The Isekai Game: Future Diary - Chapter 5

The Isekai Game. A sport where one may participate in live combat for fun. Advanced robotics and holographic effects simulate otherworldly experiences. Things the normal person could only dream of. One may cast magic among the Atlanteans one month whilst shooting down airships the next. Likewise, death and torture that no human could possibly experience in real life are also simulated.

You may find yourself eaten by a plant with acidic saliva. Or trapped in a dungeon to face your inner sins. But your dreams may lie in slaying a dragon. Rescuing a real princess from a tower. Conquering your fellow players with a series of wit and might. A grand adventure to the unknown. Assuming, that is, you have the raw strength and wit to accomplish such tasks.

No worries… Nobody plays The Isekai Game alone.

Thus, Vanessa wondered why she was alone. In this darkness. Was it seconds or minutes before she saw it sway about her face? Was this a mere motion of darkness or smoke before her? Nobody was there. Yet, the hairs on her back and arms stood. A divine presence was there to guide her. It lacked voice or image. Its words were rather felt.

“Walk forward for this new life you have chosen”.

Just like that, Vanessa felt trust in her heart. Whatever trick this was, it made her feel safe. Her foot stepped forward as her hand swung with a feeling that it was being held.

The sway of darkness grew light to a smoke effect that didn’t interrupt her breathing. Perhaps it was mere visuals. It grew lighter. Roughly a ton weighed on her heart, yet felt light as a feather. There was a sense of courage felt.

When coming to a stop, she boasted her ċhėst, ready for a challenge. The smoke faded to the distance. Three lights were created. Within each, was a different weapon.

“Choose your path!” commanded that feeling.

Where was it coming from? What could it be? Vanessa didn’t know what to make of this. It was after a deep breath that her eyes felt to the light at the far left.

Masamune rested on a small pillar. The long blade was embedded with magic that channeled it into ferocious attacks which were suited for any range.

“The power of the spellblade can be yours”.

Vanessa turned to the center light. A wondrous purple blade rested on a short pillar. It was called “Magenta”. Its power is connected to the stars. It favored a more traditional katana than the long Masamune.

“Dual classing the power of the stars, and astrologian, with the discipline of a samurai. Do you accept this power”?

“The raw power of the monk can be yours if you can find it within yourself to harness it”.

Vanessa glanced again at her three pathways. They were each so promising. Her heart knew, to choose what made her the happiest. For her love of the stars and samurai, she held the Magenta firmly in the air.

“Wise choice to choose happiness. It makes me happy,” darkness from above faded away to reveal stars among a dark blue sky, “But Vanessa, please come see me one day”.

Why are those words finding their way inside of Vanessa? It seemed odd that such things could come her way here. This game was for her and only her. Nobody else was to get in the way of her happiness.

“Get ready… To show your power”.

Vanessa felt it coming. Not kind words nor an angel. A fight. A thrill. The things she came for. An adventure.

Darkness continued to vanquish. Mountain tips were seen at a near distance. She must’ve been in the country. Though it all seemed familiar. Yes, it was like her home in Italy. Having moved to Miami made her miss the old countryside a bit. This theme was reminiscent of that.

It was great given that this theme was magic-based. She’d study her magic spells well before coming. Her test scores were also pretty well for a beginner. Rather comparable to a veteran.

Finally, the darkness was gone. And Vanessa found herself in the center of a mountain range. The full moon was just ahead, over the horizon. So big that its light was felt in her palm. The night’s chill gave goosebumps down her arms. So funny that outside the stadium was still daylight. That reality had no effect on the game itself.

“…Now fight”.

Claws reached out the dirt all around her. Bald heads knocked out of the mountains. Red eyes shined through the night. Fangs dripped of drool upon opening towards her. They crawled from the depths of Hell.

Vanessa was in tune with Magenta. She swung it downward in preparation for the ȧssault. The moonlight shined well on her. Her long dark purple hair matched her sword and blended well with the black dress that flared at the hɨps and ended at her knees.

