Author's Note: Hello readers! I once again want to thank all of you for the love and support. I especially appreciate the comments indicating what parts people enjoy and what they look forward too. I am always eager to read comments. This chapter in particular will be a slight experiment so I will very much appreciate feedback. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 9: Approaching Peril
A chilly wind swept through the city that was fairly quiet in the early morning. A city that was one of the many cities that was protected by the safety of Wall Rose, the 2nd inner wall. The only difference was that the city of Trost lay at the entrance gate of Wall Rose. Meaning beyond the wall was Titan territory. The titans who prowled through the breach of Wall Maria, a breach by the Colossal Titan, had moved throughout the remaining land, controlling the area as if they were a force, and yet they were simply mindless beasts.
On that day, sitting at the edge of the great walls that surrounded the city was young Saladin, his legs dangling off the edge of the structure. He could see miles of land from the peak of the walls, but the young cadet wasn't focused on that. Instead he found himself staring at the contents of his journal, visibly frowning as he read his recent entry.
"Hey cadet! Get away from the edge of the wall before you take a nasty fall!" A garrison soldier suddenly yelled at Saladin, his voice carrying obvious annoyance. "I don't want to take the blame if you decide to throw yourself off because artillery maintenance is too hard! Get over here and help us work!"
Saladin looked over at the garrison soldier who was yelling at him. A middle aged man with black hair. Alongside him were 2 other garrison soldiers. A woman with short brown hair, who seemed to be enjoying her work, and a younger blonde man who had a similarly annoyed expression.
Saladin quickly rose to his feet and jogged over to the 3 soldiers. Normally he'd shout yes sir when given an order by a more experienced soldier, but today in particular he wasn't feeling the need to do this.
He was in an unpleasant mood.
"It's about time. Here take this rag." The blonde garrison soldier held out a slightly dirty rag toward the young cadet. "It doesn't need to be spotless but we need to make sure the outer edges of the cannon are clean. Well? Get to it."
With nothing to say, Salaidn took the rag and began cleaning the entryway of the cannon. He could nearly see some of the rust that was on the inner walls of the cannon. As he cleaned, the woman stared at him out of curiosity. Her eyes soon found the cadet emblem that was stitched onto the back of the brown jacket of his uniform.
"Hey, you're one of those new cadets that just recently graduated, right?" She asked with a small smile. "They got you working early, huh? And on artillery cleaning duty. On your first day no less. How's it feel so far?"
Saladin looked over at her upon hearing her question. The middle aged soldier grunted, and scratched at his own hair.
"There you go trying to make conversation again." He grunted. "Let the kid work and focus on cleaning. If these cannons aren't prepped properly because of him, it's our asses."
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with making a little conversation with your comrades." The woman retorted with a smile. "Hear that kid? We're comrades now. All of us! Starting today. Well? Don't just stare gawk eyed. How's it feel on your first day?"
Saladin looked at her for a moment then looked back at the cannon, continuing to wipe the dirt and muck off the inner walls of the weapon.
"To be honest. Not what I expected." answered Saladin, his voice carrying little motivation. "Then again, I don't know what I should have expected. Artillery cleaning duty definitely wasn't first on the list though."
"Get used to it kid." The blonde man let out a snort. "Cannon cleaning is just one of the many annoying things you'll have to do. Especially when you're on double shift. You'll find yourself finished cleaning with one set of cannons, then immediately back up here cleaning another set."
Saladin grimaced at the thought. He knew that he was one of the cadets chosen for the double shift on the first day of duty. Judging by what the blonde garrison soldier had just told him, he'd probably find himself cleaning cannons again later in the day.
"Yeah that's unless the kid here ends up joining the military police." The middle aged soldier grunted, giving the cannon a hard pound with his fist. "Those bastards don't have to be stuck with jobs like this. All they do is patrol cities and keep civilians out of trouble while stuffing their faces with more than just military rations."
"Don't you start ranting about the military police again." The female garrison soldier frowned, shaking her head in annoyance. "You do this so often, I've lost count. Yeah the military police get the easy jobs but only the top 10 graduates can get in. That usually means they deserve it, right?"
"If they are good enough to be in the top 10 then they should be out here helping us defend these walls!" The middle aged soldier snapped, his voice carrying years of frustration. "I don't know how any of you can't see how ridiculous this is."
"You're unbelievable."
"Oh leave him alone." The blonde garrison soldier said to the woman then smirked knowingly at the middle aged man. "He's just still angry that he wasn't chosen for the top 10 after that little accident he had with his ODM gear."
"Oh yeah." The woman laughed loudly. "I remember that. You could see the piss stains on his uniform that night."
The woman and blonde soldier both laughed, much to the expense of the middle aged man who was glaring daggers at his 2 comrades. Saladin however remained silent. He found himself cleaning the cannon more aggressively upon the mentioning of the top 10 cadets. His eyes were narrowed in annoyance as he easily remembered the day they had finally graduated.
It was cold that night. The day had finally arrived upon the cadets who had participated in 3 years of training. 3 years of bone breaking and will shattering practice that made it all worth it for that night.
Graduation night.
When the time for graduation came, the cadets would be assigned to three regiments.
The garrison regiment who were charged with reinforcing the defenses of the walls and protecting territory within them. The scout regiment whose duty was to journey beyond the walls and into Titan territory in hopes of reclaiming lost land. And finally the Military Police Regiment, who were tasked with maintaining law and order amongst the citizens and serving directly under the king himself.
