Author's Playlist: Artemis by Mark Petrie
Jean and Marlo were too quick for the gunshots of the Marleyan soldiers. Before Yavena knew what was happening, the four of them were concealed behind a thick chimney. Sitting in front of her was a chest, within which she knew her omni-directional gear and weapons were residing.
Hearing that no more than a few stray bullets had plinked into the bricks safeguarding her, Yavena risked a look back towards the amphitheater.
Standing in the place where the stage had been, with Willy Tybur in his hand, was Eren. The building he had been hidden underneath was shattered into splinters and pieces; rubble from the stone had already crushed some of the bodies in the seats where other Eldians had been sitting.
She knew that he was about to eat Willy Tybur. Uneager to witness such a gruesome event, Yavena retreated behind the chimney again and swallowed hard.
"Suit up," said Erwin. He had already begun stepping through the pants of his gear, even though it was unlikely he would use it much. Although his voice was stern, his eyes were soft as they locked upon Yavena's. "You will be needed by the other Squad Leaders."
Yavena did not hesitate to follow these orders. Her hands swiftly pulled off her skirt and blouse in favor of the camouflage black uniforms that were now the standard fare. Although she could not block out the sound of people screaming, of footfalls stampeding and sobbing and hoarse calling of names, she tried to ignore it. She tried to think of something funny—like how only a few years ago, Jean and Marlo would've turned pink had they stood directly in front of Yavena while she was changing.
Now, however, their faces were hard-set as they gazed over the chaos that had erupted in Eren's wake. Knowing that they were needed back with their men, Yavena jerked her head in their direction and stated, "Thank you, you two. Go back to your charges. I'll join you after witnessing Mikasa's arrival."
"Be careful, Yavena," said Jean, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Things are about to get even uglier out there."
Then there was the mechanical whirring that signaled he and Marlo had heeded her orders. Once they were alone again, Yavena turned back to Erwin and said, "Will you stay out of sight like Levi asked?"
Erwin chuckled before remembering himself and promptly sobering once again. "I will remain atop one of the buildings to the west with Hera's people. Come find me if anything goes wrong, or to tell me that the lights are all set."
"Understood."
Yavena grabbed her rifle, frowning slightly. She had never liked the new weapons—her soldiers liked to tease her for being 'old-fashioned,' but she was not alone in that. Levi too preferred the blades… they were not just familiar, but a reminder of simpler times.
She strapped the blades to her thighs and immediately felt much better. Then she was off.
Her first charge was to protect Eren until Mikasa arrived; her secondary goal was to locate the War-Hammer Titan and exploit its weaknesses, to give Eren a strategy on how to defeat it. Eren had done his research over the last few months, that was true, but Erwin and Yavena had agreed that there was no such thing as being too careful with an unknown entity like the Tybur family.
As Yavena leapt from the rooftop with her omni-directional gear, she noted that Eren had accosted the branches of the military and was punching them relentlessly into the ground. It was almost certain that they had all perished, but Eren didn't seem to be willing to take any chances.
A few bullets whizzed past Yavena as she appeared, but she was not concerned. Her training had prepared her for this—she raised her rifle and directed her attention to surrounding rooftops, where it seemed other military members had gathered. After taking careful precision, she fired.
One of the men gagged and fell to the ground, a hole in his forehead.
"They're in the sky! In the sky!" screamed some of the others, but Yavena was still too quick for them. She repositioned behind them—there was no protection for them now—and fired again.
More soldiers fell to the ground; two birds with one stone.
The Marleyan soldiers began to scatter upon seeing half of their squadron taken out in a matter of seconds. Some of them dove into the building through the rooftop, while another simply leapt from the building and crashed through the window of the next building over.
Yavena exhaled sharply and glanced around. The sights elsewhere were horrendous. Dark streaks of red painted the street, as though a child had just taken a paintbrush and mindlessly splattered crimson upon a canvas. A few people were still fleeing the roads, escorted by a few of the military members who had evaded both the original explosion and Eren's assault upon the topmost officers. Directly below her was a young woman with black hair and olive-toned skin—she was staring at Eren, who had just emerged from the Titan's neck.
If Yavena didn't know any better, she would say the young woman was mouthing, Eren…?
There was not another moment to spare to the civilians. Another burst of yellow-orange bathed the arena. Forming from the ground-up was another Titan…
Yavena directed her cables into the neck of Eren's Titan and landed on his shoulder. She moved forward, her dark eyes locked upon the slowly growing body of their enemy, and said, "What is your plan now, Eren?"
"It's good to see you too, Yavena," said Eren. His lighthearted manner caused her to shoot a sharp look in his direction; and although there was such savagery progressing just below and behind them, Yavena couldn't stop herself from smiling upon seeing the mild jesting in Eren's eyes.
