Chapter Ten.
"Patch him up quickly! We have company!" Mia roared loudly, as the Garrison squad leader was perched up on a nearby roof top along with three other scouts. Within the first hour of the expedition a squad of scouts were forced to make their way through a small town that stood in their path. At first glance the town appeared clear of all Titans, but upon reaching the center of town the group was ambushed by a single seven meter Titan, while surprised by the sudden appearance the squad was able to dodge the incoming attack. However, the Titan was able to follow up with a swift swipe of its arm across the street they were passing through on and wounded the rear scout.
The squad of scouts quickly took down the rouge Titan and fired off a purple flare, a rarely used flare in the past expedition as it was used to signal when a scout was grabbed by a Titan. However, most scouts never even bothered to fire off a flare in such situations as every second mattered in saving the life of the snagged scout. Mia decided they'd need a specific flare to identify when units needed medical attention. Thus, the purple flare would be used to signal the need for medical aid, all responding medical units would than respond with the newly supplied orange flare signaling their response so other medics would know the situation was being taken care of. Upon seeing both flares, Red who was in command of the deployment team would send a relay medic along with a medical cart to help retrieve the wounded soldier. Upon retrieving the wounded soldier, the team would fire off a second orange flare signaling to the rest of the formation.
"It seems the horse took the brute of the damage," Ryland explained, as he pressed the palm of his hand against the open wound that was located on the scout's lower left ribcage. The Titan had killed the horse within one hit and wounded by the scout by sending his body flying into a nearby support beam. The support beam had cracked two of his ribs and left a large gash in his side which was currently bleeding out.
"I see three Titans approaching from the East!" One of the scouts cried out loudly, Mia quickly taking note of the seven meter Titans who were slowly making their way through the outskirts of the town. One of the scouts quickly fired off a red flare directly towards the three Titans, within a few seconds several other red flares began appearing within the distance. Mia took note that this meant the formation would begin to change directions due to the appearance of a red flare, but at the same time upon seeing a purple flare the formation would slow their pace as if they continued at their original speed it became obvious that the medics and the wounded soldier would be left behind within a matter of minutes. Erwin thus decided that it wouldn't be until the second orange flare was spotted that the formation would once again return too their original speed. Erwin knew he was sacrificing speed for lives, something that didn't settle with him at first but he quickly realized that most of their expeditions were cut short due to high casualties. They might of been covering ground at a slower pace then before, but in the end they'd gain more distance overall.
"They just fired a red flare," Riley panicked, "We gotta get moving before more Titans arrive."
Ryland shook his head, "Not until we stop the bleeding."
"If we stay we'll die," Riley argued back, her sense of fear finally getting to her as this was her first high stakes situation she had been in since joining the military.
Ryland growled annoyingly, "Trust the squad leader and the scouts."
Riley looked at Mia and the scouts with unsureness, she wanted to trust her fellow soldiers but a part of her told her that no one could be trusted. She wanted to believe that small group could protect them long enough to save the wounded scout's life, but she was also realistic as she knew that combating three Titans at once with a small team was extremely difficult. Ryland snapped his finger as he sent small droplets of blood through the air, "I need you with me. Every second you waste thinking about what's going around you is a life lost. I know as a soldier we must be aware of our surroundings, but as medics we must place our trust in the ones who promise to protect us and place our full attention upon the patient."
"You want me to put my life in their hands?" Riley was shocked, she didn't like the idea of leaving herself wide open for an attack. The idea left her nervous and unsettled, the realization that she could die simply due to the lack of skill by the soldier who was suppose to be guarding her.
Ryland nodded, "It's a tough thing to do. However, we don't have much of a choice."
Riley weakly nodded as she was still unsure of this all, "I'll do what I can."
"Good," Ryland grinned, "Now hand me some gauze and sealing powder!"
