"When in times of stress, you wish for the boring days of normalcy, but in days of normalcy you wish for the days of stress…can't always get what you want, I guess…bloody catch 22"-Edith M. Brown Diary, 850
Spring 850
Military Headquarters, Ehrmich District
12 Hours Earlier
The rookies sat gathered around the tables in the mess hall, where they had effectively been quarantined while the older Scouts sorted something out. Whatever it was, they hadn't been allowed to know. Boredom was written across each and every face there, some had fallen back on children's games like 'Chopsticks' or 'I Spy'. Some had even gone so far as to take a nap where they sat.
"Y'know my village happens to be just a little further south from where we are now" Connie sighed with his head in his hand.
"Huh, town where I come from is pretty close by too" Sasha added, mirroring Connie's position on the other side of the table as the two stared out of the large window next to them.
"Yeah, mine too" Ryan added, not looking up from the knitting in his hands. Reiner had given him a bit of flak about it when he had begun, pulling the ball of multicoloured yarn and needles from the pack at his hips.
'Course as time drew on and the boredom grew, it suddenly seemed like a good idea. Take that Reiner! Ryan sneered, glancing around at the people surrounding him as he worked. The table where Ryan sat was occupied by Sasha and Connie to the left of him, who stared out the window with twin looks of boredom on their faces. To his right, sat Bertolt and Reiner who had somehow managed to find a chess board and were having a game. Despite Bertolt's best efforts, Reiner seemed to be winning though.
The other tables around the mess hall were occupied by the other rookies, each trying to find something to keep their minds occupied as they continued to wait for…whatever it was.
It's odd seeing everyone out of uniform. Ryan thought as he moved onto the next row of his soon-to-be woollen buff. The order to dress in civies had been an interesting thing though. For what reason would they need to change out of their uniforms?
"…Why can't I go see my people?" Connie sighed "Maybe I'll just sneak out after dark"
"My people told me not bother coming back till I'm normal so there's that…" Sasha replied.
"Hm. Well, folks where I'm from always told me I was too puny to be a soldier. No question if I had the brains for it, I was top ten in my class actually. Someone's going to be eating their words, I promise"
"What about you, Ryan? What's your village like?" Sasha asked, turning to the blonde.
"Hm? Oh, it's a little village east of here" Ryan replied, "It's mostly wine and sheep country out there"
"Seriously? That must've been fun as a kid"
"Oh yeah, nothing like corralling drunk sheep away from the vines"
"Bet you can hold your drink pretty well, then" Connie laughed.
"Eh, pretty well. You should see Edith, though. She can drink just about anyone under the table. I think she cheats with the alkahestry thing, either that or she's got a ridiculously fast metabolism" Ryan ignored the way Reiner shifted at that comment. His ass probably just fell asleep or something.
"Oh I kinda wanna see that, now" Sasha added.
"How about when we get back, yeah?"
"I'm gonna hold ya to that!"
"Connie, I'll help ya if you really wanna go" Reiner piped up after there was a lapse in the conversation.
"Yeah? Why would you?" Connie asked.
"Doesn't this feel a bit strange? We're on standby in our civies, won't let us where our uniforms, can't even train" Reiner rose to look out the window at the few Scouts who were still garbed in their uniforms, monitoring the area. "What's even more suspicious our superiors are armed to the teeth, we're inside the Wall not at the frontline. So who exactly are we fighting?"
"…I dunno man, maybe they're just worried about bears" Connie sighed.
"Sure, bears" Sasha repeated.
"All you need for bears are guns" Reiner replied sitting back down in his seat.
The boredom seemed to get to Sasha as she groaned and slammed her head down on the table. She stayed like that for a moment or two, before she jumped upright, now wide awake as she turned to report what she had heard to the others in the room. "Uh, guys? I think I'm hearing footsteps!" she cried, wide eyed.
"What?" Ryan asked, finally looking up from his knitting. It was almost done by now, just need to finish off the last row.
"Knock it off, Sasha" Reiner replied, "So what? You're trying to tell us that Titans are here? C'me on that wold only be possible if Wall Rose had fallen"
"Look! I'm not pulling your leg! I hear something!" Sasha cried leaping to her feet.
Just then, the large window next to her burst open to reveal Nanaba who sat perched in the window frame. "Is everyone here?" she asked.
"What is it Nanaba?" Krista asked from the back of the room.
"We've got company, approximately 500 metres from the south and closing in. Titans, headed this way. There's no time to suit up in your ODM gear, I want everyone on a horse stat. Evacuate every home and settlement in the area. Get to it!"
"The south? But that's…" Connie breathed.
"Do we know if the Wall's really been breached?" Reiner whispered to Bertolt who gave him no answer.
