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

"And then, Zalan told me to throw rocks at the monster spiders!" Finnegan said to Rep, gesticulating wildly. "I thought he had gone mad, but then again I always thought he was somewhat off. So, I followed his instructions while he took on the full force of the Mind of Madness. I hit the closest Arachulas, and feared that by the time I ran out of rocks, Zalan would be dead."

"It is a miracle he still lives," Rep said. "We should be grateful."

"More like dumb luck," Zalan said. "I just didn't have time to come up with another worst fear before the Mind of Madness hit me with its beam. It kept trying to get me with old material that I just got over."

"I was not finished with my story," Finnegan mumbled.

"Please, go on," Rep allowed politely.

"So, then, Zalan told me I had to grab the sword from the Mind of Madness. And I thought 'this is madness!' Then I thought maybe that was why the monster was called the Mind of Madness. Because any attempt to kill it was madness. And, by God, I was mad enough to kill it. Either that or I would try before I died. And I ran and grabbed the sword, hanging on for my life," Finnegan said.

"Very brave of you," Rep said.

"And then I gained a Level and destroyed the Mind of Madness!" Finnegan slammed a fist into his open palm. "From there, you woke up and know what happened."

"An incredible tale I am sure you will be able to share for years to come," Rep said as though telling a child their picture was worth being pinned on the refrigerator.

Finnegan nodded to himself, satisfied at Rep's words.

"A shame that the people that would vouch for you are compulsive liars," Zalan noted, raising an eyebrow to Finnegan.

"But this is not a lie!"

"Oh, yeah, sure. Some kid at Level 2 with no Elemental Power, took down the most powerful monster in the realm," Zalan said sarcastically.

"The Mind of Madness is not the most powerful if the stories of the Beasts of Slumber are to be believed," Finnegan said.

"So that makes the story of you killing the Mind of Madness believable?"

"You were there!" Finnegan insisted.

"I'm just saying, if you didn't think we were such constant liars, it might help with your credibility." Zalan shrugged as Rep chuckled.

"Perhaps… You have not told only lies," Finnegan mumbled, understanding his point.

The three looked out at the abyss ahead of them. They had been walking through the winding mines for almost an hour now. Finnegean told the part of the battle that Rep missed to pass that time and help his own morale. But now they had to dwell on their silence and fatigue.

Occasionally, one of the three would flinch and look at a corner, expecting to see a new monster. They had been in the mines fighting monsters for so long that they had all started to hallucinate slightly from lack of sleep. Little shadows on the corner of their visions suggested ideas like monsters spawning from the earth. Zalan was the worst of the bunch, constantly swinging the source of light to look at things that didn't exist. Finnegan and Rep had never called him out on his behavior. They all had a seed of paranoia growing within them.

"Rep, I'm not so sure about the plan anymore. We're out of food and water," Zalan said. "Can we just keep moving like this? It's draining to constantly use Elemental Light this way."

"I know it is difficult," Rep agreed. "But this is the only idea we have. If you come up with anything better, I would be happy to change course. Right now, this is the best way I can see us escaping and seeing our friends and homes once more. The only alternative idea I know of is to wait in place for someone to retrieve us. And we know that will not happen."

Zalan nodded, his eyes drooping slightly. He desperately wanted to go to sleep. He had no idea how many hours it was since he last saw the sun. He wanted to feel its warmth on his skin. Anything but the foreboding black hole that constantly hovered at the edge of sight.

They continued to trudge forward, their legs dragging behind them as they started to lose their balance. Zalan moved his arm out to lean against the walls as they walked, something to keep him upright.

"No, Zalan. There may be Earthenbeasts within," Rep reminded him.

Zalan nodded with a bob of his head. He could hear the dryness in Rep's voice. He wanted water. They all did. His very bones felt like they were becoming dry and tired of the movement. He wanted to suggest that they take a short break, but also knew that he didn't want to stop moving. They could be right next to the exit and be unaware. One more step could be all it took. There was never any way of knowing.

"What is that?" Finnegan asked suddenly.

Zalan turned his light to Finnegan to see where he was looking. Instead, he saw that Finnegan was closing his eyes, listening intently. Zalan squinted at him in confusion.

"What is it?" Zalan asked.

"Listen. It sounds like something dropping," Finnegan said.

They all went quiet for a few seconds. Zalan even stopped emitting his Elemental Power so he could put all his energy into concentrating on his hearing. He heard something bouncing off the cavern walls. Tiny drops off in the distance, down one of the endless corridors of the mines.

"Water?" Zalan asked, excited.

"It could be!" Rep nodded.

Zalan emitted his Elemental Light and ran down the path. He was followed closely behind by Rep and Finnegan. They came to a fork in the path, and the three stopped short. They all closed their eyes for a moment and listened for the noise again. Simultaneously, they opened their eyes and ran down the path on the right. It was growing louder. The only sounds that the Depths of Despair made was the sound of their feet or the occasional drop of liquid.

