"My King, please fall back into the Palace!"
Lars Lowe stood in front of the King, watching the Titan roaring towards them.
"Is that the Yeager boy?" The King asked as the Royal Guard closed ranks around him, "My, what a terrifying visage…"
More members of the Royal Guard flooded out onto the porch, finally dragging the King into the Palace.
Now I can do what I need to do…
"First Squad," He yelled, one of his drawn blades raised above his head, "Cover the prisoners! Second Squad, engage the Rogue Titan! Muajii, please fire the signal."
His men burst into action, knowing that if they did not, that they would die, by the Scouting Legions hand or his own. The dozen members of the Second Squad skimmed the surface of the road, as the Rogue Titan backhanded the last of the first squad that had attacked him away.
A purple smoke round shot into the air.
"Muajii," He turned, finding the black haired man standing near him, "Are our surprises in place?"
"The capture devices and cannons? Of course, sir."
"As soon as that beast enters the plaza, take him down. Then rendezvous with me, we have a certain Captain to take care of."
Muajii saluted and darted away to the rooftops of the palace, where a quartet of cannons had been smuggled weeks before. The King had protested, but Lars had been adamant that they be placed. Dozens of the Titan capture devices, their designs having been pirated from the Scouting Legion, were arrayed on the rooftops surrounding every road leading into the plaza.
All to affect the capture of Eren Yeager, or facilitate his death. Either way, they'd win.
Eren charged into the plaza, slapping the last of the second squad of Military Police away. He knew that they were all dead, simply by looking at the blood that coated his hand, but he clung to the hope that he hadn't killed all of them, simply for doing their jobs.
They're in the way, nothing will stop us!
He could see Levi and Mikasa in his peripherals, having switched to their maneuver gear so they could keep up with him. They paralleled him, running and shooting along the rooftops, dismembering anyone who was able to sneak by Eren.
Almost there…
The plaza was just in front of him, he could see the gallows where Pixis and the others were being held, many of them people he'd met in the last fifteen years of his life.
His attention, so focused on the Garrison prisoners, didn't notice the familiar shapes of the capture devices. Nor did he see the man standing near them, his eyes filled with hate, as his hands swung down, and twenty four of the capture devices spit out their payloads.
Pain hit him as the spikes dug into his body, his head, his legs, his hands. Several of the high strength wires snapped as the hundreds of wires stopped his advance cold, but once he was stopped, he was unable to move, even with his Titans great strength.
"Eren!" He heard Mikasa scream from behind him, as the men who manned the capture devices leapt from the building, streaming back towards the extraction force.
I… must… move, he thought, trying to fight the pain. He caught sight of another group, this one wearing red coats instead of the usual khaki, making their way towards him, having to use the buildings surrounding the plaza to make it to him, but traveling at incredible speed. The Royal guard… All of them have graduated number one in their trainee squad.
More men launched towards them, appearing from windows, climbing out of sewers, anywhere and everywhere, dozens upon dozens of men were making their appearance.
Pain burst through him as something smashed into his chest. Looking down, he saw the smoking hole that now gaped in his torso, and felt the explosion as the shell landed somewhere behind him. A dozen Military Police armed with muskets began to fire at the Extraction team, sending a handful of men to the ground with mortal wounds.
Shit.
"Well, this is… not good."
Ragnar watched from a side street as cannons roared and muskets cracked, the familiar clattering of battle filling the nearby plaza. Civilians hustled away from the confrontation, though they were hampered by the number who had stopped to watch.
"Annie, can you explain what's going on a little better?" He turned to her, as their horses whinnied at the level of noise.
"The Scouting Legion is here to free the prisoners," She said, checking the straps on her maneuver gear, "They rode into a trap, though. I don't understand that part, since they had to know they'd be ambushed…"
A nearby explosion sent the crowd running, and gave Ragnar's group enough space to move out of the side street. Their hoods, and the fact that they trotted towards the fighting draw a few stares from passersby, but the people of the crowd were too busy fleeing for their lives to invest too much attention in the eight fools heading towards the violence.
"So, what's the game plan," Dio called to him, "Rescue the prisoners? Kill these 'Military Police' guys, or what?"
Ragnar looked to Suttungr and Luigi, expecting them to have an answer, but they just shrugged.
