Something was going on… and Mina knew it, though she wasn't exactly sure what was happening, even as she grabbed onto the bars of her cell and peered out through the gaps.

Most of the guards had left the holding site she was kept in, leaving her alone for the time being as they rushed off to parts unknown. She wasn't sure why, but they looked to be in a rush, something that bothered her as she felt her spine tingling as her danger sense spiked up. She wished to know what was going on… but it wasn't as if there was anyone present to tell her what was going on to begin with.

"H-Hello… is anyone out there?" called out Mina as she peered out the bars of her cell to the best of her ability, only to get no response as her voice echoed through the empty halls of the holding site, causing her to shudder as she took a step back. "That the fuck is going on…?"

And as she moved back to wait for something… anything to happen… she remained oblivious to the small-scale war happening beyond the confines of the Wall she was kept in.

When the Titan invasion had first started, Connie Springer had been… well, he had been asleep, actually.

The kid was still reeling over the mess that was the Expedition they had returned from, and even beyond that, he was still trying to process the more recent information that involved Annie Leonhardt being a traitor, one that allied herself with the Titans and those that could transform into ones all the while. It had all been so overwhelming to him that the guy couldn't even think straight, and ultimately, he decided to take Reiner's advice and just… sleep it off. A good night's (or in this case, a good afternoon's) rest could ease the mind, after all…

… and then, not even an hour after he had fallen asleep… the boy had been violently shaken awake by Mylius, who both looked and sounded as though he were about to be shot as he violently woke Connie up, and as the bald boy stirred from his slumber, he slurred out his words and asked what was going on, to which Zeramuski responded.

"T-TITANS ARE INVADING ROSE!"

Yeah… that got his attention, and thereafter, the boy was fully awake, and now… he was on horseback, fleeing away from the inbound Titans alongside the other soldiers that were in that base with him prior.

Said soldiers included the likes of Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover, Ymir Fritz, Christa Lenz and Mylius Zeramuski, all of whom were riding alongside him on horseback. With them were a handful of metaphorically faceless Garrison soldiers, all of whom were escorting them to safety, led by two Elites that went by Ian and Mitabi. Connie recognised them from the Trost incident, though beyond that, he knew nothing more.

The base the soldiers had been stationed at briefly was located near the southern end of Rose, and logically speaking, the best course of action was to evacuate the combat zone via the gates to Ehmrich, though that course of action was quickly reconsidered when several Purple Flares were fired in the direction of that gate, warning them that there were even more Titans present in the South all the while.

To venture to Ehmrich after seeing no less than five Purple Flares be shot skywards in its general direction… felt illogical, to say the least, and as such, Ian, who acted as the de facto leader of the group for now, proposed that they make their way towards Stohess instead.

The plan had no real pushback to it, and as such, the team did just that, with them moving Eastwards towards the damaged gates of Stohess. The ride would take them a few hours, but it was their best shot at getting out of the danger zone without the risk of running into any Titans. There were a few Titans that were pursuing them, though a good majority of them broke off from their pursuit after realizing that there were easier targets elsewhere, and the few that were chasing them were dispatched by the Garrison escort with relative ease.

Whilst riding onwards, Mylius and Bertholdt had ridden ahead to confer with Mitabi about the situation, with them asking about how all of this had started to begin with. The obvious question of how the Titans even got into Rose was left unsaid, but even so, Jarnarch knew that they wanted to ask this, and as such, he answered truthfully.

"I don't fucking know! They just… appeared!" yelled Mitabi, with him smacking his forehead as he said this. The stress was getting to him, no surprise there, and upon hearing this, both Bertholdt and Mylius flinched in dismay.

"How is that possible, though…? Titans don't just… appear…" muttered Bertholdt worriedly, and to this, Ian chimed in.

"Normally, I'd agree with you, but we too are all unsure of how this had happened either. All we know is that the Titans simply showed up," stated Ian. "The most likely explanation behind this invasion is that a breach was made in the Wall, but we cannot be sure of this without proper confirmation."

A breach, huh? Mylius reckoned that that would be the most logical explanation behind the current invading force of Titans, but even so, he found himself doubting the legitimacy behind that explanation quite a bit, something that he voiced out after some consideration.

"I-If I may… if there was a breach, I believe that the response to it would be more extreme, sir," said Mylius, with him catching the attention of Ian as he spoke. Turning towards the blonde, Dietrich gave him his undivided attention for now, prompting the nervous young man to continue. "What I mean to say is that… should there be a breach of any kind in the Walls, the soldiers would most certainly scramble to relay this information to their higher ups…"

"It's possible that the breach was a small one, though. Even the Garrison aren't able to maintain every spot imaginable," posited Bertholdt, with him looking thoughtful as he spoke. Behind him, Reiner grunted in apparent agreement as they rode onwards, though to that, Ian rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he considered the young man's words.

"You have a good point, you two. But even so…"

"Whoa… eyes up, all of you!"

"Hm…?"

The sudden voice of Ymir caused the small group to glance skywards as she had instructed, and upon doing so, the Garrison and junior Survey Corps all widened their eyes when they saw that a multitude of Flares were being fired skywards as they rode on. Most of the Flares were Purple in colour, signifying an emergency, though some were Red whilst others were Black. Seeing this made Ian blanch slightly as he didn't need to be a Survey Corp to know what the Flares meant, and as if to prove his fears to be relevant, Reiner grunted and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Kh… Emergency Flares… are there Titan attacks coming from the other ends of Rose as well?!" groaned Reiner dismally, prompting Mylius to nod.

