Operation Heimdallr

//OOC: this is a mission thread, free to join for Survey Corps and Military Police. For the most part, I will act as a sort of GM in the sense that most of the environment will be under my control, but you still can do your own things with it. Just ask for permission if it's anything major.
Please only post once until my next post, for the sake of continuity in the sense of who is participating. After I give the green, other people can only join if the PM first, so we can work out why and how they're there.//



Auth trotted on his horse, to his assigned position. It had been a while since he last was on a mission, so it should have been a nice change of pace. Get that ache for usage in his muscles away.

In any case, it was still a ways until the damn thing begun. Last minute checks and preparations, formal documents being checked, etc etc etc. In all, the mission was quite simple: go to an abandoned town nearby, whose name escaped Auth at the moment, and check for humans or the remains thereof. It was a simple search-and-rescue situation, but somehow it also was a joint operation with the military police. Auth had some ideas as to why the need for those fellows, but those thoughts were better kept to oneself. After all, they were borderline treason.

It would have been a day-and-a-half thing, due to the distances. Weather was good and unlikely to turn bad, too. Titan expectancy, while high, wasn't anywhere out of the norm for Survey Corps. The Military Police probably had more creeps, but eh. They were those who saw little to no titans after all. They'd probably get some sideways looks from the survey corps present, but once again eh. They were probably used to it, too.

But enough of the MP. Auth was here, and as a Survey Corp for the first time in about forever. A bit of rust was expected, but hey, 3DMG wasn't something you lose your skills over that fast. Auth looked at the blades, patting the handle of one. Very useful stuff, they were, but still... Somehow, he felt humanity was too leaning on them and starting to consider them too... sacred, almost. Nobody improved upon the design, and let's be fair: there probably were quite a few things you could do. At least Mitsuo was trying, from what Auth knew.

A smile crept on his face. Mitsuo indeed, and the steel monster on rails. That will be a glorious day.

Orion finished up making sure all his own gear was in order although didn't stop himself from glancing at that of those around him, occasionally annoyed if something was off, even if it was merely trivial.

He looked over to the MP's, Better make use of that training they got or they're screwed. Until now, I'd guess most of them were only really doing anything with other humans. And humans are so incredibly fragile.

"Then again, I guess, killing giant monstrosities isn't usually a desirable job choice. But you'd think the best would be put to actual use more often then the rare occasion." He mumbled to himself before patting his horses neck, "But why talk around you? Guess it's supposed just to calm one of us, not entirely sure if it's working for either."

Relatively soon things would start to get rolling and he might be getting to do what he was good at, which was getting things killed.

Alan was slowly pacing before his horse, head deep in paperwork. He went over it several times, despite memorizing it upon first inspection. And yet, Alan could not shake the  feeling that he had forgotten something. And in this situation, forgetting something would be critical, perhaps even lethal.
Alan shook his head and kept going over the mission briefing, and all the security precautions.

He was appointed to head the Military Police force during the operation. The minute team consisted mostly of his own squad, who were standing a fair distance away from the rest of the expedition group. They were not particularly fond of the dirty glares they got from those of the Survey Corps, not to mention they still had to come to terms that their lives were going to be put in risk today. Alan had to negotiate and calm some of them for hours before they agreed to come, and even then the chances of them not tailing it as soon as a titan was spotted were uncertain. Alan couldn't blame them. He still remembered the first titan he has seen. The thought sent chills down his spine, causing him to shudder slightly.
Unfortunately, he did not have the privilege of isolating himself from the Survey Corps parties, for he still had to talk to some of the other captains regarding formation and tactics.

Alan paced through the lines of green-cloaks, receiving looks from left and right. Some of them showed the usual loathing directed at Military Police, while some showed intrigue at the young, small, and unknown captain. Alan kept walking, his face solemn.
The truth was, he was absolutely terrified. Even though he has been waiting for a chance to do something meaningful, and take the fight to the enemy, the knowledge that he was probably going to encounter titans made him want to get on his horse and ride in the directly opposite direction. He had only encountered a few so far, and they have been otherworldly, terrifying creatures. Added to that was the fact he was responsible for a team of other soldiers, some (perhaps all) more scared than he was. All in all, he was under a lot of stress, and he found that the best way to deal with it is distraction and emotional distance.
Alas, he found those he was looking for, and confirmed the small details. Alan returned promptly to the middle of the brigade, where the Military Police were positioned. While they technically had the skills to deal with titans, it was neither their main priority for this mission nor their actual expertise. It was decided that they should remain deep in the formation, only to fight titans should the situation turn grim. Alan hoped it wouldn't come to that.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a few faces he recognized. Of course, Auth was among the soldiers, looking as calm and mysterious as ever. Alan was glad to have him around. There were also the few from his trainee corps days who chose to don the wings. Sonia, Rafael, Sebastian... and Warthen.
Alan grit his teeth. He hoped he wouldn't be there, yet there he was with his scary look and bony stature. The freak from the Survey Corps. Alan decided to ignore him for now, and returned to his team. He gave them a reassuring smile and got onto his horse.
And yet, he couldn't keep his mind off Orion. The person who was everything Alan ever wanted to be, yet scared him to death. The excelling soldier with a brilliant mind who was a complete enigma to Alan.
The young captain shook his head. People's lives were in his hands. Now was not the time to ponder old jealousies. Now... was the time to survive.

