Several days later a soul rending new came to their doorstep. Pieck had to embark on a special, mission to Paradise island. Everything was top secret, only the warriors and a special few could participate. Kirk had to complain, he was Pieck's chosen sharpshooter, where she went he was there to kill her enemies, he was part of the crew that manned her anti titan cannon. It was impossible, only five people could participate for that mission, three of them being the warriors themselves. Kirk never learnt what the mission was, even when he took Pieck to the port to say goodbye. Only on the boat headed to Paradise island did she and Reiner learnt about their mission. The five to head down on the island were general Magath himself, needing his expertise in leading troops on such a dangerous mission, the three warriors and a warrior cadet who was none other than Porco Galliard. He was the warrior chosen to take the powers of the Jaws titan once they would be returned to them. Indeed, this very mission was a direct attack on the holder of the Jaws titan. By finding a safe route through the north of Paradise island, Marley sent it's spies to learn as much as possible about the eldians, up to the point where a group of them managed to locate the position of Queen Historia and her personal guard, Ymir. Although surrounded by two sets of walls and all the armies of the island the position they've chosen was very weakly defended. A mere farm where Historia chose to build on of her orphanages, it was either the most brilliant trap, or the most ridiculous idea a monarch could have had. The five would separated and enter the walls through different points minimising their chances of all being discovered. They would converge on Ymir's position and wait. At nightfall they would launch their attack, capture Ymir without allowing her to turn into a titan and make a run for it back to Marley. If needed they could hold the ritual on the very island so that Porco could gain the powers of the Jaws. It was the best gamble they could bet on, if they managed to succeed they would regain the power of the Jaw titans and have one more warrior in their army, if they failed they would lose the Jaws titan but so would the eldians leading to more even odds in their favour. An attempt to rescue Annie was considered but they were in no position to actually try such a mission. Being trapped in the middle of Paradise Island with all the scouts around them would have lead to certain death.
As they approach the beach they can see numerous hulls of ships stranded on the beach. Most of them had crystal harpoons and weapons in them.
The knight titan did this. Pieck says scared of encountering him again.
Indeed, that's why we must hurry. On our way here we've sent an empty vessel, filled only with war criminals to navigate a shorter route to draw the Knight on their position allowing us to land and make our escape before he returns. The ship will be gone after we dock so we will not be discovered. Once we are finished here it would be harder. To leave the island we will have to signal the ship while we are on the beach with the Knight titan possibly present to face us.
Let's think about that only after we've got the Jaws titan back. It is only right to take from the island devils what they've stolen from us in the first place.
Do not rush, we will have to make our way silently through enemy territory and for that we will be divided into two groups. Zeke and Reiner, since they know your face, you will have to cross the land and scale the walls using your titan powers. You will approach the central walls in human form and use your powers only if utmost necessary. For this mission you will all be given rifles and standard military grade supplies, use them rather than announcing everyone that the titans are here. Pieck, Porco and me will take the shorter route, through the cities. They have no idea who we are so we will blend right in. Questions? There were none. The warriors were ready to start their mission. Their row boat lands and they destroy it. It was too dangerous to leave an intact boat on the beach even if covered by debris. The group would not separate yet, they would cross the first line of walls together then move in two different directions. A group of people randomly entering the outermost walls from the north would have been very unusual so it was better to start their blending in approach with the second row of walls.
This land stinks of devils.
It stinks like you eldians. Aren't you proud, your are stepping on the ground your ancestors build up!
Proud of what, sir? People trapped like cattle unaware of their sins, ruining the world for all of us?
What's wrong with you Finger? It's like you're waiting for the sky to fall down on you.
It's the Knight titan sir, I expect him to pop out any second now. He knows were here, if we meet another titan shifter we're doomed, all we can do is run but even then, the Knight can just turn his arm into a sword or a lance and throw it at us. We would be dead in an instant.
Get yourself in gear soldier, you're not here to think about returning home. You're here to think about how to die for your country.
Sir, I have the powers of the Cowled titan within me, if I am to be captured or eaten, whoever eats me will inherit both the Cart and the Cowled powers, meaning they will never lose the Cart's powers ever again since it passes down through bloodline.
You're seeing titans everywhere. Don't act too suspicious and no one would be able to tell who you are. Pieck however could see it, in the walls, the houses, the ground, all the signs of the Knight titan and his fights there. What an unsettling feeling of dread and fear. Fighting through fear and paranoia Pieck manages to follow the other two without falling behind.
Are you heading out? A man asks the three as they were getting through the door.
Yes, we are going to the inner walls to visit family and...
