4:10 PM
Floch, Gordon, and Ruth watched over the unfolding battle as more titans began to encircle Eren, leaving the other cadets confused as to why the titans attacking them suddenly began ignoring them. Floch tore his eyes away from the attack titan and focused on the scattered trainees around him, he furrowed his brows before quickly making a call to all of them.
"Everyone! Let the titan handle his kind, ignore them, and retreat to the castle!" His voice boomed throughout the street alerting the rest.
They heeded his call as those who survived the rescue mission retreated, Mikasa and Armin landed next to Floch as the rest made their way back to HQ. Floch sent them a brief look from the corner of his eyes before returning his focus to Eren, Frowning as he watched one of the smaller titans bite off Eren's forearm though he quickly retaliated by smashing its head against the ground effectively killing it. Another titan jumped on his back and took a bite out of his shoulder before he knocked it back with his elbow and struck it hard in the jaw, sending its detached head flying towards the castle at alarming speeds.
"SHIT!" One of the soldiers stationed by the cannons yelled as he jumped away before the head crashed between the canons and tumbled down to the castle's courtyard.
"It... Took it out by the weak spot... Why are they attacking each other? This must be the first time something like this happened, nowhere in our records was this ever mentioned before." Armin spoke as he looked on in fascination.
"It's also very capable in hand-to-hand combat, just what is it?" Mikasa asked in surprise.
"There's an explanation I suppose," Floch replied.
"There is?" Armin breathed out with Mikasa looking equally as intrigued.
"That's not any titan, That's Eren." He informed.
Both teens were rooted in their place from shock, gaping at Floch in disbelief before they tore their eyes away from him and traced their path to the fifteen-meter titan wreaking havoc on the other giants. Mikasa felt a strange sensation of warmth in her chest as if her heart were full of life again. Though that did nothing to ease the utter bewilderment of seeing the small boy who swore to exterminate the titans becoming the very thing he vowed to destroy.
"E-Eren?!" Armin exploded in shock.
"Y-Yes! I-I watched him transform with my own eyes! H-He began attacking them at random, so I guided him over here!" Ruth confirmed.
"Does that mean... Is he... staying like that forever?" Armin asked feeling a pang of fear in his chest.
Floch closed his eyes in thought, it wouldn't be good to disclose such sensitive information at this current time. Better play it safe and be as clueless as the rest, no point in sharing now.
"Let's just stay frosty and hope for the best." He replied to ease his worries.
"Titan or not, all that matters is that he's alive," Mikasa spoke before unsheathing her sword and moving forward off the roof.
Armin's face flashed with surprise before he grabbed onto her elbow. "M-Mikasa what do you think you're doing?!" He nearly shouts at her.
"I'm helping, look around they're slowly encircling him, now let go Armin." She replies before yanking her arm away and jumping to Eren's aid.
Floch looks on intently as she joins the fight and takes out a titan that almost snuck up on Eren though he doesn't acknowledge her as he continues to strike them in wild motions. Floch couldn't help but feel absolute joy watching the scene unfold, this nightmare was coming to an end soon. Floch turned to the rest of the cadets standing behind him, noticing just how deathly pale Armin was watching his friends fight. He placed his hand on the blond boy's shoulder bringing him back to reality, Armin nearly jumped out of his skin as he met Floch's gaze.
"Come on, we have to go somewhere safer, that fight is getting nastier by the second," Floch said.
Armin nods his head. "R-Right."
With some help from Gordon, Floch made his way back to the castle with the others, landing a few feet away from the supply team. Elise runs up to them, confusion was evident on her face. Both turn around to the roar of Eren's titan just to see him using his teeth to fling a titan towards another one. The shockwave threw Mikasa off course forcing her to detach from the fight and rejoin the rest on the castle rooftop.
"Forster, what the hell is that titan doing out there?!" She asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine, all that matters is that it's helping us." He replied nonchalantly.
"And when It stops being nice? It almost killed some of my team." She added skeptically.
"Just stay out of Its damn way, It's not the enemy."
Elise reluctantly nods before they all make their way to the ledge to observe the ongoing fight where many cadets were gathered.
