"And how are we feeling this fine morning, Eren Yeager?"
Eren's slumber ended with a spasm, half woken from the distant voice and half from the hands that gently shook his shoulders.
"I- I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…" Eren mumbled in his half-awake state, before he snapped to reality and saw that Mikasa had been gently shaking him while a bald man stood in front of Eren. Or more accurately, a bald man was sitting on top of a horse some distance away in front of Eren.
Eren scrubbed sleep from his eyes with his fists… And then spasmed to a standing parade salute, with one hand behind his back and the other curled to a fist above his heart. "I'm awake, Commander!"
"Oho? Very good. That is a good salute, young Titan." The commander twirled his mustache. "You know me, I take it?"
"I do not! However, I recognize the Commander's insignia!" Eren wobbled on the spot while trying his best to keep his tone steady, and not show the vertigo he felt after standing up so quickly after waking from deep sleep that had felt like a coma.
"I am Pixis. Dot Pixis. I command this whole 'Garrison' business… But you can call me Pixis, for now." The old bald old man had a small smirk as he spoke and his eyes twinkled a bit. "I'm still a bit on the fence whether or not I should be worried, honored, or simply outraged that a titan wears the colors of the Training Corps, and thus is technically part of our little military... Well, I suppose unless you specifically apply for Garrison troops I should keep that ponder out of my head, and leave the headache to the likes of Erwin or Nile."
Eren kept up the salute while the commander's words went right over his head.
"Well then. Do you consider yourself a soldier, young titan?" The commander spoke again, prompting Eren to speak immediately.
"Yes! And I do not consider myself a titan, sir! I am a human, sir! I do not know why I can turn into a titan, only that I can do so when I hurt myself, sir!" Eren answered with as clear and loud a tone as he could manage, without shouting.
"Ooh, that is a good answer. Keith did a good job at training you… What about you, miss Ackerman?"
"I… consider myself as a soldier, and I am not a titan. Or so I believe, sir." Mikasa's answer was less loud, but nonetheless instant. Eren also noticed that the girl had stood to a salute as well, and her salute was… considerably better form than Eren's, to his slight chagrin.
"Oho, oho… I see. I see… At ease, you two." The old man nodded to himself several times. "Now then… You both claim that you are humans, and consider yourselves soldiers. Do you recognize my authority as Commander, as I have taken supreme command of Trost District's, and by extension, the entire Wall Rose's defense?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir."
"Then you two, and you specifically Eren, have a chance to prove that devotion is true beyond your words. Which I must say, are reliving if suspect- Considering that you did not confide in us earlier about your ability to turn to a Titan." Commander Pixis nodded to himself. "Are you capable of turning into a Titan now, Eren Yeager?"
"I believe that I can, sir!" Eren's words were resolute, even if he only had a vague idea on how to actually use the 'titan-form'.
"Very good. In that case we have a chance of retaking Trost." Pixis nodded. "I'll make some arrangements. Until then, prepare yourselves for battle in how you see fit… Of course, within the company of these fine gentlemen."
The commander waved at something behind Eren, and Eren turned to note that…
"...The Scouting Legion?" Eren was stuck motionless as he stared into the forest, the border of where Eren and Mikasa had been chained.
There were several soldiers standing on the branches of the large trees- And each of them bore the insignia of the Scouting Legion. Including a short man with a bowl-cut black hair and a sharp, joyless look in his eyes and on his sharp facial features- All of which somehow reminded Eren of Mikasa, at least whenever she was truly serious.
"Commander Erwin of Scouting Legion is expecting me at the strategy meeting, so I bid you adieu until then. Consider Captain Levi Ackerman to be your commanding officer and handler until then. He's that angry-looking vertically challenged man standing that large branch over there." Pixis gave Eren and Mikasa a nod after the two acknowledged the 'command transfer'. "Oh, and do either of you know anything about a particular… 'Metal Titan', hm? Mr. Yeager, perhaps? Before your titan was… hm, I hesitate to say 'disabled'?"
"I… do not know what that is, sir. This is the first I've heard of, um, 'metal' titan? Or do you mean the 'Armored Titan', from four years ago?" Eren spoke honestly, even if he noticed that Mikasa took a sharp, almost nervous breath as soon as he spoke. "I have no recollection of my battles in Titan form. I have only fractured memories regarding titans and my time… as one."
