Chương 49: Ecuador I

When Sebastian felt Kageyama's hand on his shoulder and was out of the anti-portkey wards, that the wizards that appeared had recast, he activated his portkey. Feeling the familiar pull as he was transported back to his base, he smiled even more brightly, before softly falling onto a mat, his momentum destroyed by the teleportation. He had completed his first mission, but the war against his enemies was far from over.

-HP-

Ten days later, Sebastian was ready for his first solo mission. He had gone through a few more combat simulations, several long briefings on known key personnel, and lastly the mandatory ritual to protect the memories from school and his previous missions. Due to his stunning magical growth, it was possible to hold this ritual earlier than usual, which was also a requirement during his test. Sebastian knew it was dumb and risky, but he wanted this mission, and nobody could stop him from choosing it. It was stupid, but what did that matter? The main target, Esteban Fierro, was one of the Hit Wizards responsible for his mother and father's death, and as long he could confront him without a fight, he would be able to kill him.

Therefore, he now found himself in Ecuador, Quito, a bustling city at 2.850 meters (112204.7 inches) above sea level, the air already somewhat thin at this altitude. He arrived by portkey in a small and hidden underground facility created by a German Ministry wizard, especially for him. The base consisted of a bed, several crates of useful stuff, a desk with a chair, and a pinboard with the mission details, although he already knew them. Looking at the pinboard, Sebastian saw the first part of the mission and the easiest. Man, why did he choose this?

-HP-

His first task was reconnaissance and gathering information. Disguised as a local street vendor, Sebastian spent days observing the comings and goings of the Government Wizards' base, which was heavily protected. There were wards upon wards at the highest level these people knew, and the walls had enchanted barriers, with many guards, mostly muggles, patrolling around. Sebastian took note of the timing of the shifts, the types and origins of the wards, and the routines of the key targets.

One evening, Sebastian spotted Esteban Fierro leaving the base. He was a tall man with a cold aura, who acted with the confidence of someone who had never faced real consequences. Of course, he didn't. The muggle governments only had so many Elite Hit Wizards and just a bit more Hit Wizards, so they couldn't afford to lose them. Even then, Sebastian thought, they are only considered Hit Wizards when considering their proficiency, but their training, knowledge and spells are far behind. It wouldn't be an overstatement if Sebastian considered at least a fourth of the Hit Wizards to have less knowledge about magic than he did. Sure, they knew more spells and were more proficient, but they were restricted to old spells and the few they were able to steal through raids and torture. Every modern Hit Wizard should be able to wipe the ground with one of their Hit Wizards. The problem was their number when compared to a few countries, but the ministries would never ally themselves with each other on a large scale. If you lost too many of your own, you would be too vulnerable globally.

Sebastian's heart pounded fast, as he watched Fierro disappear into a black car, and slowly followed at a distance, memorising the address where Fierro was dropped off, a luxurious penthouse at the centre of the city.

Before he could target Fierro directly, Sebastian had to first infiltrate a smaller, less fortified base, he had found a few days before. The limited security was due to limited resources, and the fact that the governments didn't really care for the use of this facility. The reason for this was that the smaller base was a healing facility for incurable members, located on the outskirts of Quito. It was hidden in 'plain sight' among several old colonial buildings, although there were wards hiding the base from muggles, making it a magical-only base. The old and crumbling facades and narrow alleys provided the perfect cover for such a healing facility, as nobody would expect there to be a home for those deemed incurable, coupled with the limited budget.

The mission was dirty but needed for the greater good. It would pressure the minds of the common enemy wizards, to know that even the disabled weren't spared, and to know that the government gave a shit on their wellbeing. Although they were indoctrinated, who wanted to live like that? And this would thin their lines, as they could not call for nearby support and a few wizards would be deployed to search for the attacker.

Sebastian's first step was to disable the outer defences, so he sneaked through the shadows, his Shadow Movement spell making him nearly untraceable. The outer wards were complex but not beyond his capabilities, and they were weak as they employed ward stones of a low quality. He used a series of counter-charms to disable the detection spells and moved inside. The area was dimly lit, with guards patrolling in easily predictable patterns.

