Chapter 30: Duty or Desire
Alphonse squirms uncomfortably under the large tongue of the Armoured Titans pinning him down to the floor of its jaw; thin rays of light escaped through the cracks along the Titan's teeth, illuminating the dark disgusting cave. Eren frantically thrashed about, trying fiercely to loosen his binds, however Ymir had him pinned down, his stomach pressed up against the Armoured Titan's shoulder.
As quickly as he could; Reiner made a mad dash to for Wall Rose, trying greatly to out run the soldiers hot on his heels. But the speed of the horses and the restrictive ability of his titan allowed groups of Scouts and the Garrison to quickly catch up to him. Bertholdt watched as two members of the Garrison leapt from the horses and fired their cables onto the back of the Armoured Titan's head, narrowly missing both Bertholdt and Ymir who stood on each side of the Armoured Titan's shoulders while clinging onto its hair, and reeled themselves forward with their blades drawn ready to strike. Bertholdt quickly takes out his own blades and cuts the wires of the attack Garrison soldiers; sending them tumbling to their deaths as they hit the ground.
Suddenly six steel hooks pierce through Armoured Titan's plating on the side of its face as three Scouts fired their cables onto the side of left Reiner's head; Reiner lifts up his hand and grabs their wires; pulling the hooks from his head, small fragments of his armour picked from his face, and violently flings them onto the ground, their screams quickly silenced with the sound of a sickening thud. So far they've been able to hold off incoming attacks and narrowly avoiding the desperate on-coming attacks made by the Garrison and Scout Regiment; the small group of soldiers that were pursing them were now all dead.
No going back from this… thought Ymir
But very quickly more and more soldiers began to come into view; trying to swarm them like predators chasing their prey as trails of red smoke were shot in their general direction and it was only just a matter of time before Mikasa, Levi or Edward caught up with them.
Bertholdt looked towards Ymir, who watched with an anxious look on her face at the ever approaching ranks of Walled Humanity pursuing them, a desperate plan crept into his mind "Ymir!" he called out, catching her attention "We can't outrun them like this, you need to buy us some time and disrupt their formation!"
Ymir gave Bertholdt an incredulous look "Are you nuts?" she yelled back "They'll kill me!"
"Your Titan is the fastest out of all of us" yelled Bertholdt, trying to convince her "Please! If I do it then I'll be a sitting duck but you've got a chance, please help us!"
Ymir continued to look at Bertholdt with a look of disbelief until a sudden idea came to mind wait… she thought this is my chance! "If I have to knock these guys back then I should also get Historia while I'm at it!"
"What?" yelled Bertholdt, a shocked look on his face "No, we don't have time for that!" he responded, his voice filled with anxiety, Reiner turned his head slightly to the side as if to look at Ymir, he wanted to emerge from his Titan and respond but couldn't; the situation called for him to keep moving and for Bertholdt to make the call.
"Screw you, you tall sweaty bastard!" shouted Ymir "If you want my help then that's my demand, I'll disrupt the formation and go after Historia or we can all get caught by Scouts!" Bertholdt turned his head to the Armoured Titan's nape as if hoping for Reiner to burst out and make the decision himself, Bertholdt was hoping, praying, Reiner would do so "No Bertholdt!" yelled Ymir "You make the call, now or never, either I go after Historia or we get overrun!"
Bertholdt turned back to Ymir and then to the Armoured Titan's nape; clenching his teeth he could feel the panic within him beginning to erupt DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! He thought "Okay!" he yelled "Go after Historia but please just help us!" he cried.
Ymir's eyes quickly soften with a look of pure relief on her face "Get over here and take Eren!" she called out, Bertholdt swung over to her side and held a thrashing Eren onto Reiner's shoulder. "Take out one of your blades" she asked, Bertholdt quickly slammed his handles onto his blade and unsheathed it from its scarab, Ymir pressed the palm of her hand onto its razor sharp edge and the blade cutting cleanly into her hand leaving a straight line of red.
She leapt from the shoulder of the Armoured Titan and suddenly, out of a blindingly bright explosion, a five meter tall Titan with razor sharp teeth and claws crashed onto the ground and sprinted towards the formation.
"That's a flash!" yelled Mikasa, the bright explosion of light catching her eye
"But Reiner's already transformed" stated Armin as the memory of the flash of lighting striking the ground in the distance played in his mind "Its Ymir, she must have escaped!"
"You think she's got Al and Eren with her?" asked Ed riding along side them
"we can only pray that's the case" commented Hannes
"I'm not much of a praying man" replied Ed "I'll just have to go see it myself!" he then whipped the reins of his horse and shot forward into the direction of the flash, moving quickly ahead of the others
"Ed, wait!" yelled Armin as he stretched out his arm as if to stop him.
"Mikasa, Armin!" yelled Hannes, catching their attention "I'm moving back into my squad, you kids stay safe!" he yelled before riding off to the side
"One of them transformed" stated Hange, who was riding along side Erwin and Levi "It must be Ymir that initial transformation was Reiner's, definitely"
"And we'd see the Colossal Titan by now if it were Bertholdt" added Levi "They're not dumb enough to try and use that slow ass mountain against an entire formation."
"If its Ymir then we'll link up with her" stated Erwin, staring resolutely into the horizon, Wall Rose quickly coming into view "Soldiers, converge onto the location of the light!" he yelled, his voice carried across the area "Do not engage the Titan!"
"Ymir is not an enemy of Humanity" declared Historia as Erwin listened to her intently "She saved my life and the lives of our comrades when the Titans attacked the castle, she even tried to attack the fur covered Titan leading the attack."
"It's got to be Ymir!" yelled Sasha as they approached the five meter Titan, its long arms, messy hair and raven black eyes coming into view, it sat there waiting for them "It is her!" groups of soldiers began to surround her as more and more converged on her position, some shot flares into the air to signal their location.
"Ymir, where's Eren?" asked Connie urgently
"Where's Reiner and Bertholdt?" asked Jean "Did they get away?" but Ymir didn't respond, instead she only moved her head from side to side as if she was looking for someone in the ever growing crowd.
"What is she looking at?" asked Mina as she turned her head from side to side trying to find what Ymir was looking for. More and more people began to join the crowd as they all stared at the five meter Titan before them; it looked as though a quarter of the formation was watching her.
"Hey!" yelled Connie "C'mon you big ugly freak, we're running against the clock here!"
Come on… come on… thought Ymir, impatiently
"Ymir!" yelled a voice from the back, the five meter Titan head snapped towards the familiar voice; it was Historia, riding on her horse galloping towards Ymir.