"I'll be able to say a proper hello once we're out of this mess," she sighed, shaking her head. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "What can I do to help you?"
Eren paused for a moment, watching the War-Hammer finally finish its transformation. It seemed to take longer than the other Titan-shifters that Yavena had become familiar with. "Distract it for me, at least until Mikasa gets here. It'll give me a little time to study it."
"You? Study?"
"I may not have Armin's intelligence, but I'm no dunce, either," said Eren. He lowered himself towards the skin of his Titan. "And Yavena?"
She glanced at him.
"Don't die."
She smiled at that and turned back to the War-Hammer, which had summoned a giant cudgel made of hardened crystal and was staring at them through narrowed eyes. Then she looked back to Eren. "I won't."
Although there was still screaming, sobbing, and sounds of gunfire all around, Yavena drowned them all out. She had to put every piece of her focus into this one enemy, into doing what she could for Eren—she flew forward.
The War-Hammer Titan noticed her approach. A number of razor-sharp knives burst from its body, attempting to intercept her path.
Yavena gasped sharply and evaded them as best as she could—one of them whizzed past her ear. A sharp sting told her that her left ear had just been grazed.
She took a deep breath and kept moving forward. If she could think of them like bullets, like the bullets she dodged every day during training… if they were just the paintball bullets that the Azumabitos had introduced them to, then surely she would be okay.
A second round of ice-knives met her, though this time, Yavena was prepared for them. She whirled through the air, almost parallel to the ground. One of the knives ended up catching her hair; she could do little more than watch as some of her orange locks fluttered to the ground.
"Damn it," she hissed. "Too close."
But by this time, she had reached the War-Hammer Titan. Yavena lunged towards the arm it had raised to grab her and directed her blades to its wrists.
The steel shattered upon impact with its skin, prompting her to yelp and guard her face as the remnants of her own weapon flew her direction. Luckily, she sustained no cut this time.
Familiar whirring told Yavena that she was no longer alone. One quick look was all she needed to know that her Squad Leader Kanen and his forces had arrived; they were diving towards the military members that were regrouping and attempting to defend the War-Hammer Titan.
But Yavena had bigger problems. The War-Hammer was reaching out to her again—
A fearsome roar split the air, and suddenly the War-Hammer was knocked to the ground. Eren had charged forth, catching it off-guard as it focused upon Yavena, and had begun punching its face with the same ferocity with which he had decimated the Marleyan soldiers.
Over and over again, Eren's fists met the face of the War-Hammer: the only place that was not guarded by the white crystal skin that encased it. Yavena hovered close by, her eyes narrowed as she searched for other weaknesses. Her soldiers could take care of themselves, especially since they had just successfully launched their surprise attack.
A spire of crystal suddenly erupted from where the two Titans were brawling; it pierced Eren's torso and hauled him into the air.
"Eren!" screamed Yavena.
But Eren didn't even seem fazed. His cyan eyes were full of just as much fire as always as he glared towards his opponent.
The War-Hammer returned to its feet and seized the great cudgel it had conjured earlier. That was when Yavena understood its power: just as the Beast Titan threw rocks, and the Colossal Titan could emit steam, so the War-Hammer could summon whatever it needed through hardening alone.
Crack.
The cudgel had swung through the great pillar, perhaps hoping to send Eren sprawling—but he landed upon his feet, no worse for wear.
Yavena was just about to return to his side, but Eren launched out a hand as a clear gesture for her to stay where she was. Immediately after came the sounds of cannon-fire; large bullet holes were blasted through Eren's body. There was no denying that it was the anti-Titan warfare that they had heard of previously.
This second swing of the cudgel from the War-Hammer proved true. It smashed into Eren's Titan's head, barely avoiding its nape.
Unwilling to wait any further, Yavena dove towards the feet of the War-Hammer Titan. There had to be something, anything, that she could do…
That was when she spotted it: a strange cord, leading to underneath the stage.
"What…?" she murmured to herself, but she was interrupted from her own thoughts by the booming voice of the War-Hammer itself.
"Usurper, Eren Jaeger," it said, voice echoing across the city. "Do you have any last words?"
Steam emerged—Eren retracted himself from the Titan body once again. This was the first time that Yavena really looked at him since seeing him again; his hair was long, much longer than before, trailing to his shoulders. There were wisps of a mustache and beard upon his face. He wore the same beige overcoat that most Marleyans wore… but the determination etched into his expression was every bit the same that Yavena had become familiar with over the last four years.
"It's now or never, Mikasa," he said.
And Mikasa appeared, with Thunder Spears aplenty upon her person. As she dove forward, releasing the explosives into the War-Hammer Titan, Yavena took the opportunity to return to Eren's side and relay her findings.
"Eren," she gasped, landing hard upon his Titan's shoulder. "There's a cord at its feet. I don't know what it does, but… I have a feeling you should look into it."
