It was early in the morning, and the first rays of sunlight were streaming through the window, illuminating Lando's face. However, the tranquility of the peaceful sounds of the early birds in the city, that signaled the start of the day for many working individuals was suddenly disrupted by the sounds of battle.

Lando's eyes snapped open at the distant explosions, feeling a mix of confusion and drowsiness. "Is the putsch happening right now?" he wondered, a hint of excitement on his face. He walked to his window in an attempt to get a better view of the situation.

Unfortunately, his window faced a nearby wall, obstructing his visibility. Undeterred, he quickly got dressed, wearing a black coat with a hood. Utilizing his space magic, Lando phased through the room above him, which was occupied by a sleeping man, and maneuvered his way to the roof.

As he reached the rooftop, a massive battle unfolded in the far distance at the center district. Despite being miles away, Lando could still witness the casting of powerful spells, represented by bursts of various elemental forces.

Gradually, he noticed more battles erupting in different parts of the city, confirming his suspicions that the putsch was well underway.

Soon after Lando's arrival on the roof, he observed six cloaked figures rushing out of his inn and heading in a specific direction. Recognizing the group as Anthony's mercenary companions involved in their upcoming heist, he wasted no time and followed closely behind as they approached the Blackwell mansion.

The group halted in the noble district, not too far from a grand mansion that stood out among its neighboring buildings. The mansion was enclosed by an elaborate iron fence adorned with twisted spikes at the top. Looming behind the fence, the magnificent estate, mostly constructed of cedar wood, could only be glimpsed through the massive iron gate. A sprawling hedge row shielded the grounds from prying eyes, providing a secluded space for the residents to enjoy their stone garden and contemplate life.

Two guards were stationed at the gate, while two more were visible on the spacious veranda encircling the mansion.

Anthony's group halted in a nearby alley, where they confronted a middle-aged man dressed in gardening attire. Lando swiftly joined the group, making his presence known.

Nodding as a greeting, Lando listened as the informant relayed crucial information. "The marques departed just a few minutes ago, accompanied by two of his men. They headed in the direction of the major battle raging in the governing district," the informant disclosed.

"Alright. Has anything unusual occurred here in the past few days?" Anthony inquired, already mentally preparing for the upcoming mission, aware of its importance.

"Yesterday, a group of eight individuals arrived at the villa. I haven't seen them leave, so I assume they are still inside. They were armed and appeared quite formidable in strength," the man informed them.

Anthony rubbed his chin thoughtfully, contemplating the situation, while Nathan rewarded the informant with three gold coins for his valuable information. As the man departed, Anthony turned to his group, seeking their opinions on the matter.

"They are undoubtedly reinforcements, tasked with safeguarding his property amidst the turmoil while he battles the revolutionaries," Victoria voiced her certainty.

"That seems likely. However, we don't have a clear understanding of their strength. It appears quite risky," Nathan expressed his concern.

"I must agree with Nathan. If those eight individuals are mages, it could pose a significant challenge, even if they are only at the liquid stage," Lola added, seemingly in favor of abandoning this mission for a less risky alternative.

Anthony scanned the group members before Luke spoke up. "I don't think they're that formidable. At most, there might be two liquid stage mages. With the marques' eldest son still present, we'd be facing a total of three liquid stage mages, six gaseous mages from yesterday, and four more permanent gas mages. Additionally, there are around 15 apprentices and a handful of novices and commoners working in the mansion. If there are no solid stage mages among them, I believe we should risk it. We have the advantage of surprise, and with our talented new assassin," he nodded in Lando's direction, "we can even eliminate any obstacles and disable defensive enchantments."

Listening to Luke's assessment, Lando felt a growing sense of anxiety. The mansion housed numerous magicians who could present a significant challenge, especially if they cornered him. In the worst-case scenario, two or more liquid stage mages could overpower him before Anthony's group could come to his aid.

Nevertheless, Lando reasoned with himself. He had recently escaped from prison and even evaded a solid stage mage, albeit from a distance. Thus, he was willing to take the risk, knowing that both Nathan and Anthony were experienced solid stage mages who would swiftly come to his rescue if necessary.

As Lando gave Anthony a thumbs up as a sign of his agreement, the group leader turned to their final member, George. Being the only other gaseous mage besides Lando, George carried a greater risk.

"I'm on board, but don't expect me to handle any of the liquid stage mages. I'll do my best to create illusions and disrupt their formation, reducing their numerical advantage. However, if I'm detected, I'll rely on your help, big guy," George stated, patting Luke's shoulder.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Don't worry, kid. I've got your back," Luke assured, chuckling and slapping George's back with a little too much force, causing him to stumble slightly.

Taking into consideration the opinions of the team, Anthony proposed a simple solution. "Let's take a quick vote. If anyone doesn't want to proceed with this mansion raid today, raise your hand now."

Nathan and Lola exchanged glances, their hesitation apparent to the rest of the group. Ultimately, Lola nodded at Nathan, who let out a sigh before sharing his opinion. "Alright, we're in too," he conceded with a defeated expression. He continued, "But if the situation becomes dire, we abandon the robbery as quickly as possible. We leave no one behind, even if things turn grim. I don't want to lose any more team members," he added, his gaze resting upon Lola, who wore a solemn expression.

