Attack on Titan: Kuklo Unbound

While Kuklo was concerned about encountering soldiers, all he had to do to avoid them was listen to their footsteps. Even if he ran into one, it would be easy to escape into the shadows.

Like the rest of the sleeping city, the Survey Corps barracks was still quiet. The few zealous corpsmen who’d begun warming up in preparation for the expedition didn’t deter him from sneaking in. Even as the soldiers worked up a sweat notwithstanding the intense cold, Kuklo closed in on the covered wagon within the premises. The area around the carriage was deserted, and horses had yet to be attached, making his approach an easy one.

Kuklo peeled back the canopy and examined the wagon’s interior. All the cargo he’d expected to see was packed tightly inside, including weapons, explosives, and food. There was only so much space to hide in, but it sufficed for smuggling himself out. Not only would he be protected from the cold, he would have food. On top of that, he was being taken to his destination at no cost, so there was nothing to complain about. The tradeoff was the high risk the plan involved. Naturally, the Survey Corps had not granted him permission to stow away with them. If they found him, he was certain to get jail time. In the worst case, he might even be executed. The walls were the cornerstones of the enclosed cities, and anyone trespassing through them was subject to severe punishment.

As Kuklo pushed his body through the gaps in the cargo, he quickly pulled out some rations. He found a wide variety of chow, from jerky and cheese to snack bars and dried fruit. Kuklo tried a bite of the dried fruit. A concentrated sweetness and aroma spread through his mouth.

Delicious… Kuklo’s palate was not so cultivated that he could describe the finer points of flavors, but he could at least tell whether or not something tasted good. Then again, just about anything did compared to insects.

***

So far, everything had gone the way Kuklo had planned. It was not a terribly complicated course of action, and the smooth going could be chalked up to simple good luck. While there was a chance that he’d be discovered before they left, the cargo team only conducted a cursory check of their supplies and failed to spot him. The idea of someone stealing a ride from them must have seemed nearly beyond the realm of possibility.

Kuklo took out the knife that hung on his hip and put its point to the canvas. The blade was surprisingly sharp and pricked the thick cloth with ease. Kuklo used this peephole to take a look outside. The wagon where he hid sat on the avenue on standby. He also glimpsed huge crowds on the roadside.

Where’s Sharle… He scrutinized his limited field of vision, but in the end he didn’t find her. He knew her, though. She watched over him from somewhere.

I must return as quickly as I can. That was the only way to put Sharle at ease again. The Survey Corps’ first expedition in fifteen years would be over in a matter of hours, but her heart would be forlorn until the moment he returned.

Sharle had no one she could depend on, Kuklo had no family, and they needed each other. Their world was a hard one to live in all alone, and he couldn’t leave Sharle to fend against it on her own.

Kuklo knew that what he was doing was utterly selfish. Yet, in order to close the book on his life as a Titan’s son and start over as a human, he had to feel certain.

For me… The alias of “Titan’s son” would continue to haunt him until his death unless he faced the beings responsible for ruining his life head-on and broke free of them.

He was almost there, though. While the Survey Corps’ goals were unclear, there was a good chance that a Titan would emerge within the first hour. A no show was quite possible, but Kuklo had faith.

The Titans must be starved, too. Of course a group of humans would be noticed. It was fifteen years since the Titans last feasted on their prey. Were it Kuklo, tempted by the smell of food he would make a beeline to it.

He was biting into jerky, his thoughts meandering, when the crowd’s cheers intensified.

It’s finally time… Despite the likelihood of coming face to face with a Titan, Kuklo didn’t feel particularly nervous, even though he knew quite well that they were man-eating monsters. Perhaps, having been called “Titan’s son” for so long, his instincts were lulled by a sense of familiarity.

“Move out!!” a robust male voice cut through the din. Horses neighed in response.

The expedition was on.

***

Sharle had slipped into the crowd to watch over the expedition. To be more exact, she was there to see Kuklo off on his clandestine journey to the world outside the wall. True, it didn’t feel like much of a sendoff with him hidden under the canvas.

This is the first time I’ve seen them, but they really are amazing.

Commander Carlo Piquer led the Survey Corps’ double-file formation, the sight of which could only be called spectacular.

Every soldier there was a giant of a man, and their eyes seemed to reflect their powerful wills. While they were about to head to a no man’s land crawling with Titans, their faces were free of any signs of fear. It would not have been a stretch to call them humanity’s strongest. Compared to them, recruits like her brother in the Training Corps were like children.

