Author's Notes: And now, I bring you the next chapter of this story (on other breaking news, I'm running out of different ways to say that). I'm hoping this much inspiration will last me through the whole story and, considering that one fateful manga chapter could render my story as false as it goes, I'm just going to keep the base of my story only at chapter 62 of the manga (unless other further chapters can be corporated into the story). Also, a serious note. PLEASE REVIEW. It's what keeps me going.

Acolyte

Eren and Ymir looked in astonishment at the primate-like beast that hung from a few of the largest branches a pair of trees away. Everything about it unnerved them to no end, from its highly disproportional body to its relaxed stance. The fact that it could also coherently speak did not help their distress in the slightest. From their own spot, Eren moved only the slightest bit of his mouth, "Ymir, take the wood, shift and run. Tell the others we've been compromised. Round them up so that we'll all be ready to leave."

"Eren, you're tough as shit, but the last thing you can do now is turn back into a Titan. That last time you shifted fucked you up bad, keeping it up's gonna get you killed." She whispered back in a near-soundless tone.

"What do you suggest, Ymir? If that Titan can climb these trees, then it won't take long for the fucker to get to us. If we run, it'll chase us and bring trouble to the five of us, and if you were to stay behind, my Titan would take too long to get to the others. I can at least try to kill it and if I can't, I'll run up north to where Reiner and Bertholdt are standing guard. You need to go. Now." Ymir thought over his words and uttered 'fuck' before looking down at the distance between her and the ground. She looked at him in a second and sighed before nodding. In an instance, lightning struck her as she became her Titan before grabbing the wood and hopping away to find Annie.

Eren having have turned to her in the short seconds she did that, he turned back to see the mysterious Titan only one tree away from him now. He jumped in fright at the sight, not having expected the giant to be so silent or stealthy. Now that it was closer, however, he smelled a stench originating from it that penetrated his inner nostrils as he reeled back in disgust. The smell was unique, something like the stench of an old corpse, yet a corpse of an infected person rather than just the usual reek of a dead body. He was surprised that the horrible odor emitted by the monster did not give its presence away before.

"You and your friends are hardly wise, running shall do you no good. We've been waiting far too long, far longer than you could ever understand, and all our work shan't go to waste. Do you understand, child?" It spoke once more in a tone eerily familiar to that of an adult lecturing a kid. Eren stepped back before his foot slipped and he nearly fell to the dozens of meters tall drop. He looked back at the thing, growling evenly, "I'd suggest you to stay back. I've fought hundreds of your kind, most a hell of a lot more imposing than the likes of you, and now they're all dead."

"Your foolhardiness does not seize to surprise me. Tell me, child, when was the last time you've fought someone like me?" The beast inquired as it began to move from the branch, beginning to reach out for one on Eren's own tree. The branch let out several cracking sounds as the hand was strong enough to keep a firm grasp on the protrusion. "Never, but I've fought someone who knows how to fight well and crystalize her skin and another who's entire body is made of armor."

The being chuckled at his remark, looking at him as it continued, "If you actually believe that brawn and fighting techniques shall save you, then I truly do pity you. I do not feel the urge to kill you, but I will stop at nothing if it means gaining your power. I do give you my word, however, that if you surrender now, I will make sure to be quick about your death and that there will be no such pain."

"Fuck you." Eren murmured as the Titan began to hop to his own tree soundlessly. It was then that Eren jumped at it and bit his hand. Another green thunder emerged from the skies to strike him, returning him the powers of a Titan. Already having his fist ready to jab the Titan, its trajectory finished empty handed as the furry Titan simply clung to one hand and tilted its body whole to dodge the punch. All that was left was the fall, and Eren made sure to make it torso first.

He landed, completely destroying most of his right chest and ribs, his arm miraculously surviving the impact. Eren forced himself to get up as he realized his regeneration was going at a disadvantageously slow rate. It wasn't a moment before the ape-like Titan landed in front of him on both legs, perfectly fine despite the deep landing. Now face to face, or face to chest, Eren knew he was already at disadvantage. His Titan form had been reduced to thirteen meters from the hours long, exhausting run and escape from Trost. His opponent boasted of a four meter's height advantage, a large, wide, muscular chest and a small head, making it harder to decapitate it. Not to mention the fact that its arms reached its ankles.