Of course the Military Police regiment was the one that many of the cadets wanted. It was a chance at an easy life while making money. Military Police soldiers would rarely and sometimes not at all have to engage titans. It was obvious why most of the cadets desired a safe and stable life in the Military Police.
However, only the cadets who exceeded the many others in terms of skill are able to choose what regiment they want to be a part of. Only 10 cadets were chosen for this spot. And on graduation night, those 10 cadets would be revealed.
The cadets all stood at attention in lines. Each line only possessed a certain amount of cadets as the other lines would stand at attention behind them. Instructor Shadis along with other officers stood in front of the cadets, preparing to give the final order on that night. Once the night was through, training was over, and the real work began.
Saladin stood at attention in one of the many lines. He was part eager and part nervous at the outcome of the graduation. He was relieved he had survived the grueling training, but he had a desire to be one of the cadets that were chosen as the top of their class. He believed it was a requirement when having goals like taking down the Armored Titan.
Who could possibly take a soldier seriously if they weren't chosen for the top?
"Attention!" One of the officers shouted, his voice echoing.
Saladin quickly placed his fist on his heart, and his hand behind his back along with every other cadet in a salute when a superior officer addressed them.
"Sir!
"As of this moment, you have all completed your 3 years of training within the cadet corps! Your real duty begins now!" The officer explained, his voice raising even louder. "You all know the options that are open to you! I suggest you choose wisely! However you all also know that those eligible to choose the Military Police regiment are the top of their class! And those cadets have already been chosen! Pay attention and look forward because these cadets are the top of your class! Those whose names I call will step forward!"
There was silence in the air, save for a few of the cadets who gave nervous gulps. Saladin felt himself shift uncomfortably, but his eyes remained forward. Though he didn't want to admit it, he silently prayed that he would be one of the names called forward.
"Number 10! Krista Lenz!"
Krista's blue eyes widened upon hearing her name, and yet she didn't hesitate to step forward. Saladin looked over at her, a bit shocked that she was chosen. She wasn't a bad soldier, not in the slightest, and yet he was still shocked.
"Number 9! Sasha Braus!"
Sasha let out a quiet gasp of surprise but a smile came across her face. She didn't hesitate to walk forward either. Saladin watched as she moved next to Krista. He could feel his heart pounding in anticipation.
"Number 8! Connie Springer! Number 7 Marco Bodt! Number 6! Jean Kirschtein!"
Connie grinned, Marco smiled, and Jean sighed in relief as the three of them heard their names called. They all moved forward and got in line with the rest. Saladin began to feel his eyes shift frequently. Anxiety was beginning to kick in.
"Number 5! Eren Jaeger! Number 4 Annie Leonhart!"
Eren, who's eyes were determined as ever, moved into the line of the top cadets. Annie, whose face was as emotionless and cold as per usual joined the line as well.
Normally Saladin would have felt the need to congratulate Eren, and feel some type of pride that he was chosen. But instead of pride he felt only more anxiety. He felt himself nearly take a step back.
Was it possible that he could be one of the top 3?
"Number 3, Bertholdt Hoover! Number 2, Reiner Braun!"
Both Reiner and Bertholdt joined the line. Saladin felt his mouth drop behind the black half mask wrapped around the bottom of his face. His heart sank, and any excitement he had felt that night was extinguished like a flame in the middle of a raging blizzard.
"And our top ranking graduate…."
Saladin gazed at the ground and closed his eyes in defeat. He didn't need a hint of who would be called next.
"Mikasa Ackerman!"
Mikasa stepped forward and joined the line with ease. No one was surprised that she was chosen as the number one cadet in the slightest. And yet, pain still twisted in the young cadet's chest.
The top 10 cadets were chosen. The best of their class. Out of all the cadets who had joined the same time as them, the 10 that were called up had skills that exceeded that of the average cadet.
"These are the top 10 cadets!" The officer finished, his voice growing more stern. "Those of you who didn't rank should think long and hard on what they could possibly do to improve themselves! This is the end of graduation! Tomorrow you will be asked what regiment you will want to be assigned to!
The officer finished his speech with something that many of the cadets had been waiting for, for a long time.
"The 104th Cadet Corps is hereby disbanded! Dismissed!"
With the end of the speech, every cadet began to walk away and make their way toward the mess hall in town for a chance at a celebration. For Saladin, it felt as if time had stopped for him. While the cadets moved past, he gazed at the ground, frustration, anger, and envy all biting at him in unison.
He shook his head angrily and walked away, not toward the mess hall along with the other cadets but toward the barracks. He wanted to be alone at that moment.
The mess hall like many other times was filled with sounds of mugs clinking together and cheers of ovation. The cadets laughed, cried, and shouted relief as the moment they had worked so hard for had finally happened.
"Can you guys believe it? Me in the top 10? I never would have believed it if you told me!" laughed Sasha.
She sat alongside Connie, Reiner, Bertholdt, Krista, Ymir at a table, drinking and eating. The group discussed the event amongst the loud conversations that were taking place around them.
"I knew I'd be chosen for the top 10 from the start." bragged Connie, biting into a piece of bread. "They saw how much of a genius I was from Day 1!"
"We should all be proud today." added Reiner, taking a sip from his mug. "Being chosen for the top 10 is an honor. The officer had eyes on the skills we possessed for awhile now."
"I know you'd be one of the top 10 Reiner for sure but I didn't expect you to be chosen, Bertholdt!" Connie, grinned at the tall black haired cadet. "How do you feel?"
"To be honest. I never would have expected to be chosen as one of the top 10." Bertholdt replied, with a nervous smile. "But I'm glad that I was, in a way."