A sigh. Not of stress but of relief. It has been a while for Mitsuo to take part in a mission. It felt as if he has scratched at an irritable itch.

He gently leaned on his horse as he sat in the saddle. he was waiting in the positioned that was assigned to him; outer left.

All he has to do as of now was the same as the others; wait for the command. He looked around, trying to get a sense of what the other people were feeling.
It was obvious. Some where calm, a few angry and others scared. The normal reaction.

Another sigh. 'This has always been the boring part,' Mitsuo thought to himself, 'waiting for the go ahead. Why does it take so long?'

The young mechanic fidgeted where he was sat. He hated having nothing to do. It just bores him. Eats at him slowly.

Gritted teeth.
'Seriously... for a possible search and rescue, they sure are taking their sweet time.'
He sighed again in an attempt to relax.

To pass the time Mitsuo checked the amount of gas he had and made sure his blades where in a suitable condition. A pointless activity but anything to pass the time.

Safer trotted on his horse to his assigned position in the formation with the rest of the Survey Corps members right alongside him. Unsure of his first mission; he seemed a little bit confident in himself as he glances around at the others. Sure enough, he notices Auth and the rest of people who he met already nearby in their positions.

Safer looks back down at the horse, keeping it steady and calm as he waits for the go-ahead signal. While time was of the essence, he makes sure his gas if all filled up and that his swords blades were good to go. The wind blows on his face making his hair move around a tad bit. Rest assured, he was kind of feeling better about the situation since he's learned some interesting strategies combat wise.

That was one single thing that he wasn't worried about, dying. It's extremely strange how determined Safer is about this mission. He feels the need to prove his self-worth to all of his comrades. Safer looks out into the distance as if he knew that this was the day he'd get respect from his elders and others around him in the Survey Corps.

Sharply, he says to himself, "This is it. I can feel it." his horse makes a neighing sound right after he said that. No matter what was going to happen on this mission, Safer was determined to show responsibility and leadership. Not a single person or Titan is going to take this determination away from him. He won't stop trying to fight off these monster's until they were all dead corpses on the ground. Revenge on the Titans for killing his family was for sure one thing that was going to be on his mind later on today.

Who knows what will happen to Safer with these strong feelings currently in his mind.

However, with that being said, no one is going to stop him until every single Titan is completely dead and that he is alive and breathing to witness that happen.

//OOC: Okay, the stuff starts now. Anyone who wishes to join past this should PM me. The posting order is the order of joining the thread.

A few last minute calls, a few shouts, and the mission was officially started. There was no need for anything fancy, given the eagerness of most of the troop, and soon they all started dashing outside the gate.

The formation they were going to use would have the MP squad towards the very center, as to protect them from harm. Their job here was not killing titans, and they should not be doing it. Not like any of them seemed particularly eager to attack the monsters, though. They shared the space with the commanding part of the survey corps, people whom, conveniently, weren't as disgusted by the MP as soldier ranks.

Apart from that, there were a vanguard, two side squads, and a rear guard, comprised of about five to six Survey Corps soldiers each. There weren't enough people to spread out in Commnader Erwin's method of avoiding titans, but at the same time the numbers were also few enough to not be such an immense target.


Auth himself was part of the right-side group. On his horse, feeling the wind of the speed at which they were all galloping, he felt reborn. It truly had been too much time spent in the interior with old geezers and politics. Some physical action was so welcome, so soothing to his aching muscles. Faintly, within himself, he hoped they'd encounter titans. He knew it was a selfish wish, and one that brought with it many risks, but it was a wish nonetheless.

But, after all, there was no need for that wish. It'd happen regardless. It's just how things outside the walls were.


//OOC: Feel free to write your characters as part of whichever group you want (except Alan who is invariably in the middle). Also, once again, feel free to make things happen, just nothing majorly major. In that case, ask first. Titans are okay, titan hordes are not ok, just so you know.

Orion got on his horse quickly as they began to actually head out. He breathed deeply cooling his head carefully and getting "into the mood" so to speak. It was then he glanced to see a familiar face. He thought on it for a moment considering who it was.

...Alan He thought with some distaste. In his opinion, a bit of a wimp. He was weak compared to a lot of the others, and what's more he'd chosen to go to the MP's. Which was usually a sign of someone wanting to avoid combat. How Alan made it into the MP's was anybody's guess. Orion never really paid much attention to that.

He rode his horse with relative ease getting accustomed to it again as he did every time he got on it. And of course, thinking about how the situation might turn out. Especially considering that in the center was someone who he figured had a relatively low chance if things started really going sour.

He had been placed on the right side and was paying much attention to those in his group, analyzing them in his own mind and glancing out into the distance for titans as he did so. He tried to keep his face neutral though it still came off as a bit of an intense stare each time he glanced at someone in thought.

Try to avoid doing that. Don't want to draw too much attention to myself and away from the mission. People always get distracted so easily...including myself sometimes I suppose. I just hope something happens soon or this is over with, I'm already stressing out about people. I just want something to happen for me to get involved in.