He’ll be all right…won’t he? It was clear on first sight that Survey Corps soldiers were just as tough as rumored. Yet even this failed to erase the anxiety spreading in Sharle’s heart. The cargo team was protected by soldiers and had a better chance of returning alive than other troops, but it was merely less risky than standing on the front lines. Going beyond the walls meant never being totally safe.

I can’t help but feel he shouldn’t have gone, Sharle succumbed to regret as the Survey Corps headed down the avenue, but it was too late. All she could do now was pray for Kuklo’s safe return.

While Sharle sighed, the Survey Corps boldly made their way through the front gates. As soon as the maneuver was complete─a busy one, with only a few minutes passing since Carlo’s initial order─the gates were summarily shut. Brisk action must have been the standing order since opening them involved great risk. None of the soldiers had made any efforts to respond to the people’s cheers.

And now, he won’t be back for hours… If things went perfectly, Ku-klo would be back in time for lunch. I doubt it’ll go that well, though…

Now with nothing to watch, the onlookers who had packed the sidewalks quickly dwindled in number. With a few hours until the Survey Corps’ return, they seemed to all have their own plans for the time being. Some were staying in order to secure front-row seats for the triumphant return, but among them were also the kin─Sharle could tell by their troubled expressions─of Survey Corps members.

The look on my face now…must be very similar.

Sharle sighed. She felt like speaking to the soldiers’ families but thought the better of it and walked away. Making contact with people close to the corps could lead to all sorts of trouble, and staying on the sidewalk was like daring the Military Police Brigade to find her.

***

Humans were said to have lived there until the Titans robbed them of their territory, but there was no visual evidence to suggest that. Either the Titans had wreaked havoc on the area, or time had taken its toll─or perhaps, a combination of the two had turned it into a wasteland.

Kuklo looked at the outside world through his peephole, but nothing caught his attention.

We haven’t seen any Titans… Three hours after leaving Shiganshina District, he’d seen only small animals and hadn’t encountered his all-important foes. No surveys had been conducted on the number of Titans in existence. While it was said they numbered in the hundreds or thousands, perhaps there weren’t that many in reality.

Though Kuklo couldn’t help but feel disappointed, a gang of Titans pressing in would pose a problem of its own. The soldiers would have a difficult time dealing with them.

To begin with, the Survey Corps didn’t seem interested in fighting them. The soldiers’ gear hardly suggested any eagerness to take on the Titans: cloaks and hoods to deal with the cold, and not much else. The only weapons they carried were the swords on their waists and carbines. Kuklo saw no signs of the vital Equipment with them, nor anything resembling it inside the carriage.

They must have not been out to slay a Titan. Maybe the idea was to avoid combat for their first expedition in years. Even then, it was no reason not to carry the Equipment. Considering its capabilities and past result, it should have been standard-issue.

If we can’t meet them this time, then…

Kuklo imagined his worst-case scenario as he played with a pistol he’d pilfered from the cargo. It was a possibility he couldn’t rule out, but he couldn’t return empty-handed after taking on this risk and venturing outside the walls. He doubted that his plan to smuggle himself along would work twice. He had to figure out a way to settle things during the course of this expedition. It was also unlikely that Sharle would permit another foray.

A wagon wheel seemed to hit a rock the moment Kuklo sighed, and the carriage hopped. Its suspension cushioned the impact, but Kuklo’s body was hoisted into the air.

It happened as he reacted to keep his posture. He’d had a finger on the gun’s trigger, and he now squeezed it. Just as he realized his folly, the muzzle spewed flames and ejected a shot that punched an air hole in the ceiling.

Oops… Regret would do him no good, though. He had to prepare for what was to come. What do I do?

The carriage came to a sudden halt, and he could tell the march had been interrupted. It was only a matter of time before soldiers came to examine the cargo.

Should I fight them? Upwards of eighty soldiers were taking part in the expedition. Challenging the burly Survey Corps members and defeating them was an unworkable plan. If he did fight back, he’d be beaten down in a matter of moments.

Do I run? But Kuklo was beyond the walls. Even if he managed to steal a warhorse to flee and shook off the soldiers, it would be extremely difficult to return to Sharle alive. Sure, he’d probably encounter a Titan─but the point wasn’t to get captured and eaten.

Under the circumstances, he could only prepare for the worst. If he couldn’t fight or run, he had to meekly reveal himself. Steeling his resolve, Kuklo peeled away the canvas and stepped outside before the soldiers could check the cargo.

