AN: Man.
No amount of apology is gonna get me off the hook for this one.
I'll reveal something though. Between the writing of last chapter and this one, I became a full-fledged university student and the amount of effort and energy it took to get from being a complete NEET on a way too long gap year to where I am now has drained me completely to even consider writing. When the winter break hit, I immediately saw a chance and I shat out 6k+ words in a matter of a week. So, for all that it's worth, enjoy.
The view from the top of the wall would have been something worth marveling at to Sersi had it not been for the destruction being wreaked below.
The wind, as if sensing her great unease, brushes lightly against her face. It calms her somewhat.
We've done so much, but it's not enough, she thinks. The breach is still open. Our work is not finished…
Sersi's mind wrangles on ways to close to breach when she hears footsteps approaching behind her.
"I used to not mind being eaten, as long as it's a pretty lady titan," spoke a voice behind her. Sersi turns. "Now, I would like nothing more than to properly court a stunningly beautiful goddess like yourself when all this is over."
"Commander Pixis!" She takes Pixis' offered hand.
"Miss Sersi. Are you enjoying the view?"
"I cannot say so," Sersi's face falls ever so slightly. "As long as I see destruction before me. All of it stemming from that breach."
"Yes, the breach." The older-looking man takes a light sip of his flask. "But first, let's walk and talk."
They proceeded to walk alongside one another on a path next to the wall's rail. Every soldier they encountered saluted their commander, but not before they paused in awe of the woman's ethereal beauty. They finally stopped before a straight road, leading directly to the breach straight ahead, a great distance away.
"I cannot imagine the devastation that followed the fall of Wall Maria," Sersi begins to speak. "We encountered the ruins of Shiganshina and thought humanity was all but lost at first…"
"The devastation continued long after that, I'm afraid," Pixis replies, his voice grave. "Did you know that there was a prior attempt to take back Wall Maria?"
"No," Sersi asks, shaken by the change in tone. "What happened?"
"It happened four years ago…"
By the time Pixis finished recounting, Sersi was already crouched down, a hand over her mouth in horror. All those people…? Sent to die with almost nothing in their hands…?
Pixis said nothing, his hands now shifted behind his back. Despite his outward image of calm, Sersi feels anything but emanating from the man.
Internal conflict?
"It's the truth. Until now we told ourselves that it was for 'the greater good'. The threat of a famine occurring would have been far more devastating… But now? Perhaps we are no better than the Titans that prey on us. Perhaps we do not deserve your help." Sersi could see the old commander's hands clench. "But I figured the best way to ask for your help, whether we deserve it or not, is to not lie to you. You may not immediately understand, but… you and your Eternals are the first real, tangible hope we've had since the founding of these Walls."
"So, Sersi, leader of the Eternals…" His voice came out as a plea. "I beg of you… help us."
Sersi does not reply immediately. Rising to her feet, eyes are still trained on the destruction roaring around her. Around humanity.
No, not humanity, Eldians, a cruel voice within her spoke. You save them, and you'll doom the world! They even admit it! Such crimes committed in the name of the greater good! What good will come in the long term should you save them?
The Eternal maid thinks again on Druig and Phastos. How vehemently they objected to their little venture.
Her heart twists in the opposite direction as her mind strays to Eren. His fellow cadets, dropping like flies in the face of an attack unprecedented since the fall of Wall Maria all those years ago.
She was there for them. For all of them.
My decision was already made long before we got to this point.
It's too late to turn back now.
"I will help you." Sersi's voice is clear with purpose. "Tell me what I have to do."
"Thank you." Pixis spoke, relieved. "Come with me. Strategy wise, I have several ideas I think you'd like to hear."
They continued on the path they were on before, this time with alertness to their steps.
"Commander, to begin with, do you have the means to patch up the hole in that gate?"
"We do, actually," replied the old commander. "We have in our possession a huge 8-by-10 boulder that theoretically will serve to seal the breach. Trouble is that in practical terms, any attempt by human soldiers to move it would take months, compounded by the fact that the Titans will keep on coming and therefore render any real attempt at retaking the Wall moot."
"I've taken the liberty of talking to our lucky trio over there," Pixis points to said cadets, currently huddled together a distance away. "And what I have learned from them is simply enlightening. My strategy shall involve our Titan cadet..."
Pixis' ears perk up as Sersi's steady footsteps grind to a halt with what seems to be a stomp.
"Out of the question, Commander," Sersi says, her voice suddenly terse. "These children have had enough of battle. Let the burden of sealing the breach fall on us."
Pixis sighs. He had half expected this.
"Miss Sersi, I understand you have many… reservations, but given how Eren's Titan transformation ability has aided us greatly alongside you, I think of no reason he cannot further contribute," he intoned gently. "He can easily lift the boulder I spoke of, carry it to the breach and seal it. Unless your Eternals can think of anything more efficient?"
Sersi did not say anything as she contemplated Pixis' reasoning, no matter her disagreement. He had a point.
"And besides, it was cadet Arlert who suggested it." Sersi's eyes widened in shock. "Cadet Yeager agrees."
Staring holes into the man in shock, the immortal maiden opens her mouth to speak, but finds herself paused, speechless at what she just heard. What came out later was more of a blurt. "Why?"