Eren's eyes followed where Yavena was pointing; they narrowed as they located the cord, the strange wire with no explanation. Then he nodded and placed a hand on her arm. "I knew I could count on you."
She chuckled at these words, but said nothing. Her eyes were locked upon Mikasa, who had sufficiently knocked the War-Hammer Titan off of its feet.
Mikasa had not come alone, either. Kanen's squad, having dealt with the Marleyans attempting to shoot the artillery into Eren's body, followed up on her attack with even more Thunder Spears. They kept the enemy at bay as Mikasa returned to Eren's and Yavena's sides.
"Mikasa. Yavena. You really came," said Eren, a light smile on his lips.
The look upon Mikasa's face could only be described as pained. "Eren, please… come home."
Yavena placed a hand upon Mikasa's shoulder and shot her a knowing look. "This is the last leg of this particular journey, Mikasa. You've done well so far. Now you must continue to protect Eren."
"Aye, Section-Commander," said Mikasa. She smiled ever so slightly and reached out to hand a few spare Thunder Spears in Yavena's direction. "Commander Erwin asked me to give these to you. Just in case, he said."
Yavena nodded and took them, strapping them to her hips and across her back. She spared one last glance towards Eren. "The two of you are on your own now. Good luck, and don't die. Remember, Eren: above all else, we need you back on Paradis alive."
"Understood," he said, and upon hearing this simple word, Yavena was off again.
It did not take her long to locate Jean and Marlo. Their two squads always worked in close proximity, and as they were the ones in charge of installing the lights upon the tops of the buildings, it was easy to predict their paths. The difficult part of leaving Eren and Mikasa, even if only for a little while, was knowing that she would be blind to their fate until it was time for her to return to their side.
The misery, the toll of battle, had not ended when Yavena left the remains of the amphitheater. It seeped into the nearby streets—she tried not to glance down, but still she did.
People were lying dead in the street. Blood pools decorated more stones. Yavena could see young soldiers, Eldians with yellow armbands, carrying another young child as they screamed for help. The child was covered in blood: trampled.
She swallowed hard and pushed onward.
Jean and Marlo were waiting for her next to one of the clock towers; the same clock tower underneath which that newspaper vendor would sell his wares, the vendor that Yavena had befriended. Their faces were grim, set in stone.
"We've covered the area from the port before the chaos began," said Marlo, gesturing loosely with his arm. Sure enough, there were a string of bright lights on the roads behind them. "We just have to reach the rendezvous point now."
"Good work," said Yavena, clapping a hand on his arm. "Any casualties?"
Jean shook his head. "None so far. But… I worry there will be many if that trap that Yelena set up doesn't hold…"
Yavena was just as concerned about the trap for the Cart and Jaw Titans as Jean was, but she knew she could not show it. As the commanding officer for the soldiers on the front lines, she needed to keep her composure. "We have contingency plans should they escape. Follow the strategies that were given to you. Only deviate from them upon my command."
"Of course, Yavena. I didn't mean—"
"I know, Jean," she said wearily. Her eyes locked upon his; in that moment, Yavena wondered just how many years he too would have to suffer the hell. Hopefully less than she had. "We're all on-edge tonight. But we're doing the best we can, considering the circumstances. Let's just keep our heads on straight for now."
He nodded and turned aside, lips pursed into thin lines.
Before Yavena could usher new orders or escort the two squads to the next choke-point where the lights were needed, a huge explosion rattled the streets next to them. Each of the twelve soldiers upon the rooftop yelped and stumbled as two military carts burst into flame—through the smoke, Yavena could see Conny and Sasha aiming rifles towards some of the Marleyan forces on the ground.
Yavena nodded curtly towards Jean and Marlo. "Stay here and keep out of sight. I'll get the reports I need from them, and then we can set off again."
Without even waiting for their response, she sprinted forth across the rooftop and leapt from the building. Tucking her knees to her chest, Yavena rolled onto the place where Sasha and Conny were both perched.
"Ah, Section-Commander!" exclaimed Sasha, though she didn't look away from the barrel of her rifle. Her finger weighed on the trigger, although it seemed like she was shaking. "You're just in time."
Yavena raised a light eyebrow as Sasha released the gun and stood up. Upon glancing into the street, she realized why the weapon hadn't been fired… standing in the middle of the explosions in the street was a young girl, no more than thirteen years of age. She had brown hair, amber eyes: and there was shock, horror, and rage all mixed onto her face. It was a look that was far too old for her.
Even so, the worms in Yavena's stomach wriggled uncomfortably as she locked eyes with this child. There was a yellow armband around her wrist: Eldian. Perhaps another reason that Sasha couldn't take the shot.
"Let's get going," said Yavena, still watching the child, forsaking the reports she had intended to receive. "We have work to do."