A twirl overtook her body, simply to give her opponents a tease of what was to come. Her glare was dangerous. The gleam in her eye was misleading. Better yet the itch in her palms was begging the creatures to hurry.

They came screaming with their mouths open and claws ready to tear. One got near and was graced with a kick to the head.

Vanessa pivoted across and swung her blade across the neck of another demon. Its head fell away with blood splattering from its dead body.

She led her palm out towards a number of demons, “Lightning, wall”!

As the command entailed, strings of lightning shot from her hand to form a wall that pressed through her attackers. Their bodies ripped and tore. Blood splashed and dripped into the dirt. Seconds later, burnt iron stung against Vanessa’s nose.

It was a horrid smell. One that earned a deep breath to release the serotonin inside her head. In this high of death, a number of demons launched themselves at her.

Katanas flew from her body. The demons were struck through their ċhėst. Holes remained in their hearts. Their bodies fell lifeless at her feet.

Her confidence swelled with power that she knew her place to step on the corpses of her victims. Their brethren were helpless against her. With mere chants, she cast spells of blades and various elements to annihilate her foes. When near, she stretched her muscles to drive her blade through their bodies.

Cold bodies laid across the mountain range earned her most evil laugh, “Mwahahahah”.

Sweat falling down her ċhėst was not of effort nor fatigue. It was the joy of existing. To know she was free to fight and establish herself among those around her.

A loud series of thuds trampling her dirt earned itself a graceful spin from Vanessa. The demon was the size of a gorilla running on all fours. Easily surpassing her physicality. Its roar blew loose strands of her hair back against the wind. But it couldn’t break to cold demeanor she held against it.

“Sin, give me strength”!

A coat of energy surrounded her blade and body. With this coating, she kicked forward into a sprint. The tip of Magenta carried a trail of wind which was seen by those present. It was upon coming within range that the demon jumped at her.

Without fear, Vanessa swung into his midriff and drove Magenta through his body. The weight of his body didn’t interfere with her force. Not even by an inch was she pressed back.

That may have been the last strand of hope these mindless demons had. Even they knew it was futile to attack such a woman. A murderous fighter who fancied death. One who hummed among their fallen brothers.

Excitement overtook her to conquer this night. It drove her feet forward at a tremendous speed. The burn in her abs was ignored to reach down the sloping field. The wind beating against her back felt to be carrying her across.

A series of thuds came in rapid succession. A quick turn in her neck and Vanessa witnessed a wolf racing towards her. Dust and rocks flew behind its paws. The damn thing was the size of an 18-wheel truck.

Vanessa held her ground in a defensive stance. She called upon the power of envy. Power came to her sword. It was unique to the beast who bit down at her. Its teeth were bȧrėly stopped by her blade. The impact was enough to send her back a few yards.

It bit at her again. This time she angled her body to not take the full impact. Having moved out the way, Vanessa held her ground against the wolf’s bite and scratches. They were too powerful to take on entirely. It was her special ability that kept her in the fight.

Oh, how she hated studying the science behind the flow of energy. The way it could transfer from one object to another. It took hours to perfect the course. Even so, there was so much more to learn. At least she got a pretty good hang of how it all worked. It enabled her to pass the test.

Having jumped and dodged many attacks whilst absorbing fragments of the impacts, Vanessa had stored much energy from her canine opponent.

“Release!” she severed its paw, sending the wolf to tumble over. She timed the release of the remaining stored energy to strike its neck, leaving blood pouring out at a constant rate.

It cried and whimpered under the moon. A final howl was given before welcoming death with open arms. Vanessa was close to town. And with no other monster in sight, it appeared to be an easy trot.

And that it was. Not a single creature attacked her. She reached the quiet town under the impression that something was wrong. The homes were sweet and tiny. Pots of plants rested out the doors across town. Lights shined above. Little boats rested at the docks. Streets were paved in stone. Trash was nonexistent.

