The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale glow over the land, illuminating the world in a ghostly, ethereal light. A shadowy figure finished tying a person to another one's back before they trudged through the grassy plains, leaving their horses behind. They approached the town's outskirts, slowing down to take cover behind a few bushes and trees. Floch motioned for his companion to unwrap a package she had been carrying. The girl inspected the object with curiosity, her fingers tracing the rough surface. "What is this thing anyway?"
"That, my dear Ymir," Floch answered while verifying his pocket watch, "Is going to be our signal to our Titan friends." His tone was cryptic and ominous, pocketing the watch and scanning the town ahead.
"Don't call me dear, It's disgusting," Ymir retorted with a cringe, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "Besides, I don't think anyone's going to notice smoke up in the air at this hour." She tilted her head with visible confusion, scanning the empty skies.
"You make a good point, but that is not a smoke flare." Ymir raised a confused brow at him, "That thing is called a firework, and It's going to shine a bright light up in the sky. You'll never see something like it circulating in public, even among nobility it's only ever used during rare occasions. It didn't see any military application up until recently." Floch explained, "Which will eventually lead to the creation of the thunderspear, but neither of you have to know that." He continued inside his head.
"Isn't that right, Eren?" He asked poking the tied up boy on his back with his elbow.
Eren simply grunted through the tattered cloth obscuring his face.
Ymir raised a brow. "Bright light? How come the Military doesn't use this for night operations more often?"
"It's not effective in the way that It doesn't last very long, It's more useful for what we're up to do. Stick it in the ground and light up the fuse, It'll shoot up in the air and briefly cast a light over this entire place. It's best that we make ourselves scarce by the time that happens." Floch explained, familiar with the item from his previous life.
Ymir whistled with enthusiasm. "You serious? That sounds cool."
She was about to do as instructed when Floch suddenly stopped her, the sudden halt jolting her out of her trance-like state. The brunette froze, her body tense as she peeked at the hand on her shoulder from the corner of her eye. Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered what could be the matter. "Ymir." She stared up at him with trepidation, searching his face for any signs of danger.
"The news about Reiner and the others isn't going to cause us issues, is it?" Floch's voice cut through the night air with a piercing gaze, sending a chill down her spine.
The girl sucked in a breath, shaking her shoulders to get rid of his hand,"No, It isn't." She replied, her voice shaking a little before turning to focus her attention on the firework.
"They might have been our friends for the last three years but they wouldn't hesitate to wipe us out If it came to it, It could have easily been Krista burning in that pile, remember that."
Ymir gazed down at the small match in her hand, the wooden stick rough and splintered under her fingertips. The memories of the person she had consumed flashed through her mind like a sudden burst of lightning, illuminating her thoughts for a split second before they were gone again. She took hold of the fuse, her fingers lightly trembling with anticipation. She carefully brought the match to the tip and struck it against the rough surface, the sudden burst of flame lighting up her face. Taking a few steps back, Ymir watched as the spark reached inside the cylinder, but for a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Confusion and disappointment began to seep into her expression until suddenly the firework erupted into the night sky with a deafening whistle.
"Let's move."
"What's that noise?" Connie wondered while exiting the house.
"Look up there!" Krista pointed to the sky.
Seconds later the group of eight cadets froze in awe noticing a trail of sparks in the sky, It suddenly exploded into a dazzling array of white and yellow hues like a blooming flower. A symphony of crackling sounds filled the air as the firework continued to bloom, each burst more vibrant and spectacular than the last.
"W-what is that?" Gordon asked in astonishment.
"Hell if I know..." Jean replied.
"It's so pretty." Ruth commented in a trance.
Marco was the first to recover as he gestured for his awestruck friends. "Let's check it out, It could be what we're looking for!" He suggested to the group urgently, Jean nodded, turning to the girl on his left. "Sit this one out Sasha, you'll slow us down." He said, pointing to her lack of ODM gear.
The girl in question nodded. "You guys be safe!"
Sasha looked back up at the light as the group made haste, enjoying it for a few more seconds before it died down.
