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"What the fuck do you mean?"
Captain Philip O'Donnell, his thin hands shaking slightly, looked down into the Karanese District. The flood of refugees who had been running for their lives, had stopped in their tracks. The press of the crowed sent screams hurtling up to where Philip stood.
"Just what I said, Squad Leader," His subordinate, Mathew Reddy, said, "The gates can't be opened! The mechanism has been destroyed… looks like sabotage. It will take at least a few hours to try to get something rigged up."
"Which we don't have," Philip said, his face pale. "How many men have reported in?"
"We have about a hundred, a dozen haven't returned," Mathew looked out towards the far gate, where the menacing figures were already beginning to show themselves. Philip could see a shiver run through him. "What should we do, Squad Leader?"
"I don't fucking know how to win in something like this," He said loudly, drawing the attention of the men near him. He ran his hand through his brown hair, peppered with spots of grey. Then he clenched his fist and turned to Mathew, "But, I know where we can start. I want you to pick four men, and start working on the mechanism. Akane," He called to another of his subordinates, a woman with red hair and dainty features, his voice growing into a bellow that he knew could carry all the way out to the furthest of his men who stood atop the Wll, "Take thirty of the men and get the fucking cannons on the outer wall manned! Everyone else, prepare to engage the Titans!"
He drew his blades, feeling the doubt growing within himself, matching the doubt that clouded his men's faces. Akane and Mathew were leading their groups away, Akane along the top of the Wall while Michel's group slid downwards towards the milling crowd.
"Comeon, goddamnit!" He yelled, stepping towards the edge, his blades held out to his sides, "Do you want all those people to die? Some of you have families down there! Do you want them to be eaten? Have you sunk so low?"
Several sets of eyes narrowed, and lips curled in distaste. But Philip saw a bit of resolve beginning to take hold, and as he took another step backwards, and another, blades began to be unsheathed in ever increasing numbers.
Finally, at the edge, he raised his swords above his head. Knowing that he'd look either very stupid, or very gallant. He honestly didn't care that much anymore.
"Zach, you're in charge of the Gate, choose ten men. Marian, you are in charge of the center, take twenty! Everyone else you're in the Vanguard with me. Now let's go!"
The world tilted around him, the blue sky, filled with puffy clouds, seemed to freeze above him, before he completed his roll and engaged his maneuver gear.
"Looks like they could use some help, don't you think?"
Suttungr sat astride his horse, a spyglass clamped tightly to his eye. They'd heard the roar of cannon on their little mission. Eric and Hange had returned, bringing with them the news of what had happened. There had been much rejoicing among the people and soldiers of the Wall, now that the hole in Wall Maria had been sealed.
But he and the rest of his family felt ill at ease, knowing that Ragnar, Annie and Eleanor had decided to travel on, into a hostile territory. Two Jotunn and several soldiers against an entire nation of shifters. Not good odds.
Which was one reason he, Sigmund, Eric and Dio had decided to join a squad traveling to the Karanese District to hopefully make contact with a friendly Garrison officer. They'd also been told that they would be linking up with another squad of the prisoners they had helped free in Utopia.
That was until they'd seen the flares rising above the town, and the booming of cannons joining it.
"Yes, we should," Squad Leader Heiji said, "Though… why are there no refugees? We should be inundated with people fleeing the Walls. Unless…"
The squad spurred their horses into a gallop seemingly as a single entity.
Philip slashed downwards, his body perpendicular to the ground. His blades slashed through the Titans flesh, catching slightly.
Damn, they're dull. And it's my last set…
He landed on a rooftop, forcing himself to look towards the still open gate. A team had attempted to reach the gate control room, where the mechanism to close it was housed, but they'd all been consumed rather horrifically. His vanguard had been pushed back into the Center, unable to make any progress. Now they were fighting for their lives.
Eight Titans have died by my blades… but… there are too many.
Someone landed next to him on the rooftop, and he turned to find Marian. She was bleeding profusely from a number of wounds. She held out a small bundle, a new set of blades. He quickly snapped them into place, and refilled his sheathes. All the while he thought about what would happen next.
"Marian," He said as she came to stand next to him, the sound of fighting dying away, "Fire the retreat signal. We can't hold them out here. Fall back on the inner gate. We'll make out last stand there."
"Do you think Mathew will get the gates open?" Marian said, looking back towards the gate.
"If it comes to that, and the Titans are too close… then no. I hope he doesn't."
The entire population of Karanese was crowded up against the gate, a sprawling mass of people, terrified people. As he dropped down to the ground, the sound of cannons still ringing in his ears, he could feel the trembling in the ground of approaching Titans. The whistling and snapping noises of nearby maneuver gear increased sharply, and a howl went up from the crowd.