"Something's not right…" muttered Rico, as she and Ian observed the Titan, she looked towards the crowd, whose eyes were all on Ymir, her own eyes then trailed back towards Wall Rose, that's when she caught sight of a bulky Titan climbing along the stone beam of the wall "It's a tri-!" she tried to warn them but before she could say finish her sentence; Ymir Titan's pounced from the ground and grabbed Historia with one of her large hands, her Titan body crashing into some unlucky soldiers in her path and sent them colliding into the ground with their horses.
"Huh?" exclaimed Historia as watched Ymir's Titan open its mouth, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth, the Titan then threw her into its wide jaws, like a child throwing a small piece of candy into mouth. She quickly turned her head towards a group of soldiers who watched her with a look of terrified shock; she had caught them completely off guard.
They must have thought I was on their side…
They quickly fumbled for their handles and latched on the blades from their scarab but Ymir quickly flings her massive body onto the group, slamming into them and their horses and crushing some of them under the weight of her Titan. She clenched her hand into a tight fist and swings it into a group of Garrison soldiers, she swiped her claws at an oncoming Scout who had their blades drawn and charged towards her, Ymir's nails sliced through the poor soldier and their horse, the bloody chunks of their body splattering onto the grass.
"All units engage the enemy Titan!" ordered Ian, pointing his blade at her; the Ymir quickly raised her claws to her face as if to dare any of them to attack her.
"Ymir, you traitor!" yelled Jean, although he was angry at her for keeping her Titan ability a secret and in the past he never really trusted her because of her secretive nature; when she placed herself in harm's way during the battle at the castle and was willing to tell them everything he thought that perhaps now would be a good time to trust her, he now felt incredibly foolish for making such a judgement.
"Damn it, Ymir, not you too!" yelled Connie as he watched another one of his friends turn against them. Ymir turned her head towards her friends who looked at her with a mixture of pain and scorn which stood in stark contrast to the looks of relief that were on their faces only seconds ago.
I'm so sorry… she thought you wouldn't understand but this is something I have to do…
Ymir pounced off the ground and towards her friends and a group of scouts, suddenly a massive stone fist burst from the ground towards her, she quickly stretches out her hands and bounces off the incoming fist, landing roughly on the ground; bright blue sparks of light danced just off the corner of her eye, she turned her head to see Edward with his hands placed on the ground.
Do I have to beat you too? He thought, his eyes quickly scanned the damage she had down and the people she had killed "You're gonna pay for that." Threaten Ed "I'll be after those other two bastards once I'm done with you" Ymir was ready to pounce on Ed when the sound of more galloping horses catches her attention.
"Levi!" yelled Erwin "apprehend the shifter!"
Captain Levi! Thought Ymir apprehensively
"Mikasa!" yelled Armin, as he watched her gallop forward towards Ymir
Damn it, you too… Ymir quickly turned around and began sprinting towards Wall Rose; Reiner standing upon the Wall with Bertholdt waiting for her.
"After her!" yelled Erwin "Levi, take teams one and two, pursue her!" a group of scouts led by Levi chased after the five meter Titan. Ed quickly jumped onto the saddle of his horse, whipping the reins and following them. Erwin's eyes scanned the mess of injured and dead scattered across the small space of land "What happened?"
"That Titan shifter attacked us" responded Ian as he helped up an injured soldier "She swallowed up one of the recruits then launched her attack, took us by surprise." Ian's grip on his handle tightens as he thought about his inability to act sooner "she played us for fools and bought the enemy time to run."
So they know about her too thought Erwin she's important to the church, central government and the Titan shifters… but why, why is the illegitimate daughter of a lord so important to this many groups? That's the question we have to find out.
"How many are dead?" Erwin asked solemnly
"Looks like less than twenty dead" replied Ian "She's really done a number on our formation"
"With all due respect, Commander, we should have never of trusted a Titan shifter" said Rico angrily "especially one that's ousted herself less than two days ago."
"Commander!" came a voice from the side; Erwin turned his head to see Nanaba galloping on her horse towards them, she frantically moved her head from side to side observing the carnage "Commander, what happened?" she asked agitated at the sight of the dead and wounded.
"Recruit Ymir had turned against us" informed Erwin "she's sided with the enemy." Erwin walked up to Nanaba "Nanaba, the shifter has taken Historia" he said in a hushed tone "Our main priority will be the recovery of Eren Yeager and Alphonse Elric, but we'll need to recover Historia Reiss if we're to find out the Reiss family's connection to the Wall cult and the central government; I'm tasking you with her recovery, if you find an opening then take it."
"Of course, Commander" replied Nanaba
With a swift heave the Armoured Titan lifted Ymir's Titan from the side of the wall and onto the top, Ymir looked down off to the side of Wall Rose to see the Scouts just reaching the Wall.
"They're almost here!" yelled Bertholdt "We have to leave!"
The Scouts fired their hooks onto the top "After them!" ordered Levi "We can't let them escape!" the group reeled themselves upwards towards the Titans standing on the wall, Ymir quickly grabbed onto the Armoured Titan's back with Bertholdt; the group then slid down from the wall and into Wall Maria just as the Scouts landed onto the wall.
Ed ran to the edge of the wall facing Wall Maria's interior and quickly caught sight of the Armoured Titan running off from Wall Rose "Bastards!" yelled Edward, viciously "Get back here!" he was about to jump off the wall when Levi grabbed him by his cloak.
"Don't be an idiot" said Levi "We can't go after them without our horses, we'll need to get the elevators from one of the districts and-"
"Don't bother." Said Edward, interrupting Levi and yanking himself free from his grip; Ed walked towards the edge of the wall "Captain, can you move the horses?" he asked though it sounded more like a demand, Ed leapt into Rose's interior, fired his cables onto the wall and he swung down onto the ground.
Only a couple of meter away from Wall Rose, the formation began to lick its wounds after Ymir's surprise attack "So Ymir's working with them?" asked Armin
"It's like everyone we've ever known is turning on us" said Sasha, staring at the ground with a look of sadness on her face
Why… why is this happening? Thought Mina, sitting down on the grass next to her horse, her arms resting on her knees Reiner, Bertholdt, Ymir…Annie… why have you turned against us?
Mikasa remained on her horse and stared into the direction Ymir had run off to; there was a bitter look on her face as the angry within her started to boil over her for not being there to stop Ymir and her inability to kill Reiner back at Stohess I won't fail this time she promised herself I'll kill them all if I have to…
"If Levi hadn't caught up to them then it's safe to say they're gotten away" stated Hange as Erwin and the other Scout, Garrison and Military Police officers listened intently to her, she placed her finger onto Wall Maria and glided it down to Shiganshina district "this is our best bet in where they're going-" Suddenly the ground underneath them began to violently shake, a deep rumbling sound could be heard and the area beside Wall Rose in front of them was blocked out by a large slanted mountain of dirt and rock.
"What the hell…" muttered Ian as he and the other Garrison soldiers Scouts watched in complete awe at the sight.