"That's it?" pouted Sasha. "I was hoping for tears of joy to fly out of your eyes tonight, Bertholdt!"
"I was surprised just as much as you were when they called my name." Krista added in on the conversation. "So many other cadets worked just as hard as me or even harder! I never would have expected that they'd pick me."
"Don't think too much on it, Krista. You'll be thinking all night." muttered Ymir, who seemed to be intoxicated by her drink. "You should be drinking and celebrating instead! You'll be able to get into the military police now! It's all smooth sailing from there."
Krista smiled nervously at Ymir, glancing at the mug in her hands.
"Ymir, how many drinks have you had? The celebration just started."
Ymir hiccuped and slid a mug over to Krista, a crooked grin on her face as she did.
"Who cares? Let me worry about how much I drink! Just enjoy the celebration!"
Krista chuckled nervously and took hold of her mug. However, before taking the time to drink she couldn't help but frown as something caught her eye at the end of the graduation ceremony. Through the crowd of cadets, she noticed Saladin leaving angrily. She couldn't see his entire face but she could easily see the furrowed brow of anger in that moment.
She took a look around the mess hall to see if he had entered for the celebration but could not spot him.
She was worried.
"Hey, have any of you seen Saladin?" Krista had finally asked.
"Saladin? Yeah I saw him at the graduation ceremony." answered Reiner, taking a look around. "But now that you mention it, I haven't seen him after that. I don't think he's here."
"I haven't seen him around either." said Bertholdt, looking around as well.
"Maybe he's off celebrating somewhere else?" added Sasha.
"Where else could he be celebrating? The party is happening here!" said Connie, taking another bite out of a loaf of bread.
"He didn't seem very happy when I saw him last. After the end of the ceremony he looked as though he were angry." explained Krista, frowning. "I hope he's okay."
"He's probably just pissed that he didn't make it into the top ten." shrugged Ymir. "After all that big talk he made about trying to take down the Armored Titan on day one, he doesn't even end up ranking. He probably realizes how pathetic it is."
"I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later." Connie bit into a piece of bread again with a grin. "I'm gonna go get another drink!"
Krista's frown never left her despite the words of Ymir and Connie. She took a sip from the mug in front of her and yet her expression never changed. Ymir glanced over at her, noticing the look and scoffed in annoyance.
The night of graduation had passed swiftly.
Below in the streets of the city of Trost, people were crowded together. Not your usual crowded city on a busy day but they all stood to the side, leaving the street open as if a parade were taking place. The city was abuzzed with chatters and whispers. Adults and children were all present
Saladin walked through the crowd, squeezing in where any space was permitted. After his first shift of artillery cleaning duty, he had decided to take a little walk in the streets below. After all, he had never been to the city of Trost. He never expected it to be this crowded.
The ground began to shake with the sound of horses approaching as well as the sound of large wagons rolling on the road. The crowd suddenly began to grow more excited. Saladin was still unaware as to why the scene seemed to be so positive and hopeful.
"Hey! I see them!" Someone shouted. "It's the main force of the recon corps!"
"Let me see?! Get out of the way!" Another shouted.
Saladin was just in a good enough position to look down the main road from his place in the crowd. From there he saw a large group of soldiers from the scout regiment approaching, in a long line as if they were parading in the streets. Each soldier wore green capes around their torso and on the back of those capes were silver wings, the emblem of the Scout Regiment.
In front of the long line of Scouts was a blonde haired man on a white horse. His face chiseled as if carved from marble stone and his face stoic and stern. He looked as if a titan could land in front of him right then and there out of thin air and his expression would refuse to change.
"Commander Erwin! Kick some titan ass for me!" A man shouted with praise.
"Commander Erwin! Commander! Please bring my boy back home safely!" A woman shouted with fear
Saladin's eyes had widened upon hearing their words. He knew who Commander Erwin was. He learned about him during the training days in the cadet corps. He was the leader and commander of the scouting regiment. Every plan they made, every action they took, it was all because of him.
The young cadet looked on in amazement at the Commander. His mind was abuzzed with so many questions about that one man who was leading an entire "army" outside the walls to face down the titans.
Behind Commander Erwin, in the long lines of scouts, 2 figures rode closely to him on horseback. A woman with dark brown hair and odd looking glasses on her eyes that were wrapped around her head, and a man with straight black hair and intimidating dark eyes.
"Look! There's Captain Levi!" A man shouted, pointing to the man with black hair. "They say he could take out an entire town of titans by himself!"
"I heard that he alone counts for a full squad!" Another shouted. "No! A full army!"
The man known as Captain Levi glanced over at the people speaking about him and grunted something under his breath. His eyes told a story that he was unimpressed with the rumors and compliments being thrown his way.
Saladin was again amazed by the words around him. He heard small rumors about the famous Captain Levi himself. Stories about him taking on an army of titans by himself, or leading his squad on a nearly impossible mission that saved the entire regiment. The young cadet could only dream of seeing such a person in action.
"Hey! Saladin! Over here!"
Salaidn snapped his head over to where his name was called only to see Eren waving him over, alongside Armin and Mikasa. The young cadet maneuvered through the crowd and made his way over to the trio.
"Hey Saladin! Are you seeing this? The whole city is so excited!" Eren said with a smile as he looked back at the long line of scouts who continued their match toward the gate. "The whole crowd has such a different energy than they did years ago."
"Yeah. Normally people would be hurling insults or remaining silent when the scout regiment passed for another expedition beyond the walls." explained Armin who was smiling from excitement as well. "But now it seems that everyone is so hopeful. I wonder what changed."
