AN: Hi everyone, this is an Attack on Titan fanfic which is centered around my original character Rasmus Kirkegaard. This story largely follows the plot of the Attack on Titan anime, and parts of it are loosely inspired by the video game Attack on Titan 2. Of course, all credit for the characters, setting, and plot goes to Hajime Isayama and Koei Tecmo Games respectively.
for those of you who had read the first chapter of "Attack on Titan: Blood, Fire, and Water", you may have seen that the story has since been taken down. The truth is, I realized that I wanted to take the story in a different direction, and have since invested a lot of time in tweaking and improving the story. This is still the same base story with the same protagonist, but I am much happier with the story I am now producing, and I hope you are as well.
Rasmus Kirkegaard leaned against a building, trying to appear as nonchalant as he could manage. The square inside of Wall Maria was bustling with activity, with blurs of blue, green, red, and white passing by as the citizens went about their days. One man was heckling with a vender over the price of his fruit, while a woman carried her child in one arm as she ran errands. Older children were running through the street, evidently playing a game of tag or something of the sort. Rasmus focused his attention on one girl in particular, dressed in a simple red shirt, beige slacks, and sporting a dark brown ponytail.
As his eyes trailed the girl in question, he glanced towards a stall manned by an elderly woman, making sure that he was as inconspicuous as possible with his gaze. As the girl approached the woman's stall, she stumbled and fell to the ground, holding her ankle. Seeing this, the woman got up from behind her stand and made her way over to the girl.
Seeing this as his cue, Rasmus sprang into action. With speed and coordination, he swept past the stall and scooped up his target: two slices of marzipan. Continuing on his way, he glanced back and saw the woman had turned her attention to him and was shouting insults. Taking advantage of the distraction, the girl let go of her ankle and sprang to her feet, tearing off after Rasmus.
"Good job, Ada!" Rasmus panted, handing her one of the marzipan slices. "If I wasn't in on it, I would have believed your too!"
"Well, if you weren't in on it then who would've swiped the marzipan?" she pointed out. Rasmus just rolled his eyes at her tongue-and-cheek comment and turned to look ahead, only to see his vision covered by the chestnut brown of a military uniform. Before either could stop themselves, both kids barrelled into the uniform-bearer and fell flat on their behinds.
Looking up, Rasmus saw the man in uniform was of average height, possessing dark close-cropped hair and hazel eyes. The soldier glanced down at them with a look of amusement in his eyes.
"You kids seem to be in quite a hurry. What's that you have there?" he asked, gesturing to the marzipan they had managed to hold onto despite getting knocked off their feet.
"It's none of your business!" Ada said quickly as she got to her feet. "But if you must know, we just bought it from a vender back there." She gestured towards the square behind them. Rasmus was just getting to his feet when a voice rose from behind him.
"Thank goodness, you caught them. Maybe you Garrison soldiers aren't a waste of space after all." The old vender had finally reached them, though she was hobbling and breathing heavily. "Those little squirts thought they could snatch my produce and get away with it."
The soldier shifted his gaze to the old woman and then back to Rasmus and Ada. "Is that true?"
"No, it isn't!" Ada protested hotly. "We paid a good sum for these and now that old bat is trying to scam us out of more money!" The soldier raised an eyebrow at Ada's enthusiastic denial.
"Who are you calling an old bat, you little—" Before the vender could finish her sentence, Rasmus interrupted.
"It's true," he admitted, lowering his eyes so he couldn't see the soldier's patronizing stare. "We stole these from her stand."
"Rasmus?!" Ada whined, incensed that her friend had ratted them both out.
"Well there, you see?" the old woman gloated. "He even admits his crime!"
Rasmus silently approached the vender and held out the slice of marzipan, which she quickly swiped out of his hand.
"The gall these youths have nowadays," she complained. "You'd better see to it that their parents are fined, that way maybe they'll put more effort into controlling their kids. And make sure you tell your buddies in the Garrison to keep an eye on these two, they're just trouble waiting to happen."
