Chapter 51: Plans and Folly
The war hammer titan kept its long shield rose, protecting itself as they hid their titan body from the scattered hail of artillery shells and bursts of fire. They dug the long shield into the dirt as they pushed back against the force.
The titan formed a small slit through the shield as it picked out the glints and flashes of light as the shells struck the shield, the dark smoke blocking its view for a couple seconds. As the artillery shells chip away at the shield, the war hammer titan continued to observe the town and pick out their positions.
The war hammer titan forms a spear in its hand and slams the base of the staff onto the ground, white spiral nails burst from the ground around the glints of light and the distance echoes of screams and cries were carried across the battlefield.
Once more the war hammer breaks down their defensive advantage.
The war hammer titan plucks their shield from the dirt and slowly began to advance towards the town, like the single member of a phalanx unit advancing towards the enemy for the moment they clash. Peering through the slit in the shield it spots the waves of fire shot straight at it, then sudden explosions burst at its side and behind it. The titan held firm, trying not to fall over and expose itself to the enemy's fire and attacks, digging its shield into the dirt once more and leaning into it.
"Alchemist…" the war hammer growled, looking through the slit once more, confirming their location. As the wave of explosions subsided, the war hammer quickly turned its hand holding the spear, reached back and flung the spear towards the town, exposing itself for just a second before quickly covering itself with the shield.
The bursts of fire and explosions were halted immediately; the war hammer formed another spear in its hand, slamming its hand and the staff of the spear into the face of the shield before again slowly advancing towards the town. What shells of artillery that remained and continued to fire upon it was few and scattered, the feeble jabs of a weaken fighter. It was now heading for the outskirts of the town, just the length of its spear away from the rubble of a destroyed house just at the beginning of broken and overgrown stone road.
When the sound of the earth rumble in front of the war hammer halted it in place as a force began to push up against it, the titan stepped back and peered slightly to see a large pair of stone hands in place, its palms stretch and facing out as if to hold the war hammer in place and stop its advance. It slams the shield into the hands, destroying it easily.
Only for more pairs of hands to surround it, like a barrier that tried to encircle it.
"Annoying creature…" the war hammer commented with malicious in its voice. The hands then pushed back forcing the war hammer to stumble back. As the war hammer quickly regained its composure, the zipping sound of cables drifted around the titan, the war hammer moved its head from side to side as small people flew past it, small cables and hooks fired upon its armoured outline as they flew past its face and then towards its head.
It could hear the sound of their blades scrapping at its neck but not the feeling of its cut, their attack and attempt to kill it was futile and desperate.
The war hammer dropped its spear and then quickly grabbed at one of the gliding fighters, crushing it in its hand, blood squeezing from its fingers like crushing a juicy tomato in its palm. It then quickly jabbed its shield out, the dull thud and feel of something colliding into it and then landing onto the ground; the war hammer picked up its shield, looking down at the now crawling figure, before slamming the edge onto it.
"There's a cord connected to it!" came a yell from one of the attackers "Hit the cord!" the war hammer titan quickly turned its head back to catch a lone hooded troop gliding towards the silvery cord and then quickly catch them in its hand squeezing them like a ripe tomato. The war hammer then picked up its shield and then began to retreat, taking a couple steps back, falling just a few dozen meters from the village.
"Retreat!" came the order as the other flying attackers quickly dispersed from the titan; it picked up the spear and once more slammed its fist into the shield's face.
Damn it, they know! I'll have to step back and defend…I wonder… if they noticed… the war hammer titan turned its head back towards the direction of the Beast titan, its form lying still, sitting down lazily and quiet.
Ed sprinted towards the direction of the spear, sticking from the ground like a thin bone white tilted tower over the ruined houses of the town under siege. The sound of yelling and cries, the metallic sound of cannons and shells being dragged around, broken boards and planks being thrown to the side as garrison and scouts worked to get their comrades out of the rubble and the zipping of cables as troops began to hop over him from the rooftops.
