"Such a strange bunch of people."
A fluttering of cloth, a delicate hand lain upon a brawny, hairy shoulder.
"Truly they are, Master."
"We must watch those two much, much more closely, mustn't we, my faithful Igigi."
"Yes, my master," Said a voice devoid of any emotion, as they looked down upon the scene, "I shall watch them much better."
"Good," A smile creased the woman's face, as she tucked her hair into her hood, "Now, I must go and visit Erra. If the Harbinger's have met so soon, and seemingly made some kind of pact, than his mission has failed. Do not get caught, Igigi, or I shall have to replace you with one of the others. And make sure to keep Ackilles in line."
The large, hairy man bowed his head again and again.
"Yes, my master, my master is good, my master is right," He seemed to bounce back and forth, his lips quirking upwards as a thought crossed his mind, "Serving my master is quite a delight!"
His smile disappeared as he noticed that his master had already left the window. He'd have to try to remember to tell her when she returned.
But for now, he would follow his master's command.
Because, as the loremaster taught us, the Lahmu and Utukku were created by the Anunnaki to serve. And serve I shall!
"Armin."
Armin looked up as the Commander called back to him.
"Yes, sir?"
"I want you to search the library for any books that may interest you. Hange, the same fr you." He said as he lit the way, "I shall take Ken and Hillary with me, for where I go is much more dangerous."
Dangerous? What could be dangerous in a library?
"Yes, sir."
The others quickened their pace, until they made a turn to head even deeper into the massive cavern. Strange lights glowed above them, not seeming to have any source, no flame that could light them.
Strange. Like the door.
When he looked up from his thoughts, he turned in a full circle. Hange had disappeared. He was alone now.
Alone, in a strange place. I really wish Eren or Mikasa were here with me.
He slowly walked along the stacks upon stacks upon stacks of books. At one particularly interesting looking stack a great 'T' standing above it, he turned, and proceeded down the aisle. His hand dragging lazily behind him across the covers of the books.
Armin's eyes scanned the books, feeling for the first time excited about being here. He'd heard legends of the 'King's Library'. And this far, far surpassed them.
His feet froze as he caught sight of a book, not particularly large when compared to some of the books around it, but its heavily embossed cover glinted in the strange light. As he neared it, he was able to make out the title.
The Titan War.
He reached out, pulling the book gingerly from its shelf. He flipped open the page, and was presented with a beautifully detailed, and horrific painting.
No… It's too realistic for a painting. It's a photograph. But one with color? And the detail!
A pair of Titans, firm and muscular, faced off against a horde of the ones that Armin was all too familiar with, their bulbous, ungainly bodies frozen forever within the photograph. Details emerged, and he saw men and what looked like cannons arrayed around the two Titan's feet.
At the corner of the page was what he guessed the battle was called, "The Fifth Battle of Detroit". Turning the page, he finally found what he was looking for, and got down to reading.
The period known by most as the 'Titan War' or conversely the 'War of the Titans' began in the year 2017 (Gregorian calendar). Most people of the time remember the three Titans known as the 'Demons of Dakar', which appeared without warning in a market near the outskirts of the cities. These three Titans seemed to be test subjects, created with the sole purpose of observation…
Armin turned the page, and was confronted by another colored photograph, this one containing a collage of photos, each one containing a picture of three Titan's. They seemed to be nearly the same, except for small differences. Bulging guts, bald heads, massively oversized mouth… Each probably ten meters or so in height. But they seemed to share every Titan's massive appetite, for the photos showed them eating men, woman and children alike.
Some of the photo's showed men with strange looking rifles firing ineffectually at the Titans. He read the opposite page.
They rampaged for nearly three days, before the combined forces of the United Nations were able to bring them down with a combined forces assault that resulted in the loss of nearly fifteen hundred men, and nearly six hundred million dollars in damage. Another two thousand civilians were killed during the massacre.
Though many of the words he didn't understand, like what the 'United Nations' were, or what a dollar was… But he got the gist of it.
"So, this is the first time the Titans appeared," He closed the book and rubbed his fingers affectionately across the cover.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, a shuffling of feet that he at first took to be Hange or the Commander returning.
But all he saw when he turned was a mass of black whipping around the end of the bookshelf, disappearing from his view.
"Hey," He called, stashing the now precious book in his jacket, "Who's there?"
Only silence answered him. He ran to the end of the shelves, hoping to catch sight of whatever had clearly been watching him, but only more shelves were waiting for him.
I think we may have overstayed our welcome.
"Alright, Sturgenson, take your team and gather our horses! Team Keiji and my own team will provide cover!"
Ragnar listened with interest as the short man who had earlier attacked him rallied the remaining members of the Scouting Legion and the freed prisoners. Ragnar stood next to Annie, watching as men and women raced to and fro, attempting to carry out the man's demands.
"Eren," He said out of the corner of his mouth to the other man, who was standing next to the dark haired girl, "Who's that?"
"Comeon, Ragnar," Eren chided, stepping closer, "He was in what Erebus and Thanatos showed us. Remember the trial? Captain Levi."