"I'm sorry, but lunch is going to have to wait!" With that Nanaba returned to her post on the rooftops overlooking the fields.
Ryan had quickly tied off the end of his buff and shoved on around his neck, using it as a scarf for the time being. Once all horses had been readied and mounted, the rookies set out to evacuate the surrounding villages and settlements.
"The second the Titans reach the woods, we'll split up. I want four separate teams, rookies and vets alike in each unit. When I give the signal, we'll scatter in different directions simultaneously. Get the word out to civilians, do not engage the enemy" Mike ordered "Which of you is most familiar with the area?"
"Uh, me" Sasha raised her hand as she answered, "My hometown is just to the north of here, I know this region like the back of my hand. Ryan too"
"My village's just east of here, I know the way" Ryan continued, picking up from where Sasha left off. "Connie too, he's from the south, right? Connie?"
Connie didn't reply, his face remained frozen in an expression of fear as his thought ran rampant. "What's wrong?" Sasha prompted.
"My village…my village is to the south, that's where the Titans are coming from. I can lead you to nearby settlements, but afterwards let me go home. Please" said Connie.
"Very well, gather the southern team and then go to your village" Mike ordered
"Yes, sir"
"I'll come with you" Reiner stated, pulling up alongside Connie.
"What? No, you're crazy! They'll be everywhere!"
"You think I care? I was gonna help you get home anyway, wasn't I? What about you? You coming?" Reiner turned to Bertolt.
"…Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world" Bertolt replied after a pause.
"As you have guessed, today marks the darkest hour in humanity's history. Look sharp, if ever we needed to give our all, the time is now. Don't lose heart!" Nanaba preached.
"They've reached the woods! The enemy is on top of us!" the call came from the back of the group. Ryan peeked over his shoulder at that. His eyes blew wide at the number of Titans that were meandering their way through the woods.
"Scatter, now! Ride for everything you're worth!" Mike ordered upon seeing the approaching Titans.
As soon as the Titans were free of the woods however, they began to sprint towards the fleeing Scouts. "No! They're coming at us full tilt!" Mike cursed.
"Holy shit!" Connie swore, saying what everyone seemed to be thinking.
"GANDER! TAKE CHARGE OF THE SOUTHERN TEAM!" Mike ordered as he rode off towards the oncoming Titans, intent on lessening their numbers.
"Sir?" Gander questioned, "Uh, understood"
"Tell me he's not using himself as bait!" someone cried.
"I'll go with him! I can help" another added.
"Stay where you are, we can't spare anymore soldiers. Give him some credit, that man's skills are second only to Captain Levi, he'll make it back alive. You can count on it"
Mike's blades began to dull at the repetitive action of slicing through nape after nape of the horde of Titans he had taken head on. Only four of them left. He thought glancing around at the Titans who remained wandering around the small area below where he had stopped. No, don't risk it. I've bought us more than enough time.
He sheathed his blades once more and whistled for his horse to return. Still though, that Abnormal worries me. He turned to look at the hairy Titan shuffling off to the side. Look at the bastard, easily over 17 meters tall, massive. And this is the first time I've seen one covered in what? Fur? It's just lumbering around, why doesn't it try to rush me? It's definitely an Abnormal but…"
The whinny of his horse, ripped through his thoughts, signalling its approach. Ah, there you are. Looks like I won't have to hold out for sundown after all. Just as his horse passed by the Abnormal, its hand reached out and plucked his horse from the ground. What the? It went for the horse?!
"Ugh! Come on!" Mike cursed, drawing his blade and readying himself to fight once more. He had to quickly dodge his own horse as the Abnormal launched it in his direction as if he were a pitcher. Roof tiles flew as Mike rolled down the roof and into the arms of another Titan. Try as he might, he couldn't release himself in time; agony ripped through his body as the Titan gnawed on his legs.
"Wait!" came a rough and garbled voice, halting the Titan in its attempt to eat him. Mike looked up with fear and disbelief in his eyes as the Abnormal squatted down next to them. "You must not of heard me, I told you to wait" the Abnormal spoke again, popping the head of the Titan like a pimple and letting Mika fall to a heap on the floor.
"May I ask what you call that strange weapon of yours?" the beast asked, "That thing attached to your waist that allows you to fly" Mike couldn't respond, too choked up on fear and shock to get any words out passed his lips. "Ah, I'm pretty certain we speak the same language, perhaps you're too frightened to formulate a response? I notice you also use swords. Fascinating, must mean you know we reside in the nape. Ah well, I suppose I'll just take it back with me"
Mike hunched himself over in fear, gripping tight to his head as he cowered before the Titan who would kill him. But that did not happen, instead the beast pinched the engine of the ODM gear from his waist and rose to his feet, leaving the man alone and at the mercy of the remaining Titans.