-Chapter 12: Adorned with the Wings of Freedom-

Weeks had passed and the autumn weather had begun to blow in the land. In that time, our hero had grown further accustomed to his new life as a member of the Survey Corps. Despite the fact his official training was still put on hold (as he still lacked the famed maneuvering gear), he found ways to keep both his mind and body occupied. Whether in helping out the Garrison on keeping watch of Shiganshina's outer breach, language lessons with Hange and Moblit, sating Hange's never ending thirst for knowledge, getting acquainted with the neighboring townsfolk of Wall Maria, or following a past training regimen he was unable to do in the older years of his previous life. However, now that he was in his prime once again, he found he had the strength and vigor to continue once more.

-oOo-

Woodlands, Somewhere inside Wall Maria's interior

Hange was currently seated atop a fallen tree deep inside the warm colored forest. Seeing as she was responsible for keeping an eye on Maverick, she felt it was her duty to follow him and observe his activities. So here she was, sitting patiently as she watched her large squad mate set down his famed morning star and begin setting up a training area of sorts inside an open area of the forest. As he scattered numerous logs around the area he spoke up, concerning the absence of a certain worry eyed assistant.

"Oi where's Moblit? Haven't seen him since breakfast." He asked. Hange didn't immediately respond as she continued to eye up the large man's form, now fully dressed in a set of black trousers, dark boots, and a brown button-up shirt. Certainty an upgrade from the stitched-up rags from weeks prior. Ol' Harold had really come through with the order of large clothing, even throwing in some seasonal outfits to complete the set. She didn't stare long as she was brought back to reality by the sound of snapping fingers.

"H-Huh, what?" She asked as she regained her focus. Maverick gave a questioning look as he repeated himself.

"I said where's your handler, he's usually by you side, making sure you not hurting yourself." The small joke brought out a slight chuckle from the scout, as she had heard this jab at their relationship many times before.

"Just sent him on a few errands, don't you worry." She responded. Somewhat satisfied with the answer Maverick returned to his task. "So! What are you going to show me today?" Hange asked, swaying her legs back and forth along the log she was seated in.

"Well, since I'm back in my prime, I figured I should get back to one of my old routines." As he spoke Maverick began to unbutton his shirt, revealing his muscular and marked upper body.

"An old routine you say?" She asked as she eyed the blue markings on his back.

"An old training regimen of mine, have to keep my mind and body in shape after all." He managed to get his arms out of the sleeves and folded his shirt, placing said clothing atop the log that Hange was seated in. She gave a questioning look to the man, only for him to answer the unspoken question.

"I'd rather not return back to HQ with my shirt all sweaty, less I get another nasal assault from Miche…" Hange remained silent before suddenly going into a fit of laughter, nearly falling over the log. Seems that Miche's first greeting still left quite the impression on the marked man.

"Hahaha…come on now, I told you, he didn't mean anything by it!" She spoke in defense of her comrade. However Maverick would hear none of it.

"The man invades MY personal space, SNIFFS me up, and then SMIRKS! And you're telling me it means NOTHING?" He emphasized. Hange only continued to giggle as she continued.

"It's just his quirk, it's practically one of the conditions of joining the Survey Corps!" She wasn't wrong, nearly every scout Maverick had met had some sort of "eccentric" trait to them. But the 6-foot scout certainly took the cake, or in his case, sniffed it.

"Yeah sure, whatever helps him contain the perverted sniffing demon inside of him." Hange continued to laugh for a few more minutes before returning to her main interest. "So what does this training of yours entail?" Hange asked with a smirk. Maverick didn't respond as he moved towards the center of the makeshift training area. There he began to inhale and exhale as he focused his mind and attempted to recalled memories from his past. More specifically, memories of a certain series of martial arts that had helped and won him many rounds in the tournaments of a bygone lifetime.

His eyes remained closed as he performed a fighting stance from memory. Said stance involved Maverick separating his legs and slightly bending them, followed by positioning his arms in a defensive formation, both with open palms held near his chest, with one arm more outward than the other. He stood for a few minutes until he opened his glowing orbs and began to perform a series of strikes, followed an elbow strike and a low sweeping kick. He reformed his stance and kicked the air, followed by an open palmed strike.

"Oh yeah, it's all coming back now." He muttered as his lips formed into a smirk.

Atop the log, Hange was left speechless as she watched Maverick's performance. The way he moved, it was, for lack of a better word, an awe-inspiring sight to watch a man his size and mass to perform. She took out the small notebook from her jacket pocket and quickly flipped to an empty page and begun noting down all she could from his technique.

She would have to make room however, as Maverick's next actions would need at least ten pages to fill.

As he continued his regimen the markings on his body began to glow brighter, just as his movements increased in speed. An unusual sight occurred as an aura of sorts began to emanate from Maverick's body. He quickly turned towards one of the logs he had positioned earlier, and with a shout…

*"ROOKA MA TAI!"*

He thrusts his two fists forward and what could only describe as a powerful force of unknown energies, was shot out and struck the log, shattering it completely. Hange jaw dropped as she nearly dropped her notebook at the sight of the phenomenon she had just witnessed. She quickly began to jot down notes as Maverick continued on, this time switching his stance.

His feet were now separated with the left foot in front elevated at a level so that his toes were the only parts on the ground, and his arms were in a similar defensive position, only now two fingers on each hand were curled and pointed downwards. In a blink of an eye he began a series of swift strikes that were completely alien to the scout that was observing him. As he continued on he suddenly grabbed the air and performed a series of knee strikes and kicks. Hange watched the movements, and quickly realized that Maverick was simulating the motions of fighting someone, and if she didn't know any better, then Maverick was aiming for some rather vital parts of the human body.

As she pondered the thought Maverick closed in on another one of the scattered logs and with another shout…

"*SEI!*"

He crossed his arms in a x formation and quickly fell flat on his back. The massive force of the impact sent the log flying a few feet in the air. Her eyes widened like saucers as she watched him rise back up in seconds and catch the descending log with a series of kicks, the last kick causing the log to shatter into splinters.

'W-W-What?...' Was all she could think as she watched the unusual and borderline bizarre technique unfold before her eyes. She continued to observe with mouth agape as the markings on Maverick's body continued to glow. Not contempt with just one bizarre move, he eyed another of the logs and with yet another shout…

"*RAAA…TA TA TA TA TA TA EI!*"

He unleashed a series of fast-moving punches that seemed to carry him along the ground. His speed increased with every punch, to the point where his arms were practically blurs. His momentum stopped the moment he hit a tree, and as his fist struck the oak, an explosion of splinters and wood fragments erupted, sending them in all directions. Hange nearly fell from her seat as she covered herself with her cloak in order to avoid any incoming projectiles. When she popped her head out of the green cloth her eyes widened at the damage that was done.

There was a large gaping hole where Maverick had punched the tree. A few cracks and creaks were heard as it began to lean on its gaping side, and soon the sound of a falling tree echoed through the woodlands, before landing on the leaf covered earth, causing some nearby bird to squawk and fly away from the scene.

Hange remained speechless for a few seconds as the dust settled, before quickly jumping down from the log and making her way towards the large man in a matter of seconds, practically crashing into him.

"W-What the hell was that?!" She shouted as she inspected his arms that still seemed to emit a glowing aura around them.

"Just some martial arts I was taught a while back; Silat, Praying Mantis, Northern to be precise-" He began to explain, only to get interrupted by Hange who was still trying to process what she just saw.

"NO not that! W-Well that too, b-but the t-thing with the fist! A-A-And those other moves you did!" She backed away and tried to imitate the rapid fist technique. Maverick simple response was a chuckle as he watched Hange's rather sloppy looking form.

