The Survey Corps
(A/N: Next chapter will be next week. Do enjoy this one for the time being.)
Having left their curious guests behind near the cafeteria, under guard, Erwin and Levi made their way to the dungeons towards a cell holding the new recruit, Eren Jeager.
"Erwin. It seems something new always seems to come together with other odd occurences."
Levi commented, receiving a slight almost invisible smile from Erwin.
"It is comforting to know that humanity has managed to survive beyond the walls. It is a different story all together to know that there are places beyond our land that are safe from the titans."
Erwin said, his mind still occupied with the revelation of the fact other races than humans lived beyond his sight. It was... exciting to say the least. Stories from his childhood seemed more real than they had ever before.
"They can't be trusted yet, Erwin. Just like Jeager. They are a threat to us."
"They are. But a threat to who? I don't see them the same you do. Maybe they are a blessing in disguise, one that might lead us to peace, of off this man-eating land."
"I can't say I don't share that dream, Erwin. It just seems impossible as of now."
Levi stated as they arrived in front of the door leading to the dungeons.
"Then we need to keep them close and sound them out. From what they said, their stay here should be brief."
Erwin noted as he opened the door and went in, waiting for Eren Jeager to wake up from his unconscious state.
*
*
*
A few days had passed and the log pose hadn't reset yet. The guards that had been here had been removed, but the watchfull eye of the guy called Levi didn't stop. The people around them had gotten slightly used to seeing Soren, but the strange eyes following them couldn't help but feel odd.
At some point, a man with the same uniform but a different logo on their chest had tried to take Ban with them to 'interrogate'.
It didn't take all that long for Ban to return, smelling a lot of blood, but it didn't seem to be from someone else. Ban was smiling happily as the same man had a pale look on his face, as he quickly scurried of to find someone else to bother.
"So how was your day, Ban-san?"
Shinobu asked, as she was busy tying Akane's hair in a bunch of braids, just to see how it would look.
"It was fun alright. I got to know that they suck at torturing. You had to see his face, the fact I healed up from anything he pulled out. It was a killjoy when that Pixis guy called the torturer away. He didn't seem happy at all."
Ban chattered, showing how he had been tortured in which ways.
"Why did they do it though?"
Akane wondered aloud.
"Ah, he mentioned some pig noble wanted to find out if I was truly immortal. He seemed to like the idea as well, so they tried out a bunch of stuff. It has happened before, as imortallity seems like such a boon to some. They were about this close to chopping my head off to see what would happen. I was looking forward to seeing him faint though~"
Ban barked out in laughter, closely imitating what the soldier had looked like as he continued.
"I guess the higher-ups here are really messed up as well. It surprises me they haven't bothered coming up to me or Soren. Luckily they hadn't approached Shinobu, as she would have poisoned them all."
"Ara~ That does sound interesting."
Shinobu smiled brightly as she fastened the last braid.
A knock on the door interrupted the whole conversation as a trembling soldier stood at attention. Reading aloud from a piece of paper, he said the following.
"Eldertale D. Akane,
Kocho Shinobu,
Ban,
Lafitte,
Soren,
These people are requested to report at the square precisely a week from now at 2300. That's all."
Handing the piece of paper with trembling hands to Lafitte, the most inconspicuous person in the room, the soldier fled the moment he had fulfilled his task.
Looking questioningly at Ban, Akane wondered what else he had done.
Ban just smirked and remained quiet, enjoying the sight of the soldier almost pissing his pants.
Shaking her head, Akane went back to the books she had received not long ago, which described the living conditions on this island. If she had to stay here for a while, then she better know more about what was happening.
*
*
*
A week later, at the time when the letter had stated she should arrive, a bunch of people had gathered. Akane and her crew had arrived just at the time when a whole group of people had left, leaving only a few teens behind.
Looking at the trembling lot, as well as Erwin who was standing on the stage, Akane wondered what she had gotten herself into now.
"Welcome to the Survey Corps. I great you with a heartfelt salute."
Erwin ended, the new recruits doing the same as well. Looking at Akane, Erwin followed it up with something else.
"Behind you are those that will join the squad as well. Be sure to learn from them."
Erwin commented, turning around and leaving the stage.
"Can I kill him now captain?"
Lafitte once again asked, this time the annoyance was heard in his voice, as well as seen on his face. His eyes couldn't help but twitch, as the thing he had heard just now was clearly not shared with them beforehand.
"That depends on if I haven't killed him before you."
Akane replied, having the same twitch of the eye Lafitte had. The only one who found it funny was Ban, who was just barking in laughter at the funny faces his fellow crew mates were making.
"They want us to babysit some brats. It would be less of a hassle to just empty out the surrounding area's of titans."
Lafitte commented, not happy with the situation at all. And who could blame him, as the people in front of them weren't even that old yet.
"Maa, maa, just relax. They will explain themselves."
Shinobu replied, getting a firm nod of Soren to voice his agreement. It seems none of them particularly liked being on the receiving end of this whole thing.
Leaving the scared and stunned brats behind, Akane departed to find Erwin, only to find her fellow shorty.
"Levi."
Akane muttered in greeting, not bothering saying something else.
"I will be stuck with your group for the next coming days. Don't expect any vip treatment. I don't tolerate jokesters."
Not liking Levi's tone, Akane's eyes formed a momentary slit, eyeing him like she was about to kill him.
"The same goes for you. I will kill you if you think me and my crew will be treated like fodder. I assure you each one of them can kill you faster than you can blink. The only way you should ask yourself is how they will do it. Do give the message to your commander."
Akane stated as a cloud of smoke appeared and her child-like figure was replaced by that of a humongous golden fox. Giving him a foxy smile, she jumped in the air and searched from above for her crew.
Seeing Soren waving at her from above a rooftop, she reversed herself back into a human just a few feet above him. Landing nimbly on the rooftop, she greeted the rest of her crew again.
"Seems we joined the Survey Corps for a while. Let's see what they have to offer."
"Oh I know what they have to offer, little fox~ I just raided on of the rooms of the nobility. They have some damn good meat in their shelves~"
Ban said as he handed some to each crew mate.
"Ban, you do know how to alleviate the bad mood in an instant."
Soren replied as he looked up at the sky, one where the moon was illuminating the rest of the city.