How large was this place? Vessa wondered as she ran down hallway after hallway, bringing down numbers as she chased after Ensald.

Male 765: 1%

Male 823: 1%

Male 644: 1%

Male 775: 1%

Male 901: 1%

She could feel the boy’s number about to drop and pulled the attack to her. Vessa watched as her arm roiled with bubbles escaping and then popping. The spell was supposed to be killing her, but Vessa held her number at 100% and kept pulling the lethal spells to her. It was painful, but not more than she could handle. No, the real worry was that she was beginning to be out numbered. The enemy reinforcements just kept coming, and they were hard to pit against each other.

Male 765: 0%

Male 823: 0%

Male 644: 0%

Male 775: 0%

Male 901: 0%

With the hall cleared for the moment, Ensald took off down the hallway, but took a left instead of right. Vessa ran after Ensald and bumped into her.

“I thought you said two floors up and to the right.” Vessa said as the numbers just kept pouring in.

“Forget about the lights. We need reinforcements or we’re going to die; nevermind about freeing everyone.” Ensald replied.

“Then why are you stopping?” Vessa asked.

Male 758: 1% – 89%

Male 533: 1%

Male 949: 1% – 97%

Male 457:1%

Male 1043: 1% – 98%

“Strategy.” Ensald said as she muttered under her breath, moving around in a circle. What was Ensald doing? Maybe it would have been better to just rescue the boy.

Male 758: 1%

Male 533: 0%

Male 949: 1%

Male 457: 0%

Male 1043: 1% – 78%

“Such as?” Vessa asked as she heard the pounding of feet. This was nuts.

“Do you really want me waisting time explaining spells?” Ensald asked as she stopped turning and froze in one direction.

Male 785: 0%

Male 949: 0%

Male 1043: 1%

“I’d like you to hurry up.” Vessa said, no need to fear Castillo’s reaction if she was overrun here in the hallway.

Ensald flexed her fingers in the air, muttered something, then took off running. Vessa looked down at the Wisher boy. Who looked back up at her, gag in his mouth, his eyes determined. They both could die. Vessa sighed. The Wisher boy leaned his head on her shoulder and Vessa took off after Ensald.

Male 1043: 0%

Vessa was pulled into a room, and the door shut. She stopped attacking and simply watched all the numbers swarm into the building, while others passed their door as if they had no clue where Vessa and Ensald had gone, despite being very close behind them.

“This is crazy. There is no way we can drag people down hall after hall while still fighting. We need to free those who we can and leave.” A man said. If Vessa went with this stranger’s suggestion, she could save the best and kill the worst. This could salvage the assignment.

“Or we could get all the strong combatants off the first few floors. Abandon them and then put all sick and injured in one room on each floor, leaving a few Casters to guard, as we make our way down with those who can fight.” Ensald said and Vessa sighed.

“And with what time will we move all the feeble into one room?” The man asked, and Ensald paused, tapped her fingers on her forehand before pointing them at the man.

“The Mass processing room.”

“The Mass Processing Room. Are you even hearing yourself? If they get to the controls, then everyone in that room will die.”

“I know, but it’s the best chance I think we have.”

“This is crazy!” The man said as he walked away from her, shaking his head.

“If we don’t even try, then we’re no better than them. It will say nothing. The strong survives is what they’ll say, but if we can get most of the feeble out, then that pushes back.” The man turned to look at Ensald

The swarming numbers were clumping and getting closer. This needed to speed up.

“If we tier it, my abilities work better.” Vessa said, and both turned to her as if they’d forgotten there was anyone else in the room.

“See, two against one. Come on Kelsi!” Ensald said and Kelsi threw his hands in the air.

“We’re fucked.” He said and Vessa agreed, but she didn’t see any other plan; except killing everyone but the boy and going on.

“Thank you. And you Number Assassin.”

“Son of a bitch. You didn’t mention that. And the boy, and the gag. I should have seen that sooner. If he dies…”

“Win, win,” Ensald said and Kelsi nodded. Win, win because either way the Casters that ran this place would be screwed, and if the kid died, Vessa would probably also be dead, so she’d never have to face those consequences.

They both nodded to each other. Kelsi grim and Ensald almost optimistic. They turned to Vessa, and Kelsi gestured to the room.

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“You could stay here. They’ll pass you by and you can keep at it.”

“I can’t pull attacks to me if I’m not near you, and they can count.”

