"I almost can't believe how easy this was." He rolled his eyes as he leaned on the railing of a boat bound for Paradis. He'd gotten in contact with a branch of the Eldian Restorationists and managed to secure a place as a member of the crew with their help. He'd considered getting their help in stealing the Warhammer, but they wouldn't have allowed him to take it himself and do what he was doing. It was best to keep them out of the loop.
Still, they had their uses. He'd long since given himself the scar that identified Restorationists to each other. All he had to do was track down a branch, tell them he was on a covert op spying on the Marleyan military, and they'd happily given him the fake blood tests and papers he needed to get on the ship. It was amazing what a paperboy could overhear on his routes.
By the time they figured out he'd pulled the wool over their eyes, he'd already be on Paradis.
Pre-telephone era communication was a wonderful thing to exploit.
It wasn't exactly a leisurely cruise, he was just shovelling coal in the engine room, but it got him where he needed to be. As he puffed out the last of his cigarette, he could see a land mass in the distance.
They were close.
"Tibelt!" A voice barked behind him, and he immediately stood up straight and saluted.
"Sir!" he responded promptly. Larry Tibelt. The name popped into his head as he filled out the fake papers. Lara's lingering influence, he suspected.
"What are you doing?" The Captain demanded, his gaze scrutinising.
"Finishing up a smoke break, Sir." He responded. The Captain narrowed his eyes before sighing.
"They get younger each time." he grumbled. "Got a spare?" He asked.
"Yes sir." Hands pulled out his pack and slipped out a cigarette, offering it to the Captain.
"This is a filthy habit boy. I suggest you quit before you get to my age." The man took the cigarette. As he pulled out his lighter, he cursed as it sparked, but didn't light.
"I'm aware sir, but I suppose you could say it's sentimental." Hans pulled out his own lighter, an old, but ornate zippo lighter with an owl engraved on it. "This belonged to my father." He said, lighting it.
"That so?" The Captain asked as he used the flame to light the cigarette. "He not around anymore?"
"I'm an orphan, Sir. This is all that I have of my family." He said, looking at the owl engraving before pocketing the lighter.
"Sorry to hear that." The Captain gave a gruff apology. "But, you've found yourself honest work. That's more than can be said for a lot of lads in your situation."
"Thank you Sir. It's been a tough road." Hans responded, opening his pocket watch. "I'm on the clock again Sir. Let me know if you need another smoke." He said with one more salute.
"I might take you up on that." The Captain shook his head in amusement. "Off with you then. We'll be docking in an hour or two." He dismissed the boy.
Hans quickly dashed back towards the engine room.
Sure enough, they'd docked after about another 90 minutes. The engine workers were permitted to take the time to get some fresh air while the soldiers did their jobs. Hans was having another smoke as he waited for the right time to make his move. He considered trying to save the Eldians that were to be transformed, but he knew that it wouldn't do any good. Best case, they take the ship, sail elsewhere, and either dock in some foreign country and become vagrants or die at sea. Worst case, they try to survive on the island and become Titan food. It was a morbid decision he had to make, but there wasn't anything he could do for them.
Much like his father before him.
"You wanna come, Lad?" The Captain suddenly asked him as he walked by, the soldiers leading the prisoners to the wall.
"Me?" Hans asked in surprise.
"Yeah." The Captain said, adjusting his cap slightly. "You have this look about you. I think you'll go far in life if you work at it. You oughta see what the world you're living in is really like." He said simply. Hans considered it for a moment before nodding, following after the Captain as he pulled out his cigarette pack and offered it to the Captain, who gave a small grin, happily accepting the cigarette and lighter. The two followed after the soldiers guiding the blindfolded Eldians.
There were only five. All adult men, except for one. A girl, no older than fifteen. As they were all made to kneel before the edge of the wall, he could see the tears pouring from her eyes.
He'd read the report. She was just a girl who'd formed a relationship with a Marleyan boy. She hadn't even seduced him or tried anything of the sort. They were just caught on a cute Sunday date together by one of the boy's parents, who immediately turned her in. Hans wasn't sure how that resulted in her being sent here. He tried not to let his emotions show. He couldn't do anything for them, he reminded himself.
Did he inherit this ruthless pragmatism from his father, perhaps? Even as the first of the five Eldians was tossed off the wall with an injection Titan serum, he did not allow his facial expressions to falter. One by one, the rest of them were injected, thrown, and turned into monsters.