It was the flowers. Vanessa reached towards a roof to pluck a single flower for her hair. It matched the purple aesthetic she had going. Her hands remained clasped to her front. No man could enjoy this side of her. The side that showered in the moonlight with a goofy smile that exposed her innocence.

She spotted her reflection in the water. If only she had a quarter to drop in thanks for the wonderful view, she’d be broke in an instant. Panting came from behind.

“Wow,” a young Pakistanian boy stuttered upon seeing her, “H-hey. You shouldn’t be out here”.

“Tell me why!” she spoke stern, yet displeased, “What do you have for me boy”!

He smiled a bit, “Sorry if I offended-“.

“I asked what do you have”.

He held his hands up, “There’s a demon around here. We’re trying to stop it before it kills everyone”.

Without a word, she turned to view the water. He understood she didn’t want to talk. Nor did she want his help. It wasn’t until he stepped away that she began thinking of her next course of action.

A demon in this empty town. Because that made sense. It was more likely that it left to the next town. Unfortunately, the waters were vast. She needed a map if she wanted to find it. That being said, where could she find one?

She waltzed through town and looked in the window of every building on the shoreline. A crash in the trash cans caught her attention. A young Cuban man with his blonde hair in a ponytail had fallen from the roof.

“You,” she didn’t have strong feelings towards this guy, “Why are you on that one”?

He rose up, “Hey. Who are you”?

She remained polite, “My name is Vanessa,” she rose her chin and tilted her head, “Why were you up there”?

He threw a hand up, “Well, I need to find this demon. So I was thinking I could find her from above. So I climbed on that roof and then I was thinking what if there was a town nearby”.

“Yes,” her eyes widened with a hand on her ċhėst, “I thought of that one,” she pointed around, “So I look in all of these houses by the water and none have maps,” she shrugged, “But I’m still looking”.

He snapped at her, “That’s a good idea,” he shook her hand, “I’m Benji by the way. Have we met?” she shook her head, “Yeah, you seem a little new”.

Vanessa nodded, “Mhm. This is my first day”.

“Nice,” he smiled, “Thinking about going pro”?

“Yes!” she held her palms on her cheeks in an attempt to hide her excitement, “I really like that one”!

“Nice, nice,” he nodded, “Well, I’m trying to go to the pro leagues too. I’m currently trying to get on a pro league squad to go. But right now, the squad I’m in is just their support squad. Their training people here if you want to join”.

Vanessa nodded, “Is sounds super. They train you”.

“Oh yeah,” he shook his head, “They’re really good. This theme is only a level three. So what they’re doing is having us split up and we’ll just call in if we run into anything. You can join me. I’ll introduce you to my squad leader later if you want”.

“Yes,” she smiled, “I like that one”.

“Alright,” Benji nodded, “So uh,” he threw his hand again, “You want to keep on looking around- Oh wait. Now that I think about it,” he rotated in a different direction, “I think I saw a map. In the town hall. The building by the entrance”.

Vanessa rose a finger, “Let’s hurry”.

Without another word, the two jogged down to the entrance where Vanessa came. It was the small building she first saw. The map hung on the wall. And before Vanessa knew it, Benji used a spell to unlock the door.

Inside, he took the map down and left out with Vanessa. It took a minute to get oriented a figure out where everything was. However, once they did, it was clear that there was a small town a little out in the waters and to the left.

Benji called in, “Nana. We’re going on the water. Can you spot us”.

A soft sweet voice responded, “Okay. Who are you with”?

“Her name is Vanessa,” Benji walked out towards the boats with his new companion.

Nana was at a different dock, “Okay. I’m getting in now,” she stepped in and submerged her entire body into the lake.

Another feminine, yet stern, voice called in, “Where are you going”?

Benji stepped into the boat, “There’s another town nearby. I was going to investigate it with my new friend. She says she wants to go to the pro leagues too,” he rowed away with Vanessa helping him to paddle.

“Okay,” the voice was relaxed, likely the squad leader, “I’ll meet with her later. And I will send Dani over to help you”.