"Ah. Based on how there are Purple, Red and Black Flares being fired, however, it seems to me that we're already readying a counterattack," stated Mylius, with him pointing towards a handful of Flares as he spoke, and as he did so, several of the other soldiers present glanced skywards, with them spotting the aforementioned coloured flares rising skywards all the while.

"I hope that it will be enough… enough lives have already been lost…" muttered Christa worriedly, with her squeezing her eyes shut as she said this. Ymir offered her a comforting pat on the back, with the other soldiers around her nodding as they agreed with her words; more than enough lives have already been lost during the Expedition and the Battle in Stohess… though before much else could be said, however…

"...!"

… Christa suddenly gasped when she took stock of a new coloured flare being launched skywards, and moments later, the rest of the soldiers present all turned towards whatever she was looking at, only for them to gape a little when they saw that it was an Orange one. It took them a split second to realize what it meant, and when they did…

Gates of Stohess

"Is the situation really that dire…?" muttered Connie as his face paled a few shades whiter, to which the other soldiers all around him shuddered

Yelling out at one another as they got the gates up, the MPB soldiers all signalled for one another to get the fuck out of the way as several cannons were positioned, pointing out towards the exterior of the district all the while.

As they readied their defences, however, they all heard the distinct sound of a Flare being fired from up above them caught their attention, prompting some to stare up into the sky, only to see an Orange cloud rising higher into the sky. Most were unaware of what that colour signified, but for the few that were familiar with it, they found themselves widening their eyes in shock.

"Well, it probably is, baldy. We're being invaded from within our home territory; it only makes sense to bring in the big guns!" argued Ymir, with her getting the stink eye from Connie with her words as she spoke. The bald soldier glared at her with annoyance, though he otherwise kept his lips sealed as he rode on.

Moments later, though, the MPB present all flinched when they felt the earth beneath them quake as something stomped towards them at a worryingly fast pace, though whatever this was, it was approaching them from within Stohess rather than from without.

"What the-" began a soldier as he turned towards the interior of the district, only to blanch at what he saw…

"Still though… Mikazuki's supposed to be under lock and key, yeah…? Would they really risk it, to let him out, even if it's an invasion?" muttered Reiner, just loud enough for most of his allies to hear. Mylius scrunched his face up at this, with him responding moments later.

"Yes, Reiner…"

Squad Mike were riding towards the broken gate of Stohess on horseback, with them pushing the capabilities of their stallions to their limit as they rode on, but even so, their approach towards them wasn't the thing what concerned them.

Rather, it was the fact that Gundam Barbatos was behind them, sprinting after them as they rode on! Rather than using its boosters, the Gundam had broken out into a run, damaging the ground beneath it as it sprinted onwards.

"CLEAR A PATH!" shrieked a soldier as Barbatos drew closer and closer by the second, and within moments, the MPB sprinted out of the way as the Gundam and the Survey Corps alongside it rode out of Stohess.

"When it comes to fending off a Titan invasion… when it comes to protecting the lives of Civilians, then it's worth it to let him out," stated Mylius firmly, uncharacteristically confident for someone like him.

As soon as the last soldier drew clear of Barbatos' sprinting path, both Squad Mike and the unit itself barged past them. The latter group were able to weave past the cannons with minimal issue thanks to the dexterity of their stallions, though as for the former, it simply jumped over them with one clean leap. The soldiers present were all taken aback by the Gundam's agility, even in its damaged state, as it landed on its feet, heels digging into the earth all the while, though it didn't stop for even a second as it continued sprinting after the Elites.

"H-Holy-"

Can we trust him, though. Can we trust Mikazuki to not turn on us…? Especially considering all the rumours about him… y'know…?" posited Connie, with him sounding just a tiny bit… trepidatious as he said this…

"HOO BOY, THAT THING CAN REALLY MOVE, EVEN WITHOUT ITS BOOSTERS!" laughed Gelgar, with him watching as the Gundam sprinted after them. Barbatos was no doubt moving at a slower speed in order to accommodate the team it was working with; even with its damages, the unit was no doubt capable of going much faster than it currently was, but that aside, the group knew that, even in its current state, to underestimate it was not a smart move.

"I'm sure it can do much more, Gelgar, so I wouldn't underestimate it if I were you!" yelled out Lynne, with Gelgar holding a thumbs up in acknowledgement as they rode on, though all the while, Nanaba rode closer to those two and chastised them for their attitude.

"Focus, you two…" scolded Nanaba lightly, with her fellow Elites chuckling softly as they listened to her command, but all the same, they were quick to refocus on the task at hand as they continued to ride on.

"We can trust him."

Christa's voice rang through, even for as soft as it was, and hearing her surprised everyone… if only for a while, as the girl removed one hand from the reins of her horse and brought it up to her chest, pressing it against her heard all the while.

"I care not for why he is rumoured to be a traitor… all I know is this; Mikazuki Augus is not our enemy. He is an ally… and I intend on treating him as one, regardless of what others might say," stated Christa firmly, and upon hearing this, the discussion quickly died down, with them acknowledging how none of them would be able to talk back to Lenz for one reason or another…

… and all the while, Ian couldn't resist a light grin as they rode onwards.

"Heh… I like you, kid," chuckled Ian as he turned back towards the path ahead of them, eliciting a look of confusion from Christa as she blinked in surprise.

"Eh…?"

