If many in the human domain had been in Atticus's shoes currently, their composure would shatter. Many would freeze or even make the stupid mistake of trying to think about how this had happened to them.
But Atticus' mind was the personification of tranquility and calm. In fact, he had never been calmer. Atticus had found out recently that it was during dangerous situations such as these that he was at his calmest.
Atticus didn't overthink; there was no need to. There were only three simple facts that played in his mind.
Atticus's form twisted, his gaze turning towards the direction of the men. The world slowed down in his eyes as he ramped up his perception to the highest it could reach.
The first fact: each one of the lookouts on the tower couldn't see them for a total of 9 seconds.
Atticus's form leaned forward, his right leg bending as he crouched down akin to a runner's starting position.
The second fact: considering one of them was raising up his weapon, clearly ready to shoot him, and the other clearly about to scream and alert everyone in the camp of the intruder, the first fact became automatically obsolete, with him only truly having at most a second to reach them.
Atticus's gaze narrowed dangerously, his right hand gripping one of the sheathed daggers behind him tightly.
The third fact: using his passive powers, he couldn't reach and silence them in said second.
A translucent red wave suddenly enveloped Atticus's legs, their forms tensing with such force that large bulging veins appeared all over them.
His speed exploded, reaching their forms in a flash, two heads instantly getting separated from their bodies.
Atticus moved fast and wasted not a single second. He grabbed one of the small space storage sacks hanging on his waist, and before the bodies and heads of the men he had just killed touched the floor, he had already transferred them into the space storage.
Without missing a beat, Atticus dashed towards his target and immediately took cover.
Walking around it while staying out of sight, Atticus made sure to note the door that the earlier two had come out of. It was very possible that there were people inside this artillery piece too.
As Atticus got to the other side, he finally set sights on his target.
'Just two? They must have a reason for not being worried,'
Atticus' alertness had just been increased another fold as he observed where he suspected Aurora and other students were being held.
Considering the numbers and the sheer size of the forest, Atticus was forced to believe that he and Aurora hadn't been the only ones teleported here.
And if Aurora, out of all people, had been captured, he could see no possibility of the others escaping this fate.
The fact that only two people were guarding was suspicious, as though they weren't worried about them escaping. But Atticus wasn't complaining. It made his job easier.
They were both wearing their full combat gear with their heads covered, facing in opposite directions, thus backing each other with a round underground prison in between them.
The first guard was currently facing slightly away from the artillery Atticus was in.
'I've recovered my will a little bit, but because I used Aerokinesis earlier, I can only engrave one grade one rune. Let's use it wisely,'
The second stone that Atticus had picked up earlier suddenly appeared in his right hand. Gripping it at both edges, Atticus focused on the towers and waited.
As soon as the exchange in position ended and his 10 seconds began, Atticus threw it, its form spinning in the air, circling around the guard's blind spot before hitting him behind the head with a barely audible clink.
The guard turned to look behind him, and instantaneously, Atticus shot forward, his movement swift as he closed the distance quietly.
With fast and swift movements, Atticus unsheathed one of the daggers on his back and pierced through the guard's neck.
His body immediately slumped, about to fall down on the ground, but Atticus stopped him, holding his body up, spreading his legs to make sure that he stood up straight. Luckily, his firm combat suit made it easier.
Without missing a beat, Atticus shot forward, crossing over the underground prison, and repeated the same thing with the other guard. He didn't need to distract him as he was backing him in the first place.
Atticus also balanced the second guard and made his body stand, after which he found some kind of bony-looking keys on the second guard.
Atticus quickly snatched it and approached the small door, looking like a hatch at the edge of the underground prison.
Testing each of the keys at a fast speed, Atticus finally found the correct one and instantly opened the door, jumping inside with some time to spare.
Although there were still some seconds left, Atticus wasn't taking any chances. At the end of the day, the guards on the watch towers were living beings, and living beings were erratic by nature.
Atticus descended into the underground prison, landing on the ground quietly, one hand placed on his dagger behind him.
'That was deep,'
Atticus opening the entrance door had been audible, especially to the inhabitants inside the prison.
Atticus gazed around the space, having some trouble seeing clearly.
'I was right, there are some other students here too,'
Atticus cleared his head and started searching, calming down when his gaze adjusted to the darkness and he saw the figure he had been searching for, Aurora.
Atticus let out a huge sigh of relief as he stood up from his crouched position and approached with rapid pace.
She and the rest of the captured students were all chained down, their hands and legs bound by what was basically a gauntlet, joining their hands and legs together.
Aurora, too, had been staring intently at the figure that entered, but she couldn't recognize who it was until he came close enough.
Aurora's eyes widened, tears welling up in her eyes. 'It's really Atticus!'
Atticus smiled and immediately approached, using the keys he had gotten from the guard to unlock her chains.
Despite her weakened state, as soon as she was free, Aurora jumped in and hugged Atticus tightly, with a barely audible whisper,
"I'm glad you're safe."
