-Chapter 6: The Battle of Shiganshina Part 1-

Shiganshina District, Moments after the Initial Breach

Chaos.

Panic.

Death.

These words could describe the current state of the district. As the Colossal Titan kicked through the gate, the force of the impact sent both Shiganshina's outer wall and its residents flying back hundreds of feet. Those nearest to the outer gate died almost instantly before hitting the ground. One might call these few to be the fortunate ones, as the didn't have to suffer long.

The rest of the townsfolk however, had the pleasure of watching the flying remains of what was once the outer gate come raining down upon them.

Buildings shattered and collapsed as they were besieged by falling debris, and people were crushed as they tried to run for cover, the only evidence of their existence being the splattered blood and dismembered limbs left by the stone projectiles. The skinless goliath, seeming content with the destruction and death it caused, slowly lowered its head, and retreated into the trail of smoke and steam.

It disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

Eren, Armin, and Mikasa continued to stare in shock at the turn of events. Even as the rest of the townsfolk began to panic and run away from the blown gate, the trio still stood motionless, unable to take their eyes off the smoking hole in the wall. Armin however was the first to reactivate his brain as he followed the fleeing crowd.

"Come on we have to go! Before the titans get in!" His words however seemed to get a different response as Eren ran towards the breach. "W-Wait Eren! W-Where are you going?!" He shouted at his friend.

"Those pieces of the wall fell near the house! MOMS STILL AT HOME!" Eren shouted. Mikasa's eyes widened at the realization, and she too began to run in the same direction. "Mikasa W-Wait!" shouted Armin as he held his hand out. However, his hand began to shake, then his arm, and then his entire body shook in fear as he remained in place. He held his arm down and looked at the chaos around him as he realized the true extent of their situation.

"I-It's all over…"

"The towns gonna be overrun…"

"THE TITANS WILL DEVOUR US ALL!"

-oOo-

Survey Corps Headquarters, Moments Before the Breach

Keith had gathered the group to his main office to continue their discussion in private, a discussion concerning their newest arrival to the Shiganshina District. The 12th commander was seated across from his desk while the scouts were spread around the room, while the marked man stood in front of Keith, the desk acting as a divider. He motioned for the large man to sit down, trying his hardest to keep eye contact.

Maverick looked around the room then back to the rather small chair. He slowly sat himself down, creaks sounded as the chair was strained to its limits as it tried to support the man's weight. Maverick as well as the scouts held uncomfortable looks as they expected the chair to collapse any second, but to everyone's surprise the chair held despite a few additional creaks. A few relieved sighs were heard around the room.

"Well, let's finish where we started *cough*…so…where are you from?" Keith asked the man. Maverick looked down at the floor, trying to find the right words to say, seems he took a bit too long as Keith questioned him again. "Are you from a distant community….an isolated group in the mountains perhaps? Cause your clearly not from around here." Keith leaned forward in his seat, his focus entirely on the larger man's marked face.

"No, no, no…not from these parts no…not from this land for that manner" Maverick responded, although he muttered the last part.

"What do you mean?" Keith asked.

"I…did not come here by choice. I woke up in a flowerbed, further from where I found your group." Now that was curious. Waking up in a flowerbed, out in the greater titan territory. Did this man suffer some form of amnesia?

"Do you…not recall where you're from?" Keith questioned. Perhaps he was dealing with another Grisha situation.

"Oh no! I know where I'm from. It's just that I-"

Maverick stopped for a moment and raised his head slowly, his head darting rapidly left and right, before looking down again. He coughed into his hand before continuing. "My homeland lies far beyond these lands...very, very far."

This information definitely caught the attention of everyone inside. A far-off land beyond the Walls, now that was something to think about. Had they managed to fight off the titans there? If so, why come here, to kill more titans? If so, then perhaps Maverick here was sent as an emissary, a herald of sorts?

"I-I see, so your traveled here." Keith said trying to get some sort of confirmation from the man.

"In a sense…" Maverick responded. This answer didn't seem to satisfy a certain small-statured scout standing guard at the rooms only exit.