"Hey, Erwin!" yelled Levi as he rode his horse up to the officers "Ed's made a ramp over the wall, we can still catch up with the Armoured brat."
"Then we haven't moment to lose" replied Erwin, he turned towards the mass of soldiers "Redeploy the formation, the mission to retrieve Eren Yeager and Alphonse Elrics continues!" there was a mass scramble as everyone hastily climbed onto the saddles of their horses.
Levi turned to face Hange who had an unusual grin on her face while she softly giggled to herself "What are you smiling at, shitty glasses?" he asked
"You know, Levi" said Hange "even with high expectations I've really underestimated the power of their Alchemy; when this is over I'm gonna get those two to teach me."
"God help us when you do" replied Levi, rolling his eyes slightly
"Rico!" yelled Ian as he climbed onto his horse "Take your team and secure the entrance, make sure the Titans don't use it to cross over, I'll take the rest of the company with Commander Erwin"
Rico clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes slightly at Ian; she wanted to follow her comrades into battle too "Yes, Captain" she replied, complying with the order "Team, secure the ramp; make sure not a single Titan tries to cross over into Wall Rose"
Ed's grip on the reins of his horse tighten as he watched from on top of the wall the Armoured Titan running off into the distance, he turned his head back towards the formation charging towards him "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon" he muttered impatiently, as the soldiers hit the base of the ramp Ed quickly turned his horse towards the ramp into Wall Maria's interior and rode downwards; chasing after the shifters that took Alphonse and Eren.
Ymir placed her hand over her mouth and with a disgusting cough she spat out Historia who was now soaked in thick saliva; Historia gasped violently as fresh air began to fill her lungs followed by an intense coughing fit. Eren turned his head as far back as he could and caught sight of Historia within the clutches of Ymir's Titan, he once more tried to struggle free but it was all in vain as Bertholdt held him down. A thick cloud of smoke suddenly burst from the Titan's nape revealing Ymir, the nerves of her Titan still connected to her face.
"Hey Kris- Historia" Ymir said between a few hard coughs "You're probably angry at me for eating you back there, sorry about that."
Historia looked to Ymir and then to Bertholdt who was holding down Eren who, in turn, was thrashing about "Ymir… what are you doing?" asked Historia, who was both confused and terrified "Where's Alphonse? We came to save you three-"
"I don't need saving!" shouted Ymir with an irate look on her face, her face quickly soften "I'm working with Reiner and Bertholdt now, you're coming with us; you can't stay inside the Walls, there's no future for the Walls!" Ymir let out a soft sigh "Listen, it's not so bad living on the outside; for one there's no one around to tell you that 'the world would be better off without you' which is already a plus"
Eren glared at Ymir But getting eaten by Titans is so much better?
"Well of course the Titans wouldn't tell me that; they'd be too busy trying to eat me!" Historia exclaimed
"Hey, nobody's perfect!" Ymir shot back "You just got to look past that! You remember what Armin said? They're people after all and besides there no going back for me, not after betraying the Walls."
"That's not true!" exclaimed Historia "Ymir we have to leave, the Commander promised your protection if you come with us, please there is a future in the Walls! Are they making you do this? If so then let me go and we can fight them together, no matter what, I'm on your side!" Ymir looked at Historia with a guilty expression
I really don't deserve someone like you… she thought to herself
"What the Hell!" yelled Bertholdt as he caught sight of the advancing force which was quickly catching up to them; he quickly turned his head to face Ymir "the Scout Regiment are still pursuing us!"
Reiner turned his head slightly, focusing on the ever growing sound of horses galloping towards them; there's no way they could have crossed over the wall that quickly but he knew exactly the person capable of doing it Edward… that son of a bitch…
"Heads up, Erwin" called Hange "We've got Titans coming in from the left" pointing to the pillars of red smoke reaching into the sky
"Not like we can stop the bastard in his tracks" said Levi "Our blades are close to useless against his armour"
"No, we can stop them" replied Erwin "Hange, you continue to lead the formation with Levi, if the Armoured Titan changes course then fire off a green flare in its direction" he then turned his head further to the right "Runners, relay that message to the others also if either Eren or Alphonse are rescued then fire off a blue flare, one for each."
"Yes sir!" replied the Scouts, as they turned their horses and moved back.
"Nanaba take second squad and follow me; we're moving to those Titans, tell the wings of the formation to converge into the centre." Ordered Erwin
"What the hell are you planning on doing, Erwin?" questioned Levi, his eyes narrowing as he looked at him
"Only what's necessary" Responded Erwin "Just continue onwards and follow my commands"
A steel hook pierced into the armour plating of Reiner's Titan, Bertholdt watched as a lone Scout reeled himself upwards towards him with their blades drawn, Ymir's Titan quickly snagged at the cable and threw the Scout onto the ground; his screams of terror were quickly followed by a low thud as his body hit the ground.
Edward watched as groups of soldiers tried in vain to rescue Eren from the other shifters, he caught sight of Eren being pinned down by Bertholdt on the Armoured Titan's left shoulder but not matter where he looked he couldn't see Alphonse among them Damn it, where are they hiding him? He thought about going up there to fight against them himself but he knew it would likely end in his death like the others who tried and he wouldn't know where to hit; if he was going to rescue Alphonse then he'd need Eren's help to do it. He turned his head to the right to see Mikasa about to overtake him "Mikasa!" he called out, catching her attention "I'm going to rescue Eren, this didn't work out too well last time but just follow my lead!" he finished with a sly smile.
Mikasa fired her cables onto the side of Ymir's face and swung her blades at her eyes, slicing open left side of Ymir's face which cut through her eye. The Titan let out a loud screech from the pain. Bertholdt once more took out the blade from his scarab and raised it towards Mikasa; all while pinning Eren down with his knee. So focused on Mikasa, he never saw Ed come up from the side and before he realised it he was dealt a swift kick to the face; the sole of Ed's boot slamming into Bertholdt's temple, knocking him off Eren, Ymir quickly grabs Bertholdt before he could plummet down to the ground.
Ed quickly grabbed hold of Eren, he jumps off the Armoured Titan's shoulder and swings downwards, with Mikasa, onto their horses; the three riding away from the Armoured Titan. Bertholdt takes notice of their escape; he fires his cables onto the back of Reiner's head and reels himself forward.
"Reiner!" he yells, there was panic in his voice "They're got Eren!" the Armoured Titan quickly turned his head to the left to see two horses quickly riding off with their objective.
That son of a bitch! Thought Reiner, he quickly turned to the side and dug his heels into the ground, chunks of dirt and rocks were scrapped from the ground as he came to a slow halt, he then began sprinting after them.
"The Armoured Titan's changing course!" yelled Hange, grabbing her flare gun she pointed it to the Armoured Titan and fired; a trail of green smoke heading towards it "Soldiers, change course!"