"Just some special moves, taught and learned exclusively by certain individuals like yours truly, can't even begin to tell you how many times these moves helped me back in the tournaments." He said with a smirk. His response only left the squad leader with more questions.

"What kind of tournaments involve having you slam your entire body onto the floor?!" Maverick's expression was less jovial as he responded.

"The fatal kind…" He said, no humor in his voice whatsoever. Hange's expression went from excitement to shock in moments, she then slightly lowered her head, losing herself in her thoughts.

"O-Oh…I see…." She was reminded of how fast and precise his strikes were, definitely lethal to the average human. As she was left to her devices the sounds of rustling leaves and breaking sticks was heard by the two. Turning around the source revealed itself to being none other than Moblit in all his sweat covered glory.

"*Huh…Hah*…I-I was, l-looking for you two for almost an hour! T-Then I saw the horse outside the forest…H-Heard the sounds of Maverick's s-shouts. T-Then I heard a tree fall! C-Came running…as f-fast as I c-could." The poor man looked like he was on the verge of collapse. Maverick quickly approached the man and gave him a shoulder to lean on, allowing Moblit to catch his breath.

"Take a breather man, what's the matter?" Moblit continued to breathe through his nose for a few minutes before responding.

"T-The commander sent me to find you two, bring you b-back to HQ, y-your-" He didn't get to finish as the squad leader quickly ran up to him, placing a finger over his mouth.

"Ahhh, ta, ta, ta, ta! Nope! Don't go spoiling the surprise Moblit!" Hange exclaimed as she covered Moblits mouth, preventing him from breathing.

"What surprise?" Maverick asked. Hange simply shook her head and removed her finger from her assistants mouth, allowing him to breathe in oxygen once more.

"~You'll just have to wait and seeee…~" She said no more as she made her way towards the path that Moblit entered, beckoning the two men to follow.

-oOo-

Survey Corps Headquarters, inside the Shiganshina District

Maverick followed the two horse riding scouts as they made their way back to headquarters. As they entered the main plaza they spotted Erwin and the rest of the veteran gang, alongside instructor Duvalier. They all had their backs turned to the three as they were currently surrounding a supply carriage that was being unloaded by two MPs. One of the scouts, Miche in specific, saw one of the officers expression turn to shock. Turning around he saw the source of the MP's shock and informed the others of the trios arrival, causing the rest of the group to turn in their direction.

"I see that Moblit was successful in finding you two." Erwin said while approaching the three. Maverick was about to speak until Hange invaded Erwin's personal space.

"You should have seen him Erwin! He was pulling off all sorts of moves!" Hange provided a demonstration for him and the scouts, poorly imitating the stances and moves she watched Maverick perform. "Then there was this one he did!" Hange suddenly crossed her arms and fell flat on her back to demonstrate, causing the gathered scouts and unicorns to simply stare at her with bemused and slightly concerned expressions, the smallest among them turned towards the marked man.

"Care to explain?" Levi asked with an inquisitive tone, with a very slight hint of amusement.

"Tombstone Drop, a move an old ally taught me, its uhhh….more effective than it looks." Levi simply raised an eyebrow at the marked man, as Moblit helped the dazed Hange get off the ground.

"As…fascinating as this sounds, we'll have to discuss this move of yours at a later time, for right now we have something for you." Erwin said as he approached the equipment table.

"Right, Hange said there was a surprise waiting for me." In truth the marked man already had a feeling about what this surprise actually was, but he simply rolled with it, less he ruins the moment and steals the commanders thunder.

"Yes, well surprise may be a bit of an exaggeration, for your official regiment uniform has finally arrived." Erwin, with the assistance of Miche, picked up the large set of clothing, while his comrade carried the cloak and boots, and presented them to Maverick. "Certainly took some time, but better late than never as they say." Maverick took the folded uniform from the two, but before he could take a gander one of the MPs slowly approached the goliath and handed him a letter.

"Oh?" He spoke, narrowing his eyes at the elegant looking paper.

"L-Letter from the head craftsman, wanted to present it to you in person, but you know…gotta keep up with quotas and demand and all that…" The MP said rather sheepishly. Without another word the MPs unloaded the last of the heavy containers atop of a nearby equipment table, boarded their cart, and made their way out of the Survey Corps HQ. Maverick continued to look at the departing carriage for a few more seconds before turning to Erwin with a questioning gaze to which Erwin was too eager to answer.

"During your initial training Levi informed me that you were unable to be outfitted with our standard ODM gear, so I sent a request form to the factory city for a new set of gear with your measurements in mind." He ushered for the large man to follow as he made his way towards the containers atop the equipment table.

"Oh so this is…"

"Indeed, your own custom ordered set of Omni-Directional Maneuvering gear." Maverick interest was certainly piqued. Not just him but the other gathered soldiers as well. Many were curious to see what the new gear looked like. None more so than the bespectacled scout who ran up to the large man.

"No point in keeping the suspense! Let's see what the factory boys cooked up for you!" Hange said as she grabbed his arm, causing him to nearly drop his new uniform.

Many of the scouts had gathered around the large containers, four in total. They were all eager to see the brand-new pieces of equipment. With no delay Erwin unlocked the case closest to him to reveal the newly minted main unit. Many of the scouts eyes widened in both surprise and slight confusion. Inside the padded container laid a cylinder like device with a couple of other attachments. While some of the veteran scouts were familiar with the design their newest couldn't help but compare the unit to a beer keg the moment he laid eyes on the contraption.

"Well it's…certainly an interesting design…" Maverick said eyeing the large cylindrical unit. Levi meanwhile approached and raised his head, getting a better look at the gear.

"It's one of the older designs…" He said with a small hint of scrutiny. "They seriously just made a bigger version of it." The other scouts talked amongst themselves regarding the appearance, even the instructor made his own comment.

"Oh, this takes me back…" Duvalier spoke, as he recalled his time in the Scout Regiment. The scouts continued to talking amongst themselves until the commander spoke up.

"Perhaps the letter you received can shed some light." He gestured towards the letter in Mavericks right hand. Maverick's goggle wearing comrade agreed wholeheartedly as she turned to the large man.

"This is perfect Maverick! Let's see if our lessons have paid off!" She said with widened eyes, getting all up in Mavericks personal space. With a shrug he placed his uniform on top of the equipment table and with careful precision, he tore open the envelope revealing the letter inside. Ignoring the surprised voices of the scouts he adjusted his shirt collar as he prepared to put his language skills to the test.

"Right, *cough* *cough* Let's see…."

"To the esteemed Titan Slayer,

First, allow me to thank you for your efforts in the defense of S-Shigan-shina. You have done humanity a great service that shall never be forgotten. So imagine our shock when the lads and I received a request from the commander of the Scout Regiment regarding the creation of a new harness and a new set of ODM gear. What surprised us more were the mea-sure-ments we were provided. Regardless we put our-selves immediately to work. The harness was rather easy, as we simply increased the overall size to better suit your size and stature. When it came to your gear we had origi-nally come up with many c-concepts and designs, but in the end we decided to go with the safer route. Do not let its appearance deceive you, for while it is based on a previous o-out-dated design model, this unit has been…has been…"

"W-What does this say here?" Maverick asked, pointing at a specific word for Hange to see.

"Reinforced." Hange answered.

"Right, right…*cough*" Maverick looked over the word once more before continuing.

