There were many things that Eren Jaeger was willing to believe.
The fact that he could become a Titan, for starters, was something that he had come to terms with, however excessive it sounded, and he was definitely able to believe that the job he was assigned with now was of the utmost importance, as evident by how the Elite Garrison squad were escorting him alongside Mikasa.
And yet, the one thing he couldn't believe was how the Mechanical Titan was much more than a mere myth.
Staring down at where it was, Eren couldn't help but keep his eyes glued to the mechanical monstrosity as it mopped the floor with any and all Titans that were swarming the streets of Trost. Whilst Cadets and soldiers were ordered to assist it, however ridiculous that sounded, their assistance seemed to be extremely unnecessary, as evident by how easily it was able to clear the streets.
"To think that we have become so desperate, so much so that we have to rely on both a mechanical monstrosity and a 'top secret human experiment' like yourself… it truly shows how dire the situation has become," mumbled one of the Elites, prompting Eren to turn and look past Mikasa and spot Mitabi Jarnach, a tall and somewhat tanned young man with short brown hair and a much shorter beard.
"Hold your tongue, Mitabi," came the voice of Ian Dietrich before either Mikasa or Eren could snap/respond to Mitabi, prompting their attention to turn towards the leader of their squad, who continued on speaking. "Us relying on the Mechanical Titan or Cadet Jaeger, or both, is a trivial matter. The only thing that does matter is if they can seal the breach. Remember that."
"Whatever you say, Ian," mumbled Mitabi as he shook his head. "Either way, it still feels… surreal. For not only the Military Brigade to have a top secret human experiment, but for the Mechanical Titan to reveal itself at such a convenient time… what are the odds?"
"Best to not ask about the odds, Mitabi, less you wish to risk overthinking," warned Rico in an apparent attempt to lighten the mood, and in a way, it did work, as the man in question offered a mild chuckle.
"Look at you cracking a joke, Rico," quipt Mitabi with a smile, and in response, Rico rolled her eyes.
"Eyes forward," was her response, and Mitabi chuckled as he kept his pace. And, for a brief while, the small group ran in silence, with Mikasa glancing over at her brother on more than one occasion.
"Eren, are you well?" inquired Mikasa, earning Rico's attention as she perked her ears up.
"I'm fine, Mikasa," assured Eren, though Ackerman was evidently unsatisfied with that answer.
"Are you sure? If you are unwell, we can slow down and-" continued Mikasa, only for Eren to cut her off once more.
"Mikasa, I'm fine!" assured Eren firmly as he grimaced. "Much better now than when we were surrounded. Now stop asking! We have a job to do!"
"Ah… I… I'm sorry," apologised Mikasa, her tone reflecting her apologeticness, and at that, Rico rolled her eyes.
"Cadet Jaeger, Cadet Ackerman, quit playing house and focus!" ordered Rico, not even turning to stare at the siblings. At that, the two nodded, with Eren giving an 'understood!' in response.
"To have our fates be put in the hands of a brat like you… Trost is beyond saving at this point…" mumbled Mitabi miserably as he sprinted, ignoring the glare that Mikasa was directing his way. Ian, on the other hand, spoke up before things could get out of hand.
"That is more than enough, all of you! Stop your chatter and focus! We are nearing the closest route to the boulder!" proclaimed Ian, and at that, all chatter ceased, much to his relief as he turned his attention back onto the path before him.
The sudden boom, courtesy of one of the Mechanical Titan's arm mounted cannons, caught their attention, and Mitabi couldn't help but wince when he heard it.
"How powerful even is that thing…?" mumbled Mitabi uncertainty. In response, Rico shook her head and glanced towards the battlefield briefly, wincing just a little when she saw the Mechanical Titan quite literally throw a Titan over the top of Trost, where it landed outside its confines, with seemingly very little or even no effort whatsoever.
"Commander Flex mentioned how it seemed to possess the strength of several abnormal Titans," answered Rico. "I… thought her to be exaggerating until now."
"I shall repeat this once more, it does not matter how powerful it is. What does matter is that it's doing what we want," repeated Ian as he spared the Mechanical Titan a quick glance. "Cadet Jaeger, do not let it distract you from your mission, am I understood?"
"Yes sir!" proclaimed Eren as they continued on, biting his lower lip as they pressed on. "I'll do my absolute best, sir!"