"There!" Zalan pointed above them at a single, small stalactite pointing down from the ceiling.

As he extended his hand, a single drop of water fell from the spike on the ceiling to the floor. They watched it collect into a tiny puddle on the ground. They ran until they stood over the tiny collection of water. There would only be enough for a few sips each. Finnegan licked his lips.

"Can I drink first?" the young man asked immediately.

Rep and Zalan looked at each other. Zalan could see the stress in Rep's face, but he still looked like he wanted to drink last.

"Go ahead. But leave some for us," Zalan told him.

Finnegan fell to his knees and cupped the tiny remains of water into his hand and drank it greedily from his palm. He was going to get more, then his hand hovered over the water slightly. There was barely enough for the remaining two.

"I am satisfied. You go ahead," Finnegan said, moving backward.

Rep and Zalan looked at one another expectantly.

"Please Zalan, you know I will not drink first," Rep said desperately.

"I'm fine. I could go without water," Zalan said.

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"Zalan," Rep said sharply.

"Fine! But you better drink something!" Zalan said.

He knelt down and gathered some water in his hand. It was barely enough to fill the center of his palm. He tossed it down on his tongue and drank gratefully.

"You can take more," Rep assured him.

"Just drink," Zalan said, pulling Rep down.

Rep sighed and scraped what little remained from the small puddle. He lowered his face all the way to the ground and pooled as much as he could in his hand. He drank it, then looked dissatisfied.

"It was not enough," Finnegan said.

"You should have told me before I drank," Rep said irritably.

"No, I was referring to all of the water. If one of us drank its entire contents, we would not be satisfied. It was not enough," Finnegan clarified.

Rep, Zalan, and Finnegean looked up at the ceiling. A single drop of water fell onto the pitiful remains of the puddle. They stared at the drop.

"How long would it take to get another full sip?" Finnegan asked.

Zalan looked up at the ceiling, watching the agonizingly slow process of another drop forming. He licked his dry lips that were starting to crack. The drop fell, plopping to the floor.

"You know, I think I read about these stalactite formations when I was in school," Zalan said. "They sometimes are made with a pool of rainwater gathered above them. The stone allows the water to spill through it, creating the formation of the ceiling to point downward."

Finnegan looked at him, confused. He turned to Rep.

"What is he saying?" Finnegan asked him.

"He studied the nature of the world in his homeland," Rep said.

"Splendid, very good for him. But that does not explain what he means." Finnegan scratched the bald spot on his head. His face scrunched, only then remembering that the Giant Arachula took a good portion of his hair.

"It means there could be a collection of water in a pool above this," Zalan pointed.

"You already said that." Finnegan nodded.

"If we made a hole, it might allow all the water to fall out at once," Zalan concluded.

Finnegan's confusion turned to wide eyes. He looked excited at the suggestion and turned to Rep to see his opinion.

"How do we make the hole?" Rep asked, curious.

"I think we just try shooting our Elemental Powers at it and hope for the best," Zalan shrugged.

Rep nodded. He raised his hands along with Zalan. Finnegean took several steps back. Grunting with effort, both Rep and Zalan blasted focused beams of energy into a single point next to the stalactite above them. They strained themselves, Rep's face going pink and Zalan closing his eyes in focus on the task. Zalan was going to give up, until a small chunk of earth fell down out of the mix of light and flame. They were making progress. They both redoubled their efforts on their Elemental Powers.

"It is working!" Finnegan hopped excitedly. He had a better view of the progress.

Rep and Zalan continued until a larger chunk fell freely onto the floor next to them. That seemed to be a signal to stop their process and they both took a moment to breathe. Zalan opened his eyes wide in delight. A small trickle of water was spilling out.

"God be praised!" Finnegan said as he scrambled under it.

He opened his mouth wide and caught the tiny waterfall of water spilling out. He swallowed loudly and then pulled Zalan over to the spot where the water was falling.

"So much better!" Finnegan told him, encouraging him to take a drink.

Zalan opened his mouth and gathered his fill of a good gulp of water. He couldn't help himself and went for another one immediately after. He felt like could open his eyes again. His senses were less numb, like a simple switch had been flipped. He didn't realize how much he needed water until he finally got it.

"Come on, Rep," Zalan pulled him to the sustenance.

Rep took a few gulps of water and smiled at the others. He let the water spill over his head, rolling down his face and neck in a cool, refreshing flow.

"Perhaps this place has more to offer than only despair," Rep said, smiling.

Something cracked above and the three flinched in fear. A small fracture began to extend from the single point in the ceiling. Zalan made a face, desperately hoping it would hold together.

"We need to move," Zalan said, taking steps back and pulling Finnegan with him.

"What if it gives us more water?" Finnegan asked hopefully.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Zalan said urgently.

The cracks in the ceiling spread far, and more water began pouring out. Rep rushed away, staying close to Zalan's side. Zalan's light danced in a frenzy between the waterfall crashing down.

"How much water do you suppose is up there?" Rep asked.

