Erienwyn didn't want to die.
The stench of bile filled her nose, growing stronger the further down she slid. The slimy walls of the esophagus that swallowed her pressed against her body, pushing her further in until she fell into a pool that burned her skin. The smell was strongest here; it was nauseating.
With her one good arm, she scratched the wall, desperately trying to find purchase on the slimy surface. Before long, her fingers were raw and even touching the wall hurt.
"...Mother…"
Behind her was a senior soldier, his face half submerged in the acid with one wide eye staring past her with fear in his eyes. He mumbled something, sinking deeper until only bubbles were in his place. All around her people were moaning, crying out for whomever to save them as the stomach acid ate away at their flesh. A few faces she recognized, comrades from the training grounds, their bodies torn and bloody. She watched in horror as the acid ate away the skin of another Sylvari, their once vibrant leaves wilting as they died.
I don't want to die! Not here, not like this. This can't be it. This can't be how she goes. She hadn't even killed one damn titan yet, not after they trampled and ate the people of her home like they were nothing. The faces of old friends, reaching for air as they were carried away to the titan's mouths. She saw them again on the faces of those who resided with her in this belly. Charr tails, human and Asuran faces, Sylvari limbs . . .
I don't want to die! I don't want to die I don't want to die!
The blade of her sword slashed through the titan's flesh. The grappling wire groaned as a young human girl with a head of blonde hair swung to the top of the nearest roof with the titan crashing behind her. Panting slightly, Elizia Pembroke turned around, half checking to see if the Titan really was dead, half admiring her work. Steam emitted from the body and Elizia could feel the heat on her face.
"Kill number 5," she murmured to herself. Elizia shot her grappling hook onto the next rooftop, running for the next kill. She spotted a figure sitting on one the rooftops, an Asura from her graduating class. He stared blankly into space, eyes wide as saucers and mouth hanging open. He looked like he had seen the gates of Hell.
"Ufi!" Elizia yelled.
Behind him was another titan, large hands reaching out for the Asura. Ufi didn't even notice, eyes transfixed into space. In a flash, the nape of the titan's neck was slashed, some blood splattering onto the asura. It roared once before collapsing to the ground.
"Ufiernum!" She called to the asura, landing next to him and shaking him by the shoulders.
Ufiernum blinked once, peering up at her with wide eyes. ". . . Er—"
"Come on, we need to get out of here." Elizia immediately started pulling Ufiernum to his feet, trying to fix his gear.
"Erienwyn!" he suddenly cried out.
Elizia froze. "What happened to Erienwyn?"
Despite asking the question, Elizia could already guess what happened to her friend. With what's going on around, in this chaos, the answer couldn't have been any more obvious.
"Erien, she—I was just running away from a titan. Then Erienwyn came up and pushed me away. I tried to reach for her. I really tried. But before I could the titan—" Ufi's lip trembled. He fell back to his knees and he pointed towards something a few feet away from him. It was an arm, still wrapped in the orange leather that was the soldier's uniform. She recognized the green skin of their Sylvari comrade. Elizia could see the cadet emblem on the shoulder. She picked up the arm, her stomach churning at the sight of a missing limb and the fact that it belonged to her friend. Forcing herself to not throw up, she cut off the emblem.
"We need to keep moving," she said after a long time. Elizia pulled Ufi to his feet then pointed ahead. "Command is that way. We need to get to command and regroup there." She glanced at the cadet emblem in her hand. "And to give Erienwyn a proper burial."
The two soldiers headed for the appointed destination, moving past titans as fast as they can. Elizia occasionally had to slow down to make sure Ufiernum didn't fall too far behind. Finally they reached the command center. Numerous soldiers were running about, some carrying fellow soldiers, others directing civilian traffic, some standing by the walls, prepping cannons to fire.
"Ufi if you have any wounds, go get them tended to," she told the Asura. "I'll tell Captain Mudclaw about Erienwyn." The Asura nodded and walked over to the nearest medical bay. Elizia watched as a Norn, already neck deep in tending to wounded, accepted Ufi without question before leaving to find her captain.
All titan faces looked the same to Softpaw Mudclaw.
The Charr captain stood on the rooftop of an abandoned house, two blades ready as he watched a titan approach. The titan's jaw hung open, eyes pointing in opposite directions, giving it a rather comical look. Some drunk sap had the misfortune of stumbling onto its path as he was promptly kicked away. Softpaw shot a grappling hook into the side of an empty house, swinging high into the air, then another into the neck of the titan. Pulling himself in, he slashed once through the neck, then immediately jumping back and landing onto a nearby rooftop.
Softpaw's lips curled in disgust as he wiped his paws clean of the titan blood that splashed on him. Filthy, dumb monsters with their stupid faces. If they didn't have an intense craving for people, he probably would still be laughing at their dumb faces even after all these years.
Someone landed on the same roof as him. "Captain Mudclaw."
The Charr glanced back at Elizia Pembroke, one of the students from his last graduating class of cadets and one of the best he's seen. An excellent user of the 3D maneuver gear with the fastest time of anyone in the class, easily making her way into the Top 10. She would be excellent for the Scouting Legion, but he wouldn't be surprised (and disappointed) if she chose the Military Police. The safest branch of the military, sheltered in the innermost walls away from the titans. A branch where invaluable skills and soldiers go to rot.
"Captain Mudclaw," Elizia repeated. She pulled out a section of cloth from her pocket, a cadet's emblem. "This belonged to Erienwyn. She fell in battle."
Softpaw stared at the emblem. Another student from the promising graduating class. A great soldier with unmatched passion. There were many times where the Sylvari would declare her desire to kill all the titans. It made her look like an idiot at times, but he understood where the girl was coming from. He too was there when Wall Maria fell five years ago.
Softpaw sighed. To think such a flame could go out. "She'll be honored later--"
There was a boom followed by a roar.
"What was that?" Elizia asked.
In the distance, they could see a billow of dust in the air. As the dust settled, Softpaw and Elizia could make out the silhouette of a titan. Fifteen meters in size, with green skin it roared again, echoing throughout the Trost District. Another titan approached, roaring back it. The next moment, the green titan's fist connected with the other titan, breaking the jaw and then proceeding to beat its face in. It ripped the titan apart, including tearing at the nape of its neck. The aberrant titan roared as the slain titan dissolved at its feet.
"A titan killing another titan? Since when does that happen?"
"Predators fight for their prey." The Charr rubbed his chin for a moment, then called for the nearby soldiers to come to his position. "We can use that abnormal titan to our advantage. Lure the titan to an area with a bunch of titans. If they are all fighting each other for prey, then they can kill themselves out. Pembroke, you'll need to be at your fastest here."
Elizia nodded, She and the other soldiers followed after the Charr captain towards the green-skinned abnormal. Another titan had started to fight the aberrant and by the time the soldiers reached the titans, the other titan's neck was already broken while the arm of the green one was torn off. Exhausted and spent, the abnormal titan fell to the ground.
Softpaw wrinkled his nose. So much for that plan. Just as he was about to turn away, Elizia grabbed his sleeve and pointed towards the rising steam. The steam cleared to show an opening in the nape of the aberrant titan's neck, and from that opening emerged a person. He could make out the green leaves on the top their head and the green skin of a Sylvari.
It was Erienwyn.