Hello again,
I have a very very thrilling chapter to deliver to you all today. I decided to try and produce it so soon as a little apology for that 3-month pause.
Very special thanks to ChikenLegs. Thank you so much for your review, that made my week.
Plugging the Emerald Library Discord Server again. If you're an avid fanfiction author or reader, you should join and become a part of this greater community. I'm pretty active in their general chat if you want to say hi. So yeah, here's an updated invitation link:
discord . gg/Uuac9dRdZB
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, HOO, or AOT and I'm not profiting off anything.
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Author's note
Narration
Thoughts and Internal Conversations
"Speaking, duh"
Chapter 15: Siege of Utgard
16 hours after the Titan Spotting
Within Wall Rose
Utgard Castle
Percy's POV:
Thrown awake by a gasp and a jolt, I find myself back in the castle's tower. It's dark, the campfire long since burned out, and quiet, the only sound coming from the light snoozing of sleeping scouts and the thumping within my chest.
Fuck, that dream wasn't scary at all. Why is my heart racing?
I sit up, pressing my back against the wall I had fallen asleep against. At some point in my sleep, I must have fallen over to sleep on my side. Little pebbles and a fine layer of dust stick to the back of my left arm. I gently wipe them off, slowly, to soothe myself from the strange nightmare.
A nightmare that was overly detailed and oddly specific…
… a dream that felt too real…
…
It wasn't a nightmare.
Hey, Annabelle! I thought you said I wasn't supposed to have demigod dreams anymore!
"You're not—or, errh, you shouldn't be…"
Then what was that?
"..."
Haven't we been over this?!
"We have. It doesn't—it shouldn't make sense. I thought the dream world wouldn't exist without Morpheus… but… perhaps the existence of his realm acts more like The Mist than we believed."
Wha—So I can still get visions… without Morpheus?
"Perhaps you caught the attention of a stray Ὄνειρος. If that's the case, the vision you received could be completely random… Who knows? Maybe it's trying to help you, or maybe the spirit is just messing around."
The dream… I was on top of one of humanity's great walls. With a drop that size, it's for certain. It had to be one of the walls. But I can't tell which one.
Or… what if it's none of them. What if it's neither Maria, Rose, or Sina and Annabelle's theory about other walled civilizations turns out to be true!
"Again, the dream was probably sent by a stray Ὄνειρος. You should really take its visions with a grain of salt."
I'd never seen that man or woman before, and I couldn't tell what branch of the military they were either. If the Garrison regiment is the ones who guard the walls, it should be them, I think. Right? But as for what they were doing…
"Maybe they were hauling insecticide?"
What for?
"For farmland? I mean, we are in the middle of the countryside."
… yeah. Maybe that's it then. Maybe that's what those gas canisters were all about…
Hmm…
I bring a hand up to my face, gently wiping the sleep crust from my eyes.
How much sleep did I get? Three, four hours?
"Percy."
To turn my head to my other shoulder, greeting the female voice who called my name.
"Did a nightmare wake you?"
A few feet away, sitting on the cold stone floor with her back against the wall as well, is Nanaba.
"Erhh, something like that, I suppose."
"Was it about the village?" she asks.
"No, but I can see myself losing sleep from that."
I shiver at the memory of the frenzy of panicking villagers fleeing their homes.
"Why are you up?" I ask her.
"I had some nightmares of my own."
Nanaba runs a hand through her short blonde hair, pushing her bangs to the right where she normally styles it.
"My situation at home was never good, especially after mom died. I guess Wall Rose getting breached has me on edge. Awakened some old scars, you know?"
"Yeah…"
I glance at the burnt-out campfire sitting in the middle of the room. My offerings to the gods long since reduced to ash.
"Have you reconsidered my offer?" Nanaba asks.
Huh?
"What offer?"
"Of joining the Scouts."
"Oh…"
…
"Ever since the attack on Nordlingen…" Nanaba speaks, seeing I can't provide her with a clear answer. "...you've had this fire in your eyes. You don't seem as lost as when we first met. So I thought I'd ask again."
Nanaba scooches a little closer to me.
She reaches out her hand.
"Will you take it?"
…
I clap my hand over hers, giving it a strong firm grip.
"Thank you…" Nanaba grins, showing the pearls of her teeth. "...for giving your heart."
Gods, should I do it?
"Now? Yeah." Annabelle voices.
"I… have something else to give you…"
Really? Now?
"Now," Annabelle confirms.
"... I have some information."
Nanaba leans forward, her back no longer against the wall.
"Well out with it, then."
"I know all this because of one of my abilities… I can…"
I glance around the room.
Henning has dozed off across the other side of the room, his crossed arms gently bobbing with his breathing. Christa is still drooling in the spot I saw her last, Bertolt's sleeping flat on his back with his feet up against the wall, straight up in the air, and Gelgar and Lynne seem to still be on the roof. It appears Reiner and Ymir have yet to return to the room as well.
"...I have a radar that can sense when imminent danger is nearby."
Nanaba tilts her head.
"Radar?" She asks.
"It's like a 6th sense of sorts that tells me where a threat is and how much of a danger it poses," I explain.
"Look, whenever Annie visited me in my cell, I was always on edge. Like something felt wrong. I could tell it was coming from her, but I could never tell why."
Nanaba's eyes widen.
"You could sense she was a titan." She breathes.
I nod.
"Wait, what are you saying? D-do you mean…"
"Yeah, there are titan shifters within our midst."