Alan's heart was beating furiously as he passed through the gate atop his horse. Every natural instinct he had was telling him to hightail it back to the city, but at the same time his diligence and his excitement made him stay on course. Alan looked around, over the horde of soldiers around him, to view the expansive planes outside of the walls. For a brief second, in an almost-childlike way, Alan fantasized that he could pretend to be a Scout for now. Such thoughts were quickly crushed, however, by the burden of reality and responsibility. Alan turned his head over his shoulder, and looked at the faces of his team. Some were clearly frightened, some were stoic, some were grim. No one looked particularly happy to be outside of the walls.

Alan shifted his view back to the front. He mustn't let himself seem disheartened - he is holding the thin thread of discipline and hope of his soldiers in his hands. The captain lowered himself and nudged the horse to go faster.
Alan's eyes darted quickly from one place to another, not letting the rocking of the horse distract him. The formation has already formed, leaving Alan and his group promptly in the center, far away from harm. The fields around were vast, but so far Alan could not spot a single titan. Considering the skill of the scouts, and with a bit of luck, this operation could very well be one of the most successful scout operations in recent years.
Alan's thoughts trailed back to his specific instructions from Nile, regarding his purpose in this mission.



"In the end, it's going to be your choice. I trust you will act in the best interest for humanity."
The sky was gray, so little to no light was pouring into Commander Nile Dok's office from the outside. Alan was with him, receiving orders for the upcoming mission.
Dok stared out of his window at the soldier walking by in the courtyard underneath, brooding as always. It seemed to Alan that watching soldiers from above was one of Nile Dok's favorite things to do.
"Commander..." Alan begun, looking concerned and lost in thought "Why do you talk about them like that? The people that may or may not be found? What makes you think be... like that?"
Nile looked over his shoulder at the young commander, then returned his gaze back to the outside. "You can call it a hunch." he finally spoke, sounding slightly grim "The circumstances of the way we have gotten the information."
Alan sat quietly, looking at his hands. He still had questions to ask - so many questions. But he knew Dok was not going to entrust him with the answers. Not because he did not trust him - but because he thought it was for Alan's own good. Alan hated that, and he hated even more that he would likely have done the same were he in Dok's situation.



Alan returned to focusing on the mission. Now was not the time to dwell on hierarchical drama. His life and the life of others were in risk - perhaps more than ever in their short lives.
Alan rode on, silent. He hoped he wouldn't have to decide, like Nile wanted.

Mitsuo watched the gate slowly open and gripped the reigns of his his horse tighter.
Well it's about time!

He couldn't stop the grin spreading to his face as he, along with the rest of the left group, galloped out of the gates.

The formation was an easy one to uphold, just keep the MPs safe and the job is half done.
The other half was more what Mitsuo was looking forward to and other Scouts dreading.
Fighting Titans.

What better way is taking a break from mechanics than Scout missions?

Mitsuo thought back to his projects, however, and what the future missions will be like once he got them to function successfully.
If they function successfully.
He had to hold back laughing at the idea of driving the train into Titan ankles and tripping over all kinds of Titans.
A slight chuckle escaped him as he thought about controlling the Iron Maiden and fighting hand to hand combat with Titans before tearing them apart.

But will it be that easy?
A common question that ran through his mind.
Most likely not.
Being the common answer to the question.

As he rode his horse to keep in the position he was assigned, Mitsuo had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't a game.
However that didn't stop him from estimating the prowess of all the other Scouts.

I wonder who is the one able to kill the most.

As the gate opened, everyone including Safer started to trot their horses forward outside of the walls. The mission has started. Feelings of excitement ran through Safer's mind as all of the soldier's and MP's headed out. However, he kept a relatively straight face keeping his emotions from distracting him - as that's a way you easily get killed in combat when dealing with Titans. He kept looking out into the distance in front of him while staying in formation then glances at the other soldier's curious of their own skills. He quickly puts his attention back onto the mission and looks forward once again.

Safer looked very confident as the wind and the momentum from the horses speed made his hair blow back into the other direction. It looked quite the scene. All these crazy thoughts ran through his mind while all of this was happening. He began to think who be killed first and who would make it back alive with no injuries what-so-ever. One thing is for sure is that he wanted to be one of those people that came back with no harm done to himself.

Some of the soldiers next to him in the formation seemed somewhat familiar but not knowing people there didn't phase him. The mission continued as he looked out into the far distance not seeing any Titans yet. One part of him hoping that he would get to fight against one, another part of him hoping that none of his friend's he's made in the past week get killed in this mission.

The first few hours of the mission went by without events. Given no titans had been sighted from the walls, it was to be expected, as they only now started getting into territory past the horizon line seen from atop Rose. From this point onwards, though, a few of the veterans in the survey corps were seen subtly increasing their awareness. The newer people or the MP would likely not immediately understand (or even notice the very subtle difference) why become particularly sharp now, but for someone who's seen more than five or six missions it was obvious.

Auth himself was part of this group, as he had seen the outside quite a few times. He was certainly not the best soldier, but certainly not the worst either, and learning for experiences was pretty much one of his strong points. He breathed out air slowly, entering his mind in battle-stance. Devoid of all expression and emotion, he started reeling his eyes alongside the plains as far as he could see. When dealing with titans, every second of extra preparation time could matter a saved life in the end.

