Chapter 13: A Mighty Mount for a Mighty Man
The Fall season was in full swing inside the interior of Wall Maria! And with that came the reprise of one of Wall Maria's most renown traditions, The Annual Autumn Harvest Fair! A time where local farms from all around Maria gathered to show off and sell their crops and produce. It is also a time for families to celebrate and come together and enjoy a number of festive activities such as apple picking, carriage rides, singing, dancing, and enjoying the fruits of the labors from hard working providers.
The venue for this year's harvest fair was hosted by Appleshire farms, a local farm renowned for having the largest apple orchard in the Wall. Despite nearly falling to the titans almost two and a half months ago, the people of Wall Maria were not dissuaded from celebrating one of their most time-honored festivities.
Which is why we find Maverick and Hange spending their day off, enjoying in the atmosphere and in each other's company.
-oOo-
Harvest Fairgrounds, Appleshire Farms, inside Wall Maria
The two off duty scouts walked around the market area, eyeing and browsing through the many stands that were set up on both sides of the path. While many of the attending townsfolk had grown used to the appearance of the famed "Savior of Shiganshina" there were still some who stopped what they were doing and took pause at the sight of the nearly 7-foot tall, marked man with either awe or in some cases fear.
As with the case of two children, a small blonde-haired girl, and a taller boy with dark colored hair, who Maverick had noticed staring at him out of the corner of his eye. The moment their eyes meet his glowing orbs, the two immediately hid themselves amongst the crowd. Seems that there were still many who were weary of the man from beyond the walls.
However, a few found the courage to walk up to the two and offer their thanks for their services, or to offer them tokens of their appreciation. The two scouts would humbly accept their offers and offer them wholehearted salutes in return, simply saying it was their duty. This seemed to brighten up the already cheerful atmosphere, as everyone cheered and offered prayers to the brave scout and the superhuman.
As the two continued on their way Maverick decided to test his comrade and see how she had progressed with her English. The apple stall to his left was a perfect example to start off.
"Hange, how do you say apple in English?" Hange closed her eyes for a moment before answering rather quickly. "*Apple*, come on, quit with the kiddie stuff and give me a challenge!" She exclaimed with a smirk on her face. Maverick looked around once more before returning a smirk of his own.
"Alright, how do you say; *I have a hankering for some apples, carrots, and some corn on the cob?*" Hange closed her eyes, and recited the phrase in her head, before squinting her eyes open.
"*I have a….hank-ering…for some apples, carrots, and some corn…on the cob.*" She turned with a smile of her face as Maverick held an impressed expression.
"Dam, thought I would get you with the slang." Hange only snorted in response, looking away with a rather smug look on her face. "Hehe, you've taught me too much Mav~. I've always been quite a fast learner." Her companion's eyes widened as he did a double take to Hange's new nickname for him.
"Mav? We giving each other cute little nicknames now? We've reached that point in our relationship?" He said with a snicker.
"Well…I certainly think so, don't you?" He stared at her questioning and somewhat hopeful look before exhaling through his nose and offering her a reassuring smile.
"Suppose it has, *Hanji*~" Almost immediately her sparkling smile rose, even bigger now that she had been gifted a nickname by the large man. It wasn't much of a difference from her usual name, but it was certainly an improvement from "Shitty Glasses."
With a new spring in her step, they continued to wander around, basking in the festive atmosphere. Seeing the joyous expressions as they passed brought a certain warmth to the marked man, glad that the people here could still find joy, despite their struggles.
"So! See anything you like?" Hange asked turning her head to the man in question.
"Hmmm, plenty, but I want to see everything that's being offered before I decide to spend any of these…" He removed a pouch from his belt and carefully took out one of the 30 steel coins inside, staring at the little face of the reigning king of the walls minted on its side.
The coins, from what he was told, were made from low quality byproducts made during the refining process of the ultrahard steel used in their blades. Seeing as the material was hard to either scratch or melt, it was decided that they would best serve as a form of currency as they had no other value. He also learned that out of the three major military branches, the Survey Corps was the most underfunded, so he would have to spend his months' worth of pay wisely.
"Well, let's pick up the pace, before the rest of the folk take all the good stuff." She grabbed Maverick's arm and tried to drag him along, emphasis on tried.
"Come on Hanji, Smith gave us the day off, we got all the time in th-" He suddenly stopped talking, as his glowing eyes were set upon one of the stands manned by an elder gentleman and two other young men. A stand that seemed to be very popular, as it was surrounded by a number of families.
'No….my eyes gotta be fucking with me….'
The stand was decorated with pictures of apples and displayed a multitude of jugs and bottles. Behind it a few barrels stacked atop one another.
'It's a thing here?'
The jugs and bottles contained a brownish looking liquid that was immediately familiar to Maverick. He could feel his mouth watering just at the sight of them.
'I….didn't think I would see it again so soon….'
He was honestly shocked to see that the drink he enjoyed as a young child, and as an adult, had made its way to this world. The sweet and tangy delight that he enjoyed every fall season, be it homemade or processed, was just a few feet away from him. Somewhere in the memory archives of his mind, he could hear a jingle from an old neighborino as he watched the families buy up the jugs from the stand.
'If it's clear and yella, you've got juice there fella. If it's tangy and brown, you're in…'
"*Cider Town.*"
"What?" His companion asked, only to receive no response as the large man turned in the direction of the cider stand and started walking. "H-Hey where are going?" She asked.
"*Apple Cider.*" He responded in English, not even bothering to look back to his slightly confused comrade as he continued making his way towards the stand.
"Didn't you want to see the rest of the produce?" She asked gesturing to the other stands around the two.
"Apple Cider." He repeated, this time in the native language of the land. His voice was elevated enough for the gathered townsfolk to hear and quickly make way for the large man who walked straight up to the stand, towering over the elderly merchant.
"H-How can I-I help you, s-sir?" The elder asked a bit shakingly, as the man standing in front of him stared him down with his glowing, piercing, blue eyes.
"This is apple cider, correct?" He asked calmly, pointing at one of the jugs on the counter.
"Y-Yes sir." The old man replied, trying his hardest to keep eye contact. The gathered attendees watched with bated breaths as they watched the large man run his finger along the glass jug.
"Homemade?" He asked again, receiving a nod from the old man.
"Yes, w-we gather em in our orchard. Mash em, press, and f-filter them through our-" The man didn't get to finish, as Maverick suddenly and quickly placed a coin pouch atop the counter.
*CLINK*
The loud sound of coins clinking caused a few people to jump, nearly dropping their jugs. The poor merchant was left grasping his chest and nearly hyperventilating, as if he were about to have a heart attack.
"How much will 30 coins get me?"
The elder merchant took a few moments to recuperate himself before turning to his two aids and giving them a silent command. Turning to the goliath once more he was a bit surprised by the smile that formed on his face as he looked at the jug. "I-I take it you enjoy your cider sir?" The man responded by nodding his head, as he watched the young assistants fill up three jugs.
"Like you wouldn't believe." A few relieved sighs were heard from the townsfolk, while some were a bit surprised to see the famed Titan Slayer act in such a way unlike how many had described him, especially by those hooded individuals who would parade and chant around the nearby towns once in a while.
Hange herself, could only snicker at her companion's actions at the cider stand. Taking out her notebook she flipped to a page and wrote down a new tidbit regarding the marked man.
'Fun Little Facts: Maverick has a hankering for apple cider.'
-oOo-
"I can't believe you spent all your savings on this stuff." Hange said as she eyed her large companion, who was carrying three jugs of apple cider in both hands with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Worth it." He said, with no hint of regret in his voice, nor any thoughts of buyer's remorse.