"This unit has been reinforced to better support your mass and stature. The only difference being the four-slot scabbard instead of the previous six slot design, as crafting the blades took quite a lot more ultrahard steel to create. The wires have been th-thickened as well, in order to support your weight. With that in mind I hope this new unit will meetup with your and the regiments e-expectations, should any faults be found, or any damage received in active duty, please do not hesitate to return the device. As I write this letter the lads are already in the process of developing more blades, so do not concern yourself with the thought of low supply.

Regards, Emilio Inocencio, Head of Engineering"

As Maverick finished reading the sound of clapping was heard. Turning his head he saw the smiling faces of Hange and Moblit, the former currently clapping her hands rather vigorously.

"Very good Maverick! Struggled a bit here and there, but still very good!" She spoke with a sense of pride in her voice.

"Yeah, you've really taken the lessons to heart." Moblit congratulated. Maverick simply chuckled as he waved off their praise.

"Well, I have some pretty darn good teachers." He said complimenting the two scouts. The two could only chuckle in response. Their moment of camaraderie was interrupted however in the form of the narrow-eyed scout.

"Save the celebration for later, right now we got some training to do." Levi said getting in between the three scouts.

"Indeed, Maverick, head back to the barracks and get in uniform, your ODM training is back on track." Erwin ordered. Maverick complied making his way towards the dormitories.

-oOo-

Inside the Barracks

Inside of his room Maverick began to undress himself out of his civilian clothing and into his official military uniform. He donned on the XX large white pants and belt first, followed by the shin-high leather boots, a fresh new clean brown button up shirt, and the large light brown half jacket, before finally clipping on the large dark green cloak over his back. He turned around to see the blue and white symbol of the Survey Corps that he now bared on his back.

The Wings of Freedom

Maverick stared at himself in the mirror inside his room. He stretched his limbs, testing the limitations of his new jacket and squatted down to test the strength of the pants; a bit tight but he was sure that with enough time he would break it in. What did concern him however was the color itself.

"Yeah, this won't get dirty the second I start duking it out with the cannibals, not at all…."

The marked man was never a fan of the color white, far too easy to dirty and too difficult to clean. One could never get the stains completely off, be it dirt, grime, blood, or extraterrestrial mucus. But, if this was the standard then he supposed he would just have to suck it up for the meantime. Perhaps he could have a word to Erwin…

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Suddenly the sound of rapid knocking was heard, followed by the voice of the halfling.

"You done? We don't have all day you know."

With a humored sigh Maverick adjusted the collar of his new jacket before opening the door to the welcomed sight of Levi's dead eyed look.

"About time. You know the instructor has other things to do besides wait for your giant ass right?" His stern tone earned him a chuckle from the much larger man.

"Just trying to break in the new uniform, making sure I don't suffer from any clothing malfunctions while on duty." The short man didn't seem to react to the joke as he simply walked back across the hall with the now uniformed marked man following step by step. As the two walked Levi spoke up once more albeit in a softer tone.

"How does it feel?" He asked looking up to meet Maverick's glowing orbs.

"It's comfortable so no problems there, but I'm honestly not a fan of the white pants though. They're gonna get dirty way to easily in battle." Maverick's little comment surprised Levi, though his face showed no change besides his slightly raised eyebrows. Seemed like he wasn't the only one that valued a little cleanliness in life.

"You're not the only one who feels that way…" He responded in somewhat agreement. Maverick looked down at humanities second strongest with while the small statured man simply kept his eyes forward. Seems like common ground was found between the two men.

The two scouts said no more as they continued their way out of the barracks.

-oOo-

ODM Training Grounds, Wall Maria Woodlands

After a half hour ride the large group found themselves back at the forested area reserved for the scouts to train and hone their ODM skills. Maverick disembarked from the transport, while handling Skullsmite in one hand and all four of the equipment cases in his other arm. The soldiers around him were left wide eyed as they watched the nearly 7-foot-tall man walk towards a nearby equipment station and place down both his spiked weapon and the cases down with ease. Just in time, as Instructor Duvalier arrived in his own set of ODM gear and spoke in a loud and clear tone.

"Alright second time, let's get you strapped in." He motioned for two soldiers to approach the marked man and assist with his needs. With a nod Maverick removed his cloak and jacket and opened one of the weapon cases, taking out the large harness and leg straps first. With assistance from his fellows the harness was secured with ease, followed by the straps on his thighs. When it came to the leg straps, the large man had to remove his boots individually, as to secure them. Once in place he puffed out his chest to test the strength of the material; once again it was tight, but not too tight. The custom thick thigh and leg straps, which were secured by buckles to adjust their strength, did not constrain or dig into his thighs.

Sighs of relief were heard from among the scouts as they saw the harness hold together as Maverick performed a series of stretches and squats, which was followed by looks of awe at the sight of the newly minted ODM gear that was revealed by the training aides. The large cylindrical main unit was taken out first along with its rail arms and anchors. As the soldiers began to assemble the device Duvalier overlooked their procedure as to make sure they did things properly.

"Pay close attention to its construction soldier, as maintaining this gear will be YOUR job, so I want you to memorize every single step these two make."

With a nod Maverick continued to eye the two soldiers as they completed the assembly and attached the unit to his lower back.

Next were the scabbards. Like the main unit they were larger in size and length, so were the accompanying gas canisters inside another container. The two aides made their way toward a nearby refueling station with Maverick following along. There he was taught the process of how to refill his tanks. Instructed by the soldiers he able to successfully install the canisters to the scabbards, without incident. Followed by the two flexible support arms that connected the scabbards to the main unit.

Then there were the blades. Ohhh the blades…

The moment one of the aides took out just one, nearly every soldier present was left slack jawed at the sight. For the blade looked no more than a long-sectioned slab of ultrahard steel. Despite the flexibility of the blade the soldier holding it found himself having to be alleviated by the marked man, who was directed by Duvalier to place the blades, attachments outwards, into each slot on the scabbard. Overall Maverick now had a set of four newly minted blades for each scabbard, eight large, sharp, and deadly weapons in all.

"God, look at the size of them…" Moblit whispered to no one in particular.

"I know, aren't they just grand?" Hange replied with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Reminds me of those blades used for those old beheading tools…" Levi remarked. Spines from multiple scouts near him immediately shivered at the mere thought of having such blades swinging for their necks. Even the ever-stoic Zacharius couldn't help but gulp as he eyed the blades.

While the scouts were busy in imaginationland, the last container was opened, revealing the controller grips/hilts alongside the tubes that would connect everything together. Maverick took the two grips and placed his fingers into the triggers. Like the rest of the set they were much bigger in size, thus his fingers went through the triggers seamlessly, easily able to pull his fingers in and out.

He watched as the soldiers placed the thick tubes underneath the grips and connected them to the mechanism that fired the anchors. Lastly they placed another set of tubes that connected the gas cylinders to the main unit.

At long last, the marked man was fully equipped with a full set of Omni Directional Maneuvering gear.

"Alright! Time to your put your training back on track." Duvalier announced, as he made his way across the training ground. "Now that you got the appropriate gear, were gonna show you how to actually use it." He gestured for one of his assistants already geared up front and center.

"Now the simplest form of movement is to aim your anchor hooks onto a solid object, which is activated by the top trigger. The bottom trigger fires the compressed gas." The assistant held his controller grips as to provide an example.

"The lever in front of the grips allows you to reel the wire back, letting them go will make you stop. The hammer switch on the back here allows you to adjust your anchors angle, lastly the auxiliary switches will hold and release your blades. Observe." He motioned for his assistant to use the gear on a nearby tree. The soldier responded by aiming for the tree an shot out his hooks onto it, seconds later he reeled himself towards the tree and spun around it before releasing his hooks a landed on the ground. Duvalier nodded before turning to the marked man. "Got it so far?"