"I see… Worrying, but workable. I'll make sure to forward that information. I thank you for being honest with me, mr. Yeager." Pixis looked thoughtful and harrumphed his mustache. However, he answered none of Eren's questions, leaving him completely puzzled over the strange 'titan' that the commander had named.
Mikasa let out a small relieved sigh and Eren suddenly realized that he might have managed to somehow bumble his way past what would have been possibly lethal miscommunication regarding his earlier escape-attempt in Titan form.
However, there remained one sin that weighed heavy on Eren's shoulders, and he briefly evaluated if it would make sense to bring it to light now… And he decided to press on, as Pixis looked to be receptive of news, even bad ones, and Eren had a feeling that withholding what he knew would end up biting him in the neck later on.
"Commander, I wish to… confess and give my deepest apologies over what happened. I… I was not completely in control of myself at one point, and I remember that I… I killed someone." Eren spoke after Pixis had already begun to turn away.
Pixis turned his head and nodded after a moment of staring deep into Eren's eyes. "Yes. I had the people who saw the 'event' questioned about what exactly had happened. You weren't exactly subtle, after all. The hardliners amongst the Garrison believe that you should have been executed…"
Eren practically felt as Mikasa froze up beside him before beginning to shake slightly. Eren almost risked turning his gaze away from Pixis to check what Mikasa's expression was, but he chose to keep his eyes unwaveringly on the commander's, hoping that his remorse would be carried through the gaze if not his words.
"...But alas, the less 'emotionally charged' reports note that the casualties you caused were collateral damage from fighting against the Metal Titan…" Pixis continued after a brief moment of analyzing Eren's expression. "And if those are to be believed, you may have saved humanity once already by driving that monstrosity back over the wall."
Eren had no idea what the commander was talking about, but this time decided to shut up as he had quite literally no recollection of such events.
"Well, if I'm as honest with you as I believe you've been with me…" Pixis seemed to offer Eren a small metaphorical olive branch, judging from his tone. "The end result of what's happening today in Trost is what decides your fate, and whether or not your claims of being a dedicated soldier for humanity's cause are to be believed. Or not. The collateral damage from before, and your aid to the Training Corps during Trost's evacuation will likely cancel eachother out in the eyes of those who judge those sorts of things, at least if I still know how that old torturer thinks."
Eren had once again no idea who the commander was talking about but he did get that failing his mission today, whatever it would be, would certainly result in Eren's execution.
That was a chance Eren was willing to take. "Yes, sir!"
"Very good. Now then, I'll leave you younglings to mingle." Pixis turned his horse around and galloped off.
"Um…" Eren turned towards the Scouts that were perched on the trees, 3D-gear equipped and blades at hand. "Greetings, Captain Ackerman, sir."
"Silence and no sudden movements." The short, black-haired man narrowed his eyes while standing on a branch. "You said you need to wound yourself to turn into a titan. I don't know if you're lying or not, but no titan has been able to live without a neck so far… So do not think that you are invulnerable if you think to dissuade us from stopping you, should you attempt to escape or attack. I would assume that an interrogator is also willing to take that risk if it comes to that."
"That's… not what I intended." Eren realized that his true words about turning to a titan when hurt could have been misinterpreted as an attempt to keep the soldiers from attacking him if he tried to flee. "I will not attempt to escape, sir!"
"Good. Then sit down." The short man, Captain Levi, didn't draw his eyes away from Eren.
"..." Eren did as ordered while not breaking eye contact either.
"...Hey, cap'n? Heard that girl's surname? You two related?" A blonde man with curly hair asked from next to Levi.
"...Don't think so." Levi answered while keeping his eyes on Eren.
"Oluo! Don't bother the captain now, idiot…" A woman with neck-long blonde hair hissed at the blonde man from a lower branch while she kept her eyes on Mikasa.
"Just' askin, sheesh, what crawled up ye ass and died, Petra…" The curly-haired blonde man shrugged and continued to look around, much like other scouts.
Eren stayed still, waiting for the orders to move out to come… At least for a while.
"Um… Mikasa…" Eren spoke, keeping his voice loud enough that it would be easily overheard by the scouts- He didn't want to make a scene by making them think he was trying to be sneaky about his words. "...Did Armin make it out okay? I… can't remember."