Nanaba and I give sideway glances to the rest of the room, observing the sleeping faces of our fellow companies.
"...how many?" She whispers, keeping her eyes on the others.
"Three."
A sharp intake of breath—her pupils shrink.
"Reiner… Bertolt… and Ymir."
"... none of them gave the slightest indication, but…" she turns back to me. "Thank you."
"I—Reiner and Bertolt are most certainly in cahoots with Annie, I think… they might be the ones who broke the Walls. But Ymir… I don't think she's with them."
"How so?" Nanaba asks, uncertainness painted across her face.
"I had a different feeling… with her… so I confronted her about it."
"You what?" She scolds in a whisper.
"Yeah… might not have been the smartest thing to do… but hey!" I grin, which Nanaba reciprocates with a horrified expression. "Considering she, Reiner, and Bertolt haven't gone all titan mode on us, I think it's safe to say she's not with him. Truth is, I don't even think Reiner or Bertolt know about Ymir."
"When you say 'different feeling', do you mean your radar-what's-it?"
"No, I was just getting a weird vibe from her. You know, like a gut feeling she wasn't with them."
"Are you saying, you had a feeling the girl wasn't with them so went ahead and acted on it without reasonable cause?"
"Uhhh, maybe?"
"God." She whispers in disbelief. "I… I can't say I approve of what you did, but at least it seems everything turned out ok."
Nanaba lets out an exhausted sigh.
"I'm putting my faith in your judgment, Percy. So, look…" She runs her hand through her hair again. "... don't let me down, alright?"
"I won't," I nod.
"Good."
"So, uhhh, what are you going to do now?"
"Nothing until I can privately inform the main group. It's not like we can confront three titan shifters with only four scouts equipped in ODM gear and a couple of unequipped rookies…"
As I let Nanaba ponder with the bombshell I gave her, my head drops to my lap; the metal container strapped around my waist feeling heavier than usual.
The last of my chains.
"So, since I'm part of the Scouts now… can we get rid of this thing?" I gesture.
Nanaba looks up, her gaze locking onto the chain belt.
"I'd feel a lot better with my sword, with all the titans roaming around and stuff, you know…"
"Percy, taking you out to this location goes against every prisoner protocol I know. But… I think I finally understand why Commander Erwin gave me that bizarre order."
Her blue eyes raise back up to mine.
"He believed you would expose the traitors in our ranks."
"He—Erwin planned for this?!"
"You already earned my trust," Nanaba continues, "but knowing my Commander has put his trust in you as well… Well, I'm not sure how we would get that thing off of you without the key, but go ahead." She nods. "Do whatever you need to do."
Ok.
Just like I practiced then.
The core of the human body is an underappreciated muscle. People will work it to lose fat and gain abs, but the core is much more than a slab of meat that can be nice to look at. The muscles that make up our torsos stabilize everything from our hips to our shoulders. Lessening the burden on our weak spines, the core is also responsible for transferring force from the lower body to the upper body and vice versa.
A strong core helps prevent injuries and allows us to perform at our very best.
No wonder the gods picked the human core to be the source of our divine power.
Tugging from my gut, I draw upon this source. But unlike how I would control water, I don't allow my core's energy to flow freely. Instead, I directed it upwards, keeping the power within. Calling for its use, but not allowing it to release.
Building. Pressuring. Cracking.
A headache is a sign that it's ready.
Gripping the metal box strapped to my waist, I let the power go.
Chains begin to rattle.
The container crumbles in my hands.
My belt slips off my waist.
A ballpoint pen hits the floor.
"What… did you just do?" Nanaba gasps. "What was that?"
"My father, Poseidon, is also commonly known for being 'The Earthshaker'."
With two fingers, I pluck Riptide off the floor. Giving it one familiar twirl in my hand.
"Could you… You could've done this whole time, couldn't you?" Nanaba asks incredulously.
A small concentrated earthquake—released from the palms of my hands. Of all the obscure and random powers I inherited from dad, this neat little trick I picked up on in prison has got to be one of the most versatile.
I give Nanaba a nod.
"So why didn't you… why didn't you break out of your chains earlier? Better yet, why didn't you break out of prison."
I can't tell if Nanaba's amazed at the lengths I went to earn their trust, or at the sheer stupidity of it all.
"Misguided judgment, I guess?"
The choices I made, the poor advice Annabelle gave me, I wonder if it could have all been avoided if I had just shown a little force. Sure, it wouldn't have been ideal, but I could've made it work. Right?
I shake my head.
"It doesn't matter now. I'm just glad everything turned out ok in the end."
"EVERYONE, WAKE UP!" A loud voice immediately responds, echoing from up above.
"GET TO THE TOWER, IMMEDIATELY!"
Everyone in the room is up in an instant. We all rush to the stairs. Behind us, a door slams open. I hit the stairs, skipping a set with every step. Reiner and Ymir emerge from that open door, rushing to the stairs as well.
It takes less than 20 seconds to climb the spiral staircase to the roof.
It takes 5 to recognize the situation we're in.
A dozen titans have breached the perimeter of the castle. Seven 12-meters, four 10-meters, a handful of 7-meters, and a few that are almost human-sized.
We're completely surrounded. And they are all headed our way.
"I couldn't see them in the dark," Lynne explains. "But with the moonlight…"
"What's going on?" Christa asks, climbing the stairs a little later than the rest of us.
One of the 12-meters reaches an outlier building between us and it. Instead of going around it, it tries to climb over the building. It puts its arms over the roof and the building caves in, the titan falling forwards into the ruined structure.
I was told titans weren't supposed to be active at night.
"How can they move? This shouldn't be happening!" Henning huffs, trying to catch his breath amidst the panic. "The sun went down hours ago!"
"Hey guys, the hell is that?!" Connie yells, pointing off into the distance.
The thing is absolutely massive, dwarfing the form Porphyrion took when we fought. 17 meters tall and covered in fur, it's unlike any other titan I've seen.
How in the world could 'Finding Bigfoot' not find this beast in 9 whole seasons?
"It's gotta be a titan. I have never seen one that big!" Connie exclaims. "Look at it! It's more like… like some kind of beast! How do we..." Connie glances at Reiner and Bertolt, finding them equally spooked.
"Wait, is it… It's heading for the wall!"
For some reason, the titan is abnormally ignoring us. Instead, it continues to lumber past, headed for Wall Rose.
Unfortunately, we don't have time to worry about sasquatch.
The tower shakes, throwing Connie and Christa to their feet and causing the rest of us to stumble around. Down below, a 12-meter reached the base of our tower and had thrown its shoulder into it.
Other titans join in on the assault. Another 12-meter reaches the tower and begins scraping its nails along the stone, attempting to clamber up to us. A more successful 7-meter begins to shakily climb up the surface of the tower while a smaller 3 to 4-meter tall titan opts to go for the entrance, pounding on the wooden door down below.
"Hey hey! Back off!" Gelgar yells down at them, putting a foot up on the ledge of the roof.
"Bother someone else! I should be drinking right now dammit! You're standing between me and a tankard of ale!"
Sparks fly out of the sheaths on Gelgar's hips as he draws a pair of twin blades.
"Rookies. Please, stay where you are." Nanaba orders, running with Lynne and Henning to join Gelgar on the ledge. "We got this."
"ATTACK!"
"AHHH!"
"AHHH!"
"AHHH!"
Before I can even offer to help, they jump off. Engaging the horde to defend the tower.
The rest of us rush to the edge to watch them fight.
Gelgar immediately engages a 12-meter that's pressed up against the tower. Seeing a tasty human flying down towards it, the titan reaches for him.
"You think it's gonna be that easy big guy? Well, I got news for ya!"
In an impressive feat of strength, Gelgar swings his swords, cleaving off all five of the titan's offending fingers. Gelgar immediately follows by shooting his ODM wires into the tower and retreating out of the titan's reach. A different pair of ODM hooks embed themselves in the titan's shoulder from the side. A blur flies behind the titan at crazy speeds—a chunk of flesh flying into the air as the titan is expertly eliminated.
It's Nanaba!
She retreats to the safety of the upper tower, leaving a lifeless corpse in her wake.
The titan crashes into the ground, crushing three smaller ones that were headed towards the tower's entrance.
"Hot damn! You little ones should really watch where you're going!" Gelgar mocks, perched against the tower, well out of any titan's reach. "Ha! Dumbasses!"
Nanaba shoots her hooks just below Gelgar, retracting her wires to join her comrade.
"I don't think you're one to talk!" She scolds. "There's no call to be so reckless. Did you have to waste your blades!?"
"That's just how I do things!" Gelgar talks back. "You better chop that one up as an assist."
"Aren't you the hero? I'll think about it."
Lynne suddenly swoops down on the titan they just killed. Crawling out from under its decaying corpse is one of those small titans. Lynne lands on top of it, shoving her boot into the small titan's head, and slices off its nape. She quickly flies back, returning to Nanaba and Gelgar with a worried expression.
"The door's been kicked down!" She yells at Nanaba and Gelgar before shooting up to the top of the tower.
Lynne lands on top of the ledge before us.
"The titans are in the castle! Get below and improvise some sort of barricade." She orders. "Be careful! Retreat up here only as a last resort. Now hurry, the rest of us will try to keep any more from entering the best we can."
"Right." Connie and Christa agree.
Lynne glances back and we follow her gaze.
Seven additional titans emerge from the forest, making their way towards Utgard Castle.
"There are quite a few, so this might be it for us… But by God, we'll fight to the last breath! Our heart and soul to the cause right!? Now GO!"
"Got it."
Tightening my grip on Riptide, I join the others in storming back down the stairs.
"I'll go see how far they've gotten in, you go find something to board up the entrance!" Reiner orders, sprinting ahead of the group. "Whatever isn't nailed down!"
Running down the stairs, Reiner snatches the first torch on the wall that he can, pointing it ahead of himself as he plunges into the dark depths of the tower.
Stuck behind Ymir and Christa, I can't catch up to him.
"Reiner, wait!" Christa cries after him.
"What the hell?" Connie curses.
"Hang on we're coming," Bertolt yells after Reiner, taking the lead behind him. "Wait up!"
"Are you kidding me? Why does he always gotta be the first one to step up?" Connie complains. "Give us a break."
"I know, it's a bad habit of his." Bertolt grunts.
"Bertolt and I will follow Reiner." I yell out to the others. "Do what Reiner said! Find and gather anything useful to help stop the titans."
"Who put you in charge? You're not a Scout." Connie yells back.
"I am now!"
Not waiting any longer, I join Bertolt in trying to catch up with Reiner. When we hit the bottom of the staircase, Ymir and Christa slow down, breaking off to find anything we can use to block the doors.
"Really?!" Connie yells at the pair.
"Get your shit together Connie, lets go!" Ymir yells back, following Christa into a door leading into a storage room.
Connie huffs but decides to race off and join the girls.
"THEY'RE IN THE TOWER!" Reiner's voice reverberates off the stone brick walls. "GET DOWN HERE AND HELP ME!"
Bertolt bursts through the doorway leading to the next floor down. I follow a few steps behind him.
Descending into the next floor down, I find Reiner frozen in terror with his ass on the floor. In front of, breaking down the wooden door leading to the next level down, is a 9-10 foot tall titan. Its arms reach through the doorway, grabbing air as it reaches for Reiner. The wooden door between it and Reiner continues to splinter and crack from the titan's efforts.
At first glance, one might not realize it's a titan. The only abnormal feature of the monster is the fact it has no lips, its pink slimy gums and teeth on full display. Gnawing at the air, salivating at the thought of tasting human flesh. Besides that (and the fact it's naked), I could totally see an NBA recruiter accidentally signing this thing a multi-million dollar contract.
I wonder if you could teach a titan to play basketball?
"Percy!"
Right!
"Reiner!" Bertolt shouts, charging forward with his pitchfork in hand.
I don't know where he found it, but Bertolt thrusts the farmer's tool into the titan's face. Steaming blood spurts all over Bertolt's shirt as all three prongs of the pitchfork stab into the titan's face.
"RAAaaaREW!"
Bertolt's shout and the titan's gurgly roar snaps Reiner out of whatever daze he was in.
Reiner pushes himself off the ground and grabs hold of the pitchfork, helping Bertolt drive the titan back.
"Talk to me man, are you good?" Bertolt asks his partner.
"Yes." Reiner grunts back. "Listen to me, we're going to make it home. This is not how we die."
"Yeah, I know. Damn right!"
"Hey guys, you should let it in," I propose. "I can handle it."
"What?!" Both Reiner and Bertolt cry.
"Are you crazy?!" Bertolt yells.
"We can hold it!" Reiner yells.
I flick my wrist, my thumb knocking off Riptide's ballpoint cap.
Their jaws gape at the sight of a 3-foot bronze blade appearing in my hands.
Reiner and Bertolt immediately let go of the pitchfork, jumping off to either side as the titan crashes through the doorway in between them.
It takes one strike to lob off its head.
And one more to destroy its nape.
"Hey, guys!" Ymir calls from behind.
At the top of the stairs, Ymir, Christa, and Connie slowly roll 4000 pounds of metal, steel, and rust into view.
A freakin cannon?!
"Well, we're in a castle after all…" Annabelle quips.
"Where'd you find—Good work! Is there ammo?" Reiner yells back.
"No, but we figured it'd make a good barricade. Or a wrecking ball if need be."
"Well keep it up there for now," Reiner calls back. "We'll use it to block the door on your level. The door down here is toast."
Christa's head pops out from behind the cannon.
"Is everyone all—"
She freezes, spotting the dead titan.
Bertolt walks over to the titan's detached head. Planting his foot on it, he pulls out the pitchfork still embedded in its face.
"I was gonna say a knife's the only thing we found but…" Connie speaks, raising a little bowie knife in his hand. "But holy shit! Where'd you find that?" he asks, pointing at Riptide.
"I, uhhh, had it in my pocket."
"Come on man! If you found a sword like that, there's bound to be another one lying around here somewhere."
"Listen everyone! I think it would be best to head back up the stairs for now," Christa speaks. "We have no way of knowing if that's the only one who got in…"
"I've… I've never seen any metal like it." Reiner comments, enraptured with my blade.
"Is it… glowing?" Bertolt asks.
"What is it made out of? Some sort of… bronze?" Reiner asks.
"Close. It's made out of celestial bronze."
I prop the blade behind my neck, resting it on my shoulder.
"Cuts through monsters like butter."
"Show off…"
I grin, seeing everyone's eyes widen.
"Its name is ανακλυσμός, which means Riptide in my—"
"LOOK OUT!"
Huh?
I look over my shoulder.
In the darkness of the broken doorway, illuminated by my blade, is a face.
Next thing I know, I'm being shoved sideways.
"REINER NO!" Christa cries.
A grisly *crack* fills the air.
Where I was standing moments before, is Reiner, his forearm firmly trapped between the jaws of another 5-meter titan.
"Reiner!" Bertolt gasps.
"Christa, stay back!" Ymir yells.
"Reiner, you idiot!"
Stepping in, I stick Riptide straight through the titan's temple. The titan slumps for a moment, its bite loosening. Reiner takes the opportunity to pull his arm free, ducking under the titan's massive frame as it stumbles forward.
Pulling Riptide free, I slash at its kneecap, forcing the monster's leg to collapse underneath it.
Two more slashes in quick unison, and it falls over dead.
"You idiot!" I berate Reiner. "My skin can't be broken, remember?"
"Sorry, I forgot." He grimaces, cradling his bitten forearm.
"Less talking. Let's get to the next floor and barricade the door before more titans climb up." Ymir suggests. "Agreed?"
"Yeah." Reiner hisses in pain. "That sounds good."
I let Reiner and Bertolt head up the stairs first, giving the dark doorway one last glance before heading up.
Only after Ymir, Connie, Bertolt, and I roll that 2000-pound cannon in front of the door and throw up a few wooden planks to barricade the entrance can our group collectively breathe a sigh of relief.
"What will we do if another one gets in?" Connie asks, wiping off some sweat that formed on his brow.
"Isn't it obvious? I'll handle it."
"But what if there's two?" He asks again.
"Then I'll throw you my sword and distract them for you," I answer, giving Riptide a good wave.
"*TSSSSS!*"
A loud hiss in pain turns our attention to the injured member of our group.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Christa vehemently apologies as she continues to pour alcohol on Reiner's arm. "I know it stings… The bone's most likely fractured too."
"Of course," Reiner grunts, throwing his head back. "Just my luck."
Reiner's arm is bad, the bite mark running down his entire forearm. Christa needs to pour the entire contents of the bottle just to cover it all.
Gelgar isn't going to be happy to learn someone spent his prized top-shelf contraband.
"Next we'll need a splint and a bandage, easy enough." Christa talks to herself.
She stands up, grabs the hem of her pink dress, and pulls, ripping off the bottom fabric of her dress to use as an emergency bandage.
Reiner gasps as the tearing exposes the middle of Christa's thighs.
"OooOooo! Scandalous!"
Christa finishes ripping, effectively turning her dress into a skirt. Flustered, Reiner averts his gaze as she returns to his arm.
"The cloth is filthy." Christa softly explains, tying the fabric around Reiner's wound. "I haven't been able to wash it in forever. I'm sorry."
"No sweat, it does the job," Reiner replies, uncomfortable from either his pain, the girl's close proximity, or likely a combination of the two.
"So, you gonna be alright or what?" Connie asks.
Christa moves behind Reiner, tying the ripped fabric behind his neck to form a makeshift sling.
"Yeah, I think so."
Christa lets go. Reiner moves his arm, testing it out the sling.
"Probably." He answers again.
"You know Christa, I uhh—I got a little scratched up myself," Ymir says, raising one of her woundless hands and presenting it to the saintly blonde.
"So just spit on it or something," Connie suggests.
"Hey Reiner," I speak up, grabbing his attention.
"Thanks."
"No, it's fine," Reiner replies. "We have each other's backs. It's what soldiers do."
"And it was pointless anyway," He frowns. "Seeing you're invincible like the others say. I knocked myself out of commission for no reason…"
Even without the lapse of judgment, what was his reason? The way he acts, that split decision to push me out of the way… Those aren't the actions of a serial mass murderer.
"Hey, it's the thought that counts. I still owe you one."
Was Ymir right? Did I make the wrong choice turning him and Bertolt into Nanaba?
"I doubt I could ever be that courageous." Connie comments. "Has he always been like this?" he turns to Bertolt. "The self-sacrificing type?"
"No, he's changed a bit," Bertolt replies, his narrowing at his partner. "In the old days, Reiner was more of a warrior."
"A warrior?" Reiner asks. "I'm not quite sure I understand."
"There it is again! That weird insistence of being a warrior." Annabelle points out.
That's gotta be like, their rank or something, right?
"Yeah. Or 'something'."
"Let's scrounge around for more stuff that we can use," Ymir says, turning around. "If we have to die I'd rather not do it half-assly."
She walks over to an open-air window and takes a step up onto its window sill.
"Oh wow." She says, peering outside. "Well alright then. Say what you will but the Scouts get shit done."
"How are they doing?"
I jog over, joining Ymir at the window.
From our vantage, I can see 5 dead bodies under the moon's silvery glow. Large titan corpses of various sizes and in various states of decay; some just beginning to erode, a few already down to the bone.
A 10-meter steps into our view, turning its balding head and giving Ymir and me a wide-open toothy grin. Before it can take more than another step towards the tower, Nanaba whips out of nowhere, roping around the back of its neck, leaving nothing but an eruption of titan blood and gas contrails in her wake.
The titan's eyes roll back inside its head as it hits the ground with a mighty boom.
A little further in the distance, Lynne zips building to building, being chased by a rather active 7-meter. Lynne directs it back to the tower, where this time Henning swings in, zooming down to its ankles to cut its Achilles' tendons. Successfully dropping the titan to the ground, Henning flies upwards to join Lynne on the roof of the tower while Gelgar goes in for the kill.
Ymir whistles in appreciation of their teamwork and skill.
Gelgar shoots off his wires and they land somewhere above our window. As he retracts, he gives Ymir and me a sparing glance before landing on the tower's side.
"That's mostly it for the big ones." Gelgar's muffled voice sounds out.
"Good thing we have this tower." Nanaba huffs back.
"No kidding. I think we may just survive the night."
"*PHWWWWWHHH*"
What the hell is that noise?
"It sounds like a… dive bomber?"
Then, a shuddering explosion fused with an eruption of dust.
"Huh!"
"What the hell was that?" Gelgar shouts.
"What's going on?" Christa asks from behind.
"The stables!" Nanaba cries.
"SAM!" I scream out the window.
Please tell me he listened! Please tell me he got out in time!
The dust begins to clear out, but all I can see are piles of stone and wood.
"Move out of the way! Let me see!" Connie shouts, rudely attempting to shove himself between Ymir and me.
"Connie, hold on!" Ymir shouts and pushes back.
"Dude, just wait your turn."
Connie worms his arms between us Ymir and I and tries to push forward towards the window. Ymir and I squeeze together to try to maintain our spots but then it escalates to a free for all with faces being shoved and elbows flying everywhere.
"*PHWWWWWHHH*"
"There it is again!"
Hearing the strange noise temporarily puts our scuffle on hold as we collectively squeeze all three of our faces into the window to catch a glimpse of what the Hades is happening outside.
"*KABOOM*"
The tower violently shakes. Christa falls to her knees, letting out a startled yelp, Bertolt gasps in shock, Reiner cusses as he jerks his injured arm, and Connie, Ymir, and I get thrown away from the window.
Outside, a showering rain of brick and stone.
"LYNNE! HENNING!" Nanaba cries.
"Shit! Fucking shit!" Ymir cusses, scrambling to her feet.
"Everyone, get to the roof!" Bertolt shouts.
Connie leading the way, we race up.
Only to find half of the roof entirely gone.
"Oh shit!" Connie yells.
In front of us, Nanaba gently rests Henning's bloody head on the ground. Gelgar joins her a moment later, flying in and landing next to Nanaba's side with a limp mangled body in his arms.
Lynne.
"They're dead." Gelgar morbidly states, gently resting Lynne on the ground as well. "Died instantly."
"Ms. Lynne…" Christa mourns.
"Henning…"
He was a real asshole, but he didn't deserve this. He was only protecting his home. Protecting others… Protecting us…
Who… What did this?
"He did this!" Connie answers.
With a growl, he runs towards the edge of the roof, pointing out into the distance.
That fucking monkey.
"The one who made a beeline for the wall. The hairy son of a bitch is randomly— Huh!?" Connie's mood shifts on a dime, into that of fear.
"Hey, guys! Another group of titans is approaching! We've got twice as many as before!"
Out of the forest surrounding Utgard Castle, a new wave of titans emerges, advancing on our position. And Connie's right, there are twice as many!
"You're kidding!" Gelgar cries out in frustration, pounding his fists into rock.
"It's like they're timing these attacks as some part of a larger strategy," Nanaba growls. "This isn't random at all. We're being toyed with!"
In the distance, that 17-meter tall bigfoot lets out a deep and carnal roar, standing on Wall Rose with its arms up in the air. On cue, the approaching horde picks up speed, reaching our tower.
The tower begins to shake as if Poseidon himself had grabbed hold of it and began rocking it—titans pounding their fists into Utgard's tallest bastion.
"The stables!" I remind myself.
I throw my hands on the roof's edge, steadying myself as the tower rocks.
"What happened to the horses!?"
"They fled right when the titans appeared…" Nanaba whispers, deep in her own thoughts.
I let out a brief sigh of relief. Peering down at the collapsed structure, I can't see any bodies or blood in it.
"Now we can't even flee if we wanted to." Gelgar growls.
"As if we could ever escape out of this mess…" Nanaba whispers again.
Looking around Utgard's surroundings, I can't find Sam or the others anywhere. He must've led the other horses into the forest like I told him to.
"Stay up here and make as little noise as possible." Gelgar orders, standing to his feet. "We'll try to buy as much time as our blades and gas allow."
"This may be it." Nanaba grimly states, leaving Henning's side to join Gelgar's.
"If you have any last words or gripes you need to work out with one another, now's the time."
("Guren no Yumiya" - English ver. by AmaLee)
Our names won't be remembered
If we die like trampled flowers…
"Hey, Connie," Ymir calls.
"Yeah?"
"You always reminded me of one of those little dogs rich folks have. You know, the kind that yaps all the time and shits all over the place?"
"Great, now I can finally die in peace."
I refuse to be forgotten
Written off as less than worthless.
Gelgar and Nanaba step up on the ledge of the roof, peering down at the horde with grim expressions.
"Ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be," Gelgar replies.
Scream and cry
But none will hear you…
I step up on the ledge between them.
"Percy, what are you—"
The tower violently shakes, interrupting Nanaba.
"I'm helping."
"Don't be crazy. You don't have ODM gear." Gelgar refutes.
"I don't need it."
Plead and beg
But none will help you…
"You'll be grounded, good as deadweight. Be realistic!" Nanaba argues.
"Any titan I can keep busy is one less you two have to worry about. Besides…" I turn to Nanaba. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm like Superman, remember?"
You no longer live as cattle,
Will you rise and join the battle?
"They won't understand that reference!"
Doesn't matter, because Nanaba relents, turning her attention back to the horde.
"Let's do this." She nods.
There are beings that live off of fears,
And their words are like knives
As they play with our lives!
"Percy, you can't seriously be thinking of going down there!" Christa cries.
"I can't sit back and watch. If I have the power to act, then it's my responsibility to do so, right?" I respond, my eyes briefly connecting with Ymir.
"Maybe so, but it's suicide without ODM gear!" Christa cries again.
"Don't worry. I've jumped into worse hellholes than this. Besides… didn't you hear?"
I turn to the group of unarmed Scouts, giving them a thumbs up.
"I'm half-god." I grin seeing their looks of disbelief. "So watch me perform this miracle."
They'll try to control you
As if they own you
Will you let them steal your freedom?
"Ready?" Nanaba asks again.
"Ready." Gelgar firmly nods.
A 15-meter directly below punches the tower, giving us another good shake.
"That tall bastard is mine," I announce, pointing the tip of Riptide's blade at its head.
"Let's go then."
"Right."
"Right."
"Well then…"
"ATTACK!"
Channel the anger swelling inside you
Fighting the boundary 'till you break through,
"AHHHH!"
Together, we jump.
Nanaba and Gelgar immediately split off to either side, picking their targets and swinging into position.
I, on the other hand, plummet like a stone. My shirt riding up to my rib cage from the wind, I raise Riptide in the air with both hands and stab downward.
Deep in your soul, there's no hesitation
So make yourself the one the…
3-feet of celestial bronze plunges into the skull of a mindless beast as I land on its skull.
The 45-foot tall behemoth loses motor function and immediately slumps over. Ripping Riptide free with one hand and using the other to grab a fistful of hair, I hold on for dear life.
JAEGAR!
"*KABOOM*"
The crash almost sends me flying, my body whipping around and colliding with the titan's hard head, but somehow I hold on. A second later, my feet hit the ground. I run around to the back side of the collapsed titan, making quick work of its nape before its brain regenerates.
Ok, who's next?
I turn around.
There is a wild fire inside you
Burning desire you can't extinguish
Only to find myself cornered in a semi-circle of 4 titans leering down at me.
"Yeah, uhhhh, good luck with that," Annabelle speaks, retreating into the depths of my thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, I bellow the goddess of war cry's name.
"Ἀλαλά!"
Your crimson arrow
Rips through the twilight…
This is the moment for war.
I rush forward, Riptide tightly gripped in my right hand. The titans react, lumbering forward like oversized toddlers reaching for a fruit snack. Raising my sword, I am reminded of my mentor's words just before I make contact.
"When your concentration is completely absorbed by your opponents, and every fiber of your being is focused on staying alive, you have tunnel vision."
A titan's human hand as large as my entire body opens up, coming straight for me. I switch my grip on Riptide, holding its handle with both arms and turning its blade sideways. Pumping everything into my thighs, I leap forward, swerving Riptide from my right hip all the way up to my left shoulder.
My strike cleaves the titan's hand right in two; my momentum sending me straight through where its palm used to be.
Wir sind die Jäger!
"Don't just react to your opponents, you must think proactively."
Chiron's soft-spoken lessons echo in my thoughts.
I hit the ground with a roll, popping back to my feet and taking off.
A rustle of wind behind my neck tells me I just narrowly avoided another titan's swipe.
I broke through the titan's line, but all that's done is flip the direction they'll be coming after me.
Wir sind die Jäger!
"Project your authority on the battlefield. Don't allow the enemy to plan their attack. Dictate the fight."
Like Leonidas protecting Attica from the Persian army, I need to position myself in a way where they can only come at me 1-by-1.
Setting my plan in motion, I bolt for the ankles of the titan whose hand I just cut.
Its ginormous feet rotate, shaking the ground as it tries repositioning itself towards me. But the 12-meter is too slow. Running past its ankles, I deliver a swift blow to its right Achilles heel.
The cut forces the titan to stumble down to one knee. I leave it behind to engage the lone titan to its right while the other two mindless zombies run into their fallen friend.
This loan titan, a simple 10-meter, reels its hand behind its shoulder as I approach, opening its palm and swinging downward, trying to squash me like the ant I am.
I take two steps back; the palm smacking down right where I was standing. And before I can think it through, I'm jumping up onto the back of its hand.
Clinging to its knuckles for dear life, the titan lifts me to its head. I take a brief glance at its face as it does so. They all look the same now. Tall, ugly, with empty eyes and teeth-baring grins.
Like a snapping turtle, the titan stretches its neck forward and bites. I jump off to the side, digging Riptide into its shoulder.
The titan begins to spin.
Only a few and far between know that victory takes sacrifice
Like a carousel ride in the fields of punishment, around and around I go; the titan spinning around like some happy drunk under some lights. I hold my hands on Riptide's hilt with all my strength, but the blade begins to slip out of its flesh.
"*SLUCK*"
My anchor tears free, throwing my spiraling down.
Only they can really see – see it through and offer up the price
My back collides with a rock; a collection of spit violently ejects out of my throat.
A flash of panic passes my thoughts, believing I hit the weak point on my back. But that's not where it is anymore.
A little ways away, the 10-meter also falls to the ground, somehow tripping over its own feet.
What an absolute mess.
If you think your dreams come true easily
Then, my friend, you're in for a surprise
I flip around, coughing out a second lung on my hands and knees.
I force my head up.
Cause nothing in this world will come free
Nanaba has taken over the jumbled mess of three titans I left for her. With the titans preventing each other from moving, she makes swift work of their exposed napes, zipping around the pile of arms and legs, digging her blades into steaming flesh.
I shouldn't be gunning for their napes. I can't kill them as efficiently as Nanaba and Gelgar can.
Wiping the spit on my jaw with the back of my hand, I stand up. The 10-meter titan that gave me a joy ride has stood to its feet as well, its figure turned into a dark silhouette from the billowing clouds of steam that emanate behind it from the pile of freshly killed bodies Nanaba just dealt with.
But looking all around, I don't see any more titans. How many have Nanaba and Gelgar killed since we started? Is my mind playing tricks on me, or can I not see them because of all the steam?
Foolish decisions in this illusion
Caught up your reckless bravery,
"PERCY!" A distant voice screams.
Christa?
The ground beneath my feet rumbles; a sound of artillery shelling the earth blasts behind my head. I turn around.
A 7-meter titan is barreling right at me.
Pawn to the freedom, fighting in your chains
Victory is out there waiting
My legs tense. Time slows down.
But I can't dodge it, it's already on top of me.
Mid-running form, the titan's eyes roll into the back of its head. Its out-of-control body collides with mine, smothering me into the ground beneath it.
Freeing your life is just the beginning
Because the onslaught is now commencing
I wiggle my arms free, pushing against its body to free my head. I lost Riptide. I think it's somewhere pinned under the titan's body with me.
The whirling sound of metal gears draws my eyes to the skies.
Gelgar zips around in the air, engaging that 10-meter I fought not too long ago.
Reclaim the land and then the horizon
Onto the world, if you so desire
"Oh, it was him." I realize.
Pushing against the lifeless mass, slowly but surely I worm my way out from underneath it. But before I can free my legs, I'm pounced from behind.
A 5-meter class, the same size as the ones that broke into our tower.
It wraps its arms around my waist, biting into my left shoulder.
"Get off of me!"
Closing my right hand into a fist, I wail into its face. But it doesn't let up, doubling down in its efforts to chew through my shoulder even after I break its nose.
There is a wild fire inside you
Burning desire you can't extinguish
I can't use my left arm, I need to keep it pinned to my side.
The titan begins to thrash me around in its arms, possibly upset that it can break through my skin. Its movements begin to pull my legs free.
Great, now come on, Riptide! Anytime now!
Your crimson arrow
Rips through the twilight…
This is the moment for war.
In the distance, Nanaba kills a massive titan that was reaching for the main group atop the tower. I can't tell what its height was, but when Nanaba kills it, its body tumbles into one of Utgard's smaller towers, dust and debris filling the steamy air as the tower topples under the titan's weight.
Meanwhile, the 5-meter continues to trash me around in its grip. Seeing it's going nowhere with my shoulder, the titan repositions its jaws over my skull.
"Not the hair!"
A familiar weight drops into my pockets. In a flash, my hand is already digging the pen out. Digging it out, I point Riptide's cap behind me and flick off its cap.
"*SHINK*"
The blade pops open, piercing the titan's face.
It immediately lets go, clumsily reaching for Riptide to pull it out of its face. My feet no longer pinned, I do it a favor and pull the blade free.
Only to swing it around, decapitating the hair-munching monster.
"Fucker."
I swing down on its stump of a neck, destroying the nape.
Another especially loud boom adverts my attention to my surroundings.
My senses are going haywire. In every direction, there are figures in the smoke. Eight, ten, some number well over a dozen of titans of various sizes. The horde's finally closing in on the castle, and I'm already almost spent.
Another 12-meter bursts out of the smoke, gunning for my demigod morsel.
I take off. I'll just cut their ankles again. Immobilize it to make it an easy target. Or to keep it off the others.
Instead, a green blur meets the titan before I can, soaring behind the titan's neck and cutting off its nape.
It's Gelgar again!
"Stop protecting me!" I shout up at him as he turns around to head back to the safety of the main tower. "Worry about yourself!"
At that moment, the gas of his ODM gear putters out, sending him spiraling to Earth.
"NO!" Someone on the tower shouts.
He hits the ground with a sickening crack.
"GELGAR!"
I race towards him, reaching for his fallen body.
But a titan reaches him first.
Then another.
Then another.
My ears go deaf. My body numb. Tears squeak out of their ducts as they witness a man torn to shreds. Limb from limb. Tendon to tendon.
Another life I failed to save.
...
My senses return when I pick up on Nanaba's scream.
In her rage, she must have left the safety of the upper tower to fight the horde. Only for her gas to run out as well.
As she falls, a 14-meter titan snags her out of the air.
"Nanaba!"
I'm sprinting towards her, ducking, jumping, dodging, and weaving between the multitude of titans standing between us.
A slightly smaller 13-meter grabs onto Nanaba as well. The two behemoths begin tugging, fighting over her body. As they fight, a smaller titan below them jumps into the air, jaws first, and bites down on Nanaba's leg.
The titans fall to the earth, Nanaba's leg severed from the mid-thigh.
"NANABA!"
My body careens to the left, abruptly thrown off my feet. A rough, leathery mass tightens around me and lifts me in the air.
"YMIR!"
I stab Riptide into the fingers of the titan holding me. Nanaba struggles in horrible pain, crying out terrible innuendos of her past as she drifts into shock.
Watching her flailing form, I scream again with all my might.
"YMIR!"
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This chapter was 7.9k words long.
Another lyrical insert, this time an English cover of the first Attack on Titan opening by AmaLee. Sorry if it breaks the flow a little, it's only for a little fun, you're always welcome to ignore it completely (that's why I have it bolded as an AN!). English covers of anime songs are always fun, there's some good ones out there. I encourage everyone to go check out AmaLee's work on her other covers.
I've been having this craving to expand my breadth as an author, so I was thinking of starting up another fanfic when I hit 1k. It does get stale sometimes writing this ungodly marathon of a story, so I think trying another fic would help switch things up and improve my writing ability overall.
Here are some story ideas that have been sitting in my mind.
MHA Oneshot where Izuku's mom gets killed in a villain attack after Izuku has gotten his provisional hero license.
Saga of Tanya the Evil where Tanya isn't a reincarnation but a little girl thrown into military service
OPM where Saitama decides to quit the Hero Association after his fight with Boros whilst being unaware his deeds are coming to light
MHA/DBZ crossover with Gohan as the main protagonist (similarly framed like this story, with only Gohan coming over)
If any of those story ideas interest you, you can cast a vote by going to my fanfiction . net profile and clicking on the poll I created. I believe the poll should be located above my bio and centered in the middle of the screen. (Unfortunately, I don't think you can find it on the mobile app, gotta look for it on a web browser or something else if you're a mobile user).
And if you happen to be reading my story on AO3, give me a follow on fanfiction too!
Till next time,
-Unbred
Stats for nerds: 76,698 views, 912 follows, 756 favorites, 412 reviews
Originally Published on 6/29/2022