"You had better…" mumbled Rico, prompting Eren to turn towards her with his brows raised, a prompt for her to continue. "Though we have an irreplaceable advantage in the form of the Mechanical Titan, many will still perish in order to keep you alive. Elders, colleagues and juniors, countless lives have already been lost and they will continue to be lost until this mission has ended.
"While it is true that all soldiers have already accepted that they would die at one point, that does not change how each and every one of them are more than just a faceless entity. People who love, who have hated. People who have families…
"Alyusha, Dominique, Phine, Isabelle, Ludwig, Martina, Guido, Hans. Know that they are all humans who live and bleed. Some of them have even shared bread with me whilst we were still Cadets, and know that some, if not all of them may have to die for your sake on this day. And you have a responsibility to ensure that their deaths are not in vain.
"No matter what may come, Cadet, know and remember this. Sear it into your naive little heart, if you must, and be ready to die to fulfill your duty."
Rico's little speech was more than enough to spur something within Eren, who grimaced and sprinted faster with a determined expression, his sudden burst of speed surprising even Ian, who offered a mild smile as Rico raced up to his side.
"You truly have a way with words, Rico," complemented Ian as Mikasa raced past them to keep up with Eren. In response, Rico, nonchalantly shrugged.
"Someone needed to tell him about the stakes. If you two weren't going to, then it was up to me," explained Rico, prompting Ian to nod.
"I see. Now brace yourselves, we have arrived!"
And at that, the small group abruptly turned and leapt off the edge of Trost, into the interior where the boulder waited.
Elegant, swift, brutal and without fear.
Those were the words that Annie had decided to use to describe the Mechanical Titan, especially now as it swung its Mace-like weapon in a circular motion and knocked several Titans back or outright killing them with a single swing.
Following up from that, the 'Titan' brought its weapon down onto the Titan closest to it, shaking the very earth beneath it on impact. The next swing was directed towards another Titan, and the Mace quite literally liquified its torso and sent its limbs flying.
Wincing as the arm of the Titan that was just killed landed a little too close for comfort, Annie could only gulp as she watched the Mechanical Titan do its part in the plan. While yes, with the Titan on their side for however long it wished was a great thing, the firsthand view of its strength was more than enough to make Annie shudder. She already knew that it was capable of an unprecedented amount of brutality thanks to both a good source and firsthand viewing of it in combat, Leonhardt was still taken aback by how powerful the thing truly was.
'This… is no Titan… it's a monster straight out of the most decrepit and depraved minds from within the Walls and even without it..' thought Annie as she took a subconscious step back, only to widen her eyes when her instincts told her that something was approaching her from behind. Turning on her heel, she winced when she saw that a Ten metre Titan had somehow managed to sneak up on her. A doofy smile was plastered onto its face as it extended a hand towards her, though before it could grab her, Annie sprung out of the way and began circling it. 'You got the jump on me. Bravo.'
Narrowing her eyes, Annie watched as the Ten metre turned to eye her and got ready to leap forward. In her mind, Leonhardt already had a plan to counter its eventual lunge, though before she could even consider putting it into motion, the Titan's nape was severed by a newcomer who landed rather awkwardly on the ground not long after dispatching it.
"Ann! You alright?" inquired Mina from ground level as the blood evaporated off her person, and Annie sighed as she nodded, offering a small salute with her Anti-Titan blade as thanks. In response, Mina nodded and offered a similar salute in response before she went back to work, swinging herself off to do whatever she could to help keep the Titans away from the Elite Garrison squad plus Mikasa and Eren.
Right before Mina could disappear from sight, however, a Titan attempted to lunge at her, though before it could even get close enough, the Mechanical Titan's mace-like weapon sprung forward and its 'snout' shifted up. The weapon then snapped onto the Titan's torso and it was quick to squeeze it, and within a handful of seconds, its entire torso exploded in a mess of gore, prompting a wince to escape Annie's lips while Mina remained blissfully ignorant of how her life was just saved from possible death thanks to the mechanical monstrosity.
It was rather ironic, Annie reckoned. In spite of the danger that she believed it posed, sticking close to the Mechanical Titan was arguably the safest bet for everyone on the field. Its strength was enough to dispatch any and all Titans, with the possible exception of the Colossal Titan, making this a battle of quality over quantity, Annie thought. And yet, the mere fact that it was a 'Titan' was enough to keep a majority of the soldiers away from it out of instinct, as only a handful of them fought in close vicinity to it.
