An Unexpected Turn in Fate

Chapter 29 -- Queen Historia

Dawn arrives, and the Garrison Regiment was on standby with their cannons lined along the top of Wall Sina. As Rod Reiss' titan approaches the wall, the Garrison Captain orders the first round of artillery fire. Smoke emits from both sides; one from extreme heat and the other from the explosion created by the cannons.

"Well, how'd that do...?" Erwin mutters. He soon gets his answer when the unscathed titan emerges from the smoke and continues its way towards the wall. The soldiers fire a second round of artillery from the ground at the base of the wall. Yet, the titan was unfazed by the attack. "Looks like the field cannons are even less effective," he adds.

"Makes sense," Levi says. "The cannons on the wall have a way better angle. And, they didn't do crap to it either. What's the problem?" Standing between him and the commander, I carefully examine the Garrison Regiment's attempts to take down the massive titan.

"Unprepared soldiers, scraped together cannons, and shallow leadership," the commander deduces. "The titans have always attacked from the south. Not only is this a Northern Garrison but the interior. Therefore, I can tell you for a fact that this is the best we get."

"Yeah. That much is painfully clear," he says, watching the titan slamming its hand on the ground and dragging itself forward. "And, of course your strategy for getting us through this battle comes down to a gamble just like every other plan that you've come up with."

"Erwin!" A voice calls from the side. "I brought the goodies!" Erwin, Levi, and I look over to see Hange's squad bringing in a large number of barrels and a huge net made out of ropes. "All the gunpowder, ropes, and netting I could find! We still need to put it together though. Oh! We got this too!" One of the soldiers wheels over a cart loaded with a barrel of gunpowder with handles and triggers of the vertical maneuvering equipment strapped to either side. "There's another one just like it a little further down! The trigger is right here, so once fired, it'll wind itself up just like ODM gear." She then looks at Levi over her shoulder and asks, "So, we do any damage?"

He looks back at the titan. "Imagine a swarm of cicadas pissing on it."

"Then, we'll actually use these things. Exciting."

"Captain Levi, Jean, Sasha, Abby, you handle that side," Erwin calls. Jean, Sasha, and Connie acknowledge his order before the five of us scurry away and head straight to that part of the wall to prepare the cart. Once we're ready, another round of artillery fire comes from the Garrison Regiment. Out of the corners of my eyes, I notice the Rod Reiss titan a few meters away from the wall.

"The enemy is moving! Adjust your aim!" The Garrison Captain orders, to which the soldiers aim the cannons to the base of the wall. "Our target is the back of its neck!" When the titan nears the wall, he yells, "Fire!" Another round of artillery was fired, creating large amounts of smoke shrouding the titan. "Well done! We torn into its flesh! One more volley!" Right as he finished his sentence, a large amount of steam washes over everyone on top of Wall Sina. As if on instinct, Levi protectively pulls me into his chest and faces away from the titan.

"So hot!" Connie exclaims, shielding his face from the steam. I bury my face into Levi's chest as he gently touches the back of my head. "Dammit. That's just our luck. The wind must've shifted it," mutters Levi, who seems uneasy about the sudden turn of events.

"What do we do? I can't see, Captain!"

"It doesn't matter!" The Garrison Captain declares, which causes me to lift my head up to stare at them. "The target is right beneath us! Keep shooting!" Although they were still unable to see clearly, the Garrison soldiers fire the artillery blindly, but they soon stop when the titan places its face on the wall. Upon seeing this, Levi releases me and quickly turns around to face the incoming titan.