Ecuador III

This was his first wandless Expulso and the increase in strength was apparent, as it was one of the spells he had the most knowledge about.

Sebastian moved through the silent corridors of the base, his senses still heightened and alert, although the spells revealed no other walking person nearby. The aftermath of his earlier battles was evident in the debris and the faint scent of burned fabric and flesh that also lingered in the air. His primary mission was accomplished, and this would instil fear and make the guards tense, but there was still work to be done. He needed to ensure the destruction of the base to increase the pressure one more fold. If it backfired, his next infiltration would become harder, but everything afterwards would become easier. With this destroyed faculty the normal mobs would probably panic and be easier to dispose of. Still, better concentrate for now…

With a swift motion, Sebastian retrieved a set of explosive rune devices from his backpack. These devices, each intricately carved and infused with powerful explosive magic like a magical C4, were designed to create a devastating explosion upon activation. Never would he have thought that he would one day become a terrorist… He moved the shortest route, placing the runes at strategic points throughout the base. The corners of rooms, structural supports, and key junctions—all would be targeted to ensure maximum destruction.

He couldn't afford any mistakes. Each rune was placed with precision, his hands steady and movements deliberate. The magic within the runes pulsed faintly, causing him to smile. This would be big!

Moving through the medical wing, Sebastian found rows of beds, each occupied by government wizards, their bodies disabled by incurable injuries. These wizards, once probably annoying opponents, were now just puppets and far from their former selves, trapped in a limbo between life and death, but he had no sympathy for those who were a threat to his future and decided to be one in the past.

In one of the rooms, he noticed an empty bed and the signs of a recent struggle. Bloodstains across the floor, leading out into the corridor. It seemed that one of the patients had managed to escape during the earlier chaos. Sebastian's eyes narrowed. He couldn't leave any loose ends.

Following the trail of blood, Sebastian moved silently through the base. The path led him to a maintenance area, dimly lit and cluttered with old equipment, mostly electronics not working here. There, crouching in the shadows, was the escaped patient - an old and dishevelled figure with wild darting eyes. The wizard's left leg was twisted unnaturally, and his left arm was missing while he clutched a makeshift weapon made from a broken pipe in his right hand.

Sebastian approached slowly; his staff aimed at the man's face. The wizard, sensing him, lashed out with a desperate, incoherent scream, swinging the pipe wildly. Sebastian dodged the attack with ease and with a swift motion, he disarmed the wizard, the pipe clattering to the floor.

"You don't have to suffer anymore.", Sebastian said quietly, his voice devoid of emotion. With a flick of his wrist, he cast a silent, wandless spell. The air shimmered for a moment before the bolt of a spell struck the wizard, ending his life instantly and painlessly. The body slumped to the ground, lifeless and still.

Sebastian turned away; this task was complete. He resumed planting the explosive runes, ensuring every critical point in the base was covered. Once the last rune was in place, Sebastian made his way to the exit. He paused for a moment at the entrance, his eyes scanning the base one final time. Then, with a determined expression, he activated the runes.

The ground shook as the runes detonated in a long chain of explosions. Walls crumbled, and flames erupted, destroying everything in their path. The sounds of the destruction echoed, probably alerting enemies

As the last of the explosions died down, Sebastian turned away from the destruction and disappeared, his mission a success.

-HP-

Sebastian had spent the past few days constantly stalking his next target, a mid-ranking government wizard named Heinrich Weber, whom Sebastian had requested a file on from the German ministry. Weber was a seasoned battle mage, who had already created a few problems for the German ministry as a skilled fighter. At least when staked against weaker untrained opponents, like normal ministry workers or civilians.

Heinrich Weber went on about his day, as usual, unaware that he was being watched. Sebastian trailed him from the café to his modest apartment in a quiet suburb of Quito, always staying out of sight, hidden amongst other people.

Tonight, Sebastian decided, would be the night. Dressed in dark, inconspicuous clothing and armed with his staff and a few particular potions he would need later on, he waited for a good moment to come. The lights in the house flickered out one by one until only a single lamp in the living room remained. 'Now!', Sebastian thought and approached silently, using a spell to blend into the shadows.

As Heinrich Weber sat reading in his armchair, Sebastian struck. With a swift, silent motion, he cast a non-verbal and invisible Stunner, catching Weber completely off guard. The wizard did not even know of any danger before the spell hit him and rendered him unconscious. Sebastian moved quickly, binding Weber with enchanted ropes to ensure he couldn't escape or cast any spells once he regained consciousness while cutting a few tendons in his arms, to further make resistance impossible.