"Oh really, what about food then huh? You can't live off apple cider." She asked inquisitively placing her hands on her hips, to which Maverick replied with shrugging his shoulders.
"We still have leftovers from the party, plus weren't we getting a steady supply of rations and meat now?" He had heard from the commander that there would be more frequent provisions of food delivered to the scouts, with meat no doubt being among the provisions.
"Thats still unconfirmed, but I wouldn't be surprised if we got more meat in our deliveries. We certainly get some as offerings from your devoted followers~" Hange gave her comrade a rather smug smile, causing him to let out yet another sigh.
"Oh, come on Hanji, it's just their way of showing gratitude, no need to make them out like a cult." Hange laughed at her companion's attempt to play down the acts of his growing following.
"We've both heard the stories Mav, people in hoods traveling from town to town, speaking of your feats and how your, and I quote. A mighty warrior sent by the heavens, to finally liberate us from the great titan menace! Ha-ha." Maverick simply brushed it off, but deep in his mind he knew. There was no doubt that the survivors who witnessed him that day would worship him as something divine, tended to happen with these early century civilizations, and most likely spread their gospels around Wall Maria. He knew they were good people, just trying to find some stability after their ordeals. He would just have to keep an eye on their future behavior, less he wanted for them to start murdering others in his name.
As the two scouts continued on their way they caught the sight of a group of townsfolk gathered around a disheveled looking couple, the wife appeared trying to console her husband who simply had his head in his hands.
"Blasted thing struck while we were asleep, trashed the field and took off with most of our crops." The husband said, shocking everyone gathered.
"What about your animals Jeb?" One farmer asked the now named man. Jeb simply sighed and ran his hands over his messy hair as he responded.
"*Sigh* Took em too. Left behind bits and blood. Didn't spare the calves either." Voices of concerns and sympathies rang out from the gathered group. If what he saying was true then not only the farm, but their entire livelihood had just been destroyed.
"If you need any help Jeb, don't hesitate." One farmer said. Jeb could only offer the man a small smile in return. Only for that smile to turn into a shocked expression, as he eyed a large glowing figure from behind the group. Gasping in surprise, the others turned, letting out voices of shock as well. For the renowned Savior of Shiganshina was right behind them.
"Ehhh, Sorry to eavesdrop folks, it's a nasty habit." He apologized to the still shocked group. Moments later Jeb stood from his haybale and approached the marked man.
"Y-You! You can slay it! You have too!" He exclaimed pointing his finger at the nearly 7-foot-tall man. Shocked gasps erupted from the gather farmers at Jeb's hardened voice towards the man who had protected the district. His bespectacled companion came from the side and stood between the two men, just as the farmer's wife came and held her husband back.
"Please forgive my husband, the stress is making his words harsh." The wife pleaded, placing herself in front of her husband. "A beast destroyed our farm, ravaged our crops, and killed our animals in the night." This caused the two scouts to widen their eyers. A beast that was capable of ravaging a farm, and it was inside the Walls? How had this not been notified sooner?
"You haven't reported the MPs about it?" Hange asked the woman, only for her husband to let out a sarcastic laugh in response.
"Ha! As if those fools would give a dam! There's plenty of other farms around Maria, we were a drop of rain in the storm!" He did have a point, somewhat. Wall Maria was practically the agricultural sector of humanities last bastion, home to many farms and small towns. So, what was one lost farm compared to the hundreds of others scattered across the Wall? Plus, even if the MPs did take up the case, they'd most likely half ass it and claim it as a bandit attack or poor weather.
"I assume you can't just kill this beast on you own right?" Maverick asked crossing his arms. Jeb looked at the giant with a rather exasperated expression on his face, before slowly looking down at the ground again.
"From what I saw. It'll take more than arrows and steel balls to take it down." Jeb muttered. Now that was certainly intriguing, especially for the titan researcher of the scouts.
"Are you saying there's a titan inside Wall Maria?!" Hange exclaimed, quickly approaching the now frightened farmer with a look of both surprise and intrigue. Her rather crazed look caused the farmers to step back a bit not wanting to be in Jeb's position at the moment. Even his wife backed away, leaving her husband's side.
"No! Heavens no! We wouldn't be here if there was! *Sigh* Heard it squealing as it ran off." This left some of the gathered townsfolk perplexed, but to the elder farmers, the mention of squealing narrowed it down to one culprit, to one creature, minus the titans, that had the ability to cause such destruction.
"The Great Boar…"
"I'm sorry?" Maverick said looking to one of the elder farmers who muttered the name. An old man, possibly in his late 70's, looked to the marked man with wide eyes.
"The Great Boar, a beast of legend. It's said to wander the deepest parts of the forests, snacking on anything that it can get its hoofs on, be it veggies or meat. Sometimes it'll wander into our territory and ravage farms in search for more food, then when it's had its fill of our crops and animals, it returns to its den and slumbers." Maverick grew curious as the old farmer told the tale, while the others looked on with knowing faces, as they too knew the story.
"Some say it bit off a piece of one of them titans when it was a piglet, and that piece of titan meat grew inside it's stomach, making it grow and grow. Making it crave and hunger for more food, just like them man-eaters!" Maverick's interest was piqued while Hange held a look of childish wonder, as this was honestly her first time hearing of this mystical creature. However, one outlying voice made themselves known.
"Come on Eli, that's just an old farmers tale. Just meant to scare kids." Came the voice of one of the farmers, a young man who held a look of disbelief. He had heard the stories in his youth but with lack of evidence that was all it was to him, just simple spooky campfire stories told by old farmers like Ol' Eli himself.
"Just a tale? This aint the first time it struck down a farm. Remember Hallyville? Or what about Aberdale?!" The mention of Aberdale caused everyone gathered, minus the scouts, to take pause and form looks of shock and sadness.
"T-Those were bandit raids, not some giant pig made up by old cooks!" The young farmer exclaimed in denial, only for Eli to fire back. "Bandits don't tear a farmhouse apart boy! And don't you say nothing about storms neither, storms don't leave pools of blood, leading to the forest!"
The claim led to the two farmers to argue between one another regarding the existence of the large boar, with the others joining in either in defense or denying Eli's claim. This left the two scouts to ponder the situation on their own. Maverick placed his cider jugs onto the ground, before closing his eyes and retreating into his thoughts.
"What are you thinking Mav?" Hange asked seeing Maverick's calm expression as he let his thoughts wander. He was no stranger to dealing with large beasts, the giants outside the Walls being one such example, so would it really be impossible for other giant animals to inhabit this world? Seconds passed before he opened his glowing orbs once more and turned to his comrade.
"Looks like we might be dealing with a swine of unusual size." He spoke. Hange clasped her hands together, with a large grin forming on her face. "Ohhh, I was hoping you'd say that!" Her glasses shined in the light, while rubbing her hands together. Maverick chuckled at his superior's behavior as he slowly approached the still arguing farmers.
"Listen folks, as far as I'm concerned there's a wild animal out and about wrecking farms that needs to be taken care of." The farmers stopped their arguing and turned to the large man, with Jeb and his wife approaching him with looks of optimism.
"A-Are you saying that-"
"Yes, I'll personally take care of it." The moment he said those words, the couple rushed to him, with tears nearly leaking through their eyes.
"Oh, thank you! You really are a Godsend!" Jeb exclaimed, with relief in his voice. He nearly began bowing, perhaps as a form of apology from his earlier attitude, only for Maverick to stop him mid-bow. He gave a casual smile, saying that there was no need for theatrics.
"Take head warrior. Many have attempted to hunt the Great Boar in the past, none have succeeded, or returned." Maverick could hear a tint of remorse in the old man's voice. Had he done this before? Sending others to their death? If so, then no wonder he was so adamant about the Great Boar's existence.
