"Reiner had always played the big brother role, even in our cadet days…but sometimes you could see cracks in the mask…there'd be days where he was all business, with nothing but a single goal in mind and then there were other days where he was jovial and caring…it almost seemed like he was two different people, a real Jekyll and Hyde"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850
Spring 850
Walltop, Wall Rose
Despite the situation, it's rather satisfying to see fist meet face in a fit of rage. Edith thought as she watched Eren take on Reiner through pained eyes. The sudden removal of her prosthetic had been painful, but the added pressure of the fist currently squeezing the life outta her? Well, it was fair to say she probably wasn't going to start fighting back anytime soon.
"EVERYONE! MOVE!" Hanji ordered jumping out of the way of the hand that was poised to strike. Bits of rubble and debris flew everywhere as the hand came down on the Walltop where the Scouts had been gathered only moments before.
"It's got Ymir!" Krista cried, peering over her shoulder as she was hoisted up and out of the way.
"Oh hell! She's not the only one!" Ryan cried, watching on in horror as the Colossal cracked open its massive jaws and chucked both Ymir and Edith inside. "Shit!"
"No! This isn't happening!" Sasha gasped in disbelief.
"How could Bertolt…?" Armin whispered staring up at the scene before him. Letting a hiss of breath escape from between her gritted teeth, Hanji sprung into action.
"SOLDIERS! PREPARE TO ATTACK! THE COLOSSAL TITAN DOESN'T WALK AWAY FROM THIS! ITS A THREAT TO ALL MANKIND! SWARM AND TERMINATE!"
The Scouts followed Hanji up into the air, easily flying passed the slow moving fists of the lumbering half-giant before them. Using the ODM gear, they twisted and turned around the large fists, closing in on their target at the nape of the neck.
Freak's as slow as they say, Ryan thought, rage coursing through him as he closed in on the neck, intent on carving through Bertolt if he had to; anything to get Edith back. Size is all he has going for him! Compared to Titans we're usually up against, this one's a piece of cake! Simple!
"HE'S WIDE OPEN! SLICE THE NAPE!" Hanji roared as four or five soldiers latched their wires into the back of the neck, ready to reel themselves in. Then, as if Bertolt had planned it, large amounts of compressed Titan steam came pouring out of every nook and crevice causing those who had latched on, to let go and fall back.
"Ugh! My hands!" Ryan hissed, clutching his throbbing burnt hands to his chest. Burns covered those who had been closest to the nape when the steam attack had hit. A cry for water went out for those who needed it, but there wasn't much else they could do at the moment.
Titan steam still poured from the Colossal at a violent rate, obscuring it from view. "Ugh! He's vanishing!" Hanji grit out.
"I don't know, something's different here" Armin interjected, analysing the scene in front of him, "The last time he disappeared it was more or less instantaneous. He's maintaining his form to emit heat, I think he's protecting himself! As long as he generates steam, our rigs are useless! What do we do?"
"Now? Nothing, except wait. Squads 3 and 4, take position behind the target. Richard has command"
"Got it" Richard responded as he and the two squads moved into position.
"Squad 2 stay put, Lawerence has command"
"Understood" Lawerence said.
"How long he can act like a blast furnace remains to be seen, but he'll come out of there eventually. When he does, we'll rush the big bastard. Listen up, I want you to forget about taking them alive: destroy them, no second thoughts! Armin, you're with me"
Turning on her heel, Hanji leapt off the Wall calling for Squad 1 and Armin to follow. "Right, Squad 1 look alive. We've got a date with the Armoured Titan!
"Though hard to notice due to overwhelming power and physiques involved, Titan-on-Titan battles are fundamentally the same human-on-human ones…Even submission holds and throws are effective, sometimes proving more potent than strikes"-Titans Through the Ages: Titan Hand-to-Hand Combat, Geoff Bramwood
The battle of Titans that ensued in the fields below enveloped the combatants in dust clouds and Titan steam. The punch that Reiner had thrown, had sent Eren flying backwards where he skidded to a stop, steam pouring from his wounds.
Reiner, you lying piece of shit! Eren hissed in thought, Going off on what it means to be a soldier, always talk about honour. Played us all for fools! Combat training must've been a joke to you! How much were you holding back? And here I took you to be a real stand up guy, calm under pressure, intensely focused, the sort of man who puts his comrades before himself. Damn you! I'd have given anything in the world to be half as strong as you, you're my hero!
Suddenly Mikasa appeared, slicing through the nape of the neck only for her blades to snap off when they made contact. That did nothing! She thought He barely flinched when Eren hit him! And my blades don't even make a dent!
