Alright, this is the last of the rapid updates. I crunched to get these rewrites posted as quickly as possible, so the next post will probably take a week or two given the fact I'm now moving on to new material. I shouldn't keep you guys waiting too long for it. The overall wordlength of the story has changed due to a removal of earlier author's notes. They took up far too much space and probably annoyed many of you.

Thanks to NathanHale2 for beta-reading for me.

The Battle of Trost: Savior in The Shadows

Town of Trost, Wall Rose – 2557 A.D.

The M12 Warthog slowed to a crawl as the Master Chief eased off the throttle, checking the surrounding area for any sign of the monsters that were swarming all over the ruined township. The beasts were thick in this area, devouring any stray souls they came across with wild abandon. Discretion was the better part of valor, and as such John decided to exercise caution within this unfamiliar urban environment. Pulling into a shaded area concealed by rubble, the Spartan-II stopped the heavy vehicle and promptly hopped out. His armored boots alighted with a dull thud against the old cobblestone path beneath him as John hit the ground, scanning for targets.

Once the coast was clear the Master Chief paused. Reaching across the driver's seat, John lifted his M90 shotgun out of the rack that secured it to the vehicle. He took a moment to check over the weapon once more, rubbing the smooth titanium casing. Everything seemed to be in order; the housing was intact, the action seemed fine and the sights were aligned. Swiftly racking the pump the Spartan immersed himself in shadows, slipping into the darkness of a nearby building.

"Hey Chief, are you alright?" Cortana asked quietly, causing the Spartan to stop dead in his tracks inside the doorway of an abandoned house.

"I'm green Cortana." John grunted, brushing off her concern as he proceeded onwards into the primitive structure. The Spartan almost winced at the sound of the floorboards creaking underneath the weight of his armor, having learned early on in his career that making a single unintentional noise could jeopardize an entire operation. All it took was one misstep and something might be alerted to his position. The streets remained silent, and the Master Chief relaxed slightly. He still kept away from the windows however, sticking to the darkness and systematically dousing any candles with his fingertips as he moved through the house.

"John…" Cortana whispered plaintively, her soft voice echoing in the confines of the Spartan's mind as he entered what appeared to be a kitchen. The Master Chief said nothing for a moment as he swept the room for any sign of hostiles, his shotgun at the ready. The solid stone beneath the Spartan's feet granted him some measure of comfort as he traversed the open room, eyeing his motion tracker and scanning for hostiles.

"Now is not the time." The Chief replied, noticing several platters of half-eaten food on the dinner table. He switched on his thermal vision. The glowing spots of red and orange indicated that the food was still quite warm, and he felt bubbles rising in his gut, threatening to growl. He hadn't eaten in over 4 years, and while his suspended animation in cryostasis slowed down his metabolic rate considerably, the Spartan felt as though he hadn't eaten in weeks. He swept his gaze to a pair of knocked-over glasses and the liquid that spilled forth from them. The deep red color that was staining the table top looked familiar and the acrid smell of alcohol confirmed his suspicions.

Cortana noticed his reaction to the food and wine, smiling inwardly. The AI knew her Spartan had been deprived of nourishment for an unusually long time. "You're more human than you think, John." She said somewhat somberly, her words commenting on the soldier's physical situation as much as his earlier deflection.

Suddenly, a multitude of yellow blips appeared on the Chief's motion tracker, causing the Spartan to freeze in his tracks and snap his weapon to the nearby doorway. The targeting reticle of his M90 was firmly centered on the empty cobblestone street; drifting dust and echoes being the only things that filtered in through the opening. The contacts were closing fast, far too swift to be anyone on foot, so the Spartan looked to the sky. The sound of piton darts firing and sinking into wood and ceramic tiles overhead heralded the arrival of a small group of young humans as they soared past him on the rooftops. They swung through the air, maneuvering about gracefully with their strange grappling devices as they moved forward.

The Master Chief frowned inwardly, his enhanced reflexes allowing him to get a good look at the squad as they sailed past his position, wholly unaware of the cyborg's presence in the abandoned house. The young man leading the troop had dark brown hair that whipped about his face in a frenzy as he moved through the air, his two emerald eyes glinting in the afternoon sun. The kids' apparel was quite similar to the other soldiers that John had encountered; a white undershirt, brown pants and a long-sleeved leather vest. The black straps of some sort of harness could be seen through the vest's parted front, probably securing them to the gadgets at their sides.