"Come on Eli this is the Titan Slayer, that farm wrecking beast got nothing on him!" One of the farmers exclaimed. The others nodded their heads in agreement, for if there was one man that could deal with the beast, then it was the man that could fight toe to toe with the infamous man eaters.
"I am simply warning him of the dangers." Eli said with worry. Maverick couldn't help but smile at the man's concern for him as he placed his hand over the elder's shoulder.
"Your concern is appreciated sir, it truly is, but if I'm going on a hunt, I'm gonna need some more information on what I'm dealing with." With that the elder told the Titan Slayer of all that he knew of the Great Boar with the other farmers giving their two cents in the matter, while Hange took out her notebook once more and began asking the couple about the attack, writing down all that she could regarding their nocturnal encounter.
-oOo-
Hours later, somewhere inside Wall Maria
After getting the approval from the commander, Maverick had taken a small detachment of scouts to embark on a trip to the nearest farm from where the beast had attacked, that being one Marshall farms. Based on the info he got from Ol' Eli and the other townsfolk, he deduced that this farm was the next place to be hit by their nighttime raider. So, with the consent of the owner of the farm, the small squad of scouts were allowed to patrol and perform what the marked man called a "stakeout."
Maverick, alongside his two squad mates, Hange and Moblit, were hooked onto a tree. For whatever reason Maverick had not brough his ODM gear, citing that it would get damaged, and that it has no place in his plans. They remained silent as they listened to the sounds of the forest, waiting patiently for their target to appear. The other scouts were positioned around different parts of the farm, waiting for their suspected target as well.
The plan was simple, should any of the groups make contact with the beast then they were instructed to fire off a flare in order to alert the others, in which they would surround their target and apprehend it. Strength in numbers and all that.
"Maverick are you sure it'll strike this farm?" Moblit asked raising his concern regarding the success of their mission. Maverick simply offered the vice-captain an assured look.
"Positive. This is the closest farm from the one that was ransacked, and if what they say about this boar is true, then no doubt it will want to sate its appetite with more crops and meat." There was some merit to his plan. Why would a colossal boar, go out of its way to attack farmlands when it probably had access to an entire uncharted area of woodlands? Concerning its size, Moblit guessed it most likely ran out of food, and these attacks where simply a way of obtaining more.
"Hope your right. Still, I don't feel comfortable putting the farmers livelihood at risk." He looked back towards the farm, making out the farmer who was outside his home, armed with an old matchlock rifle. Considering how big this nightly beast was supposed to be, he doubted that outdated rifle would do much. Like bows and arrows against the lightning.
"Believe me Moblit I don't like it as much as you do, but the sooner we catch this beast the sooner these farmers can sleepy easy at night." His larger comrade's assurance set Moblit's mind at ease, somewhat.
"Plus, we get a nice big boar for study! If it's as big as those farmers said, then I want to know how!" Thoughts and images began to appear in the researcher's mind. Of unlocking the secrets of the boars abnormally large size, to using said secrets against their large adversaries. Such thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hooks latching onto a part of the tree branch, seconds later the large form of Miche appeared, as he swung himself towards the three.
"Miche, sniffed anything out?" Maverick asked. The sniffer shook his head, unsuccessful in tracking the alleged creature of the night.
"Nothing for the moment, been going around the different patrol spots, but still no sign-" Suddenly the blonde stopped talking and began to sniff the air.
"Wait…*sniff* *sniff*" He slowly looked to his left then to his right as he tried to pinpoint which direction he smelled the abnormal scent. Turning to his right once more, he took a whiff once more, before quickly opening his eyes. "*sniff* *sniff* To our right, its coming!"
The scouts steeled themselves, as Maverick joined Miche on the branch, placing his hood over his head and covering his upper body with his cloak, in an effort to hide his glowing markings and eyes.
"Stay quiet and don't make any sudden movements, we don't want to spook it too early." He looked to Miche who nodded and took out a flare gun, ready to alert the other scouts.
Now they played the waiting game. Despite the cover of darkness the sounds of distant rustling soon became heard by Maverick and the others. Their grips on their controller devices hardened as the rustling sound became louder by the minute, with crows flying overhead as their target moved closer to them. Suddenly the foliage separated to reveal the illusive creature.
'Hoo…there you are….'
Despite the cover of darkness and his cloak, Maverick was still capable of seeing a bit of the infamous Great Boar. Ol 'Eli certainly did not exaggerate in its size.
'Look at the size….and the scars….' Thought Moblit. He watched the giant boar look around, showing a distinct scar over its blind right eye, and the multitude of other scars surrounding its body. This boar had been through much, this would prove difficult. For them at least.
'Hehehe….that's right, come closer little swine…' Hange watched with eager breath as the boar continued on the path towards the farmhouse, just a couple more steps and they would be on it like titans on humans. Suddenly the boar sniffed around, as new scents entered its nose. It approached the tree before looking up.
"Shit…."
It narrowed its single eye, making out four figures. Smelling their scents, the boar snarled and soon began to ram the tree in an attempt to bring the four down.
"HERE WE GO!" Shouted Maverick. He quickly descended from the branch, straight down towards the boar of unusual size. His glowing appearance stunned the boar for a few good seconds, allowing him to land on its back. The added pressure and weight caused the boar to go into a panic, backing away from the tree and going into a spasm.
"Maverick!" Moblit shouted as he watched the boar begin to buck furiously, with his comrade holding on to its hairy coat.
"All part of the plan Moblit! This isn't my first rodeo!" Moblit had no idea what a rodeo was, but if Maverick said he could handle it, then he trusted him. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a flare gun going off. Turning around he saw Miche holding his flare gun upwards, the green light emitting from the flare showed his serious expression.
"Come on, we gotta regroup and get the nets!" Hange shouted, going full serious mode. The three scouts retreated from the scene back towards the farmhouse, where their equipment was being held. They saw one of the groups already at the rendezvous, with the rest approaching in tow.
"Hange, we got the nets!" Said one of the group leaders, holding out said net.
"Perfect, now we just have to wait for Mav to tire the beast out!" As if on que the sound of the boars' shrieks and squeals sounded off in the distance. Turning their heads their eyes widened at the sight of Maverick straddled atop the Great Boar, while the boar was bucking at a rapid speed. They gasped as they watched the boar fall over on its back hard, which seemed to do absolutely nothing as Maverick was still latched onto the swine, causing the boar to start running around in circles, bucking and rolling over.
"Fucking hell, how is he not dead from that?!" One of the group leaders said. They knew Maverick was tough, but they didn't think he was indestructible.
"Not time to gawk, we need to prepare ourselves!" Hange shouted out while tightening her grip on the net. Suddenly the sounds of squealing was getting closer, turning around she saw that the boar was charging straight towards them.
"*OH NO YOU DON'T!*"
Maverick pulled on the boars' hair causing it to stand on its hind legs and fall backwards. It got back up and began to shake itself in an effort to remove the large creature that still refused to let go. The scouts slowly began to approach, only to stop as Maverick held out his hand.
"KEEP YOU DISTANCE! THIS BASTARDS STILL GOT PLENTY OF FIGHT IN HIM!" He began to pull on the beast's hair, making it tun left, away from the scouts and the farm. It continued to struggle and buck, with no signs of slowing down or tiring.
'Gotta end this now, but I don't want to kill it…'
The boar stopped in place allowing Maverick a few seconds to look around for something that could knock out the beast. His answer came in the form of a group of large oak trees in the distance.
'Better than nothing…'
With a new objective in mind Maverick steered the boar towards the path of the trees. He pulled on its hair with greater force keeping it from going off course. Meanwhile the scouts tried to keep up with the two.
"Where's he going?" One of the scouts asked. His answer came as they saw Maverick steer the boar towards the tree line with alarmingly increasing speed.
