Beginnings | Attack on Titan Alternate History Novel | Book One

Chapter Five: Graduation

Rain fell heavy on the 104th Cadet Corps heads as they trudged through the mud, running with heavy packs weighing down their backs.

It's been three years since they joined the Cadet Corps and they were working as hard as they always have to finalize their training.

"Pick up the pace you lead-heeled laggards!!!" Shadis screamed at them, trotting alongside them on a horse as they ran. 

Shadis looked over at Armin as he struggled behind the rest, his back heavy under the weight of his gear.

"Your boots water-logged Arlelt?" He yelled. "Let's see some hustle!!! Gear too heavy for you son?! Hell, drop it! Leave it in the mud! The Titans'll have easier work digesting you without all the excess baggage!"

Armin said nothing as he continued to push forward.

"Come on, catch up Armin!!!" Hans shouted back to him.

He slowed himself down to be closer to Armin in case something happened as Reiner noticed, doing the same.

"Seriously?" He huffed, grabbing Armin's bags from him. "Here, focus on staying upright, we are being graded on this you know?!"

"Thanks, but uh, won't they demerit you for helping?" Armin asked him in surprise.

"Yeah if they find out," Reiner laughed with a smirk. "Just make the cut and we're even alright?"

"Reiner Braun," Shadis thought to himself, looking back at him. "The mind and constitution of a grass-fed ox. Respected by his comrades."

"I'm no one's burden you hear me?!" Armin shouted at hin as he ran faster grabbing his bag off Reiner's shoulder.

"Haha, there ya go," Hans cheered for him as Armin ran ahead of them.

"Armin Arlert," Shadis noticed. "Built like a daffodil, but academically brilliant."

They then tested on their ODM gear in the forest, slicing the back of fake Titan's necks woth their swords.

Bertholdt and Annie grappled their manuevering gear upward propelling themselves forward, slicing through the napes of three fake Titans, swooping over Shadis's perch.

"Annie Leonhart," Shadis watched. "Gifted with a sword, but does not exactly play well with others."

He shifted his eyes.

"Bertholdt Hoover," he observed. "Heaps of native talent, but too mild-mannered."

"Think those show-offs can slice and dice?" Jean laughed to Hans as they zoomed through the forest side by side. "Best hope you see a Titan before I do!"

"We'll see about that!" Hans yelled back with a laugh racing him to the fake Titan.

"Jean Kirschtein," Shadis thought. "Head of the class on ODM; also an insufferable smartass with a hair-trigger temper."

"Way to lead the charge!!!" Conny yelled as he dropped down from above, cutting ahead of them. "You don't care if I steal your thunder right?"

In the flash of the eye, the nape was cut before any of them could hit it.

"Yeah!!! Woo-hoo!!!!" Sasha screamed, swinging down and springing upwards front of them as they stared in shock.

Shadis chuckled in amusement.

"Sasha Braus," he thought. "Unusually fine instincts. Rarely shares them with her teammates."

Shadis looked over at Conny as he yelled in anger at Sasha's interruption.