After securing his target, Sebastian produced a vial of Veritaserum, a powerful truth serum and forced a few drops into Weber's mouth. When Weber's eyes fluttered open after a counterspell, they were glazed, clear signs of the potion's influence.

"What's your name?", Sebastian asked, testing the potion's effectiveness.

"Heinrich Weber.", the wizard answered in a monotone voice.

"Why are you here in Quito?", Sebastian continued, needing to confirm his suspicions and gather more detailed information about his target's persona.

"I am here as part of a negotiation team from the European Directorate of Wizarding Intelligence. We were sent to smooth things over after the misunderstanding that led to the deaths of one government wizard near Karlsruhe, where one of ours attacked two foreign wizards.", Heinrich Weber answered mechanically.

Sebastian's heart raced at the mention of his parents. He had suspected as much from the given information, but hearing it confirmed only made it worse. He needed to know more!

"What was the misunderstanding about?", he pressed, gritting his teeth.

"We believed they were enemy wizards. Our intelligence was faulty.", Weber replied.

"Craack"

It resounded as Sebastian hit his staff straight into Heinrich Weber's face, shattering his nose, as he began to calm down.

"Phew, seems like that was still too much. What is your role within the Government Wizards?"

-HP-

Sebastian had heard enough for now. He couldn't risk staying too long and needed to prepare for the next phase of his plan. He cast a quick Obliviate on Weber to erase the recent interrogation from his brain in case it could be used somehow and then silenced him permanently with a swift and clean cutting curse.

With Weber out of the way and back in his base, Sebastian began brewing a Polyjuice Potion. He carefully took out the gathered necessary ingredients and began working.

The potion simmered and bubbled as he added the final ingredient: a few strands of Weber's hair. The potion turned a murky shade of grey, and Sebastian filled a few small bottles with the completed potion.

Several hours later, after changing to Heinrich Weber's appearance, Sebastian was ready. He had assumed the identity of the German negotiator and infiltrated a high-level meeting of the Government Wizards in Ecuador. The meeting was held in a heavily guarded, discreet location, with layers of enchantments and wards protecting the gathering. This was something he didn't know about beforehand, lucky him.

Sebastian entered the meeting room, his heart pounding beneath Weber's facade. The room was filled with other mid-ranking officials from the European Directorate of Wizarding Intelligence, their faces illuminated by the flickering light of enchanted torches hanging at the walls. As he took his seat, he could feel their eyes on him, scrutinizing every move.

"Ah, Weber, you're just in time.", said one of the older officials, a scary-looking man with a scar running down his face. "We were just discussing the latest intelligence on Esteban Fierro."

Sebastian nodded, doing his best to imitate Weber's demeanour, "Yes, I was delayed slightly. Please, continue."

The meeting proceeded with a tense air, each official sharing updates and discussing strategies. Sebastian listened intently, mentally noting every detail and gathering as much information as he could. At one point, the discussion turned to the security measures at Fierro's main base.

"They've increased the wards and added more patrols.", said another official, "Can we be sure that they won't be turning against us after we enter?"

"Indeed.", replied the scarred man. "Especially given the recent attack on their healing facility. We need to be vigilant."

Sebastian's mind raced. The information about the increased security was extremely crucial for his plans to infiltrate Fierro's base. Shit, he nearly slipped a smile! Calming down, he carefully concealed his interest in this information and continued looking disinterested into the void.

As the meeting continued, there was a moment of awkward tension. One of the officials, a sharp-eyed woman with a suspicious demeanour, seemed to be scrutinizing him more closely.

"Weber.", she said suddenly, her tone sharp, "You seem to be sweating somewhat today. Is everything all right?"

Sebastian felt a surge of panic but forced himself to remain calm, thinking about a possible answer before cringing, "I'm fine," he replied smoothly, "Just some enormous diarrhoea."

The woman narrowed her eyes but didn't press further at this awkward topic, probably assuming the pent-up shit was already pushing him enough. Sebastian let out an internal sigh of relief, thankful for the narrow escape.

The meeting eventually concluded, and Sebastian quickly made his exit. He retreated to a secluded location, pulling out an alchemic communication tool. With a few muttered incantations, he established a secure line to his allies.

"I've gathered the information.", he reported, "Increased security at Fierro's base, additional wards and patrols. I'll need to find another way in."

"Understood.", came the short reply, "Stay safe, Sebastian."

Sebastian ended the communication, his mind already racing and coming up with plans for the next mission. It seemed he had to go in silent, but big!

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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