"He was with us until we departed from the Garrison HQ in Trost, after we retrieved you from your… Titan." Mikasa bit her lip a bit even if her expression was neutral, conveying her nervousness to Eren as even at best of times Mikasa was not one for overblown emotions. "We split up soon afterwards. Armin stayed to help the Trainees fight the Titans and keep the evacuation safe… I carried you out, but I was cornered by Garrison when I tried to bring you to a field hospital and some other cadets called you out as a titan in disguise. I haven't heard from Armin since… Either he's dead, wounded, or…"
"Cadet Armin Arlert is alive, but has not been allowed to see you. He is kept detained in a separate location, and has not been harmed. He was detained after he was specifically asking about you two, loudly, in the field hospital." A voice came into Eren's and Mikasa's conversation, and the two turned to look at Captain Levi, who had spoken from the guard-spot on the branch while not drawing his eyes from Eren for a second. "...Your comrade is alive. Is he a titan-shifter as well?"
"No, sir. I do not think that Armin is capable of turning into a Titan. However, he is a dear friend, and a good strategist." Eren immediately responded, and Mikasa nodded from the side.
"I see… In that case it is better that the two, or three, of you stay as you are. Also, in addition to my previous orders… No chatting." Levi's expression didn't change, but Eren got a feeling that worrying about lost comrades had struck a note in Levi, albeit a swiftly suppressed one.
The expression on some of the other Scout's faces told a story similar to the one that Levi had easily concealed- That Eren's worry over a lost comrade was something all of them had shared at one point.
Eren decided to do as ordered and shut up.
…At least for half an hour, after which he almost got his head cut off for trying to go for a piss.
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"..."
"...Um…"
"...Does it not know how to swallow, or…" Krista felt quite weirded out as she had been inside a Titan's mouth for what felt like hours.
From what she'd seen Titans were quite swift and efficient, mostly, when it came to eating humans. Although the fact the Titans would later regurgitate the remains of those eaten humans made it a mystery why they bothered to eat humans in the first place- Although pure unadulterated malice and evil was as good an answer as any.
Thus, Krista had no idea why she hadn't been crushed or at least swallowed yet, despite her being in a titan's mouth for a long time now.
And all of a sudden the pondering came to an end… And Krista found herself plopped gently to the ground.
"..." Krista stared into the face of the five-meter titan in front of her.
She knew she had a defeated, uncaring look in her eyes and in her body language, contrasting the inhuman, sunken-eyed stare of the monster, and she didn't care.
Between the Metal Titan forcing her to eat a baby, being kidnapped, eaten, beaten, and then eaten again, only to be not actually eaten but just molested by a titan's tongue in its mouth for several hours as the titan ran somewhere… Krista had ran out of fucks to give, outside perhaps biting the Titan's tongue if it ate her again.
The fact her arms and legs were still tied-up didn't help her mental state.
"Well? Did you have something to say or are you just going to stare at me?" Krista asked, utterly done with the madness that she had found herself in, even to the point she broke character.
The Jaw Titan stared at Krista for a brief moment longer… And then swiped at her, snapping the cables that had tied Krista up.
The titan slumped down to the ground after that, and didn't get up.
"Okay." Krista just stared at the titan. "...You dead?"
The motionless titan didn't answer.
"...I swear, if this is a bit, I'll fucking kill you by kicking you in the neck from your throat when you fucking swallow me again..." Krista's forehead thrummed with headache and throbbing veins as she stared at the titan that started to steam… And then she realized that something had popped out of the titan's neck. "...Wait…"
"...Could ya just… pretend you didn't see anything, hm…?" Ymir had a faint, tired smirk on her face as she plopped down from the titan's neck. Long 'tear-like' gashes lined the underside of her eyes, all the way to the middle of her cheeks in a way that somehow marked her almost feral, alien to Krista.
Even as Krista stared at Ymir, the marking on the tall girl's face began to heal and… Ymir fell face-down on the grass.
"Ymir!" Krista snapped into action and hurried next to the girl.
"I think I screwed up a bit… got a bit too reckless. Don't have the energy to transform anymore…" Ymir coughed blood as Krista turned her around and lifted her to a hug.
"How… how was… what was…" Krista failed to find words to describe what she had just seen.
"A long story. Bloody long story. Bloody and long story." Ymir sighed. "Hey… Is the horse still alive?"
"The horse- ah!" Krista realized that there was a seriously-traumatized looking horse tied-up from the reins to the now-evaporating Titan. The equine beast was staring wide-eyed at Ymir and was foaming white from mouth, and Krista felt as if the horse would bolt from the slightest provocation… If not for the fact the reins held the horse tied to the titan. But not for long, as the titanic body was quickly decomposing.