"Armin!" he yelled out as he continued to sprint, as he reached towards the spear, as he turned the corner towards the impact point of the spear he found a destroyed house and more people digging others out of the rubble, the sight of people trapped under collapsed walls and piles of bricks. Ed put his hands on his head as anxiety began to overtake him "Armin! Where are out?"
"Ed!" came a yell, Ed snapped his head towards the direction of the voice to see Armin sitting down, his left leg caught under some rubble. "My leg is trapped under this!" Ed ran up to him, a part of the wall and some bricks lying on top of it trapped his leg. Ed quickly began tossing the bricks to the side.
"Ed, Armin!" they both turned their heads to see Levi run up to them, he knelt down and began to help them lift the debris off Armin "Edward, you were suppose to hold off that titan with the shield." Levi reminded him.
"I did!" Ed snapped "But you think I'm gonna stand by when that thing threw a spear at Armin." They lifted the collapsed wall off his leg "Armin, your leg" they looked down, Armin's foot looked intact and okay.
"Armin, can you stand?" Levi asked and he offered Armin a hand, as Armin grabbed his hand and pulled himself up he immediately began to stumble back putting weight on his foot.
"Ahhh-" he cried out slightly, Ed quickly caught him before he could fall. "My ankle, I think it's-" he tried putting weight on it further grimacing through the pain before getting a footing.
"Can you walk?" Levi asked.
"I think so." Armin replied "I think it's just fractured." Both Ed and Levi gently leave him to stand, Armin tried to walk a few steps before quickly almost falling to be caught by Ed, putting his arm around his neck as he help to hold him up.
"You're gonna need a medic." Levi stated, he turned back to Ed "Edward, you head back towards-"
"Captain Levi!" came a yell from one of the garrison troops "Edward Elric, Captain Dietrich has asked for you to meet back with him in the circle."
"What about the titan?" Levi asked.
"It's fallen back, Captain." The troop replied. "It's now holding its position and sitting back but still trying to pick us off, the other officers have regroup to talk about a new strategy."
Ed turned to Levi with a look that said 'What did I say?'
"Get moving." Levi ordered, he turned to the garrison troop "Thank you." the three quickly moved back to the barrier as everyone around them continued to scramble around and reorganise themselves. Ed placed his hands on the barrier, transmuting a couple people sized holes in the wall as the others began pour in and out of the gaps.
Levi and Ed quickly dropped Armin off with the medical team, laying him on a mat surrounded by other wounded as another tended to his ankle. Both Levi and Ed rushed towards the group of officers once more crowding around the table.
"And that's all you saw?" Ian asked the scout; Ed looked back at the map, small bits mapping out their positions and a lone rock sitting just outside the town. The scout nodded their head. "I see thank you." the scout saluted before heading back." He looked back to the others surrounding the table, turning his head to Hannes "Hannes, have the titans on the east tried to cross the river?"
"No, we've been picking them off for now; we'll be able to retake that section of the town with some luck." Hannes replied.
"Good." Ian replied, turned towards Levi and Edward "Good to see you two." He stated "Where's Armin?"
"Injured, bricks and wood fell on his leg could barely walk." Levi replied.
Ian sighed "Damn it."
"Is is alright?" Hannes asked, concerned.
"Is it serous?" Rico asked.
"Might be a broken ankle, hopefully a fracture that way he'll be an option if we need him back on the front." Levi replied.
"That's good." Ian stated, he then leaned into the table "Okay here's what we know; the raid on the titan by one of the scout teams weren't able to weaken or damage the titan, it looks like even our titanium alloy blades can't cut through it. However they might have spotted a weakness; the titan has a cord attached to its foot."
"A cord?" Nanaba inquired. "Like a water pipe?"
"Possibly, it's best to assume that it's important to the titan somehow." Ian replied.
"Maybe that's how it's getting its power, being fed through that thing." Klause suggested "If we cut off titan from the cord then we might weaken it."
"It could be the source of its abilities." Rico added. "If this titan with the spear, shield and war hammer is the best the enemy has and we weaken it then we go back to having the upper hand." Everyone nodded in agreement. "If that's its weakness then we have a clear target, we should organise a raid."
"I can lead an attack on the titan." Levi offered.
