Eren panted with exhaustion, his muscles nearly failing him as he limply stumbled through an alley. Blood spilled onto the floor, confusing him momentarily before he realised the red liquid was spilling out of his nose.
Eren grunted as he placed his back against a wall, slowly sliding down, and he tried to stay calm. He made a mistake. His hardening abilities were new to him, with that serum nearly costing him his life to steal, and it was pure luck he managed to craw out of his Titan in time.
He looked down at his waist with disappointment. His ODM gear was lost around the Titan. Excusing how he lost it wasn't difficult, he could say someone stole it, but the other details were something he had to figure out on his own. There was also the matter of his duties as a soldier, which he didn't show up to, but since Wall Rose was breached he doubted the Garrison would take the time to question why a single new recruit didn't show up for work.
Then again, getting his story straight would probably help him in the long run.
Eren allowed himself to grin though, blood staining his teeth and making him look slightly mad. The thought of how the Warriors were reacting made his mood go up. He managed to save Trost, that alone made the his actions worth it. The fact that Bertolt, Reiner, and Annie were likely shitting themselves... well that was just a pleasant bonus.
"I need to get out of here though." Eren spoke to himself and, with slight difficulty, stood back up. He needed to get back to Mikasa and Armin. His Titan healing was starting to kick in, but he was practically defenceless since he probably didn't have the power to transform right now.
Eren picked up the pace, his aches starting to leave as his shifter powers worked their magic, but was stopped cold when a familiar voice asked from behind him.
"Eren?"
Eren froze up. He was afraid to breathe for a moment, and his heart stopped when he locked eyes with Bertolt, blades drawn as he stared at the shorter boy with wide eyes.
Eren internally cursed his luck, wondering what the odds of the Colossal Titan strolling through the same alley as him were, and tried to steel himself as Bertolt questioned.
"Eren, what are you doing here? Weren't you assigned to clean the cannons with Connie and the others?" The taller man asked, momentarily overcoming his timidness as he pushed for answers.
Eren knew he was in a hole, and if he didn't manage to climb out of it then he lost his element of surprise- no actually, it was even worse than that. It was bad if they found out his identity, but if they found out he knew theirs then the three of them would do something rash. Something that would kill a lot of people, him included if they managed to capture him.
Eren immediately opened his mouth, coming up with a vague excuse. "Well I was, but when the Colossal Titan appeared my ODM gear broke when I fell off the Wall. If Sasha didn't manage to catch me, well... I wouldn't be here right now. Anyway, what are you doing here? Aren't you meant to be working near HQ?"
Eren surprised even himself with how smoothly his lie came out, and him changing the subject proved to be enough for Bertolt to flinch. He never did get tired of that.
"W-well, you see I-I- erm." Eren had to stop himself from grinning as his oppressor squirmed, and decided to use Bertolt's indecision against him.
Eren feigned a sigh, giving Bertolt a disapproving glare. "For the love of the Wall- were you skipping your work today?! Were you just feeling lazy and decided to kick your legs back whilst the rest of us worked our asses off?!"
Bertolt was taken aback by the change in tone, but decided to jump at the opportunity as he yelled. "Yes! I mean- look, just don't tell anyone, please, okay?! I've been working really hard to get to the number four spot in our class, and I just needed some rest! Really though, it hardly did anyone any harm, so can you please keep quiet?!"
Eren had to hold himself back, so he put his arms behind his head and sighed. After a few seconds, purposefully leaving Bertolt waiting, he shook his head. "Fine. But this better be a one time thing Bert. I mean MP's are lazy, but you're better than that, so please don't do this again! I mean, Wall Rose was breached just now! How much danger would you be in if it weren't for that weird Titan!"
Eren once again was amazed at how easily Bertolt flinched, and wondered if his speech was too over the top. But, luckily, it worked out and the Colossal Titan wasn't looking at him with suspicions anymore.
"You should give me your ODM gear though." Eren mentioned, inciting a reaction out of Bertolt.
"W-wait what?! Why?!" The green eyed boy gave Bertolt a sly look, deciding to mess with his enemy as he smirked.
