The horses eagerly drank the water provided to them, grateful for the drink after the long ride. Gunther and Oluo stood nearby, looking slightly uneasy but knowing they had to give the horses a chance to rest.
A short distance away Levi was eyeing Kenny cautiously. The older man was casually leaning against a nearby fence as if he didn't have a care in the world, while Levi was visibly on edge.
Kenny looked at him irritably. "Would ya quit staring? If you've got something to say, say it."
Levi glanced at Gunther and Oluo to make sure they were out of earshot. After seeing that they were, he returned his gaze to Kenny.
"Why…why did you take me in? And why did you leave?"
Kenny smirked. "Straight to the point. Well, I always did hate people who beat around the bush."
He grinned. "I'm not your father in case you were worried about that."
Levi remained silent.
Kenny's grin faded. "Your mother was my sister. You look a lot like her."
He sighed. "I felt obligated to give you the tools you would need to survive. But I didn't stick around because, well, I'm not the right type to raise a kid."
Levi frowned. "Still kind of a dick move to leave without saying goodbye."
Kenny raised an eyebrow. "Did you really want me to stay?"
Levi grimaced and didn't answer.
"Anything else you want to ask?"
Levi shook his head. "Not right now. I'm more concerned about the Titans."
His eyes narrowed. "Just be aware, if you try to do anything to my squad, or to any of my comrades, I will end you, our shared blood be damned."
Kenny smirked. "I'd like to see if you're capable of making good on that threat."
Levi tensed up, and rested his hand against his gear.
Kenny sighed exasperatedly. "Relax, I won't do anything…for now."
Not exactly reassured, Levi sincerely hoped his uncle would keep his word, at least until they had dealt with the Titans lurking within the walls.
The thudding of the Armored Titan's footsteps permeated the air as it trudged across the countryside, its arms swaying slightly from side to side. On its left shoulder was the Jaw Titan, which had wrapped its right arm around the back of the Armored Titans neck while its left hand was carefully gripping the Armored Titan's left arm to keep itself steady. The Armored Titan kept moving forward, while the Jaw Titan was peering around, on the lookout for any potential enemies.
From his position on the Armored Titan's right shoulder Armin found his head whirling from everything that had just happened. Getting kidnapped by Titans was not something Armin had ever expected to happen. Eaten by them, certainly, but not kidnapped.
He'd then found out that the Titans already had another hostage, a man called Rod Reiss, who was Krista's father. Except her name wasn't really Krista, it was Historia. He'd known there had been some parts of her past that Krista hadn't disclosed, but it was a bit of a shock to discover that even her name had been a facade.
Not nearly as much of a shock as what Rod had told Historia and him though. Rod had quickly explained that the Reiss family was the true royal family, and that they had been tasked with guarding the Founding Titan, a great power that had been used to construct the three walls and bring peace and order to humanity a hundred years ago. But then, two years ago, this power had been stolen by an unknown man, and most of the Reiss family had been killed. He then explained that the enemy Titans were after the Founding Titan, but had been unable to find it, and had settled for capturing the last surviving members of the Reiss family, the only ones who could use this power.
Historia had appeared just as stunned, and while Armin was still processing everything, he did what little he could to comfort her. He gently squeezed her hand, and she looked at him softly.
"I'm sorry you got dragged into all of this." She whispered.
Armin smiled halfheartedly. "It's not your fault."
He glanced over at the other two people on the Armored Titan's right shoulder, the ones Rod had said were called Annie and Bertolt. While Rod, Historia, and Armin were further out on the shoulder, Annie and Bertolt were closer to the neck. Bertolt was leaning against the neck, looking nervous and tired, while Annie was crouched a little closer to the three hostages, her gaze fixed on Armin.
All five of them had a separate rope tied around their waist which was in turn connected to another rope wrapped around the Armored Titan's neck. Bertolt had briefly explained that it was a lifeline, so that if for some reason any of them lost their balance and fell off of the Armored Titan they wouldn't plummet to their deaths.
