The Humanity's Strongest & The Graceful

Grace and Strength

Thirty Minutes Later

Location: Titan Country

The sunlight shines brightly through clear skies as the Scouts run with determination upon leaving Wall Maria. They remain in the dual line formation until they're further in Titan Country. At the front are the leaders, while the recruits and supply wagons are in the middle, and Levi, Tessa, and Kip are at the rear. Every one of the superiors, Tessa and Levi, hope this strategy of Erwin's will work. The recruits are still left wondering why the duo is in the back without any support, which is part of the plan. As Wall Maria fades into the distance, the vague sense of peace is also gone, making the Scouts accept the unknown of Titan Country. Each leader holds onto the flare guns, awaiting a signal from in the back since Tessa and Levi decided Kip would alert the others with a distressed howl, alerting them of an oncoming attack. It was the first idea they came up with after looking at the formation map.

While everyone else pushes ahead, Levi and Tessa observe their surroundings, relying on Tessa's keen sight and hearing, making them notice how eerily quiet it is around them, which puts them on edge, "I do not like this silence." Levi admits while looking to the right, and Tessa nods while narrowing her eyes, "Trust me, it's worse when you have keen hearing because I can hear everyone ahead of us mumbling their fears." She confesses while looking away but stops because something keeps telling her to look to her left, making Tessa close her eyes to focus her hearing on that side. Tessa furrows her brows as the sound of thumping in the direction begins to slowly grow louder, causing her eyes to snap open to turn to see two 10-Meter Titans in the distance before looking around to see if there are any more around them, only to see the two in question. Realizing they're not too far from the Scouts, Tessa lets go of Star's reins, "Levi, do you see them?" She asks while keeping her intense glare on them as Levi turns to see where Tessa has them spotted and nods, "Yeah, I do," He answers while letting go of Shadow's reins, "Let's wait until they get a little closer to us before alerting the others." He suggests while connecting his handgrips to his blades, and Tessa nods, "Agreed," She replies, not breaking her attention on the giants while following Levi's lead of attaching her blades, "If we alert them now, it will cause a panic, and we don't need that right now." She explains.

Suddenly the Titans notice the Scouts and start charging toward them, and Tessa looks at Kip, "Kip, howl." She orders, which Kip does as Tessa ties Star's and Shadow's reins together in time for Erwin to fire a red signal flare, followed by Shadis firing a green. With both blazes shot, the Scouts and supply wagons charge ahead while Erwin turns to Levi's and Tessa's locations to whistle for Kip so they can take care of the 10-Meter Titans, "Tessa! Levi! Now!" He orders after Kip joins his side, to which they nod before jumping off their horse's backs to fly toward the Titans. While Tessa goes to the left, Levi goes to the right before simultaneously spinning midair to slash the napes, leaving everyone to cheer while watching the duo take them down with their bodies falling as Levi and Tessa jump off their backs. Before joining the others, Levi spots another group of different sizes, consisting of a 15-Meter, another 10-Meter, and two 7-Meters filing out of the trees of the forest ahead of them, "Erwin! Behind you!" He shouts, causing Erwin to turn around in time to see the group before firing another red flare, with the other leaders following shortly after. With the thunderous footsteps coming closer, red flares paint the blue sky, causing Shadis to shout over the oncoming assault, "Scouts! Scatter! Don't get in Levi's or Tessa's ways unless you need to!" He commands while firing a green flare, alerting Tessa and Levi to charge ahead.

After seeing a clear path for the duo, Levi hooks onto the 15-Meter's shoulder before grabbing Tessa's wrist to fly above the Titan's heads, causing them to lock their wrists together, leading Levi to throw Tessa toward them in the diagonal pattern. Before closing in on the 15-Meter, Tessa tosses her blades to face out diagonally, cutting the napes at the perfect angle. One by one, the Titans fall as Tessa slides to the ground after the two 7-Meters collapse before Levi joins her side, only to help her stand as she catches her breath. With the threat now gone, Tessa and Levi check the duality of their blades, only to see they're still in perfect condition, along with the gas tanks full. Tessa runs a hand through her long curls before putting them in a tight ponytail, "Fucking hell." She groans while Levi remains by her side, surprised by how calm she is, though he's never underestimated her or her fears because she's been through worse things. Levi thinks it must be because of his thoughts about Furlan and Isabel since how Furlan was nervous about leaving the Walls before they went through the gates of the fateful expedition.