Chapter 22: Was it Necessary?
Levi drew his blade from his scarab as he observed the Titan's crystal covered nape, readying himself for the moment to create an opening and drag out the monster that killed so many good Scouts. After getting a good look at the face of the Female Titan, Ed reeled himself onto the branches of one of the nearby trees, he observed his and Alphonse's handy work in capturing the Female Titan, but still there was this uneasy feeling in his gut about the fact that a lot of good people had to die in order to capture her, Alphonse reeled himself up to the branch Ed was standing on.
"Looks like we managed to capture it" said Alphonse
"Yeah" Ed replied "Still the idea that so many people dying just to pull this off doesn't sit well with me."
"I feel the same brother" replied Alphonse "When I first heard he talk back at the Courtroom he reminded me bit of the colonel and how'd he tried and sway people to his side, but I think there's one big difference between them."
"Oh yeah, what's that?" asked Ed curiously as they both looked at Erwin who was solely concentrated on thr Female Titan
"I don't think Mustang could or would sacrifice the men underneath him to achieve his goals." Stated Alphonse
"Not just yet, Levi" ordered Erwin "A little more insurance, First wave! Fire!" quickly the area was lit up by the blinding light of explosions as a series of harpoons were fired into the exposed areas of the Female Titan which weren't restrained by the stone hands transmuted by Ed and Alphonse, the sharp harpoons pierced it's skin and into its flesh, focused around the back and its stomach and chest, the loud bangs echoed through the empty forest.
"Hey Armin" called Jean after they moved away from a Titan which was attempting to climb the trees "I think I just figured out why we've been told to keep these Titans out of the forest; we're luring that Female Titan into a trap." Armin took a sharp intake of breath as Jean came to the same conclusion he'd figured out not so long ago. "That's probably why they're keeping it under the wraps from us and why the officers are so jumpy, of course that means there could be people working for the Titans."
"I think so" replied Armin "and I'd assume so does the commander; Eren's powers suggest that it's possible for humans to control Titans then the most logical assumption after that is that there could be Titan spies trying to destroy the walls from within and if we were able to lure out of them out and capture them we could gain the answers about the Titans the Scouts have been looking for since their founding."
"It doesn't make sense" said Eren to his squad mates as they waited on the branches for the signal "how could they keep you guys in the dark about something like this, not telling me is something I can understand, but why not you guys?"
"Could you just shut up." Ordered Oluo
"Are you telling us that the Captain and the Commander kept this secret from us because they don't trust us?" accused Petra
"No...Um... Actually yes, it's the only way it makes sense!" retorted Eren
"Kick the brat's teeth in, will you Petra?" growled Oluo pointing his blade at Eren, frustrated by Eren's reasoning "He can grow them back anyways!"
"The kid's got a point." Interjected Eld "neither the Captain nor the Commander told us about this, but I willing to bet only a select few know about it, my guess is only the members from five years ago."
"Oh, well that makes sense…" said Gunther
"Although…" continued Eld scratching his stubble "It seems as though Ed and Alphonse were the only exception to this, what with their part in the Female Titan's capture, so it leads to the question; why did they trust them but not us."
"Preposterous" replied Oluo in denial "and if that were true it would nothing short of a madness to allow two rookies in on something like that."
"Perhaps it had something to do that odd question the Commander asked me, just after we arrived to see Sonny and Bean…" added Petra, trying to find reasoning for withholding this kind of information
Eren thought back to that moment 'what is it that you see? Who do you think the real enemy is?' "So that's what he meant" Eren muttered to himself
"I'm guessing that somehow the Ed and Alphonse answered the question correctly and got in on the mission" said Eld "Of course how could they figure out the answer if we couldn't…"
"Speak for yourself, I managed to figure it out but I decided to keep the answer to myself" Bragged Oluo "though I'm sure you must have figured out my reason"
Bullshit… "Which is?" questioned Petra unimpressed
"You really don't know?" said Oluo in a condescending manner "Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised though I'm sure you'll understand once you reached my level of intellect."
Petra sighed "Look if you're trying to copy the Captain I've got news for you; that's not how he talks."
If we succeed in capturing whoever is controlling this Titan… thought Eren but still… so many people died in order for us to get to where we are, was it really worth it?
"Leaving us all out of the loop like that, it wasn't right" said Jean as he and Armin watched the Titan crash into the ground "Why risk the lives of your men? Even the squad Eren's in got caught off guard."