The only difference that he noticed between these young soldiers and the others he had encountered previously were the various patches marked with two crossed blades that probably stated their service branch. John also took note of what appeared to be replacement blades secured in what could only be described as two giant metal butcher blocks holding six blades each.

Those swords must be quite prone to breaking or dulling if they need to carry around a set of twelve replacements on them at all times. The Spartan thought, mulling over why they would use such inefficient weapons. The swords themselves seemed to be razor sharp from what the Spartan could tell as the group made their way past him across the rooftops. The thinness of the edge reminded him of the blade of his own combat knife, which was made of high grade titanium alloy honed down to a monomolecular edge. He knew that these people most likely didn't have access to such advanced metallurgy, so their blades would probably be made from low quality steel.

John blinked as time seemed to return to normal. His observations had occurred in little under three seconds, his quick mind processing everything as it had come to him. Shaking his head he ducked back into the building and crouched in the shadows, taking cover behind the door frame. The Master Chief gave the advancing troops time to distance themselves from his position before peeking out from behind the door way, shotgun at the ready as he scanned the street for hostiles.

No more squads appeared to be following directly behind the first, causing the Spartan to wonder if the young soldiers were on their way to support another force, or if their command had been caught so off guard that they were the only troops available to lead a counter attack. With caution borne of bitter experience the Spartan began to move onwards, determined to shadow the troopers from the darkness.

It had been four and a half grueling years for young Eren Jaeger; a member of the 104th Trainee Squad. The dark haired youth had devoted his life in pursuit of revenge against the Titan menace that threatened to consume all of humanity. This drive for bloodshed was fueled by pain and regret. He was in Shinganshina when the Wall Maria fell. He witnessed the carnage that the Titans had wrought, heard the terrified screams of his fellow humans echoing off the blood stained walls that were supposed to protect them.

He saw his mother, her dark hair matted with blood as she cried out to him from afar. He'd seen her devoured; her body bitten in half by a gaunt, leering 14 meter class Titan with hair the color of bleached straw. He still remembered the hot, crimson droplets of his mother's blood that flecked his face as the Titan's massive jaws ended her life. The very thought sent a burning hot pulse of rage up Eren's spine. Today was the day that he would claim his first Titan, and it's death would mark the beginning of the end for the monsters at Humanity's door.

This would be his crucible, his harrowing, his trial by fire. And by whatever gods that dwelt in the heavens or the world beneath, he would have his revenge!

Flanking him was one of his oldest friends; Armin Arlert. A blonde haired, blue eyed youth who's calm expression belied his nervousness, Armin was quite apprehensive about facing the Titan menace, terrified in fact. He too had survived the hell of Shinganshina. He, along with Eren and Mikasa Akerman, had enlisted in the army together both to avoid starving in the streets and to have their chance at revenge.

However, the thought of meeting his end in the jaws of a Titan, or worse still, surviving them only to boil to death in one's belly was unappealing to say the least. But he would still stand by his friend until the bitter end, perhaps even giving his life so that Eren and the others might escape. It was all he thought himself capable of given the abysmal odds that they were faced with. Being the first squad out to assist the main garrison force's evacuation attempts meant they'd be alone they when inevitably made contact with roving Titans.

The other members of the group included Mina Carolina; a kind, perky young woman with her dark hair bound up in pigtails and two brown haired youths by the names Mylius Zeramuski and Nac Tius who flanked her on either side. Keeping pace with them came the blonde, short haired Thomas Wagner, who joked about keeping a kill count to sort out a competition when they returned alive.

None of them noticed the massive, green armored form tailing them from the shadows of the street below. It was incredibly fast, easily able to keep a steady pace with their Three Dimensional Maneuver Gears as they zipped through the air...even as it picked it's path through small alleyways and abandoned homes. Had the group known that such a figure was tailing them they might have moved to confront it, but their eyes were firmly set straight ahead towards their goal. After all, who would think to look down from three stories up at this juncture with their foes so close?