"Yeah yeah, Nanaba, we're focusing. Just let us make some jokes while we do… who knows if today will be our last, after all," chuckled Lynne, with her speaking somewhat darkly when she said this, only for Tomas to scowl.

"Don't joke about that, Lynne. We're all making it out of this… right, Captain?" hummed Tomas, with there being some doubt present in his voice as he spoke, and as he rode on, Zacharius… said nothing for quite some time as he led them on, though moments later, the captain spoke.

"Yes… we will. And when we get back, I'll treat you all to a drink, if you'll allow me," promised Mike, with him glancing back at his subordinates as he said this, and although a good majority of them were elated to hear this, Henning did find himself snorting as he jerked a thumb over at Barbatos.

"Including the brat?" asked Henning rhetorically. Mike paused at this, with him pondering that question ever so briefly, only to smile just a tiny bit… and nod.

"Especially the brat," said Mike, and upon hearing him say this, the Elite soldiers all appeared somewhat surprised, only for them to grin at this statement, with Gelgar in particular turning around and yelling out to the Gundam following them.

"HE… BOZ… BE..ER GE… HOME… OR… NO DRI…NG BUDD…S, AL…HT?!"

Although garbled via the damaged audio receptors, Barbatos was still able to pick up on what Gelgar had said, and in response to the pompadour haired man's words, Mikazuki had his unit offer him a nod, something that made the guy whoop victoriously as he turned back towards the rest of his team with a wide smile, and moments thereafter, they continued onwards without much hassle.

Tapping the radar lightly with the back of his hand, Mikazuki, through the cracked screen, took note of how there were no Titans present within a mile radius, and as such, they would have to venture further out before they could properly join the action.

…

"..."

…

"..."

A mild pause, with Mikazuki glancing back at the back of the cockpit as he slowed Barbatos pace down just a tiny bit, just enough to slow it down to the point where the Elites took notice, though they didn't let up as Augus continued to follow them at a slower pace.

"... I'm sorry, Barbatos," muttered Mikazuki, with him slowing the pace of his unit's sprint as he said this. The joints of his Gundam heaved and buckled every so often with each step, and although it was not about to collapse in on itself any time soon, any further stress put onto its rusted chassis ran the risk of such a thing happening in the near future. "Just… hang on, just for a bit longer… I know it hurts… but we have to keep fighting… we have to keep moving forwards… alright? So just stay with me… for just a bit longer.

"... please…?"

And although spoken in his usual deadpan, his words were most certainly genuine, and through their connection through the Alaya-Vijnana system… Barbatos could feel this, and in response to his pilot's feelings, the Gundam's optics flashed green as its posture abruptly straightened, and thereafter, it began to sprint faster, keeping pace with the Elite Squadron all the while, seemingly surprising them all the while.

This sudden shift in the machine's movements caught Mika off guard at first, but then… he found himself smiling, and moments later, he gently patted the unit's arm controller as he sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Barbatos."

"Eyes up, Nac… we don't know if there're any Titans around here."

"I… kh… I hear you, Ma'am. I've got my eyes up, down, left, right and even on the back of my head at this point!"

"Must you really speak with sarcasm at a time like this?"

"Hey, if it helps ease the mood. Tension is the killer of concentration, you know?"

Rolling her eyes as she listened to Nac speak with a grin, Rico couldn't help but sigh as she and her junior crouched by the front and back of the cart evacuating the Civilians, with the two keeping an eye out for any and all Titans as they rode on.

The village that they had escaped from had not that many civilians in it, thankfully, and as such, they only required two carts to hold all of them, pulled by one horse each. The carts weren't particularly fast, but even so, they moved at a good enough pace that they could outpace the average Titan without much issue… not that there were many Titans to outpace in the first place, anyways, as thus far, they hadn't encountered any as they retreated to Stohess.

It was a blessing, really, as Nac did sustain some injuries during the fight both he and Rico had prior against the Titans. Although nothing too major, he got a few bruises and cuts from being thrown around by the Titans, and after he-

"YOU WERE THROWN THROUGH A BUILDING?!

… yeah that. Martha hadn't really reacted to her son being thrown through a building too gracefully, and without pause, she had ordered for him to take a seat before she began to check on him. Nac himself had made some resistance against her attempts at making him rest at first, with him stating that he needed to keep an eye out for Titans, though after a harsh glare from Carolina, alongside a look that said this doesn't involve me from Rico, Tias reluctantly did as he was told.

Even now, the lady was still checking up on him in spite of his assurances that he was alright. He was only really half lying, honestly, as the pain had mostly subsided by now, and he had since moved from a sitting position (an awkward one, no less, thanks to his Maneuver Gear) into a kneeling one, with him remaining by the front of the cart whilst Rico remained by the back.

"Trust me, mum, I'm fine. Just a little sore is all," smiled Nac as he lightly leaned away from Martha's touch. The woman had a few bandages on her, and she had stuck most of them onto her kid (well, not really kid at this point, huh?), something that admittedly embarrassed him quite a lot, though he spoke nothing of it as he indulged his mother in her protectiveness. Whilst she lightly chastised him about his lack of self preservation, however, Tias felt his gaze trailing skywards when, rather abruptly, he took stock of an Orange Flare rising high into the sky, and upon seeing it, he turned towards Rico.