"Looks like they might have saved them" commented Levi; the sound of pistol being fired off quickly grabbed their attention as they caught sight of a single line of navy blue smoke "Well one of them at least."
Mikasa grabbed onto the reins of Ed's horse, guiding it forward as Ed holstered his pistol, leaving a navy blue column of smoke behind them, he turned to Eren and began to remove his binds "Eren, where did they put Alphonse?" he asked urgently
Eren quickly positioned himself upright onto the horse "Reiner put him in his mouth!" he exclaimed "I don't think Reiner ate him, they need him alive." Ed quickly turned his head back to the Armoured Titan to see the large fifteen meter titan charging towards them and… what looked to be a few people hanging from the Armoured Titan…
Bertholdt stood on the Reiner's left shoulder, Ymir hung from his right while Historia was clinging onto Ymir's long hair and the three watched as Reiner began to chase after the three
Ymir burst from her Titan's nape "It'd be faster if I go after them" she stated
"Don't" said Bertholdt "We still have Ed's brother, he won't leave him and Eren's too proud to let someone else fight his battles; either we catch them or they come to us." His tone seemed a lot more cold and calculated, a far cry from his more nervous and indecisive self. Ymir was about to respond when suddenly the sound of cables being fired from the belt barrels and steel hooks breaking into the armoured plating caught their attention.
Ymir was about to snag at the wires until Historia quickly pulled at her hair to stop her "Ymir, wait!"
"Reiner! Bertholdt!" yelled Connie as he landed onto the Armour Titan's back, the two stared at each other for a few seconds.
There were so many things that needed to be said between the two "Stay back!" was the only thing that Bertholdt could say as he raised his blade at Connie, trying to keep his distance from him, Bertholdt turned his head away from Connie; he couldn't look him in the eyes. The sound of metal cables behind him caught Bertholdt's attention; he turned around to see Jean, landing onto the side of Reiner's face.
"Hey… Bertholdt" said Jean; his voice was slightly shaky as the two now came face to face again for the first time after the betrayal. Quickly more people began to land onto the Armoured Titan, Armin, then Sasha and then Mina; all of them now staring at Bertholdt who was waving his blades at them while actively avoiding making eye contact with them.
"You can't even look at us, huh?" asked Jean "You know I should beat you to a pulp, Bertholdt, seeing as you're the reason my home got swarmed by Titans a few months ago" his tone of voice was almost jokey for a serious threat.
"You, Reiner and Annie… you were all tricking us?" asked Connie, his voice aching with sadness "All this time, you three were playing us for fools"
"Did we all mean so little to you three?" asked Mina, sorrowfully "Thomas… Nic… Mylius… they all died because you broke down that gate, so many of our friends died; after all we've been through I thought we were your friends"
"This all has to be a mistake!" exclaimed Sasha "You three wouldn't just betray us like this!"
Bertholdt felt as though he was about to break; the full weight of his sins bare down on him Please stop, it wasn't like that… he shut his eyes tightly trying to hold in the flood of tears, he tried desperately to hold his arms straight while pointing his blades at them; trying not to show any weakness to his friends, he wanted to block out their voices but he simply couldn't.
"Do you guys seriously plan on catching up with those horses and making a quick get away?" questioned Jean "After everything we've been through and everything you've done; Bertholdt, remember the jokes we'd use to make about your sleeping posture, we'd never know how you'd do it, hell we even use to try and predict the weather from it" Jean face then began to harden and his tone became more bitter "Now I wonder how you guys were able to sleep at all… next to the people whose lives you've ruined no less."
"Was all of it bullshit?" demanded Connie, with a feeling of desperation "about getting through all this and about remaining friends till the end and going out for drinks, you remember that Bertholdt it's what you told us, were you just lying about that?" Bertholdt's hands began to shake, the blades rattling slightly in the handle "Look at me, Bertholdt!" Connie yelled "was it all a lie?"
Bertholdt slowly opened his eyes and turned to face them, his friends, with tears welling in his eyes; it was only for a second but he got a good look at their faces. He quickly broke under the pressure of his guilt and hid his face his hands, the handles of his ODM gear pressing against his cheeks "I DIDN'T WANT THIS!" he cried as a flood of tears fell from his eyes "who can just kill people and accept it? Who the hell would choose to become these monsters? You think we wanted to do this?" the group watched Bertholdt, slacked jawed as he broke down before them "people hate us, of course they do, the things we've done are unforgivable…we can't live with this guilt; but being your friends made it just a bit easier" he lowered his hands and looked upon the shocked and sadden faces of his friends "Yes, we hid this from you, we hid this from everyone, but we really did think of you as our friends; I know you can never forgive us but please, someone…anyone…FIND US!"
Ed glared daggers at the Armoured Titan charging after them, his eyes focused on the Titan's rows of teeth, he quickly devised of a plan to rescue Alphonse from the Jaws of the Armoured Titan "You guys get going" he said, his voice possessing its usual courage "I'm going after Al."
"No way" replied Eren "we're not leaving you to do this alone" Eren raised his hand to his face and began opening and closing it "my body's healed now, I can transform into my Titan"
"You helped get Eren back, I'll help you get Alphonse back" added Mikasa besides… I still have to kill them
Edward couldn't help but smile at the two "Alright, first we've got to-" very quickly his attention was drawn to a low rumbling sound which seem to grow in its intensity. The three quickly turned their gaze forward "What the hell!" yelled Edward
"Bertholdt, Reiner… you don't have to do this" pleaded Armin "Just stop chasing after Eren and hand Alphonse over, you can leave, just go back to your hometown"
"I'm sorry, Armin" replied Bertholdt, looking at the person he considered to be a close friend during their cadet years "we simply can't…" he then raised his blades back up "this can only end in two ways; either we get Eren and Alphonse or one of you is going to have to kill m-"
"Guys!" yelled Historia, she eyes focused ahead "Its Commander Erwin and he has a Titan horde following him!" the group turned their heads to the front, their eyes greeted to the view of a large horde of Titans trailing a squad of Scouts trying to escape the Titans clutches on their horses.
"Erwin, you crazy shit" growled Levi as he and Hange caught sight of the Titans in front of the Armoured Titan
"Soldiers, move now!" ordered Hange, firing off a flare to her right.
The 104th quickly leapt from the Armoured Titan and swung themselves down onto their horses, Edward and Mikasa sharply pull the reins of their horses to the right; trying to gallop away from the charging Titan horde, Historia hung onto Ymir's hair while Bertholdt clung onto Reiner's hair from behind.
Erwin sharply extended his arm rightwards "soldiers disperse!" he ordered "move from the Titans!"