“Don’t send me,” Dani was hiding from any work in town.

“I’m sending you,” said the supposed squad leader, “Don’t worry though. Nana is in the water”.

“I don’t wanna go,” whɨnėd Dani, “I’m in a nice spot”.

“You’re supposed to be walking around,” chuckled the leader.

Dani spoke calmly, “Listen… I don’t need this… I know where you live Kiki”.

Benji muted the radio and shook his head, “Don’t worry about them. They’re just goofing around”.

Vanessa giggled, “Is was funny that Dani”.

Something knocked against their boat. Benji attempted to sense it out, but he wasn’t good at detecting things underwater. His lack of skill worried the two.

Both stood, looking out into the water. Their backs faced one another. In Vanessa’s hand was Magenta. In Benji’s, a short machete.

Benji called in, “We may be taking contact on the water. Send Nana”.

An eel with arms jumped towards Vanessa. She sliced through its head with ease, only to hear more creatures jumping out of the water.

The two kicked and slashed to kill these weird-looking eels. They wouldn’t stop jumping up with their mouths wide and fingers-length teeth chomping down. It felt like a test of speed and reflexes more than anything. A bump to the boat pulled them forward and seemingly warded the eels away.

“Thank god,” Benji sat down.

Vanessa remained calm, knowing it was Nana who helped them. She could already see the next town. It would be less than five minutes before they reached it. The wind caught her attention to face the shore.

A light-toned young man with short brown hair paced through the waves. His dark green shirt and jean pants stood out. He waved at her continuously as though she owed him some act of courtesy. Seeing that she was rather confused by his presence, the man lowered his hand and ċȯċked his head.

At no point could Vanessa take her eyes off. He walked briefly towards the town they were headed to and stopped. There was a strange feeling about him. At least he didn’t appear to be a threat. Rather sad if anything.

Benji would tap his paddle in the water, causing their course of direction to ai more precisely at the town. The boat reached the dock. Like the last one, it was nice, clean, and quiet. An old woman wearing an old cloak walked the night. An immediate suspicion. A closer look and they saw her chewing on raw meat.

“Let’s get her,” Benji extend a bow from his right arm and drew back. He shot a magical arrow, striking the old woman in the leg. She limped off between two houses.

The two ran over and cut the corner at once with their weapons ready. With nothing in sight and the small alley opening to a field, Benji kept his bow ready and demanded Vanessa to pop left.

Their feet glided over. They remained shoulder to shoulder until it was time to pass the wall. Vanessa stepped to face the left as Benji did the right.

“Clear!” shouted Vanessa.

Benji looked around and up. The old hag jumped from the roof. He shot her head and watch her body vanquish in thin air.

He spun around, “Shit! An illusi-” the old woman morphed from a large rock and stabbed into his ribs.

Vanessa stabbed at her, catching her forearm, and pushed her away. Amidst the tackle, the old woman flipped her knife into Vanessa’s forearm as well.

They struggled against one another. Vanessa rotated Magenta down towards the old woman’s neck and ripped it out. There was a deep gash down into the old hag’s jugular. Her eyes rolled back as her body shook.

Vanessa pulled the blade out of her arm and sliced off the woman’s head. Before she cared to heal herself, she began healing Benji. He cried. His breath beat out on the second. Even when Vanessa finished healing him, he was still crying. At least the witch was dead.

Given that Benji hadn’t pulled himself together yet, Vanessa called in, “This is Vanessa. Me and Benji saw an old woman eating raw meat. We chased her. Fought and kill her. She was a witch. Benji got hurt, but I heal him”.

Kiki, the squad leader called in, “Nice. Alright, the two of you head to the dock. Link up with Dani. What powers did she have”?

Benji stood and took the radio, “She had illusion powers and shapeshifting”.

“Alright,” Kiki called, “Be careful. She is rumored to have been summoning demonic creatures around. I’ll take care of the portal with Hakim. You two and Dani stay safe”.

