{1.} I just wanna say that since I am doing things from the English dub of AOT – as I probably have said time and time again then some things may not... be correct. What I mean is, I'm going by ear (I have to continually watch the anime while I write this story just to know what happens since I forget things way too easily), so I have to watch out for what people say. So, if you see a word, a name, or anything else that you don't know and likely seems incorrect to you, just remember I had a hard time wondering about the spellings and whether or not some things actually were words or names. You are not alone with this problem.

{2.} If anyone wants to know, I... don't really like Mikasa. In fact, she's my least favourite character of AOT, at joint last with Oluo/Oruo/Auruo {however you spell his name}, Daz, Captain Kitts Voerman {for obvious reasons}, and the Military Police {also for obvious reasons}. As much as I want to like her character... I just can't. Her obsession with Eren, although somewhat funny at times, can be annoying at times too. And her blatant disregard for other characters that aren't Eren or Armin is just one of the things I dislike about her. I understand that Captain Voerman doesn't give a damn about anyone other than himself, which may either be due to shellshock and the fact that he couldn't care less about what happens to anyone else as long as he gets out unscathed, which is why he is worse than Mikasa. Mikasa just doesn't care no matter what, so long as she gets to follow Eren. And although I may understand the reasoning behind her obsession with Eren, I just can't stand the effect it has on the story itself and the other characters. If anyone's noticed, she's a bit different in this story, all thanks to team RWBY. I really hope no one minds this too much.

{3.} Ruby's scythe, Crescent Rose, actually has a second form when in full scythe mode. Look it up. It's when the scythe's spine actually curves back so it joins with the shaft, leaving the curved blade out. That's the second form. You can even see it being used in the Red Trailer. Thanks to the people that have informed me on the name of this type of weapon, I'm pretty certain it's called a 'glaive'.

{4.} For the flashbacks of RWBY characters' pasts, I think it would be safe to say that I'm only assuming what happened at that time, since I don't really know anything myself and don't expect anyone else to know until it gets shown or something along the lines. In which case, any RWBY character flashbacks – along with future ones will be pretty vague, but clear enough to just give the general idea of how the moments would have generally played out. And I understand that it may conflict with any backstories and new background information that will be shown in the future, too, so beware. This does not apply to any flashbacks that show what happened in the RWBY series, though, or any flashbacks from childhood that were shown in the RWBY series (Blake at the Faunus rights rallies when she was little, and Yang pulling a sleeping Ruby in a cart through a forest in search of her mother, for example.

{5.} I have no idea how to say this any other way, so I'll just say it as it is. I feel as if I'm making Ruby somewhat useless, and that she doesn't get enough action scenes compared to the rest of the characters. I realise I'm doing this with Yang, too. I apologise to any fans of Ruby and/or Yang if you think I am trying to make it seem like either of them are powerless or useless in fights against the Titans. They aren't. They'll get better as the chapters progress, I promise. In the meantime, I will try to make things equal with Weiss and Blake.

{6.} I actually checked to see what 'a league' is in terms of distance. According to Google, 1 nautical league is 5.556 kilometres. The boulder is roughly over 5 kilometres away from the gate. Also, one nautical league in miles is 3.452 miles, so... yeah. Do with that information what you will.


Weiss Schnee


Weiss' horse skidded to a halt in front of the entrance of a mine. Apparently, this was the closest mine to Trost, so likely, it was their first stop. Weiss hoped they would get lucky and find some Dust on the first try, but didn't hold her breath to it. If she got her hopes up, she would be disappointed. The mine was located on the south side of Wall Rose, a little too close to the Trost battlegrounds for her liking, but it's not as if complaining about it could make the mine change its location.

"This is it, then?" Weiss' horse began trotting the few extra feet when Anka advanced stopped ahead of her.

"Yes. According to reports, it has a record for explosions occurring in several parts of it." Commander Pixis' aide, Anka Rheinberger, informed her as both ladies dismounted their horses. "You said that one of the types of Dust, the fire one, was capable of creating explosions?"

The girls left their horses behind for a temporary moment. Weiss' horse was white and Anka's horse was brown. Trailing behind Anka's horse was a cart with Voerman inside, trapped in chains. Additionally, they had planned to put any Dust they found in that same cart, though why anyone would put something like Dust in the presence of someone with such an unstable mindset had Weiss baffled, and try as she had to argue her case on the way there, Anka had told her the number of carts were stripped, so they would just have to settle. Still, Anka had suggested that if Weiss was so worried about Voerman with the Dust, she could stay in the cart and supervise him on the way back.

"Yeah." Weiss responded and breathed a deep sigh. She spared a brief moment to pet her horse, before spinning on her heel and following Anka into the mine. If there were explosions happening in the mine, then if Fire Dust was responsible for it, someone definitely wasn't mining it right. She'd have a bone to pick with the owner if they ended up finding some Dust here.

As soon as they entered the mine, the stench of sweat, body odour, and grease flooded into her nostrils. The unsanitary combination of the smells and the multiple workers crammed into such a small space made Weiss almost want to vomit. She held her breath – and her nose – until they found the mine owner's office, and by that time, she was barely blue in the face. Many of the workers asked questions along the way, and some even tried to 'defend Anka from the outsider' – which didn't go down too well with Weiss – until Anka explained to them that she was fine and that they were there for business purposes.