Armin thought back to when Squad Leader Ness and the veteran Scout were crushed in the palms of the Female Titan, it was all too likely that there were more Scouts killed by her hands was it really worth it… "What the Commander did was necessary." Stated Armin
"What? Do you have any idea how many people had to die needlessly for this?" questioned Jean exacerbated by Armin approval of the Commander's tactics
"I know, Jean" replied Armin "But you have to think of it this way; everything can be easily judged in hindsight, but at the time he didn't know what could happen and make considerations like the Titan's identity, their abilities, their knowledge and whether they were acting with others, if in the end we manage to capture the Titan shifter then the ends would have justified the means." Jean stood taking in everything Armin said at a complete loss at what to argue back with "What the Commander did was terrible, maybe inhuman but it's completely necessary, I may not have experienced everything, but if there's one thing I'm of is that those who are able to make change are the ones who are willing to accept that they can't hold on to holds them back, in other words, the only way we can defeat monsters is to abandon our own humanity and if you're not willing to do that, then you're not able to change anything."
"He'd probably say it was all worth it… to capture the other shifter; sacrifice his men in order to get the answer they wanted" Said Ed, trying to get into Erwin's head
"But why?" questioned Alphonse "why is the choice either sacrifice the lives of good people to capture one person or not sacrifice them at the cost of capturing the shifter, why do we have to make a choice like this? Why couldn't we capture the shifter and not sacrifice the lives of those men? If we're willing to do something like this in order to achieve our goals, then what exactly is off limits?" Ed listen, he thought back to when Shou Tucker talked about what he said 'needed to be done' in the name of science "Even when the situation is dyer, even when it calls for it, there has to be a limit to what we should do; otherwise we might end up sacrificing the one thing that separate us form them." He finished as he stared at the captured Titan.
"At we don't have to order more gunpowder in the budget next time around." Joked Hange as she fired a series of harpoons into the Female Titan's behind "Look at you, I bet you can't so much as twitch, can you? And the best part, the more your wounds close up the more ridged your joints, I can't imagine the pain of having a spear shoved through your guts, dozens of harpoons lodged across your body and I'm sure those hands aren't particularly loose either… still I wonder what's taking Levi and Mike so long."
Squad Leader Mike and Captain Levi swooped down from their branches with their blades drawn and ready they struck the nape as they descended down upon her, they swung their blades pushing all the force they could into it, but it was no use; their blades shattered in pieces coming into contact. Levi watched in both shock and frustration at their seemingly futile attempt to reach the shifter within. Mike reeled himself up to a branch nearby Commander Erwin, he presented his stub damaged blades and shook his head, while Levi reeled himself onto on the Female Titan's head.
So, she can harden areas of her body with an impenetrable substance though Erwin as he observed the Female Titan Similar to the accounts of the Armoured Titan he watched as the crystal like substance began to crack and chip away slightly from her nape though it looks as though she can't sustain it, we could be able to cut our way through with enough strikes, however we don't have the luxury of time for that, we could fire an artillery round or… "Edward!" he called out
Ed fired the wired from his ODM gear and zipped over to Erwin "Yeah?" asked Ed
"Hange had told me that the building material of the walls was similar to a diamond like substance, is that correct?"
"Yeah, that's right." Replied Ed, he took a look at the Female Titan's nape and the crystal like substances covering it, he instantly released what Erwin was asking him to do, Ed looked back at him and nodded as if to say if got the meaning of the question.
"When I give the signal…" he then raised his hand to signal Mike, Mike lifted himself up to Erwin's branch "On my command you and Levi are to strike at the Female Titan's neck." He ordered, Mike nodded, fired his cables onto a higher branch and reeled himself upwards.
Levi tapped his foot on Female Titan's head as he stood on her, taunting her "You can make this a lot easier on us if you just came out." He said in an intimidating tone "we don't all day… you're probably thinking about a way to escape, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there isn't one, how' bout you focus on all the lives you've taken today though I'm sure you enjoyed it, well that's alright; because I'm going to enjoy the moment I get to cut your limbs off, of course I mean your real ones and I'm we don't need to worry about it; they will grow back anyways" he said Icily "Are you alright with that?"
No… I'm not alright with that… suddenly the Female Titan opened its opened its mouth, letting out a ear-splitting high pitched roar which seemed to shake the very earth beneath them, everyone covered their ears in a hasty attempt to muffle the roar slightly, the very force of the roar send a strong gust of wind in every direction, blowing leaves off of branches and cloaks fluttering violently. It echoed across the whole forest, everyone within the vicinity could hear it loud and clear. The Female Titan shut its mouth, leaving only the faint echo travelling across the forest.
