God of Hate
"Anything?"
Levi stood at the entrance to the underground cells, looking over at the approaching form of Erwin Smith. "Well, she got her talking. Mostly mushy shit, but the kid's not bad. The Titan-brat hasn't revealed anything important though."
"We weren't expecting results right away," Erwin acknowledged in acceptance.
"So, what was that screeching about earlier? Did Hange poke the thing in the ass?" Levi asked neutrally.
Erwin remained utterly silent.
Lev's eyes widened minutely. "Please tell me you're joking."
"Hange is accustomed to Titans, which don't seem capable of being embarrassed," Erwin reminded, a small quirk of the lips betraying his amusement.
"Right," Levi said, deciding not to address that statement. He also decided to make sure Hange took a bath within twenty-four hours, even if he had to throw her in a river. "That aside, how is our Golden Friend?"
Erwin hummed. Levi had already been brought up to speed on the fact that "Trips" was in fact a cadet, just as the shifter had been, but seemed unable to change back. "Well enough, I suppose. We can do very little to accommodate him besides surrounding him with familiar faces," Erwin explained. "Hange plans on making some attempts to form whatever dialogue we can with the creature, for answers and mutual understanding."
Levi knew that would be hard with the scaly brat unable to speak, but he figured Hange would have an idea or two eventually. "Any word from the higher-ups?"
Erwin frowned. "The creature can't be moved, obviously, and transporting the shifter would be a risk with her intentions so uncertain."
Levi raised an eyebrow as he understood. "They're coming here."
Erwin nodded in confirmation. "There will be several officials coming to see the situation for themselves. It is, for all intents and purposes, a trial. More for the shifter than for Trips, but still," he explained grimly. "They'll arrive in three days."
"So, we have three days to decide if the mouthy brat is a lost cause, and to make Gold seem as human-friendly as possible," Levi summarized cynically.
"That would be the long and short of it," Erwin agreed. "You'll be present, obviously, as a safe-"
"Captain Levi, Commander Erwin."
Both turned to see Hange approaching them with a rather strained smile on her face. Erwin felt a sense of caution grow within him. Hange never called Levi by rank unless it was an introduction. For her to use it, something must be wrong. "Hange, something to report?" he asked, Levi watching intently.
"No, no, everything is fine. Peachy. Great. I just need a word with you in private about the soldiers mishandling my Titan-babies," Hange answered, keeping her false smile up.
Now Erwin was growing very concerned, but outwardly just nodded as he led Hange away. Levi frowned as they left. For Hange to be acting like that, she must think that whatever she had to say could not have any chance of being overheard.
Hange remained eerily quiet as Erwin led her away to a more secluded spot, entering a currently-vacant home for good measure. "Okay, Hange. What is bothering you?"
"I just discovered something that might be...dangerous," Hange started delicately. "I was studying the remains from, what did the cadets call him? Oh, right, Trips."
"I'm aware that the tissue didn't vanish like a Titan's, Hange. And I already assumed it was resistant to flames," Erwin stated, having a hunch she would bring this up eventually.
"You did?" Hange asked in surprise.
"I saw the remains being stored away in an alley. They would have burned through half of it by then if they could," Erwin answered.
"I- Okay, point, but that's not it," Hange continued, pulling something out of her jacket. "I pulled this off to study it."
Erwin looked at it, a large gilded scale that could only come from one entity. "One of his scales. What of it?"
"Well, I got to wondering, why does his scale look like it's made of gold?" Hange continued in false whimsy. "And the answer is: It doesn't."
Erwin raised an eyebrow, silently inquiring an explanation.
"Erwin, it doesn't look like gold, it is gold," Hange explained in a forceful whisper.
Erwin's eyes narrowed as his mind kicked in. Eren didn't regenerate like a titan, but he did regenerate all the same. And if he could transform like the shifter, that was a potential near-endless supply of gold. People might not only try to take bits of flesh Eren had lost in battle, but try to rip them off Eren himself at their own risk. And the nobles, in their greed, might try to force Eren into being a...gold factory for them to harvest. That was even ignoring the effect it would have on the economy.
But there was one problem Erwin had with this on a logical level.
"Gold isn't that strong of a metal," Erwin reminded with a frown. "How can those scales resist so much punishment?"
"It's not just gold, obviously," Hange answered with a frown as she looked back down at the scale. "There is...something else in there as well. Another element or maybe the scales below the golden layer are harder than the coating. I don't know anything for sure yet. I just thought you should know before someone else figures this out."