At that moment, the team members, except for Lando, appeared crestfallen, their minds reflecting on the three comrades they had lost during a previous mission.

"Alright, everyone! We won't forget the sacrifices our friends and comrades have made in the past. I can't promise that similar things won't happen in the future, but I can promise one thing. We'll never leave anyone behind, even if it means abandoning everything else. If chaos ensues, we only have each other to rely on," Anthony declared.

He allowed his statement to sink in, his gaze wandering over the approving faces of his comrades. Lando felt a bit out of place during this speech, as he was technically just a temporary member of the group. Though he felt a tinge of discomfort, he acknowledged their team spirit and hoped that they would come to his aid as well if the situation became grim.

"Lando," Anthony announced, and the young mage listened attentively. "A quick reminder. You'll use your space magic to phase into the monitoring room that manages the defensive wards and disable them. You already have the plan's layout, so it should be achievable for you. It won't be as difficult as breaking into the prison. Once the enchantments are disabled, we'll enter. This isn't the time for ego trips, as there are more guards than we expected. Try not to get caught until we arrive. If you can eliminate as many obstacles as possible, that would be great. Understood?"

Having abandoned the idea of robbing the vault on his own upon learning about the reinforcements, Lando waved his hand dismissively and replied, "Don't worry, I'm not suicidal. Once the wards are disabled, you should sense it at the fence. Just lightly push against it to activate the enchantment. You'll notice when they stop functioning."

Anthony nodded in approval and gave Lando the go-ahead. Having already studied the mansion's layout, Lando took a deep breath and phased into the ground. This time, the dark journey through the underground was much more pleasant than his prior escape from the prison, which had nearly cost him his life. He cautiously maneuvered his way into the wardroom, situated in the basement of the villa.

As the dim light of the room flickered into Lando's eyes, he soon realized he wasn't alone. Two men were engaged in a lazy conversation with their backs turned towards him.

"Do you really think the coup will succeed? Why are you even working for the Marques if you believe he'll be killed or captured today?" The younger-looking man asked his seemingly more experienced colleague. "Who do you think will get to the Marques' riches first if he doesn't..." The man was unable to finish his sentence as a condensed projectile of space magic pierced through his head, deforming it in a strange way and killing him instantly.

The shocked expression on his young colleague's face didn't last long, as he quickly spotted the culprit—a figure cloaked in black, brandishing a rapier aimed for his head.

Reacting more out of reflex than skill, the guard leaned back to dodge the weapon. Fortunately for him, his feet didn't follow the movement of his upper body, causing him to stumble backward avoiding the stab by a hair’s breadth.

Having narrowly avoided the first strike, the guard's fighting instincts kicked in. He swiftly summoned a wall made of solid rock between himself and the intruder.

Aware that the makeshift barrier would not hold for long, the guard ran to the end of the room, positioning himself with his back against the wall to gain some safety against the silent attacker.

Lando wasn't pleased with missing his follow-up attack, as a prolonged fight would surely attract more guards. His anxious opponent had conjured a wall to obstruct Lando's line of sight, gaining precious moments to assess the situation and prepare some spears made out of rock for a quick counter attack.

The space and time mage created a tiny hole in the wall, allowing him to spot his target from a safe distance. Upon seeing his opponent standing near the wall, he came up with an idea he had wanted to try for a while.

Accelerating time around himself while simultaneously phasing into the ground with his space magic, Lando closed the distance to the enemy mage within fractions of a second, with the tip of his rapier emerging from the wall behind the mage first.

The earth mage didn't even realize what had hit him as he was stabbed in the back. "Tsk," Lando exclaimed, initially aiming for the head but hitting the lower back instead.

Moving in a faster time, Lando noticed that space acted differently. He didn't exactly know why, so he could only rely on his instincts. The phenomenon wasn't even linear. He had trained this movement by always using the same amount of time acceleration to gain a better understanding, but his experience in that aspect was still lacking it seemed.

Nevertheless, Lando followed up with a dagger stab to the mage's head, and the battle was over before his opponent could even turn around.

While contemplating how to disable the enchantments, Lando reflected on his recent opponents. "I guess my adversaries aren't accustomed to fighting a space or time mage, as they rarely have a clue what's going on. I shouldn't become too arrogant just because I can defeat a mage at my level with relative ease I guess."

He knew that his tactics heavily relied on sneak attacks and the fact that none of his enemies knew how to combat a space or time mage was giving him even more advantages, whereas he understood the capabilities of opponents with basic elements like earth pretty good.

Ten seconds into his search, he still had no clue how to disable the wards. He decided to take another approach. Shooting space bullets into the heavily enchanted sections on what looked like a command sonsole, he hoped it would do the job. He lacked the time and knowledge to disable them correctly, so he believed this was his best option.

His decision would soon be put to the test as a mage appeared in the only entrance, silently observing Lando's actions with crossed arms.

A shiver ran down Lando's back as he quickly turned around and locked eyes with the eerie figure standing before him.

In a split second, Lando decided he wasn't the man's opponent. No one could remain so calm while two of their colleagues lay dead on the ground.

He accelerated his time once again and attempted to phase into the ground for a quick escape. To his shock, it didn't work. He couldn't phase into the ground!

The only thing on Lando's mind at that moment was, "Shit!"