not our enemy, then prove it! If not, we will obliterate you!"
"There is no need for further proof!" proclaimed Armin as Wall Rose shook once more. "The issue isn't how we see him!"
"What?!" proclaimed Kitz.
"You said that everyone saw both Eren!" continued Armin. "Then they must have seen him fight the Titans as well! And that the Titans were also targeting him! They see Eren as prey! Nothing you say can change that fact!"
When he said that, several Garrison members began to whisper around.
"He's not lying…"
"But… Titans… as allies? That's preposterous…"
As they wondered, and as Rose shook for the third time in a row, the Garrison who were keeping an eye on Jaeger, Ackerman and Arlert lowered their defensive stances, and that one dude with the rifle lowering the gun.
As for Kitz, the man was seemingly letting his paranoia take hold, seeing as he didn't want to accept this.
"Prepare to attack!" ordered Kitz, shocking the others. "Do not fall for this deceitful trap! Their actions have always been beyond our comprehension! If they can transform into humans and learn our language, that may very well be just another way to fool us! We cannot let them do as they please!"
"This man is crazy…" muttered Bertolt as the Garrison surrounding the group reassumed their aggressive positions.
'No good…' thought Armin. 'He's stopped thinking entirely… he's too scared to think…'
Turning around, Armin begged that both his friends would assist, but they did not, instead giving him fierce stares, stares which told him that their lives were in his hands.
And when he realized that, Armin turned back and slammed his fist against his heart/chest.
"As a soldier, I swore to devote my heart to the resurrection of mankind!" exclaimed Armin. "There is no greater glory than to die for that belief! If we added the might of both Eren and the Barbatos to our troops, it might very well be possible to retake our District! For the glory of the human race, I beg of you, in the final moments of my life! Permit me to explain this strategic importance!"
And when he said that, the air became ice cold. The Trainees up top were stunned by this display of bravery from Armin. Hell, even Annie's stone cold expression changed.
When he said that, the atmosphere, once again, turned silent, with the only sound being the breath of the Garrison/Trainees as they awaited Kitz's response.
"Do you think…" muttered Reiner.
"Commander…" began the dark blonde haired man beside Kitz, cutting Reiner off. "Perhaps we should co-"
"SILENCE!" exclaimed Kitz, raising his arm, making the Trainees widen their eyes. Armin followed suit, widening his large eyes even more. Mikasa simply reached for a blade from Armin's detached Maneuver Gear, and Eren raised his hand to his mouth.
Swinging his arm down, Kitz ordered for the cannon to fire, until that arm was caught by a newcomer.
"Cut it out already," said the newcomer, making Kitz widen those sunken in eyes. "You still haven't changed. As big as you are, you still have the guts of a freshman Trainee."
With that said, the man let go of Kitz's arm, and the the Trainees saw who it was. With his bald head and bitchin' fine mustache, it was none other than the man himself, Commander Dot Pixis.
"Commander Pixis…" muttered Nac, recognising the Garrison Commander. "Why is he…"
"As the Commander of the Garrison," replied Reiner, making the other Trainees up top look at him. "I'm sure the king would want him to check on his troops."
"Do you not," said Pixis, diverting their attention back to those down below. "See the brilliance of that salute?"
Stepping forward, Pixis smiled proudly at Armin.
"I just arrived, but the situation was relayed to me by a messenger. He told me about Jaeger and the one known as 'Barbatos'," said Pixis, motioning back. And to the Trainee who were up top's surprise, they saw Coral. And the man saw them as well, giving them a two fingered salute. "Go organize reinforcements. I think that it would be worthwhile to listen to what they wish to say."
When he said that, Armin fell to his knees, Eren lowered his hand and Mikasa released the sword in her grip.
'Thank the Gods…' thought Armin, smiling in relief.
Atop Wall Rose, Commander Pixis strolled along the place as though there weren't any Titans trying to eat those inside. Alongside him were Mikasa, Armin, Eren and Coral, who Pixis personally instructed to join them.
After a few seconds of walking, Pixis looked down the side of Rose, as a pack of Titans who were trying to climb up or just looking up at them.
"I have still yet to see one…" said Pixis with a sigh. "I wouldn't mind being eaten… as long as it was by an exquisitely fine looking Female."
Ok that is kinda weird, but whatever.
Within Rose
"What is the Commander thinking…?" groaned Kitz, turning up to the top of the Wall. "How could he take such dangerous beings up there with just one guard?!"
"The Commander's reasoning is beyond any normal man's comprehension," piped up Riko.
"Commander," came the dark blonde man's voice. "The troops are in place…"
"Good job," said Kitz, before turning to the troops, who all shared the same look. A look of hopelessness.
