-Chapter 11: Settled In-

The inability to utilize the Omni–Directional Maneuvering Gear did not deter the Titan Slayer, as he had proven that he did not truly require the use of fancy-schmancy technology to slaughter titans. No sir, all he needed to best them was his strength, his wits, his trusty morning star, and the blessings of a multitude of gods and deities from worlds beyond.

Which is why we find our marked hero currently outside the confines of the outer wall of Shiganshina, beating the ever-living daylights out of some titans that had wandered their way from the south. Present alongside him were other members of his squad, providing whatever assistance they could.

Unfortunately, the open fields outside of Shiganshina provided the Survey Corps with little to no anchor points for them to fight, the only remaining choice was to hook themselves on the titans themselves, which was always a risk. While this was a serious issue for them, the Titan Slayer found no trouble in dealing with the intruding giants.

-oOo-

Outside the Shiganshina District

A titan shrieked and wailed as it was being assaulted by a giant of a man clothed in raggedy attire. It had attempted to grab him the moment it laid eyes on him, only for his would-be meal to swing a glowing spiked club that turned its hand into a bloody mess. The marked figure soon jumped to a great height towards the titan and delivered a powerful left hook, causing the beast to spin on its heels, before crashing towards the ground, causing soil and dust to fly into the air.

Maverick walked atop the still dazed giants back, and swung his morning star at it's nape, severing it's head from the rest of the body. He turned to see another hungry giant speed walking towards him with an angered look, a far cry from the usual toothy smiles and dopey grins from the usual man eaters. Maverick spared it an unfazed glance before grabbing the steaming head of the slain giant by its hair, and throwing it at the angry looking foe, causing the head to shatter on impact, and sending the giant onto the ground. Maverick ran towards the beast and leaped into the air, as he descended he brought both his feet down, stomping on the giants head, painting the field red with blood and brain matter.

As he arose from the twitching body another runner quickly approached him in an attempt to grab him. Maverick simply threw Skullsmite toward the giants left shin bone, getting a direct hit. It fell under its own weight, leaving a trail of soil and blood as it stopped right in front of Maverick. The marked goliath looked down at the beast that had just eaten dirt before grabbing ahold of its right arm. He climbed atop the giant while pulling the limb back, and with all his might, he began to pull.

The giant let out a wail as its arm was being stretched. One pull dislocated the arm, turning its wail into a panicked shriek. It started to spasm and flail about on the ground, as the second pull began to rip and tear the skin and muscle. It shrieks only continued as the third and last pull tore its arm off from its body completely. However, Maverick wasn't quite yet finished with the 9-meter-tall creature, as he began to beat the giant with its own torn limb.

Moblit and a few others watched the mayhem atop giant steaming corpses, as their glowing comrade was treating the creatures that had driven humanity to near extinction as nothing more than giant punching bags. Their faces were a combination of shock, bewilderment, amazement, and just a little bit of fear.

Maybe a bit more fear, after watching a titan get beat with its own torn off arm.

"Y-Yeah! Kick their asses!" Shouted a scout trying to sound supportive as he watched the slaughter, while also trying to keep his lunch in his stomach.

"Ugh, they don't stand a chance against him." Another said as he shivered while rubbing his own arm.

"God, it's like watching a carriage crash." Said another as she was unable to look away from the scene before her. Moblit couldn't help but agree, the way Maverick fought was borderline brutal, suppose the titans didn't deserve nothing less.

"*Sigh* Makes me almost feel sorry for them…well, almost." Muttered Moblit, just as more titans began to approach his squad mate. He suddenly heard the familiar giggling of his superior. Turning around he saw Hange, watching the brutality with sparkling eyes. "Squad Leader, are you alright?"

"Look at him Moblit, manhandling them like little disobedient children, truly his strength knows no bounds!~" Hange said as she took out a notebook from her jacket pocket. She had begun carrying the small journal since the first day they started their language lessons, filling it with notes, observations, and other fun little tidbits regarding the marked man. As she wrote Moblit nervously chuckled at her wording.

