Attack On Titan: Left Behind
Chapter 2
-Year 845, the day of Survey Corps 29th Expedition beyond the Wall-
Alexandra Ritter looked at herself in the mirror, staring at her bright hazel eyes, and her evident dark eyelids caused by lacking of sufficient amount of sleep. Giving up with the attempt to make her panda eyes less noticeable, she continued to brush her hair and tied it up in ponytail. She sighed irritably, slowly put on the black belt on her chest, waist, armpit, and finally the legs, tightened each strap with buckles. Her hands were trembling when she attached the gear on her waist. This was the very first time she is going to use Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear again after graduating from the Trainee Squad, and worse still, to use it in the real combat against titans very soon. She wasn't sure whether she was ready or not, it's just too sudden for her…
She opened the wardrobe, took the Survey Corps jacket and wore it. Then, she stared at the folded green cloak on her bed, touching the emblem on its back carefully with her fingers. The famous insignia of dark blue and white feather looked so flashy compared to its green background.
"Freedom, huh? I wonder if such thing even exists…" she mumbled. "Or maybe it's just a fantasy."
She put on the oversize cloak, which made her looked smaller than her actual petite figure, then checked on herself again in the mirror. A wry smile twitched on her tiny lips.
"Well, I guess I'm done here…" she turned her heels toward the door.
Every steps felt like a chunk of iron tied on her ankles, heavy and painful, but she kept dragging her feet in steady steps as walked through the barrack corridor. She walked down the stairs, entering the empty main hall. Her mind jumbled all the uneasy thoughts that occupied her head for days, the same reason that kept her awake all night. She shook her head, trying to cast away all the doubts and worries, remembering why she even here in the first place.
Isn't this what you always wish for, Alex? What are you hesitating for?
"Alex!"
Turning her head at the direction of the voice, she saw her fellow cadets approached her.
"Guys, what are you doing here?" asked Alex.
"We will escort you before your departure," said Emory, smiling at her.
She frowned at him. "But don't you guys have training?"
"Training? You mean keeping this old castle clean and secure while all the veterans and you," Kenneth bitterly emphasized his tone of voice as he referring to her, "venturing outside the walls?"
"Wings of Freedom!" Gerard zestfully spread her cloak, gaping at the emblem. "Man, this is so freaking cool!"
"And all we got is this stupid crossed swords…" Kenneth grumbled, tapping the emblem on his chest with his finger while staring at the cloak.
"Doesn't it a little too oversize for you, Alex?" asked Sophie, noticing the end of the cloak almost reached her thighs.
"Uh huh. The new uniforms for Cadet are not finished yet, so Captain Levi lent me his spare cloak and jacket, his size was the closest one to mine," she outspread her arms, showing the sleeve of the jacket almost covered her fingers. "But still too big for me."
Remembering about the fighting incident, Alex thought Levi had some unfinished grudge against her after she accidentally tainting his inexpressive face with mud. Alex had prepared her mental stability for another fight when she knocked on Levi's office two days ago, wanting to return his handkerchief. And surprise, Levi already waited for her, asking if she wanted to use his uniform. He even came to her barrack and gave all the materials that she may need to know about the expedition. She was never expected such kindliness from him; someone who mercilessly assaulted her and threatened to kill her now acted so generous, even though his inscrutable countenance was still nowhere near friendly.
"I can't believe that clean freak midget let someone else to touch his property. He really favors you, doesn't he?" Kenneth flouted.
"Believe me, Kenneth, this is surprised me as well," said Alex, staring at her sleeve. "Like I said, he's not a bad person."
"Kenneth, we got it that you are jealous with Alex because she's the only cadet in this expedition, but try to not lashing out to her," Emory sharply forewarned Kenneth when he opened his mouth to argue. "Or picking a fight," he added quellingly, anticipating the boy's tendency to deal any strives with brawn.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kenneth grumbled again.
"Quit your bitching, dude. Your permanent awful mood is getting worse each day," Gerard complained. "This is her big day. Just for once in a while, be happy for her, can you?"
"Actually, he's not the only one who got jealous," said Sophie, smiling at Alex, but looked very bitter at the same time. "Seriously, Alex, I still don't get it why you are the only chosen one."
"I heard from Captain Levi that one of the higher ranks recommended me to join this expedition," said Alex.
"And who was it?" asked Kenneth curiously.
"It was, umm… I forget the name… But he's one of the most trusted man of Commander, the one who served as his right hand."
"Squad Leader Erwin Smith?" Sophie asked, flabbergasted.
Alex nodded. "Oh yeah, I think that's his name. Why?"
Sophie bit her lip, shaking her head slowly. "No, nothing. I just… Well, it's unusual for the higher ranks to notice new cadet. Do you know him before?"
"I don't think so… The first time I saw him was in inauguration. Is something bothering you, Sophie?" Alex pried, squinting her eyes in suspicion.
"No, it's nothing!" Sophie waved her hand. "Let's get going, guys! She can't be late for her expedition!" she held Alex by the hand as they walked to the front yard.
"Have any survival tricks that I can use?" asked Alex.
"You're too small. Titans may mishit you if you crouch down on the ground. You'll look microscopic to them," Kenneth deadpanned.
"Play cadaver trick, you know, lay down and don't move?" said Sophie
"Just fight them all like a warrior, Alex. Slice and dice," beamed Gerard.
"That's very helpful… Thanks guys," Alex gulped, getting more nervous.
"Have you checked your gear?" asked Emory.
"I have. Stop nagging me about it. You already asked me eighteen times since yesterday," said Alex tiredly.
"Alex, outside world is not the same with training ground. If your gear get busted, I won't be there to fix it for you," said Emory sternly, looking worriedly at her. "When you lose your mobility, it's a game over."
"They're good, and you've already taught me how to fix it," she gave the ebony-haired boy a smile, showing her appreciation. "Please don't worry about it."
"Here it is," said Gerard, pushing the big wooden door.
The main forces of Survey Corps was already on the front yard; loading the supply crates to the wagons, leading their horses to the front gate, checking the reserve equipments for battles, everyone seemed so ready to execute the mission. Alex straightened her posture, exhaling deeply.
"Everyone, I want to say something…" Alex faced her comrades and slightly bowed her head. "Thank you for everything you've done to me for the last couple years. It was so much fun. I really appreciate it. Words can't describe my gratitude—"
But Gerard smacked her back rather hard before she could finish; causing the tiny girl almost stumbled on the floor. "Cut the crap, Alex! Don't give us such a sappy speech before heading to titan land!" he said in rather agitated voice.
"It feels like…you're saying goodbye to us… Are you okay?" said Sophie.
"I'm…not sure how I feel exactly," Alex admitted in husky voice, clenching her sweaty palms.
"Are you scared? Wanting to withdraw from this? I'm more than happy and ready to replace you," said Kenneth, looking so hopeful.
"It's not about the expedition, it's just…" she uneasily twiddled her hair, glimpsing at the other soldiers. "It's a bit uncomfortable for me, you know, I don't even know these people…"
"Please don't get neurotic attack in times like this," Gerard ruffled her hair, trying to comfort her.
"This introverted sides of yours really need a therapy someday," Sophie pouted, clicking her tongue.
Alex felt her body was creating a huge wave of anxiety, overwhelming herself. "Yes, but… I'm just…very—"
"You have to trust these people," Emory convinced her, gently tapping her shoulder. "You are a great fighter, so are they. I'm sure you will come back alive if you cooperate with them."