"Look over there." Bertholdt pointed to a sudden light source behind wall Rose.
"They have fireworks?" Annie commented out loud as a faint bang reached their ears.
Reiner patted the girl on the shoulder as he stood up, turning to address the two. "That looks too random for it to not to be the signal. Bertholdt, get to the meeting point and we'll catch up." He shifted his gaze to Annie. "In the meantime, you and I will take care of loose ends." He spoke as he turned to glance at the damaged headquarters where two captured titans sat.
"Right, I'll see you both there." Bertholdt jumped away from the roof, leaving them behind.
"Is this necessary?" Annie questioned as she pulled out her blades.
Reiner hummed. "We must deny them any avenue of learning about the titans, the less they know the better."
Two figures rode a galloping horse at breakneck speed, not too far out from the outskirts of Trost. The moon cast a pale light upon Mikasa and Armin's faces, as they both took notice of a light shooting up in the sky. They were briefly awestruck by the explosion that lit up the dark surroundings, prompting Mikasa to kick the horse into a faster pace, urging it on towards the distant lights of the town ahead.
"It started, Erwin."
Erwin stood atop wall Rose with his arms folded behind his back. His calculating gaze swept over the town below, surveying the terrain and searching for any sigh of their titan enemies. A squad of of survey corps soldiers had gathered around him, their weapons at the ready as they prepared to execute the plan their commander had devised under such short notice.
"You're putting a lot of faith in those kids."
Mike Zacharias, one of the corps' most experienced soldiers, stood by his side with a skeptical expression etched on his face. He cast a wary eye towards the town below, noting the multiple light sources emitting from the patrols.
Ewin's lips curled into a knowing smile. "They're with good company." he replied calmly. "We have no reason to suspect we're acting on false intelligence. This night could be what we needed all along, an extra push forward towards a new chapter for our organization."
Mike's eyes narrowed, and he leaned in closer to Erwin to speak out of earshot of the other soldiers. "That excuse might work on the others, but not on me."
"You've always been a sharp one, Mike."
"Not as sharp as you-."
"Trust me, everything will become clear in time. For now, let's focus on the task at hand."
Erwin turned his gaze back at Trost, as the light finally died down.
The sun began descending behind the horizon, the sky painted a mesmerizing canvas of colors - a blend of crimson and gold that melted into the deep blues of dusk. Jean stood still as he stared around the forest, his group were a little further down the river resting and washing after an entire day spent on a mission as he took in the scenery around him.
His gaze lingered over Eren, and Krista, his features morphing into a troubled expression. His heart was heavy with conflicting emotions as he watched them from afar, tunnel visioned on the green eyed boy. Anger simmered beneath the surface of Jean's thoughts, he couldn't understand the allure of Eren's approach to life, his obnoxious desire to throw himself at the titans. It left him feeling drained, everything about Eren was a headache. His rational side deeply resented the boy's idealism and unbridled passion concerning the titans and the outside world, because it did nothing but instill a false sense of hope for everyone around him.
"What's the matter, Jean?"
"Huh?"
"You get this spacey and constipated look on your face, you ever notice that?" His cheeks burned red as he looked down at the crouching Floch, who smirked at him teasingly. "You're either deep in thought or need to take a shit, given that you're not squatting behind a tree right now.. well, you're not hard to read."
He snorted and averted his gaze. "Coming from the guy who looks constipated every chance he gets, shut it."
An awkward silence soon hung over the both of them.
"So?"
Jean frowned, sighing before he gave a fleeting glance towards the group in the distance. "Well, he wasn't all bark like I originally thought." Jean began, Floch immediately knew who he was referring to. "It genuinely pisses me off, If I knew coming here would mean I'd get stuck with overbearing assholes like him then I would have just sat my ass at home and landed a decent paying job in the production city."
Jean sat down to vent out his frustrations, fortunately for him Floch was a good listener. "He makes it difficult for me to just sit down and enjoy the ride, all this talk about reclaiming the lands, fighting back, it's dull. Does he not understand what it means for us to even take down a single titan?"