A ten meter Titan stepped out into the open area in which the crowd sat, its ugly smiling face like that of a child with a sweet candy. Philip launched himself towards it, as it began to move towards the crowd. It saw him at the last moment, and tried to swing around. Its hand tried to grasp him, but he deflected off of it. Losing most of his momentum, he tried to cut through the nape of its neck, but…
"Damn!"
He screamed his frustration as he saw how shallow the cut was. The Titan turned, as he fell to the ground, and this time the grasping fingers were around him. He screamed again this time in fear, as the ravening maw became increasingly larger. It's sickening breath bathed him in droplets of its saliva.
Something flashed by, behind the Titan, and then the grip was relaxing, slowly but surely he was able to wiggle his way out. His savior landed nearby, his back to him…
The Wings of Freedom? What is the Scouting Legion doing here? They're… They're traitors!
The man turned, and for a moment Philip thought his eyes would cross.
"Heiji! What the hell are you doing here?"
"Hello, Phil," His old friend said. They'd both been graduates of the 90th Trainee Squad, and had always done their best to stay close. "Was just strolling by, and saw that you could use a little help."
Philip felt himself relax, his original hostility dissipating, as he saw the men and women, also wearing the wings of freedom, darting about, helping his dwindling supply of men.
"Yeah, I bet you were," Philip said as they shook hands, "But, we can't get the gate open to get those people out! Why the fuck are you smiling?"
"I think I know someone that can help with that…"
Philip turned, as he heard a gasp from the crowd, a sound of hope, of elation, mixed with a sound of fear. The gate was slowly opening, but…
A Titan was opening the gate, a massively deformed Titan. Its huge arms and shoulders were at odds with it's out of proportion legs. But it was holding open the gate, and the already terrified crowd were quick to get over their fears and run.
But they found another obstacle in their way. Three horsemen were charging forward, and several of the slower or less quick witted people were slammed aside.
"I see the Legion has made some new friends."
Heiji smiled. The riders came up abreast of them. The three of them loomed large, looking almost foreign in their appearance… Something about the way they carried themselves. Like they were royalty or something.
"Squad Leader Heiji, what do you need done?"
"Head for the gates. We need to get them closed, clear a path and we'll follow."
Philip was dumbfounded for a moment, as the three men, instead of charging away on their horses, dismounted. They walked a distance away, their hands reaching up towards their mouths.
The triple explosion hit Philip hard enough to knock the air out of his chest. The buildings around the trio were wrecked, rubble flying about. As he opened his eyes, narrowed against the intense light, he could see… He could see the Titans forming. Seeming to flood outwards from the three men. Bones burst into existence, and the intricate layer of muscle, veins and tissues grew around it.
"More… More Titan Shifters…."
They all averaged around fifteen meters, though the one with the horns was a little taller.
"They came from the north," Heiji announced, "And assisted us. Now they've joined our side. Allow me to introduce Prince Suttungr, the horned one. Prince Sigmund, the normal looking one, and his Guardian, Eric. That one is armoured. And now, if you will, let's fire the flare to signal advance!"
"I love you, Annie. I always have!"
Annie looked up at the intrusive voice, from where she sat eating with Ragnar and Eleanor. Bertoldt stood there, his back as straight as a broom handle. He seemed to be shaking slightly.
"What?" Annie said, thinking she'd misheard him. Bertoldt wasn't the type to blurt anything, especially not random ramblings about love. "I think I misheard you."
"I said," He seemed to draw himself up even straighter, "I love you, Annie. I always have."
She felt her cheeks heating, not out of some long kept affection for Bert, but out of sheer embarrassment. He'd chosen the most public place he could, the Hall of the Fallen Ones, and orchestrated it so that she was nearly alone.
Reiner has to be behind this…
Their plan hadn't taken into account that Ragnar and Eleanor would be with her. Or that Ragnar would be… so unrestrained. She could hear the arms of his chair cracking as he gripped them with a boiling anger she hadn't seen in a long while.
"Bertoldt," She said, taking a few moments to gather herself, "Go away. I don't feel the same about you."
And then she went back to eating, acting like nothing had happened.
He'd always been a friend. She thought to herself, as he walked away. Ever since that group of bandits raided his home, and he came to live with his family in Raion. But I've never liked him like that.
"Well, that was awkward," Eleanor said as the Hall began to clear out. "What's up with the beanpole?"
"Like I said before, he's an old friend." She said quietly.
"Well, I don't like how he was looking at you," Ragnar said, his voice displaying a verbal defensiveness that she'd never heard before. "Maybe I should put him in his place…"
"No! Absolutely not!" She said quickly, before bringing her voice to just above a whisper. "That you ruin our plans. Now, my initiation ceremony is tonight. I'm going to go try to find some information on where they have your sister. Until then… you may want to return to the quarters they gave us and speak to Eren."
He nodded, and the two of them got up. Ragnar turned, and cast a jealous eye upon her. And then he was gone, exiting through the great doors.
"Servant!" She called into the silence.
