Ymir's injuries fully healed, she was exhausted however and needed to rest for a bit, if it weren't for her regeneration abilities, she'd have died. Aila stood out front, she was on first watch. She tried to eat as much as she could, but only ate half her rations. She felt sick, guilty, and angry that she didn't save Eren and Historia from the same thing that happened to her all those years ago. Annie walked out of the door of the warehouse, she was worried for Aila, she hugged her from behind, "Ails... you should come inside and sit with-" "I can't.. not after what Ymir said", Aila cut Annie off. Annie recalled Ymir's words, feeling guilty herself at their meaning, she sighed and stepped next to Aila, pulling a paper from within her cloak, "Here, this is Rod Reiss, Historia's father, he's the one that most likely hired the guys that attacked us today". Aila looked down at the sheet of paper, she gasped, she began to shake, sweating. She dropped her rations and stumbled back, collapsing on the wall, Annie quickly jumped to her side, "Aila, what's wrong?!". Aila's mind began to overflow with the hidden memories of who had turned her into the titan shifter she was, "Th.. that's him...". Annie frowned in confusion, "Him who?", Aila gulped, "Th-The man who turned me... into this", Annie's eyes widened at her words, realizing what she was saying. She helped Aila helped her up and walked her into the warehouse, sitting her down by the fire, "We have a new problem", Annie said as she shut the door. Mikasa and Sasha immediately leapt to Aila, seeing how she was distressed, "What happened?!", Mikasa asked, "Rod Riess, the guy who most likely hired those guys to attack us and take Eren and Historia, is the same guy who turned Aila into a titan shifter three years ago", everyone jumped up from their seats. Aila managed to compose herself, "I.. I remember it all now. That man, Rod Reiss, he hired a tall man in a black brim hat who was armed with a curved blade to kidnap me and take me to a warehouse and...", she covered her mouth, trying not to throw up. She swallowed her urge to puke, "He injected me with a weird liquid, spinal fluid of some type, turning me into a pure titan and I... I ate a weak man they chained to the ground.. when I woke, I was on top of a steaming titan, attached to it and- and there was blood on the floor. When I tried to leave, I was too weak to stay awake, I passed out and.. here we are", everyone's mouths were open in shock, why would Rod Reiss do this to a random girl?
Aila looked deeper into her memories, "The man who kidnapped me, he said his name was Kenny I think", Levi jumped from his seat, "What?! Shit, it all makes sense now..". Mikasa stood up, "Captain, how do you know him?" "He was the leader of the group that attacked us today", Levi said as she scowled at the floor. Aila stood back up, "Regardless of relations, we need to get as much info out of these guys so we can follow whatever trail they give us" "Agreed", the captain replied as he began to walk towards one of the men who Aila and the others took down earlier, ready to question them about what they know. He bent down and pulled the gag down from his face, he began to speak, "Mercy please, I'm just an old man that used to move cargo! I didn't want to but th-" "I've seen this one before", Mikasa cut in as she stood by the captain. The man looked up at her and gasped, "He seemed to be a prominent merchant", Mikasa said as she stared the man down. Levi spoke, "Yeah I know him, Dimo Reeves right?", Reeves grunted and looked away, "This damn job was forced on us by the military police, and now that we've completely botched it, they'll plunder the Reeves company for everything it's worth. First they'll kill me, and then they'll set up 'accidents' for all my employees, my dumb son too" "You just gonna lay down and take it?", the captain asked as he looked down on him. "There's a reason Trost recovered from the titan attack. It's largely because of jobs and money brought in by the Reeves company, tell me, if your company were to disappear, how many would survive the coming winter?". Reeves looked back up at Levi, "So what? You want me to join you?" "We just need to know where Eren and Historia are, if you're in contact with the mp's, I think I have a plan", Levi told him, staring into his soul. "And can you give me your word that the people of Trost won't end up starving to death?", Reeves asked concerned, Levi knelt down to him, "I can't guarantee it, that said, I believe you'll have a better chance with us than without". Reeves sat contemplating for a moment, he agreed to do so. Levi untied him and let him regroup with a couple of military police members, ready to betray them for the sake of the people of Trost.