"Huh… for a second you almost got me…" said Levi in an icy manner
"Was that some kind of death screech?" asked one of the Scouts still covering his ears
Mike quickly lowered himself down to Erwin "They're coming" he said, a sense of urgency in his voice "I smell them, a lot of them."
"What direction?" asked Erwin
"Every direction!" replied Mike
Erwin's eyes widen as he heard the sound of loud rapid footsteps approaching their direction
"Ed, destroy the Female Titan's shield, now!" commanded Erwin
"Titans coming from the east!" warned Mike as he spotted three Titans heading towards them
"Wagon defence squad, intercept!" Ordered Erwin, three Scouts fired their cables in the direction of the incoming Titans hoping to lure them away and take them down, however as soon as they got within range, the three Titans passed them, completely ignoring the incoming Scouts
"What the…" said one of them
"Captain Levi!" yelled another Scout
Levi stomped on the Female Titan's head "Hey!" he yelled "what the hell did you do? Tried to call for back up, huh?" he then turned to face the incoming Titan, he readied his blades, holding the handles to them like knives as he shot himself towards two of the Titans, killing them in quick succession.
A four meter Titan ran up to the Female Titan and bit into her leg, Erwin was stunned, he had never seen a Titan devour its own before they're eating her… his mouth open slightly in shock as he saw the massive horde about to descend upon their position.
"Titan coming from all directions" warned a Scout
Ed and Alphonse watched in terrified shock as a massive wave of Titans charged towards the shifter Titan.
"You're not getting away that easily!"" Yelled Ed, quickly his shock was overcome with a sense of determination, he slammed his hands together and then onto the truck of the tree; thick long wooden bars burst from the tree and periced through the bark Of the neighbouring tree to form a barrier. The oncoming titans crashed into it, stretching out their arms through the gap towards the Female Titan " Al, close the other gaps!" Alphonse leapt from the tree branch and fired his cables onto the next one, copying Ed he closed off the other entrances. The Titans slammed into the wooden bars holding them back trying desperately to reach the shifter, however some had slipped past and charged towards the Female Titan, crashed into the stone hands and sunk their teeth into its flesh.
"All squads commence combat!" ordered Erwin "eliminate the remaining Titans before they devour the Female Titan!"
"Hang back Al" said Ed as they tried to catch their breath "looks like they'll handle it from here"
The mass of Scouts who waited in the trees then descended onto the few Titans that passed through; Mike pluged his blades into the a fifteen meter's naps and tore through its flesh, Levi effortlessly sliced through the nape of a ten meter before seemingly eliminating the seven meter Titan right next it. Moblit shoved his blades into the eyes of the thirteen meter Titan, the monster staggered back confused allowing Hange to go in for the kill. All around the Female Titans it's mindless allies were being slaughtered to the last monster.
You sons of a bitch... thought the Female Titan angirly as she glared at both Edward and Alphonse, ever since they arrived all they've done was make their work ten times more complicated; they were a barrier in her way and one she's been told not to eliminate but capture on top of Eren I really hope you're worth this...
Levi landed onto the large branch Edward and Alphonse stood on "Not bad" he complement them, though his voice never changed from its tone of calm authority they pretry accustomed to "Good to see you two are taking the initiative on stopping them." he was impressed not by their skill or ability but because they knew something had to happen and had the confidence in themselves to make that call, perhaps in time those two might rub off on Eren.
Erwin scanned his surrounding; he watched as the Titans outside the cage of trees tried to reach out for the Female Titan we can worry about how we're going to leave afterwards he turned his head back onto the Female Titan right now you're our main priority "Edward, retrieve the Female Titan shifter" he ordered Time to find out who you really are...
Ed leaped from the branch and fired his cables onto the Female Titan's nape "I'd hate to be you right now" he said with a cocky smile, he placed his hands together and placed them onto the crystal covering her nape, the crystal shattered into pieces leaving the nape unprotected. Ed lifted his sword to the side ready to slice open an entrance to the shifter when suddenly the sound of a loud creak stopped him, he turned his head to the side and noticed the Titans on one side were now pushing themselves up against the wooden bars. Then the sound of wood splintering caught everyone attention, they turned to see one of the barriers snap in half.