"Oh, tell me he's not going to-" His question was answered as the boar collided with one of the larger oak trees, creating an ungodly crushing sound. They watched as the boar began to slowly back away and attempt to steady itself, clearly still conscious.
"Still not finished huh? Alright then, guess a little tap will do."
By tap, he meant a quick knock to the boars' noggin with a small percentage of his overall strength, which finished it off as it went unconscious. With the Great Boar finally beaten the marked man disembarked from the beast, his footing slightly unsteady, still dealing with the aftermath of the boars attempts to get him off. As the feeling in his legs returned, he heard the sound of whizzing in the air, that being the rest of the scouts who finally caught up with him.
"And that's you bag a giant boar, folks." He motioned for the scouts to approach the unconscious boar, which they did with some reluctance. Not all the scouts did however, as Hange blitzed her way towards Maverick and jumped up and grasped his head, causing the scouts to turn around and watch the display.
"Are you alright?! How's your head?!" Hange asked as she ran her hands through his hair, her voice showing a large amount of concern. Even Moblit and Miche had to do a double take as they wondered what had gotten into the titan maniac. Chuckles erupted from the large man as Hange continued to examine his scalp.
"Relax Hanji, I'm fine." Maverick reassured his comrade by knocking his skull, which seemed to work as Hange let go of his head, despite here still worrisome look.
"The boar is secured." Shouted one of the scouts, causing the others to erupt in cheers and hollers.
"And the property damage was kept to a minimum." Said another. Indeed, besides the pulled up and messy ground, Marshell farms suffered no damage, crops and farm animals included.
"Yeah, were eating good tonight!" One of the younger scouts said taking out one of his blades and poking at the boar. "If we ration this out, it'll last us all through winter!" The rest of the scouts began to imagine all the possible culinary delights that would be made from such a beast. Boar meats, steaks, sausages, the delicious possibilities were endless!
"Sorry to disappoint you all, but this boar will not be used for consumption." And just like that all their dreams were dashed and crushed in an instant, leaving them nothing but grief and confusion.
"What? What are gonna use it for?" One asked with a hint of irritation in his voice. Maverick paid no mind to his tone as he simply answered his question with another question.
"Well, how else am I gonna ride out with the rest of you when were out on expeditions?" The scouts stayed silent, pondering his question. Soon, one by one, they began to understand what he was trying to say. Maverick couldn't help but smirk as he watched their eyes widen in realization.
"Then….this giant boar…" Maverick's smirk turned to a full-blown grin as he approached the beaten beast.
"Yep, were looking at my new mount!"
-oOo-
Outside the Survey Corps stables, inside Wall Maria
The members of the Survey Corps who had not joined in on Maverick's hunt looked in awe at the sight of the giant unconscious boar that was outside their stables, currently being held down by a series of ropes and old ODM wires inside a makeshift cage. None more so than the commander of the regiment.
"The Great Boar, hard to believe a beast such as this managed to stay hidden inside Maria for so long…" Erwin's voice held nothing but surprise, he was still shocked to see quite possibly the largest boar in history, no, in existence, just a few feet away from him. He could hear the boars breathing as it was still knocked out, the bump on its head still visible, with the one responsible for its capture standing right beside him.
"So, the others informed me that instead of simply killing it, you wished to make this beast your personal mount?" Erwin asked. Maverick nodded in response, keeping his eyes on said beast.
"Yeah, overheard Hange and your second talk about their concerns regarding your horses. Figured that we could both take care of the farm attacks and get a new mount to ride out with us." Maverick confirmed.
"I see, and I assume you have experience in taming animals?" A rather inane question when it came to Maverick, but he had to be sure. Said assurance came with the marked man's smirk.
"Oh plenty. Used to tame and ride all sorts of wild creatures in the past. It'll take some time, but I'm sure he'll be a fine noble steed in no time." Erwin chuckled in response, no doubt it would.
"Well, I'll leave the domestication to you, but understand that should it cause any problems for the scouts or the people, then you'll be held responsible." There was no humor in his voice when he spoke, something Maverick understood. This boar, if the stories were true, had killed and eaten people before, he would have to completely control and subjugate its will. A bit on the extreme, but better it be under control than to have it run off and assault the townsfolk.
"Of course." His response pleased Erwin as he patted him on the shoulder. "Well, I'll leave you with the boar, it's been a rather long day." Saying his farewells, the commander returned back to headquarters to rest for the night. Leaving Maverick to keep watch, making sure a certain someone didn't go overboard with their examinations.
"What a specimen, what could have led to such a large growth?" Hange, alongside her assistant, examined the boars larger than average tusks. Hange noticed the top had what looked to be dried blood, most likely from the previous hunt.
"Maybe it did grow from eating a piece of titan meat." Moblit joked, however it seemed to fly over Hange, who gave him a serious answer.
"Mmmm…unlikely, a titan won't generate a new body from a single separate piece, even if it did, I'm sure the growing mass would rip it apart from the inside. Not to mention that titan flesh quickly dissolves the moment its separated from the main body, and even if it could consume its flesh quick enough it's not gonna gain any nutritional value, other than a burning throat and stomach." Maverick chuckled at the squad leader response, leaving Moblit a bit flustered.
"Perhaps it belonged to a species of large swine, a living ancestor if you will." The two scouts looked at one another, pondering Maverick's assumption. Hange's inquisitive look turned to a more gleeful expression as she began to agree with him.
"That….is a possibility. Yes, an ancient ancestor to the modern-day boar. And a battle hardened one at that!" She looked at the rest of the boars' body, examining the large scars adorned on it. Brushing it's fur coat she could see smaller cuts and slash marks that the boar had sustained, she could see why Maverick wanted to make the boar his personal mount.
"So, your serious about taming this?" Moblit asked his large friend, who simply nodded as he brought out one of his cider jugs he had brought and unscrewed the cork.
"Of course, wouldn't have gone through the effort of dragging it all the way here if I didn't. I could have bashed its skull with my fist if I wanted to." He took a swig from his cider, while Moblit began to chuckle, albeit nervously.
"R-Right…" He had a point. Throughout his "rodeo" he could have ended the boar's life with ease. He really could have bashed its head open or maybe even snapped its neck, but no, he simply bonked it on the head.
"You did give it a pretty nasty bump on its head, probably will be out for a couple more hours." Hange gently rubbed the massive egg-shaped bump atop its head causing the boar to move in slight discomfort. Luckily it was not enough to awaken it, still she quickly backed away not willing to become its midnight snack.
"Which is why I'll be staying out here and watching over it." Maverick said placing his large hand over Hange's shoulder, which helped to calm her. "All night?" Moblit asked, receiving a firm nod from the man in question, who continued to look at the sleeping boar.
"I want to be the first thing it sees the moment it wakes up." His companion let out a gleeful chuckle as she turned to look at him face-to-face.
"Great idea! This'll be a perfect chance to study this beast!" With that Hange quickly set off out of the stable grounds and used her gear to latch herself onto a nearby tree.
"Where are you going Squad Leader?" Moblit's answer came almost immediately as his superior didn't bother to look at him.
"Back to base, need to get something for its bump! Be right back!" She jumped off the branch and boosted herself towards another tree in the distance, hooking herself onto it. She soon disappeared into the shadows, leaving the two men on their own.
With nothing much the do the two scouts made their way towards a table near the stables. Maverick placed the jug of cider on the table before going inside the stable house, only to return a couple minutes later with two mugs. Pouring two drinks he offered one to Moblit, who gave him an appreciative nod. They simply watched the boar for a few minutes before Moblit had another question on his mind.
"So how do plan to tame it exactly?" Maverick chuckled at his question, before taking a sip from his mug and looking at his left hand, more specifically the swirl that marked it.
