Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 57: Enter the Ripper

Getting into Wall Sina undetected was far easier than people made it out to be. Well, easy for a Titan Shifter at least. All Annie had to do was travel to an area of the Wall where there were no houses, transform, and use her hardening to climb up a column. She knew that the Titans in the Wall were not part of the column, so the holes she made when she dug her fingers in them would not be detrimental to society.

"You don't have to cling to my face, you know," the bemused Female Titan pointed out. "My hair is stronger than you give it credit for."

"I'm not taking any chances," Dillon shot back anxiously as he clenched her skin harder.

The Psion was more than a little annoyed that he couldn't use his ODM gear to scale the Wall, but given that getting the tanks replenished would require a miracle. Instead, her opted to wrap Annie's hair around him tightly while gripping her head like his life depended on it. Without the gear, heights were not his thing.

Once they made it to the other side, Annie hardened her body and disposed of it. At least the MPs wouldn't be able to track them without the large plumes of steam. Given that Wall Sina's territory was so close to the capital, there were far more cities within than forests and villages. The forests that did exist were much smaller, which is where the two made camp in. They couldn't even put on a fire without risking the MPs discovering them. All they had for light was the moon, which was more than enough for the Shifter to get to work on Dillon's disguise.

"Quit flinching," Annie ordered, using a boot knife to cut his hair. "I'm more likely to stab you if you keep moving."

"Well, that makes me feel better," Dillon responded sarcastically. "I never liked getting a haircut."

"Afraid they'll mess up your perfect style?" she taunted with a roll of her eyes. "You're lucky I'm not cutting it all off."

"People using sharp objects on me freak me out a bit," he admitted with embarrassment. "I always think I'm going to lose more than just my hair."

"And you're not allowed to stab your barber. I can understand your trepidation." Finally, she pulled away and rinsed off the knife with one of their canteens. "That should be good enough."

Using a shard of glass, Dillon stared at her handiwork. His hair that was once curly became a thin layer covering the top of his head. He grimaced at the unfortunate style, but if it meant blending in, it was a small price to pay. With a sigh, he put the glass aside. "Glad the knife had other uses than just stabbing people."

Curious, she gazed at the initials and read M.A. "I thought you had two. What happened to the other one?"

"Last time I saw it, it was sticking out of my father's chest," he answered softly. "Never did get the chance to replace it."

Annie handed it back to him, a sympathetic look on her face. "People say it gets easier as time goes on. Not for us."

He nodded in agreement and sheathed it in the scabbard. "Sometimes, I wonder if I made the right choice going against him. Maybe he and Elise could've helped us all against our enemies."

She took a seat on her sleeping bag. "And other times?"

"Other times, I know he would've gone after you and possibly our commanders down the line," Dillon added bitterly.

"You know you can't change the past, Dillon," the Shifter said. "So, why keep going down the what-if road if it gets you nowhere every time?" She gazed at the small campfire and heaved a sigh. "Damn it, I do it, too. What if I never joined the Warrior program? What if I went home sooner? What if I didn't kill Marco? I never stop asking myself those questions."