Speaking of the devil, Annie's ears perked up when she heard a warcry, and when she turned to have a look at who made it, she raised her brows when she noticed Sasha swing directly at a Fifteen metre Titan and evading its attempts at grabbing her with maneuvers that seemed just a little too refined for someone like herself. Admittedly, Leonhardt was impressed when Sasha expertly maneuvered around the Titan's grasp and slashed at its nape.
"Anotha' one down!" proclaimed Sasha as she landed and sighed in relief. Turning towards Annie, she offered a wave as the blonde raised a brow. "You holdin' up wel', Ann?"
"Yes, I am," replied Annie, with Sasha nodding as she turned and got back to her job, prompting Leonhardt to shrug and dismiss the sudden southern accent as she got back to her job, launching herself up into the air and boosting towards the closest Titan to her.
With the greatest of ease, Annie twisted her body and evaded the Titan's grasp as it lunged at her, causing it to crash down onto the ground. Using that to its advantage, Annie swiftly circled around it and decided to test something as she shut one of her eyes and pulled back one of her arms.
When she was sure that what she wished to pull off would actually work, Annie swung her arm forward and, at the last minute, detached the Anti-Titan blade from its handle, sending it flying straight at the Titan's nape at a speed that was not to be scoffed at. And, by some unforeseen miracle, the detached Anti-Titan blade buried itself right in the sweet spot of the Titan's nape and sunk in extremely deep, more than enough to kill the Titan as soon as it strunk its nape.
Landing on one knee on the pavement behind the now dead Titan, Annie was quick to stand and, admittedly, gave a mild smirk when she saw that her little experiment had succeeded. Without wasting a second, Annie jogged over to the downed Titan as it began dissolving and retrieved the blade she had thrown. Sure, it would've been easier to just unsheath a new, fresh blade, but she'd rather retrieve it to save her armaments for potential emergencies.
As soon as she retrieved it, however, Annie's ears perked up and she turned towards the source, only to widen her eyes when she saw a Six metre Titan sprint directly at her. In a panic, she stepped back and got ready to book it out of there, with a plan to counterattack already forming in her mind.
Before she could put it into motion, however, the edge of a somewhat familiar Longsword slammed down onto the Six metre, with the ensuing shockwave sending Annie backwards a little as she shielded her eyes.
After some time, she lowered her arms and winced when she saw the Mechanical Titan kneeling down with its arm that wielded its Longsword slammed down onto the ground. Annie winced when she saw how the Longsword had sliced the Titan in half, and she noticeably widened her eyes when the front half of the Titan dropped forward in front of her with a disgusting splat. Meanwhile, the Mechanical Titan stood itself up and turned to stare at Annie, who raised a brow at it.
And Annie was quick to widen her eyes just a little in surprise when the Mechanical Titan nodded at her.
"What the…" was all Annie could mutter out in surprise, only to be cut off when a sudden blast of lightning struck an area not too far from where they currently were. Wincing as she shielded her eyes from the light, Annie offered a mild grunt as she lowered her arm.
'Took them long enough.'
The roar was loud enough to be heard even without Barbatos' comm links, and at that, Mika couldn't help but snort before he had his unit sidestep a charging Titan, causing it to crash headfirst into a still standing building and causing a massive amount of smoke to eject into the air.
Rather nonchalantly, Mika had Barbatos fire a shot from the Autocannon into the Titan's nape, hitting it right on the mark and causing the smoke to dispel. At that, Mika snorted and tapped the cockpit monitor, only to grimace when he realized that his Autocannon rounds were close to running out.
'Two shots left on the left side, three on the right,' thought Mika as he swiped the monitor, only to grimace at what he saw next. 'Thrusters have less than ten percent of gas left.'
This was not exactly a good situation. Though Barbatos could very well run much faster than the average or even Abnormal Titan, the lack of boosters and Autocannon rounds could very well cripple its combat effectiveness and leave it at a massive disadvantage. He'd have to use them sparingly from here on out, he reckoned.
A sudden surge of Alaya Vijnana data was enough to make Mika turn Barbatos on its heel and launch a punch straight down at a Nine metre Titan. The balled up manipulator caved its entire skull in and it buried itself in its nape, and after a snort, Mika had his unit shove the Titan off its fist without batting an eye.
A soft tink that was picked up by Barbatos' audio receptors caught Mika's attention, causing him to perk up and raise a brow when he saw Nac suddenly spring past Barbatos' head. Evidently he had used the Gundam as a vantage point to slingshot off. Creative, if not ballsy, if Mika had to be honest.