Armin ran his hands loosely around the rope on his waist. He vaguely remembered reading about lifelines in his grandfather's book, except there it was used on ships so that the people on board wouldn't be lost at sea if they happened to run into a particularly violent storm. He supposed the same basic principle was at play here.
Armin felt his heart begin to beat slightly faster.
The sea…what if…
"Listen, kid."
Armin froze as he met Annie's icy stare.
Historia glared at her. "His name is Armin."
Annie stared at her dismissively. "Whatever."
Annie returned her gaze to Armin. "Look, we need those two alive, but you are entirely expendable, and if you become too much trouble we will kill you. Do you understand?"
She tapped the hilt of her knife meaningfully.
Armin nodded, afraid his voice would crack if he tried to speak.
Annie glanced at Historia. "And if you care about him at all, I suggest you keep this in mind as well."
Historia frowned, and moved a little closer to Armin.
Armin swallowed. "Tell me, is-"
"No questions." Annie said sharply. "Rod told you all you need to know, now just shut up and do as you're told."
Armin almost lost his nerve, but forced himself to continue.
"Can I ask you just one question?"
Annie sighed impatiently. "You know what, fine. But just one."
Armin nodded. "Is the ocean real?"
Annie looked baffled. "Huh?"
Historia looked at Armin in surprise.
Armin leaned forward eagerly. "I've heard that most of the world is covered in a massive body of water known as the ocean. Is this true?"
Annie blinked. "Yeah."
Armin's eyes widened. "Will…will we get to see it?"
Seemingly forgetting her stipulation about only answering one question, Annie grunted.
"I suppose."
Armin leaned back, his mind racing.
I've always wanted to see the world beyond the walls. This isn't at all how I imagined I would do it, but I am glad for the opportunity. And it's not like I can really do anything about it. They're clearly too strong to fight…
Armin let out a shaky breath. "Alright. I'll behave myself, and won't give you any trouble."
He pointed behind them. "Just…please don't hurt them."
Annie followed his hand, and saw that he was pointing at the two cadets on horseback that were a short distance behind the Armored Titan, who had been following them ever since they'd left the training grounds.
Annie shrugged. "Fine. We'll leave them alone as long as they don't interfere."
Armin grimaced.
He tried to think of some way to communicate to Eren and Mikasa that they should stay away for their own safety, but nothing came to mind that wouldn't risk antagonizing Annie and the others. And even if he did find a way, he knew there was no way in hell either of them would actually listen, especially not Eren.
Armin glanced back at his two friends in the distance, willing them to leave, knowing full well they wouldn't, and hoping they wouldn't get themselves killed.
Eren glared at the Armored Titan's retreating form. His rage had cooled somewhat since they'd begun their pursuit, but he still felt angrier than he had ever felt before in his entire life.
As traumatic as it had been to witness his mother getting eaten by a Titan, and then seeing the Armored Titan break right through the wall, some small part of his brain had still thought that perhaps they were indeed just mindless monsters simply acting on instinct, and so couldn't really help it.
But kidnapping Armin…that was no accident. That was a deliberate, malicious act that required thought, planning…intelligence. Seeing firsthand proof that at least some of the monsters responsible for turning his world to hell were intelligent beings made his already powerful hatred of the Titans even stronger.
The only reason he hadn't already attacked them had been Mikasa. She'd convinced him to back off and simply follow the Armored Titan for now. Eren hadn't wanted to, but then he'd noticed that the Jaw Titan had been watching the two of them, and had not so subtly jerked one of its claws toward Armin and Krista.
The message was clear: back off, or they die.
And so Eren had reluctantly complied with Mikasa's demand, and they had settled for simply following the Armored Titan from a distance.
