ℬℯ𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒾𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝒟𝒾𝓈𝒶𝓈𝓉ℯ𝓇 ⤕[𝓐𝓽𝓽𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓞𝓷 𝓣𝓲𝓽𝓪𝓷 𝔁 𝓞𝓒]

Chapter 34

"EVERYONE WAKE UP! Get to the tower immediately!" A female voice rang through her ears, pulling her out of her unconscious, sleeping state. Rolling her fingers under her eyes, she rubbed the sleep out of them and pulled on the skin underneath them to allow her to open them properly. Blinking away the profuse blurriness, she was finally able to see clearly. Once her green hues had focused, they made contact with a pair of pastel green ones, the suspect having their hand clamped down on her shoulder. 

A small smile spread across his soft lips as he made eye contact with her, "Come on, we have to go up to the tower." Bertholdt's deep and soft voice explained as he pushed back up onto his feet. 

"Wh-what's going on?" She blinked more in confusion, yawning as she stretched her arms above her head, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. 

The raven haired male could only give a small shrug, "Not fully sure, but it was an order so it is probably something important." 

"Alright." She complied as she hauled herself up onto her feet, suddenly feeling the heat from her shoulder disappear, forcing her to spin around on her heel and catch the blonde who had began sliding down the wall. Pulling her up into her arms in a bridal style carry, the shorter female stared down at her sleeping face, amused, "She is clearly a heavy sleeper." She commented as she began climbing the stairs of the castle up to the tower. 

Extending out his arms in an offering manner, Bertholdt looked up to her as she was a few steps ahead, "Want me to take her?" 

"Hm? You underestimating me just like everyone else does? That hurts Berty." She plastered on a sulky expression. 

His cheeks slashed with light pink as he chewed his bottom lip through the embarrassment, "N-no that isn't what I meant, uhm...nevermind." 

"Heh, I was only joking." She pulled an arm out from under Christa, somehow still able to steadily carry the slightly taller female in one arm. Using her now, temporarily, free hand, she leant over and flicked him in the forehead as he was a few steps down from her. He pursed his lips in a pout, making her internally giggle at the sight as she slipped her other arm back under the blonde. Finally arriving at the top of the stairs, the opening to the tower allowed an extremely cold breeze to encase the three as they arrived with the rest of the Scouts who were already there, leaning over the edge of the tower and looking over at something which was clearly worrying them. Their expressions were dark as they dropped in fear and horror. 

Awakening from the cold air that wrapped around her, Christa blinked up at Akira, blushing lightly at being in her arms, "You carried me up here?" 

"Mhm, I didn't want to wake you." She explained, placing her on her feet and allowing the blonde to hold onto her to balance herself. 

Once she was completely stable on her feet, she gave the shorter female a quick squeeze before rushing over to where the rest of the Soldiers were stood, staring engrossed at a scene. Due to her height, Akira was unable to see over anyone's shoulders so was unsure of what they were all so intently focused on, however the resonating sound of heavy footsteps and scratching at the cobbled walls of the castle allowed her to come to the realisation.

 "Go bother someone else dammit, I could be drinking right now! You're standing between me and a tankard of ale!" Gelgar growled as he jumped off of the tower, using his gear to attach himself to a Titan and slash through its nape. 

"ATTACK!" Nanaba yelled to the rest of the Soldiers as they began clearing out the Titans, the Recruits being left to watch them on top of the tower. 

However, soon enough the brunette who had called them up to the tower had used her ODM to hoist herself back up to them, "Titans are in the castle, get below and improvise some sort of a barricade, be careful, retreat back up here only as a last resort. Now hurry, the rest of us will keep anymore from getting in as best we can. There are quite a few, so this might be it for us, but by god we will fight till the last breath, our heart and soul to the cause, right? NOW GO!" She yelled, causing the rest of the group to begin running down the steps to the rooms below. 

"Got it!" They commented in unison, however Akira had stayed behind. 

"Wait!" She called out to the brunette before she was able to set off. 

Turning around, she noticed it was Akira, her uniform and harness equipped, however her gear not, "Make it quick." 

"I want to help, I can get my gear on and help you." She commented, her eyes staring harshly and unwavering with dedication. 

Chewing her lip, she shook her head, "You are still only a Recruit, I don't know your capabilities to allow you to risk your life in trying to help us, go down and help your comrades by barricading the entrances." Before allowing Akira to respond, she was gone, slashing through the hand of a Titan that tried to snatch her from the sky. 

"Tch, damn you." She grumbled under her breath as she ran down the steps to catch up to the rest of the Recruits, soon seeing Reiner running down to a door, the group attempting to catch up to them, "Why am I not surprised that Reiner is at the front." She rolled her eyes in her head and finally caught up to them. 

"Akira?" Christa questioned as she was now jogging by her side, "Where did you go?" 

Turning her head to make eye contact, she sighed, "I wanted to help them but, as always, they underestimate me." Interrupting her, a large hand shot through the wooden door, splinters and debris flying off of it onto the floor, the blonde male leaning on said door, "REINER!" The green orbed female shrieked as she saw the male bracing for impact. Suddenly, a sharp, metal tool was lodged into its eyes, the culprit being Bertholdt as he pushed it harder into its face. 

"Get out the way!" A voice called out from behind them, forcing them to turn and look over their shoulders, seeing a cannon placed at the top of the steps with Christa, Ymir and Connie behind it, ready to throw it down the steps. Akira threw herself off, stumbling slightly from the impact of the height as the cannon rolled down the steps, flying through the door and crushing the small Titan. Dodging it by a hair, the two males launched themselves out of the way and watched as the splinters of the door flew over the floor, some slabs covering the knocked out Titan. As the big cloud of smoky debris cleared, the group leaned through the door to look at the scene, "May miracles never cease, huzzah." Ymir commented as she climbed down the last few steps, her voice flat and sarcastic. 

Reiner huffed under his breath, "Yeah, he isn't getting out from that, it was only a little one." 

"What now?" Connie questioned, staring at his hand which now had a knife clutched in its grasp, "This knife is the only thing we have, should I cut the nape or-" 

"Don't risk it." The muscular blonde cut off his sentence half way through, looking over his shoulder as sweat dripped down his face. 

Christa grabbed a torch from its pin on the wall, "I think it's best if we head upstairs, we have no way of knowing if that was the only one that got in-" As she turned back around to face the group, her voice went quiet and shaky, soon going high pitched as she screeched, "CONNIE!" 

He soon turned around, his eyes wide and sweat sliding down his face, a Titan with its mouth wide, ready to launch at the small, yellow eyed male looming in the doorway. Turning around to face it, he was unable to move, struck frozen on the spot from fear as it inched closer, soon throwing itself at him, saliva flying out of its mouth as it hungrily chomped at his head.