"Roger!" Riley barked out, taking in a deep breath so she could relax her nerves properly. Reaching into her medical pouch she quickly pulled out a roll of medical gauze and a small packet of a white powder like substance. The sealing powder was created by medical experts, a substance that when applied to a wounded area it would create a chemical reaction and clog up all open wounds and arteries. The powder was only a temporary solution as it would only hold for a few hours, usually only properly clogging the wound fully for one hour. This was used out in the field to stop bleeding, giving the medics time to transport the wounded to a safer location where other medical personal could properly clean and patch up the wound.
Ryland quickly signaled for Riley to add pressure to the wound. The young girl quickly pressed his fist onto the applied area, a technique which she preferred compared to Ryland's favored open palm technique. Ryland ripped open the packet with his mouth like a ravaged animal, spitting some powder residue from his mouth as he quickly poured the packet's powder onto the open wound. Riley winced as she could feel the fizzing of the powder, a feeling tickling and bothering her blood stained skin as she continued to apply pressure to the wound.
"Clear the wound," Ryland instructed her, the young female medic quickly removing her hand as she watched a single squirt of blood escape where her fist once was before it was covered up by the fizzing foam of the sealing powder. Ryland wasted no time and began to dress the wound with the medical gauze, Riley following his lead with checking the scout's vitals and determining that he was still breathing. His heart rate at decreased due to the pain killers they had given him, but beside that the young scout would survive the encounter with the Titan.
"The retrieval team is here!" Mia called out, as she launched through the air. The squad leader landing on a nearby rooftop, her eyes watching as the three other scouts did their best to lead the three Titans away from their location.
"Load him up! I don't wanna be here when those Titans arrive!" The medic in the cart called out, his hands pulling out a flare gun as he fired off the final orange flare. This one would signal towards the rest of the formation that the wounded soldier had been transported and that they could return to their normal speed as the medics who were aiding the wounded would no longer be stationary.
Ryland and Riley wasted no time as they quickly placed the wounded scout in the back of the cart, where a second medic was located prepared to stabilize the scout on their way back towards the rear. As fast as the cart had arrived, they were gone riding away from the town as fast as possible. Mia's whistling echoed throughout the town as the three other scouts quickly abounded their mission of leading the Titans away and began to return to their horses. Mia joined her two assistants on the ground, "Lets get on our horses and out of here!"
"Roger!" Riley responded loudly.
The three wasted no time calling their horses back to their position and lesser time mounting them up. Within ten seconds the three were riding off towards the northern part of the town, using the back streets to avoid the three wandering Titans they had spotted earlier. As they dipped through the streets of the ghost town Ryland couldn't help, but notice a grin on Riley's face, "You did a good job keeping calm earlier!"
Riley grinned back at him, "Don't mock me! I was a mess at first!"
"We're all a bit of a mess our first time around kid," Mia interrupted loudly, "All that matters is that you were able to get the job done in the end!"
Riley nodded with determination, as she had to admit that if it wasn't for Ryland's example she probably wouldn't of trusted the others to guard her while she worked on the wounded soldier. Simply seeing Ryland a man whose main goal was to stay alive so he could protect his brother, place his full trust in a group of soldiers he barely knew really helped her. She felt if he could place is trust in his fellow soldiers in such a way, then she had no excuse. It would take some time too get use too relaying on others to protect her, but she knew her job as a medic was to provide medical aid to the wounded.
This was her duty, she had to get use to it.
Ryland's eyes glared at his blood stained hands, a weak sigh of relief as he was glad that it hadn't been his brother's squad that he had to respond to. He felt guilty for being glad that the wounded soldier wasn't his brother, but at the same time he couldn't shake off the feeling of relief that his brother hadn't fallen pray to the Titans. However, he knew it was only a matter of time before he would see a purple flare emerge into the sky from the eastern sector of the formation where his brother was assigned. At that moment he was unsure if Mia would decide if they'd respond to the call or allow one of the medics already assigned to that sector take care of it, Ryland only hoped that regardless of her call that he would be able to keep his composure. He knew there were eyes on him seeing how he would react when his brother was put at risk, in reality even he was unsure how he would react. A few days earlier when his brother was threatened by the Military Police his body had instinctively taken action without him even giving it a second thought, however out here something like that could get him and Ethan killed.