Eren had kept a close eye on the five people sitting on the Armored Titan's right shoulder, and while he was much too far away to hear anything that was said he could tell from their expressions and body language where they all stood. The man sitting near Armin and Krista appeared to be another hostage, apparently one the Titans must have grabbed somewhere else before they attacked the training ground.
However, there was something off with the other two. He hadn't quite been able to put his finger on it, but after watching them carefully he suddenly realized the truth: they weren't hostages. They were helping the Titans.
At first he assumed that they were only cooperating with the Titans out of fear. And that may have been the case with the tall guy, who looked incredibly anxious. But for the blond girl, it soon became apparent that she was not a reluctant accomplice but a willing participant.
She was a human who was willingly siding with the Titans. And for that, he found himself hating her even more than he hated the Titans.
Mikasa pulled up next to him. "Eren, you need to calm down."
"Calm down?!" Eren spat. "How the hell can you expect me to-"
"I know!" Mikasa yelled.
Eren looked at her in surprise.
Mikasa gazed coldly at the Armored Titan. "Whatever you're going to say, I know. I understand you're angry. Believe me, I'm furious too. These are the bastards who destroyed our home and killed an unspeakable amount of people. And now they've taken two of our friends for God knows why. But we can't be reckless. If we rush in without thinking we'll just get ourselves killed."
"So what, we do nothing?!"
Mikasa bowed her head. "No. We maintain our current distance, and when Wall Rose comes into view I'll fire a smoke signal. Hopefully we'll be able to get the Garrison's attention and they'll prepare a proper defense to deal with them."
Eren frowned. "I see. Strength in numbers."
Mikasa nodded. "Yes. Also, Eren, you should forget about killing them."
Eren looked at her sharply. "What?! No way! After everything they've done, I'm going to make them pay!"
"Eren, we're cadets with less than a year of training, and currently there's no training available to deal with Titans that are armored and intelligent. It's a lost cause, and I won't let you get yourself killed over it."
Eren gritted his teeth. He wasn't happy, but he knew she was right.
Mikasa sighed. "We'll just have to hope that the Garrison will be able to take them out. Our priority has to be rescuing our friends. We'll wait until the Titans are distracted by the Garrison, and then we'll swoop in, grab them, and run like hell. I'll grab Armin, you grab Krista."
Eren nodded. "Right."
Satisfied that Eren would comply with her plan, Mikasa returned her gaze to the Armored Titan.
We'll have to time this carefully…
Erwin frowned as his eyes surveyed the lands of Wall Rose just to the northwest of Trost.
After informing Commander Pixis of the developments at the capital they'd adjusted their forces accordingly. While some of the Garrison was still guarding Trost, most of it was positioned directly to the east and west of Trost, ready to be deployed or moved around as new information came in.
At the same time, the Scouts were patrolling a wide area in the southern regions of Wall Rose, on the lookout for any Titan activity.
Erwin wasn't sure what their enemies were planning, or what their next move would be. But they had come from the South, and so would most likely return to the South. They may have tricked humanity into a wild goose chase with their attacks on Trost and Mitras, but the Titans wouldn't be able to slip away so easily again.
Or so Erwin hoped. But he had to acknowledge the possibility that they had been bested. There was a chance that the enemy Titans had already completed their mission and left the walls before they could put together their defenses. His plans also hinged on the enemy returning to the south, but if they didn't and instead headed north, east, or west, then there would be nothing they could do to stop them from escaping over Wall Rose and returning back to wherever they had come from.
He shook himself. He had to believe that they still had a chance. They couldn't afford to give up.
"Commander!"
Erwin looked up as he saw a Scout approaching him. She hastily saluted.
He raised his hand. "At ease. You were with Hange's group, correct?"
Ilse let her hands fall to her sides. "Yes sir, she sent me here to deliver a report of our findings."
Erwin nodded. "Have there been any more Titans sighted near the capital?"