Drawn to the Armoured Titan before them, the Titans threw themselves onto Reiner, colliding into his Titan; they grabbed at his arms and legs, holding him in place, while trying desperately to bite through its heavy armour. The force of impact threw Alphonse around in the Armoured Titan's mouth, freeing him from under its tongue, the muffled roars and rumbling clued him in on what had happened. From a safe distance the coalition of soldiers watched as the horde of Titans kept the Armoured Titan bogged down on the spot.
"Who did we secure?" asked Erwin
"We've got Eren" replied Mikasa "But Alphonse is trapped in the Armoured Titan's mouth."
"We've got our Titan shifter and one of the Elrics, we should just retreat while we still have a chance." said one of the MPs "We can't risk more of our men like this."
"Those boys are worth more than ten of us" argued one of the Scouts "we can't let any of them fall into the hands of the enemy"
"Would you like to tell that to the families of those men who are worth less than just one of those three?" the MP shot back
"Commander…" called out Ed "If you don't want to risk more lives then that's fine, but I'm still going after my brother; we'll meet you back at the ramp."
"No Edward, we're not leaving you here alone" replied Erwin, he wasn't about to let one of humanity's greatest assets go alone on the field nor was he going to let Humanity's enemies make off with one, he quickly turned his head to Levi "Levi, teams one and two are under your command; clear a path for us" he whipped the reins of his horse and move further forward "All Squads, charge!" he ordered, his booming voice heard across the field, the soldiers behind the commander looked at him dumbfounded and dismayed at what he was ordering them to do "Humanity's future shall be decided here! If you wish to see Wall Maria recaptured within our life time then we must have the combined efforts of those three, now go! Recover Alphonse from the jaws of the Armoured Titan then retreat!" he slammed the handles of his blade onto the left side of his chest
"DEDICATE YOUR HEARTS!" He declared as he rode forward into the Titan horde
"You heard the Commander, get your asses moving!" ordered Levi as he rode forward
Ed was the first to charge forward with the commander "Ed wait!" yelled Connie, suddenly a large bolt of thunder struck the ground near them, the light blinding them for a second to reveal a familiar fifteen meter muscular Titan with long black hair, jagged teeth and piercing emerald eyes. Eren's Titan let out a deafening roar at the Armoured Titan before making a charge forward into the fray, quickly catching up to the Commander.
So that's what Eren's Titan looks like… thought Hannes as he observed the fifteen meter Titan charging forward
Mikasa quickly followed, followed by Mina; Jean and Armin both steeled themselves and whipped the reins of their horses to charge forward, quickly everyone began to charge forward, a thunderous war cry following them.
Ymir tore at the nape of a fourteen meter Titan while Reiner began swatting away at them; his fists colliding into faces of the Titans trying to devour him, a bright flash of light quickly caught his attention; his target, his whole reason for being here, was charging towards him Heads up, Bertholdt he thought, expecting a rematch with Eren we'll just have to endure this a little longer! Some of the Titans caught sight of the mass of soldiers charging towards them, the broke off from their attack and ran towards them.
"How the hell are we going to slip past them?" muttered Jean, as he watched the Titans run towards them
"Advance!" ordered Erwin as he stuck out his right arm, hidden amongst the trees a Titan on all fours leapt out and chomped down on his right arm, pulling him off his horse and quickly crawling away with the commander on all fours.
Levi pulls his horse back as he watched in terrified shock at Erwin dangling from the Titan's jaws
"Erwin!" yells Hange, panicking as the Commander of the Scout Regiment and one of her friends gets taken away in the jaws of a Titan
Erwin lifted his left arm forward, pointing his blade at the direction of the Armoured Titan "ADVANCE!" He ordered to everyone's shock "Secure Alphonse Elric, carry on with the mission!"
Hange clenched her jaw, frustrated "Soldiers, continue to charge!"
Levi growled at him as his grip on the reins of his horse tightens Erwin, you fucking idiot! He thought "Team one, save the Commander!" he yells as he charges forward "Team two, you're with me!" he quickly leapt off his horse; he fired his cables onto an on-coming thirteen meter Titan and effortless swung around behind to slice open its nape. A ten meter Titan attempted to grab at him, sticking its arm out to get Levi into its clutches; Levi jumps from the slain Titan's nape and cuts off the ten meters fingers and with impossible speed rotates in a circle slicing the Titan's arm into large chunks of flesh before finishing it off with a swift cut to the nape.
Eren sprinted towards Reiner, aiming to tackle his to the ground and smash the Armoured Titan's teeth in with his fists, when a twelve meter titan tackles him from his side and sends them both onto the ground; the Titan quickly pins Eren to the ground and began to gnaw at his shoulder. Eren throws the Titan off to his side and begins punching it repeatedly in its throat, a cloud of smoke partially blocking his view. Suddenly a fifteen meter Titan grabs Eren's head and left shoulder from behind, angling him to the side as it bite down on his nape; Mikasa quickly fires her cables onto the Titan's neck, she reels herself forward and slashes at its nape. More Titans began to descend upon Eren, his Titan let out another deep roar as it prepared to fight.
Mina fired her hooks onto the side of the Armoured Titan's face and pulled herself forward landing squarely onto its armoured cheek, she paused for a moment to catch her breath; everything seemed to go by in a blur, first she was ducking under the hands of a fourteen meter Titan while a Scout from Team one sliced its nape and now she found herself the first Scout to make it to Reiner How have I not run out of luck at this point? she thought, she then turned her attention to the jaw of the Armoured Titan now how am I going to do this…
Trying to plant his boots firmly inside the mouth of a Titan, while covered in saliva, is a difficult task, yet Alphonse managed to find his footing; he clapped his hands together and slammed them onto Reiner's teeth, sparks of lighting illuminated the disgusting cave in a sky blue colour before the rows of front teeth shattered into pieces and an flood of light from the sun poured through. Alphonse covered his eyes, his eyes adjusting to the light; he lowered his hand and stuck his head out from the hole in the Armoured Titan's mouth
"Al!" yelled Mina, catching his attention; she extended her arm outwards trying to reach him when suddenly slices at her arm, leaving a deep cut into her upper arm, she pulls her arm back and clutches at the wound.
Both Mina and Alphonse look up to see Bertholdt standing on top of the Armoured Titan's head; Bertholdt swings again but this Mina just manages to defect it with her own blade. Alphonse claps his hands together and places it onto one of the Armoured Titan's teeth; a halberd sports from the tooth, Alphonse grabs hold of the weapon, he sticks his body out of the hole and thrusts the halberd at Bertholdt. Bertholdt quickly deflects the attack and takes a swipe at Alphonse who narrowly dodges the attack. Suddenly the sound of more steel hooks breaking into the Armour plating catches Bertholdt attention, he turns to see Edward zooming towards him; Bertholdt swings his blade at Ed but Ed quickly blocks the attack using his own ones, their blades locked together the two now found themselves in a standoff.