"I see it," assured Rico as she stared up at the aforementioned Flare, to which rose higher and higher into the air. Making eye contact with Nac, the Elite found herself frowning. "The situation is dire, so I can't blame them for resorting to this…"

"Resorting to… what, exactly?" asked Martha as a few of the Civilians present echoed her inquiry, and in response to this, Nac pulled her in and whispered into her ear, eliciting a wince from the woman as she processed what she had just heard. "No… is my son… is Mika really that strong…?"

"You have no idea, mum," responded Nac as he turned towards Rico and held up his Flare Gun. Flicking it down, Tias broke open the barrel and reached behind himself, fishing out an Orange Flare that he kept with him since the end of the Expedition, and thereafter, he loaded it into the Gun before snapping the barrel shut. He made sure that Brzenska saw every last movement as he did this, and once he was done, he held the Gun up suggestively. "Ma'am?"

"... no. The situation is dire for us, but not so dire that we require the aid of you know what. Pop that Flare only when needed. It is no doubt needed to quell the larger problems around Rose, and at the moment, we are handling this situation just fine," advised Rico as she held a hand up to stay Nac's suggestion, something that made Tias flinch faintly as he wanted to reunite his mother with her son sooner than later… but even so, he couldn't exactly argue with her logic on that.

"... fine, I guess," muttered Nac in defeat, and as he said this, the junior soldier turned his attention elsewhere to hide his disappointment (he wasn't toing a good job at it, but it's the thought that counts). Whilst he sulked, however, a small handful of civilians pondered between themselves on what the soldiers had been speaking of, though not long thereafter, one moved towards Rico and asked her something.

"Ma'am, if you'll allow me, what're the odds of us encountering a Titan along the way to Stohess…?" asked the civilian, a young man that looked somewhat concerned, and to this, Rico huffed. That was a fair question to ask, really, though before she could respond, Nac beat her to it.

"Moderate, if I had to make a guess. Most of the flares we saw being fired were around the center regions of Rose, closer towards the innermost sanctums. The flares were shot in a sort of semi-circle pattern, eastwards from the North to South," mused Nac, with him pointing towards the sky as he said this. Holding his hand towards the north, Tias swung it slowly back to the south, creating an invisible arc to show where the flares had been fired. "The flares indicate where the Titans were spotted, but we can't trust them completely; it's possible, after all, that Titans are present and that we haven't spotted them just yet."

A pause, with not that many of the civilians really understanding what Nac had just said as they just… stared at him in silence. Tias himself appeared somewhat flustered by this, though he spoke nothing of it as he watched his mother giggle lightly at his plight, much to his dismay, and moments later, Rico translated for him.

"What Nac Tias means to say is that we haven't confirmed the location of all the Titans just yet. There could be some that are closer to us than we'd expect, so it's best to keep an eye out until we're in the clear," stated Rico in less military terms, eliciting some nods of understanding from the civilians and a light blush from Nac, though he didn't complain about it as he brought a hand up to his neck and rubbed it lightly.

"Yeah… that. Keep your eyes and ears open; every second we remain outside of Stohess, we run the risk of running into a Titan, so just…"

And right as he said this, the ground beneath the boy began to quake, and moments later, he trailed off when he realized that the civilians he was speaking to were looking past him, at something behind him, as he stared over at them, the colour drained from the young man's face when he realized what was going on…

… and seconds later, Nac turned his attention behind himself to see… a Titan, 'running' forwards on all fours and keeping pace with the cart both he and the civilians were all riding atop all the while. The way it crawled along the ground horrified Tias, to say the least, but it didn't compare to the terror that he felt when he watched it snap its attention towards both himself and those alongside him

And seconds later, as the Titan lunged towards them, Nac yelled out in a panic.

"INCOMING!"

"There were certainly much more than I expected!"

"It always helps to assume the worst in these situations, Gelgar!"

"Well excuse me for trying to be optimistic, then!"

In response to her fellow Elite's comment, Nanaba found herself rolling her eyes lightly as she worked in tandem with Gelgar to eliminate a Titan that got in their way. Said Titan was a Twelve metre, and by all means, it wasn't anything they hadn't dealt with before, with with well coordinated swings of their blades, both Elites were able to bring it down, with Gelgar maintaining its attention whilst Nanaba swung in and slashed behind the Titan's knees, forcing it down, before the pompadour haired man grinned and swung in to slash at its nape, killing it in one fell swoop.

"For the record, I did more to bring that damn thing down, so this kill is mine, alright?" groaned Gelgar as he allowed the blood to dissolve from his body, to which Nanaba grinned.

"Sure, sure," chuckled Nanaba, with her ally huffing all the while. It was a sarcastic response, but a response nonetheless.

Currently, Squad Mike, plus Barbatos, were all by a more far out region of Trost, with all of them having strayed the furthest from the confines of Stohess as they took up the task of facing the invading Titan forces head-on. It was only appropriate that they did so, considering how they had a weapon as powerful as the Gundam amongst them.

The Gundam itself was currently working alongside Henning, to clear out the area south of where Gelgar and Nanaba were currently in, whilst Lynne, Tomas and Mike were focusing their efforts further towards east, where several Emergency Flares had been spotted. Nanaba herself wasn't exactly fond of the idea of them splitting up to such a degree, as it left their group fragmented and, dare she say, vulnerable (barring Henning. There was no way he'd die, considering who his partner was), but even so, she was willing to put her faith in Zacharius' wisdom and do as he had commanded.