Still, Eren threw a lazy uppercut, still too exhausted to perform any professional moves he'd learnt or to at least make it fast and powerful. The Titan dodged it with much ease, beginning to talk as it went on to dodge or block any attempts to harm him by Eren, "You show conviction, but exhaustion. Why is that? Have you come from a fight with your allies in the military branch they call 'Survey Corps'? Was there yet another misunderstanding between you and the Shifter Warriors that came for your aid? Are you even listening, child?"

At the last question, it dodged a kick and gave one of his own that hit Eren's face head on. His Titan stumbled back and fell on his back on the ground, a small amount of steam originating on his face. Walking up closely to the fallen and inspecting him closely, it saw him beginning to get up as he bellowed, "I! AN'! JAEGER!"

While the powerful blow he sent was not enough, it had caused the Beast Titan to catch his fist in its tracks. The strength of the punch still made it to its chest, leaving it with its upper body slightly broken back. The primordial shout was what ignited the beast's smile though. "Jaeger, is that right? How fascinating. A German hunter, are you? I've known warriors better fit for the name. Though I must admit you've done a well enough job at keeping your reputation."

Eren finally bellowed his signature roar in response as he sent another punch. In a flash, however, the massive Titan had grabbed his arm and bent it back with such force that it ripped it off. It proceeded to do the same with the second arm and then knocked him on his back again through a simple sweeping kick to the back of his ankles. The beast sighed, choosing to no longer waste time on the subject. "It's been quite curious meeting you in person, but I'm afraid this fight's at its end. Now close your eyes and feel your mind leave your body."

Before Eren could to anything, the Beast Titan's chest grew in size as it inhaled deeply. The next thing he knew, Eren's whole body was covered by a cloud of orange steam that the Titan puffed from its maw. Despite his lack of necessity to breathe, Eren's Titan had inhaled entirely the fume, including Eren himself. The substance, he realized, was what smelled like corpses. Though somewhat confused about the act, Eren got up with one regenerated arm and attempted to roundhouse-kick his assaulter. His leg was caught in midair, but the Titan didn't let go of it nor did it break it off. Instead, it observed the Shifter's form, eyes widened in bewilderment. "That… was unaccounted for. This changes everything."

The Beast Titan then simply knocked Eren to the ground, damaging him no further as it hopped to a tree, making its way to the top. Besides the fact that Eren still had only his left hand, he knew his form wasn't bound to be adept at climbing the humongous walls of bark. He looked up, making eye contact with the Beast Titan one last time before it bade its farewell, "I'm afraid that we are to part ways, Jaeger. Know, however, that this shall not be the last time we meet."

It then jumped rapidly from branch to branch, leaving Eren alone, relieved he'd come out of the match alive. Looking around and taking his in his surroundings, he began to jog at the pace his limp would allow. He almost reached the forest's end, where he could hear a pair of voices bickering at one another.

"-and how the hell can you be so sure he'll come out of this one alive?!"

"Hey! We needed to regroup and the guy knows how to pick a fight! Besides, if he wasn't winning, then he'd come back to us!"

"Goddammit Ymir! You said yourself you knew who the 'enemy' was! You should also know fucking well that that thing could incapacitate Eren in his state!"

"Annie, don't you fucking lecture me about what I know and what I don't know! I know exactly who the enemy is, and I can actually say that out of fucking experience! Besides, he and I agreed on the fact that the four of us were better off regrouping, and since it was after him, worse came to worst he'd have taken one for the team!"

"Ymir, you bitch, that man is the reason you're standing here right now! Who the fuck gave you the right to-"

"THE TWO OF YOU SHUT UP RIGHT NOW! Eren's back there probably getting a beating from that… that freak, and we aren't accomplishing anything by standing here and fighting each other! I'm shifting, getting him and that's that!"