Maverick nodded as he memorized the functions of his grips. However, his mind couldn't help but jokingly compare the soldier to an airflight attendant going over the in-flight safety demonstrations.

"Yes sir, but with all due respect I've always been a bit more of a ….hands-on learner." The instructor simply let out a chuckle as he crossed his arms.

"That's why we're here soldier, learning through books and manuals doesn't mean jack unless you can actually put it into actual practice." He motioned for Maverick to follow him as he made his way towards the entrance of the heavily wooded area.

"In this training course you will maneuver your way through this thick forest the whole way around and back. Think of it as a simulated trial run, to prepare yourself for when the Scouts send you on REAL missions outside the Walls." Duvalier began to walk as he gestured upwards to the trees. "We'll be monitoring your progress the whole way, so don't think you can go slacking off." Maverick nodded as he stepped in front the makeshift starting line.

'Top trigger, hooks. Lower trigger, gas. Lever, reel. Release and repeat' Maverick repeated the mantra in his head as he positioned himself and held out his two grips, whilst Duvalier raised his voice once more while pulling out a flare gun.

"On my mark…set….go soldier!" He fired the gun, launching a flare into the air. Maverick quickly set his eyes on the nearest tree, aimed his body, and pulled the triggers.

*BLAM*

Like a shot from a hand cannon, the anchors fired off with a loud discharge as they hooked onto the tree, and with a pull from the bottom trigger and the lever, Maverick was hoisted into the air, to the surprise of many of the Scouts. Dislodging his anchors, he quickly eyed and aimed at another tree, hitting his mark and repeating the process again.

"Impressive…" Hange said as she watched her teammate disappear into the forest with the instructor following close behind.

"You say it like you haven't seen him already fly in the air before." Levi said with a raised eyebrow. Hange was immediately reminded of Maverick's actions during the skirmish back in Shiganshina where he showed off his ability to jump from great heights.

"Well of course! I'm just surprised the hooks and wires were able to actually get him up." She exclaimed.

"Never doubt the ingenuity of the factory city I suppose." Levi remarked as he looked back to the now empty starting area. Meanwhile Moblit made himself known by asking his superior a somewhat amusing question.

"Section Commander, was that a fancy way of calling him fat?" Hange's smile almost instantly disappeared as she processed what she had just said aloud, Turning into a look of shock.

"Eh? W-What no! What are you saying Moblit?! I would never, No!" Hange exclaimed with a panicked look in her eyes.

"I'm telling him you said that." Levi said, with a flat tone of voice. This caused the woman to rush to his side and grasp his cloak.

"NO! C-Come on Levi, please! He'll be mad at me!" Levi didn't respond further as he was simply eyeing the hand that was touching him with utter disgust. "Levi!"

Erwin merely sighed watching the scene before him, before turning to the other veterans standing beside him. "Miche, Nanaba, any comments?" The two scouts looked to their commander before the youngest of the blonde trio responded.

"Well, he understood pretty fast how to utilize the gear, no doubt from some prior experiences. We'll just have to wait for the instructors evaluation I suppose." Nanaba said while rubbing her chin, still keeping watch of the forest. Miche simply nodded in agreement not voicing any comment himself. Satisfied with the answers Erwin turned back to overlooking the rather large forest, despite the sound of Hange's cries a few feet away from him.

-oOo-

Maverick continued to traverse through the forest at a steadily increasing pace, constantly repeating the mantra he conjured up as he glided across the thick forest.

'Anchor, Gas, Reel, Release, Repeat.' He thought as he attached himself from one tree to another. Instructor Duvalier was following close behind, tracking and taking mental notes on his progress. As the two continued through the forest they came across an opening in the forest to see the sight of multiple wooden figures ranging from 7 to 13 meters in height, alongside them were some members of the training corps holding ropes, most likely used to lift these large wooden giants.

"Alright, here's the next part of your training. You'll be dealing with these wooden dummies as if they were the real thing." He flew towards a nearby tree and landed on one of its branches.

"As you can see there are two padded spots located on the Achilles hell and the nape. Now, you've killed titans before, so I won't go into much detail, just remember that the nape is the weak point. You can also slice the Achilles heel to immobilize a titan before giving it the finishing blow." Maverick nodded in before clipping his grips onto a set of blades.

*SHLLLLLING*

A screech like sound echoed through the area as the long slabs of ultrahard steel were taken out of their scabbards. As he brought his blades to bear they shined as the light from the sun above reflected across their surface. It was both an awe inspiring and intimidating sight, as Mavericks face hardened as he focused on the training at hand.

Duvalier pulled out his flare gun once more, reloaded, and fired into the air signaling the next stage of the training course. In an instant Maverick shot his hooks onto the body of one of the wooden giants and propelled himself forward, moving his hips to maneuver himself to a good striking position. Once finding the right spot he reeled himself forward, blades ready in hand. Once in striking distance he slashed the wooden titans nape with both blades, the force causing not only the padded nape to be sliced, but almost the entire section of the neck was sliced cleaned off. Maverick didn't stay to watch his handiwork as he immediately set off towards another target.

The soldiers present looked on in slacked jaws as they watched the giant marked man glide through the air and make quick work of the training dummies. From slicing their heads clean off, to going for a heel-nape combo. Watching a wooden titan gets it legs removed from under it, only to have its head removed seconds later, becoming nothing more than a simple torso, was truly a sight to see.

"Holy shit, look at him go, like he's some giant fucking horsefly or something…" A soldier remarked, as she watched the glowing man zoom across the training area slicing the head off another of the wooden dummies.

"Yeah…." Her compatriot said simply as he watched the large man fly by. Followed by the sounds of another wooden titan getting demolished, followed by another, and yet another.

"Were gonna have to replace those, won't we?" Said the first soldier as a bead of sweat went down her forehead as she watched the wooden mayhem continue.

"Yeah…" Her comrade replied rather dejectedly, just as Maverick was slicing through the last couple of dummies.

After leaving the wooded area a mess of decapitated and legless giants, Duvalier directed Maverick to the next area of their training, that being another maneuvering practice through the forest. As they glided through the trees the instructor raised his voice.

"Alright, this last part well simulate what it's like when traversing the land outside the Walls! Titans are usually dim-witted but there are some that have a small bit of cunning in them. I'm sure you've seen it with the abnormals!" As the two maneuvered through the trees Duvalier fired off another flare into the sky and pulled back to keep himself at a safe distance. Maverick meanwhile steeled himself preparing himself for whatever they had in store for him.

Without warning a wooden giant suddenly appeared from behind a tree! Maverick's immediate response was to detach his anchors and continue to propel himself with his gas, he quickly slashed at the wooden giant, slicing off its head at the padded nape and quickly set off on the path through the forest once more.

The surprise attacks continued along the way, but it didn't prove to deter nor slow down the marked man, who simply slashed his way through each and every wooden titan that popped out of the woods. At times he even resorted to simply kicking the dummies out of the way or hooking onto them and ramming his body into them. A bit unorthodox and rather foolish to simply charge straight at a titan the instructor thought, but with reports claiming that Maverick had the strength to knock a titan onto the ground, he saw no reason to deduct any points on his score.

-oOo-

The Scouts and other solders from the training corps stood waiting near the improvised finish line, eagerly awaiting to see the marked man emerge from the forest. It had been almost 10 minutes since the course began with the only sign of his progress being the flares that were shot into the sky. Judging by the time between the flares his progress was moving at a rather steady pace, as one of their numbers pointed it out.

"He's taking his sweet time to finish this course." Levi said tapping his foot against the ground as he watched the last fumes from the third flare disappear into the sky.

