Chapter 39: The Failed Warriors
(Trost)
There were many things that Levi found annoying: Military Police, obnoxious or whiny brats, a filthy room, and an assortment of other things. High on that list was guard duty. Due to his leg injury, he was strictly forbidden to take place in the capture of the Shifters and the elimination of any Titans within Wall Rose. So, to keep him occupied, he was instructed to keep an eye on Pastor Nick, who was giving him the silent treatment. At least his squad could keep him distracted.
"I think this is the first time the three branches united for a single purpose," Eld commented.
"It'll probably be the last," Levi replied. "The second they witness a Titan filling its belly with the bodies of soldiers, they'll be running back to the Interior pissing themselves."
Petra let out a sigh before turning to her captain. "How's your leg?"
"Getting better," he answered. "Unfortunately, it's not good enough for the commander."
"Seems like we're getting separated a lot recently," she noted.
"It's not exactly Levi Squad without Levi," Gunther pointed out.
"You're good soldiers," Levi stated. "Hell, I can see all of you leading your own squads in a few years."
"If Oluo was here, would you be saying the same thing?" Eld asked with a smirk. "Think about it: him trying to emulate you and acting tough, and then bam! Tongue gets bitten and he's escorted to the nearest medic for surgery."
Gunther chuckled. "How the bastard never bled out will always remain a mystery."
Levi let out a sigh as he thought about his fallen friend. "Oluo had his faults, but he was a good soldier."
"He was the one that always could bring a smile to our faces," Petra added. "Most of the time, it was unintentional, but still."
"Get back here in one piece, will you?" Levi requested. "All of you."
The three of them nodded in agreement.
Within the mixture of soldiers from the three regiments was Jean sitting on a crate and drinking his canteen. He was still a bit miffed that he wasn't able to be part of the team that would capture or kill the traitors, but he knew that they had the best people assigned to that mission. Combined with two Titan Shifters and a Psion, the two would have no chance. At least that's what he hoped. Deep down, he was feeling paranoid that something was going to go wrong like it did in Stohess.
They can handle it. He told himself constantly. They've got it covered. Now if only he could have more faith in that line of thinking. At least his head was feeling better
"I can't believe we didn't see one," one of the Scouts behind him commented.
He turned his head to address them, surprised. "You really saying there weren't any?"
The Scout nodded. "I know, right? It's unusually quiet out there."
Jean sighed, looking down at the ground. He knew that no matter what happened, Connie, Krista, Ymir, and Sasha would be in the thick of it. "Wonder if they're still alive?"
Nearby, a trio of MPs were gabbing it up, getting restless."What a joke," one of them sneered. "I thought this was supposed to be an emergency."
The second guy chuckled. "Yeah, did we come here to sit on our asses or what?"
The first guy turned to Levi. "Hey, Levi, where are you hiding all the Titans?"
His squad glared at them, ready to give them the tongue-lashing of a lifetime, but fortunately, Levi had it covered.
"Problem?" he asked. "You seem eager to be eaten alive, soldier."
The trio stiffened, nervousness creeping through them.
Humanity's Strongest, however, was just getting started. "Huh. Sorry we couldn't make that happen for you today. Plenty of opportunities outside the Wall if you're looking. Lots of Scouting Expeditions. I'd be more than happy for the help. We can all fight Titans together."
Sweat drops appeared on their faces as they glanced at each other.
"Well, you know, there's our work in the Interior, so-."
"Hey," A Scout rounded the corner, panting heavily. "The advanced squad is back. Go tell Commander Pixis."
Very quickly, the soldiers gathered around as a messenger from Hannes's team, Phil, explained everything that happened to the two commanders.
"I see," Pixis said. "No breach as far as you could tell, correct?"
"That's correct, sir," he confirmed.
"As I thought."
Phil quickly some water before continuing. "But, sir, a situation has developed. You see, we ran into another group on the way back to Trost. It was the Scout Unit led by Section Commander Hanji. There were recruits from the 104th Cadet Corps with them, none of whom had equipment. This may sound crazy, sir, but three of them were Titans!"
That caused a stir in the group, but Jean was the most vocal. "Wait, three? There was another one? But who was it?" Spotting Sasha in the crowd, who rode over to give her statement on the incident to Commander Erwin, he demanded, "Who, damn it?"