With a mild grunt, Nac barreled towards a Titan and swung himself behind it. And, with a swing that he probably put all he had into, Nac slashed at its nape, though rather unfortunately the strike was a little off, as evident by how, when Nac dropped to the ground, the Titan was still standing.
"S-Shit…" mumbled Nac as the Titan turned towards him, and that was enough to make Mika simultaneously wince and snort in amusement. As smart as he was, the guy really didn't excel much in the physical prowess department, though if he were honest, Nac holding his own out in all the chaos wasn't anything to scoff at.
Without much effort, Mika had his unit approach the Titan as it turned towards Nac, smiling goofily as Tias backed away and tried to make a plan up on the fly. In his panic, he didn't seem to notice that Barbatos was approaching the Titan before him until it had jammed its Longsword straight through its nape.
"Eh…?" muttered Nac, only to widen his eyes in apparent shock when he realized that his ass was just saved by the Gundam, and they somehow widened further when Barbatos jerked its Longsword to the side and dislodged the now dead Titan from it.
And at that, Nac couldn't help but gulp as the Mechanical Titan stared down at it.
Sure, the damn thing was seemingly on their side, and even after being carried by the damn thing on more than one occasion, Nac still couldn't help but feel menaced by the 'Titan'. It was a literal killing machine, and even that was an understatement, though even with that in mind, Nac couldn't stop himself from subconsciously offering a thumbs up to the Mechanical Titan and muttering out a: "...thanks?"
Much to his shock, however, the Mechanical Titan was quick to stab its Longsword into the ground, an act that set Nac on edge for just a moment, though he raised his brow when he saw the thing stare at its hand. Said hand twitched just a little, confusing Nac just a little… and his confusion was increased when the 'Titan's' hand suddenly gave a thumbs up.
"...wha?" muttered Nac in utter bafflement as he stared at the gesture, momentarily forgetting about their current situation as he stared at the immensely unexpected sight of this 'Titan' giving a thumbs up, of all things.
And admittedly, Mika did smile at the sight of Nac's look of shock.
That gesture via Barbatos was unnecessary, to say the least, though Mika reckoned that he may as well have some form of 'fun' whilst plowing through these Titans. Of course, it was at the expense of his taller friend, though he reckoned that it was worth it.
His small respite was quickly interrupted, however, when he noticed something being marked on the cockpit's heads up display. Blinking at that, Mika turned towards it and had the heads up display enlarged. He was quick to raise a brow when he noticed that it was a red flare, and for a brief moment, he was left confused…
"We've failed already?!" came the distinctly panicked voice of Mina through the audio receptors of the Gundam, prompting Mika to raise a brow as he turned his unit just enough to glance at the girl, who was standing atop a closeby building and staring out at the signal flare. Annie and who Mika assumed to be Connie landed beside her, and the southerner shivered a little at that realization.
"That can't be right! The team just got there!" proclaimed Sasha in a panic. "There's no way-"
"Maybe Eren lost control," suggested Annie, cutting Sasha off as Mina raised an eyebrow.
"He wouldn't… you know as well as I do that Eren would do nothing more than focus on his mission!" argued Mina, a claim that made Annie shake her head. "Right…?"
"He's a Titan. We can't rule anything out," reasoned Annie, frowning as she motioned towards the Walls. "Come. The mission is lost. Our best bet is to retreat."
Annie got no response at first, with Mina biting her lower lip as Nac swung up to their building to join them, nodding towards Sasha in greeting. As they waited for Mina's answer, however, Mika took note of something.
'There haven't been many Titans around here after the lightning struck Trost,' observed Mika as he tapped on Barbatos' built in cockpit radar, raising a brow when he acknowledged how a majority of the dots on the radar seemed to be moving away from their current location. If anything, they were moving towards…
"I'm sorry, Ann, but I can't just leave the Elite Team on their own!" replied Mina, frowning as she turned towards where the signal flare originated from, with Annie responding with a grimace while Nac gulped, already knowing where this was going. Meanwhile, Sasha seemed completely disinterested in the conversation, with her gaze fixed solely on Barbatos, who had not moved even an inch for quite some time.
"Mina, there's a big chance that they're dead. Stop being so fucking naive and think rationally," demanded Annie, sounding at her wits end as she grimaced at her twintailed friend, who winced just a little at her rather harsh words that were directed towards her. At that, Annie breathed in heavily before calming down, pinching the bridge of her nose before continuing. "If you wish to march to your death, march to a meaningful death, not a meaningless one."