"I-I don't think you should compare disciplining children to tearing their arms off, Squad Leader." Moblits said, however it fell on deaf ears as Hange began to fantasize a number of scenarios in her head.

"Just think about it, with his brains and brawn, capturing and studying titans will be a cinch. Hehehehe, so many experiments, so many possibilities!" She giggled as her face blushed, and a bit of drool began to escape her lip. Her fantasies were interrupted however as Maverick's warrior voice rang out.

"COME ON! IS THIS THE BEST YOU DROOLING KOALABRAINS GOT?! EVEN THE GIANTS BACK IN ALBION COULD PUT UP A BETTER FIGHT!"

While the majority of the scouts present didn't understand a lick of what Maverick just said, his two squad mates could somewhat make out what he had shouted out, thanks to their English lessons.

"Al-bi-on? Hmmm…" Hange hummed as she wrote it down in her notes, intent on getting some answers from the man at a later time. Moblit meanwhile winced as Maverick continued to scream and shout at their enemies, which only caused to upset the giants and begin targeting him, and only him.

"Hmmm, Albion...wonder what kind of dangers he faced there..." Moblit remarked, as the sound of flesh tearing, and titan screeches continued into the early afternoon.

-oOo-

Inside the Shiganshina District

A small Garrison squad looked up from their planning table towards the outer wall as the Titan Slayers warcries rung out for all to hear.

"Man, he's sure got some mighty strong pipes." Hannes said as rubbed his chin. A couple of the others agreed, especially after witnessing the deeds of said individual during the skirmish.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it." Said another soldier. He turned to his old drinking buddy standing by his side, who was sticking a finger in his ear.

Hugo, a fellow member of the Garrison who participated in the Shiganshina Skirmish, defending the interior gate with outdated artillery. He was also one of the few individuals to face against and witness the death of the "Armored Titan" up close and personal.

Hannes chuckled as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well, as long as he and the Scouts can keep the titans at bay, we can focus all our attention on the breach." Hugo nodded in agreement as he took a swig from a mug nearby.

"Yeah…So, any word from the higher ups?" He asked.

"Heard Commander Pixis was going to be showing up today, wanted to see the breach for himself." An elder member of the Garrison responded, causing some raised eyebrows.

"Why?" Asked one of the soldiers, with a slight hint of panic in his voice.

"Assess the damage most likely, see what can be salvaged or repaired." He responded looking towards the hole in the outer wall, spotting some figures entering in.

"Oi, what's eating you?" Hannes asked the young soldier, who looked at him with a rather incredulous look.

"You know what's bugging me." Hannes stared at the young man for a few moments, before his eyes widened as he realized what he was talking about.

"Oh yeah…that." His eyes looked down at the table, as did many of the other Garrison, minus Hugo.

"What's he talking about?" Hugo asked looking at the downtrodden looks of his comrades.

"You haven't heard the news lad?" The elder asked, with an honestly surprised tone in his voice.

"No, been in recovery for a few days, as you can see." Hugo deadpanned, points at the bandage wrapped around his head. Before he could get an answer they heard the voices of the returning Survey Corps alongside the marked man, whose body was still steaming with titan blood.

"Jeez Maverick, a bit on the brutal side don't you think." Said a scout, keeping his distance from the marked man.

"Pfff, as if I need to restrain myself against these mindless ferals." Maverick said, shaking off the steaming blood.

"Ha, couldn't have said it better myself!" Remarked another scout, followed by the agreeing voices from the rest of the squad.

"Look, not saying that you shouldn't, but try to maintain some control for the time being. I don't think your clothes can take much more action." Maverick looked at his sleeve, noticing the loose stitches through the steaming blood.

"Hmmmm…Yeah, these rags are pretty much on their last legs…." He hoped the tailor back in Trost could deliver his set of clothing soon, less he should have to fight in the buff once more.

"Oi, Slayer!" Hannes shouted from a distance. "Could hear ya shouting all the way from here! Must have been one hell of a fight!" Maverick snorted in response as he approached the gathered Garrison.