"Go now!" yelled Edward to Alphonse and Mina, she quickly grabs Alphonse hand, pulls him out of Reiner's mouth and swings them both down onto her horse. Ed turns back to Bertholdt, the two glared at each other through their locked blades.
"It doesn't matter what you can do, you can't beat us!" declared Bertholdt as he tried to push forward.
"I'm sure your friend with the big nose thought the same thing" taunted Ed as he pushed his weight forward onto Bertholdt "But now she's paying the price for her crimes…and so will you two."
After the confrontation with his former friends and their objectives slipping away from them, Edward taunting him about Annie had caused Bertholdt to finally snap "You weren't sent by God!" he yelled "You're an apostle of the Devil, sent here to help his children!" suddenly Bertholdt felt as if all the air had been taken out of him, his eyes widen and he look down to see a blade pierced through his stomach.
Ed moved back as far as he could, he peered to the side of Bertholdt to see Levi, his face and uniform was drenched in steaming blood with his blade buried in Bertholdt's lower back "Ed, go now!" he yelled as he detached the handle leaving the large blade buried into Bertholdt. The two quickly swing down, angling their fall onto some nearby horses. Bertholdt fell from the top of Reiner's head; his cables left him dangling in Reiner's field of vision.
Nearby, Erwin watched as both Levi and Edward made their escape, clutching the bloody stump where is arm should be "All Squads retreat!" he ordered
Eren threw the five meter Titan across the field, rolling in the dirt Get out of my way! He thought, Mikasa landed on his right shoulder, wiping the blood from her face; Eren was about to charge into Reiner until he the sight of a blue flare caught his attention they got Alphonse! Quickly groups of soldiers began their escape from the horde and the Armoured Titan. Eren's Titan let out a throaty growl of frustration at the thought of not finishing off Reiner and Bertholdt this isn't over… he thought as he turned his back on them and make a break with the other soldiers escaping.
The eight meter Titan slammed Ymir onto the ground, Ymir's claws pierced into its neck trying to hold the Titan back; the Titans roared at each other as they fought. Historia quickly fired her cables into the nape of the Titan and lacerated it, the Titan collapsed dead onto Ymir while Historia swung herself onto a nearby tree.
"Another kill to my name." she muttered to herself, she fell onto the ground and began running towards Ymir "Ymir are you-"
"Historia!" yelled Nanaba as she scooped her off the ground, holding her with one arm while she rode her horse.
Historia looked up at her "What are you doing?" she asked, somewhat panicked
"We're escaping" stated Nanaba "both Eren and Alphonse have been secured and I've been tasked with your rescue"
"No!" yelled Historia as she tried to struggle under Nanaba's grasp "Let me go!"
"Are you serious?" questioned Nanaba; she turned around to see a familiar five meter Titan trailing them from behind
"We have to go with Reiner and Bertholdt!" yelled Historia "If I don't then those two are going to kill her, they need me and I have to be there to protect her!"
"If your friend wants to live then she will follow us back into Wall Rose and she'll answer for collaborating with those two and the deaths of those soldiers!" replied Nanaba "But you are going back into the Walls with the rest of us, that is an order!" Nanaba turned her head forward "beside I doubt she's doing this for her sake; I may not know much about your relationship with her but it's clear to me that she cares about you, I don't know a lot of people who would willingly cut their own arm off to protect a person who they would only consider as their comrade."
Suddenly a large shadow was cast over them; they looked up and watched in dumbfounded terror as a fifteen meter Titan had been thrown over them. The mass of soldiers galloping on horseback could only stare at the Titan raining down on them and crashing onto the ground blocking their path.
"Crazy son of a bitch!" yelled Jean as he turned his head back to face Reiner
Then another was thrown Titan, this time it collided into Eren's back, knocking him and Mikasa down onto the ground. Using her gas, Mikasa managed to cushion her fall slightly however she rolled onto the ground roughly, her face rolling over a sharp rock leaving a single deep cut just below her right eye.
The Titan quickly got up and pinned Eren to the ground, it then bit down on a part of his upper arm and tore off a large chunk of flesh from his Titan body. Mikasa quickly got to her feet; she stumbled a bit, clutching at her at her ribs, before firing her cables onto the Titan's upper back, pulling her forward and slicing open its nape. Eren emerged from his Titan, thin red lines covering his cheeks, he tore himself free from his Titan body, slid down its neck and ran up to Mikasa.
"Mikasa!" he called out, he held her up as she was about to collapse onto her knees
"I'm fine" she replied as she regained her balance
"C'mon we gotta get out of here" said Eren but before he could call for a horse, the two quickly noticed a low rumbling sound to the side of them; he turned his head to see another horde of Titans approaching them…
And a disgustingly familiar and ugly smile on one of their faces…
Eren felt his blood boil, his breathing quickly became erratic and he stared at the familiar Titan with murderous intent in his eyes "Mikasa… find a horse and get going" he said, barely containing his anger
"No" replied Mikasa, resolutely "I'm staying with you"
"You're injured; you're in no shape to fight!" Eren responded, his anger now spilling over
"That doesn't matter" said Mikasa "You told me to fight; if we lose we die, if we win we survive… but if we don't fight then we can't win so I'm staying and I'm fighting with you!"
Even with his anger flaring up Eren couldn't help but feel touched that Mikasa remembered the words he told her all those years ago "Alright…" he conceded "but that Titan's mine." He moved a few steps from Mikasa and raised his clenched fist to his mouth, all while never taking his eyes off the Titan that ate his mother.
Edward pulled his horse back as a ten meter Titan crashed into the ground in front of him, Mina's horse stood sharply onto its hind legs causing the both Alphonse and Mina to fall to the ground. The ten meter Titan slowly began to get up, Al panicked; he clapped his hands together and slammed them onto the ground, a large spike impaled the Titan's head. Mina quickly got off the ground and pulled Alphonse up.
Sorry about that! Thought Alphonse, looking back at the Titan
Hange fired her cables onto the injured Titan and quickly executed the large Titan "Edward, Alphonse!" she yelled out "get on a horse and head for Wall Rose!"
Edward didn't hear Hange, instead he was focused on the twelve meter Titan a few meters away from him, within its clutches was a MP; he looked a bit like Kain Fuery with his roundish face and slightly spiky hair… and he was about to be eaten alive by a Titan.
If I don't do something then he's going to die thought Ed but I can't kill them, they're people…
The Titans are humans turned into monsters…but does that still make them any less human?
The poor MP was now staring into the wide mouth of the Titan, his head was about to move past its teeth… suddenly the Titan jerked forward and let out a pained shriek before collapsing onto ground, its large palms cushioning the fall of the MP, he turned to see Edward looking down at him "You alright?" asked Ed as he helped him up
"Yes… thank you" replied the MP before he ran off after his horse
Edward looked back at the Titan he'd slain; it wasn't his first Titan kill, it was one among over a dozen, but it was his first kill full knowing that these monsters were just people.
