Attack on Claymore [gxg]

Chapter 16 - the Kinslayer

"So, let me get this straight." Hanji begins, still comfortably slung around Audrey's shoulders. "You all are a bunch of overpowered..."

"Monsters." Chimes in Levi, glaring holes at the closest warrior that happens to be a smirking Helen.

"We prefer to refer to ourselves as warriors." sighs Miria.

"Alright, so, a bunch of overpowered warriors that were abducted and modified as children by this so-called organisation, to which you rebelled once you discovered that they were creating you and the monsters you had to kill, because somewhere else there was a war. Then some of you were kidnapped and experimented some more by doctor Yaeger and some other people and the others freed all but one of you. And you are searching for her."

Galatea nods. "Pretty much, yes."

Everyone is left speechless, the Scouts all but gape at the group of warriors in front of them, bar Yaeger who is almost frothing and barking at them, barely held back by horse face and Mikasa.

"How dare you accuse my father-"

Irene grumbles under her breath, "Miata, shut him up, please."

Just as Yaeger has stood up, the girl approaches him and hops up, smashing her head on his face and everyone gapes when he crumbles on her feet.

Suppressing the smile tugging at the corners of her lips, Irene tells her, "Child, a punch would have sufficed."

Turning around, Miata looks up at her with doe eyes and as innocent as ever she replies, "But Dad says I should use my head more, or I'll become like Auntie Helen."

At that most of the group guffaws and starts laughing while The Phantom winces, bringing a hand to cover her face for the embarrassment and to avoid the hurt look in Helen's eyes.

Then the wounded party pouts at her leader and angrily stomps her foot on the ground. "And what does that mean, Miria?!"

"For the love of- can we please go back to more important matters?!" she exclaims and only then they start to relent.

When silence reigns over them, Irene says, "Miria's right. We told you this because after all our research we are sure that the titans we captured can somehow lead us back to the people that kidnapped us first and find our ch- friend." Clearing her throat, she ignores the knowing looks Teresa, Miria and a few others send her way." Of course, we won't completely overstep you. As a general rule we don't want to get too involved with your story, but you all witnessed things that otherwise wouldn't have been normal, if we were human."

The Scouts tense on their seats, reflecting on what they have been told, and eventually Levi speaks up, "So we are in the lion's den. Surrounded by monsters that -in theory- are not going to kill us. You've expressed sympathy for us, even going as far as saving humans, old and young alike, but you won't help us in our quest to free us from the titans threat? Why shouldn't we inform the others and kill you?"

"It would be a waste of lives, Ackerman." Teresa crosses her arms, while the others make a show of gripping the handles of their swords- but not Irene, her hand is still limp on her side. "Needless to say it wouldn't be ours we would lose, so there's a pretty easy choice between letting us find Doctor Yaeger's lab and get his things or forcing our hand and getting what we need with a flick of our wrists."

They all notice how the Captain tenses up with his hands twitching for the blades, the younger scouts watch in trepidation for what he will decide in the end, but just as he opens his mouth to answer, a new, awfully familiar voice pipes up from behind the warrior.

"Oh my, are you letting yourself go after the Organisation's downfall, Faint-Smile?"

Curiously, the Scouts watch the warriors unsheath their swords as they turn around to see- a man in black?