"Land of cowards…?" Dude, I'm so fucking confused-
"A land inhabited by those who lack the pride to fight for that which is theirs." He remains turned away as he whips around, continuing his walk deeper into the forest. Though his face is obscured, I can tell he is DEEPLY pissed. I scramble to catch up to him.
"Fight for that which is theirs?" I ask, trying to pry as much info out of him as possible. I can practically HEAR his teeth grind. "This plateau- OUR plateau, was ripped away from us, thirteen years ago. A man bathed in the blood of civilians and warriors alike led this invasion. His name-" His voice hitches. "A name that strikes fear in the minds of men and kings.
"He led legions of beasts of metal, and filthy, cowardly human soldiers- we call them The Legion. Those who raised their white flag and gave in- abandoning their country, vanished into obscurity, living a lavish life in Kitsuji, feuling Douga's operations." He stops. "Those who fought for the pride of our great country…were all ruthlessly slaughtered. Men, women and children. All of them. Gone. Within a night. And those who managed to escape the purge either gave in to famine, were hunted down and killed, or…"
As he sweeps aside a drape of vines, a sudden surge of sunlight floods into the forest. Holding up my arm, I shield my eyes from the blazing sun, and follow close behind Tenshi. As I remove my eyes, what I see is something I could only imagine in my wildest of fantasies.
A wall- at least one hundred feet- towers above, blotting out a great deal of the sky. Surrounding this wall is a great moat, a suspension bridge sitting latched to the front of the twin towering gates at the face of the structure. "...were forced here."
"What in the Attack on Titan-"
"Shut the fuck up bitch."
"Alright."
I think I struck a nerve.
Shit.
"The Garrison," He says, gazing up at its gargantuan form. "The old capital of the Plateau- a symbol of sovereignty and prosperity…
"So obviously it was the first place they attacked." Walking up to the moat, he places his hand on a stone stake driven into the ground. "They destroyed it. All of it. Left nothing but the wreckage of the once proud city, and its terrified civilians." He turns the knob at the top of the stake, and with a click, a hidden door at the side of the gates slides open. He shifts his core, crouching low to the ground, before lifting off the ground, leaping across the moat, and landing beside the door.
I swiftly follow suit, quickly zipping across the waves just as Tenshi slips into the doorway. As I emerge on the other side, the scene is…less than ideal. It's like a view ripped straight from Sengoku era Japan…but in shambles. The buildings lay in ruin, barely held together by corroding planks of wood. These buildings, however, are FAR outnumbered by droves of bland, drab factory buildings, with black smoke pouring out of their coned filtration systems. Children play about in the streets, all filthy with dirt and soot, jaded looking mothers walking about carrying out various tasks. Barely visible in the distance though, is a statue I can't quite make out.
Tenshi continues walking, head hung. "Kiryu. A commodore of The Legion. This land was deemed further unusable after the raid, and was left to rot, until Kiryu bought out the land claims. She would create a subsidiary city state wherein those who were run out of Kitsuji, as well as refugees from the raid could reside. This is all under strict labor requirements, SIGNIFICANTLY less than ideal living space, as well as a measurable cut of their initial paycheck being pawned over to her. We can't do anything about it though. Who would we tell?"
"Chapter ending line."