Underground - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

When we reached the location where we intended to take on the beast titan, Erwin pulled his horse up in front of us, eyebrows creased in concentration, as he called out to us, "Alright. We're here. Everyone knows their places. Follow the plan to the letter." He motioned to the scouts on the left side of the squad. "Squad Commander Hange, your squad will take the flank nearest the wall."
Hange nodded, her eyes glinting with anticipation, and said briskly, "Yes, Commander Erwin." She motioned to her squad of scouts as she kicked her horse forward into a gallop, calling out over her shoulder, "Squad, move out!" Her scouts left the main group behind, following close on her tail, and disappeared toward the wall in a cloud of dust.
Erwin turned his gaze to the other side of the group and stated loudly, "Squad Commander Lewis, your squad will be handling the left flank."
The serious faced older man ducked his head to Erwin in understanding. "Understood, sir." He motioned for his scouts to follow him. "Let's move, cadets!" He kicked his horse forward, his squad following his lead, and they disappeared into the thick forest to our left.
Finally, Erwin turned back to Levi and I. He let out a tired sigh, as if now that it was just him and the special forces, he could finally show a bit of the weight that was on his shoulders. He steeled himself and turned determined eyes to Levi. "Ackerman, you'll ride forward with me. You will bring the entire special forces with you, except Jaeger. We need to make this seem as unsuspicious as possible. Having a full squad should do that. We'll be the bait so to speak."
Erwin turned his blue eyes to me, his gaze cool and commanding as he said in a serious tone, "Corporal (L/N). I've given you the most important job of all." He glanced to Jaeger, who sat silently atop of his mount beside me. "You will be accompanying Jaeger to his predetermined location. Once the signal has been given and Jaeger has taken titan form, you are to circle back around and join us at the front, but not before then. I want you to be with Jaeger at all times until then. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, Commander." I said, my voice reflecting the fact that I realized this was an important matter and I'd do my utmost to not disappoint him.
He nodded to me and then turned back to Levi. "Well then, we'd best be going. We wouldn't want to keep that bastard waiting for too long." He jerked his horse's head around and kicked its sides, starting off forward again at a brisk trot.
"Oi, (L/N)."
I glanced over at Levi, who was watching me with dark, unreadable eyes. He raised an eyebrow at me and said in a severe tone, "Don't be an idiot and get into any trouble. I don't want you to prove yourself right in the fact that I can't ever care about anyone because they just go and get themselves killed."
My mouth dropped open slightly, I couldn't find the words to reply to him. Had he really just said that, in front of everyone?
Without another word or backward glance, Levi dug his heels into his stallion's side and took off after Erwin, the rest of the cadets from the special forces close behind him, enveloped in a cloud of dust.
After they had disappeared, I shook my head to clear my thoughts and turned to look at Jaeger, who was looking a bit pale as he sat on his mount, staring after the squad that had disappeared from our view.
I reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. When he looked at me, I gave him a reassuring smile and said, "Everything'll be fine, Jaeger." I glanced up at the sun, which was just now directly above us, then back to him, motioning to him as I said, "Now come on, we need to get in position."
We rode through the trees in silence, the only sound our horses hooves thudding against the moss covered ground, and the sound of an occasional lone bird call.
Finally, we reached the predetermined spot that Erwin had marked out on a map for us before we left the city. It was close enough to the wall that we hopefully wouldn't have to worry too much about our flanks, but near the front lines, so that Jaeger could be there quickly when signalled for.
I dropped down from my mare and tied the reins to a nearby tree, making sure my knot would hold while we were gone. Jaeger followed suit, trying his mount next to mine along the same branch of the large tree.
I glanced over the saddles at him as I rummaged for some equipment in my side bags, and nonchalantly said, "Oi, Jaeger." I didn't look at him, just continued to look through my bags, as I said, "Don't you trust Commander Erwin?"
I looked up then, meeting his gaze, as he sputtered for a moment, trying to find the right words, before he blurted out, "Of course I do."
I found the dagger I had been looking for in my bags and bent over, sticking it down the side of my boot before I straightened and leaned my arms on my mare's back, raising an eyebrow at him as I said, "So why are you so worried?"
He finished straightening his tack and glanced down at his feet, seeming to be embarrassed by the fact that he was worried. Finally, he said in a low voice, "I just don't want to lose anyone else."
His words struck a chord within me. I didn't want to lose anyone else either. Not ever again.
I pulled myself from my thoughts and came out from behind my horse, walking over to Jaeger to put a comforting hand on his shoulder as I said quietly, "I don't want to lose anyone either, Jaeger. So let's make sure we don't."
He glanced up at me, his green eyes intense, and then he nodded hard, before saying, "Alright." He took in a deep breath and straightened his shoulders, his eyes flicking to a column of smoke in the direction of the battlefield. His eyes grew hard, angry, and then he said in a determined tone, "You promised to have my back, Corporal. Now I'm making a promise. We're not going to lose anyone else today. Not if I have a say in it."
I knew that wasn't possible. Not with what we were up against. But if it gave him courage, if it made him angry, if that promise could carry him through so he did what he had to do, then so be it. He could believe it for now.
I glanced over at the column of smoke, which was growing thicker and darker by the minute, and swore under my breath. I hoped the squad was alright. And Levi. Hell, if anything happened to Levi....