"Come now Levi have some faith in him. It's his first time utilizing the ODM gear, you can't expect him to master it on the first go." Erwin replied, watching the seconds go by through his pocket watch. Following him was Hange's encouraging voice as she gestured with a pointed finger, similar to a teacher of sorts.

"Practice makes perfect after all!" She exclaimed with her finger pointed upwards. Her only reply from the small scout was his usual response to many things. "Hmph…"

Their conversation was interrupted as they heard the sound of anchors being discharged. Seconds later Maverick flew out of the woods followed by the instructor. Erwin and the rest of the scouts approached the two.

"How did he perform instructor?" Erwin asked. Duvalier stood silent, looking at Maverick and at the woods that served as the training course, before finally answering. "Well, he's got his speed and maneuverability down, but I'm sure with enough practice his control will improve. As for his strength…while he's got some finesse in his strikes, his brute force is definitely the stronger aspect." Duvalier chuckled as he placed a hand over Mavericks shoulder. "The Scouts certainly know how t-"

"COMMANDER SMITH!"

A member of the Garrison arrived on horseback screaming for the commander. Judging by his panicked face and the fact that he rode from the same path that lead to the inner wall, it was most likely concerning the breach Shiganshina's outer wall.

"A pack of titans have been sighted nearing the breach! Commander Pixis wants all available forces at Shiganshina immediately!"

Erwin could only mentally sigh, they leave the district for a few hours and already the Garrison were having problems. While he had the curtesy to not voice out his thoughts aloud, his short statured comrade had no problems voicing out his displeasure.

"We leave the district for almost an hour and you idiots are already in a panic?" The soldier began to sweat as he tried to respond, but the look in Levi's eye caused whatever he tried to say to be turned into stutters.

"Levi, you know the Garrison numbers have been greatly reduced from the restructuring. Plus this is an order from high command, we can't ignore it." Levi exhaled through his nose as he complied, turning away from the horse-riding Garrison and towards his own black coated mare, while Erwin turned to Duvalier and the other Trainee members.

"Apologies Instructor, it seems like we'll have to end Mavericks training here for the moment." Erwin said quickly making his way towards his horse, however he was stopped as Duvalier's hardened voice rang out.

"I disagree, Commander." Erwin stopped mid step as he turned towards the ex-member of the scout regiment who simply walked towards him with both hands behind his back and a smirk growing on his face. "I'm sorry?"

"This is a perfect opportunity to see the results of his training don't you think?" Duvalier placed both of his hands on the commander's shoulders. "A live fire exercise if you will." Erwin stared at the man for a few more moment before his eyes widened and a smile slowly began to form on his face, just like the instructors.

"I see…well you heard the instructor Maverick, consider this your last training session for the day." This brought a smile to the marked man, who eyed his new weapons, eager to baptize them in the steaming blood of the resident giant invaders.

"Righto." Was all the man said as he placed his blades back in their scabbards and made his way towards the table that he had placed his jacket and cloak. He didn't bother to wait for his comrades as he quickly donned on the rest of his uniform and set off towards the road.

"Wait Maverick! Give us a chance to get the horses ready!" Hange exclaimed while holding her hand out in an attempt to stop the superhuman. However her effort was wasted as he continued to advance.

"No time! The sooner I get there the sooner I can keep the casualties to a minimum!." He held his right hand out and Skullsmite rose from its spot on the ground and flew into his hand. "Plus, I get to try out my new gear!." He cracked a smile before going into a sprint, leaving his comrades in the dust. The soldiers could only look on as the watched Maverick's figure slowly disappear, not before seeing him skipping high into the air a few times.

"God almighty…How on earth can a man that size move so quick?" Duvalier asked as he watched Maverick's figure disappear in the distance. Erwin simply offered a smile in response.

"Divine blessings, instructor." Duvalier simply held a look of confusion as Erwin walked past him and made his way towards their carts. "Let's move out, we have titans to slay and a district to protect." The scouts cheered as they quickly embarked on their horses and carts in order to catch up with Maverick. All pumped up and eager to slay some titans, minus one, who offered his own point of view.

"If there's still any left for us…" Levi remarked as he got onto the cart, a look of boredom on his face as they departed from the training ground.

-oOo-

Near the Outer Wall Breach, inside the Shiganshina District

Hannes was not having the greatest of times at the moment. Everything was fine and dandy in the morning, his mate Hugo had just brought in some water as the two were positioned as lookouts for the breach. Seeing as they were one of the few high-ranking officers NOT dishonorably discharged after the Shiganshina Skirmish, Commander Pixis himself thought it would be best to have the two and a couple of others serve as a watchmen, as well as a first line of defense. He should have known that trouble would come as soon as the Scouts left, but he held on to a faint hope that maybe today, the titans would not come wandering in. Maybe they would decide to skip today, maybe they would finally decide to eat one another and leave humanity alone.

Oh Hannes, you silly sober fool…

Of course the titans would show up, of course they would make their move when the Scouts were off doing God knows what, and of course there was at least a dozen more of the dead eyed freaks than usual. It didn't matter, they would keep coming. They would always keep coming. That's what Shiganshina was built for after all. To attract them, to keep them focused on a single spot, to keep them from attacking different sections of the Wall. To keep the greater population of humanity safe.

So after spitting out his drink he sent Hugo to go inform Commander Pixis about the approaching titans, while he and the other Garrison went to set up defenses. With the help of the Survey Corps' newest recruit they were able to place multiple cannons atop the ruined buildings near the outer wall. The strategy made by Commander Pixis in order to deal with any titan that got into the district was simple, have a cannon crew blow off the legs and have small teams soar in and give the killing blow. Easy on paper, hard in execution. Many of the Garrison that remained were still a bit shell shocked after the breach, himself included. He just couldn't get the image of that smiling bastard out of his mind, nor the dozens of others that had wreaked havoc in the district.

He just had to try and shove those images into the back of his head and make room for the horrid new faces that would haunt his mind. As one of the titans made its way through the breach. He ordered the first cannon crew to blow off their targets shins.

"C-CANNON CREW 1, FIRE!"

With a loud discharge the cannon ball flew towards the titans shin and scored a direct hit. It was thrown of its balance and was sent falling down onto the ground face down, just as Hannes motioned for the cleanup crew to do their thing.

"CLEANUP SQUAD, GO!"

The soldiers that made up these squads were the more bravehearted of the Garrison who followed the Scouts during the skirmish, so it was natural that they would be the ones to finish the titans off. They swooped down from atop the ruined buildings and one by one would slash at the titans nape, if one didn't cut through then the next one would, that was the idea. An idea that worked seeing as the giant man-eater spasmed on the ground after the second strike, before ceasing it movement as steam began to emit from its body.

They would keep up their momentum for almost half an hour. Hannes himself was so focused on the breach that he didn't notice that at some point Hugo had returned, so it sent a chill up his spine when he felt someone grab his shoulder.

"FUCK!" He shouted as he turned around, hands on his grips ready to slash at whatever had touched him. "God's sake Hugo don't sneak up on me like that!" He roared, causing his portly friend to quickly back away. "Sorry, sorry, I should have known better!" With a sigh Hannes calmed himself down. "What's the word from command?" Hannes asked.

"Commander Pixis ordered to recall all available troops to defend the district, should get some reinforcements soon." Hannes nodded in response. Good, reinforcements, that was good, he just hoped they would arrive soon, seeing as more titans began to practically push and shove one another as they made it inside the district.

-oOo-

Atop the interior wall Commander Pixis and his retinue had made a makeshift command center. His aide Anka, was currently using a spyglass to get a better view of the ongoing skirmish.