He leaned back on his arms as he tilted his head up at the sky. "Still, even though he's..."
"Naïve? Obnoxious? Wears his heart on his sleeve? Reckless and borderline suicidal?"
"Yeah... all of the above. When push came to shove, he just didn't back down like most of us were about to, he went after Krista and dragged us with him. And what do you know? Everything turned out just fine in the end, even if we had a few close calls. Now that, that has me thinking, doubting my own bias against him, even if by a little..." He trailed uncomfortably.
Jean peeked to the side. "What do you think?"
"About what?"
"Eren."
"It's hard to say..." Floch began, Fixating on the gentle gurgling of the river ahead of him. "I guess you and I were on the same page at first, but then the more time that I spent around him the more that the bastard grew on me. Then one day everything sort of clicked together in my head, you know?"
"How so?"
Floch's eyes hardened, which didn't go unnoticed. "We need people like him, someone who goes against the grain with great conviction. Everyone around us is aimlessly coasting through life, content with stagnation, yourself included." Jean slightly flinched at at that, not that he wasn't honest about his intentions, "He has passion, undying resolve in the actions he takes, he's special in that regard."
Jean's eyebrows shot up in surprise, Floch met his gaze again.
"It's people like Eren that will end up saving humanity."
The weight of the conversation with Floch hung heavy on Jean's mind as they made their way towards the source of light. He furrowed his brows, racking his brain for a logical explanation to the redhead's supposed alliance with their enemy. The streets were eerily quiet, save for the sound of their ODM gear as they grappled from building to building. If anything, Floch had shown all of them he'd be the least likely to betray humanity, he didn't doubt that there was some semblance of truth in what Sasha had told them, but he knew better than to quickly draw out conclusions.
As they discussed their next move, the tension in the group was palpable. Jean could see the fear and doubt etched on the faces of Sandra and Gordon, their bodies tense with the implications of Floch's supposed betrayal. "So what if we do actually find them?" Connie broke the silence.
"We take what Sasha told us with a grain of salt," Jean said, his voice low and steady. "We talk to them first and figure out if they're really our enemy or not, but knowing Floch I just doubt that's the case." Both Sandra and Gordon looked uncomfortable but they kept their silence.
Marco's voice cut through the tension like a knife. "Jean's right, violence is not the answer. After we gauge their intentions, we'll try our best to desecelate the situation and work out way from there."
Connie groaned. "Just what the hell did we get dragged into?"
Suddenly, the world seemed to slow down to a crawl when two figures appeared from around the corner and rushed past them. Jean's heart leapt into his throat as he caught a glimpse of Floch's fiery red hair. His eyes met Floch's for a brief moment, and then the pair of them were gone in a blur of motion. The cadets came to a sudden halt on the side of the buildings, their bodies tense and alert. The realization hit them all at once, and Connie was the first to shout out. "H-Hey, no way! That's them!"
Floch and Ymir shared a fleeting look, his anger palpable. "Damn it." Floch gritted his teeth before focusing on the path ahead. "Change of plans, we're losing them inside the town." He turned to Ymir, who briefly nodded in understanding. The two swiftly glided past a couple of guards who were caught off guard, and shot through the entrance of the gate.
The guards' shouts echoed through the streets as they raised the alarm. Connie, the fastest of them all when it came to maneuvering gear, quickly caught up to the fleeing duo. He propelled himself forward with great speed, shooting through the gate feet-first before quickly launching his hooks once more. Floch caught sight of the blades swishing by and flinched momentarily. He peeked back to see who was behind them before he swiftly unsheathed his sword and sliced through the wire, causing Connie to lose his balance and dangle from a single line. With great effort, he managed to regain control, rehooked himself onto the side of a building and rolled down to the street below.
"Connie!" Marco called out, alarmed at the sight of his friend.