The sight that came to the eyes of the 104th Trainee Squad members as they neared the frontline sent jolts of shock rippling through their minds. Titans were everywhere, milling about and devouring people left and right. Civilians fled through the streets below with smaller Titans in hot pursuit. Isolated squads were bogged down keeping larger Titans at bay, and rapidly found themselves being decimated as they attempted to stem the tide of monsters pouring out into the streets.

"I can't believe there's so many Titans out already!" Mina gasped, tightening the already white knuckle grip on her blades. The thought of fighting so many of those monstrosities without heavier backup set her teeth on edge, and she had to stop herself from hyperventilating.

Thomas gulped audibly next to her. "The entire vanguard has been butchered!" He gasped, his straw colored hair bristling like an angry hedgehog in the wind.

"What the hell happened? Those hot shots have more experience than any one of us!" Nac growled, firing off his 3DMG once more as the pressurized gas within the tanks at his sides leaving a white vapor trail behind him.

"I knew this wasn't going to be easy…" Eren muttered under his breath, his intense emerald green eyes locked on the scene before him as his brow furrowed. "But this is too…"

He cut himself off, his heart catching in his chest at the sight of a large form moving amongst the buildings over 50 meters ahead. It jumped, and he knew he and his squad were in deep shit.

"Watch out! It's an abnormal!" Eren shouted, swerving out of the way just in time to avoid the oncoming Titan and it soared through the air.

It sailed past, crashing into a nearby tower with all the grace of a fat pigeon hitting a window. Eren managed to catch hold of a rooftop gutter while Armin and the rest of his squad landed above him, staring back at the Titan as it clung to the masonry of the damaged structure.

It pulled its head back, and the sight of what was between its jaws froze everyone in their positions.

Thomas Wagner, for all his boisterous nature had been unable to get out of the way in time and he lay trapped between the monstrosity's lips, staring helplessly at his companions. Eren and the surviving members of his squad could only look on in horror as the Titan threw its head back and swallowed their comrade whole without so much as a scream. Then, as if nothing had happened, the perverse mockery of humanity let go of the tower and casually began to walk off in search of more victims, forgetting the rest of the squad's presence entirely.

Eren's eyes widened, his breaths coming in quick and heavy as his nostrils flared. The emotion that brewed inside of him for so many years began to simmer and boil outwards; anger. But it was more than mere anger. It was seething rage that came up from the very depths of his gut, a kind of anger that swept aside all thoughts aside from his blind fury. The sight of Thomas so ruthlessly being consumed caused something inside of Eren to snap, and he let forth a cry that curdled the blood of his squad mates so much that they could only look at him in shock.

"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" He roared, firing off his hooks and securing securing anchor point on the nearby rooftops as he set off in hot pursuit of the ambling giant. His primal instincts blurred out everything else as his comrades called out for him to hold back. They went unheeded as Eren charged ahead, screaming his defiance to the heavens as he went.

"Get back here you monster! You won't get away! You won't get away with killing Thomas like that! I'll tear you to pieces you son of a bitch!" He roared, gaining momentum as he glided underneath an overhanging bridge and skimmed along the street, spinning around in preparation for his first kill.

He never reached his target.

As he closed with the monster, he noticed a dark form moving below him. By the time Eren realized his peril, it was too late. A Titan that had been lying in ambush leaped up and snapped its jaws beneath him. Eren's vision went white as a hot blast of agony racked his left leg. Blood flowed freely from the severed stump that had once been his knee, spewing out onto the shingles and street below as the unfortunate soul's momentum carried him across several more rooftops.

Shattered bits of ceramic tile lacerated Eren's skin and embedded themselves in his flesh as he crashed through a peaked rooftop, then another, and another until he stopped. Hundreds of tiny shards dug into his body from every angle, causing untold agony in combination with his now useless leg. Eren struggled to draw breath, his diaphragm too compressed from the force of multiple impacts for him to recuperate. He lay there, helpless to the world as his mind became a foggy haze of pain and exhaustion until slowly...mercifully, he slipped into the realm of unconsciousness.

