I’d better not have missed anything. 

The world shifted into various states of focus. Man, Maren was tired! If only she could have lay down to take a quick nap and found the vandals later. But she had a job to do. A guild leader did not accept a request and then sleep until it suited her. Especially when it was the only job over the last five days that paid. 

In her current state, however, investigation work wasn’t simple. In the sunlight on the path, she’d been able to recognize the tells of destruction. But here, where the canopy broke most of the light, where the various chirps and chitters soothed her, where moss-covered-rocks which formed a large cluster looked like a comfortable place to rest her head, she likely couldn’t find anything unless she stumbled directly onto it... or it onto her. 

At the thought, something snagged her foot and the world listed. The ground gladly greeted her. The world focused; had someone attacked her or left a trap? 

No. She’d simply tripped over a root. 

Groaning, she lay on her back. Maybe a little nap wouldn’t be so bad. Despite her reservations, her eyelids seemed to have a mind of their own, slowly drooping before–

Maren sat up. It could have been the way the light hit that rock cluster half covered in moss, coupled with her sleep-deprived, semi-conscious state of mind, but something was off about those large stones. Their sizes – ranging from taller than Maren by at least a head to soaring over an average house’s height – were entirely inconsistent with the other palm-to-head-sized rocks sprinkled throughout this part of the forest. Not to mention the way they were placed against one another, almost like it was intentional.

And didn’t it look like that small gap between two of those rocks could lead somewhere?

With a small groan, Maren got to her feet and investigated the cluster. That gap appeared deeper than this cluster – with a diameter of about thirty or forty feet – should hold. Maren shimmied between the stones and hopped into the gap, landing on a surface harder than the forest floor which appeared to angle downward slightly. Maren removed her tablet and turned on the light, vanishing most of this gap’s darkness.

A cave, curving downward and to the right, lay before her. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all from stone, as was natural for a cave, yet something felt off about it. Maren peered closer to the nearest wall, brushing her fingertips over it.

That was it. The wall, despite being solid and sturdy stone, was smooth, as if carved and polished by a master craftsman. Aside from the occasional groove her fingers ran over, it appeared this wall was a single, meticulously crafted piece of art.

Wait… those grooves were irregular, but not randomly made. Maren peered closer, then her jaw slackened. There were letters expertly carved into the wall. They looked strange, yet oddly familiar. Maren swore she had seen these letters before, or at least ones like them. It was so hard to tell in the cave, even with her tablet’s light.

Maren’s heart began to race as a grin stole over her lips. What a discovery! What sort of civilization–?

Her tablet beeped. Mav sent a message: I’ve found something big, but we can’t fight. Meet me at the path. I’ll tell you there. 

Oh, right. They were on a mission for CC Corp. And it seemed Mav had found something serious, even if he didn’t seem to be in immediate danger.

Dropping a pin on her location so she could easily find her way back, Maren hurried from the cave. Good thing she’d found those letters; for the first time in days, she actually felt awake.

Message sent, Mav turned away from the clearing, bringing him face-to-face with another Titan. 

Without thought, Mav entered a fighting stance. The Titan, however, simply looked at him. It was an incredible creature. It resembled a monkey, though it was the size of an ape and sported rich green fur. It held onto a tall branch, its arm about three times longer than Mav’s – though half as thick – which allowed it to hang mere feet from the ground. That severely contrasted its legs, which were about a foot long each. Its lengthy tail, however, swished around behind it like an excited puppy. Its orb-like green eyes seemingly peered into Mav’s soul. 

 “Uh, hello there,” Mav said, getting out of his stance and waving. 

The Titan lifted one of its feet and clasped Mav’s hand with its finger-like toes. 

“Nice to meet –” 

Mav lost his voice as he was dragged into the air. Then, he was dropped into the clearing before the mound. The Monkey Titan swung through the trees along the perimeter, but now the Bird Titan stared at him. 

Not with wonder like the Monkey Titan, but like it had spotted lunch. 

Before Maren reached the road, Mav sent her another message. There were no words this time, just a location. And it was not on the path. 

That’s never a good sign. 

As Mav sent Maren his location from his wristband, just in case, the Bird Titan flapped its wings. As it rose, a violent downdraft shoved Mav into the dirt. It landed with a crash feet from him, then bent down to peer closer. Its blue eyes narrowed as Mav rose to his feet. 

“It’s alright,” Mav said, smiling. “I’m a friend. Kinda like a cousin, see?” 

Mav showed his Flame Dancer Mark on his left arm. Though Titans were very intelligent, this one didn’t seem to recognize what the swirly lines representing flames meant. 

“Then here.” Mav stepped forward, removing his vest and broadening his chest, his heart pounding fast. This wasn’t one of the evil Wall Titans or their Children. It was clearly a child of the Eternal Titans – else it would have tried to kill him already. It wouldn’t attack without reason. But it had destroyed the miners’ equipment. What would it do to one of its own?

The Monkey Titan landed behind Mav. As it leaned forward and stuck out its little foot to touch his back, the Bird Titan pressed its beak forward, toward his chest. Mav closed his eyes, waiting for the contact, waiting for them to feel the Titan within him. 

A rock-shattering roar broke the reverie. The Bird and Monkey Titans backed away as a third Titan leaped into the clearing. It resembled a feral cat large enough for Mav to ride, with a luxurious coat of light and dark browns and a striped tail. Its head lowered as it prowled, but the frills that extended from the back of his skull made the Titan still seem massive. 

Mav’s body shuddered. Not at the Titan’s animosity, but how much it resembled a fully-grown version of the Baby Titan which Sekko Research had tormented to death. 

“No...” Mav whispered, voice shaky, as tears welled up. 

The Titan growled, baring its long, dangerous teeth. But there was pain in its brown eyes. So. Much. Pain. 

Something from behind snapped and the Cat Titan’s focus shifted to it. Mav chanced a glance, only to find Maren frozen stiff. Her eyes shifted over the scene, then locked with Mav. Slowly, she raised her hand and gestured for him to come to her. 

Mav nodded, then began backing away. The Cat Titan’s attention shot back to Mav. 

“It’s okay,” Mav said in a calm, soothing voice. “No one’s gonna hurt you. We’re leaving, see?” 

The Cat Titan continued growling, but it didn’t stalk forward. The Monkey and Bird Titans watched as he walked away backwards, then reached Maren at the edge of the clearing. 

“Should we get out of here?” Mav asked. 

“Definitely,” Maren said. 

When they felt they were out of the Cat Titan’s glare, they turned and fled back to the camp.