They were in very unfavourable territory, too, and that also showed the differences between those used to being outside apart from those who aren't: the instinctive Agoraphobia of the survey corps. After you've been outside enough times, you see with your own eyes just how defenseless you are on open ground. And just how deadly titans truly are, how risky it is to hook to them directly, and just how awfully easy you can die. Training dummies... they did not teach soldiers anything. For many fresh bloods, the tales of open space terror are just stories, but they so very quickly become reality.

The entire company subtly started speeding up, probably due to the work of the veterans leading the vanguard, also responsible for the immediate orientation of the company. The road they followed would pass by a forest a kilometer or two later, and they probably wanted to minimize the time spent out in the open.

Of course, that might have not ended up being possible, as some people o the left side guard could be seen raising their hands. Titan sighted at considerable distance, not an immediate danger. The standard procedure was to prepare for eventual 'impact' without adjusting course, all while hoping the titan would just turn away and leave without noticing the company.

Well, they'll see about their luck here.

Orions eyes turned towards the left side as they continued on, Darn. Not on my end of things. He thought. He had mixed feelings about it, on one hand he actually wanted to go into combat, on the other he neither wanted to get himself torn in half nor lose people unnecessarily.

He glanced around again as his breathing began to get deeper preparing for battle at any moment and his eyes began to narrow in thought. He felt the hilt of one of his swords as he continued on as if that would confirm him of the skill to win.

He suddenly slipped into realizing that he had no idea just how far away they had gone by now, having forgotten the moment a titan was spotted. And thus only had his surroundings to guess where they were.

Orion took one more glance at those present before facing ahead once more trying to focus on the task at hand, Come on. Soon. Anything could happen and you need to be prepared for it. Don't desire conflict or you'll send yourself down the wrong path. Goals are what's really important. And today the goal isn't titan killing unfortunately.

The mission felt like it was treading on forever to Alan. Perhaps it was the anticipation for life-testing events that never came that made the time pass by so slowly.
A few of Alan's party got a bit more comfortable. Some of them were even quietly telling each other jokes and giggling. The captain was not going to worry himself about that - anything that could raise morale for his soldiers in a place like this is a good thing.
Even Alan let himself relax a bit, after hours of nothing but green fields and wide sky. He still scanned his horizon continously throughtout, for such was the fate of the analyst.

Forest up ahead, Alan noted Would give us a much better chance to defend ourselves, but also make incoming titans harder to spot. Group appears to still be accelerating... What for?
Alan's gaze shifted across the field, and his eyes widened as he spotted the signals of a titan spotting. Following thr trail, he also spotted the titan in question, in the distance. That was the unfortunate consequence of being in the center of the formation - although you were protected from all sides, you were also close to the action on all fronts.
"Titan on the left!" he shouted, alerting all his team. The captain raised his hand and shot up a signal, alerting those further away of the incoming danger. Although he did everything in a considerably calm manner, Alan was filled with dread.

The last time I was this close to a titan, countless people died as I hopelessly watched. Alan reminded himself, the non-figurative scars still on him Is the same thing going to happen again, people dying for my safety as I watch on? What is my good will worth if I can't do anything when it counts?
Alan was battering himself. He was alert enough, however, to continue moving on, faster than before, while scanning the area and making sure no further threats are around.
Alan looked back for a split seconds at his teammates, who were trotting closely behind. Only a moment ago they were finally calm, but the panic and fear returned, far harder than before. One soldier, after seeing a titan for the first time, was looking ahead dead-eyed, on the verge of tears. Alan wanted to help her, but he had to make sure the situation was safe beforehand. He will make sure she is fine after the threat is gone...
Or fight, should the threat only grow.

Mitsuo watched as a soldier in front of him raised their hand.
'A Titan spotted? Where?'
The young Shimura looked in the direction the soldier was looking and saw the Titan in the distance.
'It's pretty far away... the convoy should be fine.'

The other soldiers nearby Mitsuo, however, thought differently.
"Aw damn it, why can't we just have one mission without seeing them?"
One soldier spoke with annoyance.
Another soldier grunted, "Why don't we just go other there and kill it? Job done."

Mitsuo sighed, "if we go other there to kill it, we break formation. Our job now is protecting the MPs, not killing the Titans."

"Damn Unicorns, can't even let us do our job properly!"

"Go on then," Mitsuo had spite in his voice, "leave the MPs and go do your job. Just remember so far we can only see one, who knows how many more is beyond that one. Also don't complain to me when you get a bollocking for not doing the mission assigned."

No response.
Mitsuo exhaled to calm himself down.

Another scout started speaking, "shouldn't we at least increase our pace to avoid them?"

Mitsuo turned and smiled at the one who spoke, "I'm sorry, but only Captain Jack can decide that..."

"Oh, right, of course."

Mitsuo had an expression of pity, "we can either hope the Captain does that or that we just miss them at our current pace."

And with that, Mitsuo went back to focusing on the mission, tucked closer to the horse in preparation of combat.