"Either to save themselves or to contribute to the war effort as a loyal soldier, might be both if you ask me. But truth be told…"
The commander's eyes softened in understanding. "I think they wanted to help you."
"Help… me?" Sersi's confoundment did not cease. "Why?"
"Miss Sersi, the cadets told us everything they could about you. How you saved cadet Yeager's squad, then Yeager himself from a Titan attack. How you sneaked all the way down the supply depot basement to help the cadets exterminate the Titans down there. Furthermore, accounts of your friends' heroism are coming from every corner of the district, namely the wounded. We officers have long referred ourselves behind the shroud of command and the comfort of the home base, I included. Hammering out orders for men and women who put themselves in harm's way while staying out of it…" Pixis' gaze at Sersi was filled with gratitude. "You cared for them, Miss Sersi. Care for them in a way we should have done. And now, they want to repay the favor."
Sersi was once again without words. A small part of her did not miss the adulation. She had preferred it when the last Deviant was slain, allowing her to fade gracefully out of the story of humanity. But the admiration… it had made her artificial heart flutter. Her eyes drifted below.
"If Eren must enter the field to ensure victory, then it is what it is," Sersi resigned. "My only condition is that we Eternals accompany Eren all the way to the breach. He cannot be left unprotected and unsupervised, even now."
"That is precisely what I had in mind," Pixis confirms nonchalantly. "I will announce the operation to retake Wall Rose shortly."
"Is it possible," the Eternal asks him. "That you can convince them?"
"Normally, yes, but normally it hinges on their desperation. But now, quite possibly for the first time ever, I can do it purely based on hope. Makes the job easier I suppose." The old man takes another swig of his alcohol.. "They believe in you and your comrades, Miss Sersi. You've brought something so rare to this desolate place: hope. I am an old man, set in my ways, with many more obstinate, old men ahead of me in rank who would like to keep things the way they are…"
"I, for one, would like to see something different."
The various streets beneath the wall are bustling with commotion. Even when in formation, cadet and officer alike chatter away like sparrows. They could half hear the rumors coming from the top.
A plan to take back Trost was under way.
"A plan to take back Trost? Now?!"
"You think the top brass would let them participate?"
"What 'they' are you talking about man…"
"You know who I'm talkin' about! Didn't you see them hopping back and forth the middle guard?!"
Not far away, a group of Garrison soldiers looked on forward, still in formation. All that however barely hides their trepidation. They are fresh reinforcements from within Wall Rose, called into action from Rose's other districts and the various outposts and bases littered within it.
Their unease only intensified as smatterings of rumors made their way from Trost's standing force towards them.
"Hey… did you hear that?"
"Yeah… them? Who on earth could they be talking about?"
"Sir, what are they talking about?" A young cadet, barely a month into her Garrison service, asked her superior, a dark haired lieutenant standing next to her. The man was a regiment leader who had been temporarily assigned to this hastily assembled cadre of irregulars when his own was wiped out in Trost.
"I only overheard them talking and… they seem to be talking about… outsiders coming to help us…?"
The lieutenant sighed in recognition. "You're Garrison reserves from within Rose, so it's fair you don't know, but it's true. We have help - as hard as it is to believe - coming from beyond these Walls." If not, beyond this world…
"Sir… that's fucking crazy…"
"I'm sure you've seen the medical tents," he continued. "Not a familiar sight, no?"
The young woman shook her head.
"That's because many of those wounded were shipped back to the rear by these outsiders personally. Can you recall an instance where this has happened before? With the near absolute mortality rates?" The man's subordinate practically gaped in disbelief as she took the information in. "These strangers - odd as you'll learn they are - practically saved Trost from complete destruction by the Titans. We should all do well to remember this day."
"Even if you refuse to believe it, Commander Pixis will announce their existence shortly," The superior officer opted to end the conversation early. "It's just a matter of time." Got one hell of a story to tell my daughter when I get back…
If they even let me leave…
"ATTENTION!"
All assembled immediately straightened their backs instantly, rapt with the command.
Dot Pixis, the Commander-in-Chief of all forces South of the Walls, approached the edge of the Wall slowly, the air of authority drawing all eyes and ears on him.
"I will now explain our strategy to recapture Trost District!" His booming tone travels across the courtyard. "The goal of this operation will be to plug the hole in the broken gate!"
The effect of his words are immediate. Murmurs of how such an impossible task can be done reverberate among the assembled companies of men. Pixis cannot help but feel that they are much more hopeful than the last several dozen reactions he has had in his time as commander.
"We have a way to seal the hole!" Pixis affirms. "But first, I want to introduce you to Eren Yeager, fresh out of the Cadet Corps!"
The crowd is generally indifferent, but a certain group of cadets were taken back. After all, they had an inkling why he was up there.
"We have been conducting top secret experiments on Titan transformation, and this soldier is our first success!" The old commander proudly proclaims. "He is able to take on the body of a Titan and control it at will. Yeager will pick up the boulder and use it to seal the breach!"
The assembly, once indifferent, now descended into another confused barrage of hushed whispers. It was clear even to Pixis this was not what they expected.
"Is it true?" One soldier, a cadet, spoke up. "Can humans control the Titans?"