The Master Chief sighed and shook his head as the dark haired boy charged off ahead of of his surviving comrades, breaking formation in pursuit of the Titan that had swallowed his companion whole. The entire squad was a disorganized mob now, desperately trying to catch up to their reckless leader. Broken and distracted, they were now extremely vulnerable to oncoming giants and the situation was bound to turn dire.

"He's a dead fool, but his squad will die with him if we don't do something." Cortana chimed in John's ear, marking the young man with a blue diamond shaped waypoint on the Spartan's HUD. The Chief held his position for a moment, weighing the odds of the situation.

"I need to get to the roof first." He said, moving towards a stack of crates that had been piled up against a second story building. It only took him half a second to scale all three of them and land with a dull 'thunk' on the ceramic shingles on the rooftop. He got up in time to see the squad leader get his leg sheared off to the knee by a hidden foe. His body flew onwards with the momentum he'd built up whilst closing in for the kill and soon disappeared into the maze of roofs beyond.

John didn't even sigh. The kid was already bound to die when he took off away from the safety of his squad. Still, seeing the disorganized mob of young people coming to the aid of their doomed commander dredged up dark memories of the Human-Covenant War. Memories of police officers and servicemen attempting to help their downed comrades, only to be vaporized in a hail of plasma fire. The image of a mother running back to a ruin of molten slag, crying out for her baby only to find the twin tines of a plasma sword protruding from her chest...and that of a father desperately attempting to shield his loved ones with his body as crystalline purple projectiles plunged into his flesh, detonating and tearing him asunder before his children's very eyes.

"Chief…they need you" Cortana whispered, sensing the Spartan's internal conflict. Her plaintive tone struck a chord within the UNSC soldier. Without a further word, the Master Chief flipped the safety off his M90 and set off towards the disorganized squad, determined to pull them out of whatever mess they were getting themselves into.

Mina Carolina cried out in horror as Eren went flying; legless and trailing blood through the air as he smashed through roof after roof. Armin Arlert was similarly dismayed, and he let out a high pitched wail of anguish and surprise as his oldest friend vanished from view. Mina pulled up alongside Nac, casting him a worried glance as they continued on towards the Titan, wondering if Eren was still alive despite his injuries.

The moment she cast another look his way, he vanished in a fizz of blood as his body collided with the outstretched palm of a Titan, spattering the side of her face with gore. Mina screamed, unable to tear her eyes away from the gruesome scene as yet another of her comrades died at the hands of these beasts. It proved to be a fatal mistake. Another Titan, curious about the shiny steel cord stretched taunt right in front of its eyes decided to give it and exploratory tug, sending the unfortunate woman lurching through the air as her harnessed pulled at her. She screamed in terror, inevitably slamming into the side of a nearby building.

Mina felt her shoulders dislocate, forcefully being pushed away from her body by the dizzying impact. Something in her neck twisted and compressed in a way it wasn't meant to and a fiery, white hot lance of pain shot up her entire spine. She opened her mouth to scream, but found that she couldn't draw breath. The wind had been taken out of her, and the sight of a massive, emotionless face looming over her would have frozen the air in her lungs anyway.

Mina wanted to cry out, to scream in terror, but her body wouldn't heed her commands. She tried to cover her face with one hand in a vain attempt to stave off the inevitable attack that would seal her fate, but all her fingers were able to do was twitch as another burst of agony washed over her.

All Mina could do now was watch as the Titan picked her up between its massive, paw-like hands and held her firmly. Its jaws opened impossibly wide, blasting hot, steamy air into her face from its cavernous maw. A morbid sense of curiosity forced her eyes to remain open as she stared blankly into the sweltering abyss that was to be her grave.

Is this the end?! I don't want to die! Please God! She screamed mentally as the hellish jaws of death grew closer with agonizing slowness in her adrenaline charged state, attempting to break free even though her injured body refused to move.

'Mom… dad… I'm so sorry…'

The Master Chief leapt from roof to roof, making sure to cross only the strongest sections that would bear the half ton bulk of his MJOLNIR Mark VI. The Spartan broke from cover, running parallel to the disorganized band as fast as he dared. Ceramic shingles shattered underneath his boots, sliding down the sides of the sloped roofs in great streams as the half ton soldier thundered past. The time for stealth had flown for the moment, though going full speed in this situation might put the Spartan in dire straights as he maneuvered through the rooftop jungle.