"Bah! As if! Barley made the top one hundred list!" He remarked, earning a few chuckles from everyone present. He noticed however a somewhat familiar face, as he turned his sight to the bandaged soldier.

"How's your noggin soldier?" He asked the bandaged Garrison. Said soldier simply pulled his hair back a few times showing the head wrapping that circled his forehead.

"Just a few scratches and bumps, think I would have gotten worse, if it wasn't thanks to you." The appreciative tone in his voice surprised Maverick a bit. While he was aware that he helped multiple rose backed soldiers, he seemed to have trouble remembering the one standing before him in specific.

"Oh?" He muttered, honestly having trouble recognizing the man.

"Yeah, you saved me and a few others. The interior wall, remember?" Maverick stared at the man for a few moments before his eyes widened in realization, as images flashed in his mind, of a wide eyed soldier covered in blood and dust standing in front of the interior wall.

"Oh yeah…yeah, hard to recognize you without all the steaming blood." This got a chuckle out of the Hannes and the rest of the gathered Garrison, as the soldier could only scratch the back of his head as a response.

"Heh, yeah…names Hugo by the way." He held his hand out, eager to shake the hand of the man who had saved his life. Maverick reciprocated by holding out his own hand, engaging in the universal greeting.

"A pleasure, Hugo." The two shook hands only for Hugo to immediately back away, grasping his hand.

"You alright?" Maverick asked keeping a respectable distance. While Hugo massaged his palm. "Y-Yeah, just felt a little shock run up my spine is all…" The group laughed off the reaction, until a certain goggle wearing scout made her presence known.

"You saw the Armored Titan right?" Hange exclaimed as she began to slowly approach the man, staring at him rather intently.

"Uh, yeah…" Hugo answered, as he slowly began to back away from the bespectacled woman, only to jump as she gasped.

"Oh wonderful! Tell me, was it really able to deflect cannonball shots, Maverick told me a bit about it, but I'd much rather get it from someone who witnessed it in action!"

The scouts closed in, trying to keep the Hange from harassing the poor soldier, while the rest of the Garrison were left a bit unnerved by the woman's off-putting interest in the titan that nearly destroyed the inner wall. As this was going on, the group was made unaware of three figures slowly making their way towards them. Even more so when Maverick grabbed Hange's collar to stop her.

"Come on Hange, leave that poor man alone, he's been through hell once already." The marked man said, while lifting his superior away from Hugo, leaving her dangling in his grasp.

"What's that supposed to mean?! And put me down!" She kicked her legs in the air as she tried to detach Maverick's fingers from her jackets' collar to the amusement of the entire group.

"Oh my, bullying our dear comrades in arms now, are you?"

The Garrison quickly turned to the source of the familiar aged voice. Adorned in his signature red sash, it was none other than Commander Dot Pixis, High Commander of all the Walls Southern Territories. His wrinkled face held a sly smile, hidden under his greying prim and proper moustache. Accompanying him were two other members of his retinue.

Hannes and his crew immediately rose from their table and stood at attention to salute their superior. As did the scouts, including Maverick, who was still holding Hange in the air. The aged commander couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before him. Signaling for his men to be at ease, he approached the nearly 7-foot-tall raggedy warrior.

"Tell me, is handling your superior in such a manner common where you're from?" He asked humorously, watching as Hange swayed back and forth in the air. Maverick chuckled as he responded to the commander's less than serious inquiry.

"Oh no sir, of course not, she's however a rather….special case, shall we say." This caused a few chuckles from the scouts, while Hange merely pouted and crossed her arms.

"*Hmhmhm* Yes, so could be said for you as well." Now it was Maverick's turn to chuckle at the man's jest. Their laughter continued for a few moments before dying down.

"But where are my manners, Dot Pixis, an honor to finally meet face to face." He held his hand out, to which Maverick responded in kind. The moment their hands clasped together Pixis felt a shock run through his spine, a feeling he was not prepared for.

"Hrm!" His eyes widened as he let go, rubbing the hand that he shook with. The two soldiers following him quickly rushed to his side, while Maverick slowly approached the elder commander.