"No idea, be ready for anything," Zalan said.

Upon saying that sentence, a huge chunk of the ceiling fell through, allowing a powerful flow of water to rush inside the mines. It was like a basketball-sized hole had been opened in a water reservoir.

To Zalan, that would have been manageable on its own, but a huge tentacle fell out of the ceiling as well. It was easily the width of a full grown man, with the length unknown as more wobbled out from the ceiling. It flopped around and began searching the new area it occupied. It slithered up the sides of the walls. The water began pooling up at the men's feet.

"What is that thing?" Finnegan asked, horrified as he looked at the limb.

"A tentacle," Zalan pointed out.

"What kind of creature has one that large?" Finnegan followed up.

"I have no idea," Zalan said quickly, wading backward through the rising water. It was already up to his knees.

The tentacle decided the wall was uninteresting and flopped back down to the water. Another tentacle wiggled in from the hole in the ceiling, moving directly toward Rep, Zalan, and Finnegan. They began to hop through the water one leg at a time to escape its approach.

"Why is it so long? How big is that thing!" Finnegan said in exasperation.

The tentacle gained on them quickly, wiggling excitedly. It seemed to have sensed the prey in the movement of the water ahead of it. Finnegan tripped and fell back on his hands. He tried to crabwalk away, but the water sloshed against him and made him lose balance. The tentacle grabbed his ankle.

"Ah! No! Help!" Finnegan screamed, twisting and trying to grab hold of something as he was dragged away.

The tentacle pulled him with excited ferocity, deciding it had found something lively. Finnegan's face was submerged in the rising water, unable to continue screaming as his arms flailed helplessly. His eyes bulged in pain as he was scraped over rocks below.

"I got him!" Rep said bravely.

He ran a few steps toward the tentacle with his sword drawn. It erupted into blindingly powerful fire as he imbued it with Elemental Flame. Then, leaning in with all his bodyweight, he chucked the sword forward with all his might like a javelin. Controlling it with redirection, Rep made sure it stayed on target and stabbed into the tentacle. It shot straight through like a chainsaw cutting a twig.

Finnegan pulled his head up and gasped for air, shaking his way out of the end of the dead tentacle. The remaining stump of tentacle waved around in pain and slammed around Finnegan who rolled himself into a tight ball to protect himself. Rep and Zalan rushed over to help him to his feet. They pulled him up forcefully and he balanced himself quickly, trying to shake the severed tentacle off his legs.

"Grab the tentacle! Bring it with us and run!" Rep said urgently.

Finnegan grabbed it without question and they got back to fleeing the filling passageway. There was a massive thud and splash behind them. Neither Rep nor Finnegan wanted to check if the creature had fallen entirely through the ceiling or if another tentacle came down after them. Zalan turned his shoulder and saw a giant eye at the center of tentacles branching out from it. It was a grotesque octopus made of a single eye. It made Zalan want to turn away in disgust. Instead he spun around in place.

Raising both hands, he blasted the eye with as much Elemental Light as he could, focusing it all on the iris of the disgusting monster. The light centered in like a magnifying glass focusing the rays of the sun to a single point. Zalan saw the eye burn followed by the tentacled creature thrashing violently against the walls and water, then covering itself with the tentacles.

"Go! Go! Go!" Zalan screamed, forcing himself through the water with all his remaining energy.

Rep, Finnegan and Zalan grunted as they ran, keeping their balance through the rushing waters. Zalan could hear the monster flailing behind them, but didn't sound like it was pursuing them. He just hoped it would return from where it came from in the ceiling and leave them alone. They definitely wouldn't be trying to knock out more of the ceiling anymore.

After what felt like an eternity of running at full speed through various tunnels, the trio finally stopped to breathe and catch their breath. They each fell to the ground, exhausted after draining their energy while running on no food. Zalan allowed the Elemental Light to go out, taking in deep breaths.

"We're even more lost than we were before," Zalan said, sighing. He had no idea which way was right and left anymore. It had happened too often, and he was almost certain they had ended up running in circles.

"Did the monster hurt you?" Rep asked Finnegan in the pitch darkness.

"No, you got me just in time. I could hear its teeth gnashing above in the ceiling," Finnegan informed him. "Why did you want me to grab this?"

Finnegan plopped something wet onto the floor between them. Confused by the sound, Zalan emitted a dim glow of Elemental Light, illuminating the severed tentacle.

"We ran out of food," Rep said with a hungry smile. "I thought this would serve us with a decent meal."

Finnegan's face went pale in astonishment and distaste.

"I think you are mistaken. That is monster flesh," Finnegan said, looking to Zalan for support.

Zalan shrugged, giving his silent approval of Rep's plan. Finnegan's eyes went wide in horror.

"I'll cook, then we can eat," Rep started a flame in his hand and picked up the tentacle.

Finnegan looked away when it began sizzling. He wished more than ever he was out of the Depths of Despair. He never imagined he would ever be desperate enough to eat a monster.