A shrill cockcrow pierced through the gloom as if to drive off darkness, but the cloud-filled sky failed to oblige. The thick leaden cover sat there ominously, ready to burst into rain at any moment.
The east sky was gradually growing brighter so the sun must have been rising. The clouds yet refused to budge. The biting-cold outside air turned breaths as white as steam; any precipitation might take the form of snow. The soldiers’ cloaks and hoods kept them from feeling too cold, but their body heat was slowly but surely being sapped away.
It’s almost time… Kuklo looked out at the orderly file of Survey Corps troops from atop his warhorse. At the head of the group was their commander, Carlo Piquer, and the two deputy commanders who assisted him. After them came a column of ten teams, each headed by a team leader.
Kuklo was in Team Ten at the end of the line. All eight of its members wore the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment. In other words, the team consisted entirely of the training academy’s former flunkers, with Rosa Carlstedt serving as leader. The position was normally filled by an experienced and capable soldier, but since no such troops could use the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, Rosa had been selected as the best overall pick.
To begin with, a team consisting only of first-timers was extremely unusual, and it went to show how unique the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment was. Carlo did not seem inclined to make them hew to the prevailing tactics, either, having granted them permission to move at their own discretion, within reason. Meanwhile, Xavi and the other new faces had been spread among the other teams.
A raindrop landed on Kuklo’s cheek as he waited for the expedition to begin.
“I guess there’s nothing humanity can do about the weather,” Cardina mumbled, looking straight ahead. His expression was mildly tense.
I probably look the same way… The reason was clear: they were vividly remembering the nightmare called being chased by a Titan. Though they weren’t so terrified as to freeze up, it went to show that exiting the walls was no one’s idea of a hobby.
But even more nervous than Kuklo and Cardina were Rosa and the others, who faced their first excursion beyond the walls. While it was in part due to the cold, they looked terribly stiff. As even Kuklo, who had been to the outside world, felt hesitant, faulting them would have been unfair. At the same time, there was no longer any turning back.
Carlo raised his right hand high at the front of the line.
“Forward!” he commanded, and the main gates of Wall Maria roared open even as his voice echoed. Hundreds of frightened birds flapped their wings and took to the air.
The Survey Corps promptly began its advance.
At last… Kuklo grew abruptly more tense, but this was no time to be attending to his feelings, as the town was now at its most defenseless against external foes. They needed to pass through the gates without a second’s delay so that the Garrison troops could close them again. Letting Titans in and losing a place to come home to was simply unacceptable.
The first to respond was Team Leader Rosa.
“Forward!” she called out with vigor, spurring her mount to lead the way. There was no doubt in her expression. The responsibility she felt as team leader must have been driving her.
“Now that’s a team leader for you. She has some guts.” Freed from his stupor, Cardina whipped his horse and quickly began to follow Rosa.
“Right, let’s do this!” Kuklo roused himself and charged forward as if to cast off idle thoughts.
The gates grew closer and closer, as did the bleak expanse ahead of them. Dark clouds literally hung over the land, but Kuklo paid them no heed as he passed through Wall Maria.