Among those Trainees were our trio, who were looking up at the Wall of Rose. While Annie only looked up to keep boredom away, Mina and Nac looked up for a different reason.
"Do you think they'll ask the Gundam to assist?" asked Mina.
"I dunno…" replied Nac. "But I do hope so, since it's our best chance of survival at the moment. Eren is new to his powers and may not be able to control it, so we can't rely too much on him."
Back up top
"I see," said Pixis after Eren explained the plan. "So, you believe that the basement under your home in Shiganshina holds the secret of the Titan?"
"I do…" replied Eren weakly.
"I see," muttered Pixis, turning around. "Let's just say that I'll keep that in mind for now."
And he tapped his forehead as he said that.
"However, you may prove your true intentions right now," continued Pixis. "If they are not against mankind, I can guarantee your safety. You have my word."
"Cadet Arlert, is it?" asked Pixis.
"Yes sir!" replied Armin, straightening himself.
Armin nodded and Pixis continued. "Earlier, you said if we utilize the "Titans power", it'd be possible to recapture the town, did you not? Did you truly believe that,or was it a vain act of desperation?"
"It was… both!" replied Armin. "What I was trying to say back then was that Eren could carry the large boulder to seal the destroyed gate in his Titan form. As he does this, the Barbatos and the other soldier's can keep the Titans away. And if Eren were to fall, the Barbatos could very well take up the task."
"In truth, it was an idea I came up on the spot…" admitted Armin sheepishly.
That earned him some skeptical looks from his friends, but he went on. "But couldn't you not look at Eren's power and the Gundam as a chance to turn the balance of power to our favor? I hoped the possibility to break out of the deadlock could be seen in Eren's power."
Grunting, Pixis looked back down at the group of 7-15 metres. "Of course, it was a genuine attempt to survive."
"Desperate attempt to survive…" echoed Pixis, smiling. "Those words are the most truthful thing I've heard in awhile."
When he said that, the three Trainees tensed up, thinking that Pixis would reject the offer. But instead, he asked another question.
"Now, I would like to know," began Pixis. "Where is this Mechanical Titan I keep hearing the soldier's whisper about?"
When he asked, Coral went beside Pixis and began looking down the wall.
"Last I remember," replied Coral, not seeing much. "It was by the Wall, keeping the Titans away."
And when those words left his mouth, a small (when compared to the others anyways) cloud of dust was seen near where they stood. Raising his eyebrows, Pixis turned to Coral.
"I presume that the thing which made that is the Mechanical Titan?" he asked. "If not, may God help us all."
After Coral shrugged, and after Armin, Mikasa and Eren went over to the edge, with Eren being supported up by Mikasa, they saw something within the cloud. Twin green lights, bright and piercing.
And slowly, the dust lifted, slowly revealing what was within. First they saw a white/blue arm and grey shoulderpad, followed by a predominantly white body accented with dark blue, gold and grey, with white legs and finally, an armoured head with no visible mouth and a large antenna on it's forehead, the right side snapped off.
If Pixis wasn't informed that it was a Titan which was on their side like Eren was, he would have been convinced that this was a Devil who came from the depths of Hell to say 'hi, I'm here to kill you'.
As Pixis looked down at it, Eren found that his eyes were widening beyond belief.
'W-What… what is that?!' thought Jaeger, jerking his head to Armin, seeing if his friend had any clue on how to kill the thing which was trying to break into Rose (at least, that's what he thought). But to his utter surprise, Armin wasn't even flinching in fear. Instead, he was looking at it with a slight smile.
Whirling to the side, Eren was about to ask Mikasa or Coral, but he was once again stunned to find that they weren't at all scared, shocked or even surprised. Mikasa didn't give it a smile, but she made no threatening gestures. Coral, on the other hand, had his arms cross and a smile on his face.
'What the Hell happened when I was out?!" exclaimed Eren in his head.
As Eren wandered around in his thoughts, Pixis turned to Coral. "So, is this the Mechanical Titan?"
"It is," confirmed Coral.
"Commander Pixis," piped up Armin, making the Commando look at him. "During our time in Trost, the Titan has referred to itself as 'Gundam Barbatos'."
"Gundam?" echoed Pixis, making Armin nod. When Armin made the motion, Pixis gave a huff.
Great, another Titan to add into the big history books. First there were normal 3-15 metre classes, then Abnormals. Five years prior came the Armoured and the Colossal (the Barbatos technically had a place there, but most people in Trost dismissed it as a hoax. Hell, Erwin didn't have a high enough rank to place it in the book at that time). Now came this… Barbatos.
He could only imagine how much Hanji would freak out.