Refusing to await any instruction from the Commander's aide, Weiss knocked on the door of the foreman's office. She waited a few seconds and the door opened, revealing a rather young man with shaggy blond hair, and soft lilac eyes. He looked quite muscly, too, unlike most of the miners she had seen on her way here.

"Miss Rheinberger?" he questioned as soon as he saw Anka. His voice was quite gruff, despite also being somewhat high-pitched and silvery. He noted Weiss alongside Anka, and gave her the look a good father – a father like Ruby and Yang's dad – would give to those who reminded him of his daughter. The kind father smile. "From your appearance, I can tell you're from Remnant."

Weiss tensed, but relaxed only a second later. "How did you know? Have you encountered others from Remnant?"

"You could say that." the man opened the door further, leaning on the doorframe. "Me and the rest of the villagers from my village ended up here several years ago, when Grimm suddenly invaded our village. The name's Sonny Taylor." he introduced himself.

"Weiss Schnee. You may have heard of the Schnee Dust Company that my grandfather created." Weiss braved a polite smile, hoping he wouldn't start bashing her family. Sure, she didn't feel too kindly about her father and to be honest, her little brother Whitley was too much of a daddy's boy for her to tolerate him, but family was family, and she'd defend them if she needed to.

"Ah. The SDC." Sonny responded. "Before I came here, I used to hear... things from travellers that came through the village. Told me and many others that ever since that man, Jacques Schnee, took over the business, it's been getting a questionable reputation. The Faunus labour added to the controversy. But I'm guessing you're already aware of the mark he left on the company."

"One of the many reasons why I hope to change it. I want to bring back the morale that my grandfather had when he controlled the company." Weiss declared, her voice sharp with spirit, and her chest puffed out proudly.

With raised eyebrows, Sonny smiled in delight. He nodded graciously. "Well, I'll be damned. Come on in."


Eren Jaeger


Eren, Ruby, and Blake were taking a stroll along the top of the wall with Commander Pixis. They had been walking for a while, and Ruby and Blake had been taking in the amazing scenery of the evening as the three of them listened to the Commander talk about the Titans – back when they had first appeared over a hundred years ago. Had it not been for the Titans roaming the Trost District, Eren knew that Ruby would sit and watch the peaceful sun setting over the horizon for however long she wanted; though, unfortunately, she didn't have that luxury at this moment. Though, Yang probably did.

"It's thought by many that before the Titans held sway, mankind consisted of scores of different races, different creeds, all scratching and biting at each other for blood." the Commander rambled on, his arms folded behind his back. "It's not difficult to believe that second part."

The story was interesting, to say the least. From what Eren could see, Blake found something about the story to be familiar. He should ask Blake about that when time wasn't of the essence. In fact, now that he thought about it, he didn't really know all that much about any of the four girls he'd met. When he finally had some time with them, he should try to get to know them a bit better.

"Some wise man or other is reputed to have said – though understand I'm paraphrasing here – that humanity required an enemy greater than itself just to survive. What do you three suppose he could have meant?" Commander Pixis later inquired.

Eren's eyes widened at the question. "This is the first time I've ever heard it, sir." Eren replied. He was confused, and hesitated to speak, but eventually settled on an answer: "I guess... he thought we'd all join forces?"

"I think he meant that if humanity didn't have an enemy that would make them unite to fight the threat, then the people would fight amongst themselves instead." Blake deduced with a shrug of her shoulders. "And likely end up wiping humanity itself out in the process."

"Some wise man," Eren remarked in response.

"I like the way your mind works." Pixis said with a chuckle, peering over his shoulder at them. "You're almost as twisted and cynical as me."

"Well, it's obvious to me the guy didn't have a clue what he was talking about." Eren stated. He was fully aware of how, in this world, a minority of people still fought with each other, even when faced with a threat to humanity as a whole. He was so self-aware that it sometimes disturbed others around him, he recognised that much. "Come on, here we are with an enemy greater than ourselves buried down, and look at us."

"Exactly." Commander Pixis replied. Eren felt as if he had finally found common ground with the Commander. "If our species doesn't pull it together soon, Titans will be merely the instruments of our demise, not the cause."

The four of them were approaching the cannons, where another group of soldiers from the Garrison Regiment were stationed. Next to one of the cannons was Hannes, who was apparently caught off-guard when he noticed Eren walking with the Commander, alongside Ruby and Blake.

"Eren?" Eren just barely heard Hannes say his name. "Well I'll be damned."

Eren lifted his hand up to about waist height and pointed down with his index finger, motioning for Hannes to get back to work. Ruby waved at Hannes, while Blake didn't even notice him. After they passed Hannes and his squad, Ruby immediately turned to Eren.

"I assume that was Mister Hannes?" Ruby asked with a tilt of her head.

"Yeah, that's Hannes. He was the one who saved me and Mikasa five years ago." Eren clarified, lowering his hand down by his side.

"Wait, who saved you? Sorry, I was lost in thought." Blake's eyes came back into focus after having been empty for a couple of seconds.

"Mister Hannes, the man back there." Ruby pointed over her shoulder with her thumb toward Hannes. "Armin got him to save Eren and Mikasa five years ago."

Blake glanced back over her shoulder, before turning back. "I see." she nodded, seeming a bit awkward.

Commander Pixis reached into his pocket and brought out his silver flask. He took a drink from it, before passing it to Eren.

"Care for a swig?" he asked, holding it out in front of the brunet.