"I'll come too." Gelgar added.
"I think a team of thirty people should be more than enough." Levi stated.
"Alright then, Edward." Ian then turned his head to him. "If you can then create a path for the attack, change the environment to our advantage."
"Consider it done." Ed replied. "I think I know what'll give us an edge on this."
Mina crashed into the alleyway of the already destroyed houses; the side of her titan's face was crushed with a thick cloud of smoke pouring out of it like the intense fire, she felt the bricks and wood collapse around her, on and off her titan's body, as she stood back up from the ground.
She could feel the battered flesh and broken bones of her titan as she once more raised her fists in front of her face, taking up a fighting stance. In the distance she spots Reiner looking at her; his armour is broken and fractured somewhat from the impacts of her punches, the side of his face looked like a cracked plate that was just holding together.
I can't lose this one…
Her brawl with Reiner destroyed her previous body, resulting in her being forced to another.
She focuses on her hands once more, the shining crystal coating the top of her hand, her knuckles and her fingers. As the coating formed she quickly concentrated on her head, accelerating the healing process. She took a few steps back, the crunching of the broken buildings and houses underneath her foot.
She turned towards the colossal titan, still on its knees but still active as smoke burst from its body, no doubt trying to protect itself from an attack by the others. She then turned her head back to the direction of Hange and Dirk squad, battling the new titan; in the distance she could pick out the zipping scouts flying around as an agile titan hopped around picking them off as them as they tried to outmanoeuvre it.
Damn it!
She backed up further, hoping that somewhere she'd see the others quickly coming to her aid against Reiner, still she found herself alone only with Reiner now looking to clash and brawl with her once more.
Stand my ground… I can't let the others down, just a little longer…
Mina once more lets out a loud cry of defiance; Reiner returns the call in turn. She plants her feet into the ground.
I have to play it smart here…she thought back to Reiner and Eren's battle near Stohess, beating Reiner by grappling him and forcing him to the ground. She thought back to her training with Alphonse, Ed and Eren and the advice and lessons they gave her.
Reiner once more charged at her, Mina moved her foot to the side, Reiner's arm then swung out to strike at her and she ducks underneath the strike and hooks her arm over his neck before then sweeping at his legs.
Caught off guard, Reiner falls to the ground as Mina throws him to the ground this time, Reiner smashing into the stone roads; Mina quickly kneels down and slams her fist into Reiner's face, smashing the fractured armour around his face, the bits of armour sliding down his cheeks and temple. She strikes again at his face, this time her fist impacting against the flesh of his face. But before she could strike a third time, Reiner tries to grab her arm, she rolls back just before his hands could grasp at her hand. Reiner slowly gets back to his feet. This time smoke was emanating from his face as he stares down Mina as she once more assumes a fighting stance, he stands up straight, a low growl echoing from his mouth with the burning steam like the physical image of anger.
This time both Mina and Reiner charged at each other in a head on clash.
Again! Mina thought This time I'll aim for his eyes!
As Reiner swings his arm out, she ducks once more and hooks her arm around his neck looking to slam him into the ground once more. But as she goes to swing at his leg, Reiner pushed back, his weight forces her back as he throws her to the ground. He grabs at her throat holding Mina in place as he raises his fist for her face.
Mina acts quickly, focusing on her knee as a crystal coating covers her knee cap. She slams it into Reiner's stomach hard; using every part of her titan's strength she pushes him off to the side. Focusing on one hand the crystal coating grew thicker and the knuckles just a bit sharper, she stands up just as Reiner does too and swings for his face.
Reiner braces for the attack and allows the strike to him, destroying one of his eyes as he stumbles back, Mina leaning everything into the punch.
The other eye! Then the nape-
Before she could even finish her thought she felt the impact of a punch under her chin, knocking her up as her feet as lifted from the ground as she's thrown into the sky, she twirls as she flies away before then colliding into the ruins.
Levi tightens the saddle on his horse, before then turning his attention to his gear checking the blades and gas canisters. He grabbed the reins of his horse as he joined the others grounding at a point in the wall. As the made his way to the front he leapt onto his horse "Form up!" he ordered.