He had knowingly killed a person.
I had to do it… there was no other way
"Brother…" muttered Alphonse, if the Titans were in fact people then was there anyway in turning them back to normal? Much like Kimble's former subordinates who were turned into chimera shouldn't they at least find a way to undo this? Alphonse didn't believe it was hopeless for them because he didn't believe it was hopeless for Darius, Heinkel, Jerso, Zampano… and himself.
Without warning two more Titans, five and four meters, were thrown near them If we can't capture them, then I'll just have to kill them thought Reiner, just below his head Bertholdt gripped the slowly healing wound in his stomach, he turned his head to see Eren fighting off another horde of Titans who'd wondered into the field; if everything went well then Eren will have gotten himself eaten fighting the horde. Alphonse slammed his hands onto the ground; a pair of stone hands burst from the ground grabbing at the five meter Titan's feet and swiped it off its feet and held it down, Levi watched precariously as Alphonse went out of his way to avoid killing the Titan.
Moblit fired his cables at the four meter; he slashed at its eyes, blinding the Titan, while Hange went in for the kill. "Squad leader, more Titans will be here any second, we have to evacuate!" before Hange could respond, two more Titans a seven meter and a nine meter crashed down near them. Alphonse clapped his hands together and extended his arm to the side; A halberd rose from the ground within a bright blue circle of light, he clutched the weapon with both hands. Ed and Mina drew out a pair of new blades from their scarab, ready for a fight.
Jean and Armin charged forward towards Eren and Mikasa "Damn idiot!" yelled Jean "Now's not the time to be fighting another Titan swarm!" all of a sudden another Titan, a three meter, was thrown in their direction, stopping them in their tracks; A fourteen meter quickly followed, landing right next to them "Out of the way, you bastards!" yelled Jean as he drew his blades out.
They quickly evaded the Titan and continued towards Eren and Mikasa "Hurry Armin!" yelled Jean, looking back at Armin… not noticing the three meter Titan flying towards them
"Jean lookout!" yelled Armin but it was too late; the Titan collided into their horses, sending them crashing onto the ground. Armin quickly got up from the ground and ran to a now unconscious Jean; he grabbed Jean by the hood of his cloak and desperately dragged him away while waving his blade at the approaching three meter Titan
"Jean, Armin!" yelled Connie as he slashed at the nape of the three meter Titan, saving his friends. Sasha quickly followed behind still on horseback and holding onto the reins of Connie's horse
"Quick, you guys!" shouted Sasha "Get on!"
"Look out!" yelled Armin "more Titans heading towards us!" they all turned their heads to see a group of four to three meter Titans walking towards them
"Oh C'mon…" muttered Connie as he stared at the Titans in disbelief at their incredibly bad luck
Ymir charged at Erwin, who was galloping away from a pursing Titan, she stared at the commander with murderous intent you and that damn Edward Elric she angrily thought you two ruined everything! She leapt off the ground and towards Erwin
"Commander!" yelled Nanaba as she and Historia trailed behind Ymir
Erwin turned to look at Ymir's Titan pouncing in his direction with her arms outstretch; he didn't feel fear in that moment, only anger and frustration over the idea that he may never fulfil his dream, Ymir's claws with over the Commander and instead slamming into the Titan pursuing him, saving him from possible death. Erwin looked back, perplexed, while Nanaba breathed a sigh of relief. Historia leapt off Nanaba's horse; she fired his cables onto Ymir's head and landed squarely on her forehead.
"Recruit!" yelled Nanaba
"Please, XO" pleaded Historia "just let me talk to my friend."
"Erwin!" yelled Hange as she ran towards Erwin, who was clutching at his stump, Levi quickly arrived at the scene, a new layer of blood covering him from the Titans he had slain in quick succession "Erwin, we got to get you on a horse!"
"We're practically running on fumes at this point" stated Levi "and I'm down to my set of blades."
"Go, forget about me…" Erwin replied, his voice restrained as he held back the immense pain in his right side "I'm replaceable; just focus on getting those three out of here, that's my final order."
Levi glared at Erwin before slapping him on the back of his head, staining Titan blood in his blond hair, Erwin looked up to Levi confused "Stop being an idiot and get on a horse!" yelled Levi
Eren slammed the fifteen meter Titan onto the ground; face buried in the dirt as Eren bit into its nape and tore the chunk of flesh from his neck. A fourteen meter quickly grabbed Eren's left arm from behind; it bit down onto to his upper arm and ripped his arm off, Eren swiftly turned around and threw a hard blow to the Titan's face, sending him flying off to the side. Mikasa slashed at the nape of a nine meter Titan looking to grab one of Eren's legs; A six meter Titan charged towards her, she fired her cables onto a nearby tree, using her gas, she swing around, the Titan following her, moved behind the Titan and carved a large hole into its nape. Mikasa fired her cables onto Eren's shoulder, detaching her blades and attaching new one; they faced the other Titans and the Titan they were after, the one with the sinister smile, seemed to be hiding behind the others
I'll kill every last one of them if it means I can get my hands on you! Eren thought as his Titan let out deep loud roar
Hannes sliced at the ankles of a ten meter Titan, allowing one of his subordinates to quickly slash at the nape of the Titan; he's quickly alerted to the roar nearby to see Eren's Titan confronting another horde Eren, Mikasa! He thought he quickly took hold of his horse.
"Hannes!" yelled Ian, catching his attention "The MPs' line is about to break, take your men and reinforce them!" Ian peered to the side to see Eren's Titan staring down another Titan horde "Eren can handle it" said Ian, trying to reassure him "Kid took out twenty Titans in Trost, he can handle them."
A five meter Titan leapt at Eren, its jaws opened wiped to take a large chunk out of him; Eren countered with a upper cut to the Titan's mouth, smashing the top part of its head, before stomping at its neck, he turned back to face the Titan that killed his mother Almost there… he thought, though his Titan didn't show it, there was a hungry grin on his face. His breathing was heavy and he had spent most of his energy fighting off the other Titans; he only had a little bit of strength left in him to kill that Titan.
