The Titan Slayer

Chapter 14

Surprisingly, Anais was one of the first cadets to fell a Titan. 

Wall Maria was overrun by the mutant creatures brainlessly attacking the Garrison soldiers. And despite how dumb and inept their professors portrayed the Titans to be, most managed to snatch and crush soldiers from the sky like humans swatting insects. Anais grimaced as she maneuvered to the side to drop to a run on a rooftop. Not that she could guarantee that she would turn out any better. Anais was weak, no matter what people said. She was fast, sure, whatever, but she wasn’t strong, especially against these towering monstrosities. Anais tried to imagine what would happen if a Titan grabbed her out from the sky. It would effortlessly snap her spine, Anais chuckled. She wouldn’t stand a chance.

Anais noticed Petra shiver next to her, and Anais tried for an encouraging smile. Petra grimaced in return.

Not a time to doubt yourself, Anais thought. Suck it up. Anais took a deep breath and fired her hooks, the grapples digging into the stone of the buildings. Anais’s waist lurched forward as she reeled in her wire, carrying her body with it. Straightening herself, Anais directed herself in the direction of a Titan with an exceedingly large mouth packed with enormous teeth. It was a disgusting creature, but despite its glorious height, Anais wasn't afraid of it. If Isabel dealt with them, then so would Anais.

Anais didn’t even have a chance to react when it lifted its hand cumbersomely and plucked a brown-haired Garrison soldier out of the air. The man let out a guttural scream, waving his blades wildly, attempting any kind of attack. All his comrades were busy with their own Titans. The humans were obviously overwhelmed. Who’s idea was it to send twenty half-trained teenagers for assistance? Not now! Hurry! 

Anais fired her hooks into the neck of the Titan, who was lifting the man to its mouth. Anais zipped forward, lifting her swords over her head and twisting her body as she hurled toward the Titan’s naked nape. With a grunt, Anais swung her waist and brought her blades down into the flesh. Pain from the impact blasted through her arms into her torso, jarring her bones, and Anais winced as she stumbled on the roof across the slain Titan. 

The Titan dropped the man, who immediately fled without thanking her, as blood sprayed out the Titan’s fatal wound. Anais’s slice had been deep enough, and the Titan crumpled to its knees, dead. Blood. Anais never really thought about it, and it surprised her when she saw the blood. 

Hold on. The Titans bled? Anais’s eyes widened in realization, and she smiled so widely it hurt her cheeks. How had she been deprived of this piece of vital information? 

“Proud of your first kill?” Kellan appeared so suddenly next to her that she jumped in shock. She turned to find his blades soiled by steaming Titan blood from his kill. Kellan laughed, a beautiful sound amongst the gore. “Sorry.”

Anais shook her head dismissively. She pointed at the evaporating carcass of the Titan, then to their dirtied blades. “They bleed, Kell,” she commented as they started running across the roofs to the next Titan.

“I noticed,” replied Kellan, understandably confused. “Why?” 

“Not why, but what,” Anais said. The steady pounding of their boots against the roof seemed incongruous with the erratic shouting and screaming in the background.

“I don’t understand,” Kellan said with a frown. 

“I’ll tell you if we survive this.” Anais smiled genuinely at him.

“When we survive. You can’t be uncharacteristically pessimistic, hummingbird. It's bad for the team morale.” Kellan winked before leaping forward, pinning his grapples into the pale flesh of a large-eyed seven-meter.