Chapter Text
"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."
George Orwell
"My goodness, young lady. I was moved by your speech, but I am truly impressed with everything you've presented to me."
"Thank you, ma'am. Again, I'm sorry I couldn't share all this in person. My... pressing matter is still pressing."
"No problem at all. In our day and age, everything's being moved virtually. Just the other day, three quarters of all my work had to done on my computer. Meetings, signatures, you name it."
"We never had a lot of computers in Kuroyuri. I always had to meet everyone in person."
"Best to keep those old habits. You get to know great people that way. About that, why don't you tell me a little more about the outskirts?"
*BAM*
"Hey, watch it!"
"Me? I was just sitting here!"
Cinder quickly turned around and saw Mercury and Emerald arguing once again. "Guys, shh!" she whispered. "I'm still on my call!"
"Oh, sorry!" Emerald whispered back.
At the present moment, Cinder was having an important conversation. Unfortunately, she had to conduct it while traveling abroad in the Dark Wing. Given that she was traveling with five other people, this was no easy feat. This was because the person she was talking to was Lila Redwood, Councilwoman of Mistral. The Councilwoman had wanted to meet Cinder ever since she saw her speech at the press conference. She had to watch it from her Scroll because she was running late, but she took in every detail the teenage girl presented.
When she heard news of Cinder leaving, the Councilwoman managed to secure an online meeting with the passionate young lady. Not only did she want to thank Cinder and her friends for taking care of Lionheart and Tyrian. She also wanted to see how Cinder persuaded a considerable amount of people to her cause.
"Everything okay?" the Councilwoman asked as Cinder turned back to the screen.
"Yes, sorry," Cinder apologized. "Just some background noise that couldn't be ignored."
"Ah, say no more." After the two shared a brief laugh, Councilwoman Redwood spoke again. "Now, about those other villages."
"Yes, of course. Now, Kuroyuri is actually one of the more modern villages. Think of it like the upper city in terms of defense and space. This began when my mother helped Detective Montoya arrest Councilman Charles."
"Yes, Detective Montoya told me about that. You said your mother was kidnapped, yes? By a Huntsman?"
"That's right. That was the first time we had trouble with Huntsmen, you see."
"Did any other villages share similar experiences?"
"Nothing related to kidnapping. But the lack of Huntsmen or any kind of sensible defenses is very common. And not just from the Grimm. Places like Shion and Maykr were nearly robbed blind by bandits."
"I see." The Councilwoman leaned closer to the screen. "Forgive my skepticism, but it seems rather odd that the villages themselves seemingly have no means of defending themselves. Surely they must have some volunteers for a small army."
"Oh, don't get me wrong. The people do look for some means of practical defense. But it's easier said than done. It falls in between not enough people and not enough skill."
"You've seen this first hand?"
"Heard and seen, actually. I've seen bandits attack the village of Maykr. They're known for their skills in craftsmanship, but not manpower. Nobody there has any kind of Semblance to stand against the Grimm."
"..."
"And then there's the town of Matanui. It's one of the larger villages, with about three hundred citizens. And you know how many people are willing to defend the town with the skills they picked up? Six."
The Councilwoman's interest was immediately picked up. "Um, I beg your pardon?" she asked in disbelief.
"Six people," Cinder repeated.
"Six? With three hundred to defend?"
"That's right. And before you ask, both villages have put up missions at Haven."
"Do you know if there's been any response?"
"Well... what time is it right now?"
The Councilwoman looked at a wristwatch she was wearing. "Ten past three," she replied.
Cinder changed the screen on her Scroll to show a website. "I recently found out that you can post Huntsmen missions online," she began. "Can you see my screen?"
"I can," Redwood replied. She looked closely at two missions at the top. "Those two, are those from Shion and... Marhinui..."
"Matanui," Cinder corrected the politician. "As you can see, these missions have been up on the board since seven o'clock this morning. And when nobody responds, the villages have to respond themselves. This is just like Kuroyuri, and why we can't trust Huntsmen and Huntresses to protect us."
Councilwoman Redwood ate up everything Cinder was telling her. And right before she could say anything, she noticed that a mission posted by someone in upper Mistral was immediately taken. Another happened right before her eyes.
"My word," the shocked Councilwoman whispered. "I see what you mean, Cinder. This is... I wish there were words to describe how serious this is. I'll look into this personally, see if I can help fix this."
"Actually, I do have one idea," Cinder said calmly. "It seems all these missions are chosen. Is there a way you can make themmandatory instead? You know, find the person or people best suited for this and send them?"
The woman's eyes widened when she heard this idea. "I... I don't see why not. My goodness, that's a clever idea. You should be proud."
Cinder smiled when she heard this. "Thank you, ma'am," she said. "I think that-"
"Psst, Cinder."
Cinder looked up to see Ren close to her. "We're almost there," he whispered.
"Okay," Cinder whispered back before she turned to her Scroll. "I'm sorry, can we continue this at another time? I still have a lot I want to talk about."
"I've noticed," the Councilwoman replied. "I'd be happy to speak with you again, Cinder. But before you go, I just have one question. Based on what you said in the police station... I couldn't help but find your speech not only passionate, but somewhat... extreme. Almost as if you believe we would be better off without Huntsmen or Huntresses."
Cinder knew that this was indeed the case. She knew that she wasn't the only one who believed this to be true as well. However, she felt that admitting this would break any kind of trust she had made with Councilwoman Redwood. This was the last thing she would want after making this much progress. Not to mention that she voted for the Councilwoman.
But then again... Eren wouldn't be afraid to be brutally honest. All he did was encourage her to keep moving forward, just like he did. And there was no way he would say the opposite now.
"Councilwoman Redwood... I can't deny that I distrust the Huntsmen and Huntresses of our Kingdom," she began. "And I have reason to believe the negligence we've just witnessed is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm not confirming your statement out of paranoia, but because we both want the same thing; to reach for peace in Mistral."
"..."
After what felt like an eternity, the Councilwoman smiled and spoke again. "I see you were paying attention to my campaign," she said. "And I see you're serious about this. Do you know when you'll be back in Mistral?"
"No, ma'am," Cinder confessed. "But I hope to be back before the weekend is over."
"Come by my office on Thursday. You can share more of your story and I'll share what progress I hope to have made by then. If you'll excuse me, the rest of the Council should be with me soon."
"Of course. Thank you for your time."
"My pleasure. Goodbye."
The call ended, leaving Cinder more relaxed and less uptight. She was also very proud at having her chance with the Councilwoman, and glad that she didn't need to wait until she found Midori after all.
That was the very reason she was in the Dark Wing with everyone, traveling abroad. Ever since Eren told them what Ymir had said, they all shared an equal amount of disbelief and distrust. Questions ranged from the credibility of Ymir's information and a reason to trust her and Raven Branwen of all people. While they knew these were the right questions to ask, nobody had an answer to any of them.
Despite the distrust and skepticism, everyone also knew that this was the best lead they had on Midori. It was risky, given that she was supposedly all the way in Vale. Eren immediately suspected a trap when he heard this, one that could be laid out by Raven herself. However, he was prepared to spring this trap and do what he hadn't done in a while; fight with a Titan.
Mercury immediately supported the idea, given that Raven had lost to Titans before. And not to mention that his new Titan would be unexpected. He also suggested that Eren give Emerald a Titan to add another surprise. When presented with the idea, Emerald wasn't sure what to think. On the one hand, her injury from Tyrian could heal faster and she could be back up to fighting speed.
On the other hand... she never wanted a Titan.
Cinder suggested to put that part of the plan on hold and focus on everything else. They would go to Vale, spring whatever trap waited for them in the Forever Fall, and see if Midori was there. If she wasn't, they would take whoever was there and make them talk. Eren immediately agreed to the plan, and he was followed by everyone else.
Once again, the thrusters on the Dark Wing worked like a charm. They made the armored vehicle hover over the water with no trouble at all. The real downside was time, since it took the entire morning and a majority of the afternoon to get to Vale. Now they were enroute to the Forever Fall, when Cinder got her call from the Councilwoman.
At the moment, Eren was driving with help from the GPS in the Dark Wing. Mercury taught him some driving while they were in Mistral and over the ocean, so Eren took over for his friend while he was resting. It turned out that driving wasn't too hard. All Eren had to remember were the differences between the two pedals, keep his hands on the wheel at all times, remember to look in all directions for other cars, and watch the road at all times.