Suddenly, a slight crash got Pixis to turn back to see the Barbatos, who had slammed a large, pale grey weapon onto a 4 metre Titan. Following that, it slammed a 13 metre class with that 'mace', sending it flying into Rose.
"It's fighting prowess is impressive," complemented Pixis as the Gundam kicked a 3 metre class. And after it finished the last Titan in the vicinity by slamming its fist into the nape, Pixis decided to call down to it. "So, you are the Gundam Barbatos which I keep hearing of?"
When he said that, the Barbatos straightened out and looked up at him with those piercing green optics. Those two orbs of light horrified Eren, seeing as they looked even more emotionless than an average Titan's, bent in a permanent enraged look (at least from the angle which he saw it from).
But what really hit home the freakiness of the 'Barbatos' to Eren was what happened next. After some steam was expelled from it's 'mouth', and the bloody thing spoke.
"Ah," it said, surprising Pixis and horrifying Eren.
Eren had his eyes widened beyond belief, shocked that the thing could speak. Yet, when he looked between his Commanding Officer's, friend and (sorta) sister, he was baffled when he saw that they were not shocked at in the least.
Pixis, on the other hand, was more interested as to why it sounded so young. Titans have been around for as long as mankind (at least). Many soldiers, civilians, and even Pixis himself have wondered what one would sound like if it spoke. Many have said that they would sound like old men or something like that. So hearing a 'Titan' sound so young was odd for Pixis.
"I am," piped up the Barbatos again, causing the two's attention to be directed back at it.
"My soldier here." he points to Coral, who waved, " told me that you are mankind's ally and that you have helped us during the Fall of Shiganshina. Is that true?"
"It is," replied the Gundam simply, straightening out.
"Good, now, Trainee Arlert," said Pixis, motioning to Armin. "Has devised a plan to recapture Trost. And we will need your assistance."
"Sure," it said nonchalantly.
"But if we succeed, your fate will remain unknown," warned Pixis. "We could very well try to terminate you."
"It's better to trust in fate than to be out here," said the thing flatly. "The Titans see me as a source of food after all."
"I see," muttered Pixis, smiling. "So, you are willing to assist us?"
When he asked, the Barbatos' 'eyes' flashed green as it nodded. With it confirmed to be on their side, Pixis now turned to Eren.
"So, Eren," started Pixis. "Will you do it?"
"Sir?" muttered Eren with wide eyes.
"Can you block the hole?" repeated Pixis.
"That's… I… I don't know…" replied Eren, making his pal/commanders/sister flinch. "At the moment, my guess is as good as yours…"
"My apologies," said Pixis, making Eren raise his brows. "I worded it wrongly."
And suddenly, Pixis lost the old grandfather personality.
"Will you do it or not?" he said, his voice hard.
When he asked that, Eren flinched. Those six words had a lot of weight on them, seeing as if he said yes, it would mean that he had to get it right. If not, humanity would lose, again.
Gritting his teeth, Eren nodded. "I will…"
And though those words were easy to say, he knew that it would need a ton of responsibility to carry it out.
"A plan to retake Trost?!"
"As if we have the tech to plug that hole in the gate…"
"What're the higher ups thinking?!"
"Damn, are they that starved for glory?!"
And those were probably the nicest comments when the Military heard they were going to try and retake Trost. Currently, the entire brigade of Trainees + Garrison awaited the orders of the higher ups.
In the middle of it all, Nac and Mina were slowly starting to believe what Annie said, that soldiers devoid of hope are not suited to be on the battlefield.
"No! I don't want to die!" exclaimed a particularly paranoid member, getting their attention. "Let me see my family!"
"Hey Dazz, you're too loud!" proclaimed Marco, who was trying to calm him down.
"Hey, you! I heard that!" exclaimed a higher up (I presume anyways). "Are you planning to abandon your line of duty?!"
"Yes, that's right!" replied Dazz. "There's nothing to be gained in this mass suicide mission!"
The higher up than reached for his blades. "How dare you make a mockery of mankind and order?! I'll have you know I have the authority to execute you on the spot!"
"Fine by me," shot back Dazz, unsheathing his blades. "It'll be a hundred times better than getting devoured by a Titan!"
"Stop, Dazz!" yelled Marco.
"Get off! Don't touch me! I'm not going back there!" retaliated Dazz, apparently getting a little of what I'd call the 'Kitz syndrome' where you get very paranoid.
Anyways…
Though he was the loudest, he wasn't the only one here who had the thought of rebelling. Two girls standing in front of Jean and Bertolt had the idea, but it got the attention of a fellow member. "Hey you two!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"
"Do it," he started. The girl didn't know what he meant, but he continued. "Make a real scene. With as many people as you can. Many of us Garrison aren't in agreement too. We'll take advantage of the chaos and escape!"