"My sincerest apologies sir! Sometimes I don't even know my own strength." The commander simply placed his hand forward stopping Maverick in his track, as he laughed his concern off.

"Ha Ha! No harm done soldier, no harm. Simply wasn't ready for a jolt to run through my back." The elder commander stood up once more, as if nothing had happened, allowing a relieved Maverick to continue speaking.

"Well, nice to put a name to the man who was choking with laughter at my trial." As soon as he said that the man in question began to chuckle at the mention of the courtroom.

"Ah yes, the trial *Chuckle*, was quite a show you put on for everyone, *Chuckle*"The elder commander soon began to laugh as he recalled the event. From the looks of absolute shock and panic to the more flushed and rather envious looks some of the officials held towards the marked man.

"Well, glad to see that my wardrobe malfunction brought some humor in your life, Sir." His flat tone only made the old commander laugh a bit harder.

"Indeed, hadn't laughed like this since my younger years *Chuckle* Oh!, and less I forget, my two aides."

Pixis gestured to the man to his left. A rather tall young man with a solid build, around the height of 6 feet most likely. His brown hair was combed back, albeit it looked a bit rushed, as a few strands of hair were loose. He held a slightly nervous look as he stepped forward to introduce himself, even more so when he locked eyes with the marked soldier who easily towered over him.

"G-Gustav, a pleasure." He said performing a salute. Maverick set Hange down and stepped forward, repeating the salute, and greeting the young man in kind.

"Likewise. Had an old friend named Gustav you know, all your missing is some more muscle and a nice, big, knotted beard." His jive eased the young soldier as his features relaxed. Just as the other aide made herself known.

Stepping forward was a young woman possibly in her late teens or early twenties. Her light brown hair bobbed with every step as she approached. Puffing her chest out she gave a salute, however like Gustav, her stern and emotionless façade gave out the moment she locked eyes with the glowing man that looked down to her eye level.

"A-A-Anka R-Rheinberger! I-It's an honor sir!" There was a faint blush in her cheeks as she stood in attention, which only reddened more as the large man chuckled and repeated the salute.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Rheinberger." His calm tone set the young woman at ease, as she nodded in acknowledgement. Pixis couldn't help but chuckle at the scene, seeing as this was the most expressive she had been in the few days she was assigned as his aide. As the two finished exchanging their greetings, the elder commander stepped forward.

"So, what brings you to the district, Commander?" Maverick asked, receiving a sigh from the commander in response as he reached into his jacket.

"Well, besides assessing the damage to the outer wall, I'm here to inform the troops of their newest…assignment." Pyxis took out an engraved flask and took a swig, before turning to Hannes and his men.

"Hannes, you and your group are to report back to HQ for reevaluation, another squad will take your place in the meantime." The man in question offered no resistance or complaint as he signaled for the group to follow, alongside Hugo who held a look of confusion along the way.

"Reevaluation?" Came a question from Hange who had since recovered from her dangling experience.

"Of every Garrison stationed in the district and beyond." The scouts were surprised to hear of this. Reconstruction the entire Garrison Regiment? Now that was a serious undertaking. Especially since the Garrison Regiment numbered in the thousands.

"The higher ups must be serious with the restructuring." Pixis nodded as he stared at the breach, swirling the alcoholic content in his flask as he spoke.

"The attack on Shiganshina was a wakeup call to many in high command, myself included. The hundred years of peace have made the Garrison into nothing more than glorified wall wardens." Everyone was left rather shocked at Pixis' remark towards his own military branch, seemed like the alcohol in his system has loosened his lips.

"We received report after report that spoke of soldiers abandoning their posts, leaving civilians lost and directionless, and general cowardice." He took another swig of his flask before placing it back inside his jacket. "Ahhh…*Cough*…Therefore it was decided that the Garrison Regiment would receive a complete overhaul, in order to clean out the gutter shall we say. Hopefully this initiative will allow us to regain the peoples trust in the Garrison once more." The group was left speechless until the commanders expression softened as his jovial tone returned.

