Training Camps of the Southern Division, Year 847
The radiant sun of spring was shining on my face, basking my entire body in its all too generous light and heat. But it wasn't alone, no, along with it was the smell of dirt. Yes, plain and simple dirt, I was surrounded by it after all, aside from the little vegetation everything was dirt. And the wind, yes the wind, there was none of it, not even a single breeze or a faint current.
Everything was heat and dirt.
Oh, and salt, can't forget about the delicious taste of salt in my mouth.
Well, the taste of salt is unavoidable after all. With no towel to dry my face, some of the sweat will fall and get caught in my mouth. And with the huge gasps of air I've been keeping the last hours, it's impossible not to swallow some of it. How pleasant.
Running for 4 hours in a row will do that to you, and the sun being on top of me isn't helping either.
I've been trying to keep somewhat of a steady pace to survive this. Since I have at least 5 more hours to go. And the fact that I was also deprived of dinner doesn't make it any better. I'll be lucky if I'm still breathing by the end of the day.
I gave a subtle glare to instructor Shadis, who has been keeping a keen eye on us from the shade of a lone tree. He switches positions with another man from time to time, probably to rest, but he has been overseeing us almost the entire time.
He is our executioner, after all, watching us from afar so that we do not fail in the completion of our punishment.
Yes, I'm not alone in this. The reason I'm here lies in this other person. A person which for convenience's sake I'll call potato girl since I can't remember her name.
Although even if I do hold a little of the blame, it was mostly hers. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have laughed, let alone share the punishment of running laps till sunset.
Does a little chuckle deserve this much? The instructor is overdoing it, I shouldn't be paying for this.
It was only a stiff laugh. Barely noticeable, barely anyone heard me.
I turned my head, expecting to see her behind me, she was there the last time. But no, she was further behind, almost half of the entire field behind.
"This girl…" I said while panting.
If she gets us into any more trouble for slowing down, she will earn herself an enemy here.
I turned back and focused back on the task at hand. My legs became heavier by the minute, and my lungs tried to grasp for more air than what they're used to. All to keep my body moving, avoiding the rage of our dear instructor.
With each step the sun also felt hotter, it was as if it was somehow working with Shadis, making the marathon around the field even harsher.
There was also the dirt, another layer of annoyance to the situation. The field in the middle middle of the training camp was pretty much made of it, and only of it. The dust raised easily when running, and it sometimes got in your mouth, alongside the sweat.
Good thing there isn't much wind or it would also get in my eyes. At least I have that as a respite of sorts.
But this punishment is nothing but inhumane, is this how things are in the military?
"Hey! I don't remember telling you to slow down!" Shadis yelled. His voice boomed through the whole field. It wouldn't surprise me if even the cadets inside the nearby building could hear him.
I automatically picked up the pace, even if the order was probably directed at potato girl, not me. I dare not look back.
Is this what father meant by harsh training conditions? Something tells me it's not.
Good lesson or not, I'm not laughing in front of the instructor unless I'm a mile away.
Earlier that day
The instructors are relentless.
They had us awake early in the morning, way too early for my liking. But it didn't surprise me, I was told to expect such treatment during our three years of training. Although I had a small hope that they would let it slip since we arrived yesterday.
My memory of last night is somewhat foggy. I remember it took a couple of hours for the wagons to reach their destination, the training camp. They rode for whatever sunlight was left and the rest of the trip was during the early hours of the night.
The trip wasn't all too boring, however. I was able to converse, even if a little, with some of the passengers. We all introduced our names, and few other details about ourselves, only the simple stuff like how old we were or where we came from.
As expected, our ages were mostly the same. The younger ones being 12 (the minimum age to be a cadet) and the oldest one was 16. I sat in the middle, with 13, a good age in my father's eyes.
Aside from ages, I shared little in common with them, they all came from more humble families than mine, so connecting was tricky.
We arrived late at night, but the excitement kept everyone awake. The introduction process was swift, or maybe lacking. They shoved us into a wide hall, with long tables and chairs. Gave us a poor excuse of a 'meal', and then sent us to our rooms. Letting us pick whatever bed we wanted.
Overall, it all felt rushed. But the real deal begins today.
Instructors showed up with the first rays of sunlight and proceeded to commands, ordering us to wake up and get ready for our 'induction day'.
Needless to say, it wasn't in what one could call a 'Gentle way'.
"Move it, cadets!" ordered one of the younger instructors. "Better speed it up if you want your stay here to be comfortable."
Having no habit of being woken up so suddenly, it took me a while to get my bearings. The dizziness from a good night's sleep still lingering in my head was hard to remove.
But I complied, somehow. Putting on the same set of clothes from yesterday, I rushed towards the exit among the others.
We had to leave our barracks, which for all I could see, was male-only. The girls had their own in the opposite direction. Makes sense that they're separated, imagine if they didn't. What a mess.
Not long after exiting the bunker, we were sent towards the dining hall and served a penurious breakfast. I should've expected as much if yesterday's dinner was anything to go by.
I munched the almost dried bread that I was given, a mild sense of regret began growing on me regarding joining the military. Is the food always going to be this sad? Will we ever get something decent or is it too much to ask?
My poor experience with food available aside, the place was quiet. Not much small talk going on. Aside from the sound of chewing, there was little conversation to be heard. All the familiar faces I saw in the wagon were nowhere to be seen, there were so many of us. I hadn't noticed this yesterday.
Once people were done, they were sent to a different building, a barracks of sorts. There we were measured and based on it, given a proper uniform.
The outfit itself was quite simple, a grey shirt, white pants, and the classic brown jacket. Oh, and boots too, can forget about the boots. Although like many of the things provided to us before, its quality was barely good enough, nothing outstanding in my book.
The sole action of putting on the jacket made me feel like I already made some progress.
I'll get there eventually.
This whole military training thing can't be so difficult.
As soon as I changed into the given garments, we were ordered— yet again— to position ourselves in the main field, the one in the middle of the camp, impossible not to notice. It easily covered three times more ground than the cathedral back at Yarckel. That is no small feat, but then again, the location of the training camp is a desert, desolate land with nearly no vegetation. Only a madman would care to build anything here.
Or anyone who wants to make the living conditions as harsh as possible. Which is exactly their point.
But I won't budge so easily. They don't know who they're dealing with.
We were ordered according to the order of arrival. I was ahead of most of the pack, so I got a place in the fifth line, although I didn't know how many lines we'd end up having. Given the number of cadets, I guess that close to ten or eleven lines.
"Right here!" ordered one of the instructors, "Stay in position till your drill instructors show up. Don't do anything stupid if you know what's best for you," he said with a harsh expression, he seemed used to this.
That last piece of advice seemed to be directed at all the surrounding cadets, myself included.
"Yes, sir!" Some responded while the rest remained silent.
"You better get used to properly reply and salute, or Shadis will have your head served on a silver plate soon enough," he said before leaving.
Luckily for me, the instructor that left just now was one of the calmer ones. All the screaming and yelling coming from the others while trying to organize a bunch of kids with zero military experience was a good enough hint.
While I was waiting for the rest to be ready, my mind began to wonder. These kids, all of them, didn't join the military to serve the country out of love, not a good chunk of them at least. I could see it when I looked into their eyes. Some of them have been through roughs times and have seen things I probably can't even imagine. Their serious demeanor, broken or desperate facade was revealed when looked into their eyes.
It didn't take a genius to figure it out, I bet the instructors noticed as well, but why should they be surprised or even care? Cadets like them were bound to show up. With nowhere else to go, the military was the only answer to decent survival for most.
Some of them won't last, the ones that used the military as a last resource especially.
It is sad, but that's the reality they have to deal with.
Eventually, we were all lined up and ready to go.
The instructors in charge positioned themselves both behind and in front of us, forming two additional lines. We were ready to begin, we only had to wait. For what, I wasn't sure. The previous instructors in the front line weren't letting out any clues, but no one saw fit to object.
For a mere moment, silence reigned among us, as no one there utter a word. You could even hear the dry breeze flowing through the field along with a very faint whistle, it was almost eerie.
Footsteps broke the silence.
In front of us was a small wooden platform; I hadn't noticed it before for some reason, guess my mind was distracted by other details. The platform was barely higher than my waist, so it comes as no surprise I missed it. The important thing, however, was the person walking on it.
His height was the first thing I notice, easily towering every instructor I've seen so far in the camp. There was also his bald head and tanned skin that, while not too excentric, were noticeable traits.
Yet, what I think stood out the most was how he carried himself. An air of intimidation and power. This man is dangerous.
"We now begin the enlistment ceremony for the 104th Trainee Corps!" The man shouted, his booming voice resonating among the entire field. "My name is Keith Shadis and I had the misfortune to be assigned to train you bunch of spineless bastards. My only job here is to transform you all useless waste of space into somewhat decent soldiers, able to face a titan and not piss yourself to death. If I do my job correctly you will grow to hate me and everything in here for the rest of your pathetic lives. But now you're nothing, even less than cattle. You are only trash that needs to be molded into a soldier. Over the next three years, we'll provide you with the tools and training to fights titans and it's up to you to take advantage of this. And when the time comes, only you will be able to decide your fate. Will you be a survivor or just another name to be forgotten by time?"
This man, I have to give him credit. He knows how to completely change the ambiance with only words. You could feel it, the moment every cadet stiffen up in unison as soon as he spoke. Keith Shadis is not someone we should mess up with.
Not a second later after finishing his introductory speech, he got off the platform and approached the closest unlucky soul to him.
"You maggot!" he yelled right at his face, "What pathetic excuse do you have to be in front of me right now?" He questioned him with every single fiber of his being trying to intimidate him.
And as expected, being the first one, the kid had little time to react. Barely stuttering his name and place of origin back, as well as the proper salute with one hand to the heart.
Shadis had none of it, putting him in his place right away. And by 'putting him on his place' I meant throwing at him another barrage of soul-deplorable insults. The kid could only answer with a simple and rather fragmented "Yes, sir!"
There began the routine, Shadis went through the kids in the front line first. The insults and swear words varied each time, and if not present, some other intimidation technique would be applied.
However, I did notice he skipped a few. Maybe he didn't want to waste his time with every single one or something else was up. I couldn't tell.
He didn't spend more than a minute per cadet, being swift in intimidating and belittering anyone in front of him.
And so he moved through rows without much delay.
"Row three, about-face!"
At this rate my turn will be coming soon enough, I suppose I'll just brace and take the beating like the rest.
Shadis moved to the next row, approaching the next victim, with a penetrating stare that could drill into a mountain if he wanted to.
"You, what's your name?" he said to the blonde cadet.
"Thomas Wagner, from Trost!"
That name I recognize, I believe he was one of the guys I shared the wagon with.
"I can't hear you!" Shadis answered back, even louder than before.
"Thomas Wagner, from—"
"Louder!"
"Thomas Wag—"
"Is that all? Quit wasting my time!" He yelled before moving on towards a nearby black-haired girl with loose pigtails. "You, next!"
"Sir, Mina Carolina from Karanes!" The girl was quick to respond.
Another familiar name.
"Wrong! You're from a dirty pig shed, worth less than cattle!" Shadis yelled back.
"Yes, sir! I am less than cattle!" The poor girl replied, intimidated.
"Wrong again! You're just a fly swarming a pig's shit!" Shadis roared.
"Yes, sir!" The girls answered back with a trembling voice.
The process of intimidation continued, and I couldn't help but find it slightly funny. Sure, when it happens to me it won't, but seeing everyone else getting insulted has a comedic effect to it. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this way.
Just like that, he got to the fifth row. I shall prepare for whatever the throws at me.
"And who are you!?" He shouted at one boy with light brown hair.
"Jean Kirstein from Trost!"
"And why is your ugly face in here?!"
"To join the Military Police, for a life deep within the walls." He answered calmly and without hesitation.
The was a short-lived moment of silence following his response as if the Shadis was trying to think of a good way to insult him like the rest.
"So you want access to the interior for a peaceful life, ha?" He asked with an almost mocking tone.
"Yes," was all he could answer before receiving a direct headbutt from Shadie to the forehead, instantly crumbling to the ground as a result.
"Why are sitting down cadet? If you can't even handle this then don't even dream about joining the Military Police!" He said before leaving a still kneeled Jean on the floor.
An unexpected yet somewhat hilarious consequence for speaking his mind. This Jean guy looks like the opportunistic type. I remember father told me about his type, they're selfish and will only look for what benefits them in the end.
I'll keep an eye on him. Unless he has a grounded resolution, he probably won't last.
Shadis kept tearing more cadets apart, getting closer to me by the second, maybe I'll get lucky and be ignored like others.
"You! Your name!" He ordered a short boy with short shaved hair.
"Connie Springer, from Ragako Village, Wall Rose South District," he neatly answered, saluting with the wrong hand on his chest. I was close enough to even noticed it from the corner of my eye.
Without hesitation, Shadis grabbed Connie by the head with a bone-shattering grip, lifting him off the ground in the process while somehow making his stare even angrier. "You're doing it wrong Connie Springer. This salute was one of the first things explained to you and you messed it up! You make me believe in reincarnation because no one can be that stupid in one lifetime."
And at that very moment, just after Shadis stopped talking, everyone in the vicinity heard a very distinctive sound.
A crunching sound that for some reason felt awfully loud.
It seemed as if everything stopped for a second there. The wind disappeared, the birds went silent and our breathing came to a halt.
Naturally, everyone's eyes fell onto the source of it, a girl with brownish hair in a ponytail, two lines behind me. Sadly for her, Shadis noticed it as well.
"Hey, you… what do you think you're doing?" He questioned the girl in an abnormally calm tone.
It was hard to see from my position, but the girl did seem to notice the instructor's eyes on her, yet another bite at whatever she had at hand made me question that.
"ARE YOU DEAF!? YOU ARE THE ONE I'M TALKING TO. WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" Shadis shouted almost as fast as he approached.
Shocked, the girl swallowed whatever she had in her mouth, and brought a hand to her chest. "Sasha Braus, from Dauper village, Wall Rose South District."
"Sasha Braus," Shadis repeated with his stare unwavering, "What is it you're holding in your hand?"
"A boiled potato. It was sitting in the kitchen alone and I couldn't resist," she answered with determined and somewhat scared eyes.
Ah, so it is a potato.
I couldn't see Shadis's face, but I was surprised she hadn't torn the girl into pieces by now. He must be restraining himself.
"Did you steal it? Why steal it and eat it now of all places?" Shadis asked.
I would like to know too. That girl has a death wish.
"It would've gone cold, so I thought it would be better to eat it right away."
I had to hold an incoming wild chuckle as soon as I heard that answer. This girl is either very brave or an idiot. There is no middle ground.
"No," Shadis said, "I don't understand, why would you eat the potato? Why here, why now?"
Sasha only got confused even more by the question, slightly arching her brows. "Are you asking why people eat potatoes?"
What? This girl is unbelievable.
I couldn't help but snort at her answer, but quickly regaining composure not a second after. My reaction didn't draw unneeded attention luckily for me. A few cadets notice, however.
The most surprising fact was how Shadis remained still as a statue, not moving a single muscle, let alone speak. He is either thinking of ways to kill her or her logic made his mind stop working with such a brilliant answer. The cadets around them did seem to be scared though.
"Here," Sasha said after extending a hand with less than half the potato in it. "You can have half of it."
Shadis accepted the potato handed to him by Sasha. He still hadn't exploded, most likely surprised by the sheer amount of stupidity from the girl in front of him. I'm willing to bet the man can't even believe what he is seeing, neither the cadets.
"You're giving me… half of it?" Shadis asked, still surprised.
Sasha's only reply was a dumb satisfied smile.
I can't hold it anymore.
A loud cackle was heard almost immediately after, saving Sasha from the impending doom and rage that she was about to get from Shadis.
Everyone's eyes darted to the origin of said laugh almost immediately, Shadis included. The impression of mere astonishment in their faces was something I'll never forget. Their expressions of disparity and dread were something to behold.
I'm sorry but I couldn't hold it.
The girl, Sasha, just gave our instructor half a potatoes. My eyes can believe it, this is better than any comedic show I have ever seen. What are the odds of someone being so out to place to follow that logic, and ending with that result? I wouldn't be surprised if this was a practiced sketch to put the cadets at ease on their first day.
Yet somehow, I was the only one laughing.
My laugh was instantly cut the moment I realize what I had done, and then trying to act as if nothing had happened. But it was too late for that, everyone had their eyes on me, and I'm positive those eyes included the instructor's who I dare not even look at.
The temperature in my body dropped a solid 20 degrees while my brain continued slapping itself for the stupidity it just committed.
Hopefully, Shadis didn't notice.
And it was as if that thought alone jinxed it. I felt a hand, gently fall upon my head, almost like a pat. Yet half a second later the hand locked its fingers on my skull with a bone-shattering grip to go along with it.
"You," the dreaded voice of Shadis came from the left, its eye had a very obvious murderous intent to them, "Who the hell are you?"
"A-Ansel Dresch, from Ya-" My voice was interrupted by the increased intensity on his grip.
"Cadet Dresch," he repeated with an uncanny yet calm tone and keeping his unflinching, death stare on me. "You like laughing cadet, don't you?"
"No sir I don't!" The intensity of the grip forced me to nearly shout my answer. However, that was only responded with his hand pressing down, making me fall on my knees with little resistance.
"Are you saying I'm a liar cadet? Is that what you're implying?" He asked with the same calm tone, but not hiding the murderous intent behind it. "I'll repeat the question, and you better answer correctly this time. Do you like laughing cadet Dresch?"
So you wanted that answer, who the hell was I suppose to kn- My thoughts are cut short by the still pressing hand on my head.
"Yes sir! I love laughing." I answered back, my voice failing to hide the pain.
"Oh? Is that so cadet?" Shadis said nonchalantly, "Then perhaps you would like to laugh more, right?" His grip on my skull increased even further.
"Yes sir, I'd love to!"
"Excellent," Shadis said, letting go of me but keeping the position without removing his sight on me. "I'm sure you'll love what I have in mind for you," he announced with little concern to hide the threat behind it.
I managed to raise my head, and look at his face. I had never seen such a stern look in my life, encapsulating hate, anger, and god knows what more.
"Yes sir," was all I could answer at the moment. Little did I know the hell I was going to be put through.
"That's enough for today!" Yelled a voice from behind us.
I was too tired to even turn to look at it, but my brain was functional enough to obey the order, making my body go into a complete stop and drop to the ground like an old rag doll. Sasha, who was a few meters ahead, did the same thing.
The sun had already set some time ago, with only the night sky to see us finish our punishment, or as Shadis referred to it, a "Run till you drop dead" order. Spot on.
There was little of my body that didn't ache, my waist and below felt like molten iron at some point, but I had to keep going or else. The upper side was also in pain, albeit it was somewhat less painful. All I know is that tomorrow it'll be a miracle if I manage to get out of bed.
"I hope you learned your lesson, cadets," said the same voice from before, "Get to your quarters and be ready for tomorrow, it'll be a big day." The owner of the voice walked away and left us crawling and twitching in the dirt.
Easier said than done.
The guy talking to us wasn't Shadis, no, he had left some time ago. Instead, another younger— and kinder— instructor came to watch over us, making sure we made it till the end of the day.
A couple of instructors were watching over us while chatting, paying little to no mind to the two of us, running around the field like idiots. I don't deserve this treatment, people here have no sense of humor. They could at least let it slip with a minor punishment.
After no more than five minutes of laying on the ground, I tried standing up. Calling it painful would be an understatement, but I wasn't going to spend the night outside. It might be the middle of spring but the nights are still chilly, even in this near-desertic wasteland.
With a few questionable cracks from my bones and a shock or two of pain washing through my body, I managed to stand up. There was little to no light around me, I could spot a few torches in the distance, where a few of the main buildings were located.
Right now I only had but one thought in my mind: I need water.
Granted I had already missed dinner but perhaps I can get water somewhere. I'm dying here.
"Let's get this over with."
I pushed my body forward with the little strength I had left, towards the bunkers.
Surprisingly, potato girl was nowhere to be found. I saw her stumble and fall not too long ago, perhaps she got up before and went ahead. Possible.
