Prologue
Over one hundred years ago, humanity was suddenly faced with a new predator. Far more powerful than humans, they immediately pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. The survivors built three walls: Maria, Rose, and Sina. There they enjoyed a century of peace. Then one day, it appeared. And humanity remembered what it was like to live in a cage... what it was like to be cattle. On the border of Zhiganshina (a city built within a semi-ring of wall jutting out from Wall Maria), a titan's hand could be seen grasping the top of the outer wall; a wall 50 meters tall. Then suddenly, the titans head rose another ten meters above the wall. The sight was horrifying. Unlike typical titans, this one appeared to have no skin; only muscle fibers, bone, and teeth could be seen... And its eyes... An explosion could be heard across the city as massive rocks and chunks of the wall flew in all directions crushing several people standing in their paths. The Colossal Titan had kicked a large hole in the side of the wall, and just as suddenly as it had appeared, the titan was gone. Now, titans of varying sizes (7, 10, even 15 meters tall) were pouring through the hole the Colossal Titan had left behind. What followed, was chaos. Unprepared, untrained, civilians and soldiers alike were devoured by the dozens. The death toll later reaching into the thousands. Only an estimated 500 were able to evacuate by boat through the southern gate of wall Maria, leading them to wall Rose. As the last of the boats were pulling away, thunderous tremors could be felt, even from the nearest boat. Shortly after, screams, and another explosion. From the boats, chunks of the southern gate, as well as soldiers could be seen flying through the air. As the smoke and dust settled, another skinless titan could be seen kneeling. It quickly became clear that this, too, was no ordinary titan. Unlike the Colossal Titan, though, this one appeared to be 15 meters tall and covered in armor-like plates of bone. Terrified, the people on the boats watched as the Armored Titan stood and looked in their direction. Instead of giving chase, the titan just stared at them, watching the boat leave. No one on the boats understood, but when they saw the wreckage of the southern gate behind the Armored Titan, one thing was clear: Wall Maria had been breached. And humanity's hope for survival dwindled.
What we know about the titans so far:
Useful information on the titans is scarce. We do not know where they come from. We know nothing of their origins. We know nothing of their purpose. They appear to be predominantly male in appearance, however, they have no sex organs; and thus, we know nothing of how they reproduce. The titans we are used to seeing range in height from 4 up to 15 meters tall. They possess extremely high body temperatures, and can regenerate any part of their body that has been damaged. Sever one's arms, legs, or even it's head and the missing limb(s) will be regrown at a rapid rate. They do, however, have one known weakness. The nape of the neck. If you destroy this area of flesh located on the back of a titan's neck, the titan will die and quickly decompose. Close observation of titans in areas rich with wildlife has told us that titans have no interest in eating anything other than humans. We are unsure of why this is. Upon cutting open a dead titan before it could decompose we determined that titans have no internal organs. What we found most peculiar was the lack of a digestive system. What this information allowed us to theorize is terrifying. Titans do not eat humans out of necessity. They eat humans... to kill us.
Your Equipment:
We'll begin with your weapons. A pair of meter long, razor sharp blades. At your sides are scabbards which house these blades along with 2 to 3 spare blades apiece. The hilts of your blades have a trigger mechanism allowing you to detach your current blades and equip spare blades instantly should the former become dull or damaged in battle. These hilts are also the main controls for your Vertical Maneuvering Equipment (also called Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear or Omni-Directional Mobility Gear). Canisters housing pressurized gas are attached to the lengths of each of your scabbards. Using additional triggers on your hilts will release this gas in regulated intervals propelling you along as you make vertical maneuvers. Located on the front of this equipment are grappling hooks with spear-like tips. These are connected to a length of steel wire that runs through a system of pulleys leading to a cylinder on your lower back. After the grappling hooks have launched and connected with a target, this cylinder reels in the steel wires on two independently rotating axis. The speed at which you move can be regulated by the pressurized gas. Weight-shifting equipment attached to your body via straps that run from your shoulders to your feet allow you to remain upright while moving through the air. Remaining upright via this specialized equipment will not be effortless, however. Mastering this balancing act will require strenuous use of the muscles throughout your entire body. A well trained soldier will be able to use all of this equipment to maneuver him or herself into a position ideal for making the killing blow. Be warned, though. Your targets are not stationary cutouts made of wood. They are monsters. And they will try to take your life before you can take theirs.