"Hold on, Ymir. I'll get us safe, and then… um…" Krista tried to agitate herself into action, as the questions like 'what the actual heck had happened' would have to wait until the two were not in imminent danger- Dawn had come, and with it, the titans would soon wake up and follow. And as long as Ymir and Krista were outside the protection of Wall Rose, they were living on borrowed time.
"I figured I'd… use the titan form… sharp claws, you see… and just climb up the wall again… Hold the horse in my mouth…" Ymir babbled while Krista hauled her towards the terrified horse. However, the horse was a warhorse that had been clearly trained by the Garrison, so the beast did lay down and obey when Krista whistled at it. "...Thought that the metal bastard would just fold if I got a sneak attack in… But it was too fucking fast, and I had to transform again… And now I'm all out of juice… Just my shitty luck…"
"You're feverish… Just hang on, Ymir. I'll get you to safety!" Krista plopped Ymir on the horse's back like a sack of potatoes and sat on the saddle.
"...Heh, right back at you, 'princess'..." Ymir seemed to manage to joke around a bit before she passed out.
"...I told you not to call me that…" Krista mumbled to herself while reaching back to stroke the unconscious black-haired girl's head.
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"Alright! Operation, 'Ram the hole' is-"
"Commander, the name of the operation is-"
"Very well, Operation 'Stuff the crack" is-"
"Commander Pixis!"
"Very well. Operation 'Retake Trost' is beginning, are we all ready? And I would like to remind you that the history books will remember you as a spoilsport, miss Saches." Commander Pixis sighed and took a small swig from his second flask, which was filled with cold tea instead of booze- It was a bad form to drink on the job, after all, and he'd have plenty of reasons for drinking later the day, specifically if the attempt to retake the walled district succeeded.
The plan was quite simple: As the wall cannons had been destroyed, alongside their backup guns, getting new ones would take several days that they couldn't afford to wait. However, the Scouting Legion had responded to the call, and had arrived the day of the breach, albeit so late that they had missed all of the action.
But with the power of Titan in Eren, Pixis had composed a plan: Garrison had proposed reinforced cement plug for the interior gate of the district and thus seal it off, protecting the greater Wall Rose while sacrificing the fortress-city… But after the Scouting Legion had managed to take down majority of the titans that had slept the night in Trost, the plan was pushed forward to be more ambitious:
The operation's main goal was to plug the main gate of Trost District itself, which led to the confines of long-lost and titan-infested Wall Maria
The move would necessitate mass transfer of concrete and rebar, which would be very difficult considering how badly the streets of Trost had been ruined by the rampaging Titans, and specifically their feet which had broken the road to near untraversable state… But with the help of a titan on their side, Pixis reasoned that the concrete and rebar carts could be swiftly moved by the Eren-titan, and the engineering corps could get to work as soon as the carts were in place.
Since the inside of Trost had only a handful of titans during the morning, the Garrison's veterans could take the titans approaching the engineering team down, albeit Pixis expected anywhere between fifty to hundred percent casualties from the whole duration.
Meanwhile Erwin Smith of Scouting Legion had pledged to keep the other side of the breach secure, by employing the Scouting Legion to engage the titans that would attempt to surge the breach from the outside-direction.
However, the Scouting Legion had only limited room to fight, as the decaying buildings that still remained on the 'outside' of Trost District would serve as platforms to grapple with the 3D-gear. Afterwards the Garrison would lower ropes and lifts from the Trost District's wall to recover the Scouts and their wounded, once the mission was over.
The strategy was bold, and fit the modus operandi of the Scouting Legion as they would face the greatest danger during the day as more and more Titans would arrive at the district's gates while the concrete plug cured.
Pixis had also proposed that Eren's Titan would join the Scouting Legion in their fight, after he had helped to construct the stone and rebar cage with his titan's strength. In addition Eren's current handler, Levi Ackerman, would paint Eren's titan form's neck blue with paint so that the 'allied' titan wouldn't be struck down by accidental friendly-fire.
Naturally, Eren himself had been informed of the plan only after the plan was set into motion. After all, the 'allied' titan's strength was a force multiplier in the operation- But the operation did not hinge on it. However, if Eren performed his role to the letter… Pixis assumed that the expected casualty figures of the operation could drop a number or two from the end.