The soldier drew his fist to his heart and offered a slight bow. "Of course, ma'am. Should I also tell them what a waste of space you think we are?" At this, the woman's eyes widened and she began to sputter. Ignoring her and turning his attention to Ada, the soldier motioned her towards the vender. Reluctantly, Ada complied and let the old woman snatch back their hard-earned reward. "Now, what do you two have to say?" Rasmus and Ada glanced at each other briefly before sighing and looking back at the vender.
"We're sorry."
The soldier put a hand on each of their shoulders and looked at the woman. "There, the kids returned what they stole and apologized to you. How does that saying go, no harm no foul?" The woman looked ready to protest, but upon seeing the stern look on the soldier's face, decided it wasn't worth the hassle. Instead, she turned on her heels and headed back towards her stall, grumbling the whole way.
As soon as the vender disappeared into the crowd, Ada threw an elbow into Rasmus' side. "Way to go," she hissed as he complained and rubbed his side. Before she could continue, they were interrupted by a chuckling behind them. Shocked, the pair turned around to see the soldier wearing a large grin.
"Actually, young lady, you should be thanking your friend. If he hadn't been so honest and forthcoming, we might have had to do this the hard way. As it is, you two are free to go, and your parents don't have to hear about your little escapade." He crouched down and moved his face close to theirs. "I can't say things will work out so well for you if you try this again, so make sure there isn't a next time, understood?" Both youths nodded vigorously. "Good," the soldier said, pausing to look up at the sky. "Now you two should be on your way home, it's already getting late."
"Okay! We live in Shiganshina." Ada beamed as she pointed towards the gate in Wall Maria that led into the district, her previous cross attitude forgotten. "But Rasmus is supposed to meet his mom and dad at the gate."
Rasmus stood near Wall Maria, watching as the sun sunk ever lower to his left. The streets were beginning to thin out, as people began heading home for the evening. He glanced down at the smooth stone in his hand, transfixed with how his fingers could effortlessly slide across its surface. The special rock was a gift from the soldier, who called it his good luck charm. He gave it to Rasmus to help pass the time, ruffling his hair and warning him not to throw it at anyone. The soldier had escorted him and Ada as far as the wall where they split up, with Ada entering Shiganshina and the soldier leaving in the opposite direction. They left him to wait for his parents at the gate.
Rasmus sighed, bored of standing still and waiting. Even though the unusual rock had held his attention for a while, he was becoming restless. What if his parents had forgotten the plan to meet here? If that was the case then they were probably waiting at home right now, worrying about why he was out so late. They had to be at home, right? Either way, he could check at home first and come back here if they weren't there.
He began walking towards the gate when he was suddenly blinded by a flash of light. There seemed to have been a lightening strike near Shiganshina's outer wall, which he could see towering above the houses below. A moment later, he heard the thunder that followed. This was strange in itself, as there were no storm clouds in sight. However, Rasmus paid little attention to this discrepancy. After all, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. At least not until he saw incomprehensibly large fleshy fingers latch onto Shiganshina's wall.
Rasmus' breath caught in his throat as a gigantic skinless face rose above the wall. The stone the soldier had given him dropped from his hand, but he didn't even register the noise it made as it thudded on the ground. He was frozen in place, unable to will his limbs to move. The titanic face seemed to survey the district for a brief movement, before leaning away from the wall. By this time, the first citizens to spot the monster had begun to react. Some screamed, some cried, and others were frozen in place like Rasmus. Then, after what felt like both a fraction of a second and an eternity, a deafening explosion erupted from Shiganshina's gate, drowning out all of the screams. A plume of smoke rose on the horizon, obscuring the sinister red face that peered over the wall. His mind could hardly process what was happening as rubble rained down upon his city, crushing houses and citizens alike on impact. People began flooding out of their homes, many shrieking and running aimlessly in their panic. Members of the Garrison appeared in the streets and tried to help the citizens evacuate behind Wall Maria, but it was painfully obvious that they were woefully unprepared for the task that was facing them. As if the image of the once-peaceful city now in ruins couldn't become more nightmarish, giant humanoid faces with distorted expression appeared amongst the buildings and began plucking the panicking citizens from the ground and stuffing them into their ravenous maws.