Vanessa and Benji walked back onto the main road. It wasn’t long before they saw this short redhead girl. Her white top showed off her cleavage and did nothing to cover her belly. The long dress thing she had as a bottom flew around with the wind. This had to be the lazy angry lolli that Vanessa needed in life.

“Bruh,” Dani played with her free hair, “We need to hurry up. I’m ready to go”.

“Yeah,” Benji was wiping his face, “I already got murdered. I can’t take that yo”.

Dani smirked, “Quit being a bitch. You won’t make it to my boyfriend’s squad if you keep up that attitude,” she turned to Vanessa, “Hi! Why are you smiling so much? You’ve been smiling at me ever since you saw me. Like, I smile at myself too every morning when I look in the mirror. So I don’t blame you… I don’t know, I get a little ‘antsy sometimes”.

“Definitely ‘antsy’” Benji chuckled.

“Shut up!” Dani’s cheeks were red from laughter, “Seriously though, why do you keep smiling at me”?

Vanessa gasped, “Oh, I just really like meeting new people. Is my first day ever and have no friends yet. But I really like your outfit”.

Benji pointed his thumb at her, “She wants to go to the Pro Leagues as well. She already saved me once”.

Dani shook him off, “That was only a level three boss at best. you just suck. Anyways, if you want to get on our main squad, you need to work your way up through us, the support squad. So talk to Kiki”.

Vanessa nodded, “Yes, I-” there was a tingle on her back, followed by a red arrow in front of her, “Something’s coming”.

“Why doesn’t Benji know something is coming?” Dani ċȯċked her gun and held it up.

Benji mustered the strength to draw back on his bow, “Just remember not to blow up the town”.

“Don’t worry about what and who all I blow up!” Dani ċȯċked her head, “you need to worry about making it to my baby’s squad”!

Vanessa disregarded the bickering to locate the creature. It was remaining behind the buildings. Just making its way around.

“What’s it doing Vanessa?” Dani was ready to shoot, “Something Benji should be asking”.

“I think… Is flying behinds all these buildings”.

“Hm,” Dani ċȯċked her gun again which made it light up, “Let’s bring it out then”.

A long creature that favored a snake flew from behind a house, screeching. Dani shot out what appeared to be a flare that exploded on the thing. For a moment, the night sky appeared bright as day. Everyone was nearly blinded.

The blast vibrated the land and their eardrums. the creature’s exoskeleton absorbed most of the impact. But at least it wasn’t flying that well. As the monster flew down at them, Benji ran. If Dani’s magic did little damage to the beast, then what hope was there?

Vanessa gripped her sword in preparation, “I have a plan! Is super”!

A giant snakehead lashed out of the water to bite down into the weird flying snake thing. Right when the attacking creature tried to retaliate, another identical snakehead struck it down further. The tail end broke. Blood soaked through the cracks. A third bit its head, and together, the three pulled the ȧssailant into the water.

Dani called in, “Thank you Nana. No help from Benji”.

Nana laughed, “No problem”.

Kiki called, “How’s the new girl doing”?

“Yo!” Dani chuckled, “My girl was ready to go down”!

“I’m close by,” Kiki was jogging over, “But it takes more than bravery to join up with the big guys”.

Dani kissed her teeth and put away her radio, “Hey! My girl had a plan! I don’t know what plan it was, but she had one”!

The slender white goth in charge of this squad ran up smiling, “Oh my God. Sorry about that”.

Vanessa smiled brightly, “Is oki. Dani found me and took care of me for the night”.

Benji held out his hand, “Wait, I found-“.

Kiki held out her hand, “So, you’re the one who wants to join the pro leagues, right”?

“Mhm,” Vanessa grabbed her hand, “Yes. And it will be perfect”.

“Alright. It will take time for you to prove yourself before joining our main squad,” Kiki shook firmly, “In the meantime, welcome aboard”!

It was the look in her eyes that gave Vanessa reassurance that her journey here was going to be a fun eventful one that takes her to places she had always dreamed of.. Best of all, she would make it to the pro leagues after all.