"I don't see anything meaningless about looking for survivors, Annie!" retorted Mina, and before Annie could even reply, she raced off and swung towards where the flare was shot from, with both Nac and Annie wincing and the former attempting to stop his friend, though he was too slow, as evident by how Mina ended up swinging past Barbatos and towards where the flare was shot.
"That fucking dumbass…" groaned Annie, grimacing as Nac shuddered, not liking his blonde friend's tone of voice. And, admittedly, Mika did wince just a little at it, though he raised his brow when he saw Annie quite literally force Nac to follow her as she chased Mina. "Come on, I'm not letting that girl die. Not like this, of all ways."
Nac grunted in agreement, and Mika couldn't help but shake his head. Mina, for all her good points, was still too naive for this line of work. Though in a way, he reckoned that most Cadets were also too naive, so singling Mina out in all this wasn't exactly fair.
And with that in mind, and with a mild sigh, he had Barbatos ready its thruster units, a gesture that caught Sasha's attention, and within the blink of an eye, the Gundam sprung forward, propelled by its boosters.
Elsewhere
"To think that things would end this way… I should have expected this, but I suppose it wasn't exactly an unforeseen outcome."
With that said, Ian sighed as he, alongside Mikasa and the rest of the Elite Team, stared at the slumped over form of Eren Jaeger's Titan body. Both of his hands were nothing more than smoking stumps at this point, and his face was similarly smoking as well. By all means, he didn't look like he'd be getting up anytime soon, and that thought was enough to make the Elite team shudder.
The plan to use Jaeger to seal the breach had hit a snag almost immediately after the team made landfall. As soon as the Cadet had dropped into Trost in the body of his Titan, he had seemingly lost control of himself and attempted to take the life of Mikasa Ackerman. The aftermath was rather obvious, with Eren having punched himself in the face and effectively knocking himself out cold.
And that all led to the present, with Rico having fired the yellow signal flare into the air as she stared between the commander of their unit and Eren Jaeger's fallen Titan form. Mitabi himself kept his gaze fixed squarely on the latter, grimacing immensely as he did.
"We need to pull out, Ian!", sir!" urged Mitabi, not taking his eyes off Eren for even a second as he spoke. He was clearly fearful of Jaeger, and he grimaced when he saw his Titan body twitch a little. "That kid isn't going to be blocking anything anytime soon!"
"Agreed. We haven't any other choice but to leave him," agreed Rico as she stared at Jaeger's slumped over form from behind her glasses. Ian himself was inclined to agree. Eren had failed his duty, and considering what he had just tried to do, the kid wasn't much better than a traitor, which gave Ian more than one reason to leave him behind.
And yet… it didn't feel right. Even if he were truly an enemy, the mere fact that Jaeger was still a kid made him pause. Leaving a child on the battlefield was… morally wrong, to say the least, and it was more than enough to make him pause for thought as he kept his gaze fixed on Eren.
Of course, the death glare and massive grimace that Mikasa was giving him probably contributed to his hesitation as well.
Said glare and grimace were sending quite a simple message to him. They promised many things to Ian, to say the least, though the most obvious promise was very clear; should he even think about retreating, Ackerman would never allow him to live this down, and that thought alone was enough to make a lump form in his throat.
Apparently noticing his hesitation, Mitabi grimaced and stepped forward and attempted to reason with his commander, his voice sounding panicked.
"Ian, you're the commander!" reminded Mitabi, gesturing with his hands to perhaps strengthen his point as he spoke. "None of this is your fault! Please remember that this plan was dubious at best, and downright disastrous at worst! Every one of us knew that! And while it was worth a try, it had ended in failure!"
"I… but… the Mechanical Titan!" retorted Ian, frowning as he remembered its existence. Clenching a hand into a fist, Ian grimaced as he spoke to a panicked Mitabi and a close to cracking Rico. "If it is as intelligent as the forward scouts say, then-"
"To think that we'd put as much trust in that thing despite not knowing what it truly is shows how desperate we all are!" cut off Mitabi as he jabbed a finger towards Ian's chest. "Listen to me, to rely on the Mechanical Titan is no different than to rely on this plan's success! And considering how the plan has already failed before it can even begin, relying on the Mechanical Titan will also end in failure!
"Now come on, we're evacuating!"