As for the Metal Titan, or the Colossal Titan… The Scouting Legion, or their 'science chief', Hange Zoe, had come up with an idea.
Pixis glanced at the faces of the officers who were present in the pre-operation meetup in a command tent, behind Trost District's temporarily sealed interior gate, and the commander received a nod from each of the officers.
"Then, the operation shall commence." Pixis nodded in turn and walked out of the tent.
The commander lifted a flare-gun to point at the sky… And fired a green flare, ordering the operation to commence.
A part of Pixis's soul wondered just how many souls he had damned to death in titan's jaws with that single pull of the trigger… And how many more would die, if they failed their mission today.
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"Green flare. Your turn." Captain Levi spoke and prodded Eren with a long stick.
"Can you untie me?" Eren asked in turn and lifted his chained-up hands.
Eren, Mikasa, as well as a squad of Scouting Legion's elite troops were standing on Wall Rose, just above the blown-apart inner gate of Trost District.
Eren had just been informed of his expected role in the operation by Levi, and he felt like he could fulfill his orders… Specifically after he had gotten a full night's rest and had stuffed himself full of stew and bread a few hours before being taken to the top of the wall.
"Remember. If you start anything funny…" Levi began, but Eren cut the captain off.
"...You'll kill me, and then Mikasa."
"You're catching up fast, but I did not tell you to speak. Next time I'll kick you if you do something that I haven't ordered, or speak when I haven't told you to do so." Levi gave Eren a sharp glare.
"..." Eren was quiet as he lifted his hands again, and Levi nodded slightly before glancing over to the blonde woman at his side, Petra.
"Right, hold your hands still, Eren. I don't want to hurt you… And there we are." Petra opened the chains and shackles with a key and allowed them to fall down. "What about her, captain?"
Levi glanced at Mikasa, who had been given 3D-gear and was clad much like everyone else in the small group, but unlike the Scouting Legion's members, she didn't have blades for her 3D-gear handles and was thus effectively unarmed- Just like Eren.
"...You can reveal that you too are a titan-shifted now." Levi sent a long, distrustful look at Mikasa. "You'll garner no sympathy if you wait until the last second to show your true nature- Or do so once we've committed."
"I am not capable of turning to a Titan, sir." Mikasa replied with an equally distrustful tone. "I can assist Eren, if I am unbound and have blades. I killed several titans yesterday, and scored highest amongst 104th Training Corps."
"Uh huh… Petra. Free her as well." Levi seemed to consider for a brief moment… And then glanced at one of his teammates. "Eld. Give that girl a spare pair of blades. If she breaks them and needs more, she can come and ask. She'll have a hard time escaping the titan swarm with just two blades and no spares if she decides to run for it."
"Mikasa has nothing to-" Eren began-
Eren bent over as Levi kicked him in the stomach mid-speech.
"Didn't ask. Now, get down, go titan-form, and start hauling concrete and rebar- The temporary plug has been removed from the inner gate and the Engineers are pushing carts through the hole even as we blabber." Levi glanced down while Eren was vomiting his breakfast over the wall's edge after receiving the surprise kick.
"Confirm that you heard me, titan." Levi spoke after squatting down so that he was eye-level with bent-over Eren.
"Yes… sir." Eren sent Levi a furious look, but nonetheless flopped over the edge of the wall as ordered.
Halfway down the length of the wall Eren fired the gas-booster of the 3D-gear to slow his descent slightly. After that he bit his hand, determined to carry the mission through no matter what.
A flash of yellow lightning and a gout of steam followed, and…
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"...Looks like the operation has started." Keith Shadis lowered his binoculars after spotting the green flare that rose well above the Wall Rose. "Alright. Wait for my go before you jump, brats. Remember, if a titan has blue paint in its neck, do not attack it or get in its way. We'll get going as soon as the Garrison sends a signal for our mission to commence."
"Yes, sir!" A shaky answer came from several cadet team-leaders of the 104th, or at least of those who remained of the cadets after the events of yesterday.
Keith glanced at the cadets, recounting the number of younglings who had applied to the training corps and contrasted it with the number of them that remained in the group that stood on Trost District's wall.
They had been lifted to top of Wall Rose, and then ran across it to the connecting point where the wall of Wall Rose and the wall around Trost District joined, and then ran across Trost District's wall until they were halfway to the ruined entrance-gate.