Rasmus gasped, unable to breath. He was covered in sweat, and his stomach was in knots. What was happening, and where were his parents? If they really were at home, that would mean they were stuck right in the middle of all the panic and chaos.
In a daze like state, he wandered through the gate and into Shigashina District. Before he could make his way any further, he was pushed backwards by a stranger as a wave of people descended upon him, all intent on reaching the safety of Wall Maria.
After being jostled around and knocked to the ground, Rasmus clambered to his knees and began reorienting himself. He was back inside Wall Maria, and Garrison soldiers were just closing the massive gate. Weren't there still people in Shiganshina? What if his parents were still in there, or Ada and her family? How were they supposed to get out if the gate was closed?
"Rasmus, sweety, are you okay? Your father and I were so worried about you! Come, we have to go now!"
Rasmus glanced up to see his mother and father staring down at him with concern. His mother then hoisted him to his feet and began dragging him along by the arm. As he fell into step with his parents, he voiced the question on his mind.
"Mom, Dad? What's happening?"
His mother glanced towards his father. "The Titans have broken through The Wall," his father said reluctantly, as if this nightmare was only a dream and voicing it would make it a reality.
"Why?" Rasmus prompted, curious what use giant people had for their city.
"Because they're monsters," his mother replied.
"Why?"
His father sighed. "I don't know Rasmus. I don't know."
Before Rasmus could formulate another question, a loud crash came from behind him. Spinning his head around, he watched as an enormous armoured titan burst through the wall. Debris was launched into the air, including a gigantic boulder. Time seemed to slow as his eyes traced the boulder's path, arcing through the air before casting a shadow over him and his parents, the projectile growing closer all the time. Glancing back at his parents, Rasmus watched their faces pale before his father's gaze locked onto him.
The next thing he knew strong hand were thrust into him, and he felt himself lift off of the ground and fly through the air. Landing in a heap, Rasmus got back onto his feet, wondering why his father had pushed him so hard. Looking back towards his parents, his heart froze. In the spot where they had been standing seconds before, the giant boulder lay, surrounded by smaller rocks and debris. Unable to process what was happening, Rasmus just stood and stared at the boulder.
"Hey, kid!" The soldier who had spoken to him and Ada before ran up to him. "What are you doing standing around here? We need to get you onto the boat!"
"But, Mom and Dad!" Rasmus protested, pointing at the boulder.
"I'm sure they're fine, probably already on the boat waiting for you. Come with me, we have to…" the soldier's voice trailed off as he saw what the boy was pointing at. His face clouded with horror and then pity, as part of a white apron sticking out from under the boulder confirmed his fears. "…I'm sorry, but we have to go."
"But how are Mom and Dad supposed to run away?" Rasmus cried as the soldier slung him over one shoulder, "we have to help them!" The soldier didn't respond, so Rasmus resigned himself to watching the boulder grow smaller in the distance, before his tears filled his vision and he had to wipe them away. When he opened his eyes again, he saw two glowing orange eyes in the distance, belonging to the Titan who took his parents from him. Kicking and writhing within the soldier's grasp, Rasmus let out a piercing wail of frustration and despair. He continued to cry as he felt himself being handed to another pair of arms.
When he finally opened his eyes again, Rasmus saw that he was on a boat. Looking up, he saw Ada's mother watching him as she cradled him in her arms, a look of concern on her face. Ada's father was beside her, his face distorted in a sorrowful expression. Ada was sandwiched between her parents, looking more confused than anything else. He snivelled and felt a hand gently stroke his hair.
"Shhh," Ada's mother whispered in his ear. "Don't worry, I've got you." Despite Rasmus' best efforts, those reassuring words reopened the floodgates, and he began bawling once more.
AN: And there you have it, folks. I was originally planning on making this chapter longer, but I decided it was better to break it up and post it sooner rather than later. Don't fret though, because I'm already well on my way to finishing the second chapter. I'm hesitant to set any definitive deadline, but expect to see it within the next couple of weeks for sure. I hope you enjoyed, and I wish you happiness and good health. Bye bye for now!