"You heard the captain!" Gelgar relayed "Get moving." The scout troops climbed onto their horses as they began to form up into two columns.
Levi looked behind him to see Ed who looked at him, Ed lifted up his hand and gave Levi the thumbs up, and Levi nodded. "Everyone, one last time; two teams, one attacks on the left and the other on the right, ten men hit the front and ten hit the sides!" he instructed "Gelgar, leads the attack, the rest of you are with me, and we're aiming for the cord!" Ed places his hands on the wall as a large hole is formed before quickly jumping onto his horse. "Strike the cord with your blades, if that doesn't work then we bring in the explosives!"
"Ed, lead the way!" Levi ordered. Ed nodded, whipping the reins of his horse before galloping off, he watched as Ed made his way to the outer defensive wall "Move now!" Levi yelled as he followed Ed, a stream of scouts and horses following him as they sped through the main road. There was a cheer echoed around them as they moved forward and poured into the open space as they charged towards the titan.
"Break now!" Levi ordered, two columns of horses broke off from the side as the main body headed towards it, Levi peeled off to the left as Gelgar continued to lead them forward. Levi watched carefully as the main attack went ahead, a green flare was shot from the column as they moved closer. The ground nearby started to rumble just ahead of them and in front of the covered titan large pillars of rock and stone erupted from the ground surrounding the front of the titan.
Just distract it for a few minutes…
As they circled around the titan Levi could now see it exposed and open from the side, crouched slightly hiding behind its long shield. It turned its head to the side to look at them. Levi caught a glimpse of its face hidden under all encompassing armour through the small slits like medieval knight.
The titan turned its head away from them. Looking back at the soldiers in front of it, swinging their way towards it, stretching out its arms as if grasping something, as the two columns on the left and right began to converge just behind the titan Levi spotted it.
"The cord." He muttered, a long silvery snake connected to its foot. "There it is, now to-" there was a bright sparkle of light and a cracklings sound like thousands of glass windows being shattered all at once as a large war hammer began to form in its hands. The titan then kicked down its shield, crashing into the ground as it prepared to swing at the oncoming soldiers.
Levi could only watch, his eyes widening, as the titan began to swing. "Look out!" he yelled. The titan slammed its foot onto the ground as small white spikes pierced through the ground like hundreds of nails through a thin piece of wood as it swing its hammer through the pillars of stone and rock. Immediately there was a deafening sound of crashing and rumbling mixed in with the screams from the attacking troops.
A massive brown cloud of dust covering the area.
The titan lifted the hammer upwards and then slammed it into the ground.
"Foolish…" it spoke out.
Levi felt his blood boil watching the scene in front of him; he looked ahead seeing the cord now just a couple meters away from him. "Go now!" He leapt onto the saddle of his horse as he fired his cables onto the long cord, the scouts following him and on the other side fired theirs as they pulled themselves forward towards it.
"Arrrrgh!" came the collective cry, blades raised as it was prepared to strike down on the cord, Levi swoop his blades down aiming.
A dreadful choir of clinging and scraping sounds, blades bouncing off of the cord like metal striking metal echoed through the air as the scouts went past the cord leaving only noticeable scraps but no real damage.
"What the hell!" yelled one of the scouts as they landed onto or next to the cord, some desperately swinging their sword at the cord hoping in vain to make a hole through it.
"Explosives, now!" Levi ordered towards the riders circling around, they came charging forwards as the sound of clattering and metal scraping the surface of the cord still echoed. Suddenly the cord moved, like a person tugging on a rope in the ground. They all looked back to see the titan carrying the war hammer now looking down on them almost… unconcerned about their presence.
"Arrogant devils…" the titan spoke. It lifted the base of the war hammer off the floor before slamming it back down again.
Levi felt it. "Everybody off the ground! Fall back!" he yelled out. He fired his hooks onto the hammer head of the war hammer and pulled himself forward, just as his feet left the ground, more nails sprung from the ground like a hidden trap laid for them.
