Power to Strive II

Soldier

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan or this story.

Previously: Historia tells them her story. Jean wonders if they might have to to let Connie's village be turned. Erwin thinks there's more to the Reiss family.

|~|

The Beast Titan sat on the Wall, looking over his shoulder. Two small Titans ran, the dark-haired one shoving the other one. Larger Titans continued to walk past them. The dark-haired Titan tugged at the fallen one's ear and ripped if off, making excited sounds.

"That's freaky," Connie muttered.

"Stand back, rookies!" Nanaba's voice was heard as the Titans surrounded the tower. "Leave it to us." She pulled out her blade. "It's time to show off our 3D gear skills."

"Let's go!"

The veterans dove off the tower.

"If they die here, which I'm pretty sure they will, doesn't that mean they're all trustworthy?" Jean asked.

"I would say so," Armin said. "Anyone who dies by Titan hands is most likely on our side." Not that it was likely there was a sneaky, hidden Shifter they didn't know about, but it was a good method anyway.

|~|

[2 Hours Earlier]

The full moon illuminated the castle grounds. Horses drank from a trough and a metal teapot and some mugs were fallen over next to a small, old campfire circle. Inside the tower, the veterans talked.

"Looks like someone was here recently."

"That's odd for a place this near the Wall."

"Some bandits probably used it as a base."

Levi knew a thing or two about stashing goods acquired through less than legal means. Hiding stolen contraband in Titan territory was smart. No one dared venture out there but the Scouts. And their main priority was killing Titans, not sniffing around old, abandoned castles. Still, it was incredibly reckless for civilians to sneak out into such a dangerous place.

It was odd, but he didn't give it much thought, likening the bandits to imbeciles. His thoughts flashed to the teapot and mugs. Dumb fuckers probably got eaten. Otherwise they wouldn't have left that stuff behind.

"It said 'Ruins of Utgard Castle' on one of the signs. Who would have thought there was a castle around here?"

"Hey, check it out." Gelgar entered the room, holding a green bottle. "Look what I found."

"Gelgar…" Lynne glanced at him. "Is that booze I see?"

"Yeah." Gelgar swallowed visibly. He read the bottle. "What the heck does it say?"

Ymir's mind raced as pieces began to come together. Is this how Reiner made me? If Gelgar couldn't read the writing on the bottle, did it mean it was a language he couldn't read? But if I read it and Reiner happened to be there, it would stick out like a sore thumb.

Frowning, she thought back to what her fellow Shifter had been holding. A can of something. Without thinking, she must have read the label either out loud or made an action indicating she knew what it said, tipping Reiner of. Idiot, she cursed herself. She had become comfortable around them and slipped up.