The trainee's role was to attract the Titans within the district towards them while the engineering corps and their 'mule' moved the plug-gear from the back of the district to the front, and began work on blocking the entrance gate. In other words, the trainees were the bait, and once the titans were either dead or the trainees had attracted the Titans that remained in the district to them, the Garrison veterans would come as second wave and bail the cadets out and take over the eradication mission.
'It's always the same… You train a horse for a decade, only for it to crack its leg on a hole and now you have to train a new horse.' Keith sighed through his nose while looking over the ruined district. He did not appreciate the fact the cadets were used as bait, but he knew that someone had to do it to lure out the titans that the Scouts had missed during the night.
Several of the cadets looked to be in high spirits despite the mission, which Keith attributed to either foolishness, insane bravery, or simply a desire for vengeance.
'...Reiner, Bertolt, Lockheart, Marcus… Figured that those four would survive.' Keith noted the four people who looked either fearless or even happy to be partaking in the operation. Sans Annie Lockheart, who looked merely bored. Keith figured that just about anyone else would have assumed the blonde girl's bored look to be genuine… But the fact her neck was pale and her eyes dilapidated told another story of the girl's actual mood, past the bored, cold look.
Meanwhile most other cadets were… shaken, to say the least.
"...My love… my darling… I'm so, so, so sorry… I couldn't save you…" A girl cried her eyes out while muttering quietly and standing at ease in the formation that waited on the wall for the go-ahead.
'...Sasha Braun. Hm… So, she lost someone she cared about? Well… Vengeance will carry her forward…' Keith glanced at the girl who he remembered from a particular incident during the 104th hazing ceremony. '...If it's her, then she'd be talking about… Hm… I remember that those three were always together during training…'
It looked like the wailing was starting to affect the morale of the other cadets, who were sending sideways glances at the despair-filled girl.
Keith turned around and walked over to Sasha.
He put his hand on Sasha's shoulder, causing the girl to let out a 'eeek!' sound upon realizing that the Instructor had singled her out again.
"S-sir, I'm sorry, I- I just…"
"Do not dry your tears. Those titans took Krista and Ymir from you." Keith told Sasha with a grave tone while looking directly into her eyes. "When we get a signal, we'll go down there. And we'll kill every titan we see, except the blue-necked one. You will get your vengeance… Or you will die in the process, and you three will be together again."
"I- but, it was stolen- it was- that metal- erm…" Sasha shook like a leaf and Keith tightened his hold on the girl's shoulder, causing white foam to start to come out of the terrified girl's mouth while thick streaks of tears ran down her face.
"Even if it was that monster, you will strike. You will strike until you break your blades on that thing's armor, and die. That is your duty. Scratch the armor of the monster, until the scratches become cuts, and one of us can put an end to its rampage. It is the only way you can take vengeance for what you lost."
Sasha was deadly pale and shook like a leaf, but she looked slightly more determined from Keith's speech.
"Take your vengeance. Carve it into your heart, and pick on those scars whenever you have doubts. When terror causes your legs to grow weak, call on those scars, and stand up, and stab the source of that terror in the neck." Keith let go of Sasha's shoulder, and moved to the next shaky-looking cadet.
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"What about you three?" Marcus, a freckled boy with bowl-cut black hair, asked his friends after the terrifying Instructor moved off to 'reassure' the more shaky-looking cadets.
"-Uh, what? Sorry, I didn't hear what you said…" Bertolt snapped out of some sort of stupor while the team of four were looking down at the district in front of them.
"The blue-necked Titan? What is that about?" Marcus clarified. "We were told not to attack a titan like that. What's that about?"
"Dunno. Sounds strange." Annie commented without taking her eyes off the ruined district that had been full of life just yesterday.
"...Do you think that titan is on our side?" Marcus prodded. "Why else would they order us to not attack it?"
"Maybe it's dangerous so you shouldn't approach it." Reiner proposed.
"But if it has paint on its neck, then surely someone has reached the striking range of its neck?" Marcus pressed on. "Moreover, the strange titan from yesterday… It was Eren, right? I saw as he emerged from its neck? You and Bertolt followed Mikasa and Armin to retrieve him, so you must have seen him up-close…"
"...Yeah, Eren emerged from the titan. I don't know anything else." Reiner looked in the direction of the inner gate of Trost. Marcus had known Reiner for long enough to know that the blonde man was lying, but he dropped the issue… for now.
