"Hey, Armin."
Armin finished securing his saddle to his horse. He looked over his shoulder to the adjacent stall where Jean stood with his arms wrapped over the side of the divider. Jean's white mare had everything secured and ready to go, the horse nibbling on his shoulder for treats.
"Did Marco come to see you off this morning?" Jean asked.
Armin nodded. "Yes, he did. He was passing by my room when I left."
"He was also passing by mine," Jean said. He leaned his head in his hand with a slow blink. "It seemed weird – why did he seek us out by ourselves instead of meeting us all in the courtyard?"
Armin frowned, failing at finding a reason why Marco's action would seem off. "Maybe he had an assignment to get to? I think he mentioned something about helping out with the second wave leaving in the afternoon."
"Yeah, maybe," Jean said. He sighed, gripping the reins of his horse and leading her through the stables. "Come on – the Captain is in an especially shitty mood this morning and I don't feel like getting belittled in front of the entire unit."
Armin followed after Jean, using the hand he didn't have leading his horse to shield his eyes from the sun peaking over the horizon. His squad was a part of the first wave of Scout soldiers setting out for Calaneth. The second wave leaving in a few hours would head out with thunder spears, field equipment, and Titan armor. Captain Levi had been put in charge with leading the first group, while Unit Captain Moblit and Commander Hange were in charge of supervising the latter.
"This will be your last chance to say goodbye."
Armin stepped around a wagon and spotted Captain Levi mounting his horse. Commander Hange looked up at him as he got settled, her hands on her hips.
"Celine isn't coming with us to Calaneth," Hange continued. "Consider your priorities in case the worst happens."
Levi let out a tsk. "I'll consider my priorities when you consider keeping to your own business." He turned his horse, riding off toward the front gate without another word.
Jean turned back to lock eyes with Armin. They shared a tense look before Jean hopped on his horse and Armin followed suit. It seemed they now both had a better understanding of Levi's mood, and that there was a very good chance they'd be experiencing the brunt end of it during the excursion.
Less than an hour later, roughly a hundred soldiers moved out under Levi's command. Armin and the rest of his squad were placed in the center of the group with Eren, Annie, and Ymir. Not a word was spoken between the three of them as the morning went by. Ymir was the only one to appear content of the fact. Armin had tried starting up a conversation with Eren a few times, but his friend only gave short answers to any questions and seemed lost in thought. A quick glance to Mikasa hoping to gain some context only resulted in a defeated shrug.
Farmland and grassy hills fell away into rockier terrain as they reached a higher elevation. The trail soon curved alongside a ravine with a thundering river far below. To the other side was a collection of stone outcrops which narrowed the path so only three soldiers could ride abreast. The procession made their way toward a forest of pine trees when something appeared up ahead.
A yellow flare rose above the treetops. Levi put up a hand, the soldiers toward the front acknowledging the signal and everyone slowing to a stop.
"My squad, with me," Levi said. He glanced over his shoulder to regard Eren, Ymir, and Annie. "The three of you, stay put."
Levi urged his horse to the edge of the trail; Armin, Jean, and Mikasa not far behind as they rode around the other waiting soldiers to the front of the formation. Two soldiers on horseback waited slightly ahead of the rest. Another two on foot slowly made their way further into the forest.
"What's going on?" Levi asked.
"The lookouts spotted something up ahead," one of the soldiers said. She turned her head to look up the trail. "They think it might be a corpse."
Levi's expression darkened. "Bandits?"
"Possibly," the soldier said. "They're checking it out before we go any further."
The sound of pebbles under foot caused everyone's attention to shift to the trees. One of the Scout lookouts popped into view, catching his breath.
"Captain!" he said. "The person was bound and gagged, but he's alive! We think it's Conny Springer!"
"Conny?!" Jean said. He exchanged a look of bewilderment with Armin and Mikasa.
"Let's go," Levi said, urging his horse forward.
They moved through the underbrush in a quick trot. It didn't take long to catch up to the other lookout as he knelt before a figure at the base of a tree.
"Mmph!"
Any doubt fell away when Armin got a closer look at the person lying on the ground. Conny's hair had grown out some, but his large, hazel eyes were immediately identifiable. Those eyes landed on Armin when he leapt from his horse, Conny's muffled voice growing frantic through the gag in his mouth.
"Conny!" Jean yelled, running forward.
"Wait!"
Jean came to a halt. He looked over his shoulder at Levi, Armin following suit as their captain stared ahead with an expression he couldn't read.
"Calm down, kid," the lookout said, kneeling down to lift Conny up. "If you keep struggling it's going to make it harder to cut you free."
Something behind Conny shifted as the man put his weight down beside him. Conny let out a stifled wail when a syringe pierced his shoulder. His eyes widened before the area became washed in light.