"Beats me." answered Saladin a bit tiredly. "Regardless, it's a breath of fresh air to see people less fearful and more hopeful."
"It's probably because it's been so long without a Titan attack." A female voice mentioned behind the group.
The young cadet turned to see two other cadets who happened to be standing behind them, watching the scout regiment along with the crowd. One girl with red hair and freckles named Hannah, who was mostly so cheerful and optimistic during training in the cadet corps and one large boy named Franz with shaved black hair similar to Connie.
"I imagine everyone was so scared out of their boots when the titans attacked 5 years ago." Hannah continued. "But now it's been so long since an attack and now the scouting regiment are going out to fight those Titans head on! How can people not be excited?"
"Yeah and I read in the newspaper about new cannon upgrades the garrison placed in on the walls." Franz added. "I bet those new cannons will be able to blow away any Titan before they even get close to the wall."
"Yeah, speaking of the cannon defenses, weren't you placed on artillery cleaning duty Saladin?" Armin asked. "How did it go? You were one of the few cadets who began their duty early."
Saladin shook his head.
"Not at all exciting like the others made it out to be." He answered." All you do is get yelled at by angry garrison soldiers and asked a ton of questions by other garrison soldiers because you're a freshly graduated cadet. Being up there for hours will probably take its toll."
"But the sight up there must be amazing, right?" Hannah asked with a smile, still keeping her optimism. "I can't imagine being on top of the sacred walls. They look so tall and intimidating from here, I can't imagine scaling it."
"Hey! Don't start with the whole tall and intimidating crap." exclaimed Eren out of annoyance. "I have to go up there with my squad in a few hours."
"You're going back up there yourself, right Saladin?" Mikasa asked dryly. "I heard those who were chosen for the early shift will have to continue working later in the day."
"Yeah, they're sending me back on the wall in a few hours." Saladin took a deep sigh. "But I've gotten used to it a bit."
"I hope so because you look exhausted." Franz mentioned, pointing out his tired look. "Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Yeah, I think you have some bags under your eyes." Hannah added.
"Not much." Saladin shrugged. "But I should be fine and fit for duty."
"Working while in a poor state isn't a good idea ,Saladin." Mikasa said sternly while shaking her head. "The higher ups will punish you if they catch you sleeping on duty."
"Hey, I have an hour left before I'm called for duty." Armin joined, smiling over at Saladin. "You can take a nap and I'll wake you up when it's time to head to our positions."
Saladin opened his mouth to argue but quickly stopped himself. He knew that they were right and he should be thankful that Armin is willing to stick with him so he wouldn't end up oversleeping.
"Thanks Armin. Maybe a nap will do me some good." The young cadet nodded.
The long line of the scouting regiment eventually departed from the city, and marched through the gate of Wall Rose, moving out into titan territory, and into the unknown land that was lost 5 years ago.
Later in the day, with the sun fully over the city of Trost, there was an odd and quiet calm over the walls. It was almost peaceful if not for the altitude. On the top of the walls that was near the front of the gate that led to the outside, the cadets were cleaning and making sure that the cannons were in top condition.
"Connie, hand me that rag will you?" Saladin asked, throwing a dirty rag to the side. "Samuel, make sure that the cleaning rod gets within the center. Thomas, rinse your sponge out already."
"Sheesh! Only you could make polishing cannons more annoying than it already is." Connie grunted, tossing him a clean rag then returning to scrubbing one of the cannons clean. "I didn't even think it was possible. You impress me Saladin!"
His voice carried obvious sarcasm which earned a glare from the young cadet.
"Trust me, Connie. I'm saving our skins. These cannons are harder to clean than you think." Saladin explained, gritting his teeth as he scrubbed. "I was up here earlier and got chewed out because there was still rust on the inner walls of the cannon."
"You'd think they'd give new cadets a break since it's our first day." Samuel muttered with a nervous chuckle.
"Samuel, give me that rod. You aren't using it properly." Saladin said, taking the cleaning rod from Samuel's hands and cleaning the insides of the cannon.
The dark brown haired cadet known as Samuel laughed nervously. Saladin bared him no mind for his mistake. After all, Samuel was in the 104th cadet corps just as he was. He always tried his best when it came to tough situations.
"Ok. I think mine is spotless now." Thomas said proudly, looking over at the others. "How about you guys?"
"Careful Thomas. Captain clean over here may freak out if you missed a piece of dirt." Connie teased, gesturing his head over to Saladin. "Better be careful or we could all end up dead!"
"Shut it Connie." Saladin retorted, narrowing his eyes as he continued to polish and clean.
To the side of the cleaning group, Eren and Mina walked over. After a heavy scrubbing of the cannons on their side of the wall, they decided to join the others to see if they needed any assistance.
"Hey guys! We just finished cleaning and maintenance on our end. How's everything going over here?" Mina asked with a smile.
"Oh just great." replied Connie, scrubbing at a spot of rust aggressively. "You know what my favorite part of cleaning duty is? Coming across a rust spot that won't come off! Sasha! Can you….where is Sasha?"
"Wait, she's not here?" asked Saladin with wide eyes. "You can't be serious. She was supposed to be on cleaning duty too!"
"She's probably goofing off again." Eren crossed his arms. "If she wants to end up being punished by the higher ups, that's on her."
"It could end up on us too." Saladin replied. "Is that how that works? If one of us ends up slacking, the entire group is punished."
"That depends on who catches us." Mina giggled, nervousness noted on her face. "Hopefully she'll turn up sooner or later."
The group fell silent as they continued on their cleaning duties. A calm wind brushed over the walls. It was still quiet save for the small conversations the group of cadets were having.