Get on the cart then! My village is inside wall Rose! I'll take you there. The three, not to look suspicious agree. On the road however they had only one thought in mind, should they kill the man.
Visiting family in the capital?
Yeah, you could say that.
To think you'd have needed a permit to even travel between a district to another within the same walls once, now all the island is safe to travel. We really live in the greatest days of humanity, don't you agree.
The greatness is only to come!
Well said. I've heard about foreigners, some outsiders tried to make contact with us and things like that. I wonder if one day we could travel between the island and the rest of the world the same way we travel between walls?
Everything is possible. General Magath was doing his best to keep the man busy and the discussion as impersonal as possible. There was no need for bloodshed though, once they reached their destination, where the road separated they took a different path and allowed the man to go his way.
That was dangerous general. What if he would have found us out?
Why would he suspect anything if we don't give him a reason to? These people never saw outsiders like us, to them all humans inside the walls are all part of humanity. Magath might have not given too much weight to his words, but somehow "all humans are all part of humanity" hit hard with Pieck. She got complaisant, Kirk treated her like a human and she has forgotten how the rest of the world treated her kind. She was one hearth beat closer to the plight of the eldians and her resolve to find a way to help them grew ever so stronger. Thanks to the rider they've reached the farm far sooner than expected. They made camp on the outskirts of a forest hopping that no one would find them then waited. Soon enough Zeke and Reiner made their way to the hidden camp too, but it was too late for them to act now. The three had to wait for the whole day and night for Reiner and Zeke and it was already dawn when the other two arrived. For the whole day they wait and scout the farm, writing down all the possible entrances, all the guards, everything to the most minute detail. To think that a queen would live in such a simple place. What could Historia have wished for more? She didn't wanted luxury, she didn't wanted to be embroiled in politics, being nothing more than a head figure living on a farmstead helping out children was enough for her. At nightfall they were ready. They changed costumes to better sneak in the night. Reiner, Porco and Magath would head in, Pieck would wait for them to return and Zeke would act as second in command in case something was to happen. They crossed the field protected only by a cattle fence, entered the house through, snuck through the various rooms and then they found her. Ymir was simply sleeping in a room. They all headed in without making a noise. They first tie her mouth, grab her arms, legs, tie them down then make a run for it. They knock her out and getting out of the house as quietly as possible they make their escape making sure that Ymir cannot wake up. Once the target was acquired Pieck turned into a titan, carried them on her back and run as fast as she could from the walls. They reached the beach late in the night, the sun was about to rise. As planned they placed a delay signal flare away from their location and moved along the beach the distance chosen for the boat to come pick them up. As the flare goes out a lightning in the distance announces the presence of a titan shifter.
It's him. I can feel it! Pieck says all scared. She grabbed Ymir in her mouth, forced all the others on her back and jumped into the sea, dog paddling all the way to the boat. Through the dark she moves her head back as the monstrous titan on the beach roars. A spear passes by them really close before they got out of the Knight's range. They reach the boat, get on it and run as far away as possible from that location hopping that the Knight wasn't pursuing them. For the whole morning Pieck was panicking constantly looking behind waiting for the Knight to jump out of the water to kill them all. He was vicious like that, he would have done it if necessary. Only once they reached marleyan waters she calmed down. For safety reasons Ymir was kept unconscious for the whole trip. She wasn't even given a proper "we've won speech" before being eaten. What a cruel and terrible fate she had. One day she was wasting time on a farm looking after Historia and the next she was tied by chains as a titan was about to eat her. It must have been her fortune, her luck run out and it was time for her to pay for it.
Their mission was a resounding success and the Jaws has returned to it's rightful place.
Cheer up Reiner, you've proven yourself to not be a complete incompetent.
I wonder what Ymir thought when she was us kidnapping her. I wonder what Historia would think.
What does it matter? The devils will soon be annihilated now that the Jaw's powers have returned. Now if only the higher ups will decide to give the Armour to a proper warrior and not failure like you.
It should have been returned! I can't do thins any more. I feel so tired. I wanted the power of the Armour to be with my family but where did that lead me? Down the path of destruction and endless wars. How much blood do I have on my hands?
None, for you've killed only devils. Have you forgotten, you're a honorary marleyan now, you've been one for years. All you've done was to serve your nation and to fight against the devils. If not for your ineptitude to do anything you would have been one of the most successful soldiers we've had. Just think at the blow you've dealt when you broke the first gate to the outer walls on paradise island. If only you could have kept up the momentum.