The shocked and sharp gasps of fear, shock and pain was brief as those just in the vicinity of the trap were mercilessly impaled on spikes. They were weak and a whimper but quickly it went silent. Levi turned his head back to catch a small glimpse of the horrible sight before looking forward and swinging his body around towards the front of the field, an unaccompanied horse galloping around in the wreck of the failed attack. He detached himself and glided down onto the horse, grabbing the reins before galloping away with only a handful of survivors following him.
He turned his head back to see the titan picking up its shield and taking up its defensive position once more waiting for another move from them.
As they reached the edge of the town, a group of garrison and scout troops tended to them, commotion quickly forming.
"Captain Levi, are you alright?" asked one of the scouts.
"I'm fine." Levi replied calmly if somewhat cold.
Hannes quickly move towards them, Ed following close looking at them with a mixture of horror and defeat.
"How many made it back?" Levi asked.
"Five riders…" Hannes replied disappointedly "You included."
"Any survivors from the front?" Levi asked "Did Gelgar make it?"
"No… it was just whatever was left of…" Ed replied this time, he looked towards the titan and the field just in front of it and the rubble of their failed attacked laid bare. He placed his hand on his head "Oh God…"
Hange slowly opened her eyes, her vision was fuzzy and the sound was hazy, her hand was resting upon her face. She gently moved it to the side as she blinked off the fuzziness in her sight; the sound around her became sharper with the distance explosions and yelling pushing itself to the forefront of her hearing.
I'm alive… Hange thought.
She took in a deep breath before violently coughing, the dust invading her throat and lungs "Damn it…" she muttered.
"Disperse!" came a distant order, the voice sounded familiar.
"Moblit…" Hange muttered.
"Team one and two continue to circle the titan." Another voice ordered, it sounded like Nifa "Keep your distance!"
They're still fighting; I have to get back there…
She tried to push herself up, a slight ache in her back and muscles being ignored as she pulled forward, she felt weak and tired but still pressed on, however a sharp pain held her down.
"Ahhh!" she let out "What the-" she looked to her side to see a large plank of splintered wood embedded into her shoulder on her side, blood seeping through the open wound.
"You got to be…" she muttered "I was… pretty close to dying there…" she grabbed onto the piece of wood and tried to free herself "If I get this out then I have to seal up the wound quickly." She tried with all her strength yet the plank wouldn't budge. "C'mon." she groaned through her teeth and holding her breath, she let go with a gasp of frustration. She then quickly patted her pockets, trying to find the piece of chalk. "Where is it?" she quickly remembered the titan ambush, stopping her from drawing the transmutation circle and her piece of chalk flying away somewhere.
She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly "God damn it…" she tried to pull out the plank again, her eyes followed the plank of wood to revel that it was still part of the structure of the house which hadn't entirely collapsed on her.
She couldn't break free and even if she did, what part of the structure would then collapse on her.
She wanted to call out to her comrades for help and alert them; however the prowl of the titan around the area stopped her like a wounded animal hiding from a predator nearby.
Is this how it ends for me? Bleeding out on the ground…
She placed her hands around the open wound to stop the seeping of blood from it. It was warm and wet, she lifted her hand up and looked at it, dripping and stained in crimson blood.
Wait a minute…
She looked back to the wooden embedded into her shoulder.
Ed slammed his hand onto the table, the stones and map jumping up slightly "No!" he yelled "I'm not doing it! Not again, are you crazy?"
"You're doing it, that's a direct order." Rico argued back.
"To hell with your orders" Ed spat back with venom facing Ian "We all saw what happened; thirty people went out there and five barely made it back with their lives, you want sixty of them to go out there thinking you'll get a different result, are you all insane?"
"This will probably be our best chance…" Nanaba conceded, Ed turned to look at her, her eyes looking down and her body slightly slumped as she leaned onto the table.
"Nanaba… you can't be for this…" Ed almost pleaded "We can't do this again…"
"We know more about the titan now than before, our blades are useless but our explosives could do the trick and if that doesn't work then your alchemy can be a deciding factor." Ian told him
"And you don't think it will know?" Ed argued "When that titan sees another charge towards it, they'll know to wide us out before we even get the chance."
