"Heads up! The main unit of the Scout Regiment is back."
As he sat atop his trusty grey steed, the blonde haired man made no acknowledgement of the rapidly growing crowd.
"That's right, Commander Erwin. Did ya give those ugly bastards a thrashing?"
Among the crowd, the almost graduated recruits of the 104th trainee squad were watching in awe as more and more soldiers continued to pass by.
"Look, it's Captain Levi! They say he's like an entire brigade unto himself."
The dark haired man in question gave a mere glance to his adoring fans before he muttered to himself.
"Spare me, please."
Despite the distance and the roaring of the crowd, Gohan's sensitive ears heard him, and he quickly sized the man up, ironically. He was quite impressed, despite seemingly having no knowledge of Ki, the man was in fact quite powerful, relatively speaking. He was definitely the most powerful among the group, though there were several others near him, and spread out amongst the soldiers, who were capable as well.
"Feel how excited everybody is? It's like the crowd just has a different energy now." Eren asked, his voice mixed with admiration and pride.
"Well we are going on five years without incident. Seems like a good omen." The ginger haired Hannah reassured them from behind.
"And you should check out all the cannon upgrades. The site alone ought 'a be enough." Boasted Franz.
"That's the truth."
"You in denial 'cause you're a couple? What's that about?" Eren barked at them as they both blushed furiously, averting their gazes in embarrassment.
"Whoa whoa whoa, this isn't what it looks like okay?"
"Knock it off man, it's embarrassing."
"Hey hey, lookie here." Called a voice from amongst the crowd.
"Mr. Hannes." Announced Eren, surprised to see the Garrison Captain amongst the other onlookers.
"Word on the street's they let you graduate yesterday. Either you've grown up or standards have plummeted."
"Oh yeah, like you're one to talk, the core of engineers keep their new chief in the drink?"
"Watch it." Hannes leaned over and playfully flicked Eren on the forehead. "But hey congratulations kid, you know what group you're joining?"
"The Survey Corps, of course."
"Yeah I figured, guess there's no way to talk you out of it? You do realise how dangerous it is, right?"
"Yeah, so what? We buckle, take it all lying down? Things have changed, maybe not a hell of a lot, but enough. They aren't the mystery they were five years ago. There's still a long way to go but we've made progress. Every battle we've lost taught us a lesson. Gave us the tiniest in road towards something like hope. You telling me it's better to cut our losses, to let all the death and destruction be meaningless? Just to ball it all up and accept it? Not on your life. Humanity's future lies outside the walls and I'm gonna clear the way. I'm gonna take back what's ours. I'll drive them out."
Eren snapped out of the small rant he'd descended into. Quickly growing agitated, he ran off down the road to start his work early.
"Is he okay?"
"Yeah." Replied Gohan, taking Eren's place next to him. "I think he just needed to let that out. Been holding it in for a while I guess."
'Fired up and capable make a good combination, kid. Don't screw it up by dying.' Hannes thought to himself.
"Gohan! Hey, Gohan!" He turned around, searching only briefly for the familiar voice.
"Ilse!" She was riding out from the group towards him, her ponytail bouncing gently as she did.
"Gohan! Oh wow look how much you've grown! 5'8", muscly, and so handsome too, I bet the ladies are all over you."
Gohan flushed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"What? I don't…I don't know what you're talking about."
"Haha. So, did you come all this way to see me?"
"Oh you know, couldn't let you go without a goodbye." He smiled at her before turning back to his friends. "Guys, this is Ilse, Ilse this is Mikasa, Armin, Hannah and Franz, some of my friends."
"So you all trained with Gohan, hey? I've been hearing good things about you guys."
All save for Mikasa blushed slightly at that, grateful to be complimented by such a high ranking officer.
"Oh, speaking of which, there's someone I've been meaning to introduce you to. Petra! Over here!"
Among the horses, a short woman raised her head, looking over at the gathered cadets, Garrison soldier and Squad Leader. She, likewise, broke formation and joined them, her light ginger hair swaying slightly from atop her horse.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Petra, this is Gohan, the guy I was telling you about earlier." Ilse nodded towards the teen who was watching them with great interest.