But he couldn't help glancing over to his right for a brief moment when he felt a pair of arms gently wrap around him.
"Oh, hey," Eren addressed Cinder as he realized that she was hugging him. "You look happy."
"Heck yeah," Cinder said as she let him go. "Just got off my call, and-Careful you're veering."
"Aw, sorry." Eren immediately turned the wheel to get back on his side of the street. "Gotta keep my eyes on the road."
"No, that was my fault." Cinder moved to the empty seat next to Eren. "The golden rule of passengers is don't distract the driver."
"I think I can drive while you're talking." Eren tapped the screen next to him. "This computer keeps telling when and where to turn, so I can drive with another voice." He then briefly glanced over to a smiling Cinder. "So you just finished up with the Councilwoman?"
"Uh-huh."
"How'd it go?"
"I don't wanna jinx anything, but I really think I moved her. She was skeptical, of course, but the stuff I showed her blew her away. I could see it on her face."
"Did you show her the Huntsmen board and the missions from Shion and Matanui?"
"Yeah, I did. They're still up there, and she even saw a couple taken really close to the capital."
"Wow, that's a bonus."
"Oh, yeah. And get this; she wants to talk to me again."
Eren briefly looked over to Cinder. "No way, that's awesome!" he said. "You gonna go a little more in depth this time?"
"And nothing less," his friend replied. "But listen; do you wanna come with me?"
Eren turned again. "To meet the Councilwoman?" Eren immediately grew a little excited by the idea, but he was slightly unsure what he could bring to the table. "I mean, I'd like to. But how come?"
"I dunno," Cinder replied. "Just seems right, don't you think?"
"...Not really."
Cinder found it hard to believe that Eren didn't seem to understand. Nevertheless, she took it upon herself to open his mind. "Come on, Eren," she began. "We both know how much you've worked for this too."
"...Yeah," Eren slowly replied. "I mean, I helped with Mercury's dad and Jacques Schnee, sure. But-"
"And you got my head out of my ass before I talked. And you really showed Salem and Lionheart who's boss." Cinder moved closer to Eren. "Come on, Eren. All I did was give a speech. Everything else has been on you. I couldn't have done what I did without you."
Eren began to think about everything he had done. He had fought hard while on Remnant, against Huntsmen and the supernatural Grimm. But he was always more of a physical fighter, even though he believed he was fighting for the right reasons. Cinder, however, fought a different way. One that was beginning to inspire him to be better than he was on the final days of his first life. She didn't need him to win this kind of fight.
Did she?
When the Dark Wing came on the outskirts of a forest ridden with red-leaved trees, everyone knew they had reached their destination. And the Forever Fall was a truly a sight to behold.
Eren had seen the trees of autumn countless times. He remembered how leaves would change in between red, orange, and brown when they began to fall off those trees. But the fact that these trees refused to let go of these leaves and the colors stayed adamantly red made the Forever Fall unique among the forests of Remnant.
It was also unique due to the fact that Midori was supposedly here.
Everyone exited their temporary home and took a look at the dense trees before them. "Well... here we are," said Ren. "The Forever Fall."
"Lives up to its name," said Nora, who got a closer look at the trees. "It looks like it's fall already." As she touched one of the trees, her hand felt sticky. When she pulled it away, she saw a pink goo on her palm. "Hey, sap!" She immediately licked the sweet nectar off her hand and enjoyed every bit of it. But when she turned around, she saw her friends weren't very amused. "What? Did you guys want some?"
"Uh, no," Emerald sharply replied in disgust. In order to hold down her lunch, she turned back to Eren and Cinder. "So, what's our next move, Cinder? I mean, we have no idea if Midori's even here. Or anyone else."
"No, we don't," Cinder agreed. "But you all remember what Eren said; this is our best and only lead right now."
"We can't leave any stone unturned," Eren included. "And if this is a trap, we turn the tide against them."
"Let's just hope that's easier said than done," said Mercury. "Knock on wood." As he proceeded to tap a tree three times, he noticed that his hand had become sticky from the sap as well. Fortunately, he was able to catch Nora staring at his hand intently. "Don't even think about it." Nora grumbled as she looked away from his hand.
"...Alright, then," Eren said as he looked back to the woods. "Ymir told us to start looking here; the south entrance. I'll scout ahead, see what I can find." He began to walk into the woods, unaware that he was soon being followed by Cinder.
He was soon well aware when Cinder slipped on a hill and almost crashed into him on the way down.
"Whoa, hey!" Eren said as he caught Cinder while keeping his footing. He continued to hold her close to him while she regained her footing. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Cinder replied as she brushed her hair out of her face. A smile formed on her face as she looked at her savior. "Thanks, Eren."
"No problem." Eren let go of Cinder, but then realized that he told her to stay behind. "Actually, scratch that. What are you doing here?"
"I thought you could use some help," Cinder admitted. "When you spring the trap, who knows if you're caught in it?"
Eren's attitude made a complete turnaround when he heard this. "I'll be fine." He quickly turned around and began to walk. "Go back."
Cinder was taken aback by this sudden rudeness, but she suddenly realized how insulting she sounded. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" she said as she began to follow him. "I'm sorry, I just thought that-"
"Don't worry about me," Eren protested as he pointed back in the direction they came from. "Things might go wrong, you're right. So who'll be there to lead everyone in case that happens?"
Cinder looked back to Eren when he asked the rhetorical question. "What, you think I can do that?" Cinder couldn't think of a time when she led people in Eren's place, which was why she was skeptical of the claim. While she was glad he trusted her with this kind of responsibility, Cinder couldn't help but disagree that she was up to the task. "Eren, I think you're assuming a little too much of me," she protested.
"No, I'm not," Eren calmly argued. "You got what it takes. Don't let me hold you back."
"..."
Eren didn't understand why Cinder was so reluctant, but his intuition said that she was worried for his safety. So he decided to put her worries at ease. "Here, look at this," he said. Eren reached for his sword and raised the blade to his skin. Once it made contact, Eren cut his hand and watched dark blood pour out.
"You wanna turn into a Titan?" Cinder asked.
"Not yet," Eren said as he watched the blood fall to the ground. "You remember how that Beowolf found Nora, Ms. Fritz, and my mom? When we were kids?"
"Yeah. Why?" Cinder immediately had the answer to her question when she remembered what else happened. "Oh, you wanna do it again?"
"It did a good job of finding them for us." Eren stood up and watched the puddle grow bigger. "It wouldn't hurt to do it again."
Cinder watched the puddle grow bigger and prepare to spawn Grimm. She had seen this before, but not once did she bother to ask about it. "Does it affect you at all?" she asked. "You know... making Grimm?"
"You know, I thought it actually would," Eren confessed. "But no. It's like this stuff knows what I want and makes it for me. It's almost like the water's alive."
A black paw emerged from the water and splashed a few drops on Cinder. "I'd think it was cool you could do that if this shit wasn't disgusting," she said as she wiped the drops off her clothes. "Ugh, it reeks."
"Sorry," Eren apologized as he watched the rest of a Beowolf emerge from the water. The two teenagers then watched the Grimm begin to sniff in their direction, seemingly trying to catch a scent. It then sniffed around the ground and began to walk away. It soon began to move faster.
"Holy shit," said Cinder. "Looks like Midori is here."
"Yeah..." Eren agreed. "But there's no way she's alone." He turned around to face Cinder. "I can make more in case I do spring a trap. So go back and be ready for anything."
Cinder was ready to comply, but she stopped herself. "Okay... just one thing. This place is huge, there's no way I'll catch up to you. Let alone know where you are."
Eren reached into his pocket and took out his Scroll. "Signal's no good. We can't call each other." His eyes then fell on the pool of water. "Hold on." He then hovered his hand over the water and watched a small Nevermore come out of it. "I'll have this Nevermore follow me and then come back to you. It'll show you where I am."
Cinder nodded and began to walk backwards. But before she left Eren's sight, she said one last thing. "Be careful."
"Trust me," Eren said as he turned around. He then leapt off the ground and allowed Soaring Freedom to take him into the trees. He then followed the Beowolf move deeper into the woods while the Nevermore followed Eren. While his eyes were on the Grimm and the trees, the young man's mind was miles away.