"What other option to we have?" Nanaba responded "It's dug in and is picking us off, sitting back and trying to bleed them out isn't going to work."
"No… no… I can't be a part of that!" Ed stated his voice shaking but still holding its conviction. "I won't have those people die just to cover for me! Rico, even you can't be for this?"
Rico looked down at the table, took in a deep breath and let out a sigh through gritted teeth "It doesn't matter what I want, what matters is winning here." She stated "We've already had to sacrifice so many of our comrades to get here; the battle of Trost, rescuing Eren and Alphonse, the uprising…" she listed off "We couldn't falter then and we can't decide to falter now."
"And if we fail?" Ed questioned "That's over a sixty people dead."
"Will you fail?" Ian questioned "This rests on you succeeding on your part." Ian stared at Ed "Remember what I told you, focus on winning, so focus on the task."
"Damn it I do want to win this, but I'm not gonna walk over a pile of corpses to do it." Ed argued back. "Like you said Rico, we've lost so many people to get here but that doesn't mean we should just resign ourselves to losing even more people."
"Then what would you have us do then?" Ian questioned.
"Stand our ground." Ed replied "If you want a shot at that titan then leave it to me, I'll be the one to distract it, not a couple dozen people who we'll be sending to their deaths." Ed pointed to the map "Look the titan isn't that far from the town, I engage it on the outskirts and try to force it to move its position to the side." He moved a few stones to the right of the map "If you can position some of your remaining artillery there I'll get you a clear shot."
"What makes you think we'd risk you like that?" Ian further questioned. "And what makes you think you can dictate our strategy?"
"Because I'm the one saying it." Ed replied matter of factly "And because you need to move the horses for a mass charge anyways. And there's no way in hell I'm opening a gap for either of you to do so." Ed stated "You have no choice; it's my way or none."
"Do you understand the gravity of the situation here?" Rico angrily questioned "Or what you're doing? Erwin ordered you to follow Ian, if you won't follow Ian than you should at least respect commander Erwin."
"For what it's worth, if the Commander Erwin were here then I'd tell him the same thing." Ed replied. "No more needless sacrifices, if you want to beat that titan then I'll be the one to risk myself for the opportunity to strike, not a couple dozen soldiers." The officers at the table stared at Ed, some angered and some bewildered "I've had enough of people dying for our sakes; I stomached it when it was meant to save us whenever either I, Alphonse or Eren got captured because it was for a bigger picture. But just to get some kind of strategic advantage? No, now we're doing this my way."
"Fine." Ian relented. "But if we fail then you have to accept the consequences."
"I will." Ed replied
"Good, I'll lead the artillery teams towards their new positions." Ian stated "Rico, you're in charge of managing inside the barrier."
"Understood, Captain." Rico replied.
"Edward, is there anything you'll need?" Ian asked.
"A thunder spear will work." Ed stated.
The War hammer titan peered through the slit in the shield, in front of them was the devastation of their enemy's failed desperate attempt at killing them. Their eyes scanned the battlefield and the town than cluttered field of corpses and rubble of rocks and dirt separated the two.
However everything seemed quiet, the enemy hadn't made any other attempt to attack again after the failed effort nor had they tried to fire on its position with their artillery shells.
The war hammer titan turned its head back, behind it the Beast titan sat a couple dozen meters away among the scattered ring of titans, still and unassuming just watching what was ahead of it.
The was a rapid sound of galloping thuds just to their side, facing it she saw the cart titan running towards them, getting behind them and the shield.
"Lord Tybur." The cart titan greeted.
"Cart titan Pieck, I hope you've brought news of an update from you and war chief Yeager's progress."
"Everything is almost set." The cart titan replied "Soon you and your entourage will be able to retreat back to the border of Paradis. How are holding up for now?"
"The devils for now have dug into their positions again after a failed assault, however it seems their aware of my weakness." The war hammer replied.
"Do they know?" The cart titan asked.
"No, they don't appear to have caught on yet, so far they must be completely occupied by me and attempting to kill me."
