What is up everyone, chapter three is here. I've got to say, I wanted to have the chapter where Eren and Shadis spoke, but I felt it would be just the same as in this one, where I had already drawn up the conversation due to this being a custom character. In the next chapter, which should drop either on the 13th or 14th we'll get to see a few Pre-Rumbling memories. I might also make a dictionary for some of the words im making in the Eldian language. as well as a timeskip to summer of 848 anyways, lets get into the content gentlemen and non-gentlewomen.
Truly the walls hated Armin Arlert.
When he had joined Eren in his suici- noble cause for Humanity, he had expected a bit of physicality, but looking at Hannes and the Military Police, it couldn't be that much, right? If those lazy buffoons didn't do much of anything all day then surely the training couldn't be that strenuous?
How wrong he was.
Looking up from the Map he sighed. The Landscape itself looked nothing like what the map depicted, and it was starting to get on the Arlert's nerves. They had been woken up before dawn and told to get dressed and prepared. They were given a sack of of water, hardtack and a few other essentials before being told they must make it to the Western training camp. In full gear. With no gas. Once there they would be fed something almost none of them could afford.
duck soup.
Back before Shiganshina fell, duck was a meat considered for the poor only, infact there were laws in place that ensured that peasants could only consume duck meat, no other meats allowed. But when Shingashina and Maria as a whole fell, most of the duck meat production was lost and as a whole it's price rose to the point that the common peasantry couldn't afford meat at all. Even if the government hadn't banned them for consuming any meat for fears of not having enough for the next winter.
Armin sighed, at this pace he didn't think they would make it. They had to stop every once in a while to forage for food, at one point they roasted squirrels over the fire place, a brazen act of defiance against King Rudolf IV, but a necessary one after they lost some of their preserves to a bear.
Looking to Eren he couldn't believe he looked as if he wasn't winded. They had picked up the pace a little and Armin was falling behind some of the group. Then again, it wasn't the strangest thing about Eren that had happened over the past few months.
Early in the Spring they had joined the 104th Training Battalion, it was almost instant the changes in Eren. One moment he was the same guy who would rush into a fight without thinking and get knocked down, then get right back up as if nothing happened, and now…
After that first day Eren hadn't spoken to them for a whole weak, which makes sense seeing as Eren and he and Mikasa were all in different Barracks, which themselves were walled off and segregated from one another to at the least hinder any barrack bunnies from popping up. But even then he avoided them for a whole weak and them claimed he was just 'getting to know his compatriots.'.
If that was so it wouldn't explain the entire flop of personalities. Before he was loud and abrasive but now? He thought out every action and word, and spoke quietly yet with authority. It was like speaking to his grandfather whom he had a shared name with. In Hand to Hand he had experience now, where as before he would throw punches randomly hoping to hit something now he let his opponent strike before ending them like one of those mantises. He even came close to besting Mikasa once! Nobody beats Mikasa!
"Armin." a voice shook him from his thoughts as he looked to Reiner, another face of the 104th. Reiner was kind've like the big brother to them all, helping his fellow recruits wherever he could. Why Armin had even thought of quitting, but it was Reiner who talked him out of it, convincing him to continue and to never give up.
"How many days do you believe it'll take till we're there?" Reiner asked him, a bit of sweat drizzling down his brow.
"About two days, one and a half if we don't stop." Armin said, noticing one of the land marks. A mountain that looks like a face was just south of Hallund, which itself was south of the western encampment.
"We'll be stopping here, it's a good stopping point for the day, with enough of a clearing for us all to lay our tents." Reiner said, taking control of the group like usual. Like the previous night and the one before it they all fell into their respective rolls. With Armin, Krista, Mina and Thomas preparing the camp while the rest went out to hunt.
It made Armin queasy to think about, they were the Kings soldiers, and all land outside of the villages was his fief, save those lands owned by the Noblemen, and to hunt on his land and be caught was a death wish, soldiers or no. To poach on the Kings Land was a summary execution. No trial, no grave, just strung up and left to feed the very animals you wished to lay your hands on. So when Sasha and the rest brought a full deer carcass with them they ate it quickly, before burying the bones at Armins behest.
After that they all went to sleep, all but Armin. He tossed and turned all through the night, his mind running rampant about Eren. What could cause such drastic changes? Had Mikasa finally gotten through to him? No, he wouldn't had been ignoring her too, even if he had slowly started conversing with them again, he wouldn't had ignored her if she had finally confessed.
Perhaps Armin was imagining things and he was simply taking his new found responsibility as a soldier of humanity seriously? No, it that had been the case then it wouldn't explain his ability to fight. Eren was never a martial artist, nor were they ever rich enough to afford such. No matter what it was unexplainable. Armin sighed, before exiting his tent to find the others awake and… is that rope?
"Don't Move!" Armin turned to see six men, each armed with a musket aimed at him, all the while the others were bound, all except Eren, who had a knife against his throat. Throughout it all he didn't betray any expression, as if he was a blank canvas. As if he had nothing to fear.
"Now then, where is your equipment? We'll be 'relieving' you runts of it." one smirked, the silence that came after was palpable. "Didn't you hear us?! Tell us where it is or the kid's throat gets cut open!" the one with the knife said, bringing his knife to Erens throat, cutting him slightly. Jean, just barely pointed out the tent they stashed their equipment in before the men ravaged the tent, taking almost everything save that nasty hardtack. Truly it was a disappointment they didn't take that at the least.
"Alright then, We'll be taking 'Mr. Yeager' here with us. Don't want you mongoloids following us!" one chuckled to himself as Armin balked. "H-How do we know you won't H-hurt him!?" He said, his voice raising itself far louder than it has any right to, crackling as he got louder.