"I just don't get it," he thought to himself as he flew above the ground. "Does she not trust me to look after myself? So I've gotten in a few binds before. Salem was someone I might have needed help with. But it's my own fault for hesitating. And Tyrian was just a chance of circumstance. He would have died slower if Mercury wasn't there."
Eren had to narrowly avoid a tree before he returned to his thoughts."I've gotten out of worse when I was in Paradis. When I was in Liberio." Eren suddenly found himself drifting further from reality. "Except... the Survey Corps was never far behind me. All because I was their ace in the hole. Their deus ex machina. But that didn't make me invincible. They had to find me when Reiner and Bertholdt took me in the woods. Or when that Kenny guy ambushed me and Historia."
Eren wasn't finding much comfort soaring alone in the woods. So when he saw that the Beowolf was beginning to slow down, Eren decided to go next to it. As he approached the ground, the small Nevermore that was following him landed on a tree above him. Eren was planning to call this Nevermore down and tell it to fly back to Cinder, but needed a minute to walk and think.
"I had to borrow a lot of strength back home," he realized. "Even from the ones who followed me instead of the government. If it weren't for Zeke, I wouldn't have been able to use the Founding Titan. And here... I'm right back where I started. Mercury's dad, Raven Branwen, Jacques Schnee, Rod Reiss... I never beat any of them without Cinder or the others." Eren stopped walking when he obtained a terrible insight.
"Is this who I was meant to be? Just to be a parasite for anyone I call my friend? Feeding off their strength for myself? What if... What if I don't have anything to give back?"
*SNAP*
The sound of a stick breaking on the ground caused Eren to forget any dark thought he had and take out his swords. He then lowered one sword to take out one of his pistols, which he aimed toward the direction of the sound.
*SNAP*
When Eren turned towards a different sound, he saw a familiar sight; a head of black hair going behind a bush.
"Cinder?" Eren wondered to himself as he lowered his guard. He then walked towards the direction that the head went. "Hey, Cinder!" Eren called out. "How'd you find me so fast?"
"..."
When Eren received no reply, he was about to ask again. However, he stopped himself when a bad thought intruded his mind.
"Wait a second... did she not go back?" he wondered. The idea of someone staying by his side no matter what came naturally to him, given that it happened to him before. "Aw, no. This is just like Mikasa all over again." Eren missed Mikasa dearly, and would love nothing more than to see his loyal friend once again. However, there was one thing about her that he couldn't stand.
"Damn it, why couldn't Mikasa just forget about me? And why does Cinder think she has to be with me all the time? Man, this is the worst. What the hell am I doing to make people think like this? Cinder could change the whole world if she wanted to. She should be changing the world. A lot better than I could do." When Eren realized this as he moved past the red leaves, the young man made a decision. "I couldn't tell Mikasa when she needed to hear it. I can't make that mistake again." Eren pushed past a final brush of leaves before he caught a glimpse of the black hair again. "Hey, Cinder. Listen, we need to talk."
"..."
The black hair stopped moving away from Eren. He couldn't see the rest of the person's body in the red leaves, but he could see the girl's face when she turned around.
But while the girl looked like Cinder, the fact that she was wearing a black bow and had much longer hair told Eren that he had just met someone else.
"What the-?" Eren backed away and pulled out his sword and gun once again. "Who are you?!"
Before the girl could reply, Eren felt something metal wrap around his torso. It almost looked like rope, but it was made of a thin metal.
*BUZZ*
The wire around Eren's torso suddenly gave off an electric shock, one that caused the young warrior to fall to the ground. The shock left multiple burns under Eren's clothes, but his healing abilities made these burns disappear and make the remaining electric jolts passing through his body vanish. In turn, Eren began to struggle in the wire to pry it off him.
*BUZZ*
But the electricity returned again, leaving Eren to spasm on the ground.
"You have a strong recovery, human," a voice from behind said. "We'll have to keep you close."
The girl Eren was talking to looked at the whip and turned to its owner; another girl with long brown hair, wearing a black stealth suit and boots to match. On her face rested a white mask with horns, painted with red trims on the eyes.
"Are you okay?" she asked the girl who Eren was talking to.
"I'm fine," she said as she moved closer to Eren. "I heard him coming through this way, but he didn't attack me. I think he mistook me for someone he knows."
Eren, who was beginning to recover again from the electric shock, looked up at the girl he was talking to. "You're... not... Cinder," he muttered as the pain began to subside.
Both girls heard the name Eren muttered, leaving the masked girl confused. "Do you know who that is?" she asked her friend.
"Not a clue," the girl said. "Like I said, it must be someone he knows." She then gasped at what that meant. "If that's the case, he's not alone. The humans found us."
The masked girl looked around the area, seeing if there was anyone else with them. "What?!" she asked in disbelief. "How?! Nobody was following us when we got here! Did they?"
"No." The girl looked in another direction. "But that other human is still with us. Maybe they know each other."
The masked girl nodded. "Yeah... how else could they have known we were-?"
*SNAP*
The girls looked back to where Eren was supposed to be tied up, but they saw pieces of metal on the ground and Eren glowing. His Semblance had given him the strength to break the metal whip, and now it gave him the strength to attack the girls where they stood.
*BAM*
*BAM*
Eren's first strike hit the masked girl in the face, destroying her mask as she flew back into a bush. The second fist hit the girl who looked like Cinder, sending her back as well, but she was able to recover faster and reach for her back.
But she stopped reaching and turned around when a Beowolf pounced on her and knocked her to the ground.
Eren looked at both girls, who were obviously allies with each other. The first was currently fighting his tracker Beowolf while the other was recovering from being hit in the face. The mask she was wearing was broken on the ground, revealing a pair of blue eyes and a bruised face.
Eren thought he heard the mention of a second human, which got him angry enough to trigger his Semblance. Now he needed to interrogate at least one of these girls to find out where they were. So he reached for his sword and grabbed the girl who attacked him.
The second girl managed to push the Beowolf off of her, and she drew a katana blade from her back as she prepared to kill it.
"You can kill the Beowolf, but it won't stop me," Eren said to get her attention. The girl looked behind her to see Eren holding her friend with one of his swords at her neck, leaving her in a seemingly powerless position. "Try anything and I'll put your friend down for good. And don't bother running. There's nowhere that Grimm can't find you."
While the girl who looked like Cinder was left unsure with what she could do, her friend wasn't as hesitant. "Run?" she asked. "The White Fang doesn't run from anyone!" Suddenly, the girl's skin began to change from a dark tan to a bright red. The large spots on her skin began to turn yellow, causing Eren to back away and let go of the girl in shock of what he had just seen.
"...White Fang?" Eren asked as he regained his senses. Now the changing colors of the girl's skin and the cat ear a loose ribbon had revealed on the second made sense; these girls were Faunus. And apparently members of the White Fang, a terrorist organization.
"This just went from bad to worse," Eren thought to himself. "It makes sense if they have Midori." Eren looked at the specific spot where he was ambushed. "There's gotta be more here somewhere. If I had to guess..."
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
Fortunately, Eren wasn't too lost in his head, and he was able to dodge a series of bullets that almost hit him. He had used his gear to fly into the trees and move in the direction that was behind where he was caught off guard. If his plan worked well, he could find out where their camp was and possibly take them out along the way.
"He's heading for the camp!" the cat-eared girl said. "Ilia, we gotta go after him!"
"I can't!" the girl known as "Ilia" replied. "He broke my weapon! You go on ahead, I'll make sure you're not followed."
"But-"
"Just go, Blake!"
"..."
The cat-eared girl didn't say another word as her katana transformed into a pistol. She then threw the pistol at a tree, where the blade stuck into the bark. With a jump and a pull on a long string, the girl known as "Blake" flew through the trees as she followed Eren.
Ilia, however, stayed behind and looked at the ground. She then moved to a bush where a brown bag was laying.
"This'll slow down whoever's with that one," she said as she reached into the bag.
While Eren found himself in an unexpected predicament, everyone else was waiting close to the Dark Wing. Ren and Nora decided to enjoy the peace and quite outside the Forever Fall by meditating. Ren decided that the goal today was to quiet Nora's... eccentric mind. Rather than chasing after one thing and leaving another behind quickly, Nora had to learn how slowness and steadiness could triumph over any challenge. Nora was skeptical of the idea, but she remembered how she wanted to control how she fought. So she decided to be a good student and listen.