"More titans are getting through the breach commander; the defensive line is starting to struggle in holding them back." Her tone held no emotion as she reported the situation. Pixis could only look on with his hands behind his back, upon receiving news of the approaching titans he had sent out a recall order to any available forces to support the defensive line. He could only hope said help could arrive before their line of defense was broken entirely.

He was about to take out his flask before he heard the ever-familiar sound of a discharging anchor, and the whirling sound of wires reeling. The rest of his retinue began to look around as they heard the sound as well. In the end it was Pixis' second aide Gustav, who looked on the other side of the interior wall to see a glowing figure make his way up the wall.

"Commander, behind us!" He shouted. Pixis and the others looked down to see Maverick quickly ascending atop the wall. "Well would you look at that…" He chuckled at the sight of the approaching goliath, now adorned in the uniform of the Survey Corps and his own set of ODM gear.

"Make way everyone, our giant friend is on the warpath!" He shouted to his subordinates, who quickly stepped to the sidelines, just as another large anchor attached itself near the top of the interior wall. Moments later Maverick's large figure came into view as he propelled himself over the wall. The Garrison troops held looks of awe as they watched the marked man pass them by, a giant blade in one hand and his signature morning star in the other. He spared a glance at the soldiers before he descended towards the empty district, leaving behind a glowing blue trail from his eyes.

As he went into freefall he spotted a building that was just close enough for his anchors. Despite the fact he was only using one of his controller grips, his anchor successfully attached itself onto the un collapsed building. Thankfully the wire was strong and thick enough to support both his mass and his spiked club, allowing Maverick to swing across the district. He detached and immediately shot his anchor towards another building, once again repeating the mantra during the training course.

'Anchor, Gas, Reel, Release, Repeat.'

'Anchor, Gas, Reel, Release, Repeat.'

'Anchor Gas Reel Release Repeat.'

His cloak flowed in the wind as he propelled himself from one building to another. Occasionally he would land and continue on foot, jumping from roof to roof. With every step he was closing in on the outer breach, enough that he could make out the sight of his large adversaries, as well as the Garrison who were trying their hardest to avoid getting caught in their grasps. With a hardened look he jumped off the roof he was on and shot his anchor and squeezed his grips lower trigger and lever, allowing the compressed gas in his main unit, and his reeling wire, to propel him at a greater speed.

-oOo-

The defensive line was being pushed back, there were just far too many titans coming through the breach that the cannon crew didn't have enough time to reload. Thus the new plan was to try and draw the titans to different directions in order to isolate them, and take them out one by one. Easier said than done, as they already lost three good men trying to accomplish this and if reinforcements didn't arrive soon then they were gonna have another infestation on their hands.

Hannes and Hugo were leading a titan through the main street as another soldier was following behind the beast, ready to take it down. However her blades did not fully go through only causing the titan to turn its attention to the small, tasty human who's ODM gear had decided to crap out on her.

"Shit her gears busted!" Hugo and Hannes turned to try and assist their fellow, but before the two could act they heard the sound of a discharging anchor and a familiar voice shouting. they turned their heads to see Maverick soaring across the main street, the markings on his face and hands glowing as he shouted in his foreign tongue.

"*LOOK OVER HERE YA FUCKING MUTANT!*"

"I-Its him!" Hugo shouted. His eyes widened as he saw the Titan Slayer closing in on their position. Hannes however was more focused on the new uniform and gear he was now using. "Haaa…Looks like they finally gave him his wings…."

The two looked back to see that the titan had turned around, attracted by the glowing man's shouts, completely ignoring the soldier it was minutes away from snaking on.

With a burst of speed Maverick passed by the two garrison and with a mighty swing from his large blade, he sliced the titans head clean off it shoulders. It happened so fast that the giants head continued to spin in place in the air for a few moments, before gravity took control. The soldiers were left slack jawed at what just transpired, remaining motionless even as the body began to steam and the sounds of the marked man's warcries began to ring out in the district.

"D-Did you see that?" Hugo asked.

"What the flying giant in the Survey Corps uniform, or the titan that just got the guillotine treatment?" Hannes remained staring at the steaming titan corpse, more specifically at the head that still showed its dopey expression even as its face began to dissolve, and its eyeballs began to melt before his eyes. .

"B-Both…" Was his friend's reply.

-oOo-

After dealing with that giant Maverick detached his anchor and ran along the rooftops. He spotted both the mass of giants pouring through the breach as well as the many Garrison soldiers dealing with their own individual man-eaters. Seeing that they had some handle on their own situations, he went forth towards the amassing horde. After spotting a nice-looking fat one in front of the group he shot out his anchor hitting it square in its chest and propelled himself straight towards it. Once more he shouted out an insult to the creature.

"*KITCHENS CLOSED FATBOY!*"

As he approached he detached his anchor and brought both his legs forward, delivering a flying kick that sent the big boned giant flying back towards the breach, colliding with other giants in the process. The massive body collided with the wall, causing the hole to be covered, preventing others from getting in. Quickly he set upon the giants that were still on the floor, starting with a long haired 7 meter. He threw Skullsmite at its head with great force, reducing it to a bloody mess. Pulling out his second blade he set off towards the rest of the incapacitated giants.

He jumped atop the head of one and with a stomp, he sunk its head further into the ground, and with a two bladed strike, nearly the giants entire back section of its neck was ripped apart and steaming. He set off towards the next one closest to him. However, it saw him out of the corner of its eye and held out its hand in order to grab him. Maverick only smiled at the attempt as he slashed the giant's hand with a series of strikes, destroying the limb as he cut through both flesh and bone. He quickly jumped towards the beast as it flailed about, trying to use its other arm. With a somersault he reached his targets weak point and sliced off its nape, ending it existence for good.

He turned around to see that the some of the giants had begun to pick themselves up, with their eyes set on him. Unperturbed he aimed his body and shot his anchors between a giant's legs and propelled himself underneath it, causing the beast to try and look under, allowing Maverick to turn around and aim his anchors on its upper back. Propelling himself upwards he made his way up to its neck and gave another two bladed slash. The force of the strike nearly ripped the entire head off, leaving it to dangle by a few strands of flesh as a fountain on blood spewed from the ripped opening.

He jumped off the giant's back and shot his anchor mid air towards another of the dopey looking beasts. With another slash from his blades it fell, just as another tried to grab him. He kicked the massive limb aside and jumped towards its face, stabbing one of his blades into the giant's eye, causing it to flail about in a panic. He detached himself before jumping up and flying upwards towards a height greater than his foe with the use of the compressed gas. Once reaching a certain height, he descended downwards behind the giant, holding his blades in a reverse grip.

*SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHLLLLLLLIIIIIIII*

The giant's back was ripped open, from the center of its head, down to its lower back. A fountain of steaming flesh and flood erupted from the large opening, spilling onto the ground and on the Titan Slayer himself. He didn't bother to look back as the giant began to spasm and collapse under its weight. As he shook off the blood from his tools and person he heard a high pitched screech ring out nearby.

Quickly heading towards the sound of the screams he anchored himself to a nearby roof and flew off. Atop he could see that a panicking Garrison was in the arms of one of the beasts. With no hesitation he jumped into the air and shot his anchors. The anchors reached their target and sunk into the titans neck flesh, staggering it a bit, and saving the soldier a few more seconds of life. That was all Maverick needed as he flew full speed towards the giant and slashed its nape. The soldier was free from its grasp and flew towards a roof where he recovered.

"T-Thank you!" He shouted with a pained smile. Maverick offered a nod in return as he went on to go help the other Garrison with their giants.