One wrong move or misstep could spell disaster, costing the Spartan precious seconds he simply did not have. Plunging through a weak roof and ploughing into the building beneath was something the Master Chief couldn't afford as he raced on ahead, keeping his eyes on the young troopers as they sailed onwards.

John caught a glimpse of one of the squad members being reduced to a bloody pulp from a monster's open palmed swipe, killing the poor boy instantly. He likely never knew what hit him. The Master Chief, used to detaching himself from the horrors of war dismissed his unfortunate death...though he did feel a bubble of anger rising in his throat. This conflict was hardly a battle; it was a blatant and one sided butchery.

Such scenes of carnage were an all too all too familiar sight to the 35 year veteran of the Human Covenant war. Even a Spartan never got used to seeing dead civilians, and these green troops were so young and wet behind the ears that they might as well have been throwing rocks at a pair of Hunters.

The Master Chief closed with the squad in time to see the dark haired girl's wire being snatched by a passing giant, sending her careening down and smashing into a nearby structure. Her companion was snatched by the leg and yanked aside. His screams knifed through the air, but were quickly silenced by a sickeningly loud 'crunch'. The girl lay stunned, her back up against the cracked stone façade of a higher class home, unable to so much as breathe as the beast that had snagged her wire bore down upon her.

Spartan time kicked in as the Chief leaped from his high perch over four stories up, causing a cascade of ceramic tiles to fall to the ground. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as John adjusted his trajectory, using his enhanced reflexes and reaction time to maximise the impact. This succeeded in burying the monstrosity beneath a downpour of sharp rock as the Spartan came down on top of it with every ounce of force he could muster. John felt the thing's ribs snap underneath his armored boots as they caved its chest in, covering his legs in steaming hot blood. The twisted creature attempted to sit up, but the Chief closed in, wrapping his arms around the monster's neck.

It snapped its jaws and howled at him as the war veteran began to twist its spine. Iron-dense muscles and motorized servos combined with the liquid crystal layer of John's MJLONIR Mark VI went into action. Vertebrae snapped, skin and muscles tore and the freak howled for one final time before its head was ripped from its shoulders. It soaked the street in a torrent of blood as the Master Chief simply punted the decapitated head down the street before drawing his combat knife and sinking it into the nape of the twitching man-eater's neck.

With the immediate threat dealt with for the moment the Spartan turned to regard the injured young woman at his feet. She lay slumped against the wall, her eyes dulled in pain as she stared up into the Chief's visor. John noticed the corners of her mouth twitching as though she couldn't quite decide whether to frown or smile and inevitably got caught in-between. Judging by her position and her inability to move, the Master Chief guessed that she might have blown out a disk in her neck or fractured her spine. If that was the case, she might live out the rest of her life as a cripple.

John pondered this for a moment, fingering the hilt of his combat knife as he contemplated putting her out of her misery. But as she drew breath and the sparks of life returned to her grey eyes the Spartan sheathed his knife, confident in her determination to live.

The Master Chief bent over, gathering up the girl's limp form in his arms before slowly scanning the surrounding area. He recounted the casualties, noting that one squad member was unaccounted for. A blond tuft of hair waving from behind a chimney went unnoticed by the Spartan as he ducked down a nearby alleyway, taking the girl with him.

The young woman's eyes widened for a moment as her heart pounded in her chest. John felt her pulse quicken through his suit and gently set her down in a pile of old, discarded hay that lay at the alley's end. He covered her up partially to mask her from any roving beasts before turning around knocking down a nearby door, immersing himself in the shadows within the building and vanishing from view.

Mina wanted to frown, but found that she was too tired to move her facial muscles. What had just saved her from a most grisly fate? Was it some elite solider from a secret branch of the military? Or had some abnormal Titan suddenly donned a suit of green armor and set about destroying others of its own kind? These questions swirled about in her mind as the enigmatic armored figure gently laid her injured body in a pile of hay in the darkness of an alleyway.

She found the gentleness that the giant displayed to be rather unnerving, especially after she witnessed the stranger rip a Titan's head from its shoulders as if it were a rotten chicken. Her mind became hazy as exhaustion overtook her, the veil of unconsciousness rapidly encroaching on her vision as it became obscured. Her final thought though was crystal clear as the green giant kicked down a door and became one with the darkness, disappearing from view.