"It's a LIE!" It was Daz, reflecting the disaffection of those gathered coming to a boiling point. "You expect me to give up my life for something like that? What do you take us for?!" He turns around to face his equally comrades. "Where are the Eternals?!"
"That's right!" Another soldier chimed in. "The top brass just had to swoop in with a nonsense plan of their own and steal all the glory from the real saviors of this town! And with us playing the meat shields!"
The growing dissent was spreading like wildfire throughout the courtyard. The commanding officers slowly lost control of their men as collective morale leapt into a plummet. Many have even broken ranks in desertion, including many mid-ranked officers. The dark-haired lieutenant was one of them, already exasperated by the seeming egotism of his superiors, was already turning his heels in disgust, his daughter in mind.
Everything seemed to be in disarray.
"UPON MY ORDERS!" Pixis' commanding voice, clear and crisp, cuts clean through the chaos. "Anyone who leaves right now will go unpunished!"
Many of the deserters paused in their hasty retreat.
"If any of you truly believe that the military, and by extension, I, have purposefully misled you in terms of our intents and strategies, you are free to leave without consequence!"
"And!" The commander drives the point home. "Those who wholeheartedly believe that the saviors of Trost will not participate in the battle to come are free to leave also!"
If the soldiers had been quietened, now they are completely at attention. Their ears now peeled, intent on hearing what their leader had to say next.
"I present to you, the Eternals!"
All six of them stepped forward, standing on the ledge of the wall to the commander's left. Their sudden appearances sent a shockwave of awe among the reinforcements from Wall Rose, who had never encountered the Eternals before. Then, rapturous cheers exploded as the sea of Trost survivors, who had known the miracle firsthand, recognized their saviors. Even the deserters have mostly reentered the fray.
"As I was saying, humanity is greatly appreciative of the aid by these good samaritans, regardless of their origins! Therefore, in the spirit of gratitude, I have asked for their participation in the retaking of Trost District, and they have graciously accepted! They will protect cadet Yeager as he transports the boulder to its destination, and by doing so, ensure humanity's first victory!"
"We will not die inside the Walls! Given the choice, will you die here… OR WILL YOU WIN?"
With Pixis' proclamation, all gathered beneath their commanding officer hollered in unison, their collective morale restored to its height. Their hearts and minds now one, committed to the cause of freeing Trost.
Throughout it all, Eren Yeager, standing next and observing this whole time, could feel himself put at ease with the sounds of joy coming from below. He turned to throw a dirty glance to Pixis, who looked back at him with a mischievous wink.
"I did tell you it will work, cadet."
The plan was brilliant, thought Sersi. It was simple enough as well: the human troops would lure the Titans to the edge of the Wall while Kingo picks them off one by one, on a controlled Titan piloted by Druig. Meanwhile, herself, Makkari, Thena and Phastos would accompany Eren, carrying the rock to the objective point. As per the Garrison's request, they will be accompanied by a squad of their most elite soldiers, led by Lieutenant Rico Brzenska.
To her surprise, the plan was entirely thought up by Armin. It awed her even more that the boy had even taken into account each Eternal's strengths to benefit his strategy.
Looking on as Makkari transported members of the newly minted Alpha Squad to her own location, the Eternals' leader idly thought back on one of her conversations with Pixis.
"We're told that before Titans took over this land, humans were constantly murdering each other over tribal disputes and ideologies."
"If a non-human, powerful enemy were to appear, humanity would stop fighting amongst one another and unite. What is your opinion on this, miss Sersi?"
The question came at Sersi suddenly and without warning.
"I have lived for a long time, Commander," came Sersi's measured response. "From what I can observe: Man will make common cause before he makes a common enemy."
"Perhaps so," Pixis hums in agreement. "But a common enemy makes for a good common cause, no?"
"I believe we fight because we love what is behind us rather than what we hate in front of us."
Pixis merely raised an eyebrow hearing that. "I see that we are nothing alike, for the better anyway. You have so much faith in humanity's noble side, despite what we can get up to on a bad day." The disastrous retaking of Wall Maria laid heavy on both their minds.
"I cannot change human nature," Sersi surmises. "Yet I try to see the best in them, not blindly."
"Then thank whatever is divine you are here," The old commander warmly said. "I had feared that we must become monsters to beat back monsters. Now, we can win as humans."
Are we here to help you not become monsters, or to better hide the fact that the potential to become one is still there?
"Miss Sersi?" Armin's voice cuts through the matter transmuter's thoughts. She turns to see Mikasa, Armin, her Eternals and the Garrison squad sent to monitor them all gathered by Makkari. The boulder, vital to their plan, lay below several hundred feet away.
"I apologize, there's a lot on my mind right now."
"Sersi, focus," Thena's reprimand came without heat. "We need you at your best. Humanity depends on it."
Not far away from them, Rico Brzenska stands, arms crossed. She has her reservations, but the orders given to her are clear. "You had best deliver, outsider, I have my orders to observe you."
Sersi sighs. Trust between her Eternals and many of the Garrison troops who had earlier confronted her is still tenuous.
"I know," She turns to her Titan charge. "Ready when you are, Eren."
Eren simply nods. Launching off of the Wall with his maneuvering gear, he bites down on his thumb, as if on instinct, drawing blood.
