18 We're Here

Vanessa and Hakim kept on walking until they came near the woods where Vanessa was held. Hakim noticed that their trials were held in the same area. Meaning they have the same essence of fear.

The theme used a grid system where each area was an essence of trials. The trials themselves are meant to remain in there. Thus they cannot come out into the road which divides them.

Vanessa stared up with her finger on her lip. After some thought, she squinted her eyes and shook her head saying, "That makes no sense".

Hakim apologized, "Sorry. Logan is the expert. Not me".

"It's oki," said Vanessa as she stood in front of the woods area.

After stepping in, it only took less than a minute of Vanessa walking in the woods before she heard the witch alarming the clones. Vanessa stared with her eyes wide open at Hakim until she heard a noise rush through the woods.

"We have to kill the witch," said Hakim.

The two had drawn their swords obtained from earlier at Hakim's house and began walking towards the witch's open lab. A second-minute hadn't gone by before Vanessa saw two clones racing towards her.

She swung her blade at one of her clones as it came near. The clone fell bleeding, but the other one had tackled Vanessa to the ground and begun swinging into her temple repetitively.

Hakim swung his sword into the back of the clone that was on Vanessa but was sucker-punched by a third clone. A fourth clone kneeled down into Vanessa's chest and began to tie her hands together as the third tied Hakim's hands.

The two clones dragged Hakim and Vanessa to the witch who was sitting down, waiting for their return. The clones each hanged Vanessa and Hakim onto hooks where they dangled.

Vanessa got a better glance at the area this time. The witch's lab was located openly in a graveyard. Tombs with names and occupations at the bottom instead of dates filled the graveyard. The tombstone the witch had prepared for her didn't have an occupation yet. The two clones didn't appear as real creatures. Even the metal room she was in was in fact coffin. Unfortunately, she couldn't figure out her fear.

The witch walked over and rubbed Hakim's wooly hair, "You've been a good boy. Don't worry, I will make yours soon".

This left Vanessa and Hakim puzzled.

The witch walked over to Vanessa and laughed, "I see you have been doing well at this game. But I tell you what, You have nearly 10,000 points and a strong set of statistics for playing this game".

The witch tilted her head and smile, "But I know you want more. I will give you a scholarship for $20,000 to give me all of your points and never play this game again for the next year. That $20,000 can be used at any school for any degree".

"Excuse me," asked Vanessa.

The old hag for a witch stared up at Vanessa and asked, "Did I stutter. You have been made an offer. Now take it".

She stared at hakim who had confirmed. Yes, the game offered scholarships as a means to offer healthy futures to their players.

The witch began rubbing Vanessa's shoulders and said, "Don't worry. It will all be easy. You take the deal and I will put you back in the coffin and send you back to the real world".

But Vanessa couldn't trade her dream for a measly scholarship. Thus, she rejected the offer.

The witch's face grew into an angry disgusted expression yelling, "Excuse me! I offer you life! A real-life! With real things! And all you can say is that you reject a real future! With a real job! So you want to be a failure for your entire life, right? Well, I got news for you"! The witch pressed her clammy face onto Vanessa and continued "I know how to treat failures"!

Vanessa kicked the witch away. She herself flew into the air and her tied hands fell over the hook.

The two clones had begun running to tackle Vanessa again when Jeff sprung out and smashed one of the clones in the head with his club. She flew down while the witch ran away. Vanessa ran after the witch while Jeff tackled the other clone from attacking Vanessa.

Vanessa chased after the witch into the graveyard and kicked her into a tomb. The witch had hit her face on the tomb and began to cry. Vanessa grabbed the witch by her hair and smashed it into the tombstone repetitively and threw her down.

As Vanessa began stomping the witch in her stomach, the witch pleaded for Vanessa to stop as she held out a box. Vanessa stopped for a brief moment to accept the box.

"What is this?" asked Vanessa.

The witch explained, "You chose to stay true to yourself and your self-identity. Stay in course with your passions or you will wake up one day in another person's body living a life that isn't yours".

Vanessa took the pocket-sized box away and watched as the witch fell dead on the tomb. She noticed the names on the tombs are people who sold their dreams for something that wasn't meant for them due to pressures of society and their loved ones. She placed the box into her pocket and headed over towards the witch's lab.