"The number of Titans here isn't exactly noteworthy, but even so, I do have to wonder… how did they even get so far in without being noticed?" muttered Nanaba as she held her Anti-Titan blade up for inspection, voicing out her thoughts as she stood atop the grasslands; both she and Gelgar had defeated the Titans that were roaming about the general area by now, and they were simply awaiting the signal to regroup from Mike, and as they did so, the blonde Elite found herself lost in her thoughts as she rubbed at her chin thoughtfully.

Beside her, Gelgar seemed somewhat perplexed at her words, and for good reason, seeing as how it would be physically impossible for the Titans to even make it here without being noticed by anyone. Opening his mouth, the Elite found himself keen on responding to this thought of hers… but alas, how could he even respond in the first place…? It was a question with no answer, and alas, Gelgar was forced to snap his mouth shut after some time.

Whilst still considering this question, however, the duo were quick to notice flare had been fired from an area not too far from where they stood. Said flare was purple in colour, and it was probably just a few kilometers away from where they stood; if they moved out now, they could potentially provide them with some much needed aid. Turning towards Gelgar, Nanaba nonverbally communicated to him what was on her mind with a nod, something that her ally mirrored as they began sprinting in the direction of the flare, and as they ran, the duo whistled out and called for their horses, with both arriving by their sides within a matter of seconds.

With a powerful forwards leap, Nanaba was able to land atop her horse with minimal difficulty, and once atop it, she adjusted her grip on her Anti-Titan blades so that she was holding them underhanded before kicking at her horse's sides, causing it to neigh as it sprinted onwards, breaking out into a powerful gallop with Gelgar's not too far behind. Haste was necessary in this situation, especially when a Purple Flare was concerned, and as such, neither Elite was willing to chance it by slowing down for even a second.

The twin Elite's haste turned out to be for the better, it would seem, as, upon reaching the spot where the Flare was shot from, the group found themselves bumping into a small group of soldiers, composed of both a single Elite Garrison and junior Survey Corps, with the former fending off against a small pack of three Titans whilst doing his best to defend the latter group all on his own. A lot of faces were recognised by the two as they got closer and closer to them, though they thought little of it as they leapt off their horses and sprung into action.

The sole Garrison soldier, Mitabi Jarnarch, Nanaba and Gelgar recognised, appeared incredibly winded as he swung in for a strike, though he was quickly caught by the Titan he was attempting to bring down, with it holding him up to eye-level whilst grinning lifelessly at him. Scowling at this, Nanaba motioned for Gelgar to protect the defenseless soldiers on horseback as she swung in to assist Mitabi in his situation, something that got a nod out of the guy as he veered towards the two other Titans.

"No you DON'T!" scowled Nanaba as she swung in and, with one of her blades held underhanded, stabbed the Titan in the ear; she didn't wish to risk the thing falling forwards and crushing Mitabi beneath it after slicing at its nape, and upon striking it in the ear, the Titan released the aforementioned Elite and staggered backwards in pain. Jostling around as it swung its arms about, the human facsimile raised its arm up and made an attempt to grab at Nanaba, who scowled as she ripped the blade out of its ear before turning to face the inbound hand.

Aiming both Maneuver Gear wires at the Titan's inbound hand, Nanaba fired them at it, and upon latching herself onto its limb, the Elite swung herself towards its hand before expertly twisting her body away from its fingers mid-launch. The arch of her back just barely brushed over the tips of the Titan's nails as she did this, and upon passing it completely, the Elite reorientated herself before swinging back in, launching herself at the Titan's face all the while.

With a powerful yell, Nanaba slashed at the Titan's eyes, blinding it in one fell swoop, before she glanced back towards the spot in front of it. Much to her relief, she saw that Mitabi had cleared the danger zone by now, and with a huff, the Elite Survey Corp circled around the the back of the Titan's neck and swung in, spinning towards its nape and slicing into it within a moment's notice. The momentum and strength behind the hit decapitated the Titan as it fell towards the ground, and moments later, the blonde Elite rolled to a stop in front of it as she turned towards Mitabi, who appeared very much dazed.

"Mitabi! Are you well?!" asked Nanaba, concerned, to which the other soldier nodded.

"As well as I can be at this point! Thanks for the save!" thanked Mitabi, and to that, Nanaba nodded.

"You're welcome… can you fight, though?" added Nanaba, and before he could even respond to her question, Mitabi flinched and grabbed onto his abdomen, answering Nanaba's question without words. "Crap… stay at a distance, Mitabi; Gelgar and I will handle the rest!"

"But-"

"That's an order! You're better to us alive than dead!"

And with that final order, Nanaba ran forwards and rejoined Gelgar in the fight. The other Elite had disabled one of the two Titans, though he hadn't killed it, unfortunately. The guy was more focused on luring the Titans away from the defenseless junior soldiers than he was bringing them down, and as such, he had sliced off one of the two Titans, a Twelve metre's, hands, to force its attention onto him.

"LOOK HERE YOU BEADY EYED FUCKS!" roared Gelgar as he swung his blade at the other Titan, a Six metre, and slashed at its face. One of his blades broke upon making contact with its cheek, though he was still able to cut deep enough that the Titan's jaw muscles found themselves severed and unable to move properly, something that he saw as a win either way, and as he boosted away from the Titan's face, he turned towards the other Survey Corps and yelled at them to flee. "GET OUT OF HERE, ALL OF YOU! GET OUT TO THE FIELDS EAST OF HERE! IT'LL GIVE YOU A CLEAR VIEW OF ANY AND ALL TITANS THAT MIGHT BE COMING FOR YOU!"