Ryland knew he had to keep control of himself.
"Red smoke!" Mike called out, as he fired off a red flare himself and slowly began to change the course his squad was going in. Ever since the start of the expedition the squad had yet to run into a Titan, the trail of red flares helping the squad avoid most encounters. While most of the squad was glad of this, Ethan was slightly anxious to see a Titan for the first time. He had yet to see one before due to him being in training when the wall was breached, Ethan had heard stories from the veteran soldiers and even from Ryland himself. The way they described the Titans wasn't that frightening, but it was the look in their eyes when they told the stories that caused Ethan to feel uneasy.
"We've been having some good luck so far," Hanna sighed as she brought her horse closer towards Ethan's horse.
Ethan nodded in agreement, "I kinda wanna see one though and just get it over with."
Hanna cleared her throat, "I know how you feel. I've never seen a Titan before, so I'm a bit nervous when I see one if I'll freeze up."
"I don't wanna be a burden too the squad so if we could just get it out of our system I know we can be of better assistance too them," Ethan explained, as he truly feared the idea of his body freezing up and his mind going blank. He hated the idea of everyone seeing them as a bunch of rookies who didn't know better, he wanted to prove his worth towards the squad and show them that he could hold his weight. However, if he had never even seen a Titan before he knew that if his first encounter with one was at close quarters it could be his last.
Hanna took note of Oliver's silence as he rode a few meters ahead of them. His body was tense and he sat up straight on his horse, never looking back at them or away from the area before him. Hanna had to admit a silent Oliver was never a good thing, even if she found him absolutely annoying when he did speak. Hanna dug her heels into the side of her horse and quickly caught up with the blonde haired scout, "It's a bit nerve wracking out here even if we haven't seen a Titan yet."
Oliver simply nodded.
Hanna stuck out her lower lip a bit annoyed that he was blowing her off, "I'm curious how Sarah and Lawrence are doing at the head of the formation."
"I'm sure they're fine," Oliver responded casually with.
Hanna could feel a surge of annoyance burst through her mind, "I hope Riley is doing fine out there also."
"Yeah," Oliver yawned lowly.
Hanna was just about to blow up, when Mike cut the two off with a sudden announcement.
"We'll be passing by that tree line over there soon, I need a team too scout ahead and make sure there's no surprises waiting in the thick brush!" Mike called out, his voice echoing throughout the spread out squad.
"I'll do it, sir!" Oliver called out, eagerly raising his hand as Hanna was taken back by the sudden surge of emotion he just had. It was only a few seconds ago he was brushing her off like nothing and now he was eagerly volunteering to scout ahead.
"Alright, kid!" Mike grinned, as he nodded towards one of the more veteran scouts instructing them too tag along with Oliver. Mike knew this would a good opportunity for the young scout to gain some experience in scouting ahead. It would teach him what he needed to look out for when scouting out thick tree lines and what the best way of going about it was.
Oliver and the other scout rode out ahead, their horses unleashing powerful leaps forward as they passed by Mike and towards the tree line. Hanna annoyingly falling back beside Ethan, the two of them surprised by Oliver's sudden change of attitude. Hanna assumed he was just ignoring her and Ethan thought Oliver was just taking the opportunity to get a jump over Ethan while out in the field. However, the two hadn't noticed the nervous look on Oliver's face as he rode off towards the tree line. His hands tightly gripping the reins as he felt as if he was about to loose his breakfast.
"Keep an eye out for any type of movement and any sign of previous passage through the brush," The scout explained clearly as the two arrived a few meters from the tree line. Oliver nodded as he kept an eye out for any Titans hiding within the tree line and any broken branches as that would be a sign that a Titan had passed through the area at some point. His eyes scanned every inch of the tree line before him, only catching the gentle movement of the leaves as the wind blew through them. A weakened smile slowly forming on Oliver's face as the sight oddly calmed his soul, he became so lost at the sight that he hadn't noticed the pair of eyes that were now starring back at him through the tree line.