He notices the MP's Captain's hand being raised telling everyone that there is a Titan up ahead and takes it into consideration, mentally and physically preparing himself for combat. Safer looks ahead into the distance and see's what Alan was talking about. Fear and nervousness don't come across his mind like some of the others in the convoy, yet calm determination was. Seeing a Titan for the first time wasn't as such a big deal for Safer than it was for others who see it the first time. Why? Because he's done so much training and built up a lot of momentum socially talking about how he's going to kill every single Titan that exists. He realizes he has to live up to that.

As everyone in the mission stays close together while in formation going at a reasonably fast pace, Safer overhears soldier's conversations about the Titan and how they should go over there and kill it. Risky ideas were kind of Safer's thing but that plan was just straight out stupid; it's what we call Suicide because who know's if that single Titan is a distraction or decoy and they'res others hiding around it nearby or if that Titan is a strong abnormal one. Safer likes to think that he has a less of a chance of getting killed in action, whether it's hand-to-hand combat or fighting off Titans in missions. However, he still had respect and honor for his peers and the higher ranking officials who proved their top-notch skill already.

He looks around the area to spot more Titans but none were seen except a Forest ahead of them. Staying focused and calm in any combat situation was Safer's specialty. Seeing people getting killed right in front of his face isn't going to affect him emotionally. He has to avoid emotional thoughts whilst dealing with Titans because that's how they get inside of your head and make you fearful of them which always end up in death. Safer thinks about how he's going to prove his worth in this mission to high-ranking officials. Saving people from getting eaten by Titans sounds like an idiotic idea but to him, that would be a great way to show he's capable of great responsibility and given his ability, it's very possible. With all of those ideas in his mind, he continues to trot his horse along with everyone else embracing for combat in case it's his turn to fight.

The formation kept it's subtle acceleration, making no real change from before. Any such thing was running the risk of alerting a titan that wasn't attacking yet, and would have been less than ideal. Instead, the priority now was reaching the forest, and thus have at least a partial way of fighting back.

Auth kept his eyes on the thing, but much more importantly on the surroundings. One titan was a threat, yes, but it was a known threat which could be dealt with. Being attacked by two or three more without warning would have not been a threat so easily dealt with, and, in all fairness, it could have meant the end of this mission. Knowledge was power, and especially much in a case like this: titans could be fought, but you had to know where they are. Any sudden changes are more than simply lethal.

This was the entire game Survey Corps played with the titans. Know when to advance, when to retreat, realize potential 'traps' in the terrain and chaotic arrangement of titans, and in general, keep the upper hand strategically. Titans were stronger than humanity in brawn, so any slight failure in brain meant death. No unforeseen developments, no surprises, and adapting to changes quickly enough to keep going. That is what would make or break any mission outside the walls, and likely inside as well.


In this case, the titan was approaching. And, seemingly, two more were with him. Complications, yes, but still easily dealt with. They were heading towards the group now, and had certainly noticed it, but none of them were running, so no abnormal. Expected casualties: zero. Auth raised his hand steeply. Two more titans, on the right flank this time. The formation almost immediately picked up pace to that. It was still perfectly manageable, as they would reach the trees before the impact with the titans. As such, casualties shouldn't go up.


With the target town nearby, though, the situation could still go really bad, really quickly. Not this encounter, but the next one... well... that would end up vastly different.

//OOC: feel free to initiate the fight with the titans. For location purposes, the encounter does happen near trees.

Orion heartbeat sped up and a small smile crept onto his face shortly only to vanish replaced with a gleam in his eyes.

"Titans" He said to himself turning to look in their direction as they began approaching, "I've been waiting for you." He whispered estimating strategy as his eyes leapt from the ones on the right flank and then the others.

First course of action. Wait until they close in enough. If they aren't close enough allow the rear guard to deal with them. Nope, never mind, I think they'll be hitting my area. Examine threat potential as they close in and if contact is made move away and then come from behind to either attack without opposition or obtain their attention. It is probable I'll only get the chance to deal with one or two if the others on my team have any sense. For left side, allow to go on as they see fit unless there are any more then two deaths, then consider taking action.

He got up in his stirrups as the titans closed in taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a second, "Let's get started."

He activated his 3d maneuver gear shooting off at an angle to avoid getting clotheslined by a grabbing titan hand as he zipped away then back around examining the situation to find the easiest target that would profit his team the best, which was the second closest titan due to it's positioning and that he could more easily get into position again. He zipped back around in an attempt to slide his swords through the nape of the neck using the speed of his maneuver gear more then his own personal strength to try and cut in.

The worst part is the uncertainty. Mere seconds could flip the tables completely.
The group sped up. Alan promptly alerted the rest of the party about the approaching titans in the same calm manner. The forest was closer now, and some trees were about. Not favorable, but still far better than the open plains they would have been in have they not picked up the pace.

Alan looked left and right. Even though the number of the titans was managable, it still felt overwhelming to Alan, who found it hard to focus on all of them at once.
The young captain was absolutely terrified. All it took was one failure, one breaching titan, and it will be the MP's job to deal with the threat, or get eaten. Even if they were the best at what they did, Alan found little comfort knowing his life was resting in the hands of the scouts.
"We're going to die!" shouted one particularly cowardly MP behind Alan "We should have turned back when we had the chance!"