"So Connie," Thomas began rinsing out his rag. "I heard that you were planning on joining the Scouting Regiment tomorrow."
Eren's eyes had widened in shock.
"Wait! You're planning on joining the scout regiment?" He asked. "I thought you wanted to join the military police. You were always talking about it."
"I think your little speech yesterday helped him change his mind." Mina teased with a knowing smile.
"Oh shut up." Connie snapped. "This is my own decision. No one's inspiring me to choose the scout regiment."
Saladin ears had perked up upon hearing the conversation while he continued to clean.
"Eren gave another one of his little speeches yesterday?" He asked, looking over. "Was it because of Jean again?"
"Hey, you make it sound like all I'm good for is little speeches." snapped Eren, annoyed at the comment.
"Something like that." Mina answered with a giggle. "Regardless it helped inspire a few people I heard."
"You're right about that." Thomas agreed, then gave a small smile. "I was actually thinking about joining the scout regiment too, you know?"
"You too Thomas?" Eren asked in shock.
"I personally was thinking about joining the garrison regiment." Mina added in. "I don't think I'm brave enough to journey outside the walls."
"Same here." Samuel chuckled. "I probably wouldn't last very long to be honest."
"What about you Saladin?" Eren asked, looking over at the young cadet. "What regiment do you plan on joining?"
Salaidn had stopped cleaning upon hearing the question. He realized he hadn't really thought about it, but he remembered what his goal was and the reason for joining the military in the first place.
"I'm not sure yet." the young cadet answered, looking back at him. "If the Armored Titan ever attacked the wall again, I'd want to be here to try and take him on. Then again, the Armored Titan could be out there beyond the walls, lurking in the unknown. The Scouting Regiment would most likely be the ones to run into him. Whichever Regiment can get me close enough to it is the one I'll join."
The conversation felt a little awkward after that moment.
"Sheesh, I didn't think the whole Armored Titan goal was still on your mind, Saladin." said Connie.
"It never left." replied Salaidn, narrowing his eyes as he continued to clean.
"Then you should join us in the Scouting Regiment, Saladin." Eren said with a confident grin. "We'll definitely kill every last Titan out there, and probably run into the Colossal or Armored Titan on the way. We can't wait for them to show up at the walls to do what they did all those years ago. We have to take the fight to them and exterminate those monsters before they even think about attacking."
Saladin gave the cannon one last scrub. The metal of the cannon was clean to the point where he could nearly see his own reflection. He thought on Eren's words for a moment and looked over at him.
"Maybe you're right." The young cadet shrugged. "Maybe the scout regiment is the right choice."
"First Connie and Thomas and now Saladin." Mina giggled, shaking her head. "Jeez Eren, you sure know how to give a pep talk."
"I told you that joining the scouts was my choice." Connie looked over at her in annoyance. "Now help me scrub this rust off!"
"Maybe I should join the scout regiment too if everyone else is joining." shrugged Mina. "Maybe it'll help me improve my rank and exploring the outside world sounds like it could be fun!"
While the group of cadets continued to work a certain brown haired female cadet approached them. Sasha, who's cheeks were red and mouth open, her eyes full of mirth and joy as if she had just discovered something that had changed her life.
Saladin was the first to spot her.
"Sasha? Is that you?" He asked before his brow furrowed in annoyance. "Where have you been? You should have been helping us clean these things."
"Yeah! And if we would have gotten punished because you weren't here, we'd all throw you from this wall the first chance we got!" Connie added in, still unable to clean off the rust successfully.
"I've been busy…" Sasha said with a creepy giggle, shuddering in a way that put Saladin at unease. "I decided to borrow something from the officer's morning rations."
"Borrowed something?" Saladin raised a brow. "What are you-"
Before he could finish, Sasha raised the right side of her uniform, revealing a long piece of uncooked meat hanging from a small rope hidden behind her jacket. The piece of meat was big enough to feed an entire squad at least a piece. The group's eyes had widened in fear, realizing that she had stolen rations from the officers.
"Sasha….you didn't…" said Eren with wide eyes. "Do you want to get punished by the higher ups again?"
"You're an idiot…" muttered Samuel, still in shock. "An idiot doing idiotic things…"
"She's going to get us all thrown off the wall for this." Thomas added in.
Sasha didn't seem all that bothered by the words of disapproval. Her cheeks were still red from the heat filling up her face. The giggles pouring from the girl caused the young cadet to shiver.
"We can all split it up together later." She muttered, shuddering even more aggressively with an amorous look on her face. "We'll slice it up and eat it with bread! Imagine what we can make with this!"
She was shaking even more aggressively now, her smiling widening. Saladin saw that look one too many times whenever they'd go hunting together.
"No. no no no." Saladin shook his head, bothered by her look. "I know that look. Put it back, Sasha! If one of the officers comes up here and sees it, we're all gonna get it."
"He's right, Sasha. Meat is a luxury to come by nowadays since we've lost so much land to the titans years ago." explained Mina. "The officers don't go hunting themselves, so they take what meat is left in the pantry. If they find out someone's been stealing rations…"
She couldn't even finish due to the thought of the consequences.
"Don't worry about it." smiled Sasha, walking over to the group. "Once we retake Wall Maria, we'll have all that land and the animals who roam it returned to us. We'll be able to hunt twice as much Saladin! Think about it!"
Saladin paused for a moment while Sasha smiled at him. He felt himself shift a bit and immediately look away. He believed that she was just saying anything at that point to get him to take part in the insubordination.
"Fine! Cut me a piece then!" exclaimed Samuel, breaking from the pressure.