"Titan!" The other scout cried out, as he quickly made a break away from the tree line.
Oliver however didn't move, his heart sank and his mind went blank at the sight of the large eyes glaring back at him. His face turning a paler color than usual as he could feel the large eyes examining every inch of him, like a wolf preparing to pounce upon its next meal. The sound of his fellow scouts were like muffled voices in the distance, as within those seconds all he could hear was the wind and all he could see was his own reflection in the emerald green eyes of the murderous beast before him.
"Oliver move!" Ethan cried out, horrified at the sight as now Mike and the others could see the ten meter Titan begin to emerge from the top of the tree line.
The voice of his closest friend and rival was enough to snap Oliver out of his state of mind. The blonde haired scout pulling roughly on the reins as he his horse kicked its front hooves high into the air. Slamming his heels into the horse's sides he quickly made a mad dash away from the tree line, his split second decision just saving his life as the Titan slammed its open palm right where he once was. Oliver's heart rate increased as he could hear the Titan chasing after him on all fours, its unkempt brown hair flying through the wind as it extended his neck out several times in an attempt to bite into him. Oliver was able to make several sharp maneuvers, thus escaping near death at the powerful bite of the Titan. The scout who had gone out with Oliver desperately tried to flank the Titan from behind, but at the distance he was at he was unable to get close enough to hook his anchors into the beast.
"Lead it this way kid!" Mike shouted, knowing very well that a Titan running at that speed would be hard to outrun for long. Mike quickly turned his attention to the other three members of the squad, "We'll have to finish the Titan off as he brings it through this area."
"How?" Ethan asked, his hands beginning to shake at the idea of having to combat the first ever Titan he had encountered. Earlier he had been anxious to see one, but now he was praying that the veteran scouts would take care of it themselves.
"When the Titan gets close we'll grab its attention by launching ourselves over its head," Mike explained as he motioned towards himself and the other scout who was with them, "You two will launch your anchors into the ground just past its arms when its distracted. You'll swoop in and slice it at its wrist, since its running on all fours it should collapse forward and I'll finish it off."
"Uhh, sir with all due respect," Hanna interrupted him, "Wouldn't it be wise if we were the distractions."
Mike simply shook his head, "I can't have Ross the only one out there gaining some experience. Winters and Lagar, if you wanna save your friend you'll hit your marks."
Mike knew a situation like this was the best time to motivate his new troops.
He only hoped they were up too the challenge.
"Yes, sir!" Ethan forced himself.
Ethan felt as if time was slowing down, as he watched Oliver racing towards them with the Titan close on his tail. The scout he had been with earlier desperately trying to catch up with them, his eyes filled with anger as he realized his horse wasn't fast enough. Mike and the other scout gracefully rode past them, the two veterans not giving the plan of attack a second thought. Ethan gulped lowly as he could see Hanna was also physically shaken by all of this. Ethan knew if this were too be a successful take down they had to work as one, that meant they needed to be on the same page. Ethan threw her a look of determination, "When I say fire we both will launch our anchors towards the ground. When I say go we'll follow up by moving forward and slicing the wrist."
Hanna was taken back as Ethan was never one to take lead. He had always been the one who would only take the role of leader if he was forced by the higher ups to do so. Realizing the plan would end in failure if she was hesitant, Hanna responded with a firm nod and the two began to prepare themselves to go on the assault.
"Pick up the speed!" Mike roared angrily, as he realized at the speed Oliver was going at he would become Titan food.