They rode to a secluded area, Aila and the others were trailing behind them, waiting for the word to attack. They ended up stopping at a cabin, as one of the mps poked their head out of the canvas, Jean and Levi were there to meet him with a musket to his face. Before he could turn to shout at Reeves, Jean used the stock and knocked him out, the other man inside turned and shouted at him, "REEVES YOU PIECE OF- AH!", Mikasa stood up from next to Reeves and hit him with her musket, leaving him unconscious. Aila and Mikasa carried one of the men in, Annie and Jean carried the other, leading them into a basement and locking them in a cell. Levi took one of them into a different cell and tied him to a chair, he was going to torture him to get answers about Eren and Historia along with the king and his lackies. Aila and the others were told to stay above in the dining hall and wait for their orders, just as they sat down, Hange and Moblit burst through the door, "Where's Levi?!", she asked. Mikasa who was standing by the basement door hesitantly pointed to it, Hange thanked her and threw off hers and Moblit's cloaks, setting them to the side before entering. Everyone sat in horror as they had to listen to another round of snapping and screams from the man their superiors were torturing, Aila clenched her hands together and felt as if she was to puke. Even Annie and Mikasa were visibly uneasy, Annie rubbed Aila's back trying to calm her from her urge to throw up. Mikasa held Sasha, trying her best to comfort her as they were forced to withstand such inhumane acts, waiting for the captain and Hange to return. Sasha spoke up, "The screams seem a lot louder than they were when the captain did it..", she was about to shed tears. Armin spoke up, "Let's face the fact, we're criminals now...", everyone shot their heads up in curiosity at what he had said, "We lasted when they wanted to eat us, we don't have an excuse like that for killing these people... it's just that their views are different, no.. it's just that they're in another group. And for that we'll take their lives", he began to softly cry. Mikasa tried her best to comfort both Armin and Sasha now, everyone had taken in Armin's cruel, yet truthful words.
As they sat waiting for what seemed like hours, Aila could hear talking, but the only thing she could make out was "You're all monsters", it had come from the man they were torturing. Aila stood up and rushed to her room, thinking, "Yeah.. he's right, I am a monster...". She hadn't noticed Annie shouting for her to come back, her thoughts were too filled with guilt and shame. Marco had followed soon after, heading to his room, he couldn't listen to the mans screams anymore. Annie entered Aila's and her room, Aila was standing staring out of the window, Annie hugged her from behind, "Love.. I know this isn't easy but, we have to save Eldia somehow...". Annie looked up and began to cry at the sight of Aila's tears, "That man is right.. I am a monster" "No that's not true!", Annie walked in front of Aila and held her face in her hands, staring into her tear filled eyes. "You're not a monster.. we're forced to do all of this in the first place because of Marley stripping us of our freedom", Aila leaned into her love's touch, "I know.. I just never though I would live to see someone be tortured". Annie sighed, she felt an ache in her heart for the pain that everyone in that house shared, she embraced Aila in a tight hug, placing a soft, loving kiss on her lips. "Annie! Aila! Marco! Come back down, Hange and Levi have something to tell us!", Ymir shouted from the foot of the stairs. Annie and Aila wiped their tears and hurried down the stairs, "What is it?", Aila asked as she and Annie walked next to Ymir. Hange took a deep breath before speaking, "Sannes revealed what we needed to know and then some.. Eren and Historia were indeed capture by Rod Reiss, who is the true king of the throne", everyone gasped, "WAIT WHAT?! THEN THAT MEANS-" "The Reiss family is the true royal family, and Historia is the heir to the throne", everyone took in what they had just heard, shocked at this new revelation. "According to our knowledge, she and Eren have been taken to lord Reiss", Hange said, Ymir practically blew a fuse, "THEN WE HAVE TO GO SAVE HER NOW! WHO KNOWS WHAT HER DEADBEAT OF A DAD WILL DO TO HER!". Although they were silent, everyone else was thinking the exact same thing.
Aila and Annie returned to their room for the night, they needed to rest and they were worried about what Rod may do to Eren and Historia. Aila gazed out of the window, all she could think of what she could do to save them, and make up for failing to save them. Annie turned in her sleep, she felt the spot next to her in search of Aila, but was disappointed to see she wasn't there, she opened her eyes to see her love staring out the window, looking sad. Annie stood up, she wore nothing, she preferred to sleep in the nude when she's with Aila, she feels closer to her in a sense. She hugged her love from behind, kissing her bareback that was covered in scars from the day wall maria fell, "Ail, you haven't gotten any sleep", Aila sighed and flipped around, holding Annie on her bare body. "I know I just.. I can't, not after knowing that Rod Reiss has Eren and Historia", Annie sighed, "I understand, you're worried that he might.. do the same thing to Historia that he did to you, right?", Aila closed her eyes, memories of the day she was stripped of her free will flooded her mind. Annie looked up and kissed her lover, softly and lovingly, "We'll get them back, I know we will" "Yeah", the two lovers embraced once more, kissing more passionately, they lay back down and spooned, lulling to sleep at each other's embrace. The next day, they were sent to town to retrieve food and supplies, they noticed MP's were handing out flyers, saying that the scouts had killed an innocent man. They knew their quiet life was no longer at hand, MP's were going to surround every passing point to find scout members, their lives were forced to be in secret. Just as the captain and the others were coming up with a plan, Sasha heard something, "Captain, I hear footsteps", she whispered. Everyone was turned on alert, everyone hurried and scattered, ready to fight if needed. They hid in the bushes, waiting for orders and a plan.