"Yes I saw, clearly they were outmatched." The cart titan replied. "War chief Yeager wanted me to inform you that our plan will continue on soon, once the first wave strikes that will be your signal to leave."
"Understood, I'll-" suddenly the ground behind them began to shake slightly, like the tremors of an earthquake, the war hammer turned its head back to the town and just off the corner of their eye was a rising mountain just off to the left, blue sparks of light danced around it like burning embers. The war hammer knew exactly who it was. "It's them…" it growled.
"Hey!" Called out a voice, it sounded amplified as it reached across the field towards them. "You wanted me to show myself, well here I am!" the devil called out "I'm the one you want to kill, Edward Elric, that's me! Come at me!" a small figure stood upon the large mount, a gleaming blade held over them.
"A call to arms…" the war hammer titan muttered.
"Either a last desperate attempt or a distraction." The cart titan observed. "I'd advise you to be careful."
"Perhaps… either way…" the war hammer titan formed its weapon in its hand "I cannot let a single one of them live."
"Good luck, Tybur." The cart titan quickly scurried away.
The war hammer slipped is shield onto its arm, continuing to cover its side and pulled it out of the ground as it moved forward towards Edward. As it came only a couple of meters away from him, the war hammer titan raised its hammer towards the small mountain with the intent to strike it down like an axmen at a tree.
Suddenly two large dirt and rock fists burst from the mountain at its side; one crashing onto the war hammer's shield and crumbling into dust while the other struck the titan in the face and again, bursting into rocks and dust upon impact. The fist to its face did nothing to damage the titan protected by its armour but the force of impact had forced it to fall back. As the titan repositioned and steadied itself, a massive barrage of fists struck the titan like rain onto the ground. A machinegun echo of rock crashing onto the war hammer titan like hundreds of waves crashing against a cliff of metal or a person heroically punching at a knight in full armour, violent and inspiring but ultimately futile.
The war hammer braced itself during the barrage, digging its heels into the ground. As the attack subsided, a thick cloud of dust covered the titan, the war hammer quickly swung its hammer it retaliation striking the small mountain top, the loud crumble of rock cried out.
"Too slow!" came a yell of derision, there was a familiar sound of zipping, hooks piercing into a hard surface and the strain of metal coils swinging towards its back.
They mustn't know!
The war hammer titan quickly placed its hand on its nape as the feeling of a nail piercing through its armour covering its finger and just touching its nape. There was a slight click. Then a loud explosion engulfed their nape, the war hammer titan's hand and a part of its nape was blown apart into smoking chunks of meat.
Ed pulled back from the titan, looking back at the smoking wound he created, a gaping hole in the titan's nape and a stub for a hand. Yet the titan still stood.
Damn it, was the explosion not deep enough? He looked down at the cord on the ground; catching only a glimpse of it should I have aimed for the cord instead… I had a clear shot at the nape… The thick dust cloud blocked his vision of the cord further up.
Ed shifted his body back to face the titan as it turned its body towards him, through the slits in its armour it could see the anger on its face as it turned towards Edward. With its remaining hand, it reached out towards Ed looking to grasp at them. Using his gas, Ed was able to pull back further escaping the clutches of the titan, Ed couldn't help but smile at the titan.
"Gotcha!" Ed yelled out, he fired his hooks onto the wrist of the titan and using his gas blasted himself away to the side, before a barrage of artillery struck its back, leaving itself exposed for the first time since its encounter.
Using the gas, Ed slowly descended towards the ground for a cushioned landing as the titan collapsed onto its front, its entire back a smoking wreck, it fell to earth with a large thud, the dust cloud now a thick fog of white and black smoke.
"No way is anyone surviving that." Ed stated, he stared at the titan's corpse for a few seconds. "Can't dwell on this, have to keep moving." He quickly ran off back to the town as he loaded in a green flare and fired it into the air.
As he reached over to one of the buildings he fired his hooks onto the walls and swung himself up, turning back to the smoking corpse of the intelligent titan and the Beast titan still sitting still. "What the hell are you planning?" Ed muttered. He continued back into the heart of the town. Across the town he could hear the sound of cheers and yells echo around celebrating its defeat.