Ilse shook her head. "None that posed a problem. We did find one in the basement of one of the houses in the town just south of Mitras, but it was a small one, and it had been crushed and buried underneath debris."
Her face was troubled.
"I see. Aside from that, there were no other Titan sightings? Wall Sina is still secure?"
"Yes sir."
Erwin frowned. Then why do you look so uneasy?
"Have you been able to determine where the Titans came from?"
Ilse's face paled. "We don't know for certain, but Hange came up with a hypothesis. The town just south of Mitras was destroyed during the attack, but upon further inspection we didn't find any bodies at all. Nor was there any gore, or even a single drop of blood."
"What?" Erwin exclaimed. "How is that possible?"
Ilse swallowed. "We weren't sure at first. But after we found the Titan that had been crushed and buried underneath debris, we investigated that home, and found a family portrait. The husband in the portrait bore an uncanny resemblance to the Titan that was pinned in the basement."
Erwin's eyes widened. "Are you saying…"
"Yes. We don't know how, but it seems that the Titans that attacked Mitras were the citizens of that town."
Erwin found his mind racing. As disturbing as this revelation was, it explained a lot. It would have been impossible for an entire horde of Titans to climb over Wall Rose and Wall Sina and reach Mitras without being seen at some point along the way. But if they had suddenly appeared right outside of Mitras then naturally there would have been no warning ahead of time.
Erwin frowned grimly. "It seems likely that the four special Titans were responsible for changing the people into Titans. Were you able to determine the mechanism that was used to turn them?"
Ilse shook her head. "No. Hange has several ideas, but so far no evidence to conclusively support any of them."
Erwin and Ilse looked up to see another Scout arriving on horseback.
"Commander!" Nifa cried while tugging on the reins. "Titans have been spotted within Wall Rose!"
Erwin felt a mixture of satisfaction and dread. "How many?"
"Two sir. The Armored Titan and the Jaws Titan. Our patrols were alerted by a courier sent from the southern training ground. Apparently the Titans appeared without warning and abducted two of the cadets."
Though he didn't show it, Erwin was baffled. What would the Titans want with the cadets?
Unless…he suddenly remembered that the Titans were after the royal family. That could explain it. But why on earth would a member of the royal family be with the cadets?
He brushed that thought aside as he continued to listen to Nifa's report.
"We were able to pinpoint the location of the Armored Titan. The Jaws Titan was on its back, and they were being pursued by two more cadets on horseback, who were apparently friends with the abductees. We've given the cadets orders to stay on the Armored Titans tail, and to periodically confirm its location with black smoke signals."
"Has the Armored Titan tried to attack them?" Erwin asked.
Nifa shook her head. "No sir, it just continued to run in the general direction of the wall. And so far the Jaws Titan hasn't moved from its perch on the Armored Titan."
Erwin frowned. "I see. Has there been any sign of the Female or Colossal Titan, or any other Titan for that matter?"
"No sir."
"Hmm."
Erwin mentally brought up a map in his head. "Well, assuming the Armored Titan continues to follow its current course, we should have plenty of time to prepare a proper line of defense for him when he reaches Wall Rose."
He raised his voice. "Mobilize all squads! We have work to do!"
As the soldiers sprang into action, Erwin continued to ponder their situation.
We need to remain on guard. The fact that there's no sign of the Female Titan or the Colossal Titan worries me. Are they planning to rendezvous at a specific point beyond Wall Rose and are taking different routes there? It's possible the Armored and Jaws Titan are creating an obvious diversion so that the Female and Colossal Titans can escape. If Hange's hypothesis about the Colossal Titan being able to disguise itself as a normal Titan is true, then it would easily be able to climb over the wall. Perhaps the Female Titan and Colossal Titan are going to try to ambush us from behind while our attention is focused on the Armored Titan? Can the other special Titans disguise themself as normal Titans too?
Erwin sighed. There are so many variables and factors that we just don't know. Our only option is to do our best with the information available to us, and adjust our plans as necessary. One way or another, though, we won't go down without a fight.