The first guard he encountered was a low-ranking wizard with no care for his surroundings, probably a new Battle Adept, sent here after just four or five years of training without any experience, like a student fresh out of university. Sebastian approached silently from behind, and his movements were quiet and planned. With a swift, silent motion with his staff, he cast a non-verbal Stupefy, and the invisible bolt struck the guard in the back, making him unconscious. He dragged the body into the shadows and rammed a small combat knife into his neck. Every dead Government Wizard was a good Government Wizard, lest he would go to grow up and orphan more children

Inside the building, the hallways were narrow and also poorly lit. Tsk, like in a cliché Horror Movie, Sebastian thought, as he moved quickly. He encountered another wizard in a small office. This one was more alert, sensing something amiss, a good intuition but not enough. Sebastian cast a silent Disillusionment Charm on himself and moved closer. As the wizard turned, hearing the creaking of the floor, Sebastian shot silent Petrificus Totalus, the wizard's body stiffening and collapsing to the floor. After he dragged the stiff wizard into a small room, a quick cutter ended his life as well.

Sebastian then made his way to the control room, the heart and centre of the base. The room was filled with enchanted maps, communication devices, and several wizards monitoring activities, as well as a few wizards playing cards or reading a patient file. Sebastian cast a few silent spells to muffle any sounds and then launched his attacks. He made the first wizard's blood boil, who then proceeded to shoot around spells and mostly curses as he fell backwards with loud shouts and yelps before his life ended, as Sebastian had expected.

A second wizard, realizing the attack, raised his wand, but Sebastian was faster. He cast a wandless Reductor with his left hand, and the spell struck the wizard sending him crashing into the wall, his rips all gone. Meanwhile, he shot a chain of spells at a third wizard and the strongest of the group, a Battle Mage, who was more formidable than the ones he had met before, at least from how he looked. Scarred and experienced. The wizard cast a shield after deflecting the first chain, and retaliated with a barrage of curses.

Sebastian dodged and jumped, using his agility to avoid the spells while deflecting some towards other wizards, and casting a fear-inducing spell with his staff. A few wizards cried out in surprise and Sebastian took the chance to send two silent Confringos, towards two of them. Bombarda was too dangerous in this limited area. Two fiery lances shattered the shield and forced the Battle Mage to dive for cover while retaliating with a barrage of lightning bolts. Sebastian followed up with a wandless Incarcerous and sent the ropes through a few holes around the desks and chairs, the wizard was hiding behind. The enemy wizard struggled and one of the wizards that had hidden himself shot a nasty curse towards Sebastian that went through most shields and would release a toxic gas inside of his lungs. He quickly transfigured a wall in front of himself, which the curse shattered.

As Sebastian continued his attack, the Battle Mage, emerged from cover, freed from the ropes and his eyes blazing with hate. He cast a large barrage of lightning bolts with his hand, but with his trained reflexes, Sebastian deflected the bolts with a modified Protego. Although he managed to hold on, the continued assault pushed him back towards the entrance.

One of the wizards conjured a powerful wind, making Sebastian tumble backwards, but he rolled to his feet just in time to see the Battle Mage charging towards him, his wand raised and making a complicated wand movement. Thinking quickly, Sebastian conjured a thick, black mist to hide himself and get a chance to counterattack while moving away from his current position. With a flick of his staff, he sent four cutting curses into the mist, hoping for a lucky hit, but the Battle Mage continued and dispelled the mist while deflecting the spells with ease. With a wicked grin, he conjured chains of a dark metal which rose from the ground near Sebastian, binding Sebastian's limbs and leaving him vulnerable to attack. There were traps on the floor!

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Please comment on errors or loopholes.

There will be chapters on Saturday/Sunday, depending on the power stones from now on.

50 = 1 Chapter on Saturday

100 = 1 Chapter on Sunday

200 = Additional bonus chapter