"You don't, you'll just have to pray to the walls we leave him in one piece!" one guffawed.
"I'll be fine. I'll be back before you know it." Eren said as one of his kidnapers laughed.
"Whatever, lets move out."
And so the bound group watched as the cart disappeared into the darkness, the sound of the horse's hooves clopping against the stone path leaving just one simple thought to the minds of the group.
FUCK.
Rubbing his wrists Eren sighed. He needed a good enough excuse to meet with Willelm Berke of Stålvåst Werke but had his new friends needed to be so rough? His abilities may heal any injury save those fatal to him, but by God they still hurt like hell! He followed the men through the factory, the heat causing a sweat to grace his brow. Finally they came to the Aufserku's office, where they found Willelm Berke sipping chilled tea. Noticing their arrival, he wiped his mouth and blonde mustache with a wipe before turning to them.
Eren chose this man to lead the so called 'industrial revolution'. Being every bit the man his son, a man named Ntilan Berke who was a genius with money. Sadly Willelm was executed on orders of the royal palace because he found out who the true royal family was an attempted to expose them. That of course hadn't happened until 449 and in late 447 there was plenty of time to bring him into Eren's Circle.
"Mr. Yeager I presume? In your detailed correspondence with me you mentioned a manufacturing process that would revolutionize the field? Enough so that kidnapping a soldier of the 104th would be worth it?" Willelm said, leaning back in his chair.
"Why yes, as I told you this process would be able to turn the weakest of pig iron into the strongest of steel." He said, as Willelm leaned forward. "Oh? Do tell." He said as Eren nodded at the men who had politely escorted him here.
"Ah, Willhem, Cheri, Viktor, please, exit the office and ensure none come near. Mr. Yeager and I have much to discuss." he said as his men nodded and exited, the office door shutting with a cla-clak!
"You see Willelm, I've more for us to speak on before we reach the Bessemā system. You see, this country as a whole is in danger, and it is men like you who are in position to save it." Eren said, taking a seat on the chesterfield across from Willelm, who in turn poured Eren a glass of chilled tea.
"Oh? And what would a child know of saving Humanity? You've proven some of your Bessemā system theory over letter to me, but this is entirely different. Why hadn't you mentioned this threat over letter my dear boy?" Willelm said.
"Simple. The Walls have ears. I didnt wish to chance it, not when our enemy lay with a dagger to out throat and another at our heart."
"So my suspicions are true, the Royal palace is plotting the downfall of humanity then, but why? Do you care to elaborate Mr. Yeager?" Willelm asked, taking a sip of his chilled tea.
"It is a long story, One that will surely end once the tea is room temperature. But to begin, we must go back 2,000 years to Ymir." Eren Began as Willelm listened quietly.
"2,000 Years ago there was a slave girl of the Eldia Tribe, she so desperately wanted freedom, but her whole life she had been taught to obey her betters. One night, Ymir opened the gate to a pen, allowing for a group of piglets to escape. Later that day, the Jarl Fritz questioned the slaves on the culprit. The slaves pointed to Ymir, who was released only to be hunted down for sport." Eren stated, Willelm looked to him puzzled.
"What does this have to do with anything?" Willelm asked, as Eren sighed.
"If you want the complete picture this is necessary, be patient Willelm". Eren said, before continuing once more. "Injured and afraid, Ymir sought refuge from the Jarl's hunting parties in a large tree, where something reached out to her. There, within the Tree Yggdrusil she bonded with a creature known as a Halkginia, a gift from God unto Ymir. It bonded with her and granted her the Power of the Titans." Eren said, finishing off his chilled tea.
"With her newfound power, Ymir returned to serve Fritz and used her Titan to cultivate the land, build bridges, and amass wealth for the Eldians. Under his command, she also vanquished the armies of Eldia's rival, the Marley. To "reward" Ymir for her service, Fritz took her as his concubine and together, they had three children; Maria, Rose, and Sina. However, on the day they completed the subjugation of the Marley thirteen years after gaining the power of the titans, one man, the Herrig Helos took his spear and slew Ymir by cutting through her nape. With her death her children were forced to devour her corpse, and the Power of the titans spread." Eren said, as he sighed.
"Millenia pasted and Eldia's Empire grew, as did it's people. The power of the Titans could be owned by any Eldian, but at a price. To Inherit you must become a mindless titan and devour a Titan Shifter, and from that moment you have thirteen years left to live. Yet still it was a noble goal and thus the Titan Shifters ranks grew to Nine. One of these was the Warhammer Titan, owned by the Tybur Family. They alongside the Coward King Karl Fritz plotted the downfall of the Eldian Empire, they took the majority of the Eldian race to a large Island called Paradis and built three great walls named after the daughters of Ymir and Jarl Fritz and abandoned the rest of the world as those former vassal peoples of Eldia began fighting over what was left. Now, 100 years later the Marley, our ancient enemy has sent their 'Warriors' here to end us, once and for all. All the while the Royal family lay still, waiting for our death." Eren said as Willelm dropped his tea cup.
"This… is far beyond even my expectation…" Willelm said, bringing a handkerchief to his brow. "Now, do tell me more, such as, who is the true king of these walls?" Willelm said, as Eren sighed.
"That is a question that has many answers. If you could the one who controls the Founding Titan, that would be me. I inherited it from my father, who stole it from the Royal family. But, if you want the one who controls this red herring, that would be… Rod Reiss, the Duke of Orvud and the Mesopotamia region of Sina."
"Ah, that complicates things…" Willelm said, the understatement of a century.