"B-But sir, what about-" began a blonde junior, Mylius, if Gelgar remembered correctly, only to be shut down when Gelgar scowled and swung one of his Anti-Titan blades, the one with the broken blade, in the direction of the Twelve metre, and as he swung it, he detached the broken blade from its handle, sending it flying towards the Twelve metre's face, embedding it into its eye within moments, causing it to stagger backwards in pain.

"TWO MINUTES! IF WE'RE NOT THERE IN TWO, THEN ASSUME WE'RE DEAD! NOW GO!" ordered Gelgar, and as he yelled this, he pulled out a fresh blade and swung in to keep the Titan's attention on him. Ymir, Bertholdt, Connie and Reiner all seemed keen on using this time to go, but even so…

"We can't just-" began Christa, only for Reiner to seize her forearm before she could do anything rash.

"We have to… we're just liabilities as things are now. Staying will only distract them from fending the Titans off," reasoned Reiner as he lightly tugged on Christa's arm, and although she did protest a little at his words, the blonde ultimately relented as she turned to watch Gelgar throw himself into the fray.

Slicing off the Twelve metre's other hand, the Elite watched as it staggered backwards from the strike before he turned towards the Six Metre and barreled towards it. Seeing his approach, the Titan attempted to snatch him out of the air, only to be thwarted when the Elite boosted towards the ground at the last possible second escaped its grasp. Skidding across the ground, Gelgar dodged between the Titan's legs before he rolled himself back up to his feet, and upon returning back up, he launched both his Maneuver Gear anchors towards the back of its head and darted up towards it with a yell.

With a swing of his blades, Gelgar was able to decapitate the Six metre Titan with minimal difficulty, though right as he took it out of commission, the guy found himself being caught off guard when the Twelve metre lunged at him from the sides. Widening his eyes in shock, Gelgar just narrowly evaded its jaws by boosting upwards, and moments later, the Elite landed on the ground in a roll before he wiped at his lips.

"Gh, damn it-" began Gelgar, only to shut up when he saw the Twelve metre lunging at him with its mouth agape, ready to chomp onto him at any given second…

… only to be stopped when, from the sides, Nanaba swung in and, with the aid of her Maneuver Gear thrusters, drop kicked the side of the Titan's face with enough force to change its trajectory. Gelgar himself had also dodged out of the way, and in an instant, the duo swung a safe away from the Twelve metre and regrouped.

"... I didn't need your help y'know?" grumbled Gelgar as he eyed Nanaba in embarrassment,

"Sure, sure," mused Nanaba as she turned back towards the Titan before them, which got back up to its feet as it turned to face the Elites. Holding their blades up, the duo got ready to engage it once more, though before it could turn to face them in full, they heard a yell from behind them, prompting them to turn around on instinct.

And right as they turned to have a look at who had shouted, a Flare blasted past their faces, and seconds later, it exploded into a ball of light behind them. Widening their eyes at this, both Survey Corp Elites saw that Mitabi had fired a Flash Flare at the Titan, and them turning around to look at him had inadvertently saved them from being blinded by the flare, and upon making eye contact with Jarnarch, the two nodded in appreciation before turning back towards the now blinded Twelve metre.

"Together now!" yelled Nanaba as she took to the air, with Gelgar grunting in acknowledgement as he followed her lead, and shortly thereafter, the duo veered in towards either side of the Twelve metre Titan's body and closed in onto its neck, and before long, they swung themselves around to the back of its nape and slashed at it in near perfect sync. The powerful blows from their blades was more than enough to cleave through the Titan's flesh, and in an instant, it was brought to heel as it fell towards the ground.

As the Titan fell, both Nanaba and Gelgar landed on the ground on either side of it, and as they landed, they turned towards Mitabi and waved at him in appreciation. The Garrison returned the gesture with a smile, and upon doing so, he collapsed in exhaustion, necessitating the other Elites to rush to his aid.

"Hang tight soldier, you're fine now," smiled Gelgar as he and Nanaba supported Mitabi upright as he spoke, and as he did so, the Elite Garrison chuckled as he allowed himself to be supported up. "What happened, though… you were defending those kids on your own back there."

"It's… a long story, kinda…" stated Mitabi awkwardly as Nanaba got him atop her horse, and upon doing so, she mounted it and got it to move, with Gelgar following soon thereafter, having motioned towards where he had requested the juniors to flee to all the while. Along the way, Jarnarch had explained to them the events leading up to their prior predicament.

"So you thought that the best course of action was to split up… and you were the only one that stayed with the juniors?" recited Nanaba, with her raising a brow in amusement as she glanced back at Mitabi, who flinched a little as he shook his head.

"It was a desperate situation… we weren't exactly thinking straight back then," defended Mitabi, with him frowning lightly as he said this. "Ian didn't expect the Titans to have gotten so deep into Rose, so he assigned me and only me to keep an eye out for those punks. It was a spur of the moment decision."

"I would call it a stupid one, but you guys are Garrison, so I guess you don't have the battle sense that we Survey Corps do," chuckled Gelgar, only for Mitabi to scowl as he glared at him.

"Can it," grumbled Mitabi as they rode on, with his cheeks flushing at the insult as he spoke, and the redness only intensified when the two Elites charred a short chuckle at his expense, though thankfully enough, they were quick to stop when their juniors came into view, and upon seeing them, a good majority of them appeared quite relieved, namely Christa and Mylius, both of whom rushed over to check on their superiors with matching smiles.

