"So you are saying that you used the others as a diversion in order to escape and then you understood you had no money"

Chris stated over a drink at the bar, the abduction was a partial failure, but they did get what they wanted, Chris didn't mind giving them money, since he could always get more from the ATMs.

"I told you it's not so simple, we needed someone to be out of jail, if they others broke up and each run a different route, then everyone could have escaped"

Tian said, visibly a bit drunk.

"Then why didn't you plan ahead before breaking the wall?"

Chris asked, it was a legit question.

"Fuck planning, veterans never planned ahead and they always won their missions, it's not about planning, it's about going with the flow as it changes, for example you can plan everything perfectly like with your abduction and still mess up, I'm going, Xiao must be afraid, I left her all alone"

Tian left without even caring to pay the bill, leaving Chris in an awkward situation, with no money.

"Could you put it on my tab, I'll pay it a bit later"

Chris said to the barman, whom looked annoyed, but non the less he created a tab only for him, since he had come for days now and always payed.

3 days later. In the holding cell, Samson, Mike, Thany, Sydney, George, Jason and Jonas were only now comprehending why Tian called them to run.

"So you're saying that bastard used us as a diversion in order to run away?"

Samson stated angrily.

"It's exactly like that"

Jonas reaffirmed.

"So what do we do now?"

Sydney asked a bit frightened.

"What else can we do, we stay here and wait for the mission to end"

Mike stated nonchalantly.

"What if there's another objective?"

Sydney asked panicked.

"Then we're fucked"

Mike said, earning himself a punch in the guts by samson.

"I don't know what Nick taught you, but we're now Heroes, we have to escape somehow and meet with the others"

Samson said, but all the others just looked at him as if they were looking at an idiot.

Suddenly a police officer arrived followed by a guy in a suit, he opened the cell and stated.

"You're free"

"Please don't forget to go to the embassy to get your papers"

The second person said as he gave them a document to sign, stating that they had been informed.

As they came outside the police station Samson charged forwards to punch Tian, whom waited for them at the exit, only to miss as Tian dodged and punched him instead.

"Is this how you thank me for saving you?"

"How did you do it?"

Jonas asked, rather puzzled.

"Money opens many doors, it makes proceedures really easy and fast, tomorrow we're flying home"

Tian stated, causing some confusion in the group, tomorrow was the day the mission would end, wouldn't it be better to stay put and create some defenses.

"I'm Not going anywhere with you!"

Samson shouted, still angry about being used.

"Then suit yourself, but if you die by the next objective it's your own fault"

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Tian stated, waking the brute up to reality, the stakes of stupid decisions were high, namely death. Samson got wet feet from even thinking that he might die.

"I wish to know our next plan"

Mike stated, making Tian a bit puzzled, since Mike didn't seem like the heroic type, what was his deal?

"Right now we will go to the embassy, next to the hotel and tomorrow we leave, is the plan good enough for you?"

Tian said, while turning around, Xiao was a bit embarassed for him, she knew deep inside that he must have passed some horrible experiences to act like he did.

Tian escorted them to three cars prepared by the embassy, to take them away, everything was planned and executed without a problem. Samson might bark the loudest, but he didn't have the guts to act outside of the group.

After getting their papers from the embassy, they went to their hotel. This time it was a really good hotel, with all the comforts, nothing like the hotel they stayed in before.

"What's with the hotel rooms, why am I with Mike!"

Samson shouted, disatisfied.

"I told you to manage this among yourselves, why do you ask me?"

Tian was annoyed by Samson's presense in his room.

"I don't know how you redeemed yourself, but I'm sure that there's a trap somewhere along the line"

Samson stated as he left.

"As if it's a trap, it's simple logic, that with more people there's more possibilities for the next objective"

Tian said to himself, while waiting for Xiao to come out of the bathroom.

Their rooms were of course managed by Jonas, whom had taken it upon himself to be the vice leader, it wasn't wrong to say that he had potential.

Samson however would have prefered if he was grouped up with someone from the hero group, he knew nothing about Mike and didn't wish to learn about him either.

"Did you sort the thing out?"

Mike asked nonchalantly.

"I have, someone has to be staying alone, all I have to do is find whom it is"

Samson stated.

-Don't bother, it's Jonas, he's strung up and doesn't care about pretexts anymore, at the meeting for the room management he announced himself vice leader and told that he would take the solo room

-What meeting?

-The one you didn't come to, because you were lost, now that I think about it hardly anyone came, it was only the veterans there and me, Tian even announced that the plane would be the safest place to be, since he has gathered all the materials needed for his spells

-You know, you're not a bad guy

-I know

Somewhere in the city, in a small appartment was a bed surounded by a salt circle, the windows had some paper talismans on them and in the middle lived Nick and his two followers.

Nick was teaching them how to make these talismans and what they did, since they had rented 3 houses and made each one similar to the other, they were getting ready for some super ghost to appear after the police mission was over.

"You did it wrong again, can't you be more like Chrysa"

Nick said a bit annoyed, she hadn't made a single talisman yet, all she had done was waste paper and paint.

Chrysa had at least made two talismans, while wasting only 10. The problem wasn't that Nick didn't know magic, but the magic he knew was literaly useless in most cases, if the world didn't have some paranormal activity like a ghost or a curse.

"So these talismans will burn, creating an illusion that we have died for the ghost?"

Chrysa asked.

"I regret praising you now, I told you it will burn making it difficult for the ghost to haunt us, thus it will go to easier targets to haunt"

Nick explained again.

"Look at it like you having a shield in front of you and the ghost as the bowman, he can shoot at you, but the chances of him hitting are small, while there's easier prey to go after"

"How do we know if what we made is working or not?"

Hera asked.

"The one you just made almost passed the criteria, but you just had to add a curve, it's a strait line there, not a curve!"

Nick complained, it was the 20th failed talisman Hera ruined.

"I'm not doing this anymore, you do it, since you're so good at it"

Hera spoke back disatisfied, it's been hours that all they did was draw on paper these weird symbols.

"How do we use them?"

Chrysa asked somewhat puzzled, the talismans glued on the walls, were different than what they were making now, those were supposed to hide their location from supernatural beings.

"You just hold them, the more you have the better the effect"

Nick said as he looked at the small number of talismans they had 14 was a small number for 3 people. he would love to have 10 per person before the objective changes.