Armin turned his head and shaded his eyes in an attempt to fend off being blinded. The first thing he took in when opening his eyes were the various states of horror on his squad mate's faces. He followed their gaze, watching as the lookout who'd tried to grab Conny was now being lifted around his waist. The soldier let out a high-pitched scream that was silenced when his head was bitten clean off.
"Conny …" Jean said. His face twisted as he stared up at the Titan with large, hazel eyes. "W-what? How?"
Levi unsheathed the swords at his hips. He dashed forward, leaping into the air in a burst of steam. He achieved the angle he needed to target the Titan's nape in seconds as he ricocheted from a nearby tree. Blades spun forward in a dizzying display of speed.
Armin barely had time to call out before another burst of steam erupted from his side. A loud clang rang through the air.
Instead of hitting flesh, Levi's sword had hit metal. The captain avoided having his leg snatched by the Titan in a maneuver that sent him skyward before he circled back to make a nearby branch his perch. Levi radiated malice as he stared down the person who had gotten in his way.
"What the hell are you doing, you gloomy brat?" Levi said. His eyes narrowed as Mikasa positioned herself on a branch between himself and the Titan.
"You can't kill Conny," Mikasa said, using a tone as if stating a fact. She lifted her blades in a defensive stance, her eyes locked on Levi.
"So instead, you would let him devour our unit?" Levi said, his tone darkening. "I'll slice your throat before I allow that to happen. This is your one and only warning to stand down."
Mikasa's expression hardened. "I won't let–"
Screams rang through the trees. Armin dared to look over his shoulder before returning his attention toward the Titan getting to its feet and lumbering toward Mikasa.
"Armin!"
Armin flinched. He turned to look up at Levi, his chest growing tight as he took in Levi's stoic expression.
"Do what needs to be done."
They were the words Armin least wanted to hear. He looked to the Titan as his hands began to shake.
"Y-yes, Captain," he said.
Branches whipped across Levi's face as he raced through the trees. Absolute chaos opened before him as he burst through to the trail along the cliff face.
Riderless horses darted about in all directions to flee a pair of warring Titans. The taller of the two grasped the other by the wrist, slamming it against the ground like a toddler with a stuffed toy. The smaller Titan – the Jaw Titan – dug pointed nails into its opponent's ankle. Chunks of red flesh peeled free as the taller Titan yanked the Jaw Titan into the air.
Ymir, Levi thought. He sped forward as the Jaw Titan's face was bashed in.
Levi landed on the side of the outcrop lining the trail. Stone painted with the innards of soldiers the enemy Titan had taken by surprise passed in a blur. He launched forward, pulling his blades free from his hips as he spun. The arm holding the Jaw Titan aloft fell limply as it became sliced to ribbons. The ground shook as the Jaw Titan collapsed in a heap.
Could this Titan … also be …?
Levi's blades cut through flesh. A chunk of the Titan flew free, showering Levi in blood from head to toe.
… one of our own?
The Titan fell to its knees. It swayed for a moment before tumbling to the side, steam immediately rising from the corpse.
"What happened here?" Levi said. He landed beside the Jaw Titan, eyes scanning the soldiers who leapt down from the trees.
"That Titan appeared from nowhere!" an officer said. "The blast seemed to come from the middle of the formation. A few soldiers and their horses went down the side of the ravine …"
"It's … it's Karl," a soldier said. The color drained from his face as he stared at the decomposing Titan. "How? He was right beside me, so I couldn't see anything because of the light …"
"Where are the other two?" Levi said, noticing a pair of important faces missing. "Where are Eren and the Female Titan?"
Heads turned about. A few soldiers dashed to the side of the ravine to look over the edge. They looked back to Levi and shook their heads, indicating neither Eren or Annie were in sight. The sound of distant rumbling gave Levi the impression the problem he'd left Armin to handle hadn't yet been resolved. He grit his teeth.
"Ymir!" Levi said. It seemed the look on his face paired with the blood was enough to make even a Titan flinch. "My squad is dealing with another Titan up ahead – go put that thing out of its misery as fast as you can."
The Jaw Titan gave a grunt in acknowledgement. It leapt over the scattered figures laying still upon the trail before disappearing into the trees. Levi turned back to his soldiers the second it was gone.
"Ignore the wounded for now!" Levi said, gesturing with his sword. "Retrieving Eren is our top priority! If the Female Titan gets in your way, don't hesitate to cut her down!"
Annie had been taken by just as much surprise as anyone when there was a sudden flash of light to her right. She was nearly knocked free from her horse when they were bombarded with soldiers and horses alike running blindly in all directions. Her leg almost being crushed prompted her to leap from the saddle, rolling to the side until her back hit the rock wall.