"We'll see about that," she replied briskly. "Bye guys," she dragged her shaky legs toward the stables.
"Make sure you always have enough blades and gas!" Emory reminded her.
"Good luck Alex!" Sophie cheered and crossed her fingers.
"Try to not be trampled by titans! You know, being a dwarf is very risky!" Kenneth ridiculed surly.
"Oh, shut up Kenneth!" Gerard elbowed his ribs hard. "Kick some ass, Alex! Prove to this moron even a dwarf can beat gigantic titans!"
Alex looked back at them, chuckling and waving her hand. "They are such good people…"
See you later guys…or not.
Alex sprinted across the yard, fixing her eyes to the ground. Not because she looked for something on the ground, but because she couldn't stand to make eye contacts with so many curious stares piercing at her. Sweeping her boots between the bushy grasses, she could hear voices of people talking about her, some even pointing their fingers at her.
"Is that her?"
"The new cadet."
"She ranked first from trainee squad!"
"That little girl? Seriously?"
"Do you know she was fighting with Captain Levi?"
Murmurs and whispers were becoming louder and louder as Alex reached the stables. She broke through the swarm of soldiers, looking around. Finally, she felt the wave of anxiety faded a little when she saw her superior; he was giving his black stallion water near the well.
"Good morning, sir," Alex saluted.
"Hn," was Levi's only respond to her greeting. "That's your horse," he pointed.
Rushing to the pointed direction, Alex found a light brown stallion was tied at the far right stables. "Hi there," she gently patted the horse mane. It neighed, licking her hand. "I'm Alex. I hope we can be good friend in this journey," she let loose of the rein and pulled it.
When she rushed back to Levi, she noticed he was talking to the same soldier who stopped their life-and-death match.
"Cadet Alexandra Ritter?" came a voice from the tall, blonde soldier who was standing beside Levi.
"Yes, sir."
"I'm Erwin Smith. Leader of the 1st Squad and Second-in-Command of Survey Corps," he introduced himself, smiled warmly at her. "I'm sure Captain Levi already gave you a briefing about our expedition."
"Um… actually no, sir," Alex hesitantly glimpsed at the testy soldier behind him.
"Really?" Erwin looked surprise and turned to Levi — who looked back at him with his impassive stare — demanding explanation.
"Not verbally or directly, I mean. I received the files for our expedition two days ago. Captain Levi ordered me to read them, said that everything I needed to know was in the files," Alex elaborated immediately before Erwin could revile Levi on the spot.
"Alright then…" Erwin was still sparing a disappointed look to Levi before turned to Alex. "Would you mind to rehash what you have read? What is the main objective of this expedition?"
"Yes, sir. The mission is to secure the land on the Rotwand Hill, and build a permanent stronghold on the top of it, using an abandoned old fortress," Alex quickly rehashed. "We will commence operation at 8 o'clock, departing from Shiganshina District then moving straight to the south. Our first camp is Dieburg Fortress, located 90 kilometers in southeast of Wall Maria. According to the mission plan, we will reach Dieburg Fortress by afternoon, spend the night there, and resume our operation tomorrow."
The blond soldier nodded. "And the formation of our brigade? What is the main function of our special formation?"
"Our formation is to avoid combat with titan at any cost. The Long Distance Enemy Scouting Formation is a huge formation that every soldier divided into squads, spread out over the large area, and set apart at certain intervals, allowing us to maximize the visibility of the surroundings area and widening the detection range for titans…" she paused briefly, looking at Erwin with astonishment. "Actually, I personally think this formation is a brilliant idea," she added with enthusiastic tone.
Erwin's twitched his eyebrow, looking back at her in wonder. "Why do you think so?"
"We can not always able to fight every titan we encounter, right? That will be wasting too much time; moreover, to fight them in open area is quite difficult. If we can avoid them, we may increase the chances of survival and the success rate of the mission," she clarified, sounded very impressed. "With this formation, we can detect them in advance and disseminate the information to the other squads."
"That's correct," agreed Erwin. "How we relay message with the other squad?"
"We communicate with signal flares. Red for titan spotted, black for Deviant spotted or if any titan break into formation, green for changing course, purple for an emergency, blue for retreat order, and yellow means the mission has been terminated, be it successfully or failed." Alex finished her wordy explanation, catching her breath. "I guess that's all I read in the files, sir…"
Erwin stared at her with more amazement than he intended to show. "Someone's done her homework very well," he complimented, feeling very satisfied.
Alex smiled weakly at his praise. "Thank you, sir. I'm trying to do the best I can."
"Cadet Ritter, I'm looking forward for your cooperation in this expedition," said Erwin, reaching his hand to her.
"Yes, sir. I'm glad if I can contribute," said Alex, shaking his hand. "Um…sir. Thank you so much for the uniform," she said gingerly to Levi.
"Make sure you wash it before give it back to me," said Levi.
"Yes, sir. I will," said Alex. She pulled her horse rein again, leading it to the front gate.
"I thought you meant it when you said you would supervise her," said Erwin, sounded a bit displeased.
"I did mean it. She already knew everything from the reports, was there anything left for me to tell her? Stop worrying too much, Erwin. I know what I'm doing," said Levi indifferently, leading his horse away from stables.
"Rookie. Your squadmates," said Levi to Alex, pointing to bunch of soldiers who were looking at them. "Everyone, new cadet. New cadet, everyone," Levi carelessly introduced Alex to his underlings. "When you done with your chitchats, hop on to your horse and move," he commanded, mounting to his black stallion and riding it toward the gate.
Alex looked shyly to the soldiers, mumbling. "Umm… Good morning…"
"Good morning, Cadet. I'm Michael," said the soldier with blond hair, "this is Flora," a tall black-haired woman smiled warmly at her, "Josef," he pointed the tallest soldier in the group, "and Rudolf," the last soldier with black hair was looking at her without a blink. "Welcome to Levi's Squad. I'm Second-in-Command, by the way."
"I'm Alexandra Ritter," she said quietly.
"I heard you were fighting with Captain Levi, what was that all about?" asked Josef bluntly.
Alex shrugged. "I had no idea… He just came and ordered me to fight with him."
"Maybe he was gauging your skill," said Rudolf, observing her from head to toe. "You're the 1st rank graduate, right?" he cautiously asked, which got a nod of confirmation from Alex.
"I'm expecting someone more, like… You know, you are so tiny," scoffed Josef, eyeing her in disbelief.
"Yeah, a lot of people always say it to me…" said Alex, fiddling with her hair.
"Hey, enough with bullying her!" Flora reprimanded with an upset voice. "Captain Levi must had a reason for it, but just commanding that kind of order," she's looked very worried and amused at the same time, "I'm sure you're very afraid when he jumped at you with his fist aimed for your face."
"I was more than afraid, miss, I thought I almost got a heart attack," Alex muttered, mounting on her horse.
Riding her horse beside Levi, Alex steadily spurred her horse as Survey Corps departed from Heubach Castle, heading for Shiganshina District. Alex sensed many eyes were staring at her back, giving shivers to her spine. She glanced to Mike; a blond female soldier beside him was staring right at her. Alex quickly looked back at her horse mane when their eyes met. She inhaled and exhaled repeatedly in regular pattern, forcing herself to be calm.
