Chapter 20: Thieves

.....

After the Training in Trost took place, another Training came out. This is not a usual Training that everyone has to participate in, but it is a Training that earns a lot of points if completed, and yes, it is special Training. 

The 104th Military Trainees were split into two groups.

Their objective this time is to make a round of a trip to the target location and record the progress within a given time. The journey to the destination goes on for about 40km. 

Vincent's group was led by Thomas. And Mikasa being in charge of record-keeping.

While the other team was led by Marco, with Armin being the record-keeper. 

Both teams set out at the same time and proceeded towards the huge forest. 

The two groups were supposed to trade information at the target location and return to the starting point, completing a loop. 

The objective of this Special Training was to evaluate everyone's ability to sustain themselves in the absence of a crisis.

...

Riding a horse with everyone, Vincent looked at his surroundings, which was devoid of any infrastructure.

They were in a deserted place, perfect for ambushes, etcThat's why Vincent was alert at all times.

Vincent's Team this time was Thomas being the leader, Mikasa being the record-keeper, and with Reiner, Annie, Bertholt, the scaredy-cat Daz, and lastly Vincent. They were 8 in total.

Riding a horse is pretty boring, so everyone from time to time makes some small talk. 

Vincent, being not a person who's great at talking, only talks when the words are directed at him.

Vincent is at the back of the group. With Thomas and Mikasa leading the way, especially Mikasa being great and only second to him in the ranking, Vincent can rest his mind at ease.

...

Entering the forest, Vincent looked around for possible human danger, as Thomas made them stop and said.

"It is almost night time, we need food and sticks to light up"

"I hunt for food. I'm great at hunting food."

Vincent volunteered. He did this because he wanted to walk around the forest to investigate further.

"I-I go with Vincent in hunting food"

Vincent looked at the one that spoke and saw Bertholt and thought for a moment. 

'Bertholt, he's good with everything, but lacks the determination to push, or didn't have the determination to take the initiative. With him doing this and coming with me, there's a great possibility that he had something to tell me'

"Sure"

Vincent agreed.

"Drop your ODM gear and give it to Daz. He's the one that will keep it safe. We all don't want to carry this heavy ODM gear in this forest all day"

'Hmm, he has a point.'

"Here"

"Here's mine too"

Unfastening the belt, Vincent gave his ODM gear to Daz, who took it with a scared expression. 

"Let's go Bertholt"

"Y-Yes"

Bertholt then follows Vincent and vanishes towards the woods.

Thomas looks at Annie who's also watching their back and thought...

'Poor Bertholt. Annie already has Vincent in her eyes'

Thomas said that because he saw Annie who was about to raise her hand and volunteer to go with Vincent to hunt food, but Bertholt beat her to it.

...

Vincent looks around the forest...

At his back is Bertholt who's busy staring at him

"Hey"

"Yes"

"How long are you gonna stay silent?"

"What?"

"You are staring too hard at my back, that it is almost gonna burn. You're not the initiative type of person, so I guess you have some motives being alone with me"

"I-I..."

Vincent heard Bertholt stop walking and look back... 

"A-Are you and Annie, are the two of y-you and Annie are Dating?"

Bertholt said that and looked at Vincent's eyes. 

This is the first time Vincent had seen Bertholt this determined and thought...

'It must be that. He's in love with Annie, but...'

"We're not dating..."

"R-Really?"

"yet..."

"gross"

(A/N: Aot in 9 minutes reference! Hahahaha)

"We're not dating"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, really"

"O-Ok"

Bertholt was relieved as he heard what Vincent had said.

"Bertholt, one piece of advice. You need to start moving"

"With whom?

"Annie, of course. She's beautiful, and I know a lot of guys in the Training camp have a crush on her"

"What about you, Vincent?"

"Me... My mind is only fixated on killing the Titans. I don't care about love or what."

Bertholt breathes a huge sigh of relief.

"Are we good? Let's start hunting food now"

"Ye-Yeah"

Bertholt look at Vincent and thought...

'He doesn't know, but I'm relieved that he hated all the Titans. So, him being with Annie is impossible. '

Bertholt was relieved when he thought of that and followed Vincent with a smile on his face.

...

"Are you sure?"

Back at the gathering. Mikasa questioned Daz, as Daz answered. 

"There's no doubt about it. This was where I put it. But, everything that we kept safe here..."

"And even Our ODM gear is gone..."

Everyone's ODM gear has gone, and Vincent can confirm that someone took it.

"Over here"

Annie said that and pointed towards something...