"Uh, yes sir!" Eren replied, hesitantly taking the flask out of Pixis' hand and cautiously looking at it for a second.

Ruby and Blake watched Eren drink from the flask, before his eyes widened and he spat the horrid alcohol out of his mouth.


Commander Pixis stopped in the middle of two green flags that held an image of a shield behind the imprinted head of a so-called goddess. The goddess was called Rose, named after the wall that many of the religious people in the Wall Cult believed she built. The Wall Cult had a goddess for all three of the walls, named after the walls themselves.

Maria, Rose, and Sina.

Eren and Ruby were positioned shoulder-to-shoulder at the right of where the Commander was stood. Eren had his arms by his sides, and Ruby's hands were fidgeting in front of her. Blake was stood in-between the Commander and Eren, her hands behind her back and her gaze low.

"ATTENTION!"

The Commander's sudden shout left Blake backing up a bit with her palms pressed to her bow and her upper arms covering her ears. But as quickly as that happened, the girl's eyes snapped open and she quickly regained her composure and hopped to her place beside Eren before anyone had a chance to notice. Ruby spared a worried glance at Blake, which Eren arched a brow at, but decided not to say anything. He'd ask Ruby later.

"Take note! The blueprint of the Trost recovery operation is this!" Pixis started to explain, yelling so he could be heard. "Our primary objective is to reseal the hole! Yes, you heard right! What's more, it will be done manually! As for how the task will be done, that's where this fellow comes in!"

Eren stepped forward to meet the sights of the soldiers in the streets below, if they could even see him. Clenching his fist, Eren performed his military salute.

"Allow me to introduce cadet Eren Jaeger! Don't let appearances deceive you! This young man is in fact the successful product of cutting-edge science! Fantastic as this may sound, cadet Jaeger possesses the ability to fabricate and control a Titan body at will!" Commander Pixis continued further. He paused, as if allowing the news to sink in, before carrying on: "Recall the massive boulder roughly a league from the gate! Having assumed Titan form, cadet Jaeger will hoist said boulder on his back, schlap it to the hole, and voila! And this is where you all come in! Your job will be to defend him! Yes, defend a Titan against his own kind!"

"What do you mean we don't actually need to fight them?" Eren could vaguely hear the voice of the Commander's aide, Gustav. He was going over the plan with Armin, Mikasa, and Yang. Eren's concentration slipped from Commander Pixis' speech and to the conversation taking place a few feet behind himself, Ruby, and Blake.

"There's an easier way. Sorry, I know it's not my place to interrupt, I mean no disrespect." Armin apologised, his voice somewhat shaky.

"It's alright. Just go on with what you were saying." Gustav encouraged him.

"Right. Thank you sir." Armin replied, and all shakiness from his voice was gone. "See, whatever else is going on around them, Titans are generally drawn to large groups of people. If enough of us collected in the corner away from the breach, we could lure the Titans out of Eren's path. He could be discreet about moving the boulder. He also won't have to slow his pace while we fight the others off of him. And since the Titans will all be in one area, we can pick them off via cannon fire without incurring casualties of our own."

"That sounds good, but what about Eren?" Yang asked. Her voice was less raspy than it had been, probably because she'd been given the chance to be treated and had food and water, but her voice still sounded similar to Commander Pixis'.

"I'm not saying we leave Eren defenceless; that'd be too risky." Armin answered her. "We'll need a modest band of elites to act as his bodyguards. There's no way of knowing how many Titans might come through the hole while he's trying to patch it up. His security detail will need to be able to handle them."

"Easy enough, I think. We can retool the plan around that." Gustav stated.

"The thing is, we're making a huge assumption here – namely that Eren, even in full-on Titan form, is strong enough to move the rock." Armin then pointed out. "I mean, to be perfectly honest, there's very little reason for us to suppose he can. I have my doubts; serious ones!"

"As do I." Gustav responded curtly. "Sending people to their doom on a whim... isn't a tactic I'm fond of. Uncertainties kill too many already. But the Commander's right. We must do this."

"Agreed." Yang said, with a nod of her head, coughing violently at least three times afterwards. She recovered and sighed. "We're working against the clock here. Titans are still lumbering into Trost as we speak. There may be already more than any of us can handle before the day ends, and the fact that I won't be able to do anything to help makes my skin crawl enough as it is. The more we wait, the more Titans crawl in, and the more danger those soldiers lined up down there will be in, and the worse our chances look."

"And it goes without saying: the better our chances they'll bust through Wall Rose and wreak untold havoc." Gustav added.

"There's something else I'm afraid of, too," Yang admitted, her raspy voice going quiet and tone turning grave. "Even the bravest of them can't indefinitely bottle their fear. Even—" Yang doubled over, trembling with each violent, spluttering cough—"Even the elites are gonna have their limits."

"They're lying!" Daz suddenly screamed, dragging Eren's attention toward Commander Pyxis' speech and the soldiers below. "I'm not gonna be drawn into sacrificing myself for this crap! We're just disposable tools for you people! You expect us to live and die for whatever the hell comes out of your mouth!"

A lot more people began whispering, and some people even started walking away. Eren couldn't believe what he was seeing. Either it was signalling the fact that they didn't believe this plan could work, or that they were too cowardly to take part in the operation. Hell, perhaps even both!