*KACHOOM*
The formed Titan lands on the ground with a thud, followed by Armin, Mikasa and Rico's squad who land on the roof with their gear. Sersi followed after, carried by Thena leaping off the ledge, who is then followed by Makkari, who propels herself off the wall with a short burst of speed. Phastos opts to lower himself slowly downward with his created tech, a pair of rocket boots. They watch as Eren's Titan form rises to its feet and begins to walk.
Approaching the boulder with intent, the Titan halts momentarily. Fixing its arms on the boulder, it begins to heave, struggling to budge the stone with every exertion.
"Eren, take your time." It was Armin. His encouragement seemed to spur the Titan further. Finally, more visible strides can be seen, with the boulder being sufficiently inching with every heft.
"Sersi, should I…" Sersi wordlessly waves Phasto's help off. She believes in the boy.
Mikasa, ever the astute observer, looked on wordlessly. Her silent exterior betrays her inner turmoil. Come on Eren…
Finally, Eren's Titan heaves it up and over its shoulder. Balancing and shifting itself into a proper posture, the Titan begins to march towards the direction of the breach. The rest of the squad quickly fell into formation around Eren: Makkari, Armin and Sersi leading, with Thena watching the rear, while Alpha Squad, Mikasa included, flanked both sides, walking along the rooftops as they did so. Phastos opts to watch from the air with his flight tech. Makkari had already gone ahead at low speed to scout for them.
As everything fell temporarily under the realm of control, Sersi felt a great invisible pressure fall on her. Several hundred yards more and the day would be won. She looked over and saw Armin, the originator of the plan, trying to hide his nerve as he led the caravan forward alongside her.
"Armin, your plan is brilliant…" Sersi began, awkwardly. "I just want to tell you that."
She can practically see Armin's ears go red with embarrassment. "Thanks miss Sersi," His shoulders sag suddenly. "But… there's something you need to know…"
Sersi's eyes widened slowly. "You can tell me."
"My plan would have stayed the same even if you and the Eternals had not come," Armin admits. "The casualties inflicted on those distracting the Titans would have been massive without Kingo picking them off… and then, it would have just been me, Mikasa and the Alpha Squad accompanying Eren to the breach. There was no guaranteeing that the plan would have worked, and even now…"
"Armin," A warm, reassuring hand fell on Armin's shoulder. "Do not fret over what could have been. Even in the face of our absence, your plan, in theory, would have resulted in far less casualties than another all-out assault. Stand proud in what you came up with."
A soft whoosh signalled a certain speedster's return. "Makkari!" Signs Sersi. "Anything?"
"Our path is clear, for now." Makkari signs back. "Only a few stragglers ahead. Nothing for Thena or Phastos to worry about."
"Good, then -"
*KACHOOM*
A bolt of lightning crashes down onto a nearby building, instantly vaporizing two members of Alpha Squad and barely missing Mikasa. It knocked everyone else off their feet and nearly took Eren's Titan off balance when -
*BOOM*
From the dust and smoke, a large, armored fist suddenly flew from its depths, striking Eren's Titan clean in the face. The impact flung Eren's Titan into an opposite building, and flung the boulder from his Titan's shoulders onto the ground with a resounding crash, with Thena barely gone out of the way.
Emerging from the wreckage was a Titan measuring 15 meters tall, clad in plates of bronze armor over stretches of sinewy muscle. Its irisless eyes, hidden under almost visor-like plates of armor and framed by shaggy dirty blonde hair, seem laser focused on the Titan it just punched away with a degree of intelligence to canny to be of the usual suspects.
Not far away, Sersi sat, face ashen. She had again barely shielded Armin from the lightning blast. She knew exactly what the Titan was and what it wants. A strange numbness is spreading over her. She hears someone shouting in her ears, shaking her shoulders as she looks on.
Did I fail them again?
Once again, she had been caught by surprise.
Once again, she had not been ready.
Once again, humanity will lose.
Once again…
No…
Not again.
"TITAN!"
"What on Earth?"
Dot Pixis narrowed his eyes at what he saw afar. Next to him, the Garrison high command stood and watched the operation unfold. Asking for a telescope, he tried to make out something from the chaos to no avail.
Pixis was sure of what he saw, just not what happened after. A bolt of golden lightning struck the earth with a bang, that much was clear. Such pandemonium…
"The sealing operation seems to be under threat, sir," Anka observed, her voice unclear.
"I see that," Pixis replies. He turns to his other lieutenant. "Any confirmed visual of the red smoke flare, Gustav?"
"No, sir."
"Then the operation is still in effect." Next to Pixis, both his lieutenants seem uneasy at his confidence.
"Sir, any setback now can prove hazardous to the battle," Anka advises. "The situation is…"
"Under control. The order to withdraw is vested with Lieutenant Rico." Pixis is still staring forward. "She and her squad are not only highly skilled, they are the best of the best. Giving up so easily would be unacceptable…"
"Not only that, do you not trust in the miracle that has fallen onto our laps, in our hour of greatest need? Even after all that Sersi and her friends had done?"
Anka and Gustav have nothing to respond.
"But even then, I must not allow the situation to worsen. Gustav!"
The man in question stands at attention as his commander turns to him. "Send for Mitabi Jarnach and Ian Dietrich. They and their squads are to be sent to aid Alpha Squad. Go!"