"I got a couple tricks up my sleeve. Don't you worry." As if on que his left hand began to glow brighter than the rest of his body, which was enough for Moblit, who continued to sip his mug.
"Pretty good cider." He swirled the cider inside his mug, eliciting a chuckle from his large comrade, who began to speak in his foreign tongue.
"*Yep, worth every coin I had.*" Maverick said with a satisfied smirk, while Moblit looked back at him with a look of shock, as he understood what he said.
-oOo-
The next day, inside Wall Maria
The Great Boar snored and snorted as it continued to slumber, it's body still recovering from the rather stressful situation it had suffered through the night before. Slowly but surely, it began to stir itself awake, its single functioning eye lid fluttering, adjusting to the bright light of the sun. It yawned as it tried to stretch its legs, only for its movement to be restricted.
It's eye fully opened in panic, it tried to move again, only for whatever was holding it down to dig itself deeper into its skin, letting out a guttural squeal in the process.
"Hey, hey, hey, easy. You'll only hurt yourself more."
It heard a voice, but saw nothing, other than some pointed sticks that were formed around it. Its eye looked around, only for a figure to slowly appear into its vision, the moment it laid eyes on the figure it only began to panic once more, for it recognized the large creature, the glowing creature, the creature that attacked it the night before.
"Morning sleepy swine! How's your head?"
Two more creatures came into view, smaller than the glowing one. One approached showing its teeth, as if it were mocking him, while the other held a frightened look, causing the boar to huff out air out it's snout and attempt to free itself from its bonds. With no success.
"Oh! No, no, no, don't move so much!"
"Be careful Squad Leader!"
It didn't understand what the small creature said, and frankly it didn't care. It just wanted to be free and get far away from where it was right now, maybe eat the bigger one while it was at it. That thought was enough to continue in its struggle, so much that some of its bindings began to loosen.
"Shit its getting loose!"
"Get the spears, quick!"
*Neigh*
"Oh God. Ness, get the horses under control!"
It heard more voices and sounds, but it didn't see any other creatures approach other than the three in front of it. The smaller two backed away, but the larger one stood its ground. It wanted to fight, to challenge it for dominance. Others like it tried to slay the boar the past, they failed, only provided it a meal and more scars on its body. It remembered one who had slashed its eye, and remembered how it skewered it's would be killer on its tusk and tore it apart. If this large one wanted to fight, then it would get one!
"You better calm the fuck down, unless you want me to rip out one of your tusks and jab it into your other eye."
All thoughts of fighting the glowing creature left the Great Boar's mind in an instant. The large creature spoke calmly but there was a terrifying aura that surround it, a killer intent it had not sensed in any other creature in the past. Even the other two smaller ones backed away from the larger one with looks of shock and fear, like the hunters it slayed in the past. It's single functioning eye stared into the glowing eyes of the large one, and what the boar saw caused it to freeze in primal fear.
-oOo-
The giant boar remained still, staring at Maverick with a shrunken pupil, completely entranced and paralyzed with fear at the same time. Satisfied with the outcome, the aura faded away from Maverick's body, allowing the scouts to calm down and breathe once again.
"M-Maverick…w-what did you do?" Hange asked between breaths. Her companion simply crossed his arms in a casual manner, as if he didn't just make everyone's faces go white in fear seconds before.
"Just letting it know who's the alpha around here." He responded as he slowly moved towards the boar, uncaring that it began to shake and squirm, in an attempt to get away from him. Getting close to its eye he stared it down and spoke in a deeper tone.
"You caused a lot of trouble for the people here, and now you're going to pay them back in full."
He got even closer, making sure he was all the boar was able to look at. He gave the restrained creature a grin that nearly stretched from ear to ear, as he concluded his spiel.
"Welcome to the Survey Corps."
He backed away having said all that needed to be said. Dieter approached the marked man, still recovering from his ordeal. "W-well if it is going into service, then we'll have to commission an entirely new saddle and harness, the ones we got won't cut it." Maverick nodded his head in agreement.
"Right, in the meantime, these will have to do." He motioned for two scouts to bring forth a large line of rope. Thanking them he approached th still spooked boar. He spoke softly in an attempt to calm the beast down as he began to tie on end of the rope to the boars' tusk.
"Stand still bud, this won't hurt you one bit." It seemed to work as the boar stopped squirming allowing Maverick to finish tightening the knot on the boars' tusk, before heading to the other. While he did that the short statured captain made himself known.
"Huh, so you weren't lying…" Levi said as he approached the three members of squad four. Alongside him was squad leader Miche who held a knowing smirk, and Nanaba who stared at the boar with wide eyes and completely speechless.
"Good morning, Captain." Moblit saluted to which Levi responded in kind. He then began to explain the events of the previous night, only for Levi to interrupt him, gesturing him to stop.
"Miche filled me on what went down yesterday. Surprised this giant swine went unnoticed for so long." Which led to Moblit explaining his possible theory on the boars' existence.
"We deduced that it must have resided in the deeper and uncharted parts of the western forest, and only occasionally hunted outside its territory when food got scarce." Levi kept his eyes on the giant boar as he listened, while Miche circled around the boar whiffing its scent with Nanaba admiring the scars that adorned its body. Levi found Moblits' theory intriguing, as it seemed to be plausible. They had been fighting giant man-eating titans, so maybe there were giant man-eating animals that roamed the land as well.
"Hmph. Well, at least it solves our horse problem." He turned to the bespectacled scout who nodded her head in agreement.
"Yep! A win-win-situation." Levi's eyebrow raised inquisitively at the phrase she used. A win-win situation, something that the Survey Corps have been lacking for some time now, until now at least.
"Has he been teaching you more phrases?" Levi gestured towards their large comrade, to which Hange once again nodded her head, while a smirk formed on her face.
"Of course, all part of our language lessons. He's been teaching us all the lingos." Nanaba let out a chuckle while Levi narrowed his eyes. The way she said that set something off in his brain, usually meant that he should probably stop talking to her, knowing he was better off not knowing what she knew.
"Well, have fun with that." Was all he said to her before approaching the large outlander, who was running his hand across the massive swine's tusk, which now sported a makeshift reign.
"That didn't hurt now did it." He patted the boars' tusk which caused the boar to squirm in its restraints, still quite fearful of the large man. Sighing he walked towards a table which held a basket filled with apples. Taking one he returned to the boars' side and brought the apple to its eye, completely ignoring the small captain who watched the scene unfold.
"Come on, take it." He shook the apple watching as the boars' eye kept track with the shiny red fruit. He brought it near the boars' snout, to which the boar to rapidly turn its head and chomped down on the apple, nearly taking Maverick's hand with it. The scouts backed away from the beast with hands on their ODM grips, while the marked man simply chuckled as he patted its head.
"You think one little apple is going to sustain it?" Maverick turned to the smaller scout with a flat look in response to Levi's inane question. Of course one small apple wasn't going to keep it fed, it went after an entire farm for God's sake. Choosing to keep his ruder remarks to himself he responded.
"Of course not, but I do have a plan." Levi crossed his arms, intrigued by Maverick's claim.
"Oh?"
"I'm gonna let it roam free outside the walls, where it will have a greater area for hunting, plus maybe it'll keep the giants out." Now that was a rather good idea, he had to give the large man props, for he had some brains to his brawn. Regarding if the boar could keep the titans at bay however…
"Unlikely, but better than it eating our crops and people." Nanaba however was not easily convinced as she brought up a valid point concerning the nature of the boar.
"Wont it just run off when you release it? How do you plan on keeping it in check?" Maverick stood silent for moment before snapping his fingers, as if remined of something he needed to do.