A small well hidden door clicked open along the wall, and a small boy emerged. His tunic well maintained for a helot.
"My lady." He said, bowing to her. "How may this poor soul be of assistance to you?"
"What is your name?" She asked. The boys brown eyes darted a look at her.
"Antonius Albanus, Ma'am." His scrawny form bowed again, even deeper this time. He seemed slightly uncomfortable, with her question though. He repeated, "How may I be of help to you?"
"I would like to find my father, Jonah Leonhardt. Could you take me too him?"
Antonius' eyebrows scrunched together for a moment, though the rest of his body was still poised to avoid any blow she threw at him.
"Councilor Leonhardt resides within the Black Acropolis. Would you like me to show you to his residence?"
She nodded. Several minutes, and dozens of doorways later. She found herself standing in front of a rather formidable looking door. The little servant boy rapped his knuckles on it, and then bowed to her.
"Will that be all, My Lady?"
"Yes. And thank you, Antonius."
She fished through her pockets, finding a gold coin, marked with the tree symbol of Jotunheim on one side. She held it out for the young man, who looked at it with eyes wide.
After a moment, she shook it slightly and said, "Go ahead, take it!"
His hands came out shakily, and the little coin fell into his bony fingers. And then he was gone, without even a thank you.
Rather rude… She thought, before her thought was interrupted.
The doors opened, and she suddenly found herself enveloped in the muscular arms of her father.
"Oh, Annie," He said, twirling her about, "I am the proudest father today. You single handedly completed your mission."
She was left speechless, never having had to deal with very much affection from her father. But now he was here… telling her how proud he was of her? It was disconcerting to her.
"And to be able to rub some salt in the wounds of the Braun's and the Hoover's," He set her down, his eyes positively glinting. "A Leonhardt, a Leonhardt returned the Coordinate. The key to all of our plans!"
Annie saw her father smile, and she knew that her homecoming would likely not be as short as she had planned.
Eren.
Ragnar reached out through their link, feeling Thanatos stir.
We can bring you together. Give us a moment.
Seconds after Thanatos spoke, he was standing in that black void again, looking towards a slightly battered looking Eren.
"How goes your incarceration?"
"Just about as well as the others have gone," Eren said, smiling slightly, "Bastards are downright polite compared to most of the guards I've had to deal with."
Ragnar looked perplexed for a moment.
"They aren't treating you badly?"
"Nope," Eren said, shaking his head, "They seem to be… trying to be nice to me. I've been well fed, I have new clothes. And they've sent in a few… women."
Eren's face turned bright red as Ragnar raised an eyebrow.
"No, no, no. Nothing like that happened." He said, waving his hands in front of him, "I sent them out. But they've had some important men in here too, asking me questions. About Annie, about you and Eleanor, and about my father."
"What have you told them?" Ragnar said, curious, "Nothing that would endanger the mission?"
"Of course not," Eren scoffed, turning his head away, "I told them the basics. But nothing about you sharing powers with me. Or how you came from the north. Any word on Ymir?"
It was Ragnar's turned to shake his head.
"Nothing so far. We did see those two men you're looking for."
Eren perked up at that, Ragnar saw his eyes narrow slightly, and his face adopt a more serious set.
"Reiner and Bertoldt?"
"Yes, those two." Ragnar said, remembering the vicious jealousy that had overtaken him as the tall one told Annie he loved her, "You mean to kill both of them, correct?"
Eren nodded, causing a feral grin to spread across Ragnar's face.
"Well, I have a bit of business to attend to with them also."
"I cannot believe it. The child of our lady has come straight to us…"
Air hissed between Dian's teeth, her hand moving her red hair out of her face.
"It is seeming diving intervention," She said, watching the object of their attention walk by, studying him, "Look at the way here carries himself though… like that terrible father of his."
Sekhmet, sitting on a well stuffed chair inside the Black Acropolis. She'd heard word from her 'husband', as he deemed himself, about the arrival of the Coordinate and a couple foreign strangers.
One with eyes the color of bronze! He'd said, And returning home with the Leonhardt girl! So strange!
When she'd pried a little deeper into their description, she'd known without a doubt who it would be. But too think, that he'd show up here of all places… And where was Nergal? Inanna's child could not already have awoken, it simply wasn't possible!
"Yes," Sekhmet responded, "But take him in as a whole. Look at the way his jaw is set, how his eyes take in everything. He may carry himself like his father, but he moves like his mother!"
They watched the two foreigners leave the room before rising.
"What should we do?" Dian asked, watching several more of the hated animals move by them, "Should we make contact with our Mistress?"
Sekhmet shook her head, running a hand along her brown cheek.
"No, I believe she already knows." She gestured, "Notice that Luigi is not with Inanna's child. That can only mean she called him to her. We will… stand by, and wait for something to happen. We must appraise his strength, to see if he is truly an Annunaki. To see if he is worthy."
Worthy of being the child of Inanna the Scythe.