—Messie.

Equus, Arca Archa born, 23 years of age, and a medic in training with two years of experience. If one went about asking what kind of person she was, then more often than not, the answer would be a flattering one.

"Oh she's a lovely gal. Hard working and never complains. Makes my job much easier, that's for sure."

"Messie's someone who you can always rely on for help. Especially if it's something you can't ask anybody else."

"I love that girl. She's a role model in work ethics. Always goes above and beyond, you know what I mean? Whoever her partner is, he must be quite the lucky one."

Yet, in opposition to these surface level answers given by mere acquaintances, Messie's closest friends would only have one simple and blunt description apt for her. That being—

"Oh god, why did I agree to take over another person's shift again? I'm going to die this time for sure, aren't I? I don't even have a boyfriend yet! I've never even held hands with someone before! How can I die before ever having even gone on a date?"

Messie was, to be blunt, a massive pushover to a fault. Despite longing for her days off work, she agreed to take a double week shift in order to take over for a coworker's absence. And all that it took for her to agree each and every time was some lame excuse about not having a dog sitter for the weekend, or a pet goldfish drowning, or something along those lines.

"I can't die! If I die, the government is going to take away all the money I worked my blood, sweat, and tears off for! My early retirement funds!"

Not to mention, she was also somewhat of a cheapskate and held a dislike for the government, despite working for the guild which was most certainly a government entity.

"No, I refuse to die here! I have too many webtoons to catch up to! If I die, who's going to read them?"

Of course, she could have never expected to be running for her life when she agreed to this exchange. But then again, no one did. When the screeching began, she just barely managed to clamp her ears down to block it out. To her horror next, her fellow operators suddenly began to turn on her. While she did not know what was going on, her head felt faint and her instincts told her not to unclamp those ears no matter the cost.

But, as a mere medic in training, there was nothing much she could do to fend off her pursuers. What was she going to do? Cast an arte on them so they could catch her easier? No way! She was a normal medic, and medics were noncombatants. A monster like that Daywalker, Eir, had no business being put in the same category as reasonable medics like her!

Well, at least she was good at running at the very least. It was in her blood as an Equus.

When things were at its most dire, five of the possessed chased after her tail and pulled her to the ground when she was finally caught. She gave up all pretense of hope at that point, but that was also when a crazy Felid girl came strolling to her rescue.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack and— Crack!

One by one, Messie's rescuer repeated the act whistling until none remained standing any longer. It was only then that she could see just what was used to make those awful sounding hits. It was a heavy rifle that was being lugged around like an airsoft toy. For certain, she knew it was a restricted armament that not even those of the Siege department had access to. Yet, even when in possession of such a weapon, instead of firing it as it was meant to be used, that crazy Felid used it as a stick to club the heads of the possessed like watermelon.

"Did you…?" horrified, Messie whispered. She was almost afraid to ask as she watched them squirm and twitch on the ground before they were then put under the dome of a barrier stick.

"No worries, I didn't kill them. The safety's on, see?"

"No, like— I don't want to sound rude to someone who just saved me but, did you have to hit them so hard?"

"At worst it's just a concussion so they'll be fine! Probably."

At first, the poor Equus thought her rescuer one of the esteemed Vanguards, but she was quickly corrected when it was revealed that the person was Samantha, from the Specialist department… which really only served to make things more confusing as to why such a person from the SPs had a need for an armament as heavy as that, and for it to be used as a club no less.

But, if there was one thing Messie learned from her time in the world of adults: It was that, sometimes, the fewer questions one asked, the better. And oh was this never more helpful to her than right then, because instead of asking unnecessary questions, all she had to do was to shut up and follow the leader like always.

"Well, what's your specialty?"

So when the leader asked, she answered her without thinking.

…

…

Step by step and each by every one, Messie watched as the Specialist, Azura, set up some kind of important anchor points around the central rift. She was amazed, not by what he was doing, though she was certain that she would be unable to comprehend the specifics even if she tried— rather, what she was amazed at was Samantha.

Was this the ability of someone who was competent? She wondered. It was said that geniuses were oftentimes eccentric. Perhaps this was exactly what was meant by that saying.

Ever since her rescue, she watched as that crazy Felid grew the ragtag band of stragglers, who managed to stay sane from the night warden's influence, to what was starting to become a semi-respectful looking group as they made a clean sweep across the camp. A miracle for sure, given the chaos of the situation, though it was helped along immensely by the fact that any of the possessed they encountered could be neutralized by the usage of the barrier sticks.

"It's just a temporary solution."