"Where would you go then?" questioned Jean.
"I'll go see my daughter!" exclaimed the man. "The Wall won't hold for long, after all. Even if the 'Mechanical Titan' is on our side, it'll be overrunned soon. And eventually, the Armoured Titan will come by and break down the Wall!"
As the chaos increased, not helped by the actual chaos outside and the Barbatos once in a while slamming Titans onto the Wall, shaking it, Pixis walked alongside Eren towards the gates of Rose.
After they reached the gates, and after Eren spat the alcohol Pixis offered him out his mouth, the commando looked down at his panicking Military branches. He cleared his throat, resulting in the expected, having none of them calm down.
Taking in a deep breath, he let out a loud roar.
"ATTENTION!"
And that sure as hell got their attention. No longer in his nice guy attitude, Pixis looked down sternly at his branches. "I will now elaborate on the plan to recapture the Trost District! The objective of this plan is to seal the hole in the destroyed gate!"
And that earned him many skeptical looks from his peers. "I will now explain how we intend to seal the hole!" he exclaimed, earning the attention of another entity beyond Wall Rose. "Belonging to the Trainee Corps, this is Eren Jaeger!"
"E-Eren?!" exclaimed Connie, looking up.
"He is the product of a successful top-secret Titan transformation research,capable of generating a Titan's body and move it according to his will!" he exclaimed/explained.
"Is the commander making absolutely no sense right now or am I just stupid?" questioned Connie.
"Shut up for a bit, Stupid," replied Ymir and Annie in sync.
"In Titan form, he'll lift the large boulder in the vicinity of the front gate, carry it to the destroyed gate, and seal it! While he does so, it will be your job to protect him until he completes this objective!"
When he said that, many soldiers seemed skeptical, not knowing if they could take on the sheer numbers within Trost. But Pixis ignored all the chit chat and continued. "Joining you in this battle will be the Gundam Barbatos, who has declared itself an ally of mankind. The Trainees, Garrison members and the Gundam shall defend Eren until he has accomplished his objective. You shall not attack the Barbatos unless it provokes you, am I understood?!"
And that made many of the Garrison and Trainees tense up in fear, as fighting alongside a newly discovered Titan was risky, as it could turn on them at any time.
"If Eren is to fall, the Barbatos will take over. All troops are to not attack it as well. Remember your duty is to protect either from the other Titans until the boulder has been placed!"
Though Pixis explained it rather clearly, the Military groups were clearly weary of this. Many protested and some even turned to leave. Kitz, however, had some other more ruthless plans for them.
"I hope you've said your prayers!" he exclaimed. "I'll hack you down where you stand!"
But before he could even do so, Pixis yelled out, absolutely serious this time. "Heed my command! Those who desert us now will be pardoned! Once a man surrenders to their fear of Titans," Wall rumbled again, "they are no longer fit for battle! Those who've experienced that fear are free to leave!"
When he said that, the deserters were about to leave, until he continued.
"Furthermore, those who want your parents, siblings and loved ones to experience that fear themselves may also leave!"
And that stopped those leaving dead in their tracks. "I can't let that happen… my daughter is my last hope…"
And with that, those leaving immediately turned back, rejoining their fellow soldiers.
"Let us think back to four years ago, recall the plans to recapture Wall Maria," reminded Pixis. "Though I presume you all know this without me having to say, the plan sounded glorious, but in essence, it was a way to rid ourselves of the unemployed that the government was unable to support!
"The only reason why everyone maintained their silence was because we managed to survive within these walls thanks to their sacrifices! All of mankind bears that sin, including myself! Because the inhabitants of Wall Maria were few in number, the conflict did not escalate. But what about now?!
"If Wall Rose is breached, reducing the mouths to feed won't suffice! Not even half the remaining population can be supported within Sina! Should mankind cease to exist, it would not be because we were all devoured by Titans! We humans would be our own end!"
"We mustn't die within narrower walls. I implore you! Die where you stand!"
And with that said, Pixis stood before his troops, waiting for the answer.
Well that took quite a bit. But heeeey. I ain't dead! Anyways, how long was I gone? Probably a week. Damn.
Anyways, I did make some very slight updates, and writing this 13 page chapter. Though this chapter, like the other Trost Arc chapters, probably ain't too great. Gonna have to mess around with it soon
Aaaaaanyhoo, I guess I'll see you in the next chapter.
P.S: props to Inciacci for making me laugh my ass off in his review.
Edited on 18/6/17, and my god, this went from about 16 pages to 20 in my documents.