The child finally broke eye contact with Yavena and sprinted away, in the direction of the amphitheater. Under her breath, she muttered to herself, "Why would you go back towards the chaos? Why do you not run away?"
"Section-Commander!" cried Conny's voice, only a little ways away. "We've finished setting the lights on this block! Where are Jean and Marlo?"
Finally broken from her trance, Yavena glanced towards him. A thin smile appeared on her face. "Not far. I will take you to them, and then escort you to the next choke-point. Let's go!"
They returned to Jean and Marlo without incident; it was Conny who stepped forth and said, "Jean, we stalled the reinforcements."
"And the lights?"
"They're all in place," said Sasha. "Are things going well?"
Jean exchanged a quick look with Yavena, but she merely smiled wryly and stepped towards the edge of the rooftop, hoping for a glance of Eren and Mikasa to be sure they were well. Levi was waiting somewhere nearby as well, waiting for Zeke Jaeger to show himself…
"For the time being," said Jean. "As long as we take out that thing in time. But who knows? Anything can happen at this point."
At that moment, further explosions sounded from the amphitheater. Yavena caught the briefest glimpse of Mikasa spiraling gracefully through the air, and then she was gone again.
"Shall we move forward, Section-Commander?" asked Marlo's voice.
His words fell on deaf ears. Yavena's eyes widened as she saw Eren leap towards the War-Hammer. He yanked something from the ground; it was attached to that cord, the one she had warned him about previously.
A crystal cocoon now rested in Eren's hand, and the War-Hammer Titan's body was collapsing to the ground, causing another wave of quaking to unsteady each soldier upon the rooftops. Something, however, was moving towards him; a large shadow that couldn't be the War-Hammer's…
Jean stepped next to her, concern clear in his eyes. "Yavena? Your orders?"
"Shit!" she cried.
Into the fray had leapt the Jaw Titan—it had snuck up behind Eren with its mouth and claws extended. Eren, none the wiser to its appearance, was glaring into the crystal cocoon.
Before Yavena could even shout Eren's name, a soldier sliced through the Jaw Titan's jaw muscles with blinding speed, preventing it from biting down.
Levi.
Yavena whirled around to face her charges, both relief and fury full in her face. "Marlo, take your squad and finish setting up the lights, then wait at the rendezvous point! Jean, you come with me and fend off the Jaw Titan! If he's around, then the Cart isn't far behind!"
"Aye!" shouted fourteen voices. The whirling of omni-directional gear and the speed with which they departed proved that everyone was following their new orders.
As Yavena and Jean took point position and whirled through the air, gunshots began to ring out again. They were from the opposite end of the square, meaning that Kanen's people were likely holding them off—sparing Jean a sharp look, Yavena cried, "You and your people need to take care of the Cart Titan, understand? I'll assist Mikasa in the immediate protection of Eren and keeping the Jaw Titan away from him. Remember that the Cart Titan has that new military-grade machine gun—don't get fucking shot, got it?"
Jean nodded and quickly relayed her instructions to the six soldiers under his command, including Conny and Sasha. Once she was certain her words had been heeded, Yavena departed from their ranks and dove towards Eren once again.
The Jaw's hand was sizzling, likely due to another Thunder Spear attack. Yavena saw that Mikasa was running low on the explosive shells; as soon as she touched down next to the young woman, she began forking over her own spears with the words, "I was never good at using these things anyway. What's the report, Mikasa?"
"Eren's got the War-Hammer Titan, but the Beast is coming soon!"
"Where is Levi?"
"Waiting," said Mikasa. Her head tilted ever so slightly towards the buildings on their right-hand side. "Our biggest problem right now is that we don't know where the Cart is."
Yavena's lips pursed. "She'll show herself soon enough. I sent Jean to take care of it."
"As long as it doesn't get near Eren," said Mikasa. The Thunder Spears that Yavena had given her clicked into place upon her uniform. "The War-Hammer and the Jaw are enough threat to deal with as they are. The Jaw is fast, Yavena—faster than Ymir's Titan ever was."
While Yavena had only once seen Ymir's Jaw Titan in action, the severity to Mikasa's face was enough to concern her. Still, she knew she could not reveal such nervousness. Keeping her emotions veiled, she replied, "Together, we are enough. And if we truly need the help, Levi is near. Focus on keeping Eren safe."
Mikasa's eyes softened at this last. "I can do this. No—I will do this."
Another great blast caused everyone's attention to be stolen away; appearing from a glare of yellow-orange light was a familiar sight. The long, gangly limbs and glowing red eyes signaled the arrival of the Beast Titan, emerging through smoke and hellfire and ruin.
The Marleyan soldiers that still remained began to cheer at the appearance of their War-Chief, but the arrival of Zeke Jaeger was not Yavena's primary concern. She had spared a glance towards the body within the crystal cocoon in Eren's hands—a glint had appeared in the woman's eyes.