"Anyone wishing to leave," Commander Pixis called out to everyone on the ground, "will by my personal order, not be charged with treason or desertion! Those who have seen a Titan first-hand will not be expected to visit such horror again! Whomever this applies to, you may leave with my blessing! Additionally, anyone with family or loved ones they would rather spare from the same trauma may also leave! The crown will continue to recognise your service! Thank you and good luck!"

The Commander's words left everyone absolutely stunned. Eren could see the soldiers debating and considering what he had said.

All of them spun on their heels and returned back to the crowd. Eren assumed it was because Commander Pixis had – whether intentionally or accidentally – guilt tripped them into returning to the fray. And now that he had the result, Commander Pixis carried on.

"Now, think back four years ago! Namely, the operation to retake Wall Maria! I bring it up because you all deserve to have your suspicions confirmed! Officially, we labelled it 'Reconnaissance', but in fact, as most of you probably know, it was little more than a purge! A thinly disguised exercise in population control!
"We knew this in our hearts, of course we did! Yet we turned a blind eye! We supported the state-sponsored myth because the deaths of our fellow human beings allowed us to survive! Pure and simple!"

Eren noticed Ruby's and Blake's eyes widen at the news. When he glanced over his shoulder, Eren saw that Yang was just as equally horrified, and she shivered. Eren knew it wasn't because she was cold.

"The guilt is ours! We share the blame! All of us! The citizens of Wall Maria sustained themselves on the wholesale slaughter of the refugees who'd flown to us for help! The turnabout is fair play, is it not? If Wall Rose succumbs, the population will fall by a whole other order of magnitude! The lands comprising Wall Sina wouldn't support half the people now living! If we're wiped off the face of the earth, the culprits will not have been the Titans, let me assure you! No, no! We'll have done it to ourselves!
If a line isn't drawn now, it won't be drawn at all."

He stretched out his arms.

"If we must die, let us die here!"

'I don't know if I'll actually be strong enough in Titan form to lift that rock in the first place. But, I'm sure as hell going to try.' Eren tensed up. 'Maybe this is naïve. Maybe we're running on false hope. But so what? I have to power through. For them; for all of us.'

His ability to transform had brought about a new hope, but right now, that was only false hope.

'My role... no, my duty... is to make false hope real!'


Eren, Ruby, and Blake joined back up with Armin, Mikasa, and Yang. Ruby seemed to be a tad nervous about this mission. After the speech that Commander Pixis gave, Eren had heard Ruby ceaselessly muttering the possibilities that could cause the plan to go belly-up, taking no breaks to breathe until both Eren and Blake pointed out that she was going blue in the face and should really calm down.

"By the way... Ruby," Yang approached Ruby, her legs shaky but managing to sustain her nonetheless. Yang had changed out of the clothes she'd been in this morning and now wore a loose yellow long-sleeved shirt barely hanging on her shoulders, with white trousers and a pair of black socks. Her hair, which originally looked too untamed for Eren's comfort, had thankfully been tied up in a black purple ribbon. Ruby's unique silver eyes met Yang's purple irises. "Apparently an elite squad will be acting as bodyguards for Eren. I thought you might wanna know, since you interacted pretty well with Eren's Titan back at HQ."

Ruby's face began to grow red, but she quickly covered her face with her hands. "I didn't know it was Eren at the time!" she exclaimed, flustered beyond Eren's belief.

"Don't tease her, Yang." Blake said with a chuckle.

"What are you talking about? What is this about my Titan form and Ruby?" Eren stepped forward, confused.

"Don't tell him! You'll make it sound embarrassing!" Ruby waved her arms in front of Yang and Blake.

Yang and Blake glanced at each other briefly, before delving into a fit of chuckles. "Okay, okay." Yang rolled her eyes, but coughed another two times, each time sounding raw in her throat. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, before treading over to a few of the crates nearby. Yang leaned close to Eren, her mouth to his ear. "Weiss, Blake, and I will tell you later."

"Yang, I doubt Eren responds well to being kept in suspense." Blake approached the blonde and Eren, giving the blonde a smile that probably swept Jean off his feet already. "I'm glad you're feeling better enough to crack jokes again. How long until you start with the puns again?"

"Blake, not being able to make puns so far has been a punishment for me." Yang waved her hand. Eren couldn't help but aim a deadpan stare at Yang.

"Why did I ask?" Blake rolled her eyes, but otherwise aimed a half-smile at Yang.

Armin suddenly turned to Eren, suddenly apologetic. "I'm so sorry, Eren. I was just talking out of my head. It wasn't my intention for you to be pulled into all this."

"Stop apologising. The fact is you have a gift for strategy and you know it. I believe in you, Armin." Eren declared in response.

"Eren, I really think I should—" Mikasa started to say.

"You're not coming with me." Eren immediately cut her off. Mikasa appeared to be taken aback, and Eren's tone of voice towards her seemed to surprise Yang and Blake. "You're on the decoy squad, period."

"No way. I'm not leaving you alone. I won't take another chance—!" Mikasa objected, trying to stay calm.

"Knock it the hell off!" Eren jumped in front of her, causing Mikasa to step back a bit. "Get it through your head that I'm not your responsibility. You're not my mother!"

"This isn't the time to be fighting!" Ruby squeezed between Eren and Mikasa. Both of them stopped arguing and instead stared down at Ruby. The diminutive girl gave a sigh of relief when the two were silent. "Finally." she muttered under her breath. She turned to Mikasa first. "Now, Mikasa, with your skills, you'll probably make the elite squad anyway, considering you were also chosen for the Rear Guard. But don't forget, we're here as well to help you look out for him, even if we did an absolutely terrible job last time."