Connie stays far away from the huddled group and sits down on his own, internally thinking back on the mistake he nearly made earlier. He curled up into a ball and held his knees together tightly, tears threatening to leak from his eyes as Jean's terror-filled shrieks haunt him. It all seemed to align at the time, if he simply stood by and surrendered to his fear then he'd secure himself a place in the capital. That was a twisted way of looking at things, but everyone had to do what was in their best interests in this world do they not? He did it for his family, to provide for them, he repeated to himself in denial. Eren's outburst at the mess hall and Floch's speech resurface in his mind as he couldn't help but cringe at his actions, what the hell was he thinking?
"YOU!"
Connie's head jerks up, his breath gets caught in his throat at the sight of the infuriated Jean as a worried Marco rushes behind him. Connie quickly rose to his feet and held his hands up defensively, mumbling incoherently to the boy and profusely apologizing. To no one's surprise, it had zero effects on Kirstein as Connie suddenly found himself down on the floor with a bruised cheek, Jean towered over him panting furiously with a bruised knuckle, and Marco quickly comes between the two to prevent any further altercation.
"Jean, what are you doing? Stop!" Marco frantically shouts as he steps between the two, alerting some of the bystanders behind them.
The boy in question grits his teeth in anger. "I called for this bastard over and over, but he stood there watching me get eaten!"
Connie suppressed the sobs, not daring to look up from the ground. "I'm sorry."
Jean glowered. "Sorry doesn't fucking cut it does it?"
Marco frowns. "Jean, please calm down. This situation is taking its toll on all of us, we're all scared for our lives here and nobody is an exception. Cut him some slack, you're still here with us aren't you?"
Jean glanced at Marco in irritation, though he took some time to digest his words. His face flashed with surprise upon realizing that merely four hours ago he was in that exact situation, frozen on a rooftop watching Tom and the rest be nearly eaten without doing anything to stop it. His furious gaze softens, though he still looked conflicted. He grit his teeth and clicked his tongue before storming away, leaving the two boys alone.
Marco turned around and knelt beside Connie, offering him a hand to stand up. "I'm sorry about that Connie, You know how Jean gets."
Connie rejected his help and took off with one last comment. "I deserved it."
Marco stood out in the open with a frown as the short boy made his way inside of the castle, he glanced back at the rest who were in the process of watching the battle between the titans. He sighed in frustration as he joined them, this day was ticking by too slowly for his taste and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep his sanity by the end of it.
He heard the muscular titan give one last roar followed by a loud thud, Marco rushed over to the ledge to see that the titan was now a shell of its former self. Missing limbs, torn flesh revealing organs, its withered skin clung to the bones like a man ailed by famine. A brief burst of steam shot out of its nape as someone emerged from underneath the flesh, Marco could hardly believe his eyes when Eren Yeager emerged from the corpse of that titan.
"How many of us here made it using the deaths of our friends?" - Marco Bodt 950 AD, battle of Trost.
3:28 PM
Eren woke up with a groan, his eyes fluttering open in confusion as his vision took some time to adjust. He would eventually register the smell of blood filling his nostrils, and the uncomfortable restrictions keeping his limbs bound together. He writhed on the wooden floor in a futile panicked attempt to free himself before a picture frame was thrown right at his head, he groaned again as the impact left a mark on his cheek.
"Ow! What the hell!" He cried out.
"D-Don't move, and be q-quiet!" A girl spoke with a shaky breath behind him.
He twisted his body around to look at the girl only to receive a shoe in the face this time around, further agitating him as he glared at the redheaded cadet who looked to be on the verge of tears from fear.
"Stop throwing shit at me!"
"I said stop shouting!" She hissed at him sharply in a hushed tone.
Eren narrowed his eyes at the girl as she held another shoe in her hand with her back pressed against the wall, he took some time to study her features until he eventually recalled who she was.
"You're Ruth, right? I always saw you around Floch." He said.
"Y-Yes, now stop shouting you'll bring them here." She replied apprehensively
Eren's face scrunched with irritation as he looked down at the belt around his wrists. "Why am I tied up?"