"Simple. I had to ditch my busted gear, it would have just weighed me down from running from the Titans, and I need a new one to replace mine."
Bertolt looked unconvinced, so Eren added. "Also, if you don't hand it over then I'll tell Captain Kitz that you were skipping work, and he'll probably do something rash to you for that. Hell, with how much of a spiteful bitch that guys is, maybe he'll pull some strings and stop you from joining the Military Police. I'd personally rather be in trouble for lost gear than skipping duty, the first one doesn't damage your reputation." Maybe Eren was having too much fun messing with Bertolt.
No actually. He'd earned the right to play with the coward a little.
Riding backwards towards the Walls, Captain Levi's permanent scowl was even deeper than usual. His foul mood wasn't just because a good man had died in their expedition, he was partly used to that even if not totally numb. It was because Erwin suspected that Wall Rose was attacked. His Commander said that the Colossal may very well have attacked once again.
Which was, in simple terms, extremely fucking bad. Maria falling was bad enough, losing Rose was literally a line they couldn't bounce back from.
Levi's hands tightened on his reigns, the frustration he was feeling practically oozing off him like an aura, and it was enough to catch one of his subordinates attention.
Petra asked with an even tone. "Captain, do you think we'll make it in time?"
Levi honestly didn't think so, given the Scouts luck and their distance, but knew that his squad members didn't need to have their hopes crushed. "We'll make it in time. Just worry about actually getting to the Wall, as fast as possible."
The Captain's hopes that she would be silent were smashed as Petra stared downwards, unable to contain her uneasiness. "Captain, there isn't a way we could survive if we lost Rose. The deaths would be enormous, and my father in Karanese. He'd-"
Levi cut her off, knowing how Petra thought. "None of that is gonna happen, Petra. Just think about the problems in front of you, and ignore everything else. We'll make it there in time, and if Trost is breached we'll deal with it."
Levi had learned that Petra was a sensitive soul, as much as a Scout could be anyway, and he knew that letting her keep thinking too deeply on it was a downwards spiral. She was too emotional for her own good, and sometimes she didn't know how to keep her heart shut.
She didn't look convinced, but still nodded and kept putting her head down for the rest of their trip. The formation began to slow, with his squad approaching the command squad, and Levi started to talk with the only man he'd ever take orders from.
Their horses were beginning to slow, the fatigue proving too much, but the Walls weren't far either. Levi could see Wall Rose in the distance, his eyes even spotting a horde of Titans on the outside, and he grit his teeth in frustration.
"It looks like the Walls really were breached. Shit, what the hell are we gonna do Erwin?"
Erwin's eyes looked straight ahead, giving no indication that he heard Levi, but the short Captain did get an answer. "We'll fight off the Titans, and evacuate citizens. As for what else, I have a few ideas."
Glancing at Erwin's eyes, Levi knew that whatever plan he had would get them a lot of losses. He wouldn't object to it, taking Trost back was something they simply needed no matter the cost. But, that didn't make whatever he had planned any less diabolical.
Levi narrowed his eyes as they got closer, he noticed something strange. "Hey, Erwin. Why are they just standing outside the gate? They might be idiots, but they should have stepped through by now."
The Commander burrowed his eyebrows. "We'll investigate ourselves, once we wipe out all those Titans. Rally your squad and prepare for battle, and tell Hange's squad to join with your squad. I'll alert Miche and his squad. Be as fast as possible, we'll be arriving shortly."
A grunt was all Erwin got from Levi who steered his horse to the right, being followed by his squad, and quickly caught up with Hange.
"Erwin's ordered us to engage the Titans near the gate. Prepare for battle, and try not to hop into a Titan's mouth will you." Levi pulled out his blades, getting ready to slaughter the horde of monsters, and he knew Hange would end up doing the same. She might have been a maniac, but she was one of the Scouts strongest soldiers.
Hange pulled her swords out, along with her entire squad, and she chose to start a conversation. "Hey, Levi. Do you think we'll get to see the Armoured Titan?"