"Well, I best get to it, before more titans wander in." With a wave, Pixis departed towards the breach, with his two aides following close behind, while the scouts made their way toward their headquarters. Despite the increasing gap, Maverick was able to pick up a few lines from Pixis, thanks to his better than average hearing.

"Would be nice to see a stunning beauty wander her way here…"

-oOo-

The scouts continued their trek across the nearly empty district, passing by abandoned shops and collapsed housing. Alongside the scouts were a few groups of Garrison making their way towards the interior, many of them expressing looks of nervousness.

"Jeez, they looked spooked." Said a scout as he watched some members of the Garrison look down towards the ground as they walked, with downtrodden looks expressed on their faces.

"If they did their jobs right then they got nothing to be scared off." Another remarked dismissively, clearly having no sympathies for the rose backed soldiers.

"Ease up on them eh? It's not like any of us expected the largest titan in history to show up that day." Moblit said, trying to defend the Garrison. It had no effect besides reminding the Squad Leader of the existence of said titan.

"Large is an understatement! If the reports I read are true than that Colossal was at least 10 meters larger than the wall! Ohhhh I wish I could have caught a glimpse of it! What do you think Maverick?" She turned to her giant comrade only for her expression to drop as she watched him eyeing the abandoned shops and houses that lined the street.

"Maverick?"

She received no response, as the man in question simply continued walking forward. His eyes, that usually held a bright glow, had now dimmed as he stared at the empty street.

"M-Maverick?" The slight concern in Hange's voice seemed to bring Maverick out of his stupor as his eyes seemed to brighten up. He turned his head a few times before settling down and looking towards his bespectacled comrade.

"Hmm? S-Sorry what were you saying Hange?" She offered no immediate response as she simply continued to stare at her comrades eyes that had begun to shine once more.

"You stared off into the distance for a bit. Are you alright?" Maverick tried to alleviate her worries by offering her a smile and ruffling his hair.

"Sorry, just spaced out for a bit." By the look on her face, she was not buying it. However she didn't pry any further as she simply offered the man a small smile.

"Alrighty then!"

The scouts continued on their way towards HQ, while having to hear Hange's theories regarding the 60-meter titan along the way.

-oOo-

Survey Corps Headquarters, moments later

The scouts had made it back, seeing the rest of their comrades go about their business, whether it was carrying supplies, checking their equipment, or making small talk. Despite only half their strength the atmosphere was generally calm and lively. As the group separated, Hange began to look around unable to find three specific veterans, until a familiar voice made her way towards them.

"Welcome back, how did it go?" The trio turned to see their fellow veteran Nanaba, carrying a crate full of gas tanks.

"Well, we managed to deal with the trespassers, no doubt more will show up later in the day though." Maverick responded earning a chuckle from the tomboy.

"*Chuckle* A very astute assessment." Her amusement was interrupted by Hange, who inquired about the status of their commander.

"Have Erwin and the others returned yet?" Earlier in the day the commander, alongside Levi and Miche, made a trip towards the Training Corps training grounds across Wall Maria. Erwin wanted to see how the latest batch of recruits were performing, eager to see any promising cadets among the ranks. It had been quite a few hours since then, if the setting sun was anything to go by.

"No, but a messenger did come by a bit ago, Oh-" As Nanaba tried to reach into her left pocket, her grip on the crate slipped nearly causing the contents to fall out. Luckily for her, Maverick's quick response time allowed him to catch the side of the crate she let go off, saving the tanks inside.

"T-Thank you, Maverick, Here." She gave the note to Hange, who immediately read it aloud for the two men to hear.

"Returning from training camps...

Trainees show promise, hopefully some will consider the Scouts...

We should be back by late evening...

Smith"

"Heh, always straight to the point." As she folded the note, Maverick made a comment concerning the thought of new recruits.

"So, I guess we should we be expecting some new blood pretty soon huh?" He looked around the somewhat empty plaza. Many of the Scouts who were injured in the last expedition, such as the young Moses, had yet to return. He prayed that their injuries would not be fatal, and hopefully some would be able to still keep their limbs intact.

"Mhm, by next spring this place should be a bit livelier." The man chuckled at her eager sounding voice.