Calm down, Alex. Just calm down. You will be fine. No one will hurt you here…
When they entered the inner gate of Wall Maria, the citizens of Shiganshina District were standing at the roadside, cheering loudly for them as if they had waited all morning for the parade to pass by.
"Look! The main regiment of Survey Corps is coming!"
"Commander Keith! We wish you good luck!"
"That's Captain Levi! Humanity's Strongest Soldier!"
"They say he's like an entire brigade to himself!"
"Captain Levi! Kick those titans' ass for me!"
Levi cursed under his breath, peering with irritation from the corner of his eyes to the masses of people screaming his name. "Someone please shut these goddamn noisy people up," he hissed.
"Just smile and wave to them, Levi. Smile and wave," chirped Hange — who rode her horse beside him — grinning gleefully at him. "I bet half of them are here just to see you."
"Tch. They are here to make my eardrums bleed," spat Levi rudely.
Levi was not the only one who was very annoyed with the bystanders; Alex shrunk on the horseback every time people looked at her, though they actually gazed at Levi who was next to her.
Arriving at the outer gate, the view of the huge Wall Maria was catching her attention. She looked up as the lever mechanism slowly lifted up the gate, rattling heavily.
"Forty five seconds before the gate open!" Commander Keith's jarring voice was snagging the air.
Alex held her breath, grasped her rein tighter; her eyes radiated wonder and anticipation. Suddenly, all her worries and doubts vanished from her mind. Her heart was pounding wildly until her chest hurt. The overwhelming anxiety transformed into the fervent passion, rushing through her arteries and veins.
This is it! The wish that you always yearn for, Alex. To go beyond the wall, and—
"Oi! What's that smirk about?"
Alex jerked on her saddle upon hearing the sharp exclamation. She turned to Levi, who was glaring at her with his cold gray eyes. "Oh, nothing, sir, it's just… I'm so thrilled I'll be able to go beyond the wall. It's like a dream come true for me!" she piped. "I'm curious about what's out there. I just can't wait!" she grinned widely like a Cheshire cat, barely suppressing her excitement.
"Out there? There are titans, of course. A hell lot of them," Levi stated tartly. "Don't get too carried away."
"Yes, sir! I-I'm sorry," her face blushed with embarrassment.
"Hey, Levi! Don't crush your man's enthusiasm like that!" Hange sputtered at him.
"We're here to work, not having a field trip," came the very cold reply.
"Jeez, you are no fun," she frowned then looked at Alex with wide smile. "Don't mind your Captain's grumpiness, he is not a very cheerful person to begin with. Just relax and enjoy the ride, Cadet. First time is always the best!" she croaked, gaping at the half-lifted gate.
"Why is it always the best?" Alex asked.
"You'll find out soon enough!" said Hange. "Prepare your heart and mind! The first time when you see those majestic creatures—"
"Enough with your nonsense, four eyes. It's almost time," Levi interrupted.
"Oh right. See ya later!" she rode her horse to the front line, next to Erwin.
"It's officially begun! The 29th Survey Corps Expedition beyond the wall!" Keith announced. "Scouts! Move out!"
The heavy sound of galloping horses reverberated when the soldiers were advancing forward. Alex was spurring her horse in the fastest way she could, catching a glimpse of tiny dot of light at the end of tunnel.
Finally.
The tiny dot of light became bigger and bigger. Her heartbeat quickened, like her chest could explode in any seconds.
The end of the tunnel seemed like took forever to be reached.
The outside world.
The dazzling light hit her retina, almost blinding her; but she resisted the stimulus to squint her eyes.
Then, she saw it. It was the most magnificent view she ever saw in her life.
Alex never knew that the land beyond the wall could be vast and unreachable. The immense blue sky with clouds rolling, the green forest lining up in the faraway, there were no walls to be seen. The endless horizon was spreading in every direction. She let go of the reins and stood on the stirrups, throwing her hands up to the sky like she was trying to reach it.
"Tch. Stupid rookie," Levi grumbled, leering at her. "Oi. I told you to not get too carried away."
She had been so enthralled by the magnificent scenery, causing massive euphoria circulating inside her body. Seemed to not hear her captain was speaking to her, she kept raising her hands up in the air — laughing freely as if she was possessed by something — staring at the blue sky without a blink.
"Oi! Rookie! Are you fucking deaf?" he snarled harshly.
Alex briskly snapped back to reality, looking so terrified to meet Levi's intimidating glare. "Oh! I'm so sorry, sir!" she sat back on her saddle with her face turned scarlet.
The rest soldiers of Levi's Squad were sniggering at her, very amused to see her antics and naivety.
"Listen up rookie. It's very understandable for you to be happy as fuck once you're outside the Walls. But don't let your guard down," Levi reproved. "You screw up, you die. Got it?"
"I got it, Captain," said Alex.
"You won't be so carefree when they show up," said Rudolf.
"Just wait until you see the titans. Watch out, Cadet, you may end up pissing on your pants," Josef sneered at her.
"If titans come, we just have to cut their napes, right?" said Alex.
The uneasy stares from her new squadmates were responding to her improper statement.
"What a big mouth you have there, rookie, for someone who never faced titans in her life," Levi chided.
"Being 1st rank graduate really boost your confidence, huh?" said Michael, giving her an antsy look. "Careful, Cadet, we may never know when they will pop up."
"That's…what the drill instructor in academy said…" Alex mumbled in faint voice that couldn't be heard by the others.
The battalion of Survey Corps moved forward to the southeast. Surrounded by dense forest at their left and right side, the only way possible to avoid titans at this rate was to keep moving as fast as possible. They would execute the famous Long Distance Enemy Scouting Formation once they got out from the woods into the wide-open terrain. They advanced, with very high level of vigilance embedded in every eyes of the soldiers. Then, out of nowhere…
"Titans approaching from the forest!" warned one of the soldiers on the verge of right flank.
With thudded footsteps that shook the ground like earthquake, the gigantic silhouettes slowly emerged between the towering trees.
"Team 1 and 2 from the 2nd Squad follow me!" Mike shouted loudly. "We will take them down before they get out!" Then he turned his direction to the forest, followed by many soldiers from the front guard.
Alex was fixing her eyes to the darkness of the forest, really hoping to see the titans, but she couldn't get a view because they main force keep advancing before the titans showed their selves.
"Captain Levi! Titans are coming our way!" Flora suddenly screeched, pointing to the woods on their left side.
"Tch. We're too close with them," Levi seized his handgrips from the holster. "Everyone! Prepare for combat!"
Levi's Squad went directly to the source of thunderous noise. Alex followed them; her curiosity senses were tingling in her head.
Subsequently, she was running out of breath as if every molecule of air was sucked out of her precincts, as her eyes captured the horrible sights of the monsters.
Three giants, human-like creatures with the size bigger than anything she ever saw, howling and flailing with their arms constantly when members of Levi's Squad attacking with 3DM Gear. Long limbs, wide palms, and weird-shaped head with vicious grin on their overstretched mouths were radiating threats and hostility. Alex thought they looked like creepy carnivorous people. Levi's Squad already killed two titans, continuing to butcher the last one.
Like there were invisible hands redirecting her body, Alex automatically rode her horse toward the titan, dismounting and staring with mouth agape.
"Alex! Run from there!" Flora's horrified shriek called out to her.
