Part 21
Two Less Titans
Fury catapulted herself outside to be encountered by a panicked village as she witnessed the ensuing Titans, both were which clearly Abnormal.
These Titans surpassed even the mindless ones, who tended to just wander endlessly until disturbed. But Abnormal Titans acted on intelligence, like they still had a purpose to their actions. Like they knew they ate humans. Not out of a need to not feel hungry, but because they just simply could. It had been proven by Hanji that Titans did not need food to sustain themselves. They gained their energy from the sun, which was why they were so distant and undisturbed during the nights. They did not need to eat people to survive so the same question had always remained; why do they do it if they feel no need for hunger?
"You have to push them back, Aya!" Hexis almost demanded as he followed the female out of the main hut, though it was clear that he too was in a panic.
"I don't understand how this has never happened to you all before!" Fury exclaimed, gripping onto her Cutters as she doubted 'magic' but be the village's saviour here. "How are you all not already dead?!"
The Titans ahead of her began sprinting their way, their arms flailing in the air as they acted on impulse and surrounding people began to scream in fear. "I have to kill them!"
"No! You don't understand!" Hexis called back, his hands raised towards the sky like it would at all save him. "Don't stain this land with their blood, concentrate! Control them! Send them away, Bloodborn!"
Fury found herself scowling at being called that. She hadn't accepted it yet, so to be called that truly unnerved her. However, she stood clueless as the Titans edged closer. Fury didn't even know where to start when it came to possibly manipulating Titans, she barely remembered doing it the first time. Other than feeling anger, Fury pondered if that's how she did it. But she felt no anger this time. Fury unusually felt only concern for these people. Gritting her teeth, she choose the better option at this time which would be to strike the Titans down before the breached the small village.
Fury released her anchors from her ODM and they latched onto the surrounding trees. She was lucky that the village was built around them, as she knew it would've almost been impossible to reach their napes without gaining a height advantage. Fury then pulled her body through the air, the wind flowing through her hair rapidly as she gained enough momentum to attempt an attack.
She lured one Titan to follow her, separating the two to prevent a higher risk of her being grabbed. The woman then latched one of her anchors onto the following Titan and she began spinning her body with her Cutters spread outwards, diving down onto the Titan's nape; ripping a chunk of it away for it to be enough to kill it instantly. Fury, using acrobatics, then unhooked her anchor and fired it at the remaining one, as its focus was still the village. Gaining a last burst of speed, Fury pushed herself to swing around the Titan, tripping it up as it became flustered at the sight of Fury getting ready to kill it. As the monster fell to the ground, revealing its exposed nape, Fury catapulted her body up into the air and with one final spin with her Cutters, brought an onslaught down onto the Titan's nape. Both of them now very dead. Blood that had splattered across her face began to release steam as it slowly dissolved.
However, Fury's Cutters had been left degraded. They probably wouldn't be able to pierce another nape as their density and sharpness had been overused.
"Shit…" Fury muttered. For how was she to survive without protection? Her ODM gas tanks were also depleted heavily, as she had used them to traverse up into trees to remain safe from any Titans on previous nights out beyond the wall. "Shit… I didn't bring the supplies…" Fury emitted a heavy sigh. Now she had to truly survive out here. She wasn't ready to turn back and she still wanted more answers from Hexis himself, who stood waiting for her at the entrance to his village as Fury had to walk back. She couldn't waste what gas she had left and her fragile Cutters were gently placed back into the slots of her ODM.
"Their blood was not spilled on our ground." Hexis praised. "Though blood was still spilled nonetheless."
"I just saved your life, old man. Some gratitude would be nice!" Hissed Fury as she looked for Levi's horse, however, as desperately as she tried she could not see the animal and more worry spiked within her as she knew from without needing to be told that the horse must've bolted among the panic from the people.
"Allow my gratitude to be sanctuary." Hexis offered a drained Fury. "You showed fear in using what you have been given. You remain conflicted and confused. Here, we can teach you."
"I doubt whatever the fuck I am can be something that can be taught." Fury wiped some of the blood that steamed on her hands onto her jacket. Titan blood was disgusting and unnatural.
"You still seek the reason as to why this village has not once been attacked." The old man clearly stated the obvious to Fury who simply rolled her eyes. "Titans are not just mindless monsters summoned from the pits of Hell. And Bloodborn's aren't just people who have voodoo magic, as some would call it." Hexis began stroking his beard again as he held out his other hand towards Fury, simply inviting her back into what was sure to be safety. "Do an old man one last thing in this life and stay within this place. For I can give you my word that here, you will learn and you will gain what you seek."
Fury found herself somewhat staring at Hexis's hand, who had remained holding it out towards her. What bullshit was this? She had been given a susceptible amount of knowledge and now these people want to, what, train her? Was it wise to take the offer? At the same time, would it be wise to refuse? Fury was harshly reminded of the state her equipment was in and without a horse, even she knew she would not last long on her own. She knew she needed to accept and so she casually refused to take the man's hand and she walked passed him and towards the village she continued, indicting enough to Hexis that she accepted.
"You're going to tell me about this village!" Fury called back to him, leaving the Elder with a worn smile upon his face as he walked after her.