"I hope not, but if we do then I'm killing it." Levi simply stated, and much to his annoyance she asked him another question.
Hange pulled a hand to her nose, pushing her glasses up as she asked. "What do you think they stand to gain from this, the Armoured and Colossal Titans I mean?"
Levi dismissed her once more. "Who cares? All that matters is that we find them, then kill them."
Hange ignored him, continuing her musing. "Why did they wait five years though? Clearly they possess intelligence, since they targeted the gates specifically, but if their goal was to wipe us all out then why didn't they just follow up immediately after and destroy Rose and Sina? Maybe they're after something else?"
Levi actually considered her words. Hange might have been mad, but he could admit she brought up some good points from time to time. It was one of the reasons he tolerated her.
He answered her honestly. "Who knows? We have no way of knowing, and we shouldn't waste our time trying to understand them. They want to kill us all, so we should end them first."
Levi didn't let her respond, standing up from his horse as the Titans took notice of them. Deploying the gear, he took to the air and shot his anchor into the horde. The world around him warped into a blur of colour as he held his blades like knives, spinning at insane speeds, before slicing through half a dozen Titans in just one fluid dive.
Other soldiers began to join him in wiping out the giants, and combined with the cannon fire which the Garrison provided, the Scouts killed them all with little difficulty. It was a showcase of what such seasoned Titan killers were capable of when working in unison.
Landing on the ground, now free of Titans, the air was misty with steam and warm like blood. Levi sneered at the extra blood on his hands as he brought out a handkerchief.
"Fucking disgusting." Levi muttered to himself as he wiped it away, not caring that it would turn to steam and disappear in a minutes time.
"Uh, Captain." Eld spoke to him, an edge in his voice that held both caution and fear. It was enough to make Levi glance over his shoulder.
"What is-" Levi began, cutting himself off when he realised what had his second in command so spooked. Usually he'd chide his men for letting themselves freeze in Titan territory, but decided to allow it this time.
The two of them weren't alone in their staring, even Miche and Nanaba joining in, with Erwin's right-hand man muttering. "What in the love of god is this?"
Lording over the Scouts, enough to cast a shadow over their tiny human bodies, was a blue crystal statue, one in the shape of a Titan. It was flawless in build, with tendrils made of solid stone crawling up the Walls around where it was frozen, and it looked like it was glaring into Wall Maria's territory. The sight terrified them, but it also seemed to force the Scouts to stare on with how mesmerizing the radiant blue truly glowed.
Even Hange was left speechless.
Erwin was the first to break his stare, slashing his sword sideways to catch his soldiers attention. "All troops, ascend to the top of Wall Rose!"
Their Commander breaking out of his daze was enough to make the others follow, flying to the top of the Walls for safety, however some of them still stared nervously down at the brilliant statue with awe.
With the Titans gone, the Garrison were preparing the elevators to bring any supplies over the Wall, with Erwin, Levi, Miche, Nanaba, and Hange being the ones directing their troops.
An elderly voice said from behind them. "It's good to see you return Erwin. I can trust your expedition went well, yes?"
Erwin turned to look Pixis in the eye, with the veteran scouts doing the same. "It was, until we had to return that is. What happened here Pixis, I'm assuming that the Colossal Titan made an appearance?"
The older man fiddled with his moustache, staring down at the statue with a slight smile. "I wasn't here to experience it personally if that's what you're asking, anything I tell you purely came from my subordinates. But, here it is."
Pixis began to recall what his men told him, an uncharacteristic seriousness in the eccentric Commander's face. "Shortly after you Scouts left, the Colossal Titan made an appearance outside the city and destroyed Trost's outer gate. The Cadet's near the gate were blown away, with them just barely managing to save themselves, and the Colossal Titan retreated shortly afterwards as though it weren't even there."
Levi scowled, his face contrasting with Hange's who was stood right next to him and looked like she was soaking up every detail she was getting, with Miche and Nanaba frowning at the events being recalled to them. Erwin however, remained neutral as Pixis continued.