The training grounds were uncharacteristically silent, with the few cadets who remained outdoors still stunned by what had happened. Shadis had given them the rest of the day off, but nobody felt particularly happy about it under the circumstances.
Jean and Marco were standing near the boys cabin, their expressions solemn.
Jean exhaled. "So, looks like that bastard wasn't just talk."
Marco chuckled weakly. "I mean, he always said he was going to kill all the Titans. Still, I have to admit I was impressed at how he went after them without any hesitation."
Jean sneered. "And of course Mikasa followed after him immediately. And despite that I bet the clueless bastard still doesn't have a clue about her crush. He's so dense she could probably flash him and he still wouldn't get it."
Marco frowned. "To be fair, Armin is Mikasa's friend too, so I don't think she went after the Titans just for Eren's sake."
"Fuck!"
Without warning Jean kicked a nearby pile of logs over.
Marco looked at him in concern. "Jean?"
"Damn it, what the hell is going on?" Jean muttered. "First they attack Trost, then Mitras, and now here. It doesn't make any sense. What are they after? Are they just screwing with us for a laugh?"
He sank to the ground and gripped his hair. "Shit!"
Marco sank down next to him. "Look, I know it's scary, but I'm sure it'll be okay."
Jean let his hands fall. "Oh fuck off. You have no way of knowing that. The whole reason I joined the cadets was so I could live in the interior where it's safer. But now, I have no idea where 'safer' even is!"
Jean winced and looked away.
Marco smiled gently. "It's okay to be afraid. I'm afraid too."
Jean shrugged halfheartedly, but he did appear marginally calmer.
Jean sighed. "I guess Eren was right all along. Don't tell him I said that though, or else I'll kick your ass."
"Noted."
Marco stared up at the sky, feeling uneasy.
Armin, Krista, Eren, Mikasa…I hope you guys are all safe.
The sun was close to setting, but it still cast enough light to illuminate the large formation of soldiers that had been gathered at Wall Rose to meet the Armored Titan and prevent it from crossing the wall.
On the ground directly in front of the wall was a long row of canons, along with Garrison soldiers to man them. Slightly further away from the wall and out of the line of fire were several squads of Scouts on horseback, who would circle around and come at the Titans from the rear if the cannons proved ineffective.
On the other side of the wall were more cannons and soldiers, suspended by ropes and platforms in such a way that they could easily be hauled up to the top of the wall to be deployed against the enemy, yet positioned in such a way that the Armored Titan wouldn't be able to see them from the ground. This would hopefully give them a slight edge and make the enemy underestimate their numbers.
Some of the soldiers, led by Mike's squad, were also taking the time to dispatch all of the ordinary Titans that came near the wall. Normally they would have simply ignored them, but since there was a chance that any of them could be the Colossal or Female Titans in disguise they weren't going to risk it.
Erwin stood on the right side of the formation near the base of the wall, his hands nervously fiddling with the reins of his horse. They'd had regular updates on the Armored and Jaw Titans location, and since their horses could outrun the Titans they'd had plenty of time to get things ready for their enemy.
The only thing that complicated matters was the revelation that the Titans had hostages. He'd briefly toyed with the idea of trying to rescue them, since there was a good chance that they knew more about what was going on. But after considering everything carefully, ultimately he'd decided that their top priority had to be preventing the Titans from escaping, and if the lives of the hostages had to be sacrificed to achieve this goal then it was a necessary evil. He didn't like it, but if they wanted to win they couldn't afford to hold back, because the enemy obviously wouldn't.
Erwin was stirred from his thoughts by a black smoke signal coming up from the nearby forest.
He narrowed his eyes. Here they come.
All at once the Armored Titan barreled out of the forest, scattering several nearby deer, and continued to jog in the direction of the wall, directly toward the formation. The Jaw Titan was still perched on its left shoulder.
