Chapter 28
Deviants
The first expedition, if Erwin had to say, was rather successful. They secured 2 checkpoints, and the formation he had been making was a success. The lost of the man had been reduced from 90 percent to 40 percent, a huge difference.
Same goes to the second. In the Second Expedition, Hange had requested her group to be placed in the near center for this expedition from her position in the outermost right wing, because she had shown both Levi and Moblit the cruelness of a Titan. It would have ended better, if only Hange hadn't been spiking his stock of coffee with alcohols.
Good thing he knew all too well what alcohols smelled like, so he managed to avoid drinking.
But still, that's a waste of his coffee.
But the Third Expedition to Wall Maria can't be any worse than this.
The right wing had been safe, with at most 3 deaths right now.
But the left wing is another different story.
Erwin could see there are 6 Titans in the far distance on the left as they rode on their horse. It was either that the Titans had somehow gotten past the left wing or the whole left wing had been annihilated.
Mike Zacharius immediately flung into action, shooting grapplers and using his 3DMG to get into the Titan's neck, like Hange would. But unlike Hange who used her speed and flexibility, Mike used his swords to get a stable landing as he climbed up the 12m class Titan's body. But the Titan ignored him and continued on running.
It was a Deviant.
Mike cut away a huge chunk from the back of the neck and before the Titan fell, he shot his grappler to a 7m class Titan. And despite the Titan clearly knowing there was a human on its head, it continued running.
It was another Deviant.
Erwin observed the other soldiers tag-teaming against the other Titans, who were also ignoring them in preference of running towards the centre.
Erwin narrowed his eyes.
It couldn't be coincidence for 6 Deviant Titans to attack at the same time, unless there was something that attracted them. The left wing should also be safe, since the Deviants should have ignored them.
"Ugh! Commander! Incoming Titans from the right! Deviants since they are ignoring the soldiers!"
Erwin's eyes darted to the right. True enough, there are 5 Titans who kept on running towards the centre, ignoring the soldiers. Just what attracts them here?
Hange's group is in the centre right. She, Levi and Moblit should be able to handle them.
When the Titans came closer, the team quickly sprang into action, with Hange and Levi climbing up the Titan's body and Moblit supporting the both of them from the ground.
Levi managed to cut off a chunk from the back of the neck and managed to send his grapplers to another Titan.
But Hange…
The Titan she attacked tried to swap her with its hand. She was swatted away, and another Titan grabbed on her as she fell. She struggled and managed to get her hands on her Jigsaws and cut the huge fingers. She was about to shoot a grappler to a Titan when her hand was grabbed by the previous Titan and she was forcefully suspended in the air.
Using her other hand, she threw something into the Titan's opening mouth and the Titan's head exploded. She slipped from the Titan's grip and fell to the ground as she tried and failed to twist her body to form a suitable landing position. Moblit, who had been on the ground, hurried his horse under her and caught her while Levi tried to ward off the other Titans reaching for Hange.
So the Deviants are attracted to Hange.
"Erwin! A Deviant running on your direction!" Mike shouted from his left.
Erwin stored the thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on the Titans coming near him. He shot off his horse and sent a grappler to the Titan's body. He swung around, pulling himself up and up until he finally reached the Titan's neck and cut it. He used his grapplers to stay still on the Titan's neck as it fell and quickly get back to his horse.
Erwin looked on Mike's side. The Titans on his side had been completely annihilated. The Titan's decomposing corpses were sending out steam like any other would.
On his right side, however, Hange's team was still fighting against the Titans, with Hange crying aloud as she rode on the horse and the Titans chasing her. With the Titan's current speed, Levi was forced to working together with Moblit, with Moblit cutting the ankles and Levi aiming for the neck.
Erwin believed that those three should be able to handle the remaining Titan, so he was planning on leaving them be and watch the whole ordeal.
Unfortunately, Hange was running into his direction, with the Titan in hot on its heels.
So after she ran past him, and the Titan's huge foot landed right next to him, he took this chance send a deep cut to the Titan's ankle. The Titan fell, and Levi, who had been chasing the Titan, immediately went for the neck.
"Alright!" Erwin shouted, "Soldiers, go back to the formations! Any detailed report will be given when we found a resting spot!"
(-w-)
"We had been handling the Deviants, but some of them kept on running to the centre, sir."
"Same goes to the right wing, sir. The Titan's managed to run past us. We had been handling 4 Deviants, sir."
"Is that so, then dismissed. Hange, you stay."
The two soldiers, who looked like they were on the verge of dying of fear, immediately shot out the door and closed the door. Erwin turned to Hange.
"So, it seems you attracted those Deviants."
"I do, even though normal Titans can't detect me without eyesight and hearing, the Deviant seem to know where I am without any sights or hearings."
"Now I'd like a report from your battle."
"Uh…" Hange tried to recall the earlier events, "I attacked a Titan, got smacked by its hand, grabbed by another Titan, used jigsaw to cut away, get caught by another Titan, exploded the Titan's head, I fell, Moblit caught me but I sprained my leg, Levi attacked the Titans, Moblit placed me on my horse since I can't battle, but the Titan's kept on chasing me, so I ran around while Moblit and Levi killed the Titans. That's about it."
Erwin sighed, "Your report seems too childish. Connectors were created for a reason."
"At least you understood."
It was silent for a moment, before Erwin asked, "Do you think the Deviant's attraction to you might be connected to having a second life?"
"Hmmm…" Hange hummed in thought, "depends on what the Titan use to sense humans, actually. I'm not even sure myself."
"Titans had always been able to sense the general area of the closest human, but Deviants had always preferred a large crowd and ignored the lesser numbers." Erwin told her from his experience, "If Titans actually detects human life force to find the general location of a human before using its eyes and hearings for the exact location, it might make sense. You being reborn must have muted your life force, so normal Titans can't detect you without sight or hearing. But Deviants might be able to detect you because they thought the signal you gave out is special."
"Argh…" Hange groaned, "So all the raise of percentage of Deviant Titans attacking during expeditions had been because of me."
Erwin hummed as his fingers rested on his chin in thought. "Actually," he started, "you should be happy that you might be able to save more life."
"Huh?"
"If you can distract the Deviants, we don't have to worry about them. All we need to do is attack them as they ran after you."
"So…"
"I was thinking of a formation where you can distract the Deviants while all the others would be able to kill the Deviants easily. Be good bait, Hange."
"So," Hange groaned, "I'm pretty much a dead meat."
"Not really, I'm sure you live like a cockroach, you won't die even when the Titan stomps on you; maybe even get yourself reborn somewhere else."
"Uwaaah! I really am a dead meat, am I?"
Erwin just shrugged his shoulders as he dismissed her.
It was revenge, since she did spike his coffee with those damnable alcohols after all.
There are just… reasons why he… avoided alcohols like plaque.
And he won't be letting Hange find out anytime soon.
One Nile Dok is already enough to handle.