Marco didn't have time to check on his fallen comrade as someone suddenly latched onto his back. He whirled around with a gasp to find Ymir clinging onto him, he gazed down and saw that she had disconnected both wire tubes that connected to his cannisters. "Sorry, Marco. Nothing personal," the freckled girl muttered before pushing him away and taking off once again.
Fortunately for him, his hooks had already penetrated the underside of a bridge connecting two buildings. With a quick and fluid motion, Marco reeled his wires back into their case so that he didn't get scraped off the ground, feeling the weight of his body shift as he swung underneath it. He could only hear the creaking of metal and the sound of the rushing wind as he came out the other side, his momentum slowly fading as he swung backwards and dangled underneath the bridge.
Sasha hurried through the outer part of Trost, the air thick with tension and the clanging of metal as soldiers rushed to secure the gates. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, scanning the area for any hint of her classmates. Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves reached her ears, causing her to turn around and be surprised by the arrival of Mikasa and Armin. The suddenness of their appearance sent a jolt of surprise through her body, and she could see the urgency in their eyes.
"Mikasa, Armin!" she called out as Mikasa pulled on the reins and came to a halt.
Armin shouted back, his voice tinged with concern. "Sasha!"
"You came just in time, the others are after Floch and Ymir!" she explained urgently, her eyes darting back and forth between her two friends.
"Ymir?" Armin asked in confusion.
"She's helping Floch," Sasha clarified, her voice tense. "I don't know if you saw, but Marco, Jean and the others think that bright light earlier had something to do with them so they went after it."
The two exchanged a knowing look, their brows furrowed with worry. "We did, any idea where they're at now?" Mikasa asked, her tone urgent and desperate.
Sasha shook her head. "They must be inside Trost if they've sealed the gate," Armin noted, scanning their surroundings.
Mikasa glanced back at him, a fierce determination burning in her eyes. Without hesitation, she jumped off the horse, leaving the two behind.
"Mikasa! Where are you going?!" Armin called out in alarm.
"After them!" she replied firmly, launching her ODM hooks and flying away.
"Sir!" A scout called out as he landed near the two men.
"What's the matter?" Erwin turned with curiosity.
"We've got reports from the ground, the package is being intercepted by an unknown group!" The soldier relayed as the commander nodded, Erwin turned to Mike.
"Get down there and sort it out." The commander ordered.
Jean's frustration boiled over watching another person fall victim to Floch's tactics. They were losing the chase, and he could feel the weight of their failure settling in his chest. But then, something caught his eye. Was that...a gun? His heart raced as he tried to make out what Floch was holding.
With a quick flick of his wrist, Floch shot a green smoke flare, shrouding the road ahead in a thick fog. Jean leapt upwards and switched to a parallel street, determined to keep up. He grimaced, noticing that Gordon had foolishly charged straight into the smokescreen, colliding with Ruth on the other side. Jean grit his teeth in frustration, knowing that this was their last chance to catch up. Ymir gave out a surprised yelp, as Jean took a hold of her and sent them tumbling on the roof below prompting Floch to come to a halt.
Floch watched the two grapple on the rooftop before Ymir managed to create some distance between them, the redhead addressed Jean with a critical gaze. "What are you doing here?"
"That doesn't matter, just trying to figure out what the hell's the matter with you," He spat back. "You've been labled as defectors, and the government issued out a kill or capture order on you-."
"We're aware, trust me. A small sacrifice to pay in order to save Eren." Floch cut him off as Jean's eyes narrowed.
Sandra spoke up, her voice shaking as she stared Floch dead in the eyes. "F-Floch, we... we know the truth. W-what you did with the Armored and Colossal titan."
Floch and Ymir's eyes widen in shock, before his eyes quickly darkened. "So, you've found Sasha."
"Alive and well, thankfully." Jean retorted.
"It wasn't like we were planning on killing her." Ymir murmured, averting her gaze from Krista.
"Tell me they're wrong." Sandra's voice cut in again, this time more desperate. "Tell me you're not actually working with those two, that this entire thing is a giant misunderstanding! I know you're no traitor, please, Floch!" She pleaded, her hands visibly shaking.
