Chapter 61: Midnight Ambush
Tense didn't even begin to describe how Dimo felt being in the same wagon as the MPs. With a simple pull of the trigger, he could be fertilizing the ground in a moment's notice. It didn't help that the sunken eyes of the corporal in charge were on him and his son as if anticipating their betrayal. Luring him out was the easy part. Surviving what happened next would be a greater challenge.
"Quit staring like that!" Flegal Reeves demanded, goosebumps covering his skin. "It's creepy."
Dimo resisted the urge to smack his idiotic son on the back of his head. If they died here, it would be his fault.
"You seem to be on edge, Flegal," the corporal pointed out simply. "I'd like to know why."
He scoffed at that. "Oh, no reason. We're just going up against Humanity's Strongest Soldier and his contingent of Scouts. Simple as that, right?"
"That's enough out of you, Flegal," Dimo scolded, hiding how impressed he was. If they couldn't pull off a good poker face, using the tension to their advantage was the next-best thing. "Forgive him, Corporal Sannes. He hasn't been through a lot of combat."
"Someone as fat as he is, I'm not surprised," the only other MP with them taunted.
"Ralph," Sannes said in a warning tone before addressing the merchants. "I understand your concerns. Captain Levi is not one to be trifled with, but he is arrogant. He won't expect us using the ODM gear to our advantage." A snort escaped his nostrils. "He thinks he's superior because he's a Scout? The fools have no idea."
"Just remember the plan before you wet yourselves," Ralph ordered. "Hand us over, and duck. Simple as that."
"Of course." Eight Interior MPs followed closely in the forest. They were all armed with ODM gear, of course, but the equipment wasn't known for being silent. Once they got close enough to the Scouts, then they could use their gear in an ambush that would catch them off guard.
"Captain Levi will probably expect me to double cross him," Dimo pointed out. "To be honest, you should have brought the entire regiment with you."
Sannes gave a slight chuckle. "If he has no countermeasures in preparation for that, he deserves to have his innards strung up before he dies."
"Plenty of knives can do that job right," Ralph added.
At long last, the wagon came to a stop just outside the village. The two merchants glanced at each other, silently praying that they would make it out alive from this. The MPs, on the other hand, hit each other's faces with the butt end of their pistol before during the same to the back of their heads.
"What are you doing?" Flegal questioned, aghast by their actions.
Wiping the blood from his bleeding nose off, Ralph smirked. "Gotta make it look convincing, numbnuts. This why we work for the King, and you two are merchants. Someone has to do the thinking around here."
Sannes tossed the two a pair of shackles. "Here. They've been outfitted to break easily. Cuff us from behind, and use our guns to force us towards the Scouts. They are loaded, so try not to blow our heads off by mistake."
"I know how to handle a gun, Corporal," Dimo responded with a bit of an edge to his tone.
Once the MPs were "properly" shackled, they were forced outside with Dimo taking Sannes while Flegal, to his annoyance, handled Ralph. The trees only allowed for small specks of moonlight to shine through, forcing the people to rely on torches to see in the night. Only Levi and Mikasa were waiting for them, both armed with their ODM gear.
"Just as you requested, Captain," Dimo announced. "Two high-ranking MPs from the Interior Squad. I believe this clears any debts I have towards you."
"Hardly," Levi sneered before gesturing to Mikasa. "Cut the tendons in their legs. Make them crawl."
Flegal flinched in horror. "W-What!? But we-!"
"The MPs' legs, you idiot," the captain elaborated with a roll of his eyes. "I want to see blood, not butter."
The two "prisoners" quickly made their move by simultaneously smashing the backs of their heads against their captors' faces. When the merchants recoiled, the shackles were easily broken off. The MPs snatched back their weapons and forced both father and son to the ground, pressing the barrel of the guns to their heads. Mikasa and Levi only managed to reach halfway before they slid to a halt.
"Did you really think we wouldn't expect a trap laid out for us, Captain Levi?" Sannes asked with disappointment distorting his features.
"Wait, don't kill us!" Flegal begged.
"Quiet, boy," Dimo ordered.
"That all depends on the illustrious captain," Ralph said cruelly.
"I didn't expect you to be as stupid as look," Levi stated, crossing his arms. "Put the guns down before things get worse."
"You're not in a position to make demands," the corporal pointed out. "It's clear that you need Dimo and his son. If we kill them, you lose valuable allies."