Going in for another strike, this time Mikasa went low, aiming for the ankles. If she hoped to topple the Armoured, she was to be sorely disappointed. He's not like Annie! He's armoured from head to toe! She discovered as her second round of blades snapped off once again. "EREN!" Mikasa cried, pulling back and trying to rouse the healing Titan.
Hey…Reiner Eren thought, his Titan eyes rolling to watch Reiner strut forward towards him as if he had all the time in the world, You asshole! I don't know what kind of face you're making right now, but I hope you miserable pieces of shit are pleased with yourselves! I bet I could scout through the history of mankind and not find anyone whose a fraction as evil!
Mikasa looked up from her futile attempts at piercing through the armour to see Eren raising himself up as his arms healed at a rapid rate. You should be erased! Trash like you shouldn't be allowed to exist! What was going through your head? You disgust me! Just thinking about your face makes my insides churn! You make me wanna puke! YOU'RE A PEST! A PEST! A DISGUSTING STINKING PEST! AND PESTS HAVE TO BE EXTERMINATED!
Eren's fist feet face in a rage-fuelled punch, however it was Reiner's controlled punch that sent Eren flying back once more. The knock to the head must've done more than just bruise him, as Eren couldn't help but think back to a certain sparring session at bootcamp where he had been partnered with Annie once again.
Summer 848
Sparring Fields, Bootcamp
"Ugh! Hey! Take it easy! That hurt!" Eren complained coughing up dust as Annie tossed him to the ground once again. "We're just sparring, just hold back a little"
"If you wanna hold back that's your business; but I defend myself assuming you're coming at me with everything you've got. Otherwise what's the point?" Annie retorted shouldering the unarmed rifle that they had been using. "Let's remember I'm a girl, I'm weaker, I have to protect my frail little body from big bad men" she continued mockingly.
"What? Ha ha Annie, very funny. You're a riot! Frail little nothing! I'm the one that just got shoved in the dirt, y'know" Eren pushed himself to his feet as he replied dryly.
"Good point" Annie dropped the rifle to the ground and moved towards Eren with hands on her hips, "That last move wasn't about whose stronger, okay? I was using a special defence technique; it comes in handy when your opponent has a few extra kilos on you"
She raised her arms up in front of her face, falling back into a familiar stance. "Trust me, you could benefit from learning it"
"Uh, what do you say we take a break for now…?" Eren tried, stepping back in surprise when Annie launched a right hook towards him. However the dodge did nothing as Annie feinted out of the punch and grabbed Eren around the neck and slammed him into the dirt. Eren tried to struggle against the tight chokehold around his neck; like most things that Annie did, she didn't hold back. He really should have learnt that by now.
"Right…that's enough…Annie" Eren gasped, trying to pull the tight arm away from his neck, "You can…let go"
"Come on, I've barely shown you how this works and you're already surrendering? It's a twofold benefit here, or don't you want to learn how to talk to women?"
"Fine whatever…just please…stop strangling me!" Eren gasped his facing turning red from the lack of oxygen.
"Ah, so you are interested in what I can show you"
Suddenly the tight hold Annie had on Eren's neck was released as Reiner as unceremoniously chucked towards them like a ragdoll. Annie moved on instinct, leaping out of the way of the large blonde but Eren was not so lucky. "Not really…sure I wanna know how you got here" Eren panted looking down at Reiner who lay across his lap.
"Hey Annie, your technique seems pretty solid" Mikasa complimented following after the partner she just threw through the air, "Teach me"
"I'm flattered but, it's a method for normal people" Annie sighed, moving round to face off against Mikasa "So why would you ever need it? Still I'm curious to know if it works on animals. Let's find out"
"This is really happening? Oh crap!" Eren gasped watching Annie fall back into a fighting stance.
"Hold up! Are these two actually about to fight?" Connie asked as a crowd formed around the two.
"This is gonna be epic!" said Sasha.
"Who do we bet on?" Phil called from the back.
"What do you mean? Annie" Marco stated.
"What?! Idiot! Dinner says Mikasa wipes the floor with her!" Jean declared.
"Which one of them do you think's gonna win?" Reiner asked Eren.
"Well I…how should I know?" Eren replied.
"Whatever happens I'm not cleaning them up" Edith stated crossing arms, well aware of the damage the two could do to each other.
"What? No! I'm not doing it!" Ryan protested, "Shoot for it?"
"Fine. One, two, three: shoot" The two held up a fist each and hit the palm of their other hand three times before showing their chosen symbol.
"Hah! Scissors! You have to fix them!" Ryan crowed, showing his rock beating her scissors.
"Fine!" Edith sulked.
