The War Hammer ( AOT x Male Reader story)

Chapter 16: Affliction

'Well,' I said, my back against the cold stone wall, my half-lidded eyes staring upwards at the sky.

'Looks like none of us have made much ground so far, have we?'

It was approaching dusk, and the sun shone with an orange and yellow glow, bouncing off the walls, the streets and giving everything a warm, comforting glow. I closed my eyes for a second, leaning my head back against the stone wall, the cold surface easing into my head momentarily.

I enjoyed the sensation and silence for a few more moments, before opening my eyes again and glancing around the area. I, Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie sat in a deserted street. It was small and was roughly 10 feet in width, between rows of homes and buildings. The street ended roughly 20 feet to our left, giving a clear open view of the west end of the wall. I sat atop a wooden crate that was roughly 4 feet high, Bertholdt sat next to me. Across the street, Annie leaned against a wall, looking to her right as the sun slowly dipped over the wall's horizon, while Reiner slowly paced back and forth, wall to wall, wringing his hands, seemingly unconsciously.

'Relax Reiner' I said, looking over to him in the corner of my eye. He stopped and looked up, having pulled him from his own world. 'You're making me jumpy' I said with a small grin.

'Ah, sorry about that' he said, walking over and leaning on the wall beneath Berthold, looking at the ground. I looked at him for a moment and saw his left leg jumping slightly. I watched him for a moment, before having an idea.

'So', I said, leaning forward and placing my elbows on my knees, cradling my hands, and looking upwards. 'We are going to need to find a way of gathering intel on the royal family, all the while remaining inconspicuous and staying in contact with one another. It's the best tactic to ensure we can gather as much info as possible, before reporting back. Anyone any ideas?'

I noticed Bertholdt lean forward with his elbows on his knees in similar fashion, looking to the ground while he thought. Annie continued looking at the sun, through I could tell from her half-lidded eyes and relaxed demeanour that she was thinking. I looked back to my right and saw that Reiner had stopped bouncing his leg. His head leaned back while his hands were crossed behind his back, his eyes closed in a relaxed state.

I smiled. Now that he was out of our shadow and was getting some sun, he could relax a little bit.

'I could try to get close to one of the men in the royal family'. Annie suggested, not taking her eyes from their spot.

'No!' Bertholdt yelped, sitting upright, and planting his hands on his knees, a look of shock on his face and eyes.

I looked between them for a moment, before deciding to keep my thoughts to myself, though that didn't stop a small smile from growing on my face.

Christ, why do they have to make this so hard.

'Yea, your right. It would never work, I'm probably to unappealing' Annie plainly stated.

That's not it! You're....' Bertholdt faltered, looking toward his feet. I was unsure whether the scarlet across his face was from the sun, or his sudden outburst, but he quietened down. I stifled my smile, while looking toward the ground.

'I have an idea in mind.' We all turn to see Reiner, looking a little more relaxed , still leaning against the wall, staring up at the sky with relaxed and aimless eyes. He turned to us and pushed off the wall, standing between us all while looking down, as though he were still fitting the final pieces of a thought together. We waited for a few moments, before he spoke.

'We could join the military. We've all seen hundreds, if not thousands of guards, patrol squads, armed forces, everything everywhere. That suggests that if patrols and the involvement of the military is within separate stations within different parts of the walls, that suggests that there must also be a form of royal guard as well. We can only assume the royal family will need round the clock protection too. If there are different branches ranging, all with a similar and recognisable logo on there back, they must all have been produced from the same or specific military camps.'