"Samuel!" Saladin snapped over at him with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry Saladin! But I haven't had any meat in a long time!"
"If that's the case, cut me a piece too!" Connie joined in, standing to his feet.
"Me too! I'd love a piece!" Mina grinned, walking over.
"You guys are crazy!" Saladin snapped, wondering why everyone was so quick to jump at the meat.
"C'mon Saladin, Eren." Thomas shrugged with a smile. "We'll keep it well hidden so no one will find out."
"You know you want a piece." Sasha said with a smirk. "Few can resist the power and taste of delicious meat! Resisting is futile!"
Saladin and Eren looked at each other for a moment. The young cadet shook his head at Eren, telling him no, but Eren quickly noticed the sweat that was pouring down the side of his brow. He was resisting the urge to go after the meat. Eren looked back and forth swiftly before succumbing himself.
"Tch! Fine! I'll take one too." Eren called out, ashamed of himself.
"Eren! For crying out loud." Saladin covered his eyes with the palm of his hand out of sheer irritation.
"We still have some time after lunch so you can think about it until then." giggled Sasha.
"We better get back to work before someone sees us slacking off." Thomas suggested. "If the officers come up here and check on us, they'll definitely find out."
"Yeah cause it seems like I'm the only one who's still working."grunted Saladin, shoving the cleaning rod into Samuel's hands.
"Oh quit talking and hand me a new rag, Saladin." said Connie, rolling his eyes.
Despite himself, Salaidn couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the scenario that had just occurred. It was nice to goof off a bit, even if it was only for a minute or so. While he continued to clean, he noticed Eren staring out into the city with a proud look on his face. Part of him wanted to tell Eren to help him get to work before someone notices him daydreaming but he decided to leave him be.
It was a calm atmosphere despite the annoyance of cleaning duty. The air was warm, and almost soothing. It carried a feeling of hope in a strange way. A hope that whatever would happen in the future, they'd all somehow get through it.
However, those hopes were dashed away with a simple sound.
The sound of a loud thunderous explosion could be heard near the group. A yellow flash of light darkened the blue sky for a moment, and a shadow suddenly loomed over the gigantic walls.
Saladin immediately felt a strange heat nip at his face. It didn't hit him at first until he slowly looked up and saw a familiar face. A red face with steam releasing from the side of its teeth that was revealed without the cover of skin. The familiar face's head loomed over the walls and stared at them with dark eyes. Saladin felt his body tense up when he realized what it was.
It was the Colossal Titan in all it's terror.
The group of cadets stared in shock and silence at the monster. Not a word was said. They had all believed it was just an illusion, perhaps a trick of the wind, or they had just been seeing things from all the hard work they've been doing that day.
That is until the heat began to grow more intense.
It was no illusion.
A large burst of steam released from the Colossal Titan, pushing the cadets from the wall and plummeting toward the ground. The sound of something being smashed and debris shooting out into the city was heard through the chaos. A large gust of smoke covered the gate that was supposed to protect humanity from the threat of the titans.
Each of the cadets shot the anchors from their ODM gear out to break their fall, using the hooks to attach themselves to the side of the wall. Saladin panted heavily underneath his half mask, his face breaking out into a sweat, trying to understand what had just happened.
He heard the voices of his comrades all around him.
"What happened!? What the hell just happened!?" Connie hollered out.
"Sasha! Hang onto Samuel!" Mina cried out.
"I have him!" Sasha yelled back." Samuel! If you can hear me, just stay still!"
"What's happening?" Salaidn called back, rubbing his eyes to clear his vision. "What is-"
"I don't know!" Eren called back to him. "I think-"
His voice suddenly died out but Saladin could hear a surprised gasp coming from him. Once his vision returned he looked over to see Eren hanging from the side of the wall, but gazing down at something in terror. Saladin followed his gaze and his heart immediately sank at what he saw.
The gate. The gate that protected humanity and kept the titans from ever entering to feast on humans, was now broken. The sun was shining into the large gaping hole that was created by the Colossal monster.
A hole in the wall, just like so many years ago. An opening that would surely welcome the cruel destroyers of humanity.
The wall rumbled violently. Saladin quickly jumped from it along with Eren, using the gas and anchors from their ODM gear to carry them onto a nearby rooftop, facing the wall.
They stared at the hole in the wall, stunned in silence.
No, this is a dream. It has to be. The young cadet thought to himself. I'm probably still napping and Armin will wake me up any minute now. There is no way that any of this can be real.
Any words that the young cadet wanted to speak were silenced in his throat.
Eren himself shook violently as he gazed at the hole in the wall. The green pupils in his eyes trembled and then he snapped his head up toward the Colossal Titan that was still gazing over the wall. His eyes were filled with anger. He then snapped his head over to Saladin who was trembling in fear.
"Saladin! Snap out of it!" He yelled, startling the young cadet. "The Colossal Titan is at the gate!"
Saladin could only stare at him, refusing to believe that this wasn't a dream. Eren didn't wait for him to come to his senses and immediately took flight into the air with his ODM gear, shooting up toward the top of the wall, and toward the Colossal Titan itself.
"All of you snap out of it! This is our chance!" yelled Eren, reeling himself up toward the top of the wall and past the other still stunned cadets. "The Colossal Titan is the only one that can damage the wall! We can't let it get away! We have to fight it here and now!"
Eren disappeared over the horizon of the wall, leaving Saladin who remained stunned in silence and frozen in fear. He felt his breathing intensify and his body shiver. He felt the sweat pour down his brow and no matter how hard he tried, his hands refused to stop shaking.