Mercury and Emerald decided to spar with each other. Instead of their weapons, the duo relied on hand-to-hand combat. Mercury was skilled in this kind of fighting, but he realized that he needed to practice with his hands instead of his feet. Emerald needed to work on both, which was why she was receiving intrusion from Mercury.
And so, everyone found themselves at peace with the exercises they chose.
Everyone except Cinder.
She had decided to spend her time waiting inside the Dark Wing, eating a late lunch while she waited for Eren. In that time, she realized that she understood Eren less than she did before. So, her time alone was in her head instead of the outside world.
"Well... this sucks," Cinder thought to herself. "I didn't mean to say the wrong thing, but I could have still helped Eren. I mean, if he would only let me." Cinder angrily took a bite of bread and swallowed it without chewing too much. The experience was difficult and painful, which strangely helped Cinder put her feelings into a better perspective. "I guess it's not that big of a deal. I mean, Eren had a point about things going wrong. No plan is perfect, as they say."
Cinder decided to get a drink of water before she continued her thoughts. So when she took a drink and felt the pain in her throat subside, she sat back down and thought some more.
"Still, we're all in this together," she believed. "Eren doesn't have to be super macho with all this." Cinder began to smile to herself. "Even if he looks cute when he takes action. And strong too." She then began to giggle to herself. "I'd almost wonder if he was trying to impress me with all that."
"..."
All of a sudden, Cinder stopped smiling and laughing. "No. Get real, Cinder. Eren was like that back on Paradis. Even when his friends insisted on him not acting alone. Yeah, there was Armin, that horse guy Jean, and... Mikasa."
"..."
Cinder stopped eating and slumped onto the table. "Oh, Gods. Was I being like her when I tried to follow Eren? Come on, Cinder! You know Eren hates it when someone's like that! Maybe... Maybe that's why he got so mad." Cinder slowly started to rise off the table. "Mikasa was practically attached to his hip back on Paradis. It was sweet of her to help him out of a bind when he needed it. But I guess too much of a good thing can be a bad thing."
"..."
Nothing in the Dark Wing interrupted Cinder while she talked to herself.
"I don't think she even wanted to be in the army if he hadn't done so. Even before they joined the Survey Corps, Mikasa ignored all of Eren's interests just to keep him safe. She... might have ignored his needs, too."
"..."
The young girl looked out the window again. "If Eren needs to be out there alone, to rely on his own strength every once in a while, there's nothing wrong with that. I just gotta get used to him not needing me every time we get sucked into one of these adventures. And what was it he said about the guys? That I need to lead them if things go wrong?"
"..."
Cinder stood up from the table and looked outside to see everyone doing their own thing. "Nah, they're fine," she observed. "Besides, Eren's kinda assuming too much of what I can do. I can't lead these guys like he does."
"..."
"...Can I?"
*CAW*
*CAW*
The sound of a bird screaming caught Cinder's attention. When she saw everyone moving towards the forest, Cinder followed them and saw a Nevermore hovering above them.
"Cinder, is that it?" Nora asked. "The Nevermore Eren made?"
"That's it," Cinder confirmed. "I think it wants us to follow it."
Mercury began to run towards the red trees. "Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked. "Let's go!"
Everyone quickly followed Mercury, but Cinder and the Nevermore were the only ones who managed to move overhead. Cinder used Dancing Midnight to move through the trees and follow the Nevermore, where she saw nothing but red leaves all around her.
"Cinder, slow down!" Nora called out to her friend. "We're trying to keep up!" The request fell on deaf ears.
"I don't think she can hear you, Nora," said Ren. "I've seen determination like that before. Nothing's going to stop her now."
While Ren was correct about Cinder's determination to reunite with Eren, she did indeed stop when the Nevermore perched itself on a tree. And soon enough, everyone stopped running and looked around.
"The Grimm just stopped," Cinder said as she came down to the ground.
"But where's Eren?" Emerald asked.
"I don't see him," Mercury said as he looked around.
"This was deeper than when I last saw him," Cinder observed. She soon began to worry. "Maybe he was caught! Aw, man, Iknew I should have been here!"
"Calm yourself," Ren said as he placed a hand on Cinder's shoulder. "If Eren indeed fell into a trap, it was one we were all expecting. He'll know what to do."
"...You're right. And he has his Titan and Grimm if he needs them."
"Exactly. Let's just see if we can find out where he went."
Cinder obeyed and began to look for clues. But all she and everyone else could see where red trees and red bushes. Nothing exactly out of the ordinary.
"Hey, guys! Look at this!"
Everyone turned to Mercury, who was kneeling on the ground. When they all walked over to him, they saw a pair of footprints in the loose dirt.
"Looks like Eren was here," he said. "That Nevermore was telling us the truth."
"It was telling us something else," said Ren, who was kneeling further away from Mercury and looking at another pair of footprints. "He wasn't alone." Ren looked up from the ground and saw broken branches on a bush. "There was some kind of struggle here. Eren may have gotten the upper hand..." Ren looked back to the ground and saw another unfamiliar footprint. "But he was ambushed from behind."
"Who'd be out here?" Cinder asked. "Raven?"
"Maybe." Ren stood up from the ground. "If it is her, she's not working alone. Maybe Ymir helped her?"
*CAW*
*CAW*
Cinder looked up to see the Nevermore looking down at her. It then flew deeper into the woods, leaving Cinder to assume what it was doing. "I think the Nevermore knows where Eren is," she said. "It wants us to follow it."
"We should be careful," said Emerald. "Eren might be used as bait for us."
"We'll take that chance." Cinder jumped up into the trees and began to use Dancing Midnight to rise above the ground. "Let's go!"
Everyone followed Cinder's lead, which left a fresh trail above and below. While Cinder knew following the Nevermore was the best idea, she couldn't help but look down at the ground for any other clues. She couldn't help but believe that Eren may have left some kind of message or warning to let them know that he was okay.
Cinder didn't find this message, however.
But she did see something that made her gasp and stop dead in her tracks.
"Guys, stop running!" she shouted down to the others below her. "The ground's covered with-!"
*CLICK*
*BEEP*
*BEEP*
*BEEP*
Everyone stopped moving and looked at Emerald, who was standing right on top of a metal device that gave off a strange beeping noise.
"Mines..."
Multiple red leaves fell from the trees they once rested on as a young Faunus flew through them. Blake was currently moving as fast as she could to reach an important destination; a camp that served as an operating base for the White Fang, a group of Faunus dedicated to the liberation of the Faunus.
In all her time fighting alongside the White Fang, Blake had never needed to warn her comrades that they had been discovered by humans. Even now, she was asking herself how this could have happened. But her mind kept coming to the conclusion that the human who found her and her friend must be connected with the other human that arrived yesterday.
The leader of this branch of the White Fang was a man named Adam Taurus. Blake knew how dedicated he was to obtaining justice for the Faunus. But more than that, she knew how passionate he was at fighting any human who dared oppose the White Fang. This was why she thought it was odd that he welcomed a human to their ranks yesterday.
He told everyone that the White Fang had made a powerful ally very recently. And the human was simply an envoy to this ally. While nobody knew who the human served, all Adam told them was that there was a bigger picture involved. Part of that bigger picture involved avenging a certain Faunus in Mistral, a friend of the human's who was murdered recently.
While the majority of the camp immediately supported Adam after they begrudgingly accepted the presence of a human, Blake talked to him privately and asked what this "bigger picture" actually was.
"I understand your skepticism, Blake. But I need you to trust me right now. I don't know what I would do without you."
Adam's voice rang through her ears as Blake absentmindedly flew through the trees of the Forever Fall. While she insisted that she supported him, Blake couldn't help but feel a sense of dread in the air. That wasn't the first time she needed Adam to explain his actions when dealing with humans.
And this may not be the last.
Blake's mind returned to the present when she could see the outline of a clearing in the woods. She knew her destination had been reached, and she was sure that the human who found her was there now. The possibility of this human being the murderer of the Faunus in Mistral came to her mind, which was why she ran on the ground towards the camp.
But when she arrived at the outskirts of a large clearing, riddled with tents and masked Faunus minding their own business, Blake stopped in her tracks.
"It's... quiet?" she asked herself as she observed the normalcy of the camp. "Everything looks so calm. But the human was ahead of me. Where did he-?"