The captain didn't even hesitate to respond. "Kill them if you want. You'd be doing us a favor, actually."
Mikasa's eyes widened. "What? But Captain-!"
A simple glare from him shut her up.
Sannes scoffed at that. "You think I'm bluffing? You must not remember how far we're willing to go to protect the kingdom."
"I know that you're not bluffing. I just don't care," he elaborated simply. "You're right that they would make valuable allies if they leave, but if the MPs execute the head of the Reeves Company, the same company that's been doing so much good for the people of Trost, and his son, how do you think the civilians are going to react?"
"If the government says the Scouts are responsible for their deaths, then that will be the truth," Sannes shot back angrily, pressing the barrel harder against Dimo's head. "The odds are not in your favor, Levi. Surrender!"
"I already gave you my answer. I'm just waiting for you to have the spine to back up what you claim."
Before Sannes could reply with words or actions, gunfire sounded off in the distance.
"What the hell is going on?" Ralph questioned, concerned.
About fucking time. "Apparently, there are eight soldiers that were preparing an ambush. They're being killed as we speak," Levi responded.
"Impossible," Sannes growled, shaking slightly. "There's no way you could have known. I've been watching these two the whole time!"
"Mind link, dumbass." Levi tapped his head for good measure. "And here I thought you would actually read the reports on Amsdale's abilities. I would fix that."
The corporal clenched his teeth as his finger rested on the trigger. This wasn't supposed to happen. The Military Police had the upper hand. "Don't test me, Levi. I still have these hostages, so you're going to do what I tell you!"
"Sorry, Corporal. I don't take orders from you."
His shaking intensified, threatening an accidental firing if he got worse. There had to be a way to salvage this situation, but nothing came to mind. Well… almost nothing. He shoved Dimo into the ground and placed the barrel against his own head. "Long live the King!" he shouted.
Suddenly, a hand pulled his arm back and locked it behind him. Sannes cried out in pain as he was forced to his knees. Ralph tried to shoot the interloper only for a large stick to smash against his head from another Scout.
"Where the hell have you been?" Levi asked immediately, approaching them.
"Well, there was a lot of information to tell Erwin," Hanji answered, struggling to keep Sannes pinned. "Hold still already!"
"I've got this bastard," Moblit assured, hoisting a dazed Ralph to his feet.
"The prison here is vacant for the night. Throw them in their cells." Levi had many plans for these two. One way or the other, the truth would come out. He hoped that they would make things difficult. It would give him time to take things slowly. Very slowly.
(A few minutes earlier)
Waiting was always the hardest part for a hunter. The time that passed could last for a few minutes or a few hours. While it gave Sasha the great skill of patience, it didn't make things easier. It also didn't help that her prey was armed to the teeth and ready to fire back once things escalated. Her ears had picked up several pairs of footsteps approaching, prompting her to take cover in the trees. Bushes were always too noisy. A vantage point is exactly what she needed.
The thin rays of the night picked out four MPs with that modified ODM gear she had seen before. Useless against Titans, but very effective against people. The way their skills were displayed made her wonder how long they had been preparing for going up against the Scout Regiment. How many years? But the questions didn't matter tonight. Survival was what she would be shooting for.
Taking a deep breath, Sasha drew back her arrow. This would be the first time she had ever taken a human life. Sure, she had a couple of Titans kills under her belt, and she now knew the truth about them. Still, there was a difference between fighting one-instinct predators who could not reason or be talked down and fighting… unchanged humans. Whatever her feelings concerning this were irrelevant. For the sake of her friends, her family, her village, and her survival, she would take lives.
On her exhale, she let the arrow fly. It pierced the neck of the woman in front, downing her immediately. She gagged on her blood and choked now that the airways were blocked. There was nothing her subordinates could do to help her as she began to die. The only recourse was retaliation. They opened fire into the trees, prompting Sasha to run. A round broke the branch she was on, causing her to plummet to the ground. It wasn't very high up, but the fall still hurt.
"Come on!" one of the MPs shouted as he frantically reloaded his guns along with the others.
Those seconds cost them, for Annie appeared from a tree behind the trio armed with her falcata. She swung at the MP closest to her, going for a quick beheading. Unfortunately, the weapon was not sharp enough, and it only reached the halfway point. He would die eventually, but now, she was missing a weapon, and the remaining two MPs had their reloaded weapons aimed right at her.
