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

Zalan ran his arm under his cheek, wiping away a final tear from his face. Rep helped him to his feet and watched him closely. Finnegan approached, finally feeling like it was appropriate to join the two. Finnegan raised a hand to pat Zalan on the back, then hesitated and put his arm behind himself. He instead cleared his throat.

"I had no idea the Gloomstalker was playing with your heart by bringing an image of your mother that was gone," Finnegan said. "You are truly stronger than you look. I am sorry for your loss."

"Yeah. Thanks," Zalan said uncomfortably.

He had never cried so viscerally since he was a child, especially not in front of others. He felt like Finnegan or Rep should be judging him, but neither mentioned it or even looked at him differently. Even as he over thought it, he couldn't help but feel like it was the right time to cry. Some vulnerability was okay among friends. His mom had long deserved tears to be shed. And now was the first time he felt like he was properly mourning her loss. It was certainly better than wasting away in his home.

"You have my sincere condolences. I had no idea, Zalan. This whole time… If there is anything I can do to make things easier for you at this time, do not hesitate to inform me," Rep said.

"You've done plenty," Zalan shook his head. "I think what I needed most was not to be alone. I definitely felt worse anytime I was left to my thoughts. But now… I think I'll be able to handle it. Whether here or back home."

Rep nodded to him with a confident smile.

"Let's go check the Mind of Madness and Giant Arachula before we get going," Zalan said, nodding toward the respective monsters.

"Check them for what?" Finnegan asked.

"Artifacts," Rep answered.

Finnegan hung back as Rep and Zalan made their way across Arachula corpses to the largest monsters in the room. Finnegan knew, rationally, that the monsters were dead. But he still had no interest in getting any closer to them. Rep rummaged around the remaining half of the Giant Arachula and gasped loudly. He clapped his hands together loudly, rubbing them together in excitement.

"What is it?" Finnegan asked, concerned.

"A Reversal Stone!" Rep held it up proudly. "This Artifact can turn back time on an object!"

"Nice, that definitely could help us out," Zalan said.

"Be sure not to use it on any of the dead monsters," Finnegan said.

Rep smiled pleasantly at his fearful innocence and nodded as though taking the note. He slipped the stone into his pocket.

Zalan walked around to the broken half of the Mind of Madness. The inside of it looked as uncanny as the outside. Like different layers of the Earth, it had different colors as he went deeper into the monster. It went from gray to a very dark black, the same blinding shade that it would emit from its eyes. Zalan shined his Elemental Light at it, getting a good look around. He pointed his arm around like an archaeologist in search of treasure. He hesitated when he saw something shine back at him that wasn't black or gray. It was somewhat red.

Creeping up slowly, as though afraid to spook the item, he pulled at it, breaking something loose from the Mind of Madness and holding it up to his face. It was like a small eyeball, except that it was black all around with a blood-red iris. Zalan felt uncomfortable looking at it, feeling like it was emanating the same malicious energy that the Mind of Madness used to carry. He felt like it wanted to reach into his head and destroy him.

"I think this is an Artifact," Zalan raised it for Rep to see.

Rep made his way over, his face in a deep, inquisitive squint. He held his hand out for Zalan to give him the Artifact. Zalan placed it gingerly and Rep looked all over it in confusion.

"Is it dangerous?" Zalan asked.

"I have never seen anything like it. Nor read about it," Rep said, fascinated.

"Should we leave it behind? You think it's as dangerous as a Storm Caller? Something worth getting rid of instead of bringing along?" Zalan asked.

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Rep looked at the Mind of Madness' remains. He pursed his lips in thought.

"This was one of the worst monsters I had ever heard of. I think it would contain one of the most powerful Artifacts this realm has ever seen. I wish to ask Madam Hikma about it. But we should be careful with it in the meantime. Under no circumstances can we use it without knowledge. It could kill us. Or ruin someone's life that we do not intend," Rep murmured.

He returned the red and black eyeball back to Zalan who placed it carefully into his pocket. He hoped it wasn't activated by anything like him walking normally.

Finnegan raised his hand.

"I have a request," he said in a small voice.

"And what is that?" Rep asked.

"I would like to get out of the Depths of Despair alive," he said.