As Gustav salutes and hurries off with his summons, Pixis renews his focus on the battlefield.
The day and its hardships have yet to end…
"SERSI, BEHIND ME!" Thena's bellow snapped the Eternal in question out of her reverie. Unconsciously, she picks up Armin by the waist, who is too shocked to react, and bolts in the opposite direction of the chaos as Thena charges into the fray, cosmic spear and shield at the ready. In the split second that Sersi turns her head, she can see Eren's Titan being pummeled into the adjacent buildings by this new Titan…
One whose description she remembers well from Zuras.
In the secluded corner where she hid, she can only look on in abject horror, torn over the safety of Alpha Squad, while powerless to help Eren when he is relentlessly pummeled.
It seems that the Warrior Unit was not going to let them have the day without a fight.
A hand wraps itself around Sersi's shoulder, causing her to tense until she realizes who it was. It was Makkari having zipped to her location without her noticing.
"Makkari, where's Phastos?" The Asian Eternal asked her.
"He's gone off assaulting that Titan, alongside Thena…" Makkari signs back, her too recovering from the rude awakening. "Sersi, is that…"
"Yes…" Sersi, cognizant of Armin, switches to sign language. "The Armored Titan. Just like how Zuras described it to me. "
The speedster's fingers dance in surprise. "Why now?"
"For interfering in their plans for Trost," Sersi replies. It was obvious at this point. "They did not expect us here… and so have resorted to drastic measures…"
"Miss Sersi, that Titan… it just came at us. Out of nowhere…" Armin, ashen and silent throughout the whole ordeal, only now spoke up. "And it's got Eren. I gotta…"
Sersi shut the idea down immediately. "It's not safe! We need to think of a plan to take it down. Rushing it will get us nowhere."
"She's right, cadet," A new voice joined them, accompanied by a hiss of gas. Lieutenant Rico, a member of her squad and Mikasa dropped down from above, looking worse for wear. Mikasa was not taking it well: her knuckles are going white from the intense grip she has on her swords.
"That thing just took out Benhard and Oster with the lightning bolt. Jorg and Rudi kicked the bucket later on when they tried to jump in. My original squad is gone," Rico reports grimly. "There's no denying it now…"
"It's the Armored Titan that busted the northern gate of Shiganshina 5 years ago… And now it's out for our blood…" The blonde lieutenant remarked callously.
*CRASH*
The destruction this time hits too close for comfort, as the Attack Titan was flung mercilessly into a building a mere block away from the group's hiding place. The Armored Titan emerges slowly from among the dust and smoke, ready to finish off its prey.
*BLAM*
It lurches back, surprised, feeling something impact its left shoulder. Then another, right on its chin. Golden laser blasts of increasing intensity then impact its body at various places, chipping off bits of armor and Titan flesh, causing it to stagger back.
Phastos, high in the air with his rocket boots, blasts away with his arm cannons. Fine-tuning his laser projectiles to chip through the armor more and more, he notices Thena stealthily making her way up the Titan, hanging on to the distracted Titan's plates of armor for leverage.
"Thena, get to the nape!" He calls, continuing his heavy rate of fire.
"On it!" Snaking stealthily up the Titan's right hip and up its back, the warrior maiden finally makes it to her target.
The nape, it is armored as well… But no matter…
Thena wonders how the armor will hold up under one of her cosmic weapons…
…only to be snatched out of midair and with a well-aimed throw, the Titan sends Thena free-flying into a shocked Phastos, and into several buildings a distance away. Now rid of the two pests haggling it, the Armored Titan takes a step forward…
*BOOM*
… only to be sent tumbling by a sudden, loud sonic boom, the impact bending its ankle at an odd angle. Another boom takes it fully off its feet, sending the Titan crashing onto its knees. Then, an full-on onslaught as the Armored Titan is struck innumerable times by this powerful unstoppable force, all but launching it into another building block, where the assault continues anew and seemingly endless.
From their collective hiding spot, Rico looks on as the speeding force all but pummels the balled-up Armored Titan into the wreckage, the kicked up dust cloud hiding the true carnage. "Damn, outsider. Your friends don't play nice."
Makkari is difficult to anger, but when roused…
"You said we have to have a plan, outsider. Any ideas?"
"I have a semblance of one, that hopefully you will consider," Sersi concurs. "Quickly. Makkari can only hold it at bay for so long."
"Talk."
"Your swords will not work against that armor. But," Sersi's hands give off an ethereal glow. "My powers can. I can transmute any and all matter, including Titan flesh. I just need to get on its nape."
Rico flinches, briefly recalling what she saw during her previous confrontation with Sersi. "Then we need a decoy," she concludes. "Something to divert the Titan's attention."
Sersi falls silent. She could clearly see Rico's implication. How can she ask her, or anyone present, to take up the task?
"I will do it," Mikasa, quiet throughout the whole ordeal, finally speaks up. "Only I can outmaneuver the Titan's movements."
Sersi looked at her as if she had grown a second head.
"All on your own?" Mikasa merely nods.
"Mikasa…" Sersi was not up for it. "When Eren comes back, I'm not telling him you died to give me a chance. I'm not…"
"Lay off her, lady!" The lieutenant puts an end to it. "You might not know but we're military. This is what we do. This is her first day and even she knows. So let us do our jobs and you do yours."