Erwin raised his voice. "Everyone get ready. Await my signal."
Erwin peered through his spyglass to get a better look at the approaching Titans.
So this is the infamous Armored Titan. And there's the Jaws Titan, who is seemingly their leader. Now…what plans do you have in store for us?
Marcel looked over the large number of soldiers gathered ahead, moderately impressed.
Well, they've certainly prepared quite the elaborate welcome for us. It seems I underestimated them a bit. But no matter.
The Jaw Titan reached out his right hand and lightly tapped Bertolt on the shoulder. Bertolt looked up and nodded nervously before untying his lifeline and hopping into the Jaw Titan's right palm. The Jaw Titan deposited him behind its head, where Bertolt held on tightly to its hair.
The Armored Titan slowed down slightly, though it didn't stop, and the Jaw Titan abruptly leaped to the ground and rushed toward the Garrison soldiers.
Armin looked at him in confusion. "What is he doing?"
Annie brandished a knife at him. "Shut up. Just keep quiet."
Armin, Historia, and Rod all looked nervous, but obeyed and said nothing.
Behind the Armored Titan, Eren and Mikasa started to close the distance between them and the Titan.
Eren's eyes lit up. "The smaller Titan is gone. Now's our chance!"
"No." Mikasa said sharply. "We're only going to get one shot at this. We have to wait until the Armored Titan is distracted too."
Eren gritted his teeth but reluctantly nodded.
Erwin observed the approaching Jaw Titan curiously.
Interesting. The Jaws Titan is going on ahead of the Armored Titan. Surely he can't expect to take on the entire formation by himself, that's suicide.
After waiting for a little longer, and giving the cannons time to adjust to the target, Erwin gave the order.
"FIRE!"
Marcel had been closely watching the soldiers, and as soon as it looked like they were about to fire, he stopped running, crouched low to the ground, and covered the entire front half of his head and his hands with crystal to protect himself and Bertolt.
The cannons all fired and immediately devastated the spot where Marcel was crouched, sending up smoke and debris into the air, momentarily blocking their view.
Erwin frowned. Did that get him?
A second later Marcel leaped through the smoke and continued to run forward. The left side of his face was badly cracked, and he was missing two fingers from his left hand, but aside from that looked unscathed.
As the Garrison soldiers began to reload the cannons for the next volley Erwin peered at the Jaw Titan through his spyglass again.
Seriously, what is he doing? The cannons weren't as effective as I would have hoped, but they did have some impact. If he gets much closer we'll have an easier shot, not to mention an easier time going after his nape. What is he planning?
As he looked closely, he spotted a young boy tangled in the Titan's hair.
All at once, Erwin felt his heart sink down into his toes as he suddenly put it all together.
The non Titan voice the witness had described. The civilians being turned into Titans. The Colossal Titan seemingly appearing and disappearing out of nowhere…
"PULL BACK!" Erwin roared. "GET AWAY FROM THE TITAN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! NOW!"
He directed his horse to flee, and while the rest of the soldiers were confused by his orders they did their best to obey, rushing to get away from the approaching Jaw Titan.
But it was too late.
As the Jaw Titan drew closer to the formation, he eyed the fleeing soldiers with something akin to pity.
So, they figured out what's about to happen. Well, I guess they aren't completely clueless.
After double checking to make sure all of the cannons had been abandoned, Marcel plucked Bertolt off of his head and lobbed him toward the wall.
Further back, the Armored Titan stopped running and knelt down while raising its hands to shield its face and the people on its shoulder.
Eren eyed it in confusion. "Huh? Why is it stopping?"
A spark emanated from Bertolt's hand, and the God of Destruction was reborn once more.