"The Garrison were preparing countermeasures against the Titans by manning their cannons, setting up iron nets to slow the Titans down, and evacuation civilians... but that wasn't what saved Trost. Around fifteen minutes after Trost was breached, and the Colossal Titan disappeared, another Titan appeared in an explosion of lightning within the city."
Even Erwin couldn't keep the shock off his face, with the other Scouts momentarily losing their composure as even Levi's stoic expression faltered. Though, Hange was unable to contain her excitement and burst out.
"A new Titan?! What did it look like?! Was it aggressive to humans?! Is it the one that sealed the breach-"
Levi snapped at her, disrupting her word explosion. "Hange, shut up and let him finish! Ask your damn questions later!"
Erwin, ignoring their yelling, had his eyebrows raised as he cautiously said. "Please, do continue."
Pixis stared back into Trost, explaining further. "This new Titan was fifteen meters tall, it was essentially a regular Titan but with a muscular physique. To answer the section Commander's question, no it wasn't aggressive to humans at all. In fact, the other Titans seemed to respond to it as though it were a human and tried to attack it."
Hange's eyes went wide, though she did a better job of containing herself as she asked in a more controlled voice. "The other Titans tried to eat it?! What did it do to them?!"
Levi himself was surprised. In all his six years as a Scout, never once had he seen a Titan attack another Titan with the intent to kill. Maybe have small fights over their food, but try to eat each other like they were people? It was unthinkable. Titans only attacked humans, it was just how they worked. It was the one thing they really did know about the mindless monsters.
Pixis seemed to smile slightly, as though he had a funny thought. "Apparently this new Titan killed a dozen or so of it's own kind with it's bare fists. Some soldiers said it's knuckles were covered in white stone, and it tore through them like a pro fighter. Once finished, it moved over to the breach and closed the hole with it's own body and created a statue that plugged the breach in it's place. A few Titans latched onto it, and it vanished when it closed the hole. There weren't any Titans left in Trost, so the Garrison and the Cadets have been trying to guide civilians back to their homes all day."
A dominating silence weighed through the air, and Levi was left in a rare situation where he was too stunned to speak.
Miche asked, looking hesitant. "So, your telling us... that a Titan is on our side?"
Pixis responded with a shrug. "Who knows? Maybe they want to save humanity, perhaps they just want to fight the other Titans, it might be something else entirely. Either way, whether it meant to or not, it did save us today. That's a fact."
Nanaba followed him up, a deep frown on her face. "And your telling us that it held zero interest in attacking humans? It only attacked Titans?"
Pixis gave a nod. "Yes, though I doubt it would have simply stood by if we tried to fight it, and it didn't cross paths with any humans."
The two veterans looked uncomfortable with the fact a Titan saved them, but Erwin still remained neutral as he looked down at the closed Trost gate.
"This Titan, you're saying it knew hand-to-hand combat? That it fought Titans using it's hands, and it didn't simply bite them?" Erwin asked carefully, gaining a glint in his eyes that Pixis caught.
Pixis answered cryptically. "Yes, almost too well. If it weren't for it's size, then it would have acted more like a human than a Titan."
Erwin caught onto those words, ordering his trusted soldiers away. "Leave us. I'd like to speak with Commander Pixis for a while. In private."
The soldiers accepted their dismissal, with only Levi hesitating as he locked eyes with Erwin, but even the short Captain did as he was ordered and left them.
A minute of silence later, Erwin questioned sharply. "So, you've come to the same conclusion I have?"
Stood amongst his celebrating friends, Eren allowed himself to feel the high of victory in the night. Afterall, he'd managed to save Trost. It might have come with the downside of his friend's not getting that fighting experience, but it was well worth it in his mind. Afterall, there were a lot of faces he could see that were alive because of him.
Thomas, Mina, Marco, Nack, Mylius, Franz. They were alive because he took action. It was a good sight, one he would enjoy.
When Eren's friends had questioned him about where he was all day, he made up a story about taking the morning off to visit his mother's grave. It was a simple lie, and he'd even joined up with them later, so they decided not to report his little act to their superiors. Pair that with the fact he had new ODM gear, and suddenly it was like he never skipped out on duty at all.