"It's the Titan Bitch!" the male MP exclaimed, opening fire.
Annie dove into the bushes and narrowly avoided getting her head blown off. The same couldn't be said for a chunk of her side. She gritted her teeth in pain and concentrated on healing. It wasn't too debilitating, but it would slow her down a bit. The rustling of grass caught the female MPs attention and turned to see Sasha lining up another shot. She moved just as the arrow was released, allowing it to impale another tree inside. She responded by firing two shots as the hunter took cover.
"Take care of the blonde," the woman ordered. "The hunter's mine."
The male rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Oh, sure. Leave me with a fucking Titan."
Before the MP had a chance to reload, Annie lunged out of the bushes and tackled him to the ground. Her healing was concentrated on her side, but that didn't mean she couldn't strike her opponent with a few good hits along the way. The man tossed her aside and rolled to his feet just as she got to his. He knew that there was no time for him to load his weapons, so he let them dangle. Annie raised an eyebrow, but she got into a fighter's stance all the same. Her eyes glanced over to see that his partner was preoccupied. At least there would be no interference… for the moment.
To her surprise, the MP launched a high kick that she was forced to back away from. Already, the Shifter could see the man had combat training. His rapid punches came quick, forcing Annie on the defensive. One thrust, however, gave her the opportunity to duck and do a spin kick. The MP fell on his back, but he hopped back to his feet in less than two seconds. Annie didn't have time to react as a spinning back-kick sent her crashing to the ground. He was good and quick, two things that he did better than her.
Wait, what the hell was she thinking? The man took her off guard. She was trained to be the ultimate warrior to kill her enemies. Her entire built was built to be a weapon. This asshole catches her off-guard, and she's ready to throw in the match? Fuck that shit!
"Not so tough without your Titan form, are you?" the MP taunted.
Normally, Annie didn't talk in the heat of battle. It was far too distracting. This time, she made an exception. "I was expecting a fight, not a hopeless virgin stroking himself."
Given the snarl that hit his face hard, she was right on the nose with that remark. He lunged at her, his fists flying at her fast. The second he shot wide, Annie spun and smashed her foot right into the side of his head via a spinning kick. He was dazed, but he didn't fall. He went for a kick, but she struck his shin with her fist. The way he shook his leg made it clear he was injured. Now, he would get slower. The second that thought crossed her mind, she was grabbed by the collar and his knee impacted her gut. Blood and bile rose into her mouth, but it was worth it. He finally made his worst mistake. With his right hand holding her collar, he couldn't block the boot knife she whipped out. She plunged it into the side of his skull, pushing it in for good measure. The MP froze and his grip relaxed, releasing her. Blood poured from his eyes thanks to the wound before he fell to the ground, lifeless. Now, she could worry about her friend.
Sasha knew that going up against a double-wielding, pistol-carrying soldier was a bad idea. One wrong move, and there would be a large hole somewhere on her body. She considered priming up another arrow, but there was no time. The MP was coming fast. That being said, her bow still one thing her guns failed to match: reach.
The second an inch of the MP passed the tree, Sasha swung her bow as hard as she could. She staggered back and accidentally fired the gun in her left hand. One down, one to go. Sasha refused to give her a chance to prepare another shot, closing the distance. The MP was ready this time, delivering a roundhouse kick that knocked the bow to the ground. Sasha grabbed her right wrist and began to wrestle for the weapon. She didn't need the gun; all she needed was the gun to go off. The woman growled and pushed, forcing the hunter against a tree. Frantically, Sasha pushed the arm to the side and pulled the trigger. The round deafened their ears briefly, but once again, the shot failed to hit anything useful.
Sasha took the advantage to launch a couple of haymakers that hit the woman's face. Hand-to-hand combat was far from her specialty, but she hoped her opponent had the same issue. A hard punch impacted her face, dashing her hopes in an instant. A foot smashed into Sasha's gut, almost knocking the wind out of her, but it forced her to slump against a tree. Her quiver was almost dislodged and a few arrows fell to the ground.
"I'll make this quick," the MP assured as she brandished a serrated knife.