"...Yeah. Right. Sure…" Marcus pulled back and returned to standing at ease next to the three other cadets as Instructor Shadis returned to his place at the front of the formation.
"I think it'd be best to focus on the mission." Bertolt said after a brief moment. "And just… forget about that strange titan."
"Yeah. You're right." Marcus sighed. "I must have gotten too curious… A titan that'd fight on our side… Heh. It sounds like a fever dream anyway."
There was a flash of lighting and a loud bang at the inner gate of Trost, and the cadets turned to look in the direction almost in unison-
"A titan?" Marcus blinked as a fifteen-meter tall titan with black hair and wide, almost skeletal maw stood tall in the distance after having appeared out of nowhere, and roared its challenge.
A group of people descended down around the titan, and one of them grapple-hooked the line of their 3D-gear to the titan's forehead… Before swinging past the titan's neck in a flash, and while doing so, smeared the titan's neck blue with paint.
"Oh?" Marcus let out a surprised sound. "Wait, so- hey! That has to be Eren! That titan looks just like the abnormal titan from yesterday!"
"...Yeah." Reiner's eyes had a strange look in them as he stared at the suddenly-reappeared titan.
"Training Corps! Attention!" The voice of the Instructor snapped the four of them to attention. "We have our signal- Descend! Kill every titan you see, but do not attack the one with the blue neck! Go!"
"Yes, sir!" came from several shaky mouths as the 104th Training Corps jumped down the Wall of Trost District once again, to kill and die for the survival of mankind, once again.
For some reason Marcus couldn't shake the odd look in Reiner's eyes from his thoughts, even as he free-fell towards the district alongside the other cadets…
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"-Disabling Autopilot. Main system: Engaging Combat Mode… Raven.-" Ayre commented as 621 resumed controls over the AC, and directed Loader-4 towards the walled town once more, after Ayre woke the Augmented Human. "-I activated Scanner Mode and performed some scans while you slept, Raven. We're on an island of some sort, surrounded by a sea of salt water. I've detected at least a few tens of thousands of contacts similar to the giants from earlier as well, although my scans are a bit… inaccurate, owing to the fact Shade Eye's scanner is mostly intended for combat purposes.-"
"...And humans?"
"-I would guess that all humans on this island are holding inside that walled series of settlements. The settlement is made from three rings of walls within walls, with four walled towns connected to the wall at each cardinal direction.-" Ayre recounted her findings. "-We're inside the outermost ring, which seems to be broken at some spot since the giants have found their way in. Other than that, there's nothing of note, really.-"
"...I see."
"-You're not easily fazed, are you, Raven… Well. I suppose it's better this way.-" Ayre seemed to pout a bit at 621's lack of reaction to the news. "-But since there's just one group of humans nearby, we should be a bit more careful when we approach them. We don't have the option of just approaching other, uh, 'factions', if we flounder our chance with this one. I don't think we can negotiate with those giants, and that one semi-intelligent giant we discovered inside the second ring of walls also attacked us… And this AC isn't capable of functioning for long without regular maintenance.-"
"...Yes."
"-...So, let's try to make contact with them, again… and, um, let's hope that whatever happened last night with the captive is just a one-off thing… If every human in this place can turn into a giant at a moment's notice, we'll be in trouble-"
621 let out a small sigh inside the AC, keenly aware of the consequences of a single lapse of concentration, which had cost Loader-4 its melee weapon by forcing 621 to leave the Pile Bunker behind.
The mounting point of the melee weapon had been shredded by the large-jawed titan's claws, and the Pile Bunker had simply sheared itself off from Loader-4's forearm when 621 had tried to re-mount the weapon and test it by striking a large tree.
As end result 621 had left the Pile Bunker behind for good, and since the current mission was diplomatic, 621 had scavenged around to re-equip a new weapon into Loader-4's free arm, a weapon that would be suitable for the mission at hand.
…And now Loader-4 was equipped with a Coral Rifle in the right hand, Songbirds dual-barrel grenade launcher on one shoulder, VLS-12 vertical 12-cell missile rack on the other shoulder… and a big bouquet of white flowers in the left hand.
As tactical equipment 621 had in reserve a 'sorry that I kidnapped you' letter penned on a piece of scavenged paper.
With such gear, Loader-4 began its aerial assault-boost towards the walled city in the distance…