There was no doubt, and in Mina's last moments of consciousness before sleep took her, the young woman's lips curled into a smile.

There's a Savior lurking in the shadows…

Trost Forward Headquarters, Wall Rose

This day was getting progressively getting worse and worse for Erwin Smith; overall Commander of the Survey Corps. His eyes ached as report after report came pouring onto his desk in a commandeered guild house near the Wall Rose. Casualties were mounting to insanely high levels, and that was only adding to the headache from the devastating venture outside the walls earlier that day. Had the Corps inadvertently invited an attack upon the Wall by investigating the beam of orange light that had appeared earlier in the day? Or was the Colossal Titan drawn to the town of Trost by the recent population boom in the area?

So many questions were swirling about the man's head, yet he maintained his cool demeanor. It was a trait that reflected Erwin's experience with commanding troops in the face of overwhelming odds. He had always known that this day would come; the day that Titans would finally attack the Wall Rose. He wasn't about to shy away from the harsh realities of command when Humanity so desperately needed him.

Erwin stood up from the old armchair and began to pace about the room like a caged tiger, the floor boards creaking beneath his tread. A single dusty beam of light poured in from a dirty window, elongating the man's shadow as he stopped to gaze into the plaza. Members of the Garrison and Survey Corps were forming up and directing supplies to the front line, passing out blades as new recruits filed into the square. The greenhorns nervously accepted the equipment they were issued, their bodies rigid with apprehension for what lay ahead.

Erwin felt the lines etching his face deepen. These kids had no combat experience; their first battle would most likely be their last. How many would break down after seeing their friends being devoured before their very eyes? How many would return from the hellish din of battle with their bodies and souls still intact? The commander sighed and shook his head as he tore his gaze from the scene and turned back to the reports on his desk.

There was a knock on the door, and Erwin gave a tired sigh as he made his way back to the old red velvet armchair.

"Come in…" He said, watching impassively as a young woman entered the room accompanied by an armed escort. His eyes widened a fraction as the familiar face of his assumed to be deceased head of research filled his vision. Hanji Zoe stood before him, alive and well with that familiar flush of excitement still plastered across her features. She rushed forwards without prompting and slammed a couple of leather bound tomes onto the dusty oaken surface of the desk.

The Commander didn't understand; he'd seen her mount throw her from its back during the chaos of the last expedition. She'd been flung into that swirling maelstrom of blood and dust...how had she made it back to the Wall in the first place, and in one piece no-less? So many questions rattled around in Erwin's mind, but more important things were at hand.

Erwin cast Hanji a curious glance as Captain Levi silently stole into the room beside her with an unfamiliar blonde-haired member of the Garrison in tow. Each stood on either side of the eccentric woman, facing the Commander. Both of them had undoubtedly seen battle judging by the amount of blood spattered across their uniforms the red flush of adrenaline burning in their cheeks.

Erwin knew the look that had crossed Hanji's face. She was positively bouncing with enthusiasm, practically begging her commander to open the journals she'd laid before him. The Section Commander doubtlessly had information that was bound to be critical in pushing the Titans out of Trost. With that in mind Erwin Smith calmly folded his hands in front of him and perched his elbows on the table, uttering a single, solitary word.

"Explain"

Hanji, as always, was thorough in her recounting of events. From her near brush with death to her short-lived companionship with this strange Titan Slayer, Hanji spared no details. Every word brought forth more feverish glee and excitement from the young woman as she went on, dumping every bit of information she could provide at Erwin's feet. The Commander stole a glance at the Garrison trooper, noting how his face seemed to drain of color from Hanji's harrowing and vivid depiction of events. Even Levi appeared to tense up slightly at the glut of information laid out before him.

After thirty minutes, Hanji had finally finished her after-action report; her second journal lying open on Erwin's desk.

Commander Erwin slowly closed the leather-bound book, his face an unreadable, neutral mask. Even so, he could feel his own hands tremble in light of this new information as he turned to his head researcher. The young woman was absolutely quivering with excitement, waiting on Erwin's words with bated breath. The Commander took a long, deep breath before releasing it as his hands calmed down.