Floch simply sighed, before meeting her gaze with a sad smile, further unnerving the trio. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Sandra."
Jean's mind went blank with horror, and he turned to Sandra and Krista, hoping that they would tell him this was all some sick joke. But their reaction confirmed his fears. "Why are you siding with them?!" he demanded, his voice cracking with anger.
"Ymir." Krista tried to look Ymir in the eye, but the girl did not meet her gaze from the guilt that ate her up on the inside.
"Ahpahpahp!" He held up his hand to silence them, the trio regarding him with varying looks of disbelief and confusion.
The redhead felt Eren squirm on his back, so he poked him with his elbow. "Patience," he spoke softly before turning to the three people in front of him. "Look, I can clearly see how badly this situation is being misinterpreted." He began, making Jean scoff. "Truth is, none of you are supposed to be here. There's a lot you don't know, and what you do know is only half of it. You need to stand down."
Floch scanned the surrounding rooftops, He couldn't be seen around them, especially not if the warriors are nearby. Jean looked ready to retort but Floch held his hand up again, effectively silencing him. "But to ease your concerns, It'll be a cold day in hell before I ally myself with the people who made our lives miserable. No, the truth is much more complicated than that."
"There are many forces at play right now, and we're running short on time." He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, relief slowly descending down on them from his clarification. "That said, I'm afraid you'll have to take my word for it. Now, we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way, your choice."
Jean's expression turned to irritation. "Tsk, I figured as much." He groaned, sheathing his blades much to the surprise of Sandra and Krista. "J-Jean?" The blonde girl breathed out. "It's pointless, even If we wanted to, we can't stop them." He replied.
'Better luck in a few years.' Floch commented inwardly with hidden amusement.
"So, Is he about to save humanity?" Jean asked pointing at Forster's back.
Floch nodded curtly. "Something like that."
"Then I guess we really do have to take your word for it."
"I can always count on you not to be a pain in the ass, Jean." Floch smirked.
"Yeah, well, what can I say?-" Jean started to reply when he caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye.
Floch's face fell in shock, and he stepped away just in time for a blade to cut through the air In front of him. Mikasa Ackermann didn't let up, swinging her blade at him again. Their swords clashed with a few sparks, Floch struggling against her monsterous strength as she locked him in place, slowly overpowering him. The others watched from the side as Mikasa nearly brought Floch to his knees, their breath caught in their throats as Mikasa disarmed Floch.
Though before she could continue, Ymir charged at her side and slammed her with brute force, sending the Ackermann tumbling off of the roof. Floch grimaced, quickly taking hold of his flare gun and ODM handles before shooting another flare at his feet. He engulfed the rooftop in a layer of smoke, forcing the others to shield their faces. Mikasa quickly recovered as she resurfaced and shot out of the smoke not too far behind them, the remaining trio were about to follow when they suddenly felt cold steel pressing against their necks.
Floch looked back worriedly, an enraged Mikasa not too far behind. "Ymir!" He called out.
The girl in question grit her teeth knowing she had to do most of the work. "I'm on it, crazy bitch doesn't know when to quit."
Ymir purposefully stayed behind, wrapping around the Ackermann's side to flank her. Mikasa saw it coming, twisting her body around to strike her dead center to which Ymir parried before tackling her mid-air. Floch watched the two of them physically struggling against the other before his eyes widened in a fit of panic when Ymir was sent crashing down into the neighboring rooftops.
"Fuck." He hissed under his breath, swinging around a clock tower down towards a bridge.
Mikasa was hot on his tail, and his heart began beating faster and faster. He looked back at her worriedly as he ran to the other side of the canal. 'What is she- No way! Is she really-" His face paled in horror when he realized she was using up her gas to propel herself towards him.
Floch bit his lip worriedly and faced the path ahead, pushing his body to It's limits to reach a distance where he could safely hook onto the nearest building. He froze in that moment, mentally registering that she was merely an arm's length away from striking him dead, time seemed to come to a crawl. In a matter of seconds he registered the blurry piece of metal swinging towards him, and the dark figure that closed in on them from the sidelines. In the end, Floch Forster fell to his knees, with a profusely bleeding cut on his face.