When Messie had an opportunity to speak to Samantha again, she asked the Specialist about what amazing things the barrier sticks could do. But the reality of it was far grimmer than it seemed on the outside.

"It'll only buy us as much time as the battery life on those sticks will last. Before then, Azusa and Azura will hopefully be done with the ritual barrier. If they're right, it'll cut off that monstrous thing's arte once and for all."

"What happens if they aren't able to finish in time?"

"Then we're fucked, haha."

In response to her question that was filled with genuine worry, the crazy Felid joked in an all too casual manner. Messie had to take it back. Eccentric? No, she was wrong. It was just simple insanity.

"Can't we power the sticks manually?" Messie instinctively asked. "That would buy some time, right?"

"Nada. Unfortunately, you'll need physical contact in order to do that, and we don't have nearly enough people to cover every spot in the camp."

"I… Oh, I see…"

Samantha eyed her strangely then, with even a finger placed on her own chin the way one would when trying to make sense of something bizarre or unusual. For a moment, Messie thought there was something stuck on her face, though when feeling it with her fingers she felt nothing in particular aside from some dirt and grain. When she asked about it however, she immediately regretted her decision and almost wished she had not done so.

"What's the matter, no bitches?"

"…Huh? What, just what are you asking me?! I don't have bitches, why would I have bitches? Of course I don't have bitches! Everybody keeps ghosting me before the first week!"

"Ah yes, this is clearly the behavior of someone who will never, ever, hold a maiden. Not-very-based/10."

"You— Based? Based on what? You say I have no bitches, but where are yours? I don't see them! Go touch grace!"

"Tsk tsk, bitches? I don't need 'em. I'm married to my work."

All it took was for one simple line to cause Messie to have a complete breakdown from confusion, embarrassment, and panic. Samantha, on the other hand, looked as if she was having the time of her life and it was only after she had a few good laughs that she explained herself.

"That's better."

"What do you mean?"

"You looked so grim all of a sudden, so I thought you should lighten up! That's it."

"But how can I not be?" Messie asked after wiping off some spit that had gotten on her face during her earlier shouting.

She did not understand Samantha's approach. After all, everything could go wrong and they would all be goners. Just like how one should be solemn during a funeral, they should be grave during a grave situation like this. Was that not appropriate? She could not understand the Felid's logic.

"If we're dead, we won't have to worry about anything anyways. Ah, but that's not to say I won't go down without a fight, or a bang."

In the end, it boiled down to a simple difference in ideology. Samantha just shrugged in the face of immediate crisis. But was life really something to be thrown away so casually? As a person, Messie had far too much life to live to let it all go so readily.

But… while she could not empathize with such an outlook, Messie did have to admit, at the very least, that life would certainly be a whole lot less stressful to go through if she herself could just lighten up a bit.

…

…

"Two more left to go!"

Once again, everyone moved at the Kitsune's behest. By now, Messie understood that he was the most important person to their mission— the lynchpin of what they were all hinging their hopes of survival on.

Due to Samantha's intervention, he was able to power through his work without the threat of the possessed. That helped him move things along at a much needed hurry. Before she knew it, he had completed the anchor points for six of the eight trigrams, with there being only two left to go.

Things were looking up for her at the onset. Alas, nothing good ever lasted for long, peace being chief among the coveted. It was here that Messie heard the grave piece of news Samantha gave to Azura. She ran closer to the pair and raised her ears towards them.

"I hate to rush it, but I just thought I'd remind you that the barrier sticks should be running out of juice right about now. Knock on wood, but I wouldn't be surprised if the entire camp comes down on us in the next couple of minutes."

"I know!" Azura gritted at the Felid. That girl could urge him all she wanted, but it was not like he could simply and magically finish his work just like that. After a certain point, constant reminders were redundant and even a distraction towards his focus.

"Uh oh, here they come!"

"Guard me!"

The kitsune skidded to a breaking halt where a shikigami danced.

There were very little things Messie dreaded in life, but the adage of Murphy's law was quickly becoming one of them. Because speak of the devil and, like clockwork, the possessed already began to appear in the distance. Though it started out a slow trickle, it was certain that more would surge in like a wave and follow suit.

Just the thought of what else could go wrong made her want to tear up and cry as if her boyfriend had just broken up with her through text… on their anniversary… not that she knew how it would feel, of course. She was still swiping.

"Artes incoming!"

"Watch out!"

Still approaching closer, the possessed launched a volley of offensive artes their way. Though the SGs were able to react, the unexpected attack caught some of them off guard. The most important person however— remained untouched thanks to the sacrifice of one of the SGs who intervened with her own body.