Finally, they came to the girl.
"Please, don't do this!" She sobbed as they pulled the blindfold off of her.
"Eldian witch!" The soldier snarled as he jammed the needle into her neck.
"NOOOOO!" The girl screamed as she was pushed off of the ledge. The signature bolt of yellow lightning struck out of nowhere, and a monstrosity had taken her place.
This Titan was different to the others; they all bore a resemblance to their human selves, just proportioned differently and mildly deformed, barring the size difference. This young girl turned into a 6 or 7 metre Titan, with a jaw that seemed to perpetually hang open. It had the same long blond hair as her, hanging all the way down to its back. Its arms wrapped around its shoulders, as if cradling itself as it ran off into the distance, its torso swinging to and fro to the sides.
"And that's a rap." The Captain said, putting his cap back on. "Let's get that engine heated and leave this cursed island." He said as they all started filing out. Hans didn't move. He just kept staring into the distance, watching the Titan that used to be an innocent girl run off. "You hear me Lad?" The Captain asked, seeing that Hans hadn't moved.
"I heard you." Hans replied, taking a deep, calming breath. "I should thank you, Captain. You've done what you've set out to do, if not in the way you expected." He turned his gaze to the Captain, who instinctively took a step back at the dark look in the boy's eye. He had no idea a child could show such a gaze. "I already knew what this world is really, I have my entire life. But seeing it is another matter entirely." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small knife. "You've shown me something I needed to see, and I shall return the favour in kind." He held the blade to his palm. "Kill the crew, destroy the boat, and get to the wall." He whispered to himself.
"What?" The Captain asked, his hand instinctively reaching towards his service weapon.
"I will show you…" Hans whispered, slashing the palm of his hand as the words his father spoke in the very spot he stood escaped from his mouth. "This is how we of the nine use our power."
Before anything else could be said, thunder resounded, and lightning struck where Hans stood. When the light faded, there no longer stood a 15 year old boy, but a Titan.
The Titan stood a good 16 metres tall, nearly its entire body encased in pure white skin, save for the red rings of exposed skin around its neck and biceps. It was almost faceless, save for the evident mouth with shark-like teeth, and instead of typical eyes, there were only two narrow, black, vertical slits with small glowing red orbs in the centre, where the eyes were supposed to be. A shaggy mess of pure white hair flowed on its head, and out of its forehead emerged two twisted horns. Its body was lithe and muscular, and along the outer parts of the limbs, there were reptilian scales running up to its shoulders and thighs. Its toes and fingers curled into sharp claws, and finally, there protruded a tail from its tailbone, long and skinny, with a hook-shaped tip.
This was Hans' Titan, enhanced by the spinal fluid of the Beast titan.
"It's the Warhammer!" One of the soldiers yelled. They all yelled in terror and confusion, aiming their muskets at the Titan before them, but the bullets did nothing.
Hans simply yelled, a shrill screech emanating from his mouth as he held out his hand to the side. A glow sparked within his palm, and from thin air, a Titan-sized halberd with a massive blade formed. With a single swipe, most of the soldiers were slashed into mincemeat, the gunfire ceasing beneath the screams of those who were not killed. Hans stepped down from the wall and into the water where the boat had docked. He wasn't even hip deep.
With a snarl, he raised his halberd and slashed down on the boat. It broke in half almost effortlessly, and he kicked the pieces away, into the depths of the sea. More gunfire rang, and though he barely felt a thing as the bullets hit him, he turned to face the shooters. It was the Captain, along with the few that survived his initial attack. With little more than a thought, he dismissed the halberd and stepped out of the water, walking over to the remaining soldiers. They kept firing, but the bullets did nothing against his Titan skin.
He reached over and grabbed the two soldiers that flanked the Captain, the last two. Without a thought, he tossed them into the sea with enough force that the impact of their landing in the water would kill them. Finally, he set his eyes on the Captain, who trembled in place. He made no movement as Hans reached out and grabbed him, bringing the Captain up to his Titan face.
"A good show, Captain?" The Warhammer asked in a deep, hissing voice, a forked tongue flickering out between the sharp teeth.
"Devil…" The Captain whispered, barely able to move save for the trembling.