Petra looked down at Gohan, her amber eyes locking on his onyx ones. She grinned at him, one which he quickly returned, though he was unsure why.
"So Gohan, you're the one who saved Ilse's life two years ago?" Several of his friends looked at him stunned.
"Uh…yeah, that's me."
He'd never told the cadets of the 104th about his experiences in the forest, only Eren, Mikasa, and Armin knew what had happened since Shiganshina. To find out that he'd apparently saved the life of one of the Survey Corps Squad Leaders was…astonishing to say the least.
"You know, she won't stop talking about you. I swear if she wasn't dating Mike, you'd be my next suspect."
Ilse choked slightly before lightly slapping her on the shoulder. "Petra! That's gross, he's a kid. He's actually closer to your age."
If it were possible for Gohan to get any redder, he did, swiftly followed by Petra before she tried to hide her face in her sleeve. All around Gohan, his friends giggled at his discomfort, not helped when Hannes slapped his arm around his shoulders.
"Are you blushing there, Gohan? What's the matter, can't talk to the pretty girl?"
"Stop it, Hannes."
The group of soldiers shared a hearty laugh before a shout from the Scouts caught their attention.
"Petra! Fall in!"
"Y-yes, Captain Levi."
Without hesitation she left and re-joined the elite squad, only turning back to give a quick wave goodbye to them. As Gohan awkwardly returned it, Ilse looked back at him.
"Well, I gotta go. Take care of yourself, Gohan."
"You, too."
Without further ado, she left. Disappearing into the throng of soldiers who were now making their way out the gate. As they watched them disappear, Hannes turned back to the cadets.
"So what are you guys up to now?"
"Most of us have to inspect the cannons or do other errands, but Gohan's off to visit the Vanguard."
"The Vanguard? I thought you weren't joining the Garrison."
"I'm not. Well, most likely, anyway. Pixis asked me to try it for the day and I can still transfer if I don't like it, but it's a good chance to learn from the elites."
"Well, if you ever change your mind, I'll look forward to working with you."
"Me too, Mr. Hannes. Anyway guys, I've gotta go. See you at dinner?"
"Sure." They all replied. Gohan waved goodbye before he took off running down the street.
'Hmmm. Is it this one? No, no that's not it.' Gohan found himself in the awkward position of wandering around the Garrison headquarters looking for the right building. After his fifth lap around the building he gave a heavy sigh and glanced around, locking eyes on an important looking soldier.
"Excuse me, sir?"
The soldier was slightly taller than Gohan, had black hair and looked to be in around his mid-30's. Despite wearing the standard issue Garrison uniform, the man held a certain intensity in his presence. All in all, he appeared to be a somewhat seasoned veteran, which was unusual given the Garrison's notorious lack of combat experience.
"Yes?"
"Um, I'm looking for the Vanguard's headquarters."
"Oh? And you are?"
"Cadet Gohan Son, sir."
"Ah so you're Gohan. My name's Captain Michael Anton. I'm the head of the Vanguard."
Oh… "Uh…Gohan Son reporting for duty, sir."
"You're late." He tilted his head in a 'follow me' motion, heading away from headquarters as Gohan studiously followed. "You were supposed to be here a half hour ago."
"Sorry, sir. I didn't uh…know where it was."
"You weren't told where to go?"
"Uh, well not precisely, sir."
"Tch. Figures. Lazy fuckers. Ah well, you didn't miss much. We were just about to start daily exercises." The man looked down at Gohan and scrutinised his face. "Say, do I know you from somewhere?"
"Uh, maybe you saw me in the cadets?"
"No…more like five years ago."
'Five years ago? But that was when Shiganshina was attacked, he didn't know anyone who…' "Were you serving in Shiganshina? And did you put a child on your horse?"
"Yep, was that you? Well damn, good to see you made it, kid."
