(11) The plan to retake Trost
'One thing after a-fucking-nother', Strauss thought angrily as he and Mikasa stood in front of Eren and Armin defensively. They had no time for any sort of respite after their evacuation from Trost and were immediately backed up against the wall as soldiers pointed blades, muskets, and even cannons at them due to Eren's display of turning into a titan.
"Do you cadets think that this is a joke? If you continue to claim ignorance and do not explain yourselves, I will have no choice but to execute you for treason!", Kitz Woermann warned the four cadets one last time.
"S-Sir, while I understand your perspective, those two in front are the Ackerman siblings. Just the girl alone is worth a hundred other soldiers, but the boy is so talented that some have even begun to call him Humanity's Hope. Especially some of the soldiers who saw him in action.", a soldier walked up to Kitz and informed him of the cadets. The Garrison captain simply looked at him then back at the cadets, paying no mind to the message of the soldier.
Over on a rooftop slightly further away, the other cadets who managed to escape with Strauss watched the scene unfold with clenched fists.
"I'm going down there!", Krista suddenly exclaimed only to be held in place by Ymir by the back of her jacket. "Let me go!"
"And then what? Huh? You'll just be another cadet to kill for them. There's nothing we can do, we're cadets who hold no military power, if we try to act out we'll simply be accused of treason". Although she would never say it out loud, Ymir also hated this situation. She was too powerless to do anything to save those who helped her.
"Tch, hate to admit it but she's right", Connie chipped in with an irritated look on his face.
Krista stopped struggling, listening to her friends as a sad expression befell her face. Her hands balled into fists, as she quivered slightly in anger.
Armin's mind had been running in overtime as he was forced to think harder and faster than ever before. He unfortunately saw only one solution to problem at hand, and that wasn't guaranteed to save him and his friends. He dropped all gear and stepped in front of Strauss and Mikasa with his arms well above his head as a sign of surrender. He suddenly stepped down hard and saluted, with a deep breath he shouted with as much bravado as he could call upon.
"Sir, If I may! My name is cadet Armin Arlert from the 104th Cadet Corps! We speak to you very truly, when we say that we do not know the origin of Eren's titan powers... however!What we can tell you was that Eren was able to think clearly and decide his own actions and was the main factor that contributed in not only mine, but the survival of many other cadets, if he had not been there to lead the charge, then we would have died a cruel death at the hands of the titans!".
Armin stopped for a second taking one more deep breath before continuing.
"Some other notes I would like you to consider sir, is that, we who currently stand in protection of Eren, have known him for the majority of our lives and never once has he displayed the ability to turn into a titan! A testiment to the fact that he only recently discovered these powers. Furthermore, if you ask literally any cadet from the 104th Cadet Corps, they will be able to tell you that it's been his goal to slay titans since the beginning! Finally, I would like to propose an idea; using Eren's power as a titan, I believe it possible to use the large boulder in Trost to cover the hole in the wall!".
He stopped for a few seconds letting the information sink in to the minds of the Garrison captain and the varying soldiers.
"With that said though, three years ago I took an oath to dedicate my heart to humanity! If you truly believe that the best option to aid humanity is our execution, then I will stand with pride as you do so!"
The surrounding soldiers loosened the grip on their blades as they listened to the blond boy pour his heart and soul out. They were genuinely impressed that a kid so young could show such dedication and resolve.
Kitz was mentally torn as he looked down at the cadets with a mix of hesitation and fear. The boy's arguements made sense, they were logical. Yet Kitz couldn't quite get rid of the sight of a titan rampaging in the walls, killing everyone, killing his wife and children... The scene played in his mind, and it downright terrified him.
Seeing the captain's arm raise, about to give the order for execution, Strauss crouched, about to grab all of his friends and prepare to escape. He stopped though as he saw an old man with no hair approach the captain and grab his arm.
"Commander Pixis!", Kitz exclaimed, as he lowered his arm.
"That's enough of that then. Do you not see his splendid salute? As big as you are, you've always been as delicate as a newborn fawn", the commander in question walked forwards and immediately all soldiers at the scene backed off, saluting the commander. The commander looked at the four graduates and smiled.
"Would you cadets care to join me for a conversation?"