"Man down! Medic!"

"Man down over here as well!"

"Medic here!" Messie responded. Though she may be a medic in training, she was a medic nonetheless. For her as well, it was time for her to pull her own weight. She had been standing idle by the sideline for too long.

…

"Help me bring the other wounded back here!"

"Ayo, got it!"

Requesting the help from a nearby Scout, Messie had the other injured SG moved out from the frontline of danger to be set down before her. Her first patient was a Sauro woman, and she looked terrible already, with a complexion turning more blue by the second.

"Tell me where it hurts— you're freezing!"

"It's, it's so c-cold. Blood, freezing. Can't f-fe-feel my hands or feet. Lungs h-hurt-rt. Can't bre-eathe."

"Where were you hit? Your neck? I'll check, so can you roll over on your side?"

After being asked, the Sauro patient motioned towards her own neck with trembling hands that lacked the dexterity to point with any individual fingers. Then she nodded and rolled over with a struggle. A breath of frosted air spewed from her mouth alongside the effort.

Messie inspected her then. Right away, she noticed the blackened star-like bruise that was emblazoned on the woman's nape. She did not want to touch it, but she was sure that the spot would be frozen without give, a characteristic of extreme frostbite. She had seen this kind of thing happen before.

"The wound isn't life threatening, but you were hit by a frost debilitation arte. It spreads quickly and lowers your core temperature to induce extreme hypothermia. By design it isn't meant to be lethal, but with you being a Sauro, you're much more susceptible to its effects than others. I can give you some hot packs to help you warm up, but I'm afraid that will be all I can do for you at the moment. I'm sorry."

The woman closed her eyes at the diagnosis and accepted the hot packs graciously, even if it was difficult for her to show her gratitude. The relief from knowing that she was not in any life threatening danger was more than enough to satisfy her for now.

"Hey, I've brought the other injured."

"Medic? Are you a medic? Argh!"

With a groan of anguish announcing their arrival, the other injured had returned with the Scout that Messie commissioned earlier.

"Yes, I'm a medic. Please tell me what's wrong!"

As he was laid down, the Caprinae man seized in what Messie could only perceive to be extreme anguish. His veins, especially, bulged out like snakes were constantly crawling underneath his skin. In addition to that, his body was flushed and his clothes soaked in his own perspiration. When she put a hand over his forehead, she almost reeled from the touch.

It was hot, too hot even for a fever.

"It's in my blood! I need a dose of artes neutralizer! Hurry…! Getting cooked alive!"

"I understand."

Messie nodded before she quickly dug through her medical kit. While it would typically be outside protocol to let a patient self diagnose, the situation was quite clear in what needed to be done.

Artes neutralizer— or aether purger by another name, was a drug used to flush out aether from a person's body. It had many applications, and here it could be used to purge the harmful arte affecting her patient on the inside. The only problem being that it was derived from a powerful venom that typically brought about more harm than good, which was why she did not use it for her Sauro patient earlier. This, however, was quite the different story and she was certain that the Caprinae man would die without it.

"Try to hold still for a moment."

The artes neutralizer was to be administered directly into a vein. Luckily for her, his veins were more than visible enough and, after wiping the site clean, she was able to inject the syringe with little trouble.

The drug took effect almost immediately, with perhaps only a half minute to a minute of delay. The man's face seemed to relax for just a moment before another kind of ailment overtook him. He clawed at his own chest, then his neck, then back at his chest again while taking in sharp inhales of breath. Arguably, it looked like he was going through a worse anguish than before, and Messie felt lucky that she never had to test the drug on herself yet.

"I'm done with this anchor point! Let's go to the last one!"

Azura's announcement suddenly brought Messie out of her work. Fortunately, she had made it just in time treating both of her patients. Right away, the SGs were already ready to move, but before that could happen, she hurriedly asked anyone nearby to help in transporting the patients.

"I got this one."

"I'll grab the legs, you grab the arms."

"We'll take this one then."

Two people each carried an injured one. Like this, they ran alongside the rest of the group and they were able to make it to the next and final anchor point. This was it, their final stand. With all the possessed honing in on their location now, it was do or die, truly.

So until Azura was done, they needed to hold on… no matter the costs.

"Please…"

Messie was not religious, but she prayed then. Clenching her fists tightly, she prayed to whatever deity that was out there in the vast cosmos: good gods, chaotic gods, forgotten gods— it did not matter. She prayed to every one of them. All she wanted was for this nightmare to be over, for everything to be okay, and for her to make it through the night not in a bodybag.

…

…