Guess it's on my shoulders now…
They neared the plaza, only a single side street left, listening to the cannons roar again. The clash of swords, soon became evident, as did the screams of the dying.
"Annie, how do we tell the good guys from the bad guys?" He asked, still trying to piece together some kind of plan.
"The one with the wings on their jackets are the good guys," He said, "Those are the Wings of Freedom, the emblem of the Scouting Legion!"
"Shit, okay," They entered the plaza, their horses charging into the melee, "Suttungr, Sigmund, take Eric and Carr and free the prisoners. Dio, I want you to take out those cannons. Luigi, Annie and I will assist our new friends! Now charge!"
Dio let out a whoop, what once would have been called a 'rebel yell', as the eight of them drew their blades. Ragnar broke through a bank of cannon smoke, and looked out upon the battlefield. Men and women darted all about, using the maneuver gear whenever they could to try to jockey for position on each other. But the lack of any structures near the center of the plaza precluded the gears use near there.
And standing to Ragnar's right was the Jotunn form of the man he had come to meet.
He kneed his horse in that direction, knowing that Annie and Luigi would follow. Their horse's sides huffed as he pushed it to go faster…
"Ragnar, watch out!" Luigi yelled from behind.
His blades came up, as the Military Police tried to slash him as he twirled past, and parried the blows.
"I've got this one."
Annie whipped past him, her maneuver gear pulling her in pursuit of the MP.
He felt heat on his back, and the whip crack sounds of a Jotunn manifesting hit him. The battle seemed to stop for a moment, as all those around turned to look toward Dio's Jotunn. It raised one of its massive arms, and brought it smashing down on one of the cannons atop the Palace.
The pause ended, as Dio swept the remaining cannons off the building, killing several of the cannoneers in the process. A man wearing a red coat went for his weak point, and died as Dio backhanded him into the ground.
Ragnar turned his attention to Eren, whose eyes were locked on Dio. He noted the wires that held him in place, and the devices that anchored him to the buildings around him.
That's the key, we need to cut those… Or better yet…
"Luigi, destroy the devices holding that Jotunn in place!"
Mikasa stared, dumbfounded, as another Titan appeared near Eren. It was the same height as Eren's, but other than that and the black hair, it was totally different. The second Titan reached out and ripped one of the capture devices off the roof, in the process pulling
What… What is going on…?
She parried a blow hastily thrown by the man she was dueling, turning to avoid a backhanded blow. Then her blade was slicing through his upper chest.
"Mikasa," She turned to see Jean landed next to her, his face covered in blood, "We need to push through to the prisoners!"
As reply, she turned and fired her grapnel into a nearby building, zipping towards its. Jean followed her, and together they fought their way back to Eren. Levi was busy fighting off the redcoats, swinging about wildly, changing direction as if by some unseen force, his blades flashing like lightning.
If only I were as skilled as he is… I could protect Eren better.
A groan escaped her as she landed. Falling to one knee, she panted from the pure exhaustion of the constant combat. She was sure only minutes had passed, but it felt like an eternity.
Jean joined her, followed by closely Krista, Sasha and Connie. A lull had fallen over the battle, as the Military Police pulled back to deal with the ungainly looking Titan rampaging closer to the Palace, leaving a few men and women to harass the Extraction Team. Though with this new Titan and…
A small, hooded form landed on the roof with them, wearing a strange mixture of civilian and military style clothing. The figure stood, turning towards Mikasa.
Those eyes…
"Hello."
Annie Leonhardt, the Female Titan, had returned.
"Annie? Wha- What the hell is going on? You," Jean spluttered, "Why are you here?"
"It's a long story," Annie said quietly, "I'm willing to tell you it, but first. We need to get out of here. I brought along some new friends…"
Her words were punctuated by Eren finally ripping free of the capture devices, his Titan form jetting steam from its many wounds. Luigi had already ripped free from his own form, and now stood next to Ragnar, who was watching Annie with worried eyes.
Why must he always worry so much about me... But she already knew the answer to that. Because he loves me.
"But, you're a traitor," Jean yelled, his blades poised to strike, "You, Reiner and Bertoldt are the reason for so much suffering! Why should we trust you?"
Annie was only distantly aware of Jean's ramblings… For Mikasa was scowling at her, her dark eyes intent.
