They walked up the stairs, collecting each group from the Mass Processing room.
“What do those do?” Vessa asked Kelsi who stood with her.
“Take everyone from the floor and kill them in one room. The methods vary, but the best you can hope for is a shot to the head. They get progressively worse from there,” Kelsi said, and Vessa looked at him.
“If you’ll remember, I said it was nuts, but Ensald was right. It was the only way.” Kelsi said and shuttered as he watched the halls. Vessa thought back to the moment Ensald and Kelsi had been arguing; now that she knew it seemed a horrible bet, one that at least payed off. Vessa looked back to Kelsi who was tense and looking all around.
“Are you expecting reinforcements?”
“Harvesters,” Kelsi said and Vessa pushed to the very edges of her awareness and found nothing but the even quieter hum of animals. She knew they were there, but unlike Castillo, she couldn’t affect them.
“You might could consider taking the gag off.” A woman said and Vessa looked until she found an older woman frowning at Vessa and then looked meaningfully at the boy. Who was still sleeping.
Female 83: 62%
“It would be unwise,” Vessa said as the last of the people walked out of the Mass Processing Room and everyone walked towards the stairs. They had to carry the makeshift carts up because there was no alternative. Ensald had at least insisted that most wait at the stairwell with only a small group going to each Mass Processing Room.
“Young man, talk some sense into her.” The older woman said to Kelsi, and he shook his head.
“He’s not in control of his casting.” Kelsi said, and Vessa separated the older woman from the group in her mind, just in case. Kelsi knew the boy was a Wisher, if he was lying there was a reason.
“A pure verbal Caster? How did one of his bloodline end up here?”
“Bloodline is no protection.”
“Perhaps a bribe or payment of some kind.” Two people called from the crowd.
Male 421: 84%, Female 472 71%
The woman nodded and walked off to join others that she seemed to know. Vessa separated them off, too.
Female 73: 64%, Female 68: 51%
Kelsi stayed close to Vessa as they walked up the stairs, left the majority in the stairwell and walked down the hall towards the next Mass Processing Room.
“Why didn’t you tell her?” Vessa asked and Kelsi looked among those who were walking with them. Another man, burly but with a dainty wand in his hand replied before Kelsi could.
“A lot of them are desperate, and he’s a ticket to fixing that.” Vessa nodded as they continued walking until the head person stopped.
Male 2093: 88%
“Let’s turn back.” He said and Vessa searched around them with her mind, not finding any numbers other than their own. The Mass Processing Room had fulfilled its purpose, it seemed. Not that the Casters would get their bodies. Vessa looked back at the edges of her mind, but found nothing there as well.
“Sorry, I could have told you that.” Vessa said, gesturing to the Mass Processing Room
“No, we should come to all the floors.” Kelsi said
“Even with the Havesters?” Vessa asked and everyone in the group paused before the burly man with the dainty wand nodded.
“Detection spells don’t work in here, so there’d be questions. Questions that might lead to them knowing you’re a Number Assassin.”
“The group could turn into a mob out of desperation. We don’t want to have to kill them when people we cared about died trying to get them out.” Another said, and Vessa opened her mouth tp make a point.
“If they know you’re a Number Assassin, then guessing the boy is easier,” Kelsi said and multiple people nodded.
“If it comes to it, I’d like to kill some Harvesters.” Another man, slim with black hair and nails, said, and they all trudged off back to the stairs. Ensald was sad when they told her, but no one reacted all that much. They lived here for too long and knew death was not the worst outcome.
They walked up twenty sets of stairs, finding five more empty Mass Processing Rooms before finally reaching the teleporter.
“Trying to change the location on the other side would send off alarms and bring the Harvesters and probably more coming much faster, but just using it won’t do anything.” Ensald said when the question was brought up. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Vessa had yet to feel any new numbers at the edges of her reach but would be glad when people started going through the teleporter.
The burly man held his wand out in front of him as he went into the portal, other volunteers following him. Vessa waited with the rest tensed for another fight. What would Vessa do if the other side was not an option?