"I'm trying to figure that out for myself, I-I don't know if I can trust y-you."
"Can't... Trust me? What the hell are you on about?" He cocked a brow in confusion.
"H-Humans don't magically heal themselves when they're missing half their body parts, s-so what are you?!" She clarified as she asked again.
"What are you saying?!"
He looked down at his body to inspect, noting that the pants he wore now were dark and baggy and a chunk of his shirt torn off and bloody further amplified his confusion. He tried his best to remember what had occurred before this, images of his squad and titans flashing across his mind. His face darkened when he suddenly recalled Thomas, and the last moments leading up to the blond boy's death including his unpleasant incapacitation.
"B-back in class they told us that only titans can regenerate their injuries, you were missing both legs and parts of your stomach when I found you. You were even steaming just like them!... What would Floch do? Crap what do I do! Oh god..." She said before rambling off by herself hysterically.
"THOMAS!"
He launched forward and chased after the titan that had killed Thomas, failing to notice the other one that readied itself to pounce on him.
"EREN, NO!" Armin distantly called out behind him.
He turned around just in time to see a titan lunging at him, blacking out moments after being trapped halfway in its jaw.
Eren looked back up at her grimly uncertain of what to think, inwardly recalling how he had been nearly devoured whole.
'All of that felt like a dream, yet everything around me says otherwise, Just what happened?'
Eren frowned as he lowered his gaze to the floor, all of the evidence was there. Was he truly one of them? Was he the monster he swore to destroy? It couldn't be, can it? And yet he found no way to explain how he had survived that ambush. Eren felt at a loss for words, his entire world shattering around him in real time as confusion and panic mounted. Suddenly, he took notice of the lack of equipment strapped to his body and looked up at the girl holding him hostage.
His eyes widened. "You took my ODM gear! You were planning on leaving me here tied up?!"
She frowned. "D-Does it matters? You looked pretty dead to me when I took it, If I were able to leave I'd have done so already. And stop shouting please!"
Eren's face hardened. "Listen to me, we have bigger problems to worry about! Trust me I'm just as lost and confused as you are, all I ask is that you do not allow fear to consume you, if Floch ever spoke about me around you you'll know that nobody around here hates these titans as much as I do. I am only a threat to the Titans! Please, Have some faith in me and untie me!"
"I- I'm sorry b-but I... I d-don't know..." She furrowed her brows in uncertainty.
An urgent thought came to mind, where were, Armin and Mikasa? The rest of his squad? What the hell was going on out there during the time he was out?!
"I am begging you, I have to go back out there! Armin, Mikasa, the rest of my team, they're all out there somewhere and they could be in danger!" He shouted at her with mounting anger which sent the girl into a frenzy as she unsheathed her ODM swords.
"T-They gave the evacuation order hours ago they're likely fine, please stop shouting!" She hissed at him in a fit of panic to no avail.
"Dammit, you don't know that! I told you I'm not a titan, I won't hurt you!" He continued to yell, frustrated by her actions.
"Stop it-"
The floor they were on suddenly began to shake as dust kicked up around them, Eren rigidly turned around to see the head of a five-meter class titan poking inside from the other end of the room. His eyes went wide as he recognized it as the same titan that had lunged at him earlier, and now it was trying its best to free itself from being stuck in the side of the building.
"Crap!" Ruth said before she moved to get out of the room, as more titans gathered outside.
Eren glowered as she left him behind. "Hey! don't leave me like this!" He shouted as he tried to stand up with difficulty.
An enormous hand crashed through the wall sending a small shockwave and debris flying everywhere around Eren, Ruth tripped on her feet and fell in front of the door as the boy lay on the floor covered in dust and debris. Eren's face scrunched in pain as he opened his eyes to see a titan reach for him, his face fell in horror as the fingers began to wrap around his body.
Eren adopted a furious expression as the titan was about to pick him up, he refused to go out this way. Struggling between its fingers in his current state during his last moments would be much preferable submitting to it. He lifted his bound legs and kicked at its palm with futility as it tried to hold onto his legs, Ruth rushed to his side and cut its digits off before it could lift him. The redhead quickly sliced off his bindings before helping him get on his feet as they ran for the exit.