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[You've achieved something never done before in this world! You have a kill count of 59 titans before even joining a regiment of the military! 8 bloodline points have been awarded! Uchiha Bloodline has been awarded!]
[Uchiha bloodline has now been added to your bloodlines!]
Strauss' heart thumped in anticipation and excitement as he read through his notifications. He sat off the side with Mikasa, as Pixis talked with Armin and Eren. The bloodline points alone were a great reward, but the Uchiha bloodline was a reward he would normally only dream of.
A sudden frown spread across his face though as he realised something. The main boon of the Uchiha bloodline was of course, the Sharingan. But in order to function, the Sharingan needed an energy source called Chakra, something he didn't have.
Strauss sighed, as he opened his status window, looking to the Ackerman bloodline. At least he could now evolve it. Without a second thought, he spent the necessary 5 BP as a weird feeling overcame him.
It was painful for a second, as he vividly felt his muscles tighten and become more compact, increasing in density. The pain disappeared just as fast as it came, and what followed was a sense of euphoria. Strauss' senses improved dramatically. He could see the faces of the soldiers beaneath the walls in fine detail, the shifting of their facial muscles visbile to him. Every conversation held around him could be heard now, which disoriented Strauss at first but he quickly regained his composure.
He looked at the soldiers waiting towards the bottom of the wall and noted the rising tension between them. Some were even arguing amongst themselves.
Besides the efficiency of his five senses improving greatly, he felt 'something'. First the feeling came from himself, but then he felt it from Mikasa. Soon after, he felt it from all of the surrounding his soldiers. The feeling was akin to a flame. When he focused on the flame inside of him, it burned brighter than anyone elses.
Some conclusions formed in his mind about what exactly it was, but he set that feeling aside as he oberved two changes in his status screen. The first being his power level, which now sat at an overwhelming number of 178, almost triple what he was before. The other was the change in description of the Ackerman bloodline.
[Ackerman (LVL1/50)- An evolution of the bloodline of warriors, members of this bloodline have superhuman strength even without much training. You are now a higher species compared to the regular human, and your combat prowess will only continue to grow immensely. As a result of your advanced physiology, you now have a healing factor.]
Strauss swiped his screen away as he watched Pixis approach him. "You're the famous recruit if I'm not mistaken"
"You flatter me sir", Strauss replied modestly as he stood up to talk to the man.
"Hahaha, no need to be so modest!", Pixis laughed patting Strauss' shoulder. "We've devised a plan for Eren to plug the hole in the wall by carrying that boulder over. I'd like you to take part in a small elite team that will protect him from any titans that approach him."
"It would be my honor sir!"
Pixis smiled, before walking to the edge of the wall as he looked down at the soldiers and cadets who were arguing and shouting.
"Attention!"
All sound disappeared as every single soldier looked towards the commander nervously.
"We will now begin the plan to seal the hole in Trost!". Immediately concerns arised within the croud, questionning if that was even possible. However Eren walked forwards to the commander's side and saluted. "Let me introduce you to cadet Eren Jaeger! He's the result of a top secret project to turn humans into titans! He can create and control a titan's body". Murmurs ran through the crowd of soldiers as they all shared a look of disbelief. "He will turn into a titan, pick up the giant boulder by the shattered gate, and use it to seal the hole."
Someone from the crowd finally spoke up on behalf of everyone else. "T-That means we have to fight the titans right?".
"No, only a small elite force will accompany Eren. Your jobs are simple, you merely have to lure the titans to the walls and use the cannons to keep them there". Multiple sighs of relief resonated through the group, and some people even began cheering.
A tinge of rage flashed through Pixis as he saw the behaviours of his soldiers. "What are you fools cheering for? You are soldiers tasked with protecting humanity, yet when it comes to actually doing your jobs you cower away like weaklings! Engrave this moment into your minds, today your pathetic lives were saved by mere cadets, fresh from graduation! Today, the lives of your loved ones weren't protected by you who are meant to be the last line of humanity, but your military juniors! Today, humanity was protected by children half your age! If you have any semblence of dignity, then you should feel ashamed!"
A mix of emtions passed through Eren. Far too much had happened in one day and truthfully he wanted nothing more than for it to end. 'I don't really know if I can turn into a titan again, but there's no other choice. Too many lives are at stake for me not to succeed.'
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A/N: trost arc is reaching is close to its finale
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