"Oh shit..." said one of the Scouts
"Ed retrieve the Female Titan now!" Yelled Erwin, Ed quickly slashed his blade only to find the the crystal coating had once more appeared, the Female Titan has taken advantage of his split second confusion, and his blade shattered on impact. Before he could remove the crystal the wooden barriers which separated the Female Titan from the others all caved inwards and a mass horde of Titans flooded into the empty space.
"Ed!" Yelled Alphonse as he watched the titans descend onto his brother's position, Ed aimed his wires at one of the Titans when suddenly someone grabbed him by the collar of his brown waist coat, reeled them both upwards and thrown him onto one of the branches
"you can't take on a horde you idiot" said Levi
"All squads commence combat!" Ordered Erwin "defend the Female Titan at all costs!"
The mass of Scouts once more descended into the Titans; both Edward and Alphonse quickly joined inas they jumped off their branches and on to the napes of on ominous Titans. Ed sliced at the nape of one of a ten meter Titan while Alphonse cut into the nape of a twelve meter. Unlike the last battle this one was chaotic; it was too late to hold back the tide of titans, large clouds of smoke filled the space as the Scouts tried desperately to protect the Female Titan and the bodies of fallen Titans began to litter the area. Erwin watched as the efforts of his soldiers and his became in vain as the Titans tore the Female Titan to the bone; hot blood splattered into his left cheek as he saw the scene fold.
"All squads withdraw! He ordered "Redeploy the formation, return to Karanes district!" they all quickly fell back to the safety of the high branches as they watched the remaining Titans devoured what was left of the carcass.
Ed and Alphonse landed back on the same branch, instantly sitting down as they attempted to catch their breath; both of them were stained in Titan blood, the streaks of blood on their uniform and faces felt hot as it evaporated off them and their blades were dripping with Titan blood. Ed's grip on the handle tighten and slammed the butt of it into the tree "Damn it!" he yelled in frustration, it had seemingly all been for nothing; the planning, all the time and energy…and the loss of so many people… he had thought that after the expedition they'd be closer to sealing the hole and heading back home, instead it looked as though they'd hadn't made any progress and could be set back a step or two.
"We've been beaten…" said Erwin
"Don't give me that crap" replied Levi angrily
"Think about it…" Erwin responded "the enemy was prepared to make sacrifices, considerable ones, even allowing themselves to be cannibalised for the sake for keeping their identity unknown."
"All that talk in the courtroom and this is what we have to show for it except the heavy losses?" asked Levi frustrated "If we return like this Eren and the Elrics are as good as dead."
"Well cross that path when the time comes" replied Erwin "right now our main priority is returning without having further causalities being inflicted upon us." Erwin stood; still staring at the horrific scene before them This steam only makes matters worse he thought It'll be difficult to spot a smoke signal through this… he then thought back to the reports of the Colossal Titan and how large amounts of steam would emanate from it, that's when it hit him is it possible?
"I'm heading back to my squad…" mentioned Levi
"Not just yet, Levi" said Erwin, stopping Levi in his tracks "Ed, Alphonse!" he yelled, both of them zipped over to Erwin "Ed I need you to relay the events of what happened back to Levi's squad, Alphonse you link back with Nanaba and the other squad leaders tell them about what happened, you'll both link back with Wagon defence squad in the formation, understood?"
"Yes sir" replied Alphonse, while Ed nodded his head, they both looked at each other and gave the other a give nod
I'll see you soon, Al
Erwin turned his head to face Levi again "Levi, you'll replenish your blades and gas."
"We haven't got time for that" stated Levi "I've got enough as it is."
"That's an order." Replied Erwin in an authoritative tone
"Yes sir." Said Levi unenthusiastically "I trust you know what you're doing…" he then went off,as Edward left he turned back to see Levi going with the other Scouts.
Blue flares were shot into the sky, signalling a withdraw from the area and a retreat back to Karanes district
The 104th looked up into the sky as they caught view of an extremely welcome sight; blue flares reaching up into the clouds
"Looks like we're done here" said Nanaba "We'll head back to the horses."
"Understood." Replied Krista as bravely as possible
"What?" gasped Jean in shock as he and Armin both stared at the blue flares wide eyed "It's over?"
"Oh thank you God!" exclaimed Connie as a wave of relief washed over him "We're getting out of here", Reiner and Bertholdt watched the flares in the sky with a great sense of unease, Sasha breathed a sigh of relief while Mikasa waited for her next orders to come in, Mina softly smiled to herself; proud that she made it through her first expedition.