She walked past the tombs feeling each one representing the lost souls. No, not the lost souls consumed by a warlock or some evil witch. The people who sold their dreams to accommodate what others wanted. Vanessa couldn't help but take a stop and reflect on how this has affected her as well. She never really been able to pursue her passions. Sure her parents were in support of her cosplay and anime hobbies. But only as that, a hobby. It's only now that Vanessa was here in Miami that she was able to pursue this dream of being a pro-Isekai Game Player.

"But what if I fail," she thought.

In the event of Vanessa failing to become a pro player, she knew it would entail the enrollment of college and journeying a career pathway that didn't meet her expectations of living. This fear Vanessa had was the fear The Isekai Game was targeting. Not the visual kind of simple snakes and spiders. But the deeper fears that bend our everyday life. Nonetheless, just as strong of a decision Vanessa made when answering the witch is the same strength that made Vanessa stronger for the moment. She looked up to a club thrown in her face.

At the lab stood Kiki from the Paragon Sisters. She held Jeff hostage by his arm behind his back. But not too far from her was a short-haired man with multiple piercings, dark tanned skin, and a broad chest. Vanessa couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the man. "Who are you?" she asked on her feet.

"Don't worry about who I am. Now hand us over your treasure," said the man in a low-toned voice.

Vanessa was able to tell this wasn't a man, but rather a woman. This revelation left Vanessa frozen for just a moment before she took off sprinting away. The girl who had looked like a man had taken off chasing after Vanessa.

Kiki began yelling, "Pattie! Wait"! But Pattie didn't wait. She stormed through the graveyard running after Vanessa who was a bit faster than her.

Pattie continued chasing Vanessa through the woods until she lost sight. It occurred to her that it was a trap.

Kiki was patiently waiting with Jeff still in an arm hold when Vanessa sprung out and kicked her in the liver. Vanessa swung around and roundhouse kicked Kiki in the jaw. Jeff was on the ground crying with his left arm in pain from the arm-hold. As Vanessa walked up to finish beating Kiki, a warning label came up above Kiki's body.

"Warning. Your opponent has been defeated and will be escorted. Do not proceed in engagement or else you will be prosecuted. You are still in the game," said The Isekai System.

Vanessa watched as Kiki rolled on the ground in pain and said, "Sorry".

"Vanessa! Run," yelled Jeff as Pattie was sprinting towards Vanessa.

Vanessa held no fear. She squared her body to Pattie and kicked her body towards Pattie. Before Vanessa was in range, Pattie jumped up and managed to kick Vanessa in the head.

Jeff attempted to punch Pattie with his right hand. She pulled him by his fist to knee him in the stomach. Vanessa ran to kick her in the stomach to which Pattie used Jeff as a shield. Pattie finished Jeff by kneeling him in the face and throwing him down.

Vanessa and Pattie were now squared against one another and began boxing. Pattie easily gained the upper hand and knocked Vanessa well in her jaw until it began to ring her ears. Vanessa felt her arms getting tired and even started to drop her guard.

Hakim threw some rope around Pattie which kept her arms down long enough for Vanessa to box her a few times back. Hakim jumped on Pattie's back and held her down for a short time for Vanessa to punch her repetitively.

Pattie didn't quit. She kicked Vanessa away and hurled herself onto her back to hurt Hakim. She rolled around and threw him in an armbar.

Jeff then rose up and stomped Pattie in the head. This triggered Pattie and left Jeff frozen upon seeing the look on her face. Pattie finished her armbar, leaving Hakim paralyzed on the ground, and raced toward Jeff who had started running.

Vanessa grabbed ahold of her clothes. Pattie sprung around and began boxing Vanessa once more until she was tackled by an unknown assailant. Vanessa had a hard time seeing the face in the night but had shortly after heard a laugh that was already far too familiar.

In a similar fashion that the witch was chasing her earlier, there was now a different witch with four clones of Pattie that had looked the exact same as the real Pattie.

The second clone came and tied up Pattie while a third clone disguised its voice to be as deep as possible said, "You can no longer run. Come with us". Pattie struggled hard as each clone lifted her off the ground by a different limb and carried her away.

Jeff who was hiding behind a tomb walked over with a limp.

"I'm proud of you man," said Hakim as he hugged his friend.

Vanessa was barely able to stand from her beating. "Thanks," she uttered.

Jeff came and placed Vanessa's arm around his shoulders and said "let's go rest".

Hakim held a painful smile and said, "Actually, we need to go to my house first".