*THWIP*
Blake suddenly felt her right ankle tied in a metal wire. The wire revealed itself rising from a pile of common red leaves as it continued to rise. Blake felt herself rise in the air with the wire, but stopped when she was hanging upside down. Fortunately, she didn't drop her weapon. So she prepared to use it to cut the wire and call out her warning to the White Fang.
That was when she tasted a strong taste of metal in her mouth. When she looked past her mouth, she saw a sword leading back to the human she found in the forest.
Eren's intuition had paid off, along with the fact that he created another Beowolf. The Grimm and his earlier instincts had led him to a place he could only assume was the forward operating base of the White Fang. While he was ready to go in and kill whoever stood in his way, Eren knew the two Faunus might still be following him. So he decided to use Cinder's technique, the Fox Trap, to trap whoever arrived after him and use them to find out where Midori was.
But first, he needed to make sure that his prisoner wouldn't alert the camp to his presence.
"Drop the weapon," Eren ordered.
"..."
Eren shoved his sword deeper into Blake's mouth when she didn't comply. "Drop it," he repeated after he heard Blake groan from the pressure. Given that it was starting to cut her tongue and cheek, Blake knew that her life was in danger. So she complied and dropped the weapon, hoping that it was enough for Eren to remove the blade.
It wasn't.
"Nod or shake your head when I ask a question," Eren ordered. "If you don't, I'll shove this sword deeper until it comes out from behind your head."
"..."
Eren never subjected anyone to torture like this. However, he was able to understand its necessity, given what he heard Hange Zoë and Levi Ackerman do in their attempts to overthrow the King of the Walls and protect the Survey Corps. So he knew how effective torture and threats on someone's life were, especially if it meant saving a friend.
Blake understood her situation and the seriousness of Eren's threat. So she nodded her head up and down, gently enough to avoid further contact with the sword. Given it was in her mouth, her Aura couldn't do too much to protect her.
Eren looked at the ripped bow his prisoner was wearing. Given what her friend had said and the masked Faunus he could barely see in front of him, he had a good feeling what all of it meant. "So... this is the White Fang," he said.
"..."
Blake didn't see any point in denying the truth, so she gently nodded once again. With that, Eren began to ask a series of questions.
"Do you know why I'm here?"
"..."
Blake, while certain this had to do with the other human, shook her head. The blade slightly hit her cheek, so she carefully moved her head to avoid it.
"The White Fang kidnapped a friend of mine. You've seen another human here, haven't you?"
Blake nodded her head.
"Then you know where she is."
"..."
Blake didn't move her head this time. Instead, she looked at Eren with a rather perplexed expression on her face. Eren didn't read into the confusion, however. He instead pushed the sword deeper in her mouth.
"Well?" he asked impatiently.
Blake didn't know what to do, since she couldn't answer with a "yes" or "no." But she did have an idea to answer the question and relieve her of the pain.
"Nmm um gird! Nmm um gird! M umn sm um mmm!"
While Eren couldn't understand what his prisoner was saying, he was understanding why she changed her kind of answer.
"You think you have to talk to answer me?" he assumed. When Blake carefully nodded, Eren was about to tell her that wasn't part of the deal. However, he could see how smart the girl was for complying to his orders so easily. This was some kind of a calculated risk, one that appeared to be necessary.
Eren decided to take a risk of his own, but not before taking one of his guns and pointing it at her head.
"If you scream, I will shoot you," he warned without a trace of sympathy. When he saw Blake nod once again, Eren slowly removed his sword while placing his gun close to her head.
Blake had to gasp for air and spit out a little blood from her mouth before she answered Eren, but she answered him nonetheless. "I haven't seen a girl," she said calmly, keeping her promise not to scream. "The human that came here is aman."
"...A man?" Eren asked after his eyes widened in surprise. This surprise, however, died when he realized what this meant. "Is he a tall man? A strong one wearing a green overcoat? Or a skinny one with a mustache?"
"Tall," Blake replied while continuing not to scream. "He's tall. And just like you described."
Eren immediately knew what this meant. "Hazel..." he whispered to himself.
"He knows him," Blake thought to herself. She soon gained another insight about the identity of her captor. "It was you," she said.
"What?"
"You killed him! You're the one the other human was talking about!"
"Keep your voice down!" Eren moved the gun and sword closer to Blake, considering the idea of putting it back in her mouth if she raised her voice. "What do you mean?"
"Hazel told us what you did," Blake said quietly with malice in her voice. "You killed his friend in Mistral. And the city praised you." Blake gasped when she reasoned what this meant. "Adam was right about humans like you. Is this how you murdered that Faunus? By stringing him up and making him choke on your sword?"
"Faunus?" Eren whispered back. "Wait a minute, you mean Tyrian Callows? Is that what Hazel told you? That I murdered him?"
"Are you saying that he's lying?"
"...I killed Tyrian. After he murdered humans and Faunus in Mistral. And tried to kill my friend." Eren began to chuckle to himself. "Is this the kind of Faunus the White Fang want to protect? The ones that kill people all on a whim?"
Blake didn't expect to hear a claim like this, to have the tables turn around on her. But her resolve didn't wash away very easily. "That's not true," she said. "You're lying."
Eren couldn't explain why, but he felt a strong compulsion to prove his prisoner wrong. He could just as easily knock her out and try to find Midori himself, but something was telling him to share the truth. "Hold on," he said as he pulled out his Scroll. After a few seconds, he showed the screen to the girl. "Look at this."
Blake looked at the screen. "I can't," she declared. "It's upside down."
"..."
Eren used his gear to extend his wire again, making Blake fall to the ground and rub her head when she bumped it. Just as quickly, Eren's Scroll landed on her chest. She reluctantly took it when she saw that Eren still had his weapons. And when she did, Blake read what appeared to be a news article.
One that detailed a Faunus that abused his position of power and another Faunus that committed multiple murders at a peaceful conference.
Despite the truth being handed to her on a silver platter, Blake couldn't help but find some way to deny these claims.
"This... This isn't true," she said. "It can't be." She looked up at Eren. "Why should I be listening to-?!"
Eren put a hand on her shoulder and began to concentrate. With the power of the Founding Titan, Eren shared his memories with his prisoner, still determined to prove her wrong. He focused all of his power on sharing the events of Lionheart's arrest and Tyrian's murderous actions. When he let go, he saw a shell-shocked Faunus.
"My God..." she whispered in shock. When she dropped the Scroll onto the ground, she whispered again. "How... How could I be so stupid?!" She then punched the ground she was sitting on.
Eren could tell by the look on the girl's face and her actions that he had gotten through to her. "Look at the side you're fighting on before you judge the other," he said bluntly. With that, Eren realized that he wasted enough time and decided to move into the White Fang camp.
"Wait."
A hand grabbing his arm and the girl's voice made Eren stop and look down at his former prisoner. She looked up at him with a saddened and remorseful face. "Your friend... are you sure that the human took her here?" she asked.
Eren nodded. "I have a good reason to believe so," he confirmed.
"And the big human... he knew Tyrian? The Faunus that killed those people?"
"And worked with him."
The girl let go of Eren's arm and stood up. "I haven't seen a human girl here," she said. "But I've seen how that man came here. He has an airship." She pointed to the camp. "On the other side of the camp. I can take you there."
"..."
Eren was sure that he convinced his acquaintance of Tyrian's true nature, as well as Hazel's. But he wasn't expecting to make an ally out of her. And given her relationship with the White Fang, the offer was dubious at best.
"You're going to help me?" he asked. "After all that?"
"...Yes."
"Why?"
"I made enough mistakes already. I'm not going to make another one by letting someone else die." Blake slowly reached for her weapon and touched it. But before she could pick it up, she saw Eren's sword move close to her.
"...How do I know I can trust you?" he asked.
"..."
Blake couldn't answer him with any kind of words. She already knew how words could be twisted to advance bad agendas. So she decided to move further away from her weapon until it was out of her reach.
"Take it," she said as she pointed to the weapon. "Be careful, though. The blade can retract when you push the button."
Eren looked down at the weapon, and then back to Blake. "This is your answer?" he asked. "Putting yourself at my mercy?"
"...It is," Blake answered. "Is it enough to gain trust?"
"..."
Nobody said or did anything as they looked at Emerald. Currently, her left foot was resting on top of a land mine. And from the looks of it, the rest of the forest in front of them was covered with more mines. One explosion could cause a chain reaction.
Not to mention a gruesome death.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Emerald cursed herself while resting her foot on the metal device. "I can't believe I stepped on a mine!"