Suddenly, a bright light appeared on the horizon, cutting through the towering pillar of smoke rising into the sky.
It was the green flare. The signal.
I felt my heart speed up in my chest and I turned to Jaeger, who had seen it too. He met my gaze, sweat starting to gather on his forehead again, and I gave him a nod, putting my hands on his shoulders as I leaned in and said, "You can do this, Jaeger."
He held my gaze for a moment more, fear, uncertainty, panic, and then anger and determination flicking across his eyes, and then he nodded back to me, his hands clenching into fists at his side. "I promise. No one else today. Or ever."
I stepped back from him, giving him space, as he slowly raised his hand to his lips. "Remember, Jaeger. Only worry about the beast titan. The squad commanders were instructed to wait ten minutes after the flair and then move. That'll give you time to engage the abnormal. We'll worry about the rest of the bastards." He looked over at me, his hand held against his lips. and nodded again. I lowered my brows in determination and gave him a stiff salute before saying, "Go give them hell, Jaeger."
I took a few more steps backward and grabbed the horses' reins in my hands as, with an enraged yell, Jaeger sunk his teeth into the skin between his thumb and forefinger.
Instantly, bright light sizzled and crackled across the clearing.
I covered my eyes, ducking my head and holding the horses steady as the wind whipped around us, electricity bringing the air to life, and sending nearby branches crashing to the ground.
The horses snorted and pranced as a loud, earsplitting roar filled the clearing, shaking the trees around us.
I glanced up to see Jaeger's titan form before me. He towered over the trees, his attention turned to the pillar of smoke in the distance as he let out another rage filled cry.
Without a backward glance, he took off through the trees toward the battlefield, trees crashing down around him as he barreled through the forest, his feral roars echoing off the wall beside us.
I waited for a few more moments, counting time silently in my head. I wanted to give Jaeger enough time to get down there and engage the beast titan before I headed out. That was the plan after all.
When I felt like enough time had passed, and I couldn't hear Jaeger's impassioned cries in the distance any longer, I released my hold on the horses, giving them each a reassuring pat on the neck before I headed to the edge of the clearing.
Steeling myself, I shot off into the trees, my 3DM line whipping out and around tree trunks as I flew quickly through the dense, thick foliage. Branches whipped past me, some catching my cheeks with a stinging sensation, as I continued my flight through the trees.
The pillar of smoke was growing closer and closer, and as it neared, I sped up my pace even more, the tree trunks flying past me nothing but blurs. My heart pounded in my chest, the cool wind whipping against my face took my breath away before I could use it.
I had to get down there. I had to help my squad. No way in hell were they going to do this without me.
I was almost to the column of black smoke, when I caught sight of a titan whip past me.
Slowing down a bit, I came back around on the titan, who was ambling on its own through the thick forest. Its large eyes turned upward as I descended toward it, and it raised a hand, as if it wanted to snatch me out of the air.
"Not today, bastard." I let a quick sneer flick across my lips as I came down on its neck, my blade slicing through the flesh easily in a spray of blood. The titan crashed to the ground, taking down a few small saplings under its large body as it fell.
I readjusted my course so I was headed back toward the column of smoke, keeping an eye out for anymore errant titans I might run across on my way to the battlefield.
I didn't find anything else, and in minutes, I was out of the thickness of the forest and in the thick of the titans.
I paused for just a brief moment on a branch at the edge of the forest, taking everything in.
I could see Hange's squad on the right, farther up against the wall, taking on a group of fifteen meters who all seemed to have banded together for this attack. I glanced over and saw Commander Lewis' squad members on the left flank, using an abandoned scouting post for cover as a smaller group of titans clawed at the brick, trying to fight their way in.
Glancing down the center of the battlefield, I saw Levi, Erwin, and the special forces squad battling the titans in the middle of everything. They were surrounded, but they didn't appear to be trapped in anyway.
Jaeger and the beast titan were nowhere to be found. Maybe he had pulled the abnormal away from the throng to more easily corner it.
Suddenly, I heard someone call out.
My eyes flicked to the sound and I saw Springer, separated from the rest of the special forces, in a face off with two ten meters. He dodged one of their outreached hands, narrowly missing the grasping fingers, but flew straight into the other titan's grasp.
"Damn cadets. Always having to save them from something." I muttered to myself as I took off from the tree, headed in his direction.
I whipped out into a wide arc to come back around on the titan that held Springer, raising him to its mouth filled with large, decaying teeth, its lips dripping with strands of yellow saliva. I raised my blade and with a yell, brought it down cleanly on the titan's neck. The spray of warm blood coated me as the titan fell, releasing Spring, who managed to shoot up into a nearby tree on his 3DM gear. Without hesitating, I changed my course and swung around the back of the other titan, who was reaching out toward me, its mouth gaping wide in an empty grin. I gritted my teeth with effort as I brought down the blade, once again, on the back of its neck, sending it crashing to ground.
I landed in the tree next to Springer, who was trying to catch his breath, his eyes wide still. Wiping the gore off of my blade and onto my pants, I glanced over at him, eyebrow raised, and said, "That was a close one, Springer. Be more cautious next time, yeah?"
He glanced over at me, eyes wide, and nodded quickly.
I shot him a grin. "Now, let's go and join the others and finish these bastards, shall we?"