Sasha felt like her ribs were about to break from that attack and her vision was blurry from the bruise forming over her eye, but she had to move. She grabbed one of the fallen arrows and plunged it deep into the woman's foot. Her opponent cried out in pain and fury as she tried to grab the hunter. Sasha ducked, grabbing a second arrow that she impaled into her thigh. Properly enraged, the MP smacked one of the pistols against Sasha's skull, downing her. For good measure, she kicked the bow away in case she got any ideas.
"Damn brat!" she growled, grabbing her by the hair.
Sasha's head felt like it was caving in on her, and she was ready to pass out. She knew the second she did that, she would never wake up again. She had to fight back. She had to do something.
Fortunately, she didn't have to as the front of the woman's face exploded, dripping blood, pieces of flesh, and brain matter onto the hunter. She wanted to vomit from that, but the concussion made it impossible to do so. At least the MP was dead despite the disgusting results.
Dropping the borrowed gun, Annie ran to her. "Sasha, hold still. I need to see the extent of your injuries."
"I knew there was a heart in there," the hunter teased faintly.
The Shifter rolled her eyes, examining the state of her wounds. "You took some hard hits, but they don't look fatal." She sent a mental message to Jean, Connie, and Armin about Sasha needing medical assistance. "Stay here. The others are on their way. I need to help Dillon."
Sasha grabbed her sleeve before she could leave. "Don't go. There might be more MPs out here."
"Dimo said there were only eight. You'll be fine. Besides, Dillon can't handle four soldiers on his own," she pointed out, tugging her arm free.
"Could be wrong," the hunter shot back weakly. "Please… don't leave me alone."
Annie gritted her teeth, contemplating her options. On one hand, Sasha could be right and there were more MPs preparing for another ambush. On the other hand, she'd be leaving Dillon to deal with four people alone. The odds of him defeating them all were slim at best. Then again, his powers had gotten stronger lately. He was able to stop her foot from crushing Carolyn.
Whether it was an effort to trust in her boyfriend or going against her instincts, Annie made her choice. "Two minutes. Then I'm leaving." She could only hope her decision didn't just kill him.
The second squad of MPs weren't fond of the tactics being employed. They knew as well as anyone the Scouts had the advantage when it came to skills with ODM gear. Going into the forest was giving them the advantage. A surprise attack could only last for so long before the Scouts rallied and struck back. Not to mention that Dauper's loyalty was up in the air. They could be against them, too. Still, orders were orders. Questioning them would only lead to a swift execution. Unfortunately, all four had the same mindset: this whole thing felt like they were walking to their demise.
Suddenly, the guns they carried were yanked out of their hands abruptly, scratching a few that clung on too tight. They froze at the sight of their own weapons hovering in front of them. None of them dared to move a muscle, even to raise their hands in surrender. The fear drove them to absolute silence.
"Did you idiots not see this coming?"
Approaching them from the darkness of the forest was a pair of glowing, silver eyes. Like a wolf slowly stalking its prey, the figure drew closer. The quartet of MPs tried not to show weakness despite their hearts trying to make their escape.
"It would be so easy to just squeeze all eight triggers. I probably should and save myself the trouble. Problem is that won't give me what I need." With a simple wave from both his hands, the guns snapped from the gear and flew into the forest. No one would be shooting him tonight. With a satisfied smirk, Dillon finally stepped into the moonlight so the four could see him. He flexed his fingers, preparing them for what was to come. "I've faced a lot of people, and I gotta tell you: there's nothing like the sensation of my fist hitting someone. Nothing comes close." He stepped into his fighter's stance as he closed with, "Please don't run away. I need this."
The Psion held the advantage. They all knew that. If they fought him, the MPs could only hope to get lucky and score a fatal blow. However, running away, even though that was the first instinct, made it clear they would be dead anyways. So, it came down to a choice: die a coward, or die a soldier?
One of the MPs cracked and turned tail with a frightened yelp. He didn't get far when a boot knife plunged into the back of his skull, killing him instantly.
"I warned him," Dillon said without a hint of remorse. "Just like I warned all of you."
With nothing left to lose and barely a chance to gain anything, the three charged at the Psion with a war cry.
Dillon sidestepped the first punch that was thrown at him and launched a quick jab into the MP behind the assailant. Of course, said assailant wasn't forgotten as the blacksmith slammed his elbow into the man's face. The third MP tackled him against a tree and delivered a harsh right cross to his face. Blood flew out of Dillon's mouth, but he was still able to retaliate. He smacked his palm against the man's nose and then kicked him back. The first two were on the Psion right after that, throwing punches and kicks that forced Dillon back. His arms were covered in bruises from the rapid blocking he was pulling off, so he decided to make things a little easier for himself.