"That makes two of us," Mercury whispered to himself.
Cinder flew down from the trees she was on and carefully landed next to her friend. "Emerald... I am so fucking sorry," she said as she was recovering from the shock she was in. "I shouldn't have gone so fast, I should have seen it-"
"It's not your fault," Emerald quickly said. "I should've seen it sooner."
While Cinder was sure that she could have seen the field of mines before anyone stepped on them, she focused on getting Emerald off it before she got seriously hurt. "Mercury, you know your weapons," she said as she turned to the gray haired boy. "Can you deactivate it?"
"Stand back," Mercury ordered as he moved closer to Emerald. He looked at the position her foot was on the mine before he looked at the other mines in front of him. After studying them for what felt like an eternity, Mercury gave his answer. "This is bad."
"What?" Emerald asked in disbelief. "What do you mean?"
"I've seen this type of shit before," Mercury explained. "Usually, you can substitute a different weight with mines, just as long as you're quick about it. But these kind can tell how much pressure you're putting on." Mercury looked back at Emerald. "It needs to stay at the exact same pressure you're giving it. Anything else... it'll blow."
"..."
Emerald was beginning to realize how doomed she truly was. But that didn't mean she had to go down with everyone else. "Go," she demanded. "Go get Eren. I'll be fine."
"What?" Cinder asked in disbelief. "Emerald, no way. We can't just leave you here."
"Yes, you can. Eren could be in trouble, he needs you right now."
"But you need us more!" Cinder turned to Mercury. "Merc, there's gotta be something we can do!" She suddenly had an idea. "Wait, your Titan!"
"What about it?" Mercury asked.
"You should be fast enough to grab Emerald and get out of the blast! And it can easily stand an explosion! You'll be fine!"
Mercury began to get the idea. "Okay, I get it." He began to move his hand towards his mouth, ready to bite down like Eren usually did. "Guys, back up. I mean, really back up." Ren and Nora did as they were told, while Cinder had one more thing to say to Mercury.
"You think these mines will cause a chain reaction?" she asked.
"It's possible," Mercury said. "We'll have to be-"
"No!"
Everyone looked back to Emerald, who still stood on the mine while staring at Cinder. "This is a waste of time!" she protested. "Just go, okay?!"
Nobody could understand why Emerald was being so stubborn, but Cinder was also unwavering from her state of mind. "No, Emerald!" she said. "Not okay! Eren doesn't need us right now, you do!"
"Yeah, but you don't need me! You don't need a thief who doesn't have a Titan! You need the only person who can take down Raven or whoever the hell put these mines here! And you need him to stop Salem!" Emerald looked back to her foot. "I may need help to get off this mine... but none of you guys need me. I mean, without you... I'm no-"
*THWIP*
Emerald suddenly felt herself fly off the ground, feeling her foot come off the mine while Mercury was pushed away from the ordinance.
*BEEEEEEP*
*BOOM*
The ground beneath her exploded in a chain reaction, just like Cinder predicated. Fortunately, she was far away from the mines; it was Cinder and Dancing Midnight that took her off the ground in the blink of an eye.
And it was also Cinder who practically threw Emerald back on the ground.
Emerald landed hard on her arm, which began to feel sore when she got back up. But when she saw the look on Cinder's face, it was almost as if there was about to be a whole other level of hurt.
"If you don't stop thinking and acting like a goddamn slave... I swear to the Gods that I'll make you," Cinder warned between grit teeth.
"..."
Cinder only wanted Emerald to hear that, but she could see that all eyes were on her. Her eyes, however, were on Mercury. "Are you okay?" she asked sincerely.
Mercury began to snap out of his trance. "Uh... yeah," he said. "Yeah, I'm good. Just missed the flame. But uh, how about a little warning before you go off the rails?"
"...Yeah," Cinder promised as she got off Emerald. "I'm sorry about that." She then looked to the mine field, which was completely free of mines. "Let's get moving."
While the rest of the group finally gained control of their predicament, Eren was finding himself in a rather lucky situation. His apparent ally had proved herself to be quite the helper, with her ninja-like agility and her Semblance. Evidently, the young Faunus could create clones of herself and use them to move undetected. When the White Fang were close by, she used her clones to ease their minds or move at great lengths.
"We just passed the halfway mark," said Blake. "The airship's just on the other side."
"That was fast," said Eren, who found himself quite impressed with what he had just been seeing. It was almost enough to lower his guard.
Almost.
Eren kept a firm grip on his sword and gun. "Just remember what happens if this is a trap," he reminded her.
Blake looked back to Eren with a stoic look on her face. She didn't need to be reminded of what would happen if she betrayed the human. However, she just found a good reason as to why she believed he would be walking into a trap.
"Can you still use that thing?" Blake asked as she pointed to Soaring Freedom.
"I still have some fuel," Eren replied honestly. "Why?"
"I haven't seen Hazel yet. Or Adam. If they're at the airship, we'll need to hide in the trees until they leave. Maybe we could take the airship, if we have to."
Eren understood and was slightly impressed that Blake was willing to make a backup plan. "Adam..." Eren whispered. "Is he your leader?"
"...Yeah," Blake answered as she made her way through the camp. "We all respect him. Everything he did, everything he believes in. I just hope he'll believe me about this."
"This?" Eren quickly realized what his ally meant. "You mean what I told you? About Midori?"
"Yeah, that's right. Maybe he and the others will..." Blake stopped walking. "No. There's no point in wishful thinking."
"Uh... come again?"
When Blake was sure that nobody was around them, she briefly looked back to Eren. "What do you know about the White Fang?" she asked.
"Only what I've heard," Eren replied. "A group of Faunus that commit acts of violence against humanity."
Blake hummed at the notion. She was expecting ideas based on hate and differences in race. But what she heard was short and unbiased. "That's... accurate. But if you heard anything four years ago, you'd be wrong."
"Four years ago?"
Blake decided to enlighten her acquaintance with what she knew about the White Fang. "Do you have people you care about?" she began. "Other than your friend?"
"Of course," Eren replied.
"Have you ever seen them change?"
"...Change?"
"For the worse."
Eren thought about what it meant to change for the worse. Ren could be a good example, but his change was temporary. His thoughts then turned to how his friends on Paradis saw him change. He saw the fear in their eyes, he heard the anger in their voices, and he felt the passion when they fought and killed him.
"...Yes," Eren answered. "You've seen it too."
Blake nodded before she spoke again. "It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual. Little choices that began to pile up. Everyone I talked to told me not to worry. At first they were accidents, then it was self-defense. For a while, I thought they were right. That he was right. But after a while..." Blake looked to the ground. "When Hazel told us about Tyrian... it gave me hope. Hope that I was doing the right thing. That I could be fighting for what was right. And I could do it with Adam."
Eren, while unable to connect with Blake's experience, could guess what she was referring to. "Your friends," he began. "They're fighting for the wrong reasons."
Blake nodded. "It wasn't like that before. They-"
"Stop." Eren looked back to the direction that Blake had mentioned earlier. "We're not making good progress with talking."
"Oh," Blake said when she realized how much time she wasted. "You're right. Let's move."
"..."
Blake began to feel incredibly stupid by rambling. She didn't mean to waste any time, it was just that Eren was the first human she met that she was on the same side with. She hoped that an explanation of her actions would change whatever hate for the Faunus, if any, Eren had. If she could change one mind, she could change the entire world. And take one step closer to bridge the gap between humanity and the Faunus.
After all, that was the original purpose of the White Fang.
Blake's dreams were put on hold when her eyes landed on a large structure in another clearing. It was an airship just like she said; one that relied on propellers rather than engines and thrusters like an Atlesian airship. There were no weapons of any sort on it, but it was large enough to fit about a dozen people.
"There's the ship," Blake said to Eren. "Right where I said."
Eren nodded and looked past the airship, specifically at a man standing by one of the doors. "And there's Hazel," he said. He looked closer when he saw someone standing in front of him. "And he's not alone."
Blake looked closer as well, seeing a red-haired man wearing a black shirt and black pants. On his forehead rested two small horns. "I knew it," she whispered.
Eren looked back to Blake. "Is that him? Your leader?"
Blake looked back to the young human. "Yes."