Eren quickly closed the door behind him as the room is obliterated. "Thanks for coming back," Eren said.
"J-Just don't hurt me." She panted on her knees.
Eren nods his head in acknowledgment before he offers her his hand, she looks at it for a moment before taking it. They were about to move down the hallway when they both suddenly stilled at a disturbance.
Eren's eyes widened. "GET DOWN!"
The titan's hand broke through the wall knocking Ruth back. Eren quickly ran to her and pushed her flat on the ground as the hand dragged across the hallway destroying the walls in the process, the two teens sat up and looked back. The small titan from before clawed at them as the other one simply gazed with a toothy grin, it wasn't before long that it tried reaching for them by which point Eren took hold of the girl's arm and stood up to rush away.
More titans began to surround their building as they ran around for safety, forcing the two teens to dodge stray limbs and debris at every turn before their luck eventually ran out. Ruth's eyes widened in terror as she looked out to the windows to see the titan that had chased her around earlier sprint at them directly, Eren quickly pushed her out of the way as it slammed right into the building. Ruth broke into a coughing fit as dust covered the hallway, as it settled she looked up in horror to see a bloodied Eren held in its hands.
The last few things Eren could recall before his mind went blank had been the unadulterated rage coursing through his body, the taste of metallic blood in his mouth, and the primal desire to rip and tear this filth that held him to shreds. Moments later, Ruth had to shield her eyes as a blinding, deafening flash of light engulfed the entire street.
4:57 PM
What's happening?
Armin, Mikasa?
Where is everyone?
Why does it all hurt so much?
We've trained so hard, and put in countless hours of work to reach this day. And when it was time to prove to the world that we weren't some pushovers everything seemed to crumble underneath our feet, all that effort, all those sacrifices, all were for naught. Why is it that we have to suffer so much? What have we done that makes them take away our loved ones, destroy our lands, and strip us of our goals and dreams? After all those years, it looked like nothing has changed at all, has it?
No, it has.
This feeling, this... This power. I can feel it coursing through me, something feels different. It's urging me to fight, and keep moving forward. I'll never back down from this war, I... simply cannot afford to do so. I will never stop fighting, not until every last one of them is wiped from this earth. It is my sole purpose in this world, that is my promise to you.
Until every last one of them is wiped from this earth.
"...Wiped from this earth..."
Floch gazed at the boy blankly, immensely intrigued by his half-conscious mutterings. Eren's voice echoed out around him as a cold chill swept down through the dimly lit dungeon. Floch's lips thinned as he pulled out a pocket watch to observe the time, he looked back up and cleared his throat.
"Some dream you must be having, Eren."
Eren's eyes open wide, fully registering his surroundings with apparent confusion. He sits up from the bed to find himself locked behind bars with Floch sitting on a chair on the other side. Floch leans back on the chair and crosses both his arms and legs, gazing deep into the boy's emerald eyes.
"Floch."
"That's my name."
"What happened? I could have sworn I was tied up somewhere else... with that girl, what's her name? Ahh, Where are we even?! Did we deal with the breach? What about the others? Where's Armin and Mikasa... Hold on, why am I behind bars?!" Eren stands up in a fit of panic and confusion, gripping the bars as vague memories rush back to him.
"So many quesions... You're locked in the dungeons of the Trost headquarters, thanks to your help we managed to deal with all of the titans in our area though many are still lurking around us. Trost's fate is still up in the air but your abilities will surely give us the edge we need." Floch explained.
'I remember now... That look on her face, she was scared of me and yet I don't see it in Floch's eyes. What did he mean by my help? That girl said I healed just like the titans, could I be one of them? Have I been running around all this time as one of those bastards? That can't be right can it? Dammit... Think Eren! THINK!' Eren cursed inwardly as his face scrunched in discomfort.
"As for Mikasa and Armin, well, They aren't allowed in here without my permission." Floch spoke.