His eyes glowed once more and he launched a kick into one of the MP's legs. There was a snapping sound, and the man went down, howling with pain. The other man tried to go at him with a knife, but Dillon caught his wrist easily. His silver eyes became brighter as he began to fracture the bones in the MP's wrist until he finally dropped the knife. He caught it with his other hand and slashed open his throat. He didn't wait a second before he threw it into the skull of the MP with the broken leg.
Two down. One left.
The last MP was frozen against the tree, his fear paralyzing him to the spot. It didn't matter to Dillon as he stalked towards him. He didn't need weapons to kill him. His powers, if used the right way, would do just fine. Despite the blood pouring down from his nose and the throbbing in his head, Dillon refused to let up on his abilities. He was going to be in control, and nothing was going to stop him.
"Please, don't kill me!" the man begged with tears streaming down his face. "Please!"
Those words stopped Dillon dead in his tracks. He wasn't in the forests of Dauper anymore. He was in a village listening to words similar to what he had just heard. Then, there was spinning… spinning… spinning...
A piercing pain in his abdomen snapped him out of his memories. The asshole decided now was the best time to try and gut him. Eyes blazing with fury, Dillon knocked the man back and yanked out the knife as fast as he could. The MP stood no chance as he stabbed him straight through the chest. For good measure, with a burst of energy, the knife was forced much deeper until it impaled the tree. The man couldn't reach the hilt, so he gagged on his own blood unable to move from being pinned.
Panting heavily, Dillon stumbled away as a severe wave of dizziness overtook him. "Damn it," he swore, trying to catch his breath and his balance.
"Dillon, are you alright?" Annie asked, worried for him. Clearly, she felt something was up.
"I'm fine," he answered with a grunt as he pressed his hand over the wound. "Just a slight… stab wound."
"A slight stab-? How can you possibly call-!?" She cut herself off before she could go into a rant. "You know what? Just get your ass back to the village. We'll talk later."
"Fine by me." Dillon was satisfied how short the conversation lasted. Blocking his emotions from passing through the mind link paid off. It gave him time to be alone… or so he thought.
"You've gotten stronger, Dillon," that familiar voice in his head, "though there seems to be some drawbacks to your tactics."
"I'm not in the mood to chat, Ymir," he muttered, putting more pressure on the injury to keep the blood from flowing out. "Why the hell are you even talking to me now, of all times?"
"Because I have some concerns about you." Her tone betrayed the worry she felt. "Do you feel any better after all of that?"
He stared at all four bodies that he created. "It was… supposed to," he said quietly.
"But it didn't, did it? I can sense your confusion, as well as the growing anger. Expressing this towards others will not heal the broken relationship or the animosity that you feel towards your mother."
"Why don't you go ahead and say it?" Dillon snarled. '"I told you so.' That's what you're dying to say, isn't it?"
"Dillon, that's not my intention." She let out a mental sigh. "These people were ill-led. Their minds were made up before they came into this encounter. Individuals like this rarely change. Take Carolyn for an example, with all the atrocities she committed, both in Marley and here. She could not change even if she tried. Any change you witness from her is feigned. But you… I've seen you adapt and grow. Don't allow your anger at her to cloud who you truly are."
Dillon didn't answer her verbally as he slowly staggered back to Dauper Village. He knew exactly what he was. It brought him shame that it took this long for him to realize it. Since the day he gained his abilities, from his parents to the Scouts, he was nothing more than a well-crafted tool.
AN: Originally, I was going to make this chapter longer, but I decided this was a good stopping point. Why? Because things are going to escalate in the next chapter. I won't give it away, but it has something to do with a certain Psion slowly turning to the Dark Side. It won't be pretty.
The fight scenes were a lot more fun than I thought they would be, though my favorite one of the three is definitely Sasha's. Her inexperience with fighting made things much more enjoyable. Originally, I was going to have Annie and Dillon do longer fight scenes until I remembered the two are still teenagers. They can't do long, drawn-out, martial arts awesomeness against adults. They have to make things quick and effective.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, and I'll see you all in the next one.