"Ahhh, thanks for reminding me." He said nothing more before returning to the boars' side and getting on top of its head, right below its forehead. He held out his left hand, as the symbol on his hand began glowing brighter than the rest of his markings. For some of the nearby scouts, they could hear the sound of sizzling, like meat cooking over a skillet. Their eyes growing wide as they literally saw steam emitting from his hand.
'Sorry in advance bud, you're gonna feel a bit of a sting.'
Maverick quickly placed his burning hand atop the boars' head, releasing a stinging sensation. The giant boar squealed as it began to thrash around, trying to get Maverick off. The scouts cringed at the boar's pained shrieks and the sight of steam rising from its head. Some tried to approach and stop Maverick, only to stop in place as something both shocking and phenomenal began to occur.
The boars single functioning eye began to glow, just like Maverick's. Soon its squeals began to cease as did its squirming, before stopping entirely. After a few seconds Maverick released his hand, revealing a glowing handprint atop its head, leaving the scouts shocked beyond belief by Maverick's actions
"What the hell did you do to it?" Levi demanded, still questioning whether what he just saw really happened. For Maverick, he simply responded in a calm manner.
"Branded him. Will keep him under control." Levi stared at him with disbelief. Titan like strength? Sure. Jumping to great heights? Okay. Moving a giant club with a simple hand wave? Alright. But branding an animal with your hand? Come on now.
"With…your hand?" Asked Moblit, who received a nonchalant nod from the man, who held out his glowing hand, which was still steaming "Like I said, I've got a few tricks." Moblit let out a huff while Levi and the rest of the scouts still stared in bewilderment.
"Oooh, can I see?" Hange asked as she quickly got out of her stupor and made her way towards Maverick in order to get a closer look at his left hand.
"Hold it Hange, my hand's still-" She didn't listen as she went to grab it, only to back away a couple seconds later and begin to scream at the sky.
"AUGH! It burns!" Hange began to jump in place, nursing her stinging hand, before eventually going down onto the ground.
"Hange!" Moblit shouted with panic in his voice. He approached his superior who was now rubbing her hand, but soon stopped as her cries turned to giggles. Meanwhile Levi approached Maverick with a less than amused expression.
"This another one of your…gifts?" Maverick nodded before turning to Hange, who continued her giggling while massaging her hand. He placed a hand over her shoulder, to which she turned with a blushing face and an open smile on her face
"Oh, hoo, hoo! Haven't felt a rush like that since we first shook hands!" Maverick could only let out a relieved sigh as a response, for it seemed that his superior officer enjoyed the burning sensation in her hand.
"*Sigh* You're an utter fruit loop, you know that?*" She continued to smile, before the sound of Erwin's shout began to ring out.
"Attention!"
Riding on his white steed he approached the gathered scouts, with the rest of the regiment following close behind him. The serious expression on his face told everyone what had occurred.
"Titans have been spotted heading towards the outer wall, all squads, prepare to defend the breach!" With that the scouts headed towards the stables to mount up, minus the marked man who rubbed his hands together.
"Ha! Perfect timing!" Turning to the captured boar he released its bindings, freeing the large swine. It slowly began to rise, shaking itself as it readjusted its footing. The veteran scouts quickly backed away from the beast, expecting it to run or attack, but they were shocked to see it simply stood where it was.
"You managed to bring the boar under control? In such a short time?" Erwin asked. He knew Maverick said he could the night before, but he was honestly expecting the process to at least take more than a single day. Maverick gave the commander a simple smile as he patted the boars' furred body.
"Yep, just broke him in a couple seconds ago." It was then that Levi approached the commander with some shocking information.
"He branded it with his own hand." Erwin had to do a double take. Branded? With his hand? Looking back at the boar he saw the glowing handprint on its' forehead. He also noticed the glowing blue coloration in the boars' eye, just like Maverick's.
"That's…..impressive." Was all the commander of the scouts could say, before another scout approached the two.
"Should have seen how he brough it under control, commander." The scout said with a slightly unnerved tone.
"He's better off, I'm stiff feeling chills going through my spine from that." That wasn't concerning in the slightest. Just what had Maverick done to the creature? He turned to the superhuman in question with a raised brow. "Maverick?"
"Just put the fear of God into him." He said waving off the commander's concern as he mounted atop the giant boar which showed no resistance. Grasping the reigns, he lightly kicked the boars' side making it move towards Erwin and the other veterans. "Now, I believe we've got some giants to take care of?"
-oOo-
Somewhere inside of Wall Maria
Along the road towards the interior wall, a caravan of farmers was traveling. Led by the elder farmer Eli, the group was travelling to the ravaged farm of Jeb and his wife in order to help with the reconstruction, with the couple riding alongside him.
"I can't tell you how much this means to us Eli." Jeb said to which Eli let out a hearty laugh.
"Oh, come now, did ya think we would leave you and the misses on your own?" He looked back to the three carriages filled with supplies. He was not alone on this, as many other farmers from the neighboring community had offered their services and pitched in on the relief efforts.
"Will this be enough to get you guys back on your feet?" Another farmer asked looking back at the amassed caravan. The couple nodded their heads in response
"It should, we can't thank you all enough." Said Jeb's wife, giving the young farmer a tearful smile. The wholesome moment was interrupted however as the sound of rumblings were heard in the distance. The caravan stopped, allowing some farmers to disembark from their carriages and look towards where the noise was coming from.
"Somethings coming up from behind us" One farmer said pointing to the large figure in the distance. As it got closer, they heard the sounds of squealing that caused some of the elder farmers to immediately freeze up.
"I-Is that the?"
"The Great Boar!" Shouted Ol' Eli causing the other farmers to panic as well.
"Oh god, it's real"
"It's come for us!"
"You were right, I'll never doubt you again!"
"Get the women and children out of here!"
The townsfolk began to panic, however they stopped as they looked again and noticed a group of horse backed soldiers riding alongside the boar. As they got closer to the caravan the group dispersed and moved around the large group. As they passed them by one of the farmers shouted out as he recognized the symbol on the back of the riders' cloaks.
"The Wings of Freedom? I-It's the Scouts!"
As the scouts passed them by, the marked man riding atop the boar looked back and waved at the farmers, with some waving back in return.
"I thought he killed it?!" Jeb shouted out, as he watched the beast that had ravaged his homestead now riding alongside the Survey Corps. Everyone stayed silent, as they didn't have an answer for him, until Eli's laughter began to ring out.
"*Chuckles*….Hahahaha!" All turned to the elder farmer with worried looks, wondering if the man had finally lost it.
"What's got you going old man?" One of them asked, to which said old man continued to laugh for a few more seconds before nearly coughing out a lung.
"Don't ya get it? He wasn't looking to hunt it down!" The farmers and other townsfolk simply looked on with bewilderment as the scouts and the giant boar went out of sight, minus one young boy who held a look of fear in his eyes.
-oOo-
Minutes later, inside the Shiganshina District
Multiple Garrison were currently preparing themselves for another wave of titans. The cannons mounted atop the ruined buildings were prepped and ready, while the multiple clean up squads were in their hidden positions, ready to deal the final blow. They steeled themselves as they waited for the scouts to return with the rest of their regiment, as the cannon fire from atop the wall continued.
Soon however a new sound began to be heard. Turning around they spotted figures in the distance making their way across the district streets, no doubt it was the Survey Corps. Their eyes widened however, when a large creature was spotted running alongside them, which emitted a glowed pale blue light from one of its eyes.
*SQUEAAAAA!*
It let out a vicious squeal, causing some soldiers hearts to skip a beat. They grew even more shocked as the figure was getting closer to them. Revealing a swine of unusually large size.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
"Oh Fuck!"
"It's huge!"
