Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 19: A Really Bad Day

The anxiety continued to rise in Eren as he and Squad Levi entered the Forest of Giant Trees. The right flank had been decimated by that Abnormal everyone was talking about, and now they were isolated in the forest. The entire mission seemed to be spiraling with no end in sight. He wondered if his friends made it out, but he couldn't dwell on that. Not when there were more pressing matters to discuss.

"Captain. Captain Levi!"

"What?" he asked, his annoyance made clear.

"Come on, sir. We're in a forest," Eren pointed out nervously. "We won't see a Titan until its right on top of us. The center rank's totally cut off. Something's coming up on the right, isn't it? So, what are we supposed to do? Avoid Titans or defend the wagons?"

"Quit whining and move from the obvious already," Levi ordered. "Neither of those is an option anymore."

Eren was beyond confused at this point. "What... what are you talking about?"

Levi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Haven't you noticed what's around you? Take a look at these big-ass trees. Perfect environment for ODM gear, wouldn't you say?" When he didn't respond, the captain went on. "Take my advice, Eren: calm down and use your head. The best survival tool is your brain."

There were more questions Eren had, but he wisely didn't voice them at this time. "Yes, sir."

"This doesn't make any sense," Oluo Bozado, the brown-haired man with the weird face, muttered. "What are we doing here? There's gotta be a reason. I mean, they know, right? They've gotta."

And just like that, Eren's nervous increased greatly at that. To think that Squad Levi, and perhaps even Captain Levi himself, were in the dark as to what was going on. Gunther Schultz, the black-haired guy in the squad, brought up the idea of a hidden objective within the Expedition days prior, so hidden that Squad Levi was kept out of the loop, but what could it be at this point?

As he puzzled his mind for any possible answer, a gunshot was sounded behind him. He looked back and saw a stream of black heading towards the sky. He had seen many of them today, but this one was much closer than he cared for. "Black smoke!"

"It's right behind us," Gunther growled.

"Damn thing's been on our ass since we came here," Eld Jinn, the blonde-haired man, noted.

"Blades drawn now," Levi ordered. "It'll happen in the blink of an eye. Be ready."

Instantly, each Scout pulled out a single sword, ready for the inevitable confrontation. There was a rumbling sound that was steadily getting louder. Sweat poured from their faces, both from being tired and from being nervous, but they were ready for this. This was what they were trained for.

The sound of ODM gear caught Eren's attention as he turned his head to see a Scout, facing whatever was attacking him. That something made itself known as the Female Titan charged out of the trees, snatching the Scout of the air. With her thumb, she punctured the gas tanks and she dropped him into some nearby bushes. With the Scout disabled, she ran parallel to the squad, preparing to intercept them.

"Go! Move it," Levi commanded.

Eren's mouth dropped as her hand nearly snatched him off his horse, missing him by inches. Skidding to a stop for a brief moment, the Female Titan charged at them, her prey finally in sight. He made the mistake by continuing to stare as an unsettling grin appeared on her face. That was going to be in his nightmares for a while.

"Oh, shit," Gunther swore. "How the hell are we supposed to use evasive maneuvers in here!?"

"It's catching up," Eld warned.