As he passes by some of the garrison and scouts spot him, cheering him on; yells of thanks and chanting his name.
"Ed!" came a call from a distinct voice; he turned his head to see Levi standing on the roof of a church, a bell tower next to him waving Ed towards him. Ed flew towards Levi, landing onto the tiles of the roof.
"Captain Levi." Ed greeted him with a smile "Looks like I've done a pretty good job."
"Tch, don't get too confident now." Levi advised "We still have the big ugly there." Levi pointed his blade towards the Beast titan in the far distance. "For now we can regroup and reform; without that weird titan shooting crossbows and having spikes come out of the ground the cannons can reposition themselves and focus on blowing that hairy monster to pieces."
"Captain Levi, how's Armin?" Ed asked.
"He's doing fine, probably might need crutches afterwards but nothing than can't be fixed in time." Levi stated.
"And our squad, the others inside the district, any word on them?" Ed inquired. "Alphonse, is he okay?"
"Last word from the district was our squad is engaging with the colossal titan, Alphonse's playing a role in that." Ed let out a deep sigh of relief "However Hange and Dirk squad are now battling a new titan shifter and Mina is handling the armour titan on their own.
"We have to be there." Ed stated. "It sounds like they're spread thin."
"Yes, for now we'll stand by while the others get their shit together." Levi stated "then we'll head into the district to help-"
There was a familiar whistle, like something soaring through the air, growing louder in less than a second.
Suddenly the church tower behind them was shattered into pieces with the scream of a crash, everywhere around them the sound of houses being violently tore to pieces drowned out the immediate sound of cries and yelling. Both Ed and Levi ducked down covering their heads, as the attack subsided they turned their head towards the Beast titan, still sitting still.
"What the hell?" Ed exclaimed.
"Left!" Levi yelled out "Enemy barrage coming from the left!" Ed turned his head to see another Beast titan, standing on the mound off in the distance wedged in between the line of titans, holding something in its hand as it prepared to pitch another.
"But…" like a massive rock soaring towards the town under siege, it hit him, the titan and its crystal like structures. "That son of a bitch!"
"Move!" Levi ordered, he grabbed Ed by his clock and pulled him up urging him to move. "The barrier, head to the barrier!" Ed stood up quickly, around him he saw other garrison and scout troops gliding away. "Go, I'll be right behind you!" Levi yelled. Ed fired his hooks and quickly followed, swinging away.
As he swung and flew his way back, that familiar sound of whistling appeared again, another furious crash of rock into the houses followed with the screams and cries of those caught in the attack. Then a loud explosion followed only a second later in the position of the artillery pieces.
"Keep moving!" came an order from behind him.
Ed fired his hooks onto the roof of a nearby house, only a few streets away from the barrier, rocks bouncing and colliding off of the wall, standing strong against the barrage. As he moved passed the house, the wall next to him was torn to shreds as a small piece of boulder ripped through it.
Ed tried to shield himself as the debris flew straight towards him, bracing himself for the collision.
A piece of wood, twirling and flying towards his face, striking his eye as he blacked out and fell towards the ground.
"Strike two!" the Beast titan yelled out with victorious joy, watching the roaring fire and dark smoke consume the town. He picked out another handful of rocks. "Didn't even need a third strike to hit that target." He said proudly.
Like little fleas, he could see the enemy zipping around still, running towards the small wall for protection.
"War chief." Came a voice from behind him, he turned back and looked down to see the cart titan.
"Pieck." The beast greeted.
"The war hammer titan and their entourage have successful left the battlefield and are now heading back." The cart titan informed him "I'll be moving the boulders back to our central position.
"Thank you, Pieck." The Beast titan replied as the cart titan scurried off across the broken ring of titans.
The Beast titan turned back towards the town, its eyes drifting towards the now smoking skeleton of the war hammer titan. "It's a shame I can't thank you, holding them off and buying me time for this." he spoke to himself, eyeing the small hole in the ground "You've helped me, in a way you couldn't yet to understand. "Perhaps I will one day thank you."
He pulled his arms back as he stood straight "But until then… I'm going for the perfect game."