"Quit with the cryptic shit and give us a straight answer." Sounded Levi, getting rather impatient with Maverick's answers.

"Levi…" Erwin motioned for his subordinate to settle down, not wanting to upset the large man who was now eyeing both of them. The man in question showed no hostility however, as he spoke in a calm yet, conflicted tone.

"Apologies for my cryptic answers, I'm just-" He paused and raised his head again before continuing. "Just trying to find the right words to say about myself..." Maverick face suddenly hardened as he finished his sentence.

Something was definitely bothering the man, many of the scouts thought. Question was, who would speak up about it first?

"Is something…troubling you?" Keith asked. The man had been acting a bit off since they arrived at headquarters, the carefree tone in his voice had disappeared, in exchange for a more stoic and reclusive one. Which was concerning to say the least.

"Hmmmm…just feeling something in my gut is all." Was the man's response. His tone put everyone at unease, especially as his markings and eyes glowed a bit brighter.

"Ahhh…need to use the bathroom? We were on the road for some time." Hange jokingly asked trying to ease the tension in the room. It seemed to get a mild chuckle out of the man as he turned to her.

"No, no, it's not that kind of feeling, it's more li-" Whatever Maverick was going to say was caught in his throat as a loud crackling sounded off.

*KRAACK*

A thunderous sound shook the office, windows rattled, shelves and cabinets tumbled, and everyone was thrown off their balance. The chair Maverick was sitting in broke apart, causing him to fall on his back.

"You alright?" came the concerned voice of Hange as she saw the large man fall onto the broken pieces of the chair. "Capes a bit dirty but other than that I'm fine." He said as he picked himself up and dusted off the green cloak of any splinters. "That sound, that was no ordinary lightning strike." He stated as he looked around the room.

"No…it wasn't" Keith replied. He didn't have time to ponder further as both his mind and body were rattled once again.

*BOOOM*

Another loud explosion sounded off startling everyone inside. The commander made his way towards one of the windows to see what the hell was going on outside, and his eyes widened at what he saw. He quickly turned around to the group and barked out an order.

"Everyone outside. Now!" Shouted Keith. Everyone gathered quickly picked themselves up and made their way through the door, with Maverick being the last one out. As they made their way through the corridors and hallways, Erwin slowed down to match the commanders speed and ran alongside him.

"Commander what happened, what did you see?" Erwin asked the startled man who kept his panicked eyes forward.

"Smoke…rising near the outer gate…saw some bits fly in the air." Keith muttered. Erwin's eyes widened and his breathing stopped for a few moments. "T-Then that would m-mean…" Erwin tried to say but the words were caught in his throat.

"Yes…" Keith grimly replied. The two scouts said nothing more as they went through the front doors and made their way toward the plaza. Maverick lowered his head to avoid hitting the door frame. As he looked forward, he saw the scouts use the gear on their lower backs to reach the rooftops and get a better view. He didn't have time to admire the pieces of tech as he made his way up a building, following the scouts. As his head popped into view, he saw the plausible cause of the loud rumbling earlier.

There, off in the distance he saw a trail of smoke rising from the outer gate, and as he focused, he could see a few large figures moving about. The sight and sounds of the far-off chaos brought memories of similar events to Maverick's mind.

"Shit, it's Praag all over again…well almost"

As he looked towards the outer gate, a scout who had gone off to inspect the initial thunderous sound, now returned with a ghastly look as made his way across the roof shingles towards Keith.

"C-Commander, t-the outer wall, t-there's-" The scout couldn't finish his sentence as Keith interrupted the boy.

"I know son, I know. I see it too…" Keith held a grim look as he spoke the next words out of his mouth.

"Shiganshina's been breached."

…

…

…

There was absolute silence as everyone processed what the 12th commander just said. Sweat formed on their brows, eyes widened, pupils dilated, hands were either shaking or formed into fists, and for some, tears were forming.

"No…"

"I-Impossible…"

"After a hundred years. Why now?"

"God help us…help us all"

"M-My family…they lived near the outer gate…"

These were but a few words spoken among the surviving scouts. To many, Shiganshina was their home, some born and raised. The thought that it would soon be overrun with their most hated and feared enemy sent feelings of dread among the regiment. Erwin turned and took a quick glimpse of Maverick's far off look, before turning towards Keith.