Thomas slammed a mug of beer in front of Eren, looking to be in a good mood, and he said. "Enjoy Eren. Trost is safe thanks to the rogue Titan."
Eren took a sip, used to the bitter watered down alcohol, and just asked. "Is that what they're calling it? That Titan who closed the breach."
Sasha joined in on the conversation. "Sure was. It's weird to think a Titan is what won us our first battle against the Titans, but I'm not complaining!"
Connie nodded along, asking curiously. "You think that thing could beat the Colossal and Armoured Titans?"
Mina took a surprisingly huge chug of beer, because she could hold her alcohol surprisingly well, and placed it down and said. "Course it could! It was smashing those regular Titans brains out! The other two have got nothing on him!"
Armin cut her down, answering analytically. "Well, one on one I can see it beating the Armoured. But both at once? No, unless it had help then it couldn't take both of them down."
Eren huffed in amusement, finding the idea a bit funny, then stopped to actually wonder if he could handle both of them at once. During combat training he'd beaten Reiner more times than he could count, courtesy of Mikasa being his combat partner, and Bertolt's Titan wasn't ideal for combat, just pure destruction. So maybe if-
No. Shaking his head, Eren mentally scolded himself for the idea. He wasn't stupid enough to try and fight them both at the same time, he wouldn't unless absolutely necessary. In fact, trying to take them down before they transformed was his best bet.
Eren took another sip from his drink, subtly trying to track the Warriors to no avail. They were definitely discussing what he'd done, the appearance of the Attack Titan definitely rocking their plans, but did Bertolt know about his identity.
Thinking back to Bertolt's previous fumbles, Eren might have fooled him, but the Warrior might not have been that dull witted. Pushover he might have been, it might have been easy to spot who his Titan really was if they suspected him. Eren did look a decent bit like his Titan form, so maybe they found him out.
Either way, now that his Titan was revealed, he needed to be more careful with how he acted around them. In fact, keeping any interactions they had to a minimum was the best move he could make.
A tap on the shoulder got his attention, and turning around Ymir instantly demanded. "Eren, can you talk to me alone? Now."
Eren burrowed his eyes, letting out a tired sigh, before he stood. "Fine, but make this quick. It's been a long day."
Connie took the opportunity tease Ymir. "You haven't got a thing for Eren, right Ymir? I mean, Krista would super disappointed."
Ymir sent a glare his way, but didn't do much else as her and Eren walked out of the mess hall.
"Hey, what do you think they wanna talk about?" Sasha whispered to Armin, and he just gave a shrug in response. The redhead felt her instincts flare, feeling like what Ymir wanted to discuss was important, but tried to push it down as she nervously ate her bread.
Connie gained a questioning look as his gaze swept the lively room. "Hey, where are Reiner and Bertolt?"
Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt were all silent as they stood in an alley, where they were less likely to be overheard by their fellow Cadets.
Annie wasn't expecting to get any resistance in destroying Paradis. Their technology was akin to sticks and stones, and their weapons were pathetic compared to modern society. Fumbling around with cannons, bows and swords, they had nothing compared to Marley. The only arguable advantage they had was ODM gear, but that was made to fight Titans.
Still though, breaking the Walls definitely wasn't the correct move. Reiner had clearly gotten attached to the people of Paradis, a fact he's denied many times, and his mental instability was causing issues in his judgement. Marley were cruel, and stupid, but they wouldn't have killed the three of them if they returned with updated information. At worst, they'd be sent back to Paradis after gathering information, and at best they'd be given a small window to return to Marley. She might have been able to see her father.
Regardless she went along with his plan, ignoring what both her mind and morals were telling her to do, and prayed that the Founding Titan would show itself and they could finish the mission.
In a sense their plan had succeeded... in another it just made their mission a lot more difficult.
Annie decided to be the first to break the ice. "That wasn't the Jaw Titan, or the Founder." She stated it as a fact, knowing she was right.
Bertolt asked quietly. "How do you know it wasn't the Coordinate? I mean, it was too big to be the Jaw Titan, but-"
Annie abruptly cut him off. "If the Founder acted, it could have just controlled all the Titans and made them leave. This one closed the hole with Titan hardening, so I doubt that was our target."