As he stepped towards an innocuous looking building, Captain Anton halted sharply some distance away as the front doors swung open. Scores of soldiers poured out and formed themselves up into tight ranks with practiced discipline. Anton's eyes swept across the soldiers, inspecting each one with considerable detail. Once he was pleased he took his place before the troops and turned to address them, Gohan diligently taking his place behind and to his side.
"Attention!"
The soldiers saluted earnestly. A small smirk of pride gracing Captain Anton's lips before he spoke again.
"Today, we are all being given a gift, courtesy of Commander Pixis himself. Cadet Gohan Son here graduated not only at the top of his class, but is the top ranking cadet in history. He will be spending his last day as a cadet with us. Learning about our day to day duties and responsibilities. Should he choose to, he will then join our ranks and shoulder the burden of defending humanity. I expect each of you to educate this young man in what would be expected of him during his stay, show him what it means to be amongst the elite. Am I understood?"
"Sir yes, Captain Anton, Sir!"
"Good. Dismissed."
In synchronisation the elite Garrison soldiers broke apart, each heading off towards their own personal roles. The captain rounded on Gohan once more.
"Come with me."
As they made their way inside, Gohan marvelled at the discipline with which everyone operated. Each one of his, temporary, comrades knew what to do, and was focused entirely on that. He saw that many of them had split off into groups, some checking their gear while others were looking over what appeared to be Titan activity reports. The captain lead him off to their own corner, pointing towards a table where Gohan recognised his 3DM Gear was laid on it.
"Part of being in the Vanguard means being ready for a Titan attack at any time. Standard procedure means that we wear our 3DM Gear at all possible times." He gestured around the room where every soldier visible was indeed armed with their equipment. "Failing that, you must be able to ready yourself in 20 seconds at most. If the wall breaks, there will be no warning, and little time before the Titans begin flooding inside. That is why we always keep a record of the local Titan activity. If there's a lot of Titans in the area then we keep alert for the day. If not, we use that time to practice. Stay sharp for a real fight. Now, get ready!"
A stopwatch from somewhere appeared in his palm. Without further any words, he thumbed the button on the top and the hand started to tick away. Slightly startled, Gohan quickly sprang into action, snatching the gear off the table and holding it in his hands.
'Okay, no time to spare. First step, legs.'
He held it outstretched by the gas propeller, letting the leg straps dangle below. He made a quick hop and slotted his legs inside the straps, raising the chest bands above him.
'Second step, chest.'
He let the bands fall around him, each slotting tightly around his body. His hands darted around his body, strapping in the clasps that held the harness in place. With all of them complete, he moved the blade case's around to each side of his waist.
'Step three, final check.'
He took the hand grips from the harness and gave the triggers a quick squeeze. A small burst of gas left his gear and he looked at the captain. -Click- The seasoned soldier stared at the watch before giving Gohan a once over.
"All straps in place? All buckles tightened? Performance check completed? Good. Eight seconds, that's very impressive. Especially for a cadet."
Gohan smiled in appreciation of the compliment, though he was slightly disappointed when the captain simply moved on.
"Now, you should also know about our procedures. In the case of a wall break, our job is to eliminate the Titan responsible, if the Colossal or the Armoured are present then they are the priority.
"Failing that, we will be reinforced by the engineering and cannoneering divisions. Working together, our job will be to hold the Titans outside the walls while the city is evacuated. Each officer is also equipped with smoke rounds to communicate with headquarters. You should also know that…"
Meanwhile, atop the wall.
"What? The hell you mean you're joining the scouts?" Eren asked Connie, pausing as he cleaned the cannon before him. "What happened to the MP's? That was your whole thing."
"Don't worry about it, a guy's allowed to change his mind, okay?"
"I think Gohan's speech yesterday lit a fire under him." Mina stepped over, stopping by Eren's side.
"Ain't nobody talkin' to you! His lecture had nothing to do with it!"
"Take it easy." Thomas entered. "It's not like you're the only one."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Can you guys keep a secret? Cause I totally just helped myself to the officers pantry." Sasha pulled a large piece of meat out from underneath her jacket.