"Please, let me do this." The Oriental girl continues to plead her case. "You've done so much to help us while I've been nothing but ungrateful. I want to do my part."
Outvoted and outnumbered, Sersi can only nod.
"Good," Rico acquiesces. "What about Eren Yeager? He has been unresponsive in his Titan form."
"I'll get Eren," It was Armin's turn to contribute. "You guys don't worry about me. I'll get him out of his Titan and get him to safety."
"It's settled then." Rico briefs. "I will get you on the Titan's back when it is adequately distracted. Cadet Ackerman will distract the Titan and cadet Arlert will free cadet Yeager from his Titan. Is that clear, Alpha Squad?"
Sersi and the rest nod.
*WHAM*
The sudden noise is punctuated by the sight of Makkari flying back through two buildings. The Titan had backhanded her, somehow timing its strike with Makkari coming back in, and used its hardening ability to augment its blow.
"Crap! Makkari!" Cries Sersi. "The Titan's recovered!"
Rico nods. "Then we have to act now! Cadet Ackerman, go!"
Mikasa immediately takes off. She quickly reaches the Armored Titan's right eye socket.
"Look at me." Immediately burying both her swords in the eye of the Titan, blinding it, she begins to circle it as it flails around in response, conserving her gas as she does so while counting on her superior ability and speed to avoid its slow movements. It was working so far…
"Good, she has its attention…" Rico's eyes widened. "What in the…"
Sersi seemed to notice the same thing. "Lieutenant Rico, who's coming our way?"
The question causes Rico to turn towards the north. Sure enough, ten inflating dots seem to be heading their way quickly…
Men on ODM gear.
"Squads Dietrich and Jarnach!" Came Rico's shocked response. She had not been expecting them either. "What are they doing!?"
Mikasa, landing on a nearby rooftop, "WAIT! Don't attack it! Your swords are useless against the arm -"
It was too late. Ian Dietrich, hungry for glory, directed his squad directly at the Titan's nape, only for their swords to shatter upon impact, wherefore Armored Titan swung its hand, crumpling them all fatally with the impact and away into certain doom. Another swing of the hand snagged the cables of two Squad Jarnach members, sending them hurtling from fatal heights, barely missing their leader Mitabi Jarnach, who came right after them.
Watching as the remaining Garrison men scramble to flee, Rico grits her teeth. As tragic as it may seem, their demise has given them an opportunity.
"Outsider, now!" She turns to her immortal ally. "Our window is open! We will not get another!"
Silently nodding, Sersi immediately hops on the Lieutenant's back as they both shoot off in the air. As the Armored Titan wrangles with the remaining Garrison members currently circling it, the two successfully land on its lower back.
"You know what to do." With those words, Rico departs, leaving Sersi to climb up herself. Hooking her fingers in, transmuting the flesh into vapor as she does, the Eternal painstakingly makes her way up the nape. She's almost there…
…when armored hands paw at her. Sersi feels her heart leaping with fear.
The Titan knows she's on it!
Panicking, Sersi barely manages to avoid one and attempts to steer clear of the other, all while the nape remains just beyond reach.
*WHAM*
Something slams into the Armored Titan hard, taking it back several steps. It was a meaty haymaker from the Attack Titan, now fully recovered. Armin was pinning his swords to its shoulder as leverage. From behind the Titan's back, Sersi found herself nearly losing her grip due to the impact, barely hanging on by one hand before recovering.
By the impact, she can only guess what, or who, was the cause.
"EREN!" Her eyes widen in fear as Mikasa's screams confirm it.
Armin… you somehow got him back to being himself… Just like how I once did…
The Armored Titan, to its credit, barely flinched. Cocking back an armored fist, it threw a devastating punch, knocking its foe down with a loud thud. Armin, sent launching by the impact, manages to save himself at the last minute by activating his gas, dampening his landing.
"NO!" The Asian girl quickly races from her position to aid her blonde friend. From their collective vantage point, Mitabi Jarnach and Rico Brzenska watch the battle with dismay with the remnants of Jarnach's squad.
Rico finally broke the silence. "Jarnach! Why are you guys here? You nearly ruined our strategy!"
The man in question still seemed as shaken as his remaining comrades. "Pixis ordered us to aid you," But it seems you have everything under control."
"Don't joke, not this time," Rico replies, voice hard. "The monster that broke the northern gate to Shiganshina is here. Because of it, my squad is gone… The outsiders aren't doing any better…"
Seeing its downed opponent, the Armored Titan advances close and raises a fist. As the blow lands, the Attack Titan suddenly catches its arm and pulls it down, wrapping its legs around its head and neck, proceeding to bend its opponent's arm downward.
Hard.
The gathered Garrison men can only look on, powerless and fully uncommitted to intervene.
"What's it doing…?"
Rico immediately recognizes the intent. "Yeager… he's trapping it!"
Seeing the situation it is in, the Armored Titan struggled against the hold, to no avail. Desperate, it let out a deafening roar.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The roar reverberated across theIt had immediate effect, forcing all the humans to block out their ears. The Armored Titan's trapped arm, already brutally hyperextended, snapped clean off its elbow joint. The all-too-sudden recoil threw Sersi off its back, ripping her hands out of the Titan's flesh. The Eternal fell freely, on a collision course with the hard earth…
*whoosh*
…when a golden bolt of speed snatched her from a painful landing, as the Armored Titan's body impacted the ground hard enough to cause minor tremors. Settled down in a secluded area, Sersi noticed three familiar faces.
