The northern gate was sided by two guard towers. Standing tall enough to overlook the canopy of the trees, it was similar to the other defensive structures of Rubicum in that it was meant to be able to gaze upon the forest itself. A large army would be seen through the canopies from miles away, yet the walls would not be easily visible from the ground up. But that meant the towers had easy blind spots for small forces to sneak through. It was that precise weakness that Class C exploited as they moved from tree trunk to tree trunk.

There were movements within the tower and its adjacent walls. Figures that were not unspawns shifted shadily through sparse windows and exposed paths. It was impossible for them to be friendlies or civilians, simply from the bodies that had been massacred at the gates. One could also make a case for the murders to be committed by unspawns, but the arrows embedded in some of the corpses spoke otherwise. No. The enemy was a mortal.

Joachim moved as quietly as he could. He peeked over the trunk he hid behind and scanned the road ahead for another suitable hiding place. A large thicket of bushes seemed feasible. He waited for the signal.

A series of three whistles disguised as bird tweets told them to move. He turned out the corner and made a beeline for his next hiding area. From his peripherals, he glimpsed his other classmates darting from spot to spot. Above head, Seks glided from tree to tree, keeping watch on those on guard and timing their movements before giving the signal. So long as they were not too close together, it should make it harder for them to be spotted by any guards within the tower.

After a period to distance the timing, another set of whistle got them moving again. Slowly, they were going to inch their way to the wall and sneak into the tower from there. That was the plan.

It was a plan that Joachim had no intentions to follow. With every whistle, he sprinted a little faster and moved a little further from the group. After a half a dozen runs later, he was at the edge of the forest that separated the wall and the tree lines. It was there he would put his plan into motion. Behind him, his classmates were still sifting from tree to tree.

The building towered over him. But only half of it was actually the gate. Most of the structure was made of solid stone with sparse openings for windows. A patrol of guards walked the rampart above, wearing the gold and red tinted armour of Wendereight's elite guard. Another pair stood outside the closed gate. A single halberd wielder watched a smaller side entrance into the tower itself. It seemed they were right and that The Janus was there, possibly in one of the towers' rooms.

Joachim began balling up magic into his left fist. In his right hand, his yo-yo was readied for battle. He could hear Ishumi in his head, telling him not to do this. Telling him to wait for everyone and to go together. Anything would have to be better than taking on a maniac ruler with the power to distort the future.

But Ishumi was no longer there, and he was not going to risk anyone else's lives.

Seks gave another whistle and Joachim tossed the wind grenade out. The orb of wind magic was like a tornado stuck inside a ball without its skin. It arced through the air and he could physically see the wind, formed from the pickings of dust and glittering overhead. The grenade descended and the moment it hit the ground it exploded with a howl.

Dirt was immediately picked up, blasting up like a cloud, whirling violently as the storm grenade caused chaos. The dust grew larger into a distraction of magical proportions. It would stop his classmates from advancing, the risk of being caught would be far too great. Pempe would likely have them fall back until the could discern the situation. But for him, it was also the perfect cover. Once the cloud was thick enough that he could not even make out the sky, he ran out and towards where he knew the small side gate would be.

Though he had no plans to lose his life, his status as being the last to die would likely grant him some form of immunity to death itself. It gave him a suicidal confidence in what he was doing.

As he approached the gate, the lone soldier standing guard there came into murky view through the smokescreen. The woman had her halberd pointed at the ready, sweeping the area menacingly. When Joachim popped up in her line of sight, she rearmed the weapon at him.

He flicked his yo-yo, the toy extending outwards and surprising his opponent. But the guard was heavily armoured and his blades were not effective against metal. Instead, he waited until his yo-yo went under the halberd before tugging it back with a flick. The yo-yo looped and wrapped itself around the pole and was stopped by the cross-guard that separated the blade from the handle. The guard's eyes, visible through slits in her helmet, grew wide in surprise.

String taut, Joachim sent a blast of wind forward with his free hand and pulled. The combined impact from the magic and the force of his tug yanked the halberd away and pushed the guard back. He took a step back, angling his body and releasing his magic to help lift the heavy weapon. With a twist of the waist, he spun, and the halberd orbited around him in rebound as he used his magic enhanced dexterity to direct and raise the weight.

The guard stabled herself and charged towards him. But he finished the spin before the guard could even take more than two steps forward. From the side, the halberd swung across, bludgeoning his opponent across the head and knocking her off her feet, and out of her consciousness.

Taking a quick look around, he realised the smokescreen he had released was setting. Quickly, he searched through the guard's body, desperately looking for a key. From beside him, he could hear the metallic clanking boots of the other guards, shouting obscenities and wondering what was happening as they shifted their patrol.

He began to panic. Despite being mute, Joachim had never felt louder. Every single action he took sounded like a bell being rung. He went through the guard's pouch. Her belt. Her sleeves. But nothing turned up. He still had to retrieve his weapon tied to the halberd and he was fast running out of time.

He looked to the door and thought. Perhaps it was unlocked. Perhaps no key was needed. So he ran up to the door and pulled. No luck. Push, maybe. He rammed his shoulder into the door, expecting it to burst inwards. Instead, he simply grunted as his shoulder hit and ached. For a second, he considered picking the lock, but he lack the tools, skills, and time to do so. He missed Ishumi even more at the point. She had a long since mastered the art of subterfuge.

Then it hit him. Scrambling back, he found the halberd and work his way up the handle. There, right next to his yo-yo, was a set of keys. He untied his weapon and took the halberd to the door. Finally, luck hit him and he unlocked the door one his first try. Leaving the halberd and key behind so as to not draw suspicions, he quietly slipped into tower and closed the door behind him.

The inside was an immediate stairwell on his left and a door opposite that likely lead back into the city. He made a mental note of the layout and began heading up the stairwell. But before he got even five steps up, the door opened behind him and he turned around, shocked, angry, and ready to pounce.