Erwin nodded. "Thank you, Hange. Anything else to report?"
"Nothing so secretive," Hange said in relief. "I've been trying to understand why the flesh doesn't decay. It took me a while to find one, but I found a piece of flesh that was smaller than all the rest. Unlike the other chunk, it was starting to decompose."
"Really? Why would that be?" Erwin inquired.
"It's hard to say anything for sure," Hange admitted. "I think the size had something to do with it, but...I asked and found out it was part of the batch they did not try to burn."
Erwin furrowed his great brows at what Hange was implying. "You think the fire might have actually...rejuvenated the flesh some?"
"I'm not thinking anything yet. It could be a coincidence; a random fact that ultimately had no effect on this at all. It's just so exciting, discovering a whole new kind of creature in a similar classification as the Titans," Hange said, grinning madly before frowning in thought. "Commander, you know people better than I do most of the time. Do you think this will be enough to convince everyone that he isn't a Titan?"
Erwin paused in consideration before nodding. "At this point, yes. If presented correctly. He saved Trost too, and every soldier from that battle speaks of Trips like a savior or an ally. The atmosphere is in his favor," Erwin acknowledged. "But there is still the most important question."
Hange nodded...
Later
"How did this happen?"
Eren cocked his heads at the figures standing on the roof; Erwin, Hange, Levi, Mikasa, and Armin.
"How did you become like this?" Erwin clarified. "I'm aware that you can't speak. But if you could, could you answer?"
Eren just shook his head now, answering "no" to the question.
"No, you don't know, or just don't want to say?" Levi asked pointedly.
Eins snorted while Drei frowned. Scowled? Zwei quirked his head thoughtfully before one tail rose up.
"Oh, oh, he means the first one!" Hange realized, pointing overly excitedly.
The heads nodded while Eren's friends watched on. Armin knew they needed to ask this for clarification, but he couldn't help noticing it was just the five of them with Eren. None of the other cadets were present. He wondered why.
"Do you recall turning into this form at all?" Erwin continued on.
Eren gained three looks of deep thought, his tails refusing to rise.
"He doesn't know?" Mikasa asked, more to herself than the others.
"Probably had a lot of other things to worry about," Levi remarked, glancing to the boulder that sealed the breach of Trost.
Eren turned away from them to Hange's alarm. "Hey, where are you-" she stopped as Erwin held out an arm to stop her.
Eren didn't walk away from them so much as just...wandered to the side. How had he become this? He remembered Thomas dying, everyone dying. His eyes wandered down to his right leg, remembering his human one being bitten off.
"He's trying to remember," Armin said softly, getting curious looks from all but Erwin. Eren's eyes trailed to Armin for a moment and the boy winced.
Eren remembered saving Armin from the bearded titan. He remembered...he remembered...
"Is he growling?" Levi asked with a frown.
"No," Mikasa answered, watching the trembling in Eren's long necks. "He's groaning."
He remembered being eaten. Being in the belly of a Titan, among dozens of other victims. He remembered some delirious solder crying for her mother or father as she died.
Shock. Fear. Despair. Rage. Hate. Hate. HATE!
"Wow!" Hange exclaimed, nearly falling backward as Eren slammed his head into a building.
"Eren!" Mikasa called out in alarm.
"Keep your voice down! Call him Trips or something if you got to yell!" Levi scolded in annoyance.
"But what's wrong with him?" Mikasa asked, torn between glaring at the soldier and rushing towards Eren.
"He's remembering being eaten alive," Erwin stated simply. "I imagine we would all rather not remember surviving such an ordeal."
Levi suppressed a shudder as he silently agreed.
Eren simmered, gritting his teeth as his face remained buried in the wood and debris. He remembered being devoured, but how did he get out? How did he turn to this? His mind swam between the gap, the time between being about to die and slaughtering Titans with this form.
All he could find was...a jolt; A spark of some sensation that ran through him. It was familiar now that he remembered it, but where had he felt it before?
He pulled himself free of the building, shaking the bits of wood off before returning to his audience. With a short pause, he shook his heads with a regretful look on his face.
"So, he doesn't know either," Levi summarized.
The left head let out a low crooning sound.
"He's apologizing, I think. For doing..." Armin paused, looking over the hole Eren had put in the roof. "That."