"Right, that way you can leave all the heavy lifting to the freshmen." Maverick's jest did not have the assumed reaction however, as Nanaba's expression turned slightly downward, and her tone was more akin to a mother scolding a child.

"Don't compare us to the Military Police Maverick. We all have to put our weight regardless of rank, you should know that by now." The three stared dumbfounded at the blonde. Upon realizing her tone, she immediately looked down at the ground, trying to hide the embarrassed blush forming on her face.

"S-Sorry for sounding a bit harsh, its just-" Her apology was interrupted by the marked man, who held his hand out, with a look of understanding.

"No, no, I understand completely, believe me." Nanaba nodded, glad that she had not upset the large man with her attitude shift.

"Well I hate to cut this shot, but I have a couple of inquiries that just absolutely need to be answered." Hange said as she eagerly grabbed Mavericks right hand, and attempted to lead him towards the main building. The sight of the 5-foot woman trying to drag the near 7-foot tall superhuman was an amusing sight to many.

"Hehe, well I won't keep you three, I know better than to deprive Hange from knowledge." With that Nanaba continued on her way, allowing Hange to lead the marked man inside the building

-oOo-

The trio had made their way towards the main building, straight towards the study hall. Upon opening the door one could notice that a majority of the room had been converted into a personal classroom of sorts. The blackboard in the center had been filled with the entire native and English alphabet, displaying both uppercase and lowercase letters. A considerable amount of books were placed on the tables and a multitude of papers were scattered about and lined the walls. Many of said papers contained common phrases, words, and sentences written in both languages.

Maverick made his way over to the table and grabbed on the book atop the pile, this being the second volume of the basic language practice(for children).

"So what are we learning today?" He asked flipping through to a bookmarked page. However Hange took the book from his hands and placed it back on the table.

"Actually there's a different subject I want to discuss today." As she spoke she removed her goggles, only to replace them with a set of spectacles.

"And what would that be?" Hange responded by pulling her chair closer to Maverick, sitting cross-legged she turned around to meet his glowing eyes. "You of course!" She exclaimed, her rousing voice causing Moblit to nearly jump from his seat.

"With so much happening I had neglected our most interesting and historic discovery!" She continued, showing Maverick her notes, flipping through multiple pages. The contents displayed were a multitude of sketches of his markings, his weapon of choice, and drawings of his supernatural feats, with notes and inquiries. The man huffed as he tried to read the somewhat messy writing.

"You flatter me…" He said in an amused tone, which only served to earn him a giggle from the woman.

"She has a point Maverick, a person like you, the things we've seen you do, your stories, t-they're things I don't think anyone has ever even conceived of!" Moblit spoke with an unusual vigor in his voice, as he too was eager to know more about their resident superhuman. Maverick chuckled at the two, deciding to entertain whatever inquiries they had.

"Hmmm, well how can I argue with such enthusiasm? Alright then…" The large man set his morning star gently to the floor and slowly sat himself down on his chair. He crossed his right leg over his left and relaxed into his seat.

"Ask away..."

For the next few minutes or so the marked man was asked question after question from his squad leader, ranging from a variety of topics concerning his supernatural abilities. Such as how he had grown so strong, how his gifts functioned, and any possible limitations he may hold. As he answered each inquiry Hange had scribbled all of his responses into her journal, all with a fascinated and amazed expression.

"So, about Skullsmite. Can I touch it~" Hange said, nearly rising from her seat. Maverick nodded and presented the morning star to her, allowing her to run her hand through the spiked head of the weapon that had felled a multitude of titans, feeling the swirls that were carved into the spiked ball.

"Ohhhh its cold, feel it Moblit!" With a nod from the marked man Moblit ran his hand across the decorated shaft. "It's very…detailed." He said, eyeing the swirls and shapes that were engraved in the weapon.

"Why thank you, I put quite a lot of time and effort in the design." Maverick remarked. He set it down once more and gestured to the two to try and lift the weapon, an offer Hange immediately took. Grasping it with both hands she tried to lift the rather large mace, only to struggle and grunt in frustration.