But Alex just stood with the large wide-eyed stare. It's not fear or anxiety that ran down through her body. It was a lightning of wonderment struck her on the head; a genuine feeling of perplexity paralyzed every fiber of her muscles.
Are they for real? What are these things? How could they become so gigantic? And those bodies…so disproportioned but they still manage to stand? Why do they resemble human?
And many, many more questions exploded relentlessly in her head. She was so lost in her thought, putting on her thinking cap without realizing another titan from forest was already running to her. Startled by the sudden aggression, she dodged the gigantic hand slap by few inches, jumping and rolling on the ground.
Just before the titan crushed her to the hard ground, Levi flew from the sky, maneuvering in downward slice straight to the nape, killing it in instant. The titan carcass fell before her and Levi landed on its head smoothly. He stared at her; a very dark and vindictive glare lingered in his gray eyes.
"Captain… Levi…?" Alex was staring back at the enraged man intently.
"Oi, rookie! Do you want to kill yourself?" Levi snarled at her, extremely pissed off with the fact that she just froze helplessly like a rock. He grabbed her collar roughly and lifted her off the ground. "You fucking useless brat! The next time you see titans, fight! Or run your ass off if you are too afraid to face them! Understand?" he yelled in her face.
"Y-yes, sir, I-I-I got it!" she stuttered.
"Best cadet my ass!" he shoved her to the ground. "Now get back to your horse!"
Alex stood up quickly and dashed to her horse though her eyes didn't shift from Levi.
He… Impossible. Could he be…?
"Alex! Are you okay?" Flora rushed to her.
"I'm okay, miss," said Alex, still staring at Levi
"No matter what ranks, amateur is still amateur," said Josef in clear mocking tone.
Alex ignored the snide comment as she climbing on her horse and riding it, regrouping with the main force.
"Tch. I still don't get it why Erwin insisted a useless greenhorn like you to tag along!" spat Levi in frustration, glaring at Alex.
"I'm sorry, sir! That won't happen again… I promise," she assured, sounded very determined.
"Don't make a promise you can keep!" Levi growled. "Keep riding on your horse until we pass this forest and execute the formation!"
Alex nodded. "I got it, sir!"
Not long after that, two titans were striding right to Levi's Squad.
"We're going to take them down!" Levi commanded, drawing his blades then looking at Alex. "Rookie! You know what to do!"
"Yes, sir!" Alex croaked.
She kept marching forward while Levi's Squad was fighting the titans behind. She saw a seventeen meters class titan appeared from the dense forest few meters ahead her. A soldier tried to attack it; but the titan grabbed his wire, crushing him with its palm then swallowing him. Blood dripped from its mouth and palm. Alex felt her stomach twisting in disgust to see such a violent way to die.
Ugh… That's very brutal…
Another soldier tried to attack the titan's nape, but he's too slow. The titan tilted its head and bit him with a very disturbing cracking sound, splitting his body in half. Afterwards, the titan ran to the convoy with feet stomping louder than thunder.
"No! Don't do it!" Alex yelled when another squad charged to halt the monster. "Oh no, they are gonna die!"
And her premonition was accurate. The entire squad members were annihilated in matter of minutes, because this titan seemed to understand their movements of attacks. It grabbed the last helpless soldier in its firm grip and Alex thought that his backbone just broke by the crushing force because his upper body was bending backward in odd way.
Are they mindless? Charging a reckless attack like that…
Another squad marched to the titan, trying to take it down before it could penetrate deeper to the formation.
She spurred her horse toward the titan with great speed. "No! Stop it! Don't attack directly from the front! Aim from its blind spot!" she exasperatedly forewarned.
In amidst heat of battle, no one would hear and heed warnings from a mere cadet like her. Alex groaned in upset to witness another soldier was trapped in titan's clutch; she really fed up with how the soldiers fighting without proper coordination and plan.
"I can't stand this…" she quickly pulled the rein hard, stopping her horse and dismounting. "Go somewhere place safe, okay? I don't want you to get killed," she patted gently the horse's head.
Her horse neighed as if it understood her words then ran off.
Alex pulled out her blades and sprinted toward the titan that about to devour the soldier. She launched the anchors, targeting for its wrist then reeling the wire in speedily. She aimed for its fingers, cutting them all off in accurate depth without hurting the soldier. Alex was relieved to glimpse the soldier landed to ground, still alive and breathing. Then, she focused her attention to the monstrous being.
It has to be the nape, huh? That's troublesome.
Firing the hooks at its nape, Alex swung in the air with her blades drawn. The titans abruptly ran again to the core of battalion, heading straight to the carriages. Its sudden motion made Alex missed the target; she slashed the shoulder blades instead of its nape, causing her blades broken to pieces.
No. Not the supply carts.
Reloading her blades straightway, Alex gritted her teeth in panic when she noticed titan's arms flailing uncontrollably; she almost got squashed in the armpit if she didn't released the anchors in time. The titan was getting closer to the main force. Killing it was not an option because she couldn't reach the nape without being crushed in pieces.
I need to make it stop.
Swirling in the midair, she fired the hooks at its waist while racking her brain to find effective methods to stop the Deviant before it could cause fatal damage to the formation. Alex was whirling around the titan in desperate attempt to draw its attention her: cutting the legs, arms, midriff, buttocks, inner thighs, shoulder, and any parts of its body which she could strike until her blades became dull. At the very last, the titan seemed so annoyed by her, almost smacking her between its palms. The titan roared, swinging its hand powerfully. Alex landed to the ground to evade. She almost crashed into a carriage, but quickly stood on her feet.
"I'm really gonna kill you," she hissed, reloading her blades again and running toward the titan without hesitation.
As the big palm swiped the ground, she jumped and shot her hooks right to its glabella. She reeled the wire, facing the titan then thrusting her blades right in the both eyes. The titan blood covered her hands up to her elbow.
"Be a good boy and calm down a bit, will you?" Alex stuck her blades in its eyes, then jumping down to dodge a hard smack.
Concentrating on making next move, she reloaded her last pair of blade while soaring in the air. She realized the titan was howling in horrendous voice, clearly in agony, sticking its hand to its face. All the violent movements had stopped, creating a golden opportunity for Alex to assail.
The nape is wide open!
Not wasting another seconds, she adjusted the muzzles direction to the nape and fired; the anchors pierced to the thick skin.
Now it's my chance!
Alex finger was pressing the reeling knob very hard as she flew closer to the quarry. She slashed its nape with one blow, a lethal upward slice delivered in lightning speed. The seventeen meters class deviant type slowly fell down. She embedded herself at the nape then realized another titan was chasing the supply carts nearby.
"Oh please, not you too," she grunted, leaping down quickly to slaughter the next prey.
She fired the hooks to the five meters class titan and swung herself swiftly toward its nape, cutting the chunk of meat easily. The titan collapsed to the ground. She landed gracefully next to it, perfectly safe and sound.
Her first fight against titans was a facile victory.
Panting in relieved, Alex released her dull blades; the broken steel fell with clanking noise. "Well, that's easier than I—" she was stunned to see the sticky titan blood on her hands evaporated. "What the? It's evaporating? What on earth…?" she turned around to see the titans carcass behind her slowly producing white steam.
Disconcerted, she was mussing her head for any logical explanations, when something wet and sticky splattered on her cheek.