"Sasha! They could throw your butt in the clink for that!" Eren warned.
"Seriously, what is wrong with you?" Asked Samuel.
"What isn't wrong with her?" Connie muttered to the others.
"I swear, she's worse than Gohan sometimes." Mina murmured back.
"It'll be fine, I'm willing to share. Oh can you imagine the sandwiches!?"
"Put it back!" Connie shouted at her.
"Yeah! Do you have any idea how rare meat's been since the Titans took wall Maria?" Challenged Mina.
"Um, little bit. Yeah." She placed her baby carefully in a nearby chest. "Just look at it this way, pretty soon we'll take back all the room we need for livestock."
The other cadets remained silent before Samuel spoke up again. "I would really like a slice, please."
"Hey if he gets one so do I, just so you know." Chipped in Connie.
"Me, too. I'm in on it, too." Mina joined in as well.
"But…" Hesitated Eren.
"C'mon, don't just stand there, if they see us slacking off we're in for it."
"See you guys at lunch time." Mina added before she walked away along the wall. As she left, Eren turned and looked over the city, soaking in the calm beauty it held.
"…following that, we withdraw, and the regular garrison units take over."
Despite having been listening for what felt close to a half-hour, Gohan was still fairly intrigued by the captain's lesson. He'd detailed everything from their emergency plans to standard gear. As it turned out, they didn't seem to have much unique gear, instead relying on superior skill and familiarity to ensure victory. Except there was one piece that Captain Anton had alluded to before.
"And finally, we have this." Reaching deep into his beige jacket, the grizzled veteran removed an envelope from within. "This, is the most important piece of equipment you will have." He passed it to Gohan who inspected it carefully. It seemed like an ordinary envelope save for the name on the front. Micheal Smith Anton. "This letter is only to be opened should someone find your body. During enlistment, you'll write your last will and testament to take care of your family.
"This, is for whoever finds you. To tell them who you were, and so that you will never be forgotten. Look around you, Gohan. Every man and woman here is prepared to die. Our job is to be at the forefront of any Titan breach, and to lay down our lives if necessary. All of us have families, loved ones. But we are all willing to make the ultimate sacrifice."
He walked over to one of the buildings desks, opening the drawer to retrieve another envelope. Looking at it only briefly before handing it to Gohan.
"Commander Pixis told me about you. About how you were dead set on the Scouts. I know you're only really here to learn, and that's fine. Disappointing, but fine. Regardless of what happens, you should keep one of those on you. You never know what might happen."
A crack of thunder snapped everyone to silence. All of the soldiers dropped what they were doing and immediately ran outside. Gohan remained frozen still, however. It had been five years, but he still remembered that Ki. The Colossal Titan was back.
He broke into a sprint, following the other soldiers outside and locking his eyes on the gate. It was definitely back, its skinless face holding position above the wall.
"TO THE GATE!"
Captain Anton's words were punctuated by a deafening crack. Smoke and dust billowed up in the distance, rocks flew through the air landing indiscriminately. The soldiers of the Vanguard wasted no more time before mobilising, multiple bursts of gas answered the call. Hooks hissing forward as they each charged towards the gate.
With little delay, Gohan followed suit, stretching his Ki faculties, he locked onto the monstrous power level.
'It-It's so strong! It broke through the gate like it was nothing. But last time when that happened…I should have felt such a high power level. It couldn't have been this powerful before, could it?' There was no mistaking its power now, however. Though as he continued to feel its strength, Gohan's worry grew from another cause. 'That's the others! Eren. Mina. Samuel. Connie. Thomas. They're all there! Please be safe, guys!'
As he soared through the air, he looked down at the crowded streets below. The screams and shouts of panicked people had create an ungodly cacophony of fear. The calls of the Garrison soldiers attempting to restore order were drowned beneath the masses, the stampede of civilians drowning out all else. Thanks to his Saiyan genes, a few of their fruitless shouts managed to reach his ears.