“Neither is a problem.” Ensald said, and Vessa shrugged. The two left the room, shutting the door behind them.

Vessa grabbed hold of Ensald and Kelsi’s numbers.

Female 978: 76%, Male 1056: 83%

She tucked them into a corner of her mind, so that she could keep track of those who joined and avoid killing them, then turned her attention to the new numbers entering her awareness. They were most definitely enemies. Vessa just had to ensure that they didn’t mix into the morass of numbers humming in the back of her mind or into Ensald’s group.

Male: 1010: 1%

Male 673: 1%

Male 842: 1%

Male 631: 1%

Male 597: 1%

Ensald and Kelsi had seven join them

Female 347: 65%, Male 512: 83%, Male 68: 42%, Female 7023: 89%, Female 41: 90%, Male 632: 56%, Female 27: 72%.

As the enemy Casters attacked each other, Vessa could feel them, each one dying without her having to exert effort. Which meant not all knew there was a Number Assassin, or that panic had overrode the knowledge. Either way, Vessa moved onto another group that was piled into one part of her mind. Vessa made sure Ensald’s number wasn’t there to ensure she was about to attack the right group.

Male 593: 1%

Male 1327: 1%

Male 641: 1%

Male 811: 1%

Male 528: 1%

Things would get tricky with the prison guards, but none of Ensald’s group were dropping, so either they were handling it or they had yet to encounter the guards.

Vessa could feel an enemy group approaching Ensald and jumped to their numbers. Hopefully, her current enemies would kill each other. Thinking her attacks were those of a hidden spy in the group. They’d turn until there was only one left. Another group would come upon the wreckage and assume the survivor a traitor. It had worked at the prison rebellions she had put down and currently was working here. So hopefully it kept working. Either way, Vessa had to change her focus to the group about to attack Ensald’s growing numbers.

Male 724: 1% – 97%

Male 921: 1% – 83%

Male 739: 1% – 67%

Male 1056: 1% – 92%

Male 843: 1% – 78%

Vessa hit hard resistance, so some of them knew. Or all of them knew, and these ones had been trained to not panic or turn on each other when one died out of nowhere.

Male 724: 1% – 63%

Male 921: 1% – 41%

Male 739: 1% – 94%

Male 1056: 1% – 92%

Male 843: 1% – 62%

Definitely training, but Vessa could feel them hitting up against Ensald’s group. Somewhere in this forsaken place, they had ran into each other. Now, with Ensald’s group casting spells, Vessa had other tools to kill the enemies. She pulled on the numbers again, while focusing on keeping the groups separate.

Male 724: 0%

Male 921: 0%

Male 739: 0%

Male 1056: 0%

Male 843: 0%

Vessa checked around Ensald’s growing numbers for another set of enemies and found two closing in. To sandwich Ensald’s people. Ten was a bit much, but Vessa could bring them as low as she could and hope that was enough. Hopefully Ensald’s group would be able to hold their own.

Male 582: 46%

Male 740: 49%

Male 847: 40%

Male 823: 52%

Male 743: 36%

Male 1030: 58%

Male 563: 32%

Male 690: 47%

Male 833: 51%

Male 1043: 64%

A quick check on Ensald’s group showed they had yet to lose a person, though a handle full were getting close.

Vessa moved her attention onto another enemy group and another and another, bringing them into the 50’s and 40’s range, with some staying higher while Vessa managed to bring some into the low twenties. It was too much to keep up with. Vessa could feel the humming morass of the number attacking Ensald’s group as well, but she didn’t have time to sort guard from prisoner.

A knock on her door and Vessa grabbed the number before realizing it was Kelsi.

“Number Assassin, we’re leaving this level. Are you coming with us?”

If Vessa didn’t, there would be a possibility the enemy would catch her unaware, and she’d be too slow to react.

Vessa checked on the Wisher boy, who was sleeping. She felt vaguely guilty about the gag cutting into his cheeks, but this was the last place she wanted the chaos of a Wisher child. His Wishes would likely hurt everyone involved. She adjusted her hold on him and opened the door to Kelsi. Who led her down the hall to a bigger group of people.

Vessa took the total of Ensald’s group to find 761 people. How many people were still here in the building? Guard and prisoner mixed as the humming morass of numbers ungrouped in her mind? 3820 and 55 Vessa had grouped as the enemy, with more pouring in. This had become a huge mess.