Oh yeah, he's the one that beat the shit out of Eren… 'Humanities strongest soldier'.
"Ah, gotcha."
He turned away from where the short man was still yelling orders, to find Luigi standing near him, his arms crossed and his eyes curious.
"Ragnar, I'm glad you're okay, and that the awakening didn't harm you."
Ragnar raised an eyebrow, questioningly.
"How did you know about the Awakening, Nergal?"
A little ball of anger began to build in his chest, as he figured out he'd been lied to by the one person who shouldn't have lied to him. Luigi had known what he was, what his true purpose was.
To Destroy Humanity…
Luigi/Nergal's eyes went wide as Ragnar said his true name, but he recovered quickly enough. Ragnar noticed a general change in the aura about him, as if he was releasing some long held restrictions.
"So..." He said, looking into Ragnar's now changed eyes, "You've found out my true name. Those beasts within you must have taken you all the way back…"
"Luigi, when we are safe, you will tell me everything you know."
The other man didn't nod or make any other movement, just stared at Ragnar.
"There are things I cannot reveal."
The little ball of rage pulsed, growing larger. Ragnar ground his teeth together, trying to stomp on it.
"We shall discuss this later, than."
Someone slipped a hand into his as Luigi walked away, towards Suttungr.
"What happened?"
Annie was looking up at him, her clear blue eyes holding a hint of suspicion.
By the sky, she's even more beautiful now than when last I saw her…
Ragnar turned to face her, bring his hand up to run a thumb across her jawline. He felt his anger receding, even if just slightly.
"I saw… many things," He said, staring into her eyes, "Even the night of my own birth."
Her eyes widened, and she stared in total surprise as he told her, in as few words as possible what had happened. How Thanatos and Erebus had shown Eren and himself what drove them, and what they were fighting for. How Eren fought for his friends and revenge… and how Ragnar fought for Annie.
"So… what happened while I was gone? How long was I out anyways?"
Annie looked away from him, a harsh red blush apparent on her pale cheeks, towards where the horses were being gathered for their retreat.
"About three quarters of an hour," She said, much to Ragnar's befuddlement. When she noticed his serious look she returned it, "What?"
"It just seems so strange, it felt like Eren and I were in there for much longer. But only three quarters of an hour have passed? By the sky… Today has been too much."
Suttungr appeared, leading a horse. His face was stuck in a place between outright fury and amusement, as Eleanor and Hackett had revealed that Arnora and the rest of their family had disobeyed his command to remain outside the city.
"Ragnar," He said, handing the reins to him, "I've spoken with that mouthy midget, he's agreed that we'll head west, to rendezvous with the rest of our party. Though we have to provide cover from any ambushes." He paused, looking about to make sure no one else was in earshot, "I get the distinct feeling that they knew we were coming."
A corner of Ragnar's mouth twitched upwards.
"Apparently, every time I used my 'Harbinger' powers, Eren was able to see everything that I saw," He paused, scratching his head, "Though why I couldn't see his still hasn't been totally explained. But, in effect, they had some kind of an early warning we were coming."
"And we should be thankful all of this," Annie said, gesturing towards the devastated capital, "Wasn't a total surprise for them."
The three of them nodded, as a call came to mount up. Ragnar's experienced eye noted that they had around two hundred people, and maybe a little over half that many horses. Suttungr turned and trotted away to mount the horse that he and Luigi would share.
Going to be rough going, riding two to a horse…
"Annie, comeon, you're with me."
"What," She said, her lips slightly quirked upwards, "You think because you're a man and I'm your girlfriend that I should ride with you? Why don't you ride with me?"
All of Ragnar's anger dissipated, as if a strong wind had blown away a fog. He smiled as he enveloped Annie in his arms, his head dipping closer to her face, his lips drawing near to hers. Just as they were about to touch, he stopped.
"If you wish to ride, then so be it, my Lioness," He purred, "But I don't think I'll be able to keep my hands off of you."
She batted away his hands, which had begun to drift along her body, and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Only then did she let her lip curl in distaste.
"Fine, I guess I'll ride rear."
He laughed deeply as he mounted their horse, ignoring a patronizing look from Suttungr, who'd likely overheard their conversation. He turned as someone cried out.
"The Commander has returned! Someone bring a first aid kit!"
Two horses charged into the plaza, with a large, broad shouldered man leading the first horse, and a woman of not inconsiderate size following behind. Another woman rode behind her, slumped forward, and a small… Ragnar couldn't tell at this distance if it was a man or a woman who was thrown across the large man's lap.
He kicked his stirrups, sending their horse trotting towards the little knot of people that had formed around the Commander. He and the others had slid off of the horses, and as Ragnar neared, he saw the blood. All four of the people who had arrived were bleeding profusely, the second woman and the… the boy, were the worst.
A gasp escaped from Annie, who had peered around his bulk.
"Ragnar, that's Armin," She said sharply to him, "He was another member of my training group, and the one who figured out I was a Titan."
"Ah… so I should thank him… If he survives."
Ragnar turned an appraising eye to the boy's wounds. Two fingers of his left hand were gone, as was a chunk of his right ear. His right eye was a bloody mess, and numerous other wounds wept blood all across his ravaged body.