This was no dream. Not in the slightest.
Sasha and Connie both landed next to the young cadet. But instead of saying something, they could only stare at the hole in the wall in complete shock. The air from the outside visibly poured in through the opening that wasn't supposed to be made.
"A hole….there's a breach in the wall..." Connie muttered to himself, still unable to believe it.
"This…isn't good. I think I'm gonna be sick…" Sasha groaned, her legs trembling.
"Did….Eren go up to fight the Colossal Titan?" Connie asked, trying to steel himself. "We need to help him…we need-"
The young cadet interrupted him with a trembling voice.
"Guys…."
One word is all Saladin could muster out as he spotted something that made the situation more worse than it could possibly be. A shadow of a large figure could be seen in the hole of the wall that was created. Sounds of large and slow footsteps caused small tremors that could be felt even from the rooftops.
Connie and Sasha followed the young cadet's fearful gaze and soon gained the same look when they saw what had been approaching.
A Titan.
A giant monster that resembled that of a human being, nude as a baby on the day it was born. The Titan had a monstrous smile on its face and walked through the hole and toward the buildings of the city. It was as tall as the buildings, its face resembling that of a human being if it had no consciousness or sense. Its face deformed and ugly.
"A….a Titan." Sasha croaked, trembling even faster now.
The Titan continued to walk forward and soon spotted the 3 cadets staring at it. The smile on its face widened and it began to slowly make its way over to them. The ground trembled with each footstep it took.
"It's…it's coming this way…" Saladin managed to release from his throat. "It's…it's coming. It's coming…"
Both Salaidn and Sasha stood frozen in fear like a prey finally being cornered by a predator. Connie only stared in fear for a moment before suddenly grabbing his blades and pulling them from the scabbards of his ODM gear.
The Titan was getting closer and was nearly in grabbing distance. It seemed to be moving faster, the closer it got.
"Guys. Move. Now." Connie said, backing away quickly. "MOVE!"
The sound of Connie yelling forced Saladin and Sasha to take action. Their training quickly took effect and they drew the blades from the scabbards of their gear.
The Titan was upon them.
The monster suddenly stumbled forward like a human who was intoxicated and made a wild grab for the 2 cadets. Saladin and Sasha dashed away, behind Connie and leaped off the building to avoid the Titan's clutches. The Titan stumbled lazily into the building and tumbled, causing the building to crumble into pieces.
The 3 cadets took flight with their gear and landed on the ground at a better distance away from the Titan that let out an inhuman groan and began standing to its feet.
"We…we have to kill it." Sasha managed to say despite the fear in her. "The nape. We have to go for the nape."
"I know we do." Connie replied back. "We need a plan. We can't let that thing grab us! Saladin! Snap out of it!"
The young cadet was still staring at the giant monster. He had never seen a regular Titan up close, only the Armored Titan. Despite the training he received, it was completely different from seeing one up close. The young cadet glanced over at Connie and Sasha who stared at him with sweat pouring down their faces.
Despite his fear, he realized that they needed him.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." Saladin tightened his hands around his blades and shifted forward. "Let's kill this thing. Here it comes again!"
The Titan made its way back to its feet and began walking toward the trio once again. It's face was still etched with a monstrous smile. The 3 shivered from the look on its face but managed to steel themselves.
Suddenly Thomas and Mina joined the fray, flying over the Titan's head and landing on a nearby building to see the situation. The Titan let out a groan, staring at both the cadets and began making its way toward them instead.
Sasha's eyes had widened and so did Saladin's.
"A distraction. That's what we need." Sasha muttered out.
"Yeah, and once it's not looking at us, we can make a cut at the nape." Saladin agreed, staring back at her.
"What are you guys saying?" Connie asked, staring back and forth at the two. "You guys have a plan?"
"We need to have Mina and Thomas distract that thing while the 3 of us go for the nape." Salaidn answered, running forward.
"Yeah, the thing will try to make a grab for us if we are in its line of sight." Sasha added, running alongside Saladin. "We have to tell Mina and Thomas!"
"Fine. It's better than nothing!" replied Connie, running behind the two cadets.
Mina and Thomas watched with fear as the Titan approached them. Despite joining in on the fight, the sight of the monster still put them at unease. While the Titan continued to make it's way toward them they spotted Saladin, Sasha, and Connie rushing behind it.
"Mina! Thomas!" Saladin shouted up at them. "Distract it but don't let it grab you!"
"Don't stand there like idiots! It's going to kill you!" Connie yelled.
Mina and Thomas looked at each other and nodded their heads hesitantly. The 2 cadets took flight into the air and landed on a building to the right. The Titan slowly followed suit, not letting them out of its line of sight. As the titan turned it's head in their direction, its nape was revealed to the trio on the ground.
"There! Let's go for it!" Connie yelled out.
"Okay. Be careful guys!" Sasha said, her voice shaking as she tried to suppress the fear.
"I'm with you guys." Saladin replied.
Saladin leapt into the air first and shot the anchor's of his ODM gear toward the shoulder of the Titan. The hooks successfully stuck and dug deep into the flesh of the Titan and yet it didn't seem to notice. The young cadet reeled himself up toward the monster, allowing the gas to make him take flight and pulled his blades back, readying himself for a strong swing.
Closer and closer, the young cadet was finally upon the Titan's nape.
With a loud yell, Saladin's blades made a cut on the back of the Titan's neck. Quickly detaching the anchors from the back of the Titan, he released more of his gas and landed on a nearby rooftop.
Turning around, he saw that the Titan had cut mark's on its neck, but was still standing on its feet. The Titan turned its gaze onto the young cadet and began making its way toward him.
