𝕮𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖘𝖎𝖘 - [𝙇𝙚𝙫𝙞 𝙭 𝙢𝙪𝙩𝙚!𝙛𝙚𝙢!𝙊𝘾] { COMPLETE }

𝐂𝐡 𝟐: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩, 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭!

I dragged myself out of the shabby medical clinic equipped with the knowledge that my team leader, who was responsible for my health and safety, had dealt me two broken ribs and a shit ton of internal bleeding. I was surprised that those were the only casualties. Celia, however, trailed at my side obliviously, glancing around at passersby and greeting them with a friendly wave.

She knows everyone in the Stohess district by name. Go figure.

My foot landed on a rock, putting my already-poor balance off kilt and causing pain to shoot from the sole of my foot all the way to my right shoulder, where a bruise had developed from this morning's beating. Celia noticed my repressed wincing and offered to help me walk, to which I gave a reluctant nod. Celia's slender arm wrapped around my waist and served as a crutch to help me hobble back to the Survey Corps headquarters.

Although Celia happily gave her allegiance to the Garrison, her true loyalty lied with only two people—Lina and myself—which meant that she was glued to my side during the rare occasions that she wasn't being used as an errand girl by her shitty team leader. Sometimes she would wander off from her daily patrols of Stohess District to accompany me on my smaller, less taxing missions around the district.

People only ever realized she was out of place whenever they noticed the Twin Rose patch on her jacket sleeve, which was donned only by Garrison soldiers and thus was generally disparate when thrown into a sea of Wings of Liberty patches. I once insisted that she eat with other soldiers from her branch, but her actions said that she preferred the liveliness the Survey Corps had to offer and decided to stay.

We entered the dining hall, where a handful of new cadets were mixed with full-fledged soldiers. Some of the said soldiers were from the other military branches, which was surprising. They lined the tables, chattering amongst themselves, and although the noisiness and disorder angered me, I let out a sigh and brushed it off, instead inspecting the faces of my new comrades.

The one that caught my eye first was an ashy brunette with a long, domineering face. His eyes were narrow as he snickered at another cadet, a boy around the same age but smaller in stature, with corn blonde hair and large, calculating eyes. There were only a few cadets total—I counted nine—and they all seemed to group together into small cliques that were dispersed throughout the room.

This is it? These are the new recruits from the 104th Training Corps? Where are the rest?

Just as Celia and I were about to shimmy our way onto one of the already-filled benches with the other more experienced soldiers, a booming voice shot across the dining hall and startled everyone. It was Erwin Smith, the primary commander of the Survey Corps. He was one of the few soldiers who were at the top of the food chain when it came to the hierarchy of the Survey Corps. The fact that he was wasting his time lecturing a couple of cadets surprised me.

"I'll have your attention now," He commanded.

Everyone stood immediately. The cadets delayed in stumbling out of their seats, unaware of the situation's seriousness. I had trouble, too, due to my injuries, but Celia was quick to aid me.

"Welcome, cadets, to the Survey Corps. As I'm sure you have been briefed by your squad leaders, there is an important task soon to arise. Several teams will be deployed outside the wall for a transport mission. A handful of ranking officers have been chosen to lead each of the teams involved in this endeavor. Such officers are," Erwin paused, glancing down at a list in his hands. "Executive Officer Moblit Berner, Section Commander Hange Zoe, Lance Corporal Levi Ackerman, First Lieutenant Artemisia Leos, and myself."

He cleared his throat and projected his voice louder this time. "If your name was called, please stand and follow me."

I looked at Celia, whose mouth was agap with surprise. She excitedly shook me by the shoulder several times before remembering that I was injured. She immediately apologized and expressed how excited she was about my promotion to first lieutenant.