"Make your way to the Wall Rose gate now! Take only what you need to survive!"
It seemed pointless, really. Everyone was already running, screaming towards the gate as they attempted to flee. Only their loved ones held in their hands. All save for a few, who remained paralysed in fear even as the other civilians would barge past them. Gohan saw a few members of the Garrison grab them roughly, shaking them so as to get them moving. They did, eventually. Disappearing into the mob of frenzied townspeople.
Gohan's Ki senses flared, drawing his attention back towards the source of the hysterics. They were closer now, but the Colossal was still there. For some reason, it had wiped out the cannons that were mounted atop the wall instead of simply leaving. Why? It made no sense! Steam surged from its back as it tried to fight off some unseen attacker.
'Is it the others? Are they fighting it? Wait…no, it's Eren! Just Eren!'
They were almost upon it, almost ready to slay the Titan which had laid siege to Trost. Then it just…vanished. A cloud of steam enveloped it briefly before dissipating to show nothing. Gohan's Ki senses were going insane as well. Whatever method the thing used to produce the gas also left traces of its Ki throughout it, all he could sense was a fog of Colossal Titan Ki.
When they arrived, Captain Anton landed first, Gohan landed just after, sticking with him like a shadow. The captain wasted no time before barking out orders.
"Look alive! Operation Colossal Titan Response is in effect, I expect you to take part. Report to HQ. If you got close to the damn thing we need details."
"Sir!" Eren responded, snapping of a salute on reflex.
Connie seconded his salute before adding his own. "Sir, we pray the advance team will be victorious!"
The Vanguard Captain ignored them as he ran past them to the wall's edge, inspecting the destruction down below. Chunks of concrete from what was once the gate littered the floor, a testament to the carnage that the Colossal Titan had inflicted in its short time present.
Gohan locked eyes with his friends, panic sinking into many of them. Not all of them however, as Eren called out to him.
"Gohan! Don't kill them all without me, okay?"
Feeling the stress roll off him, Gohan chuckled and flashed his friend a thumbs up. "Sure."
The dozens of remaining Vanguard soldiers promptly landed and began to scramble into position as their captain barked out orders, Eren and the others all retreating back to the Garrison HQ.
"Manns! Deakins! Take your teams and bring the remaining cannons in from the sides and prep them for fire. Teams four and six, security detail by the breach."
The men and woman scrambled into position, save for Gohan who was standing awkwardly by the captain's side.
"Uh, sir? What should I do?"
"You stay with me. I know you wanted to join the scouts, but you're gonna get your first taste of action a lot sooner than expected, Son."
"Yes, sir. Look!"
He pointed off into the distance, where the outlines of Titans were just coming into view.
"Shit, that was quicker than expected. Gerhard! Any sign of the engineers?"
"They're almost here sir, it's taking them a while to bring in the nets."
"Signal them to hurry up." He looked out at the horizon. The few silhouettes had transformed into a dozen, and more were springing up by the second. "They're almost here."
In the streets, the Garrison were hard pressed to keep the panicked mob of civilians from trampling over each other in fear. The gate was open and people were fleeing by the dozens, even as the soldiers tried to slow them down for their own safety.
"Calm down! Take only what you need to survive! File through as closely as possible."
One such Garrison soldier was not concerned with the crowd, but rather who wasn't in it. As he tore down the street in the opposite direction to the traffic, his comrade called after him.
"Captain Hannes? Where are you going!?"
Rather than answer, the blonde haired man waved his hand in a 'follow me' notion and continued on his way. As he stepped harshly through the masses, Hannes finally came upon the house he was looking for. Without knocking, he burst through the front door and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Carla!?"
"I'm here, Hannes!" Mrs. Jaeger slowly crept into view as she pushed herself along on her wheelchair. "What's going on!?"
"The Titans have broken down the wall, we're evacuating Trost."
"But-but what about Eren and-"
"I promised myself that if anything happened I'd get you safe, now come on!"