Eren frowned at his words, his mind racing back to the girl who tied him up earlier. "Why would they need permission? Why am I being locked up? Dammit, I'm getting sick and tired of this! Answer me!" He glowered.
Floch neutrally looks back at him with an unflinching gaze.
"Let's try to remain calm, otherwise I'll redirect my time and attention elswhere." Floch warned, Eren glared at him some more before reluctantly complying.
"What I'm doing is purely in your best interest as well as ours, It's damn near boiling up there. My advice is that you get used to it because it's only getting worse from this point forward once we're back behind the walls."
Eren frowned, feeling betrayed.
"The situation is complicated, no hard feelings Eren but I'm simply doing what's best right now, all of command is gone, I'm the only one left in charge of everyone here. As it currently stands I have to ask for your patience and understanding, I'm merely keeping some semblance of order."
Eren narrows his eyes, his face flushed with anger. "Cool down? Until they no longer wish me dead? Just how long would that take?"
"Until we're back on our feet and ready to move, our transport for the wounded was broken thanks to your... unconventional fighting style. Could take minutes, could take hours, so sit tight will you?"
His anger momentarily slipped and was replaced by that of guilt. "I'm sorry about that, I wasn't exactly aware of... well, anything." Eren puzzled.
"And for good reason, which we are about to discuss and know that the contents of this discussion are on a need to know basis." Floch began much to Eren's intrigue. "Let's not beat around the bush, I think we both know by now, yes Eren, you turned into a titan." He added.
"I figured as much... I... Still find it hard to fathom." Eren breathed out dejectedly.
"That's not such a bad thing, Eren. I need you to listen to me very carefully, this isn't some Bootcamp gossip, this is a matter of life and death on a wider scale than you could possibly imagine. If word gets out, or you allow your emotions to get the best of you then you put us both in danger, no, all of humanity in danger. So please understand the gravity of the situation, don't disappoint me." Floch spoke, remembering full well what kind of person Eren used to be back then.
"A-Alright, you can count one me." Eren stuttered anxiously.
"Then get ready to hear the truth."
Eren froze at his words, a strange sensation festering in his chest, his breathing now erratic as he gazes at him intensely with a strange glint in his eyes. Floch takes notice of this and sighs for the umpteenth time that day, he glanced off to the far end of the dungeon corridor towards the staircase to make sure no one was sneaking around.
Floch uncrossed his arms and legs and leaned forward on his chair, gazing down at the stone floor.
"This has been a long day hasn't it? I almost can't believe I'm about to tell you, though inwardly I knew that soone or later I would have had to, I just wished It wasn't under such catastrophic circumstances... Where was I? Right, this isn't some random coincidence or miracle, your abilities were passed down to you Eren, they call your kind titan shifters."
"Titan shifters?" Eren puzzled out loud. Another thought immediately clicked in his mind, Plural, Other shifters too?!
"Somebody who turns into a titan at will, you'll get the gist of it soon, If you ask me It's more of a blessing than a curse. Has it never crossed your mind how you never get sick or injured? Not even scars or calluses at that."
Eren took a good amount of time to ponder Floch's question, he stretched his palms in front of his face to confirm only to find that he was right. Another memory surfaced, of the day he hit his head on accident after celebrating his successful attempt at performing the balance test. How did he never question the overnight disappearance of the injury from the back of his head?
His eyes widened as he made a sudden realization, Floch's always been there for him from the start.
"...I just felt bad for you that's all,"
"I'll be there with you, you'll do great things someday Eren."
"Just count your blessings. At least you can regene-(rate?)"
Eren audibly gasped. "All these years you knew? You always knew?!"
"Sure, I am confident the next question on your mind is to ask how, but that's need to know. Let's talk something bigger, something more concerning for the time being. Do you feel ready for that, Eren?" Floch paused for a few moments waiting for the boy to collect his thoughts.
"If certain conditions are met, pretty much anyone can turn into a titan, there's nine of them total yourself included. The only difference being that you can turn back human while others can't."
Eren didn't quite understand what he meant at first, but the more he mulled over it the more that his words began to make sense and when they did, he felt reality shatter around him as his face morphed into that of dread and horror.