The captain came up with a plan to steal their weapons and supplies, Armin was to pretend to be out to get water at the stream, and Mikasa and Aila would swing down and force them to drop them, they'd tie them up, get information out of them, and then he said that the last part, would be up to him depending on how they behave. They enacted their plan, Mikasa and Aila waited in the trees, Levi and Annie waited in the bushes in case something went wrong. "Don't move!", one of them shouted, they pointed their guns at Armin, "Turn around slowly". Armin silently raised his hands and turned slowly, "You must be a scout", the MP said, "Not a sound, don't say a word, listen and do exactly what I-", the Mp was interrupted by Aila and Mikasa jumping down and placing the swords they held to their throats. Aila spoke, "Hand your guns to the one in front if you want to keep your necks", Armin walked forward took the guns from them, backing away with them in hand, "Don't say a word, right?", he said. Sasha and Annie emerged from the bushes and tied them up, stripping them of their cloaks, jackets, and ODM gear, leaving them defenseless. The captain emerged from the shadows, Connie, Jean, and Marco stayed hidden with the rifles, making sure there isn't anyone else following the two they captured. Annie took two sheets of paper from within their jackets and handed it to Levi, "Now then, you're Stohess district military police. Private Marlo Freudenberg, same assignment, private Hitch Dreyse, we'll need to dispose of you". Pure fear spread across their faces, Hitch began to speak, "B-Because of what you did, Stohess was a graveyard, over a hundred people were killed!", Levi took notice of her comment. Marlo became concerned, "Hey!" "You bastards, I bet you all think you're some kind of heroes of justice but you're not! You dropped dozens of innocent families straight into hell on that mission of yours!", Levi became intrigued, "Yeah, we did". Hitch grew angry, but despite this, the captain still decided to let them go. Marlo began to speak, "Hey! Captain Levi! Let me join your cause! I believe that the military police are in the wrong here! If there's any way that I can fight this world's injustice, then that's what I want to do!", Levi stared down at him for a moment before answering, "Easy, calm down" "I swear I won't let you down sir!", Marlo shouted with determination. The captain sheathed his blades, "No, I have no way of telling if you have enough resolve to make an enemy of the state, lets go. Take them deeper into the woods and tie them up Sasha" "Sir!", Sasha complied and readied to take them.
But just before she did, she was stopped by Jean, who insisted on taking them himself. As they wandered off to their places, back to the cabin that was surrounded by military police. Aila felt a hand rest on her shoulder, "Hey, you ok?", Annie asked concerned for her girlfriend. Aila smiled, comforted by the know that she cared about her, she placed a peck on her lips, "Yes, I'm fine, thank's love", Annie let a smile escape her mouth for a moment. Jean had returned, but with the two that he was told to tie up, Sasha jumped up, "What the hell are you doing?!", she whispered, "Captain, I can vouch for them. They're ready to fight with us and have planned to become a spy for us". The captain looked at them sideways, "Fine, but if you two screw this up for us, it'll be your end, Hitch and Marlo began to sweat, knowing he was serious, they nodded in agreement and understanding. They got dressed in their uniform and gear again, preparing to spy for them. They got info on which checkpoints were the most guarded, they led them to the least guarded area, and were told to go back to their posts to seem not so suspicious. As they returned, they were told something by Levi, "Marlo, Hitch. We're grateful", they stopped and saluted, showing their respect. With a cart they stole, Jean, Sasha, Connie and Marco were ordered to ram the checkpoint and the rest were to leap into action, helping take the MP's out. Once every soldier was out of commission, they were stationed to watch for reinforcements and civilians. They waited patiently for the captain to return with the head of that checkpoint so they could withdraw information from him. Levi tied him up and carried him with them to a more secluded area to ask questions and hide out. He asked him questions for hours and hours, the man wouldn't say a thing, and each time he was defiant, he earned a beating. The man was missing teeth now, he could barely speak, he bled everywhere, his limbs broke and broke, the man finally caved. "I- I don't know, nobody told me I swear! Kenny Ackerman doesn't like to make his business known!", Mikasa's face became surprised at the mention of his last name, thoughts ran through her head. Aila and Annie noticed, they grew concerned knowing their friend's backstory, but just as they were about to ask her what was wrong, Sasha began to shout. "Somebody's coming towards us!", everyone jumped down and faced the direction Sasha aimed her bow and arrow, waiting for their intruders to come close enough for them to strike.
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Hello my readers! Spicey here to tell you that today I just released a new story called "Hot Blood"! It's a story based in the My Hero Academia world with my own character and extended story lines, if you life My Hero I highly suggest reading, thank you for your support! (I've also released another story yesterday called "Kyona's Story; The Legendary Earth Bender" that's based in the Legend of Korra universe with my own story line and character, if you like Avatar the Last and Legend of Korra, I recommend this story!)