Eren had no idea how well this "Adam" could hold his own in a fight. But based on what he heard from Ren and Nora, Hazel was practically a war machine. He could easily hold his own against Eren while he was still human, but a Titan may change the odds. However, it would put Midori in danger as well as reveal his secret to a Faunus he hardly knew. Despite this fact, it may be a necessary price to pay.
Eren thought back to his first Titan transformation. That day, he lifted a boulder about the same size as the airship below. The weight nearly crushed him, it nearly caused him to give up. But Eren's will and need to move forward was much stronger than a mound of rock, just like it was strong now. Eren knew he could lift the airship and carry it into the Forever Fall. All he needed to concern himself was whether Hazel or the Faunus could scale his body.
"Let me see if I can get them away."
Eren turned back to Blake, who was looking back to the ship. "I know Adam," she said. "I can get him away from the ship. But I'll have to go alone."
"..."
This would be the first time since their meeting since Eren and Blake would be separated. And given the fact that her leader was just within arm's reach, betrayal could easily be expected.
"Look, just trust me!" Blake implored. "You still have my weapon, I'm not going to try anything. Once we're gone, you take your friend and go."
"..."
Despite betrayal being expected, Eren decided to take a less violent and more discrete option by trusting Blake. If he needed to, he could turn the tide against her, Adam, and everyone else in this camp. With this in mind, Eren used his gear to move up to the nearest tree and hide himself in the leaves without another word.
Blake understood the situation she was in as she made her way to the airship. The plan she had proposed was... unexpected, to say the least. Saving the life of a human wasn't what she was expecting to do today.
Then again... this hadn't been a very normal day.
Days like this were usually spent alone for Blake, either reading a book or taking in the majestic scenery. It was the only way she could gain any peace of mind; with all the planned attacks and extra training, peace was the exact opposite of what Blake had seen in a long time.
She wasn't lying to Eren when she said the White Fang had changed, that the people around her changed. If he was willing to listen, Blake was willing to explain how the organization was once dedicated to peace instead of open warfare. It was this idea that made the young Faunus have misgivings about the current state of the White Fang.
She had thought of it multiple times, but Blake could never leave the White Fang.
...Could she?
"Blake."
The sound of her name made Blake look directly at Adam, who was staring at her behind the white mask on his face. "I was wondering where you've gone off to," he said. "I sent Ilia for you."
Blake completely forgot about Ilia. She was left in the woods without any means to defend herself, thanks to Eren. And if there were indeed other humans, they may have caught up to Ilia. So before she would do anything else, she promised she would find Ilia after she helped Eren.
"I know," Blake lied. "Did you need something?"
Adam nodded as he gestured to the large human by our side. "It seems our friend is more resourceful than he initially proved," he said confidently. "A Dust train departed earlier today than we believed. And it's on its way through the forest. We could use some more weapons and ammo. Don't you think?"
"If you think so," Blake lied once again. She then saw the mention of Hazel as an opportunity to get Eren onto the ship. "Actually... can I talk to you about something?" She then looked to Hazel. "Both of you? Is there time before the train comes?"
"We have time," Adam promised. "What is it?"
Blake began to whisper. "It might be best to talk in a tent," she said. "I don't think everyone else will like what I have to say."
"..."
Adam was curious what could be so alarming all of a sudden. He wasn't worried, but he knew that it had to be important. Blake was always one to keep to herself, but she was rarely the carrier of bad news. So he decided to grant her wish and go to the nearest tent. He would have gone inside the airship, but he didn't see any harm in going to a tent. So with Blake and a somewhat reluctant Hazel, Adam went inside a tent.
"What is it?" Adam asked again.
Blake took a deep breath and spoke her mind. "Adam, we can't be working with humans," she boldly declared before she turned to Hazel. "Especially with ones who lied to us."
The tall man merely grunted at the accusation and turned to Blake. Adam, however, stood between them while looking at Blake. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
"Do you remember what he said about his friend? The Faunus that was killed in Mistral?" Blake quickly took out her Scroll and searched Tyrian's name. And soon, the same news article Eren showed her popped up. "It was all a lie."
Adam looked back to Hazel, remembering what he told everyone when he was introduced to the White Fang. He kept his mouth shut as Blake showed him her Scroll.
"Don't you see?" Blake began as she pointed to Hazel. "He lied to us, kept secrets from us! He's even keeping an innocent girl bound and gagged on that ship!"
"..."
Blake could see that Adam was simply staring at the first image of the news article. So Blake moved her finger downwards to show the whole thing. "The Faunus in Mistral, his friend, was a murderer!" she continued. "He killed dozens of people, humanand Faunus, just to get what he wanted!"
"..."
"If the police didn't kill him, if Hazel had brought Tyrian here, we would all be in danger! We would all be dead!"
"..."
Adam carefully looked over the article Blake was showing him while Hazel stood exactly where he was. He wasn't expecting the truth behind his façade to be exposed so quickly, but he had a good feeling this wouldn't impair his partnership with Adam.
Adam agreed.
"...You were right," Adam said to Hazel. "Tyrian would have made a great asset if he were here."
Hazel nodded slowly as Blake's eyes widened in surprise. "You know?" she asked before Adam could say anything else. "You... approve?!" Blake walked closer to her leader. "How could you?! This isn't what's right for the-!"
*SMACK*
Adam silenced Blake with a harsh slap to her cheek. Watching her fall, he quickly stomped on her chest. He then let out a reluctant sigh. "You're wrong, Blake," he said. "People like Tyrian help us do what's truly right for the Faunus; getting us what we deserve."
"..."
Adam looked closer at Blake, whose eyes were practically screaming her disagreement and disbelief at his reasoning. "I thought you said you didn't want to abandon our cause, like your parents did." Adam leaned closer. "Which is it, Blake? Are you with us or against us?"
"Can't... kill... people..." Blake choked out from Adam squeezing her chest with his boot.
"...Then you've made your choice." Adam turned to Hazel. "What was that about a girl in your ship?"
"No concern of yours," the man replied as he began to walk out of the tent.
"Where are you going?"
Hazel looked down at Blake. "This... is your business. Not mine. My master needs you to keep your army in line."
Adam understood the situation well. "And I will," he promised. "But why don't you bring that girl here? The White Fang needs to believe we have a traitor in our midst."
"..."
Hazel knew what his orders were for Midori. The night he helped Tyrian kidnap her, Salem had calmed down from her ordeal and decided that Midori was to be spared from any harm. Once Hazel had assurance of Adam's loyalty, he was to return to Salem with the girl and await further orders. Which was why he was hesitant to bring her to Adam.
"That girl can't be harmed," he warned the Faunus. "If one hair on her body gets cut, our deal is off."
Adam thought about the idea, and was about to express his distaste for following a human's orders. But when another girl ran into his tent, he remained silent for a little longer.
"Adam!" a red-haired girl with spots on her skin cried as she gasped for more and more breath. "Are... Are you okay?"
Adam raised an eyebrow under his mask. "Why wouldn't I be, Ilia?" he asked.
"There... are humans!" Ilia said as she pointed towards the forest. "In the woods! One of them attacked me and... Blake?" Ilia looked down at Blake on the floor. "Adam... what are you doing?"
Adam looked down at Blake, who seemed to be just as surprised as he was. But this gave the young leader a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
"Blake betrayed us," he said. "I know about the humans, Ilia. And that she's been helping them."
"What?" Ilia asked. She looked down at Blake, who was shaking her head. "No! No, she wouldn't!"
"...I thought so too," Adam replied, perfectly creating his lie on the spot. "Assemble the camp, I'll explain what happened and what to do."
"..."
Ilia couldn't help but look at Blake once again, who was still shaking her head while mouthing the word "No."
"Go!"
The shout caused Ilia to snap out of her trance and run outside. Hazel stayed right where he was and looked at Adam. "I'll won't hurt the girl," the Faunus promised. "I just need her to convince the others before we hunt whoever's out there."
"...Very well," Hazel replied. He soon left the tent and walked over to the airship he came in. He then moved into the back and opened a small door. "Wake up," he called into a dark room as he looked for the lights switch. "We're going to-"
Hazel was expecting to find a young girl in the small room.
Now he was seeing nothing at all.
Eren had made his move just as soon as the trio was gone. Searching the airship didn't take too long, but Eren was having a difficult time finding Midori at first. But when he found a door to a small compartment of the airship, Eren knew he found the right spot.