"Thena! Phastos! Makkari!" Cried Sersi. "I thought you were taken out!"
"We were." Phastos spoke up. "The Armored Titan hit us harder than we thought. We had to regroup here to plan our next move."
"Me and Makkari wanted to rejoin the fight, but Phastos advised us against it," Added Thena. "He saw that you were employing some kind of strategy to bring the Armored Titan down."
"The Shifters of Marley aren't going to make this easy for us, aren't they…" Makkari signs, downcast.
The Eternals agreed without needing to say a word.
It was then all of those present heard it.
Footsteps.
"TITANS! ON OUR SIX!" Yelled a member of Mitabi Jarnach's squad. True to his word, Titans of all shapes and sizes have begun to make their way towards them, mostly from the south.
Jarnach, fear evident on his face, checks his remaining blades. "That scream, it must have attracted them!"
"We must protect cadet Yeager!" Rico was already fixing hers. "With our lives if need be! Prepare yourselves!"
They all rev up their ODM gear and shoot off to face the enemy.
Back to the two cadets, Mikasa had long dragged Armin to a corner, anxious at what would happen next. Near them, both Titans have risen back to their feet, eager to resume their battle. The approaching danger from their kind did not go unseen by the two intelligent Titans.
"More Titans?! Now?!" Armin panics. "Mikasa, we have to -"
In an ocean of chaos, Mikasa was a face of calm. "I know. Armin, go find miss Sersi. We can't lose you."
"W-wait! MIKASA!" She was already gone.
The Armored Titan continued to stare down the Attack Titan, smoke emanating from its stump. Each patiently waiting for the other to make the first move. Around them, packs of ravenous Titans slowly advance towards their respective positions.
Each turning around swinging a fist, they both decide to attack the Titans instead. Lunging at the Titans, the Attack Titan takes out one and crushes another with a well placed kick, while Mikasa zoomed past, placing well placed cut after well without cut need for stopping. Temporarily freed of its pursuers, the Attack Titan makes its way back to the boulder. To continue its original mission.
The Eternals, meanwhile, have leapt back into action.
"Eren Yeager is about to pick up the boulder! Protect him at all costs!"
With those words, Thena, cosmic weapons drawn, was back into the fray blades akimbo while Phastos, watchful from above, picked off stragglers with his arm cannons. Makkari was gone, to bring back Druig and Kingo.
Sersi was on a warpath. Tripping up Titans big and small alike for her teammates to exterminate, and transmuting their napes whenever she can, she is then faced with an odd sight. Her friends must know of this.
Making her way up a rooftop, Sersi beckons Phastos down and points. "Look!"
It was the Armored Titan, wholly surrounded by its mindless kind. Despite being one hand short, the Armored was still a force to be reckoned with, but here it offered only token resistance before it was overwhelmed by sheer numbers, the hungry Titans tearing shreds of flesh and armor off of it without a fight.
It was almost as if it was letting itself be devoured.
"It's getting eaten. That's our chance!" Sersi makes her case. "We can find the Shifter and…"
"Sersi, there's no time!" Phastos interrupts her."We need to cull this area, then continue the mission! The fate of Trost depends on us succeeding!"
Meanwhile…
*whoosh*
"Hey guys, we're bac -" Kingo was immediately cut off, as he, Makkari and Druig barely avoided a 10m class Titan's foot stomping down. It was aptly repaid with a cosmic projectile through the neck and nape, courtesy of Kingo.
"Rude! Now this is a mess." The actor brushes himself off, as if he was on a picnic. Turning to his dour friend, he tries to lighten up the mood. "Druig, are you going to join?" He earns a smack at the shoulder from Makkari for that.
"Fine," Straining himself, he forcibly suborns a group of 4m class Titans and turns them loose on two 15m class Titans. "This still hurts like hell."
Armin was doing well for himself. Struggling to find the leader of the Eternals in the chaos, he has evaded many Titans and slew three. With his gas levels slowly tumbling down with every traverse, Armin knew he can't keep this up. On a rooftop, he tries to plan his next move when a 12m class Titan slams its fist down the tiles, barely missing him. Frantic, he looks over to the adjacent rooftop and mentally calculates the amount of gas he needs to make it all the way across.
Shit! I can't make it to the other side with this kind of gas!
The Titan suddenly stumbled onto one knee, and then both. With its scalp now level with the roof, Armin leaps on its head on instinct and uses his remaining gas to propel himself downward, dealing a fatal blow on the nape before his gas exhausts itself.
Falling freely, he is instantaneously caught by Sersi, who had dissolved the Titan's feet into soap bubbles not moments before.
"Armin! Are you alright?" Safe in the Eternal's arms, the boy cannot help but blush in embarrassment.
"I am," His voice was quiet. "Just used up my last bit of gas."
"I see," Giving him a motherly smile, she puts the boy down. "Stick by me from now on. We need to regroup back to Eren." They make their way back with the others in time to see the Attack Titan, the boulder on its shoulders, trodding past, with Thena, Kingo, Druig and Phastos flanking it. Mikasa is also present, and greets the two with a solemn nod.