"I don't need your trust, I just need you to-"
She ducked aside as Mikasa made her move, spinning forward, her blades held at chest height.
Damn, I was hoping for a better start than this!
"Stop it, I'm trying to help you!"
Her words were lost, as Mikasa pursued her across the roof, and over its edge.
"I won't let you try to take Eren again!"
Ragnar saw Annie disappear over the edge of the roof, his worry growing exponentially as he saw the raven haired woman take off after her, followed by the others. He wheeled his horse about, galloping under the legs of the slowly recovering Eren.
Annie flashed by, skimming the street in front of him, followed closely by raven haired girl. He could see blood already trailing from her right arm.
NO!
He sheathed his blades and brought his hand up to his mouth, just before something slammed into his side. The force of the blow knocked him from his saddle, and sent him sprawling on the cobblestones. Rolling upwards, he found himself facing a short man, with short, straight black hair. The man's calm face was at odds with his intimidating eyes.
"I don't know who you are," The man said, "But I saw you acting as if you were going to transform into a Titan… And I don't want you to do that."
Ragnar scowled deeply.
"I don't give a damn what you want!"
His hand reached once again, his jaws widening for the bite that would give him the power to protect Annie. Before it could move more than a few inches, the other man's foot hurled in and blasted him backwards, knocking the wind from Ragnar's chest.
"I thought I told you to stop that, you brat," The man said calmly, aiming another kick towards his head, "You've already jeopardized my mission, and I don't like that."
Damn him…
"Ragnar, go!"
Luigi stepped in out of nowhere, his short swords slamming into the other man's longer blades with enough force to drive him back. Ragnar turn on his heel and ran, searching for Annie. Sprinting to the intersection, he turned, finding Annie surrounded by a number of unfamiliar people in the uniform of the Scouting Legion.
His legs dug in, propelling him at his fastest sprint towards the little group.
"Multiple black flares, commander!"
Erwin turned as Squad Leader Heiji landed next to him. The man's blades were dull, and his blade carriers were empty. The fighting had been hard for the covering squads, and he knew there would be many, many bodies to bury.
Black flares… Then the Outsiders have made their appearance.
"Fire a green flare, all units to make for the source of the black smoke! Do not consider the Titans hostile unless attacked first, spread the word!"
Eren shuddered as his Titan's wounds finally healed and he could stand. The fighting had intensified, as the rest of the Extraction Team tried to fight through the hundreds of Military Police gathered near the prisoners.
I've got to help them.
The other Titan was alleviating a large amount of that pressure, deftly drawing away and smashing any group that attempted to attack him. Eren's eyes swept over the quartet of hooded figures that had mounted the gallows, and were defending the device that would send all of the prisoners to their death, keeping the Military Police from dropping the trapdoors and fulfilling one of their purposes.
He turned for a moment, hearing the clanging of swords nearby, and saw Levi fighting… someone. And apparently having quite a hard time of it.
Someone with the skill to match Levi… He thought, the implications striking him. Further movement caught his attention, and he saw a figure sprinting towards a side street. He followed, noting the figures large build, and stepped out onto the side street. The man below him turned, as Eren looked down upon him, and removed his hood, gazing upwards.
Eren's eyes widened. He knew that face!
This is...Ragnar…
What is he doing, I thought he said that he didn't wish to fight us in that vision. Did I mishear it or… Oh…
Looking past Ragnar, he noted another figure. The second figure on the road turned, her hood whipping back onto her shoulders.
Annie…
An amalgam of emotions slammed through him. Anger, fear, sadness… Even some affection. But it was mainly surprise that coursed through his veins, and caused him to skid to a stop, stones from the road fling onwards. It was only then that he noticed Mikasa and the rest of Squad Levi circling the figure. Like a flock of vultures awaiting their prey.
She was dead! Dead! I saw her cut nearly in half! How did she survive that? Was that a dream that somehow combined with my vision? Or…
He resolved to find out. Even if he had to tear it out of them.
Suttungr's day was going surprisingly well.
None of the men, these so called 'soldiers', who had come against him had had any skill. And having been taught by Arthur, one of the greatest swordsman in all of Jotunheim, he didn't have any problems. Having to watch the sky added a new dimension to the fighting, but it was different, and a good segue away from the boring monotony that had been their flight here.