"It's fine. I can only imagine how stressful and confusing this has been for you," Erwin accepted, still staring Eren in the eye…or at least, the middle one, mostly.
It was strange for Eren. Mikasa and Armin knew him, human or not. Hange treated him like a great discovery, while Levi was eyeing his every movement. But when Erwin spoke, it was like the commander was really speaking to another human rather than just pretending Eren wasn't some giant beast. And Eren appreciated it on some level; Eins, Zwei, and Drei.
"I understand that you have the ability to stun Titans with your roar," Erwin stated after a moment. "Were you aware of that before Cadet Arlert, shall we say, motivated you?"
Eren nodded in confirmation.
"Then, is there a reason why you did not use it more liberally?" Erwin asked pointedly.
Eren's middle head nodded while his right gave out a large yawn. "Oi, Brat, take this seriously," Levi said in warning, getting a glare from the same head, who deliberately yawned again. "Is he trying to be cheeky?"
"Umm, Sir? I think that's his answer," Armin stated, getting everyone's attention. "I think...whatever he does to stun the Titans takes more energy out of him."
"Ahh," Levi said in understanding, knowing the right head was still eyeing him.
The middle head nodded before gesturing to the left head, who rolled his head back and forth.
"And I'm going to assume that means you didn't know exactly how to use that ability at the time," Erwin guessed. This time the heads looked relieved at his understanding as one of the tails deliberately pointed in Erwin's direction. "Do you think you could do so again?"
Eren nodded firmly now, showing the confidence that he had.
"We could use the Titans for him to test on," Levi pointed out.
"Don't offer up my new babies so freely!" Hange protested with a glare to her comrade, everyone dutifully ignoring her outburst as best they could.
"I'm not sure if your friends have informed you," Erwin stated, nodding to Armin and Mikasa. "But they and the others that know your identity already will be part of the main group of those organized to keep tabs on you."
Eren didn't look offended in the slightest, and they took that as a good thing. Ally or not, they couldn't leave him completely alone.
"We'll be calling you Trips for the time being," Hange informed with a smile.
Now Eren looked firmly annoyed with the return of the nickname Connie and Sasha had given him.
Erwin became slightly amused by the reaction. "Please bear with it for now. We need to make clear to everyone that you are not just a rogue Titan with an odd form," he requested.
The giant creature gave its accepting affirmation to the request.
"I don't think we'll get much more progress right now," Erwin stated idly. "For now, try to get comfortable while things settle. Hopefully, we can find a way to make communication... easier."
Eren hoped so, he genuinely did.
Meanwhile
Levi didn't dwell much on the meeting with the Golden-Brat. He'd let Hange and Erwin figure out how to handle that situation, the Titan-Brat was his main priority right now.
He returned to the entrance, finding Eld and Oluo standing outside. "Captain," Eld greeted.
"Anything to report?" he asked neutrally.
"If there is, Petra and Gunther would be the ones to ask. That's a good sign, I suppose," Oluo stated idly.
Levi hummed, heading down the stairs before stopping at the bottom. He could see Gunther seated in the chair across from the cells, Petra leaning against the wall. She must have caught sight of him as she started walking towards him. He raised an eyebrow at her, inquiring if anything had happened.
Petra just giggled, quietly. "They're cute together."
Levi rolled his eyes before walking past her.
"Sir," Gunther greeted.
"Ahh, great, shrimpy is back," Ymir said sardonically.
"Hey! I'm shorter than he is!" Krista protested from the other cell.
"He's scrawny, you are fun-sized," Ymir countered with a smirk.
"Well, we're about to deprive you of your fun for now," Levi said, taking the keys from Gunther, heading to Krista's cell.
"Hey. Hey! The hell are you doing to her?" Ymir demanded, trying to sound more angry than scared.
"I'm going to give her a black eye, maybe knock some teeth out," Levi answered dryly.
Krista swallowed nervously. She was...mostly sure the captain wasn't serious, but he was very intimidating.
Ymir growled in her throat. "You cockbiter, I'll-!"
"Relax," Levi said bluntly. "We're just taking her to take a bath. Unlike you, she doesn't have to wallow in her own stench, just yours."
Ymir simmered as she heard Levi "removing" the chains from Krista before leading her out in cuffs. "I'll take over for you both when she's done."
Ymir listened as their footsteps vanished, a dark and creeping horror filling her gut. "Hey. You, with the carrot top," Ymir called, catching Petra by surprise. "Be straight with me. Your captain won't...do anything with Krista, right?"