With his stance made, Mitabi quickly turned on his heel and walked off, frowning as he got ready to leap off the building, with Rico looking ready to follow. However, the sound of someone rushing at him made him stop and turn on his heel, and he was quick to widen his eyes when he saw Mikasa rushing him, though he sighed in mild relief when Ian held an arm out to stay her.
"Ackerman, hold," ordered Ian, surprising the Cadet as he sighed. "Mitabi, Rico, we are not leaving Cadet Jaeger behind. Stand guard and keep any and all Titans away until he has emerged from his Titan body."
"I-Ian, I beg your pardon!" proclaimed Rico, stepping forward and staring at her commander with widened eyes as he grimaced. Opening his mouth, Ian was ready to defend himself, though he held his tongue when a closeby soldier landed on a nearby building and yelled out at the team.
"C-Commander Dietrich!" bellowed the soldier, waving his Anti-Titan blade as he shrieked, catching their attention and prompting him to continue. "Several Titans are approaching your team from all sides!"
"Shit… how many, and what are their metre classes?!" demanded Ian, grimacing as Mitabi began sweating more in a panic.
"A Ten and Six metre class Titans are the closest, coming in from the north!" replied the soldier, sounding close to a panic attack as Ian widened his eyes at that. "From the south is a Twelve metre!"
And at that, Mitabi's eyes widened further as he seized his commander's shoulders, speaking out in a panic as he did.
"Ian! Think rationally! This 'plan' has failed, and if we stay-" reasoned Mitabi, only to be cut off when Ian grimaced and forced his teammate to release him.
"Rico, you shall join forces with that soldier and take down or, at the very least, distract the approaching Twelve metre," ordered Ian, sounding uncertain but still confident as Brzenska widened her eyes in shock. "Mitabi and I shall deal with the Ten and Six metre classes and-"
"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!" demanded Rico, losing her calm demeanor briefly as Mikasa stared at Ian in wide eyed shock, having gained some form of admiration for her Garrison senior at that point. "YOU WANT US TO-"
"I am the commander of this squad, Rico Brzenska! And the least you could do now is to be quiet and listen!" cut off Ian with a grimace as he swung his hand off to the side. "We cannot leave Eren Jaeger defenceless, and as such we shall change our objective!
"Until he is retrieved, we shall keep any and all Titans away from him for as long as possible!"
"Since when were you so invested in his safety?!" demanded Mitabi, prompting Ian to grimace.
"I have never been," retorted Ian. "But Eren Jaeger represents something special for mankind, a precious possibility for the future of our species. Unlike the Mechanical Titan, he has a clear goal, even if it is clouded by instinctual, Titan behaviour. And unlike us, he cannot be replaced."
"Hundreds have already died for that failure of a human weapon," tried Rico, sounding close to defeat as Ian grimaced deeper. "Now you wish for us to repeat all that just to ensure his survival?!"
Her response was swift, and it was enough to stun her into silence.
"Yes, Rico Brzenska!" roared Ian, showing his authority over her and making her step back in shock. "No matter how many of us must die, we must never stop trying!
"Without more people sacrificing themselves, how would we win against the Titans?! Without sacrifice, there can be no victory, and if we must sacrifice the lives of others, even if we must sacrifice ourselves in order to ensure mankind's victory, then so be it! Unless you have a way to win this war without sacrificing anything!"
His response was silence, with Rico staring at him blankly while Mitabi gulped and stepped back from his fellow Elite.
"I haven't an answer to that, Ian…" admitted a defeated Rico, who slouched her shoulders forward as she admitted defeat, leading Ian to nod.
"Which is why we cannot let Eren's potential go to waste. Powerful though it may be, the Mechanical Titan is unpredictable and, ultimately, unreliable. Jaeger is all we have left to even hope to fight back against the Titans effectively, and as such, for that messed up human weapon's sake…" replied Ian, grimacing as he spoke. "We must risk our lives for it, and give our all!
"Pitiful, is it not? As humans, this is all we can do. And as such, we may as well do it as best as we can. So, what says the both of you…? Will you stand with me and fight?"
His answer was a few seconds of silence, where both Mitabi and Rico remained silent, considering his words closely as Mikasa eyed Ian with a newfound sense of respect. For a Garrison, Ian seemed more than willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, a rarity in that military brigade.