No amount of strategizing changed the fact that he was going to get caught. In that case, surrendering honorably gave a better impression, and if he was going to be arrested, he wanted to get to see a Titan no matter what.

Maybe I’ll ask the commander… All too bold of him, but he could at least try.

As Kuklo exited the carriage, he could hear surprised voices coming from the soldiers. The possibility of someone hiding inside the cart must never have entered their minds. A stowaway was unheard of. Other than Kuklo, about the only other people who desired to go outside the walls were the cultists.

The soldiers were only taken aback by the strange interloper for a moment, after which the corps promptly moved to apprehend Kuklo. Four men assigned themselves the task, surrounding him and creeping forward. They were going to use brute force to subdue him.

“I wish to see the commander,” Kuklo declared, but the soldiers’ mouths seemed sewn shut and did not so much as twitch. All the men did was inch closer. Tying up the insolent citizen who’d dare stow away on an expedition seemed to be the only thing on their minds. Understandable, but Kuklo wasn’t ready to oblige. That meant he had only one option.

I must find him myself. He bent forward at an extreme angle, kicked the ground, and leapt forward, relying on his animal agility to slip through the soldiers who threw themselves at him.

They must not have expected him to resist. Their log-like arms coming up empty, the soldiers fell forward and lost sight of their target. While no match in terms of physique or brawn, Kuklo’s movements were explosive enough to draw yelps of surprise from the men.

“I must speak to your leader!” Kuklo cried, dashing off toward the front of the group.

It was a hundred meters or so from the cargo team in the back to the head of the pack. If he kept running, he would eventually find the commander, but the soldiers were not going to sit and watch as he did so. A number of them already blocked his path, while from behind the quartet he’d just sidestepped chased after him.

Slipping through the hands of the corpsmen trying to catch him, he made sport of them, tripping them when he saw an opening. Though he had no chance of winning a fight, the nimble Kuklo had the advantage as long as he stuck to fleeing.

He was, however, up against professional combatants. They wouldn’t let an amateur grief them for long. The soldiers were gradually closing in on him, and before Kuklo knew, one had raised his horsewhip atop his mount.

No sooner than Kuklo thought yikes, a sharp pain ran down his back, but he grit his teeth, braced his legs, and took it. He was only able to bear the faint-inducing blow thanks to having endured worse on a daily basis. That didn’t change the fact that it hurt. He halted, and burly soldiers flanked him.

“Shit…” Kuklo cursed, but he had no strength left to fight back.

A towering man spurred his mount and approached. He looked to be in his early thirties and had deeply chiseled features. He cut quite a manly figure, his aura that of a wild beast in human clothing between the sharp glint in his eyes and the vitality his body exuded.

This must be Carlo Piquer…

The commander of the Survey Corps went by that name. His father, Jorge Piquer, was the former commander and the hero who proved that Titans could be defeated.

Taking off his hood, Carlo turned a pinning gaze on Kuklo and questioned him: “Why did you sneak onto the wagon?”

“I wanted to see a Titan,” Kuklo answered.

“For what reason?”

“I just wanted to see one.”

“Are you a cultist?”

“Don’t compare me to them.”

“But you must have your reasons.” Apparently satisfied, Carlo looked Kuklo over and asked, “What will you do when you see it?”

“Nothing…”

“You’ll do nothing?”

Kuklo nodded in reply.

“So your only purpose is to see a Titan.”

“That’s what I said.”

“I am under no obligation to accede to your demand.” He was right. The conversation was nothing more than a waste of time for both the Survey Corps and its commander.

“What will happen to me?” Kuklo wanted to know.

“We can figure that out if we return safely. You’re going to stay out of our way and not cause any trouble for us until then, though.”

“I’ve kept well out of your way.”

“Aren’t you a glib one,” Carlo snorted. Then he looked upward.

Kuklo found himself doing the same, and his eye met a trail of green smoke signaling across the blue sky. Evidently, what Kuklo had misfired was a flare, the gun having been loaded with a “Green Star.”

“Looks like you went ahead and sent the message yourself.”

A Green Star, used to indicate an anomaly, accurately described their status.

“Tell me… What is your name?”

“I─”

A moment before Kuklo could speak his name, he detected a faint sound.

Again… A chill shot through his spine. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it. In fact, the memory was still fresh in his mind from when he stood in front of Wall Maria the other day.