The light around her faded as Annie got to her feet. Her eyes widened.
A Titan?
Two unlucky soldiers hadn't been quick enough to get away. The Titan brought its hands to its mouth, the top half of the soldiers disappearing behind a gleaming row of teeth. Their legs kicked and squirmed before the Titan bit down and they suddenly went still.
Shit!
Annie dashed to the side. She skidded to a stop when an object splattered across the rock overhead. A quick duck kept her out of the trajectory of a mangled corpse falling beside her in a heap. The blades of the deceased soldier were drawn, giving the impression the woman had tried to go after the Titan before falling victim to an unexpected swipe.
The Titan followed the trajectory of the corpse, putting Annie in its sights. It lumbered forward.
Annie flicked open the spike on her metal ring. She was less than an inch away from slicing through her palm when the ground trembled.
A clawed hand reached up from the side of the ravine. Another came sooner after, and the shaggy hair and beady black eyes of the Jaw Titan came into view. It pulled itself up as three soldiers who'd been clinging to its back fell to the trail in a heap. Dust kicked up the moment they were free, the Jaw Titan galloping forward with a howl.
The enemy Titan came crashing into the stone at Annie's back. She narrowly avoided being crushed as she rolled to the side. The Titan was abnormally fast – flipping around to dig its fingers into the Jaw Titan's face as it shoved it back. Annie watched the struggle with a grimace.
This isn't Zeke, Annie thought. She wracked her brain as she watched the Jaw Titan slash at its opponent.
I would've heard his call if Zeke were nearby. This had to have been an injection. But to what end? Is that soldier someone important? Or …
Annie whipped her head about. There were three members of this unit critical to the mission – one of which she hadn't seen since the Titan appeared. Panic squirmed in her gut as she continued to look about but couldn't find Eren.
I need a higher vantage point.
Annie quickly stripped the dead soldier nearby of her ODM gear. Annie hadn't been issued any herself via Captain Levi's command, a fact she'd shrugged off until this moment.
The gear functioned without issue and made quick work of pulling Annie atop the outcrop. She pushed back the hair falling over her eyes as she scanned the area. Her attention landed on something much closer than expected.
Annie jogged from the edge toward what appeared to be the remnants of a campsite. A pile of cold ash indicated someone had been there within the past day or two. A mound of bandages and scissors lay nearby. Next to them were–
What the hell?
A heap of body parts were stacked in the dirt. A pair of arms and legs looked like they'd been hacked off in a brutal fashion. Blood dripped in heavy droplets into puddles. Annie dipped her fingertips in one of them before wiping her hand on her pants; the blood was still warm.
The bandages … it couldn't have been for this person, right? There'd be no point – they'd bleed out immediately. The only people who could survive would be …
Annie flipped over one of the arms. Stitched on the bicep was a patch depicting the wings of the Scout Regiment. She ripped it off in a fluid motion before breaking into a run.
This happened only minutes ago.
Her eyes quickly scanned the treetops for any sign of movement. She caught a glint of something in the distance. Annie kicked off the edge of the outcrop and sailed into the trees below.
We're not far from the mountains.
Pine needles scratched against her cheeks. Her eyes watered as they darted about.
There are countless places to hide if they get there; losing them now isn't an option.
Something shifted up ahead. Annie had to make the split-second decision if what she caught a glimpse of was the beating of a bird wing or the flutter of a cloak. She trusted her gut and adjusted her course to head after it. Soon enough, the green material was visible once again.
A hooded figure flitted in and out of the shadows. Closer inspection revealed a leather pack beneath their cloak, a tuft of dark hair visible from where it stuck out from under the top flap.
Annie pulled the Scout patch from her pocket along with a small knife. She stabbed the patch into the tree at her side before continuing her pursuit.
Just … a little closer …
Annie flew low, her target a dark silhouette against the light streaming through the trees. A flick of her finger extended the spike on her silver ring. The spike tore through the flesh of her left palm without trouble.
The arm reaching toward the kidnapper expanded in a burst of light. A cry of surprise accompanied large, red fingers wrapping around the figure and hurtling them toward the ground. The impact of the massive hand left a crater in its wake, dust intermingling with the steam filling the area.
"Surrender quietly and I won't kill you," Annie said. She yanked her arm free from her partial transformation. Her boots touched down on the ground a moment later.
The steam parted in a gust of wind as the cloaked figure sped forward. Annie had just enough time to draw her blades and stop the attempt of a sword slicing her throat. Even though Annie had narrowly avoided death, her heart still stopped.
"How are you still here?" Annie said. She held the stare of the narrowed, golden eyes glaring at her from the shadow of the assailant's hood.
"Where have you been hiding … Reiner?"