The Homeseeker: Elemental Adventurer LitRPG [Isekai] (Series Complete!)

"No," Zalan whispered, looking at the disfigured form of his own mother.

"It took you so long to visit, I decided to come myself, Zalan," the Gloomstalker spoke.

The monster looked like an anemic approximation of Zalan's mom. It had deep bags under her eyes and an uncharacteristic frown curved at her lips. She had wrinkles strewn about her face and thin limbs sticking out from a pair of gray scrubs she was wearing. Zalan hated looking at her like this, like she was entirely brittle and in constant pain. She even limped as she walked.

The worst part was that seeing his mother triggered some deep inner turmoil in Zalan. He never expected to see her again, but seeing her look so far from her maternal beauty made him throw out the conception that this might be a monster. He needed to help her. She was upset and looked to be in pain. He was compelled to help her, but was terrified to see her in this place. His stomach lurched into his throat, his mind twisting in cognitive dissonance and vertigo. He couldn't think of what to say.

"Rep, what do I do?" Zalan asked in dire panic.

"Rep? Zalan, it is me. My name is Finnegan! And you must kill it! Before it strikes with whatever power it gleans from our minds," Finnegan said.

"No, I can't hurt my mom!" Zalan said, his face twisting to Finnegan in bafflement.

"That is your mother?" Finnegan asked, horrified. He turned and stared at the creature, then back at the way Zalan quivered before it. Finnegan saw the total lack of fighting potential in Zalan. "Dear God, you don't see it as a monster. She will kill us."

"No, she wouldn't do that," Zalan said confidently.

Finnegan waved his hands in front of Zalan's face, but Zalan leaned his head around.

"Listen to me. This is important. That is a Gloomstalker, trying to take the form of something you will not attack. It is just a collection of your regrets. You know this. If you allow it to approach us, it will kill us," Finnegan said.

"No… This one's different," Zalan said to himself, his head swimming with indecision.

"Give me your sword."

"Why?" Zalan asked in a daze.

"There is no need to give him your sword," Zalan's gray mother shook her head.

"Nevermind, I will take it myself," Finnegan placed both hands to grip the hilt sticking out of Zalan's sheath.

Zalan clamped his hands over Finnegan's. Finnegan tried to pull out the sword regardless, but Zalan's Strength eclipsed Finnegan's by far. He couldn't budge it under Zalan's hands.

"Zalan, please, let go," Finnegan begged.

The Gloomstalker began to walk carefully toward them. The frown on her face deepend.

"You're upsetting her!" Zalan said to Finnegan.

"That is not your mother! It is a monster!" Finnegan said.

"Don't call her that!" Zalan roared.

"I don't like swords," the Gloomstalker said plainly.

Zalan pushed Finnegan away hard, tossing him to the ground. Finnegan opened his mouth to protest, but Zalan quickly pulled out the sword and tossed it behind him with all his might.

"No!" Finnegan called out in frustration as it crossed from the light into the wall of opaque darkness.

Finnegan looked at Zalan with grit teeth, then spun around to the approaching monster. With a grunt, he pulled himself upright. Finnegan looked down at his arms and flexed them uncertainly.

"I will take care of it myself. Fight to win or die trying," Finnegan decided.

He tried to run forward, but was caught on the collar from behind. Gagging, Finnegan twisted his neck to see Zalan gripping him tightly. Zalan was elated to see his gray mother smile as he held Finnegan back.

"Release me!" Finnegan demanded.

"You were upsetting her," Zalan reminded him.

"Stop speaking like that is anything but a monster!" Finnegan said.

Finnegan wheeled around in place and threw a punch at Zalan's face. Zalan's training kicked in and he dipped out of the way. Still holding onto Finnegan with one hand, he punched Finnegan in the gut with the other. The young man doubled over in pain. Zalan continued to hold him down tightly, a tough arm on his shoulder.

"Zalan, please, look at it. It lacks any color. It has none of the light of a human. It speaks evils. You must fight it," Finnegan groaned.

The Gloomstalker raised its arms. It looked to Zalan that his mother wanted a hug. The only thing between his mother and himself was Finnegan kneeling down between them. Zalan hoisted him up and tossed him aside.

"No!" Finnegan screamed for a moment before crashing into a wall with a thud.

"Mom?" Zalan asked.

The Gloomstalker stopped approaching and nodded. There was something wrong with her grin, like it was held back. The unnatural shape made Zalan look it over oddly, wondering what caused his mother to be unable to smile. She opened her palms, waiting to embrace her son. Zalan dashed forward into the Gloomstalker's tight squeeze.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"It's been so long," Zalan's mother spoke with disappointment. "You spent so long running around the realm when you could have come to see me."

"I'm sorry," Zalan said, full of remorse. "I tried, but I couldn't get home."

"Excuses," Zalan's mother said, frowning as she embraced tighter.

He tried to return the hug, but the creature pinned his arms to his side, preventing him from touching it. Her nails cut into Zalan's back. Even his chest was going tight, becoming hard to take a breath. He winced, but knew he deserved it.

"I mean it! I got a Homeseeker and activated it, but I couldn't get out of the realm!" Zalan insisted.

"You could have tried harder. You let Fran and Xavier die. You attacked Slauson when he only cared to see his parents again. You even hurt Finnegan. Why do you hate people who care for their parents? Is it because you hate me?" Zalan's mother asked.

"No, Mom! Of course not!" Zalan pleaded.

He could feel drops of blood sliding down his back. The cuts on his back were getting deep, and only becoming worse, but his psyche had turned to paste in the face of his mother's admonishments. He felt he definitely deserved it. This was the physical pain that should have come with the abandonment of his mother. The Gloomstalker squeezed him tighter. He didn't resist.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" Zalan asked. "Please, anything. I'm so sorry."