"Devil indeed." Hans agreed. "But a Devil is what this world needs. Better a Devil they know, than a Devil they don't." He said. The Captain may not have understood his meaning, but it didn't matter. He was crushed to death with a squeeze of the Warhammer's hand, and discarded like a burnt out cigarette.
With that, Hans' massacre was done. The Warhammer knelt down to the ground, using his fists to support himself as he bowed his head.
"Haaaah!" Hans took a deep breath as his upper torso emerged from the nape of the neck. His hands and the majority of his legs were still buried in the Titan's flesh, and across his eyes and mouth were several vertical lines. "It's hot in there." he commented to himself, allowing himself a moment of fresh air.
He was a little concerned about going berserk, as this was his first transformation, but it seemed he was able to keep his head, which was a pleasant surprise. He took a moment to take in his Titan form, and was pleased to see that his plan had worked. He'd used Zeke's spinal fluid for the express purpose of enhancing his Titan. He hadn't expected to grow a pair of wings like the Jaw did in the finale, but this was almost as good. Sharp teeth, claws, scales, horns, a tail, and even a forked tongue like a snake. He'd thought maybe he'd just get a couple of spikes on his spine, or a pair of antlers, but the turnout was better than he'd hoped. Using the Beast Titan's spinal fluid was definitely a good idea.
He'd thought about trying to get a hold of one of the others, but it didn't seem feasible, or worth it. The Titan serum that was usually used was made from the spinal fluid of existing Titan wielders, so there wouldn't have been any benefit to using the regular stuff over the spike wine. Granted, it would have served the purpose he needed, but then he'd just be a regular Warhammer Titan. Still, he was able to pull it off, so no issue.
"Let's get this show on the road. And I'll try not to think about how I basically look like a giant white Tiefling." he muttered to himself as he sank back into the nape of the Titan, taking the reins once again as the monstrosity stood to its feet at his command. He briefly wondered why he hadn't manifested a crystal like the Warhammer Titan usually would, but that was a question for another day.
With that, he vaulted over the wall and made his way north.
Having done the maths a long time ago, he knew it would take an ordinary human weeks to get to the walls by foot. Thankfully, with his Titan form, he was able to move much faster. He'd encountered more than a few Pure Titans as he went, but most of them left him alone, and the few that did take interest in him were quickly dispatched with a slash to the neck from his claws. Still, it would take longer than a day to get there, so when night fell, and he was confident that there were no Titans in the area, he popped out of his Titan's nape and climbed a tree, one that was a fair bit taller than his Titan. He probably didn't need to, since Titans couldn't move at night due to the lack of sunlight, but he recalled that Zeke's Titans could. Better not to risk it.
This also meant he could sleep without fear of a Titan waking up before he did and sneaking up on him.
As he lay back on the thick branch, his back against the trunk, staring up into the stars, his mind drifted to the carnage he'd wrought hours before. He grimaced as he remembered the feeling of the polite Captain with whom he'd shared a cigarette being crushed in his hands. Speaking of, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarette pack. He only had 17 left. He'd have to make them last if they didn't exist inside the walls. As he placed the cigarette in his mouth, he lit the zippo lighter again and-
He lit his cigarette calmly, looking out the window of the small apartment.
"I wish you'd stop with those." Hans turned to face the young woman who'd entered the room. She held a baby in her arms, and she had a disappointed pout on her lips.
"You'd deny an old man one of the last pleasures he has in his short time?" He asked his paramour with a small smile, allowing his eyes to soften in a way he'd never allow to happen in anyone else's presence. He grimaced as he tasted blood on his lip that dripped from his nose.
"And there's your answer as to why." The young lady scoffed as she pulled out a handkerchief from her dress and wiped him down with worry and annoyance. "Maybe your time wouldn't be so short if you got rid of those wretched things." She sighed as finished up. He'd let her think that. She didn't need to know the truth.
Two years left. He had to make sure Grisha was ready by then.
"It makes no difference now." he shrugged, taking a drag. How did he allow himself to get into this situation? He never should have fathered a child this fair into his term.
"At least blow that poison out the window, I don't want Hans getting whatever you've given yourself." She pulled her baby away.
"I'm certain there's no worry of that happening." Hans gave a laugh. The last thing he wanted was his own son shouldering his burden.
As far as anyone knew, the woman and child included, he was a Marleyan soldier, and the baby was his bastard son. It wasn't as uncommon as people thought. Some people curled their lips, but they held their tongues for the most part, so long as they stayed in the Internment Zone and he accepted full responsibility for them.