"*Hrm* Can't…lift it." She said through each breath, trying her absolute hardest to the point where her face started turning red. In the end all she did was exhaust herself, as she plopped down back onto her seat, causing the two men present to chuckle at her expense.

"Of course you can't, it's enchanted so that only I can use it, I'm pretty sure I said that back in the courthouse." He said as he held the weapon by the grip, causing it to glow a faint blue light. And with one hand, he lifted the morning star with ease.

"Oh yeah, you did. Hehe…" Hange muttered, still trying to catch her breath.

"Enchanted?" Moblit asked. He had heard the term many times, however he still did not have a full grasp of the concept.

"See the markings inside the swirls? Those are power runes. Gives it it's arcane and "magical" abilities so to speak." Maverick explained, showing Moblit said runes that were etched into the center of the decorative swirls. Moblit squinted his eyes trying to get a closer look, while Hange eyed another decorative piece that caught her eye.

"What's with the faces?" She asked, pointing at the detail that connected the shaft to the spiked ball. The decorative piece in question were three faces that were connected together. One face held a look of absolute anger and rage, another held a look of sadistic glee, and the last one held a look of a wailing warcry.

"Oh, just a stylistic choice. It was all the rage back in Greece." Hange perked up at the mention of the ancient and mythical world that Maverick once resided in.

"Oh! So you crafted this back then?!" She asked receiving a confirming nod from the man in question, who decided to go further in telling of the weapons origins.

"Yep, was tutored by the most renown craftsman in all of Ancient Greece." This only served to peak Hange's interest. Who was this renown craftsman he spoke of? What did her comrade have to do to earn such an honor? Her question unfortunately went unanswered as Moblit spoke out with his own question.

"So you're a weapon smith?" Maverick simply smiled as he placed his hand on the pommel of his morning star in response. "When you're as old as me Moblit, you tend to pick up a lot of hobbies and trades."

Moblit chuckled, no doubt in his mind that the man sitting before him was talented in more than just fighting titans. "Hehe, I'll keep that in mind."

"So, what's the material you used as a base?" Hange asked eying the shining black morning star.

"Obsidian." Maverick answered simply. The two looked at him with a bit of confusion in their eyes.

"Ob-sidian?" Moblit said sounding out the foreign word by syllable .

"It's a type of solidified rock formed when a lava flow cools down." Once again the two held confused looks, causing some slight worry in the marked man.

"Lava?" Hange asked as she tried to write down the word in her notebook.

"A very dangerous molten material, shoots out from volcanoes." The two scouts continued to stare at Maverick, causing him to sigh.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you two don't know what a volcano is…" The two responded by nodding their heads. Maverick could only once again sigh.

'This is really troubling. Didn't their ancestors leave behind ANY knowledge related to the outside world? Was it all destroyed? Lost to time? Or are they….no, no, no, let's not jump to that conclusion yet.'

"Right…okay…."

And so for the next few minutes or so, Maverick had explained to Hange and Moblit the concept of a volcano and the volcanic material that is released from their eruptions. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of both their faces as he explained, listening to his every word, like children learning about Ol' Saint Nick for the first time.

"Alright, so these ruptures shoot out lava into the upper earth. And this lava is deep inside the earth…." Maverick nodded once more, causing Hange to stare at the floor for a bit.

"Fascinating, so the land we walk on could just shatter apart and release this molten material in any second?!" She quickly invaded Maverick's personal space, her eyes sparkling through her glasses, anxious to hear the marked man's answer. Despite the close proximity, Maverick kept his cool and responded to her in a calm matter.

"Unless this land is prone to earthquakes, we shouldn't have to worry about a rupture anytime soon." Hange pouted in response as she backed away and slouched in her seat. However, her mood instantly recovered as she continued her inquiry.

"So just who was the craftsman you were tutored by?" Maverick held his weapon as he answered, reminiscing about his bygone lifetime.

"A man by the name of Hephaestus taught me. I helped him out with a few problems, in return all I asked was to be taught the ways of crafting powerful weapons. Skullsmite was the result of his teachings." The two scouts stared at the weapon with a new sense of awe and admiration. The denizens of Ancient Greece were truly both remarkable and formidable, being able to craft such elegant and deadly titan slaying weaponry.