"Phastos, Thena! All clear?"
"Clear!" Came Thena's voice. "All Titans disposed of."
"Then we continue on our original escort mission."
And so they went, retaining much the same formation as they did when they began. As they march, Sersi's mind drifts to the Garrison members of Alpha Squad. While the Eternals were defending Eren, they had without warning moved south to intercept more of the Titans who had newly emerged from the breach, having been attracted by the Armored Titan's roar.
A rush of wind. It was Makkari. Her face was marred in horror.
"What happened?"
The movements of Makkari's fingers made Sersi's heart lurch. "Take me there, now."
They arrived at a particularly demolished urban area near the gate. "Lieutenant! Lieutenant Rico!?"
"I'm here," a voice spoke up weakly.
Sersi clamped a hand over her mouth in horror when she witnessed the sight before her.
Rico was in a bad state. Her left arm and leg is missing and her right side is impaled with a ODM gear hook , where a sizable blotch of red has formed on her Garrison uniform. Seated against the wall, she can only lean on her right arm for support.
"D-don't pull it out," Rico says when Sersi, already on her knees, tries to fumble with the hook buried deep in her stomach. "My guts will… spill out if you do." Sersi opts to remove the cable via transmutation.
"What happened, Lieutenant Rico?" She asks. "Where are the rest of your men?"
"Dead. Even Jarnach and his squad… It's just m-me now… As for this," Rico points to the hook. "Complete accident… Idiot discharged his hook… into me while he was… being eaten…" She tries to laugh but winces.
"Don't say that, Makkari will get you back to the rear. Just say the word and I'll call her…"
"N-no need… I'm done. J-just… help me… get to the… finish line. I… need to see this… through. That's all… I can do now." Her voice was full of resignation.
"..." Wordlessly, Sersi slung Rico's remaining arm over her shoulder, mindful of the grievous wound on the woman's side. By the time Sersi emerged with the wounded lieutenant, the escort had caught up with the both of them.
"I… never did bother… to learn your name, outsider," Rico sounded… genuinely apologetic. "Forgive me… it was rude."
"My name is Sersi."
"I did not… believe… in what you… could do… For that… I apologize."
"It's nothing, Lieutenant," Sersi's voice came out hollow. "Nothing at all."
Save for several stray Titans, who are quickly dispatched by Thena and Kingo, the coast was clear. The Attack Titan soon arrived after, having carried the boulder uninterrupted from their With a roar, it slammed the boulder down on the breach, blocking it fully and completing the mission.
"Sersi… lay me down…" Doing so, Sersi felt her heart sink further. "Reach into my belt… there's my flare gun. Load it… with the yellow flare… and fire. To signal the success… of our operation…"
The Eternal did as instructed, her movements robotic. Fixing the yellow signal flare into the gun, she aimed it up and pulled the trigger. The pale yellow wisp of smoke lingered in the air for a few minutes for those in the northern wall to confirm.
"We… lived without… the hope of victory… for so long…" Rico took Sersi's hand in hers. "It's nice… to finally see a change…"
"Lieutenant, stop talking," Sersi did not believe her own words. "It's gonna be okay. Just wait…"
"Finally…" Rico's voice grows weaker by the second, her grip on Sersi's hand slackening.. "We… didn't… die… in… vain…"
"Lieutenant?" No response. "Rico?"
Sersi says nothing. Looking up, she sees the fading remnants of the yellow flare, signifying their victory. They had won, but why did it feel so empty?
Even the sense of joy and elation she should have felt in this momentous moment was just… not there.
Why was she even doing this? To delay the inevitable?
"MISS SERSI!" It was Mikasa.
Her legs responding before she could, Sersi rushed over to the source of the voice. The Attack Titan, slumped over, was now slowly evaporating into steam, while Armin and Mikasa is on its nape trying in vain to extract their friend. Effortlessly, the Eternal climbs up to the nape, transmuting the flesh free from Eren before unceremoniously pulling him out and landing on the ground, followed by the two cadets.
It happened quicker than Sersi had thought it would be. Eren, cradled in her arms, was burning with fever. A side effect from a first-time transformation, perhaps…?
"Miss Sersi, you're bleeding!"
Mikasa was right. Her green attire, her hands were marred in blood, a side effect of carrying Rico.
"It's alright, it's not mine."
"W-we should… head back…"
"Yes," Turning to the blonde boy and trying her best to reassure him with a smile, Sersi replies. "We should."
Their plans were interrupted by another group of new arrivals.
The leader of the group is a short, blue eyed rogue with dark hair styled in an undercut, whose expression seemed to be permanently shifted into a scowl.
"Sorry to interrupt your little family bonding," he barked. "But what's the situation here?"
Sersi sighs. It was time to face the music.
AN: Maybe I should learn how to set a quota of a certain number of words per day because leaving a chapter unwritten for months then rushing to complete in days ain't working for me. Now that I am in uni, my time to write may be even more sparse but I can say with confidence that you won't have to wait half a year for a chapter again.
Next one will be an interlude focusing on Hitch and the RBA trio set in the three days after Trost. Before you groan, they're character pieces that are important, crucial even, to the plot and how it deviates from canon. Stay tuned.