The Great Boar, now serving as the Titan Slayers' mount, raced across the street, alongside the scouts led by commander Erwin. They paid the garrison no mind as they made for the breach in the outer gate and into titan territory. The soldiers were left speechless at what they saw, before one of the squad leaders informed one of his juniors.
"Tell the cannon crews to cease fire! GO!" Nodding the soldier turned towards the wall before shooting his hooks upwards.
-oOo-
The mounted scouts rode out of the breach and into titan territory with their newest bestial recruit. It surprised many that the boar was not only able to fit through the hole in the outer wall, but that it was capable of matching the speed of their horses. Erwin commented on this as he turned his head to meet his boar mounted comrade.
"Your mount can keep up with us quite easily! You chose well!" Maverick gave his commander a knowing smirk as he patted the boars head.
"I only choose the best Commander!" Erwin let out an amused sigh as he turned around to grab something from his jacket, only for the voice of one of the squad leaders to ring out.
"Commander, titans in sight!" Looking forward he saw the large moving, and steaming figures in the distance, still recovering from the cannon barages suffered at the hands of the Garrison artillery. Steeling his nerves, he pulled out a flare gun and aimed it upwards, firing out a green flare that signified their mission had begun. Taking out his grip and attaching a blade, he turned to the boar rider once more.
"Maverick, ride ahead! Let us see how well your mount can fight!" Maverick stared down at the commander for a few moments before his eyes glowed brighter than usual and a grin formed on his face.
"You read my mind, HIYAHH!" He kicked the boars' body which causing it to let out an ear-piercing squeal and increase its speed, charging towards the titans up ahead.
"Hange, you and Moblit follow him and provide backup!" Moblit nodded, albeit with some hesitation, while Hange was all for it, as her goggles shinned in the light and a grin as wolfish as Maverick's formed on her face.
"With pleasure Commander! HIYA!" Kicking her horse into high gear she raced towards the group of titans, in order to catch up with her comrade, with Moblit following in tow. The rest of the scouts took out their blades in preparation to face their large adversaries.
However, it seemed they would have to wait to get their blades dirty, seeing as Maverick had quickly closed in on the group of giants making their way towards the breach. The still steaming man-eaters had spotted him almost immediately seeing as his glowing figure was hard to miss, and the fact that he was screaming out a savage warcry, waving one of his guillotine blades like a loon.
The boar let out another snarling cry as they closed in on the titans. And what happened next left the scouts bewildered, shocked, and a bit amused. Just as the first of the titans reached out towards their marked comrade the boar swerved out the tians reach and rammed its body into the titan's leg, causing it to fall over onto another titan right behind it. The boar didn't stop as it began to zig zag its way from titan to titan, using its tusks to slash their heels and tendons, knocking them down one by one. The titans themselves struggled to fight off the Great Boar, even the smaller meter class titans fared no better as they were knocked around and lifted into the air.
"Holy shit!"
"It brought the bastards down like they were nothing!"
"Ha, look at it go, the titans can't make head or tails of it!"
Erwin was impressed. In such a short amount of time Maverick had turned a problematic creature into a force that could match the titans, much like himself. Whatever he had done to it, this "branding", seemed to be working, as the boar followed the commands of its rider seamlessly. As they were closing in on some of the fallen titans he shouted out to his soldiers.
"All squads, disperse and deal with the fallen! Don't give them a chance to get up!"
The scouts followed his command as they parted to separate directions, towards their incapacitated foes. Jumping off their horses they hooked themselves onto the titans themselves and dealt the killing blows. Even as some of the titans spotted them and reached out for them the scouts training and experience served them well as they quickly maneuvered themselves out of their reach, like swarming flies. The battle turned to the scouts' favor, as the titans were dealt an onslaught of slashes and loss of limbs.
Meanwhile, Maverick continued to steer the boar into the legs of giants, toppling them over, as well as slashing his large blade at any of the small meter ones who got too close to him. But it wasn't enough to simply slash them away, no he wanted to fight, to get his hands dirty. Spotting another small group of the giants he placed his hand over the boar, more specifically the area where he had branded it.
"I'll leave these ferals to you, go nuts."
The boar responded with another snarl as it raced off towards the giants, while Maverick went off towards another amassed group. Taking out his second blade he shot his hooks onto the nearest giant, right into its neck. The feeling of its neck getting punctured stunned the giant allowing Maverick to fly closer towards it, maneuvering himself towards its nape, and slashing a chunk of its neck off. He detached his hooks and quickly aimed them at another giant while midair, once again maneuvering himself out of its reach and towards its nape.
The next titan in his sight rushed for him with its arms stretched out, a grave mistake on its part. Maverick simply slashed at the incoming limbs severing all ten of its fingers in two strokes. It cried and wailed while Maverick went for its legs, quickly making short work of them. As it fell the marked man swooped behind it, slashing its nape off, leaving it a steaming corpse on the ground.
With three more giants surrounding him he found it was a perfect time to attempt a trick had been brewing in his head. He let the giants get near him and just as they were inches away from him, he jumped into the air, grabbed ahold of the thick tubing's that connected his grips and as he descended, allowing himself a greater range of attack. He spun himself around mid-air, turning himself into a whirlwind that slashed and sliced the faces of his would-be devourers.
The giants were left blinded by the superhumans unorthodox attack, allowing Maverick to finish them off, quickly taking care of two out of the three giants. But as he jumped towards the third…
"YAHOOOO!"
His squad leader, flew out of nowhere and slashed the giant's nape. She landed atop its head as it crashed onto the ground, giving Maverick a toothy smile as the blood on her face and cloak began to steam and evaporate. Moblit appeared a few second later with beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"*Stealing my kills now Hanji?!*" He spoke to her in foreign tongue, to which she responded with laughter.
"*Ha-Ha! Sorry not sorry!*"
Maverick simply blew air out of his nose in response as the three teamed up to take on the straggling titans. The scouts continued to take on the remaining titans, with the unusual assistance of the Great Boar, as it rammed into any titans that tried to get on their feet or bite into some of them serving as a distraction. Not long after their battle commenced the number of titans had dwindled, with the last being dealt by both Maverick and his companions.
As the sound of steam began to fill the air Erwin turned to humanity's third strongest soldier with a questioning look.
"Miche?" Knowing what he was asking he began to sniff the air. Making his way atop one of the skeletal titan corpses he took another whiff, trying to find more scents of their enemies. He stood atop the titan skull for a few minutes before returning to Erwin's side.
"Nothing, we got them all. For now, at least." Erwin let out a relieved sigh, the scouts had performed well today, with no casualties on their end. Sheathing his blades he made his way towards their large comrade and his new mount, which had surprisingly rested near its rider.
"Your new mount performed well today. Certainly knows how to handle itself in a fight." He looked towards the boar which locked its eye onto the commander and snorted, as if reacting to its compliment.
"Like I said Commander, I only choose the best." Erwin let out a small chuckle in response. 'Indeed.' He thought to himself, just as Hange made herself known by appearing from behind the boar.
"So Mav, what are we gonna call him?" She asked while lightly touching one of the boars' ears, causing it to grumble.
"Yes, we can't exactly keep calling it, well…it all the time." Erwin remarked. Maverick looked to his mount with a bit of uncertainty. In his time, he had never bothered to name creatures he had branded, he always favored naming mounts he had either raised from birth or bonded with, not after forcefully bending it to his will, plus they never lasted long, only serving as temporary substitutes.
But he supposed since this was probably the only mount he would be able to use for the rest of his time here, he might as well try. So, with that in mind he eyed the boar which stared back at him, and searched through his mind vault for a decent name to give it. Minutes passed while he was in thought, so much that a certain halfling voiced out his displeasure.
"Anytime now." Levi said while tapping his foot, eyeing the back of Maverick's head.