"Thank you Eren" said Petra as they soared though the air back towards their horses once they caught sight of the signal to withdraw
"Wha- but I didn't do anything…" replied Eren confused
"You trusted us, remember?" she replied "It's because of that we're able to capture the Female Titan, I know it must have been a difficult choice."
"Quit coddling him, Petra." Said Oluo "All he did was whine till he was blue in the face, listen kid this mission isn't over till we're back home, but I'll generously give credit where it's due surviving your first expedition is a success within itself it guess."
"Yes sir." Replied Eren belatedly
"Quit bragging, Oluo" laughed Eld "Last time I remember you and Petra both pissed yourselves on your first expedition."
Petra let out a pained scream, she looking absolutely mortified "Why are you outing me? I wasn't the one who was acting like an ass!"
Wait What! Thought Eren
"You imbecile!" yelled Oluo "I'm the only one in this squad who has a kill count second only to Captain Levi!"
"Kill counts don't make a soldier, Oluo" retorted Eld smiling
"So were you guys on your horses when it happened or using your ODM gear?" asked Eren innocently
"Save the banter for later!" yelled Gunther "And for the record my shorts have always been dry." That's when he spotted a green flare in the sky "Must be a signal from Captain Levi."
Ed looked up into the clouds, he stood on the branch of one of the trees as he observed the two green fading lines of smoke in the sky That's strange… he thought the Captain shouldn't be there, last time I saw him he was with the others, but then who the hell…. Then it hit him and his eyes widen at the sudden realisation the spy! He quickly lurched forward from the branch; he fired his cables onto two nearby trees and swung himself forward, using his gas to accelerate himself, if those fading flares were anything to go by then it must have been maybe a minute and the spy must of made caught up with the rest of Levi squad by now. As soon as his hooks detached from the trees Ed caught sight of a bright explosion in the distance, almost identical to the one that occurs when Eren transforms it's the Female Titan! He frantically began jolting himself forward all the while hoping he wasn't too late to stop the enemy shifter, he soon caught sight of her, the Female Titan, and she was leaning up against a large tree with her arms dangling lazily by her sides as three Scouts zipped around her like hawks circling their prey. Ed felt a wave of relief came down on him Looks like they've got this…
"I'll carve up your nap-" yelled Eld but just as he came close to her neck with his blades ready to strike, the Female Titan quickly turned in his direction, caught him into her mouth and bit down; cutting his body in half with his torso falling onto the ground which was quickly followed by the upper half of his body which got spat out by the Female Titan
Oluo and Petra looked on in horrified silence, Eren quickly spun back around towards the rest of his squad and Ed hung from the truck of a large tree with his mouth agape and eyes widen aghast at the terrible scene.
"Eld!" cried Petra, the Female Titan then stood up and faced Petra who was trying to put as much distance between her and the Female Titan, the Titan then began to give chase to a now panicking Petra, she cried out in terror as the Female Titan leapt off the ground and raised her foot above her.
"Urgh!" she cried in pain.
She felt a sharp pain in left side of her body, as if something from the ground had violently struck her and pushed her to the right side, she crashed onto the ground, her head hitting the ground and knocking her unconscious …just missing the large foot of the Female Titan that had come down almost right next to her.
The Female Titan looked at the broken chunks of mud and rocks that she had crushed rather than the Scout she was aiming for; she turned her head to the left and saw Ed kneeling on the ground with both his hands on in the dirt, they both looked at each other and exchanged death glares.
You've been a real pain, Edward.
"Die!" yelled Oluo, seeing his chance to kill the Female Titan and save Petra, he struck his blades against her neck. But it didn't work; his blades shattered into tiny pieces as it violently impacted the crystal substance around her nape "What the hell… my blades…"
Yelling before an attack isn't a very smart thing to do… The Female Titan quickly spun around stuck his back with a hard left kick; sending him crashing into nearby trees, his body leaving a red stain on them. Both Ed and Eren stared at Oluo mangled body lying on the grass horror-struck; almost all of Levi squad were now dead.
I made the wrong choice… Eren zipped towards the Female Titan; he raised his hand to his mouth I wanted to believe in my squad mates "I'm going to kill you!" he yelled, Eren bite down into his hand; his canines piercing into his hand as hot tears stung his face. A blinding bright explosion appeared just below the tree line, near to the Female Titan. A familiar ear-piercing roar rang through the air as Ed watched a familiar muscular fifteen meter oily black hair and bright green eyed Titan pinned the Female Titan to the ground with a look of murder in its eyes.