He touched his left cheek, briefly horrified by the blood on his fingertips.
He shifted his gaze to the side and found a large figure clad in a survey corps uniform pinning the girl to the ground, the man turned to face him and nonverbally motioned for him to leave, Floch nodded in a daze and jumped away without further incident. Mikasa Ackermann watched him leave with a murderous gaze, struggling to free herself from the man above her.
Floch pulled himself over to the top of the wall, scanning left and right for any threats as his breath came in ragged gasps. His heart thundered in his chest, he knelt on the rough stone surface of the wall, the wind whistling past him. His palms were slick with sweat and his vision swam before him, memories of the day he had died consuming him. His throat felt tight, as if the hook she had used to kill him never left. The world closed in on him and he struggled to take enough air, every sound amplified, from the rustling of leaves to the distant howling beneath the walls.
"Shit, you okay?" Somebody knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Ymir's voice tore Floch away from his trance, the strange sensation began to ebb, leaving him drained and trembling. She helped him to his feet, and he gave her a grateful look. The brunette took notice of the scar on his cheek, face grimacing at the wound. "Unlucky, that is definitely going to scar that ugly face of yours." She commented dryly, trying to lighten the mood.
"Every day I'm reminded of how grateful I am that I didn't kill you."
She smirked, not missing the hint of sarcasm. "That's the spirit."
Floch pushed passed her with a stormy expression.
"Let's get this over with."
"If You Hesitate For So Much As A Second, You'll Be Dead. The Moment You See An Opening, Go For The Kill." - Levi Ackermann 850 AD, during the uprising.
Bertholdt sat deep in the woods waiting at the porch of an abandonned cabin outside of Trost, his heart pounded in his chest as he waited for his comrades and their shady contact to arrive. He checked his pocketwatch for what felt like the hundredth time, both parties were late. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, but he knew that he couldn't leave to check. His mind raced with questions, Floch had managed to give the signal but was he able to reach their location? Or was he caught? Same for Reiner and Annie. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead as he imaged the worst-case scenarios.
After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the distinct sound of the ODM gear hissing out gas, as well as the wires retracting back into their case. He sprang to his feet, his hand gripping his weapon tightly. He was greeted with the sight of two shadowy figures, one of which looked to be carrying a person on his back. Bertholdt breathed a sigh of relief, realizing it was noneother than Floch and... Ymir?
"You two made quite an entrance." He commented with an uneasy tone.
"We had to get your attention somehow." Floch replied.
"As well the entire town."
"It worked out hasn't it?"
He nodded before turning to the freckled brunette. "Ymir."
"Bertholdt." She replied blankly, though Floch could see the turmoil brewing in her gaze.
"So this is who you wanted to bring along with you?"
Floch nodded. "Any issues?"
Bertholdt shook his head. "None, Reiner and Annie should be here soon. Get inside before we're seen, you weren't followed were you?" The colossal motioned for them, towering over both of them as they entered the cabin.
Bertholdt closed the door behind him slowly, before he moved to shut the curtains nearby, keeping the two cadets within his peripheral vision the entire time. He turned to look at them, as Floch crouched to lower the bound figure of Eren Yeager in the middle of the room, leaving his two blades lying down next to him. Bertholdt shifted his gaze towards Ymir, who was eyeing him with an indecipherable emotion, the light from a nearby oil lamp casting grotesque shadows on her face.
He finally cleared his throat to speak, "So, you know everything then."
"Is that your way of easing into this?" Ymir gave him a hard look. "Even now looking at you, I still can't believe it. Out of all people, I really didn't expect it to be you, Bertholdt."
A sheen of guilt briefly flashed in his eyes, as he sighed. "No one could... that was the point."
"Why?" Ymir asked.
Betholdt shot her a cofused looked for a brief moment. "Why what? This? We did what we had to, just like what you're doing now." He looked towards Floch and the bound Eren, "We had our orders."