-oOo-

Atop the interior wall, Pixis watched the marked man slaughter the titans through a spyglass. He couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle after watching him take care of the breach.

"My word, what a sight to behold…" He remarked. He found himself struggling to keep track of the man, as he was moving across the district at great speeds. Thankfully, the sight of collapsing titans allowed him to pinpoint the location of the glowing soldier. As he returned the spyglass to his aide, the sound of multiple anchors entered his ears. He turned to see Commander Erwin and the other scouts make their way up the wall.

"Commander Smith, you've missed quite a show!" Pixis exclaimed, to the confused looks of Erwin and the group.

"Oh? Have I now?" He asked with a raised bushy eyebrow. Pixis simply smiled as he turned back to the district.

"Yes. Your military asset has proven himself invaluable to the cause." He pointed towards the outer breach, well currently the rising steam that engulfed the breach.

"Aww, so we missed the fight?" Hange asked as her shoulders slumped, disappointed she could not see her teammate in action. Her assistant could only pat her back in support. "Told you…" Levi said with crossed arms.

"It would seem so miss Zoë. Anka, be a dear and give Smith a look see." His aide did not respond as she continued to watch the district.

"Anka?" Still no response from the young woman. He walked towards her and shook her shoulder, snapping her out of her funk.

"Eh?" Was the young Rheinberger's response as she turned around, many noticing the small hint of redness on her cheeks.

"Care to give Commander Smith a look through the glass?" Pixis asked with a fatherly smile. "O-Oh! Of course, my apologies!" She exclaimed quickly handing it over to Erwin. "Hahhaha, its quite alright my dear. It's not every day you see a sight quite like this."

As Erwin observed through the spyglass he could see the sight of Maverick's glowing form socking a titan across its face, causing it to release a soldier from its grasp. A smile formed on his lips as he looked across the district to see the breach had been plugged by a rather heavy-set titan.

"I might have to disagree with you Commander" He said, gaining the attention of all soldiers present. "I believe with Maverick at the helm, sights like this will be rather commonplace from now on..."

-oOo-

With the stragglers taken care of Maverick, as well as the Garrison, looked towards the breach that the Titan Slayer had plugged up with the body of the fat titan.

"How many did you lose?" Maverick asked. The Garrison were confused at first until they understood what he meant. Hugo was the one to break the news.

"T-Three, we lost three to these bastards." Maverick sighed. He expected it to happen, he knew he wouldn't save everyone, but it still stung his heart knowing that three lives were cut short.

"So….how are we going to deal with this exactly?" One soldier asked blades at the ready.

"Do we really have to do anything? Look at it, outer breach is plugged up, mission complete." Another one said shrugging his arms, only to receive a smack to the back of his head.

"You idiot, that fat bastard could jimmie himself out at any moment!" An older Garrison said as he reprimanded his younger.

"Yeah we can't just leave it like that." Said another, this one being the one Maverick had helped out earlier.

"Give us the world Hannes, well blast that fucker to kingdom come!" Shouted a member of the cannon crew, confident now that their artillery was loaded and ready to fire.

"No were just going to make the hole bigger! We have to remove it without damaging the wall somehow…" Hannes replied, rubbing his chin, trying to think of an alternate solution.

"But how exactly? That fat bastards pretty jammed up, not to mention the ones that are probably waiting outside the wall." The Garrison continued to talk amongst themselves, before they were silenced by the sight of Maverick turning around to face them.

"Don't concern yourselves with this gentlemen, I was the one who kicked fatty in there, it's only natural I deal with it." The soldiers held surprised but slightly thankful looks. If anyone could, it would certainly be the man with the strength of a titan.

"A-Are you sure?" Hannes asked as he approached the marked man only to stop as he made eye contact with his glowing orbs. Maverick offered the man a relaxing smile as he placed a large hand on his shoulder.

"Just leave it to me." With that said he set his morning star down and walked towards the fat ones foot, and with both hands, he began to pull the giant out of the hole. Its arms flailed around as its body scrapped across the breach, its steaming blood painting the wall red. Seconds later it was free, it would be a short-lived victory however, as Maverick was on it before the giant could cause any havoc. It's head was turned into a gory mess as Maverick jumped high into the air, and slammed down with all his might.

Hannes and the others could only watch from a distance as the marked man ran towards the breach, tackling one of the titans that was about to set foot in the district. The sounds of shrieks and wails were heard, only to be silenced as the large man set off to brawl with the titans waiting outside the wall.

"Holy shit….he's….is he seriously going to take them on with his bare hands?!" One of the standing soldiers thought aloud.

The sound of anchors firing and wires whirling caused the group to look back to see the Survey Corps, as well as Commander Pyxis and his retinue, land atop the ruined buildings. "C-Commander Pixis, Commander Erwin!" Hannes and the other Garrison saluted, causing the two commanders to chuckle.

"At ease soldiers, at ease. We just wanted a closer view of the cleanup." Erwin shouted, just as a steaming titan head was spotted ascending into the air, before falling back down out of sight, causing Hange to cackle with glee.

"Well as you can see, thanks to our reinforcements, the titans have pretty much been quelled!" Their attention was brought to the breach once more, as the sound of titan wails had ceased, and the steaming figure of the Titan Slayer appeared.

"The district is giant free yet again!" He shouted before turning to his commander and other comrades looking down at him from atop the buildings. "How'd I do, Commander?" He said jokingly. Erwin smiled as he descended from the roof he was standing on.

"Well from what I managed to see, you have…decent control with your gear, but like the instructor said earlier, you'll improve with enough training and practice." The two men chuckled before they were interrupted by Maverick's goggled comrade, who began to invade his space and barrage him with question upon question, despite the fact he was still covered in steaming blood.

-oOo-

Hours later, inside the Shiganshina District

The sun had begun to set upon the district as Maverick was being led by Hange while Moblit walked by his side. There was a comfortable silence as they entered their headquarters main plaza, only for the silence to be disturbed by Maverick's growling stomach.

"God I could eat a horse right about now…maybe two." He said as he placed a hand over his stomach. His superior officer smiled as she turned her head towards him.

"Hehe, not to worry Maverick. I think you'll find todays dinner to be quite filling~" She stifled a giggle, as she lead him to the Mess Hall. Maverick turned to her assistant for clarification, only for him to keep his eyes forwards with a smile on his face.

'Alright, what do they got planned?' He thought. His answer came when Hange opened the door for him, and what he saw nearly caused his jaw to drop.

There, placed atop the center table was a rather large spread of a variety of food. An assortment of meats, vegetables, and other foodstuffs were on display, as well as a few barrels of what he could only assume to be ale. Along with the food were the many faces of the Survey Corps, who raised their mugs in salute.

"What's all this now?" He asked placing his hands on his hips. Erwin rose from his seat and handed him a mug or in Maverick's case a kiddie cup. "Call it an early celebration of sorts, for today you finally earned your wings." He patted his jacket pocket which had the emblem of the Survey Corps stitched onto it.

"He's not an official scout until he makes it through his first expedition…" Levi said holding a teacup in a rather unusual way. His odd handling of the drink didn't concern the marked man at the moment, as he responded to the short man claim.

"Eh? So clearing out the district didn't count? Or the other times I went outside the wall?" Levi didn't respond immediately as he took a sip from his teacup, before gently setting it down and turning his eyes towards the larger man's glowing orbs.

"Nope…" He knew the halfling was just screwing with him, as his tone held no scorn or sneers. So did the rest of the Corps, as they chuckled amongst themselves. Hell, Maverick could see a very faint hint a smirk forming on the man's face as he drank his tea.