The ghost of a smile blossomed on Mikasa's face, and her eyes sparkled with hope and admiration. Whether that was for Ruby or for the fact it was likely Ruby was correct, Eren didn't know. "I-I understand. I trust you and Blake will probably do a better job than I will."

"Eh, I'm sure you'll do fine. You're stronger than the rest of the cadets, aren't you?" Ruby smile was too bright for Eren to look at. Mikasa's smile barely widened and she nodded her head. Satisfied with the response, Ruby's head swivelled and her silver eyes met Eren's teal-green ones. "And Eren, I want you to know that Mikasa was very lost after you were eaten. She thought you were dead. I can see why she doesn't want to risk that happening again, and I hope you come to accept and understand that too." Ruby told him, patting his shoulders. "And these arguments were getting pretty tiring. In fact, I now understand how Armin felt when he probably had to be the peacekeeper."

"Ackerman!"

The moment was interrupted by Captain Ian Dietrich.

"I want you on the squad that'll be providing Jaeger with backup." he announced. Mikasa's face brightened up considerably. "We'll need your skill."

"I'm joining that squad, too." Ruby informed him, waving her hand in the air.

"I am as well. It'll be good to have us with you." Blake called out to him.

"Fine. Just don't slow us down." the Captain sent a glare towards Ruby and Blake, before he spun on his heel and began to leave.

Ruby dashed to the side of Captain Dietrich before he even knew what had happened. Ruby's action left a flurry of rose petals in her wake. The red rose petals arose from her red cape, before they disappeared in the breeze. Her sudden movement left Captain Dietrich in shock, and had him switching glances between where she previously was, and where she stood now.

"I'm not slow!" Ruby gave another serious smile, but gave a soft chuckle when she saw his face.

In the next second, Blake was next to Ruby, appearing like a shadow behind the girl. Blake had left a shadow or copy of herself where she was previously stood, which disappeared as soon as Eren, Armin, and Mikasa saw it. Blake's expression was deadpan, even while the Captain paled at the sight of her. "Neither am I. Now can we please get going already?"


"Let's get this straight right now, Jaeger." Captain Dietrich led the group across the top of the wall, sprinting in front of everyone else. "Whatever you are, all I care about is you getting that rock in place. Can we count on you?"

"Yes sir! I won't let you down!" Eren replied, holding his head up above Ruby's in order to see what was ahead of them. Due to Ruby's and Blake's running speed easily outclassing either Mikasa's or Eren's, Ruby was carrying Eren on her back, and Blake had Mikasa on hers.

Well, it wasn't only the speed. Eren had complained of pains in his legs, so Ruby had decided to be his legs for him, not knowing the leg pains were false and he just wanted to see up close how fast the girl could go, regardless of the rose petals in the way (the things he did to sate his own curiosity...). Blake, who likely didn't want to be left out, had taken it upon herself to carry Mikasa, mentioning something about Mikasa's earlier fall a few hours ago, as she swept Mikasa off her feet.

"You absolutely sure you're gonna be alright to do this?" Mikasa hastily asked. Blake arrived beside Ruby to allow Mikasa to talk to Eren.

"I got it!" Eren groaned, getting agitated with how much Mikasa was babying him.

"Seriously—!"

"How many times do you want me to say it?! You just go do your job and I'll do mine!"

"Old habits die hard, I guess." Ruby remarked under her breath, her gaze briefly lowering to the ground.

"Look, now's not the time to be playing House." Captain Rico Brzenska immediately ran between Ruby and Blake, aiming her eyes at Eren. Her words left Eren embarrassed, to say the least.

"Come on, it isn't like that!" Eren spoke up in his own defence.

"I'm gonna say what we're all thinking here; the fact that the fate of mankind depends on a little brat like you doesn't exactly make me hopeful." Captain Mitabi Jarnach declared.

"All of you, stop it right now!" Captain Dietrich commanded, causing everyone to shut their mouths. "We're about to be in range of the giant boulder!"

"I don't see any Titans nearby," Ruby mentioned, holding her head up to see the boulder in the distance below. "Looks like the decoy strategy is doing the trick."

"There's something I want you to be aware of, Jaeger." Captain Brzenska suddenly piped up again. "Make no mistake – more than a few of our comrades are going to die today trying to pull this off. Their blood's on your hands. I'm talking friends, captains, lieutenants, peons. Yes, they are soldiers; they are prepared to die. But remember, every one of them is a flesh and blood person. Every one of them has dreams, hopes, fears. Every one of them has a name. Aliosha, Dominic, Fine, Isabel, Ludvic, Martina, Guido, Hans. They're not pawns, they're people. Some have been living together like family since their cadet years. This may well be the end of them. Whole families, snuffed out in a moment. Whatever you think your mission is, your first and foremost concern today is making sure their deaths mean something. Whatever happens, you keep that lodged in your mind. Take everything that comes with deadly seriousness."

"Right!" Eren grunted. 'This is happening! I'm going to do this!'

The words of Commander Pixis echoed in his mind:

"Not once in this century of terror has mankind risen above the Titans! Their every craven, bloodthirsty advance has left a wake of inestimable odds for us! Lives taken! Territory abandoned! However, should we succeed, we'll make history! Today is the day! Lands taken by our greatest enemy will be reclaimed!"

"This is the place! Let's do it!" Captain Dietrich declared as he began to jump. Everyone followed on after him.

"For the first time, we will know what it means not to run, but to meet the Titans head-on and win!"

Captain Rico paused on top of the wall, briefly staying behind everyone else in order to fire a green smoke signal. The Commander would notice it immediately.

Ruby was the first to race ahead towards the boulder. Eren couldn't tell what happened next, but Ruby's hold on him tightened when his vision was partly obscured by rose petals. The wind screamed in his ears as Ruby travelled at sonic speed across the rooftops. Eren clutched at her clothing for dear life. His blood pumped with excitement, finally being able to learn how fast she was able to travel, and he hungered to learn how to be as fast as Ruby.

Blake swung through the air beside them, Mikasa still on her back, also holding on for dear life. She passed building after building as she occasionally left behind shadows of herself and Mikasa, which propelled her forward with each use of the ability. Performing a somersault in the air, Blake tugged back her weapon and cast it far forward again. She spun through the air, firing herself and Mikasa forward again as she created a couple more shadows of them both.

"Now it may seem an insignificant plot of land compared to the vast tracks of former glory long abandoned! But as a symbol, as an idea, Trost's regain shall stand as a reclamation of pride and hope beyond measure! A leap greater than we have ever taken!"

Eren released his legs from underneath Ruby's arms, planting the soles of his boots on Ruby's back. Launching himself off of Ruby, he began his descent near the boulder. He bit into his hand, and not even a second later, a bolt of yellow lightning struck him. Flesh grew around him, attaching itself to his face, arms, legs, and back, all the while the carcass strapped him to the nape of his Titan.


Blake Belladonna


Blake dropped Mikasa off on a rooftop while Eren managed to transform into a 15-metre Titan.

While the transformation had been successful, transforming in the air wasn't something she'd class as a smart idea. Just as she expected, gravity soon took its hold on Eren's Titan form, sending him crashing in a nearby building, everything in the way of his falling body be damned and smoke arose from the damage caused. But Eren, ever determined, rose to his feet once he recovered from the landing. Yet once he stood back up, an unwelcome feeling of dread came to life in Blake's gut.

Eren's transformation had succeeded, but Blake could sense that Eren didn't have full control of the Titan. He was just... standing there. He didn't seem as if he was going to lift the boulder. He had something else in mind.

Ruby landed beside Blake after she had situated herself next to Mikasa. The three of them were situated on a rooftop directly behind Eren. As soon as they were in position, Eren turned his head and stared at them over his shoulder. And then he suddenly pivoted in place and punched the rooftop with his fist.

Ruby immediately grabbed Mikasa and leapt out of the way, while Blake had to use her Shadow Semblance in order to evade the attack. Blake somersaulted over Eren's head and landed on the top of the boulder. Mikasa and Ruby had flown with the wind after the attack, but managed to land in a heap after rolling backwards. Eren began his assault on the tiles again: he pounded his other fist into the part of the parapet, precisely where Ruby and Mikasa were recovering.

Despite Ruby's attempts to evade the attack, she instead hit the wall of a chimney. Mikasa, on the other hand, flew up into the air thanks to Ruby tossing her out of the way. Blake could only watch as Eren made one last attack, lunging towards Ruby before the team leader had a chance to stand. In the next moment, Eren lifted his head up, and Blake's legs went weak when she saw Ruby's legs dangling out of his mouth. However, even as her grip on her katana tightened, she still didn't hear a biting noise or any sound of Eren swallowing Ruby.

Mikasa swiftly recovered only a couple of seconds after the last attack. She fired a wire at the side of Eren's face, planting a foot on his nose as she held onto his hair to steady herself.

"Ackerman, stand down now! Get away from him! That's an order!" Captain Dietrich shouted at her, waving his sword around as if that would get his point across.

Mikasa didn't move. Neither did Blake.

"Eren! I know you're in there somewhere! I know you recognize me! That's right! Come on! Snap the hell out of it! We've got a breach to seal up!" Mikasa yelled at Eren, occasionally glancing at Eren's mouth, and Blake could've sworn she'd seen a spark of hope in Mikasa's eyes. In that moment, Mikasa sounded like a mother scolding a misbehaving child.

Captain Rico then opened up a box containing a yellow flare gun and a red flare gun. She picked up the red one and aimed it up at the sky. She fired it and a red trail of smoke fired into the sky, sure to alert every other person or Titan with the ability to see. If Blake had any common sense, she assumed that the red flare was supposed to signal that the plan had failed. Well, had failed according to Rico, at least.

That was when Blake truly began to panic. Her head spun in all directions, thinking of what to do.

'What should I do? What can I do?'

Blake desperately looked to Mikasa. One of Eren's hands had reformed, balled into a fist.

"Get out of there!" Captain Dietrich ordered her once he saw the same thing.

Mikasa jumped away from Eren's face, narrowly avoiding Eren's next punch. Eren ended up slamming his fist into his own face, and it was then that Blake realised that he was aiming for Mikasa and yet still trying to protect Ruby. Of course, trapping Ruby inside his mouth may not have necessarily been the right method in order to keep her safe, but at least he was trying.

But why attack Mikasa?

Unless...

Eren lost his balance and fell backwards, collapsing against the boulder.

Mikasa had escaped to the rooftop and regrouped with the squad.

"Blake! Are you alright?" Mikasa yelled once she landed. Blake nodded her head, giving a wave as her other hand rested on her knee. For some reason, Blake felt relieved that Mikasa cared just as much about them as she did about Eren. Had Ruby caused this change in her?

"Yeah, I'm okay!" A deep exhale escaped Blake's lips shortly thereafter. She cast her Gambol Shroud toward Mikasa, who easily caught the ribbon and heaved Blake over to the rest of them. Once Blake landed, she collapsed on her knees next to Mikasa.

"What the hell? You telling me the kid was a regular Titan all along?" Captain Mitabi spoke up as the squad spared glances at Blake.

"I can't believe he ate Ruby." Mikasa breathlessly stated in disbelief.

"I don't think he swallowed her. He was after you. My guess is you annoyed him when you were being overprotective, and he ended up attacking you for it." Blake explained, sparing glances at the rest of the squad over her shoulder. "At some point during his transformation, I assume that he thought about how much you treated him like a child. This is just my theory, but I believe he attacked you because of his mid-transformation thoughts." Blake ascertained, before twisting her body round to face the squad, who were all staring at her. "If you heard any of that, you'd see that he's still Eren. If he were a normal Titan, he would've eaten Mikasa."

"Suppose you're right and that's true, why eat your team leader? What would he gain from that?" Rico inquired.

"A chance to protect her." Blake told her.

"What do you mean? She appeared here with you and your other two teammates this morning. He doesn't even know you all that well. Why would he protect someone he's only just met?" Captain Dietrich asked next, sounding confused.

"I wish I knew. It's a mystery to me. My guess is that you're going to have to ask Eren what he thinks of Ruby. Either way, whatever his answer may be, he'll still see her as someone that needs to be protected from whatever he deems a threat toward her." Blake answered, managing to rise to her feet. "It happened back at HQ a few hours ago, too. My instinct tells me that Eren isn't even aware of it, but for some unknown reason, whenever he's in Titan form, he has a habit of securing Ruby's safety as much as he can. Yang said that it's a motherly instinct that Eren possesses." Blake continued, placing her finger and thumb to her chin. "If that's the case, then she's not dead. She's in Eren's mouth somewhere, likely underneath his tongue."

"CAPTAIN!" another soldier shouted from afar. "We've got two Titans burying down on us from the front!"

"A ten-metre and a six-metre!"

"Heads up! There's a twelve-metre closing in on us from the rear!"

"Ian, that's it. Please, just look at him. We need to get out of here; the plan's a bust." Captain Mitabi pleaded.

"Agreed. Full withdraw." Rico said, glaring down at Eren's Titan. "We have to leave him as he is."

Mikasa glared daggers at Ian, a dark – and presumably murderous – scowl crawling its way onto her face. As Ian turned his head away, considering their options, Blake and Mikasa peered over the eaves, and down at Eren.


Sonny Taylor


Sonny ran a hand through his unkempt hair, sitting in the chair behind his desk. Weiss and Anka sat across from him, with a quickly but accurately written contract on the desk in front of Weiss. Weiss had handwritten the contract herself, outlining a secure deal for the military to use the Dust that his mine would produce. He didn't feel good about handing the Dust over to the military, but Weiss assured him that none of it would legitimately go to the Military Police. To be precise, she stated that the Dust she would help him produce in the mine would go to most of the Scouts, and only the Commander and noble Captains of the Garrison Regiment.

"So, I assume you've figured out why this mine explodes." Sonny said, aiming his gaze at Weiss.

"Of course. The reason for the explosions is simple. Every so often, a miner strikes one of the Dust crystals with a pickaxe, which causes it to produce powder. He hits it some more, and eventually, there's going to be enough powdered Dust in the air to make him sneeze, which in turn causes a deadly explosion."

"I suppose you can put that answer on the report." Sonny turned his attention to Anka. Anka nodded, and began writing what she'd heard. Sonny switched his focus back to Weiss. "In all honesty, you and your team showing up here was a good thing for me and the other villagers. You are aware that you don't fit into this world, and you know you don't look or act like it, either. You and your team didn't try to hide your origins like we did. Because of you, the military's able to have peace knowing why this mine explodes so frequently, and I'm finally allowed to tell the truth about what exactly we find in this mine."

"It's no problem, but there's something bothering me." Weiss pushed the contract forward, leaning her arms on the desk, her intertwined fingers and knuckles holding up her chin. "You're from Remnant, so you should know how Dust works. How is it that you never installed anything to get rid of the excess powder from the Dust in order to avoid incidents like that?"

"We couldn't. Like I told you, we tried to hide where we came from and fit in with the people in this world. No one would understand how I knew to install sprinklers in the mines that would help with trapping the excess powder, not to mention how to drain the powder, collect it, and precipitate it." Sonny answered. Weiss narrowed her eyes at him questionably, and Sonny put his hands up. "I'm not saying that's the only reason. After all, think about the cost of installing them. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but our mine isn't exactly known for being paid well. Not when explosions occur and people die, which prompts others to leave because I can't guarantee their safety. The cost of everything that we would need to make this mine a relatively safe and casualty-free working environment is too much for me or my employees to pay."

Weiss' eyes opened wide. "I didn't take that into account. Perhaps we can use a bit of the military's funds to install the safety measures for the mine. And also some mode of safe transportation for the Dust when we send it to the Scouts." she muttered to herself, her eyes darting in different directions. All of a sudden, she stared back up at Sonny, a smile plastered across her face. "Alright; I'm willing to help you and your workers mine and process the Dust you find. But, in return for all I'm doing, we'll need fifteen percent of your monthly production."

"Fifteen percent of what this mine will make?" Sonny questioned. Weiss nodded. Sonny arched a brow. "I assume you've got a plan for what to do with fifteen percent of our production?"

"Yes. The money will go towards rebuilding anything that has been damaged by the Titans, along with the costs to make instalments that provide safety for you and your workers, and to build a place connected to the mine where powdered Dust can be manufactured as well. And if we have any extra left, we'll also be able to use it for other useful purposes, such as obtaining the materials needed to improve the arsenal that the Scouts and some of the higher-ups in the Garrison Regiment use already."

Sonny's brows raised. She had clearly thought this matter out a lot, more than he'd expected. Then again, she was a Schnee. He smiled: "Sounds like a good plan. But supplying the dust is one thing, and spreading the knowledge of Dust is another. Do you have a plan to spread the knowledge of Dust?"

"I plan to spread the knowledge of Dust among at least the Scouts, and if we can, the higher-ups in the Garrison Regiment. I don't trust the Military Police not to use Dust to up their morally dubious labour game, so they will be left out of the loop and our supply of it will exclude them. The knowledge of Dust can turn humanity's war against the Titans around. Additionally, manufacturing Dust won't kill anyone when it's done right. And even with the fifteen percent we get, you would still be sitting on top of a mountain of gold."

"What makes you say that?"

"Think about it for a minute. With you being the supplier of the Dust that the Scouts would use to retake lost land and exterminate the Titans, what do you think that would do to your publicity? And don't forget, if things go well, there'd be a lot of money flowing into your pocket from the military. They're going to be using a lot of Dust out there on the front lines, and you're going to supply them with it."

Sonny ran a hand through his hair, contemplating what she said. If Weiss was right about her hypothesis for success, this would be one hell of an opportunity to cash in. The rise in money could bring him closer to reconnecting with his daughter, Allison. She'd be able to live in a nice house, a loving family home with him, and her days of scrounging in the Underground would be over.

"Alright; you've got yourself a deal." Sonny declared, leaning forward in his chair.

"Great!" Weiss grinned, passing the paper towards him. He took a glance at it. She had already lined out the terms and conditions, and only left a space at the bottom of the paper for him to sign the agreement. "I can't sleep well without knowing there's a paper trail somewhere."


Weiss Schnee


"I forgot how heavy crates of Dust were." Weiss groaned as she almost bent her back lifting a closed wooden crate full of Ice Dust and carefully placed it in the cart. Behind her, Anka was carrying an equally large crate full of Fire Dust. As Weiss climbed into the cart and softly pushed the crate towards the back of it, Voerman's shouts almost deafened her.

"What are you bringing in here?!"

"You're not in the place to be shouting." Weiss snapped, her voice low. "And besides, it's something you won't get to use. This—" Weiss's index finger tapped the wood of the crate—"is going to help the Scouts on the frontlines. With proper training and knowledge of its use, less soldiers will die out there, and more Titans will be the ones to fall. So, if you're done trying to stop me from doing good for the sake of humanity, I'd suggest you calm down and try to think your own situation through."

"Miss Schnee," Anka called out after reaching the edge of the cart, "could you help me?"

"Of course, but be careful!" Weiss softly padded over to the edge, and pulled up the crate as carefully as possible. One the crate of Fire Dust was in the cart, Weiss began the task of steadily pushing the crate to the back of the cart, beside the crate of Ice Dust. "Sonny, have you got the Lightning crystals?"

"Here." Weiss heard the man's grunts from the entrance of the cart, and the sliding of wood on wood.

"Thanks!" Weiss trekked back to the entrance and grabbed the crate, pulling it backwards away from the edge. She spun around the crate and pushed the crate into place on the other side of the Ice Dust. "Anka! Have you got the Earth Dust?"

"Loading on now." the woman called out as wood was uneasily planted down on wood. For the fourth time, Weiss spun on her heel and lightly stepped over to the crate full of Earth Dust. Grabbing onto the wood, Weiss pulled it along.

"Thankfully this is the last crate. I'll have to do some more workouts to get my strength up instead of using my Aura. If I have to do this regularly, I can't afford to get sloppy with my physical statistics." When Weiss' back met the back wall of the cart, she let go of the crate and slithered around it, pushing it into place beside the Fire Dust. "Anka, attach my horse to yours and let's get going! Is there someplace closed off where we can store the Dust for the Scouts?" Weiss asked as she opened the curtain on the back of the cart, and closed the doors at the entrance.

"There is an old castle that the Scout Regiment used to use for Headquarters, but has since been left unattended and unused after the Scouts moved base." As Weiss settled herself down in front of two Dust crates, managed to catch a glimpse of Anka climbing onto her own horse attached to the cart. Anka looked back at her, and Weiss raised back up, tilting her head. Anka continued: "It's quite far. At full speed, we should get there at nightfall. After I deliver you, you'll be left to your own devices while I take Voerman to the prison. I hope you're alright with being left alone."

"Of course. It'd also be a good idea to let my teammates know, since we could use a place to stay and manage ourselves and our oncoming projects." Weiss nodded her head and folded her arms, before taking her seat. "Now, Voerman, how about you try and place nice and make my ride to the castle more... trouble-free?"