Attack on Titan: A Blacksmith's Tale

Chapter 7: Survival Training

"It was supposed to be a simple exercise."

Dillon lost track of how many times he wiped the sweat off his forehead. The merciless sun was bearing down on him and the other cadets as they traveled through the desert on horseback. He hoped the speed from the horses would've cooled them down, but his hopes were dashed. Still, it was better than traveling on foot.

The purpose of this exercise was to establish how well the cadets could sustain themselves during a time without a crisis. They were split into two groups, traveling two different paths that led to the same destination. From there, they would exchange reports on how well the cadets did written by a cadet on each team that would observe them and journey back. The good news was they had plenty of rations and water to last them the journey to and from their destination: a forest, which had plenty of freshwater lakes inside. The test was a birthday gift and the cadets would reap its spoils. Heck, even Shadis pointed out how easy it this would be when he gave them the assignment, though he reminded them that whether in the battlefield or not, a soldier is always a soldier.

Team A consisted of Eren, Marco, Dillon, Armin (chronicler), Jean, Mina, Connie, Sasha, and Krista.

Team B consisted of Thomas, Mikasa (chronicler), Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt, Samuel, Franz, and Hannah. Ymir would've been on Team B if she hadn't broken her leg a week prior.

However, there was one thing that concerned Dillon: Marco Bodt being the team leader. He didn't think badly of Marco. The guy had optimism that was seriously needed in these dark times, and he was friendly enough to get along with the other recruits. It's just that he couldn't see him as a person who could lead others. It was possible Marco could prove him wrong and prove his worth as a leader. Deep inside, though, Dillon knew he was a little sore about not being picked to lead the squad, but Shadis probably knew what he was doing. After all, a person can't grow without giving them the chance to grow.

"So, we're not allowed to go faster?" Marco asked Armin.

"Uh, yeah," the assigned chronicler answered.

"It'd be stupid if we did," Jean pointed out, sounding slightly more relaxed than the rest of the team. "For once, we can just take our time."

"Of course, you would say that," Eren sneered. "If you're gonna fall behind, I'm moving ahead."

And here we go again. Dillon thought to himself with a roll of his eyes.

"Eren, wait," Armin exclaimed as the green-eyed boy moved up ahead.

Fortunately, Marco stopped Eren albeit meekly. "Eren, we need to keep the formation. Jean, what should we do?"

"I don't care," Jean stated, annoyed. "Besides, you're the leader, Marco. You make the call."

Marco heaved a sigh, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Let's just continue this exercise."

So much for that upbeat attitude. Dillon thought with a frown. Must be the heat.

"Will you get a move on?" Eren demanded to Jean. "Don't you have any endurance for this?"

"Do you ever shut up?" he shot back, irritated.

Connie groaned. "And there they go again."

"We have a long road ahead of us," Sasha said. "I'm not sure I can last the trip if the two keep bickering like this."

"You're not the only ones," Dillon added in a low voice only they could hear. The temptation to start punching them was rising.

To their credit, Eren and Jean quit going at each other's throats... for the next fifteen seconds.