Pressure Baby

Ragnarok gets up and walks away, putting her phone away and recalling her mace to be held on her back. Exiting her workplace, she takes a road by the valley in Depth One towards an intercontinental underwater train station. Through the faded green wood, she keeps swinging her mace and whistling. Using her Searcher License as free pass, she calls a ride for herself. On the empty train she lays down leisurely. There were no people inside, so she stared up, seeing the dark blue ocean from below. Given the silence, she couldn’t help but click her tongue rhythmically.

Twenty agonizing minutes later she was arriving to her house on the mainland continents.

— Dani! I’m home.

A large and modern blue house mansion with massive windows in an extremely safe neighbourhood in Canada. And four children answer the door. They swarm her with laughter as she walks in.

Larissa Guerra, 28 years old. Oldest of 8 siblings. All of them significantly younger than her. Her mother died after being victim of a random assault. The father, was stricken by grief and diseases, spiralling into a depression that struck him heavily. And before she could realize, she was the one taking care of the house. But the slums of Brazil in which they lived were unforgiving. And soon, she would crack and crumble under this pressure. But a hit had been put out for a creature that was seen escaping the Wetlands.

The monster swam all the way to the Brazilian coast and before it could hurt anyone, it was hit in the head by a brick. And little Larissa was now its prey. But before Larissa herself could be murdered and leave her family to rot without her, the creature was killed. Soaked in the beast’s blood, her eyes met Liver’s.

Soon after that, she was undergoing severe training to be a Searcher. And it was through the unseen fortune that came with this job that she saved her family.

— Dad? — She enters the kitchen.

— Larissa! — A man with even darker skin comes to her.

He was shorter, meagre. White hair and deep wrinkles gave him a humble look. The stress combined with his grief-brought illness took a tremendous toll on him. It was as if he was past his sixties when in reality, he was twenty years younger. Breaking up the hug he continues:

— I didn’t think you’d be home today. I would’ve made more food.

— Dad, I told you not to cook anything, that’s why we have maids.

— I told them to have a break today. Don’t worry about it.

Larissa sits at the table; her many siblings storm the kitchen and interact with her. Daniel, nicknamed Dani was the second oldest, just 12 years old. She allowed him to have a smartphone to report anything to her. Her dad refused to have one because he had some qualms with technology. She simply removes the disgusting meal she knew her father conjured from the pan and throws it into the trash.

— Thanks for letting me know, Dani. — She smiles, messing up his hair.

— Come on Larissa, you have to let me do something. — Her dad begged.

— You can do other things… — She sits back down.

— Hm… I suppose. — He walks away, to another corner of the house.

— I already called the maids back; they’ll make dinner for us.

— Okay. Thank you, Larissa. I’m… very proud of you. — He exits.

She wasn’t necessarily proud of the way she treated her dad but didn’t know quite well what to do with the stubborn old man. Some of her siblings try taking her mace from her back but fail due to its weight and magnetic grip. As the kids jump and play with and around her, she stays with her arms crossed. Her father had stated many times before. Essentially every time he could; he was very proud of her. He was proud of having such a strong and resilient daughter. And that his joy, to know that it was throught her hard work and sacrifice that they were saved from poverty, was indescribable. He was blessed to have Larissa.

The job came with many risks, and it was clear for her father and even more for Larissa. That lingering fear of meeting her demise while exploring those monstrous depths. The fear that maybe she wouldn’t come back, that this was the last time any of them saw her. And now more than ever, as she heard her siblings laugh, her mind kept showing her images of a bastard. She remembers Green’s omnipotence over her whole group. She can’t even remember if she landed a hit on him once. Did she have any force? Was she actually worth anything?

Liver was worth a lot more than her. Yet, she let him die like he was nothing. He saved her, introducing her to this life and to her allies. He allowed her to grow and through becoming a successful Searcher, she saved her family. But it seems that she wasn’t that successful. And if Liver went out so easily, how long would it take until it has her turn…

— Sis?

Dani snaps her out of a daze.

— Are you okay? You seem tired.

She shifts expressions instantly. The older sister gets up, flexing her right arm.

— Your older sister is never tired Dani. — And smiles confidently.

Despite being in danger every day, the real fear came from failing. Not the job, but her family. She must not fail. She must not falter. She must be there for her family, no excuses. That was the silent pressure that was killing her, and it was the only pressure she would allow to be killed by. If she was killed by something else, she would simply not die.

After dinner, the family watches movies together until everyone fell asleep. Dawn of the next day, Larissa woke up with her phone buzzing. She lifts herself from under the pile of siblings and wipes some drool of her mouth. In the bathroom, taking a shower to wake herself up, she lets the phone play off the newest messages. All of them were from her boss, Killerkill.

— Ragnarok. You and Juice are needed for a recon mission. Come to the Lapse immediately. — Messages like that over and over again. All fairly recent.

Letting the water ease her sore yet defined body, she whispers to herself.

— It’s gonna be a tough day…

Packed and suited, Larissa takes one last look at her family crashed and asleep all over the living room. Confident that she would return once more, she whispers:

— See you guys later.

One underwater train later, she and Juice were reviewing the mission details together.

— “A strange creature has been spotted in the Black Light District.” — Juice read off the board. — Oh great, another run on Depth Five. “Thought to be related with the GREEN Incident, four Searcher teams have already been sent to investigate it, but none have returned.” Lovely…

Juice cocks his gun and guards it. Stiffs up and puts his fedora back on, ready to go. He stares at his partner and Ragnarok seemed hesitant to put her mask back on. It looked like a mouthpiece with fearsome teeth, that made her look like she was biting on a muzzle. She snaps it on and aggressively draws her mace out with a tight grip.

— Let’s go kill something.