He roughly grabbed her chair and pushed her towards the door, barging out onto the street and being careful that she wasn't swept away in the tide of fleeing citizens.
"Captain Hannes! We have to report to HQ!"
His comrade had caught up and was shouting at him from atop a nearby roof while he anxiously waited.
'I can't take her through this. She'll get trampled!'
"Karl! I need you to take her!"
"What?"
"WHAT!?"
Ignoring Carla's fearful questioning, Hannes began unbuckling her chair so that she could move more easily. "Use your manoeuvre gear and take her over the wall."
"But, I can't carry-"
"I'll tie her around your back now get down here!"
"Hannes, look at me."
He looked down at the mother before him, even as he continued to lift her out in preparation.
"I need you to make sure my children are safe. No matter what."
"I will, don't worry about it."
He lifted her awkwardly onto Karl's back, wrapping her around him with a rope.
"Now hold on tight, Carla, he'll take you somewhere safe." She nodded to him and held onto the soldier tightly. Hannes gripped the man's shoulder intently, drawing his focus back to his captain. "Take it slowly, okay? Once she's safe, then meet at HQ, I'll give you your orders when you arrive."
Karl gave an affirmative nod before firing his hooks off into the distance and flying away.
At the wall, cannons had been set up inside on the ground and atop the gate itself, with heavy nets laid over the hole. Gohan stood with the majority of the Vanguard atop the wall, anxiously waiting for their orders as Captain Anton gave his speech.
"You understand what we're facing. If they get through, we'll have a repeat of five years ago. Consider this the last line of defence. The Titans get held off here, or nowhere. Prepare to intercept!"
Below them the cannon operators readied their weapons, locking the encroaching Titans in their sights.
"Fire!" Ordered one of the operators, a barrage of cannon fire responding.
In the fields before them, explosions raked the ground and Titans indiscriminately. Chunks of meat and whole limbs flew through the air, crashing gorily onto the ground. Despite the firepower which had been unleashed upon them, the Titan horde didn't even slow down. The downed beasts crawling on the floor, or simply walking unfazed as steam hissed from their wounds. All sign of damage disappearing under their regeneration.
At the top of the wall however, the elite soldiers of the Vanguard prepared themselves for combat. Waiting for the order.
'They just keep coming, no matter how much damage they take.' Gohan thought to himself, a terrifying comparison to the monster that had trapped him in this world. 'No, if you hit the nape, they die. You've killed one before, you can do it again. You have to, you have to protect these people!'
"Soldiers charge!"
The formation of soldiers charged forwards, intent on securing their first kills of the day, and holding mankind's position at Trost. Gohan followed without hesitation, determined to do his part to safeguard the fleeing citizens to his back. As the soldiers sailed towards the ground, intent on letting gravity handle the first step, they oriented themselves towards their targets. Hooks flew in every direction as each soldier chose their enemy, small bursts of steam being used to break their fall and propel them forwards.
Gohan was amongst the middle of the group, deciding to go after one of the further Titans that was making its way forwards, a seven metre. There were two Titans between him and his target which the Vanguard soldiers were already engaging. Darting between the two behemoths he closed the gap between them.
'Alright, nothing fancy. Nape of the neck, and move on.'
He pivoted towards its side and shot one of his hooks into its shoulder as he swung around it. Immediately it turned to face him, reaching its hand out to snag his wire. With a start he retracted his wire, shooting his second onto the ground. As he hit the ground, the Titan smacked its hand down next to him as it tried to grab him.
He shot out his first hook again, sliding along the ground on his heels until he was at its back. Firing both hooks into its shoulder blades, he launched himself forwards and drove his blades into the beast's neck, slicing them to the side before warm blood sprayed across his face.
Without wasting time to celebrate his first Titan kill as a soldier, Gohan looked around him in horror. Already there were several Garrison soldiers lying dead on the ground, limbs or entire halves of their bodies missing.
He saw one of the murderers feasting on one of his brethren's corpses just a short distance away. He couldn't help himself, he just felt such…disgust towards that monster, that he leapt towards it without a second thought. His blades carved violently into the behemoth as he ripped out the back of its neck.