Eren found Midori bound and gagged in the small room, and his first instinct was to get her out. She seemed to be either asleep or unconscious, but Eren knew time was of the essence. So he took her out of the ship, still bound and unconscious, and used Soaring Freedom to leave the camp.
Carrying Midori didn't hamper Eren's ability to use his gear, and he still had his Volant if he needed to fly directly upwards. All Eren concerned himself with was speed, and he seemed to have a decent amount while he was flying.
The only thing that made Eren feel that he was going slow was a multi-colored shape flying a mile a minute; flying directly at him.
*BAM*
When Eren made impact with the shape, he immediately fell from the trees and rolled on the ground before laying on his chest. He wasn't too hurt, but his Titan powers easily healed a couple of cuts and bruises he received from the impact.
"Eren!" a familiar voice called out. He suddenly felt two arms take him off the ground. When he brushed red leaves off his face, Eren saw a welcome sight; but first he had to make sure he had the right person.
"...Cinder?" he asked cautiously.
A strong hug was the answer he received, as well as an apology.
"Eren, I am so sorry!" Cinder embarrassingly said as she let him go. She too was healing from a bruise she received from Eren; when she was flying in the trees at an alarming speed, she saw Eren flying towards her at a slower speed at the last possible moment, and had little time to stop. She was still embarrassed as she continued her apology. "We-We were following your tracks, and I was going too fast, and I-"
"I'm fine," Eren assured Cinder as he began to stand up. Cinder eagerly helped him while he was scanning the ground. "Wait a second. Did you see-?"
"She's here!"
Eren and Cinder turned to see Ren and Nora helping Midori off the ground while untying her. "Just unconscious," Ren assured everyone. Nora and Emerald were among those concerned for Midori, while Mercury was laughing.
"Man, that was awesome!" he said as he pointed to the trees. "You guys should've seen yourselves flailing up there!"
Cinder became even more embarrassed by her mistake. "Shut up, Mercury!" she said as she turned away from Eren. "It's not funny!"
"No, you're right." Mercury burst out laughing again. "It was hilarious!"
*CAW*
*CAW*
*CAW*
Eren looked up in the trees to see his Nevermore flying down towards him. Eren extended his palm and let the Grimm land on it, showing the boy that he could still control it. "Well... looks like this thing worked after all," he said.
Cinder turned back to the Grimm as she tried to hide her shame. "Uh, yeah," she said awkwardly. "Yeah, that's right. It came to us not long after you left."
"And it led us to what looked like the aftermath of a fight," said Ren.
"And a field of mines," said Mercury, who had gotten control of himself. "Seriously, what kind of crazy shit leaves mines in the woods?"
"I think I know," said Eren, who let the Grimm fly over once again.
"Was it Raven?" Ren asked. "Is she here?"
"No. Hazel is."
Everyone turned to Eren when he said that name. They all remembered the nearly-invincible fighter who could take on a Titan. The name even sent chills down Ren's spine.
"Holy shit," Mercury said. "Eren, you fought him?"
"No, not him," Eren replied. "I got really lucky, given the circumstances. Guys... he's working with the White Fang."
"The White Fang?!"
The collective shouting caught Eren off guard, and he immediately began to whisper. "Not so loud!" he warned. "I don't know how far we are right now!"
"But-But what are they doing here?" Nora asked. "This doesn't make sense!"
"Yes, it does," Eren answered. "This forest is their base. It's huge. Two of them nearly caught me earlier, but I managed to go deeper and find a field of tents and armed Faunus."
"That would explain the areas we found," said Ren. "There's no way they would want to be followed here."
"Were you followed, Eren?" Cinder asked.
Eren turned back in the direction he was sure he came from. "No, I wasn't," he said. "But they'll notice I was there. We have to go, now."
Everyone nodded and immediately took off in the direction they came from. Cinder, however, had one more question. "Are you good on fuel?" she asked as she reached into her gear. "I can spare some if you need it."
Eren looked at his gear, and remembered how long he was in the air for. "I might actually need some," he said. "Thanks."
Cinder nodded. "Just don't mention me flying into you again, please?"
Given that his mission was done, Eren decided to have a little fun. "Don't mention what again?" he asked with a grin.
Cinder softly laughed. "Exactly."
Eren began to run. "Let's go," he said as he took off. Cinder followed close behind him.
As he flew through the trees again, Eren was starting to feel relieved. He felt relieved that his mission was over, and that the only loss was some fuel. More importantly, he felt that everything he thought before was wrong. He found Midori without getting his friends involved, without them getting hurt. His own strength didn't fail him when he confronted the masked girl, when he swiped Midori off the airship, and it didn't fail him when he inadvertently convinced the cat-eared Faunus to help him.
Eren stopped dead in his tracks when his thoughts turned back to the Faunus who helped him. A sense of dread came over him as he realized what the consequences would be when Hazel and Adam found out Midori was gone.
And with Eren gone, there would only be one person to blame.
Cinder was the first to see Eren turn around and fly back the way he came. "Eren!" she called onto deaf ears. "Where are you going?!"
"..."
Ren and Nora heard Cinder's call and saw her in the trees alone. "Where is he?" Nora called out.
"He went back the way he came!" Cinder called down. "Get to the car, I'll see what's going on!" She then took off after Eren, passing though multiple red leaves and staying at a moderate speed than she was earlier.
This speed paid off when she saw Eren before her pressing a finger to his lips. And another finger pointing down below.
"Friends, comrades... brothers of the White Fang," a voice called out from below. Cinder looked down to see a clearing right before her, filled with dozens of masked people looking at a man with red hair. "I've made two discoveries today," the man continued. "The first is that a train from the SDC is coming our way. A train loaded with Dust, weapons, and everything we need to continue our fight."
Eren and Cinder heard a loud cheer from below, as if all the members of the White Fang were speaking as one. "I take it he's the leader?" Cinder whispered. Eren nodded. "Eren, we don't need to fight him. We have Midori, let's go."
"It's not him I'm worried about," Eren said as he pointed towards two other White Fang members dragging a girl behind Adam.
"The second is... a terrible loss," Adam continued. "There's a traitor among us. A traitor that brought humans right on our doorstep." Adam gestured to Blake, who looked like she had just received a terrible beating.
"...Who is that?" Cinder asked.
"...I don't know her name," Eren sadly confessed. "But she helped me find Midori. She led Hazel away so I could get her."
"..."
Cinder looked back down and felt pity for the apparent friend Eren had made. She didn't know why a member of the White Fang would betray the others, but she knew Eren was telling the truth. And another part of the truth was hard for Cinder to swallow. "Are they going to kill her?" she fearfully asked.
"...Looks that way," Eren replied.
Cinder looked back to Eren. "...You wanna help her, don't you?"
Eren nodded as he looked to Cinder. "I owe her." He then looked back down.
Given what he just told her about the girl, Cinder understood how Eren could think that he owed the Faunus. And since she recognized the unwavering look of determination on his face, Cinder immediately knew that he was going down there and killing whoever he had to to help that girl.
And she was going down there with him.
Cinder reached for her swords and prepared to jump before Eren. She knew what he would say, that he could do it alone. But there wasn't any chance that she was going to leave when he needed her to-
"Mikasa ignored all of Eren's interests just to keep him safe. She... might have ignored his needs, too."
Cinder quickly remembered what she realized earlier when she was at the Dark Wing. It caused her to let go of the swords' handles and look back to Eren.
"Eren, do you need any help?" she asked sincerely.
Eren looked back to Cinder, slightly surprised that she didn't declare that she was going with him. "Huh?" he asked.
"Do you need any help?" Cinder asked again. "I mean, those Faunus won't know what hit them when you go down there. But if you need some help, I'll go too."
"..."
Eren thought about the offer, and he looked down at the Faunus. He was sure that he could deal some damage to this camp, but there were a lot of Faunus down there. And Hazel was with them too.
Then again, his Titan would help kill them faster and spawn Grimm to his side. And as he thought about it... it might be better to see what he was capable of alone.
"Thanks, Cinder," Eren said sincerely. "But I think I can handle the Faunus alone."
"...Okay," Cinder said, understanding that he needed to do this alone. "I'll be at the car. Good luck." She then began to jump away from Eren and fly through the trees.
But a hand touching hers stopped Cinder in her tracks.
"On second thought... an eye in the sky would help with Hazel," Eren said with a smile. "Don't you think?"
Cinder smiled as well. "Definitely."