"Wow, he must have been quite the teacher then…" Moblit remarked, unaware of the smirk forming on Maverick's face

"Of course, he was the God of blacksmiths after all…" This caused the two to stop and stare at their large comrade, nearly gasping at the revelation that he was a student of one of the fabled Olympians.

"A-A god….you were taught….by a smith god?!" Hange's nearly shouted, unable to contain her excitement. Her eyes shifted to Maverick, then to Skullsmite, then back to Maverick again. This continued for a time as she waited for the man to answer. With a nod she began to giggle as she began to quickly write down her notes. However, a familiar voice brought her out of her fervent behavior.

"I suppose I have this Hephaestus to thank for teaching you to craft such a tool." The three turned their heads to the sight of Erwin, Levi, and Miche in the doorway.

"Been standing there long commander?" Maverick asked, earning him a small smile from the commander. "Long enough." Was the mans simple and short response.

"This place is a mess." Was all Levi said as he entered and looked across the room, his eyes narrowing at the sight of disorganized papers and book strewn across the room.

"Welcome back!" Hange said, still in high spirits as she and the two others stood from their chairs and saluted. "How'd it go Commander?" Moblit asked receiving a smile from the Commander in response

"We saw many promising recruits, whether they will choose the Survey Corps in the future is another matter." His statement did not deter the Section Commander who simply turned to the large man in the room and gestured towards him, like an exotic gift being presented.

"Well, I'm sure our newest member will turn some heads at next year's graduation ceremony." Erwin's eyes widened, as the gears in his brain began to turn. Conjuring possible ideas and schemes for the future.

"Perhaps…" While Erwin was lost in thought, Levi meanwhile picked up the papers, looking over the notes that were written.

"Have you three been cooped up in here the entire day?" Levi sneered, holding up the multitude of papers in his hand. Maverick approached the small statured scout and responded in a calm tone as he took the papers from him and set them neatly on the table.

"No need to raise your blood pressure, we took care of some giants early afternoon, ran into Commander Pixis as well." Erwin's head suddenly rose from his thoughts at the mention of the Garrison Commander.

"Oh? How did that go?" He asked, a bit disappointed to miss out on such an interaction from the eccentric elder.

"He's quite an interesting fellow…" Maverick responded, letting out a chuckle at the end. Erwin joined in with a comment of his own in regard to the man in question. "Hmhmhm, that's certainly one way to describe him."

He was interrupted however by the sound of rapid footsteps. Seconds later another scout appeared in the doorway, his brow covered in sweat and his voice raspy. He looked as if he had run a marathon as he held the door frame, trying to catch his breath. After a few deep breaths he raised his head to speak to Smith.

"Commander! Titans have been spotted approaching the breach!" The commander approached his subordinate, thanking him for delivering the news, before sending him off the rest and regain his strength.

"We'll, I suppose we'll continue this conversation another time." Maverick nodded as he stretched his muscles and cracked his back. The satisfying sound echoed through the room causing a few of his comrades to squint in slight disgust. Chuckling in response he simply grabbed his morning star and rested it on his shoulder, as the runes inscribed on the weapon, as well as his markings, began to glow.

"Right, back to the grind." With a nod the Commander lead the group out of the room, with Maverick being the last one out, ducking under the door frame.

AN: Seems like our hero has begun to settle into his new life inside the Walls, as well as revealing a bit more about his past exploits. Sorry if this chapter was a bit more dialogue heavy, but hopefully the action scene in the first part was able to kept you all satisfied. Besides a bit of Maverick/Hange/Moblit bonding and an origin to Skullsmite, this chapter was meant to be a sort of formal introduction to Pixis and the Garrison at large, as they will have a greater focus in the story. I have the next chapter ready, just need a bit more revisions. Hopefully I will be able to get it out in the next couple of days, but like I said in the last AN, my top priority is college.

With that in mind, I thank you all for reading and enjoying my story and I hope to see some more feedback.