"You just stand there and think about what you've done," his mother whispered. "Don't move a muscle, and I'll think about forgiving you."

Her bony, disfigured arms dragged down Zalan's arms, cutting him further across his body. It stung viciously, but still not as bad as the perforations he felt in his heart. He thought that if he ever got the chance to see his mom again, it would be cathartic. This was the most agony he had felt since the Mind of Madness. And the Mind of Madness, itself, sent visions of his mother's disappointment through his head. The idea that she would never forgive him. It was worse to actually experience than to think about the disappointment of his mother who he thought he would never see again.

"I am very disappointed in you," she said seriously.

Zalan grit his teeth and lowered his head. His mom had never spoken words to him even close to that effect. Hearing it tore his heart in two. He had failed as a son. All of his worst fears were being realized in a matter of seconds. He regretted everything he had ever done. He wished he had died before he got his Elemental Power. He never would have had to witness any of her cruel words if he had just died.

"Zalan!" Finnegan screamed, running toward them.

Zalan's gray mother twisted around quickly and saw the oncoming acquaintance. Finnegan held his arms high and screamed, ready to attack. But he looked clumsy as he ran, like someone who had never been through even a bout of training or combat.

The Gloomstalker waited for his approach, stepping away from Zalan who stood as still as a statue. Finnegan swung his arm at its head. The gray creature ducked under his attempted strike. When Finnegan was left open, the Gloomstalker punched him twice in the stomach, then kicked him aside. Finnegan rolled over, scraping against the floor. His knee cut open.

Zalan's eyes went wide. His mom had drawn blood from Finnegan. He scrutinized her in horror. His eyes ran up and down frantically, a manic flutter in his pupils.

"Sorry for that interruption, where were we?" the monocolored creature turned back to her alleged son.

"No." Zalan took a slight step away as she approached.

"Zalan, listen to me," she said sternly. Her smile swapped quickly for a thin frown. It didn't affect Zalan at all.

"No! You hurt Finnegan!" Zalan yelled.

"Because you were doing such a poor job of protecting me," she said, trying to shame him. Zalan shook his head immediately.

"You're not my mom. Mom would never hurt someone like that. There's something wrong with you."

"That just goes to show how little you really know me," the Gloomstalker replied, trying to regain the situation.

"Shut up. You're not my mom. She would never speak like that. Especially not to me."

The daze he was in had been broken like a spell. He knew that she had been scratching him, but he never actually witnessed it. The damage was happening behind his back, just out of eyeshot. When he saw the crude form of his mom attack someone else, he knew everything he saw was wrong. The visual snapped him out of his passive obedience like a twig under a semi truck. This was a monster. And it had hurt Finnegan, the exact person he was trying to save.

"Finally," Finnegan exhaled in pain, rolling over on the ground.

The Gloomstalker looked between Finnegan and Zalan, realizing it had lost all the power it had in the situation. The sunken eyes on its face were going wide with fear. It looked down to Finnegan in a panic. Thrusting a bony finger forward, it began shrieking at him.

"I bet you're really proud of having stolen all that money from all those people in your town," the Gloomstalker taunted him.

"Quiet, you. I will not discuss my past with someone who has no future," Finnegan snapped.

The gray creature's eyes went rabid, twinging with rage and terror. It took one look at Zalan who was approaching it. Gasping, it jumped over Finnegan and held its sharp nails out under his neck, a crazed look in the eye. Zalan couldn't believe his own mom could make a face so ghastly. It was like a madman was wearing her skin. A nightmare come to life.

"Stay back! I'll kill him!" the voice of his mother said in a hiss.

"Wait," Zalan said quickly. He lowered his arms, his battle stance gone. "You may not be my mom, but you still look like her. I don't want to see you hurt."

The Gloomstalker grinned widely. Its lips trembled with indecision. It looked at Zalan expectantly.

"Good. You know I deserve better after how you abandoned me," the creature said, eyeing him closely.

"You're right," Zalan lowered his head.

"Of course I am. You're the one that's always been causing problems in our family," the Gloomstalker accused, his sharp fingers retreating from Finnegan's vulnerable neck.

"And… Can I have one more hug?" Zalan asked weakly.

"Zalan, no! Have you lost it again?" Finnegan asked, annoyed.

The Gloomstalker watched Zalan closely as he raised his arms up for an innocent embrace. The monster released Finnegan quickly, dropping him on the floor in pain. It twitched toward Zalan making sure that its aggression didn't cause any new emotions. Zalan made no sudden moves. Smiling, it approached Zalan with quick steps.

"One last hug," it promised, honing its sharp claws of nails.

"I'm sorry for never visiting, Mom. Really," Zalan said, full of regret.

"One last hug and all will be forgiven," the monster said, its arms aimed directly for Zalan's neck.

"I promise to visit if I ever get out of the realm," Zalan assured her.

"I look forward to… Wait… what are you doing?" The Gloomstalker hesitated, only inches away from Zalan. "Stop!"

Zalan had imbued himself in bright light and was increasing the intensity with all the Wisdom he could add to the power. He increased it to such a degree that Finnegan had to turn away. The white light enveloped everything, so much that even Zalan couldn't see the creature ahead of him anymore. It was like he had created a sun out of his own flesh, too bright to look at.

The Gloomstalker shrieked one last time as it began to tear apart. To Zalan's relief, he couldn't see even the slightest amount of the monster, saving him from having to see the image of his mother being shredded in light while screaming in fear. Blinded, he thrust his arm forward and tore a hole in the creature's chest, ensuring it would hurt no one ever again.