Ymir in particular seemed bummed for some reason, but even so, no one said a thing about it as they dismounted their horses and moved to greet their juniors.

"Captain Gelgar! Captain Nanaba! You're alright! Thank goodness…!" said Mylius and Christa, with their words mixing into one another as they saluted their seniors, to which they smiled lightly as they motioned for them to be at ease. The situation was tense, and although their good manners were very much appreciated, they could afford to loosen up, considering the crisis that they were currently in at the moment.

"At ease, both of you. In truth, we're more relieved to see that you're all still alive. Is anyone injured amongst your ranks?" asked Nanaba, and to that, everyone shook their heads, much to her relief. "Good. Then in that case, please tell me why none of you have your Maneuver Gear equipped?"

"Ah… well, about that…" began Connie, with him rubbing the back of his neck as he, and the others, explained to their superiors about this. In the background, Mitabi tried to not look sheepish as they did so, though he failed that part quite miserably.

In their haste to vacate the base they had been in, the junior soldiers had not been able to equip their usual gear, though in their defence, the Titans were already upon them by the time they were warned of their approach; taking time off to get their arms on would've only gotten them killed, and considering how that was not a preferred outcome to any of them, both Nanaba and Gelgar reckoned that it was a good enough excuse… but still…

"You should've still brought some Maneuver Gears along with you during the evacuation. So that they could put them on after you escaped," chastised Gelgar, with this jab being more directed towards Mitabi, who flinched a little as he was told off, though thankfully, the pompadour haired main wasn't a complete asshole, as he sighed and shook his head. "But still though, I can kinda get why you didn't do that. It was a rush and all that…"

"Either way, though, we still need to get you all out of here. You're all better alive than dead, after all," mused Nanaba, with her motioning in the direction of Stohess as she said this. "The closest way out of the area is through Stohess, but it's likely an entire day's ride from here, and judging from just how exhausted all of you look, you kids and your guide won't be able to get there in that time."

"Well, then what do you suggest, ma'am?" asked Bertholdt curiously, and to that, Gelgar stepped forwards and pulled out a map, and after taking some time to align it to their current position, the guy pointed in a seemingly random direction towards the East.

"What I," a pause as Nanaba elbowed Gelgar in the ribs, much to his chagrin, "what we suggest is to make use of some old infrastructure of ours."

"... huh?" mused Connie, eliciting a grin from Gelgar as he continued.

"There's an old, abandoned Military Base near the midway point of the journey to Stohess. If we depart now, we should be able to make it there and bunker down in that particular spot for the night," explained Gelgar as he rolled the map up and pocketed it. "It's not ideal, but it definitely beats riding ourselves into exhaustion."

"I agree with this plan," hummed Mylius thoughtfully as he rubbed at his chin. "If we continue at this pace all the way till Stohess, then we'd only run ourselves dry. We'll need to take some time to rest midway through."

"But aren't the Titans less active at night? Are we really gonna waste the opportunity to get past them from there?" asked Connie warily, to which Mylius smiled.

"We won't be staying all night, at least I presume we won't. We will simply stop there to rest, and once recuperated…"

"... we continue the journey to Stohess," concluded Nanaba, and when Mylius nodded in confirmation of her words, the Elite couldn't help but grin at how he had deduced all that before stepping forwards. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, kid. I can respect that."

"T-Thanks…" smiled Mylius bashfully, though that aside, Nanaba continued moments thereafter.

"But that aside, we're also hoping to find some equipment there as well. It's more than likely cleared out by now, but if we're lucky, there could be a few Maneuver Gears that were not cleared out by the Military before its abandonment. Unlikely, but one can always hope…"

"Yes, one can… wait, I noticed you saying we… are… the two of you following us?" asked Christa, with her having picked up on Nanaba's wording by now as she stared over at her superiors in surprise, and in response to that, Nanaba grinned whilst Gelgar chuckled.

"Damn, you're sharp… yeah, we're following you. It's not like he can offer much protection to you guys now, after all," snarked Gelgar as he jerked a thumb back at Mitabi, who didn't seem all too content with being dragged back into the conversation, though he spoke nothing of it as Reiner stepped forwards.

"But, and it's not that we don't appreciate you guys wanting to help us, don't the two of you have duties of your own to attend to? You're Elites, yeah…? If you guys are deployed, then there's got to be a good reason behind it," reasoned Reiner curiously, and to that, Gelgar huffed and answered his inquiry.

"Well, yeah, we were deployed to help with holding back the Titans, but we already cleared out quite a lot of them, and in truth, I doubt that we're really needed in all this to begin with, really," mused Gelgar as he crossed his arms in subdued amusement. His words confused his juniors as they looked at him with raised brows, though moments later…

BOOM!

… a distant explosion could be heard, and although the junior soldiers, plus Mitabi, all turned to see what it could be, neither Nanaba or Gelgar were phased by it as the former spoke up.

"Trust me, we can escort you guys back to Stohess."

And for one reason or another… no one argued against her as they mounted their horses and rode off in the direction of east, with Nanaba and Gelgar leading them onwards.

Meanwhile

It was always a marvel to watch the Gundam to its thing, and even now, even after being so familiar with the machine and its frantic, devastating movements, Henning still found himself taken aback by just how strong it could be when on the field.