"Drop it Ymir, there's no point in dwelling on the past." Floch threw in, still crouched facing Eren's body, noting how it suddenly went limp. Floch furrowed his brows, he definitely had to explain this to Erwin later. "We'll have all the time to speak later."
Bertholdt focused his attention on the redhead. "Tell me, Floch. After that night, don't you remember Marcel at all?" He questioned, Ymir's eyes widened at that. Floch glanced in Ymir's direction from the corner of his eyes, before turning to Bertholdt.
"No, sorry."
"I figured as much, It was the same for us too." He sighed, taking a seat at a nearby table, though he still held his guard up. "You took him from us, so I appreciate that you at least acknolwedged that."
Ymir frowned, biting her lip as she stared down at the floor, this was much simpler to look at.
"Does it bother you? Seeing me here, knowing what I did? I couldn't imagine what It must have been like for you to accept working with me, especially after what happened." Floch said, momentarily forgetting about the boy at his feet.
"It's... complicated, I don't particularly blame you but It doesn't help that I've disliked you for a while now." Bertholdt replied.
Floch blew air through his nose. "Still mad about Annie huh?"
"I'd hate to ruin the moment, but shouldn't the others be here by now?" Ymir questioned, sweat beginning to form on her forehead as she grew wary.
Bertholdt had to agree, he stood up and check behind the curtains again with a click of his tongue. "That's odd, but then again you did alert the entire town." He turned to Eren's supposed body, now curious. "Can I check him?" He asked, as the redhead nodded and stepped away from the bound shifter.
"Go ahead, careful not to wake him." Floch said.
Bertholdt gazed between the two, as he furrowed his brow, a part of him couldn't help his growing suspicion. He carefully moved through the dark cabin, the moon casting a light from the doorway of the kitchen, directly over Eren's bound figure. The air was thick with tension, the silence broken only by the sound of Bertholdt's breathing, his light footsteps and the faint rustling of clothes as Floch and Ymir shifted uneasily behind him. Both of them tensed as he approached, a faint scent of sweat lingering in the air, one wrong move could mean this entire forest being wiped from existence.
Bertholdt approached Eren with caution, his hand hovering over the unconscious boy's chest. As he leaned in for a closer look, he noticed something odd about the way Eren's chest rose and fell. It was too slow, too shallow for someone who was supposed to be unconscious. He furrowed his brow, his suspicion growing.
Bertholdt swallowed nervously, before removing the cloth off of his head.
Two figures dropped down from the trees in front of the cabin, both on high alert. Reiner and Annie approached, their weapons drawn, dried blood on Reiner's blades that didn't seem like it would evaporate. "That took way too long, I hope killing those titans was worth it." Annie spoke as they walked.
"It was necessary, If it weren't for the increased patrols we'd have been here sooner." Reiner replied.
The forest was eerily silent, save for their own footsteps and the rustling of leaves as they finally made their way onto the porch. A feeling of foreboding washed over them, they couldn't hear any sound from the inside and the windows were blocked by the curtain. The two blondes shared a look, nodding as they readied themselves. Reiner took hold of the doorhandle before pushing the door open gently. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dark as his body tensed, fully registering the faint stench of blood in the air.
He scanned the inside, eyes falling on a lone figure in the middle of the room. Reiner took a step inside with caution, squinting to check before his blood ran cold. Bertholdt laid there unconscious, all of his missing limbs releasing steam into the air. The blond warrior gasped in shock, before he suddenly noticed somebody coming at him from the doorway of the kitchen, two hooks swished passed Reiner's head towards the outside before he could react.
His eyes widened with fear, as Levi Ackermann lunged towards him.
So uh yeah this part 1, Part 2 should be out soon dot tm, I'm currently in the process of writing two new stories (this time they aren't crackfics that I'll delete later) One of these stories has Floch, Jean and Historia as protagonists and the other one is a one-shot involving Hange and Floch but that's all I'm gonna say for now.
Thanks for the support, see you next time.