He realized that the cut he made wasn't deep enough.
The Titan reached out to grab him but was interrupted as Connie and Sasha both ambushed him. Connie from behind swung his blades and cut at the wound on the Titan's nape.
It was still standing.
That is until Sasha swung her own blades, following up Connie's attack and deepening the wound. It was just enough. The Titan's head snapped back on Sasha's last attack, let out a beastly groan and began to fall forward.
Saladin quickly leapt out of the way, dodging the titan's plummeting body as it landed on the building with a loud and thunderous thud. The building shattered completely under the monster's weight. Thomas and Mina watched, silently praying that no one was in that building.
Silence filled the air. The young cadet landed on the ground, panting heavily. His gaze fell upon the lifeless corpse of the titan. It remained still and steam seemed to be pouring out from the corpse. Nevertheless, it wasn't moving anymore.
Connie and Sasha ran to Salaidn's side, alongside Mina and Thomas as they both stared in silence at the motionless body of the titan.
"Did you guys kill it? Is it dead?" asked Mina, her voice quivering.
"It isn't moving anymore, so I think we got it." answered Sasha, panting heavily.
"That was a titan…I still can't believe it." Thomas muttered out, shaking his head in disbelief.
Suddenly the wall began to shake once again. The cadets turned their head and could see the large legs of the Colossal Titan through the breach it had made. It was lifting its leg and pulling it back, the ground rumbling as it did. They all didn't need to guess what it was about to do.
"Get down!" screamed Saladin.
The cadets immediately spread apart and found any cover that they could reach. Be it debris or a building. The Colossal Titan's foot slammed into the hole of the wall once more, creating a larger gap than it had before. So much steam seemed to be pouring from its body and it was impossible to see its face from the ground.
Debris from the wall landed on some of the buildings in a city with a thunderous smash.
"That bastard hit the wall again!" Connie shouted angrily.
"Eren is up there fighting that thing!" Saladin shouted back. "We need to help him!"
"Are you guys serious? You can't go up there!" Mina yelled back.
Saladin wasted no time rushing back toward the wall, shooting the anchors from his odm gear and once again took flight. Connie trailed in behind them as they moved up toward the top of the wall. Thomas hesitantly moved in behind them.
Steam intensely poured out from the wall, where the Colossal Titan had been. Whatever was happening, none of the cadets could see it. There was another loud rumble and by the time the 3 cadets made it to the top of the wall, they were shocked at what they saw.
The Colossal Titan was nowhere to be seen. Only remnants of steam.
"What the hell? Where did it go?" Connie asked, landing on the wall and looking around frantically.
"It's gone…" Saladin replied hesitantly. "That's not possible. Nothing that big can just disappear into thin air."
"Maybe…maybe Eren killed it." Thomas added, with no hope in his voice. "Where is Eren?"
The 3 cadets ran to the edge of the wall and peered down. Large craters were in front of the breach, craters created from the Colossal Titan's presence. Empty craters with nothing in sight. Eren could be seen hanging off the side of the wall, sweating and staring at the spot the Colossal Titan had been.
"Eren! Are you okay?!" Saladin yelled to him, snapping him out of his trance.
"Yeah! I'm alright!" Eren yelled back up before leaping off the wall and reeling himself back to the top of the wall.
Once everything had settled down, Saladin, Connie and Thomas immediately began asking Eren questions.
"Did you kill it? The Colossal Titan?" Thomas asked, still staring over the edge of the wall. "I don't see him anymore so you must have taken him out."
"No. I didn't kill him." Eren clenched his fists angrily. "It disappeared into thin air just like all those years ago! The damn coward destroys the gate and then vanishes!"
"There's no way something that big can just vanish into thin air like that!" Saladin exclaimed. "It doesn't make sense!"
The young cadet was in complete disbelief at the events that had just occurred. Part of him wanted to remain in denial that this was all still a dream but after battling the Titan and feeling the hot steam from the Colossal Titan on his face, he knew he'd be a fool to deny that any of this was real.
"This isn't good! There's a damn breach in the wall. It's only a matter of time before more titans start pouring in." yelled Connie in agitation. "We already had so much trouble with one! If more start coming in, we're screwed!"
"Cadets! Look alive!"
The cadet's conversation was cut short when an older looking man who wore the garrison regiment uniform landed in front of them with the use of his ODM gear. His face was stern but sweat poured down his face.
He spoke swiftly.
"Operation Colossal Titan response is in effect! There's a breach so we have to act fast!" The garrison soldier said. "All of you cadets report back to base for your next set of orders and prepare to be debriefed! You cadets were close to the Colossal Titan so we need as many details as possible! Move it!"
The 3 cadets all saluted and responded in sync.
"Yes sir!"
Saladin trailed behind Eren, Connie and Thomas as they began traveling back toward the base with haste. The young cadet took another look back at the large breach in the wall. He could see numerous garrison regiment soldiers landing on top and around the wall, yelling orders at one another.
The day that was once filled with peace and a hint of hope were dashed away, just like that. Now a day of death and ruination was quickly approaching.
The young cadet could feel it. No matter how much he tried to deny it.
Author's Note: The battle for Trost is finally here! I will very much appreciate feedback for this chapter! I'd like to know if I wrote the fight against the titan and usage of the odm gear in a clear manner. I would very much appreciate your feedback on your thoughts on this chapter.
Also, extremely important but I plan on changing the name and summary of this story. Not by much as it will still be easily recognizable, but I have come up with a better name and superior summary. The next chapter has already been written out and will be released soon. Stay tuned!