Reiner finally broke his silent streak, that damned look on his face whenever he was in Warrior mode taking an intense turn. "It's not hard to figure out which Titan it is. Marley took seven of the nine Titans during the Great Titan war, so if it's not the Founder then it can only be-"
"The Attack Titan." Annie finished, coming to the same conclusion as Reiner.
Annie couldn't help but feel frustrated, not knowing what exactly they were dealing with. The Founding Titan was powerful, terrifyingly so, but at least they knew exactly what they were dealing with. Even children knew just how powerful it really was. The Attack Titan, however, was a total unknown to them. It must have been strong to flee Marley's capture, but that tells them nearly nothing about it's unique powers.
Annie pointed that out to Reiner. "We can't breach Wall Rose again, not with the Attack Titan lurking around. We have no idea who it might be. They could be a citizen of Trost, a Garrison soldier, or something else entirely. Even worst, we don't have any information about this new Titan's abilities. It could very well be more powerful than the three of us combined. Plus-"
Annie stopped herself from speaking, unwilling to admit the feeling of fear she felt when she saw the Attack Titan. It was certainly strong, but more than anything she was afraid of what it would do to them. Whoever held that Titan must have been a true monster, because the sheer rage that it emitted was enough to make even her flinch.
Reiner sighed, crossing his arms. "I know. Clearly we can't just attack the Walls again, doing so would be reckless, so there's only one real course of action we can take."
Bertolt pulled his head up, asking in a hushed tone. "And what might that be?"
"One of us should join the Scouts, they will head back to Marley and rally the other Warriors. The other two can join the Military Police and continue the mission as planned."
Annie couldn't help but do a double-take, staring at Reiner with stunned eyes, Bertolt being much the same.
Reiner scowled as he explained. "With the Attack Titan appearing and the Founder still not being located we can't do much. You were right all along, Annie, Marley should get an update on what's going on here. The mission was meant to take three years, we've been here for five, and maybe with Pieck and Zeke here with us we can finally find the Coordinate and go home."
"Which one of us will go?" Annie couldn't stop the hope from leaking into her voice at the notion of returning to Marley, even if only briefly, and Reiner seemed to catch onto that.
"It should be you. Your Titan has the best endurance out of us three anyway, so if one of us should return you're the best choice. Just be careful, alright?" Reiner added that last part, clearly concerned for her going off on her own.
Annie felt some excitement, but kept her thoughts internal as she accepted her role. "I will. You do too, I swear I do everything around here whilst you hang out with your friends all day. Try to actually get some work done."
Reiner's eye twitched as he recited the words he'd told her hundreds of times before. "How many times do I have to tell you, they aren't my friends, they're-"
"Devils." Annie finished for him, sending an unimpressed look his way that shut him down. She sighed at the sight, deciding to tell him the full truth for once. "Listen Reiner, whatever relationship you have with them, getting close to them would have only ever ended one way. Maybe you aren't friends, but you're something beyond acquaintances, and you need to stop yourself to continue the mission. If you even can at this point."
Annie's words were cold, and Reiner looked angry, but he notably didn't retort her like he usually did. She rose to her full height by stepping of the wall she was leaning against, and started to walk away, leaving him with some final words.
"Reiner, are you a Warrior or a soldier? You can't be both." The blonde girl finally walked away, leaving Reiner and Bertolt alone.
Bertolt watched her leave, feeling her words hit a cord in him, and he asked Reiner. "Reiner, do you think our torment will ever end?"
Reiner held his head, breathing out strongly, and just uttered out. "It will Bertolt. After everything we've done... it has to pay off somehow."
Reiner didn't sound like he believed himself though, with Bertolt just staying quiet as the two of them tried not to talk about the fact... that they were relieved.
Maybe things would be more difficult for them, but at least they weren't even bigger killers than they already were. At least Reiner didn't have to get even more blood on his hands for a little bit longer.
At least their friends got to live just a little bit longer.
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