"Why would you believe we intended otherwise?"

"I did not. You just seem like a man who fulfills his word."

"We will certainly try," Rep said. Finnegan seemed somewhat pleased by hearing it out loud.

Rep, Finnegan, and Zalan looked around the room they had sped into. Zalan stared at the remains of the dead in awe. A Giant Arachula, hundreds of regular sized Arachulas, and the Mind of Madness itself. It was a lot to take in. He never would have been able to do even a fraction of this kind of damage when he first entered the realm. He also considered that had he never lost his Elemental Lightning, he wouldn't have stood a chance in here. The Elemental Light he emitted, even now, was something to be grateful for.

"All right, let's get moving," Zalan said.

"Do we know which way is out?" Finnegan asked.

"No, but if we keep moving, I'm sure we'll figure it out," Zalan suggested.

Finnegan's stomach grumbled loudly. With the adrenaline wearing off the three of them, their fatigue was setting in.

"Shall we rest for a moment and gather our strength and our wits before continuing? We were all fairly recently struck by the Mind of Madness. It may be good to sit and reflect on the fact we are alive and well, as well as eat something," Rep offered.

Rep was giving them as many excuses as possible to make them feel okay about resting. Zalan shrugged and knelt down. Finnegan's stomach groaned again and he sighed in acceptance. Rep and Zalan both went to their pockets in search of food.

"This is all I have left," Zalan said.

He held out two small bites of stale bread and a few pieces of smoke dried meat.

"And I have…" Rep pulled something out of his pocket. He opened his hand, and ash fell out between his fingers.

"Seasoning?" Finnegan asked, disappointed.

"I think it's his food after being at the center of an explosion," Zalan corrected.

"Oh," Finnegan said, further disappointed.

"I suppose I put so much focus on saving my life that I forgot to protect the food," Rep said, embarrassed.

"Next time you're about to die, try thinking about the food," Zalan joked.

"Indeed," Finnegan said, sounding a little too sincere for Zalan to tell if he was joking as well.

They made their way to the opening of a larger cavern, not wanting to sit and rest in the middle of the dead monsters. Somehow, a few Arachulas lived through the battles, but paid no mind to the humans. They were all limping and delirious. They were exposed to too much brightness from Elemental Light as well as had to withstand multiple explosions of web and Level gains. Zalan was surprised that any survived at all, but it went to show just how many smaller Arachulas had been summoned by the Giant Arachula.

The three split the bread and meat between them, taking the tiniest bites to savor and extend the meal for as long as they could make it last. They sat pensively, deep in thought. Now that Zalan had time to think, he had no idea how he was supposed to escape the Depths of Despair. He didn't realize how much he'd been relying on the Homeseeker until it was gone. The lack of its weight at his side made him feel vulnerable. Even though he had killed the strongest monster he could think of, Zalan knew that he could still starve to death in the Depths of Despair. Even without the powerful creature, the mines still held true to their name. Zalan was losing confidence.

The three had completed what little food they had, but none stood to leave. It was like they shared an equal amount of dread about the path forward. There were no guarantees. Even without any monsters around, they could still be driven mad in the maze ahead. Zalan looked out at the tar-black that lay beyond his light. He desperately wished for a sign of where they were. If they could just figure out the way they came inside, they would be able to find their way back. But it was so dark coming in, Zalan had no way of making note of any landmarks in the cave's formation.

Finnegan and Rep stared out at the mines, their faces difficult for Zalan to read. Finnegan looked somewhere between fearful and determined. Rep looked like he was reluctant, tired, but ready for anything. Zalan felt somewhere in between both of their emotions.

"Shall we continue?" Rep asked, his voice low. It didn't sound like he was looking forward to the path ahead either.

Finnegan and Zalan said nothing. They stood up. The trio gave one last look at the room where they had defeated the Mind of Madness and hundreds of spiders.

"We had better make it out," Finnegan said as he looked at the carnage.

"We will," Rep assured him.

"If we do not, no one will know that the Mind of Madness is dead. It would be a good way to rebuild my family's name," Finnegan said.

They turned away from the room, looking into the corridor of endless darkness. Zalan took the first step toward it, and his two companions followed closely behind him, not knowing what was left to come.