Yavena seized Mikasa around the waist and leapt off of Eren's shoulder. Another spike of silver crystal pierced his chest, keeping him suspended in midair. It would've ripped straight through the two women had they been a second late.
Yavena took this brief second to take inventory of the battlefield. The Cart Titan had still not appeared, meaning Jean's people were busying themselves with the Marleyan soldiers holed up in the nearby buildings. Kanen's squad was focused still on the defense of Eren—they were distracting the Jaw Titan, whose hand was almost fully regenerated. Standing atop a roof to the eastern side of the battle was Erwin, whose voice was bellowing, "All forces, defend Eren to the death! Do not let the enemy surround him!"
She touched down onto a rooftop, setting Mikasa down beside her. Yavena's breathing was labored due to the shock and adrenaline of such a close call; after a moment where they each regathered their breath, she grinned and exhaled, "I've finally started repaying the favor you did for me in the Forest of Giant Trees."
Mikasa smiled ever so slightly at this. She looked back towards Eren's body, still suspended in midair with the spire burrowed through his chest, and said, "Eren is vulnerable. The Commander has said not to let the others near. I will be his last line of defense; will you take command of the others and keep the Titans off of us?"
"Aye. Try and find a way to open that damn crystal while you've got a moment to breathe."
There was no further time to regain rest. Noticing that Levi had gathered all of the soldiers below to prepare them for a defensive onslaught, Yavena leapt towards the ground and joined him.
"About time," said Levi, without even sparing a glance in her direction. "Erwin is obviously alive, but I was starting to think that you'd died."
Yavena scoffed. "Hardly. My schedule is quite full, you see."
Levi glanced at Yavena, his silver eyes raking up and down her figure. That familiar softness appeared as he noted that there were no major injuries, nothing that needed immediate attention… but then he stopped short. Three gentle fingers took some of her orange hair in his hands. He raised an eyebrow, silently demanding an explanation.
"The War-Hammer Titan directed sharp blades of crystal at me when first it transformed," said Yavena, knowing now that her hair was likely choppy and off-length. "But I am not hurt."
"Well," said Levi. "At least there's that." He allowed her hair to fall against her back again. "I will fix it when we get out of this shithole."
Before she could reply, he glanced at the soldiers under their command. The softness to his face had hardened again upon turning away from her, and his stoic nature as the Scout Regiment's Captain returned upon withdrawing his blades and shouting, "Don't die on me. Survive!"
Levi rocketed forward, towards the two Titans that were arrayed ahead. A number of soldiers followed his lead—Kanen's squad and Hera's squad each roared in defiance and pursued their Captain's trail.
Yavena knew that she did not have to worry too much about her soldiers, especially if Levi was the one guiding them and leading the defensive charge. She trusted in Jean and his people to take out the Cart before it could become a problem, Mikasa to defend Eren and discover how to finally defeat the War-Hammer, and Marlo to conclude setting up the lights the warship needed to pick everyone up at the rendezvous point.
But as she flew through the air, dodging bullets from Marleyan soldiers and keeping a sharp eye upon the battlefield, she could not help but feel as though there was something she had overlooked…
The answer smacked into her like a bag of bricks when she glanced back to Erwin. Her Commander was unable to utilize omni-directional gear the same way he had before he lost his right arm—and enemy forces were beginning to approach him.
She swallowed back a gasp and redirected her path of trajectory. Erwin was still standing tall upon the roof, shouting out instructions where he deemed it necessary. Just before Yavena could collide with him, he extended his left arm—she barreled into him, grasping him tightly around the chest, and hauled him away from the rooftop that he was being ambushed upon.
They flew through the air, and while they were susceptible to the screaming and explosions and gunshots, Erwin did not react. As he glanced among the chaos, he asked, "How fares the battle so far?"
Yavena grunted and redirected their path; a squadron of Marleyan soldiers had realized where the Scout Regiment's leader had gone and were now following after her. Without glancing back at him, she replied, her voice strained, "As well as we could want! No casualties so far, though I suspect that will change soon."
"Undoubtedly. Where is Squad Marlo?"
"Setting up the rest of the lights. Jean will take care of the Cart. Mikasa is protecting Eren. I suspect any minute now, Armin will—"
Erwin grunted before she could finish her sentence. His subdued exclamation of pain had been perfectly timed with some of the gunshots from below…
Yavena's body went cold. "Erwin! Are you—you're not—"
"Focus on your path, Yavena," groaned Erwin. He hissed through his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut, but otherwise refused to let himself react. "I will be fine. It is merely… unpleasant."