Oliver's heart sank he could feel his horse slowly giving up, the animal huffing loudly as it must had hurt its leg during the sharp maneuvers from earlier. Oliver could feel the hot steamy breath of the Titan from behind, as his cloak blew upwards from it. A dark shadow swallowing him up as the sensation of heat suddenly hit the back of his neck. Oliver's wide blue eyes looked over his shoulder in horror, as he could see was the back of the Titan's throat. A blood curling scream filled the air as Hanna feared the worse, Mike cried out a warning as Oliver was practically in the Titan's mouth.
"Oliver!" Ethan cried out, his eyes tearing up at the sight.
This was it.
Oliver could feel death creeping up on him, his heart rate at its peak as he felt like it was about too burst through his chest. He awaited for the sound of the Titan's teeth chomping down on him, but it never came. As if all those years of training had suddenly kicked in, Oliver could feel his body moving by itself almost as if it was survival instinct. He felt his body drop to the horse's side, his feet unhooking themselves from the horse. His arm giving a powerful shove off the horse's side as he launched himself away from the horse. Just as he did this, he watched in horror as the Titan's teeth closed in on the horse. The horse's body being severed from its own legs, its former rider abandoning it at the last second. Oliver didn't have enough time to even realize that he had survuve, as his body slammed into the ground and he entered an endless tumble across the ground.
"Launch!" Mike called out, as along with the other scout he unleashed a powerful stream of gas and sent himself flying off his horse and into the air. The Titan was still racing forward, allowing Mike and the other scout to position themselves directly over the path it would be taking.
Ethan's eyes became wide as he realized this was his part of the plan, "F-fire!"
The two greenhorn scouts fired their anchors forward, both of them finding their target within the ground right behind the Titan's legs. Their eyes meeting as Hanna awaited for Ethan's next order, "Go!"
The two unleashed a stream of gas as they were lifted off their horses and sent flying forward. The Titan so occupied with the mouthful it currently had and the sudden appearance of two humans right above it, the titan had yet to notice the two greenhorn scouts who were currently flying right towards it. With both blades at hand the two positioned their bodies in a horizontal manner, their feet facing towards the Titan as the extended their blades outwards. Ethan and Hanna had both decided to use both blades, thus ensuring that they would completely cut through the Titan's wrist.
Just as planned both their blades sliced through the Titan's wrist. The large beast lost its frontal support and came crashing forward, its face slamming into the ground as its back legs continue to push forward. The force of the crash was enough to sent the Titan sliding forward, thus leaving its neck exposed and the Titan unable to even see any type of attack coming at it. Mike grinned at the success of the plan and hooked his anchors into the back of the Titan's neck and launched himself forward, his blades cutting through its neck like warm butter.
The attack was a success!
...
"Go link up with the relay team and get one of their spare horses!" Mike ordered, the scout who had gone forward with Oliver earlier. The scout nodding in response as he raced off towards the center flank. Mike turned his attention towards the rest of his squad, a satisfied grin on his face, "Congrats! The three of you just had your first assist."
Hanna and Ethan grinned ear-to-ear as they were still shaking violently from the recent event, but couldn't help feel a sense of pride.
"I didn't do anything," Oliver argued back.
Mike threw him an odd glare, "If I'm not correct you were the one who baited the Titan into our ambush. If it hadn't been for you, that plan would of never worked and we could of possibly lost more men trying to take it out another way."
Oliver looked down in shame, "I also was the one who dragged the Titan out from the woods."
Ethan quickly butted in, "If you hadn't, it would of just ambushed us later on as we were passing by!"
"He's right!" Hanna joined in, "Plus you never gave up when leading the Titan into the trap! Your riding skills were amazing!"
Oliver could feel a smile slowly form on his face as his eyes began to water up, "Thanks guys."
"I must say I'm a bit more confident in my new squad now that I've seen that we've got some real scouts with us!" Mike called out, as he nudged his fellow veteran squad member who shared a proud smile on his face also. At that moment Ethan felt as if he was no longer a burden upon the squad, Hanna felt a sense of pride grow within her chest, and Oliver for the first time since they left could feel at ease.