It took a moment for the meaning to register, Gunther going still in shock while Petra briefly gained an angry look before...smiling. It was not a nice smile. "Ymir, was it?" Petra asked with a sickly sweet voice. "What exactly are you accusing my captain of, right now?"
"I'm asking if he keeps it in his damn pa-" Ymir stopped as Petra suddenly drew her blades, gaining a faux-bored expression.
"You know, Hange is very curious to find out if you can heal even in human form, and how much," Petra mused. "Should we start with the tongue, Ymir?"
The Shifter girl wisely didn't answer but felt relieved a bit. If the Scout was that offended, Krista was probably safe in one way at least.
Meanwhile, Krista stretched her back and now unshackled arms as she walked freely. "Pretending to be restrained is almost worse than being restrained," Krista mused, mostly to herself.
Levi ignored her comment. "So, did you learn anything new or just spend the entire time whispering sweet-shit to one another?"
"I think I did both, Sir," Krista answered honestly. "She still doesn't want to talk though."
"What else is new?" Levi retorted evenly.
"She knows about other Shifters," Krista stated bluntly.
Levi paused, considering that. "What did she say?"
"I pointed out that Trips and her can definitely take on the Armor Titan so that just meant worrying about the Colossal Titan. She laughed. She didn't mean to, she tried to cover it up, but I heard it," Krista answered with a frown. "It's that laugh people give someone when they think they've seen the worst of it. I've heard her laugh like that a few times."
Levi nodded. "So, Shifters or not, she knows about other threats to us. Have you got a sense of why she doesn't want to speak?"
"She's scared of something. Something about helping us," Krista continued. "I kept prodding her a bit on it, but..."
"I get it. Anything else?" Levi pressed on. "Because we only have a few days for her to make up her mind."
Krista almost asked what would happen in a few days, but decided she didn't want to know. She'd just have to make sure Ymir talked. "Nothing you'd want to hear, Sir. Where are you taking me anyway?"
"To take a bath. I was serious, you don't get to stink up the place any more than it has to be," Levi stated bluntly.
"Oooookay?" Krista accepted awkwardly. "...Sir, may I ask an unprofessional question?"
"Might as well," Levi accepted in resignation.
"What's a good comeback from a short person to a tall person?" Krista asked curiously.
Levi stopped, looking back at her with a considering look. Maybe he'd enjoy this, just a little. "I assume you don't mean cutting them off at the knees."
Time seemed to pass in a blur for everyone. Krista continued to play the part of hostage while trying to coax Ymir to willingly cooperate with the Scouts, while Eren attempted to stave off his boredom with the help of his friends. One group was having more progress than the other.
"Really, asshole?" Jean asked with a glare, looking from the horse saddle on the ground to the giant reptile that he swore was smirking at him with three heads. "Really?"
"Hey, you told him to prove it was him again, just to make sure it wasn't a dream," Connie reminded with a snicker.
"I didn't expect him to throw a damn saddle at me!" Jean countered, getting a disturbing croaking sound from Eren that he knew was a laugh. "Shut it! And was putting a damn horse saddle in your MOUTH really worth the joke?!"
Eren nodded without hesitation, thrice over, getting several laughs from all around.
"Haha, he's got you there, Jean!" Reiner said with a laugh, Annie standing silently by him.
"Well, you seem to have adjusted to this pretty well, Jean," Marco complimented.
"Hard to take him seriously when I know it's that blockhead," Jean said, getting a mock-snarl from Eins. "I don't need a translation for that."
"Okay," Armin interrupted, looking over the group. "For the sake of appearances, we're all meeting like this as an...introduction to Trips. And we all have to call him that for now."
"Even Mikasa?" Annie asked skeptically.
"Don't you mean especially?" Sasha countered knowingly.
"Yes," Armin said with a sigh. "Anyway, the plan is to rotate watching him in groups of two every three hours."
"So Connie and Sasha, you and Mikasa, Reiner and me, Jean and Marco," Annie summarized.
"Er, well, the groups aren't set in stone or anything," Armin said, scratching his head sheepishly. "So, any questions?"
Sasha raised her hand instantly.
"...Yes, Sasha?" Armin answered, feeling both wary and awkward.
"Question: Can we ride him?" Sasha asked hopefully.
Eins flared his nostrils, glaring at the food-loving girl.