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire, cadets, time to put your training to work. I have faith that each and every one of you will be a credit to your regiment." Barked one of the senior Garrison soldiers amidst the chaos that was unfolding at headquarters.
In one of the corners, the lovebird couple of the 104th trainee squad were locked in each other's eyes, Franz's hands on Hannah's shoulders.
"I promise we'll get through this. You're safe as long as I'm beside you."
"Franz."
The two embraced each other in a passionate hug, causing the passing Mikasa to pause briefly at the sight before she continued on. She headed purposefully down the hallway until she heard Eren's voice.
"Armin, what's wrong?"
The blonde haired boy in question was nervously patting two hoses together as he attempted to top up his gas.
"I…Don't worry I'm fine, just give me a second for my nerves to settle. This is bad, isn't it? There's a hole in the wall eight metres wide and we don't remotely have the engineering know-how to plug it. That huge boulder by the front gate was our best bet, but we couldn't figure out how to hoist it in place. Unless we seal the breach the entire city's as good as dead.
"How long do you think before they take wall Rose? Seriously? How long? Think about it, any time the mood strikes them they could wipe out the human race in an afternoon!"
Eren's hand latched around his. "Armin! Listen to me, you're focused on the past, look ahead. We're not gonna be the victims anymore. Gohan is over there at the front gate right now, fighting. You know how strong he is, we can win this.
Silence reigned supreme for several painful moments as Armin calmed himself down.
"…sorry I…I'm okay."
Another barrage of cannon fire blitzed the air as explosions rocked the countryside. Even as dozens of Titans fell, more and more took their place. The line of unstoppable beings was reinforced as their fallen stood up once more. Steam billowing into the air as their wounds regenerated.
"Soldiers! Back to the top of the wall!"
Captain Anton's voice managed to somehow travel through the harshness of the exploding battlefield. Gohan saw several soldiers immediately move towards the safety of the wall in retreat and he moved to join them.
"Arghhh! Help me!"
Gohan looked to the source of the scream to see a blonde haired woman being held in the clutches of a 14 metre titan. Its hungry eyes stared into hers as it opened its maw.
"NO!"
Gohan let fly both of his hooks as he flew across the ground towards them. The woman's petrified screams intensified as she grew closer to its enormous teeth. Gohan shot one of his hooks into the monster's neck, propelling himself towards it with all the strength he could muster. The woman's eyes locked with his as he neared it, a glimmer of hope and pleading in them. He wasted no time, slicing as soon as the nape was in range and carving a deep wound in its neck.
Gohan heard a howl followed by a tremendous crash as he landed. Twisting on his heels he saw the 14 metre lying on its back, its once clutched hand lying open on the side. A headless body sat in its palm.
"No. No no no no."
Gohan stumbled forwards towards her briefly before breaking out into a sprint. He paused just a few steps from her corpse, unable to concentrate.
'I was…I was right there…I was so close…'
"Son!"
Gohan broke out of his stupor as Captain Anton landed next to him.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Gohan mutely indicated towards the woman before him, Captain Anton following his gaze and pausing only briefly before storming over to her. Quick as a flash he ripped something white out from the inside of her and pressed it roughly into Gohan's chest. He looked down at it dumbly before realising it was an envelope just like the ones he'd seen that morning.
"Remember her later, top of the wall now!"
The captain wasted no further time talking before he leapt towards the wall. Gohan shook his head clear and stuffed the envelope inside his jacket before he followed, shooting his hooks towards the top of the wall before propelling himself upwards with a burst of gas.
When he landed at the top, he saw many of the soldiers doubled over panting. Either from exhaustion, or sheer terror. What Gohan instantly noticed however, was that there were only four others, not including himself and the captain.
"Alright, everyone take a breather and let the cannons wear them down. Front side of the gate is either dead or out of ammo so the next barrage is from the inside. Once they fire, the net will be destroyed and they'll be spilling in again. That's when we engage. Understood?"