"Commander, your orders?" Erwin called out. Keith was brought out of his stupor and looked at the man, then to the other scouts who turned their heads towards him. Despite their initial shock their gazes hardened, prepared to face what would be their greatest battle yet. Keith couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in the regiment.

'Half our original strength, and still so eager to fight…' Keith exhaled though his nose and looked down to the scabbards strapped to his legs, he steeled himself as he attached his hilt to one of his remaining blades and swiftly removed his tool-turned weapon out of its scabbard, the blade reflecting in the sunlight as he brandished it in the air.

"Alright listen here people, humanity's darkest hour is at hand, the titans have finally decided to try and finish us off once and for all! However, if they think were gonna roll over and let them turn this district into a Sina-class buffet then they got another thing coming. The Survey Corps are not out of the fight yet, despite our setbacks. We'll resupply ourselves here first, then...we'll hold them off for as long as possible, give the people time to retreat into the interior." The scouts seemed content as many jumped off the roof, heading towards their supply depot back at headquarters. Before the rest of the veterans could follow, a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Commander Shadis."

A deep and resolute tone from behind mad ethe scouts take pause. Keith slowly turned around, only for him to hold his breath as the saw the marked man now standing a few feet from him. He stood to his full height, towering over Shadis, the green cloak flowing slightly in the air. His glowing eyes were narrowed and entirely focused on the commander, practically staring into his soul. And the markings shine a blue ethereal glow, as well as the smaller symbols and writings around his body.

All in all, Maverick was displaying an imposing force towards the commander that made everyone present frozen stiff. They all remained silent, until Maverick spoke again.

"I will participate in this fight."

He was not asking the commander for permission, no, he was telling him that he was going to fight, with or without the scouts. Keith could only gulp down the spit in his mouth and nod his head in response. No other words were said as Maverick turned around and held his right arm outwards. His morningstar, Skullsmite, detached itself from the ground and flew back towards the hand of its creator. The moment it was reunited it began to glow as if it had awakened, eager to meets its foes.

"I'll head towards the breach, take care of any I see along the way, and meet the horde head on." He didn't give the commander time to respond as he quickly set of towards his destination. Jumping off the roof they all stood on towards another roof, and then another. The scouts looked in disbelief, surprised yet again by Maverick's superhuman abilities.

"Right, well resupply and join him. Dedicate your hearts and move out!" The scouts quickly got out of their stupors and set off towards the supply depot. Keith looked back one more time to see Maverick make his way across the rooftops, before making contact with a titan and tackling the beast, bringing it down. Moments later, blood and dust shot out into the air, and his steaming, muscled body came into view, as he jumped high into the air and set off again towards the amassing horde. The commander sighed as he jumped down from the roof with one lingering thought.

'That is, if there's any titans left for us.'

-oOo-

Shiganshina District, Moments After the Breach

"MOM!" Eren shouted as he ran towards the collapsed pile of rubble that was once his home. A large piece of the outer wall had practically destroyed the house, a small portion of it looking somewhat recognizable. Eren and Mikasa arrived to see their mother's motionless body trapped under a pillar.

"Mom can you hear me?! Mom!" Eren continued to shout, desperate to hear his mother's voice. He dared not to think about the worst-case scenario as he tossed wood and stone aside.

"E-Eren...M-Mikasa, is that you?" Carla asked in a pained voice. The sight of his mother in pain shocked the both of them for a few seconds before Eren regained his resolve once more and turned to his sister.

"Mikasa quick help me! We're going to lift this!" Mikasa quickly followed her brother's movements, as she crouched down and placed both hands on the collapsed pillar.

"On three! One…Two…Three!" On que, both kids tried to lift the pillar with all their might. However, it refused to budge despite their best. Their efforts ceased as they began to hear loud thumps, followed by the screams of nearby townsfolk. The children looked to their left and saw two titans walking across the street. They were already here and spreading out across the district.