Taken off-guard, she fumbled with her canteen nervously. "I, uh, well…"
Erwin stepped in, clasping his hand on his shoulder. "Jean, calm down." He looked down at the soldier. "What happened when their Titan forms were revealed?"
"The Scouts engaged the Armored Titan and the Colossal as well as best they could, sir," Phil answered, still shaking up from the incident. "But by the time our unit arrived on the scene, it was too late." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry."
Even after all our planning, they still got away. Jean thought angrily.
Erwin let out a sigh and began making his next move. "We leave in an hour, ready or not!"
With a scattered "yes, sir," the soldiers went double time to prepare for departure.
(On Wall Rose)
With a sharp gasp, Annie's eyes popped open, practically lunging off the ground. She instantly regretted it as she felt a nasty headache come onto her, forcing her to lie back down with a groan. A quick look at her surroundings indicated that she was lying on top of Wall Rose. To her right, she noticed Hanji and her squad unconscious and covered in burns. Definitely Bertholdt's handiwork. Fortunately, they were being attended to by the other Scouts, Connie, and Historia, the cadets finally ordained in their uniforms again.
The memories of recent events came back to her, prompting a scowl to grace her features. She actually thought she had a chance against the Beast Titan, and she failed miserably. How was she supposed to defeat the most powerful Shifter she knew? Another groan emitted from her as she held her head. Thinking about all this crap made her skull throb.
Having heard the groaning, Nanaba, who was nearby, approached her. "Hey, you're awake."
"For now," Annie replied, trying to ward off the migraine. "How'd I get here?"
"We found you lying unconscious at the base of the Wall," she explained. "You looked like hell. Still do, actually."
"Getting my ass kicked has that effect on me." She glanced at the unconscious Scouts. "You lost, too, didn't you?"
Nanaba sighed, a grim look crossing her features. "Yeah, we did. Reiner and Bertholdt managed to get away, even killed a few of our men, but that's not the worst news."
Annie's eyes widened as she began to realize where this was going, especially when she took notice that some people were missing.
"They took three of our people: Eren Yeager, Ymir, and Dillon Amsdale."
That one statement hit her like a punch to the gut. Within a few seconds, Annie experienced three different feelings at once. First, there was horror because not only was the person she loved kidnapped, but that her former comrades managed to take two Titan Shifters as well. Then came guilt for not bring here when he needed her. And, of course, there was anger, which began overtaking everything else.
Slowly, she began to rise to her feet.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nanaba demanded.
"You're a smart woman," Annie growled. "Figure it out." Before she could take one step, her head swam violently, causing her to fall. Her body needed water.
Quickly, Nanaba caught her before her head could hit the hard ground. "Hold it. You're not ready to go after them."
"I'll be fine," Annie said irritably. "I'm a Titan Shifter. I can heal."
"And yet you haven't," Nanaba pointed out, her tone becoming stern. "Can you honestly say that you'll be good enough to not only rescue three people, but be able to take on two Titan Shifters? In Titan-infested lands? You need to recover first."
She gave her a withering glare, but deep down, she knew the senior officer had a point. If she were to collapse out there, Titans would feed on her, and the Eldians would lose a Titan Shifter for sure. "Fine, but once I'm ready, I'm going after them whether the Scouts are with me or not."
Nanaba gave a nod, handing her a canteen of water. "Commander Erwin should be here soon. We'll be able to get the rescue mission underway by then."
"The sooner, the better." Annie took a gulp of the water, thankful to have drank something after what felt like forever.
As Nanaba went to help the others take care of the wounded Scouts, a groan sounded nearby, catching Annie's attention.
Slowly, Mikasa's silver eyes opened as she stared at the sky. The sun was off to the side, indicating that it was past noon. Eyes widening, she let out a gasp as she sat up, looking around.
That gasp woke up Armin. "Mikasa!"
Without hesitation, she grabbed him by the collar. "Where's Eren? Where did he go?"
"Whoa, calm down," he protested.
Shoving him back, Mikasa clambered over to the edge, looking at the last place she saw Eren. She ignored his comments about aggravating her injuries as she stared at the large crater that contained only a few four-meter Titans. Clenching her fist, she turned to face Armin. "Where. Is. He?"
"Eren, Ymir, and Dillon were all taken," he finally answered sadly. "They're gone. Reiner and Bertholdt abducted them. He fought, but the Armored Titan was too…" He sighed. "That was about five hours ago."
