Shingeki no Jiyu

XII

      Murderer. Their hoods distorted their identities from the crowds, straining against the armed MP lines. Whore. Leo and Graham flanked Adria on either side at the rear of the formation, according to Keith; the brigade would presume Adria would be in the middle rather than the end. Die.

      Adria slowed Yaju to a canter, her blades were held at the same odd angle as the Yelts Signature while she commanded the reigns. Above, five MPs crouched on the court's rooftop, overlooking them with utter disgust. Gripping the leather tight, Adria tried to quieten her breathing as she and Graham shared a worrying look.

       Keith warned them that no matter what Nile had in store for them, not to engage with the intention of violence. Swords were to serve as a warning that the Survey Corps had come prepared whilst any conflict would be resolved by hand to hand combat. Adria flared her nostrils when Keith gave the signal; his blade turned at a forty-five-degree angle by the side of his horse.

       Leo and Graham disarmed themselves, an act which caused the furthest MPs to cock their heads. Little did they realise that the manoeuvre gear could be used offensively without the elongated blades attached. Without the need to verbally communicate their objective, both men shot from their horses and used the hand grips to dictate their movements. Using the furthest wall as a steadfast, Graham used a jet of gas to give him the leverage to run up the portico and kick the wing MP in the face. They collapsed against the tiling in a heap.

       Leo fixated on the MP that attempted to swing down to attack Erwin from the front. Leo tossed a portion of the cape over his shoulder and sunk both hooks into the gutter. He used the momentum from the stream of pressure to rise above the second MP and brought his heel down onto their neck, causing them to fall from the roof and into a heap below.

       Graham and Leo then tag-teamed against the third and elbowed either side of their head, rendering them unconscious. However, what threw Graham and Leo off were the two remaining MPs—Burchard and Iris shook in fury at their incapacitated comrades. Iris bluffed and thrust her swords at Graham; since he was vulnerable enough on the edge of the roof he easily lost balance and fell. In retreat, Leo flew back towards his horse and allowed Viktor to take the stand.

      Viktor disarmed and made Graham priority. Running across the side of the brick, he extended his hand and caught Graham's forearm in a monkey-grip tossing him back to the formation to retain the shape on his horse. However, Viktor didn't bother glancing up at their two former friends.

       Burchard licked the side of his blade, raising it high, "I didn't come third-best out of the Thirty Fifth Training Corps to be humiliated by the likes of you!"

      We will remain as humanity's duo. Adria didn't even think, her body moved on its own. Standing on the stirrups, Adria hooked her legs over Yaju and propelled herself towards the side, ignoring Erwin's cry to stop. The sound of her breath drummed in her ears as her legs pumped to make it to Viktor in time. He'd positioned himself to turn back to the horses but was still in Burchard's reach. Adria wouldn't make the extra distance to get Viktor out of the way so she adjusted her run straight to Burchard.

       The blonde prude saw her coming at the last minute, he tried to block her by crossing his swords over his chest but Adria remained persistent. She dug her toes into the tile for added speed and tucked her chin further into the cape, she jutted her shoulders out and collided with Burchard. He was flung from the roof but kept enough wits to ease the impact on the ground, rolling into a tangle of wires as his gear disassembled.

       "And I didn't place second to listen to your bullshit," Adria straightened herself and turned to land a punch on Iris but the girl dropped from the roof and moved to the formation.