"Dammit! Mikasa hurry up and lift!" Eren shouted in desperation, as tears were beginning to form in his eyes "I-I'm trying!" shouted Mikasa as she tried to lift the pillar with all her might. Carla didn't need to see what was going on, as the expressions on her children's faces was more than enough evidence.

"The titans got in…didn't they?" The children didn't respond as they kept trying to lift the collapsed pillar. "Eren listen to me, take Mikasa and go!" She shouted however Eren continued to struggle.

"I'd love to go Ma, but I need you on your feet!" He continued to lift despite no progress, even as the wood was digging into his fingers, he still tried with all his might.

"Sweetheart, my legs are crushed, even if you could get me out, I can't run. I won't make it." She held in her frustration as she calmly tried to explain the situation to Eren, but the boy didn't want to listen.

"It doesn't matter, I'll carry you!" Carla grew more frustrated with her son's stubbornness and soon began to lash out at him.

"SHUT UP AND LITSEN TO ME, CANT'T YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE?! I'M ASKING YOU TO DO ONE THING EREN, JUST ONE THING!" Carla turned to her adoptive daughter. "MIKASA, TAKE EREN AND GO, PLEASE!" Despite here pleas Mikasa did not budge, she kept trying to lift the pillar as tears streamed down her face.

"N-No…I-I can't." The young girl was in distraught, she had lost a mother once, she refused to lose another one.

*WHUMP*

*WHUMP*

*WHUMP*

The sound of footsteps getting louder made all three take pause. Eren looked around the corner of the collapsed home to see a horrid sight. A titan was making its way straight towards them. His mind went into full blown panic mode and turned to his sister once more. "Come on, lift it! Hurry!" He shouted as tears began to streak down his face.

"Both of you need to get out here now, you hear me?!" The children didn't respond as they continued to try and lift the pillar with no results. "At this rate, all three of us will-" Her thoughts were interrupted as a whizzing sound was heard. She looked up and caught sight of a rather familiar face making his way towards the trio.

"HANNES! TAKE THE CHILDREN AND LEAVE, GET THEM TO SAFTEY!" Carla shouted. Hannes stopped for a moment before crouching down to meet Carla at eye level, a nervous smirk on his face.

"Come on Carla don't underestimate me now. I'm a trained soldier after all, I'll kill this titan quick and get all three of ya outta here in no time!" He unsheathed his blade and went off towards the incoming titan, despite the mother's pleas.

"NO DON'T FIGHT IT, PLEASE!" She shrieked, however her screaming went unheard as Hannes continued on his mission.

'After what your family did for mine Carla, it's high time I paid my debt back in full!' His tone was resolute as his grip on the hilt hardened, as did the expression on his face. "Nothing fancy, just gotta kill it and get the three of them out of here, just gotta-" He stopped moving the moment he locked eyes with the titan.

It stood high above the buildings of Shiganshina, roughly 15 meters in height...

Its grotesque body stood motionless, as it watched the man with small, unblinking, distant eyes...

A nerve-wracking smile stretched across its face. Teeth and gums exposed to the world, for all to see...

The titan looked down at Hannes. It sunken eyes staring into the man's soul. The soldier's entire body practically shut down in absolute fear. In the reaches of his mind, he realized that he had no real experience in killing titans. He had manned a cannon atop the wall sure, but to actually come face to face with the giant, dead eyed freaks? No sir he hadn't.

The titan continued to stare, as if it were daring him to make the first move. The hand that griped the hilt of his ultrahard steel blade was now shaking, the resolve that was once in the man was gone, as fear, doubt, and self-loathing took its place. He cursed himself as he sheathed his blade back in its scabbard and ran back to Carla and the kids.

"H-Hey stop, what are you doing? Stop it you bastard!" Eren shouted as the Garrison soldier carried both him and Mikasa and began to run, leaving his mother behind. Carla looked on with a thankful look, glad that the man had come back.

"T-Thank you, Hannes." She said as he carried her children to safety.

"No stop we can't just leave her! We can still save her! MOM!" Eren pleaded with Hannes as tears streaked down his face, however the man didn't listen as he continued forward and the gap between the two increased. Eren suddenly heard the voice of his mother once more.