Mikasa stared at him in shock, trying to regain control over her emotions and wrap her head around the terrible situation. "Somebody's gone after them, right? Tell me someone went after them?"
Armin didn't answer for a while, but when he did, it was a quiet, "I'm sorry."
"Why not?" she shouted, getting right in his face.
"We wanted to, but the horses are on the other side of the Wall," he quickly explained.
"We have Annie! Why isn't she chasing after them right now?"
"Because I woke up not too long ago," the Shifter in question answered, deciding to get into the conversation and make her presence known. "I got my ass kicked by the Beast Titan and I barely escaped."
Mikasa responded accordingly via a savage right hook to Annie's face. The Shifter went down hard with the beast of a woman straddling her. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Mikasa accused, punching her again.
Annie didn't hesitate to punch the black-haired girl off. Even now, that felt good.
Mikasa nearly lunged at the Shifter, but Nanaba and Mike grabbed her arms, shoving her to her knees.
"That's enough," Mike said sternly. "You're only making things worse."
Mikasa wasn't in the mood to listen to reason as she struggled to break free. "She planned this. This was her endgame the whole time."
To their surprise, Annie threw her head back and laughed, causing all the Scouts to freeze, their hairs standing up on ends. It was quite similar to the laugh she made in Stohess. "Do you even have the slightest clue how many times I could have crippled you all in the last few days?" she asked once she calmed down. "I could have taken Eren any time I wanted before you all had a chance to blink. Hell, I could just make a partial transformation and kill at least you three." The blood from her nose dripped onto the floor. "All I have to do is focus on a goal."
The Scouts watched with bated breath, waiting for her to make to move that would seal her fate.
Annie simply sighed and regenerated her wounds. "If you don't believe I'm on your side, believe this: they took someone I love, too, and I'm going to make them regret it. You should be smart enough to understand that."
It was a stand-off as the two women stared each other down. Mikasa's glare against Annie's cold expression. Then, Mikasa let out a sigh to calm herself down and gave a single nod.
Seeing that everything settled down Nanaba and Mike released her, the latter addressing the Scouts. "Back to work, everyone."
Slowly, the soldiers went back to doing what they were doing, though the tension was still thick in the air.
Mikasa turned her attention to her red scarf that was neatly folded next to her. She began unraveling it to put it on as she asked Armin, "Why does he do it? Always leave? Always end up somewhere we're not?"
"Yeah, it does seem to happen a lot," Armin agreed. "Ever since we were kids, Eren liked to run off on his own, leave us worried sick. Who knows? That's the sort of person he's always meant to be… maybe."
"I don't want much," Mikasa said softly, her voice on the verge of breaking. "Just to be near him. That's all."
Armin let out a sigh, unsure how he could help Mikasa. She was beginning to shut people out again and there was nothing he could do.
"Good, you're awake," a familiar voice said, relieved.
They looked up to see an old friend: Captain Hannes from the Garrison carrying a few packets of food. He was part of the team sent to investigate the supposed breach in Wall Rose. When the Shifters attacked, he tried to get there in time only to watch them escape. Ever since then, he stuck around to make sure that Armin and Mikasa were going to be all right.
"You must be starving," he noted, handing Mikasa one of the packets. "Here."
Slowly, she took it, but she didn't open it.
"Heads up, Armin." He tossed another one to the blonde boy, who managed to catch it with little trouble. Seeing Annie, he gave her the last one he had.
"No, I'm all right," she assured. "I can get my own."
"So can I, and you need it more than I do," Hannes pointed out.
She stared at the ration for a moment and relented, taking it. "Thank you."
"Of course, kid," he replied with a grin. "Granted, they're field rations, but better than nothing, I guess."
Having a feeling that she was the elephant in the room, Annie began taking her leave. "I'm going to see if the others need help."
Nodding, Hannes watched her leave, shaking his head. "She's not what I expected."
"What did you expect?" Armin wondered, not opening the packet.
"I'm not sure, honestly." He decided to change the subject as he gave them a grin. "This feels familiar, huh? You two have been running damage control for that little hothead since the good old days if I recall correctly. Doesn't seem very fair, but what do I know? Different time, different place, same problem. Not exactly what I'd call a healthy relationship. Am I wrong?"
