Attack on Titan: Bloodline -- Version 2

• Chapter 29 •

Lorraine looked up at Reiner's face, her heart sinking into her stomach as Bertholdt's final words to her sunk in.

"So be it," she repeated his words back to him, detaching her ODM gear cables from Reiner and walking out onto his shoulder. Lorraine gripped her blades, a single tear making its way down her cheek. She looked up at the approaching Titans and frowned, wiping her tears away with the back of her sleeve. She pulled the ODM gear triggers and swung down to the ground, whistling for her horse on the way, and climbing up, kicking the stallion into gear and catching up to Mikasa and the others. They watched as Reiner picked up speed, ramming into the horde of Titans, still protecting Bertholdt and Eren. Ymir and Historia were both on Reiner's back, fighting against the mass of Titans as they swarmed around the Armoured Titan. Soldiers sprinted around aimlessly, trying to simultaneously avoid and lead the mindless Titans. Lorraine looked around, watching as many soldiers lost their lives in the struggle. The sounds of shouting from the soldiers and Commander Erwin, growls and snarls from the Titans, and the screams from Ymir's Titan melded together, creating an orchestra of horror and death. The steam erupting from many Titans clouded the soldiers' visions. Beside her, she heard the sound of ODM cables and saw a small, blonde blur whiz past her.

"Armin, wait!"

She reached out to try and stop him, but Jean called out for help behind her. She whipped her head around, taking action and swinging up to slice the Titan's nape. She flipped her left-hand blade around so that it was facing the opposite direction, positioning herself and spinning around like a corkscrew. She cried, "Let him go, bastard!" Just as her blades had sliced through the soft flesh, Jean warned her, "Watch it, Lo!" A smaller Titan had its hands up in the air. Just before it could grab her, though, she pressed her gas trigger once again, sending herself spinning around once again, slicing each digit off of the monster's hand. Mikasa swiftly cut the fatal spot of the Titan clean off, sending blood spraying into the air. Lorraine and Jean landed on the ground, panting. Mikasa continued forward to rescue Eren. Behind them, they heard Commander Erwin shouting, but his words were muffled. Lorraine and Jean split up to surround the Armoured when they saw Mikasa in the grip of a Titan, screaming. Lorraine shrieked, "Mikasa! No!" Jean flew up to her rescue, cutting her free and carrying her to the ground. Armin landed next to Lorraine, who pulled him up onto her horse behind her. Armin held her waist tightly. Commander Erwin, his arm visibly torn off and bloody, bellowed, "All soldiers, retreat!" Armin said, "Great! We've got him! Let's-" He was cut off by a sudden impact next to them. Lorraine stopped and turned her horse to look back at whatever had caused the loud sound and sent dust up into the air.

"R-Reiner...?"

The Armoured Titan had hold of two rather sizeable Titans and was pulling his arm back. Armin warned, "Look out! Reiner's throwing Titans!" Jean rode next to them and said, "What the hell are you two doing?! Don't stop! We have to keep moving!" Lorraine sighed, but turned to follow Jean. They turned and dodged Titans one after another. Jean looked back for just a moment to try and find the formation, but as soon as he did so, a Titan landed in front of him with a loud crash, sending him flying off his horse, having been hit in the head with a giant piece of rubble. Jean screamed and fell to the ground. Armin, without thinking, leaped off of the horse to go after him. Lorraine tugged on the reins of the scared stallion, but he reared up as he stopped, sending Lorraine falling to the ground, too. As her horse galloped away from her, she stood up and called, "Wait! Don't leave us!" Armin had reached Jean and pulled him up to a tree, swinging his blade frantically, attempting to fend off the Titans. She drew her blades, but just as she had let out a loud battle cry, two large Titans crashed to the ground next to her, sending her flying back and tumbling onto the ground. She felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder and her back, but she shook her head, her ponytail finally falling out and leaving her hair, now ratted and messy, draped over her shoulders. She used her right hand to pull herself up to a seated position. Everything was blurry and had a red tint. The sounds of the battlefield were muffled, as though she had her ears covered. She winced as the excruciating pain shot through her back and down into her legs. She heard the muffled sounds of Armin screaming her name in the distance. The red tint over the world grew more intense and she reached up, but she felt something like a jolt of electricity in her left shoulder and dropped to the ground, reaching up now with her right hand. When she touched her shoulder, she felt a piece of metal protruding from the skin. When she brought her hand back, she saw that it was coated in a layer of deep red blood. Behind her, she felt the presence of a Titan. She couldn't defend herself.