"I LOVE YOU BOTH YOU HEAR ME, STAY ALIVE!" She screamed, hopefully they heard her. No sooner had she said those words, that she finally realized the gravity of her situation. As memories of her family flashed before her eyes, she realized that those peaceful days were now gone, and she would never see them ever again. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes as tears began to streak down. Even in her final moments, she didn't want her children to see her as she muttered a final plea to the world.

"Don't leave me…"

Eren could only look on with hopelessness as the lumbering titan made its way to the ruins of his home. He saw it crouch down and remove the pillar he and Mikasa had struggled to lift with ease, and slowly pick his mother up from the rubble. His eyes widened as his mother's body dangled in the air.

"NOOOOOO! STOP IT!" He shouted as he saw his mother struggle in the titan's grip to no avail. The titan looked at its squirming meal with its sickening grin. Seconds passed as he watched the titans mouth began to open wide. However, in that exact moment, a thunderous shout sounded out from atop the rooftops.

"*OI, FUCKMOUTH!*"

There was complete silence as both man and titan stopped their movements and looked towards the direction of the voice. Moments later a large figure adorned with glowing markings and draped in a green cloak, jumped down from the rooftops and landed in front of Hannes and the kids.

"T-The Wings of Freedom?!" Hannes remarked as he eyed the blue and white symbol of the scout regiment. The figure didn't stop as he continued running towards the titan, a massive, spiked weapon in hand and shouting in foreign tongues.

"*YA WANT SOMETHING TO EAT?! THEN TRY THIS FOR AN APETIZER!*"

The figure winded up his arm and threw his spiked weapon towards the grinning giant. Hannes and the kids watched with shock and awe as the weapon flew towards the titan at rapid speeds.

As the morningstar spun its way through the air the titan stood motionless as it stared at the glowing figure. In that fraction of a second its distant and foggy pupils suddenly dilated, as if it came to some sort of realization.

Suddenly it felt its face make contact with cold obsidian, and its head began to erupt and break apart in a bloody discharge. Teeth, flesh, and brain matter flew in all directions, painting the nearby buildings and street red, followed by a spray of blood that shot into the air, as the titans entire head and neck area was decimated. The titans body stumbled backwards and twitched for a few moments before it began to collapse under its own weight.

The woman in its hand was released. However, she found herself closing her eyes and screaming as gravity was pulling her down fast towards the cold hard ground. Luckily before she was turned into a bloody mess, she felt two arms grab a hold of her body and hold her steady. She slowly opened her eyes and was met with a set of glowing eyes that stared back at her with concern. She backed her head away to get a more detailed look at the strangers' face.

"G-Glowing eyes…" She thought as she recalled the certain features her son had described about the "man from beyond the walls". She continued to stare at the man's rather handsome features before he spoke.

"Are you alright? Can you stand?"

The deep voice, combined with the concerned tone caused Carla's heart to skip a beat. She found herself blushing and stuttering before the man, as she found it difficult to speak in that moment.

"Uhhh…I-I-I" Suddenly she saw her vision blurring and soon passed out, as the trauma of today's events were finally catching up with her. Maverick stumbled a bit in reaction to the woman's now limb body. He quickly placed two fingers to her neck and sighed in relief as he felt a pulse. He chuckled as he readjusted his bridal-style hold on the woman and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.

"Heh, almost gave me a scare there miss." He turned around, finally noticing the small group that were staring at him completely stupefied. He walked towards them, mindful of the woman in his arms and spoke with the blonde-haired soldier.

"Hey trooper, you heading to the interior, right?" He asked. The soldier only stared at the man with wide eyes as he began to stutter, still trying to process the events that just transpired, he was brought out his stupor as the large man snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"Hey, hey, stay with me bud. Are you heading, to the interior?" He spoke with a sterner tone. "Y-Yeah…" Was the man's single response. That was enough for Maverick, as he presented the passed-out woman to the soldier.

"Good, mind taking her along to?" The soldier nodded and set the two children down and snakingly tried to hold Carla in a similar fashion to the marked man. "Easy…easy now, think her bones got crushed somewhere." Maverick said. Hannes managed to get his shit together and steady his hold onto Carla's unconscious body.