"My horse!" she screamed in surprise to see the light brown stallion licking her. "You come back for me? What a good boy!"
"Oi! Rookie!"
Alex trembled to hear the familiar hoarse voice. Behind her, Levi was leading his squad back to the main force, staring fiercely at her with a mixed expression of suspicion and confusion.
"Oh, Captain Levi! I'm sorry, sir! I just can't stand to let the others fight—"
"Explanation later. Keep moving," Levi commanded briskly. "We're about to deploy formation."
"Yes, sir!" Alex hopped on her horse and followed her captain.
Alex felt many profound stares were drilling right at her. Many eyes — wary, scared, awe, bewildered — were following her as she passed through the soldiers. She pulled her hood to cover her face, gulping and sweating bullets.
That was the moment when every soldier realized that the petite cadet was no ordinary soldier.
"Your judgment is never wrong, Erwin. Never in my highest expectation, I'd imagine she could fight like that," said Keith, with much admiration flowing in his tone of voice, smiling brightly.
"Thank you, Commander," said Erwin confidently. His icy blue eyes were glowing at her. "That Cadet is a great asset."
~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~
Nearly before the nighttime fell, the main forces of Survey Corps arrived at the designated point: Dieburg Fortress, or rather, an old ruin, which was more suited to be a haunted castle than a temporary base camp.
"We are staying here for tonight!" Commander Keith commanded out loud to his subordinates. "All division, disperse and store the logistics!"
Alex hopped off of her horse, patting its head tenderly. "Thank you for today, partner. You did an amazing job."
The horse licked her face in return, which made Alex giggled. She walked her horse to the stables, giving it water and hay to chew. Behind her, the rest soldiers of Levi's Squad were glancing at her in anticipation. None of them had talked to her since she excellently slaughtering the Deviants, much to her dismay.
Levi stood next to her, tying his horse rein to the peg and staring at her with unreadable expression.
"Sir, what should I do with this?" she asked him, showing her empty scabbard.
"Ask for replenishment from the weaponry division," said Levi.
Alex nodded. She hurriedly left the stables, wandering around in the fortress for quite long time. Finally, she found a group of soldiers were unloaded crates filled with spare blades and cylinders.
"Excuse me. I need to refill my gas and blades," said Alex.
"Your name and position?" the soldier asked her.
"Cadet Alexandra Ritter, from Captain Levi Squad."
The soldiers in that room suddenly turned their heads at her. Alex nervously looked back at them, quickly handing over her gear, mumbling a soft, "Thanks," and then scampering out of the room. She was running through the hordes of silently staring soldiers, after she went to supplies division to get the field provisions for dinner, heading to the main hall.
Glimpsing to find familiar faces in the main hall, she noticed her squadmates were sitting at far opposite direction from her. Rejecting the idea to eat with them, Alex cowered alone at the corner. She was nibbling hastily on her dinner — a block-shaped reddish-black clumps with an indescribable smell — when a female soldier approached her.
"You are the new cadet, right?" she asked.
Alex looked up to her guardedly, slightly nodding.
"My name is Nanaba," she reached out for a handshake, smiling at her.
"I'm Alex. Alexandra Ritter," Alex shook her hand.
"Do you mind if I sit down with you?"
"No. Please," said Alex, as Nanaba sat next to her. "Anything I can help you, miss?" she asked politely.
"Alex, I want to thank you."
"For…what?"
"For helping my squad… When we were attacked by a deviant in the forest," said Nanaba weakly.
"Oh! You are," Alex clapped her forehead, remembering the incident, "the one who was grabbed by the titan?"
"Yes. Thank you, Alex. If it was not because of you, I'm dead right now…" she said earnestly, giving a grateful smile. "You saved my life."
"I'm glad if I could help," said Alex humbly.
"It was very… I still could feel it… The hand, around my body…" she whispered shakily. "Years of serving in Survey Corps and I almost died because of a stupid mistake… I shouldn't have attacked it like that."
"You shouldn't have attacked it directly from the front," Alex agreed. "Good thing, your squadmates backed you up and distracted the titan, giving enough time for me to slash the fingers."
"I also owe my life to them, but… How could you cut as precise as it?" said Nanaba curiously. "I was so shocked when you charged right at me with your blades up. I thought you would cut me through."
"I'd been watching how Captain Levi's Squad fought and—" Alex began to explain, when a brunette soldier hurtled like lightning through the hall, catching everyone's attention.
"Ah! That's the girl I'm looking for!"
A loud female voice echoed in the hall, coming from that brunette soldier who was pointing her finger to where Alex and Nanaba sat. Grinning widely, Hange rushed to them, clearly not paying any respects the petite soldier's personal space as she quickly flung herself so close next to her.
Alex flinched when Hange's excited face was only ten centimeters away from her face. "Eh… D-d-do you need something with m-me, S-squad Leader?" she stammered.
"I saw it! That very critical moment! When you brought down two Deviants by yourself!" said Hange, goggling at her.
Alex looked back at Hange with her wary eyes, still didn't get why Hange was so thrilled by it. "Umm… And?"
"And that was sooo amazing!" Hange adjusted her glasses, still beaming at her. "Say, Alex, what is your secret? I've joined Survey Corps for a long time but never saw anyone handle 3DM Gear like you," she excitedly pried.
"Oh…" Alex blinked repeatedly, her forehead crinkled in confusion. "Was it really that great?"
Hange was gawking at her. "Great? Are you kidding? That was the most daring maneuver I ever saw! Stupendous, I must say!" she squawked.
"It's very hard to engage battle on open terrain, but you did it, effortlessly, on your very first expedition, against Deviants. That was really something," Nanaba explained to Alex, looking at the still very confused expression on her dainty face.
"If I were you, I probably wet my pants and cried on the horseback, hoping somebody would save the day for me," said Hange.
"Ma'am, you're praising me too much…" said Alex, averting her eyes from them, twiddling her thumbs.
"I meant it! You made veterans, like us, looked like amateurs," Hange reassured, "you charged directly into the battle just like that, you really got the guts!"
"The way you moved swiftly in the air, between the grasp of titan, then suddenly attacked precisely at its napes," Nanaba clarified, recalling the moment when the little girl was flying around to distract the Deviant. "That's remarkable."
"I think you literally danced in the sky," Hange added. "It's very entertaining to watch."
The hazel-eyed girl smiled sheepishly, feeling butterflies in her stomach just danced because of receiving such flattery. "Thank you for saying so," she said gratefully.
"So, what is your secret?" Hange pried again, looking extremely desirous to know. "C'mon! Don't be shy! Maybe you can teach it to the rest of us!"
"Umm… Secret? To be honest I don't have any special tricks on my sleeve. When I use the gear I just...feel it," said Alex, feeling a little bit unsure how to explain to her. "I just know what I should do, where I have to shift my weight, when I must reel the wire in… Something like that…"
"Is there something more practical? A certain technique, perhaps?" Hange insisted.
"I'm sorry, I don't think there is anything I can share. I basically rely on my instinct, I intuited to do my next move," said Alex plainly, "and doing a lot of thinking."
"Well, how about some tips for fighting titans?" Nanaba inquired.
"Tips… Hmm… Try to move as fast as you possibly can. They're big and strong, but their attacks will mean nothing if they can't hit you," she looked embarrassed when the two soldiers giggled at her answer. "That's not too helpful, I guess…"
"That's a conventional textbook theory, but not everyone can apply it in practice," said Nanaba. "I saw you and Levi fighting the other day. Your agility is astounding, that really helped you a lot in fighting titans, right? How could you be that fast?"