"I wish you could see him grow up." His paramour suddenly sighed sadly. "He has your eyes." She angled herself to face the baby towards Hans. Sure enough, the boy looked up at him with big grey eyes. Almost instinctively, Hans reached out, and baby Hans gripped his finger so tightly.
"Grr…" Hans rubbed his temple in annoyance as the pain spiked through his head again. "I thought that only happened with your own Titan." He mumbled, looking at the lighter. The eyes of the owl engraved into it seemed to stare back at him for a moment.
~Hoo~
His head whipped towards the source of the sound he'd just heard. There, perched on a branch not even a metre away from his head, was an owl. The bird looked at him with curiously intelligent eyes, its head far to the right, before straightening out and flying off.
Somehow, he doubted he'd be getting much sleep.
Sure enough, he was right.
Sleep eluded him throughout the night, constantly being interrupted by images of the slaughter he'd performed before, thoughts of his father, and even flashes of Lara Tybur's image. In the end, he was able to catch a few winks. He at least had enough stamina to transform and continue north, towards the walls. In the end, it took him three days to get to the walls. Getting inside in broad daylight wasn't going to happen, he knew he'd have to wait until nightfall. Somehow, he figured the 'amnesiac lost outside the walls' bit that Grisha pulled wasn't going to fly a second time, especially not if Keith got word of it.
So he waited. He briefly wondered if he'd see the gate open for the scouts to begin one of their expeditions, but it seemed unlikely. So, again, he waited for nightfall. Sitting in his Titan form for several hours got tedious very quickly, so he sought out another tree to set up in for the time being.
Having barely the past few days, he found himself dozing off quite easily.
As he opened his eyes, he felt the sting of an incredibly bright light hit them, and he grimaced, blocking the light with his hand before peeking ever so slightly between his fingers. The source was a massive pillar of light, branching off into every direction in the sky.
Underneath his hand, the one he used to support his torso, he could feel the grainy texture of the sand he lay on. Looking around, he saw the sandy surface stretching into infinity in all directions, with not a sign of life anywhere.
Well, save for one.
He was suddenly aware of the presence of a small girl. Her being lacked any real colour, as if her very existence was lifeless. She didn't even acknowledge him as she walked past him, carrying a small wooden bucket that seemed to be filled with water. She wore nothing but a worn out dirty, tattered rag, her light hair was a mess, and her eyes seemed glossed over, with no irises or pupils.
"Holy shit…" He whispered as he realised where he was, and who the girl was.
"Language, young man." A voice scolded. Hans yelped, startled, as he scampered to his feet to face the owner of the voice.
There, before him, stood Lara Tybur, unharmed and unbound, idly looking around in curiosity.
"So this is the coordinate then, how interesting." She said thoughtfully.
"How in the fuck are you here?" Hans blurted out, his eyes wide. And with such a lackadaisical attitude as well. Seriously, she was just standing there, with her maid-like dress and hair done, hands tucked in front of her; demure and composite, like a prim and proper lady.
"Again with the language." She gave him a stern glare. "But, to answer your question, I haven't a clue." She said, her eyes drifting to the girl. "Is that who I think it is?" She asked.
"If you think it's the Founder, the original Titan, Ymir Fritz, then yes, I would assume so." Hans crossed his arms, his gaze turning to the girl, who continued to ignore the both of them as she aimlessly carried her bucket.
"Perhaps I found myself here the same way she did." Lara suggested.
"But exactly how that is, we still don't know." Hans gave a sigh. "Or maybe you're just a hallucination on my part."
"Maybe." A moment passed.
"You're being awfully civil."
"Excuse me?"
"You're being rather civil and polite to the man who just mutilated, bound, and ate you alive," he pointed out. "In that order." He added as an afterthought.
"I see no reason to not behave civilly. I no longer possess the power of the Warhammer, and it's not as if I could do anything if I were to get outraged." She noted.
"Fair." Hans conceded. "Still though, I can't tell if that's some form of nihilism, or maturity on your part."
"Well, I am older than you." The corner of her lip curled up ever so slightly, teasingly.
"Five years at the most." He shot back. "Ugh…" he gripped the bridge of his nose. "I'm arguing with a ghost in a desert of glorified Titan clay." He mumbled to himself, kicking the sand beneath his feet slightly. "So this is my life now."