The group who had earlier attacked Annie, with Eren in the lead, were standing protectively over the boy.
"I thought I said to mount up!" Captain Levi yelled, "We cannot take the time to tend to their wounds completely, bandage them and get on your horses!"
Eren protested, but the other man turned a nasty glare upon him. Minutes later, they were trotting down the street, Eren, Ragnar and Annie near the center of the column, Eleanor and Hackett shadowing them. Suttungr and the rest of Ragnar's party leading the column with Levi. Soldiers darted by, using their gear to scramble from rooftop to rooftop, ready to defend the column. But it seemed that no member of the Military Police wished to challenge them.
"We've won the day." Ragnar mumbled to himself.
"What?" Eren and Annie both said in unison, before looking distastefully at each other.
"Nothing…"
Eren brought his horse up closer to them, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Annie, just so you know," He said, voice harsh, "I don't forgive you for all the death and destruction you caused. You will pay for it."
But he backed his horse away as Ragnar turned an eye towards him.
"When this is all over, Eren," He said quietly, "And remember, no one shall harm my fiancé. I have seen her die once, and do not wish to see that again."
For a second, Eren looked like he was going to explode, but then a perplexed look took the angers place.
He's worried about something… the blond haired boy? Armin? He was present in his memories. So is this all a show? He's trying to make it look like he's not worried about any of that.
"Wait a second," He called out loudly, drawing the attention of the rest of 'Squad Levi', "You two are engaged?"
Ragnar felt an intense pain in his left armpit, wincing as Annie pinched him. Hard. He had to say something to defuse the situation, or else she'd be really pissed.
"Well, we're sort of-"
"Actually," Eleanor called out, "They're technically already married. Annie won him in a duel."
The pain in his armpit grew as Annie took out her frustration on him, though she did glare back at Eleanor, who looked smug as she accepted the glare with a nod of her head and a smile.
Unexpected laughter hit them, as Eren tilted his head back and bellowed laughter, letting it out for several seconds before stopping.
"Well that's something that Thanatos and Erebus neglected to show us, isn't it."
"It isn't really all that important…"
Ragnar chuckled wryly as their little parade of horses finally exited the capital. After a few minutes, Suttungr spurred himself ahead of the column, and shouted a greeting as Arnora and the rest of their group came into sight.
They stood at the edge of a forest, waving. The cavalcade of horses paused for a moment, just enough time for them to mount the horses that a pair of men from the Scouting Legion offered them.
And then they were trotting once again towards the Wall Sina, its white surface visible in the distance.
"Sir, I don't understand why we're just letting them go! We should pursue them at least!"
Ackilles Leonhardt, otherwise known as Lars Gottschalk, looked up at Adam Muajii as the other man pleaded with him. He sat on the broken and bloodstained steps of the Palace, looking out over the corpse littered plaza.
"Adam, how many men went into that ambush?"
He turned an eye upwards, looking at the dried blood that coated Adam's arms and most of his upper body.
He really is bloodthirsty…
"Well, we had six hundred men, plus the Royal Guard."
"And how many made it through that meat grinder?"
Adam spat on the steps, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Seventy-three effectives, mostly from the squads that didn't engage. Two hundred and ninety or so wounded. Nearly three hundred confirmed dead. That number is likely to rise as those who were the worst wounded die. Several hundred additional civilian casualties, though they are of no real consequence, since we can blame most of that on those fucking Titans that showed up…"
Yes… those fucking Titans. Speaking of which, I feel a familiar presence…
"Adam, round up the troops, any wounded who are not likely to survive the night," His voice went cold, like a frigid wind, "Decimate them. We have no room for weaklings."
Adam nodded slowly, never being one to back down from killing someone, even an ally. Then he saluted and jogged to where a field hospital had been set up.
Ackilles turned and walked up the steps, through the front doors of the Palace, and to his right, where that useless ape was standing.
"Hello, Igigi. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
The man turned, his hairy form, just a little too much hair for a normal person, though when he was clothed as he was now, one wouldn't notice it as badly.
"Master Ishtar has left, to head to the Crystal King's domain," Igigi's deep voice answered, "Which means she shall be gone for a month or two. She has left me in charge."
Ackilles lip frowned, knowing that he and the Ape were considered the same 'rank' by the Annunaki… That just wouldn't do, not at all.
I'll have to get rid of him. But I'll have to do it properly, so that Ishtar doesn't suspect anything.
"Ah, then I wish you well in controlling this vast area. What are your orders concerning the Harbingers?"
Igigi looked uncomfortable, never having been one to have to give orders…
"Um… I'll leave it up to you, Ackilles. Just make sure we are not found out. That was what Master stressed the most."
Ackilles plastered a smile on his, and bowed slightly to Igigi.
"Then we shall make sure that none of us are found out. Praise be to the Gods."
"Praise be to them."
As he walked out of the Palace, hearing the screams coming from the field hospital, and the flood of nurses who were fleeing, he cursed himself.
I shall be free of that damn woman. And when I do, I shall be even greater than an Annunaki!