"Well, it's probably because of my weight. I'm small and light. I'm not built up with muscles. It's easier to move something with less mass, right?" said Alex. "We have an advantage to know titan's weak spot. The problem is, how to reach their nape before they smack us, which is why velocity and accuracy are vital."
Hange clicked her tongue. "My assumption was wrong. Despite your very cute and child-like appearance, you are really a capable soldier. First rank graduate really suited you," she complimented with awe.
Alex pouted, shaking her head slowly. "I think you are wrong, ma'am. That fight… That was very reckless of me."
"Reckless? You slaughtered the titans without a single injury," Nanaba reminded.
"And used all my blades. Because it's open terrain, there was no possible way to save the gas, but I should have adjusted the angle of my blades better when attacking them. Normally, the blades get dull after six to ten slices, but I used all my blades to kill two titans… I just got lucky. I will do better in the future," she said almost in an apologetic manner.
"I think it can't be helped. The titans skin usually so thick. You can't randomly slice it multiple times and hoping your blades won't get dull soon enough," said Nanaba.
"Really? That's news to me!" said Alex with vague tone of excitement. "The only thing I know about them is to slice the flesh at the nape. But never in my life, I saw something so gigantic!"
"You understand it, right? The wonderstruck feeling when you saw them for the first time? The tremendous rush of adrenaline flooded in your head? It was so paralyzing! Right, Alex?" Hange squealed.
"Yes, I was so stunned… They are really…mysterious and weird. Now I regretted that I always skipped class lecture in academy. I wish I could know more about them," said Alex.
Hange's ears twitched at her last words. "Say, Alex… Are you very interested in those glorious creatures?" she throatily asked her.
Gasping to see the legendary sparkles on Hange's eyes, Nanaba grabbed Alex's shoulder in panic. "Alex, stop it! Don't say anything more!" she warned frantically, but it was too late.
Alex already looked at Hange with an intense curiosity blazing in her eyes. "Yes. Do you know a lot about them, Squad Leader?"
The brunette soldier snorted with pride. "From alpha to omega, Alex. Which part do you want to know?"
"All of it!" beamed Alex.
"Oh no… Not this again." Nanaba groaned in regrets, thinking why she even brought the talk about titans up in the first place.
With her typical maniacal grin, Hange prodded her glasses to her nose bridge and sat closer to Alex. "Fine, then. Let me narrate you a quick story about them."
~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~
Erwin Smith was a very calculating man. Calm and collected, a strategist who always strive for victory even in most unfortunate condition, an ambitious overachiever who never let a single obstacle get in his way, a cunning politician and instigator who predicted his opponent's movements few steps ahead. To put it bluntly, Erwin Smith was an uncanny combination of kindest angel and malicious devil.
An angel, because his undying devotion to humanity was coming from his sincerity to make humans stood at the top of the food chain again as the dominant species.
A devil, because his ruthlessness knew no boundaries, to an unfathomable extreme like sacrificing everything necessary to gain his objective, literally everything, even human lives.
There's a thing that made is more eerie; he always acted so levelheaded and indifferent, wearing a perfect poker-face mask while making a tactical plan that he knew would annihilate many lives of his comrades.
But at this rate, even a heartless man like him could hardly hide his elation from his face.
He sat alone on the chair in his room, staring at the chessboard on the table in front of him, smirking triumphantly. The chess pieces were scattered on the white and black board.
He never felt so excited like this, not since the day when he witnessing Levi brilliantly manage to outrun Military Police with 3DM Gear in the Underground.
Today, he felt like some of his wildest dreams had come to life.
The petite cadet's convincing performance had him salivating over her. Not as brilliant as Levi — no one close to his caliber as soldier — but her aptitude in battle skill exceedingly surpassed even a veteran soldier. She was a nascent fighter, exactly like what he had anticipated.
Like people always said, Erwin Smith never made a mistake with his judgment.
He picked the chess piece — a black rook — placing it two squares beside the black knight. The two pieces were in a perfect position to take down the white king.
"This is going to be so interesting," he mused.
Loud knocks came on his door. Before he could answer, Levi already barged into his room, folding his arms and striking a cold stare at him.
"It's almost eight," Levi said with so much exasperation.
"I'm almost ready," said Erwin, getting up from his chair and picking papers from his bag.
Levi leaned his back to the brick wall as he waited for Erwin to get ready; his eyes were looking at the unfinished chess game.
"Can you stop dragging me to meeting? I hate it," said Levi.
"Considering you are now already held a special rank, even had a squad, it will be better to contribute more with the mission plan," said Erwin, putting the documents inside an envelope.
"You are the one who instigated Keith to give me rank and squad. I never requested for that," Levi retorted.
"Learn to work with other people, Levi, you may need it in the future," said Erwin reassuringly.
"I work so well with you. Only you," he emphasized, looked somewhat pissed off.
Erwin turned to him, staring with concern look. "Trusting others never come easy to you, huh?"
"I trust you," said Levi, shifting his eyes from the table, looking at Erwin's.
"Trust your comrades," said Erwin, sounded almost imploring.
Levi raised an eyebrow. "Is that an order?"
"I will be more grateful if you can do it from your own will," said Erwin, walking out of the room.
Levi groaned, shuffling his feet unwillingly to follow him to a small room on the first floor, where some high rank soldiers and head division were already gathered. Levi quickly took a seat beside Erwin, wondering how long this boring meeting would last.
"Moblit, where is Hange?" asked Erwin, looking around the room to find the spectacled woman.
"Squad Leader said she had something really important to do. I'm here to represent her," Moblit explained, preparing a stack of thick document on the table.
"By important, you don't mean she is wandering into the forest, trying to catch a titan as we speak, right?" said Levi. "But I won't be surprised if we will find her body among titans' shit tomorrow somewhere along the way."
Moblit was petrified by Levi's rude comments. "I don't think that is possible… She will take me with her if she wants to observe titans."
"Have you checked the stables? Her horse is still there?" said Erwin.
"The last time I checked was…the moment we got here," said Moblit. A tone of worry crept in his voice.
"Forget the horse. She maybe just flew right to the wilderness with her gear," Mike chimed in.
All the colors on Moblit's face were gone as he dropped the papers on the floor in dread.
"I gotta find her!" he stood up at once until his chair fell to the floor, hurrying to the door and bumping his head hard with Nanaba who just walked in.
"Ouch! Moblit! Watch where you're going!" Nanaba sputtered, rubbing her forehead.
"I'm sorry, Nana! I'm in hurry!" said Moblit frantically.
"If you're looking for Hange, just relax. She's still in one piece," said Nanaba, patting his shoulder to calm him down. "Get back to your chair. The meeting is almost started."
"R-really?" said Moblit, sounded very relieved.
"Trust me, she's fine," said Nanaba, taking a seat between Levi and Mike. "But don't bother ask me about what she's doing right now. You don't want to know."
"I don't even care," said Levi coolly.
"Are you okay?" Mike asked her.
"It's just a bump," said Nanaba even though her forehead was still red.
"It was a seventeen meters Deviant gripped you in the hand," said Mike, alluding to the dangerous moment. "Are you okay?"
