Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 59: Opportunities

Henri Bocker took in the wonderful smells of his labor as he added the final touches to lunch. Rabbit stew topped with mushrooms, garlic, parsley, and a whole assortment of fresh spices. These things were far harder to come by ever since Wall Maria fell, but being able to catch rabbits and purchase the right ingredients for his and Haydn's wedding anniversary made it far more special. He hoped that it would taste as well as it smelled.

"Honey, it smells so good," Haydn said with a beaming smile as she took a whiff of the heavenly aroma.

"I'd wait a few days before thanking me," her husband warned. "For all we know, this was my convoluted scheme to give us all food poisoning."

Chuckling, she kissed him on the cheek. "It's going to be just fine. You're just nervous about today."

"Daddy, I'm hungry," their five-year-old daughter complained for the fourth time.

"Be patient, Ana," he chided. "We're almost done."

"You said that already." Ana was trying to perfect her pouting skills.

Haydn was about to give her a stern warning, but then, the ground started to rumble. It took a second for her to realize the shaking had a rhythm, almost like... footsteps! "Henri!"

Her husband's eyes widened in horror when he came to the same conclusion. "Titans! Take Ana to the bathroom now!"

She knew exactly what he was doing, and she was beside herself. "Henri, no. You can't-"

"Go!" he yelled, taking his rifle off the wall as the shaking grew worse. It was coming for them.

Holding back a terrified sob, Haydn grabbed a protesting Ana by the arm, and pulled her towards the bathroom. Once inside, Hadyn shut the door and locked it. "Ana, be quiet!" she ordered harshly as the two took cover in the bathtub. She desperately hoped that her husband would return safe and unharmed... even if that hope was useless in this situation.

With his wife and daughter safe in the bathroom, Henri inhaled deeply, his fingers turning white from gripping the gun so hard. He said a silent prayer to whatever deity existed before going outside to draw the Titan away. "Down here, you bastard!" he shouted, firing a shot at its head.

The Titan's cheek was grazed, but it slowed to a stop upon seeing him. It gave him a second to get a good look at this thing. Skinless, blonde hair, feminine physique... it didn't take long for Henri to recognize the creature as the Female Titan. The same Titan that devastated Stohess twice, slaughtered countless Scouts during the Expedition, and he just fired a shot at her.

Surprisingly, she didn't look angry. More amused than anything. "Your aim needs a little work," she told him without moving her mouth.

Henri was at a loss for words, nearly dropping his gun in shock. His attention was grabbed when he spotted a young man on her shoulder coated in some sort of liquid.

"Hi there," the teenager greeted with a wave. "Can I borrow your shower please?"

The morale of the 104th was, for all intents and purposes, shot straight to hell. With the utter failure of keeping Eren and Historia escape on top of the original Levi Squad almost completely destroyed, things were looking very bleak. The group had rendezvoused back to the warehouse where they had captured the amateurs from earlier. For now, the only thing any of them could do was figure out the next move while they rested inside the building. Eld was forced to sit against a large box with a crude bandage over his shoulder wound. The round went out the other end thankfully, but it still hurt like hell. Until it healed, there was nothing he could do. The cadets ate slowly, even Sasha, trying to process everything that happened.