One Titan cutout down, a few to go. Alois had already forgotten how many there were for this exercise, he hardly cared about the number anyways. So long as he got to cut into something that's all he cared about, the quantity of enemies made little difference to him. He spent just a moment on a nearby branch, watching as the others zipped about, hunting down other targets. He couldn't wait for the real thing, a sentiment that some of his compatriots may not be sharing. To be sinking his swords into an actual Titan, make them pay for this dreary world that they found themselves in, that in of itself was going to be a special kind of joy. Alois couldn't be wholly bitter about it though, as without those giant, lumbering morons lumbering about he'd have nothing to do with himself, he'd be out of a job. In a way then he was grateful for the Titans, it made life interesting. And goodness knows a life without anything to interest you wasn't a life at all, you might as well be dead at that point.

Thoughts aside, it was time to get back into the swing of things, literally. Jonah was quick to come up alongside Alois and dart off, signaling for them to race. It was a fairly frequent thing between the two of them, they often competed with one another for the fun of it. Whoever the victor was hardly mattered to Alois, he just enjoyed the contest itself and was more than happy to partake each time he was challenged. The fact of the matter was he typically won, actually near every time really, though he never bragged or acted conceited. He was good and he knew he was good, and because he knew it there was no reason to show off or act superior, there was no point. Even with the self assured knowledge that he was skilled he still took on Jonah every time, perhaps out of a desire to see if the other boy could match up. Grinning broadly he jumped off of the branch he'd been perched on, lurching forward as his cables shot forth and imbedded themselves into nearby trees. Jonah was a fair distance ahead of him and heading right for another target, looking poised to strike. What did his friend think when he was about to cut into something, he wondered. Was there the same kind of exhilaration that Alois felt? Or was it simply done because it was what they were made to do? He'd have to remember to ask after this.

Jonah was right on the mark, sinking his blades into the fleshy substance of the Titan's neck. It was quick, clean and precise... But not deep enough. In order to actually slay a Titan you had to be very exact in your strikes, a certain depth and width needed to be achieved in order to deal a fatal blow. Otherwise you only injured it, and it could get quite mad when injured. Alois had managed to memorize the proportions of the slice needed, and his body more or less assumed the stance to achieve such a cut every time. If the others asked him for his secret he wouldn't know what to say, it was as mechanical as walking or breathing. As he rose up towards the cutout he laughed, finding Jonah's expression a bit funny. What was he getting so bummed out about, he was still better than a good few dozen trainees. The guy really should just relax and enjoy this, it was quite fun if you let it be. The distance between him and his mark closed, and with a quick release of pressurized gas, Alois managed to pivot his body a few degrees, just enough to send him towards the neck. Drawing back both arms he let out an audible grunt as he threw both blades forward, slicing just outside where Jonah had struck, reaching deeper down and cleaving out what his teammate had left behind. Watching as the fleshy substitute fell to the ground he landed beside his friend, smirking as he wiped sweat from his brow with his sleeve. "Looks like I win again. You really woulda pissed that Titan off though! I bet it would have been flopping all over the place!"

It ought not to take them much longer, this exercise. The speed at which their group cleared the area typically was in part the reason they were all in the top ten. Not only were they quick, but they were effective, making consistent kills and very few mistakes, if any. Today would be a day for a mistake, it seemed. While joking around with Jonah about their competition, Alois noticed a flare being shot off in the distance. In an actual combat scenario that would mean a Titan was nearby, and the whole group would go running. Still in training however it was just one requesting aid. Someone had gotten hung up or something and needed some help, that was all. Smiling exasperatedly the redhead gave a shake of his head, sheathing his blades as he turned to Jonah. "I'll go find whoever it is, you guys keep doing this. Someone probably went and ran out of gas or something." he said, smiling as he stepped off the branch idly, laughing as he shot out cables and began his swing away. "And cut deeper on the next one! Kill it, don't cripple it!" He wouldn't gloat, sure, but he certainly would tease. For no particular reason either other than it was fun, and tended to get his friends to work harder. He had received his fair share of taunts so he figured it was fine to dish it back, if that's how it worked. 

The flare had not been all that far off, and it was a mere matter of moments before Alois found its source. Of all the people he expected to be asking for aid, Tinker was not one of them. The guy was awfully smart, and yet just looking at him it was obvious he'd done something stupid. Even from where he was coming in from he could tell the other boy was injured, not seriously, but still bruised up. "You know, your swords make better weapons than your back," he joked, swinging up and landing beside Tinker on the branch, shaking it slightly. Some fine mess his teammate had made of himself, his shirt was torn and slightly bloodied, and he could well have a fracture or at least some bruising. Slowly walking over as not to disturb the tree he crouched down, reaching out and examining Tinker's back carefully. "Oh yeah, that's going to leave a mark. Looks like you hit the tree pretty good," Alois remarked, giving some of the bruises a light prodding with his fingertips. "Seriously, what did you do? I'd figure you're way too smart to be crashing like that."