"Unpleasant?" repeated Yavena, almost as a shriek. BANG—she swore loudly and dodged behind a wall. A chip in the bricks appeared right after. "Erwin, if you need medical attention—"
But she stopped short upon seeing an amused glint in the Commander's eye. Just as she was about to demand what he was so smiley about, he chuckled, "I will fine, Section-Commander. Before the mission began, the Azumabitos provided an extra form of protection for me… one of their bullet-proof vests."
He nodded towards his chest; seeing that she had briefly lost the Marleyan soldiers on their tail, Yavena paused upon a rooftop and followed his gaze. Sure enough, underneath the black chest-plates that were upon each soldier's armor, there was another vest. It looked of sturdy make, made with technology that Paradis was still becoming acquainted with.
"Well," she sighed, admittedly relieved. She smirked at Erwin. "That helps explain why you're so damn heavy."
Erwin shook his head, the corners of his lips beginning to curl upward—but they were both stopped from their amusement upon hearing shouting from Marleyan forces somewhere behind them.
Yavena didn't need to hear him say it was time to leave. She resumed her plight in getting the Commander to safety—
"Yavena," said Erwin, calm as ever. "You are needed on the battlefield. Let me find my way to Squad Marlo from here."
She bit the inside of her lip upon hearing this command. "You are just as important as Eren is. If we lose you, Erwin…"
"I may be an injured soldier, but I am still capable of losing a few enemy rookies," he replied. "You must take command of the battle now."
There was no rejecting this fact: she was needed by the others. While she did trust in the capabilities of her squads, if something went wrong, or if something else came up that the Scout Regiment hadn't accounted for, it would be Yavena's job to regroup her people and make a new plan.
"All right, Erwin," she said. Yavena halted upon one of the rooftops hidden by the nighttime blackness and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck."
"You as well." And then Erwin was gone, taking great care to maneuver his omni-directional gear in the way of the lights, as painstakingly slow a journey it may be.
Yavena turned the opposite direction; the place where gunshots and explosions still rumbled the ground. She inhaled slowly as she evaded the squadron of Marleyans that had followed her from the plaza in the first place. With luck, they wouldn't catch trace of Erwin's trail or her own…
Just then, a huge BOOM rattled the world. Yavena's jaw tightened as a wave of heat bathed her back; she didn't even have to look over her shoulder to know what that meant.
Armin had just blown up the port. Even though it was certain innocents had been caught in the crossfire, it was the only way to ensure the Marleyan navy wouldn't launch an immediate counterattack on the island…
There was screaming from the southern side of the city now; sobs were renewed from people in their homes, barricaded in as much safety as they could. The sounds wounded Yavena's heart, but she knew she couldn't dwell on the citizens of Liberio. Her own people had to come first.
Her path back to the plaza was unstopped. Only a quick glance around told her about the situation.
The Jaw Titan was rocketing towards Eren, whose teeth were broken and whose mouth was bloodied. The reason for this was the chrysalis, within which the body of the War-Hammer Titan was still encased. As the enemy approached him, Mikasa leapt forward and sliced off its wrists, halting its progress.
Just as Yavena noticed that the Beast Titan was still standing, a spurt of blood appeared from the nape of its neck. She nodded once to herself; Levi was beginning the extraction plan for Zeke Jaeger.
Her eyes turned to the Cart Titan, who had appeared during the time she had been gone. Zipping around it, trying to gather its attention, were members of Squad Jean; even as she watched, two of them were gunned down by its machine-gun attachments.
She grit her teeth and made her decision. Levi had Zeke under control and Mikasa was strong enough to defend Eren on her own; it was Squad Jean and her rookie soldiers that needed her assistance now.
Yavena withdrew her rifle; blades would be of no use against the Cart. Seeing as she had not been spotted out by any of the enemy forces, she aimed it towards the Titan's eye and held her breath. The Cart was wearing armor around its face, too, although there was still a tiny hole to aim for… she fired the gun.
Even though Yavena had never liked the rifles much, she still fancied herself a good shot with them. A deafening roar filled the air; somehow, over the ruckus, she could hear Conny scream, "Now, Sasha!"
Sasha appeared with a rifle in her own hand—with lightning speed, she aimed for one of the operators of the Cart Titan's war gear. One of the three machine guns suddenly stopped firing, proving that her bullet had hit its mark.
Not even a second later Jean appeared, Thunder Spears in both of his hands. He ran forth as the Cart Titan turned towards Sasha, apparently furious for taking out one of its friends—he dove underneath the Cart in a daring slide and embedded both of the spears into its underbelly, perhaps one of the only places where it remained unarmored.
The Cart screamed as the Spears went off: a horrid sound that sounded like nails upon a chalkboard. Its extremities scrabbled and scrambled for a place to hold onto as it began to fly off of the rooftop, towards the ground below. Knowing that it wasn't quite dead, however, Jean and his soldiers leapt after it to finish it off.
"Look out! Eren!"
