"This place is gonna look like a honeycomb before long. The beast titan knows where we are." Said Levi, clearly agitated by the lack of movement and effort of the scouts. "Erwin, if there's no chance that we can turn this around then tell me. Then we can still cut our losses. Go shake the shit out of Eren until he wakes up, have him run away with as many people as he can carry. Then we'll have at least some survivors." He bargained.
Kaya was skeptical about whatever plan Erwin had up his sleeve, he usually wanted to win no matter what the cost, just like when fighting the female titan. Look what that got them, nothing but dead comrades and a giant crystal. It wasn't helping clear her mind that the recruits were constantly bickering, it was understandable of course but it was deeply irritating nonetheless.
"It's our job to guard the horses, why'd you let yours run away?" Marlowe shouted at a smaller ginger recruit.
"Shut up! Like it even matters now!" Floch yelled back.
"What was that!" Marlowe continued to scold.
"Those other scouts were insanely strong and all of them died in an instant. What chance do we have when they failed. There's no reason to guard the horses, because there's not going to be anyone left to ride them home." Floch cried, head in hands and curled up onto the ground.
"Isn't that a morale boost?" Kaya said sarcastically to her captain.
"There was a point when it all made sense, if everyone just cowered behind the walls and waited then someday titans would come out of nowhere and wipe us out. It was obvious that someone needed to bite the bullet and fight. It would be dangerous, yeah. That the soldiers who did it would be risking their lives to protect their loved ones. So when the recruiter asked us, which of you had the courage, I actually thought I could do it, that I'd be some kind of hero. I didn't get it, I didn't know, that if I died it would at least have some meaning. But it won't, it didn't for the others, they're gone. You know what, I bet almost everyone ends up having those same final thoughts. I was so stupid for coming here, why did I think I'd be any different." Floch continued, expressing his feelings and sending shivers down his fellow recruits spines.
"You can tell what's left of the recruits and Hange's group to run away on horseback. They won't have much of a chance, but they'll be decoys. Give Eren a shot at escaping." Levi suggested.
"Tell me, how do you fit into this plan?" Erwin asked.
"I'm going to go after the beast titan. I'll lour him away some how and-" Levi instantly got interrupted by the ghoul.
"No way! You won't get past the first line of houses without getting caught in his fire." Kaya argued.
"Probably not, but, if you and Eren make it home alive, then there'll still be hope. All things considered, I feel it's the best we can ask for. We've been brutalised. To be honest, Erwin, it seems like this battle will be where the scout regiment gets finished off." Levi added.
"Yes, if we had no way to fight back then you'd be right." Erwin contradicted, allowing the others to catch a glimpse of hope by his wording.
"If?" Kaya beckoned him to continue.
"Is there a way?" The captain asked.
"There is." He paused.
"You could've mentioned that before. Care to explain why you kept your shitty mouth shut?" Levi scolded.
"The plan could go a few ways. Case, you'll have a decent chance at killing the beast titan, but for it to succeed, the recruits and I will have to die." Erwin proceeded. Another boulder attack silencing him for a brief moment. "The survey corps may survive, but regardless, most of us will end up dead. Frankly, we're almost guaranteed to be defeated no matter what. The recruits and I will be staking our deaths on the slimmest chance of victory."
Kaya remained silent, she had many concerns about the plan, and many unanswered questions. However she'd wait until Erwin had finished his explanation of his suicide plan. She could only hope she and her close friends would make it out alive, as well as the scout she loved most dear, Levi.
"For this to work, to convince these youths towards their deaths, it will take an expert con man and a whole slew of blatant lies. If I don't lead the vanguard myself, then none of them will have the courage. Which means I must be the first to change, and the first to be slain as well. So I'll never learn the truth." Erwin continued.
"Huh?" Levi questioned.
"I just, wanted to reach that cellar. Everything I've done up to this point, I did in the hopes that this chance would come. I dreamt that I'd get to prove I was right. Many times, I thought that death would've been easier, but then I, I think of the questions that I needed answered. They're what I live for, and now those answers are no more than a cowards leap away." Erwin hurried his head into his hands. "I'm so close. Can you see them too? Our comrades, they're all standing around us. They've been watching us all. They wanna know what we did with the sacrifices and the hearts they gave." Erwin asked.
Kaya didn't know what to think or feel at this point, she'd always carried her squads death on her shoulders but Erwins guilt took it to a whole new level. The ghoul always thought he was heartless but he had proven her wrong once again.
"That's probably just in my head right? No more input than a child's bad dream." The commander finished.
Levi knelt down beside him, demonstrating his gratitude to his commander. "You led us well. Fought hard. No one else could've gotten us this far. I'll make the choice for you, give up on your dream and charge to your death, lead those crying children straight to hell. I'll reach the beast titan, and tear him apart."
Kaya hadn't seen this side of Levi for a while, but it was necessary for him to shut off his emotions during a decision like this, so the ghoul mimicked his monotone look. "I'll be joining the suicide charge." She declared.
The captains stoic face instantly faltered. "No, we need you to get out of this alive." He ordered.