"Reiner, don't be stupid! You won't make it five steps before that Titan-"

Annie was cut off by an exhausted groan coming from below them. The four stopped what they were doing and looked at Eren approaching them, his form having have lost its former glory. Panting, parts of his right half of his torso gone and his tongue sticking out numbly, the Titan dropped on its legs, falling to the ground face first. The nape's skin already weak from the body's pilot overheating, it disintegrated, showing underneath a boiling pool of blood submerging Eren. The Titan's master got out of his position, looking up to them as they did. Much to their horror, the left half of his face was missing for lack of better words. All the skin there was ripped off, his eye's socket proved empty, and his reddish jaw exposed his teeth. What worried them was the fact that his right ear was sharp and his right two rows of teeth resembled his Titan's own jaw. At the sight of that, Reiner couldn't take it any longer as he bit his hand and Shifted. Before he fell and broke all the branches all the way down from his weight, he made sure to grab the other three. Wood and hunting out of the question, it was time to leave at full speed out of the Walls. After the shockwave of a landing, he placed the three on his left shoulder and, with much care, gently took Eren and placed him with the others. Bertholdt was the first to take Eren and place the young man's arm around his neck. He then looked at Reiner's giant head and gave him a reassuring, confident nod. Without further delay, the Armored Titan left, sprinting for Wall Maria.

It was beginning to darken and it had been a couple of hours since the five Shifters escaped from their impending execution. Erwin looked through his makeshift office's window. His place was now in the core of Wall Sina, at the royal castle's armory. Though not as spacious or as elegant as his newest workplace, the room he was in now reminded him a great deal of his previous headquarters as the Commander of the Survey Corps. Speaking of which, his successor as the leader of the Wings of Freedom entered his office, no knocking nor excusing himself. That wasn't unusual about Levi. What was intriguingwas the fact that that he didn't just slump down on the nearest piece of furniture he could find. He was standing, and though his back was facing him, he could tell that the Commander's eyes were burning holes at the back of his head.

"Erwin. We need to talk." The short man deadpanned.

"Levi, now's not the time. You'll be leaving in a few-" Erwin didn't manage any more words before he was interrupted.

"Cut the horseshit, Erwin, you've been delaying this all day long and I'll be damned if I don't get anything from this." Erwin sighed and turned to face him.

"Fine. What do you want me to say?"

"Why the fuck were you so damn quick to betray Jaeger and, more importantly, why the hell would you do it in the first place."

"You know how it's been, Levi, and you also know that since Wall Maria was breached, we all swore to win under any cost."

"We did. You had the Armored, Colossal, Female and Dancing Titans all locked up and ready to pay for what they did, but somehow, you saw it fit to put in that group the very reason as to why and how we won."

"So long as Eren Jaeger stayed alive, he could have very well-"

"You could have told the public mass to suck it up or they could go fuck themselves. We already have one of ours sitting at the throne, remember?"

"For all the time that I've known you, Levi, I hadn't expected you to grow fond of the boy."

Levi seethed at the remark. "I grew to respect him."

"Knowing you, that's as fond as you can get of someone. As far as I'd heard from you, he was still an 'idiot' or a 'brat'."

"The kid lost everything in his second to last mission. He knew then that not just any shithead could go through so many hells and come back, something he didn't realize before. For once, he wasn't that idiot who would constantly get pissed at the first remark someone could make of him. He learnt what it was like to be not just a soldier, but a veteran. That merits respect."

"So would you say that 'respect' was what lead you to be so uncharacteristic when it all came down to his chase?"

"What are you going to do now, Erwin? Are you going to try to imprison me for the crimes in the underworld I committed years ago just for the public's safety too?"

Erwin looked back out the window and sighed once more. "I made a mistake, I know that. But right now, Levi, he needs to be taken too. I've forced him to truly become a criminal and there's no going back now. I know you respect him as an equal now, but you're setting off in a few minutes, and while there's next to no chance of catching up to them, if you do, then you can't question on who's side you're on."

Levi groaned slightly in frustration as he turned around to leave. Just before he did exit the doors, he questioned, "Do you know why I let him go?"

Erwin looked at him, this time Levi's back facing him as he asked, "Why?"

"Because he's better man than any of us. He could have killed any members of the Survey Corps and I haven't counted so much as a single casualty from them. What surprises me more is that he chose not to kill any of us Commanders. If I had been in his position, I probably wouldn't have stopped until the whole fucking city was destroyed." And with that, Levi Ackerman left Erwin to ponder over his words.

Author's Notes: And there you have it. If any of you were thinking 'Levi could've stopped Eren & Co' then here's the reason. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing this. Please review.

The Almighty Afroduck,

All Hail