Mikasa's voice drew Yavena's attention—the Jaw Titan had regenerated its hands and was launching toward Eren, claws extended.
Luckily, the warning provided him just enough time. Eren punched the Jaw in the face; it just snapped at his wrist and began to claw at his face. He defended himself with the chrysalis, which the Jaw's claws raked into.
Yavena knew that with the Beast and Cart Titans out of the way, the only threat remaining was that of Porco Galliard. As she moved towards the area where Mikasa was flying, waiting for an opportunity, she noticed a large silhouette of an airship approaching over the horizon… Hange and the others.
"Mikasa!" gasped Yavena, once she was in range of the other woman. "Whatever we do to get Eren to eat the War-Hammer, we've got to do it fast! The airship is coming in less than ten minutes!"
Mikasa nodded, resolute as always. She pointed towards the chrysalis… and then to the Jaw Titan. "I think we have just the perfect opportunity."
Before Yavena could ask what she meant, she was off again. Mikasa met the Jaw Titan in midair, as the enemy had been in the midst of a daring leap of a follow-up attack. With a deadly whirl, she separated both of its legs at the knee.
The Jaw Titan went sprawling across the ground, as it was no longer able to land itself. The ground crunched underneath him at the weight; dust sprang up from the crushed stone and rubble as it rolled over and over and over… until it came to a stop at Eren's feet.
Eren seized the Jaw Titan by its arms and ripped them both off. Now it was limbless entirely, and screaming due to whatever pain or anger it could be feeling. Eren silenced it by shoving the crystal into its open mouth, picking up the enemy, and beginning to squeeze.
Yavena's mouth dropped open. "Son of a…"
She couldn't even finish her sentence. Both she and Mikasa stood upon the ruins of one of the rooftops, watching the grim scene play out. Eren was forcing the Jaw Titan's mouth closed, the crystal still in its bite, like some gruesome and involuntary nutcracker. Eren's mouth was open all the while, simply waiting the way any predator would.
Although the sounds of the battlefield still raged about them, there was no sound louder than the subtle creaks and cracks of the colorful crystal wedged in the jaws of the enemy Titan. Lines began to appear in the shell… they grew larger and thicker, until at last the Jaw Titan released a guttural scream—and the crystal shattered into dozens of indistinguishable pieces.
Shards of glass and crystal rained down upon Eren, whose mouth was still open. Blood from the War-Hammer Titan's operator poured into his mouth; he took three great gulps… and then everything fell silent.
Marleyan and Paradisian soldiers alike had frozen in place, watching these events play out. When it became obvious that the War-Hammer had been defeated, that Eren had eaten it, a roar of cheers emerged from atop the buildings.
Yavena inhaled deeply; just because they had achieved one of their objectives did not mean the battle was over. She retrieved her smoke-signal launcher and loaded it with a green shell. Raising it to the air, she fired it—the faint lights of the stars and of the city guaranteed that all of her soldiers within a few blocks were able to see it.
Raising her voice, she broke the silence by bellowing, "All troops, proceed to the rendezvous points! Squad Jean, with me!"
Everyone was broken from their trance; dozens of sets of omni-directional gear whirled about. Rifles were being fired again at Marleyan and Paradisian soldiers alike; the screaming had returned.
Squad Jean appeared over the horizon and reached Yavena's side. They met her gaze with expressions of steel—there was gunpowder upon Conny's armor, and Jean's uniform was singed in certain places from where he had been caught close to the explosion of the Cart Titan, but otherwise they seemed fine. The four surviving soldiers all saluted Yavena; it was Jean who placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, "What next, Section-Commander?"
Before she could even respond, a child's scream broke her concentration.
"REINER! HELP US—GALLIARD IS GOING TO BE EATEN! REINER!"
Yavena whirled around, her teeth clenched. It took a long moment for her to locate the sound, but eventually she found its source: it was the girl from the streets, the one that Sasha had not killed. She was leaning out of a window, accompanied now by a boy of the same age with blond hair. Tears were streaming down both of their young faces, likely due to the devastation and carnage that they had been forced to witness.
She raised her rifle and aimed carefully for the window next to the one they were leaning out of. Jean sucked in a sharp breath as she fired the bullet—an earth-splitting shatter caught the children's attention; they noticed the hole, the cracked window. They promptly stopped screaming and looked over to Yavena.
Her eyes were hard, her expression made of stone as she regarded these children, although she could feel the pounding in her head at the looks of thinly veiled terror upon their faces. She could never hurt these kids—they were kids—but she knew that if they succeeded in waking up Reiner, Eren's extraction would be made far more difficult than it needed to be.
"Get back inside," she said coldly. She reloaded her rifle with a sharp click that echoed over the square. "Or next time, I won't miss."
The children were silent—
"Section-Commander…" Jean started to say.