It was a campfire. 

Reiner kneels and sweeps the ash on the campfire and says.

"They've been gone for quite a while."

"It's the same as what Vincent has found over there," Mikasa said and questioned Reiner "How many people are involved?"

"Also, over here..."

Vincent beckons everyone and pointed towards the footprint and carriage tracks in the ground. 

'Carriages Tracks... amount to 3 or 5 carriages? There's no information about this, or it is the people living here in this area? But there's no information about them. Is this part of the test?'

Vincent thought of many things, but...

"It's probably a gang of thieves," Reiner said that and continued. "It seems they found out where the weapons were placed, and stole them during the time we're gone"

"They gather ODM equipment and make black market deals."

"So we're being targeted?!"

"Even if we caught them in the act, we would have been helpless to stop them," Mikasa said that while looking down the carriage tracks and footprints. 

"You should probably be happy that you're still alive" 

Thomas gulped and asked Mikasa.

"Should we stop the training and report this?" 

"No, we should probably speed up and tell Marco and his team about this"

Vincent said that. He was worried about their safety since Marco, Jean, and Connie had been nice to him. He didn't want them to die.

"After that, we should go back towards the camp and report it"

Mikasa and Reiner nodded at Vincent's suggestion. 

...

At night, while traveling on foot.

Vincent and his team stop for a moment to take a rest.

"We should probably stop here since we're all tired already. We should first eat and start walking tomorrow"

As the leader of the Team, Thomas should first consider everyone's condition before giving a command. 

Everyone agreed and started cooking.

Thankfully they have at least the backpack sleeping bag, and will not freeze by the cold night.

...

Gazing at the lake.

Vincent saw the Moon reflected into it. He's now a little bit far away from the group. 
 
Vincent was entranced by the beauty of the lake. Because of it, he didn't notice until someone sat beside him.

"Annie?"

"Isn't it beautiful?"

Annie said that and pointed towards the lake. Vincent looks at it and turns around seeing Annie's enchanting eyes, reflecting the beauty of the lake.

"Yeah, it is beautiful"

Annie looks at Vincent and smiles.

"I know right?"

...

"Bertholt, go towards Vincent and ask him to sleep early"

"Ok"

Bertholt then began to walk where Vincent was at...

At his front, he saw the lake and thought...

'It's beautiful. I wish that I and Annie would visit here alone and talk about many things'.

And then Bertholt saw.

He saw how Annie and Vincent were happily, with a smile on their face, converse with one another.

This is the first time he saw Annie's smile. It was beautiful, but the smile… is not for him.

...

"Bertholt, did you tell Vincent to sleep?"

Reiner saw that Bertholt come back and ask him.

Bertholt continues walking like he never heard what Reiner had just said. 

...

Vincent woke up. He's a light sleeper, so he woke earlier than everyone.

Vincent then clears his sleeping bag and folds it nicely. He's hungry, and so decided to hunt or get at least some fruits. 

He then decided to climb up the tree. 

On his way up, he saw a green smoke rising above the sky and thought...

'A signal? Is it Marco's team?'

He climbed down and shouted.

"I saw a signal!"

Everyone walked up and looked where Vincent was pointing at and saw the green smoke.

"It's probably Marco's team. Let's go!"

Reiner said that and began to run where the smoke came from.

...

At their front, they saw a carriage. They plan for a minute and ambush them.

"Let's go"

Vincent and Annie jump down on one of the carriages. 

As he jumped down and landed, he saw three people in the carriage. 2 at the back and one on the front, controlling the carriage. 

With a kick in the stomach, the guy flew out of the carriage.

Annie handles her opponent easily. They stop the carriage by, knocking out the driver.

In the front carriage, Mikasa and her team handle it easily.

Vincent saw the ODM gear and took it out. Gearing himself up.

They met up and saw that all of them are fully geared.

"Let's go there. I think Marco and his team are there!"

...

Leading the team, He and Mikasa flew towards the forest. With their skills, it was easy to maneuver in these little spaces.

Then... they saw. Marco's team was being threatened. As everyone in their team started loosening their belts and unequipping their ODM gear.

With a silent Maneuver. Vincent and Mikasa sneak behind and then... Jump.

They easily took out the two robbers and dropped them to the ground. 

"Don't kill him"

Christa shouted as Mikasa stopped the blade from beheading his opponent. 

In the end, the gang of thieves was arrested by the Military Police. 

Without taking any casualties, the incident was over 

...

Back at the camp, A certain girl was in great turmoil.