Alan looked back. His eyes widened. One of the MPs was turning their horse around, feebly attempting to turn back.
"Take the lead!" shouted Alan to Robert, one of his squadmates. Alan pulled on the reigns of his horse and turned back, to chase the fleeting soldier.

Imbicile! Alan put his terror on hold. He needed to act fast before things would become to grim. He needed to catch up to the soldier in the next... 20 seconds before they pass the rear guard. After that, they will be out of the protection of the Survey Corps, and on their own.
Alan put his heels into the horse. The steed flew across the road, catching up to the deserter.
"TURN BACK!" shouted Alan to the soldier, attempting to be heard over the howling wind "YOU WILL NEVER MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN! IT'S TOO LATE!"
The soldier kept riding, pressing on. Alan was catching up, but not quickly enough. At this rate, by the time he reaches him, they'll be in titan territory. Alan couldn't allow that.
"IF YOU KEEP GOING, YOU WILL DIE!" he shouted, as a last resort at the soldier.
The soldier slowed down silently. Alan caught up to him, grabbed the reigns from his hands and violently pulled them back, along with his. The horse raised its front legs in protest, and then turned to trot along with the herd.
Alan looked at the soldier on his side, who was sobbing now, but not resisting. It appears he managed to get a hold of himself.
"The only way we can make it here is if we trust each other." Alan said to the soldier quietly, in a voice that wasn't harsh not angry, but caring. "Put your trust in me, okay?"
The soldier nodded solemnly.

By then, the rear party caught up to them.
"What the hell was that, Katlewande!?" shouted the rear guard captain at him "You have a deathwish?"
"A minor loss of self-control, that's all." replied Alan calmly, not willing to get into a shouting match in the middle of a titan attack "Just the first time these soldiers see a titan."
"Minor loss of self control?" spat back the captain, fuming with anger "Our job is hard enough as it is, risking our lives for you bastard unicorns! Is this all a joke to you?"
Alan was not about to get dragged into this. "Our job right now is to get to the target location and protect the MPs, right? Let's focus on that."
"YOU are an MP!" screamed the scout captain at him.
Alan stared at him for a brief moment, his eyes wide open.
He was right. Alan completely forgot amidst all the panic that he was Military Police. For a split second, he felt like a scout. It felt so natural...

Alan's face stiffened. He kicked his horse on, and hurried up along the road, leaving the rear party behind. The MP soldier followed behind closely, a scared but determined expression on his face.
I mustn't lose focus, Alan reminded himself.The target is close. We need to press on. Hopefully we suffer no more losses on the way.
Alan looked at the soldiers battling the titans and was nearly certain he saw Orion take down a titan on his own.
We should be fine.

The Titan that was approaching the left side was drawing dangerously close. It was close enough to feel it's footsteps shake the ground.

"SOMEONE BETTER DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT TITAN!"
A scout shouted with hints of anger and fear.

"OH YEAH? WHY-"

"ON IT!"
Mitsuo had cut off one of his fellow comrades to volunteer for the job.
He already thought of a plan that has potential to bring down the Titan without any casualties.
Drawback on said plan: not all of his plans go well.

"GUSTAV! BRUTUS! CLARE! WITH ME!"
Mitsuo yelled at three fellow scouts as he pulled away from the crowd.
'I am really hoping I can count on you guys!' Judemental thoughts ran through his head.

"YES!"
The three comrades yelled back in unison and drew their horses away from the crowd after him.

"WHAT'S THE PLAN!?"
Brutus yelled at Mitsuo's back.

"BRUTUS AND GUSTAV! YOU GUYS ATTACK IT'S JOINTS BELOW THE KNEECAPS! THAT SHOULD IMPAIR IT'S MOVEMENT AND HOPEFULLY MAKE IT FALL OVER! I'LL THEN ATTACK IT'S EYES TO BLIND IT! AT THAT MOMENT CLARE WILL ATTACK THE NAPE! GOT IT!?"
Mitsuo yelled out from his lungs, full of confidence.

"WAIT! YOU'RE GOING FOR THE FACE!?"
Clare yelled her question with shock.

"OF COURSE! I HAVE TO MAKE SURE IT WON'T ATTACK!"
Mitsuo yelled back.
"LET'S JUST GET THIS PLAN GOING!"

Near the left, a Titan was quickly approaching the other scouts going in to attack them along with the other Titan. But Safer had a wise plan, one that involved killing that Titan before it could reach the others in time. By doing this, it'll decrease the chance of a fatality from the other scouts and put only himself at risk rather than an amount of people; also that Titan wasn't paying any attention to him anyways so it was only the righteous thing to do at the moment.

Safer has his horse trot quickly to the left side going behind the two Titans before they could spot him and gain they're attention onto him. Going so close to one Titan was already considered dangerous but getting this close to two sounds insane unless you were one of the best and most-experienced Survey Corps members out there. Nevertheless, Safer continued to go with his plan and starts to attach his 3D Manevuer Gear onto the Titans back, then flys off the horse to slash at the nape of the neck. With speed and precision, Safer slashes the neck of one of the normal Titans but it continues to run at the others so he continues to then fly down near the ankles of the Titan and begins slashing at both of those which uneables the Titan to run anymore and it falls down onto the floor easily.

It was incredible to see from someone else's point of view but for Safer, it feels like just another practice dummy to him. This was natural for his bloodline.

Once the Titan finally fell onto the floor as dead as it can be and steaming, Safer calmly flys back onto his horse which was patiently trotting right beside him and the Titan. It was clear Safer's horse either has a really tight bond with him on a personal level or that they've been training these horses really good. Either way, this mission was going good pretty decent so far having known both Orion and Safer took down a Titan themselves, but who knows if the other Titan still standing will be any easier or if it'll put up more of a fight. Hopefully it's not a abdnormal...

Safer notices the other Titan is still heading for Mitsuo and the other's but can't do anthing about it because by now that Titan is too far from Safer himself to attack sucsessuflly so he just hopes they can handle it without getting killed. He trys to stay by faily close though to formation so he can help them whever need-be.

As Orion was downing one of the titans on his side, Auth had exchanged glances with another of the Scouts. They knew each other just from battle, either against titans or each other. It was an absurd relation between them, as they assisted each other in downing more than ten titans alongside time, yet they did not know each other's name. But they were content with this: a fellowship forged in battle, dedicated to battle.

As such, they both zipped from their horses almost at the same moment, going for the nearest (and, after Orion's spectacular performance, only) titan on their side of things. Auth to the left, his companion on the right, watching the titan's reactions. A slight turn towards the Auth's side. As such, he immediately closed in, acquiring the monster's full attention. He started heading for his at a steep angle, but sharply turned before getting in range. As the titan shambled after him confused, his companion landed the killing blow.

Simple, efficient, and nearly riskless. It was a procedure that they've done time and time again before, and against a sole titan, it was an easy kill. For the two of them, of course. Teamwork as in the end the most powerful form of combat, and it only went double when facing monsters much larger and stronger than oneself.


Auth landed back in his saddle. He smiled and nodded towards his companion, and was replied with the same. And that was the extent to which the two knew each other: not at all, except regarding fighting, in which case they knew each other almost as well as themselves. Now, though, how were things on the left flank...

Two titans down, and Safer landing in his horse. Well, Auth had to give it to the guy, he was skilled. A loner, and that was one problem, but he was still skilled. Not very sharp, but skilled. In the meantime, Mitsuo and other three Scouts going for the last titan standing. Auth frowned. That was rather bad news. Was the titan abnormal? Even then, though, with the four of them, and Safer within reasonable assistance range, it should have still been a casualty-less kill.


At the same time, nothing new on the horizon. Thankfully.

//OOC: Mitsuo, feel free to make the titan you are fighting be abnormal or not, as you desire.

Well that was spectacular to watch Orion thought with itnerest as he witnessed the excellent teamwork of the others in his squadron before returning to his horse and taking a deeper breath realizing he had accidentally held it in again due to the short duration of the attack he made. A mistake annoyingly common but the sideffects of which he hadn't seen yet except in his minds eye.

As he got back he turned to take a look at how everyone else was doing frowning at the fact they had failed to finish it off yet, then narrowing his eyes considering how the situation might go. As annoying as it was if they were to fail it would compromise the entire formation as well as the mission.

He opened his mouth slightly to voice his irritation to himself but avoided doing so, as he usually did, merely glaring coldly for a moment before returning to looking for other possible threats.


No damage caused yet but for all I know that could change very soon. With how long it's taking them they're either slow to actually kill, unskilled, or it's an abnormal. Any one of those could be bad, I just really hope it's the first, for the sake of everyone on that side.

The two Military Police soldiers rose side by side, as fast as they could. They were still out of formation - somewhere between the rear guard and the core. Alan looked around, with concern. The scouts were handling the titans in an incredibly professional manner, taking them down without trouble as if it's not a challenge at all, as if the titans can't just kill them with a single hand.

Alan still couldn't shake the feeling that they were currently at a tactical stumble - the formation was weakening due to soldiers spreading out and dealing with various titans on both sides, and the core is currently not being led by Alan. Any unexpected occurrence could have some serious implications on the rest of the operation. Alan saw no titans on the horizon, but was still not satisfied.
"We're going to need to go faster." Alan said to his comrade, before putting his heels into the steed.

The soldier quickly followed the captain, still in silence. Soon, however, the silence was broken.
"Um, listen..." the man said, his voice uneasy "I just wanted to properly thank you for before..."
"Don't mention it." replied Alan, looking straight ahead.
"I wouldn't be a-" the soldier continued, but was interrupted by Alan, who looked over his shoulder.
"No. Seriously. Do not mention it. Focus on the mission. Deal with it later."
The two returned to riding in silence, this time an uneasy one. Alan knew what he did was not very compassionate, but he needed the soldier to focus if he were to survive properly in such a territory.

The galloping of hooves and beating of hearts. Mitsuo was taking deeper breaths to keep his emotions in check. He couldn’t imagine how the other scouts were feeling and he didn’t dare look to check.
‘Stay focused,’ he thought to himself, ‘there could be sudden changes.’
The tremors were getting stronger as the group drew closer to the titan. It was time to act. What Mitsuo didn’t notice was the pattern of the tremors. They were off-beat, suggesting signs of an irregular walking pattern.

“GUSTAV! BRUTUS! NOW!”
Mitsuo yelled with a firm nod.

The two scouts jumped from their horse and grappled straight onto the titan. It was the only thing possible to grapple to, which made this strategy risky but Mitsuo was certain with the scouts’ skills to be able to pull it off.

Gustav and Brutus zipped around in an arc, letting them get close enough to the titan’s joints.
A clean cut from Brutus was visibly shown from the blood spewing from the titan with a might roar from the same monster.
At the same time, the sound of shattering metal reached the young mechanic’s ears.
“CRAP! I HIT ITS LEG! MY SWORDS HAVE BROKE!”
After the failed attack, both Gustav and Brutus gained distance from the titan.

‘Damn it,’ Mitsuo’s words raced in his head, ‘there’s that sudden change.’

“CLARE! PREPARE TO MOVE!”
The young Shimura’s face was wearing a serious expression.

The titan roared again. It slowly limped.

“WHAT IS IT DOING!?”
Clare shouted, looking at Mitsuo for answers.

The titan’s slow limp built up pace, until it was a quick limp. Some might even confuse it for a half-hop.

‘SHIT,’ Mitsuo looked at the rushing beast.
He hurriedly grabbed his flare, loaded it and aimed.
With the pull of a trigger, a black smoking flame was shot right into the face of the titan.
‘That should give a little time.’
“CLARE! MOVE!”
Mitsuo jumped off his horse and grappled to the floor out of the titan’s path.
Just in time, Clare did the same as the titan rushed past where both Mitsuo and she was just riding.

“IT’S HEADING TO THE CONVOY!”
Clare pointed out, terrified. As she yelled, Mitsuo ran past her and jumped, using his gas for a boost.

“OH NO YOU DON’T, YOU BASTARD!”
Shooting his grapple, he managed to get an attachment to the titan's back.
He zipped off, getting closer to the monster until he managed to get both feet on it which at that point Mitsuo attached the second grapple to stay on.
Struggling to keep stable, Mitsuo waited for a good moment to release his grapples to jump and grapple higher on the titan.
When he was in reach of the nape, Mitsuo drew his swords and tightened his grip.
A cut of an X and the titan started falling backwards.
Mitsuo released the grapples and jumped out of the way of the disintegrating corpse.

Luckily, all the horses managed to get out of the titan’s way, probably during a fit of terror.
The four scouts remounted and headed back to the convoy.

As he trotted his horse to try and keep in formation while next to the others, he was able to a get front sideline view of Mitsuo and the other scouts taking down the last remaining Titan. The plan of attack had complications but in the end, it was successful and I don't recall anyone being hurt just yet so that's what counts. That means every captain and soldier here in this mission is doing their jobs correctly so far, however, the mission hasn't ended just yet.

Once the last Titan was on the ground fuming with steam and gritty blood out of its several cuts, all of the other soldiers including Safer we're relieved because there isn't any more Titans to been seen so far ahead. He might excel in Titan combat but he's still a human and doesn't want himself or other scouts to get injured. While trotting a little bit ahead of some his comrades, he simply glances back at them and with his right hand, he put's it over his heart in a fist-like position and nod's to give his team reassurance of hope and solid team-work. During this, he start's to say "Justice will be served and humanity will be saved by our doings." Others behind him smiled and put their fists next to their hearts as well just like he did to symbolize a soldier-like bond. Then, he looks back ahead forward putting his hand down so he can hold back onto the horse.

This was probably the most cliche yet powerful sentences of all-time Safer will ever say while he exists. No one could match his tone or the amount of integrity that was just said in one complete sentence. It was needed. Fear was upcoming on some of the soldiers, but what he just said brought it back down again. While looking ahead and trotting in formation with the rest of the convoy, he started to talk in his mind saying "Whether or not if I'm a Captain, If I let any soldiers die in a mission that involves Titans. I won't forgive myself for it. I'm willing to risk my own life to save someone else's... That's what being a true scout is about." He quickly comes back to himself as he stop's talking to himself in his own mind.

Safer envisioning himself as a Captain for the scouts; he was in the front of everyone in his side of the formation. Though, he couldn't help but glance over at some of the other scouts who is nearby almost right-by-side him. He analyzed them quickly then looks ahead saying while trotting at everyone else's speed, "We're doing great gentlemen, as long as we keep it up we should be fine." Safer simply waited in silence for a response back as he paid attention to both the conversation and the path ahead of them. He was glad the mission is going along pretty well and that some others are skilled just like he is. Let's just hope everyone that participates in the missions has enough skill and will power to stay safe.

Everyone kept trotting ahead looking for Titans or anything else interesting. Soon, something ahead in the distance seemed vaguely familiar to Safer. It was some sort of huge rock that was sitting in the middle of nowhere that Safer had seen a while ago another time he secretly went outside of the walls. That's why the lay of the land was kind of familiar to him more so than the other soldier's who are barely going out the walls for the first time. Anywho the rock didn't have anything imprinted on it, it was just a tale-tell sign of where he was at and reminds him of himself being there at an earlier time.

The mission continued.