Armin chuckled, remembering those days. "The neighborhood bullies weren't quite so tall, but I suppose there are similarities."
"Yeah, that's our Eren. Can't hold his own for shit but always looking for a fight. Five guys wanna take him on? He wouldn't think twice about jumping into the fray like an idiot. By the time Mikasa gets there, the MPs show up, and he's beaten all to hell." Hannes let out a sigh, looking in the distance. "But you know, I may not have ever had the privilege of seeing Eren win, but I've never seen the little son of a bitch back down either."
Mikasa and Armin's eyes widened. They never thought of it that way.
He turned back to face the others. "Kid's got fire and his persistence scares the piss out of me sometimes. He gets knocked on his ass, and he gets right back up again. It's in his blood. You think he'd let himself be snatched away without fighting tooth and nail?" He let out a chuckle. "Not a chance. Whatever strength he's got left, he'll use it. What's two guys next to a whole gang? If you can count on anything, Eren will give them hell… at least until you or Mik show up to help."
Mikasa couldn't help but blush a bit at that.
"That's how it's always been, right?" Hannes went on. "Yes, sir. Those good old days were something else. Course if you asked Eren, he'd tell you they were an illusion. Just us kidding ourselves, but I, for one, was never happier than when folks thought of me as a freeloading waste of space. There's not much I wouldn't do to get back how things used to be. Call me sentimental, but I'm willing to fight for it." With a clenched fist, he gave them both a determined look. "He needs us. What do you say we stick with what we know? It ain't the good old days unless the three of you are together."
His determination was contagious as the two felt a renewed sense of strength and purpose. Sure, it was a long shot that Eren would still be there, but that wasn't going to stop either of them. One way or another, they were bringing him home. With that in mind, they unwrapped their rations and began wolfing them down quickly. It had been a long time since their last meal.
Just as they were finished eating, there was a rumbling noise that was getting louder by the second. The soldiers followed the sound and, to their surprise, spotted a large cavalry led by Erwin coming right for them. Among their ranks were lifts so they could safely lower their horses to the other side of the Wall. Not to mention that Jean and Sasha had arrived, bringing the cadets back together at last.
"Quicker than I expected," Annie said, pleasantly surprised by the development.
With a weak groan, Moblit managed to get up into a sitting position, getting a good look at the reinforcements. "Commander Erwin, and… wait, those are MPs!"
"Not all MPs are horrible people," she muttered, echoing Dillon's statement from a long time ago.
Armin shook his head in astonishment. "Never thought they'd ride on top of the Wall."
"Probably the quickest route here," Historia figured.
"For the record, I know you won't, but I'd much rather prefer it if you stayed behind," Armin said.
She gave the answer he expected. "No. Not happening. Nice try, though. As long as Ymir's in danger, nothing will keep me here. Sorry, but that's just how it is."
"Don't throw all your survival instincts out the window when you find her," Annie warned. "Not gonna be much of a happy reunion if you're dead."
"Whatever the case may be, we're in this together," Connie pointed out, crossing his arms. "Not a chance in hell I'm gonna let those two get away with our friends."
Once Erwin dismounted, Moblit greeted him immediately. "It's good to see you, Commander. I'm glad you're here."
"Is the situation still the same?" he questioned.
"Yes, sir."
"Good." Erwin turned and shouted, "Deploy the lifts!"
Suddenly, a hand fastened around Moblit's leg. He nearly jumped but became exasperated when he saw who it was. "Hanji!"
"Don't just stand there," she said weakly. "Get me a map."
Quickly, the Scouts set up the lifts and began lowering the horses down into Wall Maria territory. The nearby Titans were taken care of courtesy of the pair of senior officers and Mike, so there was no need to be too concerned. The rest of the regiment gathered around Hanji as she looked over the map, figuring out where the Shifters could have run off to. Essentially, Annie would either confirm or correct her suspicions.
"It's a gamble, but the trees in this forest are massive," Hanji explained, pointing to it. "I say we ride straight for it. See, even if they had a way to cover up the Armored Titan's footprints, this is almost definitely where would find them."
"If I was in their position and I couldn't get away fast enough, I would do the same thing," Annie agreed once the commander fixed his eyes on her. "The branches would easily be out of the Titans' reach. Perfect for recuperating and keeping Eren in check."
"How much time do you predict we'll have before they attempt to reach Wall Maria?" Erwin asked, all eyes on the Shifter.
"At least until sundown," she answered. "It all depends on when Reiner decides to move. He won't risk giving Eren or the others a chance to strike back."
"Then that is the plan." Erwin stood up, facing his soldiers. "There is only one purpose to this mission: retrieve Eren Yeager and the others at all costs and make it back to Wall Rose! If we perish along the way, so be it, but nothing could be more important than the people the Shifters have taken Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then mount up and be ready to ride out!" He stared directly at Annie. "Choose wisely when to assume Titan form. You are the key to this."
"I will, Commander," Annie assured. Dillon, if you can hear me, I'm coming for you.
(Forest of Giant Trees)
As unconsciousness began to ebb away, Eren weakly opened his eyes. His body felt beaten and numb, but at least he was alive. The marks on his face were far more severe than they usually were. Given that he was forcibly removed from the Titan, that was to be expected. As he sat up, he noticed he was sitting on a thick branch high above the ground, revealing that he was in a Forest with Giant Trees.
"You're awake," the last person he ever wanted to hear spoke. "Welcome back."
Slowly, he faced the traitorous Shifters, both were wearing ODM gear. Bertholdt took it from the soldier he killed and Reiner took Eren's gear. They were staring down at him as if waiting for him to attempt an escape, something that he was considering. Near Bertholdt was a human-sized figure wrapped up in a Scout cloak, but he couldn't figure out who it was.
Suddenly, Eren began feeling something very wrong with his hands. He couldn't move his fingers. Frantically, he unwrapped his arms from what was left of his cloak and once they were free, he was met with the sight of stumps as steam billowed out from them.
"What the hell?" he shouted, horrified. "My arms!"
"Eren," a familiar voice said. "I'm not in any better shape here."
To his right was Ymir, looking more disgruntled than anything. The wounds in her abdomen were healed, but her leg and arm weren't.
"We're all having a shit day," she muttered.
"Ymir, what did they… what did they do to me?"
"Sorry, that was… that was my fault," Reiner admitted, almost sheepishly. "You can pin your injuries on me. Guess I was in kind of a hurry back there. Bit your nape without thinking about your arms."
"That right?" Eren asked in a low tone. "So, we lost."
"I know what you're thinking, and unless you want his blood on your hands, I wouldn't try anything," Reiner warned.
"Whose blood?" he asked.
"Show him, Bertholdt."
Nodding, the tall boy unwrapped the Scout cloak from the unknown person, revealing that it was a knocked-out Dillon. His arms and legs were bound by cables, giving him no opportunities for him to escape.
Eren's eyes widened in horror. "Why the hell did you bring him? He has nothing to do with this."
"To keep you in check, for one thing," Reiner answered. "For another, we have some questions that need answering."
"That's not the only thing these bastards have over our heads right now," Ymir pointed out once she got closer to Eren. "There are some hungry-looking Titans below us, so even if you throw Dillon's life away in a piss-poor attempt of escaping, you'll get us both killed, too."
"She's right," Reiner confirmed. "Not to mention your body is too concerned with healing itself, so you won't be able to transform. You don't have any options, Eren."
Eren glared at him, imagining all the ways he could rip those two apart, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He was reckless and hot-headed, but he wasn't about to risk Dillon getting killed.
Seeing that he wasn't going to do something stupid, Ymir said, "Hey, Reiner, you said you'd start talking once Eren was up. Don't you think it's about time somebody explains what you plan on doing with us?"
Bertholdt gave a pointed look to Eren. "Why don't you start talking, Eren? I'm sure you've been informed, as of late." There was an edge to his voice now. "It's the only way you could've known about us so soon."
"I know about Marley," Eren admitted. "I know that humanity isn't going extinct. I know that the Marleyans want us Eldians dead because of what happened nearly a century ago and they use Titan Shifters to do their dirty work. I could keep going, but I think you get the picture."
"Damn. Seems like Annie's been quite the talkative girl," Ymir commented. "That must really cut you two, doesn't it?"
Reiner glared at her, but he didn't rise to the bait. "Since you're so well-informed, Eren, you can answer any questions Ymir has. We have a bastard to deal with."
Timed perfectly, there was a soft groan that came from Dillon.
Bertholdt clenched his fist as his eyes narrowed. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"Keep him alive," Reiner instructed, grappling up to the same branch. "Try not to break his jaw."
"What are they interrogating him for?" Eren asked, confused and worried.
"Considering that Dillon's the main reason they got screwed over, they have a few grievances they want to vent out," Ymir replied. "I don't envy him."
Once Dillon was fully awake, Bertholdt socked him in the jaw.
"Hey, knock it off," Reiner ordered, pulling his friend back by the arm. "You're better than that."
Dillon spat out blood, glaring at the two. "Not even ten seconds and you're already spewing shit, Reiner. You two still have more killing to do today?"
Bertholdt flinched and looked away. "Don't talk like you know." It was the harshest he'd ever spoken to Dillon.
"I know more than you think," the blacksmith said, sounding surprisingly sympathetic, even if it was just a bit. "Annie told me."
"We know." Reiner stood firm compared to Bertholdt, though he was rigid with discomfort. "When did she change sides?"
"Less than a week ago in Stohess," Dillon answered. "I showed her that things didn't have to end in destruction and death like they've always been."
"What did you do to her?" Bertholdt's voice broke a little as he asked. He looked pained at the idea, his mind obviously conjuring images of inner-wall justice, such as it was. He knew what they did to base criminals. Someone like Annie would be treated even worse.
"I kissed her."
Bertholdt's eyes widened, recoiling from the answer. "What?"
"She was a Titan at the time, too," Dillon added with a slight chuckle. "We were having a moment."
Reiner looked like he was battling between being angry or impressed.
Of course, Ymir took the cake when she started laughing. "Wait, wait, wait. You made out with a Titan in front of everyone and I missed it? Dillon, I can't tell if you're one hell of a stud or the most desperate human in existence."
"It's Annie, remember?" Dillon pointed out, amused.
She pondered the options for a moment. "Stud."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Eren demanded mentally. "Don't you have any idea who these bastards are?"
"I'm stalling, Eren," Dillon explained. "Once I recover enough, Annie will find us. Just be yourself."
"Is this a joke to you?" Bertholdt demanded, getting right in his face. The levity was severed completely. "How long have they been torturing her? Answer me!"
"She's not being tortured," Eren confessed with a glare. "She deserves it like you two murderers do, but that's not happening."
"Is that really why you tried to kill me in Trost?" Dillon asked with narrowed eyes. "Because I have a relationship with Annie and you don't?"
"I was trying to save her from you, from your poisonous influence," Bertholdt growled.
"You want to talk about poison?" Eren demanded, eyes blazing with barely-contained fury. "You have no right, cowards."
"That'll show 'em," Ymir drawled.
Dillon glanced over at Reiner. "You've been awfully quiet."
Reiner's blue eyes fixed him. "And you put on a show." Reiner sighed. "You always did try to be a smartass when you were cornered. I admired that a little. It annoyed me, too."
"And you were the guy everyone wanted to be," Dillon replied somberly. "The big brother we could count on. I don't how you guys could do it. Pretend to be good people when you were just waiting to kill us all."
"That's not what we want," Reiner protested, looking more vulnerable now than ever. "Bertholdt and I? We just want to…." He couldn't even complete the statement.
"Save your families from the Marleyans?" Dillon finished. "They're holding them over your heads. I know."
Reiner sighed, and his hand formed a fist on his knee.
Bertholdt, however, grasped Dillon by the shoulder. "Do you think we wanted this? Never. We never… we're victims too. I never wanted to kill anyone." It was as though his anger dissipated for but a moment, giving way to a deep-seated need several years in the making. "You understand that, right?"
Eren, don't! Dillon could feel the Shifter nearly explode from those statements. "I was forced to make a choice like that, too. Sacrifice Annie, the Scouts, and my mother to be with my father, or sacrifice my father for the sake of everyone else. Long story." He stared at the branch he sat on. "I betrayed my father, and he tried to kill me, so... I stabbed him in the chest."
The two Shifters looked shocked at the confession. They couldn't believe Dillon would be capable of something like that.
"I had a choice between my family and doing the right thing. I chose the latter and I paid for it." Despite his eyes watering, Dillon remained composed. "You two have so much blood on your hands, but it can stop right now. Don't let the Marleyans keep controlling you. Break the chains. Be who you want to be."
The two glanced at each other, seemingly considering it. Bertholdt looked hopeful at the prospect, but then his face fell. "You know it's not that—"
"Enough," Reiner said, his voice steadier than it had been. "I'm the one who can give you a chance, Dillon. Tell us everything we need to know, and we might be able to work something out. But we're not going back to the Walls to be at the mercy of torturers who stand behind a false King. Too much is on the line."
"Is this some kind of joke?" Eren could no longer remain silent. He started of quiet. "Where do you two get off pretending to be the victim? How dare you? You sat there and looked me straight in the eye, watched me relive seeing my mother get eaten alive. Well, it just so happens that the chunk of Wall you took off landed on our house. It's what kept her from being able to run away. Ring any bells, Bertholdt? I'm talking to you, you damn coward. What was going through your head when I told you what happened to my mother?"
Bertholdt looked away, the guilt so evident. "Want me to be honest? In the moment, I felt sorry for you."
A tension-filled silence filled the air. Even the Titans below seemed to quiet down.
'"Sorry for me?'" Eren repeated, shaking. "You disgusting parasites. You're not warriors or soldiers. You're murderers. Psychotic mass murderers who snuffed out the lives of innocent people who never did anything wrong to you."
"Don't you think I'm aware of that fact?" Reiner shot back. "I don't need you shoving it down my throat!"
"And Marco didn't need to be murdered by the people he trusted with his life," Dillon interjected harshly, all sympathy vanishing from his face.
Reiner froze as his eyes landed on the Psion. "Shut up."
"Tell me, Reiner, how many minutes did he spend begging for someone to help him?" he went on.
"I said, shut up."
"Did you stay behind to watch your handiwork at play? It must've been so satisfying to watch his flesh being ripped off him piece by—"
Reiner lunged at Dillon and grabbed him by the throat. "Shut the fuck up!" he yelled. "You hear me, you self-righteous prick?"
Dillon grinned manically at him. He was nearly unrecognizable from just a few moments ago. "Come on, tough guy. Do it! 250,000 people on your record. What's one more? Or are you gonna feed me to the Titans like a spineless, dickless whiner? More your style."
The blonde started to squeeze his neck. "Stop. Talking!"
Dillon was gagging, but he still was able to speak, though it was much more strained and high-pitched. "That's right. Just a little longer."
It seemed like Reiner was gonna choke him out given that Dillon was starting to slump over. However, he released him, pulling his hand away as if he was burned.
The blacksmith let out a few, harsh coughs, but it quickly turned to chuckling. "Oh, that's right. You kill me, and you're dead for sure. You know how Annie doesn't like anyone messing with her stuff. Now that you've kidnapped me…" He tsked, patronizing them. "She's coming. I wonder how she'll do it. A limb there, some lungs there, and two Shifters lying on the ground as she commences an autopsy while you're still alive." Seeing them put on edge gave Dillon a sick sense of satisfaction. "You can't escape from her. She's a predator, and you're the prey. You wanna live? Give up while you have the chance."
His words had the opposite reaction as Reiner's resolve was strengthened. "Nice try, Dillon, but it's not gonna happen."
"Then it's settled." An unsettling grin appeared on Eren's face. "I don't care how long it takes. I'm going to make you pay for what you've done. And it's gonna hurt."
The Shifters looked properly rattled by those remarks as they moved away to talk quietly.
"You two idiots keep this up, I'm gonna take my chances with the Titans," Ymir warned, looking more than a little unnerved. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you two?"
Dillon's eyes flashed, establishing a mental link with Ymir. "Eren, Ymir, can you hear me?"
Ymir flinched at hearing his voice in her head, but fortunately, no one took notice of it. "Wait, what? Dillon?" She whipped her head in his direction.
"The one and only," he answered with a much more pleasant, but irritating, smirk..
She stared with wide eyes. "How is this possible?"
"You'll get the whole story another time, but right now, we have to focus on escaping."
"Seems to me like you were focusing on riling them up," Eren pointed out. "Kinda freaked me out there."
"Did I?" The mental chuckle coming from him did not help matters. "The adrenaline rush boosted my energy. By now, Annie should be able to find us. In the meantime, let's figure a way out of this mess."
"Well, you could always try seducing Reiner," Ymir suggested. "He's into guys, and you are incredibly handsome."
Dillon gave her a deadpan expression. "Ignoring how vomit-inducing the mere thought of me flirting with that bastard is, I think I'll stick with waiting for the right moment to knock these two off the branch into the loving arms of the Titans below."
Ymir tilted her head at him, concerned. "Uh, last I checked, you weren't the bloodthirsty type." She couldn't find it in herself to be snarky at that moment.
"Works for me," Eren said.
Ymir rolled her eyes. "I would never have guessed." And her snarkiness came back with a vengeance. "Well, as long as I don't get to be the one to tell Annie her boyfriend died like an idiot, I don't care what happens."
Dillon snorted. "You have the heart of an angel, Ymir."
"But in all seriousness, Dillon, get some damn survival instincts before you get us all killed." Wiping the sweat off her forehead due to the constant steam from her wounds, she asked, "Hey, Reiner, got any water? Help a girl out. I'm dying over here."
"Sorry, there's not a hell of a lot I can do," he answered. "Even if it is a matter of life and death."
Ymir sighed. "That's comforting. Well, at least now we know where we stand. Sort of."
"Actually, Bertholdt and I were talking," Reiner went on. "Ymir, there's no future for this world and you know it. You have a solid grasp of things. What do you think comes next? Joining our side wouldn't be out of the question if you were so inclined."
Dillon gave him a deadly glare. He should have known Reiner would pull that stunt.
"And put my faith in you guys?" Ymir asked. "That's rich. Neither of you trust me as far as you can throw me."
"Come on. That isn't true," Reiner protested. "We know what you really want. All you care about is protecting Krista."
Ymir was taken aback by that statement.
"If we can all agree on that, I don't see the conflict. I'm being absolutely serious. Is it so hard to believe we want what's best for her, too?"
"Considering that you two have been destroying everything and everyone she loves, yes!" Dillon shot back.
"Dillon, for the love of God, shut up," Ymir said, annoyed.
Reiner crossed his arms. "Then again, you can always put your trust in Eren and Dillon. See where that leads you."
"Don't you dare, Ymir," Eren growled mentally.
"You're probably leaning towards escape," Reiner continued. "Better to take a chance with them than throw in with us, right? Because if we end up taking you, there's not much hope to being rescued. I'll be straight with you: that much is true. Even if you came willingly, we're not in a position to guarantee your safety, but if it's Krista we're talking about, we might be able to do something."
"Like what? Invite her to brunch with all your Titan friends?" Ymir spat. "Reiner, how stupid do you think I am?"
"Incredibly stupid if you let her stay here," he answered without missing a beat. "Remember the 57th Expedition? How many soldiers did Erwin throw away on the off-chance he could capture Annie? One of them could've been Krista. She could've been ripped to shreds by a mindless Titan or a bloodstain on Annie's foot."
Ymir let out a gasp, but she glared daggers at Reiner. "And you seriously think I can trust you over Erwin?"
"Erwin doesn't give a damn about her, Ymir. His agenda is the only thing that matters. Eren, Dillon, Levi, Mikasa? They're all just a bunch of tools in his belt. No one else is that lucky. It's your call. What's it gonna be? Is it Krista's future, or your own petty existence?"
"Don't even consider it, Ymir," Dillon warned. "They're working an angle."
Ymir was seething with rage, but she managed to calm herself down. "You trust me that little? I'm hurt, Dillon. Just keep your head down and don't do anything stupid."
There was something off that he could detect in her tone, but there was nothing he could about it. If she was telling the truth, then this would be over soon. If not, then things were going to get complicated very fast. He kept his next thought away from her. Am I going to have to kill you, too, Ymir?
Remastered Edits: A little bit more this time. The entire beginning scene with Pixis and Erwin was, in the end, unneeded. It didn't really add anything to the story except for words. I added some conflict between Mikasa and Annie for obvious reasons. It was only a matter of time before they came to blows.
The biggest change, however, was the scene in the trees. A lot of my readers pointed out in the old version how Bertholdt and Reiner beating up Dillon was out of character, so I toned it down a lot while adding some character depth with our two antagonists. Now, I know some of you will ask why I cut out Reiner's split personality scene. Two reasons for that: there wasn't a clean way to incorporate that moment into the script and, most importantly, Isayama never really went anywhere with that in the future. The next two chapters are going to be largely unedited, but after that, we finally get to move forward.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, and I will see you all in the next one.