Another blade swept towards him, he caught it on the flat of his blade, swinging it to the side, dragging the inexperienced soldier to the side. Suttungr dispatched him, before springing to his right, barely avoiding another attacking Redcoat.
He noted, as the man stood and turned towards him, that instead of the horned horse, this one's coat had a golden crown on its back. Thick black hair over cold brown eyes, a snub nose and short expressive mouth… Probably somewhere between Ragnar and Suttungr in age.
"You look like a strong enough fellow," The man said, "I'm Adam Muajii, Deputy Commander of the Military Police. And you are?"
Suttungr's lip curled up at Muajii's ostentatious drawl.
"I honestly don't care who you are, but," Suttungr slipped off his cloak, never letting his eyes leave, "I am Suttungr Mosher, First Prince of Jotunheim."
"Oh, a Prince? I've never killed one of those before!"
The man danced forward, his blades smashing into Suttungr's with tremendous force.
Annie's chest heaved, her legs not wanting to work properly, as she deflected another of Mikasa's blows. She had to sidestep to avoid Krista, and then felt another cut on her leg as one of Jean's blades finally connected. Then Mikasa's blades flicked in, severing her right Achilles tendon.
She collapsed to her knees, face contorted with pain.
"Why don't you transform," Mikasa said, as her former comrades stepped back for a moment, "Or did you lose that ability?"
Annie looked up, as her leg began to slowly heal, her eyes full of disdain.
"Annie," Jean said harshly from to her right, "Answer me this, why did you have Marco's maneuver gear? Did you…"
"Kill him?" She said, interrupting him, casting her eyes down to the roof below her, "Yes… Yes I did."
Krista and Jean let out a startled gasp, while Mikasa growled.
"Why? Why would you do that?" Krista said, "He was our friend!"
Annie's mind was cluttered, with the pain, with the memories from her past, many that she wished she'd never have to remember.
"He… He saw me heal myself," Annie whispered, wrapping her arms around herself, "And wouldn't forget what he saw, wouldn't stop talking about it…"
Jean stepped forward, sheathing his blades, and punched her as hard as he could. The blow drove her to the ground, sending her sprawling. Annie felt one of her teeth snap off, the warm blood flooding into her mouth. Again and again Jean struck her.
"Why! Why, damn you! Fucking bitch!"
He and Marco were always such good friends… No wonder he hates me…
Jean screamed again above her, but he ceased hitting her, and soon she felt much gentler hands touching her.
"Annie, are you okay?"
She used her good arm to prop herself up, looking up into Ragnar's worried eyes.
"Yeah," She said, rubbing her arms together as he lifted her easily to her feet, "Or at least, I will be in a few minutes."
"Thank goodness for that," He said, turning his attention to the rest of what Annie believed was the new Squad Levi, "Now, um…"
His eyes darted over them, as Mikasa seemed coiled and ready to strike, and the others held back from the strange, imposing man now standing before them.
"Annie, is one of them my sister?"
Ragnar's attempt at a whisper came out as his normal conversation tone, and Annie nearly laughed at the dumbfounded looks that appeared on their faces. All except Mikasa and Jean's, who was holding a bloody nose.
"Um, Ragnar, I don't think this is the time for that. But, I don't see her in this group."
He nodded, seeming slightly abashed.
"Yeah, sorry… Just curious. Now," He turned towards Mikasa, who held her blades ready in front of her, "Who-"
A massive fist smashed into the ground, where Annie had been standing only seconds before. She looked skyward, seeing the emerald green eyes of that suicidal bastard totally enraged, as she remembered them from that fateful day inside the Stohess District.
Ragnar's arms wrapped around her, as Eren drew his fist back for another blow, his hand going to his mouth.
His Jotunn's flesh enveloped her.
Why did things have to go so badly…
Erwin looked on with mild disbelief, as yet another Titan appeared.
But, not only did it appear, but it sent Eren's Titan flying through the air, to smash down inside the plaza.
"Commander, what should we do?"
He turned as Hanje landed on the road next to him, her own team having joined the melee in and around the plaza. The prisoners were even now being freed, while the four foreigners and the one Titan defended them.