"Perfectly healthy. It's all thanks to her, I'm still alive," said Nanaba calmly.
"I left the squad, and the next thing happened, you almost died," he uttered.
"Are you saying I'm not capable to fight by myself?" she blurted out.
"I'm saying, you always do rash thing when I'm not around," Mike reminded, a little sharply.
Erwin cleared his throat, looking to Nanaba and Mike. "I know you're worried about your girlfriend, Mike, but we're gonna start the meeting," he glanced to Keith, who just came in and closed the door.
"Shut up, Erwin. I'm not his girlfriend," said Nanaba briskly, sounded irritated.
Levi chanted all the curses he knew like prayers inside his head through the whole meeting, hoping all the people would talk faster so it would end soon, but that hope seemed too far to come. The discussion about mission plan took more than an hour. Everyone was sitting on the edge of their chair, very tensed up, glancing warily back and forth to Keith and Erwin, as the two men keep insisting on commencing mission with two very different methods.
"Erwin, I'm taking the safer approach here," said Keith stiffly. "It's a forest, your scouting formation will be useless, and avoidance is not an option. If we have to engage them in battle no matter what, I want it to be less dangerous."
"We know that Deviants tend to act differently from the usual habits, but it will not make them less dangerous," said Erwin.
"That's the point. They're dangerous; it will be better if we stay away from them. Taking the far route in the western forest is our best course of action," said Keith, getting more impatient.
"Even so, we still need some squads to act as decoy and lure them away, buy enough time for the rest of main force to keep advancing," said Erwin, unfazed with Keith's daunting glare.
"I'm not gonna sacrifice my men if there's still another way to keep them alive," Keith insisted, very adamant.
Erwin sighed wearily then turned his head to Moblit. "Moblit, any information of Deviants in the eastern forest?"
"Yes. In the last expedition, Squad Leader Hange's observation revealed that the Deviants activities were very high in the eastern forest, and it was too dangerous to get a closer look," Moblit read his reports, flipping the papers rapidly. "We have no valid information regarding the eastern forest topography, and most of them is still considered as unknown territory. She took a note that the western part is more reliable to be used as the path to reach Rotwand Hill. So, she recommended that we should heading to southwest."
"Thank you, Moblit. So, we can infer that most of the eastern forest is not accessible," Erwin faced Keith, recollecting all the realistic possibilities. "But taking the southwest route will taking too much time. We can advance straight to the south while the decoy squads assist us with distracting the Deviants. Besides, roaming too long in the forest is very risky."
"Yes, I get that. We will reach the hill in no time, then what about the decoy squads? Seriously, Erwin, what are their odds? We're not gonna leave them behind just like that," Keith now sounded so agitated.
"Commander, there is no gambles without risks," Erwin stated with serious tone.
Puzzled, Keith leaned forward from his chair and glared at Erwin. "Do you want to kill half of your comrades and my underlings?" he asked with shaky voice of anger.
"No, I just want Survey Corps manage to build permanent stronghold on Rotwand Hill," Erwin replied casually.
Someone standing outside the small meeting room might well have thought some sort of arson had taken place inside. The heated argument between two most influential members of Survey Corps was burning the atmosphere with tension and angst. Keith looked tremendously infuriated like he was going to break something while Erwin still looked as cool as cucumber.
"What if titans get bored of lazing around the eastern forest and decide to throw a surprise welcome party for us? We will be doomed if that happen," Levi interjected abruptly, tilting his head to Keith. "Are you even listening to him? Erwin just wanted the mission get done, but you keep getting in the way by being too sentimental over the inevitable."
"Levi!" exclaimed Erwin sharply, giving the raven-haired man a stern look, which got a very angry "Tch," reply from him.
"I'm okay with taking the southwest route. But, with all due respects, Commander, my concern is here," Erwin spread a map on the table, tapping at the blue line among the green color. "There are thirty-meter deep gorge with active river in the western forest, just few meters near the accessible path. If the titans from the east somehow advance to the west, then we will be cornered between the precipice and the titans. We have to keep them away from western forest, by all means," he paused briefly, glancing to everyone in the room before looking at Keith, "that's why we need decoy squads to be the bait."
"We've lost twenty men just to make it this far…" Keith whispered. "Are you suggesting that decoy squads have to go for suicide mission?" he asked. His voice was no longer in fury, more like very hopeless.
"Yes. Their sacrifices will make our mission successful," said Erwin confidently; his demeanor was still as cool as cucumber.
Keith was giving a very concern stare before shaking his head. "Your plan is rejected," he said firmly, didn't sound very tolerant anymore.
With his unmoved calm expression, Erwin eventually nodded in submission. "Understood, Commander," he answered weakly.
And with that, the meeting finally over and everyone left the room, heading to their sleeping quarters to rest.
"You're okay with that? Keith was way too worried to make an objective decision," said Levi blatantly, after everyone had left, so there were only the two of them in the corridor.
"I'm the strategist, he's the Commander. Enough said," Erwin replied sharply. "I can submit all the ideas I have but he's the one who give permission."
"But you don't think this is going to work," Levi accused.
"It may be, it may be not," said Erwin uneasily. "The odds of failure is higher comparing to my plan's, but we have no choice here."
They walked in silent, only the sounds of their footsteps were heard.
"Say, Erwin," said Levi, after a long pause, "what do you value in people?"
"Sorry?"
"Are you evaluating and appreciating people only based on how useful they are for you?" said Levi. "If she's not that great, you won't give her a second look, right?
"Are you talking about Cadet Ritter?" asked Erwin.
Levi stared at him, somewhat disturbed. "Who is the rook? I never saw you play chess with black rook."
"That's very obvious," said Erwin lightly. "Seeing how she fought today, I'm promoting her from pawn to rook."
"That's escalated quickly, for an amateur," Levi criticized coldly.
"She took down two Deviants easily in open terrain," said Erwin, in a tone of faint excitement.
"I have to admit she has guts and skills, but an idiot. She almost got herself killed, by freezing foolishly on the ground," said Levi, his tone was noncommittal.
"It's a common reaction for the first time encountering titans. Thank Goodness, you were there to save the day," said Erwin.
"Hmph. Of course, that's what a babysitter do, right?" said Levi mockingly.
Their footsteps echoed in the dim, empty corridor. When they're about to walk on the half-crumbled stairs, Levi stopped at the intersection. He narrowed his eyes, looking at the bright light of many lit torches from the main hall, and hearing a familiar voice of someone screeching gibberish.
"Someone still stay up this late…" said Erwin, also noticing the odd occurrence.
The two soldiers turned to the right at the intersection, heading to the main hall then frowning with what they saw there.
The big hall was almost empty. Almost, because there were two people sat at the bleak corner of the hall. Hange jabbered unstoppably to her only one listener; the auburn-haired cadet sat in front of her with eyes bulging like a coin, scrutinizing her speech with rapture.
"—but I shit you not. Guess what the contradiction here, Alex? They don't even have anus!" Hange announced jovially.
The little girl scratched her temple as she attempted to mull over the weird fact. "Okay… So, where do the corpses end up?"
"They throw them up! Like a cat throw up a fur ball! Or you can say a giant sticky human ball covered in viscous saliva, with thick slime and high temperature, plus stench of rotting flesh," said Hange, describing the revolting condition with too many gross details.