"NO BACK DOWN! YOU CAN'T WIN IN A FIST FIGHT! MAKE A BREAK FOR THE WALL! RUN YOU IDIOT! DON'T BE RASH!" Armin cried watching on from his perch on the Wall. Down below, Eren rose once more facing off against Reiner consumed in his rage. "Oh no" Armin breathed.
"He's consumed by his rage!" Hanji observed. With a roar Eren aimed a punch at Reiner once more, Reiner meeting him fist for fist. However Eren feinted out at the last second, twisting around Reiner's fist and tackled the Armoured to the floor in a familiar chokehold.
"What the hell is he doing?" Moblit questioned.
"That…holy crap! That's Annie's technique!" Armin cried in disbelief.
Eren straddled Reiner's chest, locking his legs around the blonde as he poised to strike again. You know what? There's no telling what you murdering hypocrites were trying to accomplish! Now that I think about it, your master plan seems to have a few holes in it. Eren thought as Reiner struggled to push Eren off. Only for Eren to lock his legs around Reiner's neck and squeeze, hard.
MAYBE NEXT TIME DON'T TEACH ME HOW TO KICK YOUR ASS! Cracks appeared in the armour, running up and down Reiner's shoulders. It's working! I've got him locked! There's still a chance!
Reiner was finally able to get a better grip on Eren, pushing out of his hold but so fuelled by rage, Eren merely shifted his hold and wrapped himself tighter around Reiner like a boa constrictor. YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE! With a final tug, Reiner's arm was pulled clean off and thrown aside.
"EREN CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Armin called alighting next to Mikasa on the ground nearby, "RUNA AWAY! YOU'VE GOT TO GET CLOSER TO THE WALL! THEY'RE TRYING TO ABDUCT YOU! WE CAN'T LET THEM DO THAT! TRUST ME! ESCAPE IS OUR BEST OPTION!"
"You say that but, Armin c'me on, they're not gonna just let us leave" Mikasa retorted as Reiner rose to his feet.
"Both of you, fall back! Now!" Moblit ordered landing on a fallen tree behind the trio. Armin was quick to follow orders and MIkasa followed not long after, with a quick glance over her shoulder at Eren still facing off against Reiner.
The group on the Wall had to brace themselves against the brief shockwave of Titan steam that blew upwards from where Eren had shoved his healing arm against the Wall. "Nice one, Eren! Good call!" Moblit called form further up the Wall.
"Looks like he's in control again" Mikasa stated.
"Yeah but, Reiner's not just gonna let him go. You're right, escape's impossible!" replied Armin.
The sudden reappearance of Hanji came as more of a relief that a surprise when she landed on Eren's shoulder, "Listen up Eren, if we're going to get you outta here you've got to buy us some time. Stop Reiner dead in his tracks! Think you can manage to break off his legs with one of those joint holds? Our blades don't do much good against him, he can't be out muscled but he can be outsmarted if you play it right"
This is the one time running away guarantees victory Eren thought as Hanji returned to the group on the Wall and Reiner crept closer to him. You guys are screwed for letting us see your true colours! You've backed yourselves into a corner!
Suddenly Reiner broke out into a run, sprinting straight for Eren. The sudden change from the slow creep to the full out sprint caught Eren off guard so he put up no fight as Reiner shoved him to the ground and landed punch after punch.
Shit! The leg! Go for the leg! Eren clung to the right leg as rained down punches, some hitting. Pushing his away, Eren was able to get out from Reiner's hold; even with only one arm, Reiner was a force to be reckoned with. Dammit! There's too much power behind his attack!
Reiner charged forward like a raging bull, aiming low to knock Eren right off of his feet. I can't dodge this! Eren realised, Well, if I'm gonna get slammed, then bring it! Wrapping his legs around Reiner's waist, squeezing hard. Now it all boils down to strength! Dammit!
With the added help of Mikasa who swooped down and sliced through the unarmed muscle on the back of the knee, allowing Eren to break through some of the armour surrounding Reiner's back. The struggle between Eren and Reiner paused for a moment as Reiner reared back and let out a roar very similar to Annie's. Up on the Walltop, Bertolt echoed his cry.
"EVERYONE BE ON GUARD!" Hanji called, "HE'S CALLING FOR BACKUP!"
"No visual on incoming Titans, yet" Thompson reported.
"I don't like this, there had to be some reason for that scream" Connie worried up on the Walltop as he stared down at the battle before him.
"What the hell?" Ryan cursed as an almighty crack off to the side caught everyone's attention and they watched as the Colossal teetered in place, "No, no, no!" The ribs holding the Colossal in place snapped in half and let the massive creature fall headlong towards where the two lay struggling.
"ABOVE YOU! LOOK OUT!"