And after a few seconds…
"I disagree with your words, Ian…" admitted Rico as she turned her back on him, Mitabi and Mikasa, prompting the commander to slouch a little in disappointment as Brzenska kept her back towards him, only to perk up hen when she continued speaking. "Even so, I will follow your plan. I… believe that what you say is correct.
"But know this, Ian Dietrich, Mitabi Janarch, and you especially, Mikasa Ackerman," continued Rico, putting a clear emphasis on Mikasa's family name, prompting the girl in question to raise a brow. "As I struggle, I shall show these beasts just how terrifying mankind can be when we are backed up against a wall. I shall show them that it is not the Mechanical Titan that they should fear, nor is it that failed experiment. I shall show them that humanity is the true apex predator of this world.
"I shall show them that we humans are the ones who shall triumph in this war, for I refuse to die a dog's death…"
And with that said, Rico moved on to carry out her duty, leaving a slack jawed Ian behind to watch as she walked off. And, much to his shock, Mitabi himself began to move as well.
"... this kid isn't going to defend himself, Ian. Come, let us… greet our foes, Ian," urged Mitabi as he placed a hand on his commander's shoulder. And after a nod from Ian, Mitabi sprinted off to meet the Ten and Six metre Titans head on, leaving Ian behind to calm down before he moved to join them.
Before that, however…
"Thank you, Squad Leader Ian," came Mikasa's thankful voice as Ian calmed down just enough to get his professional facade back up, and by then, he could only glance just a little at his junior.
"Do not thank me, Cadet Ackerman," rebutted Ian, turning to glance at the Cadet in question as he spoke. "This is our duty. To secure any and all advantage for mankind in this war.
"Now keep your head up high and focus on the battle, Cadet Ackerman. Move on and execute the original plan. Your skills are best suited for it, after all."
"Yes sir," replied Ackerman with a nod, and deciding that if he would die today, Ian allowed a rather sly smirk to appear on his face before he added on.
"Go defend your boyfriend," joked Ian, with his smirk growing in size when he saw that flustered expression on his junior's face.
"He's… family," defended Mikasa, only to wince when she saw that he was already out of earshot. Sighing internally at that, Ackerman shook her head, only to turn and widen her eyes when she realized that something seemed off about Eren.
His injuries… they weren't regenerating?!
'... is it because of the damage he suffered from before?' thought Mikasa in a panic, already thinking the worst as she widened her eyes. 'What effects will it have on Eren…? Will he be able to turn back…?'
A mental slap was required to force her out of her trance, with the top Cadet grimacing as she turned away from Eren's still body. No… she shouldn't dwell on such things. It was something she couldn't figure out with the current situation… and as such, she backlogged it with a sigh.
With a loud grunt, Rico Brzenska grimaced as she swung her Anti-Titan blades straight at the wrist of a Titan, severing the artery of the limb and causing it to let go of the soldier that it had in its hand. Before the soldier could hit the ground, she swung down and snatched him out of the air.
"Be more careful, soldier," scolded Rico as she tossed him back into the air. Said soldier nodded and thanked her before swinging off to continue his duty, though as he did, Rico couldn't help but grimace as she glared at the Twelve metre.
'This is taking too long…' thought Rico as she glanced behind the Twelve metre and grimaced when she saw an approaching pair of Fifteen metres. 'More Titans are approaching… if that brat doesn't come out anytime soon, then we'll be swarmed!'
And yet, even with that in mind, Rico refused to back down.
To die a dog's death was the job of a lesser soldier. And she was by no means a lesser soldier, as evident by how she grimaced and boosted straight at the Twelve metre. She was an Elite Garrison, dammit! And she was trained for this line of work!
And as such, even she had a thing or two to show off.
Focusing as intensely as she could, Rico narrowed her eyes behind her spectacles and focused on the legs of the Twelve metre. As she did, the Twelve metre swung its hand at her, and Rico waited until the absolute last second to dodge, and as soon as she did, she exploited the opening that was presented to her and swung down towards the Titan's ankles.
With a strong swing, Rico slashed open both the Twelve metre's ankles, and within a moment's notice, the Twelve metre fell forward, leaving its nape open, and Brzenska swung up and latched onto the back of the Titan's neck. Reeling herself in, she swung both blades at it with as much strength as she could muster, and with a single, almost surgical slice, she slayed it.
"W-Whoa…" muttered the soldier in shock as Rico swung up towards the closest building and wiped the blood off her cheek. In response to that, however, Rico simply got him to get back to work.