Initially he'd believed the account of Hanji's survival to be pure fantasy; the fever-dreams of someone who'd been forced to endure a traumatizing ordeal. Yet her very presence attested to the story's veracity, how else could she be here? Erwin had done a head count upon returning, and Hanji had not been among the living. She couldn't have made it through the gate on horseback or on foot with broken equipment. Every explanation Erwin tried to come up with failed in the face of Hanji's survival.

The description of her rescuer's combat prowess was something else. The speed, power and ferocity with which he dispatched Titans was inconceivable. He moved faster than the eye could see, struck with such force that he could throw a 10 meter class off of its feet...it was impossible. Yet something tickled the back of Erwin's mind. An inkling that there might be a kernel of truth to this tale. And if even a fraction of it could be verified...

"I assume that all of this information is accurate Hanji?" Erwin said, holding the brown haired woman in his steely gaze. Hanji nodded emphatically as she rubbed her hands together.

"Yes sir, I was with him the whole time!" She said stamping a foot on the ground before drawing her body into a salute, pounding her fist over her chest with her free hand being pressed into the arch of her back.

Erwin nodded, digesting the information with his typical speed that kept him in Command for so many years as he stood to face the three soldiers. Hanji was reliable. Eccentric to be sure, but reliable even in the face of overwhelming carnage. He turned to cast his gaze upon the so far unnamed member of the Garrison, who snapped a crisp salute in response.

"What is your name soldier? Did you see this…Titan Slayer as well?" Erwin asked quietly as he moved out from behind his desk to stand before the blonde trooper. The man gulped before stammering out a reply.

"I-I am Captain Hannes. I-I saw the thing sir!" Hannes said, doing his best to calm his nerves as the Commander drew closer. Erwin held the man's gaze with his gun metal grey irises and placed a hand on Hannes' shoulder.

"What were your observations about the creature?" Erwin asked softly, keeping his eyes locked with the Garrison member's to gage his reaction. Hannes swallowed again.

"I-I'm not sure, sir. I arrived in time to dispatch a seven meter class and only witnessed the aftermath of a massacre…he was just standing atop the corpse of a ten meter class Titan, covered in blood and gore. I don't know how he took down three Titans on his own, but he moved in a way that seemed…unnatural. He was just too light on his feet, even though that armor plating was so thick it must have weighed over a hundred pounds." Hannes said, maintaining his salute as a bead of sweat rolled down his brow.

Erwin nodded once more, turning his back to the soldier as he gently began to stroke his chin. There had to be more witnesses then just Hanji and her companion…unless…

"Was anyone else with you when you saw him?" Erwin asked, closing his eyes as he turned to face the three once more. Both Hanji and Hannes looked at one another before nodding and returning their gaze to the Commander.

"Yes Commander, but I don't know if they'd be reliable witnesses." Levi said as he stepped forward. Erwin eyed him curiously, as the Captain rarely chose to speak unless spoken to first.

"And why would that be?" The Commander asked as he leaned against the oak desk, kicking up a small cloud of dust as the table moved a few centimeters back. Levi blinked before looking towards Hanji and her associate.

"Because they're just kids."

Eliza Hawthorne sat in the lobby of the Survey Corps' forward headquarters, gazing blankly at the ceiling. The little girl could barely feel the dull throbbing pain that emanated from the stump she once called an arm as she counted the ceiling beams. It felt like she'd done this a hundred times while waiting for Isaac to return.. He had been taken upstairs by the grownups while she had been made to sit down in a rather uncomfortable chair. Though she was given a few sweets Eliza hadn't touched them; she had too much on her mind to think of such things.

Where was her mother? Had she made it out okay? Her house was close to the gates, but her mother had to of made it out. That, or she must have hidden in the cellar where no Titan could get to her. Most children would have burst into tears from the uncertainty, but Eliza simply took a deep, shuddering breath and counted the ceiling beams again.