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
They came back through one fewer. They gave grim nods and went back in with the first people. They still had 2375 people and Vessa didn’t think everyone would get through before the Harvesters arrived. She took a breath in and looked at the boy who was still managing to sleep. She was screwed. The mission was completely fucked, but she couldn’t help but smile, even knowing the consequences.
She eventually felt new numbers when there were still 1643 people, but they stopped and didn’t move until there were 412 people. Vessa looked at Kelsi and the old woman with no legs, no eyes and only one arm working together with three others, and didn’t think she had to tell them, as they were working fast. Ensald met Vessa’s eyes, and she left to tell those guarding the room.
Vessa began pullling numbers.
Male 5034: 1%, male 4730: 1%, male 5241: 1%, male 3783: 1%, male 5891: 1%
She wondered how long she’d be tortured when Castillo found out about this mess, as she could feel numbers leaving her awareness, no doubt to spread the word.
Even after all the crowd was through, Kelsi’s group kept working and Ensald’s group kept fighting with Vessa helping. The building was swarmed again but apparently Ensald thought ahead and had booby-trapped the halls. Which helped tremendously. Vessa just brought them to 1% and let the traps do the rest. Those that got through the guard team handled.
“Done,” Kelsi called, and Ensald came in exhausted, but focused.
“Get the fighters out. I’ll hold the line. You mad genius.” Kelsi said to Ensald and the last 27 people fled through the portal. Vessa stayed pulling numbers.
“You next,” Kelsi said and Vessa looked at him, and then to the Harvesters attacking one of the last six shields between them.
“I’m not being a martyr, but I am the trigger, so once I step through, the building and the teleporter will be gone.” Vessa stepped into the teleporter and Kelsi came right after her.
They waited in a small room for Harvesters to come chasing after them, and Kelsi shook his head as he stepped towards the teleporter, but nothing happened. Vessa opened her mouth to speak, but she was teleported away to a house clearly made by Wishers. Voices reached her ears and the boy’s he perked up and struggled to get out of her arms. Vessa wondered what would happen to the escaped Casters now. She looked down the luxurious hallway and wondered what would happen to her.
“What is taking so long? Maybe those damn Casters have already killed my boy.”
Vessa let the Wisher boy down and followed him towards where the voices were coming from.
“I am sure everything is fine, and they’ll be here anytime now.” An official’s voice said. Vessa found she didn’t regret anything, though she stopped smiling. It would come off wrong.
“You keep saying that and.”
“And now it’s true.”
“Melaru?” The mother called and Vessa stayed at the doorframe looking at two parents. The mother looked up at her.
“Why does he still have a gag on? Why didn’t you take this off immediately after rescuing him?” The mother asked and Vessa said nothing. As I didn’t want him Wishing and the Casters did me the favor of taking care of that problem, didn’t even sound good to her.
“Well! Answer me!” The mother yelled at Vessa clearly taking her frustration out on Vessa.
“Wisher children are chaotic and it seemed best to wait until we are out of harm’s way,” Vessa replied, her voice a monotone.
“It’s cut his mouth, and you thought it was best to leave it on. Aren’t you trained to handle difficult situations? And what took so long? You were supposed to be here hours ago. The Seers…”
“Are not always perfect in their tellings. Let’s get him healed up and let the asset deliver her report. Which we can brief you on afterwards.” The official interrupted and glanced at Vessa. She didn’t answer to him, but it was unwise to provoke.
“I don’t see why she can’t tell me now.” The mother said, rocking Melaru, who kept staring at Vessa. The official shooed Vessa with his hand, which annoyed her.
“They’ll want to filter out the classified bits before passing it onto you.” Vessa said and the official looked as outraged as did the mother, though the mother was now looking at him. The father laughed as he pressed something to Melaru’s cheeks and they were healed.
“Thank you Asset Vessa, I’ll take it from here.” The official said, and Vessa nodded and walked away, bringing out her assignment book. There weren’t anymore assignments, except that there had been. Three more, she had checked the amount before she’d left and kept track. Them being gone was not a good sign. Vessa stared at the blank pages for a moment longer then pressed her thumb to the first page and was teleported back to base.