The Battle of Trost
"Five years. It has been five long years. Since they took Zhiganshina. Since those monsters took my home. So many people." A flash of sorrow. "My own mother." A flash of anguish. "I watched my own mother…. Devoured… I was powerless." Then hatred. "I will kill them. I will wipe every last one of them off the face of the Earth!!" Eren Yeager stared out across the district of Trost. He and his team were tasked with mounting the cannons atop the southern-most wall of Trost. Since Zhiganshina was the district directly south of Trost, it was predicted that Trost would the titans' next target. No one knew when the next attack would come. They just knew they had to be ready. Humanity couldn't afford a repeat of Zhiganshina. "We're so close. Tomorrow when we graduate, I'll join the Survey Corp. And with the Wings of Freedom on my back, I'll slaughter them all. Now is the time to make our stand against them. Humanity's first counterattack will be...." Orange-yellow flashes lit up midday sky. Sharp booms pierced the air. A rush of heat hit Eren's back as he heard some of his teammates scream. He turned quickly in time to see the monstrous, skinless head rise above the wall. Before he could react, a blast of hot air knocked him off of his feet and sent him and his team over the wall. Thankfully they were all wearing their 3D maneuver gear today in preparation for one last training session. His whole team managed to react fast enough to launch their grappling hooks at the top of the wall. All but one, that is. Eren couldn't tell who it was, but it was obvious that he was unconscious. Sasha Blouse had noticed him first. She had undone one of her hooks and launched it toward her falling comrade managing to pierce his leg. That gave them all a brief sigh of relief. "Shit! It broke through the gate! It broke through the gate!!" Connie Springer jolted their attention to the massive hole that resided where Trost's southern gate used to be.
"No! The titans are gonna get in!" "What'll we do?!" "Dammit!! One more day! One more day until we graduate! I could be behind Wall Sina in the Military Police! ... DAMMIT!!" The sight of the hole in the wall filled Eren with rage. "Members of the 104th Fixed Cannon Division!" He shouted to get their attention. Using his gear he quickly propelled himself up the wall, drawing his blades. "Our target is the Colossal Titan in front of us! Show no mercy!!" He yelled out as he flew through the smoke filled air. When he landed on top of the wall, he could do nothing but stare, mouth wide open. The Colossal titan was gone. It had vanished completely, just as quickly as it had appeared. Around him Eren saw that all of the cannons now lay in ruin. "It targeted the cannons? ... And the gate... that was no accident. This thing is sentient." Behind Eren his team had just made it to the top of the wall. Sasha was helped by Hannah as they brought Franz Kefka over the wall. He was still unconscious as she pulled the grappling hook from his leg and wrapped it in with a piece of cloth from his pant leg. "Franz! Franz!! Please be okay, please be okay!" Hannah cried. Just then 3 members of the Garrison landed on the wall. "104th Division. You are to report to Captain Levi at the rear."
Having to carry Franz back to the rear with them it a bit longer to get there than expected. But when they did, "How the hell did I get stuck with this sorry bunch? This isn't even part of my job? No matter. Just don't die on me and we won't have a problem. I'll have a talk with Erwin about this later. Right now our jobs are to aid with the citizen evacuation, and to give the front lines support if they need it." "Sir! The forward teams have been wiped out. The titans are coming through the wall! Members the Garrison are fighting titans in the city as we speak." All of them stood there in shock. "Already? They were wiped out so quickly?" Mina voicing what they were all thinking. Levi broke the silence, "Well shit. We'll need to split up if we're going make this work. I'll let you all choose. Aid the evacuation efforts, help the Garrison at the front lines..." "No!" Hannah interrupted in a shrill voice. "I won't leave Franz! I won't! He needs me!" "Or remain here and quiver in fear." Levi finished. "No need to worry about him. He'll be looked after. We have a job to do. Now choose. I myself will be aiding the front lines."