"You offer nothing by standing and watching," shot Rico as she gestured for him to get back to work. When he was gone, Rico sighed and eyed her Anti-Titan blades. "Hm… three more swings at best before I'm forced to swap blades. I have three spare blades left, and two Fifteen metres are approaching."
Despite herself, Rico couldn't help but offer a weak smile. Though this situation was dire, she had to admit that it was… exciting. Her life was on the line, yeah, but that only added to the 'fun'. Life would be boring without the danger, after all, and right now, life was truly exhilarating, especially as the first Fifteen metre got close to her.
Rather abruptly, however, a blur zipped past the back of the Fifteen metre's nape, and the moment it shot past, the Titan fell forward, prompting Rico to widen her eyes and leap across to the closest building to avoid the now dead Titan as it dropped face first onto the building she was just on.
Within a few moments, Annie Leonhardt landed behind Rico and offered her fellow short soldier a nod, one which was replied with a raised brow as Brzenska cleared her throat.
"Cadet, why are you here?" inquired Rico as she pointed towards the Wall. "Weren't you supposed to be keeping the Titans away alongside the mechanical beast?"
"Yes, but my… teammates had other ideas," replied Annie as she pointed her Anti-Titan blade behind Rico, prompting her to turn and raise a brow when she spotted Mina Carolina and Nac Tias land on the building they were on.
"Cadets, why are you here?! Why have you abandoned your duties?!" demanded Rico as they saluted, only to drop the formalities as Rico continued. "Cease with the pleasantries. We are on the battlefield!"
"... I apologise, Commander Rico, but we couldn't just ignore the signal flare," apologised Nac as Mina quickly nodded. Opening her mouth, Rico seemed ready to give them a good scolding, though before she could, a loud crash caught her attention.
"B-But hey… on the bright side, we did bring some backup…!"
And at that, Rico could only widen her bespectacled eyes as their 'backup' arrived and slammed straight into one of the approaching Fifteen metre Titans. An audible gasp left her lips as the Fifteen metre quite literally exploded, and her shock grew when the Mechanical Titan seized the other by the neck and raised it up into the air.
With the brutality that could not be rivaled by anything Rico knew of, the Mechanical Titan plunged its hand into the Fifteen metre's stomach. It kept it in there for a brief moment before ripping it out, pulling out a handful of the Titan's internals and causing them to drop onto the ground. In its hand was a slowly dissolving rib bone that belonged to the Titan, and Brzenska, alongside the newly arrived Cadets, widened their eyes when they saw it stab the Fifteen metre Titan in the nape with its rib.
"That thing's really something…" mumbled Nac with a mild smile as Rico gulped and offered a mild nod.
She wasn't one to agree with Cadets too often, though she would gladly make an exception this one time…
So here we are, approaching the end of the Trost arc. It's been fun, and writing this was pretty nice. Ian was quite a lad to write, as was his team.
Is everyone alright, though? Things are rather tough at the moment, what with Covid and all that. I for one hope you all are holding up well and are not going insane in quarantine. Personally I feel like I'm fine. I've only talked to my model kits for the third time this week, only stopping when they talked back.
Not much else to say now… onto the replies!
daggercloak000: give it a while… as in about 2 chapters
Adriaus Nighthunter: here you go my friend!
starscreamer11: I'll see you in a few months as well
Blitza: I'm glad you enjoyed the ending scene!
Akashic Records: that'll be quite a thing to write…
Touhoufanatic: the reveal seems to be the thing everyone's excited for now. Gonna have to speed through now…
NNN11ght: Thanks! I personally like that hat you have on
Guest: you have a point there. I guess we'll have to wait and see…
TheLandMaster: ah yes, the bigger scrap metal…
Guest 2: well here's the update, and do stick around for the eventual reveal!
*slaps hands together* y'know the hype for Mika's reveal kinda worries me. I do hope I can live up to the hype when it happens…
But until then, I shall see you all in the next chapter!
Elsewhere
Raising his brow as his phone rang, Orga Itsuka sighed in irritation as he extended a hand towards it and picked it up, wasting no time in holding it up to his ear.
"This is Orga Itsuka, boss of Tekkadan. How can I help you?" inquired Orga, using a sentence that had been drilled into his head by then as he held the phone up to his ear, only to raise a brow when the caller spoke up. "Montag. What is it that you want?"
Silence followed as 'Montag' explained his situation, and after a few seconds, Orga nodded.
"Face to face to see my reaction, huh? You'd best make this worth it."