"You mean, you need me out of this alive?" She quirked a brow. "I'm capable of surviving the charge, I might get injured but I can just deal with it as usual. I can bring out the distraction as long as necessary."
"You're guarding the horses, don't even think about defying my orders." Levi countered.
"No ones going to be riding the horses. They're deaths are going to be instantaneous and inevitable. Where as I can give you the time and opportunity to launch your attack, please, just let me do this." The ghoul begged, trying her hardest to convince Levi.
"Fine, but you better not get yourself killed." He reluctantly agreed.
"Alright, let's devote our lives to the cause." Erwin stood, gathering everyone's attention. "I'm about to announce our final mission, all troops line up! We're going to run a calvary charge, rushing the beast titan directly. Clearly, this will make us ideal targets for him. We will wait until the moment he's ready to throw, fire our smoke signals together and somewhat reduce his accuracy. While we distract the beast titan, Captain Levi will position to dispatch it. Does anyone have questions." Erwin announced, the information was obviously too much for the recruits because their eyes were darting around the group to try and determine if what they heard was true.
One of the recruits fell to the floor, vomiting the meal that she had been blessed with the previous night. "There's no point standing around, we'll only be showered by boulders. Ready your horses on the dot." Erwin instructed.
"Be honest, are all of us, riding to our deaths." Floch asked.
"Yes we are."
"Then since we're dying anyway you're saying that it's better, if we at least die fighting?" The redhead asked again.
"Yes I am."
"Then if we'll die anyway, then who cares what we do? We can disobey your orders and it wouldn't mean a thing would it?" Floch said, in hopes of avoiding his death.
"I was hoping that you were going to make a different approach to this, I guess I was wrong." Kaya glared at the boy.
"Everything that you thought had meaning, every hope dream or moment of happiness, none of it matters as you bleed out on the field. None of it changes what a speeding rock does to a body. We all die. But does that mean our lives are meaningless? Does that mean that the was no point in our being born? Would you say that of our slain comrades? Were they meaningless? They were not! Their memory serves as an example to us all! The courageous fallen, the anguished fallen, their lives have meaning because we, the living, refuse to forget them!" Erwin yelled, forcing the recruits to see his point of view and agree completely.
While Erwin was preparing the recruits, the underground duo went behind one of the houses to gain some privacy before the scouts final mission. It was clear from the start that this was a worst case scenario, none of them wanted to die, and one of them was about to lead a suicide charge.
"Kaya, please-" Levi tried to persuade, but was shut down by the ghoul before he could make a point.
"No, I'm doing this. I won't die, I promise. I won't leave you, if anything, I'm giving you a better chance of survival, I'm giving humanity a better chance of survival. I have to do this, I have to at least try and redeem myself, this is my chance and my decision, please don't try and stop me." Kaya argued.
"You're sure about this?" Levi asked again, his eyes said he still hadn't given up hope that she'd change her mind, but his head knew better. The ghoul nodded. "If that's so then I can't stop you. But, can I at least do this, even if it is for the last time."
Levi leaned forwards, locking the ghouls lips onto his once again. Kaya loved the nostalgic feeling, it was like she was in a fantasy for the brief moment they were connected, but all fantasies must come to an end eventually.
"Captain Levi." Erwin alerted, shocking the couple who had attempted to gain a shrivel of privacy.
"Cant you see I'm busy?" Levi turned to face Erwin.
"There's no time, I need to discuss your course of action. You are to engage the beast titan using your gear, from there you will use your strength to bring it down." Erwin planned.
"What? You expect me to go after him with just ODM gear? He's standing in the middle of a field, I can't fight without a house or tree to hook on." Levi disagreed.
"You're wrong. There happens to be a line of objects just the right height for your approach. Use his companions to sneak in unseen." Erwin proved.
"Then assassinate the son of a bitch." Kaya chimed in. Levi nodded, not having any further questions to Erwins orders.
"You should get going now, you could use a head start. I fear the charge won't last as long as I'd hope." Erwin ordered Levi. "Goodbye, my friend." The commander smiled, sticking out a hand for Levi to shake. The captain took his hand, salvaging the last moments he would be having with his comrades.
"In the off chance I do actually die." The ghoul began before she wrapped her arms around Levi and brought him into a hug. "I'm sorry for leaving." She whispered to him, breaking away a few seconds later.
"Thank you. I hope this all works out." Levi looked at his swords, calculating the stress of the task at hand. Next, he took off, scaling across the walls to get a head start to reach the titans.
"Let's go." Erwin ordered, not sparing a second. Both the experienced scouts got onto their horses, leading in front of the recruits as a way of reassuring them they weren't alone. Without wasting a moment, they set off. "CHARGE!" Erwin demanded, every single one of the remaining scouts let out a battle cry, causing an echo to erupt into the beast titans ears.
Kaya activated her ghoul eyes, they would help her dodge anything that looked fatal, but also, because she no longer had anything to hide from the people. It was likely that all of them were about to die on the battle field, what did she have to lose in that moment?
"There's no turning back now." The ghoul muttered, placing a light kiss on the hand Levi had held during their last near death experience. She wasn't about to die, she promised him, and she would try her hardest to stick by her word.