"I'd take that as a No," Marco decided with a weak smile.
"More like a Hell No if you ask me," Connie murmured, disappointed but somewhat expected that reaction.
"But why not!? Mikasa gets to!" Sasha pointed out, jabbing her finger in the direction of the Ackerman.
Who was currently sitting on the back of Drei's neck, near the base, and looking particularly content with her own arrangements.
Now Drei glared, leaning in very, very close to snort a gust of hot air into Sasha while the others leaned away.
"In summary, because the jackass says so," Jean said, looking up at where Mikasa sat, looking far more comfortable than she had any right to be on that scaly exterior. "Lucky jackass," Jean muttered enviously.
"Question. What are we supposed to do, besides watch him?" Annie asked with a raised eyebrow. "Or is this just for appearances?"
"Kind of?" Armin answered with a shrug. "But it helps to have us around and make sure the other soldiers don't accidentally get hurt around him or do anything...well, stupid."
"And what about when he does something stupid?" Connie asked. "Cause, no offense man, but you've had stupid moments that make Sasha look like Armin. Haha-OW!"
Drei grunted in response to that.
Mikasa smiled as she called down from her spot. "He says thank you, Sasha."
Annie silently watched on as the group chatted, with Eren's own strange input. Eren still slept at night in this form, so if she and Reiner were given a night shift, that could give them a window where they might be able to sneak about with little suspicion; They had already lied and claimed that they hadn't told Bertolt yet, as it was undecided if he would be brought into this group. The question was figuring out where Ymir was being held.
They hadn't planned on this being a dragged-out affair, just taking down Wall Rose like they did Maria, hence why they hadn't done much of any recon on Trost. But Annie was reasonably sure Ymir was hidden in the area on the other side of the wall. Trost was growing more and more vacant as the body collecting went underway. But there was too much foot traffic on the other side, wandering into any place they weren't meant to be could be seen as suspicious if they were noticed.
Annie wondered what they were looking for if they were looking at all. If Ymir hadn't said anything yet, what would the military look for as potential enemy agents? For right now, she was sure that anyone in their age group was suspicious. Given that Ymir and Eren were both from the 104th, she imagined that those that knew who the scaled beast really was now were scrutinizing all of them.
Her eyes narrowed, wondering a distinct possibility. Were they placing them around Eren as a blanket countermeasure? If they suspected any of them being a Titan, then they placed many of them near a Titan-Killer. And if they somehow figured out who was a Shifter, then they'd just have to tell Eren and...
Eren's middle head snapped his jaw loudly at Mikasa, who refused to get down from sitting on his neck.
A very precarious situation they were all in and it all came down to if their comrades realized they weren't really their allies, and if they did, would they be able to pretend they didn't know long enough to set up a trap. One wrong move on their own part would give them away, too hasty a move from their enemies would alert them to their cover being blown.
She absently stared at the golden figure Eren had become. Of all people, why did it have to be him? Out of everyone they knew in the walls, even just in the 104th, Eren was probably the worst person to have this kind of power. He not only had the will and desire to use it against his enemies but...he knew them. Not just in the sense of friends, they had fought with him, trained alongside him and even taught him.
How easy would it be for Eren to recognize their fighting styles during a fight against their Titans? However long his disbelief lasted, she imagined. Then would come the rage, and the real fight.
Still, on the upside, this would also give her and Reiner chances to observe Eren for potential weaknesses, and possibly learn new details from the Scouts.
End of Chapter
Well, here's the next chapter. And yes, Ghidorah's scales actually have gold in them according to the Monsterverse. A bit of a slow chapter, but its kind of suppose to be. No one is making much progress with Ymir or Eren, so its slow in-universe too.
Still, yeah, in canon, the trial happened int he capital, but that was because they moved ERen there while he was in a coma after Trost. They can't move Eren and Ymir is awake with no clear alligence to the people of the Walls, and they know next to nothing on Shifter limitation. Thus, any trial that happens, has to happen in Trost itself. I mean, yeah, they could have the trial without Ymir or Eren present, but that's not as fun and has its own problems.
Also, Mikasa is riding a dragon. Which is just awesome to imagine. That dragon is also Eren, which just probably fulfills a few of Mikasa's dreams, lol. Sorry, had to. See you next time!
Early viewing of chapters 11-12 avaliable on my pat-reon:
p a treon . com (slash) akumakami64