mindcracklove | Attack On Mindcrack ~Part 3~

More Attack On Mindcrack! Yayz~

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“Head out, men!” The commander’s voice rang through the stables, which were loaded with saddled horses. All at once, the soldiers mounted their horses, which stood at calm, respectful attention. Commander Avidya, who was positioned at the front of the group, moved forward, the rows of chestnut-colored horses following behind his in tight formation.

Etho found himself giddy and nearly bouncing with excitement as his group began to move, slowly making their way outside of the large barn and into the city. From there, they would travel to the gates, where a large crowd was waiting to send them off. And then, once the gates were sealed behind them, they would officially begin the expedition.

Etho focused his eyes in front of him, the back of Vechs’ head staring right back at him. He glanced to his right, finding it to be Pyro, one of the greener recruits. Behind him were Doc and Pakratt, the two leading scientists of the exploration. As they exited the stables, Etho squinted as his eyes adjusted to the bright light of day. Once the entire squad had entered the streets, they advanced into a brisk trot, cutting their time as they crossed the city.

Etho heard the crowds before he saw them. The loud hollering and cheering greeted them, family and friends calling names of their loved ones. As he neared the mass of people, he was able to see heads bobbing in the group of people. Heads of men and women as they shouted and pointed, and heads of small children, raised and sitting atop another’s shoulders for a better view. If Etho had known anyone in the crowd, he likely would have looked out into the sea of people. But, he followed his orders, keeping his head forward and eyes straight as they pulled to a stop in front of the gate.

He spotted members of the Garrison out of the corner of his eye, high up as they opened the gate for them, and he couldn’t help it, he turned his head and looked for a brief second. On one side of the gate, staring right down at him, were his old friends.

Pause and Beef.

He quickly diverted his attention away from them, avoiding their gazes as his horse passed under them. Looking ahead, he watched as the riders separated into the formation, their horses accelerating into a gallop. Etho looked out to his far left, where Nebris was galloping, almost parallel to him. Once Vechs broke away, Etho moved towards his superior, Pyro following a few lengths behind him.

Etho was all except thrilled of being with Nebris, but there was little he could do. They continued out in silence, Etho watching as the other riders slowly faded into the distance. If he focused his vision out onto the horizon, he could see the small silhouettes of people and horses, and when looking towards the center of the formation, he could see large wagons, which held their food and supplies. The closer to the middle, the higher the concentrate of people and horses. It was where the scientists rode, as well as where all the spare horses were located.

The trip was relatively quiet for several minutes, only the clatter of hooves against the flat plains and jingle of reins to fill the silence, until a loud thumping noise was heard, off in the distance. Pyro looked up, murmuring something to himself. Etho looked up as well, and a large humanoid creature was walking towards the soldiers, its slightly deformed body moving slowly.

“Fire the flare.” Came Nebris’s rough voice, and Etho removed a hand from his reins to remove a gun from his belt. He loaded it with a flare, holding his arm above his head as he pulled the trigger, sounding a loud booming noise. The flare shot up into the sky, leaving a trail of red smoke in its wake. Other shots were fired in quick succession, streaking the sky with red.

There was a short break in the shots, before they started again, this time green flares being fired in the opposite direction of the approaching titan. This time, Pyro was the one who rose his gun to the sky, a green trail of smoke following the shot. They angled their horses in the direction of the flares, maneuvering around the titan, leaving it in the dust of the wide open plains.

That had been the only titan seen directly by the three. Occasionally, flares were fired, but they originated from other areas of the formation. After a long period had passed and no shots had been made, Pyro spoke up.

“So, what exactly is the purpose of this expedition?” He asked, his accent coating his voice.

“Pak and Doc wanted to do some mapping, mainly of the one unexplored forest. And the commander let them. Plus we have some newer recruits, and we need to see if they can handle the stress of the Survey Corps.” Nebris replied, and at his last comment, Pyro fell silent. He looked down at his reins, slightly regretting his question.

Etho opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly cut off by Nebris.

“Shh, listen.” He said, slowing his horse slightly. The others followed, and sure enough, they heard a rapid pounding in the distance. Two more large titans came into view, but they acted different than the others. They were much quicker, their arms flopping wildly by their sides as they ran. One had a short head of brown hair, the other a bob of black, which shook as it moved.

“Etho! Fire the flare!” Nebris barked, speeding up his horse. Etho fumbled with his gun for a moment, loading a dark flare into it. A trail of black smoke was fired into the air, which was quickly repeated by others.

As the titans came ever closer, Nebris quickened his gait even more, his horse snorting from the pace. Pyro and Etho matched his pace, and the leader drew his blades, his men doing the same. The land being completely flat limited the use of their 3D Maneuver Gear, so the three stayed on their mounts.

“You two take that one,” Nebris commanded, motioning to the smaller, black haired titan. Etho and Pyro nodded, veering off to the left, moving around to the side of the titan. As they neared the creatures, Pyro slowed his horse, jumping off, blades in hand. He made a quick, yet rather messy slash at the legs of the beast, and it fell forwards, landing hard on its face. Etho quickly jumped from his horse as the titan fell, making a clean, deep slash into the titan’s exposed neck. He quickly moved back, his horse coming up beside him.

The two men stared at the felled titan, which lay lifelessly on the dirt. Its eyes still had a wide stare, looking just as lifeless as they always did. Its arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and many of the titan’s features were deformed, or at least more so than normal. The two suddenly looked up as a shout pierced the air, and they gasped at the sight.

Nebris was being suspended twenty feet in the air, hanging upside down, staring into the wide, creepy eyes of the titan.

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