The four armed Titan, truly monstrous in proportion, thundered after Eren, roaring as it came. It smashed through a building, before meeting Eren once again with a flurry of punches. Steam poured out of four vents on its back, billowing out even more as it pummeled Eren.
Did I make a mistake? Are these people truly our enemies?
"I want you to lead a team to-"
"My, you're actually very good. Even with just those two dinky little swords of yours."
Levi furrowed his brow as he watched the other man, who stood with one sword held high and one held low, ready to respond to another of Levi's strikes.
But when he did next, caused the man's vaguely Asian, something he'd have to investigate at some point, eyes to widen.
"I'd like to continue this," Levi said as he sheathed his blades, turning away, "But, I'm needed elsewhere."
Before the other man could move, Levi was gone, landing on a nearby roof, before skimming across the rooftops. Finally reaching the edge, he looked down upon a scene that would likely haunt many of the man and woman even now fighting.
Eren was driven back, and even Levi was impressed with the skill demonstrated by the other brat. A kick sent Eren sprawling, drawing dangerously close to the prisoners. Levi also noted several fighters, including two that looked suspiciously like the brat he'd dealt with earlier, fighting men wearing red coats with the crown of the Royal Guard on their back. It was unfortunate that there weren't any major structures inside the Plaza to use with their maneuver gear, they were forced to fighting on foot.
This is a total clusterfuck.
Suddenly, more members of the Scouting Legion burst past him into the plaza, joining the melee. Hundreds of bodies already littered the ground, mainly from the ungainly looking Titan that was still trouncing about.
His mind flashed back to the day of the 57th Expedition beyond the Walls… Seeing the corpses of his allies, of people he had truly cared for… of Petra.
Damn, He thought, shaking his head to clear those thoughts away, I really need to stop thinking about that. I am in the here and now…
Eren watched with narrowed eyes as Ragnar stopped attacking for a moment. He could see the rage flowing through his eyes, rage that matched his own. It was just… it was like fighting Reiner again, but even worse… he'd never seen a fighting style like Ragnar's before.
It was pure brutality, as evidenced by the number of steaming wounds all across his body, and was more like fighting a force of nature. The extra set of arms and the extra four or five meters in height of Ragnar only added to Eren's consternation.
And Annie… That murdering bitch. He knew he'd snapped a little when he saw her, and distantly regretted throwing the punch at one of his greatest antagonists. But the confliction within him had been swept aside by his rising anger.
How dare she return, how dare she show her face here…
They squared off once again, Eren drove forward, steam flashing from the cracks that were beginning to form in his Titan's skin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikasa flash past him, having used his Titan to swing about and gain enough momentum to attack Ragnar.
One of Ragnar's hands snatched her as she drew near, holding her tightly. He saw her head droop, saw her entire form go limp...
Bastard! He screamed, the inarticulate noise leading his charge. Ragnar caught his flying tackle, their hand slamming together. Steam flashed everywhere, as Eren felt something awakening inside himself, like a long dormant bear opening its eyes for the first time after winter.
I am awakened! A voice, not his own, said from within. The Prophecy is begun!
What in the hell is going on…
Eren watched as Annie emerged from the nape of Ragnar's neck, using her maneuver gear to swing down and grab the unconscious Mikasa, before darting away. Landing on the ground and immediately dragging the other unconscious girl to cover.
Why… Why would Annie do that, why not take the opportunity and kill Mikasa…
Because… They do not wish to harm us. The same voice from before said. We are many, but we are one! The End of Sorrow is begun!
Heat slammed through him, a sense of power that he couldn't believe… Flames began to appear all across his skin, with a strange greenish tint to them, even as Ragnar's own skin burst with golden flames.
Why…
"What the hell is going on…?"
Jean held his nose, cursing that blond bastard as blood continued to drip down onto his uniform.
Captain Levi won't be please about that…
"I don't know," He heard Krista say from beside him, as a dome of flames engulfed the center of the plaza. It pulsated, flickering green and gold, like some kind of living thing. "But wasn't that where Eren and that big blond guy were?"
"Yeah…"
What is going on… Every day the world gets a little bit crazier.
Another update! Yay! This one took a little while, since I rewrote it a handful of times because I didn't like the way the first few drafts turned out. Enjoy!