"So it seems." Lara agreed. "The sun has set, by the way."
"What?"
Hans opened his eyes, and sure enough, he saw nothing but darkness around him, save for the light coming from the torches within the walls.
"Gah!" He yelped when he felt the tree he lay in shake. Looking down, he saw a Titan leaning against the tree, sluggishly nodding off due to the lack of sunlight. "That was close, not to mention careless." He mumbled to himself. Shaking his head, he stood up and scampered to the other side of the tree, not wanting to jump into the reach of the Titan. Satisfied, he pulled out his knife, slashed his hand, and jumped out of the tree, transforming.
The night sky was cloudy, and there already seemed to be the beginnings of a thunderstorm, so he wasn't concerned about the lightning that signified his transformation. As he made to dash towards the wall, he became aware of something impeding his foot. Looking down, he saw the Titan that was leaning against the tree gripping his ankle. Just barely, but it had a grip. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was the Titan that had turned from the girl he'd witnessed several days ago, with the jaw hanging open, and the unoccupied hand still gripping her opposing arm. He saw scratch marks on the tree where she leaned. It seemed she'd been trying to get at him for a bit.
"Very careless." He scolded himself slightly, pulling himself free from the grip. In an act of pity, he gave a quick swipe of his claws, slashing her nape. The poor girl didn't deserve to spend the rest of her life as a savage monster. This way she might find some peace.
With the nape slashed, the Titan's grip loosened almost immediately, and the body began to fade into steam, allowing Hans to make his way towards the walls. He made sure to tread carefully, he didn't want the Garrison soldiers seeing or hearing him approaching. As he got closer, he could see the soldiers patrolling the top of the wall with torches in hand. He made sure to be especially quiet the closer he got. It must have looked ridiculous; a Titan tip-toeing towards the walls. Here's hoping his stark white colouring wasn't too visible in the night.
Thankfully, he got to the wall safely, without being spotted. With his back pressed up right against it, he placed his palm against the wall, tapping into the Warhammer's power.
An image flashed through his mind. Giant, colossal Titans marching through a forest, stomping the trees underfoot. Then the image shifted. The Colossals stood still, in a massive circular formation, and their skin suddenly hardened, expanding and shaping around their bodies until the walls were formed.
"Grr…" Hans grumbled under his breath, doing his best to ignore the spike of pain through his skull. "Getting sick of that." He hissed, mentally flexing the Warhammer's power.
The walls shifted ever so slightly, tiny grooves forming along its height., right up to the top. Small enough and shallow enough that they weren't readily apparent to the naked eye, even without the cover of night. Sliding out of the nape of his Titan, he reached and gripped one of the tiny grooves he'd just made in the wall. Satisfied that he could hold himself, he disconnected his legs from the Titan body, securing his feet, and other hand. He gave a light hiss of pain as he felt the strain his fingers took with such a small grip space, coupled with bearing his body weight, but he soldiered through it, forcing himself to climb up.
With great patience, effort, and fortitude, he was able to make it to the top of the wall. He peaked over the edge, ensuring there weren't any soldiers too close to his position. He almost cursed when he saw one approaching a little closer than he would have liked, ducking down before he could be seen. He gritted his teeth as he forced himself to hold on, despite the pain. He was really wishing he'd made the grooves a little deeper. After an eternally long moment, the soldier passed him by, and he heaved himself over the edge, doing his best not to make any noise of exertion. He fell to his knees, looking at his bleeding fingertips. They were already steaming, the wounds closing.
"Now to get down…" He whispered to himself as looked over the edge, seeing the city within the wall. It was beautiful, with all the torches, candles, and lamps, rather than the light bulbs of Marley. It almost made him appreciate the simple lives that these people lived. Almost.
Shaking his head, he looked around for an obvious way down. In his haste, he'd neglected to make grooves on the other side of the wall, though that was probably for the best. Some random schmoe finding them and climbing up would probably raise some alarms with the powers that be, and the Reiss family might decide to investigate. So, the best idea he had was to follow the soldier that had passed him before at a distance.
Not the best idea.
"What the hell are you doing up here you brat?!" A blonde soldier with a breath that smelled like wine snarled as he grabbed the boy by his collar.
Who would have thought there would be soldiers patrolling the wall at night with no torch?