Alex winced and stuck out her tongue in spontaneous impulse after visualizing the nasty process. "Ugh… That's disgusting…"
"Very disgusting, indeed. But the interesting part is they lack of any kind of digestive organs. They don't even have small bowel or colon. Only a big stomach for temporary storing the corpses, but lack of producing gastric juice and enzymes, more importantly—"
"Wait, wait, Squad Leader. Give me a moment to process these information," Alex raised her hands, halting the maniac woman from jabbering further. "So they're monstrous giants that exist for a century, hunting down people… Why do they eat humans? They haven't been in human territory for a long time, which means they don't eat anything in the meantime, right? How could they survive after all this time?"
The brunette woman ruffled her messy hair, thinking hard. "That's the biggest mystery of universe. I can't comprehend what kind of possible explanation for their bizarre behavior, anatomy and physiology. Though I have some hunches but I don't have any proofs to support them," she asserted with uncertainty.
"Hunches like what?"
"Maybe, just maybe they eat something, like fruits, perhaps, but my best bet is they may eat animals for meat. Like beasts, like lions, for example, they don't usually hunt for humans, but once they do, they will keep feeding off of people because their flesh is tastier than any other animals. I'm trying to put some analogy like that to titans. I mean, we can't always watch them in their daily activities," Hange expounded.
"Hmm… So, there's a possibility they eat something else when humans are not around, is that what you're trying to say?" Alex queried, scratching her temples again.
"Of course! Just because we never see that phenomenon, doesn't mean it can't happen, right?" Hange affirmed her hypothesize. "From where do you think they get energy to function? Their mysterious metabolism is contradicting every physics law of conservation of energy. If only I can keep them under surveillance for twenty four hours, or maybe commence special expedition to learn more about their deportment in natural habitat, that will be so, so, amazing!" Hange roared with maniacal laughter that sounded a bit terrifying.
Alex nodded her head repeatedly. "That actually makes sense… But is it possible to be done?"
Hange slumped and leaned idly to the brick wall, sighing heavily. "Of course not, Alex… At this time, we don't have enough resources to get it done. Even the usual expedition costs too much, not a single steel coin left for my research fund…" her brown eyes gleamed intensely in burning zest, "but that's my wildest dream, to capture a titan!" she straightened her back in instant, prodding her glasses again. "Okay, back to their lacking of anus and gastric juice."
"Right! What about it, ma'am?" asked Alex enthusiastically, moving closer to her.
Erwin and Levi only stood and stared in obfuscation to see such anomalous situation before their eyes. For the first time in forever, in the long history of Survey Corps, someone finally and genuinely took so much interest in Hange's damn-it's-so-boring-I-could-die-anytime-soon speech about titans. The tiny girl kept asking and reciting the strange facts which she didn't understand while the overly steamed-up scientist happily provided further explanation, rapping in an extraordinary speed that would compete with velocity of light.
"Well, I think Hange already found her best friend," Erwin commented, smirking at the astonishment on Levi's face.
"I can't watch this…" Levi groaned and facepalmed petulantly, mumbling vicious oaths then walking toward them. "Oi, four eyes," he scowled, quickly snatching the freakish woman's brunette hair, "stop contaminating my subordinate's sanity with your lunatic obsession."
"Levi, please don't ruin our fun," Hange slapped his hand from her hair, not even looking at him.
"Rookie, stay away from her," he warned.
Alex blinked at him. "Eh? Why, Captain?"
"She is extremely dangerous," said Levi, snatching her hair harder to pull her away from Alex. Hange turned her head with indignation at him, slapping his hand again. "Her meddling with your life will eventually get you killed," he advised with more serious tone.
"But Squad Leader Hange is only recounting her experiments on titans to me. It's very interesting and awesome!" Alex defended the eccentric woman. "How could it be dangerous?"
"See? We're having fun here!" Hange stuck his tongue at him and continued to lecture Alex. "That's when I realized, dissecting their bodies when they're still alive is the only possible way to learn better about their anatomy! My first attempt was a four meters titan—"
"Oi! I said stop!" Levi furiously shouted.
"Jeez! Why do you always so grumpy and killing everyone's mood?" Hange shouted back at him.
"Sorry to interrupt your leisure time, Hange, but it's already late. You both need to rest," Erwin reminded her. "We still have mission tomorrow."
Hange pulled out her pocket watch from her jacket, and sighed out in disappointment. "Ah, right. Time sure passed so fast every time I talk about my research. It was very great talking to you, Alex," she got up and extended her hand for handshake. "If we make it back alive, I'll buy you dinner and we can chat about titan all night long."
Alex stood up and shook her hand. She looked very excited, beaming with her Cheshire cat wide grin. "That sounds like fun, ma'am. I'm looking forward to it."
Delighted by her eager respond, Hange chortled. "That's the spirit!" she patted the girl's head and smirked to Levi. "I like this girl, Levi. Keep her alive for me, will ya?"
"Tch. If you want her to be alive, stay away from her. You are a threat to her life," said Levi waspishly.
"Ouch! That hurts, you know…" Hange made a jocular offended expression, massaging her chest.
"Good job today, Cadet Ritter," Erwin complimented.
"Thank you, Squad Leader Erwin," said Alex, beaming.
"You're being too modest, Erwin. She's doing amazing work!" said Hange.
"Indeed, that's a very good start for new soldier," said Erwin approvingly. "Hange, there is something I need to discuss with you. Do you mind to come to my room?"
Hange looked confused for a moment then nodded. "Alright. See ya tomorrow Alex," the glasses woman waved to her. "Night night," she glanced to Levi then walked away with Erwin.
"Sir… I'm sorry," said Alex to Levi, "I disobeyed your order, I should have kept riding my horse, but… I couldn't stand to let the others…" she pleaded anxiously, frightened to see Levi's stern stare.
"Why didn't you fight earlier?" he finally asked, his suspicious eyes were still scanning her.
"Oh, that's… I was too shocked to see them for the first time in my life," she confessed, looking down to the floor, "I'm sorry if my action didn't live up to your expectation."
"You did well, rookie. Most people shit their pants on their first expedition," he said genuinely, "and stay away from that lunatic woman, I mean it."
"Umm… Okay…sir…" Alex answered reluctantly.
"Now go to sleep, we will start mission before dawn," Levi commanded.
"Yes, sir. Good night, sir," she saluted.
Alex watched Levi's back as the man turned around and vanished into the darkness of the corridor. She touched her forehead, brooding about what happened today then staring at where Levi was standing.
"I'm just imagining things," she muttered lightly, heading to the dungeon. "This Legion has many interesting people."
She entered the storeroom in the dungeon, being welcomed by the buzzes and snores from sleeping soldiers. She tiptoed silently, be very careful to not awake them. There was an unoccupied sleeping bag next to Flora; probably the black-haired senior had prepared it for her. Taking off her boots, she rolled into it; the tiredness and sore of her muscles made her sleepy in instant. Sighing merrily, she claimed today was the best day of her life: venturing to the outside world, fighting titans, obtaining interesting new knowledge… But still, there was an important thing she must do…
"Well, there is always tomorrow…" she pulled the blanket to her chin, shutting her eyes. "Tomorrow, I will definitely do it."
A satisfied smile curled on her tiny lips as she fell in dreamland.
A/N: Sorry if this is poorly written, I have yet to find beta reader... Thank you for people who followed and favorited this story :3
kittylover195678: Thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter :D