"Before we start, I must warn you, there's a high possibility that some if not all of you will die" Pixis looked at all of us with cold clinical eyes "You're in-experienced, nervous, scared even, and that's alright, we all start out somewhere" He began to pace back and forth in front of the carts "If any of you want to turn back now, no one will judge you, but you must remember that the rest of your team will still participate in this training exercise… I would have hoped that at least one of you has figured out that these teams have not been randomly selected. Each one of you is vital to each team, so please, think carefully before you decide to quit. You have fifteen minutes to make up your minds" He turned and headed back to his own cart where someone handed him a hip flask.
The twins and I all looked at each other, dumbfounded
"I'm staying" Erwin stated as he fixed his jacket.
"Me too" Mike was quick to respond.
DJ's face changed to a determined look "Aye!" He clenched his fist "Me too"
Rin sighed "Well, I can't let you go alone, mom wouldn't be happy if I left you all by yourself, god knows what trouble you'd get yourself into" He smiled "I'm in"
Erwin looked at me through his peripheral vision with a sceptical eyebrow raised
"Baka!" I said to him "Do you really think I'd back out of a chance to get up close and personal with titans?"
He smiled
"Fifteen minutes, eh?" Maria spoke as she looked down at her boots. We all looked at her
"What are you thinking, Maria?" I asked
She didn't lift her head "Fifteen minutes if far too long… I could be at home, helping my mother prepare dinner, teaching my younger brother how to count"
"Maria… you're not going to…."
She chuckled "After yelling at you to do better for the past year?" She smiled at me "What kind of a shitty friend would I be if I backed out now? Of course I'm staying"
The six of us all smiled at each other before we realised- Levi!
"I guess I'm in too" He sighed as he sat leisurely sprawled out at the back of the cart "I'd be off to prison if I gave up"
"So we're all participating?" I looked at everyone to make sure
They all nodded.
The fifteen minutes had passed.
"So" Pixis walked back over to the carts "Al those who do not wish to participate in this exercise, please step out of your carts"
One person form team one. Three from team four. All of team five and finally one from team seven.
"Hmm" Pixis looked at the soldiers who stood before him "So you're giving up. I don't blame you, but you have all left your teams with an even slimmer chance of survival. I hope that after this mission, that fact won't rest heavy on your conscience" He coughed and cleared his throat
"You are all dismissed and relieved of your duties to this squad. Shadis will be escorting you back to collect your things" He turned away from them "You'll be running behind the cart"
"C'mon Maggots!" Shadis shouted as he led the way. They reluctantly ran after him.
Pixis turned to the remaining teams. "Only three full teams left. I have to admit, that's more than what we've had in recent years, usually we'd be lucky to keep one full team… Alright, I best brief you on your mission today. First off, we'll be taking you to the forest that stands roughly about a kilometre away, there we will ascend into the trees, observe the titans strolling around, pick one and devise tactics on how to attack it but first you'll have to lure it to the forest. Don't worry, this area does not see many titans, but I will advise you to not draw attention to yourself. We don't want any unnecessary deaths. Now, nominate someone to take the reins, the men who brought you here men will not be coming with us. After that, follow this cart" he pointed to his own "and we'll show you where to go"
We all huddled together
"I nominate Mike!" DJ stated
"Huh? Why me?" Mike's eyes were wide.
"Your nose can lead us to safety!" Rin added.
"Aye" Maria seconded.
"You think so?" Mike asked.
"Yup" I smiled "But it's not up to us" I looked at Erwin "What do you think, Team Leader?"
"Uh" He seemed nervous
"You look a little shaky, Captain" Levi spoke "Are you sure you're up for this?"
Erwin clenched his teeth and fists "Alright, Mike, take the reins"
"There is a reward!" Pixis interrupted the teams deferring. We turned and looked at him "The team that can kill at least one titan and make it back to the wall will get a week free to do as they wish. They can return home, go fishing, visit the mountains, or for you masochistic bastards amongst you, you could do more training, if that's what you really want" He jumped into his cart "Take the reins!"
Mike jumped into the front and grabbed the reins before taking a deep breath.
"Each of you, there is a pair of flairs for each of you in your carts. The red one signas for help. The green you must use once you get back to the wall. Understood?"
"Aye!" We all nodded.
"97th Squad; Good luck to every last one of you. I hope and pray that you will all be here once this mission is over. Open the gate!"
The gate rumbled as he heavy duty chains raised the giant slab of bricks and morter. We all tried our best to mentally prepare ourselves for what we'd see on the other side. This was all happening so fast. I had only ever dreamed of the world outside and now here I was about to venture into unknown territory. My heart was racing in my chest, more so in excitement of seeing titans than actual fear for my life; I had come to realise there's no point in fearing death when you've picked my path in life. Death is more likely than a long happy life.
"Are we ready?" Erwin asked all of us.
"No" One of the twins replied "But when will we ever be, eh?" He smiled
Erwin let out a low chuckle "True"
"I'll bet you tonight's dinner I'll be the one who kills it" Maria smiled.
"I bet it'll be Levi" Rin smiled.
"You're all wrong" Mike called from the front "It'll be me" He smiled with confidence.
Erwin spoke "Oi, stop it, all of you, the person who gets to kill it will be decided by our tactics expert" he gazed at me "Isn't that right, Hanji?" he winked.
I felt my cheeks heat up a little "Aye!"
"LET'S GO!" Pixis shouted as his cart stormed out of the gate. We all followed.
We entered the small tunnel trough the wall before being hit by blinding sunshine. It took a second or two for my eyes to adjust, but onc they had... it was truly beautiful.
I had often heard my father talking about the outside world. He said it was huge and that you could actually see the sky touching the earth. All I could do was use my imagination when he told those stories, but looking at it in reality was far different. My eyes were wide trying to take in this new world, a free world; trees, grass as far as the eye could see, a lake. It was far more beautiful than my imagination.
"Hanji, focus" Erwin put his hand on my shoulder "You're drooling"
"Uh" I quickly wiped my mouth and looked ahead. I saw the forest. The trees were gigantic. They must have been growing for hundreds of years.
"Look at all those big ass trees" Levi stated
"It's perfect for our 3DM gear" Rin smiled
"Look, over there!" Maria pionted to the west "Titans!"
"Let the games begin!" Mike laughed as he whipped the horse to go faster.