The explosion was massive, and instantly vaporized almost all of the cannons and Garrison soldiers still on the ground, with the remainder being flung away at high speeds. The shockwave and intense heat caused most of the ropes that had been suspending the platforms holding the cannons and soldiers on the other side of the wall to snap, forcing the soldiers to hastily switch to their ODM gear to avoid falling to their deaths, and causing the cannons to tumble to the unforgiving ground below, no longer usable.
The gust of wind generated by the explosion buffeted the Armored Titan slightly, but he remained upright. Annie, Armin, and Historia were able to stay steady, but Rod lost his balance and fell off, and when his full weight was thrown against the rope the knot came undone, causing him to slip free. He plummeted to the ground and fractured his skull and broke his neck on impact, killing him instantly.
Historia stared down in horror. "Dad!"
Armin's eyes widened in shock.
"Shit!" Annie hissed.
I must not have tightened his knot properly. Fuck.
The hot gust of wind also caused the nearby horses to panic, with many of them bolting away from the Colossal Titan as fast as they could, ignoring their riders instructions, while the rest were still thoroughly spooked, and the Scouts were doing their best to keep them from running away as well.
Eren and Mikasa's horses were no exception, as both reared up and whinied in alarm, and they just barely avoided being thrown off by the frightened animals.
Eren stared ahead in shock. "What the hell?!"
Mikasa eyed the Colossal Titan in alarm.
Where did it come from?
After a brief pause the Armored Titan began running again, and after calming their horses down Eren and Mikasa resumed their pursuit.
Near the wall the defensive line was in complete disarray, with the surviving soldiers unsure of what to do.
Erwin looked over the scorched battlefield in horror, and fired a smoke signal for reinforcements, though he wasn't sure if it would actually do any good, his normally calm mind fighting off panic.
Behind the wall, Mike rallied the other soldiers.
"Everyone attack! The Colossal Titan is here! We must not let it get away again!"
He led the charge, and used his ODM gear to swing around the Colossal Titan. He went to strike at the nape, but found that he couldn't.
His eyes widened in shock. What the hell? The Jaw Titan is protecting the nape?
Taking advantage of his surprise, the Jaw Titan grasped his wire and yanked it, sending Mike flying. After flailing through the air he quickly recovered, but before he could renew his attack the Colossal Titan released a burst of steam that hit all of the soldiers that had gotten too close.
"Ow!" Mike cried. "Fall back!"
The Scouts reluctantly retreated to the top of the wall and kept their distance from the Colossal, many of them sporting burns.
Not long after, the Armored Titan reached the Colossal Titan's foot, and after hardening its fingers into claws began to climb up the Colossal Titan's body.
The Colossal Titan hissed in pain, but otherwise didn't react.
The Armored Titan had barely left the ground before several squads of Scouts on horseback circled around the Colossal Titan and headed for the Armored, determined to avenge their fallen comrades.
Annie used her knife to cut her lifeline, and glanced at Armin and Historia. "You two stay here, don't do anything stupid."
She then leaped off of the Armored Titan and transformed into the Female Titan. Completely unprepared for this, the Scouts were quickly slaughtered.
As Eren and Mikasa closed the distance, Eren's eyes widened in disgust and outrage as he watched the Scouts being annihilated.
She's not cooperating with the Titans…she is a Titan!
Filled with rage, he pulled ahead.
Mikasa screamed. "EREN, NO!"
Eren leaped off of his horse and fired his hook into the Female Titan's shoulder. "DIE YOU MONSTER!"
He soared up to her face, but before he could attack she casually batted him aside with her fist, fracturing his spine and rupturing most of his internal organs.
As Eren's broken body fell, Mikasa and Armin watched in abject horror.
"EREN!" Armin screamed.
"No…" Mikasa whispered. "...not again…"
As Eren fell, his mind became consumed with one thought.
I'll kill you…every last one of you…
He bared his teeth, and a light engulfed his body.
Before his body hit the ground, he transformed into the Attack Titan.
Annie had no time to process what had just happened before the Attack Titan was in her face, and it proceeded to pummel the shit out of her, roaring furiously.