"Now Levi give him some time. Naming such a creature will take time, it's not something you can rush." Erwin remarked in defense of their large comrade. Levi however kept going.
"I got one. How about: Gluttonous Swine or Filthy Hog." His name ideas caused a few chuckles from among the scouts, minus one veteran who had often been given such nicknames by the halfling.
"Don't listen to him, you're a beautiful creature." Hange whispered into its ear while running her hand through its fur coat eyeing the scar that ran across it's blind eye. Meanwhile Erwin simply looked at the beast and thought of how much it would take to maintain the beast.
"Seems that I'll have to send more request for provisions. Less we want this beast to go and wreak havoc on the farms again." His assessment was met with a remark from Levi, who recalled what Maverick had told him earlier in the day.
"He said he'll let the hog out here to roam, I'm sure it will find sufficient food." Erwin couldn't help but smile, seemed that their large friend had everything thought out. Speaking of the large man, he said aloud a name, which was unfamiliar to many of the scouts.
"*Caesar.*"
"What?" Levi asked, as he had yet to know or understand the English language.
"Caesar, the boars name will be Caesar." Maverick spoke in native Japanese. Some of the scouts repeated it, getting a feel for the new name.
"Caesar. An…interesting name, to say the least." Erwin remarked with a hint of curiosity, to which Maverick was more than happy to provide.
"It was the name of one of the most famous rulers of the Roman Empire, and later, served as a title for every emperor after him. It also means hairy."
The Roman Empire, Emperor...terms Erwin and many of the scouts were unfamiliar with, but from the sound of it, they seemed to be similar to a kingdom or sorts. So, if the title was meant for a renown ruler it made some sense, seeing the boar as the "Caesar" of all other boars.
"Fitting, I suppose." His response earned a chuckle from the marked man who then approached his mount to give it it's last order for the day.
"These fields outside the Walls will be your new hunting grounds Caesar. I'll call for you when you're needed." The Great Boar, now dubbed Caesar, snorted, and picked itself up from its resting position. The scouts made way as the boar began to run off towards the greater fields of titan territory. It stopped and looked back to the scouts, specifically its rider, who waved at it. It let out another snort before turning back and heading off further into the land.
"Well...let's hope it doesn't go off and get himself killed." Levi remarked as he watched the boar disappear into a distant tree line, only to hear the boars' squeals and other shrieks from the local wildlife, followed by the sight of shaking trees and squawking birds.
"He'll be fine."
-oOo-
Later, near a remote village in Wall Maria
Inside a makeshift tent, two blonde haired children sat inside waiting for the third member of their group to arrive. They didn't have to wait long as they heard the tents flap open to reveal a tall dark haired young man.
"Newsh?" One of them said in slurred speech, with a hint of desperation. The tall boy tried to look at his damaged friend in the eye as he spoke.
"H-He and the scouts went off towards the outer wall, while riding a new mount…a…giant boar." Silence filled the room before his friend's gurgled voice echoed across the room.
"Bo-ar...?" His voice held an exasperated tone as he said the single word by syllables, as it was still a struggle to say certain words. The mangled boy's attitude only worsened as his taller friend continued.
"It's eye glowed too, he did something to it, made it more powerful or something." His friend simply slumped in his seat and looked at the ground before tightening his still functioning fist. The tall boy attempted to alleviate his friends concern, by quickly switching the topic.
"L-Look, let's just forget about him for now alright? Were inside the Wall, we can continue with our miss-" Whatever he was trying to say died in his throat as his friend slammed his right hand on the small table set they had "acquired" from the village.
*SMASH*
"Cant...Complete! He...Lives!" While he still couldn't form complete sentences his thoughts were clear. As long as the marked man lived, they couldn't proceed with their mission. That was when the smaller of the two finally spoke up as she gave the boy an irritated glare.
"Think stupid, the titans and the scouts are keeping him busy. He has bigger things to deal with than just a bunch of kids." The ragged boy continued to stare at the ground, unresponsive to both her and the dark-haired boy. The girl continued, narrowing her eyes at the poor excuse of a warrior sitting beside her.
"You wanted this remember? Or are you going to finally admit this mission was a failure from the start?" The boy immediately reanimated and gave her a hardened look and a snarl, which slightly unnerved her.
"NOT...LEAVING..." His single functioning eye stared her down, freezing her in place. He soon returned to his slouched position and lowered his head as he began to mutter to himself.
"Alright, you're creeping me out." The small girl left the tent, leaving the two boys to their own devices. The tall boy simply looked to his friend with a worried look. This scene had been common ever since his encounter with the marked man, leaving him unsure of what to do or how to console him.
"Reiner?" The boy asked his friend, who simply ignored him and continued his mutterings, while grasping at the mess of burned, scarred, and mutilated flesh that was once the left side of his face and his left arm.
'Why won't it grow back?'
...
'Why can't I regenerate?'
...
...
'Why does it still burn?'
...
...
...
'What have you done to me?'
-A Brief History of the Walls-
The Great Boar of Wall Maria: A boar of unusually large size, that is said to have resided inside the western uncharted woodlands of Wall Maria. The boar has been spotted throughout the years, as it's said by local farmers to wander outside of its territory on occasion and ravage local farms and farm life, most likely in search of more food for its large mass. Theories claim that this specimen might be a living ancestor to its modern-day descendants that has somehow been able to survive to the modern day. In the year 845, after being captured by the Scout Regiment, the boar now serves as a personal mount to the Titan Slayer.
-Maverick the Titan Slayer: A Study-
Branding: A rather unsettling ability shown by the Titan Slayer is his ability to brand creatures. Utilizing his own left hand, he demonstrated this by branding the Great Boar of Wall Maria into his service in the year 845. Based on testimonies from fellow scouts the boar showed the normal signs of a wild animal, but after receiving its hand shaped brand it became docile and enthralled, as if its mind was enslaved. Further evidence is in the boars single functioning eye, which sports a glowing iris, similar to its rider's glowing eyes. Whether this ability is restricted to only animals, remains to be seen.
AN: I swear I don't mean to make these chapters as long, the ideas just keep coming as I write. Whether that's good or bad I'll leave it to you. Anyways, I meant to release this chapter much earlier in the month, but with family related stuff, Thanksgiving, and finals week, it's made me rather busy.
So, Maverick finally has a mount to call his own, in the form of the Colossal Boar. Originally, I was going to have Maverick construct a battle chariot to ride in, but after rewatching the OVA, A Sudden Visitor, I was reminded of the existence of the giant boar, so I went with that instead, simply changed its location from Rose to Maria, and turned it into a sort of urban legend amongst the people. Maybe I'll reintroduce the chariot idea later on, but for now it's on the backburner.
I also wanted to do a bit of worldbuilding with the harvest fair and the legend of the boar. I always pictured Wall Maria as the major agricultural sector compared to the other two walls, seeing as they had to sacrifice a lot of townsfolk in order to relieve their food problems. Plus, it gives me a chance to do more Maverick/Scout bonding moments as we see Maverick and Hange's comradery reach nickname levels.
We also get to see our favorite three shifters and how they're dealing with the new situation. Seems like Reiner's encounter with Maverick has affected him greatly. Think this will further affect him in the future?
Next chapter we'll see Maverick reunite with some faces he hasn't seen in a while, as well as see the return of a certain group of individuals, so stay tuned.
Also, I posted my story onto Wattpad under the same name, so maybe you guys can show your support there too. Until next time.
Edit 3/17/22: Changed Hange's rank as well as edited the conversation between our dear titan trio, as well as their living conditions. Wanted to emphasize just how messed up Reiner is at the moment, as we now see with his slurred speech as well as unable to fully regenerate his body.