After what seemed like ages, Isaac was brought back down stairs by a couple soldiers bearing the Wings of Freedom upon their shoulder patches. They sat the poor boy down next to her before they motioned Eliza to follow them. She simply nodded and shakily stood, trailing them up the creaky old staircase without a word. A few moments later she found herself being led down a short hallway where she was greeted by two familiar figures that stood outside a nearby door; the nice lady that had saved her and Hannes who she knew as a friend of her father's watched her go. Eliza felt their gaze upon her back even as she was led into the confines of a dark, dusty room.

A single person stood in the center of the chamber with his back to her, facing the only window. Eliza gulped nervously, not knowing why she had been brought up here as the door was closed softly behind her. The man gave a heavy sigh as he turned to face the young girl, his uniform marked with the decorations of a veteran campaigner.

"Hello Eliza, my name is Erwin Smith." He said in a soft spoken manner as he eyed the young girl up and down. Then, much to Eliza's surprise he slowly knelt in front of her until they were eye level and cracked a gentle smile as he reached behind his back to produce a bound leather book. He licked the tip of his finger and opened up a seemingly random page before presenting it to her. Eliza gave the page a curious look before her heart leapt into her throat. An unnervingly familiar figure was roughly sketched upon the page, but even the lines of charcoal did nothing to separate the images in her mind from that on the piece of yellowed paper.

"Does this man look familiar to you?" The nice man asked, pointing to the sketch. Eliza simply stared dumbly for a few moments before nodding, keeping her eyes locked upon the figure's head. That helmet...that golden mirror that she had seen her reflection in…he was real after all!

"Y-yes sir, he saved me!"

Commander Smith took a deep breath and gently patted the young girl atop the head. So, there were four witnesses, and in a town of over 10,000 people that wasn't exactly the best evidence to go off of. However, the Commander felt something in his gut…those four had definitely seen something. But was it really something new? Could it possibly be human or even a Titan? Or was it something in-between, a bridge between the realms of Titan and Man?

Erwin shook his head and motioned for the little girl to leave as Captain Levi emerged from the shadows and escorted her out. If this creature could be convinced to fight on the side of Humanity, it's prowess in battle could turn the tide of this eternal struggle. It was clearly intelligent enough to be reasoned with, though the Commander had reservations about such negotiations.

What could it possibly want in return for supporting his forces? It possessed advanced weaponry from what Hanji and the young boy from earlier had ascertained. The ability to fire shot after shot without reloading, and with such precision and accuracy…Erwin felt a shiver run up his spine. Oh what possibilities that sort of technology could unlock! If the same principal could be applied to the cannons on the walls, they could clear out Titans at long range and give the Scouting Legion a safer area to explore.

However, if the creature was smart enough to know the value of such weaponry, the Commander knew that it would be unwilling to give such a bargaining chip up without cause.

"Sir, the Corps is ready to advance," came a muffled voice from outside the door. Erwin smoothed down the front of his jacket and picked a stack of reports before slowly moving towards the door. Levi opened it for him and then passed the papers along to the Commander's aide who hurried off into the lobby down below.

"Sir, what are my orders?" The Captain asked, leaning up against the doorway with his arms folded. Erwin turned his head towards him and remained silent for a few moments before responding.

"I want you and Hanji to locate the Titan Slayer and bring him to me. He may very well assist us if we play our cards right."

"What about my squad?"

"They are to join the rest of the Survey Corps in the reserve line. I don't want to risk aggravating the creature if they attack it."

"What if it won't cooperate?"

"Then keep it boxed in until I arrive to carry out negotiations. Do not engage under any circumstances, even if they fire a shot at you. If you anger this...thing there won't be anything left of you or Hanji to bury.

"Yes sir!" Levi said, snapping a crisp salute before he made his way down the hallway and vanished around a nearby corner. Erwin gave a tired sigh and rubbed his temples in an attempt to relieve his growing headache. This was going to be a long day, and longer still if the Palace caught wind of this new development. He had to keep any information concerning the stranger under wraps.

If the Survey Corps was to stand a ghost of a chance making a deal with the unknown, the politicians would have to be kept away with their mindless bickering. For all he knew the nobility would see this newcomer executed and dissected under the guise of furthering science...

He gave a solemn sigh and turned his gaze back to the dusty hallway, walking out towards the square.

"I hope Hanji is right, if this Titan Slayer sides with Humanity…we might just stand a chance."