The answer came when I reach one of the nearby torches, illuminating two, no, three silhouettes standing close to it. The potato girl was one of them, and the other two were girls I hadn't seen or interacted with before. One of them was tall, with a disinterested look and for some reason carrying the potato girl on one side. Her friend perhaps?
The second girl was kneeling on the ground, sporting short blonde hair that shined in the light of the nearby fire. At first, I couldn't see her face, but she turned around when my footsteps were close enough to be heard. There I saw it. The girl was nothing short of beautiful, and even that might be an understatement. She could easily give the girls of the wealthy families back at home a run for their money in looks alone, and her petite figure only added points to her cuteness.
The taller girl didn't give me much attention, given a small scoff before walking away alongside potato girl, who had already passed out.
"Here," the blonde girl said, reaching out a leather canteen to me, "I figured you would want something to drink after all of that running."
I gently took the canteen from her hands, noticing how her small hands held to it I figured I had to be careful.
Being unable to say thanks due to the dryness of my throat, I instead chuck the whole thing down in three seconds.
"Take it easy! There should be plenty for one person," She said, as she saw me gulping down all of it. I made no attempts to hide my thirst.
I let out a prolonged exhale once I drank it all and locked my eyes on the girl in front of me.
"Thank you," I said, my voice trembling slightly from the hours of continuous exercise. "I-I owe you one."
"It's fine. I thought you might be thirsty after running all day. I'm happy I was able to help," she beamed.
I unintendedly keep staring at her, now getting a better grasp on her appearance. Her delicate facial features were now easy to spot. Her eyes were the thing that caught my attention the most— It's the mirror of a soul, or so they say— with a natural sparkle that I couldn't ignore. Her cheeks and nose sported a healthy color as well, something that I hadn't seen much for the short time I've been in this camp.
Her obvious lack of makeup is not surprising, and by the way she dresses, I can tell she is from humble origins. Charming.
"Is something wrong?"
Her question awakened me from the little trance I was on. "Yes, I mean no, everything is fine," I was quick to reply and stumble on my own words. Let's just start over. "My name is Ansel Dresch, from Yarckel," I said as I returned the canteen. "As I said before, your help is appreciated and I owe you one."
The girl was taken slightly aback by my introduction and gratitude. "My name is Krista Lenz, and don't worry about it, you don't owe me anything. I enjoy helping others."
A Goddess. That was the first thought that came to mind.
"You wouldn't happen to have some food with you as well, would you?" I asked reminded by the pain of my empty stomach.
"I had a loaf of bread but… the girl who was running next to you ate it before I could split it."
I mentally made a fist, cursing my bad luck for the umpteenth time today.
"It's fine," I lied, " can survive till tomorrow morning, I think."
I tried moving forward, but my body trembled, making me lose my balance and almost fall if it wasn't for Krista who was quick to grab me by the shirt.
"Guess, I'm not in a good position to walk." I tried laughing it off before taking another step.
"Let me help you," she interjected by quickly stepping to my side before I tried to keep moving. "You can lean on me if you think you're gonna fall."
I was surprised, not only by the quickness she responded to but also by her smaller frame wrapping my left arm around her back, forcing me to lean on her for support. Her resolute to help me was unexpected, even questionable.
Whichever complaint I had, I kept it to myself. The girl wanted to help and it would be rude to turn her down at this point.
"It seems I'll be owning you quite a bit," I said as we began walking. Which she denied with a shy and humble tone and passive demeanor.
Hopefully, the oncoming days are less eventless than today.
I looked at the girl trying to work as my support.
But this is not so bad either.
A little chapter to continue Ansel's story. As you can tell, this is only my version of the intro to the military training. I tried not to copy-paste every single word from the episode, and give it a little twist to it, for variety's sake. I know not much happened in this chapter but give it some time, we'll get to it.
The update schedule for this fic is rather. unorganized so I can't promise a certain time frame for the next update, but it shouldn't be as long as it was for this one.
If you feel like chatting a bit more, about fic and other stuff. I'm always available on the Treehouse Discord server.
Here be the link: /9XG3U7a
Great authors reside there too, and it also works if you desire writing advice.
I'll be seeing you guys next time. Stay safe!