"Now I trust you can get them to safety, right?" Maverick spoke with a questioned look. Despite his initial nervousness, Hannes was able to give the man a firm nod. "Great! Alright, I'm gonna head out and continue giving these giants a good thrashing, stay clear of open streets you hear?"

Maverick didn't let the man respond as he quickly rushed to pick up his weapon which had buried itself into the ground after colliding with the smiling titan. He spared a passing glance to the now steaming, headless corpse before climbing up a building and reaching the rooftop. He looked back to see Hannes and the kids still looking at him with awe struck eyes.

"The hell are you waiting for jackass?! Use those legs and run!" Shouted Maverick. Hannes stepped back in shock at the man's voice before hardening his gaze and turning to the children now in his care.

"Eren, Mikasa, I need you two to stay close to me, alright?" The children nodded which was enough for him as he quickly set off again towards the empty street. As they ran Eren looked back to see the marked man watching them, he offered the boy a two-finger salute as he headed off towards another rooftop.

As they followed Hannes through the empty street, Eren looked to the passed-out form of his mother and couldn't help but feel a sense of both relief and admiration towards the stranger. "H-he saved you mom...he killed that titan. He ran towards it, l-like it was nothing…" Eren looked back one more time to see the ruins of his home. As flashes of his chaotic and joyous family life flashed before his eyes, he offered a final wave goodbye.

-Maverick the Titan Slayer: A Study-

Battle Sense: Maverick has shown the ability to, for lack of a better word, "sense" incoming dangers, enemies, and other perils. The first instance of this active ability being used was in the year 845, before the Battle of Shiganshina. Reports by the 12th commander, and veteran members of the Survey Corps, claimed that throughout his initial questioning, Maverick would stop mid-sentence and raise his head as his battle sense was warning him of the incoming attack. Maverick has claimed that this is similar to a "gut feeling."

Voice of the Warrior: An ability that allows Maverick to increase the vocals and volume of his voice, creating a powerful shout. The intensity of the voice can be heard across vast distances by both men and titan alike. It serves as a "summoning" of sorts as any titans in the vicinity of the voice will be attracted to the source, that being Maverick. However, titans have also shown to react differently based by Maverick's emotional state at the time. There are also firsthand accounts that claim that when Maverick speaks through the voice, multiple voices could be heard alongside his own, creating an almost supernatural presence.

AN: And so, we see Maverick interact with the senior members of the Survey Corps and slay the Smiling Titan, thus saving Carla from her unfortunate demise, possibly Hannes as well, but you never know, maybe something worse will come along. I was originally going to have the entire Battle of Shiganshina play out in one single chapter, but as I saw the page number increase, I felt it was getting too bloated. So, I'm splitting it into two parts. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next chapter out soon.

Also, after every chapter I'm going to include something similar to the "Publicly Available Information" segments that appeared in the manga/anime. They will be information based off notes and studies regarding the abilities that Maverick shows off throughout the story, as well as any story changing events.

Idea for Closing Credits: We see a view of and open field of flowers as petals are being blown by the wind. As the camera follows the petals, we see the body of Maverick resting along the flower field, his body lightly rising up and down.

The scene changes to a river stream as a few fish are spotted swimming along the river. Scene goes back to a view of Maverick's markings on his left arm, that being the symbols of the three realms he allied with during his time in the kombat tournaments.

Scene changes again to a view of the giant forest, with a few titans of all shapes and sizes seen wandering towards a single direction. The scene then switches to a view of Shiganshina's outer wall, which is undamaged. Scene then changes to a shot of the right side of Maverick's face, grass flows to the left as he breathes calmly, the mark of change around his right eye glowing.

View changes to a sight of the flowerbed where he is resting with a wider view of the landscape. It stays there for a bit, until the camera becomes unfocussed as Skullsmite suddenly drops down into view as it buries itself into the ground. Camera focuses on the morning star for a bit. Before credits end a few blue butterflies land on the pommel. Just as Mavericks body lights up.