A heavy explosion wracked the amphitheater; the ground underneath all of the rubble had begun to shake. There was a large body forming, one that was only too familiar…
And yet, there was something different about the Armored Titan than when Yavena had last seen it. There was a slouch in Reiner's posture; a defeated edge to his bearing that had not been there when last she had met him in Shiganshina. And the glow within his eyes was diminished… as though there was no fight left to him at all.
Yavena raised her chin. If her hunch was correct, Reiner's appearance wouldn't be as detrimental as she had feared. Without turning back to Jean, she said, "New plan. Take your squad and ensure there are no enemy soldiers waiting to ambush the rest of our forces at the rendezvous point. Above all, make sure the path is clear for Eren and Mikasa. I can handle this."
"Are you sure, Yavena?" asked Jean.
She glanced at him over the shoulder, a light smirk tracing her lips. "I'm sure. Go."
Noting this firm note of dismissal, he nodded—seven bodies were gone in a matter of seconds, leaving Yavena standing alone upon the rooftop.
When she turned back towards the square, she saw that Eren was already charging forth towards Reiner, just as Reiner was to Eren; they collided into one another with a force so overwhelming, it almost caused her to lose her footing upon the roof's shingles. Glass upon the few unbroken windows splintered into pieces and rained down towards the ground, stones upon the streets flew upwards and scattered to the wind. Dust surrounded the two great Titans ahead, obscuring vision of them for a precious few seconds.
When the obstacles cleared and Yavena was able to see, she noted that Reiner had a gaping hole upon the left side of his face… yet in his grasp was none other than Porco Galliard, whose limbs were still sizzling, not yet regrown.
"I see," she murmured to herself. It was obvious: Reiner didn't actually want to win. All he wanted was to spare his friend a fate similar to the War-Hammer's.
She redirected her cables into Eren's Titan, meeting Mikasa upon its shoulders. As she landed, Eren was saying, "I think the fight's over. We're out of strength… at this point, I can't exactly kill Reiner."
Mikasa nodded towards Yavena in greeting before turning back to Eren. "Then let's go home."
"You two go ahead," said Yavena. She glared at Reiner's Titan, which was still standing, and was now glaring resolutely in their direction. "Someone needs to make sure you aren't followed."
Eren nodded; it was Mikasa who stepped forward, unstrapping the last Thunder Spear she had remaining. She held it out to Yavena, a hard look in her eyes. "Take this."
Yavena grabbed onto the cool spear with tight fingers. She nodded once at them and said, "Go. I will be right behind you."
Without even bothering to see their departure, she leapt off of Eren's Titan and towards the Armored Titan. It was standing taller now than it had been a few seconds ago, apparently recognizing that he was no longer in any peril of being eaten by Eren—but Yavena wouldn't let him bask in his comfort for long. She only had the one Thunder Spear, but she knew exactly where to direct it to maximize its effectiveness—
Reiner did not make a move to intercept her path, but the few Marleyan soldiers still left in fighting shape sure attempted to do so. Bullets ricocheted off of the buildings and the Armored Titan's skin, causing her to have to take minor detours towards its face—the moment she was close enough to see the weariness in Reiner's eyes, she flipped upside-down and launched the Thunder Spear towards his face.
A tremendous roar shook the area; a burst of violent yellow and red flames consumed his eyes. Reiner's hands scrabbled at his face, as though he were desperately trying to rid himself of the burns.
It would be enough. Yavena redirected her gaze across the arena; upon noticing a few stragglers of the Scout Regiment, she waved an arm and screamed, "What the hell are you waiting for, an express ticket? Go! Go!"
As they barreled through the darkened streets, past the burning buildings and the decimated blocks, Yavena pursed her lips and thought on what had been accomplished in the last fifteen minutes. The War-Hammer Titan had been eaten. Levi had most likely been successful in gathering Zeke. Eren was being extracted. The port had been destroyed by Armin.
Everything had gone off without a hitch, exactly how Eren and Erwin had hoped. And yet…
She glanced behind her, at the carnage she was leaving behind. She had long since tuned out the wailing, the screaming, the sobbing from those who had no business being in the midst of a war-zone. Sirens were blaring; gunshots were still echoing, though who was firing them, Yavena could not say.
It had long been foretold that it would come to this. They had tried everything—everything that was within their power—to avoid it. But nothing had worked. Not even Erwin, with all of his power and charm, could change the tides.
The world had wanted a villain… and now, they got it.
The airship was positioned directly above the rendezvous point by the time Yavena arrived. She frantically waved her arm, screaming to her charges it was time to go. Yet as their bodies zipped upwards, towards the safety of the airship that Marley had been obviously and utterly unprepared for, only one thought was ringing through her head.
Why must we be the monsters the world has always seen us as—why must we fight so hard just to survive?