A few mutters of "sir" could be heard, though Gohan remained silent.
'There's…so few. These were the elites and they've been slaughtered. And that woman…I should have saved her. If I had my powers I could have saved her! Why! Why am I so weak!?'
He smashed his fist against a piece of rubble in frustration, the captain's eyes locking on him.
"Son! Understood?"
He lowered his head and meekly answered. "Yes sir."
'They're all dead. So many…'
A hand slapped down onto his shoulder, drawing Gohan's gaze towards Captain Anton's eyes.
"What's wrong, Son? I need you focused."
Gohan wearily gestured out to the field, almost two dozen bloody corpses still littering the ground. Many more completely devoured. Worryingly was the large number of Titans making their way towards the gate that seem to stretch out endlessly towards the horizon.
"So many died. I just didn't think…I thought it would mean something, that we could accomplish something…"
The seasoned veteran remained silent as he contemplated his next words. "How many Titans did you kill, Gohan?"
"What? Uh…seven, I think."
"Seven!? That's…that's amazing, Gohan."
"But it doesn't matter! I should have done more…saved more…"
"You have saved people Gohan. Every Titan that you have slain could save the life of another soldier. And every soldier that you save can save more lives themselves. There's still four of us left, and that is thanks to you. But you've not only saved them, you've saved the life of every person who made it through that gate in the time you've been fighting. Never think you haven't made a difference."
The cannons were firing again, their cue to prepare for battle. As they looked down on the battle below they saw several Titans be blown to bits, heads and necks being ripped apart in the explosions scoring several definite kills. A thunderous roar echoed from inside as a Crawler stormed through, unopposed as the cannons reloaded. It launched its head forwards and snatched a soldier off the ground, destroying his cannon in the process before he tore off down the street.
"Shit! Son! You're with me, we need to take out that abnormal fast. The rest of you, engage the Titans below!"
Gohan and the captain synchronously jumped off the wall, firing off their hooks and flying down the street in pursuit. Strangely, the Crawler didn't seem too interested in the soldiers and was instead intent on making its way to the Wall Rose gate.
"It's heading for the civilians!" Shouted Anton, having come to the same conclusion as Gohan. It turned sharply ahead of them and they swiftly followed, now heading down towards the main road out of Trost. "We can't let it get to them! We need to get closer! I'll hit its ankles, once it's stopped then go for its neck!"
Gohan nodded determinedly, pressing out more gas and using his Ki to push himself dangerously fast. When he'd gotten close, the captain made his move, coming up from the left and slicing as he darted to the right, hitting the Achilles tendon in both heels. The Crawler came screeching to a halt, with Gohan sailing forwards before he re-oriented himself towards its nape, and bringing his swords down as powerfully as he could.
The nape seemed to explode blood after it was split apart, the hot red liquid gushing onto Gohans clothes even as it began to evaporate. He could hear the captain make his way over to him, the unmistakeable whine of 3DM Gear bursting through the air.
"Excellent work, Gohan, now let's head back."
"Right."
The two turned backwards and headed straight for the gate once more. Neither knew how well the others were fairing, but regardless they still had a job to do. While the captain remained outwardly silent, Gohan sensed the concern radiating off of him. He stretched his Ki senses out to check on the situation at the wall, and almost immediately regretted it. Pushing his Ki out again, he pressed forwards desperately until he arrived. Both coming to a stop on one of the entrance's buildings.
They watched as a Titans hand reached through the broken gate as it dragged itself inside. Many others were already milling around the entrance, feasting on the deceased Garrison soldiers who had died trying to hold them back, including the remainder of the Vanguard. The majority had finished their 'snack' and were heading further into the city.
"No…they're…we were only gone for a second…"
When the captain didn't respond, Gohan looked over at to see him pull a strange looking gun out of his jacket and take aim into the air. Squeezing the trigger, he let loose the red smoke round before tossing the gun to the side.
"Gohan. Let's move."
Venom laced his voice as the two dove forwards, intent on avenging their comrades.