"A-are the colossal and armored titans like me t-too."
"Yes."
"And you're saying all of them are humans as well?"
"Yes."
"So... that means that throughout our entire history we've been getting devoured by our people? T-the soldiers, the civilians, our friends... my mother... All of them were like us?! This... This has got to be some kind of sick twisted joke, It can't be true!" He cried out in disbelief as his knuckles turned white from his grip on the bars.
Floch stood up and inched closer to him until they were face to face with each other, slightly towering over him.
"You know it in your heart to be true, you think you heard it all? That's still nothing, Eren. Once we're out of here I'll let you in on other secrets, the kind of secrets that our government puts people to sleep for. Just know that you have a special role to fill in this world, our world, and for that reason we keep moving forward no matter the cost, do you understand?" Floch spoke assertively, his deranged bloodshot eyes drilling a hole into his skull.
"I- I do!" Eren replied with a shaky breath, disturbed by his crazed appearance.
Floch's face suddenly shifted into a more cheery look as he clapped his hands together. "Great!"
Eren visibly relaxed as the tension lifted. "So... About the other shifters..." Eren trailed.
"Ah!"
Floch turned around on his heel in the other direction and placed his hands behind his back. "I'm afraid we'll have to continue this at a later time, I wouldn't want to overload you with so much information all at once. Besides, I've spent too much time down here, I need to check on the others upstairs."
Eren's face fell as disappointment washed over him, he knew better than to pester Floch about it, he grits his teeth in anger as his late mother's last moments flashed in his mind. "Will we speak again?"
"Yes, I'll even tell you about the real culprits behind your mother's death."
Eren's eyes went wide with surprise as he watched the boy leave, Floch spoke to him a final time as he walked away.
"Remember this well Eren, I'm the only person you can trust with this information. Not Armin, not Mikasa, not anyone else. So do keep it our little secret would you? Oh and if I die before we get the chance to speak again just seek out Krista."
"Krista?! What does she have to do with any of this?!" Eren called out.
"More than you might think, see you around Eren."
Eren was left stunned in his cell as he sat back down on the bed to digest everything, it wasn't before long that he heard a couple of feet hurrying down the steps of the dungeon. When he looked back up at the bars he saw both Armin and Mikasa gazing back at him with cheerful expressions, he smiled back at them though the smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Eren are you okay?!" Armin was the first to ask.
Floch Forster and Krista Lenz.
He needed to uncover the full truth from them.
"The one to lead this nation is Eren Yeager, you need to release him immediately." - Floch Forster 854 AD, to Hange Zoe during an interrogation about leaked military information.
5:06 PM
Though they knew the situation was dire they never could have imagined just how desperate the soldiers were becoming to not set foot back into Trost, various mutinies brewing, and soldiers unable to even stand from fear. The scouts wearily marched into the town and received a mixture of reactions from the soldiers along the way. Some were skeptical though the majority were over the moon at their arrival. Levi scowled and tore his eyes away from their faces to focus on the road ahead.
"They seem happy to see us at least," Hange commented.
"Only because they think we'll be doing all the work, It'll hit 'em soon enough section commander," Rashad replied.
"Heh, all those months of trying to shut us down and look where it got them." Oluo laughed.
"Shut up Oluo, not the time nor place." Petra scolded.
Erwin turned around on his horse and began addressing the gathered scouts.
"Alright, Attention! I will be joining commander Pixis at headquarters to assess the situation, in the meantime, I need Squad Klaus and Lima to climb the walls and give me a detailed report of the town's condition! All other units are to hold defensive positions along the wall and await further orders! Squad Levi, Hange, and Mike are with me, Go!"
"Yes sir!"
Petra couldn't help but grow worried for a certain someone, her fear for them getting the best of her as she scanned for their face among the hundreds of gathered soldiers.
She turned around to Levi. "Captain Levi, Permission to check for someone?"
Levi looked back at her from the corner of his eye with indifference. "Granted, make it quick."
"Yes sir!" She replied before turning her horse around to head near the gate.
Petra looked around left and right as she crossed the streets, asking the soldiers about the whereabouts of the trainees. She'd eventually come across a group of them after some guidance, she made her way to two girls sitting by themselves at a table before calmly announcing her presence.
"Hello there, my name's Petra Ral. Both of you are from the one hundred and fourth southern division right?" She greeted.
Ymir and Krista looked up at the woman with intrigue, Ymir's ears perked up in interest as she studied the redheaded woman's face.
"Yeah, can we help you with something?" The Brunette asked.
"You can, I'm asking around for somebody, he's a cadet in your class by the name of Floch Forster. You wouldn't happen to know his whereabouts would you?"
Both of the girl's faces lit up with surprise which she initially took as a good sign, however that quickly changed when the blonde girl's mood suddenly soured. Her stomach sank as she anticipated the worst.
"I'm sorry, but he hasn't made it here yet. All of the cadets you're seeing are the only ones who returned, we tried to go back for them but they refused all of our requests to resupply them." She spoke in a somber tone.
"I wouldn't worry about that slippery bastard much, though it is worrying that nobody else has made it back yet." Ymir averted her eyes with a bothered expression.
Petra smiled weakly. "I see, thank you for your time."
Krista nodded at her before Petra left, she frowned as she made her way to rejoin her squad. Inwardly wishing that the boy did indeed pull through all the chaos and survived, though wishful thinking often yielded disappointing results in this world.
5:14 PM
A gloomy atmosphere hung over the castle as Floch made his way around checking from person to person, those who came back from the rescue mission were currently getting as much rest as possible while the others continued to look out for any more trouble. Floch could see it in their eyes as clear as day as he went around checking on them, everyone wanted to go home, there was only so much most of them could handle before they reached their limit, some more than others.
Floch noticed Daz and Samuel sitting against the wall from far away, the former looked to be curled up and in a state of shock as Samuel attempted his best to try and comfort the boy. Floch closed his eyes and sighed, rubbing his temple as he did so. These were just kids at the end of the day, it was at that moment that Marco made his way toward him.
"Hey, Floch! good news!" Marco told him.
"I'm listening," Floch replied opening his eyes.
"We found spare parts for the carriages in the storage area, we'll be able to fix it and leave very soon!" Marco beamed.
"Good, did you do a headcount as I asked you to?"
Marco's face fell, furrowing his brows as he did. "Well... We lost five people on that rescue mission, six more were injured and are no longer able to fight so we have ten injured in total who need to be transported to safety."
"So we're down to just twenty-seven ourselves included... How does everyone feel about Eren at the moment?"
Marco's face lit up in surprise. "Eren? Well, It's still so recent so everyone is hung on up on him being a titan. As far as I can tell they're scared of him, how is he by the way?"
"Fine, I'm keeping him locked down in the dungeons for now to avoid any altercations between him and the rest. Part of me knows we'll need his help if we wish to leave this place safely." Floch replied.
"I see... I agree too, who would have thought huh? It's incredibly ironic to think that him of all people would be a titan." Marco chuckled weakly.
Floch nodded. "Indeed, Good work out there Marco. Update me about the carriage, We'll be sending a team to deliver the word to the soldiers stationed at the wall soon, inform the others in the meantime."
Marco nodded before he took his leave, he turned around to the two boys from before and made his way towards them. Daz didn't notice when Floch had arrived exactly but that didn't prevent him from flinching upon noticing his presence, the terrified boy looked up at him tearfully.
Floch surveyed the area as he dodged the countless attacks from the alliance members, at this rate the battle was going heavily in their favor. He wondered why the flying boat hadn't been taken out yet, he took a glance at the boat to find Samuel's motionless body by the end of the pier with Daz nowhere in sight.
"Hey there, Samuel, Daz."
"F-Floch!" Daz spoke in horror before he cowered away and dug his face into his knees.
"How are you two holding up?" Floch asked.
Samuel rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at him nervously. "W-well, we could have had it way worse! We're just glad we're still alive and kicking, Daz is a little shaken up though."
Before He could reply Daz exploded at him tearfully gaining the attention of some of the bystanders.
"Please tell me we're not going on any more retarded suicide missions! Please!" Daz howled as he lunged at him and gripped his pants by the thighs.
Floch was taken aback by his reaction, his brows knitted into a frown as he looked down at him. "No, Daz, We won't be going on anymore... suicide missions. Don't worry." He told him in a calming manner before gently removing the boy's hands from his thighs.
He knelt at eye level and placed his hand firmly on the frantic boy's shoulder. "You did good, both of you did. We'll be leaving here soon, so try to get your mind off the situation."
He squeezed the boy's shoulder. "Alright?"
"Y-Yeah, sure!" Daz replied with a shaky breath.
"Good." He grinned.
Floch left the two alone as he went around checking on the others, morale was hanging on by a thin thread as he feared. He wondered how Erwin had done it, how did he casually inspire everyone around him to maintain that same level of confidence and dedication. Now that he's been in countless positions of leadership, he knew damn well that it wasn't anywhere near as easy as that man made it seem.
It wasn't long before he stumbled on Sandra once again, relief washed over him at seeing the girl in better condition. He walked over towards her and watched how her face lit upon noticing him.
"Floch!"
Sandra rushed in his direction, She quickly enveloped him in a hug which he returned. The two separated and the brunette looked up at him with a frown, Floch's lips thinned as he could sense something was wrong.
"Gordon told me what happened to you guys, I'm so sorry Floch... I can't believe Franz is gone... I-I tried to give Hannah some comfort but she's inconsolable, his death hit her hard." She informed somberly.
Floch sighed and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Yeah, It did. We're all trying to do our best to get out of here now. Just know that his death wasn't in vain."
Sandra looked crestfallen as she thought about the deceased civilians, her eyes traced their path towards Sasha and the small blonde girl sitting by her side at a table. "It must have been horrible back there, If only we were faster..." she trailed.
"No point thinking back on that now, we can't change the past. How are you feeling Sandra?"
"My body's hating me for moving this much, and I can still hear some ringing in my ear." She replied, "Did you have anything to eat? The others took some food from the officers' provisions, here." Sandra added before handing him an apple she pulled out of her jacket.
Floch gratefully accepted her gift before his eyes rolled upwards towards Louise. "Thank you, I think someone would appreciate this more than I do though." He replied before making his way towards her with Sandra in tow.
"Hello there, Louise."
Louise looked up at him with a weak smile without uttering a word, relieved to see her savior well. He knelt next to her at the table and handed her the apple, Louise looked at it for a few seconds before she took it from his hands and eagerly ate it. Floch ruffled her hair a little bit before turning to Sasha and giving her a brief nod, A question now surfaced to the front of his mind as he recalled someone missing from all the cadets he spoke to.
"Has anyone seen Hannah around?"
Sasha held her chin in thought before shrugging. "Not sure, haven't seen her since I came back here."
He turned around to Sandra. "No clue either." She shook her head.
"D-Does she... Does she have red hair and freckles on her face?" Louise questioned as all three turned towards her making her feel nervous.
"Yes, have you seen her?" Floch asked once again with growing concern.
She nodded. "S-She was there a bit ago," Louise answered as she pointed.
Floch followed her finger towards the direction of the castle's courtyard, he shared a look with the other two girls before he quickly bolted in that direction. Floch ran past a few confused cadets before he skid to a halt in the middle of the courtyard, his head snapped from one spot to the other in search of any trace of the redhead. His eyes suddenly paused on the opened door of the armor which has been previously closed. He walked towards it at a brisk pace as he suddenly heard a disturbance coming from below.
Floch rushed down the stairs as he stepped over a dried puddle of blood and made his way around the corner of the entrance before stopping dead in his tracks, his blood freezing in his veins at the horrific sight.
With a rope tied around her neck, Hannah hung from the ceiling, seconds away from departing from this world.
So uh... chapter 13... yay!
The letter Floch wrote to Erwin will be brought up soon I didn't just throw it around for no reason so no worries there! As for Floch ever needing a titan, who knows if he will? I'll do a coin flip and decide lol.
Anyway thank you for reading and have a good one, goodnight/day byebye.