Mikasa collapsed onto her knees; trying to catch her breath while holding the left side of her body, fighting back the pain, she looked down at her blades, her last pair, they looked like they were about to break Keep…going… she thought as she forced herself up. A twelve meter Titan slowly approached her, she fired her cables onto the neck of the Titan; looking to quickly end its life, she pressed the trigger for the gas which shot her forward into the air, blades drawn, she was ready to kill this Titan. Suddenly the Titan swung its hand at her, looking to grab Mikasa; she swings her blades at the incoming hand, slicing off its fingers but shattering her blades in the process. The Titan then grabs Mikasa with its other hand, squeezing at her ribs
"AHHHH!" She cries
Eren turns his head towards Mikasa, witnessing the twelve meter Titan holding her in its large hands Mikasa! He looks back at the Titan with the wipe smile on its face approaching him and then back to Mikasa. His opportunity for vengeance was right there… within his grasp and with his last bit of strength he could avenge his mother…
Mikasa tried desperately to free herself from the Titan grasp; trying to slice off its fingers with her dull and broken blades. The Titan slowly opened its jaw, ready to devour Mikasa; without warning Eren grabs the Titan's wrist and forces its hand away from its mouth. The Titan roared at Eren and Eren roared back; the twelve meter Titan bit into Eren's shoulder, trying to reach for the nape, using his right arm Eren pulled the Titan back, tearing off a chunk of his shoulder, he then chomped into the side of the Titan's neck using his last bit of strength to rip off half its neck. The Titan collapsed onto the ground into a steaming corpse while Eren's Titan fell to its knees, pillars of thick smoke emanating from its wounds.
Mikasa limped towards Eren's Titan; the fifteen meter monster breathing heavily and its body slumped forward "Eren…" she whispered
I'm not letting you die here… thought Eren as he looked down at her I'm staying with you…
The last Titan loomed over the two; staring at Eren's Titan and Mikasa, Eren looked upwards, coming face to face with the Titan that killed his mother.
Hannes felt a mixture of dread and anger as he caught sight of the Titan that killed Carla all those years ago now looming over her son about to eat him. Oh God no… he quickly climbed up onto his horse and quickly grabbed onto the reins of another one; he whipped the reins of his horse and sprinted towards the two, hoping that it wouldn't be too late.
The Titan then began to move its head forward towards Eren; with whatever morsel of strength he could muster Eren let out a vicious roar while staring into the eyes of his mother's killer and swings his right hand towards the Titan's face…
Reiner shook as he felt a surge of energy pass through him, Bertholdt gasped as the feeling of burst of energy course within him and Ymir froze on the spot shaking for a second as the feeling of being struck by lightning quickly past her
In a cell inside Stohess, Annie suddenly felt an intense rush of energy run through her; she jerked forward, rattling her chains.
"Hey, what's going on?" questioned one of her guards while the rest apprehensively reached for their blades
Eren's the Coordinate…
The smiling Titan was thrown back away from them, crashing onto the ground; it slowly got back up to its feet, Eren let one final determined cry at the monster you're not taking another person away from me! Suddenly a large fifteen meter Titan ran past both Eren and Mikasa and tackled the Titan back onto the ground. They both watched in shock as an ordinary Titan began tearing into another one of its own. Hannes watched in absolute amazement as Titans ran past him and past the kids, it was as if they were just ignoring them.
"What the-?" yelled Armin as he, Connie and Sasha watched as the Titans ran away from them
"Honestly I just don't know anymore and I couldn't give a shit at this point" said Connie as he turned towards his horse "Let's get moving!"
"What the hell is going on?" said Ed as he, Al and Mina watched as the two Titans they were going to face off against run away with a stampede of Titans.
Hange watched with a feeling of disbelief, amazement and pure joy at the sight of Titan behaviour never once seen before "Holy hell!" she yelled, pointing at it excitedly "Do you see that!"
"Yeah I see it" replied Levi "Now let's get the fuck out of here" grabbing onto a horse, he looked back at the sight even he was completely amazed at what they were watching.
Eren burst through his Titan's nape and climbed down onto the ground; Mikasa quickly grabbed onto him, hugging him tightly.
"Kids!" yelled Hannes as he rode up to them "Can you ride?"
"Hannes!" exclaimed Eren "Yes!"
Hannes tried desperately to hold back his tears, putting on a brave smile "Good, now get on!" Eren and Hannes both lifted Mikasa before Eren got on; quickly the three made their escape.
"You two!" yelled Nanaba to Historia and Ymir "We have to move, now!"
"Yes, OX!" responded Historia
Ymir watched as the Titans tore apart one of their own; quickly everything became clear to her Eren's the Coordinate! Maybe… maybe there is a future for the Walls…
Reiner charged towards Eren and Mikasa as they tried to get away this is bad… thought Reiner why'd the Coordinate fall into his hands, unless we capture it, we're all doomed; They're the last person in the world who should have that power, Eren
Eren turned his head to face them, he pulled the reins of his horse holding it in place "Stay the hell back!" he yelled, that same burst of energy coursed through them once more "You bastards, I'll kill you all!" suddenly the Titans who were devouring the large Titan with the wide smile quickly turned their attention to the Armoured Titan once more.
Reiner turned to face the Titan horde heading straight towards him Bertholdt! His thoughts solely on the safety of his friend I can't protect him!
"This may be our only chance" said Erwin as he climbed onto his horse "Soldiers, retreat!" no one needed to be told twice; they quickly began to gallop away from the Armoured Titan as he was held in place by horde of Titans.
"Amazing…" muttered Hange as she continued to watch wide eyed at the scene while riding away with the others
"Squad Leader, please focus on the escape!" pleaded Moblit
Bertholdt slashed wildly at the Titans trying to grasp at him, they all stared at him with hungry eyes looking to devour him; Ymir watched as both Reiner and Bertholdt struggled against the horde of Titans, if nobody intervened to save them then they were as good as dead.
Someone…anyone… FIND US
I'm the only person who knows what you've been through… thought Ymir as she watched them
"Ymir!"" called out Historia, catching her attention
"Recruits, the formation is going and we're about to be left behind!" yelled Nanaba "Get moving!"
Ymir ignored Nanaba, instead she turned to Historia and gently ran his large finger along Historia's hair, Nanaba watched slightly apprehensive as Ymir stroked Historia "sOrRy" the Titan croaked
Historia gave Ymir a perplexed look "Wuh?" was all she said to Ymir before her best friend ran off towards the Armoured Titan and the Titan horde; Nanaba grabbed the reins of Historia's horse, pulling her along while Historia stretched her arm out at Ymir, telling her to come back.
Under the midnight blue sky and the bright moonlight, the formation galloped back to Wall Rose, the journey was silent; no one spoke to each other yet they clung onto one another tightly as if holding on for dear life.
Eren looked off to the side; Alphonse held onto Ed, with Mina riding next to them, as the two rode alongside him, Armin held onto Jean still in a daze with Connie, Sasha and Historia next to them and behind them was Hannes, keeping his eyes closely on them.
So many people had to die to save him and Alphonse but for just a brief moment he was thankful that all the people close to him didn't die today.
Hey everyone, well, I'm back and to anyone who wanted Ymir to go along with them I'm really sorry I couldn't make that happen; I really did try to fit her into the story but I ran in some problems. Now, lets move onto the Uprising Arc.