One couldn't exactly blame him, though, especially as he watched as Barbatos punched its fist into a Fifteen metre Titan's abdomen and ripped its spine out from its stomach. The Elite wasn't even able to form words to describe how he felt in that moment, though he did, at least, feel very impressed when the Gundam began to use the ripped out spine and skull as a weapon, something that amused him much more than he'd like to admit.

Due to its damages, however, the Gundam was consequently much slower than it would've been without them. Henning took notice of how the unit was moving slower now, with it leaning towards the right more often than he remembered, and likewise, its left arm barely moved as its right did all the work. That made enough sense, seeing as how most people favoured their right side, but even so, the unit typically used both arms in combat, so the lack of movement still felt jarring to the Elite as he remained at a safe distance away from the Gundam, just in case it accidentally swatted him out of the sky on accident.

The pack of Titans that they had most recently encountered wasn't exactly plentiful, but had it been just himself facing them, Henning would have certainly not survived the exchange, but thankfully enough, he was not alone, and the Gundam's aid was very much appreciated. Twelve Titans were taken down within the span of five minutes, and the final, thirteenth Titan was brought down when Henning swung in and slashed at its ankles, bringing it down, before he circled back around to slash at its nape…

… only for Barbatos to jump in and, whilst holding onto a tree trunk it had unrooted to make use of as a makeshift weapon, smash the nape of the final Titan present into pulp. For good measure, the Gundam had crushed the nape three times before stopping, leaving behind a bewildered Henning as he glared up at the unit and, by proxy, its pilot.

"That was mine, you damn brat!" spat Henning in annoyance as he swung his arms around in annoyance, and in response to this, the Gundam's optics simply flashed, perhaps showing some form of amusement(?), before it shifted into a kneeling position, and upon doing so, it turned its gaze towards three inbound individuals, prompting Henning to turn back all the while, and when he did, he grinned when he saw Mike, Lynne and Tomas riding towards them on horseback with gusto.

As they drew closer, Mikazuki had Barbatos' cockpit hatch open, allowing him to peer out and join or listen in on the conversation if needed, and moments later, Mike and his two subordinates came to a stop in front of both Henning and Barbatos, with the former saluting his superior all the while.

"At ease, Henning. What's your status?" asked Mike as he motioned for Henning to lower his arm, and in response to this, the Elite nodded and answered.

"Well, the brat and I encountered several Titans in between now and from when we split. About twenty-five, at my count. Saved a few civilians along the way, but that wasn't really common," said Henning, with him crossing his arms as he spoke. "How'd things go on you guy's end, though?"

"I wouldn't call it good, really. The movement of the Titans are… sporadic, and they're displaying movement patterns that none of us have seen prior. Moreover… Mike could still smell them, but their scents are all… messed up, so to speak," said Lynne, confusing both Mikazuki and Henning as they stared over at Mike curiously, and upon noticing their gaze, their Captain explained.

"The Titans are moving in packs at times, something that is expected of them, but even so… at times, when they see us, rather than meet us head-on, they will sometimes retreat," hummed Mike thoughtfully, with his words surprising Mikazuki and Henning as they blinked in apprehension, but even so…

"I saw some Titans running away too, but it wasn't common," supplemented Mikazuki, with him recalling just that whilst he was still clearing up Rose alongside Henning. It wasn't easy to see, as the Titans that would flee tended to be around the Three to Five metre size class, but the pilot could still remember seeing one or two retreats prior to now, and his confirmation to Mike that this was not an isolated incident… concerned him.

"That's… very weird, to say the least… though, what exactly do you mean by their scents being all messed up, though?" asked Lynne, with her rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she said this, to which Mike spoke.

"I mean that, whilst they hold the usual stench of Titans… there is an odd air of familiarity to their scent. Titans out in the wild smell repulsive, but those that I have encountered here… they smell…" began Mike, with him trailing off a little as he said this, only to shake his head a little as he concluded. "Like home…"

"Uh… in English, please, sir," snarked Henning, with him only really half joking as he said this, though his sarcasm was ignored by his teammates as Mike rephrased himself.

"What I mean to say is that the Titans smell as though they had come from Rose, not from beyond it," clarified Mike, with him crossing his arms as he said this, and upon hearing this, the other Elites froze as they eyed one another uncertainly.

"Do you think… any of this has to do with that Wall Titan?" asked Tomas warily, to which Mike shrugged.

"It's possible, but even so… we can't say anything conclusive about this, not yet. For now, just focus on getting through this alive, alright?" hummed Mike, and upon hearing their Captain say this, the various members of the Team nodded, with Mikazuki himself huffing a little as he watched this from up above.

It felt oddly pleasant to see Zacharius treat his team as equals, though he spoke nothing of it as, out of the corner of his eye, he took stock of a signal flare soaring skywards, and it didn't take long for the other soldiers to spot it as well, and when they saw its colour, the soldiers all paled a little.

"Orange…? But why would it be orange? Who would-" began Henning, only for Mikazuki to jump back into his unit's cockpit and hastily reactivate its systems. Barbatos was back online within a matter of seconds, with steam bursting from its vents as it stood upright once more, and before Mike could even demand to know what he was doing, the Gundam had turned towards where the Flare was fired from and was now sprinting towards it with reckless abandon.

"Tch! Damn brat! What's he on about this time?!" yelled Henning as he and his fellow Elites recovered from the aftershock of the steam blast, and in response to this, Mike scowled as he motioned for his men to mount their stallions. They did so with minimal issue, and as they rode onwards, Mike responded to Henning's yells with something of his own.

"It's because he knows something that we don't."