"Regardless, it was decided that today would mark a special occasion." Erwin continued gesturing towards the table full of food. Hange continued for him as she patted Maverick's arm.

"And what better way to celebrate such an occasion!" She exclaimed leaving the man a bit dumbfounded. He was honestly surprised to see that they practically went all out for his sake, despite only knowing him for what? A few months? How much did they have to take out of their funds to get all this quality food?

"You really went all out with the food didn't you? This aint the usual soup and bread." Maverick remarked as he saw no sight of the Regiments usual dietary choices. Erwin shook his head at the man's rather perceptive input.

"Indeed, you see I sent a request a few days ago to have all this shipped." Indeed he had. Erwin had sent a request form to a local merchant company in Trost, a request that for some reason they were more than happy to provide. Erwin had honestly expected to have to give up an arm or a leg for such a request, but it seemed that perhaps this was a way for them to send their thanks to the "Savior of Shiganshina."

"Oh Smith, now your just spoiling me…What's the catch?" Laughter erupted inside the mess hall at Maverick's rather blunt question, even Erwin couldn't help but release a chuckle of his own.

"*Hmhmhm*, the catch my friend, is that you continue to dedicate your heart for the sake of humanity. That is all I ask." The seated scouts let out cheers of their own in agreement, as they raised their mugs in the air.

"Yeah, just keep on giving those titans a good thrashing!"

"With you on our side, humanity's future is secured!"

"A lot of folks in Maria can sleep easy knowing your around!"

"Keep fighting the good fight!"

"Fighting the good fight." Now that was a phrase the marked man hadn't heard in a quite some time. As he took pause he couldn't help but lower his head a bit, and reminisce of a bygone lifetime, before letting out a chuckle and turning back and raising his cup to the smiling faces of his new brothers and sisters in arms.

"Count on it."

With that the Survey Corps began their little celebration in earnest. Maverick was seated in the largest chair that the scouts could find and served a whole leg of mutton, with Hange and Moblit at his side talking and enjoying in each other's company. Everyone let themselves loose as the food and drinks kept coming, with even the most stoic of scouts joining in on the merriment. Maverick would also entertain the group with tales from his past exploits and travels, that left them wide eyed and bewildered. Overall it was a joyous moment, one that would be reminisced by the veteran scouts with nostalgic joy for many years to come.

-oOo-

Barracks, Survey Corps Headquarters

It was late in the night as Maverick was currently being escorted back to his quarters with the assistance of the second tallest scout in the regiment. While he wished he could have stayed and regaled the scouts with more tales of his adventures, the alcohol in his system was starting to take effect. So when the tipsy feeling started to arise, he bid everyone goodnight and went for the barracks, less he make an ass of himself.

That was when Miche offered a helping hand, seeing as he too was all partied out. Placing the marked man's large arm over his shoulder, the two set off after saying their goodbyes. There was a comfortable silence as Maverick rubbed his face in an attempt to keep himself awake, while Miche led him through the hallway by candlelight.

"God…how much did I drink?..." He muttered, to no one in particular.

"You drank the entirety of one barrel, don't know how many cups though, wasn't keeping score…" Came the calm response from the tall blonde.

"Yeah that'll do it….still, didn't have to go out of your way for me you know…could've made it by myself." He took a misstep and stumbled across the wooden floor, proving him wrong. Miche readjusted his hold on Maverick to keep him from falling over, and possibly waking up any resting scouts.

"Were comrades now, its natural we help each other out, whether on or off the battlefield. Besides, I was going to bed anyways." Maverick remained silent as the two arrived at his room, before letting out a slurred chuckle that caught the stone-faced scout slightly off guard.

"Hah…you're an alright guy Miche…despite your nasal perversions."

Miche kept a straight face as he lead Maverick through the door, before unceremoniously letting him go, causing him to stumble onto the floor.

"Augh….you…bastard." Miche simply offered the glowing man a smirk as he placed the candle on a nearby nightstand and closed the door.

Maverick eventually got himself back up and proceed to undress, placing his cloak over a coat hanger and his uniform in a nearby cabinet. He slowly removed his harness and leg straps, placing them on a table nearby. Lazily kicking off his boots he slowly sat himself down onto his bed, breathing out a sigh as he was now completely alone.

He remained seated for few moments, listening to the sounds of crickets outside his window, just as his smile slowly turned to a more neutral look and the glow in his eyes slightly faded.

He turned to his nightstand, opening it revealed two medium sized notebooks, given to him by Hange when they first started their language lessons. While one of them was filled with notes on the writing system of the new land, the other held more personal notes.

Carefully taking it out he slowly opened it to reveal not notes or personal thoughts, but sketches and drawings.

Drawings of many people.

Of people he knew.

Of people he loved.

Of people he called family.

He had done this the night he received the notebook, for it was something he had always done whenever he traveled to a new world. What started out as an attempt to remember the faces of his loved ones in his elder years, slowly became a sort of memorial to honor them.

He slowly flipped through each page revealing a multitude of faces, each sketched to their likenesses as best he could. His face held a somber look as the fond, and joyous memories began to flood his thoughts. Before long he found himself taking pause, as he reached the most recent three editions to the family, all drawn in the style of headshots.

The first page was of a young man, who was drawn with a wide smile on his face. His shaggy hair and goatee had been shaded to represent the dark coloration, and his eyes held white irises.

The next page held the picture of a young girl with a cheerful smile on her face as well. Her long, light-colored hair was braided, alongside a flower that was placed atop her right ear. Like the boy, her irises were white and clear.

The last of the drawings was of a mature and beautiful woman, who held a loving and motherly expression. Like the girl, her hair was lightly shaded and slightly covered her left eye, and a wreath of flowers adorned her head. Her enchanting eyes were bewitching, and yet they held nothing but love and joy.

Mavericks eyes slightly began to water as he flipped back in forth between the sketches of his late beloved, and his children. The memories of peaceful years spent with one another only served to bring the man heartache, knowing he would only see and hear them in his dreams from now on. Not wanting to ruin their faces with his tears he set the notebook back into the nightstand and laid his head down onto his bed, blowing out the candle in the process.

'Goodnight Sweetheart….I hope the kids are keeping you company….'

AN: And so our hero has finally earned his wings and shown that he is just as deadly with blades, as he is with a spikey club of doom, as well as showing another side to him. I honestly did not expect this chapter to be this long, as I'm looking at the page count on Word to be 42 pages in total, Christ.

For those curious, Maverick's ODM gear and blades is based on the Reinforced Gear set used in the game AOT2, which is also based on the previous design of the gear from the early parts of the manga(yet the scabbards are based on the look from the live-action film, weird).

Originally this was meant to be chapter 11, however as I was writing this chapter I came to a sort of sudden realization as I started to tell myself; "Hey? Did you seriously introduce an issue in the last chapter, only to have it quickly resolved in the next?! Seems a bit rushed don't you think?"

The more I thought about it, the more it continued to eat away at me. Especially when I included the scenes with Pixis and the other named Garrison characters. So to satisfy that nagging thought, I decided to add in the additional chapter of Maverick/Character interactions before moving on. It just seemed right to me. This is also the reason for the rather long update gap besides the fact that I'm in school. As well as rewrites.

Also on a somewhat related note I made a DeviantArt account, going by ErnieH42. There I will be posting sketches of Maverick as well as other related concepts and scenes, just to give you guys some visuals of what I include in the story and my ideas for the story.

Anyways, I hope this chapter was worth the wait because the next one will tackle with another certain issue, as the year 845 is slowly coming to an end. Until then, read and review.