Don't be so harsh with Reiner Pock. He's proven himself above what happened on paradise island. Look at him, he is about to cry!
I think... I'll excuse myself for now.
What? But this was the only time all the warriors were together. I was about to make you all meet with Kirk!
It will be for another time. Reiner says before getting up and leaving.
Have we all never been in the same room before? Pock says thinking about Kirk. The two of them met quite often when Porco wasn't a warrior on the battlefield. It's possible that the warriors were always separated having to deal with different tasks so they've never seen each other eye to eye. Reiner missed both meeting with Kirk and the announcement of a new war. Marley was once again to head into battle, against the forces of the Mid-east alliance.
War again. I've seen even children embarking on the ships this time. Kirk says watching over the port the day before leaving.
They are warrior cadets, they'll one day inherit the powers of some titan shifter. The Beast and the Armour are the first on the line.
If not for those islanders! Marley could have had the warriors search for and eat the five titans becoming able to transmit their powers through blood rather than through the ritual. Nothing wouldn't even change, people would still fight only for a decade or two before the powers would have been passed down to the next generation. Children could stay at home and play with toys and dream about the future, not kill each other on the battlefield.
Could they dream though? Without the chance of becoming honorary marleyans there is no future for them, only the walls of the interment zone.
I've decided to change that. I've decided that I will climb the chain of command, become a general and put my weight into this. This game of shifting the blame for millennia has gone too far for too long.
Ha! If I'd knew I would have this effect I would have seduced a general to begin with instead of a mere soldier!
You didn't seduced me, I seduced you!
We're going to fight together on the battlefield this time. Let's make it through this one both alive again and then will see how we are going to change the world. The next day they were all gone, war was calling to them. Marley was expanding further east, new territories were required, new lands to control, new goods to send back to the motherland. This war was messy though, not as clean as fast as the others. The enemy developed new tactics, new weapons. Marley become too comfortable with throwing it's titans at people and waiting for them to win. The enemy created new weapons, armoured vehicles, armoured trains, more powerful cannons, more powerful explosives. It was messy to the point where even candidates had to be sent on the very front lines to fight.
This is it men! If we take the fort this is the end of the war! The commander was shouting as Gabi was shooting, covering Colt as he was pulling Falco back to the trench.
That's it soldiers. Whoever takes down that blasted armoured train I'll personally make sure he's gonna get to inherit the powers of a titan.
What are titans? Falco asks bleeding from the head.
Good thing they only got you in the head and no Important place. Get back into yourself, a titan is what we are all here fighting to become! Gabi says patching Falco up as bullets were flying overhead.
I have a plan, cover me! Gabi says removing her uniform before heading out with a bunch of grenades tied to her left leg.
That's insane!
That's illegal! She approaches the enemy lines and fakes tripping and falling to the ground. While the enemy soldiers think about what they are going to do with her she unties the grenades and launches them at the enemy trench freeing a path for the marleyans to advance through. From the walls of fort Slava, seeing the fall of the most important line of defence the defenders point the cannon towards the marleyans ready to fire. The deafening sound of a sniper rifle makes the cannon explode.
Did you see that. It was two kilometres, I swear, I made that bomb explode from two kilometres.
Stop showing off Dorn, focus less on impressing your girl and more on killing the enemy. Kirk and the squad commander were fighting over how far did Kirk's sniping record went. The Cart titan armoured with metal plating and four mounted guns advanced through the enemy lines. From behind arrived the Jaws titan ripping through the defences of the Fort, destroying the railways that the armoured train used to move around the battlefield. Soon enough the Armoured titan joined in breaking through the walls of the fort taking down all their defences. As the battle was ending and the fort was captured Zeke arrived and bombarded the enemy's city, destroying the docks and their last line of defence. Finishing off the enemy ships there was no way the Mid-Eastern alliance could keep on fighting the marleyans. The battle was won and with it the war! Heroes of war all of them! The trains were ready to pick them up and bring them back home. For the very first time it wasn't Kirk's marleyan status to separate the two but Pieck's war hero statute which allowed, mostly forced, her to ride with the higher ups and the rest of the warriors while soldiers like Kirk had to take a whole other train back home. The higher up wagon, was a premonition for what was to come. They put the wagon on the eldian train, the one which was carrying all the eldian cadets and the auxiliaries. This was symbolic, not of a certain change in the mindset of the marleyans, by no means did that happened. It just to happened to coincide with the fact that soon enough a festival would be held right in the middle of the interment zone, one which was very similar to the higher ups riding on the eldian train. A festival was good though, it would really help the soldiers rewind after all the battles.