Mikasa froze. "What."
Armin and Historia stared down in astonishment.
"No way." Armin whispered. "Does that mean…"
Marcel's eyes were wide as he watched the Attack Titan grapple with the Female Titan.
It's him. He has the Founder.
After signaling nonverbally to Bertolt and Reiner to continue their respective tasks, namely keeping the Scouts away and climbing up, Marcel rapidly descended down the Colossal Titan's back.
Fortune continues to smile on us. My mission is almost completed.
But as he drew closer he noted that Annie was in trouble. Utterly blindsided by the vicious assault, Annie appeared to have been knocked unconscious, and the Attack Titan was whaling on her Titan body.
Determined to save his friend and capture their objective, Marcel leaped down and latched his jaw onto the Attack Titan's right arm. He then used his claws to slash off its left hand before clenching his jaw and destroying its right arm.
The Attack Titan roared in rage, but Marcel gripped its head and gouged out its eyes before forcing it to topple over onto its stomach. He then leaped down and bit off both of its legs, completely immobilizing it.
But before Marcel could go for the nape a sword slashed his face, blinding his left eye and cutting his jaw. Before he could react his left hand was also sliced off.
He hastily leaped away to see who had attacked him and saw a soldier land on the Attack Titan's back, positioning herself defensively between the Jaw Titan and his target, her blades pointed at him.
Mikasa tightened her grip on the blades. I don't know what's happening, but if this is Eren I won't let them kill him.
Marcel eyed her warily. She's fast. I don't know if I can defeat her. And on top of that…
He noticed several smoke signals that indicated reinforcements were on their way.
Marcel grimaced. We can't afford to stay here any longer, it's not worth the risk. Damn it, I guess we will have to return to the walls at some point.
Marcel backed off and retrieved Annie, while Mikasa remained on Eren's back.
After placing Annie in his mouth, Marcel glanced back at Mikasa.
Let's call this a draw.
Marcel climbed back up the Colossal Titan's back, but because of the steam Mikasa was unable to follow him.
Just before the Armored Titan reached the top the Colossal Titan flung its arms up and swept them across the wall, forcing the Scouts to scatter. The Armored Titan leaped onto the wall, and soon afterwards the Jaw Titan also reached the top. After retrieving Bertolt, the Armored and Jaw Titans leapt off of the wall, the Armored Titan being careful to slow his descent so that it wouldn't kill Armin and Historia.
Two Scouts used their ODM gear to swoop down to attack the Jaw Titan, but even with a hand missing Marcel was able to effortlessly dispatch them both.
Two more Scouts had soared past him and gone after the Armored Titan. Whether they were trying to kill the Armored Titan or rescue the hostages Marcel wasn't sure, but either way he leaped after them and swiftly killed them too.
Once they had reached the bottom, the Jaw Titan leaped back onto the Armored Titan's left shoulder, and the four Warriors retreated with their two captives, the fading rays of the setting sun illuminating their southward path.
Author's Note: Hello everyone. I'm really sorry for the long delay, I never intended to take this long on the next chapter, real life has just been rather hectic. I won't bore you with the details, let's just say that living with clinical depression really fucking sucks sometimes.
First I'd like to address a comment someone made about the previous chapter, namely that Marcel's interrogation of Rod went too smoothly. I can see where you're coming from, but the thing is that Rod is, at heart, a coward. In that situation he was desperate to do whatever it took to not die, and he knew his options were A) tell the truth or B) lie convincingly. And because of how terrified he was he didn't trust himself with option B, and so went with option A and hoped that he might be spared. And he was spared by Marcel, but not by me.
Funnily enough, I wasn't originally going to kill Rod, but then I looked over my outline for this story and realized that he doesn't really have any relevance on the plot going forward, so I figured, eh, might as well kill him, that way I don't have to bother with him anymore.
Anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter, and I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review letting me know what you thought.
